A/N1: Wow, I loved this chapter. It was fun to write. And, MUAHAHAHA, for those of you craving longer chappies… this be one of them, folks! Tell me what you think concerning the size diff., or if said difference is noticeable. This shall tell me what to do with later chappies if they're longer than usual, shorter than usual, etc.
A/N2: Glad you've all enjoyed the party, hehehe… And as for the closet… I TOLD you! Figure it out amongst yourselves! Anyone who wants to go in can, as long as they don't try to steal him… I have security, so it wouldn't be a good idea anyway. Now, go enjoy yourselves!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Any of you so much as thinks the world 'parley', I'll have your guts for garters," the pirate growled, circling all those who were now "tied" against the mast of the Pearl. Jack was off to the side somewhere, but though Leah's eyes drifted to him now and then, her attention was fixed on the sinking Interceptor, her hand gripping that of her sister. Will was still on there, trapped in that ship, and though Leah felt grief over his inevitable demise, it was nothing to what her sister felt. She knew this without a doubt.
Just before the ship exploded, Elizabeth dashed under the rope, moving towards the sight of the Interceptor. Upon its termination, she froze. "Will," she gasped in disbelief, though none of those on board the Pearl heard it, and the next moment, she had pounced upon Barbossa in her grief in rage, shrieking. "You heartless savage!!!"
Leah Swann braced herself, tensed, prepared to go to her sister's aid at any moment. If this bastard did anything to Elizabeth…
Personally, she wanted to rip the man's throat out already, but she knew that there was absolutely no way she would be able to do so under the circumstances.
"Welcome back, Miss," Barbossa said cruelly, holding Elizabeth immobile before him. "You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now that you return the favor." And with that, Captain Barbossa shoved her into a gaggle of his crew, for them to do as they wished.
Instantaneously, Leah was under the rope as well, and rushed to her sister's aid, but Barbossa's crew now seized her as well, only two to three feet at most from her sister. "You will not touch her!" she screamed, for all the good that did, but before Barbossa or anyone on the deck could make any sort of reply-as if they would have-something happened that absolutely none of them expected. A wet, but completely whole and unharmed, Will Turner leapt onto the ship, grabbing Jack's gun the moment he was aboard. He then aimed it straight at the cursed captain's head.
"She goes free."
All movement seemed to stop for a brief moment-even Leah and Elizabeth's captors halted their activities-and Leah was certain she even heard the name "Will" escape from her sister's lips in the near dead quiet. This time, though, the name was not said in sorrow, in agonizing incredulity. It was said in a sort of joyful disbelief, in hope.
"What's in your head boy?" Barbossa asked, approaching the "brave" figure of William Turner, moving his head into the very path of the gun, an inch away from the barrel, if that. The crew of the Pearl was once again riled up, Leah and Elizabeth struggling for the briefest of moments again, before it was all stopped by Will's next comment, such as it was.
"She goes free." he said again.
"You've only got one shot, and we can't die," Barbossa pointed out, mockery in his tone. To his eyes, this man wasn't apparently overly bright.
Leah was sure she heard Jack say something then, not that she could even see him, but she could not make out the words. Whatever he said seemed to jar something in Will, though.
Taking another overall glance at the situation, the blacksmith suddenly found this the perfect moment to retreat a few paces and stand up on the barrier along the side of the ship, a spot where everybody on the deck could easily see him. "You can't," he agreed, but then placed the gun barrel directly under his chin, "I can." As if on cue, Elizabeth began to struggle, Leah following. And, once again, the two soon stopped. It was a hopeless effort, they both knew it, but it was better than standing there doing nothing. Jack, who, this time, was not even heard by Leah's carefully attuned and alert ear, also uttered a comment.
Curious as to who this man could possibly be-as to think they would actually care if he died-Barbossa questioned him in one of the most straightforward manners possible. "Who are you?"
Stepping forward, Jack moved towards Barbossa, strangely unhindered, and stood between him and that bloody stupid lad by the name of William Turner, something he did not exactly want Barbossa to know. "No one, he's no one," he said, hoping that, by some miracle, Will would catch on. "Distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch."
