Aftermath
By: L'Morgan
Disclaimer: I guess I really do need to remind you all that anything and everything related to Pirates of the Caribbean, their characters and settings are all the property of Disney - Disney - Disney - nobody - but - Disney ---- I-just-borrowing-to-play-with-and-giving-back. Only Disney can make money on anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. NOT ME!
************************* Summary: Port Royal lies in ruins, and the Black Pearl floats in the bay.. What is Jack Sparrow up to now?!!
~ ** ~
Chapter 10: Thy Brother's Keeper
Soon the pirate crew began unloading items from the ship. Barrels and crates and sleds and boxes and trunks, all neatly labeled as medical supplies, tools, candles, cloth, seed, grain, feed, dried meat, mortar, nails, caulking, pitch, and just on and on and on and on. For several hours the supplies rolled off the ship in an endless line. The townspeople, the Governor and even Commodore Norrington seemed struck speechless as the pirate crew would unload the things from the hold of the large vessel. The pile of it on the land was accumulating at an incredible rate.
For hours the process continued, and then finally it slowed to a trickle, and then stopped all together.
The Governor made his way down the dock with both the doctor and the Commodore following closely. Jack at the railing looked pleased as he considered the distant pile on shore and tapped lightly on the railing with his rings.
"Well gentlemen, it looks as if we can finally bid you adieu!" he said with relief and the Governor frowned mildly as he looked back at the supplies and then up at the pirate.
"Sir, I do believe your efforts warrant some sort of reward on my part. What you have done is far beyond even the realm of being thy brother's keeper. Perhaps even a writ of clemency would be possible?" he offered and now Jack parked his hands on his hips and laughed genuinely.
"Governor, we didn't do it for one, don't want one, wouldn't accept it if it was in your pocket this second. Don't make me out to be a saint because of my one good deed for the decade sir! I can promise you a quick and speedy return to our rightful occupation!" he said as Will and Elizabeth came up beside him, the young man bearing a sheaf of papers. Jack was bobbing his head in time to some unheard tune as he quickly looked through them, then nodded with a mild smile and gave them back to the young man. They saw Elizabeth suddenly give the pirate a huge hug and kiss on the cheek.
Then she and Will brought the papers down and offered them to the Governor who looked puzzled.
"Jack says it's the bill of sale for all the supplies - just in case somebody thought maybe they didn't come by them honestly." he said, unable to resist a quick glance at Norrington who frowned deeply. This entire matter as becoming a rather large source of discomfort and embarrassment to him. Bad enough he had had to spend hours explaining the incident on the cliffs to the Governor already for much of this afternoon. He didn't care to repeat the Governor's reaction to the tale, even in his mind.
Which - was ridiculous! Just as recently as a month ago the entire township would have gladly turned out to see the criminal hang - had there been the opportunity anyway.
"You expect me to believe that a pack of pirates actually bought and paid for a veritable mountain of supplies that they are just leaving here for our enjoyment?" he asked of Will, and it was the doctor who sighed severely at him.
"You'd better believe it Commodore - because that's exactly what they did. Only actually it was the crew's idea and they had to convince their Captain that they truly and honestly meant it. He was more than rather skeptical himself, I will say." He told them. The Commodore looked at him incredulously and the doctor shrugged.
"You would have had to have been there Commodore. There's something about pulling up parts and pieces of people and racing with sharks to get to the live ones that creates a certain cohesion and empathy between those doing the pulling up and those of us who were doing the praying that we'd get pulled up in time. You may not like to face the facts here Commodore, but Captain Jack Sparrow not only managed to spend 3 days directing the saving of a lot of lives, but without intending to, he managed to inspire his crew into an utterly ruinous bout with the 'evils of generosity and compassion' - God forbid we have him inspiring anyone to anything of that sort!" he said with severe sarcasm.
"But if it reassures you at all, I can tell you that they didn't give every cent they had. I believe the figure they came to him with was two thirds of whatever was in the hold at the time." He added as suddenly a young boy came racing down the gangplank and the doctor grinned at him and offered him a hand that the boy took.
