What's the Plan?
Im back with a new POTC story. Its been awhile since ive written one but inspiration hit. So i hope you enjoy this new one. If anybodys reading the Buffy fic that may not be updated for awhile, i hit a brain block...sorry. But heres my a new story!!! YAY!!! Sadly i dont own these characters. darn.
Summary: What will it be like when Jack first comes back? I mean, he died. How will it be for him and the others? Especially since Barbossa is back. Its a new side for Jack to show and feel.
Jack sat on the bed in the captain's cabin of the ship he was currently on. This new ship held the remaining members of his crew, Will and Elizabeth, and Barbossa. Jack sat with his hands in his lap staring across the cabin. He was having trouble connecting the past events. Thoughts were swarming through his mind. The last thing he remembers is jumping into the mouth of the Kraken. Now, apparently, it is two months later and he is back from the dead. He could scarcely hear Barbossa shouting orders on the deck. Jack couldn't figure that one out. Why was Barbossa back? Why is he on ship with him? Jack slowly stood and started walking around the room. Everything was as it should be. It was a pirate captain's cabin. Jack noticed the bowl of apples on the table. Just like Barbossa he thought. Jack moved back to the bed and sat down with his head in his hands. Everything was alright. There were no traps in the cabin he currently occupied. There were also no clues as to why he was alive. Did they save him? We're they all there to help? Is he in Hell? Is something terrible about to happen? Is he even supposed to be back? If so, why is he back? Jack didn't like not knowing what was happing. The only way he felt comfortable was when he was in control of everything around him. Jack let out a breath and fell back on the bed closing his eyes. It was strange how tired he was after being dead. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door open.
"Shhh…he's sleepin." Jack recognized the voice of Ragetti.
"Put the food next to the bed." He heard Pintel demand.
Ragetti slowly moved towards Jack and set the food down on the table next to the bed. He picked up the other tray of food that was brought in earlier. It looks like it hasn't been touched. He let out a sigh. Before turning to leave he looked at Jack and almost dropped the tray when he saw Jack staring at him.
"Captain you're awake!" Ragetti exclaimed.
Jack slowly sat up. "You still call me Captain?" He question. "I thought that would be Barbossa now."
"Captain Barbossa is captain of this ship. Your captain of the Black…" Pintel stopped what he was saying.
"…Pearl." Jack finished for him. "I was captain of the Black Pearl." Jack stared at the food for a moment before turning back to the two others in of the room. "I guess I'm just plain old Jack now." Jack sounded almost defeated.
Pintel and Ragetti looked at each other. They never heard Jack sound like that. They would never describe Jack as weak. It shocked them how tired Jack sounded. He sounded like he didn't care about anything.
"You should eat." Pintel proposed.
"What would be the purpose of that?" Jack asked
"You need to gain back your strength. The food will help with that." Ragetti said. "You went through some ordeal."
"I did." Jack said simply. He picked up a piece of bread and stared at it. He was about to make a comment when the door opened again. "Why don't the two of you head out?" He suggested. Pintel and Ragetti looked between the two before scurrying out of the room. "What brings you hear, Captain Barbossa?" The sarcasm was evident.
Barbossa walked over to the table and sat down. He didn't miss the full trays. He picked up an apple and tossed it to Jack. "Eat; you haven't had anything in three days." He bit into his apple. "As to why I'm here, it's my cabin."
Jack tossed the apple back. "Then what brings me here?" He ignored the comment about eating.
"Isn't that a question?" Barbossa said between bites.
"Are you going to answer?"
Barbossa stared at Jack for a moment before standing and heading over to the window. He could also hear the lifelessness in Jack's voice. He opened a window and threw the apple core out. "You're well liked by your crew." He sat back down. "That, and Elizabeth is feeling mighty guilty. The boy just wants to make her happy as well. Tia Dalma seems to think you can stop some of the badness that is heading this way as well." Barbossa continued when Jack didn't say anything. "…Bad as in Davy Jones and the East India Trading Company."
Jack let out a humph. "She thinks I can stop that?" He asked in disbelief. "I'm a pirate not some super man."
"You did stop a crew of undead pirates among other things." Barbossa pointed out. "If it wasn't for the boy, you could have shot me sooner and been done with it. Just like his father he is. You stopped my cursed crew."
"And here I am talking to the one I shot through the heart. Why are you here? Did Hell really spit you back out?"
"No, but I've been told that I have a touch of destiny to me." Jack stood and started walking around the room again. Barbossa watched him. "I'm supposed to help you."
