Disclaimer: Still don't own Jack, though I wish I did!
AN: I just want to say that I love all of my wonderful reviewers! I never thought that I'd get more than 45 reviews! You rock!
Chapter 10: The Exchange, the Storm, and the White Dove:
Lara couldn't help but blink a few times in surprise. It was indeed Thomas. Her mouth opened. "Thomas, how did you find us?" she couldn't help but ask.
The young officer smiled. "It was quite obvious that Mr. Sparrow-"
"*Captain* Jack Sparrow," interrupted Jack. Thomas rolled his eyes.
"Yes, of course, Captain Sparrow. It was obvious that he would return to the pirate center of the Caribbean. Even if he hadn't, I'm sure someone would have told us where to go." Thomas smiled arrogantly. "Now, Captain Sparrow, will you surrender the girl and your ship quietly, or must I open fire on your crew, which happens to be surrounded by my men?"
Jack glared at him, but before he could speak up, Lara intervened.
"I'll come along willingly if you let Captain Sparrow and his crew go free on the Black Pearl," she said quickly, hoping to prevent any violence. Jack looked at her as though she were insane.
Thomas raised his eyebrows. "Is that wise, Lara? These are pirates, after all."
"Yes, but Governor Swann gave Mr. and Mrs. Turner orders to peacefully negotiate my return to Port Royal. Therefore, there is no need for violence." Lara turned a pleading gaze on Lieutenant Pierce. "Please, let them go. I've suffered no harm by them." She looked him in the eye. "Please?"
Thomas took a deep breath. "As you wish. Captain Sparrow and his crew are free to go." He offered Lara his arm. "Shall we go, Miss Storm?"
Lara took a deep breath before taking it. Jack moved to stop her, but she shook her head, giving him a sad smile as she headed for the door.
As Thomas led her out of the cabin, she looked back at Jack and mouthed 'I love you' one last time before disappearing around the corner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
An hour later, Lara was on Thomas's ship, the Kestrel, watching the Pearl sail away with Jack staring at her from its helm. She knew that he would probably still come after her someday, but she forced herself not to think about that. Right now she had to deal with Thomas. She had to talk to him, so she went downstairs to his cabin. Hopefully he'd be a reasonable man. She quickly smoothed out the gown Thomas had brought with him for her and knocked on his door.
"Come in," came a commanding voice.
Lara opened the door and walked in. "Thomas?"
Thomas looked up from his paper-covered desk and smiled when he saw who it was. "Lara! How are you feeling?" He stood up and walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek affectionately and leading her to a chair and sitting her down. "I hope that pirate didn't try and take advantage of you while you were onboard?"
Lara frowned slightly. "I'm alright, Thomas. Jack would never harm me, he's my friend."
Thomas smiled at her, patronizingly. "My dear Lara, Captain Sparrow is a pirate, and therefore is no man's friend. He is a scoundrel and should be hung for all of his crimes to the Crown."
Lara frowned a bit more at him. "Captain Sparrow helped me save the Governor's daughter when she was taken by Barbossa, and is therefore a good friend to us."
A brief look of frustration flashed on Thomas's face before being covered up by another smile. "My dear, Captain Sparrow only helped you in order to get his ship back. Once that was over, his 'friendship' with you ended. It is most likely he took you from Port Royal to ransom you for money."
Lara sighed internally, knowing that she couldn't persuade him otherwise; he was a member of the Royal Navy, after all. "Thomas, I came to speak about your marriage proposal."
Thomas smiled a genuine smile. "Of course. We'll have to start planning our wedding as soon as we return to Port Royal."
Lara shook her head. "Thomas," she said softly, "I can't marry you. I'm sorry."
Thomas's face went sober, then upset. "What are you talking about, Lara? Of course you can marry me. There is no reason for you to refuse me."
Lara shook her head again. "No, I can't. I love someone else."
