A/N
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And here's chapter fünf
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Verdandi sat next to Jack in the long boat that was gliding towards the island. The island was a tiny green spot amidst the sapphire blue sea. She noticed a church in the background and bowed her head when the guiltiness washed over her as she couldn't remember the last time she went in one.
Elizabeth and Norrington were sitting on the opposite side of the boat and Pintel and Ragetti were rowing. None surprisingly they were having a little discussion right then and there. Verdandi had gotten used to their stupid arguments so it didn't really bother her as much as it used to.
"You're pulling too fast!" Pintel complained.
"And you're pulling to slow. We don't want the Kraken to catch us", Ragetti answered.
Verdandi noticed how Jack flinched at the bare name of the creature and she raised an eyebrow. Now when she inspected him closer she noticed that he looked utterly terrified. He clutched his jar like his life was depending on it. And maybe it was. Verdandi couldn't help a smirk slowly show itself on her face. Davy had always been scary…even the mighty Jack Sparrow went all jumpy because of Jones's threats.
"Someone's scared…" she stated and looked back at the water.
"I'm not scared!"
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not! Don't be silly."
Verdandi switched her gaze back at him and raised an eyebrow before she looked at the jar.
"Why are you caring that jar around?"
Jack smirked. "Because it's filled with dirt."
"And that's good because…?"
"Because that someone who gave me this said so."
Verdandi pursed her lips thoughtfully. "A jar of dirt is supposed to help you?"
"Yes."
"A jar. Of dirt?"
"Yes…" he said slightly annoyed.
"I suggest you stop listening to that person's advices. They're stupid."
"You're stupid", he muttered under his breath.
"I'm not the one who paid for a jar full of dirt", she retorted and Jack threw her an irritating glance. Verdandi then heard the final words from Pintel and Ragetti…for now.
"It's a mythical creature and I can call it whatever I want!"
"If it's so mythical, then why are you pulling so fast?"
When they reached Isla Cruces Verdandi looked around and sighed. It was the right Island after all. She saw how Jack put his jar into the boat and stripped off his jacket as he grabbed a shovel and put it over his shoulder.
He looked at Pintel, Ragetti and Verdandi and simply said: "Guard the boat, mind the tide. Don't touch my dirt." He then moved away with Elizabeth and Norrington.
Verdandi ignored his words and followed right behind him, but abruptly stopped to prevent herself from ramming into his chest when he so suddenly turned around. She looked questioningly up at him. "What?"
"Guard. The. Boat."
She scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "You have Annoying number One and Two guarding it. Why do I have to stay there?"
"Because I say so."
She narrowed her eyes. "What? You're afraid that I will take the heart and run away?" She threw her arms out. "Where the hell would I go? This is an island!"
Jack just stared at her with a bored look on his face. It took a couple of seconds before Verdandi gave up and muttered curses under her breath at him. "Bloody bossy douchebag…" She sourly turned around and looked at her company. Ragetti turned towards Pintel and opened his mouth.
"And you were wrong about the to-mah-to too, if I recall correctly."
Pintel wistfully sighed. "I do like tomatoes."
Verdandi just stared at them for a second before she sat down on the warm sand, inspecting the others. They seemed to just wander around before Lizzie frustratingly sat down. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but suddenly Jack shoed Elizabeth away and made a mark in the sand with his toe. Norrington started digging on that spot almost immediately.
Verdandi tiredly laid back in the sand and stared up at the clouds, trying to spot the funny-looking ones but failed. See, even the sky was in a bad mood. She tuned out Pintel and Ragetti's chatting and sighed deeply. Something was wrong…she needed a plan soon. The only thing that comforted her a bit was that she knew that Jack didn't have the key. The chest was impossible to open without the key, she knew that. Everyone knew that…
oOoOoOo
Davy Jones was looking through the spyglass towards the beach with a sneer. Two men were standing there, one of them trying to balance an oar on his nose. Stupid fools. There was also a woman lying down in the sand. She looked slightly familiar but he quickly ignored her. She wasn't the problem. No, the problem was that Jack Sparrow had made it here before them.
"They're here", he said annoyingly. "And I cannot step a foot on land again for near of a decade."