The moment Jack had finished his little "cover-up" of Will's identity, said man spoke up, gun still poised at his own head. "Mine name is William Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood flows in my veins."
Temporarily defeated, Jack stepped away, back to where he had been originally. Well. Things were going exceptionally well, weren't they?
From behind Leah, somewhere off to her side, a voice of another cursed pirate rang out. "He's the spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill, come back to 'aunt us." Though Elizabeth weakly fought against the hold of her captors throughout this little statement, Leah stayed silent and still, her eyes settling on the floor once before looking back up at Will. She knew the implications of this, much as Jack had known, and had consequently tried to stop just this, though perhaps his reasoning was just a tad bit different than hers.
"On my word, do as I say," Will warned, trigger finger unrelenting, "or I'll pull this trigger, and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker."
Seeing this for what it was, the end to their curse, Barbossa had no choice but to, of course, comply… for now, at least. "Name your terms, Mr. Turner."
"Elizabeth goes free!"
"Yes, we know that one," Barbossa replied, somewhat annoyed by this boy's obvious one mindedness, "anythin' else?"
Will's eyes, of course, went straight for Elizabeth, and he saw the motion of her own gaze directed in the direction of her sister. Jack's hand motions pointing towards himself could not be ignored, either. He had to think fast. "Leah-her," he said, pointing to said Swann, whose eyes, already narrowed in concentration, widened in surprise, "she does as well, and the crew," (pointing to the crew, naturally) "the crew are not to be harmed."
Finding himself in the perfect position, a half-smile on his face, the mutinous captain of the Black Pearl and its crew of scraggly vermin stepped forward. "Agreed."
"You bastard!" Leah shrieked at the top of her lungs, fighting with all her might to break the hold of the men keeping her from the plank-holding her from it to be more accurate. It was not her turn yet, no; they would wait until Elizabeth was in the water before having their fun with her. In the meantime, Leah, almost directly behind the plank, not even three paces away from it, and very near to Barbossa, would not let this come to pass, not if she could help it. Her comments were, as you would expect, directed towards the man who had ordered this. "You heartless wretch!!! You will not do this! You heathen!" She barely took notice of Jack, very near her, in her concern not of herself, in the main, but of Elizabeth.
"Barbossa, you lying bastard!" Will yelled, fighting just as hard against his captors as Leah was, though with more success. "You swore they'd go free!"
"Don't dare impugn me honor, boy!" Barbossa warned, glaring at Will, "I agreed they'd go free. It was you who failed to specify when or where." This was met with wonderfully sadistic laughter from the whole of the crew, naturally.
"You damn bastard…" Leah hissed under her breath, her struggling reduced to a minimum now, breath coming in rapid gasps. The fire of her gaze, though, that did not diminish in the slightest.
For the first time since Elizabeth had stepped onto the plank, Leah became aware of Jack, a silent figure beside her, and one that did not appear at all happy, either, even if he was playing along just a little with this joyous group of knaves and scoundrels-true ones-that made up the Pearl's crew. The Interceptor's crew on the other hand, those fine people were off to her left, where Will had been dragged to, a gag in his mouth. But they could not help even themselves now.
She could not help watching Jack for a good long while, him only becoming aware of it just as Barbossa began to speak again, and then her eyes were drawn quickly away, back to the events at hand.
"Though, it does seem a shame to lose somethin' so fine, don't it lads?" Barbossa lamented, not taking the least bit notice of either Leah, Jack, nor the Interceptor's crew presently, his eyes on Elizabeth, who was, of course, watching him calculatingly.
"Aye," the crew laughed and growled aloud.
"So I'll be having that dress back before you go."
At this insult, Leah put up a weak fight against the slackened grip of those who held her, but at her movement, they held on tight. And it was only a weak fight, because she was perfectly aware there was no way for her to escape. Clenching her fists in resignation, Leah watched on, forcing herself to keep still. Barbossa had moved a step or two forward, the pirates around the plank having backed away somewhat. The moment of Elizabeth's fall was soon impending.