Thomas's eyes narrowed. "It's that pirate, Jack Sparrow, isn't it?" Then he smiled, as one would smile at someone considered insane. "Lara, I understand that he must have seduced you with sweet talk about him loving you, but he only did so in order to get money from two of the wealthiest families in Port Royal." He then took her hand in his, caressing it with his thumb. "As soon as we return to Port Royal, I will try everything in my power to win your heart again." He smiled as he kissed her hand before he released it. "And now, my dear, if you will excuse me, I must return to my work."
Lara stood up and walked towards the door. When she reached it, she turned around to speak one last time. "You will never have my hand, Thomas."
He put down the document he'd been looking at, then turned back to her, anger written on his face. "I'm hoping that you are not implying that I did not risk my career for you for nothing, my dear. If you do not marry me in two weeks, I will appeal to Commodore Norrington to send ships after your dear friend, Captain Sparrow, which will then bring him back for his long-awaited and long-deserved hanging."
He immediately walked over to his window and looked out of it for a moment before turning his gaze back to her. "I believe that you should return to your quarters. I shall inform Mr. and Mrs. Turner of your need for company. Perhaps one or both will be willing to keep you company. After all, an armed naval ship is no place for a lady to be alone." He rang a bell on his desk, which a soldier answered. "Please escort Miss Storm to her quarters, and inform the Turners that she will be requiring either one or both of them for company for the journey to Port Royal. Have the ships ready to depart in three hours." The soldier nodded, then took Lara by the arm and escorted her room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lara angrily stalked around her cabin, Elizabeth and Will both watching her nervously. They knew she rarely got angry, but when she did, she made a hurricane look like a small drizzle.
"I cannot believe that this is happening! Why can't people leave me alone so that I can be happy? It's not fair!" Lara cried, slamming her fist on a table. Her friends winced.
"Lara," Elizabeth said tentatively, trying to calm her friend down. "We only did what we thought was best. We could not tell people that we could not bring you back, and you are needed in Port Royal-"
"No I'm not!" Lara yelled angrily. "I am not needed in Port Royal! The Worthingtons can find anyone to take care of Amanda, and even though I do care about her, I am not the only person in the town who can do so and you know it! I had a chance at happiness, at freedom from taking orders from people, and now I'll never have that chance again!" Tears started streaming down her face. "Now I'll never see Jack again or be with him again because I'll have to marry Thomas in two weeks!" She sat down in a chair and wept. Will and Elizabeth looked at her in shock.
"Lara," Elizabeth said. "What are you talking about?"
Lara looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "Thomas said that if I did not marry him in two weeks, he would have the Commodore send the fleet after Jack and have him killed. So now I have no choice but to marry him." Lara looked at her hands, tears still falling. "Would the two of you please leave? I would like to be alone for a while."
The Turners nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind them. When the two of them were in their quarters, given to them by Lieutenant Pierce, Will made sure no one was listening before speaking to his wife.
"Elizabeth, we can't let her marry Thomas; it will crush her!"
"I know, Will, but what can we do?" Elizabeth asked, wringing her hands. "We can't get a message to Jack; we don't know where he's going! Oh, what are we going to do?"
Both sat there, thinking quietly. Will walked over to the window and looked outside, watching the sky. 'Looks like a storm is brewing,' he thought. Suddenly, a thought came into Will's head.
"Elizabeth, I have a plan, but I can't tell you what it is," he said, looking at his wife.
"Why not?" she asked, puzzled.
"Because I need your reaction to be realistic when I put it into action," he replied, taking her hands in his. "I just need you to trust me on this." She nodded. "Good; I'm going over to the Dove for a while, I'll see you later. I love you." He kissed her cheek and left.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Later that afternoon, both the Kestrel and the White Dove where off sailing to Port Royal. Will was still on the Dove while Elizabeth stayed on the Kestrel with Lara. The two ships were several miles from Tortuga when the storm hit suddenly. It was a rough night for the two women, but it paled in comparison with the news that arrived the next morning.
The White Dove was missing, and not a scrap of it could be found. It had been sunk in the storm and Will Turner was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
AN: (Ducks behind a rock.) Please don't kill me! I said that Will was gone, not dead! There's a difference, so don't jump to conclusions! To find out what happened, you'll have to read the next chapter. I know I might get some nasty comments, but please leave a nice, decent review. There's still hope, people!
