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Chapter 10: Getting Close

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Day 10, late afternoon.

Anamaria sat bolt upright from where she had been curled up above deck as she heard a loud shout. Gibbs had insisted she take a break from steering. She put a hand to her head and tried to still her heart as she unsteadily rose to her feet. Ana blinked against the bright Caribbean sunlight, feeling its warmth filter through her light shirt and reflect off her hair. She made her way to the helm, noting that the Dauntless was following the Pearl off the starboard side, and approached where Gibbs was standing, staring at something off the port side.

The dark-skinned woman shaded her eyes and stood beside him, following his gaze. It was a ship. She glanced at the Dauntless and saw Norrington, er, James, standing on deck peering through his spyglass. Ana reached into her sash and pulled out her own spyglass. She inspected the ship through it. It appeared to be of similar build to the Incorrigible, and there were near Wittenburg-

Ana noticed James waving his arms and motioning the Pearl to stop and lash up next to the Dauntless. She tapped Gibbs on the shoulder and motioned to him to do as the Commodore wanted. "But Ms. Ana-" Gibbs started. Ana knew what he meant. They could be wasting precious time, but she also knew that James also had valuable information on this other ship.

She shook her head firmly. "Gibbs, I know. But we need their help,"

Gibbs reluctantly obliged, and the two ships pulled into a small cove so they were invisible to the distant ship. James ordered several of his shoulders to go atop the tall rock outcropping shielding them from view and make sure that the ship on the horizon did not disappear. Confident that things were in order, he motioned Anamaria and Gibbs aboard the Dauntless.

Anamaria, Gibbs, James, Elizabeth, Will, and several other redcoats gathered inside the Commodore's chambers. On the table, James smoothed out a large diagram. Looking at it curiously, Ana realized with a gasp that they were looking at a drawing of the Incorrigible. Her eyes inspected it carefully, expression changing to horror as she took it in. Ana clapped a hand over her mouth and Gibbs could see her hands begin to tremble. He put his hand on her back in comfort. Jack would want that. Ana raised wide eyes to stare at James. "This is a slave ship," she whispered.

He nodded reluctantly. Ana looked ready to throw something, anything that was in grasp. "Yer telling me that Jack's prisoner in some slave ship equipped with God himself knows what kind of awful devices and we're just sitting here doin' nothing!" Ana yelled.

Elizabeth looked perturbed. "Anamaria, please calm down. I'm sure James knows what he's doing."

Ana turned her dark eyes filled with anger and hidden fear towards the other girl. "This is out of yer league, Elizabeth," she said dangerously. "And I'm beginnin' to think it's out of his as well," she jerked her thumb towards James.

Elizabeth blinked several times and Will tried to take her hand. Elizabeth shoved him off. She marched across the room and got right in Ana's face. Will winced; his fiancé did not know what she was getting into.

"I think you need to back off and stop being so bloody stubborn about this whole thing! Has it ever occurred to you that we're trying to help? But no, you have to be a martyr and take the whole thing like it's your destiny or something of the sort to protect your beloved captain--"

Elizabeth was broke off as the soft crack of flesh on flesh sounded through the room. Ana could take it no longer and seethed as Elizabeth clutched her cheek. Will was standing beside his fiancé in a moment, but Ana blocked him away.

"Maybe," the pirate woman said very softly and menacingly, "because that is what I'm meant to do."

Ana lowered her arm that was fending Will off. He realized as he inspected Elizabeth's cheek that the other woman had not hit her hard and there would not even be a mark. Will backed off. Elizabeth stared at the dark-skinned woman, mouth agape.

"I wouldn't talk about things deeper than ye don't know or understand," Ana told Elizabeth, her anger rising with each word. "Ye don't know what they're doin' to Jack while we're sitting here discussing the weather. Ye can't know why I do what I do, and ye can't bloody understand how I feel!" Her hands were trembling with emotion and Anamaria spun on her heel and shoved her way out of the cabin, shrugging Gibbs' hands off of her.

