A/N: Finally it's here! The last chapter for your enjoyment. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and/or put this fic or me on alert or on their favorites list, I'm very happy you guys stuck with me and this fic even though it is one weird piece of writing. At the end I've attached the lyrics that inspired the song if you're interested, they don't belong to me but are the person's who wrote them, I'm just borrowing them for fun. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy!
Tony couldn't sleep.
The past five days had been amazing, he and Jethro had enjoyed their time on the boat as much as they could, they swam, fished and just relaxed while drifting closer to their destination, neither feeling the need to hurry their journey. So though Gibbs had originally thought that it would take them only tow days to reach the cabin, it had taken them closer to five.
And now they were spending their last night on the boat before reaching the bay they were heading for. The weather had been beautiful for the first days but for the last one it had been too hot and oppressive, a sure sign of a brewing storm.
The storm had hit them after bed time and Gibbs had been sleeping for the whole time while Tony just couldn't rest while the boat rocked with the heavy waves.
He tried to think about the past days and closed his eyes. He had really enjoyed the time they'd spent with Jethro, it would have been even better if there hadn't been the few little almost accidents along the way, like the other day when they were swimming and the boat almost ran him over though they were sure they'd secured it well. Or the time before that when Tony had been trapped in the small bathroom when the door refused to open and it felt like he was running out of air.
Even Gibbs had started to grow weary after the incidents and he'd implied that he might share the opinion that there was something hinky with the boat, though they had never talked about it.
A loud rumble snapped him out of his thoughts and his eyes blinked open at the sound of the heavy thunder. He really really hated the storm, ever since he was a kid, he'd hated the thunder. It wasn't rational especially when it was the loud sound rather than the lightning itself that caused the feeling. But obviously Gibbs had no trouble sleeping through it.
Or maybe that wasn't accurate, Tony thought as Jethro pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his neck.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" The words were whispered in his ear with a tone that was far more awake than Tony thought possible seeing as the other man had just woken up.
"Sorry if I woke you." Tony whispered back. "Go back to sleep."
The presence behind him snuggled even closer and caused him to shiver as Jethro's breath ghosted on his skin. "I will as soon as you answer my question. "
"Just need to hit the head." Tony lied quickly and extracted himself from the other man before getting up and winching when thunder rumbled once more though now the sound came from further away instead of straight above.
Gibbs mumbled something back to him but it was mostly intelligible as he was mostly asleep by then, clutching Tony's discarded pillow.
Tony smiled at the sight and waited a bit until he was sure that the other man was really asleep before heading to the galley. He didn't want to take the risk of waking his partner by getting back in bed and seeing as there was very little chance of him falling asleep anyway, he'd just end up keeping his older partner awake as well.
Taking a bottle of water from the cooler, Tony leaned back against the small counter and took a sip of the cool drink, listening to the sound of the raging storm.
Though he really didn't like thunder and all the rumbling, but in a way it was fascinating to watch the flashes in the distance. As he listened closer, the clearer it became that the clouds were moving away and taking the storm with them as the rumbles grew fewer and quieter though the boat still moved with the violent waves that would surely take more time to calm.
Taking another drink fomr the bottle Tony was surprised to notice that the thing was already empty, he must have been standing there sipping the water, lost in thought for longer than he would have figured.
Tossing the bottle away he decided to head up on the deck as he still didn't feel like sleeping and the worst weather had already passed.
It was still raining as he stepped outside but it wasn't bad enough to drive him inside. Occasional flash still illuminated the dark night, but the rumble was now far away and faint strips of light were starting to appear on the sky from the other direction as dawn grew closer.
If it hadn't been for the still big waves that rocked the boat, it would have been a pretty calm moment.
Taking a deep breath he inhaled the fresh air and he shivered slightly in the cool night. He pulled out one of the jackets they kept in a small bench on the deck for just this reason and put it on. The rain was easing but it wasn't over yet.
Drawing the jacket closed Tony crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the boat. His eyes traveled over the sleek lines of her and he watched in fascination as the waves lapped the sides. Suddenly his eyes were drawn to the post where they tied the rope that was supposed to keep the boat stationed and a frown marred his face. The post had nothing tied to it now.
He made his way carefully over to it to make sure and like he'd suspected, the rope had slipped off and now the boat wasn't secured to anything. It was most likely sheer luck that had caused the boat to stay in place and not drift away.
The wind was starting to pick up again and Tony knew they needed to secure the boat again so he turned around intending to go and get Jethro so they could get it done together when all of a sudden the boat rocked violently making him trip and very nearly be thrown off the deck, the only thing keeping him on it being the post the rope had been secured to that he'd managed to get a hold of.
