A/N: Two months is better than six right?


"No."

Chloe managed to focus her eyes on the face hanging over her. A face that had an eyepatch and a nasty scowl. Bumper reached down to grab Chloe's shirt, yanking her off the bench and dragging her to her feet.

"Found you." He growled. "Thought you could escape did you."

Somewhere in the back of her mind Chloe was really starting to hate how grabby these people were. But there wasn't much Chloe could do, she was having enough trouble just staying conscious. She could feel her feet being dragged through the dirt, stumbling as her weary brain tried to keep up.

Bumper dragged her through a maze of back streets and alleys. Her blood deprived mind tried to keep track of all the twists and turns but there was no point. This city had clearly not been planned out, the ramshackle buildings being built wherever there happened to be room. Not that Chloe could really take notice of anything at the moment, she was having enough trouble staying awake. Time seemed to pass slowly and too fast while the noise of the city grew louder. For some reason Bumper was taking Chloe towards the center of town. She thought that the bandit captain would have brought her back to their camp for safe keeping, but it turned out she was wrong.

A few more minutes of twisting and turning Bumper finally let her go, dropping her unceremoniously onto the rough dirt. "See this men? This is what happens when you're not a complete moron."

Chloe dragged her head up to see almost a dozen men looking back at her. There was a strange range of expressions, from embarrassed to relief to hatred, the last being directed at her.

"Has anyone found the blonde?" Bumper asked, he sounded rather annoyed with his crew.

"No sir." One of the braver crewmates said. "Donald's got the rest of the men out looking for her."

Bumper rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He looked up at his men. "Do you people realize what will happen if she alerts the pirates!? We'll be hunted down and slaughtered!"

While Bumper yelled at his men Chloe shifted her attention to the noise coming from her left. Just a few feet away she could see the crowded main street, people walking by without a care in the world.

A few feet away from freedom.

Reaching out a hand, Chloe clutched at the dirt in front of her. With all the strength she had left she crawled forward. Inch by inch she made progress, the bandits too distracted by their boss to notice. The edge of the ally loomed in front of her, almost taunting Chloe with the short distance left.

She did it, her hand reached out into the busy street. Now all that was left was to get someone's attention. Her entire body felt like it was about to give out but if she could just make it a little further.

"Oh no you don't." A boot pressed down hard on her back, making Chloe cry out in pain. She lifted her head to see Bumper glaring down at her. "I've just about had enough of you." He grabbed Chloe's collar, wanking her chest and head up while he leaned over. "You filthy brat!"

He probably shouldn't have shouted so loudly since his voice carried to the people in front of them, gaining more attention than Bumper would have wanted. While the bandit was focused on the growing crowd something caught Chloe's eye. To her right, just a little off center and a few rows back stood a familiar looking woman with long black hair and a disturbing smile playing across her face.

Lilly slowly raised a finger to her lips, her gaze never wavering as something bright red flashed above the crowd. Chloe couldn't help the small glimmer of hope that bloomed in her chest. If Lilly was here then maybe the other pirates were close by, just hiding in the crowd waiting to attack.

"Fucking hell." Bumper looked back and forth, probably searching for a route to escape. The alley behind him might have been an option if it wasn't blocked by refuse and his own men. The people in front of him made for an effective barrier. "What are you slobs looking at!?" Drawing his pistol from his belt, he jerked it side to side, making the people flinch back in terror. "Get out of my way!"

The people parted as quickly as they could, making a path for Bumper and his men to walk through. Bumper dragged Chloe to her feet, pulling her along even as she struggled to maintain her footing. They made it to the center of the road where every single person seemed to turn and stare, only looking away whenever Bumper met their gaze. The gang of thieves formed a wake behind them, every one of them gripping their weapons in fear. They were used to hiding in the shadows and dense cover of the jungle, very rarely coming into town let alone in a large group like this.

"I swear, when we get back to camp I'm going to string you up for the crocs." Bumper growled into Chloe's ear. "You and that bitch friend of yours."

