pirates rpg 2

[Niphredil]

Just as Hawkins, his men, and their prisoners Gabby and Gavin came to the foot of the pyramid, they heard some sort of commotion coming from up above them. Looking up, they could faintly see the outline of a couple people, one of them standing perilously close to the edge.

"Is that Aimèe?" Gabby whispered.

"I think it is," Gavin mumbled.

They then heard the familiar sound of a gun being shot, and the person standing before Aimèe fell forward. A few seconds passed and then Aimèe herself fell backwards. Gavin watched in horror as she tumbled to the ground. Gabby gasped and would have screamed were it not for Decker's quick thinking; he threw his arms around her, clasping his hand over her mouth. Hawkins motioned to his men to follow him and get out of sight.

But they were not quick enough, for just as they were ducking down neath the foliage around the base of the temple, George the Blade who was still at the top of the pyramid saw their movements out of the corner of his eye. He quickly ducked into the doorway and peering around the corner, he watched as the people made their way stealthily (though not stealthily enough) around the base of the pyramid. After they left his sight, he began a rapid descent of the stairs, stopping every so often to look around him and to listen for any sounds from this new group of people.

Finally he was once again standing on the valley floor. He grimaced as he saw Aimèe's broken and bloodied body lying there on the ground; her arms and legs were contorted into the most unnatural positions, yet her face held a kind of peace. George shook his head, thinking, What a waste, and then resumed his task. He drew his sword and walked as quietly as he could along the base of the pyramid.

Gabby, Gavin, and Hawkins and his men made it around to the other side of the pyramid without incident. Hawkins gave the signal for them to halt; Decker let go of Gabby, who was trying her best not to cry after the sight of Aimèe's death. She took a seat on one of the steps of the pyramid; Gavin continued walking along the side of the pyramid.

"Oi! Don't go wandering off," Jones said, following him.

"He's not going to run away," Gabby said. "Where would he run to? And could you please untie or at least loosen these ropes?"

"You be quiet," Decker said.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Gabby muttered under her breath. "I don't know what you're expecting to do," she said, speaking loudly again.

"If you don't stay quiet I'll whip you!" Decker said.

"There are only five of you, against how many?" Gabby went on, ignoring Decker's threats.

"That's it," Decker said, taking a step towards Gabby. Hawkins put a hand on his shoulder.

"You will not harm this young woman," Hawkins said. "We can use her, and the boy--" he motioned to Gavin, who was being followed around by Jones "-- as leverage with at least some of the pirates."

"Oh please," Gabby said, rolling her eyes. "I highly doubt they'll care that much about us, especially about my brother. You and me and my brother would all be better off if you untied us, gave us back our weapons, and let us fight with you, if it should come to that."

"Oh really? Well, we'll just wait and see," Hawkins said. "Oh, and miss, there are six of us, not five."

"You mean Derek, don't you?" Gabby asked, trying hard to not let her voice shake.

"You know about Bennet?" Decker said.

"Yes," Gabby said. "And he's no good to you."

"Why is that?" Hawkins asked.

"He's dead."

"Dead?!" Decker said. "But how? Who?"

"He was shot, by... uh..." Gabby's voice trailed off. She cast a small glance in Gavin's direction but then quickly looked back.

Decker looked down to where Gavin was walking, Jones close behind. "Your brother killed Bennet?"

Gabby's heart began to race, and she paled considerably. "No," she said quietly. Decker glared at her, and put his hand on the pistol he had taken from Gavin. He began walking towards Gavin. "What are you doing?" Gabby asked. "Where are you going? Don't hurt him! Please! He was protecting me!" When she saw that Decker was paying her no heed, she stood up and tried to run after him, but the other two crew members grabbed her by both arms and held her. "No!"she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Gavin! Run!" But it was too later; Decker had caught up to Gavin, Gabby didn't know what they were saying, but she watched as Jones and Decker forced Gavin to his knees, and as Decker pulled out the pistol and held it to Gavin's head. As the gunshot rang out, and Gavin's body sunk to the ground, so did Gabby's. She sobbed, crying his name and cursing Hawkins and his men. The two who had been holding her released her.

"Oi! Capn'!" Jones yelled, waving his arms. Hawkins ordered the two crewmembers to pick Gabby up and carry her along with them, and the three of them walked down to where Jones and Decker stood. Once there, they saw that Jones had come upon an entrance into the pyramid.

"Light the torches," Hawkins said. It took them a few minutes to get them lit; once they were, they all stepped cautiously through the doorway, except for Gabby who was looking tearfully at Gavin's body. Decker had to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder. After walking for several minutes (Decker figured that by then they were in the center of the pyramid), they came to a door which blocked their way.

"Now what do we do?" Jones asked.

"We could try pushing it," Decker said. Hawkins shrugged and nodded his consent to try this. Decker set Gabby down on the ground and he and the others leaned against the door. Gabby inched away from them; as she did so, she felt herself brush against somthing on that floor, and that something moved down into the ground. There was a los rumble, and slowly the door began to open. Hawkins and his men stepped back now, and waited until the door opened all the way. Some gasped, some cursed, and some stood in stunned silence at the sight that lay before them. The small light that their torches cast bounced in every direction, making the whole room glow. They had found it; the fabled gold of El Dorado. It was just sitting there, waiting for them.

"Look at all that gold," Decker said.

"Yeah... let's go get some," Jones said. And with that, the five of them stumbled (for they were in such awe) into the large room in the center of the pyramid; all the while gaping at the wealth they had discovered. Gabby however, sat still on the floor of the passage way, still in shock over what had just transpired.

[Lady Disdain]

Jack was the first to move.

“Doesn’t seem to be much point in stayin, now does there? Not like we’d be much use to them over here.”

Jose started, a look of outrage settling over his features “You would leave your companions behind? To suffer who knows what terrible fate?”

“How many times do I have to remind you that I’m a pirate? I look after me’self, and my crew does the same.” He grinned, “Besides, like I said, there’s nothing we can do now. Unless you’d like to us use that blockhead of yours to break the wall down, I don’t see anywhere to go but forward.”

Ana laid a restraining hand on the Spaniard’s arm and quickly interjected. “It’s not the going forward that worries me. It’s the getting back out. Perhaps you manly types haven’t noticed, but we’re the ones who are trapped, not them. And fun as it would be to die surrounded by gold; I did hope it wouldn’t be for a good few years yet.”

Faces settled into masks of fear and resignation as the company realized the truth of Ana’s words. Only Jack appeared indifferent, as he pragmatically continued, “Well, no good complaining about it now. Maybe there’s another way out, or maybe there isn’t. I say we find out.” And with that he shambled down the hallway, leaving the others little choice but to follow him.

********************************************

Cartierre wandered ahead of the rest of the group, staring in fascination at the heathen markings all over the walls. Something glinted, and he stopped dead. Those were jewels in that damned scrawl. He reached an arm out…

********************************************

James smiled as his men rushed towards the wealth. It was an impressive sight. This may not be the fabled city of gold, but there was certainly enough of a horde here to set him up for a lifetime – hell for a couple of lifetimes.

“How could you?” came a voice behind him. The Scott girl. She was in shock of course. Seeing your brother get executed tended to do that to a person. Oddly enough she sounded more angry than scared though. He didn’t bother to turn around.

“Your brother killed an officer of the British navy. What I did was serve justice.”

“My brother was protecting me when that wonderful officer of yours attacked me.”

