Thanks so much to the scads of people that reviewed! I'm so so so flattered, especially that you like my Jack. Hopefully I can keep up the quality insanity. I've been considering writing a tutorial on how to write him, but I'm not sure if I have stones enough. Any opinions?
I'd have updated sooner but this was a tough chapter to write, and I was busy making a hat. THE hat. Leather is a bitch to sew, however, and I split my thumb, so I'm stuck with typing for a while. Good for readers, I suppose. *s* I'm not sure if I'm completely pleased with this chapter, but I promised myself I would post by Sunday. It is 5am Monday. I haven't slept yet, so it's still Sunday in my head.
***
The ship that Jack had 'commandeered' this time was a sloop, just small enough for only two men to sail. With the Capitan's occasionally reminder as to which rope to pull when, Will maneuvered them out of the harbor. There was no daring escape from the law this time, but they were sailing into the sunrise which looked a lot like a sunset if you didn't look too long, and that was suitably dramatic for Will. He imagined Elizabeth watching him sail into the yellow and purple sky from her balcony, perhaps clutching a handkerchief yet smiling sadly, breeze gently rippling her nightgown. Best not to think about the nightgown aspect, though. Just as he was beginning to have doubts about leaving, Jack said from his position at the wheel, "no time for regret, lad."
Will nodded and looked to the horizon, his back to the retreating port.
Mid-day found them both lounging on the waist, passing a tin cup of fresh water between them. The ship, stocked for a crew of fifteen, had more than enough food and water for the two, and Jack had wisely decided not to drink all the rum the first day out.
Jack was sprawled lazily against the deckhouse, one long leg stretched out in front of him, the other cocked casually toward Will, an arm dangling lazily over it. Whenever Will passed him the tin Jack would tap out a senseless rhythm with his rings on the side of the cup before he took a drink. He had an odd habit of swallowing the water, pausing for a long moment with the cup still to his lips, suddenly utterly, uncharacteristically still, then very quickly handing it back to Will.
Will wanted to understand the man desperately. It wasn't something he realized until one night along at his forge, just an inkling of a thought. Now, sitting next to him, it was undeniable. He wanted to ask why Jack did everything so unconventionally, what the trinkets in his hair meant to him, how he grew up. He knew that even if he did ask, one way or another he wouldn't get answers. He wanted to watch him as well, memorize all the ticks and flourishes, maybe even try to provoke some kind of response—to know him. It was an urge that Will had never felt before. He had wanted to be with Elizabeth to be sure, but he had always felt he knew her completely from the moment they met. Everyone else he had ever known was predictable, understandable. The only other person he had ever wanted to prod for the sake of seeing their reaction was Norrington, and that was more for maniacal reasons than anything else.
Eventually, after a long companionable silence, something occurred to Will.
"This was your plan all along!" He was an idiot. A gullible idiot.
Jack looked at Will as if he had just yelled, shocked, "oh my god—you're a pirate!"
"You came to Port Royal to convince me to break my engagement to Elizabeth and sail away with you."
Jack smiled innocently, looking as if he saw no problem in this. It was an odd effect, the innocently smiling gold-lined mouth, eyes cast in shadows from the tilted hat. Demonic, child-like and alluring all at the same time.
"I," Will said. "You…" Then he thought better than to feel outraged. He had never had luck when mixing indignancy and Jack in the past; it would get him nowhere. And, he realized, he too had gotten what he ultimately wanted.
Instead he said, "How did you know I would agree?"
This to the man who could charm the birds from the trees, the fish from the sea, and make a profit while doing it.
"I," Jack said grandly, "can read people."
"You can read people," Will repeated doubtfully.
"I can."
"I suppose you allowed your crew to mutiny, then?"
"Before the skill came into full gestation," Jack said assuredly. "Moreover, Barbossa was shadier than a parasol on a moonless night, whereas you…" he paused pointedly, "have yet to cultivate that necessary strength."
Will tried not to rise to the bait. "I'm sure there are plenty of other men that would give their eye to be part of your crew. Why go to all the trouble to get me?"
"You're of good stock, lad. Proven yourself a hard worker, can hold your own plus a few other's in a fight. Loyal to the point of sheer idiocy."
"That can be cured by repeatedly calling me an idiot," Will said, slightly disgruntled.
Jack grinned. "No, lad, it's considerably harder to cure than that." He swayed slightly, bumping shoulders with Will. "Shame you've lost yours, though."
Will blinked, then frowned. "Just because I left Elizabeth doesn't mean I'm not loyal," he said defensively.
Jack pulled back and stared at him oddly for a moment. "Your hat. You lost your hat—fancy number, plumed like anything." He swayed back again, this time leaning closer so the entire length of their arms were pressed together.
"Oh," Will said, a bit dizzy from the sudden subject change as well as the contact. "Sophia ate it," he said. "The donkey."
