Alex and Anna awoke at the same time. "You stayed?" she asked him.
"Of course, Anna. I won't leave."
"Well, I'm sending you away. You need to eat, keep up your strength." She kissed his hand. "Send Jack in. I would like to speak with him."
Alex leaned over and kissed her tenderly. What he did not notice was at that very same moment, Felicity entered the room softly. She stopped dead and watched.
"I won't be long, Anna," Alex whispered. He straightened, turned and jumped in total surprise. "Felicity! What-?"
"I-I came to check on Anna. I'm sorry if I walked in on anything."
Anna smiled reassuringly. "It is quite all right. Do come in. I will enjoy your company."
Alex cast one last look at Anna. She nodded and he turned and left. Felicity pulled a chair up to the bed and sat. There was silence for a bit, while Anna closed her eyes and shifted herself to a more comfortable position and began to talk to Felicity.
~*~
Outside Jack was talking to Will.
"I hate him," Jack told Will. "I hate Dova. He will pay."
"What are you going to do," asked Will.
"Indirect revenge," Jack said. "We need to see Fay."
The Navigator sailed into Tortuga once again.
"We're going to drop off the Tortuga crew, and tell our crews were going to the Faithful Bride and that they need to find a place to stay. They won't be coming with us. And most of all, speak nothing of the goings-on from the Devastator." Jack walked off his ship as he gave orders to Gibbs. "Tell Anna that she will be staying with Felicity and Elizabeth at Damien's."
Gibbs nodded and began giving orders to the rest of the crew.
~*~
Jack walked into the Faithful Bride a few moments later. Fay was working behind the bas, serving mug after mug of rum and other drinks. Jack made his way to the end of the bar and took as seat in the shadows.
Fay made her way to the end of the bar. "How may I help you?" she asked Jack, unknowing of who he really was.
"My usual, Fay, dear, and a moment alone."
"Jack!" she exclaimed.
"Hush, hush," Jack said. "I don't want anyone to know I am here."
Fay nodded and called to someone to take over. She led Jack upstairs to her home, somehow knowing he wasn't up to anything. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to him. "What is it Jack? You are back so soon. Is everything okay?"
"Fay, Dova got Anna. She has three weeks to live."
Fay clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, no! Dear god, I am so sorry, Jack. Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes, there is. I need you to get inside Dova's circle, find out what he plans to do next." Fay nodded. "There has been rumor he is docking three miles south of here, in a small port called Smith's Cove. He will not set foot in Tortuga."
"Good, good. Anna will be safe here. Anything else?"
"I know the barmaid at one of the taverns. She'll help me."
Jack nodded.
"What about Anna? She's not going with you, is she?"
"No. She is going to stay at the mansion with Elizabeth and her daughter, Felicity. And our crews are going to stay here as well."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Damien, Will, Alex and I are going alone."
"Oh, Jack! Do be careful!"
"I will. And you as well. Dova must not find out who you are, or he will kill you on the spot."
Fay nodded. Then, she did the most unusual thing. She took Jack's head between her hands and kissed him. "You should be on your way. I'm going to check on Anna before I leave."
"I'll go with you. Everyone will be up there, anyway."
Fay nodded and went out the door.
~*~
Alex sat on the edge of the bed, next to Anna, stroking her hair. Elizabeth and Will stood by the window and Damien and Felicity sat in a corner whispering.
"I still do not see why I cannot come with you, Alex," Anna said softly.
"You must rest, Anna. You need to save your strength." He adjusted her pillows, and she smiled at him. She reached up to stroke his cheek, but her took her hand and laid it back on the bed. She looked at him, confusion shining in her eyes.
The door opened slowly and Jack and Fay stepped in.
"Fay!" Anna exclaimed. Fay smiled, and sat in the bed, across form Alex. She took Anna's hand and held it.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Tired," Anna answered. She looked at Alex, who looked away. Fay noticed.
She stood up and went to him. Softly, she whispered into his ear. "Take care of her. She may not me as strong as she wants you to think."
Alex looked at her in shock for a moment, but she did not notice. He turned back to Anna, but she had turned and was facing away from him. He looked down at the bed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fight away the knots in his stomach.
~*~
Anna was also trying hard to untangle her feelings. She loved Alex, that was certain, but did he love her back? She had kissed him, yes, and he her, but what does that show, other than a moment of fleeting desire? Closing hr eyes, she fought back her tears.
"Anna?" Alex said softy. She turned slowly and looked at him. Taking both of her hands in his, he took a deep breath. "Anna, I should have told you this the day I met you." Her eyes widened. "I love you. I have loved you ever since that day I saw you, a stranger to me. but I knew. I knew there was something different about you. Something special."
