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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Our Flag Means Death or any of its storyline/ characters/  etc. I only own Colette, her storyline, and anything you don't recognize from the show!

CONTENT WARNING:
This story is rated M/E and will contain ✨️spice✨️, t0rture, vi0lence, bl00d, and other pirate type behavior and activities.

This OC is also Polyamorous and will have multiple partners throughout the story.

Any spicy scenes will be marked with this symbol at the beginning AND the end in case you would like to skip them:
XXX

Time jumps will be marked by the following symbol:
□■□

Flashbacks will be marked by the following symbol:
●○●

Please enjoy the story, and don't forget to vote/comment!

Chapter Text

It's hard to say whether life on a pirate ship particularly "meets" someone's expectations. For Colette Seburn, she didn't really go into the situation with anything more than a need to reclaim her own life and start somewhere no one could tell her anything except for what job to do. That's where Stede Bonnet came in.

Stede had been a good neighbor to Colette, always speaking kindly to her and offering discrete assistance when he could. As an unwed woman in her late twenties, her family was more than anxious to be rid of her. An opportunity arose for her to be wed to a man of "status" (though he was really just a Captain who wanted someone to keep his bed warm and look pretty on his arm) and her father practically jumped at the idea.

Colette wasn't exactly a timid woman, but her father was a particularly cruel man. With no other children, and a dead wife, Thomas Seburn was a man with little patience and a lot of pent up aggression. Unfortunately for Colette, she was the target of that aggression when he felt the need to release it.

Stede Bonnet, on the other hand, was a man with a big heart and even bigger aspirations. Anyone could see he loved his family, but he was obviously unsatisfied with life as it was. When Stede made to leave for his ship, Colette met him in the dark of night to plead her case.

"Stede, please. I'm a hard worker, I'm loyal, and I'll do whatever you need on the ship. But please, don't make me stay here. You know how he treats me, and now I'm being sold to the highest bidder like some prize hen at an auction. I need this. I can't marry if not for love, and I do not even know this man! I'm begging you, let me work on your ship. Give me a chance to have a life that's not been laid out for me according to someone else's plans." She pleaded.

Stede's heartstrings had been sufficiently pulled, and he caved in almost immediately. He offered her a spot on his ship to help with repairs and mending whatever was needed, and in return she would get a chance to live her life the way she wanted, with no one to tell her otherwise.

That's exactly how she ended up in Spanish Jackie's bar, sitting in a corner with a mug of ale in her hands. She looked around to see her fellow crewmates in differing states of chaos. It was a new experience for her, being in a pirate bar. The atmosphere was comforting, yet boisterous. She didn't feel unsafe sitting alone even though the corner was dark and tucked away. She thought about the past few weeks on the ship, and how much of an adjustment things had been from her old life.

Most of the crew took some convincing that she wasn't going to be bad luck to have aboard. However, once she showed that she was more than capable of doing the work she was asked and earning her keep, they were far more receptive to her presence.

"Do you mind if I take a seat while I wait for someone?" A voice said, jolting her from her thoughts and causing her to look up. A handsome man dressed in sharp black, with smoothly slicked back hair and a small "x" beneath his eye. This man was a proper pirate, and she nearly had to wipe drool from her chin at the sight of him. He looked down at her expectantly.

"Um, yes, of course. Feel free." She said with a vague gesture for him to sit.

He did so with a small nod in thanks. "Appreciated. You don't look familiar to me. Are you here with a crew?"

"Yeah. Stede- er, I mean the Gentleman Pirate. I've never been here before." She informed him.

"Right. Well, it's your boss I'm looking for, actually."

"Oh, God. Uh, yeah, he's gonna be hard to miss. I believe he chose all white for today's outfit. Quite the opposite of your look, actually. Not that you look bad! Actually you look rather dashing. And I've said too much, so sorry. " she rambled. She slowly set down her ale and scoot it away. Perhaps drinking while talking to a handsome pirate wasn't the best mixture.

The man simply chuckled as a small smirk made it's way across his lips. This woman was certainly not what one would think of when imagining a pirate, but he wasn't going to complain. She was more than nice to look at, and it had been a while since he had spent any significant time around a beautiful woman.

"I'm Colette, by the way. Most people call me Cole." She offered. If she was going to make an ass out of herself in front of him, he may as well have a name to go with the story he would surely be telling his shipmates later.

"Izzy. It's been lovely, but I see your boss at the bar, and I've got a message to deliver. I hope to see you around, Miss Cole. I think it would be a pleasure to get to know you." He said, standing and walking away with another smirk.

"Izzy. Damn, I hope he's right because I could definitely use that view more often." She mumbled to herself, pulling her ale back to her and sipping it.

Cole was content to spend the rest of her afternoon in quiet peace, but that plan was quickly ruined when a fight broke out and Stede caused Jackie's nose bowl to take a tumble. While Stede tried to hastily gather the scattered noses, she took that as her sign to get out before things got even crazier. She'd heard tales of how ruthless Jackie could be, and she didn't want to find out how true that was first hand.

By the time she made it back to the ship, she was more than ready to relax for the afternoon. She lay down in her hammock and closed her eyes with the hopes of getting a little extra rest. The sound of the water against the ship lulled her to sleep. Maybe she would even get lucky and have dreams of the handsome man from the bar. Izzy...

XxxxxxX

A series of loud bangs and crashes caused Cole to topple out of her hammock and look around in mild shock. It hadn't been more than half an hour, and she was now scrambling to figure out what had happened. She met Jim on the way up the stairs and looked at them in confusion.

"You fuckin' heard that too right?" She asked. Jim nod in silent confirmation.

The pair sped up and looked around to see a few places where the ship had obviously been hit by cannonballs. Some of the other crew had also gathered to see what was happening. She looked around to see where the threat was, but it seemed as though there wasn't one to be found.

"Y'know what? It looks like there's no one attacking us now, and honestly I can't be fucked to fix this right this moment. Let's just leave it until the morning and I'll fix it then." Colette said with a groan.

"Honestly, that sounds perfect. Let's go back down and get some sleep." Frenchie agreed, taking her by the hand and dragging her back down to get some well deserved rest.

XxxxxxX

"Oi! Everyone up, you've been boarded and invaded." A voice yelled, startling Cole out of her sleep. She looked around to see Frenchie in the hammock across from her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What was that?" He muttered, clumsily rolling out and stumbling to her. She threw her legs over the side and used his shoulder to balance herself as she stood.

"Sounds like someone has decided to royally muck up my sleep schedule. Come on, Frenchie. Let's go see what these idiots want so we can go back to sleep." Cole grumbled.

They walked up the stairs to see a group of men standing on the deck, surrounding their friends and fellow shipmates. As she scanned the group, Cole's eyes zeroed in on the face of someone she was mildly shocked to see.

"Izzy?"

He turned to her with a wicked smile. "Cole! Looks like we've seen eachother quicker than we anticipated. Welcome to the deck, love. We're here for your ship."

He walked over to her as he spoke, prompting Frenchie to promptly scurry over to the rest of the crew. Cole simply looked up at Izzy with a sigh.

"Yeah, well you've woken me up, and I was actually having quite the nice dream about your handsome face. So, is this going to take long, or...?" She asked before yawning.

"Colette, we've taken your ship. You won't be going back to sleep until we say you can."

"Right, well that's a bummer."

He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to join the rest of the crew. She trudged over to where Wee John and Lucius stood and settled between them, leaning heavily on Lucius's shoulder. Her eyes slipped shut again as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Where's Captain?" Frenchie asked.

"Your Captain is on his way back here with Blackbeard. When Captain Blackbeard arrives, he will tell you exactly what he wants you to do. Until then you will all stay here and stay quiet." Izzy informed them.

"He could tell me to do just about anything if he uses that tone of voice to do it." Colette said just loud enough for Lucius to hear. He snickered quietly and leaned his head on top of hers. Lucius was one of the few crew members that took to her from the very beginning, and the two had formed a close bond without hesitation.

"Is it weird I WANT him to be mean to me?" She asked him. "Like, I'll do what he says as long as he says it like that."

"Colette! A word, since you obviously can't seem to follow the orders I just gave." Izzy announced, earning a scattering of "ooooo" from the others.

Her eyes popped open and she looked at him with a raised brow. "Aye, aye, sir." She said, looking back at Lucius with a cheeky grin. "Wish me luck." She mouthed.

Izzy pulled her to the side and led her to the front of the ship. He leaned against the railing, looking over at her as she did the same. "You aren't gonna cause any trouble for me, are you? Just because you and I were friendly earlier at the Tavern doesn't mean you're gonna get special privileges. You're still part of the crew we just captured."

"Depends. Are you gonna give me a reason not to?" She asked.

"Are...are you propositioning me?"

"I dunno. I just... I think you're nice to look at, and you're pretty hot when you're being mean." She shrugged. "Besides, I don't expect special attention, but I'd definitely like some attention from you."

He looked at her incredulously, not quite knowing how to react.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked. Maybe she was being too forward, but living with the crew had taught her to go for what she wanted, and fuck the consequences.

"You've got a mouth on you."

"I'm sure you could find a way to put it to good use."

Izzy edged closer and wrapped a hand around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His free hand reached up to wrap carefully around her throat. "Oh, trust me, I can think of a few good ways." He assured her, before roughly pulling her in for a kiss.

Chapter Text

Cole and Izzy's heated embrace didn't last long, thanks to the sound of people boarding the ship.

"Captain on deck!" Someone called out.

Izzy was the one to pull back from the kiss, leaving both of them slightly breathless. He moved his hand from around her throat and swiped his thumb across her now swollen bottom lip.

"Well damn, I'm awake now." Colette said airily.

"We'll finish this later." Izzy said sternly. He pulled her forward and led her by the waist back to the rest of the crew. When they made it to the small gathering, Cole made eye contact with Lucius and grinned widely.

She had to admit that the moment Izzy's hand was no longer touching her, she wanted to slide back next to him. Lucius pulled her close and nudged her, his eyes wide and expectant.

"You dirty little slut, tell me everything." He whispered excitedly.

"Later! You know you'll be the first one to hear all about it. Besides, he's made it quite clear there will be at least a part two. Hopefully more than that if the little moment we had was anything to go by." She whispered back.

"Right then! Are any of you lot good at anything, or are you about as useful as you look right now?" Izzy asked, his eyes raking over the crew.

"Roach is a hell of a cook." Wee John announced.

"Lucius and Colette can read and write!" Pete offered.

"Colette does most of the sewing, and does a lot of fixing things on the ship. She fixed up a hole that happened when we ran ashore not too long ago. Bloody strong and innovative she is." Olu added, causing the woman in question to blush and lower her head. It embarrassed her to no end when her friends spoke of her like she was some wonderful person with great skills.

A moment of silence passed as no one offered any more information. Everyone just looked around at eachother in quiet contemplation of what to do next.

"Well that was informative. Until further notice, you all will be cleaning up this ship and getting it into top shape. My crew will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't step a toe out of line." Izzy said sternly, his gaze falling to Cole.

She looked up at him with a wide grin, leaning into Lucius as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, I'm gonna set a lot more than than a toe out of line if it means I get a private audience with him. Maybe he'll even punish me." She quipped to the man beside her.

Izzy, having obviously heard her remark, had to fight the smile that threatened to make it's way onto his face. Colette certainly had fire, that he would not dare deny. She knew how to go after what she wanted, and he found that to be insanely appealing. He would definitely enjoy any time he would be spending with her.

He made sure they all got to work before walking over to where Ed was now perched and looking out at the sea. "Been lookin' for you everywhere. We need to move quickly, before the Spanish realize we've massacred all their men."

"Oh, the Spanish. They die quite dramatically, don't they? The Spaniards? Lots of blubbering for their God." Ed mused.

"Yeah, agreed. Now, we really should discuss..."

"Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, Izzy. Look out there. Those clouds. Do they look like frankfurters to you?"

"They look like clouds, boss. Can we just focus on..."

"Yes, yes, they look like clouds because they are indeed clouds, but if you just put some fucking imagination into it, man." Ed huffed, trying to get a clear answer out of his first mate.

"I suppose they look like sausages."

"Frankfurters, yes. Exactly. It's like pulling teeth with you sometimes, man." He finally walked away, moving to look over the crew that was "working" on fixing the ship. "Let's get to it. What've we got here?"

"Well, the ship sustained some damage in the crossfire, and most of the crew's completely useless, bottom of the barrel." Izzy informed him.

"Mm-hm. What's the plan for them?"

"The uszh make 'em repair the ship, execute 'em."

"Right... the uszh. You said most of them are useless. Who's the exception?"

"Colette, sir. They spoke quite highly of her. Said she can read and write, plus she does the repair work on the ship." Izzy pointed her out and watched as she held a few nails in her mouth, diligently trying to repair part of the railing.

"Hm. She could be useful. Doesn't hurt that she's pretty." Ed said appraisingly.

Izzy hummed in agreement and nod, his eyes never leaving Cole's form.

Cole was none the wiser as the two men talked back and forth about her. She finished up with the railing and looked up to the crow's nest, which needed some pretty severe work on the railing. With a small huff of annoyance, she gathered some materials into a sack and tied it to her waist before climbing up.

She worked for a while until Frenchie popped his head up and smiled at her. "We're going down below for a bite. You coming with?"

"Yeah! I'm honestly finished with the building portion. Just need to shape and stain it so Stede's happy when he sees it." She said, bending down and kissing his cheek. "Let me gather my stuff and I'll be right down."

"Perfect. See you in a sec." He said with a bright smile.

Five minutes later, she sat between Frenchie and the Swede, picking at the bowl of food Roach had placed in front of her.

"We have a serious question to ask you. Are you a mermaid?" Wee John asked about ten minutes into the silent meal.

"I told you it was only a matter of time before they asked you this, too." Cole snickered.

Jim looked up with a mouth full of food. "I'm not a mermaid."

"Right, okay." Black Pete said.

"No, but the way you said that was definitely kinda mermaid-y." Wee John argued.

Some of the other boys chimed in in agreement. Cole rolled her eyes, having already dealt with the same treatment way beforehand.

"I'm not a fucking mermaid!" Jim yelled.

Izzy chose that moment to walk into the room, seemingly looking around for something. "Has anyone seen Blackbeard?" He stopped to finally look at them, and his face scrunched up in confusion. "What're you doing?"

"Eating." Olu said, with a small shrug.

"You don't get food when you've been invaded. You live at my pleasure!"

"Well that's what I've been trying to do." Cole mumbled testily.

The room went dead silent as everyone looked at her in mild shock. She looked around and shrugged her shoulders.

"What? I'm just saying."

"Right. You, with me." Izzy commanded. "The rest of you back to work. Useless fucking fuckers."

Colette stood and fumbled her way out of the seat and over to Izzy, who was already stalking out the door. The second the door was closed behind her, he pinned her against the wall with a hand around her neck.

"That mouth of yours is getting out of hand." He said, his breath hot on her neck as he spoke quietly.

"Well, to be fair, I did tell you to find a use for it. Not my fault you've not done so yet." She grinned, her eyes wild as her hands traveled up his chest.

With that, he grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her through the long hallways to the small room he had claimed as his own. It was time to finally put that pretty little smart mouth of hers to work. She was nervous, but her heart raced in excitement as she obediently followed. She swallowed uneasily as they entered the bedroom. A small bed sat in the corner against the wall, and a chair sat directly across from it, as if it was placed to watch the bed. Releasing her arm, he crossed the room and took his seat on the bed. His long legs stretched out before him as he rested his hands on his thighs.

With a simple gesture, hand out, palm up, he gestured for her to take his hand and come closer. Without hesitation, she crossed the room herself, moving to stand in front of him where she grabbed his hand and lowered to her knees in front of him. He looked her over and smiled down at her as he cupped her face, ungloved thumb running over her lips. To him, she was a fucking angel, the kind you don't get to stumble upon unless they're proper ladies or seen from afar. But here she kneeled, looking up at him like the minx she was.

He leaned back against the bed getting more comfortable, scooting his hips forward just a few inches as his legs spread for her to fit between, and quickly she settled there. His thighs were warm and comfortable to be pressed between, and feeling a little bolder, slowly she raised her gaze to his. Her hands slowly moved up his thighs and to his belt. As she removed the belt and got the trousers undone, she pushed all the fabric away from his hips. His cock stood at attention for her, hard, thick and ready. Her eyes grew wide as she looked upon it.

"What? Now you have nothing to say?" He teased.

"Honestly, I don't think I'm going to be able to fit you down my throat." She replied in mild bafflement.

He raised a brow at her, watching her with a slight hint of amusement in his expression. "Tell you what, if it's too much, you tap my thigh three times." He offered.

She relaxed a bit and took a deep breath. At that, he reached behind her head, lacing his fingers in her hair and pulled her forward, her lips just mere inches from the thick pulsating head of his cock.

Her mouth instantly watered as she looked down at it. She opened her mouth over his cock allowing the flood of her drool to cascade down to the head, coating every inch so slowly with the sticky liquid. She looked up at him, watching him as he intensely stared at the drool pouring over his cock. He had his lip between his teeth, a hand moving to grasp the base of his cock as he pulled her mouth lower. "Open wide, princess." He pulled her mouth down, and within seconds, the thick head of his cock was pressing to the back of her throat. The salty taste of his skin coated her tongue and she groaned, a shiver charging through her as she closed her eyes.

"Good girl, very good girl." He groaned.

That phrase went right through her, making her bristle with excitement.

With his fingers tangled in her hair, he moved her head back and forth slowly, just like he liked it. As he moved her, her cheeks sucked in to hollow out, and her tongue stroked the underside of his cock side to side. She could feel the thick vein of his shaft as her tongue slid over it, the way it pulsated with pleasure from the slow movements of her mouth, guided by his expert hand. Reaching up, she grasped his hand, pulling it off of her hair and she pulled fully off his cock. Thick trails of her saliva connected her lips to his cock head still and she smiled at him.

"I think I can take it from here, darling. I've not had any complaints yet." She said with a wink.

Looking back down at his throbbing cock, she grasped it with one hand. The sight of her hand around his cock made her swallow audibly, thick bouts of drool churning around in her sticky throat. Moving her hand up and down his length, she added another element, twisting her wrist slowly side to side, and up and down.

He pulsed in her hand from her touch, and in response her fingers squeezed just a little bit tighter as she took his cock back into her mouth, pushing down until finally his head was once again at the back of her throat. With a moment of bravery dug up from deep within, she pushed down, sliding his length further down her throat.

It stretched, it squeezed, it burned, but she did not stop. While she was not used to having such a monstrous cock, such as this one, in her mouth, she was determined to bring him immense pleasure. After all, what good was not having a gag reflex if you didn't use it to your advantage at moments like this?

Once more his hand found its way into her hair, pulling tighter than he had before, and she didn't mind, nor move his hand away. He didn't guide her, he didn't anything to distract her as she took control, bobbing up and down, getting the bare minimum of air that she needed. Lungs burning every time she was held down on his cock for too long, she continued the eager pace. He bucked his hips fast against her face, using her mouth as just another hole for his pleasure as he groaned and shuddered heavily, fingers gripping her hair tighter than before.

His voice was a deep growl, snarls escaping his lips as his lips peeled back, baring his teeth which he grit. "Oh fuck yes, right there." He tossed his head back, a loud moan bursting from his chest as he flooded her throat with cum. As he pulled her head back, he let the last few shots land on her tongue, filling her mouth. Her eyes opened just half way as she swallowed and watched him come down from the orgasm she provided him. His head was laid back, his eyes shut, and chest rising and falling as he panted. "Good...good girl...such a good girl."

"Told you I could put my mouth to good use. Just needed a little instruction." She said a bit breathlessly. "Also, that good girl shit is gonna go straight to my head. Never had anyone praise me like that before."

"If you fuck half as good as you suck cock, you'll never leave this fucking room."

"C'mon now, Izzy. Sharing is caring, don't you know?" She said as she stood, winking at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to brush my teeth and clean myself up. I'll see you on deck, sir." She walked out, leaving him to catch his breath and clean himself up.

Chapter Text

Colette looked in the mirror and smoothed her hair one last time. She took her time, deciding she'd done a fair amount of work that day, and would certainly be doing more in the coming days. Her little tryst with Izzy had left her more than a bit disheveled, but she was able to right herself and make it look like it had never happened. Well, all except for the stupid grin that she couldn't seem to get off her face.

She heard a commotion from the deck as she walked up the staircase, and emerged to hear everyone cheering for Blackbeard.

"The color of this morning's sky coupled with the... brisk westerly wind made me think we'd be safe. And then, the shape of the clouds confirmed it." Blackbeard said with an almost smug confidence.

"Frankfurters." Izzy said in realization

"Yeah."

"Fuck me."

Ed laughed at his response. "Izzy, I figured the fog would set in once the sea cooled around dusk."

Cole leaned against the railing beside Olu, not joining in the crew's impressed fawning.

" 'Cept we're right in their path. They'll run smack into us." Buttons announced eerily.

So they were being chased by someone, then.

"Correct! On any other day. For it is September 2nd, and tonight's a full moon. So lift anchor, and let the ocean current drift us into the warm embrace of safety." Blackbeard contested.

