A/N: Thanks for the feedback and the follows, guys! This chapter was going on a bit, so I decided to end it earlier and write more for a third chapter which should be up soon.

It was a bit out of the way, but getting off the main (less direct) road and into the shadows, they were able to move inconspicuously to the run-down barn which had once belonged to Jane's family. Her youngest brother was supposed to have taken it over, but he hadn't give it nearly the amount of care it needed before recently abandoning the place to join his brother abroad. The supplies were not ideal, but Maura resisted criticizing (too much) and got to work cleaning Jane's wound.

"Are you going to tell me how you got mixed up in all of this?" she asked quietly. "I was under the impression the reason you left in the first place was to take care of your mother's ailing family."

"So it was," Jane murmured. "My mother figured a sprightly thirteen-year-old was just the trick to revive the spirits of an aging, bitter couple." She was able to say this with some amount of humor. "On my way there, our ship was attacked by a band of pirates." Maura's hand stilled for a moment, but she didn't look up at Jane, and continued her work. "I saw our captain and the first mate slaughtered. Much of the crew, as well. The pirate captain wanted to make an example of someone who had been traveling on the ship, and before he could choose someone, I volunteered. I didn't want anyone else to have to die. I thought he would kill me on the spot, but he only laughed. He assured me he was impressed by my valor, my courage. And when no grown men offered to take my place, he shot two of them. And I became a part of his crew."

"Who was it?" Maura asked in a small voice.

"The Surgeon," Jane muttered. "Is it a familiar name?" She sighed again when Maura nodded. "Most bloodthirsty, twisted deviant I have ever had the displeasure to know. But I amused him. He never laid a hand on me, but he liked to torture me."

"How could he do that without laying a hand on you?"

"Oh, he tried," Jane said, flexing one of her hands. "But I got the best of him. I would not dream of telling you some of the actions I witnessed at his hand. Terrible, terrible things… things that made men and women beg for death." She frowned when Maura seemed to be flinching. "I apologize. Is this too much for you?"

Maura let out a shallow breath before bringing her gaze to meet Jane's. "If you lived it, I think the least I can do is bear to listen to it."

Jane smiled at her and shifted her arm so it would be easier to bandage. "Well, suffice it to say I did not arrive in the port I had intended for some time. That is why it took me so long to write and tell you how to reach me."

"How ever did you escape?"

"With the help of the Surgeon's crew. A couple of them were blind followers, to be sure, but many of them were men he had similarly captured and, in a way, bullied into loyalty. They felt inspired by me." The way Jane said it, it didn't sound conceited. It was merely relaying a fact, as if she were speaking of someone else. "If I had the courage, then they could, as well. There was a mutiny, and the Surgeon and his first mate were sent adrift on a plank of wood."

"Rather than kill him outright?"

"Pirates are a suspicious lot, Maura," Jane chuckled. "They worried that if he were to be killed on the ship, he would haunt them there forever. If he died at sea, it would be down to Davy Jones' locker with his wretched soul. So put out to sea, he was. And I was taken to the port where my mother's family awaited me."

"How long had you been at sea?"

"About eight months. During which time, I was taught how to use a sword, how to shoot, and how to fight with my fists if need be. They were a very resourceful bunch, that crew. Being held hostage by the Surgeon changed my life: by the time I was fourteen, I knew I had a different calling from aunts' caretaker. When the Surgeon's crew left with his ship, I was not entirely abandoned. They gifted to me a significant portion of spoils the Surgeon had collected over the years, and with that profit I was able to secure a qualified, and quite lovely, caretaker for my mother's family. I would have been of very little help or comfort to them; of that, I am sure. I visited them as frequently as I could, so they would not feel abandoned, but…"

When Jane lapsed into silence, Maura paused what she was doing and again reached Jane's eye. (Or tried to; Jane was staring at the ground.) "But what?"

"Well…I admit, my main incentive in returning frequently to that port was so I could have the opportunity to read your letters and write back. I still have every one you ever sent me."

