[a/n from AhiFlame: Erm, yes, school is BORING and crayfish are evil.
That being said, here's the next chapter. (Jackfan2, DON'T HURT ME!!!!
(US?!) I (WE?!) UPDATED!!!!)]
Chapter 2
Will and Elizabeth hastily made their way to the outskirts of town, making sure to keep hidden as though they were the outlaws they were seeking information from. They preferred not to risk being seen for the sole fact that their higher-class presence in the more rugged outskirts of Port Royal could raise questions that they would prefer not to waste time with answering. That, and the fact that the people out here were not quite as trustworthy as the ones in the main parts of Port Royal. That's the reason the pirates used this area of the settlement as a port when docking for supplies-and when passing on information.
Will took another look at the slip of paper the couple had received from the messenger at their interrupted wedding: 'The Shipwreck Tavern'. He then looked around at the various buildings as he and Elizabeth made their way down the main street.
"There." Elizabeth said, stopping and pointing to a building off to their left.
Will followed as indicated and sure enough, squished amongst the other buildings was a building with a hanging sign that read: 'The Shipwreck Tavern'.
"Let's go." Will said, leading Elizabeth towards the building.
As they neared the establishment, they noticed that there was something strange about it. True, the walls were stained from the weather and the roof was in need of some repair, but that was a rather common thing for this area. What was strange was that the tavern was almost dead silent and it was already growing dark. Any other tavern would be busy with people coming and going, or at least have some sounds coming from it.
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows between the buildings.
Will put a protective hand on Elizabeth's arm, but when he realized who the figure was, he noticeably relaxed. "Dad."
Bootstrap nodded. "Let's get in there, eh?"
"Yes." Will said, leading Elizabeth into the building after Bootstrap.
The trio made their way through the door-which was barely staying on its hinges-and through the dimly lit entryway. They stopped once they reached the main room and looked around, surprised by how many people were in there and by the utter silence of the place.
"Gibbs." Will more stated than greeted as he noticed the older sailor standing by an alcove off to the right. He and Elizabeth rushed over to the offset room, Bootstrap following at a more leisurely pace.
Gibbs had a rather morbid expression on his face as he took his seat, while Ana-Maria sat with the brim of her hat pulled down so her face was covered in shadows. Gibbs looked up as the three approached and motioned for them to take the seats across from Ana-Maria and himself.
"What's happened?" Elizabeth asked once she was seated. "A messenger came and told us-"
Gibbs raised a hand to silence her. "S'alright missy, I were the one who sent the messenger."
Elizabeth and Will leaned in closer, wanting to hear the news.
"So what happened that's so important our wedding had to be interrupted?" Will asked.
"S'about Jack . . ." Gibbs said slowly, his voice heavy.
"What about him?" Elizabeth asked, worry making an appearance in her voice.
"I best start with the whole story, so here it is," Gibbs said slowly as if reflecting on painful memories. "It were on the third day aft leavin' port. Ladbroc spotted a ship that were trailin' us . . ."
~*FLASHBACK*~
"Cap'n! Ship coming up on our stern!" Ladbroc called to the quarter deck.
Jack Sparrow's head shot up and he turned to look behind him. He saw a small dot below the horizon and from what he could determine, it was indeed heading for them. 'Hmmm . . .'
"Can ye tell what colors they're sailin' under?" Jack called back up to Ladbroc.
Ladbroc was silent for a moment, squinting through the telescope at the approaching vessel. "I can't see any colors, sir."
Jack put a hand to his chin in thought, but Ladbroc interrupted his contemplations with another statement.
"But she's small. In a fight, s'not likely she'd be any match fer us." Ladbroc announced, lowering the telescope.
"Thank you Mr. Ladbroc!" Jack called up, turning back to face the helm.
"Cap'n, what're your plans fer this?" Gibbs asked, joining Jack at the helm, except he was facing the oncoming ship.
"Now, we will let them catch us and since we overpower them, we will fight them and claim their ship, aye?"
"Aye!" The crew that was on deck called in reply.
~*~
"All this waitin' is drivin' me mad!" Jack exclaimed the next day, bored out of his mind. "Men! We're gonna turn an' meet 'em halfway! Prepare for a hard-to-port turn, aye?"
"Aye, aye!" The men called, preparing themselves for the soon-to- come sharp 180-degree turn.
"The chaser is about to become the chase." Jack muttered to himself, giving the wheel a sharp turn and pulling the Pearl around to face the way she had come from.
~*~
The Black Pearl sliced through the waters rapidly, the wind backing her up. She made quick time in approaching the unmarked vessel.
Jack stood behind the helm, bringing her up and around so that the Pearl could rake the port quarter of the chase without presenting herself as a target.
"Man the cannons!" Jack called to his crew across the deck.
"Aye aye!"
"Cap'n!" Gibbs exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the ship they were in pursuit of.
The ship was turning hard to starboard, bringing herself up alongside the Black Pearl and making both ships vulnerable to attack.
A dark flag-more specifically a Jolly Roger-was hoisted high on the opposing vessel, confirming Jack's suspicions that the crew of the ship so intent on meeting with the fearsome Black Pearl were, indeed, pirates.
