Disclaimer – Disney owns the entire franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ah, the delight of a parent on his kid's first words… well, almost. A short piece.

First Word

Captain Teague gazed on his son as Jack happily babbled away. "Say da, Jackie…" he coaxed.

"No, Jackie, say ma…" Jenny kissed Jack on the nose. Little Jack clapped his hands in glee.

They had pulled in at St Martinique's harbour to load on supplies and spend their swag. Meeting the crew of the Bloody Sunday in port was an unexpected bonus with the usual rough-housing between Grace O'Nelly and her former crew. Jenny Wren, the new captain of the Bloody Sunday, had come on board the Misty Lady to visit her little boy while her mother was doing some serious catching-up in terms of fisticuffs with her sons, grandsons and other assorted kin and kith in Mother Carey's. When they left, two of Jenny's brothers had been tossed out of the upstairs windows and a nephew was being dunked in a rain-barrel by some annoyed sailor. Teague's crew fared slightly better with the lads rushing old Joe Peewee to the doc after getting stabbed in the butt by an irate wench. Slick Milton and company had jumped ship after having their fill of Granny Grace's cooking and Teague knew he would need to recruit new men before he could take to sea. In all, it was a typical night out in town.

Little Jack had been wary of the flamboyantly-dressed pirate at first. The toddler hardly recalled how his mother looked like since it was a year since they last saw each other. Jenny Wren had stitched silver coins into her skirt and they twinkled and jingled like bells when she walked. A pearl-studded vest of boiled leather was cut low enough to reveal her cleavage. Jenny had also set gemstones on her shoe buckles. An emerald and a ruby twinkled from under her voluminous skirts. The Bloody Sunday had enjoyed a successful run pillaging Spanish treasure ships. She soon won Jackie over with a shiny medallion of St Isabelle, which she claimed to have plucked out of the dead fingers of a Spanish captain.

"Goo-goo… Ga-ga…" Jack babbled as he tottered about the cabin. Honest Tom the babysitter had gone out on deck to allow the parents some privacy with the tot while he saw to his wounds. Jack had an unfortunate habit of biting his babysitters ever since he started teething. Granny Grace had made a leather teething ring but Jack still preferred making his babysitters yelp. Everyone hoped Jack would break his habit of biting folks soon now that almost all his teeth had grown in.

"Say da, Jackie boy…"

"No, say ma… You can do it my sweetie."

Jack stared at his parents through his wide eyes. "Goo-goo baba gaga…"

"Da, Jack, Da…" Captain Teague urged.

"Ma, Jack, Ma…" Captain Jenny Wren urged. "Say mama for mama, sweetie."

"Bababa booboo googoo poo!" Jack babbled and clapped his hands. Then he opened his mouth and yawned.

"Think we better get Jackie to bed, Jenny…" Captain Teague relented. It was late.

"Aw, I was hoping to hear him call me ma before we leave on the morning-tide…" Jenny Wren pouted prettily. Their eyes met over their son's head. Put Jackie to bed, then go onto the gun-deck for some catching-up of their own… Jenny stealthily brushed her shin against Teague's and gave an impish wink. Teague slipped his arm around that narrow waist. Perhaps they could get a little girl this time. Or a little brother to keep Jackie company…

"Bwawah baba bwoo?" Jack looked up at his parents in innocent bewilderment. He tottered over to his da and clutched his leg. He yawned again. Teague lifted his son into his arms.

"Time for bed, Jackie," Jenny said as she stroked her son's hair. She almost wished that Jackie was on her ship instead of with Teague, but…

CRASH! Granny Grace kicked in the cabin door again, the third time that month. Teague groaned. That door would need to be fixed, again. And he needed to hire a new carpenter after the last one died from a serious reaction to their cook's weevil cookies.

"Hey, Captain, it is time for Jackie to get his nightly feed!" the grandmother held the wineskin aloft.

Little Jack's eyes lit up, reached out with his chubby arms and opened his little mouth.

"Rum!"

Both parents gaped at the first intelligent word out of their son's lips.

"What did ye say, Jackie boy?" Teague asked slowly.

"RUM!" Jackie hollered and reached out for his nightcap. "Rum, rum, rum, rum!"

"Smart laddie, ain't he?" Granny Grace chuckled. "Much smarter than saying ma or da…"

Jenny let loose a scream of frustration and stormed out of the cabin. Oblivious to his mother's wrath, Jack took the wineskin from his grandmother and settled down for his nightly rum-laced milk before bed. Teague only shrugged and lowered his son onto the bed. Jenny was screaming something on the deck about ingrate offspring and drunkard parents. But Teague could not care more even if she were scuttling his ship.

"So that's yer first word, Jack? Proper word for a pirate, innit?" Teague ruffled his son's dark hair. Rum. He felt he could use some himself.

Author's Notes:

Little Jackie wants his rum, how sweet.