(Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or any of its characters.)
To Pass the Time
Anchor's Edge was a lot calmer than Ragetti remembered it.
It was almost impossible to believe that such an epic sea battle once took place just offshore of this peaceful island. An endless supply of sandy golden beaches and rolling grassy fields made the location a virtual slice of paradise. The only reminders left of that fateful showdown with Beckett's armada were the peaks of Shipwreck Island looming in the distance.
One month had passed since Ragetti's return to the Black Pearl, and just as he'd heard from Captain Dunning on Tortuga, it hadn't taken long for the black-sailed ship to turn its bow towards Anchor's Edge again. It was on one of the isle's many overlooks that the spindly crewman found himself seated this afternoon. He'd wandered over there alone for a relaxing view of the ocean, but the sudden arrival of a bright-eyed four-year-old had given him some company after all.
"Alright," Ragetti prompted. "What's this?"
The child took one look at the wooden carving in the pirate's hand and confidently answered, "A fish."
"No it's not."
"Yes it is!" the small boy insisted. His half-giggling tone made it sound like this was the most obvious fact in the entire world. "It's a fish. It's got fins and no feet."
Ragetti smiled and shook his head. "But that don't make it a fish." He pointed to his figurine's tail. "See, the tail fins are lyin' flat. That means they moves up and down. Fish tails stick up sideways 'cause they moves left and right. And it don't have no gills either. This is a mammal."
"Fishie!"
"It ain't a fish! It's a marine mammal of the cetacean family! A warm-blooded animal! Is that a hint?"
The toddler was still laughing. "No!"
Ragetti sighed, exasperated. "It's a whale."
"I still think it's a fish," his student said, lifting his tiny arms in an over-the-top shrug. He was clearly mimicking the countless adults he'd seen do it before.
"Alright, it's a fish!" the buccaneer snapped sarcastically. "A warm-blooded, air-breathin', up-and-down-tail-movin' fish what can swallow yeh 'ole!"
His huffy surrender only earned more giggles. The lanky elder frowned and studied his wooden creation himself. Sure, it was no Statue of David, but he didn't think it was that bad looking of a whale. Even so, he realized just how ridiculous his argument with the boy was and quickly regained his casual disposition. Then he dropped the carving back into his pocket and began rummaging for another item.
"Oi, yeh wants an easy one?" Ragetti asked the boy slyly. He retrieved his second mystery object, one that he'd received from an old acquaintance rather than made himself. "What's this?"
"A crab!" was the other's gleeful answer.
"Aye, a piece of one." He watched as the lad poked curiously at the empty claw. "Yeh like crabs?"
"I guess."
The man calmly tucked Calypso's keepsake away again. "Well, try runnin' around wif one down yer trousers," he muttered under his breath.
That was when a third party interrupted their banter from behind.
"William? William!"
The funny pair turned their heads to see Elizabeth Turner hurrying towards them. She was clearly more concerned about where her son had been than what Ragetti would do to him.
The pirate smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. 'E followed me over so I stayed fer a chat."
Elizabeth swept the child into her lap with relief as she sat down. "Just don't try to recruit him," she said dryly. "There's enough pirates in our family already."
The sailor smirked at this apparent wisecrack and gazed out at the sea again. The Pearl was in plain sight from here, but that dark wooden hulk didn't seem to detract at all from the sunny scenery. It was the only vessel he knew that looked perfectly at home no matter where it was anchored.
To his right, Elizabeth glanced at the gaunt crewman and suddenly noticed his attire. Ragetti was now wearing Pintel's weathered blue jacket in place of his own slimmer green waistcoat. What was more, he had a rolled up red bandanna tied around his neck in the same fashion as his bald companion's ratty neckerchief. The woman couldn't stop herself from staring at this obvious homage, and she quickly became uncomfortable from the sight of it. At the same time though, she knew it couldn't just be ignored.
She tore herself away long enough to look down at her son. "William, dear? Why don't you go play by our tree over there?" She turned back slightly and pointed to the nearby landmark.
Young William gladly climbed out of her arms to obey. "Yes, Mama!" He scampered off without looking back.
"And don't wander off again!" his mother called warningly after him. "I'll be watching!"
