Surprise readers! Scarlet Rebelle is not dead!!
I just had some very hectic weeks, working 10+ hours nearly everyday, four family birthdays and couple that with extreme writers block and you got one very big problem!
Roses and Lillys: then read on, dear reader
Next chapter say what?
A feisty one, eh? I like it ;)
Good! I was hoping she did :)
Sure did!
Shocking, no?
Wow, you love to review, huh? and I love getting reviews, that's a good combo!
Starsplash: that is odd, but it is soooo tasty, no? I made fresh hummus the other day, but when I went to the pantry to get my crackers, they were gone! :'( My mum ate them.
AKAFredandGeorge: yes, Jack is back. And yes, it is from Stardust, I had that stuck in my head 'cause I had just watched it, oh and I agree, yelling in libraries is unthinkably rude.
DragonDancer219: thank you so much for your support! And I agree, I love Kipp, now, if I could only find someone like him in real life…
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The young captain stared at Jack oddly for a moment before his first mate, the big burly man leaned over to him and they engaged in a whispered conversation. After a few moments the young captain looked up. "Three barrels." He acquiesced.
Jack put his hands together and nodded his head quickly.
"Jones, Hayver! Show the captain to the rum." The captain called to some of his crew.
"You're a wonderful human being." Jack commented, pointing at the younger man. "Ana-Maria, luv. Why don't you have a nice talk with the man while we get our rum?" Jack shoved Ana-Maria forward. Amazingly, he had somehow convinced her to put on a skirt. She gave him a short glare, but walked up to the young captain and put on her most charming smile, attempting to flirt lightly. Convinced that the young man was safely preoccupied, Jack and about five other men followed the two deckhands assigned to them.
Once they were down the first set of stairs, Marty, who had drifted to the back of the group slid down the hall, cautiously checking the cabins. He really hoped his captain could keep the others occupied long enough.
--
As soon as the other ship was a safe distance away, they were unexpectedly further delayed by a problem with the rudder chain, Ana-Maria rounded on Jack and slapped him. Then pointed a finger in his face, "If you ever make me do that again…" she let the threat hang in the air while Jack gingerly rubbed his stinging cheek.
Jack watched Ana-Maria stalk off then turned to his shortest crewmember. "Well, what did you find out?"
"She's there alright, captain. She is in a cabin, not under tight guard, but locked from the outside and the size of the lock is somethin fierce."
"And the hull?"
"Aye, cap'n, it'll take them a while to find the leak."
Jack shared a grin with his crewman before turning towards the helm.
--
The cry of "SAIL HO!" rang over the deck of the Huntress.
Kipp moved to the fore, training his spyglass towards the front and slightly to the starboard, where the lookout pointed. Black sails billowed gently in the distance through the telescope. He grinned and lowered the spyglass, already hearing Katrina hurrying up to him. "It's uncle Jack." He said before she could ask.
"Did it go ok?" Katrina asked anxiously.
"We'll find out when we get a bit closer." Kipp wrapped an arm about Katrina's shoulders and they silently watched the as the distance between the Huntress and the Black Pearl gradually shrank.
"Kipp?" Katrina asked at length. "Who is that boy with the monkey?"
Kipp shifted uncomfortably, dropped his arm and turned his face away. "His name is Jace." Katrina heard him say and when he turned his face back it was with a far away expression as he stared at the stretch of sea on the other side of the railing. "His father and I, we worked on a ship together for a while right after I got out of the academy. He was first mate and managed to get me a place on the ship he worked on. We grew up together and even though he was four years older than me, we were as close as brothers. And were often mistaken for brothers, sometimes even twins. I can't even begin to guess the times we got each other in, and out of trouble." He gave a dry laugh and leaned his elbows on the railing. "It was an understanding that he would take care of me and mine and I would look after him and his, not that we ever thought anything would happen. But one night it did.
"We were set upon by smugglers. It was a fierce fight, I was inexperienced. Partway through the fight, I lost my sword and nearly got my head chopped off. It would have been, too if Rafe didn't deflect the blade, but in doing so, he missed the other smuggler coming at him." Kipp's voice caught slightly and he quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "He suffered a stomach wound. He held on until the afternoon of the next day. He made me promise to keep his boy out of trouble and make sure he was safe." He paused and looked at her with that half grin she loved. "The safe part I got, it's the keeping him out of trouble that's the hard part." He turned back to the water. "Looks like we're coming up on the Pearl. Now we'll see how the plan worked out." He pushed off the railing and started shouting orders.
