Author's note: I had a very, very exciting week last week... check out my profile page for what happened! I have been so excited that it has been hard to concentrate, so I finally will treat everyone to a long chapter this time! Many thanks, especially, to me mate, love2rite, for putting up with me over the last few days! A mug of rum to ye! Pirate Cat
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It was not yet dawn, and Janie's drowsy eyes opened to look at the glowing numerals on the digital clock on the table next to the large feather bed... it was only 5:15AM, and the soft red light of the time shone on the small, corked bottle of rosewater that stood on the lace doily next to a small framed portrait of herself and her Jackie, taken by Katie Norrington. It was a casual pose... Jack was standing behind Janie, as she laughed, his arms tightly around her waist. His long dark hair was hanging over her shoulder, and she was holding a batter bowl in her hands... Katie had captured a playful moment in the kitchen, as Jack was leaning in to tickle Janie's cheek with his mustache... Janie smiled at the memory... and she breathed deeply, taking in the wonderful scent of the rosewater that had been sprinkled on the bedsheets the night before, and the aroma of coconut... a fragrance that was her Jackie's...
The bedchamber window was open slightly in order to let some of the forest air fill the small room, and it had turned very cool during the nighttime hours... Janie nestled her sleepy cheek into the fluffy pillow, sighing with contentment as she became aware of the soft sound of thunder that floated into the room, intermittent with the sweet song of the magical waterfall that tumbled down the mountainside, deep within the Connemara forest behind the Inn...
As a flickering flash of far off lightning softly illuminated her and Jack's cozy bedchamber, Janie also became aware of an arm draped around her waist from behind, and she almost had to stifle a laugh... Jack had a very pleasing habit of snuggling into her back during the night, curling around her, with his face resting upon the back of her shoulder... she could feel his heart beating against her, and feel his soft, slumbering breaths in her hair. She had often wondered just how amusing they might look in this manner, as Jack tended to chill easily, and he was never aware of his odd habit of becoming a dreadlocked blanket around her, so as to keep cozily warm, himself. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, as he softly snorted a little in his sleep, after which he sighed, happily.
Janie pulled the blankets more closely around her and her Jackie, as best as she could, considering that he had them wrapped around one foot a little. She did not wish to awaken him whilst he slept so peacefully, and her own drowsy thoughts went to the hand that was draped around her waist so lovingly. It was his left hand... and she reached down and began to caress that hand with her own... the thunder rumbled, pleasantly.
Her own fingers traced the beautiful lines of her gypsy boy's hand... in his long, rough, hard life, it was amazing that Jackie's hands had come through the centuries relatively unscathed, save for the soot that was embedded deeply into the skin between his thumb and forefinger like a black tattoo, upon the night that his ship was burned out from under him by Lord Beckett... he had nearly lost his left arm that night, nearly burned clean of flesh and fractured. He'd had a dreadful scar under his arm, all the way up to his armpit, shaped like a bolt of lightning, angry and unfeeling. The healing Waters had made this scar less obvious over the years, and he was no longer self-conscious about wearing shorter sleeves, even if he still hid the pirate brand under a leather cuff.
Jack's hands were beautiful and as delicate a woman's... small and slender, with long tapering fingers and as fine boned as the rest of his body. As Janie's fingers lightly went from one of Jack's fingers to the next, she studied that lovely hand in the darkness, like as if she were without sight, and reading with her own fingertips... he wore a sterling silver Celtic knot ring upon his thumb... it's ornate design endless and eternal... he wore a filigree ring of gold upon his forefinger, set with a cabachon ruby... it was a gift from his father when they had visited Captain Teague in Madagascar, as rubies were native gemstones to the west coast of Africa...
Janie took the greatest pleasure in tracing the heavy silver claddagh ring that rested upon Jackie's left ring finger... it might be a wedding ring to many in this part of Eire, and she and Jackie had exchanged rings of love and commitment without a real wedding... that William Turner the Second, the former captain of the Flying Dutchman, had proclaimed them "bonnie lass" and "beautiful gypsy boy" had been wedding enough for them... Janie had finally taken Sparrow as her last name in the 1980s, much to Jack's happiness and delight, as they had considered themselves married for nearly 300 years.
Janie ran her fingers over the back of her Jackie's hand, then under his palm... it was warm, but calloused... sweet, but rough in places. It was then that his fingers curled gently around her own as he slept, and she almost found herself purring. He pressed himself against her back even more firmly, and nestled his face into her shoulder in the most pleasing fashion... distant lightning illuminated the bedchamber...
