-Recaptured-
"Don't take what you have for granted; one day you will wake up and see that it's gone."
..:-:..
Will sat up and let the blanket fall off of his shoulders down to the sand. He rubbed his eyes open and then looked to his left, a smile creeping up to his lips. Elizabeth slept peacefully next to him and from the look on her face, it seemed as if she was in bliss. If she couldn't be happy when she was awake, at least she would be happy when she slept. Will stood up quietly and looked around to see the blackened embers of the previous night's fire. Jack slept on the other side and his face twitched. Suddenly a smile spread across his face and he licked his lips. Will cocked his eyebrow and then shook his head. He had no idea what Jack was dreaming of, but he certainly didn't want to know what or whom it was about.
The sun rose steadily in the sky behind the forest of palm trees. The waves began to crash onto the shore once again and that was when he saw it. Against the brilliant sea green waves, was a ship in the distance, one of large caliber and with sails billowing out in the wind. His eyes widened and that was when he realized what the ship's intended goal was; Barbossa had received a ship, and now he was coming for them. Will rushed to wake up Mr. Gibbs, Elizabeth, and then finally Jack, who still dreaming cheerfully.
"Eh, what the bloody hell is going on? It is very rude to wake one while in the process of sleeping."
Jack stood up and twisted his head this way and that. Suddenly, he caught the gaze of Elizabeth's shinning eyes and he smiled. She stood up and bit her lip. Suddenly, when she felt Will's hand on her shoulder, she jumped away from her glance and Will's worried face came into her view.
"We've got to do something!"
Gibbs yawned and scratched his back as he stood up.
"Why? What's a matter lad?"
Jack blinked a few times before he saw the ship on the horizon. He leaned forwards a bit and then put his hand to his forehead to get a better look. Elizabeth watched Jack, curiosity always taking a hold of him. A small smile crept up to her lips as she remembered what had happened the previous night. It seemed like a dream, but then she recalled how the pressure of his embrace wrapped around her, and she knew that it had happened.
"I believe William has spotted an unexpected visitor, ey?"
Elizabeth turned around and her jaw dropped when she saw it as well. There was no doubt in her mind that Barbossa was coming back for them. If he came and found Jack, what would happen then? Will exchanged hesitant looks with Gibbs and Elizabeth before they came to an agreement. The ship was sailing along the waters faster than before, and it seemed to grow larger and larger as each second passed by. Sunlight streamed all around them now and Gibbs took a deep breath of air. Suddenly, he pushed Jack towards the trees and Jack spread his arms out, an expression of utter shock on his face.
"What was that for, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Uh, Jack, we need you to go fetch us some more food. Go in deep, as deep as you can."
Will looked down to the sand and the blankets around them. Elizabeth did the same, not wanting her eyes to betray her and their silent plan. Jack looked at all three of them curiously, not comprehending their trickery. His eyes darted from the ship on the sea, and then back.
"Why must I be the one to go?"
"Because, we brought you yer food yesterday. Now it's yer turn."
"And it has nothing whatsoever to do with that ship on the horizon over there?"
The three of them turned their heads slowly and then returned their gaze to Jack.
"No Jack, nothing at all."
"All right then. I shall go retrieve some delicious fruits and then I shall come back."
"Take your time!"
Elizabeth nodded encouragingly, and Jack stared at her before he put another foot forwards. He narrowed his gaze and then she shrugged her shoulders so that it was just barely noticeable. Jack cocked his head towards the forest and set off on his search for nourishment. As soon as they couldn't see him any longer, the three of them saw the ship stop in the waters. A rowboat was lowered and from the looks of it, three men were in it, rowing towards the shore.
"What are we going to do? Barbossa will kill Jack without a single moment's hesitation!"
Elizabeth was beginning to worry, more than she had before. She had Jack now, they had told one another how much their hearts belonged to each other, and she couldn't bare to lose him to a pirate such as Barbossa. Will put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a solid look.
