XLII.
Heart of War

Edward took Mary back to the Jackdaw and back to the room they shared. She made him treat his wounded side first and then he insisted on looking after her. He examined each of her bruises, each of her cuts and treated each of her wounds he could. She tried to say she could do it herself, she tried to make him leave the room, not wanting him to see the extent of the torture put upon her body but he wouldn't go. He couldn't. She understood in some ways and in other ways she just wanted to save him from the pain of seeing what Roberts had done to her. Of what he had let happen to her.

She sat on his bed and she looked at her wrist – both raw and still a little bloody. They would be scarred horribly, probably for the rest of her life. She saw the grief and pain on his face. She saw how he wanted to turn away, but he knew he couldn't. She silently began to clean the wounds, but he stopped her with gentle hands.

"Mary…just…let me…please" He spoke as if each word caused him pain. She handed him the cloth and let him clean her wounds and tried not to flinch every time the cloth brushed against the raw wounds. They were silent until after he had wrapped her wrists. "Anywhere else?"

"Those were the worst of it. The rest is just bruises…you saw" She told him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, she could see the pain in them yet, but it was clear her was pushing it back.

"I'm sorry..."

"Edward…I'm fine, really"

"Mary, just…let me make sure" His fingers reached for the shirt she was wearing and she stood, pacing away.

"Edward, it's not your fault!" She snapped. "I know what you're doing and I know your blaming yourself, but its not your fault. Just…just let it go. Let's go eat something, please, I'm starving"

Edward's shoulders sagged. "Aye…Aye, alright. It's just all those months you were gone…I was so afraid…I just had this fear in my heart that he was going to kill you before I could get to you." He took a deep breath. She walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close again, like he had on the Royal Fortune. They just stood there for what seemed like it should have been forever.

Edward looked up at her from where he sat. She gently stroked his hair. "Lets eat, hm, love? Then we'll rest and tomorrow we'll start back to the West Indies and we'll finish this. Once and for all"

"I don't know if I can." He pressed his head into her chest and she stood, stroking his hair. "I don't know if I can finish this Mary. I don't know if I have the stones to. I know so much of what has happened to me is my own fault and I can't…I can't blame anyone for that but can I really go and kill Torres? Can I really finish this?"

"Of course you can Edward" She softly said. "You're a good man Edward and one of the strongest people I know"

"I don't always feel strong" She heard his muffled voice. She laughed gently and he looked up at her.

"Do you think anyone does, Edward?" She gently sat down next to him again, cupping his face between her hands. He looked into her eyes with his soft blue ones and suddenly none of it felt real. She wondered if she were just dreaming all of this. Dreaming her rescue, dreaming being back with Edward. She wondered if she wouldn't wake up in that dark room again, under Roberts' mercy.

"Mary…I…"

"Edward, I thought I was going to die…or that one of us was anyway. Just in case that ever happens again I just want to be clear with you."

"Clear?"

She took a deep breath and she felt her heart tremble. It was rare for Mary to place all her cards on the table so to speak. She was one who kept most of her feelings and thoughts to herself. She found that when she lay them out, bad things always happened to her. She always lost something. She had almost lost her own life though with Roberts. She had almost lost her chance to lay her cards on the table, this one final time. She was going to get hurt, she knew it. That was already a known fact though, Edward was going back to his wife. He was leaving her behind and well, there was no greater harm that could be done at this point. She had to say it tough. She had to say exactly what was on her mind, exactly what was in her heart – what if she didn't get another chance?

"I love you…Edward. I love you"

There she said it. He blinked, and opened his mouth only to close it again. He pressed his lips together as if thinking hard about what she had said. Then she saw him take a deep breath.

"I love you too"

And then he kissed her, gently and warmly. It was the type of kiss that said he didn't want her to leave, that he didn't want to go back to his wife, that he didn't want to be anywhere else. She knew she was going to be kicking herself for it later, but she kissed him back, just as warmly, just as deeply. She knew she might now need to kick his ass to get him to go back to his Caroline – because he had to go back. That was what she kept telling herself. If he wanted to do right, he had to go back. Yet, in his arms at that moment, she didn't want him anywhere else. She didn't want him to leave, she knew it'd break her heart.

She pulled away first, bowing her head. She felt a little light headed and she wasn't sure if it was from the kiss or if it were from hunger. She decided to say it was from hunger for she needed her distance from Edward now or it was clear she'd be making a mistake. So she stood, pulling herself out of his arms. He blinked, as if clearing his vision.

"That's right, you're hungry." He said as if realizing that fact again. Together the two of them exited the room and went to get her something to eat. The Cook had still been up and it turned out he made her something to eat, knowing she'd be coming. He gave her a pat on the shoulder before heading to bed himself. A few men were up, sailing the ship as she could feel it moving. She wondered if Edward planned to sail back as fast as possible.

"What did you do with the device?" She asked him finally.

