INTO THE CARRIBEAN
CHAPTER TWELVE – Misleading Negotiations
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"If any of you as much as thinks the word 'parley', I'll have your guts for garters!" Pintel warned through clenched teeth as he circled the captured crew, who were tired around the main mast of the Black Pearl. Followed by Ragetti, he stalked around them all, aiming his pistol at each one of them, until one voice suddenly called out to him.
"Hey, Pintel!"
"What?" Pintel snarled, abruptly turning to glare at the young woman with a mischievous pair of russet eyes.
Alex widely grinned and sweetly said, "Parl–" Pintel immediately pulled the hammer back on his pistol and dared her to finish. "—iament." She laughed in his face as he burned red with anger. "What? I said parliament, not parley. Oh wait, oops." She laughed again. From where he stood a few feet away, she heard Jack snort loudly in amusement, but Pintel didn't look too pleased.
"Why, ye lit'le–"
His retort was cut short when Elizabeth suddenly slipped from underneath the ropes that bound Jack's crew together and began to run, but everyone's attention was caught when a loud, sudden blast distracted them all.
An explosion erupted from the very core of the Interceptor, breaking the vessel in half and sending pieces of what was once the fastest ship in the Caribbean flying in every direction. Alex's eyes went wide with sudden shock at the sight before her; emotions ran through her like fire, but still she remained in shocked paralysis. Will was in there, and in a split second, he was gone.
Elizabeth halted in her steps. "Will!" His name caught in her throat. "You've got to stop it!" She shouted in anger, running towards Barbossa with clenched fists. "Stop it!"
Barbossa swiftly turned and grabbed her by the wrist before manically grinning down at her. "Welcome back, Miss. Ye took advantage of our hospitality last time, it holds fair now that ye return the favor." He harshly pushed her towards his crew, laughing as he did so. Elizabeth began screaming and struggling against their groping hands, bringing Alex back from her shock. All of her emotions combined into fury as she glared with hatred at Barbossa. He caused all of this. If it weren't for him, Will would still be alive.
"Let her go, you bastard!" Alex shouted, earning an amused smirk from Barbossa.
"Ah, Miss Keller, s'nice to see ye again."
"Let…her…go." Alex repeated through clenched teeth.
"I don't think I'll be doin' that…the lass owes us much more than she bargained for. In fact, I think ye owe me somethin' as well?" In reply, Alex only spit at his feet and glared. Barbossa only laughed, but there was an annoyed look in his pale eyes as he took a menacing step towards her. "Maybe ye'll owe me as much as yer friend as well, aye?"
"Barbossa!"
Alex turned to face the familiar voice, as well as Barbossa and everyone else on that ship. Her eyes widened with relief and joy when she saw Will standing on the deck, drenched with water, but looking as alive as ever. "Will!" She exclaimed under her breath.
"They go free." He ordered, pointing his pistol straight at Barbossa.
Barbossa narrowed his eyes and firmly asked, "What's in yer head, boy?"
"They go free!"
"You only got one shot, and we can't die." He replied with a knowing grin.
"Don't do anything stupid!" Jack suddenly said to Will, clasping his hands together and looking at him pleadingly.
"You can't…" Will jumped onto the rail with one hand on the rigging for support. His other hand held his pistol, a pistol which was now pointing under his jaw up towards his head. "I can." He finished.
"…like that." Jack grumbled with a shake of his head.
"No! Don't!" Alex yelled out. Barbossa eyed Jack and Alex suspiciously before turning to Will.
"Who are you?" He asked in slight irritation.
"No one!" Jack cut in, quickly smiling as he stood in front of Barbossa and wildly waved his hands about. "He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice though – eunuch." He finished in a lower tone while pointing his thumb over at Will.
"My name is Will Turner!" Will proudly shouted, causing Barbossa to stare down Jack as he sheepishly walked away. "My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner, his blood runs through my veins!"
"He's the spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill, come back to 'aunt us!" Ragetti bewilderedly exclaimed, pointing a dirty finger at Will. His comrades whispered and talked amongst themselves in agreement.
"On my word do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger, and be lost to Davy Jones' locker!" Will fearlessly ordered, the pistol underneath his chin unwavering.
