by Cherry-Alanna and LittleBlackStarz
~Chapter 1~ Old Friends
The docks surrounding the usually deserted (well, at this time of day, anyway) English ports rang with footsteps and shouts as the able-bodied crew of the Black Pearl secretly stocked up their ship.
It wasn't even dawn, but the crew walked quickly from dock to ship, taking what they needed for their new and latest journey. And their quickness and liveliness only increased due to the lack of nobles milling around.
Yet, in the mist of the quiet commotion, was Captain Jack Sparrow standing solely at the wheel of his ship.
Jack Sparrow had rarely felt happiness anywhere other than on a ship. And now that he had the Pearl back, that happiness wouldn't decrease anytime soon...but he couldn't let his crew see it. No respectable pirate ever revealed his true emotions unless one was facing death. However he couldn't help being overjoyed with feelings that he didn't want to be having...nevertheless, the Black Pearl was his own once more, and together would they roam the seven seas.
"Ahoy there, Captain," a voice called out to him.
Jack froze, the hairs on the back of his deeply tanned neck standing up. He knew that voice; that light and carefree tone. He knew that voice as well as he knew his own ship.
Jack turned, slowly lifting his chocolate brown eyes from the blue depths of the ocean to meet her stormy grey ones.
"Adelia," he said, both pleased and shocked to see her. "My first love. What are ye doin' here?"
Adelia Emerson was one of the youngest pirate wenches around, being only 19, and somehow Jack liked to think he had a part in her success. After all, he had watched over her, fed her, clothed her, and been like an older brother to the girl since she was six. (a/n: You'll learn more about Jack's connection to Adelia later.) A scrawny, dirty, and unwanted little red-headed child she was when he taken her away from her original life. Yet, the woman before him was nothing like the child she had been.
Her long, rich auburn hair was gently being carried by the breeze, and her grey eyes that resembled a strom at sea were focused on her oldest friend. Her cheeks were rosy against her pale skin that hadn't seen the sun for some time. Her face was almost flawless, with the exception of the hint of a small, healed scar above her left eyebrow. She was tall and slender, and wore the formal gear of a man, such as many wenches did. She wore dark black breeches, a creamy long-sleeved shirt, and red + white striped stockings under the breeches. She also wore a sword belt, as he did, complete with a sword, two guns, and quite a few hidden daggers.
"Permission to board, sir," Adelia asked, her tone and eyes teasing him.
"Permission granted," Jack replied as he laughed.
Adelia gracefully walked on board, but practically bounded to her old friend. After a hearty and long embrace, both broke away, but he continued to rest his hands on her shoulders.
"Now, love, ye never answered me question," Jack informed her. "How did ye find me?"
Her eyes clouded over for a brief moment; the storm disappearing as fast as it had conjured. "How I found you is my business...savvy?"
Jack only smirked, knowing he shouldn't and wouldn't continue the particular subject, for fear of her exploding, red-hot temper that Adelia never could seem to have a reign on. Adelia never hesitated to speak her mind, and never questioned using her tempet just to irk people, but either way she was never sorry for it later.
"Alright," he said, "Don't tell me, but is there something ye're wanting of me?"
Adelia smiled, revealing her straight white teeth; he knew her too well. "Jack, I've come to ask a favor of ye. I need yer help."
Jack became confused. "What is it, love?"
"I want you to take me with you."
His eyes widened. "On the Pearl?"
"No, on the moon. Yes, of course, on the Pearl!"
"No, Adelia," Jack objected firmly and then put a hand over her mouth when he saw she opened it to protest. "And there's no need to be sweet talkin' me."
Before she broke her mouth free by biting his hand, she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously.
"I wasn't goin' to sweet talk you," she retorted. "What I was goin' to say wasn't sweet. But, Jack, why can't I go with ye?" She pouted as she used to in the past to win his sympathies.
Jack couldn't stand that look on her face, so he started to walk away, only to have Adelia chasing after him.
"Jack Sparrow, don't you walk away from me," she advised. The next thing Jack knew he was being pounced on from behind by her. He fell to the deck with an "oof" and then groaned when Adelia turned him over and planted herself solidly on his stomach.
Jack grunted. "I've never hit a woman before, but ye're comin' quite close, love."
"I'm not movin' until you agree to take me away from these bloody nobles! Jack, when I was six years old, you didn't hesitate to take me in. A bastard's child I was, and you treated me like a younger sister...what's the difference between then and now?"
"The difference, love, is that then, ye were an innocent child, but now, yer a tempermental annoyance!" Jack grunted, his eyes glaring amusedly, yet good-naturedly, at her.
Adelia, however, was a little less than amused.
"It's an annoyance I am, aye?" she growled, her hands inching closer to his throat. Jack struggled to knock her off, but she held her grip. Furthering her hands to close over Jack throst, he gasped and tried to push her hands away, failing, and then finally giving up.
"Okay! Okay!" he wheezed, giving Adelia one last hard push, this time knocking her to the ground. "You can board the Pearl, but no more touching me neck!" Jack added, touching his throat tentatively.
Adelia jumped for joy, very pleased with herself. Flicking Jack's hat fondly, Adelia smirked and trotted off to fetch her bag. Jack rolled his eyes and headed back to the wheel of the ship. Sighing deeply, he pulled out his compass and checked which direction he was to steer the ship. It's off to find some gorgeous waves far away from land, he thought blissfully, blessing every moment he could have on his ship. Calling out to his men, Jack prepared to set sail and go anywhere his imagination would take him. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the docks.
"Jack!" Jack turned to see a man running towards him as quickly as he could. He smiled broadly as he recognized the man as Will Turner.
"'Ello, lad!" Jack waved, hopping down from the Pearl. "What brings ye here? Where's Elizabeth?"
A dark shadow passed over Will's face as he glanced down, taking a deep breath. "I've come over on a merchant ship from the Caribbean, hoping to catch up with you."
"Continue..." Jack suggested, interested.
"I need you to take me to Spain." Will continued, a pleading look in his brown eyes. Jack cocked an eyebrow, considering the prospect.
"Give me your reason for goin' to Spain, and if it's reasonable than I'll consider it."
Will smiled weakly, hoping he wouldn't sound like an idiot. Considering his options for a moment, Will realized that Jack would never go for the long-lost sister prospect, which was in turn the truth. So, thinking hard, Will came up with an excuse.
"I overheard some fo the men down in Tortuga talking about the alcohol in Spain...apparently, it's taste and effect surpasses that of any rum in the Caribbean."
"Any rum in the Caribbean, you say?" Jack replied, fingering his mustache at the thought. "So let me get this straight: ye, William Turner, chooser of water over wine, has decied to risk sailing on a merchant ship all the way to England in the slim hopes of finding me and the Pearl here, just to ask if we could take ye to Spain to fetch some miracle alcohol?"
"Um...yes...?" Will responded, hoping Jack would fall for it. A broad smile came over Jack's face as he patted Will on the shoulder.
"I always knew ye was a man after me own heart!" Jack bellowed. "Now, let's go get us some sweet, sweet alcohol!"
~*~
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