Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.
AN: Bad news everybody: I'm going on vacation next week, so no update until after the 4th of July. I'm sorry, but I promise to update twice the following week to make up for it. Also: this story is coming to an end! Yeah, it surprised me, too, but then, I'm stuck between two stories, so it's kind of a surprise to discover that this story is almost finished and I didn't even know it! Also, I have no idea where or when smoke bombs were invented, so forgive me for tampering with history. Review!
Chapter 29: Rescue!
As smoke began to fill the room, I felt myself being pulled tightly against a warm, firm chest. The feel of Jack's hands on my back gave me comfort, especially when he suddenly pulled me out the open balcony doors and into the gardens. I gasped, accidentally inhaling some of the smoke being created by the devices that Will and Elizabeth were using to cause a distraction. Thankfully, everyone else was coughing, screaming, or panicking, so no one noticed.
"Here, luv, drink this," Jack whispered into my ear as he pressed a small flask into my hands.
I took a sip and nearly choked. It was rum! Oh, well, at least it would burn a clear path down my throat and let me breathe! Not hesitating for another moment, I took another drink, the alcohol indeed burning its way down as it poured into my stomach. Now that I could breathe, I handed the flask back to Jack and watched as he tucked it away inside his costume.
"A perfect time to go, now, wouldn't you say?" my husband quipped in a cheerful voice, pulling me along with the crowd of people rushing to get away from the smoking ballroom.
In the tangled mess of costumed party attendees, I noticed an unusual amount of people in shabby outfits and masks walking towards the edges of my parents' property. In minutes, the shabby guests had vanished without a trace while the obviously aristocratic partygoers fanned themselves and continued to mill about in panic and fear.
I watched in amusement as women began clinging to the nearest gentlemen, regardless of whether that man was their husband, family member, or not. Meanwhile, the men were doing their best to calm or sooth the panicked women at their sides; those not occupied with comforting the ladies had returned to the ballroom to see what was going on.
"Keep yourself very quiet, luv," Jack whispered into my ear as he continued to lead me away from the crowds. "This is the tricky part here, so follow my lead."
Thankfully, everyone was so wrapped up in their own world that they paid little attention to us. As we calmly walked down the pathway towards the open front gates, Jack's hands remained firmly pressed around my body as he led me along. Once again, I felt a sense of safety and love that I hadn't felt since the day I was taken from the Pearl. Smiling in contentment, I followed Jack out the gates and around the corner of the tall shrubs that surrounded and marked my family's land.
I nearly screamed when something very large and warm shot out and immediately began to nuzzle my face. Jack's hand shot out and covered my mouth, preventing any sort of sound from escaping my lips. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, and when I nodded, Jack removed his hand. Looking over at him, I saw a large grin on his face.
"Didn't think that horses would scare you that much, darling," he said, reaching out to grab the reins of the overly-friendly beast.
I promptly reached out and slapped him on the shoulder. "You horrible man," I replied with a huff, crossing my arms over my chest as Jack released me and threw himself into the saddle, one hand reaching out for mine.
"Pirate," he said with an even wider grin. "Now, take my hand and get on, my lovely little nymph, before we get caught and you're dragged back to that boring thing you call a ball!"
That certainly put me into motion, and I was soon swung up in front of Jack, one of his arms locking around my waist as he kicked the horse into a canter. Even with a full moon, it was still incredibly dark outside, but I silently thanked the Lord that it was so late that there was no one on the road leading down towards the docks. Everyone was at home, so Jack had an easy run for our escape.
The ride to the docks was rushed, but still pleasant. The air was warm, with a touch of breeze coming off of the sea, and the moon was full in the night sky. Above us, the stars sparkled amidst a sprinkling of puffy misty grey clouds. Riding there in my husband's arms, it was all so beautiful that I felt as though I were in one of those mythological or fairy tale books I had loved as a child.
"There's the Flame, luv," Jack whispered into my ear as we arrived at the harbor. "I'll let you off there so that you can get up the gangplank. Meanwhile, I'll send this horse to stray its way through the market for a snack, aye?"
"Aye," I whispered while looking back at him with a smile.
In a typical Jack fashion, he bent forwards and kissed me while letting the horse draw to a stop on it's own. I was frightened that the animal would run off the edge of the dock and into the water, but it managed to halt before it stepped onto the wooden platform. When he felt the horse stop, Jack pulled back from our kiss and smiled down at me.
"We've arrived, fair lady," he whispered before sliding gracefully down from the saddle.
I smiled and let him help my down, my heart soaring at the fact that I was with him once again.
All of the trouble involved in getting this half-cooked rescue plan together had been worth it, even with the amount of money Jack had been forced to spend on it. However, none of it could compare to the feeling of having Rose in his arms once more; her kisses were even more heavenly than he remembered, and if Jack had his way, they would never spend more than a day apart ever again.