This time he turned, and the rage in his face was enough to make Gabby drop back a step or two.

“You lying slut. Derek Bennet was the best man I ever had the honor of knowing, and if you speak another word against him I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” she cried, her voice tinged with hysteria, “Kill me? Like you killed my brother? Is that how they do things in the navy? Condemnation before trial and execution on a whim?” He struck her across the face so hard that only a cruel grip on her arm kept her from falling to the ground.

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, my dear, but I haven’t been following the Navy’s orders for some time. You will not speak against him again.”

He released her and this time she did fall.

********************************************

“The next person who touches anything will lose a hand.”

Carlita looked around at the assembled gathering of pirate scum. Only when she was sure every eye was on her did she release Cartierre’s arm. Another man would have cried out when his arm was twisted nearly out of its socket, but while he collapsed, he made no sound and showed no tears. She was impressed in spite of herself.

“These pagan temples are supposed to be littered with traps and curses and I don’t want any of you fools setting one off, so keep your eyes open and your hands to yourselves.”

[Niphredil]

George quickly made his way to the corner of the pyramid, after hearing a gunshot. He peeked around the corner, and saw no one; except for a body lying about halfway down that side of the pyramid. He cautiously walked down to it, looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching.

"It's that boy," he mumbled, upon coming to the body. "Got the back of 'is head blowed right off." He glanced around and saw the entrance into the pyramid that James and his men had discovered. He could see a faint light emanating from within, at the end of this seemingly long passage. With a firm grip on his sword, he entered the passage way.

~**~**~**~**~

Gabby lay on the floor, in the same position as when James had hit her and let her fall. She brought her hands up to her face, and felt blood where James had struck her.

James and his men were by the gold, filling their pockets with coins, wearing necklaces that were heavily decorated with sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and more.

"All right, men, enough of this," James said. "Who knows when those pirates will get here. We should hide, so when they arrive they'll find the gold to be 'untouched,' and they'll also find a nice ambush waiting for them. We may be outnumbered, but we have the advantage of surprise on our side." The men removed their new ornaments and emptied their pockets, much to their dismay; but they knew their captain was right.

Gabby didn't hear a word of what was said; her attention was on something else. Such a pretty cup, she thought. She began to crawl over to it. It was a large cup, heavy and decorated with many jewels; she had to pick it up with both hands. Suddenly an idea came to her and she looked over to James. She stood up on shakey legs, and walked over to him, still holding the cup. It took all her strength to lift it up above her head and bring it down upon James' head. He fell to his knees, and just as Gabby was about to hit him with it again, Decker grabbed her, and forced her to the ground, pinning her down. James stood up, feeling the back of his head.

"That was an entirely stupid thing to do," he said gravely.

"So kill me," Gabby said.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" James asked. "Well, then, that's a good reason for me not to kill you. Bind her legs and feet, tie her arms to her torso, and gag her."

Decker did as the Captain bade him, making sure to tie her up very tightly. "Don't worry, love," Decker said. "After we've killed all the pirates, maybe then we'll kill you. Or execute, rather, for crimes against the crown. It shouldn't be too much longer now." He tightened the ropes about her wrists, to the point that they bled. Gabby gritted her teeth and held back tears. "Shame such a pretty girl had to be a pirate."

"I'm not a pirate," she said.

"Of course not," he said, mocking her. He put his hand behind her neck, lifted her up, and kissed her on the mouth. She struggled against him, but he was soon through and let her fall back to the ground. She felt a sharp pain shoot down her spine and stars fluttered in front of her eyes. The last thing that registered before she lost consciousness was that of a rag that tasted horrible being shoved into her mouth.

"Well, we better keep you out of the way," Decker said to her. He picked her up and carried her over to the doorway, dropping her there. Then he went back to James and the others, and they began to form their plan of attack.

~**~**~**~**~

As George neared the end of the passage he heard shouting, but he could not tell what was being said. He crept along in the shadows, and watched the goings on in the large room. His eyes went wide as he saw all the gold just sitting there. A massive grin came over his face as he realised that this party of intruders was small; small enough that perhaps he could kill them all himself. What a triumph that would be. He was about to act on his plan, when suddenly one of the men walked over to the doorway carrying someone.

It's a woman, George though. But not just any woman; it was Gabby. The man carrying her dropped her next to the doorway, then walked away. George sheathed his sword, forgetting all about the gold and James' men. He took Gabby by the wrists, and dragged her out of the light. Then he put both arms around her and began dragging her back out of the tunnel, groping her as often as he could.

James and his men had their plan all sorted out; where they would hide and wait, when and how they would attack. James turned to Decker and said, "Oh, Mr. Decker? What have you done with that Scott girl?"

"I laid her right over-- that's... odd... I left her right there," Decker said.

"I suggest you go find her. Feel free to kill her this time."

"Thank you, Capn'," Decker said. He saluated the good captain and hurried towards the door. How on earth could she have crawled away, he thought, as he once again entered the dark passage way.

[tancred]

"Where has George gotten to," wondered Captain Carlita outloud. The other pirates stopped in their tracks, and looked about as if noticing for the first time that George was gone.

"More than likely stripping those bodies of anything of worth," suggested Cartierre with a shrug.

"Probably right," said Carlita. "Well...he'll just have to catch up. We're too close to the gold and Jack to wait for him. Let's move it!"

The pirates continued on. They eventually came to the very spot where Kira had triggered the dart trap. And even though none of the pirates were in pursuit of jewels as Kira was, they were just as oblivious to the trap as she was. As the two lead pirates stepped upon the off-colored stones, darts whined through the air. The two pirates fell to the ground, pierced and bleeding.

The other pirates might have panicked, had not Carlita been there. She calmed the others down with threatening growl, and tested the stones on the floor with her torch. It was thus that she was able to discover the nature of the trap, and the entire crew passed over without inccident. "What of those wounded men," asked a pirate.

"They'll only burden us now," answered Carlita. "We'll come back for them...maybe."
*************************

Hawkins and his men could see that there were two points of entry to the large treasure chamber--the one they had come from that led outside, and the other, on the opposite end of the room, that seemed to lead upwards into the rest of the pyramid.

They quickly set themselves up in firing positions for an ambush. Hawkins himself crouched down underneath the archway of the tunnel that led outside. Two men were in front of him and on the right and left sides of the chamber. A third was still further away, and off to the right. Decker would occupy the position on the left upon his return. All of them except for Hawkins himself were hidden behind copious amounts of gold. The captain himself lay on his stomach, clinging to the ground as low as he could so as to avoid being seen. He propped his rifle in front of him in a firing position. It would be a wonderful ambush with a deadly crossfire.

"One thing only," whispered Hawkins. "Captain Calen...she is not to be harmed. I want her alive. So, be careful of your shots!"

It was just then that the British soldiers heard a low sound coming from upper levels of the pyramid. It sounded like someone speaking, and that voice was getting nearer.

Hawkins cursed to himself. Where was Decker? How difficult was it to find a woman who was tied up and unconscious!? Their ambuscade could still work, but would not be as effective without him. Hawkins looked back and forth, wondering where his subordinate was, and if he would return in time to lend his rifle to their ambush.
***********************

The others looked on as Jack walked on down the tunnel. Kira (suddenly awake) and Jack the Monkey followed eagerly. Gael hesitated, and then moved on. Ehawee, Ana, and Jose stood still for a moment. They could faintly hear Emil calling them from the other side of the trapped door. "Ana," he said. "What's goin' on there?"

