Disclaimer: If I owned Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, or Disney, I wouldn't be
writing this. I own nothing, not even the computer I'm writing on.
A/N: Sorry, first chapter was kind of short. Well, unless you hated the fic, in which case, you're welcome. That it was so short, I mean. I didn't put any author's note on it either, which I wanted to, but I, uh, forgot. Anyway, this is just a story I thought up. I rated it PG-13 for safety's sake, but there's nothing too bad. Just so you know, there won't be ANY characters that are not at least mentioned in the movie. Also, no pairings, mostly because no matter who you pair Jack with, somebody's going to hate you. Review, please. Brutal honesty is fine.
Elizabeth's hand was aching. She'd just written out her fortieth wedding invitation. She put down her quill pen with a deep sigh.
Well, at least now I have an excuse to stop, she thought. I'm out of ink.
There was a knock at the door. Elizabeth smiled happily. Will was supposed to come over after he closed the smithy, and that had sounded like his knock.
She hurried to the door and opened it. Will was standing there, looking fairly disheveled and out of breath. "Hello, Elizabeth," he grinned, panting. "I hurried over as quickly as I could."
"I noticed," she said with amusement. "I think I'll get you a horse for a wedding gift."
Will laughed. "That would be nice. Of course, after we're married, maybe we'll live closer to the shop. Or I could move it closer, now that I own it, if you'd like that better," he added, eager to please.
Elizabeth laughed too. "No, Will, I'm not at all sure that I want to live too close to my father. I love him, of course, but being governor, he's used to having his own way. I could do with running my own household, thank you very much. Besides," she teased, "how will we ever sneak onto the ship you've bought if father's watching us constantly?"
"I didn't think we'd have to sneak."
Another laugh from Elizabeth. "We might. Father doesn't trust ships anymore. He's been frightened since our adventure with Barbossa's crew."
Will chuckled, then noticed the pile of invitations on the table. His smile faded. "I suppose you have to finish those?" he asked his bride-to- be.
"Yes," she informed him. "It's terribly dreary, too, sitting in here on a beautiful day. But, it is tradition for a bride to write her own invitations." She made a face. "Not that I uphold all traditions. Father is so set on this one, though."
Will picked up the last invitation she'd written. "Commodore Norrington?" he asked hesitantly. "Do you think he'll come?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted. "But I feel that not inviting him would be terribly rude, and after everything else, I thought I'd better not slight him again."
"Good idea," Will said, although he still retained doubts. After all, Elizabeth had been engaged to the Commodore for a while.
"Oh, that reminds me," Elizabeth said suddenly. "I wanted to ask you what you thought about inviting Captain Jack Sparrow."
Will smiled again. "I was going to mention it to you. I think we can safely count him among our friends. I don't know, though," Will said with a thoughtful look. "I talked to a man from Tortuga the other day, down at the docks. He said the Pearl hadn't been to Tortuga for a month. It's not like Jack. Where else would he get rum?"
"Perhaps he found another rum cache," Elizabeth replied. "Well, it was a stupid idea anyway. A wanted man coming to Port Royal? Jack's escaped the noose already. I'm not sure if he'd risk it again."
"I wonder where he is right now," Will mused.
"Starboard!" Captain Jack Sparrow bellowed. "No! the other starboard! Right, blast it, right!"
The Black Pearl scraped against the walls that made up the Isla de Muerta cave.
"Scabbrous dogs!" Jack yelled. "I'm taking the wheel now, before you completely ruin my ship!" He shoved through. Anamaria and Mr. Cotton had been arguing at the wheel. Separately, their steering abilities were excellent, but together, they were worse than a cabin boy, especially with the parrot helping.
"Let go of my ship!" Jack was nearly screaming in frustration.
"Sorry," Anamaria said belligerently, still glaring at Cotton.
"Rawk! Pieces of eight! Rawk!" the parrot hollered. Cotton made a gesture that indicated his remorse.
"What is there to argue about?" the captain demanded. "You're steering through a hole in a cliff! There's no two ways about it, mates!"
"Aye, captain, there might be nothin' to argue about, but the crew's all on edge," Gibbs said. "None of 'em like this place. Even the promise of double shares to the lot of 'em don't help much."
Jack waved a hand, grabbing the wheel with the other. "Remember, I took the curse upon meself before. Not so bad, really."
Gibbs stared at him, then turned and told Anamaria, "I'm thinkin' ye be right about Jack's bein' crazy and all."
"Rawk! Wind in yer sails!"
"Y'see, Jack?" Gibbs asked. "Even the parrot thinks yer daft. Not a good sign, that."
"Well I am a bit off in the head," Jack admitted. "Riding sea turtles off an island does that to you. But what about you lot of bloody savages? I can't even go down to my cabin without you SCRAPING ME SHIP AGAINST ROCKS!"
