Chapter 12

Authors Note: I seriously had no idea that Annamaria is spelled with only one n. Thanks for letting me know, but I can't go back and change all of them so just kinda bear with me for that. Sorry but it would take forever to change. You're bound to know the first song Anamaria sings, but as to the rest they can be found online. I believe they're all accurate and from the 1700's but then again, one can never be sure.

"I feel so sorry for him." Elizabeth whispered once Norrington was well and truly gone.

"Don't." Anamaria faced her squarely, "He did what he wanted to do and he runs his own life. There's no need to be feeling sorry for him."

Will was finishing a sword, mostly because they needed the noise to be consistent to every other night Only Elizabeth knew that it calmed him and gave him something to do.

"Will you need anything else for the night?" Will asked wiping perspiration from his brow. At least a fire was started, it would keep the chill away while the pirates slept.

"Aye. A needle, thread, and if you have an extra cloth or shirt?" she had Jack's shirt off and was looking at the wounds across both chest and back. The more shallow ones she would leave alone, but the deeper ones that even now were bleeding had to be stitched up. "Oh, and a bottle of rum or whisky if you can get one?"

"Yes, we have all of those." Elizabeth raced across the cobble-stoned streets and back into her house. She got a small basket and put all the things Anamaria had requested inside. On her way back she caught her breath as a man stepped out of the shadows.

"It seems a little late for you to be out and about, Mrs. Turner." Gilette sauntered up to her and made no pretense of looking her up and down.

"Good evening, sir." Elizabeth said curtly, her status as the Governor's daughter was above a mere military man, she owed him no in-depth explanation, "I've been helping William in the smithy. There's a large order due tomorrow first thing."

"So, he has you working with him, too."

"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth's ire was slowly rising, how dare the man question her! "I don't mind a bit of honest work every now and then. William hasn't eaten since breakfast and I thought to bring him something. Surely that's not a problem."

"No, not at all." Gilette smiled falsely, "I apologize for keeping you from your task. Good evening." He walked on. Elizabeth sighed in relief and then not looking backwards took the shorter route to the blacksmith.

"Everything you need is in here, but I think it wise for you to go back into the other room." She cast a nervous look at the door, "Gilette saw me and asked what I was doing out so late at night."

"Gilette saw you?" Will paused at his task, "there could be trouble then. I agree, the rooms well lit and no one will go back there. I'll bring food and water."

"I have already." Elizabeth handed Anamaria the basket, "Both whiskey, rum, water, thread, fabric, and the needle. I figured that the two of you must be starving, there's food in there, also."

"Thank you." Anamaria looked at Jack who still hadn't said anything. His eyes were alert but at the same time somewhat glassed over. It worried her that he hadn't at least said something to Will.

"Take care of Jack, Ana." Elizabeth said quietly.

"He'll be fine." She said determined to do everything to help him, "He's been through worse scrapes before. He needs rest is all."

Will finished the sword just in time to help Anamaria bring Jack to the other room. Then he closed to door securely to give them privacy. There was no window in the room, thank goodness for that oversight now.

Anamaria threaded the needle and was loathe to cause him more pain. She took the small flask from under where the shawl was tied around her waist, and then poured the new rum inside it. Jack wouldn't have to move overmuch, if he drank from the bottle he'd have to sit up.

"Jack?" she supported his upper body gently as she forced him back to reality. "I need you to drink this for me." She showed him the flask so he would be prepared for the crisp burning taste.

"No." he focused all his attention on the small flask engraved with blue around the sides, "That's yours."

She also showed him the larger bottle that was filled almost to the top still. "Plenty left for both of us."

"More?" he looked at the bottle, she could sense that he was trying to figure out if it was real. Hot rage surged through her toward the men who had done this to him. It pulled at something inside her, he was so ill. The man who had defied the elements aboard the Pearl, the same man who had gone through this willingly for her sake, he stared at a simple bottle of rum trying to distinguish reality from fantasy.

She nodded and held the mouth of the flask to his lips. He drank deeply giving a contented sigh now that the pain was dulling and almost faded away.

"No more," he protested. Jack knew his mind was playing tricks on him, it wouldn't help him to be inebriated along with his hallucinations.

"Elizabeth brought us some food. Chicken, apples, and water."

"Eat your fill, love." Jack closed his eyes succumbing to the utter exhaustion clawing at him.

"After you." Anamaria broke apart the piece of chicken and held out part to him. "Just a couple bites. You have to keep your strength up." Jack opened his eyes and groaned, but his stomach didn't care what state he was in. It demanded food and so Jack ate what she gave him. He washed it down with cold refreshing water that he couldn't get enough of, he'd never noticed how sustaining water could be. He would never take it for granted again.

