A/N: Okay, so here's another chapter. To all those still reading…. Sorry for the delay! Brianne and I have been extremely busy lately and I'm afraid our writing got delayed, but no worries now! We're back at it and DETERMINED to finish before the third Pirates movie releases in May, so buckle down ye reviewers and enjoy the ride!
Also, for all ye French speakers out there... sorry if I butchered your language! I'm a third year student but, well, I'm American. Enough said. I tried to use as little as possible but if I got it all wrong bows please forgive me!
"You think you've escaped me? You are only delaying the inevitable," John vowed. Sara shrank away from him, sitting on the ground in the mist as it curled around her, her head in her hands, trying to block him out.
"Escaped you? I'll never escape you," she moaned.
"I want that map, and I need your help," he announced angrily, "You can't hide from me, Sara."
"No, I can't, I can't…"
Light again assaulted her eyes as she was awakened from her sleep. Her head still pounded, and she could barely find the strength to move. Her ribs hurt, and her body felt like one large bruise.
"Oh, ma tète," she muttered.
She almost choked when she realized that she had just muttered French when she hadn't spoken the language since she was sixteen years old in Louisiana. Why was she speaking it now? She moved over, her eyes still closed, and her heart froze when she felt sheets and blankets around her. If she opened her eyes and saw that she was again in John's room she felt for sure that she would die.
She opened her eyes minutely, but then all the way when she realized that she was not on the Midnight Dawn. The room was brighter, and the furniture was different. While John's cabin had been made of oak, it seemed that this one was cedar. There were rows of full bookshelves along the wall, and an open cedar chest with slats in it created a horizontal bookshelf full of bound sheaves of paper. She pulled one out, and opened the cover. It was a play. They were all plays. Notes were written in all of the margins in a neat, steady hand. It was obvious that either this captain was an actor, or he bought second-hand manuscripts.
The room also had a different feel to it. There was something laid back about it, something brighter then the Dawn. It also smelled better. The smell was so comforting and powerful to her that she felt herself relaxing.
"C'est très interressant," she commented. She hadn't spoken the French in so long, and now that she had again, she found herself grinning as the familiar syllables rolled off her tongue.
She placed the play back in the box, and rubbed her hand as she saw the bruise near her wrist. Memories again bombarded her, and she winced as she felt her ribs sting again. She knew that she looked awful. She was bruised all over, and her face was probably a nice shade of mottled green and yellow.
Sara gasped as the door knob turned, but before she could climb back into the bed in pretended sleep, the door opened. Brianne walked in, her eyes growing wide when she saw Sara sitting on the bed.
"Ye're awake!" Brianne called as she shut the door behind herself and walked toward Sara.
"Oui, I mean, yes," Sara corrected.
"French, hmm? Ye must really be groggy. I've never heard ye speak French before."
"I haven't spoken it in eleven years, but for some reason I woke up speaking it, and I think I like it," she answered.
Brianne stared at her for a moment, her face a displaying a bit of discomfort.
"Goodness, Sara, ye look bloody awful," she commented.
Sara hung her head a bit, and then smiled.
"I could always look worse, I could look like Jack," she pointed out.
"Sara, ye don' have to answer, but what happened? I know ye, I've seen ye fight, you should have had no trouble takin' a light-weight like him out," Brianne pointed out.
"It's hard to explain," Sara muttered. "I suppose I just didn't have the nerve to hurt him, especially not after what we've been through together."
"Ye still love him? After all he did!" Brianne exclaimed, her face an odd color of red. It was almost as if Sara had insulted her in some way.
"No, not in the least, I just can't hurt him. When I see him I remember what it had been like when we were in love, and it's like I'd be trying to kill some of the best memories I have," Sara tried to explain. Sensing that she was failing, she simply huffed and shrugged.
Brianne grunted.
"Well, if you won't, I will," she growled.
"Can we please talk about something else?" Sara sighed. "Maybe you could tell me where I am or what I'm doing here? This is not the Midnight Dawn, so what is it?"
Brianne oddly winced, as if Sara had grabbed an old wound. "Sara, a lot happened while you were unconscious," she responded as she stood up and turned away from Sara. "We were rescued. The ship was raided and the raiders turned out to be our saviors of sorts. They even took yer Samson and Toby along."
Sara felt a burst of relief, a feeling so strong that she reached out and grabbed Brianne's hand as hard as she could. "Really? You mean we're gone, truly gone?" Sara asked.
Brianne turned around in surprise and pulled her hand away. Sara's eyes were so wide and hopeful that it set her off balance for a moment.
"Yeah, I suppose so, but Sara, I wouldn't say he's gone forever," Brianne announced.
"I don't care how long we have, as long as I have enough time to get rid of the ma – wait a minute, where is it?" Sara exclaimed as she noticed that the map was missing. She was in all new clothes as well. She jumped off of the bed and started looking through the bookshelves and desk.
"You mean this?" Brianne asked as she held out the rolled parchment. Sara stopped dead in her tracks, and turned around slowly.
"Where did you get that?" Sara whispered.
"Sampson thought that you would feel more comfortable having a girl change your bandages, and I found it. When were you going to tell me?" she asked.
Sara immediately started trying to come up with a series of lies that would cover her tracks, but she noticed that Brianne's tone held no venom or anger, on the contrary, it seemed that her tone held understanding and curiosity. Sara took a moment to think. She realized after only a second or two that she wanted her to know the truth. She hadn't had someone to talk to since she was twelve and had confided in her grandfather. Before she knew it she had explained everything to Brianne, from the time she found the map, to what John had said about it.
"So you see, it has to be destroyed. If John got that kind of power, well, I don't even want to think about that," Sara sighed.
"Hmm, I had wondered why you wanted someone who knew Latin, but I hadn't guessed that it would be something like this. Are you sure you want to destroy it?"
