The pirates leaped over the rails, landing on the beach in silence. Together, they ran up the sandy hill nearby until they reached grass, then hard, packed ground. Foliage got in their way, and they finally came to a low wall, where they stopped. It was the presidio.
"We can just step right over the wall," Mr. Gibbs said, surprised.
"There are guards all around the walkway," another crewman observed.
"We'll have to silence them quickly," Sparrow added, starting forward.
The rest began to move as well, but Ash flung out an arm, halting their advance.
"Wait!" she hissed.
Everyone stopped.
"Lad?" Sparrow asked.
"The sentries are making their rounds in a pattern," she said, brow furrowed as she observed their movements, "We can get around them without being seen if we're careful."
Ash looked at Sparrow, who looked at Mr. Gibbs, who looked at everyone else.
"Alright then," Sparrow said finally, "Lead us down to the courtyard, if you can."
Ash lifted her brows, surprised. He was letting her lead the whole crew? She sighed internally. This was what happened when she opened her big mouth. She went first, stepping over the wall easily, and landed on the walkway near a tower. She went slowly around counterclockwise, checking behind her to be sure the rest of the crew was keeping up with her. Peeking around the curve, she saw the closest sentry turn his back and walk around the tower clockwise. She made a frenzied "come on" gesture to the rest of the crew, and ran light footed as a doe down the long walkway.
She hadn't been so sure about their ability to be stealthy, but they made hardly a sound, to her surprise. Twice more she had to stop and sneak around guards gesturing to the crew when to stop and when to advance. After that, she found the stairway that led them down into the courtyard below. There was no one in this area, which seemed strange to her. Glancing around, she ran on her toes to a large wooden door and opened it by a hair, peeking in.
It was empty. More strangeness. She opened the door wider and went in slowly, gesturing for the crew to follow. One by one they filed in after her. It seemed an odd place to keep treasures. It was full of rough, wooden tables and chairs, perhaps some sort of eating hall. But at the back was a barred cell, within which were a number of sacks. As she got closer, the smell hit her, and she smiled. These were the fragrant spices they had come here for. But this... seemed too easy.
"Can anyone pick locks?" she whispered.
John stepped forward and began tinkering with the locks.
"Well done lad, didn't think we would get away with it," Sparrow said.
Ash was opening her mouth to warn him they hadn't set sail yet, but someone beat her to it.
"And you will not!"
Heads turned to look back the way they had come. Guards were spilling in through the open door. Ash cursed under her breath. Had no one closed it?! The crewman that had been trying to pick the locks paused, looking over his shoulder.
"You, get that door open!" she barked at him, "Everyone, form a line! Don't let them pass!"
"Foolish boy," the guard's leader sneered, "We don't need to get past you to kill you!"
The Spaniards attacked, but the pirates held their ground. Ash drew her rifle from her back and jumped up on a crate to get line of sight above her ship mates heads, then fired at the guards and reloaded immediately. One of the Spanish shot at her, but Ash ducked and came back up quickly, shooting him between the eyes. The next time someone fired at her, she had to jump off the crate. Reloading, she ran to the other side of the room and got on top of another crate, firing at the Spanish as soon as she got a clear shot. Down she went again. The battle continued in that way for a few, tense minutes, the crew holding them off with swords while Ash popped up to shoot at them, keeping where she would next appear unpredictable. At last they all lay dead or too wounded to attack any further.
"Got it," John said suddenly.
"Okay, we're going to have to move fast to get out of here," Ash said briskly, "Everyone grab a bag, run back the way we came, don't worry about stealth now, they're probably alerted to our presence now. I'll guard the rear."
No one questioned her. The pirates grabbed the spices and ran, Ash behind them with her rifle. As they came up the stairs, the sentries shouted in alarm, but Jahir cut them down. He carried two packs slung over one broad shoulder, his sword in the other hand. On the pirates ran. The next sentry Ash shot before the crew got to them, and they ran past, her hands moving automatically to reload as she sped by. Someone other than her was shooting. Sparrow, running ahead of her, cried out in pain as a bullet hit him in the arm.
