Usual disclaimers. blah!
***
Catherine and the crew walked slowly up the hill towards Will's house. She was not looking forward to this visit, her own memories of her father's death still too clear in her memories for comfort. She sighed, looking up from her thoughts, surprised to see a face she knew. Lucon? Catherine turned to say something, but he had disappeared, lost in a crowd of people heading towards the dock. No, she must have been mistaken. Davit Lucon could not have been in Port Royal... could he?
She shook her head, drawing her mind back towards what they were there for as they turned the corner to see the house before them, it's stout wooden door already open. Eilis was sitting there, playing quietly with a small, tattered doll but she looked up on hearing their footsteps, a smile lighting up her face.
"Kitty!" she squealed, dropping the doll and running towards them, throwing herself at Catherine who scooped her up in her arms.
"Hello Eilis," she smiled, hugging the small girl. "Are you the welcoming committee?"
"No, but we are, pirate!" a voice said from behind them.
Catherine turned in shock to see a squad of marines surrounding them, weapons drawn. She paled, realising the implications of their presence and their use of the word pirate. She slid Eilis to the ground. "Go inside love, and shut the door," she warned.
"But Will said the marines were our friends?" Eilis puzzled, not understanding what was happening and frightened by the raised weapons.
"Eilis - go!" Catherine hissed fearfully. The last thing she wanted was for the child to be caught up in a fight. She breathed a sigh of relief on hearing the door closing but did not realise that Eilis still peered out from behind the door.
"Take 'em!" the Sergeant ordered.
Catherine drew her sword with the rest of the crew. She knew somehow they had been betrayed and worried about the Black Pearl and the rest of the crew in the harbour. She charged the nearest marine, clearing a gap. "Lonan!" she shouted. "Go!" He needed no further bidding, flying down the hill as fast as he could, praying that the marines would be too occupied with trying to take the others to be able to fire their rifles, but two broke free and gave chase and more marines were arriving.
"Bitch!" the marine opposing her snarled as she caught him a glancing blow. They were badly outnumbered but, although the crew tried to defend her, Catherine knew there was no hope. She heard the door squeak behind her.
"Stay inside!" she shouted, not turning to see who it was, praying that one of the children was not about to wander into the fight.
"Kitty!" Joshamee shouted in warning. She turned in horror, but too late. Two of the more enterprising marines had forced their way through the house and had come upon the rear of them undetected. A rifle butt slammed against the side of her head, another hard on her leg. She screamed, falling as darkness claimed her.
***
Davit Lucon cursed. The Governor had acted more quickly than he thought and he had not realised that the Black Pearl was already in the harbour. For a panicked moment he thought the Sparrow woman had seen him, and he had ducked down a side alley to avoid her. He quickly make his way to the docks for the Pelican was due to sail with the tide and he did not wish to be late. Walking up the gangplank he nodded to the Captain and settled down quietly on deck as the crew finished making their preparations to leave. He sighed as the Captain ordered them to cast off, hearing gunshots in the distance - that had been too close for his liking.
***
Strong hands hauled Lonan Kree from the water onto deck, blood trickling from a cut on his arm where a shot had grazed him. "We've been betrayed..." he gasped, looking up at Jack. "Captain, they've got Kitty!"
For a moment Jack stood frozen in shock, the horror on his face echoed by the crew. He flinched as a cannon ball hit the water a short distance from the Black Pearl, seawater splashing those standing on the deck. The spray seemed to shake him from his daze for he ran to the rail, climbing over.
"Jack! No!" Jean Claude shouted, grabbing him and hauling him back onboard. "Hawker, help me!" he pleaded as Jack turned to fight him. Jean Claude swept Jack's feet from beneath him sending him crashing to the deck. Pinning his hands he sat on him, William Hawker adding his weight against Jack.
"Let me go you French bastard!" he cursed. "They've got Kitty!" A fist snaked out catching Hawker in the face, but he just grunted and continued to sit on him.
Jean Claude looked at Oran desperately. "Get us out of here Booth!" he shouted. "We can do nothing if they sink the Pearl!"
