Commandeering Commodore
Chapter 55
Jack wandered about a bit after he left James lying in a semi-comfortable position against the palm tree, and finally found himself standing by Teague.
"Have a nice little talk wif the Commodore Jackie? Happen ta learn any Naval secrets after ya plied him wif rum?" Teague said with a smile as he raised his bottle of rum to his mouth.
"Take more n a bit of rum ta pry anything bout Naval business out of the likes of him mate. The man eats, sleeps, and breaths Navy, every stuffy stick up the arse Commodorely inch of 'em." Jack said with a smile and a flutter of his hand as he too took a drink and then finished, "Didn't even try."
They heard a sound coming from somewhere over by the Pearl and Jack was instantly on alert. He started towards the Pearl and Teague followed. As they neared the ship they could hear whispering. As they got closer and could hear a bit more clearly Jack could tell it wasn't any of the crew. He cast a puzzled look back at Teague who just shrugged his shoulders in return. Jack stepped around the beached bow of the Pearl ready to draw pistol or sword or both. The sight that greeted him was not what he was expecting. He was greeted by the sight of the two that had come over from Barbossa's ship with Lizzie huddled there together by the side of the Pearl.
Josette let out a frightened yip when Jack stepped into view, which caused Jack to jump back in alarm and look around behind him for what had made her do that. She covered her face with her hands and began to cry. Alon jumped to his feet and stepped in front of Josette as if to protect her.
"Stay away from her!" He said as he looked around for something to use as a weapon.
"Now mate we don't mean….." Jack said as he started to take a step forward.
"Stay away from her! You'll not be laying your filthy pirate hands on her if I can help it." Alon said fiercely.
Jack looked down at his hands, looked at Alon, looked back at his hands and said with a hurt look and a wave of said hands, "I'll concede to the fact that me hands may be a bit disgustin mate, but me intent wasn't ta be placin them anywhere near the young lass. And its Captain Jack Sparrow, privateer at the present, if ya don't mind."
"I know what all you ilk's intentions are with young ladies regardless if you call yourselves pirates or privateers." Alon spat back, "And you will have to come through me to do it, and I guarantee you that won't be easy." He finished this trying to look as imposing as he could.
Jack stood there a moment looking at the man, he looked back at Teague when he heard the man let out a little laugh, rolled his eyes and turned back to face Alon and Josette.
"Me intents mate, once I determined who it was skulkin round me Pearl, was ta invite ya over for a bit of food and comfort. Can't be too comfortable there squattin in the wet sand." Jack said patiently, pointing in the general direction of the fire and then where Alon stood and Josette sat.
Alon looked questioningly at Jack and thought, "Maybe I have allowed myself to be a bit swayed by Josette's near hysteria over pirates. After all I'm sure Madame Turner would not deliver us into hands that would harm us." Alon cleared his throat and said, "Perhaps Josette and I could use some food. And it is rather wet here, a nice dry place would be much better." He looked down at Josette who still had her hands over her face but was looking through her fingers at Jack and Teague. "I think it will be all right Josette. I know you must be hungry and I know I could use something to eat as well. I don't think these men are going to hurt you." Alon said in a kind voice as he held his hand out to help her up.
"Are you sure Alon?" Josette said in a tremulous tone as she eyed Jack and Teague with a little apprehension.
Jack smiled his most winning smile at her and said, "No harm meant what so ever young missy. We're as tame as….as tame as…..well we be pretty down right tame lass."
Teague also smiled an assuring smile at her. "Come along darling, sure ya must be nigh onta starvin."
Despite the fact she was still scared, the lure of food was too much to ignore. She took Alon's hand and followed along towards the food.
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A little while later Alon and Josette sat in a quiet, or at least relatively quiet place near the fire with Jack and Teague as they ate their fill of the boar and side dishes. The party was still going on although not quite as rowdily as it had been, and Josette had calmed down and was actually starting to warm a bit to the pirates. They both seemed friendly and even quite nice, for pirates. Not anywhere near what she had heard or been led to believe as a child. She sat and listened as the pirates and Alon conversed in a lighthearted manner, the pirates sharing some of their rum with Alon as they talked. Surly some of the stories she had been told about pirates as a child could not be true. She began to go back over some of those things, trying to judge what was true and what was not. She was able to decide on a number of things that clearly weren't true, at least with this band of pirates. Being stumped by one story she had heard and had not really believed, well maybe she had believed it some, and not being able to make a judgment on observance alone opened her mouth and spoke, bringing the genial conversation to an abrupt halt.
"So do you really eat children who misbehave?"
Teague choked on the swallow of rum he was taking, Alon hissed, "Josette!" at her, and Jack said with a perfectly straight face and semi-serious tone, "Nay lass, not pirates ya have ta be worrin bout far as that. Tis stuffy British Commodores paradin about as pirates that ya have ta watch, like that one layin over against that palm there." He finished his statement with a flourish towards James.
"Oh." Josette said as she looked in James' direction, her eyes big as saucers.
Still sleeping an inebriated sleep James, almost as if on cue, rolled over to face them and let out an enormous belchy-growling noise.
"Oh!" Josette said as she looked apprehensively over at James, who was still making semi-fearsome sounds in his sleep as he tried to find a comfortable position, and scooted over closer to Alon.
Jack smiled a wide glittering smile, silently commending the Commodore on his fine, if unwitting, timing.
Alon put his arm around Josette and began trying to assure her it had been a joke, which at least for the time, she was not buying in the least.
Teague shook his head in bemusement and took another drink of rum.
To Be Continued
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