Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters I refer to in this story. I do own Sarah and anyone else whom you don't recognize.
Author's Note- My sincerest apologies for not updating sooner. I had no computer access while on vacation. School starts soon and I have some summer work to finish, so updates may not be as frequent. I'd like to thank those who continue to read and review.
Incubus2704- Thank you for the review. You really think it was well written? Thank you. Here's your update.
Smithy- Thanks for the review. I had fun and I hope your vacation is just as enjoyable. I have school so I can't take time off in September, but I bet it's a good vacation time.
CrimsonCrome- Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the description. Hmm…I guess you'll have to wait and see what happens with the two.
nemo 123489- Thanks for leaving a review. Here's your update.
Eversnow- Thank you for reviewing. Yes, I agree, this story is sad.
Eversnow- Thank you for the second review. You may be onto something about Will's heart.
TeenTitanTerraLover- Thanks for the first review. As I've said before, you seem to notice these things I miss or don't mention. I guess the sea reminds Abigail of happier times in her youth. I'm glad you liked the impression of Jack.
TeenTitanTerraLover- Thank you for the second review. Yeah, that crossed my mind when I wrote that chapter. I'm glad it made sense though.
TeenTitanTerraLover- Thank you for the third review. I was afraid that scene would be a bit choppy. I'm glad you liked the part with Will having flashbacks on Elizabeth, and you're right, it makes her death all the more enjoyable for me. OOC means Out Of Character.
The Story Continues,
Will Turner leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles. The hard, wooden chair he was sitting on made the position awkward, but he figured he'd get used to it.
Captain Jack Sparrow's cabin was sparsely furnished with a wooden desk, an old, oak sea chest, a chair to match the desk (which he was currently sitting on), and a small bed in the corner of the room. Rum bottles, most of which were empty, lay here and there throughout the room. The air was a bit musty and a single window allowed the early evening light to flood the small enclosure.
Will's mind, however, wasn't on the room's atmosphere. His attention was divided between two things. The first was Elizabeth, the woman that had dominated his thoughts for the past couple weeks. The second was the figure on the bed.
He thought it a bit odd how events had a tendency to repeat themselves. The person he'd spotted in the ocean had turned out to be a young woman. No one was sure exactly how she'd gotten out there, but it was thought that her ship had been sunk in the recent storm, or pillaged by pirates. Either way, it reminded the blacksmith of the day he'd first met his future fiancée.
The young man turned his attention fully to the sleeping woman.
She reminded him very vaguely of Ms. Swann, but then again, many things reminded him of his beloved. Her dark blonde hair was close to the same color and length as Elizabeth's had been. However, instead of falling around her shoulders in curls, the woman's hair hung straight and slightly uncombed. There was a sense of wanting something that seemed to linger around the unconscious figure.
Desire. Will decided. Perhaps for something other than what she has.
A small, sad smile crossed his lips. He could remember feeling the same air from Elizabeth when she'd constantly ignored her social status and expectations to do what she wanted to do. Her independence was one of the things he'd found endearing about her.
That was where the semblance between two females ended.
Will shifted, realizing that his elbows were digging into his knees.
xxxxx
Warmth.
That was the first thought that registered in Sarah's mind. Wherever she was, it was warm and soft.
Her head pounded dully, not enough to cause her any real pain. Her legs were sore and felt like they'd been forced to do something strenuous.
Where am I? Why am I here? The questions floated around in her head, seemingly unanswered.
As her senses slowly returned, Sarah became aware of a steady rocking. At first, she thought it was just her, but after a couple moments or laying still, she realized that the surface beneath her was gently moving from side to side.
This puzzled her for a few minutes. The ground wasn't supposed to rock…unless she was on a ship.
It was that thought that brought everything rushing back. The ship, the storm, the wave, frantically kicking, and trying to stay alive.
Wait a minute… Something didn't seem right to the young woman. When she'd succumbed to exhaustion, she'd been floating in the middle of the ocean. Common sense told her that she should be cold and wet, if not dead.
Curiosity got the better of her and she forced her eyes open. Sarah blinked a couple times, trying to bring everything into focus.
She appeared to be in a bedroom of some sort. Or at least, that's what she assumed considering she was lying on a soft mattress. The mattress smelled like a somewhat unpleasant mixture of sweat, spice, and alcohol, but she couldn't really complain. A single window illuminated the room and the smell of rum could be noticed in the air.
Sarah turned her head and almost yelped in surprise.
A man sat at her bedside. He didn't appear to notice her, however. His chocolate brown eyes were glazed over, clearly revealing that his mind was elsewhere. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was a little dirty from sea travel. He didn't look particularly comfortable on the room's only chair.
"Who are you?" Sarah asked, eyes widening as she asked the question. Curse her never-ending curiosity.
The man jumped slightly, coming out of his daze. He stared at the now-awake woman before answering.
"Will Turner."
Two words. Simple, but it answered Sarah's question.
"Sarah Fox. Pleased to meet you."
Sarah held out a hand awkwardly. Being a maid, she'd never had to formally introduce herself to anyone. The situation in which she found herself didn't make things any easier. She felt out of place and could feel color rushing to her cheeks.
Will only looked at the offered hand. He was faintly amused, but not enough to smile.
"Where am I?" Ms. Fox asked.
"The Black Pearl."
The reply had been instant, as the blacksmith had been expecting the question.
Sarah thought for a moment. The Black Pearl obviously wasn't the ship she'd started out on. If she had been rescued, maybe her companions from the Intrepid were on board, too.
"Was anyone else pulled from the water?"
She braced herself for an answer, but couldn't keep the hope out of her heart.
Will shook his head.
"No."
Sarah put her head down. She'd expected that, but it didn't make the realization any less painful.
Will watched as tears filled the woman's blue eyes.
Not the same warm hazel eyes as… He couldn't bring himself to even think Elizabeth's name. It brought back memories that reminded him how much he'd loved her, and that she was gone.
"Miss Fox?"
Sarah didn't look up, but kept her focus on the bed's off white sheets. Her tears left trails down her cheeks.
"Sarah."
"What?"
Will hadn't expected that.
"Being called Miss Fox is too formal. I'm not used to it."
The blacksmith nodded, not saying anything.
He assumed from the tears that she'd lost someone close to her on that ship. He would've given her support it he'd been able. But he was still too stricken by his own loss to deal with someone else's.
I suppose that's something we have in common Will thought miserably.
xxxxx
Jack glanced at his compass, waiting for the needle to stop wavering. He needed to see that they were still traveling in the right direction.
He raised his eyebrows as the needle ceased moving to a halt.
The heading had changed.
Captain Sparrow's compass made finding treasure a tad easier than it would usually be. However, the direction tended to change on occasion, especially if what he wanted the most at that given moment was travelling.
Right now, one of the map pieces was on the move.
Sparrow looked to the direction the needle pointed to.
Just on the horizon was a ship, just visible through the after storm fog.
A grin graced the captain's face, bringing his slightly yellowed teeth into view.
There was a good chance that approaching vessel had one of the map pieces on board. That section of the map was needed, so attacking the ship was necessary. Of course, there was also the chance that the compass was pointing to something beyond the boat.
Well, we are pirates, after all. Jack told himself.
"New heading. Travel that way."
Captain Sparrow pointed in the direction of the ship.
The helmsman's face lit up. He knew what was to come.
Author's Note- Once again, I had a bit of trouble here keeping everyone in character (or trying to). As I said, the next updates may not be as frequent. Let me know how I did. See you all when I see you.