*I don't own Skins or Skins characters*
Chapter Twenty Four: Washed Ashore
The captain and her first mate waited for the sisters to catch up before making their way around the last bend. Freddie was still reclined against the tree, barely visible from where they stood, and Captain Stonem was still leaning against the other side. Her men were working on the shore digging graves and gathering the bodies for burial. Cook whispered into his captain's ear, bringing her up to speed on the truce, and trying not to alert her to their presence just yet. The brunette watched over her shoulder and didn't seem to see or hear them as they watched her.
Katie broke into a run, the sound of her rushed footsteps causing Effy to turn her head towards them. Before she could even react the redhead had her in a firm embrace; she pulled the brunette's face close to her and locked her in a wild kiss. The pirate captain didn't struggle, she simply wrapped the other girl in an equally tight hug and returned the kisses softly.
"I was so worried…when I saw Cook I was sure that meant…" Katie panted between kisses, "I don't care what we said…I love you! I don't care if you hate that…I LOVE YOU."
Emily stood back, her jaw gaping open, as she took in the scene; Naomi let out a knowing laugh as she patted her on the back.
"I'm not crazy about it either but you can't pick your in-laws now can you?" The blonde observed.
Cook burst out in howls as her began clapping, the same way he had when he had walked in on his captain and the redhead before, which caused Katie to groan and take a small step back from Effy. She immediately noticed the angry bruise on the brunette's face and her eyes shot to the scraggly blonde who was now approaching them boldly.
"Aw don't stop now! It was getting pretty good there." He called as he came closer.
He didn't have time to duck the punch that Katherine threw, catching him once again in the nose, and a crunching sound came from both his face and her knuckles as blood began to drip once again from his face. It was Captain Stonem's turn to howl out a laugh as she clapped for her redheaded defender.
Captain Campbell instinctively reached for her gun despite the fact that by now the water would have damaged it beyond repair; Emily quickly grabbed her hand away from the holster. Naomi rolled her eyes and shrugged as she and instead stepped in between Katie and her first mate.
"You did kind of ask for that one Cook…" the blonde sighed, "…if we have a truce then this has to stop."
"I'm done." Katie said proudly as she turned back to the brunette. "I love you…" she stated nervously.
"Obviously…" Effy chided, "…so…so do I….Love you I mean." She added a little uncomfortably.
"I knew it." The redhead lied, giving her a genuine smile.
"So…" Freddie rasped from his spot on the ground, "just to be clear…I could have stayed at home? Since everyone seems to be fine…"
"Oh god! Freddie!" Katherine gasped as she looked at him. "What happened to you?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," the dark haired boy lied, "don't worry about it Kat…Miss Katherine Ver…"
"Katie…just Katie." The girl interrupted. "God you look terrible!"
"You've looked better yourself you know…" He sighed, "…that's a lie…you've never been so beautiful in your whole life…"
"Ssshhh…" she soothed as she ran her fingers over the scars on his arm, "What do we do?" She asked, looking up at Captain Stonem.
"Cookie did a fair job patching him." Effy stated. "Some water and rest is the best we can do for him until he heals up."
The wild girl turned her attention to the others; stifling a laugh as she looked at Cook's face.
"My men know that we are in truce…you don't have to worry about your crew except to let them know to do the same." She locked eyes with Captain Campbell. "Any luck this time?"
The blonde instinctively tightened her grip on the straps of the satchels over her shoulder and the brunette's eyebrows arched; indicating that she knew very well that she had finally found the treasure.
"Not in the mood to share?" She taunted, not breaking eye contact with other captain.
"You can have it." Naomi shocked everyone by declaring.
The blonde dropped the sacks on the ground and took Emily by the hand. "You can have every bit of it if that's what it takes to get us out of here safely."
"Naomi…your mother…" Emily breathed before her lover squeezed her hand tightly, indicating she should be quiet.
"Gina?" Effy questioned, her eyebrow shooting up again.
"It's none of your concern…do we have a deal?" Captain Campbell hissed through clenched teeth.
The brunette turned her eyes to the redhead next to the captain; studying her for a moment and reading all the information she needed on the girl's tormented looking face. Gina had, before, been like a mother to her – a better mother than the one that gave birth to her had been if the truth was told. The wild girl could remember moments when she had felt truly secure and accepted in the kitchen of The Orange Pony. The woman probably hated her now; but there was no way she would take money from Captain Campbell's mother when there was clearly something direly wrong.
"No." Captain Stonem chirped. "What would I need it for anyway? Apparently I'm marrying up."
Naomi's jaw dropped as the brunette sauntered away from her, leaving the bags behind, and placed a light kiss on Katie's head before heading down the shore to join her crew.
"What's the catch?" Captain Campbell called after her.
"You really ought to take one of the boats and clue your men into our arrangement before they open fire. We might even need to share some of your supplies…a meal would be nice." The wild brunette called back.
Hours later the two crews were begrudgingly working together to finish burying the last of the day's fallen. Mr. Thomas said a prayer he remembered from when he was a very young child.
