Chapter 4: What Happened to Us?
When Cleo told Jack that they would be going back to her bed, she was far from joking. The two did indeed go to her bed as soon as they were aboard the Angel. No crewman dared interrupt the two for fear of what would happen to him.
"Hector, don't tease. It isn't kind."
"Ne'er said I was kind, lass. I do suppose I should be kind to ye. Ye did give me yer ship after all."
Cleo grabbed him by his scraggly beard and smiled innocently. Barbossa took her hand away and shook his head. He knew she always liked to be in charge.
"Cleo, ye can't be doin' much of that."
"Forgive me."
"Aye, I be doin' jus' that. What other man has touched you since I've been gone?"
"There was no one else."
The man grinned, pleased. The poor woman didn't stand a chance.
"Cleo…" he whispered.
Barbossa ravished Cleo until dawn, and slept through the day. When he awoke, his lover was gone. He emerged from the cabin and saw the crew members with their heads hung. He inquired about Cleo and her location.
"We don' know, Cap'n." answered one, "We all heard 'er screamin' this mornin' but we thought it was you tha' was makin' her holler out. Now, she be gone, sah."
Barbossa wasted no time getting to the shore to look for Jack and his crew. He knew that Jack would be out looking for the tree. A blood stained rock caught his eye, as did the initials traced in blood.
HB
Barbossa recognized his initials and knew the blood could only belong to one person. He searched the area, finding strategically placed drops of red and followed them. After a bit, he came across Pintel and Ragetti guarding her tied up, unconscious body. He stormed towards them in a rage, drawing his pistol as he went.
"Will the two of yeh explain to me why you've got 'er tied up like that?"
"It's not what you think, Captain Barbossa. 'e told us to! 'e made us do it!"
"Who is 'he'?"
"Captain Jack!"
"You two leave here and don't return if ye know what's good for yeh."
The duo noticed the weapon he held in his hand and made a quick getaway. Barbossa was angry; he wanted to know exactly why Jack had told them to do this to her. The sound of a pistol being cocked behind him made him turn and point his own pistol at his assailant.
"I think it unwise to do that, Sir."
He faced six British men who must have been with the newly settled colonists. All six guns pointed straight at Barbossa. He cast a glance down at Cleo, who had started to come around. She recognized the blurry outline of the soldiers who had done this to her.
"Don't fight them. You'll end up like me. Battered and bruised. Just do what they ask of you, Hector." She whispered, still weak.
Barbossa heard, but did not acknowledge her. His mind was made up, and he knew what he would do.
"If I surrender meself and join yer ranks, will ye let the poor lass go?"
"Of course we will. Your surrender and your joining of our ranks would benefit us greatly. Hand over your pistol and sword and any other items that might be considered a weapon."
The pirate's head hung as he did so and watched the things be gathered by an officer and taken away. What he had done was for her; to keep her safe from harm.
"Will ye let me say me goodbyes to her?" he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Seeing as your first job as an officer will be to throw her in the prison, yes, you will be able to say 'goodbye' to her"
He shook his head in disbelief. "You said she would go free!"
"I lied. Pirates do it all the time. Pick her up and carry her to the prison. Say goodbye because after tomorrow morning, you will never see her again. She will hang for killing an officer of the Royal Guard."
Suddenly regretting his decision, Barbossa untied and carefully picked up the half-conscious woman. He dragged his feet on the way to the prison, not wanting to leave her there; wanting more time with her. By the time they arrived at the cell she was to be kept in, she was fully awake. He did not answer any of her questions, but merely said "I'll see you again. Goodbye, Cleo."
She, of course, was used to this kind of behavior from him. When he spoke that way it usually meant that one of them would possibly be saying goodbye forever.
The next morning, a familiar face appeared at the door of her cell. She shot to her feet, curious about why he was wearing an officer's uniform. When he put her in irons and walked her to the gallows she realized who would be saying goodbye this time.
"Is this how it ends, Barbossa? You giving up piracy and me in one morning? I thought you were better than this, but now I see that you will do anything if it means finding that tree and gaining immortality. We will be saying goodbye, Hector, but our goodbyes will not end with my death. When we meet again, I will not greet you as a friend or lover, but as an enemy until death. Until next time, Hector." She said, sliding the dagger out of her sleeve, cutting the noose with it. Gun fire came from above, taking down whoever dared go near Cleo as she ran off into the forest and back to the Black Pearl. She danced with the crew and celebrated her escape. When the festivities had subsided and all was quiet, Cleo snuck back to town when it was dark and left a letter addressed to 'the pirate officer.'
