Sorry for the long wait all, but here is the next chapter. Not that much further into the story if I do say so myself, but we're getting there. Anyway, enjoy as always. But first, some shout outs:
Unlimitedshadow: First off, so enjoying Legacy so keep up the beautiful work. Thanks also for your review. And, I actually did try and research what Englehorn's name was supposed to be and came up empty-handed, so I decided a little tribute to Kretschmann wouldn't hurt and christened my little character (who I don't own of course so put those lawsuits away you joy killers out there) Thomas. If his name is indeed Eric, it is a pity but in all, I'd say that this far in, it's too late to change the name. Thanks anyway.
will you wait for me: Gracias muchisimo for review! And your wish is my command, so here is another chapter.
marianawings: My most loyal reviewer, hello! Thank you for all your reviews and even more so for the Englehorns and the Seabornes. You are, my dear, quite an inspiration! So merci!
Lady Lithoniel: Thanks very much. And as you can see, chocolate is another inspiration of mine, as I cannot write a chapter without having some. If I didn't none of this would be worth reading. Heehee…sigh…thanks again very much.
Padme4000: Fabby fab fab review! Thanks a ton! So glad to see you likey me story! Please come back and review again! Ooh, let me tell you thanks in German: Danke.
Narnia Forever: bow curtsy Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are all too kind! But it is for you that I write and because of all you that I keep going, so also give yourselves a pat on the back! Eh, not too much. Eh, little bit more. Yeah, like that. Glad to see Jo's such a celebrity. Wonder if it'll get her her own star on that walk of fame thingy. Thanks again you!
Jo opened her eyes and rubbed them tiredly. She rolled over to sit up and found herself rolling right out of bed. With a yelp, she landed on her back, her legs in midair as she tried to figure out just what the bloody hell was going on. She rested her feet on her bunk and turned her head upside down to stare at the door. She then remembered what had occurred the night before and scrambled quickly to her feet to run out into the hallway. She had gotten as far as the door that led out to the deck when she realized she was in her nightclothes still. With a yelp that produced a startled, questioning look from a passing sailor, she turned back and ran just as fast in retreat to her cabin. Quick as she could, she threw herself sloppily into the first outfit she could find. Finally, she was rushing onto the deck, stumbling as she went. The sun had barely come up, yet most of the ship seemed to be awake.
The slant of the stuck ship made it difficult to maneuver the deck. To her satisfaction, however, she only fell once. She was about to rush up the ladder to the wheelhouse when a sound she had not heard since she had left London stopped her in her tracks. She slowly retreated back down the ladder and stared at the door of Thomas' cabin. She had noticed the phonograph the day she had snuck in there, but she had no idea he played it, especially at times like these when, in her opinion, the rest of the crew was running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Well, except for Jimmy who had taken to reading his book once again. And Mr. Hayes, who never seemed to lose his cool. And Lumpy, who was only worried about his missing cabbage. And Andrew, Pom, and Unger who were all playing cards at the moment. Jo sighed to herself as she entered the room, once again uninvited. The music became louder as she closed the door behind her, and for a moment she stood and watched Thomas standing with his back to her, leaning to the side only slightly.
He swiveled his head slowly to take her in as she approached him, but then turned back to study the maps before him. "I still do not understand it," he muttered to her in German.
"That's it out there, isn't it?" She asked him in the same language. "The place Denham's been looking for." He glanced at her darkly but did not reply, returning his gaze to the maps. Just then, the record ended with a slight scratch. Jo sat herself down at his table, letting herself fall back on the leaning chair. She watched him until he turned around.
"What?" He asked softly.
She shrugged in response. "I realized something." He waited, knowing his silence was expected. "You make a wonderful captain." All traces of amusement had left her face, and she stared at him seriously.
"How can you be so sure?" He replied in a slow, careful tone.
She shrugged again with an impish smile that tugged at his only recently responsive heart. "How can I not? Things could be a lot worse than this," she said, referring to the current situation. "The point is your crew trusts you. You're their leader and they are going to stick by you no matter how bad it gets." His eyes continued to question her silently. "It appears I've come to know most of them better since I came aboard than you have," she said in response, "but it doesn't change the facts. You've earned their trust and respect. That's all that matters."
"Maybe I do not deserve those things." Thomas said quietly, but her words had already lifted his spirits the way she'd meant them to, and he found himself studying her fondly.
