OMFG. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH.
The other day, I was having the worst day imaginable, all this stuff was going wrong at work, and was just moody, and everything, so I finally get online and I have a total of 13 new reviews. You guys so so rock, and I love you all. *props and kudos and rum for everyone*
Now... as far as this chapter goes, it's short, and a bit pointless. I'll let you know that ahead of time, but there are some things that you should pay attention too. I won't say what. Mostly, I'm just throwing this in here for chaaracter development. I'd have added it to the uber short chapter 5 (Twisted Skirts and Stinking Thieves), but I didn't know if you guys would have gotten an author alert for that, since it's not really an update, just a modification. But anyway, you've been warned, so no flames telling me how bad this chapter sucks. I know it does, just bear with me, I'm plotting pivotal stuff right now for this story. And from the looks of things, this story is gonna be long. Hehe.
NOW! Since I don't wanna keep my reviewers waitin (MEEPPPSSS!!!! lol got that from beautifulbrat, thank you!!!), I'll do the rest of my talkin'-ness after the chapter. READ ON, FINE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!!!
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After only a few minutes, the small group reached reached the docks, Nova not raising her tear-filled eyes from the ground. Neither of the two men made any move to comfort her, since neither knew how, but Jack felt sorry for the girl - she reminded him of himself when he was fresh off on his own, in some weird way. Will, however, didn't feel even the least bit sorry for her. The less he thought about her being around, the better he felt, because something about her tore his insides apart.
The sun, rising quickly, beat down as the three of them plodded across the wooden dock, three sets of footsteps following three rhythms. The harbormaster turned quikly as his ears caught the sound of them coming along, and approached Jack sternly. For a brief moment, Nova was frightened, knowing the last thing she needed was for Jack and Will to be discovered as pirates, they'd be hung instantly. Then she wondered if she'd be guilty by association, but only time - and the harbormasters reaction to Jack - would tell.
To her surprise, Jack smiled warmly at the short, stout man, who in turn softened his gaze. "Ahh, Mr. Smith! So good to see you again!" The man said, a false note of enthusiasm ever present, but Jack chose to ignore it, only smirking as he fumbled in his pockets. "Aye, George, I'm almost sure ye think so." At the sound of his given name, the harbormaster's eyes turned disapproving, but again turned friendly as Jack slid five shillings across the book he was holding. "I suppose that would be enough, wouldn' it?" George, although not as pleased with the amount as Jack would have hoped, closed his chubby fingers around the coins, nodding slowly. "Aye, and a good day to you, Mr. Smith." he said uncomfortably, turning on his heels, heading off to another dock.
Nova had put herself more behind Will than she would have really liked, but the fear of being seen was too real for her, and she knew she had to be smart about leaving, or she'd be found. But the exchange between Jack and the harbormaster had been too interesting, and the wit she realized Jack had - and disguised, quite well, actually - was in fact present. She made a mental note to be on her toes around him, not pulling her eyes away from him as he finished his business with the Harbormaster. Catching her eyes upon him, he stared blankly at Nova, waiting for her to look away, to blush, to do any of the girly things she had been so prone to do in the evening he had known her. When she didn't, he was perplexed. "Wot!?" he exclaimed. That snapped her from her reverie, and she shook her head wildly as Will and Jack exchanged looks of confusion and disbelief. Shrugging, Jack lead Will and Nova to the small boat, which rocked with the waves, that would take them to the Pearl.
"Fine, fine, damn ye, girl..." he muttered, climbing in behind Will. Nova stood three feet behind him, not having moved an inch. "Nova, we haven' go' all day, to sit here in the sun, baking. So come on, then, luv, get in!" Jack told her, his voice lined with annoyance. He needed a drink - badly - but to get one, he needed to get to the Pearl. He couldn't do that until she was in the boat.
After watching him climb in, watching the boat sway with his weight, Nova felt her confidence in her plan falter. Apparently Jack and Will noticed it too, for Jack continued to stare, and Will chuckled arrogantly. "Oh yes, Jack. Fine sailor you've found us. Afraid of a dingy." He smirked, but wiped the look from his face as Jack shot him a look that reeked of authority, and Nova smiled at him gratefully, Will now glowering at the both of them quietly.
