Press-Ganged (2/7) (Spuffy AU)
Mar. 9th, 2007 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomcornerTitle: Press-Ganged
Author: Hils
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.
Summary: London, 1800. William finds himself in the last place he expects. The Royal Navy.
Dedications: Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladyanne, opulence and jazz_police for the beta :)
"I don't understand," Elizabeth sobbed as her parents awkwardly tried to console her. "How can William be gone?"
"We don't know, dear," her mother tried to soothe. "The police have said they'll do all that they can to search for him, but in a city the size of London…" The unspoken words as her voice trailed off made Elizabeth cry harder.
"Elizabeth," her father said firmly but gently, causing his daughter to raise her red and puffy eyes to look at him. "I will round up every man I can to help with the search for William. Whatever part of London he's in, we'll find him."
* * *
"Th-there must be some mistake," William stammered as his eyes took in the endless ocean that surrounded them. "I'm not a sailor."
"You soon will be." The man who had first addressed them sneered, bearing down on William. William coughed, the man's stale breath causing him to choke. Roaring laughter seemed to come from every man on the ship as he gagged and tried to compose himself.
"Looks like we've got a delicate one 'ere lads. We'll 'ave to whip 'im into shape."
Knowing laughter this time and William gulped. He didn't like the sound of being whipped into shape.
“I'd like to be taken to whoever is in charge of this vessel," he said with more confidence than he felt. "There has been some sort of mistake and it needs to be rectified.”
A finger prodding his chest, hard, caused him to cough again.
"Now you listen to me, lad, and you listen good. As far as you're concerned I'm in charge around 'ere. You do what I say when I say it or there'll be trouble. Got it?"
"But I really must protest! I…"
He barely saw the fist swinging towards his face before everything went black - again.
* * *
"Still no news?" Elizabeth's mother asked as she stood in the doorway of her daughter's room with her husband. Elizabeth lay sleeping peacefully in bed, the result of a sleeping draught the doctor had given her.
"Nothing," Elizabeth's father replied sadly whilst gazing fondly at his slumbering daughter. "We've searched everywhere we know and there's no sign of the lad. It's as though he's vanished into thin air."
* * *
William had no idea how long he had been unconscious but he woke with a headache, and a bruised jaw too. He soon found himself put to work cleaning the decks of the ship. Common sense had told him that to argue would only result in another fist to the face, so he worked quietly, even though the smell of the dirty water made him nauseous. All that was on his mind now was how to get back to London and Elizabeth.
After half an hour of mopping with the sun beating down on his head, William found himself thirsty and exhausted.
"Excuse me?" he called softly to the man who was working beside him. "Where can I get some water to drink?"
The man stopped his own mopping for a moment and stared at William in wide-eyed surprise. Then, much to William's annoyance, he began to laugh.
"A drink?" he asked between chuckles. "Oh, you must be one of the new boys."
"I am." William replied haughtily, not used to being laughed at. "But I don't belong here. I was kidnapped."
More laughter and William found himself becoming increasingly annoyed. All he wanted was a little sympathy for his plight, and so far nobody seemed to care.
"Not many of us are supposed to be here," William's co-worker finally said. "Shortage of people wanting to join the Navy, apparently, so when they ran out of volunteers they started taking people."
"But … but that's wrong!" William exclaimed vehemently. "And illegal, surely."
This time he received what was almost a patronising smile. "They don't care where the sailors come from so long as they get them."
William sighed and wiped a hand over his sweat-drenched face. The heat was starting to make him feel ill.
"I can't stay here. I've just become engaged. I must get back to Elizabeth. She will be worried about me."
The man looked at him with something akin to curiosity and smiled sympathetically.
"You got a name?"
"William."
The man extended his hand. "I'm Xander."
* * *
"Miss Elizabeth, would you like something to help you sleep tonight?"
Elizabeth sat in front of her dresser while Willow, her maidservant, brushed her hair for her. Elizabeth noticed, tiredly, that she barely recognised her own reflection any more. Her face was pale, her eyes red and her cheeks sunken. Her hair hung dull and limp around her shoulders and the only time she’d slept was when she had taken one of the pills the doctor had left for her. She wasn't sure how long it had been since William vanished, but it felt like an eternity. Nobody ever spoke of him around her as they knew it would distress her, but she knew that they had stopped looking for him. They'd given up.
