A/N: Hi guys! I finally got around to writing a Pirate AU for Legends of Tomorrow! I don't get why there aren't more of these, they kind of write themselves! You already have a ship, a captain, a navigator and a crew! All you need is a story! Speaking of story, I'm not going to lie, this story was supposed to be a long slow burn. Turns out, I suck even more I writing slow burns that I thought! Also, I hate writing Sara and Ava as enemies. But, since I loved that AU so much, I did some bandaging, fixed up the story, condenced the plot of the slow burn and voila: A beautiful one-shot filled with action and fluff! I hope you'll enjoy it!
Captains' Revenge
It started with a shout from the crow's nest. Pirates. Every man took their position, readying the canons. The smaller ship approached quickly, and a shudder ran through the crew when they saw the flag. The Waverider. Cannonballs flew in their direction before they could properly prepare their offensive.
Ava felt the entire ship tremble, heard the wood of its hull break even two decks below. She gritted the teeth and whirled the ship around, to avoid the Waverider's next assault. Beside her, Admiral Bennett barked orders, yelling at the men still standing to prepare the port side canons. Ava's crew got back to their feet and, with trembling hands, obeyed. Ava glanced at the small ship coming their way. It was faster than them, small enough to be mended by a crew of less than fifteen, probably, when hers needed at least forty men. And she'd probably lost at least half of that in the first attack.
"Get us out of here, Captain!" Bennett ordered.
"Yes, sir."
The Waverider maneuvered around them and another barrage of cannonballs was hurled their way. Ava tried an evasive maneuver. Unfortunately, the central mast was hit, and it dangerously started to groan and tilt to the side. Bennett shouted:
"Fire!"
She heard the loud bangs of four, maybe five canons. None seemed to hit the smaller, nimbler ship. Bennett cursed under his breath. Ava tried to swerve out of the Waverider's way, but the wind seemed against them. She hurriedly ordered for the sails to be attached. No one answered. The mast finally fell off, breaking the banister and falling halfway into the water, dragging them to the left. Ava ignored the rush of adrenaline in her body. Beside her, Bennett was fuming angrily.
"You incompetent fool!" he shouted, though Ava didn't know if it was addressed to her in particular or to the entire crew. She took offense either way.
"What are your orders sir?" she asked nonetheless.
He glared at her.
"Prepare for boarding! They'll be coming at us with all they have, even if it isn't much."
She left the wheel and ran down the stairs to the main deck. Bennett followed, and disappeared in his quarters, shutting the door behind him. Coward, Ava thought.
"Prepare for boarding!" she shouted.
She drew her sword and waited as the Waverider approached. The rest of her crew, the ones who hadn't been blown away by a cannonball or crushed under wooden debris, all prepared their weapons as well. Another wave of projectiles shook through the hull. This time, they were grappling hooks, attached to heavy chains, linking the ships together.
The echo of the canons died down. Ava could only hear the beat of her own heart. What were they waiting for? Why hadn't they attacked them yet? The waves were dragging the ships closer and closer still. Ava tightened her hold on the handle of her sword. Any second now.
A gunshot echoed in the wind, and Ava quickly realized it was coming from under her feet. The Prisoner. They were going to set the prisoner free.
"Man the deck!" she shouted to whoever was still there to listen to her.
She walked quickly to the stairs leading down. The usual darkness had been dissipated by massive holes in the hull. The men mending the canons there were either dead, or they had fled for their lives, jumping in the unforgiving waves.
More gunshots. She walked carefully over the debris, slowly, all her senses in alert. The smell of salt coming from the sea was overpowering, masking the smell blood, which was sipping into the wood.
She reached the second staircase. She walked down, one step at a time. Something shook the entire boat. Ava placed a hand on the ceiling to keep herself from losing her footing. She was almost there.
More holes pampered the hull. She could see the water lapping inside with every wave crashing against the ship. There were more hooks attached to the wood here. The door to the prisoner's cell was blown open. Ava walked closer carefully. They still hadn't noticed her. She had the upper hand if she wanted it.
