Author's Note--- I deeply apolgize to all of you who have been waiting so patiently for the next chapter. It's just that I've been so busy---
Jack: With me.
Aoife: (Blushes slightly but ignores Jack) And doing other things like---
Jack: Yea, like daydreamin' about what I might do to ye tonight.
Aoife: (Blushes furiously) Jack! Stop!
Please, just read the story and review. Enjoy!
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Chapter Thirteen --- Jack's Return as the Governor
Edana waved at me, grinning at Will's side, dripping water everywhere. Will jumped up onto the ship's rail and cocked the gun that was pointed at Barbossa.
"What's in yer 'ead, boy?" Barbossa snarled.
"She. Goes. Free."
He laughed coldly. "Ye've only got one shot." He stared the whelp down before adding, "And we can't die."
Well, that was a problem for Will. He hesitated and then pointed the gun at himself instead. "You can't, but I can." I saw Edana's face and her grin disappeared as she mouthed, 'No'.
Barbossa raised an amused eyebrow and asked, "Who are ye?"
Jack stepped forward and practically shouted, "Nobody! 'E's nobody!"
"He's a distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed," I said from behind Barbossa. He spun around to glare at me sharply.
"Lovely singin' voice though," Jack added. Barbossa turned to Jack and shot him a glare. Jack made a snipping motion with his fingers and added on even more, "Eunuch." Barbossa, in turn, rose an eyebrow, amused.
"Don't do anything stupid," I pleaded to Will, only to be nudged non-too-gently by the Bo'sun.
Will ignored me anyways and spoke out. "My name is William Turner. I'm Bootstrap Bill's son. His blood runs through my veins. On my word, do as I say or I'll be lost to Davy Jones' locker." A collective gasp traveled through out the pirates.
Barbossa leaned forward and growled, "Name yer terms, Mr. Turner."
"She goes free," he replied, pointing the gun towards me. Me? What about Elizabeth?
"So I've been told. Anythin' else?"
Will glanced at Jack, who was pointing to himself discreetly, hesitating. "And the crew, the crew is not to be harmed. And neither is Miss Swann."
Barbossa considered the deal for a few seconds and then, with his yellow eyes narrowed, snarled, "Agreed." Turning back to his crew, he added, "Sparrow and the lasses are gonna be leavin' us soon. Head ta the island that Jack is gov'ner of." The crew set to work immediately, snatching Will and Edana, tying their hands behind their backs.
"Barbossa, you lying bastard!" Will yelled, fighting his bonds.
"Don't ye dare impune me 'onor, boy! I agreed ta set 'em free, but it was ye who forgot ta specify when or where!" Barbossa snapped. "Bring out the plank." He tunred towards me, Jack and Elizabeth. "Alright, ladies first."
Elizabeth strode forward bravely and took her place by the plank as we came into view of the island. "Such a shame ta lose somethin' so lovely, ain't it boys?" Barbossa said, his eye flickering over her body as his crew cheered from behind him. "That's why I'll be wantin' that dress back before ye go."
Elizabeth looked confused for a moment and then began to tear at the buttons furiously. She stepped out of the gown and the crew catcalled and whistled. She bundled up the gown and threw it at him. "It goes with your black heart," she snapped.
He caught it and pressed it to his face, mockingly. "It's still warm." He tossed it to his crew and they fought over it like children.
"You sick pervert," I muttered, shaking my head in disgust.
Unfortuantely, he overheard. He turned to me, his eyes unnaturally yellow and cold, and snapped, "Watch yer tongue, Miss. Or ye're next."
I shut my mouth wisely and turned to watch Elizabeth. She hesitated before taking a brave step out onto the plank. One slow step and then another. She paused again in the middle of the wood and glanced over her shoulder at us but her cold gaze lingered on Will a little longer than anyone else's.
The Bo'sun decided that she was taking too long. "Too long," he called out before kicking the back of the plank. She fought to keep her balance but lost and tumbled into the water below. They dragged Jack to the plank, cheering and pushed him up on it.
He raised his tied hands and gave a small smile. "Last time ye left me a pistol with one shot."
"By powers, ye're right!" Barbossa exclaimed.
"Cough, fake, cough," I choked. Those cold eyes flashed angrily and bore right through me. I grinned and turned back to look at Jack, who was giving me a look that said, 'Knock it off'. I gave a slight nod and let Barbossa continue. Didn't want to end up dead, right?
"Where be Jack's pistol?" Barbossa shouted, dropping his previous enthusiasm. One of the crew grabbed Jack's effects and Barbossa snatched them away.
Jack gazed at them longingly and said, "A gentleman might give me an additional two pistols, seein' as 'ow there be three of us this time."
"Tell ye what," Barbossa said. Jack's chocolate eyes quickly met the yellow cat eyes. "I'll give ye one pistol with one shot and yer sword, so ye can be the lady, slash the wench's throat and then starve ta death yerself!"
