Fic - SCASSF Ch. 28 part II
Ch. 28: It Takes Two SCASSF
Part II
With Norrington secretly gliding at her side, Sammi returned to her waiting family. She was just about to explain what had happened to her crew, when Jack yelped in surprise.
“Someone just gave me a wedgie!” He cried, rubbing his sore backside. “Was it you, whelp?”
“No, it wasn’t me, Jack,” Will insisted. “Why would I want to give you a wedgie?” Jack shrugged.
“Maybe you just imagined it,” Elizabeth suggested, smelling a fight brewing.
“I did not bloody imagine - owwwww!” The infamous pirate howled, as his hat was yanked off his head. Jack grabbed for it, but it continued to float in midair.
“Now that’s interesting,” Sammi mused, as she watched her father jumping up in his failing attempts to get his hat back.
“What the hell?” Sammi’s father screeched. “I want my hat back! A pirate is nothing without his or her hat!”
“Father, there’s something you should know,” Sammi began cautiously. She wasn’t sure how her father would react to hearing Norrington’s voice after all those years.
“Captain Jack Sparrow, isn’t it?” The drawl floated out of the air. “You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever seen.”
“Ana, Norrie’s come back to haunt me!” Jack rushed over to Ana and trembled in his life-partner’s arms. “I can’t take this pressure!”
“Stop being such a wuss and come back here,” Sammi snapped at him. “I’m sure Norrie has important information he wants to share with all of us.”
“But he hates me,” Jack whined.
“I do not hate you, I merely object to your personal lifestyle,” Norrington insisted.
“Is that better than flat-out hate?” Jack wondered.
“Much better,” Norrington encouraged him. “I didn’t stay in this life to haunt you, Sparrow, that’s for sure.”
“Oh good,” Jack sighed in relief.
This led into a most awkward silence that even Sammi did not know how to break. Everyone looked around nervously, as if expecting the ghost to appear any second. Miss Sparrow watched as the Turners held a quick discussion, bending their heads together for relative privacy. Mrs. Turner nodded, as they had come to an agreement. Emboldened by her husband’s encouragement, Elizabeth stepped forward.
“James,” Elizabeth said softly, addressing the ghost. “Why did you stay here, instead of moving on?”
“Elizabeth.” Norrington’s voice was tinged with sadness. “It’s a long story. The main reason is that I wished to watch over you and your child while Will was gone. Hello, William.”
“Thank you for looking after them when I could not,” Will replied, holding Elizabeth tight.
“Oh James,” Elizabeth sighed, saddened by the sacrifice of her one time fiancée. “You didn’t have to do that, to sacrifice the afterlife for me. But I don’t understand… why did you stay once my husband returned?” Norrington didn’t answer.
“I don’t think this is the time for an intimate discussion about Norrie’s sad life as a ghost,” Sammi cautioned.
“Excuse me,” the ghost sniffed haughtily. “Young lady, I happened to save your life and William’s when you were children, so you had better treat me with respect.”
“You did?” Elizabeth and Ana gasped in union.
“It’s a long story,” William muttered. “We’ll tell you later.”
“Alright,” Jack conceded. “But we’ll hold you to it.” Sammi and William nodded. They would enjoy telling the tale of how Norrington alerted Ms. Dijon to save them from harm. Sammi remembered that day like it was yesterday. She and William had been playing pirates and had wandered into a cave by the seashore. They hadn’t noticed how far the tide had come in before it was almost too late. If Ms. Dijon hadn’t found them when she did, they would’ve drowned…
“Well, Sammi, did you find them on your ship?” William wanted to know.
“Huh?” Sammi shook herself out of her reverie. She’d heard a pleasant voice but hadn’t quite been able to discern the words. “What’d you say, Will?”
“Where’s David? Where’s your crew?” William asked again. “Why aren’t they coming to help us?”
“They can’t help us because they’ve been kidnapped,” Sammi informed them, her features grim as she thought of what the French might do to her friends in order to gather information. “I sure hope they’re faring alright.” If her crewmembers were harmed because their captors wanted to get to her, Sammi would have a hard time forgiving herself…
“Welcome to the world of captaining, luv,” Jack said, pulling his daughter into a hug. “It’s not just about being the boss all the time. You come to regard your crew almost as family, and if one of them is taken from you, it hurts right here.” He beat his chest over the place where his heart resided.
“But whatever has happened to them is not your fault, Sammi,” William added. “You must realize this.”
“I do intellectually,” she insisted. “But emotionally, it’s a different story…”
“Sammi, how do you know they were kidnapped?” Elizabeth asked, in spite of herself.
“This,” Sammi said grimly, holding up the parchment. “It tells us everything we need to know about their disappearances.”
“Read us the ransom note, Samantha,” her mother urged.
“Okay, but it’s not pretty,” she cautioned. Sammi cleared her throat.
--
To whom it may concern,
The crew of the Wicked Wench has been taken prisoner, and will be killed if my demands are not made.
Jack Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
Anamaria Sparrow or Samantha Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
It is a reasonable trade, two lives for four. The young men will be returned unharmed, if Jack and his beautiful partner or daughter arrive on time at the appointed place. Meet me tonight at ten o’clock outside the lighthouse. Come alone. If I suspect a trap, those four young men will be killed. If the authorities are notified, they will be killed. If they attempt to cheat the trade, they will be killed. I will be expecting you tonight.
Sincerely,
An Old Enemy
--
Jack’s throat tightened as the letter was read. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but was angry that his life-partner and daughter had been made targets. And if Debouvier was locked away on the Pearl, who was it who sent the letter? Jack had plenty of old enemies, but he couldn’t think of one that had the motivation to specifically target Ana or Sammi.
“What do we do, Jack?” Will asked softly. After a moment, Jack answered him.
“You’ll have to use me as bait and plan an ambush. It’s our only chance,” the pirate insisted.
“And I’ll be going with you,” Ana bravely vowed, latching on to Jack’s arm. Sammi glared at her parents.
“You can’t both go! If something happens to you two, who will raise Teague and Eva? I’ll go in Mum’s place, Father. I’ve been itching to kick the living daylights out of those French bastards anyway.”
“Sammi, don’t,” William warned. “You have to let your mother go.”
“Why?” The young pirate captain frowned at him.
“This is no different situation when my father thought he had to sacrifice himself to Calypso so that I could live.” This was what that felt like? How had William lived with himself knowing he could’ve been the cause of his father’s death had Bootstrap not intervened?
“Will, we should start rounding up our allies who live on the island,” Elizabeth urged.
“Right, we’ll need time to plan and prepare for the ambush,” Ana added.
“We should ready our ships just in case they decide to escape by sea,” Will mused. Jack held up his hands before he was bombarded by more suggestions.
“Here’s what I think we should do. As much as I’d love to go running off to find our friends right now, it just wouldn’t work. First, we plan. I say we should go back to my home, brainstorm as many thoughts as we can, then divide and delegate the responsibilities, ay? Agreed?”
“Fine with me,” said Elizabeth. Everyone else was in agreement, so they all turned and went back the way they came.
However, the talk on the way home did not go according to Sammi’s plan when her father pulled her aside from the group. Jack had decided that because she was too young (or perhaps it was because she was a woman), Sammi would be staying at the Sparrow home and helping Faith watch the children while the battle raged down at the docks.
“Samantha, you’re staying home, and that’s the end of it,” Jack insisted.
“The hell I will!” Sammi snarled. “Those are my crewmembers, not yours. I get to decide if I want to risk my life to save them or not. And I choose to help save them!”
