Author's Note: Doesn't 'William the Bloody' sound like a pirate's name? It really does. And this time we get to meet the gorgeous pirate in the flesh... ~_^

Elizabeth immediately ran forward and pulled the dagger from the dead man’s back, clutching it firmly in her hand as the sounds of struggle continued outside. Anya pulled out her own knife while Giles took hold of one of the chairs and stationed himself right next to the door, prepared to bash anyone over the head who tried to enter.

They waited, listening to the sounds of battle approaching closer and their own ragged breaths. Several more loud crashes, and then all was quiet outside.

“Is that a good sign or a bad sign?” Anya bit her lip nervously.

Elizabeth and Giles both shrugged and held their breath as they waited for someone to come. After nothing had happened for several seconds, Giles slowly loosened his hold on the chair…

And that’s when the door burst inward.

A man with wild black hair immediately clocked Giles on the jaw, knocking him unconscious onto the floor. Anya lunged at the intruder from behind, her blade flashing in the morning sun, but he caught her wrist easily, slamming her back hard into the wall and pinning her in place.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was left to face his companion, a tall, brutish-looking blond man with a jagged scar down one side of his face. She quickly concealed her weapon in the folds of her skirt when she saw that he had a knife as well.

He flashed her a toothy smile when he saw what appeared to be a helpless, frightened woman as his only opponent and advanced on her with a purposeful leer.

Elizabeth let him back her up against the wall, not having to fake her fear at the situation. If these really were pirates, then there were undoubtedly dozens more where they had come from, and she doubted that even she could overcome them all.

“Pretty little thing, aren’t ya?” the pirate said in a rough voice. He quickly caught her by the waist and hair, pulling her right up against him. “Don’t worry,” he said with a lustful sneer, “I’ll take good care of you…” His knife sliced into the bodice of her dress, exposing the white lace underneath, and he yanked her hair back to get a better look at her face. “Very pretty,” he decided.

And that was pretty much all Elizabeth could take. She quit trying to synchronize her own attack with Anya’s and just swung at him.

The pirate cried out and staggered backward when her knife slashed his back, and she caught him right between the legs with her toe as he went down.

He clutched at her skirts, but she evaded him, making a run for the door and hoping to find someone else from their crew that could help her.

Her plan was foiled just as she reached the door, however. She crashed headlong into a third pirate, and this one was not so easy to defeat as his predecessor. He instantly caught the wrist that held her knife and twisted until the blade slipped from her grasp.

She aimed her free fist at his face, but he quickly caught that hand as well, pinning them both behind her and holding her against him so that she couldn’t get the leverage she needed to kick him…or to reach for the sword he wore at his waist.

She froze then, realizing she was trapped, and looked at her captor for the first time. He was of slim build, although sleekly muscular from his many years sailing. Tight black slacks and a white silk shirt open at the breast showed off his lean body and sun-kissed chest admirably. His face was no less striking – razor-sharp cheekbones and scarred eyebrow defined his features while brilliant blue eyes gave it life. Perhaps the most exotic aspect of his appearance was his hair, however. Years of exposure to the sun’s blinding rays had bleached it until it was almost white, giving this pirate a strangely angelic appearance.

Elizabeth quickly shook the silly notion from her head and continued her useless struggles against him.

“You all right?” His accent was unmistakably British, although of a much lower class than she was used to hearing.

The bulky blond pirate grunted in response, clutching the bleeding slash in his side and still hunched over from her kick. “I’ll live,” he agreed gruffly.

The pirate that held her seemed to be struggling slightly with mirth at his companion’s predicament. “We’ll ‘ave ta work on that overconfidence ‘f yours, Finn,” he chuckled. “One of these days it’ll get you killed…”

The blond pirate – Finn – cast an annoyed scowl in his direction and turned to where the dark-haired pirate still had Anya pinned as well.

