Chapter 6: So We Meet Again

"Miss. Miss. Come on; wake up, miss." A strange voice cut through the silence of Anna's dreamless sleep and she groaned at the pounding sensation in her head. "There you go. Slowly, now. Slowly."

Anna winced as she tried to open her eyes, but managed to…eventually. As her vision came into focus, she was shocked to find the long-haired man, with a very nasty looking shiner, standing over her. Recognizing him, she jumped into an upright position and scooted backwards and away from him.

"Don't be scared," he said, holding his hands up as a sign of peace. "I'm not here to hurt you. I reckon I must look a sight though; you really packed a punch. Though I'm much better off than Cody; you cut him up pretty good. He needs stitches." His words didn't make much sense to Anna thanks to the terrible, pulsating headache she had, as well as the ringing in her ears. She remembered…getting hit in the head; surely, though, it hadn't been that hard.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Anna asked frantically, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting on a cot in a small, poorly lit room. No, not room, Anna thought, noticing the metal bars opposite her. Prison cell. The man who had woke her up stood up straight and smiled.

"I'm John, miss," the man introduced with a slight nod, and then knocked a hand on one of the solid wooden walls. "And this here is the Jolly Roger." The Jolly Roger. Anna thought the name was familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

"Why am I here?" Anna sighed.

"You were causing trouble, miss; you attacked us in the forest."

"What?" she stuttered. "Attacked you? No…someone grabbed me. I was defending myself." She groaned and put a hand to her head. Why can't I think straight? And why is everything so…wobbly?

"Don't worry, miss. The Captain'll explain everything a bit better than I can; he asked for me to bring you to his cabin when I woke you up. So he could talk to you." John gave her a small smile. "Are you up for a short walk? I promise it isn't far."

"Uh, yes," Anna muttered. "Alright" John helped her to her feet, but the swaying sensation didn't cease. In fact, it got worse as he unlocked the door to the cell and led her out into the narrow corridor.

"Careful," John laughed as she stumbled into the wall. Anna grabbed onto his arm and tried steadying herself. "Don't worry. You'll get your sea legs soon enough."

"Sea legs?" Anna asked. "Is this…are we on a ship?"

"Of course," he replied. "You must've taken a nasty knock on the head; it might've jarred something loose." When he saw an alarmed expression spread on her face, he quickly stumbled over his words. "No, no. It was a joke."

"Oh, yes," Anna frowned. "A joke."

"Come now," he said with a kind smile. "This way." He led her down the corridor. Anna's mind was reeling; she was on a ship with the men who had attacked her in the forest, and was going to meet their Captain. She didn't have her knapsack or her knives, and even if she could find a way to get away from this…John, she didn't have nearly enough coordination needed to find a way to escape, let alone fight off whoever she encountered along the way.

I hope this Captain is as nice as John is, she thought momentarily. Or at least as nice as John seems he is. Perhaps it's just a façade.

"Here we are." Anna was roused from her thoughts as John stopped before a large wooden door. She vaguely recalled their trip; down some dark, narrow corridors and up a small flight of stairs—or was it down?—but that was it. Had she really been that disconnected to reality? John smiled at her and opened the door, motioning for her to go beyond. Anna hesitantly obeyed and took a few steps into the new room.

"Ah," John exclaimed with a quick glance around the room. "The Captain is away at the moment. No matter. He'll be back soon, I'm sure; he won't mind if you wait for him here."

"You aren't going to wait with me?" Anna asked, turning on her heel to look at him.

"I have some things to attend to, miss. Wouldn't want the others to think I'm slacking on my duties, now would I?"

"I suppose not."

"Make yourself comfortable," John nodded. "Captain Jones will be back shortly; I'm sure of it." With a small smile, he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him. Anna winced at the loud noise it made and raised a hand to her head as if trying to soothe her headache. The action didn't work, obviously. She sighed and looked at her surroundings.

The room was large, as Anna supposed that of a Captain should be, and elegant…but messy; layer upon layer of maps and scrolls littering the desk, a whirlwind of sheets, pillows and blankets upon the large bed, and a few upturned chairs here and there. There were ornate candelabras were spread around the room with wax from the candles frozen in an eerie perpetual dripping state, a wardrobe that was almost closed—the sleeve of a shirt preventing the door to shut the entire way—and a bookshelf with half of its books scattered on the floor beneath it. A small bay of windows with a narrow window seat made up the far wall behind the desk and through them, Anna could see the endless blue of the sea and the sky.

The sound of the door opening behind her made Anna freeze with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. There were heavy footsteps on the wood-planked floors and then the door closed again.