Oran nodded, realising they would get no sensible commands from Jack until he calmed down. "Weigh anchor!" Oran shouted. "And loose the sails!" He ran up onto the quarterdeck, relieved to see that Jack was now restrained even if he did continue to struggle.
"Return fire, damn you!" Jack cursed from beneath Jean Claude and William. "That is a bloody order!"
The remaining crew, those not raising the anchor or unfurling the sails, readied the shoreward cannons. They fired on the fort as more cannon balls slammed into the water close to the Black Pearl but it was only by sheer luck that none of them hit her as she fled from the harbour.
Jean Claude looked down at Jack who glared at him. "Are you sane yet?" he asked.
"As I'll ever bloody be!" Jack snarled. "Let me up!" He retrieved his spyglass from where it had rolled, relieved to see it undamaged... well, the lens at least. "Take us to th' cove Booth!" he ordered tersely, staring at Port Royal as it disappeared from view before despondently turning to Lonan. "Okay Kree, what th' hell happened?"
"We didn't do anything Captain - honest!" Lonan protested. "We walked up to Will's house, Eilis greeted us and then there were marines everywhere... Kitty ordered me to run - she wanted you warned,,,"
"It's alright Kree, yer did as she ordered..." Although calmer, Jack was clearly frantic with worry. "What else?" he prompted, determined to discover all that he could.
"We were badly outnumbered Captain, and more marines were arriving by the minute..." He looked at Jack, fear in his eyes. "They called Kitty a pirate..."
Jack went white, his hand gripping the rail for support.
"Captain?" Jean Claude frowned, not fully understanding Jack's reaction.
"He's gonna hang her!" Jack gasped.
"Surely not?" Jean Claude frowned. "You said that this Norrington was a gentleman..."
"I wasn't talking about Norrington," Jack worried as his guess echoed around the deck. Jean Claude was shocked to see the terror in his eyes. "I'm talking about th' bloody Governor - an' believe me, Spense would hang her..."
***
***
Catherine and the crew walked slowly up the hill towards Will's house. She was not looking forward to this visit, her own memories of her father's death still too clear in her memories for comfort. She sighed, looking up from her thoughts, surprised to see a face she knew. Lucon? Catherine turned to say something, but he had disappeared, lost in a crowd of people heading towards the dock. No, she must have been mistaken. Davit Lucon could not have been in Port Royal... could he?
She shook her head, drawing her mind back towards what they were there for as they turned the corner to see the house before them, it's stout wooden door already open. Eilis was sitting there, playing quietly with a small, tattered doll but she looked up on hearing their footsteps, a smile lighting up her face.
"Kitty!" she squealed, dropping the doll and running towards them, throwing herself at Catherine who scooped her up in her arms.
"Hello Eilis," she smiled, hugging the small girl. "Are you the welcoming committee?"
"No, but we are, pirate!" a voice said from behind them.
Catherine turned in shock to see a squad of marines surrounding them, weapons drawn. She paled, realising the implications of their presence and their use of the word pirate. She slid Eilis to the ground. "Go inside love, and shut the door," she warned.
"But Will said the marines were our friends?" Eilis puzzled, not understanding what was happening and frightened by the raised weapons.
"Eilis - go!" Catherine hissed fearfully. The last thing she wanted was for the child to be caught up in a fight. She breathed a sigh of relief on hearing the door closing but did not realise that Eilis still peered out from behind the door.
"Take 'em!" the Sergeant ordered.
Catherine drew her sword with the rest of the crew. She knew somehow they had been betrayed and worried about the Black Pearl and the rest of the crew in the harbour. She charged the nearest marine, clearing a gap. "Lonan!" she shouted. "Go!" He needed no further bidding, flying down the hill as fast as he could, praying that the marines would be too occupied with trying to take the others to be able to fire their rifles, but two broke free and gave chase and more marines were arriving.
