Chapter 34: Davina
"I want you to keep an eye on Eleanor. See how she's healing. Don't let her cut again. I took all the blades I could find with me when I left the mansion, but there could be more." Charles says, and Max chuckles on the other side of the line.
"She will be so angry with you when she finds out you did that."
He scoffs. "Tell me something I don't know. I'm used to her anger by now anyway."
"I promise to keep an eye on her and report back to you. Oh, and I have been talking to Anne. Slowly, I am starting to convince her that killing Eleanor would only bring trouble for you guys. I think soon you won't need to watch the mansion anymore... Unless you want to, of course." He can hear the smirk in her voice. It makes him want to kill someone.
"And why the fuck would I do that?" He snaps, hanging up on Max and glancing back over his shoulder as Mary approaches him.
"What happened to Eleanor?"
He frowns at her. "What?"
"Jack said there's only one possible explanation for what you did in the weekend. Leaving us hanging like that, and breaking your promise to help me. He said something must have happened to Eleanor, and that you ran to her rescue."
He clenches his jaw for a moment before sighing heavily, choosing to ignore what she said. "Any clues as to your girl's whereabouts?"
A sad glint comes to her eyes, her smirk dropping instantly as she shakes her head. "We still don't know where she could be. But..." She trails off, frowning as if realizing she was about to say something she couldn't.
He narrows his eyes at her. "There's something you're not telling me."
"Jack said you're going to freak out if you find out about this. He said you can't know."
"Know what?" He raises his voice, moving closer to her.
She merely shakes her head. "I can't tell you. You're gonna be mad with rage."
He scoffs at her. "Mary. I'm gonna be mad with rage if you don't tell me. Spit it out."
She watches his face for a moment before sighing heavily. "I told Jack about what happened to me. About how the owners of the Eurydice kept me trapped to try and torture answers out of me. We did some research, and... well..."
"Who? Who are them?" He asks, a shiver going down his spine.
"...It turns out, that the men who captured and tortured me are Woodes and Mason Rogers."
Charles takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and turning around before storming over to the nearest wall, punching it with all his strength.
"Yeah. That's exactly how Jack said you would react." Mary says, rubbing her forehead before cautiously making her way over to him.
After all the time they spent together, she knows it's better to be careful when his temper is flaring like this.
"I wonder if this Eleanor woman also has to be careful, or if you would be unable to hurt her." She thinks, waiting silently to see if he would throw any more punches or if he was done.
After a few moments of the criminal clearly trying to get his anger under control, Mary is about to try saying something, but his grave voice cuts her off. "Davina must be at Rogers' mansion then. I know where it's located. I'll break into it tonight and find her for you. And with some luck, maybe I'll find that bastard too."
"No." Mary says, and he frowns at her before she continues. "Jack and I already tried finding out if she's in there. He has an old friend who works there, and the man said that he actually saw a little girl in the mansion a while ago, but then a woman came and took her away."
The criminal clenches his jaw with a sigh. "It will be harder than I thought then. Do you have a picture of her? I need to know what she looks like."
"Yeah, of course." The woman pulls out her phone.
"This is Davina. Isn't she beautiful?" Mary shows him the little girl's picture, eyes filled with tears, and Charles heart skips a beat when he sees her weirdly familiar blue eyes. Where does he know them from?
"Yes. She is."
And he's being completely honest.
Taking the phone from the woman's hands, the criminal stares at the home screen image.
A little girl, smiling, her dark hair in a stylish braid, piercing blue eyes the color of the Bahamas Sea glinting with joy. There's a determined glint in them, a strength...
"Holy shit." Mary says after a few moments of silence, taking the phone from him and holding it right beside his face, looking at Davina's picture, then at him, then at Davina again. "I always had the feeling I knew her eyes from somewhere. Charles, they look identical to yours. And not just the eyes... Her hair is the exact same color as yours too."
He scowls, moving away from her.
"Charles, is there... Is there any chance that you fathered a child 9 years ago?"
"No. And I never went to the Bahamas. I've never been to Nassau." Well, in this life, anyway. "So no, this girl is not my daughter."
Mary scoffs. "You sure? Because she definitely has your temper too. Wait until you meet her. You'll see what I'm talking about."
