"Come on an' give us a smile, Rags!"

Ragetti had been staring out into the horizon, a small Bible open in his lap upside down when Pintel suddenly spoke up. Blinking, he looked over at him and Lazzaro in confusion.

"Eh?"

Pintel laughed and shook his head as Lazzaro glomped Ragetti and proceeded to lick his face excitedly.

"Oy!" Ragetti laughed, falling back heavily and making the rowboat rock violently.

"Tha's much betta." Pintel chuckled as Ragetti sat up with a lopsided smile and his arm around Lazzaro's neck. "I was startin' ta git worried."

"Wot fer, Pinters?"

"Ye 'adn' smiled in a while!" Pintel said. "I was startin' ta miss et."

"I was jus' finkin', Pint." Ragetti said with a shrug.

"Finkin'? Abou' wot?"

"I was jus' finkin' abou' 'ow clever ye were wi' Beckett back in Por' Royal." Ragetti said with a giggle. "'e were really mad when I go' 'im ta cry o'er me playin'!"

"Looked loik 'e swallowered a frog when ye started ta play!" Pintel nodded. "I knew 'e would fall fer et though. People loik 'im always fink they're betta than us regular folk. Did ye see 'ow big 'is eyes go' when ye knew wot kind o' 'arp 'e 'ad an' all? Loik 'e didn' fink ye would or somefing!"

"Did ye know tha' I knew et?" Ragetti asked, and Pintel blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

"No' really…" he admitted.

"Did ye mean wot ye said afore?" Ragetti asked shyly. "Abou' 'ow I kin git birds ou' o' trees wi' me singin' an' playin'?"

Pintel smiled and nodded, bringing in the oars before he then opened up his arms. Ragetti crawled into his arms with a sigh, snuggling in close.

"I love yer, Pinters."

"I know ye do, Rags."

Lazzaro barked and the two laughed at him.

"We love yer too, Lazzaro! Cane buono." Ragetti assured him and the dog thumped his tail happily as he panted.

"I still don' unnerstan' why ye asked fer tha' dog." Pintel said, wrapping his arms around Ragetti's small middle. "'e's jus' another mouth ta feed! Ye need all the food ye kin git! I aint goin' ta be wi' a man wot looks loik a skellington wi' skin wrapped on et!"

Ragetti blushed slightly at the gentle reprimand and he looked away.

"I'm eatin' more than usual." He offered. Pintel snorted and shrugged.

"I suppose so." He admitted. "Bu' wot abou' the dog?"

"I used ta 'ave a dog when I were small." Ragetti said as he leaned into Pintel, resting an ear over his heart. "'e an' me mum were me only friends back then."

"Wot 'appened ta 'im?"

"Red coats killed 'im. Sho' 'im in the 'ead afta they raped me mum an' broke me arm."

Pintel winced at this, but Ragetti didn't seem to mind the hideous memory anymore.

"'e were a mutt dog loik Lazzaro is." He said with a smile. "Looked kind o' loik an Irish Wolfhound actually…"

They were silent for a while; Pintel holding Ragetti close as the lanky man listened to his heart beating gently in his chest.

"Ye loik listenin' ta me 'eart." Pintel pointed out. "Et was all ye did while we was in jail ye know. Why is tha'?"

"Et reminds me tha' yer 'ere wi' me." Ragetti explained. "When we was waitin' ta 'ang the idear o' us bein' 'anged on differen' days scared me more than the actual noose."

"Why was tha' the fing tha' scared yer?"

"Because I loves yer, Pint!" Ragetti said, sitting up a bit to look at him seriously. "If ye died afore me…I would 'ave ta die too!"

Reaching out with one hand, Pintel rested it on Ragetti's cheek, rubbing the skin with his thumb lightly.

"I aint leavin' yer side, Rags." He whispered softly.

"Ye promise?" Chuckling, Pintel kissed his lips.

"I promise!"

…

Waking with a jerk, Ragetti whimpered as he opened his eyes and found himself in Beckett's office, chained to the stool still with the harp holding him up.

Looking out at the starry sky through the window; Pintel's words came to him again and he started to cry, wishing that he could have been strong enough to die like he wanted to.