“It’s not happening,” Jack stood firm. “There’s something fishy going on around here, and I don’t like it. Somehow, Simon Debouvier is involved in all this, I would bet my life on it. Why else would he bother to work on your ship, Samantha?”
“I have no idea!” She yelled. “I just want to be involved in the rescue mission. It’s my right as a pirate.”
“I can’t allow you to be put in danger,” Jack growled. “It’s my right as a Father, because I actually give a damn whether you live or die.” Sammi grunted in frustration.
“If you lock me in my room at home, I’ll just escape,” she challenged. Jack gave her a grim smile.
“That’s why young William will be guarding the door. I know I can count on him wanting to keep you safe.”
“Indeed,” said William, who had walked up behind them. “Sammi, please don’t be mad. It’s what’s best for you.”
Sammi wanted to murder them all.
333
Later that night, the Sparrow home
The Turners and the Sparrows were preparing to leave for battle with the Frenchmen. The final showdown between Jack Sparrow and his anonymous enemy was about to take place, and there was nothing Sammi could do about it. How she wished she’d done things differently! Maybe if she had gone straight to her parents and explained the situation about the Frenchmen when she’d found out months ago, her friend David wouldn’t be missing.
Earlier, Jack had stopped by Mrs. Samoa’s home by the lighthouse to inform her that her son had been kidnapped, but that they were doing everything they could to get him back. Mrs. Samoa had been so distraught by the news, that she asked to have her three other children spend the night at the Sparrow home so that she could participate in the fight for her son’s life. The lighthouse had been temporarily closed down for repairs that day, so she could afford some time away from her usual never-ending job. (It had been David’s job, but it had fallen to her once he’d left the island.)
Sammi didn’t want to just sit back and allow someone else to fight her battles for her, but at the moment, she was rather tied-up. She estimated her parents and the Turners would head down to the docks in an hour or so, which meant she didn’t have much time. But she remained hopeful that she’d find a way out of her bonds. It was a fool’s hope, but she had to try.
“Psst, Will, I need your help.” She whispered, struggling against her bonds. Jack had securely tied her body to a chair, and Sammi wanted the rope undone now! Ana hadn’t been crazy about the arrangement, but her father insisted that physical restraint would be the only way to keep Sammi from following them into battle and death. That, and a sentry.
As Jack had planned, William sat on the bed beside her, on Sammi-guard duty.
“I’m not letting you out, Sammi,” he said, yawning as if bored. He was thoroughly engrossed in one of Sammi’s old pirate adventure books.
“But it hurts!” she whined. Indeed, the restraints were rather uncomfortable.
“That’s not going to work, Sammi.” William just shook his head at her. He knew Jack hadn’t tied her bonds so that they would hurt. She was just exaggerating, as usual.
“Please, Will? If we’re going to be doing this courting thing, I need to be able to count on you.” So she was pulling out the big guns, was she? William could handle that.
“You can always count on me, but I can’t let you endanger yourself, you know that,” William said gently, placing his hand over hers.
“But I’m their captain!” She fumed. “It’s my job to be accountable for all of their lives. If I present myself as bait, maybe you can hide and take out the head Frenchman.”
“I don’t know,” William muttered. “It sounds awfully risky. I promised your father that I’d keep you safe.” Sammi knew she had to be extremely persuasive now, for William was either going to cave in the next minute, or he would stand firm by his need to keep her safe. But she was a silver-tongued Sparrow, she knew she could pull it off. She had to try, anyway…
“Will, you decided to honor the pirate way when you decided to court me,” she reminded him. “And that means, I’m your captain, and I’m ordering you to let me go! But I want us to do this together. We’re stronger together, we always have been. With you by my side, I can accomplish almost anything.”
“That’s true, we do make a good team,” William admitted. “But I can’t-” Sammi interrupted him.
“I need you to treat me like real a person, Will, not some girl you put up on a pedestal like you did with Ophelia. I can defend myself as well as the next man. If you’re going to serve on my ship as my first mate, we’ll be doing battle together frequently. Your father had realized your mother to be his equal and they will fight side by side tonight. I need you to do the same for me.”
“This has nothing to do with your fighting ability!” Her boyfriend protested. “I know you could hold your own against me in a swordfight any day! I just don’t want to lose you. I don’t want our relationship over before it begins.”
“Neither do I,” Sammi said, rather despondently. “Look, if we wound the leader, the rest of the Frenchmen will be directionless without someone to give them orders. Also, they won’t have any personal motivation to kill my father or to kidnap me. It all stops with the leader.”
“I don’t know if we can pull this off just the two of us,” William worried. “I’d consider it if we had at least another person on our side.”
“That’s why we need to free Debouvier from the brig of my father’s ship,” she explained the crazier part of her plan.
“No, absolutely not. He can’t be trusted!” William argued. “You heard your parents earlier.”
“I think he can be trusted,” Sammi argued. “I don’t think he’s a rapist, Will. I just don’t get that vibe from him.”
“Neither did your mother, and she almost got kidnapped by him back at the Turkish Prison,” young Turner retorted.
“I have my father’s sense of intuition, Will, and my intuition tells me Debouvier will be the perfect ally,” she said patiently.
“And your father believes he’s a rapist and murderer!” Sammi winced at that.
“It doesn’t make sense, I know. But my father has to be mistaken!” she insisted. “I think his experience at the Turkish prison is clouding his judgment.”
“If you’d only been there, Sammi!” William protested. “That man was practically salivating over your mother, who you happen to look very much alike. I don’t want an animal like that getting his hands on you!”
“He’s not an animal!” Sammi sighed, wishing she hadn’t yelled that last part. But she had worked with the man for many months, and aside from the odd glance, had received nothing but courtesy from him. “Look, Will, if you’re going to be my first mate, you have got to start now. I can’t be in a relationship with someone whose single goal is to protect me. Sure, it’s nice, sweet even, but I have to be allowed to be myself. I was born a pirate, and I accepted the position as captain of the Wicked Wench, one I don’t plan on relinquishing in the near future. It’s my duty to rescue my crew. Will you help me?”
William stared at her for a long time. He seemed to be considering the pros and cons to her offer. Finally, he gave her a simple smile once he reached his conclusion.
“Alright, we’ll do this as a team,” William agreed, much to Sammi’s delight. “I don’t like using you as bait, but it’s the most sensible plan of action. If the Frenchman is distracted by your beauty, maybe I’ll be able to get a clear shot.”
“Excellent,” she agreed as he freed her from her bonds. “And Debouvier?” William hesitated.
“I don’t know, Sammi.”
“Will, I need you to trust me on this one,” she insisted. They locked eyes as she whispered,
“Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly. It’s him I don’t trust,” he admitted. “But I’ll agree to it this one time, against my better judgment.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “That means so much to me.”
“I know.” William helped her up into a standing position, and pulled her close. “For good luck.” They kissed quietly, pouring all the love they had for each other into the kiss. All too soon, Sammi pulled away.
“We need to go,” she whispered, gathering up her spare weapons that littered her floor and attaching them to her belt.
“How are we going to get out of here?” He wondered. “There are too many people downstairs for us to sneak by.” Sammi beamed at him.
“We’ll climb down the tree outside my window. I’ve done it dozens of times.” He just shook his head.
“Sammi, even though I’ve known you forever, you’re still full of surprises.”
“You bet your ass I am,” she said with a wink, quietly opening her window so they could climb out. “C’mon, let’s go save my crew.” And then they descended to freedom.
