Things Change
AN: Yes I promised two Chapters but read the little title. It says Chapter FOUR AND FIVE. I hate the fact that the little drop down menu doesn't give an option to whether or not you have a prologue. Prologues are much important to me and now the numbering of the chapters is off. I'm on Chapter four and it'll have a bleeding FIVE next to the title. Dats why I'm putting together Four and Five in one fell swoop. So this installment will be a twinge longer than usual since there are two chapter in here. Just to let you know.
Chapter 4:
// "PIRATE!" the commodore exclaimed raising his sword, the point sitting uncomfortably underneath Jack's chin. "I knew it!" //
"Jack! I told you!" Patricia exclaimed. Will turned to see his best friend slowly reaching to Jack's torso to push him away from the blade.
"Patricia, what are you doing with the likes of him?" Will asked, feeling slightly betrayed. She knew about how much he had a loathing for pirates. How could she keep such company and be friends with him?
"I... Not right now, Will," she frowned. She turned to the commodore who a triumphant gleam in his eye.
"Well, Miss Taylor, I can't say I'm surprised by your choices of acquaintances. Now if you will, please step back before his identity incriminates you to the noose as well..." Commodore threatened, his sword still dangerously close to Jack's neck.
"Now that's no way to speak to woman, good man," Jack replied. His hand went into his pocket and came out revealing a silver watch with a long thick chain hanging from the collar of his shirt and hanging loosely to his waist.
"And you would know how to do that how, Mr. Sparrow?" Commodore asked. A new soldier had come now. "Gillette, please put chains on our guest here and see to it that he is safely transported to an UNcomfortable prison cell where he shall stay until his dawn appointment with the gallows.
"Commodore, I really must protest," Elizabeth had grown tired of being unable to say anything. She scooted herself into the sword's way and stood defiantly. "Couldn't you grant him a night of clemency in honor of our return to Port Royal?"
"Elizabeth, one good moment is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness... even for a night! Now out of the way!" he ordered. Patricia turned and saw that there were now a dozen of the Navy's men forming a semi- circle around her, Jack, Will, Elizabeth and Norrington.
"Jack, I believe it's time for you to do the escaping-without-a-scratch thing you do so well," she muttered under her breath and Jack heard it. He turned to Elizabeth and smiled.
"If you will, milady," he grinned before throwing the chain of his watch around her neck and pressing it against her skin. She was turned with her back against him, and she suddenly realized she made a mistake trying to save him.
"Unbelievable..." she murmured. "I try and save your life and this is my repayment... You are despicable..."
"Sticks and stones, love. Stick and stones," he whispered into her ear slowly stepping backwards. Patricia, somehow knowing what was in Jack's head, went, inconspicuously into the crowd and out of the house. She was running down the steps when Will had caught up to her.
"Patricia, what in bloody hell were you doing with that man?!?" he cried out grabbing her arm. "He was a pirate, and a hunch tells me that you knew that!"
"This is not a good time for this..." she said hurriedly going to the windows they were backed against from the inside. She waited and watched as Jack backed against the window.
"Ladies and gentlemen... you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain..." A bit ungracefully Jack tripped over himself and sent his body, as well as Elizabeth's, hurtling backwards into the grass of the garden beneath the windows.
"Jack!" Patricia called as she ran to him helping him up. "Oh..." She spotted Elizabeth being helped up by Will. "You brought Elizabeth."
"Come on love. This isn't a moment for bitter rivalry," Will heard Jack say as the pirate took her hand and started to run into the alleys.
"What?" he thought, as he grabbed Elizabeth's hand and started to run after them.
"Will! What are you doing?" Elizabeth exclaimed. Her hand twisted in his trying to get away but he held on tight.
"You're coming with us," Will found himself saying.
"what?!?" Thankfully she became quiet. Will neared Jack and Patricia and heard her bitterly complaining about her shoes. Behind them they could just barely make out the sounds of the Naval officers regrouping.
"Jack... I'm sorry... I can't run in this," Patricia said in genuine pain of her feet in the shoes she wasn't accustomed to. Jack heard the sincerity in her voice and picked her up throwing her body onto his shoulder as he ran through the shadows.
"Better, love?" he asked, panting.
"Undoubtedly," she answered grinning. "Go to the back of the crafts shop. We'll plan something for your escape there."
"Well, love. To the crafts shop it is," Jack grunted adjusting Patricia's weight.
"Am I heavy?" she giggled. Will hearing Patricia's invitation was immediately indignant.
"Patricia, I refuse to let that man into our home," Will finally cried out catching up to them. He let Elizabeth's hand go and grabbed Patricia by the waist so that HE was carrying her. Elizabeth tried to run the moment she realized she was free of Will's grip but Jack caught her arm.
"Sorry, love but we need you," Jack smiled.
"What for!? Will, tell this man to let go me!" She started fighting against Jack and Will grabbed her by the arm as well but Jack pulled her away again.
"You have enough women in your arms, boy," Jack said, gesturing to Patricia. He then pointed at Elizabeth and said, "She's for leverage, a sort of protection to make sure we get out of Port Royal alive and without rope around our necks."
