Disclaimer: I do not own the movies or the characters you recognize. I am making no profit from this story.
Author Note: For those of you that like action, you will probably enjoy this chapter. But it also has some key ideas, so don't skip over it if action's not your thing. You'll regret it if you do! As always, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy...
Chapter Ten:
The Unexpected Ambush
"Uh-oh," Jack said as he looked out of the window.
"What now?" Elizabeth questioned, still distracted by the absence of her heart-shaped locket.
"Well, it's nothing really…unless ye consider a mob a Gypsies headed fer yer cottage with torches and drawn swords to be something of importance," he responded casually.
Can my life never be peaceful? she thought inwardly.
"Why don't ye go see what it is they be wanting Mr. Gibbs," proposed Jack.
"No need to ask 'em. They've probably come fer me head," he replied. "Or didja ferget that I shot down two o' their kin?"
"Best to be sure," the other pirate declared, pushing his friend toward the door.
Gibbs dug his heels into the floor, attempting to stall. "Now wait just a minute," he protested, turning to face Jack. "Yer the one who stole the horse with the fancy bridle, which caused me to shoot those two blokes. Maybe it's you they're after," he suggested, warming to the idea.
"What's a horse and bridle worth? Ye killed two men," Jack scoffed.
"Ye'd be surprised how touchy they are about their horses. Plus, that bridle was some sacred object of theirs. They're probably still offended that ye took it."
"Maybe both of you should go out there," Thomas put in, breaking up the debate.
"Shut your mouths. All of you," Elizabeth ordered, taking charge. Time was of the essence. They couldn't waste it by arguing. "Now, listen up. Thomas, go start packing up the bags again. Take only what's necessary, and keep it as light as possible. Gibbs—weapons. Jack you're coming with me to talk to the Gypsies. After all, you did start this by stealing that horse."
"But I only wanted the…" he began to protest.
"Now!" she shouted.
Shutting his mouth and giving her a dramatic salute, he marched out the door, looking as if he were walking toward the executioner. She wasn't sure if his expression was meant to be a joke, or if he was being serious. With a heavy sigh and a glance over her shoulder, Elizabeth followed him to see if there was any chance of settling matters peacefully. Outside over twenty Gypsy men were waiting to greet them.
Before she had fully crossed the threshold, Jack began addressing the angry men who had assembled on her front lawn. "Now, gents, I understand that yer all a tad mad about the whole horse situation, but…can't we just put that behind us?" he asked, his arms speaking as loudly as his actual words. "I'm sorry I took that bridle thingy. If I'd have known ye'd be this protective of it I wouldn't have tried ta take it. And ye've got yer stupid beast back. So as I see it, that settles things between us. So do us a favor and shove off!"
"Jack!" Elizabeth hissed, afraid that he was creating even more trouble for them. The last thing she needed at the moment was for him to get himself killed over a foolish comment.
In front of them, the mob parted to reveal a horse and rider. The man astride the black stallion was garbed in beautiful cloths and linens; jewels could be seen glittering on his belt and turban. He was riding the horse that Jack had stolen. It was obvious that the man before them was the prince of the Gypsy people. We must be in real trouble, she thought.
A silence fell over the crowd before the prince began to speak. "You and your friends should never have returned here. Your crimes are extremely serious. You have not only disgraced the Gypsy race with your antics and actions, you have also stolen a priceless and practically sacred icon from us and murdered two of our brothers. These heinous deeds are punishable by death," he announced and the mob murmured in agreement.
"But…" Jack began to explain his motives again for steeling the steed and invaluable bridle; however, just as he opened his mouth to speak, an arrow whizzed by his head, narrowly missing his ear and embedding itself in the cottage door behind them. Had he not been swaying his head back and forth, the arrow would not have missed its intended target. The Gypsies were serious about seeking their revenge.
Elizabeth yanked Jack into the house by the back of his coat, slamming the door just in time to hear another volley of arrows thud against the wood. "So much for talking out our differences," she muttered to herself before adding, "We need to get out of here now!"
"Any ideas on how, exactly, we do that?" Gibbs asked, handing her a long sword and an array of daggers, which she accepted eagerly.
"Do I have to think of everything?" she exclaimed, frustrated. More arrows hit the house, shattering the front window.
"What about Uncle Jack's boat?" Thomas suggested, handing out supply bags.
"Brilliant! Jack, where did you dock?" she asked, praying that it was somewhere close. They wouldn't be able to outrun the Gypsies for long.
"It's in a cove 'bout a quarter of a mile from here. Had ta keep it hidden, on the account that I stole it."
"What direction?" she barked, ignoring how he had acquired the vessel.
Outside the Gypsy prince gave the order to surround the cottage. A moment later, arrows hit the roof of the cottage, and Elizabeth instinctively knew the house was on fire. They didn't have much time.
