My Big Fat Boldface Disclaimer:
I don't own anything, I don't pretend to own anything, I'm using this
stuff without permission but it's just for my own amusement and the
amusement of anyone else that reads the story, we all obviously know
this but I'm just being legal. Don't sue me ok? Ok then.
A/N: BIG huge thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock. The last chapter was the prologue, here's where it really starts...
I leaned on the rail and watched the people on the battlement. The lobsters began to file away out of sight, headed back to their boring lives in a perfectly formed herd like the bunch of sheep they were. I made an amused noise in my throat as I watched Governor Swann standing with Will and Elizabeth, fidgeting and wringing his hands, apparently rather distressed by something. Elizabeth shook her head as she reached over to hug her father tightly, and he grabbed her hands, showing no sign of calming down. She shook her head again as he talked, hugged him once more, and turned to Will, taking his hand firmly. I frowned curiously as they both stepped up to the edge and stared down at the water.
'They wouldn't...' I thought, watching them glance at each other briefly. And then they jumped. 'Or... they would, then...'
"Jack!" I shouted suddenly, turning. Jack didn't remove his gaze from the horizon, even as I reached the quarterdeck.
"Hmm?" he replied absently, completely engrossed in his ship. I looked back at the battlement.
"Elizabeth and dear William there've decided to take a dip," I informed him, making a vague gesture in the direction of the fort. Jack pried his eyes away from the sea before him and looked behind me as the couple fell speedily toward the sea. He raised an eyebrow and called to the crew to drop anchor again and ready a boat, earning some confused looks in return, which he ignored and looked at me.
"Would you?"
I took another look at the two young people, who by this time had surfaced and begun to swim, then turned around with a slight sigh. "Oh yes, I'd be positively honored," I replied dryly. Jack nodded, ignoring my sarcasm, and clapped me on the shoulder as I passed him. I rolled my eyes and clapped him back before heading for the boats.
"What are you doing?" Anamaria asked sharply, eyeing me like a hawk as I reached the side of the ship and began to climb over it. I raised an eyebrow and stopped midway, one leg flung over the rail, and held up my hands in a placating manner.
"It seems we've got company," I explained, waving dimly in the direction of the now swimming Will and Elizabeth. "And I've been elected to retrieve them, the lucky bastard that I am..." I teetered slightly, not having the best balance at the moment, and ignored the look that she was giving me. "So now, if you'd excuse me, I really must be going," I finished, saluting her, and flung the other leg over the rail as well, both amused and intrigued by her lack of trust.
"What the hell are you doing?" I called to Will and Elizabeth, as I rowed into hearing distance. "Have you gone mad? One taste of adventure and you're ready to turn to piracy?" I pulled the oars hard and surged up to them, resuming my normal speaking tone with a grin. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't see this coming. Oh, sure, saltwater has always been in your blood," I inclined my head toward Will, who grinned back at me, "And I suppose the past couple of days just brought it to your brain as well. But Elizabeth? That's truly unexpected." I nodded, impressed, and she managed a strained-looking smile in return before she reached the side of the boat and latched onto it. The entire vessel tipped to the side with her weight, or, rather, the weight of her dress, and I tried to balance it out with my own. It didn't work. "Could you be a dear and let go for a moment?" I suggested, sprawling over the seat to keep the balance. As soon as she did, I leaned back over the side, grabbed her by the elbows, and hoisted her into the boat. Or, I tried to, but her sodden clothing slightly hindered my progress, and in the end Will had to push her in while I hoisted. "What the hell-" I began, pausing to drag her sopping form into the boat, "Have you got hidden in that thing?" I set her down and caught my breath before leaning back over the side to assist Will, who thankfully didn't have 80 pounds of dress to contend with.
"It's just the dress..." she replied, looking a little unwell from lack of oxygen. I shook my head as I helped Will into the boat and reached around my belt for a dagger.
"Here," I said, handing it to her handle-first. The blade was jagged and sharp, and Elizabeth's eyes widened considerably when she saw it. "Take it, it isn't going to hurt you unless you're an idiot and stab yourself. Cut those poofy things off." I gestured to the thick, fluffy layer of whatever- the-hell-it-was under her skirt that had absorbed all the water. "You're not going to need all those anyway, they'll just get in the way. All set, Will?" He nodded, so I took up the oars again, staring off at the horizon as I rowed. Elizabeth looked at the knife for a long moment before tentatively peeling back the top layer of wet fabric and beginning to cut off those poofy things... whatever the hell they were.
