Do I Have To Cry For You?
Chapter Nine
Morning. Night had already come and gone. Heavy fog that enveloped the Dauntless and dense, gray clouds that had been dripping for hours had replaced the moon and the stars. The sea was strangely hushed and ominous, and the wind, usually alive and dancing with the sounds of piracy and of the sea, held a ghostly stillness to it as it swept over him and through the sails of the Dauntless.
The saturated fabric hit the deck. What was once white was now a deep shade of red.
"That's a lot of blood, Mr. Turner." Bootstrap slowly rubbed his discolored fingers together before wiping the crimson off on his shirt.
He sighed. "Tell me something that I don't know, Commodore." Norrington walked to stand beside the former pirate captain and stole a glance at the gash that ran the length of his arm. Dry blood literally surrounded the wound on all sides whilst fresh blood was bubbling up from the surface and slowly streaming downwards.
"That's a nasty wound you have there, Mr. Turner."
"I said tell me something that I don't know, Commodore."
"You're liable to get an infection if you don't sterilize that better than you have."
"Yes, thank you for that, and why do you even care, anyway? I'm going to save a pirate, and pirates are evil, evil things that deserve to die, remember?" Bootstrap could not help his tone. All that Norrington had said and done yesterday… blaming Jack for the raid on Port Royale… it had hit a nerve, and he was still fairly livid with the Commodore for even daring to blame Jack for such a slaughter; for ever thinking that Jack could commit such a massacre!
Commodore Norrington reached into his pocket and revealed a clean handkerchief. He took hold of Bootstrap's injured arm and gently started to bandage the wound as best he could with his handkerchief.
Bootstrap watched him in astonishment.
"Your devotion to that man will be your death, Mr. Turner," he told him softly, his eyes holding a seriousness to them, an emotion that he hadn't shown, Bootstrap assumed, since Gillette was brutally murdered by pirates at sea four years earlier. Norrington tied a small knot with two ends of the handkerchief to assure that it would not come loose. "Your life is not worth the life of a pirate."
Bootstrap said nothing as he lowered his eyes to rest on the Commodore's handkerchief. "No," the former pirate captain agreed as he dabbed at the knot curiously, "but it is worth the life of a friend, James." Norrington nodded his head as he turned away from him. He leaned against the ship's railing and lowered his eyes down to the sea. Rain droplets soundlessly continued to pierce every inch of her.
"A friend, eh?"
A small smile stretched across his lips. "Yes," Bootstrap answered softly, "Jack is my Gillette, I guess. He's my best friend, and, I guess, sort of a son to me. I mean, I've known him for twenty three years. That's over two decades. He… -He means a lot to me."
"Gillette… he, um… -He did, too." Bootstrap leaned against the railing as he allowed his eyes to wander off into the distance. The horizon that he loved to chase was not there, though, as it was hidden somewhere in the blanket of fog that had enveloped them.
"I know, Commodore." The drops of rain that had been falling all morning unexpectedly and rapidly quickened their pace and soon began to hammer both the deck of the Dauntless and the two men that were leaning against her railing. The sea grew more and more agitated with each rain droplet that hit her and was immediately showing her irritation by trying to escape the droplets; creating waves that were enough to dangerously rock the Dauntless and put the ship at her mercy.
Commodore Norrington held tight to the railing as another wave rammed into the ship. "William, we have to get off of the deck!" Bootstrap said nothing. Norrington narrowed his eyes in both worry and exasperation. Now was not the time for the man to not pay him any mind! "William, are you even listening to me?! We have to ge-" Another wave crashed into the side of the Dauntless, successfully cutting the Commodore off. He shook his head and tightened the grip that he had around the railing. "We have got to get off of this deck!" Nothing. "William!"
"James." His tone was not normal. The younger man anxiously searched the distance; desperately trying to find, or to see, what it was that had caused Bootstrap to freeze.
Commodore Norrington froze as well.
The Black Pearl was heading right for them with loaded cannons that were more than ready to fight to the death.
It was dark; midnight dark, so dark that the blackest coal in the world shone as intensely as the sea whilst dancing with the sun. It hadn't been this dark in so long… this uncanny, empty blackness… twenty three years… it had not been this dark in twenty three years. Through treachery, mutiny and death there had always been some form of brightness to the darkness, some fiber of optimism, miniature in size, but it had still always been there.
It was dark; midnight dark, so dark that he could see nothing; nothing but the uncanny, empty blackness.
And it had only been one day.
"I don't understand. This… feeling… -You promised that it wouldn't ever come back! That I was safe with you! You're not… -You're not even here. You left me, William! Abandoned me…" The female pirate narrowed her eyes at her captain's words. "Bloody ole' Cap'n Jack… -He deserved this, didn't he? Had it coming… had it coming." She watched as Jack fiercely shook his head from side to side, as if trying to convince himself, or whoever it was that he believed to be speaking with, that his words were not words of truth. "No… -No. Didn't abandon me, did ye, William? No. You'll… you'll be back for me, for Ana Maria, for us… -You'll be here won't ye, William?"
His tone. Ana Maria frowned at that tone.
Miguel had broken what thirty seven years could never even do as much as touch in just one day. One fucking day!
The icy metal bars that separated her from her captain suddenly felt even colder against the dingy thin white shirt that covered her bare back. "Aye, I'll be back for you and your crew, Jack. I have not abandoned any of you."
"Why aren't you here, William? You told me that you would always be here, and you aren't. You're not."
Damn you, Miguel. "I don't know why I'm not with you right now, Jack, but," Ana Maria continued, "I will be there soon." I hate you. "You'll see, Jack. I'll come and I'll rescue you, Ana Maria and Gibbs, Cotton and the rest of the Pearl's crew and it'll be just like old times. Rum and women! You'll see." I hate you. You had no right, no right! "You'll see, Jack, just wait," she repeated, wordlessly cursing Miguel, wanting nothing more than to tear the man from limb to limb, leaving him alive only to be able to watch him slowly die.
Jack sighed. "Do you promise?"
"Do I promise what, Jack?"
"That… -That you'll be here with me soon." Ana Maria gradually felt the fury draining from her face as something inside of her snapped in two and the tears that she had been willing away for days finally spilled from her eyes. "Promise?" She dragged two fingertips across both of her cheeks as she forcefully closed her eyes and lowered them to the ground; a small smile tugging at her lips as she covered them with her hands as an attempt to smother her cries.
They had won.
And Ana Maria knew that Drake and Miguel knew that.
There was nothing that she could do.
"Yes, Jack, I do. I promise."
To Be Continued…
AN: I'm horrible, I know. I haven't updated in two months and two days, but I've been trying! Just, this story has caused some horrid writers block. I really am sorry for making you guys wait for so long so often, though. But do not fear! I am finishing this story, and the rest of the plot is already laid down and planned! Prepare for some shocks come the ending. ;) Muahah.
But ooh! Cliff hanger! Heehee. Don'tcha love me? :)
Umm, I have a job now (woo!) and will, of course, be busier than usual, but Chapter 10 will be up ASAP; probably quite soon, actually. If it wasn't 1:51 AM, I'd start it now. Heh.
Please review!! I will see you guys in Chapter 10!!
