Warnings for this chapter: Cliffhanger.
AN: I will not be held responsible for the results of the evil ending. Spoken in German
Crimson Ways
Part Twelve
Help, they stole all my money and clothes and left me in the gutter!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Millarca knelt in front of Christine and smiled serenely, completely ignoring the fact that she was covered in blood. 'You seem lost, child.'
Christine gulped. Millarca seemed conversational and friendly at the moment, but the blood and gore made the whole scene seem surreal. 'I know my way quite well, ma'am,' she replied.
'Is that so?' Millarca leaned closer to Christine. 'I know you... You're the girl from the flower shop. Christine.'
Christine didn't know if she should be elated or frightened that Millarca remembered her. 'I don't see why you should remember me, ma'am. I'm no one important,' she said. She tried to scoot away, but her skirt prevented her from making any progress.
Millarca leaned even closer to Christine, so that their noses nearly touched. 'What a polite and humble child. Such qualities should be rewarded.' As she spoke, a few drops of blood fell from her chin.
Christine watched as the blood fell onto her chest. She paled as she felt the still warm liquid ooze down into her dress. She hit the ground unconscious.
Millarca furrowed her brows in frustration. 'Oh, bugger.' She hadn't expected Christine to faint.
Will sat cross legged on Jack's bed, watching Jack pace up and down the room. Zhemchug had given up on getting attention from him and was now sitting in Will's lap.
'Jack, sit down,' said Will. 'Have a drink. Anything, just calm down.'
'How can I calm down? Everything's falling to pieces!' Jack came to a stop in front of Will. 'Promise me you won't leave the ship until I get rid of the Hunter.'
'What?! I'm not promising anything of the sort.'
'Ye'll be stayin' here even if I have to strap you to this bed,' Jack stated. 'It's for yer own good.'
'How is it for my own good, pray tell?' Will asked. 'Because you said so?'
'Look, I'm only concerned for your safety,' Jack replied sincerely. 'I don't want you getting in the middle of this.'
'As I recall,' Will said, 'I'm already in the middle of all this.'
'And that's what's wrong! I just... I just don't want you to get hurt.' Jack knelt at the foot of the bed, looking up at Will. 'Or killed,' he added quietly.
Will looked down at the covers as if trying to find a solution for Jack's crisis. 'How about...I stay at Port Royal and you leave for a week or so.'
'I'm not going to leave!'
'Let me finish,' Will said in irritation. 'You can make it known that you're over in some other port, and then the Hunter will follow you, leaving Port Royal, and me, alone.'
Jack's expression lit up. 'Yes...I could set a trap for him in Tortuga. There's no reason it couldn't work,' he said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the bed. 'Right. So it's settled.' He stood and strode over to the door. 'It'll still be safer for you to stay on the ship, so we'll leave tonight.'
'Wha--! Jack!!' Will jumped off the bed, earning himself a growl from Zhemchug for dumping her off his lap. He ran up to Jack and grabbed his arm before he could open the door. 'Wait for just one minute! Can't you sleep on it first? Give it some more thought? I mean, this is awfully brash.'
Jack raised an eyebrow at Will. 'You're one to talk.'
'I believe I should have some say in the matter-seeing as how I'm the one being kidnapped,' Will snapped.
'I'm not kidnappin' you,' Jack replied. 'I'm just keeping you safe against your will.'
'It's the same thing,' Will said dryly.
'If it will make you feel any better, then we'll wait to cast off until tomorrow,' Jack offered, turning to fully face Will with a cheerful grin.
Will thought for a moment. It would at least give him enough time to come up with a plan to get himself off the ship before it left. Or at least long enough to tell Elizabeth not to worry about him while he was gone. 'Alright, we can leave tomorrow if you're still intent on it,' he replied, knowing full well that Jack would still be gung-ho about the whole thing in the morning.
'Great! That decided, how about a celebratory drink?' Jack suggested as he wrapped his arm around Will's waist and nuzzled against his neck.
Will rolled his eyes and shrugged Jack off of himself. 'Let's not and say we did,' he said. 'I'm really tired, and I think I've lost enough blood to you for one day.'
Jack pouted as he watched Will walk back to the bed and crawl in, blowing out the candle on his side of the bed. 'Sleepin' with all yer clothes on?'