Barbossa emotionless eyes thinned in thought as he stared at Bootstrap's only son. "Name your terms, Mr. Turner."
"Elizabeth and Alex go free!"
Barbossa rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" He asked again in an obvious tone. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Jack waving at himself with an expression that seemed to say, "C'mon, mate, don't forget 'bout ol' Jack!"
"And the crew!" Will answered, momentarily pointing the pistol towards the group of men. Jack continued pointing to himself with impatient kohl-lined eyes. "The crew are not to be harmed." The pirate's arms dropped, knowing that this boy apparently either wasn't a good barterer or…just…didn't know how to think negotiations through.
Barbossa broadly smiled, revealing his sickly and rotting teeth. "Agreed."
Alex felt her stomach sink.
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If there was one thing to be known about Captain Barbossa, it was that he was a manipulative bastard that stayed true to the accord but only interpreted it in his own twisted way just to suit his pleasure. That was at least Alex's opinion, but she was sure Jack and a few other people wouldn't mind agreeing and adding on to that statement.
Alex hadn't been able to get anywhere close to Will, despite her trying effort to get back to him, and she noted that she, Jack, and Elizabeth were separated from the rest of the crew. Shoving aside the eerie feeling she felt, she wondered why, but she had her guesses…
"We're screwed, huh, Jack?" Alex quietly asked from beside him as she watched them prepare the plank. Jack looked down at himself, then checked Alex, then looked around at Barbossa's crew as Alex eyed him bewilderedly.
"Rest assured we haven't been, darling, but I'm sure they're still having their nasty thoughts about doing it."
"Jack! I didn't mean that!" Alex sighed in exasperation. "Don't you take anything seriously? I mean, take our situation for example. Not good!"
"I am being serious! I wouldn't want any of them screwing m–" She gave him a dagger-like glare and he feigned a cough. "Who said this situation isn't good? We'll be fine, luv. No worries."
"If I had a gold coin for every time you said that, I'd be rich." Alex mumbled.
"Go on, poppet, off ye go! Walk the plank!" Pintel sneered as he pointed his sword at Elizabeth. Alex's eyes widened before they narrowed and glared at Jack, who shrugged while giving her an awkward grin. 'No worries', Alex mockingly mouthed to him.
"Barbossa, you lying bastard!" Will yelled in anger, furiously struggling against the hands that held him back. "You swore they'd go free!"
Turning sharply, Barbossa glowered, "Don't dare impugn me honor, boy! I agreed they'd go free, but it was ye who failed to specify when or where." He coldly chuckled as Will was gagged. Alex looked over at him with a frown, and they maintained a silent and almost pleading stare with each other. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?"
"Aye!" The pirates amusedly agreed with their captain.
"So," Barbossa smiled, "I'll be havin' that dress back before ye go." His crew began to holler and hoot with laughter on the deck, but Elizabeth just callously stared back. Alex knew she hadn't seen her look that furious since that time back when they were children and her father, Weatherby Swann, forbid her to go out and play swords with Will and Alex. But now even this glare was far worse.
As Elizabeth began to untie the crimson dress, the pirates whistled and snickered like they were at some sort of harlot's show. When she finally removed the garment, she harshly threw it at Barbossa. "Goes with your black heart." She loathingly said, but Barbossa only grinned and pressed the fabric to his cold weathered cheek.
"Ooh, still warm!" He smirked before tossing the outfit over to his crew, who greedily grabbed at it.
"Off you go, c'mon!" One pirate impatiently yelled, pointing the tip of his blade at Elizabeth until she began to back up. She walked to the end of the wooden plank with whatever grace and dignity she had left, then looked over at Alex, gave her a small, comforting smile, and then over at Will, and stared at him longingly.
"Too long!" Bo'sun unexpectedly exclaimed. In one swift movement, he stomped his boot on the plank, causing it to shake. Elizabeth! Alex mentally shouted, but that wasn't enough to stop her from falling, and neither the muffled cries heard from Will were able to prevent it. The sound of a splash replaced her presence, and the pirates began to cheer. Jack too accompanied them with forced laughter until he was dragged towards the plank, and his eyes went wide while he quickly turned on his heel.
"I'd really hope we were past all this…" He weakly smiled up at Barbossa.