"So I'm hostage?" Elizabeth asked indignantly.
"Yes! Now shut up!" Patricia snapped. "Will. I'll talk to you went we get on L' Mer Rouge. That'll be our way out. Toulousse and his men are all gone. It'll be empty so just gather our things and we'll out of here." They arrived at the blacksmith shop and they all entered hurriedly. Patricia ran up the stairs and blew out the candle in Will's room. Jack was busy downstairs, studying the many swords hanging on every corner of the room.
"Who makes all these?" he asked, picking up an especially elaborate hilt of a sword.
"I do," Will answered, grabbing the sword back from him. He played with the sword a bit before setting it back into the leather sheath. "And I practice with them for three hours every day so I'm rather skilled with it."
"You need to get yourself a girl, mate," Jack grinned. Will just glared at him before turning away.
"I'm getting your things, Trish!" he called as he climbed the stairs to Patricia's room.
Elizabeth turned to the counter and started feeling around for a match. Her fingers felt the candle and its accompanying accessories and struck the match. She lit the candle and was immediately pushed away by Patricia, who just came down from Will's room just in time to see what Elizabeth was doing.
"Are you mad?" Patricia snapped putting the flame away by her fingers. "They'll realize we're in here if they see a light!"
"And are you stupid? We won't be able to see each other and around this pig sty without light!"
"The woman who chose the wig wearer over Will for a husband has the audacity to imply I'm stupid?!" Patricia said incredulously before laughing. Elizabeth turned silent at her comment.
"Why should I have chosen a craftsman over a commodore, Miss Taylor? Because I see no advantages to marrying Will to Norrington," Elizabeth said in a whisper.
"If you have to ask that question," Patricia glared back, "then I gave your sight and intelligence FAR too much credit than it deserves."
"Why you..." Elizabeth began raising her hand to hit the other woman but Will walked down from the stairs carrying two bags.
"I think I've got everything of yours, Tricia," Will said distractedly looking around the room. Without another glance at Elizabeth, Patricia brushed past Elizabeth and gathered her bags from Will.
"What do you SEE in her?!?" Patricia barked. Will just looked at her, bemused.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Never mind." She rolled her eyes. "Just follow me. Jack's already gone to the ship. We should be able to set sail when we get there." She bent down to break the heels off her shoes and began her walk to the port. Will grabbed at Elizabeth but she just coiled away.
"I'm not going with you, Will," she announced.
"We don't have time for this, Elizabeth. They're right. The moment we ran, we had a noose on our heads," Will hissed.
"You TOOK me by force! I don't have a noose over my head but YOU do. If you forget to remember, I'm married to the commodore of the British fleet of Port Royal so I have NOTHING hanging over my head. YOU, on the other hand, have an appointment to the gallows and had so the moment you associated with pirates!" she snapped. Something foreign woke up in Will and his pleading face mutated to one of determination.
"Then Jack is right. You're our leverage to make sure we get out of this town alive." Without letting her get a word in edgewise, he put his arm around her waist and put a pocket handkerchief in her mouth. He scooped her kicking and punching body into his arms and ran to catch up to Patricia who was almost at the ship.
Patricia looked to her side and smiled, satisfied when she saw Elizabeth squirming and gagged in Will's arms. They were nearing the port and so far their luck was holding out. No guards were around and it seemed like they had already searched the area they were in already but just as they were at the port a group of naval soldiers appeared at the planks that led onto the ship that was their ticket out of Port Royal.
"Damn," Patricia muttered pulling Will into the shadows. "We won't be able to pass them..." She looked around for an inconspicuous way past the guards but found only a trolley and some empty barrels. Will spotted the same things but saw the possiblities in them.
"Do you think those guards know who we are?" Will asked.
"No... I don't think so... New ones by the looks of it," she muttered. "Why does it matter?" He popped open one barrel and dropped Elizabeth in. "Good lord... no, Will."
"Why not? It's a good idea," he reasoned. "And Elizabeth is already comfortable." He closed the barrel then rolled it onto the trolley.
"Who'll wheel us onto the ship?" she asked.
"I will! Just get it. Drop the bags in another barrel and we'll be off," Will answered.
"You think like a pirate, Will," she smirked as she climbed into her hiding spot but her face froze when she saw Will's scowl.
"That's an insult to me, if ever there was one," he snapped. "And speaking of pirates, you'd better be grateful that I haven't blown up at you for getting us into this mess. When we get onto that ship and we're safely away from the gallows, we are having a talk."
"Yes," she murmured, blushing. She climbed in without another word and felt her barrel being pushed and rolled. Will placed the barrels with a heave onto the trolley and put a dirty tarp over it. He could hear faint knocks coming from Elizabeth's barrel and he kicked it to silence her.
(AN: For those of you who thought that was the evilest thing in the world, keep in mind that those barrels are made of wood, not cloth. When he kicked it, he didn't even touch her, just scared her enough to be quiet. My friend thought he REALLY kicked her and I turned Will from a gentleman to full on abuser but NO.... I would NEVER do that.)