She stopped by the nearest hook and tried to kick it loose, to no avail. It was holding firm, like an anchor to a rocky cliff. Holding her breath unconsciously, she crept forward.
"We don't have all day," one of the pirates commented in a gruff voice.
"I'm trying my best, but I'm not a lock-picking master." another explained. "We should have asked Charlie for that."
"Isn't there a key?" another one asked. "Who has the key?"
"The Captain... The Captain has the key."
Ava stopped dead in her tracks. Gary. Gary had been on guard duty. This would complicate things. Gary was the worst person to keep as a hostage.
"I'll go find the key, you guys stay here."
Ava had barely taken a step forward when she froze. One of the pirates had walked out of the door, hands in his pockets as if he wasn't attacking a ship. He froze too when he saw her. He was wearing a ridiculous sky blue jacket, his velvet red hat tilted back. Their eyes met. He let out a breath of relief.
"Jesus Christ, Ava. You scared the hell out of me."
Ava let out a sigh and walked past Nate.
"How did you guys get here?" she asked.
"We used the chains to climb through the holes," Ray explained.
Ava took the key off the ring at her belt and stopped inside the prison cell. Gary was standing in a corner, nervously wrangling his hands. Ray was still crouched beside the chains, a useless metal file in his hands. Mick was standing beside him, both guns in his hands, supervising the scene. Gary looked stunned to see his Captain kneeling down to open the prisoner's manacles.
"Captain? You know the Legends?"
"It's a long story, but yes."
She was expecting Gary to call her a traitor, and maybe if she'd had more time she would have bothered to explain. However, Gary's eyes were shining with happiness.
"Can you introduce me? I've always dreamed of becoming a Legend!"
She frowned.
"Really?"
Before Gary could start rambling about his hopes and dreams, Ava shook her head and unlocked the second handcuff.
"Never-mind. Gary, stay close to Nate."
She looked up to Nate.
"Make sure he makes it to the Waverider in one piece."
Nate nodded. It was the least he could do. Ava unlocked the last chain and stood up. The prisoner was finally free. She pushed her black hair away from her face and turned to Ray.
"No need to thank me."
She punched him square in the jaw, making Mick laugh and Nate silently chuckle. Ava sighed.
"I told you not to come for me!"
"But, Nora, they were going to execute you!"
"I had everything under control."
Mick grumbled:
"Let's get out of here. Lover's quarrel can wait."
Ray blushed, and even Nora's cheeks turned a light dusting of pink. As they left the cell they looked through the massive hole in the hull. The Waverider was as close to the other ship as possible. Looking up, Ava could see a large plank linking both decks, and people fighting on it. One of her men fell straight into the water, and Sara's head peaked off to the side. Nate sent her a thumbs up. She nodded and disappeared. Ava turned to the rest of the Legends.
"Get back to the Waverider. I'll go help Sara."
"Be careful," Ray warned. "If people see you fighting on our side..."
"I know. I'll make sure they don't."
She took out her sword once again and rushed back up the stairs.
Sara had jumped on the plank as soon as they'd lowered it between the two ships. Both of her swords in hands, a look of pure violence on her face, she'd seen the sailors on the other side of the plank trembling. They climbed on nonetheless and attacked. She easily overpowered them. One took a sword to the chest, the other she pushed down the plank. He fell to the water screaming, his voice smothered by the sound of the waves trapped between the two ships. She looked down. She could see Nate, Ray, Mick, Nora, and Ava through the massive hole in the hull. Nate gave her a thumbs up. She nodded. Now to secure their escape.
She jumped down on the main deck, instantly assaulted by every man left standing. Fortunately, she wasn't alone. Zari and Charlie jumped in behind her. John stayed by the other side of the plank, to make sure no one tried to sneak on board. Sara could see the door to the Captain's cabin from here. The Admiral had to be inside since she couldn't see him anywhere else. The Coward.
