Once again, a big thank you to all my beautiful reviews- and i have a question for all of you! i got a great suggestion to put bigger marks in between the lapses of time- does anyone know how to do that without reloading the entire chapter? thanks so much!
CHAPTER NINETEEN: BATTLES, BLOOD AND A NEW CAPTAIN
Elizabeth and Will stayed aboard the Black Pearl into the evening, catching up with the couple whom they hadn't seen in a month. Elizabeth observed Sunni and Jack and was finally satisfied that they were happy together. It seemed that Jack always had an adoring hand on Sunni at all times; on the small of her back, on her shoulder, on her knee, but mostly, to her smiling chagrin, on her butt.
Will had sent a few of the crew to their hotel to pick up a special gift that he had made. It was a crib built so that it could be bolted to the floor and still rock unless it was locked it place. Jack continually replaced Elizabeth's empty bottle of rum with a new one until Will determined it was time to leave before his wife got completely loaded. Sunni placed Johnny in his father's arms at about nine o'clock that night.
"Do you want any help gettin' Elizabeth back to your hotel?" she asked quietly, smoothing the sleeping boy's hair.
"She'll be fine," Will smiled. "I'll get her back."
Sunni gave her sister a hug. "Not bad for your first experience with rum."
"I'm not drunk," Elizabeth said sternly before breaking up in giggles."
"I'm proud of ye. We'll talk some more tomorrow. Late tomorrow after yer hangover's gone."
"Sunni," Liz said before said was out the door. She had a serious look on her face. "Tomorrow I'm gonna convince ye to at least come back with me to VISIT father."
Sunni nodded. "Maybe."
Outside, Will supported his wife and carried Johnny as they staggered along toward their hotel. He had a bloody wonderful time getting her up the stairs. Finally, at their door, Will threw the key in and threw it open. Governor Swann was seated on the bed.
"Father?" Liz hiccupped.
"Where is she? Where's Caitlyn?" he demanded.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw Jack Sparrow's boat, I saw you board to get Caitlyn, now where is she?"
"She's still on the ship," Will told him.
"What?" the governor shot up from the bed. "But the Dauntless has orders to fire on the Pearl upon your departure!"
Will glanced at his wife. Together, with Johnny carried along, they took off for the ground floor as the sound of cannon fire reverberated in the distance.
Jack was sitting at his desk with his wife on his lap as they looked at maps when the thundering sound met their ears.
"What in bloody 'ell is that?" Jack growled, jumping up, throwing Sunni from his lap.
Sunni regained her balance quickly and cried, "Sounds like cannons!"
They both lurched for the door and rushed onto the deck.
"Cap'n," Gibbs cried as men scurried around on the deck, awaiting orders. "We're being fired upon!"
Sunni winced as another boom sounded in the distance. "It's the Dauntless!" she breathed.
"Load th' cannons, make th' guns ready!" Jack thundered, striding across the deck, issuing various orders. Immediately, men were given tasks and soon after, return fire from the Pearl sounded.
"Wha' bleedin' idiot would attack a pirate ship docked at Jenga?" Jack muttered to himself.
"Aye, any royal navyman would know that a pirate defends a pirate in Jenga's port if th' enemy is th' crown," Gibbs said, not even flinching at the cannon fire.
'The Dragonfire is already suiting up," Jack glanced over at a fellow pirate ship.
"If it's th' Dauntless, they wouldn't fire on us if they knew I was aboard," Sunni said, her sea green eyes flashing with the night fire light.
Jack turned to look down at his wife. "Yer right," he said after a moment. "They think ye left with William and Elizabeth. Go, get inside."
"No, if they see me, they'll stop firing-"
Sunni was caught off guard as another ship began firing at the Dauntless. A Dauntless bullet splintered the railing of the Pearl.
"This is gonna be a bloody massacre," Gibbs hissed to his captain as another ship readied their weapons. "We're going to be caught in a crossfire if th' Ecstasy Theatre starts up," Gibbs said, pointing at a ship on their starboard side.
Elizabeth, Will and the Governor all arrived at the docks just as the battle begun. Without the least bit of fear for her life, Elizabeth rushed aboard, followed by Will and soon, the Governor. As soon as he was on board, Will handed Johnny to Cotton to take him to a safe place down in the galley. The little boy's eyes were alit with excitement. That scared Will just a little. A boy his age should be scared, not excited.
"Sunni! Jack!" Elizabeth called out, marching across the deck of the familiar ship.