"Jack…" Barbossa started, casually throwing his arm around Jack's shoulder. For the first time, Alex realized how much taller Barbossa was than Jack, but that didn't seem to intimidate him at all. "Jack! Did ya not notice? That be the same little island we made you Gov'ner of on our last little trip." He explained, pointing towards the island in the distance.
"I did notice." Jack replied uneasily.
"Perhaps ye'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape…but I doubt it."
Jack momentarily grinned before it disappeared. "What will become of the lass?" He asked, nodding over at Alex, who had remain silent in attempt to see if they'd forget about her, but thanks to Jack, that wouldn't be the case.
"Ye care 'bout the strumpet's welfare after all, aye, Sparrow? Rest assured, she'll be dealt with accordingly." Barbossa paused in thought before slowly smiling. "In fact, let's deal with her first. Miss Keller!" Barbossa charmingly smiled, and at the mention of her name she was brought forth. She looked over her shoulder to try and find Will, and when she did, he was still gagged with the cloth but his wide, frantic eyes screamed more than words could ever express.
"What now?" Alex irritably snapped when she was shoved before him.
"I'm wonderin' if I should keep ye here or let you join yer friends...but the former sounds much more pleasurable to me."
Oh, hell. Alex thought as she quickly glanced over at Jack. He was neither speaking up in defense or cleverly talking to get her out of the situation, but was idly looking around the deck. He might as well have been whistling, too. With a mental roll of her eyes, she cautiously looked over the side of the wooden banister, then back at Barbossa's greedy smile. Oh well…if she was going down, she'd go down in style and with a Keller Attitude. With a lazy, sweet smile, she suggested, "I don't get along kindly with men such as yourselves, you filthy pirate. Why not ask some of your crew to help you out instead? I'm sure you'd be more satisfied."
Barbossa dangerously narrowed his eyes at her, missing Jack's amused smirk. "Well, gents," Barbossa coldly stared at Alex before slowly grinning. "It would seem that Jack will have an extra companion to keep him company." Barbossa laughed, and with that, he unsheathed his cutlass and brandished it at her throat. "Off ye go."
Alex gulped as she took a step back away from the sharp blade. "Is this really necessary? I mean, really now, can't we settle this like civilized citizens?"
"No, we can't."
Alex weakly grinned. "Alright then." She took another step back on the plank, catching Will's frenetic stare. It was the same stare he shared with Elizabeth, but this time Alex knew what he was trying to say. They both knew that couldn't do anything, despite his desperate struggling, and they both knew that this may be the last time they would ever see each other.
Time seemed to stop, and the last thing she remembered was giving him a small, reassuring smile to let him know that she was going to be alright, that everything was going to be fine.
"Enjoy yer stay, missy." Barbossa suddenly grinned coldly, and then she felt a pain in her jaw before she found herself being overcome by a cold, black shadow that blocked out her senses. Her body limply fell into the water head first with the laughter of the mutinous pirates and the loud cry of one young man reverberating in her head.
Slowly, her unconscious body sunk through the clear water. The tropical fish swam out of the way only to curiously return to watch the woman settle at the rocky bottom and to count how many small bubbles of air gradually escaped from her. Her short black hair wavered around her tanned face, hiding her closed brown eyes that only saw and felt a chilly shadow. The fish suddenly scrambled to swim out of the way again as another person feverishly swam down towards them, wrapping an arm around the motionless woman's waist before kicking off from the sand and up towards the surface.
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A/N: Whoa, this was a short chapter compared to the others. But don't worry guys! I make up for it in the next couple ones...
I don't have enough time to answer everybody's reviews, so I'd like to quickly thank Vagrant Candy, Sparrows Rum, doctress, American Drama, Sirael, Redneck626 Arya4 Laya Sparrow, SilverWolfSingsToTheMoon, CaptainDuckula, Terriah, zumanity57, Starpossum, and everybody else who have read this so far but have yet to reviewed! Seeing the counts each chapter gets makes me smile, but it would make me break my jaw from smiling if you guys reviewed! It makes a writer's day to read everyone's thoughts about it.
Also, I have an e-mail specifically for you guys: run (underscore) awaypirate (at) yahoo (dot) com. Feel free to e-mail me with whatever you want! Questions, comments, constructive criticism, suggestions, ideas...whatever! I'd love to hear from you.
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