She started making her way toward it, though half a dozen soldiers blocked her way. She parried and stabbed and swung her sword blindly, cutting everyone in her path. One of the men standing by the wheel tried to jump on her. A loud shot rang, and he fell to the ground, a hail of bullets in his chest. Sara looked back. Gideon was standing by the wheel of the Waverider, reloading a rifle. Sara nodded in appreciation and continued on her way.
She knocked down the only man standing directly in front of the door with the pommel of her sword and slid inside the cabin. All of the other sailors who could have stopped her were too preoccupied to even notice her.
Sara quickly analyzed the room. It seemed empty. Well kept, with a neat desk only occupied by a map and a few scrolls. The shelves were half empty, the bed was made. No place to hide. It was empty. She frowned. Bennett seriously wasn't hiding under the desk, was he?
Just when she'd taken a step forward to check it out, she heard someone else moving behind her. She whirled around and saw the light reflecting off of a gun's barrel. She stepped out of the way, but a second too late. The shot went off, monstrously deafening, and Sara fell to the ground, dropping one of her swords. The bullets had grazed her arm, tearing the flesh off on their path. The pain was a blinding flash in her mind before she remembered her objective.
She was about to push herself off and fight back when her own sword came to rest again her throat. She looked up, past the arm holding her weapon. Admiral Bennett was glaring down at her.
"I should have gotten rid of you a long time ago," he declared.
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing."
"You think you're not a criminal just because you have a conscience? You're a pirate, miss Lance. You stole that ship, you got Admiral Hunter killed. And criminals like you don't last long on the sea."
Sara was pushing past the pain to move her arm slowly, toward her belt, where four daggers were hanging.
"I didn't kill Rip. You did. You pulled that trigger because he let me go. He knew I had done the right thing."
"You corrupted him. Corrupted his mind. Admiral Hunter could have been a better officer if he'd never met you."
Before Sara could reply another one of her witty comments, a sword pierced through the front of Bennett's white and blue jacket. His eyes grew wide in surprise. The sword was pulled out swiftly. He let go of Sara's sword as both of his hands came to rest on the exit wound on his belly. Blood was already tainting his jacket red.
He fell to the ground beside Sara, not quite dead yet. Ava was standing there, her bloody sword still in one hand. She looked worriedly at Sara.
"Are you okay?"
"I've had worse."
Ava held out her empty hand for Sara to take, and she pulled her up, mindful of the wound on her arm. Their eyes met. Sara had never been happier to see the taller blonde. She picked up her sword and sheathed it. In front of them, Bennett was still groaning on the ground.
"Now, time to rid the world of another coward."
Sara pushed Bennett with the tip of her shoe, and he rolled onto his back with a painful grunt.
"What... what is the meaning of this? Captain Sharpe?"
"I believe this is called insubordination, sir," Ava replied.
"I'll have both... your heads for this!"
Sara shook her head.
"What pathetic words to end on."
She and Ava exchanged a look. Together, they plunged their swords in Bennett's chest. He chocked on blood and his eyes rolled at the back of his skull. Both women only pulled their weapons out when they were sure he was dead. They sheathed them, and quickly Ava hugged Sara.
"I tried to get here as quickly as I could," Ava breathed out.
"It's okay. You were there right on time."
They stayed locked in each other's arms for another minute when Sara finally pulled away.
"Nora is free?"
"Yes, she should be on the Waverider by now."
"Okay. Let's get everything we can carry and get out of here!"
A big bag with the rest of Ava's personal belongings and all the precious things they could get their hands on was quickly assembled. Once this was done, Sara tied Ava's hand behind her back. She placed one last kiss on Ava's cheek, promising it was almost over and walked out of the cabin. Ava waited there for a minute, looking down at Bennett's body. He'd deserved an even more painful death for what he'd done to Rip, but the fact that he was dead was satisfying enough.
When the door opened again, Mick was the one who walked in.
"Captain said you're unconscious."
Ava sighed. Of course, Sara had a whole thing planned, to scare the few sailors still alive on the ship.
"I guess I'll close my eyes."
She waited until Mick had picked her up from the ground, roughly but not painfully, to close her eyes. She was carried out of the cabin and placed on the deck, where she tried to slacken her body as much as possible. She heard whispered beside her, of shocked sailors at the sight of their unconscious captain.