Jack nodded gravely, as if he had just been told a dear friend had died. "You'll find another soon enough."
Will wasn't used to such blatant physical contact. From what he remembered of his mother, she was a restrained woman who wasn't unkind but only touched him to beat him. Master Brown was similar, and though he did get as far as kissing Elizabeth a few times, every other time the were together she was the prefect reserved young woman, hardly even standing close to him. No one but Jack had ever touched him casually and generally without intent to harm, and he did it with great frequency. Will wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
"What is it you want, Jack?" Will asked, his voice slightly lower than usual.
Jack turned his head so they were nearly touching noses. Will's breath caught, staring at the dark, hooded eyes.
"I'd rather like a winged ship," Jack said, "So's I can really take them by surprise, flying in and all. Though I imagine I'd miss the sea"
Will didn't know what he was expecting Jack to say, but it certainly wasn't that.
He said, "I meant—" but was cut off when suddenly when Jack's face disappeared, leaving Will looking at empty space.
"God's piss," Jack swore, standing above Will and looking abaft.
Will stood unsteadily, and saw what Jack had. A large ship was fast approaching. They were close enough to see that it was very well manned.
"It looks like a merchant ship," Will said, "they shouldn't give us any trouble."
"That's no merchant ship," Jack said, glaring at it.
"Well, shouldn't we try to outrun them? We can't fight them, we must be outnumbered twenty to one."
"Can't outrun them," Jack said, glancing wildly about. He took off, ducking into the hold.
"What do you propose we do, then?" Will yelled after him. The approaching ship dropped its flag and raised a black one with a skull and three parallel bones beneath it.
Jack emerged a moment later, a large number of pistols strapped to his coat. He handed three to Will then stared at them, hands spread out as if making a point. "Take these," he said with great importance.
"I don't know how to use a pistol, Jack," Will said.
"Pretend you do," Jack said, "and you won't need to."
"Even we can't fight them all off!"
"Look alive."
Will tucked two pistols into his trousers, keeping the other on hand, and tried his best to look fearsome. The ship was close enough to begin boarding. Before any cannons were fired or anyone managed to swing across, however, Jack leaned as close as he could get and yelled, "Avast ye!"
A few of the pirates—quite obviously pirates, close up—paused and looked ready to listen, though not for long.
"Before you do anything rash," Jack said convincingly, powerful voice projecting to the other ship yet somehow not yelling, "I've got to say one thing, aye?
"Parley."
The other pirates looked slightly disappointed.
I'd have updated sooner but this was a tough chapter to write, and I was busy making a hat. THE hat. Leather is a bitch to sew, however, and I split my thumb, so I'm stuck with typing for a while. Good for readers, I suppose. *s* I'm not sure if I'm completely pleased with this chapter, but I promised myself I would post by Sunday. It is 5am Monday. I haven't slept yet, so it's still Sunday in my head.
***
The ship that Jack had 'commandeered' this time was a sloop, just small enough for only two men to sail. With the Capitan's occasionally reminder as to which rope to pull when, Will maneuvered them out of the harbor. There was no daring escape from the law this time, but they were sailing into the sunrise which looked a lot like a sunset if you didn't look too long, and that was suitably dramatic for Will. He imagined Elizabeth watching him sail into the yellow and purple sky from her balcony, perhaps clutching a handkerchief yet smiling sadly, breeze gently rippling her nightgown. Best not to think about the nightgown aspect, though. Just as he was beginning to have doubts about leaving, Jack said from his position at the wheel, "no time for regret, lad."
Will nodded and looked to the horizon, his back to the retreating port.
Mid-day found them both lounging on the waist, passing a tin cup of fresh water between them. The ship, stocked for a crew of fifteen, had more than enough food and water for the two, and Jack had wisely decided not to drink all the rum the first day out.
Jack was sprawled lazily against the deckhouse, one long leg stretched out in front of him, the other cocked casually toward Will, an arm dangling lazily over it. Whenever Will passed him the tin Jack would tap out a senseless rhythm with his rings on the side of the cup before he took a drink. He had an odd habit of swallowing the water, pausing for a long moment with the cup still to his lips, suddenly utterly, uncharacteristically still, then very quickly handing it back to Will.
Will wanted to understand the man desperately. It wasn't something he realized until one night along at his forge, just an inkling of a thought. Now, sitting next to him, it was undeniable. He wanted to ask why Jack did everything so unconventionally, what the trinkets in his hair meant to him, how he grew up. He knew that even if he did ask, one way or another he wouldn't get answers. He wanted to watch him as well, memorize all the ticks and flourishes, maybe even try to provoke some kind of response—to know him. It was an urge that Will had never felt before. He had wanted to be with Elizabeth to be sure, but he had always felt he knew her completely from the moment they met. Everyone else he had ever known was predictable, understandable. The only other person he had ever wanted to prod for the sake of seeing their reaction was Norrington, and that was more for maniacal reasons than anything else.
