Chapter 27: The Return
For the second time that day he joined her at the stern of the ship as she looked out, only this time the view of Port Royal was considerably larger. "Are you sure you want to do this, love?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She was trembling.
"No, Jack," she said, and her voice had no trace of tremor in it, "I'm sure I don't want to do this, not at all." She turned to him. "But I have to."
He nodded and stroked her cheek, wiping away a tear. "I understand, and I want you to know that you won't be alone."
"I know," she said, and then smiled. "As if you would allow me to go gallivanting off by myself--even if I wanted to. What if there was plunder to be had?"
"You know it, love," he said with a smile and bowed to her. When Will came up and she went to speak to him, he stared after her longingly before leaving to find Gibbs and Anna Maria to give them their orders.
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"I'm coming with you," Will stated flatly, staring deep into her eyes. She sighed as she thought of how she had known this was coming. She started to turn away but he took hold of her chin and forced her to look at him. "I love you," he said, "and I will not stand idly by as you walk into danger."
"I love you too, Will, and it's fine that you are coming with me, even if it is for the wrong reasons." With that, she wrenched herself from his grip and went to find Jack to inform him of her readiness before she burst into tears.
When she found him--ran into him, more like--she had regained composure and informed him with all seriousness that they were ready to depart. Even Jack wasn't smiling and joking anymore. She sighed inwardly, having hoped that he would relieve some of the solemnity with his carefree attitude. Ah, well. There was nothing for it. She nodded, and they set off.
********************************
She woke with an odd feeling that something was happening. Strangely, it didn't have the feel of forboding that she had grown accustomed to in these past days. It felt. . .exciting. The feeling faded when she heard him puttering about, preparing for something, and despair won out. Whatever was happening could not possibly do anything to help her. Her hero was gone.
********************************
Amara woke as well, also with the feeling of something exciting about to happen. Against all rational thought, she got out of bed and threw on a dressing gown and slippers. Once this was accomplished, she rushed down the stairs and out the front door, running towards the docks.
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Will stared after Arianne as she walked in front of him, shoulders straight, her hair swaying provocatively so his attention was drawn to her hips--he shook his head. Now was not the time. Perhaps after all this was over and they could be together in peace would he think about such things.
Because hardly anyone was moving about the docks--a shock in and of itself at any given hour--they heard the patter of running feet a long ways off. When the source was finally visible, Arianne gave a little cry and ran to greet what appeared to be a woman in a dressing gown.
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"Mother!" she exclaimed and wrapped the slight woman in her arms.
"Arianne, darling! I'm so glad you're safe, so very glad!" Amara burst into tears and held her daughter back at arm's length to get a good look at her. "Good Lord, girl, you're dressed as a pirate!"
Arianne grinned. "You should see me in the light, Mama." Amara just shook her head and then caught sight of the two men accompanying her.
"Mister Turner! I'm so happy to see that you are safe and sound!" When Amara turned to Jack with some confusion, Arianne immediately supplied his name. "And Jack Sparrow! I have heard so very much about you!" Then she surprised everyone by grabbing his face and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She whispered something in his ear and then pulled back, still smiling with tears rolling down her cheeks.
All of a sudden, the smiles were gone. "God, Will, he has Elizabeth."
********************************
Pain wrenched through her body as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. As he walked out of the room, fear gripped her. Where was he taking her? As he went down the stairs so very quietly, she wished he had thought to put a blindfold over her eyes. The view was rather sickening and her abused body could not take much more of this.
Eventually they left the house, and as far as she knew no one had seen them. That was a shame, she thought in a daze. As much as watching the ground made her sick, she did it anyway to try and get some sort of idea as to where they were going. Several times she almost gave in to apathy and despair, but realized that if he was taking her elsewhere, then it was unlikely he would be there nearly every minute of every day. She might yet get her chance to escape...
