By the time Jack had returned to the ship, the familiar hues of sunset had begun to stain the sky. He handed several boxes to one of the boys of his crew and asked that they be left in his chambers. When the boy had run off, he was left holding one small box. With a smirk, the captain placed it into the large pocket of his over-sized coat and headed towards the hold.

Azure eyes watched as the apple flew upwards into the air, hung for barely a second and returned to her palm. She had been simply tossing it up and down for hours while thinking about her situation. Ideally she and Anna would have been saved by now, but she supposed less than a week was a bit absurd of an expectation—even if she was a princess. Which meant it was up to her to get her and Anna home— after all, the younger girl certainly wasn't going to do anything about it. Elsa expelled a gentle sigh as she caught the apple and looked it over; fresh, only one bruise from when she had accidentally dropped it. Anna had left it for her earlier that day, but she hadn't taken even one bite. She was determined to maintain her hunger strike and it wouldn't do to have the arrogant captain finding an apple core in her cell.

Still, she was absolutely starving. She had gone nearly five days without food and it was seriously taking its toll –really, she was only running on the small amount of water she had agreed to drink. Perhaps just a few bites, just enough to stop her stomach from how it was absolutely aching. She could hide it under the blanket or pillow if she heard footsteps right? Of course she could. Satisfied with her logic, or rather her excuse, the princess brought the fruit to her lips which had once been painted an elegant vermillion but had faded since her capture. Her teeth began to sink in, drawing juice from the insides of the fruit as well as a gentle moan from the princess' lips.

"Good apple?"

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin, the surprise causing her to bite down on the apple before hurling it at the presence beyond the bars of her cell. Surprisingly, it managed to go through said bars. More surprisingly, he managed to catch it –it wouldn't have touched him otherwise. The way a single corner of his mouth lifted in a smug smirk was enough to make her stomach roil unpleasantly. He examined the apple closely, as if it were an artifact of some sort, his thumb running over the edges of the small section she had bitten off.

"You know," he said, a teasing tone to his voice that only served to double the dread building within her. "if I'd known an apple was all it took to get a moan from you, I'd have bought more of those instead." Her face had flared at the mention of the sound she had made, turning a shade pinker than before and causing her not to register the rest of his sentence. "I don't suppose you're still hungry?"

Her attention returning to him once more, despite the warmth that still painted her cheeks, she noticed his smirk had become a wry grin. He unceremoniously tossed the apple down the hall to where she certainly hoped there was a waste bin and then pulled the bars back.

"I'd like to make a deal,"

Elsa's brows rose as she looked at him through her thick lashes.

"Oh?"

The grin still visible upon his lips, he leaned against the wall of her cell, still by the entrance so as not to upset her by coming too close.

"Spend the rest of the evening with me, and you can have these." He answered, pulling the small box he had purchased from the market out of his pocket in a fluid motion and holding it her to see.

Her raised brows had furrowed in confusion once more as she glanced between him and the box. Without a word he tossed the box in her direction, her pale hands reaching out and catching it. Up close, it was easier to see the detailing in the dim room. The box was a soft pink with a slightly darker floral pattern sprawling over each side. It was wrapped with what she assumed was once an immaculately tied red bow, also sporting the same pattern of vines and flowers but in gold, rather than dark pink. The bow itself had been slightly damaged, likely from being carried around in his pocket, if she had to guess. Cerulean eyes flickered to him and then back down to the box as she carefully untied the bow. Upon removing the cover, the princess inhaled a soft gasp or surprise.

"How did you—" Her eyes found his once again. He shrugged, examining his fingernails nonchalantly. Her lips pressed to a thin line. "Anna told you." And indeed Anna had. Sitting inside the decorative box were half a dozen gourmet chocolate truffles.

"She may have hinted at it." He conceded, though he still looked rather satisfied with himself. "So, do we have a deal, princess? Or would you rather maintain your hunger strike?"

Her lips pursed slightly and her eyes evaded the captain's. It was painfully obvious that no one was going to come save her and Anna, at least not within the next few days. If she was to concoct and carry out an escape plan, she'd need strength and rest. She'd also need his trust –she wouldn't put it past him to lock her up once more if he caught on. Boy or not, he was still a pirate. Her eyes returned to the chocolates in her hand and she picked one up, scrutinizing it carefully before plopping it into her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and it took all of her willpower not to give a sound of delight at the familiar, rich taste. He was still watching, after all. Once she had chewed and swallowed the treat, she gently cleared her throat before speaking again, a faint tint of pink invading her cheeks once more –she only hoped he couldn't see it in the dim light.

