Hello everyone and I'm happy to say, as you can see, that I am back
now...here we go. And, by the way, who watched survivor the other night? That
was so cute! Rob and Amber, getting engaged. Awe. Any way:
Ch.9 The Black Pearl
"What do you think?" Roger asked, his hands opened wide as if encompassing the ship in front of them. Jack frowned and looked at Roger, showing his disgust as strongly as possible. The older man's smile faded and he lowered his hands. "Ye don't like it?" Jack shook his head.
"No, I hope ye didn't pay for it." Jack said, looking at Bill for support. He nodded.
"We'll never reach Ilsa de Muerta in that." He stated. Roger moved away from the edge of the dock to join them.
"Fine, we'll keep lookin." He said. Walking away back towards the path to town, Jack and Bill heard him mutter distinctly, "Young pups, don' know a good ship when they see one, stupid bloody..." Bill turned to go but was stopped by Jack's hand grasping his shoulder.
"What's wrong Ja..." But he stopped as his eyes rested on a ship just coming into harbor. Her body and sails were completely black, she was the size of the Catherine but Bill could already see the speed she had behind her.
"Wow." Jack whispered. "We're going to commandeer that ship, tonight." Bill snorted and Jack looked at him through misty brown eyes, a look of tranquility on his face and a smile curling his lips. "She's my pearl, my big...black...pearl."
"And that's the plan." Jack stated. The crew looked at him wearily as he told them his plan; much of it didn't make sense as he had just made some of it on the spot. They were in Scarlet's pub of working choice, said woman sitting a table in the corner talking to a man with long blond hair. Jack ignored the way she watched him from her perch on the man's lap.
"This ship, she has a crew, obviously. How are we going to get them off? All of them off?" Dickerson asked. Jack thought about that a moment and his eyes fell of Scarlet. She smiled and waved at him.
"I have a plan, it involves some connections of mine." He said plainly, winking at Scarlet. Turning back to his crew he counted them up. Six, he had six crewmembers. That was definitely not enough to maintain his Pearl. "We need a bigger crew though. A good one." Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder and Jack turned, facing the stranger.
It was a man with scraggly graying hair, a large nose and pocked tanned skin. Something about his eyes made Jack's blood freeze in his body. The man had a large feathered hat pulled down over his cold eyes which swept over Jack as though sizing him up.
Finally, the man spoke. "I have a crew for ye, if ye'd like. Able bodied, strong and loyal. All we be needing is a ship and a place to be headin." Jack gulped and motioned for the man to follow him, leading him away from his crew and over to an empty table in the corner.
When they had sat, Jack asked, "Are ye going to tell me more?" The man took a deep swig from his tankard, savoring the taste on his lips.
"Are ye goin' to tell me about this venture and ship?" Jack smiled slightly.
"We don't have a ship, yet, but tomorrow we will." The man nodded and looked down into his tankard, lapsing into thoughtful silence. "We're going after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta." The man's head snapped up and he stared at him. Jack smiled blandly. "Ye know of the treasure, I'm guessin'? The treasure of Cortes." The man grinned, the action not travelling to his eyes.
"Aye, I know of it." He said. "If I come, with me crew, every things of equal share?" Jack nodded slowly. "And you, I'm guessin' you'll be captain?" Jack nodded again and was about to respond when the man said, "Then I want to be first mate." Jack closed his mouth and glanced at his crew who sat in the corner still, watching him. He had been planning on making Bill the first mate, seeing as it was his best friend. The man seemed to notice his thought process and lifted the tankard to his lips, about to take a sip and said, "Well, if ye don't want me crew..." Jack shook his head.
"No, I want your crew. First mate to ye, as long as I get the ship." The man nodded, drained his rum and thumped the tankard on the table loudly. Jack stood up as the man did and they shook hands. "They better be loyal." Jack said. The stranger winked, a nasty smile playing his lips.
"Oh, they be loyal." He said. "I guess I should know the name of the ship and of course you, captain." He spoke the last few words in a growl that made Jack's neck hairs stand on end.
"Sparrow, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. My ship is...the Black...Pearl." Jack smiled inwardly at the name for his new ship and the man nodded thoughtfully.
"My name is Barbossa." Then he left. Jack felt a presence at his shoulder and turned to see Bill watching the door where Barbossa had left moments before. He sighed.
"I don't like him." He said quietly. "There's something funny about him. Not just the fact that he's ugly." Jack grinned and turned to his friend. Jack began walking back to the crew who awaited his news before he stopped and turned around again, coming right up to Bill who backed away in alarm at his friend's close proximity.
"Your bootstraps are untied again." He said. Bill looked down in surprise.
The next day, Jack's crew met Barbossa's. They were a sorry looking lot but they were the best Jack could get on short notice. The men stood in a line and Jack walked up and down the row, looking over the men and making small comments over his shoulder to Barbossa who followed so closely behind him the Jack could feel his foul breath lifting the hair on his scalp.
A small mousy looking man stood in the line at the end and Jack stopped in front of him, using a imitation tactic of leaning in far to close, invading the other's space. The man, as expected, leaned back away from the captain, his eyes screwed up in fear.
"You, sailor, what be your name?" Jack asked. The man gulped.
"Ragetti, sir." The man answered. Jack, still leaning in close, inclined his head slightly to take in the man's appearance. He was small, dirty and reeked of rum. Stepping back, Jack nodded and glanced at Bill who was a little further down the line checking over a man named Twigg that Jack had ignored earlier.
Finally, after inspecting Barbossa's entire crew, Jack motioned for his to join them and they stood in a circle by a large palm, occasionally looking back at the other crew who were doing the same thing.
"Well, what say you?" Jack asked. Mourison shook his head and shrugged, as did some of the others. "Well, there are six of us, a lot more of them. I say, we give it a chance."