The crew looked back, faltering slightly.
"Keep going!" she shouted as she put her back to them, bringing her rifle up to her shoulder again.
Sparrow didn't move, his eyes darting from the howling guards running towards them and his fleeing crew.
"GO!" she screamed at him.
He frowned, and after a moment's more hesitation, his mouth set, and he ran, jumping over the wall to follow the crew. A bullet crashed into the tower next to her, and pieces of stone crumbled away and fell to shatter against the floor. Ignoring the fact that she could have been shot just then, she peered down the length of her rifle at the on coming enemies. She shot once, and a man went down. She took shelter behind the tower as she reloaded, hearing their shouts get closer as more bullets rang off the stone around her.
She spun out from behind the tower, this time on her knees, and shot back at them. Another one went down. A bullet whizzed past her temple as she twirled back behind the tower, her hands moving faster than ever. She came out on the other side, fully standing, and shot again. A guard dropped. That did it for the group closest to them that was pursuing them. More were coming. She couldn't hold off the entire fort indefinitely. The only purpose to her pausing was to give the crew enough time to get to the ship. Judging that time was up, knowing that if she stayed any longer, she'd be left behind, she slung her rifle on her back and ran.
Ash was sprinting so fast that as she started the steep hill down, her foot caught a root or something and she fell, sprawling. She fell the entire way down the hill, her body slamming into the hard ground as she spun. Finally the bottom of the hill stopped her, and she landed in the soft sand, groaning in pain. She congratulated herself mentally on being so graceful and lifted her head slightly, looking towards the water. The crew had all gotten on board, and the sails were full. It was slowly inching away.
Ash forced herself to her feet and ran down the beach, her feet finally reaching the water. She kept running, but the water reached up to her thighs and it got difficult to pull herself through. She was so close... Ash screamed in frustration, arm stretched out, legs churning. For one terrifying moment, the waves picked her up off her feet. But she gritted her teeth and lunged forward, grabbing onto the rope that hung over the side of the ship. Only then did she allow herself to relax, taking a moment to let her pounding heart calm and her ragged, hard breathing settle. Someone began hauling her aboard, and she wasn't entirely surprised to see it was Jahir when she finally tumbled over the rail and onto the deck.
"Thank... you..." she wheezed, unwilling to move from her position laying flat on her back.
"We should be saying that to you," John said.
Slowly, Ash got to her feet, wincing in pain. She felt every single bruise that was sure to be on her body by now. But that would have to wait.
"Captain, can I request I get to keep some of the spices, to enhance the food I cook?" she asked.
"Of course lad. I was hoping you'd say that. What we don't use we can sell."
Ash grinned and did a tiny victory dance in her head. Expensive goods plus money. It was a good day.
"Can I see you in your quarters, captain? We should get that injury taken care of."
"What, are you a doctor now?"
"No, I make no claims to be that either. But I can help."
"Alright then."
"I'll get the supplies, captain my captain," Jahir said, going below to the galley.
"Thank you," Ash and Sparrow said together.
They looked at each other, Sparrow with a narrowing of his eyes, curiosity and suspicion in his deep brown eyes.
"What?"
"What?" Ash echoed, stepping away to go into Sparrow's quarters.
He followed.
"Oh no you don't lad. What was that?"
Ash sighed, turning to face him.
"Captain, take your shirt off, please."
Suddenly, he was very still.
"I'm deeply flattered, but my first and only love is the sea."
Ash rolled her eyes.
"Not for that!" she scolded, "You're wounded, remember? Unless you want me to rip your sleeve."
Sparrow shrugged and removed his jacket, vest, and shirt. Ash stared at him, unprepared for the sight that greeted her. The inside of his left forearm was scarred heavily, and he had old bullet holes in the shoulder on his right side, a fresher one lower on his bicep. He walked past her to sit at his desk, and long scars showed on his back. Realizing she was staring, Ash closed her mouth and tried to mask her concern.