"You do need some clothes, you know," I told Elizabeth- who had made it onto the Pearl uninjured without the sodden poofy things- as I climbed back over the rail. She glanced down at the wet fabric.
"Yes, I do..." she agreed, giving me an odd look at my stating of the obvious. I shook my head as Jack gave the orders to set sail and headed for a brace, looking up into the rigging.
"Besides that," I elaborated, waving a hand absently in Anamaria's direction to, hopefully, help clarify my meaning. "In my experience, dresses and pirate ships tend not to mix so well."
"Oh..." she replied, taking a look at my outfit, which at the moment consisted of faded blue breeches, a loose, dirtied white shirt with a tighter black one underneath it, black boots, and a green bandana to keep my plain brown hair out of the way. "I see," she said thoughtfully, biting her lip. "Well, you and I should go find some clothes together at the next port. We could get you a dress or two-"
I grinned. "Don't count on that, lass," I interrupted, still squinting up into the rigging. "I have no use for or reason to own even a single dress."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing that one. "None at all?" she questioned.
I shook my head. "Nope," I replied cheerily, finishing with the brace and turning to face her. "Absolutely none." Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow again. "You may want to get that checked out," I mentioned, nodding at it.
"Are the stories true?" she demanded, ignoring my comment.
I snorted. "Of course they are. Nobody sat around writing them, you know. Now, if only this was related to the point in any way..."
"I seem to remember a few in which you wore dresses."
"Ah, so you follow my work then?" I responded airily, with a knowing grin. "Well, I do admit that I've donned the occasional dress for that type of thing, but those were disguises. I find them quite necessary for impersonating queens and the like." I shrugged. "Just a little thing I've picked up on over the years, call me crazy..."
"Well you functioned just fine in those stories!" she nearly shouted, oh-so-politely ignoring my little sarcastic comment as well. "You fought men and naval officers and a thousand other things, wearing dresses!"
I grinned, both at her irritation and at her choice of words. "Men and naval officers? I like that distinction. You're a bright girl, you know that? And spunky. That's a good combination. You'll make a good pirate." I patted her on the shoulder and started off toward the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck, beneath which there was a crate of rum. I rummaged around for a bottle. "Well..." I selected a nice looking one and straightened up again. "I'd love to stay and discuss myself and my adventures, but the crow's nest awaits." I pointed up to it and headed for the ropes that would get me there, but Elizabeth followed me.
"Why?" she asked simply, staring after me as I started to climb.
"Why what?" I replied, pausing to look down at her quizzically.
"Why do you reject everything even remotely ladylike? I realize you're a pirate, but..." She stopped and sighed, waving her arms around futilely by her sides. "Why?"
I grinned. "You want to know about my past then, is that what I'm hearing?"
"Yes, I suppose I do." She folded her arms and stared at me expectantly.
I grinned again. "Some other time," I assured her, gesturing dismissively with one hand as I resumed my climb. "Remind me some day when I'm drunk off my ass and I'll tell you all about myself and where I come from and all those nice details, the whole story. It's really not a grand wonderful epic anyway, though, and frankly I don't feel li-"
"Elizabeth, darling!" Jack called out suddenly from the helm, cutting me off mid-syllable. I grinned as Elizabeth opened her mouth, assumedly to tell him to wait, and I cut her off before she could say anything.
"Rule of thumb, especially on pirate ships? Don't get mouthy with the captain," I advised. She looked for a moment like she was going to argue with me, but I shot her a warning look that caused her to clamp her mouth shut and turn her full attention to Jack. He, however, didn't seem to notice or care about our little exchange and had continued on talking, namely about Elizabeth and "the eunuch" and heading to Tortuga to celebrate his Pearl. Never mind that "the eunuch" was standing right next him; it seemed to be sinking in that he had the Pearl back for good and he was getting drunker on that notion by the moment... so drunk, in fact, that he didn't even seem to notice, much less care about, the look he received from Will about his very attractive new nickname. I sniggered in amusement and shook my head as I reached the crow's nest and sprawled out, hanging my arms and legs over the sides, whistling some sea shanty or another that I'd probably forgotten the words to long ago. Then I glanced back at Port Royal, shrinking to a speck, and it hit me in the brain full force, a little fact that I'd always known but hadn't really appreciated like this for awhile. I grinned, staring out at the open sea as I uncorked the bottle of rum and took a swig.