She waited for a few beats before finally opening her eyes. She was kneeling in front of the plank, beside the broken down mast. On her right side, the few members of her crew left alive were also bound and lined up.
"Well, well. Our Captain's awake."
Sara came to stand in front of her. She didn't have to crane her neck too much to look up at her. Her blue eyes met bluer once, the color of the Caribbean sea. A smirk broke on her lips. Ava kept on staring at her. Freckles dusted her face, barely visible on her tan skin. Blond hair fell on either side, topped by an old black and gold Navy Captain's hat, a copy of the one Ava had abandoned in her cabin. Her two swords were slung on her back, and twice as many daggers hung at her belt. Ava tried to hold in her smile. She'd almost forgotten just how fierce-looking Sara was in her full regalia.
"I think I've heard of you before."
Ava held in a sigh. She decided to play along.
"Well, I don't know you."
Sara continued to smirk.
"Captain Sara Lance, at your service."
Sara Lance. The Backstabber. The Turncoat who'd stolen the ship she'd been assigned to and became a pirate. The woman who'd refused to escort a ship full of slaves after the Slave Trade Act had been passed. The woman who had willingly let herself be captured just so she could talk to Ava, stealing her heart in the process.
"Yes. I have."
"Well, I've heard about you too. Ava Sharpe. The Pirate Killer, they call you. Or is the Pirate Executioner? I don't remember. Anyway, it's a good thing we finally got a chance to settle down who was the best Captain."
Sara's crew chuckled behind her. Ava shook her head in disbelief.
"What should we do with you?" she wondered.
Ava glanced at her crew. They were definitely buying it. Time to play her part of the honorable Captain.
"Kill me. Be done with it."
"Are you kidding me? Who would believe me if I went back to Tortuga and claimed I had killed the Pirate Killer?"
"We'd vouched for ya' Captain," Charlie assured.
"Oh I don't doubt it but no one would believe you either. But, if I take her back to Tortuga, and we put her on trial."
A smirk danced on all of the pirates' lips.
"You government types like trials, don't you? So, let's give her a pirate trial."
Sara clapped her hands, a bright smile on her face.
"Then it's decided. A pirate trial for her. You can leave the others, they'll just make their way home very slowly."
Mick picked up Ava from the floor and carried her toward the plank. Ava tried to wriggle out of the man's grasp, but not too much, just enough to show that she was struggling. Soon enough they were on the Waverider and he brought her below deck. All of the other pirates followed, climbing back on the Waverider.
Sara was last, giving one last sharp glance at the few sailors left. Once she was safely back on her ship, the plank was pulled away. All the chains holding both ships together were thrown loose. Sara watched as the Waverider, pushed by the waves, abandoned the broken ship behind.
"Gideon, plot a course for Tortuga."
The woman standing behind the wheel nodded.
"On it, Captain."
Sara went below deck, where Ray, Nate, Nora and a tall smiling guy with broken glasses were sitting on a bench and waiting for her.
"Happy to see you again, Nora."
Nora stood up from the bench abruptly.
"I told Ray not to worry about me."
"Yes, well, after hearing about your arrest Ray had been whipping in the soup for a week. I had to do something."
Ray blushed behind them. Sara continued:
"Plus, it was the perfect excuse to get to Bennett without raising suspicion."
"They're going to keep looking for me."
"Which is why we're going to Tortuga, where they won't find you."
Nora gave one last look at Sara, then back at Ray, before walking away toward the canopy of hammock serving as the crew's quarters.
"I need a nap," she declared.
Sara turned to Ray.
"Find her something better to wear."
"Of course, Captain."
He smiled and disappeared toward the massive chest where they kept most of their clothes. Sara then turned to the new recruit.
"Who are you?"
He stood up quickly.
"I'm Gary Green. I'm Captain Sharpe's cabin boy! I'm such a huge fan of you guys! Can I stay, please?"
Sara crossed her arms. The man was far too old to be cabin boy and overexcited. There had to be a reason why he was still a cabin boy. She'd asked Ava later.
