Fair Winds and a Followin' Sea Chapter 3: Dead or Alive, a pirates of the caribbean fanfic

CHAPTER THREE

Dead or Alive

Port Royale was a nice place, Anamaria decided. It took her mind to places it had never been before. It allowed her to sort out her emotions and feelings regarding many people. One of these people was a certain pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow. Anamaria knew she should not be thinking such thoughts, but it was one of those things she could not deny herself. Her dreams had been full of images of Jack's face, his touch and his voice. Each time she awoke she wished to go back to her dreams, just to live in a world where she was loved, not the reality.

Throughout her life, Anamaria had never really loved. She had loved people as friends, but never loved someone any more than a one-night fling. Ana had never actually thought about her loveless life before, but now in Port Royale and surrounded by Will and Elizabeth and Jack and Faye, she found herself down and out without anyone to love and without anyone to love her back.

So now, here she was walking alone through the streets. Perhaps she would find someone at Port Royale to love, though she doubted it extremely. Anamaria had never believed in love at first sight and did not intend to start believing in anything of that nature at all. Some people believed in serendipity and fate, but none of that was for Ana, at least, she didn't think it was for her.

Anamaria continued to walk passing a few shops as she did so. The weather was sunny and the rays beat down on her brown skin. She loved the sun; it reminded her of being out on the ocean, free as a bird and without a care in the world. Ana looked around the streets; it seemed that most, if not all, of the shops, cafes or other buildings present had a rather large piece of paper stuck on their windows. Taken up by curiosity, Anamaria ventured closer to look at one of the leaflets.

The paper, it seemed, was a wanted poster of some kind. Ana squinted her eyes and read the text:

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.
Handsome reward for whomever finds this fiend, man woman or child.
This fiend is wanted for the heinous crime of murder without intent of provocation.
If seen, report to local authorities immediately.

It was not so much the content of the paper that shocked Ana, no, she had seen plenty wanted posters in her time. It was the photograph that went with it. Staring back at her from the paper was a face she recognised. Faye's eyes locked with hers from the photograph and Anamaria gasped. Faye was wanted for murder? Jack nor Faye had never told her this, mind you, it hadn't exactly come up in conversation.

Anamaria swiped the poster from the wall and folded it, placing it into her pocket. The Pirate quickly jogged back to Swann Manor, somewhat eager to give the news, somewhat dreading their reaction.

Jack smiled as he rolled over to face Faye. The sun filtered through the windows, and, but Jack's approximation, it was about midday. As he turned Jack noticed that Faye was not in fact next to him, but sitting by the looking glass combing her dark hair.

'Well, good afternoon.' Faye said to Jack sarcastically as she ran the comb through her hair. 'Nice to see you decided to grace me with your presence.'

Jack laughed lightly and sat up, stretching his arms out behind him. 'Is it really tha' late?'

Faye nodded, her long hair ripping across her shoulders and crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed. She flicked some hair from her eyes and smiled. 'So, what are we to do today?'

The Pirate shrugged and once again stretched his arms. 'We could just stay here for the day…enjoy each other's company.'

Faye nodded. 'I think that sounds like a brilliant idea.' She smiled and kissed him softly

Anamaria burst through the doors of Swann Manor and took the staircase two at a time. She guessed which room the duo was in and, without bothering to knock, opened the door hastily.

Anamaria had to blink twice. It seemed she had walked in at the most inopportune moment. Jack and Faye were caught in a highly compromising position atop the four-poster. Ana cleared her throat nervously and sighed.

Jack looked up, brushing his disheveled braids from his eyes. 'Oh, sorry Ana, didn' see yer there.'

'Obviously.' Anamaria muttered under her breath.

'Wha' was that?' Jack asked and he began to stand up.

'Nothing.' Ana replied quietly. She looked at Faye who blushed slightly and stood up with Jack.

'Why are you 'ere anyway?' Jack asked curiously, crossing the room toward Ana.

'I-I found something.' Anamaria stammered. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the neatly folded paper. She unfolded it and handed it to Jack, Faye reading over his shoulder.

It took a few moments for the poster to actually make its way into their minds. Jack looked at the photograph, then at Faye and back to the paper again. Faye raised a hand instinctively to her mouth and gasped silently, quickly running past Ana and out of the room without a word to Jack or Anamaria.

'Where did you fin' this?' Jack asked gruffly, looking back at the paper once more.

'On a shop window.' Ana replied honestly. 'I thought it best to bring it to you before it is too late.'

Jack nodded, still deeply scrutinizing the paper as if it held some hidden answers within its parchment. 'Well, thanks luv.' Jack folded the poster and placed it in his pocket, beginning to walk past Ana. 'I'm goin' to talk t' Faye.'

'I wouldn't.' Ana replied. 'I think she needs time alone.'

Jack shrugged. 'I need t' talk t' 'er.' Jack said, walking past Ana despite her objections.

Anamaria opened her mouth to object but silenced herself. There was no point trying to stop Jack from doing something, once he had his mind set on a task, he would not let anyone or anything get in his way. Ana sighed and closed her eyes.

