CHAPTER 2
"Welcome to Tortuga!," yelled Erica over the talk and fights beside them.
Tortuga was the place all the pirates went to have fun and just a good time.
Erica led the way to the Faithful Bride, the most famous bar in Tortuga. Will and Julia stayed behind seeing how she'd break up the fights, every time she passed.
The door burst open and a flood of silence went throughout the bar. Erica smirked and the babble of talk continued.
As she passed the bartender, her slid three mugs of rum down the table. Erica reached out her hand and caught the glass, the others doing the same.
Erica spun around on her heel, to face Will and Julia, her rum sloshing around. "I need to find someone, stay together and….," she looked around nervously. "Keep a close eye."
Julia and Will nodded as Erica disappeared into the crowd. They both walked to the side of the bar and stayed out of everyone's way.
As Erica pushed her way through the crowd, Gibbs saw her and turned away; to make a fast exit.
She reached out to grab his shoulder and spun him around, "Where ya going, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Blasted. Give me a moments peace!," spat Gibbs.
Erica grinned at him. She was one of the few pirates who had white teeth. "Where's Captain Sparrow?"
Gibbs nodded to a crowd of shouting people, "Ye best watch out. That Jack Sparrow, he don't play fair."
"We all don't play fair."
Erica patted him on the shoulder and left him to his peace.
She grabbed Julia by her sleeve, dragging her into the shadows. Julia doing the same to Will.
"Jack Sparrow is over there," Erica nodded to the crowd of the shouting people.
"What are we gonna say?," asked Will.
"That my sister's been stolen and that we need him and possibly his ship!," said Julia, turning to Will then over to Erica. "Right?"
"I hear he's tough to persuade and a li'l daft in the brain if ya know what I mean. We shouldn't be to forward with him."
"Then what do we say?," Will asked again as Julia and Erica glanced back at the crowd.
"Follow my lead."
Erica walked in front of them once more, leading them up to the crowd. "Come on! Move!," she yelled, pushing the men aside.
Jack Sparrow sat in a chair, his feet on the table; crossed. In his hand was an overfilled mug of grog.
He had long, dark, black hair. Down a little past his shoulders., many dreadlocks were tangled in the black. He wore a red bandana tied around his head, a single strand of beads sprouted out, falling upon his forehead. Two more strands of beads were lost in the mess of hair. A single pony came out over the red and out at an odd angle, and a thick braid in the back of his head. He wore black kohl heavily around his brown eyes. He had a black mustache and beard, braided in two braids, ending with a bead.
He wore a long sleeved flimsy white shirt, a blackish worn out vest, brown breeches reaching down past his knees with huge clunky boots. Around his waist was a red striped cloth, over the cloth was a brown belt. A compass hung from the belt, while his flintlock pistol was tucked neatly in it's holder. A sword belt hung across his chest with a magnificent cutlass unsheathed. (probably stole it)
"Jack Sparrow?," Erica said fiercely.
"Aye," he replied holding his mug up to her, like a toast.
"We need a word," she said, holding her hands out at her sides. Signaling Will and Julia to come out from behind her.
They stood at Erica's sides and looked around. Jack eyed them and said, "Who are you?"
"I am Erica Willow. My two companions: Will Turner and Julia Marigold. We need a word."
"Well Erica Willow, what I need is for the annoying little fly to buzz off so I can drink me rum in peace, Savvy?," said Jack as he took a sip from the glass.
Erica growled as the crowd around them snickered. She knocked the rum out of his hand, the glass hitting the floor and shattering. Erica leaned in close to his face, so all he could see was her sharp brown eyes.
"You know Barbossa? You do, don't you?"
"I know 'im," replied Jack as she leaned away and pulled out a chair, sitting in it.
"Go on! Get going!," yelled Will to the crowd but they stood their ground.
"Get lost!," yelled Jack. They left them to their business. "Before we talk, I need more rum. You!," he pointed to Will. "Rum! Now!"
"Will, stay! This drunk has had enough," Erica said, putting her hand in front of Will but keeping a close eye on Jack.
