The Family Business

14

"Let her go," Jefferson demanded. "Now."
"Why would I do that?" Nicholas asked, giggling his high, mad giggle. "You pirates may have me outnumbered, but I bet you I can pull the trigger and spill her pretty blood before you can spill mine." Blake caught my eye and flicked his gun subtly toward the ground. I nodded, just as subtly, to show that I understood. Without warning, I dropped. Nicholas was caught off guard and let go. I fell to the floor, covering my head with my arms and squeezing my eyes shut, and heard two loud gunshots echo around the room. Nicholas grunted, and I heard his weight hit the floor beside me. My head throbbed from the shots, and my heart was still pounding. The room was silent but for the ringing that always followed a particularly loud noise. For a moment, no one moved. Then, all at once, time seemed to start up again. Blake rushed over to Maddie and started untying her. Jefferson ran over to me and dropped down next to me, asking if I was okay. I nodded, but still stayed on the floor, shivering. I was in shock. They had shot Nicholas. I couldn't believe it. I heard a shuddering gasp from somewhere to my left. Nicholas was still alive. Jefferson stood up and stepped over me, towering above the bleeding, dying villain.
"I told you," he said, "that if you ever messed with my family again, I would kill you." With one final gasp, Nicholas was dead.
     Blake was embracing his sister. Jefferson was staring hatefully down at Nicholas' corpse. I sat up, putting my head in my hands. We had killed him. We had saved one life, and taken another. A hand appeared in front of my face, and I looked up to find Blake standing over me, tears staining his handsome face. I took his hand, and he pulled me up, hugging me tightly.
     "Thank you," he whispered. And then, he pulled back slightly. And he kissed me. And time froze once again. I had never kissed anyone before, but I had always imagined it exactly like this. Not forced, not planned. Spontaneous, and beautiful. And good. I kissed him back. The room faded away. The cold left. It was just me and him. I reached up and rested my hand on his face, running my other hand through his windswept hair. One eternity later, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. From behind me, Jefferson cleared his throat loudly. Blake and I jumped apart and I felt my cheeks flush. I looked at Jefferson and relaxed slightly. He was grinning, his eyes laughing and carefree.
     "If you two are done, we should really get going." I looked over at Maddie. She was shivering and looked exhausted. Blake took off his coat, draped it over her shoulders, and scooped her into his arms, much like Jefferson had done for me. Jefferson grabbed my hand, and together we led the way out the door, up the stairs and out into the world. Blake followed with Maddie. We walked the short distance to where Stephen was supposed to be waiting for us. Sure enough, a silver car was parked by the curb, the engine running. Jefferson got in the passenger seat. Blake, Maddie and I sat in the back, Maddie leaning against Blake, her eyes closed. When we reached the dock, we got out of the car and climbed up to the ship. Blake carried Maddie aboard and set her gently down on the deck. She pulled his coat tighter around herself and hooked her arm in his. I had the feeling she would not be leaving his side for a while. Stephen went to return the car, and Blake's crew, as well as Will and Sam, appeared around us. Everyone was overjoyed at our success, and there was a lot of hugging. Even Alex looked slightly happier than usual. Only Thomas and Theresa maintained their scowls. But that was fine. I was just happy to be back.

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After a large feast of celebration, the two pirate crews gathered at the large table in the dining hall, drinking and talking. They wanted to know everything that had happened. Between Jefferson and myself, we were able to give a fairly detailed explanation. Blake and Maddie, however, were nowhere to be found. I learned that while I was in the cold basement with Nicholas, Blake and Jefferson had had a little trouble finding Donovan. They had searched the whole first floor, and then climbed the stairs to the second floor. They finally found him doing laundry while listening to what Jefferson insisted was ballet music. I had a hard time believing that the large, muscular, imposing man had been listening to ballet, but the crew found it extremely hilarious. Speaking loudly through the laughter, and trying not to laugh himself, Jefferson explained that he and Blake had been shocked by Donovan's choice of music, and that it had taken them a moment to return to their senses. When they did, Donovan had turned around. Jefferson insisted that Donovan had let out the most girly cry he had ever heard before Blake smashed him across the face with his gun, sending him crashing to the floor in a heap. At that point, claimed Jefferson, they were given a full view of the contents of the washing machine. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he described the pastel-colored undergarments with floral patterns they had witnessed. By this point, even I was laughing. It felt good to sit around a table with so many friendly people, just laughing. I had never before had this many friends. I thought I had even seen a flicker of a smile appear on Thomas' face. It seemed unnatural, and I was oddly relieved when he went back to a scowl.

Later that afternoon, Jefferson and I took some time to relax in our room. We sat on the bed, side by side, and he told me stories of his adventures as a pirate. He was one of those Robin Hood-type pirates. He stole from the rich to give to the poor, only keeping a small amount for himself. His life was full of adventure, and I made up my mind to stay with him, joining him in those adventures.
"So what are we going to do now?" I asked him.
"Well," he started, "Blake has offered us a permanent spot on his crew." My heart soared with excitement. This was an opportunity to spend my life with two of the bravest, kindest men I knew. I wanted that more than anything. Besides, maybe I was hoping for another kiss. Or two. I realized that Jefferson was waiting for my opinion. It would no longer just be the two of us, Will and Sam if we accepted. In a way, that saddened me, and I wasn't sure.
"Well, uh-"
I was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in," called Jefferson. The door opened, and Blake stepped in, an uneasy look on his face. He looked as though he was the bearer of some particularly bad news.
"I have just received a call from one of my friends back in Aclea," he started.
"Aye?" Questioned Jefferson, growing concerned.
"It seems as though the King and Queen have confiscated your ship, mate." He looked at the floor, as if worried we would be mad at him. My heart sank, yet I was also slightly elated.
"Well I guess that makes our decision a lot easier," Jefferson said, looking a little downcast at the loss of his ship. "If the offer is still available, we would like to join your crew."
"Of course," said Blake, relieved. "We would love to have you."

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That evening, the four of us stood at the front of the ship. Jefferson stood to my right, Blake to my left, and Maddie on his other side. I had formed strong connections with each of them, however slightly different. Jefferson was my brother, Maddie my best friend. And Blake... Well, I wasn't sure yet. But if every kiss was like our first, then I was sure we would be just fine. As for the crew, they had accepted us with open arms, and Will and Sam seemed happy for the chance to be with other people. Sam, of course, expressed his joy silently, just as he did everything else. We were all going to be together, and we were all going to be fine. Maybe tomorrow we would set sail for some new land, ready to plunder and pillage the homes of the rich. Maybe tomorrow, we would start some new adventure: together. But the excitement could wait. On this evening, Jefferson was standing with his hands in his pockets. Blake had one arm around his sister and his hand was entwined with mine. We stood, and watched the burning red sun dip slowly below the horizon. As we stood there, Blake and I with interlocking fingers, we were ready to take on the world. This had truly become the family business.