He pushed the trolley across the cobblestone path with held breath and grunted as he got the rusted wheels over the bumps going onto the wooden planks. Strangely enough the guards just nodded at him and let him through without question. Will released his sigh of relief as he safely steered the cart into the shadows of the deck of the ship. Will knocked on Patricia's barrel and watched her emerge from her hole.
"That thing has the nastiest smell I've ever had the displeasure of coming near!" she muttered. Will put his arms around her and helped her out of the barrel.
"Glad to know I was saved from THAT mess then," he replied, sarcastically. Patricia looked up at him with sad eyes.
"Will... I'm sorry," Patricia said but Will just turned away to get Elizabeth out of her own cell.
"When we get out of here, Patricia." Suddenly Jack dropped in from one of the beams that went through the mast.
"Ready, love?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Patricia sighed. "Can I be any help?"
"Yes actually, draw in the gangplanks and untie the ropes holding it to port. The men shall control the sails," Jack answered. Will came back from one of the cabins, where he locked Elizabeth in and heard the last comment.
"How do you expect to get out of the bay in the dark?" Will asked. "And with only three pairs of hands!"
"You forget one thing, m'boy," Jack countered. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Will narrowed his eyes at the arrogant pirate.
"How could I forget when I never even knew?"
"Well now you do Mr. Turner and you would do well to take a page from your daddie's book. He trusted me behind the wheel and so should you." Jack turned and walked away leaving the comment to hang on Will's head.
{{ AN: Who knew that Port Royal was real?! As is Tortuga AKA Lle de la Tortue? *Laughs* I now know what I missed in history class... So that was what Ms. Socher was going on about. Port Royal is on the southeast coast of Jamaica and Tortuga is a little island of the northwest shore of Haiti. Okay no more geography lessons... }}
CHAPTER 5
Will was about to chase down Jack and make Jack tell him what he meant by his last comment but he stopped when he heard a loud splash coming from the starboard side. He saw Patricia kneeling behind the rails tugging at her leg. Suddenly he realized why she was down there. A tangled piece of rope had wound itself around her ankle and was pulling her over the side.
"C'mon, Will," she said in a loud whisper. "A little coming to my aid would be extremely appreciated." He ran to her side.
"What happened?"
"The wooden planks... I was pushing them in and there was rope I didn't see on one end. It slipped from my hands and went into the water and it's pulling me under," she grunted trying to hold onto the railings to keep from being pulled farther over the edge. "And Will... I think the guards noticed me and they went to get Norrington." She looked at him apologetically.
"I think she's right!" Jack shouted from his place at the wheel. He pointed down the cobble streets and they looked up to see Commodore Norrington running towards their ships followed by sailors and a horde of his officers beihnd him.
"Jack, get us out of here now!" Patricia shouted back. She tried to pull herself up again but she got dragged across the wood farther down more. The ship was drifting away from the port and they were a good distance away from shore but Patricia knew that they were still in easy reach of a good throw of rope and it seemed Norrington thought the same thing.
"You!" he called to a sailor. "Your rope... That girl on the deck has some rope on her ankle dragging her into the water.... Can you hook the rope?" The man looked on to the ship and nodded.
"But sir... if we pull at that rope, she'll definitely go in that water and drown with something dragging her to the bottom," the sailor said, hesitantly.
"Does it look like I care?! And it's not like the two men on board will let her die! It'll give us enough time to capture the ship! Now drag her down!!" he ordered. The man took a second to react but he turned and unrolled the rope.
"I got a bad feeling about this, Will," she said the water kept pulling on the heavy wooden planks tugging at her whole body to join it.
"Why?" Will asked as he pulled and tugged at the heavy ropes snarled beyond hope. "I need a knife."
"Norrington has a plan... I can see it." Just as she said those words the sailor on shore threw the rope with a hook on the end. The hook caught just below her feet. "Will!!" she screamed as the sailor gave his hardest pull and Patricia fell into the water.
"Tricia!" He looked down into the waters and couldn't make out her shape in the darkness.
"Go after her you moron," Jack said nudging him softly.
"I... I'm afraid of the water," Will muttered and Jack just looked at him incredulously.
"No you're not," he said in a knowing tone.
"Yes I am!!" Will snapped. "I think I would know!"
"Can you swim?"
"I used to... Haven't tried in years." Jack gave Will an understanding tone and then grasped Will by the back of his shirt.
"Well, if you can swim, you're not afraid of the water," he announced before literally throwing him in the water. Jack waited for Will to stop flailing his arms about so that he could finally save Patricia.
"You damn bastard!!" Will yelled when he finally calmed down and treaded water.
"Time for you to rescue your bonny lass and stop insulting me, Mr. Turner. Our bitter foes have found themselves a gig and are heading for you now!" he grinned.
"At least throw me a damn knife!" Jack did so and Will plunged back into the water. By the bright moonlight, he could finally see Patricia's body bobbing underwater, limp. He kicked his way to her feet and cut the hard twine and finally felt her floating to the surface. As his head emerged from the water, he spied a small boat with Norrington at the bow nearing them but they were still a bit way off.
