A Pirate's Life For Me

[Catt]

Struggling against Brian's grip, Alice growled in frustration, "Let go of me right now!" She demanded, her voice shrill with anger. Her face was hot, not only from the slap, but from the extreme emotion. "You were too late, you don't know what happened! I am not wrong! Let go of me!" Alice was nearly screaming as she fought against the living binds of her father's second in command. Even though she saw the interaction between Josephine and Jack, nothing sunk in, her mind could not take in and process anything else. "I will turn this gun on you as soon as I'm free, Brian. God as my witness, I swear it!" Anger was slowly ebbing away, turning slowly into panic at being restrained. It was one of the few things that could reduce Alice to a quivering, submissive mouse. It brought back terrible memories of a situation that she swore she would never allow herself to be in again. Regardless as to who was holding her against her will.

-----

Standing still as a deer as he waited for more sounds, Elijah stood at the edge of the gravel path leading away from the property. The unmistakable figure of Josephine stormed out the front and in his direction. Unsure of what to do, he swallowed hard and weighed his options. He was quickly running out of time, but could not settle on what he should do, so instead, he stayed still and waited, watching her body language.

[moneky]

The trio could only watch as the new side of Alice came out. Brian quickly let go of her and backed away, unsure of what to do in this situation. He looked at Amy who had taken a couple steps forward to console her. But before she could reach her, Jack was there, reaching out for her. He wasn't exactly sure why he was wanting to console her, seeing as how she broke up his relationship. But the sight of his strong, fiesty Alice losing her will just broke his heart. His only instinct was to bring her into his arms and hold her tight.

===

Josephine was just shaking as she stumbled down the path. She was hugging herself tightly, breathing heavily and trying to calm her racing heart. She almost didn't notice Elijah until she bumped into him. As soon as she laid eyes on her face, tears started to flow and before she knew it, she was hugging him, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed.

[Catt]

Everything seemed in slow motion for a few moments as Brian pulled away. Dropping the pistol on the table, Alice fell to her knees, sucking down air, unable to get her lungs full. Her eyes were wide and unblinking as she focused on one solitary spot on the ground as her mind was trying to cope with the sudden stress. It had been years since anything had triggered a panic attack of this magnitude, but the feeling of being completely helpless at the hands of a man she couldn't see was all she needed. Finally freeing herself enough to squeeze her eyes shut, a tear slid down her face, her breathing still ragged, but slowing. I am still a child... I couldn't even stop this from happening... "I-I..." She stammered, still trying to catch her breath.

-----

The look on Josephine's face as she approached made Elijah's heart ache and when she reached out for him, he immediately pulled her in tight. "J-Jo, what happened t-to your face? Why are you bleeding?" He asked softly, attempting to pull her hair away from her cheek to inspect the damage. What the hell had just happened inside the house? He wondered as he carefully cleared his view to the wound, and what he saw was shocking. "Is that a bullet graze?" He blurted, all tact gone in his surprise.

[moneky]

Josephine, through her tears and sniveling, nodded and looked up at him. Her eyes betrayed all of her emotions, all the heartbreak, betrayal and fear she felt. She opened her mouth but closed it, still shaking and closing her eyes. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against his chest. How could he, with such a kind and loving personality, be related to that psychopathic bitch? She thanked God that the only thing the two of them shared was a mother. After several long moments, she spoke in a quiet whisper, "Can we go somewhere else? Please?"

===

"Breathe, Alice." Jack pleaded with her, pulling back to look at her. He was only slightly reassured when her breathing slowed. "It will be alright, dear." He said softly, wiping the tear away with his thumb and rubbing her back in a reassuring way. "Don't worry, I'm here. Everything will be alright. You just have to breath." He looked up at Brian who looked rather terrified and helpless.

[Catt]

In a fraction of a second, Alice's brain restarted and locked down her emotions. Her breathing slowed to normal and the tears stopped, leaving her wet and flushed cheeks at the only evidence of what happened. Her still trembling hands remained tucked in the folds of her dress as she sat on the ground in Jack's embrace. Looking up at home with a blank expression on her face, her eyes gave away nothing of what she was thinking. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Alice said, looking away and up to Amy and Brian, trying to gauge the level of shock her episode caused. Twin expressions of confusion looked back at her, fueling the embarrassment that was slowly setting in.

--------

Elijah sighed and pulled Josephine tight, his cheek on the top of her head. There wasn't anything worse than an upset woman. "Let's get you back to the ship. Get your cheek cleaned up and see if you're going to need s-stitches." Turning himself towards the road, he figured the walk would help clear their head as they made their way to the harbor. If they were on board, they could release the rest of the crew to enjoy the town while they were still docked.