********************************
Will's face went slack for a moment. "Who has her?" he demanded, all other thought seeming to vanish from his mind. Jack kept his eye on Arianne, watching her jaw set and her entire body tense. As Amara explained to Will, Jack moved over to Arianne.
"Love," he whispered softly into her ear, "now is not the time to let emotions take over." He hated himself for the words, but had to say them. Perhaps if she got angry enough she would momentarily forget about Will. At least long enough for them to finish this. It seemed to work, for her expression hardened as she stared at Will.
"You're right, Jack," she whispered. "Now is not the time to let my emotions get in the way." She must have heard him sigh for she turned to him before he had the chance to hide his downcast features. "Now is not the time to let your emotions get in the way either. None of this with the sad faces and such."
"We have to save her!" Will pronounced, and Jack winced even though he had known that statement had to be coming sooner or later.
********************************
"Yes, Will," she said, "and we shall, but first we need to get moving to my house." When his stubborn expression set even deeper, she growled in frustration and went over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Listen, you pig-headed oaf! If you go and try to find her now, you might as well be a chicken running around with its head cut off because we have no idea where he might have taken her!"
She brushed a few strands of hair off of her face and let her statement sink in before continuing. "The best chance we have of finding her is to follow the original plan." He still glared at her mutinously, and she lost her temper, screaming at him. "Fine! If you can't see sense then you just go on ahead and try to find her by yourself! Where will you start, hmm? Perhaps with one of the thousands of hiding places there are in this city? Or might you try looking under the docks? Either way, your chances of finding her are one in a million, if not worse!"
When Will still seemed to not be listening, she gave up. Ignoring the look of shock her mother was giving her and the smile Jack was trying unsuccessfully to hide, she turned and headed for the house she had lived in since she was a little girl. If Will was going to be an imbecile, then he would do it alone.
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Well, this chapter went MUCH better than that last one, I thought! Anyway, please don't yell at me TOO much for Will coming off as a jackass here, as we all know, he has his moments where nothing will do but that he does things his way...of course, that appears to be the case with Arianne as well. ;) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
For the second time that day he joined her at the stern of the ship as she looked out, only this time the view of Port Royal was considerably larger. "Are you sure you want to do this, love?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She was trembling.
"No, Jack," she said, and her voice had no trace of tremor in it, "I'm sure I don't want to do this, not at all." She turned to him. "But I have to."
He nodded and stroked her cheek, wiping away a tear. "I understand, and I want you to know that you won't be alone."
"I know," she said, and then smiled. "As if you would allow me to go gallivanting off by myself--even if I wanted to. What if there was plunder to be had?"
"You know it, love," he said with a smile and bowed to her. When Will came up and she went to speak to him, he stared after her longingly before leaving to find Gibbs and Anna Maria to give them their orders.
********************************
"I'm coming with you," Will stated flatly, staring deep into her eyes. She sighed as she thought of how she had known this was coming. She started to turn away but he took hold of her chin and forced her to look at him. "I love you," he said, "and I will not stand idly by as you walk into danger."
"I love you too, Will, and it's fine that you are coming with me, even if it is for the wrong reasons." With that, she wrenched herself from his grip and went to find Jack to inform him of her readiness before she burst into tears.
When she found him--ran into him, more like--she had regained composure and informed him with all seriousness that they were ready to depart. Even Jack wasn't smiling and joking anymore. She sighed inwardly, having hoped that he would relieve some of the solemnity with his carefree attitude. Ah, well. There was nothing for it. She nodded, and they set off.
********************************
She woke with an odd feeling that something was happening. Strangely, it didn't have the feel of forboding that she had grown accustomed to in these past days. It felt. . .exciting. The feeling faded when she heard him puttering about, preparing for something, and despair won out. Whatever was happening could not possibly do anything to help her. Her hero was gone.
********************************
Amara woke as well, also with the feeling of something exciting about to happen. Against all rational thought, she got out of bed and threw on a dressing gown and slippers. Once this was accomplished, she rushed down the stairs and out the front door, running towards the docks.
