Broken Wings
A Pirates of the Caribbean story by Merrie
Disclaimer: Only the voice, Jack's insanity, and Norry's illness are mine. I seem to have gotten the raw end of the deal, huh?
Summary: Captain Jack has lost his ship, his crew, nearly his life, and now his sanity to a horrible new curse. Will this Sparrow be able soar again after his wings have been broken?
Characters: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Commodore Norrington, Kiquan, and Lorelac the Hated.
Author's Note: To Halia who somehow coerced me into writing this chapter earlier than I intended to, and acting as a wonderful beta. Thanks!!! Ultimately, this chapter is definitely a bit more light-hearted than my previous ones have been. Enjoy.
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and extreme angst.
Chapter 12: Remembrances and Reunions
Elizabeth sat back in shock. No, it wasn't possible. This could not be happening. Not now. No one could be that cruel. No God, no Devil, no one. This was simply not happening. And yet, seeing Jack's wide dark eyes stare back at her uncomprehending assured her that it was happening, and it was happening right now. "What do you mean, 'who's Jack?' You're Jack!" she couldn't keep herself from shouting. Jack winced.
"Please don't yell at me, Miss. I don't know who you're talking about," he whimpered, acting as if she had threatened to hit him across the face.
"Who are you? What is your name?" she asked as calmly as she could to the bloodied man before him, praying that he would remember.
Jack heisted a long moment, his eyes widening with fear. "I can't remember! Please Miss, why can't I remember who I am?" Jack pleaded with her, sitting upright, not even seeming to feel any of the pain he must clearly be in.
'I can't do this right now,' Elizabeth moaned to herself. "Your name is Jack Sparrow, and you're my friend. You're a captain on a pirate ship. Do you remember any of this?"
Jack didn't hesitate before sputtering, "A pirate ship? Surely not. I would never lower myself to do such a thing. And a lady as clearly refined as you might be by your speech rather than your dress shouldn't be talking about such things in the first place." He looked down at his own jacket buttoned up all the way over her naked form with a look of distaste. Elizabeth gaped. Again, whoever this man lying before her was, he was not her friend Captain Jack Sparrow. His accent was all wrong again. But it wasn't the chilling Celtic tones of Lorelac this time, no; it was a proper upper-class British accent that made her hand clench the dagger she was holding even harder.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked again, sensing a change in her friend. This was something new, and she didn't trust it.
"Edward John Corentin Alexandre Sperling. At your service, milady," he said, rising inexplicably to his feet before she could stop him and giving a small bow, blood dripping down his chin.
"Miss Elizabeth Swann," she mumbled on instinct. Sperling, she had heard that word before, but where? After a moment's thought, it came to her. Her German was a bit lacking, but she remembered a handful of words. Sperling meant sparrow, and Jack was a variation of John. 'My God,' she thought, 'it's not possible, is it?'
"A pleasure, Miss Swann," the man who was not Jack again said, bowing once more, blood beginning to drip too the ground. She was amazed that he didn't notice it. "I confess, you seem somewhat familiar. Have I had the pleasure of your company before and have regrettably forgotten it? Not that I would forget such a beauty such as yourself," he cut himself off with what might have been a blush under the blood coating his cheeks. A blush! Elizabeth felt as if she were going to faint. "Forgive me, Miss Swann. That was uncalled for. We've just met."
"No, you are correct Edward, we have met before. We have been the closest of friends for over a year now," she added, playing along with whatever was happening before her.
"Please call me John or Jack, Miss Swann. I have always detested the name Edward. It is a family name, and I have never cared for it. Would it be too bold of me to ask if I may call you Elizabeth in return? If it is, I apologize," he added hastily. "The closest of friends, you say? Dear, I do regret not remembering that. I wonder why I cannot," he pondered aloud with a frown, blood running quickly down his cheeks at the movement. He finally noticed it as a drop made its way to his lips, and encountered his tongue. "Good Lord! I seem to have cut myself, haven't I? I don't suppose you have a handkerchief handy, Elizabeth? I seem to have misplaced......." he trailed off as he looked down at himself, more accurately, as he looked down at what he was wearing. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his hands running over his dirtied once white shirt, baggy breeches, and faded red and white sash. His eyes widened even further as he took a good look at his hands. From the rings, to the dirt to the tattoo.
'Uh oh,' Elizabeth thought with a wince. 'Here it comes.'
"What in the blazes is going on here?" 'John' shouted, having pulled up his sleeve as far as it would go, seeing that the tattoo kept going. "Why am I dressed in these rags? And what are these markings on my arm?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to call them rags," Elizabeth muttered under her breath, not believing her ears. What was happening? "What is the last thing you remember, Jack? You have to remember meeting me! You called me Miss Elizabeth before I had even told you my name!"
"There's no need to shout, I'm standing right beside you," Jack said irritably. "Please, if you would be so kind, please tell me what's going on here? Why am I dressed in this manner?" he asked slowly, his dark brown eyes wide and confused, pleading with her to make everything alright.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, and told the truth, "Your name is Captain Jack Sparrow. You're captain of the Black Pearl, the fastest pirate ship in the Caribbean. Your entire crew was killed recently in a cave-in, oh, and you're possessed by a spirit or something by the name of Lorelac," she cast a glance to see how Jack was reacting to all of this once she had finished. Her eyes widened to see that he was deathly pale underneath the blood on his face.
"Surely you jest," he said slowly, his eyes wide.
"I'm afraid not, Jack. It's all true. What's the last thing you remember?" Elizabeth asked him.
"This is not happening. There is no way I would become a pirate! Let alone a pirate captain! And possessed by some demon? You must be joking. I am not a child, Miss Swann. Do not attempt to treat me as such with your fairy tales." Jack said coldly.
Elizabeth found herself getting angry. She knew whatever happening wasn't Jack's fault, but the man in front of her was just so........so, infuriating! "Listen here, Captain Sparrow, for that is who you are, I am telling you the truth. Every last word. I don't care if you believe me or not. And as for treating you like a child? Well then stop behaving as if you were one! You're a grown man!" A thought occurred to Elizabeth, and her anger deflated in a flash. "Wait a minute, what year is it?" she asked him, fearing the worst.
"1673," Jack answered automatically, too stunned by the randomness of the question to hesitate. Once he had calmed himself a bit, he asked, "Why? What year do you think it is?" Jack asked in a tone of voice that clearly implied she would be incorrect in whatever answer she gave, even if it matched his, which it didn't.
Elizabeth groaned. "It's 1693, Jack. I don't care whether or not you believe me, it's the truth." She sighed before continuing. "What's the last thing you remember? You believe its 1673, right? That would make you how old?" Elizabeth asked, ultimately curious to discover more about Jack and his past despite their current situation.