"I suppose that's a fair trade." She replied quietly. His grin widened mischievously as he detached himself from the wall on which he was leaning.

"Then let's go,"

Unable to retain a gentle sigh, the blonde set down the box of chocolates and stood before leaving her cell. Despite that she was obviously a bit weak from not having eaten, she maintained her air of grace and royalty. As she passed him, Jack couldn't help but think how even with knotted hair and a dirty nightgown she looked as proud and regal as ever. He supposed it was the slight, upward tilt of her head that looked as though she were balancing some invisible object upon the tip of her nose. Usually when he encountered upper-class men and women with this trait he found it quite irritating. Elsa's pride, however, he simply found amusing.

It was only a few moments later that he joined her in the hall to find the princess stooping to the ground to retrieve the apple he had thrown earlier –which had missed the waste basket—and putting it in its rightful place. When she stood once more and turned to him, a light flush was once again visible in her pallor, as though he'd caught her.

"No use in making a mess," she muttered, averting her eyes as she turned to the staircase that would lead them out of the hold. His amused smile unyielding, Jack followed her up.

As the pair arrived on the main deck, Elsa allowed the cool wind stirred up by the ocean to enter her lungs and pull gently at wisps of her platinum hair.

"Kinda cold tonight, huh?"

Cerulean orbs flickered to the captain at her side before she clasped her hands behind her back and gave a soft shrug in response.

"It's never bothered me," She answered rather curtly, never having been one for small talk. "I don't suppose you've got anything planned?"

"Straight to the point I see," he said with a grin as his feet began to move once more. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far,"

' Niether did I ' the princess thought to herself as she moved beside him at a leisurely pace, her eyes roaming the vast ocean to her right and purposefully avoiding the boy to her left.

"so I'm afraid you'll simply have to settle for my company tonight."

When she didn't reply with a brazen quip of some sort, Jack deflated slightly, his shoulders falling a bit. Her eyes, having roamed over the expanse of the deck already, were set on the ocean, her face turned away from him entirely. Frustrated, but not giving up so easily, Jack cleared his throat, managing to capture an expectant glance from the princess. He returned it with a smirk.

"C'mon, you haven't seen the rest of the ship yet." He said, "I'll give you a tour."

He led her down throughout the ship, making jokes and light conversation about various subjects in attempt to perhaps catch a glimpse of a smile from the girl. However, her features remained entirely stoic, her voice only used when ask a question and her eyes constantly averted, studying each corner and crevice rather than look at him. As the tour drew to a close, she was obviously tense and tired, and Jack wasn't much better off. He had been far too optimistic, he realized, in hoping he could befriend her so easily. Keeping his frustration at bay, Jack decided to move to his last resort.

"Last stop," he said, drawing a look of relief from the girl at his side. They had stopped at a door at the end of a long hall, his hand resting on it almost hesitantly before pushing it open. "The kitchen."

As Jack had expected, upon their entrance came a loud squeal of excitement –not from either of them. It was dinner time for most of the crew and Anna, having really found her place among them, typically ate with them now as well. Within moments, the redhead had run over and thrown her arms tightly around her sister, enveloping her in a tight hug for only a few seconds before releasing her and talking animatedly as she always did. For all the fighting they had done in the past week or so, Jack thought, they never seemed to be able to hold the anger for very long, at least not on the surface.

Jack's gaze was pulled away from the sisters when one of the boys at the table called for him to join them. After a glance at Elsa, he relented and walked over to the table and swung each leg over the bench, seating himself beside one of the younger boys. The girls remained by the door a while longer, a faint smile having found its way to Elsa's lips at her sibling's excitement, though the concern was obvious in her eyes, even if Jack didn't realize its purpose.

