Disclaimer: Still don't own anyone or anything from POTC. Still sad about it.
A/N: Italics and ** still mean a flashback.
Thank you once again for the reviews.
Ana watched in shocked silence as every emotion in the spectrum paraded across her brother's face in a matter of seconds. The last emotion was anger, and Prescott seemed to want to stick with that one.
He slammed the door, grabbed Sparrow by his injured arm, and hauled him into the parlor, "Annie, what the hell is going on here!" he demanded through gritted teeth, "is this affinity for pirates going to control your life?"
Sparrow raised his eyebrow and mouthed the word "affinity." Try as she might Anamaria could not get her dropped jaw back into its proper position. "Affinity for pirates." She had not even hinted that she was the same woman who had tended the pirate's wounds in la Cerradura, nor had he appeared to remember her. The man was taking her money. He had not been interested in who she was or where she had been, but he no doubt was very interested, now.
"What are you doing here?" Ana said finally, hoping to completely side step her brother's question.
"I'm your brother, Annie. I am permitted to come and see how my little sister is fairing in her new house. What I'm wondering is what the hell is he doing here?" Prescott nearly spat the question.
Miraculously, Sparrow did not respond. He was glaring at Prescott and rubbing his wounded shoulder. The man had been tortured at la Cerradura. The last thing he needed to deal with was the raving of an irate naval officer.
"Honestly, Christopher is probably turning over in his grave," her brother said throwing his hands up in frustration.
Sparrow's eyes met hers for a split second.
"Leave him out of this," Ana said. She had seen the question in the pirate's eyes at the mention of Christopher, but she chose not to acknowledge it.
"You certainly have," Prescott accused.
"Prescott, what goes on in my house is my business, and I'll thank you to remember that," Ana's voice was surprisingly calm.
"And I'll thank you to remember that I am in His Majesty's Navy, and pirates are my business."
Before Anamaria could reply, her maid stepped hesitantly into the room, "excuse me, Miss," she stammered.
"Yes, Sarah?"
"Captain Norrington to see you, mum."
"What!?" Ana said, wheeling to face her brother, "you did this, didn't you?"
"Invited one of your friends out to see your new home? Yes, Annie, I did. I was unaware that you were already entertaining."
Ana crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I am not entertaining."
"Quite the opposite, luv. I find you very entertaining."
Ana shifted her stare from her brother to the pirate. He was leaning on the back of the sofa for support and wearing a satisfied grin. "You are not helping," she said.
"If you two are finished," Prescott interjected, "something must be done about James."
Ana headed towards the front door, "come on, Prescott, we have to get rid of him."
"Oh, no no no. You have to get rid of him. I think I'll stay here, and get to know your . . . friend a little better."
"Broad minded are we, mate?"
"I am not your mate."
Ana covered her face with her hands as she made her way to the front door. Sparrow was going to get himself shot, if he was not careful. She could not help but be worried about leaving him alone with her older brother. Prescott had already said things that Ana wished he had not said. What else was he going to say to Jack?
"Annie, you look lovely."
James Norrington was a handsome man made more handsome by his new captain's uniform, but on this particular night, he was the last person on earth that Ana wanted to see.
"Hello, James," she greeted trying to sound cheerful and nonchalant, "I don't believe I've congratulated you on your promotion."
"Thank you," he said bowing his head.
"I understand you've just had quite the voyage."
James rolled his eyes, "I merely brought the new governor and his daughter to Port Royal. Our sailing master kept telling stories about pirates and bad luck and so forth. The poor governor was positively paranoid, so when he arrived safely, he recommended my promotion. That's all."
"I'm sure you sell yourself short. Christopher always said that you would make captain in no time," Ana's mind was racing trying to come up with a reason to make James leave, "I understand you're to be off early tomorrow?"
"Not anymore, I'm afraid."
"No?"
"No, it seems a prisoner has escaped from the Spanish authorities. You've seen their ship, no doubt."
"I have," Ana recalled the strange ship and the way that the vessel had caught Sparrow's attention.