"Out of the goodness of your black heart" Jack mumbled
"That, and for some reward I have yet to know of."
"That's incentive."
"Everyone has a price."
Silence fell over the cabin. Both pirates could feel the uneasiness of the other. They haven't been alone like this in over ten years. Even then it wasn't this quiet. They were always fighting about something.
"I won't take orders from you, Captain Barbossa." Jack finally said.
"Nor I you, Captain Sparrow; there is something in this for the both of us. We want the same thing so it shouldn't be too hard to find a compromise."
"There was something for the both of us at the Isle as well. That didn't stop you from mutinying." Jack argued. "Did you just want the fancy title?"
"I will admit I underestimated you. I thought you were to young and had a few loose screws." Barbossa gave him an unapologetic grin.
"So now I'm supposed to trust you. You're here with two of your old mates. How am I supposed to here you speak of compromise."
"Just hold a sword to those two. They will fold instantly. You know that. And I never asked you to trust me."
"That makes me feel so much better." Jack said standing next to the table.
"There's more of your crew on this ship. I doubt they'll let anything happen." Barbossa added.
"Will and Elizabeth; I didn't expect them to come back for me. I'm surprised Will doesn't know that I ki…" Jack stopped himself
"…kissed Elizabeth" Barbossa finished. "They had a big to do about that. My observations say they made up, but are still on rocky ground. Elizabeth regrets it all."
"I'm sure she does."
"It hurts her to know that she used something against you that she knew you wanted." Barbossa looked for a reaction. He saw the small smile on Jack's lips. "You never wanted her, did you?"
"She's a lovely lass. But no, I never wanted her. It was just fun to mess. I do regret it if I placed something in her head though."
"It still hurts her. She wanted you back."
"So what; now I'm back and she has redemption?" Jack let out
"Not until you give it to her."
"Well, in that case, she has it." Jack put his hands on the table and leaning forward. His head was really starting to hurt.
"The headaches are a side effect. They will go away shortly." Barbossa offered. He was also dead and brought back.
"Brilliant." Jack muttered under his breath
Barbossa moved back to the previous conversation. "Does she really?"
"Would you forgive the one who killed you?" Barbossa raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sorry and never will be, but if I was, would you forgive me? You're back aren't you? Do you forgive me?"
"I see your point."
Jack let out a sigh and sat in an empty chair. "She did what she believed needed to be done. I can't blame her for that."
"That was always one of your worst qualities. You are to forgiving and trusting." Barbossa rested his booted feet on the table. "That's one thing I would have changed about you."
"Well congratulations because you did." Jack said in mock honor.
"Not enough."
"It's a start."
"I believed you were also too young. You've proven me wrong."
"I do that a lot."
"That's how you've survived."
"You're awfully open this evening."
"We should be on the same page. Just because I'm saying this, doesn't mean I wouldn't do it again." Barbossa watched Jack. "You loved that ship. Would you have really left her?"
Jack thought for a moment. "No…I almost did, but I wouldn't leave her. She was everything to me."
"You and I have a lot in common."
"We always have…except I would never mutiny. When I go to Hell, if I ever get there, it will be for other reasons." Jack watched as Barbossa stood and started walking to the door. "How many are on the ship?"
Barbossa opened the door. "Nine" he said before walking out.
"Turner" Barbossa yelled "Get up here!"
"I'm not part of your crew." Will snapped as he approached the wheel. "Don't treat me as if I am."
"That's to bad because only crew members get to steer the ship." Barbossa smiled off to the side.
Will looked at Barbossa a little surprised. He wasn't expecting such a generous offer. He moved to the offered wheel. "Do I just hold it?" Will asked
Barbossa held the wheel for a moment longer until Will got used to it. "She'll want to take over, go her own way, so hold on tight, but don't force her either." Barbossa turned to leave, but before he did he said, "You're a lot like your father in more ways than looks."
Will was thrown off by that comment from Barbossa. When he recovered he asked, "Where are you going?"
"I've been up for to long. Even I need to sleep sometimes."
Will nodded and watched him go. He held the wheel and muttered, "This isn't so hard." Just then the ship jerked to the right. Will quickly wretched the wheel the back on course throwing the crew again. "Sorry!" he called.
"You have to hold her tight. The minute you let go, she's going to run."
Will turned to see Jack coming up the stairs. "I didn't know you were out. I'm sorry if that threw you off."
