Disclaimer: Still don't own Jack, though I wish I did!
AN: Well, I'm glad that people love this story! Thank you to everyone for all of your reviews! I love you all! You rock! I also realize that people are probably wondering why I update so often and so fast. It's because I'm a college student and I'm still on my summer vacation until September 29th. After that, updates will not be posted as quickly as they are now, so enjoy it while you can, folks!
Chapter 6: Problems
Lara stood speechless as she looked out over the Caribbean from Jack's cabin. She had to admit it was a breathtaking view, but she had more important things on her mind. She turned around and made for the door, only to have it open and Annamaria step in. The two women smiled at each other before hugging.
"How are ye, Lara?" Annamaria asked her friend before letting her go.
Lara shook her head. "I really don't know whether to be mad at everyone for doing this, or to hug the whole lot of you." Annamaria laughed and Lara chuckled before remembering where she was.
"Annamaria, why would Jack kidnap me? Surely he knows that I would have gone with him as soon as I could get away!"
Annamaria shook her head. "I doubt that ye would have found a way to get to us. Jack told us about your sailor, and I doubt you would have gotten far before he followed you. With Jack kidnapping you from right under the Commodore's nose and no one able to figure out that he's the one who did it, there shouldn't be anyone comin' after us. I don't think ye have anything to worry about."
Lara turned serious. "I hope you're right. There are just one or two problems." She trailed off, her mind going back to her home town.
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Port Royal:
The previous night, Will and Elizabeth had returned home to an empty house. Both were somewhat worried when Jack was nowhere to be found, and became even more worried when he didn't return the next morning. Will had gone out to scout around for the Black Pearl, only to find it missing. He returned home to a very distraught Elizabeth.
"Oh, Will," she gasped as he came through the door. "The Worthingtons have sent out search parties for Lara, and my father has sent messages to the Commodore! I can't tell them she's been taken, most likely willingly, by pirates! What are we going to do?!"
She began to panic. She knew that Jack and Lara were in love, and that she was probably with him on the Black Pearl, but she couldn't tell her father, the Commodore, or the Worthingtons that! They would most likely not believe her and think her mad. She desperately looked at Will, hoping that he would think of something.
He couldn't. He's mind was blank, and he couldn't think of a way for them to help their friends. It was likely that Jack and his crew were going to be hunted down and hung while Lara watched before she was married off to Thomas Pierce. Will sighed.
"Elizabeth, we must go see what your father and the Commodore are up to. Perhaps we can detour them away from Jack and off to someone else."
Elizabeth nodded and the two of them left for the Governor's mansion.
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The Black Pearl:
Annamaria escorted Lara up to the deck where everyone was working. Mr. Gibbs saw her, waved, and smiled. The rest of the crew turned and smiled; they had all become friends when Jack had hired them for the Interceptor, and still thought fondly of her. She smiled in return, then followed Annamaria up to the helm where Jack was. As soon as he saw her, he smiled.
"Mornin', luv," he said, reaching for her hand and kissing it. "Have a nice sleep?"
Lara frowned. "Jack, I don't know whether to hug you or slap you for what you've done."
Jack grinned. "Well, let's check the difference. If I'd left ye there, ye would be married to that pansy red-coat in six weeks time and havin' to put up with him fer the rest of yer life."
Lara tried not to smile as she responded. "On the other hand, you've taken me from my hometown and everyone that I love and hold dear." She crossed her arms over her chest, which made Jack smile a little too widely. He leaned close to her ear.
"You've got someone here who loves ye with all of his pirate heart, lass," he whispered to her, making her blush. He smirked at her blush before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. She blushed even redder as Jack turned to talk to Annamaria.
"Annamaria, take my bonny lass down below and dress her properly," he ordered before turning back to the wheel.
Annamaria grinned as she rolled her eyes. "Aye, cap'n," she said, grabbing Lara gently by the arm and leading her down below.
"What did he mean, 'dress me properly?'" Lara asked. "I think I'm fairly well dressed."
Annamaria shook her head. "He meant men's gear, mate. You wouldn't last long on this ship in a gown. Besides, the rest of the crew's used to seeing ye in men's clothes."
She was right. Lara had spent almost all of her time in men's clothes on the Interceptor, so that's what the crew was used to seeing. However, she was surprised when Annamaria directed her back into Jack's cabin and bent over a fairly large chest. Stored inside was a wide variety of pants, shirts, vests, and even a couple pairs of boots. Stored in the top were a beautifully made sword, dagger, and boot-knife. Lara couldn't help but gape as Annamaria chuckled.