[moneky]

Alice's calm words had seemed to break Amy out of her stupor and she quickly ran over to her, dropping to her knees in front of her. Jack only shifted to let his mother have a better view of her, his arms still around Alice. Amy put the other woman's cheeks, searching her face for any sign of lingering distress. Her face only pulled into a deeper frown when she couldn't see anything. "Is everything alright, my dear?" She looked up at Jack, "What has been going on?"

===

Josephine found herself feeling more and more at ease with every step they took away from the house and towards the ship. She leaned into his side, letting him lead the way down the path. "Thank you." She said after some time, glancing up at him. "It never ceases to surprise me how you turned out to be such a gentleman after being related to that devil woman." She scowled and looked ahead. She paused before adding, "And having Jack as your older 'brother'."

[Catt]

In a flurry of movement, Alice pushed away from both Jack and Amy, attempting to find her feet. "I need to go." She said flatly, pulling out of Jack's arms, the fabric of her dress hissing as she stood. "I'm already late." Her first step away from the embrace didn't go as well as she had hoped, she had stepped on her hem, making her lose her balance and fall back to her knees. The attempted escape from embarrassment only succeeded in further embarrassing her. Sitting still, she panted, fighting the panic that was crawling back up her throat. "Can someone help me up?" Alice's voice was soft and nearly nonexistent.

-------

Smiling at the compliment, Elijah trailed his fingertips along Josephine's arm as they walked. Her mood was slowly coming around and it helped pull him out of the awkward feeling he had put himself in. "Want to know how I keep a level head through everything I've been through?" As he asked, he was reaching into his pocket for his ever present worry stone that he always had. The rounded edges feeling familiar and comforting as he placed it in her hands. "This simple rock has kept me from leaping overboard, getting into fights, and helped me keep us out of trouble with the authorities." Keeping his gaze lowered, Elijah was a little embarrassed by his security object, but Josephine needed a little cheering up, so he was willing to have a moment of being uncomfortable for her.

[moneky]

Amy had moved to help her but Jack beat her to it. He took her hand and lifted her up, putting a hand on the small of her back. He looked at her with a slight frown, "Where do you have to be?" He asked, dropping her hand but keeping his hand on her back for reassurance. "I don't think you are in any condition to be out anywhere. Why don't you just stay here?" She looked like she was going to break down again, her face getting paler by the minute.

===

Josephine looked at the rock, mildly surprised that a pirate would have something like this. But as she ran her fingers along the worn edges of the rock, she realized how fitting it was. Elijah could never really be seen as the typical hard, vulgar pirates. He was much more sensitive, endearing. She smiled as she looked up at him, "Can I ask about the significance behind it?" She looked back down at the rock and flipped it over.

[Catt]

Finding her feet with help from Jack, Alice stood unsteadily for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "I have to go... If I don't..." Regardless of her attitude and how she spoke, she was afraid of her stepfather. Joseph was not a nice man and he always made sure Alice knew her place under his thumb. "East wing of the harbor for a ship christening. Joseph isn't going to be pleased I'm going to be late." As if just remembering where she was, she turned and grabbed her pistol, tucking it into the large bow at the small of her back. Fear was sobering, bringing her back to her senses quicker than a shot of espresso. Without another word, Alice stepped away and headed for the front door, not wanting to say anything more.

-------

Blushing at the look Josephine was giving him, Elijah chuckled, embarrassed. "I stole it, actually." He admitted sheepishly, watching her study the amber stone. "I'm sure they realize its gone by now, but it has allowed me to keep my head in a lot of situations." The walk was going quicker than he had expected and they were already closing in on the harbor, the cool breeze off the water already making itself known. "Every single man on that ship had a trinket on his person to remind him of something. I just so happen to have the stone to help me stay out of trouble." Except when it comes to you... He thought, forcing him to keep his gaze averted, just in case she would see how he felt at this exact moment.

[moneky]

Jack would have let her go alone but seeing her grab the gun made him think otherwise. He quickly caught up with her, "Let me escort you." He said, "I'm assuming Joseph is your step-father?" He wondered if Sebastian had figured out that Marabelle was remarried. He figured he didn't otherwise he would have seen the captain's fury in someway shape or form. I don't really want to be here when he does find out... He thought to himself.

===

Josephine thought about what he said as she examined the amber stone. "So you're saying that every pirate is just a giant sweetheart on the inside?" She handed the stone back to him as she smirked up at him, "I don't believe you. I mean have you even talked to Old Willis? He does not have a nice bone in his entire body." She shook her head, chuckling lightly as she thought about the ship's grump.