However, Jack wasn't expecting the crew to be old acquaintances. His breath caught in his chest as the ship drew up alongside the Pearl.
"Jack . . ." Gibbs muttered.
"I know. How'd they escape? Let alone find us?" Jack said, voicing a few of the questions swarming through his mind. "Hands, prepare to board and for hand-to-hand combat!" Jack yelled, recovering from his state of shock quickly.
In response, the whole crew threw grappling hooks across to secure the two ships and drew their cutlasses and pistols.
Jack drew his own sword and abandoned the helm. "Let's go!" He called, leading the charge on the other ship.
~*END FLASHBACK*~
"What happened then? And how did Barbossa's crew survive?" Will asked, wanting to hear more.
"Calm down. We don't know 'ow they escaped from our last meetin', but s'best if Ana-Maria tells ye what 'appened next; she were there." Gibbs replied.
Will, Elizabeth, and Bootstrap turned their attention to Ana-Maria, who had stayed silent and motionless the whole time.
"Well, are you going to tell us?" Elizabeth more demanded than asked.
Ana-Maria looked up, her hat brim falling away from her eyes, revealing them to have a sharp glint. "I'll speak when I'm good an' ready." She snapped. Then, her whole attitude changed on a dime and she lowered her gaze to the floor, the brim of her hat once again casting dark shadows on her face, making it unreadable.
~*FLASHBACK*~
Pistol shots began ringing through the air, some taking men down on both sides of the fight and others missing their marks entirely, and yet others tearing holes in wood, rigging, and sails alike.
Once the preliminary shots had been dispensed, Jack ran to the edge of the Pearl that was alongside the other vessel. He jumped the short distance between the ships, Ana-Maria and Gibbs flanking him on either side with cutlasses drawn.
The opposing crew met them with matching ferocity and equal-if not greater-man power.
Once they had gotten a large enough space cleared, Jack, Ana-Maria, and Gibbs split up, slashing their way through the crowds of burly opponents.
Jack had just finished placing his blade through the middle of a man who stood against him and as he pulled his blade from the corpse, he looked around, assessing the loss on both sides.
Men had fallen from both crews, neither willing to give in. Fights were raging on both the unnamed vessel and the Black Pearl.
The one face in particular that he was looking for was nowhere to be seen. This fact sent a chill of worry running down Jack's spine. He searched the deck of both ships quickly, scanning all - corpses included - for the face of -
"JACK!!" A squeal echoed from the deck of the Black Pearl.
[a/n from AhiFlame: ^^; Got cliffies? *sheepish grin* *meekly* Review? *grins nervously*]
Chapter 2
Will and Elizabeth hastily made their way to the outskirts of town, making sure to keep hidden as though they were the outlaws they were seeking information from. They preferred not to risk being seen for the sole fact that their higher-class presence in the more rugged outskirts of Port Royal could raise questions that they would prefer not to waste time with answering. That, and the fact that the people out here were not quite as trustworthy as the ones in the main parts of Port Royal. That's the reason the pirates used this area of the settlement as a port when docking for supplies-and when passing on information.
Will took another look at the slip of paper the couple had received from the messenger at their interrupted wedding: 'The Shipwreck Tavern'. He then looked around at the various buildings as he and Elizabeth made their way down the main street.
"There." Elizabeth said, stopping and pointing to a building off to their left.
Will followed as indicated and sure enough, squished amongst the other buildings was a building with a hanging sign that read: 'The Shipwreck Tavern'.
"Let's go." Will said, leading Elizabeth towards the building.
As they neared the establishment, they noticed that there was something strange about it. True, the walls were stained from the weather and the roof was in need of some repair, but that was a rather common thing for this area. What was strange was that the tavern was almost dead silent and it was already growing dark. Any other tavern would be busy with people coming and going, or at least have some sounds coming from it.
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows between the buildings.
Will put a protective hand on Elizabeth's arm, but when he realized who the figure was, he noticeably relaxed. "Dad."
Bootstrap nodded. "Let's get in there, eh?"
"Yes." Will said, leading Elizabeth into the building after Bootstrap.
The trio made their way through the door-which was barely staying on its hinges-and through the dimly lit entryway. They stopped once they reached the main room and looked around, surprised by how many people were in there and by the utter silence of the place.
"Gibbs." Will more stated than greeted as he noticed the older sailor standing by an alcove off to the right. He and Elizabeth rushed over to the offset room, Bootstrap following at a more leisurely pace.
Gibbs had a rather morbid expression on his face as he took his seat, while Ana-Maria sat with the brim of her hat pulled down so her face was covered in shadows. Gibbs looked up as the three approached and motioned for them to take the seats across from Ana-Maria and himself.
"What's happened?" Elizabeth asked once she was seated. "A messenger came and told us-"
Gibbs raised a hand to silence her. "S'alright missy, I were the one who sent the messenger."
Elizabeth and Will leaned in closer, wanting to hear the news.
"So what happened that's so important our wedding had to be interrupted?" Will asked.