Without any real hesitation, a white-hot blaze in her stare, Elizabeth took off said dress, her pride and dignity remaining completely intact as catcalls and jeers rang out. Leah's admiration of her older sibling soared-her rage at Barbossa and his men did as well-but she could not help jerking her head around to look at Jack as her keen hearing picked up his little comment towards one of the pirates, a last-ditch effort of sorts, one which he would continue to keep up, more or less, with facial expressions. "I always liked you." Rolling her eyes in exasperation and near disgust, Leah looked away. She would have smacked him if she could, although she couldn't exactly blame him.
"It goes with your black heart," Elizabeth said coldly, throwing the Tyrian-died outfit at Barbossa. Grinning, he turned back towards his men, putting the fabric up to his face.
"Ooh, it's still warm," he commented mockingly, and threw the dress at his excited crew. Leah's fists were now clenched so tight she was in pain from the little crescent moons now forming in her palms, but she did not loosen them; she could hardly keep herself from diving at Barbossa and clawing his eyes out as it was.
"Come on, off you go!" the pirate nearest the plank called, waving his sword toward her. The rest yelled out their appreciation. Hesitantly, she took the few steps to its edge. Leah could feel herself tensed like a coil, about to spring. The little self-control she still had would be gone the moment Elizabeth's feet lost contact with the wood of the plank.
Halting at the edge of the wooden board, Elizabeth looked back, her eyes focusing on Leah's, and then on Will. A few tense seconds passed… and then an especially brutish pirate became impatient. "Too long!" he complained, and stepped firmly on the plank, the tremor causing Elizabeth to fall into the ocean.
"Elizabeth!" Leah cried out, kicking and wriggling and doing absolutely anything she could to get away with renewed fervor. Catching a nod from their captain after he'd had his little laugh, the two pirates keeping her at bay released her, and she hurtled forward, not having expected actually getting away. Once she regained her footing, Leah, not surprisingly, dived at Barbossa. Her heart pounding, breath ragged, she tried to do her best to damage the man in some way, her common sense disappearing in an overwhelming haze of red. She could not contain her temper any longer, not by any means. She wanted this man-she wanted them all-dead.
Still terribly amused, Barbossa grabbed her firmly by her upper arms, much the same way in which he had taken hold of Elizabeth. "You'll be next," he informed her, as if she didn't know that already, and attempted to turn her around and push her onto the plank.
Leah, on the other hand, was now as fierce and wild as an untamed beast once stuck in a cage and then released into a room of those who had kept it prisoner, all blocking its way out. He himself could not do it-she was struggling too much-and thus motioned with his head for some more men to grab hold of her, push her onto the board. His grin was not as prominent now, though it came back full force as she was finally thrown onto the plank on all fours. Panting, wrath and brand new dull fear surfacing, she stood, wheeling about to face them all.
Unable to find the proper words in English, the 17-year old Swann went into a rapid torrent of the most heinous, despicable curses she could think of in none other than French, the language in which a natural-born speaker had tutored her. The study of this language had been one of the few things her father had actually gotten right in regards to what Leah would enjoy. Consequently, she had picked up much more than mere civilized speaking from said governess, and had never expected to use such language, but now was a good a time as any, was it not? Especially under her present temperament. Though she didn't notice it, after the first few profanities left her mouth, Jack jerked up, his eyes having been temporarily on the floor, eyes widened before narrowing, watching her curiously. It was almost as if he knew what she was saying…
The crew was just as riled up as before, if not more so now at this show of fight, when Barbossa held up his hand, bringing near silence down upon the ship. "Wonderful show of language, Miss," (how could he have not gotten the gist of what she was saying and not known it was French from the nearly flawless accent) "but first, before your little escapade on that island down there, why not tell us who ye are? I'm sure the crew's dyin' to know!" Yet another standing ovation followed.
