Usual disclaimers... but I still want him!
***
Late January
"What do you mean you left Cat?" Theodore exploded, shouting at Jack in disbelief in the kitchen of his shared home. "Anything could happen to her!"
"I couldn't risk takin' th' Pearl through th' English Channel Theo!" Jack protested. "An' she'd already left fer Portsmouth! Yer must trust her Theo! She'll get back!"
"Dammit Jack! This is my sister we're talking about!" Theodore argued.
"An' my wife mate!" Jack countered. "D' yer think I'd have left her if it hadn't been fer th' frigate? Hell, I was fourteen men down already, plus Kitty an Cenydd! I lost too many gunners t' put up any kinda fight let alone take on a bleedin' frigate!"
"The parrot doesn't count," Theodore insisted, turning to see Elizabeth standing behind him.
"Congratulations!" she said sarcastically. "You've just woken Charlotte so you can go and see to her!" She waited until Theodore had left. "Will Catherine be alright?" she asked Jack worriedly.
"I have t' hope so," he frowned. "Fer I don't know what else t' do..." He smiled weakly as Elizabeth put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, knowing how frantic he was.
***
Mid February
The Black Pearl remained anchored offshore and Jack spent much of his time with Will, Theodore, Elizabeth and the children. Moses came ashore occasionally, but he was happiest on the ship and Jack realised that he was one child that he could not offload onto the Turners. The longer they stayed the more Jack worried - and when he saw a stony faced Joshua Hallam arrive with two horses his heart dropped.
"My father wants to see you Sparrow - now!" Joshua said bluntly.
"What about?" Jack asked, fearful that it was news of Catherine.
"Now!" he shouted. "If you know what is good for you!"
Jack blinked. "Only askin' mate," he shrugged. "Will - I gotta go! If Kitty turns up send a man t' Hallam's house!"
Will nodded. "Sure Jack," he smiled, not having caught the conversation between the two Captains but surprised at the speed at which Joshua cantered off. He wondered what Jeremiah wanted and hoped it was not bad news.
***
Joshua only eased the pace when they reached the outskirts of town. Jack was surprised to see hostile eyes glaring at him, one man even spitting. "What th' hell is goin' on?" he asked but Joshua did not reply, merely forcing the pace again until they reached the Hallam house. "Come, I will take you to father."
Jack followed him through the house to Jeremiah's study. He wondered what he was wanted for and walked quickly along the corridor. Joshua opened the door. "Sparrow," he announced.
"That's Captain Sparrow mate," Jack argued.
"Perhaps," Joshua shrugged.
"Leave us!" Jeremiah ordered from the shadows. "Sparrow! Come here!"
Jack raised an eyebrow and turned to face Jeremiah as the door closed. "You wanted to see me?"
"What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" Jeremiah raged.
"Pardon?" Jack blinked. "I didn't know I'd done anything!"
"Port au Prince?" Jeremiah prompted. "The murder of nearly fifty innocents?"
"What?" Jack blinked in shock. "I haven't been t' Port au Prince!"
"The Black Pearl was seen last week attacking the town..." Jeremiah shouted. "How can you deny it?"
"I can deny it b'cause we've been sittin' in Will's bay fer th' last two weeks - haven't moved!" Jack protested. "An' why should I even want t' attack Port au Prince?"
"That is what I want to know!" Jeremiah demanded.
"But it wasn't us!" Jack retorted. "I'm sixteen crew down at th' moment! I could hardly fight off a fishing vessel!" he protested.
Jeremiah snorted. "Black ship, black sails... who else could it be but the Black Pearl?"
"Listen, I'm tellin' yer it wasn't us! Come back with me t' Will's. Everyone there will confirm it - even Isaac!" he argued.
"And how do I know you haven't told them to lie?" Jeremiah countered but Jack's earnestness was starting to convince him. He had heard that the Black Pearl had returned two weeks ago and, although it was possible for him to have sailed there and back in the time, the attack was not Jack's style.
"Do you think yer son would lie?" Jack asked incredulously.
Jeremiah looked closely at Jack. He seemed genuinely confused by the accusations but Jedidiah's report of his time aboard the Black Pearl made him wonder. He changed his attack, hoping to catch Jack off balance. "And perhaps you can also explain why you attacked my representative aboard your ship? Why you left him in Penang?" Jeremiah was surprised to see a look of pure hatred cross Jack's face.