"Well, no one's to leave the harbor, for fear the man will stowaway on one of the ships."
"When are you to embark, then?"
"Hard to say. The Spanish want to find their escapee without our help. They don't want us to steal him, I suppose. So, it could be weeks, relying on Spanish competency."
"That long?"
James nodded, "and I shall have to wait, the Interceptor is to convey the Spanish ships to Spain."
"The Navy plays nursemaid to the Spanish, now?"
"Apparently, the prisoner's are pirates. The Crown has a vested interest in ending piracy in these waters, so we are to make sure the prisoners do not escape," James explained, "You know, Annie, wherever there is a pirate involved. There I will be."
Her eyes widened slightly, "you don't know how right you are," she said, almost to herself.
"Well, I am sorry that I cannot stay longer. You're house does look very fine, indeed, but I'm afraid I have to get back to the fort and prepare a room for some Spanish aristocrat."
"What?"
"A Don Cornado. He's the commandant from la Cerradura, he's accompanying the prisoners to Spain. He's arriving on his personal ship tonight and will need a place to stay until this business is dealt with."
Ana's heart threatened to cease beating at the mention of Cornado's name. He was here? In Kingston? Oddly, her first thought was for Jack Sparrow's safety. What would Cornado do if he recaptured the pirate? She could not begin to imagine how that butcher would punish an escaped criminal.
"Apparently, I'm in charge of seeing that the man is looked after," James was saying. He rolled his eyes again, "I have a suspicion that the task is not going to be as simple as it sounds."
Anamaria forced a laugh.
"Goodnight, Annie."
"Goodnight."
She stood frozen at the closed door, momentarily lost in memory.
*****
"Senora," Don Cornado greeted from the door of the siblings' rooms, "your brother tells me you were feeling ill. Nothing serious, I trust?"
Prescott shot her a warning glare.
"No, Don Antonio," she said, "I'm fine."
"Were you outside alone?" the Spaniard asked.
Anamaria could not believe this shrew had the audacity to act concerned for her well being. Clearly, he had no respect for human life. "I just took a walk to clear my head."
"Ah, I see."
"Senor, I noticed the pirate is gone from the yard. He hasn't escaped has he?" she asked, ignoring Prescott's hand pulling on her arm. She knew that she should probably not ask, but her desire to hear what this monster had in mind for Sparrow overpowered her common sense..
The commandant laughed quietly, "oh, no. Of course not. No one has ever escaped from la Cerradura."
"No?"
"No. The pirate is in the infirmary."
"The infirmary?" Ana nearly laughed out loud, "from what I saw earlier, I think your regard for his health comes too little too late."
Prescott coughed loudly, "My dear, you do still look a fright, Annie. Better get back to the bedroom and lie down, don't you think?"
"Not at all, I feel fine," Anamaria replied, her eyes not wavering from Don Antonio's.
"No, you're not," Prescott said, "best to get to bed straight away. Don't want this to turn into something serious."
"It won't"
"It might," Prescott had placed himself between his sister and the Spaniard and was directing her towards her bedroom.
"I'm not worried," she demanded, trying to resist him.
"I can see that," he answered as he pushed her down on the bed and closed the door.
*****
As a little girl, Ana's mother had warned her of demons that walked the earth as men. As a grown woman, Ana was sure that the warning was just her mother's way of making sure that her daughter said her prayers and sat still during church. She had stopped believing in ghosts and demons years ago. That is, until she met one on a prison island a year ago. She had spent the following year trying to forget what she had seen at la Cerradura. Now, it seemed the demon from her past was back to haunt her.
She could hear Jack's voice as she slowly approached the parlor.
"And then," he was saying, "they made me their chief."
"That is a wonderful tale, but I'm sure nothing could be farther from the truth," Prescott replied. Before Jack could respond to his insult, Prescott turned to face Ana, "well?"
"Well what?"
"What have you done with James?"
"Stuffed him in the closet."
Prescott scowled. Jack chuckled softly. Ana noticed that the pirate seemed to be relying on the sofa's support much more that when she had left.