Eventually, after a long companionable silence, something occurred to Will.
"This was your plan all along!" He was an idiot. A gullible idiot.
Jack looked at Will as if he had just yelled, shocked, "oh my god—you're a pirate!"
"You came to Port Royal to convince me to break my engagement to Elizabeth and sail away with you."
Jack smiled innocently, looking as if he saw no problem in this. It was an odd effect, the innocently smiling gold-lined mouth, eyes cast in shadows from the tilted hat. Demonic, child-like and alluring all at the same time.
"I," Will said. "You…" Then he thought better than to feel outraged. He had never had luck when mixing indignancy and Jack in the past; it would get him nowhere. And, he realized, he too had gotten what he ultimately wanted.
Instead he said, "How did you know I would agree?"
This to the man who could charm the birds from the trees, the fish from the sea, and make a profit while doing it.
"I," Jack said grandly, "can read people."
"You can read people," Will repeated doubtfully.
"I can."
"I suppose you allowed your crew to mutiny, then?"
"Before the skill came into full gestation," Jack said assuredly. "Moreover, Barbossa was shadier than a parasol on a moonless night, whereas you…" he paused pointedly, "have yet to cultivate that necessary strength."
Will tried not to rise to the bait. "I'm sure there are plenty of other men that would give their eye to be part of your crew. Why go to all the trouble to get me?"
"You're of good stock, lad. Proven yourself a hard worker, can hold your own plus a few other's in a fight. Loyal to the point of sheer idiocy."
"That can be cured by repeatedly calling me an idiot," Will said, slightly disgruntled.
Jack grinned. "No, lad, it's considerably harder to cure than that." He swayed slightly, bumping shoulders with Will. "Shame you've lost yours, though."
Will blinked, then frowned. "Just because I left Elizabeth doesn't mean I'm not loyal," he said defensively.
Jack pulled back and stared at him oddly for a moment. "Your hat. You lost your hat—fancy number, plumed like anything." He swayed back again, this time leaning closer so the entire length of their arms were pressed together.
"Oh," Will said, a bit dizzy from the sudden subject change as well as the contact. "Sophia ate it," he said. "The donkey."
Jack nodded gravely, as if he had just been told a dear friend had died. "You'll find another soon enough."
Will wasn't used to such blatant physical contact. From what he remembered of his mother, she was a restrained woman who wasn't unkind but only touched him to beat him. Master Brown was similar, and though he did get as far as kissing Elizabeth a few times, every other time the were together she was the prefect reserved young woman, hardly even standing close to him. No one but Jack had ever touched him casually and generally without intent to harm, and he did it with great frequency. Will wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
"What is it you want, Jack?" Will asked, his voice slightly lower than usual.
Jack turned his head so they were nearly touching noses. Will's breath caught, staring at the dark, hooded eyes.
"I'd rather like a winged ship," Jack said, "So's I can really take them by surprise, flying in and all. Though I imagine I'd miss the sea"
Will didn't know what he was expecting Jack to say, but it certainly wasn't that.
He said, "I meant—" but was cut off when suddenly when Jack's face disappeared, leaving Will looking at empty space.
"God's piss," Jack swore, standing above Will and looking abaft.
Will stood unsteadily, and saw what Jack had. A large ship was fast approaching. They were close enough to see that it was very well manned.
"It looks like a merchant ship," Will said, "they shouldn't give us any trouble."
"That's no merchant ship," Jack said, glaring at it.
"Well, shouldn't we try to outrun them? We can't fight them, we must be outnumbered twenty to one."
"Can't outrun them," Jack said, glancing wildly about. He took off, ducking into the hold.
"What do you propose we do, then?" Will yelled after him. The approaching ship dropped its flag and raised a black one with a skull and three parallel bones beneath it.
Jack emerged a moment later, a large number of pistols strapped to his coat. He handed three to Will then stared at them, hands spread out as if making a point. "Take these," he said with great importance.
"I don't know how to use a pistol, Jack," Will said.
"Pretend you do," Jack said, "and you won't need to."
"Even we can't fight them all off!"
"Look alive."
Will tucked two pistols into his trousers, keeping the other on hand, and tried his best to look fearsome. The ship was close enough to begin boarding. Before any cannons were fired or anyone managed to swing across, however, Jack leaned as close as he could get and yelled, "Avast ye!"
A few of the pirates—quite obviously pirates, close up—paused and looked ready to listen, though not for long.
"Before you do anything rash," Jack said convincingly, powerful voice projecting to the other ship yet somehow not yelling, "I've got to say one thing, aye?
"Parley."
The other pirates looked slightly disappointed.