Bill crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly put out about something. When he noticed Jack watching him he sighed, "I don't like Barbossa." Jack grinned and was about to reply with a witty remark when Bill continued, "He's evil."
Roger snorted. "Evil?" He asked as some of the others chuckled. "Evil as in Lucifer or a whore who didn' get paid?" Dickerson laughed out loud at this and everyone else smiled except Bill.
Bill clucked his tongue until the laughter and snickers had subsided then continued. "It's just his eyes." He was eyeing the man in question over Jack's shoulder, dislike clearly visible on his face. "There's something really wrong with him." He looked squarely at Jack. "Do ye trust him to be your first mate?"
So this was what it was about, Jack thought, the first mate thing again. Bill seemed to see what was going on in his friend's mind because he said swiftly, "He might try and take over."
"We need a crew, the Black Pearl leaves tonight, and we don't have enough people to get her out of port, savvy? The best thing we can do right now, is grab a crew, this crew, hop aboard and hope for the best." Jack said. He eyed his crew; "Do you have a better idea?"
All of them shook their heads, even a reluctant Bill. Jack rubbed his hands together, trying to put some confidence into them by giving one of his handsome smiles. His crew turned their heads to eye their new shipmates. One by one they went to join them, shaking hands and introducing themselves. After a few minutes, it was only Jack and Bill left by the large palm.
"I hope ye know what yer doing Jack." Bill said quietly. Jack turned to his friend and leaned against the palm. "Because, frankly I'm afraid you're making the wrong choice."
Jack smiled, "What's wrong mate? Afraid of the treasure we're going after?" Bill shook his head. "I know, I have an uneasy feeling to but..." He shrugged, "We need a crew."
"I trust you, Jack, even if it's not your choices." He examined the fingernails on his right hand carefully. "I have to think about Rebecca and William." Jack placed a hand on Bill's shoulder.
"Look, Bill, if you don't want to..." Bill held up a hand to stop him from saying anymore.
"No, I'm all for it." He left then, walking away and shaking hands with a paunchy, wispy haired man near Mourison. Jack took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and walked forward, towards his new first mate.
Barbossa watched him closely as he stopped just short of the man, so close they were almost touching. His eyes traveled to the harbor and his new ship, his pearl. Finally, he stretched out his hand and said, "Me, captain, you first mate. Accord?" Barbossa took his hand and Jack shook, his heart clenching as though he was signing his own death warrant.
"Accord." Barbossa growled. He held a green apple to his lips and took a deep chunk out of the side. "Your ship, is it in your control yet?" Jack shook his head.
"No, but tonight it will be."
Scarlet made her way across the docks, her friends following behind her. She giggled softly; knowing that if Grekson caught them it would be game over. Behind her someone slid on the wet planks and let out a small- terrified squeal.
Scarlet turned around quickly and the other women stopped laughing. "Shh, if we don't pull this off we're done, now come on!" They continued, finally reaching a man untying a small rowboat, a few cases of rum and other goods inside.
"Sir?" Scarlet purred, playing with the clasps on the front of her dress and licking her lips softly. The man looked up and his jaw dropped. "Do you work on that...ship?" She asked, licking her finger slowly then pointing at the black one close to the docks in the harbor, the one that Jack had dubbed his 'black pearl'. The man nodded slowly, his mouth still gapping.
"Umhmm," Scarlet said slowly adding a slight purr at the end, "Well, you see, we..." She motioned to the other women who waved and giggled, "Are...were...summoned by the captain as 'entertainment' for tonight to all those poor souls that couldn't go into town." Scarlet put on a pout and the man smiled standing up and unloading the rowboat. She smiled. "Thank you, but you might want to keep those for later." She purred out the last word and the man almost shivered with excitement.
Carefully, with the help of one of his friends who was also working on the dock, the women were seated in the lifeboats and off. Scarlet chatted away with the older of the two, trying to get enough information out of him as possible.
Her eyes never traveled from his face as she flirted with him, chin resting on her hand; arm propped on her knee. "So, how many can we be expecting?" She asked offhandedly. The man was so interested in watching her that he didn't notice the rowboat he was paddling was drifting slightly to the left of the black ship.
"Oh, me an' Linus an' cap'n an' a few others, mos' stayed 'n Tortuga." He almost drooled as he spoke. Scarlet took it in stride, reminding herself that she'd delt with worse. She sat up and glanced over at the other rowboat holding three women and one disguised man, Jack.
His face had been covered in a black veil that wrapped itself over his head and fell over his shoulders and onto his chest where they had stuck two apples. The dress he wore was loose to hide the muscles he'd received from ship life and also the tattoos. He planned to go to the captain, as a woman, take him to the cabin and seduce him, pulling a knife on him at the last minute. He winked at her and she returned it with a half grin before the man rowing tried to draw her attention back to him with some remarks about the weather and how much she'd like the ship.
She had to admit; as she stepped aboard the Black Pearl, Jack sure did have a taste in ships. This one was small, no bigger or smaller then a normal pirate ship, with black decks and sails. The ship was lit by torches on the outer walls of the captain's cabin, the lights inside the cabin and the stairwell going down to the lower decks. Carefully she moved around a barrel, and stood at the railing staring out at the moonlit ocean.
Jack came up beside her a few moments later, tugging at the sash over his face and looking around nervously. So far, everything had gone to plan. "These guys are stupid." He whispered happily, "Do ye think they suspect anything?" Scarlet shook her head and eyed the man she'd grew so found of over the last few years, ever since he'd saved her from that mad man in the hotel room. Two weeks ago, he'd shown up shipless and lost...she'd helped him through it in every way she had known how and now...she and her friends were helping him steal his own ship and she'd be left again. Scarlet pushed these thoughts from her mind and placed a hand on top of his.