"He had to return to the fort," she said to satisfy Prescott.
"I thought he was leaving at dawn?" he said.
"Not anymore."
"No."
Ana shifted nervously under her brother's stare. She had no trouble holding her own with a pirate threatening her life, but her brother could still disarm her in a way that no other man could. "It seems an escaped prisoner is holding things up," she said not meeting either man's eyes.
"Well, we can fix that," Prescott said, re-claiming his hold on the pirate's arm.
"Prescott!" Ana began, "this is my house and you have no right to barge in here and manhandle my guests."
Sparrow looked up from his injured arm. Clearly he was surprised by her course of action. He must have expected her to tell her brother about the robbery so that Prescott would happily march him back to the Spanish guards.
She was not, however, going to let that happen. Though it might prove to be quite a fight. Her brother was angry, that was obvious. He had often cautioned her about pirates. He said they were always scheming and were not to be trusted.
"No right," Prescott repeated, "I may not have that right, but I do have my duty."
"Duty?"
"Yes, to King and country, remember? The law is the law, and pirates break that law," Prescott said, "there is no good reason for me not to return this man to Spanish authority."
He was right. Jack Sparrow was a pirate. He broke the law, and that was his choice and his life. Prescott had drawn his pistol. He was still speaking to Jack, saying something about shooting him should he even think of moving.
Ana squared her jaw. This was not happening. This was not going to happen. She was not going to be responsible for sending Sparrow to be tortured by Don Cornado.
"You bastard," she yelled. That certainly got the attention of both men. Sparrow had said that she would have made a fine pirate. Maybe he had been teasing, or maybe he really saw something in her. Either way, she was not going to let him down.
"Annie?" her brother was completely caught off guard by her vulgarity.
"One good reason, Prescott? I'll give you one," Ana said, her fists clenched, "I know what the law says. The law says that pirates hang, but we both know that the Spanish have no intention of carrying out that sentence. I'm your sister. I know you. Cornado is an animal. You know what he does to the men he captures. You saw it. If you send Captain Sparrow back to that swine then you're no better than he is, and you are no brother of mine."
Sparrow's brow was knit into a face of perfect confusion. She had said a bit more than she had intended to say. She said Cornado's name. As far as Jack knew, she had no reason to know Cornado's name. His eyes looked almost as black as the kohl that lined those dark pools.
Prescott was dumbfounded. Ana had lashed out before. She had yelled at her brother before. But this was different, and he knew it. Ana could almost see a smile threatening to materialize on her brother's face. She had impressed him.
He lowered his pistol, "that is a good reason," he said.
"Yes, it is," Ana agreed, though her voice betrayed the surprise she was feeling. Was Prescott taking her side?
He turned to face Sparrow, "What I do now," he said, "I do for her . . . not you. I love my sister, Sparrow, but I do not forget my duty. Hurt her, and I'll see you dead."
"Shaking in me boots, mate."
"Come to think of it," Prescott continued, "if I ever lay eyes on you again, I'll make sure you hang. Are we clear?"
"Inescapably," Sparrow answered.
"Good."
Prescott strode out of the parlor. Ana heard the front door slam. He was gone, and Jack was safe, for the moment.
Ana did not quite want to face the pirate. She had no idea what to say. Her grand performance just moments ago must have raised a few questions for the pirate, who already did not seem to trust her. She chanced a glance in the captain's direction. He was not paying attention to her at all. His eyes were closed and he was leaning nearly all of his weight on the back of the sofa. She could see that the bandage on his shoulder was soaked red.
"Mr. Sparrow, you're bleeding," she stated the obvious as she hurried to his side.
"Captain, luv, Captain Sparrow," he sighed softly, "now that the family gathering is over, I-I shall be on me way."
He moved to walk past her but stopped short.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine," he said, "just a b-bit . . ."
Sparrow did not get to finish whatever he was trying to say. Instead, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor.
That's it for now. Don't forget to drop me a review. I'd love to know what you think.
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