"Our agreement was t' take him t' Penang... nothin' was said about bringin' him back!" he countered. "An' I hope he's still limpin'!" His eyes narrowed.
"So you admit to that attack?" Jeremiah pressed.
"He should be lucky he had yer protection," Jack snarled. "Else he'd be dead! Next time yer want t' put a spy on th' Pearl yer'd better check they aren't a shirt-liftin' bastard that sodomises children..."
Jeremiah frowned. "But you don't have any children onboard," he said quietly.
"I picked up a stowaway in Cape Town... an eight year old boy..." Jack explained.
Jeremiah went silent before sighing heavily. "My apologies," he replied. "I did not know..."
"So he didn't tell yer that juicy bit of information..." Jack sneered. "Well, yer can tell him somethin' from me - if I catch him anywhere near th' children at th' Bay then no protection will save him... savvy?"
"You are threatening my man?" Jeremiah said darkly.
"Nah," Jack smiled. "Promisin'!"
For a moment Jeremiah was silent, pondering, then he reached for the bell to call one of his servants. "Saddle two fresh horses and arrange for an escort. I am going with Captain Sparrow!"
"Yes Sir," the man bowed, respectfully backing to the door.
"If you are lying..." Jeremiah threatened.
"I'm not!" Jack argued.
Jeremiah nodded. "Will your wife be cooking?"
"Kitty is missin'," Jack admitted. Jeremiah looked at him sharply. "I lost her in Cape Town, tracked her t' London an' thanks t' Isaac know she should be makin' her way home... I hope..."
Jack's expression convinced Jeremiah more than any words of his innocence. Whatever was going on, the ship could not be the Black Pearl. He remembered how Jack had refused to sail whilst his wife was hurt... there was no way he would sail with her missing. He realised that Jack was doing the only thing he felt he could do - sit and wait for her to come home.
The door opened. "Your horses are ready Sir," his man informed him.
Jeremiah nodded. "I will not be gone long," he advised. "But I want it passed throughout the town that the black ship is not the Black Pearl. I will take it badly if anyone thinks to take reprisals against Captain Sparrow or his men..."
"Yes Sir." A brief flicker of surprise passed across his face, but he backed from the room without further comment.
"Come," Jeremiah said. "I would speak with my son!"
***
***
Late January
"What do you mean you left Cat?" Theodore exploded, shouting at Jack in disbelief in the kitchen of his shared home. "Anything could happen to her!"
"I couldn't risk takin' th' Pearl through th' English Channel Theo!" Jack protested. "An' she'd already left fer Portsmouth! Yer must trust her Theo! She'll get back!"
"Dammit Jack! This is my sister we're talking about!" Theodore argued.
"An' my wife mate!" Jack countered. "D' yer think I'd have left her if it hadn't been fer th' frigate? Hell, I was fourteen men down already, plus Kitty an Cenydd! I lost too many gunners t' put up any kinda fight let alone take on a bleedin' frigate!"
"The parrot doesn't count," Theodore insisted, turning to see Elizabeth standing behind him.
"Congratulations!" she said sarcastically. "You've just woken Charlotte so you can go and see to her!" She waited until Theodore had left. "Will Catherine be alright?" she asked Jack worriedly.
"I have t' hope so," he frowned. "Fer I don't know what else t' do..." He smiled weakly as Elizabeth put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, knowing how frantic he was.
***
Mid February
The Black Pearl remained anchored offshore and Jack spent much of his time with Will, Theodore, Elizabeth and the children. Moses came ashore occasionally, but he was happiest on the ship and Jack realised that he was one child that he could not offload onto the Turners. The longer they stayed the more Jack worried - and when he saw a stony faced Joshua Hallam arrive with two horses his heart dropped.
"My father wants to see you Sparrow - now!" Joshua said bluntly.
"What about?" Jack asked, fearful that it was news of Catherine.
"Now!" he shouted. "If you know what is good for you!"
Jack blinked. "Only askin' mate," he shrugged. "Will - I gotta go! If Kitty turns up send a man t' Hallam's house!"
Will nodded. "Sure Jack," he smiled, not having caught the conversation between the two Captains but surprised at the speed at which Joshua cantered off. He wondered what Jeremiah wanted and hoped it was not bad news.
***
Joshua only eased the pace when they reached the outskirts of town. Jack was surprised to see hostile eyes glaring at him, one man even spitting. "What th' hell is goin' on?" he asked but Joshua did not reply, merely forcing the pace again until they reached the Hallam house. "Come, I will take you to father."
