Ch. 6 Growth
Mondays were no one's favorite day. For most it signaled the starting of a vigorous work week or the end of a prosperous weekend. For Traci this Monday meant the end of her relationship.
She wasn't sure why she even bothered to sit there and listen to Peter's bullshit of a reason for why he was breaking up with her. She had a feeling, as Alyssa had warned her, that the real reason was a redhead who was of better access than Traci. The more Peter babbled on about how he'd been so confused since winter break and that he didn't know long distance would be so hard, the more irritated Traci became.
"Why can't you just have the balls to tell me the truth?" She looked him in the eye and he adjusted his hipster glasses under her gaze. A nervous tic he had picked up when he was trying to build an argument. "Please, just…tell me the truth. I deserve that much from you, don't I?"
He'd stared at her, aghast at her comment. He accused her of making up things and telling her she'd always been suspicious of his friendship. He made it seem like she was the one with the problem. It screwed up so viciously to one final point in his attempt to cleanse himself of any wrongdoing that Traci couldn't take it anymore and just slapped him across the face.
"You're a coward, Peter Sharpe," she said and with those last words she abandoned him on the park bench while he collected his wounded pride. She walked right into the arms of Alyssa who was waiting for, baseball bat in hand, and ready to pounce if Traci needed it.
"He's not worth the effort," she told her friend and the two slunk off to try to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and that's how Traci Trinidad's summer love went out with a whimper instead of a bang.
Alyssa had to return home in the afternoon to see how damage control was on the house so Traci spent the afternoon babysitting her new-found pirates who continued to argue, explore, and frustrate everyone in the house. Her mother was more freaked out by their presence than ever when she learned that the little creatures were actually going to grow into full-sized humans along with their ship.
"How are we going to care for them?" Meredith had almost fainted at the news. Traci didn't have an answer for her. All she knew was that her now small secret was growing into a big, big problem.
By Wednesday Alyssa was permanently back home and not sharing a room with her sister though she visited the Trinidad house more often than her family probably wanted her to, Traci was cleaning in preparation for Alex's new visit, and the pirates had already started growing. They were each now a full twelve inches tall and there ship had escalated in size to the point that it had already been moved downstairs until the Trinidad family could figure out where to put it. Because eventually it would be one, giant vessel that would expand beyond their house's limits—hell even their block's limits—before the next month if Tia's magic was working in the way she said it would.
"Why can't I go to my ship?" Jack had been haranguing Traci for an hour trying to get back downstairs to the Pearl. She'd kept the pirates tucked away in her room in preparation for her Uncle's visit with Alex and since they were all only a foot tall they still couldn't reach the door—thank goodness.
"You know why," Traci said. "I've told you six different ways that you just can't be downstairs now and if you keep asking me I will tie you to my bed like I did on Monday when you decided to try and follow me into the shower."
Jack was quieter after that though he did mumble a lot on angsty desperation. Traci was glad for the peace. She was starting to regret adopting all these strange and unusual characters into her parent's home. This was harder than she had hoped it would have been.
She jumped up from the floor startled as her door banged open and Alex ran inside with a squeal.
"Where's Jack?!" Alex asked excitedly as the pirate ducked out of sight behind a bookcase and the other ones scattered around the room at the loud and very dramatic appearance of Traci's cousin.
"Behind the bookshelf," Traci said watching her cousin scramble upwards yelling: "Jack, Jack, Jack let's play!" The little girl slowed to a halt though when she saw Barbossa.
"Would you be quiet!" Barbossa as he came brandishing his weapon. Alex screamed in fright and quickly flicked Barbossa across his floor and scrambled over to Traci, climbing on the bed.
"It's the evil guy!" she cried. "What's he doing here? Has he killed Jack?"
"What's going on up here?" Robert walked into the room brandishing a baseball bat.
"Alex found Barbossa," Traci said sitting on the bed with her cousin. "She's a bit freaked." She looked back her cousin. "Alex, its ok, Barbossa isn't here to hurt anyone."
"Why is he here?" Alex huffed as she looked out and noticed a few more pirates peeking out from their hiding places.
"He came with the others and they got separated in the attic," Robert said with a shrug as the creatures started to assemble upon the main floor including Jack. Traci got down on the floor with Alex who looked at everyone rather confused.
