Chapter Four: Bootstrap enters the picture
The man that had stepped out stood with a shocked expression on his face. "Jack...."
"'allo, William." He grinned. "Finally met yer lad. Nice kid, 'e is. Too much like you, though. Out and out bloody stupid sometimes. Care to let us down?"
William stood in shock for a moment and a half and then shook his head slowly. "You're dead, Jack."
"Am I?" the pirate captain asked. "Someone needs to let me know 'bout these things."
William shook his head and chuckled. He eased the net and captives down, landing them only with a small bump. The net fell away from them and they both stood, Jack swaying slightly.
Will was the first to step forward, eyes locked with his father. "I never thought this day would come," he whispered, mostly to himself.
William stepped up to him, looking at him closely. "Will? My lad's grown up.... Has it been so long?"
Jack could swear he saw tears in his old friend's eyes as the two men embraced. He shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable. This is for Will, he reminded himself. His "one good deed for the year" as he had told Ana Maria. No matter how much he told himself that, his mind seemed to wander back to days passed. Particularly the mutiny. Had William known more.... No... no, Jack corrected himself silently. Even if he did that was in the past and William was his good, loyal, and most trusted friend. That was the reason that he had brought Will to see him. He TRUSTED William.
"Jack?"
Jack looked startled as he came out of his inner thoughts. "Aye?"
Father and son pair were looking at him oddly, making Jack grin.
William broke into a grin as well. "Haven't changed a bit, 'ave ye, Jack?"
"I've changed a bit."
William nodded, noticing the lack of speaking that Jack was doing. The man that he remembered would have been running his mouth off now, asking for a bottle of rum, something.
"So, where's yer place, mate? 'm gonna be a bit disappointed if ye've not a proper stash of somethin' good to drink."
Ah there it was! That was the lad he had left behind. William chuckled. "Up the way a bit. Ye both have some story tellin' to do, though. The last ten or eleven years, I'd wager."
----------------------
"So Barbossa's dead?" William asked.
"S'far as I know 'e is," Jack answered with another swig from the rum bottle. "The curse was lifted an' I shot 'im through the 'eart. I'd call 'im dead."
William laughed. "Do you realize that Jack couldn' hit anythin' when I first met 'im. 'ey tried givin' 'im a gun and took it away quick enough."
Jack made a face. "I was fourteen, William."
"But taught ye right."
Jack grinned and nodded. "'deed ye did. Yer father, Will, is the best - well second best now – shot in the Caribbean."
"An' who's the first?" Will asked with a smirk.
"Me of course," the captain answered matter of factly.
"Since when?"
The two other men laughed and Jack frowned. "Thanks, lad, thanks very much," the captain said sarcastically.
Will was the first to stop laughing. "Well, about a year ago when we got back to Port Royal – you remember Elizabeth that we told you about? – I married her."
"Did ye now?" William asked with a wide grin. "Do I have grandkids I don't know about?"
"Aye. We named him after you." Will took a small sip of the liquor in front of him. Per the usual, Jack was drunk enough for both of them. "I'd like you to come back with us, if you would," he said at length.
William set his glass down. "I'll consider it, my boy."
----------------------------
"Can't stay indoors, can you, Jack?"
Jack turned to see William coming up behind him. He'd left the small house some time ago to look at the stars. The pirate captain shrugged. "'m not one to be held long."
"I know." William allowed the silence between them to last for a couple of moments, but then took a long breath. "So how have you been, Jack? I can't tell ye 'ow good it is to see ye alive and well. I thought Barbossa 'ad done ye in."
"You thought that?"
"Aye. I feared it."
"Then why didn' ye do anythin'?" Jack asked without really meaning to. He felt like that lost boy that he had been when he'd first met William, not really knowing up from down. Like a man in the crushing seas during a storm, not seeing the light from above water and wondering if he's swimming to the top or just condemning himself further to the depths.
William's gaze softened on Jack. "I knew something was botherin' ye."
"'m sorry, William, really I am. Ye 'ad a family to take care of. I shouldn' 'ave expected anythin'. I didn'. On some level I 'oped you'd stay yer place like ye did, but then again I thought you'd rescue me like you 'ad in the past."
"I'm sorry Jack.... I never meant to betray you."
"Ye didn'."
"But..."
Jack shook his head.
"You've never made any since, ye know that, lad?"
Jack laughed. "So I've been told." He paused, turning to his elder friend. "'ow far inland are we?"
"Not too far from the opposite side of the island that you came from."
"Ah."
"Why?"
There was a large explosion several meters away from them. "Because I thought I 'eard cannon fire," Jack answered simply as the two took cover.
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A/N: ::falls asleep on keyboard:: ::sits up quickly:: Note to self: hot sun, the lake, and no sunscreen on face makes for a nasty sunburn.... Also, sorry for the short chapter.... Used up all creativity last night and when I wrote my short story today. So sorry!!
Kungfuchick: ::yawns:: yay! I still updated! Even half asleep! ::grins::
JackFan2: I've kinda always pictured something along those lines too.... Wonder why I didn't write it... Oh well lol. I'm convinced that my stories write themselves and I just do the typing for them.