"Twenty," Jack said, pulling himself a little taller in an unneeded attempt to make himself look older.
Elizabeth nearly laughed out loud at the sight. "And you name is Edward John Corentin Alexandre Sperling, correct? Goodness, what a mouthful. You obviously changed your name sometime in the future, your future, but it's not all that different. Sperling means sparrow in German, correct?"
Jack hesitated, but finally spoke up, "Correct. But I don't see how that changes anyth—" he was cut off by a wave of Elizabeth's hand.
"John Sperling equals Jack Sparrow. Believe it, Captain," she said sternly. "We don't have time for your doubts. Lorelac is undoubtedly causing this, and I don't like it," she said with a shudder, rubbing her hands on her arms as if cold.
"I simply don't see how any of this is possible, Miss Swann. For someone to have forgotten the last twenty years of his life is inconceivable. Not to mention the fact that I don't believe in demons, or whatever you claim this," he trailed off, unable to remember Lorelac's name.
"Lorelac," Elizabeth supplied.
"This Lorelac to be. He can't be real," Jack finished. "And if I was truly, possessed, as you say, I would know it. And there's no proof of---"
'Well isn't this an interesting development,' Lorelac whispered.
"Did you hear that?" Jack asked aloud, causing Elizabeth to frown.
"Hear what, Jack? Oh God, what now?" she said to herself.
'You really don't remember me, do you Sparrow? I think I'm hurt. With all that we've done together. I'll admit that I may be responsible for some of this; your pathetic mortal brain simply isn't able to handle my presence properly. I guess I don't blame you really. I knew something like this would happen sooner or later. But in truth, I expected it to be later. Much later. It seems as if I overestimated you, Sparrow. A shame,' Lorelac tsked.
"Who are you?!" Jack shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. He turned to Elizabeth, and she drew back at the slightly manic look in his eyes. "Tell me you heard that," he pleaded with her. "I can't be possessed, I don't believe in demons."
'Believe it. Although it seems that I have to remind you of who I am. My name is Lorelac, and I am a god, not a demon. I have been around that you're entire race has, and I will be here long after it is gone.'
Jack slumped to the ground at this, his bloodied head clutched in his trembling hands. "This can't be happening to me. I was just leaving for the docks. I was going to meet my cousin aboard his merchant ship. I don't remember any of this. And I can't be possessed, I refused to believe it. I don't care who this Lorelac says he is, I refuse to believe it."
"Wait, Lorelac? Is he talking to you?" Elizabeth asked with a bit of a tremor in her voice, her eyes casting from side to side in the room as if saying his name would somehow invoke his presence at Jack's shoulder. "What is he saying?" she couldn't help but ask. Her father had always stressed the imperative of 'knowing thine enemy' above many others.
Jack hesitated, a bit of blood trickling from his nose that Liz had noticed seemed to happen to Jack every time she questioned Lorelac or his origins. "He says he's a god, Miss Elizabeth. Someone who's been around a lot longer than we have, and will remain long after we're gone."
***
The part of Jack that was still 'him,' didn't have any clue what was going on. One minute he was walking into the cave, and the next.......this nothingness. He was a prisoner in his own mind once more, and yet he could sense something different about this time. For one, Lorelac seemed to be almost as confused as he was, Jack could feel him prowling the corners of his mind like an anxious lion. But if Jack wasn't in charge of his own body, and Lorelac wasn't either, then who did that leave?
'You are really pathetic, by the way. Can't you manage to keep your brain in one piece?' Lorelac almost sounded as if he were whining.
"If you don't like it, feel free to haunt someone else," Jack mumbled, casting his eyes around the almost entirely barren landscape that made up his prison. "Where in Davy Jones' am I?"
'It's a rather unique phenomena, actually. I think a part of your subconscious or bits and pieces of your memories are in control of your body at the moment. Right now you, the other you, is convinced that its twenty years ago, and you're not yet a pirate. Having rifled through your memories when I first possessed you, how come I never ran across this particular period of your life?'
"Are you really arrogant enough to believe that after all that you've done to me I'd be willing to help you now? Well I hope you rot in hell, you bastard. You're certainly not getting anything out of me."
Lorelac fumed at Jack's impudence, but made no action against him. Not that there was much he could do to him in this place. He could torture the man's body until it was insensible from the pain, but he could do nothing about the man that inhabited it. That didn't mean he couldn't hurt those around him though.......
***
"How is he?" Will asked Kiquan quietly, standing outside the door of Norrington's hut.
"Our chief is very lucky. If he had not come to us when he did, he would probably have been sent to join other warriors on the Kourikan Plain."
"The Kourikan Plain?" Will asked, not catching the reference.
"What my people call your Heaven. He is still gravely ill, William Turner, but he will survive. He is now resting, and we shouldn't disturb him." Will nodded after a moment's hesitation, and the two of them made their way over to a small campfire, which they sat down next to. "Tell me, how was it that you and the chief came to our island?"
"I was telling the truth before. We were shipwrecked here. Three of us sailed out from Port Royal, do you know this place?" Kiquan nodded and Will continued, "We sailed out in search of a friend."
"This must be a valued friend to go out looking for him in a ship crewed by only thee people. What became of your third?" Kiquan asked.
Will cast his eyes down into the fire, the flames dancing on his eyes in the darkness. "Elizabeth was lost to us when the storm came. I don't know what's become of her," Will admitted slowly.
"This Elizabeth was your wife?" Kiquan asked kindly.
"She is to be my wife. Next spring," Will told him.
"Then I should think you would know if she was dead, William Turner. Your woman lives still, do not doubt it," Kiquan reassured him. Will let out a small smile at this, and Kiquan went on, "But what's become of the friend you sought out for? Did you find him?"
"No, we haven't found Jack yet. He's still out there somewhere," Will said, casting his eyes to the dark horizon. A thought occurred to him and he suddenly sat up straight and looked at Kiquan directly. "Perhaps you have seen his ship? He cannot be far from here, I know it. You would be able to recognize this ship at once. It has black sails instead of white."
"I have seen this ship, William Turner." Kiquan responded after a long pause. "Death follows it like the wind. Are you sure the man who sails this ship is your friend?"
"Of course I am!" Will responded without a second thought. After taking a moment to think about Kiquan's words, he went on, "What makes you ask such a question? And what do you mean death follows the Pearl like a wind? Yes, Jack is a pirate, but he's never been known to kill except in self- defense."
"Yes, the Black Pearl. I have heard enough tales about the horrors it's visited upon the people it comes across to make my question. Have you not heard the same stories I have, William Turner?"
"Call me Will," he said absently. "And yes, under Captain Barbossa's reign the Black Pearl was definitely a ship to be feared. But that was almost a year ago. The curse was broken, and Jack's different than Barbossa. Completely different. He wouldn't do such things," Will said with conviction.
