Love for all my readers and reviewers!

Chapter 30

Just Over the Horizon

After Alan and Davin had decided that she was staying aboard the Paradise they had left his cabin together to make announcements to both crews. The first announcement was that she was staying on the Paradise; the second was that she would pay any man that helped her retrieve her brother from the Sultan.

She had been ecstatic at the response. Every man aboard shouted their intention to help, and after the first bout of shouts they had all told her they wouldn't need any money to help. They thought of her as a friend, and they would help her because of that. A few men had asked for money, but those had been glared at so fiercely by their fellow crewmen that they changed their minds rather quickly.

So now she stood next to the helm, Davin's arm thrown about her waist as he steered his ship in the wake of the Black Pearl. Jessie was doing her best to stay close to the Paradise, and Davin was doing his best to speed his ship up.

With a contented sigh Alan laid her head on Davin's chest. She felt his lips graze her head and knew he was just as happy as she was. They were together, even if bad things had happened to bring them there. Alan knew things would get better, they had to.


Alan had been working hard trying to keep the sails furled and the men in good spirits, it had been a week since she found the Paradise and they started out on the journey to save her brother.

A week of happiness that she had never expected to find, she had been content aboard the Pearl under her father's command; but here she was truly happy.

It would only take another week to reach Turkey, and from there a day or two to reach Bursa, where her mother had been held captive.

Alan was both excited and apprehensive about reaching Turkey. She knew that once she reached Bursa she would get her brother back, nothing would be able to stop her from taking him, but she was worried about her ability to stay aboard the Paradise with Davin.

"Somethin wrong love?" A voice murmured as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"No, everything's wonderful," she said with a smile, turning and pulling Davin's lips to hers. His arms pulled her closer against him as he deepened their kiss.

"I love ye," he said as their kiss ended.

"I love you too," she said.

"Now get back te work," he ordered with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Aye Cap'n," she said in her best pirate accent. He laughed and shooed her away and she promptly climbed the rigging to check on the sails.

After she had checked, and secured, the sails she climbed into the crows nest to take over watch for an hour and let Jeffery get something to eat.

"Yer a doll," Jeffery said as she climbed in. She simply laughed as he climbed out of the nest and began his descent.

Alan pulled her spyglass from her belt and looked at the Pearl. It took her a while to locate Jessie, she wasn't at her usual spot at the helm, instead she was standing outside Jack's door knocking. Alan watched and waited in anticipation, but the door didn't open and after a while Jessie left to take care of other duties.

From what she could tell her parents still hadn't left their quarters, and she was exceedingly worried for her mother's condition. With a sigh she turned her glass behind them and gasped in shock.

"Captain, sails to the aft," she shouted urgently. There were four ships behind them from her count. They weren't very close yet, but they were undoubtedly headed for the Pearl and the Paradise, and they were flying the Spanish flag.

"How many ye see?" Davin yelled up to her, looking through his own glass. Alan turned and counted again, her heart dropping into her throat.

"Five warships," she yelled.

"And the Pearl?" He asked, his voice wavering in the wind.

Alan turned to look at her ship. Men and women were running around wildly, and Jessie was motioning at Alan. They saw the ships. "They're readying to fight."

"Get down from the crow's nest before they get in cannon range," Davin yelled urgently. She saw the wisdom in this immediately and began to climb down. Cannons were always aimed at the mast.

Alan made it down easily before the ships reached them. The men were already loaded for battle. It was then that she realized she was weaponless.

"We need to reach the Pearl."

"Why?" Davin asked.

"My weapons, I left them all onboard."

"I can loan ye a cutlass."

"Not just a sword love, you'll see, just catch up to her. Jessie's already slowing down." He nodded and took his place at the helm to pull alongside the Black Pearl. Alan grabbed a rope as they pulled near and swung across. The ships were almost within cannon range.

"Where's father?" She yelled as she ran to her cabin to gather her things.

"He hasn't left their cabin yet," Jessie said, running with her to their cabin. Alan burst into her room and grabbed her weapons, her katabos went into her belt on either side of her hips, she then strapped her cutlass to her back, stuck knives in her boots, and last stuck two pistols at her back. Jessie was similarly adorned, only in place of katabos, which she had never deigned to learn, were two long thin knives, her weapons of choice.

"Demetrius must have been in a rather foul mood when he awoke," Jessie smirked, making Alan laugh.

"Indeed, he's trying to make this difficult. It shouldn't be too bad."

Alan turned and smirked at Jessie, her father's smirk. They raced from their room and back to the deck, where the warships had come within firing range.

"We need fa," Alan murmured running to his cabin. "Father enough," she shouted as she kicked down his door and burst into his room. She wasn't ready for the site before her. Jack was sitting on the floor in front of the bed trying to talk to her mother who was cowering in the bed away from Jack.

"Damn it girl get out of here," Jack growled.

"No, it's been weeks father, and you haven't made any break through. I know she needs you, but we need you now, Logan needs you. There are five warships behind us about to fire, be Captain for God's sake," she yelled and walked out of the room.

"Alan?" Rena whispered as her daughter's voice came to her through her haze. She opened her eyes and looked at the woman that stood before her, walking out of a cabin that looked oddly familiar. She wasn't in the clutches of a madman, she was aboard the Pearl.

"Love?" Jack whispered in awe. In the weeks he had kept her alone with him in their cabin she had said nothing more than it was her fault.

"Jack?"

"Yes love, it's me," he said, moving to slowly sit by her on the bed.

"Jack, go save us," she whispered as her daughters words came back to her. Jack smiled and took her in his arms, his beads and braids clinking as he moved.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she said, holding him back. Jack pulled away reluctantly, grabbed his cutlass, and raced from the room as the first cannon ball hit.


Muahahahahahaha… Yes I'm leaving it there, I know I'm evil. Thanks to my lovely reviewers, I love you guys!

Okay now for the bad news, I have 2, 7 page papers due on the 30th so I'm going to be using this week to write those instead of this. I will try to get a little writing in this week but I won't be updating like everyday, sorry guys.

But after I get the papers done I'll be back, so no worries! Love you all! Please review and I'll see about getting the battle chapter up quickly.