"Ed, it's... Ed, Ed, it's September 1st, boss." Izzy spoke through the crew's applauding.

"What's that, mate?" Ed asked.

"It's September the 1st."

"Dickfuck, no, it's not."

"He's right. It's the 1st. The full moon's tomorrow." Colette informed him, stepping forward to be seen as she spoke.

Ed eyed her for a moment before realizing she was right. He had miscalculated. "It's a leap year."

"Leap year? Does that change things much?" Stede asked.

"Yeah. We're goners. Those of you who can swim would be wise to do it now."

"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Colette asked, rushing forward. Surely the great Captain Blackbeard wasn't running. "We can fight, right? I mean, we're not particularly a vessel built for battle, but we are capable of it. You're Captain Blackbeard, you've always got something! You're a bleeding legend."

Ed looked at her sadly. Her fire almost inspired him to formulate some type of plan to get them out safely. Almost. Instead, he placed a gentle hand on the side of her neck and touched their foreheads together. "I'm sorry."

"Where are you going?" Stede asked as Ed walked away once again.

"The Captain goes down with the ship. I'm gonna get pissed."

Cole turned to look at her friends, the look on her face one of shock and confusion. Blood rushed through her ears like a thunderstorm. She turned back to look at Izzy, whose expression matched her own. She stepped forward and quietly whispered his name. He made eye contact with her and simply shook his head.

Was this really how they were gonna go out? No, absolutely not. Not if Cole could help it.

"Get up. Everyone get off your ass and get ready to fight. We might die, but I'm not going down without trying my damn hardest to live."

"Colette, come on, we-"

"No, Frenchie. We are going to fight because I am sick of not fighting back. If I go out without a fight then what the hell was it all for? I'll do it my fucking self if I have to, but I'd be a lot more content to die with the people I call a family fighting by my side. Blackbeard may have given up, but I haven't. " She declared before walking away to prep the canons.

"I know I swore I'd never try it again with Cole, but that was weirdly hot, right?" Lucius asked. Everyone on deck nod and murmured in agreement before shuffling around to do just what she requested- prepare to fight.

Izzy walked up behind her and kneeled down beside her as she cleaned out the cannon. "You've got more fire in your little finger than some pirates have ever had in their whole body. If we weren't headed towards certain death, I'd say you could turn out to be a damn fine pirate, love." He whispered to her so that no one else could eavesdrop on them.

"I came aboard this ship to start a life that I had control over. I suppose I just never expected that control to be so short lived." She admitted. "But at least I can choose how I go out and who I'm with. So tell me, Izzy, are you gonna help us fight?"

"If that's what you ask of me, it's what I'll do." At this point, he didn't really have much left to lose. Izzy was a proud man, but the conviction the woman in front of him held made him more than willing to follow whatever lead she gave.

"Then help me load this cannon. And Izzy?"

"Yes, Colette?"

"Since we're about to die, you should know I'm glad you sat next to me in Spanish Jackie's."

"Since we're about to die, you should know I'm glad you didn't tell me to fuck off."

They both laughed quietly and looked at eachother in the lantern light. When their chuckles died down, they didn't look away. Cole knew that anything with Izzy would have more than likely only been physical anyways, but it was nice to pretend in that moment that maybe there was some kind of future there for them as something more... intimate.

They finally looked away and worked silently side by side, easily cleaning and loading the canon together. The tension and anticipation on deck was thick enough to cut with a dagger until Ed and Stede came running out, yelling something about lighthouses and faking something.

They stopped in their tracks and looked around after a minute, finally realizing what everyone was doing.

"Are you all getting ready to fight?" Stede asked.

"Well, Colette gave a super rousing speech right after that you guys missed, and we all just kinda...followed her lead." Black Pete informed them.

Ed and Stede both looked at her. Ed with an odd sense of pride, and Stede with a sense of understanding and empathy.

Izzy stood behind her and nod in confirmation when Ed looked at him.

"Well luckily, I think we may not need to fight. In fact, we may have found a solution to avoid them entirely. We'll need a lantern, a counterweight, and someone to make a foghorn noise. We're gonna become a lighthouse." Ed announced.

The plan went flawlessly, and Colette couldn't hep the excitement that buzzed through her.

"Yes! We fucking did it!" Ed whisper-yelled.

Cole hugged Jim tightly, kissing their forehead before turning around to find Izzy Hands, staring at her with a raised brow and a grin.

"Looks like we're still alive." She whispered.

"Looks that way." He agreed.

He simply stood and stared at her, his expression not giving anything away in regards to his thoughts.

"Oh, fuck it." She's huffed before throwing her arms around his shoulders and crashing her lips against his. God he was a fantastic kisser. When they pulled apart, she grinned at him and nupped another quick kiss to his lips.

"For the record- I do believe that since we're still alive, you owe me." She informed him.

"Owe you?"

"Well I never did get off this afternoon. Tit for tat, y'know?"

"You're a cheeky little fucker, you know that?"

"I know. It's one of my shining personality traits. You'll learn to love it."

"I'm sure. You need to get to sleep. You'll be back to work first thing in the morning." He informed her.

"Ughhhh. What a mood killer. Fine. Sleep tight, Mr. Hands. Have sweet dreams of me." She winked.

Some of the crew brought up some matresses and stuffed sacks, and lined them up to sleep on. Frenchie, Jim, and Olu created a little pile for themselves, then pulled a now free Cole over to lay between Frenchie and Jim. The two gave her a quick peck on the lips goodnight, then settled in for a few hours of well earned rest. She wasn't dying any time soon if she could help it.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Cole awoke at sunrise to find that Frenchie still had a firm arm around her waist, but the space in front of her was now empty.

"Jim? Olu?" She quietly called out. The pair walked over to their sleeping spot and laid back down.

"We were just talking for a few. Didn't wanna wake you, mija." Jim said as they laced their fingers with hers. Olu reached an arm over Jim and smoothed Cole's hair a bit.

"Ok. Just got worried." She said sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, Let. We'll be here when you wake up again." Olu promised.

Cole fell asleep to the sound of Jim and Frenchie's breathing.

When she awoke again, it was because an all too familiar voice was barking orders.

"Everyone up. No sleeping in when there's work to be done." Izzy fussed.

"Damn it all to hell. He's disrupted my sleep twice now. Next time I'm likely to castrate him." Colette grumbled.

Jim huffed out a laugh, and she could feel Frenchie's chest rumble with silent laughter against her back.

"C'mon, let's get on with it before he comes over and threatens to throw us overboard." Olu said, helping the others stand.

"I'd kill for a nice swim." Cole admit.

"Next time we dock, we'll all take a dip." Frenchie promised, kissing her forehead.

"I'm holding you to that." She replied with a tone that made him believe it.

"Gather round, you lot. The Captain has decided that you need to learn what being a pirate is really like. So until we find an opportunity to raid a ship, we're going to work on our weapon skills." Izzy informed them.

Colette wasn't a great swordsman, but she could use one well enough to get by without dying. Her aim with a firearm was absolutely abhorrent at long range, but her knife throwing skills were better than they had any right to be. She could even throw an axe or hammer with enough accuracy and power to do solid damage.

"You'll all be showing me how skilled you are with your weapons, and we'll see who is worthy of participating in our first raid." Izzy continued. "Group yourselves together, you'll show in pairs for swordfighting and close combat, and alone for guns and knives."

Cole looked around and noted that Frenchie had immediately paired with Roach, and Jim and Olu had paired. Of course, now they leave her to fend for herself.

Lucius took a step to Izzy and tapped him on the shoulder. "I, uh, I don't actually fight. I'm honestly just here to write, so..."

"So you'll do it today. You can pair with Colette. She's over there looking lost." Izzy pointed out.

Lucius grumbled all the way over to his best friend. "Apparently we're fighting together."

"What?" Cole asked in astonishment.

"Apparently there's 'no time like the present' according to your like bed buddy. Speaking of, didn't you fuck the shitty attitude out of him or what?"

"Nah, just a little mouth action. He was nicer last night, though." She reasoned.

"Ahh, yeah. Makes sense. You should jump on that. Maybe he won't be such a prat if he's getting his bones jumped regularly. You'll probably feel better, too. You deserve a good roll around."

"You're terrible. But you're probably right. I mean, it has been a while for me. Frenchie and Jim have been a little preoccupied lately." She admit. The two had been her most constant lovers aboard, but they had all been busy as of late, and it was nearly impossible to find any good alone time.

"Let's get on with it!" Izzy yelled, drawing her attention. It was going to be one hell of a long day.

Colette and Lucius's spar didn't last more than thirty seconds before Izzy realized that Lucius had been telling the truth. He was not a fighter. Instead of watching what was sure to be an unevenly matched fight, Ed decided to step in and fight against her.

"Captain, are you sure you want to-" Izzy started.

"It's fine. Besides, she's not exactly threatening, is she? She's like a delicate little flower."

"She's more a fuckin' rose. Beautiful, but those thorns of hers can fuck you up if you aren't careful." Izzy argued.

"That's alright. She won't get close enough to prick me." Ed said, sure that whatever the girl was capable of, he was better. He turned to her with a bright smile. "Right then! Let's get to it."

"Y-yes. Of course, Captain." She stuttered before raising her sword.

It didn't take long to see that Colette didn't fight with any particular style or tactic. She simply fought to protect herself and survive. After about five minutes, Ed managed to disarm her. They had a few cuts here and there, but were mostly unscathed. He smiled at her and lowered his sword, signaling that he was finished.

"You fight with your instincts and intuition. More people could stand to learn that." Ed told her, his tone almost proud.

"Thank you sir. I just do what I have to in order to survive a fight." She admit.

"Well, keep practicing. Maybe one day you can beat Izzy in a swordfight. I mean, from the sounds of it he seems to think you've got promise. I'm interested to see how things go." Ed admit before walking back over to stand by Stede.

When it came to close combat, Cole's biggest advantage was that she had stamina. She could run circles around some of her crewmates, and that was enough to tire them out. She fought against Fang, who was slow, but strong. Her tactic almost worked until he caught her by the collar and slammed her down onto the deck.

The air left her lungs and her ears rang as her head bounced off the ground. Her vision blurred for a moment, and she could hear the people around her shouting.

"Jesus Christ! Why would you just slam her down like that?" Lucius cried out.

"I didn't realize she would hit that hard! I was just trying to get her down!" Fang said in a panic.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Roach asked, shoving his hand in front of her face.

"Three?" Cole said, blinking rapidly.

Everyone grimaced and looked around at eachother.

"Two, but good guess! You need to go sit in the dark and stay awake for a little while. You hit your head pretty hard." Roach said as he helped her up.

"Take her to my room. We'll draw the shades and keep her awake." Stede directed them. Roach and Wee John practically carried her to the room, Stede and Ed close behind them.

Upon arriving, Stede closed the curtains and motioned for them to leave her on the sofa.

"We'll take care of her here. You all go back out and enjoy training with Blackbeard's crew. Just be careful! Can't have everyone getting hurt." Stede instructed.

When they left, Stede sat down beside Cole, and Ed sat across from her.

"You alright?" Ed asked. "Took quite a knock to the noggin."

"I'll be fine. I could go back out if I need to." She offered, not wanting to seem weak or incapable.

"No, no! You should rest for a bit. I can even read aloud a bit, if you like. I know you're partial to poetry, and I just happen to have a book of Shakespeare's work on my shelf." Stede offered as he stood.

She perked up and looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Certainly!" He grabbed the book and made his way back over, settling down beside her once more. He lit a small lamp and turned it up just enough to see the book.

Stede made it all the way to Sonnet 55 before Izzy knocked on the door and entered.

"The crew have requested to see Colette. We've cut our training short today. The useless fuckers can't seem to focus since she's not around." He finally adjusted to the dim lighting and looked at the three. "What's going on?"

"Well, Roach said I had to stay awake, so Captain was reading some poetry. He's almost to my favorite one. You should stay and listen." She said with a smile.

"Why would I want to listen to Stede Bonnet read shite poetry?" Izzy snipped.

"I could recite it instead. I memorized it years ago, and it always stuck with me." She admit.

"Well now, I think we should let the whole crew hear. It'd be a nice little treat for everyone to hear some poetry." Ed finally piped in.

"What a wonderful idea! They do love a bit of story time, and Colette does a marvelous job reading when she has the right story." Stede agreed.

"I'm afraid it's not a particularly long sonnet, but I'll certainly recite for everyone it if you'd like." Cole said with a shrug.

"It's settled then! Let's go out to the deck. We'll have a nice bit of poetry, then break for lunch." Stede declared.

Izzy rolled his eyes, but followed them out the door and on deck.

They all took a moment to adjust their eyes before Ed stepped forward. "Hello everyone! We've got a special treat, Colette is going to recite a poem for us!"

"Sonnet." Stede correct gently.

"Right, her favorite sonnet. Colette, come on over and sit on the boxes here. Everyone can gather around."

Cole took a seat and watched as her fellow shipmates gathered eagerly to sit around her. Even Izzy stood close by, though he was trying to look as uninterested as possible.

"Wel, you all know I love a bit of poetry. And I don't think I've ever shared any Shakespeare with you, but he wrote one of my favorite pieces of literature. It's called Sonnet 57." She cleared her throat and looked over at Lucius, who was nodding at her in encouragement. She took a deep breath and sighed, then closed her eyes as she started reciting.

"Being your slave, what should I do but tend
Upon the hours and times of your desire?
I have no precious time at all to spend,
Nor services to do, till you require.
Nor dare I chide the world-without-end hour
Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you,
Nor think the bitterness of absence sour
When you have bid your servant once adieu;
Nor dare I question with my jealous thought
Where you may be, or your affairs suppose,
But, like a sad slave, stay and think of nought
Save, where you are how happy you make those.
So true a fool is love that in your will,
Though you do any thing, he thinks no ill."

There was silence on the deck, a pensive quiet over the entire crew. She looked around nervously and saw that everyone was staring at her. Never before had she read or recited something to them with such earnest conviction and emotion. It was clear this was something of great importance to her.

Colette made eye contact with Izzy, and all he could do was stare back at her with an expression that showed how well and truly fucked he felt himself becoming. This woman was going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

"Why?" A voice asked, startling Colette. She looked down to see Izzy climbing onto the crow's nest platform with her. It had been two days, and he had only really spoken to her to give her directions and orders.

"Why, what? Why am I up here? Why is the ocean blue? Why does the Swede oddly have the voice of an angel?" She rambled. "You've got to give me more to go on."

"Why is that Sonnet you memorized your favorite? Sonnet 57?" He asked plainly as he sat beside her.

The night sky was clear of clouds, and the stars shone brightly. The breeze was brisk, the waters were calm, and yet she felt her skin flush warmly. Had he really been thinking about that?

She readjusted herself into a more comfortable position and looked out at the open sea before her. "What did it make you think of when you heard it?"

"It... it sounded like it was about a person who's so in love with someone that they'd give up their entire world for them."

"You're right. But I think it's more than that. It's love without stipulations or conditions. A love that holds true, even when the other person has said or done terrible things. The type of love that everyone deserves, but not many are willing to give." She looked over at him to see that his eyes were glued to her.

"Love is a weakness used to manipulate and break people."

"On the contrary- love is a weapon. Used to defend and protect. To make people stronger."

His face screwed up in either confusion or frustration, she couldn't tell.

"You think that love is some magical cureall that will solve all your problems, don't you?"

"No. I think that love is strange and difficult and takes far more work than any thing has a right to. But I imagine it's worth it when it finally pans out. I think that it's something that helps us strive to be more and to remember what we are."

"And what are we?"

"Human, Izzy. We're all human."

They sat in silence, their words sitting heavy in his mind.

It was nearly a week of training during the day and small moments spent sitting in silence between them at night before they had a chance to put her skills to actual use. They hadn't done more than a few heated makeout sessions in the quiet privacy of the night. Collette wondered if maybe all her talk of love and humanity had somewhat put him off of anything more. Frenchie and Jim had traded off on staying with her at night, but they had all been so tired that they didn't really have the energy to be properly intimate.

The big to do on the ship now was that Olu, Frenchie, and both captains were heading out to some sort of fancy party. After their successful raid, Frenchie had found and invitation, and three for of them had decided to attend. Jim and Cole had agreed to stick together and work on the ship, mostly to stay out of sight and out of the way. They spent the day bouncing between the kitchen, the deck, and finally after nearly a month of waiting, the bedroom.

Cole laid back on the mattress as Jim flopped beside her. Both were thoroughly exhausted and satisfied, trying to catch their breath as they laced their fingers together.

"I think I'm in love with Oluwande." Jim said quietly.

Cole propped herself up on an elbow and looked at them with a wide grin. "Really?"

"Yeah. But you can't tell him! I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

"Hey, my lips are sealed. But for the record, pretty positive he feels the same."

"Why do you think that?"

"The way he looks at you. He's different when he's around you, more comfortable. And he respects your boundaries and other relationships. Honestly, if you told him that you were gonna drop me because you wanted to be with him, he'd probably lock us up until you changed your mind. He knows how important the few relationships you have are, and he not only respects them, but he encourages you in them."

"You read to much of that romance poetry shit, Mija."

"It's like I told Izzy- everyone deserves love without stipulations or conditions. You're lucky enough to have someone willing to give you that plus more."

They lay in silence for a moment, and Jim pushed a piece of hair away from Cole's eyes.

"What's going on with that, anyways? You two have been spending quite a few nights up in that crows nest." Jim asked.

"I dunno. He's been quiet lately. We had a talk a while back and I think it scared him off of anything more than kissing." She admit.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, mi corazón. He seems like the type who specializes in hurting people who get too close."

"I know. I'm definitely cautious. Don't want to get into a situation I can't get out of." She mumbled.

"I'm sorry we haven't been able to do this in a while. I know things have been crazy, but you deserve to be taken care of."

"It's alright. It happens. Just don't forget about me once you and Olu finally start shacking up." She teased.

"You hush. Come on, we've been hiding a while. It's definitely dark by now, we should get back on deck."

"You're right. As always." Cole groaned, standing up.

They got dressed quickly, and Jim grabbed Cole by the arm before they left. "Sabes que te amo con toda mi alma, ¿verdad?"

"Por supuesto. Es mi alma también."

It wasnt often Cole spoke in Spanish, but some things were more meaningful between them when less people understood. They shared a quick but heartfelt kiss, then walked up to the deck.

As they stepped out, they could hear someone barking orders.

"You're gonna swab the deck... twice. Then patch the mainsail, oil and rewick the cannons, then stack the munitions, and by the time you've done all that, I'll have several more chores for you." Izzy said.

"Why is he always shouting orders every time I come on deck?" Colette sighed.

"And what if I don't? You're not my captain." Lucius said, catching Cole's eye and giving her a wink.

"I could spill all your beans. You've been a proper little seductress, haven't you? Black Pete, Fang. Who else is there?" Izzy threatened.

Ahh, so Lucius had been caught drawing Fang.

"Hey, Pete?"

"Yeah, love?" Pete called.

"I drew Fang naked."

Pete just laughed. "Nice. He's drawn most of us."

"Not us. He tried to draw me once. Got halfway through my tits and couldn't stop cringing long enough to finish. Which was par for the course, all things considered." Cole piped in.

"See? We don't own each other." Lucius smirked at the first mate. "Dizzy Izzy. Or is it... Izzy the Spewer? It'd be a shame if the entire crew learned about that nickname, wouldn't it?"

Izzy's gaze wandered to Cole then back to Lucius. "Go now."

"Have you ever been sketched?"

"Fuck off." Izzy said storming past Cole with embarrassment clear on his face.

Cole sighed and looked at Jim. "I should go talk to him."

"Go ahead." Jim said, kissing her chastely. As she turned to leave, they called after her. "Hey, I'll see you tonight if you don't stay in there."

"But isn't tonight supposed to be Frenchie's-"

"Screw Frenchie. He got off the boat for a while tonight. Besides, if you come back, I wanna know what happened."

Cole laughed, but nod anyways. "Alright, alright. I'll see you later."

When she got to Izzy's room, she knocked on the door. "It's me. Can I come in?"

"Yeah." He said after a moment. She opened the door enough to slide in amd shut the door again, locking it behind her.

"Listen, I know Lucius can be a lot if you aren't used to him, but he's just trying to get under your skin. His first week at sea, he slept on the deck because he couldn't stop puking long enough to walk downstairs." She told him, sitting beside him on the edge of his bed.

"You're all very comfortable with eachother I suppose." He said, obviously referencing the first part of the conversation on deck.

"Well, yeah. Some more than others. But we're just trying to find happiness where we can."

"And when one of you decides you're done sharing? What then? You gonna kill your shipmate for sleeping with someone you have feelings for?"

"That's where that love without conditions or stipulations comes in. Just because Frenchie is involved with me doesn't mean Roach loves him any less and vice versa. Frenchie is one of my best friends, and we show that in a way that we both feel lets us be open and honest with eachother. Jim and I are like soulmates, but we're not romantically in love with eachother. It's like we're joined together in a way that we can express freely and without any boundaries. There are a lot of people in this world, it seems silly that we're only allowed to love one."

"And you're all just fine with that?"