AN: I just want to say that I love all of my wonderful reviewers! I never thought that I'd get more than 45 reviews! You rock!
Chapter 10: The Exchange, the Storm, and the White Dove:
Lara couldn't help but blink a few times in surprise. It was indeed Thomas. Her mouth opened. "Thomas, how did you find us?" she couldn't help but ask.
The young officer smiled. "It was quite obvious that Mr. Sparrow-"
"*Captain* Jack Sparrow," interrupted Jack. Thomas rolled his eyes.
"Yes, of course, Captain Sparrow. It was obvious that he would return to the pirate center of the Caribbean. Even if he hadn't, I'm sure someone would have told us where to go." Thomas smiled arrogantly. "Now, Captain Sparrow, will you surrender the girl and your ship quietly, or must I open fire on your crew, which happens to be surrounded by my men?"
Jack glared at him, but before he could speak up, Lara intervened.
"I'll come along willingly if you let Captain Sparrow and his crew go free on the Black Pearl," she said quickly, hoping to prevent any violence. Jack looked at her as though she were insane.
Thomas raised his eyebrows. "Is that wise, Lara? These are pirates, after all."
"Yes, but Governor Swann gave Mr. and Mrs. Turner orders to peacefully negotiate my return to Port Royal. Therefore, there is no need for violence." Lara turned a pleading gaze on Lieutenant Pierce. "Please, let them go. I've suffered no harm by them." She looked him in the eye. "Please?"
Thomas took a deep breath. "As you wish. Captain Sparrow and his crew are free to go." He offered Lara his arm. "Shall we go, Miss Storm?"
Lara took a deep breath before taking it. Jack moved to stop her, but she shook her head, giving him a sad smile as she headed for the door.
As Thomas led her out of the cabin, she looked back at Jack and mouthed 'I love you' one last time before disappearing around the corner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
An hour later, Lara was on Thomas's ship, the Kestrel, watching the Pearl sail away with Jack staring at her from its helm. She knew that he would probably still come after her someday, but she forced herself not to think about that. Right now she had to deal with Thomas. She had to talk to him, so she went downstairs to his cabin. Hopefully he'd be a reasonable man. She quickly smoothed out the gown Thomas had brought with him for her and knocked on his door.
"Come in," came a commanding voice.
Lara opened the door and walked in. "Thomas?"
Thomas looked up from his paper-covered desk and smiled when he saw who it was. "Lara! How are you feeling?" He stood up and walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek affectionately and leading her to a chair and sitting her down. "I hope that pirate didn't try and take advantage of you while you were onboard?"
Lara frowned slightly. "I'm alright, Thomas. Jack would never harm me, he's my friend."
Thomas smiled at her, patronizingly. "My dear Lara, Captain Sparrow is a pirate, and therefore is no man's friend. He is a scoundrel and should be hung for all of his crimes to the Crown."
Lara frowned a bit more at him. "Captain Sparrow helped me save the Governor's daughter when she was taken by Barbossa, and is therefore a good friend to us."
A brief look of frustration flashed on Thomas's face before being covered up by another smile. "My dear, Captain Sparrow only helped you in order to get his ship back. Once that was over, his 'friendship' with you ended. It is most likely he took you from Port Royal to ransom you for money."
Lara sighed internally, knowing that she couldn't persuade him otherwise; he was a member of the Royal Navy, after all. "Thomas, I came to speak about your marriage proposal."
Thomas smiled a genuine smile. "Of course. We'll have to start planning our wedding as soon as we return to Port Royal."
Lara shook her head. "Thomas," she said softly, "I can't marry you. I'm sorry."
Thomas's face went sober, then upset. "What are you talking about, Lara? Of course you can marry me. There is no reason for you to refuse me."
Lara shook her head again. "No, I can't. I love someone else."
Thomas's eyes narrowed. "It's that pirate, Jack Sparrow, isn't it?" Then he smiled, as one would smile at someone considered insane. "Lara, I understand that he must have seduced you with sweet talk about him loving you, but he only did so in order to get money from two of the wealthiest families in Port Royal." He then took her hand in his, caressing it with his thumb. "As soon as we return to Port Royal, I will try everything in my power to win your heart again." He smiled as he kissed her hand before he released it. "And now, my dear, if you will excuse me, I must return to my work."