"Jane, why did you lie to me? Why did you not visit more often? After you left, I only saw you the one time, and–"

"Maura, one of your most endearing traits is that you cannot tell a lie," Jane said, smiling at her. "I was afraid that if I wrote and spoke of what I was doing, my mother would get it out of you. I … I had to be dishonest so everything would seem well. Now that she has passed, that may not seem such a relevant concern, but - I worried you would… that is, your opinion of me has always mattered a great deal, Maura, and I did not want you to be afraid of me or for me. And I also worried the letters might somehow be intercepted, and someone would tie your name to Captain Clem's and come after you."

"So you are Captain Clem," Maura said solemnly.

"Yes, dear. I am."

Maura finished the crude bandage, then stood up and gave Jane a hard shove. Startled, Jane fell back into a patch of old hay. "You brute! How could you, instilling fear in others like that after what the Surgeon did to you?!"

"No!" Jane said. "No, Maura, please. Pirates fear that name. People, everyday people, have no need to fear it."

"What does that mean? Pirates all fear the name of Rockmond, of the Surgeon, of Blackbeard - or so I hear! And so must we all!"

"No," Jane said, patiently but a little more insistently. "Captain Clem is–"

"–a horrible name, did you choose it yourself? It sounds like the name of some dreaded social disease!"

Jane couldn't help letting out a bark of a laugh at that one. "My goodness, Miss Isles! Wherever did you pick up such terminology, such knowledge? Your father's medicinal volumes? Now please," she said, turning serious when it looked like Maura was about ready to throw a stool at her. "Maura, I have never hurt an innocent soul. In my aunts' town there was a fine officer by the name of Korsak, who was desperate to rid the sea of pirates. Seeing my earnestness in adhering to the same goal, he took me on to assist him. The first time we came across a band of no-good thieves, he was impressed by my fearlessness and by my fighting. It was my calling to fight, Maura. To do my best to protect towns all along the coast - and inward - from being pillaged, destroyed. To keep those citizens from being murdered, kidnapped, raped. That is my crew outside, out there," she said, pointing to the general direction of town. "Fighting to save anyone they can from Rockmond's lot. That is what we do, Maura. It was never my intention to drive fear into the hearts of the general populace - only into the hearts of certain bands of pirates. We restore order. We return stolen goods. We save damsels in distress."

She rose to her feet, and Maura looked a little unsure of what to say. To be certain, this was very overwhelming - a fact Jane acknowledged as she stepped closer and put her hands gently on Maura's shoulders. "I understand this must be quite a lot to wrap your head around. Even a head as well-educated as yours."

Maura pursed her lips before answering. "Is that what I am to you, then? A damsel in distress?"

Jane looked a bit surprised by this takeaway. "Um–well, you… you are a damsel, and technically, you were in great distress." A dimpled grin soon found its way onto her face, though: "But I must admit, when you brandished that saber at me, you seemed quite capable of taking care of yourself."

"I should like to be better at it," Maura admitted.

She got the chance to be tested sooner than she had anticipated. For Maura's convenience, Jane had offered to tuck the saber into her belt rather than have Maura continue to drag it around. Maura did, however, retain the dagger Jane had leant her - something which had clearly not been anticipated by the pirate who grabbed her the moment she stepped outside of the barn. A gang of three more was on hand, converging immediately on Jane before she could get hold of a weapon. Pure adrenaline had her swing one arm hard enough that the man holding it was bashed against the side of the barn. His grip loosened enough to allow her to pull her arm free, and she took the opportunity to grab her pistol. No shots were fired, but she gave his head a fierce blow with the butt of the gun, and ducked when one of the other men holding her tried to do the same. Straightening up, she dealt the man a severe head butt and suddenly found her other arm freed - the third pirate had fled in a sudden panic.

Jane whisked around to lock eyes with the man who had grabbed Maura, and he was staring at her with awe and fear. But he quickly scowled, yanking his pistol up to point next to Maura's temple. "Take one step towards me, you foul creature, and I'll blast her brains right out!"

Maura had frozen in panic watching Jane fight, but her senses were coming back to her. Jane's hands were up in surrender, but she gave Maura a curt nod and flexed her hand. Maura flexed her own in return and was startled to remember there was a dagger there. On instinct she dug it into the man's leg, and he released her with a howl, bent over in pain. Jane rushed over and gave him a swift kick to the stomach, sending him to the ground - and once he was there, she walloped his back a few times with the nearby piece of wooden debris. She only stopped when Maura grabbed hold of her arm, telling her enough had been done.