"We need to pack up the blankets and head for our rowboat. If we are lucky, we can meet Barbossa halfway and leave the island without him knowing about Jack."
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously as Jack and Gibbs started to gather the blankets.
"No! We can't do that! We can't just leave him on the island! Mr. Gibbs? Please don't tell me you agree to this absurd idea!"
The two men stopped and sighed. Elizabeth hadn't thought of leaving Jack on the island by himself. It hadn't even crossed her mind that it would end like that. As she looked from the rowboat to the forest, she realized that it might have been the only way that Jack could spare his life. With tears forming in the back of her eyes, almost spilling out onto her cheeks, she picked up her blanket and held it close to her. The wind whistled against her and she shivered.
"All right. Let's go."
They left the burnt out ashes of the previous night's fire and they started to run towards the rowboat by the dock. As soon as they started to row away, Elizabeth saw that down the stretch of beach, a man had emerged from the forest carrying a pile of fruits. Once he turned his head towards them, he dropped the food onto the blackened cinders that intertwined with the beads of sand, and he started to wave his hands madly. She couldn't help but laugh as he ran down the beach towards them.
"Keep rowing!"
Will encouraged his friend and he nodded. Elizabeth bit her lip to fight the tears back. From the distance, she heard a small echo slice the air. His desperate cry hit her chest and she couldn't breathe for a moment. Elizabeth had betrayed him once again, but this time, so that he could live. Jack stopped running when he saw that the rowboat wasn't turning back. His eyes dropped to the ground and he smiled sadly. Lizzie had left him again, and that time, she had left him as a broken man, torn with his emotions and his heart cracked in half. Their rowboat had already sailed half of the distance to reach the ship. What he didn't see however, was the other rowboat, right behind Lizzie and his friends.
"So, you've found a ship?"
Barbossa smiled sadistically as he looked up to the sky, remembering how he had acquired the vessel.
"Oh yes, I sure have, and a beauty she is, isn't she?"
Pintel and Ragetti both nodded eagerly, trying not to upset their captain. Elizabeth couldn't stand to look at the captain for more than a second, and inside, she felt wounded, like a lost animal, away from its pack. Would she ever see Jack again? Would her lips touch his and his arms, would they ever hold her tight again? It felt like he had died all over again. Will was uneasy and he started to breathe irregularly.
"Uh, shouldn't we head back to the ship? It might be best to resume our search."
Barbossa laughed maniacally and then peered over Gibbs's shoulder.
"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I was a plannin' on doin'."
He started to row around the boat and he glared at Pintel and Ragetti.
"Come on you blubbering idiots! Row faster!"
They whimpered and did as they were told. Will, Elizabeth, and Mr. Gibbs exchanged worried glances and they turned towards the beach where Jack started to wave his hands wildly again. A hard lump settled in her throat and Elizabeth took an oar in her hand. As she started to row, Will found it a bit unsettling that she would care so much to save Jack Sparrow. He rowed onwards, and they caught up to Barbossa in a few seconds.
"So, you've all decided to help me capture that good for nothing scumbag?"
They all shot him hot stares and he laughed again. When Jack saw that there two boats, not one, a disquieting thought seeped into his mind. Whoever had commandeered that ship might not be friendly in the least bit. It didn't matter though, because in the other boat he saw Lizzie's horrified expression and he knew that he had to stay and protect her. She was the only thing that kept him alive, living and breathing. His thoughts revolved around her now, and he wouldn't waste any moment that he could spend near her side. Jack waited patiently on the sand, sitting, in a cross-legged position. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. Quiet footsteps echoed through the crashing waves and the sound of wooden oars falling into the boat awakened his senses, however he didn't move and he didn't open his eyes. Suddenly, the noises stopped and then he felt like someone had shot him in the head, causing everything around him to turn into a dream.
"So this is how we meet again, Jack Sparrow. I must admit, I found it quite amusing to see you waving to me like a gillyweed."