"Are you crazy Macki? What else would I do with it?" Sara exclaimed.
"First of all, I am crazy, and second thing, why not beat him to it? I mean, think about it, he seems to want it, why not take it first?" Brianne stated a bit more passionately then Sara would have thought. "He took something he loved from you, why not take what he wants from him?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Sara asked, a bit confused by Brianne's statement.
"Why wouldn't you? Think about it, Sara, this is an ancient, powerful, sought-after treasure! I mean, look at this, even Romans were looking for it! And what was it John said? Immortality, treasure, doesn't that make you want to see it?" Brianne questioned.
"No, it doesn't. I want to see the map burned to embers and John get in whatever trouble he'll be in if he doesn't get the treasure," Sara commented.
"What better a way t'show him that you're not his punching bag anymore then to get his prize before he does?" Brianne demanded.
"Brianne, please don't do this. Just let me get rid of this map. Please," Sara pled.
"Sara, there's, uh, one little thing that I haven't mentioned to you yet," Brianne stated. "This map is of Ireland."
"Yeah, I knew that," Sara replied.
"That's not what I haven't told you. Sara, we're in Ireland."
"What?" Sara interjected.
"Well, not in it, necessarily, but close to it, and that's where we're heading," Brianne informed Sara.
"You told this new Captain to sail us to Ireland? How long have I been out anyway?"
"Actually, John was already heading to Europe, and it turns out that Aiden - "
"Aiden?"
"That's the captain's name. Well, he's Irish and was going home anyway."
Sara suddenly felt the familiar cold sting of loneliness in her heart. Brianne wanted to go after this treasure, but there was no way Sara was going to Ireland. If John knew that the treasure was there, then he would go, whether he had the map or not, and she was not going to risk running into him again. She was going to find a way to leave, and she had to distance herself from everyone unless she wanted her heart to break again.
"Oh, well, all right then. If that's all you have to say, do you think I could get some sleep please?" Sara asked.
Brianne had sensed Sara's sudden detachment, and Sara knew it, but there was nothing else she could do. She knew right away that leaving Brianne and Gibbs and everyone else would be hard, she didn't even know if she could do it, but she had to. Or maybe she could convince Brianne to leave with her…
"Yes, of course. You must be tired. I'll tell everyone not to disturb you," Brianne remarked suspiciously, tucking the map into her own belt as she turned toward the door.
"Thank you," Sara responded, and then she got back in the bed and fell asleep only minutes later with troubled thoughts running through her head.
The next time she awakened, it was entirely of her own accord. No one was waking her up, no one wanted her attention; she was totally free to sleep or get up as she wished. She liked the feeling and she felt like lying in bed awhile simply to take advantage of this new peace. She was about to sit up a bit, when she heard a shuffling off to her right. She opened her eyes a sliver, hoping to see Brianne again, but it was a stranger that drew her attention. A tall, red-haired man quietly leafed through the books on the bookshelf only feet away from where Sara was sleeping. He pulled one out, and wiped the dust off of the cover.
"Bloody dust bunnies," he grunted.
She tried very hard to suppress a laugh as he grabbed a few more books and started going through one of the drawers in the desk. She knew right away that he was the Captain; it was in his walk and in his stance. There was also something else in that bearing, but she couldn't quite place it. He pulled out a map, looked it over for a moment, found another one, and took it all under his arm. He then turned around and looked down at her for a moment. She discreetly closed her eyes even tighter so he wouldn't know that she had been awake. After a moment she felt the blanket drawn up under her chin, and she listened to him walk out of the room, closing the door softly behind him as he went.
The moment he was gone she sat up. She suddenly wondered how long she had been taking up that man's room. Where had he slept the entire time? It must not have been long, for he still treated her like she needed to be helped. Jack had gotten tired of Brianne and her taking over his room after the first night. What would happen when this new man grew annoyed with her? She suddenly felt as if she had to get out of that room and do something useful or she'd burst.
She stood in front of the mirror and tried to make herself look a little more presentable then she had before. Her hair was sticking out at every angle, and her clothes were mussed. She combed her fingers through her hair and re-tied it back. She grimaced at her clothes and walked over to the closet. She looked through the Captain's shirts, but she couldn't bring herself to change her outfit.
For once in her life, she felt grateful to a complete stranger and didn't want to disturb something of his. She didn't know if it was because this new captain let everyone on his ship, had given up his room, and had made sure she felt better, or if it was simply the act of pulling the blanket up under her chin; but whatever it was she did feel grateful. She didn't want to get to know him, however. She was afraid of having her pleasant illusion of him ruined. She wouldn't go out of her way to annoy him, however.
After trying her best to smooth out her clothes, and after grimacing at the bruises that appeared in her reflection, she stepped out of the room, and out onto the deck.
"Come on, Aiden, why not?" a man shouted.
"I'm not an actor anymore, Nate, and you should know it better then everyone else," the Aiden announced as he stepped away from the Captain's wheel.
"Not professionally, sir, but I also know that you love to show-off, and you have an audience for once that has never heard you speak before. You can't resist it for long," Nate countered.
"He's right, Captain, you never left your performing side behind, give us a speech!" a young sailor near the ratlines yelled.
"Come on, Captain!"
"Yeah, come on!" the rest of the crew shouted.
"All right, all right, all right. But only a short one," Aiden acquiesced. A cheer went up throughout the crew. "Okay, what do you want to hear?"
Brianne, who was standing on the main deck, was the first to notice Sara standing beside the door at that point.
"Ye know anything from 'Cyrano?'" Brianne asked. Sara felt a grin tug at her lips as Aiden turned towards Brianne.
"Rostand, right?" he inquired. Brianne shrugged.
"How many other Cyranos are there?" she questioned. The captain nodded, and then seemed to think for a moment before starting to speak.