"My apologies. I may have gotten a tad carried away," Jane said, tossing the piece of wood away.

Again Maura found herself flooded with a strange mix of emotions. There was fear, concern, and still an overlying confusion - but a surprising sense of exhilaration as well. "Tell me," she said. "When you rescue these so-called damsels in distress, how ever do they express their gratitude?"

"Hm. Well, I have received a fair amount of flowers; the occasional monetary reward from relieved parents or husbands."

"Nothing more…amorous?" Maura asked, trailing her hand from Jane's collar up to her cheek.

Jane had first ignited the spark four years ago, when she had kissed Maura goodbye. The flame had still been burning while their only communication was in their letters, but Maura hadn't quite realized it until Jane had appeared her bedroom that night. That spark had been dancing between the danger and the excitement all evening, and was crackling in anticipation of an explosion any second now. Jane had been on the receiving end of the look Maura was giving her many times, but never from Maura herself - she had barely been able to allow herself the luxury of even entertaining the possibility.

"Mmm…one or two, perhaps," she finally said, answering Maura's question.

"Shall we make it three?"

"Dear God, yes," Jane moaned, and she wrapped one arm around Maura's waist, pulling her in for a kiss. Maura displayed none of the hesitancy which had inhibited her four years ago; in fact, the drive to do this very thing had occupied her mind many nights in the interim years. She curled her arm around Jane's neck, pulling her closer.

The man who had grabbed Maura staggered to his feet, and feeling his wheezing breath on her neck, Jane balled her free hand into a fist and whacked him in the middle of the forehead without even needing to break off the kiss. This was merely for show; his presence was a good reminder that they didn't have the luxury to carry on in this particular place at this particular moment.

"To the ship then, shall we? Quickly now," Jane said, taking Maura's hand by instinct at this point and hurrying in the direction of the harbor. "I should love to continue this parlay, but perhaps in a safer place. Excellent handling of that dagger, by the way! Color me impressed."

"Yes, I shall have to remember to jot that one down in my journal as a new experience," Maura said with a faint laugh. The dagger's blade glinted in the moonlight, much of it covered in blood. "Ha…" She cleared her throat. "I thought I saw only one ship in the harbor - does it belong to you, or Rockmond?"

Jane laughed. "If you saw it, that would belong to Rockmond. He always likes to show his affects - we are not quite as inland. In just a few moments, we should …a-ha!" She shot off for what appeared to be a large heap of moss and branches right off shore, but as she set about removing them, Maura realized they had been concealing a rowboat. "My co-captain left this for us," Jane said, ushering Maura into the small boat. She then threw herself onto the other available seat and started to row. "It should only take us a few minutes to reach the ship - my apologies for these less-than-stellar accommodations en route."

Maura supposed that beggars couldn't be choosers as she pulled a long string of seaweed off her seat, wishing very much to lose her sense of smell. "Let me see if I have this correct: in order to keep from being kidnapped by a certain band of pirates, I am being kidnapped by another band of pirates?"

"Oh, would you call this kidnapping?" Jane asked, her laughter hoarse with the exertion of rowing (with a wounded arm, no less). "We are merely transporting you to a safe place."

"The Dirty Robber."

"Well, for the sake of transportation, yes. And then I shall take you to Paris," Jane said, beaming at the smile this received. "Yes, I remember you saying how much you would like to see that city. Now you may study there, if you wish. Unless there are some friends or family you have found abroad, who you neglected to tell me about? Whom you would like to stay with, I mean."

The question hadn't been asked facetiously, but Maura felt a little hurt all the same. As a baby she had been left on the doorstep of the most well-off man in town, and he had been advised by his associates to bring her up; a sort of civic duty, if you will. Though he had never been overtly cruel to Maura - and had given her the best education, shelter, clothing, and social connections that money could buy - he had been aloof, and never really treated her as his child. He was often away, traveling for business or pleasure, and Maura could more easily remember his absences than his presence. She knew nothing of where she came from, and as far as she was aware, neither did the man who raised her.

"Where will you be?" Maura finally asked.

"Hm? At sea, of course."

"What if Rockmond were to find me in Paris?"

