Author's Note: Very sorry for the long hiatus, but after working forty hours a week on an afternoon shift and transferring to another college, I haven't had much free time. I do hope, though, that this chapter is not a disappointment for all of you who have been waiting to see it continued.

-/-

Chapter Twenty-Two

"'Ey, youse still alive, or did yeh decide to starve yerself?" I laid back against the pillar with a groan, but I still refused to open my eyes. I had no need to look at that wench. "Yeh haven' been eatin' a thing I brough' yeh. 'Ave yeh decided ta leave 'er wit us then?"

"What 'ave yeh doen with the miss?" My voice was weak as I spoke, but my gaze was steady all the same. After all, even if I had put everything else out of my mind, that girl was still in my thoughts. Was she being treated well? Did she eat properly? Was she able to find sleep at night? Had that bastard tried anything? It was these thoughts that kept my mind awake all those long hours alone in the dark.

"Like meh to show yeh to 'er?" the woman offered. I thought I misheard her at first, but when she didn't crack a smile, I knew she meant what she said. "I can take yeh there if yeh want. All yeh gotta do is stand up for meh." I didn't even hesitate to do what she said, and once I did, I started to pull against my restraints. However, she was quick to free me with a simple flick of her dagger. "Yeh mus' really 'ave it bad for 'er, eh?"

"I just gotta make sure she's all right," I explained quietly. Before either one of us said another word, however, I had the woman by the throat. She didn't so much as gasp when I lifted her up off the ground, but soon enough I was sure she was grinning. "Yeh think I wonae do it?" I hissed. "I oughta crush that pretty lil' head of yers fer what you lot 'ave done..."

"Then do it," she breathed, her voice faint and strained. "If yeh... off meh now,,, I can promise yeh ne'er find 'er." Just with those words, I let her drop to her knees, but I was patient enough to wait for her to compose herself before storming my way towards the hatch. "Must admit I'm dammed impressed that yeh could still pul a stunt like that," she chuckled. "There's more to yeh than I thought."

"A desperate man can do more than a satisfied one," I reminded her bitterly. "I'm sure that captain of yers knows what I speak of."

"What do yeh know 'bout the Cap'n?" Though I heard the anger in her voice, I chose to ignore her question. It was a choice that I came to regret. "Better start talkin' boy... I ain't got time to stand around waitin' fer yeh ta grow yerself a pair."

When I continued to walk towards the hatch with one swift kick, she threw my legs out from under me. I kept myself off the ground, but as I held onto another beam like that which I had been my stockade, my back held up on me. I felt like a fist had been thrown between my shoulder blades, and once I was back firmly on my feet, a sharp pain threatened to bring me down again. Even so, I remained standing.

Claire said little more from then on while we made our way to the second and first deck. I did well to make note of the layout of the ship, using my slowed pace as an advantage in doing so, but there seemed to e very few details worth remembering. Even to a former scoundrel like myself it was almost too humble to be considered a worthy pirating vessel. It was too open, too vulnerable. Especially when it was left in the harbor with no one standing watch.

He's a reckless one, I decided. No telling what he might have done with her. After all, even if Popuri was a strong woman, there was no way for her to defend herself against a man of his nature. Just the thought of him forcing her into some dark corner of his cabin was more than enough to give me the will to keep moving forward. Blasted coward.

The harbor was empty as she brought me on shore, yet as I followed her further inland, I began to hear the sound of laughter. It was a grating sound- no doubt because its makers were nothing more than drunken fools. Just the smell of all that liquor was enough to bring my blood back to angry boil.

"Easy, buddy," the woman warned. "We need ta get ourselves inside afore yeh start thinkin' o' bustin' skulls."

"Why're yeh so keen on me tearin' apart the place?" I muttered, my voice thick and deep. When I reached for her shoulder and ripped back around, she didn't hesitate to take a swing at my face. She was still too slow to make it before I caught her fist in my hand and squeezed hard enough to pop her knuckles. "I asked yeh a damn question."