333
End Ch. 28With Norrington secretly gliding at her side, Sammi returned to her waiting family. She was just about to explain what had happened to her crew, when Jack yelped in surprise.
“Someone just gave me a wedgie!” He cried, rubbing his sore backside. “Was it you, whelp?”
“No, it wasn’t me, Jack,” Will insisted. “Why would I want to give you a wedgie?” Jack shrugged.
“Maybe you just imagined it,” Elizabeth suggested, smelling a fight brewing.
“I did not bloody imagine - owwwww!” The infamous pirate howled, as his hat was yanked off his head. Jack grabbed for it, but it continued to float in midair.
“Now that’s interesting,” Sammi mused, as she watched her father jumping up in his failing attempts to get his hat back.
“What the hell?” Sammi’s father screeched. “I want my hat back! A pirate is nothing without his or her hat!”
“Father, there’s something you should know,” Sammi began cautiously. She wasn’t sure how her father would react to hearing Norrington’s voice after all those years.
“Captain Jack Sparrow, isn’t it?” The drawl floated out of the air. “You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever seen.”
“Ana, Norrie’s come back to haunt me!” Jack rushed over to Ana and trembled in his life-partner’s arms. “I can’t take this pressure!”
“Stop being such a wuss and come back here,” Sammi snapped at him. “I’m sure Norrie has important information he wants to share with all of us.”
“But he hates me,” Jack whined.
“I do not hate you, I merely object to your personal lifestyle,” Norrington insisted.
“Is that better than flat-out hate?” Jack wondered.
“Much better,” Norrington encouraged him. “I didn’t stay in this life to haunt you, Sparrow, that’s for sure.”
“Oh good,” Jack sighed in relief.
This led into a most awkward silence that even Sammi did not know how to break. Everyone looked around nervously, as if expecting the ghost to appear any second. Miss Sparrow watched as the Turners held a quick discussion, bending their heads together for relative privacy. Mrs. Turner nodded, as they had come to an agreement. Emboldened by her husband’s encouragement, Elizabeth stepped forward.
“James,” Elizabeth said softly, addressing the ghost. “Why did you stay here, instead of moving on?”
“Elizabeth.” Norrington’s voice was tinged with sadness. “It’s a long story. The main reason is that I wished to watch over you and your child while Will was gone. Hello, William.”
“Thank you for looking after them when I could not,” Will replied, holding Elizabeth tight.
“Oh James,” Elizabeth sighed, saddened by the sacrifice of her one time fiancée. “You didn’t have to do that, to sacrifice the afterlife for me. But I don’t understand… why did you stay once my husband returned?” Norrington didn’t answer.
“I don’t think this is the time for an intimate discussion about Norrie’s sad life as a ghost,” Sammi cautioned.
“Excuse me,” the ghost sniffed haughtily. “Young lady, I happened to save your life and William’s when you were children, so you had better treat me with respect.”
“You did?” Elizabeth and Ana gasped in union.
“It’s a long story,” William muttered. “We’ll tell you later.”
“Alright,” Jack conceded. “But we’ll hold you to it.” Sammi and William nodded. They would enjoy telling the tale of how Norrington alerted Ms. Dijon to save them from harm. Sammi remembered that day like it was yesterday. She and William had been playing pirates and had wandered into a cave by the seashore. They hadn’t noticed how far the tide had come in before it was almost too late. If Ms. Dijon hadn’t found them when she did, they would’ve drowned…
“Well, Sammi, did you find them on your ship?” William wanted to know.
“Huh?” Sammi shook herself out of her reverie. She’d heard a pleasant voice but hadn’t quite been able to discern the words. “What’d you say, Will?”
“Where’s David? Where’s your crew?” William asked again. “Why aren’t they coming to help us?”
“They can’t help us because they’ve been kidnapped,” Sammi informed them, her features grim as she thought of what the French might do to her friends in order to gather information. “I sure hope they’re faring alright.” If her crewmembers were harmed because their captors wanted to get to her, Sammi would have a hard time forgiving herself…
“Welcome to the world of captaining, luv,” Jack said, pulling his daughter into a hug. “It’s not just about being the boss all the time. You come to regard your crew almost as family, and if one of them is taken from you, it hurts right here.” He beat his chest over the place where his heart resided.
“But whatever has happened to them is not your fault, Sammi,” William added. “You must realize this.”
“I do intellectually,” she insisted. “But emotionally, it’s a different story…”
“Sammi, how do you know they were kidnapped?” Elizabeth asked, in spite of herself.
“This,” Sammi said grimly, holding up the parchment. “It tells us everything we need to know about their disappearances.”
“Read us the ransom note, Samantha,” her mother urged.
“Okay, but it’s not pretty,” she cautioned. Sammi cleared her throat.
--
To whom it may concern,
The crew of the Wicked Wench has been taken prisoner, and will be killed if my demands are not made.
Jack Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
Anamaria Sparrow or Samantha Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
It is a reasonable trade, two lives for four. The young men will be returned unharmed, if Jack and his beautiful partner or daughter arrive on time at the appointed place. Meet me tonight at ten o’clock outside the lighthouse. Come alone. If I suspect a trap, those four young men will be killed. If the authorities are notified, they will be killed. If they attempt to cheat the trade, they will be killed. I will be expecting you tonight.
Sincerely,
An Old Enemy
--
Jack’s throat tightened as the letter was read. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but was angry that his life-partner and daughter had been made targets. And if Debouvier was locked away on the Pearl, who was it who sent the letter? Jack had plenty of old enemies, but he couldn’t think of one that had the motivation to specifically target Ana or Sammi.
“What do we do, Jack?” Will asked softly. After a moment, Jack answered him.
“You’ll have to use me as bait and plan an ambush. It’s our only chance,” the pirate insisted.
“And I’ll be going with you,” Ana bravely vowed, latching on to Jack’s arm. Sammi glared at her parents.
“You can’t both go! If something happens to you two, who will raise Teague and Eva? I’ll go in Mum’s place, Father. I’ve been itching to kick the living daylights out of those French bastards anyway.”
“Sammi, don’t,” William warned. “You have to let your mother go.”
“Why?” The young pirate captain frowned at him.
“This is no different situation when my father thought he had to sacrifice himself to Calypso so that I could live.” This was what that felt like? How had William lived with himself knowing he could’ve been the cause of his father’s death had Bootstrap not intervened?
“Will, we should start rounding up our allies who live on the island,” Elizabeth urged.
“Right, we’ll need time to plan and prepare for the ambush,” Ana added.
“We should ready our ships just in case they decide to escape by sea,” Will mused. Jack held up his hands before he was bombarded by more suggestions.
“Here’s what I think we should do. As much as I’d love to go running off to find our friends right now, it just wouldn’t work. First, we plan. I say we should go back to my home, brainstorm as many thoughts as we can, then divide and delegate the responsibilities, ay? Agreed?”
“Fine with me,” said Elizabeth. Everyone else was in agreement, so they all turned and went back the way they came.
However, the talk on the way home did not go according to Sammi’s plan when her father pulled her aside from the group. Jack had decided that because she was too young (or perhaps it was because she was a woman), Sammi would be staying at the Sparrow home and helping Faith watch the children while the battle raged down at the docks.
“Samantha, you’re staying home, and that’s the end of it,” Jack insisted.
“The hell I will!” Sammi snarled. “Those are my crewmembers, not yours. I get to decide if I want to risk my life to save them or not. And I choose to help save them!”
