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Chapter 13: Facing Truth
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Commodore James Norrington slumped against the railing of the Black Pearl, his weary hands removing his three-cornered hat and dropping it on the deck. The Incorrigible had been secured and all surviving crewmembers locked in the Dauntless' brig, and then scoured from top to bottom in search of Evans, a missing crewmember, and Anamaria. Between the Dauntless and the Pearl, they had suffered twelve casualties, a missing pirate woman, and two currently unconscious traumas: Elizabeth Swann and Captain Jack Sparrow. As soon as he had been informed of his fiancé's condition, Will Turner had set up vigil beside her bed in Jack Sparrow's cabin, the Captain still resting or passed out several feet away.
James rubbed at the frown lines on his forehead with his fist. The only hint to where Evans and Anamaria, assuming that she was with him and not thrown overboard, (the Commodore shuddered, just imagining the worst) was that one of the longboats had been launched and was currently missing. However, they couldn't look for the missing ship until daybreak, which was still over several hours away.
He was interrupted by a small cough behind him. He turned around to see the girl that had been rescued from the Incorrigible along with Jack Sparrow standing there. "Miss," he said in greeting, managing a small bow.
The girl bent her head respectively, her eyes looking tired and face pale. "Sir," she asked quietly, "Has Captain Sparrow awakened yet?"
"No," James said regretfully. "I was hoping he could give us a clue to the fate of Anamaria and Evans."
The girl's eyes widened. "Anamaria is missing?"
"Why, yes," James replied, looking at her curiously. "Did you know her?"
"No," she said, "But the Captain spoke of her while we were locked in the brig. He said that the man Evans was after her for money. He's a ruthless man, Evans. You don't think he got her, do you, sir?"
James tried to smile at her. "It's James, if you please. And I do not know what to think."
She bowed her head at the new unfortunate prospect. "I'm Evelyn Thomas, but I go by Eve."
James opened his mouth to reply, but they were cut off by Gibbs running up to the pair. "Miss Elizabeth and Jack be awake, sir. She wants to speak to yeh," the heavyset pirate panted, gesturing towards the cabin.
James turned to look at his companion. "Would you care to join me, Eve?"
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Elizabeth Swann's eyes opened experimentally. She became aware of a cool sensation on her forehead and someone's hand resting in her own. Elizabeth blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the cabin. She was in a cabin?
Elizabeth gasped, her memory flooding back, "Anamaria!" She jerked forward in an attempt to sit up; she was stopped by a pair of strong arms pushing her gently back down and she struggled against them.
"Shhh," a familiar deep voice whispered, the breath warm against her forehead "You're safe, Elizabeth."
She looked up and met a pair of dark, deep eyes staring at her with concern and love. "Will!" she cried, attempting to throw her arms around his neck and not quite succeeding, "Will, oh my goodness, Evans! He was there and he had a gun and Anamaria tried to stop him, but then he-"
Will's lips gently pressed over hers, cutting off her stream of thoughts as she desperately tried to explain him what had happened.
Gibbs burst into the room, having heard Elizabeth's shout, the door hitting the wall with a loud bang. Gibbs' foot caught the corner of a chair pushed haphazardly across the room when the patients had been brought in, and he stumbled dangerously, banging into a large brass ornamental vase with a resounding clang. He lost his balance and thudded to the floor.
Jack Sparrow jerked awake and sat straight up in bed, still half-dreaming, and struggled to open his eyes. "Stop blowing 'oles in my ship!" he yelled peevishly.
Will and Elizabeth stared at him while Gibbs carefully picked himself up off the floor. "Jack?" Will asked finally.
"Will?"
"Miss Elizabeth!" Gibbs exclaimed, noticing she was awake.
"Gibbs?" asked Jack.
"Jack?"
"Me hat!"
Jack smiled happily, suddenly noticing it sitting at the foot of his bed where Will had placed it. The three in the room stared at him in amazement while he reached over and picked it up, shoving it onto his head. "What?" he asked rather crossly, "Evans stole me hat. Everyone's always stealin' me hat."