Maccus looked at his Captain. "Ye'll trust us to act in yer stead?"
Jones turned to him mockingly. "I trust you to know what awaits you if you fail", Jones threatened. "Down, then!"
oOoOoOo
"Is that…"
"...ahaa…"
Verdandi turned her gaze towards the two pirates and cocked her head. Their gazes were fixated on the water and their mouths were gaping. She moved her eyes to the sea to see what had gotten their attention and what she saw made her breath hitch. She popped herself up on the elbows and protected her eyes from the sun with one hand.
Unbelievable…
There was the stoic Flying Dutchman, making itself ready to go underwater. The three pirates were watching the process with wide eyes…all of them switching between staring at the water and each other. Pintel and Ragetti looked like they were going to piss themselves before they turned around and ran towards the others to warn them.
"No wait!" Verdandi got up and ran behind them. "Stop!" Everything would be better if they didn't warn them… But the two pirates didn't stop. Well, not until they saw a new familiar face. When Verdandi finally reached them she was already panting. Yeah…her fitness wasn't the best.
She then noticed the new man too. And, dare she say, was he handsome! He was soaked, but that didn't matter. She had had her eyes on him for so long that she didn't until seconds later notice that Elizabeth was clinging all over him and kissed him several times. Verdandi scrunched her face up. Oh… That had to be that Will-guy. How the hell had he gotten there?
Verdandi then noticed the chest that was lying in the sand, unwatched. Hm…
"Everything you said to me…every word was a lie!" Elizabeth burst out and Verdandi gave her a look even though it wasn't noticed.
Surprise, surprise…
"Yes, time and tide, love…what are you doing?" Jack suddenly exclaimed.
Will (?) was kneeling at the chest and inspected it. Something was glimmering in his hand and Verdandi nearly gasped when she saw what it was. The key.
So that's why he was at the Flying Dutchman!
You could have figured it out earlier…
Not like you were any help.
"I'm going to kill Jones."
Verdandi snorted loudly and drew her sword, pointing it wryly at him, now getting attention from them all. "Be a good boy and give the key to me, lad, will ya", she hissed at him.
Will looked up at her with a mild shocked expression. "Who are you?"
"I am the one you're going to give that damn key to", she reached her hand out at him with her palm up.
But before Will could react Jack already had his sword to his throat. "I can't let you kill him, William. If Jones is dead, then who's to call his beastie off the hunt? Now if you please…the key."
William quickly slapped Jack's sword away and got up on his feet. He jumped back and drew Elizabeth's sword towards Jack and Verdandi, who both had their swords towards him.
"You seem like a smart young man, Willie", Verdandi said with a soft voice. "Use that brain of yours and think a little. Just give the key to me", she nodded towards it with her chin, still keeping eye contact with the lad, "before you do something you'll regret. We can negotiate like the two grown-ups we are…"
Now it was Jack who snorted, which received a dangerous glare from her.
Will switched his gaze from her to Jack. "I keep the promises I make. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it", he said with determination in his voice.
Oh boy. He surely seemed a lot more attractive when he had his mouth shut.
Suddenly they heard Norrington drawing his sword too, facing Will. Now there were three swords pointing towards the lad. You could say that the future didn't look so bright for him at that very moment.
"I can't let you do that either. Sorry", Norrington said, obviously not sorry at all.
"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually", Jack said with a surprised grin. At that statement Norrington's sword was pointing at Jack. The stupid grin faded.
"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it, I get my life back", he so kindly explained.
Verdandi growled. "Beckett!" She spat at him. "How can a man even work for that shitbag?" She moved her sword towards him instead. "Over my dead body that the heart goes to him!"
Davy's and every pirate's life would be awful if that happened.
Jack and Verdandi met each other's gazes and he slightly nodded to her. At least they were on the same page at that point. But then the three men suddenly leaped forward at the exact same time, making the swords clash. Verdandi hadn't been that fast nor prepared, so she just stood at the side and watched their every move.
"Will, we can't let him get the chest", Jack said to Will, clearly trying to get him on his side. "You can trust me on this." Will shot him a look. "Well, you can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him."
Will then took a long look at Norrington, as if he'd seen him for the first time. "You look awful."
