I was very nearly begged for this next chapter, by an anonymous reviewer. Thank you anon, I really wish I knew who you were. Anyway, here you guys are. I do apologize in advance, finals are coming up, so you will probably have to wait a little while before you get anymore chapters.

I woke up to the growl of my stomach. I sat up and climbed off the cot, walking out into the hallway. The gentle rocking of the ship had become almost second nature for me, and I was surprised at how silent it was, except for the quiet creaking of the wood. As I approached the galley, however, I could hear the voices of the men, laughing and talking. I smiled. They were having a party. What they were celebrating, I had no idea, but I was sure it was related to the battle of this afternoon.

I opened the door and walked in. All conversation paused as the men turned to the door. They all grinned. Alfred shouted my name and launched himself at me. He grabbed me around the waist and raised his glass. "Cheers to my lil sis, who fought off the entire crew by herself!"

There were laughs as the men raised their glasses. Gilbert called out, "I helped!"

The room erupted in laughter as Gilbert stumbled over, obviously drunk. "Hey, Amelia! Here to have a good time?" His voice was slurred, and I gagged on the stench of the beer on his breath. "I make it a rule not to drink around men."

Alfred squeezed me. "Aww, come on, lil sis. Can't you make an exception?"

"No," I said, firmly, unwinding his arm from around my waist. Alfred pouted, and Gilbert frowned. "Come on, frau. Lighten up."

I saw Francis approaching in my peripheral vision. "Ma cherie, won't you join us?"

"No." I turned and walked out of the room, headed for the deck. I heard a few groans of disappointment, but they were soon swallowed by the sound of laughing and merriment. I shook my head. Men were such strange creatures, especially when drunk.

I stepped onto the deck and was met with a cool sea breeze. I walked to the railing and leaned over the side, looking up at the stars. They filled the sky, sparkling like diamonds against a dark blue canvas. The ocean was calm, stirred only by a light breeze that moved gently across the surface. The moon and stars were reflected in the dark water, like there were hidden treasures just below the surface. "It is beautiful," I murmured.

"It is, is it not?"

I started and turned to see Kirkland approaching me. "You were here? I did not even notice you. Did you just leave the party below-deck?"

He chuckled. "No, I make a point of never drinking around my men."

"Why?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well, to be honest, I do not respond very well to alcohol."

I snickered. "So you are a lightweight."

He spluttered, and I laughed. "Do not worry about it. I do not drink either. I drank once, when Alfred and his naval buddies were having a party, and I quickly became intoxicated. Luckily, Alfred was sober enough to notice and quickly put me to bed, before anything happened." I turned back to the railing.

"He really cares about you."

I nodded. "I am the only family he has, and we have always been close. Even though he was not the oldest, he was always very protective of my brother and me."

"Your brother?"

"Matthew. He is Alfred's older twin. He went West after our the death of our parents."

"I am sorry."

I shrugged. "It has been fourteen years, I am mostly recovered."

"I see. If you do not mind, how did it happen?"

"My mother fell ill, and died. She had always been very delicate, and the colonial life was not good for her. Our father committed suicide a year after her death. Her death destroyed him and he just could not live any longer. Our mother's death was the hardest, because after she died, our father grew distant. Luckily, both Alfred and Matthew were there for me. I was ten, they were both fourteen."

"I am very sorry," Arthur said, patting my shoulder. I smiled and looked at him. He had joined me at the railing and I could not help but admire his golden hair as it moved softly in the breeze. A small, relaxed smile played on his face and I realized how very attractive he was.

He turned to me and I looked away, feeling my face heat up. I saw him smile and he turned back to the ocean. "I always thought it was beautiful, the ocean. That was why I ran away to be a sailor. I did not originally intend on becoming one of the most feared pirates in all the civilized. I just wanted to see the world. Unfortunately, I ended up joining a pirate crew."

I giggled. "How did you manage that?"

"I got drunk," he said, looking down at the railing

I started laughing. His face was that of a sheepish teenager. He was incredibly cute. I took a few deep breaths and smiled. "Please continue."

He nodded and looked back to the ocean. "It soon became clear that I was much more capable than the current leadership, and the crew mutinied and put me in charge. Through a series of conquests, I captured this ship, and gained the crew I have now."

"Are any of the current crew-members original?"

"Yao is, as is Francis."

I chuckled. "What happened to the others?"

"Some of them died, some were captured, some retired, and some just left."

I nodded. "You make a good captain. Your crew really respects you, and your crew is very loyal to one another."

He nodded. "It is very rare that such emotions are present on a ship, especially one manned by pirates. I believe I have been very lucky."

I smiled. "I think it is partly because you respect your men, so they respect you."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Most pirates rule by fear."

I nodded. "So do many naval captains. Alfred was never that way, though."

Kirkland nodded. "I know. I saw it in the eyes of his men. They would rather die than betray their captain. That was part of the reason I captured him. Did he ever tell you I left his men alive, set adrift on the sea on their crippled boat, without their captain?"

I shook my head. "He never did tell me how he ended up joining. One day he just said that he had joined a pirate crew."

Kirkland chuckled. "Yes, he reacted rather well to it."

I smiled. "He never did like the navy. He hated taking orders."

Kirkland laughed. "He still hates taking orders."

"Is that why he calls you Artie?"

Kirkland nodded, smiling. "But he has become a dear friend."

I smiled, watching Kirkland's face. It was alight with an inner joy. He was relaxed in my presence, something that surprised me because he did not seem like the kind of man to make friends or trust easily. Of course, I was not that kind of person either, but something about this man made me want to get closer, made me want to open up to him. In fact, even though we were almost friends, I already wanted more. I gasped. Had I just thought that?

Arthur looked at me in surprise. "Miss Jones, are you alright?"

I nodded and excused myself. I fled to my room and burst through the door. I slammed it shut behind me and leaned against it. My face felt warm and I could not get his face out of my mind. The way he was smiling at the ocean, the way he was smiling at me. I sank to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. I was so confused. Had I fallen in love with Arthur Kirkland? Did I love Arthur?

I did not know, and frankly, I was a little scared. I had never felt this way before, and I did not know how to handle it. I curled into a little ball and fell asleep, thoughts whirling through my head.

Please Review. I will do my best to update as soon as I can, but finals are coming up and I need to focus. Enjoy.