“It’s not happening,” Jack stood firm. “There’s something fishy going on around here, and I don’t like it. Somehow, Simon Debouvier is involved in all this, I would bet my life on it. Why else would he bother to work on your ship, Samantha?”
“I have no idea!” She yelled. “I just want to be involved in the rescue mission. It’s my right as a pirate.”
“I can’t allow you to be put in danger,” Jack growled. “It’s my right as a Father, because I actually give a damn whether you live or die.” Sammi grunted in frustration.
“If you lock me in my room at home, I’ll just escape,” she challenged. Jack gave her a grim smile.
“That’s why young William will be guarding the door. I know I can count on him wanting to keep you safe.”
“Indeed,” said William, who had walked up behind them. “Sammi, please don’t be mad. It’s what’s best for you.”
Sammi wanted to murder them all.
333
Later that night, the Sparrow home
The Turners and the Sparrows were preparing to leave for battle with the Frenchmen. The final showdown between Jack Sparrow and his anonymous enemy was about to take place, and there was nothing Sammi could do about it. How she wished she’d done things differently! Maybe if she had gone straight to her parents and explained the situation about the Frenchmen when she’d found out months ago, her friend David wouldn’t be missing.
Earlier, Jack had stopped by Mrs. Samoa’s home by the lighthouse to inform her that her son had been kidnapped, but that they were doing everything they could to get him back. Mrs. Samoa had been so distraught by the news, that she asked to have her three other children spend the night at the Sparrow home so that she could participate in the fight for her son’s life. The lighthouse had been temporarily closed down for repairs that day, so she could afford some time away from her usual never-ending job. (It had been David’s job, but it had fallen to her once he’d left the island.)
Sammi didn’t want to just sit back and allow someone else to fight her battles for her, but at the moment, she was rather tied-up. She estimated her parents and the Turners would head down to the docks in an hour or so, which meant she didn’t have much time. But she remained hopeful that she’d find a way out of her bonds. It was a fool’s hope, but she had to try.
“Psst, Will, I need your help.” She whispered, struggling against her bonds. Jack had securely tied her body to a chair, and Sammi wanted the rope undone now! Ana hadn’t been crazy about the arrangement, but her father insisted that physical restraint would be the only way to keep Sammi from following them into battle and death. That, and a sentry.
As Jack had planned, William sat on the bed beside her, on Sammi-guard duty.
“I’m not letting you out, Sammi,” he said, yawning as if bored. He was thoroughly engrossed in one of Sammi’s old pirate adventure books.
“But it hurts!” she whined. Indeed, the restraints were rather uncomfortable.
“That’s not going to work, Sammi.” William just shook his head at her. He knew Jack hadn’t tied her bonds so that they would hurt. She was just exaggerating, as usual.
“Please, Will? If we’re going to be doing this courting thing, I need to be able to count on you.” So she was pulling out the big guns, was she? William could handle that.
“You can always count on me, but I can’t let you endanger yourself, you know that,” William said gently, placing his hand over hers.
“But I’m their captain!” She fumed. “It’s my job to be accountable for all of their lives. If I present myself as bait, maybe you can hide and take out the head Frenchman.”
“I don’t know,” William muttered. “It sounds awfully risky. I promised your father that I’d keep you safe.” Sammi knew she had to be extremely persuasive now, for William was either going to cave in the next minute, or he would stand firm by his need to keep her safe. But she was a silver-tongued Sparrow, she knew she could pull it off. She had to try, anyway…
“Will, you decided to honor the pirate way when you decided to court me,” she reminded him. “And that means, I’m your captain, and I’m ordering you to let me go! But I want us to do this together. We’re stronger together, we always have been. With you by my side, I can accomplish almost anything.”
“That’s true, we do make a good team,” William admitted. “But I can’t-” Sammi interrupted him.
“I need you to treat me like real a person, Will, not some girl you put up on a pedestal like you did with Ophelia. I can defend myself as well as the next man. If you’re going to serve on my ship as my first mate, we’ll be doing battle together frequently. Your father had realized your mother to be his equal and they will fight side by side tonight. I need you to do the same for me.”
“This has nothing to do with your fighting ability!” Her boyfriend protested. “I know you could hold your own against me in a swordfight any day! I just don’t want to lose you. I don’t want our relationship over before it begins.”
“Neither do I,” Sammi said, rather despondently. “Look, if we wound the leader, the rest of the Frenchmen will be directionless without someone to give them orders. Also, they won’t have any personal motivation to kill my father or to kidnap me. It all stops with the leader.”
“I don’t know if we can pull this off just the two of us,” William worried. “I’d consider it if we had at least another person on our side.”
“That’s why we need to free Debouvier from the brig of my father’s ship,” she explained the crazier part of her plan.
“No, absolutely not. He can’t be trusted!” William argued. “You heard your parents earlier.”
“I think he can be trusted,” Sammi argued. “I don’t think he’s a rapist, Will. I just don’t get that vibe from him.”
“Neither did your mother, and she almost got kidnapped by him back at the Turkish Prison,” young Turner retorted.
“I have my father’s sense of intuition, Will, and my intuition tells me Debouvier will be the perfect ally,” she said patiently.
“And your father believes he’s a rapist and murderer!” Sammi winced at that.
“It doesn’t make sense, I know. But my father has to be mistaken!” she insisted. “I think his experience at the Turkish prison is clouding his judgment.”
“If you’d only been there, Sammi!” William protested. “That man was practically salivating over your mother, who you happen to look very much alike. I don’t want an animal like that getting his hands on you!”
“He’s not an animal!” Sammi sighed, wishing she hadn’t yelled that last part. But she had worked with the man for many months, and aside from the odd glance, had received nothing but courtesy from him. “Look, Will, if you’re going to be my first mate, you have got to start now. I can’t be in a relationship with someone whose single goal is to protect me. Sure, it’s nice, sweet even, but I have to be allowed to be myself. I was born a pirate, and I accepted the position as captain of the Wicked Wench, one I don’t plan on relinquishing in the near future. It’s my duty to rescue my crew. Will you help me?”
William stared at her for a long time. He seemed to be considering the pros and cons to her offer. Finally, he gave her a simple smile once he reached his conclusion.
“Alright, we’ll do this as a team,” William agreed, much to Sammi’s delight. “I don’t like using you as bait, but it’s the most sensible plan of action. If the Frenchman is distracted by your beauty, maybe I’ll be able to get a clear shot.”
“Excellent,” she agreed as he freed her from her bonds. “And Debouvier?” William hesitated.
“I don’t know, Sammi.”
“Will, I need you to trust me on this one,” she insisted. They locked eyes as she whispered,
“Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly. It’s him I don’t trust,” he admitted. “But I’ll agree to it this one time, against my better judgment.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “That means so much to me.”
“I know.” William helped her up into a standing position, and pulled her close. “For good luck.” They kissed quietly, pouring all the love they had for each other into the kiss. All too soon, Sammi pulled away.
“We need to go,” she whispered, gathering up her spare weapons that littered her floor and attaching them to her belt.
“How are we going to get out of here?” He wondered. “There are too many people downstairs for us to sneak by.” Sammi beamed at him.
“We’ll climb down the tree outside my window. I’ve done it dozens of times.” He just shook his head.
“Sammi, even though I’ve known you forever, you’re still full of surprises.”
“You bet your ass I am,” she said with a wink, quietly opening her window so they could climb out. “C’mon, let’s go save my crew.” And then they descended to freedom.