Jack sighed and took his feet off the table. He legs being replaced by his elbows. "What do ya wanna know then?"
"Everything," said Will, Julia and Erica at the same time.
Jack pursed his lips, closed his eyes and tilted his head. "This Barbossa fellow, I heard he's got a curse upon him."
"Now where did you hear that?," asked Jack, his eyes getting very big.
"I--I read about it," said Julia, inside feeling like a child.
"Now tell," said Erica, pounding her fist on the table.
Jack looked shocked then started to tell them of Barbossa. "He took the Black Pearl from me, only eight years ago. Committed mutiny, he did. Left me to die on a god forsaken island with one shot." He pulled out his pistol and did a thorough inspection to it, then put it back.
"The heat was to drive me mad until I got sick of living life," he shaped his hand like a gun and put it to his head. "Now why do you need all this information?"
"Julia's younger sister, Catherine Marigold was taken by Barbossa and we need your help to get her back," said Erica leaning closer.
"And your ship," added Will. Erica spun around in her chair and gave him a syrupy, lovey-dovey, oh-so-sweet, up-yours smile. She went back to Jack.
Jack was very quiet for a while before Julia asked, "You do have the Pearl back? Don't you?"
"O'Course I do!," he exclaimed. "Barbossa couldn't keep me from me freedom!"
"Well, will you help us?," asked Will, hopefully.
Jack put his index finger to his lip and tried to look thoughtful, "What's the benefit for me?"
"Treasure. A whole lot of it! Barbossa's treasure. Oh and we need yer crew also," said Erica as she smiled.
Jack sat there, staring at all of them, his brow furrowed. Erica noticed this and added, "Or no gold, Savvy?"
When she mocked him, his lip curled and his eye twitched, "You got yerself a captain."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright! This is the crew," said Jack as he stood beside Erica. She held her chin in the air but her eyes were still upon the crew.
Jack said hello to the few he knew, "'ey there Gibbs….Cotton…..Ah, Ana Maria."
As he said her name, she bared her teeth and he kept walking.
Julia and Will stood by the Black Pearl and talked about how they would go about spending their riches.
When the line of the crew ended, Jack and Erica stopped and faced each other.
"Will they do?," asked Jack.
It was a long pause before Erica answered, "I need to discuss this with Julia."
She slowly walked back to the front. Her hands behind her back, her chin once again in the air while her eyes stayed upon their rough faces.
"Captain Sparrow wishes to know if they'll do," said Erica in a loud, false voice. She then leaned in very close to Will's and Julia's faces and whispered, "I personally don't like some of 'em"
"Which ones?," asked Will.
"More like one. That man with the parrot on his shoulder," said Erica looking over to him.
Jack paced about the crew and noticed the three staring at Cotton. He muttered to him, "Heads up, Mr. Cotton."
The parrot on his shoulder squawked, "Wind in yer sails."
Julia walked up to him, this time, first while the others stood behind her, "You!"
"Mr. Cotton," said Gibbs, still standing his place in the line.
"Mr. Cotton, what's with the parrot?"
He didn't answer but the bright green bird did, "Dead men tell no tales."
"Was I talking to you?!," snapped Julia, her eyes suddenly becoming dark and fearful.
Erica started laughing but Will nudged her with his elbow and she stopped. She stood straight and tall, and then she glanced at Jack.
Mr. Cotton still hadn't answered, but before Julia had gotten the chance to yell at him, Jack ran in front of her doing drunk gestures. "He's a mute…."
But he too was interrupted by Erica, "Lemme guess, he has no tongue?"
"Precisely," said Jack with a grin on his face.
"And who took his tongue?," asked Will with a bit of fear in his voice.
"I did," said Erica. Everyone's eyes turned to her as she looked around with a guilty smile spread across her pink lips. "I admit I was cruel. But to get by in being a pirate, you have to be feared."
"True True," muttered Jack.
