A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I'm sorry for the long wait, the beginning of school and all... I'm sure you understand. I think that I will only update once every other week now, unless I've a break. So I'll try to update as much as I can, but for now...once every two weeks will be good for me. Also, I know how horrifyingly short this chapter is, but it's a good place to stop. I'm really, REALLY sorry for the shortness, but the next one will be longer!
For all the people who've answered to the poll, thank you! Action, for those who want more, is coming very soon, so don't worry. And for those who think this story is getting a little too long... no worries! I think we only have around ten chapters or so left. Yes, I know I've been jumping, but my ideas are changing.
Disclaimer: I don't own. Sorry!
Chapter 36:
When Elizabeth came to awareness, she immediately realized that something was wrong. She kept her eyes closed and stayed perfectly still, trying to maintain her breathing to pretend like she was sleeping as she had been before, just in case someone was keeping an eye on her. There were but a few things she had to do at the moment, a few things she had to figure out, and talking to an angry, immortal Hector Barbossa was not one of them.
First off, where was she? Obviously on a ship, as she could feel the gentle rocking of the waves underneath her. Whatever she was lying on was soft, so she assumed it was a bed. A comfy one at that, one that felt and smelled familiar.
She was in the Captain's Quarters of the Chinese Dove.
Barbossa had taken her to his ship, leaving her husband alone to die.
Quickly she bit down on her tongue to stop a whimper from escaping, then took in a deep steady breath, blocking her emotions before they could escape. She didn't know if he was dead for sure, and so until then she refused to believe that he was gone, refused to believe that she'd lost him once again. He'd cheated death twice now, but a third time? She didn't think he had it in him.
Though of course, he was Captain Jack Sparrow.
The thoughts must have shown on her face no matter how hard she tried to hide them, because she felt the bed shift and then felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She moaned and turned her head, trying to pretend that she was just barely awake but was going to fall back asleep, but then her shoulder was tapped again.
"You're not fooling me anymore, Mrs. Sparrow. Now come on, open your eyes." Elizabeth stiffened at the first few words, but then her mind registered the voice and she gasped, instantly awake. Turning her head, she looked along the bed and saw...no one.
"Lester." she said, grinning, blocking the suddenly realization that he wasn't dressed from her mind. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" She was. Relieved that she had an ally aboard, feeling safe now that someone she knew, or at least someone Jack knew and trusted, was with her, happy that she wasn't alone. Yet then all that suddenly vanished when she remembered something. "Jack."
"Wounded." he said. "Not enough to die, though, just enough to slow him down... He was shot in the shoulder, but he'll be alright. I promise he will. I got the bartender to bandage him up and then to help him back to his ship. Even if he has some assistance, though, he'll be delayed about an hour or so from chasing after us. Hector got his head start, I'm sorry to say. He's headed towards Port Royal, he's going to find that bullet because he wants to destroy it. It's the only thing he fears now, the only thing that can properly stop him."
Elizabeth nodded and clasped her hands with a sigh. "Even with you here, Lester, I'm afraid we're both really not of much use. I'd do something, I'd kick Barbossa's ass if it weren't for the baby growing inside me." Her face darkened a little. "He shot Jack. That's more than one to many times that my husband has gotten hurt because of that bastard. He'll pay for that one day, I swear it." Then she sighed. "And you. You're invisible. That works out well for some things, like spying and such, but not much else. Still," she smiled warmly at him, "I'm glad to have someone here with me, and the news you brought of my husband was most welcome too."
Getting up from the bed, she went over and found a hair brush laying in one of the dresser drawers before she began to comb out her hair in long, leisurely strokes, trying to force all her nervous energy into those slow, smooth, and gentle movements. She didn't look forward to seeing Hector again, not after what had happened last time, but she knew that it couldn't be avoided. He'd come in and talk to her about something or other, and then it would progress to him trying to get her in bed.
Unless...unless that wasn't the plan he had for her anymore.
With a shudder she brushed faster, getting out all the snarls before she abandoned the brush and began to pace, smoothing out her shirt.
"Calm down." Lester said after a long moment of silence, and Elizabeth paused before she spun around on her heel, the shock quickly fading in her eyes. "You might as well just lay on the bed and try and get as much rest as you can until someone comes to tell you what you're needed for."
"Lester!" she scolded, then sighed. "I can't see you, and so after a few moments I forget you're even in the room with me." Shaking her head, she ran her fingers through her hair and nibbled on her lower lip, but soon simply gave in to what he'd suggested and went to lay on the bed, stretching before she shut her eyes with a small yawn. She was exhausted, but the idea of sleeping when Hector could come for her any moment...it made her too uneasy, to uptight to try and rest.