333
End Ch. 28
Part II
With Norrington secretly gliding at her side, Sammi returned to her waiting family. She was just about to explain what had happened to her crew, when Jack yelped in surprise.
“Someone just gave me a wedgie!” He cried, rubbing his sore backside. “Was it you, whelp?”
“No, it wasn’t me, Jack,” Will insisted. “Why would I want to give you a wedgie?” Jack shrugged.
“Maybe you just imagined it,” Elizabeth suggested, smelling a fight brewing.
“I did not bloody imagine - owwwww!” The infamous pirate howled, as his hat was yanked off his head. Jack grabbed for it, but it continued to float in midair.
“Now that’s interesting,” Sammi mused, as she watched her father jumping up in his failing attempts to get his hat back.
“What the hell?” Sammi’s father screeched. “I want my hat back! A pirate is nothing without his or her hat!”
“Father, there’s something you should know,” Sammi began cautiously. She wasn’t sure how her father would react to hearing Norrington’s voice after all those years.
“Captain Jack Sparrow, isn’t it?” The drawl floated out of the air. “You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever seen.”
“Ana, Norrie’s come back to haunt me!” Jack rushed over to Ana and trembled in his life-partner’s arms. “I can’t take this pressure!”
“Stop being such a wuss and come back here,” Sammi snapped at him. “I’m sure Norrie has important information he wants to share with all of us.”
“But he hates me,” Jack whined.
“I do not hate you, I merely object to your personal lifestyle,” Norrington insisted.
“Is that better than flat-out hate?” Jack wondered.
“Much better,” Norrington encouraged him. “I didn’t stay in this life to haunt you, Sparrow, that’s for sure.”
“Oh good,” Jack sighed in relief.
This led into a most awkward silence that even Sammi did not know how to break. Everyone looked around nervously, as if expecting the ghost to appear any second. Miss Sparrow watched as the Turners held a quick discussion, bending their heads together for relative privacy. Mrs. Turner nodded, as they had come to an agreement. Emboldened by her husband’s encouragement, Elizabeth stepped forward.
“James,” Elizabeth said softly, addressing the ghost. “Why did you stay here, instead of moving on?”
“Elizabeth.” Norrington’s voice was tinged with sadness. “It’s a long story. The main reason is that I wished to watch over you and your child while Will was gone. Hello, William.”
“Thank you for looking after them when I could not,” Will replied, holding Elizabeth tight.
“Oh James,” Elizabeth sighed, saddened by the sacrifice of her one time fiancée. “You didn’t have to do that, to sacrifice the afterlife for me. But I don’t understand… why did you stay once my husband returned?” Norrington didn’t answer.
“I don’t think this is the time for an intimate discussion about Norrie’s sad life as a ghost,” Sammi cautioned.
“Excuse me,” the ghost sniffed haughtily. “Young lady, I happened to save your life and William’s when you were children, so you had better treat me with respect.”
“You did?” Elizabeth and Ana gasped in union.
“It’s a long story,” William muttered. “We’ll tell you later.”
“Alright,” Jack conceded. “But we’ll hold you to it.” Sammi and William nodded. They would enjoy telling the tale of how Norrington alerted Ms. Dijon to save them from harm. Sammi remembered that day like it was yesterday. She and William had been playing pirates and had wandered into a cave by the seashore. They hadn’t noticed how far the tide had come in before it was almost too late. If Ms. Dijon hadn’t found them when she did, they would’ve drowned…
“Well, Sammi, did you find them on your ship?” William wanted to know.
“Huh?” Sammi shook herself out of her reverie. She’d heard a pleasant voice but hadn’t quite been able to discern the words. “What’d you say, Will?”
“Where’s David? Where’s your crew?” William asked again. “Why aren’t they coming to help us?”
“They can’t help us because they’ve been kidnapped,” Sammi informed them, her features grim as she thought of what the French might do to her friends in order to gather information. “I sure hope they’re faring alright.” If her crewmembers were harmed because their captors wanted to get to her, Sammi would have a hard time forgiving herself…
“Welcome to the world of captaining, luv,” Jack said, pulling his daughter into a hug. “It’s not just about being the boss all the time. You come to regard your crew almost as family, and if one of them is taken from you, it hurts right here.” He beat his chest over the place where his heart resided.
“But whatever has happened to them is not your fault, Sammi,” William added. “You must realize this.”
“I do intellectually,” she insisted. “But emotionally, it’s a different story…”
“Sammi, how do you know they were kidnapped?” Elizabeth asked, in spite of herself.
“This,” Sammi said grimly, holding up the parchment. “It tells us everything we need to know about their disappearances.”
“Read us the ransom note, Samantha,” her mother urged.
“Okay, but it’s not pretty,” she cautioned. Sammi cleared her throat.
--
To whom it may concern,
The crew of the Wicked Wench has been taken prisoner, and will be killed if my demands are not made.
Jack Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
Anamaria Sparrow or Samantha Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
It is a reasonable trade, two lives for four. The young men will be returned unharmed, if Jack and his beautiful partner or daughter arrive on time at the appointed place. Meet me tonight at ten o’clock outside the lighthouse. Come alone. If I suspect a trap, those four young men will be killed. If the authorities are notified, they will be killed. If they attempt to cheat the trade, they will be killed. I will be expecting you tonight.
Sincerely,
An Old Enemy
--
Jack’s throat tightened as the letter was read. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but was angry that his life-partner and daughter had been made targets. And if Debouvier was locked away on the Pearl, who was it who sent the letter? Jack had plenty of old enemies, but he couldn’t think of one that had the motivation to specifically target Ana or Sammi.
“What do we do, Jack?” Will asked softly. After a moment, Jack answered him.
“You’ll have to use me as bait and plan an ambush. It’s our only chance,” the pirate insisted.
“And I’ll be going with you,” Ana bravely vowed, latching on to Jack’s arm. Sammi glared at her parents.
“You can’t both go! If something happens to you two, who will raise Teague and Eva? I’ll go in Mum’s place, Father. I’ve been itching to kick the living daylights out of those French bastards anyway.”
“Sammi, don’t,” William warned. “You have to let your mother go.”
“Why?” The young pirate captain frowned at him.
“This is no different situation when my father thought he had to sacrifice himself to Calypso so that I could live.” This was what that felt like? How had William lived with himself knowing he could’ve been the cause of his father’s death had Bootstrap not intervened?
“Will, we should start rounding up our allies who live on the island,” Elizabeth urged.
“Right, we’ll need time to plan and prepare for the ambush,” Ana added.
“We should ready our ships just in case they decide to escape by sea,” Will mused. Jack held up his hands before he was bombarded by more suggestions.
“Here’s what I think we should do. As much as I’d love to go running off to find our friends right now, it just wouldn’t work. First, we plan. I say we should go back to my home, brainstorm as many thoughts as we can, then divide and delegate the responsibilities, ay? Agreed?”
“Fine with me,” said Elizabeth. Everyone else was in agreement, so they all turned and went back the way they came.
However, the talk on the way home did not go according to Sammi’s plan when her father pulled her aside from the group. Jack had decided that because she was too young (or perhaps it was because she was a woman), Sammi would be staying at the Sparrow home and helping Faith watch the children while the battle raged down at the docks.
“Samantha, you’re staying home, and that’s the end of it,” Jack insisted.
“The hell I will!” Sammi snarled. “Those are my crewmembers, not yours. I get to decide if I want to risk my life to save them or not. And I choose to help save them!”
