[a/n from AhiFlame: Well, this chapter will clarify a main question . . .
but I'm not telling which one it is. You'll find out in due time, my
friends . . . *evil cackle*]
[a/n from Sweetn'InnocentNikki: Hi People, I haven't had much part in writing the story YET. LOL. School is evil why do they insist upon loading homework up on the last week of the quarter? But never mind. I hope you enjoy the story, and give Ahi lots and lots of reviews, 'cause she forwards 'em all to me. Happy Reading mates! I GET ANA-MARIA PART LOL, BUT WILL IS MINE. Ok I'm good. LOL, JK.]
Chapter 3
Jack whirled around on his heel to face those fighting on the deck of his ship, the motion causing the trinkets in his hair to click and strands of said hair to cover his face. He brushed the hair away with a quick swipe of his hand and searched the deck of the Black Pearl for the source of the familiar voice.
A moment later, he spotted it. There stood Grapple, holding Ana- Maria hostage with a dagger pointed dangerously at her throat.
Rage flared inside Jack, and he instantly began shoving his way to the side of the unmarked vessel, then jumped the distance between the ships once more. After gaining his footing, he continued his extremely fast pace across the deck of his ship, avoiding the bodies littering the deck.
Only one tall man in particular with a jagged scar running the length of his face attempted to stop Jack's advancement. A swing of the cutlass later and the blighter had crumpled to the deck in pain. Jack didn't waste time in dispensing of the man; he didn't have any to spare. Instead, he surged forward, expertly dodging other bouts and making good headway towards his destination.
"Stop right there Sparrow." An icy, demanding voice said from off to his right.
Jack turned to the voice, fire and hate flaring dangerously bright in his eyes. "Don't ye dare order me on me own ship."
Bo'sun stepped closer to Grapple, Kohler, and Ana-Maria with a disgustingly evil grin. "Correction, this is our ship."
Now the anger was growing so strong it was all Jack could do to stop himself from lunging at the ex-crew members and fighting for all he was worth. "Let 'er go!" Jack spat, fighting to control his anger.
Bo'sun shook his head, not dropping the nasty little smile. "Give us the Black Pearl, and we'll let 'er go."
Jack gritted his teeth. "Just let 'er go. Your quarrel o'er the Pearl is with ME, not my crew." In his peripheral vision, he saw Ana-Maria tense as the dagger moved ever so slightly closer to her neck.
"That's where you're wrong, Sparrow." Bo'sun corrected.
"If it weren't for your crew, we'd still 'ave the Pearl. They stole her from us during the battle." Twigg finished, stepping up.
Jack suppressed an angry growl and replaced it with a fake smirk of satisfaction. "So, they stole 'er, huh? I'll 'ave t' complement them on their sneakiness . . ."
Ana-Maria took her queue; Jack was buying her time while he spoke. She lifted up her right foot, then slammed it back down on the toe of Grapple's boot with all her strength.
Grapple howled in pain, releasing her and the dagger at her neck as he proceeded to tend to his throbbing foot.
Ana-Maria caught the dagger in her right hand as she stepped away from her ex-captor. She then stepped over and stood beside Jack, drawing her cutlass with her other hand.
"Cute Sparrow, very cute. Trainin' yer wenches now, eh?" Grapple muttered, straightening up.
Ana-Maria started to growl, but stopped when Jack's arm snaked out in front of her, silently ordering her to be quiet. She glared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too preoccupied with what his ex-crew was up to.
"Leave 'er outta this." Jack said coolly.
Ana-Maria looked up at the opposing pirates, only to find the muzzle of a pistol aimed straight at her, the hammer down.
"That was yer only warnin', mate." Jack cautioned, casually edging over so he was standing ever so slightly in front of Ana-Maria.
Ana-Maria side-stepped a bit so that Jack wasn't fully in front of her. To her dismay, the pistol followed her movement, alerting Jack to her change in position.
The resounding echo of the pistol going off shot across the deck of the Black Pearl, but-much to Ana-Maria's surprise-she felt no pain.
She slowly opened her eyes, (she didn't even realize she had closed them in the first place,) and searched herself for any sigh of a bullet wound. Nothing.
A soft thud in front of her reminded her that Jack had been in that general vicinity. She looked up and to her horror, she saw Jack slump over onto his side from his previous kneeling position, clutching at his chest.
"Jack!" Ana-Maria exclaimed in shock, dropping to her knees beside his body. She placed a hand on his left shoulder and shook him just a little bit. "Jack?"
Jack was completely unresponsive. Only the rising and falling of his side proved him to be alive.
Hot tears of anger pricked the back of Ana-Maria's eyes, but she wouldn't allow them to fall-wouldn't let those jerks have the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She gritted her teeth and stood up, fury flaring in her eyes.
