Hi! So things between Jim and Carlotta may be moving forward, but can they keep the peace? Please review!

And in answer to Kittyhawk09's question, Jim is 18 and Scarlett is 17 :) Thanks for reading!

Chapter 6

Carlotta was, yet again, peeling potatoes. The men were worse for wear from their drinking last night and she could hear Mr Arrow growing more and more livid with their shoddy work up on deck. Jim was still asleep, she'd been told to let him rest by the doctor. Lottie liked the doctor – he was good and kind and didn't treat her differently unlike the squire who was decidedly uncomfortable around her.

Her life seemed to have been whittled down to peeling potatoes. Barrels of them, boxes, crates, bowls of potatoes.

"What time is it?"

Lottie spun round at the sudden voice from the doorway then grinned to see Jim leaning against the wall blearily looking more than a little bit disheveled. Lottie looked down, remembering the look in his eyes when he'd seen her in her nightgown last night.

"Nearly mid-day I'd wager." She informed him, enjoying the look of panic that raced into his eyes.

"MIDDAY? I've chores – duties! Long John'll wring my neck, why didn't you wake me?" He shouted, disorientated and panicked and hating the calm smile on Scarlett's face.

"Relax -" She started to say but Jim had had it.

"RELAX?"He shouted incredulously, pulling on his boots. Lottie held her hands out laughing,

"It's fine – the doctor said you were to be let alone – you needed sleep." She explained. Jim let the boot he was holding fall to the floor and sat down limply at the table.

"Why didn't you say so?" He squeaked, then scowled at Scarlett's shrug.

Jim sighed and got up with an effort,

"Right, well I'd better get ready then." He said with a stretch and Lottie inclined her head,

"But I'd warn you, the men aren't feeling so sprightly after last night so Mr Arrow's not in the best mood." She informed him, Jim nodded quickly and dashed off to get ready – Arrow was infamous for his quick temper and sharp words and no-one wanted to get on the wrong side of him. Ever.

She could hear Jim clattering around in the next room and in no time he ran into the galley and up the stairs, Scarlett rolled her eyes at his eagerness and carried on peeling.

After a while she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and turned to see who it was, her heart sank as Israel Hands came into view and she returned to her task quickly. He stopped at the sight of her and a slow smile spread over his face as he looked her up and down in a way that made her shudder,

"Shouldn't you be up on deck?" She asked brusquely and he gave a short laugh,

"I'm taking a break." He said, folding his arms and leaning on the counter she was working at. He was menacingly close, more than 2 heads taller than her and much broader he had a reputation for getting what he wanted – either by consent or force – and Scarlett was scared of him.

She tried to ignore him and carried on peeling the potatoes, aware of her hands shaking. She leaned over to make some room amidst the potato peelings for washing them and when she returned he was a hair's breadth away from her – she could smell his sour scent and see the stubble on his chin beneath his wolfish grin.

She cleared her throat and tried to get past him, planning to have a word with Silver but found her wrist caught and held and used to pull her into his arms.

"No, Mr. Hands." She protested tensely but he only laughed as she struggled.

"Aw c'mon, don't be so stiff." he whispered and she made a noise of frustration.

"Let me go now." She ordered him, panic creeping into her heart as he merely pulled her even closer roughly. With a cry Scarlett tore herself loose and dashed away but he caught her around the waist and backed her into the table and Lottie quailed at his look of anger.

"What else are you here for you little whore." He grunted and pushed her so she was sitting on the table, she upped her struggles he gripped her wrists in one of his hands and put one knee up on the table, trapping her as he meshed his lips with hers roughly.

"No -" Her protests her were stopped by the ghastly parody of a kiss. Israel groaned against her lips, she could taste the stagnant alcohol and his vile breath. For a brief moment he stopped, for air she presumed, but before she could scream he was on her again, clambering onto the table, his arms encaging her and his 'kiss' stifling her. Scarlett's eyes were open and pained, this situation was all too familiar and it seemed there was nothing she could do to stop him.

His clammy hands pulled at the bodice of her dress and his mouth left hers long enough for her to utter a short scream before he clapped a hand over her mouth and ripped off her dress with the other hand. Scarlett kicked and struggled but he was too strong and soon she was in nothing but her chemise and his eyes flashed with lust.

"No!" She managed to shout but he struck her round the face.

"Shut it." He slurred and grabbed her thigh, pulling her closer roughly.

"Scarlett!"

Israel craned his neck to see Jim standing aghast at the bottom of the stairs, he growled and shoved the girl away going towards Jim menacingly. Jim stood his ground however as bravely as he could,

"Mr Hands desist." He said in a low voice, drawing himself up to his full height. Israel's hand shot out and he lifted Jim off his feet by his shirt neck and spat in the boys face, laughing when he recoiled.

Scarlett swung herself down from the table and wiped the tears from her cheeks before charging at the man she hated. She took him by surprise, hitting every part of him that she could reach,

"Gerroff you little -"He growled, shoving at her but she sunk sharp teeth into his arm and carried on attacking him, once out of his state of shock Jim joined her and they drove Israel backwards together until he put up his hands.

"Alright alright." He growled, pushing past them to make his way up the stairs. When he was halfway he looked back and shot Jim a look of hatred before giving Lottie a mocking wave.

When he was gone Lottie gave a visible shudder and clenched her fist before kicking over a chair and dropping to the floor, sitting with her legs crossed and her head in her hands. She looked so vulnerable and almost...childlike that Jim abandoned any misgivings about the advisability of his actions and sat down with her, draping his arms round her slight shoulders. She stiffened at first even though her body was wracked by sobs but when he didn't move or speak she seemed to melt into him, her head was on his shoulder, her ringlets falling loose across her. Jim simply sat there, one arm holding her and the other smoothing her hair back, he sat there until she had stopped crying.

It was a long time.

When her sobs had quieted to occasional sniffs he gently lifted her chin to look at her,

"Scarlett it's okay." He said and she gave him a quivering frown.

"I'm fine thank you. Quite alright in fact." She assured him. "I have chores to do and so do you I gather."

Jim searched her face and nodded seeing there a helplessness behind the scornful face she wore most of the time. He got to his feet and ran his hands through his hair,

"Well I'll be off then." He said as nonchalantly as he could manage, she showed her appreciation of his effort with a small smile then she turned away from him and began peeling the last potato. Jim was nearly at the top of the stairs before he heard her call him back softly. He poked his head round the door, she was leaning against the far wall with her head down.

"Yes?"

She looked up at his voice and smiled at him,

"Thanks." She said quietly. Jim grinned,

"It's the least I could do, the amount of time you let me sleep!" He said as jovially as he could and was rewarded this time with her clear laugh.

The thought of which carried him through a grueling day of work punctuated by numerous glares from Israel Hands.

He thought he should really make her laugh more often.