'Not all my clothes. I'm not wearing my shoes,' he replied.
Jack shrugged and began to strip himself clean of clothing as he sauntered towards the bed, leaving his discarded clothing on the floor as he went. He dropped onto the bed and pulled off his boots. He then began to work on removing his pants.
'They stay on,' Will said, doing his best not to stare at his half naked bunkmate.
'Come now, luv. Don't be so prude,' Jack teased as he crawled over to Will.
'And stay on your side.'
Jack stopped in mid-crawl. 'Pardon?'
'Stay on your side, and we'll both be much happier.'
'I don't know about you, but I wont be happier.'
'I have a nasty little habit of kicking in my sleep.'
'Never noticed.'
'Jack,' Will said warningly, 'just stay on your side.'
Jack sighed. 'Fine, but be forewarned: You're on Zhemchug's side of the bed. And I doubt that you want to be wakin' up with a mouthful of fur,' he said as he settled under the covers of his side of the bed.
'And if I sleep on your side, I'll wake up with a neckful of you,' Will retorted. 'I'll take my chances with the cat.' He turned his back on Jack and pulled the covers up, making certain to cover his neck.
Jack blew out the candle on his side of the bed. The eerie blue glow of the moon was the only light left in the room. Jack began tossing and turning while humming a tune.
Will let out an annoyed growl. He shot up and glared down at Jack. 'I know you're doing that on purpose, so you can stop now.'
Jack replied by tossing his pants at Will's head.
It took a few seconds before Will recognized what he was now holding. 'Now you have to stay on your side!' He threw the piece of clothing back and went back to his original position with a huff. He was thankful for the darkness of the room; he could feel how hard he was blushing. He tried not to think about the fact that he was sharing a bed with a very naked Jack.
'Hmm... I'm still hot,' Jack said musingly. 'Maybe if I sleep on top of the covers?'
Will groaned and pulled the sheets over his head completely. He prayed to whatever god that might be listening that Jack would stop pestering him. And that he wouldn't be disturbed by any questionable objects poking him.
Jack managed to keep himself from laughing. In all actuality, all he really did was grab a spare pair of pants from under the bed to toss at Will. He did, strangely enough, respect Will's wishes and remained on his half of the bed throughout the night.
Will awoke in the early daylight to find himself pressed tight against Jack's back. He waited for a few minutes before deciding that Jack was still in a deep sleep. Cautiously, he pulled himself away and slowly sat up. He waited a little longer and finally got out of the bed, careful not to cause too much movement or noise. He looked back at Jack and observed that he was the one, not Jack, to switch sides.
He picked up his shoes and tiptoed towards the door. Halfway there, he hit a loose floorboard that creaked loudly in the dead silence. Will winced and looked to the bed.
Jack was still sound asleep. The sheets were pushed down so that they only came to his knees. Will frowned at the fact that he fell for Jack's little prank; he wouldn't have minded too much if Jack really were naked. One arm lay under Jack's head and the other was loosely curled around Zhemchug, who was staring at Will with curious eyes.
Will felt stupid in doing so, but he held a finger to his lips, hoping the cat would keep silent. She yawned, displaying a mouthful of pointed teeth. Will quickly made his way to the door. He slowly opened the door, grateful that it opened noiselessly. He closed the door behind himself and made to leave the ship.
Zhemchug jumped off the bad, and Jack sat up. He grinned mischievously at the door. 'Predictable, isn't he, Zhem?'
Will quickly made his way to the smithery. He had planned on packing first, then running over to Elizabeth's home to tell her he'd be gone for a while. Knowing his luck, Elizabeth would have chosen that period of time for her wedding date. If that were the case, he'd need to come up with a good excuse.
When he reached the smithery, he tried to open the door, but it was locked. He reached into his pocket and his stomach gave a lurch when he realized that he had forgotten the key. He'd never done anything like that before, and he feltlike a complete imbecile for being so forgetful. He decided that it was Jack's fault for distracting him from his normal routine. Millarca was also at fault. That's right! Millarca had stayed the night there. He hioped she was still there and loudly knocked on the door.