"What would you have me do? Seek for the patronage of some great man, and like a creeping vine on a tall tree crawl upward, where I can not stand alone? No thank you! Dedicate, as others do, poems to pawnbrokers? Be a buffoon in the vile hope of teasing out a smile on some cold face? No thank you! Eat a toad for breakfast every morning? Make my knees callous and cultivate a supple spine, wear out my belly groveling in the dust? No thank you! Scratch the back of any swine that roots up gold for me? Tickle the horns of Mammon with my left hand, while my right too proud to know his partner's business, takes in the fee? No thank you! Use the fire that God gave me to burn incense all day long under the nose of wood and stone? No thank you!"
Aiden played the part of proud Cyrano speaking of why he never sought out a patron nearly to perfection, the words rolling off of his tongue just as she imagined Cyrano to speak when Sara read the words herself. She was grinning now, mouthing the words along with him as he fell into his part.
"Or to change form, navigating with madrigals for oars, my sails full of sighs of dowagers? No thank you! Publish verses at my own expense? No thank you! Be the patron Saint of a small group of literary souls who dine together every Tuesday? No, I thank you! Shall I labor night and day to build a reputation on one song and never write another? Shall I find true genius only among geniuses, palpitate over little paragraphs, and struggle to insinuate my name in the columns of the Mercury? No, thank you! Calculate scheme, be afraid, love more to make a visit then a poem, seek introductions, favors, influences? No thank you! No thank you! And again, I thank you!" he shouted the last line, causing sweeps of cheers to come from the sailors.
Sara could take it no longer. No matter how masterfully this man could represent her Cyrano, she couldn't simply stand and watch. So, before he could take up the speech again, Sara interrupted, stepping forward a bit.
"But to sing, to laugh, to dream, to walk in my own way and be alone, free, with an eye to see things as they are, a voice that means manhood – to cock my hat over one eye if I choose – at a word, a Yes, a No. To fight – or write. To travel any road under the sun, under the stars, nor doubt if fame or fortune lie beyond the Bourne," Sara said the words with less skill as Aiden, but the crew went silent and stared at her, under her spell as much as they had been under Aiden's. "Never to make a line I have not heard in my own heart; yet, with all modesty, to say 'my soul, be satisfied with flowers, with fruit, with weeds even; but gather them in the one garden you may call your own.' So, when I win some triumph, by some chance, render no share to Caesar. In a word, I am too proud to be a parasite, towering to heaven like the mountain pine, or like oak, sheltering multitudes. I stand, not high it may be – but alone!"
The ship was silent as they stared from Sara to their Captain, and back to Sara. After a few moments, they all erupted into applause.
"Well, it looks like ye found a kindred spirit, cap'n!" Nate shouted.
"I suppose so. Are you an actress?" the Captain asked.
"No, I simply love the story of Cyrano. I'm sorry if I ruined your show," she announced.
"No, that part had to be softer anyway. I never played a good Cyrano, my family had me play Christian more then anyone else when we performed Rostand's masterpiece. They said my red hair conveyed passion, but I just think it was because I was the only one young enough to play the part," he chuckled.
"I thought you said that you were done with the stage," Nate teased.
"Learn this now, Nate. I may be young, but I do know that when a pretty girl asks any man anything, not even the Captain can resist talking her ear off about it." A younger sailor, only about sixteen years old, jumped down out of the ratlines and walked across the deck. Sara looked the youth over, something strangely familiar in his light brown hair and soft face. He was good looking, but far too young for any woman on board the ship. He was probably a cabin boy of sorts. Still, his face was so familiar… "Still, I suppose we should all be thanking ya miss. No one's shaken the Captain out of his shell quite like you have in quite a while."
The lad took her hand and kissed it in 'thanks.' Sara immediately pulled her hand away and took a step back from the men. A sudden fear gripped her heart and, though she knew that it was completely irrational, she didn't feel comfortable anymore.
"Are you all right Miss?" Nate asked.
"Yeah. Your accent, it's very familiar. Where are you from?" Sara inquired in an attempt to change the subject.
"Haiti. I grew up speaking French," he informed her.
"Parlez-vous le français?" Sara questioned.
His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Ah, oui! Est-ce que tu vis en France?"
"Non, mais je vivais en France quand j'etais jeune."
"Ah, je comprend."
They both looked at each other and chuckled.
"I'm sorry for my accent, it's been years," Sara remarked.
"It has been quite some time for me as well. I'm afraid my accent has gotten rusty to."
"Ah, Kendal, ye're monopolizin' all of the new men," Brianne laughed as she walked towards them.
"We were just talking to your friend here, miss. There aren't many French speaking, play quoting, pirates on the sea," Aiden announced.
"And what are you doin' here, kid? You don't look like the type to appreciate languages and plays," Brianne questioned.
"Oh, I'm here 'cause she's cute," Boy stated.
Sara felt as if she had been slapped in the face. She took a step away from the crowd and tried to fight the urge to run. What was she feeling? Why did she suddenly feel like screaming? Brianne looked at her strangely and noticed the fear in her friend's eyes, even if she didn't understand what was wrong.
"Hey, Kendal, why don't I show ye where we're sleepin'?" Brianne suggested.
"Yeah, that would be good," Sara answered promptly, and then walked off with Brianne away from what had made her so uncomfortable.
"I don' believe it," Jack's bewildered voice filled the room. Sara couldn't help but grin a bit at the looks she knew she was receiving. For the first time in at least a year she was doing chores of her own choice. She had taken about an hour and had cleaned the galley from top to bottom. It wasn't too bad to begin with, it seemed this new Captain kept his ship fairly clean, but she had still been able to make it better. She was drying the dishes and placing them back up in the cupboard when Brianne had come down for a snack. She had stared in shock for a moment, and then Jack came down for who knew what. Now it was his turn to stare.