“It’s not happening,” Jack stood firm. “There’s something fishy going on around here, and I don’t like it. Somehow, Simon Debouvier is involved in all this, I would bet my life on it. Why else would he bother to work on your ship, Samantha?”
“I have no idea!” She yelled. “I just want to be involved in the rescue mission. It’s my right as a pirate.”
“I can’t allow you to be put in danger,” Jack growled. “It’s my right as a Father, because I actually give a damn whether you live or die.” Sammi grunted in frustration.
“If you lock me in my room at home, I’ll just escape,” she challenged. Jack gave her a grim smile.
“That’s why young William will be guarding the door. I know I can count on him wanting to keep you safe.”
“Indeed,” said William, who had walked up behind them. “Sammi, please don’t be mad. It’s what’s best for you.”
Sammi wanted to murder them all.
333
Later that night, the Sparrow home
The Turners and the Sparrows were preparing to leave for battle with the Frenchmen. The final showdown between Jack Sparrow and his anonymous enemy was about to take place, and there was nothing Sammi could do about it. How she wished she’d done things differently! Maybe if she had gone straight to her parents and explained the situation about the Frenchmen when she’d found out months ago, her friend David wouldn’t be missing.
Earlier, Jack had stopped by Mrs. Samoa’s home by the lighthouse to inform her that her son had been kidnapped, but that they were doing everything they could to get him back. Mrs. Samoa had been so distraught by the news, that she asked to have her three other children spend the night at the Sparrow home so that she could participate in the fight for her son’s life. The lighthouse had been temporarily closed down for repairs that day, so she could afford some time away from her usual never-ending job. (It had been David’s job, but it had fallen to her once he’d left the island.)
Sammi didn’t want to just sit back and allow someone else to fight her battles for her, but at the moment, she was rather tied-up. She estimated her parents and the Turners would head down to the docks in an hour or so, which meant she didn’t have much time. But she remained hopeful that she’d find a way out of her bonds. It was a fool’s hope, but she had to try.
“Psst, Will, I need your help.” She whispered, struggling against her bonds. Jack had securely tied her body to a chair, and Sammi wanted the rope undone now! Ana hadn’t been crazy about the arrangement, but her father insisted that physical restraint would be the only way to keep Sammi from following them into battle and death. That, and a sentry.
As Jack had planned, William sat on the bed beside her, on Sammi-guard duty.
“I’m not letting you out, Sammi,” he said, yawning as if bored. He was thoroughly engrossed in one of Sammi’s old pirate adventure books.
“But it hurts!” she whined. Indeed, the restraints were rather uncomfortable.
“That’s not going to work, Sammi.” William just shook his head at her. He knew Jack hadn’t tied her bonds so that they would hurt. She was just exaggerating, as usual.
“Please, Will? If we’re going to be doing this courting thing, I need to be able to count on you.” So she was pulling out the big guns, was she? William could handle that.
“You can always count on me, but I can’t let you endanger yourself, you know that,” William said gently, placing his hand over hers.
“But I’m their captain!” She fumed. “It’s my job to be accountable for all of their lives. If I present myself as bait, maybe you can hide and take out the head Frenchman.”
“I don’t know,” William muttered. “It sounds awfully risky. I promised your father that I’d keep you safe.” Sammi knew she had to be extremely persuasive now, for William was either going to cave in the next minute, or he would stand firm by his need to keep her safe. But she was a silver-tongued Sparrow, she knew she could pull it off. She had to try, anyway…
“Will, you decided to honor the pirate way when you decided to court me,” she reminded him. “And that means, I’m your captain, and I’m ordering you to let me go! But I want us to do this together. We’re stronger together, we always have been. With you by my side, I can accomplish almost anything.”
“That’s true, we do make a good team,” William admitted. “But I can’t-” Sammi interrupted him.
“I need you to treat me like real a person, Will, not some girl you put up on a pedestal like you did with Ophelia. I can defend myself as well as the next man. If you’re going to serve on my ship as my first mate, we’ll be doing battle together frequently. Your father had realized your mother to be his equal and they will fight side by side tonight. I need you to do the same for me.”
“This has nothing to do with your fighting ability!” Her boyfriend protested. “I know you could hold your own against me in a swordfight any day! I just don’t want to lose you. I don’t want our relationship over before it begins.”
“Neither do I,” Sammi said, rather despondently. “Look, if we wound the leader, the rest of the Frenchmen will be directionless without someone to give them orders. Also, they won’t have any personal motivation to kill my father or to kidnap me. It all stops with the leader.”
“I don’t know if we can pull this off just the two of us,” William worried. “I’d consider it if we had at least another person on our side.”
“That’s why we need to free Debouvier from the brig of my father’s ship,” she explained the crazier part of her plan.
“No, absolutely not. He can’t be trusted!” William argued. “You heard your parents earlier.”
“I think he can be trusted,” Sammi argued. “I don’t think he’s a rapist, Will. I just don’t get that vibe from him.”
“Neither did your mother, and she almost got kidnapped by him back at the Turkish Prison,” young Turner retorted.
“I have my father’s sense of intuition, Will, and my intuition tells me Debouvier will be the perfect ally,” she said patiently.
“And your father believes he’s a rapist and murderer!” Sammi winced at that.
“It doesn’t make sense, I know. But my father has to be mistaken!” she insisted. “I think his experience at the Turkish prison is clouding his judgment.”
“If you’d only been there, Sammi!” William protested. “That man was practically salivating over your mother, who you happen to look very much alike. I don’t want an animal like that getting his hands on you!”
“He’s not an animal!” Sammi sighed, wishing she hadn’t yelled that last part. But she had worked with the man for many months, and aside from the odd glance, had received nothing but courtesy from him. “Look, Will, if you’re going to be my first mate, you have got to start now. I can’t be in a relationship with someone whose single goal is to protect me. Sure, it’s nice, sweet even, but I have to be allowed to be myself. I was born a pirate, and I accepted the position as captain of the Wicked Wench, one I don’t plan on relinquishing in the near future. It’s my duty to rescue my crew. Will you help me?”
William stared at her for a long time. He seemed to be considering the pros and cons to her offer. Finally, he gave her a simple smile once he reached his conclusion.
“Alright, we’ll do this as a team,” William agreed, much to Sammi’s delight. “I don’t like using you as bait, but it’s the most sensible plan of action. If the Frenchman is distracted by your beauty, maybe I’ll be able to get a clear shot.”
“Excellent,” she agreed as he freed her from her bonds. “And Debouvier?” William hesitated.
“I don’t know, Sammi.”
“Will, I need you to trust me on this one,” she insisted. They locked eyes as she whispered,
“Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly. It’s him I don’t trust,” he admitted. “But I’ll agree to it this one time, against my better judgment.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “That means so much to me.”
“I know.” William helped her up into a standing position, and pulled her close. “For good luck.” They kissed quietly, pouring all the love they had for each other into the kiss. All too soon, Sammi pulled away.
“We need to go,” she whispered, gathering up her spare weapons that littered her floor and attaching them to her belt.
“How are we going to get out of here?” He wondered. “There are too many people downstairs for us to sneak by.” Sammi beamed at him.
“We’ll climb down the tree outside my window. I’ve done it dozens of times.” He just shook his head.
“Sammi, even though I’ve known you forever, you’re still full of surprises.”
“You bet your ass I am,” she said with a wink, quietly opening her window so they could climb out. “C’mon, let’s go save my crew.” And then they descended to freedom.
