"A word, Nathaniel."

The younger man inwardly groaned at the captain's request and followed him outside from the noisy tavern. He'd only been with Jack a short time, and although the eccentric pirate seemed oblivious and in his own world most of the time, he knew better than to ignore him when he heard that tone in his voice. Thankfully, he didn't hear it very often.

"Yes, Captain?"

The two pirates stood in the shadows beside the tavern, the ruckus from inside a dull roar around them.

"I need to know that there won't be a problem with Barbossa."

Nathaniel shook his head. "There won't be a problem, Captain," he said quickly.

Jack narrowed his kohl-rimmed eyes briefly as he seemed to ponder if the younger man's response was sincere. "He's really your father, aye?"

"Yes he is," Nathaniel confirmed with a sigh. "But he's a stranger to me. How do you know him, anyway, if I might ask?"

Jack laughed, his gold-capped teeth glinting in the dim light. "That be a long, complicated story. We've been enemies, allies and everythin' in between, I suppose."

"So you know him well."

Jack waggled one finger in the air. "Ah – I know him well enough."

Nathaniel nodded, hesitant to ask his next question. He felt like he already knew what the answer was, but he had to ask, anyway. "Did he ever mention that he had a son?"

The suddenly serious expression on Jack's face confirmed his assumption. "No, he didn't, but he's never mentioned anything personal from his past. It was years before I even knew that he had a first name."

The younger pirate swallowed his disappointment and looked away. It hurt to hear it, but he'd expected it.

"Nathaniel, your father is – and I can't even believe I'm saying this – a somewhat good man despite his gruff and usually dour personality," Jack admitted with a grimace as if the words actually had a bad taste to them.

That wasn't really what he wanted to hear. Nathaniel wanted to hear the exact opposite; it would have made it easier to keep hating him as he had for so many years.

"A good man, you say."

"Aye. And, I think if I were you, I'd go talk to him," Jack suggested. "Losin' your mum when you were so young must have been awful, and nothing will ever change that, but he also lost someone that he cared about. You share that if nothing else."

Nathaniel nodded and bit his lip. Even after all those years, thinking about her still got him a bit emotional. He didn't have many memories of her, but he clung to the few that he did have.

"Isaac said I should talk to him, too," Nathaniel admitted with an awkward smile.

Jack put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Maybe you should listen to him, aye? He always seems to have your best interests at heart."

Nathaniel recognized the knowing look in the captain's chestnut colored eyes as they glittered in the light from the nearby lantern, and he felt his cheeks grow warm. While they'd never discussed his relationship with the other pirate, somehow he figured that the captain knew they were together.

"Yeah. He does."

With a squeeze of his shoulder, Jack nodded and walked away.

Nathaniel took a deep breath. He was going to talk to his father, something he thought would never happen.

Barbossa had to admit a little surprise when his son sat beside him at the bar, but he remained quiet. The younger man had walked away from him previously, so he could speak first.

Nathaniel ordered mead and drank half of it in one gulp. Barbossa wasn't telling him to leave, so he wondered if that meant that he'd talk to him. He decided to start with neutral ground.

"How did you meet Mum?"

Barbossa glanced at his son who was staring down at his mead. The question was expected.

"I'd been spendin' time around Puerto LaCruz, tryin' to join a ship," he began. "She was sellin' apples in one of the markets when I met her. We took a likin' to each other fairly quick and spent many a night together."

Nathaniel took another long drink of his mead. "Did you love her?"

When Barbossa looked at him again, Nathaniel met his gaze – not with hostility but curiosity. "I did love her," he admitted. "I'd never met anyone like her."

"Then why did you leave her when she was pregnant with me?"

Barbossa could tell that Nathaniel was trying hard to keep his emotion in check, and he had to admit that he appreciated that. "I didn't hide what I was from her. She knew that I was a pirate. I didn't have me own ship at the time, so I couldn't control the voyages. I returned one day, and she was nearly seven months along already."

Nathaniel was quiet for a couple minutes, desperately trying to control the maelstrom of thoughts churning around in his head. "So you didn't leave when you found out about me?"

"No. I stayed with her for a few months after you were born."