"The cap'n wanted ye to be well prepared on the Pearl, mate. Yer his lass and he's doing everything to take care of ye."
Lara smiled as she picked out an entirely blue outfit, everything from her shirt to her pants were some shade of blue, and she loved it. After she finished dressing, Annamaria stopped her from leaving.
"I'd stay put. Lunch will be done soon, and Jack's going to want to join ye." Lara nodded her head and Annamaria left to join the crew for lunch. To keep herself occupied, Lara sat on the bed and looked around the cabin.
It was a beautiful room. The bed was of the finest quality, and was intricately carved mahogany with midnight blue sheets, pillowcases, and drapes. There was a dressing screen in the back corner by the back balcony, as well as several trunks. An opened door nearby led to the bathing room, and there was another closed door that Lara hadn't looked through yet, but decided to pry into later. She had just finished inspecting the room when she noticed that Jack was watching her from the door.
"So," he said, grinning at her. "What do ye think of the Pearl? I know ye didn't get to see much of it last time."
"It's beautiful," she said. "I doubt that the whole ship looks like this, though."
Jack walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed. "I polished it up in here just fer you, lass. I'm hopin' that you'll stay in here with me instead of sleeping with the crew."
Lara looked at him in shock. "Why can't I stay with Annamaria?"
Jack grinned. "She's got her own room, but it's only big enough fer one, luv. It's either me, or the crew."
"Given the choices, I'd rather bunk with you," Lara said. "But I warn you, Jack, no funny business. Remember, I know how to fight."
He pouted. "Why not, lass? Don't ye want to try me out?" Her reply was a slap on the head. "Ow! Lass, that hurt!" He rubbed his head.
"Good, because I don't intend to sleep with anyone unless I'm married to him and." her voice trailed off as Jack grinned at her. "What are you grinning about?"
"Nothin' lass," he said. At that moment, Mr. Cotton came in with their lunch, and nothing more was said.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, in Port Royal, Will and Elizabeth were seated in the Governor's sitting room with both the Governor and the Commodore. The Governor spoke first.
"It is most likely that Lara was taken because she was valuable to my household, and is currently valuable to the Worthingtons. She was a handmaiden to my daughter, and is now a nursemaid and companion to the only child of a wealthy family. Surely her abductors know this?"
The Commodore nodded. "A maid at the Worthington house claims that a note was delivered yesterday morning by a small boy who said that it from the Turners. From what you have told me before hand, Governor, your daughter and son-in-law were with you for the entire day, so that it is impossible that the note is from them. I've sent some men to find the boy, but it may take some time."
"What do you intend to do, Commodore Norrington?" Elizabeth asked.
"I intend to send Lieutenant Pierce after her." Will and Elizabeth looked up in surprise.
"I thought he had left for island patrol two days ago!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"He was supposed to leave, but unfortunately, the ship he was to sail on had something wrong with its sails, and he was unable to leave. Since everything onboard the Kestrel is now in working order, he can leave as soon as possible."
"Wait!" exclaimed Will. Everyone turned to look at him. "What if she's still on the island? Shouldn't we look here first? I mean, I haven't seen any ships around lately, have you?"
The Commodore frowned in thought. "You have a point, Mr. Turner. I'll have some of my men search the island. You never know, the scoundrel who took Miss Storm might be foolish enough to have stayed on the island. I'll also have some soldiers search the ships in the harbor, just in case." He and the Governor then stood up and left for the fort near the harbor, leaving Will and Elizabeth alone in the sitting room.
Elizabeth got up and hugged her husband. "Will, that was brilliant! I think we've bought Jack some time!"
"I certainly hope so," said Will. "I'm just not sure how much time we've actually given them."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, on the Black Pearl, Jack and Lara had finished their lunch, and Jack was giving his bonny lass a tour of his beloved ship.
Lara greatly admired the Pearl. She'd thought it foolish that Jack had nearly died for this floating piece of wood, but now she thought that he'd been right in doing so. It was a beautiful ship. It might look rough and frightening, but it was beautiful underneath. Everything was fairly well- made and sturdy, as it was a pirate ship, but it was also surprisingly clean and well organized. It was a pirate ship, but it was an amazingly well-kept one. Lara couldn't help but be impressed. Jack could sense her admiration of his ship and knew he was one step closer to keeping her here with him for the rest of their days.