Sunni whipped around to see her sister approaching the helm. "Liz! What are you doing here?"
"I was coming to warn about Norrington, but it seems a bloody lot of good that was!"
"Liz, get down!" Sunni pulled her sister to the floor as a bullet seared into a crewman.
"C'mon," Sunni cried, "help me get him down to the mess hall."
"Elizabeth!" Jack cried, upon seeing the two sisters together. "What in bloody 'ell are ye doin' here?"
"I came ta warn you!" she screamed as two crewmembers took the injured away. "Will's here, too!"
"Good, he can help fight. We can use an able body."
Sunni narrowed her eyes at her husband's comment.
"It ain't lookin' so well, darlin'," Jack answered the question in her eyes.
"Father's here, too!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"What!" Sunni shouted.
The governor chose that moment to blunder up to the threesome like a blithering idiot. He stumbled around, throwing his hands up to avoid cannon fire.
"Father, get off this boat!" Sunni ordered.
"Caitlyn, my God, you're all right!"
"Of course I am, do you think Jack would let anything happen to me?"
"C'mon, we have to get off this ship."
"That would not be wise," Jack interrupted the reunion.
"You! Sparrow!" the governor spat. "Where do you think you've earned the right to tell me what to do with my daughters, especially after you have kidnapped one of them?"
"I only meant," Jack explained, "that it would not be wise to leave th' ship at this precise moment because we are, in fact, sailing into open waters."
"What!" he demanded.
"We have a better chance of defending ourselves in open water, therefore keeping your daughters out of harm's way!" Jack yelled. He didn't mention that they would also be in better position to attack the Dauntless on the offensive.
"Governor, I think you'd better come with me," Will breathed as he rushed to his side. "I'll take him to cover," he told Jack.
"Thank you," Jack nodded. "And take your wife and sister-in-law with you."
"I'm not leaving you up here," Sunni cried.
"Caitlyn, don't be daft, you're coming down with us," the Governor said, taking her forearm. Jack internally cringed. Sunni hated to be physically forced into anything.
Violently, she ripped her arm away and headed for her and Jack's cabin.
Will made to go after her, but Jack stopped him. "She's headed for our cabin," he said to him. "She'll be safe there."
It was only after Will's eyes grew large that Jack realized the mistake he had made. He had said, 'our cabin.' He only hoped that the Governor didn't notice.
A cannonball ripped through one of the Pearl's black sails. Jack left the helm to Gibbs so he could pace the deck while issuing orders. They were steadily approaching the Dauntless, making ready to board the injured boat. Jack stopped marching along the deck when he came to Anamaria and Sunni, who were firing muskets, side by side.
"I thought I tol' ye ta go inside!" Jack yelled over the fire.
"Ye need all th' able hands possible," she hollered back. "Them yellow-bellied, no good bastards are fightin' dirty. Out for all blood possible." She looked around. "Jack, I'm not sure we're equipped with enough fire power ta board th' Brits. We're low on supplies."
"We got back-up," Jack jabbed a thumb toward the other ships firing.
"We're gonna be in th' crossfire, not ta mention that those pirate ships can't tell us from th' Brits in this smoke."
"We'll be fine wit' me navigatin', luv," he smiled. Jack turned and swaggered back to the helm, acknowledging that it probably wasn't the best idea to board and loot Norrington's ship. They didn't have the firepower at the moment. What they needed was to get out, as unharmed as possible.
As Sunni watched Jack take the wheel, she knew it was true. He was the only captain in the Caribbean, or the whole ocean for that matter, who could steer them clear of friendly fire and effectively counterattack the Dauntless.
Out of the corner of her eye, though, she saw him fly unnaturally backwards, off his feet, and slam into the deck.
"Jack!" Sunni let out a shrill scream, drawing Will and Elizabeth from the galley. She dropped her gun and ran for her husband. Ana looked over her shoulder to see the captain down, too. Gibbs met her at Jack's body at the same time.
Sunni was kneeling over him when Elizabeth and Will arrived, all keeping low to avoid bullets flying overhead. A sickly pool of blood was forming around Jack's upper body. There was a gaping hole in his shoulder, oozing with blood. He was hanging onto the consciousness though sheer willpower.
"Goddammit, Jack!" Sunni cursed at him, stuffing pieces of his shirt into the hole to stop the bleeding.