"Ah, you're awake." The smooth voice sounded familiar and Anna turned around slowly, shocked at who she found there. Dark hair, blue eyes, and a condescending smirk on his handsome face; he was mostly clad in black leather, the only exception being the black shirt he wore and the sliver of his vest buttons, his belt buckle and his sword. Anna took an uneasy step backwards and stumbled over her words.

"You!" she exclaimed, for she was staring at one Captain Killian Jones.

"So it wasn't a dream," Anna muttered, staring at Killian. He smirked and walked past her to his desk, setting the bowl and plate he had been carrying onto the already cluttered surface.

"You thought I was a dream?" he asked her, ego swelling just a tad.

"It seemed the most obvious explanation," she replied. "Pirate captains don't often stop in Corwyn, let alone infiltrate the walls of my family's manor. That and the fact that I never saw you again."

"Glad to know you missed me, love," Killian said, laughing at the way she scowled at him.

In truth, he, too, had been shocked to see her after clocking her in the head with that rock. After she had rejected the offer of travelling with him over a year ago, he was sure that he would never see her again, despite the deal that they had made. In fact he and his crew had only stopped in Doria twice since then, in another town down the coastline from Corwyn that was better suited for their intentions to stock up on supplies and to hide—then later retrieve—the lost jewels of Casimir the Undertaker in the forest nearby.

Killian observed her silently. Anna, the girl he once thought of as a doll—as a great prize to take from the kingdom. Her face had haunted his dreams for many a lonely nights weeks after their encounter, but she had soon faded into the recesses of his mind as his thoughts transitioned to treasures and adventures and other more…realistic conquests. And although she was fidgeting nervously under his scrutiny, certain untamed thoughts entered his mind as he watched her. Especially considering her edgier choice of attire.

I had no idea she had such curves under that dress she wore when I met her, he thought lasciviously.

Those thoughts vanished, though, and he frowned at the sight of her split lip and the dried blood at her hairline.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with concern.

"I have a headache," she shrugged. "But otherwise I feel fine."

"Hungry?"

"Not really."

"Wise choice," Killian laughed, looking down at the food he had brought for himself—a simple stew, hardtack and salt pork. Ever since Bart the Cook had died in that duel some weeks ago, it wasn't safe to eat anything more complicated than that; obviously, George wasn't that intuit when it came to spices because he had nearly poisoned everyone with his attempts at dinner.

Killian, instead, stepped over to a chest beside his desk and pulled a bottle from inside; he then walked over to Anna.

"Here," he told her, uncorked the bottle with his teeth, and handed it to her. "This'll help with the headache." She took it hesitantly and he laughed. "Don't worry. It isn't poison." With a nod, Anna lifted the mouth of the bottle to her lips and took a delicate sip; Killian laughed as he watched her lift a hand to her mouth as she coughed a few times.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Rum."

"It burns. A lot," she coughed again, looking at the bottle.

"Hmm. It's not the best but it gets better the more you drink," he replied, pushing the bottle back to her lips. As she took another sip and coughed again, he moved back to his desk, pulling a chair from nearby so it sat across on the opposite side of the desk, then took his own seat.

"You can sit if you'd like," he told her, motioning towards the chair. "We have much to talk about."

For there to be much to talk about, he seems to enjoy this silence, Anna thought as she watched Killian, who in turn watched her as he ate. His eyes were contemplative and she felt like he could see right through her, like he could read her thoughts.

"You were running away from home," Killian finally said, quite bluntly, with no question in his voice. He had already rummaged through the bag she had been carrying with her; clothes, food, money and some other odds and ends he, truthfully, didn't care about. They were the telltale possessions of someone trying to escape.

"Yes," Anna nodded, seeing no reason to lie.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," she replied haughtily.

"It's my business when six of my men are injured as a result of it," he said coolly.

"I was defending myself."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt," Killian agreed with her. "Now, why were you running away from home?"

They stared at each other again in a silent game of wills. Anna wanted him to drop the subject and let her go; Killian wanted an answer to his question, although he was sure he already knew it. Minutes passed, maybe hours, and Anna broke first.

"I didn't want to stay there anymore," she told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I wasn't…I wasn't completely satisfied with my life," she muttered, playing with her fingers in a way that felt childish.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I wasn't happy!" Anna snapped at him. "I wasn't happy in Corwyn, in Doria, and I wanted to leave. So I did." She watched as a lazy smirk spread across the pirate captain's face.

Oh, how I wish I could reach across this desk and smack him, she thought. I suppose that would get me into more trouble than I already am in, though.

