When Violet opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was the sand underneath her skin. It was under her fingernails and in her hair, and it was hot from the sun that blazed directly above her. Slowly, she pushed herself upwards, and as she sat up a raging pain erupted through her head, making her take in a sharp breath.
"Damn," she whispered, rubbing her temple to try to stop the throbbing. She tried to remember what had happened… And then it hit her. The rum. The fire. Jack. The fire. The fire?
Smoke drifted past her, and she immediately turned to see a blazing fire roaring across the beach from her, tended by Elizabeth, who was currently throwing another barrel of rum into it.
"But why's the rum gone?" she heard a voice exclaim, and she saw Jack by the fire, waving his hands around madly. Violet groaned, getting to her feet, and forcing herself across the sand to where they stood.
"A bit early for this, isn't it?" she yawned once she'd made it, and both of them turned to stare at her.
"Did you see what she did? Tell her, Violet, tell her she's ruined everything!" whimpered Jack, looking at the burning rum with dispair in his eyes.
"A signal fire, eh?" Violet mused, turning to Elizabeth, who looked awfully normal for someone who had drank such an extensive amount of rum the previous night.
"Give it one hour, maybe two, keep a 'weather eye open' and you will see white sails on that horizon!" Elizabeth said, and Jack groaned, muttering something about 'insolent fools' and 'rum'. He wrapped his hand around his pistol as Elizabeth turned away, and Violet snickered, making him stop.
"What are you going to do, Sparrow, shoot her?" she smirked, and he glared at her, slowly putting down the gun.
"Bloody idiots, the both of you," spat Jack before giving her a dark look and sauntering off down the beach. Deciding not to follow the petulant child, Violet sat down next to Elizabeth, was staring longingly out at sea.
"You're smart for a proper English lady, Miss Swann," Violet said to Elizabeth, who suddenly turned to her.
"Please, call me Elizabeth," she replied, a smile on her face. "And I think you're the smart one. I never got to thank you."
"For what?" Violet asked, puzzled.
"For everything you did back on the Pearl. For telling me to jump. You must be an excellent captain," Elizabeth said, and Violet grinned, the words making transporting her back to days on the sea, with a crew and a ship and nothing in her way.
"Aye, I am," she said, and Elizabeth laughed. "And it was nothing, Elizabeth. Hector Barbossa deserves much more than that."
"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Jack?" she asked, and Violet sighed, turning to stare at the small figure in the distance who was crossing the sand.
"I met him in the brig of a navy ship a few years ago," Violet recalled, a faint smile creeping across her face. "He helped me liberate my first ship, and we sailed our way back to land. But, as usual, Jack Sparrow betrayed me, just like he does to everyone sooner or later. And I told him he could get off my ship, or I would kill him." Violet tried to make the words sound light, but they brought back memories she had long since buried deep inside her.
"That's terrible," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I despise the man."
"He's a complete fool, idiot, and scoundrel, that I'll agree with," Violet said, nodding. Elizabeth gave her a concerned look, and Violet laughed, staring back at her. "What?"
"Nothing," Elizabeth said, turning back to the sea. "It's just that I can see that he cares for you." Violet jolted, turning to her.
"What do you mean?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "Jack Sparrow cares for no one, least of all me. That's the only way you get by on these seas, and Jack's the worst of them all. If you don't benefit him, you're useless." The words snapped something within her, but she tried to ignore it. She didn't care for Jack Sparrow. She didn't.
"Do you remember anything from last night?" Elizabeth asked her quietly, and Violet thought back to the fire and the rum, fighting with the dull ache in her head.
Wherever we go, we'll go. Me and you, love. I told you we were bound to each other.
"I- did you-" Violet stuttered, hating how weak she sounded. She was a bloody pirate captain, for crying out loud, and here she was blubbering over Jack Sparrow like some idiotic fool.