Ana pressed herself to the stone, and yelled back, "Emil! We can't get the door to budge. Jack is walkin' on down the tunnel."

"To get the gold," asked a voice that sounded like Calen's.

"Err...yes," replied Ana uncomfortably. "But also to see if there be another way out. Don't worry. We'll come back for you...eventually. Somehow." Ana glanced at Jose and Ehawee, a worried look upon her face. The three then made haste in order to catch up with Jack and the others.

Emil, Will, Calen, Gibbs, Susana, Gwen, and Damien had just decided to backtrack their way out of the pyramid when they heard faint echoes trickling down from up above. They all stopped in their tracks. "I do not like the sound of that," said Will.

"Oui," agreed Damien.

Gwen gulped in her distinctive Lorraine accent, "I hope the others return for us soon."

[Niphredil]

Decker quickly made his way down the long tunnel, soon reaching it's end. Once there he saw that it was now pitch black outside, for the sun had gone down. But he did see a light; a torchlight, though he could not see who held it. He assumed that it was Gabby.

Blast that stupid girl for fooling me into believing she was unconscious, he thought, gritting his teeth. I'll teach her to make a fool of me.

He hurried along the path way, his torch in hand, being most careful to not let his quarry know that he was there. "She" seemed to be leading him back around to the front of the pyramid. Now that Decker thought about it, she seemed bigger than he had remembered her being. He dimissed the thought, believing instead that the moonlight along with Gabby's torchlight was just playing tricks on him.

Now Gabby seemed to be making haste toward the small houses that were near the entrance to the valley. Decker gave her plenty of room, watching as the dark figure he followed ducked into one of the houses.

~**~**~**~**~

Gabby slowly began to regain consciousness when George slung her over his shoulder at the end of the tunnel leading into the pyramid. She was extremely drowsy, though, and her head and neck ached horribly. Her surroundings seemed surreal to her, dream-like. She drifted in and out of consciousness; nothing of what was happening to her -- or what was most likely going to happen to her -- seemed to register. The only thing that she noticed, that she couldn't not noticed, was that her entire body was throbbing in pain.

George set her on the ground, none too gently, and stood there looking at her. He glanced around the room quickly, like a little boy afraid his mother would catch him for sneaking his grubby hand into the cookie jar.

Gabby's wits began to return to her, and she started to realize the gravity of her situation. "Wh-- what do you want?" she mumbled, her voice small, and hoarse.

"What do I want, you ask?" George said, licking his lips. "Why, I only be wanting to thank ye for making me capn' o' The Queen of the Sea. If it hadn'ta been for ya, Ed would still be Capn'."

Gabby's heart began to beat faster, so fast that she felt her chest might explode. She would have preferred that to anything that George could have wanted to do with her. She began to shake from fear, as she watched George kneel down beside her, remove the ropes that bound her, and then fumble with removing her clothes.

She could not comprehend what happened next, for suddenly George was thrown against the opposite wall. She could hear George's heavy, clumsy footsteps as he stood up, and she heard him groan, but she dare more an inch to look, not even turn her head. In the torchlight, she could see that someone else had entered the room, but she could not quite make out who, until he spoke.

"I'm glad you're the captain," she heard him say. "I should get a good reward for killing you."

It's Decker! she thought. Here to save me! But then what will he do with me...

"You, kill me?" George said, before letting out a deep laugh. "I don't think so, lad." With that George quickly drew a pistol and pointed it at Decker. "Don't look so surprised, boy," George said, and then he pulled the trigger. Decker grunted in pain and Gabby could, out of the corner of her eye, see him grip at his side. He fell forward, landing right next to her; she had to wriggle out of the way so he would land on her. "Now," George said, putting his pistol back in it's holster, "where were I?"

Gabby did not have time to think; her eyes darted around, frantically searching for any means with which to protect herself... and then she saw it. "Wait!" she said quickly, holding up her hand. "Slow down; what's your rush?" she said, her voice smooth, and seductive as she could make it. She sat up before him, purposely lifting her skirt just above one of her knees, and slowly began unbuttoning her shirt. As soon as she noticed that George had relaxed somewhat, she leaned forward slightly, and not-so-deftly tried to pull Decker's sword out of it's sheath. She tugged at it but it would not come out. George narrowed his eyes at her.

"Clever," he said, "but not clever enough." He began to move towards her again. Gabby tried harder to remove the sword from it's sheath, and finally, just as George was almost upon her, it came loose; she pulled out, thrusting it in George's direction-- the next thing she heard was him, sputtering, and coughing. She looked at his belly; the sword had gone straight through, blood and other bodily fluids now gushing forth freely. Gabby stood up, and with what strength she had she pushed George away from herself. He landed on the flat of his back, the sword still sticking out of him. His coughs became more frequent, until suddenly they ceased altogether and he did not move anymore. Gabby did, however hear a groan; she looked down and saw Decker before her feet. He wasn't dead.

"Help me," she heard him murmur. Gabby turned away, intent on leaving him there for dead, yet she couldn't. She knelt down beside him, and rolled him over onto his back. Upon examining the wound she noted that the bullet had gone straight through, and had not hit any of his organs. She tore a piece of her skirt off and held to the wound, causing him to wince. She took his hand, placing it over the wound. "Hold it there," she said. She looked about at his belongings; he had a cantine that was full. She put the cantine next to him, where he could easily reach it and then stood up to leave. "Wait," he pleaded, "don't leave me." He put his hand on her arm.

She pried his hand off her wrist, then stumbled out of the house, intent on finding a different one to hide in. Slumping down on the floor of another house, she began to weep. She had seen so much death, of friends and enemies, in this one day alone. She did not know how much more of this journey she could bear.

[tancred]

One by one, Jack and those with him stumbled down the last few steps and into the vast treasure chamber. Jack, Kira, Gael, Jack the Monkey, Ehawee, Jose, and Ana. The light of the torches held by Jack, Gael, Ehawee, and Jose reflected and played off of millions of gilded and sparkly objects. All stood amazed; none could believe what immense wealth lay before them. Even Ehawee, for whom (being Native) gold had hardly no value at all, could not fathom how so much of one thing had been hoarded and hidden here. There were gasps, "ooh's" and "ah's," wide eyes, and fallen jaws.

Ehawee stood still; amazed as she was, she had no great desire for any of it. Her compatriots were not as strong in their self-restraint. Kira cast a wary eye at the little monkey, and made for the nearest glowing ruby that caught her eye. The monkey ignored her, and went for a larger sapphire. Gael saw a crown of golden leaves set with pearl and emeralds that instantly drew his attention. Jack took a liking to a silver belt with a golden and jade buckle. Ana took a turqouise bracelet that reminded her of one her mother used to wear long before. Jose reached out for an elegant necklace. Obviously for a woman, and made of silver links and three simple garnets at the end.

Then shots rang out as the chamber was illuminated slightly by the sparks of gunfire.
*************************

Captain Hawkins had been cursing under his breath. Decker had still not returned, and this lessened the angles of their crossfire. And now, their guests were arriving! Torchlights approached, and the shapes of figures could be barely made out in their glow.

And that was just the most dire of Hawkins' problems. The figures could not be made out overly well. Was Calen one of them? And Hawkins and his men had encountered the crew of the Queen of the Sea before, and this was nowhere near the number they once comprised. Where were all the other pirates? Where was Calen? Hawkins couldn't be sure, and doubt crept into his mind. Should he fire, or not?

