Title: Dragonfly

Author: Muse a.k.a. Viorith

Rating: R for sexual content and violence.

Pairing: Will/OFC, Jack/Anna Maria

Feedback: Yes

Archive: Ask first please!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with PoTC, I'm just playing with them. I do own Sabine. So please ask if you want to play with her.

Summary: Sabine has loved Will since she was 16, but since his eyes were for Elizabeth only, she settled for his friendship. A year after the curse is lifted, Sabine now needs him to teach her the way of the blade so she can avenge her father's death on a man that once called himself his friend.

Note: "Words in italics inside quotations are spoken in Spanish."

Chapter 20

Oliver compared two ledgers. He checked the numbers of each, making sure the figures were correct, and thusly making sure his profits had been recorded correctly. Since arriving, Sabine took a seat behind the counter at his desk. Her arms folded over her breasts, and a scowl set firmly on her face. He had hoped as time passed she would cool down, but almost three hours lapsed and the young woman seemed just as angry as when she stormed out of the house.

"How long do you plan to remain angry with your young man?" Oliver questioned, his eyes still on his work for the most part.

"That depends," she answered curtly.

"Depends on what?"

"On how soon judgement day arrives."

The statement drew a chuckle from the ex-pirate, and the sound drew a daggerish looks from the young woman. If her eyes had been sword, Oliver would have been run through, but he held no fear of her temper. He had faced down the most fearsome men, one upset woman was nothing compared to that.

"You do not mean that."

Sabine said nothing, her raised eyebrow spoke for her.

"I know you feel what he did was wrong—"

"—You're bloody right it was. I trusted him and he betrayed me. He did to me the very thing he accused my father of doing. And what's worse, he did it under the guise of love."

"You believe his love to be false?"

"He gave my map—"

"—Yes, yes¼ he gave your map to Sparrow. A map he promised to keep safe. But he also promised to keep you safe, no? How can he do that with you on a pirate ship?"

"I didn't ask him to keep me safe," Sabine pointed out.

"No, but as I understand it, your father did. I do not think he would approve of your current choice in life¼ even if it is to avenge his death."

"From what everyone keeps telling me, he could hardly point fingers."

Oliver placed his pen on the counter and gaveher the full weight of his dark-eyed gaze. He moved to the young woman, squatted in front of her and captured her hands, kissing the back of them softly.

"He means well my dear. He was only trying to protect you."

"Until everyone stops trying to protect me, I will never know what I am and what I am not capable of."

Sabine stood and pulled her hands free of Oliver's. Without another word of argument, she headed out the back door. Oliver followed her, but only long enough to reach his employees who were hauling timber aboard a ship with a massive hole in its hull.

"Gustave," Oliver called the name, and motioned to a short man with a stout build.

He was a non-threatening, non-descriptive man. He looked no different than any other walking the streets of Aruba. Due to his shorter stature he was certain not to stand out in a crowd, or be spotted by Sabine.

"Yes boss?" he question, and wiped the sweat from his brow with a kerchief he stuffed back into the waistband of his trousers.

"You see that young lady walking there?" Gustave turned his focus to Sabine heading to the edge of the pier and nodded. "I want you to follow her. Make sure she doesn't fall into any trouble, but make sure she doesn't know you are there. Understood?"

"Understood boss."