It wasn't possible, to Jack, this was all a dream, Barbossa's voice was a trick of the mind. So, when he opened his eyes, and he saw the snickering pair of eyes belonging to his foe, he smiled and laughed.
"Sure you did. What you don't know is that this is all a dream and you don't exist. You're dead! I'm not a coward, and there is nothing to worry about."
Jack stood up with energy and a leap. He put his hands on his hips and stood there grinning. The grin started to fade in steps though. First he saw Pintel and Ragetti, cowering behind Barbossa. Then he turned his head slowly, the happiness drained out of his eyes. There was his Lizzie, standing a few feet away, shivering and her eyes round and glistening. It wasn't a dream.
"Really Jack? Look around you. Tis no dream. BOO! I'm not dead!"
He laughed in Jack's face and the amusement in his eyes couldn't have topped anything that he had ever seen.
"No… it is! There's no way you're alive! I shot you! You bled, you fell and you died! So what is it then? Are you a ghost or something, come to haunt me, eh?"
Jack was turning white when he saw the crooked grin on his foe's face. He was trying to turn reality into make belief, but it wasn't working quite so well.
"So sorry Jack, but no, I'm not here to haunt you. I'm here to return the favor of death. It seems like you've escaped it one too many times. I'll tell you something, it really isn't nice when a curse is lifted off of you, and then next moment, after you begin to breathe again, you're shot in the heart, all of that newly given life, sucked out."
Barbossa's gaze had turned deadly as he leaned closer to Jack. Elizabeth couldn't bare to look at him, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Jack. Her breathing was becoming heavier with each second that passed, and when she took a step, she felt Will's firm grip on her wrist. She looked at him desperately, and he returned the look with one of warning. His eyes seemed to have changed, and they were now a bit menacing; they sliced into hers with harshness, and she looked away before he stared her to her death. Jack smiled meekly and leaned back. He shrugged and put his arms in the air.
"So sorry about that mate. You see though, it was all very circumstantial. I needed the Pearl as my own, as it was before, and you wouldn't allow, with the mutiny and all. I'm not quite sure what it was all about, but I'm sure we can settle our past differences and shake on a truce, so what do you say mate?"
Jack outstretched his arm proudly and with confidence. Barbossa snarled as he looked at the bandaged hand and then he shoved it away. He grabbed Jack by the collar and shook him vigorously.
"I'm not your mate…"
Elizabeth broke free of Will's grasp and she ran in between the two men. Jack's head tilted back in surprise and the shock on Barbossa's face wasn't half as much as the amount of anger it contained.
"Lizzie… what are you bloody doing? Get away!" Jack hissed into her ear. He couldn't believe that she was going to risk getting herself killed as well. The opportune moment had been ruined once again.
"Leave Jack alone! All he ever did was shoot you, but that seems to have been for nothing!"
"Elizabeth, stop it!"
Will and Gibbs had chased after her, and everyone was now standing in an oddly shaped circle. Barbossa put a hand up to silence Will, and then he eyed Elizabeth curiously.
"No, let her speak. What else would you like to say to me? Go ahead, say it."
His cold whisper weakened her, but she remained resolved. She looked at Jack and understanding passed through their glance. She wasn't going to let him die like before, they were in this together and she would do whatever it took to help the man she loved. Elizabeth turned back towards Barbossa and a smirk crossed her face.
"You don't seem to understand something, there are more of us, than you. We, I, won't let you do anything to hurt Jack, that's a promise."
Gibbs shook his head and Will swallowed hard. That was going to be a hard promise to keep.
"Is that so?"
Elizabeth clenched her fists and stayed strong.
"Yes."