"You wouldn't have them if you didn't." Jo replied. Seeing the new look on his face, she smiled again. "I know now." She said. "What's changed about you."
"And what is that?" He asked.
"You're free." She said simply with one more shrug of her shoulders.
He chuckled darkly. "No one is free. Not truly."
"You're wrong," she said, smiling.
He shook his head. "We are all bound to something."
"Like what?" She asked softly.
"Die Vergangenheit." He replied in just as soft a tone. The past.
She smiled uncertainly, deciding for the moment only to ignore his words as she knew it would get her nowhere to question him. "Still, you possess now a freedom you did not before, and like it or not, Captain, you've changed because of it. What I can't figure out is: is it for better or for worse?"
From above, someone began calling for the Captain. Thomas swung his hat to the top of his head and cautiously made his way to the door. "Sie erklären mir." He called over his shoulder as the door swung closed behind him. You tell me.
She grinned to herself. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I will."
A few minutes later, Jo was clambering into one of the ship's lifeboats with an overstuffed basket in her hands. Apparently, Marcus would also be joining them, but she didn't mind so much this time as long as he would stop asking her what she planned to do with the basket. She sighed contentedly to herself as some of the crew lowered the boat. Jimmy was looking down on her with uncertain eyes. She put a finger to her lips, and then yelled to him, "Silence is key."
As the boat touched the water, she adjusted the stolen hat (namely Lumpy's) on her head, checking to make sure her hair was completely hidden. As Tom and Marty began to row, the boat moved slowly forward over the choppy waves. Carl stood to set his camera up and film their approach. Jo giggled to herself when she wondered what might happen if she were to push the director and his stinking camera right off the boat. Ann looked at her curiously, and Jo was about to explain what was so funny when Jack's wary expression caught her eye. Everyone seemed tense. Jo studied the sharp, dark island they were approaching.
"It can't be too bad." She said, and everyone but Carl looked at her. "I mean, sure the fog makes it look like something could be lurking out there and the rocks aren't exactly inviting, but…" She paused here. "It's kind of cozy." She finished, herself uncertain.
Bored with the quiet, she hung her head over the side and came up sputtering, the spray of the salt water having drenched her face. "Well that wasn't very nice at all." She muttered.
"Can you believe this, Jack?" Carl said suddenly. Jo glared at him for interrupting her as he continued. "Skull Island! We've got our picture!"
"Well, it's a good thing that it's at no one's expense." Jo said loudly, looking over her shoulder at the Venture. Jack hid a grin, but Carl pointedly did not respond.
"The water's pretty," Jo said a few minutes later.
Ann looked over the side and sat back up as if startled. Jo sighed to herself and leaned back. "Well, hopefully the natives will be of a cheerier sort." She said.
"Sweetheart," Marty said, "as long as they don't eat each other, it's all good."
Jo grinned and let her hand now hang down into the water, trailing the shifting water with her fingers. "Well, in case they do require a human sacrifice in order to be civil, one of us should volunteer now, so it's not all confusion and pandemonium later." She let her gaze rest lazily yet pointedly on Marcus who was watching the island apprehensively and oblivious to her words. But Tom and Marty and even Jack let out soft chuckles, albeit tense chuckles but chuckles nonetheless.
When they hit the rocks with a soft bump, everyone exited the boat slowly, everyone all the more uneasy at the gloom that seemed to await them in the long cave they faced. Jo leaned her head back far to study the steep cliffs towering above them. She squealed silently when she realized the rest had walked ahead of her and rushed to join them. She knew this was not a place in which she wanted to be alone. But the skulls lining the wall caught her eye, and she could not resist.
"Souvenirs!" She exclaimed cheerily, leaning over to pick one up and stuff it in her basket.
They continued walking and soon the dreariness of the island made even Jo fall silent. She nearly hesitated at the long bridge they came upon, but on seeing everyone else doing the same thing, she clutched the rough rope on the sides and carefully walked across, feverishly hoping within that no one would follow until she was safely across. As she waited by herself, Jo hummed to herself and flicked stones over the forbidding cliff and into the valley below, though got nowhere near the edge. She smiled encouragingly at Ann once all were across, but her lightness did nothing to lighten the moods of anyone else.