"S'about Jack . . ." Gibbs said slowly, his voice heavy.
"What about him?" Elizabeth asked, worry making an appearance in her voice.
"I best start with the whole story, so here it is," Gibbs said slowly as if reflecting on painful memories. "It were on the third day aft leavin' port. Ladbroc spotted a ship that were trailin' us . . ."
~*FLASHBACK*~
"Cap'n! Ship coming up on our stern!" Ladbroc called to the quarter deck.
Jack Sparrow's head shot up and he turned to look behind him. He saw a small dot below the horizon and from what he could determine, it was indeed heading for them. 'Hmmm . . .'
"Can ye tell what colors they're sailin' under?" Jack called back up to Ladbroc.
Ladbroc was silent for a moment, squinting through the telescope at the approaching vessel. "I can't see any colors, sir."
Jack put a hand to his chin in thought, but Ladbroc interrupted his contemplations with another statement.
"But she's small. In a fight, s'not likely she'd be any match fer us." Ladbroc announced, lowering the telescope.
"Thank you Mr. Ladbroc!" Jack called up, turning back to face the helm.
"Cap'n, what're your plans fer this?" Gibbs asked, joining Jack at the helm, except he was facing the oncoming ship.
"Now, we will let them catch us and since we overpower them, we will fight them and claim their ship, aye?"
"Aye!" The crew that was on deck called in reply.
~*~
"All this waitin' is drivin' me mad!" Jack exclaimed the next day, bored out of his mind. "Men! We're gonna turn an' meet 'em halfway! Prepare for a hard-to-port turn, aye?"
"Aye, aye!" The men called, preparing themselves for the soon-to- come sharp 180-degree turn.
"The chaser is about to become the chase." Jack muttered to himself, giving the wheel a sharp turn and pulling the Pearl around to face the way she had come from.
~*~
The Black Pearl sliced through the waters rapidly, the wind backing her up. She made quick time in approaching the unmarked vessel.
Jack stood behind the helm, bringing her up and around so that the Pearl could rake the port quarter of the chase without presenting herself as a target.
"Man the cannons!" Jack called to his crew across the deck.
"Aye aye!"
"Cap'n!" Gibbs exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the ship they were in pursuit of.
The ship was turning hard to starboard, bringing herself up alongside the Black Pearl and making both ships vulnerable to attack.
A dark flag-more specifically a Jolly Roger-was hoisted high on the opposing vessel, confirming Jack's suspicions that the crew of the ship so intent on meeting with the fearsome Black Pearl were, indeed, pirates.
However, Jack wasn't expecting the crew to be old acquaintances. His breath caught in his chest as the ship drew up alongside the Pearl.
"Jack . . ." Gibbs muttered.
"I know. How'd they escape? Let alone find us?" Jack said, voicing a few of the questions swarming through his mind. "Hands, prepare to board and for hand-to-hand combat!" Jack yelled, recovering from his state of shock quickly.
In response, the whole crew threw grappling hooks across to secure the two ships and drew their cutlasses and pistols.
Jack drew his own sword and abandoned the helm. "Let's go!" He called, leading the charge on the other ship.
~*END FLASHBACK*~
"What happened then? And how did Barbossa's crew survive?" Will asked, wanting to hear more.
"Calm down. We don't know 'ow they escaped from our last meetin', but s'best if Ana-Maria tells ye what 'appened next; she were there." Gibbs replied.
Will, Elizabeth, and Bootstrap turned their attention to Ana-Maria, who had stayed silent and motionless the whole time.
"Well, are you going to tell us?" Elizabeth more demanded than asked.
Ana-Maria looked up, her hat brim falling away from her eyes, revealing them to have a sharp glint. "I'll speak when I'm good an' ready." She snapped. Then, her whole attitude changed on a dime and she lowered her gaze to the floor, the brim of her hat once again casting dark shadows on her face, making it unreadable.
~*FLASHBACK*~
Pistol shots began ringing through the air, some taking men down on both sides of the fight and others missing their marks entirely, and yet others tearing holes in wood, rigging, and sails alike.
Once the preliminary shots had been dispensed, Jack ran to the edge of the Pearl that was alongside the other vessel. He jumped the short distance between the ships, Ana-Maria and Gibbs flanking him on either side with cutlasses drawn.
The opposing crew met them with matching ferocity and equal-if not greater-man power.
Once they had gotten a large enough space cleared, Jack, Ana-Maria, and Gibbs split up, slashing their way through the crowds of burly opponents.
Jack had just finished placing his blade through the middle of a man who stood against him and as he pulled his blade from the corpse, he looked around, assessing the loss on both sides.
Men had fallen from both crews, neither willing to give in. Fights were raging on both the unnamed vessel and the Black Pearl.
The one face in particular that he was looking for was nowhere to be seen. This fact sent a chill of worry running down Jack's spine. He searched the deck of both ships quickly, scanning all - corpses included - for the face of -
"JACK!!" A squeal echoed from the deck of the Black Pearl.
[a/n from AhiFlame: ^^; Got cliffies? *sheepish grin* *meekly* Review? *grins nervously*]