Authors Note: Are you guys reading out there? I don't know! I'm not getting reviews! I just hoping you are reading it…but I'm not sure! Reviews help me figure out my mistakes or make the story better! Please Review, even if you think I stink! But most of all- please read.
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"Why did you do that? You had no reason to do that!" Dinah said, walking after Eric. They had just sunk a cargo ship that didn't even have a warning. Eric had let Dinah get some fresh air before going back into her cabin for who knew how long.
Eric turned around and Dinah almost bumped into him, "We aren't questionin' the Captain, are we?"
"We aren't doing anything! You just sank a ship with no warning or no reason!"
Eric narrowed his eyes; most women wouldn't have talked back to a pirate captain. Maybe living with a pirate toughened her up. "Dinah, let me tell you something about pirates who aren't your husband…they don't like to justify their answers if they don't want to, savvy?" He said, resting his elbows on the ship.
Dinah crossed her arms. Couldn't argue with him there, although she could irritate him. He was a pirate after all. "You're absolutely right! How could I be so stupid? You sank the ship because you're a despicable, sordid, horrible, bad-mouthing pirate."
Eric turned his head to look at her. She had a slight smirk on her face; he straightened and said, "Do you want to die?"
She turned sober and got close to his face, "I don't care what you do to me now, you've already taken me away from Jack," she spat.
He rested his elbows on the ship again and he said contently, "Well at least I've done something to make you mad." Dinah rolled her eyes and went to her cabin and slammed the door. Eric sighed, this was getting to be a harder job than he had thought it was going to be. What a sappy line…'you've already taken me away from jack'…give me a break. The woman spends like maybe a year with him, marries him and then lives with him for another year and thinks she's in love. Eric turned around and faced her cabin. Although, I can see how Jack would find her attractive…she's not easy, but that makes her more interesting…more rounded…instead of flat… He turned back around, Don't get into that again Eric…don't even bother going after a married woman…For one Jack would shoot you and for another, it's a stupid idea! She's obviously in love with Jack…so stop it right now! Eric sighed again and asked one of his crew members, "How close are we?"
"I expect three or four more days, why?"
"Great." He muttered. He walked to Dinah's cabin and knocked on the door. For a minute there was nothing and then she opened the door but didn't say anything, "Want to talk?" He offered. She didn't say anything, but her eyes seemed to say yes, so he said, "I don't want you to be mad the whole way and stay in your cabin…You'll miss some great views."
She looked him in the eyes and nodded. He smiled and invited her out on deck. She led the way to the stern and sat down, Eric followed the example except laid down. The sun was setting and some stars were already starting to come out.
"So you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"
He looked at her, "About what?"
"Why you sunk that ship."
He paused, "It was like a game…"
"A game?" Dinah questioned.
Eric nodded, "For uh…Ana. She'll find it, think that I'm close, but when really I'm not. We had a good seven or eight hours on the Pearl. There's no possible way they're going to find us before we get to Fredrick."
"You mean you sunk that ship and killed those people for fun?"
"Well I would've just sunk the ship, but then the people would have to come on with us! Our brig isn't that big, lassie."
Dinah rolled her eyes, "Still, there must've been a better way…"
"Y'don't necessarily do things 'better' when you're a pirate."
Dinah sighed, supposing that was right. "So where are we going?"
"I shouldn't be tellin' you this…"
"But you're going to…"
Eric smiled, "Isla Mona."
"Huh?"
"It's off the coast of Puerto Rico…and close to the Mona Passage…"
"Never been there…"
"Of course you haven't. It's one of those islands you can't get there unless you know where it is."
Dinah's head snapped to Eric, "You mean you're kidnapping me, taking me to an island where you can't find unless you know where it is, and Jack is supposed to follow us, but he doesn't know where we're going or where we are?"
Eric paused, that sounded wrong, because if that was true then they had big problems. "No…because I'm going to leave hints…"
"You're going to leave sunken ships?"
"No…can't go doin' that…I'll think of something, but don't worry. Jack is smart, he'll be able to find you."
Dinah was quiet, hoping with all her might that Eric was right, "So, can you tell me a little about Fredrick? What's he like?"
"HE?" Eric questioned and then laughed, "I have a feeling Fredrick is going to be different from what you're expecting…so let's just keep you in wonder."
"Okay…so how'd you meet him?"
Eric smiled, "Well oddly enough I was in the same position Jack is in right now…"
"Really?"
Eric nodded.
"Can you tell me about it?" Dinah asked, suddenly figuring out that Eric wasn't that bad of a guy, except for the whole killing people thing.
"Sure…I had been a pirate for a while, my father was, and I had grown up on his ship, learning about pirates, the code, sword play, and basic things like that. My mother had died giving birth to me, so a father was all I knew. Once I was old enough, my father had past his ship down to me and then retired to Tortuga. But when I was around twenty five or so, I met someone…her name was Lola. She had a spirit like a wild horse and was as stubborn as a donkey. So she came on board with me, knowing almost everything about the sea and lived with me. One day our ship had run into Fredrick's. We fought, we lost. But the thing Fredrick took was my ship…and Lola. Fredrick told me that if I wanted to see Lola ever again I needed to do things for her…"
"Like what?" Dinah interrupted, totally into the story.