Leah drew herself to her full height, about to answer… When Jack, unable to take the steps forward he would have liked to on account of the two men clutching his arms, spoke up. He had just finished smiling at the men, wondering if they could really be this stupid, and, dare he say it, cruel, and he simply had to speak now. "Barbossa…" He waited until the man's eyes were on him, and Leah's as well, "don't bother with her. She not anyone important, really, just a tavern wench we picked up in Tortuga. Felt pity for the poor thing… handles shillings and drinks for a living, poor girl."
Just as Will had done, Leah spoke the very moment Jack had finished, glaring at him only once before uttering her next words. "My name is Leah Swann, and I am the sister of Elizabeth Swann, the woman you all just pushed off the plank a moment ago, and the daughter of the governor of Port Royale!" She wasn't thinking straight, not at all, and wanted these men to be intimidated by something she did. To her credit, this declaration did cause a slight stir among them but Barbossa, sadly, was not a fool, and could make the best of this situation easily.
Grinning, he leaned forward, his voice loud enough so that all could hear him. "Miss Swann is the governor's daughter…" That sickening smile still plastered on his face, he turned around. "She should fetch a handsome ransom and some fun when we the curse is lifted!" Applause and cheering as only savages can create followed this little announcement. Jack's, for once, did not offer a little artificial laugh of his own, his eyes steadfastly fixed on her. Had she realized what she had just done? Both her and Will were not exactly the brightest two beings on this ship, were they?
Not quite absorbing what Barbossa had just said, Leah barely heard his next order. "Take 'er down in the brig with the others when we're finished. Put her in the cell with Turner." Before she knew what was happening, Leah felt herself roughly grabbed and pulled over with the rest of the Interceptor's crew, next to Will who was watching her closely, but whose eyes switched over to Barbossa every now and then. The crew did not seem as overjoyed by this new installment as they had been by the others, but they weren't that disappointed. They knew that Jack was coming up next for their viewing pleasure.
"Y-you swore I'd go free!" Leah shouted at last, finally beginning to grasp the situation. She was facing Barbossa once again now, though from a different angle, her heart beating furiously against her ribcage. She could feel the reverberation throughout. Two men held her, keeping her rooted to the spot, two dirty-looking villains with tanned, rough skin, appalling teeth, scruffy hair, one with facial hair, one without, both as crooked as the next.
"Aye, I did… But, as was mentioned, Miss Swann, young Mr. Turner here failed to specify when, or whether ya be alive when I do it." Right on cue, catcalls followed his words, and Leah remained silent. Her wits were starting to come back, something she wasn't quite sure she wanted happening. Tears of rage, of unfulfilled anger, began to burn in her eyes, but she shut her lids against the onslaught, forcing herself to take deep, supposedly calming, breaths. She would not give any here the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Unlike the rest of the inattentive bums on the Black Pearl, except perhaps for Will who did not take that much notice of this himself, Jack did seem to perceive this, her unshed tears, and his eyes were focused on her when he was suddenly pushed forward. His immediate concern became, once again, himself. She was not in any immediate danger, was she? But he… he was.
"I had really rather hoped we were past all this," he said to Barbossa, his cocoa eyes on the man.
"Jack, Jack!" Barbossa began, a "comforting" arm around the younger man's shoulders, the man who, once upon a time, was his captain. "That be the same little island that we made you governor of on our last little trip."
Jack Sparrow glanced over at the island once after Barbossa motioned to it, looking back at Barbossa quickly. "I did notice." And he had.
"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape… but I doubt it." And that was when Barbossa decided to unsheathe his sword, placing it directly before Jack's neck. His was not the only sword then brandished. Cringing, his eyes fixed on the weapon, Sparrow was forced to step back. "Off you go."
Swallowing, Leah watched all this with mounting foreboding, mounting terror even. Things could simply not have gone this wrong… How could they have gone so wrong? The fact that she actually cared about Jack being marooned no longer bothered her, not with her mind in the state it was in. A small pinprick of alarm at the fact that she could actually be worried about a traitor like him sounded within her, but she ignored it.
"Last time you left me a pistol with one shot," Jack pointed out, taking his off of the gleaming blade, looking to Barbossa's face. If there were any way to make this situation somehow work to his advantage, he would find it. And he didn't exactly feel like being stranded on the same bloody island again without the pistol he'd carried around for a good 10 years, either. He was still dead-set on helping that bullet find its destination… Barbossa's treacherous heart.