"What if I were to tell you that some of the more horrific stories were the more recent ones, Will? Would you believe me?" Kiquan asked softly.
"No," Will said without hesitation. He knew Jack. At least, he thought he did. "Please, if you know where he is, tell me. I need to get to him as soon as possible."
Kiquan looked Will up and down before replying, "Yes, I believe you do. Our scouts have seen the ship you speak of, the Black Pearl, anchored off the shore of an island not far from here."
"What? Take me to it!" Will demanded, his strong desire to finally see Jack again overwhelming his reason at the moment.
"It is dangerous to sail these waters in the daytime, Will. Let alone at night. And I'm certain you would want the chief to go with you on such a journey, correct? If you truly wish to see your friend, then you must wait until tomorrow. The chief will not be well by that time, but I don't believe I will be able to stop him from accompanying you, and at least the sailing will be safer than at night."
Will sighed, but Kiquan made a good point. "Fine, Comm-Chief Norrington and I will leave at dawn. We can't afford to wait any longer, I'm sorry." Will acquiesced with a small frown.
Kiquan nodded. "I understand. I just hope that your friend is who you think he is, and worth all this trouble."
***
Elizabeth sighed in relief to see that Jack had finally seemed to have passed out from exhaustion. The day had been taxing on all of them, and was now taking its toll. 'Dear Lord, has it only been one day since this nightmare began? It seems like years.' She felt her own eyelids growing heavy, the shock of what had happened to her taking its own toll on her battered body. No matter how much she would have liked to have pretended that what happened, what Jack did to her, never happened, her own aching body was a constant reminder. 'No, Jack didn't do it. Don't start thinking like that. Jack's your friend. He would never do something like that.'
'But he's a pirate, Elizabeth,' the voice of her subconscious whispered. 'How many times have you heard the words ravage or rape associated with pirates? You and I both know it's quite a lot.'
"Shut up, it wasn't his fault. He was possessed. He would never do something like that, I don't care what you say," Elizabeth forced herself to keep her voice low. She didn't want to wake up Jack. And it if were 'Edward John' who woke up instead as she feared, she definitely didn't want to wake him up. She didn't have the energy to deal with anything else today. But her mind refused to stop and let herself sleep. Her thoughts kept coming back to the sight of Jack on top of her, the pain and shame that she had felt, the horrible self-loathing afterward. 'Oh God, Will. I am so sorry. What have I done?' she cried herself into an exhausted but restless sleep.
***
"James, wake up. I need you to wake up, alright? We have to go." A somewhat familiar voice made its way through Norrington's muddled consciousness, and he found himself slowly becoming aware of his surroundings.
"Oh, please tell me that everything last night was some horrible dream," he muttered, his eyes still shut tightly. He cautiously opened one of them and groaned as it came to rest on a thatched ceiling of palm leaves, patches of early morning sunlight making their way through the weave.
"I'm afraid not, Chief Norrington," Will said with a small laugh. "But you need to get up. We're leaving."
That got Norrington's attention, and he sat up slowly on the padded mat that made up his bed. "Leaving? Leaving for where?" he asked.
"Your people have spotted Jack and the Pearl anchored in the harbor of an island not far from here. We're off to find him," Will said, standing up from his crouched position at Norrington's side.
"I do wish you wouldn't call them that," Norrington muttered, sitting upright with some effort.
"What? 'Your people?' But they are your people, Chief Norrington," Will said with a smile that Norrington answered with a scowl and a groan. "Do you need any help?" he asked, all traces of his previous humor gone as if they'd never existed.
"I think I'll manage," Norrington said, coming to his feet beside Will with a little stumble, but managing to stay upright. "As soon as the room stops spinning," he muttered, placing a hand on his forehead.
"I'm sorry to make you leave when you're not fully healed, but as much as these people seem to want to serve you, I don't want to leave you here alone with them, especially not in this state," Norrington answered that with a scowl, but Will went on undaunted, "and we need to get to Jack. Something's been directing me to him all along, and I fear that we might have waited too long to get to him," he said with a pensive look out the open window of the little hut.
"It's only been one day," the reality of that statement seemed to dawn on him as Norrington pulled on his sword belt. "Has it really been only one day since all of this began? It seems quite a bit.......longer," he said at last.
"I know what you mean. It's hard to believe it all when you think back on it. But it still feels like it's been too long, somehow. It's like whatever is driving me towards Jack is screaming at me to get to him now, when it had just been strongly suggesting to me get to him earlier."
"And have you figured out what that something is yet?" Norrington asked offhandedly, fastening on his sword belt at his side.
Will ran a hand through his already mussed dark curls. "The closest thing I can think of that might tie the two of us together is the Aztec curse," Will said after a moment's thought. He raised his left hand. "Do you see this?" he gestured to the palm of his hand, where Norrington saw a wide still red scar bisecting it angling down to the right. "Jack's got one just like it. And Elizabeth too, for that matter. The curse needed our blood to be broken, do you understand? It was a complete coincidence that each of us was cut in the same place."
"But how would this link you and Jack, but not Elizabeth if she has the same scar?" Norrington asked.
"Because Elizabeth's blood wasn't actually used to end the curse, only Jack's and my own," Will told him.
"Someday soon you're going to have to tell me the whole story of what went on in that treasure cave, Will," Norrington told him, straightening his appearance as much as he could under the circumstances.
"I promise," Will assured him. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be alright," Norrington said unconvincingly, his face still more pale than it should have been in the early morning sunlight.
Will looked at him incredulously, but he didn't question it. It was him after all who had wanted to leave so early. "Then let's go," he said, placing his hat on his head. Norrington did the same and the two of them left the hut only to be greeted with what looked like the entire tribe spread out before them, men, women and children.
"We have come to bid you a safe journey and a hasty return, my chief," Kiquan said, approaching them. He then appeared to repeat the words in his native language. "And also to give you this," he motioned for a young boy to come forward, bearing a sharp-looking dagger in his small hands. "This dagger has been passed down from one chief to the next for as long as our tribe has existed. It is a symbol of your willingness to stand over and protect the tribe with your life. Are you willing to accept this, Norrington?" it was the first time Kiquan had called him anything but chief, and it made Norrington feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
He looked out over the sea of eager faces, each of them pleading with him without saying a word to watch over and protect them. His hands reached out to accept the dagger, and he felt a new sense of duty settle on his shoulders as if it had always been there. He did not know what being these people's chief would mean, but he would not abandon them now, no matter what happened next. "I accept your gift in the spirit with which it is given," he intoned formally, taking the blade into his hands, careful not to cut himself on the sharp blade. A cheer went up through the crowd and Norrington couldn't help but smile.
