Ashes to Ashes
Chapter 17: A Past Revealed
"This was their rendezvous," Templeton sneered. "This was where they would meet so no one could bother them."
Templeton walked stiffly towards the velvet covered bed, brushing the dusty wooden posts with her fingertips. Her hands tightened into fists as she stared stonily at the bed. "She kept it from me for so long. She hid her affair with Sparrow from her captain. From her sister! Do you have any idea how much it hurt?"
Ashleigh stared at Templeton in silence, unsure whether to answer her. The look on Templeton's face was filled with both sorrow and anger. The loss of her sister all those years ago had stayed with her; had gnawed away at the love she felt for her sister and replaced it with hatred for the cause of her death: Jack Sparrow.
"She told me that she loved him and that he loved her." She laughed coldly. "The great Captain Jack Sparrow falling in love? I told her that she had lost it. I knew that he would never tie himself down to one woman. I knew it could never happen. But she didn't believe me."
Ashleigh took a deep breath, the air around her suddenly becoming thick. The smell of jasmine permeated the air around her, the sweet scent beginning to overwhelm her. She attempted to speak again, but the lingering smell suffocated her.
"But now he's moved on to you," Templeton sneered, turning slowly to look at her silent prisoner. "And what better way to trap a sparrow then to steal its whore?"
The feeling of a soft hand on her shoulder caused shivers to run through Ashleigh's body. Her mouth felt dry; her throat itchy.
"What? Nothing to say?" Templeton asked as she walked the few steps to where Ashleigh was bound. "You're not going to disagree? You're not going to tell me that you're not his whore? That he loves you?"
Ashleigh's gaze flicked up to meet Templeton's eyes. Her mouth opened slowly as she tried to speak, tried to say anything. She wasn't even sure what her captor was saying. Templeton's words were muffled, her voice too low to understand. She closed her eyes slowly, shaking her head gently to try and get rid of the heavy feeling in her mind. Before she could open her mouth again, the sound of footsteps began to echo in the hallway.
Jack knew this place and he knew this place well. But he had not expected to ever see it again. The house was filled with too many memories; many wonderful memories at that. But after her death, he had avoided the place like the plague. Jack had never wanted to come here again.
"Jack, are you alright?" Will whispered.
"Shut up!" one of the pirates yelled. "No talking!"
Elizabeth shook her head, her hands clenching into fists. "Where is Ashleigh?" she blurted angrily.
Markson turned around to face them. "Ye'll see 'er soon, love. She's right in that room," he sneered, pointing his thick finger at a dark door a few feet in front of them. "She's visitin' wit' the captain."
A shiver ran down Jack's spine as his eyes landed on the door. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly. He did not like where this was going. Why would Templeton take them here? Why would she hold Ashleigh in that place? And then he knew.
Templeton knew about this place; knew what it meant, what it had been used for. She knew what this place would do to him if he ever returned. She was smart, Jack would give her that.
The barrel of a pistol shoved into his back brought him back from his thoughts. "Move along."
Jack turned to him slightly, attempting a smile. "No need ta shove, mate."
The pirate merely responded with another shove to Jack's shoulder, pushing him closer to the forbidding door.
Templeton's head jerked up at the sound of the voices, a small smirk lifting the corners of her mouth. "Ah," she said, "I see our guests have arrived."
Ghostly hands continued to press down on Ashleigh's shoulders, seeming to merge in with her body. Her eyes blurred, her chest clenched. And then a voice whispered softly into her ear.
Elizabeth was shoved roughly into the dusty room, tripping on her oversized breeches and falling to her knees.
"So nice to see you again, Miss Swann."
Elizabeth lifted her gaze slowly, dreading the sight she knew she would see. Templeton stood hovering over her, a cruel smirk on her lips. Don't show fear, Elizabeth thought.
Hands pulled Elizabeth to her feet and then pushed her behind a man so protective she knew he would watch over her for the rest of their lives. "Will," she breathed.
Elizabeth trailed her gaze past Will's shoulder to look around the dusty room. Her heart stopped the moment her eyes landed on the pale form of her childhood friend.
