* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What do you mean you're stealing the ship? This is down right mutiny." Crow said.
"Not so much mutiny, as collaborative commandeering." Jack interjected, trying to break the long stares that were passing between Crow and Turner. "Really, it's just borrowing without permission."
Carlos sat watching like he was a kid at a show, completely dumbstruck. Goil didn't appear to have noticed, still squinting at his cards. Barbossa was chewing on his lip thoughtfully.
"It's the Ile De Muerta, Crow. Think of it. Think of the gold of Cortez. This boy's got the coordinates and a compass to get us there. More gold then you'll ever see."
"I'm in." Barbossa said. Turner clapped him on the back. Crow nodded, and then frowned.
"Didn't think you'd be in on this Turner. Thought the girl was like a daughter to you." Turner nodded.
"She is. But my read family comes first, always has and always will. Gull will understand why I did it, and as for the rest of you, I'll keep my piece." Jack looked at the old man and nodded.
"What about me?" Carlos said, rubbing his fingers together. Jack gave him a look and shook his head.
Crow and Turner shrugged at each other before clobbering Carlos on the head, knocking him unconscious.
"Where's the girl?" Turner said.
"In her cabin. I'll go get her." Sparrow said grimly. Goil also got a hit on the head, before he could even work out what was happening. Turner and Crow lay the two pirates out on the pier, while Jack dressed Ana-Maria, and brought her out wrapped up in a sheet.
"I'm sorry, love." He whispered, kissing her cheek. "But I couldn't leave her. I'll return it." He added as an after thought, leering over her. He settled her down on the wooden pier. She shifted slightly in her sleep, and he darted away from her.
"Are you sure this isn't mutiny?" Crow asked again, as the four of them set sail. Barbossa kept quiet, his eyes on Jack.
"No, goddamn it." Turner muttered, already feeling guilty. Him and Sparrow exchanged a glance. "It's collaborative stealing, if anything."
Sparrow rubbed his hands over his eyes. She'd understand, she'd understand.
"Anyway, we'll bring it back." He muttered. Turner nodded.
"Yeah, we'll bring it back."
"She's going to be mighty pissed off when she wakes up." Crow commented, the port already becoming smaller and smaller.
"We'll return it." Sparrow repeated, with a worried expression. "And we'll bring her a present. We'll bring her back some gold." The others didn't look convinced.
"And flowers. And chocolate." He added, desperation apparent now. "That'll make it okay, right?" He glanced up at Turner. Turner lay his arm on Sparrow's shoulder.
"Boy, even if you brought her the trunk full of Aztec gold, she'd still cut you up into tiny tiny little pieces." Turner said.
Sparrow winced. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ana-Maria woke up on the pier, her head heavier then earlier. The sheet wrapped around her fluttered in the wind, a white beacon next to the calm blue waters. Her skin felt dry, burnt by lying out in the sun, her lips chapped. She looked around groggily; feeling the spray of water hit her back from between the wooden floor of the pier.
She saw Carlos, his thin, angular body tossed on a careless angle next to the hulked form of Goil. The wind flapped her hair against her face, as she looked around, alarm growing in her eyes.
Heavy footsteps were heard, pounding along the pier. Ana-Maria stood, careful to wrap the sheet around her. Thank god, she thought, she had clothes on. Which she hadn't had before... Her hand flew to her mouth. Oh no.
"Where's the ship? What happened?" Barl said angrily, scanning the horizon while Ana-Maria stood in complete shock.
"Oh no." Ana-Maria said, her mouth dropping. She spun around, and looked at the two unconscious men, and then back to Barl. The sheet fell into a puddle around her feet.
"Someone's stolen the god damn ship." Barl yelled. "What the hell happened? Where were the guards? Who did it?" Ana-Maria looked up, her face clouding over. She shook her head, closing her eyes. Barl strode past her, shaking Carlos awake.
"What the hell happened?" Barl said angrily.
"Sparrow, and Turner stole the ship. Some big plan about gold.. I don't know." Carlos murmured, raising his hand to his head, his fingers coming away bloody. Barl spun around, grabbing Ana-Maria's shoulders.
"You let Turner and Sparrow steal the ship?" He shook her.
"I. I" She said hesitatingly.
"This is your fault, woman." Barl said harshly, releasing her with a flourish. "You took that stupid Sparrow on the boat, named him, probably took him into your bed." Ana-Maria blushed, and Barl clenched his fists in outrage. "You did. You stupid whore, you lost us the boat." Ana-Maria raised her head high, glowering angrily at the pirate who was at least a head taller then her.
"Where the hell were you? Huh Barl? Where were you to protect the ship?" She said. Barl ground his teeth. Then he stepped back, laughing.
"No wonder the ship got stolen, with a woman for a captain." Ana-Maria turned her head as though she'd been slapped. Barl shook his head again.
"Don't you see Carlos, she's a whore, you're all idiots, and I'm a sorry loser." He said, and strode away. Carlos got up to follow him, limping on one leg. Goil remained motionless, blood dripping from his temple.
Ana-Maria stood still, scanning the waters. The wind picked up, dragging the sheet from around her ankles up and out to sea. It fluttered in the wind, before spiralling down into the clear waters of the Caribbean. Ana- Maria glanced one last time at horizon, knowing very well that she would probably very well never chase it again.
She felt something heavy in her pocket, and drew it out slowly. A scrap of one of her red scarfs, unevenly hacked away, was wrapped around a small heavy knife. She pulled it out, revealing the gold inlayed handle with the emerald glinting jealously at the head.
"Oh my god." Ana-Maria murmured, putting her hand to her mouth, and turned her back on the sea, walking like a broken woman into the town.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"What do you mean you're stealing the ship? This is down right mutiny." Crow said.