Jahir came in with the things she would need and left, closing the door behind him. Ash worked on Sparrow's wound, noting with relief that the bullet had gone all the way through. She wouldn't have to subject him to more pain by fishing it out.
"Back to the subject of that one," Sparrow said after a few minutes of silence, "Are you two...?"
Ash stared at him for a second, not comprehending his meaning. Then it hit her, and she gaped at him.
"No!"
"You said that a bit too forcefully, lad," he grinned at her, "Rest assured, if you do swing that way, there's no shame in it. Long months at sea with no women, intense situations... bonds form. It's not unusual."
"I've never... where I come from, that wasn't, I mean it isn't... I'm not –"
"Relax, lad. No need to get your skivvies in a twist. You two are rather close, I've noticed. That's all. I was just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat," Ash said primly.
Sparrow's teeth flashed at her in a wicked grin.
"Oh, aye, but satisfaction brought it back."
There was no arguing with him when he was in such an impossible mood. Ash finished cleaning and bandaging the wound, took the supplies with her, and left. Why was he so interested in her sexual preferences, anyway? Did he like men? Did he suspect she wasn't a man? She realized her hands were shaking by the time she got to the galley and started putting her equipment away. It would be a while until dinner, so she took some time to meditate.
Afterwards, she made a trip to the storage room below deck, carrying a bucket of sea water and a bar of soap with her. She did this every couple of days, and was relieved no one had yet noticed her strange ritual over the past month or so. Ash locked the door behind her and undressed. She used a small cup to pour water from the bucket over her, soaped herself up, and used the cup again to use more sea water to rinse herself off. She kept a towel in this room, and she would use that to dry off before dressing again. Finished with her version of bathing, she brought what was left of the sea water up on deck and threw it back over board.
The crew was quiet at dinner that night, talking in only low voices to each other. Ash took a tray up to Sparrow in his quarters, knocking as usual and closing the door behind her with her foot when she got permission to enter. He sat frowning at a map on the big table in the center of the room, but moved it out of the way when he saw her approaching.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the steaming hot cup she had included on the tray.
"To aid with sleep," Ash told him, "You need rest to help that wound heal faster."
He picked it up, sniffing at it suspiciously like a cat. He lifted his brows, glancing up at her, and Ash nodded encouragingly.
"Is it poisoned?" he asked.
Ash frowned, wondering if she should be offended or not by the inquiry. She decided no.
"Why would I do that?" she asked, hoping her genuine confusion showed through appropriately.
"To take our recently pilfered treasure and my ship for yourself," he answered bluntly.
Ash blinked.
"Captain, I have no desire to take your ship from you," she said honestly, "I wouldn't know how to captain it anyway. I'd rather you lead us."
"And yet you showed a natural aptitude for it today," he answered mildly.
She looked away, thinking back on the day's events. What was he talking about? She suggested a better way into the presidio? But no, she realized, it was more than that. She had also been the first to respond when the Spanish surprised them, and the one that guaranteed they all got away safely. Startled, she looked at Sparrow, eyes wide in alarm and mouth hanging open slightly as her brain scrambled to supply her with words. Did he think she was against him because of that?
"Captain, I... I didn't mean to upstage your authority," Ash protested, "I just – it – I... I just reacted. I didn't even think about it."
"Exactly," Sparrow said grimly, "Your mind instantly analyzed the situation and assessed the best way out. Your voice was so commanding, in a way I've never heard you speak before. And my crew jumped at your tone, the force in it, not even thinking. Not thinking it wasn't their captain they were obeying. You even have your own first mate."
Ash stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. She couldn't process the implications. Was he serious? And would he really drag Jahir into this? The man was just loyal to her for helping him out once. That was it. He wasn't helping her with some nefarious plan.
"I've felt for a while now that you've been hiding something from me," he added ominously, "Perhaps I finally come to see the edges of it."
