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Chapter Twelve

Sade's Choice

My mind was on the situation, and thoughts were running through my head- How can I fight him without killing him? Does he want to kill me? Hell, does he even know what's going on?

My heart was focused on other matters.

So Jack did have a brave side. He had saved that poor woman and her baby.

I'd give my very own ship up to see him do it in real life.

No, you wouldn't, my mind interrupted. He's a scoundrel. A rascal. He's a pirate. For all you know, they were making it up.

Didn't seem like it. Why would Barbossa had gone along with it then? No, making it up was out of the question.

For about the thousandth time since I had met him, Captain Jack Sparrow was making my head spin. Nothing new. That happened all the time.

Focus, Sade.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the ship's rail. A certain pirate captain's face broke through the darkness…

You're different, love.

Let me know if you need mouth-to-mouth, love.

Sorry, love, but it's in my contract.

God, did that dumb pirate make me mad! Lying through his teeth to women, cheating on them, disloyal, all that stuff.

Pirate.

But how was that an excuse? Sure he was a pirate, and that's wrong, just as wrong as stealing or cheating. What was his excuse for being a pirate?

Love, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.

"And what's your excuse for that?" I murmured out loud.

"Lass." I felt a hand nudge my shoulder. "Lord Beckett's here. You're sitting there talking to yourself. What were you doing, asking the fish if their little days were going along smoothly?"

Barbossa's gruff voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Er… right," I said. The crew was looking expectantly at me, and Jack gave a little raise of his eyebrow, like, Get with the program, Sade.

"Okay, everyone!" I yelled. "Kill as many Navy men as you want. Wound Beckett. Don't kill him."

Jack, Barbossa, Gibbs, and the rest of the crew turned to me with question marks glittering in their eyes. Karissa was the only one who responded. "Yes, Cap'n!" she called, and I knew she was remembering what I was- when Lord Cutler Beckett had first saved us, pulling us into his house while I parents ran the other way. He had provided food, water, shelter, even entertainment for a month, and we hid there until our parents left. "I believe that being able to flee your parents' iron grip should be everyone's right," he had said, his cold gray eyes melting a little as we discussed the subject over tea. "Except, of course, if you wish to become a pirate," he added, humor tinging the gray of his eyes.

"But why?" asked Jack, the only one who possessed the right to disagree with me.

"Because we owe him. Big time."

Jack rolled his eyes, and I could tell he thought this would end in disaster. Gibbs cleared his throat, and, averting my eyes, nodded. He did not hold the right to contradict me, and he obviously didn't want his disagreement to show. Barbossa shook his head, muttering disapprovingly to himself. Indira arched a beautiful dark eyebrow, but kept her gaze down at the ground. Nettle looked doubtful, but executed her usual salute.

"Aye-aye, Captains!" shouted about half of them, while the other half looked around uncertainly.

"Sade, love, you really think this is wise?" Jack had to hurry to keep up with me while I left to retrieve my sword.

"Yes," I said firmly. "Jack, he is one of the reasons I am blessed with freedom."

"You have only your quick wit to blame for that." Jack leaned in the doorway, watching me sort through old pineapple wrappings and rum bottles.

"We need to clean this pig sty," I grumbled. "It looks like the one Gibbs used to live in."

Jack smiled, somewhere between a grin and a smirk, and I continued my hunt. "Here!" I pulled up my sword triumphantly. "Now to find yours…" I considered diving head first into a pile of pineapple wrappings and contented myself with a belly flop.

"Found it!" I held Jack's weapon up. "I say we clean it tomorrow, hmm?" I asked him as he accepted it.

"Fair enough, love. But that's if we have a ship tomorrow." Jack's words sent a chill up my spine, and I felt my eyes grow wide.

"Jack… you don't really think…"

"Of course I think. Everyone thinks. Even when you're thinking about not thinking, that still amounts to thinking. Like when you're drunk, and you're trying not to think about what will happen tomorrow, you're still thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow, you're just thinking about not thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow."

"Ummm…" I muttered. "Sure. We'll go with that." We went above deck again and stared at the approaching ship on the horizon.

"Here it comes," said Karissa.

"Here it comes," I agreed, laying a trembling hand on her shoulder. Were we the only ones aboard the ship who had had a glimpse at Beckett's kindness? Apparently so.

The ships touched, the Navy men boarded, and the fighting began. I spotted Lord Beckett at the edge of the crowd, rushing toward us.

"Karissa!" I screamed, grabbing her and speeding off in the opposite direction. "He's coming!"

No confrontation. Please no confrontation. I didn't want to have to kill anyone. I had never done that before.

We ran, but it was hopeless. He was catching up. "Split up!" I called to Karissa. In her panic, she ran down the stairs, to the magazine- where there's no other exit.

Beckett abandoned his search for me and ran down the stairs. Karissa had realized her mistake and was cowering against the wall.

"Sorry, Miss Norman," said Lord Beckett, not really looking sorry. "But duty before friendship. You're a pirate now."

He aimed his rifle at her. I stood quietly on the staircase, watching my friend's eyes grow wide with fear. I gripped my pistol, my heart racing. It was Karissa or Beckett.

I felt my numb hand pull the trigger.