A/N: new chappie! like i said in another a/n, Athear isn't mine, she belongs to my friend Jackie. enjoy!
Chapter 14: Athear the Healer
Esperanza jumped onto the small quay to tie the long boat down as it was shoved up by the mermaids onto the bank of White Cap Bay before they swam away into the sunrise. Krystal coughed a bit and signaled to Esperanza to help Jasmine get John out of the boat while Jag sat himself up on the quay and watched Esperanza knot the rope. Everyone unloaded out of the boat and Krystal moved to get up but went into a severe coughing fit, causing Esperanza and Jack to hurry back to her side.
"We have to hurry, Jag!" Esperanza called just before Krystal launched herself onto the sand on all fours, still coughing.
"I'll go get Athear," Jag nodded, hurrying down the beach.
Krystal coughed, but tugged on Esperanza's sleeve to get her attention. She pointed after him and Esperanza immediately understood that she wanted her to follow. The girl nodded and ran after Jag just before he disappeared down the bay completely. Jack helped Krystal up and sat her back against the boat as John lay in the sand a few feet away.
"He better not take longer than an hour," Krystal groaned, wiping some blood from her mouth. "Whatever this is, it's gonna kill me in that time."
"Captain! Don't say that!" John pleaded.
"Afraid I'll jinx it, Mr. Stewart?" Krystal chuckled before sucking in to begin coughing again, her blood staining the sand.
"Krystal!" Jasmine called from her place with John. Jack leaned over Krystal as she crawled onto all fours again to cough up more blood.
The fits are coming up closer together, she thought as she continued coughing. I'll be dead before that Scaled Tail gets back with Athear. Well done, Calypso. Well done.
Krystal flopped onto her back in the sand when she finally finished and saw a blurry, darkening Jack kneel next to her.
"Vison's going, Jack," she reported in a raw voice with another cough. "I can hardly breathe."
"Stop tellin' me, love," Jack said, sitting next to her. "You're gonna be fine. That Healer woman is gonna patch you up and we'll go save some lives at El Dorado."
"Not this time, Jack," Krystal wheezed and he looked at her with wide eyes. "I'm not coming back from this." She shifted her head to look at him. "I'm just glad we finally-"
"Don't even think of dyin' on me, Krystal!" Jack snarled. "You still have to help me kill Barbossa…again! You're not dyin' today, or any time soon!"
"I'm sorry, Jack," she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut and she struggled to keep them open to look at him. "I'm sorry, but I have to disappoint you…"
"Krystal Robyn, you stay awake!" Jack snapped, gripping her shoulders as her eyes finally closed and he shook her as he snarled, "Wake up, you blasted wench of a pirate! Wake up!"
"Captain Sparrow! We have the Healer!" Esperanza called as she ran down the bay toward them.
"Get her over here now!" Jack shouted.
"Krystal's passed out," Jasmine explained and Esperanza froze when she caught sight of Krystal on the ground, unmoving.
"Where's that useless mermaid!" Jack snarled, shifting Krystal to pick her up.
"Don't touch her!"
Everyone turned to look down the bay to see a blonde woman with wide lavender eyes, a satchel on her hip wearing a long white robe, Jag following behind her.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Jack growled.
"I'm Athear," she replied, kneeling next to Krystal as Jag stood with Esperanza. "Where is the wound?"
"It's internal bleeding," Jasmine reported, recalling what the surgeon had told them.
"How long has she been this way?"
"Two days, maybe less," Jack reported. "You're the Healer?"
"Yes," Athear nodded, not taking her eyes away from Krystal. "Now, please, back away, Captain Sparrow."
Jack stepped away to stand on the other side of Esperanza as Athear opened Krystal's mouth to peek inside it, then felt for a pulse. Esperanza wrung her hands, trying to keep herself from sobbing as Athear pressed on Krystal's stomach, continuing to examine her. The girl looked to Jack but he only kept his eyes on Krystal.
"She's still alive…barely," Athear said. "But without knowing where the wound is, it will be very difficult to heal her."