The lock clicked, and the door opened. Christine stood on the other side of the threashhold, looking as bright and chipper as ever; her light red hair seemed a bit more frizzled that normal. 'Why are you out here?' she asked, unaware of the shocked look Will was giving her. 'Don't you have a key?'
'What am I doing out here? What are you doing in there?! Where's Mill--no, don't answer that,' Will said as he stepped past her. 'I'm just getting a few things, and then I'm going.'
'Oh? Where are you going?' she asked as she closed the door and followed Will.
'Nowhere, if I get my way,' he replied. He stopped in his trackes when he entered the secondary room. There was something different about the room. He looked around with uncertainty.
'Do you like it?' Christine asked from behind him.
'Like what?' There was definitely something different about the room, and it bugged him to no extent that he couldn't place what it was. Nothing was missing, nothing was missing nor added...
'It's clean.'
That was it. There was no dust, no dirt tracked on the floor, and what few items that had been laying on the counter were nealy placed against the wall. He noticed that the roses Jack had given him were hanging in the window to dry. He blushed and hoped that Christine would not say anything. He stiffly walked to the staircase and began to make his way up, Christine closely behind.
Will opened the door to his room and suddenly wished he hadn't. On his bed lay Millarca, sprawled out in her undergarments.
She opened an eye and glanced at Will. She gave him a lazy smile. 'Mmm... Morning, dearest,' she greeted.
Will averted his eyes and went to the dresser. He silently grabbed a sachel from the bottom drawer and began starting various pieces of clothing into it. He stiffened when he felt a pair of hands touch his shoulders and slowly wrap around him. He shut his eyes tightly and prayed that Millarca would just let him be.
'Eloping?' she asked. When Will continued packing without an answer, she continued. 'I can see why he chose you. You're strong, beautiful...delicious.' She ran her nose along the length of Will's neck, inhaling his scent.
Will jerked out of her grasp and pressed himself against the dresser, ignoring the jolt of pain he received from one of the knobs jutting into his back. Millarca,' he said warningly, 'Jack wouldn't approve of your behavior.'
'Since when did I need his approval?' She grinned, showing off her vampiric assets. 'And please...call me "Mum!"' she added with an uncharacteristically happy smile.
Will stared at her in disbelief. Of everything he was expecting her to do, that definitely was not on the list. He glanced over at Christine, who was crouched on the stairs in the doorway, absolutely fuming. 'Mill--'
'Mum,' she corrected.
'Er...'
'Call me "Mum," and I'll leave you alone.'
'...Mum.' It felt so strange to him to be referring to this woman as a mother of sorts. It might have had something to do with not using any such term of endearment for over ten years. In any case, it seemed to have pleased Millarca, fo she picked herself up and dropped gracefully onto the bed.
Millarca smirked when she noticed the glare Christine was giving Will. 'Come now, sweetheart, I don't like him like that, and I;m fairly certain he's not too fond of me. So stop lurking in the doorway; it's most unbecoming of a young lady.'
Christine's attitude brightened, and she crawled into the room. She proceeded to the bed and placed her head in Millarca's lap. Millarca ran her fingers through Christine's hair, and they shared a loving look between them.
Will was completely disturbed by the scene in front of him. He wondered if Christine knew Millarca's secret. He supposed that he shouldn't worry too much about it, and set back to packing. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but hope for Christine's happiness.
He was having trouble remembering what he was looking for before Millarca interrupted his packing, and her boisterously trying to lessen the amount of clothing on Christine was not helping in the least.
He turned to voice a complaint, but his attention was drawn elsewhere by quick steps heading up the stairs. All heads turned to watch to doorway with great interest.
Jack popped his head in. 'You haven't happened to have seen Will this morning, have you?' he asked.
Millarca nodded towards Will. 'You must be losing your eyesight to not notice that there are three lovely creatures in this room.'
Jack turned to Will, looking slightly disappointed in seeing him. 'I thought you'd go see Lizbeth first,' he said. 'I was going to surprise you.'
'I've had enough surprises for one day, thank you,' Will replied. 'I still need to see Elizabeth before you kidnap.'
'It's not really kidnappin' if yer agreeing to come along, now, is it?'
'I'm not agreeing,' Will retorted, 'I'm submitting to my fate.'
'You two are so cute when you bicker,' Christine observed, clearly enjoying the show--as well as being practically felt up by Millarca.