His mind was made up for him, as one shot rang out from one of his men on the right. Then all of his men fired. Hawkins cursed aloud this time, took aim, and fired.
***********************

Jose was fortunate; in turning and bending down to reach for the garneted necklace at the last second, a shot that might normally have taken his head off scratched his left shoulder.

Ehawee and Gael were not so fortunate. They lay motionless on the ground. Jack and Ana were quick to assess the situation, and noted where the shots were coming from. Realizing the upper right side of the room was free from fire, they ducked behind the mounds of gold there. Jack the Monkey, Jose, and Kira scampered to them.

They all gulped in fear and uncertainty. Jose quickly drew his two pistols, put them on the floor, and readied his rifle. Jack and Ana followed suit. Kira was not carrying anything at the moment. Gael was armed, but his weapons were on his unmoving person. They looked silently into each others' eyes for comfort, even as they heard the sounds of reloading coming from several other areas of the treasure chamber.

[Niphredil]

Gabby had been lying on the cold dirt floor, very near falling asleep, when she heard the cracking of gunshots reverberate through the valley. She knew that Hawkins and his men must have initiated their attack, and this made any hopes she had of sleep leave her. She did not know who the victors of this battle were going to be, nor did she care at that moment; she wanted only to be far away from the place, and all the pain that it had brought her. And so Gabby came to the decision to go back to the waterfall, and leave El Dorado.

A sharp pain shot through Gabby's side as she stood, causing her nearly to collapse. She surmised that her ribs had been injured, but whether the injury was due to the rough-handling of Hawkins and his men or that of George, she did not know. She stumbled along the path as quickly as she could, despite feelings of nausea and dizziness.

As soon as she reached the pool behind the waterfall she jumped in, the force of the water pushing her through to the other side. She came up coughing and choking for air, and crawled onto the shore. Many horses were standing there on the shore, though none of them belonged to Jack or the others (Gabby did not know that Jose had taken their horses into the city). She stood up, quite shaken, and took hold of the reins of the horse nearest her. She moved around to the side of the horse, grasped the saddle horn, and attempted to mount. But as she did so, the horse suddenly jerked away, and she fell backwards to the ground. She felt hot and yet broke out into a cold sweat, her breath came in heavy gasps; seconds later, she lost consciousness.

~**~**~**~**~**~

Gabby could hear the lapping of waves and the creaking of wood, and smell the salty sea-air; she thought that she must be on a ship. And then she heard voices; they were muffled to where she could not understand what was being said, but their owners were unmistakable: one belonged to Captain Sparrow, and the other to Damien. It was a dream, she thought, just a terrible dream. Slowly she began to open her eyes; the light in the room, though dim, caused her to squint. Upon looking around, she realized that she was not in her own quarters, but rather in the surgeon's quarters.

"Finally awake, I see," a voice said in a thick French accent. Gabby sat up and craned her neck to see who it was. "No, no," said the voice quickly, "You must lie still."

"Damien?" Gabby said weakly, as she laid her head back down.

"Yes, Gabrielle, I am here," he said, coming over to her.

"What's happened? Why am I here?"

"You have been very ill for many days. We were worried that you would not recover."

Gabby opened her mouth to speak again, but Damien shushed her. "No more talk from you, you must rest now. I will return soon with something for you to eat."

~**~**~**~**~**~

Another day passed before Gabby had regained enough of her strength to speak at length with someone. She awoke late in the afternoon to find Ana sitting on a chair beside her bed. When she saw that Gabby was awake, she took her hand and smiled.

"Gabby, I'm so glad you're all right!" she said. "Damien believes that you're over the worst of it, and with a little rest, you'll be right as rain."

"Ana, what has happened? How long have I been unconscious?"

"Oh, you've been out nigh on ten days," Ana said. "Jose's been in to check on you quite often; very worried about ye, he's been."

"And what happened to El Dorado?The last thing I remember is hearing gunshots."

Ana sighed. "I know Damien'll come in here an' yell at me for keepin' ye up and gettin' ye all excited... but if ye promise ye won't get excited, and ye'll just sit there all quiet-like, then I'll tell ye."

"I promise," Gabby said, though it was a promise that she did not know she could keep.

"I'll try to be brief. Well, as we was goin' our way through the tunnel, suddenly a booby trap was sprung, and we were all separated...." And so, Ana told Gabby all about what had happened, up until she and the others had reached the gold chamber. "We was just going to go into the room that had more gold then I've ever seen in my life -- 'twas a beautiful sight! -- when suddenly there was gunshots coming from nowhere and everywhere! Probably the very gunshots you heard. Most of us were able to duck outta the way in time, but Gael and Ehawee were shot and killed."

"The poor things!" Gabby exclaimed.

"Oh, I know, but I told ye to keep quiet!" Ana scolded. She went on, "After that happened, there was so much chaos and confusion that I don't hardly know how to explain it all! Those of us who had gotten to the gold chamber stayed in the tunnel. Meanwhile, the others had found some way to open the tunnel again so they could get through, and before we knew what had happened they all came runnin' down, shoutin' something about Carlita and her crew being right after them. Well, it all happened so quick that before we could warn them, they ran right into the gold chamber!"

"Oh, no! Was anyone killed?"

"Aye, Susanna was shot in the head, and so was Gibbs, and Gwen was injured. The rest of them drew out their swords and pistols and began fighting back." Gabby covered her mouth with her hand at hearing this. "Oh, now I need to stop, this is too much for ye."

"No, no I'm all right," Gabby insisted, steeling herself. "Please, continue."

"A'right. Now this next part is really hard to explain. Will and the others who had rushed out into the gold chamber beat back Hawkins -- we later discovered that it had been him -- and his men pretty quickly. D'ya know he only had three men with him? Imagine! Three men against all of us, not to mention Carlita and her lot, too, most likely."

"He did have five. One of them was... Decker, I think was his name. I think he was killed. And the other..."

"Derek?" Ana asked.

Gabby nodded. "Gavin killed him when he attacked me. Oh! Gavin! I forgot all about him, how could I!" Gabby felt tears forming in her eyes.

"We gave Gavin a proper buriel, Gabby," Ana said. "Never did find Derek, though; not that we looked very hard for 'im." She shifted in her seat, and went on quickly. "Anyway, after we had killed Hawkins' men and captured Hawkins himself -- that's right, he's sittin' in the jail cell right now -- we got ready for Carlita and her crew. And let me tell you, the fight that followed was some sight to see! Especialy this fight between Carlita and Jack and Jose; it was amazing! You'll have to have them tell ye about it (though Jack might embellish it a little). Well, I don't know how we got the upper hand over them, but we did. We killed most of Carlita and George's men, and the rest either ran away or begged for mercy. Then we gathered up gold, all that we could carry -- and we could carry quite a bit since we had some extra horses, thanks to Carlita and George."

"What happened to Gwen?" Gabby asked, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Oh, she died a few hours after being shot. Poor Gwen. And poor Damien! He's been walking around the ship like a ghost without her here. But now, El Dorado is behind us, and--" she raised her hand for emphasis "-- wherever... Jose is navigating us to, is before us! I'm sure he'll direct us to some place grand to spend our gold." She paused. "It was the strangest thing, though, when we got back to the Pearl," she said.

"What was?" Gabby asked.

"When we got back to the ship, there were none aboard it. Jack and Jose and Will had to swim out to get the longboats so we could come aboard."

