Disclaimer: Jack is still with Disney, filming Pirates II, so he's not
mine until he's done.
AN: Mid-terms are still going on, so I'm doing this in-between studying, eating, and sleeping. Someone thinks that the reason I haven't been updating is because I want more reviews. That's not true. I'm not doing this to simply boost my ego, but because I really do have to study, and graduating from college is very important.
Anyway, with that said, here is the next chapter:
Chapter 9: Return to Tortuga, and New Information:
It was now dawning on the eighth day since Thomas had kidnapped Lara from the Black Pearl, and Jack felt like killing something. Eight days since his wife had been in his arms and at his side, sharing adventures and laughter with him. Now Jack and his crew were nearing Tortuga to see if the left-behind crew members had found out anything since the Pearl had left almost a week ago.
Sighing, Jack turned to the only thing that could now comfort him by reaching for the nearest liquor bottle.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The crew of the Pearl was clearly worried about Jack. Their Captain had grown pale and thin in his wife's absence, and had fallen back to drinking at least four bottles of rum a day to ease his pain, which obviously wasn't working. He would spend hours alone in his quarters, pouring over maps of the nearest islands the same way he poured out his rum. Annamaria had tried talking some sense into him, but Jack would just motion for her to leave him alone. The crew instantly made a secret pact that, if there was anything left after the Captain got through with Thomas, they would deliver the cruelest torture they could think of to the man who dared kidnap the wife of Captain Jack Sparrow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lara was absolutely sure that she was going to kill Thomas the next chance she got. The bloody bastard had kept her confined to the cave since their last trip into Tortuga, and she was sure that if she didn't get out and do something to ease her boredom (and hopefully get a message to Jack), she was going to go mad. Also, she needed to get some exercise to keep herself and the baby healthy.
It had been over eight days since her kidnapping and nearly a week since she had found out about the baby. Thomas was convinced that Lara was still suffering from a case of the flu, even though she had stopped throwing up in the mornings, thanks to Emma's medicine. The only reason he was convinced she was still sick was because she was so fidgety from being confined to the cave, as well as having some serious mood swings, thanks to the pregnancy and Thomas's attempts to coddle her. He insisted on feeding her at every meal, and would sit next to her and stroke her hand, cooing at her. By now Lara was convinced that Thomas was never going to let her out of his sight, and that frightened her. What disturbed her most was that, at over three months of pregnancy, her stomach was starting to grow larger, clearly showing her state. She had taken to covering it up by making her shirt hang over the waistline of her pants a bit more, but she knew she couldn't do this forever. Her pants wouldn't fit her for much longer, and Thomas would soon find out about the baby. She desperately needed to get to Tortuga and find Scar and the other crew members in town before it was too late.
Lara sighed, rubbing her belly and smiling sadly at it. Thomas was 'out' for the day getting food and wood, so it was safe to rub her stomach and talk to the baby. She'd started to do so two days ago, when her stomach had started expanding. She was so bored that she started singing to it and telling it stories about its father. Lara hoped that she had a boy; Jack would be thrilled to have a boy follow in his footsteps. If it was a girl, Lara would raise her to be independent, like her mother and her soon-to-be Aunt Elizabeth. For now, though, Lara desperately needed to stretch her legs and move them around.
Suddenly, an idea hit her. Exercise, or lack of it, was the answer to her problem. She simply needed to convince Thomas that she needed exercise and sunshine to help with her 'illness.' She frowned, wondering how long it would take her to convince Thomas to take her out.
"What are you frowning about, beloved?"
Lara jumped in surprise, quickly covering her stomach with her shirt. She looked up to find Thomas at the entrance of the cave, pulling in the boat. "Oh, wait!" she cried, attracting Thomas's attention. He jerked up and looked at her.
"Beloved, what's wrong?" he asked, clearly alarmed.
Lara quickly decided to play on his concern for her. After all, he liked coddling her, so there was no reason for him to refuse her. She made tears well up in her eyes, which seemed to alarm Thomas even more. "I want to go outside," she said, making her voice tremble. "I want to go into town and look at the shops."