***
"What do you think he meant by a tattoo?" Will called out over the wind as he manned the rudder of a small sailboat headed in the direction of the island they had been given explicit directions to. "You don't think they'll make you get one now that you're their chief, do you?"
Norrington shuddered, remembering seeing the full body tattoos on every man and woman of the tribe, and nearly half the children as well. "I sincerely hope not. Imagine what the Navy would think if one of their Commodore's was covered in tribal tattoos under his uniform?"
Will laughed at that, then grew serious. "What are you going to tell the Navy about your new position on the island? You know you cannot abandon them now. You've made a promise," Will said quietly.
"I know," Norrington said, rolling the dagger around in his hands. There was an inscription on the blade which Kiquan had translated for him, 'The protector of the people, may his blade never falter nor fail.' "I'm in charge of them now," he said with a tone of acceptance. He turned to look over his shoulder to look at Will but saw that he wasn't paying any attention to him. "Will?"
"James, look. There she is," Will pointed, and Norrington followed his line of sight.
There, in all its dark beauty, sat the Black Pearl, a storm cloud of ebony atop a sea of clear Caribbean blue-green. James had to admit, it was a truly magnificent ship. A frown creased his brow as they got closer to it however, and saw that there was not a living soul aboard. And that was when Norrington remembered. "His entire crew is really dead, dear God," he whispered, but Will somehow heard him over the wind.
"That's why we're here, James. No man should be forced to go through something like this alone. No one."
***
Elizabeth woke up screaming, tight in a nightmare's firm grip. "Jack! No, please don't!" she screamed into the empty cave. When no one answered her frightened screams, her breath began to slow a little bit, the images of the nightmare passed from the present to her memory, where she could try in vain to forget about it. She reached up a hand to her face, and felt her cheeks wet with fresh tears. She hadn't meant to fall asleep in this awful place, she just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and Jack had already.......wait, where was Jack!
Searching frantically in the still dimly torch-lit cavern, she saw no trace of the pirate captain. "Jack? Jack, where are you?" she called out, crawling out through the entrance he had dug out.
"I'm right here, Elizabeth. And I mean it. I am here," he stressed.
"Jack? Is it really you?" Elizabeth asked, not quite daring to hope.
"Oh Lorelac and.......well, the other me are still here," he tapped a temple, "underneath the surface, but they're quiet for now. And I guess that's all I can ask for at this point," his eyes suddenly grew wide and bright. "That, and this. Come with me, Elizabeth. I've got something to show you, something that will make your bloody year, I promise you," he said, waving a hand for her to follow him as he set down the beach. "Look there," he said, and pointed to a spot out to sea.
"What, Jack? I don't see---oh my God, is that a ship?" Elizabeth exclaimed, joy flooding through her body.
"It's more than that. If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, than you and I both know the two men sailing it," Jack said, squinting to get a clearer picture of the fast approaching boat.
Elizabeth turned to him, gripping his arm tightly, and looking him directly in the eye. "You better not be lying to me to keep my spirits up, Jack Sparrow, or I swear I'll slap you so hard you'll see stars for a week. On your already injured cheek," she said, not letting go of his arm for reassurance, but casting her eyes back out to sea.
"I never knew you had it in you, Lizzie," Jack said with pride as he watched the boat get closer and closer. In another few minutes, the two men would be standing in front of them.
"Yes you did, Jack. And don't call me Lizzie," she said, not turning to look at him either, her grip on his arm growing noticeably tighter as the two men came closer to shore.
"Why not? It's a perfectly acceptably form of your name, Lizzie," Jack said with a smirk, clearly intent on never using her full name again.
"My name is Elizabeth, four syllables. *Edward,*" she stressed, enjoying the feeling of him tense underneath her hand.
"That's hitting below the belt, luv," Jack muttered. "Elizabeth, are you going to tell Will what happened between us?" he asked, not able to face her.
"No, I'm not Jack. And neither are you. As far as I'm concerned, it never happened," she said sternly, upset with him for bringing it up when she longed to forget about it.
"It did happen, Elizabeth," he said, finally turning to look at her. She did not meet his gaze, however, her eyes were locked on the sea. "You're going to have to face it sooner or later," he drew is eyes to the now rowing men in the sailboat. Another minute, and they'd be there. "We both will," he added quietly.
Neither of them said another word as they both waited until the two men landed on the beach and came up to greet them.
TBC
A/N: Ok, I really didn't want to end it there if you can believe that. I want to see this reunion almost as much as you do, but then I looked at the length of this chapter, and decided to end it before it doubled in size.
*Reviewer Thanks Section*
Cursed-Pearl: Yes, Kiquan will become a great ally if they can only learn to trust him. So yeah, he's got a bit of cannibalistic bent. Who doesn't?
Intuitive: Lol. I'm glad you liked it. It was fun to write. I felt as if I needed a bit of humor after all the angst of the previous chapters. I'm glad to know I seem to have succeeded.
Lady Russell Holmes: Yes, poor Jack indeed. There's nothing more I can say. I am very evil to our dear Captain, aren't I?
gypsy: My pal. I'm glad you reviewed. It makes me feel all warm a fuzzy inside. :-) Yes, it was rather "eek-worthy" wasn't it?
BURN THE R.U.M: No, you go ahead and laugh. That was my intention. Yes, there will most definitely be a sequel, with the tentative title of Ruffled Feathers. This story will last only a few more chapters and then the sequel will begin. But don't worry, everything will work alright in the end. And it was a seriously sad matter what happened to poor Liz. It was very difficult to write. Thank you for your continued reviews!
Estelio*Duredhel: Yes, it was certainly a kick in the teeth. I really hadn't wanted to end it there, just like I didn't want to end this chapter where I did, but I didn't want to make it too long. This chapter was already almost 13 pages when I stopped, and I knew I had to stop there or it would have wound up being like 30 pages or something insane like that.
Mara: You're most welcome for the virtual chocolates, my dear 100th reviewer. And yes, to answer your question, Norrington is now responsible for the native people. I'm not sure how he's going to manage that while remaining a naval Commodore yet. We'll just have to find out together.
Blue Trinity: If that makes you a bad person for wishing to see the characters harm, what does that make me for writing it? Don't worry though, I love Jack. I couldn't let him stay too broken. Hear that everyone? And the Norry and Will scenes were an absolute joy to write. Thanks for the review!
Mistress of Destruction: I'm glad you liked the Will and Norry scenes too. They were a lot of fun to write. Chief Norry indeed. *snicker* As for this being the calm of the storm? Maybe, I'm not telling. :-) And yes, there will be a sequel soon. Very soon.
Savvyness: Yes you heard right. A sequel. It's already outlined, but not written. It's gonna be a wild ride.