"West. We should be able ta get ta it if we keep close to the shore," Jack predicted.
"Alright, let's go. We'll take the tunnel. Thomas, stay close to me."
"Tunnel?" Gibbs asked.
Elizabeth ran to her bedroom and tossed the mattress on her bed against the wall, revealing a trap door. "I had it dug as a precaution when the house was built. Remember I am a Pirate King. I thought it would be wise to have an escape route available, although I never thought I'd have to use it," she admitted.
Smoke from the fire was rapidly filling the house and off in the distance Elizabeth heard part of the roof cave in. The Gypsies could be heard cheering, thinking that their enemies would have to come out soon. It was practically a game for them.
"Hurry," Elizabeth yelled, lifting the wooden door. Jack went in first, followed by Gibbs. Thomas and his dog followed the old pirate and Elizabeth brought up the rear.
Crawling on their hands and knees through the darkness they made their great escape. A few minutes later Gibbs pushed a large rock aside and they emerged at the foot of the hill on the shore of the ocean.
"Okay, let's move before they see us," Elizabeth whispered, heading in the direction of Jack's boat.
No one spoke, they just kept running. Even Thomas' dog remained quiet, making Elizabeth wonder if the dog understood the danger they were in or if it was just a coincidence. Jack's schooner came into sight just as the Gypsies discovered they had escaped. Elizabeth smiled in triumph as they boarded the sleek vessel.
They weighed anchor and drifted out into open water, letting the waves and wind carry them. Once they were a mile out to sea, Jack took control of the wheel, steering them to another part of the coast and into the sunset. Elizabeth stood on deck, gazing at the red haze that was her home. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Houses could be rebuilt after all. Still, it was upsetting to see her haven being burnt to the ground.
"Well, I don't think we have to worry 'bout our Gypsy friends anymore," Jack announced once the anchor had been lowered again. They were still far from shore, just as a precaution.
"No, they won't follow us out this far," Elizabeth concurred, yawning loudly. She was exhausted, and the rocking of the ship was slowly lulling her to sleep.
Jack noticed. "Why don't ye take the captain's cabin and go get some rest. There's no one out here but us. Go on, relax. We'll keep an eye on the boy. Maybe teach him a few of the constellations."
She couldn't refuse his generous offer, or the opportunity to sleep. With a smile of appreciation, she nodded and went into the captain's cabin. The room was sparsely furnished, but the quality of the pieces was remarkable for a small schooner. Elizabeth guessed that the ship had once belonged to a retired naval officer, but it was impossible to be sure. All of the furniture was oak and, as was custom on ships, it was nailed to the floor. This kept it from moving about during a storm or shifting slightly in normal waters.
Elizabeth changed into a nightgown her son had hastily stuffed into a bag. Then she brushed out her hair, a ritual she sometimes found relaxing before going to bed. Lastly, she changed her bandages on her arm and feet before crawling under the cotton covers of the large four-poster bed.
It took her a while to settle into a comfortable position, but after some tossing and turning she was able to adjust herself to the lumpy mattress. As she closed her eyes, she felt the covers being pulled up as another person slipped into the bed. The man was too big to be her son, but not big enough to be Mr. Gibbs…leaving only one possibility: Jack. Startled into full alertness, Elizabeth flipped over and punched the offending chest that was trying to press itself against her.
"Oomph!" he breathed.
"How dare you Jack Sparrow!" she exclaimed in a furious whisper as she leapt out of the bed. She didn't want Thomas to walk in and see them in this state. "You know that I would never betray…" but her voice died away as the man tossed back the covers.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me."
"Will!" His name came out as a breathless whisper. Before she could swoon from shock, she jumped back into bed and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck in a fierce hug. Her mind couldn't believe what she was seeing. He returned her embrace just as vehemently, stroking her hair with one hand, and her back with the other.
"What on Earth are you doing here?" she asked, pulling back. "How did you…?" But she didn't really care how he had managed to get to her. He was there and that was all that mattered. She covered his face in numerous quick kisses before he captured her hungry lips with his.
His kiss was almost forceful with need, but Elizabeth's need was just as great. Their tongues danced a glorious tango as their mouths mated. He sucked on her bottom lip, causing her to whimper in the back of her throat. Will grunted his approval before claiming her lips in another passionate kiss, his mouth ravaging hers and vice versa.
By the time they broke apart, she was having trouble breathing. Will rubbed her arms and began kissing and sucking on her neck. The sensation was wonderful, but his hands were icy cold, which was odd given the humid weather.
"Will, your hands are freezing. Are you ill?"
He stopped kissing her neck and removed his hands from her arms. "No, not ill," he answered, climbing off of her and standing to face the sea. Elizabeth sat up, afraid she had upset him.
"It's just that…vampires tend to have cold hands."