As soon as lunch was over, Annamaria had started steering the ship towards Tortuga to get some fresh supplies. Jack had planned to take Lara out for dinner, but thought that she would most likely get "felt up" by the other mangy pirates, so he decided to have the two of them stay aboard while the others went ashore. Then his real plans would start to take affect.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was evening the next day when the Pearl pulled into harbor at Tortuga. The entire crew was standing along the railing, eager to get some gambling and drinking done before they were off to whatever Jack had planned for them. After the crew had gone ashore, Jack went below deck to find his lass, who had been busy inspecting his room, again. He found her in the room connecting to his, which was his own private stash of treasures that he'd been saving from raids since the day he'd escaped his hanging. She was so busy inspecting a necklace that she didn't even know he was there until he spoke.
"What are ye doin', lass?"
She jumped. "Goodness, Jack, what are you trying to do, scare me to death?" She put down the diamond and gold necklace she'd been examining and dusted off her hands.
Jack chuckled. "How do ye like my private stash?" he asked, waving his hand at the room.
Lara's eyes widened. "Your private stash? You mean this is all yours?"
"Of course, luv. I'm the captain, so I get first choice of what we take. Everyone else gets a share of what's left." He picked up the necklace she was looking at. It was a beautiful thing, although the diamonds weren't big. It was mostly a gold chain with a small flowery design dusted in white diamonds. He handed it back to her. "Ye should wear it, me bonny lass," he said. "It would go nicely with yer bracelet."
Lara looked down at her wrist; she had put the bracelet on when she was getting ready to go to dinner at Will and Elizabeth's, and now it rested on her wrist. Jack took the necklace back and put it on her, his breath hot on the back of her neck.
"Now, what do ye say to a private dinner for two, luv?" He turned Lara back towards the galley, only to find it spotless with two places set, several covered dishes, a bottle of wine, and a candle lit in the center of it all. From the look on Lara's face, he knew he had done the right thing, and that tonight was going to be a night to remember.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Ha! Cliffhanger and another chapter over and done! I hope that people like Jack's romantic side. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter! And please leave a review! Thanks!
AN: Well, I'm glad that people love this story! Thank you to everyone for all of your reviews! I love you all! You rock! I also realize that people are probably wondering why I update so often and so fast. It's because I'm a college student and I'm still on my summer vacation until September 29th. After that, updates will not be posted as quickly as they are now, so enjoy it while you can, folks!
Chapter 6: Problems
Lara stood speechless as she looked out over the Caribbean from Jack's cabin. She had to admit it was a breathtaking view, but she had more important things on her mind. She turned around and made for the door, only to have it open and Annamaria step in. The two women smiled at each other before hugging.
"How are ye, Lara?" Annamaria asked her friend before letting her go.
Lara shook her head. "I really don't know whether to be mad at everyone for doing this, or to hug the whole lot of you." Annamaria laughed and Lara chuckled before remembering where she was.
"Annamaria, why would Jack kidnap me? Surely he knows that I would have gone with him as soon as I could get away!"
Annamaria shook her head. "I doubt that ye would have found a way to get to us. Jack told us about your sailor, and I doubt you would have gotten far before he followed you. With Jack kidnapping you from right under the Commodore's nose and no one able to figure out that he's the one who did it, there shouldn't be anyone comin' after us. I don't think ye have anything to worry about."
Lara turned serious. "I hope you're right. There are just one or two problems." She trailed off, her mind going back to her home town.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Port Royal:
The previous night, Will and Elizabeth had returned home to an empty house. Both were somewhat worried when Jack was nowhere to be found, and became even more worried when he didn't return the next morning. Will had gone out to scout around for the Black Pearl, only to find it missing. He returned home to a very distraught Elizabeth.
"Oh, Will," she gasped as he came through the door. "The Worthingtons have sent out search parties for Lara, and my father has sent messages to the Commodore! I can't tell them she's been taken, most likely willingly, by pirates! What are we going to do?!"
She began to panic. She knew that Jack and Lara were in love, and that she was probably with him on the Black Pearl, but she couldn't tell her father, the Commodore, or the Worthingtons that! They would most likely not believe her and think her mad. She desperately looked at Will, hoping that he would think of something.