"Of course. My love is not fragile, Izzy. And it's not going to shrink for one person just because I've started giving love to someone new. It's like..." she searched her brain for a solid analogy, "like picking what fruit I want to to eat! I love grapes, oranges, and apples. Just because I'm eating an apple doesn't mean I love the other two any less, it just means that I'm enjoying an apple right now."

Izzy pondered her words for a moment, then nod. He understood better, but it didn't mean he was fully sold on the dynamic this crew shared.

"Well, I suppose I have a lot to think on tonight. Also need to talk to the Captain when he gets back. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, Izzy. " She said, kissing him on the cheek before heading out the door.

Chapter Text

"You mean to tell me you two still haven't done it? It's been almost two weeks!" Lucius asked as he and Colette leaned against the railing of the ship.

"Keep your voice down! And, no, we haven't." Cole informed him, rolling her eyes.

"What's the hold up? Because I see the way you two are around eachother, and trust me, that is not the way that two people who don't want to fuck eachother act."

"I don't know! There's obviously something there, but any time we get close, he just...stops. Tells me to go do something elsewhere. Maybe there's something wrong with me? I mean, it's obviously something like that or he wouldn't hesitate."

"It's not you. If course it isn't. Maybe he just doesn't now how to process those feelings. Doesn't seem like he's a very...touchy feely person."

"Oh, trust me, HANDS isn't just his last name. He just doesn't use them in any way that's ultimately productive."

"Well, maybe he'll come around soon. If not, I know a few people on board who are just as eager to spend alone time with you as he should be."

"Maybe. Anyways, let's go see what ghost stories the Captain is trying to tell." She said, pulling him by the hand to catch the tail end of the story.

"And, finally, the man saw who was driving the carriage. It was an elderly gentleman with a hook... for a head!" Stede said, trying his best to be eerie.

"A hook for a head? How does that work? H-How does he even eat?" Frenchie asked in utter confusion.

"He doesn't eat. He's got a hook for a head."

"Does it even make sense?" Wee John piped in.

"No. How does he kiss?" Roach added.

"It doesn't kiss. No one likes him." Stede explained.

"It's not scary at all, then! It's just... sad." Cole said with a frown.

"I bet Blackbeard knows a scary story." Pete said, looking up at the man in question. The others murmured in scattered agreement. "What's the scariest thing you've ever seen... sir?"

"That's hard to say because I don't feel fear." Blackbeard said, lighting his pipe. "But... I think the scariest thing I've ever seen would probably be the Kraken."

"The-the Kraken's not real, though." Someone said quietly.

"I remember when I used to think that. There I was... just a young waif on a late-night walk. There, I see an old drunkard stumbling home past the old stone wall. And there, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something stirring in the brine, some sort of hideous creature. Its tentacles, they rise up out of the water. And before I knew it, it grabbed him. I tried to warn him, but it was too late. The creature had him now, in his grasp, flinging him around before wringing him out like a fucking bar rag. And that poor wretch? That was my dad."

"Bruh. Kraken killed Blackbeard's pa." Olu said in awe.

Cole saw the look in Ed's eyes, though. There was more to the story, and she had a feeling it wasn't something he wanted everyone knowing. He made eye contact with her, and she simply gave him a small nod. He gave her a small smile and nod back.

"The good news is, my dad was a dіck. And I learned something that night: Fear is the most powerful emotion. Turn your enemy's worst fear against them, you'll own them."

"Wrong." Cole finally spoke up.

"What?" Pete scoffed.

"Fear? It's not the strongest emotion. It's just the easiest. The quickest. It's one of the only emotions our brains can produce with little to no effort. It's weak." She explained. "Love, on the other hand, takes time and effort. You don't just roll over and decide to love someone new one morning. You have to build it up. It's strong because it's not fleeting, and it doesn't shatter like a cheap illusion when they realize it isn't what they thought it was. Love is a much stronger emotion than fear."

The whole crew looked a little befuddled, but it had obviously rang true for some of them as they exchanged looks.

"Sooooo, on that note how do you... go about tapping into an enemy's fear, Blackbeard?" Stede asked after a minute or two of silence.

"You really want to know?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I think we'd all be curious. Right, gang?"

"Well, maybe, I will tell you, someday. But be careful what you ask your God for. She might just answer." Ed said with a smirk.

"Time to tuck in for the night, then, crew! Everyone get some rest, I'll see you all bright and early in the morning." Stede said, ushering them all off.

Frenchie grabbed Colette and pulled her to her room. She smiled as she followed along, closing the door behind them.

"Today was exhausting." She said, getting ready for bed.

"Agreed. You look a little tense. You want a massage before we fall asleep?" Frenchie offered, stripping down into his underclothes as well.

"That would be fantastic. You sure you don't mind?" She asked, climbing into bed.

"Positive, love. You deserve to be taken care of. And it's been a while since we properly spent time together. I want to help you relax." He promised. "Lay down for me."

Frenchie took his time running his hands across her shoulders, pressing in all the places he knew would help relieve her tension. He helped her pull her shirt off and tossed it across the room.

Immediately, he began to press kisses to her neck and gently traced his hands down her sides. She let out a sigh of content and smiled lazily.

"I missed this. I missed spending alone time like this together." She admit.

"So did I. I'm sorry I've not been as attentive lately. You deserve more attention." He said between kisses.

"It's alright. Jim and I finally spent some time together a few days ago. And I've been with Izzy some nights when I cant sleep. He's kept me company." She assured him.

XXX

"That feels good," she said as he pulled her upright and massaged her breasts. He ran his fingers back and forth over her nipples and held her body close to his. She could feel his erection against her lower back, and she gently rolled her hips back into his. He then slid his hand down her stomach and under her black panties. In an instant, he felt how warm and wet she was, and swirled his finger across her clit.

Frenchie moved his fingers across her clit and played with it until she opened up her legs wider for him to have better access. He slid his middle finger inside her hot cunt and fucked her while rubbing her clit with his other hand.

"Ohh," she moaned, as her back arched in pleasure.

"You're so wet," he said, sliding another finger inside her.

"For you? Always." She said, gasping quietly.

He kissed her ear and neck and then brought his fingers up to Colette's mouth. She grabbed his hand and licked the tips of his fingers, then slid them past her lips and against her tongue. She slowly rolled her tongue around his fingers and separated them down the middle. His cock grew harder under his pants as it pressed against her back.

Cole felt his growing need and turned around to face him. She lifted her face to his and kissed him passionately. He could taste her on her lips from where she had just shamelessly cleaned his fingers, and it made his blood course hot through his veins. She slid his bottoms down to the floor, and went down on her knees with them.

His cock was hot with desire and curved up toward her mouth. She looked up at him and smiled before running her tongue up the length of his shaft and covering his head with her lips. Her tongue ran in slow circles around his tip, her eyes never leaving his.

He moaned in pleasure, his breath shuddering at the sensation.

She pushed his cock deep into her mouth and pulled out to the tip. Then continued again and again, sucking and bobbing back and forth as he breathed heavily for her.

He pulled out of her mouth and positioned her so that she was bent over the bed, her back arched, legs spread, and her ass facing him. He got down on his knees and ran his hands up her thighs and smacked her ass cheek. This provoked a quiet yelp from Cole.

He responded by putting the tip of his tongue on her clit and licking the entirety of her pussy.

"Ohhh," she sighed in pure bliss.

He continued to lap at her pussy, pushing his tongue deep inside her and fucking her that way.

"I'm gonna come," she panted.

His tongue darted back and forth around her clit, his hands gripping her thighs, spreading her legs wide. Her breathing intensified as she neared her climax. But he stopped and stood up, his cock hard and ready to be buried deep inside her beckoning cunt.

He slammed into her, bottoming out and driving her over the edge. She came with a scream of ecstasy as he kept going. Her pussy was throbbing with pleasure and tightening around him as he kept his pace. He fucked her from behind, fast and hard, and he felt his climax nearing.

"That's it, baby, fuck me," she egged him on, enjoying the moment just as much as he was.

"I'm gonna come," he said. "Fuck."

He slammed into her as far as he could go, pressing her ass to his hips, and released deep inside her. They halted their movements, reveling in the moment. Colette was pressed up against the mattress with her ass in the air, and Frenchie was bent over her with his arms supporting himself on the bed while he caught his breath. He pulled out and they both lay on the bed, breathing heavily.

XXX

"Fuck, I missed you." She said as she rolled on her side to face him.

"I missed you, too, love." He said, kissing the top of her head as he pulled her close.

The two drifted to sleep while tangled in eachother's embrace.

Chapter Text

The next morning was an absolute shitshow. Cole and Frenchie were woken up by Roach bursting into the room screaming about the mysterious fog that was surrounding them. The two quickly scrambled to get dressed and sprinted to the main deck.

Roach was right, the fog was downright eerie.

"Anyone seen Blackbeard?" Stede asked.

"Over here, child." Ed's voice echoed.

"Oh god. He's there!" Lucius cried out, pointing at the spot Blackbeard had just appeared. Buttons leaned forward and bit down hard on the other man's finger. "Agh! Ow, you bit me! What the fuck?!"

"I thought you were the demon, boy!" Buttons yelled back.

"Or am I here?" Ed said from another spot, taking advantage of the chaos and fog. Next moment, there were jets of sparkle and Ed was suspended above them. "Flee and survive, or face me and burn!" He laughed maniacally.

"Every man for himself!" The Swede yelled, throwing himself overboard without a moment's hesitation.

"Oh, whoa, hey, okay! Boys, give it a rest! We've got a man overboard! Ugh, it's a bit too much atmosphere anyway." Ed said as the sparks stopped and the fog began to clear a bit.

"It's my fault, boss!" Fang yelled.

"You did brilliant, Fang!" Colette reassured him before turning and walking to Lucius. She looked at his finger with a grimace.

"Sorry, laddie. Ye triggered my fight or bite response." Buttons apologized.

"Why do I have a splinter?" Lucius asked.

"Oh... that'll be from me "summer" teef." Buttons said before reaching back and removing a fake tooth made of wood. "Some are teef."

"Oh my god." Cole and Lucius both cringed, gripping eachother.

"Some ain't." Buttons finished with a laugh as he walked away.

"Let's go get that cleaned up in the kitchen. Who knows what Buttons has." Cole said, pulling Lucius along.

She sat him at a table and grabbed the nearest bottle of alcohol and a clean rag. It wasn't much, but she hoped it would be helpful.

"That was...weird, right? Like it was a lot." Cole said, sitting down across from him.

"Absolutely. It seemed suspiciously over the top. Like he's trying really hard to impress Stede. Or maybe like apologize for something. I dunno but definitely weird." Lucius agreed.

"I'm gonna be on edge all damn day now. But you need to go relax. Stede will have a fit if you can't write. And then he'll make me do it, which is a solid fuck no. So rest that hand up." She said, ruffling his hair and kissing the top of his head as she left.

□■□

"Storytelling. Tell me a story. Go." Stede sait to the crew who had gathered around. The energy on the ship had been tense and unusual all day, and Colette couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

"Me?" The Swede asked.

"Yes, engage me. Go!"

"On the day I was born, the rain looked just like blood..."

"Boring! Next!"

"I yearn to make sweet love to the sea..." Buttons announced.

"Whoa, way too personal! Go."

"Ah..." Pete stuttered.

"Come on, spit it out! "

"I have one." He promised.

"Terrible. All of these stories are very bad. Thankfully, we do have a Master of Horror, one William Shakespeare, at our disposal."

"What if I hack up a dummy with an axe? Maybe have like... meat and guts and stuff comin' out of it." Jim suggested.

"Ooo, Roach and I could mix up some pretty gnarly fake blood." Cole said, looking up at them.

"I once witnessed a man eatin' another man's face once. That was pretty vulgar." Buttons said, causing everyone to murmur in interest.

"That's actually quite a cheap scare. I'm thinking more along the lines of psychological." Stede said with a grimace.

"I've always wanted to sing." The Swede exclaimed.

"Singing's not scary." Pete argued.

"Depends on who it is singing" Cole shrugged. Wee John and Jim both snickered quietly, nudging her.

"Well, maybe it doesn't always have to be scary. Maybe, sometimes, it can be an expression of ourselves." Swede said with a dejected tone.

"Anyone smell that? Kinda like a... a dead person smell?" Roach asked, looking around.

"Oh, sweet mother of the sea." Cole looked up to see Lucius, holding up his finger. It was swollen and had turned several different colors.

"Oh my god." Pete gasped.

"My finger feels like fires." Lucius groaned before promptly passing out

"All right, this rehearsal is already a disaster. Let's take 20. Get him to the infirmary, and that's a taut 20. Fuck... fuck!" Stede said, storming away. "Colette! With me."

Cole looked up with wide eyes and looked around to see everyone motioning for her to follow him. She scurried forward, catching up with him as he turned the corner to his room.

"We have to figure something out. This whole fuckery is taking a nosedive." Stede told her tensely.

"I'm sure we'll figure out something." Cole tried to assure him.

"Muse, why have you forsaken me?" He lamented as they opened the door to his room.

"How goes the Fuckery?" A voice asked, causing Colette's eyes to widen.

"What are you doing in here?" Stede huffed.

"I've just been takin' in your library. What a perverse misuse of space. Still, it's a nice room. Lots of possibilities." Izzy said, his eyes scanning the room and finally landing on Cole. She gave him a small smile and a wave, which he returned.

"Yes, well, I designed it for flow. So, if you'd kindly piss off, the Fuckery's canceled."

"You can't cancel it. I went out on a limb for you, you little shit."

"Not my problem. Why'd you even do it in the first place?"

"Because it's my job to make sure that Edward is content. And he adores you. Why, I'll never know, but... he does. So, plumb the depths, man. Perform... like it's your last day on Earth." His footsteps receded and Colette looked over to Stede.

"Captain, do you need me for anything immediately?" She asked.

"No, no, I uh...I need a few minutes to think anyways. You're dismissed."

"Thank you." She said, running after Izzy.

She called after him, and he turned to look at her.

"Is everything alright?" She looked at him with concern etched in her face.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I dunno. It's just seemed very off today. Everyone seems like they're waiting for the other shoe to drop. It makes me tense and nervous." She confided.

"Thisngs are happening aboard this ship that have little to do with you and I, Collette. Don't let Stede Bonnet drag you into his foolishness. You deserve better than that nonsense."

"What do you mean, Izzy?"

"I mean the time comes, don't let him hold you back from becoming the pirate you have the potential to be. He may have helped you, but you don't owe him your entire life." Izzy said, caressing her cheek and staring down into her eyes.

"Izzy, you're scaring me a bit. Why are you talking like something bad is about to happen?"

"I just wanted you to know that. Now go back to the rest of the crew. I'm going to guess they're waiting for you and Stede to get back." He said, lowering his hand.

Before he could turn away from her, she leaned up and pressed her lips softly against his. When they parted, he smiled down at her.

"I'd like to spend the night with you, Izzy. Would you be alright with that?" She asked quietly.

He searched her face for any sign of teasing or insincerity, but found none. "I would be more than glad to have you stay with me tonight."

"Excellent. It's a date." She said, smiling as she walked away to meet the rest of her crewmates.

□■□

The fuckery went off without a hitch, and the crew was ecstatic to say the least. Unfortunately, Colette was having difficulties properly celebrating. She couldn't shake that feeling that something was off.

"So, uh, Blackbeard, what did you think?" Colette asked as she waltzed up next to he and Stede.

"Wonderful Fuckery. Scared the pants off me."

"I thought Blackbeard didn't feel fear." Pete said in awe.

"And I didn't, until today." The Captain informed him.

"Whoa." Roach whispered.

"And you, what a voice!" He said to the Swede.

"Me? Oh, come on. Don't tease me." The man replied bashfully.

"Oh, he's not teasing. You sounded like an angel. Well done." Stede said proudly. "And Lucius! Quite the feat. Even though it was his hand. Where is he?"

"Shh. He's asleep." Fang told them in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, Roach, you should probably check him over." Cole said, nudging the chef.

"Stede Bonnet! Draw your weapon." Izzy yelled as he made his way into view.

"No, Izzy, we're not doing this." Ed fussed.

"No, you're not doin' this, so I must. Stede fuckin' Bonnet... I fuckin' challenge you to a fuckin' duel."

"Oh, God, no. Tell me this isn't happening." Cole said, leaning back on the railing. Was this really what the pit in her stomach had been about all day?

"Well, I accept your challenge." Stede said confidently.

"Uh, he's really pretty good. Stede, be careful. He does know his shit." Ed warned.

"As do I. You've taught me well."

"Not that well."

"Please don't do this. There has absolutely got to be another way." Cole pleaded. Izzy wouldn't even look at her, and her chest clenched.

"Right. I'm assuming standard duel rules apply... What are those exactly?" Stede asked, also ignoring Cole.

"Let's make it interesting, shall we? The loser is banished from the ship if they're not dead." Izzy suggested before swinging his sword.

"Come on. Give a man a warning!" Stede cried out.

"That was your warning."

The fight came to a peak when Stede's sword clattered to the ground.

"So, it looks like we've arrived, Bonnet. The end of the road." Izzy said stoically.

"All right... let's call it a draw." Stede offered.

"Nah, I'm good."

Izzy ran his sword through Stede's side, causing Colette to let out a small, involuntary scream.

"Ooh! Did I do it right? He missed all the important bits." Stede asked. When Izzy tried to pull his sword free but failed, Stede's smile grew. "This mast- it's made from the finest cherry wood in Brazil. It's rather strong, actually."

"Shut up! Don't you ever shut up, you rancid rat!" Izzy yelled, pulling as hard as he could. The sword cracked and Cole gasped.

Buttons laughed heartily. "Well, now, Mr. Hands. Reckon he's rendered your sword inoperable. By dueling tradition, that means... Stede wins!"

The crew all cheered except for one. Cole stood to the side in shock, her brain slowly processing what this meant. She and Ed made eye contact, both coming to the same terrible conclusion. Izzy Hands was about to be thrown off the ship, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

She hurried over to his side and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Surely there has to be something we can do. We can't just let them send him off, Ed." She whispered in a panic.

"They dueled and he lost. He's the one who made the wager, Lettie. And I don't think Stede is just gonna let it slide. I'm afraid we can't do anything but...watch it happen now." He said, pulling her into a hug as he watched her expression go from concerned to crushed in a matter of seconds.

Less than fifteen minutes later, she stood in front of Izzy's door, contemplating whether or not she should knock. Finally, she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles against to wood.

"What?" He snapped from the other side.

"It's me." She called quietly.

The door opened a moment later and Izzy stood in the doorway. He pulled her into the room, then shut the door. "Surprised you still came."

"I mean, I did say it was a date. Even if you did try to kill my captain." She reasoned.

"It was bound to happen eventually."

"Stede may not be a pirate, but he is a good man. I love him like family. But I can understand that he isn't everyone's cup of tea." She said, resigned. "I just wish you hadn't made that stupid wager. You know, it's only been two weeks, but I've started to really feel like something is there between us. Am I wrong for thinking that?"

"No. But you and I both know that things just got very complicated. You and I won't be an arm's length away anymore. We may not see eachother again for a long while for all we really know."

"Then uncomplicate it. Even just for tonight. Let's act as if none of that is real. Just give me tonight, and the rest will come when it comes." She pleaded.

He simply responded by pulling her forward by the waist and kissing her as if it was the last time he would ever get to do so.

Chapter Text

XXX

When they broke apart, everything was clearly written on his face; his indecision on whether to move or not, and the lust that was conveyed in his narrow gaze. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he cleared his throat and moved his hand from her waist to her face.

"What's wro-" Colette's words were cut off by Izzy's lips as he leaned over and kissed her once more. He had made his final decision. He pulled her over to the bed, their lips still connected. His legs hit the bed, and he pulled her down to straddle his waist. A groan escaped her when his tongue licked at her lips, asking for entrance.

She granted it, opening her lips to his kiss as he pulled her full against him. He shuddered as he felt her breasts against his chest and clutched the back of her head, taking more control of their deep kisses.

Soon, they were breathing heavily through their kissing, their hands clutching each other, trying to get closer than they already were. Cole didn't know it would be like this. Just kissing Izzy in that moment had her slick between her legs as she ground herself against his lap to relieve the ache building there.

As their tongues continued to battle, she began to explore; trailing her hands that had been clutching his hair down his neck and shoulders to caress his broad chest.

She broke the kiss long enough to stand up and remove her clothing. She did it slowly, sensually. She gave him a show, and he watched in rapt enthrallment. She stepped forward and grabbed his shirt before making eye contact with him.

"Is this alright?" She asked quietly.

"Always." He assured her. She stripped his top off and he helped with his bottoms, allowing them both to be fully undressed for the other to see.

Before Colette knew what was happening Izzy had grabbed her and flipped them over so that he was hovering atop of her. She was pinned beneath him as he pulled her legs to fit right under his own.

Before she had time to process this, she was looking down at the top of Izzy's tousled hair before his head disappeared between her legs. In the next instance, Cole's back arched off the bed and a husky groan escaped from between her lips as she felt him lick her already wet pussy; his tongue a wet, warm electrifying sensation against her sensitive folds.

