He was holding Anne's hand as they sat on the empty beach, looking at the skiff approaching from the distance. More secrecy.

"You know we wouldn't survive together" he told her

"I know" she replied, still gazing towards the sea

He shouldn't be upset at her eagerly waiting for Mark, they were all friends, they were crew. Yet the way the two of them interacted was so odd. A little too close, a little too comfortable with each other. Too much for a man and a woman.

"Maybe you can make it on your own. Just a woman with red hair and blue eyes and a lot of naval knowledge. A little too much for a coincidence, but surely you could make it"

"I could"

The skiff approached and in the bright moonlight they saw one silhouette, not three, as they had left. He then heard footsteps behind him in the distance and he turned to see Bartholomew walking towards them.

"And I could make it on my own." he turned around to her, as long as they were still alone "I'll dress plainly and change the way I shave and cut my hair. But the two of us, Anne … Anywhere in the world, with a fat sack of gold promised for our heads. Who would not look for the odd couple new in town?"

Her eyes did not move from the silhouette of the skiff. Her lips did not move either. Perhaps she was thinking about it … Making it on her own, building her life again, not getting dragged into this life. The silhouette jumped out of the skiff and Anne ran towards it, while he stayed. He simply stood there and looked at her, running to shorten the wait with one minute, like she had ran the first time Jack had left to sea and she had stayed behind.

"I can tell the look on your face, even in the dark" Bartholomew said as he reached him "You are jealous!"

Was it really that obvious on his face? Didn't matter.

"Jack, I know we do not know each other very well, but I have heard so much about you, even when I was only a sailor and not a pirate. It's a man's world, you shouldn't be bothered by her talking to others, smiling to them or drinking with them"

Though he was first bothered by the man's attempt at small talk, he now took a little pity on him. He knew why Bartholomew was talking about this. He was venting and he was trying to convince himself by repeating his own thoughts out loud.

Mark was now out of the skiff and heading with Anne back towards the shore. Nobody else came out of the boat.

"I am not bothered by what the woman I love had to do to keep herself safe" Bartholomew went on "It would be absurd of me to do so"

He knew that Bartholomew talked about Elisabeth, but he also knew how Elisabeth talked about Bart. He did not like to judge other people's relationships as he knew he would be just as wrong as the people who judged him and Anne, but he couldn't help feeling that Betty was just a little bit ungrateful towards Bartholomew.

"And even more of it" Bart went on, looking at the approaching duo "I was away at sea for months at a time and she couldn't even be sure that I'd make it back alive. I wasn't mad that she drank and laughed with men in taverns. I simply couldn't. Not even when she stopped taking me back. I love her and I know there is no better man for her than me. Is there a better man for Anne than you?"

"... there isn't"

But the time was off for such subjects, as Mark and Anne had reached them.

"Max is alive, but under heavy surveillance" Mark declared with glee "Elisabeth too. Edward had ran away and there was no news of his capture. Bonnet was executed though"

"May God rest his soul"

They headed back to the camp, yet the question of what happened to the other men loomed above Jack's head. But as Bartholomew did not even ask about them, he figured there was more at play and that it was better to talk to Mark in private.

"I see you are good at slipping in and out, Mark, we will send you again" said Bart

"And I would gladly head back"

"Now for you, Jack, I propose a mission. We have a total of twenty one faulty guns and a dire need to replace them. You have connections in Port Royal, I have connections in Port Royal, so I have a mind of sending you there to quickly replace them. Interested?"

"I would say so."

"I will have you, half of your crew and half of La Palisse's crew on his ship. They all speak French and we have a fake French manifest to go with it. My people in Port Royal can hide you with no problem. The risk to it … "

Of course there was risk to it.

"... Is that you would make this journey with only the faulty guns. What say you?"

"I will need a moment to confer with my mates"

It was the perfect opportunity to ask Mark just what the heck happened on his journey, so he pulled the two aside.

"Mark … "

"I know, I know" the boy said, waving his hands "You ask yourselves why there's only me"

"Yes!" Jack and Anne whispered in unison

"Well, long story short, I think those two hid away Bart's cache"

Bart's cache …

Bartholomew was not a man who fell into vices. And as he did not enjoy whores too often, found gambling to be stupid and only enjoyed drinking occasionally, there was a lot of money that he simply couldn't spend. Ultimately, after capturing over three hundred and fifty vessels, Bartholomew found himself in possession of a fortune

"Mark" Anne half-whispered and half-screamed "For fuck's sake, where did they put it?"

"I didn't fucking ask! I told Max about it and I let her figure it out"

If they were to find out where that treasure was, they had a good chance of affording to bribe their lives away. Mark had been so close, so damn close, he could have asked other people to spy on those two men, he had so much time to think, God fucking damn it! It would have been good gold without bloodshed. But now the trail was cold and they could hope that Max had picked up on it …

"Now running off to Jamaica, away from this camp, even with half the crew doesn't sound like such a bad idea" said Jack

"No it doesn't, especially if I am back in Nassau" Mark whispered

"Let me tell you something" said Jack "The more I sit here, the less I trust the integrity of Bart's crews. Perhaps it's not bad to position ourselves with one foot out."

"I think Kennedy's with one foot out already" said Anne

"So we do it?"

All three of them took good looks at each other and then silently nodded.

"We're in!"

"Glad you agreed, mr Rackham" said Bart "I will have mr Glasby draw the best course for you."

As Bartholomew approached, the side of Jack's eye caught a glimpse of melancholy in Anne's eyes. What was it that prompted it? The separation from Mark? Then Goddamn it, he was glad that they would be miles away from him!

"There is something else I'd like to ask of you" said Bart "Please, when in Port Royal and you speak to my men, have them deliver this for me with discretion"

He watched Bartholomew reach into his pocket, then handing him a sealed letter.

To: Elisabeth Durand

From: John R.