No. She could never... did he really think she had been planning to mutiny against him all this time? All she wanted was to have a good life. She didn't care about being in charge or not.
"Captain, I swear, I am not a threat to you," she said at last.
Sparrow sat back in his chair, staring at her with hard chocolate eyes.
"Persuade me."
How was she supposed to do that? What did he want from her? She tried desperately to find an answer in his eyes, eyes that now had a darkness in them she hated. He had never looked at her this way before, he was always so cheerful, carefree. And now... Her brows furrowed, and the answer hit her like a bolt of lightning. She picked up the cup she put on his tray and drained it completely. Sparrow pointed to a chair against the wall.
"Sit," he commanded, "Doubtless if you were to poison me you'd have an antidote just in case back in the galley. No access to it now."
Stung, she went over to the chair and sat as he began to eat.
"And if there's any in the food, I'll shoot you before it ends me," he promised.
Ash clenched her hands, feeling her emotions war with each other inside her. Perhaps it was this turbulence that robbed her of reason.
"Is this because of Barbossa?" she demanded, fire in her aqua eyes.
Sparrow stiffened.
"What?"
His voice was rough and cold. Ash leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees, glaring at him.
"Not everyone in life will stab you in the back," she said hotly, "What sort of life will you have if you keep believing that?"
"As it keeps happening, I suppose that would be a pirate's life," he retorted, turning to glower at her.
All the anger abruptly left her.
"I'm not a pirate," she said softly.
"Oh really? Then what would you be doing here?"
Ash looked down at her feet, wondering what she could say. How could she explain without spilling her guts?
"I don't know," she said quietly, "I've just been restless my whole life, as if I've been searching for something without knowing it. But since I've been here, on this ship, I've felt at peace, and I think I finally found what I've been looking for. I think it's freedom."
When she finally looked up at him, she saw he was looking at her with an odd, much softer look in his eyes, some foreign emotion she couldn't quite identify. But it was gone before she could figure out what it was.
"Well, don't worry about my ability to sleep, lad," he said, turning back to his food, "I have rum. Does the job just fine."
Ash didn't answer him. She was thinking she thought her herbs would do better for his body but didn't say it. It would only lead to an argument, and she had no desire for that. Perhaps because she felt so tired. She leaned back in her chair and let her gaze wander listlessly around the room. She noticed a book lying not too far away and raised an eyebrow at the title.
She would have never expected to see something written by Shakespeare in Captain Jack Sparrow's possession. That was certainly a surprise. Smiling faintly, she tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling, letting the swaying motion of the ship relax her. She yawned, and settled more comfortably in her seat. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she couldn't bring herself to disturb him from eating. Or maybe she just didn't have the energy at the moment. She could always ask him tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow would be much better for stimulating conversation...
Ash didn't even remember closing her eyes, but she must have fallen asleep. What woke her was a loud, booming sound, and it took her a few groggy moments to realize what it was. Cannon fire. She sat bolt upright, looking around for Sparrow. He was tumbling out of a small bed nearby, still dressed with everything, including his weapons and boots. Ash frowned. She'd have to lecture him about that later. Or maybe not. She was no better, having fallen asleep in a chair still completely dressed and armed. At least he had made it to a soft, flat surface to stretch out on.
"Why did you let me fall asleep here?" she asked as she followed Sparrow out on deck.
"I told you, I have rum," he replied, "Had quite a lot, actually. I was out of it shortly after you were."
"Splendid," she groaned, "Just what we need right now."
"Rest assured lad, I've been full of more drink than this in more serious situations than this. I am more than capable of captaining my ship."
They both halted when they saw a flood of enemies had already boarded the ship and were fighting the crew of the Black Pearl. Had they slept through the beginning of the attack?
"I certainly hope so," Ash said fervently.
Author's Note: So this was chapter 3. Hope everyone is enjoying. Please leave a review or rather a comment if you prefer about my story, what you like about it if anything, if you're having any issues like not being able to view the first chapter or something. I'm here for your entertainment. And yes, that's also a song.