Suddenly, the captain's cabin opened and they turned. Scarlet didn't even notice her mouth had fallen open as she stared at the person who had stepped out. The captain was small, only about five-foot-three with long sweeping blond hair and the greenest eyes you'd ever seen. This was all accentuated by a billowing white shirt and long brown pants tucked into knee high black boots that showed the person's figure completely and everyone realized this was not a man, it was a woman.
"Bloody hell." Jack muttered next to her. The captain stepped into the moonlight and walked over to the man who had been chatting so lively with Scarlet earlier.
"Markus, what in the blazes is going on here?" She asked in a loud commanding voice. Markus stepped back from her, hands twisting in fear and he glanced at the women. The captain grabbed his shirt. "Answer me!"
"Well, these 'ere women requested to come aboard an' give us entertainment captain Dale." He said squeakily. Scarlet noticed he didn't tell her that their story had been that she'd requested it. The other men on the ship watched apprehensively as if Markus was playing with fire.
Captain Dale turned and looked at the women who stood grouped on the deck of her ship, moving her eyes up and down them all in turn as if she could see through them. Finally, her eyes rested on Jack and she moved forward. Scarlet moved to block him from view but captain Dale pushed her away roughly and came to rest almost nose to nose with Jack, pulling his sash away from his face. They stared at each other for a long moment; everyone forgetting to breathe before Captain Dale finally spoke, lifting the vail back over his face.
"Take them to the brig," She said loudly, her voice high and cold. "And you," She poked Jack in the chest, "You come with me." Jack gave the women, especially Scarlet, a sympathetic look with his eyes and then followed captain Dale around barrels and into her cabin.
The cabin of the Black Pearl was pretty nice and not exactly what Jack had expected with a female captain. There were maps of the world on the walls and littering the table. A dresser stood at the far end beside an intricately carved cabinet and beside that a large bed with white sheets and red covers. The carpet beneath his feet was also red, only a darker shade with gold patterns, definitely oriental.
Captain Dale stopped at the door, closing it softly behind her, eyes on Jack who had moved over to the table and was shifting around the maps as if he wasn't the least bit worried about what was about to happen to the women or himself. "You have to be the strangest looking woman I've ever laid eyes on." She said in a deadly whisper. Jack smiled with out turning to her and listened to her footsteps on the carpet, walking past him and pulling open the cabinet. The cock of a gun, though, was enough of an incentive for him to turn.
The gun was fairly old, Jack noticed, but Captain Dale held it well. He took in a deep breath, his mind constantly working to find an escape, and walked forward slowly, hands in surrender, pulling the vail from his face.
He stopped a few feet from her and smiled. "Are you going to shoot me?" He asked. Captain Dale lifted an eyebrow and cocked her head to the right.
"Are you giving me a reason?" She asked. "What do you want?"
"I want the Black Pearl, now." Captain Dale looked confused and Jack almost laughed aloud. "Your ship, Captain, the Pearl."
"Her name's the Widow, child. And she's not for sale." Captain Dale whispered. Jack nodded, looking around the cabin again. Widow was such an awful name for such a beautiful ship. She needed a better one, his name.
"Who said anything about her being for sale?" He asked, his eyes on the bed rather pointedly. "How bout we strike an accord?" Captain Dale glanced at the bed to and she smiled wickedly.
"Look, women aren't going to be able to take this ship, squirt." She said. "How about I take you on as cabin boy because I like your spit and shine, and we'll take it from there eh?"
Jack pretended to think about this for a moment and then shook his head, beginning to strip off the dress he was wearing, his pirate cloths underneath. Lucky the dress was big.
"Problem the first, I don't like being cabin boy and Captain fits my name more, problem the second, I really need to get out of here and problem the third..." He turned from her and walked toward the table and a bowl of fruit on top. Reaching out his hand, he picked up an apple and bit into it before continuing, "My men, who are waiting, want to get this ship...just...as much...as I do." He turned and smiled at her. Captain Dale's mouth was the thinnest of lines.
"Okay." She said slowly, lowering her gun and heading to the bed. She sat down, left leg crossed over her right and she placed the gun on the bed. Finally she began unbuttoning her shirt and Jack smiled. He knew this trick. He approached her slowly, mimicking her moves and when he reached her he pushed her down on the bed and placed a kiss on her mouth. She kissed back and grabbed his back pulling him closer until he broke away with a smile.
"I'm not that easy luv, sorry." She growled and tried to get up but he kept her down with his weight. "Now, you started this game, where do you think your going?"
"To take you to the brig with the others." She growled. With a sudden strength, she managed to roll him over but they were right on the edge of the bed and Jack hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from his body. Now she was on top of him. She tried to get up but he grabbed her by the back of the head and lowered her face to his, meeting her with his mouth. She grabbed his hair roughly and pulled making Jack let go and roll over again, her on the bottom. The door burst open at that moment and Scarlet entered.
Jack was distracted by her sudden presence in the room and looked away from Captain Dale just long enough for her to pull a dagger from her boot on him, maneuvering so again he was on his back.
The cool blade caressed his face. "Need a shave?" She asked. Jack shook his head slightly and Captain Dale laughed. "Good, you're to handsome anyway." She leaned down and kissed him again before looking at Scarlet. "Is he your man?" Jack took this opportunity. Reaching over her head with the pistol that had bounced from the bed to the floor, he knocked her out and gave out a sharp breath as she went limp on top of him.
Gently, Jack pushed Captain Dale aside and sat up, rubbing his head where she had pulled on his hair. Scarlet eyed the woman who lay next to Jack uncontious, a weird look on her face. "What?" Jack asked, standing up and tucking the pistol into his sash. Scarlet shook her head as if to clear it and motioned for him to follow her.