"Ashleigh!" she cried.
Ashleigh did not move, her lowered head did not rise; the hair covering her face did not stir. Elizabeth clutched at the back of Will's shirt when she didn't receive a reply. Something was wrong. "Why isn't she moving?" she whispered.
"What did you do Templeton?" Jack asked, his eyes going to Ashleigh the moment he was shoved unceremoniously into the room.
"What have you done to my sister?" Michael seconded, the worry in his eyes doubling at the sight of her.
Templeton glanced at him, and then turned slightly to gaze at Ashleigh. She noticed nothing odd about her, besides the fact that the girl was strangely silent. Templeton turned her attention back to the group of pirates and officers, a smirk hovering over her lips.
"Your sister is fine, boy."
Michael's anger exploded. "Does she look fine to you!" he yelled, gesturing at his hunched over sister.
Once again all attention turned to the quiet woman, their eyes all watching, waiting for some form of movement.
Ashleigh's mind fogged over. She had no idea what was happening around her, no idea of the conversation that was going on right in front of her. She knew, though, that something was happening; something that was not right. Her eyes glazed over as her head swam. And then the world went black.
The fight had started. Markson had attacked first; swinging his sword at Jack's back. Jack, somehow sensing the coming blow, dodged and then elbowed Markson in the face, following with a punch to the back of his head as he fell, effectively knocking the pirate unconscious.
Will and Elizabeth held their own, wrestling weapons from their captors and using the swords against them. Michael used only his bare hands; Norrington hit the first pirate that attacked him, stealing the man's dagger in the process. Their fight was almost over before any of the pirates could really fight back.
Jack, though, only had eyes for the woman captain standing in front of him. He held his anger in check, the emotion broiling in his stomach. "Templeton, it's over."
She gave a harsh laugh. "Over, Sparrow? This will never be over. Even if you beat me now, I'll always be back."
"Then we'll end this here, eh?"
Templeton lunged at Jack, her sword held tightly in her right hand. Jack ducked, effectively dodging her swing. Before Jack could retaliate, a voice cried out in the room; a voice that Jack knew all too well.
"Stop! There is no sense in all this fighting!"
All movement in the room stopped, everyone's eyes moving to stare at the woman bound to the chair.
"Ashleigh?" Michael called.
Ashleigh's head lifted, the black hair falling to reveal her face. Jack blinked as her face came into view. Her once innocent eyes were harder, her full lips set in a thin line.
"There is no sense in what you are doing," Ashleigh said, her voice somehow changed. "I have tried warning you; I have tried telling you that this was pointless."
"No," Jack whispered, drawing Templeton's gaze to him. "No. Daveigh."
Templeton's attention snapped back to Ashleigh's still form at his words. "Daveigh?" she asked, her features growing softer. "It can't be possible."
"You've begun something that never had to be started Alexi," the girl replied as Templeton moved closer to her.
"I had to," Templeton replied, falling to her knees in front of Ashleigh's possessed form. "I had to avenge you. You were killed because of him."
"You should have let it be. You've lost good men, men that never needed to be killed."
Templeton reached out to touch Ashleigh's face, her fingers caressing her cold cheek. "It was all to avenge your death," she whispered.
"It was a death you caused!"
Jack jumped slightly at Daveigh's shout, his brown eyes hardening at her words.
"What?" Templeton asked, climbing to her feet quickly and taking a step back. "What? No. No, it wasn't my fault."
"How can you blame him for my death when you pulled the trigger? You've hated him since you found out I loved him. You were so afraid that he would take me away from you."
"I . . . I didn't do it. It wasn't my fault," she insisted.
"Tell the truth, Alexi," Daveigh responded, her voice growing softer. Templeton turned around quickly, turning her back to the ghost of her sister.
But when she looked up it was to see Jack's blazing eyes. "All this time I blamed myself," he said. "All this time I was angry at myself for something you did?"
"It was your fault Sparrow," Templeton spat, hatred once again consuming her face. "All she had to do was stay out of the way. But she wouldn't listen. I told her you didn't love her, but she didn't believe me. I had to do something. I had to stop her from being foolish."