"That probably comes from you. Jack always said you and I are too alike. And you've been raising her for the last three years. Of course the child would start acting like you after a while."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. She doesn't 'act like' anyone. She's her own person. She always was. Ever since I found her on that beach, back in Nassau, she already had her strong personality."
"She's not my daughter, Mary!"
"How can you be so sure about that?"
"I just know!"
"Don't you raise your voice with me! It's not my fault if you slept with half the women in this city, and pretty much every other city you visit. One of them could have moved to Nassau, who knows?"
"The girl's not my daughter and that's final." He says, lighting a cigarette and giving her a warning filled look. "And if you still want my help with finding your adoptive child, you better not try to touch this subject again."
"Sweetie? You need to eat."
Davina throws the woman in the doorway a nasty look. "Leave me alone."
"Please. What do you like? I'll make anything you want, and you can have some ice cream later."
At her words, the 9 year old looks up, not losing the unfriendly look. But clearly, her interest was piqued.
The woman smiles. "There. You want it, don't you?"
"Fine. I'll eat. But I will watch you cook to make sure you won't put anything in the food."
The woman frowns as they make their way to the kitchen. "What happened to make you so suspicious? I never met a child like you before."
Davina scoffs, watching closely as she begins to cook their lunch. "I know what you're doing, Sarah. Trying to earn my trust. And look, I don't really like people, so don't even bother."
Sarah raises her eyebrows at her harsh words, and silence stretches for a few minutes before the hardened little girl speaks again.
"Why did you bring me here? Where is the man who took me to that mansion?"
"You mean Woodes? He's my ex-husband. He asked me to take care of you for now. I don't know when you'll see him again."
Davina thinks about her situation. She wants Mary. The urge to just throw herself to the floor and cry like any other child is so strong, she's so scared and worried, she misses her adoptive mother...
Tears burn in her eyes, but she fights against the desire of letting them out, knowing she needs to think about a plan. Wasting her time crying like a baby would get her nowhere.
She's a big girl. She needs to act like one.
So she starts thinking about everything that happened since her and Mary were captured by the two mean men.
Woodes... He was probably her best chance at being reunited with Mary. She knows that while she stays here with Sarah, there's no way she'll be able to get any information about her adoptive mother's whereabouts.
No. She needs to be reunited with Mr. Rogers, he knows where Mary is. She needs to find a way to make him come to her, without making it look like she was rebelling. Mary would pay for it if she made a wrong move, she knows.
An idea comes to her mind, and she takes advantage of the tears still glinting in her eyes.
"Sarah?" She says in the most innocent, sad voice she can, and the woman glances back at her over her shoulder, frowning when she notices the tears in her eyes.
"Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?"
"I... I miss Woodes... Do you think you can ask him to come see me?"
It disgusts her to say the words. But she knows it's the only way.
Sarah's eyes soften at that, and she nods.
"Of course, sweetheart. I'll call him and see when he can come over, alright? It may take a while though; he's a very busy man..." She turns around to continue cooking, going on and on about how her ex-husband keeps the peace in the city, and Davina smirks.
One of the perks of being a child. All you need to do is fake weakness, and the grown ups will believe you, never even suspecting you have any ulterior motives.
Part one: Done.
Now she needs to think about what she's going to tell Mr. Rogers when he comes to see her.
Davina knows he's the only one who can lead her to Mary.
And soon that monster is going to regret what he did to them.
No one messes with Davina Sierra and Mary Read.
No one.
"Fucking bastard took all of my blades with him." Eleanor says with a shake of her head as she inspects the cabinet in her bathroom, causing Max to chuckle from her bed.
"That's sweet. He was worried about you cutting again."
The blonde bites her lip for a moment, sighing before schooling her face into a more neutral expression and walking back into her room. "My father said it was really cold in London this time, he-"
A scoff from Max interrupts her words, and her friend lays down on the bed with a laugh before speaking.
"You really think you'll escape, huh?"
"What?"
"Vane spent the whole weekend in here with you. You need to tell me everything!"
Eleanor watches her in disbelief for a few seconds. "Seriously? Now that I'm finally free from Idelle, you'll take her place?"
She walks to stare out the balcony's door, a frown refusing to leave her face. "Max, since when did you become our biggest, uh... shipper?" Eleanor never thought she would say this word. But it's the only one that describes what she wanted to say.
