Thanks Kairi's-twin, kit9888, and VampiresRule103 for your reviews!
Author's Note: Replying to Kairi's-twin's comment, I'm just trying to bring out the mistrust and separation. Nearly all of the other characters are going through that in the movie, so I decided it should be that way with Laura. Right now, she's struggling to decide whether she wants to save her father or Jack…in my mind, it's a rather tough choice.
The Traitor
All of a sudden the twins were hurled to the deck by rushing water as the Pearl burst out of the ocean.
While Laura was coughing up the liquid her lungs had tried to take in, Gibbs looked around, saying,
"Blessed sweet westerlies, we're back!"
"It's the sunrise," Elizabeth marveled, looking to the east.
Standing and fully recovered, Laura casually walked between Elizabeth and Barbossa and pulled out two of her three guns (she had managed to recover the ones from Singapore). Within seconds, Jack, Elizabeth, Laura, Barbossa, Gibbs, and Will were standing in a circle, two guns each, and pointing the weapons at the people next to them.
Momentarily, they all began laughing and lowering there pistols before getting serious again.
"All right, then," Barbossa began. "The Brethren Court's a-gatherin' at Shipwreck Cove. And Jack, you and I are a-goin', and there'll be no arguin' that point."
"I is arguin' the point," Jack countered. "If there's pirates a-gatherin', I'm pointing my ship the other way."
"The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett," Elizabeth put in, "and you're a pirate."
"Fight or not," Will said, "you're not running, Jack."
"And who's going to stop him?" Laura pointed out, abandoning her aim at Elizabeth for Will. "Not me. In fact, I just may help him if he decides to run. Course, on the other hand, I may also be a great help in keeping him from doing so. It depends on what mood I'll be in when the time comes."
"If we don't stand together," Barbossa continued, "they'll hunt us down one by one, till there be none left, but you, Jack."
"I quite like the sound of that," the captain commented. "Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate."
"Aye, and you'll be fightin' Jones alone. And how does that figure into your plan?"
"I'm still working on that. But I'll not be going back to the locker, mate, count on that."
Everyone then tried firing their pistols at each other, with no success. Of course, Laura once again aimed her right-hand pistol at Elizabeth prior to discovering the failure.
"Wet powder," Gibbs stated.
Laura laughed as all of the pirates surrounded Will, who was sitting down to study the charts.
"There's a freshwater spring on this island," he said, pointing to an island on the map, which happened to be the island they had agreed to meet Sao Feng at. "We can resupply there, and get back to shooting each other later."
"You can lead the shore party, and I'll stay with my ship," Jack told Barbossa, who argued,
"I'll not be leaving my ship in your command."
Standing, Will suggested,
"Why don't you both go ashore and leave the ship in my command…temporarily."
After the landing party had left, Laura waited until Will was alone before nearing him.
He had apparently heard her soft-footed approach as he addressed her,
"You've been rather quiet lately, Laura."
The girl simply shrugged while stationing herself next to her brother, staring at the horizon. Ever since Laura's family had come back into the picture, life wasn't the same. She felt weighed down by the responsibility of trying to protect her brother, and Jack hid more information from her than ever.
"I don't think I can do this, Will," she quietly said.
Receiving a raised eyebrow from her sibling, she continued.
"For over five years, I traveled with Jack. You and father had abandoned me. He was the only one who seemed to care. Now, I'm torn…" She had to bite back sob and take control of her emotion before continuing. "…between betraying Jack and leaving you to fulfill our promise to father by yourself."
"I am going save our father, Laura," Will almost coldly replied, "with or without your help."
He then walked away, leaving the young woman more confused and helpless than ever. The girl strode to the railing, gripping the wood so hard that her hands turned white. She had just spotted Sao Feng's ship approaching the Pearl.
As the foreign craft came close enough to decipher the crewman scurrying around on it, Laura slipped down below decks in search of rum. To her dismay, the only drink she found was a quarter-filled bottle, covered in dust. Deciding that it was better than nothing, the piratess quickly drained it prior to jogging back up the stairs. Two pairs of gripping arms met her own as she reached the deck.
"Will? What's going on?" Laura questioned the other Turner as she looked around at the other crewmembers, including the landing party, which had returned.
"I'm sorry, Laura," Will whispered, coming nearer to her, "but, if you can't make up your mind, this is how it's going to have to be."
"Laura Lark…" Sao Feng began as he neared her, "too bad I made prior arrangements. I would have liked to remove your head myself."
"Oh," the girl casually replied, seeing a British ship on the horizon, "sorry to disappoint."
