Author's Note: Beware, Lexa/Costia relationship ensues for the next two chapters. Please remember, end game is Clexa, but poor Costia really gets the short end of the stick, and I always felt that Lexa did really love her once upon a time.

CHAPTER 2

Captain Lexa Woods considered herself to be a patient woman. After all, she was staying in a guard-infested British port for two months while her uncle and his workers repaired her ship and had to duck and cover anytime she saw an officer of the law walk by. However, now, as the woman on top of her kissed at her collar bone and pawed at her chest, Lexa was beginning to lose her patience, her need for more friction becoming almost unbearable. With a growl, Lexa rolled on top of the redheaded woman and ground her hips down, eliciting a sharp exhale of breath from the person beneath her.

"Who's supposed to pleasuring whom, Miss Woods?" the girl asked. Lexa smirked and leant down to kiss those full lips again and take the woman that she was lying in bed with.

When it was done, Lexa rolled onto her side, her back facing the woman. She had never been with a prostitute quite like that before, she had never felt the need to pleasure one in return the way she'd just done. And yet, the 'lady of the night' lay next to her with a smirk on her lips, looking quite like the cat who'd just caught the canary. She was two inches shorter than the captain with icy blue eyes and fiery red hair, and Lexa didn't think she'd ever seen a more beautiful soul. Perhaps that was why she'd been the one that Lexa asked to come upstairs to her bed that night in the middle of a drink.

"What's your name?" the captain drowsed as slender fingers swirled along her spine, drawing intricate patterns – circles, rays, dashes. She memorized every touch, the image that her courtesan traced into her back drawing itself in her mind and searing itself into her memory. She'd remember it always.

"Costia," the other woman finally answered.

"Costia what?"

There was a pause, and Lexa could feel Costia grinning.

"Costia," Costia responded.

"How would you like to be Costia Woods?" Lexa asked, turning onto her back to look at her properly. She was only partly joking; she was infatuated.

"Lexa, you're far too young for me," Costia chuckled. "I'm nearly 35."

"I think I can handle you. I'm only the captain of the pirate ship everyone's been spreading rumors about," Lexa countered, before suddenly realizing what she'd said and freezing.

"What was that?" Costia asked.

"I, uh… well. You see-"

Costia silenced her with a kiss, a cool hand seeking brown locks and finding residence at the nape of a tanned neck. Running her tongue along the bottom of Lexa's lip, she used her nose the nuzzle Lexa's before gently pulling away.

"Your secret's safe with me."

Lexa, who was trying to catch her breath, nodded and smiled at Costia.

"I think I love you."

Costia threw her head back and let out a laugh.

"What a sweet notion, Little Captain."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It had been three days since Lexa had first asked Costia up to her bed, and it was becoming a nightly occurrence. The first night, Costia had cut her price in half, using the excuse that Lexa had returned the favor. The second night, Costia had provided her services free of charge. The third night, Costia spent the night, wrapped up in her lover's arms. She may have had thirteen years on her "client," but she was still the shorter of the pair, and she felt a comfort in resting her head upon the brunette's bare bosom and letting the steady heartbeat, the pounding of war drums, lull her to a comfortable sleep.

Morning came far too soon, and with it, a heavy pounding on the door. The two women woke with a start and Lexa instinctively reached for her pants, a button-up, and her gun while Costia wrapped herself in a sheet and answered the door.

A burly man who was larger than both of the women combined barreled in, pink with anger and probably exertion from climbing the stairs. He barely glanced at Lexa, definitely not noticing that she was armed, and instead turned towards Costia.

"You!" he growled. "Ol' Sally said tha' you wen' upstairs wif a client lass nigh' 'n' never came back. 'S'at true?"

Costia was shaking, and Lexa was about to say something, to shout at the man to leave, to warn him that she'd blow his brains out, when the redhead shot her a weary look, and instantly Lexa knew that she was not supposed to interfere.

"Well, of course, Henry," Costia said, sidling up to her pimp. "I never came back because I was too busy with all of my clients."

"So you didn' jus' see tha one?" he asked.

Costia shook her head.

"I was handsomely paid."

"Lemme see."

Costia's eyes grew. She hadn't even charged Lexa, much less "all of her clients."

