Hello! It has been so long and I am so extremely sorry! Hopefully this chapter makes up for it? You tell me :P But seriously, take pity on a poor writer and tell me what you think and what i can improve and stuff :) Reviews are so very much appreciated whether bad or good :D

Enjoy!

Chapter 13

It had been a tense few hours, Lily had refused to even look at Samuel for the majority of it and he in turn was staring fixedly at the opposite wall. The silence was only broken by the occasional pointed sigh of boredom from Lily and the tapping of Samuel's boot on the floor.

Lily was not fond of silence at the best of times and for most of the time she had been at war with her stubborn side and the part of her that detested not being able to speak, he wasn't as bothered but was taking considerable amusement in the fact that she was. Eventually she couldn't stand it any longer and dropped back from her sitting position to lie on the bed with a melodramatic groan.

"I'm so bored!" She said, covering her face with her arms and drumming her heels agitatedly. Samuel laughed. "Knew you couldn't stick it out." He said smugly.

Lily made a tutting sound and raised her arm briefly to make a rude gesture she'd learned from a boy at the docks, before turning over and burying her face in the pillow.

"Very ladylike." He commented dryly but Lily was past caring – her dress was askew and showing a scandalous amount of leg and her long hair was wild and untamed, she was barefoot and her cheeks were flushed.

"I hope you fall overboard, I'd push you myself." She said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

Samuel snorted. "You couldn't push me anywhere I didn't want to go." He said, looking at her slight frame contemptuously.

Lily turned her head slightly to glare at him and then retreated back into her hair to sulk.

Samuel silently got to his feet once he was sure she wasn't looking and stealthily made his way over, once standing beside her he counted to five and then swiftly yanked the mattress out from under her, effectively tipping her onto the floor. Lily screamed as she landed fairly hard on her side in a tangle of skirts but soon sat up and made an effort to regain dignity by staring imperiously at Samuel as he laughed his head off.

"When you have finished." She said icily, and then: "I'm in no hurry." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, remaining like that until he'd finally stopped laughing.

"Well I'm glad you find yourself funny, I doubt anyone else does." She said but he just chuckled.

"Don't particularly care whether anyone else thinks I'm funny." He said with a shrug, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Besides you deserved that one, you're far too old for tantrums."

Lily gasped, "I didn't!" She protested indignantly but stopped when she realized she did sound a bit like her four year old self. "Well even if I did have a little bit of a tantrum, surely I'm allowed considering the circumstances!" She settled, brushing her hair from her face angrily.

The corner of Samuel's lip tugged upwards, "Maybe."

"Definitely." She muttered, then her eyes grew a bit brighter. "I feel there's a lot of negative energy in this room, could we perhaps open the door? Let in the sun, you know..." She gestured airily with her arm, improvising wildly. "perhaps a fresh start will be carried in with the fresh air. And sea salt is good for you, you know." She finished, internally berating herself for not having argued her case better. She smiled sweetly and crossed her legs daintily, clasping one knee lightly with her hands and tilting her head to the side – the picture of innocence.

Samuel, however, was not fooled. "Drop it." He advised. "You're not escaping on my watch."

Lily gave a frustrated sigh and uncrossed her legs, "But you're my only guard – who elses watch am I supposed to escape under?" She said angrily.

"Well nobody's preferably." He replied coolly.

"Preferably for you." She said pointedly.

"Naturally." He said with a nod.

Just as Lily was about to make a heated reply one of the sailors opened the door and walked into the room, giving Lily an appreciative look that lingered on her exposed calves. She winced and smoothed her skirt down hurriedly and he leered.

"Spoilsport." He remarked in a horrible, nasal voice that set her teeth on edge.

"What is it, Pontac?" Samuel asked, straightening up from his relaxed position, Lily was surprised to see a protective glint in his eyes.

"Cap'n requires yer presence along with the lovely lady in his cabin, as of now." Pontac said with a crooked smirk. "Rather you than me, mate."

Samuel frowned. "Did he say why?"

"Nope, ye'll have to wait and see, eh?" He replied vindictively, taking one last look at Lily before exiting the room.

Once he was gone Lily looked fearfully at Samuel. "I don't want to." She said quietly.

"You haven't got much choice in the matter." He said, running his hands through his messy hair with a sigh.

She bit her lip and made no reply; Barbossa scared her more than she liked to admit. Samuel looked at her for a second and then held out his hand to help her up, she hesitated but then took it. Once she was on her feet and had dusted down her dress she even managed a small smile.

"We'd better go then." She said, finding it hard to swallow normally.

Samuel gave a rueful smile and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" He joked, acting the pompous gentleman.

Lily giggled and slipped her arm though his. "Why good sir, I'd be delighted." She simpered, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly and laughing along with him. It felt good to laugh, she realized, better than crying anyway. Suddenly she stopped.

