* * * * * * * * * * * *
The battle scene outside was not a pleasant one. Jack stared open mouthed at the Portella and the Naval ship as they stood side by side, showering each other with cannon balls. The hull of the Portella was looking damaged, her beautiful windows cracked and bleeding. The naval ship wasn't looking good either, and as they watched, the central mast fell crashing down, falling onto the Portella and causing damage there.
Both were starting to take on water.
"What do we do?" Julia asked, for the first time lost for answers. Jack started to say something rude, and then looked at her. She just looked like a lost girl, young and vulnerable, all the charm stripped from her face. She looked tired, and her mascara was starting to flake.
"We'll go to the Pearl, until the battle stops." He said comfortingly. She couldn't take her eyes away from the scene. He placed his hand on her knee and she jumped. "It'll be alright."
"Huh? Yeah." She said, watching the naval ship. She started rowing again, towards the silent Pearl.
About halfway out, equal distance between the battle and the Pearl, she whacked Jack of the little rowboat with one of her oars. He fell head first into the water, lucky to not have been knocked unconscious by the blow.
"Sorry Jack, I'm going to throw my lot in with the Navy." She said, picking up the pistol he dropped and pointing down at him.
"You'll get killed." He yelled, the water splashing his face and filling his mouth. She shrugged.
"Better to die a free lady, then to be court of a pirate ship." She said and then gestured to the Pearl. "Go, get out here."
"You're a bitch and a half, you know that right?" He said, treading water, starting to swim away from the boat and her loaded pistol.
"I know." She said with a shrug. "See ya round Jacko."
He pulled himself onto the ship, climbing up the rope attached to the anchor, dropping onto the silent deck. The sight that greeted him was horrific.
Sailors, pirates, men in uniform, each one dead. Poisoned, slumped over a card game or a wash bucket. Silent bodies, collapsed as though in sleep, their heads turned at awkward angles, their eyes open. Jack stepped gracefully over one body, his eyes unreadable.
"A ship filled with death when I find it," He muttered. Then he looked out onto the battle. "And two sinking ships. Oh, she's gunna kill me." He muttered as he watched the Portella shudder. He could see Turner on deck, locked in battle. He made a giant wave with his body.
"Oye! Come here!" He yelled pitiably. "Don't sink the Portella!" He looked around for a sign, a distraction. He shoved one of the bodies from where it lay slumped over a cannon, covering his ears as he lit the fuse. The cannon sounded, and Jack looked over to see a hundred heads turn his way.
"Pirates! Turner, its Jack! Come here!" He yelled. What he saw next made him want to sob with relief and then frustration when he worked out why. The pirates were all abandoning ship, swimming through the inky waters towards the Pearl. The Portella swelled, fire glinting in her lower bowls, and then exploding, shooting bits of wood everywhere.
The Navy ship gave one cry of triumph and then a groan. Jack saw all the red coats following the pirates suit, diving overboard. The Navy ship was sinking, sinking fast.
"Jack! Help an old man out of the water!" He heard a cry from the deck. Turner was there, gazing up at Jack, swimming gracelessly towards the ship.
"What the hell happened? Thought you weren't coming till morning."
"Bit of a change of plan. Ran into a Navy ship, and she chased us all the way here."
"I see you're still alive!" Jack said proudly.
"Ah well, you know there weren't any Bootstraps in that battle," Turner joked, grinning as he dog paddled.
By the time most of the surviving pirates had gotten onto the ship, Turner and Sparrow had prepared it for sailing.
"Come on, I want to get out of this cursed bay." Sparrow muttered. He looked out onto the water, where bits of burning wood and pieces of the Portella still lingered. Through the mist, they could just see the tip of the Naval ship as it sunk below water. And out there, pulling navy officers onto her little rowboat, he could see Julia's white cloak and a glint of blonde hair.
Jack went up to helm, touching her for the first time.
"Lets get out of this mist, and find a horizon." He crooned. The other pirates nodded into muted correspondence.
Only Barbossa, drenched and miserable argued.
"What about the gold? The treasure." He said. "We'll never find out way back in the morning, we'll get lost in the mist." Jack tossed the compass in his hand and grinned. He looked down at Barbossa, putting his arm around his frail shoulders.
"Don't worry my lad, Captain Jack Sparrow will find it again." He said cockily.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
They emerged from the fog beaten and weary, and penniless for their journey. They berthed at the nearest port, drowning their sorrows in ale and pleasurable company, those that could afford it.