"Where did you plan to go?" he asked.

"Anywhere," she told him. "Everywhere."

"And how did you expect to get anywhere? Everywhere?"

"By ship, I suppose," Anna shrugged. "I don't know the lands beyond or their customs, but gold is gold, and everyone has a price."

"Hmm," he rested his elbows on the desk and tented his fingers in front of him. "What do you think my price is?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you haven't noticed, you are on a ship," he said, gesturing around them. "Why waste time travelling to the nearest port to find passage elsewhere when you and I could strike up a deal?"

"Why would you do that for me?" Anna asked, narrowing her eyes at him in distrust. Killian smirked again. Not so innocent anymore, he thought, are you Anna?

"Think of it as a renewed offer," he shrugged. "I asked if you wanted to come away with me on the night that we met. You told me you were happy and declined. Now you've told me that you're unhappy, so I present the offer again. If you turn it down, you are free to leave. No questions, no hesitations. You may take your things and go."

Anna paused in her answer, mouth opening and closing for a moment before she leaned back in the chair and stared at Killian in contemplation. Could she trust him? She hadn't come to any harm, save for the headache, even after the little skirmish in the forest. She had trusted him enough once, albeit blindly, to want to accept his offer, and she would've if she hadn't been so stubborn. Why was she being so stubborn now? He was offering her an out.

"Name your price," she finally said, silently hoping she wouldn't regret it.

"Well, let's see," Killian rubbed his chin in fake contemplation, getting a kick out of . "You need food, a place to sleep, protection when we reach our next destination—although, given your handiwork with Mr. Cody, I'm more than certain you can protect yourself. Am I forgetting anything? Oh, of course. There is the matter of our previous deal that is technically void now that you no longer have access to your family's gold."

"Alright." Anna's eyebrows raised in question. "What do you want?"

"Can you sew?"

"What?" she frowned.

"It's a simple enough question. Can you sew? Mend clothes?"

"I…yes. Of course, but—"

"Can you cook?"

"I don't know. I've never had to. I suppose it isn't that difficult to learn."

"What about tending to wounds? I've lost many a good men to infection thanks to rusty blades and drunken duels."

"Uh…yes," she nodded and waited for more, but he was silent, looking at her expectantly. "But…that's it? That's all you want?"

"Maybe the occasional song or story," he waved a hand dismissively. "To keep the men entertained."

"What about gold?" Anna asked. "Don't you—"

"No," Killian stopped her. "The requests I have made are all that I require if you are to stay on this ship and travel with us. Do you accept?" He stood and held a hand out to her across the desk. Anna studied him silently, watching for any hints of deceit, but she found none.

"I accept," she replied, standing and placing her hand into his. Rather than shake it, he brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles like a gentlemen would, just as he had for the last deal they had struck.

"Welcome aboard, then, Anna," Killian said with a sincere smile.

Anna's heart fluttered in her chest at the look he was giving her with his piercing blue eyes, and she fleetingly thought, he's so much...more than Charles ever was.

Author's Note:

odetted99: I know. I was sad Sunday night when there was no OUAT. Thankfully, I had homework, so it didn't matter anyways. Haha. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

orcafan1: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far; I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Thanks for the review!

PrincessOfSilence: Yep. I have a countdown until the episode on my school planner. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one too. Thanks for reviewing!

xxxRena: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I hope you liked this chapter too! Thanks for the review!

MaluTyler: Thank you so much. Yes, the episode was amazing! I wish I could, but I think he's on everyone's Christmas list this year. Haha. Thanks for the review.

BeckyBoo12221: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you liked this chapter too. Thanks for reviewing!

luvdamon: Thanks so much! And thanks for the review!

Guest: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review.

bubbletea4me: I'm glad you like it so far. And yes; I'll definitely try to. Since Anna is going to start finding herself, I'll get more in-depth with her personal likes and dislikes; everything she knew in Doria had pretty much been forced onto her. Thanks for the review!

BluePixieOfTheGalaxy: Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapters! It was so sweet of you! I totally understand about finals and stuff; gotta keep that GPA up. I know I do. I'm glad you like Anna and the story so far. (And as you can see, hot pirate has made a come-back!) Thanks again!

Hi there! Wow; I was astounded by the response after the last chapter! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed; you guys are great!

So now Anna is on the Jolly Roger! Now the story will begin to pick up momentum. Nothing too romantic yet—Anna's not the type of girl to fall head over heels immediately—but it'll come soon. SOON! The next few chapters I have planned are going to be pretty…adventurous. But you'll just have to wait and see. Haha!

Thanks for reading!