Jack gave Christine a confused look. 'Yer that bloody flower girl. Ye've no idea how much trouble you've caused.'
'I'm not a flower girl!' She stood up defiantly. 'I'm a florist!'
'It's the same bloody thing,' Jack snidely remarked.
Millarca wrapped her arms around Christine's waist and pulled her onto her lap. 'Don't let his ignorance get to you, darling,' she whispered, loud enough for Jack to hear her.
Jack sighed in annoyance and looked expectantly at Will. 'Well?'
'Well, what?' He carelessly stuffed a shirt into the satchel. He had a feeling that Jack wanted him to stick up for him, and he didn't particularly feel like doing that at the moment.
'Well,' Jack continued with an amused hint in his voice, 'are you quite done?'
Will sighed as he picked up the bag and stood. 'I still need to talk to Elizabeth before we go.'
'And just where are you two off to?' Millarca asked.
'We had a run-in with our dear friend, the Hunter,' Jack replied. 'So we're going to lure him to Tortuga, where we'll set up a trap and ultimately kill him.'
Millarca shook her head disapprovingly. 'Death is not always the answer. It's only a temporary fix for a permanent problem.'
'The it'd be a temporary fix that I'd very much enjoy,' he replied. 'That said,' he draped his arm around Will, 'I'll give you half an hour to say you farewells, and then we're off to Tortuga for a bit o' fun.'
Will rolled his eyes. 'Your generosity never ceases to amaze me,' he said sarcastically. He was then led by Jack to the door, and down the stairs. He thought that he heard Christine had thrown a catcall after them, but he wasn't all to concerned at the moment.
They were about halfway to Elizabeth's home, and Will was already having to avoid being run into the Wall. He couldn't tell whether Jack was doing it on purpose, or if he just had a bad habit of leaning heavily on others.
'Don't you agree?' Jack asked, removing his arm and returning to his normal stance.
'On what?' Will was concentrating so much on trying to walk straight that he didn't hear a single word of whatever Jack had been prattling on about.
'Well, if yer going to ignore me, then you don't deserve to know,' Jack replied, crossing his arms in a sulky manner and began walking faster.
Will caught up with him and forced Jack to face him. Jack was wearing a playful and smug grin grin. 'Thought I was upset with you?'
The corner of Will's mouth started to turn to a smile. 'Ja-- What was that?!' A blurred line followed by a loud 'thwack' had flown right in front of his face, cutting Will off in mid-thought.
Jack reached over and pulled an arrow out of the wall next to them. He quickly turned toward the direction the arrow had come from. He finally noticed how empty and void of life the street was. 'We need to get somewhere more public,' he said quietly.
Will was still staring at the arrow in shock. He was beginning to wish he'd stayed on the ship. He was pulled from his thoughts when a strong arm wrapped around his neck. In front of him, Jack looked ready to pounce. Will struggled against the grip, but it only tightened.
'Stop struggling,' Jack said through gritted teeth.
'What's wrong, Kitten? Loose your mouse?,' the man holding Will asked; Will immediately recognized the voice as that of the Hunter.
'That's nothing compared to what you'll lose when I'm through with you,' Jack threatened. He bared fangs, fully intent on using them to kill.
'I doubt you'll get the chance.' Wolfgang raised his other arm, which was holding a loaded crossbow.
'Let the boy go. He has nothing to do with this.'
'Yes, he is an innocent, isn't he? Manipulated by your evil, no doubt,' he said as he aimed the crossbow at Jack's heart.
Jack's eyes flickered from the weapon to Will and back to Wolfgang. He stood his ground, almost daring the Hunter to try something.
Wolfgang smirked, taking up the challenge. 'Your evil ends now.' And with that, he pulled the trigger.
The arrow flew straight and true and pierced through Jack's heart. Jack stumbled back, clutching his chest. He leaned against the wall for support; he slid down despite his efforts. With one last gasp of air, his body fell to the ground.
'Jack!!' Will's captor released him and stalked off. Will ran to Jack's side. He took Jack's lifeless body into his arms. 'No, Jack... You can't die. You can't just leave me.' Tears fell freely down his face as he hugged Jack close to him.
AN II: ...Please don't hurt me. I don't have any control over my muses...