"Since I saw that idiot destroy you three centuries ago, and then I saw Vane make you get better in this life, he helped you find that fire again, the strength to fight for your freedom. How can I possibly not want you two together? Eleanor, you are miserable without him. Before the memories came back, you were so happy. Oh, and he's miserable without you too."
The blonde scoffs. "Yeah, right. He doesn't give a shit about me."
"Actually... There were like five times already that I went to the hideout to see Anne, and found Vane in a... deplorable state. Passed out from drinking, sometimes from opium too, and Anne would say that it was all because of you."
Her heart clenches, and she tries to ignore the urge of going to him, to see if he was okay.
"It's as clear as the light of day, mon ange. You two get worse when you're forced apart. I know you think he hates you, and while that may be true, think about what he did this weekend. He took care of you, he helped you, he stayed by your side."
Eleanor sighs heavily, knowing she was right.
What would have happened to her if it wasn't for Charles coming to her rescue?
Even with his help, it was already hard to stop the bleeding.
She had been in shock. There's no way she would have been able to treat the wounds on her own.
Eleanor suddenly realizes that if it wasn't for him, she would probably have passed out, staying there on her bathroom floor until her father or worse, Rogers, found her and took her to the hospital.
Right now, she could be either enduring their endless ranting, their disapproving looks, and preparing herself to be sent to a mental hospital, or...
She could be dead.
Or half dead, at least.
She owes Charles a lot, and it makes her so fucking angry.
But at the same time, it makes her heart feel lighter.
"What are your plans now? You said Rogers drugged you. Do you still want to marry that monster?" Max asks cautiously and the blonde scoffs, moving to sit on the bed beside her friend.
"He's not a monster. Don't call him that. He saved my life three centuries ago, remember?"
Max lets out a dry, hollow laugh. "Big deal! Only to put you in danger's way and cause your death later? What a hero he is!"
Tears burn in Eleanor's eyes at the harsh words. "Flint said-"
"Don't lie to yourself. Please. You're smart. You know the truth."
She shakes her head with a sigh, covering her face with her hands, and Max touches her shoulder reassuringly before speaking again. "You know what your problem is, Eleanor? You desperately sought happiness after killing a part of you that was too important. You thought you could get away with it and move on, but you were just living a lie. And I think that, deep down, you knew that. It made you crazy, didn't it? Deep down, you knew you had made a really, really huge mistake, but you tried to pretend everything was just fine. That must have been completely exhausting."
"You want to know what's exhausting? To deal with all these conflicting emotions and feelings. I want to be rational, to choose the most logical and prudent path, to marry Woodes... Stay with him and my father, keep the Company and watch it grow even more under our management... Maybe start a family eventually, make my father proud... Have the life I always wanted, that is, the life I always wanted until I..."
"...Until you found Vane again."
Her heavy sigh is the only confirmation Max needs.
Silence reign for a few minutes, a million thoughts running through Eleanor's mind before she finally speaks again. "I don't know what I feel, Max. I hate him... But at the same time, I don't want to be away from him. I just can't ignore the huge relief I feel whenever I see him, alive, breathing, every time I hear his heart beating. And how awful I feel when I see the birthmark around his neck. It's like a punch to my stomach."
"You feel guilty. Just like you always did. At least know you know the reason. Did you regret what you did to him back then?"
It takes a few moments until she finally nods, slowly, tear coming to her eyes. "When I was dying... I felt so small... I thought about what could have been, about how I could be out there, on a ship somewhere in the middle of the ocean, with him, free... It was all I wanted in that moment, all I could think about, that and my baby, my poor baby..." The tears flow freely and she falls silent, trying to get them under control as Max watches her closely with a scowl on her face, not daring to say anything.
"You know, sometimes..." She continues in a quiet voice. "...when I was pretending to be something I wasn't, sometimes in the silence of the night, after Woodes was sleeping, I allowed my mind to wander... I would think about the life I could be having, if only I made different choices. It was the only thing that kept me sane, those stolen moments... I saw his face in my dreams, he haunted me constantly, and it made me crazy... I hated him for it, so fucking much, I hated the fact that he couldn't leave me alone, even after his death. But as hard as I tried to ignore it, I knew... I needed him. I knew that, every time I was sitting there in silence, knitting like some fucking docile housewife. I knew that my wings had been taken away, and it was all my own fault. I knew that... Had I chosen Charles, that would have never happened. And yes, alright? It killed me. It killed me slowly, day after day, week after week. Sometimes I was so desperate, I prayed for his face to vanish from my dreams, because it hurt too much. But it never happened. He haunted me until the moment of my death. And I regretted everything."