"I was merely pretending to drink the rum, I trust you've figured out," Elizabeth said, "and there's no way his words were merely fragments of my imagination. He does care about you, Captain." Violet shook her head vehemently, grinding her fists into the sand. There was no way on this blasted island that Jack cared for her. No possible way. And it was even more impossible that she felt the same way.
She was about to launch into a rant about all the things she hated about Jack when suddenly, something on the water caught her eye. A ship, bedecked with white sails and sailing majestically through the glimmering waves.
"Elizabeth!" she shouted, pointing towards the ship, and they both turned to look, the ship coming closer with every minute.
"They came," Elizabeth breathed, turning to the boat. "Good, because I don't know what I would do if I was wrong and we were stuck here with Jack and with all the rum gone."
The H. M. S. Dauntless was a horrible ship, and Violet wanted to bring a torch of Elizabeth's signal fire and burn up the whole hideous thing. All around it, white-wigged soldiers in red uniforms stared at her as they stood on deck, the man with the longest and ugliest wig talking to Elizabeth.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who are you? And you? And you?" Violet asked, pointing to the old man addressing Elizabeth, another soldier who couldn't take his eyes off of Miss Swan, and Jack.
"Ah, love, this is Governor Swann, dear Miss Swann's father. And here we have Commodore Norrington, a young lad in the race for the said Miss Swann's hand. And I, as you might have heard, am Captain Jack Sparrow. And might I add you are looking especially lovely today, Captain," Jack declared majestically, and all soldiers turned to glare at the two pirates as they bantered.
"Have I heard right? Another man in love with Elizabeth?" she turned to the said Commodore, who was glaring at the both of them. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, Commodore, but young William is beating you. Badly, I might add," she whispered loudly to him, and he looked like he could shoot her right then and there.
"And who might you be?" he asked pretentiously, and Violet gasped, dropping into a mock bow.
"Oh, forgive me, good Commodore. I am Captain Coldblood Charles," she said, and Norrington narrowed his eyes.
"Of course. Another pirate. And Captain Coldblood, no less. Yes, I've heard of you," he added, and Violet could tell he'd had this same sort of discussion with Jack already.
"Well, you don't know how much that pleases me to hear," Violet said with a smile and the Commodore gave her an uncomfortable look.
"Back to the matter at hand," interrupted Governor Swann with a cough, "We must return immediately to Port Royal."
"That's ridiculous!" Elizabeth shouted. "We've got to save Will!" She shot Violet a pleading look, but Violet only shrugged back. She was a pirate, not a family counselor.
"We can't do that, Elizabeth. The boy's fate is regrettable, yes, but then, so is his decision to engage in piracy," the Governor remarked, and Elizabeth groaned, shaking her head.
"To rescue me! To prevent anything from happening to me!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Violet watched Jack lean over Norrington, who looked concerned at Elizabeth's obvious dismay.
"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion. ...The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl ... the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up, right?" Jack said, and Norrington shook his head, dismissing him.
"By remembering that I serve others, Mister Sparrow, not only myself," said Norrington darkly, and Violet snorted.
"What a good man you are, Commodore. Truly an example for us all," she drawled, and he shot her another glare.
"Commodore, I beg you. Please do this- for me. As a wedding gift," said Elizabeth quietly, and all heads on board swiveled to her.
"Are you joking?" Violet asked, shocked. The girl was selfless enough to give up her happiness for Will's life? Her kindness half awed Violet and half made her want to throw up.
"Elizabeth- Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" said the Governor delightedly, and Elizabeth shot Violet a weary look.
"I- I am," Elizabeth said, and Violet swore loudly enough for both Norrington and the Governor to utter shocked gasps.
"No you're not," she burst out, and she couldn't believe she was saving Elizabeth's pride yet again. But although she hated to admit it, the girl was growing on her. She was honest, and even though she was this stupid wigged fool's daughter, she had a pirate in her.
"Captain, please," Elizabeth began, but Violet stalked over to the Commodore, getting up in his face.