Gustave retrieved his shirt from the post it clung to, and took up his new task.

~~~

She sat at the end of the dock where Sparrow's ship had been anchored. Another ship had yet to take the place of The Pearl, affording the young woman an unobstructed view of the sea.

Leaning against a post, she closed her eyes and dabbed at the budding moisture on her brow with a white handkerchief. The noonday sun was rising, and with it bringing the tropical heat that walked hand in hand with Caribbean island. Even with the heat, there was a cooling breeze that kept the heat from building to unbearable heights.

Sabine was tired, she knew she needed to rest, but she couldn't return to the villa, not yet. Not when she was still so angry with Will. She knew what he had done was in her best interest. Deep down she knew this, but she couldn't reconcile the knowledge, with the feeling in her heart, and her heart told her she had been betrayed.

Being a pirate wasn't something she wanted to do, but it was a means to an end. And the end was revenge for her father's murder. She knew he had a past, and that past was soiled, but that didn't justify Dante Jacinto taking him away from her. Gold could be replaced, but she could never get her father back.

With a jaw splitting yawn, Sabine stretched, then searched the pockets of her dress until she came upon the small stash of coins. It was just a few shillings, nothing worthy of a shopping spree, but enough to pay for a room so she could rest a few hours.

She stood and shook the dirt from her skirts, then made her way back down the pier, completely unaware of Gustave or his assignment. She made it to the end, but froze before stepping from the docks. A voice she would never forget for as long as she lived, filled her ears. She hid immediately, her heart slamming in her ears and chest as she peeked out from behind the building that hid her body. Her eyes scanned the crowd of men milling about the area.

The voice rang out again, barking orders and instructions, and again she hid from view. He didn't sound happy, but then she didn't think he would seeing how he had been sent on a fruitless search. She chanced another glance, needing to see where he was. As some of the bodies cleared out she saw him moving towards her.

Sabine ducked back and smashed her body against the wall. Her hand cupped her mouth keeping the gasp inside. A wave of panic washed over her body, stealing the heat and her ability to move. If Jacinto saw her... she could taste her pulse in her throat as his voice grew closer.

"I want to be ready to leave here in the morning," he instructed the man walking beside him. She only had a glimpse of him before retreating to her hiding place, but like she would never forget Jacinto, she would never forget D'angelo either.

"And our guests?" Jacinto's second in command questioned.

The two men continued to talk as the passed her hiding place. Neither of them so much as glanced in her direction as they continued on to register the ship at the office.

"Make sure they are comfortable," he answered, then added. "But not too comfortable."

They continued talking, but the rest of their words were drowned out by Sabine's heart pounding away in her ears. She tried to will her legs to move, but her feet refused to release their hold. Silent tears rolled from her cheeks as the gun shot that killed her father replayed in her ears. Part of her wanted to run screaming from the dock and not stop until she was safe in the arms of Will. Part of her wanted to charge into the shipping office they entered and confront him, preferably with a gun, and take her revenge. In the end, it was a calming resolve that arrested her body.

Running away was not an option. She had come too far and worked through too much to run back like a frightened child. Killing him turned out not to be an option either, at least not at that moment. The presence of authority in Aruba wasn't as apparent as it was in Port Royal, but it wasn't as non-existent as Tortuga. So she chose the only option left: to follow him.

Fear was slowly releasing its grip, replaced by the hatred and rage that she felt for the man responsible for her father's death. By the time the two emerged from the shipping office, she was ready.

D'angelo headed off in another direction, towards the market part of town. Possible to purchase supplies for the ship, but he wasn't her current concern. She followed her query, completely unaware that she herself was doubly followed.

He moved through the streets like he had been to the sea-side town before, taking shortcuts that lead him to the heart of the less desirable parts of Aruba. In her fine dress and shoes, Sabine stood out like a beacon among the shabby prostitutes that lined the streets and hung over the balcony cat calling to the men below. But the thought of turning back, or giving up never occurred to her. She fell back, adding a few yards to the distance she kept from him to lessen any chance of her being seen.

His journey finally ended when he disappeared inside a dilapidated inn. Whatever the name of it was, would remain a mystery as the post that at one time held a name sign stood naked jetting out over the doorway. The young woman continued to wait in the shadows holding her position. The last thing she needed was to advance too soon and meet Jacinto face to face on his way out.

She waited a good ten minutes before taking the last leg of her journey. Entering the building, she noticed the empty hinges at one time held a door, but it had either been sold for the wood, or destroyed. Sabine imagined it was the latter, by way of a fight during some nightly ruckus.

The inside, if possible, looked in worse condition than the outside. There was a hole in the middle of the floor just to the left of the registration desk. Part of the railing heading upstairs and been broken off, and what remained began as a sharp jagged piece of wood. The floor of the high traffic areas was worn to the point where the color was no longer the same. What wood wasn't discolored from foot traffic was coated with years of dust, dirt and grim. Sabine never really considered herself sheltered before, but she'd never experienced anything like the inn.

The man behind the registration counter turned to greet the newcomer, his attitude changing immediately when his eyes fell on the young woman. Sabine felt them move over her body and had to physically stay her hands from rising to cover herself.

"Well, young missy. You don't look like you're from round here," the man grinned at her breasts and revealed a mouth with more teeth missing than present. "Looking for a little bit of company, eh?"

Sabine moved forward, making a conscious effort not to grimace as the smell coming off the man intensified as her proximity to him shrunk. She reached into her pocket and withdrew all the shillings from her dress, placing them on the counter in front of the man. His eyes made the immediate leap from her breasts to the twenty coins. His fingers reached for the money, but not before her hand slapped down covering them.

"You want a room?" he questioned, his eyes returned to the exposed flesh of her breasts.

"No, I want information. The man who just checked in how long is he staying?"

The man proved to be better at lecherous stares than he was at playing dumb. He gave a quick glance up the stairs that was so obvious, even had Sabine not known Jacinto entered, he would have given it away.

"No one been through here since this morning."

Sabine raised an eyebrow. "I know for a fact he did, not fifteen minutes ago."

"So what if he did? What's it to you?"

"It could be twenty shillings to you. All you have to do is tell me how long he's going to be here, and what room he's staying in."

The innkeeper hesitated. Again he cast his eyes up the stairs, then back down to the palm that hid his treasure. It wasn't a hard decision to make. At two shillings a night for a room, he had a chance to make in one moment what he usually earned in a week.

"He's just here for the night. Room six, up the stairs and straight back to the end of the hall."

"Thank you."

Sabine's hand only raised off the coins a fraction before his fingers attacked, sliding them to the edge of the counter and into his hands. She turned and left, not waiting for him to count them. The first part of her mission was completed. She knew where he was, and she knew where he would be when she returned later that night. She headed back to the docks and the shipping yard. She needed to return to the villa and prepare herself to the next part of the journey.