Izzy proceeded to feast like a man starving, savoring every inch of her with his tongue before he latched onto her clit, sucking the bud between his lips and caressing it with his tongue. As he did this, he slowly pushed his forefinger into her, her body easily accepting the finger to the second knuckle due to her excitement.

Colette bucked her hips against his face and cried out, throwing her head back against the pillow and clutching onto his hair. She spread her legs further as Izzy continued to add a second finger after sucking and licking her a few more times.

Feeling more wetness coat his fingers and her body clutch onto him even tighter, Izzy felt she was more than ready for what they both wanted. Removing his fingers from her, he sucked the juice covered digits before giving her pussy one more firm lick.

Kissing his way back up her body, stopping to nip here and lick there, he finally made it back up to her face, where he took her lips in a deep kiss before pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"You sure you want this, love?'' He whispered down to her, making sure to look her in the eyes. He didn't want her waking up tomorrow regretting this. He sure knew he wouldn't. His inner thoughts were a roar of different emotions. If they did this, he wouldn't be able to turn back. His thoughts of the woman had taken a strong turn as of the last few days, and he felt himself growing more attached by the minute.

Little did he know that Colette was having the same revelation. She knew that this night was going to seal her fate with Israel Hands one way or another.

Cole shuddered at the endearment, her body on fire from Izzy's teasing. She had been just on the edge before he suddenly stopped. She had made the decision to cross the line, and she sure as hell wasn't about to back out now.

"Never been more sure. I want you to give me everything you've got." As she said this, she reached down and wrapped her hand around his throbbing shaft, giving it a firm stroke before guiding it inside her.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he pushed forward slowly, watching her face as her body stretched to accommodate him. Colette let out a strangled noise as he bottomed out.

One hand was firmly planted beside her head and kept him propped up. He leaned down and began kissing her, caressing her tongue with his as his free hand massaged her breast and nipple.

She whimpered into the kiss, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Breaking their heated kiss, Cole turned her head the side, panting for breath as her eyes stared unseeingly into the darkness of his room as she adjusted to the sensation of being so full of someone else. Colette felt beyond amazing, the sensation almost indescribable. Raising his hand, he turned her head toward him so he could see her face.

Izzy pulled back to kneel on his knees, pulling her up with him. He switched spots so he was sitting down and she was on her knees straddling his hips once again. Positioning her so that she hovered over his erection, he held his dick to her slick entrance and pushed in.

A grunt escaped Izzy as Colette let out a low cry, this one filled with shocked pleasure as he entered her from a new angle. She wrapped her arms around Izzy's neck as he took hold of her hips and began to guide her in slow movements, making sure with each thrust he was buried deep inside her pussy.

Catching onto the rhythm after a bit, Cole soon took control and began rocking on his dick by herself, his hands clutching tight onto her hips as he began thrusting his own hips up to meet hers. Soon enough both were sweating and panting, her breasts rubbing deliciously against his chest as they pressed together, their bodies' movements gradually becoming faster the longer they moved against one another.

Izzy's deep groans and Colette's low cries filled the room.

"If I die tonight and go to hell, then I'll have at least died knowing this is what heaven is like." Izzy groaned out, his hands caressing her hips as he kissed the side of her neck.

It was hitting them both that they only had tonight. One night together until he was off the ship and who knew when or if they would be able to see eachother like this again?

Izzy's words and actions pushed her closer to her climax; she could feel it building deep in her body. She bit her bottom lip and looked at him with hooded eyes. He used the grip he had on her to move her even deeper and harder on his body.

"Ahhhh! Pleeaassee" Colette cried out, feeling her body heat up even more. She could feel herself just on the edge, but couldn't quite get there yet. She just needed a little bit more to push her over...

"That's right, Colette. Just a bit more for me, love." Izzy growled out in her ear, releasing one of her hips to reach between their thrusting bodies and rub her throbbing clit with his thumb.

Colette screamed out his name, Izzy's gentle words and clever fingers doing their job as she threw her head back; her orgasm hitting her like a tidal wave. Her hands dug into Izzy's shoulders as her body seemed to take on wave after wave of pleasure.

Izzy moaned out as she came, her walls gripping him harder than ever and with a few more thrusts, finally thrust deep one last time and came deep inside her.

XXX

Collapsing backwards, Colette falling on top of him, he clutched her to him; both of them a sweaty, sticky, panting mess as their lips met in a messy kiss.

"Izzy?" She said quietly as she rolled over and lay beside him, her head on his chest.

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to go." She said, unspoken emotions seeping into her tone. She met his hand with her own and tentatively laced their fingers together.

He allowed it, relishing in the feeling. While he had been so worried about Ed growing too fond of Stede, he hadn't realized that his own emotions for a certain red haired woman had grown like a flame in a brush pile. She had managed to make her way into his thoughts almost constantly, and that wasn't going away any time soon.

"I know. But I'll be finding ways to get back. I promise you that. No one is gonna keep me off the Revenge for long." He assured her.

"Maybe I can talk to the Captains when things simmer down in a few days. If you go to Jackie's or somewhere near there, we can come back and get you? I'm sure we can convince them."

"You go ahead and do that. Won't do any good, but it'll make me feel feel a right lot better knowing someone is here still bugging the hell out of Stede Bonnet because of me."

"I'm serious, Iz. You belong on this ship with the rest of us, even if some people don't agree. You're a damn good pirate, and I'm starting to fa-" she cut herself off. Izzy did you need to know she was falling for him. Not now when he was about to leave. Besides, what good would it do to say it now? No, she would keep that to herself.

Izzy noticed her sudden silence, but decided not to comment on it.

"Come on. Let's wash up, and then we'll both need to get some sleep." He said instead.

"Can I stay in here?" She asked.

"I'd be disappointed if you didnt."

Chapter Text

"Stay here and watch the ship. We'll be back as soon as we find these stupid oranges, and then we can sit in our room and you can read to us. How does that sound?" Jim asked, kneeling in front of Cole.

Colette had been a bit off all morning, and it was honestly unsettling. The woman always had some sort of smart remark or quip to make, but she had been scattered about her work in silence instead. She seemed to be all over the place, unable to focus on one thing for too long. Izzy was gone when she awoke, and she couldn't help but feel a bit...empty. He had held her close in his sleep, his subconscious not wanting to part from her even while unconscious.

Colette was decidedly not taking his absence well, and while most of the crew was glad to be rid of the man, some of them were wondering if maybe things had gone too far. After all, he treated Colette well, and she was generally a decent judge of character.

Colette looked up at Jim and gave them a small, tight lipped smile. She nod her head and whispered an agreement to their suggestion. It wasn't much, but Jim was glad to see some sort of reaction from her.

"Perfect. Olu and I will be back in a few hours. You get a book picked out for when we get back. Maybe you can even find something to see or something to pass the time. I'll see you soon, Mija."

But that wasn't true. Instead, when the crew arrived back to the ship after dusk, Olu walked into his room alone to find Cole curled up and asleep on the bed, with a book clutched in her arms. He sighed and ran a hand down his face before tapping her gently.

She woke with a start, looking around in slight panic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." She apologized. She looked around and noticed a distinct lack of someone. "Where's Jim?"

"Colette, Jim left." He said softly.

A dagger in her chest. That's what it felt like.

He explained what had happened on the island, and she listened with a slightly pained expression. She tried to understand, but it was hard. Two people in one day was to much for her to handle.

"But... they said they'd be right back." Cole said quietly, her voice small. "Why would they leave without- I don't understand."

That night, Olu and Cole held onto eachother as she finally cried, unleashing her feelings. Everyone was leaving, and she was so sick of being what got left behind.

□■□

Calico Jack made Colette's skin crawl. The way he looked at her made her want to scrub her flesh until there wasnt a bit of it left that he had laid eyes on. She stayed close to Wee John, who seemed equally unimpressed by the newcomer.

Cole noted that Ed wasn't acting like himself, trying too hard to be someone he had stopped being a long time ago. She was all for a bit of fun, but the mindless destruction was too much for her. When the crew got off the ship to go run amuck on the beach, she stayed and cleaned up the mess that had been left on deck. She couldn't shake the exhaustion that had set into her bones, and she found herself taking small naps throughout the day when she could get some quiet. The tiredness seemed to come from her very soul, making her a bit on edge and frustrated. She didn't want to be a miserable bitch, but her mind and body were just to tired to fight.

Things took a turn for the worse when the crew returned and dinner time came about.

"What did you cook up for us while we were gone, little missy?" Jack asked, sauntering up to Colette's side where she stood adjusting the rigging.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cole asked incredulously.

"I asked what you cooked u-"

"No, I heard you the first time. Just didn't think you'd be fucking stupid enough to repeat it." She cut him off. She was fuming at his blatant disrespect.

His expression started off shocked, then turned less than friendly. "You got one hell of a mouth on you."

"Yeah and I bite, so why don't you fuck right off before I draw blood."

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Lettie. Let's just all take a step back and cool off." Ed said, knowing that if the two of them fought, someone would end up dead. "Jack, why don't you go down to the mess. Well have our cook Roach fix us up a tasty meal."

"Fine. But you better keep an eye on that one, Blackbeard. She's gonna cause more trouble than she's worth." Jack scoffed as he walked away.

"Insufferable little worm." Cole growled out. "Sorry, Captain. I'll go work on the rigging up top and then head to the crow's nest." She informed him.

Ed looked at her and sighed in discontent. She was not taking the absence of Izzy and Jim well and everyone could see it. But it was disconcerting to him to see the woman he knew as normally rather easygoing and carefree to be so strung out and off.

"You don't need to do that, just relax a bit. Take a little time off." Ed suggested.

"No offense, Ed, but if he's on the ship, I'm not relaxing. He may be your old friend, but I don't plan to be his friend any time soon. Something is off about him, and it's not just the fact that I've caught him staring at my tits every time he's spoken to me."

"I'm sorry he makes you uncomfortable. But Jack is a good guy! He's just had some stuff going on lately. If it makes you feel better, I'll try to keep him away from you for the rest of the time he's here."

"Thank you, Captain. Now if you'll excuse me, there's some rigging I need to be climbing, and a very empty crows nest."

She wasn't bothered until hours later, when she heard the crew yelling as they piled onto the main deck.

"Put the apple on your head! Yeah, right on top!" Jack yelled. She leaned over the edge to see the Swede messing with an apple and trying to balance it atop his head.

She rolled her eyes and climbed down as Jack began to rile up the crew.

"This is a stupid idea." Colette said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jack turned to look at her and scoffed. "Well forgive me if I don't take my advice from someone who doesn't look like they've ever had fun."

"I can have fun, but I can also tell when things are going too far. This is going to end up with someone seriously hurt." She huffed, walking over to the Swede and standing in front of him. "You know he's not gonna hit that apple, right?"

"It'll be fine. I'll hit it and everyone will cheer. Watch!"

Several snaps of the whip. A cry of pain. A squawk of a bird. Buttons looked down at Karl, the bird now limp and unmoving. The rest of the crew looked in horror at the back of Cole's shirt, and the two long gashes in her shirt that was now becoming soaked in red.

She staggered forward, the Swede catching her arms as he looked around at the others in panic. Olu, Lucius, and Wee John rushed forward to them as the others watched Buttons threaten Calico Jack.

"How bad does it look?" Colette asked through gritted teeth. Tears were steadily streaming down her face as the pain set in.

"It's a good thing Jim ain't here." Olu said. That was all she needed to know.

"Let's get you down to the kitchen." Wee John said, taking one of her arms as Frenchie took the other.

Ed looked after them, his expression betraying the fear he felt for the woman. No one was supposed to get hurt, yet here one of the people he felt had become closest to was, being practically carried away after things went too far. There was no way he could face her after that.

Once downstairs, Roach cleaned the wounds and put a bit of salve on them before bandaging her up. "You'll need to change those bandages about halfway through the night. Sleep on your stomach. Keep it clean." He instructed.

"Got it. Olu, you wanna stay with me since Frenchie and Wee John have your old room? You can help me change these and make sure I don't die in my sleep. At the rate I'm going, it wouldn't be a shock."

"God, don't even joke like that. I think I'd jump overboard if you died." Lucius admit.

"Nah, you'd be fine. Besides, you have Pete. You two are like two peas in a pod, yeah? Can't have you leaving him all alone. Don't think he'd make it without you." She said with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, but kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "Get some rest. Oluwande, you make sure she doesn't fuck up her back even worse tonight."

"Will do. Let's get you to your room, Cole." Olu said, helping the girl up from her seat and leading her to her room.

The night was rough, neither one of them getting much sleep. The pain kept her from getting comfortable, and his worry kept him from sleeping for too long. When he realized he wasn't going to get any solid sleep, he looked at Colette and sighed.

"What was that book? The one you were gonna read me and Jim?"

"As You Like It by Shakespeare. It's a fantastic story." She said, readjusting herself to sit up more.

"You wanna read it? I'm gonna have something to drink. Maybe it'll help pass time for both of us."

"Yeah, just grab it from the shelf for me on your way back from the kitchen. It's just up top." She said with a sad smile. She knew he missed Jim. She did, too.

When he returned with a full bottle of rum and a new roll of bandages, she knew they were in for a long night.

In the end, Olu fell asleep a third of the way through the story after finishing an entire bottle of rum by himself. Cole took the time to read silently, finally falling asleep near dawn.

When she finally woke up, she could feel the wounds on her back practically pulsing along with her heartbeat. She knew she had tossed and turned while she was asleep, because her bedsheets were sticky and tinged red. Olu was nowhere to be found, and she figured he had made his way up to the main deck. She wouldn't be able to clean herself up without assistance, so she stood up with a hiss and slowly made her way to the main deck.

When she arrived, she noted that everyone was looking concerned off to one side of the ship.

"Captain? Is everything alright?" She asked.

Stede rushed over to her and worriedly looked her over. "Colette! Are you okay? I meant to check on you last night, but-"

"It's alright. It hurts but I'll live. Just came up to see if someone could help me clean up."

"Ah, well, that may have to wait just a bit it seems there's a bit of a problem."

"Problem? What's wrong?" She asked. Before Stede could reply, a cannonball took out the figurehead of the ship, causing everyone to shout out in surprise as they tried to regain balance.

"Warning shot. The next one's into the hull." Olu said, making his way over to Stede and Cole.

"Right. We should probably fire back at them, um. Prepare the cannons!" Stede announced, looking around in a panic.

"Wait! Hoist the white flag!" Ed's voice rang out. Cole turned around to see him standing on the railing, completely drenched.

"Ed." Stede breathed in relief.

"Better alive than dead." Ed struggled out as he climbed over.

"Well, come on! Do what he said!" Stede commanded. Everyone scrambled except Lucius, Olu, and Colette.

"Lucius, Olu, you two help Colette clean her back, then all of you come up as quickly as possible." Ed told them. "We don't want it to look like we're trying to hide anyone, but she needs her back taken care of."

Cole looked at him with a slight frown. "No Jack?"

"Nah. My friends needed me more." He said with a grin.

Her frown slowly turned into a smile as she nodded. "Good to have you back, Ed."

Chapter Text

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Why not? Because your brother was a pig and an ass, and if I had married him I would have ended up a miserable old wretch who hated her life and everyone in it. I did not love your brother, and I would have rather faced the gallows for running than marry him."

A clenched jaw. A sigh of irritation. Chauncey Badminton looked at Colette Seburn with disdain. "Nigel was an honorable man and was worthy of a woman better than you. It would have been an honor for you to marry him."

"It would have been a fate equal to death. Now if that's all you have to speak to me about, I'll be going." Cole said decidedly as she stood.

"Not quite. What about the piracy you've observed upon this vessel? What spoils of victory have you all obtained in your godless pillages?"

"Piracy? Why, Chauncey Badminton, the only booty we've stowed on this ship is my own. And Lucius's, but he's a bit less prone to wearing trousers that accent it properly." She smirked as she opened the door and looked at the guards. "Take me up, boys. I believe I'm quite through here."

When she saw that the crew were all in varying states if frustration, her brow furrowed. "What the hell happened here?"

"Frenchie screwed up and now they have the Captain's journal." Wee John told her quietly.

She leaned over to look at Frenchie, wincing at the strain on her back, but frowning nonetheless. He simply mouthed "sorry" and avoided eye contact. She sat back and sighed. There was nothing else they could do.

"I don't suppose your interrogation went well for him?" A voice asked, causing Colette's head to snap up. Her eyes immediately found the speaker and her jaw dropped a bit.

"I-Izzy?"

"In the flesh."

She stood and slowly walked over to him. "How?"

"Sometimes you have to do some things you don't like to get what you want."

"Things you dont like meaning you work with these fucking crown kissing bastards? Come on, Izzy, you're a better pirate than that."

"Exactly. I'm a pirate, Colette. Sooner or later, you'll learn we're all just in different stages of screwing eachother over."

"Apologies for hoping you were better than that."

"I think you better go sit back with your crew."

"I think you're right."

It wasn't long before Stede and Ed were both paraded up to them, both tied up at the wrists.

The soldiers readied a firing squad, and Cole could feel her back burn each time she tensed up at the sound of gunshots. They were only shooting at a bag, but she wondered if Chauncey was bitter enough to send her to her bitter end in that way as well.

A banging gavel drew everyone's attention to the upper deck. "In the name of His Majesty, King George, this tribunal shall come to order. Edward Teach... or "Black Beard."." Badminton announced.

"It's just "Blackbeard." Like, just run it together as one word. "Blackbeard." Don't have to put a gap in there." Ed corrected.

"You face death... for general crimes of piracy against the Crown."

"Yeah."

"But a friend of the Crown has prevailed upon me to remand you to his custody. You shall be released to Captain Hands in exchange for his service to the King."

"Captain Hands?" Colette nearly scoffed. This was not the same man she had spent the night with only days before. This was the side of Izzy Hands she had been delusional enough to hope didn't exist.

"How he still alive, anyway?" Roach asked.

"Traitor!" The Swede called out.

"Order. Stede Bonnet... for the wanton murder of Nigel Badminton... your sentence is death... by firing squad." Badminton practically growled, slamming the gavel down once more in a sense of finality.

They pulled Stede to the side and blindfolded him, then coralled the rest of the crew to the opposite side. A particularly rough shove to the back had Colette giving a strangled cry of pain, and the crew shoving to form a sort of barrier between her and the aggressive soldier. Her breath came in small gasps as she blinked away a few tears.

"Fuck, that hurt." She said in a strained whisper.

"What the fuck is happening here?" Izzy commanded, pushing through to see Pete and Lucius now kneeling in front of Cole. She was gripping Pete so tightly it would surely bruise, and Lucius was smoothing her hair back with his free hand as the other held her arm in support.

"That jerk just pushed her and probably opened her back up again." Pete said, nodding his head in the soldier's direction.

"What do you mean again? What's wrong with her back?" Izzy asked, a hint of concern tinging his voice.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." Cole said through gritted teeth as she stood up as straight as she could, her breath catching. "Come on. Let's go before Captain Hands decides we belong over there with Stede."

Izzy's jaw clenched as they walked away. Couldn't they see this was for the best? That he was just trying to do what would help them all in the long run?

"Oh my god! I don't wanna die! Oh god! Oh please!" Stede begged as the firing squad cocked their rifles.

Izzy approached Ed, hoping he would see reason. "Edward... I know you're upset, but it was the only..." Izzy couldn't even finish a full sentence before Ed had decked him in the jaw.

"Very nice, very nice." Frenchie said, clapping. Everyone else chattered in agreement.

"Okay... that's fair. That's fair. Remember though, you said when you made me first mate, "Above all else is loyalty to your Captain."." Izzy said, still trying to appeal to the man.

"Rifles at the ready!" Badminton announced.

"Oh god." Stede cried.

"I can't. I can't watch this." Colette whispered. Roach pulled her around so her face was hidden in his shoulder.

"Aim!" Badminton yelled.

"Act of Grace!" Ed suddenly yelled, causing Cole to whip around with wide eyes. "Act of Grace! Act of Grace! Say it. Say "Act of Grace"!"

"What?!" Stede asked.

"Act of Grace!" The crew all shouted.

"You have to say it, Stede!" Cole told him, her heart racing.

"Grace! What he said!" Stede finally spit out. "What's the Act of Grace?"

Ed quickly explained it as the General walked down the steps.

"So... you want to go to war for the King?" The bald man grit out.

"We'd rather eat our own faces, but yes." Ed shrugged.

"Two Acts of Grace, please." Stede requested.

"Ah... I'm afraid the offer doesn't extend to you, Bonnet. After all, the King was only referring to real pirates. He's from my world, not yours. Raise your rifles!"

"Ah! Put the blindfold back on."

"No, you can't! That isn't fair, you vulture!" Cole shouted.

" "June the third. An excellent day! Raided a commercial vessel after overwhelming the hardy crew. We claimed a prize of lush vegetation in conquest." Here's an illustration for reference." Lucius spoke.

"And here's the vegetation in question." Olu held up the thriving plant.

" "They'll never forget the Eccentric Pirate Bonnet and his savage, insane, vengeful pirate horde." See? He's a pirate. A real, proper pirate." Lucius finished, proudly holding Stede's Journal.

"A proper pirate." Olu agreed.

"That man is a fearsome pirate if e'er I seen one. Ya great foppin' twats!" Buttons yelled, causing Cole to smile widely.

