Three weeks later

Annabelle sat on the lap of Loanda, the thirteen year old, holding a pair of rusty scissors. Loanda held her tightly with both arms and all her strength as Annabelle struggled to get free. She had episodes ever sense Loanda was able to get her out of that terrible place. They occurred out of the blue. Everything turned dark in Annabelle's usually bright eyes, and not even Holland could bring the light back. Davy Jones, the captain of the Flying Dutchman, often tried to help Annabelle recover from the aftermath of the outbursts from her mind. Loanda was the one that restrained her during the episodes with great effort.

She groaned when Annabelle struck her in the ribs with her elbow. Loanda tightened her grip so the eight year old could barely move. Annabelle growled deep in her throat. It sounded so inhuman, so angry. Holland watched from the other side of the room they were in, arms crossed and eyes closed so he wouldn't have to see Annabelle's inner torment through her eyes. Jones was there as well, quiet and waiting for her to stop. It felt like hours before she finally went still. Annabelle looked over at Jones and reached out for him. He limped over, a rare smile on his face, and gently grabbed her from Loanda's arms. Annabelle was shaking in his hold, probably from the cold. Holland left the room silently as if ordered to. But Loanda stayed put. She still felt strange leaving Annabelle with the squid man. He's killed people like most here in this particular dimension. And, not for the first time, Loanda didn't feel right around him. Loanda had watched Annabelle around the captain whenever he brought her out of his cabin, and noticed a change between the two. Jones started to act differently with Annabelle around. He seemed more civil when she was there. As she observed him now with Annabelle in his arms, she wondered why he was doing this for a mere eight year old. Of course Loanda would have done this for her, but Jones insisted that he do it.

Jones smoothed down Annabelle's chestnut hair with his tentacle covered hand. Annabelle smiled contently and snuggled closer to him. She still remembered the day she first met him with Holland and Loanda. She was taken into his cabin by the one she now knows as Maccus or Shark Head when she plays around the Dutchman, and stood in the dark room with the captain. He demanded to know what she meant about her mother. Annabelle decided to tell him everything so he would understand. Ever sense that night they have grown closer. She mostly had to stay in his cabin, especially when the ship went underwater, but she didn't mind. Sometimes one of the crew members, like Maccus, would come see her and talk to her so she wouldn't be lonely while Jones was outside. Annabelle liked being on the ship. It was like a dream she never thought would come true. A dream of being free from her father and Kat with no more fear. Sadly, Annabelle knew that she would never be free from them. They would always linger in her fragile mind like shadows. So the fear was still there, the fear of having to go back and relive that nightmare. Jones tried to help her with her fear as best as he could. To Annabelle, this was enough. Just him being there with her, holding her like a child should be held in a time of need, was enough for her.

As Annabelle played with one of Jones's tentacles, she looked at Loanda with her head tilted to the side like a birds. "Where did Holland go?"

"Probably back to work outside. Don't worry about it, Annabelle." Loanda said with a tired smile.

"You need to leave now as well, lass." Jones growled, making Loanda take a step back towards the door.

Loanda left as told, leaving Annabelle alone with the captain in his cabin. Annabelle turned her head and smiled sweetly at Jones. He smiled back, but his eyes seemed different to the girl on his lap. She tilted her head up at him but said nothing. Sometimes it was best just to stay quiet. She's learned this long before she came here. It's worked for her there, for a little while. However, her father seemed to come up with some reason to punish her. Especially when he was drunk, which was often an everyday occurrence. Davy Jones tried to get her to forget these moments, but she refused each time. She had told him a few days ago that she didn't want to get rid of any sort of memories she had. He looked at her as if she were crazy. Yet he didn't push the matter after that. Loanda was another story. She was always trying to get Annabelle away from Jones. Annabelle didn't understand why she would want her to stay away from him. He never did anything bad when she was with him and nothing bad to her. To Annabelle, he was more like a father to her now.

"Can I go outside with you today?" Annabelle finally asked after a moment of silence.

Davy Jones sighed and chuckled. "You went out yesterday, Anna."

"I know. But I want to see if Holland's okay."

"You shouldn't worry about him, lass. I'm sure he's fine." Jones said, trying to reassure her as best as he could after her little episode. Her thoughts were always off balance once they were over.

"Loanda seems different, too." Annabelle said, looking down at her small hands like she did her part all over again.

Jones watched her worriedly. "She's just trying to adjust to how everything is here."

"I feel like I did something, though."

"You did nothing to that girl, Annabelle. I don't want you going around blaming yourself for something that ridiculous. Ya hear?" Jones stared down at Annabelle seriously, his voice stern but with tenderness and care.

