Book Three - Chapter Twelve: A New Tempest

The thrill of the raid did not last forever. The clouds overhead were darkening. The sea was producing fierce waves. The rain did not start pouring lightly - it immediately showered heavy drops. Distant thunder roared, sending a tremble into the timbers of the ship. Steering the vessel was a fight against the winds. The storm wanted to push the Pearl in one direction while the crew aimed for another. Anything that was once loose on deck was now either pressed against a corner or loose out on the water. Men were fighting just to keep their eyes open on deck while the wind made the raindrops sharp against bare skin. If any man could avoid being on deck, he did, but nearly every hand was needed to pull the ship through.

Captain Jack Sparrow watched the sails as they were taking the severest beating from the elements. Then, a horrid gust of wind pushed an enormous wave up over the deck rails, pushing a couple men off of their feet. The wind continued on from where the wave crashed, pushing up, aiming for weakness in the sails. It found one. A corner of a sail came loose, the ropes having come unfurled. The captain immediately shouted an order for the sail to be dealt with. It alone could destroy all hopes of steering the vessel if not functioning properly. As it was, curling up into itself and threatening to pull the rest of the sail off of their beams, it could not be commanded. Several men tried to get to it but the wind was not kind. The men feared another great gust would carry them away either by its force or by the wave it would send to do its bidding. Barbossa scolded them for their cowardice, even though he knew that he could not perform the impossible task himself. Jack worried for the fate of his ship. He had known that sail to act up before and though he could mend it himself, he feared that meeting with Davy Jones would reoccur only too soon.

Amelia was on deck. She had seen the failed attempts at reaching the sail. She also knew that her skills in the rigging were faster and more effective than what the others had proven to be capable of. She did not wait for an order, nor did she even ask for permission, she simply took hold of the wet ropes as tightly as she could and began to climb. She had only made it a few feet from the deck when Ragetti took hold of her ankle.

"Don't be stupid!" he said to her, yelling through the loudness of nature's roars around him. "It's too dangerous!"

"It must be fixed!" she yelled in reply.

"Amelia!" Jack shouted, running towards her as he saw her begin her ascent. "What do you think you're doing?"

She repeated her same answer, "It must be fixed! It can be done!"

"Aye, it can be," he said in reply. "But it could pull you out to sea, too!"

"Captain, trust me!" she said with a coy smile.

Jack shook his head but finally said, "Whatever you do, don't let go!"

Amelia needed no more permission than that. Without another word she had made it well up the mast. The higher she climbed the tighter she held on. When she thought that it would be impossible to hold any tighter, a strong gust from the wind forced an unconscious strength to present itself within her. She was not afraid of falling, only of failing. Finally came the part where she would have to leave the security of the ropes and depend upon the beam. The wind was so strong that she did not believe that she could move any further without crawling along her stomach clutching the beam below her. But she also knew that if she did that, it would be even harder to rise again to reach the sail's corner flap. She took hold of the one fastened corner of the sail and used it to hoist her up. Getting her feet to stand firmly on the beam below her was a shaky attempt. When she was finally confident enough to stand, there was hardly anything left to support her from here on in. She gripped the sail firmly and scaled it - her feet moving only inches at a time. The men below were watching with abated breath, wondering if she was going to be able to make it. The further Amelia got, the more she was able to unfurl the sail. The sharp rain hit her face hard but she did not lose focus. She slid her hand a little further and then her feet followed. Finally, she had pulled most of the sail's corner out from within itself and had only to reattach the rope end to the beam below her. The trouble now was getting low without loosing balance. She tried to slowly kneel down to the beam. Her knees touched it. Her hands pulled the rope firmly down. Though she wanted to use her hands to grip the beam below her, she dared not to let go of the sail she had come to get. She passed the rope around the beam once, then again, then once more. Another large wave crashed up over the deck rails, knocking four men to the side and causing the ship to tilt a great deal.

The wind pushing a wave rose up and tipped Amelia over. She screamed but held firmly onto that rope. She did not fall far, only dangled a foot or so from the beam now above her. She could not use her hands to retrieve the beam so she decided to do the second best thing. She began to use the rope to swing herself, trying to throw her legs up around the beam. The first few attempts failed. She could get one leg to brush against the beam but could not control her direction well enough in the wind to grab it on both sides. Finally she managed to hook one leg over and then, with that one firmly in place, bring the other across. Once her legs were firmly crossed over each other on the beam, she felt able to use an arm to reach for the beam and pull herself back up. That was done a little easier. She took a few breathes, trying to remember all the steps involved with what she was doing. Then, with honest determination, set herself again to fastening the rope strongly in place. She was able to do so by remaining close to the beam. Then, when she felt satisfied with her work she began to question how she was to get down from that perch. She thought of going back the way she came, knowing that it was less comforting, but at least she knew that she had made it safely across once already. So she took hold of the cloth of the sail and began to hoist herself up again.