"Grab the rope!" Jack called and Will saw the twine thrown for them to be pulled onto the ship. Jack checked to see if they had a good grip on the rope and then ran to twist it arund the mast. He heaved both of their wet bodies onto the deck and just in time as well because Norrington had just come in firing range.
"Give me back my wife!" Norrington demanded.
"Not until you let us go, Commodore!" Jack shouted back. He looked at Will for a little support but he was busy trying to get Patricia conscious again. "Try hitting her on the chest, Will, or on the back," he said to him then looked at the Commodore again who fired a shot knocking his hat on the floor.
"Not a chance, pirate!"
"Look here, Commodore," Jack said a tad bit annoyed now. He jumped to the mast, a hand on one of the ropes of the sails. "I took your ring-around-the- rosies chase lying down because I know you're just a good upstanding man who's going his job..." He looked about the deck and picked up his hat, to use it as pointer to Norrington. "But NEVER... DAMAGE... MY HAT!" With that he pulled at his rope and the sails of the ship came tumbling down in white billows. It seemed that Capt. Sparrow was either a VERY good judge of weather, had impeccably accurate timing, born with more luck that should have been place on such a man--or maybe all three!--because as the sails dropped, a sudden north blew their ship into open sea, Port Royal's light shrinking. He was distracted from his moment of gloating when he heard wild coughing from the floor and saw Patricia regaining consciousness.
"It worked!" Will said, in disbelief. "Your idea worked!"
"Lovely to know you have your confidence in me, Mr. Turner," Jack replied. He put his hand under Patricia's neck and propped it up so that all the water didn't return to her body when she coughed it out.
"W... Will," she stuttered. Her throat felt strangely cut after the salt burned at her insides. "I need water..." Will ran down to the galley and grabbed a cup of water from a barrel and returned to her side in a minute flat.
"Are you all right, Patricia?" he asked pushing Jack away and carrying her to a bench safely away from the edge.
"Yea... Yes... I'm fine... Remind me never to go near a ship again after this..." she said in a raspy voice. And Will just chuckled.
"Well, if you can make sarcastic comments like that, I think you'll be fine," he laughed.
"I wasn't being sarcastic... I was serious. When we get out of this, we're moving safely away from water." Jack heard the comment and playfully poked her in the waist.
"That has to be the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of but now it's time for idle chatter to stop," Jack said. "I can't steer this ship to Tortuga all in me onesies."
"I thought you were Captain Jack Sparrow?" Will hissed sarcastically.
"I am, lad, but I'm no miracle worker."
"Wait... Wait..." Patricia regained her strength and stood up. "Jack... did you just say Tortuga? As in Lle de la Tortue?!?"
"That what you Port Royalists call it? Funny," Jack nodded. He ran up the wheel on an upper deck and began to steer them through the winds. "Yup, love, we're going to El de la Tortilla, as you call it."
"Lle de La Tortue... Just call it Tortuga but WHY?!?" she cried out following him. "From what my father told me, Tortuga is Pirate Central. What are we doing going there?"
"Getting a crew, of course."
"But... Crew. Wait What are you doing? Going on some history-making adventure of Jack Sparrow?" She had asked it sarcastically but he smiled at her and her sarcastic expression fell away.
"We are?" she asked shocked.
"We are?!?" Will jumped up at that and came in between the two to face Jack. "What the heck do you think you're doing? You better let us off this ship at Port Royal if you think any of us are going to some stupid pirate quest with you!"
"You think you'll be taken with open arms if I let you off in Port Royal?" Jack asked. "Because you have completely branded yourself as a gentleman o' fortunes tonight. You commandered a ship of the British fleet and was an accomplice to a kidnapping." He pointed to the cabin below him, gesturing to Elizabeth. "Not to mention you did your share in the escape of a wanted man." Jack bowed down, meaning himself. "You're safely on a passage to becoming a pirate and Port Royal doesn't welcome our type of folk around there."
Will just looked at Jack angrily. He knew Jack was right and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it made Will furious so he turned to Patricia.
"Patricia Taylor!" he yelled. "This is all your fault! Your tendency to make the lowliest of friends has just gotten into the biggest messes. Now it'll be on your head if one of us doesn't get home alive!" Patricia just looked at him completely speechless. Will had never yelled at her before and his rage was frightening her. She just looked up at him, shocked, and watched him stomp away to the stern of the ship.
"He'll calm down, love," Jack said comfortingly when he saw the tears appearing in Patricia's eyes. "This ship isn't big enough to avoid you for a couple of days. Just let him cool off and talk to him tomorrow." She just nodded and turned away to go below deck. "wait!"
"Yes Jack?" Patricia stopped and looked back at him.
"You're last name is Taylor?"
"Yes."
"And your father is?"
"Philip Taylor..." An odd look past through Jack's face. "Why are you curious?"
"No special reason... It was a familiar name."
"Okay, Jack..."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Okay guys! Woohoo! I'm sorry that the fifth chapter was short by my usual standards but it was sort of a transition chapter. Now they're on sea! Whoot Whoot!