The deck was littered with the crew's bodies, all out for the count. Barbossa, his crew and the rest of Jack's crew stood among them, rifling through their pockets. At the sight of Jack, Bill came over to him, a grim look on his face.
"He wants to kill them." He said quietly. Jack knew he meant Barbossa and watched the man as he kicked another roughly in the ribs, Pintel and Ragetti laughing beside him. Jack had enough; he stormed over to his first mate and slapped him hard on the arm.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Barbossa smiled, revealing his rotting brown teeth and making Jack cringe.
"Searching them." He said. Jack shook his head and looked down at the man by his feet.
"He's out. Ye don't have to be doing that." Barbossa wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders and led him roughly away from Pintel and Ragetti who were snickering still.
"Jack, Jack, Jack..."
"Captain, Captain Sparrow." Jack corrected. Barbossa laughed evilly making Jack's neck hairs stand on end.
"I be first mate, no?" He said simply. They stopped at the railing and Barbossa turned Jack around to face him, well out of earshot of everyone, including Bill who pretended to work while listening to every word said. "We're supposed to trust each other...you should trust me on this one, Captain. Why go to all the trouble of not hurting them, then worrying they'll wake up before their ready when one quick bullet would do." His hand was on Jack's shoulder as if to keep it there and the young Captain pushed it off before replying.
"Because, it'd be a waste of a shot. You may need it, you may need to wait for the opportune moment." The words his father said that night at the wheel came back and out of his mouth before he could stop them. They felt foreign, as if from another place and time...another life. "No killing unless we have to, savvy?" Barbossa grinned.
"Savvy. Now, if I may, Captain." He turned and walked away. Jack didn't try to stop him or call him back. Instead he walked to the middle of the ship to address his crew.
"Gents! We have the ship!" The men cheered, some with rum in their hands from the storage area. "Lets get going. Take what you can!"
"Give nothin' back!" They yelled. Jack smiled and walked over to Scarlet and the other women who were getting ready to go back to Tortuga.
"Already?" He asked, doing his best to sound upset. Scarlet nodded, her mouth a thin line. Jack watched her and the other women climb back into the boat and Jack was a little surprised when Roger joined them. "What are you doing?" Jack asked, grabbing his friend's shoulder as the older man prepared to climb down the rope to the waiting rowboats below.
Roger stopped and watched Bill who joined them, a confused look on his face. He sighed, "I was hoppin' to make a clean get away bu' looks like ye caught me lad." He said, wiping his forehead with a blue handkerchief. He embraced Jack suddenly and Jack tensed up, competing to breathe with the man's bear hug. "Ye be a good kid Jackie, like yer father. Ye'll make a great cap'n." He pulled away and Jack staggered back. Before he could ask why, though, Roger answered it, "I'm old Jackie, to old an' this venture is yers, no' mine." He hugged Bill to and took the silence from both of them as good bye. They watched him swing his leg over the edge of the ship before he stopped and handed a slip of paper to Jack. "It was from yer mother to yer father. I kep' it fer safe keepin', gave it to me a long time ago. If ye ever feel like it, bury it..." He smiled sadly, "I could' but, it'll keep 'em together in death as well. An' if yer ever in Tortuga, jus' talk ta Marshie at Fanny's." And he was gone.
Jack turned away from the rail, glanced at Bill then yelled, "Get this crew to the brig the let's go!" The crew rushed around doing as told and Jack went to his cabin, Captain of the Black Pearl.
To my reviewers:
Alteng: yes...terror for Barbossie-baby yeah! Why would you feel sorry for him? Here are the reasons not to: one-(he impaled Jack) two-(he tried to hurt Will) three-(he impaled Jack) four-(he stole Jack's ship) five-(he impaled Jack) six-(he's evil) seven-(he impaled Jack) shall I go on? Maybe not, or we'd be here all day/night. I think French is okay, it's not my favorite class though, computers is so I can update. Anywho, we don't have tapes, our teacher just drones really. We hardly do anything but I've been taking it since kindergarten. I had a choice not to take it this year but my mom made me. She wants me to take Spanish next but I want to take Latin. I want to be a journalist so, lots of languages will help me get a job in Canada but I live in Saskatchewan and all the good jobs go to people in Quebec, Ontario, ect. So...I could work in the U.S.A but because of our ex- priminister, I probably will have trouble with that. He really screwed up. Yeah, I love Josh, he's like my dream man but...a little old. You're right though, now Jack can get on his own two feet. My dad got confused with the whole reading/talking/crew/Jack thing so I was worried. My dad can't read very good though so I wasn't That worried. If you haven't noticed, I have this thing about killing characters off....Jack next to die? Kidding, really kidding, he won't be next...maybe later though...no? Okay. Yeah, that whole killing first person thingie weirded me out a little but I'm sure it's true unless you're a psycho-deranged maniac...wait, that sounds like most of my family. I watch and read to much stuff to and am a little made because a show I've been watching for four years, and one of my favorites, killed all the characters off! Oh well...Anyway, I'm making my own story, my own idead, free of fan fiction, and I have a crush on the main character to...he's so sexy, I want to get this book published. Well, a creepy thing happened. After I invented him and began dreaming about him, I saw this guy on this show who looked exactly as I had imagined him. It was so weird. Logan and Prechart are upset because they just found out Jack is Josh's son, that would be shocking, but also they think Josh died because of Jack...in a way he did. Thank you for the review. Sorry for the long answer...I couldn't help it and I like talking...writing...whatever.
Dshael: I told you...he may not be dead...but, by all accounts, he probably is. It was the voices in my head...and the man on the screen that made me do it. I'm sorry but, it had to happen...I love him still I mean, he's still my babe. Oh well...we'll have a funeral for him. funeral music- there? That okay? Please keep reading even though Josh is gone, I still want to hear from you, please? Hello...hello?