The room was silent. Anna had hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Alex wiped them away with this thumbs.
"I love you, too, Alex, so, so very much."
"Alex," Jack said. "It's time we leave."
Alex nodded. He stood to leave, but Anna hold onto his hand.
"One thing before you go." she said hopefully. He smiled, leaned over, and kissed her passionately. She melted into his kiss, not caring that everyone was watching.
Alex finally broke the kiss. "I must go Anna. I will see you again. I promise." Anna nodded weakly and Alex gave her one last, quick kiss before leaving without looking back.
~*~
The Devastator moved ever so slowly, yet surely, towards Port Royal. James stood at the bow. "Why? Why did I ever betray my country like that.? If anyone finds out, it's the gallows for me," he said to himself, the hundredth time that day.
"Revenge, maybe?"
James jumped. "Will you never stop surprising me, Captain?" he asked harshly. Dova smirked.
Suddenly, an island came into view. "This is not Port Royal," James said, half relived, half annoyed. He'd rather get this done and over with.
"Aye, I know. That there be Tortuga," Dova answered, pointing to a dirty town over yonder. "But we ain't goin' there. We're going south, to Smith's Cove."
"Why?"
"For supplies, of course. We be running low."
"I thought we were going to Port Royal."
"We are, but we have plenty of time. After all, Sparrow and the Turners are out of the way."
~*~
Fay walked slowly along the dock, looking for a certain someone who would take her to Smith's cove. She stopped for a moment, and watched the Navigator disappear around the cliff. She stood there a bit longer, then shook her head and continued her search.
Finally, she found her destination. An old, rickety, one-mast boat sat tied to the dock. An elderly man and a younger one were loading supplies.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thatcher," Fay said. The elderly man looked at her and grinned.
"Ah! Miss McBride, how wonderful to see you again. What can I do for you today?"
"Can you take me to Smith's Cove?" she asked.
"And what purpose do you have there, Miss McBride?"
"Family," Fay said quickly. Mr. Thatcher nodded.
"Aight, then, Miss McBride. I'll take yeh. We'll be off in ten minutes."
"Thank you very, very much."
~*~
Jack and Alex sat in Anna's cabin. Jack was pouring over some old maps and Alex was taking notes.
"Ah ha!" Jack said suddenly, causing Alex to jump and tip his inkwell. He took no notice.
"What is it, Jack?" he asked excitedly.
"I've found the island!"
"Where?"
"Right here." He pointed to a small dot on one of Anna's many maps.
Alex quickly wrote down the direction on his piece old parchment. Then, he turned to Damien, who was sitting reading a book on god only knows what. "Damien." No answer. "Damien!" Damien jumped and shut his book.
"What?"
"Take this up to Gibbs and tell him to change whatever course we're on to the one on this sheet."
Damien nodded, took the sheet and left. Alex sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. "How much longer, Jack?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"A week and a day."
Alex nodded slowly and brushed back his hair. He had let it fall loose the past couple days. He didn't care. Actually, he rather liked it like this. He fit in a bit more, but just a bit.
The door opened and Damien reentered. "We are heading south by south west at fifteen knots."
Jack blinked. Fifteen knots was pretty fast for this ship. "We will reach the island within 2 days, then," he said. "Good."
The door opened again, and this time Will stepped in. "I believe we have stowaways, Jack," he said with a grin. He moved out of the way, and Calvin and Devin stepped sheepishly into the room. Alex couldn't help but to smile at the pair.
"Well then," Jack said finally. "Since the two of you are here, make yourselves useful and help Gibbs up on deck."
"Aye, sir," Calvin said, and the two disappeared out the door.
Will sat down in a chair and brushed back his hair, in the same way Alex had.
"Like father like son," Jack muttered. Alex grinned at his father, who smiled back.
"Have you found anything yet?" Will asked after a while.
"We're on our way to the island," Alex said.
"How long?"
"We'll be there in two days," Jack answered.
"Good. very good."
~*~
Anna sat by the window, wrapped in a thick, wool blanket. The soft ocean breeze ruffled her loose, red hair.
She pulled the blanket tighter and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Please, come back soon," she whispered.
"Anna?" Anna looked up to see Felicity standing in the doorway. She held a steaming bowl in her hands. "Can you eat today?" she asked.
Anna nodded. "I'll try." Felicity came over and handed Anna the bowl. She took it with shaking hands.
Slowly, she ate the soup. As Felicity watched, a tear slipped down her cheek, but quickly, she wiped it away.
"They'll come back, Anna," she said. "I know they will."