They all shrugged as they turned back to face Cotton.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The crew wasn't set to leave until they had gotten all of their provisions. They had no idea how long this journey would be but Erica wasn't going to let any of them back out.
Erica stood at the top of a sand dune of Tortuga. It was another one of those warm summer nights. The moon was out and the stars shone brightly, glittering in her eyes. Waves crashed on the sand down below her.
She sighed and smiled to herself. The ocean always made her feel better when she was down in the dumps. Erica was depressed because everyone knew what she had done to Cotton. For the first time ever, she had felt guilty about something that she had done in the past.
"Nice night," someone muttered behind her.
Erica spun around to see Jack holding a bottle of rum in his right hand. She rolled her eyes and turned back around at the water and the beautiful night sky.
"It'd be nicer if I was alone," Erica said, her back still to Jack. She didn't even have the manners to look at him when she spoke. All pirates were like that.
"Though it'd be lonelier," he said coming up to her side. The bottle of rum hit his thigh and he took another swig.
Erica glanced at him then her eyes searched down to the bottle grasped tightly in his hand. The wind took another breeze through her curly, brown hair and she looked out to "mother ocean" "To be cruel is to be alone."
Jack sighed a drunk sigh and looked at her looking at the sea, "Ye know, you're a lot nicer when your depressed." He laughed expecting her to laugh too but it never came. She had turned to look at him, but no happiness escaped her lips.
"Is that supposed to cheer me up? I'm already upset, don't make me more."
They stared in silence at the shore. Urge surged through Erica and she wanted to just jump into the water and lay there, while the ocean took her out to sea. But she fought over that urge and stayed her ground.
"You like her?," asked Jack breaking the silence. Erica was surprised when he first spoke and she looked over to him.
"Her as in the ocean? Yeah, I do. She comforts me," She smiled and looked back out to the water. "It reminds me of home, and me mother and da."
"You miss them," he said gently. This was not the Jack Erica had heard of. The Jack she had heard of was the witty, trustworthy, jerk-like pirate. But this must have been a whole different side of him. The side that said to her, that he would be a good friend. 'Who's he fooling?,' she thought in her mind.
Erica turned to go, but he grabbed her by the elbow, telling her not to. She pulled free and sneered to him, "Ye know, your more of a jerk when your drunk."
She left him to the dark cold night to only his lonesome self, starry night and crashing waves.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay! We prepare to board in two minutes!," yelled Erica walking by the line of the crew, her hands behind her back.
Whichever crew member who was slouching, she walked by and they straightened up with fear of her doing anything worse than what she had done to Cotton.
Erica saw fear in there eyes, and it hurt her, to realize that the crew she would be sailing with for who knows long, didn't trust her. Well she was a feared pirate, what else do you expect from your crew?
Walking back over to Julia and Will, Erica passed Jack and gave him a quick glance. He probably forgot about last night, seeing how he was so drunk. She acted as if nothing happened and stood by Julia's side.
"I don't trust that Captain Sparrow," said Julia looking over to Erica, but her face was straight ahead, her lips pursed and her eyes searching the scared faces of her buccaneer crew. "He's a man that can't be trus---."
Julia was cut off by Erica's interruption, "We wouldn't be out saving Catherine if he wasn't here." 'Yeah true, but he was a little wasted'
Julia's lip twitched and she looked over to Jack who was staring at the three of them, his mouth slightly open, pondering about what was just said about him. Deciding to forget about the problem of him, he turned to Gibbs and whispered, "Ready to kick some skeletal butt this voyage?"
"Not quite, captain. I'd prefer sitting in the Faithful Bride having meself a rum and watching all the lovely fights go about."
Jack pursed his lips and tilted his head, his eyes half closed, "Hear hear, Mr. Gibbs. But I get meself another shiny shilling if I do this for them and the pleasure of killing Barbossa."
"And what should I get? I didn't even have to come on this voyage if Erica wouldn't have seen me that night," said Gibbs angrily, looking up at his captain and friend.