Commodore Norrington just stared at the papers that the Governor wordlessly thrust at him with a dark frown. They certainly looked genuine enough.
"Did you do exactly as I said boy? Like I showed you?" the doctor asked and the child nodded.
"The Captain almost came before I was done. Mr. Gibbs got him to come look at something though so I could finish. He said he would have done it himself if he thought he could get in and out without Captain Jack noticing." He said and the doctor chuckled and nodded and looked up as now there came the sound of music from the deck above and they realized what Jack had been tapping out the rhythm of and moving his head in time to all along.
"They're already pulling up the anchor?" the doctor asked and the boy nodded as he looked up at the ship.
"I wish I could go too." He said wistfully and the doctor half hugged him.
"No Thomas, you really don't want to be on that ship tomorrow morning when Jack realizes that he slept so well cause somebody coated the inside of his favorite mug with a bit of laudanum. I'd wager that they aren't even out of the harbor before he's got rum in it." He said and the boy looked concerned.
"It won't hurt him? You're sure?" he asked, looking up at the man, and the doctor shook his head.
"No son - he's really not supposed to be up so much yet. And if you let him up for a few minutes, he won't just lie down again because you asked him nice. I can promise you it won't hurt him one bit to be asleep early for once. I'm sure Mr. Gibbs will make sure he's not doing anything dangerous once he drinks it. That's why we told him, so somebody would know to watch out for Jack. He'll be fine." He said as now the crew threw down the ropes that attached the ship to the dock and brought up the railing to replace it.
"Sir? You're leaving the dock here, for us?" the Governor asked up and the pirate nodded.
"Hope you don't mind. I'm not sure if we coated those with waterproofing or not.. But if we didn't, they'll be the devil to haul u, wet lumber and all." He said and the Governor smiled broadly and nodded. He had only to look down himself to see that the planks he was standing on were well coated with waterproofing tar - which obviously the pirate could see just as well from where he was, despite claming otherwise.
"Captain Jack! No goodbye?" the doctor called and the one smiled broadly and raised only his good hand as the music came louder - a jaunty jig of a tune.
"That's the song for the sails" the boy observed as he raised his hand to shade his eyes as he looked upwards at the masts where indeed the sails were being unfurled.
"Will you ever come back Captain Jack?" the boy called up as the ship started to drift away and the pirate smiled.
"Keep an eye on the horizon lad; never know what you'll find. When yer town is rebuilt, you can wager I'll be back! - How could I resist?" he called back cheerfully with one out flung hand as now they could hear the lyrics being sung in deep baritone voices behind him.
The boy grinned and waved, then joined hands with the doctor, the both of them apparently knowing the words and tune of the song as well as they began to dance a jig back up the dock and to the townspeople. One by one and two by two the other survivors joined in along and soon Will and Elizabeth as well. The Governor and the Commodore both realized that the song could now be heard from both the ship and from the land, as the former lost ones celebrated their return home in a most 'seafaring fashion', joining in on the gleeful dance as the ships' sails caught the wind.
Their last glimpse of the pirate was as he stood at the helm and now raised a mug in toast to their departure and return to the open seas. Commodore Norrington stared at the disappearing ship. He could not even begin to comprehend such a confusing man. Utterly unpredictable indeed!
He had heard it said that Jack Sparrow sometimes seemed a bit 'daft'.. Well the pirate captain had most brilliantly and vividly lived up to that definition on this day! When the ship had finally vanished, Norrington turned to find himself facing a much larger population and a veritable wealth of desperately needed materials.
He followed the Governor back along to the shore, shaking his head in utter confusion. This was not how things should be. Not how it should ever be. He wondered if he would wake up to find none of it had ever happened - and frankly he almost preferred that be the case!
He didn't really appreciate having his nice, normal, and completely well defined world turned upside down, and certainly not by one roguish ruffian of a pirate! Things had been so much simpler before Jack Sparrow decided to suddenly turn all of his expectations and definitions topsy turvy!
***********************
(So? What could possibly come next you ask? Stay tuned for Chapter 11, Sunday, Oct 13th - same time - same channel!)
