(Author's Notes – Yes, I'm back, with an unusually speedy update! Thank you, thank you, thank you to my lovely reviewers!
I'm glad you all hate Belle St. Croix – I'm doing my job right! I'm sorry to say her role is a somewhat long one, but worry not! In my world everyone gets exactly what they deserve – for better and worse. But there's a bit of insanity to suffer through first, which affords wonderful opportunity for action, adventure, romance, suspense, swordfights, revenge, midnight chases, captures, escapes, daring, tragedy, piracy, parody, insanity and – above all – true love! (Insert shades of The Princess Bride here).
Anyway, onto chapter 6, in which canon characters make appearances – some more memorable than others!)
The next moment found Laura in the same, small, cluttered chamber as she had been before. This time, the Authoress was lying, half asleep on the bed, staring at the ceiling, with something that looked like earmuffs over her ears.
"Brokenspar?"
"Huh?"
Brokenspar jumped a foot into the air, bouncing a few times on the mattress before settling.
"Jesus, Laura, you scared me!"
Now that the earmuffs had been removed, a strange noise filled the room.
"What's that?"
"What?"
"That noise?"
"What noise?"
Brokenspar was clearly confused, looking high and low until she spotted her CD player, and then a look of horror came over her face.
"Noise? Laura Bell, that sound is the Beatles!"
"Who?"
Brokenspar was dying now.
"THE BEATLES! Only the greatest band ever!"
"Oh … I see."
Her temper returning, Brokenspar immediately became more reasonable.
"This, Laura, is a CD player. You pop in the disk, and it plays music stored on said disk. Wonderful invention, really. Now, what can I do for you?"
"That St. Croix woman is back!"
All cheerfulness was gone.
"Bloody … I thought so, but truly? The infection is back?"
"I saw her waltz off with James with my own eyes."
"Badbadbadbadbad!"
"It gets worse," Laura whispered sadly, "After the embrace, Miss St. Croix wasn't there to interrupt … things got too far too quickly … one thing leads to another … James hasn't married me … my reputation will be moot … I'm afraid I'm with child."
Brokenspar. Was. Stunned.
"WHAT?"
"Please, don't make me repeat it, Brokenspar."
"You slept with Norrington?"
"I'm afraid I'm carrying his child, yes."
"Jesus Christ, Laura, this is bad. Badbadbadbadbad! God, I'd love to strangle that little wench!"
"If I were given to violence, I would too."
"Wait, are you sure you're with child?"
"No. It happened last night."
"Well, that's one thing that's being written into your story. A pregnancy test."
"I don't think we have those in my time," Laura murmured, somewhat frightened by the unreasoning fire in Brokenspar's eyes.
"Right. And you don't need it, you know."
"Why?"
"The girl who … does it … with the hero is always pregnant. Accepted rule of Mary-Suedom."
Laura crumpled to the floor.
"Brokenspar," she whispered, "What am I going to do?"
"Call me Lydia, for one. Brokenspar was fine for starters but it tends to get clunky and lose its dramatic appeal. And secondly, did you think you were in this alone? You are going to get the happy ending if I have to break all my pens and the keyboard to get you it! What I am going to do, Laura, is break some rules. Even if it doesn't work, we'll still have fun."
"Will it help me win James back?"
"Possibly. It, hopefully, will amuse you, if nothing else. Now, you're going to go back, and act like this never happened. Leave it to me. If I know anything about Norrington, it's what distracts him best – chasing and hanging pirates," Brokenspar smirked, "Do you remember a fellow named Jack Sparrow?"
If one thing had gone out of Laura's life, however briefly it had been in, it had left a huge hole in her existence. Fortunately, several things were piling in to stop the gap.
Finding herself once again in the front hall, she swept up the stairs and into the grand area of the second floor. Faint voices drifted from behind the sitting room door – one belonging to her mother, and the other belonging to the Former-Governor Swann.
A sad smile crossed Laura's face. At least her mother was happy and secure in her beau. Though Laura did not much like the idea of Miss Swann as a sister-in-law, she would be the last woman on Earth to interfere with another woman's -excepting Miss St. Croix's -romantic happiness. And what was wrong with a recent widow of good birth, good fortune, and good reputation from being courted by widower of good birth, fortune, and reputation?
And though Laura left them in peace, she could not resist a bit of a peek in. With all the stealth she could muster, she pressed her eye to the crack between the frame and the door. Within the room, Laura saw Mrs. Bell sitting next to Former-Governor Swann, who was, oddly enough, wigless and coatless – humbler, but also a seeming to be a little relieved to be … relieved … of his duties. The older pair was deep in a conversation Laura could not hear, so she passed smiling on, hoping for her mother's future happiness.
Laura made her way toward the music room, determined not to be driven from the place by memories. And her spinet could benefit from practice, she admitted to herself, though no amount would ever make her a truly superior player. Lovingly running her hands over the keys, Laura began to pick out a familiar tune.
"The is a ship sailing on the sea,
She's loaded deep as deep can be,
But not so deep as in love I am,
I care not if I sink or swim."