"Well," Jack's left wrist now rested on Gibbs' shoulder, seeing how he was a tad bit shorter than him. It moved up and down with his other hand, doing gestures. "This journey hasn't even started to begun, you can always--," his hands moved away from him and out back to the town of Tortuga, "--leave But if you stay, I'll be happy to give ye a bit of Barbossa's plunder."
Gibbs smiled and was now looking out to the town. "Barbossa's treasure says you, ah I feel a change in the wind says I. Let's board the Pearl, captain," said Gibbs starting his way to the Black Pearl but Jack's hand grabbed his shoulder and his bones gave a crack.
"Ah, now Gibbs, that be me job," his hand swishing into his face. Looking out to the crew he yelled over to the buccaneers, "On deck you scabbarous dogs!"
They all obeyed and quickly got aboard. All except Will and Jack who were left behind to watch the crew. But Will wasn't there to be in charge. "So Jack---"
"Don't talk to me," snapped Jack starting to head to the wooden plank leading them all to the deck of the ship. His eyes not facing Will.
"Well, you get this straight, we are aboard to find Catherine and not to--to plunder merchant vessels, you got that?," Will was being more than usual, stricter. Jack turned to look at him and he stopped walking as did Will.
"And what would make you think I would do such a thing?," said Jack giving him an oh-so-sweet, lovey-dovey, up-yours smile. Stupid enough, Will bought it and left him to join the girls.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You need to learn how to fence properly, mate," laughed Erica to Will.
Once again, they were fencing and trying to get Will to be prepared for the big battle against Barbossa's crew. If there even was a battle.
"Well I'd learn better if you weren't beating my a--"
"Ah, but mate, I be fighting like this for a reason, and that reason be to prepare you if at any time you come across a duel such as this, but with more…blood," Erica hit his blade away from her torso and gave a quick satisfied smile.
Will's eyes grew big and he growled. Pushing her up a small ramp, his sword hit under her feet, but Erica jumped, barley missing the flick of silver.
Just as Erica jumped, Jack walked on the gun deck through a big, rough door. Julia let out a gasp as her head swiveled to the entrance way. Will struck at Erica and her feet left the ramp.
Erica's body in the air, her sword clashing onto the floor, and her back hitting the side of the ship. Will let out a laugh and placed his hands onto his knees, trying to support his laughter.
Quickly, Erica's head popped up from underneath the piece of wood. Her brown curly hair, sprawled across her tanned visage. She had an immense grin on her face. Will let out another cry of laughter.
Jack still stood in the doorway, Julia goggling at him, he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows.
Erica jumped up quickly, making her hair bounce and held out her hand, her pointer finger up showing them no harm. "I-I'm alright! Don't worry about ME!!!," As she said her last word, her foot slid atop the blade that she had dropped and made her fall backwards once again.
Julia let out a snort as she watched her once graceful friend lay sprawled on the ground. Her chest heaving, Erica laughed and stared at the ceiling of the gun deck.
"Here," Will thrust out his hand, the palm faced up, his fingers curled a bit.
Erica sat up and glanced down at Will's hand. Her fingers curled around his wrist as his around hers. She tightened just as he hoisted her up. Erica brushed her backside off and slowly walked over to her sword.
Her foot graced under the blade and laid on the tip of her toe. Erica kicked it up. Her hand caught it on the hilt and she sheathed it.
"Got you that time," smirked Will walking over to Julia and sitting next to her. As he passed the doorway, he gave Jack a head nod.
Erica was dusting off her breeches, her eyes still hadn't reached Jack yet. "Nyeah…," was Erica's reply. She snarled and lifted her eyes to meet Jack's.
"That was a wonderful duel," Jack said sarcastically. He leaned on the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.
Erica snarled and walked over by Julia to grab her pistol. She had set it down to make sure she wouldn't have shot Will. From past experience. The gun in her hand, she put it in her belt and walked to the doorway across from the other doorway that Jack happened to be at the opposite side of the gun deck.
Spinning on her heel, Erica said to Will, "Nice fight. Your getting better," and with that, she left the three of them behind.