Thomas blinked at her in surprise. "You want to go into town?" he asked. She nodded, tears still shining in her eyes. "Is that wise, beloved? You are still a bit ill, you know."
She batted her eyes at him while looking up at him, pleadingly. "Please, Thomas? The sunshine will do me some good, don't you think?" she asked, smiling innocently at him. "And you can show me the town, if you like." That last comment made her feel ill inside, but it seemed to do the trick.
Thomas's eyes brightened. "Of course, my dear!" he exclaimed. "We'll go tomorrow, since it is almost late afternoon and Tortuga isn't safe for a lady such as you after dark." He saw Lara pouting at him, and smiled. "I promise we'll go tomorrow, beloved," he said, stroking her cheek. "You go and rest while I organize the firewood and supplies and get ready for dinner." He pushed her towards her pallet.
Lara reluctantly walked over to her bed and lay down. Now, however, hope stirred within her heart. She turned over, away from Thomas, and stroked her stomach. 'Soon we'll see your daddy, little one,' she thought to her child. As she began drifting off into sleep, she could have sworn her baby stirred inside of her, as though it were agreeing with her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was nightfall when the Black Pearl pulled into Tortuga. Jack stood at the bow of the ship, watching the docks as the Pearl pulled in. He should have been at the helm, but Annamaria and the crew didn't really think it was a good idea for him to be steering the ship in his present condition.
Jack was drunk as a skunk, and he smelled like it, too.
He hadn't bathed since his bonny wife had vanished, which was unusual, considering that cleanliness was as important to Jack as it was to Lara (which she considered vital on the Pearl). Also, he had just finished his fifth bottle of rum today, so it was fair to say that Jack was a bit incapable of directing his ship.
After the Pearl had docked, Jack turned around, ready to yell for the crew to assemble, but discovered that they had already done so. His eyebrows quirked, but he decided to let it go.
"Well," he said, sashaying drunkenly down the line of assembled crewmates. "We're back in Tortuga. I need ye to go into town and find our left behind crewmembers and bring them here." He now turned around and began swaying the other way. "After ye bring 'em back, we'll assemble down below in the galley to see what they know, savvy?"
"Aye!" the crew shouted in response.
"Good! Now go find 'em!" Jack said. The crew raced down the gangplank and into the town. Jack turned to go downstairs, but instead ran into Annamaria, who looked like she was going to slap him. "Yes, lass, what is it?" he asked.
"Go to sleep, Jack," she said bluntly. "I'll keep an eye out for the crew's return, and I'll call ye when they all get back." She put her hand on her hips, signaling that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Now, lass, it's not right for you to order the Captain around," Jack said, swaying towards her. Before he knew what was coming, he felt something hit him in the back of the head and he blacked out, falling face down onto the deck.
Annamaria shook her head. "Thanks, Gibbs," she said to the elderly man.
Mr. Gibbs nodded. "It's no problem, Anna," the man replied. "He hasn't slept in days anyway."
The two sailors dragged their unconscious Captain into his quarters and placed him on the bed. It broke both their hearts when Jack stirred and started cuddling up to the pillows, smelling them like he was searching for something by scent. After shaking their heads in pity, the two crew members left their captain to his well-deserved rest and returned above. The two of them kept each other company as the night wore on and the crew trickled in throughout the night, one by one.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Jack woke feeling well-rested, but with an ache in his head. He reached back and felt a bump on the back of his head. He frowned; he'd have to speak to Annamaria about this after he found his bonny wife and kicked the tar out of Thomas Pierce. Sniffing the air, he turned and saw a platter of bread and bacon on his desk. He quickly wolfed down the food before heading to the galley. There he found the entire crew assembled and waiting for him. He nodded to everyone before taking the seat at the head of the long table. There was only one empty seat, the one on Jack's right; it was his wife's seat, and no one dared to take it in her place. There was an intense moment of silence as everyone stared at Lara's chair, no one making a single sound. Finally, Jack cleared his throat, and everyone turned towards him.
"Well, what did ye find in Tortuga, lads?" he asked the crewmembers. Scar was the one the others nudged forward.
