A/N: No new reviews as of yet, but maybe another chapter will encourage you to hit the little lilac button at the bottom of the screen.

Flashback

Lily made her way through Tortuga, brushing past the groping hands of lust-filled pirates. She came to an inn that didn't look quite as god-awful as the others and slipped inside. Ordering a rum from the barmaid, she found a secluded table in the corner, which, though already occupied, seemed to be the furthest from the violence in the main area of the pub.

'Can I…sit here?'

The man at the table looked her up and down, smiled and nodded.

''Course, darlin'. I'm always willin ter share with a young lass such as yerself.'

Lily gratefully dropped onto the bench, and took the opportunity to further examine the stranger opposite her. His eyes were grey, the colour of a stormy sky, and his ragged ash-blonde hair fell to his shoulders. His smile was surprisingly white for what was obviously a pirate, and she found herself attracted to him.

'If yer gonna be sharin' me table luv, I think it best we exchange names, at least.'

'Lily Cuthay,' she looked up from her drink to answer him.

'I'm Grey Wolf to me enemies, Aaron ter me friends. It's a pleasure ter meet ye, Lily, though I must admit I'm a tad curious. Ye don't look like a whore, pirate or native of this island, yet ye hold yer rum well. What be yer business in Tortuga?'

'I'm looking for someone. He left me two years ago, and I swore I would find him. We used to drink rum together when we met; it was his drink of choice, and I soon acquired a liking for it.'

Once she'd assessed him as not likely to harm her, Lily summoned the courage to ask Aaron if he knew of a place where she could stay the night.

'Ye can stay with me, darlin'. I won't lay a hand on ye if ye don't wish it so.'

'I'll trust you on that, though I must warn you that I have some skill in the handling of a blade, and will not hesitate to use that to my advantage should you go back on your word.'

'I understand. Now, if ye've finished with yer rum, we'd best be goin'. It ain't safe after dark for ye ter be wond'rin' round, even if yer with me.'

He rose from the table, and Lily followed suit, taking note of the sword in his belt and the dagger hilt above his boot.

a week later

'Aaron, I can't stay with you, I have to find Jack. You don't understand.'

'I offered ye everything. I did nay touch ye when ye did not wish it, but when I did ye were willin'. I love ye Lily, I dunno how or why but I do. Ye took me 'eart an' now yer runnin' off ter find 'Jack'. We could be 'appy together, livin' 'ere. Why, Lily?'

He held her close, inhaling the scent of her hair, knowing fair well he would probably never hold her again, hear her voice or feel her touch. She was strong spirited and nothing could keep her from pursuing her dreams.

Lily pushed his arms away, knowing if she stayed any longer to doubt her intentions she would stay. Pressing a kiss to his lips and taking her sword from the rack, she walked to the door, holding back tears. She may not love Aaron in the way she loved Jack, but he was special to her, a friend in this foreign land, and she was grateful for that. Turning at the door she saw that he had moved into the shadows so she could not see his tears.

'Goodbye, Aaron,' she whispered, before pulling the door shut behind her and walking purposefully to the docks, where a ship was waiting for her; she'd asked about the port if there were any vacancies for a woman onboard a ship, pirate or not, aware of many seamen's superstitions about women at sea. One captain had agreed to take her on as cook, and he seemed worthy enough. His ship was the Silver Blade, a pirate ship, but not a bloodthirsty one. As she neared the docks, Lily noticed an abandoned vessel at the far end. Smiling to herself, she asked a boy sitting on the pier who's it was, and whether there were supplies on board.

'Yes, miss. I saw it bein' loaded 'bout an hour ago. The crew 'ave left me in charge of it, with promise of payment.'

Lily's smile widened. Perfect. Putting on her best pirate accent, she stepped onboard.

'How old are ye?'

'Just turned fourteen, miss.'

'And yer name?'

'Tommy.'

'What say ye ter bein' the first member o' me crew, Tommy?'

The boy's eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet.

'Really? Ye'd commandeer it?'

'Course, nothin' to it.'

'I don't s'pose me brothers could come too? We're orphans, ye see, and we've always wanted to leave Tortuga. We'll work 'ard, miss, and we won't lay a hand on ye.'

Lily looked around to make sure the crew of the ship weren't returning and nodded.

'Aye, that'd be great. Be quick, though, before the crew return.'

Excited, Tommy ran down the dock, and within ten minutes had returned with four more boys, ranging in age from eleven to twenty, and all looking capable of a hard day's work.

'All right lads, come aboard, we'll go through the formalities o' learnin' names once we've set sail. We'll be stoppin' at Tortola ter pick up more crew members, savvy?'

Lily subconsciously used Jack's favourite word, it came naturally to her after so much thought of him and his whereabouts.

After a stop at Tortola to find a crew, Lily had aboard her ship a total of 23 men. She'd decided that Lily was too feminine a name for a pirate captain, and settled upon Streak, the name once given to her when she was a child and ran like 'a streak of lightning' as the housekeeper had once said.

It didn't take long for the crew to place their trust in their Captain; she was a fair leader with a quick fiery temper who settled their disputes easily. She was also a better swordsman that she let on, surprising the men with her skill. Her temper shed the blood of many enemies, and she soon had enough loot to trade for a bigger, better ship. She had long since decided that sailing at night was preferably to during the day, and christened her new ship Nightshade, after the deadly flower. She had not cut her hair since before they set sail from Tortuga, and it now fell to her waist. It was a shade of black that shone blue in the moonlight, a waterfall that cascaded down her back. Her beauty attracted the attention of many, but no crewman would dare lay a hand on her, at the risk of losing it to her deadly blade. Those who attempted to touch her found themselves dead, or at the least without a ship, crew or supplies, stranded on an island in the middle of the Caribbean. After five years of searching for her love, she had almost given up hope; until she saw the ship sailing through the smoke in the distance. She gave the order to raise a red, and hoped to Hell this would be the last ship she battled before she found her Jack.

A/N: What do you think? Please let me know, it's what the little lilac button's for. I hope this flashback made sense…I've tried to cover the relationship between Streak and Aaron as well as filling in her years at sea without making it too long and tedious. This time I mean it when I say I won't update until someone leaves me a review! Ideas and criticism are always welcome…I don't really want to get stuck again with no plot, so thoughts on a plotline are much appreciated!

Perfect but Scarred

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