"Yeah, he's definitely a pirate." She agreed.

"Well, rule-of-law-wise, I'd say that settles it." One of the men said.

"A plant and a drawing? Settles nothing." Badminton argued.

"It's enough for us. Blackbeard renounces piracy to serve the Crown? We'll be dining with Ol' King George himself." Another man chuckled.

"Why? Why do you all show such loyalty to this... this... nothing?"

"I'd attribute quite a lot of it to a people-positive management style." Stede chimed in.

"Shut up!" Badminton drew his sword and pointed it at Stede.

"Stand down, Admiral. Or we'll be forced to take measures." The officer commanded.

"Measures?! Against me?! He's the criminal! All right! He's the murderer!"

"Calm down, Mr. Wavy Blade." Stede quipped, causing Colette to snort behind her hand.

"Give it a break, mate. You're freakin' us all out." Ed agreed.

"Chauncey, sometimes, when we get a bit angry, do you know what we like to do? We talk it through..."

"As a crew!" The crew said proudly.

"Yes."

"Oh, I know. I know what's happened. Yeah, we've somehow drifted south of the equator, and ended up in Backwardsland!" That was all it took for the soldiers to converge, wrestling him to the ground.

Colette let out a sigh and looked up at Roach. "Can we go fix my back and put some salve on it? Can feel my bleedin' heartbeat in the gashes."

"Yeah, let's get you cleaned up. Can't have our favorite girl getting an infection." Roach said, leading her past the scuffle on the ground.

"And where do you thing you're sneaking off to?" Izzy asked.

"To fix the bandages on my back so I don't fucking die. That quite alright with you?" Cole snapped as she walked past him.

He was honestly too stunned to respond, so he just watched as she passed, noticing the growing patch of red on the back of her shirt. What the hell had happened while he was gone?

Chapter Text

"I've fixed you up, but I'm going to tell you right now, too much more of this and you're going to get an infection. Bedrest for the rest of the day, and we're going to clean it regularly. We can't have you running around reopening your wounds every five seconds." Roach said sternly.

"Alright, alright. But I don't know how well our new captain is going to take the news that someone on board his ship is about as useful as a bucket of dirty mop water." Cole huffed.

"You let us worry about that. Give us a chance to take care of you. You're always taking care of us. You've had a rough go lately and you deserve to have some time to recover." Frenchie said, running a gentle hand through her hair.

She looked up at him and sighed. They weren't going to drop it any time soon, and she figured it would just be easier to let it happen.

"Fine."

"Good. Now let's get you to bed. We'll take turns watching over you to make sure you don't turn on your back." Roach instructed.

As much as she hated to admit it, Colette was thankful for her little family taking care of her. She needed some proper sleep, and a chance to rest her mind as well.

Izzy showed up at her door after not seeing her on deck and laying into the crew for her absence. When he found out exactly what had happened while he was away via Black Pete, he knew he needed to go see her. He didn't expect to see Lucius sitting by her bed, watching over her as she slept on her stomach.

"She's gonna be alright. Physically." Lucius said quietly once he realized who was in the doorway. "I think she's a little scrambled mentally now, honestly. You left, Jim left, Calico Jack came and left after disfiguring her back, you came back and crushed her heart, and now Stede and Ed are gone. She's been through more in the last week than most people go through in a lifetime."

"She's strong. She'll live."

"She's not. She pretends that she can handle everything and that nothing phases her, but she can't handle as much as she pretends to. She's been cracking for a while now, and I think you finally managed to do it. You managed to break down the great Colette Seburn." Lucius scoffed. "Y'know, I think she really was starting to fall for you. I know what Cole is like when she's just in it for the pleasure, and you were different. She had hope for you. Nice to know you cared enough to snuff out that flame before she got too far gone. I was starting to think she was in love or something. Wouldn't that have been just awful?"

Izzy could hear the contempt and venom in Lucius's voice as he spoke quietly. His eyes never left Colette's sleeping form as he spit his worst at the man.

"When she wakes up, I want to know." Izzy said simply before turning and leaving. The words had sunk in, and he felt a pain deep in his chest. He knew that Colette's feelings ran deep for him, if only because, loathe as he was to admit it, his feelings towards her were the same.

He stalked back up to the main deck, his mind still stuck in that room with Colette.

□■□

"Okay, that's nine for mutiny, one abstain, and zero against."

Colette sat on the seat between Frenchie and Olu, still sluggish from her long nap. She had slept until almost dinner time, and her body had still not caught up with her now rested mind. She read to Wee John for a bit before the Swede came to her room and gathered them. The boys had called a meeting to decide what their next move was, and the almost unanimous decision was mutiny. She couldn't help but get flashbacks to the last time the crew had suggested a mutiny.

●○●

"What about you, Oluwande? In or out?" Pete asked as Colette walked up to their little group.

"If you're thinking about mutiny, you're all morons." Cole informed them.

"And why exactly is that?" Wee John asked her with a skeptical look.

"Show of hands, who all here likes three meals a day, being able to sleep at night without fear of being stabbed, and last but certainly not least, the fact that they're getting paid quite well to sail and don't have to do anything they don't really want to."

Slowly but surely, every crew member put their hand in the air.

"Exactly. Complain as you might, Stede Bonnet has treated all of us far better than what any of us deserve. And a mutiny may sound like a good idea right now, but the second you do it, that lifestyle stops." Cole said with a huff, her tone deathly serious.

"I don’t really have a problem with the captain. He reads us stories at night. That’s one nice thing about him. If we kill him, we’ll never know what happens to the wooden doll who wants to become a real boy. Because none of us can read. And Cole wouldn't finish it for us just on principle." Olu reasoned, earning a not from Colette.

"Lucius reads." The Swede offered.

"But can he do voices? Captain does the voices." Wee John reminded.

"Captain does the voices." Olu agreed.

"Talk like a wooden boy." Roach demanded, looking expectantly at Lucius.

"Do the, uh, the boy voice." Frenchie added.

"Oh, no... That's okay." Lucius declined nervously.

The crew all continued to shout encouragements, finally overwhelming the poor man.

"Oh hello, I’m a little wooden boy, and me legs are sticks..." Lucius imitated terribly, causing Colette to stifle a laugh behind her hand.

"Christ, that was awful." Wee John grimaced, finally causing Colette to laugh out loud.

●○●

"Are you guys sure you're up for this?" They asked Ivan and Fang.

"Yes! Yeah! Yeah, yeah." They both agreed.

"And that Brown Peter, he can't be first mate. I saw him talking to Izzy about it before." Fang said, his voice full of disdain. "Never. Disaster. No offense to Lucius."

"Oh god, no. Don't apologize to me. I mean, I love that man, but, um, leadership's not his, his strength." Lucius waved his apology off.

"Pete's loyal like a dog with food. Kinda just follows whoever has the kibble. Good man just doesn't really know how the hierarchy works." Cole reasoned.

"All right, well, the second thing is: who's gonna be in charge?" Wee John asked.

"Yeah. It's got... It's gotta be someone we can all trust. Someone who has the entire crew in mind, not just themselves." Olu explained.

"It's you." The Swede said with a smile.

"Nah."

"There's only one choice." Frenchie agreed.

"No, no, no, no. I c... No. I don't want it. I'm officially taking myself out of the running. Thank you. Why not Colette? She's got the mindset of a great captain!"

"Ah, no. I'm not captain material. I've got a good thing going with the fixing and rigging things. Not to mention I think everyone would agree that even if I was for this whole mutiny thing, I'm in no state to be captain right now. Mentally or physically." Cole said with a small grimace.

"Well, I reckon that settles it. The only good cap'ns... are the ones that hate being captains, eh? It'll be an honor to serve under you, Cap'n Oluwande." Buttons said with a wide smile.

"N-No, seriously, I..."

"Captain. Captain. Captain." Roach started chanting. The rest of the crew were quick to join in.

"Looks like tomorrow is your big day." Cole said with a small smile. Olu nod and gave a smile that admittedly looked more like a grimace. She stood up and slipped out of the room.

She knew that a mutiny was unavoidable, they'd all filled her in on how terrible Izzy had been while she had been sleeping. But it didn't make her feel any better about it. Izzy was certainly not the man she had hoped he was, but he was still a man who did what he thought was right by his captain. And wasn't that what any good first mate would do- protect their captain?

God, she sounded delusional trying to justify the man's actions. But was it that far off from her own ideals? Colette was loyal to a fault, and sometimes that meant doing things that would piss everyone else off for the people she loved. And God help her, she was pretty sure she loved Izzy Hands.

She made it to the main deck and gave a nod of recognition to Pete who was at the wheel. If she was lucky, no one would bother her until the next time she needed her bandages changed.

"Should you be walking about the ship in your state?"

Shit.

"Probably not, but I couldn't stay cooped up in that room any longer." She replied. She turned to see Izzy, coming forward to lean on the railing beside her.

"You seem to be doing alright, anyways." He said, his tone aloof.

She couldn't help the scoff that came out of her. "Yeah, right. Well, try telling them that. They're all acting like I'm going to break if they breathe on me the wrong way."

"They told me what happened. Can't say I blame them."

"I can. I've not broken yet, even after I've had every reason to. Any crack in my armor, I can fix. They don't need to take care of me when they've got more important things to do."

"You're important, Colette. Whether you think so or not."

"Yeah, well, obviously not important enough. You left. Jim left. Neither of you even said goodbye properly. Forgive me when I say I'm a bit skeptical."

"Colette-"

"Don't. If you have any decency in that thing you call a heart, you'll not say whatever you were thinking. I had hope that you could be a good man, Israel Hands. You showed me a side of you that I highly doubt many others have had the privilege of seeing. It took weeks to get there, but we did. And all it took was one fucking day to shatter that illusion. I love you, Izzy, but I can't stand by you while you ruin things. I deserve better than that, and I won't compromise my happiness for your power trip." She took a shaky breath and walked away before he could respond.

She walked over to the stairwell and saw Lucius and Frenchie standing on the top step, both men with matching looks of guilt on their faces.

"How long?" She asked quietly.

"Long enough." Frenchie answered, his voice matching her own.

She simply nod her head and slid past them, choosing to ignore the situation for the moment. She needed to be alone.

□■□

"Okay, okay! Maybe, maybe we got off to a bad start. But, what, what, what, what can I do differently, huh? I'm open to suggestions!" Izzy yelled as the crew prepared to throw him overboard with no qualms.

Cole stood against the railing beside them, watching the scene with her arms crossed. Was this the right thing to do? Who the hell knew anymore.

Fang had informed her an hour prior that they were setting forth the plan, and she was thankful she didn't have an active part in it. A fact she was sure she could thank Frenchie and Lucius for when the time came.

"Pete! Help me out here!" Izzy yelled, struggling against the ropes that bound him.

"For the record, I never formally accepted the role of "first mate" and I fully endorse this mutiny." Pete informed him.

"Gah! Y-You, you, you don't have to do this. Part of good leadership is restraint." Izzy tried appealing to Olu.

"Everyone's got their own style." The man responded nonchalantly.

"One! Two!" The crew counted.

"Hold it!" A voice called out from the other side of the ship, causing everyone to turn and look. There stood Ed Teach, face shaved and an unmistakable look of disappointment and heartbreak on his face that Cole knew too well. "Izzy... I'll take tea in my room."

Colette was probably the only one to notice that Stede wasn't trailing behind him, and she could feel her heart drop. This feeling was becoming all too familiar for her.

"Put him down. Untie him. I'm going to go sit with Ed. No one disturb us except to bring the tea and leave." Colette said, her brain going on autopilot. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she was pretty sure that this one wouldn't be an easy fix.

Chapter Text

Ed was silent, and Cole was content to side beside him in equal silence. She sat on a chair beside the bed, her eyes focused on the window. He wore Stede's robe and laid in the man's bed, tears slowly sliding down his face.

"Why would he leave me?" Ed finally asked, several hours after the tea in his cup had gone cold.

"I honestly don't know. I think sometimes people leave because it's not as scary as staying. Staying means that you have to face your thoughts and feelings. All of them." Colette said quietly.

"But we talked about things. We were both happy. We made each other happy."

"Being happy isn't always enough to make someone stay. It wasn't enough to make the people I loved stay. And trust me, Stede loves you. But he had a lot of unresolved history that he was also struggling with. When Stede and I set off on this adventure, he left a family that he still cared for. I didn't. My mother died when I was young, and my father just wanted to be rid of me. But when I left all that behind, I found a new family who loved me and wanted me around. Stede has been trying to juggle both parts of his life in his mind, and he needs closure on his old life in order to properly live his new one."

Ed looked at her with sad eyes, then scoot over and pat the empty side of the bed for her to sit. She moved from chair to bed, settling in a bit stiffly.

"You're a good person, Colette. I've been a terrible friend, and you've been nothing but kind and accepting of me." Ed said, his eyes fixed downward on his hands. "After what happened with Jack, I didn't even say anything. You got hurt and I just stood by."

"I did get hurt. And it'll take a while for me to physically heal. But it wasn't your fault. That was your past affecting your present, and the consequences of the choices made all around during that time hurt others. The same way what's happening with Stede is affecting you."

Her words sank in, and he nod in understanding. "I'm still sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"I'm sorry, too. You deserve to be happy. You shouldn't have to deal with this type of hurt. No one should."

A knock at the door made both of them look up to see Izzy standing in the doorway.

"May I have a moment with Colette?" He asked, looking between the two.

Ed looked at Cole, then at Izzy, then back at her. When she nod in agreement, he did as well. "Yeah. Just come back after. Both of you." He instructed.

Cole stood and followed Izzy out of the room, all the way to his own room. He shut the door behind him and sat on the bed, taking a deep breath before clearing his throat. "Would you sit with me for a minute?"

She looked at the spot beside him and sighed, but sat. "Listen, if this is about the mutiny-." She started.

"No, no. It's not. Technically. I deserved that. I actually wanted to apologize."

"Shit, lot of apologies flying around today." She mused.

"I treated you in a way that wasn't fair to you or your feelings. You were right, you shouldn't have to sacrifice your happiness and feelings just because I was being an ass. I was blinded by my love for Edward in a way that led me to hurt you. You deserve better. I want to be better. I want to deserve you. And I... I thought about what you said."

"About what?"

"There are a lot of people in the world. It seems silly to just love one. Just because I love Edward doesn't mean I can't love you in the way you deserve to be loved. If you'll let me."

"Izzy...you hurt me. You said and did things that made me feel like I didn't matter. I'm glad you realized that the way you acted and treated me wasn't okay, but it's gonna take time to build trust. I love you, Izzy. And because of that, I'm not just going to jump into something without hesitation. If you're serious about this, about me, then you'll put in the work to build something with me. Something real."

"I will work for this. For us." He said with conviction. "I...I love you. And I'll prove that."

"I look forward to it." She said, kissing his cheek. "Come on, Ed is waiting."

The two made it back to the Captain's quarters to find that Ed had started in on making a fort out of pillows and blankets.

"Ed?" Cole called. He popped out from behind a pile of cushions and waved at them.

"Izzy! Cole! Come help with this fort. We're going to have a sleepover in it. It needs to be big." Ed informed them.

The two shared a look before nodding, unsure of what to really do.

"Grab some blankets and start spreading them. We need a roof."

□■□

"Gentlemen! Blackbeard is in fine spirits this morning, and he sends... his regards. He's still a, a tad under the weather, but he will be back amongst us soon." Izzy announced, Cole following close behind.

The two had spent the night in Ed's room, building a fort and listening to him finally explain what had happened while he was away. He held an appropriate amount of anger and hurt for Izzy, but he didn't want to be alone. So he soldiered up and dealt with the man's presence for the night.

"So, he's, he's sick, but doing well... is the news?" Frenchie asked.

"Exactly, yes! And, um, in the meantime, maybe, you could, you know, polish things, or, maybe, swab the deck." Izzy suggested. He was trying to make up for the way he had treated everyone as captain, and it was obviously awkward.

"We already polished twice today." The Swede informed him.

"Aye, 'n the deck's as swabbed as she gets." Buttons added.

Izzy and Colette looked at eachother and shrugged in slight panic. She noticed the cup of coffee in his hand and smacked it out of his hand in a split second decision. Her eyes went wide, and she looked around at the crew.

"Whoops?" She said quietly.

They looked confused, then shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, he deserved that. " Wee John voiced.

"Aw. Well, there's a spot. Have at it, chaps! Dismissed!" Izzy said with a smile, picking up the now empty cup. "Not you, Mr. Spriggs. Blackbeard has requested your services." He told Lucius.

He turned to Colette and held up the mug as if to say 'why?'.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I panicked. I'll get you a new one." She said with an embarrassed smile.

"Don't worry about it. Just take some time and get cleaned up. Yesterday was... a lot. See if one of the others will change your bandages again." He said quietly.

She nod and smiled up at him. "Thank you. I'll be back up in a bit." She assured him before heading down to her room. On her way, she heard a very familiar voice talking to Olu in his old room. She slowly approached the room, gasping when her thoughts were confirmed. They both looked up from their spots where they sat on the bed and realized that Colette stood in the doorway.

"You're back."

Jim stood up and looked nervously at Colette. "I'm back."

"I'm gonna go get my stuff together. Let me know when you're done." Olu told them as he walked past Cole.

"I should be right pissed, you know? You said you'd be back, and you just...left. You didn't even say goodbye." Cole said once Olu was gone, her jaw set and her body painfully tense.

"I know, Mija."

"I thought I meant more to you than that. I thought Olu meant more to you."

"You do! Both of you mean the world to me."

"Then why didn't you say goodbye? Jim, whatever you needed to do, we would have understood. What we didn't understand was you disappearing without so much as a goodbye. We didn't even know if we would see you again."

"I didn't say goodbye because I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to leave. I had a responsibility to get revenge on the people who murdered my family. But the longer I was away, the more I realized I had a responsibility to be here for the family I have now. You both deserved better than to be left without any goodbye or explanation. And I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you."

Cole looked at Jim with tear filled eyes and shot forward, throwing her arms around them. "I forgive you. Of course I forgive you, Mi Corazón." She said quietly.

Jim's arms wrapped around her and squeezed, causing her to yell out and break away.

"What, what's wrong?" Jim asked, fearing they had hurt her.

"My back. When you were gone, there was an incident and I ended up on the business end of a whip." Colette explained. She tried to even her breathing, leaning her hands on the wall as she grimaced.

Olu threw open the door and came rushing in. "Don't kill eachother, please!" He yelled before seeing the state of panic Jim was in. "What happened?"

"She got fucking whipped?! What the hell happened while I was gone? Dónde está el bastardo? Lo mataré!" They threatened.

"He's not a problem anymore. And it's alright, my back is just a bit fucked. It'll heal up and I'll be back to normal." She assured with a heavy breath.

"Speaking of, we need to get your back cleaned up and rebandaged." Olu reminded her.

"That's actually what I came down here for." Colette admit.

"I'll do it. Let me. Please." Jim said, looking between the two. "Let me help."

Colette nod, leading the way back to her room. If Jim wanted to help, who was she to say no? When they got done cleaning her up, not without an explanation of events from Cole and a fair amount of cursing from Jim, she sat on the bed and looked at them.

"Olu took it really hard when you left. I think you should tell him. You both deserve to be happy with eachother. Don't waste time overthinking things when you could be spending more time loving eachother." Cole said quietly.

"But what if he doesn't love me like that? What if I tell him and he... laughs?"

"Jim, if I thought for one second that the man in your room was going to do anything but love you with his entire heart, I'd shut my mouth and walk away. But you and I both know he's just waiting for you to make a move."

"Yeah, I know. Damn, I hate it when you're right."

"Eh, it's a gift. Now get in there and get that man. I expect to hear details later." Cole said with a wink as she stood, ready to exit the room.

Jim stood and placed a gentle hand on the woman's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She smiled and placed a soft kiss to their lips, then watched as they ran back to their room.

"Go get 'em, Mi Corazón."

Chapter Text

Ed was singing. Well... sort of. It was kind of awful, but Colette stood to the side and listened to the "song" that was painfully obviously about Stede. When he finished, she looked over at Izzy, who admittedly looked as confused as the rest of the crew.

"That's, uh, really great stuff, Ed. Wow." Wee John said as the scattered applause died down.

"His name is Blackbeard or Captain!" Izzy informed them.

"Izzy, no, Izzy. Actually, I do want to be called Edward from now on." Ed admonished. "And thank you, you guys. It's pretty difficult to lay yourself bare in front of others, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, no. It was super v-visceral." Roach attempted to support him.

"Way visceral, agree." Black Pete agreed.

"It was vibes." Olu piped in.

"Wow. Okay, well, if any of you guys wanna express yourselves in the same way that I just did with my song, I'm sure that Lucius would be more than happy to write down your lyrics." Ed assured them.

"Ay, but my genius won't be translated into human language. More like pure tone. Like, eh..." Buttons started, then held out a note for a few seconds.

"That was fucking amazing. Guys, the sheer level of talent we have on this ship! Why are we even being pirates?" Ed exclaimed. "You know what? We should have a talent show."

"Izzy, a word?" Cole asked quietly, motioning for him to follow her.

He quickly followed, stopping to lean against the railing at the bow of the ship.