AN: Yes I promised two Chapters but read the little title. It says Chapter FOUR AND FIVE. I hate the fact that the little drop down menu doesn't give an option to whether or not you have a prologue. Prologues are much important to me and now the numbering of the chapters is off. I'm on Chapter four and it'll have a bleeding FIVE next to the title. Dats why I'm putting together Four and Five in one fell swoop. So this installment will be a twinge longer than usual since there are two chapter in here. Just to let you know.
Chapter 4:
// "PIRATE!" the commodore exclaimed raising his sword, the point sitting uncomfortably underneath Jack's chin. "I knew it!" //
"Jack! I told you!" Patricia exclaimed. Will turned to see his best friend slowly reaching to Jack's torso to push him away from the blade.
"Patricia, what are you doing with the likes of him?" Will asked, feeling slightly betrayed. She knew about how much he had a loathing for pirates. How could she keep such company and be friends with him?
"I... Not right now, Will," she frowned. She turned to the commodore who a triumphant gleam in his eye.
"Well, Miss Taylor, I can't say I'm surprised by your choices of acquaintances. Now if you will, please step back before his identity incriminates you to the noose as well..." Commodore threatened, his sword still dangerously close to Jack's neck.
"Now that's no way to speak to woman, good man," Jack replied. His hand went into his pocket and came out revealing a silver watch with a long thick chain hanging from the collar of his shirt and hanging loosely to his waist.
"And you would know how to do that how, Mr. Sparrow?" Commodore asked. A new soldier had come now. "Gillette, please put chains on our guest here and see to it that he is safely transported to an UNcomfortable prison cell where he shall stay until his dawn appointment with the gallows.
"Commodore, I really must protest," Elizabeth had grown tired of being unable to say anything. She scooted herself into the sword's way and stood defiantly. "Couldn't you grant him a night of clemency in honor of our return to Port Royal?"
"Elizabeth, one good moment is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness... even for a night! Now out of the way!" he ordered. Patricia turned and saw that there were now a dozen of the Navy's men forming a semi- circle around her, Jack, Will, Elizabeth and Norrington.
"Jack, I believe it's time for you to do the escaping-without-a-scratch thing you do so well," she muttered under her breath and Jack heard it. He turned to Elizabeth and smiled.
"If you will, milady," he grinned before throwing the chain of his watch around her neck and pressing it against her skin. She was turned with her back against him, and she suddenly realized she made a mistake trying to save him.
"Unbelievable..." she murmured. "I try and save your life and this is my repayment... You are despicable..."
"Sticks and stones, love. Stick and stones," he whispered into her ear slowly stepping backwards. Patricia, somehow knowing what was in Jack's head, went, inconspicuously into the crowd and out of the house. She was running down the steps when Will had caught up to her.
"Patricia, what in bloody hell were you doing with that man?!?" he cried out grabbing her arm. "He was a pirate, and a hunch tells me that you knew that!"
"This is not a good time for this..." she said hurriedly going to the windows they were backed against from the inside. She waited and watched as Jack backed against the window.
"Ladies and gentlemen... you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain..." A bit ungracefully Jack tripped over himself and sent his body, as well as Elizabeth's, hurtling backwards into the grass of the garden beneath the windows.
"Jack!" Patricia called as she ran to him helping him up. "Oh..." She spotted Elizabeth being helped up by Will. "You brought Elizabeth."
"Come on love. This isn't a moment for bitter rivalry," Will heard Jack say as the pirate took her hand and started to run into the alleys.
"What?" he thought, as he grabbed Elizabeth's hand and started to run after them.
"Will! What are you doing?" Elizabeth exclaimed. Her hand twisted in his trying to get away but he held on tight.
"You're coming with us," Will found himself saying.
"what?!?" Thankfully she became quiet. Will neared Jack and Patricia and heard her bitterly complaining about her shoes. Behind them they could just barely make out the sounds of the Naval officers regrouping.
"Jack... I'm sorry... I can't run in this," Patricia said in genuine pain of her feet in the shoes she wasn't accustomed to. Jack heard the sincerity in her voice and picked her up throwing her body onto his shoulder as he ran through the shadows.
"Better, love?" he asked, panting.
"Undoubtedly," she answered grinning. "Go to the back of the crafts shop. We'll plan something for your escape there."
"Well, love. To the crafts shop it is," Jack grunted adjusting Patricia's weight.
"Am I heavy?" she giggled. Will hearing Patricia's invitation was immediately indignant.
"Patricia, I refuse to let that man into our home," Will finally cried out catching up to them. He let Elizabeth's hand go and grabbed Patricia by the waist so that HE was carrying her. Elizabeth tried to run the moment she realized she was free of Will's grip but Jack caught her arm.
"Sorry, love but we need you," Jack smiled.
"What for!? Will, tell this man to let go me!" She started fighting against Jack and Will grabbed her by the arm as well but Jack pulled her away again.
"You have enough women in your arms, boy," Jack said, gesturing to Patricia. He then pointed at Elizabeth and said, "She's for leverage, a sort of protection to make sure we get out of Port Royal alive and without rope around our necks."