********************************
Will stared after Arianne as she walked in front of him, shoulders straight, her hair swaying provocatively so his attention was drawn to her hips--he shook his head. Now was not the time. Perhaps after all this was over and they could be together in peace would he think about such things.
Because hardly anyone was moving about the docks--a shock in and of itself at any given hour--they heard the patter of running feet a long ways off. When the source was finally visible, Arianne gave a little cry and ran to greet what appeared to be a woman in a dressing gown.
********************************
"Mother!" she exclaimed and wrapped the slight woman in her arms.
"Arianne, darling! I'm so glad you're safe, so very glad!" Amara burst into tears and held her daughter back at arm's length to get a good look at her. "Good Lord, girl, you're dressed as a pirate!"
Arianne grinned. "You should see me in the light, Mama." Amara just shook her head and then caught sight of the two men accompanying her.
"Mister Turner! I'm so happy to see that you are safe and sound!" When Amara turned to Jack with some confusion, Arianne immediately supplied his name. "And Jack Sparrow! I have heard so very much about you!" Then she surprised everyone by grabbing his face and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She whispered something in his ear and then pulled back, still smiling with tears rolling down her cheeks.
All of a sudden, the smiles were gone. "God, Will, he has Elizabeth."
********************************
Pain wrenched through her body as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. As he walked out of the room, fear gripped her. Where was he taking her? As he went down the stairs so very quietly, she wished he had thought to put a blindfold over her eyes. The view was rather sickening and her abused body could not take much more of this.
Eventually they left the house, and as far as she knew no one had seen them. That was a shame, she thought in a daze. As much as watching the ground made her sick, she did it anyway to try and get some sort of idea as to where they were going. Several times she almost gave in to apathy and despair, but realized that if he was taking her elsewhere, then it was unlikely he would be there nearly every minute of every day. She might yet get her chance to escape...
********************************
Will's face went slack for a moment. "Who has her?" he demanded, all other thought seeming to vanish from his mind. Jack kept his eye on Arianne, watching her jaw set and her entire body tense. As Amara explained to Will, Jack moved over to Arianne.
"Love," he whispered softly into her ear, "now is not the time to let emotions take over." He hated himself for the words, but had to say them. Perhaps if she got angry enough she would momentarily forget about Will. At least long enough for them to finish this. It seemed to work, for her expression hardened as she stared at Will.
"You're right, Jack," she whispered. "Now is not the time to let my emotions get in the way." She must have heard him sigh for she turned to him before he had the chance to hide his downcast features. "Now is not the time to let your emotions get in the way either. None of this with the sad faces and such."
"We have to save her!" Will pronounced, and Jack winced even though he had known that statement had to be coming sooner or later.
********************************
"Yes, Will," she said, "and we shall, but first we need to get moving to my house." When his stubborn expression set even deeper, she growled in frustration and went over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Listen, you pig-headed oaf! If you go and try to find her now, you might as well be a chicken running around with its head cut off because we have no idea where he might have taken her!"
She brushed a few strands of hair off of her face and let her statement sink in before continuing. "The best chance we have of finding her is to follow the original plan." He still glared at her mutinously, and she lost her temper, screaming at him. "Fine! If you can't see sense then you just go on ahead and try to find her by yourself! Where will you start, hmm? Perhaps with one of the thousands of hiding places there are in this city? Or might you try looking under the docks? Either way, your chances of finding her are one in a million, if not worse!"
When Will still seemed to not be listening, she gave up. Ignoring the look of shock her mother was giving her and the smile Jack was trying unsuccessfully to hide, she turned and headed for the house she had lived in since she was a little girl. If Will was going to be an imbecile, then he would do it alone.
***********************************************************************
Well, this chapter went MUCH better than that last one, I thought! Anyway, please don't yell at me TOO much for Will coming off as a jackass here, as we all know, he has his moments where nothing will do but that he does things his way...of course, that appears to be the case with Arianne as well. ;) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!