"Relax." A small whimper escaped her lips. "I'll keep watch, and if someone comes in I'll nudge you to wake you up. No one can see me anyways, remember?" She opened her eyes to look over at him, then nodded a little.
"Alright." That would work. Settling on the bed, she forced herself to relax, and not even two minutes later she was fast asleep. Lester watched her, amused, then shook his head before settling on the bed, stretching his arms and legs before he watched the door, not really tired at all.
"Damn it! Bloody buggering hell that hurts!" Jack gasped, gritting his teeth as Mister Gibbs began to try and pull the bullet from the ugly wound he'd gotten.
"Sorry Capt'n." Gibbs shook his head, reaching for the rum bottle while continuing to try and grip the bullet with a tweezers. "It has t' come out, Jack. Lay still and I'll be done in a minute." Uncorking the bottle with his teeth, he poured some rum on the wound to clean the infection that had already started, as Jack had only been bandaged, not treated, and even the bandaging had been a poor job.
A pained whimper escaped the pirate's lips, and then he was gasping for air, shuddering... He could take pain, but this was particularly horrible, especially since Gibbs couldn't find the damn bullet well enough to pull it out, and so he was poking at sore, inflamed, bloody flesh as well.
After what seemed like hours Gibbs finally found the small, metal item and pulled it out. Pale as a sheet and quite numbed to any pain now, Jack simply lay there, a cold sweat on his face as he let his first mate clean the wound and then bandage it up. Then he was ordered to stay in bed for a while. He wanted to protest, to get up and steer, but was reminded that he needed to rest and heal if he wanted to save his wife. So, after a few moments of annoyed arguing he sank back against the pillows, dark eyes roaming around the room before they closed.
He hated to admit it, but Gibbs was right. He was quite exhausted, but he simply hated not being in control. It made him uneasy when Elizabeth wasn't around, when he wasn't able to stand at the helm and control his ship to move faster, push her to find the bastard what stole his wife so that he could get her back. He wouldn't rest until she was safe and warm in his arms, until he could smell her scent and feel her lips, soft and smooth, against his own.
With that thought and mind he slipped into a restless sleep, tossing and turning despite the pain in his shoulder when he put pressure on it. Even the Pearl seemed to know something was wrong, creaking and groaning under Gibbs guiding hands.
The first mate shook his head. Like Captain like ship, he thought quietly, then patted the wheel with a comforting reassurance. Even if hope seemed faint, he was sure everything would turn out right in the end.
Well, at least once they got the Mistress back...
Someone was shaking her.
Elizabeth sighed and shifted on the bed, trying to shrug off the hand, but the shaking didn't stop. In fact, the hand only tightened.
Annoyed now, she opened her eyes and sat up, glaring over at whoever was shaking her only to remember that it was Lester and that-
The door opened cutting off her thoughts. She huffed and brushed her hair out of her eyes, knowing exactly who had just come into the room. Maybe if she ignored him he'd simply go away? Highly unlikely, though, if she knew him.
"Ah, Missus Sparrow has finally decided to join the world of the living." Hector greeted with a small sneer. She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked unnervingly smug, something that made her stomach flip nervously.
"I'd have already been up if it wasn't for you drugging me." she shot back, then got up, going to retrieve the hair brush again. If she could just look like she was in control...maybe then he'd not dare to try anything. Again, that was highly unlikely. He was immortal after all, she'd not be able to do anything against him now.
There was no escape, not until her husband (she whimpered inwardly at the thought of him) came to rescue her.
Or until she escaped all by herself.
Who knew. If Jack could do it, escape death and all manner of tight spots, why couldn't she? She was married to him after all, perhaps some of his luck had rubbed off on her. It was a nice thought, in any case.
"That had to be done." he said nonchalantly. "Or else ye'd have been screamin' and wailin'... I didn't need to draw attention to myself." She rolled her eyes and turned to look at him, hitting the brush against the palm of her hand. Her eyes narrowed.
"You think you're so great." she said with a shake of her head. "Unstoppable, strong, fierce, dare I say fearsome. Let me tell you something though, Hector." Walking towards him, she hit the brush against his chest. "You're not. You can be stopped, that's why you came to interfere with Jack and myself. You're not strong, you're weak. Tiny." She snorted. "One person in a world of many, many more. With the use of the right things you can be crushed so easily. Fierce? Maybe, but it's only a mask you put on to hide how sad you really are, isn't it. How jealous of my husband you are. How angry you are that he's bested you a million times over, isn't that right?" She smiled sweetly at him. "And fearsome, that you are not." She tapped his chin with the brush, leaning in and looking up into his eyes. "You don't scare me." she whispered, then pulled back and spun around, walking away with a sort of smirk on her face.