"By the powers, you're right!" Barbossa exclaimed, "Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward." And just this was done; the pirate captain's (or ex-pirate captain's, depending on how one looks at it) sword, sheathed, and pistol were both brought to Barbossa, who now grasped it, his own steel back in its scabbard.
"Seein' as there's two of us, a gentleman… would give us a pair of pistols." It was worth a shot, wasn't it?
"It'll be one pistol as before, and you can be the gentleman, and shoot the lady, and starve to death yourself." Shoot the lady? Starve to death yourself? SHOOT the bloody lady?
Brand new ire exploding within her, Leah began to struggle again, but this time, it did not last long, a few seconds at most. It was hopeless. This whole situation was hopeless.
Anyway, there was a reason she stopped, one other than despair. The moment Barbossa threw Jack's effects into the ocean, the man's eyes, after following the course of his belongings as they were cast through the air, his mouth set in a cringe, flickered over to her. Their two gazes met, his near black, and her own a smoky green, and the next moment, Captain Jack Sparrow was diving into the ocean.
"Jack," Leah breathed, completely slack now, unable to believe it. She had only just discovered the fact that he was even alive, had only just witnessed her sister being rescued… And now, there they were, the two of them, gone… "Starve to death…" "Shoot the lady…" the phrases echoed through her mind. Her own predicament as a prisoner with which fun would be had and which would fetch a handsome random did not help matters, either. It was pure luck that she was in such a state of numb shock, else she would have burst into tears on the deck of the Pearl itself, perfectly visible to all the fine men piloting the cursed ship. She would have hated herself all the more if she had.
After the pirates had had a good laugh, Barbossa ordered the crew of the Interceptor down into the brig, Leah and Will included. As they were pushed and prodded, altogether paraded, into the cells, Leah and Will, their special prisoners into one, the others into the other, the only Swann left aboard the Black Pearl was walking in a dull haze. Her mind was confused, a tumult of thoughts and emotions swirling around and around and around, close to making her dizzy.
One thing was clear, though, her little anchor in the midst of a hurricane. Elizabeth and Jack were gone, and despite the fact that it was completely illogical, she somehow blamed herself… And now, she was trapped in this predicament, completely at the mercy of Barbossa and his crew.
Without warning, Leah felt the first sob bubbling up in her throat, and no matter how she tried to fight it off, she could not. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she stumbled back, sliding down along the hull until she could wrap her arms about her legs, her head resting on her knees. She was careful to make sure that her bottom did not quite reach the water on floor, even in her sorrow, and although her skirts became quickly sodden, the rest of her did not.
As she wept, Leah's thoughts swirled in a mix of agonies upon agonies, tortures upon tortures. She did not care who saw her, what happened. She did not notice Will and his sympathetic glances and comments, nor did she notice the pitying looks of those in the opposite cell. Her eyes were tightly shut, buried in the relative safety of her knees. As her anger had abated, anguish and fear had quickly taken its place, and this ragged sobbing was the result, a delayed reaction of sorts. Her wrath had kept it at bay, but now it was gone… Elizabeth and Jack were gone. She was trapped, trapped again. This was worse than it had been at Port Royale. Now, there truly was no hope, not that she could see, anyway. In the state she was in right now, all she could see was an all encompassing blackness, and herself tied down in its midst, helpless, drowning.
Her throat was raw, her chest ached, but her weeping did not subside. If anything, it continued with equal ferocity. She craved darkness. She craved to no longer be aware. She craved something it would have taken her at least a few more years to seek in Port Royale: she craved death.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Burst-my-bubble: Yikes, so sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to you last chappie! I had already updated and reupdated about 3 times when I got thy review, so I waited until now :P. And really, it's fine. I mean, you're still reading, and you LIKE it, right? (At least, I hope ;) ) I hope ye enjoyed this chappie just as much!