"So I'm hostage?" Elizabeth asked indignantly.
"Yes! Now shut up!" Patricia snapped. "Will. I'll talk to you went we get on L' Mer Rouge. That'll be our way out. Toulousse and his men are all gone. It'll be empty so just gather our things and we'll out of here." They arrived at the blacksmith shop and they all entered hurriedly. Patricia ran up the stairs and blew out the candle in Will's room. Jack was busy downstairs, studying the many swords hanging on every corner of the room.
"Who makes all these?" he asked, picking up an especially elaborate hilt of a sword.
"I do," Will answered, grabbing the sword back from him. He played with the sword a bit before setting it back into the leather sheath. "And I practice with them for three hours every day so I'm rather skilled with it."
"You need to get yourself a girl, mate," Jack grinned. Will just glared at him before turning away.
"I'm getting your things, Trish!" he called as he climbed the stairs to Patricia's room.
Elizabeth turned to the counter and started feeling around for a match. Her fingers felt the candle and its accompanying accessories and struck the match. She lit the candle and was immediately pushed away by Patricia, who just came down from Will's room just in time to see what Elizabeth was doing.
"Are you mad?" Patricia snapped putting the flame away by her fingers. "They'll realize we're in here if they see a light!"
"And are you stupid? We won't be able to see each other and around this pig sty without light!"
"The woman who chose the wig wearer over Will for a husband has the audacity to imply I'm stupid?!" Patricia said incredulously before laughing. Elizabeth turned silent at her comment.
"Why should I have chosen a craftsman over a commodore, Miss Taylor? Because I see no advantages to marrying Will to Norrington," Elizabeth said in a whisper.
"If you have to ask that question," Patricia glared back, "then I gave your sight and intelligence FAR too much credit than it deserves."
"Why you..." Elizabeth began raising her hand to hit the other woman but Will walked down from the stairs carrying two bags.
"I think I've got everything of yours, Tricia," Will said distractedly looking around the room. Without another glance at Elizabeth, Patricia brushed past Elizabeth and gathered her bags from Will.
"What do you SEE in her?!?" Patricia barked. Will just looked at her, bemused.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Never mind." She rolled her eyes. "Just follow me. Jack's already gone to the ship. We should be able to set sail when we get there." She bent down to break the heels off her shoes and began her walk to the port. Will grabbed at Elizabeth but she just coiled away.
"I'm not going with you, Will," she announced.
"We don't have time for this, Elizabeth. They're right. The moment we ran, we had a noose on our heads," Will hissed.
"You TOOK me by force! I don't have a noose over my head but YOU do. If you forget to remember, I'm married to the commodore of the British fleet of Port Royal so I have NOTHING hanging over my head. YOU, on the other hand, have an appointment to the gallows and had so the moment you associated with pirates!" she snapped. Something foreign woke up in Will and his pleading face mutated to one of determination.
"Then Jack is right. You're our leverage to make sure we get out of this town alive." Without letting her get a word in edgewise, he put his arm around her waist and put a pocket handkerchief in her mouth. He scooped her kicking and punching body into his arms and ran to catch up to Patricia who was almost at the ship.
Patricia looked to her side and smiled, satisfied when she saw Elizabeth squirming and gagged in Will's arms. They were nearing the port and so far their luck was holding out. No guards were around and it seemed like they had already searched the area they were in already but just as they were at the port a group of naval soldiers appeared at the planks that led onto the ship that was their ticket out of Port Royal.
"Damn," Patricia muttered pulling Will into the shadows. "We won't be able to pass them..." She looked around for an inconspicuous way past the guards but found only a trolley and some empty barrels. Will spotted the same things but saw the possiblities in them.
"Do you think those guards know who we are?" Will asked.
"No... I don't think so... New ones by the looks of it," she muttered. "Why does it matter?" He popped open one barrel and dropped Elizabeth in. "Good lord... no, Will."
"Why not? It's a good idea," he reasoned. "And Elizabeth is already comfortable." He closed the barrel then rolled it onto the trolley.
"Who'll wheel us onto the ship?" she asked.
"I will! Just get it. Drop the bags in another barrel and we'll be off," Will answered.
"You think like a pirate, Will," she smirked as she climbed into her hiding spot but her face froze when she saw Will's scowl.
"That's an insult to me, if ever there was one," he snapped. "And speaking of pirates, you'd better be grateful that I haven't blown up at you for getting us into this mess. When we get onto that ship and we're safely away from the gallows, we are having a talk."
"Yes," she murmured, blushing. She climbed in without another word and felt her barrel being pushed and rolled. Will placed the barrels with a heave onto the trolley and put a dirty tarp over it. He could hear faint knocks coming from Elizabeth's barrel and he kicked it to silence her.
(AN: For those of you who thought that was the evilest thing in the world, keep in mind that those barrels are made of wood, not cloth. When he kicked it, he didn't even touch her, just scared her enough to be quiet. My friend thought he REALLY kicked her and I turned Will from a gentleman to full on abuser but NO.... I would NEVER do that.)