'This is it,' I thought. 'This is home.'
A/N: BIG huge thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock. The last chapter was the prologue, here's where it really starts...
I leaned on the rail and watched the people on the battlement. The lobsters began to file away out of sight, headed back to their boring lives in a perfectly formed herd like the bunch of sheep they were. I made an amused noise in my throat as I watched Governor Swann standing with Will and Elizabeth, fidgeting and wringing his hands, apparently rather distressed by something. Elizabeth shook her head as she reached over to hug her father tightly, and he grabbed her hands, showing no sign of calming down. She shook her head again as he talked, hugged him once more, and turned to Will, taking his hand firmly. I frowned curiously as they both stepped up to the edge and stared down at the water.
'They wouldn't...' I thought, watching them glance at each other briefly. And then they jumped. 'Or... they would, then...'
"Jack!" I shouted suddenly, turning. Jack didn't remove his gaze from the horizon, even as I reached the quarterdeck.
"Hmm?" he replied absently, completely engrossed in his ship. I looked back at the battlement.
"Elizabeth and dear William there've decided to take a dip," I informed him, making a vague gesture in the direction of the fort. Jack pried his eyes away from the sea before him and looked behind me as the couple fell speedily toward the sea. He raised an eyebrow and called to the crew to drop anchor again and ready a boat, earning some confused looks in return, which he ignored and looked at me.
"Would you?"
I took another look at the two young people, who by this time had surfaced and begun to swim, then turned around with a slight sigh. "Oh yes, I'd be positively honored," I replied dryly. Jack nodded, ignoring my sarcasm, and clapped me on the shoulder as I passed him. I rolled my eyes and clapped him back before heading for the boats.
"What are you doing?" Anamaria asked sharply, eyeing me like a hawk as I reached the side of the ship and began to climb over it. I raised an eyebrow and stopped midway, one leg flung over the rail, and held up my hands in a placating manner.
"It seems we've got company," I explained, waving dimly in the direction of the now swimming Will and Elizabeth. "And I've been elected to retrieve them, the lucky bastard that I am..." I teetered slightly, not having the best balance at the moment, and ignored the look that she was giving me. "So now, if you'd excuse me, I really must be going," I finished, saluting her, and flung the other leg over the rail as well, both amused and intrigued by her lack of trust.
"What the hell are you doing?" I called to Will and Elizabeth, as I rowed into hearing distance. "Have you gone mad? One taste of adventure and you're ready to turn to piracy?" I pulled the oars hard and surged up to them, resuming my normal speaking tone with a grin. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't see this coming. Oh, sure, saltwater has always been in your blood," I inclined my head toward Will, who grinned back at me, "And I suppose the past couple of days just brought it to your brain as well. But Elizabeth? That's truly unexpected." I nodded, impressed, and she managed a strained-looking smile in return before she reached the side of the boat and latched onto it. The entire vessel tipped to the side with her weight, or, rather, the weight of her dress, and I tried to balance it out with my own. It didn't work. "Could you be a dear and let go for a moment?" I suggested, sprawling over the seat to keep the balance. As soon as she did, I leaned back over the side, grabbed her by the elbows, and hoisted her into the boat. Or, I tried to, but her sodden clothing slightly hindered my progress, and in the end Will had to push her in while I hoisted. "What the hell-" I began, pausing to drag her sopping form into the boat, "Have you got hidden in that thing?" I set her down and caught my breath before leaning back over the side to assist Will, who thankfully didn't have 80 pounds of dress to contend with.
"It's just the dress..." she replied, looking a little unwell from lack of oxygen. I shook my head as I helped Will into the boat and reached around my belt for a dagger.
"Here," I said, handing it to her handle-first. The blade was jagged and sharp, and Elizabeth's eyes widened considerably when she saw it. "Take it, it isn't going to hurt you unless you're an idiot and stab yourself. Cut those poofy things off." I gestured to the thick, fluffy layer of whatever- the-hell-it-was under her skirt that had absorbed all the water. "You're not going to need all those anyway, they'll just get in the way. All set, Will?" He nodded, so I took up the oars again, staring off at the horizon as I rowed. Elizabeth looked at the knife for a long moment before tentatively peeling back the top layer of wet fabric and beginning to cut off those poofy things... whatever the hell they were.
