AN (1/16): I have officially declared myself insane. That's the reasons for all the delays on this chapter. That and all the stupid finals I had. I promise to put the next chapter up by Tuesday, at the latest.
Chapter 7- Pâquerette
Jack wiped the sweat off his brow as he sat on the deck of the Pearl, panting. The world looked a bit fuzzy, due to the sweat that had fallen into his liquid brown eyes. He regained his breath in a moment and quickly stood again. He reached over and grabbed the sweaty rope he'd let slip from his grip. The other pirates had chuckled a bit when he had lost his grip, but they had quickly changed their attention to the prize before the Pearl.
Jack began pulling on the rope again, anticipating his first actual piratical act since signing onto the crew three months ago. It had been an invigorating change. Jack adjusted to life on the Pearl faster than even he had anticipated. Although Jack had never been on a ship in his life, he was able to sense when a swell was coming and adjusted in advance. He did not get the slightest bit seasick, which is indeed rare on one's first trip. The crew had been astonished at how fast he had adapted. Many were a bit superstitious, claiming that Jack had to be possessed by devils. These notions were soon forgotten, however, because Jack always did as he was told and was not out to be a troublemaker. The crew gradually began accepting Jack as part of their "family".
Jack looked over the side of the dark wood of the Pearl. On the blue horizon sat a small sloop, bobbing up and down in the aquamarine water. Sailors inside the ship were scurrying about like insects, trying to outrun the Pearl. The Pearl had been steadily gaining on the small merchant ship flying French colors. They had been shadowing it for the past three days. Captain Calico Jack had just recently given the order to raise the Jolly Roger. Pirate ships followed other ships for days to determine if they were worth the effort to plunder. They often had false colors flying to lull the other ship into a false sense of security.
Jack snapped out of his reverie when he heard the first mate yell with a slightly strained voice, "Out wi' the sweeps, ye scurvy dogs." Shouts of assent from the crew rang out. Half the crew rushed below deck, some heading for the cannonballs and others to the large sweeps, oars that made the Pearl one of the fastest ships in the entire Caribbean. The Pearl was less than a league away from the small sloop.
Bootstrap walked over to Jack, not looking the slightest bit worried. "Lovely day, i'n it?" He grinned as he noticed the slightly pale look on Jack's face. "I reckon this one'll be 'ard t' get. She's got at leas' fourteen guns, I'd say." Bootstrap grinned again.
"An' y' think that's funny, eh, William?" Jack tightened the rope more securely and tied it quickly to some protruding wood on the starboard side of the main deck. He rushed below deck, into the deep dark belly of the Pearl. He was faintly amused to hear Bootstrap's footfalls behind him.
"Eh, Jack, boy." Jack turned to face Bootstrap in the hold. "There be no need t' fear. Cap'n Calicois one o' the bes' cap'ns around." Bootstrap smiled reassuringly.
"I'm not scared, dear William. Wha' gave y' that impression, eh?" Jack laughed easily. "I'm Jack Sparrow, savvy? I'm goin' t' be the best pirate in the Caribbean. I see no need fer me to fear me first battle." Jack walked to the large crates of cannonballs and lifted one up. "Are y' goin' t' 'elp me or jus' stan' there?"
"Alright, boy. I jus' assumed that ye'd be a bit apprehensive. I certainly was on me first time." Bootstrap went over to the cannonballs and grabbed one as well. Jack and Bootstrap looked at each other and smiled.
Jack then hurried up to the gun deck and gave his heavy black cargo to Anne Bonney, one of the two rare female pirates aboard the Pearl. She smiled sweetly, sizing him up with her green eyes and loaded the cannonball inside the large cannon that the Pearl carried. She then lit the fuse on fire and laughed maniacally at the large hole the cannonball made in the side of the enemies' sloop.
Jack and Bootstrap ran down to the hold and up to the gun deck repeatedly during the long battle, always grabbing fresh ammo for the cannon shooters above. The French sloop managed to damage the Pearl enough that the crew would have to make a stopover sometime soon, but not enough to cause any real damage.
Jack tensed as he pulled his cutlass out of his scabbard. Bootstrap was standing next to him, mentally preparing himself for battle as well. Various other crewmembers hurriedly scurried across the small planks linking the two ships together.
Jack, covered with a thin coating of sweat and dust, walked across the small plank to the tiny sloop behind Bootstrap. A flash of red in the sunlight caught Jack's attention once he put his feet firmly on the main deck of the small French sloop. He looked towards the red flash and saw a beautiful redhead in a spectacular burgundy dress with a shining cutlass in her capable hands. The bodies of a few of the Pearl's less fortunate crewmembers surrounded her. She had a frantic look in her blue eyes as she spotted Jack and began walking towards him, carefully avoiding the other battles and dead bodies strewn on the small deck.
Jack gulped a bit as he steadied his arm holding his cutlass. Bootstrap looked at him apologetically and rushed to the aid of Captain Calico Jack, who was in a bit of a sticky situation with the portly captain of the French sloop. Jack then headed to the stern of the small ship, to get away from all the other battles. He didn't want any of the other crew to help him with his first battle.
