A Pirate in Time (Completed)

BONUS Chapter L/R

But where would I get a dress at a time like this?

I furrowed my brow, paused in thought, and then slowly turned to face the building behind me.

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"Please, Sir," I begged as I hauled my massive skirts up to take a step forward without tripping, "I only wish to see my husband. Please. I don't know what to tell the children."

"Please calm down, Miss," one of the Redcoats said, holding up his hands as if I were going to strike him.

I tried with every fiber of my being to come across as the distraught wife, and as I continued to beg, I willed tears into my eyes.

"I won't be much trouble," I continued, grabbing one of the men's arm as I pleaded, "I just don't know what to do."

"What is the name of your husband, Miss," one of the men said, looking down at a piece of parchment on the desk.

"Brown. Jacob Brown," I used the name I always used when I needed one on the spot. I bit my lip and wrung my hands together as I waited for his reply.

"There seems to be no man by that name here."

"Oh no," I let out a fake sob and started to ramble, "I'm not too late am I? He didn't come home and when I asked Marcy and Anna, they said their husbands saw him being dragged from the pub. I was so sure he was here."

"Calm down," one of them tried to comfort me a bit. I could tell he felt very awkward in this situation, "Maybe he is here. He could've used a false name."

I paused my rambling and looked up at the man, "Do you really think so? Could I see? I must know if he's down there. I must!"

"Y-yes," he looked quite uncomfortable as he tried to get me to stop wailing. "I'll take you. Just, please, calm down."

I nodded and wiped away the fresh tears on my cheeks, taking deep breathes as I pretended to get a hold of myself. In reality, I was suppressing the urge to smirk. I had convinced them to let me in. Now I just had to get my brother out.

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It didn't take much to knock the man unconscious. One swift punch to the nose made him crumple to the ground. I pulled his limp body down the hallway until I found a storeroom.

Just to be on the safe side, I kicked the side of his head, ensuring that he would stay unconscious, and stole his clothes. I left the bulky dress with him and posed as a Redcoat myself as I went on a search for my brother. I swung the keys nonchalantly as I passed each cell.

I recognized a few of the men as fellow pirates, but smirked at the thought of them facing the gallows. Though I could set them free, I decided to leave them be.

"I do believe that's a personal best," Liam's voice echoed out of a cell to my right. I turned and flipped through the keys, trying to find the one that corresponded with his cell. It took a couple tries, but I found it.

"Let's go," I whispered in an annoyed tone, grabbing his arm and hauling him down the hall.

I pulled him into the storeroom and saw the Redcoat was starting to wake up. I kicked him again for good measure before I started to take off my coat.

"Get dressed," I told Liam, holding out the jacket and moving to undo the buttons on my shirt, "Weren't you saying you needed a new uniform anyway?"

"Yeah," he said as he started taking off his own shirt. I moved behind some crates to finish undressing myself and threw the rest of the clothes towards my brother. Then I did my best to get back into the dress.

A few minutes and a whole lot of cuss words later, I was summoning tears and clutching my brother's tricorn against my chest. There was no way we were leaving that behind. The rest of Liam's things were either tied to my leg with a bit of rope or strapped to the belt beneath my skirts. I often liked to joke that I could smuggle a whole army into a castle with one dress.

I started to sob uncontrollably as we got closer to the front office.

"Jacob," I wailed, clutching the hat to my chest like it was the last thing my husband had given me.

Liam kept his head down, shielding his face with the military issue tricorn most Redcoats wore. Out of common decency, most of the men averted their eyes at the scene I was causing, pretending not to notice.

"Allow me to escort you home, Miss," Liam mumbled under his breath, though none of them would be able to tell his voice was different through my dramatic sobs.

We walked out unscathed, and as we walked down the street in the pouring rain, my sobs turned into laughter. I gave my brother a high five as we left the prison well behind us. I put his hat on to shield me from the rain as we walked back to the seamstress's cottage to grab my stuff.

Elwood Smith would have to wait. Right now, Captain Thomas was expecting us back at the ship.