She takes a deep, shuddering breath, not meeting Max's eyes. Clearly, admitting all of this took a huge toll on her.
"You're lucky Idelle isn't here. I'm sure by now her phone would already be playing Britney's 'Everytime'." Max says, wanting to lighten the mood, and the blonde lets out a brief, dry chuckle, trying to ignore the pang in her heart. She misses Idelle, too.
"I'm so proud of you, Eleanor. I truly am. You finally admitted your true feelings, not only to me, but to yourself. It may have taken you three centuries to do so, but now you did." The blonde looks at her face, a lone tear running down her cheek, and Max gives her a sad little smile before continuing. "I'm glad you finally found the courage to say all of this out loud. But mon ange... It's not to me you need to say all this stuff..." She says, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her friend's ear. "...It's to Vane. And I just hope you will be able to do it soon. Before it is too late once more."
Charles gives a low growl of warning when he sees Jack glancing at his face and then at Davina's picture, a suspicious look in his eyes.
"What? It's a possibility, you know. The girl has your hair and your eyes. I can see many other similarities too. The shape of her eyes is a copy of yours, she has your mouth... And those cheekbones-"
"Fuck you, Jack."
His accomplice chuckles. "Yeah, yeah. Now I really want to find this kid. This is going to be interesting."
He takes a step back when his leader gives him a nasty look, just as the front door opens, Mary and Anne walking into the hideout.
"Darling! Take a look at this, and tell me what you think." Jack says with a smirk, handing her Mary's phone. "Who does Davina look like?"
The redhead stares at the picture for a moment before glancing at their leader's face with a wicked glint in her eyes. "Serves you right for sleeping with half the women in LA."
"Only LA? You're being too generous, this is not like you." Jack winks at her.
"She's not my daughter!"
"What, are you afraid of what Eleanor will think when she finds out?" His accomplice asks, earning him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Anne.
"Don't say her name, it makes me want to kill someone." The redhead seethes.
Mary clears her throat. "Are we going to start looking for my baby girl or not?"
Charles tosses his cigarette out the window, moving closer to them. "Yes. But first, let's have a little talk. We're looking for someone too, Mary, and we think you may be able to help."
"Yeah, I remember you said that. Who is this person?"
"His name is Edward Teach. We know he was involved with Somali pirates and the black market, but that was years ago. We have no idea what he does now, or if that's still the case."
The woman thinks for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh.
"What? Is he dead?" Jack asks and she bites her lip before speaking.
"No. He's alive. But... I don't know if I can help. Yes, I heard of him, my cousin and the other pirates talked about him a lot, he's... kind of their leader, but people hardly ever see him. You see, they have sort of... A secret base, I don't know, in Somalia. That's where Teach stays. He takes care of all their problems, and from what I heard, he's still involved with the black market. He has a boat too, and he sometimes takes it out into the open ocean. But that's pretty much all I know."
"That's already a huge help. Thank you." Jack says with a laugh, clapping his hands once. "Well! Now all we need to do is find Davina, then we'll get a boat and be on our way. I imagine you want to go back home, right, Mary?"
"Ugh, more than anything. I hate this place. All I want is to go home with my little girl."
"You helped us, and you shall have your reward. As soon as we find Charles' mini-me..." His leader growls again, and Jack's smirk only widens. "...we'll get a boat and leave for Somalia. You, me, Anne, Charles and Davina. We'll be fine."
"What do you guys want with Teach?" Mary asks, no one noticing the pain that flickers in Charles' eyes while they talk about leaving LA behind.
Leaving Eleanor behind...
"Charles found out he was the one who left him at the orphanage. He's his uncle." Anne says and Mary's eyes widen slightly.
"Wow. Small world."
2 days later
Sarah still has no idea how the kid managed to convince her. Woodes' orders had been clear. She was not supposed to leave the house. But somehow, the little girl convinced her to bring her to the park.
And Davina is ecstatic about it. She loves to see just how big her power of persuasion is.
