Title: Marketplace
Disclaimers: I don't own any pirate/ship and I don't wish to.
Genre: family/vignette
Rating: nothing you should hide from.
Summary/Set: some time after AWE. Gibbs runs into a surprise.
Pairing: Sparrabeth, big time.
Note: English is still not my first language and it will never be, no matter how long I stay in Scotland for.
From his place on the hill by the outside tables of the Palisadoes Inn, Captain Gibbs could watch the crowd mingling on the noisy market right below him. Sellers prompting potential customers to look at their produce, the water boy slushing the buckets past him, animals protesting being handled, it sounded and looked all different from the constant grinding of the waves and the endless blue of the Caribbean, so Joshamee Gibbs set out to spend the whole market day with his rum on the balcony. Besides, he didn't know many women in Port Royal and spotting a lonestanding wench on the market was as good of a place to start as any.
His eyes darted over the choices that he could approach later, there was a tall woman too, but she was too finely dressed to take any interest in him. He disregarded her till she turned. A bit older, a bit rounded, but still her, life was there in her movements as she lifted a piece of fabric and seemed to be waving at someone several steps away, a man holding a yearling, so she could show the product to him as well to see what he thought of it. Elizabeth Swann, the pirate king. What could've become of her? He stood to run down to talk to her before she disappeared among all those people again, he'd always wished he would see her one day, just like he wished Jack'd come back and reclaim the Pearl. It has been five years since he'd left telling him all of a sudden it was some important business he had to take care of, but not tell him what.
He was by the railing running down the side of the steps that would've taken him down to the stalls when the man Elizabeth was with, shifted, revealing more to him than just his back. There was hardly any sway in his walk, no dreadlocks or goathy, just long black hair and a mustache, no sash, no hat, no coat, just a white shirt. Yet Gibbs knew with utter certainty even from that distance it was Jack.
Jack, holding a little boy's hand, holding another in his arms, kissing Elizabeth and then giving her a little bag of money to pay for the purchases as the baby wailed in an attempt to get passed over to his mum as well. Elizabeth was busy paying, so the child settled back with Jack, hugging him by the neck. She smiled at ease and waved back at Jack, letting him know she'll be ready to go soon.
Gibbs was frozen mid step. He wasn't sure what to do now. Those two acted like a couple, a well oiled and loving couple and they had children! Jack was more or less shaven, looked sober and there was nothing about him that could've suggested to anyone he was a pirate, a captain, or even a sailor once. It was wonder that propelled him forward, he was going to surprise them, ask them what he was up to, drag him into the tavern at least for a little chat. He sneaked close, there were still a couple of stalls between them and as he was so intensely studying the vision of the family in marvel he would've been stepped on by a couple of hoofs if not for jumping behind a parapet at the last moment.
The hoofs came to a halt and the rider jumped off, James Norrington was heading straight towards Jack and Elizabeth too. The handshake between the two men was amicable, then the children did eventually get handed over to Elizabeth while James pulled Jack over to the side and under the very balcony Gibbs was sitting on only moments earlier. The navvy officer showed him some papers and after what seemed like a prolonged conversation to Gibbs, they shook hands again.
"You can't do this to me and the children, James," Gibbs could hear Elizabeth's voice as the family group accompanied James back to his horse, "how can you send my husband away when it'll be Christmas time?"
"Cause noone else is apt enough to steal it," James mounted his horse.
"It's good money, Lizzie," Jack answered as well, "as always," he winked at James, then stopped in his tracks when he spotted Gibbs, him being the only person who was facing in his direction. Jack squinted, then took a deep breath before he continued, "you can count on me James." He remained standing in the same place after the others moved on, looking straight at his old first mate. "Good bye Joshamee," he nodded at him, then quickened his pace to hold his wife by the hips as they walked towards the town hall.
The End.