Everyone jumped as he said the last bit.
"Anyhow," he said in a more conversational tone, "Looks like we've arrived. Drop anchor!"
"Aye, sir!" two of the crew called.
"Lower the boats!" Jack ordered.
The entire crew of the Pearl, minus a small guard who would come in later, rowed into the cave. The men whispered amongst themselves. Not all of them knew exactly what the curse was, and rumors abounded. Anamaria maintained a scowl throughout the trip.
Some of the men grinned, though, when they entered the main cave. A good half of the treasure remained, enough for a king's ransom. It was a fine sight for any pirate.
"Right, men," Jack said. "And women," he amended, glancing at Anamaria. "As you know, there's a slightly, ah, risky venture that I have in mind. The richest merchant fleet in the sea is crossing over to England as we speak, loaded full with cargo. It'll soon be passing us, not twenty miles away."
Someone in the crew laughed. "Merchants, ha. Careless, all of em." There was a murmur of general agreement.
Jack held up a hand. "Right, it might sound easy now, but what if I told you that they're traveling with two ships of the Royal Navy?"
Murmurs again, this time of unease. "I'd say ye were crazy," said a man with a large earring.
"But what if I told you," Jack continued, "that it can be done?" He flashed a charming grin, then lifted a coin from the large stone chest. "And that this is the way we'll do it, with these."
"Rawk! Dead men tell no tales!" the parrot screamed.
"Aye, Cotton's right," Gibbs agreed. "I don't like it either."
"We've got enough bloody treasure to last us a lifetime!" another man cried. "We don't need to risk this!"
"You agreed to my little plan back on the ship," Jack said mildly. "This is the chance of a lifetime, mate."
"Careful, Jack," Gibbs whispered. "Now that they see that cursed stuff, they're spooked. Ye don't want a mutiny."
Jack sighed. "Well, right," he said aloud. "I'll tell you why we're doing this. If it was about the treasure, I'd say hang the gold!" A man laughed nervously.
"But," Jack said, "and this is important, see? There's an old friend traveling-ah-shall I say, against his will, aboard one of those Navy boats."
Everyone stared. They had all assumed Jack Sparrow did nothing if it didn't benefit himself, the Black Pearl, or his hat.
"Well, see," he explained. "I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to this particular gentleman. His name is Bootstrap Bill Turner."
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine, Will," Elizabeth said. "He's probably thinking up some kind of grand new scheme."
"I suppose you're right, Elizabeth," Will sighed. "I just wish we knew what he was up to."
A/N: Sorry, first chapter was kind of short. Well, unless you hated the fic, in which case, you're welcome. That it was so short, I mean. I didn't put any author's note on it either, which I wanted to, but I, uh, forgot. Anyway, this is just a story I thought up. I rated it PG-13 for safety's sake, but there's nothing too bad. Just so you know, there won't be ANY characters that are not at least mentioned in the movie. Also, no pairings, mostly because no matter who you pair Jack with, somebody's going to hate you. Review, please. Brutal honesty is fine.
Elizabeth's hand was aching. She'd just written out her fortieth wedding invitation. She put down her quill pen with a deep sigh.
Well, at least now I have an excuse to stop, she thought. I'm out of ink.
There was a knock at the door. Elizabeth smiled happily. Will was supposed to come over after he closed the smithy, and that had sounded like his knock.
She hurried to the door and opened it. Will was standing there, looking fairly disheveled and out of breath. "Hello, Elizabeth," he grinned, panting. "I hurried over as quickly as I could."
"I noticed," she said with amusement. "I think I'll get you a horse for a wedding gift."
Will laughed. "That would be nice. Of course, after we're married, maybe we'll live closer to the shop. Or I could move it closer, now that I own it, if you'd like that better," he added, eager to please.
Elizabeth laughed too. "No, Will, I'm not at all sure that I want to live too close to my father. I love him, of course, but being governor, he's used to having his own way. I could do with running my own household, thank you very much. Besides," she teased, "how will we ever sneak onto the ship you've bought if father's watching us constantly?"
"I didn't think we'd have to sneak."
Another laugh from Elizabeth. "We might. Father doesn't trust ships anymore. He's been frightened since our adventure with Barbossa's crew."
Will chuckled, then noticed the pile of invitations on the table. His smile faded. "I suppose you have to finish those?" he asked his bride-to- be.
"Yes," she informed him. "It's terribly dreary, too, sitting in here on a beautiful day. But, it is tradition for a bride to write her own invitations." She made a face. "Not that I uphold all traditions. Father is so set on this one, though."
Will picked up the last invitation she'd written. "Commodore Norrington?" he asked hesitantly. "Do you think he'll come?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted. "But I feel that not inviting him would be terribly rude, and after everything else, I thought I'd better not slight him again."
"Good idea," Will said, although he still retained doubts. After all, Elizabeth had been engaged to the Commodore for a while.