"Well, Cap'n," he began. "We've managed to find out something useful. Yer lass is alive and well, even though she's being held by a madman." The other members of the crew breathed a sigh of relief.
"How do ye know she's alright?" Jack asked his crewman.
Scar smiled at his captain. "We all saw her being dragged around town by that lunatic a day or so after the Pearl left, Cap'n," he replied. "It seems like he wanted the best soup mix in town for her cold, so he dragged her all over looking for it." Some of the crew snickered, but were silenced when they saw the angry look on Jack's face.
'Buying soup for her is my job,' Jack thought. Out loud, he said, "Well, at least we know she's probably fine with that maniac," Jack said, anger laced in his voice. "I don't suppose ye know where to find her?" He was surprised when Scar nodded his head.
"Aye, sir," Scar replied. "We've seen the lunatic around town, buying all sorts of supplies, enough to feed two people for a while, but just enough to fill a small rowboat. With a boat that heavily weighed down, the two still have to be on the island somewhere"
Jack nodded his head. "Well, we'll start looking a bit later this afternoon," he said. "You never know, maybe old Tommy will show up here in town and we won't have to go looking for him after all!" The crew chuckled in response, glad to hear the Captain joke a little bit. "Well, I'm going ashore for some more rum and supply-buying. Gibbs, Annamaria, Scar, Mr. Cotton, I want ye with me. The rest of ye can scatter around town and keep an eye out for Thomas. Prickly, I want ye to stay here on the ship and keep watch." The crewmembers nodded. Jack stood up and led the way, his crew following faithfully behind him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Lara and Thomas were headed towards Tortuga and a confrontation none of them would soon forget.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Okay, not much happening, but there will be major ass-kicking in the next chapter! The poll for what's to happen is over. The results are a majority want violence, but no death. Some want Thomas to die, but they also want a fourth part to the series. However, almost everyone wants a part four, and I live to please my wonderful reviewers, so there will be a fourth part, no worries! But don't expect an update until late next week, though. Mid-terms will dominate my life until then, so to make me happy (and to help my muse be happy), please review! Thanks!
AN: Mid-terms are still going on, so I'm doing this in-between studying, eating, and sleeping. Someone thinks that the reason I haven't been updating is because I want more reviews. That's not true. I'm not doing this to simply boost my ego, but because I really do have to study, and graduating from college is very important.
Anyway, with that said, here is the next chapter:
Chapter 9: Return to Tortuga, and New Information:
It was now dawning on the eighth day since Thomas had kidnapped Lara from the Black Pearl, and Jack felt like killing something. Eight days since his wife had been in his arms and at his side, sharing adventures and laughter with him. Now Jack and his crew were nearing Tortuga to see if the left-behind crew members had found out anything since the Pearl had left almost a week ago.
Sighing, Jack turned to the only thing that could now comfort him by reaching for the nearest liquor bottle.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The crew of the Pearl was clearly worried about Jack. Their Captain had grown pale and thin in his wife's absence, and had fallen back to drinking at least four bottles of rum a day to ease his pain, which obviously wasn't working. He would spend hours alone in his quarters, pouring over maps of the nearest islands the same way he poured out his rum. Annamaria had tried talking some sense into him, but Jack would just motion for her to leave him alone. The crew instantly made a secret pact that, if there was anything left after the Captain got through with Thomas, they would deliver the cruelest torture they could think of to the man who dared kidnap the wife of Captain Jack Sparrow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lara was absolutely sure that she was going to kill Thomas the next chance she got. The bloody bastard had kept her confined to the cave since their last trip into Tortuga, and she was sure that if she didn't get out and do something to ease her boredom (and hopefully get a message to Jack), she was going to go mad. Also, she needed to get some exercise to keep herself and the baby healthy.