"Listen to me, Commodore. You're a sorry excuse of a soldier and sorry excuse of a man. If you truly love Elizabeth, why would you force her into a life of agony just so you can prance around your high society with a wife? You know, for all your objection to piracy, you're selfish enough to be one," Violet growled, and Norrington looked extremely shaken.
"How dare you question my feelings for Elizabeth. You know nothing, pirate," Norrington snarled at her, narrowing his eyes.
"Then prove me wrong, you coward. Find Turner of your own will, not by forcing Elizabeth into anything. She deserves far better than you, anyway," Violet said with sharp intensity, and Norrington stared at her sharply. An uncomfortable silence filled the ship before Norrington finally cleared his throat, breaking his stare with Violet.
"Miss Swann, there will be no need to accept my proposal. Mister Sparrow, Miss Charles, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave.' Do I make myself clear?" announced Norrington, and Jack smiled, stepping back submissively.
"Inescapably clear," he quipped, and Elizabeth mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Violet, who simply nodded in return, sighing. She was becoming too soft for a pirate captain.
"Thank you, James," Elizabeth breathed, and the Commodore tipped his head, sadly.
"Anything for you, Miss Swann," he said quietly, and as Elizabeth, the surprised governor, and Jack were escorted away, Violet turned to him, shaking her head.
"You know, the first step to piracy is giving up what you love," she said, but the Commodore just gave her a cold look.
"I'm sure you'll be the first to know if I turn, Miss Charles," he replied quietly, a distant look in his eyes, and Violet grinned back at him.
"I hope I will," she said, and with that she stalked away after the others.
The sun cast an orange glow across Violet's face as it disappeared below the waves ahead of her. She was completely alone on deck as Norrington wanted to meet with his men, the only sound breaking through the silence the soft lull of the waves against the side of her boat. It was just her and the ship and the sea, the endless carpet of ocean calm beneath her.
"If only they could see Coldblood Charles now," said a voice from behind her, deep and accented with a hint of mockery. Jack.
She turned to face him, the light hitting her from behind and framing her in an ironically angelic way.
"What do you want?" she asked, falling back into her regular cold self. Jack took a swaggering step up to her, and she folded her arms, leaning against the railing of the ship.
"Do I need to want something to say hello to my favorite captain?" he said with a lazy smile, and Violet rolled her eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous. Your favorite captain is yourself," she said, shaking her head, and he laughed slowly.
"That's true. But I think Miss Swann is making you soft," he said, moving over to stand closer to her. "Although it was impressive when you showed the Commodore his place earlier," he added, and Violet laughed.
"He had it coming," she said simply, and Jack nodded in agreement. They stood in silence for a minute, before Violet finally took a deep breath and asked what was on her mind.
"Did you mean what you said? On the beach, I mean," she blurted awkwardly, and Jack grinned, flashing his gold teeth at her.
"I said a lot of things on the beach," he drawled, and Violet rolled her eyes, turning away from him and back to the sea.
"Never mind, Jack. I shouldn't have expected you to take anything seriously," she said angrily, but Jack walked over and came next to her at the edge of the ship.
"Do you even remember that night?" he asked softly, and she turned to him.
"I don't remember much," she admitted, "but I know I probably said something stupid, and I'm just letting you know now, that was the rum and not-"
"Not what you truly think, is that it?" he asked, and Violet was surprised by the amount of hurt she detected in his voice.
"I guess so," she replied, but he was already walking away across the deck, and Violet wanted to say more, but she couldn't bring herself to follow him.
"Just so you know," Jack said, turning around just before he disappeared below the deck, "I meant what I said, that night. All of it."
And then Violet was alone again, just her and the ship and the sea.
A/N: Hey everybody! These past few chapters have been so much fun for me to write and I really hope you are enjoying them! If so please review and let me know what you think! I'll be posting another flashback chapter hopefully soon so watch out for that :) As always, thanks so much for reading!