Every man woman and child in that town knew who Barbossa was and what he had been before, and they feared angering him. Barbossa regretted what he had done to the girl he cared about. The shuffle of feet and the sound of paper sliding across the floor caught his attention. He rose from his bunk and picked up the envelope. He opened it silently and read the careful script on the page. It said:
Hector,
My speech this morning had some truth to it. We must appear to be enemies before others, but if we ever can steal a few private moments… I don't have much time before the crew come looking for me, but there are a few things you should know. And they are: 1. Keep our meetings a secret, 2. Around the other officers, I am to be called either 'her' and variations thereupon or 'the pirate woman,' and finally, 3. Don't forget who you really are. Oh, and, I know why you joined the Royal Guard. You want to find the tree and protect your assets at the same time. Smart move, that one.
Now, there is a pool about half an hour away from where you are. Be there at midnight tonight.
Forever yours,
Cleo V.
He glanced at his pocket watch, picked up his pistol and left to find the pool. The ribbons of cloth left on bushes and twigs helped him find the place she had indicated in the letter. A light colored dress hung from a low branch on a nearby tree. A woman bathed silently by moonlight, taking no notice of the newcomer. Barbossa cleared his throat; Cleo jumped and attempted to hide herself behind a rock.
"No, no, everything's okay. I only be followin' yer instructions, Miss Cleo."
A smiling woman stepped out from behind the boulder. The moonlight illuminated every curve of her body; the light of the moon made her pale. She took the dress off the branch and allowed Hector to lace it back up. She took his hand and led him to a flat rock a few feet away. The two looked at each other for a few minutes, not knowing what to say.
"I didn't think you would come."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"You could have been caught. Did you make sure you weren't followed?"
"I may be an officer now, but that change ha'int made me daft."
"My apologies, Officer Barbossa. I don't know why a silly pirate like me even bothers to worry about your safety."
"I'm still who I was! Ye be insultin' me by thinkin' I was followed."
"You watch it, Hector. I may be a woman, but I still know how to use my sword and pistol."
The man's hand drew back, as if to strike her. She reacted quickly, disappearing into the water. He looked into the water, searching for any sort of human movement. Cleo reappeared on the opposite side of the pool. The white dress clung to her; her eyes no longer reflected the light.
"In all the years I've known you you've never tried to strike me." She said, taking a braid out of her hair to hold the object that had been braided into it. Cleo made the swim back to his side. When she stood before him once more she held the object out to him. He took the ring and looked at it sadly.
"This belongs to you. It isn't worth me keeping it anymore. I am no longer yours."
"Ye are naught but a traitor and a whore. Ye will never mean anything to me ever again." He replied, smiling. Barbossa enjoyed rubbing salt in her fresh wounds. He wound his hand around her delicate throat and laughed.
"I could do it, ye know."
A shot fired from a few feet away. Jack had his head cocked sideways, staring at the two. Gibbs stood just behind him.
"Let the girl go, mate." He said.
Barbossa's hand dropped from her neck and he backed away. Gibbs approached Cleo and took her into his arms. He heard his name fall from her lips in a sigh of relief, along with a few other words. Cleo was the only one he knew that ever used his first name. Gibbs smiled and led her away, leaving Jack alone with Barbossa.
"What were you going to do to her?"
"Jack, ye don' understand. She cut me deep."
"Mate, I heard the whole thing. She was just concerned about you. An' now look at you. No Cleo, that ring back in your possession, no way to speak to her, and she's angry and hurt. Done a right good job haven't you?"
Barbossa didn't respond. He just glared and stalked off back to the town. Jack shook his head and headed back to his ship.
Gibbs sat with Cleo and helped her dry her hair. He made her laugh and tried to distract her from what had just happened, but he had to know what she had said.
"Cleo, when we came to your rescue and I had you close to me, what did you say?"
"I said: what happened to us?"
"Who were you talking to?"
"You and Hector."
Gibbs fell silent and continued drying her hair, wondering what he had gotten himself into.