"Because that man oughta learn what he's got," she hissed, glaring right back into my eyes, "and not lustin' after what he doesn't."

"Claire, is everything all right? You disappeared there for a while, but I- Oh, it's you." If he was surprised to see me, Kai sure didn't show it. He blinked a couple of times, but then he started to smile. "So you finally decided to join us, did you?"

"Watch it," his companion warned. "He's got a thing for stranglin'..."

"Does he now?" the other man chuckled. I only caught a glimpse of metal before he took a step towards me. A dagger. "Well then... I guess I'll have to watch my neck, won't I?"

He was just like a flash. One minute he was standing in the front door and the next he was right in front of me. His eyes were dark, but his smile only broadened into a grin. The first time I could tell he purposely missed, testing my reflexes, but then he swung his other arm.

And went right for my throat.

I dodged, but without thinking, I had ducked, the blade missing my head by a mere breath. I paid no attention. I only struck out my fist, knocking the wind out from his gut. He dropped without a sound, clutching at his abdomen, and at first, I thought I had him. That was before he made another swing at my ankle with the dagger glancing off of my skin.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Her voice was sharp, but as soon as Popuri realized that I was the one standing over the other man, she became uncertain. "Gray... is that you?" When I said nothing in return, she took another step forward and bit back a gasp. "It is you! And what is it that has happened to you? Has something happened? Are you hurt in any way?"

"It ainae any of yer concern, miss," I said coldly, taking a step back on my injured leg. "I 'ave no time fer it." Her face softened when I refused her, but I felt nothing to see it. I had trouble even feeling relieved that she was safe. "Looks like yeh made yerself right comfortable on that ship, didnae yeh? Right at home in the captain's quarters, I'll bet..."

"That is most unnecessary!" she snapped back, her cheeks having flushed. "I can assure you that whatever it is that you or my brother may have imagined may have happened between Mr. Viento and myself is nothing but a nightmare of your own creation. In fact, he has been most kind to me... a gentleman, really."

"Is that so?" I growled. "Well, forgive meh fer sayin' so, miss, but I ainae of the mind to agree with yeh." Popuri said nothing in reply, yet her gaze soon fell on the man before me, still kneeled on the ground. No doubt he had wanted to keep out of her sight or at the very least garner some sympathy for himself. It was only too bad for him that I wasn't the most kindhearted individual. Especially after having someone go for my throat with a knife. "Get up, yeh piece of shit."

"Easy, Gray," the man warned, picking himself up from the ground. "You wouldn't want to scare the young lady now, would you?"

"Kai." He froze, his hand still resting on his knee, and glanced back. "Was there by chance another ship... one that may have followed us here?" He said nothing. "So he was aboard our own, was he? Strange that I did not see him... Would you not agree?"

The young woman studied me more carefully and though I tried to back away from her in order to run, she was sure not to let me get far. She reached out for me, her small hands cradling my face, and it was then that she gasped. Not that I could blame her when I was such a mess.

Not only had my beard grown in over the course of a few months, but my cheeks were hollow as a result of my own stubbornness and unwillingness to eat. I hated to think of what I must have smelled like to her after all that time under the ship, and while her hands had lost much of their soft touch, I still felt ashamed to know that the sweat and grim that had amassed upon my forehead was now under her fingertips. When she tried to hold me, it was more than I could take, and I pushed her away.

"He had the chance," Kai insisted. "I gave him the choice to join us, and he refused."

"And what did you do then?" she demanded. "Certainly he was not free to do as he pleased as I was, for I am quite sure he would come to find me should that have been the case." The look she gave him caused the man to flinch, but even as he did so, she returned her attention to me instead. "Gray, you will follow me."

"No, miss, I will nae." Popuri seemed surprised to hear my refusal, but I made no apologies. I knew well enough that even if I served her right up until we were fated to meet her brother, the admiral would see to it that I was killed. It was just the way he did things. In his eyes, I had betrayed him, and given the circumstances, I was no better off than when he had taken me in as a sailor. "I'll be goin' my own way."