~~~

Ten that night found the house silent and asleep. She had said little to Will upon her return, choosing the solace of her room instead of his company. Behind the doors she had been preparing herself in the practical sense as well as mentally. She was about to take a man's life, and she knew no training could prepare her for the moment of truth. Would she pull the trigger or would she succumb to the gentler side of the woman she used to be. She encouraged herself that she would follow through with the plan, but only time would tell if she truly had it in her.

As if by divine intervention, Will had kept his distance from her. He only checked on her once and that had been a quick conversation with the bedroom door between them. Her dress from earlier was traded for a pair of trousers and a shirt. The sword she purchased in Tortuga was secured to her waist, a dagger clung to her other leg, and a pistol was loaded and tucked in the front of her pants. Her dark hair was captured in a single braid that hung down her back.

She pressed her ear to the door and heard nothing. She cracked open the door, peeked out, and saw one of the servants asleep on the other side. She pulled the door open more, but a sharp creak in the hinges forced her to stop. It hadn't waken her watchdog, but the next one might.

Closing the door she cursed silently. There hadn't been a guard on her door before, and she wondered why one had been placed there. It seemed impossible that Will knew what was going on in her mind, but why the extra protection. She wasn't sure if the servant was there to protect her, or to keep her in her room, but there was more than one way to the outside.

She threw open the window and looked out. The full moon was high on the property and lit the ground below her, revealing it was free of any sentries. She easily swung up and out the window, holding tightly to the ledge until her toes found crevices in the brick facing. Years of sneaking out of her own window as a child had prepared her for that moment.

She lowered herself carefully and as quietly as possible, cringing everytime the sword clanged against the bricks. She would pause long enough to ensure she hadn't waken any members of the house before inching down another step. When she was close enough, she dropped to the ground, making a soft almost soundless thud.

Sabine remained in the crouched position, again she surveyed the area to make sure she was still the only one out. Only when she was positive the coast was clear did she venture soundlessly to the stables.

Unlike the occupants of the house, the horses were awake when she entered. She took the dark house closest to the door, saddled and reigned it, then led it to the front gate. She took care to keep it on the grass, making sure it's hooves didn't click against the pebbles that created the paved pathway. It wasn't until she was a good piece away that she mounted the horse and headed for the nameless inn.

~~~

He crept out of the darkness of the trees that hid them after seeing the young woman take off. He had but one mission. Under the light of the full moon, a man made his way inside the Adoza estate.

