A/N: This chapter kind of drops off in the middle but there is action at both ends. Seems some of my favorite reviewers would like a little more smooching. I don't know that I can work it the way one reviewer wants. I'll see what I can do.
About time to throw in a disclaimer again I guess. In case you don't want to go back to chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I have no claim to any of the characters except for Travis, Trevor, and Niece who are some favorite names of mine, and Whitney that is a real horse (which I do own.) I have permission from Lydia to use her name and Buzzard's (Lydia's horse.) The story just has Disney's characters in it and they own the rest.
Different Styles of Persuasion
Chapter 7
With the bright moonlight Gibbs, Pintel, Marty and Niece made good time on the well traveled road. Gibbs slowed as he saw a shadowy figure on horse back step from the cover of some dense vegetation. ""Ello Jack," Gibbs pulled up his horse next to the figure.
"Glad ta see ya got 'er," Jack nodded towards Niece. "This way," he motioned as he disappeared through a curtain of bougainvillea vines hanging from a mangrove tree.
Cotton, Ragetti, Lydia, and Will were waiting a few yards away in the shadows of some banyan trees with more tropical flowers wound around them. Niece could smell the flowers haunting fragrance and wondered what they were. They smelled kind of like honeysuckle but stronger. Lydia saw Niece as she came through the shadows into the moonlight. She pulled Buzzard over next to her in the moonlight and squealed, "Thank the heavens, they got you." Lydia edged Buzzard closer to wrap her arms around Niece as she squeezed her. "I was so worried that they wouldn't be able to get you out of that place."
"Lyd, you are choking me. Pintel was a hero for sure," Niece stated as she hugged her friend back and winked at Pintel.
"'Ey, I be th' one to rescue ya," Pintel put out his arms for a hug, but Niece just shook her head and smirked at him. "Can't blame a bloke fer tryin'" he shrugged sheepishly.
"What about me luv?" Jack gave Niece one of his sad puppy dog looks. "I be the one who was the brains behind it."
Niece pursed her lips together in thought and scratched her head. She closed one eye and then gave Jack a smirk that could match one of his best. She walked Whitney close enough for Jack's and her legs to touch.
Pintel's mouth fell open as he started to protest, Will and Gibbs herded all the others down a grass path covered from the moonlight by tall mangrove trees, heliconia, and elephant ears. Those were dotted with hibiscus, calabash, and orchids.
Niece leaned over to put her hand on the saddle in front of him. Her lips parted and she leaned close as he did the same. He parted his lips for a kiss. Her lips were close enough that he could feel the heat from them.
Her ice blue eyes were half closed inches from his chocolate brown eyes. She was gazing dreamily into his eyes. She whispered so close to his lips that he felt the brush of her lips as she spoke, "You did it because you have a good streak in you Jack Sparrow. If you want to admit it or not your conscious would not let you leave me. Not for Norrington to use as leverage against you at least. As Elizabeth once said, you're a good man Jack Sparrow."
He closed his mouth but held her gaze and grunted, "Let us just leave that bit of information between you, me and Elizabeth, savvy luv?"
"Savvy," she touched the side of his cheek as she sat back up in her saddle. She then smiled over her shoulder as she started to follow the others. 'I am getting the hang of how to use my feminine wiles down pretty good.' She smiled to herself.
"Bloody pirates, the both of 'em," Jack muttered as he kicked his horse into a lope after her. He heard her tinkling laughter float back to him. He gave her a smirk as he passed her and the others to take the lead. It took them another hour to get back to The Pearl.
Niece noticed that she'd been correct about the honeysuckle. When Jack chose a winding hibiscus, orchid, honeysuckle and tree lined path. She managed to pick a couple of the honeysuckle blossoms as they hung down over the path. Not one to be too female about flowers she tucked them gently into a pocket. She didn't notice Gibbs smile behind her.
It was hard to see at times when they were under an arch of living plants and the moonlight wasn't able to peek through. The path lead to another and another until Niece was so lost she made sure to keep an eye on Ragetti ahead of her. And when she couldn't see him she trusted Whitney to see for her. She gave Whitney her head with a loose rein so she could follow Ragetti's horse. Gibbs followed her bringing up the rear, 'So at least I won't get lost alone' she thought. They finally came to a copse that was surrounded on three sides by cliffs and steep terrain. Jack stopped.