Janie's own heart beat a little faster as Jack's dark hand closed slowly around hers, his arm snug against her side. It was always a sweet battle to see who would relent first when Janie would attempt to rise for the morning... sleeping Jack had a habit of holding on to her waist if she tried to get up, and Janie was stubborn enough to keep trying to get out of bed... not that she wanted to leave this most wonderful cocoon created by her sweetheart by simply curling himself around her like a cat.
She laid in the dark, remembering their childhood, and that Jack would curl around her in the very same way, when Maggie Sparrow would put both her wee son and his best friend down for a nap... Janie's thoughts drifted back in time, as Jack's warm left hand softly and gently held her own...
... Four year old Jackie and six year old Mary Jane Ó Madáin would spend their days romping through the thick trees and running pell-mell down into every glen and clearing that they could find in the forest surrounding Magdalena Sparrow's tiny cottage... most times they would end up rosy cheeked and Jackie would be tired, his shorter legs barely able to keep up with his best friend's scampering run, her long auburn curls bouncing and her expensive slippers parked at the small doorway so as not to ruin them... she would shed her stockings and run barefooted through the mossy grass, feeling the coolness between her toes. Her hated father had no awareness of his daughter's daily activity, and she would sneak away from her alcoholic governess' bleary eyes and seek out her beloved gypsy family almost every day.
Maggie was the only mother figure that little Mary Jane had ever known, and Mary Jane did not care one whit that Maggie and Jackie were considered to be of colour, and therefore scorned by many of those in Mary Jane's high born social class. Gypsies were trash, according to her father... vermin... vulgar barbarians for their wandering ways and their lack of concern for the organized religion that was the center of life for most, no matter how hypocritical those individuals were.
Maggie was far from any of those negative portrayals that others attempted to impress upon their children... young Maggie tried to earn an honest living as a seamstress and lace maker, paying her rent to Mary Jane's father on time each month, keeping to herself and doing all that she could to lead a quiet life with her small son... never mind that the boy's father was an infamous pirate and the boy was a bastard child. This mattered not at all to Mary Jane, who loved Maggie and Jack so much that she wished that she was Maggie's daughter, and Jackie's real sister! Exotic, sparkling Maggie delighted in teaching Mary Jane to make simple lace creations, and Mary Jane was especially proficient in learning to cook!
Jackie was a stubborn little one when it came to afternoon naps, and he would become cranky and would cry if Maggie would try to make him nap whilst Mary Jane was present... he was afraid that he would miss out, and would only relent to his cot when Mary Jane was tucked in with him... Mary Jane would take a nap also, more times than not, and she would awaken to find tiny Jackie curled around her from the back, his little arm draped around her waist and his almost feminine hand resting against her. She would find a great deal of pleasure in Jackie's sweetness. and loved to feel his golden brown face pressed against her shoulder, his soft black curls mingling with her own auburn ones... oh, she would always think to herself... if it would always be this way...
Janie's thoughts came back to the present as that wonderful left hand of her lover gently moved, as if trying to say something all by itself. She caressed it with her thumb... this was the hand that had led her away from troubles in the past... had dried her tears when she was sorrowful... had amused her with those long fingers twiddling her curls around and around... this was the hand that reached for her in one of his illnesses or injuries... and had caressed her cheek to make her feel as if she were the most beautiful woman ever born...
Soft thunder rumbled... lightning played among the treetops... and two hands - one the colour of dark, golden honey, and the other fair and dotted with freckles - lovingly intertwined like soft vines of the forest outside of their bedchamber window...
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A louder rumble of thunder accompanied Janie as she and Elizabeth met over a cup of coffee in the kitchen once the light of day was peeping over the cliffs... a springtime shower was gathering itself out upon the rolling Atlantic past Kilkearan Bay, and both were thankful that this spring's Black Pearl Cruises were now in the ledger books!
"Goodness, aren't we glad that we didn't have a cruise booked for today?" Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as she stirred sugar into her cup... she had seen a bolt of lightning hit the water far out past the mouth of the cove, as she and Janie stood upon the front steps, admiring the dark skies that were to their west. "Isn't it pretty out there?" The seas were beginning to toss whitecaps into the bay and ripples clear into the Inn's cove.
"Saints above, Izzy!" Janie said, as she sipped from her own cup of strong black coffee, "I hope that Wills and Katie left in good time this morning from Galway City! Our wee little road becomes almost impassible once we get a good rain started! It used to be that we never thought a thing of it by foot or pony cart, but now..."