And she had no ulterior motive this time, she just wanted some fresh air. While the urge to run away is big, she knows it would be a stupid move. This is her first time in this big city, she wouldn't know where to go, how to find Mary on her own. And besides, her adoptive mother would be punished as soon as Mr. Rogers found out she ran away from Sarah.
Her best bet is to wait until that idiot comes to see her.
Looking behind her shoulder, she sees Sarah sitting in a bench, reading a book, completely distracted.
The little girl sighs, leaving the swings to go play somewhere else, but as she begins to run, she trips over a rock, landing on her knees. Tear burn in her eyes and she hisses in pain, just as someone runs to her aid.
"You alright, sweetheart?" She glances up at the blonde woman helping her, and for some reason, the blue-green eyed beauty stops, frowning when she sees Davina's eyes.
But the moment is soon gone, as the woman shakes her head before forcing a smile. "You look like someone I lo... someone I know."
The blonde sits down in front of her. "I'm Eleanor. Can I take a look at your knee? I promise not to touch it."
The girl scowls at her for a moment before nodding.
"What's your name? I've never seen you here." Eleanor says, looking at the bruise on her knee.
"I'm Davina. Davina Sierra."
"That's a really beautiful name. Are you from here?"
"No. I'm from Nassau."
Eleanor's breath catches and she looks up from the bruise to meet her eyes.
"Nassau?" Her voice is quiet, and Davina sees the way her eyes fill with tears.
What a strange woman.
But she soon hides her emotions, forcing another smile. "In the Bahamas, right? It's a wonderful place. I hope to visit it soon."
The little girl is about to reply when Sarah's voice reaches their ears, the woman running up to them. "Davina! Are you okay?"
Eleanor helps her get up from the ground, smiling briefly at the other woman. "She's fine. It's just a little bruise."
"Thank you for helping her." Sarah says, a strange look on her face.
"It's no problem. Your daughter is beautiful."
"She's not my daughter. But thanks." She says, pulling Davina away from the blonde, and the girl doesn't fail to recognize the hostility in her voice.
Apparently, Eleanor notices it too, as she lifts her chin in defiance. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Eleanor Guth-"
Sarah scoffs, cutting her off. "Oh, I know who you are. Darling, can I give you a little advice? Be careful."
The blonde frowns at her. "And what should I be careful about?
"Woodes. I happen to be his ex-wife."
The blonde's eyes widen slightly, but she's quick to regain her composure.
"I know that he seems like a perfect gentleman, but... trust me. He's manipulative, and he can be really nasty if he doesn't get everything he wants. He has this problem, of always wanting things exactly his way, and getting angry when that doesn't happen... Don't let that handsome face fool you, alright? He lies, and he manipulates. Just be careful."
Eleanor seems to consider her words for a moment before smirking at her. "You know what I think you're trying to do here? Pushing me away from Woodes so you can get your hands on him again."
Davina looks between the two women, trying to contain the smirk tugging at her lips. This is getting interesting; will she see a fight soon?
She hopes so.
But before they can say anything else, another woman arrives, touching Eleanor's shoulder. She's probably her sister. Their eyes are identical, and their faces are similar too, though the newly arrived woman looks a bit older.
"Is everything okay in here?"
Eleanor clenches her jaw before scoffing softly. "Everything's wonderful, Caroline. I was just having a little... chat with Sarah. She's Woodes' ex-wife. How crazy is that?"
Caroline raises her eyebrows before glancing at Sarah, anger flickering in her eyes. "Do you want him back? If so, then be my guest, he's all yours. I'll be happy to see Eleanor dodge that bullet."
"Caroline!" The blonde says, throwing her a glare.
A smirk comes to Sarah's face. "You should listen to your friend, child. Looks like you're too young and naive, life still has a lot to teach you. Good luck with my ex-husband. Come along, Davina."
Sarah walks away from the two women, pulling the girl with her.
As they head back to the car, Davina glances back at Eleanor over her shoulder.
For some reason, she feels like the blonde is going to help her, and she has the feeling she'll see her again.
And also, the girl is not sure why, but there's something about Eleanor that draws her in. She likes her already.
She really, really does.
Notes:
And we finally meet little Davina Sierra! Hope everyone will like her ;)
Next chapter teaser:
"I won't go anywhere. I'll just talk to Captain Vane for a bit."
Eleanor's heart skips a beat and her mouth parts as she immediately looks up at the dark haired woman. "He's here?"