Jack's expression faded and he squinted at the three, realizing with a pang whose presence was missing. He visibly drooped, saying weakly, "Ana isn't here, is she?" It was more of a statement than a question.
After a long moment, Will shook his head.
Jack took off his hat and stared at the boy with veiled dark eyes. "Is she- ?" He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Will couldn't hold Jack's gaze. "We don't know," he finally confessed. "She and Evans are missing along with one of the longboats." Will watched Jack drop his beloved hat onto his lap as if the material had scalded him.
He glanced ruefully at the boy, the emotion in his eyes carefully concealed. "Ana hated this hat. Said I cared about it more than any livin' person."
"Jack-" Elizabeth started, rising from where she was sitting in bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head to kneel beside him. "Jack, you know that Evans was a greedy bastard who wanted the reward for her enough to risk almost everything. That bounty was for her alive," she reminded him gently.
"Ana's a strong lass, Capt'n." Gibbs piped up.
Jack put his hand to his head and frowned thoughtfully at Will. "Ye said a boat was missing?" At the blacksmith's agreement, Elizabeth saw a spark of light come back into the pirate's eyes. "Aye," he mused, "I saw him take her in one just 'afore I blacked out." Jack pushed back the covers that Gibbs had put him under, feeling every inch of his body throbbing in pain and attempting to ignore it.
"Yer not goin' nowhere, Capt'n," Gibbs growled, pushing him back onto the bed.
Jack immedietly tried to get up again, pushing Gibbs away and standing, swaying dangerously as his hand went to his head. "Goin'," he panted, "to rescue Ana."
"I don't think you're ready for that quite yet," Elizabeth told him with a small smile as both Will and Gibbs seized his arms and sat him back on the bed. "You see?" she said to no one specifically, "She's got to be alive!" She turned to Gibbs, "Could you go fetch the Commodore? He'll be wanting to hear this."
Jack blinked at her, expression mingling between disbelief and curiousity. He stuck his finger into his ear to mimic the action of cleaning it.
"Ah, Commodore?"
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AN -- Sorry, it was a wee bit shorter than I'd like, but I promise the next one will be longer!
Chapter 13: Facing Truth
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Commodore James Norrington slumped against the railing of the Black Pearl, his weary hands removing his three-cornered hat and dropping it on the deck. The Incorrigible had been secured and all surviving crewmembers locked in the Dauntless' brig, and then scoured from top to bottom in search of Evans, a missing crewmember, and Anamaria. Between the Dauntless and the Pearl, they had suffered twelve casualties, a missing pirate woman, and two currently unconscious traumas: Elizabeth Swann and Captain Jack Sparrow. As soon as he had been informed of his fiancé's condition, Will Turner had set up vigil beside her bed in Jack Sparrow's cabin, the Captain still resting or passed out several feet away.
James rubbed at the frown lines on his forehead with his fist. The only hint to where Evans and Anamaria, assuming that she was with him and not thrown overboard, (the Commodore shuddered, just imagining the worst) was that one of the longboats had been launched and was currently missing. However, they couldn't look for the missing ship until daybreak, which was still over several hours away.
He was interrupted by a small cough behind him. He turned around to see the girl that had been rescued from the Incorrigible along with Jack Sparrow standing there. "Miss," he said in greeting, managing a small bow.
The girl bent her head respectively, her eyes looking tired and face pale. "Sir," she asked quietly, "Has Captain Sparrow awakened yet?"
"No," James said regretfully. "I was hoping he could give us a clue to the fate of Anamaria and Evans."
The girl's eyes widened. "Anamaria is missing?"
"Why, yes," James replied, looking at her curiously. "Did you know her?"
"No," she said, "But the Captain spoke of her while we were locked in the brig. He said that the man Evans was after her for money. He's a ruthless man, Evans. You don't think he got her, do you, sir?"
James tried to smile at her. "It's James, if you please. And I do not know what to think."
She bowed her head at the new unfortunate prospect. "I'm Evelyn Thomas, but I go by Eve."
James opened his mouth to reply, but they were cut off by Gibbs running up to the pair. "Miss Elizabeth and Jack be awake, sir. She wants to speak to yeh," the heavyset pirate panted, gesturing towards the cabin.