While Anna continued to bubble excitedly about everything, she walked Elsa around the kitchen, pulling out a plate to get her something to eat. Having relinquished her abstinence of food, Elsa was certainly glad to see a place full of bread and meat and cheese. Once each had a plate and utensils in hand, Anna started towards one of the more full tables, already being greeted by some of the others, but was stopped when a gentle hand found her shoulder. The redhead looked over her shoulder at Elsa who was obviously making an effort to look poised, rather than nervous. It was then that the younger girl remembered; this would probably be the largest crowd Elsa had been near in months –maybe even years. And with everything so in formal, unlike the wedding would have been, she was extremely uncomfortable. An easy smile found Anna's lips and, after a small apology to those at the full table, walked with Elsa to the corner of a mostly empty table where some of the less talkative boys sat. For the second time that night, Jack's shoulders slumped as he watched them walk off.

"Thank you," the murmur came from the blonde as they settled in at the table. Anna merely gave a small hum in response. It was the first time in forever Elsa had really asked her for anything –even if she hadn't really asked. "So," Elsa continued, looked to the girl at her left, the concern returning to her gaze. "You're really enjoying yourself here aren't you?"

"I really, really am." Anna answered, smiling at her sister. "But you know, it'd be even more fun if you'd leave that cell. You might even make some friends!"

"I highly doubt any of them want me as a friend." Elsa muttered into a piece of bread.

"I think you'd be surprised." Anna mumbled into a bite of her own, glancing at her sister and earning a look of confusion in return.

"Regardless, they're still pirates –criminals—they can't—"

"Not this again," the younger girl sighed, turning to her sister. "Elsa, look over at that table," she motioned with a hand full of bread, "and tell me what you see."

"Anna this won't—"

"Elsa, please," blue-green orbs grew wide as Anna fixed her older sister with a look of puppy-like pleading, causing Elsa to bristle in shock at first before looking away.

"Anna, stop that, you're not a child—"

Determined, the younger of the two leaned forward, the pleading stare only intensifying as she did. When the blonde sighed and her shoulders drooped, Anna smiled in triumph and waited.

In all truth, Elsa hadn't wanted to look because she already knew what she would see. Her eyes moved to the table of boys, laughing and chatting expressively with each other and suddenly a look of horror overcame her feartures.

"Anna, how young are those boys?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Who? Jamie and Peter? Not really sure, why?"

"I—I just… they're so young, especially to be in a place like this and—"

"That's kind of the point, Elsa." Anna replied, earning another look of furrowed brows from her sibling. "Most of the kids here are orphans or hated their lives with their families."

Elsa couldn't recall a time when Anna looked so somber, but it thankfully didn't last long and was soon replaced by a small smile as she watched one of the boys throw a piece of bread at one of the others.

"That's why they're here. It's their home, Elsa. To you they're criminals and pirates but really, they all just want a family, a place to belong, and for them, this is it."

A sharp pang of guilt hit Elsa like a jab to the stomach and caused her to drop the food she was holding back to her plate, having lost her appetite. Surely Anna didn't think of herself that way… did she? Not that she didn't have every right to, the way Elsa had been shutting her out more frequently.

"I see," was all Elsa could manage in response before she glanced back at the table of boys who broke out into another fit of laughter a moment later.

"What are we talking about?"

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin before her head whipped to the right. Of course, a grinning silvery-haired boy was sitting down beside her.

"We?" Elsa hissed, eyes narrowed, shoulders still tense. When Anna snickered on her left, Elsa looked to her, betrayal in her eyes. "Anna!"

"Oh, Jack," Anna said, ignoring her sister. "Don't you know by now how much she hates being teased?"

"Can't help myself," he said with a shrug. "It's too much fun watching her get all red and puffy," Still grinning, her poked Elsa's cheek and chuckled, causing her to turn on him with an even harsher look than she had fixed her sister.

"Hey!" The blonde's face was indeed turning a bright shade of red as the two teased her. "What's with this, two on one is—"

"completely unfair!" Anna spoke the words in unison with her sister, mocking her with a rather snobbish accent and a silly face that drew a loud laugh from Jack which he failed rather miserably at stifling.

"I do not talk like that!" Elsa shouted at her little sister who had also dissolved into a fit of giggles. Turning to Jack, who had clearly been affected by Anna's infectious giggling, Elsa's cheeks puffed out slightly in a pouting face she hadn't made in years –princesses didn't pout after all.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

One of the younger boys had found his way over to their table and sat down across from them –Peter, Elsa was pretty sure that was his name.

