DISLAIMER: I have never, and will never, own PotC :(
Chapter 14- Stalemate
Gone. Jack was gone.
Paris stared blankly at the doorway where Norrington and his men had led the pirate Captain away. They couldn't hang him. Not now...not ever. "Paris...?"
She realized Elizabeth was talking to her, and she drew her mind away from the empty space in front of her to focus her attention on what was being said. "We still have until the morrow," Elizabeth said kindly.
Paris nodded, but the reassurances did nothing to prevent her thoughts of despair. 'I cleared my name, but I never even gave Jack a second thought.' "Please, Paris. Sit, eat something. Nothing can be done yet," Elizabeth's voice once more broke into her thoughts as she directed Paris back to her chair.
Although eating was the last thing on her mind, she managed to stomach a small amount of food which appeared to satisfy Will and Elizabeth's watchful eye. Feeling sick, Paris politely excused herself and returned to her room.
She sat on edge of her bed in deep thought. 'There has to be something I can do to stop this,' her mind argued. Norrington was a strict man, she knew, and it wasn't likely he would ever bend the rules, especially for the pirate Captain.
'Jack…' Paris sighed heavily. She loved how he always managed to make her laugh. Everything, it seemed, was one big joke to him. During Paris' earlier years, life on the streets created an atmosphere which put humour second place to her family's survival. Now she felt like she had a permanent smile upon her face.
A soft knock at the door intruded on her reverie. Elizabeth emerged from behind it on Paris' invitation. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly, taking a seat next to Paris.
Paris began to nod, but instead found herself shaking her head. She didn't mean to burden Elizabeth with their problems, afterall, she had only met her the day before, but words began to spill from her mouth before she could stop them. "Elizabeth, are you sure we can't change the Commodore's mind?"
Elizabeth looked disheartened. "I wish I could tell you otherwise, truly I do," she said, giving Paris the answer she knew she would hear. "But you have to remember, Jack's been in this situation before and he's always managed to talk his way out of it."
Paris nodded, although her words did little to comfort her. "You really care for him, don't you?" Elizabeth asked.
"I do," Paris said quietly. "Jack and I, we only just…I mean, we came to a mutual understanding recently."
Elizabeth gave her a knowing smile. "I can't lose him, Elizabeth."
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Elizabeth replied, "If Jack's ever been determined to escape the gallows, I'm certain it's nothing compared to how desperate he is now. He has you to come back to."
Paris returned a half smile at that as Elizabeth made to depart. "Oh, Paris," she added upon reaching the door. "Where is Jack's crew?"
Something clicked in Paris' mind. "The crew!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "Of course! Thankyou Elizabeth!"
With that, she dashed from the room leaving behind a bemused Elizabeth. Paris flew down the stairs, giving a quick wave to a startled Will in the entrance hall and then headed towards the location where she and Jack had arrived. 'The crew can rescue Jack in the same way they did me,' she thought, feeling a sense of excitement and relief. It didn't take her long to find the hidden rowboat and Paris struggled to push it towards the waters edge, but it refused to move. A few more attempts later, and it finally began to slide into the water.
It was at that moment Paris had a sudden, crushing thought. The exhilaration and hope that had welled inside of her at the mention of Jack's crew seemed to deflate. There had been a slight mist from the rain over the water the day they had arrived, and she hadn't paid any attention to where they had anchored. Without Jack's aid, Paris could never locate where The Black Pearl had been hidden.
Letting out a cry of frustration, Paris flopped back into the still boat, staring up at the blue sky that smiled down at her. 'There has to be a way…'
It wasn't until late afternoon that Paris, dejectedly, made her way back to the mansion. Elizabeth had been awaiting her presence on a chair near the front door and turned an enquiring glance upon her. Paris' shoulders were drooped, and strands of her hair had fallen loose from the pile atop her head. All of the sparkling life that had been inside of her had been squeezed out. "They aren't coming," she told Elizabeth bleakly.
Elizabeth stood. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Jack hid The Black Pearl away from the eyes of the navy," Paris informed her. "I can't remember its location. I just never expected I would need to find it by myself…"
Her voice trailed off, her throat tight with emotion. Silence fell. Neither of them knowing what to say to the other. The quiet broke with footfalls on the tiles as Will entered the room. He looked from a crestfallen Paris to his wife Elizabeth. "You didn't find the crew?" Will asked softly.
Paris shook her head, no. The weight of Jack's impending sentence was shown in her forlorn expression, casting a shadow over her carefree attitude Will and Elizabeth had seen when they first met her. "There's still time, Paris," Will said, in an effort to comfort her.
'Not enough,' she thought dolefully, deciding not to voice her fears aloud. Paris saw Will take Elizabeth's hand in his and her heart sank into her stomach. It emphasized the empty space beside her where Jack had been for so long. Without Jack around her, Paris felt more alone now then she ever had before. Excusing herself once more from their presence, Paris made her way back to her room for the night.
'I will not watch Jack die,' she promised herself furiously whilst pulling the bed sheets tightly around her.
The side of her face lay on the pillow and the scent of Jack still lingered there. 'I'm so sorry, Jack," she whispered into the pillow, her eyes fluttering closed. Wrapping an arm around it to be comfortable, Paris fell into a restless nightmare, the scene of the pirate Captain being hung and the life and swagger draining out of his body, haunting her sleep.
The very early signs of light swept through the window the following morning, much like it had when Paris awoke with Jack lying next to her. But unlike that morning, she was now very much alone. Arising from the four poster bed, Paris changed into a maroon coloured dress which had been left for her.
Nauseous, she hurried down the steps while she swept her hair up awkwardly atop her head. Paris met Will and Elizabeth in the entrance hall. "Ready?" Will asked her with a feeble, comforting smile. Forcing a calm smile back, Paris nodded. 'How can I ever be ready for what I'm about to witness?' she thought despondently to herself.
Together, they entered the horse drawn carriage that would take them to the gallows…and Jack Sparrow.
Author's Note: I apologise that there was no Jack in this chapter! I just wanted to create greater tension and suspense before the next big chapter...hehehe :) I can also tell you with certainty that this was the third last chapter, so there are only 2 more to go :( Thankyou to all the readers and especially my reviewers!
Smithy- Hehe, well, I guess you'll have to wait and see :) Thankyou!
The future Mrs. Jack Sparrow- Hehehe, I'm glad you liked it ;) And yes! I really want to see Corpse Bride! It doesn't come out here until the 27th of October though :( I'm not sure if it can beat CatCF (which I'm seeing again on sunday, yay!), but Depp/Burton movies are always excellent as you said! Thankyou for reviewing!
LegolasLvr71- I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing, and here's the next chapter :)
Queen.Bowie.Jack.Sparrow.Lover- Here's the update ;) I'm so glad to hear you like it so much! You'll have to wait a bit longer to see how it ends...the next chapter has all the action ;) And hehehe, you want a sequel or you'll die? Lol! Well, I can't have you dying...but you'll have to see how this story turns out though ;) Thanks heaps for reviewing!
Mrs Captain Sparrow- Thankyou for reviewing and your thoughts! I didn't want them getting together too fast, I wanted to develop their relationship first so I'm glad you like that! Again, I'm sorry this chapter was a bit slow, but I'm saving it all for the next one... ;)
amanda031- Yes, after everything it seems really unfair doesn't it? Hehehe :) Thanks for your review and here's the new chapter :)