~~~

Sabine decided to enter into Jacinto's room, the same way she exited hers. It wasn't hard to determine which window was his. The innkeeper revealed it was at the end of the hall, and after a quick survey of the building, there was only one window at the back where the hall would end. She tied her horse at the back, in case she has to make a quick exit, but it was merely a caution. She had already heard several pistol shots after entering the district and assumed hers too would go unnoticed.

Again, it seemed fate was one her side. There was a back staircase that was an arm's reach from the target window. And when she reached the window, she found it already open a crack. Slow and quiet, she pushed the window up a bit. Removing her sword from her belt, she held onto it as she slid her body through the opening.

She moved quietly. Her feet made no sound as she crossed the room to the bed. She was surprised to find him asleep already, the loud snoring confirmed that he was in bed. On the way over she had been prepared to wait inside for him to return. The position of the window allowed precious little light in, but it was enough for her to make out both a lamp by the table, and matches next to it.

As quietly as a mouse, she slipped her sword back into its holding, to free her hand. She struck a match and froze, looking and listening for any change in breathing or movement from her pray. Seeing none, she lit the lamp… and froze again.

With the soft glow from the lamp she saw D'angelo sitting in the corner of the room. His pistol was already aimed at her, presumably already cocked. When her eyes tracked back to Jacinto she found him unarmed, but staring at her with dark eyes full of anger.

Sabine brought her gun up to Jacinto's chest. Her eyes quickly moving from the other man in the room, to the one she wanted to kill.

"Do it and you will be just as dead," D'angelo warned.

The hesitation only lasted a moment before her finger applied the necessary pressure to the trigger. The gunpowder in the pan flashed, but it never connected with that in the chamber and instead of the lead ball blasting into Jacinto's face. Smoke rose from the barrel of a misfired pistol.

The flash in Jacinto's eyes was only slow in comparison to the flash of his hand that struck Sabine hard across her cheek. She collided with the ground, where a well placed boot in her mid section left her gasping for air.

"You little bitch!"

He reached down and dragged her up to a half sitting position by her hair. With one hand, she tried to loosen his grip. With the other she reached for the dagger on her thigh. D'angelo fired. The ball of his pistol embedded itself in Sabine's upper left arm. Jacinto kicked her again, and Sabine cried out. Tears sprang to her eyes as she curled into a ball to protect her stomach from any more blows.

"Where's the map?" Jacinto yelled. When Sabine remained silent he grabbed her by the hair and shook her violently. "Where's the bloody map, you lying bitch!"

He stopped shaking her long enough for her to speak, but instead of words in his ear, he received spittle in his face. The action earned her another hard back-handed blow. Her teeth struck the inside of her cheek and blood filled her mouth. She waited until she collected enough before her blood mixed with her spit on his face.

Jacinto stood and removed a handkerchief from his pocket. Calmly he wiped his face, touching everywhere that felt wet. Then, just as calmly he folded the cloth and replaced it into his pocket, before he slammed his foot down on the injury in Sabine's shoulder with all his might.

The scream that ripped from her throat was borne of pure agony, and seemed to leave an echo behind even after the original sound died away.

"Get her up." he instructed D'angelo, "I want her to see what happens to people who double cross me."

~~~

Will came to consciousness with a start, coughing as smoke filled his nostrils. It didn't take long to realize where it was coming from as yellow light danced outside his door. Still wearing the clothes he fell asleep in, he jumped from bed, grabbing his sword as he threw open the door and was assaulted by the hot air and flames of a fire that had engulfed the second floor of the house.

"Sabine!"

He raised his hands to protect his face as he stormed into the hallway. Fire licked the walls and destroyed the painting that hung there. From what he could see, what was left of the downstairs was completely engulfed. A loud creak echoed to his left and was followed by the balcony crashing to the ground as the weakened beams gave way.

"Sabine! Oliver!" Will yelled again.

Beams from above collapsed and dropped to the second landing, creating an obstacle course as the Blacksmith made his way to Sabine's room. Eduardo was gone, the chair he sat in a part of the flames licking around the open door to Sabine's room.

Like the hallway, most of her room was alive with fire. A curtain of it blocked the entrance, and burned the young man as he dove into the room. The bed was already on fire, but there were no signs that it was occupied. He searched the room frantically for any signs of her.

"Sabine!"

"William!" Oliver's voice called out from the hall.

"I'm in here. I can't find Sabine!"

"You must get out—"

His words changed to screams as the floor he stood on gave way and sent him plunging to the flames below. The house shook from the lost of support and shifted throwing Will to the ground. He looked up and rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding one piece of timber that crashed from the ceiling, but taking a blow to the shoulder from another.

"Oliver!"

He picked himself up slowly, cradling the injured arm to his stomach. He tried to go back into the hall, but the window that had allowed him into the room was gone. All he could see was fire. He heard another large creak and felt the house shift under his feet again. He had to find Sabine, but he couldn't get to the rest of the house from that room.

It was when he moved to the window that he noticed it. The sword that lay across the seal was gone. A couple more quick observations and he found the pistol was missing too. Without another moment wasted, Will climbed out the window. He tried to climb down, but when pressure was placed on his injured shoulder his hand gave way and the Blacksmith dropped to the ground. His head hit the grass and his world went dark.

