A/N: I know I always say this, but I really do mean it. Thank you EVERYONE for the reviews, favs, and follows!

Thank you and apologies, Luke4444 for the short chapters. :) Usually it's not a condition I suffer from, but it seems fitting for the story… Hope the quality continues to be satisfactory. :P


Chapter 4: In Good Company

There was an upheaval in the balance of power, the imposter attempting a twisting maneuver meant to disarm Elizabeth. But the Pirate King foresaw the trick, and instead managed to trip her opponent, the woman landing hard on her back.

With her sword at the infuriating woman's throat, Elizabeth demanded, "Who are you?"

A voice called from the shadows behind the pit, "Name's Anjelica, luv."

Elizabeth froze, her blood simultaneously run hot and cold at the sound of that voice. That voice that had the power to disarm her with nary a word. Excitedly Elizabeth turned towards the sound, unable to suppress a joyful smile. "Jack!" she breathed, her heart skipping as she received a gold-glinting smile for the trouble. Eyebrows raised for the spectacle before him, Jack strode towards the women locked in armistice.

Anjelica quickly attempted to take advantage of her captor's distraction, swiping for the Pirate King with her sword. The blow was deftly blocked by the blade of Jack's own cutlass.

"Now now, dearie. That's not nice."

Anjelica said something rapid in Spanish that Elizabeth was fairly certain involved cursing Jack's name.

"That's not nice either," admonished Jack, affecting a wounded expression. "Especially considering I fairly recall that was your idea."

Elizabeth looked between Jack and this woman, who regarded each other with a fair mixture of venom and…what? Nostalgia? Regret? As usual, she hungered to know everything, and assumed Jack would reveal as little as possible.

The game was up, and so Anjelica finally acquiesced to remove her false beard.

Jack went on to question her, to which the female pirate lent half-hearted replies. Quickly she changed her tactics, attempting to play upon Jack's tender side, soliciting his sympathy for being a woman in the world of pirates. You were the only pirate I thought I could pass for, she whined, and Elizabeth fairly scoffed as Jack actually seemed to soften at this ridiculous plea.

Though Elizabeth kept one eye upon this Anjelica, disinterested in receiving a gully to the gut from the treacherous snake, most of her attention drifted to Jack at her side. Just standing near him electrified her, left her hyper aware of his presence like straying too close to the flame of a bonfire.

He had not aged a day, it seemed, the same ridiculously fine features masked by a ruffian's beard and fierce makeup. Perhaps he really had found the fountain of youth, she marveled, an unbidden elation overtaking her at the thought that Jack could live forever.

Jack looked to Elizabeth out the corner of his eye, curious to find a surprisingly soft little smile upon her lips, for a woman who had been so intent on fileting her opponent just moments ago. He'd been captivated by the sight of her leonine grace while she fought, fascinated by her deadly elegance with a sword. Part of her prowess had come from training with the whelp, there was no doubt of that, but he dared think a little of her cleverness also came from spending time with him.

He was not as surprised as he should have been to find her here at the Captain's Daughter, and the sight of her did not impact him quite so forcefully as it had in the Old Bailey, when her unexpected appearance had hit him like a swift kick in the gut.

Even after all these years, she was still so beautiful it hurt.

The treasure who forever remained out of his reach.

His perfect foil, his favorite opponent.

His killer, his savior.

The only women he ever truly loved, and the only woman it seemed he couldn't have.

Pride saw to that, foiling the heart at every turn.

He looked back and forth between the two pirate women before him. How different they were, like the yin and the yang. How ironic, that he knew beneath Anjelica's Latin fire lay a heart cold as ice, and Elizabeth's cool English façade concealed a rumbling volcano deep inside, just waiting to erupt.

Their banter went on, during which Jack managed to learn very little, except that Anjelica was up to something.

Suddenly the man named Scrum with the mandola burst through the door, shutting it behind him. "Captain, we've got company!" he alerted, and began stacking crates before the door.

For naught, and the room soon exploded into another battle, red coats everywhere. Jack and Elizabeth fought back to back, and the Pirate King rejoiced in feeling his lean body pressed to hers in this familiar deadly dance. He blocked a sword meant for her ribs as she sent a soldier's musket shot wild with a swipe of her cutlass.

Her smile was like a baring of teeth; in all the moments in which she felt most alive, Jack was there with her.

Anjelica and Scrum managed to scramble away over the rafters like a pair of crafty rats. Jack watched them go with narrowed eyes, before turning his attention back to the soldiers, hacking the plug off one of the massive wine barrels as a distraction.

He soon realized that this was a losing battle; without an escape it would end in their deaths or capture…which would most likely lead to an unpleasant hanging. With a swift kick upon a lever the loading hatch opened beneath them, sending the pair down into the murky River Thames.