monkey

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Standing up as he did, Josephine opened her mouth to say something, about to follow after him when she was stopped by Marabelle's voice. She looked at the Captain's wife and let out a breath. Her instincts told her to go after Elijah, to comfort him as he would do for her whenever she had been defeated. She had never seen him look so angry. But Marabelle was right, he needed his space. With another heavy sigh, she nodded and followed the other woman out.

It wasn't until they reached the dining room was the silence between them broken. "Jesus, it didn't see the damage before." Josephine said. The table was broken and splintered with its chairs strewn about. The floor was littered with food, glass, and blood. "Its like a tornado has been through here."

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Geoffrey. There was always something off about him. Always sneaking around and smirking whenever the Captain passed. Sebastian never liked him but he did good work with the sails so he never had a reason to kick him off. He nodded tersely. He could see the hate tearing him apart for breaking Pirate code. But if Sebastian had learned something in all his years it was that sometimes, you had to snitch if it meant saving your life. Elijah would forgive himself eventually. He touched his wife's hand before he turned and left Elijah with his regret.

Josephine put her hand on Elijah's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. He always worked to fit in with the pirate crew and lived by all their rules. She could see the toll that breaking the rule of snitching was taking on him. He just wasn't having a good day and she wanted to hug him.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

With a clenched jaw and thinned lips, Sebastian reluctantly let the issue drop for the time being, not pushing him to stay aboard his crew. He knew quite well that despite his good-hearted and quiet nature, Elijah was still the son of Marabelle and was raised by pirates. If he had set his mind to something, he was not going to change so easily. Especially not if he had been thinking about the decision for a while, which he seemed to have been doing. He would convince him later after he took care of the matter at hand. "Who did it." He said finally, his voice still tight. No one would ever harm his family and live to tell the tale.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

It was no surprise to him to hear about the crew initiating new members by fights or tussles. Sometimes they were brutal but they were necessary to test the strength of the recruit. He remembered when he was on the ship for the first time, the scars he obtained. But he had always fought back and it wasn't long before the abuse had stopped. Most initiations lasted only a couple months after either they had proved themselves or the crew got bored. The fact that Elijah endured years of abuse right under his nose and without so much as breathing a word was a blow to Sebastian. Even though he understood his logic, the captain's stomach twisted into a tighter knot as his hands clenched at his sides. "Who were the leaders." He said, his voice quiet but heavy.

When Elijah stood up, Josephine stood as well. She was hesitant to reach out and put a hand on his back in order to steady him. He needed to show the captain that he was strong, even after being beaten down he could stand on his own two feet. And while she understood that, her hands itched to support him, to show that she with him. It wasn't until he turned away that she put a hand on his back, giving him a small smile.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

"The ship has never been hostile to you, Elijah. It has always been a safe place for you." Sebastian had carefully controlled his emotions, not wanting to show just how deep his words cut him. Josephine cleared her throat, "With all due respect, sir," she said softly, "The crew is completely different when you are not around. Especially towards Elijah." She had seen with a first hand look just how two faced the crew can be with the entrance of their captain. One moment they are vicious, the next they are as respectful as pirates are able to be. It almost gave her whiplash, watching the change in personality.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he regarded Josephine, "I think I know how my crew is, Josephine." He said coldly.

---

Amy chuckled dryly, "I'll be sure to tell him it's alright. It's a good thing Jones was a very successful pirate." She went back to focusing on her son's back. "Thank you for asking, though, Belle." She said again. Jack had looked up and opened his mouth to say something before seemingly changing his mind. "Glad he's okay." He mumbled, looking away again and not holding back a wince.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Lifting his hand, Josephine gently placed a kiss to the back of his hand. She had heard the rumors that Elijah was planning on leaving the crew as soon as they landed but never really thought anything of it because that's what they were, rumors. Pirates loved gossiping as much as women. And yet, his words suddenly put things into perspective. She wasn't sure where she was going to go from here. She couldn't go back onto the ship, not without Elijah. "If you're not going back, I'm not either." She said softly, smiling at him.

"You're not going back? On the ship?" Sebastian had walked in to check on his son. He frowned as he looked from Josephine to Elijah, "It can't be just because of this..."