Another huge wave crashed up against the ship. The wind howled with anger and a flash of lightening illuminated the dark skies. The wind pushed Amelia's legs from the beam below her. She barely had time to notice herself dangling when a second wave and a larger gust slammed an even greater force against her. She screamed again but when the men looked up all that they could see was a faint image off to the side of the ship heading straight for the sea.

"Amelia!" a clamour of voiced cried out.

Her scream had faded out and everyone rushed to the edge of the deck, even though that is where the fierce waves sprang from.

Jack wasted no more time than it took for him to remove his belt and his hat. Then he sprang up onto the rail and dove right over into the waters below. The waves rolled him forward and then back again. He hit the side of the ship numerous times. He took a deep breath and tried to dive below the crests, getting further out. The flashes of lightening were the only light he had to see. He surfaced again, gasped for air, and was about to dive down when he heard the scream just a little in front of him. He dove again and tried to swim forward towards it. He surfaced again and called out to her.

"Jack!" she cried, but the latter part of the word was muffled out, as though the waves sucked her under the water again as she cried it out.

Jack swam harder and called her name. A little longer after that and he heard her calling out his. Finally he saw her. She saw him, too.

"Jack!" she cried.

Jack reached out his arm and she hers. At first he could only touch her fingertips but pressed on until he could claim her hand. Once he had hold of her he pulled her in, taking hold of her wrist, then her arm. He knew that she was not a strong swimmer and could not get her to dive low enough to avoid being thrown against the ship, so he simply told her to prepare herself for the violence of the waves.

"Just keep your legs kicking!" he said, "And don't let go of me!"

He was not planning on letting go of her but wanted to make sure that she clung tightly to him. He was the stronger in the waters and would be needed most to get them going in a proper direction and not simply wherever the waves dictated. Amelia consented and took hold of his shoulders as to save her life. The closer they came to the ship, the more they felt the pull of the waves.

"This may hurt," he warned her, "but don't let go!"

He swam strongly forward, and as he predicted, a swell rose, scooping them up and throwing them against the ship. Jack tried to brace himself to hit it with his back and not his arm while also trying to keep Amelia in front of him. It was not entirely successful. Amelia hit the ship just the same, but still held on.

The men still aboard the Black Pearl were lowering ropes for those overboard. The ropes were hard to grab onto since their direction was not their own.

"If I grab it," Jack said to Amelia, "you stay with me! When I've got it firm, you pull yourself up! I'll go when I've got you up there!"

He did as he said. He fought the waves, sparing an arm to strive for one of the ropes. Finally he got hold of one but did not have it firm. He would need his other hand for the task.

"Hang on, love!" he cried and then let go of Amelia to grab hold of the rope.

The pull was so much greater. As the swell was drawing back, building up to rush again, the pull tugged on Amelia who was dangling from her captain. She kept kicking her legs to bring herself forward. Jack kept on eye on the swell, trying to get Amelia onto the rope before it crashed against them again. He was partially able to accomplish this.

"Now!" he cried. "Pull yourself up!"

Amelia did so. She reached up and took hold of the rope for herself. Jack tried to lift up on of his knees to give her a leg up. It was like escaping from Ewould's island again, but fiercer. Even though they were clinging to the rope, they still banged against the ship. The men on deck did their best to hoist the rope back in, feeling a greater severity in these conditions.

Jack let the young woman climb higher than him still, until she was able to clear past his head and get her feet against the ship to climb up with the hoisting. Jack followed in behind. The men helped Amelia up and their captain. No one expected Captain Jack Sparrow to have dived in after her.

When Jack came back over the rail he ignored the fuss that the crew was making over his rescue. He simply barked out orders as though he had never left. He ordered Barbossa to the helm, men to keep a hand on the ropes to secure them in case one should break loose, and the rest to make themselves useful while the ship weathered the storm.

"Amelia," he called to her, "take yourself to my cabin, get yourself warm and dry." That too was an order. She nodded her head and shakily walked to the captain's quarters.

"Captain!" Barbossa called over. "I cannot thank you enough fer goin' after her, but do not think for a moment that -"

Jack cut him off before he could finish his thought.