Anna smiled and handed her the half empty bowl. "I know. The question is, will they find what they need in time?"
"Of course they will, Anna. My brother loves you. Jack loves you. you can see it. They'll come back, Anna... I know it."
Anna smiled weakly. "I am glad you are here with me, Felicity. really, I am. I couldn't ask for a better person to be here with me." Felicity smiled and hugged her gently, yet firmly. Anna smiled and hugged her back.
"Thank you.. Thank you so much."
~*~
Fay stepped off the old rickety boat and into the damp dry air of Smiths Cove.
"Thank you, Mr. Thatcher," she said.
"M' pleasure," he responded.
As long as she lived on Tortuga, she had never ventured over to the neighboring island. As large as the town was, there were few people there. All the buildings were old and deserted, except for one. She approached an old saloon and entered. It was crowded, with men, and she knew that these people could be no others than Dova's crew. She knew her place, because she was the only woman on the island, and not a bad one at that. As she walked through the crowded area, the men were anything but respectful. As she reached the bar she said only two things.
"Rum, straight," was her first. She then turned around. "Now, where's the Captain?" She asked in her most seducing voice she could muster.
After a silence, that was much more than uncomfortable, Shore spoke up.
"Well, I'm the first mate to the Captain, Shore's the name, and I can tell you that he ain't here at the moment. But-a, I can bring you to him, if you want."
"How quaint," she responded sarcastically.
Shore then led Fay out of the saloon, and down the road away from the sea.
"So," Shore began, "who are ya, and what are ya doin' here?"
"Why what a polite pirate, others that I've met haven't left time for any small talk. They were either threatening to kill me, or the exact opposite, which isn't much better."
Shore laughed and moved closer to Fay. She turned and he put his arm around her waist. She moved away and turned. She began to walk back toward the saloon.
"I'm afraid, Mr. Shore, that I haven't had enough rum to allow that kind of advancement." She spat at him. "And if I'm not mistaken, I still have some of that rum waiting at the saloon for me. And God help the man who took it if its not there."
There was something about her that intrigued him. Shore smirked and followed her into the saloon.
~*~*~
Thanks again to all my reviewers!
BookWorm: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. I hope you see Pirates soon!
Anna: That is so cool that your person was also Jack's niece. I think it's neat. Thank you for your great review! Happy Reading!
~~~*Anna Sparrow*~~~
"Of course, Anna. I won't leave."
"Well, I'm sending you away. You need to eat, keep up your strength." She kissed his hand. "Send Jack in. I would like to speak with him."
Alex leaned over and kissed her tenderly. What he did not notice was at that very same moment, Felicity entered the room softly. She stopped dead and watched.
"I won't be long, Anna," Alex whispered. He straightened, turned and jumped in total surprise. "Felicity! What-?"
"I-I came to check on Anna. I'm sorry if I walked in on anything."
Anna smiled reassuringly. "It is quite all right. Do come in. I will enjoy your company."
Alex cast one last look at Anna. She nodded and he turned and left. Felicity pulled a chair up to the bed and sat. There was silence for a bit, while Anna closed her eyes and shifted herself to a more comfortable position and began to talk to Felicity.
~*~
Outside Jack was talking to Will.
"I hate him," Jack told Will. "I hate Dova. He will pay."
"What are you going to do," asked Will.
"Indirect revenge," Jack said. "We need to see Fay."
The Navigator sailed into Tortuga once again.
"We're going to drop off the Tortuga crew, and tell our crews were going to the Faithful Bride and that they need to find a place to stay. They won't be coming with us. And most of all, speak nothing of the goings-on from the Devastator." Jack walked off his ship as he gave orders to Gibbs. "Tell Anna that she will be staying with Felicity and Elizabeth at Damien's."
Gibbs nodded and began giving orders to the rest of the crew.
~*~
Jack walked into the Faithful Bride a few moments later. Fay was working behind the bas, serving mug after mug of rum and other drinks. Jack made his way to the end of the bar and took as seat in the shadows.
Fay made her way to the end of the bar. "How may I help you?" she asked Jack, unknowing of who he really was.
"My usual, Fay, dear, and a moment alone."
"Jack!" she exclaimed.
"Hush, hush," Jack said. "I don't want anyone to know I am here."
Fay nodded and called to someone to take over. She led Jack upstairs to her home, somehow knowing he wasn't up to anything. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to him. "What is it Jack? You are back so soon. Is everything okay?"
"Fay, Dova got Anna. She has three weeks to live."