Elizabeth let out a disappointed sigh when she realized that any hope of Anya overcoming her captor and freeing her had gone. Although…

Elizabeth’s eyes widened when she realized that Anya hadn’t even bothered to try to escape. In fact, right now, she was just letting the man hold her, looking up at him with a coy smile on her face.

The man seemed equally entranced, his grip changing from a rough hold to a gentler embrace.

If Elizabeth hadn’t known better, she would have sworn a string quartet was playing soft love music around the pair, closing them off in their own private world…

The pirate who held her made the same observation and raised one eyebrow in surprise. “Xander?” he inquired.

The dark-haired man – Xander, Elizabeth gathered – didn’t respond, remaining transfixed by the blond in his arms.

Her captor rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Xander!” he exclaimed.

“Huh?” Xander turned to look at him for the first time.

“You have everythin’ under control there, mate?” he demanded skeptically.

Xander nodded numbly. “I’ve got her,” he agreed.

“He’s got me,” Anya agreed perkily.

Elizabeth groaned inwardly. Why did Anya have to pick NOW to start thinking about sex? Her silent rhetorical question went unanswered.

“Right then,” the white-blond pirate who Elizabeth deduced was in charge nodded. He glanced down at Giles’ unconscious form. “We need to get the passengers off the ship before—”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Elizabeth exclaimed in sudden outrage.

He cast her an annoyed scowl. “Yeah, an’ what’re you gonna do ‘bout it?” he demanded.

“I’ll be happy to take care of her,” Finn’s eyes narrowed at her, “teach her some manners…”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” he gave the other man a tight smile. “Carry the preacher out of ‘ere; ‘ll take the girl.”

“You will not!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I’ll have you know that my father is—”

He rolled his eyes at her. “Do I look like I give a damn who your father is?” he said sarcastically, grabbing a firmer hold on her waist and trying to drag her out through the door.

Elizabeth jabbed at him with her toe, and when that didn’t work managed to get her foot hooked around the doorframe, making it essentially impossible for them to leave the room. She stuck her chin out at him stubbornly. “I’m. Not. Leaving.”

“You wanna burn down with the ship?” he retorted.

“It’s better than being kidnapped by a bunch of…of…pirates!” she hissed.

He merely looked more annoyed than before. “Xander?” he turned to the dark-haired man.

Xander untied the red bandana that he wore around his neck and handed it over to his captain.

“What are you doing?” Elizabeth’s eyes widened, and she began her struggles anew.

However, he still managed to get her hands tightly tied behind her back before flinging her back over his shoulder.

“You’ll never get away with this!” Elizabeth cried out from where her face was pressed up against his back, kicking uselessly as he carried her out the door.

Riley followed with Giles slung over his shoulder, eyes still narrowed at the girl that had wounded him – even if it was his pride more than his body that had been hurt.

And behind them, Xander and Anya walked out arm in arm, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. After all, it wasn’t every day that love at first sight occurred…

“Will you please, please cut out that racket?!” William exclaimed irritably when the wild young captive’s piercing screams for help finally became more than he could bear.

“Heeeeeelllppp!” was Elizabeth’s only response.

William ran his hand down his face and moved so that he was sitting against the edge of the desk in front of where he’d tied her to the chair when he’d realized at it was the only way to keep the lower regions of his anatomy intact for long.

“Look,” he began, “your crew’s dead; the ship’s burnt. The only people who can ‘ear your cries ‘re my men…”

“I don’t care,” she said sullenly.

William breathed a sigh of relief that at least she was talking instead of screaming now. “That may well be,” he agreed with a sly smile, “but you’ll save yourself some wear an’ tear on your voice this way.”

Elizabeth debated screaming yet again just to defy his regrettably reasonable logic. However, he did have a point; her voice was getting tired. “If you so much as think about touching me,” she informed him in an icy voice, “you’ll die a death more slow and painful than anything you’ve ever imagined…”

“Dyin’ from my ears bleedin’ due to your constant screaming?” he couldn’t help but tease.

Her face remained stony.