"Welcome to Tortuga!," yelled Erica over the talk and fights beside them.
Tortuga was the place all the pirates went to have fun and just a good time.
Erica led the way to the Faithful Bride, the most famous bar in Tortuga. Will and Julia stayed behind seeing how she'd break up the fights, every time she passed.
The door burst open and a flood of silence went throughout the bar. Erica smirked and the babble of talk continued.
As she passed the bartender, her slid three mugs of rum down the table. Erica reached out her hand and caught the glass, the others doing the same.
Erica spun around on her heel, to face Will and Julia, her rum sloshing around. "I need to find someone, stay together and….," she looked around nervously. "Keep a close eye."
Julia and Will nodded as Erica disappeared into the crowd. They both walked to the side of the bar and stayed out of everyone's way.
As Erica pushed her way through the crowd, Gibbs saw her and turned away; to make a fast exit.
She reached out to grab his shoulder and spun him around, "Where ya going, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Blasted. Give me a moments peace!," spat Gibbs.
Erica grinned at him. She was one of the few pirates who had white teeth. "Where's Captain Sparrow?"
Gibbs nodded to a crowd of shouting people, "Ye best watch out. That Jack Sparrow, he don't play fair."
"We all don't play fair."
Erica patted him on the shoulder and left him to his peace.
She grabbed Julia by her sleeve, dragging her into the shadows. Julia doing the same to Will.
"Jack Sparrow is over there," Erica nodded to the crowd of the shouting people.
"What are we gonna say?," asked Will.
"That my sister's been stolen and that we need him and possibly his ship!," said Julia, turning to Will then over to Erica. "Right?"
"I hear he's tough to persuade and a li'l daft in the brain if ya know what I mean. We shouldn't be to forward with him."
"Then what do we say?," Will asked again as Julia and Erica glanced back at the crowd.
"Follow my lead."
Erica walked in front of them once more, leading them up to the crowd. "Come on! Move!," she yelled, pushing the men aside.
Jack Sparrow sat in a chair, his feet on the table; crossed. In his hand was an overfilled mug of grog.
He had long, dark, black hair. Down a little past his shoulders., many dreadlocks were tangled in the black. He wore a red bandana tied around his head, a single strand of beads sprouted out, falling upon his forehead. Two more strands of beads were lost in the mess of hair. A single pony came out over the red and out at an odd angle, and a thick braid in the back of his head. He wore black kohl heavily around his brown eyes. He had a black mustache and beard, braided in two braids, ending with a bead.
He wore a long sleeved flimsy white shirt, a blackish worn out vest, brown breeches reaching down past his knees with huge clunky boots. Around his waist was a red striped cloth, over the cloth was a brown belt. A compass hung from the belt, while his flintlock pistol was tucked neatly in it's holder. A sword belt hung across his chest with a magnificent cutlass unsheathed. (probably stole it)
"Jack Sparrow?," Erica said fiercely.
"Aye," he replied holding his mug up to her, like a toast.
"We need a word," she said, holding her hands out at her sides. Signaling Will and Julia to come out from behind her.
They stood at Erica's sides and looked around. Jack eyed them and said, "Who are you?"
"I am Erica Willow. My two companions: Will Turner and Julia Marigold. We need a word."
"Well Erica Willow, what I need is for the annoying little fly to buzz off so I can drink me rum in peace, Savvy?," said Jack as he took a sip from the glass.
Erica growled as the crowd around them snickered. She knocked the rum out of his hand, the glass hitting the floor and shattering. Erica leaned in close to his face, so all he could see was her sharp brown eyes.
"You know Barbossa? You do, don't you?"
"I know 'im," replied Jack as she leaned away and pulled out a chair, sitting in it.
"Go on! Get going!," yelled Will to the crowd but they stood their ground.
"Get lost!," yelled Jack. They left them to their business. "Before we talk, I need more rum. You!," he pointed to Will. "Rum! Now!"
"Will, stay! This drunk has had enough," Erica said, putting her hand in front of Will but keeping a close eye on Jack.
