The oceans calling
Chapter 25: Multiple Jacks but one Rebby
A/N: I'd like to thank all of my readers and my lovely reviewers. Your opinions are most welcome and I always aim to please. This is by the most enjoyable fic that I have written and am in the middle of writing. I don't really have a plan for significant aspect of the movies so if you would like to see something then please feel free to let me know and if I like I may add it unless I have my own ideas of course. Thank you again, please review.
The wind caught on to the sails, the crew were racing about trying get as much speed as possible. The quicker they left Singapore the better; particularly with the East India Trading Company lurking about. Rebby was going to help the crew but the exhaustion had finally caught up with her. She felt her legs about to give out when she got to the bow of the ship so she gently let herself down to sit on the floor. The brunette groaned from the relief that came from her muscles as she leaned back against the side and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt rest sweep over her but she wasn't asleep just yet. Her mind still wouldn't let her rest.
Ever since Jack had been taken her mind was racing with thoughts. Thoughts about if she could have done anything to stop him; even thoughts about being with him at the time. She constantly told herself that she should have remained on the Pearl with him and they both should have gone to the Locker. At least that way they would have been together. Then there was the hundred other thoughts and feelings that washed over her. Why had Jack done it and not told her? He could have escaped with them – he could have stayed with her but he didn't. Something didn't feel right to her at all, she had a little skip in her step knowing that she could get Jack back but now there was this feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't ignore and it was draining her.
"There's no place left for Sao Feng to cower. Do you think he will honour the call?" Rebby opened her eyes a little and saw Elizabeth stood behind Tia Dalma as they spoke.
"I cannot say" Tia shook her head a little as she continued to stare out the waters in front of the ship that were to come "There's an evil on these seas that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirates have come to fear" no more words were said. The tired brunette could only hear the wash of the waves and feel the sway of the ship.
She tried to banish the thoughts from her mind but she couldn't. Her mind racing to come up with logical answers but also to get rid of them. "Rebby, are you okay?" she heard Elizabeth's voice and looked to see her friend crouched beside her.
"I don't know Lizzie. Whenever I think I can rest or whenever I have a second to spare; all I can think about is Jack" Liz could easily see the confliction her tired eyes and sighed.
She sat down beside the brunette and wrapped her arm around her shoulder for a little comfort. "We're going to get him back"
Rebby shook her head "I know that but why did he do it? He's a pirate lord so at some point in that confused head of his it must have come to him that he was needed. And there's no way he could have known that we would voyage to get him back" Elizabeth didn't have anything to say to Rebby in reply. "You were the last to see him, Liz. He must have said or done something…anything" Rebby didn't know if she wanted to cry or be angry and at who. Elizabeth hadn't done anything but comfort her thus far but this was really hitting her in the chest. The silence from Liz didn't help either. She just stared into nothing like she was trying to find the answer.
It must have come to her though after a while "there was nothing. I'm sorry"
Rebby nodded accepting it for now. When they rescued Jack there would be plenty of time to get answers out of him. It would seem that Jack was the only one that could answer all the questions that plagued her mind. Perhaps it was Jack that she was upset or angry with. "So you want to tell me what's going on between you and Will" Elizabeth gave her a surprised glance "please, I've known the both of you for ages and I had to put up with the both of you during the whole engagement and wedding process so I know what a loved up Will and Elizabeth looks like and you and him aren't it"
Liz sighed seeing that the game was up. "I don't know, I'm just finding it hard to talk to him. I guess it's just one of those things"
"I've seen the two of you. No, wrong wording. I've put up with you two for the majority of my life so I know that you will work something out. Whatever it is I think you both just need to be honest and clear with each other; say whatever it is that's bothering the both of you" Rebby eyes Will helping the crew not too far away from the two of them and she wanted to speak loud enough for him to hear but she couldn't. Even her voice was tired. Elizabeth just had to look at her friend to see that all the energy she needed wasn't there and she knew herself that since joining with Jack on the Pearl no one had really gotten the right amount of rest as they should have. So far the adrenaline of the adventure to get Sparrow back had been keeping them going but even now that was catching up with them.
"Rest up, Rebby" Elizabeth gave a quick soft smile to the brunette before picking herself up and moving away to let her rest.