Back on the ship, Captain Englehorn was helping the others to stop one of the last leaks below when a sudden thought popped unwelcome into his head. He grabbed Pom by his shirt and had him take his place before rushing above deck, his boots slippery on the ground. "Where is Jimmy?" He demanded of Choy. Before the man could answer, Thomas asked him where Jo was.
"I not know. Saw her earlier. Maybe she in room reading. Jimmy with Hayes." The man finished, pointing to the wheelhouse.
The Captain hurried to the above deck. In the doorway of the wheelhouse, he spotted Jimmy within the little cabin. "Where is J- Ms. Williams?" He managed to correct himself in time.
The boy was caught off guard and, for a moment, did not answer. "She-" He began but was cut off.
"Went with Denham, didn't she?" The look on the boys face confirmed what he had suddenly realized should be one of his worries. Thomas began to mutter to himself loudly in German, though no one else knew what he was saying. Finally, he focused. "Prepare the boat. Get Pom, Unger, Andrew, and Fin to help you. Now. Quickly." He directed this to Jimmy who jumped into action. Hayes looked questioningly at Thomas but followed him to hurriedly retrieve the guns from the captain's cabin. Soon, they were on their way, not knowing what they would find. Thomas's face was cool and collect. To all, he was calm, but inside, he was anxious, and the only two words he could associate with Jo at the moment were 'stupid' and 'girl.'
"Well look at that. This is pretty cozy." Jo exclaimed as they walked through the forbidding looking village. She opened her basket and piled seashells into her hands. "Looks like they could use a bit of sprucing up though, don't you think?"
Jack absently agreed with her with a nod when no one else did. Satisfied, she began to call out the word 'seashell' as if some native would rush out suddenly, fearless now that there was talk of seashells.
"Sometimes I wonder if you could possibly be serious sometimes." Jack said to her quietly.
"Sometimes." She said with a smile.
"It's deserted," Preston said suddenly.
"Of course it's deserted. Use your eyes, Preston! This place is a ruin! Nobody's lived here for hundreds of years." Said Carl.
Jo looked doubtfully at the fresh fish heads caught on spear tips. "If you say so," she muttered under her breath in a sing-song sort of tone.
Jack chuckled lightly under his breath but followed her gaze to the dead fish. Before he could say anything, though, a strange sound pierced the silence. It was like the crying of a child. Everyone became frightened as they searched for the source. Carl inched forward over the rocky terrain and the rest of them hesitantly followed to see a dark child standing about ten feet before them, holding his hand up stiffly.
Wondering if this was some sort of welcome ritual, Jo hurried to stand by Carl and held her hand out in the same manner while trying to make a face like hers or his or whatever the kid was. Carl glanced at her confusedly.
"Mr. Denham, I think we should go back." Ann said in a wavering whisper from behind them.
"I'll handle this." Carl replied. He reached his hand into his suit and pulled out a half-eaten chocolate bar that he offered to the child.
On feeling the first drops of cold rain upon her outstretched arm, Jo lowered her hand slowly and stared up at the sky as Carl approached the child with the chocolate. Her eyes trailed over the bamboo spikes that, though they had sparked an academic's interest in her earlier, were now threatening and terrifying. She had a habit of realizing something was wrong, but it always came when it was too late to prevent something bad from happening. She suddenly agreed wholeheartedly with Ann. Not for the first time in her life, however, her curiosity got the better of her over her big mouth, and she watched in uncertain fear as the moron director tried to stuff the candy into the child's hand.
Bruce spoke up exasperatedly as the child cried out and struggled with Denham violently. "For godsake, Denham, leave the native alone."
"She doesn't want the chocolate!" Jack exclaimed.
That same feeling from the night before, right before she was thrown over a rail on the Venture, came over Jo once again. She couldn't turn her head from the sight of the native biting Carl's hand, but out of the corner of her eyes, she saw them, nearly dark as the stones they had been hiding inside of or behind only moments before. Unconsciously, she swallowed in fear, but, at the same time, had the sudden urge to laugh. Jimmy had been right. It would have done her a world of good to keep her too-curious-for-her-own-good-behind on the ship.
"It's alright. It's just a bunch of women and old folks. They're harmless." Encouraged only slightly by Carl's words, Jo turned her head to look at a wide-eyed female, nearly naked and approaching her threateningly.