Jack's gaze flicked down, his grip on the sword tightened. "You killed her?" he whispered. Anger seemed to radiate from his skin; his muscles were tense, his short fingernails bit into the skin on his palms.
"It was never his fault Alexi," Daveigh said through Ashleigh's lips. "You know it was never his fault."
"All you had to do was stay out of the way," Templeton repeated quietly, once again sinking to her knees. Her shoulders slumped as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I didn't mean . . ."
Jack raised his sword slightly, the tip of the blade touching Templeton's chin. He raised her head up slowly, drawing her gaze to his. He could hear Elizabeth in the background asking what he was going to do. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, staring at him, watching him, but his attention was focused solely on the woman kneeling before him.
The anguish in Templeton's eyes meant nothing to him; his anger ate away at everything inside of him. He had blamed himself for so long, blamed himself for everything that had happened. The anger, the hatred, told him to end it right then. To just kill the woman kneeling in front of him, to stop everything that she had put him through.
But the other side, the part of him that ruled his mind for most of the time, told him that that would be wrong. It told him that he could do nothing more to her than what had already been done; he could not hurt her anymore than she had already hurt herself.
So instead of pushing the tip of his sword through her skin, he lowered it slightly. "It's over, Templeton," he simply whispered.
Templeton's head sank down, the defeat and sorrow showing on her face. A hand touched Jack's shoulder causing him to turn his head slightly. Will stood silently behind him, a knowing look crossing his face. "Go," he whispered, "I'll watch her."
Jack nodded and sheathed his weapon. He walked past the hunched over captain, not even taking a glance behind him as he stepped up to Ashleigh's possessed form. The girl stared up at him, a soft smile gracing her lips. A smile began to tug at his mouth, a knowing smile. He could see Daveigh's features on Ashleigh's face; Daveigh's small mouth and high cheekbones, her sharp blue eyes. But he knew that all of Daveigh's features were merely a ghost of an image placed over another. Underneath he could still see Ashleigh's round face and full lips. Her soft green eyes shone like a beacon beneath the contrasting blue. He knew she was still there.
Jack took in the healing bruises on Ashleigh's face, the small wound on her neck. His fingers brushed the wound, feeling the slightly raised scar that had been left there.
"Jack," a soft voice interrupted.
He looked up into Daveigh's ghostly face and a smile lit his lips again. "Daveigh," he whispered.
"Jack, you need to untie me. I have to do something before I go. There's something I have to do."
Jack nodded silently and then knelt down in front of her, reaching into his boot for the knife he kept there. He cut the ropes around her ankles and then moved around to her back, gently cutting the ropes at her wrists. Jack stood up and put out his hand to her. Daveigh accepted his proffered hand, allowing him to help her to stand. She stumbled slightly, tumbling into him.
Jack caught hold of her as she stumbled, taking her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the mixed scents of jasmine and sea air. Jack had thought that he would never be able to hold her in his arms again after she had died, never thought that he would be able to hold her close. He felt a brief jolt of happiness at the feel of her in his arms until his reality set in.
He knew Daveigh was not actually with him. He knew she was only there because she was using Ashleigh's body as her own. Jack knew that it could never be the same way that it was. He pushed her away slowly, trailing his hands lightly down her arms. "Easy, love."
Daveigh smiled up at him, her blue tinged eyes crinkling at the edges. She pushed away from Jack gently, stepping back from him and turning away.
Templeton stared up at the ghost of her sister as she knelt down in front of her. "Alexi," she whispered, "I love you, and you know that. Nothing could have ever taken me away from you. Not my love for Sparrow, not anything. You were my captain and my sister and I would have never done something to hurt you."
Templeton opened her mouth to reply when Daveigh cut her off. "How could you have ever thought that I would have just stood by and let you kill someone that I loved? I couldn't let you kill Jack and you knew that, and yet you pulled the trigger anyway."
"I-" Templeton began. "I didn't know you were there. I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to hurt you," she whispered, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. "I just- I couldn't-"
Daveigh smiled sadly at her sister, sorrow echoing on her ghostly features. "I know, Alexi, I know." Daveigh leaned into her sister, wrapping her arms softly around Templeton's shoulders. Templeton's back grew stiff, her muscles tensing at the sign of affection. "I forgive you," Daveigh whispered.