It had been over eight days since her kidnapping and nearly a week since she had found out about the baby. Thomas was convinced that Lara was still suffering from a case of the flu, even though she had stopped throwing up in the mornings, thanks to Emma's medicine. The only reason he was convinced she was still sick was because she was so fidgety from being confined to the cave, as well as having some serious mood swings, thanks to the pregnancy and Thomas's attempts to coddle her. He insisted on feeding her at every meal, and would sit next to her and stroke her hand, cooing at her. By now Lara was convinced that Thomas was never going to let her out of his sight, and that frightened her. What disturbed her most was that, at over three months of pregnancy, her stomach was starting to grow larger, clearly showing her state. She had taken to covering it up by making her shirt hang over the waistline of her pants a bit more, but she knew she couldn't do this forever. Her pants wouldn't fit her for much longer, and Thomas would soon find out about the baby. She desperately needed to get to Tortuga and find Scar and the other crew members in town before it was too late.
Lara sighed, rubbing her belly and smiling sadly at it. Thomas was 'out' for the day getting food and wood, so it was safe to rub her stomach and talk to the baby. She'd started to do so two days ago, when her stomach had started expanding. She was so bored that she started singing to it and telling it stories about its father. Lara hoped that she had a boy; Jack would be thrilled to have a boy follow in his footsteps. If it was a girl, Lara would raise her to be independent, like her mother and her soon-to-be Aunt Elizabeth. For now, though, Lara desperately needed to stretch her legs and move them around.
Suddenly, an idea hit her. Exercise, or lack of it, was the answer to her problem. She simply needed to convince Thomas that she needed exercise and sunshine to help with her 'illness.' She frowned, wondering how long it would take her to convince Thomas to take her out.
"What are you frowning about, beloved?"
Lara jumped in surprise, quickly covering her stomach with her shirt. She looked up to find Thomas at the entrance of the cave, pulling in the boat. "Oh, wait!" she cried, attracting Thomas's attention. He jerked up and looked at her.
"Beloved, what's wrong?" he asked, clearly alarmed.
Lara quickly decided to play on his concern for her. After all, he liked coddling her, so there was no reason for him to refuse her. She made tears well up in her eyes, which seemed to alarm Thomas even more. "I want to go outside," she said, making her voice tremble. "I want to go into town and look at the shops."
Thomas blinked at her in surprise. "You want to go into town?" he asked. She nodded, tears still shining in her eyes. "Is that wise, beloved? You are still a bit ill, you know."
She batted her eyes at him while looking up at him, pleadingly. "Please, Thomas? The sunshine will do me some good, don't you think?" she asked, smiling innocently at him. "And you can show me the town, if you like." That last comment made her feel ill inside, but it seemed to do the trick.
Thomas's eyes brightened. "Of course, my dear!" he exclaimed. "We'll go tomorrow, since it is almost late afternoon and Tortuga isn't safe for a lady such as you after dark." He saw Lara pouting at him, and smiled. "I promise we'll go tomorrow, beloved," he said, stroking her cheek. "You go and rest while I organize the firewood and supplies and get ready for dinner." He pushed her towards her pallet.
Lara reluctantly walked over to her bed and lay down. Now, however, hope stirred within her heart. She turned over, away from Thomas, and stroked her stomach. 'Soon we'll see your daddy, little one,' she thought to her child. As she began drifting off into sleep, she could have sworn her baby stirred inside of her, as though it were agreeing with her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was nightfall when the Black Pearl pulled into Tortuga. Jack stood at the bow of the ship, watching the docks as the Pearl pulled in. He should have been at the helm, but Annamaria and the crew didn't really think it was a good idea for him to be steering the ship in his present condition.
Jack was drunk as a skunk, and he smelled like it, too.
He hadn't bathed since his bonny wife had vanished, which was unusual, considering that cleanliness was as important to Jack as it was to Lara (which she considered vital on the Pearl). Also, he had just finished his fifth bottle of rum today, so it was fair to say that Jack was a bit incapable of directing his ship.
After the Pearl had docked, Jack turned around, ready to yell for the crew to assemble, but discovered that they had already done so. His eyebrows quirked, but he decided to let it go.
"Well," he said, sashaying drunkenly down the line of assembled crewmates. "We're back in Tortuga. I need ye to go into town and find our left behind crewmembers and bring them here." He now turned around and began swaying the other way. "After ye bring 'em back, we'll assemble down below in the galley to see what they know, savvy?"