"I don't know her," Alex pointed to Tia Dalma who moved backwards at the child's movement.
"She's from the newer movies," Traci said as her cousin eyed all the new contenders. Her gaze finally settled on Elizabeth as she brightened into a toothy grin.
"You're in love with Will," she said with a giggle. Elizabeth looked a little uncomfortable with the announcement and Traci pulled her cousin back from the pirates to appraised them better before Alex ripped from her grip and cuddled Jack into her arms.
"Jack!" She sighed as the pirate slowly lost the ability to breathe until she held him away from her chest.
"Alex, be careful." Robert warned his niece.
"Jack, I missed you!" Alex exclaimed. "And I'm going to here all day so you and your new friends get to play with me the entire time."
"Nice to see you, giant." Jack patted her hand awkwardly.
"Oh god no," Gibbs looked a little pale.
Barbossa frowned at this display of affection and started to unsheathed his sword.
"I won't be made a toy out of it," Barbossa twitched a little.
"At least you're taller." Marty spoke. "I might be squished by 'er."
"Love, Alex, big little one." Jack wheezed taking a deep breath. "Jack Sparrows is not a doll, I'm not a play toy or play thing, and-"
"You don't want to play with me?" Alex's big brown eyes grew wide.
"Ahh, don't do that." Jack ordered as her face came painfully close to his.
"Please Jack," whispered Alex. "I've never had a real life pirate as my friend before, could you and your friends please play with me?"
"Uh well…" Jack glanced in the crew's direction. All of them shook their heads no, but Jack's thoughts consisted of, if he had to go through this then so did they. They would all suffer together! "O' course they will."
The grew groaned and vented some key words of anger at him before being silenced by Traci, who reminded them that Alex was only eight and didn't need to be hearing their potty mouth language.
"Traci, can I use your Barbie stuffs to play with the crew?" Alexandra turned her brown eyed gaze on her cousin.
"W'as a Barbie?" Gibbs asked.
"Not now sweetie, maybe another time," Traci explained.
"But Traci," whined Alex.
"The answer is no Alex," Traci said firmly. Alex looked like she was going to throw a fit over this but thought against it.
"What's with her?" Traci asked her father. The pair retreated closer to the doorway.
"Deborah and your Uncle had a fight last night." Robert explained with a degree of tiredness. "Deborah spent the night at a friend's house and apparently your uncle decided it was best to leave Alex among some normal people for once while he goes after her." Traci stared at her father in sympathy who was as torn up about the situation as his niece was and hugged him before he went downstairs to his office. Traci shut the door to her room and watched from her window seat with her iPhone in hand as she continued to delete photos of her and Peter off it while her cousin tried to corral the pirates to play with h
Alex to the characters as she dumped out her own toys onto the floor in front of the Barbie sized pirates.
"Now what should we play? We could have a tea party or play with Eric's legos or-"
"I don't want to play," Barbossa said. Alex frowned deeply.
"Traci!" She crossed her arms. "The icky guy won't play with me!" Traci sighed at the whine in Alex's voice.
"Maybe Barbossa isn't the best person to play with," Traci said.
"He's a poop head," Alex stuck her tongue out at Barbossa who eyes the little with complete contempt.
"That's a little first grade munchkin," Traci said. "You're in 3rd grade now. You need to come up with a better…phrase."
"You mean like what mommy calls daddy when she's mad?" Traci's head snapped up at the comment as she looked at her cousin.
"What does your mom say to your dad?"Traci asked gently, hoping she wouldn't be causing too much trouble by asking this.
"She calls him an assh-"
"Woah!" Traci held up her hand. "Let's stick with poop head and don't you ever repeat that other word." Alex shrugged and turned back to her new found entertainment.
"Gibbs," Jack shoved his good friend toward Alex. "Tell the little-big one a story."
"Err, wha' kind of a story Cap'n?" questioned Gibbs.
"Anything to keep 'er entertained so we're not used like dolls," Jack said under a cough.
"Right." Gibbs rubbed his hands together and faced Alex. "Want to hear a story, lass?"
"Is it about Jack?" Alex lolled her head to the side.
"I could tell ye one about the Cap'n if you want," Gibbs said.