"Miss?"
Willow's voice drew her out of her thoughts and she gave a small smile. "Not tonight, thank you."
Willow nodded and gently set the brush down before kneeling beside her mistress.
"Oh Miss Elizabeth, I wish there was something I could do to help. It hurts me to see you suffering like this."
Elizabeth turned to face the redhead who had more or less helped to raise her from birth. Already the wheels were turning in her head. She couldn't just sit around waiting for news that William was dead. She had to do something.
"Willow, there is something you can do."
* * *
"I had a girl once," Xander told William as they continued to mop. Much to William's dismay, he'd found out that water was only distributed at certain times of the day and it was hours until the next ration was due. Nevertheless, he refused to perform his work without a shirt as Xander did. It just wouldn't be proper.
"Tell me about her," William encouraged, desperate to take his mind off the blazing heat.
"Anya." Xander smiled fondly. "She was amazing, in every way, if you get my meaning."
William blushed. He'd soon realised that Xander had no qualms about talking of the more intimate aspects of a relationship and it made him quite uncomfortable.
"How did you end up on this ship?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.
Xander shrugged. "Not much to tell, really. Got drunk in a tavern one night with a bunch of men I'd just met and woke up here."
"And you never attempted to escape?" William asked incredulously. "You never attempted to get back to Anya?"
Xander sighed. "You're new here, William. You'll soon see that once you're in the Navy, there's no getting out."
We'll see about that, William thought to himself.
* * *
Elizabeth's mother tapped lightly on the door of her daughter's room, a tray of food in her free hand. She hoped that if she brought it herself rather than sending one of the servants Elizabeth might actually eat something.
"Elizabeth?" she called when there was no answer. "Are you awake?"
Opening the door, she frowned when she found the room empty and the window open. Setting down the tray, her eyes fell on a single sheet of paper which was lying on the bed. Picking it up, she scanned the words.
"Oh no, my baby," she whispered as the contents of the short note pierced her soul. She collapsed, sobbing.
Mother, I’m sorry to have to leave you and Father but I'm not prepared to give up on William. Willow and I have gone to undertake our own search for him.
Please don't worry and I will return to you as soon as I can
All my love,
Elizabeth
Part 3
Author: Hils
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.
Summary: London, 1800. William finds himself in the last place he expects. The Royal Navy.
Dedications: Many thanks to
ladyanne, opulence and jazz_police for the beta :)"I don't understand," Elizabeth sobbed as her parents awkwardly tried to console her. "How can William be gone?"
"We don't know, dear," her mother tried to soothe. "The police have said they'll do all that they can to search for him, but in a city the size of London…" The unspoken words as her voice trailed off made Elizabeth cry harder.
"Elizabeth," her father said firmly but gently, causing his daughter to raise her red and puffy eyes to look at him. "I will round up every man I can to help with the search for William. Whatever part of London he's in, we'll find him."
* * *
"Th-there must be some mistake," William stammered as his eyes took in the endless ocean that surrounded them. "I'm not a sailor."
"You soon will be." The man who had first addressed them sneered, bearing down on William. William coughed, the man's stale breath causing him to choke. Roaring laughter seemed to come from every man on the ship as he gagged and tried to compose himself.
"Looks like we've got a delicate one 'ere lads. We'll 'ave to whip 'im into shape."
Knowing laughter this time and William gulped. He didn't like the sound of being whipped into shape.
“I'd like to be taken to whoever is in charge of this vessel," he said with more confidence than he felt. "There has been some sort of mistake and it needs to be rectified.”
A finger prodding his chest, hard, caused him to cough again.
"Now you listen to me, lad, and you listen good. As far as you're concerned I'm in charge around 'ere. You do what I say when I say it or there'll be trouble. Got it?"
"But I really must protest! I…"
He barely saw the fist swinging towards his face before everything went black - again.
* * *
"Still no news?" Elizabeth's mother asked as she stood in the doorway of her daughter's room with her husband. Elizabeth lay sleeping peacefully in bed, the result of a sleeping draught the doctor had given her.
"Nothing," Elizabeth's father replied sadly whilst gazing fondly at his slumbering daughter. "We've searched everywhere we know and there's no sign of the lad. It's as though he's vanished into thin air."