To all of my reviewers and supporters, thank you!!! You guys are the best!! -Merrie
A Pirates of the Caribbean story by Merrie
Disclaimer: Only the voice, Jack's insanity, and Norry's illness are mine. I seem to have gotten the raw end of the deal, huh?
Summary: Captain Jack has lost his ship, his crew, nearly his life, and now his sanity to a horrible new curse. Will this Sparrow be able soar again after his wings have been broken?
Characters: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Commodore Norrington, Kiquan, and Lorelac the Hated.
Author's Note: To Halia who somehow coerced me into writing this chapter earlier than I intended to, and acting as a wonderful beta. Thanks!!! Ultimately, this chapter is definitely a bit more light-hearted than my previous ones have been. Enjoy.
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and extreme angst.
Chapter 12: Remembrances and Reunions
Elizabeth sat back in shock. No, it wasn't possible. This could not be happening. Not now. No one could be that cruel. No God, no Devil, no one. This was simply not happening. And yet, seeing Jack's wide dark eyes stare back at her uncomprehending assured her that it was happening, and it was happening right now. "What do you mean, 'who's Jack?' You're Jack!" she couldn't keep herself from shouting. Jack winced.
"Please don't yell at me, Miss. I don't know who you're talking about," he whimpered, acting as if she had threatened to hit him across the face.
"Who are you? What is your name?" she asked as calmly as she could to the bloodied man before him, praying that he would remember.
Jack heisted a long moment, his eyes widening with fear. "I can't remember! Please Miss, why can't I remember who I am?" Jack pleaded with her, sitting upright, not even seeming to feel any of the pain he must clearly be in.
'I can't do this right now,' Elizabeth moaned to herself. "Your name is Jack Sparrow, and you're my friend. You're a captain on a pirate ship. Do you remember any of this?"
Jack didn't hesitate before sputtering, "A pirate ship? Surely not. I would never lower myself to do such a thing. And a lady as clearly refined as you might be by your speech rather than your dress shouldn't be talking about such things in the first place." He looked down at his own jacket buttoned up all the way over her naked form with a look of distaste. Elizabeth gaped. Again, whoever this man lying before her was, he was not her friend Captain Jack Sparrow. His accent was all wrong again. But it wasn't the chilling Celtic tones of Lorelac this time, no; it was a proper upper-class British accent that made her hand clench the dagger she was holding even harder.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked again, sensing a change in her friend. This was something new, and she didn't trust it.
"Edward John Corentin Alexandre Sperling. At your service, milady," he said, rising inexplicably to his feet before she could stop him and giving a small bow, blood dripping down his chin.
"Miss Elizabeth Swann," she mumbled on instinct. Sperling, she had heard that word before, but where? After a moment's thought, it came to her. Her German was a bit lacking, but she remembered a handful of words. Sperling meant sparrow, and Jack was a variation of John. 'My God,' she thought, 'it's not possible, is it?'
"A pleasure, Miss Swann," the man who was not Jack again said, bowing once more, blood beginning to drip too the ground. She was amazed that he didn't notice it. "I confess, you seem somewhat familiar. Have I had the pleasure of your company before and have regrettably forgotten it? Not that I would forget such a beauty such as yourself," he cut himself off with what might have been a blush under the blood coating his cheeks. A blush! Elizabeth felt as if she were going to faint. "Forgive me, Miss Swann. That was uncalled for. We've just met."
"No, you are correct Edward, we have met before. We have been the closest of friends for over a year now," she added, playing along with whatever was happening before her.
"Please call me John or Jack, Miss Swann. I have always detested the name Edward. It is a family name, and I have never cared for it. Would it be too bold of me to ask if I may call you Elizabeth in return? If it is, I apologize," he added hastily. "The closest of friends, you say? Dear, I do regret not remembering that. I wonder why I cannot," he pondered aloud with a frown, blood running quickly down his cheeks at the movement. He finally noticed it as a drop made its way to his lips, and encountered his tongue. "Good Lord! I seem to have cut myself, haven't I? I don't suppose you have a handkerchief handy, Elizabeth? I seem to have misplaced......." he trailed off as he looked down at himself, more accurately, as he looked down at what he was wearing. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his hands running over his dirtied once white shirt, baggy breeches, and faded red and white sash. His eyes widened even further as he took a good look at his hands. From the rings, to the dirt to the tattoo.
'Uh oh,' Elizabeth thought with a wince. 'Here it comes.'
"What in the blazes is going on here?" 'John' shouted, having pulled up his sleeve as far as it would go, seeing that the tattoo kept going. "Why am I dressed in these rags? And what are these markings on my arm?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to call them rags," Elizabeth muttered under her breath, not believing her ears. What was happening? "What is the last thing you remember, Jack? You have to remember meeting me! You called me Miss Elizabeth before I had even told you my name!"
"There's no need to shout, I'm standing right beside you," Jack said irritably. "Please, if you would be so kind, please tell me what's going on here? Why am I dressed in this manner?" he asked slowly, his dark brown eyes wide and confused, pleading with her to make everything alright.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, and told the truth, "Your name is Captain Jack Sparrow. You're captain of the Black Pearl, the fastest pirate ship in the Caribbean. Your entire crew was killed recently in a cave-in, oh, and you're possessed by a spirit or something by the name of Lorelac," she cast a glance to see how Jack was reacting to all of this once she had finished. Her eyes widened to see that he was deathly pale underneath the blood on his face.
"Surely you jest," he said slowly, his eyes wide.
"I'm afraid not, Jack. It's all true. What's the last thing you remember?" Elizabeth asked him.
"This is not happening. There is no way I would become a pirate! Let alone a pirate captain! And possessed by some demon? You must be joking. I am not a child, Miss Swann. Do not attempt to treat me as such with your fairy tales." Jack said coldly.
Elizabeth found herself getting angry. She knew whatever happening wasn't Jack's fault, but the man in front of her was just so........so, infuriating! "Listen here, Captain Sparrow, for that is who you are, I am telling you the truth. Every last word. I don't care if you believe me or not. And as for treating you like a child? Well then stop behaving as if you were one! You're a grown man!" A thought occurred to Elizabeth, and her anger deflated in a flash. "Wait a minute, what year is it?" she asked him, fearing the worst.
"1673," Jack answered automatically, too stunned by the randomness of the question to hesitate. Once he had calmed himself a bit, he asked, "Why? What year do you think it is?" Jack asked in a tone of voice that clearly implied she would be incorrect in whatever answer she gave, even if it matched his, which it didn't.
Elizabeth groaned. "It's 1693, Jack. I don't care whether or not you believe me, it's the truth." She sighed before continuing. "What's the last thing you remember? You believe its 1673, right? That would make you how old?" Elizabeth asked, ultimately curious to discover more about Jack and his past despite their current situation.