Lara stood up and walked towards the door. When she reached it, she turned around to speak one last time. "You will never have my hand, Thomas."
He put down the document he'd been looking at, then turned back to her, anger written on his face. "I'm hoping that you are not implying that I did not risk my career for you for nothing, my dear. If you do not marry me in two weeks, I will appeal to Commodore Norrington to send ships after your dear friend, Captain Sparrow, which will then bring him back for his long-awaited and long-deserved hanging."
He immediately walked over to his window and looked out of it for a moment before turning his gaze back to her. "I believe that you should return to your quarters. I shall inform Mr. and Mrs. Turner of your need for company. Perhaps one or both will be willing to keep you company. After all, an armed naval ship is no place for a lady to be alone." He rang a bell on his desk, which a soldier answered. "Please escort Miss Storm to her quarters, and inform the Turners that she will be requiring either one or both of them for company for the journey to Port Royal. Have the ships ready to depart in three hours." The soldier nodded, then took Lara by the arm and escorted her room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lara angrily stalked around her cabin, Elizabeth and Will both watching her nervously. They knew she rarely got angry, but when she did, she made a hurricane look like a small drizzle.
"I cannot believe that this is happening! Why can't people leave me alone so that I can be happy? It's not fair!" Lara cried, slamming her fist on a table. Her friends winced.
"Lara," Elizabeth said tentatively, trying to calm her friend down. "We only did what we thought was best. We could not tell people that we could not bring you back, and you are needed in Port Royal-"
"No I'm not!" Lara yelled angrily. "I am not needed in Port Royal! The Worthingtons can find anyone to take care of Amanda, and even though I do care about her, I am not the only person in the town who can do so and you know it! I had a chance at happiness, at freedom from taking orders from people, and now I'll never have that chance again!" Tears started streaming down her face. "Now I'll never see Jack again or be with him again because I'll have to marry Thomas in two weeks!" She sat down in a chair and wept. Will and Elizabeth looked at her in shock.
"Lara," Elizabeth said. "What are you talking about?"
Lara looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "Thomas said that if I did not marry him in two weeks, he would have the Commodore send the fleet after Jack and have him killed. So now I have no choice but to marry him." Lara looked at her hands, tears still falling. "Would the two of you please leave? I would like to be alone for a while."
The Turners nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind them. When the two of them were in their quarters, given to them by Lieutenant Pierce, Will made sure no one was listening before speaking to his wife.
"Elizabeth, we can't let her marry Thomas; it will crush her!"
"I know, Will, but what can we do?" Elizabeth asked, wringing her hands. "We can't get a message to Jack; we don't know where he's going! Oh, what are we going to do?"
Both sat there, thinking quietly. Will walked over to the window and looked outside, watching the sky. 'Looks like a storm is brewing,' he thought. Suddenly, a thought came into Will's head.
"Elizabeth, I have a plan, but I can't tell you what it is," he said, looking at his wife.
"Why not?" she asked, puzzled.
"Because I need your reaction to be realistic when I put it into action," he replied, taking her hands in his. "I just need you to trust me on this." She nodded. "Good; I'm going over to the Dove for a while, I'll see you later. I love you." He kissed her cheek and left.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Later that afternoon, both the Kestrel and the White Dove where off sailing to Port Royal. Will was still on the Dove while Elizabeth stayed on the Kestrel with Lara. The two ships were several miles from Tortuga when the storm hit suddenly. It was a rough night for the two women, but it paled in comparison with the news that arrived the next morning.
The White Dove was missing, and not a scrap of it could be found. It had been sunk in the storm and Will Turner was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
AN: (Ducks behind a rock.) Please don't kill me! I said that Will was gone, not dead! There's a difference, so don't jump to conclusions! To find out what happened, you'll have to read the next chapter. I know I might get some nasty comments, but please leave a nice, decent review. There's still hope, people!