"Yeah, don't leave us out!" called another boy as he walked over, followed by several others. Soon the table was filled, several chairs pulled up to either end –even Kristoff had taken a seat beside Anna— and all of them were firing questions and comments at the blonde girl.

"Hey you're the other girl!" one shouted.

"Where ya been?" another asked.

"Were you sick or something?"

"You should come and play with us tomorrow!"

"We can teach you to swordfight like Anna!"

"Hey!" Jack finally shouted, causing the group to settle down, at least a little bit. "One thing at a time guys, don't scare her." He said with a chuckle, leaning forward over the table on his forearms and looking over at Elsa with an amused smirk that, for one reason or another, only seemed to increase the temperature in her face. "You know," he told her, "they're not gonna leave you alone until you give them something."

"He's right," one of the boys chimed, others nodding in agreement.

"I—uh, w-well," Elsa glanced to her sister, who was simply smiling in amusement and gave her a hand gesture to 'go on'. With a sigh and an attempted smile, she looked back to the crowd, aware of the fact that her hands were shaking in her lap. "What do you want to know?"

"What's it like being a princess?" one asked.

"Do you like books?"

"Screw books, do you like sword fighting?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"You're pretty,"

The last one made Elsa blink and look to the boy –Jamie—who had said it to find him smiling at her.

"Ah, thank you." She replied with a soft chuckle.

"Easy, tiger." Jack said teasingly to the boy with a grin, causing him to stick his tongue out.

A laugh went through the group and Elsa, so surrounded by the aura of happiness, couldn't help a soft smile. When the attention once again returned to her, she answered each question they presented her with, Anna chiming in now and then.

Before she knew it, Elsa had spent over an hour chatting with the group. Some had diffused into their own conversations again and the hall was filled with laughter and stories.

"It was certainly –" Elsa paused during a story to yawn, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh dear, it's really quite late, I should be going to bed—" The blonde had begun to stand up but was stopped by a small hand grabbing hers.

"Wait!"

She looked to see it was Jamie, a look all too reminiscent of Anna's earlier puppy eyes on his face.

"Don't go just yet!" he pleaded and was quickly backed up by several mumbles of disappointment from the others.

"I'm sorry but I really am quite exhausted." She said apologetically as she straightened up and removed her hand from Jamie's quickly.

"She's right, guys," Jack sounded beside her, standing as well. "We should all be getting to bed."

A collective groan went throughout the group.

"at least promise you'll come see us again tomorrow!" another of the younger boys said, drawing a tired smile from Elsa.

"Can't she just stay with us?" another said, followed by a chorus of agreement and bringing a slightly shocked expression to Elsa's face.

"W-what?" she murmured, looking around with wide eyes.

"Stay with us!"

"Yeah!"

"We won't make you work hard or anything!"

"You can sleep in our room if you want! We have an extra bed!"

"And you can read us bedtime stories!"

"Please!"

"Pretty please!"

"Say you'll be part of the crew!"

"You can be our second big sister!"

Elsa's brows were furrowed, her eyes wide in confusion and surprise. They really wanted her to join them? To tell them stories and… and be like their sister? She looked to Anna in hopes of some sort of support, but found instead a hopeful smile like every other face. She wanted a sister too, she wanted the one she already had.

Pale hands were shaking again as Elsa's eyes looked over all of the optimistic expressions, accompanied by pleading voices.

"Well, Elsa,"

Her head turned to Jack at her side, her eyes wide.

"what do you say?"

Cerulean eyes swept over the sea of faces once more as panic began to set in.

"I need air."

And with that, Elsa fled from the room, leaving a group of disappointed children and teens in her wake.

Jack cursed softly under his breath while Anna and everyone else looked at the door with forlorn faces. With a sigh, the young captain moved towards the door, only stopping once to look back at the group.

"She'll come around." He promised with a gentle smile. "Unless you've got a night shift, you all should be getting to bed."

"Come on, guys," Anna chirped, rising to her feet with a smile that was more forced than usual. "I'll tell you all bedtime stories."

As the group disbanded, taking care of dishes and such, Jack turned and ran out the door, hoping to catch Elsa before she ran off to some corner of the ship and got herself lost.