"I thought last night that maybe he would have taken a few days to get back to whatever normal is for him, but this feels... very wrong. I mean, we're pirates! Not very good ones, mind you, but pirates nonetheless. And he's our Captain. This feels like he's trying to be Stede. Don't get me wrong, Stede Bonnet was a good friend to me, but he was a shit pirate. Is there anything you could do to maybe motivate him or something? I think he just needs some sort of reminder of who he is in order to get his mind right. I'm really worried about him."

"I think you're right. He's gone soft."

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of soft, Iz. He just needs a good metaphorical knock to the noggin to get his mindset right again." She said gently.

"Right. I'll talk to him. Get him back to himself again." Izzy assured her. He looked down and noticed how lifeless her expression was. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm just tired honestly. Not physically, but mentally. I'm just tired of feeling so much all the time. Sometimes having a lot of love also means having a lot of other big feelings that go hand in hand, and it can just get exhausting. Not to mention I think I've experienced more losses and reunions in the past week than most people experience in a whole lifetime." She admit.

He thought about it for a moment and nodded. "If you ever need to stop thinking, you can come find me. I'd like to hear you recite more of that poetry you love so much. Maybe read a story?" He offered. He just liked to hear her read, especially when it was something she particularly liked.

"I'd like that. I'll let you know when I need to just get away." She assured him. "C'mon. You need to go talk to the Captain and I should go reign in the rest of the crew. This talent show is a terrible idea, but they're going to run with it anyways."

□■□

"Wake up. Colette, wake up."

"Ed? What's wro-" Colette couldn't even get a full sentence out before she was yanked out of bed.

"Not Ed. It's Captain. Izzy said you two had a nice little chat yesterday? Said you were worried about me?" He said darkly.

She blinked a few times then nod. "Y-yes. You seemed a bit out of sorts yesterday. Are you alright?" She asked tiredly, saying on her feet.

"Oh I'm feeling divine. In fact, I've decided to have a little private meeting with you and Izzy. Come with me."

She blearily stumbled behind him as he pulled her along by the arm. He was scaring her a bit, and she could feel her stomach turning the longer they walked. When they made it to the Captain's quarters, he practically threw her inside. She stumbled, but caught herself against the desk that was dimly illuminated.

"Since you and dear Izzy here seem to be so concerned with my feelings and actions, I figured I'd let you both know exactly how I'm feeling and what I plan on doing about it. I'm feeling like my old self again. Better, actually. Wouldn't you agree, Izzy?"

Cole looked over and gasped at Izzy's appearance. He was sitting on the couch with a bloody bandage on his foot, looking at her with a level expression. "Of course, boss."

"And with this better me, I think I'll be needing a better crew. Unfortunately, I don't think some of them will respond too well to being separated from the rest of your little group, so they'll need an incentive." Blackbeard said with a wicked grin.

"Wait, separated from- what are you talking about? An incentive?" Cole asked, her brain trying to process everything.

"See, I only plan on keeping a few of your lot, and in order to keep them in line, I'll need something to... let's say motivate them. That's where you come in. Everyone on this little ship loves you, Colette. So if they want to keep you from getting punished on their behalf, they'll behave. You'll be a whipping girl of sorts. Literally, if they act badly enough." Ed informed her.

Izzy tensed up as Cole looked at Blackbeard in horror. Surely he wouldn't actually hurt Colette? Not after just telling her how she didn't deserve that treatment. Colette was strong, but this would surely break her down, body and mind.

"Captain, surely we can find another way to make them behave." Izzy tried to reason. This only served to enrage the Captain.

"I suppose you were just itching to see an example, eh? Don't ever question me again, Izzy. For that insubordination, she goes to the lowest, smallest room in the ship until I say otherwise. Understood?" Blackbeard commanded.

"A-aye, Captain. I'll take her down."

"No. You don't get to talk to her or see her unless I say so. You get Ivan and he'll take her down. It's time for the crew to get to work."

XxxxxxX

Colette wasn't really sure how long she'd been in that room, but she was pretty sure she'd missed every meal that day. She sat and cried for nearly an hour when Ivan had first tossed her in, but that quickly turned into her trying her best to call out. That was almost immediately silenced by a pistol pointed directly at her head with an angry Blackbeard on the other end of it.

"Stop it. If you yell, I'll just put a bullet through your skull and tie your body out there to the mast for them to see until you're nothing but a skeleton." He informed her coldly.

"Why? Why are you doing this? This isn't you. This is...insanity." she pleaded.

"This is the Kraken. And you've made yourself a very easy target. Don't worry, as long as your little friends stay in line, you'll be relatively unarmed." He said before walking out.

Colette was left to silently look at the door that had been slammed behind him. Maybe she was wrong, but right about then, it felt like maybe she had just been sentenced to a fate worse than death.

Chapter Text

Colette had been in the room for three days before someone came to get her. Fang had been bringing her food twice a day, so when the door opened right after her first meal on the third day, she looked up in surprise. An unfamiliar face appeared in the doorway, causing Cole to scramble back a bit.

"Woah, woah. I'm Archie. The Captain sent me down here to clean you up and bring you to the deck. Okay?"

Cole nodded, but was still wary of them as they helped her up and into the bathing room. Her back was a scabbed mess that definitely didn't look like it was healing well. Archie tried to be careful, but Colette still flinched and grimaced every time the cloth passed anywhere near the marks. Once she was cleaned up, Archie led her up to the deck, where the remaining crew and Blackbeard waited.

There were various expressions on everyone's face, but most of them held one overwhelming look- fear. She turned to Blackbeard to see him smiling at her. For the first time, there was nothing she feared more than that smile.

"Captain?" She asked nervously.

"Colette! Nice of you to join us. You remember our little chat the other day about your fellow crewmates behaving?" He asked innocently.

"Yes, Captain. I do."

"And you remember what I said would happen if they didn't?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good. Izzy, you take her to the mast and tie her to it, back to the outside. Hands above her head. Make sure she's not touching the ground. Let her hang for a bit."

Izzy looked as though he wanted to protest, but bit his tongue and nodded. He grabbed some rope from a nearby pile and walked slowly to her. They stood less than a foot away from eachother, silently communicating their thoughts.

His eyes relayed how much he didn't want to do this. How sorry he was. How he wanted to keep her safely away from all this madness he had unwittingly unleashed.

Her eyes relayed that she knew, and she didn't blame him for what was about to happen. That despite everything, she still loved him.

They made their way to the mast and he rigged her up, apologizing quietly when he got close enough for only her to hear.

"This is what happens when you don't cooperate. She gets punished, and you get to watch. Jim! That's three days you've been insubordinate and uncooperative. I'll let you choose. No meal for the afternoon and she hangs for three hours, or the whip? One for each day?" Blackbeard asked.

Jim looked up at Colette's now suspended form and grit their teeth. This wasn't fair. Punishing her for their actions? They'd be damned if it wasn't an effective tactic. Edward Teach knew that Collette was many of their weak spots, and he was using in the most cruel and hurtful way he knew how. They looked up at Blackbeard and huffed. "The first one."

"Ah, what one was that again? I get things mixed up so easily. Hate to give the wrong punishment."

"No afternoon meal, and suspended for three hours." Jim grit out.

"Excellent! You heard your dear friend Jim, Cole. No dinner for you. And we'll let you down when that three hours is up!"

Colette closed her eyes and tried not to let his words get to her. She hadn't seen anyone but Fang for days, and her first interaction with the people she loved ended with her being strung up for everyone to gawk at. She felt like a prisoner on the ship that was supposed to be her home, and that was exactly the feeling she had been running from in the first place.

By the end of the three hours, Cole had no feeling in her arms, her shoulders ached beyond anything she had ever felt, and her back felt like fire every time she tried to move. Fang was the one to get her down, trying his best to be careful with her. Just like when she was put up, the crew stood silently and watched her be taken down.

Once she was free, Fang had to hold her up in order for her to stand before Blackbeard.

"Jim? You see what the consequences of your actions have brought you. So I ask you again with the knowledge that she can go right back up- will you cooperate as part of the crew?" Blackbeard asked.

Colette's eyes met Jim's, and she shook her head. As unpleasant and painful as the punishment was, she could take more. Especially if it meant that Jim would keep their freedom for just a bit longer.

Jim, however, couldn't find the will to let her continue suffering for their sake. Hell, if they'd known this would be the outcome, they would've said yes in the first place.

"I'll do it. For her. Just let her rest." Jim announced.

Colette sagged in defeat in Fang's arms. She would get to rest, but for how long? How long would it be until Blackbeard decided that he wasn't happy with how the crew was behaving, and took it out on her?

"Colette! You didn't complain or say a single word that whole time. I'd say that deserves a reward, yes?" Ed asked.

Cole looked up at him in nervous anticipation. This didn't sound like she would be getting an actual reward.

"For being such a good and obedient crewmember, you get to sleep in a bed tonight. Izzy, take her to your room. She doesn't leave and she doesn't eat. She comes out with you in the morning. Understood?" Blackbeard asked.

Cole's expression turned to shock as she looked between the captain and Izzy. Izzy stuttered out a confirmation, then ordered Fang to help him get her to the room. When they arrived, Fang gently set her down on the bed and made his way out. The door shut behind him, leaving Colette and Izzy alone.

He wasted no time in kneeling before her, taking her wrists gently in his hands. "I'm so sorry. If I said no, he would have done worse. I thought at first that he would see that his intentions to use you were too far, but he just insisted on it."

Colette wanted to assure him that everything was alright. That she wasn't angry with him and that she was just as much at fault for Edward's turn in personality as he was. But the words never came out. Instead, she broke down in tears the moment she opened her mouth.

He didn't miss a beat sitting beside her on the bed and carefully pulling her to lean against him. He knew that she was probably getting feeling back in her arms, and was in an obscene amount of pain. Not to mention the state of her back was probably abysmal.

"It's alright, love. I'm so sorry." He repeated those phrases for nearly half an hour before she finally calmed down enough to talk.

"He hurt you." Was the first thing she said. She remembered his wrapped foot from a few days earlier. "What happened?"

"I challenged him. He didn't like it, so he cut off my toe and shoved it down my throat." He said grimly.

"Oh my god, Izzy. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. We need to focus on you. You've likely got some sort of nerve damage in your hands. Your shoulders should be alright, but you'll have issues with your hands for a while. Maybe permanently. Three hours up there was fucking insane."

She leaned into him and took a deep, shaky breath. "I feel like my fingers are moving slower than I want them to. Like I try to move them and it takes a second for them to actually work."

"We'll need to work your joints and muscles tonight to make sure they don't get worse. I'll clean up your back again as well. You'll sleep in the bed and I'll-"

"Sleep right here beside me." Colette cut him off. "Unless you're uncomfortable with that."

"Not in the slightest. I just wanted to make sure you would be comfortable."

"Izzy, I just spent several days alone in a glorified cell. Forgive me for being blunt, but I would be sleeping in the same place as you if I had to sleep on the bloody floor. I missed you. And I know I said I'm not rushing into anything, but now I'm scared that we don't have time to waste." She admit.

"I don't want you to do anything you aren't ready for or comfortable with. I'm not going to force you to do anything. Ever."

"I know. And we'll still take it slow, just... maybe a bit faster." She said with a small smile.

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as he shook his head.

"You better get back out there before they start looking for you. I don't want you to get in anymore trouble, especially because of me. I'll be here when you get back." She assured him.

"Wait up for me?"

"Always."

Chapter Text

When Izzy returned to his room that night after dinner, he found Colette still sitting on his bed. She had moved around to make herself more comfortable, but her face held a pained and deeply upset expression. She had obviously been crying.

"What's wrong?" He asked, closing the door. He approached the bed and sat in front of her.

"I figured I would try to draw while you were gone, because I found some paper and a bit of ink. But when I tried, my hands didn't work right and I couldn't even hold the fucking pen without my hand shaking." She said in a shaky voice. "And everything hurts, and I'm not gonna be of use anymore if I can't properly use my hands. I'll be a burden and then when the captain finds out, he'll either throw me off or just kill me."

"First of, you're not a burden. Second, he's not gonna touch you. We will get you through this and you'll be alright." Izzy promised. "Now let's get to work on those joints and muscles. Then I'll clean your back up."

The two fell asleep a few hours later, carefully wrapped around eachother. That's how they awoke the next morning when Ivan began banging on their door, yelling for them to wake up and get a move on.

Colette untangled herself from Izzy and sat up, stretching painfully. The night certainly hadn't lessened her pain, and she knew that she was about to have to face Blackbeard which made her even less happy. They got dressed and went to Blackbeard's cabin, knocking as they entered.

"You wanted to see us boss?" Izzy asked.

"Took you long enough. Colette, how was it sleeping in a bed again?" Blackbeard practically taunted.

"It was good, Captain. Thank you." She said almost out of old habit. She realized then just why her brain went to the mode it was in so quickly. He was acting so much like her father it was genuinely frightening. The realization almost made her stumble as her knees buckled. Had she not been able to grab Izzy, she would have hit the ground.

"You alright there, Cole?" Blackbeard zeroed in on her.

"I'm alright, sir. Just trying to regain my balance after not using my legs much for a few days." She lied smoothly.

"Good. I have a job for you and Frenchie to get to today. You'll be in the big room down below making new outfits for the crew. Can't have Blackbeard's crew running around looking like a bunch of soft, raggedy misfits. Use the material we have on hand for now. We'll be going on a little raid when we catch up to the ship were chasing. Likely tomorrow, so you can loot their stuff then. Understood?"

"Understood, sir. We'll get it done for you. "

"Excellent, you're dismissed. Izzy, you're on deck today, make sure they fucking behave. If not, I'll grab Colette and we'll make sure they remember the consequences this time."

□■□

"Fuck!"

"Colette, it's alright, I can do it."

"Frenchie that's not the point. I can do this, I have to. I have to prove that I can still be of use."

"You just have to give it time, love."

"You don't understand, Frenchie. You saw what he did when Jim didn't do what he wanted. If he finds out I'm not pulling my own weight, he'll do worse."

She looked at the needle and thread in her hands and sighed. Her hands just weren't working, and she could feel her resolve breaking more and more.

"I'm no good to anyone like this." She said quietly, her expression betraying the hurt she felt.

"Hey, hey. None of that." Frenchie admonished gently, putting his own project aside. He kneeled in front of her and placed a hand on either side of her face. "You're strong. Stronger than most of the crew. You'll be alright. We can work on it together, and you'll be back at one hundred at no time."

She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his. "You're too good, Frenchie. You didn't deserve this shit. None of us did."

"No, but we'll get through it. All of us. It can't be like this forever."

"God, I hope so."

□■□

"That bastard is gonna pay for what he did to her. She's not some puppet!" Jim practically growled to Archie as they scrubbed a particularly stubborn spot on the deck. Izzy stood nearby, watching the crew work tirelessly.

"He warned you, though. He warned us all, actually, even the ones who didn't know her. I think he figured if he threatened to punish someone you guys loved for our insubordination, you might be more likely to make sure we stayed in line, too. Fuck, even Izzy seems docile now." Archie mused.

"It's insane! He can't just use her as a whipping boy because he's the captain. It's cruel."

"Jim! Come with me." Izzy interrupted, motioning for them to follow him. When they made it to a spot where no one would see them, he turned on them. "You need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

"Excuse me?" Jim said through grit teeth.

"Keep your head down and follow orders."

"Why would I listen to you?"

"Because despite all my fuckin' faults and all the pain I've caused, you and I are on the same fuckin' team."

"Oh yeah? And what team is that?"

"Colette's team."

Jim's attitude faltered at that.

"You might all hate me, but we can agree that we don't want to see Colette hurt. To keep her safe, you can't make rash or insubordinate decisions. Every time you do that, you risk her. He will kill her. If you do what he says, you lower that risk." Izzy said in a hushed voice.

"You're right. I don't like you. But I love Colette. And I can tell you do, too. So I will do whatever it takes to make sure I don't have to watch him hurt her like that again." Jim finally agreed.

"Good. That includes keeping your voice down when you're talking about the captain. Understood?"

"There a problem, Izzy?" Blackbeard called out, walking towards them.

"Not at all, Captain. I was simply telling Jim that once they were done scrubbing, they needed to go down to get fitted for their new regalia that Colette and Frenchie are making."

"Excellent. Have them go on down. The others have got it covered up here." Blackbeard instructed.

"Yes, Captain." Jim and Izzy both said. Jim left the deck and quickly made their way to the only room they could hear voices come from. As they turned the corner, they saw Colette holding a handful of net against his arm, making a type of sleeve on Frenchie. Cole looked up at the intrusion and dropped the net, causing Frenchie to look as well.

Cole practically flung herself at Jim, silent tears streaming down her face as she gripped at their shirt. Jim carefully held her, being wary of her back.

"I'm so sorry, Mi Corazón. I never wanted you to get hurt. I thought he was bluffing." Jim whispered.

"It doesn't matter. You're okay. That's what matters." Cole said tearfully.

Jim led her back to her seat and kneeled in front of her. "Izzy sent me down here to get fitted for something?"

"We're making new outfits. Well, Frenchie is making outfits. I'm useless with sewing right now. I'm working on making some...accessories, I guess. I had an idea for a top and some shoulder covers made of rope, but-" She stopped speaking, swallowing tensely.

"But she touched the rope and freaked out a bit. So I'll be making those. I think they'd look cool on you, Jim." Frenchie finished, reaching a hand out to push a stand of hair out of Cole's face.

"That sounds perfect. And, uh, what was the net you had there?" Jim asked, pointing to the material she had dropped.

"I was thinking we could cut it up and use it for sleeves. Blackbeard wants us to look like real pirates, so I figured we may as well use everything we can to look, well, not like we do now." Cole said with a shrug.

"I think that'll look great. I'll sit here, and you guys can measure away. Maybe I'll take some extra time." They said, kissing Cole's forehead before pulling a seat up in front of them. "After all, Blackbeard's and Izzy's orders, right?"

Chapter Text

One week had passed in a blur of insanity and brutality. Their first raid was successful, but at a cost. Cole was allowed to stay in the crew quarters as long as she stayed in line, and that was the only thing keeping her sane. She would stay there when Izzy was busy with Blackbeard. She couldn't help but notice that when Izzy came back from his afternoons with Blackbeard, he always seemed a bit off. Like he was unhappy, but he had resigned to his fate. Colette knew that feeling all too well.

"Izzy?" Cole asked one afternoon when the man came in with that familiar expression. Frenchie had been sitting with her in Izzy's room while they waited for the First Mate to return for the night. Frenchie had spent a few nights with them as well, becoming a more regular figure in Izzy's very small circle.

"Yes, love?" He asked, putting his shirt on the chair beside the bed.

"Why do you let him treat you like that? Like you're just an option? You know you don't deserve that, right?" She asked quietly.

"The Captain does what he wants, Colette. And if he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it, he'll take it out on someone else." Izzy explained, sitting beside her on the bed. She now sat nestled between the two men, suddenly feeling very conscious of herself.

"Someone else being me." She realized. "Izzy, it's not worth it. I'm not worth this. You're miserable, and I hate the thought that you're doing it to protect me. I know you love Blackbeard, but if he cared the way he should, he wouldn't put you in this position."

"She's right, Iz. He's been treating you worse than any of us. You deserve a break. Let us take the brunt for a bit." Frenchie agreed.

Izzy shook his head. "No. Colette, you've been through enough, I won't see you hurt anymore. And Frenchie, you all have to be in top shape to keep her safe and out of harm's way."

"I wish you'd let us help, darling." Cole sighed, running a gentle hand through his hair. "I hate that he's turned into someone who can't even accept love from people who willingly offer it. Instead he twists it and perverts it until love becomes a punishment." She grimaced.

It was quiet for a moment before Izzy looked at her with a nervous expression. "If I asked you to read to us, would you do that?"

"Of course I would. But all the books are gone, and I only have a bit of poetry memorized." She admit.

"Not all the books."

She looked at him with a furrowed brow as he got up and rustled through his clothes until he pulled out a small book that she recognized.

"I had Jim grab it from your room before Ed could get to it. I brought it here for safe keeping." He admit. He held it out, and she took it, running her fingers across the cover.

"As You Like It. I was reading this to Olu before..." she trailed off. She hugged the book to her chest and pulled him back down beside her, drawing him onto a tight hug. "Thank you Izzy. You've no idea how much this means to me."

He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. "You don't have to thank me. If this is the most I can do for you right now, I'd risk everything to make sure that book got to you." He assured her.

"Come on, let's all lay down. I'll read for a bit and we can get the rest we all definitely need." She said, kissing them both on the cheek.

□■□

Cole practically tackled Jim the next morning as they fixed their bed. Archie looked alarmed, but accepting of whatever was happening.

When Cole kissed Jim, Archie finally let out a little laugh. "Wow. What a good morning."

Cole broke the kiss, still holding Jim's face while she smiled like an idiot. "You are a fucking angel, Mi Vida."

"Why? " Jim asked, their hands resting comfortably on Cole's hips.

"As You Like It."

Jim allowed a genuine smile to spread on their face. "He gave it to you?"