She wouldn't admit it aloud but just getting the thoughts out of her head did help her a lot. She closed her eyes again and this time she felt herself drift away slowly. She could finally let go and let the exhaustion take her.
….
She wished she could have just slept for the rest of the journey but no. Her dreams of being back aboard the Pearl and with Jack, going off on another adventure with the wind blowing in the sails. That wasn't the case though. The significant temperature drop woke her up as she instantly wrapped her arms around herself protectively. As she opened her eyes she was almost blinded by the light. It wasn't exactly sunny where they were but the reflectivity of the snow and ice everywhere made it hard for her to see. She instinctively closed them again but knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep so she opened them slowly and allowed herself to get used to the light.
Picking herself up she moved to through past the crew who were sitting trying to keep warm. Some of them as blue as the sea and others turning into a living icicle. She moved to the stern of the ship now where Barbossa was controlling the ship. Elizabeth behind him wrapped in a blanket and Gibbs stood to the side looking out at the frozen wasteland. "Do you care to interpret, Captain Barbossa?" the brunette moved to see that Barbossa was rolling up the navigational charts in his hand. They had obviously found something out from it.
"Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?" it went from one question to another.
"I reckon I seen my fair share" Gibbs stepped down to speak with them more closely "Happens on rare occasion. The last glimpse of sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole lives without ever seeing it. Some claim to have seen it who ain't. And some say…"
Pintel's voice suddenly spoke to finish off what Gibbs was saying "it signals when a soul comes back to this world from the dead" he looked quite proud with himself obviously having seen it himself but when he turned back to look at Gibbs he looked guilt ridden and tried to look away "Sorry" Gibbs on the other hand was furious.
"Trust me, young Master Turner" Barbossa handed the charts back to the young blacksmith "it's not getting to the land of the dead that's the problem. It's getting back"
With that Will moved off as the ship was directed into an ice cavern. Rebby had to think about it for a moment. Her face frowning in her thought. "When I was crossing over from England, I could have sworn I saw a flash of green. It was so quick I thought that I just imagined it"
Gibbs moved to her side placing a hand on her shoulder "there be a lot of good souls who have probably seen it but never believe it. It goes too fast for us to actually justify what we've seen" she nodded in understanding. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try and keep warm Rebby noticed just how much she was shivering. Her skin was almost turning blue and her hair that was once tied up but now hung around her shoulders had little bits of ice in it. Any colder and she was sure that she would pass out. Though she did have to consider her options. At least with passing out she could rest a bit more but then again she knew the dangers as well.
Going to sleep now would be letting the cold take her away and risking the fact that she might not wake up. Her body would go into shock and her systems would shut down and the last thing she needed was to not wake up ever again particularly if Jack's life needed to be rescued first. Immediately she moved to Elizabeth who graciously offered to share the blanket and they both sat down trying to hide from the cold.
….
It was beautiful. As if the ship that they had borrowed from Sao Feng in Singapore was actually floating in space. There wasn't any sound. No wild wind or raging water hitting the ship. It was calm with only a small breeze to keep them going.
It was a little confusing that the ship was sailing relatively fast and yet there wasn't the wind power for that. Luckily for Rebby she had defrosted but still couldn't sleep. She had managed to regain some of her energy and the feeling that they were really close to Jack now was really getting to her. She was close, the wind bringing them together even more. She couldn't help but admire the stars above them though in the night sky. They were perfectly reflected in the sea beneath them. She hadn't really moved since they were being frozen to death but she did want to see the view more clearly so she was stood at the side where she was observing the sky and the water below. She was also trying to find the horizon. It was difficult seeing as all she could see was the night sky and there was no clue to where the sea and the sky actually met.
It was pretty much silent on the ship. Things were calm and quiet which meant that it should have been easy for Rebby to rest but yet she still couldn't. Her body felt a little better but she could still feel it screaming at her to properly rest. Taking a breath in through her nose the brunette could smell the sweet and salty sea and the fresh air around them. There was one thing that she missed though and that was the particular smell of rum. Of course she could smell hints of it among the crew but none of it was quite like that of Jack Sparrow. Closing her eyes slightly she tried to imagine him standing next to her, his arms wrapped around her making her feel secure. "Barbossa, ahead!" Wills hysterical voice caught her attention and made her open her eyes. Looking towards the bow of the ship out to the waters to come, Rebby immediately saw what was in front of them. There was no longer smooth sailing but a very big drop ahead of them.