"May your next lives hold fewer hardships." He added an adage he had learned from his former lover.
The crews sat together and choked down a quickly prepared meal. Mr. Cook had taken it upon himself to set up a makeshift shelter for Freddie and helped him eat his meal before adjusting him on a crudely made palate. Emily built a small fire outside the small lean to and they sat nearby, both couples curled up together, and enjoyed the company and sound of waves crashing as the tide changed. The scraggly blonde man fidgeted uncomfortably in his spot between the two sets of lovers and the injured man met his gaze and gave him a sympathetic shrug. An impish smile spread across the still shirtless man's face and the dark haired man shook his head quickly as though to say you've been punched enough for one day haven't you but it was too late.
"So…ladies…" Cook said, "you don't have to be shy on my account…"
He was met with a chorus of shut up Cook and a barrage of glares from the women around the fire; but as of yet was physically unharmed.
"C'mon it's not asking too much…we're bored and lonely out here…and badly injured…least you could do was entertain us a little…" he continued, a wicked grin taking over his face as he gestured to Freddie. "…do it for him if not me…just look at the poor guy."
"Then you two should give it a try…if you're so desperate for company." Effy suggested as Naomi pelted Cook with a handful of pebbles.
Everyone was giggling with the exception of Katie and the boys; her eyes boring into the blonde boy from her place against the brunette's side. Freddie groaned as he tried to prop himself up on an elbow. Cook quickly made his way over and helped him up - despite the other boy's reluctance to let him help.
"Seems you can't wait to get started." Katherine hissed, her eye's still locked on the scraggly man, shooting daggers into his back.
The other girl's erupted with laughter as the first mate began making lewd movements over the injured boy and Freddie continued to groan and attempt to bat him away with his least tired arm. The angry redhead was about to loose it when Mr. Thomas came to join them; patting her on the shoulder as he whispered in Captain Stonem's ear that he needed a word with her. The brunette stood up reluctantly and followed him along the tree line for a few feet.
"I am sorry to bother you." Thomas began, "but I feel I must speak to you…" his voice trailed off a little.
"I know it's strange but I do think the truce is going to hold…I don't see any reason this whole feud can't be over now." The captain assured him.
"It's not that…it's…" her first mate struggled, "I believe it is time for me…to leave…I feel that…"
"You're ready to go back to her." She finished for him.
He nodded silently. "I'm sorry…I don't like the idea of leaving you but…"
"It's time." Effy said with a bittersweet smile. "Panda will be very happy. She's been waiting a long time."
Mr. Thomas joined them at the fire and they all settled into pleasant, if not slightly awkward at times, conversation until they finally split off to sleep. Emily suggested they take the longboat to the Lament for privacy but in the end they were so tired that they settled for a secluded spot outside the cave; Effy lead Katie back to the shelter where she and the girl's sister had taken shelter. She had been reluctant at first but warmed up to the idea after Effy's first mate had promised to keep the other first mate far away from them. It was obvious that Cook was in no shape to fight Thomas at this point, especially in his now intoxicated state, and when they left he lay contentedly snoring next to the fire. Despite each couple's best efforts they fell asleep quickly.
The next day the beach buzzed with action as the crews began trying to determine what their orders were and where their captains had disappeared to. The first mates gave out whatever tasks they could think of to keep the men busy and distracted; Freddie's presence made the pirates uneasy, they'd rubbed elbows with the navy many times but never played host to any of them, and they were distrusting of him and his uniform.
"I wish they would finish already…don't know how much longer I can keep the boys in line." Cook commented.
"I don't know how long I can keep you in line." Thomas commented back.
The shaggy haired man gave him a look that said who, me and began to laugh as he sent a few men back to the ship for more food. He walked back over to Freddie and offered him a flask of water; the dark haired boy already seemed better after food and rest and he no longer struggled to sit up and drink by himself.
"They don't like me much do they?" He observed with a nod towards the beach.
"They're jealous of your pretty jacket." Cook laughed. "Don't worry about it, the twins like you so the captains won't let anything happen."
"At least now I know it's not me…" the boy said, brushing his overgrown hair out of his eyes.
"Well I lied a little there mate…it's not just the jacket…but they won't mess with me so they can't mess with you." The blonde man assured him.
"Wasn't talking about that…" Freddie sighed.
The scraggly man gave him a knowing look and shrugged.
"We should move him onto one of the ships." Thomas said as he joined them in the shade. "Out of sight out of mind perhaps."
"No!" The dark haired boy said, "…I want to be here when they get back, I want to know what's happening."
"Cook, cook, cook, cookie…" A shrill call came from the beach as JJ flapped excitedly towards them.
"Hey JJ!" Cook's face lit up as the bird landed on his shoulder. "The girl's treat you right while I was gone."
"Give us a show…give us a show…" The parrot bobbed his head up and down excitedly.