The redhead promptly followed Jack, ignoring the cries of her comrades. She approached him and moved her sword menacingly. Jack gave her an odd look. Most women couldn't ignore the sounds of those who were on their ship, although most women didn't sail at all. He looked over at Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the female pirates on the Pearl. It didn't surprise him to see them helping Bootstrap clear away French sailors in an attempt to help Calico Jack.
"'Ello, luv." Jack smiled, trying to distract the redhead from her obvious bloodlust. She walked up to him, pausing a bit when he spoke. Jack sighed, relieved that she wasn't going to fight him. He was afraid of destroying something so beautiful, for indeed she was. Her face was perfectly symmetrical. Her eyes had a slight almond shape, and the iris was a beautiful shade of blue. It was almost like gazing into the depths of the sea. Her figure perfectly complimented the slightly revealing dress she was in.
The girl muttered something in French, smiled seductively, and spat at Jack. Jack watched in faint amusement as the spittle did a perfect arch and reflected the sunlight. He moved, so he would't be hit and turned his attention back to the girl. It surprised him a bit when he felt something wet hit his cheek. The girl had compensated for the move Jack was going to make. Jack laughed and wiped the spittle from his cheek. "If y' insist, luv, we'll do it your way. En guarde." Jack raised his cutlass and the weapons began whirring.
Jack parried every single blow the girl hit him with, appearing to remain on the defensive. He'd learned this method from Bootstrap a week ago. It was best to make the opponent think they had the advantage, because they got sloppier and sloppier as the battle wore on.
The girl smiled menacingly as Jack parried an incredibly intense blow aimed at his head. Jack grinned back, as if they were having a pleasant conversation. The girl growled and lunged even harder.
Jack didn't even know why he was aggravating the girl so much. He could easily win and watch her form fall to the deck, dead, but some inexplicable voice in the back of his head told him to wait for a more opportune situation. He seemed to get calmer and calmer as the girl struck harder and harder.
Jack noticed the girl falter for a moment, trying to regain some energy. Jack saw his chance and pulled a move too fast, really to even see. He managed to disarm her, pull her now emptied hand behind her back, and put his own cutlass to her throat. He then pulled the redhead up next to his virile body. He felt an uncontrollable urge to kiss her, as he felt her weary body tremble from the exertion it had just spent.
"See luv? Y' din' have to go through all that trouble jus' t' lose. Y' shoulda jus' come wi' me in the first place." Jack smiled as he felt the girl tense.
"Je n'parle pas anglais. Tu es un grande couchon." The girl spit on Jack's hand.
"Ah, I see 'ow it is. Alright, me French's a bit rusty. Comment t'appelle tu?" Jack blinked his liquid brown eyes, straining to remember all the French he'd taken as a boy at his father's insistence. He tightened his grip on the weary girl.
"Je m'appelle Mademoiselle Pâquerette Jouer. Ma pere est le pirate de Jouer." The girl spoke through ragged breaths, still trying to regain her strength.
"You're the pirate Jouer's daughter!" Jack seemed incredibly stunned. The redhead in front nodded. Jack grinned, full of greed. The legendary pirate Jouer was rumored to have more riches than the English crown.
"Oui. Il est moi pere, couchon. Me permettre de va!" The girl spoke with as much vehemence as she could muster.
"All right, Pâquerette. I'll le' y' go." Jack instantly released his grip on the voluptuous Pâquerette. He quickly grabbed her cutlass and threw it overboard as Pâquerette lunged for it. Pâquerette turned and stared at Jack with her icy blue eyes with such intensity that Jack was sure there were a few holes in his head. "Sorry luv. I don' wan' you to use tha' against me. Would you please come wi' me t' me cap'n? He will decide wha' will become of you." Jack looked down at the main deck and quickly noted where Calico Jack was. Jack was surprised to see Calico Jack and the French captain were the only ones still fighting. Jack pointed his sword into the Pâquerette's back.
The fiery redhead spat on the deck of the sloop and began walking, forced into movement by the small burst of pain the tip of the cutlass in her back produced.
Jack laughed. "Y'r mighty good at spittin', luv." He forcefully led her towards the negotiations between Captain Calico Jack and the captain of the French vessel. The Pearl crewmembers whistled their approval as he approached the now stationary Calico Jack and French captain.
Calico Jack looked at Jack with a faint smile of amusement. "Fin' something boy?" Jack grinned and nodded. Jack then made Pâquerette move to face the two captains.
"Well, captain, I think the negotiations are over." Calico Jack turned and pointed to the girl. "Unless y' want to lose this fine lass."
The French captain snickered at this point. "She is of no importance, monsieur. She is a criminal." He spoke with heavily accented English. Jack couldn't help but stare at the man's girth. His double chin wobbled with each word he spoke.
