Author's Note: okay, you have to admit that this chapter did take awhile for me to get up, and I'm not just feeling misplaced guilt. However, I've taken on a collaboration of sorts with the next few chapters (it's so much fun) and my computer hasn't been behaving. As in, I've had to buy a new one and access to all my files was a bit difficult there for a moment. However, now I'm completely hooked up again, and the next chapter is ready to be posted except for a few modifications.
IMPORTANT: This chapter and the next were originally planned to be one chapter. However, so much came up, so much information I loved had to be given, that I split them into two chapters. This one is events from the point of view of good little English citizens, and the next will be from the point of view of the pirates involved in this story. I must give much thanks to bobo3 right now for letting me borrow her little apple-seller *wink* who you will get to meet in greater depth in the next chapter. Girl, you rock so much, and I love working with you.
Ok, that was it. Read on, and be looking for the next installment on Sunday.
Author's thanks at the end.
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"Wake up, Freddy." Grace shook her sister-in-law's shoulder gently. "We've reached port." The door to the cabin opened. She glanced over her shoulder to see Marcus standing in the doorway with two of his men. He'd carry his sister to the lifeboat himself, but once they reached the wharf, his time would be taken up with acting as a buffer between Jack and the rest of the garrison stationed in Port Royal. The two sailors he had with him had been chosen for their gentleness, and they'd be the ones carrying Winn from the launch to the carriage, and from the carriage to the house. "Freddy, we need to go." Grace would have let the other woman sleep if she hadn't thought that Winn would prefer being aware of what was going on around her. If she tried to struggle in her condition, she'd do more harm than good.
Slowly Winn's eyes fluttered open. For several moments of consternation she glanced around the large cabin, her eyes a bit unfocused. Eventually they came to rest on Grace, and the puzzled look only deepened. "Grace?" Her voice was a rough croak, worn down from hours of moaning and a lack of water. "Wha –" She didn't manage to finish the thought.
"It's alright, Freddy. You're safe."
"My baby . . . ."
"You child is fine for the time being, and will continue to be so as long as you take things easy for the next few months. How are you feeling?" Grace sincerely hoped that was true; Winn was still hovering around the point that things could turn ugly at any moment.
"Tired. Sore. Where's Ja –" Grace shifted before Winn could finish the question, revealing their military audience. Winn's eyes filled with aversion, obviously aware enough to know that if her husband was around, he was under the rough care of men like these. Turning her head to the wall, she pleaded, "Don't let them touch me, Grace. I won't be touched by men who would see my . . . my rescuer . . . hanged."
"How about your brother? Could you stand him?" The two women had both been unaware of Marcus' approach.
"Marcus . . . ." Winn's voice was filled was a sigh of relief as she once again turned her head towards her family. "I didn't recognize you."
"Are you sure that's all it was, Freddy?" Marcus didn't quite believe her explanation. Winn had seen him in his captain's uniform many times and had never had a problem identifying him.
If she'd been sitting up, Winn would have shrugged. "It's hard to recognize anyone when you can't see more than an arm's reach away." She'd be so glad when the last of the bloody poison was out of her system. Her eyes slipped shut. "I'm so tired."
"I know. Do you think you could manage being moved around at the moment? I want to get you home as soon as I can."
"We're at Swallows Rest?"
"No, our home in Port Royal."
Winn shook her head. "Don't want to go to Port Royal. They don't like pirates. Try to hang 'em. Jack won't be able to visit me there." It was obvious that her mind was wandering.
"Don't you want to see Elizabeth and Will?" Winn paused, apparently thinking about the question, and she eventually gave a slight nod of her head. "Then we need to get you off the ship, Winn." Winn sighed before giving her head another nod.
Backing away, Grace watched as Marcus moved in and carefully scooped his sister up into his arms. She gasped in pain, her abdominal muscles still sore from their long ordeal, but she didn't cry out. For a moment, her body remained tense, as if she was waiting for the torture of the past few days to resume. But when it didn't, she slowly relaxed muscle by muscle, until she was nothing more than so much dead weight in Marcus' arms.
Taking care to walk as smoothly as possible to avoid jostling the burden in his arms, Marcus walked out of the room and out onto the deck. As they left the shade of the room behind them, Marcus warned his sister, "Careful, the sun is bright." She didn't say anything, but when he glanced down he saw that her eyes were no more than slits in her face. Winn, in true Morgan fashion, was refusing to appear as weak as she really was in public. He felt her spine stiffen and her shoulder dig more insistently into his chest as she tried to sit upright in his arms, refusing to appear the helpless invalid. He could tell how much her dignity cost her by the way she bit her lip and her hands clenched in her lap.