"Do I look alright?" She said in a sudden panic, trying fruitlessly to tame her hair.

Samuel rolled his eyes and caught her wrist in his hand. "You look fine."

Lily's breath caught in her throat as he touched her and she hurriedly cast her eyes to the floor, hoping he hadn't noticed.

She cleared her throat. "Okay." She hastily slipped her arm from his grasp and began to walk again.

He stared after her bemusedly and followed a pace or two behind, only catching her up when they reached his fathers cabin.

"Here." He said, indicating they'd reached their destination, Lily gave a quick nod and (to Samuel's surprise) stepped forward and rapped on the door.

"Come in." Barbossa's gravelly voice was heard. Lily took a deep, calming breath and went to open the door but her hand, once on the handle, began to shake uncontrollably and she had to pause to gather herself.

Samuel's sharp eyes missed nothing and he laid his hand over hers, gently for him, until she stopped shaking and he was able to turn the handle. Blushing, she withdrew her hand from under his and clasped her hands behind her back instead.

The door swung open to reveal a very full looking table, stuffed with very elaborate food and wine but only set for three, at the head of the table sat Barbossa. Lily shot a worried look at Samuel but he just looked slightly bored as he ushered her in and closed the door behind them.

Barbossa didn't say anything but the sharp way he looked at her reminded Lily of Samuel and she had a feeling he knew just how scared she really was. Despite this she was determined to seem outwardly calm and dropped into a polite curtsy.

"There'll be no need for yer niceties here, we're naught but humble pirates." The captain growled, the gruff tone to his voice clashing with the amused glint in his eye as he spoke.

Lily smiled, "And yet I find myself faced with a formal banquet. How curious." She pointed out dryly and heard Samuel stifle a laugh behind her.

Barbossa's face twisted into a grin at her gall. "Well you've got nerves, I'll give ye that." He allowed, pointing at a chair for her to sit in. Lily sat in the chair he'd indicated and gracefully arranged her skirts around her, sitting very straight, Samuel chuckled and dropped into the chair across from her.

"I assume there's a good reason for all of this." Lily said, nodding to the spread.

"Aye." Barbossa smirked as he poured them all wine. "Well...a reason anyway, I don't know if ye could call it 'good'."

Samuel rolled his eyes at his father's 'pirate villain' act and drank some of his wine, his eyes flicking between the two.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the captain's response and leaned back slightly, after a second she raised the heavy goblet to her lips but before she drank she gave the wine a surreptitious sniff.

Barbossa began to laugh throatily and she glanced at him, lowering the goblet.

"Ye think we're plannin' on poisinin' ye?" He said. Samuel didn't join in the laughter but looked at Lily shrewdly; she'd gone slightly red and was wearing her haughtiest expression.

"Well are you?" She asked bluntly.

Barbossa stopped laughing and looked at her in a calculating way, deciding to give her a little test.

"Maybe..." He leaned back in the chair and shrugged lazily. "And maybe not."

Lily drew in a sharp breath and looked at the wine then at the captain and eventually at Samuel, none of them gave anything away – least of all the wine.

It only took a split second for her to decide that she would drink the blasted wine and then face the consequences, whatever they may be. She was sick of tiptoeing around, if she was to die then at least it would be by her own hands and her free will. Besides, she thought wryly, there are worse ways to go than to die sipping wine.

Her eyes found Samuels and never left them as she lifted the goblet to her lips and drank, still his face betrayed no emotion. As the rich liquid coated her throat she set the goblet down and cupped her chin in her hands, resting her elbow on the table.

"Well, if it is poison it's taking a very long time." She commented after a while, taking care to control her voice carefully.

At that Samuel's mask broke and he grinned at her, "That could have gone really wrong." He said, laughing.

"Still could." She rejoined with a slight, slow wink.

"Enough." Barbossa barked, making Lily jump. "I didn't bring you here to flirt with my son." He growled and both Lily and Samuel shuffled awkwardly, the latter glowering at his father.

Barbossa ignored their discomfort and was just about to speak again when a loud series of bangs and shouts from the deck made him stand up sharply, overturning his chair as he marched to the door and flung it open. Samuel shrugged at lily and got to his feet too but Lily slipped past him and was about to try to get past his Father but Barbossa grabbed her arm roughly. Forced to stay she looked sulkily at the scene before her and then screamed as she saw her brother held by four sailors.

"WILL!" She screamed, struggling to break free of Barbossa's hold but he only grabbed her other arm and jerked her back.

"This one stowed away Cap'n." One of the sailors growled, seizing hold of Wills hair and pushing him forward.

Barbossa looked from Will to Lily and back again with an impassive expression and then cleared his throat.

"Kill him."