Gabby felt a lump in her throat. "Indeed. Strange." The two sat quietly for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts (Ana was thinking about all the pastries she could buy with her share of the gold, and Gabby about other things). "Ana," Gabby said. Ana made no response. "Ana!"

"Oh! What! Oh yes, hello Gabby," Ana said, snapping back to reality and smiling sweetly at her. Gabby could not help but smile back.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep now, Ana," she said, "I'm very tired."

"Aye, ye must be, Gabby. Sweet dreams." With that, Ana left the room, and Gabby fell back to sleep. But unfortunately for her, her dreams were anything but sweet.

[Athena]

Kira sat shaking in a corner of the boat. The salty smell of the sea, usually a comforting odor held no such promise to her. The carribian air was warm and moist, but Kira sat, her back to the rough wood, her teeth chattering from something other then cold.

Her mind kept repaying Gael falling to the floor motionless. Odd how she could still remeber the tang of blood, the crack of the pistol, the screams from the others. Why had she not made up? Why had she not forgiven him.

Kira clenched her teeth, she would not cry. She had shed no tears nor would she talk to anyone. The events of them breaking free from their captors was simply a blur. An empty rush of faces. Life seemed surreal, empty.

The others had left her alone, whether they wanted to allow her time to grieve or they merely did not know quite what to say she did not know, nor did she care.

It was not the fact that she had grown fond of Gael, quite the opposite truthfully. But the fact remained, that he was her relative, her father, the man she had thought dead, was now lost to her forever.

She was drowning, drowning in a sea of darkness. Depressing closed in on her, sealed off her escape. Life was empty, what was the point? She had grown up on the streets, knowing she was unwanted, that she had to scavenge and steal for her next meal. That others would gladly see her dead, and would not bat an eye if she succumbed.

The past few weeks, she had felt... alone. True she had become friends with several people, but never had she really connected to them.

She had always seemed in her life to be searching for the next meal, money, riches. Now she was rich, beyond her wildest dreams, but it was nothing. Why did she care, what real reason did she have for living? She had no friends, no family, nothing.

Kira slowly crawled upright, and looked over the railing at the frothing sea below. How easy it would be to just jump in, leave ones worries behind. Would anyone really care?

Kira climbled up the rail and stayed, perched at the edge. The wing ruffled at her hair. How incredibly easy it would all be to just jump.

[tancred]

Jose sat with his back against the rail of The Pearl, up near the wheel. Jack had said that they had been too long on land, that it was not good for them, and that they all needed some time out on sea without any real destination. So he put Jose in charge of the wheel, and had set a course vaguely eastward, content to let The Pearl drift where she would and where the winds would take her. In other words, Jose was alone up on that part of the deck.

And he felt alone, too. He stuffed his rosary back into the pocket of his coat, and sighed. A melancholy and reflective mood had descended upon him. His time amongst the pirates had had its share of dangers, sure enough, but it had mostly seemed good. Very good, in fact. He had found a sort of healing and peace in the arms of Gabby, and an unexpected friendship in some of the crew, like Ana, Gwen, Kira, Ehawee, and Jack the Monkey. But it was mainly due to Gabby, one he thought to be his new Dulcinea, that Jose owed most of his joy. That was how it was. But then the last month or so of the journey...everything seemed to go awry in one form or another. The harbinger of all evil that was to come was the reappearance of The Garnet, the ship that had nearly destroyed Cartenega, and murdered or abducted everyone Jose loved. The ship and its crew had returned, and the ferral beast of bloody revenge that had lain dormant inside of the Spaniard had awoken. At least for awhile. But then, Jose had found Nonna, his beloved sister, again. She had begged him before she died to let his anger and hatred go. And he thought he could, if only for the fact that he thought they had shaken The Garnet in their flight from New Orleans. He had no idea they were being tracked and followed the entire time, by those from The Garnet or any other ship. Jose's thoughts wandered to the past days' events.

**********************************************************************

It had come as quite the shock in the treasure room when they had come under fire from James Hawkins' men, and learned from their friends (who had managed to unlock the trapped door) that there were other hostiles behind them. Then more fighting. Hawkins and his men were overcome while they were reloading, and Jack quickly set everyone up in ambush about the chamber. With more numbers and more guns, it was a much better ambush than the one Hawkins had set up. When Carlita and her crew had come marching down into the chamber, they were met with a terrible crossfire. It was this that rendered most of her men either dead or wounded. But there was no time to reload. It was now time for the dirty hand to hand fighting.

All of Jose's allies fought with ferrocity. One borne more out of the knowledge they would all be killed if they did not win the day, than out of a lust of gold or anything. Jose had been fighting for some time, baskethilt in his right hand, and occassionally drawing his dagger with his left. Torches had been dropped upon the floor for the combatants to fight, and the fight even spilled outside of the pyramid. It was here that Jack and Jose had found Carlita. They had pushed their respective combatants out into the light, and felled them. And there was Carlita with her face towards the gates of the city. "Fleeing, I see, Captain Carlita," Jack had mocked her.

Carlita had stopped in her tracks, and her shoulders kind of raised a little to her head, as if she were burned and enraged by Jack's statement. "I was not fleeing," she hissed. "I was seeking better ground from which to fight!"

"Sure," chuckled Jack. "And I'm the shogun of Japan! Now come and fight me, captain to captain. I have a little hospitality to repay you for while I was guest aboard your ship!"

Carlita turned to face Jack, and the two squared off. Jose desired to help, but he could not deny Jack a duel he had already stated as his own. He leaned against the pyramid's foundation, and watched, should Jack need any help. For all appearances, Jack did not. He fought extremely well. Yet, so did Carlita. It seemed a back and forth duel, with no one having the advantage.

It was at this moment that Cartierre, Carlita's first mate, came running out of the pyramid. Devoted to his captain as always, upon not seeing her in the treasure chamber, he came out to find her. Seeing Jack and Carlita fighting, he instantly made for them. Jose attempted to step in front of him. "Fight me, pirate," he scowled.

Cartierre merely smiled. "No thank you, good sir," he said. "There's my man." He pointed to Jack, and continued on his way. "Sparrow," he called out. "You and I have some business to attend to."

Jack only half looked away. "Can't ya see I'm busy," he whined. "Let me run your captain through here, and then you'll have your turn upon my sword!"

"I think you will want to settle our business first," said Cartierre. "I have something to show you." Carlita looked at Jack, and nodded as if to indicate she would not strike him if he turned to follow her first mate. Not taking an eye off of Carlita, nor pointing his sword away from her, Jack backed off slowly. As soon as he moved away, Jose moved in.

[tancred]

Jack followed Cartierre about the pyramid warily. The man made no sudden movements or signs, though, and did indeed led him to something in good faith. But what it was nearly caused Jack to give up the ghost there and then. There, upon the last few steps of the pyramid, lay the broken body of his daughter, Aimee. Her body was twisted and mangled in different directions, and the pyramid steps were smeared with her blood. "What the hell," gasped Jack. Keeping his sword pointed at Cartierre, he knelt down beside her body, and touched it with a shaking hand. "How did you come here? I thought we left you safely with the Indians?"

"The Indian village was not as safe as you assumed, Sparrow," said Cartierre. "We had trouble tracking you once you left New Orleans, but we found you all the same. We've been shadowing you for some time now. We noticed your daughter had stayed behind when you moved on, and thought she might make an excellent bargaining chip should you find El Dorado and its gold. It could have all been done peacefully and without bloodshed if it weren't for Aimee taking things into her own hands."