"He needs the Pearl!" Jack exclaimed as though Laura had arrived in the middle of a conversation. "Captain Turner needs the Pearl! And you felt guilty. And you and your Brethren Court! Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?"
When Gibbs, Marty, Pintel, Ragetti, Cotton, and Jack the monkey raised their hands, he continued,
"I'm standing over there with them," before being pulled back by Sao Feng.
"I'm sorry, Jack," the pirate stated, facing the captain in the direction of the British craft, "but there's an old friend who wants to see you first."
"I'm not certain I can survive any more visits from old friends," Jack responded.
"Here's your chance to find out."
As the English boarded and several of them began leading Laura and Jack onto the other vessel, the girl looked over her shoulder to Will.
"Well," she said, "it seems the odds were against me anyway."
On the ship, the Endeavor, the two pirates were shoved into the captain's quarters and the doors shut behind them.
"It's curious," a familiar voice began from a desk at the other end of the room. "Your friends appear to be quite desperate, Jack. Perhaps they no longer believe that a gathering of squabbling pirates is enough to take down the Flying Dutchman."
Laura began looking through cupboards and boxes around the room with Jack as the Beckett, the owner of the voice continued.
"And so despair leads to betrayal. But you and I are no strangers to betrayal, are we Jack? It isn't here, Jack."
"What? What isn't?" the captain questioned while Laura gleefully discovered a cache of rum in one of the drawers.
"The heart of Davy Jones. It's safely aboard the Dutchman, and so unavailable for use as leverage to satisfy your debt to the good Captain."
"By my reckoning," Jack countered, "that account has been settled."
"By your death?" Beckett queried. "And yet, here you are."
"Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by."
"And if Davy Jones were to learn of your survival? Perhaps you would consider an alternate arrangement, one that requires absolutely nothing from you but information."
-Hmm, what happened to the revenge-seeking Beckett? He's probably just getting whatever he can before sending both of us off to be hanged. Actually, that might work. Jack and I escape from jail, we disappear, and go back to how everything was before. Ha, wishful thinking-
"Regarding the Brethren Court, no doubt?" Jack was saying. "In exchange for fair compensation, square my debt with Jones, guarantee my freedom?"
"Of course. It's just good business," Beckett replied before turning to Laura, who had been trying to blend into the furniture. "Do not worry, Miss Lark, you have not been forgotten. The deal is for you as well."
The girl didn't even bother with correcting the man on her proper name.
"Sorry, mate," she answered, trying to resist the urge to pull her rolled-up sleeve back down to cover her brand, "but one dealing with you is enough for a lifetime."
"Oh," Beckett faked shock, "very well, then."
"Were I in a divulgatory mood," Jack continued, "what then might I divulge?"
"Everything," Beckett whispered. "Where are they meeting? Who are the pirate lords? What is the purpose of the nine pieces of eight?"
"Jack," Laura warned the self-preserving captain.
"You can keep Barbossa," the man replied, "the belligerent homunculus and his friend with the wooden eye both, and Turner…especially Turner."
"Jack!" the girl exclaimed.
"Both Turners," Jack added after this, causing Beckett to raise an eyebrow at the new information. "The rest go with me aboard the Pearl, and I will lead you to Shipwreck Cove, where I will hand you the pirates and you will NOT hand me to Jones. Bloody fair deal, don't you think?"
"And what becomes of Miss Swann?" the Brit further questioned.
"What interest is she to you?"
"Jack! I've just recalled, I have this wonderful compass which points to whatever I want. So for what do I need you?" Beckett queried.
"It points to what you want most, and that's not the Brethren Court, is it?"
Laura was slowly inching her way towards the door before stopping.
-Am I crazy? Any escape attempt without Jack, and I'm as good as caught…or, better yet, dead-
"Then what is?"
"Me…dead."
"Although if I kill you, then I can use the compass to find…Shipwreck Cove, was it? Cut out the middleman, as it were."
"With me killed," Jack countered, "you'd arrive at Shipwreck Cove, find its stronghold nigh impregnable, able to withstand blockade for years, and then you'd wish, 'Oh, if only there were someone I had not killed inside to assure that the pirates then come outside'…"
"And you can accomplish all this, can you?"
"You may kill me, but you may never insult me," Jack responded. "Who am I?"
When Beckett stuttered, he continued,
"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Suddenly, cannon fire was heard as an explosion shook the ship. Shaking Beckett's hand, Jack said,
"Done!" before running off with Laura close behind him.