Anamaria made sure not to eat too much, then did the same for Jack. They hadn't eaten in so long that if they were to eat too much, their stomachs would rebel and if that interacted with the liquor she was giving him to dull the pain, results wouldn't be favorable.

This time he couldn't fight sleep, a pounding in his head started and his sight blurred. Anamaria debated whether or not she should wake him again, but seeing that he'd eaten at least a quarter of the food she decided not to. It would be easier on him anyway not having to feel the prick of the needle into already torn flesh.

Her mind winced away from such thoughts, this was just like so many other times aboard the Pearl she'd patched him up from various injuries. She put the softest piece of cloth under his back trying to save further irritation to his back. Staring down at his chest she bit her lip, where was she to start, the task would be monumental.

She thread the needle and cleared her mind, the first time she touched it to his skin he jerked awake and grabbed her wrist. The look in his eyes wasn't human, pure rage and a promise of retaliation stared up at her. She had never seen his eyes so dark, never seen such stark pain and anger.

So, it was starting all over again. They did that regularly, gave him a break only for so they could see his reaction when a blade cut into his flesh again. They knew that the pain was driving him mad, that's when the taunts would start.

Horrible words that hurt him more than the knife ever could. Every muscle in his body tensed as he felt the cold metal touch him over a wound. That wasn't unusual, they let some of them close only to open them up again maliciously. The only odd thing was the blade was cold. Had they chosen another one? Which was it to be this time? A straight cut or would they twist it to rent the gash even deeper?

"We pillage and plunder, rifle and loot, drink up me hearties' yo ho." She sang quietly. As she kept singing Jack realized that he wasn't in the cramped humid room anymore, he was safe in the arms of Anamaria. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me."

She knew this was one of Jack's favorites. Anamaria hadn't known that Jack never heard it before. When he sang part of it to her one late night, she taught him the rest. It had taken time and a lot of laughter for all of the verses to be learned right, but now he could sing it with the best of them. Usually starting a round in a tavern as he held a rum tankard high was how he accomplished that.

To Jack the song stuck out in his mind as one of the songs she sang while on the hammock on his ship. He looked around the room but there were no windows anywhere. He couldn't see the stars. He let go of her wrist and knew that she was only trying to help him. He could bear the pain so long as she kept singing and didn't let the darkness smother him anymore.

* * *

"When speaking of a man ashore, we never hear you say he's a common this or common that. Be his calling what it may." she rethreaded the needle and finished the last two deep gashes over one of his old scars. "Be he a travelling tinker, Or a scavanger, or a sweep. Then why call us common sailors, who battle with the deep sea."

It was another song, she had already sung most of the ones she knew. Having been a barmaid's daughter, she knew quite a few. Her voice hoarsened but she kept singing, it helped her to stay calm and able to finish what she knew had to be done.

There were at least seventeen more shallow cuts but from the twenty that she'd just stitched up there was no way she would touch them. She tried to ignore the way his body twitched when she had to put the needle through the already broken flesh, ignored it when he involuntarily cursed Ruyifor.

She would have to wait to do the rest of it tomorrow morning. Now she could barely see straight and if she tried to get him to turn over, stitches might come undone.

"Thank you, love." Jack took a deep breath and glanced up at her groggily. "You're crying?"

"No, It's the candle's brightness." But when he reached up to wipe one of the tears away she lost it. "Damn them, damn them and what they did."

"Shh." he rearranged her skirts so that she laid out next to him, "sleep." Anamaria calmed under the even breathing of him lying next to her and the way he had his arm around her waist.

The darkness reached for him again, but he fought valiantly when he saw how tired and weak she looked. With one hand under her head and her other hand entwined in his, his heart quickened with the need to protect her. He touched her shoulder and she moved upwards so that her head was level with his upper arm. There were no cuts over his left shoulder, apparently they had thought the bullet wounds new.

"Jack, what about the stitches?" she was hesitant to do what he wanted her to. It was a position they'd shared many times before, she would put her head on his shoulder and then they would both be lulled to sleep. "What if I accidentally laid on them?"

"Then it would hurt like hellfire." He managed to smile his mischief-making grin, but his eyes were tender as they looked at her waiting for her decision.

She did as they both wanted. With her head like that, she could hear the beating of his heart.

"The moon's in her shroud, and to light thee afar On the deck of the daring's a lovelighted star. So wake, lady wake, I am waiting for thee, Oh, this night or never my bride thou shalt be" he sang quietly. Then when he felt her relax again, he let himself drift back off to sleep.