"Bitch!" the marine opposing her snarled as she caught him a glancing blow. They were badly outnumbered but, although the crew tried to defend her, Catherine knew there was no hope. She heard the door squeak behind her.
"Stay inside!" she shouted, not turning to see who it was, praying that one of the children was not about to wander into the fight.
"Kitty!" Joshamee shouted in warning. She turned in horror, but too late. Two of the more enterprising marines had forced their way through the house and had come upon the rear of them undetected. A rifle butt slammed against the side of her head, another hard on her leg. She screamed, falling as darkness claimed her.
***
Davit Lucon cursed. The Governor had acted more quickly than he thought and he had not realised that the Black Pearl was already in the harbour. For a panicked moment he thought the Sparrow woman had seen him, and he had ducked down a side alley to avoid her. He quickly make his way to the docks for the Pelican was due to sail with the tide and he did not wish to be late. Walking up the gangplank he nodded to the Captain and settled down quietly on deck as the crew finished making their preparations to leave. He sighed as the Captain ordered them to cast off, hearing gunshots in the distance - that had been too close for his liking.
***
Strong hands hauled Lonan Kree from the water onto deck, blood trickling from a cut on his arm where a shot had grazed him. "We've been betrayed..." he gasped, looking up at Jack. "Captain, they've got Kitty!"
For a moment Jack stood frozen in shock, the horror on his face echoed by the crew. He flinched as a cannon ball hit the water a short distance from the Black Pearl, seawater splashing those standing on the deck. The spray seemed to shake him from his daze for he ran to the rail, climbing over.
"Jack! No!" Jean Claude shouted, grabbing him and hauling him back onboard. "Hawker, help me!" he pleaded as Jack turned to fight him. Jean Claude swept Jack's feet from beneath him sending him crashing to the deck. Pinning his hands he sat on him, William Hawker adding his weight against Jack.
"Let me go you French bastard!" he cursed. "They've got Kitty!" A fist snaked out catching Hawker in the face, but he just grunted and continued to sit on him.
Jean Claude looked at Oran desperately. "Get us out of here Booth!" he shouted. "We can do nothing if they sink the Pearl!"
Oran nodded, realising they would get no sensible commands from Jack until he calmed down. "Weigh anchor!" Oran shouted. "And loose the sails!" He ran up onto the quarterdeck, relieved to see that Jack was now restrained even if he did continue to struggle.
"Return fire, damn you!" Jack cursed from beneath Jean Claude and William. "That is a bloody order!"
The remaining crew, those not raising the anchor or unfurling the sails, readied the shoreward cannons. They fired on the fort as more cannon balls slammed into the water close to the Black Pearl but it was only by sheer luck that none of them hit her as she fled from the harbour.
Jean Claude looked down at Jack who glared at him. "Are you sane yet?" he asked.
"As I'll ever bloody be!" Jack snarled. "Let me up!" He retrieved his spyglass from where it had rolled, relieved to see it undamaged... well, the lens at least. "Take us to th' cove Booth!" he ordered tersely, staring at Port Royal as it disappeared from view before despondently turning to Lonan. "Okay Kree, what th' hell happened?"
"We didn't do anything Captain - honest!" Lonan protested. "We walked up to Will's house, Eilis greeted us and then there were marines everywhere... Kitty ordered me to run - she wanted you warned,,,"
"It's alright Kree, yer did as she ordered..." Although calmer, Jack was clearly frantic with worry. "What else?" he prompted, determined to discover all that he could.
"We were badly outnumbered Captain, and more marines were arriving by the minute..." He looked at Jack, fear in his eyes. "They called Kitty a pirate..."
Jack went white, his hand gripping the rail for support.
"Captain?" Jean Claude frowned, not fully understanding Jack's reaction.
"He's gonna hang her!" Jack gasped.
"Surely not?" Jean Claude frowned. "You said that this Norrington was a gentleman..."
"I wasn't talking about Norrington," Jack worried as his guess echoed around the deck. Jean Claude was shocked to see the terror in his eyes. "I'm talking about th' bloody Governor - an' believe me, Spense would hang her..."
***