* * *
William had no idea how long he had been unconscious but he woke with a headache, and a bruised jaw too. He soon found himself put to work cleaning the decks of the ship. Common sense had told him that to argue would only result in another fist to the face, so he worked quietly, even though the smell of the dirty water made him nauseous. All that was on his mind now was how to get back to London and Elizabeth.
After half an hour of mopping with the sun beating down on his head, William found himself thirsty and exhausted.
"Excuse me?" he called softly to the man who was working beside him. "Where can I get some water to drink?"
The man stopped his own mopping for a moment and stared at William in wide-eyed surprise. Then, much to William's annoyance, he began to laugh.
"A drink?" he asked between chuckles. "Oh, you must be one of the new boys."
"I am." William replied haughtily, not used to being laughed at. "But I don't belong here. I was kidnapped."
More laughter and William found himself becoming increasingly annoyed. All he wanted was a little sympathy for his plight, and so far nobody seemed to care.
"Not many of us are supposed to be here," William's co-worker finally said. "Shortage of people wanting to join the Navy, apparently, so when they ran out of volunteers they started taking people."
"But … but that's wrong!" William exclaimed vehemently. "And illegal, surely."
This time he received what was almost a patronising smile. "They don't care where the sailors come from so long as they get them."
William sighed and wiped a hand over his sweat-drenched face. The heat was starting to make him feel ill.
"I can't stay here. I've just become engaged. I must get back to Elizabeth. She will be worried about me."
The man looked at him with something akin to curiosity and smiled sympathetically.
"You got a name?"
"William."
The man extended his hand. "I'm Xander."
* * *
"Miss Elizabeth, would you like something to help you sleep tonight?"
Elizabeth sat in front of her dresser while Willow, her maidservant, brushed her hair for her. Elizabeth noticed, tiredly, that she barely recognised her own reflection any more. Her face was pale, her eyes red and her cheeks sunken. Her hair hung dull and limp around her shoulders and the only time she’d slept was when she had taken one of the pills the doctor had left for her. She wasn't sure how long it had been since William vanished, but it felt like an eternity. Nobody ever spoke of him around her as they knew it would distress her, but she knew that they had stopped looking for him. They'd given up.
"Miss?"
Willow's voice drew her out of her thoughts and she gave a small smile. "Not tonight, thank you."
Willow nodded and gently set the brush down before kneeling beside her mistress.
"Oh Miss Elizabeth, I wish there was something I could do to help. It hurts me to see you suffering like this."
Elizabeth turned to face the redhead who had more or less helped to raise her from birth. Already the wheels were turning in her head. She couldn't just sit around waiting for news that William was dead. She had to do something.
"Willow, there is something you can do."
* * *
"I had a girl once," Xander told William as they continued to mop. Much to William's dismay, he'd found out that water was only distributed at certain times of the day and it was hours until the next ration was due. Nevertheless, he refused to perform his work without a shirt as Xander did. It just wouldn't be proper.
"Tell me about her," William encouraged, desperate to take his mind off the blazing heat.
"Anya." Xander smiled fondly. "She was amazing, in every way, if you get my meaning."
William blushed. He'd soon realised that Xander had no qualms about talking of the more intimate aspects of a relationship and it made him quite uncomfortable.
"How did you end up on this ship?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.
Xander shrugged. "Not much to tell, really. Got drunk in a tavern one night with a bunch of men I'd just met and woke up here."
"And you never attempted to escape?" William asked incredulously. "You never attempted to get back to Anya?"
Xander sighed. "You're new here, William. You'll soon see that once you're in the Navy, there's no getting out."
We'll see about that, William thought to himself.
* * *
Elizabeth's mother tapped lightly on the door of her daughter's room, a tray of food in her free hand. She hoped that if she brought it herself rather than sending one of the servants Elizabeth might actually eat something.
"Elizabeth?" she called when there was no answer. "Are you awake?"
Opening the door, she frowned when she found the room empty and the window open. Setting down the tray, her eyes fell on a single sheet of paper which was lying on the bed. Picking it up, she scanned the words.
"Oh no, my baby," she whispered as the contents of the short note pierced her soul. She collapsed, sobbing.
Mother, I’m sorry to have to leave you and Father but I'm not prepared to give up on William. Willow and I have gone to undertake our own search for him.
Please don't worry and I will return to you as soon as I can
All my love,
Elizabeth
Part 3
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Date: 2007-03-10 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-10 12:21 pm (UTC)