All of a sudden Bumper stopped walking, his grip tightening around Chloe's neck. "Fuck."

"I believe you have something that belongs to me." Chloe managed to focus on the figure standing in the middle of the road. A short woman wearing a long black coat with a red belt wrapped around her waist. "If you would be so kind as to return her."

"Captain?" Chloe's voice was barely a whisper. She could almost feel Bumper shaking in his boots.

"It's you." Bumper mumbled. Several more members of the crew started to appear behind the captain. Stacie, Amy and Flo were all there along with several of the men standing behind them. They managed to stretch across the entire street, blocking Bumper's only means of escape.

The captain seemed to consider the man in front of her. "Allen? Is that you?" She let out a surprisingly cute laugh. "So you're still alive. How's the eye?"

"You whore!" Bumper screamed. "I'll kill you!"

McKadden just scoffed. "You're welcome to try. But if I remember correctly, that didn't go too well for you last time." The crowd of onlookers was completely silent, as if they were all holding the same breath. "Look Bumper, just give up the girl and I might be willing to forget this whole thing."

"Like hell I will!" He tightened his grip again around the gun. "You took everything from me. I think it's high time I got to take something from you."

The captain raised an eyebrow, "You're the idiot that tried to stage a mutiny on my ship. Be thankful I only took an eye. Any other captain would have keelhauled you."

"Shut your fucking gob!"

"No," McKadden shot back. "I grow tired of this. I've been searching for that girl all day and quite frankly I do not have time to deal with your arrogant ass."

"Don't talk to the boss like that." Clay appeared suddenly from the crowd, drawing his own pistol and aiming it point blank at the captain's head. "Say another word and I'll blow your head off."

"Are you prepared to die?" The captain's tone shifted, darker, more serious.

"What?" Clay asked, clearly confused by McKadden's unimpressed demeanor.

The captain pointed to the gun aimed at her temple. "Only someone who is willing to risk their life should draw their weapon. They're not meant for idle threats."

A shot rang out across the silent street.

Clay fell to the ground with a thud, with Amy standing over his body. A smoking flintlock in her hand.

The captain didn't even flinch, she just strode forward with a glare. "Now, let the girl go. Or you all will learn how I earned the name Bloody." One after the other the men behind Bumper turned and fled, their weapons clattering to the floor as they ran for their lives.

Bumper looked at his fleeing subordinates in disbelief. "Where the hell are you idiots going!" He let go of Chloe to aim his weapon at them. "Get back here you cowards!"

As soon as the gun was pointed away several things happened at once. Chloe started to fall to the ground, too weak to keep herself on her own two feet. The captain rushed forward, catching the redhead before she could hit the ground while the rest of the crew subdued Bumper.

The bandit crashed to the ground as Flo tackled him to the ground, his pistol flying out of his hand to land in the dirt. Bumper struggled for a minute, using his superior weight to throw the tiny woman off his back. He rolled over to retaliate only to have Amy kick him in the chest and pin him under her boot.

"Ello Bumpa, remember me?" Amy asked before shoving her gun to his forehead. "What do ya say cap'n'? Can I keep him?"

She didn't get a response, the captain was too busy looking over Chloe. "Stacie?"

The doctor knelt down to examine Chloe's injury. "She's lost a lot of blood." Stacie gently picked up the redhead's leg. "Looks like a crocodile bite, she's lucky to not have lost the leg." She looked up to meet the captain's eye. "I need to get her back to the ship."

Chloe didn't hear much after that. The entire world turned fuzzy before going completely black. She was vaguely aware of someone's arms lifting her off the ground before finally slipping into unconsciousness.


The gently rocking of the ship combined with the warm blanket over her made Chloe never want to wake up. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this safe and comfortable, probably not since the morning of her wedding.

Wow, the wedding felt like a hundred years ago.