Elizabeth, James, and the several redcoats stared after her in obvious shock. Will looked at the woman with a new respect as he held Elizabeth close to him. Gibbs looked after her knowingly. At that point, Will made up his mind. "Elizabeth," he whispered, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Good," he replied, smoothing some hair out of her face, "I'm going to talk to her. Stay here and help us get Jack back." Elizabeth looked at him with wide, curious eyes, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly and slipped out of the cabin.

Anamaria sat on the wide railing of the Dauntless, feet dangling over the cerulean blue water as she watched the fading sunbeams play off the waves. Her anger had faded mostly, blown away by the salty sea winds and now she was left with the fear that had been hidden by it. Fear of her past, fear of what these men had done to Jack, and fear of what they would encounter.

She now somewhat regretted what she had done to Elizabeth. Ana sighed, it was too late now.

She felt someone's presence behind her and whipped her head around, baring her teeth at the intruder. Will.

Ana turned her face back up towards the fading sun's strength, ignoring him. He cautiously climbed up on the railing beside her. They sat in silence for a few moments. Ana finally looked at him through narrowed eyes, "If yer going to tell me what a bloody fool I am-" she started warily.

"I'm not," Will cut in. "But you should know that they are only trying to help," he paused thoughtfully. "Although I think you have every right to be angry." Ana didn't reply. Will hesitated, then blurted out, "If it were Elizabeth in there I'm sure I would be acting much worse than you have."

At this, Ana sent him a wry grin. "Ah, but it has been her in there," she reminded him.

"True," Will agreed. He heaved a sigh, "But I am getting impatient myself. With all this planning, who knows what could be happening."

Ana shuddered; she'd rather not think about it. Instead she looked at the young man across from her, who had been so rash and well, stupid when she had first met him. "Yeh've grown up, Will," she told him, "Jack can't call ye a whelp anymore."

Will smiled a bit. Finally somewhat knowing the truth about his father and being engaged to Elizabeth in such a short time had changed him, he knew. The pirate woman next to him was different too, and though her shoulders were tense and her features were hardened with uncertainty and emotion, she was softer than the fierce pirate who'd deservedly slapped Jack twice that day in Tortuga.

Will met her eyes. "Now let's go get Jack," he proposed his features serious once more. Ana hopped off the railing and the two strode purposefully into the Commodore's office.

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Day 10: Nightfall.

Jack Sparrow lay in his cell, unable to move. Every inch of his body was filled with a dull throbbing pain, one part no more painful than the next. He had slept fitfully through the night. After Evans eventually finished his "craft" and realized that Jack wasn't feeling any more pain. Several crewmembers had all but carried Jack to the cell.

Evans' stared after him, thoughts churning in his head. They would give him at least a day to heal, to realize the pain and if they were to re-open those wounds. Yes, they would give Jack Sparrow time to semi-heal before starting the game up again. He'd crack eventually. They all did.

Jack could not sleep any more. He let the events of the prior day emotionlessly run through his head. They had cut him some, whipped him some more, then poured seawater over him while questioning him constantly. He hadn't told them anything. He couldn't. He could still taste the blood in his mouth from biting his tongue as to not cry out.

"Mr. Sparrow?" Eve called out hesitantly.

It took all of Jack's energy to lift his head slightly and reply, "Captain, lass. It's Captain Sparrow."

"Captain," she amended quickly, "Are you alright?"

"Aye," he said thickly, head lolling back onto the bench once more, "Now if I only had me some rum-"

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AN: I know, it was kind of bashing Elizabeth. Whoops. Sorry! Don't hurt me! Look, be nice to me, Orlando fans! See, isn't he a nice guy too, watching out for Ana when Jack isn't there?

It's short, I know. Almost pointless, I know. I'm sorry! But I'm building up, see? Isn't the suspense just killing you?