"There's not much to tell Jack. She was taken and her father killed."
"Where were you?"
"In the shop. I had a big order. Business is booming…and I didn't particularly want Elizabeth at home alone, so she went to her fathers."
"A lot of good that did her…" Jack commented, keeping his eyes focused on the sea.
"I came to pick her up only to see the lock blown off the door, three of the maids in the house dead and the Governor."
"There wasn't a ransom note?"
Will shook his head.
"Then that guarantee's it was a pirate. Most pirates don't write and or can't read."
Will nodded, never really thinking of that fact, but now that he did, figured it was true. "But Jack, Elizabeth isn't exactly a horrible sword fighter. Wouldn't you think she'd be able to fend off-"
Will stopped due to Jack's head shaking, "No possible way mate. She's a woman and there could've been a dozen or more of these men. She's good, but not that good."
The two men were interrupted by a bell ringing down below. Lunch time. Will ignored it, saying Norrington treated him to a big breakfast. Jack nodded and went down and Will took the helm. The pirates got in line, got the food and a mug of rum. When Jack came by Brenda latched herself to Jack's calf, and sat on his foot while he balanced her when he walked to a table to sit down.
He picked her up and sit her on his lap and asked, "Where's yer lunch?"
"I already ate, daddy."
"What'd you eat?"
"Uhm…soup?" She questioned. Jack rolled his eyes. This was typical for her. She didn't pay much attention to what she was eating, she just ate it.
"What if it was poisoned?"
"Rober's wouldn't poison me!" she said, watching each forkful to and from Jack's mouth come down and up.
"Yes luv, but if it wasn't Roberts…"
"Oh! Never takes food from strangers!" She said, quite proud of herself for remembering such a thing.
Jack sighed, She is only three…don't worry about it. No one will be poisoning her this young… He thought. His meal was disrupted with clashing of swords up on deck. Jack bolted up. "Brenda, stay down here." He said, walking toward the stairs and pointing at her. Then talking to his crew, "Get up ye scallywags! I hear a fight, and if there's a fight, then I better be in it."
They all got up and followed him up through the hatch. There before them was Will, with a handcrafted sword in his hand and right below the blade was a man. Thin, balding, looking a little frightened.
Will turned, "He said he's not a pirate…"
"Did you check his wrist?"
"Yea, no brand. But not every pirate is caught."
"Yes, only the bad ones…so if he was good then why are you pinning him?"
Will thought about it and then put his sword in his sheathe. The man stood up and straightened. "Captain Jack Sparrow at yer service. Now what were ye doin' on m'ship?"
"Captain, You're the first ship we've come across since our attack, I had no choice but to ask you for help…" Jack nodded. Seeing the man posed no real threat. He took a side glance at the ship that was floating next to his. It had ripped white banners all over it. Other than that, it seemed rather perfect.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"We're a kind of merchant ship. But our captain was having a wedding, that's why it's all decorated and such…but we got attacked by pirates. They killed the captain and tied us to the mast. They claimed to be lookin' for a map."
Jack and Will exchanged glances, thinking the same thing, I wonder if it's the same pirates…
"Do you know to where?"
The man shook his head, "Nope. He never said it. But he said that Nathan should've had it."
"Nathan?" Will asked, recognizing the name, "Nathan who?"
"Swann. Nathan Swann."
But before Will could explain to anyone on how he knew him, a woman with blond hair and dark green eyes, in a wedding dress came running over the plank that was set between the two ships. She started walking up to the three and the crew but Ana Maria got to her quicker. She had her sword out, not pointed at her, but the blade centimeters away from her neck. "Where ye think ye goin'?"
The woman slowly turned her head to meet Ana Maria. Her glare was the worse than Jack had ever seen from any woman. "To go set the story straight with your captain!" She yelled. Ana didn't waver but looked at Jack. He nodded and the woman came forward. "Nathan Swann is killed because some blasted scallywags decided that it'd be fun to kill him. If you don't know anything about it then tell us so we can leave."