"Basically doing what I do, pilfering and plundering and things like that, but I had to give have the stuff I got, to Fredrick. So at the end of each month I'd sail to Isla Mona, and give Fredrick what I got. I'd see Lola, and then I'd leave again. But one day we got attacked and our ship was damaged, so quickly we sailed back to Isla Mona, and told Fredrick. He gave us back my original ship and told us to keep up with the 'payments'. Finally after a year, my job was done and Lola was mine again. But Fredrick warned if he ever found me again, I wouldn't get off for a year. So I left, but two months later, Fredrick found me, kidnapped Lola and told me if I didn't do what he told me, then he'd kill her."
"So is she still with Fredrick?" Dinah asked, hoping it was a yes, that Eric hadn't done something stupid and lost his love forever. But When Eric didn't answer right away and his eyes glazed over, she knew the answer.
"No…Fredrick killed her."
"Why?!"
Eric looked at Dinah, anger in his eyes, "That's why we've kidnapped you, lass. To get Jack."
"What? I'm lost…I must've not heard something because-"
"I'm not going to tell you," Eric interrupted, "Because Fredrick wants to tell you and Jack…I guess. I'm not quite sure, but I know that I'm not supposed to tell you."
Dinah nodded. Trying to figure this out, but nothing came to mind. Visions of her being killed in front of Jack came to mind. Dinah sighed. She missed Jack so much. She felt tears coming to her eyes as she thought of the unfairness of this all. It seemed like they were being punished unjustly. She got up and left to her cabin without even saying goodnight to Eric.
"CAPTAIN!"
"What is it? Something about Dinah?"
"We found this in a bottle, which was in a box labeled 'The Destroyer'." James and Ana and found some random cargo floating around for days now, but when this popped up, they had it brought in. It was a note in a bottle, a rum bottle. Jack smelled it first instead of reading the note. "This still has its smell. They can't be too far off now." He smiled and opened up the note.
To the Black Pearl-
I send my regards, if you get this letter, then Dinah does happen to mean something to you. I am certainly glad that you decided to follow us, because otherwise kidnapping her was totally unnecessary and somewhat of a…nuisance, to say the least. Captain Sparrow, you have proved yourself to be quite an honorable husband and I'm sure Dinah appreciates it. But this letter is just to let you know, good job, keep up the good work and your wife is still alive.
The letter ended there and Jack was thoroughly irritated. He who mocks Jack doesn't usually live that long. And if Dinah happens to live through this, which he really hoped she would, he would kill Eric Smith.
Jack's determination and yearning had grown with each passing day. It was Thursday night, but where they were, it would take them another two days to get to Tortuga. Ana hadn't seemed to care though. And now she was purposing to keep going straight, thinking that they could surely catch the Destroyer before they even got to their destination. Where ever that may be.
Later that night the thought of Evan came to Ana and she jumped out of bed and ran to Jack's cabin and entered without even knocking. He wasn't sleeping. He was plotting out where to go, and what island may be a possible destination for Eric and his crew.
"Yes?"
"Captain, tomorrow I'm supposed to meet Evan."
"I realized that."
"But Tortuga is more than two days away!"
"I realized that too."
"Then why haven't we turned around!?"
Jack looked up, somewhat surprised that she didn't already know the answer to that, "Dinah's close, I can feel it."
"So it's your wants above mine?"
"Ana, I only agreed to meetin' Evan because of the help, but we're closer than I thought we'd be."
Ana wasn't sure what to say. But exhausted from having this argument already, she nodded, "Fine…fine! I can talk to him about it later. But if he never talks to me- I'm blamin' it on you and your bloody stubborn personality."
"You know you want to find Dinah…" He said, looking back down at his maps.
"Yes, but I'm no longer the only person who wants to find her…"
Jack looked up with seriousness, "What'd you mean?"
"Jack, who wants to be a leftover?" Jack gave her a look implying that he didn't know what she was talking about, "It's you and Dinah…and then me. It's Jack-an'-Dinah….and Ana. You two are a couple…and then there's me. Not exactly the way I planned to spend my days Jack…that's one of the reasons I wanted off the ship. Dinah is so close to me, that I would want to spend time with her, but you're with her…I'm not saying I don't like you…I'm just saying when it's you two and me…I have a tendency to want to leave to be with Evan, to be my own couple…with the person that I love."
Jack sighed, realizing what she was saying. Finally he knew why she had left, and why it was a bad idea to try to bring her back to the Pearl. She didn't want to. She felt uncomfortable. "Ana, after we find Dinah, I will take you where ever you want to go." Jack said.
Ana's expression softened, realizing that he knew. Finally. She thought. "Thanks Jack…" she smiled and left the cabin. If she couldn't have Evan tomorrow, then it would be good to have him as soon as possible. She wasn't sure how he'd react to her not showing up, and she wasn't quite sure if she could convince him that it had to be done…and she wasn't sure if he would forgive her. She sighed. Being in love with a stubborn pirate who likes being on his own unless it suits him, wasn't really the best thing…but it worked.