"Excuse me, you're standing in front of the cupboard for pots," Sara told Jack. When he simply continued to stare dumbly at her, she nudged him aside and put the pots in the cupboard. She then placed the wash rag into the water bucket, and looked back at her friend and Mr. Crow.
"What are you staring at?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
"You never did chores on me ship," Jack pointed out.
"I was never on your ship, Mr. Raven, and I don't usually do chores on my own. I just felt like doing something, and I didn't exactly see anyone forbidding me from doing this, so…"
"So you did chores. You actually did chores," Jack muttered.
"Yes," Sara grumbled, and then pushed her way through Jack and Brianne and walked up to the main deck, finally sick of their shocked expressions.
Sara walked to the railing on the starboard side and rested her arms on it as she stared at the ocean. She had told the truth, she did want something to do. Brianne and Jack had been working as normal; the entire crew was working Aiden's ship like it was the Pearl. Even Elizabeth had found a job in mending the sailor's torn clothes. Aiden had forbidden Sara from doing anything, however. He "didn't want her to hurt herself." It was all nonsense, she could work just as well as everyone else; a few bruises weren't going to stop her. She couldn't fight with the new Captain, however. It was this fact that haunted her the most, the true reason that she had been cleaning. She felt she owed him something. It was completely unreasonable, but she did. She didn't want to make him angry or make his life difficult. She hated this feeling, hated it with every fiber of her being.
"What were ye really doin' down there?" Brianne asked as she walked up behind Sara.
"I already told you," she grumbled.
"No one does the dishes voluntarily, it's unnatural. Now I'm thinking all of this sleep ye've been getting lately has slowed your brain, or ye weren't tellin' the whole truth earlier," Brianne announced.
"It must be the sleep one," Sara responded.
"Are you both all right?"
Brianne and Sara turned around to see Aiden, his red hair tied back neatly and his demeanor casual.
"Yes," Sara quickly answered. Brianne nodded in return, and Aiden returned to his work. The instant he had turned his back to them, Brianne elbowed Sara in the side.
"Ye like him?" she inquired with a grin.
"No," Sara told her. "Do you?"
"Eh, he's nice enough to look at I guess, but he's not my type. He's too – too – I don't know, sweet? Too much like a gentleman. More your type, really," Brianne hinted again.
"I don't have a 'type.' I'm not exactly a good judge of character," Sara admitted.
"Why, because ye made one mistake? Tons of guys are jerks, ye know. No one is right all the time," Brianne assured her.
"Not everyone is so wrong all the time either," Sara sighed.
"What do ye mean all the time? How many times have you tried? Two? Three? You know how many times I've tried?"
"How many," Sara questioned.
"I don't know either! Yer still green when it comes ta relationships, Sara. Give more guys a chance."
"Don't take it personally if I don't follow your advice," Sara sighed as she looked back out at the sea.
"Hey, ladies, what's going on?" Boy walked up to them and wrapped one arm around each of their shoulders. Both women rolled their eyes and pulled away from him.
"Boy! Get over here and scrub the deck, I can actually see the brine putting holes in the wood!" Aiden shouted.
"Captain!" Boy groaned in exasperation. "I'm meeting the new ladies!"
"Boy, they're too old for you. If, by some miracle, you can get one of them to speak for you then you can stay," Aiden retorted. Boy looked to Brianne and Sara who simultaneously became very interested in how blue the sky was.
"Aw, you girls are going to make me cynical before my time," he grumbled as he grabbed a bucket of water and a rag and walked towards the opposite end of the ship.
"All pirates should be cynical, we're donating to the experiences that will shape you as a human being!" Sara shouted out at him. Boy rolled his eyes in that way that only sixteen year olds can, gave a grin and a wink, and then began removing the offending brine.
"Gosh, he's the Jack of the future, isn't he?"
"Who?" Jack asked as he wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders just as Boy had. Sara grabbed her nose and groaned loudly as she pulled away from him.
"Burn my nose off, why don't you? When did you last bathe?" Sara demanded.
"And what about you, Brianne?" Jack inquired with a grin.
"Move your arm or you won't have one anymore," Brianne announced with an innocent smile.
"Well, someone got up on th' wrong side o'her bunk this morning," Jack stated as he removed his arm.
"Aw, now, who can be unhappy on a day like this?" Boy asked as he sat on the railing.
"What's so special about today?" Sara demanded, "And aren't you supposed to be scrubbing the deck?"
"Why, it's a party night, and I'm not talking about the deck right now," he remarked.
"Wha's a party night?" Jack asked with extreme interest in his eyes.
"What's it sound like! It's a night when we drop anchor, relax, and have a good time. Cap'n likes to have them every once in a while, you know, boost the crew's spirits and all," Boy explained. Jack grinned.
"A party, huh? Like wit' dancing and rum and singin' and did I mention rum?" he inquired.
"A lot a' singing and dancing, though not all that much rum. The cap'n doesn't allow it on the ship, though a lot of the crew have their own private stashes," Boy laughed.
"He don' allow rum on the ship? Why no'?" Jack asked. Boy shrugged.
"Aiden wants you to finish your job," a tall girl of almost twenty with red hair told Boy in a bit of an annoyed voice.
"Hey Deirdre, looking forward to the party tonight?" Boy asked as he draped his arm around Deirdre's shoulders. "Maybe we could dance together or something?" Deirdre simply glared at him and elbowed him hard in the stomach. Sara hid a snicker behind her hand as Deirdre walked away and Boy nearly fell to the ground as he doubled over and tried to catch his breath. "Yeah, I'll see you then!"