"Seashells?" Jo asked in a weak voice. At the sound of a piercing scream she terrifyingly realized was Ann's, the heavy basket dropped from her hands, and she watched as its contents spread across the wet and rocky ground. Seashells cracked into pieces on the floor. Lumpy's molded cabbage went flying out of sight. Jimmy's shoe bounced across the floor and into a gap in the rocks. Jo gasped in shock at a loud, bestial roar in the distance but still close enough to keep her rooted in terror to the spot. Suddenly she found herself surrounded by a new group of younger, male natives.
All around, there was chaos, as Jo struggled with one man who held her tightly against him, a sharp rock at her neck. She fought him ferociously until he grabbed her wrist and began to twist it. She tried to catch her breath as he dragged her, struggling all the while. Watching the chaotic crowd to her side, Jo tried to distinguish friend from foe. In horror, she watched as a tribal man with a sharp weapon killed Tom with a blunt blow to the head. She had no time to react, as the man holding her suddenly began groping her scandalously.
She spotted Marcus, away from the crowd, staggering backwards in fear. "Help!" She managed to scream over the noise. He searched the crowd and his gaze landed on her. He stopped hesitantly only for a moment before walking backwards a few more feet. "Help, please!" Jo screamed. His hand gestures were meant to be reassuring as if he was going for help, but all they sparked in Jo was a sudden loathing. She had no time to dwell on this hatred, as the native's hands were clutching her in a manner that made her want to throw up.
"I don't think so!" She managed to gasp out, as she kicked the man's knee hard with the heel of her heavy boot. His hold on her loosened, and she managed to slip from his grasp and was suddenly pulled back by her hair and pushed against a rock, hitting her head on the side of a jutting stone. She had the advantage of facing her attacker, who was now coming at her with his weapon, and she kicked him right between the legs, and he fell to his knees, glaring viciously.
"So all men really are all the same after all." She couldn't help but grin victoriously. This giddiness was short lived, for as she watched, he began to stand difficultly. Jo gasped for breath and looked desperately around for something she could use as a weapon, but looking around at the overwhelming number of natives compared to their party, she would be fighting a most definite losing battle. The freezing rain soaked through her hair and her clothes, but she was shivering from more than the cold as the native before her looked about ready and capable to commit murder.
Two other natives rushed at her from nowhere. She flinched and tried to protect herself with her arms, but they merely grabbed her roughly by her wrists and held her towards their fallen comrade, as he began to stand. Jo struggled to no avail as the man leaped at her, grabbed her hair and began to drag her behind him yet again, though twice as viciously.
"No!" She screamed desperately as her legs trailed over the sharp ground. She clawed at the man's hands, but it did not seem to hinder him in the least. Suddenly a loud, booming noise echoed throughout the previously deserted village. Jo knew the sound of a gunshot when she heard one, and relief flooded through her body, as the natives scattered panicky-like. A renewed motivation overtook her, and she twisted on the ground, so the native had to let go. He turned as if to grab her again, but she was already scrambling away, and the gunshots had his undivided attention. He tossed his stone at her face in frustration and then turned and fled.
The natives were gone, replaced by heavily armed sailors and whatever else it was they did for a living. Jo fell back to the ground and stared at the stormy sky, elated for the first time in her life to find herself alive. She held her clammy and cold palm to the stinging cut on her warm face. It was a long scratch, but thin and, already, the blood had been washed away by rain. Still, he had left his mark. A shadow fell over her suddenly, and she looked up in fright, wondering if her captor was back to finish her. Despite it all, though, she could do nothing else but smile widely at the face her eyes fell on. He looked nowhere near ready to smile himself. Even the word frown would have been an understatement, but she took the look as more than a blessing all the same.
"I-" She started, ready to defend herself.
He held up a hand. "Not one word." He said in a low voice.
"But-" She started again. He shook his head, and she stopped. He reached forward and lifted her to her feet effortlessly. She started to speak again, but the look in his eyes made her stop. He observed her for a moment, his eyes lingering over her fresh cut. Her arms were wrapped around her shivering self, and he whipped his leather coat off before draping it around her. She delighted in the slight warmth the coat provided and snuggled deep into its collar. "I-" She managed to say before he raised an eyebrow at her. Defeated, she let him guide her in silence to join the rest of the retreating crew. Up ahead, Jo spotted Ann being supported by Lumpy.