Bo'sun jerked his head in the general direction of Jack's body and Grapple headed for the fallen captain.
"Dump the body . . . s'of no value to us." Bo'sun ordered.
"Leave him be!" Ana-Maria snapped, retrieving her cutlass from the deck.
Grapple stopped, phased just a bit by the angry woman holding a sword. Bo'sun jerked his head again-this time in Ana-Maria's direction, but she was too preoccupied warning Grapple off to notice.
She remained so focused on protecting Jack from the man in front of her that she didn't even notice that Kohler and Twigg were behind her until they seized her arms, took her cutlass, and tossed it well out of her reach. They then pinned her arms behind her back and held her tightly in place while Grapple picked up Jack's body and flung it over his shoulder carelessly.
Ana-Maria stared at the puddle of blood where Jack's body had been just moments ago. Fear for Jack swept over her, and she tugged against her captors more.
As Grapple passed the three on his way to the railing, Ana-Maria spat at his boots, receiving a sharp tug on the hair as reward for the gesture. She growled inwardly, struggling against her captors for all she was worth.
Grapple stopped at the railing, then lifted the limp form off his shoulder and knocked it over the gunwale. Ana-Maria lunged forward as far as her restraints would let her, but to no avail. She watched the spot where Jack's body had been dumped numbly, desperately wanting to run to the edge and dive in after him. Her senses-as well as the knowledge of her current situation-flooded back in a huge wave, that sent her struggling, kicking, and biting even more ferociously than before.
"Let me go you mutinous, slimy, bilge ra-" She was cut off as the hilt of a sword was brought down on the back of her head and darkness overcame her.
~*END FLASHBACK*~
Elizabeth and Will's jaws were hanging open in shock, while Bootstrap had his head bowed as if in prayer.
Will recovered first. "So that's it? They killed Jack and took the Pearl?"
Gibbs shook his head. "No lad, they left th' Pearl. They 'ad lost too many men an' we badly out-numbered them. They retreated, but not without leaving a permanent scar."
Bootstrap nodded in understanding. "Jack was a good man . . . he deserved better'n that."
"Aye." Gibbs and Ana-Maria muttered in accord, sadness weighing their voices down.
An awkward silence dropped upon the group, seeming to sit upon their shoulders and enjoy the now-painful memories running through their heads.
"Well." Gibbs said suddenly, standing up. "We best be gettin' back t' the Pearl."
Ana-Maria nodded and stood as well. The two pirates turned to leave, when a soft voice stopped them.
"Wait,"
[a/n from Sweetn'InnocentNikki: Hi People, I haven't had much part in writing the story YET. LOL. School is evil why do they insist upon loading homework up on the last week of the quarter? But never mind. I hope you enjoy the story, and give Ahi lots and lots of reviews, 'cause she forwards 'em all to me. Happy Reading mates! I GET ANA-MARIA PART LOL, BUT WILL IS MINE. Ok I'm good. LOL, JK.]
Chapter 3
Jack whirled around on his heel to face those fighting on the deck of his ship, the motion causing the trinkets in his hair to click and strands of said hair to cover his face. He brushed the hair away with a quick swipe of his hand and searched the deck of the Black Pearl for the source of the familiar voice.
A moment later, he spotted it. There stood Grapple, holding Ana- Maria hostage with a dagger pointed dangerously at her throat.
Rage flared inside Jack, and he instantly began shoving his way to the side of the unmarked vessel, then jumped the distance between the ships once more. After gaining his footing, he continued his extremely fast pace across the deck of his ship, avoiding the bodies littering the deck.
Only one tall man in particular with a jagged scar running the length of his face attempted to stop Jack's advancement. A swing of the cutlass later and the blighter had crumpled to the deck in pain. Jack didn't waste time in dispensing of the man; he didn't have any to spare. Instead, he surged forward, expertly dodging other bouts and making good headway towards his destination.
"Stop right there Sparrow." An icy, demanding voice said from off to his right.
Jack turned to the voice, fire and hate flaring dangerously bright in his eyes. "Don't ye dare order me on me own ship."
Bo'sun stepped closer to Grapple, Kohler, and Ana-Maria with a disgustingly evil grin. "Correction, this is our ship."
Now the anger was growing so strong it was all Jack could do to stop himself from lunging at the ex-crew members and fighting for all he was worth. "Let 'er go!" Jack spat, fighting to control his anger.
Bo'sun shook his head, not dropping the nasty little smile. "Give us the Black Pearl, and we'll let 'er go."
Jack gritted his teeth. "Just let 'er go. Your quarrel o'er the Pearl is with ME, not my crew." In his peripheral vision, he saw Ana-Maria tense as the dagger moved ever so slightly closer to her neck.
"That's where you're wrong, Sparrow." Bo'sun corrected.