333
End Ch. 28With Norrington secretly gliding at her side, Sammi returned to her waiting family. She was just about to explain what had happened to her crew, when Jack yelped in surprise.
“Someone just gave me a wedgie!” He cried, rubbing his sore backside. “Was it you, whelp?”
“No, it wasn’t me, Jack,” Will insisted. “Why would I want to give you a wedgie?” Jack shrugged.
“Maybe you just imagined it,” Elizabeth suggested, smelling a fight brewing.
“I did not bloody imagine - owwwww!” The infamous pirate howled, as his hat was yanked off his head. Jack grabbed for it, but it continued to float in midair.
“Now that’s interesting,” Sammi mused, as she watched her father jumping up in his failing attempts to get his hat back.
“What the hell?” Sammi’s father screeched. “I want my hat back! A pirate is nothing without his or her hat!”
“Father, there’s something you should know,” Sammi began cautiously. She wasn’t sure how her father would react to hearing Norrington’s voice after all those years.
“Captain Jack Sparrow, isn’t it?” The drawl floated out of the air. “You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever seen.”
“Ana, Norrie’s come back to haunt me!” Jack rushed over to Ana and trembled in his life-partner’s arms. “I can’t take this pressure!”
“Stop being such a wuss and come back here,” Sammi snapped at him. “I’m sure Norrie has important information he wants to share with all of us.”
“But he hates me,” Jack whined.
“I do not hate you, I merely object to your personal lifestyle,” Norrington insisted.
“Is that better than flat-out hate?” Jack wondered.
“Much better,” Norrington encouraged him. “I didn’t stay in this life to haunt you, Sparrow, that’s for sure.”
“Oh good,” Jack sighed in relief.
This led into a most awkward silence that even Sammi did not know how to break. Everyone looked around nervously, as if expecting the ghost to appear any second. Miss Sparrow watched as the Turners held a quick discussion, bending their heads together for relative privacy. Mrs. Turner nodded, as they had come to an agreement. Emboldened by her husband’s encouragement, Elizabeth stepped forward.
“James,” Elizabeth said softly, addressing the ghost. “Why did you stay here, instead of moving on?”
“Elizabeth.” Norrington’s voice was tinged with sadness. “It’s a long story. The main reason is that I wished to watch over you and your child while Will was gone. Hello, William.”
“Thank you for looking after them when I could not,” Will replied, holding Elizabeth tight.
“Oh James,” Elizabeth sighed, saddened by the sacrifice of her one time fiancée. “You didn’t have to do that, to sacrifice the afterlife for me. But I don’t understand… why did you stay once my husband returned?” Norrington didn’t answer.
“I don’t think this is the time for an intimate discussion about Norrie’s sad life as a ghost,” Sammi cautioned.
“Excuse me,” the ghost sniffed haughtily. “Young lady, I happened to save your life and William’s when you were children, so you had better treat me with respect.”
“You did?” Elizabeth and Ana gasped in union.
“It’s a long story,” William muttered. “We’ll tell you later.”
“Alright,” Jack conceded. “But we’ll hold you to it.” Sammi and William nodded. They would enjoy telling the tale of how Norrington alerted Ms. Dijon to save them from harm. Sammi remembered that day like it was yesterday. She and William had been playing pirates and had wandered into a cave by the seashore. They hadn’t noticed how far the tide had come in before it was almost too late. If Ms. Dijon hadn’t found them when she did, they would’ve drowned…
“Well, Sammi, did you find them on your ship?” William wanted to know.
“Huh?” Sammi shook herself out of her reverie. She’d heard a pleasant voice but hadn’t quite been able to discern the words. “What’d you say, Will?”
“Where’s David? Where’s your crew?” William asked again. “Why aren’t they coming to help us?”
“They can’t help us because they’ve been kidnapped,” Sammi informed them, her features grim as she thought of what the French might do to her friends in order to gather information. “I sure hope they’re faring alright.” If her crewmembers were harmed because their captors wanted to get to her, Sammi would have a hard time forgiving herself…
“Welcome to the world of captaining, luv,” Jack said, pulling his daughter into a hug. “It’s not just about being the boss all the time. You come to regard your crew almost as family, and if one of them is taken from you, it hurts right here.” He beat his chest over the place where his heart resided.
“But whatever has happened to them is not your fault, Sammi,” William added. “You must realize this.”
“I do intellectually,” she insisted. “But emotionally, it’s a different story…”
“Sammi, how do you know they were kidnapped?” Elizabeth asked, in spite of herself.
“This,” Sammi said grimly, holding up the parchment. “It tells us everything we need to know about their disappearances.”
“Read us the ransom note, Samantha,” her mother urged.
“Okay, but it’s not pretty,” she cautioned. Sammi cleared her throat.
--
To whom it may concern,
The crew of the Wicked Wench has been taken prisoner, and will be killed if my demands are not made.
Jack Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
Anamaria Sparrow or Samantha Sparrow delivered, unarmed.
It is a reasonable trade, two lives for four. The young men will be returned unharmed, if Jack and his beautiful partner or daughter arrive on time at the appointed place. Meet me tonight at ten o’clock outside the lighthouse. Come alone. If I suspect a trap, those four young men will be killed. If the authorities are notified, they will be killed. If they attempt to cheat the trade, they will be killed. I will be expecting you tonight.
Sincerely,
An Old Enemy
--
Jack’s throat tightened as the letter was read. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but was angry that his life-partner and daughter had been made targets. And if Debouvier was locked away on the Pearl, who was it who sent the letter? Jack had plenty of old enemies, but he couldn’t think of one that had the motivation to specifically target Ana or Sammi.
“What do we do, Jack?” Will asked softly. After a moment, Jack answered him.
“You’ll have to use me as bait and plan an ambush. It’s our only chance,” the pirate insisted.
“And I’ll be going with you,” Ana bravely vowed, latching on to Jack’s arm. Sammi glared at her parents.
“You can’t both go! If something happens to you two, who will raise Teague and Eva? I’ll go in Mum’s place, Father. I’ve been itching to kick the living daylights out of those French bastards anyway.”
“Sammi, don’t,” William warned. “You have to let your mother go.”
“Why?” The young pirate captain frowned at him.
“This is no different situation when my father thought he had to sacrifice himself to Calypso so that I could live.” This was what that felt like? How had William lived with himself knowing he could’ve been the cause of his father’s death had Bootstrap not intervened?
“Will, we should start rounding up our allies who live on the island,” Elizabeth urged.
“Right, we’ll need time to plan and prepare for the ambush,” Ana added.
“We should ready our ships just in case they decide to escape by sea,” Will mused. Jack held up his hands before he was bombarded by more suggestions.
“Here’s what I think we should do. As much as I’d love to go running off to find our friends right now, it just wouldn’t work. First, we plan. I say we should go back to my home, brainstorm as many thoughts as we can, then divide and delegate the responsibilities, ay? Agreed?”
“Fine with me,” said Elizabeth. Everyone else was in agreement, so they all turned and went back the way they came.
However, the talk on the way home did not go according to Sammi’s plan when her father pulled her aside from the group. Jack had decided that because she was too young (or perhaps it was because she was a woman), Sammi would be staying at the Sparrow home and helping Faith watch the children while the battle raged down at the docks.
“Samantha, you’re staying home, and that’s the end of it,” Jack insisted.
“The hell I will!” Sammi snarled. “Those are my crewmembers, not yours. I get to decide if I want to risk my life to save them or not. And I choose to help save them!”