Halfway across the deck, Winn urgently whispered in his ear, "Stop."
He did, puzzled by the request, but her urgency became clear when the clamor on the deck separated into two distinct sounds. One was the normal clamor of a working ship – men calling out and joking with one another, the creak of the canvass sails, the groaning of rope pulled tight, the raucous calling of gulls, the sound of water against the hull – but the other was one he was unaccustomed to hearing on his ship. It was the sound of men jeering and yelling with dislike. He turned, knowing what he would find and determined to put a stop to it. "What's the meaning of all that racket?"
The crowd of men gathered near the hatch leading from the lower decks all stopped and turned his way. There was Jack, supported on two sides by redcoats who seemed to be doing their best to keep the hecklers at arm's length but were having a hard time of it. The men who sailed under the young Morgan captain had the decency to look ashamed, even if it was only being caught in the act of behaving badly. Marcus could understand their motivation – too many of them had seen the result of pirate attacks, had know comrades killed in the line of duty while fending off the vermin, and still others had escaped to tell tales of bloodthirsty pirates themselves. However, there was a certain decorum that must be followed, even aboard a ship, and harassing a prisoner was not it.
Keeping his voice low and jovial in a dangerous manner, Marcus said, "Unless the lot of you wish to spend the next weeks looking for new employment, I suggest you get back to your work and let those two soldiers do theirs." Jack was doing his best to look nonchalant, but Marcus caught the man's sly wink before the woman in Marcus' arms took his attention.
Winn herself was trembling, whether with exhaustion or outrage at seeing the treatment her husband was garnering Marcus couldn't tell, but he'd place good money on outrage. "Promise me something, Marcus. Please," she begged in a tone just below a whisper.
"What is it, Freddy?"
"Promise me that you'll do all you safely can to help him. Promise me." Her voice was thick with tears.
"Of course."
She nodded, her eyes never wavering, never mind that she couldn't do much more than make out the cherished form of her husband. "Tell him . . . tell him I'm still fighting." Her body was losing its fight to say tensed, and Winn's head came to rest under his chin. "I'm still fighting." As Marcus looked at her husband, he got the idea that Jack already knew.
"Thank you for taking care of that little disturbance, Captain. It is unbecoming of any man in the service of the king to behave in such a manner." While brother and sister had been talking, the commodore had come up behind them unnoticed. His words may have been addressed to Marcus, but the other man saw that the Commodore's eyes were locked on his eccentric passenger.
It was several moments before Norrington took his steady gaze from Jack with what appeared to be some measure of reluctance. But before Marcus could confirm his suspicions, his commanding officer had switched his focus to Winn. "I'm thankful to see that you're awake, Miss . . . ?"
"Smith. Winifred Smith. And actually, it's Missus, should it please you, sir." Marcus hid a smile. Not only was Smith the favorite name for those who didn't wish to share their true name, but it had been their mother's maiden name. He had to admit that Winn was doing a good job hiding her true feelings, but then, she was probably too worn out to actually get mad.
"Ah. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Smith. Tell me, where is your husband so that we may contact him? I'm sure that he'd be relieved to hear that you're safe."
"My husband?" Winn hadn't been thinking that far ahead when she'd corrected the man, and playing the young, desolate widow seemed a bit to close to truth at the moment. Her eyes flickered between the Commodore and her husband as she tried to decide that to say.
Norrington caught her uncertainty and the wavering direction of her gaze. "Is your husband alive, Mrs. Smith, or is there something you'd like to tell us?"
She shook her head. "No, he's alive for the time being. He's a captain. Deals with merchant goods mostly. I'm afraid that his ship was severely damaged recently."
"He's alive?" Winn nodded and Norrington relaxed minutely. Marcus wondered what was going through his superior's head, but didn't have time to ponder the question for too long. Winn's breathing was growing shallow again, so he thought it best to postpone Norrington's questions for another time.
"Commodore, I thought we agreed to let the poor woman be until she was a bit stronger?" Marcus turned to his wife, relieved that she was there to make the objection. It would have sounded odd coming from him. "Now, Mrs. Smith may be awake, but she's in no condition to be answering questions. Right now I'd like to get her to my house as soon as possible so she can be a bit more comfortable."