A scream caught in her throat as Will's figure slowly molded and reshaped itself to resemble Eric. He turned to her, a wide grin spread across his face. "I believe it has something to do with the lack of blood flow," he added thoughtfully.
"How did you get on this ship?" It was the only question that she could pull from her knotted thoughts.
"Don't you remember? You carried me up in your own arms," he told her, his body changing shape again to resemble the dog they had found in the alley. Elizabeth couldn't think straight.
"How is that possible?" she asked herself more than Eric, who had reverted to his normal appearance in little more than a blink of the eye.
"It's really quite simple," he explained for her benefit, leaning casually against the chest of drawers, arms folded across his chest. "You see, I can take the shape of any person or animal that I have laid eyes on. Although I must say dogs are my specialty when it comes to animals. Beasts are a bit harder to change into. Their bone structures are different than humans."
"You've never seen Will," she countered, still sitting on the bed. There was no point to attack when she could get information out of him, and Eric seemed in no rush to kill her.
"Ah, well you were most helpful with that," he said, lifting her locket over his head and holding it up to the light of the moon. "The picture was all I needed, although if you had seen me in the light, you probably would have noticed some differences." He tossed the locket at her; she caught it out of the air.
"Honestly, I can't imagine why this Will of yours would leave such an amazing and passionate kisser such as you. If I were your husband…well I'd…" he trailed off, smiling smugly again.
Elizabeth took the opportunity while he was momentarily recalling their heated exchange to throw the bedcovers at him and make a mad dash for the entryway, grabbing her long sword just before shutting the door behind her in a feeble effort to stall Eric.
"Jack! Gibbs!" she shouted into the night air. "We've got company." She bolted across the main deck; behind her the door to the captain's cabin was wrenched open.
"You've got nowhere to run!" Eric declared, drawing his own sword and walking after her.
Jack and Gibbs were on their feet and gathering their weapons. "What the Devil is going on?" Gibbs asked.
"Eric," Elizabeth answered.
"The vampire?" clarified Jack.
"Yes! Where's Thomas?" she barked out, finally reaching the two pirates.
"He went below ta see if he could find any edible food," Gibbs supplied.
Jack was focused on another topic. "But I thought ye killed the vampire!"
"Well so did I," she stated. "Jack, hoist anchor. Gibbs, protect Thomas. I'll take Eric."
Elizabeth descended the few stairs with Gibbs to where the vampire was patiently waiting on deck, as if he had all the time in the world.
"He certainly doesn't look dead," Gibbs observed loudly as he inched his way along the side of the deck, farthest from the vampire.
Eric laughed at his comment. "Please, you think one sword to the gut is going to kill me? Ha! You've got a lot to learn about killing vampires."
"Enlighten me," Elizabeth told him sarcastically, trying to buy Gibbs time to reach Thomas.
"Come now. I'm sure Madame Harriet told you how I can be killed. Beheading, stake to the heart, that type of thing. But there's a vital detail that she left out. I can't be killed because I have no soul."
"No soul?" she questioned.
"That's right. I sold my soul to a dark sorceress shortly after I killed your mother. I needed the strength and power to avenge my parent's deaths and she promised to give me what I sought, but I had to sacrifice my soul. I have to say, I think she was the one cheated out of a deal."
Elizabeth was speechless. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't kill him, and if he never tired in battle, she would eventually lose. Could he be lying? she wondered. Is he really immortal without his soul? There was only one way to find out, but she wasn't sure she wanted to take the chance of someone getting hurt…or worse.
"Come on, I know you're curious," Eric stated. He removed something from his coat and tossed it over to her. It skidded to a stop in front of her and she picked it up, never taking her eyes off the vampire.
It was a wooden stake. He had just given her the means with which to kill him. Is this just another ploy? she asked herself, turning the weapon over and over in her hands, getting a feel for it. The wood seemed to be from an ash tree. It was lightweight, but solid.
"Come on. Take your best shot," Eric invited, spreading his arms wide.
She didn't wait to be asked twice. Running forward with her sword in one hand and the stake in the other, she advanced on her adversary. The fear she saw in his eyes at her charge confirmed her thoughts that he was bluffing.
He raised his sword to defend himself, but Elizabeth was ready for it. She struck with her long-sword and blocked his lunges and swings. One goal kept running through her mind: drive the stake into his heart. Eric seemed to be struggling to keep up with her swordplay, and he moved backwards in an attempt to pull his defenses together.
Elizabeth didn't give him the opportunity. Her body was running on auto-pilot now, and with every swing and blow she could feel him becoming unsure and scared. Finally, he backed into the railing of the ship's side and was forced to stop moving. She had him now.
With one more parry, she deflected his last attempt to free himself and she drove the stake deep into his chest, directly in his heart.