"Aye!" the crew shouted in response.
"Good! Now go find 'em!" Jack said. The crew raced down the gangplank and into the town. Jack turned to go downstairs, but instead ran into Annamaria, who looked like she was going to slap him. "Yes, lass, what is it?" he asked.
"Go to sleep, Jack," she said bluntly. "I'll keep an eye out for the crew's return, and I'll call ye when they all get back." She put her hand on her hips, signaling that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Now, lass, it's not right for you to order the Captain around," Jack said, swaying towards her. Before he knew what was coming, he felt something hit him in the back of the head and he blacked out, falling face down onto the deck.
Annamaria shook her head. "Thanks, Gibbs," she said to the elderly man.
Mr. Gibbs nodded. "It's no problem, Anna," the man replied. "He hasn't slept in days anyway."
The two sailors dragged their unconscious Captain into his quarters and placed him on the bed. It broke both their hearts when Jack stirred and started cuddling up to the pillows, smelling them like he was searching for something by scent. After shaking their heads in pity, the two crew members left their captain to his well-deserved rest and returned above. The two of them kept each other company as the night wore on and the crew trickled in throughout the night, one by one.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Jack woke feeling well-rested, but with an ache in his head. He reached back and felt a bump on the back of his head. He frowned; he'd have to speak to Annamaria about this after he found his bonny wife and kicked the tar out of Thomas Pierce. Sniffing the air, he turned and saw a platter of bread and bacon on his desk. He quickly wolfed down the food before heading to the galley. There he found the entire crew assembled and waiting for him. He nodded to everyone before taking the seat at the head of the long table. There was only one empty seat, the one on Jack's right; it was his wife's seat, and no one dared to take it in her place. There was an intense moment of silence as everyone stared at Lara's chair, no one making a single sound. Finally, Jack cleared his throat, and everyone turned towards him.
"Well, what did ye find in Tortuga, lads?" he asked the crewmembers. Scar was the one the others nudged forward.
"Well, Cap'n," he began. "We've managed to find out something useful. Yer lass is alive and well, even though she's being held by a madman." The other members of the crew breathed a sigh of relief.
"How do ye know she's alright?" Jack asked his crewman.
Scar smiled at his captain. "We all saw her being dragged around town by that lunatic a day or so after the Pearl left, Cap'n," he replied. "It seems like he wanted the best soup mix in town for her cold, so he dragged her all over looking for it." Some of the crew snickered, but were silenced when they saw the angry look on Jack's face.
'Buying soup for her is my job,' Jack thought. Out loud, he said, "Well, at least we know she's probably fine with that maniac," Jack said, anger laced in his voice. "I don't suppose ye know where to find her?" He was surprised when Scar nodded his head.
"Aye, sir," Scar replied. "We've seen the lunatic around town, buying all sorts of supplies, enough to feed two people for a while, but just enough to fill a small rowboat. With a boat that heavily weighed down, the two still have to be on the island somewhere"
Jack nodded his head. "Well, we'll start looking a bit later this afternoon," he said. "You never know, maybe old Tommy will show up here in town and we won't have to go looking for him after all!" The crew chuckled in response, glad to hear the Captain joke a little bit. "Well, I'm going ashore for some more rum and supply-buying. Gibbs, Annamaria, Scar, Mr. Cotton, I want ye with me. The rest of ye can scatter around town and keep an eye out for Thomas. Prickly, I want ye to stay here on the ship and keep watch." The crewmembers nodded. Jack stood up and led the way, his crew following faithfully behind him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Lara and Thomas were headed towards Tortuga and a confrontation none of them would soon forget.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Okay, not much happening, but there will be major ass-kicking in the next chapter! The poll for what's to happen is over. The results are a majority want violence, but no death. Some want Thomas to die, but they also want a fourth part to the series. However, almost everyone wants a part four, and I live to please my wonderful reviewers, so there will be a fourth part, no worries! But don't expect an update until late next week, though. Mid-terms will dominate my life until then, so to make me happy (and to help my muse be happy), please review! Thanks!