"Somewhere that would cause her to cough up blood," Jack blurted.
"That could be anywhere," John sighed in distress.
"But it's a start," Athear assured them. "I'll try the lungs first."
She placed her hands on Krystal's chest, closing her eyes and it looked as if she was in some sort of trance. Esperanza gripped Jack's arm, but he still stared at Krystal.
"Wake up," he breathed so low no one heard him but Esperanza. "Wake up, love."
Athear didn't move for another thirty seconds, but it felt like an eternity to the rest.
"We were too late," Jag murmured in sorrow.
"If you think she's naught any fight left in 'er then get back in the water, merman," Jack snapped. "Me? I'm stayin' till she opens her eyes."
The group looked to Jack in shock as Jag swallowed, staring wide eyes at the captain.
"We need to keep in mind what the captain wants," John voiced. "And the code."
Jack stared down at the Irishman, Jasmine kneeling at his head, and John swallowed in fear at the captain's glare.
"The code?" Jack ground out through clenched teeth. "You think I care about the bloody code? Your captain is near dead and all you can think about is the bloody code?"
"Your father would shoot you for sayin' that, Jack," Krystal said in a raw voice.
"I don't care! You-!"
Jack froze and shot wide eyes filled with disbelief to Krystal and Athear as they sat in the sand.
"You're alive," he breathed as Esperanza squealed with joy and ran to her aunt to hug her fiercely.
"Miss Esperanza! Give her time to-!"
"It's quite alright, Mr. Stewart," Athear smiled. "She is fully healed."
"How was it done?" Jasmine wondered in awe, not moving from sitting with her husband.
"I merely sped up the healing process," Athear replied then shrugged, "Nothing more."
"Could you heal up my first mate, here?" Krystal requested. "He's got a broken arm and leg. I know you don't like using your power for minor injuries, but I need him completely well, and fast."
"You know?" everyone but Athear repeated in shock, staring wide eyes at her.
"Bloody hell."
"And just when were you gonna explain this, deary?" Jack wondered, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.
"I had hoped I wouldn't have to," Krystal muttered as Athear turned to healing John. "See, after Rebecca saved me from the Singer Fish and invited me to her home, I met her sister."
"Her sister?" John frowned and everyone looked to Athear then back to Krystal. "She's her sister?"
"Yes," Krystal nodded, standing and detaching her niece from her.
"There!" Athear chirped with a smile. "All done! Is there anything else you need, Krystal?"
"Actually, yes," Krystal replied, stepping toward her as if nothing had been wrong with her. "I have some questions for you about Rebecca."
Athear's smile dropped.
"And I'd like to know how you ended up here," Krystal continued.
"I don't want to talk about her," Athear mumbled.
"She's going after El Dorado, Athear," Krystal reported, making the blonde look at her with wide eyes. "And you know what she'll do when she gets there, don't you?"
Athear took a deep breath and nodded.
"Very well," she replied. "But we will discuss it in private. I have a house just up the beach."
"I'll meet you there in a moment," Krystal nodded before looking to John as Jasmine helped him get to his feet and ordered, "Take the boat back. I'll signal when-"
She cut herself off when she saw something coming from the ship and toward the island. She stepped closer to the water, catching Jack's attention as she did and he stepped next to her as John frowned in confusion at his captain as Athear took that opportunity to head down the bay the she'd come.
"What is it, love?" Jack wondered, looking at what Krystal was. Her face suddenly darkened as she gritted her teeth, not looking away from the horizon.
"My disobedient, head-strong, stupid nephew!" she snarled, marching toward Ruban coming up in a boat and Jack's eyes widened slightly and he hurried after her
"Happy thought, love!" he called when she stopped at the edge of the water, huffing through clenched teeth, and he stopped next to her. "Remember, you just got healed."
"Jasmine, get back to the ship!" she snarled as Ruban jumped from the boat, pulling it onto the bank and tossing the line into the other boat, carelessly. Jasmine nodded, kissing John's cheek with a smile before heading toward the boat Ruban had just came in on.