The man that had stepped out stood with a shocked expression on his face. "Jack...."
"'allo, William." He grinned. "Finally met yer lad. Nice kid, 'e is. Too much like you, though. Out and out bloody stupid sometimes. Care to let us down?"
William stood in shock for a moment and a half and then shook his head slowly. "You're dead, Jack."
"Am I?" the pirate captain asked. "Someone needs to let me know 'bout these things."
William shook his head and chuckled. He eased the net and captives down, landing them only with a small bump. The net fell away from them and they both stood, Jack swaying slightly.
Will was the first to step forward, eyes locked with his father. "I never thought this day would come," he whispered, mostly to himself.
William stepped up to him, looking at him closely. "Will? My lad's grown up.... Has it been so long?"
Jack could swear he saw tears in his old friend's eyes as the two men embraced. He shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable. This is for Will, he reminded himself. His "one good deed for the year" as he had told Ana Maria. No matter how much he told himself that, his mind seemed to wander back to days passed. Particularly the mutiny. Had William known more.... No... no, Jack corrected himself silently. Even if he did that was in the past and William was his good, loyal, and most trusted friend. That was the reason that he had brought Will to see him. He TRUSTED William.
"Jack?"
Jack looked startled as he came out of his inner thoughts. "Aye?"
Father and son pair were looking at him oddly, making Jack grin.
William broke into a grin as well. "Haven't changed a bit, 'ave ye, Jack?"
"I've changed a bit."
William nodded, noticing the lack of speaking that Jack was doing. The man that he remembered would have been running his mouth off now, asking for a bottle of rum, something.
"So, where's yer place, mate? 'm gonna be a bit disappointed if ye've not a proper stash of somethin' good to drink."
Ah there it was! That was the lad he had left behind. William chuckled. "Up the way a bit. Ye both have some story tellin' to do, though. The last ten or eleven years, I'd wager."
----------------------
"So Barbossa's dead?" William asked.
"S'far as I know 'e is," Jack answered with another swig from the rum bottle. "The curse was lifted an' I shot 'im through the 'eart. I'd call 'im dead."
William laughed. "Do you realize that Jack couldn' hit anythin' when I first met 'im. 'ey tried givin' 'im a gun and took it away quick enough."
Jack made a face. "I was fourteen, William."
"But taught ye right."
Jack grinned and nodded. "'deed ye did. Yer father, Will, is the best - well second best now – shot in the Caribbean."
"An' who's the first?" Will asked with a smirk.
"Me of course," the captain answered matter of factly.
"Since when?"
The two other men laughed and Jack frowned. "Thanks, lad, thanks very much," the captain said sarcastically.
Will was the first to stop laughing. "Well, about a year ago when we got back to Port Royal – you remember Elizabeth that we told you about? – I married her."
"Did ye now?" William asked with a wide grin. "Do I have grandkids I don't know about?"
"Aye. We named him after you." Will took a small sip of the liquor in front of him. Per the usual, Jack was drunk enough for both of them. "I'd like you to come back with us, if you would," he said at length.
William set his glass down. "I'll consider it, my boy."
----------------------------
"Can't stay indoors, can you, Jack?"
Jack turned to see William coming up behind him. He'd left the small house some time ago to look at the stars. The pirate captain shrugged. "'m not one to be held long."
"I know." William allowed the silence between them to last for a couple of moments, but then took a long breath. "So how have you been, Jack? I can't tell ye 'ow good it is to see ye alive and well. I thought Barbossa 'ad done ye in."
"You thought that?"
"Aye. I feared it."
"Then why didn' ye do anythin'?" Jack asked without really meaning to. He felt like that lost boy that he had been when he'd first met William, not really knowing up from down. Like a man in the crushing seas during a storm, not seeing the light from above water and wondering if he's swimming to the top or just condemning himself further to the depths.
William's gaze softened on Jack. "I knew something was botherin' ye."
"'m sorry, William, really I am. Ye 'ad a family to take care of. I shouldn' 'ave expected anythin'. I didn'. On some level I 'oped you'd stay yer place like ye did, but then again I thought you'd rescue me like you 'ad in the past."
"I'm sorry Jack.... I never meant to betray you."
"Ye didn'."
"But..."
Jack shook his head.
"You've never made any since, ye know that, lad?"
Jack laughed. "So I've been told." He paused, turning to his elder friend. "'ow far inland are we?"
"Not too far from the opposite side of the island that you came from."
"Ah."
"Why?"
There was a large explosion several meters away from them. "Because I thought I 'eard cannon fire," Jack answered simply as the two took cover.
---------------------------------
A/N: ::falls asleep on keyboard:: ::sits up quickly:: Note to self: hot sun, the lake, and no sunscreen on face makes for a nasty sunburn.... Also, sorry for the short chapter.... Used up all creativity last night and when I wrote my short story today. So sorry!!
Kungfuchick: ::yawns:: yay! I still updated! Even half asleep! ::grins::
JackFan2: I've kinda always pictured something along those lines too.... Wonder why I didn't write it... Oh well lol. I'm convinced that my stories write themselves and I just do the typing for them.