"Just over here, Henry, darling, let me go get it."

Costia walked over towards Lexa's bedside slowly, trying to buy time. The man named Henry finally looked over at Lexa, who had taken the time to button her pants and shirt and hide the firearm behind her back.

"Who'er you?" he growled.

"Client number four," Lexa lied, gritting her teeth.

"Yer nothin' but a girl."

"I'm quite a bit, sir, I assure you, as well as a girl."

"I don't much care wha' she puts in 'er mouf, 'slong as you paid 'er handsomely."

"How much of that money that she earns do you keep, sir?"

"Watch yer mouf, girl."

Lexa rolled her eyes.

"Oh, dear, Henry," Costia sighed, walking back over to them. "I seem to have lost it."

"Los' what?"

"The… the money."

Henry's face turned pinker as he strode over to his whore and put her in a headlock. Lexa reacted quickly, pulling out the gun and pointing it straight for the man's head. He saw the weapon and quickly responded, pulling a knife from his belt and pressing it to Costia's jaw.

"Back up, now," he barked, pressing the knife relentlessly into her skin. He pressed the knife hard enough to draw not a drop, but an entire line of blood. Lexa knew he would do it.

"I'll kill 'er, I swear. You back up now. Put yer gun away."

Lexa's hand was steady. She'd shot men in cold blood before, and she would do it again. Henry, however, had never. His hands shook and the blade was only pressed into his victim as hard as it was out of fear. Still, he was going to kill her if he got the chance.

"Lexa, he'll do it," Costia warned, and Lexa nodded. Yes, yes, she knew he would. But she also knew she could outsmart him. So she shot first the hand that held the knife, and Henry dropped it, shouting in pain. Costia jumped away and quickly hurried over to her lover, who was cocking the trigger again and firing straight for the pimp's head.

She hit him right between his eyes.

The obese man fell with a thud. Lexa lowered her gun and Costia yelped initially, burying her face in the brunette's neck.

"It's okay," Lexa whispered. "He's gone."

Indra was not the only one who heard the shot ring throughout the building, but she was the only one who was concerned for Lexa's wellbeing, and quickly ran in to find Lexa with gun in hand, Costia wrapped in a sheet, and a large man with a bullet between his eyes.

"Captain…?" she asked. "Should I be worried?"

"We need to change inns, Indra," Lexa grumbled. Costia let out a little chuckle despite her racing heart and shaking hands.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Uncle!" Lexa smiled as Lincoln opened the door to his niece. He smiled at her with tired eyes. Her ship was almost done, and almost two weeks before the expected finish date.

"Come in, Lexa," he urged. "I have something for you."

"Haven't you done enough for me?" she asked as she stepped inside the house. He shook his head.

"Lexa, I let them take your brother away and murder your father in front of you. I will forever be in your debt."

Lexa closed her eyes at the bitter memory, then handed a small chest full of gold shillings.

"6,000. 2,000 more than requested. Pay your workers… handsomely."

"Lexa, I can't accept this."

"But you must," she insisted. "Now, what did you have for me?"

Lincoln sighed and walked over to his table to pick up a rather large package.

"You'll have to install it yourself, once you've gone to sea," he warned. "If I fixed it onto your ship and the inspectors came before you set sail to check that everything was alright, they'd realize the name The Flame was under is an alias."

Lexa ripped the brown paper that wrapped around the large, circular object to reveal a captain's wheel. The handles were gold tipped and it was inscribed with letters.

Captain Lexa Woods of The Flame, Ruler of the Seven Seas

Lexa let a small smile creep into her features.

"Thank you, uncle."

He smiled at her and turned his head away, not sure if she was interested in speaking anymore and wanting to give her privacy if the answer was no. It was then that she noticed again the black inky patterns on his skin, the beautiful markings that made him individual, that made his skin unique. A thought came to mind as she reached into her pocket to pull out a piece of parchment. It was a drawing, the image that Costia had traced into her back after their first night together.

"Uncle, could you do one more thing for me?"

The process was painful, but Lexa was proud of the tattoo that crept along her spine that morning, a forever representation and reminder of the brief love she shared with the redheaded lady of the night.