Katrina watched as the long boat was lowered and Kipp swung down the rope ladder, rowing towards the Pearl. She jumped as something landed on her shoulder.
"Scamp! Bad boy! Down!" Jace called running up. "I'm real sorry, miss. He usually listens right proper."
"It's alright." Katrina raised a hand up to the monkey, lightly rubbing his head. "Now I believe you were just about to tell me how Jack got his ship back."
Jace motioned to a pair of crates sitting near where they were standing. After they settled down, Jace sat up as straight as he could and started in a theatrical voice; "How Captain Jack Sparrow got the Black Pearl back…"
--
Later that day"Uncle Jack found her." Kipp explained to Katrina. "They will shortly find out that their water barrels will need to be refilled, and Uncle Jack did something to the ship so that it is moving slower, we should catch up to it sometime tomorrow. There is a small island with fresh water near where we should be catching up to them, around here." He pointed to a spot on the map spread over his desk in his cabin. "Now, the captain will most likely ask for a parley to make sure our crews don't begin to fight. If he doesn't ask, I will. While we parley and they are refilling their barrels, Jace will sneak over to the ship and break Sera out. He's good with locks." He grinned wryly. "While this is going on, I want you to stay out of sight."
"But-"
"Kitten, please." He picked up her hand and looked into her eyes, disconcertingly subdued, the usual twinkle in his eye was absent. "For this to go smoothly… and for my own sanity. From what you have told me about this supposed gentleman, he doesn't sound like the type to give up easily. I don't want to put you in any danger. And this is the best way to insure that. Please, do this."
Katrina stared at him for a moment, then nodded her consent. Kipp kissed her forehead tenderly. "We'll get her back. Now, get some rest." He stood and left the captain's cabin as he had once again given it up for her use.
--
A knock on the cabin door woke Katrina up.
"Kitten?" Kipp opened the door and strode into the room as she sat up bleary eyed.
"What time is it?" she asked with a yawn.
"Time for breakfast." Kipp answered with his lopsided grin and she finally noticed the tray he was carrying in his hands as he set it down on his desk.
Getting up and grabbing her brush, she ran it through her hair before rebraiding it, moving to the cabin's window as she did so. Judging by the position of the sun it was nearly ten. "You let me sleep this long?" she asked surprised.
Kipp focused on the food on the tray. "You looked so content, I was hesitant to wake you. Besides, I'm guessing that you needed the extra rest."
Katrina smiled wanly. "Yes, I had trouble getting to sleep last night."
"I figured as much." Kipp said, grabbing a spare chair and setting it in front of the desk. "Here, why don't you join me?" he sat on the other side of the desk and took a biscuit, not bothering with a plate. He took a bite and grinned at her.
Katrina sat opposite of him and ate a little, smiling slightly. The contents on the tray were almost exactly the same as her first meal aboard the Huntress.
"Kitten, you need to eat more than that." Kipp commented. Katrina looked up from her plate, realizing that she had just been pushing her food around for the past couple minutes. She attempted a few more bites then pushed her plate away with a sigh.
Kipp had rounded the desk and was now standing in front of Katrina. "We spotted the ship just over a half hour ago and we will be anchoring at the island shortly. We will parley on the beach, as it will be considered neutral ground, and I will try to keep him as busy as possible as Jace sneaks over and gets Sera. One of my men will give ma a signal once they are back. We'll wrap up the parley, I'll come back and we can head back to life in Port Royal." He handed her the small wooden box he had been fiddling with. "Open it." He urged.
Carefully, Katrina lifted the lid. "Oh, Kipp…" she breathed when she could finally speak. There, nestled in the bottom of the velvet-lined box, sat a very familiar ruby set in a silver band.
"That life could be together, if you will marry me and become my wife." Kipp said as he dropped to one knee. "You don't have to answer me just yet." He told her, as she smiled through her tear filled eyes. "But I want you to know that the ring is yours, no matter what your answer is."
There was a tentative knock on the door followed by Taidhgan's "Captain?"