“It’s not happening,” Jack stood firm. “There’s something fishy going on around here, and I don’t like it. Somehow, Simon Debouvier is involved in all this, I would bet my life on it. Why else would he bother to work on your ship, Samantha?”
“I have no idea!” She yelled. “I just want to be involved in the rescue mission. It’s my right as a pirate.”
“I can’t allow you to be put in danger,” Jack growled. “It’s my right as a Father, because I actually give a damn whether you live or die.” Sammi grunted in frustration.
“If you lock me in my room at home, I’ll just escape,” she challenged. Jack gave her a grim smile.
“That’s why young William will be guarding the door. I know I can count on him wanting to keep you safe.”
“Indeed,” said William, who had walked up behind them. “Sammi, please don’t be mad. It’s what’s best for you.”
Sammi wanted to murder them all.
333
Later that night, the Sparrow home
The Turners and the Sparrows were preparing to leave for battle with the Frenchmen. The final showdown between Jack Sparrow and his anonymous enemy was about to take place, and there was nothing Sammi could do about it. How she wished she’d done things differently! Maybe if she had gone straight to her parents and explained the situation about the Frenchmen when she’d found out months ago, her friend David wouldn’t be missing.
Earlier, Jack had stopped by Mrs. Samoa’s home by the lighthouse to inform her that her son had been kidnapped, but that they were doing everything they could to get him back. Mrs. Samoa had been so distraught by the news, that she asked to have her three other children spend the night at the Sparrow home so that she could participate in the fight for her son’s life. The lighthouse had been temporarily closed down for repairs that day, so she could afford some time away from her usual never-ending job. (It had been David’s job, but it had fallen to her once he’d left the island.)
Sammi didn’t want to just sit back and allow someone else to fight her battles for her, but at the moment, she was rather tied-up. She estimated her parents and the Turners would head down to the docks in an hour or so, which meant she didn’t have much time. But she remained hopeful that she’d find a way out of her bonds. It was a fool’s hope, but she had to try.
“Psst, Will, I need your help.” She whispered, struggling against her bonds. Jack had securely tied her body to a chair, and Sammi wanted the rope undone now! Ana hadn’t been crazy about the arrangement, but her father insisted that physical restraint would be the only way to keep Sammi from following them into battle and death. That, and a sentry.
As Jack had planned, William sat on the bed beside her, on Sammi-guard duty.
“I’m not letting you out, Sammi,” he said, yawning as if bored. He was thoroughly engrossed in one of Sammi’s old pirate adventure books.
“But it hurts!” she whined. Indeed, the restraints were rather uncomfortable.
“That’s not going to work, Sammi.” William just shook his head at her. He knew Jack hadn’t tied her bonds so that they would hurt. She was just exaggerating, as usual.
“Please, Will? If we’re going to be doing this courting thing, I need to be able to count on you.” So she was pulling out the big guns, was she? William could handle that.
“You can always count on me, but I can’t let you endanger yourself, you know that,” William said gently, placing his hand over hers.
“But I’m their captain!” She fumed. “It’s my job to be accountable for all of their lives. If I present myself as bait, maybe you can hide and take out the head Frenchman.”
“I don’t know,” William muttered. “It sounds awfully risky. I promised your father that I’d keep you safe.” Sammi knew she had to be extremely persuasive now, for William was either going to cave in the next minute, or he would stand firm by his need to keep her safe. But she was a silver-tongued Sparrow, she knew she could pull it off. She had to try, anyway…
“Will, you decided to honor the pirate way when you decided to court me,” she reminded him. “And that means, I’m your captain, and I’m ordering you to let me go! But I want us to do this together. We’re stronger together, we always have been. With you by my side, I can accomplish almost anything.”
“That’s true, we do make a good team,” William admitted. “But I can’t-” Sammi interrupted him.
“I need you to treat me like real a person, Will, not some girl you put up on a pedestal like you did with Ophelia. I can defend myself as well as the next man. If you’re going to serve on my ship as my first mate, we’ll be doing battle together frequently. Your father had realized your mother to be his equal and they will fight side by side tonight. I need you to do the same for me.”
“This has nothing to do with your fighting ability!” Her boyfriend protested. “I know you could hold your own against me in a swordfight any day! I just don’t want to lose you. I don’t want our relationship over before it begins.”
“Neither do I,” Sammi said, rather despondently. “Look, if we wound the leader, the rest of the Frenchmen will be directionless without someone to give them orders. Also, they won’t have any personal motivation to kill my father or to kidnap me. It all stops with the leader.”
“I don’t know if we can pull this off just the two of us,” William worried. “I’d consider it if we had at least another person on our side.”
“That’s why we need to free Debouvier from the brig of my father’s ship,” she explained the crazier part of her plan.
“No, absolutely not. He can’t be trusted!” William argued. “You heard your parents earlier.”
“I think he can be trusted,” Sammi argued. “I don’t think he’s a rapist, Will. I just don’t get that vibe from him.”
“Neither did your mother, and she almost got kidnapped by him back at the Turkish Prison,” young Turner retorted.
“I have my father’s sense of intuition, Will, and my intuition tells me Debouvier will be the perfect ally,” she said patiently.
“And your father believes he’s a rapist and murderer!” Sammi winced at that.
“It doesn’t make sense, I know. But my father has to be mistaken!” she insisted. “I think his experience at the Turkish prison is clouding his judgment.”
“If you’d only been there, Sammi!” William protested. “That man was practically salivating over your mother, who you happen to look very much alike. I don’t want an animal like that getting his hands on you!”
“He’s not an animal!” Sammi sighed, wishing she hadn’t yelled that last part. But she had worked with the man for many months, and aside from the odd glance, had received nothing but courtesy from him. “Look, Will, if you’re going to be my first mate, you have got to start now. I can’t be in a relationship with someone whose single goal is to protect me. Sure, it’s nice, sweet even, but I have to be allowed to be myself. I was born a pirate, and I accepted the position as captain of the Wicked Wench, one I don’t plan on relinquishing in the near future. It’s my duty to rescue my crew. Will you help me?”
William stared at her for a long time. He seemed to be considering the pros and cons to her offer. Finally, he gave her a simple smile once he reached his conclusion.
“Alright, we’ll do this as a team,” William agreed, much to Sammi’s delight. “I don’t like using you as bait, but it’s the most sensible plan of action. If the Frenchman is distracted by your beauty, maybe I’ll be able to get a clear shot.”
“Excellent,” she agreed as he freed her from her bonds. “And Debouvier?” William hesitated.
“I don’t know, Sammi.”
“Will, I need you to trust me on this one,” she insisted. They locked eyes as she whispered,
“Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly. It’s him I don’t trust,” he admitted. “But I’ll agree to it this one time, against my better judgment.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “That means so much to me.”
“I know.” William helped her up into a standing position, and pulled her close. “For good luck.” They kissed quietly, pouring all the love they had for each other into the kiss. All too soon, Sammi pulled away.
“We need to go,” she whispered, gathering up her spare weapons that littered her floor and attaching them to her belt.
“How are we going to get out of here?” He wondered. “There are too many people downstairs for us to sneak by.” Sammi beamed at him.
“We’ll climb down the tree outside my window. I’ve done it dozens of times.” He just shook his head.
“Sammi, even though I’ve known you forever, you’re still full of surprises.”
“You bet your ass I am,” she said with a wink, quietly opening her window so they could climb out. “C’mon, let’s go save my crew.” And then they descended to freedom.
333
End Ch. 28