Chapter Four
Lord Malcolm

Will's eyes fluttered open the next morning. He and Ali had shared Chris' bed the night before, and in the night the girl had snuggled into her father's chest and one of her thumbs found its way into her mouth. Will smiled softly as he surveyed her. He and Elizabeth had tried to break her of the habit of thumb-sucking before the pirates came to Port Royale. He brushed a wisp of Ali's hair from her face and saw that the backhand had given Ali a bruise at her brow. His own brow furrowed and his heart ached for her. Will didn't know what other abuses she had suffered over the year, but he still couldn't believe he had his daughter back at last. Even if he couldn't have Elizabeth back as well, he had Ali, and she would always have a part of Elizabeth in her. That was something. A tear worked its way from his lids and fell upon Ali's cheek. It woke her.

"Daddy, what's the matter?" Ali asked, wiping the tear from her face.

Will sighed. "I just miss your mother, darling." He looked at her with sad eyes and a heavy heart.

"I thought that one lady was my mummy. They have the same color hair." Ali said.

Will sighed sadly. "No, that's Chris. She's a friend of ours."

"Where is mummy?" Ali asked.

"She's gone, darling."

"Where can we find her?" Ali whispered.

Will sighed heavily and ran a thumb over her cheek. "I don't know, sweetheart."

Suddenly, Jack burst in through the door. "Chris, I-" He paused as he saw Will and Ali. "Oh. My apologies, I thought she was in here." His gaze lingered on Ali for a moment and then he laughed. "Ha! Living proof you aren't a eunuch!" He exclaimed. He bowed to Ali and Will and then backed out of the room and closed the door.

As he headed for the stairwell, Gibbs stumbled from the hold where he had slept and groaned. "Captain… Did someone hit me on the head last night?" He asked Jack.

Jack paused and his mustache twitched. "No, why?" He asked.

"My head is killin' me and I have a lump right 'ere." He rubbed the back of his head and groaned.

"Funny ol' world, innit?" Jack asked. The sudden ringing of the bell on deck immediately drew their attention. They scrambled up the stairwell and saw that Chris' hand was upon the lanyard to the bell and she continued to ring it furiously. Cotton was at the helm, and Chris turned to her captain and first mate.

"We have a problem." She gestured behind them. All three ran to the port side, leaned over, and looked aft. Behind them was not only the single ship from last night, but two others. The pirates of the Black Pearl milled about the deck, heeding the call to quarters.

Jack closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Bollocks." He opened his eyes and turned to Gibbs. "Go below deck, prepare the cannons, and send Will up." Gibbs nodded and headed below. Jack turned to Chris. As quartermaster, she would be the one to lead the boarding party if – when the Black Pearl attacked. Now it seemed that the Pearl was more likely to be boarded. "Chris, get the crew ready to fight. Spare no weapons, no ammunition." At that moment a huge and resounding BOOM issued through the air and the impact of the following cannonball knocked Chris into Jack. He righted her and asked, "Alright there?" She nodded. "Do as I said." He said before climbing up the stairs to the helm.

Will emerged from below decks, his daughter clinging to him. He passed by Chris and went to say something, but she stopped him. "Not now. I'd get her somewhere safe if I were you." With that, she continued on her way. Will looked to see the pursuing ships and blanched. There was another boom as Chris pulled a trunk full of weapons onto the deck, and the passing cannonball just missed going through her spine. She did not stop to think about it; there was work to do.

Will looked up to Jack and asked, "What should I do?" Ali began shivering with tears as more explosions sounded and splinters flew into the air.

"Take her below and do what you can with the cannon!" Jack commanded, the wheel spinning in his grasp. "This is no place for a girl!"

"Speak for yourself, captain!" Anamaria called from the top.

The enemy ships slowly circled the Black Pearl until two of them were broadside, one to port and the other starboard, and the last swooped in before the Pearl's bow broadside. "Lower the anchors!" Jack yelled. If they collided with the ship, the Pearl was done for, and Jack would rather take his chances with cannon fire. Marty threw the switch on the capstan and the first anchor throttled into the water, followed closely by the second. The Pearl lurched to a halt. The other ships quickly threw grappling hooks and planks across, and when the enemy pirates boarded, Anamaria and Chris met them on both sides.

They fought as furiously as they could, but outmanned three to one was barely competition. Chris' rapier was knocked her grasp, but she would not give up that easily. She hurled herself onto the man who disarmed her and knocked his sword aside before beating him with her fists. It took five men to haul her off of the poor bloke, and they held her to the deck. That did not stop her tongue, though, and to try and quell her prattling, a sailor tried to gag her. He received a deep bite that drew blood. Several men did their best to gag Chris, eventually succeeding, while those below were disarmed and brought above, Will and Ali among them. Their hands were bound behind their backs and each sailor of the Black Pearl was lined up on the deck. Ali was wracked with sobs as she was separated from Will, her hands bound. Chris was down the line from Will, and Jack even further down looking very put out.

A man in his thirties with black hair, dark eyes, and a pinched face boarded the Black Pearl from the largest of the pursuing ships. He wore a large gold-trimmed tricorn and was not very tall. Chris felt as though she knew him from somewhere. He observed the line of pirates and silently pointed to Will and Chris. Will was shoved forward and Chris was dragged. There was a small quibble about who would remove her gag before the man spoke.

"Which one of you killed John Malcolm?" He asked. Will and Chris looked at each other, but said nothing. "Answer me! Which one of you killed John Malcolm?" They were still silent. The vein in the man's forehead was throbbing as he roared, "ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL –"

"What? Kill us? Cut out our tongues?" Chris sneered. "Then you wouldn't be getting too much out of us, would you?" The man turned to stare at her hard, and she glared back at him with brazen eyes. He crossed to where she knelt.

The man bent down and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up so that their faces were so close she could see the roof of his mouth as he talked. "No. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I will kill every one of your crewmates, starting with that little lass." He pull his pistol from his waistband, cocked it, and aimed for Ali. She trembled and sputtered in fear.

Chris breathed in and said, "I shot him when he tried to shoot that man." She nodded towards Will. "He bled out in the alley before I left. It was all me. Satisfied?"

"Oh yes indeed." He took the bead of his pistol off of Ali and then pointed it at Chris. "Now I know who to kill for my father's murder." Will lunged forward, but someone grabbed him by his bound hands before he could do anything else. Jack had also pitched forward, but didn't get very far. Their efforts caught the man's attention. "Hmm. Ship's whore?" He asked.

"Just because ye have to pay for your women doesn't mean that they do." Chris growled. "And I am not for sale."

The man looked down his nose at her. "You should watch your tongue, woman."

"And ye should just accept your father's rightful death and sod off!"

A man from man's crew stepped forward and slapped her across the face. "You do not talk like that to Edward Malcolm, wench!"

"Edward Malcolm?" She replied. "Lord Edward Malcolm?" She suddenly looked distraught and disturbed.

"Ah, so you have heard of me." Lord Malcolm grinned and shoved his pistol into his belt. "May I inquire your name before I run you through?"

"I have a way to solve this!" Jack said suddenly. "You let us go, and… I will give you ten percent of all my plunder!" He strained against his bound.

Lord Malcolm frowned. "See, this is not the way I like to solve things. I like to things to end in blood." He pulled a dagger from his belt and raised it to Chris' neck.