"Twenty," Jack said, pulling himself a little taller in an unneeded attempt to make himself look older.
Elizabeth nearly laughed out loud at the sight. "And you name is Edward John Corentin Alexandre Sperling, correct? Goodness, what a mouthful. You obviously changed your name sometime in the future, your future, but it's not all that different. Sperling means sparrow in German, correct?"
Jack hesitated, but finally spoke up, "Correct. But I don't see how that changes anyth—" he was cut off by a wave of Elizabeth's hand.
"John Sperling equals Jack Sparrow. Believe it, Captain," she said sternly. "We don't have time for your doubts. Lorelac is undoubtedly causing this, and I don't like it," she said with a shudder, rubbing her hands on her arms as if cold.
"I simply don't see how any of this is possible, Miss Swann. For someone to have forgotten the last twenty years of his life is inconceivable. Not to mention the fact that I don't believe in demons, or whatever you claim this," he trailed off, unable to remember Lorelac's name.
"Lorelac," Elizabeth supplied.
"This Lorelac to be. He can't be real," Jack finished. "And if I was truly, possessed, as you say, I would know it. And there's no proof of---"
'Well isn't this an interesting development,' Lorelac whispered.
"Did you hear that?" Jack asked aloud, causing Elizabeth to frown.
"Hear what, Jack? Oh God, what now?" she said to herself.
'You really don't remember me, do you Sparrow? I think I'm hurt. With all that we've done together. I'll admit that I may be responsible for some of this; your pathetic mortal brain simply isn't able to handle my presence properly. I guess I don't blame you really. I knew something like this would happen sooner or later. But in truth, I expected it to be later. Much later. It seems as if I overestimated you, Sparrow. A shame,' Lorelac tsked.
"Who are you?!" Jack shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. He turned to Elizabeth, and she drew back at the slightly manic look in his eyes. "Tell me you heard that," he pleaded with her. "I can't be possessed, I don't believe in demons."
'Believe it. Although it seems that I have to remind you of who I am. My name is Lorelac, and I am a god, not a demon. I have been around that you're entire race has, and I will be here long after it is gone.'
Jack slumped to the ground at this, his bloodied head clutched in his trembling hands. "This can't be happening to me. I was just leaving for the docks. I was going to meet my cousin aboard his merchant ship. I don't remember any of this. And I can't be possessed, I refused to believe it. I don't care who this Lorelac says he is, I refuse to believe it."
"Wait, Lorelac? Is he talking to you?" Elizabeth asked with a bit of a tremor in her voice, her eyes casting from side to side in the room as if saying his name would somehow invoke his presence at Jack's shoulder. "What is he saying?" she couldn't help but ask. Her father had always stressed the imperative of 'knowing thine enemy' above many others.
Jack hesitated, a bit of blood trickling from his nose that Liz had noticed seemed to happen to Jack every time she questioned Lorelac or his origins. "He says he's a god, Miss Elizabeth. Someone who's been around a lot longer than we have, and will remain long after we're gone."
***
The part of Jack that was still 'him,' didn't have any clue what was going on. One minute he was walking into the cave, and the next.......this nothingness. He was a prisoner in his own mind once more, and yet he could sense something different about this time. For one, Lorelac seemed to be almost as confused as he was, Jack could feel him prowling the corners of his mind like an anxious lion. But if Jack wasn't in charge of his own body, and Lorelac wasn't either, then who did that leave?
'You are really pathetic, by the way. Can't you manage to keep your brain in one piece?' Lorelac almost sounded as if he were whining.
"If you don't like it, feel free to haunt someone else," Jack mumbled, casting his eyes around the almost entirely barren landscape that made up his prison. "Where in Davy Jones' am I?"
'It's a rather unique phenomena, actually. I think a part of your subconscious or bits and pieces of your memories are in control of your body at the moment. Right now you, the other you, is convinced that its twenty years ago, and you're not yet a pirate. Having rifled through your memories when I first possessed you, how come I never ran across this particular period of your life?'
"Are you really arrogant enough to believe that after all that you've done to me I'd be willing to help you now? Well I hope you rot in hell, you bastard. You're certainly not getting anything out of me."
Lorelac fumed at Jack's impudence, but made no action against him. Not that there was much he could do to him in this place. He could torture the man's body until it was insensible from the pain, but he could do nothing about the man that inhabited it. That didn't mean he couldn't hurt those around him though.......
***
"How is he?" Will asked Kiquan quietly, standing outside the door of Norrington's hut.
"Our chief is very lucky. If he had not come to us when he did, he would probably have been sent to join other warriors on the Kourikan Plain."
"The Kourikan Plain?" Will asked, not catching the reference.
"What my people call your Heaven. He is still gravely ill, William Turner, but he will survive. He is now resting, and we shouldn't disturb him." Will nodded after a moment's hesitation, and the two of them made their way over to a small campfire, which they sat down next to. "Tell me, how was it that you and the chief came to our island?"
"I was telling the truth before. We were shipwrecked here. Three of us sailed out from Port Royal, do you know this place?" Kiquan nodded and Will continued, "We sailed out in search of a friend."
"This must be a valued friend to go out looking for him in a ship crewed by only thee people. What became of your third?" Kiquan asked.
Will cast his eyes down into the fire, the flames dancing on his eyes in the darkness. "Elizabeth was lost to us when the storm came. I don't know what's become of her," Will admitted slowly.
"This Elizabeth was your wife?" Kiquan asked kindly.
"She is to be my wife. Next spring," Will told him.
"Then I should think you would know if she was dead, William Turner. Your woman lives still, do not doubt it," Kiquan reassured him. Will let out a small smile at this, and Kiquan went on, "But what's become of the friend you sought out for? Did you find him?"
"No, we haven't found Jack yet. He's still out there somewhere," Will said, casting his eyes to the dark horizon. A thought occurred to him and he suddenly sat up straight and looked at Kiquan directly. "Perhaps you have seen his ship? He cannot be far from here, I know it. You would be able to recognize this ship at once. It has black sails instead of white."
"I have seen this ship, William Turner." Kiquan responded after a long pause. "Death follows it like the wind. Are you sure the man who sails this ship is your friend?"
"Of course I am!" Will responded without a second thought. After taking a moment to think about Kiquan's words, he went on, "What makes you ask such a question? And what do you mean death follows the Pearl like a wind? Yes, Jack is a pirate, but he's never been known to kill except in self- defense."
"Yes, the Black Pearl. I have heard enough tales about the horrors it's visited upon the people it comes across to make my question. Have you not heard the same stories I have, William Turner?"
"Call me Will," he said absently. "And yes, under Captain Barbossa's reign the Black Pearl was definitely a ship to be feared. But that was almost a year ago. The curse was broken, and Jack's different than Barbossa. Completely different. He wouldn't do such things," Will said with conviction.