Disclaimer: I guess I really do need to remind you all that anything and everything related to Pirates of the Caribbean, their characters and settings are all the property of Disney - Disney - Disney - nobody - but - Disney ---- I-just-borrowing-to-play-with-and-giving-back. Only Disney can make money on anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. NOT ME!
************************* Summary: Port Royal lies in ruins, and the Black Pearl floats in the bay.. What is Jack Sparrow up to now?!!
~ ** ~
Chapter 10: Thy Brother's Keeper
Soon the pirate crew began unloading items from the ship. Barrels and crates and sleds and boxes and trunks, all neatly labeled as medical supplies, tools, candles, cloth, seed, grain, feed, dried meat, mortar, nails, caulking, pitch, and just on and on and on and on. For several hours the supplies rolled off the ship in an endless line. The townspeople, the Governor and even Commodore Norrington seemed struck speechless as the pirate crew would unload the things from the hold of the large vessel. The pile of it on the land was accumulating at an incredible rate.
For hours the process continued, and then finally it slowed to a trickle, and then stopped all together.
The Governor made his way down the dock with both the doctor and the Commodore following closely. Jack at the railing looked pleased as he considered the distant pile on shore and tapped lightly on the railing with his rings.
"Well gentlemen, it looks as if we can finally bid you adieu!" he said with relief and the Governor frowned mildly as he looked back at the supplies and then up at the pirate.
"Sir, I do believe your efforts warrant some sort of reward on my part. What you have done is far beyond even the realm of being thy brother's keeper. Perhaps even a writ of clemency would be possible?" he offered and now Jack parked his hands on his hips and laughed genuinely.
"Governor, we didn't do it for one, don't want one, wouldn't accept it if it was in your pocket this second. Don't make me out to be a saint because of my one good deed for the decade sir! I can promise you a quick and speedy return to our rightful occupation!" he said as Will and Elizabeth came up beside him, the young man bearing a sheaf of papers. Jack was bobbing his head in time to some unheard tune as he quickly looked through them, then nodded with a mild smile and gave them back to the young man. They saw Elizabeth suddenly give the pirate a huge hug and kiss on the cheek.
Then she and Will brought the papers down and offered them to the Governor who looked puzzled.
"Jack says it's the bill of sale for all the supplies - just in case somebody thought maybe they didn't come by them honestly." he said, unable to resist a quick glance at Norrington who frowned deeply. This entire matter as becoming a rather large source of discomfort and embarrassment to him. Bad enough he had had to spend hours explaining the incident on the cliffs to the Governor already for much of this afternoon. He didn't care to repeat the Governor's reaction to the tale, even in his mind.
Which - was ridiculous! Just as recently as a month ago the entire township would have gladly turned out to see the criminal hang - had there been the opportunity anyway.
"You expect me to believe that a pack of pirates actually bought and paid for a veritable mountain of supplies that they are just leaving here for our enjoyment?" he asked of Will, and it was the doctor who sighed severely at him.
"You'd better believe it Commodore - because that's exactly what they did. Only actually it was the crew's idea and they had to convince their Captain that they truly and honestly meant it. He was more than rather skeptical himself, I will say." He told them. The Commodore looked at him incredulously and the doctor shrugged.
"You would have had to have been there Commodore. There's something about pulling up parts and pieces of people and racing with sharks to get to the live ones that creates a certain cohesion and empathy between those doing the pulling up and those of us who were doing the praying that we'd get pulled up in time. You may not like to face the facts here Commodore, but Captain Jack Sparrow not only managed to spend 3 days directing the saving of a lot of lives, but without intending to, he managed to inspire his crew into an utterly ruinous bout with the 'evils of generosity and compassion' - God forbid we have him inspiring anyone to anything of that sort!" he said with severe sarcasm.
"But if it reassures you at all, I can tell you that they didn't give every cent they had. I believe the figure they came to him with was two thirds of whatever was in the hold at the time." He added as suddenly a young boy came racing down the gangplank and the doctor grinned at him and offered him a hand that the boy took.