Sara stared up at the ceiling above her bed in the small room that she shared with Brianne. It was nearing the middle of the night and the party had been going on for hours. It seemed that the new crew had quite a few talented musicians. Fiddles, spoons, singers, and even a flutist mixed with the steady pounding of dancers that had filled the night air since before sundown. Sara had thought once or twice about going up and enjoying the party, but those thoughts had quickly been shattered when she thought about her circumstances. If she went up there and enjoyed herself, then she might befriend someone. She didn't want to get to know these people. If anything she would be happy if they hated her and marooned her on the next island they came across. She wanted to leave them; she wanted them to be safe.
Her thoughts were interrupted by three sharp knocks on her door. She sat up from her bed, ruffled her hair a bit, and closed her eyes slightly in the hope that whoever was on the other end of the door would think she had been sleeping and would leave her alone. The door opened without Sara's permission, and Elizabeth walked in, holding Brianne by one arm. She didn't seem any happier then Sara. She grunted and pulled her arm away from Elizabeth and stared crossly at the wall.
"You to? I found Brianne sulking about the galley, and now Sara's in the room? Why aren't you two on the main deck having some fun?"
"Do you know how fast the ceiling shakes when you're dancing to a minuet up there?" Sara asked absentmindedly.
Brianne snorted a bit, but Elizabeth didn't seem all that amused. "I know that everything has been horrible lately, but a nice night may make things infinitely better."
"And yet I still don't feel the need to go anywhere," Sara huffed.
"I agree," Brianne remarked.
Elizabeth huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't want to threaten you both with this, but if you don't get up there of your own accord, then I'll get Jack down here and he'll help me carry both of you to the deck."
"Well then you'll find his bloody stinking corpse lying across Brianne's," Sara commented.
"Why mine?" Brianne announced.
"Because I'm not letting his bloody corpse rot on my bed," she remarked.
Brianne grinned. "Ye know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to kill 'im now, but I don't want to sleep in a bed covered with his blood… Well, maybe we can kill him later and dump his body overboard."
"Both of you are absolutely unbearable!" Elizabeth groaned.
"I don't want to go up there," Sara announced. "I have a headache."
"You're a liar, Sara, and a bad one at that. Now I want both of you to spend at least one hour up there. After that, you can go back to being miserable with my blessing."
Sara looked to Brianne and sighed. Elizabeth wouldn't leave them alone unless they complied. Brianne rolled her eyes as Elizabeth grabbed Brianne's arm once more and began leading her up to the party.
Sara laid back again, thinking that she could escape Elizabeth. As they left, however, Brianne reached down and grabbed Sara's hair. She yelped and fell out of her bed, grumbling as she was pulled up to the party as well.
Aiden Thomas stood at the Captain's wheel and watched his crew dance around the deck with a slight grin on his face. Though he rarely admitted it, he missed his old life with his family traveling as entertainers. He missed the endless practices in the numerous theatres of Europe, missed pulling his sister's long, auburn hair up under one of the musty old wigs that his mother kept in her costume trunk and the feel of the candles and lights beaming down on him as he took to the stage as a new person every night. He even missed the oily, vile smell of the thick, white face-paint that every actor wore to make themselves visible to the audience. No matter how much he missed the life of an actor, however, he knew that he would miss the life of a pirate twice as much. Still, these random parties did lift his spirits as much as it entertained the crew.
"Hey, quite the party ye got goin' out there," Jack commented as he walked towards the new captain, his stride slightly off center from the sips of rum he had received out of the few hidden flasks that were hoarded like gold. He hadn't had enough to get properly drunk, but enough that he was able to thoroughly enjoy himself.
"It is a good one. The boys haven't had one in such a long time that they're desperate to make this memorable," Aiden stated.
"Well, I was just noticin', Mr. Thomas, that ye don' seem t'be enjoying yerself at all. I saw ye this morning, ye like attention. Why aren't ye down there havin' some fun?" Jack inquired as he leaned back against the rail and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm not really in the mood today. You may think that I adore the attention, Mr. Sparrow, but I like watching things even more. If you're truly worried about my happiness, please don't be," Aiden commented.
"Well, I suppose that wasn't exactly why I came up here."
"How did I guess that?" Aiden mumbled.
"I was just noticin' this morning that ye were – are ye even payin' attention to me?"
Aiden wasn't paying much attention to Jack at all, for his eyes had again been caught by someone in the new crew: the small blonde woman with all of the bruises and cuts on her face. She was being pulled out onto the deck by the other woman, Brianne, who had her hair firmly clasped in one hand. Aiden continued to watch her as she walked towards the railing and sat on the ground, obviously in defiance of having any fun. There was something familiar about her, the way she moved, something that he couldn't quite recognize.
"What did you say?" Aiden inquired as he remembered the man near him.
"What are ye lookin' at?" Jack inquired. Aiden jumped slightly and took a step away from the Captain's helm, for Jack had walked right behind him in an attempt to follow Aiden's gaze. Aiden was beginning to wonder if this other man had any idea of how uncomfortable he could make people by standing too close to them.
"Ah, I see now. A word o' advice, of all the women to be eye'n Miss Sara's probably the last woman ye'd want to look at. She's violent, a little demon I'm sure of it. Another thing, she isn't interested in bein' with anyone. She'll punch ye in the face before she'd even think of kissin' ya," Jack explained.
"I wasn't 'eyeing' her like that; I just wanted to know what happened to her. She looks a lot better then she did when we brought her aboard, but she still looks like she's in a bit of pain. Why would someone hurt a woman like that?"
"I dunno," Jack remarked, "but any man who'd steal my ship like that gent did must be pure evil."
"That was your ship?"
"Aye, and I'm gonna get her back. I worked too hard to get her back before to have her stolen again."
"Really? What happened?"
"And then I pulled meself free from the noose and, with a little help from the Turner chap, took down the royal navy with naught but the rope that they had been tryin' to hang me with," Jack finished. He had been talking for quite some time, though Aiden had stopped listening a bit ago. Sara was still sitting against the railing, though she was now joined by the young Toby, the one who claimed to be her cousin, the healer Sampson, and a few of the men from his own crew. "Are ye ignorin' me again?"
