Chapter Nine: Father

The waves crashed down on them. The lightning striking all around. The thunder was so loud Page could barely hear his own cries.

The small board they were on was starting to come apart. Page gulped air as their heads broke the surface. He didn't open his eyes. He knew that the next wave would be on them shortly.

Page never thought he would die this way, out to sea with no one to help him. He hated this feeling of being helpless. The next wave crashed down. He held his breath as he was thrown back under the churning waves. He kicked with his good leg, but really, once you were under, the water decided when you would come back up. He felt something snap in the board and suddenly he felt a hand grip his arm. He acted out of instinct and pulled away. His head bobbing to the surface. He opened his eyes, Pearl was gone.

He gasped. What had he done? Then her head burst front the water. She gasped and tried to stay afloat. They were probably ten feet apart. Page stared at the approaching wave. He wouldn't make it to her, but he had to try..

He kicked as hard as he could. The wave started to come down on him, he gave one last push. Their heads went under again, but their fingers connected. Page gripped her hand tightly. He was afraid if he let go she would be farther away next time.

He pulled her next to him. One of her hands still clamped onto his. He felt a weight shift in the board as she draped one of her arms on it. Their heads bobbed to the surface yet again. One or two waves more and their board was going to break. Page took a deep breath and held into Pearl with all his might. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting.

--

Will stared up at the water, it was a nasty storm up there. He sighed. There hadn't been anything that had seemed even remotely interesting since he had become the captain of this ship. Adventure didn't appeal to him anymore. All he wanted was to be with Elizabeth, and that wasn't possible.

But something about that storm called to him. He shrugged whatever was up there was appealing to him. He would go. He turned the wheel. The Flying Dutchman groaned and made an angle upwards. William held on as the force of the water hit him.

The crew knew what to do they untied ropes and moved quickly. As soon as the ship burst front he water everything was in place. The sails billowed out and the ship bounced slightly as it came to a rest on the top of the waves. The water was boiling. Huge waves that reached nearly halfway up the ship rocked it back and forth. Will held onto the wheel. Suddenly one of the crewmen called to him.

"Cap'n look! Man over board!! Will ran to the side of the ship. Indeed. Two little figures held onto a board. His eyes widened as a piece broke off and the two people scooted closer on the tiny surface. They were going to drown if Will didn't do something. He rushed down to the deck.

"Throw out the ropes, get their attention! Let's pull them up!" The crewmen started working immediately. Some threw ropes over while others yelled over the defending thunder. The two figures seemed to notice the ship, they swam against the waves untill one of them grabbed onto a rope.

Will watched as the two children were pulled onboard. They both coughed and spit out water. Will watched to see their reaction when they realized these were no ordinary sailors.

The girl seemed to notice first she looked wide-eyed at the fish men who had formed a tight had circle around them. She tapped the boy who was sitting with his eyes closed heaving great breaths. He opened his eyes, and yelped. He drew a sword from the girls belt and pointed it at the sailors. From his place on the floor, the boy pulled the small girl slightly behind him in a protective gesture. William smiled. That was sweet.

He walked through the sailors and they parted around him. The two children huddled against one another.

The storm had died down just a bit. It was easier to hear ones thoughts over the thunder now.

William crouched next to the pair and offered his hand, "Don't be afraid, my name is Will. I'm here to help you two."

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Yay! The happy reunion. I hope you all enjoyed.

Buckhunter The Race Horse: Kayia might still have some words to say to Page about him sneaking onboard her ship. I don't know if she'll escape the English, but there is a possibility. Never underestimate redheads. :)

Guest: Thank you! Writing is something I love, it makes me so happy to know that you like what I do!!

I'll answer reviews every couple chapters, if I haven't gotten to yours yet... I'm sorry! I'll get there in a couple chapters. Thank you for just taking the time to review. Have an awesome day guys!!