As Barbossa's crew laughed harshly, Barbossa chucked Jack's effects over his head and into the ocean. Jack's eyes widened and he dove into the water to fetch them. Now, I was the only one left to walk the plank. "Why is it that my throat gets to get slashed?" I grumbled as I was pushed on to the plank.
"Would ye rather be shot?" Barbossa sneered, smirking.
"Aye, that I would," I replied. And before I could register what was happening, Barbossa had yanked out his pistol and fired. The bullet brushed my sleeve, leaving a small tear. Eddie cried out and I looked up in shock from my arm.
"That be a warnin'. Next time, me bullet'll 'it its mark, whore." He kicked the plank and I fell to the water.
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(Edana's POV)
I watched in horror as Barbossa shot at Keelin. "No!" I cried out, struggling to get out of my captor's grip.
"That be a warnin'. Next time, me bullet'll 'it its mark, whore." He kicked the plank and she fell into the water after Jack and Elizabeth. He turned to Will, me and the crew and growled, "Take 'em ta the brig."
"Of course," I muttered and rolled my eyes. We were dragged down to the brigs. The crew was thrown into the biggest one and Will and I were shoved into the smallest one.
"'Ave a nice stay, bitch," the Bo'sun growled. "Ye're friend will be 'avin' a good time with me once this curse is off."
"Oh, piss off," I replied as he slammed the door shut, locking us in. I looked around at the small bench on one side and the bare floor. "Well this is comfy," I said sarcastically.
Will sank to the bench, pressing his head to his hands. "This is never going to end."
"Come on, Will. Cheer up. We'll get out soon, I promise," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
He looked up at me and at the look of pain in his eyes, I wanted to cry. "Don't make promises that you can't keep, Edana."
"Will, listen. There's...um...something you should know." I paused and he caught my eye. He nodded his head, encouraging me to continue. "I'm actually from the future," I whispered, sitting on the floor.
"The future?" he asked, skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"Shh," I put a finger to my lips, keeping an eye on the crew, who was talking amongst themselves. "Yeah. The future. We have these moving pictures called movies. Well, there's one about you, Jack, Elizabeth and Barbossa. It's about what we're going through right now. Everything that has happened, occured in the movie. That's how I know basically everything that's going to happen." I sighed and stared at the bars of the cage we were in.
A hand appeared in front of me. Will pulled me up on to the bench next to him. He held me in his arms and rubbed my back. "Then what's going to happen next?"
"Pintel and Ragetti are going to come down and mop the floor with some really nasty water soon. You should ask them about your father," I replied, laying my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that until the two finally came down to clean. Will nudged my arm with his elbow and raised an eyebrow. "I told you," I shrugged.
"How are you going to get home though?" he asked, concern written across his face.
"I don't know, but I really don't want to. Now that I have you," I replied coyly.
"Shiver me timbers," Cotton's parrot sqwaked.
"Cotton 'ere says ye missed a bit," Gibbs translated. Pintel growled and hit his mop against the cell. The crew all leaned back a bit as water splashed into the cell.
Will leaned against the cell door and said, "You knew my father." It was a statement, not a question.
Pintel stopped mopping to look at him. "Ol' Bootstrap? Aye, we knew 'im. Never sat well with ol' Bootstrap what we did ta Sparrow an' all."
"Stupid blighter," Ragetti put in.
"Good man," Gibbs snapped.
Pintel growled at him before continuing. "That's why 'e sent a piece of the treasure off ta ye, as it were. 'E said that we deserved ta be cursed...and remain cursed. Course, that didn't sit too well with the cap'n."
Ragetti stopped mopping and echoed, "No, that didn't sit too well with the cap'n at all. Tell 'im what Barbossa did."
Pintel turned to him and snapped, "I'm tellin' the story!" He faced Will and continued again, a smirk on his face. "So, what Barbossa did is, 'e tied a cannon ta Bootstrap's bootstraps."
Ragetti snickered and echoed, "Bootstrap's bootstraps."
"An' the last we saw of ol' Bill Turner, 'e was sinkin' into the crushin' black oblivian of Davey Jones' locker." He paused, the smiled getting bigger. "Course, it was only afta that we learned we needed his blood ta lift the curse."
"Now that's what ye call ironic," Ragetti said. They broke out laughing and left, bringing their stuff with them. Will stood still at the door.
"Will," I called softly. The crew had given him helpless looks and turned away to give him time to think on the news. He slowly turned towards me, his eyes hard and cold.
"You knew," he accused. "You knew what they were going to say but you made me ask."
"First of all, I didn't make you do anything. I suggested it and you took my advice. Second of all, you had to hear the truth. You wanted to know what happened to your father and now you know," I explained, pulling him to sit back on the bench. "I'm sorry but you wanted answers and they were able to give you the truth."