"Congratulation, Gary. You just became our new cabin boy. Nate, show him where we keep the bucket and the brush. I want this boat clean before we get to Tortuga."
"You can count on me, Captain! I won't disappoint."
Nate took the new cabin boy by the shoulders and pushed him away.
"Alright, Gary. Can you try to be just a little bit less excited?"
Sara walked past the sea of hammocks and down the stairs to the hold. Ava was waiting for her there, beside a lantern. As soon as Sara was down the ladder Ava enveloped her into another hug. Sara would have been very thankful for it, but the wound on her arm started burning again, and she yelped. Ava pulled away quickly.
"I'm so sorry. I had completely forgotten."
"It's okay. Gideon will fix me up in no time."
Ava shook her head.
"I'll take care of it."
Sara smiled and pulled the woman toward her by the collar of her jacket. She kissed her lovingly, keeping her there just long enough for Ava to get past the surprise but not long enough for her to reciprocate. Ava was pouting when she pulled away, but it didn't last.
"You and me, we are going to lock ourselves in my cabin, and we won't come out until you've forgotten how to spell your name," Sara assured boldly.
Ava was stunned.
"Oh, sweet God..."
Sara smiled proudly. She took Ava's hand and pulled her up toward her cabin. Most of the crew was still standing in the galley when they passed through. She declared:
"I'm going to make sweet victory love to this woman. The first one who bothers me will be swimming back to Tortuga. Spread the word."
Ava didn't have the time to feel embarrassed, as she was pulled up the stairs and onto the main deck. As soon as she was inside the Captain's quarter Sara shut the door behind them. Ava's brain had suddenly been switched back on when she looked around.
"Your quarter is a mess, Sara."
It was a mess of maps and papers thrown here and there, piled up in corners and against empty shelves, clothes abandoned on top and a collection of bottles, either empty or full. Ava's bag had been abandoned against the cluttered desk. Sara shrugged.
"I'll clean up later. For now..."
Sara tried to embrace Ava from behind and place a kiss on her neck. She was too small and had to push herself on her toes to reach the nape of Ava's neck. It wasn't useless, though, as a long shiver ran down Ava's spine. Ava turned around in Sara's arm and saw her still bleeding arm from the corner of her eye.
"Let's take care of that first."
Sara was about to protest, but when Ava pulled her delicately toward her bed, she didn't. She sat down on her bed. It was nothing really, just a small mattress stuck in a wooden frame, under the window. Sometimes she wished she could have a hammock too, but she was the Captain, and it was her burden to sleep in an uncomfortable bed every night. Uncomfortable position, uncomfortable bed. Ava lit the candle in the lantern on her desk and brought it closer. Then she stood up and looked at Sara confusingly.
"I can't really look at your wound if you don't take your clothes off."
Sara smirked.
"All you need is ask."
She undid both straps of her swords and threw them beside the bed. Then, she shrugged off her heavy black coat. If she was aiming for something sexy, it didn't work, as she struggled to get the bloody sleeve off, and gritted her teeth at the pain. Ava was about to help her when she finally managed to pull it off. She threw it on the desk chair, and it hung there by some kind of miracle.
Ava glanced at the bloody sleeve of Sara's loose shirt. It was larger then she'd imagined. Sara must have noticed the worry in Ava's eyes as she called:
"Hey."
Ava's eyes found hers.
"I'm okay. I'm not going to die from a little scratch like that."
She took her old hat off her head and threw it at Ava, who barely caught it before it hit her in the face.
"Now bandage this up quickly so we can start having fun," she declared with a wink.
Ava rolled her eyes. Of all the girls who would have wanted her, she had to fall for this one.
She placed the hat on the desk and went in search of medical supply. She came back with a bowl full of water, a sponge and some cloth she'd found lying around. When she returned to the bed, Sara had discarded her shirt as well, leaving her in nothing but her bindings. All of her muscles were exposed, and all of her scars too. Ava went to sit beside her, the bowl on her lap. She put the sponge in the water and after wrigging it, she applied it carefully to Sara's arm. Sara didn't react. She cleaned delicately all the blood around the wound.