"We have ta leave the horses hidden here. There be plenty of grass an' a stream that runs through the copse. The horses be safe here and it be far away from anyone to chance upon 'em. There be no way Norrington will be able to follow us since the paths we took be never used anymore," Jack explained throwing a leg over his horse's neck and slid to the ground.
Niece saw that the narrow opening to the copse was heavy with banyan and mangrove trees. There were also the flowers here that had been on the paths plus some Spanish dagger looking plant. The Spanish dagger and bougainvillea had thorns on them that would discourage the horses from the opening. They all tangled together to make a natural fence. From the outside it looked completely natural but when they took the horses in she saw it had been fortified on the inside. A fence of sorts made sure that the horses would stay within the copse. She also saw that there was plenty of shade and cover for the horses. There was a crude small three sided hut to put the saddles and bridles in. An oily tarplin to cover the saddles and bridles was in the hut.
As Niece unsaddled Whitney she felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. She knew it was safest for her horse here, but leaving her was going to be hard. She put her hand over her eyes and pressed hard to get the tears to stop. She refused to cry in front of the pirates. She patted Whitney on the neck as she slipped off the bridle. Whitney seemed to understand and nudged Niece with her nose as if to say, 'I will be fine Mom.' Niece startled at the arm that came around her shoulders to gently squeeze her. She looked and found it was Gibbs.
"I know Lass, but if we took 'er aboard The Pearl and anythin' happened. She wouldna' survive," Gibbs said.
"Yes, I know," Niece replied quietly as she turned and hugged Gibbs laying her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Mister Gibbs for caring."
"Jack cares too Lass, but he be a pirate and this be best for his interests. Look at 'im standing there all forlorn. He be worryin' about both ye lasses," Gibbs stroked her hair as he held her, kissing the top of her head.
Niece could see that Will was holding Lydia while she quietly cried on his shoulder. Jack was being a pirate and indifferent. He leaned against a tree twirling one of the braids in his beard watching her. It was then she did notice the apologetic look on his face. She smiled slightly at him and nodded that she understood.
Jack nodded back at her and then pushed off the tree and commanded, "Time to be gettin' back ta The Pearl."
Again Jack led the way, the terrain dropped off steeply down to the cove where The Pearl was anchored. Jack silently offered Niece one of his arms so he could give her a hand down the hill. Gibbs offered his arm on her other side. Niece knew she could get down on her own, but took both pirates arms and let them help her. Will and Pintel did that same for Lydia. It didn't take them long to make it to the sandy beach and to the long boat that was waiting.
"How are we all going to fit in there?" Niece pointed to the long boat. "If you think I am going to take the risk of capsizing or sinking, you are sadly mistaken."
Jack rolled his eyes, "Either ye get in by yer self, or I will put ya in. He thought that threatening her would make her change her mind and get in the boat. He'd noticed she seemed to have an aversion to a man getting too close to her that way.
"It was a bit crowded, but was fine coming to get you," Lydia offered. "What's the problem?"
"No," Niece said as she put up her hands in front of her, shaking her head as she backed off. They others all looked at one another then Lydia and she frowned, shrugging her shoulders. Niece backed up faster and faster as Jack started towards her she turned and took to her heels.
She was fast and when Jack saw that he wasn't going to catch her very soon he yelled for the others to cut her off. Jack finally got a hold of the back of her shirt and she turned on him like a seasoned pirate. Will was the next to reach her. He tried getting a hold on one of her arms while Gibbs got a hold on the other. Jack had her around the waist and was attempting to throw her over his shoulder. She was thrashing, kicking, biting and trying to hit and claw all of them.
"Pintel, Ragetti get yer arses up here and help," Jack bellowed as she got a good kick in to his shin.
Pintel and Ragetti did as ordered but then there were too many of them to get a good hold on her. She was screaming and cursing the lot of them. She connected more than once with different parts of their bodies as she tripped, falling to the ground.
"Get her bloody legs," Will hollered. Pintel jumped on both of her legs, pinning them to the ground beneath him.
"You keep a hold on 'er bloody arm," Jack growled as she got loose and clobbered him upside the head.
Lydia came up and said, "I have never seen her act like this. I don't know what is wrong with her."
"She's bloody crazy," Will said, then added, "Hit her over the head Jack, or we are never going to get her in the boat."
Jack sighed, shook his head and pulled out his pistol. He looked her right in the eyes as he said, "I'm sorry luv." And he brought the pistol down on her head just hard enough to knock her out.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming!