No sooner had Janie uttered those words when the backfiring of a car's exhaust made a loud popping sound from the main road, several miles above the small, one lane dirt road that led down to the Inn. Another loud pop, then a grinding noise... Elizabeth's eyes grew wide, then her face lit up with a happy smile. Hurrying around to the doorway of the kitchen, Elizabeth nearly tipped her coffee cup over as she smacked it down on the table and called up the stairs. "Will! WILL! Hurry up! Wills and Katie are almost here!"
Running back into the kitchen, Janie laughed as Elizabeth nearly fell over, trying to pull her shoes on and hopping on one foot toward the door..."Wills is almost home!" she was singing... "Wills is almost HOOOOOME!"
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A beat up compact car whose fenders were nearly as tattooed with scratches and dents as Wills' beloved Cousin Jack made it's way down the lane, trundling along merrily, it's mismatched paint job standing out starkly against the dark shadows that were reluctant to give way to morning light in the gathering rainy weather. By now, Jack and William had joined Janie and Elizabeth in the yard... the rather poor excuse for transportation bobbled on down toward them, a small flag wavering from it's radio antenna... a flag that was a replica of the colours of Captain Jack Sparrow!... and a pair of hands waving merrily from each side.
Elizabeth and Will were grinning, by now, and Elizabeth was nearly jumping up and down as the small auto, it's trunk tied shut with a piece of rope, coasted to a stop as it's engine died on the spot. The rusted bumper seemed to be held to the rear of the car by a sticker reading, "My Other Car Is a Pirate Ship!"
"WILLS!" Elizabeth finally leaped forward, as the driver's side door fell open and a tall, handsome, dark haired young man emerged, his face split with a huge smile and his arms open wide... "MUM! DAD!"
William finally laughed, "The prodigal son returns!" and he threw his own arms around this handsome one who could almost be his twin. As Elizabeth danced upon her toes with delight, Wills reached down and kissed his mother soundly on the cheek, reaching over and hugging his father to him. "I know, Mum, I know! It's been two months!"
It was then that some rather unladylike epithets were heard from the passenger side of the car, as the stubborn door upon that side of the dilapidated little car seemed stuck! "Dammit! Wills! Help me!" were the words now being uttered in a very clipped English accent, as the door refused to relent...
Jack began to laugh out loud, "Whelpie! Your own bonnie lassie is clapped in irons of another kind, lad!" He sauntered over to stare into the passenger side window, as the young woman inside was huffing her chestnut hair out of her bright green eyes, her heart shaped face in a vexed frown. Looking up, she began to grin, "Jack! Help me!'
Leaning back and bobbing his head to one side, the captain smirked in a very cheeky way, and chuckled, "That would be th' day tha' a Norrington would ask Captain Jack Sparrow for help!"
Katie giggled, and said, "It depends on which Norrington it is, Jack! I know that you are the only one who can really open this door with true finesse!"
"Right ye are, missy! Behold, for Captain Jack Sparrow shall free you of your iron prison wot be known as a nearly scuppered 1982 Fiat wif th' terrible misnomer of 'Th' Rusty Pearl'!" Nodding toward a grinning Wills, who was now nearly lifting Janie off of her feet with a bear hug, causing her to squeek "Begorrah!", Jack leaned sideways and, with a great jingling of beads, delivered a very swift pop of his skinny hip to the middle of the car's door... it neatly opened, and with a shout of "HUZZAH!" Katie Norrington was finally able to bounce out of her seat. She threw her arms around her surprised rescuer, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, "Thank you, Cousin Jack!"
As she hurried around to the waiting, welcoming arms of her boyfriend and his family, Janie laughed as Jack rubbed his cheek and grinned, "Bugger, Janie! Not only did I jus' rescue a Norrington, I jus' got kissed by a Norrington, as well! That is truly a first!"
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The rain began to fall softly, as Katie and Wills brought their bags in from the dusty boot of the Rusty Pearl, and breakfast would soon follow! Gifts were made with great ceremony, as Wills had purchased new tshirts emblazoned with the logo of the National University of Galway for everyone... Jack was especially pleased with a shirt in bright red, and his and Janie's were emblazoned completely in Irish Gaelic, which was Wills' second language, just as English was Jack's.
Janie was gathering eggs from the shed, as she heard giggling and footsteps come through the old wooden doorway, muffled only by the soft earthen floor... it was Wills and Katie. Janie put her hands upon her hips and smiled at the young ones, as she handed Katie a basket. "I wondered how long it would take ye... ye always help me gather eggs, and have since ye were a wee one... and Wills, darlin', there is a new sack of cracked corn over there in the corner."