They walked for a few minutes in haste accompanied by a heavy silence. Jo, however, could no longer take it. "You're not mad, are you? Because you can't be mad. A girl has to make a living somehow. All I was going to do was sell slome seaslells. Slells. Slellshe. Doesn't matter." She said with a dismissive shake of her head, though she continued without even taking a breath. "How else am I going to support myself if I'm not to get married? Besides you never said I couldn't come. Not that it would matter. I mean, you're not my father. Which is a good thing. Excellent, if you really think about it."
So far, Thomas had kept his silence but had stopped in front of her to face her. She stood anxiously there, speaking without pause. "Say something already, will you, Thomas? I feel like it's all me talking. Which it is. Tell me you're furious and would like nothing better than to lock me up forever in a cage on your ship. Tell me you're not mad but just have a sore throat that leaves you completely incapable of talking. Tell me you could never really be mad at me. Tell me I'm stupid. Tell me anything. Tell me to shut the bloody hell up-"
In a swift movement that even he had not predicted, Thomas' lips were pressed tightly against hers. She stiffened slightly for a moment then relaxed, closing her eyes. Her hand flew to grasp his shoulder, as she found her knees suddenly weak and unable to completely support the rest of her body. His hand held the side of her face that was uninjured lightly. His lips softly massaged hers, and he let his tongue graze them. Just as her mouth began to open in welcome, he jerked away. He met her eyes for a second. They had a hungry yet confused look in them. He turned promptly and continued on his way as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Most of those following them had simply slipped around them. Andrew and Unger had taken up the rear and, coming upon a frozen Jo, both grabbed her by her elbows and helped her along and though both had witnessed what they both considered something they knew they really shouldn't have, they both made sure to ask if she was alright. She did not reply, though, her gaze locked unwaveringly on the tall form up ahead of them.
"You know, Andy, never thought the day would come I'd see somethin' like that." Unger spoke up as they hurried over the slippery rocks towards the bridge.
"What? Our Captain kissin' like it's nobody's business? Which it ain't o' course." Andrew replied.
"No." Unger shook his head, trying to suppress a smile. "Our littl' monkey keepin' her mouth shut long enough to get kissed." At this, the two men burst into laughter.
Jo regained her senses enough to pay attention to their conversation. "Oh, shut it already. You bunch of gossiping giggling girls." At her grumpy retort, the two burst out laughing yet again. "Frankly, I'm surprised the two of you manage to keep your own mouths shut long enough to kiss each other."
Neither Andrew nor Unger could restrain their laughter for very long now. Finally, "Nice try, Jo." Andrew replied. "But it weren't us who couldn' detach their lips from the Captain's just a minute ago."
"Shove off." She tried saying this with an angry pout, but it only came out just about affectionately. Her lips, still tingling from earlier, curved into a reluctant smile. "Well," she said after a bit, "I'm off." And with that, she pulled her elbows away and skipped off ahead of them, passing even the Captain who did not react at it. She caught up with Ann just as they entered the dark, murky cave. She slid her arm around the woman's slight shoulder and glanced sideways at her sympathetically.
"Are you alright?" She asked her softly.
"Oh, I'll be fine. I just feel strange." Ann reassured her friend. "It'll wear off. I just hope Jack will be alright."
"Shakespeare up there?" Jo gestured at his unconscious figure being laid inside one of the lifeboats. "It'll take more than a knock to the head to kill that one. He's probably just faking anyway. Writers really do have a tendency to be overdramatic." Jo reassured her friend who now had the shadow of a smile at least upon her face.
When no one was looking, Jo grabbed another skull from the side of the cave and stuffed it into the coat she was wearing that was not hers. "That'll show them to break my shells and steal my souvenirs."
"Oi! Jo!" Lumpy called from behind her. "Unger here says you know somefin' about me missin' cabbage." Looking nervously over her shoulder, Jo hurried to join the crowd at the lifeboats, hoping to lose him somewhere behind.
As she approached the water, she began to shout. "You people there! Raise anchor! Hoist sail! Whatever it is you have to do, get me out of here!"
"Hey!" Lumpy shouted. "You get back here, you little-"
Jo squealed at his approaching voice and looked over her shoulder again. Next second, she was tumbling head first into the closest lifeboat.
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