He moaned and inched open an eye. "You're in charge, Mrs. Sparrow." He closed his eyes and blacked out.
"Gibbs!" Sunni shouted, running on pure adrenalin. "You, Will, an' Liz take Jack to our cabin immediately-"
"What about th' ship?" Ana yelled. "We have ta do somethin' or Norrington'll rip us apart!"
"We have ta make for open waters to repair-" her voice broke as she looked at Jack- "to repair damages."
"We'll have to pass th' Dauntless to get to open waters," Gibbs argued as Will and Liz took Jack away. "She'll tear into us if we pass her on the starboard side. We're close enough, we should board-"
"With who? Jack ain't th' only one outta commission."
"What else can we do with them firing at us like we're the devil straight outta hell?" Gibbs cried, ducking his head.
Sunni set her jaw. "I'm taking care of this." She began to stand straight up, into the line of fire.
"Ms. Sunni!" Gibbs pulled her back down. "Are ye crazy?"
"Jack said I'm charge, now trust me!" She gave him a look, and he released her arm. Sunni sprang to her feet, shouting orders with a thunderous voice that she couldn't believe was her own. "Full sails! Hard ta port! Abandon th' guns and make way for open waters."
Sailor scrambled around to follow her orders. Sunni turned to face the Dauntless, only yards away. She pulled a torch from its holster and waved it around, over her head. "Norrington!" she screamed. "Norrington, hold yer fire, you bleedin' imbecile!"
"Hold fire!" the command came from the other ship only a few moments later.
"Ms. Swann?"
"It's me!" she cried. Suddenly, Liz and the Governor were at her side.
"And the Governor and Elizabeth," the governor cried.
"If you fire another shot on th' Pearl, we all will go down with it!" The Pearl was stealthily sliding past the Dauntless into the safety of open waters.
"Jump into the waters, we'll pick you up."
Governor Swann immediately threw himself over the railing of the ship, making a loud, resounding splash once he hit the water. Moments later, his white wig surfaces, and about four feet away, his head did.
"Elizabeth! Caitlyn! Jump," he yelled up to them as he tread water.
Elizabeth yelled. "I can't! Johnny and Will are on th' ship!"
"Caitlyn, please! Jump," Gov. Swann pleaded.
Caitlyn looked down at her father in the water. Her face was expressionless. Finally, she turned away, her golden hair flying over her shoulder, and she marched away from the railing. Elizabeth could just barely make out her father being fished out the sea by the Dauntless as the Pearl hit open waters and took off like a rocket. No one would catch them now.
Sunni was heading straight for her and Jack's cabin when Perch met her.
"Do you want to hear a damage report?" he asked. Sunni knew he would give her one, whether she wanted to know or not.
"Let's hear it," she breathed out.
"We have multiple holes in the hull from cannon fire, there are three sails ripped critically, a mast weakened and seven men are injured. There are no fatalities, thank God," he told her.
Sunni nodded, taking in the information.
"What are your orders?"
"What?" Sunni asked, spinning to face him.
"Your orders," he repeated. "You are the captain."
Sunni swallowed the lump in her throat. "Bring down the damaged sails before the wind rips them more. Repairs need to be made immediately to the damaged hull, but fix them temporarily, just to keep the water out for now. We'll fix them properly once we find a place to hole up. I want the masts reinforced and fixed NOW, we don't need any surprises during the night."
"Aye, Cap'n."
"How bad are th' injuries?"
Perch paused. "I believe Jack is th' worst of th' lot."
Sunni pursed her lips together and nodded. Determined to stay strong, she squared her shoulder and threw open the cabin door.
"How is my husband?" she demanded.
Gibbs backed away from the bed to give her an update. Elizabeth stayed at his bedside, wiping his damp forehead with a clothe.
"He's awake again," he told her. "But I don't know how long he can hold on to consciousness. I think he's waitin' on you, missy. He's losing blood and needs ta rest."
Sunni bit her lip and nodded, striding to Jack. He was a sickly pale with beads of sweat forming quickly after Elizabeth wiped them away. Sunni took the rag from her sister to take up her job.
Gibbs had piled rage on his shoulder wound to stop the bleeding. Sunni dropped to her knees and began swiping her husband's forehead.
Jack's eye inched open. His good hand reached over to cup her cheek. "Are ye okay, luv? You're not hurt, are ye?"