He pushed the trolley across the cobblestone path with held breath and grunted as he got the rusted wheels over the bumps going onto the wooden planks. Strangely enough the guards just nodded at him and let him through without question. Will released his sigh of relief as he safely steered the cart into the shadows of the deck of the ship. Will knocked on Patricia's barrel and watched her emerge from her hole.
"That thing has the nastiest smell I've ever had the displeasure of coming near!" she muttered. Will put his arms around her and helped her out of the barrel.
"Glad to know I was saved from THAT mess then," he replied, sarcastically. Patricia looked up at him with sad eyes.
"Will... I'm sorry," Patricia said but Will just turned away to get Elizabeth out of her own cell.
"When we get out of here, Patricia." Suddenly Jack dropped in from one of the beams that went through the mast.
"Ready, love?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Patricia sighed. "Can I be any help?"
"Yes actually, draw in the gangplanks and untie the ropes holding it to port. The men shall control the sails," Jack answered. Will came back from one of the cabins, where he locked Elizabeth in and heard the last comment.
"How do you expect to get out of the bay in the dark?" Will asked. "And with only three pairs of hands!"
"You forget one thing, m'boy," Jack countered. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Will narrowed his eyes at the arrogant pirate.
"How could I forget when I never even knew?"
"Well now you do Mr. Turner and you would do well to take a page from your daddie's book. He trusted me behind the wheel and so should you." Jack turned and walked away leaving the comment to hang on Will's head.
{{ AN: Who knew that Port Royal was real?! As is Tortuga AKA Lle de la Tortue? *Laughs* I now know what I missed in history class... So that was what Ms. Socher was going on about. Port Royal is on the southeast coast of Jamaica and Tortuga is a little island of the northwest shore of Haiti. Okay no more geography lessons... }}
CHAPTER 5
Will was about to chase down Jack and make Jack tell him what he meant by his last comment but he stopped when he heard a loud splash coming from the starboard side. He saw Patricia kneeling behind the rails tugging at her leg. Suddenly he realized why she was down there. A tangled piece of rope had wound itself around her ankle and was pulling her over the side.
"C'mon, Will," she said in a loud whisper. "A little coming to my aid would be extremely appreciated." He ran to her side.
"What happened?"
"The wooden planks... I was pushing them in and there was rope I didn't see on one end. It slipped from my hands and went into the water and it's pulling me under," she grunted trying to hold onto the railings to keep from being pulled farther over the edge. "And Will... I think the guards noticed me and they went to get Norrington." She looked at him apologetically.
"I think she's right!" Jack shouted from his place at the wheel. He pointed down the cobble streets and they looked up to see Commodore Norrington running towards their ships followed by sailors and a horde of his officers beihnd him.
"Jack, get us out of here now!" Patricia shouted back. She tried to pull herself up again but she got dragged across the wood farther down more. The ship was drifting away from the port and they were a good distance away from shore but Patricia knew that they were still in easy reach of a good throw of rope and it seemed Norrington thought the same thing.
"You!" he called to a sailor. "Your rope... That girl on the deck has some rope on her ankle dragging her into the water.... Can you hook the rope?" The man looked on to the ship and nodded.
"But sir... if we pull at that rope, she'll definitely go in that water and drown with something dragging her to the bottom," the sailor said, hesitantly.
"Does it look like I care?! And it's not like the two men on board will let her die! It'll give us enough time to capture the ship! Now drag her down!!" he ordered. The man took a second to react but he turned and unrolled the rope.
"I got a bad feeling about this, Will," she said the water kept pulling on the heavy wooden planks tugging at her whole body to join it.
"Why?" Will asked as he pulled and tugged at the heavy ropes snarled beyond hope. "I need a knife."
"Norrington has a plan... I can see it." Just as she said those words the sailor on shore threw the rope with a hook on the end. The hook caught just below her feet. "Will!!" she screamed as the sailor gave his hardest pull and Patricia fell into the water.
"Tricia!" He looked down into the waters and couldn't make out her shape in the darkness.
"Go after her you moron," Jack said nudging him softly.
"I... I'm afraid of the water," Will muttered and Jack just looked at him incredulously.
"No you're not," he said in a knowing tone.
"Yes I am!!" Will snapped. "I think I would know!"
"Can you swim?"
"I used to... Haven't tried in years." Jack gave Will an understanding tone and then grasped Will by the back of his shirt.
"Well, if you can swim, you're not afraid of the water," he announced before literally throwing him in the water. Jack waited for Will to stop flailing his arms about so that he could finally save Patricia.
"You damn bastard!!" Will yelled when he finally calmed down and treaded water.
"Time for you to rescue your bonny lass and stop insulting me, Mr. Turner. Our bitter foes have found themselves a gig and are heading for you now!" he grinned.
"At least throw me a damn knife!" Jack did so and Will plunged back into the water. By the bright moonlight, he could finally see Patricia's body bobbing underwater, limp. He kicked his way to her feet and cut the hard twine and finally felt her floating to the surface. As his head emerged from the water, he spied a small boat with Norrington at the bow nearing them but they were still a bit way off.