"He did. He also told me you helped him smuggle it out of my room. I don't know how to thank you enough, Jim. Honestly, you've done so much for me and I would marry you if I didn't think Olu would be pissed when he found out." Cole said with a teary laugh.

"You can always count on me, Colette. And as much as I hate to admit it, maybe Izzy isn't all that bad. After all, he's got immaculate taste in partners. Well- for the most part." Jim laughed, kissing her softly. "But really, you deserve a comfort after what you've put up with. I'm just glad to help."

Cole looked at Archie and smiled. "Heads up, make sure Jim knows where you keep anything meaningful. They might just be the one to help smuggle it out to you one day, or hide it away when you need it."

Archie smiled and nodded. "Oh, trust me, I know. Come on, we should get going before the Captain gets wondering where we are and decides he's not happy."

"Oh, shit you're right. I should meet back with Frenchie so I can make sure we're ready for today's assignment." Cole agreed. With one last peck to Jim's lips, she took off up the stairs. Frenchie stood waiting for her at the top, smiling warmly.

"Right, shall we?" She asked with a wide smile.

"Lead the way, Sunshine."

□■□

"What do you mean, no? I didn't ask you to, I told you."

"Please, he's just a boy. Don't make me do this."

Colette and Blackbeard stood toe to toe as he glowered down at her. Their most recent raid had led them to a ship of merchants, and he had ordered them to leave no survivors. That included the young cabin boy with fear in his eyes who stood between Ivan and Fang as Colette pleaded with the Captain. He couldn't have been more than sixteen.

"No survivors means no survivors, Colette. You were doing so well. Now I have to make an example out of you yet again. Get over to The Revenge and stand on deck. I'll deal with you when we're done here." Blackbeard said lowly.

Cole could feel the bile rise in her throat as she nodded. "Yes, Captain."

She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm tightly and told her to wait. He walked over to the boy and grabbed him by the hair.

"You watch this." Blackbeard demanded, drawing Cole's eyes to the boy.

Her entire body tensed as she watched Blackbeard mercilessly pull out a gun and pressed it to the boy's temple. "Disobey me again, and this will be you." He assured her, before pulling the trigger.

With the sound of that shot, Colette could feel her entire brain shut down. For all her efforts and pleading, that boy still ended up dead. And now Blackbeard was going to make her wish that she was.

"You're dismissed."

When the crew returned to the ship, they stowed their plunder and made their way back up to the main deck. Blackbeard wanted an audience for this punishment. The Captain made sure everyone was gathered, then slowly circled Colette. The lanterns scattered around the deck provided enough light for her to see the eerily calm look on Blackbeard's face.

"You should have just done what I asked, Colette. Now I have to make sure everyone knows that my orders are NOT AN OPTION!" he yelled.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she flinched at the wrath that permeated the air around them.

"As punishment for your blatant disrespect, you will be given permanent marks to ensure that every time you see them, you remember who exactly is in charge here. And likewise all of your lovers," he practically spit the word out, "will remember that they should be on their best behavior any time they see you."

He pulled out one of his daggers and motioned for Izzy to step forward. She finally noticed that he was holding a lantern, which illuminated the grim look on her lover's face. She could see the flickering light of the flames illuminate the ghost of a tear that had escaped his own eye. Blackbeard used the dagger to cut away the fabric over the entire left hand side of her chest. He pressed the tip of the blade into the skin over her heart hard enough to draw blood, then took it away.

"Jim, Frenchie. The two of you hold her arms. Don't want her thrashing around. She thrashes, she gets more." Blackbeard commanded.

The two exchanged a weary look before stepping forward, grabbing her arms to keep her still. Cole looked at each of them and simply nod. This wasn't their fault. Cole looked around to see that he had gathered the three people she loved most and was forcing them to have a hand in carrying out the punishment. It was sick.

They all watched in horrified anticipation as Blackbeard took the dagger and held it in the flame of the lantern that Izzy held. Once it was definitely hot enough to burn her, he walked over and stared down at her. The moment he pressed the blade into her exposed skin, a scream left her. Anyone on a ship within hearing distance would have sworn that it was the sound of a banshee, coming to haunt their very souls. The mixture of burning and cutting made her knees give out, but Frenchie and Jim held fast, keeping her up. When the Captain was finished, he stepped back amd stared at his work, watching the torrent of tears flood down her cheeks.

"Your compassion and mercy are not strengths, they are not qualities to be admired. It's weakness. Every time you look at that, and every time one of you lot sees it, you remember that I've burned that type of thinking of you. I've carved it out. And if you ever disobey one of my orders like that again, right there is where I'll stab you. Now get the fuck out of my sight, all of you."

The entire crew was silent as they slowly took her down to the crew barracks. No one dared make a noise, save for the occasional hiss or groan of pain Cole gave as Frenchie and Jim carefully maneuvered her down. She was placed on a mat that she assumed belonged to Fang, and looked up at them. The entire crew, save for Izzy, had gathered around and was now staring down at her.

On Colette's chest, angry and red with blackened edges, sat the burned carving of a heart shape with an 'x' in the center.

Chapter Text

Izzy, Frenchie, and Jim hadn't let Colette know a moment of unsupervised time in three days. They were too afraid. If infection set in, it would surely kill her. So they alternated who sat in Izzy's room with her throughout the day between Jim and Frenchie, and Izzy kept an eye on her through the night. Even Fang and Archie had watched over her for a bit.

She slept a lot, thanks to her body trying to heal the nasty wound on her chest. On the fourth night, she was sat up in the bed, looking at the three of them who were conversing quietly by the door.

"You three know you don't have to stay with me all the time, right? I mean, I'm safe down here. And if I start to feel unwell, I'll find someone. You three need to be out there as much as possible. Stay off his radar by being busy, but visible. I'll be able to stay awake more now, and Frenchie and I can work on the sewing and mending together again." Colette reasoned.

They looked at her with varying expressions of disapproval. All three moved to sit on the bed, surrounding her.

"You need to stay rested until you're better, Mi Corazón. That is a nasty wound, and you just healed up from the whip marks. We just don't want to risk your health." Jim explained.

"You're more important to us than staying out of trouble with Blackbeard. Besides, I can take any punishment he gives me. You deserve to rest." Izzy said softly.

"No. No, I won't let you all risk your hides for me. Tomorrow, I'm going to start back to work with Frenchie, and you lot will go and show him that we are stronger than whatever marks he's given us." She stated firmly. She saw all of their eyes zero in on her newest injury, and she sighed. Her fingers ghosted over the bandage that sat there.

"This scar will be nothing but a reminder of what we fight for. When you three see this, I don't want you to think about what led up to it, or what the after affects have been. I want you to see it and know that it's just a silly representation of what belongs to each of you. My heart has founds it's resting place with you, and I know that you'll protect it. So for my sake, please just let us go back to some semblance of normal." She said, earnestly.

The three exchanged glances, then nodded in silent agreement. They would let things resume their fucked up version of normalcy. For her.

The next morning, Frenchie escorted her to the sewing room and they got to work without issue or argument. She flinched when she moved wrong, but she was able to mend a few nets that needed a bit of repair. Her first day back to work was exhausting, but she knew she needed to push through.

When she went to eat with the rest of the crew, an awkward silence hung in the air. She sighed and looked around at everyone before deciding she had to say something.

"I know most of you don't really know me, but I know everyone saw what happened. Yes, I set the Captain off. I'm sorry if his anger towards me was taken out on anyone else. No, I don't regret it. Yes, I'm fine. No, you can not see the mark. Any questions I didn't answer?" She asked.

Everyone shook their heads and looked around at eachother, murmuring quietly.

"Good. Now can we please break this awkward silence and just talk like normal. I'm losing my mind, and it'd be a much more pleasant experience if I had a bit of background noise to do it to." She said matter-of-factly.

The rest of the meal was filled with quiet chatter and a far less stressful environment.

When Colette made it back to Izzy's room for the night she walked in to see him wrapping his foot, a new splotch of red seeping through the fresh bandages.

"Fucking hell, Izzy. Another one?" Cole asked, rushing over to help him. "You know we can't take seeing you like this anymore. He can't keep doing this, it's too much."

"The Captain does what he wants, and no one on this vessel will be able stop him from doing that. We both know he'd kill them first." Izzy sighed, looking down at her. She was kindhearted- too much so when it came to those she loved. It was a fact that the wrong type of person might exploit. But Izzy? Izzy saw it and it just made him fall in love with her even more. She deserved more than life had given her, and she still acted like everything was a perfect dream with what she had.

"I know this is a piss poor time to let you know, but I'm in love with you. And that is scaring the hell out of me, because I don't know how to be in love with someone in a way that won't ultimately destroy us both." Izzy admit.

Cole's hands faltered, and she looked up at him. She quickly and silently tied the wrapping, then sat on the bed beside him.

"I'm in love with you, too. And I know it's absolutely terrifying, but you and I will figure it out together. We've come this far, we're too strong apart to let anything break us. Just imagine what we're capable of when we do this together."

He smiled at her and nodded, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "You're right. As usual." He said, kissing her softly.

"It's a gift of sorts." She chuckled, kissing him back.

A small knock caused them to break apart and look at the door as it opened. Frenchie popped his head in and smiled. "I just wanted to make sure Cole made it back safe. I'm on first watch tonight, but I'll be back when Fang takes over." He said, sliding in and closing the door behind him.

Colette saw the fresh bandage and sighed. It was her turn to be fixed up. At least there was already a clean cloth and water in the room.

"Ill tell you one thing." She said, pulling her shirt down to reveal the soiled bandage. "If we ever see Pete again, I'm calling him out for his sailing stories being bullshit. There's no way he got out of all that shit unscathed."

"What stories?" Izzy asked, letting her squeeze his hand as Frenchie pulled off the bandage and cleaned her wound.

"Pete used to drone on about how he used to sail under Blackbeard. Told us these wild embellished stories about how he did such a bang up job that Blackbeard made him his right hand man. Obviously not fuckin' true, but now I can really lay it on thick when I see him."

"You're gonna give the poor man a complex." Frenchie said with a raised brow.

"Nah. Just let him sweat a bit. After all, who's to say we'll even see them again. Hell, at the rate I'm going with the captain, I'll be dead before I ever see anyone that doesn't live on or get raided by this ship." She mused.

"That's not funny." Izzy and Frenchie said simultaneously.

"I'm not joking." She replied quietly.

The tension in the room was thick as her words sunk in. They knew they couldn't protect her from everything, and she was right. With the way things were progressing on the ship, it wouldn't be a surprise if the captain simply decided one day that he had the urge to finish her off.

"The atmosphere on this ship is fucking poisoned, and it's only getting worse every day. There will come a time, if things don't change soon, that Edward Teach will no longer have any sense of who he used to be. And when that time comes, I will inevitably be the first casualty. I need you boys and Jim to be prepared for that very real possibility. Because when that time comes-"

"If it comes." Frenchie cut in. He had finished patching her back up and was now staring up at her with a tense expression. She looked at him sadly and placed her free hand on his cheek.

"When, love. When it happens, you all have to have your wits about you. Because the second he senses that one thing that he calls weakness coming from any of you, he'll attack like a shark in chummed waters. And I want better than that for you."

"We'll worry about that when and if the time comes. For now, let's just get some rest and focus on things one day at a time." Izzy said softly.

God, there was a concept Colette never thought she'd witness. The great Israel Hands was soft, and kind, and so in love with the woman in front of him that he would dive on his own sword if it meant saving her. Hell, he supposed he was beginning to feel the same for the man kneeling in front of them as well, though he wasn't quite ready to admit that to him yet. That relationship was still developing to that point.

"You're right. Frenchie, you be safe topside. We'll see you in a few hours." Cole finally agreed.

He nod, kissed then both on the forehead, the made his way out. The room was quiet, and Colette looked up at Izzy with a small smile.

"He loves you, too, you know? He won't say it yet, doesn't really know when the right time is because he doesn't want to rush you into anything. But whatever you feel? He does, too." She promised.

He simply nodded and pulled her to lay down, her back pulled tightly against his chest. The air in the room felt a bit lighter, but her words had stuck with him. Now he had twice as much to lose if something should happen, and that scared the absolute hell out of him.

Chapter Text

Colette had spent a good chunk of her afternoon trying to comfort Fang. Ivan was dead, and Blackbeard hadn't even bat an eye at the news. In fact, he had simply announced that they would be raiding another ship the next day. The crew was exhausted, but didn't dare argue with the man who seemed more ruthless and uncaring than ever.

Once Fang had cried all the tears he had left, Cole made her way back to the bedroom where Izzy, Frenchie, Jim, and Archie all sat waiting. Archie and Cole had become closer in the past weeks, and it was a comfort so see her lovers and friend all sitting together. They had all discussed the brutality of Blackbeard's actions, and had agreed that no matter how it looked on the outside, none of them really agreed with his methods. Still, all of them sat in silence as Colette gently wiped the dark makeup from their faces, knowing that she would simply be reapplying it the next day.

Colette was not soft by any means. The ideal of soft had been taken from her many years ago. But the brutality of mindless murder and raiding had left her with a sour taste in her mouth. Surely this was not piracy? This was barbarism. And this crew was not made for barbarism. It had turned them...odd.

"It's gone too far. He's lost the plot, and it's going to be the death of more of us if he doesn't stop." Colette said quietly as she wiped the final bit of black from around Frenchie's eyes.

"If we said anything, he'd kill us himself anyways." Jim mused.

"We just have to hold out. If we can fly as under the radar as possible, we'll be alright." Frenchie assured them. His voice was tired and unconvincing.

"You don't even believe that, love. Hell, I've patched up Izzy more times in the past month than I can count on one hand. The captain is on a warpath, and we're in his way whether we think we are or not." Cole said, sitting up on the bed between Izzy and Frenchie. "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Stede as our cocaptain. He balanced out Ed."

"He was an idiot, but he's the one that gave the captain his spark back." Izzy agreed, leaning his head on top of hers.

"We should get to bed. Another raid means another long day of blood and misery." Jim said softly, looking between Archie and Colette.

"You're right. Don't suppose I could convince everyone to sleep in here tonight, eh?" Cole said with a breathy chuckle.

"Tell you what, we get through this raid tomorrow, and we'll set up a big pile of blankets and cushions for everyone to sleep on. Yeah?" Jim asked, gently caressing Colette's cheek with their hand.

"Yeah. Okay. Tomorrow." She agreed, holding Jim's hand against her face, them kissing their palm and letting go. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, everyone. See you im the morning." Archie said with a wave.

Once the door was shut, the trio left in the room laid down on the bed, Colette in the middle. "Goodnight, loves." She said, holding tightly to one of Izzy's hands and one of Frenchie's.

They needed a moment to just breathe and turn it all off for a bit. They needed break.

That break did not come the next day. Instead, the next day brough cake. Just looking at it made Colette's stomach turn. She couldn't even think about eating it. They had just massacred a wedding, and it sat wrong in her stomach. If the energy in the room was anything to go by, it didnt sit well with almost anyone on the crew.

"Is it just me or was the wedding thing a bit over the line?" Jim finally asked, breaking the twnse silence.

"Um," Archie sighed, "I don't know. I've never really been to a wedding before, so, got nothing to compare it to, really."

"I've never seen Blackbeard like this. He didn't even bat a eye when Ivan got killed." Fang said distantly.

"Cake's bang on though, right? Fabulous. Very good. Ya know, in my opinion. I mean, buttercream isn't everyone's thing though, is it?" Frenchie rambled as though it was a completely normal Tuesday afternoon.

"How are you handling all this so well?" Jim asked incredulously.

"Ah... Well, see, I have a system for dealing with all the terrible things I've seen. There's a box in my mind, and I put the things in the box, I lock the box. And then I don't open it again. Works like a charm." Frenchie explained.

"Love, that's so unbelievably unhealthy." Colette grimaced from her spot between him and Fang.

Fang began sobbing again, prompting her to set her cake down and wrap a comforting arm around his shoulder. She gently set his plate beside hers and grasped his hand in her own.

"Oh. Dear, oh, dear. You gonna, you gonna finish that cake? No?" Frenchie asked. Colette simply rolled her eyes and waved for him to go ahead.

When Fang finally started to dry his tears, the crew heard footsteps descending the steps they looked up with bated breath. A collective sigh of relief escaped the group when Izzy was revealed to be the one coming down. "We need to get back to work." Izzy announced.

The crew slowly began moving, gathering their plates to take to the galley and dispersing. Fang patted his friend on the shoulder in thanks before standing and walking towards the steps. Izzy took Fang's place and sat beside Cole.

"You look more troubled than usual." Cole mentioned. "I take it your morning meeting with the captain didn't go well?"

"Does it ever?" He asked rhetorically.

She looked up at him in silence, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as he mulled over his thoughts. The pair sat like that for a solid ten minutes before Izzy shook his head, gave her hand a final squeeze, and stood up.

"Right! Get it all up on deck!" He called to the crew. Jim, Fang, Archie and Frenchie had been passing bits of treasure to the deck as they allowed the duo to have a moment.

"So, we gonna divvy this all up and take our cut then?" Frenchie asked.

"No, we're gonna throw it overboard. We've taken on too much plunder. We need to dump some to catch up to our next target." Izzy replied.

"Is that... is that a joke? Because it's not a very good one, darling." Cole frowned.

"You want us to throw this treasure away so we can steal more treasure?" Jim inquired.

"Yeah, that definitely makes no sense, man." Frenchie shook his head.

"It is not your place to tell me what does or does not make sense. It is your job to f... to follow my fucking orders!" Izzy snapped, hesitating to speak that way to Frenchie.

Colette placed a hand on Izzy's chest and looked up at him. "Hey, hey. Take a breath."

"How you doing, Izzy? Eh?" Fang asked. He had come to appreciate Colette's reassurances and comfort, and he wanted to help her out, even if it was indirectly. He placed a solid hand on Izzy's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Unhand me. Unhand me."

"Y-You really don't seem fine." Fang said, removing his hand.

"Y-Yeah, we think you're in an unhealthy relationship with Blackbeard." Jim finally piped in.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, that guy does a lot of rhino horn." Archie added.

"Yeah, and he's cut off at least two more of your toes, hasn't he? It all seems fairly toxic to me, mate." Frenchie agreed.

Weeping breaths escaped Izzy as he tried to hold in his tears.

Colette stood in front of him a d placed a gentle hand on the side of his face. "Izzy, we care about you. Love you. And we're just tired of seeing you hurt. Especially because of him." She pressed.

He tried to put up a fight when Fang put his arms around him in a tight hug, but it was no use. Colette held his face in her hands and pressed her forehead against his as Fang whispered reassurances.

Izzy allowed himself to cry as Frenchie joined the huddle, wrapping his arms around them all. Jim and Archie simply watched them, trying not to take away from the moment. When Izzy regained his composure, everyone took a step back.

"You're right. All of you. I need to talk to him." Izzy announced. "You lot just get to the deck. I'll be back soon."

"Izzy?" Cole said quietly.

"Yes, love?"

"Please be careful."

Chapter Text

The crew had been sitting on deck for less than fifteen minutes when Blackbeard and Izzy came storming out.

"Hang on. Ed! C-Captain! At no point did I want to channel the former owner of this vessel." Izzy pleaded.

"Hi, all. Real quick... I heard that you think the vibe here on the ship is poisonous. Eh? Care to elaborate? Anyone?" Blackbeard asked as the crew all exchanged nervous looks. Blackbeard drew his pistol an pointed it at Colette. The tension on deck grew as everyone watched Cole face down the barrel of the gun. "Maybe this will get me some solid answers. Hm? Jim, we'll start with you. Is the vibe here poisonous?"

"Nope." Jim said through grit teeth.

"Huh? You?" He asked Archie.

"Me-Me? Uh, no. No." Archie denied, shaking her head.

"Fang, you've been here the longest. Poisoned?"

Fang whimpered and shook his head quickly.

Blackbeard looked at Frenchie, earning a slightly panicked, "No, I'm alright.".

Finally, he looked at Colette. "Well, Cole? How about it?"

"No, Captain." She grit out, her eyes locked on the gun.

"I know who we should ask, ol' Blackbeard." He exclaimed, turning the pistol on himself. "Hello, mate. You think the vibe on the ship is poisoned? Ooh, I don't know, Blackbeard. Maybe a, a little bit toxic sometimes. Maybe it's a bit uncomfortable. You do make the crew a little bit uncomfortable sometimes. They think you're crazy. Well, I'm not crazy. I don't feel crazy. I feel pretty fucking good actually." He went back and forth with himself madly, causing everyone to shift uncomfortably.

"Fucking end!" Izzy shouted, cutting him off. All eyes went to him, on edge. "The atmosphere on this ship is fսckеd. Everyone knows why."

"Well, I don't. Enlighten me." Blackbeard urged.

Colette shook her head, begging Izzy to just drop it. Frenchie did the same, looking at his lover. This could only end poorly.

"Your feelings for Stede fuckin' Bonnet."

The moment the name left his lips, a shot rang out. Izzy groaned and wailed as he writhed on the ground. Colette and Frenchie couldn't even go to him, as they knew it'd only result with them being shot as well.

"Frenchie." Blackbeard said.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations, you are now first mate."

"Oh. Uh, no. I don't, I don't think I'm qualified."