Jack didn't believe for a moment that Carlita or her crew would exchange Aimee for gold peacefully. "But why did you kill her then," he questioned furiously.

"I didn't," answered Cartierre. "Nor did Carlita or any of our crew. Aimee ended her own life."

"Why would she do that if she thought she could be exchanged for gold," asked Jack. "She was so young and full of life. Enthusiastic and carefree. She would have hope."

"Women who experience what she did have little hope," said Cartierre with an odd expression upon his face. An almost wistful smile.

"What do ya mean," wondered Jack. But then he cought upon the word "women." "What did you do to her," he asked angrily, although he guessed well enough now.

Cartierre chuckled slightly, "Oh don't worry, Captain Sparrow. Young Aimee didn't get hurt too much. Nor did she scream. By the end of it, she was begging for more!"

That was enough for Jack. With a growl, he charged Cartierre. And the frist mate had far underestimated Sparrow's ire. Jack had him on his heels the entire time. Cartierre fought valiantly, but to no avail. Catching an opening, Jack thrust his sword straight through Cartierre's upper stomach, right below the breast bone. The other end of the blade shore all the way through and into the pyramid behind, pinning the pirate there. Jack drew close to the wide-eyed Cartierre, gritted his teeth, and said almost in a whisper, "Yeah. That's it!" Not even withdrawing the sword, Jack left him there. He knelt down again beside Aimee's body, and stroked her hair.

************************************************************************

Swords drawn, Jose and Carlita circled around each other for awhile, sizing each other up. "It is good to finally see you again, Jose," said Carlita matter of factly.

Jose stopped. "See me again," he asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "I don't even know you! I know you to be the captain of The Garnet, though you were not the captain of that ship when it raided Cartenega. Otherwise, I have never met you."

"I should have known you would forget me," said Carlita disappointedly. "Or did you even notice me to begin with? Most likely not. How typical of you!"

Jose scratched his head. "You must be crazy, woman," he exclaimed. "Loco! I don't know you!"

"Ah," said Carlita with a smile. "But you do know me. Or at least you should. Do you remember the friends Nonna had in Cartenega? I was one of them. Her best friend, in fact. But would any of the Ortegas other than Nonna give heed to a young girl who only wanted a little attention? No! Had to go off and pine over that boring, angelic Rose!"

"Wait a minute," interjected Jose. "You were in love with me?"

Carlita rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself," she said. "Perhaps it was Marco y Ortega I had a thing for? Damn that Rose! She even had much of Nonna's attention and friendship." Though she denied it, Carlita went on and on about Rose for some time. Jose didn't know what to think.

"Nonna had many friends," Jose said. "She was quite popular. I could not know all of them."

"But to not even know her best friend," growled Carlita. "I see your thoughts. You are thinking this is all about Rose and you. It is not. Its about Nonna. We were both kidnapped by the pirates that day. We were both prisoners, and at first our treatment was the same. But she always had to be a good person. The better person. We were not treated the same for long." Carlita performed a slight bow, drawing her hands and arms downwards to sport her captain's coat.

Jose looked at this woman long and hard. A person who had, despite her perported friendship, continued to mistreat Nonna after she had become captain of the ship. Carlita had both beaten Nonna herself and allowed her to be beaten and abused to the point of death. "I see," said Jose. "Such a good jealous friend you are. So...while Nonna had to be beaten and forced each time, you were just a common...."

Before he could finish his sentence, Carlita screamed at him, and charged with sword raised overhead. Her onslaught was terrifying, and she had mastered the use of a sword. Luckily for Jose, he was no slouch either. They fought for some time, until Carlita managed to slash Jose upon the shoulder, almost in the exact same place where he had been grazed by a bullet earlier in the day. Jose stumbled a little, and a smile crossed Carlita's face as she prepared the coup de grace. It never came. She had opened herself up for a counter-attack just a little too much. Her opponent ducked her blow, and dealt her a backhanded slash across the stomach. In the same motion, Jose pivoted on his heel so that he was now slightly behind Carlita, and followed up his initial backhand slash with a forehanded slash across Carlita's back.

Carlita sank to her knees. "Ahhh," she groaned. She looked down to see the front of her captain's coat and undershirt soaked in blood. The back of it was completely slashed open, and an odd sensation raced up and down her back and in her stomach. She put her hands to her belly to hold her intestines in. Jose walked back in front of her. She looked up at him. "It is a mortal wound," she said. "I will bleed to death now, but only slowly. Please...run me through. Make it quick!"

Jose drew his sword up, the damascus steel blade within only inches of Carlita's eyes. The latin enscription caught her attention. "I think not," said Jose coldly. "MEMOR MORIBUNDUS...Remember Death." He walked away.

Carlita looked after Jose in hate and despair. She fell on her face, and lay there motionless. She bled...slowly and painfully...and died...the next day.

******************************************

All of this came and went before Jose's mind. His vengeance against The Garnet and her crew was now complete. And he felt empty and alone. He sank into a deep but troubled sleep.

[Niphredil]

Thus determined to end her life, Kira closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she began to feel the sensation of falling forward, she felt a strong grip around her middle and was yanked forcefully back. She and her rescuer fell to the deck with a thud. Kira opened her eyes, half expecting to see Jose there but instead, she saw Jack. She looked over to where Jose had been sitting, and saw him sitting there still. He looked at her and Jack, and then again looked away and closed his eyes.

"What were ye thinkin', Kira?" Jack asked, worry evident all over his face. Kira looked at him, expressionless, and once more her body began to shake.

"Yer not alone here, foolish girl!" Jack said, earnestly trying to convince her but having difficulty in finding the right words to say to her. The words, however, echoed through Kira's mind. At the time, she was not sure why, but she threw her arms around Jack's neck and began sobbing into his chest.

~**~**~**~**~**~

After having a few hours of sleep, Gabby awoke to find herself entirely alone. Fear crept over her at first, but as the memory of where she was began to return, she began to feel somewhat at ease again.

She looked out the small porthole; there were few, if any, clouds in the sky, the sun was shining brightly, and the sea was calm. Seeing that it was a beautiful day, Gabby began to want to leave the stuffy room she was in, to feel the sun's warmth on her face, and to breathe the fresh air.

She pushed the blankets that had been over her away and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Her feet were bare, and snowy white compared her arms, tanned brown from the sun. She looked about her for her shoes, but did not see them anywhere. Knowing that Damien would have a fit if she were to walk around the ship with bare feet, she contemplated staying where she was. But her stomach grumbled just in time to remove all thoughts of staying in bed from her mind.

Having thus come to a decision, Gabby stood, nearly falling back down as she did so for her illness had left her so weak. She moved slowly, leaning on the furniture or the walls of the ship to steady herself. She didn't meet another soul, as she slowly made her way through the vessel; she could not help but shudder at this.

She passed the room that she had once shared with Lydia and Gwen; upon opening the door she saw that the room was piled high with gold. She looked in the room across from it, and it too, was full. To balance the ship, she figured, and she wondered how many other rooms contained treasure. She tried to have at least some interest in all the beautiful things that they had paid so high a price to attain, but every piece was tinged red by the blood of those she had once held dear. Sadly, Gabby moved on.

Finally Gabby reached the galley. She sighed as she looked aroun the room, remember the good time she and Derek had had there, helping the cook stock the cupboards when they replenished their supplies in New Orleans. Derek was so wonderfull then; how had everything gone so wrong, so quickly?

