Chapter Twenty: Reunions

Jack stood alone at the helm of the Black Pearl. It had been two days since they'd left Havana, but there was still no sign of the ship that had been described to them.

Silently he pondered on the evening before last. Alaina had asked him a slew of odd questions, like if he had been in Port Royale when the pirates had attacked almost four years ago.

'Maybe she thinks I had something to do with Elizabeth's murder,' he thought to himself, locking his hands on the wheel. He had heard about the attack almost a year later, when he ran into Will at Tortuga and shared his sympathy. He had actually even tried to help him.

Will had been completely pitiful. Not in a bad way, but in the way that made Jack have actual compassion toward another human being, which he decided was a very powerful thing indeed for someone to accomplish. After all, he was a pirate.

"Cap'n, we have a ship a few miles south of us!" Ana Maria yelled from the crow's nest.

Jack looked up at her. "Is it the one?" he asked, hoping that it was.

Will had been acting quite strange, stranger than usual. Jack had even noticed that Will hadn't slept or eaten since he found out Alaina was missing. Jack partially blamed himself for losing her; he should've been paying more attention. On the other hand, Will shouldn't have said what he did to her.

"Aye!" Ana Maria confirmed.

Jack sighed in relief. "'Ey Will, we've got the ship in sight!" Jack called over his shoulder, knowing that Will was somewhere nearby.

Will jumped at that and turned to where Jack stood at the helm, where he'd been positioned almost the entire day.

Will hoped Alaina was all right; he didn't know why they took her, and that worried him. He had been mad at himself the past two days that he had told her that she was the reason Elizabeth was no longer there.

It wasn't true; he knew it wasn't. He could never think that. Alaina was one of the very few reasons he hadn't joined Elizabeth. He hoped she knew that, too.

It seemed like an eternity since they had left Port Royal, when in reality it had been less than a month ago. Everything seemed unreal, a dream. A dream that when he woke up, he would laugh about it. But he knew he wasn't dreaming. This was all too real.

***

Alaina began to panic as she sank lower and lower into the water. She hadn't counted on the shackles being so heavy. 'Please god, let Jack and James at least make it,' she prayed, trying with all her might to kick herself toward the surface.

Carrick watched, barely able to make out Alaina's outline in the crystal blue waters. He had to make the choice of plunging into the freezing waters and rescuing her or staying on the Gray Morning and just watching her drown. And he had to choose fast. Decisively he picked out the key for shackles and gripped it tightly in his hand as he dove off the ship and into the water after her.

Alaina watched hopelessly as the sunlight grew dimmer and dimmer. 'I'm going to die just like my grandfather,' she thought sadly. 'Well, kind of.' She was so absorbed in trying to make it to the surface she didn't see Carrick before he was right in front of her.

Her lungs were about to burst and her chest burned as her oxygen ran out. Quickly Carrick took out his key and unlocked the shackles from her wrists. Immediately she felt a great weight lift from her, but her body couldn't take it any longer. She began to cough violently, filling her lungs with bitterly icy water.

Carrick took a daring leap of faith, taking her face in his hands and breathing what little oxygen he had into her mouth. Alaina was totally shocked, but nevertheless took it as they began to swim wildly for the surface.

***

"Jack?" Will asked, squinting his eyes as he saw two very small figures in the distance.

"What?" Jack asked, giving Ana Maria the helm and striding over to him.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the figures.

Jack frowned and took out his telescope. "It's two boys," he confirmed as he focused on them. "And they're either twins, or I'm seeing double."

Will frowned and took the telescope. "Oh my god," he said out loud, seeing them.

"What? Do you know them?" Jack asked, confused.

"It's the boys," he said almost to himself.

"You mean your boys?" Jack asked, but Will ignored him.

"Ana Maria, turn hard to starboard!" Will yelled.

"What?" she asked, not thinking that he wanted a direct assault on the other ship.

"Do it!" Jack commanded, knowing Will wouldn't be doing anything too insane.

Ana Maria sighed, but did as she was told.

***

"Where's Alaina?" James asked his brother, trying to catch up to him.

"I don't know, but the Pearl's coming towards us!" Jack yelled, seeing it slowly turning.

"Oh, to hell with it all!" James yelled, his arms aching, not able to suck in enough breath.

"Just hold on!" Jack encouraged his brother.

***

Alaina and Carrick both took large gasps of air as soon as they reached the surface. Immediately, they heard the sharp crack of a pistol and a splash of water right beside Carrick's head.

"Come on!" Carrick said loudly, motioning for the Pearl.

"I hate this!" Alaina almost screamed as she followed, still not able to catch a full breath of air.

Carrick almost smiled inspite of it all.

***

"Jack! James!" Will said, hugging them after they'd been pulled up and out of the water. "Where did you come from?"

Jack was too tired to even begin to talk, but James tried to explain. "Kidnapped," James said between breaths.

"What? Why?" Everything was just too coincidental for it to not be planned. The boys and Alaina had both been kidnapped.

Someone wanted something. Badly.

***

Alaina quickly fell father and farther behind Carrick as they swam away from the Gray Morning and towards the Pearl. Carrick turned his head to look for her just in time to see her stop moving completely.

"Come on!" he yelled at her as the Gray Morning began to fire cannons at the Pearl, who retaliated in kind.

"I can't," she told him, trying desperately to catch her breath. Carrick knew that she was telling the truth and began to swim back. Skillfully he wrapped one arm around her waist and began to pull her toward the Pearl.

"So much for the risk of me going unconscious," Alaina said with a groan, closing her eyes as the salty water filled them, causing them to burn.

Carrick silently agreed, noting to himself that it was the second time within the past ten minutes that she had said something sarcastic.

***

"What the hell?" Will asked aloud as he saw two figures swimming toward the Pearl.

"It's Alaina and Carrick!" James cried out, catching a glimmer of the man's blonde hair.

"Alaina and who?" Will asked, puzzled at the odd name.

"Carrick. He's the uhm…" Jack trailed off, trying to find the right word to describe what the man had done for them.

"He's the one who's made sure we've been all right since we'd been kidnapped," James finished.

"How do you two do that?" Jack asked, completely bewildered at how Will's boys were finishing each other's sentences.

"You get used to it," Will assured, then turned back the railing, hoping the two would get there before the Gray Morning approached much closer.

***