"I'm not weak William…"
"I never…"
"You think that I am. I'm getting used to it. I've been in that cabin for three days straight. I had to get out." Jack leaned on the rail in front of Will. "Besides, I think Barbossa would break our truce if I didn't give his bed back."
"Did he threaten you to leave?" Will asked standing a little straighter.
"Calm down, Mr. Turner. I can take care of myself. I was out when you took the wheel." Jack almost smiled. "You should really learn to control your anger." He suggested
Will ignored the comment. "You and Barbossa have a truce?"
"The only ungentlemanly thing he did to me was mutiny. Even though that is pretty big and I hope he rots in hell…again, he is good on his word."
"How can you be so sure after everything that's happened between the two of you?" Will was generally confused
"I've known Barbossa for more than ten years. We weren't always on opposite sides of the line." Jack explained. "We're all still alive, aren't we? I'm not saying I trust him, but he after some reward that Tia Dalma offered. He wont do anything as long as he wants that."
"I guess he hasn't let us astray yet." Will answered. He turned his attention back to the main deck.
Jack watched where Will's eyes went. "You have to hold her tight. The minute you let her go on her own, she's going to run."
"She's not a ship."
"And she's not a woman."
"You cant compare Elizabeth to a ship."
"A ship longs for freedom, adventure, and life. As does your lass. If you don't let them explore, then they will fight back and in the end you will lose."
"That is some philosophy you have come up with." Will shifted feet
"It's not mine." Jack admitted. "Your father told me that when I first held the wheel. He didn't compare her to any particular girl, but women in general."
"I have to admit that one of my motives to helping you was so that you could help me." Will said
Jack knew what he was talking about. "It was never my intention to leave him behind. I was always going to free him. William Turner doesn't deserve 100 years like that."
"Eternity" Jacks eyes snapped to Will's. "He bet eternity…for me."
"How did that come up?" Jack wondered out loud
"I needed to know where the key was so I challenged Jones to that dice game. I bet my soul for eternity for the key. My father then bet his…"
"…and he lost." Jack mumbled. "See where you get that stupidity from."
"What was your plan?"
"What do you mean? Jack asked confused
"You always seem to have a plan. What was it?"
"I always seem to have a plan. I don't plan out my plans. I take them one step at a time." Jack smiled. "You do it too. You make a good pirate."
"Just like my father, right?" Will almost sounded bitter
"He never wanted a pirate life for you. If he could've, he would have stayed with you and your mother."
"He said that his heart belonged to the sea."
"Look at what he has become. He wanted you to forget him. You know what he looks like."
"When did you see him?" Will asked suspiciously
Jack realized he never told Will about the meeting. "He was the one who told me that Jones was coming." Will just nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"No you're not."
"No, but it was nice to say."
"I will free him." Will said strongly
"Yes, we will."
Will gave Jack and thankful smile then returned his gaze to Elizabeth who was sewing a torn mast. "I'm sure she hates sewing that thing. She would rather be treated like the rest of the crew."
"She is. That's one of the lower jobs reserved for new crewmembers." Jack informed.
"Then why am I steering?"
"I was asking myself that. But if she keeps it up, she could become captain of her own ship someday." Jack actually laughed at Will's expression. "Do you remember Ana Maria?" Will nodded. "That's just where she started. Now she's captain of The Blue Diamond."
"You got her a ship?"
"I found it and brought the Pearl up next to it and had her take it over. After I checked it out I let her claim it as her own."
Silence fell over the two as they watched Elizabeth. She was the center of their thoughts but in different ways. It was Will who spoke his first. "I saw the two of you on the Pearl before…everything."
"It didn't mean anything." Jack said quickly and truthfully
"It did, don't lie to me Jack. It meant something." Will said angrily and let go of the wheel. Jack quickly grabbed it and steadied the ship before anything happened. He watched Will walk over to the side of the ship. Jack tied a rope around the wheel to keep its course then moved to stand next to Will. "What did it mean to you?" Will asked quietly
"Honestly?" Will nodded. "We were dancing around it for awhile. It wasn't about love or passion or even lust. It was about who would break first." Jack stopped and looked at Will. He couldn't place the expression on the boys face. "She wants power of her own that she has never had."
"What does that mean?"
"She's a woman of high class. She has protocol to follow. She has rules to abide by and males in her life telling her how to do everything. Now she's with me who she knows doesn't see her as less than a man, but I still wont give her anything. She wants to have control over me. I want to make sure she realizes that she will never have it. We would never be together because we would both try to top the other."