The two guards were easily subdued as the captain hit them both in the head with the cabin doors.
"Jack, you're a genius!" Laura commented as her friend loaded a cannon and strapped a rope to it so that it would propel him upwards once fired.
"You're mad!" Becket stated, to which Jack replied,
"Thank goodness for that, because if I wasn't, this would probably never work."
Then, Laura's heart dropped as the captain set off the cannon and vaulted off of the deck. She was remembering all of the times he had flown, jumped, or lifted off of something to escaped tight situations. The only difference from this time was that he had always grabbed her by the waist at the last second. All of these thoughts flew through the girl's head as she dove into the water with British guns shooting at her. Laura didn't realize until she was already climbing the Pearl's ladder that one of the bullets had grazed her right upper arm.
"Send this pestilent traitorous cow-hearted yeast codpiece to the brig," Jack was telling the crewmen while looking at Will.
As Laura climbed the rest of the way onto the deck, slightly favoring her right arm, she caught the eye of the captain.
"As for you," he addressed her, "were my ears tricking me? Or were you in on his little scheme?"
"Well," the girl began, "it depends on what you mean by…" Jack interrupted her saying,
"I'll take that as a yes. And I thought I knew you. Gentlemen, do us a favor and bring this mutinous stammering miscreant down for a visit with her dear brother."
"Ah, easy," Laura complained as two of the crewmen grabbed her arms, the one on her right just happening to place his hand on the gunshot wound.
"My, what a nice grip you got, there," the girl continued as she was shoved off to the brig.
In the cell, Laura glared at the retreating backs of the two pirates as they left. When their steps retreated up the stairs, she burst out,
"That is the last time I hide my emotions! AND the last time I EVER trust ANYONE! Especially if his name is CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!"
To emphasize the last part, she punched the door, instantly regretting it as pain shot into her shoulder. Apparently, Will heard her small moan, since he came over to her with slight concern in his eyes. Laura reluctantly allowed her brother to remove the hand she was using to hold her shoulder. Blood covered the sleeve of her trench coat and white shirt (before the search for Jack, she had exchanged her maroon one for it).
"It's fine," she argued, shoving his probing hand away.
"I just want to see how bad it is," he countered, but not trying to touch her arm again.
"I'm the one who's injured, and I can tell that it's fine," she growled.
"At least let me stop the bleeding," the young man almost begged.
Reverting her eyes for a moment, Laura finally walked to the bench, removed her trench, and began ripping the sleeves of her shirt off. When Will cocked his head, she answered the unspoken question.
"You'll need something to wrap my arm with…and I'd prefer to not walk around with blood on my shirt."
The older sibling then tore a strip from one of the sleeves and tightly, but gently, wrapped Laura's arm.
"I'm…sorry about what's happening between you and Elizabeth," the girl softly said. "I think I am qualified enough to say that, now. I wasn't a year ago, but, with everything that has been occurring with Jack…" Her words trailed off as she lost her train of thought.
"You have no reason to apologize, Laura," he replied. "It was of no fault of your own that Elizabeth and I have drifted apart."
"But," the girl countered, "if I had never come back into your life, neither of you would have had reason to drift apart. It was because I trusted Jack that we came to Port Royal in the first place. I could have made him go somewhere else, made him get the Pearl back some other way."
"Laura," Will nearly scolded, "I told you, it wasn't your fault. Even if you and Jack had gone somewhere other than Port Royal, nothing would have changed. In fact, Elizabeth probably never would have realized my love for her if you and Jack hadn't come along. It was probably a good thing that you came, as Barbossa arrived without your intervention. Actually, I would most likely be dead without having had Jack's help in rescuing her."
"Would be? Might have? Even if? Probably? You assume too much, Will," Laura said, smiling weakly as she stood.
"Would you rather have me tell you that you're right and that it's all your fault?"
"I don't know, maybe?"
"My dear sister," the man responded, standing in front of the young woman, "you may be a Turner and have the natural tendency to feel responsible for the ones you love, but you just found out less than a year ago that you have more than a single pirate captain to worry about. Don't take on that burden too fast."
The piratess gladly accepted the hug her brother offered. It felt wonderful to not be as alone in the world as she had believed for so long.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Now, if you're going to follow through with your scheme that I suspect you have been planning, you're going to need my help. The doors are half-pin barrel, so you should have no trouble in opening them."
Laura snatched her trench coat and donned it as Will busted the door open.
"Time to finish this little adventure!" she cheerfully stated.
Thanks for reading! Please, R&R. I SO enjoy hearing your comments AND compliments.