She slowly opened her eyes to see that, once again, she was in the captain's quarters. The late evening sun filtered through the curtains lining the back wall, bathing the room in a golden glow. Chloe tried to move her arm but found that the most she could do was wiggle a few fingers. When she tried to lift her head the entire room seemed to swim in front of her eyes.

"Easy there," Stacie's concerned face appeared over the bed. "Don't push yourself. It's only been a couple of hours." She placed one hand over Chloe's forehead with two fingers resting on her neck. "I don't know where you get your luck, but to tangle with a crocodile and survive is a minor miracle."

Chloe tried to say something but her mouth was terribly dry. Stacie seemed to understand and disappeared before returning with a leather drinking pouch. "Slowly now, drink it slowly."

The cool water that washed over Chloe's lips relieved her throat and tongue immensely. This time when she tried to speak, words managed to form. "Where's Aubrey?"

Stacie's expression changed, "We haven't found her yet." Chloe instantly tried to sit up but the doctor's grip on her shoulder kept her in bed. Not like Chloe had the energy to fight let alone make it out of bed. "Calm down Miss Beale, we'll find her. Right now you need to rest and recover from your injuries. It will take a while for your body to make up for the blood loss."

"W-what about Aubrey?"

"Don't worry about that right now." Stacie tucked the blanket a little tighter around Chloe. "The captain has already seen to that, the entire crew is out looking for her. So long as she doesn't go running off into the jungle again," She gave Chloe a withering look. "We should be able to find her in a matter of hours."

Those words seemed to calm her, enough that Chloe felt sleep overtaking her once again. Her eye's fluttered shut, lulled to sleep by the rocking of the ship.


The next time she awoke the cabin was almost completely dark, the only source of light coming from the moonlight seeping in through the windows. The hull of the ship creaked and groaned as it rode the waves but there was another noise coming from her left.

Stacie was sitting in a chair next to the bed, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her head tilted back as she snored softly. It was difficult to see in the poor light but the dark lines of Stacie's tattoos were just distinct enough against her skin to make out. They appeared to be better done than the rough seaman tattoos Chloe had seen in Port Royal's harbor.

Chloe tried to lift her arm, surprised that she could move it without too much effort. She reached out her hand to trace her fingers over the tattoo on Stacie's forearm, the one of the word Bella. Having never heard the word before Chloe was curious to know what it meant. It sounded like a name, maybe short for Isabella. That made Chloe wonder if Stacie was Italian, her skin wasn't quite dark enough for it but Chloe had seen stranger things than that on this trip. It was just one more piece of the fascinating puzzle that this crew presented.

Chloe withdrew her arm to try and fall back asleep. Just as she was about to, she noticed that the door to the cabin was open just an inch, the light from outside giving away whoever it was at the door. The visitor pushed open the door a little bit more to reveal that it was the captain. She came the rest of the way inside, smiling fondly at the doctor before shaking Stacie's shoulder. "Get up sleepyhead."

Stacie snapped awake, glaring at McKadden as she rubbed the sleep out of her eye. "Is something wrong captain?"

"No," McKadden said. "Just thought I'd relieve you. Get below deck and get some decent sleep."

"I'm fine here–"

"That's an order Conrad." McKadden gripped under Stacie's arm, tugging to get her friend up and moving. "Go on, your hammock is calling to you."

Stacie grumbled but did as she was told. When she made it to the door, Stacie looked over her shoulder at Chloe. "If she gets a fever or her pulse weakens, come and find me."

The captain gave a half hearted salute, "Aye aye mam."

Stacie made a gesture using her middle finger before exiting the cabin, shutting the door behind her. The captain took the seat Stacie had vacated, looking over Chloe with a curious eye. "You doing all right?"

Chloe nodded her head, "Still a little tired."

"Then you should go back to sleep." The captain shifted in her seat as she tried to get comfortable.

"What about Aubrey?" Chloe asked.