"What if I were to tell you that some of the more horrific stories were the more recent ones, Will? Would you believe me?" Kiquan asked softly.
"No," Will said without hesitation. He knew Jack. At least, he thought he did. "Please, if you know where he is, tell me. I need to get to him as soon as possible."
Kiquan looked Will up and down before replying, "Yes, I believe you do. Our scouts have seen the ship you speak of, the Black Pearl, anchored off the shore of an island not far from here."
"What? Take me to it!" Will demanded, his strong desire to finally see Jack again overwhelming his reason at the moment.
"It is dangerous to sail these waters in the daytime, Will. Let alone at night. And I'm certain you would want the chief to go with you on such a journey, correct? If you truly wish to see your friend, then you must wait until tomorrow. The chief will not be well by that time, but I don't believe I will be able to stop him from accompanying you, and at least the sailing will be safer than at night."
Will sighed, but Kiquan made a good point. "Fine, Comm-Chief Norrington and I will leave at dawn. We can't afford to wait any longer, I'm sorry." Will acquiesced with a small frown.
Kiquan nodded. "I understand. I just hope that your friend is who you think he is, and worth all this trouble."
***
Elizabeth sighed in relief to see that Jack had finally seemed to have passed out from exhaustion. The day had been taxing on all of them, and was now taking its toll. 'Dear Lord, has it only been one day since this nightmare began? It seems like years.' She felt her own eyelids growing heavy, the shock of what had happened to her taking its own toll on her battered body. No matter how much she would have liked to have pretended that what happened, what Jack did to her, never happened, her own aching body was a constant reminder. 'No, Jack didn't do it. Don't start thinking like that. Jack's your friend. He would never do something like that.'
'But he's a pirate, Elizabeth,' the voice of her subconscious whispered. 'How many times have you heard the words ravage or rape associated with pirates? You and I both know it's quite a lot.'
"Shut up, it wasn't his fault. He was possessed. He would never do something like that, I don't care what you say," Elizabeth forced herself to keep her voice low. She didn't want to wake up Jack. And it if were 'Edward John' who woke up instead as she feared, she definitely didn't want to wake him up. She didn't have the energy to deal with anything else today. But her mind refused to stop and let herself sleep. Her thoughts kept coming back to the sight of Jack on top of her, the pain and shame that she had felt, the horrible self-loathing afterward. 'Oh God, Will. I am so sorry. What have I done?' she cried herself into an exhausted but restless sleep.
***
"James, wake up. I need you to wake up, alright? We have to go." A somewhat familiar voice made its way through Norrington's muddled consciousness, and he found himself slowly becoming aware of his surroundings.
"Oh, please tell me that everything last night was some horrible dream," he muttered, his eyes still shut tightly. He cautiously opened one of them and groaned as it came to rest on a thatched ceiling of palm leaves, patches of early morning sunlight making their way through the weave.
"I'm afraid not, Chief Norrington," Will said with a small laugh. "But you need to get up. We're leaving."
That got Norrington's attention, and he sat up slowly on the padded mat that made up his bed. "Leaving? Leaving for where?" he asked.
"Your people have spotted Jack and the Pearl anchored in the harbor of an island not far from here. We're off to find him," Will said, standing up from his crouched position at Norrington's side.
"I do wish you wouldn't call them that," Norrington muttered, sitting upright with some effort.
"What? 'Your people?' But they are your people, Chief Norrington," Will said with a smile that Norrington answered with a scowl and a groan. "Do you need any help?" he asked, all traces of his previous humor gone as if they'd never existed.
"I think I'll manage," Norrington said, coming to his feet beside Will with a little stumble, but managing to stay upright. "As soon as the room stops spinning," he muttered, placing a hand on his forehead.
"I'm sorry to make you leave when you're not fully healed, but as much as these people seem to want to serve you, I don't want to leave you here alone with them, especially not in this state," Norrington answered that with a scowl, but Will went on undaunted, "and we need to get to Jack. Something's been directing me to him all along, and I fear that we might have waited too long to get to him," he said with a pensive look out the open window of the little hut.
"It's only been one day," the reality of that statement seemed to dawn on him as Norrington pulled on his sword belt. "Has it really been only one day since all of this began? It seems quite a bit.......longer," he said at last.
"I know what you mean. It's hard to believe it all when you think back on it. But it still feels like it's been too long, somehow. It's like whatever is driving me towards Jack is screaming at me to get to him now, when it had just been strongly suggesting to me get to him earlier."
"And have you figured out what that something is yet?" Norrington asked offhandedly, fastening on his sword belt at his side.
Will ran a hand through his already mussed dark curls. "The closest thing I can think of that might tie the two of us together is the Aztec curse," Will said after a moment's thought. He raised his left hand. "Do you see this?" he gestured to the palm of his hand, where Norrington saw a wide still red scar bisecting it angling down to the right. "Jack's got one just like it. And Elizabeth too, for that matter. The curse needed our blood to be broken, do you understand? It was a complete coincidence that each of us was cut in the same place."
"But how would this link you and Jack, but not Elizabeth if she has the same scar?" Norrington asked.
"Because Elizabeth's blood wasn't actually used to end the curse, only Jack's and my own," Will told him.
"Someday soon you're going to have to tell me the whole story of what went on in that treasure cave, Will," Norrington told him, straightening his appearance as much as he could under the circumstances.
"I promise," Will assured him. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be alright," Norrington said unconvincingly, his face still more pale than it should have been in the early morning sunlight.
Will looked at him incredulously, but he didn't question it. It was him after all who had wanted to leave so early. "Then let's go," he said, placing his hat on his head. Norrington did the same and the two of them left the hut only to be greeted with what looked like the entire tribe spread out before them, men, women and children.
"We have come to bid you a safe journey and a hasty return, my chief," Kiquan said, approaching them. He then appeared to repeat the words in his native language. "And also to give you this," he motioned for a young boy to come forward, bearing a sharp-looking dagger in his small hands. "This dagger has been passed down from one chief to the next for as long as our tribe has existed. It is a symbol of your willingness to stand over and protect the tribe with your life. Are you willing to accept this, Norrington?" it was the first time Kiquan had called him anything but chief, and it made Norrington feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
He looked out over the sea of eager faces, each of them pleading with him without saying a word to watch over and protect them. His hands reached out to accept the dagger, and he felt a new sense of duty settle on his shoulders as if it had always been there. He did not know what being these people's chief would mean, but he would not abandon them now, no matter what happened next. "I accept your gift in the spirit with which it is given," he intoned formally, taking the blade into his hands, careful not to cut himself on the sharp blade. A cheer went up through the crowd and Norrington couldn't help but smile.