"Granted. But you're still naïve. He just wants Elizabeth for himself", Norrington simply stated.
Jack looked at them and said: "Pot. Kettle. Black."
Suddenly the fight started and just as Verdandi was going to make a try to snatch the key away from Will she heard him say: "Guard the chest" to Elizabeth.
Verdandi stopped and started to think. It would be nearly impossible to take the key with those three hooligans…so why not take the chest instead? She smirked. What would those morons have to unlock, if there wasn't any chest to open up in the first place?
Elizabeth clearly wasn't as happy with the assign she got. She glared at them and started to scream stupid things that Verdandi more than a little wanted to tune out. Yet, the squeaky voice was hard to ignore.
Verdandi moved closer towards the chest and caught Pintel and Ragetti's gazes. They were discussing again…
"…sad. That chest must be worth more than just a shiny penny."
Ragetti nodded in agreement. "Terrible temptation."
"If we were any kind of decent, we'd remove temptation from their path."
They locked gazes before they smirked evilly and moved towards the chest, but they stopped when they noticed that Verdandi already was there, watching them with a lopsided smile.
"Boy's, whatcha say about a little cooperation?"
They seemed to realize her intention and smirked. They took each sides of the chest and started to run towards the jungle with Verdandi right next to them, guiding them even though she had no idea of where she was heading.
"Hey!" Verdandi heard Elizabeth's voice behind them and she rolled her eyes but hurried up the pace.
"Hurry up!" She hissed at Pintel and Ragetti.
"We are trying…" Pintel said through clenched teeth.
"Yeah, I can't see you holding a heavy chest!" Ragetti exclaimed.
"Carry it yourself it's so easy!"
"Oh shut it!" She hated men that whined.
Pintel and Ragetti shared a look but it got unnoticed by Verdandi. Suddenly they heard sounds that Verdandi knew all too well. She smiled and went for it…but the two pirates fearfully turned around only to discover an angry and panting Elizabeth standing right in front of them.
Verdandi snarled. "Don't just stand there! Ignore her. Move it, come on!" But they ignored her…which was pissing her off.
"'Ello poppet", Pintel said and they dropped the chest. Elizabeth reached for her sword only to discover that it was gone. She then gave them a week smile.
"Heh…"
Pintel and Ragetti smiled too when they noticed this and they both drew their swords towards her. They moved closer to her as she moved further back.
Verdandi just rolled her eyes and was just going to knock the girl unconscious when a strange noise was emerging from their left. Something crashed through the trees and they all gave their attention to the bizarre sight. A mill wheel was rolling past them with two people in it, and Jack was chasing them as fast as he could. Verdandi just wanted to smack her head against a tree or something. How hard could it be to get a bloody key…?
TWACK!
Verdandi gasped and moved her head to the right and saw an axe quivered in the tree just a couple of centimetres from her head. She swallowed loudly and turned around and discovered a sight that was almost terrifying.
Almost?
Jones' crewmen were rushing straight towards them and they weren't saving any energy at all.
She didn't know what to do, stay and give them the chest or flee? When she saw that the two stupid pirates had picked it up and were already running away from them her decision was obvious. It almost made her feel a bit relieved not to have to face those fish-men…yet.
She ran as fast as she could along with the company, tightly clutching her sword in her hand and regularly watching the chest. They defensed themselves as much as they could. Elizabeth, Pintel and Ragetti were throwing their swords between each other, but there was no way in hell that Verdandi would let go of hers.
But then suddenly she saw Pintel and Ragetti trying to pass on either side of a tree. She watched as the chest fell down on the ground with a BANG and stayed there. No one noticed and Verdandi turned around to reach it.
A crewmember tried to stab her, but she was quicker as she drew her sword through his head. Another one was aiming for her but she stepped aside, only for the man to rip her tunic at her side. She gasped and killed him immediately. The other ones were still following Pintel and company, so she was alone with the chest.
What she didn't notice was that there indeed was a fish-man left there, and he too had noticed the chest. He picked it up and grinned. Verdandi sighed with relief and stayed out of the way, trying to not get noticed. But her relief was short-lived as suddenly:
BAAM!