"Are you saying that she can control me?" Will almost sounded offended
"I'm saying she loves you with all her heart. She will let you control her in some ways. If you hold on to her, she will never stray."
"So what you said before you fell off the side of the fort was true."
"No…what I said before I jumped off the side of the fort was true."
"Of course" Will laughed
Jack let Will have his laugh before saying. "You have to hold her tight. The minute you let her go on her own, she's going to run." Jack repeated
"That actually makes sense now."
"I rarely say things that don't make sense."
"Would you have followed us off the Pearl?"
"No" Jack said without hesitation.
"So what she did was in vain."
"She did what she believed she had to do. You can't blame her for that. After all, I am a pirate."
"But a good man" Will insisted
"Well whatever I am, I died for it." Jack said quietly. He looked at Will. "People die Will. Why am I back?
"You're needed."
"Others are need too, but they still stay dead." Jack said logically
"We need help and you are the only one who can do it." Will clarified
Jack hated how Will was talking like he would make a difference. He still couldn't see why everyone thought he could stop this. As far as Jack saw it, piracy was over and everyone would just have to get used to it.
"You really do forgive me, don't you?" Jack asked is disbelief
Will nodded. "She explained it to me. A part of me blames her, but I still forgive her. I love her."
"I know."
"I would do anything for her."
"I know.
"I trust you."
Jack looked at Will and Will looked at Jack. Jack nodded, hating how Will said that. Jack didn't know how to handle being trusted. "I know."
Jack, Barbossa, Will, and Elizabeth were all seated in the captain's cabin. They had to find a way to stop Davy Jones and Beckett. The only problem was that nobody foresaw convincing Jack would be so hard.
"If we don't stop Beckett from getting the heart, then we all will be in danger." Will said again
"Is it really worse if Beckett has the heart instead of Davy Jones?" Elizabeth asked.
"Beckett can control Jones if he has the heart." Will explained.
"If Jones has it, it may be easier to get it from him. He has one ship while Beckett has a fleet." Barbossa said. "All we need is a plan." He said.
Barbossa picked up an apple and leaned back in his chair. He offered it to Elizabeth who was sitting at the table with him, but with a chair between the two. Will leaned against the desk that was placed not to far away and kept an eye on Barbossa as Elizabeth declined.
"We need a strong plan; one that will surely not fail." Elizabeth said.
The three occupants all looked to Jack who was sitting on the bed staring at his hands that were placed in his lap.
"So Captain Sparrow, can you grace us with one of your miraculous plans?" Barbossa asked hopefully, but trying to cover it with sarcasm.
Jack, who was still fiddling around with his hands, finally looked at the small group. He realized they were waiting for him to say something. "Alright…" he began slowly. "Here's the plan." The three leaned forward ready to work through whatever Jack was going to say. Jack almost smiled at the look of anticipation on the faces. "First we sail to Port Royal. Once we're there we walk up to Lord Beckett and ask him for the heart of Davy Jones." The others quickly heard the cynicism in Jacks voice. Jack stood up and began to walk around the room and talk with wild gestures. "Hopefully he will just hand it over. If he doesn't, then we can just fight off his lovely little army that will most likely be lead by the reinstated Commodore Norrington." The room was completely silent. "Lastly, we can all say our goodbyes in our cozy jail cells before we meet for one last time at the gallows prepared just for us."
"Jack…"
Jack didn't let Will get far. "Better yet…" He said in mock happiness. "Lets find Jones if Beckett hasn't already. Maybe we can make a deal with him. We all know that can't turn out badly." Jack finished. He looked to the party sitting in the room. "So, what do you think?" His face lost its happy mask and turned hard. When nobody answered he said, "I thought so."
Barbossa was the first to speak. "How do you know that Beckett already has the heart? I thought Norrington took the…oh" he realized what happened.
"What?" Elizabeth asked confused
"Norrington took the chest." Will said sadly
"Not just the chest, dear William, but the heart as well." Jack said. "I took the chest out and put it in the jar of dirt. Norrington is a smart man. He figured that out and ran away with the chest, no doubt handing that over to Jones' fish faced crew and running off with the heart." Jack fell into the chair between Barbossa and Elizabeth. "Have I missed anything?"
"We have to do something." Elizabeth insisted
"I already gave my idea." Jack said lazily. "It's somebody else's turn."
"You're Captain Jack Sparrow." Elizabeth said standing. "You've lived through more than any man could ever dream of living through. Your not even dead yet and you are a legend." She said firmly. "Your bested the devil."