Ch.9 The Black Pearl
"What do you think?" Roger asked, his hands opened wide as if encompassing the ship in front of them. Jack frowned and looked at Roger, showing his disgust as strongly as possible. The older man's smile faded and he lowered his hands. "Ye don't like it?" Jack shook his head.
"No, I hope ye didn't pay for it." Jack said, looking at Bill for support. He nodded.
"We'll never reach Ilsa de Muerta in that." He stated. Roger moved away from the edge of the dock to join them.
"Fine, we'll keep lookin." He said. Walking away back towards the path to town, Jack and Bill heard him mutter distinctly, "Young pups, don' know a good ship when they see one, stupid bloody..." Bill turned to go but was stopped by Jack's hand grasping his shoulder.
"What's wrong Ja..." But he stopped as his eyes rested on a ship just coming into harbor. Her body and sails were completely black, she was the size of the Catherine but Bill could already see the speed she had behind her.
"Wow." Jack whispered. "We're going to commandeer that ship, tonight." Bill snorted and Jack looked at him through misty brown eyes, a look of tranquility on his face and a smile curling his lips. "She's my pearl, my big...black...pearl."
"And that's the plan." Jack stated. The crew looked at him wearily as he told them his plan; much of it didn't make sense as he had just made some of it on the spot. They were in Scarlet's pub of working choice, said woman sitting a table in the corner talking to a man with long blond hair. Jack ignored the way she watched him from her perch on the man's lap.
"This ship, she has a crew, obviously. How are we going to get them off? All of them off?" Dickerson asked. Jack thought about that a moment and his eyes fell of Scarlet. She smiled and waved at him.
"I have a plan, it involves some connections of mine." He said plainly, winking at Scarlet. Turning back to his crew he counted them up. Six, he had six crewmembers. That was definitely not enough to maintain his Pearl. "We need a bigger crew though. A good one." Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder and Jack turned, facing the stranger.
It was a man with scraggly graying hair, a large nose and pocked tanned skin. Something about his eyes made Jack's blood freeze in his body. The man had a large feathered hat pulled down over his cold eyes which swept over Jack as though sizing him up.
Finally, the man spoke. "I have a crew for ye, if ye'd like. Able bodied, strong and loyal. All we be needing is a ship and a place to be headin." Jack gulped and motioned for the man to follow him, leading him away from his crew and over to an empty table in the corner.
When they had sat, Jack asked, "Are ye going to tell me more?" The man took a deep swig from his tankard, savoring the taste on his lips.
"Are ye goin' to tell me about this venture and ship?" Jack smiled slightly.
"We don't have a ship, yet, but tomorrow we will." The man nodded and looked down into his tankard, lapsing into thoughtful silence. "We're going after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta." The man's head snapped up and he stared at him. Jack smiled blandly. "Ye know of the treasure, I'm guessin'? The treasure of Cortes." The man grinned, the action not travelling to his eyes.
"Aye, I know of it." He said. "If I come, with me crew, every things of equal share?" Jack nodded slowly. "And you, I'm guessin' you'll be captain?" Jack nodded again and was about to respond when the man said, "Then I want to be first mate." Jack closed his mouth and glanced at his crew who sat in the corner still, watching him. He had been planning on making Bill the first mate, seeing as it was his best friend. The man seemed to notice his thought process and lifted the tankard to his lips, about to take a sip and said, "Well, if ye don't want me crew..." Jack shook his head.
"No, I want your crew. First mate to ye, as long as I get the ship." The man nodded, drained his rum and thumped the tankard on the table loudly. Jack stood up as the man did and they shook hands. "They better be loyal." Jack said. The stranger winked, a nasty smile playing his lips.
"Oh, they be loyal." He said. "I guess I should know the name of the ship and of course you, captain." He spoke the last few words in a growl that made Jack's neck hairs stand on end.
"Sparrow, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. My ship is...the Black...Pearl." Jack smiled inwardly at the name for his new ship and the man nodded thoughtfully.
"My name is Barbossa." Then he left. Jack felt a presence at his shoulder and turned to see Bill watching the door where Barbossa had left moments before. He sighed.
"I don't like him." He said quietly. "There's something funny about him. Not just the fact that he's ugly." Jack grinned and turned to his friend. Jack began walking back to the crew who awaited his news before he stopped and turned around again, coming right up to Bill who backed away in alarm at his friend's close proximity.
"Your bootstraps are untied again." He said. Bill looked down in surprise.
The next day, Jack's crew met Barbossa's. They were a sorry looking lot but they were the best Jack could get on short notice. The men stood in a line and Jack walked up and down the row, looking over the men and making small comments over his shoulder to Barbossa who followed so closely behind him the Jack could feel his foul breath lifting the hair on his scalp.
A small mousy looking man stood in the line at the end and Jack stopped in front of him, using a imitation tactic of leaning in far to close, invading the other's space. The man, as expected, leaned back away from the captain, his eyes screwed up in fear.
"You, sailor, what be your name?" Jack asked. The man gulped.
"Ragetti, sir." The man answered. Jack, still leaning in close, inclined his head slightly to take in the man's appearance. He was small, dirty and reeked of rum. Stepping back, Jack nodded and glanced at Bill who was a little further down the line checking over a man named Twigg that Jack had ignored earlier.
Finally, after inspecting Barbossa's entire crew, Jack motioned for his to join them and they stood in a circle by a large palm, occasionally looking back at the other crew who were doing the same thing.
"Well, what say you?" Jack asked. Mourison shook his head and shrugged, as did some of the others. "Well, there are six of us, a lot more of them. I say, we give it a chance."