Her stomach grumbled again, drawing her out of her thoughts. She searched around until she came across some bread and fruit that was nice and ripe. Not wanting to drop any of the things she had found, she took a cloth and used it as a make-shift satchel in which to carry everything, and then began making her way back to her room.

When she was but halfway back to the surgeon's quarters, she began to feel light-headed. Luckily, Ana came along after a few minutes. She had been looking for Gabby, and when she did not find her where she had left her, she began a search of the ship. She carried Gabby's food for her, and helped her back to her room. Gabby felt better after eating something.

The two of them sat and talked, while Gabby ate, for nearly half an hour. As every moment passed, Gabby notice that Ana became more and more uncomfortable, and even pale.

"Ana?" Gabby asked. "Ana, are you ill? You do not look well."

"No, no, I'm fine," Ana said.

"No, something must be wrong. What is the matter?"

"Nothing," Ana insisted. She fell silent for a few moments, before saying, "Oh, who am I foolin' but myself. Gabby, there is something. Something I need to tell you, to confess to you." Ana asked that she stay quiet and let her say her piece. And when she was through, as Gabby sat there completely aghast, Ana stood quickly and exited the room. When Gabby was once again alone, despair overtook her, and she wept bitterly at what Ana had told her.

Will, in passing by her room, heard her crying and gently opened the door. He walked over to her, took her into his arms, and held her.

[tancred]

Jose awoke to sounds as of loud thudding upon the deck of the ship near him, and to the sounds of voices. He looked over to see Jack and Kira standing nearby. They both wore troubled looks upon their faces. They suddenly embraced, and at least a slight smile crossed Kira's lips. Jose passed by, and placed a reassuring hand on Kira's shoulder. He did not know what was amiss, but he at least wanted the girl to know that he was there to talk if she needed to.

Jose went below deck, all the way down to the brig. There were a few pirates imprisoned there from the crews of The Garnet and The Queen of the Sea, but most notable of all was James Hawkins. "Goodday there, Mr. Hawkins," said Jose cooly. "I trust you are finding your quarters comfortable?"

"Hardly," spat Hawkins. "I'm a captain in the British Royal Navy. Not some pirate scum like these lot here. I deserve better treatment!"

"You were a captain," corrected Jose. "No more. You have no ship and no crew. You're a prisoner with all the rest. Still, I am interested in how you followed us all the way to El Dorado, avoiding notice by not only the pirates that were following us, but the local Spanish authorities as well. I would also wish to know how it came about that you set up your ambush...and how you found Gabby."

Hawkins looked at the Spaniard thoughtfully. "Get me some water to drink," he finally said. "Or better yet, some rum. And a nice warm meal, the same as the crew gets. And lock me up somewhere away from these apes in here! Then I'll tell you what you wish to know."

"I can get you the rum right now," answered Jose. "The meal will have to wait, seeing as how its not dinner time yet, and there is nothing freshly made just now. But I will see that you get it. I can not put you in a cell of your own, but I can speak to Captain Sparrow about it."

Jose walked out of the brig, and came back a few seconds later with a small flask of rum. He discreetly passed it through the bars of the cell to Hawkins. "Now talk," he said quietly but firmly.

And so Hawkins told Jose everything that had happened. A look of realization passed over Jose's face. "So...it was you who killed Gavin," he said.

"Nay, not I," denied Hawkins. "Twas one of my men."

"But under your orders," continued Jose.

"Aye, aye. He had killed another of my men, Derek Bennet."

"Who was attempting to harm Gabby," pointed out Jose. "Gavin was defending his sister."

"A slaying of one of my crew and a soldier in the service of the British crown, all the same," replied Hawkins. "It was justice."

"We shall see," said Jose as he turned to leave.

"Wait," shouted Hawkins. "I shouldn't be here. Inform Calen. I wish to see her. Oh yes! She would see things from my point of view. She can help me."

"She most likely already knows," said Jose. "How could she not? Still, I do not think I'll be telling her. Nor do I think you should be freed. I believe the Spanish authorities (and even the French in New Orleans) would be terribly interested to discover a high ranking officer in the British Royal Navy had been sailing and tramping about willy nilly through their territories." Jose paused to let those words sink in. "I'll be back with your meal later tonight."

Jose found Ana in her quarters. She was sitting on her cot, her back propped up against the wall, and her arms folded about her bent knees. She was rocking pensively back and forth. "Hello, senorita," said Jose, knocking upon the frame of her open doorway. "May I come in?"

Ana nodded her head, and Jose pulled up a chair opposite her. "Is something wrong," he asked.

"Nah," replied Ana. "I'll be a'right."

"Are you sure," persisted Jose. "If something is bothering my faithful squire, I'd wish to help." He offered her a smile.

"Please don't call me that, Jose," said Ana. "I'm not in the mood, an' I were drunk that night. As were you."

"Very well," said Jose. "But it was an oath all the same, and for my part, I take it seriously. So...my friend Ana, what have you been thinking of lately? You are now rich beyond your wildest imaginings. We all are. The wide world is at our feet, and we can go or stay as we please." His voice was enthusiastic.

"What are you tryin' to say," asked Ana, now confused.

"I'm trying to say that if you wish it, you need no longer be a pirate. You are wealthy enough now that you can have all your dreams come true. You can live in peace and safety now. A good citizen abiding by the law, and not being pursued by it. Surely you see all the danger we've been through recently, and how we were all nearly killed? That is a pirate's life for you; always a step away from death. You can put that all behind you now if you desire. Enjoying that wealth in whatever way your mind can come up with. Have you thought about this? Or will you at least think about it now?"

Ana looked deep in thought. "I don't know," she said. "I've had other things on my mind lately. Always near death ya say. 'Tis true, but its also about adventure and excitement. I might bore meself to death if I were to give it all up. Still...maybe at least a little rest would do me good. Alot depends on what Emil does. And maybe even Jack. Emil talked something about goin' back to Africa for awhile. I don't know. What about you?"

Jose reclined a little in his chair. "Well," he replied. "I am uncertain also. I eventually must return to Spain with Nonna's body in order to give her a burial where she wished. But I will check in with some of the Spanish authorities in Florida first. Speaking with the Spanish envoy in New Orleans, he said that they are looking for qualified soldiers to serve as governors of their island posessions in the Caribbean. Do you understand, Ana? Governors. Of islands. Think about it, alright? I would love to have my good friend and squire by my side." He patted her on the knee, and exited the room.

Finally, Jose made his way to the surgeon's quarters where Gabby was supposed to be. And she was indeed there...hugging Will. The Spaniard cleared his throat, and knocked upon the open door. "Am I interrupting anything," he asked.

"Just speaking with Gabby," answered Will.

There was a long uncomfortable silence. Jose and Gabby's eyes met, and she looked away again. Jose cleared his throat again, and turned his attention to Will. "Well, my friend," he said, "seems like this adventure is near over. You must be eager to head home. Or to New Providence, I should say. You have that fair Ms. Swann waiting for you there. She must be awfully worried about you. Probably pining away even as we speak."

Will blushed a little, but a smile crossed his face as he thought of Elizabeth. "Yes," he said. "Most likely." He paused for a bit. "I think I should be going," he finally continued. "Go find Jack, and see about the speed and direction of the ship. I'll be around if you need anything, Gabby. Goodday to you, and to you, Jose."

Jose bowed his head slightly as Will left the room, and then looked to the distant and silent Gabby.