"Of course, Mrs. Morgan. Please forgive me," the man bowed his head in apology. "Mrs. Smith, I hope you have a speedy recovery. Captain Morgan, please join me once you have the ladies settled." The commodore bowed to the women before moving away to take care of other matters.
Not that Winn paid him any attention after Grace had entered the conversation. All her focus at the moment was spent on trying to stay awake. Part of her was urging her to sleep, but a stronger part was protesting that she couldn't look sick around Jack. He'd done too much to get her to help – she couldn't scare him by looking like she might still keel over at any time. Fight. Have to fight.
Her internal battle lasted through Marcus settling her into the boat and Grace talking a spot at her side. She didn't notice the arm that wrapped around her or the shoulder that pillowed her head. All she could see was Jack on the deck, surrounded by people who didn't understand. "They don't understand."
"Understand what?"
Why did Grace sound so worried? "What he did." Winn didn't notice that the boat was being lowered. Her body had felt enough odd sensations in the past days that she no longer paid them any mind. Instead she watched as the blur that was her husband was made to climb into another boat. To her frustration his shape kept getting smaller, and that's when she realized where she was; in a boat, surrounded by the very men who were holding Jack captive.
Marcus watched his sister and wife from his position near the front of the boat that was conveying Norrington, Jack, several guards, and himself to the wharf. Earlier that morning, Grace had commented that it would be easier for all involved if they were able to tie up at the docks, and he agreed. The trip would certainly be less harrowing for Winn in particular if that were possible. But it wasn't. There was an English merchantman tied up at the docks that hadn't been expected. It had been raided by Spanish pirates, and seeing as how this had been the nearest port, the port officials hadn't declined it a berth. But that did mean that the Redemption had to take anchor out in the harbor.
It wasn't long however, before the small convoy of lifeboats had reached the docks. Both Marcus and Norrington watched as Winn had be lifted out of the boat. It was hard to tell if she was still conscious, and Marcus had to fight the urge to glance at Jack to gauge the man's reaction. He couldn't appear to have too much to do with the man if he hoped to help him. Norrington on the other hand, had no such qualms. He turned in the boat and studied Jack as if he were going to give something away, that he was going to react in some manner to the sight of a woman he had supposedly harmed in a way that would either support or refute whatever suspicions he held about Jack's part in all this. Jack, knowing that one wrong glance could give away too much simply met the Commodore's eyes, not even glancing at Winn as she was hauled up the short distance to the dock on the shoulder of one of Marcus' men.
It looked decidedly uncomfortable her brother decided. He could see that his wife was near exploding with temper at the maneuver though, and he realized that the position may not be the best for a pregnant woman who had nearly lost her child. He'd have to talk to the man about listening to Grace when she was acting as the primary caregiver for pregnant women. What did men know of such things? They were better off acting under the direction of a woman who had not only helped deliver children, but had bore five herself. However, he couldn't help but smile when Grace scrambled up after the man and took charge of her sister-in-law, a foreboding look on her face. Maybe he wouldn't have to talk with the man after all.
Next it was their turn. Marcus and Norrington climbed out of the boat first, then waited as first the sailors and then one of Jack's guards disembarked. Next came Jack and then his other guard, both of them watching the man as one watches a poisonous snake. They suspected him of being capable of attempting escape, and Marcus had to applaud their intelligence. If it hadn't been for Winn, Jack would have made himself scare ever so long ago.
"Marcus." The captain and the commodore both turned when Grace called to her husband. Marcus raised an eyebrow, silently asking what she and Winn were still doing here. She should have bustled Winn into the waiting carriage as soon as they were both on dry land. He doubted that his sister was even going to be able to stay on her feet for much longer; her face was pale and sweat was starting to bead it, and she was weaving dangerously on her feet even as she leaned on Grace. One of the sailors that Marcus had assigned to her tried to lend a steadying hand, but she feebly shook it off, apparently sticking to her decision that she didn't want to be touched by any person that might wish her husband harm.
Grace knew what her husband was thinking, but she simply discarded the look. Even while barely conscious, Winn was a stubborn force to be reckoned with. She had decided that she wanted to see Jack, and Grace wasn't going to argue. At least not yet. She'd have to eventually, but right now she had other things to attend to. "Will you lend me one of your cabin boys? I'd like to summon a midwife and another woman I know who might be of service."