Jack followed him through the house to Jeremiah's study. He wondered what he was wanted for and walked quickly along the corridor. Joshua opened the door. "Sparrow," he announced.
"That's Captain Sparrow mate," Jack argued.
"Perhaps," Joshua shrugged.
"Leave us!" Jeremiah ordered from the shadows. "Sparrow! Come here!"
Jack raised an eyebrow and turned to face Jeremiah as the door closed. "You wanted to see me?"
"What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" Jeremiah raged.
"Pardon?" Jack blinked. "I didn't know I'd done anything!"
"Port au Prince?" Jeremiah prompted. "The murder of nearly fifty innocents?"
"What?" Jack blinked in shock. "I haven't been t' Port au Prince!"
"The Black Pearl was seen last week attacking the town..." Jeremiah shouted. "How can you deny it?"
"I can deny it b'cause we've been sittin' in Will's bay fer th' last two weeks - haven't moved!" Jack protested. "An' why should I even want t' attack Port au Prince?"
"That is what I want to know!" Jeremiah demanded.
"But it wasn't us!" Jack retorted. "I'm sixteen crew down at th' moment! I could hardly fight off a fishing vessel!" he protested.
Jeremiah snorted. "Black ship, black sails... who else could it be but the Black Pearl?"
"Listen, I'm tellin' yer it wasn't us! Come back with me t' Will's. Everyone there will confirm it - even Isaac!" he argued.
"And how do I know you haven't told them to lie?" Jeremiah countered but Jack's earnestness was starting to convince him. He had heard that the Black Pearl had returned two weeks ago and, although it was possible for him to have sailed there and back in the time, the attack was not Jack's style.
"Do you think yer son would lie?" Jack asked incredulously.
Jeremiah looked closely at Jack. He seemed genuinely confused by the accusations but Jedidiah's report of his time aboard the Black Pearl made him wonder. He changed his attack, hoping to catch Jack off balance. "And perhaps you can also explain why you attacked my representative aboard your ship? Why you left him in Penang?" Jeremiah was surprised to see a look of pure hatred cross Jack's face.
"Our agreement was t' take him t' Penang... nothin' was said about bringin' him back!" he countered. "An' I hope he's still limpin'!" His eyes narrowed.
"So you admit to that attack?" Jeremiah pressed.
"He should be lucky he had yer protection," Jack snarled. "Else he'd be dead! Next time yer want t' put a spy on th' Pearl yer'd better check they aren't a shirt-liftin' bastard that sodomises children..."
Jeremiah frowned. "But you don't have any children onboard," he said quietly.
"I picked up a stowaway in Cape Town... an eight year old boy..." Jack explained.
Jeremiah went silent before sighing heavily. "My apologies," he replied. "I did not know..."
"So he didn't tell yer that juicy bit of information..." Jack sneered. "Well, yer can tell him somethin' from me - if I catch him anywhere near th' children at th' Bay then no protection will save him... savvy?"
"You are threatening my man?" Jeremiah said darkly.
"Nah," Jack smiled. "Promisin'!"
For a moment Jeremiah was silent, pondering, then he reached for the bell to call one of his servants. "Saddle two fresh horses and arrange for an escort. I am going with Captain Sparrow!"
"Yes Sir," the man bowed, respectfully backing to the door.
"If you are lying..." Jeremiah threatened.
"I'm not!" Jack argued.
Jeremiah nodded. "Will your wife be cooking?"
"Kitty is missin'," Jack admitted. Jeremiah looked at him sharply. "I lost her in Cape Town, tracked her t' London an' thanks t' Isaac know she should be makin' her way home... I hope..."
Jack's expression convinced Jeremiah more than any words of his innocence. Whatever was going on, the ship could not be the Black Pearl. He remembered how Jack had refused to sail whilst his wife was hurt... there was no way he would sail with her missing. He realised that Jack was doing the only thing he felt he could do - sit and wait for her to come home.
The door opened. "Your horses are ready Sir," his man informed him.
Jeremiah nodded. "I will not be gone long," he advised. "But I want it passed throughout the town that the black ship is not the Black Pearl. I will take it badly if anyone thinks to take reprisals against Captain Sparrow or his men..."
"Yes Sir." A brief flicker of surprise passed across his face, but he backed from the room without further comment.
"Come," Jeremiah said. "I would speak with my son!"
***