Jack sighed and took his feet off the table. He legs being replaced by his elbows. "What do ya wanna know then?"
"Everything," said Will, Julia and Erica at the same time.
Jack pursed his lips, closed his eyes and tilted his head. "This Barbossa fellow, I heard he's got a curse upon him."
"Now where did you hear that?," asked Jack, his eyes getting very big.
"I--I read about it," said Julia, inside feeling like a child.
"Now tell," said Erica, pounding her fist on the table.
Jack looked shocked then started to tell them of Barbossa. "He took the Black Pearl from me, only eight years ago. Committed mutiny, he did. Left me to die on a god forsaken island with one shot." He pulled out his pistol and did a thorough inspection to it, then put it back.
"The heat was to drive me mad until I got sick of living life," he shaped his hand like a gun and put it to his head. "Now why do you need all this information?"
"Julia's younger sister, Catherine Marigold was taken by Barbossa and we need your help to get her back," said Erica leaning closer.
"And your ship," added Will. Erica spun around in her chair and gave him a syrupy, lovey-dovey, oh-so-sweet, up-yours smile. She went back to Jack.
Jack was very quiet for a while before Julia asked, "You do have the Pearl back? Don't you?"
"O'Course I do!," he exclaimed. "Barbossa couldn't keep me from me freedom!"
"Well, will you help us?," asked Will, hopefully.
Jack put his index finger to his lip and tried to look thoughtful, "What's the benefit for me?"
"Treasure. A whole lot of it! Barbossa's treasure. Oh and we need yer crew also," said Erica as she smiled.
Jack sat there, staring at all of them, his brow furrowed. Erica noticed this and added, "Or no gold, Savvy?"
When she mocked him, his lip curled and his eye twitched, "You got yerself a captain."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright! This is the crew," said Jack as he stood beside Erica. She held her chin in the air but her eyes were still upon the crew.
Jack said hello to the few he knew, "'ey there Gibbs….Cotton…..Ah, Ana Maria."
As he said her name, she bared her teeth and he kept walking.
Julia and Will stood by the Black Pearl and talked about how they would go about spending their riches.
When the line of the crew ended, Jack and Erica stopped and faced each other.
"Will they do?," asked Jack.
It was a long pause before Erica answered, "I need to discuss this with Julia."
She slowly walked back to the front. Her hands behind her back, her chin once again in the air while her eyes stayed upon their rough faces.
"Captain Sparrow wishes to know if they'll do," said Erica in a loud, false voice. She then leaned in very close to Will's and Julia's faces and whispered, "I personally don't like some of 'em"
"Which ones?," asked Will.
"More like one. That man with the parrot on his shoulder," said Erica looking over to him.
Jack paced about the crew and noticed the three staring at Cotton. He muttered to him, "Heads up, Mr. Cotton."
The parrot on his shoulder squawked, "Wind in yer sails."
Julia walked up to him, this time, first while the others stood behind her, "You!"
"Mr. Cotton," said Gibbs, still standing his place in the line.
"Mr. Cotton, what's with the parrot?"
He didn't answer but the bright green bird did, "Dead men tell no tales."
"Was I talking to you?!," snapped Julia, her eyes suddenly becoming dark and fearful.
Erica started laughing but Will nudged her with his elbow and she stopped. She stood straight and tall, and then she glanced at Jack.
Mr. Cotton still hadn't answered, but before Julia had gotten the chance to yell at him, Jack ran in front of her doing drunk gestures. "He's a mute…."
But he too was interrupted by Erica, "Lemme guess, he has no tongue?"
"Precisely," said Jack with a grin on his face.
"And who took his tongue?," asked Will with a bit of fear in his voice.
"I did," said Erica. Everyone's eyes turned to her as she looked around with a guilty smile spread across her pink lips. "I admit I was cruel. But to get by in being a pirate, you have to be feared."
"True True," muttered Jack.