James turned to look at his companion. "Would you care to join me, Eve?"
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Elizabeth Swann's eyes opened experimentally. She became aware of a cool sensation on her forehead and someone's hand resting in her own. Elizabeth blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the cabin. She was in a cabin?
Elizabeth gasped, her memory flooding back, "Anamaria!" She jerked forward in an attempt to sit up; she was stopped by a pair of strong arms pushing her gently back down and she struggled against them.
"Shhh," a familiar deep voice whispered, the breath warm against her forehead "You're safe, Elizabeth."
She looked up and met a pair of dark, deep eyes staring at her with concern and love. "Will!" she cried, attempting to throw her arms around his neck and not quite succeeding, "Will, oh my goodness, Evans! He was there and he had a gun and Anamaria tried to stop him, but then he-"
Will's lips gently pressed over hers, cutting off her stream of thoughts as she desperately tried to explain him what had happened.
Gibbs burst into the room, having heard Elizabeth's shout, the door hitting the wall with a loud bang. Gibbs' foot caught the corner of a chair pushed haphazardly across the room when the patients had been brought in, and he stumbled dangerously, banging into a large brass ornamental vase with a resounding clang. He lost his balance and thudded to the floor.
Jack Sparrow jerked awake and sat straight up in bed, still half-dreaming, and struggled to open his eyes. "Stop blowing 'oles in my ship!" he yelled peevishly.
Will and Elizabeth stared at him while Gibbs carefully picked himself up off the floor. "Jack?" Will asked finally.
"Will?"
"Miss Elizabeth!" Gibbs exclaimed, noticing she was awake.
"Gibbs?" asked Jack.
"Jack?"
"Me hat!"
Jack smiled happily, suddenly noticing it sitting at the foot of his bed where Will had placed it. The three in the room stared at him in amazement while he reached over and picked it up, shoving it onto his head. "What?" he asked rather crossly, "Evans stole me hat. Everyone's always stealin' me hat."
Jack's expression faded and he squinted at the three, realizing with a pang whose presence was missing. He visibly drooped, saying weakly, "Ana isn't here, is she?" It was more of a statement than a question.
After a long moment, Will shook his head.
Jack took off his hat and stared at the boy with veiled dark eyes. "Is she- ?" He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Will couldn't hold Jack's gaze. "We don't know," he finally confessed. "She and Evans are missing along with one of the longboats." Will watched Jack drop his beloved hat onto his lap as if the material had scalded him.
He glanced ruefully at the boy, the emotion in his eyes carefully concealed. "Ana hated this hat. Said I cared about it more than any livin' person."
"Jack-" Elizabeth started, rising from where she was sitting in bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head to kneel beside him. "Jack, you know that Evans was a greedy bastard who wanted the reward for her enough to risk almost everything. That bounty was for her alive," she reminded him gently.
"Ana's a strong lass, Capt'n." Gibbs piped up.
Jack put his hand to his head and frowned thoughtfully at Will. "Ye said a boat was missing?" At the blacksmith's agreement, Elizabeth saw a spark of light come back into the pirate's eyes. "Aye," he mused, "I saw him take her in one just 'afore I blacked out." Jack pushed back the covers that Gibbs had put him under, feeling every inch of his body throbbing in pain and attempting to ignore it.
"Yer not goin' nowhere, Capt'n," Gibbs growled, pushing him back onto the bed.
Jack immedietly tried to get up again, pushing Gibbs away and standing, swaying dangerously as his hand went to his head. "Goin'," he panted, "to rescue Ana."
"I don't think you're ready for that quite yet," Elizabeth told him with a small smile as both Will and Gibbs seized his arms and sat him back on the bed. "You see?" she said to no one specifically, "She's got to be alive!" She turned to Gibbs, "Could you go fetch the Commodore? He'll be wanting to hear this."
Jack blinked at her, expression mingling between disbelief and curiousity. He stuck his finger into his ear to mimic the action of cleaning it.
"Ah, Commodore?"
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AN -- Sorry, it was a wee bit shorter than I'd like, but I promise the next one will be longer!