"Is that Jones or me?" Barbossa asked
"It can be both for all I care!" She yelled standing in front of Jack. "My point is that you never stopped or gave up. Why start now?" She knelt down in front of Jack and rested her hands on his knees. "Let's pretend we're still on the Pearl. What would you do? What would your plan be if nobody else interfered?"
Jack covered her hand with his larger ones. "Elizabeth" He said sweetly, endearingly even. She smiled a little. "The only ones to ever kneel down before me have been whores and men begging for their lives." Elizabeth's smile fell as did Jack's sweetness. "You are neither. As for what I would do on the Pearl. I would do what I was originally going to do. I would watch the only lifeboat sail away from the deck." He quickly stood up knocking Elizabeth back in the process. "I would have then walked up to the helm and waited for the beastie to come and take me down with my ship." Jack ended as he reached the door. Without turning to the group he said, "Once you've come up with something, tell me if you like." Jack opened the door and left the room slamming it behind him.
"He blames me." Elizabeth said staying on the floor.
"He's upset." Will said kneeling in front of her. "He knows you did what you had to. He told me himself." He assured her.
"He told me the same thing." Barbossa interjected as he got up and walked to a window that viewed the deck. He could see Jack leaning over the rail watching the water. "Captain Sparrow has left and in his place is the human side known as Jack. So pull yourself together because this got a little harder."
"You speak high of your former captain after mutinying against him." Elizabeth said bitterly.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you, young lass." Barbossa smiled. "I did it because I didn't think he could handle it. I'm nearly double his age. He was young and inexperienced. But that is beside the point. Let's plan."
Gibbs was standing at the wheel as the other four talked in the cabin below him. He could occasionally here Jacks raised voice and guessed the talk wasn't getting far. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a door slam and Jack stalk out onto the deck and over to the rail. The other crewmembers were smart to stay out of his way. Even though he didn't have any weapons on him, which was unusual in itself, he could hurt somebody if provoked. Gibbs gave Jack a few minutes to cool off before he handed to wheel over to Cotton and headed down towards Jack.
"Is everything alright, Captain?" Gibbs knew that was a stupid question, but he didn't know how else to break the silence.
"This isn't my ship." Jack looked over his shoulder. "I'm not a captain."
"If I said that to you some years back, you probably would have put a sword through me."
"Things change." Jack muttered
"Aye, things and people are always changing, just like the wind."
"What are you getting to, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked tiredly
"You've changed since we first met." He replied
"People are always changing, like the wind." Jack copied
"You've grown more confident and daring…more of a risk taker."
"And look where it's got me."
"I wouldn't mind being where you are." Gibbs admitted. "You have a life that any man would want...even if they won't admit it."
"What kind of life is that?" Jack feigned interest
"A free one; you created a free life in a world where nothing is free."
"Well, that may soon be over."
"So what are you going to do about it?" Gibbs asked expectantly
"About what"
"About everything...anything" Gibbs answered
"I'll let it run its course. What else can I do?"
"You can do something. You can always do something." Gibbs persisted
"Like what; a magic trick?" Jack asked. He faced Gibbs. "I'm just a man. If you are so sure that something can be done, you find a way."
"I'm not the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow."
"I am just a man." Jack repeated
"A man who has never let death play a factor in his life"
"Until now"
"I didn't realize I was talking to a ghost." Gibbs watched Jacks mouth move, but no words came out. "You cheated death again."
"So I did." Jack said quietly
Gibbs watched as Jack's eyes looked down and to the sides. Whatever was said, something clicked within Jack. "What are you thinking, Jack?"
"I'm thinking about when I made my deal with Jones." Jack answered rubbing his hand. "It was thirteen years or until I died." Jack could see that Gibbs didn't get it. "I died Mr. Gibbs." Jack smiled and stood a bit straighter. "I think I need to find Jones and make a new deal with him."
"Do you really think that wise?"
"Jones is missing something he wants back badly. I can get it for him."
"For what price" Gibbs asked slowly.
"For our dear William" Jack smiled
"Which one"
"Both" Jack turned to back to the cabin he occupied a short time ago.
"How are you planning on getting the heart?" Gibbs called
Jack turned and gave his signature smile. "You'll see." Was all he said
Gibbs shook his head. "I'll see once you figure it out." He murmured
Jack pushed the door to the captain's cabin and the talking inside immediately stopped. He strode in and stopped behind Elizabeth's chair and rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her. She returned his smile. Jack then moved over to the empty chair between Elizabeth and Barbossa.
"Here's the plan…"
The End