After a good ten minutes of running around, Jack emerged on the main deck, greeted by a cold gust of wind. It didn't take him long to notice her, still clad in her white nightgown, standing by the edge of the ship and leaning against the rail where her forearms rested. The wind pulled at her platinum locks, adding to the wistful look in her cerulean gaze as she stared out at the equally blue sea and making her look quite similar to a maiden from a storybook.

Jacks lips pressed into a thin line as her approached her cautiously, hoping not to startle her. He came to her right, mimicking her by leaning on his arms on the rail of the ship.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he finally said, his voice so quiet that her delayed response made him worried she hadn't heard it.

"What am I supposed to do?" she murmured after a pause. "don't answer that." came a moment later.

Silence hung in the air between them, his gaze fixed on her, hers on the seas.

"Did they mean all that?"

"They seemed pretty genuine to me." He replied, watching as her face fell into her hands and she slowly shook her head.

"I can't even be good sister to Anna."

"Elsa—"

"You don't know Jack. You don't know anything about us… you don't know me."

His brows furrowed slightly and his gaze dropped for a moment, as if her word hurt him. Perhaps they had.

"You're right. I don't know anything about you… but, if you'd just give it all a chance…" his voice trailed off when she began shaking her head again. A sigh parted the captain's lips as a hand rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes lifting to the star-dotted sky above them. "You still want to leave."

Elsa looked at him suddenly, as though she was surprised, then realized that she really shouldn't be. An hour of chatting with the crew didn't mean she wanted to stay and he wasn't blind.

"Of course I do." She replied, her own eyes falling to the ocean once more. "I want my parents to know I'm safe –that we both are."

"It's more than that." He replied, earning a glance from her but no more. "You're still not telling me something. There's some other reason, something Anna doesn't know about."

"Did it ever occur to you that a princess wouldn't want to be mixed up with pirates?" she replied with a raised brow, looking at him.

He shook his head.

"No, Elsa. You know that's not it." He met her gaze with a firm one of his own. "You're holding back. It could be the smallest thing but I know it's there."

"I told you before, I'm not hiding anything." She answered firmly.

"And I don't believe that." He countered, earning a frustrated huff from her. "You'll tell me eventually." He said simply. "When you're ready, but until then…"

Throughout their conversation, Jack had slowly inched closer to her. Now, shoulder to shoulder, his fingertips gently brushed the back of her hand. When her hand pulled away, his pursued it until she relented and allowed his fingers to glide over her skin.

"consider the offer, at least." He murmured as his thumb traced the ridges of her knuckles. "Even if it's only temporary."

Elsa looked down at their hands, then at him, then back to their hands.

"I can't make any promises," she whispered;

"I'm not asking you to,"

It was when his breath stirred against her cheek that her eyes darted up and she finally noticed the closeness of his face to hers. Anymore and his forehead would certainly brush hers. Despite her glance, Jack's own eyes remained on their hands, causing her to look down at them once more. Her eyes returned to his face and a quiet gasp parted her lips when they were met by his eyes. Slowly, she felt his palm move beneath hers and wondered if he too thought their hands fit together in a strange, but not bad, way. Like puzzle pieces.

"You're turning red again, princess."

"Elsa." She corrected, unsure of why she was. He should be calling her princess; even in a mocking tone it was more formal than her given name.

Jack smiled. Suddenly her reason for correcting him, for allowing him to use her name, didn't seem important anymore.

"Elsa," He echoed, lifting her hand gently. "Goodnight."

Bringing her hand to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, a glint of something in his eye as he did so, and then set it back on the rail of the ship. For the first time that night, her trembling hands felt completely steady.

With a soft smile he turned and began to walk off, leaving her there at rail looking after him.

A/N: Hello snowflakes 3 I'm so very sorry for keeping you all waiting so long! For a while I honestly just didn't have the inspiration for this story but today I sat myself down and finished the chapter and I'm fairly happy with how it turned out uvu So I really hope you guys enjoyed it! Be sure to leave reviews if you like it, I love hearing from all of you 3 I'm not sure when I'll get around to putting out another chapter but with winter break coming up after exams next week, hopefully it will be soon! Also I'm retaking the ACT tomorrow morning so wish me luck! 3 uvu