"There is no need to worry about that," Jane snorted. "Rockmond came here because Fairfield is here. He likes to extract revenge, but by the straps of my boots I can assure you he does not care enough about Fairfield to spend precious time tracking you down. He would not even know where to start."

Maura twisted her hands nervously in her lap. "Well, this certainly has been an evening for revelations. Garrett arranged for his brother's death, and you are a pirate."

"If the boot fits!" Jane said, trying to lift Maura's spirits a little. "And you can rest assured, this is a pirate who is humbly at your service."

"Let me stay with you."

"What?"

"Jane, I want to stay with you. Let me join your crew."

"That may be the most ludicrous thing I have heard all day - and this morning I had to endure my first mate's parrot singing 'God Save the Queen.' And it didn't know all the words, so it had to make up a lot of them."

"Jane–"

"The bird has a colorful vocabulary, I will tell you that. No idea where he picked it up."

"Jane!" Maura said a little louder. "Honestly, I could help you! I could be your medic!"

"And you have got off to an excellent start, letting me row with a wounded arm. That was only a jest!" she insisted, when Maura gasped in guilty realization. "It was only a scratch, Maura, I swear. I have done far more strenuous tasks while far more injured than this, trust me."

Maura scoffed. "Is that so? And I suppose if I were to ask you for some examples, you would tell me you cannot think of one at the moment."

"Oh, I always have a few on hand for impertinent Doubting Thomases like you," Jane said with a teasing grin. "Let me see…there was the time I saved a dog from a burning ship when my leg was broken - had to dive into the sea and swim to a rowboat with him in tow. I once had to fight off a gang of five with my hands cuffed together and a blindfold covering my eyes." Said eyes gleamed wickedly. "Oh, and my favorite instance - I once made love to a maharajah's daughter with a broken hip bone and with my dominant hand freshly, severely wounded."

Maura's mouth fell open in shock, and Jane smirked at her attempt at a quick recovery. "You are only trying to scandalize me."

Jane shrugged, still smiling. "Perhaps. But that is the sort of language you would need to become accustomed to on board the Dirty Robber. Telling ribald stories is a pirate's bread and butter - even if the pirate is an honest one." In the moonlight, she could see Maura struggling to articulate her willingness to adapt her sensibilities. "Maura, it is not only your… relatively delicate nature that makes me hesitant. There would be many dangerous nights similar to tonight to deal with. But they would be in between far more days and nights of simply drifting at sea. And you would be on board a stinking ship with many foul-smelling men, with not nearly the level of food or other comforts to which you are justifiably that luxury is what you deserve. Life on the Dirty Robber is not at all glamorous."

"I do not want a glamorous life," Maura said, softly but surely. "And the only luxury I desire is the luxury of your company."

The sentiment deeply touched Jane, and the sincerity of it kept her from instantly, hastily dismissing Maura again. She rowed in thoughtful silence for a few moments, trying to figure out how best to spare Maura's feelings without also agreeing to put her in a position where could be physically wounded. She could have no idea of what she was trying to sign up for, slumming with the Dirty Robber (hell, she had already had a taste of action tonight and by her own admission been ready to faint). Maura's voice, again pleading, broke into her thoughts.

"I only want to do something useful," she implored. "I want to help, like you are. Even when I thought you were only caring for your mother's family, I believed you were doing something incredible. How wonderful for you now to be able to provide such a selfless service to people–people you do not even know. That is such a gift. And your friendship, your letters, have been the biggest gift in my life. Please, let me stay with you."

Jane considered for nearly a full minute. "It is a long trip to Paris," she finally said. "I have some business to conduct there aside from dropping you off. Let us see how you fare. If you think you are up to the task–well, it is not my right to tell a woman what she may or may not do. Consider it a trail run. If you should decide to stay with us, I will not consider it a binding agreement. Say the word and I shall take you and leave you any place you should like to go."

"Egypt?"

"Certainly."

"Greece?"

"Why not?"

"Peking."

"Your word is law," Jane chuckled, knowing that Maura was only teasing her. "Have you considered how you might tell all this to the esteemed Mr. Arthur Isles?"

Maura frowned. "I could tell him I decided to take a leaf out of his book and broaden my worldview by traveling. I will leave Garrett to explain his own disqualifications for being a worthy son-in-law. All in all a short letter, I should think."