Commodore Norrington just stared at the papers that the Governor wordlessly thrust at him with a dark frown. They certainly looked genuine enough.
"Did you do exactly as I said boy? Like I showed you?" the doctor asked and the child nodded.
"The Captain almost came before I was done. Mr. Gibbs got him to come look at something though so I could finish. He said he would have done it himself if he thought he could get in and out without Captain Jack noticing." He said and the doctor chuckled and nodded and looked up as now there came the sound of music from the deck above and they realized what Jack had been tapping out the rhythm of and moving his head in time to all along.
"They're already pulling up the anchor?" the doctor asked and the boy nodded as he looked up at the ship.
"I wish I could go too." He said wistfully and the doctor half hugged him.
"No Thomas, you really don't want to be on that ship tomorrow morning when Jack realizes that he slept so well cause somebody coated the inside of his favorite mug with a bit of laudanum. I'd wager that they aren't even out of the harbor before he's got rum in it." He said and the boy looked concerned.
"It won't hurt him? You're sure?" he asked, looking up at the man, and the doctor shook his head.
"No son - he's really not supposed to be up so much yet. And if you let him up for a few minutes, he won't just lie down again because you asked him nice. I can promise you it won't hurt him one bit to be asleep early for once. I'm sure Mr. Gibbs will make sure he's not doing anything dangerous once he drinks it. That's why we told him, so somebody would know to watch out for Jack. He'll be fine." He said as now the crew threw down the ropes that attached the ship to the dock and brought up the railing to replace it.
"Sir? You're leaving the dock here, for us?" the Governor asked up and the pirate nodded.
"Hope you don't mind. I'm not sure if we coated those with waterproofing or not.. But if we didn't, they'll be the devil to haul u, wet lumber and all." He said and the Governor smiled broadly and nodded. He had only to look down himself to see that the planks he was standing on were well coated with waterproofing tar - which obviously the pirate could see just as well from where he was, despite claming otherwise.
"Captain Jack! No goodbye?" the doctor called and the one smiled broadly and raised only his good hand as the music came louder - a jaunty jig of a tune.
"That's the song for the sails" the boy observed as he raised his hand to shade his eyes as he looked upwards at the masts where indeed the sails were being unfurled.
"Will you ever come back Captain Jack?" the boy called up as the ship started to drift away and the pirate smiled.
"Keep an eye on the horizon lad; never know what you'll find. When yer town is rebuilt, you can wager I'll be back! - How could I resist?" he called back cheerfully with one out flung hand as now they could hear the lyrics being sung in deep baritone voices behind him.
The boy grinned and waved, then joined hands with the doctor, the both of them apparently knowing the words and tune of the song as well as they began to dance a jig back up the dock and to the townspeople. One by one and two by two the other survivors joined in along and soon Will and Elizabeth as well. The Governor and the Commodore both realized that the song could now be heard from both the ship and from the land, as the former lost ones celebrated their return home in a most 'seafaring fashion', joining in on the gleeful dance as the ships' sails caught the wind.
Their last glimpse of the pirate was as he stood at the helm and now raised a mug in toast to their departure and return to the open seas. Commodore Norrington stared at the disappearing ship. He could not even begin to comprehend such a confusing man. Utterly unpredictable indeed!
He had heard it said that Jack Sparrow sometimes seemed a bit 'daft'.. Well the pirate captain had most brilliantly and vividly lived up to that definition on this day! When the ship had finally vanished, Norrington turned to find himself facing a much larger population and a veritable wealth of desperately needed materials.
He followed the Governor back along to the shore, shaking his head in utter confusion. This was not how things should be. Not how it should ever be. He wondered if he would wake up to find none of it had ever happened - and frankly he almost preferred that be the case!
He didn't really appreciate having his nice, normal, and completely well defined world turned upside down, and certainly not by one roguish ruffian of a pirate! Things had been so much simpler before Jack Sparrow decided to suddenly turn all of his expectations and definitions topsy turvy!
***********************
(So? What could possibly come next you ask? Stay tuned for Chapter 11, Sunday, Oct 13th - same time - same channel!)