"'Course you are, mate. You can start by cleaning up that mess." He pointed at Izzy. "And the rest of you, you throw this shit overboard and get suited up."

With that he disappeared back into his office. Colette wasted no time in dropping to her knees and sliding forward to Izzy's groaning form.

"Hey, hey, you'll be alright. Come on, love, you'll be okay." She said, peeling his hand from his leg to look at the wound. "Fuck."

"Colette, we have to move him." Frenchie said softly.

"I know! I know, just... fuck, give me a second to think." She said, beginning to panic. "Alright, below deck behind the galley is a small room Stede had built in case the kids wanted a play room. There's a bed and lanterns in there, and it's relatively far away from anywhere the captain might be. We can get him in there, and I'll figure out what to do."

"Fang, help me get him up. Cole, you lead the way." Frenchie instructed, his eyes flickering between his two loves.

Izzy's groaning was the soundtrack to their journey as they tried to quietly move him. When they arrived, Colette began to rush around and light lanterns. As Izzy was settled onto the bed, he finally passed out.

"Alright, I need someone to get me some alcohol, cloths, fresh water, and bandages. Be quick, be discreet." Colette instructed. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his pant leg up, cursing when she realized that there was no exit wound on the back of his leg.

Fang brought her the items she requested, then scurried away to leave Frenchie, Colette, and Izzy alone.

"Cole, are you sure-" Frenchie started.

"I can do this. At the very least, I can clean it up. I have to. If I don't do everything I can do to keep him alive and healthy, then what fucking good am I?" She asked, beginning to wipe the blood and grime away from the wound. Tears were steadily streaming down her face as she worked, and Frenchie knew he wouldn't get anywhere while she was in the current state she was.

He simply kissed the top of her head and stroke her hair. "You take care of our guy." He said before heading up to the deck.

Cole worked diligently, but couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes. This was bad. Worse than her chest or her back. Worse than the severed toes- at least those were a clean cut. This? If infection set in, which was likely, he'd be dead in days.

She wrapped the wound and washed her hands off. She grasped his hand in her own and held tightly. "Fuck, Izzy, you've got to wake up. You've got to wake up and get better. You can't bow out now."

He was in and out of consciousness for nearly a whole day, and lucky for Cole, Blackbeard spent most of that time in his quarters. The others checked in on occasion, but it wasn't until Jim came in the next afternoon that Izzy really began to regain full consciousness.

"God, what is that smell?" Jim asked, looking over at Colette. The woman looked properly disheveled, her hair a right mess, her eyes red and puffy, and her skin covered in a sheen of sweat.

"His leg. Infection has set in. Gods, Jim, what do we fucking do? I can't lose him." Colette fret.

"You won't. He's not going anywhere. Just go out there for me and send Archie in. Well take care of him for a bit, but I need you to gather some stuff for me. We're gonna have to take his leg."

Colette balked at that. Take his leg? "Are we sure that's the only way?"

"Mija, I wouldn't suggest it if it wasnt. Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"Then trust me with his."

Cole nodded, then sprinted out to find Archie. She sent the woman to Jim, then quickly began gathering what they would need for an amputation. Or, at least, what she thought they would need.

She ran into Frenchie, quite literally, and sighed in relief at the stuff of a makeshift first aid kit in his arms. "Thank fuck for that. We're in crisis mode. Things are not looking good downstairs. I did everything I could, but it wasn't good enough."

"Come on, we'll go down and get this stuff to them. You don't need to be down there for that."

"I do, though. I need to stay by his side, because he stayed by mine when I was hurt. You all did."

"Alright, love, alright. Let's get this stuff down there then."

The pair slipped inside the room just in time to hear Izzy scream.

"Kill me, you fucking cowards!"

"Lord above he smells somethin' terrible!" Frenchie exclaimed as Colette set the tools down and hurried to the empty space at Izzy's side.

"Yeah, his, his leg's rotting! It needs to be cut off." Archie exclaimed.

"We just had him asleep." Jim practically growled. "You're freakin' him out."

"Kill me..." Izzy started again, until Cole put her hand over his mouth.

"Shh, darling, please. I know, I know." She pleaded. God, this was awful.

"Alright. Just listen, listen, listen, listen. Start with his leg, see where it goes." Frenchie instructed. He exchanged a stressed look with Colette, then scurried out of the room.

"Okay." Archie agreed.

"I've never done this before. Which one?" Jim asked, golfing up two tools.

"Oh, definitely the fucked-up one. I think that one's all right." Archie replied without paying attention.

"I'm not a fucking idiot. Which one?" Jim reiterated.

"Oh! Oh." Archie realized with a chuckle. "Um, dealer's choice."

"Cole?" Jim asked.

"The big one." The woman replied, pushing Izzy's hair from his face.

"Yeah. Alright. Alright, um... Uno, dos... Tres."

They all exclaimed as Jim made a cut and Izzy's leg sprayed blood.

"Oh, he's a gusher! He's a gusher! Oh, that is a lot of blood." Archie cried out.

Izzy wailed until he finally passed out from the pain. By the end of the makeshift surgery, the three unofficial surgeons were exhausted. Colette sat beside Izzy, her hand clutching his, and her ear to his chest- just to be sure she could hear his heartbeat.

"That is one stank-ass leg, done and dusted." Archie said, breathing heavily as she sat at the foot of the bed with Jim.

"We did it!"

"He'll live?"

"Uh... eh, 50/50 I reckon. Yeah, he's very, um, still right now."

The pair looked back to see Colette fast asleep on his chest. She looked troubled, even in her sleep. They couldn't help but feel terrible for the mess she had been put through as of late.

"Uh-huh." Archie exhaled heavily. "What's your interest in this guy anyway? He seems like a bit of a dіck."

"Uh, he is... but he's our dіck. He's Colette's... well, she's probably one of the only things keeping him fighting right now. There was a time when life meant something on this ship. When we lived for each other. Not just to survive. Guess you never know when you're in the middle of the good old days."

Archie leaned over and kissed Jim, their lips lingering for just a moment.

"What was that for?" Jim asked.

"You have hope." She chuckled. "It's cute. Oh, plus, I... I really like that story that you told about the wooden demon boy that thirsted for life. Or was it blood? No, I was cleaning up the blood..."

Footsteps stomped down the stairs, drawing their attentionand waking Cole from her ligbt sleep. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho. What have we got here. Hm?" Blackbeard asked.

"Hey, no one told me this room existed." Frenchie said in fake surprise.

"Captain, please, we-" Cole started.

"Shh. Leave me, all of you." The captain interrupted. They all cautiously skirted around him, Colette's eyes never leaving Izzy. "Take the fսckin' leg."

Cole stopped on the steps and watched Jim pick up the leg and turn to square up to Blackbeard. "He was your friend."

Jim led Cole up the steps, a gentle hand on her waist. They stood on the deck, waiting for the okay to go back in. Colette sat nervously, her leg bouncing. Frenchie sat on one side of her, Jim on the other. The two exchanged a look of worry over her.

A muffled gunshot rang out. Colette's leg stopped bouncing. She looked towards the door and waited for a moment. Edward Teach came out with a neutral expression, his eyes scanning the deck as he walked towards them.

"Guess in the end, you weren't enough to make him stick around. Probably for the best since you lot butchered his leg." He said before walking towards the bow of the ship.

She watched him walk away as her stomach turned. Tears burned her eyes as they flooded down her face once more. A gut wrenching cry ripped through the ship as the realization of the loss hit her. Izzy was gone.

Her sobs echoed across the deck as Jim held her tightly. Frenchie felt a few of his own tears slip down his face, and Jim was in a similar state. They could only sit and watch as the woman between them was wrecked with grief.

Colette thought that what Ed had done to her before was cruel. It hurt her physically and mentally. It made her want to die. But she had pushed through because she had something to live for. This? This felt like he had plunged his hand right into that "X" carved on her chest and ripped her heart out.

Chapter Text

"So, do we think he's better?" Fang whispered to the rest of the crew. Everyone was stood in a hallway below deck, trying to figure out what to do. Izzy was dead, Ed was off his rocket, and the one person who always managed to rally them to action was in no state to do so.

Colette stood beside Frenchie, tucked under his arm. The tears had stopped flowing nearly half an hour ago, but she had been glued to his or Jim's side the entire time. None of them had mustered up the courage to go see Izzy's body yet.

"Fuck, no." Jim hissed.

"Well-Well, I don't know about that. He seemed pretty calm to me. He said he just wanted to spend some more time..." he stopped speaking as the ship creaked and they were all flung against the wall. "...with nature."

"We need to get the hell up there." Archie huffed.

"Hey! Do you want some help, Captain?" Frenchie asked as they all trekked onto the deck, the full force of the elements finally hitting them.

"No, I'm good!" Blackbeard called out.

"We're sailing into a storm, boss!" Fang stated.

"Whoa. Oh, it suddenly looks that way, doesn't it, brother? Oh, it's a bad one, too. And some maniac got rid of the wheel." Blackbeard was manic, laughing as he stumbled around.

Cole looked up with wide eyes to see that the wheel was, in fact, gone.

A wave crashed against the ship, and everyone exclaimed as they were tossed about.

"Holy shit! Well, that's the Caribbean for you, isn't it? Sunshine one minute, cataracts the next!" Blackbeard ranted.

"You'll fucking kill us, you fuckin' psycho!" Archie cried out.

"Maybe, maybe not! The odds of surviving a storm like this are pretty low, and if I fire one into the mast, the chance will go right down to zero!"

"What do you want, pila de mierda?" Jim ground out.

"What do I want? I want you to fight her... to the death!" He replied, pointing to Archie.

"Why?!"

"That's a bit misogynistic, man." Archie tried to reason as the crew yelled.

"Yeah, probably. All love dies! I'm just hastening the process! Colette here knows, don't you, Cole?"

"Leave it, man, we're not gonna fight to the death." Jim shot back.

Blackbeard didn't hesitate to draw his bun and train it on Cole. Archie just sighed and swung on Jim, causing everyone to groan in sympathy.

"That's more like it!" Blackbeard yelled jovially.

"This is how stuff goes now, ya know? He'll shoot her if we don't. Can you live with that?" Archie shrugged.

The fight set off, and Colette watched in horror, her eyes flicking between the gun trained on her, and the fight in front of her. She tried to scatter forward to break them apart, but the click of the gun's hammer being pulled back stopped her in her tracks.

"Stop it! This is beyond insanity! Haven't enough people died today?" Colette pleaded, watching Jim beat Archie.

"Not quite yet, darling." Blackbeard cackled, then turned to Jim, who was standing over Archie. Both were bloody and beaten. "Come on! End her, or I end us all!"

"Don't do it, Jim. Don't you fucking dare." Cole yelled.

"Not on my life." Jim agreed, looking solemnly at Cole as they helped Archie stand.

Cole just nodded, letting them know that it would be alright.

"Aw, that's too bad!" Blackbeard whined.

"You were gonna do it anyway!"

He cackled loudly. "I was... I was."

The ocean chose that moment to wreak havoc on the ship. A large wave tossed them about, and everyone scattered to find a safe hold. Everyone but Blackbeard and Colette, who sat like stones with their eyes locked. He raised the gun to her once more, and she closed her eyes. This was it, wasn't it? Colette Seburn, cursed to die by the hands of someone she once trusted in front of the people she loved. And everyone else was doomed to a watery grave when he inevitably shot a cannonball through the mast.

A gunshot rang, and she braced herself for the pain, but it never happened. Her eyes shot open, and she looked up to see Blackbeard clutching his hand and looking up.

"You indestructible little fսckеr!" He called out, laughing.

Colette looked up to see the last thing she could have expected. Izzy hands, legless and holding a pistol with a giant cut along his forehead. She shuddered a gasp, staring at him as the rain and seawater continued to pelt down on them.

Fang yelled and charged at Blackbeard, knocking the captain to the ground in a heap. Cole stood and scrambled over to Izzy, allowing him to put his weight on her.

"You're alive. Your fucking alive." She said, her hand caressing his cheek.

"Of course. I couldn't leave you like that. I thought about it. Almost did. But then I closed my eyes and saw your face. Knew I couldn't go without seeing those eyes again. And again. And then something in me told me to wake up. That you needed me. Looks like I was just in time."

"Saving my life like some type of damn hero." Cole said softly.

Fang walked over and took Izzy's weight, allowing the man to grab Colette by the hand as they staggered over to the crew that was circled around Blackbeard. Frenchie rushed to check over Izzy, while Jim clutched onto Colette.

"This ends now. No more putting your life at risk because he feels like it. I'm keeping you safe no matter what." Jim muttered into her shoulder. They stepped away, letting Cole stand between Frenchie and Izzy.

Jim picked up a cannonball and raised it above their head.

"Finally." Blackbeard said with a laugh.

Jim screamed and slammed the ball down. Cole turned her face into Izzy's shoulder.

"Let's get you cleaned up and in bed." She said, taking his weight once more. They stumbled a few times, but made it to the Captain's quarters and got him settled in the tub.

"I'm gonna go boil some water and send Frenchie up to help you get ready for a bath. Will you be alright?" She asked.

"I'll be fine love. Go ahead."

Half an hour later, Izzy was carefully cleaned and changed into some clean clothing. Cole was not taking any chances with infection this time. She would be beyond attentive to the wound.

He fell asleep almost as soon as she got him over to the bed. She had to admit, she was exhausted as well. Frenchie knocked on the doorframe and entered, looking at Izzy's resting form.

"How much rest have you gotten the past few days?" He asked.

"Last night, none. I almost got to sleep after the surgery, but Blackbeard came in." Cole said, stroking the back of Izzy's hand with her thumb.

"Get some sleep. I'll watch over you both for a bit. Keep an eye on his leg and clean it every few hours."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. The others said they'll come help periodically, too. You need to sleep, sweetheart."

She nodded, pulling a pile of cushions to the floor beside the bed. She left room for someone to take care of Izzy's leg, but still be close to him. As she drifted to sleep, she could only hope that things would go uphill from there. But, then again, when were they ever that lucky?

Chapter Text

The next few weeks were hell. Food had been scarce anyways, but now they had no way to steer to a port to restock. Meals became smaller and smaller until they were reduced to sharing whatever fish Fang was able to catch that day. They gave up on trying to fix the ship, knowing that Cole was the only one who could properly do it. She, however, was preoccupied with Izzy.

Colette had managed to craft a makeshift prosthetic for Izzy out of the leg on one of Stede's side tables, and a crutch from a few pieces of destroyed railing. Jim even put some rope and cloth around the top so it would be more comfortable to use. Once they were sure he was healed enough to use the items, he started to join them on deck for short periods of time. To be fair, he was usually flat drunk to deal with the pain, but he was sober enough that Cole and Frenchie didn't have to take care of him like a toddler.

Everyone was on high alert, and the body of their former captain sitting in a hidden room left them all a bit uneasy. Their lack of any real direction or ability to act gave them a terrible bout of cabin fever, and they decided to redecorate the inside of the vessel with a fair amount of knives, blood, and general chaos.

The fifth day of the sixth week of being reduced to sharing a single meal between the lot of them, the crew had developed almost a feral quality. They weren't even bothering to cook their food, and the bird they had caught was being viciously picked apart as they huddled around the table.

"Let go." Fang huffed as Archie and Frenchie tugged at the seagull.

A small whimper from the doorway caught their attention, and everyone slowly turned to see who it was.

"Guys." Stede said nervously. "Um... hi."

Normally, Colette would have sprang forward to embrace her old captain in a hug. But now? Cole didn't trust anyone except the people at that table with her. She eyed Stede warily, leaning into Izzy's side as he wrapped a sturdy arm around her waist.

"We've found you! We're rescuing you! I'll go tell the others, they'll be thrilled."

"Others? What others? Who is we?" Jim asked.

"All of us! Well, all except the Swede, but he's safe and happy at Spanish Jackie's. Anyways, we found another crew, and they took us in. The captain is a real innovator, you'll love her." Stede rambled.

"They have food?" Frenchie asked.

"Of course! Come out on deck. We'll get you over to their ship and get some...real food in those bellies."

Cole looked around, then to Izzy. Everyone else did the same. He looked at each of them for a moment. After a beat of silence, he nodded.

"We all stay together. Always within eachother's line of sight." Izzy said firmly.

"And she stays by one of us at all times." Jim added, motioning to Colette.

Cole wasn't even going to argue with that. She was beyond nervous and distrustful of going to a ship with an unfamiliar crew. Being by their sides would give her an added sense of security.

"Who, Cole? She's not in any danger from anyone over there." Stede said in mild confusion.

"Let's just go. Yeah?" Colette urged quietly, not really in the mood to get into it.

"Right! Come on, follow me." Stede said without further comment.

Thirty minutes, and a short swim, later, the crew sat on the other ship with bowls of soup in their hands and towels on their shoulders. Lucius had wanted to immediately embrace Colette, but saw both the way the others seemed to hover just in front of her, and the look in her eyes. Like him, Cole had survived a lot since they last saw each other. He settled instead for simply telling her how much he missed her. She assured him they'd talk soon.

She settled into a spot between Izzy and Frenchie, slowly eating her soup.

"Do you think we're safe here?" Cole whispered, looking around.

"Maybe. If they don't dig too much, we might be. But Bonnet will ask questions, and that'll lead to problems." Izzy told her.

"As long as we stick together, we'll be alright." Frenchie tried to reassure his lovers.

"I just don't understand. Where's Ed?" Stede asked, breaking them out of their conversation.

The trio exchanged looks as Archie and Jim floundered around giving an actual answer.

"We should go help them. He's only gonna keep pressing. I would if it were one of you two." Frenchie reasoned.

"I'll try to talk to him." Izzy said, slowly heading over to where the others were. Frenchie and Colette were close behind.

"Why can't I get a straight answer from any of you?" Stede huffed.

"Bonnet. Good to see you." Izzy mused.

"Piss off, Izzy. I don't wanna hear from you."

"Stede." Colette said in a tone that let him know to watch how he spoke.

"Frenchie?" Stede asked, his tone a bit softer.

"Yeah?" Frenchie replied once he stopped slurping his soup.

"Where is Ed?"

"Uh, he retired."

Everyone exchanged a look of agreement that they would stick with that story.

"What? Why are you all looking at each other?"

"When you get old, if you don't wanna work anymore, you can just give up, I guess." Frenchie continued.

"Yeah, I know what retirement is."

"Yeah, that's where he went." Jim agreed.

"That's our answer." Archie confirmed.

"Mm-hmm." Colette hummed.

Everyone mumbled in agreement and began slurping their soup again.

"What about my painting? Why is it all stabbed up?" Stede asked.

"That was me." Izzy admitted with a look of satisfaction. Stede simply sighed and walked away.

"That could've gone worse." Cole reasoned. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

"Hey, guys. Uh, Auntie wants to go over to the Revenge and check it out. They only need a few of you there, so the rest of you can stay here and relax." Olu said, approaching the group.

"I'll go. Fang and Frenchie, too. Colette can stay here with Archie and Jim." Izzy decided.

"I'll be going, too!" Stede announced.

Colette was left with Archie in the end, as Jim and Olu went to talk privately. She took the opportunity to introduce everyone to her newest friend, making sure to take a moment to hug Lucius tightly. She had missed her friend, and she spent a few minutes just basking in his warmth as Archie spoke to the others. Even with everything that had happened, Cole knew that she could trust Lucius with everything in her. He would never hurt her.

"We're gonna sit down and talk soon, yeah? Because god, I think we both need it." Lucius murmured into her hair.

"Yeah. I think so, too." Cole agreed.

The two stepped apart, and she looked over as footsteps rapidly approached.

"Hey Cole! Where did Frenchie go?" Roach asked, jogging up to her. Archie saw this out of the corner of her eye, and threw a punch at Roach. The chef hit the ground, and Cole let out a little shriek.

"Shit, mate, I'm sorry! You just ran up on her and I panicked." Archie apologized, helping the man up.

"You're fine! I shouldn't have ran up. Tensions are high, you're on edge." Roach rambled, massaging his nose.

"You alright?" Colette asked, looking at him worriedly. He nodded, and she looked at Archie. "You?"

Archie nodded, grimacing guiltily. "Yeah. My bad."

"Hey, it's alright. Everyone is okay, no permanent damage done." She assured Archie, hugging the woman tightly. The crew of Blackbeard's revenge had a long way to go, and a lot of healing to do before they were back to normal, and this was just a sign of how much work they had left to do.

"Frenchie went back to the Revenge for a few. He should be back soon." Cole told Roach, then led Archie away from the others with a small wave to the others.

"Maybe you can go up with Jim and Olu? It's important for you guys to meet anyways, and I can stay right here with Lucius where you can both see me." Cole suggested. Archie thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Good. Head on up, you three have fun. I'll talk to you all soon."

Over the next few hours, Cole spoke to Lucius about what he had been through since being pushed off the Revenge by Blackbeard. She listened as he spouted off all the awful things he had experienced.

Before he even got to ask her about her experience, Frenchie came stumbling over in a panic.

"They found it."

"Found it? Frenchie, love you'll have to be more specific than that." Cole pressed.

"It, Colette. It." He stressed.

Realization spread across her face, and she closed her eyes. They had found the body.

"Fuck."