Chapter 34

Ruined Plans

"Thomas," Rena yelled, bursting into Ana's room. He was holding the girl on the bed, probably consoling her.

"What?" He asked.

"Come with me," she ordered and left. Thomas watched her go for a moment and then stood.

"I'll be back Jessie," he said following Rena out of the room. She walked up to the helm.

"Bandit go do something else," she dismissed. He saw Jack walking up the stairs to the helm and nodded, then walked away.

"Yes?" Jack asked as he reached her.

"Take the wheel."

"What? I don't know how to-"

"Take the damn wheel or I throw the girl overboard," Rena growled. He did so quickly. His hands touched the wheel, and she saw him caress it slightly. She smirked as he stood to the side of the wheel, only Jack controlled the helm that way.

"Did you miss it Jack?" She whispered from behind him.

"I've never felt this free before," he said.

"You have Jack, you just don't remember." Rena wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back. She felt his hand rest over hers. She had missed this so much.

"Sail ho," a voice from the crows nest called. "Southeast." She turned around and pulled out her spyglass.

"Naval," she muttered and looked at the flag. "Their flying a flag of truce, slow her down boys," she yelled, turning back to Jack. "Let me take the wheel now, why don't you go find Jessie." He nodded and headed off to Ana's cabin.

"Fly up the white," she yelled watching him walk off. Within seconds the white flag was waving in the wind. She could feel their speed decreasing as her men pulled off the sweeps and lowered the sails to loose the wind. The naval ship was slowly catching up with them; they would be here within a few minutes.

"Captain?" Jake asked coming up behind her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Something's not right," he said. She nodded her agreement.

"Your right, men load the cannons, ready your weapons. I don't trust them to keep their truce," she said. Her men raced into action, they would only have scant minutes before they were within firing range of the cannons. "Jake go help, and make sure there are men ready to take the sweeps if we need a quick getaway."

"Yes Captain," he said, and kissed her lips quickly before running off. She pulled out her spyglass and took a look at the ship again. They were close enough for her to make out shapes, but not faces.

"Damn it," she cursed, wishing their ship would move faster so she knew what was happening, she hated not knowing.

"All's ready Captain," Bandit cried softly, if they yelled loudly at this point then the other ship would be liable to hear them.

"Good," she mumbled. The naval ship was within cannon range. "Hold fire, wait and see if we are fired upon first," she said. The naval ship crept closer. Rena pulled out her spyglass and looked. She could make out the faces of the officers and realized suddenly that it wasn't a naval ship at all, and if it was the officers on it were not officers.

"Crap," she mumbled turning back to her crew. "Fire," she screamed. Her men lit the fuses and pushed the cannons forward, opening the cannon doors. After the sound shock had passed she looked at the fake naval ship. She was taking on water.

"Fire," she heard a woman scream and braced for impact. One cannonball hit the side of her ship where it would do little damage.

"Should we run Captain?" Gabby asked.

"No, teach them who's boss, hoist the Jolly Roger and raise sails. I want us next to her in one minute," she ordered. The men and women of the Black Pearl raced to do her bidding, and before she knew it she was staring at a blond woman across from her.

"Take the ship," she screamed. Her crew began swinging to the other ship and fighting. She smirked as a dozen men fell on the fake naval ship. "Drop anchor." She heard the anchor drop into the water, pulled her cutlass and swung across the water onto the fake ship. The blond woman sauntered over to her and drew her sword.

"Give me back my husband and daughter or I will kill you," the blond woman said.

"You can have the girl, but your husband is not rightfully yours wench. He was mine first," Rena said with a smirk. "Besides don't you know any better? We are the Black Pearl, and I am its Captain. You will not live to regret your mistake, savvy?" The blond woman swung.

Catherine waited for her daughter and husband to return. They never did. The Governor did though.

"Paula listen because I have some bad news," he said.

"What is it?" She asked cautiously.

"Your daughter has been kidnapped by pirates," he said.

"Oh God," she whispered.

"There's more, dear, your husband is-" he broke off and watched her.

"Is what? He's not hurt is he?"

"I don't know. Your husband is the dread pirate Captain Jack Sparrow," he finished. She gasped in disbelief, not that he was a pirate, but that the Governor had found out. They couldn't live here anymore.

"A p-pirate? That's not possible," she denied.

"I'm very sorry and I want you to know that we are doing everything we possibly can to catch up with the pirates that kidnapped your daughter. Once we catch them we will bring her back."

"And my husband?"

"Will be tried and hung for piracy." He left then, leaving her to her own misery. Everything she had worked for, everything she had accomplished had been ruined in mere hours. She watched him leave and closed the door silently behind him. It was time she took back her old name, her true identity, her real life.

Catherine ran upstairs to her room and grabbed a small bag. She needed clothing and she needed money, it was a good thing she kept both on hand in case of emergency. She just wished she had never had to use them. When she caught up with those damned pirates she would make them pay for ruining her new life, she would make them pay for destroying everything she had worked so hard for.

She went into her small bathing room and moved the bath tub aside quickly. Underneath it was a secret passageway; she opened this quickly using a series of buttons to release the door. She crawled down the small ladder and hopped off at the bottom.

"Where'd I put it?" She grumbled to herself as she emptied her pockets looking for her flint and steel. It took her a while but she finally found it and located the torch she left at the bottom. She lit it quickly and the room around her was illuminated perfectly. It was a small room filled with jewels, coins of all values, and men's clothing. She stripped and threw on a pair of breeches and loose fitting shirt. She then gathered as much money as she could fit in her pockets, bag, and small purse before stuffing a few changes of clothes in her bag to cover the coins.

She would need to find her old crewmembers, and a ship fast. She knew the Black Pearl was the fastest ship in the Caribbean but with a bit of luck she could find them and lure them to her. A smirk played on her lips as she doused the torch and climbed back up the small ladder. Her revenge would be sweet indeed.