InsaneJournal

Who: Mary Read (Can be open to Anne & Jack)
What: Turns out pirates dream of all sorts of things
When: Early Thursday morning
Where: Their home in the Keys


It didn't matter whether or not Mary drank before bed, more often than not, she dreamt of her first life. Or was it just remembering while she was asleep? She wasn't really sure. Either way, it was almost like a film reel playing out behind her eyes.

The sun sparkled off the water the way it always had, the shadow of the main sail covering the deck. The riggings creaked and groaned in the wind, and Mary's hair got caught in it, dancing out behind her head. The air smelled of smoke, sulphur, and salt, and she held a pair of pistols, firing them at the men who had dared to come invade her ship, her home. She could see Anne and Jack out of the corner of her eye, and then there were more of the enemy and less of theirs, and Mary felt her blood boil.

She aimed her pistol into the hold, firing off a round and watching a body fall. "Come up, you cowards, and fight like men!" she bellowed, stamping her foot. But they didn't reappear, and then there were half a dozen guns aimed at her, and that was it. She threw down her pistols, cursing, and they clapped her in irons and took her away.

They threw her in a cell and left her there until trial, and Mary spent most of that time pacing and looking out of her tiny window, sometimes talking to whoever was in the next cell over. (Was it Anne? It's been so long, she can't quite remember.) And truthfully, she's not really surprised to hear the verdict, and the sentence, and as she watches Jack being led away, she knows it's likely she'll never see him again. And she's right.

At least she and Anne slipped the noose for a time. Funny how being pregnant will do that. She wonders what the baby will look like, what it'll be like when it grows up, since she might never know.

And when she gets ill, at first she puts it down to the pregnancy. There's a tiny human growing in there, of course her body's going to feel the affects. But it doesn't get any better, and soon, she can't even rise from her bed. Her body's on fire, then racked with chills, and the guards have to pour water down her throat so she doesn't die on their watch. Everything's too bright, and it's all out of focus, and she just wants to go to sleep...

Mary sat up, staring into the dark. All of that was behind her now, even if the dreams sometimes plagued her at night. She sighed, pushing the blankets off her and rising from the bed, doing her best not to disturb anyone. She padded out to the kitchen, pouring a small drink for herself and taking it to the patio. The sun wasn't up yet, and the moonlight reflecting off the waves was beautiful. Mary missed her life at sea, but she figured that living here, with the two most important people in her life, well, that was a pretty good trade off. After all, she could still be dead and forgotten, buried in a common grave in Spanish Town. (Which she sort of was, if you thought about it. Her old body, anyway. This one was a newer model, but you'd never catch her complaining about it.)

She sat in one of the deck chairs, watching the light on the water, watching the waves roll in. Sooner or later, she'd go back inside, but not right now. It was too perfect to break the spell of the moment right now.