He couldn't. He's mind was blank, and he couldn't think of a way for them to help their friends. It was likely that Jack and his crew were going to be hunted down and hung while Lara watched before she was married off to Thomas Pierce. Will sighed.
"Elizabeth, we must go see what your father and the Commodore are up to. Perhaps we can detour them away from Jack and off to someone else."
Elizabeth nodded and the two of them left for the Governor's mansion.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Black Pearl:
Annamaria escorted Lara up to the deck where everyone was working. Mr. Gibbs saw her, waved, and smiled. The rest of the crew turned and smiled; they had all become friends when Jack had hired them for the Interceptor, and still thought fondly of her. She smiled in return, then followed Annamaria up to the helm where Jack was. As soon as he saw her, he smiled.
"Mornin', luv," he said, reaching for her hand and kissing it. "Have a nice sleep?"
Lara frowned. "Jack, I don't know whether to hug you or slap you for what you've done."
Jack grinned. "Well, let's check the difference. If I'd left ye there, ye would be married to that pansy red-coat in six weeks time and havin' to put up with him fer the rest of yer life."
Lara tried not to smile as she responded. "On the other hand, you've taken me from my hometown and everyone that I love and hold dear." She crossed her arms over her chest, which made Jack smile a little too widely. He leaned close to her ear.
"You've got someone here who loves ye with all of his pirate heart, lass," he whispered to her, making her blush. He smirked at her blush before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. She blushed even redder as Jack turned to talk to Annamaria.
"Annamaria, take my bonny lass down below and dress her properly," he ordered before turning back to the wheel.
Annamaria grinned as she rolled her eyes. "Aye, cap'n," she said, grabbing Lara gently by the arm and leading her down below.
"What did he mean, 'dress me properly?'" Lara asked. "I think I'm fairly well dressed."
Annamaria shook her head. "He meant men's gear, mate. You wouldn't last long on this ship in a gown. Besides, the rest of the crew's used to seeing ye in men's clothes."
She was right. Lara had spent almost all of her time in men's clothes on the Interceptor, so that's what the crew was used to seeing. However, she was surprised when Annamaria directed her back into Jack's cabin and bent over a fairly large chest. Stored inside was a wide variety of pants, shirts, vests, and even a couple pairs of boots. Stored in the top were a beautifully made sword, dagger, and boot-knife. Lara couldn't help but gape as Annamaria chuckled.
"The cap'n wanted ye to be well prepared on the Pearl, mate. Yer his lass and he's doing everything to take care of ye."
Lara smiled as she picked out an entirely blue outfit, everything from her shirt to her pants were some shade of blue, and she loved it. After she finished dressing, Annamaria stopped her from leaving.
"I'd stay put. Lunch will be done soon, and Jack's going to want to join ye." Lara nodded her head and Annamaria left to join the crew for lunch. To keep herself occupied, Lara sat on the bed and looked around the cabin.
It was a beautiful room. The bed was of the finest quality, and was intricately carved mahogany with midnight blue sheets, pillowcases, and drapes. There was a dressing screen in the back corner by the back balcony, as well as several trunks. An opened door nearby led to the bathing room, and there was another closed door that Lara hadn't looked through yet, but decided to pry into later. She had just finished inspecting the room when she noticed that Jack was watching her from the door.
"So," he said, grinning at her. "What do ye think of the Pearl? I know ye didn't get to see much of it last time."
"It's beautiful," she said. "I doubt that the whole ship looks like this, though."
Jack walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed. "I polished it up in here just fer you, lass. I'm hopin' that you'll stay in here with me instead of sleeping with the crew."
Lara looked at him in shock. "Why can't I stay with Annamaria?"
Jack grinned. "She's got her own room, but it's only big enough fer one, luv. It's either me, or the crew."
"Given the choices, I'd rather bunk with you," Lara said. "But I warn you, Jack, no funny business. Remember, I know how to fight."
He pouted. "Why not, lass? Don't ye want to try me out?" Her reply was a slap on the head. "Ow! Lass, that hurt!" He rubbed his head.
"Good, because I don't intend to sleep with anyone unless I'm married to him and." her voice trailed off as Jack grinned at her. "What are you grinning about?"
"Nothin' lass," he said. At that moment, Mr. Cotton came in with their lunch, and nothing more was said.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, in Port Royal, Will and Elizabeth were seated in the Governor's sitting room with both the Governor and the Commodore. The Governor spoke first.