Marcus nodded, realizing that what Grace really wanted to do was contact the Turners. He looked around, trying to spot one of the urchins that had come out from England to serve as cabin boys. He only spotted one to his not-too-great surprise – Port Royal was still mostly unexplored for them. "Tom." The boy he named came over. "Mrs. Morgan wishes you to run some errands for her. You are to do as she tells you without delay or dawdling. When she no longer requires your aide, you're free to do as you wish with the rest of the afternoon." The boy whooped and ran over to his captain's wife, eager to learn his mission so that he could get to his free-time sooner.
Grace gave the boy her requests, listened as he repeated them to her, and then sent him off. Next she turned to her recalcitrant sister-in-law and started leading her to the waiting carriage, moving slowly so Winn could keep up. Winn threw but one last look over her shoulder to her husband before focusing on keeping her legs underneath her.
"Captain, if there's nothing holding you up, can we proceed to the garrison? I think it would be best for all concerned if we got Sparrow under lock and key as soon as possible."
"Thought I was already under lock and key, Commodore."
Norrington turned to his cheeky prisoner. "Until your input is requested, it would be in your best interests to keep your comments to yourself, Mr. Sparrow." The group set off, the two ranking officers ignoring Jack's quiet mumbles about how it was 'Captain Sparrow.'
They hadn't gotten far, no more than a few hundred feet, before they were accosted by a small street urchin selling apples.
"Hello sirs! Got me four nice shiny apples! Selling them for only a pound each! Please sirs, I got a mother and four sisters to feed! They're ripe and ready for eating!" The boy must have been somewhere around twelve or thirteen, for his stature was slight and he still had the voice of a young boy. He danced around in front of Norrington and Marcus as if he suspected that he might get his ears boxed for his impertinence.
The two men came to a halt, Marcus watching with interest as Norrington eyed the boy with the same air that he watched Jack – with a mixture of impatience, irritation, and humor, as if he were annoyed by the fact that the person in front of him had the ability to make him want to let down his stiff guard for a moment. The boy caught the Commodore's gaze and the hopeful look on his face grew with exaggeration.
"Please sir, just one apple…only a pound."
The asking price was nearly eight times what the fruit was worth, and all listening knew it. "What is your lowest price?" Marcus wasn't surprised that Norrington was going to buy an apple. Somewhere beneath the uniform, the gold braid, and the powdered hair lurked a rather generous man.
"Eight pence."
"Two."
The boy narrowed his eyes as if he suspected Norrington of trying to cheat him. "Six."
"Three."
"All right, four is my final offer."
"Four pence it is." Norrington pulled out his purse and gave her the agreed amount.
"Thank you sir, thank you so much!" The boy held out four apples. They were in remarkably good condition for a street waif. He must have stolen from a street vendor somewhere, but neither man commented on it. "Take whichever you prefer, sir."
Norrington looked over them for a moment, then picked the largest, nodding and continuing on. Marcus wanted to stay and see what else the boy would do, but continued walking as well. Behind him he could hear the boy ask, "Oh, a prisoner! What was your crime, sir? Get caught stealing a pie off of a window? Or was it cross-dressing?" Marcus held in a laugh.
"Grace, we came as soon as we heard your message. What's wrong? What's happened with Jack?" Grace heard the Turners stop as soon as they caught sight of who was lying her guest bed. "Winn! Oh dear lord, what's happened?" Elizabeth rushed to the bedside, reaching out to touch to her friend, but at the last moment she jerked her hands back. "What's wrong?" There were tears shimmering in her eyes.
Grace rubbed her forehead and sighed. "It's a long and complicated story, Elizabeth." Will came up to stand beside his wife, shock as clear on his face as it was on hers. "But the long and short of it is that Winn's pregnant." The faces of her audience both paled considerably at this news.
"Surely that shouldn't be enough to make her look as if she'd on death's doorstep," Elizabeth breathed.
"No, it isn't. And to all accounts, she was well enough to go wandering all over the Caribbean after her husband up until a few days of go." This was going to take some explaining. "Why don't we have a seat?" Grace gestured to a small table surrounded by four chairs.