Barbossa nodded and then smiled. In one swift movement, his hand graced her face and her head turned to the left as she stumbled to the ground. Jack fell to his knees and helped her sit up, his jaw dropping slowly as the small river of blood dripped down from her cheek. Will had stepped forward to help her, and then when he saw Jack's grip on her, he stopped and that deep feeling of hatred seeped into his heart again. Why was it that every time they were together, he couldn't help but feel that twinge of jealousy? Jack and Elizabeth stood up and his voice almost faltered as she winced.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
She pulled away and Jack let his arms drop to his sides. His eyes gazed at Barbossa's hand, and that was when he saw the ring on his finger; it was stained with red blood. Anger boiled inside of him; he wouldn't let Barbossa get away with hurting Elizabeth. Suddenly they all heard a click and then they saw that a gun was aimed at Elizabeth. Barbossa pulled her closer to him and she watched as Jack's eyes widened with fright. His hand reached out towards her, and Barbossa shot him a nasty smirk. Will was now standing next to Jack and his face was as concerned as Jack's.
"Let go of me!"
Elizabeth regretted her words as soon as she said them, because then she felt the cold steel next to her ear. Instantly, flashes of Jack's previous attempt to free himself came running through her mind. She felt a small smile tug at her lips and when her eyes met Jack's, he knew what she was thinking about.
"I don't think I'm going to do that sweetie. You're my little bargaining chip. So Jack, Will, from now on, you will do whatever I tell you to do. Is that agreed?"
They looked at one another, an agreement made between their eyes. Each nodded their heads and Barbossa smiled, exposing his rotten old yellow teeth.
"Good. Pintel, Ragetti, you know what to do."
Suddenly, Elizabeth felt her hands being tied together behind her back and she winced. At the same time, Jack and Will's hands were bound as well. Jack was about to say something when he saw that Barbossa still had his gun pointed at Lizzie's head. The wind attacked the group viciously and Barbossa let out a boom of laughter.
"Looks like we're headed for a good current, aye? Get yourselves in the boat. Gibbs, you are rowing these two, and Miss Swann will accompany me in my boat."
A cruel grin spread across his lips and she looked at him repulsed with every bone and muscle in her body. They walked in silence to the boats, which were lapping against the beach. The waves were beginning to foam and the sun sparkled all around them. Once everyone was in their appropriate row boats, they started to head towards the ship. Elizabeth constantly peered over to Jack who was sitting patiently in the other vessel. Their eyes would meet once in a while and then she would look away. Her gut was wrenching inside. She hadn't been able to apologize for not telling him about Barbossa. He had been duped into searching for food. It was all too unbearable for her. Once again, it felt like her life was bouncing down and up, from bad to good, to bad again.
Jack saw the short glances she stole from him. Inside, he was battling with his emotions, something that pirates usually didn't do, but for a while now, he had been in the never ending battle. How many times would he be tricked before someone would be decent enough to tell him the truth? There was Lizzie, but she seemed to be becoming more of a liar as each day passed by. However, he couldn't stay angry at her for too long, because whenever he saw her golden hair playfully dance in the wind, he would be reminded of her warm kiss and how he had melted to her touch. As he thought of everything that had happened in the past few days, how whirl winded it had all been, he saw the ship enlarge as they rowed near it.
Each of them climbed up one by one, the process complicated by the fact that there were three people who had their hands tied up. The view of the deck wasn't anything that they hadn't seen before; only difference was the fact that it just wasn't the same thing as the Black Pearl. Jack looked around with a hint of remorse in his eyes, and when Elizabeth looked at him, they shared an expression full of melancholy and remembrance for the lost ship.
"All right. Don't just stand there! Pintel, Ragetti and Gibbs, you three are my crew! So get to work!"
Elizabeth, Will and Jack stood near each other, all of them dumbfounded.
"What about us?" Will asked hesitantly.
Barbossa neared them and his footsteps slowly echoed against the wood underneath his boots.
"You three… you three will do nothing. You're my prisoners and that means no questions either! See that over there?"
He pointed to a door opposite the one of the captain's quarters.
"That's where you will stay. Follow me."
They obeyed, not sure of their fates on that brilliantly hot day. If one thing was certain though, it was that the shade of the room allowed them to breathe a bit easier. Barbossa lit a lantern and then he snickered when Jack sat down in the middle of the room. There wasn't much of anything in it except for crates and empty barrels. Underneath them, the ship rocked as the anchor was lifted. Waves rolled against the wood and Jack wished for a moment that perhaps they hadn't been stuck inside, away from the magnificent view of the ocean.