"Hmm?" Aiden muttered. Jack looked back onto the deck.
"Are ye starin' at Sara again? Ye know, yer really bad at hidin' yer feelings. If ye like her so much, go talk to her," Jack announced.
"I already told you that I don't like her that way, I just worry about her a bit," he replied.
Jack sighed, strolled towards the tall red-haired Captain and put his arm around his shoulders. "Mr. Thomas, it looks like yer in need of a bit of advice from the man with all the answers about the ladies," Jack commented.
"And who would that be?" Aiden asked in a bored, slightly annoyed voice. Jack indicated himself and grinned.
"Yers truly," he announced. Aiden rolled his eyes.
"You have all the answers?" he questioned.
"Yep."
"Then what would you suggest?" Aiden asked with a slightly mocking grin, the look on his face conveying the mindset of 'this will be quite hilarious.' Jack, being a bit tipsy, didn't notice the look of sarcasm on the other Captain's face, and continued as if he were serious.
"Ye jus' got to go up an tell th' girl that ye like her, maybe kiss her. She may become all incensed at yer bein' so forward, but it'll work out in th' end," he commented. Aiden nearly laughed. He didn't know if Jack was telling him this in the hopes that he would make a fool of himself or if he was serious.
"I take it you've been slapped quite a few times," Aiden muttered.
"Once or twice," Jack responded.
"I thank you for the advice, Mr. Sparrow, but I'm afraid my style is a bit different. When I happen to like a particular lady I have a tendency to get to know her before I act on my feelings," he commented. Jack sighed heavily and rolled his eyes in a drunken way.
"If all ye do is wait then ye'll never get 'er in yer arms."
"Perhaps that's not as important as gaining a friend," Aiden remarked.
His eyes again strayed to the woman sitting on the ground. She looked up at him quickly, her blue eyes dulled, almost lifeless. He looked farther into them and found that they were walled off. She was keeping herself distant from everyone around her. What had happened to her? How could he help?
"Hey Cap'n! Come dance for us!" one of the crew mates shouted.
"Not today, I'm just watching!" he called back. Sara stood up and started to walk towards the bunks again. It was then that he understood what was so familiar about this Lady. He grinned slightly as a plan formed in his mind. "Actually I changed my mind. I'm coming!"
The crew cheered loudly as the new Captain stepped down from the wheel and walked to the middle of the dance floor.
"Strike up the music boys for yer in for a treat. Our world-famous cap'n has agreed to entertain us with a few dance moves," a crew member shouted.
Sara turned and faced the gathered crowd and watched the Captain. He sauntered onto the middle of the deck and laughed as someone clapped him on the back and said something to him that Sara couldn't hear. Sara instantly felt a kind of anger rise in her. She was already in a foul mood before Brianne had pulled her up to the deck, and the noise had only made her even more upset. She was retreating back into her room to clear her mind, and now this. The instant she saw Aiden standing in the center of the crowd she was reminded of another man that once smiled that way; that stood in the same fashion and entertained the crowd as this man did. It infuriated her that he would bring back those memories, whether he meant to or not.
In an instant the crew separated, creating a large circle around their captain. The music started slow and eerie, one of the fiddlers seemed to own a violin as well. The captain moved gracefully around the circle like a phantom, his movements matching the music perfectly until he seemed to be a part of it, an image created by sound. Suddenly, the music picked up in speed, the rhythm flying out of the violin like a whirlwind. The captain moved faster, matching footfall for note, his feet were almost impossible to follow, his arms circled around his head until he seemed to be the wind itself, his every feature flying through the air. He now controlled the music; he was the master of this artistic storm. He flew across the deck in this fashion, capturing everyone's complete attention and holding it as he held the music. The music went on this way for a few more minutes until it came to a complete stop, as did Aiden. Everyone on board cheered loudly as Aiden bowed low and took a moment to catch his breath. The anger boiled in Sara again. She knew that this man had done nothing to hurt her, on the contrary, he had helped her, but she didn't quite care. He was so much like John had been, so much like her old friend that she couldn't help but think of him, and that made her want to show this man up. She wanted to challenge him, to win. She wanted to beat him at something. As the crowd cheered Sara stepped forward a bit.
"You call that dancing? I've seen better in children's dancing academies!" she shouted. It was part way true; the instructor at the school near her childhood home had been a master. As it was, everyone grew silent and stared at her. Aiden grinned slightly.
"What do you mean?" he inquired lightly.
"Your frame was a bit weak near the middle, you missed three beats after the violin quickened its pace, and you hesitated before the end. There were several other mistakes, but most of them were too small to mention," she answered. The deck remained silent as they waited for Aiden's response.
"If you can do better I'd like to see it," he announced. Sara hesitated a bit. His words were challenging, almost angry, but there was no anger in his voice, no malice in his expression. She decided to ignore this fact and take his challenge. She wanted to out do this man. The crew cheered as she pulled off her boots and tossed them aside. She walked towards him and launched into a series of quick, graceful, perfectly rhythmic series of complicated steps. She was graceful, she knew she was, and every bit as flowing as he had been. As she came to a smooth stop the crew broke into applause as well. She had been surprised a how well she had done. She hadn't danced since she was a child.
"Where did ye learn that, Kendal?" Brianne asked as she walked towards her and clapped her on the shoulder.
"What, you don't think a pirate lass can dance?"
"Not ballet. Where'd ye learn it?" she prodded.
Sara ignored her and began to walk away again. She had done enough. She had upstaged him, and that had satisfied her strange desire for revenge. She just wanted to go to sleep now.
"Hey, ye can't leave now! We've got a true battle going here!" Boy shouted to her. The crew agreed.
"What do you mean?" Sara demanded.