"Something troubles your thoughts, Sister?"
A tall, uniformed figure stood in the door. Well, two, to be perfectly precise, which Laura hoped normally to be, and especially around these two men.
"Nathan! Theo!"
Laura sprang from her perch on the plush bench to greet her surrogate brothers, the Lieutenants Gillette and Groves.
"Do come in, sit down! I haven't seen either of you since … since the Promotion ceremony! Shall I send for something?"
"Thank you, Laura, Theo and I are a bit done in ourselves," Nathan Gillette laughed, "I'll take a brandy if you have any. Theo?"
"Nathan, you are not drinking this early in the day. Lemonade. And, for the love of me, Laura, don't give Nathan any brandy! Commodore Norrington will have both our sorry hides if Nathan reports for watch inebriated again!"
Nathan rolled his eyes.
"As you were, Laura. Lemonade for all of us."
Laura, glad as ever to speak to them, gave a real smile as she pulled the bell for Janet.
"Don't stand on ceremony; I know it's beastly hot outside."
"Thought you'd never ask," Nathan laughed, tossing his coat and hat helter-skelter over the dusty harp, and proceeding to lounge gracefully in one of the wingback chairs.
Theo, as was his nature, was a more careful. His uniform coat was folded neatly and placed over the back of his chair, and his hat on the table beside him. With regards to posture he was similarly more careful.
The dramatic differences between the two men never failed to amuse Laura, or amaze her. Nathan was day and Theo was night; Nathan was the sky and Theo the sea – she could have gone on forever with the comparisons she had thought up over the years. Nathan she had known since their infancies, neither of them having changed much. It was through Nathan she had kept track of James in his long absence. Theo, on the other hand, was a more recent acquaintance, having been a midshipman on the Dauntless when she made the fateful crossing from England eight years ago. Though it seemed like ages, Nathan and Theo had only known each other for eight years, and not even the love of the same woman – Madeline Delancey – could separate them.
"What have you been up to?"
"The Commodore hasn't told you?"
Laura hesitated before answering.
"No. He … left."
"What joke is this, Laura? The Commodore would never walk out on you," Nathan burst.
"He did, I assure you, Nathan. In the company of the new Governor's daughter."
Her two brothers gave a simultaneous shudder.
"That nasty forward little thing?"
"The stupid one?"
Nathan superstitiously crossed himself as Theo choked on his lemonade, a sour look that was most definitely not due to the flavor crossing his face.
"That one," Laura confirmed.
"Oh, the poor Commodore!"
"He seemed happy enough to leave."
Theowas stunned.
"You're lying, Laura! Tell me you're lying!"
"I regret that such a statement is not within my power."
The two men were immediately on their feet and beside her.
"Come on, Laura, sit down," Theo urged, leading her over to his chair.
"Do, Laura, we're less done in than you."
"Shall I send for your mother?"
"No, she is with the former Governor right now. I would not have them be disturbed for the world."
Nathan shot Theo a knowing glance.
"Nothing like young love, is there? When are the lovebirds going to be married, anyway? Port Royal's getting a bit sick of holding its breath."
Though the comment about love stung, and they all knew it, Laura smiled.
"Give them time, Nathan. They'll see this through."
"Speaking of lovebirds, Laura -"
"I told you. He left. With her."
"Bad luck."
Theo delivered a very sharp elbow to Nathan's gut. When Nathan had recovered his breath, he knocked Theo's wig clean off. By the time Theo had recovered it, Nathan had launched into the next part of their comedic routine – a backhanded near slap to the face. This skit, developed while the two were in their earliest days about ship, had been perfected over the years for Laura's benefit, and had never failed to cheer her up.
"You two will be the death of me, someday!"
"No, we're sure to die before you," Theo stated, "I'm afraid we must take our leave of you. Nathan has anchor watch, and we'd really best make sure the Commodore's in his right mind."
"Oh, blast, you had to remind me, Theo. Now there's no way out of it, and you'll have Madeline all to yourself! Promise to hold a ball sometime, Laura, we're quite starved for entertainment!"
The lieutenants regained their dress as started for the door, both kissing her hand goodbye. Nathan rushed out, afraid of being late for his duties, but Theo lingered a bit.
"Hang in there, Laura. The Commodore is going to come around sometime."
He smiled in the hopes of sparking a similar response, kissed her hand again, and left, humming a ballad.
Laura resumed her position at the piano, not a little cheered by Nathan and Theo. Two brothers and a sister – that's the way things had always been between the lieutenants and herself, all of them of the same age, if differing in almost every manner. There were stranger siblings, she supposed, but it was all she was ever destined to be: a sister. She was content to leave it as such with Nathan and Theo, as she had never aspired to their affections, but James …
Thankfully, her mind could not be occupied by James, for another unexpected development had just occurred, one of a most absurd and rather threatening sort. Laura felt the cold of adamant steel against her neck, a rough and filthy hand over her mouth and warm breath whispering in her ear.
"Come with us, luv, and we'll thank ye to be quiet!"