"We'll find her, Lilly's got a knack for this sort of thing." She leaned back in her chair with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I swear that girl is from another world. But there's no need to worry, we'll find your runaway friend in no time."

Chloe wanted to ask more questions but once again felt sleep taking over her. There was something calming about the captain's presence. She had just about fallen asleep when she heard something strange. A gentle humming that changed to soft words, Chloe didn't understand the language but the captain's voice was beautiful and soothing.

"Rest now, Miss Chloe."


The morning came with noise. The crew was up and active, tending to the needs of the ship as someone barked orders. Chloe grumbled as she was awoken from her dreamless sleep. She turned to her side to see that the captain was still in her chair, watching her with a careful eye.

"Do you ever sleep?" Chloe asked, the question seemed to just slip from her lips, she blamed her sleep-addled mind. It seemed to amuse the captain, earning a chuckle from the mysterious woman.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Well," Chloe gestured to the cabin. "This is clearly your room. But ever since we've come aboard this is where we've slept."

McKadden chuckled again. "Sometimes when you're at sea you have to stay awake for days at a time. I think the longest I've gone is two weeks." She grew a smug grin at Chloe's shocked expression. "But don't worry, I sleep in the women's bunk when I have the chance."

"Oh," Chloe was a little in awe at the endurance of the pirate captain.

A commotion on deck drew their attention to the door. They could hear raised voices, someone who sounded like Flo was arguing with a much more brash voice, deep and commanding.

Suddenly the door burst open, followed by a tall man wearing a pitch black coat and a long, unkempt beard striding into the room. "McKadden! Tell this wench that I have business with you."

An irritated Flo appeared behind the man. She started to apologize but the captain just held up her hand. "Leave it be Flo," McKadden remained seated as she glared at the pirate in front of her.

"This is my ship Teach. I give the orders here, not you." She stood up, standing toe to toe with the man that towered over her. "And if you ever call one of my girls a wench again I'll cut your head off and use it as a lantern." The two glared at each other, neither backing down from the silent challenge.

Until the stranger started to laugh.

"Forgot how much fire you pack in that tiny body of yours!" He shoved McKadden on the shoulder, making the woman stumble back a step as she tried to maintain her balance.

"Damn it Teach, didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?" McKadden grumbled.

"You? A lady? Ha!"

"Go set your beard on fire."

Something in Chloe's memory clicked into place. She remembered her father talking about a particular pirate that the men in his fleet feared more than others. A man wreathed in smoke that gave no quarter to the people he attacked.

Edward Teach, the man they called Blackbeard.

She could practically feel her blood turn cold as the man leveled his gaze on her. "Since when did ye start keepin bedmates?"

McKadden stepped in front of Chloe in a protective gesture. "What do you want Teach? Other than storming into my quarters without permission."

The pirate shifted his gaze around the room, like he was looking for something. McKadden sighed before walking over to the dresser, pulling open the bottom drawer and tossing a bottle of dark liquid to the man.

"Much obliged," Blackbeard pulled the cork from the bottle and took three long gulps before whipping his mouth on his sleeve. "Heard you had a scuffle with Allen yesterday."

"I did," McKadden sat back down in her chair. "He tried to take something of mine. I've got him locked in my brig at the moment but what I want to know is what he's doing on the island."

Blackbeard shrugged. "His men scavenge the leftovers of whatever ships we sink close by. They think we don't know about them but I figured if they weren't causing problems then they could pick over the bones."

"Bloody vultures." McKadden mumbled. Blackbeard grunted in agreement before taking another drink. "I'll deal with him later. What's more important is what my doctor told me earlier." She leaned in, placing elbows on her knees as her tone turned dangerous. "What the hell is Roberts doing here?"

Blackbeard's expression became serious. "Watch your tone brat. This may be your ship now but I run this island. If I say Roberts can lay anchor here then he can lay anchor."

"He's a treasonous whoreson!"

"And he's needed!" Blackbeard roared. "Dammit. Have you not been paying attention?" He saw McKadden's confused expression and groaned. "Of course you haven't. Too wrapped up in your ridiculous fantasy."