A sad smile formed on Templeton's face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I know."
Daveigh released her sister and stood up slowly. She turned her attention to Jack until a gunshot rang out in the room. Daveigh spun on her feet, watching as Templeton's body went rigid and a spot of blood began to pool on her chest. "No!"
A second shot rang out as Daveigh grabbed hold of her sister's falling form, clutching the limp body to her chest. "No, no Alexi, please."
Templeton smiled up at her Daveigh, a thin line of blood trailing down her chin. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm . . . so sorry."
"She was too weak to be captain," a gruff voice called out.
Daveigh turned her head slightly, her fingers softly rubbing over her sister's lifeless face. Markson knelt on the ground, his left hand clutching a bleeding wound on his abdomen. A smoking pistol was held loosely in his right hand, the muzzle resting lightly against the wood floor. "Why?" she whispered.
"She did not deserve to be captain. She gave in too easily," he replied, spittle flying from his mouth.
"So you kill her?!" Daveigh shouted.
A cruel smirk spread over Markson's lips. "Bitch deserved to die."
Daveigh let go of Templeton's lifeless form slowly, placing her gently on the wooden floor. As soon as she was set down, Daveigh launched herself at Markson, her fist raised high.
Using the last bit of strength he had, Markson lifted his right hand, another hidden pistol appearing from the sleeve of his shirt. Before anyone could react, before anyone could stop him, the trigger was pulled, the small bullet flying through the air and burying itself deep in Daveigh's, no Ashleigh's, left shoulder. The force of the shot threw her back, forcing her to land on her back, a puddle of blood already forming underneath her.
"No!" Jack and Michael yelled in unison, both men running to her side.
Moments after Ashleigh's body hit the floor another shot rang out, the bullet from the gun lodging itself in Markson's heart. Markson fell to his back, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Everyone in the room turned widened eyes on Norrington, the smoking gun clenched in his hand. He did not reply to their silent queries, merely lowered the gun and turned his attention back to the other defeated pirates.
Jack pressed down on the bleeding wound on Ashleigh's shoulder, attempting to stem the flow of blood as best he could. "Do not die on me," he whispered softly in her ear.
"Ashleigh, you are stronger than this," Michael said, clutching her hand in his. "You will live."
"She'll live," a ghostly voice said above them. "It's not her time."
Jack looked up, his mouth set in a thin line, no humor hidden in his eyes. "Daveigh."
A sad smile lit her lips. "I'm sorry Jack; I didn't mean to harm her. I just needed her for one purpose."
Jack opened his mouth to reply but Daveigh placed a cool finger on his lips. "She'll be fine. She'll live and you can have your happily ever after." She stood up straight, her form beginning to fade. "But it's time for me to go. I've been here to long, but just long enough to end this."
"Daveigh . . ."
She smiled again, her body evaporating like smoke caught on the wind. "I'll always watch over you Jack. I'll always love you."
Before Jack could respond Daveigh disappeared, the last thing he could see of her was a lingering smile. He stared at the empty space that she had occupied, thoughts wandering aimlessly through his mind. Through a thin haze Jack could hear one of the Naval Officers running back through the house to reach the outside. He knew that they were going to get help, a doctor possibly, but his mind would not register it. She was gone for good now. Perhaps now he could sleep in peace; could live without the anger and the guilt.
Perhaps now he could go on with the rest of his life without being ashamed of his past.
AN: I am so sorry that this took so long for me to write and honestly I did the best I could. I'm not entirely sure about the outcome but I hope all of you will forgive me. I have had extreme writer's block, but thank god that that has almost completely passed. Sadly this story is almost over. I don't plan on writing a sequel for it because I know exactly where I want to leave my characters at the end. For those of you waiting patiently for an update on DCD, I ask that you please wait just a little bit longer. I would like to finish this story first and then finish off DCD. I have had writer's block for that story too, and it's driving me crazy! I hope that you liked this chapter! I hope to update more soon.