Double drabble: "On The Fly"

[veronica_rich]

"On The Fly"
POTC double drabble
Rating: PG
Characters: Elizabeth
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. This is a nonprofit piece.
Summary: What happened after Daddy Swann busted his cygnet out of jail in DMC.
A/N: Could be seen as a prequel to 'Hatchling Rising' if you like. Both are sort of canon "missing scenes."


She needed to get out of this rolling prison before they reached the docks, and find Will-

Father’s driving the carriage.

The chill of the realization blasted away much of Elizabeth’s disgust at Weatherby Swann’s disregard for Will’s life. The governor driving himself, especially at night, was bound to raise attention with Beckett’s undesirables swarming Port Royal. It wouldn’t take much to find her in the back once he stopped … and she knew against whom the next death warrant would be sworn out.

She couldn’t be in the carriage when he arrived. Hiking her skirts, she leaned into the door, gripping the handle; when he slowed for a curve, she twisted, shoved, and hit the ground rolling, cushioned by her already-filthy dress.

On her back near the trees, Elizabeth stared at the stars through the latticework of branches, gingerly testing each of her own limbs. Found alone, maybe he could pass as a desperate, doddering father – if he played his cards right. His only chance of rescue now was with her – just as soon as she tracked down Will. And Jack. He owed them, dammit.

She blew out a breath and pushed herself upright. Time to get to work.

Comments

[caniad.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this! I like that you brought out a moment in the film that seems to get overlooked. I can imagine it happening exactly as you describe.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it so much. Thanks!

[immortal-jedi.livejournal.com]

Nice. I can see this happening

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading!

[unseen-quill.livejournal.com]

I do so love gap fillers. :) I really love that you touched on her feelings about his attitude toward Will. Good work. :)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Swann still hasn't learned enough about his own daughter to realize that when he tells her, basically, "Your fiance's screwed, he'll probably die - get over it and move on" that it's like waving a flag at a bull. And the thing is, he MEANS well - I'm sure if Will were a father in 20 years in the same situation, he'd feel the same way about his daughter's life over that of her boyfriend's.

[equilibrium44.livejournal.com]

That's a scene thay could easily have considered in the film. (as if it weren't long enough already!) But they probably didn't want to muss her up too much for her confrontation with Beckett.

Nice to know what she was thinking though. :D

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well, I can see why they didn't show the escape - it has more impact if the audience *thinks* she's about to be captured and then they see the empty carriage, just like Swann does. It sets it up for people like me to write drabbles like this. :-D

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

An interesting and very plausible "deleted scene". Good one!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

If you're wearing that many layers, I'd think you couldn't be hurt TOO badly leaping from a speeding carriage! (Plus, it's the governor driving - how fast could it be going? *G*)

[mamazano.livejournal.com]

Finally! Someone addresses Elizabeth's concerns for her father. Yes, she would want to save Will, but I've always wondered about her father and his fate, and how much it affected her.

A plausible scene indeed, and very realistic.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

She's a practical woman - surely it couldn't have escaped her notice her father was going to be caught anyway. Better that it just be him and them unable to *prove* he busted her out, than her be arrested with him and have no chance of finding Will (and maybe Jack) to come back and help her get him out of danger.

Although, this is sort of negated by her running off to pull Jack out of purgatory instead of telling Tia Dalma how that dirty so-and-so tried to sell her future husband down the river, and he could rot for all she cared - she had a father to save.

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Always wondered how she got out of that carriage. This is a perfect deleted scene -- good job!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

If you're wearing that much padding - to quote Van Halen - might as well jump! *G*

[compassrose7577.livejournal.com]

Ah, those little missing scenes that none of us (at least, those of us who are pre-occupied) would have thought of.

For sure, Lizzie is quite capable of resolving her own dilemmas, whether they are of her own doing, or ones that she has been led into. Resourceful certainly has to be her middle name.

Jack does owe her and Will both... it's just a matter of making him see it there way.

Good stuff!!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I agree that like a few other characters in this series, she's capable of solving her own dilemmas; however, I think we've seen them all (including her) in situations that they would have died/been injured/etc. had one of the other characters NOT been there to rescue them. (This isn't appropos of anything except that elsewhere I've seen far too many "that meddling Will! she never needed him butting in!" comments to let an opportunity pass, even if that's not what's being said. *G*)

I have a few more scenes in mind. It's just as they come to me and they don't do it that often ...

[venusinchains.livejournal.com]

"His only chance of rescue now was with her..."

Ahh, and this could explain a bit of her willingness to fight (what looked like) a hopeless battle to avenge him. If she felt she'd failed him by not rescuing him (besides realizing, at some point, that she'd left him to a horrible fate), she might also feel that paying with her life (and the lives of a few thousand random pirates, not to mention Will) might be worth the risk.

And, yeah, it makes much more sense than her trying to sneak away after Mercer and his henchmen show up. I like. :)

I need a neutral Liz icon. I seem to have deleted all I used to have. :-/

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

It occurred to me that if she'd waited until they reached the docks, there's no way she wouldn't have been noticed - Beckett's men were waiting. So she had to get out before then, and she's sharp enough that it had to occur to her Swann was doomed whether she was in the carriage or not - better to be free and try to get help than be arrested along with him.

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

Great look into Elizabeth's thoughts during that odd scene.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I thought she had to be wanting a way to get to Will, but I like the idea she was also looking out for her father as much as she was able.

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

Through the films, she does seem to care deeply for her father and this look into her running shows that well.

[roguedemon.livejournal.com]

NIce missing scene. That's one of the great uses of fanfic -- filling in missing scenes, and we seem to get less of that lately.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well, not if you count all the post-AWE fics out there. Of which there are a LOT, LOL.

But I figured there had to be a reason for her to escape, and had she waited until they reached the docks, she couldn't have, especially in that heavy dress - Beckett's men had Swann surrounded almost immediately.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Great idea! This seems very IC. And I had always assumed she slipped away when he stopped, but this would work out much better for her.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I think if she'd waited that long, they might've gotten her. But somebody else could write a story to convince me otherwise! *G*

[danglingdingle.livejournal.com]

This has the DMC-adventure- drive in it which mostly gets buried under all the angst, understandably.

Nice filler, fits perfectly.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Considering that's the only thing I liked about DMC, I have to find and resurrect it on occasion! Thanks. :-)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Goes nicely with your icon. :-)

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

That would probably be what happend, yes. Interesting...

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

My version. And I'm sticking with it. :-D

Praise from Willofthewisp

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, "latticework of branches, gingerly testing each of her own limbs." Spectacular description! Yes, Governor Swann's "plan" to save Elizabeth isn't as well thought out or effective as, say, other people's plans to rescue her. Fortunately, she's practiced at thinking fast. I like the transition from regarding her father with utter disgust to sudden concern for him. This is the last time she'll see her father alive, and it's not really the best parting for them. It's a nice few seconds of reflection and preparing herself mentally for what all she will have to do. The last line is so good. So simple but so true to her core.

Re: Praise from Willofthewisp

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I like the transition from regarding her father with utter disgust to sudden concern for him.

I think we all go through this at some point with a parent, or at least a lot of us do, if not more than once - the simultaneous realization they're not the person we want them to be, and acknowledgement they're the only father/mother we'll ever have. But I also think as they're leaving the jail she's so fixed on Will's problem that she's not thinking of Weatherby's problem - much as I love Will, I'd like to think at some point it occurs to her that her father is putting himself in danger for her safety - and that she appreciate it.

Thanks!