"I believe they mean that they found us equally entertaining and they want to find out who is the best," Aiden laughed. Sara scowled. She hadn't wanted to turn this into anything big, she wanted to go to bed.
"I don't think so. I'm tired. You can all continue your little games but I'm done," Sara announced and then began to walk down the stairs again.
"What, are you scared?" Aiden questioned. Sara stopped and walked towards him until she was only a few inches from his face.
"Scared of what, Mr. Thomas? Of you? I believe I proved that I'm at the very least your equal, what have I to be afraid of?"
"You are a wonderful ballet dancer, true, but I believe that the sign of a true master is the mastery of multiple forms of dance. If you can't do anything else…"
"I can do anything you can and I can do it better," she challenged. The crew sent up whoops of excitement as the musicians again raised their instruments. Aiden bowed low to her mockingly, his hands out at his sides. She did nothing but grin evilly. The rules were simple; they didn't even need to be voiced allowed. You lost if you couldn't keep up.
"What kind of music do you want?" one of the musicians asked with a chuckle. Aiden looked at Sara expectantly.
"I told you I could do anything you could. You pick the music," Sara commented.
Aiden nodded and walked towards the musicians. He whispered something to the lead musician and then walked back to Sara. He put out his hand and she took it. She felt a bit uneasy as his hand rested on her waist, but the feeling disappeared as she heard the music begin. She grinned as she heard the soft Spanish rhythm that would soon erupt into one of the most difficult and beautiful dancing music in the world.
"You just made a very big mistake, Mr. Thomas," Sara remarked.
"And what is that, miss Kendal?" he asked.
"Ballet was my second best style," was all she said before the music started.
Sara stood on the pads of her feet, her heels off the ground, as Aiden began to lead her around the floor. He tried a series of quick steps but she kept up easily. He was trying to discern her abilities. The music was fast and vibrant, it filled Sara's veins like blood and she responded to it naturally. It seemed it was the same for him, for the moves he tried became harder, more powerful, and more complex. She never once faltered. She followed everything he lead her into, and she challenged him to keep going. She was waiting to sense a weakness in him, something she could play on to make him falter. He kept her close most of the time, but would suddenly spin her out or into turns so fast she almost had to simply twirl with her feet flat on the ground. She continued to look for the small weaknesses he had shown before, the slight hesitations, the missed beats, but they seemed to have disappeared. She began to try to exhaust him, he was taller then she was and should have run out of energy sooner, but no matter how fast she moved or how intricate she made the steps he continued to stay with her. As the song rose into its climax, Sara began to forget winning the contest; she forgot that she was even in one to begin with. She became intoxicated by the rhythm as it invaded her system and took control of her like she was no longer in control. She had never had a partner that matched her as perfectly as Aiden did, and she found herself enjoying that. It was then that she became acutely aware of all the people watching her, and instead of frightening her, this fact awoke in her a desire to put on a show, to entertain. She smiled widely and Aiden seemed to read her mind, for he nodded, and quite suddenly lifted her high into the air over his head in a move that was so ballet-oriented she nearly laughed. She heard the crews scream and hoot louder then they had before as Aiden brought her back to the ground and they began to dazzle their audience together. The dancing became even more spectacular as both pirates tried not to out-do each other, but to match each other. Sara truly laughed for the first time in over a decade, and she found it quite liberating; she was almost sad to hear the music coming to an end.
Every onlooker shouted and applauded until their throats were sore as the music ended and Sara and Aiden stopped dancing. Aiden had ended the dance in a low dip, she was nearly on the floor, his right hand closed in her left hand, and his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand just beneath the back of her neck to support her, her right arm was wrapped around his neck. They were both breathing heavily, sweat dripped into their eyes as he pulled her back up to a standing position. Sara rested her head on his shoulder for a moment to catch her breath, but suddenly pulled away from him when she realized what had happened. She looked at him again as she had before and saw John in him as strongly as ever. She felt her face pale as she felt the shadows of where his arms had been around her waist. She ran her hand through her hair to hide how badly it was shaking.
"Touché, Miss Kendal, I think you won," Aiden chuckled.
She tried to come up with a reply to his comment, anything would do, but her throat had gone dry and she could say anything. She just wanted to leave, to get away from him and everyone else. She nodded simply, and then turned to leave. She didn't make it past the crew, however, before she had to begin fighting through all of the people that wanted to compliment and praise her. She nearly screamed for them to leave her alone when she finally broke through the wall of admirers and raced back down into her room.
"Good job, Mr. Thomas," Jack complimented as everyone was swarming Sara.
"Thank you," Aiden stated, though once again his thoughts weren't with the other captain. As he pulled his attention away from Sara, he grinned. "I see my way works, however."
"Wha' do ye mean?" Jack asked.
"I wasn't forward with her at all, and I still got her in my arms," he smiled, and then walked back into his cabin. Jack chuckled, and walked back towards his crew.
Sara ran into her room and slammed the door behind her back. She sat in the corner near her bed with her knees against her chest and tried to stop shaking.
"What's wrong with me? He's not John, he will never be John. What's wrong with me?" she kept repeating over and over again. She felt like screaming, like sneaking up to the main deck, stealing a small rowboat, and leaving as fast as she could. She was seriously contemplating doing just that when the door knob turned. She retreated back into the corner as far as she could and buried her head in her arms in the hope that whoever it was wouldn't see her. Again she had no luck.
"What are ye doin' down there?" Brianne asked as she shut and locked the door behind her and sat on her bed. Sara ignored her. "Ye looked really great tonight. I didn' know ye could do that."
"Can we please go to sleep? I'm exhausted," Sara responded.
"Yer gonna sleep while huddled up like that on the floor?" Brianne questioned.
"Yes, exactly, now leave me alone," Sara grumbled.