Fay clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, no! Dear god, I am so sorry, Jack. Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes, there is. I need you to get inside Dova's circle, find out what he plans to do next." Fay nodded. "There has been rumor he is docking three miles south of here, in a small port called Smith's Cove. He will not set foot in Tortuga."
"Good, good. Anna will be safe here. Anything else?"
"I know the barmaid at one of the taverns. She'll help me."
Jack nodded.
"What about Anna? She's not going with you, is she?"
"No. She is going to stay at the mansion with Elizabeth and her daughter, Felicity. And our crews are going to stay here as well."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Damien, Will, Alex and I are going alone."
"Oh, Jack! Do be careful!"
"I will. And you as well. Dova must not find out who you are, or he will kill you on the spot."
Fay nodded. Then, she did the most unusual thing. She took Jack's head between her hands and kissed him. "You should be on your way. I'm going to check on Anna before I leave."
"I'll go with you. Everyone will be up there, anyway."
Fay nodded and went out the door.
~*~
Alex sat on the edge of the bed, next to Anna, stroking her hair. Elizabeth and Will stood by the window and Damien and Felicity sat in a corner whispering.
"I still do not see why I cannot come with you, Alex," Anna said softly.
"You must rest, Anna. You need to save your strength." He adjusted her pillows, and she smiled at him. She reached up to stroke his cheek, but her took her hand and laid it back on the bed. She looked at him, confusion shining in her eyes.
The door opened slowly and Jack and Fay stepped in.
"Fay!" Anna exclaimed. Fay smiled, and sat in the bed, across form Alex. She took Anna's hand and held it.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Tired," Anna answered. She looked at Alex, who looked away. Fay noticed.
She stood up and went to him. Softly, she whispered into his ear. "Take care of her. She may not me as strong as she wants you to think."
Alex looked at her in shock for a moment, but she did not notice. He turned back to Anna, but she had turned and was facing away from him. He looked down at the bed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fight away the knots in his stomach.
~*~
Anna was also trying hard to untangle her feelings. She loved Alex, that was certain, but did he love her back? She had kissed him, yes, and he her, but what does that show, other than a moment of fleeting desire? Closing hr eyes, she fought back her tears.
"Anna?" Alex said softy. She turned slowly and looked at him. Taking both of her hands in his, he took a deep breath. "Anna, I should have told you this the day I met you." Her eyes widened. "I love you. I have loved you ever since that day I saw you, a stranger to me. but I knew. I knew there was something different about you. Something special."
The room was silent. Anna had hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Alex wiped them away with this thumbs.
"I love you, too, Alex, so, so very much."
"Alex," Jack said. "It's time we leave."
Alex nodded. He stood to leave, but Anna hold onto his hand.
"One thing before you go." she said hopefully. He smiled, leaned over, and kissed her passionately. She melted into his kiss, not caring that everyone was watching.
Alex finally broke the kiss. "I must go Anna. I will see you again. I promise." Anna nodded weakly and Alex gave her one last, quick kiss before leaving without looking back.
~*~
The Devastator moved ever so slowly, yet surely, towards Port Royal. James stood at the bow. "Why? Why did I ever betray my country like that.? If anyone finds out, it's the gallows for me," he said to himself, the hundredth time that day.
"Revenge, maybe?"
James jumped. "Will you never stop surprising me, Captain?" he asked harshly. Dova smirked.
Suddenly, an island came into view. "This is not Port Royal," James said, half relived, half annoyed. He'd rather get this done and over with.
"Aye, I know. That there be Tortuga," Dova answered, pointing to a dirty town over yonder. "But we ain't goin' there. We're going south, to Smith's Cove."
"Why?"
"For supplies, of course. We be running low."
"I thought we were going to Port Royal."
"We are, but we have plenty of time. After all, Sparrow and the Turners are out of the way."
~*~
Fay walked slowly along the dock, looking for a certain someone who would take her to Smith's cove. She stopped for a moment, and watched the Navigator disappear around the cliff. She stood there a bit longer, then shook her head and continued her search.
Finally, she found her destination. An old, rickety, one-mast boat sat tied to the dock. An elderly man and a younger one were loading supplies.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thatcher," Fay said. The elderly man looked at her and grinned.
"Ah! Miss McBride, how wonderful to see you again. What can I do for you today?"
"Can you take me to Smith's Cove?" she asked.
"And what purpose do you have there, Miss McBride?"
"Family," Fay said quickly. Mr. Thatcher nodded.
"Aight, then, Miss McBride. I'll take yeh. We'll be off in ten minutes."
"Thank you very, very much."
~*~
Jack and Alex sat in Anna's cabin. Jack was pouring over some old maps and Alex was taking notes.