With one eye locked on the youngster, Elizabeth turned her wary attention back to Ragetti. It didn't take long for the pirate to see this and realize what she found so fascinating, and he responded by tugging awkwardly at one of his hand-me-down sleeves.
The female Pirate King approached the matter with tremendous caution. "It fits you well."
Her older acquaintance kept his eyes down. "…It always was too small on Pinters," he replied flatly. There was a reason why his stocky uncle'd constantly left the jacket hanging open.
Elizabeth nodded and hesitantly rose to her feet again. It was plain to see just how much weight this subject had placed on her.
"Um…Ragetti, I…I want to know if you're alright." She carefully made her way around to sit on his left side, where it'd be harder for the one-eyed man to ignore her. "I've heard things from the other crewmen. They say they found you drifting alone at sea…and Jack had few good things to say about your reasoning skills as a result of it." Her last words came out sounding more grim than concerned.
"Aye, 'e's one to talk," the other pointed out with a faint laugh. "I'm surprised 'e 'finks I ever had reasonin' skills t'begin wif!"
His humor wasn't appreciated. "Is it true?"
Ragetti grimaced a little at her pressing tone and gave a confirming nod at last. "…Aye. Been 'bout a month since it 'appened…" His voice trailed off as it started to waver. He turned to stare directly back at Elizabeth then. "Why're yeh askin' me?"
The blonde girl broke their connection and glanced at the ground. "I'm just not sure how healthy it would be for you to stay on that ship. I know it's been a part of both of you for so long…But I'm worried that staying on board will keep reminding you that…well, that he's gone."
She wasn't the least bit surprised by Ragetti's defensive response. "Yeh 'fink stayin' here would make me forget it?" he asked brusquely.
Elizabeth turned her head away towards the tree in a stiff recoil. The man immediately regretted being so harsh, but a more cynical side of him sensed that there was more behind her concern than just friendly sympathy.
He softened his glare and spoke in a calmer voice. "Why're yeh really askin' me all this?"
She met his gaze again and quietly answered. "Because I know what you're going through. Pintel was like a father to you." She paused in sad thought but kept her eyes on his. "…I've lost a father. And I know there's nothing left for me in Port Royal. That's why I doubt I'll ever go back."
"Too many bad memories," Ragetti finished, understanding. He certainly couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid something so painful. After all, he himself had once said at the tender age of ten that bad memories shouldn't be memories at all.
Right then, however, he shook his head at the thought of his old words. "But…they're still memories, and that keeps 'im alive sort of." He finished by firmly pointing the subject back to himself. "I don't wanna forget Pinters."
"You shouldn't. But are you sure this is the best way to remember him?"
"I spent me 'ole life runnin' away from pain. Never gonna be a more ideal time t'stop and deal wif it, aye?" After a failed attempt to grin, Ragetti turned his attention to his bony hands. They weren't fidgeting at all.
"I been away from the Pearl b'fore," he continued. "Three times. It was 'ard enough watchin' 'er sail away then. An' anyway, life on board ain't exactly the same as it were b'fore. Yeh 'asn't met Jasper yet. 'E's just a lad, 'bout fifteen years old. Funny kid. 'E's so used teh pickin' people's pockets that 'e can't 'elp it anymore. Swiped a spyglass right from Cap'n Jack's belt two days ago, didn't even realize it! 'E was hidin' b'hind me the 'ole time when we went to give it back! And there's other people…they keep fings interesting."
Elizabeth laughed a little at the charming anecdote. Ragetti did grin then. "'Ow're you doin'?" he asked her in return.
Her laughter swiftly died down and she stared at her lap. "…It's been five years. I think I'm doing well."
The pirate frowned again. "Yeh doesn't sound so sure."
There was nothing for the woman to do but be honest now. "I miss Will. It's almost harder knowing that he will come back. There's a smaller barrier than death keeping us apart." She shrugged as she searched for a way to describe her feelings. "It just makes you feel even more powerless when you know you still can't break through it."
"But yeh can," her scruffy companion pointed out simply. "Yeh just 'as t'wait five more years. And I'm sure little Will 'elps pass a lot of that time."