"Well someone's in a bad mood. Wha's wrong, Sara? I'm not gonna listen to yer little excuses anymore," Brianne announced, "Now what's wrong?"
"Brianne, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I don't want to talk about anything right now."
"Sara - "
"No, Brianne! I believe that we're friends, or at least as close to friends as pirates can be, but you have to remember that we haven't known each other long no matter what we've been through together. You're not my mother; you're not even related to me, so don't tell me that I have to talk to you when I don't want to!"
"Well fer cryin' out loud I didn' mean nothin' by it, and I didn't expect ye t' bite me head off over it."
"Well then listen to me next time," Sara announced. An uncomfortable silence filled the room and a slight feeling of guilt at snapping at Brianne started to form in her stomach. She suddenly couldn't take the quiet anymore and she stood up and left. Brianne didn't stop her.
After throwing such a wild party it was interesting to see that the crews could clean up and leave so quickly. The deck was absolutely quiet; the only noise came from the slow creaking of the ship and the gentle lapping of waves against the hull. Sara looked around quickly, making sure that she was alone, and then she walked towards the railing of the ship in search of a small rowboat. She wasn't going to leave right away, but she wanted to know where they were just in case she decided to leave quickly. It didn't take her long to find the little vessel and move the oilcloth off of the top to see what was inside. A small supply of rations was stowed away under the seats as well as a set of paddles, a blanket, and three large jugs of water. She was looking for a strand of rope when her stomach began to ache.
She ignored the feeling, assuming that it was simply because she had eaten next to nothing during the day. She continued the hunt for the rope when the pain began to grow. It was as if someone had stabbed her and was in the process of twisting the blade. She gasped and held her waist as the pain began to spread. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to stand, hoping that she was simply having a muscle cramp from dancing so hard earlier, but the pain increased steadily even once she had straightened her muscles. She felt like screaming, but she couldn't move her mouth. It was then that she felt strong hands surround her neck and begin to pinch off her air supply. She tried to pull the fingers off of her neck but, to her surprise, they weren't there. No one was touching her, yet she distinctly felt the hands around her throat. As the world began to spin, her legs gave out from underneath her and she fell to the ground. Shadows began to creep into her line of sight as she started to pass out when she felt a warm breath near her ear.
"You're not safe, little miss Kendal. We will find you. You can only run for so long," a soft, harsh voice hissed. The voice was completely foreign to her, and completely evil.
She again tried to move the invisible fingers off of her neck when she faintly heard a slamming sound in the distance followed by a soft pounding. The hands around her neck disappeared and the pain began to fade.
"Are you all right? Lady, are you all right?" someone requested. She could barely feel a hand on her shoulder as she tried to regain her ability to move or feel. As her limbs finally loosened Sara noticed that it had been Aiden who had ran out of his room to help her. She was almost tempted to simply lie still and wait for him to leave, but then she realized that she would spend the rest of the night in the care of Toby, Brianne, Sampson, and Elizabeth, something she did not want to happen.
"I'm going to get help for you, all right?" he commented as he got up and started to leave. Sara reached out and grabbed the cuff of his pant leg. He turned around and knelt back down at her side. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"I'm fine, I just must have passed out. It's exhaustion I'm sure," she commented as she forced herself to sit up.
"I don't believe that one bit. I saw you fall. You were struggling like someone was attacking you," he stated as he offered her his hand to pull her off of the ground. She looked at it cautiously, and then pulled herself up without his help. He withdrew his hand slowly as if he wasn't sure if she had seen him offer it. Once she was again standing she took a few steps backwards and tried to think of what to do. She didn't want to go back, but she didn't want to stay here with him.
"I felt like someone was attacking me. My legs gave out from underneath me as I was walking back. I haven't danced like I did tonight in years and I think my muscles cramped," she commented. He gave her a look that clearly informed her that he did not believe her at all, but he didn't say anything. "I'm going to leave now. Thank you for your concern."
She ran one hand through her hair and turned back towards the door that led back to her room.
"Miss Kendal," he questioned.
"What?" she demanded.
"I know it might be a rude question, but I'm a pirate, humor me. What happened to you? You look miserable, and it's not just from the marks on your face. What's wrong?"
Sara hesitated a moment and considered what she should do. She wanted to talk to someone, she desperately wanted to talk to someone, but she didn't trust this man. She didn't know him. She bit the inside of her cheek in indecision.
"I don't know why you would care," she answered in an attempt to pull an answer from him that would help her make up her mind.
"I really don't know. Ever since I saw them pull you off of that ship I've worried about you," he explained with a shrug.
Sara studied his face once more and found that there wasn't a single hint of a lie in his eyes. He really was worried about her.
"It's a very long story, Captain Thomas," she warned.
"I have all the time in the world to listen to long stories," he replied with a slight smile.
Sara ran her hand through her hair again and crossed her arms over her chest, her posture radiating sarcasm and a bit of defiance.
"All right, fine, I'll tell you."
"He hit you?"
"Well it wasn't like it was a new experience," Sara stated.
"I know, but after so many years he simply took up hurting you again?" Aiden asked.
"What else was he supposed to do?"
The sun was going to rise at any moment, Sara knew it, but she didn't really care. She sat against the base of the platform that held the Captain's wheel with Aiden sitting next to her. She had never told so much to one person. She had found, quite to her surprise, that Aiden was quite easy to talk to. She never let it show, of course, but she found talking to him quite comforting. She looked back a bit and stared at the sky.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kendal, I didn't know," he muttered.
"What was to know? I've decided not to care," she remarked.
"Is that possible?"
"I don't know. I'll let you know when I find out," she responded before a large yawn escaped her lips. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.
"I'm still sorry for all you've been through," he whispered. "And I pray you don't go through anything else that you don't wish to go through."
"Hmm," she sighed as she fell asleep, not realizing that for the first time in quite a while she had no nightmares.