"It is most likely that Lara was taken because she was valuable to my household, and is currently valuable to the Worthingtons. She was a handmaiden to my daughter, and is now a nursemaid and companion to the only child of a wealthy family. Surely her abductors know this?"
The Commodore nodded. "A maid at the Worthington house claims that a note was delivered yesterday morning by a small boy who said that it from the Turners. From what you have told me before hand, Governor, your daughter and son-in-law were with you for the entire day, so that it is impossible that the note is from them. I've sent some men to find the boy, but it may take some time."
"What do you intend to do, Commodore Norrington?" Elizabeth asked.
"I intend to send Lieutenant Pierce after her." Will and Elizabeth looked up in surprise.
"I thought he had left for island patrol two days ago!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"He was supposed to leave, but unfortunately, the ship he was to sail on had something wrong with its sails, and he was unable to leave. Since everything onboard the Kestrel is now in working order, he can leave as soon as possible."
"Wait!" exclaimed Will. Everyone turned to look at him. "What if she's still on the island? Shouldn't we look here first? I mean, I haven't seen any ships around lately, have you?"
The Commodore frowned in thought. "You have a point, Mr. Turner. I'll have some of my men search the island. You never know, the scoundrel who took Miss Storm might be foolish enough to have stayed on the island. I'll also have some soldiers search the ships in the harbor, just in case." He and the Governor then stood up and left for the fort near the harbor, leaving Will and Elizabeth alone in the sitting room.
Elizabeth got up and hugged her husband. "Will, that was brilliant! I think we've bought Jack some time!"
"I certainly hope so," said Will. "I'm just not sure how much time we've actually given them."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, on the Black Pearl, Jack and Lara had finished their lunch, and Jack was giving his bonny lass a tour of his beloved ship.
Lara greatly admired the Pearl. She'd thought it foolish that Jack had nearly died for this floating piece of wood, but now she thought that he'd been right in doing so. It was a beautiful ship. It might look rough and frightening, but it was beautiful underneath. Everything was fairly well- made and sturdy, as it was a pirate ship, but it was also surprisingly clean and well organized. It was a pirate ship, but it was an amazingly well-kept one. Lara couldn't help but be impressed. Jack could sense her admiration of his ship and knew he was one step closer to keeping her here with him for the rest of their days.
As soon as lunch was over, Annamaria had started steering the ship towards Tortuga to get some fresh supplies. Jack had planned to take Lara out for dinner, but thought that she would most likely get "felt up" by the other mangy pirates, so he decided to have the two of them stay aboard while the others went ashore. Then his real plans would start to take affect.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was evening the next day when the Pearl pulled into harbor at Tortuga. The entire crew was standing along the railing, eager to get some gambling and drinking done before they were off to whatever Jack had planned for them. After the crew had gone ashore, Jack went below deck to find his lass, who had been busy inspecting his room, again. He found her in the room connecting to his, which was his own private stash of treasures that he'd been saving from raids since the day he'd escaped his hanging. She was so busy inspecting a necklace that she didn't even know he was there until he spoke.
"What are ye doin', lass?"
She jumped. "Goodness, Jack, what are you trying to do, scare me to death?" She put down the diamond and gold necklace she'd been examining and dusted off her hands.
Jack chuckled. "How do ye like my private stash?" he asked, waving his hand at the room.
Lara's eyes widened. "Your private stash? You mean this is all yours?"
"Of course, luv. I'm the captain, so I get first choice of what we take. Everyone else gets a share of what's left." He picked up the necklace she was looking at. It was a beautiful thing, although the diamonds weren't big. It was mostly a gold chain with a small flowery design dusted in white diamonds. He handed it back to her. "Ye should wear it, me bonny lass," he said. "It would go nicely with yer bracelet."
Lara looked down at her wrist; she had put the bracelet on when she was getting ready to go to dinner at Will and Elizabeth's, and now it rested on her wrist. Jack took the necklace back and put it on her, his breath hot on the back of her neck.
"Now, what do ye say to a private dinner for two, luv?" He turned Lara back towards the galley, only to find it spotless with two places set, several covered dishes, a bottle of wine, and a candle lit in the center of it all. From the look on Lara's face, he knew he had done the right thing, and that tonight was going to be a night to remember.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Ha! Cliffhanger and another chapter over and done! I hope that people like Jack's romantic side. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter! And please leave a review! Thanks!