Stronger Than Glass

Sequel to Cold as Glass

End of the Glass Trilogy

A Captain's Adventure

Chapter 21

I could hear the cannons freely tumbling loose below my feet, along with any free parcels of cargo. I heard human screams of worry as they dodged and ran from side to side.

The only thing that was keeping me from screaming too was me forcing my body to push itself harder and faster than ever before. Even stronger than when I ran from Lord Cutler Beckett. I ran, just barley grabbing at opposite railing.

I felt my feet hanging freely underneath me, for a split second, and the Pearl rocked onto her side.

One damned soul didn't grab the railing in time and slipped down the wooden planks and off the edge of the pearl and into the water. It was one of Tai Haung's mercenary crew.

Then as soon as the Pearl began to shift back onto her bottom, I took of running again, with the mass of people following along right in step with me.

My lungs were burning and aching, my legs were even worse. But the only thing that didn't make me stop was the sight of Sirius always seeming to get to the railing before and always looking over his shoulder with a desperate expression back at me.

I knew he would run to get me in time, if by any chance I didn't ever make it to the railing. But I also then if that ever happened, Sirius and I can finally seal our fate as those gossiped Star Crossed Lovers.

Yet as I hung onto the railing this time, I heard the Pearl creak oddly. That was when I realized, as my body began to hang freely in the air that the Pearl was completely on her side now.

Some began to scream. I just pinched my eyes shut. This was a most unnatural position for any sailor, pirate or not, to be in. Hanging off of their ship, and deliberately causing it to flip over.

Another one of Tai Haung's men fell down into the rigging, screaming as loud as he could. Yet when I glanced down at his form, I watched as a cannon came loose from its home and fell onto his paralyzed form.

I heard several more people scream in pity for the man, while Gibbs and Jack uneasily winced next to me.

The boat began to fall even more so, and I pinched my eyes shut in fear. I could feel my arms burning, and my hands gather splinters from the wood. It wouldn't be long now; before I fell I knew it wouldn't.

"Now up…"Jack loudly announced to me and Gibbs, as we both hung upon either side of him. "Is down."

Yet I was sure Sirius, Will, and some of the others could make out his voice amongst the shouting as well.

That was when the Pearl finally gave, and the mast finally hit the water.

I admit, I did scream bloody-murder, from the feeling of my body dropping and hanging on the boat. Even as the Pearl violently tipped over, I managed to squeeze out one last scream, before I was covered in cold salt water.

I fought to hold onto the railing with all of my might. My eyes burned against the salt water, as I opened them, trying to figure out how what would happen to us.

But I saw nothing, just blurry forms of people fighting to stay conscious under the water and cling to the Pearl.

Yet from the corner of my eyes I saw a dark form falling and another form try to reach out and grab it. But the salt was burning my eyes too much.

But with the strain of trying to make out these figures, I felt my own grip falter, as I knew it would.

I felt myself slip and begin drifting down with the water and the current of the ocean.

I reached out to try and grab the railing once more, but my arms burned in pain and would not full extend.

I felt tears and a scream build up, threaten to let go of what little air I was still managing to hold onto.

But then his hand grabbed mine. Sirius's trusted, and loyal, hand. I felt the calluses of his hand against mine, and a faint brush of his wedding ring against my skin.

I just pinched my eyes shut, and used every ounce of energy I had left in me to hold onto his hand as tight as I could, for as long as I could, until I knew the inevitable lack of air would get to either me or Sirius.

His fingers tightened against my skin, obviously trying to show me one last ounce of our emotional relationship through his touch in our awkward positions.

But I heard something weird, in the distance. The sound of Pearl creaking again. I also felt the rush of the water's current come up right below me, as if was going to spit me back out into the air.

I had nearly all but forgotten the throbbing feeling in my scull, as the lack of air seemed to be only faintly taking a tool now.

Then in one sudden moment, I felt my body jolt up. And within mere moments back into the air.

My body painfully fell down into the wooden flooring of the Pearl's top. Instantly I let out my own roar of coughing and desperate gasps of air, as I still squeezed Sirius's hand and found strength to make my other hand double check if my hat was still upon my head.

It still was, thank my lucky stars.

Others were coughing, gasping, moaning, and groaning all around me.

Yet when I opened my eyes to survey the scene, the first thin I saw was Pintel and Ragetti's faces, hanging upside down, once more bound together on the mast.

Pintel bitterly coughed, to Ragetti," This was your idea."

Instantly a smile went across my face. That odd friendship between the two of them was still intact.

I twisted my head about and found Gibbs laying a few feet away, coughing upon his side, looking like a fish thrown out of the water," Blessed sweet westerlies!" He instantly jumped up, and shouted happily for all to hear," We're back!"

That was when I heard that familiar voice, I loved so," We better be back or else I am going to kill Jack and Barbossa."

I swung my head around towards my husband, and found his awkwardly laying across the wooden planks, with one hand gripping the bottom of the railing and his other hand so reaching out to grab me.

I smiled even wider at my husband, even in his worn out state he was still there and completely intact.

I crawled over to him and pressed my lips against his, as they still struggled and gasped for air. His eyes were pinched shut and obviously trying to calm the homicidal thoughts he had for his father and mine.

"We made it," I breathlessly whispered to him, as I pressed my forehead against his, letting my hat bump against his head.

He opened his eyes and gave me a tired grin," We better have, I don't think I can handle another one of these damned adventures."

I giggled and threw myself into his arms, so we both just held each other in our mass of wet clothing and limbs, as others began to stand up all around us and stare out at the sea and the…oddly rising sun.