They all shrugged as they turned back to face Cotton.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The crew wasn't set to leave until they had gotten all of their provisions. They had no idea how long this journey would be but Erica wasn't going to let any of them back out.
Erica stood at the top of a sand dune of Tortuga. It was another one of those warm summer nights. The moon was out and the stars shone brightly, glittering in her eyes. Waves crashed on the sand down below her.
She sighed and smiled to herself. The ocean always made her feel better when she was down in the dumps. Erica was depressed because everyone knew what she had done to Cotton. For the first time ever, she had felt guilty about something that she had done in the past.
"Nice night," someone muttered behind her.
Erica spun around to see Jack holding a bottle of rum in his right hand. She rolled her eyes and turned back around at the water and the beautiful night sky.
"It'd be nicer if I was alone," Erica said, her back still to Jack. She didn't even have the manners to look at him when she spoke. All pirates were like that.
"Though it'd be lonelier," he said coming up to her side. The bottle of rum hit his thigh and he took another swig.
Erica glanced at him then her eyes searched down to the bottle grasped tightly in his hand. The wind took another breeze through her curly, brown hair and she looked out to "mother ocean" "To be cruel is to be alone."
Jack sighed a drunk sigh and looked at her looking at the sea, "Ye know, you're a lot nicer when your depressed." He laughed expecting her to laugh too but it never came. She had turned to look at him, but no happiness escaped her lips.
"Is that supposed to cheer me up? I'm already upset, don't make me more."
They stared in silence at the shore. Urge surged through Erica and she wanted to just jump into the water and lay there, while the ocean took her out to sea. But she fought over that urge and stayed her ground.
"You like her?," asked Jack breaking the silence. Erica was surprised when he first spoke and she looked over to him.
"Her as in the ocean? Yeah, I do. She comforts me," She smiled and looked back out to the water. "It reminds me of home, and me mother and da."
"You miss them," he said gently. This was not the Jack Erica had heard of. The Jack she had heard of was the witty, trustworthy, jerk-like pirate. But this must have been a whole different side of him. The side that said to her, that he would be a good friend. 'Who's he fooling?,' she thought in her mind.
Erica turned to go, but he grabbed her by the elbow, telling her not to. She pulled free and sneered to him, "Ye know, your more of a jerk when your drunk."
She left him to the dark cold night to only his lonesome self, starry night and crashing waves.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay! We prepare to board in two minutes!," yelled Erica walking by the line of the crew, her hands behind her back.
Whichever crew member who was slouching, she walked by and they straightened up with fear of her doing anything worse than what she had done to Cotton.
Erica saw fear in there eyes, and it hurt her, to realize that the crew she would be sailing with for who knows long, didn't trust her. Well she was a feared pirate, what else do you expect from your crew?
Walking back over to Julia and Will, Erica passed Jack and gave him a quick glance. He probably forgot about last night, seeing how he was so drunk. She acted as if nothing happened and stood by Julia's side.
"I don't trust that Captain Sparrow," said Julia looking over to Erica, but her face was straight ahead, her lips pursed and her eyes searching the scared faces of her buccaneer crew. "He's a man that can't be trus---."
Julia was cut off by Erica's interruption, "We wouldn't be out saving Catherine if he wasn't here." 'Yeah true, but he was a little wasted'
Julia's lip twitched and she looked over to Jack who was staring at the three of them, his mouth slightly open, pondering about what was just said about him. Deciding to forget about the problem of him, he turned to Gibbs and whispered, "Ready to kick some skeletal butt this voyage?"
"Not quite, captain. I'd prefer sitting in the Faithful Bride having meself a rum and watching all the lovely fights go about."
Jack pursed his lips and tilted his head, his eyes half closed, "Hear hear, Mr. Gibbs. But I get meself another shiny shilling if I do this for them and the pleasure of killing Barbossa."
"And what should I get? I didn't even have to come on this voyage if Erica wouldn't have seen me that night," said Gibbs angrily, looking up at his captain and friend.