They both looked back over their shoulders at the toddler, who was now giddily running laps around the tree's trunk. The sight of him instantly brought up the corners of his mother's lips.
"He does more than that," she said warmly.
At that moment, Jack Sparrow's unmistakable voice shattered the peace and quiet with an outburst of, "All hands to the boat, men! Move it along or head back the fish way!"
Ragetti and Elizabeth traded amused expressions. "Sounds like the captain's ready," Mrs. Turner observed.
The crewman sighed and stumbled to his feet. "Time t'see if I can still run as fast as I used to."
"Do take care of yourself," the girl said brightly as she also stood.
"You too." Ragetti held her gaze for a final second before he turned to go. However, he didn't take two steps before he abruptly came to a halt. An orchestra of thoughts spiraled through his mind at that moment, and he slowly reached into one of his pockets as he debated what to do next.
Finally, he reached a decision and anxiously spun back around. "'Lizabef?"
She was about to go her own way when his call made her stop. "Yes?"
"I…I want you teh 'ave this." He followed up by retrieving something from his pocket and holding it out to her.
Elizabeth blinked curiously as she accepted the item. It was a wooden carving of a whale.
"It's sort of a good luck charm," Ragetti explained. "I carved it meself…when Pintel was still alive. It 'elps pass the time, just sittin' and lookin' at it. Don't know 'ow it works, but it does."
The former pirate lord turned the figurine over in her hands, admiring its craftsmanship. She was truly touched by such a thoughtful offer, but at the same time, she was overwhelmed by the generosity of it.
"Oh Ragetti, I can't accept this," she said breathlessly, looking up at the buccaneer. "It means too much to you."
He held up his hands to stop her from returning the carving. "It'd mean even more if yeh kept it," he said earnestly. "'Nother test t'see if it really works, y'know?"
Elizabeth still felt undeserving of the selfless gift. "But it's a reminder."
Ragetti shook his head once more. "It's 'ope that you'll pull 'frough sumfin' difficult. I already 'ave." He shrugged one shoulder absently. "Just figured it'd mean more to you now."
Still in awe, Elizabeth Turner held the wooden token close like a priceless treasure. "Thank you," she said in a small but sincere voice. She watched the tall fellow start to walk away a second time, then whimsically added, "Who would've thought after all this, we were actually watching out for each other?"
The sailor paused and glanced back with a bashful smirk. It was true, he realized—he'd started the chain of favors by cutting the girl free from one of the Kraken's greedy tentacles, and she'd repaid him with her reassuring words as he sat before the estranged prison dog in Shipwreck Cove. Now they were both here, encouraging each other once again to push through the bitter obstacles that life had placed in front of them. Not a bad place to end up with someone he'd met by kidnapping.
"No one," he answered. "Not even us."
Elizabeth thought carefully about her final words to Ragetti. Looking at him now, she could've almost sworn that it was Pintel standing in front of her instead. The awkward, runty man that she'd met in Port Royal had become his older friend in every way possible: he wore the same clothes, bore the same scar, showed the same wryness, and even from what little he'd said about the boy Jasper, she could tell that he'd adopted the same mentoring role as well.
She smiled then as the perfect farewell came to her. "You're more like him than you know."
Ragetti understood her words immediately, and the deeply personal message brought a moist sparkle to his eye. He returned Elizabeth's smile, then with a small tug at his bandanna, he replied softly.
"Fanks, Poppet."
…………………
Jack Sparrow and his handful of boatmen found themselves aboard the Black Pearl again in a matter of minutes. The shores of Anchor's Edge were surprisingly steep in parts once they disappeared under the tide, and this allowed the ship to come fairly close to the island without beaching itself. This was incredibly convenient for Jack, who tried to keep his frequent visits as brief as possible. As selfish as he pretended to be, there was a well-intentioned side to the eccentric captain that kept bringing him back to the isle—with a mysterious bottle of water to give to Elizabeth. Ragetti had a pretty good idea what the liquid was, but he wisely kept his guess to himself. It made sense for Mrs. Turner to want to keep some of her youthful appearance for her now immortal husband, and Sparrow's magic drink would be enough to do the trick for at least a little while.