Bill crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly put out about something. When he noticed Jack watching him he sighed, "I don't like Barbossa." Jack grinned and was about to reply with a witty remark when Bill continued, "He's evil."
Roger snorted. "Evil?" He asked as some of the others chuckled. "Evil as in Lucifer or a whore who didn' get paid?" Dickerson laughed out loud at this and everyone else smiled except Bill.
Bill clucked his tongue until the laughter and snickers had subsided then continued. "It's just his eyes." He was eyeing the man in question over Jack's shoulder, dislike clearly visible on his face. "There's something really wrong with him." He looked squarely at Jack. "Do ye trust him to be your first mate?"
So this was what it was about, Jack thought, the first mate thing again. Bill seemed to see what was going on in his friend's mind because he said swiftly, "He might try and take over."
"We need a crew, the Black Pearl leaves tonight, and we don't have enough people to get her out of port, savvy? The best thing we can do right now, is grab a crew, this crew, hop aboard and hope for the best." Jack said. He eyed his crew; "Do you have a better idea?"
All of them shook their heads, even a reluctant Bill. Jack rubbed his hands together, trying to put some confidence into them by giving one of his handsome smiles. His crew turned their heads to eye their new shipmates. One by one they went to join them, shaking hands and introducing themselves. After a few minutes, it was only Jack and Bill left by the large palm.
"I hope ye know what yer doing Jack." Bill said quietly. Jack turned to his friend and leaned against the palm. "Because, frankly I'm afraid you're making the wrong choice."
Jack smiled, "What's wrong mate? Afraid of the treasure we're going after?" Bill shook his head. "I know, I have an uneasy feeling to but..." He shrugged, "We need a crew."
"I trust you, Jack, even if it's not your choices." He examined the fingernails on his right hand carefully. "I have to think about Rebecca and William." Jack placed a hand on Bill's shoulder.
"Look, Bill, if you don't want to..." Bill held up a hand to stop him from saying anymore.
"No, I'm all for it." He left then, walking away and shaking hands with a paunchy, wispy haired man near Mourison. Jack took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and walked forward, towards his new first mate.
Barbossa watched him closely as he stopped just short of the man, so close they were almost touching. His eyes traveled to the harbor and his new ship, his pearl. Finally, he stretched out his hand and said, "Me, captain, you first mate. Accord?" Barbossa took his hand and Jack shook, his heart clenching as though he was signing his own death warrant.
"Accord." Barbossa growled. He held a green apple to his lips and took a deep chunk out of the side. "Your ship, is it in your control yet?" Jack shook his head.
"No, but tonight it will be."
Scarlet made her way across the docks, her friends following behind her. She giggled softly; knowing that if Grekson caught them it would be game over. Behind her someone slid on the wet planks and let out a small- terrified squeal.
Scarlet turned around quickly and the other women stopped laughing. "Shh, if we don't pull this off we're done, now come on!" They continued, finally reaching a man untying a small rowboat, a few cases of rum and other goods inside.
"Sir?" Scarlet purred, playing with the clasps on the front of her dress and licking her lips softly. The man looked up and his jaw dropped. "Do you work on that...ship?" She asked, licking her finger slowly then pointing at the black one close to the docks in the harbor, the one that Jack had dubbed his 'black pearl'. The man nodded slowly, his mouth still gapping.
"Umhmm," Scarlet said slowly adding a slight purr at the end, "Well, you see, we..." She motioned to the other women who waved and giggled, "Are...were...summoned by the captain as 'entertainment' for tonight to all those poor souls that couldn't go into town." Scarlet put on a pout and the man smiled standing up and unloading the rowboat. She smiled. "Thank you, but you might want to keep those for later." She purred out the last word and the man almost shivered with excitement.
Carefully, with the help of one of his friends who was also working on the dock, the women were seated in the lifeboats and off. Scarlet chatted away with the older of the two, trying to get enough information out of him as possible.
Her eyes never traveled from his face as she flirted with him, chin resting on her hand; arm propped on her knee. "So, how many can we be expecting?" She asked offhandedly. The man was so interested in watching her that he didn't notice the rowboat he was paddling was drifting slightly to the left of the black ship.
"Oh, me an' Linus an' cap'n an' a few others, mos' stayed 'n Tortuga." He almost drooled as he spoke. Scarlet took it in stride, reminding herself that she'd delt with worse. She sat up and glanced over at the other rowboat holding three women and one disguised man, Jack.
His face had been covered in a black veil that wrapped itself over his head and fell over his shoulders and onto his chest where they had stuck two apples. The dress he wore was loose to hide the muscles he'd received from ship life and also the tattoos. He planned to go to the captain, as a woman, take him to the cabin and seduce him, pulling a knife on him at the last minute. He winked at her and she returned it with a half grin before the man rowing tried to draw her attention back to him with some remarks about the weather and how much she'd like the ship.
She had to admit; as she stepped aboard the Black Pearl, Jack sure did have a taste in ships. This one was small, no bigger or smaller then a normal pirate ship, with black decks and sails. The ship was lit by torches on the outer walls of the captain's cabin, the lights inside the cabin and the stairwell going down to the lower decks. Carefully she moved around a barrel, and stood at the railing staring out at the moonlit ocean.
Jack came up beside her a few moments later, tugging at the sash over his face and looking around nervously. So far, everything had gone to plan. "These guys are stupid." He whispered happily, "Do ye think they suspect anything?" Scarlet shook her head and eyed the man she'd grew so found of over the last few years, ever since he'd saved her from that mad man in the hotel room. Two weeks ago, he'd shown up shipless and lost...she'd helped him through it in every way she had known how and now...she and her friends were helping him steal his own ship and she'd be left again. Scarlet pushed these thoughts from her mind and placed a hand on top of his.