"Hector, I've known the girl forever and a day. She's your daughter and a surprisingly able crewmate. Of all the women that I've had, when have I ever gone after a kid? Now, we ain't got the capacity to lodge her anywhere comfortable save for my quarters. I've got a mattress, and what's more, it's not half as drafty in there as below deck. You want what's best for your girl, mate, and I'll do what I can to see that she gets it. If she gets sick she's of no use to me. She's been the cause of most of our profit thus far and I for one am not willing to jeopardise the success of this ship by letting her fall ill when I know that it's within my power to prevent.

"I doubt she told you, but she asked to go pillaging with the rest. I discouraged her from it. She's more valuable to the whole of our company than the number lost so far. If you don't trust your captain then that's an issue between me and you. But if I tell you that I won't lay a hand on her then you have my word that I will remain honourable. She's no good to me with a fever and she's no good to me if she don't trust me none. If that don't put us square then there's not much else I can do."

The captain's voice was grave. His eyes were piercing with seriousness. There was not a line on him that betrayed anything but earnestness.

"You'll send word if she runs a fever?" Barbossa asked his captain.

"If she coughs I'll send the whole bloody royal guard in for her," Jack said.

Barbossa nodded his head and placed his other hand back on the helm. He would sail them out of the storm.

Seeing that all was as well as it was going to get for the remaining time, Captain Jack Sparrow also returned to his cabin intending to get out of his wet clothes. He knocked on his door, informing the young woman of his entry. He did not wait for a reply before opening it and letting himself in. He turned around and closed the door behind him. When he looked over he saw Amelia standing with her back to the door. She already had on a nightgown that she had one of the men send up for her. Her hair was loose and she was drying it as best as she could with a towel. Amelia knew that someone had entered but was unaware that it was him. She waited for the man to announce himself. Then she heard the sound of a boot being thrown to the floor quickly followed by another one. She figured that it must have been Jack.

"And my father didn't try to shoot you this time?" Amelia asked.

Jack laughed.

"Nah, not this time. I think he may be starting to warm up to me." Jack walked up behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and slid it to the back of her neck and behind her head through her hair. "You alright, love?" he asked her softly.

"Just a bit of a start is all," she said modestly.

She brought down the towel and turned to him. Jack slid his hand down back to her shoulder and down the side of her arm. When he reached for her hand, Amelia cringed and pulled away a little. He turned her hand over and there saw the source of her pain. Amelia's hands had been uncontrollably wet. The soft skin was sensitive to the rub from the ropes she had been climbing. The more climbing she did the more the rub peeled back soft skin. The rope burn had ravaged her hands.

"That salty sea water must have done you a world of good, eh?" he said, trying to keep the subject light.

Amelia forced a light laugh, though they both knew that it had been painful.

"I held on longer than my own hands could," Amelia confessed. "But I fixed the sail, didn't I?"

Jack wandered over to his bed and sat on it.

"That you did. I figured that there was no stopping you. Maybe I should have," he said. "How you do manage to drive a man mad," he said with a playful sigh, stretching himself out to relax.

Amelia sat on the end of the bed near his knees. She smiled and said, "I guess I'm just an adventure within myself."

Jack laughed.

"That you are," he said. "No question."

"If I were any other way, you wouldn't be half as captivated by me," she said proudly.

Amelia leaned over and kissed him. Jack embraced her and rolled her to the other side of him, letting her have the larger side of the bed. He held her in the arch of his arm and looked into her eyes. The world seemed to stop. It was hard to believe the life threatening ordeal had actually just taken place. Yet here they were, still damp and shaken, but unchanged.

"It seems like every time I turn around I'm faced with the fear of loosing you," he said softly and sombrely.

"I always come back," she said gently.

Amelia placed her finger tips along Jack's cheek and drew him closer to kiss him. He returned the kiss for a moment but then drew back again.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked him worriedly.

"I promised your father that I wouldn't," he said. "I am an honest and honourable man, and I will not break my word. Besides, if I stay on his good side now it may prove to be more beneficial later."

"So you intend to show respect for my father now only to betray his trust later?"

"Something under those lines, yes."

"My noble hero," she said sarcastically.

"I am noble," Jack boasted. "However, if you just so happened to feel quite unable to restrain yourself from rewarding your terribly selfless and fearless captain for his impeccable heroism, then there would hardly be anything within my power to prevent you from doing so." He said this all very thoughtfully, embellishing on each word for its insinuation, and casually placed his hands behind his head. "I said that I wouldn't lay a hand on you, so I'm not being dishonest now, am I?"

Amelia shook her head. He was being all too smug about the whole thing.