It didn't take long to find Jasper again. The young redhead was down on all fours beside one of the quarterdeck staircases with a scrap of dried meat in his hand. He was obviously trying to lure something out from under the steps, and he seemed so bent on doing so that he'd forgotten he was surrounded by other people. The lad waved his piece of bait in front of the dark hiding space, then promptly stuck one end into his mouth and pointed to the dangling treat with both hands.
Ragetti raised his eyebrows at this humorous display and casually stomped his foot down on the first step. A sharp hiss responded from the shadows and a sullen black and brown tortie cat came trotting out into view.
The older pirate tried his best not to laugh at the snooty animal. "Sorry, Hector."
It was only fair that Captain Jack had named a pet of his own after Barbossa; he'd definitely earned the right to after all those frustrating run-ins with Jack the Monkey. Sparrow didn't even care that his cat was a female, a detail that only added to the juicy insult.
Jasper handed his meat scrap off to the feline just then and scrambled excitedly to his feet. "Oi, Tom!"
"Kid, 'ow many times've I asked yeh t'call me Ragetti?"
"I can't help it! You said your name was Thomas when we met. Your first impression's always the strongest one."
Ragetti took a seat on the steps. "Who taught yeh that? Me?"
Jasper plunked himself down beside his pal with an all-too-familiar nosy expression. "You talked to her?"
"Like I never tried t'kill 'er b'fore in me life."
"She looked happy about something."
Ragetti threw on a silly suave face at this. He wanted to keep his conversation with Elizabeth to himself for now. "Eh. That don't surprise me the least bit. I've just got a natural way wif ladies."
A pair of slender hands suddenly reached down and rubbed his shoulders from behind. "Of course you do," a woman's voice said sarcastically.
The blonde sailor turned then and lost all of his charisma. It was Charlotte.
"Well…wif some," he restated lamely.
The female pirate let out a dry laugh and sat down on the step above the duo. "With three."
A curious silence filled the air between them as they locked eyes, then both crewmembers smiled. Ragetti slowly started to pull himself up closer to Charlotte, who soon found herself leaning down towards him in turn…
Their faces were only centimeters apart when the man abruptly froze. He'd felt the slightest bit of movement in one of his coat pockets, and quickly figuring out what it was, he shifted his eye over to Jasper.
"Crab claw," he said flatly.
The kid was confused at first, but his face went ghostly pale as he did a double-take at his hands. Sure enough, he was now clutching the swiped memento in his twitching fingers. He'd done it again!
The claw was anxiously tossed back to Ragetti, who paused to look up at Charlotte before returning it to his pocket. In the end, they settled for a quick peck on the lips.
A lot had happened in the past month.
The couple shared another meaningful gaze and took one another's hand before they turned to their antsy little matchmaker. Ragetti patted Jasper reassuringly on the back then impulsively looked out over the ship's rail at the sea. Just like that, his thoughts began to drift again, and he couldn't help but wonder if Pintel and Captain William Turner were also talking about him and Elizabeth on the other side right now.
Pinters may have always been his uncle, but the gruff fellow'd done an amazing job of denying it for twenty-six years. Regardless of this strange divider, he'd always maintained the role of a helpful if somewhat intimidating father figure. Thinking back on it now, Ragetti suspected that Pintel hadn't tried forgetting their relation solely to keep Rebecca out of his mind. The elder buccaneer had seen being relatives as an obligation to stay with that skinny child, and had wanted to prove instead that he'd stayed with him by choice.
In his head, Thomas Ragetti beamed at the baffling concept: he and Pintel had become a true family by pretending that they were never even related.
The one-eyed swashbuckler glanced back and forth between his dear Charlotte and Jasper. The three of them had become somewhat of a family themselves over the past few weeks. They'd all lost their closest loved ones somehow and tried their unique way of coping with the pain, but now that piracy of all things had thrown them together, they could all pull through as one. As long as he had someone to pass his time on Earth with, Ragetti knew he would never be without a family.
And that made perfect sense.
--
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(There you have it. My Pintel and Ragetti series has officially come to an end. I'm definitely happy with how the whole thing turned out, and as much as I enjoyed writing it, I'm REALLY going to enjoy watching the POTC movies again without worrying about finishing any fanfictions for them.)
-KRRouse