Chapter 9:

The sun had set several hours ago, and James felt tired. But instead of going inside and going to sleep, he was sitting on the beach next to Anne with a bottle of rum in his hand. There had been many people down by the bonfire, but they had long since wondered off to do other things. James and Anne were now alone with only a small fire to keep them company. The rum was kicking in and James felt a small bit of desire growing inside of him. He looked over at Anne, sitting on the opposite side of the fire and tried to think of something he could say that would woo her to him. After several moments, he said; "What's it going to take for you to admit that you want me?" She stared at him for a moment.

"Did you honestly just ask me that?" James chuckled. "It's probably because of this." He said, holding up the bottle of rum before taking another swig. "But I know you do have feelings for me." Anne smirked at him and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, do you?" James nodded his head. He took a long pull from the bottle of rum and gave his head a small shake. "I can understand fully why you would have a thing for me." Anne shook her head.

"You are so full of yourself." James laughed loudly at this and rocked back. He knew he was extremely drunk. He had to be. He wondered how many bottles of rum he had drunk that day, but it hurt his head to try and calculate any kind of numbers. "I'm not full of myself, I just know how wonderful I am." Anne shook her head again.

"Don't you have anything to do besides try and get into my pants?" Anne asked. James felt his eyes go to the brothel and he pointed in that direction. "If you want I could go down to the brothel and have plenty of women who wouldn't mind coming to bed with me." Anne scowled at him.

"Is sex the only thing you think about?"

"I can't say it's the only thing. But it's something that occupies my mind a lot." Anne rolled her eyes. "Have you ever even tried to stay committed to one woman ever?" The happy smile on James's face slipped away so quick, it was almost as if he hadn't been smiling at all.

"Aye, I have." James swallowed and wiped a hand down his face. "Back in Whales. There was this woman...Katrina, her name was. One of the most beautiful women I have ever met." He paused long enough to have a drink of rum. "We loved each other. Her family lived only a few miles from my family's farm. We were able to see each other a lot. Talked about getting married, having a family." James shook his head. "Migh've gone through with it." He stopped talking for a moment, thinking of the right words to say.

"Her father liked to gamble...a lot. He lost a good deal of money on a bet. Went into debt, lost almost everything his family had. Eventually put the barrel of a flintlock into his mouth and pulled the trigger." James finished off his rum and tossed the bottle off to the side. He didn't feel drunk anymore. He just felt empty. "When Katrina's mother found out her husband had killed himself, she went into some kind of...catatonic state. Just stared at the wall in her bedroom. Never said a word, never moved. Katrina had to feed her own mother. I would whenever I was over.

"But after almost a year of that...Katrina just couldn't take it anymore. She decided to follow in her father's footsteps." James pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and blinked away tears. "One day, when I went to visit her...I found her hanging from the rafters in her barn. There was a suicide note in the loft, close to where she had hung." James stopped talking and stared into the fire. He felt that old wave of depression washing over him and had to force himself to stop from crying. It had been a long time since he had thought about Katrina and the tragedy that had struck her family. When he looked back at Anne, he found her watching him closely. James took a deep breath and stood. If he was going to make a move, it would have to be now.

He walked over to the other side of the fire, where Anne sat and plopped down beside her. He looked her in the eyes. "Maybe we don't have to go to bed together...look just...don't kill me." Then, before he could loose his nerve, he leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. He stayed that way, with his lips on hers, for several moments before pulling away. He licked his lips, savoring her taste. Anne stared at him. "You're not going to kill me, are you?" She let out a small laugh. To James's surprise, she leaned in and kissed him. James blinked a few times once she had pulled away.

"So does this mean we're..."

"We may be a pair-for now. But that doesn't mean you can take me straight to bed." James grinned. "I can live with that." Anne stood and stretched. "I think I'll be off to bed. Where we are as a couple will just have to wait until tomorrow." Then she was strolling off, towards the manor. James watched her. The idea of being in a steady relationship suddenly didn't seem so bad. He looked over to his left, where Anne had been sitting. She had left her bottle of rum. James picked it up and took a small sip. He had only been sitting there for a few minutes when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He looked around him. He suddenly felt as if he were being watched. He swallowed, his grip on the bottle of rum tightening. He sat there for a long time, waiting for whoever was watching to show themselves. When they didn't, James stood, put out the fire and began to stroll towards the manor, his spirits lifted.

AN: Well there y'all have it. James and Anne are now (sort of) a couple now. They still have to talk about it a little bit but, it's now official. How are they going to do as a couple, now that's the question. And who was watching James? You might not find the answer to that question in the next chapter...but then again, you might. I have no idea (well, I do but I ain't gonna' tell you!). Well, I'll let you think about that. I have other things to do. Buh-bye!

~Exangellion