"Do it!" Alex clapped her hands joyfully.
"So this is what you've been up to while we've been wandering around looking for the pearl? Playing dolly for this child." Barbossa looked like he was the possible verge of laughter.
"I want ta go back ta the Caribbean, now." Jack growled at Tia.
"Like I said—" Tia fanned herself. "Not possible until we's be big enuff to sail out o' 'ere."
"I'm the captain and I say we leave, now!" Jack twitched a little.
"S' not goin' to 'appen!" Tia spat at him.
"And who made you captain anyway?" Barbossa questioned. "I'm the Captain of the Black pearl!"
"You are not," argued Jack. "I am the Captain of the Black Pearl!"
"And the one who got us into this mess." Elizabeth added.
"You were the one who left me to the Krakken love," Jack said. "You kiss me and shackled me ta the mast! Ye jist missed me too much to let me stay in Davy Jones' Locker."
"I most certainly did not!" Elizabeth scoffed. "There was a group agreement to rescue you from your fate. Perhaps we should have left you there."
"I would 'ave been better off," Jack said.
"Oh please, you wanted to be rescued," Elizabeth said rolling her eyes.
"Ah!" Jack poked her in the chest. "Let's think about that accusation Ms. Swann. I was forced to 'die' at the hands of the Krakken because of you and when you so lovingly came to my rescue I was perfectly content to take only Gibbs, Cotton, and Marty…maybe even Pintel and Ragetti but I could 'ave left the rest of you considerin' the spot I was in."
"Guys, calm down." Traci ordered. "Things worked out alright. I mean, yes you're only twelve inches tall and your ship can only float in the bathtub or a bird bath and you're a million miles away from the Caribbean-"
"Love." Jack stopped the girl midsentence. "Yer not makin' the situation any better."
"I cannot believe how ungrateful you are to us," Elizabeth said. "You are absolutely the most selfish person I know."
"Oh really," Jack said. "Considerin' you only kissed another man and left him to die while ultimately breaking off yer engagement to the Eunuch-though understandable- was not an unselfish act at all, hmm?"
Elizabeth tried to speak but words did not come out. All eyes shifted to Will, who had been trying to walk away from the situation only to stop mid-stride on his way over Traci and turn around.
"Will…" Elizabeth breathed out his name and Traci sighed as she picked up the young man from the floor.
"Alex, be good," Traci said walking out the door with Will who looked like he was going to murder something if he didn't leave the room. Traci sat outside her closed bedroom door and placed Will on the ground in front of her and waited for him to speak first as he paced and fumed.
"I lost my fiancé to a man who only cares about himself," The pirate said. "And now I am stuck here with her for at least a month until…who knows what." He stopped for a moment. "I cannot do this."
"Will, you need to find some resolution to this," Traci said as gently as she could.
"What do you expect me to do?" Will's british lilt grew gruff with rage. "Be happy over the prospect of losing Elizabeth to Jack?" He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm still thinking about this woman. Why is she so important to me? She's betrayed me."
"It's natural to still have some feelings for someone you've lost," Traci explained. "I remember one time, I sent a valentine to this guy I really liked and I even hand delivered it to him right…well, he never acknowledged me, never called me, never even said 'Hey, I'm not into you like that' even. He just ignored me even though I passed by him between classes."
"What did you do?" Will asked, not entirely believing that someone could turn down Traci. She wasn't bad looking and she didn't appear to have any grotesque habits, of course Will had only known her for a couple days.
"I was upset," Traci admitted. "But I got over it because I found other purposes other than mooning over that guy." She paused, "Trust me Will, when one door closes another door opens. If you don't get back together with Elizabeth there will definitely be something better around the corner." Will didn't respond as he continued to breathe deep and hard for a moment trying to quell his emotions.
"So…are you going to stop being sorry for yourself?" asked Traci.
"I don't think I have much of a choice do I?" Will replied.
"Exactly," Traci said picking him up and standing again. "Now, why don't we go play nice with the kiddies, ok?"
"Or…we could hear more about Porthos, Athos, Aromas." Will was almost pleading in his gaze upon her and Traci knew she wouldn't deny him so she brought him back into the room, curled up in the corner of her bed with him and read to the pirate in her lap while her cousin listened to Gibbs and played with her new friends.