Late last night, Jack and the Turners had put their heads together to see what they could come up with. Jack had wanted to shoot anyone or anything that got between him and Rose's escape, but the Whelp wouldn't have it. Instead, Will remembered something that he had learned while he and Elizabeth had been in India, a special device that could make this venture a success without anyone getting hurt or killed in the process. Jack, of course, had complained at not being able to shoot anything, but decided to try it their way, if only to prevent Rose herself from getting hurt.
When Jack had calmed down, Will had sent a few of his men into town to pick up the tools he needed. After the men had returned with their bounty, Will demonstrated his idea to Jack. Using a stone mortar, William mixed together a small amount of two powders and carefully blended them together. Tossing in a lit match, he watched in satisfaction as the bowl began giving off thick curls of grey smoke, causing the three of them to cough just the slightest bit.
Even though his nose and throat had itched slightly from the smoke, Jack had been impressed enough to use Will's smoke devices in his plot. The plan was to have the three of them go to the party dressed in their costumes, then have several men of the Horizon's Flame follow close behind with the smoke bombs. The Flame's men would be in costumes made from whatever was left of the goods that Will and Elizabeth had brought, though of a slightly shabbier kind than Jack's and the Turners'. Hopefully, it would be too dark for any guards posted at the mansion to notice that some of the guests did not really belong there.
Now that they had their distraction ready and in place, Jack wanted a quick way to get Rose away from the ball without attracting attention. The last thing he wanted was to have Gerard Hastings alert to the fact that Rose was escaping, and having a troop of armed and angry soldiers on their heels didn't sound very amusing, either.
It was Elizabeth's idea to have one of her crewmen purchase a horse and bring it to the ball, leaving the animal tied up just around the edge of the tall shrubs that surrounded the Nelsons' property. She and Will would leave the ruined party in more subtle means, sneaking through the guests and out with their crewmen. Jack rather liked that idea, and an image of him riding under the pale moonlight with Rose had filled his mind as he slept that night, praying that it would be the last time he'd be sleeping alone in a cabin for the rest of his life.
Now Rose was here in his arms, the moon was full, and the stars were sparkling above as they stood on the docks, the water lapping gently against the shore and the wood of the dock. It was quite a romantic moment, and Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't the type to pass up an opportune moment like that! So, even though he'd just shared a kiss with Rose, he leaned forward and kissed her again.
As Jack's arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a kiss, I found myself lost in the love and passion that I could feel coming from his kiss. I nearly giggled at the feel of his whiskers tickling my face, but the soft and seductive warmth of Jack's mouth proved to be the perfect distraction. Just then, the little bit of my brain left alert to the world became aware of Jack's hands, which were busily tugging at the back of my costume, his fingers trying to get to whatever lay beneath the fabric.
'Which, may I remind you, isn't hidden by much,' reminded the reasonable part of my mind.
Regretfully pulling back from the kiss, I looked up into Jack's eyes as he began to pout. "We can get to that later," I whispered, my forefinger gently and playfully tapping his lower lip. "For now, I had better get myself hidden aboard the ship, ay?"
Jack sighed. "Aye, luv," he said, reluctantly pulling back from me. "I'll get rid of the horse and you go and find my cabin; one of the men will direct you. I'll be right back, savvy?"
I nodded and headed up the gangplank while trying to keep my balance. It had been a while since I'd been on a ship, and it would take time for my sea legs to come back to me. In the meantime, I would go to Jack's cabin…though when he arrived there, I would have a pleasant surprise waiting for him.
Setting the animal loose was easier than he'd thought. Some thoughtless fool had tossed out a batch of moldy vegetables, and the horse had instantly sniffed it out. Apparently someone had neglected to feed the poor beast, and so Jack let it follow its nose and its stomach. Once the animal was free, Jack was up the gangplank and on the Flame, his feet racing to get him back to his wife.
Several of the men aboard the Flame nodded and winked knowingly as Jack flew by them, but he refused to slow down and reply. Instead, he ran down the steps into the ship, loosening up parts of his costume as he went. The moment he opened the door to his cabin, Jack stopped in his tracks, his jaw dropping open at the enticing vision before him.
On the floor was Rose's costume, and in the bed was Rose, who was obviously wearing nothing but a sheet and a smile. The thought of Rose sans-costume in his bed made Jack swallow a bit, but the sight of her lovely hair done up like a sea nymph made him grin. Shutting the door and locking it behind him, Jack began to advance towards the bed, pulling off his costume as he walked.
Meanwhile, back at the Nelson home, William was doing his best not to laugh as he pulled his wife along behind him. Elizabeth, in turn, was pulling a giggling Molly along as they made their way to the harbor.
After the smoke bombs had gone off, Will and Elizabeth had run out with the rest of the guests, pretending to cough and wheeze as they ran. In the chaos, the two had pretended to be just as terrified and confused as the others were. But even though their eyes were looking around in apparent panic, the Turners were actually assessing the situation to see if their plan was working.