"You do need some clothes, you know," I told Elizabeth- who had made it onto the Pearl uninjured without the sodden poofy things- as I climbed back over the rail. She glanced down at the wet fabric.
"Yes, I do..." she agreed, giving me an odd look at my stating of the obvious. I shook my head as Jack gave the orders to set sail and headed for a brace, looking up into the rigging.
"Besides that," I elaborated, waving a hand absently in Anamaria's direction to, hopefully, help clarify my meaning. "In my experience, dresses and pirate ships tend not to mix so well."
"Oh..." she replied, taking a look at my outfit, which at the moment consisted of faded blue breeches, a loose, dirtied white shirt with a tighter black one underneath it, black boots, and a green bandana to keep my plain brown hair out of the way. "I see," she said thoughtfully, biting her lip. "Well, you and I should go find some clothes together at the next port. We could get you a dress or two-"
I grinned. "Don't count on that, lass," I interrupted, still squinting up into the rigging. "I have no use for or reason to own even a single dress."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing that one. "None at all?" she questioned.
I shook my head. "Nope," I replied cheerily, finishing with the brace and turning to face her. "Absolutely none." Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow again. "You may want to get that checked out," I mentioned, nodding at it.
"Are the stories true?" she demanded, ignoring my comment.
I snorted. "Of course they are. Nobody sat around writing them, you know. Now, if only this was related to the point in any way..."
"I seem to remember a few in which you wore dresses."
"Ah, so you follow my work then?" I responded airily, with a knowing grin. "Well, I do admit that I've donned the occasional dress for that type of thing, but those were disguises. I find them quite necessary for impersonating queens and the like." I shrugged. "Just a little thing I've picked up on over the years, call me crazy..."
"Well you functioned just fine in those stories!" she nearly shouted, oh-so-politely ignoring my little sarcastic comment as well. "You fought men and naval officers and a thousand other things, wearing dresses!"
I grinned, both at her irritation and at her choice of words. "Men and naval officers? I like that distinction. You're a bright girl, you know that? And spunky. That's a good combination. You'll make a good pirate." I patted her on the shoulder and started off toward the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck, beneath which there was a crate of rum. I rummaged around for a bottle. "Well..." I selected a nice looking one and straightened up again. "I'd love to stay and discuss myself and my adventures, but the crow's nest awaits." I pointed up to it and headed for the ropes that would get me there, but Elizabeth followed me.
"Why?" she asked simply, staring after me as I started to climb.
"Why what?" I replied, pausing to look down at her quizzically.
"Why do you reject everything even remotely ladylike? I realize you're a pirate, but..." She stopped and sighed, waving her arms around futilely by her sides. "Why?"
I grinned. "You want to know about my past then, is that what I'm hearing?"
"Yes, I suppose I do." She folded her arms and stared at me expectantly.
I grinned again. "Some other time," I assured her, gesturing dismissively with one hand as I resumed my climb. "Remind me some day when I'm drunk off my ass and I'll tell you all about myself and where I come from and all those nice details, the whole story. It's really not a grand wonderful epic anyway, though, and frankly I don't feel li-"
"Elizabeth, darling!" Jack called out suddenly from the helm, cutting me off mid-syllable. I grinned as Elizabeth opened her mouth, assumedly to tell him to wait, and I cut her off before she could say anything.
"Rule of thumb, especially on pirate ships? Don't get mouthy with the captain," I advised. She looked for a moment like she was going to argue with me, but I shot her a warning look that caused her to clamp her mouth shut and turn her full attention to Jack. He, however, didn't seem to notice or care about our little exchange and had continued on talking, namely about Elizabeth and "the eunuch" and heading to Tortuga to celebrate his Pearl. Never mind that "the eunuch" was standing right next him; it seemed to be sinking in that he had the Pearl back for good and he was getting drunker on that notion by the moment... so drunk, in fact, that he didn't even seem to notice, much less care about, the look he received from Will about his very attractive new nickname. I sniggered in amusement and shook my head as I reached the crow's nest and sprawled out, hanging my arms and legs over the sides, whistling some sea shanty or another that I'd probably forgotten the words to long ago. Then I glanced back at Port Royal, shrinking to a speck, and it hit me in the brain full force, a little fact that I'd always known but hadn't really appreciated like this for awhile. I grinned, staring out at the open sea as I uncorked the bottle of rum and took a swig.
'This is it,' I thought. 'This is home.'