Oh…Verdandi couldn't believe her eyes! The fish-man's head was suddenly lying 6 meters from the body and he had dropped the chest. The head was shouting out to its body but she didn't pay attention to him.
Because out of nowhere…there was Jack.
With the key.
Kneeling at the chest.
"HEY!" She shouted at him. He looked surprisingly up at her and then frowned. She was the last person he wanted to meet right now.
"I don't have time now luv…you'll have to wait", he said and moved to unlock the chest. Verdandi's eyes narrowed as she took fast strides towards him with her sword ready to meet his neck.
But Jack was, just like usual, faster than her. Just as the key was in the lock he sensed her behind him and he quickly turned around, still crouching, using his leg to make her trip and fall on her back with an "ooouuuffff". He quickly and easily straddled her, taking her arms and pinned them above her head.
Verdandi thrashed around and tried to free her hands and make him get off of her. Of course it was quite impossible for her to make him let go. She made a mental note to train more when she survived this shit.
If you survive this shit, the voice corrected her.
Jack scowled and shook his head. "Calm down… Jeeze, if I knew that you would do more harm than good, I wouldn't have gone after you…"
"Well, too late for that now isn't it?" She struggled some more even if she knew that it was hopeless. He was heavier and stronger than her and he could easily overpower her. That fact had always pissed her off. Especially at times like this one. "Get off of me!"
Talk about déjà vu.
Jack held her hands with only his right hand now, but it didn't matter. She was still stuck. His left hand gripped her chin and he looked her impatiently in the eyes. Suddenly his smell and small touch was all she could think of. Jack smiled slightly when he saw that.
"Verdandi sweetheart, I really need you to cooperate. Just this once."
"Just this once? Why would I do that?" She hissed.
"Because, darlin', we are on the same page here. We don't want Jones dead, and we don't want Beckett to get the heart."
Verdandi frowned slightly. Jack's body was kinda suffocating her and she found it hard to breathe.
"Jack…"
"We've always worked so well together when being side by side… Come on. We're partners," he continued. "And, if I recall correctly, you do owe me a favor."
Verdandi scowled and opened her mouth, only to close it again. She did owe him one…but that didn't mean that she would…that she would…ehm…
Dammit, she couldn't think! She needed more air.
Jack was running out of patience, so he did the thing that always had worked on women. He kissed her. Verdandi, unwillingly, gasped for breath. But that didn't stop Jack, he just let go of her wrists and put one hand on her cheek and the other one on her hip. Verdandi couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't move… She was glad that she was lying down, 'cause she suddenly felt all dizzy. If it was because of the kiss or the lack of oxygen, she didn't know. All she knew was that it brought back old feelings and old memories.
She didn't like that. Not. One. Bit.
Get him off. Make him stop. NOW! the voice screamed at her.
Jack noticed her reaction and broke away, looking at her with a small amount of concern. "You might wanna take a deep breath", he said. He made her confused and he knew it, but more importantly he made himself confused. But he ignored the feeling as he had more important stuff to deal with at the moment.
"Get. Off. Of. Me", Verdandi slowly forced the words out of her. Her eyes showed him that she wasn't happy at all.
"Then stop fighting me."
She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll stop. As long as the heart is safe, I'll help you", she whispered.
"That's all I wanted to hear, sweetheart", Jack gave her a peck on the cheek and stood up, giving her a hand. She ignored it and got up on herself. Unfortunately she still was a little dizzy, so she couldn't help her instability. Jack saw this and quickly gave her a hand but she slapped it away.
Jack rolled his eyes before he turned to the chest once again. This time he finally opened it. He felt how Verdandi was leaning a bit forwards to see the dunk-dunk. And they both definitely saw it. It was so…indescribably scary. You could even hear the heartbeats.
Jack reacted fast. He took his shirt and wrapped up the heart in it before he hurried up to the beach. Verdandi walked behind him with her sword still in her hand.
They came to the rowboat and Verdandi saw how he found his jar and emptied it with dirt only to put the heart in the jar and refilled it with dirt. He turned around when he was finished and stopped abruptly when he noticed her gaze on him.
"What?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like the jar isn't that useless after all…"
A/N
A tiny comment wouldn't hurt? Right? ;)
/JoJo