His genuine concern for her nearly shattered her strong front. Her protective wall nearly crumbled. She pressed her lips together and nodded as she swallowed. "I'm fine," she whispered, her voice breaking. She fought down the sob, "Yes, Jack, I'm fine. Not even a scratch."
Jack took her hand and kissed her palm. "I'm okay, Catybird. It's going to be fine."
Suddenly, Sunni crumpled into sobs. "I'm scared, Jack," she cried, laying her head on his stomach, facedown.
"Stop th' waterworks, luv. I'm gonna be fine," he moaned, rubbing her hair.
"Are you in pain?" she asked, her voice muffled by his clothes.
"I 'ave a bleedin' bullet in me shoulder, darlin'."
Sunni sniffed and nodded. "Do you want some rum?" she asked, biting her lip, wiling herself to stop crying.
"Sunni, calm down," Jack said, doing his best to hide the pain in his voice. "You're gonna hurt th' baby."
"Ms. Sunni," Gibbs interrupted. "We need to take th' bullet out."
"I want ye outta here for this," Jack ordered.
"No," she immediately protested.
"Goddammit, Sunni, I don't want you gettin' all upset. It ain't good fer our son," he growled as Gibbs removed the rags over his shoulder.
"Daughter," Sunni whispered automatically. They caught each other's eye and smiled at the old, on-going exchange.
Elizabeth appeared behind her sister and placed her hands on the younger woman's shoulder. "Sunni, this isn't going to be a pretty sight. C'mon. Let's check on the other men. Johnny will want to see his aunt again, too."
Sunni finally gave in. She leaned down and planted a kiss on her husband's forehead. "I love ye, Jack," she said, knowing full well that he wouldn't say it back. He never did in front of others, and rarely when they were alone. But she knew it.
"I'm gonna be fine, luv," he told her.
"Elizabeth," Gibbs said over his shoulder. "Send Will in when you leave. I'll need someone else to hold Jack down."
Sunni gulped and hurried out into the fresh air. Elizabeth followed and pulled her sister into her arms as she cried. "C'mon," she whispered to Sunni once she had calmed down. "Let's go help down below."
Elizabeth and Sunni offered as much help as they could down below in crew's quarters, where the injured were. Talking and laughing with the men helped take Sunni's mind off of Jack upstairs, but not much. He was always occupying a large part of her thoughts. What if his wound became infected? What if he caught fever? What if the bullet splintered? What if the bullet shattered a bone or tore ligaments? What if. . .what if he died? What if he died before she could talk to him again?
This thought hit her light a shot and she took off for their cabin again. Will caught her halfway, wrapping an arm around her waist to stop her.
"Woah, there, kid. Gibbs hasn't finished yet. Give him a minute or so, okay?"
"Is Jack doing okay?"
"He blacked out a little after you left. He didn't feel a thing."
"Oh that makes me feel a lot better," she said sarcastically.
"Hey," Will said, "He's Captain Jack Sparrow. He's going to be fine."
"You have to say that, you're my brother-in-law. It's your job to make me feel better."
Perch interrupted them as he bounded up the stairs. "Th' lookout thought he spotted a Navy ship," he said to them, mostly looking at Sunni, since in his mind, she was the Captain now. "I went up there and checked meself, an' it turns out it was just a merchant ship. Nonetheless, we really need ta hole up somewhere safe to make repairs. Th' scare with th' merchant ship was a little too close fer comfort."
"Aye," Sunni answered with a sigh. "Th' men need sleep, too. They can't keep goin' at this pace." She squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Who's at the helm?"
"Anamaria," he answered. "But she doesn't know bearings to any safe port away from pryin' eyes. I already asked her. Jack usually takes us to one of those remote, deserted islands that he knows about an' we hole up there."
"How far are we out of Jenga?"
"I'd estimate about twenty miles east, northeast."
She nodded and closed her eyes like she was thinking. "If I give you th' bearings to an island about ten miles from here, could you relay them to Ana?"
"Sure," the old man nodded. "Do you know where you are right now?"
Sunni studied the sky. Jack had been teaching her how to read the stars. "Yeah, I do. Here are th' bearings."
She quickly rattled them off according to how Jack had explained to her long ago. He told her about the island, even before they were married. Somehow, it stuck in her brain.
"An' now, William," Sunni said stubbornly as Perch left to relay the bearings to Ana. "I am goin' ta go see my husband."
Will opened his mouth to protest, but Sunni cut him off.
"Go take care of your family, while I take care of mine," she told him, her tone allowing no room for argument.