"It's not ridiculous."

"Yes it is." Teach groaned. "We need every ship we can get, the royal navy has been hounding us for months and things have only gotten worse. Roberts has one of the best ships with the most firepower. Not to mention the fleet he's been buildin while some of us fitter away chasing after fairy tales. We need to be ready to defend Nassau."

The captain bristled, clearly upset by the other man. "Don't trust him Teach."

"I don't. I just need his ship." He looked over at Chloe again. "Ye sure it's safe to talk here?"

McKadden glanced at Chloe with a thoughtful expression. "It's fine, she's part of the crew."

Chloe didn't know how to react, she certainly hadn't expected the captain to say that but given the circumstances she wasn't about to object. She didn't know what Blackbeard was capable of and she really didn't want to find out.

"Fine," Blackbeard placed the bottle down on the table. "Your little stunt at Port Royal hasn't helped either. There's a new man, Rodgers, apparently he managed to rid Madagascar of pirates. Now old King George has sent him here."

"And?" McKadden asked. "Just shoot down his ship if he tries to come here."

"Except he'll probably bring a fleet." Blackbeard slouched against the wall of the cabin. "We can boast and blunder about being a free republic but let's face it. If the crown decides to stop tolerating us, it's off to the gallows."

"Since when did you become a pessimist?" McKadden asked.

Blackbeard gave her a withering look. "Since we lost three crews in two weeks." McKadden actually looked stunned for a second. "The world's a dangerous place. If we aren't prepared then it's going to grind us up and spit us out. You should know that better than anyone." He straightened his coat, giving Chloe a view of the six different pistols strapped to his chest. "You've got one of the best crews, McKadden. We need you here if we're going to put up a decent fight."

The captain looked conflicted, her brow tightening as she considered what Blackbeard had said. "You know I can't stay here long. We're just here to resupply."

"I know." Blackbeard nodded his head. "I'm just asking you to stay for a bit. A week at most. If we can show a bit of strength then those damn navy boys might think twice."

"Fine," McKadden finally said after a moment of silence. "One week and then we have to get going."

"Deal," Blackbeard held out his hand which the captain took. They shook before Blackbeard let go and turned towards the door. "There be dark clouds on the horizon McKadden. Best to trim the sails and batten down the hatches. If we're lucky we might just weather this storm."

"We'll see Teach." The captain stood up and walked past the other pirate. She grabbed the door handle, opened it, and gestured for Blackbeard to leave with her other hand. "Also, next time actually ask permission before you board my ship."

Blackbeard grunted, not really agreeing to the captain's order. Before he left the room he gave one last look over his shoulder to Chloe. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, almost like he recognized her but he didn't say anything, just walked out the door without another word. Chloe felt a wave of relief wash over her as the pirate left, there was something about Blackbeard that exuded fear, even if he hadn't really said or done anything outright hostile. The captain seemed to agree with the way her shoulders slumped and the sigh that escaped her lips.

"You okay?" McKadden sat back down in her chair. "He's never been the friendliest person."

Chloe nodded, she was still a little unnerved by the encounter but the adrenaline was starting to fade. "Part of the crew?"

"What?"

"You called me part of the crew." Chloe gestured to the door. "When Blackbeard asked about me."

The confusion on McKadden's face cleared. "Don't worry about that, Teach can be a little paranoid. Unless you wanted me to tell him that you're the daughter of a prominent English merchant that could possibly be held for ransom?"

"No thank you." Chloe mumbled.

McKadden just chuckled. "Don't worry. The whole crew has been ordered to keep your identity under wraps. Wouldn't want everyone else on the island trying to take you...again."

There was more noise from the main deck. They could just make out Stacie's voice through the door, something about getting someone out of sight.

"What's that?" Chloe asked while looking at the door, a small bit of hope forming that it might be her missing friend.