"Isn't alcohol better to clean things than water?" Sara asked.
"Why? Is that how you clean wounds around here? With a lot of alcohol?"
"Basically."
Ava smiled.
"Well, then I should probably follow the rule."
After having cleaned the excessed blood off of Sara's arm, she picked up the nearest bottle of rum, soaked the sponge with it, and applied it on Sara's arm. Sara could barely hold her curse in. The burning was all too familiar, but it didn't make it any less painful.
"Satisfied?" Ava asked.
"Yep. That's how you know it's effective."
"Because it hurts?"
"Yes. The more painful things are for you, the better."
Ava pulled the sponge away and began bandaging Sara's arm.
"I'm going to start thinking you get wounded on purpose."
"Well, I'm not going to pretend like I'm not always looking for trouble, but I have to admit, being away from you those last few months were a lot more painful than this."
Ava's hands stilled. She had to admit that she'd felt the same. Being away from Sara to complete their plan and look inconspicuous had been a lot more painful than she ever thought. So maybe Sara was right. Now that the pain of being apart and the fear of their plan blowing up in their hands were gone, she was feeling better than she'd felt in a very long time.
"Are you finished?"
Sara's voice brought her back to reality. She tied a knot in the bandage and nodded.
"Yes."
Sara didn't even give her time to think. She took the bowl of bloody water, placed it carelessly on the ground beside the bed, and pounced on Ava, almost tackling her on her bed. She ended up on the taller blonde's lap, kissing her passionately. Ava responded in earnest, kissing her back, her hands coming to rest on Sara's waist, her thumbs touching the naked skin at the edge of her belt. Sara's hand wasted no time unbuttoning Ava's jacket. Ava let her do merrily.
Nora had taken Ray's hammock. She knew he wouldn't dare to wake her up so he could sleep too, and he wouldn't pick another hammock either because the others were too short for him. It was his punishment, she'd decided. He wouldn't get to sleep until she decided to open her eyes, which could take a while because if she was being honest she'd been chained in the hold of a ship for two days, after staying in a cold humid cell for two weeks. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she eventually did.
When she woke up, Ray was standing beside his hammock, a pile of clothes under one arm and a wooden plate in the other. He looked torn between leaving everything there or wait for her to open her eyes. She sighed when she noticed him. He smiled.
"I brought you some clothes to change into. And food. I thought you may be hungry."
She sat up and he placed the clothes at the foot of the hammock, and the plate on top. Nora glanced at the food. Apparently, the Legends still hadn't exhausted the massive cargo of smoked fish they'd stolen a while back. The smell alone made Nora gag.
"I have work to do, so..."
Ray stayed there for a long minute, contemplating his options, not sure whether he could add anything. He turned around, and was about to walk away when Nora called him back:
"Ray."
He quickly faced her again, a goofy smile on his lips.
"Yes?"
She sighed. Why did she have to fall for the one you could never hold a grudge against?
"Thank you for rescuing me."
"Oh, it was nothing."
He stepped closer.
"It was Sara's plan, really. All I did was participate."
"It's the reason why I didn't want you to save me."
"What?"
"I was afraid you guys would screw it up again and you would all get killed trying."
Ray shook his head.
"We're the Legends. We never screw things for the worst."
He thought for a second.
"Almost never."
She couldn't help but smile.
"I'm glad you're safe."
"I'm fine. I wasn't the one captured, put in jail for two weeks and then almost shipped off to London to be executed."
He cleared his throat, realizing he'd lost track of what he wanted to say.
"What I mean is, I'm glad you're safe too."
She pushed herself up as much as she could without tipping the hammock and he leaned forward, their lips meeting halfway. She couldn't hold the position for long, however, and as she sat back into the hammock he lowered himself even more, pursuing her lips and never breaking the kiss.
She had barely placed her hand on the back of his head that a voice broke them apart:
"You guys are disgusting."