Suddenly, the captain's cabin opened and they turned. Scarlet didn't even notice her mouth had fallen open as she stared at the person who had stepped out. The captain was small, only about five-foot-three with long sweeping blond hair and the greenest eyes you'd ever seen. This was all accentuated by a billowing white shirt and long brown pants tucked into knee high black boots that showed the person's figure completely and everyone realized this was not a man, it was a woman.
"Bloody hell." Jack muttered next to her. The captain stepped into the moonlight and walked over to the man who had been chatting so lively with Scarlet earlier.
"Markus, what in the blazes is going on here?" She asked in a loud commanding voice. Markus stepped back from her, hands twisting in fear and he glanced at the women. The captain grabbed his shirt. "Answer me!"
"Well, these 'ere women requested to come aboard an' give us entertainment captain Dale." He said squeakily. Scarlet noticed he didn't tell her that their story had been that she'd requested it. The other men on the ship watched apprehensively as if Markus was playing with fire.
Captain Dale turned and looked at the women who stood grouped on the deck of her ship, moving her eyes up and down them all in turn as if she could see through them. Finally, her eyes rested on Jack and she moved forward. Scarlet moved to block him from view but captain Dale pushed her away roughly and came to rest almost nose to nose with Jack, pulling his sash away from his face. They stared at each other for a long moment; everyone forgetting to breathe before Captain Dale finally spoke, lifting the vail back over his face.
"Take them to the brig," She said loudly, her voice high and cold. "And you," She poked Jack in the chest, "You come with me." Jack gave the women, especially Scarlet, a sympathetic look with his eyes and then followed captain Dale around barrels and into her cabin.
The cabin of the Black Pearl was pretty nice and not exactly what Jack had expected with a female captain. There were maps of the world on the walls and littering the table. A dresser stood at the far end beside an intricately carved cabinet and beside that a large bed with white sheets and red covers. The carpet beneath his feet was also red, only a darker shade with gold patterns, definitely oriental.
Captain Dale stopped at the door, closing it softly behind her, eyes on Jack who had moved over to the table and was shifting around the maps as if he wasn't the least bit worried about what was about to happen to the women or himself. "You have to be the strangest looking woman I've ever laid eyes on." She said in a deadly whisper. Jack smiled with out turning to her and listened to her footsteps on the carpet, walking past him and pulling open the cabinet. The cock of a gun, though, was enough of an incentive for him to turn.
The gun was fairly old, Jack noticed, but Captain Dale held it well. He took in a deep breath, his mind constantly working to find an escape, and walked forward slowly, hands in surrender, pulling the vail from his face.
He stopped a few feet from her and smiled. "Are you going to shoot me?" He asked. Captain Dale lifted an eyebrow and cocked her head to the right.
"Are you giving me a reason?" She asked. "What do you want?"
"I want the Black Pearl, now." Captain Dale looked confused and Jack almost laughed aloud. "Your ship, Captain, the Pearl."
"Her name's the Widow, child. And she's not for sale." Captain Dale whispered. Jack nodded, looking around the cabin again. Widow was such an awful name for such a beautiful ship. She needed a better one, his name.
"Who said anything about her being for sale?" He asked, his eyes on the bed rather pointedly. "How bout we strike an accord?" Captain Dale glanced at the bed to and she smiled wickedly.
"Look, women aren't going to be able to take this ship, squirt." She said. "How about I take you on as cabin boy because I like your spit and shine, and we'll take it from there eh?"
Jack pretended to think about this for a moment and then shook his head, beginning to strip off the dress he was wearing, his pirate cloths underneath. Lucky the dress was big.
"Problem the first, I don't like being cabin boy and Captain fits my name more, problem the second, I really need to get out of here and problem the third..." He turned from her and walked toward the table and a bowl of fruit on top. Reaching out his hand, he picked up an apple and bit into it before continuing, "My men, who are waiting, want to get this ship...just...as much...as I do." He turned and smiled at her. Captain Dale's mouth was the thinnest of lines.
"Okay." She said slowly, lowering her gun and heading to the bed. She sat down, left leg crossed over her right and she placed the gun on the bed. Finally she began unbuttoning her shirt and Jack smiled. He knew this trick. He approached her slowly, mimicking her moves and when he reached her he pushed her down on the bed and placed a kiss on her mouth. She kissed back and grabbed his back pulling him closer until he broke away with a smile.
"I'm not that easy luv, sorry." She growled and tried to get up but he kept her down with his weight. "Now, you started this game, where do you think your going?"
"To take you to the brig with the others." She growled. With a sudden strength, she managed to roll him over but they were right on the edge of the bed and Jack hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from his body. Now she was on top of him. She tried to get up but he grabbed her by the back of the head and lowered her face to his, meeting her with his mouth. She grabbed his hair roughly and pulled making Jack let go and roll over again, her on the bottom. The door burst open at that moment and Scarlet entered.
Jack was distracted by her sudden presence in the room and looked away from Captain Dale just long enough for her to pull a dagger from her boot on him, maneuvering so again he was on his back.
The cool blade caressed his face. "Need a shave?" She asked. Jack shook his head slightly and Captain Dale laughed. "Good, you're to handsome anyway." She leaned down and kissed him again before looking at Scarlet. "Is he your man?" Jack took this opportunity. Reaching over her head with the pistol that had bounced from the bed to the floor, he knocked her out and gave out a sharp breath as she went limp on top of him.
Gently, Jack pushed Captain Dale aside and sat up, rubbing his head where she had pulled on his hair. Scarlet eyed the woman who lay next to Jack uncontious, a weird look on her face. "What?" Jack asked, standing up and tucking the pistol into his sash. Scarlet shook her head as if to clear it and motioned for him to follow her.