He sat back down and wrapped his hand around mine. "Then I thank you," he replied, brushing a kiss on my forehead.
"And I welcome you," I replied, pulling his face closer. He kissed me softly and sweetly, until there was a catcall and whistle from the other cell. I glared at the crew and they all grinned back. "Come on," I said. "We should all get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a very long day." I settled down on the bare floor and curled into a ball. I felt Will lay down next to me and wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. It took me awhile to fall asleep but I had some wonderful dreams.
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(Keelin's POV)
I swam strong enough, having taken lessons since I was like, two years old, but when I finally dragged myself up the beach, I was exhausted. I sprawled out on the warm sand and caught my breath. Elizabeth sat next to me and breathed heavily, "What a wonderful day."
"Yup, just peachy keen," I replied, hearing Jack curse as he made his way up the beach.
"I think I'll go see just how big this island is," she said. I sat up as she lifted her shift to her knees and started walking toe to heel. She was bloody measuring the island by her feet, smart girl.
Jack stumbled up to where I sat and plopped down next to me. He took the sash from his waist and laid it out and took his pistol apart. He laid it out to dry, piece by piece. "That's the second time I've 'ad ta watch that man sail away with me ship," he grumbled.
"I'm sorry Jack," I said. "But I know you'll get her back."
"Easier said than done, love."
"Jack, trust me. You will."
He looked over at me and said, "Oh yeah. Ye're from the future. Ye 'know these things'."
"You better believe it." Staring at his face, I realized just how handsome he was, especially when he was wet. He had gorgous chocolate eyes, a beautiful mouth, well at least lips, and a strong nose. His dreads were decorated with all sorts of trinkets. I could easily see why I had fallen in love with him.
"See somthin' ye like, love?" I glanced back at his eyes and realized that he had caught me staring.
I thought about saying no but I knew that he would just call me a liar anyways. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."
"Well, tell ol' Jack, what exactly ye like about 'im," he replied, grinning cockily.
"Captain Jack Sparrow? Hmm, well, his face is rugged but extremely handsome. His eyes sparkle dangerously, especially when he flirts. But the thing that I like best, are his lips. When he kisses me, it makes me feel so free and safe. I feel protected but carefree and...loved," I said, staring out at the ocean.
"Do ye now?" he teased, laying down on his back.
"Yes, I do," I said, turning to face him. "But what, I wonder, does Captain Jack Sparrow think of little Keelin Burke?"
He shifted to his side and rested his head on a hand. "Miss Keelin Burke? Aye she's a gorgous and fiesty one, she is. She's got a face of an angel and 'air the color of the fire that burns for 'er in me 'eart. She's got lips like rose petals and skin like soft silk. But what I love most 'bout 'er are 'er eyes, the color of the Caribbean Sea. Whenever I look into 'em, I feel the same way when I'm at the 'elm of me ship." All the while he was talking softly in his rough accented voice, his face moved closer and closer to mine.
He was about to kiss me when behind us a voice called out, "It's not all that big."
"So I've noticed," Jack groaned sarcastically. He sat up and started putting his pistol back together.
Elizabeth stood besides us, watching Jack's movements. "If you are going to shoot me, please do so immediately."
"Not yet, lass. Give it a few weeks and then I'll consider it."
"But you were marooned on this island before!" she exclaimed. "We can escape in the same way that you did before!"
"No good, Elizabeth," I warned shaking my head.
He stood up facing her, a slight anger in his eyes. "Ta what point an' purpose, young missy? The Black Pearl is gone and unless ye 'ave a rudder and sails 'idden in that bodice...unlikely," he said, glancing at her chest. I nudged his leg and he quickly brought his eyes back to hers. "Young Mr. Turner will be dead long before ye can reach 'im." He started walking up towards the palm. Elizabeth and I exchanged a quick glance before following after him.
"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow!" she continued her fight, anger creeping into her own voice. "You vanished under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Trading Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" she rushed, demanding an answer, hands on her hips. While she had been shooting off her mouth, Jack had been knocking about on trees for the hollow one. He pushed her gently away and looked at her truthfully.
"Last time...I was 'ere a grand total of three days, all right? Last time," he crouched down and brushed sand away and pulled up an iron ring. He pulled the trapdoor open and continued, going into it. "I was 'ere a grand total of three days, all right?" He reemerged holding three bottles of rum in his arms. "Last time, the rum runners used this island as a cache. They came by and I was able to barter a passage off. But by the look of things, they've long been outta business. Probably 'ave yer bloody friend Norrington ta thank fer that"
There was a pause and I glanced between the two before Elizabeth snapped, "So that's it? That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow. You spent three days, lying on a beach, drinking rum?" I couldn't help but notice the slight disappointment behind her words.