They separated and looked behind them, to Charlie, who'd just walked through the sea of hammocks to jump in hers. She crossed her arms behind her head and closed her eyes. Nora glared at her.
"You and Zari had sex in the crow's nest."
"Are you sure?" Charlie asked without opening her eyes.
"We all heard you," Nora replied.
"So? Hearing isn't seeing."
"No, it's worst."
Ray frowned.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to be up there?"
"Oh, the new guy took over. This dumbass does everything you ask, doesn't even question it."
"Sara's not going to be happy to learn you're exploiting Gary."
"I really don't care. She said not to bother her right now, so no one can report me. Now let me sleep."
Ray shook his head, determined to tell on Charlie. He looked down at Nora.
"I'll let you change. You can stay in my hammock if you want. I'll just sleep on the floor."
He walked away and up the stairs. Nora sighed. She was in love with the nicest pirate in the world. This could only lead to trouble.
Laying together on the Captain's minuscule bed was almost impossible. Somehow, Ava and Sara had found a way. Ava was lying on her side, her back against the frame of the bed, while Sara was on her back beside her, angled just enough to look at Ava and keep away from the edge of the bed. They were in their own bubble, gazing at each other with a smile on their faces. Neither of them wanted to break the moment. Ava was thinking about how glad she was that she'd allowed herself to listen to Sara, rather than chain her up in the hold and bring her back to Washington. When Sara stretched, her toes pushing Ava's feet lightly, Ava giggled.
"Are you calling it a night already?" she asked with mirth in her voice.
Sara settled down again.
"Of course not. I have a reputation to maintain. But first."
She sat up and jumped out of bed. The light of day was abandoning them, fewer and fewer rays passing through the window. The lantern Ava had lit earlier was almost dead, the flame inside drowning in melted wax. Sara took another candle and replaced it. Then, she picked up the discarded bottle of rum from earlier, and something in her jacket pocket, and brought it back to bed with her.
"First, we celebrate!"
She took a swig of rum and passed the bottle to Ava. Ava sat up and took a swig too. She grimaced. This was the bottom of the barrel for sure. She swallowed and coughed.
"Remind me to buy you a better bottle first chance I get."
"Only if you get to drink it with me."
"That's the plan."
She handed the bottle back to Sara, who drank some more before placing it beside the bed.
"Listen, Ava. I have a proposition."
Ava looked at Sara with interest. The last time Sara had talked to her with so much seriousness they'd built up a plan to murder Admiral Bennett. Sara held out her hand and opened it. A key was placed inside.
"I bought this little cabin outside of New Orleans a while back. In case I wanted to lay low for a while. But, I've started saving up, and I think it's time I settle down. I'm not going to be a pirate all my life. Maybe one or two more jobs, just to get a bit more money, and I think I'm going to go there. To my little cabin. Do whatever people do when they retire."
She pursed her lips and seemed to hesitate to continue. Her eyes had fallen away from Ava the more she spoke. She took in a deep breath and declared:
"It would mean a lot to me if you wanted to come with me. Settle down at the cabin. What do you say?"
Ava was stunned. In truth, she hadn't considered things beyond this moment. Beyond the two of them, in the Captain's quarters, after having executed their plan. People would think that she was dead now. The tale of her capture by Sara and probable death, either on the way to Tortuga or on the island itself, would reach her superior soon enough. Piracy had never been very attractive either. Sara was the only reason why she'd agreed to that leap of carrier.
"What would happen to the Waverider?" was her first question.
Sara shrugged.
"I'll leave it to Zari. She's ready. She's the best first mate I ever had, she'll be a fine captain."
Ava pondered the proposition a bit more. The image of the two of them settling in a small cabin, away from everything, made her heart warm up in her chest. Slowly, she picked up the key in Sara's hand. It stayed there for so long that it was now warm.
"Let's make a deal. I can help you track down a ship full of tax money, going from Kingston to London. We do this job, and then we settle down to that little cabin of yours."
Sara's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
Ava nodded.
"Do we have an agreement?"
Sara didn't reply, only kissed Ava soundlessly once more, and tackled her back on the bed.