---

Amy looked up from cleaning the wounds on her son's back, "Thank you, Belle." She said, "But I think we have everything. How is Elijah doing?" She asked, dropping a small piece of glass into the tray beside her. Jack's hands were clenched on his thighs, trying not to wince as his mother pulled glass from his wounds. There wasn't much, according to her but he wondered if she was just saying that to make him feel better. At the mention of Elijah, he looked up, still feeling absolutely terrible for blowing up on him. Eli was right. He was the one who drove Josephine away. He didn't know what had gotten into him. It was as though Alice was a hurricane, uprooting everything he thought he knew about himself and his life.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

It was no surprise to her to see the brutal aftermath of a pirate fight. Elijah's wounds were not even the worst she's seen. But just seeing them on him caused Josephine to worry. He was the one who broke up fights, not got into them. She played with her hands nervously, brows knitted when Marabelle pulled his shirt open to reveal a patchwork of angry red splotches. Her worry had dissipated when he chuckled and spoke casually, as if he didn't have a run in with Jack. Typical Elijah, never wanting anyone to worry over him. A small smile pulled at her lips as she shook her head. Taking Marabelle's spot at the side of his bed after she left, Josephine took his hand in hers. "You think you look bad, you should see the other guy." She smiled slightly, "I can't believe you kicked him through the window."

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Jones recognized the look that was blazing in Josephine's eyes and stopped her before she started to move any further. "Don't do anything you'll regret." He said in a low voice. Josephine looked away from Jack to meet Jones' eyes. The stern look seemed to tell her that if she took another step, he would end her. She backed away, shooting one last glower at Jack before going to help Elijah. "Oh Eli," She frowned, looking at him, gently putting a hand on his cheek.

Jack watched with narrowed eyes as the three left the room. Amy ran over to her son, "Jack, honey." She cooed, reaching out for him but he jerked away from her and Sebastian. "I'm fine." He said, now focusing on the two people in front of them. The adrenaline along with his anger ebbed, giving way to the throbbing pain everywhere in his body. Sebastian narrowed his eyes, "What the hell was that all about?" He asked. Jack simply shook his head as he slowly began to realize the cost of his actions. The captain lifted the other man up by his shirt and pushed him to the wall, "If you aren't going to tell me, fine. But if this happens again, I will tear you limb from limb. I will not have this type of recklessness in my crew, do you understand?" His voice was low but filled with danger. Jack was silent, avoiding the eyes of the livid captain as he nodded. Sebastian let go of him roughly, letting him fall to the ground before turning and walking out.

As soon as he was let go, Amy ran to him, not noticing the tense look that was shared between the fathers of the two combatants. She knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his cheek, "C'mon. Lets get you cleaned up."

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Just as Jack flew through the window, Jones and Josephine came bursting in. Josephine gasped and ran towards Elijah, "What the hell happened?!" She asked, looking around at the grim faces that surrounded them. At that moment, Jack came bounding back into the house bloodied and eyes filled with bloodlust. He was stopped by Sebastian who blocked his way towards Elijah, "Stand down, Jack." He shouted, holding him back. "It's over!" Jack stopped fighting against Sebastian when he saw Josephine kneeling beside Elijah. She looked up and met his eyes with a look of fury, "Did you do this?" Her voice was low as she started to stand up, hands clenched into tight fists.

A Pirate's Life For Me (Catt/Monkey)

Sebastian followed his wife and saw the scene playing out in front of them. The two men were spitting swears and throwing punches. Jack had managed to push Elijah off of him and rammed him onto the table. The wooden furniture couldn't handle the weight and snapped underneath them. They didn't seem to mind as Jack managed to straddle Elijah, throwing punch after punch. The captain was surprised to see his son holding his own, blocking many of Jack's blows. He was always the calm one, breaking up the fights that occurred on the ship. His inexperience still showed, Jack still was the more seasoned fighter, yet he still managed to get in a couple of good shots. Sebastian knew better than to break up a fight between two pirates, especially one this passionate, without a second backup but Jones was nowhere to be seen. He frowned, wondering just what exactly brought the two men to blows. He asked the question to Amy whose only answer was a bitter, "Josephine."