"Grab the rope!" Jack called and Will saw the twine thrown for them to be pulled onto the ship. Jack checked to see if they had a good grip on the rope and then ran to twist it arund the mast. He heaved both of their wet bodies onto the deck and just in time as well because Norrington had just come in firing range.
"Give me back my wife!" Norrington demanded.
"Not until you let us go, Commodore!" Jack shouted back. He looked at Will for a little support but he was busy trying to get Patricia conscious again. "Try hitting her on the chest, Will, or on the back," he said to him then looked at the Commodore again who fired a shot knocking his hat on the floor.
"Not a chance, pirate!"
"Look here, Commodore," Jack said a tad bit annoyed now. He jumped to the mast, a hand on one of the ropes of the sails. "I took your ring-around-the- rosies chase lying down because I know you're just a good upstanding man who's going his job..." He looked about the deck and picked up his hat, to use it as pointer to Norrington. "But NEVER... DAMAGE... MY HAT!" With that he pulled at his rope and the sails of the ship came tumbling down in white billows. It seemed that Capt. Sparrow was either a VERY good judge of weather, had impeccably accurate timing, born with more luck that should have been place on such a man--or maybe all three!--because as the sails dropped, a sudden north blew their ship into open sea, Port Royal's light shrinking. He was distracted from his moment of gloating when he heard wild coughing from the floor and saw Patricia regaining consciousness.
"It worked!" Will said, in disbelief. "Your idea worked!"
"Lovely to know you have your confidence in me, Mr. Turner," Jack replied. He put his hand under Patricia's neck and propped it up so that all the water didn't return to her body when she coughed it out.
"W... Will," she stuttered. Her throat felt strangely cut after the salt burned at her insides. "I need water..." Will ran down to the galley and grabbed a cup of water from a barrel and returned to her side in a minute flat.
"Are you all right, Patricia?" he asked pushing Jack away and carrying her to a bench safely away from the edge.
"Yea... Yes... I'm fine... Remind me never to go near a ship again after this..." she said in a raspy voice. And Will just chuckled.
"Well, if you can make sarcastic comments like that, I think you'll be fine," he laughed.
"I wasn't being sarcastic... I was serious. When we get out of this, we're moving safely away from water." Jack heard the comment and playfully poked her in the waist.
"That has to be the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of but now it's time for idle chatter to stop," Jack said. "I can't steer this ship to Tortuga all in me onesies."
"I thought you were Captain Jack Sparrow?" Will hissed sarcastically.
"I am, lad, but I'm no miracle worker."
"Wait... Wait..." Patricia regained her strength and stood up. "Jack... did you just say Tortuga? As in Lle de la Tortue?!?"
"That what you Port Royalists call it? Funny," Jack nodded. He ran up the wheel on an upper deck and began to steer them through the winds. "Yup, love, we're going to El de la Tortilla, as you call it."
"Lle de La Tortue... Just call it Tortuga but WHY?!?" she cried out following him. "From what my father told me, Tortuga is Pirate Central. What are we doing going there?"
"Getting a crew, of course."
"But... Crew. Wait What are you doing? Going on some history-making adventure of Jack Sparrow?" She had asked it sarcastically but he smiled at her and her sarcastic expression fell away.
"We are?" she asked shocked.
"We are?!?" Will jumped up at that and came in between the two to face Jack. "What the heck do you think you're doing? You better let us off this ship at Port Royal if you think any of us are going to some stupid pirate quest with you!"
"You think you'll be taken with open arms if I let you off in Port Royal?" Jack asked. "Because you have completely branded yourself as a gentleman o' fortunes tonight. You commandered a ship of the British fleet and was an accomplice to a kidnapping." He pointed to the cabin below him, gesturing to Elizabeth. "Not to mention you did your share in the escape of a wanted man." Jack bowed down, meaning himself. "You're safely on a passage to becoming a pirate and Port Royal doesn't welcome our type of folk around there."
Will just looked at Jack angrily. He knew Jack was right and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it made Will furious so he turned to Patricia.
"Patricia Taylor!" he yelled. "This is all your fault! Your tendency to make the lowliest of friends has just gotten into the biggest messes. Now it'll be on your head if one of us doesn't get home alive!" Patricia just looked at him completely speechless. Will had never yelled at her before and his rage was frightening her. She just looked up at him, shocked, and watched him stomp away to the stern of the ship.
"He'll calm down, love," Jack said comfortingly when he saw the tears appearing in Patricia's eyes. "This ship isn't big enough to avoid you for a couple of days. Just let him cool off and talk to him tomorrow." She just nodded and turned away to go below deck. "wait!"
"Yes Jack?" Patricia stopped and looked back at him.
"You're last name is Taylor?"
"Yes."
"And your father is?"
"Philip Taylor..." An odd look past through Jack's face. "Why are you curious?"
"No special reason... It was a familiar name."
"Okay, Jack..."
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Okay guys! Woohoo! I'm sorry that the fifth chapter was short by my usual standards but it was sort of a transition chapter. Now they're on sea! Whoot Whoot!