"Let's find out." The captain stood up, walked over to the entrance and pulled it open. "Oh."

She stepped back quickly as Stacie blew past her, dragging a furious Aubrey behind her. "LET ME GO! I have to find–Chloe!" Aubrey rushed to her friend's side, quickly kneeling next to the bed before fussing over Chloe. "Are you okay?"

"She will be," Stacie chimed in. "She's lucky the croc missed anything important. It might take another couple days before she's back to full strength, maybe a week before the leg completely mends."

Aubrey didn't really seem to be listening, too busy going every inch of Chloe that wasn't covered by blankets. Chloe tried to grab her friends arms to stop the frantic movements but as soon as she put any strength into her own arms the world started to go fuzzy again.

"And that would be the blood loss." Stacie placed her fingers over Chloe's throat. She held her hand there for several seconds before pulling back the sheets and checking Chloe's leg, with Aubrey hovering over her shoulder. "You're fine, just try not to exert yourself too much for a couple of days." She gave Aubrey a pointed look. "And you, don't do anything to stress her out." The doctor stood back up before turning to the captain. "If you've got this covered then I need to get going. Lilly somehow managed to get some alone time with Bumper in the brig."

McKadden cringed. "Yeah get out of here. Though we'll probably need to handle that situation soon."

Stacie gave a grunt in agreement before leaving the cabin and shutting the door behind her. The captain turned to the two other women in the room, "Now that your both here I can wring you out properly."

"Don't you dare-"

"Shut up!" McKadden snapped at Aubrey before she could finish. "I am the captain of this ship and you will do as I say." She stared Aubrey down, daring the blonde to challenge her. When Aubrey looked thoroughly silenced the captain continued, "I gave you two very simple rules. But did you follow them? No, you didn't and this is what happened." She gestured to Chloe's legs with an angry wave of her hand. "If either of you pull a stunt like that again I will leave you to whatever fate your idiocy brings you."

"How dare-"

"I told you to shut up." McKadden eye's were gleaming with barely contained rage. It was such a drastic change that Chloe barely recognized the kind woman that watched over her through the night. "I don't think you understand the situation you're in here Miss Posen." She took a step forward, standing nose to nose with Aubrey. It shouldn't have been as intimidating as it was, since the captain was a few inches shorter than Aubrey, but the captain exuded authority. So much so that Aubrey actually took a step back. "This is not London. This isn't one of your daddy's ships. The only thing keeping you from being taken, raped, killed and tossed into a ditch is the weight my name carries on this island. Think about that before you try and escape again.

McKadden spun on her heel, leaving the girls stunned. She marched over to the door, pulling it open before calling over her shoulder, "Out here this crew only has each other. If you ever do anything to put them in danger I'll throw you overboard before you can blink." She walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Chloe and Aubrey stayed where they were, stunned by the captain's words and properly frightened. Aubrey turned back to her friend, her face a mix of fear and irritation. Chloe could practically see the thoughts running through Aubrey's head, which worried her since Aubrey had proven to be a little too headstrong. "Maybe we should listen to her."

Aubrey's head snapped to her friend. "What did you just say?"

"She has a point." Chloe retorted. "This isn't like anywhere we've ever been before. We don't know the rules." She gestured to her injured leg. "And we've seen what happens when we jump in blindly."

There was a flicker of guilt in Aubrey's eyes before she sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry Chlo. I had no idea that was going to happen."

"Exactly my point." Chloe brushed her fingers over Aubrey's forearm in a comforting gesture. "I think we should maybe wait it out a few days, see what we can learn before doing anything drastic."

Aubrey looked like she wanted to argue, probably about waiting, but Chloe's pleading look finally convinced her. "All right, at least until your feeling better."

Chloe beamed one of her trademark smiles. "We'll be fine. Besides, what could happen in a couple of days."


A/N: Major props to anyone who got the reference in this chapter.

Fun Fact: The middle finger has been an insult since ancient Greece.