When they were less disheartened, they came back to their ship to find Jack humming, his eyes glinting with devotion as he repaired the ship, never moving far from the helm.
And he'd had it renamed.
"The Black Pearl?" Turner said. "Don't let Ana-Maria hear that name."
"Why? What's it got to do with her?" Jack said, perplexed. They'd heard not a hide or tail from Ana-Maria, she seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. For about month, around every corner and in every bar, Jack had thought he saw her face, saw the slap coming his way. He didn't know whether he feared it or hoped for it.
But it didn't come. They'd even gone back to that port, the one they'd stolen the Portella from, but she wasn't there. Nor was any of the crew, except a still drunk Carlos who they left on the docks.
And the hoard was empty. One or the other of the pirates had gotten there, and taken the lot. Jack hoped it was Ana-Maria.
He grinned, tossing his arm around Turner's shoulder. "Come, old Bootstrap Bill, we're off to England."
And so they were. But not just England, they sailed to Singapore, and Africa and Jack's old haunts in India. But usually, they stayed in the Caribbean.
It felt like home.
The Black Pearl sailed the seas for ten months with Jack as Captain, his guiding eye causing them to quickly become a feared pirate ship. And a wealthy one. They preyed of merchants, colonies and pirates alike, leaving few alive, cause there have to be a few to tell the tales, Jack always said.
And Jack had his ship. Never before had he felt so free. With his hand on the helm and then wind in his hair, he finally understood what Ana- Maria had been talking about. He understood why being a captain was worth fighting for, worth dying for. He listened to the call of the sea, to the hoots of gulls and fell in love with having the taste of salt on his lips.
For ten months, he also avoided the call of the Aztec gold, of the crews increasing demands to reclaim it. He avoided Bootstraps sullen looks when he made the young lad Barbossa his first mate, because they understood each other so well, and because Turner was a family man. Well, these were the excuses Jack gave himself, and if he had another reason for not having Bootstrap as his first mate, he told no one.
But after ten months, he agreed to go back to that place, to find Cortez's gold and the body of his younger brother.
And the rest, the mutiny, and the loss of the Black Pearl, well, you already know that part.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The battle scene outside was not a pleasant one. Jack stared open mouthed at the Portella and the Naval ship as they stood side by side, showering each other with cannon balls. The hull of the Portella was looking damaged, her beautiful windows cracked and bleeding. The naval ship wasn't looking good either, and as they watched, the central mast fell crashing down, falling onto the Portella and causing damage there.
Both were starting to take on water.
"What do we do?" Julia asked, for the first time lost for answers. Jack started to say something rude, and then looked at her. She just looked like a lost girl, young and vulnerable, all the charm stripped from her face. She looked tired, and her mascara was starting to flake.
"We'll go to the Pearl, until the battle stops." He said comfortingly. She couldn't take her eyes away from the scene. He placed his hand on her knee and she jumped. "It'll be alright."
"Huh? Yeah." She said, watching the naval ship. She started rowing again, towards the silent Pearl.
About halfway out, equal distance between the battle and the Pearl, she whacked Jack of the little rowboat with one of her oars. He fell head first into the water, lucky to not have been knocked unconscious by the blow.
"Sorry Jack, I'm going to throw my lot in with the Navy." She said, picking up the pistol he dropped and pointing down at him.
"You'll get killed." He yelled, the water splashing his face and filling his mouth. She shrugged.
"Better to die a free lady, then to be court of a pirate ship." She said and then gestured to the Pearl. "Go, get out here."
"You're a bitch and a half, you know that right?" He said, treading water, starting to swim away from the boat and her loaded pistol.
"I know." She said with a shrug. "See ya round Jacko."
He pulled himself onto the ship, climbing up the rope attached to the anchor, dropping onto the silent deck. The sight that greeted him was horrific.
Sailors, pirates, men in uniform, each one dead. Poisoned, slumped over a card game or a wash bucket. Silent bodies, collapsed as though in sleep, their heads turned at awkward angles, their eyes open. Jack stepped gracefully over one body, his eyes unreadable.
"A ship filled with death when I find it," He muttered. Then he looked out onto the battle. "And two sinking ships. Oh, she's gunna kill me." He muttered as he watched the Portella shudder. He could see Turner on deck, locked in battle. He made a giant wave with his body.