Shaking slightly from the adrenaline rush of the stumble, Tony slowly and carefully got back up. There was a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as well as a strange feel in the air. It was like the air was thick with some kind of energy, like a charge that was accumulating and ready to be unleashed in one form or another.
Shaking his head at his own thoughts Tony turned once more to go and get his partner when the luck seemed to run out and the boat started to move away from the place where they'd decided to leave it for the night. Yelling for Jethro the younger man took a step forwards just as the Dark Lady did another big dip which again caused him to trip but this time there was nothing to get a hold of and with a yell her plan succeeded like she'd hoped as Tony fell overboard into the dark water that swallowed him as soon as he hit it's cold surface.
Breaking the surface Tony took in a deep breath grunting when a wave threw his body against an underwater rock. Grimacing at the throbbing the impact caused in his leg and back though he knew no serious damage had been done and he would at worst have a few bruises in a while.
The waves were big enough that it took a lot of effort to keep his head above the water but he hadn't been an athlete for nothing and though he wasn't in the shape he'd been in high school he was still in a pretty good shape but still it was tiring to fight the force of the waves.
Quickly using one hand to wipe his eyes to see, Tony looked for the boat and was happy to note that it hadn't moved far from him and he quickly started to swim towards it wondering if Jethro had any idea of anything being amiss.
Though the distance wasn't big, getting to the boat seemed to take forever and the more he swam the more exhausted Tony became. Finally he reached the side of the boat just as she turned in a way that Tony was sure was not caused by the raging water but as if she was purposely turning away from him to keep from getting to safety.
Trying desperately to get a hold of something so he would be able to get back onboard, Tony reached up but a wave pushed him down below the surface.
He again broke the surface while gasping for breath and reached up. He was getting ready to give up when he heard someone yell his name and a minute later there were fingers touching his own before a hand grasped his tightly.
Jethro had obviously heard his yell and came up to investigate what had caused the sound and with his help Tony managed to get back onto the boat.
Panting heavily the younger man lied on the deck for a bit trying to calm his breathing before Jethro took a hold of him and helped him up and supported him towards the steps that would get them inside.
"Are you okay? What the heck happened?" Jethro demanded to know as they started the short treck towards their destination.
They were at the top of the stairs when Tony opened his mouth to say that he was fine when the boat did another violent dip and caused both of them stumble and Jethro to release his supporting grip on his partner.
The boat was moving with the waves as she tried to again shake off the man she hated, but suddenly a big rock glimpsed from the water and before anyone could react they hit the sharp edge of it and the boat jerked to a violent stop.
The sudden movement cause both men to stumble again and while Jethro got a hold of the railing, Tony had no such luck and though he scrambled to get a hold of something, he ended up falling down the steps into the galley.
"Tony!" Jethro tried to follow his partner but the Lady obviously had other plans.
By now there was water gushing into the small bedroom from s tear that had appeared when they hit the rock and if she was going down, then so was this man who had tried to take Jethro away from him.
So when Gibbs tried to get to his lover the mast gave a creak and there was barely enough time for him to get out of the way before the mast fell across the entrance to the boat.
"Tony! Can you hear me?" He yelled over the sound of the rain and wind as he crawled to the half hidden entrance and listened for the answer feeling dread fill him when nothing was forthcoming.
"Tony? Tones!" He called again but when again there was no answer he started to work on moving the mast, it wasn't too heavy but it was long and somehow lodged so moving it was difficult. Pausing in his efforts Gibbs thought for a second and after realizing that he didn't have his phone with him so he couldn't call for help and the boat had taken a big enough hit that it might very well sink, he rushed towards the small bench where they kept their jackets and other small things. It took him a minute of digging before he found the small red pistol and with a prayer he aimed it to the sky and pulled the trigger. A red flare shot out from the gun and rose to the sky so that others would know they needed help.
Having given the signal, Jethro rushed back to his earlier task. With strength born from adrenaline and fear he slowly got the obstacle moved enough that he could see into the galley.
The sight caused his heart to freeze and in the dim lighting he saw his lover lying at the bottom of the stairs on his back with water already lapping around him. Obviously the boat was torn badly enough that the water was flowing steadily in and even as he watched, Gibbs could see the water level rising so he knew he needed to get to his partner fast as the other man appeared to be unconscious and wasn't reacting to him calling his name.
Fearing the worst, Gibbs put every ounce of his strength into moving the beam blocking his way and with a creak it moved enough that he was able to squeeze to the steps and get down to the galley.
He knelt next to his partner and felt for a pulse. Feeling the strong thumping under his fingers caused a wave of relief rush over him, but he knew they needed to get out.