Able to feel his glare burning into her back, she went and put the brush away after running it through her hair a few more times, then set it down before she turned to look at him, trying to calculate how he was feeling.
Then he was crossing the room, grabbing her and slamming her against the wall. She'd suspected this, hiding the wince and breathing out slowly instead of letting the air inside her come out in a whoosh. She'd not let him frighten her, not let him have the satisfaction of making her regret what she'd said. He'd try to prove her wrong, she wouldn't let him. She was the Pirate King, he her subject, and that's the way it would stay.
One hand came up from her shoulders, fingers encircling her throat. "I could kill you right now, girl." he said in a low voice, eyes intense and locking with hers. She sighed.
"Then kill me. Go on, do it." she whispered to him, eyes carefully unconcerned. His eyes darkened and his hand tightened to the point where she was uncomfortable and breathing was hard. If he did kill her...then at least she'd die with pride. However, she didn't believe, for a moment, that he had it in him to kill her.
A few seconds passed, and then he growled and loosened his hand, looking murderous. He wasn't angry with her now, not anymore...he was angry with himself.
He could kill her so easily, like he'd told her. Cut off her air, watch the life slowly drain from her eyes, let her dead, limp body slide to the floor when he was done and then simply walk away. Yet, he couldn't do it. He could kill Jack with no regret, he could kill Teague without a care, but her? The woman who'd vexed him so much, who'd been a strong, stubborn, spitfire since the moment she stepped onto the Pearl in that revealing white shift?
He couldn't do it. He simply couldn't kill her. Besides, he still had plans for her, things she'd do for him, ways he could use her for his benefit.
Though the baby growing inside her put a damper on a few of them, such as giving him an heir...
Moving his head, he grabbed her chin and forced her head up, forced her to look at him.
"You're time to die has not yet come." he told her in a hard, controlled voice. "You are still some use to me." With that he let her go and turned around, stalking out of the room before he slammed the door and locked it behind him.
Elizabeth breathed out heavily and took a step forward, trembling with the nervousness she'd been trying hard to hide. In the next moment an arm was tight around her shoulders, keeping her from fainting, which she looked about to do.
"Easy." Lester soothed, guiding her over to the bed. He sat her down, then went over to the dresser and pulled on a shirt and some breeches before he went to sit beside her. "He's gone now." Reaching out, he patted her shoulder. "You did a great job, standing up to him like that. Jack would be proud."
She smiled faintly, then shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. Hector hadn't kissed her, hadn't touched her, she was grateful for that much. Still, she wasn't sure how long that could last. He told her that she was still some use to him. If it wasn't killing her or getting her pregnant (as she already was pregnant), then what else could it be except using her for his perverse pleasure?
A blanket was suddenly draped around her shoulders and she took it gratefully, pulling it tightly around her as she tried to get herself to calm down. Thinking about it wouldn't help. She needed to prepare herself for his next visit and, more than that, needed to start planning on how she'd get out of there.
Thankfully, she had someone there to help her. After all, two heads were much better than one, or so her parents had always said.
"Lester." she whispered, trying to relax and stop trembling. "Help me think, help me think of a way to get out of here."
His hand squeezed her shoulder, a silent agreement, and she sighed, a small smile appearing on her lips.
Maybe there was hope after all.
Hector walked up to the helm, his fingers curling around the spokes of the wheel as his eyes narrowed. He stared out at the horizon, then sighed and shut his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. All things would work themselves out, and he'd get his revenge in due time.
It would be worth it, to see the horror and pain in Jack's eyes, to watch as he pleaded and begged before he was finally killed. Not just killed, though, he'd be forced to chose between himself and his wife, be forced to decide who's life was more important to him.
Somehow Barbossa knew which one it would be, but still, it would be interesting. A morbid pleasure, a delight rushed through him and he grinned before opening his eyes. He'd bring the pirate to his knees, watch in satisfaction as he took away the one thing that Jack could possibly use against him. The great Captain Sparrow would be reduced to a helpless beggar like the rest of them, like the rest of the scum of the Earth.
And then he would die, slowly, tortuously as Hector stood aside and laughed. He would be untouchable, kill Sparrow and break his wife's spirit.
Maybe then she would be easier to mold, to control, to persuade. Maybe then her infuriating fire, the spark that her husband gave her, would finally go out...and she'd be free to be his.
His want for revenge strengthened at that thought. He couldn't wait. Months of plotting in the dark had led to this moment, led to the moment where Sparrow would fall, once and for all.
He'd not miss it for anything.