Mighty Pirate Hunter

Disclaimer: I have no idea. Let's see, I guess I am responsible for John and Josephine, the rest are not mine. How is that?

Getting Ready For The Hunt

It was the last day of June in Port Royal, Jamaica. It was very hot and humid; the pleasant airs of spring were long gone.

It was on this day, Captain John Norrington, captain of the Sea Lion, left his home and made his way down to the docks. As the seaport surrounded him, he became more alert, more alive. His stride became lighter, more confident; his eyes sharper, more observant. In the town he was just a man, but here he was a captain.

John Norrington was a handsome man. Twenty-one years old, of medium height, he had the sun-bronzed face and hands of a man who lived on the sea. His hair had been bleached to a light brown by the sun and salt spray. He was young for a captain, but his career came easy to him since his father was Commodore James Norrington, of the Royal Navy. He was very much like his father.

But he reminded himself, he was a captain in his own right, his father had never, and would never; give a captaincy to any one who wasn't qualified. He liked to think he was respected among his peers, and not just because of his father's influence.

To his left were the docks, where the ships were moored. The masts and yardarms were all lined up, standing at attention, bare of sail, like a floating forest waiting to be discovered. Many were merchant vessels, all waiting for the next cargo, the next sail. Every day ships came and went, loaded and unloaded by strong men. Today, it was his ship that was being loaded, stocked with fresh supplies, and he was going to set sail and hunt for dreaded pirates.

"Hello, John, I hope you have not been waiting long." His father walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"No, I just arrived." John answered.

"Good. Has Josephine come with you or will she arrive later?" James scanned the dock before focusing his gaze back on his son.

"She will be coming in the afternoon. She wanted to stay a little while longer with her Grandfather. He, like her, is upset at the disappearance of her mother and father."

"Indeed, indeed. But you and I both know her father, William Turner, is a pirate."

"Father, Josephine has never denied that William Turner has the blood of a pirate in his veins but he has never conformed to piracy. He has worked with you for many years and you know Elizabeth would have nothing to do with such scoundrels."

James smiled insincerely. "You are probably right."

"Probably?" John shot a scornful look towards his father.

"Excuse me," James stepped back. "I stand corrected. You are most accurate, Elizabeth is a fine woman and so is her daughter, Josephine. They would have no dealings with pirates, even if Elizabeth did stand up for Jack Sparrow and claim him to be a good man. No, she would indeed have nothing to do with pirates." James inadvertently rolled his eyes. "You are obviously correct, and I will drop the subject." James looked towards the horizon, changing the topic of the conversation. "You, my son, are a lucky man to have Josephine for your wife."

"I think so," John agreed as a smile spread across his face.

James glanced at the Sea Lion. "So are you about ready to sail?"

"The ship will be ready by late afternoon. There are still provisions to load, water and such, but that should be no problem."

"Do you really think it is wise to take Josephine with you?" James questioned.

"Father, it is her parents we are seeking. It will be good to have her with me. She does know how to use a sword and she has heard the tales of Captain Jack Sparrow. I must say the tales she tells me do not match the ones you have told me."

"Very well son, you believe what you want to believe, but remember, Jack Sparrow is a very manipulative and devious individual. We can only assume Captain Sparrow has William and Elizabeth since we had a sighting of The Black Pearl only three days ago. When I sent the fleet out to meet her, she left swiftly and we have not seen her since."

James winked at his father. "Have no fear father dearest. I will find Mr. and Mrs. Turner and I will capture Captain Jack Sparrow, or I am not the mighty Pirate Hunter I have claimed to be."

The Commodore laughed. "I will check on the rest of your supplies. You go fetch Josephine and say hello to Governor Swann for me. Get a bit of lunch and by that time the ship should be ready to sail."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Josephine was waiting for her husband. She knew by evening they would be at sea and she was not sure if she was happy about it or not. They could be at sea for months. She knew she might experience too much heat or cold, terrible storms, maddeningly flat calms, eating the same bland food and drinking stale warm water…why was she subjecting herself to these hardships?

There were two answers to that question. The first, and most obvious, was her desire to find her parents; the second was because she had the opportunity. This way she could see the world and sail with her husband. She could think of no other place she would rather be.

She had married John when she was sixteen. He was nineteen almost twenty. They had known each other since childhood since his father and mother, James and Mary, were very close to William and Elizabeth Turner. She thought back to her wedding day as if it were just yesterday, but in actuality it was one year and a month to the date.

Returning to the present, she heard the clock on the wall chime the noon hour, reminding her that her husband would soon be returning.

She pinned up her long golden hair carefully. She wanted it to look its best under the hat she had picked to wear. She cocked her head toward the mirror as she inserted modest silver studs into each earlobe and smiled at her reflection. She then touched her cheeks with a little powder and was now satisfied with her appearance. She looked very much like her mother, drop dead beautiful.

She went over to the large window and pressed her forehead against the glass, looking to see if she could see John coming. As she did this, the door opened behind her and he walked in.

"I'm sorry I was so long," he said reaching for her. He gave her a strong hug and a long kiss ignoring the fact they had only a few hours ago separated.

As he released her, and she him, their fingertips lingered on each other for a second.

"Come, let's go get something to eat and then we will leave. I am starving," John smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

Josephine made a last minute adjustment to her hat and looked at her husband. "Yes, I'm ready."

It was late afternoon when John returned to the dock with Josephine. She was filled with excitement as she looked at all the ships. As Josephine looked about, the masts and yards they also reminded her of thick woods. They were as thick as trees in a winter forest, trees devoid of leaves. The bare rigging hung like vines, but unlike the trees of nature, with limbs and branches bent and twisted, these trees were uniformly straight and tall, their limbs horizontal.

Below the rows of masts and yardarms were the ships themselves, long dark hulls docked side by side. A ship at sea, seen at a distance, might seem sleek and trim, but up close they became incredibly huge.

At first she was unable to pick out John's ship then she recognized its name. Her heart swelled as she saw John's face beaming with pride.

"Well here she is," John announced. "Your new home away from home, welcome to The Sea Lion."

Josephine placed her hand into John's and looked up into his happy face. "Why John, you were reading my mind."

John picked up her hand and kissed it lightly. "Tell me now darling if you are having any second thoughts?"

Josephine smiled. "None at all. Let's go aboard and set sail to hunt pirates and to find my mother and father."

A/N Don't worry, I promise the next chapter will have plenty of Will and Elizabeth. Yes, Jack too. I hope you all enjoyed this and please send a review. It is always nice to know someone is reading. I will say five reviews would be nice, but I won't beg.

TA FOR NOW

Lovely Raven Sparrow