Vagrant: Yes. Pa-artay! WOOOOT! And, yes, yes she it. And it amuses to as I write it, as I know her TRUE feeling! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *Goes into hysterics* lol Yes, I'll stop now…
Zuba: Yes, the pillows seem to be a big hit (thanks again, Cherish!!!) Not that I can blame anyone… *shifty eyes* And as for the closet, surez… But remember, not my decision. ;-)ANYwayz… thankees! Watching the scene you're writing over and over really helps. :D lol And school needs to die… Midyears coming up in a little over a week, and I haven't even started studying… O.o Hopefully, my updates are still somewhat speedy.
Jinxd: Go, go, go to the closet! ;-) And, yes, since Jack isn't really in the movie in regards to where Leah is, I can't put him in except in thoughts and imaginings! In other words… no Jack… until the very end! But, no, don't leave me for that! Really, he comes back in full Jackish force! :D And more is learned about Leah! And almost there anyway! So stay! :P (lol yes, I am a paranoid mess)
Pendragon *Has hurried to the best of her abilities* Stupid school… And yes, Jack… Jack Sparrow… He's the meaning of life, you know. ;-) I really hope you've liked this chappie!
Gwyn: Really? An author? Wow, THANKS!!! *Actually wants to be one one day* And ye actually have printed it out? Wow! I'm ecstatic over the fact that ye enjoy it so much! Bloody overjoyed, mate! *Huggles and kisses back* ;-) And you're not alone! My little alone bubble and your little alone bubble can make a bigger 2 person bubble! Lol If that sounded right at all… Anywayz…. I hope this chapter has almost met thy expectations!
Houser's: lol Yes, I noticed that, but haven't had the time to fix it. I just heard Jack say "bodice" in the movie and didn't exactly do much research into the matter… It really would be disturbing for her to be in only a bodice in Tortuga, or anywhere for that matter, wouldn't it? O.o So anywayz…. Thanks for pointing that out! As soon as I find the time (I REALLY abhor school), I shall fix!!!
Leah: Take a picture of said smile next time! Kodac moment! Lol ;-) And, remember, most thinks can be forseen in this fic… set to movie events! :P Although, I still have plenty of room to more around…. MUAHAHA! What'd ye think of this PARTICULAR chappie, btw? :P A little cliffie thrown in… sorta…
TriGem: Thankees! I try when I throw parties. ;-) And, yes, much like her sister, even if they are the daughters of the governor and have never actually "fought" a day in their lives, they can hold their own. :P But, really, how do you win against those who can't die and outnumber you? *Enjoys mysteries* MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
Riley: Keep writing keep writing! Thy reviews keep me writing! Thy comments mean a GREAT much to me! I'm really glad that you enjoy this fic so much! I'm just hoping the rest is still up to thy expectations!
Ipzy: lol Yes, yay. You evil, evil, sadistic child! ;-) Nah, j/k, dontcha worry. I love this part of the movie as well. What dost thee think of it in my fanfic? :P And your welcome! :D
Jenni: Hehehe…. Yes, certainly more Jack in this part. YUM watching this scene over and over…. But ANYway (;-) ), I try to make the distinctions clear, and hopefully they'll become even more clear in the next few chapters. So, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! :P
Suzzie: Yes, yes they are, but then again, most are, or seem to be… at least in Barbossa's crew. -_- Traitors and mutineers the whole lot o' them… And my deepest sympathies on thy grandma! *Huggles and gives extra time in the closet, along with Jack comforters, sheets, etc., etc.* Really, feel free to not review as long as ye like! I'm just surprised ya still feel like reading me fic! (Glad ye are, though ;-)) Here's hoping this one was up to thy expectations!
Venus: Watching the movie repeatedly, one can get anyone in character… Just let the voices play in your head… Wait, is that a good thing? O.O How were my characters in this chap? In character? Out? Slightly off? And yes, everyone gets a turn with Jack… just WAIT thy turn. :P
aquastar: Hehehe… One of those secret romantics, eh? ;-) But dontcha worry, all good things come to those who wait…
7590: Thankees! :D And updated! Woot! Watcha think?