"Aye, we're good and lost now" it seemed that Wills rush had gained the attention of the others.
Elizabeth wasn't exactly happy with Barbossa's reaction either. Everyone seemed confused about the idea of being lost. The old pirate on the other hand was quite happy about it all. "Lost?"
"For certain you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found. Elseways, everyone would know where it was"
Rebby again confused by Barbossa. "And sailing off the edge of the world is the way to do that?"
Barbossa faced her "You want Sparrow back or not?" he answered her with another question.
She looked to all of the crew but didn't answer verbally. They all already knew that the brunette would die to bring Jack back. "We're gaining speed" Gibbs peered over the side. Well this explained why they were going fast. The water was carry them towards the waterfall and over the edge.
"Aye" Barbossa had nothing more to say. Each of them on deck looked to one another; it was Will that reacted first.
"To stations!" he ran off and everyone instantly dropped everything and did the same "All hand to stations! Rudder full. Hard aport! Gather way"
Rebby wanted to move but couldn't. She looked to Barbossa and couldn't believe it but she had to agree with him. This was Davy Jones Locker they were going to. If you are cast there then you're not supposed to be able to leave which meant that it would be just as difficult to get there. They would have to sail over the edge to get to Jack. With her decision made she moved to the others "Belay that!" the entire crew looked to her in surprise.
Barbossa moved up beside her "let her run straight and true!"
They all then gathered at the bow of the ship. Having gotten closer to the waterfall they could all see clearly now what was coming. "Blimey" Ragetti spoke none of them having quite seen a fall as big as they one they were being pulled towards. Looking down at the sea, Rebby could no longer see the stars reflected in it. They had now entered the rougher waters.
"You've doomed us all" Elizabeth spoke to Barbossa but Rebby couldn't help but feel it was meant for her as well.
"Over the edge, over again" Will whispered from behind Elizabeth as he recited what he had seen on the charts
Rebby nodded "if we want to get to Jack then we have to over that edge. Off the world's end. We all agreed to do this at the beginning and now is the time" they nodded before everyone moved off. The crew shouting around as they were scared of what to come.
Rebby could feel the fear as well. Her heart was thumping so loud but that could be confused with her closeness to Jack now. She took in a shuddering breath as she heard Will from somewhere else on the ship "Hold on!" she then blocked out all other noises as she moved to the very front of the ship. She was right by the edge and her breathing increased so much more than she thought possible. She gripped onto the wooden side as she almost feel out of the ship; the fast flow of the water now turning the ship around but they were still being pulled.
She wrapped a small piece of rope attached to the ship around her arm as they were being dragged over the falls backwards now. The ship then tipped and everyone on the ship yelled out, all of them terrified. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Rebby closed her eyes and hung on to the rope as her legs were now dangling but she tried to ignore the feeling but it was difficult. She was overwhelmed, just as everyone else was, with the feeling of falling. "Jack!" the brunette screamed out as the top of the waterfall was now out of sight. The feel of water drenching into her body again was the last thing she felt before everything faded to dark.
….
"Dead men tell no tales"
He was surrounded by incompetence. That was his first thought and this was reinforced by the lack of progress that was being made. Looking around on deck he noticed one of his crew about to eat a peanut but he was quick to draw his gun and fire it. The innocent Jack falling back. Jack smirked and blew the smoke away from his weapons before tucking it back away and picking up the peanut. "My peanut" he placed the peanut in his mouth and looked around his ship. "Haul the halyard. Slacken braces" he shouted out his orders as he looked to other the Jacks who only repeated his words and got to work.
Jack watched as they all worked hard around him. Chicken Jack passing him quickly. He was about to do his rounds and inspect the work when he stopped. His eyes wide "Jack" he heard his name as a little whisper. He turned around to see his favourite brunette stood there on the deck of his ship right in front of him. It was her voice, there was no question about it. He could recognise it anywhere.
"Rebby; beautiful as always" he went to embrace her. Hold her in his arms but when he went to make contact with her she faded. Jack stepped back in confusion. Sadness clear in his brown gaze. He stared at where he saw her stood and yet there was no evidence that she had been there. Again he scanned around his ship and saw each of the Jacks working hard and not once did he see Rebecca anywhere. Was his mind playing tricks on him?