As planned, most of the guests were outside, creating a cover for the Turners and their costumed crew to escape undetected. Even a few of the servants, some of which had been serving food or drinks in the ballroom, had fled outside to escape having smoke in their eyes and lungs. And as it happened, one of those servants was Molly; the girl had merely walked up to the Turners with a sack in her hands and a smile on her trembling lips, and asked them to take her with them.
It turned out that Molly had made sure to have herself assigned to the refreshment table this night, her small frame barely noticeable by the guests and easy to ignore. When the smoke shells had been launched inside, she had been more than ready to run. Although many thought her small and meek, Molly had actually been gathering her courage for the events that she knew would occur at the ball.
Since she had been privileged to the plans being made by both sides, Molly knew that her mistress would be leaving amidst chaos, and so she had returned to the Nelson home from the Horizon's Flame with a plan of her own. While the guests and servants had been caught up in the chaos of preparing for the ball, Molly had packed all of her belongings into a satchel and hidden it in the bushes right outside the ballroom. She had no intention of remaining behind while her friend and mistress made her escape from this horrid household! Therefore, taking a place at the refreshment table, Molly had waited and watched the dance floor, her eyes and ears alert for anything and everything.
From her place at the table, Molly had seen her mistress dance with a man in an Indian Prince costume, and knew that it was Captain Sparrow. None to her surprise, the two Sparrows had ended up by the windows, and when that happened, Molly had been ready. The shattering of glass and the thick gathering of smoke gave her the opportunity to run with the rest of the terrified guests, pretending to cry and panic with the crowd. Her bag had been right where she left it, and while everyone else was milling about like frightened sheep, Molly had looked around for the Turners. She spotted them at the edge of the crowd, and so, gathering her precious few belongings, she managed to weave her way through the noble men and women, all of whom were trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Fortunately, as a servant, Molly was ignored, and since she was bearing a bulky sack in her arms, everyone assumed that she had been on her way to one task or another when the attack had come. Slowly, she had made her way over to the Turners and asked them to take her along. They had nodded their agreement, and so now the three of them were leaving though a hole in the tall hedges that served as the border of the Nelson estate. As they ran, Molly had been the one to tell the Turners about the hole, since it was frequently used by servants sneaking in after a forbidden night in the taverns. Now it was being used for a far better purpose.
And so, that was how, ducking their heads and scrambling through rough branches, the two Turners and Molly Winters made their escape from the Nelson home.
Thankfully for the Turners, the way to the harbor was an easy one, as no guards could be seen and the populace happened to be all at home for the night. They arrived at the Horizon's Flame with smiles on their faces, and once they were safely on deck, Will turned and faced the entrance to the harbor.
"I hope that the Black Pearl got Jack's message," Will muttered to his wife. "I can't even begin to imagine the trouble that will happen if our men failed to get there."
"It will be fine," Elizabeth assured him while looking over at Molly, who was presently being seen to a guest cabin by one of the men. Elizabeth wasn't worried for the girl, though, because she knew that her crewmen would never take advantage of any woman.
Smiling, Will summoned several of his non-costumed crewmembers with one hand while his other arm pulled his wife close to him. "I need a constant watch throughout the night," he ordered. "People will be searching the town for our new female guests, and will probably comb through every ship in the harbor once they realize that they've gone. We leave on the first morning tide out."
The men all nodded and began assigning watch duties while William escorted Elizabeth to their cabin.
Sighing in contentment, Jack pulled his dozing wife closer to him. Rose's hair was spread out like a silky smooth blanket across his chest, and the shimmering blue ribbons tied into it made her look positively delicious. In fact, her hair looked too tempting to pass up, so one of Jack's hands pulled away from the beauty that was Rose's body to tangle itself in her brown hair.
Again he sighed. 'Lord, I've missed touching her hair,' he thought as his fingers caressed every strand it could reach. 'Hell, I've missed touching every inch of her!'
Jack let his fingers dance through each and every wave, curl, and bit of ribbon they could find, playing through them the way a musician plays his instrument. It was soothing to him, and the feel of Rose's warm breath against his chest made him want to purr in contentment.
Just then, Rose stirred in her sleep, causing Jack to stop his movements. The last thing he wanted was to wake his wife; she'd had a long and difficult few weeks, and the least he could do was let her sleep. After all, they'd just had an 'eventful' reunion, and he was sure it had worn her out. Besides, Rose getting her rest wasn't just beneficial to her, it was good for him as well. Just watching her sleep was good for his soul, and waking her was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Shhh," he whispered before he began to hum his favorite sea chantey into her ear.
Jack watched with satisfaction as Rose once again drifted off into dreams. This time, Jack decided to join her, one hand tangled in her hair as the other hand rested on the small of her back, not daring to let her go.
AN: Aw, wasn't that nice? Jack and Rose, back together! Don't worry, Gerry's reaction to all of this will be in the next chapter. After that, the end is very near. Sorry, no sequel to this story, I plan to wrap it all up in an epilogue. I hope you'll all read my next story, though. I promise it'll be good! Now please hit that little purple button and review…reviews make my world go round. Thanks!