***
"What do you think he meant by a tattoo?" Will called out over the wind as he manned the rudder of a small sailboat headed in the direction of the island they had been given explicit directions to. "You don't think they'll make you get one now that you're their chief, do you?"
Norrington shuddered, remembering seeing the full body tattoos on every man and woman of the tribe, and nearly half the children as well. "I sincerely hope not. Imagine what the Navy would think if one of their Commodore's was covered in tribal tattoos under his uniform?"
Will laughed at that, then grew serious. "What are you going to tell the Navy about your new position on the island? You know you cannot abandon them now. You've made a promise," Will said quietly.
"I know," Norrington said, rolling the dagger around in his hands. There was an inscription on the blade which Kiquan had translated for him, 'The protector of the people, may his blade never falter nor fail.' "I'm in charge of them now," he said with a tone of acceptance. He turned to look over his shoulder to look at Will but saw that he wasn't paying any attention to him. "Will?"
"James, look. There she is," Will pointed, and Norrington followed his line of sight.
There, in all its dark beauty, sat the Black Pearl, a storm cloud of ebony atop a sea of clear Caribbean blue-green. James had to admit, it was a truly magnificent ship. A frown creased his brow as they got closer to it however, and saw that there was not a living soul aboard. And that was when Norrington remembered. "His entire crew is really dead, dear God," he whispered, but Will somehow heard him over the wind.
"That's why we're here, James. No man should be forced to go through something like this alone. No one."
***
Elizabeth woke up screaming, tight in a nightmare's firm grip. "Jack! No, please don't!" she screamed into the empty cave. When no one answered her frightened screams, her breath began to slow a little bit, the images of the nightmare passed from the present to her memory, where she could try in vain to forget about it. She reached up a hand to her face, and felt her cheeks wet with fresh tears. She hadn't meant to fall asleep in this awful place, she just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and Jack had already.......wait, where was Jack!
Searching frantically in the still dimly torch-lit cavern, she saw no trace of the pirate captain. "Jack? Jack, where are you?" she called out, crawling out through the entrance he had dug out.
"I'm right here, Elizabeth. And I mean it. I am here," he stressed.
"Jack? Is it really you?" Elizabeth asked, not quite daring to hope.
"Oh Lorelac and.......well, the other me are still here," he tapped a temple, "underneath the surface, but they're quiet for now. And I guess that's all I can ask for at this point," his eyes suddenly grew wide and bright. "That, and this. Come with me, Elizabeth. I've got something to show you, something that will make your bloody year, I promise you," he said, waving a hand for her to follow him as he set down the beach. "Look there," he said, and pointed to a spot out to sea.
"What, Jack? I don't see---oh my God, is that a ship?" Elizabeth exclaimed, joy flooding through her body.
"It's more than that. If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, than you and I both know the two men sailing it," Jack said, squinting to get a clearer picture of the fast approaching boat.
Elizabeth turned to him, gripping his arm tightly, and looking him directly in the eye. "You better not be lying to me to keep my spirits up, Jack Sparrow, or I swear I'll slap you so hard you'll see stars for a week. On your already injured cheek," she said, not letting go of his arm for reassurance, but casting her eyes back out to sea.
"I never knew you had it in you, Lizzie," Jack said with pride as he watched the boat get closer and closer. In another few minutes, the two men would be standing in front of them.
"Yes you did, Jack. And don't call me Lizzie," she said, not turning to look at him either, her grip on his arm growing noticeably tighter as the two men came closer to shore.
"Why not? It's a perfectly acceptably form of your name, Lizzie," Jack said with a smirk, clearly intent on never using her full name again.
"My name is Elizabeth, four syllables. *Edward,*" she stressed, enjoying the feeling of him tense underneath her hand.
"That's hitting below the belt, luv," Jack muttered. "Elizabeth, are you going to tell Will what happened between us?" he asked, not able to face her.
"No, I'm not Jack. And neither are you. As far as I'm concerned, it never happened," she said sternly, upset with him for bringing it up when she longed to forget about it.
"It did happen, Elizabeth," he said, finally turning to look at her. She did not meet his gaze, however, her eyes were locked on the sea. "You're going to have to face it sooner or later," he drew is eyes to the now rowing men in the sailboat. Another minute, and they'd be there. "We both will," he added quietly.
Neither of them said another word as they both waited until the two men landed on the beach and came up to greet them.
TBC
A/N: Ok, I really didn't want to end it there if you can believe that. I want to see this reunion almost as much as you do, but then I looked at the length of this chapter, and decided to end it before it doubled in size.
*Reviewer Thanks Section*
Cursed-Pearl: Yes, Kiquan will become a great ally if they can only learn to trust him. So yeah, he's got a bit of cannibalistic bent. Who doesn't?
Intuitive: Lol. I'm glad you liked it. It was fun to write. I felt as if I needed a bit of humor after all the angst of the previous chapters. I'm glad to know I seem to have succeeded.
Lady Russell Holmes: Yes, poor Jack indeed. There's nothing more I can say. I am very evil to our dear Captain, aren't I?
gypsy: My pal. I'm glad you reviewed. It makes me feel all warm a fuzzy inside. :-) Yes, it was rather "eek-worthy" wasn't it?
BURN THE R.U.M: No, you go ahead and laugh. That was my intention. Yes, there will most definitely be a sequel, with the tentative title of Ruffled Feathers. This story will last only a few more chapters and then the sequel will begin. But don't worry, everything will work alright in the end. And it was a seriously sad matter what happened to poor Liz. It was very difficult to write. Thank you for your continued reviews!
Estelio*Duredhel: Yes, it was certainly a kick in the teeth. I really hadn't wanted to end it there, just like I didn't want to end this chapter where I did, but I didn't want to make it too long. This chapter was already almost 13 pages when I stopped, and I knew I had to stop there or it would have wound up being like 30 pages or something insane like that.
Mara: You're most welcome for the virtual chocolates, my dear 100th reviewer. And yes, to answer your question, Norrington is now responsible for the native people. I'm not sure how he's going to manage that while remaining a naval Commodore yet. We'll just have to find out together.
Blue Trinity: If that makes you a bad person for wishing to see the characters harm, what does that make me for writing it? Don't worry though, I love Jack. I couldn't let him stay too broken. Hear that everyone? And the Norry and Will scenes were an absolute joy to write. Thanks for the review!
Mistress of Destruction: I'm glad you liked the Will and Norry scenes too. They were a lot of fun to write. Chief Norry indeed. *snicker* As for this being the calm of the storm? Maybe, I'm not telling. :-) And yes, there will be a sequel soon. Very soon.
Savvyness: Yes you heard right. A sequel. It's already outlined, but not written. It's gonna be a wild ride.
To all of my reviewers and supporters, thank you!!! You guys are the best!! -Merrie