"Okay, I won't."

"Good. Now, I have to go out there for a moment to take care of some things. Do you want Mr. Turner to come while I'm gone?"

Annabelle nodded with a sweet smile. The thought of one of her friends coming to the cabin to see her lifted all her worries in an instant. It could be so lonely in the dark covers of the cold room she stayed in so often.

"How are you today, Minnie?" Bootstrap asked Annabelle nicely.

Annabelle smiled at the nickname he has invented for her. "I'm doing alright. How have you been?"

"Better than I did a few days ago. Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a little snack."

Annabelle's eyes grew wide when he pulled an apple from one of his coat pockets. She snatched it out of his hand, ignoring his chuckle, and pulled out the pocketknife out of her back pocket. Bootstrap disapproves of her using a knife at only eight years old, but Jones prefers it. He says it's good to have a weapon on you just in case you need one. Annabelle cut a slice from the red, juicy apple and handed it to her friend. Bootstrap had learned not to decline her when she gave him something. She was a very insistent child. Annabelle than cut a slice for herself, smiling as she did so. She bit into it gratefully and watched her friend eat his. Bootstrap leaned forward in the chair he sat in and grabbed the pocketknife and apple from Annabelle's small hands. She looked at him in confusion. He sliced another piece, putting it in his mouth so he could cut another slice for Annabelle once she was finished with her first. Bootstrap loved how she took small bites when she ate. He came to the conclusion that it was because she didn't get that much food where she came from. So now she savors every bite as if it were her last. Her eyes were locked onto the hardwood floor as she ate, refusing to make eye contact with him. This had also confused him when he first met her. He wondered about her. She was such a strange girl.

"Did any new people come today? Is that why Davy had to go out there?" Annabelle suddenly asked, bringing Bootstrap out of his thoughts.

"Yes, actually. Four men I heard." He informed her. She tilted her head in curiosity as she ate her second apple slice.

"I wish Davy let me go out there with him." Annabelle said while she chewed. Bootstrap nodded in agreement. His captain couldn't keep her in here like this for the remainder of her time on the Dutchmen.

"Loanda's your companion, correct?"

Annabelle nodded, confused.

Bootstrap said nothing else, just cut another slice of the apple for Annabelle to eat.

Jones limped back into his cabin and spotted a sleeping Annabelle on the floor. He smiled tenderly and went over to her. Both of her hands were underneath her head for a pillow and her knees were curled. Why she chose to sleep on the floor when there was a bed, he didn't know. Jones carefully bent down to pick her up. She groaned softly, but went limp once again. He pulled back the blanket on the bed with great effort and placed her down onto the mattress. He then pulled the blanket over her to keep her warm. Jones didn't understand how she was able to reach a tenderness inside him that hasn't been shown to anyone in a very long time. He wouldn't say he loved her. Oh, no, not love. He just cared for her immensely. As the captain looked down at her sleeping form, he began to rethink about what she had told him when they first met. About being scared and not scared of death. The fact that she had wanted to die once, or possibly more than once, made him feel a deep pain in his stomach. He's never heard of a child wanting to die. That shocked him. But, when she told him her story, he understood why she would want such a thing. Jones just wished he could inflict pain of her father. Killing him would just traumatize the poor girl even more. He sighed deeply. That Loanda girl hated Annabelle being around him, which he couldn't blame her for. Looking back into his back ground told it all.

Jones gently climbed into the bed next to Annabelle. Her light breathing comforted him in many ways. It told him that she was okay and there. Thinking of her going into one of her episodes with no one around scared him. This happened once before a week ago. She was alone in the cabin when it suddenly happened. Loanda had been the first to hear her scream in the cabin and raced to Annabelle's aid. Holland ran to get Jones. When Jones saw Annabelle on her knee's, screaming at the top of her lungs with her hands over her ears, it stunned him. He stood there, absolutely frozen, as Loanda and Holland tried to calm her down. After it was all over she had cried and reached out for Jones. That immediately brought him out of his frozen state. Annabelle cried in his arms, getting his coat wet as she buried her face into his chest. It hurt to see her in such a disheveled state of mind. He wondered what went through her mind during the days she spent on the ship. She frequently blamed herself for her own abuse from her father, saying she did something wrong to deserve it. Jones's hatred for her father grew each time she blamed herself and every time she had one of her episodes. He just wanted to remove all of her bad thoughts and replace them with good ones.

"Goodnight, Anne." Jones whispered with a tender smile before he fell asleep beside the young girl.

Sorry I haven't posted this chapter earlier! Please review and don't be afraid to give me advice.

*Boop