“Look,” he began with a sigh, “’m not gonna ‘sully your virtue’ or some rot like that. Truth be told, we din’t think there were gonna be any passengers on that boat. So, we’ll jus’ drop you off when we get back to land, an’ you can be on your merry way then. All right?”

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I don’t trust you,” she informed him primly.

“Do you think ‘m an idiot?” he asked abruptly.

“I don’t know,” she countered haughtily.

“Yeah, well, ‘d have to be an idiot to take advantage ‘f you,” he informed her, leaning forward so that his face just barely intruded into her personal space. “’S never a smart idea to take an unwillin’ woman to bed…’specially one who’s so prone to stabbin’.”

She relaxed slightly at that, although she didn’t let it show on the outside. “I will take every opportunity I can to escape,” she informed him matter-of-factly.

He gave her a sly smile. “Why am I not te least bit surprised?” he joked lightly.

She turned her nose away from him in response.

“So,” he sat back up on the table, pouring a glass of wine from the decanter and offering it to her only to drink it himself when she shook her head ‘no’, “shall we properly introduce ourselves then? Given that we’re gonna be livin’ together for some time…”

She shrugged disinterestedly.

“The name’s William Arlington,” he said, looking down at her over the rim of his glass.

Her eyes widened in recognition. “You’re William the Bloody!” she exclaimed in surprise. And then her expression turned to fury. “You’ve stolen half a dozen of my father’s shipments in the past month alone!” she began to rant. “And when you attacked that cargo ship right in Chesapeake Harbor, half the population was terrified to even set foot on the beach, even with British navy ships in plain view! And—”

“Really?” William said, a hint of pride in his voice.

“You’re infamous,” she informed him coldly, “as a thief and a ruthless murderer. That’s not something to be proud of.”

“Maybe to you,” he countered with a toothy grin. “Your father, huh? Who’s he then?”

“Henry Summers,” she said proudly.

He blinked. “Never ‘eard ‘f him.”

“He’s very wealthy,” she assured him before gasping at the error she’d just made. “If you hold me for ransom…” she began.

“Painful death, yadda, yadda, yadda,” he said disinterestedly. “So, your father’s ‘Enry. That would make you…?”

“Elizabeth,” she said sullenly.

“’Lizabeth,” he repeated. “Suits you – very pretty.”

She blushed slightly and turned her head away so that he couldn’t see her cheeks redden. In the past men had had an unfortunate tendency of thinking her pretty, then meeting her and instantly changing their minds.

“So, ‘Lizabeth, how ‘bout we come to a little agreement?” he suggested, cocking his head to one side slightly to look at her.

“I don’t deal with criminals,” she informed him.

“’Course not,” he said with a cheeky little smile, “but in the interest ‘f keepin’ me from wringin’ your lovely neck…”

“You’re not exactly convincing me that I can trust you,” she pointed out.

He laughed at that. “Got me there, luv,” he agreed. “Now, will you jus’ listen to what ‘m proposing?”

“Do I have a choice?” she gestured to the ropes that bound her.

“You will soon if you just keep quiet for one second!” he exclaimed, his infamous impatience on the verge of breaking.

She let out a little sigh. “I’m listening,” she agreed.

“This room ‘ere,” he gestured to the small cabin furnished only with the chair, the small desk, and a mattress, “’s pretty impossible to break out of. ‘ve got the only key,” her eyes flicked to the silver key that was tied at his waist right beside the sword he wore, “an’ the only way out’s through my cabin. Now, how ‘bout I untie you, an’ you can ‘ave this room all to your lonesome throughout our voyage?”

“Like I could sleep knowing you’re in the next room,” she said with a little eye roll.

He gave her a conspiratorial little smile and moved over to the bed. She watched, curious, as he felt around under the mattress and finally produced a small dagger. “’ad an admiral who was a wee bit paranoid a while back,” he commented, studying the sharp edge of the blade. He pulled it out further, revealing that it was attached to a strong chain and bolted firmly to the wall, preventing it from being useful to anyone who was not on the bed. “Should ensure that nothin’ gets to you in your sleep.” He cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

She bit her lip, more than tempted. After all, despite all her experience at being tied up, it was rather uncomfortable. “What about Anya?” she demanded. “And Father Giles?”