"I hid it." He answered. He was sitting across from her. He wasn't eating himself, he was just sitting there watching her eat. She found it a little unnerving. She cleared her throat after taking a long drink of rum.

"So I take it that its safe?"

"Very"

She ate some more but she found he never took his eyes off her. She kept her eyes down but every time she glanced up, there he was, staring. She drank some more, knowing that perhaps she shouldn't, all things considered. She glanced back at him. She cursed under her breath.

"I'm not going to disappear, Edward" Her voice was dry. Was she slurring a little? Yes, she was slurring a little. She tried to hide the fact that she noticed with another drink. What happened last time she had drank too much around Edward?

"I know" He began playing with a dagger, carving holes in the table. He finally looked down. "I missed you though. Having you here doesn't feel real."

"I already thought that myself" She said with a soft laughed. There was a moment of pause and finally Mary spoke up, tilting her head to the side slightly. "What…did you miss about me…exactly?"

Edward's eyes flashed dangerously. "Mary, you're never at your best when you're drunk. Don't do anything you'll regret"

"I've done plenty I regret. I've lived with those choices well so far" She smiled, making it just as dangerous. Edward stood up, leaving his dagger on the table.

"Well I missed your smile and your laugh and that way you look at me when I've done something stupid"

"Which I give to you often" She laughed.

He grabbed her suddenly, pulling her up from her seat and stark against him. "And oh, how I've missed that smart mouth" He ran a finger down the side of her face, letting it sit on her lips for a moment before running down her neck and over the top of one of her breasts. He pushed her gently up onto the table and she found her arms around hm. "And those lips…" He nipped at a sensitive bit of skin on her neck making her moan softly. "…and the noises that come from them."

He pulled her legs up around his hips so he could pick her up. He seemed to remember they were in the kitchen where anyone could happen upon them. He let her slid down his body and he gave her a gentle push towards his room. He closed the door and pulled her against him once more as soon as they were within.

"You know what else I really missed?" He asked as he stripped her of her shirt.

"What?" She managed, but his wandering fingers made it hard for her to remember how to speak. Yes, she was sore but he was gentle, extremely so. His fingers glided over her skin, always finding the most sensitive place to brush against, always finding the right place to touch to make her groan softly.

"I missed you warming my bed. Nights have been awfully cold with you."

He turned, placing her gently on the bed and tugging her pants off. Somewhere he had shed his shirt and she already couldn't remember through the haze of passion clouding her mind.

"Good thing you got me back, eh?" She brushed her hands against his cheek. He gave her a lavish grin and she couldn't help but smile, a happiness deep in her heart. She had found her peace, even if it was only temporary, with Edward.

June 1722

The months it took to sail back to Havana were spent planning. When she and Edward had time, they went over plans to draw Torres out of hiding. Then they made new plans and plans besides in case he was in hiding or whatever else was probably hiding for them in Havana. When they arrived though, none of their planning could have prepared them for what they found. The entire city was on lockdown and anyone found on the streets without damn good reason was shot.

Mary and Edward ducked behind some cargo boxes and Edward was cursing their ill luck. Mary waited patiently, eyes focusing on the guards who were questioning a pirate. She was trying to listen but she was not fluent in Spanish. Lucky for her, the man they were accusing spoke the King's English instead of Spanish so she had at least half of the conversation.

"For fuck's sake man! Don't touch me!" He cried. "Let me go! I ain't who you think I am!"

She watched as the guards forced him to his knees, his hands bound behind his back. He struggled but it was no good. One of them put a bullet in him and he slumped to the ground, brain matter spilling across the cobble stones like mashed fruit. Mary took a deep breath, settling herself next to Edward once more.

"What now?" She asked.

"We try and find Rhona. She's here somewhere right?"

"Probably waiting for us. Should we split up?" Edward's eyes flashed at mention of that.

"No." He hissed. "Christ, no"

She sighed. "Edward…"

"No. No, Mary, you are staying with me." He grabbed her hand as if he could make her stay. She just rolled her eyes. Fine, she would stay. She supposed it was a better idea in some way but worse in others. Like it would be so much easier for them to be spotted just because there were two of them instead of one. Edward's hand held her's tight and she understood how he wanted to protect her, but it was tiring in a way.

"Alright, Christ, Edward" She relented and she saw him visibly relax.

"Don't you Christ me, woman" He chided softly and she couldn't help but smile. The smile was short-lived however because she heard shouting in Spanish. She glanced behind them, above the crates. Seemed their argument might have been overheard. A guard was pointing towards their stack of boxes.

Both she and Edward readied themselves and when the guards tried to surprise them, they had a surprise for them instead. It was easy to kill the three of them and toss their bodies into the harbor. Then, splattered with blood, the two of them hurried into the city of Havana to find the ex-Governor Torres and end this war once and for all.

A/N: Here's another chapter! Hope you guys loved it. I'll see you next chapter!