A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 13: Begun by Blood

Jack sat in the rowboat with Norrington and his men, still smirking to himself. He'd meant to needle at Annalise by pointing out her continued use of his title, which few people cared to do as he was ship-less, thus proving that she held some level of subconscious respect for him.

Her angry growl after him still made him laugh internally, for she was highly entertaining – and pretty, a little voice in his head noted – when she was mad.

Jack quickly shook himself back to the present, however, as they rowed up closer to the island's cave entrance, and Norrington stated flatly: "I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the caves could turn to an ambush."

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing." Jack pointed out, leaning in as he offered: "I go in, I convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats. You and your mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, eh?"

Jack draped an arm around Norrington's shoulders, disliking the gesture but knowing the Commodore would dislike it more, as he persuaded: "What do you have to lose?"

Norrington looked at Jack's arm in disgust and, peeling it off his own uniformed one, replied dryly: "Nothing I'd lament being rid of."

Jack grinned, before he pretended to pause.

"Now, to be quite honest with you," he added as though in afterthought and concern, "there's still a slight risk for those aboard the Dauntless, which includes the future Mrs. Commodore."

Norrington tensed slightly at that, and Jack knew he'd got him.

'So sorry, Annalise.' He thought. 'And Elizabeth, I suppose. But it's all for the best.'

*********

Annalise was almost spitting, she was so furious, as she was dragged literally by the arm by two shoulders. The men dragged her behind her sister, who was also being dragged by a soldier and Norrington's second-in-command Gillette, and who was also shouting angrily.

"Let me go, you don't understand!" Annalise yelled, while Elizabeth cried: "Please, listen to us!"

"Sorry, but for your own safety." Gillette replied as he shoved them both into the Captain's cabin, and Elizabeth screamed: "Coward! The commodore ordered – I have to tell him! The pirates! They're cursed! They cannot be killed!"

Annalise winced while Gillette answered sarcastically: "Don't worry, miss, he's already informed of that. A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story."

And with that, he slammed the door in their faces, locking it and setting up guards before it as Annalise shouted after him angrily: "This is Jack Sparrow's doing!"

But Gillette just walked away, leaving the two sisters fuming inside.

"Tell you beau, thanks." Elizabeth snapped, and Annalise retorted equally waspishly: "This whole thing started because of your lover. And Jack is not my beau."

"Is that why you were flirting with him before he left with James?" Elizabeth countered, and Annalise exploded: "I was not flirting!"

Elizabeth blinked, taken aback by the frayed worry and anxiety that she could hear in her sister's voice. Taking a moment from her anger to examine Annalise more carefully, Elizabeth belatedly realized something must have happened with Jack.

"Lisa?" Elizabeth asked slowly, and Annalise turned her head away. "Lisa, what happened?"

"Nothing." Annalise muttered as she strode into the room, but Elizabeth trailed after her as she coaxed: "Not nothing. Tell me; we always used to tell each other everything."