Chapter Nineteen
The day was slowly winding down in Port Royal. Elizabeth stood at the
fort, watching the sun sink slowly in the sky. She sighed at the beauty
of the pink and orange sky, smiling about how everything was finally just
as it should be.
"Hello, luv," she felt Will's strong hands wrap around her midsection and
she smiled, her eyes closing as she welcomed his embrace.
"Hello," she whispered back as his lips pressed against her neck.
"Elizabeth, there's something I need to tell you. I have bad news."
"What is it?" she spun around, facing him.
"Norrington has gone missing. There's a fishing vessel that's gone
missing, and a lot of his clothing is gone as well. His mother came
forward and said that he's gone to go find Jack's wife and get Jack to
her hometown so he could, as I heard it, punish them both."
"What?" Elizabeth asked in confusion. "This can't be happening. Will........."
"I know," he hugged her and held her in his embrace. "Your father has
agreed to let us go aboard the Dauntless on the pursuit to find him."
"He has?"
"Yes."
"Will, he's a very angry man," Elizabeth said, stating the obvious. "And
he's capable of so much. What if he tries to kill their daughter? I
wouldn't hold him to it."
"Well, we're going to try to stop him before that happens," he told her,
praying that Norrington hadn't caused any damage yet.
----- ----- -----
"I don't see why we had to bring them along," Gibbs muttered at Jack, who
stood at the wheel and steered the Black Pearl closer towards the
Greenfield Harbor.
"They wanted to come, I couldn't say no," he rolled his eyes and sighed,
feeling Gibbs' pain. Mary and Sarah bounded around the deck, following
around different crew members and getting on everyone's nerves. Through
their quirks however, Jack found them to be quite useful members of his
crew. They'd also told him quite a bit about Katie and Annie, exactly
what he's missed out on.
"Aye, ye could've!!" Gibbs objected.
"Lookit," Jack said sternly. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't even
know where to begin to try to find my family. So they're coming. End of
story."
"Sorry, Capt'n," Gibbs apologized, knowing something was bothering him.
"Can I ask what's been ailing ye?"
"Somethin's not right. I can feel it," he said as he looked up at the
ominous, gray clouds looming above.
"Yer probably just anxious to see yer wife and kid, that's all."
"No," Jack objected. "It's more'n that."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Capt'n." Gibbs replied. Jack took in a deep
breath and clenched his teeth.
"Prepare the crew to anchor," he said slowly, briefly shutting his eyes.
"Aye, Capt'n," Gibbs nodded and walked back down to the main deck. "LOWER
THE ANCHOR!"
Jack winced. Something wasn't right. He turned around and looked behind
him, spotting the sails of the Dauntless several yards off. Once the ship
anchored, the crew's attention also turned to the Dauntless as it slowly
came to a stop beside the Pearl.
"William Turner!" Jack bellowed, spotting Will beside the Captain of the
Dauntless. "That's the second time ye've showed up unexpectedly, do ye
mind tellin' me what in the bloody hell is goin' on?"
"Jack!" Will called back, and he spotted Elizabeth coming up behind him.
"Jack, thank god we found you!" Elizabeth cried from the other ship as
its crew members, including the new commodore, bustled about to prepare
it for a full stop.
"I'm waiting........." Jack took in a sharp breath and tapped his foot
impatiently.
"Meet us ashore!" Will called as Commodore Gillette started to shout
orders. Jack rolled his eyes and groaned again as Gibbs came to him,
telling him that the boat was ready to take him to the beach.
----- ----- -------
Jack waited impatiently as the row boats filled with soldiers from the
Royal Navy. He contemplated several times just leaving them there and
going to find Katrina and Annie on his own, but the bad feelings in his
stomach continued to grow and he knew that the arrival of the Dauntless
(second fastest ship in the Caribbean) had something to do with it.
"ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!!" he bellowed when the boat with Will in it reached
the shore. "Where's bloody Elizabeth?" he growled impatiently when Will
and about five or so other soldiers stepped onto the sand.
"Pouting in her cabin, I imagine," Will said with a smirk. "Her father
not the Commodore thought it safe for her to go ashore."
"Aye, true statement, now ye mind tellin' me what's goin' on?" Jack
asked.
"Jack, Norrington is here. Somewhere."
"So?"
"So, he wants to see you dead......... and your wife and daughter as well."
Jack's face dropped in trepidation, color vanishing from his cheeks.
"I knew somethin' wasn't right," clenched his teeth together. As soon as
the boat with the new Commodore and the other boats with the rest of the
soldiers hit the shore, Commodore Gillette began to shout orders to them.
Groups of six started going off to where he ordered them to, and when he
was done he was left with Jack, Will and several of Jack's crew members,
including Gibbs, Annamaria, Mary and Sarah.
"Look wherever you feel necessary," he told them, a look of utmost
empathy on his face. Jack just wrinkled his nose as he walked off.
"What's up with him, mate?" he asked, turning to Will.
"A lot of people don't know this," Will started as the group began
walking, "but before he came to Port Royal, back when he lived in
England, his son and daughter were both taken by the Cholera epidemic.
His wife was so upset, she killed herself."
"Poor chap," Jack clicked his tongue. "Alright mates, ye see that
massive, over-sized plantation up on the hill there?"
"Aye," Annamaria said, speaking for the group.
"That's where she lives. Head up and see if she's there," he instructed.
Will started to walk off with them when Jack clamped his hand down on his
shoulder. "I want you with me."