Reluctantly Elizabeth and Will followed her lead, Elizabeth still clinging to her husband's hand. Once they were all seated, Grace didn't delay in telling her story. "I'll leave most of the explanation to Marcus since he's the one who heard it from Jack. But apparently Winn was poisoned by a man who blames her for his son's death. He didn't give her enough to kill her, just enough to make her body reject the baby. So far she'd fought it, and has seemingly won, but she's incredibly weak. It'll be at least a week and a half before I'll allow her out of bed and more than that before she's able to stay up for an entire day. Everything hinges on keeping her settled and as unworried as possible during these next few days."
"And Jack?"
Grace looked at Will. "That's where I need your help. Jack was with Winn when she was poisoned. In fact, he was the bait this man used to lure Winn to his ship." She took a deep breath before continuing, "Jack turned himself in to get Winn the help she needed. Luckily, it was our ship that found them. Marcus has done all he can to keep Jack in one piece. You can imagine what a task that's been."
The Turners remembered the boys remark about how Jack had apparently poisoned a lady. "He can't actually believe that Jack poisoned Winn and then turned himself in to get help for her," exclaimed Elizabeth. She knew that the Commodore was a man who firmly believed in upholding the law, but she also knew that there was more to him than that.
Grace shook her head. "No, I don't think he does believe that. In the absence of any facts, he's doing his best to be just and do the honorable thing. Things would be so much easier if Jack would simply tell him the truth."
"Why won't he?"
"He won't talk because he's afraid of casting suspicions of piracy on Winn, and he won't let us say anything or let us admit that we know Winn because he doesn't want Marcus to be hurt by talk. If it was known that a rather sterling member of the king's navy were not just related to a rather famous pirate by marriage but to an infamous one by blood, the ramifications could be enormous. And Marcus already treads a fine line by doing his best to never intrude upon family business. But he is doing all he can to help Jack. Or at least he's doing all that Jack will let him do, which isn't much."
"Grace . . . ?" The weak voice from the bed interrupted the conversation. Winn sounded confused and a bit scared, as if she wasn't sure where she was or whose care she was under, which she probably didn't. Will and Elizabeth turned in their chairs to look at Winn as Grace got up and went to her.
"What is it, Freddy? Are we being to loud?"
Winn shook her head. "I'm thirsty."
This was the first time that Winn had asked for something to drink, and that gave Grace some hope. She reached for the carafe sitting next to the bed and poured some water into a glass. Looping an arm around the woman's shoulders, she helped Winn sit up while supporting the hand that came up to hold the glass with her free hand. When Winn and emptied the glass, Grace helped her recline onto the pillows once more.
"I heard you talking. Who else is here?"
"Elizabeth and Will. Would you like to talk to them?" Winn nodded and Grace beckoned the couple over. Standing up, she told them, "I'll leave you alone for a bit. If she starts acting disoriented or has trouble focusing her eyes, don't worry, it's just the tail-end of the poison she was given. If she starts having trouble breathing, it's probably best to let the conversation stop until she's caught her breath. Try not to keep her awake for too long, she still needs her sleep." Having delivered these instructions, Grace left the room, closing the door behind her as quiet sobs started to weave a despairing pattern through the air.
"Captain." The guard at the top of the steps that led down to the fort's jail came to attention with the ease and familiarity of long practice. Marcus merely nodded to the man before going down the stairs to see his brother-in-law.
Marcus had rarely been down to the fort's jail, usually having nothing to do with those who were incarcerated there. He didn't know if anyone would comment on the growing frequency of his visits, but he was prepared to tell them that he was merely trying to get 'Mr. Sparrow' to tell him what had really happened the day they Redemption had found him. It wasn't precisely the truth, but Winn's pleas still rang in his ears. He'd do what he could to see Jack come out of this in one piece.
Marcus reached the bottom of the stairs and glanced around the room. Besides Jack, there was but one man who was dead drunk and oblivious to the entire world keeping the several cells occupied. Marcus would bet his new ship that the man had been brought in around dawn and would be released as soon as the alcohol wore off. But for now he was asleep, which suited the captain's needs perfectly.
Continuing down the row of barred rooms, Marcus paused before the last one. There was his brother-in-law, in much the same nonchalant position as he'd last seen the man in. "Jack, knock it off. It's simply me."
"Ah, Marcus, good to see you. How's the family?"
The younger man shook his head. "In much the same state in which they arrived. All except the children, I suspect. Grace undoubtedly has her hands full trying to keep them out of their aunt's room. But I'm reasonably sure she sent for some mutual friends to help her."
