"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Ye were chantin' 'there's no place like home'." Sparrow propped himself up on an elbow and looked at me. "I know ye're a bit daft, love, but that's strange, even for you."
I took a page from Anamaria's book and socked him in the shoulder. "What do you mean, a bit daft, Sparrow?"
We were in bed, snuggled under the covers, where Sparrow had put me after helping me scrub off the coffee and scolding me for ruining his favorite shirt. I didn't have the heart to tell him about my history with cars and that he should be thankful the Black Pearl was all in one piece.
"Exactly what it sounds like," he said, nibbling my neck. "Ye're good with tall tales, but I still don't believe in a place called New Jersey or that ye're a bounty hunter."
"I don't believe in the Santa Claus, but things happen," came a booming male voice.
Sparrow and I both sat up and looked at our visitor. He had wavy blond hair, tied back into in a ponytail, and he was wearing a motorcycle jacket and CAT boots. I recognized him instantly. "Diesel! I knew it! I knew this had something to do with you!"
Diesel grinned at me. "And hello to you, too, sweet cheeks. Who's your friend? Blackbeard?"
Since Sparrow was busy making strange, strangled noises, I decided to answer for him. "That's Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"
"Say what?" Diesel plunked himself down in one of the chairs by Sparrow's desk. "I've been looking all over for you."
It began to dawn on me that this was no hallucination. And I was really in bed with a pirate. In 1689.
"Turns out," Diesel continued, grinning at my reaction, "our old friend Ring had a son who has a few friends and they decided to get even with you for helping to take him down. They gave your skip, what was his name, Ciesman....Ciester...?"
"Cieslak."
"Cieslak. They gave him a special grenade and some cash. Your Explorer is totaled, by the way. Hope your insurance was paid up."
I tugged Sparrow's sheets closer. "So when can I go home?"
"Well, that's kind of a problem," Diesel admitted.
"You got here. Can't you just take me back with you?"
"It doesn't work that way, sweet cheeks, but we're working on it. The hard part was finding you. We figured John Junior just blasted you somewhere else on Earth. We didn't figure he sent you through time."
"Now wait just a bloody minute there, mate." Sparrow finally found his tongue and his pants, apparently. "I don't know how ye got on my ship ---"
"You wouldn't understand. It involves quantum mechanics and other secret stuff," Diesel assured him, standing up. "I won't be staying long. I came to check on Stephanie here and let her know we're working on getting her home. Home is 2004, in case you're wondering."
My head was pounding. "Morelli –"
"Doesn't know yet. All he knows is they found your Explorer and your slut shoes in the Macy's parking lot. As soon as the report came through, I knew you were involved."
"What report? It was on the news?" I groaned. "My mother is going to have a cow!"
"A different report. The guys I work with keep track of that kind of stuff."
"The superheroes."
"Right. Anyway, we've found you and now we're going to work on getting you home. In the meantime, it looks like you've found yourself a new playmate to keep you busy and I brought you something so you wouldn't get homesick." He reached into his jacket and tossed something at me before opening the door to Sparrow's cabin. "It's probably a big violation of the rules, but I like you, sweet cheeks, so I figured we could chance it."
With that, Diesel stepped through the door.
Sparrow grabbed his sword and raced after him. After a couple of seconds, he walked back in, a puzzled look on his face. "He's gone."
"He does that."
"Ye've got a lot of explainin' to do, love," Sparrow sighed, plunking himself back down on the bed next to me. "What did he bring you?"
I held up the small paper bag and smiled. "Doughnuts."
Not quite the end....
"Nothing."
"Ye were chantin' 'there's no place like home'." Sparrow propped himself up on an elbow and looked at me. "I know ye're a bit daft, love, but that's strange, even for you."
I took a page from Anamaria's book and socked him in the shoulder. "What do you mean, a bit daft, Sparrow?"
We were in bed, snuggled under the covers, where Sparrow had put me after helping me scrub off the coffee and scolding me for ruining his favorite shirt. I didn't have the heart to tell him about my history with cars and that he should be thankful the Black Pearl was all in one piece.
"Exactly what it sounds like," he said, nibbling my neck. "Ye're good with tall tales, but I still don't believe in a place called New Jersey or that ye're a bounty hunter."
"I don't believe in the Santa Claus, but things happen," came a booming male voice.
Sparrow and I both sat up and looked at our visitor. He had wavy blond hair, tied back into in a ponytail, and he was wearing a motorcycle jacket and CAT boots. I recognized him instantly. "Diesel! I knew it! I knew this had something to do with you!"
Diesel grinned at me. "And hello to you, too, sweet cheeks. Who's your friend? Blackbeard?"
Since Sparrow was busy making strange, strangled noises, I decided to answer for him. "That's Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"
"Say what?" Diesel plunked himself down in one of the chairs by Sparrow's desk. "I've been looking all over for you."
It began to dawn on me that this was no hallucination. And I was really in bed with a pirate. In 1689.
"Turns out," Diesel continued, grinning at my reaction, "our old friend Ring had a son who has a few friends and they decided to get even with you for helping to take him down. They gave your skip, what was his name, Ciesman....Ciester...?"
"Cieslak."
"Cieslak. They gave him a special grenade and some cash. Your Explorer is totaled, by the way. Hope your insurance was paid up."
I tugged Sparrow's sheets closer. "So when can I go home?"
"Well, that's kind of a problem," Diesel admitted.
"You got here. Can't you just take me back with you?"
"It doesn't work that way, sweet cheeks, but we're working on it. The hard part was finding you. We figured John Junior just blasted you somewhere else on Earth. We didn't figure he sent you through time."
"Now wait just a bloody minute there, mate." Sparrow finally found his tongue and his pants, apparently. "I don't know how ye got on my ship ---"
"You wouldn't understand. It involves quantum mechanics and other secret stuff," Diesel assured him, standing up. "I won't be staying long. I came to check on Stephanie here and let her know we're working on getting her home. Home is 2004, in case you're wondering."
My head was pounding. "Morelli –"
"Doesn't know yet. All he knows is they found your Explorer and your slut shoes in the Macy's parking lot. As soon as the report came through, I knew you were involved."
"What report? It was on the news?" I groaned. "My mother is going to have a cow!"
"A different report. The guys I work with keep track of that kind of stuff."
"The superheroes."
"Right. Anyway, we've found you and now we're going to work on getting you home. In the meantime, it looks like you've found yourself a new playmate to keep you busy and I brought you something so you wouldn't get homesick." He reached into his jacket and tossed something at me before opening the door to Sparrow's cabin. "It's probably a big violation of the rules, but I like you, sweet cheeks, so I figured we could chance it."
With that, Diesel stepped through the door.
Sparrow grabbed his sword and raced after him. After a couple of seconds, he walked back in, a puzzled look on his face. "He's gone."
"He does that."
"Ye've got a lot of explainin' to do, love," Sparrow sighed, plunking himself back down on the bed next to me. "What did he bring you?"
I held up the small paper bag and smiled. "Doughnuts."
Not quite the end....