~~~

Sabine walked next to D'angelo's horse. Her hands were bound in front of her at the wrists, the other end of the rope secured to his saddle. Her face hurt, her stomach ached, and her shoulder throbbed from the hole that continued to slowly leak blood. The lead ball was still in her flesh and it felt like it was heating up instead of cooling. She had been stripped of her weapons, but they would have been useless to her.

In addition to D'angelo and his Captain, five other henchmen rode with them back to Oliver's estate. She had no idea what he had planned, but they had made a mistake in leaving her mouth uncovered. As soon as they were close enough she would alert the house, hopefully someone would hear her before it was too late.

"It occurred to me," Jacinto began, "That I planned incorrectly. This was of course after killing your father and finding out that I was sent on a wild goose chase. I never figured you would be so cunning. An error on my part, you are, afterall, the daughter of a back stabber. But in my infinite I realized I shouldn't have killed Diego, I should have kept him alive to use as a bargaining tool. Lucky for me, you have more than one."

The plan to cry for help died as they approached the villa. She saw the yellow glow in the distance, and knew immediately what it meant. There was only one thing that could have lit the dark sky with that much light. The horrible nightmare became a reality when they road through the gates to witness the remains of the Adoza estate still burning itself out.

"No!" Sabine jerked against the ropes binding her to D'angelo's horse. "No! Will! Will!"

She continued to fight against the ropes to the point where D'angelo had to dismount to keep her from escaping. The pains of her body vanished in the face of what raged before her.

It was apparent the fire had been burning for sometime. The roof had collapsed and flattened everything in its path. The fire hadn't been able to destroy the outer brick frame of the house, but everything else was abolished. Tears welled in her eyes and her anguishing wordless screams turned into sobs.

"I hear it's a terribly painful way to die, being burned to death," Jacinto stated dismissively.

"You bastard!"

Sabine attacked. She lunged at Jacinto, but the ropes and D'angelo made sure she didn't get far. The pirate slid from his horse and approached her, careful to avoid any kicks that would be thrown his way. He closed the space between them, and roughly seized her cheeks between his fingers.

"Do I have your undivided attention?" it was of course, a rhetorical question. "I know Will is not the only one you care about. I have the other two on my ship."

"What?"

"I returned to Port Royal with a mind to force you to lead me to the treasure. After some asking around I found out you had been gone for months. Of course I feared my search would be hopeless, afterall, with you father dead, why would you return? However, after some more asking around I found my answers in the form of a Senora Gezana Montoyano and a Senora Elizabeth Norrington."

Sabine's eyes said the words her voice lacked. She had prepared for everything but that.

"They are waiting for you aboard my ship. Currently they are unharmed, how long they remain so will depend entirely on you."

Jacinto gave a nod. He and D'angelo remounted their horses, with D'angelo pulling roughly on Sabine's ropes until she fell in step beside him. She turned and stared at the charred remains of the house, her tears blurred her vision. Once the house was gone from sight, she held her head down and wept silently.

A/N: Hey! Thanks all y'all for reading my stuff, I really, really appreciate it. The feedback helps and encourages. Also, to those of you who sent emails with constructive criticism… THANKS!! I like that you took the time to criticize in a constructive manner, rather than just flaming it. It helps me become a better storyteller. Let me know if you've noticed the changes. Thanks again everyone!!