"Not so much mutiny, as collaborative commandeering." Jack interjected, trying to break the long stares that were passing between Crow and Turner. "Really, it's just borrowing without permission."
Carlos sat watching like he was a kid at a show, completely dumbstruck. Goil didn't appear to have noticed, still squinting at his cards. Barbossa was chewing on his lip thoughtfully.
"It's the Ile De Muerta, Crow. Think of it. Think of the gold of Cortez. This boy's got the coordinates and a compass to get us there. More gold then you'll ever see."
"I'm in." Barbossa said. Turner clapped him on the back. Crow nodded, and then frowned.
"Didn't think you'd be in on this Turner. Thought the girl was like a daughter to you." Turner nodded.
"She is. But my read family comes first, always has and always will. Gull will understand why I did it, and as for the rest of you, I'll keep my piece." Jack looked at the old man and nodded.
"What about me?" Carlos said, rubbing his fingers together. Jack gave him a look and shook his head.
Crow and Turner shrugged at each other before clobbering Carlos on the head, knocking him unconscious.
"Where's the girl?" Turner said.
"In her cabin. I'll go get her." Sparrow said grimly. Goil also got a hit on the head, before he could even work out what was happening. Turner and Crow lay the two pirates out on the pier, while Jack dressed Ana-Maria, and brought her out wrapped up in a sheet.
"I'm sorry, love." He whispered, kissing her cheek. "But I couldn't leave her. I'll return it." He added as an after thought, leering over her. He settled her down on the wooden pier. She shifted slightly in her sleep, and he darted away from her.
"Are you sure this isn't mutiny?" Crow asked again, as the four of them set sail. Barbossa kept quiet, his eyes on Jack.
"No, goddamn it." Turner muttered, already feeling guilty. Him and Sparrow exchanged a glance. "It's collaborative stealing, if anything."
Sparrow rubbed his hands over his eyes. She'd understand, she'd understand.
"Anyway, we'll bring it back." He muttered. Turner nodded.
"Yeah, we'll bring it back."
"She's going to be mighty pissed off when she wakes up." Crow commented, the port already becoming smaller and smaller.
"We'll return it." Sparrow repeated, with a worried expression. "And we'll bring her a present. We'll bring her back some gold." The others didn't look convinced.
"And flowers. And chocolate." He added, desperation apparent now. "That'll make it okay, right?" He glanced up at Turner. Turner lay his arm on Sparrow's shoulder.
"Boy, even if you brought her the trunk full of Aztec gold, she'd still cut you up into tiny tiny little pieces." Turner said.
Sparrow winced. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ana-Maria woke up on the pier, her head heavier then earlier. The sheet wrapped around her fluttered in the wind, a white beacon next to the calm blue waters. Her skin felt dry, burnt by lying out in the sun, her lips chapped. She looked around groggily; feeling the spray of water hit her back from between the wooden floor of the pier.
She saw Carlos, his thin, angular body tossed on a careless angle next to the hulked form of Goil. The wind flapped her hair against her face, as she looked around, alarm growing in her eyes.
Heavy footsteps were heard, pounding along the pier. Ana-Maria stood, careful to wrap the sheet around her. Thank god, she thought, she had clothes on. Which she hadn't had before... Her hand flew to her mouth. Oh no.
"Where's the ship? What happened?" Barl said angrily, scanning the horizon while Ana-Maria stood in complete shock.
"Oh no." Ana-Maria said, her mouth dropping. She spun around, and looked at the two unconscious men, and then back to Barl. The sheet fell into a puddle around her feet.
"Someone's stolen the god damn ship." Barl yelled. "What the hell happened? Where were the guards? Who did it?" Ana-Maria looked up, her face clouding over. She shook her head, closing her eyes. Barl strode past her, shaking Carlos awake.
"What the hell happened?" Barl said angrily.
"Sparrow, and Turner stole the ship. Some big plan about gold.. I don't know." Carlos murmured, raising his hand to his head, his fingers coming away bloody. Barl spun around, grabbing Ana-Maria's shoulders.
"You let Turner and Sparrow steal the ship?" He shook her.
"I. I" She said hesitatingly.
"This is your fault, woman." Barl said harshly, releasing her with a flourish. "You took that stupid Sparrow on the boat, named him, probably took him into your bed." Ana-Maria blushed, and Barl clenched his fists in outrage. "You did. You stupid whore, you lost us the boat." Ana-Maria raised her head high, glowering angrily at the pirate who was at least a head taller then her.
"Where the hell were you? Huh Barl? Where were you to protect the ship?" She said. Barl ground his teeth. Then he stepped back, laughing.
"No wonder the ship got stolen, with a woman for a captain." Ana-Maria turned her head as though she'd been slapped. Barl shook his head again.
"Don't you see Carlos, she's a whore, you're all idiots, and I'm a sorry loser." He said, and strode away. Carlos got up to follow him, limping on one leg. Goil remained motionless, blood dripping from his temple.
Ana-Maria stood still, scanning the waters. The wind picked up, dragging the sheet from around her ankles up and out to sea. It fluttered in the wind, before spiralling down into the clear waters of the Caribbean. Ana- Maria glanced one last time at horizon, knowing very well that she would probably very well never chase it again.
She felt something heavy in her pocket, and drew it out slowly. A scrap of one of her red scarfs, unevenly hacked away, was wrapped around a small heavy knife. She pulled it out, revealing the gold inlayed handle with the emerald glinting jealously at the head.
"Oh my god." Ana-Maria murmured, putting her hand to her mouth, and turned her back on the sea, walking like a broken woman into the town.
* * * * * * * * * * *