Jack held out a bottle to each of us and replied, "Welcome ta the Caribbean, loves." Elizabeth took the bottle he pushed into her hands with disgust. I took mine and followed Jack to where his sash and pistol lay. He wrapped it tightly around his waist and shoved the pistol in.
"So what can we do in the meantime?" I asked standing behind him.
He spun around and said, "Ye and I'll go an' find some firewood. We're gonna need it ta see when it gets dark out." I nodded and we marched back up the sand and into the trees and grass. Elizabeth had disappeared, probably walking off her fustrations again.
Jack led me through the sudden lush green beneath my feet and stopped a few minutes in. He climbed up a tree and began snapping branches off, throwing them down to the ground. "Come on up, love," he shouted down. I steadily began to climb, hand over hand. I reached the branch where Jack was sitting and he grabbed my arm, pulling me up next to him. Once I was seated, I followed his gaze out. Before us was the sea, shimmering like diamonds under the sun, which was beginning to set. "Beautiful, ain't it?" he whispered in my ear.
"Aye," I managed to say, nodding my head.
"I used ta do this fer the two nights I was 'ere, last time," he explained. "I've bein' able ta watch the sunset from me ship. It's even more beautiful there."
I leaned my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry Jack, but I know you'll get The Pearl back."
"I 'ope so. And then ye can come an' saild with me on more adventures, savvy?" he smiled.
"Savvy," I replied. "It's getting dark, Jack. We've gotta build that fire."
"Alright, let's go back ta the annoyin' rich man's prick of a daughter."
"Be nice Jack," I swatted him. He grinned and scrambled down the tree. I followed him slowly, breaking off more branches on my way down. I helped him gather them up and we headed back to the beach. I took the wood from him and built a huge fire, like how they teach you in Girl Scouts. Jack rubbed two pieces of wood together until it sparked. He lit the wood and when darkness crept in, we had a blazing fire roaring.
All the while, we drank bottle after bottle of sweet rum. Or at least, Jack did. Elizabeth and I finished off a bottle each, just to please Jack. She pretended to drink her next bottle. I'd drink a few sips but when Jack wasn't looking, I'd pour some into the fire.
"Drink up me hearties, yo ho," I muttered under my breath. Elizabeth smiled, recognizing the song.
"What was that, Keelin?" Jack asked, sitting down next to me.
"Just a song I learned as a kid," I replied, grinning.
"Same here," Elizabeth said. "When we thought pirates were romantic and daring." Jack grinned at her and she added quickly, "That was long before I met you, of course."
"I must 'ear this song!" he demanded.
"I suppose," I replied. I took another sip and began. "We pillage, we plunder, we loot, drink up me hearties, yo ho."
"We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, drink up me hearties, yo ho," Elizabeth sung.
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," we chorused. Jack grinned with pure joy at the discovery of a pirate song for children.
He pulled me up from the sand and spun me around dizzily. Elizabeth stood up and danced around, pretending to be drunk too. We sang, drank and danced for a while. "I love this song!" Jack cried, after a bit. "We're beggars and blighters ne'er do well cads, drink up me 'earties, yo 'o." He put a touch of an Irish ballad into it. "Aye but we're loved by our mums an' our dads, drink up me 'earties, yo 'o!" He fell back to the sand, dragging me down with him. I giggled drunkenly as Elizabeth laughed at him. "When I get The Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it ta the whole crew an' we'll sing it all the time!"
"You'll be positively the most fearsome pirates to sail the Spanish Main!" Elizabeth cried from where she lay next to the fire.
"Not just the Spanish Main. The entire ocean, the entire world! Wherever we want ta go, we go! That's what a ship is, ye know. Not just a keel an' a 'ull an' a deck an' sails. That's what a ship needs...but what a ship is...what The Black Pearl really is...is freedom," he said, waving his arms about.
I laid my head on his should and sighed, "Jack, it must've been so terrible for you to be trapped on this island, all over again."
Jack replied in my ear, "Ah, well, the company is better than last time. An' the scenary 'as definately improved."
Thinking he was refering to Elizabeth, I said, "Jack, you flatter her."
"I was talkin' 'bout ye, love."
"Well, then, you're flattering me and I love it," I replied coyly.
"Then I'm glad. Cause ye know, I've been thinkin' 'bout what ye said 'bout yer feelin's fer me an' I've come ta a decision," he slurred.
I laughed and replied, "Oh yeah? What?"
He leaned in so that his face was centimeters from mine. "I love ye, Keelin. I wancha ta come an' live with me on The Pearl. We can get married and sail the Seven Seas together."
I pushed him away in disgust. "Jack, you're drunk! You're not thinking clearly."
"Think about it," he insisted. He raised his bottle in salute and said, "Ta freedom."
I echoed him and watched pitifully as he collapsed on the beach, unconcious. I laid down and tried to catch some sleep before Elizabeth burned the place to the ground.