“The preacher’s in no danger,” he assured her, replacing the knife in its hidden sheath beneath the mattress. “’ve got ‘im roomed up in another ‘f the empty cabins. As for your companion…”

Elizabeth nodded resignedly. “A willing captive, I take it?”

“Prob’ly sharin’ the bed ‘f my first mate even as we speak,” William agreed before frowning. “’E’s not usually so quick to dive in. Tha’s quite a…persuasive friend you’ve got yourself there.”

“That’s Anya,” Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile. “She sees what she wants, and she takes it.”

“An’ what about you?” he asked, moving over to where she sat and crouching down in front of her feet, the sheath of his blade scrapping the ground as he did so.

“We have a deal,” she repeated forcefully. “That does not mean that I will consort with you or your crew in any way.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed with a small smile, removing a small knife from his boot. “For the ropes,” he quickly reassured her.

She nodded that she wouldn’t struggle.

“You’re not going to, er…kick, are you?” he asked somewhat warily, noticing that certain precious regions of his body would be open and exposed to her once her feet were released.

“We have a deal,” she said simply.

He decided to live dangerously and quickly cut through the ropes at her feet. Elizabeth took the opportunity to study him. The look of thoughtful concentration as he worked, as well as his entire manner, indicated to her that he was no common thug. There was definite intelligence and wit behind those shinning blue eyes, underneath long, fluttering lashes and…

She stopped short when she realized that she’d once again been appraising his beauty. Her cheeks flushed just as he broke through the ropes and turned to look up at her.

His eyes widened slightly, and he quickly reached out to her bosom…

She kicked like mad. No matter how beautiful he was, no pirate would ever touch her without facing the consequences!

“Jesus Christ!” He leapt back frantically, just barely escaping the sharp toe of her boot. “What on earth is the matter with you?!”

“You said you wouldn’t touch me!” she yelled right back. “I should have known I could never trust—!”

“You’re bleedin’,” he cut her off, gesturing to the wound he’d been trying to inspect.

She looked down and discovered that indeed a small cut was bleeding where that other pirate had cut her dress; the blade must’ve just knicked her skin. “I-I didn’t realize,” she stuttered, instantly apologetic.

His brow furrowed slightly, and this time she didn’t pull back when he reached out to inspect the wound. “This ‘as been cut…” He frowned further.

“That thug friend of yours did it,” she said, huffing slightly. “Finn. I can’t imagine why you’re at all surprised.”

“Passengers are never to be harmed,” he said sternly, looking up at her with flashing blue eyes. “Riley did this? That bloke you cut?”

“Yes.”

“He’ll be punished for it,” he assured her with such sincerity that not even she could doubt his word.

Their eyes met and locked for a moment, blue to hazel, and she felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart pound in her chest at the intensity of this man.

And then he moved behind her to untie her wrists, and the spell was broken. She warily rubbed the flesh there, surprised at how little it had actually bruised.

“There’s water in the basin,” he informed her in clipped tones. “’d volunteer to help but…” He eyed her foot warily and backed out of the room. “Milady.” He gave her a curt little bow before the door shut and the lock turned, trapping her within.

She quickly ran over to check the lock. Unfortunately, it was a good one, and her hairpins weren’t strong enough to pick it. Step two was to examine the dagger under the bed. It too was thoroughly secured, the blade too thick to fit between the wall and the metal bolts that held it in place. That left only the small porthole… She wasn’t surprised to see that that avenue of escape was also hopeless.

She flopped back down onto the mattress with a weary sigh. There was no use denying it; she was completely trapped and at his mercy. At least he didn’t seem to be as much of a hoodlum as that Riley, however…

“Oh well,” she on her back and stared up at the wooden planks of the ceiling, “at least I don’t have to marry Parker anymore…”