The blonde laughed as he turned back to his new friend, "This is JJ, my best mate, JJ this is Freddie."
"Freds," The brightly colored bird twittered as he began nibbling at his owner's hair.
Freddie found himself smiling as the parrot continued to squawk and lavish attention on Cook. He held out a small pinch of bread from the meal he had been working on and the bird quickly fluttered down to take it from him; flapping and bobbling his head as he passed around in front of the new acquaintance.
Captain Stonem and Katherine emerged from the jungle looking quite refreshed and joined the group at the shelter. The redhead gave the shirtless man a warning glare before he could say anything; he read her face as there's no one here to protect you now so keep your mouth shut and for once kept quiet.
"Where's Campbell?" The captain asked, making it all the more difficult for Cook not to make a comment.
"Haven't seen them yet?" Her first mate answered quickly, a poorly hidden grin on his face.
"You too?" Katie groaned. "What about you Freddie? Daydreaming about it too?" She added defensively.
"The thought never crossed my mind." He chuckled.
JJ watched her suspiciously from the ground; she suddenly felt like the bird was accusing her of being an imposter and she huffed as she sat and tried to stare the bird down for a moment before giving up and looking out at the ocean.
Nearly an hour later Emily and Captain Campbell joined the group; still flushed from their time together.
"Ems, Ems, Ems." JJ chatter excitedly, casting another disdainful look at Katie before flapping his way up to Cook's shoulder again.
Emily smiled warmly as she leaned comfortably against Naomi.
"So…a plan?" Captain Campbell asked.
The group shifted uncomfortably while they waited for someone to speak first.
"We should move out fast," Effy spoke first, "before the navy gets here, I'm in no hurry to die now."
"We should take separate courses, decrease the chance of being spotted." Naomi agreed. "Where should we meet up afterwards?"
There was something comforting in working civilly with their former enemies; a natural flow as they began to work out a plan together and let their old grudges go.
"That's not enough." Katherine said, interrupting their planning. "It's our father…he's never going to stop looking for us."
"She's right." Emily agreed.
"Well then what do you think we should do? We can't just wait here. We'll be outnumbered." Captain Campbell stated.
"And killed." Captain Stonem added.
The sisters looked at each other, unsure of what to say, they knew they couldn't stay here but they also knew that their father would have the navy hunting them down until they were returned home. The group remained quiet until Freddie broke the silence.
"Leave me here." He said.
They all stared at him for a moment; the twins shaking their heads no while the captains and first mates considered what he had said.
"Mr. Fitch will be here soon…three days at the most…" the dark haired boy continued, "I can tell him my ship hit the reef after firing upon your ships…they can think all three ships went down…he won't look for your if he thinks you're dead."
Emily's stomach flipped at the thought of her father standing on the beach, heartbreak taking him to his knees, as he realized they were gone forever. Instinctively she sank to the ground herself as she came to terms with the pain of never seeing him again. Katherine remained standing, her chin stuck out, as she held back tears; she refused to let them escape.
"We can't do that to him." She fumed.
"I don't see any other way." Mr. Thomas finally sighed.
"It's not fair!" Katie shouted.
"Life's not always fair…" Naomi soothed as she squatted down next to Emily. "Ems…it really might be the only way…"
"I can't do that to him." The still standing girl insisted, her brown eyes pleading with Effy's.
Captain Stonem looked away for a while before pulling her into a soft embrace, which the girl resisted, and whispering in her ear, "You don't have to come with me…I'll understand…you can stay here with him and go home with your father…"
"I…" Katherine stammered in the brunette's ear, "…but I don't…"
She buried her face in the girl's wild hair as she began to shake; realizing this was the moment she would have to choose. The redhead closed her eyes and tried to imagine her life back home, a life without the wild captain, pampered and simple – and utterly pointless.
"I'm not staying here," she finally whimpered, "…I'll do it. If it's what you really want."
"It's not about want." Effy said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Well it's a little about want…but it's mostly about survival."
"You should go now." Freddie sighed. "The sooner the better."
"Will you even make it on your own? Have you even thought of that?" Emily finally spoke again. "How can we just leave you here?"
"I'll stay." Cook said suddenly. "Keep an eye on you until they get here…you wouldn't let them haul me in would you?"
"How could they? You saved my life. I'd say that makes you reformed…" the injured man said.
"All settled then." The blonde man shrugged.
"I'll have the men bring you some supplies." Captain Campbell promised. "We can scrape by until we make port."
They finished making their plans quickly and the beach became busy once again as the crews made ready. When the last two boats were ready to board the twins embraced to say goodbye; they stayed locked in the hug for a long time, as though they were afraid they would never see each other again despite the plan, and finally they let go – both their faces wet with sweat and tears. The two men left behind watched as the ships maneuvered through the dangerous unseen obstacles of the reef and quickly disappeared from sight.
Hope it was good, I know there will be some errors in there, but once invisimeg gets back from vacation the chapters will be edited again. :) I realize this is a side character heavy chapter...so please bear with it...