"What is it?" Kipp called, not breaking eye contact with Katrina.
"You'd better get out here. We're coming up on the Ojos Verde."
Kipp bowed his head with a long-suffering sigh. "I have to take care of this." He kissed Katrina on the back of her hand. Wordlessly, Katrina nodded and watched as he exited the cabin, then started at the ring inside the box, still lying open in her hand. She plucked the ring from its resting-place and slowly, her smile grew.
--
"They're asking for a parley, sir." Taidhgan reported as he handed the telescope to Kipp.
"Good. Send a response that I will meet their captain on the beach." Kipp responded as he made quick study if the ship. It was a smart vessel with trim lines, even if the rudder was still hanging a little bit askew.
"Yes, sir." Taidhgan turned and relayed the order as Kipp returned to his cabin to retrieve a few extra weapons in case anything went wrong. He gave Katrina a wan smile as he strapped on an extra brace of pistols and a dagger in a wrist sheath, and double-checked his sword and the dagger in his boot.
"Kipp?" he raised his head from adjusting the wrist sheath.
"We made contact and I'm going to meet the captain on the beach. I don't know this man, never even heard of him before, I don't think anything will happen, but it helps to be prepared."
Katrina walked up to him she placed her left hand on his cheek. "Be careful."
He placed his hand over hers, smiling as he felt the ring gracing her third finger. He kissed her, gently and yet full of passion, making Katrina melt and forget her fears, if only for a moment. "I'll be back before you know it." He said and left. Moments later Katrina could hear the order to lower the long boats as almost the whole crew set off for the beach. She moved to the rear window of the captain's cabin and watched them land, after which, she wandered aimlessly around the cabin, caressing the unfamiliar weight of the ring.
--
Kipp leapt into the shallow water and helped pull his boat up far enough onto the sand so it would not float away, then turned to look at the other captain waiting for him. The man, a few years older then Kipp, stood with his hands on his hips, wearing a green hat with a plume sticking out of its band and a sour look on his face.
"Three day, three bloody days and we run out of water. My employer is none too happy about this, let me tell you." The man nearly growled. "What about you?"
"Oh, on our way to the colonies, shipping goods. First mate forgot to check the water supply." Kipp shot off a grin.
"Have we met before?" the captain asked.
"I think I'd remember." Kipp crossed his arms.
"Of course." The other captain responded tightly.
A moment of silence passed between the two men and Kipp found it hard not to glance towards the ships to see how Jace was coming on his part.
--
Katrina had just settled down with a book when she heard a 'thump' outside the cabin, a moment later the door burst open and Katrina's startled eyes collided with a pair of green.
"'Ello, Minx. I thought you'd be along for this little venture." Katrina sprang to her feet, ready to bolt. "Sit down, I think we need to discuss the safety of my two little guests."
Katrina dropped back into her seat with a glare. "What do you want?"
"Simply put?" he walked behind the desk, turning a map to look at it, then looked straight into her eyes. "You."
"Wh-what?' Katrina stammered.
"It's quite simple, really. My father left everything to that child, and I want it. Now, I need the consent of the legal guardian, in this case, you, to adopt her. As I see no chance of that happening, I have to employ other means.
"One; I could kill you, though, personally, I think it a waste. Or, two; I marry you. In which case, you could still take care of the brat and see her grow. Also, should you come with me, I'll let the boy go, alive."
Katrina stared at him in shock.
"Well, what do you say, dear?"
"I have your word? No harm to the children?" she asked after a moment.
"Not a scratch." Edmund answered, a smirk twisting his mouth.
"I'll come." She whispered the words leaving an acrid taste in her mouth.
"Good!" Edmund smiled, then a glint caught his eye. "What is this?" he questioned, walking up to Katrina and picking up her hand. "An engagement ring? And expensive one at that. Such a pity that you will have to leave it behind." He cruelly tore the ring from her hand. "We can't have any enraged lovers following after us now can we? You, my dear will write a letter." One of the henchmen that Edmund had brought with him roughly pulled her to her feet and shoved her towards the desk as Edmund started to dictate the letter.
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So, what y'all think? Was it worth the wait? Review and let me know!
Reviews are as good as fudgey brownies, which sound really good right now…
Sneak Peek Quote:
-"Are you crying?"
-"Look, stairs."