"Happy thought," Jack urged again, gently.
"Pensamientos felices mi culo!" (Happy thoughts my ass!) Krystal snarled, making Jack frown at her in wonder, but he said nothing.
Ruban rushed toward his aunt, either ignoring the rage of her countenance or not noticing it at all. He stopped in front of her, out of breath from rowing.
"Where is she?" he panted.
"Your sister is over there!" Krystal snarled, pointing at Esperanza as she stood with Jag, staring at the scene in wonder.
"No, not her!" Ruban replied, shaking his head violently. "The mermaid!"
Krystal rage turned to utter confusion as she gazed at her nephew and Jack responded the same way.
"You mean that healer…mermaid…woman?" Jack guessed.
"Athear's no mermaid," Krystal corrected. "But who are you talking about?"
"The mermaid with sapphire eyes," Ruban replied with an entranced smile. "Flowing auburn hair…adorable freckles-"
"Oh, brilliant!" Krystal snapped, throwing her arms up and slapping her hands to her thighs in exasperation.
"Ruban?"
All eyes shot to the direction of the timid voice and Ruban's eyes face lit up when they saw a beautiful, familiar face stepping next to Jag and Esperanza.
"There you are!" Ruban grinned and ran toward her as she stared at him, stunned and Krystal and Jack stared at them in confusion.
"Ruban?" Krystal called, expectantly when he reached the girl. "How do you know her?"
"She came to the Cruel Mistress," Ruban replied, staring at the girl as he stood in front of her. He took her hands in his and whispered, "What's your name?"
"Her name is Kristine," Jag snarled from behind her and all eyes shot to him, Esperanza frowning at his tone. "And you're not taking her away from here. She'd not going anywhere with you!"
"Jag!" Esperanza gasped in disbelief. "How could you accuse my brother of trying to take your cousin away?"
"Cousin?" Ruban breathed, glancing between Jag and Kristine.
"Yes!"
All eyes shot to Krystal as she stomped toward the four, Jack hurrying behind her before she stopped between the couples.
"Jag and Kristine are cousins," she began. "Ruban and Esperanza are siblings. I am the adopted aunt and guardian of them, John Stewart over there is my first mate…"
She grabbed Jack's collar to yank him into their view.
"And this is Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl, which was stolen, again by Captain Barbossa."
"Why thank ye for that, lo-"
She shoved him away again before he could finish and continued, "Now that we've gotten introductions out of the way…"
Krystal grabbed Ruban's collar and Esperanza's arm to pull them closer and shout, "What the bloody hell is goin' on here?"
"Captain?"
Krystal loosened her grip on her niece and nephew as John's hand gently placed itself on her shoulder. She glanced at him over her shoulder and shoved the siblings away. She'd forgotten herself for a moment, and as she glanced up the beach, she remembered why they were all there, and the information she needed. She turned back to the couples in front of her then glanced to Jack.
"Take care of the love birds for me, Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please?" she ground out through her teeth. "I have a more pressing matter to attend to."
Jack glanced around, knowing John was more suited for this job, but decided not to argue with her. He nodded and also decided not to address the fact that she hadn't used his special title when she gave him that order. Instead, he stepped closer to brush a finger against the back of her hand for encouragement. Krystal looked back at him and he noticed her eyes soften when she looked at him, but she only nodded shortly before turning a stern look to John.
"Help him with them, Mr. Stewart," she ordered, heading down the bay where Athear had gone. Jack looked around at the group as they stared at him with wide eyes.
"So," he chirped, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "Shall we play a game then? Maybe some wages?"
John rolled his eyes as the others only frowned in confusion at him. Jack glanced around again, slightly nervous.
"No?" he guessed, holding his hands out to either side then shrugged, "Alright then. We'll just wait for Krystal to come back…quietly."
He glanced around as John sighed and everyone looked at each other in confusion, but said nothing.
A/N: oh snap! lol! reviews?