Mary only helped by elbowing and then heeling the other pirate, and Jim was as surprised as he was pleased. When the knife dropped to the floor, Jim grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his face onto the counter, so he was knocked out cold.

In the meantime, and in the blink of an eye, chaos had erupted all around them. Jim's crew had stepped in when the other pirate's men approached Jim with the intent to hurt him, and several of them were involved in a fight that seemed to take up the whole tavern. There was a lot of punching and throwing around but for once, Jim couldn't pay it much mind.

Arm curling around Mary's waist, he drew her close, practically sweeping her off the ground and lifting her up to kiss her deeply, right in the middle of the mess.