"Well," Jack's left wrist now rested on Gibbs' shoulder, seeing how he was a tad bit shorter than him. It moved up and down with his other hand, doing gestures. "This journey hasn't even started to begun, you can always--," his hands moved away from him and out back to the town of Tortuga, "--leave But if you stay, I'll be happy to give ye a bit of Barbossa's plunder."
Gibbs smiled and was now looking out to the town. "Barbossa's treasure says you, ah I feel a change in the wind says I. Let's board the Pearl, captain," said Gibbs starting his way to the Black Pearl but Jack's hand grabbed his shoulder and his bones gave a crack.
"Ah, now Gibbs, that be me job," his hand swishing into his face. Looking out to the crew he yelled over to the buccaneers, "On deck you scabbarous dogs!"
They all obeyed and quickly got aboard. All except Will and Jack who were left behind to watch the crew. But Will wasn't there to be in charge. "So Jack---"
"Don't talk to me," snapped Jack starting to head to the wooden plank leading them all to the deck of the ship. His eyes not facing Will.
"Well, you get this straight, we are aboard to find Catherine and not to--to plunder merchant vessels, you got that?," Will was being more than usual, stricter. Jack turned to look at him and he stopped walking as did Will.
"And what would make you think I would do such a thing?," said Jack giving him an oh-so-sweet, lovey-dovey, up-yours smile. Stupid enough, Will bought it and left him to join the girls.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You need to learn how to fence properly, mate," laughed Erica to Will.
Once again, they were fencing and trying to get Will to be prepared for the big battle against Barbossa's crew. If there even was a battle.
"Well I'd learn better if you weren't beating my a--"
"Ah, but mate, I be fighting like this for a reason, and that reason be to prepare you if at any time you come across a duel such as this, but with more…blood," Erica hit his blade away from her torso and gave a quick satisfied smile.
Will's eyes grew big and he growled. Pushing her up a small ramp, his sword hit under her feet, but Erica jumped, barley missing the flick of silver.
Just as Erica jumped, Jack walked on the gun deck through a big, rough door. Julia let out a gasp as her head swiveled to the entrance way. Will struck at Erica and her feet left the ramp.
Erica's body in the air, her sword clashing onto the floor, and her back hitting the side of the ship. Will let out a laugh and placed his hands onto his knees, trying to support his laughter.
Quickly, Erica's head popped up from underneath the piece of wood. Her brown curly hair, sprawled across her tanned visage. She had an immense grin on her face. Will let out another cry of laughter.
Jack still stood in the doorway, Julia goggling at him, he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows.
Erica jumped up quickly, making her hair bounce and held out her hand, her pointer finger up showing them no harm. "I-I'm alright! Don't worry about ME!!!," As she said her last word, her foot slid atop the blade that she had dropped and made her fall backwards once again.
Julia let out a snort as she watched her once graceful friend lay sprawled on the ground. Her chest heaving, Erica laughed and stared at the ceiling of the gun deck.
"Here," Will thrust out his hand, the palm faced up, his fingers curled a bit.
Erica sat up and glanced down at Will's hand. Her fingers curled around his wrist as his around hers. She tightened just as he hoisted her up. Erica brushed her backside off and slowly walked over to her sword.
Her foot graced under the blade and laid on the tip of her toe. Erica kicked it up. Her hand caught it on the hilt and she sheathed it.
"Got you that time," smirked Will walking over to Julia and sitting next to her. As he passed the doorway, he gave Jack a head nod.
Erica was dusting off her breeches, her eyes still hadn't reached Jack yet. "Nyeah…," was Erica's reply. She snarled and lifted her eyes to meet Jack's.
"That was a wonderful duel," Jack said sarcastically. He leaned on the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.
Erica snarled and walked over by Julia to grab her pistol. She had set it down to make sure she wouldn't have shot Will. From past experience. The gun in her hand, she put it in her belt and walked to the doorway across from the other doorway that Jack happened to be at the opposite side of the gun deck.
Spinning on her heel, Erica said to Will, "Nice fight. Your getting better," and with that, she left the three of them behind.