[Niphredil]

Gabby brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and rested her chin upon her knee. Jose still stood silent in the doorway, looking at her. His stare almost made her uncomfortable (and the fact that she was still so upset over what Ana had said -- what Ana had done -- didn't help either). Jose walked over and sat down on the end of the bed.

"Have you been crying?" Jose asked. Only in coming closer to her had he noticed her flushed cheeks and red eyes.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. "Something to eat, or drink?" Gabby shook her head "no." Jose was silent a moment before saying, "This cot is so small, and must be terribly uncomfortable. You could stay in my bed if you wish, and I could stay here." He reached out his hand to stroke her tear-stained face. "Or we could both stay in my room and--"

"No," Gabby said quietly, cutting off his statement and recoiling from his touch. "No, thank you."

"I did not mean to insinuate that--"

"I know, I know what you meant," she said, her voice still quiet and full of sadness. "I would just rather stay here by myself, for awhile."

Jose retracted his hand, telling himself to understand, that she had been through a lot and was in mourning. "As you wish," he said softly. "You are obviously greatly troubled."

"I am," she said simply. The two sat silently a moment before Gabby said, "Is there something more that you wanted?"

Jose thought a moment about telling Gabby what he had told Ana only a little while before. "No," he said. "It can wait. I will leave you to your rest and check on you later." With that he rose, and exited the room.

Gabby laid down again, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself. She knew that Jose must have still cared for her, maybe even loved and wanted her, and she appreciated his concern. But she did not know if she still loved him. With the way she felt just then, she was not sure she could ever love anyone or anything ever again. There was only one person she could think of whose arms she knew would comfort her... but he was lost to her, forever.

[Niphredil]

The next day Gabby awoke early, after having hardly any sleep. She saw Jose sitting in the corner on a chair, his head bent forward and his hat covering his eyes. Gabby stood up and quietly padded across the room. The door creaked slightly as she opened and closed it, but luckily she did not wake Jose.

Gabby wanted only to wander around the ship, to stretch her legs. She knew she needed to rest, but she was tired of being cramped up in a little room.

As she was wandering, she came to the brig. Most of it's occupants were still asleep... including Hawkins. Gabby felt a sudden rage come over her, as she saw him there, alive when her dear brother was not. Hawkins was seated on the floor of his cell, his head leaned back against the wall, eyes closed.

Without thinking about consequences of any sort, Gabby quickly went to the armory and took a pistol and a single shot. She concealed the weapon at her side. As she reentered the brig, one of the pirates awoke.

"Hey girly! When are we gonna get something to eat?" he demanded. Gabby paid no attention to him, but his shouting caused everyone else, including Hawkins, to awaken.

"Well, well, what have we here," Hawkins said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "If it isn't Miss Scott. Still alive, I see. The others feared that you wouldn't make it."

"Do not attempt to make conversation with me, you murdering scum!" Gabby hissed. The pirates laughed at her harsh words.

"You tell 'im!" yelled one of them, and the others laughed harder.

"Oh, my, are you still upset over your brother?" Hawkins asked, innocently. He stood up and walked the short distance to the door of the cell, resting his arms on the bars.

"What do you think?" she said.

"I think, you silly, silly girl, that you should see about getting me out of this ridiculous cell and into better accomodations. If you do, then perhaps I will not have you hung."

At this point Gabby angrily revealed the pistol, and held it to Hawkins forehead.

"And just what are you expecting to do with that?" Hawkins asked, irritated at her incessant audacity.

"What I am expecting to do, Mr Hawkins, is serve you the same justice you served my brother." She put her finger on the trigger, but just as she pulled it she felt a strong grip on her arm, and the bullet went over Hawkins' head instead of through it. It was Calen.

"Why did you stop me?" Gabby asked.

"Do you really think that ending his life will end your pain? Because I can assure you, killing him will only magnify it," Calen said, forcefully taking the pistol from Gabby.

Gabby opened her mouth but did not know what to say. She walked quickly away from the brig, leaving Hawkins, Calen, and the other prisoners -- who were now jeering at her -- behind. She started to go back to the surgeon's quarters, but remembered that Jose was still there. So instead, she went above deck to the bow of the ship, and looked out at the horizon.

~**~**~**~**~**~

Gabby did not know how long she had stood there, but soon Ana came up to her and began talking to her.

"Are ya all right, Gabby?" she asked, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

"I do not want to talk to you," Gabby said, keeping her eyes forward.

Ana ignored Gabby's wishes, and said, "Did Jose tell you anything about his plans when we get to Florida?" she asked. More than you are probably aware of, Gabby thought. "He said that he's going to look into becoming governor of an island! Isn't that exciting?" Gabby remained silent. "He said that he would like to have me by his side."

"Congratulations," Gabby said. "I am sure you two will be very happy together."

"Oh, don't misunderstand! I don't want to be his wife, and I'm certain that he doesn't want me to be his wife either," Ana said. "But you, on the other hand--"

"Must you continue with your meddling? If Jose wants me to be anything with him, then let him speak for himself." With that, Gabby turned on her heal and walked away from Ana.

She knew that there were hardly any places on the ship where she could be truly alone. But she was suddenly struck with an idea, and so went to the storeroom where she had first stowed away so many weeks ago. She moved some boxes of supplies around so that she could not be seen, and stayed hid behind them quietly. And there she stayed, by herself.

[Athena]

Kira sobbed into Jack's over-coat. It's collar encrusted with dried salt. His beard scraping against his cheek. The screaming pain that had been gnawing at her for days finally began to subside. But she knew it would be a while before she would be back to her old self, if ever again.

She wished this moment would never stop, the reassuring comfort. All her life she had been used to having to be in control of herself. She realized Jack was rocking her back and forth, as if she was a child of six.

The breeze was blowing hard, lifting Kira's hair away gently from her face. With shock, she realized her hair had grown. She peered over Jack's shoulder into her reflection of the water. No more did she look like some waif, a boy/girl vagabond. Her hair was longer, nearly to her shoulders, and though her sharp green eyes were the same, they seemed older, wiser. Her chin to had more of a definite angle to it, she looked sharper, more defined.

Slowly Jack got to his feet, all the while muttering words of encouragement to Kira. Her green eyes meeting his understanding brown ones. For once he wasn't a drunken sot, he wasn't a scoundrel bent upon treasure. He was simply Jack. Jack Sparrow. At the moment Kira felt a moment of compassion for him, he had lost people to, people that he was close to.

She felt a whisper of pressure on top of her head. A hand, rough, hot, sweaty, laid there for an instance of reassurance. She looked up at a anguished looked Jose. He smiled a sad smile, and then walked on. Kira hoped for his sake that Gabby would come to her senses.

She placed her own hand upon Jack's large one. Slowly she opened it up, feeling the pressure of the different calluses.

"Now come on lass, no more jumpin' off ships now ye hear? And no more cryin'. You been doin' that far to much..."

Jack's voice cracked. He had lost sailors to the pirates. Kira bent her head down slowly. Her hair covering her eyes. She really ought to get a haircut she realized. But she knew she never would.

Still, without a sound, she gave Jack one last hug and then walked slowly away. Away to the road of recovery. She noticed the door to a cabin was ajar, and without stopping to look at whose it was she walked gently in. She waited, letting her eyes adjust to the gloom.

Suddenly a tiredness overtook her. Her head swam, her vision darkened. And without a second thought. She flung herself upon sthe floor, not even taking the time to walk to the hammock.