Jack cocked an eyebrow. He had never seen such spunk in a woman. Will on the other hand, obviously had. "Gwyneth?" He asked the woman. She turned and her face lit up, "Will? What are you doing on a pirate ship…I know you had a run in with that Jack Sparrow fellow, but…?"
Will smiled, "Gwyneth…you're on the Black Pearl."
Gwyneth's eyes widened and she met Jack's eyes. "Then that means you're Captain Jack Sparrow."
He broke out into a smile, "Why luv! You're probably the first person ever to get it right on the first time!"
She looked at him clueless. Will rolled his eyes. "Jack, this is Gwyneth Johnson. She's been engaged to Elizabeth's brother."
"Elizabeth has a brother?" Jack asked, but was ignored by Gwyneth talking to Will.
"Yeah, well not anymore…" She said, getting a lump in her throat, "They killed him Will. Absolutely slaughtered him in front of his whole crew. Not even pirates kill a captain in front of his crew! The very idea of it is ghastly and revolting."
"I understand. How did you make it out alive?"
"Um…did anyone hear me?" Jack asked, trying to butt in.
"My mother and I were down in my cabin. It was only a half an hour…"
"Will!" Jack said, getting his attention finally, "When did Elizabeth get a brother?"
The two looked at him. "I'm assuming since birth…"
"Who is the bloat?"
"Bloat? Bloat!? He was Nathan Swann, a good man with a good heart buddy," Gwyneth said, pointing a finger at him, "You be sure to remember that."
Jack eyed the woman and turned to Will, "Well what now?"
"Will, you can come back with us. We need to find the pirates though…" Gwyneth said, looking from Will to Jack.
"Luv, Will is stayin' on m'ship. So you go on yours and he'll stay on mine, savvy?"
She furrowed her brow, "We need help."
Suddenly the crew member from Nathan's ship turned around, "Miss Johnson, we're going home after this. I'm not taking this crew out looking for more pirates."
"Jake, we've got to!"
"Why?"
Gwyneth stumbled over her words, "Well…because…he needs to be…I don't know but we've got to!"
"You can, but the ship is going back home."
"Where is home?" Jack asked.
Gwyneth turned to him, "Port Royal. That's where we met." Jake nodded and left, obviously satisfied. Gwyneth started mumbling to herself and Jack, Will and Ana Maria all looked at her strangely. Most of the crew had left to finish their lunch, seeing no real threat. She started pacing talking about looking for the murders and something incomprehensible.
Will leaned into Jack and muttered, "Can she stay?"
Jack looked at Will and said, "Stay where?"
"Here."
He looked at him as if he were crazy, and whispered, "Why would we bring a complete stranger on board when for all we know is somehow linking to these murderous pirates?"
"If she was somewhat important to them, don't you think they would've taken her?"
Jack thought about it, and then said, "Yes well why keep her here? Why can't she go home to Port Royal?"
"Because a half an hour before her wedding, her groom was murdered! She does not need to be with her mother right now. She needs to be out looking for the murders. Don't you understand that?"
"Not even remotely!"
"Jack." Will said, knowing Jack was telling the truth about not understanding, but he could at least invite her on board. There was no guarantee that she would agree.
"Gwen luv?" Jack asked her, she stopped and looked at him strangely, "How 'bout you stay here?"
"On your ship?"
"Why not?" He shrugged.
She eyed him and then looked back at the ship next to the Pearl. "Fine," She said, "But on these conditions- You don't harass me, threaten me, I get a room not shared with a man, and you agree to look for the pirates who killed Nathan."
He looked at her, considered what she had said and then stuck out his hand, "I do believe we have an accord." She smiled and they shook on it.
Author Thanks
Amy85 - Right on. I didn't really like my last story either *shrug* But now I'm excited about this one!!! YAY! Hope you liked this chappie
PED-sarah – sorta hooked? Well I guess that's fine. At least you're reading it. Lol.
Nev1988 – Thanks for the review and I'll read your story.