Wills grinned at Janie, and said, "We beat the storm, didn't we? I was sure that we would head right into it, but it stayed to our starboard side all the way in... " Janie chuckled, as Wills whistled while he cut the burlap bag open with a knife that he kept sheathed up on his belt whilst not on campus... Janie could not help but stare at this boy who had become a man in what seemed like overnight. He was nearly identical to William in every way, except for having Elizabeth's ears and his Cousin Jack's long, slender hands... looking up with warm, brown eyes just like those of his father, Wills said, "I thought that Cousin Jack was going to break my ribs, he hugged me so hard!" Straightening up, as he looked fondly toward the Inn, he said, "It's good to be home..."
"Well, darlin', it's good to see your Cousin Jack hug ye so..." Janie was now watching the tall, willowy Katie as she happily gathered eggs from the three nesting boxes that were brought forth from the hold of the Pearl so many years ago... Katie was a pretty lass, in a fun, tomboyish way. She always wore her long, silky hair pulled back in a ponytail, and like her father, was very tall...even taller than Janie, and certainly taller than Jack, much to his irritation at times... she was a mix of both James and Kathleen Norrington, but with a fun loving personality and fearless nature when it came to taking on the men in Wills' family, whether it was arm wrestling, playing cards, drinking Guinness or a swimming match in the cove... she had been Wills' penpal for most of their growing up period, and were fast friends before becoming, as Jack delightedly pointed out at every opportunity, 'an item'. Their friendship from childhood has blossomed much in the manner of that between a young gypsy sailor and a high born young woman who would become an innkeeper, Janie thought with some amusement.
Janie turned back to Wills, who was now contentedly feeding Scarlett, Giselle and Penny Hen! "Here, chickchickchick..." he was musing, as Jack's pets fluttered about the tin dishes that served their meals... it was quite the family joke that Jack could not bear to think of his future without his beloved hens, and had sneaked them off to the Waters upon one bright morning... it was with a great deal of guilt that he was caught bringing them back, with three little chickens who were as wide eyed as hens could be, after having been baptized in the Fountain of Youth... Janie had scolded him for such a frivolous use of the Waters, but when she saw how much it meant to him, she relented and decided that there was no harm done... and they would have eggs for an inordinate amount of years!
"How is Cousin Jack?" Wills asked, quietly, as the hens clucked softly. Janie regarded him in silence for a moment, as Wills continued, "You know, Cousin Janie, I've always been glad that Jack lets me hug him like he does... he won't take that from anyone but me and you..." He kept filling the dented dishes with corn, as Katie finally spoke up.
"Why is that, Wills? Jack has always been very eccentric, and such a dear," she giggled, "But why is it that your Cousin Jack doesn't like to be touched so much? It always seems to make him nervous..."
Nothing was said for a moment... Wills finally put the sack of cracked corn back into the corner, momentarily lost in thought, "Well... my Cousin Jack has had a very hard life... "
Katie almost regretted asking, as she remembered a time when social differences were much more distinctly drawn than they were in the year of 2007... Janie placed an arm around Wills, as he looked out the doorway of the shed toward the back door of the Inn..."My Cousin Jack has been physically and mentally abused a great deal in his life... much more than your father might have told you... and he has a hard time allowing being touched by others, because when he was young, most times being touched caused pain... he allows it from me and Janie, mostly by the fact that neither of us..." Wills hesitated, then said,"...neither of us has hurt him..."
Katie rested her basket upon her hip, and said, seriously, "That is so sad... I know that my father looks at Jack much differently, now, especially because of one event that nearly makes me cry to think of it, even now... do either of you remember what the date is, today?"
Janie finally said, "I remember... it's April 15... and a very sad day to recall in our family, isn't it?" Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she put an arm around both Wills and Katie and pulled her two youngest loved ones close, as they made their way in through the misty rain toward breakfast... Katie Norrington and Wills Turner both understood well the meaning of this date, and were reminded of Jack Sparrow's contempt for those who dealt pain and death to those who were considered of a lower class... it was a day in history that was indeed, a sorrowful one for James and Kathleen Norrington...
For April 15 was a day that the pirate family would always remember... for it was April 15, 1912, that they were all affected by the loss of a ship that would go down in history as an unnecessary, terrible tragedy... the loss of a ship called the Titanic...
To be continued...