"What's so funny, Captain?"
Barbossa looked directly at Jack and then he sneered.
"You think you can just sit wherever you want to?"
"Why yes I do. It seems perfectly logical, don't you think so? I mean, if a man couldn't sit where he wanted to, then what would that…"
"I don't have time for one of your idiotic lessons and trickery, Sparrow. That's what I've learned, don't think I'm a fool. Stand up!"
Jack smacked his lips together and sighed.
"All right, but I still think…"
He quieted himself when Barbossa narrowed his eyes. Jack put up his tied hands defensively and smiled.
"Sorry, so sorry, do proceed."
"I already have your sitting positions planned out. You," he pointed to Will, "are going to sit over there, by that post."
Will looked at the far corner of the room and saw that there was a post with rope bound around it. He sat down on the crate and then Barbossa tied him to the post.
"There will be no way of escape this time! You dearie, are going to sit over here…"
He took her to the other corner of the room and tied her up. As he did, his snickering angered Will and he tried to contain himself, but found his fists clenched and his teeth barred. Jack's expression was slightly less built with hatred, but he felt his gut squirm. As soon as he stepped away from Elizabeth, she spit at his back. Barbossa stopped for a moment, smiled, and then continued towards Jack. They stood inches a part from one another and he smirked.
"So this is how it ends, eh? I've won, and this time, you are going nowhere."
Jack turned to his left, to see that on one of the walls was a ghastly array of chains and knick-knacks to keep one held as a prisoner with on escape. Barbossa cocked his head towards it and Jack walked over to it without a fight. He knew that if he were to save his life, it would have to wait. So he allowed Barbossa to bind him to the wall. For the few minutes that it took, Elizabeth and Will observed how everything was bound together. When everything was done, when the loud shackles stopped banging against one another, Barbossa stepped aside and towards the door. He put the lantern on a hook and smiled one last time.
"I leave you three and bid you a safe and happy voyage!"
He laughed and then the door slammed shut. The lantern rattled and then they heard muffled shouts up on the deck. Silence resounded in the room, and no one looked at each other. Finally, Elizabeth got the nerve to look at him and speak.
"We're sorry Jack. We thought we could outsmart him."
She looked to Will for confirmation and he nodded slowly.
"We had no idea that you would be found on that island. When we saw the ship, we tried to get to it and spare your life."
Jack looked from one to the other and then set his eyes on Will.
"Well your idea worked perfectly. The three of you lied to me, sent me on a stupid fruit hunt and then I was captured anyway. Blimmey if I say this, but I've never seen a group of pirates worse than the three of you."
"Jack, we said we're sorry. We didn't mean for this to happen, honestly. We did everything we could for you! The least you could do is thank us instead of arguing about it!"
This time, when Jack looked at her, he saw a hint of resentment in her eyes. His gaze softened at once and he kept his eyes focused on her.
"All right. Forgive me. I appreciate all of the sweat breaking effort you put forward into rescuing me and helping me stay alive."
Will felt the tension level in the room rise slowly. Jack kept looking at Elizabeth more than he should have been. Had Elizabeth apologized yet for her act of betrayal?
"Elizabeth, are you and Jack… all right?"
She turned her head towards him, unaware for a moment that he was still there. Elizabeth sighed and nodded.
"Yes, I apologized last night…"
She looked down at the floor, the soft shadows from the lantern edging around her feet.
"When was that?"
Jack instantly knew that in her thoughts, Lizzie was remembering the time they had spent together, away from Will and her old promises. He cleared his throat and answered for her.
"It was my turn to be the look out, and she woke up for a few minutes. Your betrothed is very untrustworthy William."