"Tony c'mon wake up! No time to sleep right now." he shook the other man's shoulder and was rewarded with a groan from the man and a flutter of his eyelids.
"That's it, open your eyes for me." Raising a hand to his aching head, Tony blinked his eyes open and squinted up at the other man. "Is she trying to kill me again?" He whispered in a hoarse voice before clearing his throat and sitting up with Jethro's help.
"Maybe." Gibbs allowed wondering if there was some truth behind the thought. "We need to get out of here and off the boat before it sinks." He started to help the other man up and towards the steps when the boat groaned and jerked once again causing them to stumble. Tony hissed as he put weight on his left foot and his ankle gave way under him and he fell on his knees.
"Well shit." He grimaced as he reached up and again with his partners help got back up and they tried once more to move towards the steps but the boat moved again causing the same thing to happen.
The water was rising and by now their ankles were covered and it seemed that the water was rising faster as it crept up their legs.
Jethro got them both ready again and once more they tried to get up the steps but the movements of the boat were getting more violent and they both fell back before they managed to climb even one step.
"She won't let us leave." Tony whispered dejectedly as he sat in the water and let his head drop to rest on against the wall. "She really wants to kill us."
As if testing the theory Jethro took a step towards the stairs and with little effort managed to get halfway up causing Tony to laugh humorlessly.
"Correction: she wants to kill me. You should go while you can."
"Don't be stupid Tony." He was starting to believe that there really was something on the boat that wanted to get rid of his partner but he was damned if he'd let as pile of wood win. He now knew his gut had been right in thinking that something had been wrong but he just wished it wasn't something so insane.
"C'mon Jeth! You don't need to die because of me!" Tony was frustrated beyond belief, he didn't want to die but even less he wanted Jethro to die and it had became obvious that somehow The Dark Lady was going to make sure he didn't get out of this alive.
Gibbs was thinking furiously, he needed a distraction. He didn't know how any of this worked but maybe if he caused some sort of commotion then he'd be able to sneak Tony up the stairs.
He spotted one of their oil lanterns on the wall and quickly made his way to it. Pulling out his waterproof matchbook he lit the lantern before going to another cabin and taking out the oil meant for the lanterns.
He went into the sleeping area and poured the water over the bed and everything he could. After doing that he came back to his partner who had been watching his proceedings with confusion.
"You ready to go?" When the other man looked even more puzzled Jethro quirked an eyebrow which relaxed only when Tony nodded his head hesitantly and allowed himself to be pulled up.
With one deep breath Gibbs threw the lantern into the sleeping area so that the glass shattered and in a moment the fire from it started to spread.
If she could have the boat would have shrieked in betrayal and pain, but she could do no such thing and as the fire started to consume her she could do nothing to stop the men from slowly climbing out of the galley and jumping into the water that hadn't yet calmed.
Even the rain that still fell offered no help to the boat as the flames quickly spread into all the surfaces that were above water while the two men who had saved them selves from the inferno were doing their best to swim further from the wreck before the fuel tank would explode.
When the inevitable happened and the tank blew up, the shock wave hit them both hard as they hadn't gotten far since the waves were tying to push them back the way they were coming, but after some fumbling both men got back to the surface from being pushed down and together they threaded water while they tried to figure out which direction was closest to land.
The only had to float there for a few minutes before they heard the sound of a horn and as they turned they saw a small motor boat heading their way with a beam of light sweeping the water and finally locating them.
"Hwy you two alright?" The man driving the boat asked as he carefully maneuvered the small boat next to them and rushed to help them on board.
"Yeah We're good." Tony answered for the both of them as he was helped to the boat first because of his partner's insistence. He knew the older man was glaring at him, but he felt too shitty to care. In truth he was aching all around and he was pretty sure he might have fractured his ankle while taking the tumble down the stairs, not to mentioned how exhausted he was after everything that had happened.
"Well you don't look fine mister. As a matter of fact there's a small clinic near the docs a mile or so over. I think it's best I'll call my friend who's a doctor there to check the both of you over."
By now Jethro was on the boat as well and before Tony could decline the kind offer the older man had already voiced his agreement.
Though right at the moment he couldn't bother arguing, he was shivering with cold as the wind blew and as he sat next to Jethro he tried to lean closer to him even though the other man was just as soaked and cold as he was and couldn't offer much in the way of warmth.
Suddenly there was a blanket draped around him and another was put around Gibbs as their rescuer made sure they were taken care of until they'll get to the clinic.
"When I saw the flare I thought you might have hit one of the rocks since we have a lot of those around here, but boy I wasn't expecting to find the boat on fire and-"
Both Gibbs and Tony let the chatter of the man drown into the wind that blew past them as they looked back to watch the burning remains of the boat. Tony leaned against his partner and reached to squeeze Jethro's hand, smiling slightly when the other man squeezed back.