"But you went back to sea."

"I be a pirate, Nathaniel. She knew that and accepted the fact that I wouldn't be givin' it up. I came back to her for six years as often as I could and brought coins with me every time. I planned to marry her as soon as I made captain."

"Marry her?"

"Aye."

Conversation quieted again.

"Why didn't yeh stay in LaCruz?" Barbossa asked. He'd never understood why he'd left. "That was yer home."

Downing the last of his mead, Nathaniel answered, "I suppose I was looking for you."

"By stowing away on someone else's ship?"

"I was six years old and had just lost my mother. The local orphanage tried to take me, but I kept running away hoping that I'd find you somewhere. I knew you were always on ships, so it made sense to a child's mind. "

Making special effort to not sound angry, Barbossa said, "I did go back probably a few months later, and I returned to find out that the woman I loved had died and that my young son was gone off to God knew where. It was quite a homecomin'."

Nathaniel was a little surprised. He'd always thought that Barbossa hadn't really cared about him or his mom, but he could hear something in his voice that indicated otherwise. What he was saying was true. He swallowed the lump burning at the back of his throat. "If I'd known you were coming back, I would have waited for you," he said quietly.

Barbossa nodded and drank more rum. There wasn't really anything else to be said about that. "So who raised yeh then?" he asked curiously.

"The captain did. Thankfully, I chose one of the better crews to join. He took care of me for nearly ten years before I moved on."

"He treat yeh fairly?"

"He did. Taught me everything I know about sailing and pirating."

"So yeh think of him as yer father then." Barbossa already resented the other man.

Nathaniel laughed and shook his head. "No. Decidedly not."

Barbossa told himself that he didn't need any further explanation. He knew how some ships were run, and some things were better not known. "I see. Well yeh be mighty astute, so he must have taught yeh well."

"It runs in the family, I think."

When their eyes met, they both smiled, albeit awkwardly.

"I – uh – need to head back," Nathaniel said as he stood. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

Barbossa nodded and held up his near empty tankard, watching as his son walked away. He was certain that everything was not forgiven and forgotten, but he was glad – and a little relieved – that they'd had some sort of conversation. It was better than nothing. Maybe there would be more.

A couple days out found the three ships quickly approaching two British ships. All hands were at the ready as they closed in. The British fought valiantly, as expected, but three ships were simply too much for them to handle.

After all was said and done, Barbossa, Samuel and Jack split all of the booty – guns, gun powder, animal skins, sugar, jewels and more – before locking up the survivors that didn't want to join their crews in the brigs. The ship doctors were busy patching up wounds, and the only losses were two crewmen from Samuel's ship.

Since they were still close to Nassau, the captains decided to head back to cash in immediately instead of waiting. It had been Barbossa's suggestion, and neither Jack nor Samuel was going to argue with him. They would trade in the booty for coins and turn over the prisoners to be taken to a jail in the Colonies.

Once they docked, Samuel wasted no time in leading Jack and Barbossa to his contact who gave them a generous helping of coins for their loot.

"Let's celebrate," Samuel suggested after they left. "What say you?"

"Aye!" Jack agreed excitedly.

"Aye," Barbossa said, hiding his grimace from the men. "The crew deserves it."

The boisterous, rowdy group of crewmen happily spent their newly acquired coins on women and spirits that night. Jack and Mr. Gibbs were having a drinking game in one corner of the tavern, Samuel was playing his braginho in the other while a few of their crewmen took turns dancing with Rachel. Others were rehashing their attack on the British ships to anyone who would listen. Dock walkers worked the room, quickly finding willing pirates and leaving the bar with them and their coins.

Barbossa and Elizabeth sat at the back watching all of the merriment. They'd had a few spirits, as well, but they weren't on their way to a hangover as most of the crew was. They were content to sit close and enjoy the celebration.

"So you two look awfully cozy over here in the corner," Jack said with a sly grin as he joined Barbossa and Elizabeth at their table an hour or so later. "How long has this been goin' on?"

"Don't know what yer talkin' about," Barbossa growled before taking a sip of his rum.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I've been sailing with him and the crew for nearly a year."