He shouted in pain as she continued to push the stake deeper and deeper. Unexpectedly, his shouts turned to fits of malicious laughter. Elizabeth didn't know what was going on. He should be dead.
"Stop!" he laughed. "That tickles."
"Oh my God," she breathed, realizing that Eric had been telling her the truth the whole time. She really couldn't kill him. He didn't have a soul.
"Elizabeth, get out of there!" Gibbs shouted from the other side of the ship, where he was guarding the door to the galley. Thomas was banging on the door behind him, demanding to be let out.
His warning couldn't have helped her though. Eric grabbed her roughly by the arms and threw her backwards across the deck. She landed harshly, near the captain's cabin, her head and back hitting the wall behind her. Groaning in pain, she tried to stand, but the thumping in her head increased whenever she tried to move.
"Mrs. Turner!" Gibbs cried out again, running to stand between her and Eric. He held his short sword out in front of him, a meager defense at best against the creature before him.
Eric pulled the stake out of his chest, grimacing just for effect. "You really want to challenge me, old man?" he questioned.
"It's not a challenge. I'm protectin' those I care about," he explained, anger lacing his words.
"Gibbs, don't. He'll kill you," Elizabeth whispered, trying to get her bearings. Her whole body felt bruised.
"Yes, I probably will," Eric concurred.
"So be it," was the pirate's noble answer. He lunged forward to attack.
"Mum!" Thomas yelled from the other side of the deck as he opened the galley door. He ran over to her side, ignoring the two adults fighting in the middle of the ship. His arms were full of food, most of it rotten.
Eric saw the boy and attempted to get to him, but Gibbs wouldn't allow it. The old pirate was panting from exertion and had numerous cuts all over his body from when he was unable to block Eric's sword effectively. When Eric's back was turned, he stabbed him with the last of his energy. The vampire shouted in surprise and frustration.
"When will you people learn that spearing me won't work?" he asked, turning around so suddenly that Gibbs lost his grip on his sword and was left defenseless. Eric showed him no mercy and in one swift motion, slit his throat.
"No!" Elizabeth screamed, shielding her son's eyes from the violent scene. Blood poured out from Gibbs' neck, and he made a few gurgling sounds before dropping to his knees and slumping forward on the deck.
Eric didn't spare the fallen pirate a glance as he turned his attention back to Elizabeth and her son. Thomas dropped the food he had been clutching to hug his mother, certain that these were his final moments. A small white bulb rolled out from the pile of discarded food and came to a stop in front of Eric.
Immediately, the vampire shrank back, hissing in disgust.
Garlic! Of course! Elizabeth thought to herself as she recognized the vegetable. Vampires hate garlic. She quickly gathered more garlic in each of her hands and held them out toward Eric, who continued to retreat, his eyes black with hatred.
"Jack!" she called out. "Is there a cell or cage of some sort that we can lock Eric in?"
"There's one below deck," Thomas supplied when the pirate didn't reply.
"Good," she said. "Now, are you going to go peacefully, or am I going to have to shove some of these down your throat?" She held up the garlic in her hands, waving them in front of his face.
He snarled at her, but didn't put up a fight as she secured him in the cell below deck. Elizabeth placed the garlic between the bars to deter him from breaking free.
"I don't understand why you can't die, but you're afraid of garlic," she mumbled as she finished up.
"Just because I can't die doesn't mean I can't be injured," he explained, ripping open his shirt. On his muscular chest was a bloody hole where she had attempted to kill him with the wooden stake. It was smaller and less deep than it had been originally, but it hadn't just disappeared. Eric had a few other superficial wounds across his chest and arms too.
His voice forced her to break off her gaze. "I won't lie. They hurt like hell, but I'm used to pain. I just ignore it. My wounds heal quickly as well. But I'm constantly nauesous when there's garlic around."
She didn't have anything more to say to him and turned to leave.
"You'll regret this," he whispered behind her, his words full of evil intent.
Elizabeth climbed the stairs to the deck, tears streaming down her face as she stared upon Gibbs' lifeless body. Jack had covered his friend's face with a coat and was kneeling beside the body, his eyes glazed over and lost in thought. Thomas stood close beside him, sniffling.
The tired and weeping young woman knelt down between her friend and son, wrapping a consoling arm around each of them. "He died with honor," she assured them.
"Aye. That he did," Jack whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.
"What are we going to do with the body?" Thomas asked quietly.
His mother was silent for a moment before answering, "Give him a proper burial of course."
"He would have wanted to be buried at sea," Jack stated.
"Yes. And he will get nothing less."
A few hours later, the three remaining companions watched the burning dingy float off into the sunrise, taking their longtime friend to Davy Jones' Locker.
Author's Note: Yes, Gibbs died and I will miss him, but he didn't die without a reason. In the next chapter we will see the return of another familiar face. Keep reading and reviewing please!