"Nova, please! Get in the boat, luv!" He exclaimed, reaching his hand out for hers, and she took it, gasping inaudibly as their fingers touched. She looked at Jack, praying with all her might he hadn't heard her as she tried not to blush. Unluckily for her, her prayers were only partially answered.
Jack hadn't heard her. Will had.
As he sat smirking in the little boat, she shot him a mixed look, both threatening him to say nothing, but moreso pleading with him to consider her feelings as she sat beside him. He only rolled his eyes, turning his face from her to look out at the sea as she settled herself on the hard wooden seat. Jack smiled proudly at her. "We'll be makin' a pirate out of you, yet, lass!" He exclaimed, and she snorted, her face plastered with dry humor. "Hardly." Although he chose to ignore the comment, he wouldn't give up on her. "You'll be helpin' row now, luv..." She looked at him, her mouth gaping wide. "Have you gone mad?! What do you take me for, some common seaman?! I've never been in a boat my whole life long, let alone rowed one! Isn't my being in the bloody thing enough?!"
As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she regretted them, gasping loudly as her hand flew to her mouth. Both Will and Jack were silent as well, although both were staring at the other, exchanging flabbergasted glances.
Jack smirked, handing Nova an oar, and she stared at it, bewildered. Will watched her, chuckling, and Jack silently raised his eyes at Will, giving him a second warning. Again, he was quieted. "Ja-Captain..." Nova stopped herself from making another slip-up, and Jack smiled warmly. "Good t'know ye know how to follow orders, luv... now then, wot is it ye were sayin'?" She looked at him, then to the oar, then to him again, and he nodded. The near-painful realization that she knew absolutely nothing hit him at too early an hour, with too little rum in his system, and he rubbed his temples.
"Err... right, then..." he told her, raising his face to look her over. "Well... just try... and Will can teach ye... right, Will?" The tanned pirate leaned back in the little boat, ignoring the angry glare Will was giving him. He directed Nova to put her oar in the water, and she did. "Alright... follow my lead...." he grumbled, and began to row.
Nove really tried to give an honest effort, but the now-blazing sun, reflecting off the sea was burning her eyes, and she felt herself grow dizzy, beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. She felt a sharp pain in the palm of her hand, and dropped the oar, raising her hand to look it over. "Oww..!" she moaned, wincing as she saw the huge splinter embedded in her red, now blistering hand. Will peered over her shoulder, glancing down at it, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop. Pick the oar up and let's go, your hands are bound for worse than this, anyway." She shot him a glare, but nodded slowly, blinking away the tears as she turned back to her oar. But this time, she could hardly move it. She had never worked a day in her life, and her hands stung with every movement, her arms aching.
As she raised her head, going to pull her handkerchief out of her sleeve so she could have something to protect her hands from the wood, she glanced at Jack, who had began to hum. Will sighed, exasperated as Jack continued, and Nova wrapped the handkerchief around her hands the best she could, as quickly as she could, when Will snatched the oar from her. "Give me that... we'll make no progress if you row... acting like a right spoiled ninny."
Nova's head snapped up, shooting daggers at him through her eyes. She'd had enough of his snide comments. "Well, excuse me, Mr. Turner, for being new and bad at this, surely there's got to be something you're bad at, or do you really know everything like you act as though you do?!"
He sneered at her. "If I didn't have some small idea of what I was doing, I wouldn't be doing it!"
"AND DEVILS AND BLACK SHEEP AND REALLY BAD E-"
"Jack, shut up with that bloody song!!"
In the midst of their argument, Will and Nova didn't notice Jack replace his humming with singing, and they didn't notice him singing louder and louder to smother their bickering until he was shouting over them. But it was when Will snapped at Jack that the entire thing went too far.
Jacks eyes popped open, and first he gave Nova an, "I'll deal with you later" look before he turned to the only person who could talk to him like that and live to do it again - Will.