The Dark Lady was nothing but a smoking pile of flames and as they sped further away from it the further the nightmare of the night seemed to fade along with her. They probably wouldn't ever really talk about what happened since they both had a feeling they would never truly understand it all. But they were grateful that they survived with only few small pains and aches thought Jethro would keep a close eye on his lover for a while and make sure he would suffer now serious ill effects from the dunking he got when he went over board the first time and from the fall down the stairs.
They would go to the clinic and then get home to recuperate and spend the rest of their vacation on safe, dry land. It would all be okay.
In the distance The Dark Lady burnt to nothing while mourning her faith, until there was nothing left of her.
Epilogue:
A few months after the destruction of The Dark Lady, Jethro had started to get restless since they had both had time to recover from that night and now he was itching to work on something with his hands again.
After a lot of planning and thinking, the two men decided to go with the plan of making another boat, one that would their project that they would work on together.
Jethro patiently walked Tony through the art of making something like a boat from scratch and bit by bit they made progress. It took the younger man a while to be comfortable enough to actually do much work on the boat but once he relaxed and let himself enjoy the simple activity he found himself really enjoying it. It was nice to come home and spent time with his partner working side by side and enjoying each others company.
After months of work Tony stood by the skeleton of the construction and smoothed the ribs of the boat with a sandpaper while Gibbs was putting tools away and getting ready to head off to bed.
"You coming up?" He asked the younger man as he came to stand behind Tony and pressed a kiss to his neck.
"Yeah." Tony smiled and went to put the sandpaper to the workbench as Jethro waited for him at the bottom of the stairs.
The younger man walked past the boat and he couldn't help but run his hand along one of the ribs, smiling as he got the sense that the boat would be purring if it could because of the petting.
Together the two men made their way up the stairs and at the top Tony couldn't resist turning back and calling down to the boat "Nighty night little boaty" Jethro chuckled as he turned off the light and teased his partner about getting jealous if Tony kept up flirting with the boat.
The mens laughter drifted down the stairs to the basement and to the boat that had yet to be given a name.
She listened to the sounds of the happy couple and felt content, they were her men and she loved both dearly for the care they were showing her and wanted nothing more than to see them so happy. She was lucky to belong to them and she couldn't wait for the day when she was ready and would get to go sailing with her men.
She couldn't be in better hands.
She was going to be one happy boat.
THE END
The Dark Lady A fierce one-eyed man named Baron LaBonne A rich Spanish galleon was spotted one night And ever night the Baron would drink a toast The girl Carlotta was a beauty quite rare That night the Baron drank with jubilee The following night a storm brewed at sea That night the Lady drank a toast And now any night when a storm fills the sky And every night the Baron must drink a toast
Lyrics and music Bernadette Gillece
Performed by The Bedlam Bards on Furious Fancies
Performed by The Bilge Pumps on Brigands with Big'uns
Performed by The Shantyman on Pirate's Life
A meaner pirate had never been known
And he sailed on the Dark Lady
A ship strong and sound with a perilous crew
And high on the mast the skull and bones flew
Fleet and swift was the Dark Lady
And ever night the Baron would drink a toast
He'd say, "Here's to my lovely lady host!
My one true love..."
"Hear, hear!" the crew replied
And the Dark Lady sighed.
The Dark Lady's crew prepared for the fight
Clash of swords...No Spaniard survived it
Except for the maiden with dark eyes so bold
Found in the hull with the jewels and the gold
LaBonne laughed and took her for ransom
He'd say, "Here's to my lovely lady host!
My one true love..."
"Hear, hear!" the crew replied
And the Dark Lady sighed.
With each passing night LaBonne couldn't bear
His empty bed. He brought her to it.
The Baron soon found he felt more than desire
His love for her grew and his soul filled with fire
He proclaimed that they would marry.
And said, "Here's to my lovely bride to be!
My one true love..."
"Hear, hear!" the crew replied
And the Dark Lady cried.
The Dark Lady saw her chance to be free
Of her rival, the beauty Carlotta
The ship steered herself to the heart of the gale
Where a wave swept the maiden out over the rail
Sweet revenge on an unfaithful lover.
And said, "Here's to your lovely lady host!
Your one true love..."
No voices replied
And the Dark Lady smiled.
They say that a ghost ship sails in it's eye
Fleet and swift is the Dark Lady
A ship strong and sound with a perilous crew
And high on the mast the skull and bones flew
He says, "Here's to our lovely lady host!
My one true love..."
"Hear, hear," the ghost crew replies
And the Dark Lady smiles.