When she had walked in on Faye and Jack an overwhelming feeling of jealousy spread through her body. She had never disliked any of the other wayfaring wenches that Jack had picked up on his exploits through Tortuga and other ports, but it seemed that he and Faye shared some deeper connection that no one could explain. Once again, Ana was left out of the picture with no man to call her own and no shoulders to cry upon.

All her life as a pirate, Ana had befriended men. She would beat them in poker and join in on their drinking games. Her tequila would be drowned in milliseconds as oppose to the usual double time the men took to drink their liquor. The males would swagger home with distorted views whilst Anamaria was able to walk home aware and relatively lucid. The men regarded her as a companion willing to best them in an arm wrestle. She was never regarded as a romantic interest. Ana did not mind this at the time, in fact she enjoyed the rapport she had with men, but now she wished she had someone to come home to.

Anamaria opened her eyes once more and was back to her harsh reality. Elizabeth and Will were a happily married couple, Jack and Faye were completely sound, despite the fact of Faye being headhunted, and it seemed that everyone else in Port Royale was happy with the way their lives were going. It seemed that everyone had turned his or her lives for the better.

All except Anamaria.

Her mind flashed back to the night that the unknown man had assaulted her. His scent was still fresh in her mind and his harsh, unforgiving touch still left marks upon her memories. That was the one real time a man had wanted her; true, she had not been wanted under the most desirable circumstances, but she had been wanted nevertheless. Then, when Will had come to help her, she had once had a shoulder to cry on. During their brief sharing of feelings and emotion Ana had somewhat wished that Will was hers. Why was it whenever she felt for a man the feelings were not returned? The feeling of security she had felt in Will's arms as she protected her from the harsh word had still stayed with her. Whenever she laid eyes upon the blacksmith her mind flashed back to that night and his incomparable kindness.

There was one man, however, that Ana had hardly spoken to. Irving had done a brilliant job of keeping himself seemingly invisible since the group had been reunited at Port Royale. Ana had never had the time to have a conversation, and now with him being occupied at the blacksmith's with Will. Anamaria doubted that she would ever get to know him at all. Alas, some things were meant to remain undiscovered and some people were never meant to find the person they were meant for.

Jack slowly entered the library. The sun filtered through the Indian-cotton curtains. Faye sat in a plush armchair, staring off into the distance with glassy, unfocused eyes. The pirate sighed and made his way toward her, taking a seat on the arm of the chair, steadying himself slightly to stop toppling off onto the floor.

'Are you a'right?' Jack asked. As soon as he said it Jack realised that it was a stupid question. Of course she was not all right.

'What do you think, Jack?' Faye retorted savagely, not bothering to even look at him. 'I have my picture plastered across every shop window in Port Royale and no doubt in countless other places. How you do you think I am feeling?'

Jack sighed; there was no answer for her question and no reply to her statement. Jack simply placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, hoping for her to not push him away.

And she didn't.

Instead of brushing Jack's hand aside, Faye leant into him, letting the tears she had kept in all this time, fall free onto Jack's jacket. She sobbed quietly as the pirate wrapped his arms around her in a gesture of sorrow and remorse.

'Sssh.' Jack cooed quietly as he held Faye. 'It'll be all righ', I promise.'

Faye lifted her tear-streaked face up from Jack's chest. 'What if it isn't, Jack? What if they catch me? What if…'

Jack silenced her gently. 'They won't get you…I swear on me life.'

Commodore James Norrington sighed as he walked through Port Royale. The presence of all these Pirates was beginning to get on his nerves. They had been infiltrating their way into pubs, inns and bordellos throughout their stay and had not ceased in their vulgar behavior. He quickly sidestepped a rather suspicious character and continued to walk, not looking back out of fear of being spat at by the vagrant.

The Commodore stopped in front of a small shop, noticing his fiancée Lucinda inside. He had come to find her and possibly spend an evening with her dining in one of Port Royale's five star restaurants. She turned around with a smile and waved slightly at her partner.

James watched her through the window and suddenly found something rater interesting-not inside the shop, but on the window. James studied it briefly and read the text under his breath.

He recognised the photograph, but from where he was not sure. Perhaps she was a maid at the Manor or just someone he had come across during his travels. Either way, he did not take kindly to possibly having someone of that nature residing in his Port Royale. James smiled as Lucinda made her way out of the shop, a brown paper package tucked under her arm. She noticed James studying the poster and furrowed her brown.

'What is that?' she asked, she too inspecting the paper.

'Nothing, dear.' James replied in a tone of fake reassurance. 'Just another escaped prisoner.'

Lucinda nodded and made her way back to their home. Before she noticed, James took the poser from the window and folded it carefully, placing it in the pocket of his navy-blue jacket.

(A/N: Well, that's chapter three. I thought I'd throw another Love Triangle into this one too (Jeez, I wonder who it is between) I love writing Love Triangles, they make a great base for a story. Once again, I must apologize for the slow update, but I have been busy with school exams etc. The school holidays are coming up soon so I shall take some more time to write then. But for now, this should tide you over (I hope). Thanks and please review.)