A Line In The Sand
Chapter Seven
Author's Note: This was the scene that started it all. This was the reason I wanted to write this fic. And yes, I kept that line and directed it at Victoria rather than Elizabeth. But given that it was the best line James had the whole film, can you blame me?
"Come with us... James, come with me."
At the second plea, Elizabeth's tone had changed and she was looking at him. Unable to watch them together, Victoria scanned the deck and a brief glance upwards showed her father shuffling to look down at them. Her heart shook strangely in her chest as she turned to warn the others.
"Who goes there?" her father called, before Victoria had even opened her mouth.
"Go," James said, pushing Elizabeth back and drawing his sword. "I will follow."
"You're lying!"
"Go!" Victoria cried, exasperated, staring at the place where her father had stood looking down at them. "Go, Elizabeth," she said again, hurrying over to physically urge her towards the line. "I will make him follow. Hurry up, Captain."
Elizabeth cast a look at Victoria, then at James, before squeezing Victoria's hand and swinging up onto the line.
"Hurry up, Victoria," there was a hard edge to Elizabeth's voice. "That's an order."
"You are lying, aren't you?" Victoria said to James as Elizabeth shimmied away.
"Victoria," he looked at her hopelessly. "Our - our destinies have been entwined, but never joined. You must go."
He reached for her elbow to guide her to the line, but she jerked away from him before he could touch her.
"You are coming with us," she retorted fiercely. "You let us go – you're a traitor." He winced at that and her voice took on a desperate ring as she added, "You'll hang."
When he looked at her, her eyes were wide and adoring once more. But not in the old cheerful way. He had glanced back when he had run away with the chest and though she was screaming; her eyes had been open and focused on him. It was the same desperate, lost look she had now.
"I will accept the consequences of my actions," he said tightly. It was possibly the hardest thing he had ever said.
"I won't," she was holding him now. Her hands were tight on his arms, twisting in the fabric of his uniform and she had stepped close enough that her chest was pressed against his. He was looking down at her, bewildered and she saw something in his face, something like the hazy, smiling look he used to have when looking at Elizabeth.
But it lasted a mere second before they heard the shuffling behind them and turned to face her father.
"Back to your station, sailor," James said, drawing his sword and pushing her behind him.
"No one leaves the ship," her father replied, confused.
"Stand down," James said again, but his voice wavered slightly.
He thinks he's going to die here, Victoria realised.
"Father," Victoria blurted, pushing past James and stepping between them. Her father was clutching a long and jagged plank. "It's all right."
"Stand down. That's an order," James said, but she waved her hand at him to make him quiet.
"That's an order," her father repeated with a sigh. "Part of the crew, part of the ship"
"It's me, Victoria. Victoria Turner. You're Bill Turner – I'm your daughter. I'm Will's sister."
"Part of the ship, part of the crew."
"Steady, man!" James cried, pushing Victoria to one side again.
"All hands! Prisoner escape!"
"Belay that!" James shouted, snatching his pistol out of his belt.
"James!" Elizabeth cried. "Victoria!"
He turned, a wretched and hopeless look on his face and shot down the line, snapping at Victoria, "Over the rail. Go! Now!"
Victoria saw her father glance at the distracted Admiral and step forward, but she came closer, extending one hand to him, to intervene.
"You heard him," she said and this time her voice was hard and shaking with anger. "He said, stand. Down."
But her father wasn't looking at her, he was looking at James and she saw the plank move towards him.
It only took an instant to close her hand over James's, wrapping her hand over his round the hilt of his sword. Her other hand came down on top and she threw her weight against it. He was only just turning back from shooting down the line and his weight sank against her in surprise. When she looked up, the sword was in her father's stomach, embedded in the wall behind him and he was staring down at it in mild surprise. Her heart shook again, trembling rather closely to her jolting and churning stomach.
She felt James's hands shift under hers and she snatched her hands away as her father met her horrified gaze. She grabbed hold of James's coat and dragged him to the edge of the ship.
"Consider our destinies joined," she choked out as she hoisted herself up onto the rail. She tightened her fingers in his coat and wrapped her legs round his waist so quickly that he didn't have time to protest. When she threw herself backwards, she hauled him overboard too.