"Haul" Jack looked up to the Jack upon the main mast and watched as they all spoke in unison "haul" and in unison they untied the sail. The black material falling down perfectly. "Haul the sheets handsomely boys. Scandalise the lateens" it was one order after another.
It wasn't his voice he wanted to hear shouting those things though. Rebecca was his first mate; it should be her. He even wouldn't mind hearing Gibbs' voice shout out the orders but he didn't. He reached his hand out to where he saw Rebby as if he were stroking her cheek but it didn't come into contact with anything to his disappointment. How did he live without her before? He felt it in his chest; he'd never imagine having deep feelings for anyone before but now it was what kept him going. His heart beat faster when he thought about her – he could only imagine what it would be like when she would be with him again. If they would be together again. Anger filled him then along with his frustration for having being trapped in the wasteland. He clenched his hand into a fist and returned it to his side. His other hand felt inside a small pocket where he felt something small and very important – it was something he wished he had done before now but in his head he would swear on his life to do it if he ever escaped.
The metallic object in his pocket wasn't like him at all but it felt right to him. He had stowed it away from the Isla de Merta and but did say anything or do what he should have with it. But he hoped the time would come when he could. Pushing the thoughts away for now he went back to his rounds and narrowed his eyes on a Jack wearing only the bottom half of his clothes. Tattoos were very visible all over the top half of his body as he worked on securing the line of rope. "Mr Sparrow?"
His attention was immediately brought to the real Captain Jack Sparrow "Aye, cap'n"
"What say you about the condition of this tack line?" Captain Sparrow's voice gathered other Jacks behind him as they watched events unfold. They seemed to already know that the captain was in a foul mood.
The topless Jack looked to the line in question a bit confused "it be proper to my eyes, sir"
"Proper?" Jack moved over and immediately undid everything his crew member did as he spoke rather harshly "it is neither proper nor suitable, sir. It is not acceptable nor adequate. It is, in obvious fact, an abomination" he threw the loose line back into the topless Jacks arms.
He was quick to redo the work hoping it would be up to standard. His behaviour showing that he was quite nervous "begging your pardon, sir, but perhaps if you gave a man another chance"
"Shall I?" Instantly Captain Jack drew his sword from its sheath at his side and stabbed it into the topless Jack. He in turn weakened and leant on his captain as the life was being drained from him. "It's that sort of thinking that got us into this mess" Jack withdrew his sword and watched as the lifeless Jack fell to the floor. "We have lost speed and, therefore, time" Jack began to clean his already clean sword on the side of the ship as he spoke to the shocked and dumbfounded ones stood watching behind him "precious time, which cannot be recovered once lost. Do you understand?"
They all answered generally together "aye, aye, captain" most of them hoping that they would not be next to die.
"Do you know? It will all have to be redone. All of it. And let this serve as a lesson to the lot of you"
One of the crew stepped forward to answer for the crew "doldrums, sir, has the entire crew on edge"
"Rebby would understand; she's encourage and…" that particular Jack didn't get a chance to finish as the captain impaled him with his sword; ending his life as well.
"Rebby isn't here and none of you have a right to speak of her! She's mine!" he then sheathed his sword and then paced a little "I have no sympathy for any of you feculent maggots, and no more patience to pretend otherwise" with that Jack jumped up on a cannon and on top of the wooden side with a loose rope attached to the ship in his hand. "Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness" with one last glace back on the deck of the ship. Jack finally saw that he wasn't addressing anyone, he was alone and quickly swung down the rope onto the land.
Looking around the young pirate captain saw nothing but land, bright land with his ship right in the middle of it. Dipping his right index finger into his mouth and then holding it high, he tried to feel for any sign of wind that would help move the Pearl but there wasn't any which really wasn't surprising. He wasn't supposed to escape. "No wind. Of course, there's no bloody wind" with that he began to walk away from the ship; not really looking for anything in particular. "My soul I do swear for a breeze. Gust. Whisper. A tiny, miniature lick. And a rather lovely brunette at my side" the thought of the same woman that was always in his mind made him smirk just a little bit. But once again he was reminded that she wasn't with him; she was nowhere near. Who knew if he would see her again?