The young woman hesitated at first, torn between standing her ground and stepping aside, but before she could decide, I turned my back to the whole scene. After all, I had no reason not to. As for where I was heading, I didn't rightly know. I only followed my feet where they would lead me. However, it wasn't long before I found myself at the water's edge. I was thankful to see it, though, if only because it meant I could feel a little more human.

"Well, ain' yeh a sight fer sore eyes?" I stiffened to hear the all too familiar voice call out to me, but soon enough I decided that it was none of my concern. What would it matter for her to see me in such a state after all that had happened? "Quite the cold shoulder there, doncha think? Poor lil' girl looks like 'er 'eart snapped right in half."

"Hardly," I muttered. "Looked to me like she was just fine."

"Do you honestly believe that?" I should have known Popuri would come after me I had left her, but I was still irritated to know she had followed me when all I had wanted was to be left alone. Not that Claire had given me much of a choice in the matter, either, but at least I would have been able to ignore her. The other was a different matter entirely. "Had I known you were aboard... I would have gladly come for you."

"And what? Be held captive as well?" The far more brutish of the two women scoffed to hear my comment, yet I chose to pay her no heed. "Yeh 'ave no idea what it is yer dealin' wit. This lot aine gonna show the likes of us any mercy. Not with yeh bein' the kin of the admiral."

"But Kai has done nothing to..." Popuri's voice failed her then, but it was not long before she regained her train of thought. "Well, not that I had been aware of until now, I suppose."

I ground my teeth and bit back every offense that crossed my mind, and at last I was able to breathe. "Thanks be to God for that, too." To be honest, it was all I could think to say. She had clearly made her choice to stay aboard- for reasons I could only shudder to imagine- and it was now time for me to decide. Would I walk away from her.. or would I return to a life I had thought was long dead to me? "Is that all yeh came here to say, Miss Hart?"

"No." It was only then that I turned to face her, and I was surprised to find her standing there alone. Even in the dim light of the night, I could see the familiar look of determination in her eyes, and while I knew it was foolish, I found myself relieved to know she was still the stubborn girl I remembered. "I wanted to say that there are clothes and a bed waiting for you at the inn if you would be interested. Skye was kind enough to offer it to you without any cost when I told him of your plight."

"How very good of him indeed."

"And what would yeh be wantin' around 'ere?" I growled with a cutting glare to the shadow as it approached us. Of course, it would be Viento who would come and join us, yet though I expected me to see a grin plastered on his face, I was curious to find his face grave and lost. He did try to smile once, but if fell away not much longer than it had come. "Cannae move that sil'er tongue of yers now?"

"I feel it's better to keep my opinions to myself," he replied. "After all, I've all ready played my hand. A poor one at that, too." He chuckled for a moment and abruptly stopped himself. "I'm afraid you have to be the one to make the call."

"So will you come with us?"

I hesitated, my legs still giving slightly to the ebb of the waves, and yet no matter how long I thought on what was being offered, I could not find an alternative. Even if I refused, I was now stranded in a place where there were no Englishmen, and while it meant true freedom for myself, it also meant I was left to my own devices. After all, I knew nothing of the language, and worst yet, I knew even less of the land upon which I was standing. There was certainly no telling of when I would happen upon another ship that would take me on.

"Fine." Popuri all but squealed as she ran into the surf and threw her arms around me, but though I stumbled, I managed to keep my foot firmly rooted in the sand. I stood there stunned for a time, yet it was not long before I pushed her away by the shoulders and held her there at a distance. "But it will be on my terms," I continued, my gaze set on Viento. "And I want a contract as well."

"I can arrange that for you," he agreed with a grin. "Of course, that'll just prove you to be a pirate should the navy ever catch up with us... which I'm sure you know all too well yourself."

"The admiral would have me hang all the same," I assured him. "Pirate or no, I failed him."

And that was something that no man could be forgiven.