Elizabeth heard the malice in his voice and she looked up to him, full of hurt in her eyes. Was that what he really thought? Had he just played with her emotions the previous night? She looked to Will and saw that his expression loosened a bit. As he looked down, she turned her head back towards Jack and she saw him wink to her. A small smile spread across her lips and she knew that he was bluffing just to get Will off of their backs. Her smile disappeared slowly and then silence resounded through the room again. No one said anything, and everyone was alone with their thoughts. Elizabeth kept looking at Will intently from time to time, and saw that his head was drooping. She knew that whenever that happened, he would soon become fast asleep.
Sure enough, in a while, she heard light snores. Elizabeth smiled and struggled silently in her place. Jack eyed her curiously and wondered why she was trying to break free of her ropes. His eyes widened when he saw them fall to the ground gracefully. She tiptoed over to him and stood as close to him as she could. Amusement played in Jack's eyes as his heartbeat quickened.
"How did you do that Lizzie? Have you learned a new trick?"
She opened her mouth and smiled broadly. His tangled hair was so close that she could touch it; regrettably, she wasn't able to free her hands of their imprisonment. Elizabeth leaned in closer and whispered into his face.
"No, but I am fully capable of outwitting the captain when it comes to a woman's charm. He wasn't concentrating enough when he bound me. I guess it's your lucky day?"
"And why would I be so fortuitous?"
"This is why…"
She leaned in and closed her eyes as her lips grazed over his. Jack tried his best not to move his arms or legs, in case the chains would bump against each other, causing Will to wake up from his sleep. They weren't able to embrace fully, but their warm kiss spread through each other's souls and it seemed as if they were on fire. Elizabeth pulled away slowly and smiled.
"I don't know what I would do without you Lizzie."
"I could think of a couple of things, for one, a pirate always has rum."
The two of them laughed softly and then she rested her head against his chest. Jack leaned his chin on her head and felt the frizzy mess that was her hair. He smiled and didn't mind that he was bound to a wall; he was with Lizzie and that was all that mattered.
"Do you think he's going to kill you?"
The air around them shattered as the question finally made it out into the open. She stood away from him, tears filling up her eyes. Jack sighed and shook his head.
"Come here love."
She leaned in closer and he kissed her cheeks. Elizabeth closed her eyes as she stood against him. His whispers echoed in her ears and she sighed.
"Don't worry about anything. I can handle myself when it comes to the old git."
"I'm just so worried that something is going to happen to you again Jack. I can't bare to lose you."
In the background, Will stirred a bit. They whispered even more quietly than before.
"Trust me Lizzie, nothing is going to happen to me. Can you do that for me?"
She nodded and kissed him once more. Jack smiled and he watched her tread softly back to her seat. Elizabeth managed to get the ropes back up on her lap and then she yawned. The constant rocking of the ship was beginning to soothe her worries, and in no time at all, she fell asleep. Jack watched her eyes droop and then close for the moment. He smiled, overwhelmingly satisfied with his life. There was always some kind of adventure in his future footsteps. From now on, Lizzie was going to be included in that plan, but what he was going to do with William, was a thought for a later moment. His legs were beginning to buckle underneath him, as the drowsiness inside of him started to grow. Soon enough, all three of them were asleep.
..:-:..
Outside, Barbossa had carried the vessel as far away from the island as possible. He didn't want to be anywhere near it, for the fear of the creature lurking in its waters. There was no telling if his promise would be kept, but suddenly, the waves began to grow stronger, crashing against the ship with more force than before. A sight so familiar and accepting came into the captain's view and he smiled happily.
"Welcome. I hope your journey wasn't much trouble at all."
The man extended his arm and he smiled back.
"It was no trouble at all, none at all."
They looked at the door to their right and shared a cruel smirk. The clouds started to close in above them, the darkness growing. After a few moments, the waters calmed down and nothing moved. Time had stood still and one person alone commanded it at his will.
A/N: I'm sooo very sorry about everything, that I haven't been able to update for such a long time. I hope this made up for it. I have to go now, and I'll try my best to update soon! Until then! Thanks so much for reading!
-Monika-