Any other thoughts left her immediately when she suddenly saw the Dirty Robber looming into view. Jane couldn't help feeling proud of her ship, given the awestruck look on her passenger's face. She pulled in the oars, then took a whistle from her pocket and issued two short blasts on it, followed by a long one - all the same tone, but slowly rising in pitch at the end. Two figures appeared on the deck, and then two thick ropes were dropped down. Jane quickly set about securing knots on hooks carved into the ends of the boat, whistling as she did so. They began to be pulled up, and Maura let her dagger clatter to the floor of the boat as she gripped onto its sides with both hands. This was a bit of a contrast to Jane, who looked about as comfortable as could be–at least, until she noticed Maura's evident concern.

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"No, I am quite fond of heights, actually. I just cannot help but worry we might be dropped, and plummet at any moment."

Jane clicked her tongue sympathetically. "Well, I can assure you that not once in my time aboard the Dirty Robber has anyone ever dropped me. I would come over to hold you, but it would not be wise to redistribute the weight in here so suddenly–especially in the middle of being lifted up." She held out her hands. "But you can grab onto these if it would help."

"It likely would," Maura said breathily. "However, I think I would prefer to… to…"

"All right," Jane said gently, recognizing that Maura's hands now seemed permanently attached to the boat. "Look at my eyes, Maura. Stop flitting your gaze about; that will not help. Quite the opposite, in fact."

Maura obeyed, but asked, "How do you know?"

"Dancing lessons with old Mrs. Johns," Jane said with a smile, and Maura was able to laugh a little. "She told me I would feel less nauseous if I were to concentrate on my partner's eyes. It will anchor you and keep you from feeling dizzy."

Maura was skeptical of this, but found herself almost instantly calmed by Jane's warm gaze. She almost forgot where she was, but then, they abruptly had reached the deck of the ship. Jane hopped aboard and was greeted with hearty cheers. She shook hands with the men who had hauled them up, then reached out to help Maura aboard. As she did so, she asked after her co-captain and learned he had yet to return. She shrugged and said while they were waiting, she would make some introductions.

"Gather 'round, my friends! Rest easy in the knowledge that my mission has been accomplished - meet Maura Isles, now safe from the grasp of Dread Pirate Rockmond and, possibly, an even more dreaded fiancé!" Another chorus of cheers went up, a few hats tossed in the air. But the displays of mirth ended abruptly when Jane started barking orders: "Now! We must be ready to set sail the very moment Frost returns!" (Maura looked on, impressed, as the crew immediately scattered to their positions like clockwork.) "Holiday!"

"Yes, Captain?"

"We'll be setting our course for northeast."

"Aye, captain. You will notice we are already facing northeast."

Jane checked her compass. "Oh! So we are. Ready to set the sails?" Her voice transitioned from a commanding bellow to a gentle inquiry when she turned to Maura and asked, "Are you at all hungry? Stanley may not be the greatest cook on the high seas, but he can give you a warm meal."

"If not a warm welcome," came a new voice. The man walked over from the rail of the ship, having just climbed up a rope ladder hanging off the side. "If the lady would like something to eat, I might suggest hunting for barnacles on the side of the Robber. Likely more palatable than whatever Stanley is cooking up."

"Frost, you old rascal," Jane chuckled. "How did you fare?"

"Not as terribly as it might have. Much of the town has been burned, but you may rest assured it has been left in good hands."

"Losses?"

"Mulligan, Gable, and Beery."

"Fewer than I expected," Jane mumbled. "We shall have to hold a service for them tomorrow." Frost nodded, and then Jane seemed to remember Maura was there. "Oh! Where are my manners? Miss Isles, meet the Dirty Robber's better half: my co-captain, Barold Frost."

"Not…Frostbite?" Maura asked, as he swept into a deep bow.

"The very same," he said, appearing glad to be recognized. "Now how about that food, Miss?" When Maura demurely declined, he said, "Well, then! It is getting rather late. May I suggest you and Clem get some rest? No doubt it has been an exhausting evening for you both." He walked past Jane to whisper in her ear, "You may thank me later if the night concludes with a more entertaining sort of exhaustion."