"If it weren't for your crew, we'd still 'ave the Pearl. They stole her from us during the battle." Twigg finished, stepping up.
Jack suppressed an angry growl and replaced it with a fake smirk of satisfaction. "So, they stole 'er, huh? I'll 'ave t' complement them on their sneakiness . . ."
Ana-Maria took her queue; Jack was buying her time while he spoke. She lifted up her right foot, then slammed it back down on the toe of Grapple's boot with all her strength.
Grapple howled in pain, releasing her and the dagger at her neck as he proceeded to tend to his throbbing foot.
Ana-Maria caught the dagger in her right hand as she stepped away from her ex-captor. She then stepped over and stood beside Jack, drawing her cutlass with her other hand.
"Cute Sparrow, very cute. Trainin' yer wenches now, eh?" Grapple muttered, straightening up.
Ana-Maria started to growl, but stopped when Jack's arm snaked out in front of her, silently ordering her to be quiet. She glared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too preoccupied with what his ex-crew was up to.
"Leave 'er outta this." Jack said coolly.
Ana-Maria looked up at the opposing pirates, only to find the muzzle of a pistol aimed straight at her, the hammer down.
"That was yer only warnin', mate." Jack cautioned, casually edging over so he was standing ever so slightly in front of Ana-Maria.
Ana-Maria side-stepped a bit so that Jack wasn't fully in front of her. To her dismay, the pistol followed her movement, alerting Jack to her change in position.
The resounding echo of the pistol going off shot across the deck of the Black Pearl, but-much to Ana-Maria's surprise-she felt no pain.
She slowly opened her eyes, (she didn't even realize she had closed them in the first place,) and searched herself for any sigh of a bullet wound. Nothing.
A soft thud in front of her reminded her that Jack had been in that general vicinity. She looked up and to her horror, she saw Jack slump over onto his side from his previous kneeling position, clutching at his chest.
"Jack!" Ana-Maria exclaimed in shock, dropping to her knees beside his body. She placed a hand on his left shoulder and shook him just a little bit. "Jack?"
Jack was completely unresponsive. Only the rising and falling of his side proved him to be alive.
Hot tears of anger pricked the back of Ana-Maria's eyes, but she wouldn't allow them to fall-wouldn't let those jerks have the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She gritted her teeth and stood up, fury flaring in her eyes.
Bo'sun jerked his head in the general direction of Jack's body and Grapple headed for the fallen captain.
"Dump the body . . . s'of no value to us." Bo'sun ordered.
"Leave him be!" Ana-Maria snapped, retrieving her cutlass from the deck.
Grapple stopped, phased just a bit by the angry woman holding a sword. Bo'sun jerked his head again-this time in Ana-Maria's direction, but she was too preoccupied warning Grapple off to notice.
She remained so focused on protecting Jack from the man in front of her that she didn't even notice that Kohler and Twigg were behind her until they seized her arms, took her cutlass, and tossed it well out of her reach. They then pinned her arms behind her back and held her tightly in place while Grapple picked up Jack's body and flung it over his shoulder carelessly.
Ana-Maria stared at the puddle of blood where Jack's body had been just moments ago. Fear for Jack swept over her, and she tugged against her captors more.
As Grapple passed the three on his way to the railing, Ana-Maria spat at his boots, receiving a sharp tug on the hair as reward for the gesture. She growled inwardly, struggling against her captors for all she was worth.
Grapple stopped at the railing, then lifted the limp form off his shoulder and knocked it over the gunwale. Ana-Maria lunged forward as far as her restraints would let her, but to no avail. She watched the spot where Jack's body had been dumped numbly, desperately wanting to run to the edge and dive in after him. Her senses-as well as the knowledge of her current situation-flooded back in a huge wave, that sent her struggling, kicking, and biting even more ferociously than before.
"Let me go you mutinous, slimy, bilge ra-" She was cut off as the hilt of a sword was brought down on the back of her head and darkness overcame her.
~*END FLASHBACK*~
Elizabeth and Will's jaws were hanging open in shock, while Bootstrap had his head bowed as if in prayer.
Will recovered first. "So that's it? They killed Jack and took the Pearl?"
Gibbs shook his head. "No lad, they left th' Pearl. They 'ad lost too many men an' we badly out-numbered them. They retreated, but not without leaving a permanent scar."
Bootstrap nodded in understanding. "Jack was a good man . . . he deserved better'n that."
"Aye." Gibbs and Ana-Maria muttered in accord, sadness weighing their voices down.
An awkward silence dropped upon the group, seeming to sit upon their shoulders and enjoy the now-painful memories running through their heads.
"Well." Gibbs said suddenly, standing up. "We best be gettin' back t' the Pearl."
Ana-Maria nodded and stood as well. The two pirates turned to leave, when a soft voice stopped them.
"Wait,"