"Got tired of guardin' the heart, aye?"

The king pressed her lips together in annoyance. "My –," she started but then cleared her throat. "Will's heart is perfectly safe, thank you. That's not what I got tired of."

"Why are yeh here, Sparrow?" Barbossa asked directly.

"Well, when I was down in Cuba picking up a new crew – which is where I met up with your son, by the way – I heard all about the Colonies and the letters and knew that I couldn't miss an opportunity to line my pockets."

"Even though you have less freedom?" Elizabeth asked.

Jack winked. "I'm always free, love."

"So yeh found Nathaniel in Cuba, did yeh?" Barbossa asked, glancing across the room to where his son sat with some of his crew laughing and drinking.

"Aye," Jack said taking a long drink of rum. "He'd been there for just a few months before I met him. He'd been looking for a new crew to join, so it was perfect timing. He's a natural leader, that one. You should be proud, Hector. He's a fine young man."

"I had nothin' to do with it."

"He's your son, mate. You had everything to do with it."

Barbossa took a drink and looked away.

"Would be a shame to be this close to him and not mend some bridges, aye?"

"Yeh be oversteppin, Sparrow."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe. I just know it'll be your loss if you don't try."

With that, Jack grabbed his bottle and stumbled away from the table.

Elizabeth looked at Barbossa then. She wished to encourage him more, as well, but it was too personal for her to get involved with. She had her own issues to sort out, anyway.

Not long after midnight, Barbossa and Elizabeth left for their room down the street. She'd felt like something was wrong – more than just the issue with Nathaniel – but she'd kept her concern to herself as they walked.

Once they reached their room, she closed the door behind them, unable to continue ignoring her instincts. "Are you all right?"

"I be fine," he answered as he removed his coat, hat and holsters.

Elizabeth turned down the bed. "I've seen you grimace throughout the day. Are you in pain?"

"Just sore from the fightin' is all," he said, taking off his boots. "I'm no young lad, yeh know."

Elizabeth shot him a look as she changed into her bed clothes. "Very funny."

"It wasn't meant to be," he said, turning towards her with a serious expression on his face. "You should be down there still, not mollycoddling me."

She frowned. "You want me to leave?"

Barbossa sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh and reached for her hand to pull her down beside him.

"I be an old pirate with the Pox, Elizabeth," he said gently. "I would find no fault with yeh if yeh wanted to remain downstairs a bit longer."

She shook her head as she looked at him worriedly. "Why are you saying this? You know I have no interest in all that."

There was so much that Barbossa wanted to say, but he refrained. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold ring with an array of rubies in it. He'd been trying to give it to her for days.

"This is for you if you'll wear it."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped as she took it from the palm of his hand. "I don't understand. What is this for?"

"It's for you."

"I know, but – "

"Our situation is odd, and I know yeh still be married to Turner, but – "

Elizabeth saw the unspoken question in his tired eyes and knew that it would remain unspoken. She smiled as she silently nodded and tried the ring on a couple fingers, finding that it fit perfectly on her left ring finger. She pressed her lips to his, completely overwhelmed by what she felt for him and quickly pushed him down to the mattress in anticipation of more.

Barbossa reluctantly ended their kiss, though he hated to. He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and said, "Yeh know how badly I want you, Elizabeth, but I can't tonight."

Nodding, Elizabeth assumed that he didn't have any condoms with him. "It's okay," she said, climbing off the bed. "I'll get the lamps."

Barbossa remained quiet as she put out the lights and crawled back into bed, snuggling up to his side. There was no way that he was telling her the truth about why he couldn't be with her.

"The ring is beautiful," she whispered. "I love it. Thank you."

Barbossa turned his head to kiss her temple. "Thank you for wearing it. Goodnight Elizabeth."

"Goodnight Hector."

Just a handful more chapters to go. Thanks Mrs. Marple Poirot, lostsocks54 and Bloodsired for reviews for the last chapter!

What do you guys think about Nathaniel and Barbossa? And Barbossa gave Elizabeth a ring! Check out my Twitter page to see an image. (It's in the bio. Or just look up Velvet Storm.)