"Ah ha!" Jack said suddenly, causing Alex to jump and tip his inkwell. He took no notice.
"What is it, Jack?" he asked excitedly.
"I've found the island!"
"Where?"
"Right here." He pointed to a small dot on one of Anna's many maps.
Alex quickly wrote down the direction on his piece old parchment. Then, he turned to Damien, who was sitting reading a book on god only knows what. "Damien." No answer. "Damien!" Damien jumped and shut his book.
"What?"
"Take this up to Gibbs and tell him to change whatever course we're on to the one on this sheet."
Damien nodded, took the sheet and left. Alex sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. "How much longer, Jack?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"A week and a day."
Alex nodded slowly and brushed back his hair. He had let it fall loose the past couple days. He didn't care. Actually, he rather liked it like this. He fit in a bit more, but just a bit.
The door opened and Damien reentered. "We are heading south by south west at fifteen knots."
Jack blinked. Fifteen knots was pretty fast for this ship. "We will reach the island within 2 days, then," he said. "Good."
The door opened again, and this time Will stepped in. "I believe we have stowaways, Jack," he said with a grin. He moved out of the way, and Calvin and Devin stepped sheepishly into the room. Alex couldn't help but to smile at the pair.
"Well then," Jack said finally. "Since the two of you are here, make yourselves useful and help Gibbs up on deck."
"Aye, sir," Calvin said, and the two disappeared out the door.
Will sat down in a chair and brushed back his hair, in the same way Alex had.
"Like father like son," Jack muttered. Alex grinned at his father, who smiled back.
"Have you found anything yet?" Will asked after a while.
"We're on our way to the island," Alex said.
"How long?"
"We'll be there in two days," Jack answered.
"Good. very good."
~*~
Anna sat by the window, wrapped in a thick, wool blanket. The soft ocean breeze ruffled her loose, red hair.
She pulled the blanket tighter and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Please, come back soon," she whispered.
"Anna?" Anna looked up to see Felicity standing in the doorway. She held a steaming bowl in her hands. "Can you eat today?" she asked.
Anna nodded. "I'll try." Felicity came over and handed Anna the bowl. She took it with shaking hands.
Slowly, she ate the soup. As Felicity watched, a tear slipped down her cheek, but quickly, she wiped it away.
"They'll come back, Anna," she said. "I know they will."
Anna smiled and handed her the half empty bowl. "I know. The question is, will they find what they need in time?"
"Of course they will, Anna. My brother loves you. Jack loves you. you can see it. They'll come back, Anna... I know it."
Anna smiled weakly. "I am glad you are here with me, Felicity. really, I am. I couldn't ask for a better person to be here with me." Felicity smiled and hugged her gently, yet firmly. Anna smiled and hugged her back.
"Thank you.. Thank you so much."
~*~
Fay stepped off the old rickety boat and into the damp dry air of Smiths Cove.
"Thank you, Mr. Thatcher," she said.
"M' pleasure," he responded.
As long as she lived on Tortuga, she had never ventured over to the neighboring island. As large as the town was, there were few people there. All the buildings were old and deserted, except for one. She approached an old saloon and entered. It was crowded, with men, and she knew that these people could be no others than Dova's crew. She knew her place, because she was the only woman on the island, and not a bad one at that. As she walked through the crowded area, the men were anything but respectful. As she reached the bar she said only two things.
"Rum, straight," was her first. She then turned around. "Now, where's the Captain?" She asked in her most seducing voice she could muster.
After a silence, that was much more than uncomfortable, Shore spoke up.
"Well, I'm the first mate to the Captain, Shore's the name, and I can tell you that he ain't here at the moment. But-a, I can bring you to him, if you want."
"How quaint," she responded sarcastically.
Shore then led Fay out of the saloon, and down the road away from the sea.
"So," Shore began, "who are ya, and what are ya doin' here?"
"Why what a polite pirate, others that I've met haven't left time for any small talk. They were either threatening to kill me, or the exact opposite, which isn't much better."
Shore laughed and moved closer to Fay. She turned and he put his arm around her waist. She moved away and turned. She began to walk back toward the saloon.
"I'm afraid, Mr. Shore, that I haven't had enough rum to allow that kind of advancement." She spat at him. "And if I'm not mistaken, I still have some of that rum waiting at the saloon for me. And God help the man who took it if its not there."
There was something about her that intrigued him. Shore smirked and followed her into the saloon.
~*~*~
Thanks again to all my reviewers!
BookWorm: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. I hope you see Pirates soon!
Anna: That is so cool that your person was also Jack's niece. I think it's neat. Thank you for your great review! Happy Reading!
~~~*Anna Sparrow*~~~