"Oh, that reminds me," Elizabeth said suddenly. "I wanted to ask you what you thought about inviting Captain Jack Sparrow."
Will smiled again. "I was going to mention it to you. I think we can safely count him among our friends. I don't know, though," Will said with a thoughtful look. "I talked to a man from Tortuga the other day, down at the docks. He said the Pearl hadn't been to Tortuga for a month. It's not like Jack. Where else would he get rum?"
"Perhaps he found another rum cache," Elizabeth replied. "Well, it was a stupid idea anyway. A wanted man coming to Port Royal? Jack's escaped the noose already. I'm not sure if he'd risk it again."
"I wonder where he is right now," Will mused.
"Starboard!" Captain Jack Sparrow bellowed. "No! the other starboard! Right, blast it, right!"
The Black Pearl scraped against the walls that made up the Isla de Muerta cave.
"Scabbrous dogs!" Jack yelled. "I'm taking the wheel now, before you completely ruin my ship!" He shoved through. Anamaria and Mr. Cotton had been arguing at the wheel. Separately, their steering abilities were excellent, but together, they were worse than a cabin boy, especially with the parrot helping.
"Let go of my ship!" Jack was nearly screaming in frustration.
"Sorry," Anamaria said belligerently, still glaring at Cotton.
"Rawk! Pieces of eight! Rawk!" the parrot hollered. Cotton made a gesture that indicated his remorse.
"What is there to argue about?" the captain demanded. "You're steering through a hole in a cliff! There's no two ways about it, mates!"
"Aye, captain, there might be nothin' to argue about, but the crew's all on edge," Gibbs said. "None of 'em like this place. Even the promise of double shares to the lot of 'em don't help much."
Jack waved a hand, grabbing the wheel with the other. "Remember, I took the curse upon meself before. Not so bad, really."
Gibbs stared at him, then turned and told Anamaria, "I'm thinkin' ye be right about Jack's bein' crazy and all."
"Rawk! Wind in yer sails!"
"Y'see, Jack?" Gibbs asked. "Even the parrot thinks yer daft. Not a good sign, that."
"Well I am a bit off in the head," Jack admitted. "Riding sea turtles off an island does that to you. But what about you lot of bloody savages? I can't even go down to my cabin without you SCRAPING ME SHIP AGAINST ROCKS!"
Everyone jumped as he said the last bit.
"Anyhow," he said in a more conversational tone, "Looks like we've arrived. Drop anchor!"
"Aye, sir!" two of the crew called.
"Lower the boats!" Jack ordered.
The entire crew of the Pearl, minus a small guard who would come in later, rowed into the cave. The men whispered amongst themselves. Not all of them knew exactly what the curse was, and rumors abounded. Anamaria maintained a scowl throughout the trip.
Some of the men grinned, though, when they entered the main cave. A good half of the treasure remained, enough for a king's ransom. It was a fine sight for any pirate.
"Right, men," Jack said. "And women," he amended, glancing at Anamaria. "As you know, there's a slightly, ah, risky venture that I have in mind. The richest merchant fleet in the sea is crossing over to England as we speak, loaded full with cargo. It'll soon be passing us, not twenty miles away."
Someone in the crew laughed. "Merchants, ha. Careless, all of em." There was a murmur of general agreement.
Jack held up a hand. "Right, it might sound easy now, but what if I told you that they're traveling with two ships of the Royal Navy?"
Murmurs again, this time of unease. "I'd say ye were crazy," said a man with a large earring.
"But what if I told you," Jack continued, "that it can be done?" He flashed a charming grin, then lifted a coin from the large stone chest. "And that this is the way we'll do it, with these."
"Rawk! Dead men tell no tales!" the parrot screamed.
"Aye, Cotton's right," Gibbs agreed. "I don't like it either."
"We've got enough bloody treasure to last us a lifetime!" another man cried. "We don't need to risk this!"
"You agreed to my little plan back on the ship," Jack said mildly. "This is the chance of a lifetime, mate."
"Careful, Jack," Gibbs whispered. "Now that they see that cursed stuff, they're spooked. Ye don't want a mutiny."
Jack sighed. "Well, right," he said aloud. "I'll tell you why we're doing this. If it was about the treasure, I'd say hang the gold!" A man laughed nervously.
"But," Jack said, "and this is important, see? There's an old friend traveling-ah-shall I say, against his will, aboard one of those Navy boats."
Everyone stared. They had all assumed Jack Sparrow did nothing if it didn't benefit himself, the Black Pearl, or his hat.
"Well, see," he explained. "I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to this particular gentleman. His name is Bootstrap Bill Turner."
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine, Will," Elizabeth said. "He's probably thinking up some kind of grand new scheme."
"I suppose you're right, Elizabeth," Will sighed. "I just wish we knew what he was up to."