The day was slowly winding down in Port Royal. Elizabeth stood at the
fort, watching the sun sink slowly in the sky. She sighed at the beauty
of the pink and orange sky, smiling about how everything was finally just
as it should be.
"Hello, luv," she felt Will's strong hands wrap around her midsection and
she smiled, her eyes closing as she welcomed his embrace.
"Hello," she whispered back as his lips pressed against her neck.
"Elizabeth, there's something I need to tell you. I have bad news."
"What is it?" she spun around, facing him.
"Norrington has gone missing. There's a fishing vessel that's gone
missing, and a lot of his clothing is gone as well. His mother came
forward and said that he's gone to go find Jack's wife and get Jack to
her hometown so he could, as I heard it, punish them both."
"What?" Elizabeth asked in confusion. "This can't be happening. Will........."
"I know," he hugged her and held her in his embrace. "Your father has
agreed to let us go aboard the Dauntless on the pursuit to find him."
"He has?"
"Yes."
"Will, he's a very angry man," Elizabeth said, stating the obvious. "And
he's capable of so much. What if he tries to kill their daughter? I
wouldn't hold him to it."
"Well, we're going to try to stop him before that happens," he told her,
praying that Norrington hadn't caused any damage yet.
----- ----- -----
"I don't see why we had to bring them along," Gibbs muttered at Jack, who
stood at the wheel and steered the Black Pearl closer towards the
Greenfield Harbor.
"They wanted to come, I couldn't say no," he rolled his eyes and sighed,
feeling Gibbs' pain. Mary and Sarah bounded around the deck, following
around different crew members and getting on everyone's nerves. Through
their quirks however, Jack found them to be quite useful members of his
crew. They'd also told him quite a bit about Katie and Annie, exactly
what he's missed out on.
"Aye, ye could've!!" Gibbs objected.
"Lookit," Jack said sternly. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't even
know where to begin to try to find my family. So they're coming. End of
story."
"Sorry, Capt'n," Gibbs apologized, knowing something was bothering him.
"Can I ask what's been ailing ye?"
"Somethin's not right. I can feel it," he said as he looked up at the
ominous, gray clouds looming above.
"Yer probably just anxious to see yer wife and kid, that's all."
"No," Jack objected. "It's more'n that."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Capt'n." Gibbs replied. Jack took in a deep
breath and clenched his teeth.
"Prepare the crew to anchor," he said slowly, briefly shutting his eyes.
"Aye, Capt'n," Gibbs nodded and walked back down to the main deck. "LOWER
THE ANCHOR!"
Jack winced. Something wasn't right. He turned around and looked behind
him, spotting the sails of the Dauntless several yards off. Once the ship
anchored, the crew's attention also turned to the Dauntless as it slowly
came to a stop beside the Pearl.
"William Turner!" Jack bellowed, spotting Will beside the Captain of the
Dauntless. "That's the second time ye've showed up unexpectedly, do ye
mind tellin' me what in the bloody hell is goin' on?"
"Jack!" Will called back, and he spotted Elizabeth coming up behind him.
"Jack, thank god we found you!" Elizabeth cried from the other ship as
its crew members, including the new commodore, bustled about to prepare
it for a full stop.
"I'm waiting........." Jack took in a sharp breath and tapped his foot
impatiently.
"Meet us ashore!" Will called as Commodore Gillette started to shout
orders. Jack rolled his eyes and groaned again as Gibbs came to him,
telling him that the boat was ready to take him to the beach.
----- ----- -------
Jack waited impatiently as the row boats filled with soldiers from the
Royal Navy. He contemplated several times just leaving them there and
going to find Katrina and Annie on his own, but the bad feelings in his
stomach continued to grow and he knew that the arrival of the Dauntless
(second fastest ship in the Caribbean) had something to do with it.
"ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!!" he bellowed when the boat with Will in it reached
the shore. "Where's bloody Elizabeth?" he growled impatiently when Will
and about five or so other soldiers stepped onto the sand.
"Pouting in her cabin, I imagine," Will said with a smirk. "Her father
not the Commodore thought it safe for her to go ashore."
"Aye, true statement, now ye mind tellin' me what's goin' on?" Jack
asked.
"Jack, Norrington is here. Somewhere."
"So?"
"So, he wants to see you dead......... and your wife and daughter as well."
Jack's face dropped in trepidation, color vanishing from his cheeks.
"I knew somethin' wasn't right," clenched his teeth together. As soon as
the boat with the new Commodore and the other boats with the rest of the
soldiers hit the shore, Commodore Gillette began to shout orders to them.
Groups of six started going off to where he ordered them to, and when he
was done he was left with Jack, Will and several of Jack's crew members,
including Gibbs, Annamaria, Mary and Sarah.
"Look wherever you feel necessary," he told them, a look of utmost
empathy on his face. Jack just wrinkled his nose as he walked off.
"What's up with him, mate?" he asked, turning to Will.
"A lot of people don't know this," Will started as the group began
walking, "but before he came to Port Royal, back when he lived in
England, his son and daughter were both taken by the Cholera epidemic.
His wife was so upset, she killed herself."
"Poor chap," Jack clicked his tongue. "Alright mates, ye see that
massive, over-sized plantation up on the hill there?"
"Aye," Annamaria said, speaking for the group.
"That's where she lives. Head up and see if she's there," he instructed.
Will started to walk off with them when Jack clamped his hand down on his
shoulder. "I want you with me."