The deck was littered with the crew's bodies, all out for the count. Barbossa, his crew and the rest of Jack's crew stood among them, rifling through their pockets. At the sight of Jack, Bill came over to him, a grim look on his face.
"He wants to kill them." He said quietly. Jack knew he meant Barbossa and watched the man as he kicked another roughly in the ribs, Pintel and Ragetti laughing beside him. Jack had enough; he stormed over to his first mate and slapped him hard on the arm.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Barbossa smiled, revealing his rotting brown teeth and making Jack cringe.
"Searching them." He said. Jack shook his head and looked down at the man by his feet.
"He's out. Ye don't have to be doing that." Barbossa wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders and led him roughly away from Pintel and Ragetti who were snickering still.
"Jack, Jack, Jack..."
"Captain, Captain Sparrow." Jack corrected. Barbossa laughed evilly making Jack's neck hairs stand on end.
"I be first mate, no?" He said simply. They stopped at the railing and Barbossa turned Jack around to face him, well out of earshot of everyone, including Bill who pretended to work while listening to every word said. "We're supposed to trust each other...you should trust me on this one, Captain. Why go to all the trouble of not hurting them, then worrying they'll wake up before their ready when one quick bullet would do." His hand was on Jack's shoulder as if to keep it there and the young Captain pushed it off before replying.
"Because, it'd be a waste of a shot. You may need it, you may need to wait for the opportune moment." The words his father said that night at the wheel came back and out of his mouth before he could stop them. They felt foreign, as if from another place and time...another life. "No killing unless we have to, savvy?" Barbossa grinned.
"Savvy. Now, if I may, Captain." He turned and walked away. Jack didn't try to stop him or call him back. Instead he walked to the middle of the ship to address his crew.
"Gents! We have the ship!" The men cheered, some with rum in their hands from the storage area. "Lets get going. Take what you can!"
"Give nothin' back!" They yelled. Jack smiled and walked over to Scarlet and the other women who were getting ready to go back to Tortuga.
"Already?" He asked, doing his best to sound upset. Scarlet nodded, her mouth a thin line. Jack watched her and the other women climb back into the boat and Jack was a little surprised when Roger joined them. "What are you doing?" Jack asked, grabbing his friend's shoulder as the older man prepared to climb down the rope to the waiting rowboats below.
Roger stopped and watched Bill who joined them, a confused look on his face. He sighed, "I was hoppin' to make a clean get away bu' looks like ye caught me lad." He said, wiping his forehead with a blue handkerchief. He embraced Jack suddenly and Jack tensed up, competing to breathe with the man's bear hug. "Ye be a good kid Jackie, like yer father. Ye'll make a great cap'n." He pulled away and Jack staggered back. Before he could ask why, though, Roger answered it, "I'm old Jackie, to old an' this venture is yers, no' mine." He hugged Bill to and took the silence from both of them as good bye. They watched him swing his leg over the edge of the ship before he stopped and handed a slip of paper to Jack. "It was from yer mother to yer father. I kep' it fer safe keepin', gave it to me a long time ago. If ye ever feel like it, bury it..." He smiled sadly, "I could' but, it'll keep 'em together in death as well. An' if yer ever in Tortuga, jus' talk ta Marshie at Fanny's." And he was gone.
Jack turned away from the rail, glanced at Bill then yelled, "Get this crew to the brig the let's go!" The crew rushed around doing as told and Jack went to his cabin, Captain of the Black Pearl.
To my reviewers:
Alteng: yes...terror for Barbossie-baby yeah! Why would you feel sorry for him? Here are the reasons not to: one-(he impaled Jack) two-(he tried to hurt Will) three-(he impaled Jack) four-(he stole Jack's ship) five-(he impaled Jack) six-(he's evil) seven-(he impaled Jack) shall I go on? Maybe not, or we'd be here all day/night. I think French is okay, it's not my favorite class though, computers is so I can update. Anywho, we don't have tapes, our teacher just drones really. We hardly do anything but I've been taking it since kindergarten. I had a choice not to take it this year but my mom made me. She wants me to take Spanish next but I want to take Latin. I want to be a journalist so, lots of languages will help me get a job in Canada but I live in Saskatchewan and all the good jobs go to people in Quebec, Ontario, ect. So...I could work in the U.S.A but because of our ex- priminister, I probably will have trouble with that. He really screwed up. Yeah, I love Josh, he's like my dream man but...a little old. You're right though, now Jack can get on his own two feet. My dad got confused with the whole reading/talking/crew/Jack thing so I was worried. My dad can't read very good though so I wasn't That worried. If you haven't noticed, I have this thing about killing characters off....Jack next to die? Kidding, really kidding, he won't be next...maybe later though...no? Okay. Yeah, that whole killing first person thingie weirded me out a little but I'm sure it's true unless you're a psycho-deranged maniac...wait, that sounds like most of my family. I watch and read to much stuff to and am a little made because a show I've been watching for four years, and one of my favorites, killed all the characters off! Oh well...Anyway, I'm making my own story, my own idead, free of fan fiction, and I have a crush on the main character to...he's so sexy, I want to get this book published. Well, a creepy thing happened. After I invented him and began dreaming about him, I saw this guy on this show who looked exactly as I had imagined him. It was so weird. Logan and Prechart are upset because they just found out Jack is Josh's son, that would be shocking, but also they think Josh died because of Jack...in a way he did. Thank you for the review. Sorry for the long answer...I couldn't help it and I like talking...writing...whatever.
Dshael: I told you...he may not be dead...but, by all accounts, he probably is. It was the voices in my head...and the man on the screen that made me do it. I'm sorry but, it had to happen...I love him still I mean, he's still my babe. Oh well...we'll have a funeral for him. funeral music- there? That okay? Please keep reading even though Josh is gone, I still want to hear from you, please? Hello...hello?