"William?"
"Yes...?"
"When I die, and I leave ye my ship, ye will be Captain, an' I will be dead. Savvy so far?" Will sighed, as though he had heard this speech before.
"Aye, savvy."
"Alright... then until then, I'm the Captain, and I'll be choosin' the songs, eh?"
"Aye... my apologies..."
Will muttered the last part, and even though he didn't say it loud enough for Jack to hear, Jack did know he was sorry. Will rowed in silence, occasionally shooting a nasty glance at Nova, who was trying not to touch anything for fear of hurting her hands, and it was Jacks voice that broke the silence as his eyes spanned the horizon.
"There she is... The Black Pearl..."
Nova turned her heads upwards, shielding her eyes with her less-wounded hand, and as her stare fell upon the ship, she felt both a surge of hope and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
'If only Elizabeth could've had this sort of adventure...' She thought, clueless to the skeletons in Elizabeths - and Wills, and Jacks - closets.
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HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!! YAY! I'VE DONE IT AGAIN! I promise the next few chapters will have some really good pirate-y goodness. I'd have put it in earlier, but it wouldn't have made sense. hehe. Alright, so here are my Reviewers notes... *sighs happily* Reviewers... meaning more than one... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
RMT: Sorry, can't tell! They might have a little... err... fling. NOT! Elizabeth... well, she'll... and... sorry, nope, can't tell you! Gotta wait to find out! *grins evilly* Thanks much for the review, mate!
Memory Untainted: I'm older... so... umm... JACKS THE CAPTAIN! YAYAYYAYYAY! *dances* lol I dun wanna be the captain if I'm competing with you. yes. Mexico. No. THE CARIBBEAN!!! EEEKKS!! I JUST GOT A REALLY GOOD IDEA!! A REALLY GOOD ONE! ITS ALL BECAUSE OF THIS YAYAYYAYAYAYAYY!!! *dances* MUST WRITE IT DOWN! okies, MEEPS, don't keelhaul me, I updated. Damnit. Yes, somethin' bad is gonna happen. And you are clairvoyant. %_^ LIKE ME!!!! *happy dances* Lol, we all have a grudge against Elizabeth. *growls at her* Anyway, I need your help today! I need the map thingie! YOU MUST HELP!!! *tears* I won't update if you don't help me. REVIEWERS ATAAAACKKKK!!!! *points at Memory Untainted* (Haha, I have an army. *grins*). Thanks for being a loyal reviewer, I'll update La Isla Bonita just for yooouuu!! %_~ (winking pirate... lol)
Allasrya: WOW! My first piece of constructive critism! Thanks much! Her name, which I was going to change, actually, to just Nova, is pronounced No-vya-lee. Like George Dubya? No-vya. lol. But everyone calls her Nova, which has relations to the word Butterfly... MEEPS, I'm giving away plot stuff. Heehee. I should stop now. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT REVIEW, MATE! *cheers*
Captain Crimson: YAY! THE CAP'N LIKES IT!!! *does a dance* Thanks much, hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Melinda:Thanks!!! That's soooo nice!!! *does another happy dance*
K/c:No, YOU brightened MY day! I couldn't believe the great reviews you left, I was so happy, I wanted to cry. I'm really glad someone's noticed that Nova isn't perfect, and she may be pretty, but she's not a Mary-Sue. *glares at certain reviewers who reviewed when she had this posted on her old penname* Yeah, Will's gonna be a shithead for a few more chapters, not sure how many more though, but if you're wondering why he's so bitter, then you'll prolly wanna read my story "Moments of Value"... explains the whole thing... AND THERE IS LIZZIE BASHING IN IT! YAYAYAYYAYA!!!! *dances* Thanks again, so so much. I am forever grateful.
EEKS! I am so happy. So far I'm on the favorites list of 6 people, and the alert list of 12. Bloody fantastic. I love you guys!!!
And when the wind hits my sails, I'm...gone...
Mistress Heavily, AKA, Bonnie Pirate Lass