Jack nodded. "I won't keep you from your family from long, Captain Morgan. I just need you do a single favor for me."
"And what's that?"
"See that this note gets delivered." Jack stood up from his relaxed position against the wall and came over to the bars. "Don't worry about who it needs to get to. If I'm right, the recipient will come seeking you instead of things happenin' the other way around."
"Jack –"
"No, lad." There was that serious tone that made Marcus wary again. "That's all I require of you at the moment. When I have a bit more of an idea of what I'm doing, then I might need some more assistance. But until then, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your distance and see to your family."
Jack went back to the spot he'd been occupying. Sliding down the wall, he resumed his carefully crafted pose. "Don't be surprised if the person I expect to come for that is a bit rude. Not all pirates are as courteous as I am. Now scamper off like a good navy officer, and wait in your office until you've done what I've asked."
Marcus shook his head in disbelief, but he turned to do as he was told. At the last minute though, he remembered the message that Winn had asked him to pass along. "She's still fighting."
"I know, Marcus. I'm counting on that." Jack closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rough stones. "Tell her to give no quarter and take no prisoners."
Marcus pondered this message as he ascended the stairs and made his way to his office. Jack obviously thought that whomever he was expecting would come here, and it would be a good idea to see what business had happened while he'd been away trying out his new ship. He was standing with his back to the door, ruffling through some papers when a knock came on the door.
"What is it?" Marcus didn't have time to deal with people seeking him out if he was supposedly waiting for one of Jack's pirate cronies. He could see the reactions such an entrance would generate.
"Message for you sir, permission to enter?" The voice sounded as if it belonged to a young boy. If all that the child needed was to deliver a message and perhaps receive one to return to whoever had sent him, then Marcus supposed it wouldn't hurt to let the boy come in.
"Permission granted."
"What's the message?" Marcus asked, briefly looking up from the papers he was shuffling through.
The boy wore a smile that broadened at his question. "To answer my questions, Captain." Marcus found himself looking down the barrel of pistol into a pair of grimly amused eyes. "Why is Sparrow imprisoned? Not another pathetic attempt at hanging him for 'piracy' is it?"
Wait, he'd heard that voice and seen those eyes recently. His eyes narrowed and he kept a wary gaze on her. "The apple vendor."
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Author's Thanks: to those of you who are wondering about the possibility of a Norrington/Winn connection . . . well, I'm not sure what to say other than if I tried such a thing, Winn would most likely try to kill me. She's assured me that she is a one-man type of girl. You'll all see the cause for Norrington's concern in chapter 24 or thereabouts.
Sorry about the brief thanks this time around. It's been nearly a week since I've received some of this reviews, and there's been so many that I simply can't remember them all. I'll try to be more in-depth next chapter.
lilitaliandragon
VagrantCandy
bobo3
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jackfan2
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Daze19 – I can't remember if you're a first time reviewer or not. I seem to remember seeing your screen name before, but I can't for the life of me be sure. So in that case, you can rock my fake pirate medallion, and if I've already given you something to rock, then you can return it. How's that sound? : )
jigglykat
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Dawnie-7 – Now, I'm reasonably certain that you are a new reviewer. Am I right? I hope so, because here's my bottle of pretty, shiny rocks for you to . . .well, rock . . . in my appreciation of your review. : )
Ashley
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Akiva – I'm really pitiful, but I can't remember if I've ever heard from you before either. My brain is pretty much fried from finals still. But, just in case you're a new reviewer as well (which I think you are), you can rock my copy of PotC, which I'm reasonably sure just came in the mail today. : )
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_bebe.flip – ah-ha! I know I've never heard from you before! : ) Thank you so much for taking the time to review, and you get to rock my . . . *glances around room, mumbles to self "I need more stuff"* . . . you can rock my . . . my awesome candle that has red, green, and yellow palm trees pressed into the sides.
Dog Star – I also know that you're a new reviewer. Also want to give you much thanks for taking the time to review. You can rock my graduation tassel that's hanging on my wall. How's that? : )
Vimana Feral – last certain new reviewer for the chapter. I just got your review, and must say that I'm glad you submitted it. I always love hearing from people who like reading what I like writing. You can rock my pearl earrings, even though I need to get them repaired. Seriously, I can't wait until Christmas and I have more stuff for people to rock. I'm running low. ; )
