Chapter One~ A Pirate's Life
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" Annamaria clapped joyfully as the last few notes of Mr. Gibb's fiddle died away and Jack and the rest of the crew, collapsed on the deck.
"Very good, Captain, very good," she laughed. Sometimes it was nice being the only woman on board the Pearl. All the men were very eager to impress her. Of course, none of them could compare to that Will Turner boy, but to have Captain Jack Sparrow and his entire crew try to outdance each other to catch her eye was rather flattering. And Will was taken... Jack wasn't.
"Next time you'll join us, Annie," said Jack, grinning at her. It was amazing how even his fake teeth added to his... you know... appeal. Annamaria smiled back at him.
"We'll see, Captain. Depends on how much rum you give me."
"That's the spirit!"
"Aye, that's the only reason I didn't toss Elizabeth overboard and sail off with that Will Turner. He never woulda given me rum."
The Captain's wide smile deflated a bit. He looked into the distance.
"Nah, he wasn't a drinking man, was he? Not like his father... did you ever meet ol' Bootstrap?"
"Meet him? No... heard of him, of course, but I never met him."
"You woulda liked 'im. He wasn't wound so tight as Will, ya know, he lived a pirate's life, but he wasn't a complete scoundrel either. I mean, if you wanted rum, 'e'd give you some, but wasn't the kind to go to Tortuga and drink 'imself into oblivion every time he stopped by. But he did know how to enjoy 'imself"
"Sounds like I would have liked him... you said he even looked like Will... shame he died."
"Yeah, shame... shame on Barbossa and his whole goddamned crew!" Jack's voice had more passion in it than Annamaria had ever heard. He sounded downright furious.
"It's alright, Jack, Barbossa's dead. Dead, shot by you. You've avenged yourself."
"I've avenged myself, aye, but no one's avenged Bill. And Barbossa got to live another ten years, all cause of that bloody curse...."
Annamaria started to speak- "Jack, you know he hated living with the- " but stopped. He was staring into the distance again, apparently thinking hard.
"That bloody curse...." he murmered.
"What?"
"Hush up a minute, I'm trying to think... yes... Annamaria!" the Captain jumped up, pulling Annamaria with him and hugging her. "Annamaria, you can meet Bootstrap Bill!"
"Uh, Captain, I think you had a tad too much rum," she said, squirming away from him.
"No! Yes! Yes, Annie, he's alive, he got away!!!"
"Barbossa killed him though..."
"No he didn't! He threw him into the ocean, right!"
"Right...."
"And he strapped a cannon to his bootstraps. It's legend. But Bill was in on that curse too! He stole a peice too, and sent it to Will. So he couldn't die!!!"
Annamaria shrieked. "But Jack- Captain- isn't he dead now? I mean... the curse is broken, isn't it?"
"Of course, and so is whatever held Bill to that cannon! All he had to do was swim up when whatever it was disintegrated."
"Jack, that's brilliant. I'm very happy for you."
Jack was thinking again. "Annie... don't you think I oughta pay Will back just a little... for saving me twice, you know."
"He only did it so he could get back Elizabeth," Annamaria muttered, with a distinct note of jealousy in her voice.
"Not the second time. Second time he risked losing her... and his life... just to repay me. And what I'm thinking of doing for him would benefit us too."
"What is it?" asked Annamaria, still looking slightly bitter.
"What say you we go find Bootstrap and reunite him with his son! That'll repay both of them- Bill for sticking up for me and Will for saving me life."
"And how does it benefit us?" Annamaria said skeptically.
"Well, he was one of me best friends, a brilliant pirate, and, Annie, I know you'd love to meet 'im too." He looked earnestly up at her. He actually had a fairly sweet earnest look, even though it was never real. "He looks just like Will."
Annamaria pretended to think for a moment. "All right, then... aye, let's go find him. Where might he be?"
"Be?" Jack wondered, "Where might he be?"
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" Annamaria clapped joyfully as the last few notes of Mr. Gibb's fiddle died away and Jack and the rest of the crew, collapsed on the deck.
"Very good, Captain, very good," she laughed. Sometimes it was nice being the only woman on board the Pearl. All the men were very eager to impress her. Of course, none of them could compare to that Will Turner boy, but to have Captain Jack Sparrow and his entire crew try to outdance each other to catch her eye was rather flattering. And Will was taken... Jack wasn't.
"Next time you'll join us, Annie," said Jack, grinning at her. It was amazing how even his fake teeth added to his... you know... appeal. Annamaria smiled back at him.
"We'll see, Captain. Depends on how much rum you give me."
"That's the spirit!"
"Aye, that's the only reason I didn't toss Elizabeth overboard and sail off with that Will Turner. He never woulda given me rum."
The Captain's wide smile deflated a bit. He looked into the distance.
"Nah, he wasn't a drinking man, was he? Not like his father... did you ever meet ol' Bootstrap?"
"Meet him? No... heard of him, of course, but I never met him."
"You woulda liked 'im. He wasn't wound so tight as Will, ya know, he lived a pirate's life, but he wasn't a complete scoundrel either. I mean, if you wanted rum, 'e'd give you some, but wasn't the kind to go to Tortuga and drink 'imself into oblivion every time he stopped by. But he did know how to enjoy 'imself"
"Sounds like I would have liked him... you said he even looked like Will... shame he died."
"Yeah, shame... shame on Barbossa and his whole goddamned crew!" Jack's voice had more passion in it than Annamaria had ever heard. He sounded downright furious.
"It's alright, Jack, Barbossa's dead. Dead, shot by you. You've avenged yourself."
"I've avenged myself, aye, but no one's avenged Bill. And Barbossa got to live another ten years, all cause of that bloody curse...."
Annamaria started to speak- "Jack, you know he hated living with the- " but stopped. He was staring into the distance again, apparently thinking hard.
"That bloody curse...." he murmered.
"What?"
"Hush up a minute, I'm trying to think... yes... Annamaria!" the Captain jumped up, pulling Annamaria with him and hugging her. "Annamaria, you can meet Bootstrap Bill!"
"Uh, Captain, I think you had a tad too much rum," she said, squirming away from him.
"No! Yes! Yes, Annie, he's alive, he got away!!!"
"Barbossa killed him though..."
"No he didn't! He threw him into the ocean, right!"
"Right...."
"And he strapped a cannon to his bootstraps. It's legend. But Bill was in on that curse too! He stole a peice too, and sent it to Will. So he couldn't die!!!"
Annamaria shrieked. "But Jack- Captain- isn't he dead now? I mean... the curse is broken, isn't it?"
"Of course, and so is whatever held Bill to that cannon! All he had to do was swim up when whatever it was disintegrated."
"Jack, that's brilliant. I'm very happy for you."
Jack was thinking again. "Annie... don't you think I oughta pay Will back just a little... for saving me twice, you know."
"He only did it so he could get back Elizabeth," Annamaria muttered, with a distinct note of jealousy in her voice.
"Not the second time. Second time he risked losing her... and his life... just to repay me. And what I'm thinking of doing for him would benefit us too."
"What is it?" asked Annamaria, still looking slightly bitter.
"What say you we go find Bootstrap and reunite him with his son! That'll repay both of them- Bill for sticking up for me and Will for saving me life."
"And how does it benefit us?" Annamaria said skeptically.
"Well, he was one of me best friends, a brilliant pirate, and, Annie, I know you'd love to meet 'im too." He looked earnestly up at her. He actually had a fairly sweet earnest look, even though it was never real. "He looks just like Will."
Annamaria pretended to think for a moment. "All right, then... aye, let's go find him. Where might he be?"
"Be?" Jack wondered, "Where might he be?"