The redhead spat at the captain, hitting him on the cheek with her translucent spittle. Jack chuckled as he watched the portly French captain clean his cheek with disdain. "She was found trying to sneak into ze ship. I think zat she was trying to take over my ship, monsieur. You can 'ave her, for I would be glad to lose the little hellion." The portly captain bowed to Calico Jack. His blue robes swayed in the slight breeze. "You can 'ave my cargo as well. I want nozing to do with pirates ever again." He walked to his quarters, followed by the meager amounts of remaining crew he still had.
Calico Jack turned his attention to the redhead. "A stow away, eh? Jack, I wan' ye to dispose o' her. I don' wan' no stow-aways on me ship. They always mean trouble." He grinned evilly at Pâquerette.
Jack looked into Calico Jack's eyes and spoke earnestly. "She said her father was the pirate Jouer, sir. We could use her as leverage later."
"Are y' sure, boy?" Calico Jack's eyes gleamed with greed at the mention of the word Jouer.
"Reas'nably sure, sir. I speak a smattering of French." Jack grinned.
"Alright, boy. Take 'er to the Pearl an' put her in the brig. You can 'ave the responsibility of takin' care o' her." Calico Jack looked at the other crewmembers. "Well, what're ye doin' standin' around? Go and pilfer some goods, boys." Calico Jack turned and headed back to the Pearl. Anne Bonney patted Jack on the back, signaling her approval. Then the rest of the crew sprang to action, going below the sloop's small main deck in search of booty.
Jack was soon alone with Pâquerette again. He poked her with his sword. "Let's go, luv. Don' wan' t' disappoint the cap'n." He led her to the port side of the sloop. She hesitated when he poked her again to go across the small plank joining the two ships.
Jack poked her once again, but she refused to move, apparently afraid of crossing to the other ship. Jack could understand why she'd be apprehensive, but after seeing her display of courage, it was hard to stomach that crossing something like this would frighten her. Jack was apprehensive of a trick.
"Fine, luv. I'll carry you across." Jack quickly sheathed his cutlass and picked Pâquerette up. It was amazing how heavy she was, due to her billowing burgundy dress. He looked into her tempting blue eyes and winked. He held her so tight she could only move her delicate legs.
"Je vous déteste, vous le chien anglais!" She spat into his face again, struggling to get free from his strong grasp, kicking with all her might.
"Tha' wasn' very nice, luv. What is it wi' you an' your infatuation wi' spittin?" Jack rubbed his cheek clean on her shoulder, laughing as she shuddered. "Shall we cross, then, luv? Or d' y' wan' me to jus' hold you?" Jack smiled his peculiar grin at the girl's clueless expression. "Right, we'll cross."
Jack took one cautious step onto the small plank joining the two ships together. Pâquerette quickly calmed, seeing the perilous position she was in. She tensed as Jack made cautious steps toward the safety of the Pearl.
Jack soon reached the Pearl, but he did not set Pâquerette down on to the main deck of the dark brown Pearl. She promptly began struggling again, when she noticed there was something solid underneath her again. "Can' we jus' get along?" Jack looked into the Pâquerette's eyes with sorrow. "I mean, you're such a pretty girl. I don' wan' you t' have t' experience the affections o' the whole crew t'night. If y' act nice, I might put in a good word t' the cap'n."
Pâquerette looked at him, struggling to piece together what he'd said. She looked at him, frustration bubbling up into her tempting blue eyes. "Je ne peux pas vous comprendre, le cochon."
Jack rolled his eyes and repeated what he'd just said in perfect French as he opened the door to go below deck.
"L'amende, j'arrêterai de lutter. Je ne veux pas devenir une chose de pièce pour votre équipage." The girl promptly stopped struggling. Jack was very appreciative, for he had started getting apprehensive about taking the girl down the narrow staircase to the brig with her struggling as wildly as she had been struggling.
"Good, luv. I jus' hope the cap'n will listen." Jack smiled a genuine smile of appreciation. They soon made it safely down the stairs to the brig. Jack set Pâquerette down inside one of the small rectangular cells. He apprehensively backed towards the door. Pâquerette did nothing, seemingly accepting her fate. Jack soon reached the door of the cell and shut it, looking into the square holes of the cruel iron and feeling intensely sorry for the girl.
Jack smiled his half smile, allowing some pity to show through his eyes. "I'm sorry, luv. I jus' hope th' cap'n won' let the crew 'ave their way wi' you." He bowed to the girl standing regally in the cruel cage. He carefully walked up the stairs, hoping he could do whatever he could to help the beautiful girl.
Kira Doom- Thank you, luv.
Otherhawk- Yep, its nice to see there's an actual reason all the girls slap him, although Anamaria had a good reason in the movie.
ChaosLightning13- Thank you once again for being such a loyal reviewer. It's always better to read things out loud-unless you have a monotonous voice.
Charity- Thanks, luv. I appreciate it. Nice to know someone I actually know likes it.
Sida- Have another pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Pirates guild (especially Daisy)- you guys are all so supportive of my crazy ideas. You all get cookies-except for saurian, who gets some parfait. Daisy, you are totally the inspiration for the redhead, although I bet you don't spit that well. I would really appreciate it if all of you would put your reviews on this site, so I feel happier when I check my e-mail. I like getting reviews.