"Oye! Come here!" He yelled pitiably. "Don't sink the Portella!" He looked around for a sign, a distraction. He shoved one of the bodies from where it lay slumped over a cannon, covering his ears as he lit the fuse. The cannon sounded, and Jack looked over to see a hundred heads turn his way.
"Pirates! Turner, its Jack! Come here!" He yelled. What he saw next made him want to sob with relief and then frustration when he worked out why. The pirates were all abandoning ship, swimming through the inky waters towards the Pearl. The Portella swelled, fire glinting in her lower bowls, and then exploding, shooting bits of wood everywhere.
The Navy ship gave one cry of triumph and then a groan. Jack saw all the red coats following the pirates suit, diving overboard. The Navy ship was sinking, sinking fast.
"Jack! Help an old man out of the water!" He heard a cry from the deck. Turner was there, gazing up at Jack, swimming gracelessly towards the ship.
"What the hell happened? Thought you weren't coming till morning."
"Bit of a change of plan. Ran into a Navy ship, and she chased us all the way here."
"I see you're still alive!" Jack said proudly.
"Ah well, you know there weren't any Bootstraps in that battle," Turner joked, grinning as he dog paddled.
By the time most of the surviving pirates had gotten onto the ship, Turner and Sparrow had prepared it for sailing.
"Come on, I want to get out of this cursed bay." Sparrow muttered. He looked out onto the water, where bits of burning wood and pieces of the Portella still lingered. Through the mist, they could just see the tip of the Naval ship as it sunk below water. And out there, pulling navy officers onto her little rowboat, he could see Julia's white cloak and a glint of blonde hair.
Jack went up to helm, touching her for the first time.
"Lets get out of this mist, and find a horizon." He crooned. The other pirates nodded into muted correspondence.
Only Barbossa, drenched and miserable argued.
"What about the gold? The treasure." He said. "We'll never find out way back in the morning, we'll get lost in the mist." Jack tossed the compass in his hand and grinned. He looked down at Barbossa, putting his arm around his frail shoulders.
"Don't worry my lad, Captain Jack Sparrow will find it again." He said cockily.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
They emerged from the fog beaten and weary, and penniless for their journey. They berthed at the nearest port, drowning their sorrows in ale and pleasurable company, those that could afford it.
When they were less disheartened, they came back to their ship to find Jack humming, his eyes glinting with devotion as he repaired the ship, never moving far from the helm.
And he'd had it renamed.
"The Black Pearl?" Turner said. "Don't let Ana-Maria hear that name."
"Why? What's it got to do with her?" Jack said, perplexed. They'd heard not a hide or tail from Ana-Maria, she seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. For about month, around every corner and in every bar, Jack had thought he saw her face, saw the slap coming his way. He didn't know whether he feared it or hoped for it.
But it didn't come. They'd even gone back to that port, the one they'd stolen the Portella from, but she wasn't there. Nor was any of the crew, except a still drunk Carlos who they left on the docks.
And the hoard was empty. One or the other of the pirates had gotten there, and taken the lot. Jack hoped it was Ana-Maria.
He grinned, tossing his arm around Turner's shoulder. "Come, old Bootstrap Bill, we're off to England."
And so they were. But not just England, they sailed to Singapore, and Africa and Jack's old haunts in India. But usually, they stayed in the Caribbean.
It felt like home.
The Black Pearl sailed the seas for ten months with Jack as Captain, his guiding eye causing them to quickly become a feared pirate ship. And a wealthy one. They preyed of merchants, colonies and pirates alike, leaving few alive, cause there have to be a few to tell the tales, Jack always said.
And Jack had his ship. Never before had he felt so free. With his hand on the helm and then wind in his hair, he finally understood what Ana- Maria had been talking about. He understood why being a captain was worth fighting for, worth dying for. He listened to the call of the sea, to the hoots of gulls and fell in love with having the taste of salt on his lips.
For ten months, he also avoided the call of the Aztec gold, of the crews increasing demands to reclaim it. He avoided Bootstraps sullen looks when he made the young lad Barbossa his first mate, because they understood each other so well, and because Turner was a family man. Well, these were the excuses Jack gave himself, and if he had another reason for not having Bootstrap as his first mate, he told no one.
But after ten months, he agreed to go back to that place, to find Cortez's gold and the body of his younger brother.
And the rest, the mutiny, and the loss of the Black Pearl, well, you already know that part.
* * * * * * * * * * *