To Cal… You review is absatively divine. I love it!! A review like yours is what writers like me hope, wish and pray for. I'm so glad that you like this! I've seen your reviews of other writers and I never imagined myself among the ranks of those worthy of your response. When I read through the review, it made me absolutely giddy that you went to the time and trouble to tell me exactly what you thought of everything. It means so much to me. I look forward to more novellas in the future. I only hope that I can continue to enthrall you… :) I offer my humble thanks…
To J.L. Dexter… You're forgiven (and I'm sorry you didn't get my present!)… :P I'm positutely delighted that you liked it. And to be completely honest, I didn't think it would turn out. It took me such a long time to work up the courage to write this and then to finally write it. But now, I'm happy with the way it's turning out. And now that I have your support (since you were one of the main reasons I tried my hand at this) I'm positive it will flow quicker… and if possible, better. And shhhh… your favorite line? It's my favorite too! :) I bow before you…
To everyone else that was kind enough to review – I love you all… I'm glad that you like it…
Midmorning…
It wasn't until the Pearl's crew started removing the departed from the deck that Jack realized he hadn't heard a familiar barking voice ordering his men about. It was then that he realized she could still be ensconced in his cabin, injured far worse than he first imagined. With anxiety suddenly rolling in his stomach, Jack made his way to his cabin. Cotton stood outside the door with a look of trepidation on his bearded face. With a quick shake of his head, the man tried to relay the information he couldn't speak.
"Cotton! How she be faring?" Jack asked, a hand on the man's shoulder, his eyes going to the doorknob. Cotton's parrot answered for the man.
"Avast! Sqwuaaaak… Avast! Sqwuaaaak…" Jack looked up at the parrot's screeching, and then met Cotton's sad eyes. The anxiety became sheer panic as the pirate captain wrenched open the door and took in the empty room. Jack stepped back outside his cabin, Cotton stepping loyally to his side as they both surveyed the deck. Gibbs was assisting a few other crew members with one of the twenty-three casualties that were accounted for. What worried Jack most, at this precise moment, were the casualties not accounted for. The ones hauled overboard… He shook his head at the thought and directed his attention to his quartermaster.
"Gibbs!" he shouted to the foredeck. The large man came to attention as he wiped the evidence of his exertion from his brow.
"Aye, Cap'n," he called back.
"Ana?" Jack asked. Gibbs' eyes were suddenly searching the deck.
"Thought she were with you, Jack," Gibbs said seriously, concern marring his face. The quartermaster turned to his compatriots, who merely shrugged their shoulders. Jack held out a hand to indicate the vacant space next to him.
"Well, she's not, is she, mate?" Jack asked with surprising acidity. Gibbs frowned slightly at Jack's tone.
"No, she's not, Jack," Gibbs answered automatically, trying to figure out Jack's mood all the while. The pirate captain just stared off at the now late morning bustle of some of the Tortuga residents. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for them, which was most likely true. Tortuga was thought of, mostly, as neutral ground. It was rare that a pirate would raid another while in port, but it wasn't unheard of. And when said action happened, most residents turned a blind eye. It was the nature of the beast that was Tortuga.
"Did she venture back into town?" he asked suddenly. Gibbs thought for a second.
"Aye, she might've. We hired a bit of help for clearin' the mess and some of the crew went off with them. Ana could've been one of 'em," he said. Jack nodded absently as he made his way towards the gangplank. A sudden thought came to Jack's head and he whipped around halfway to the docks to stare at Gibbs.
"Do we know from where they came?" he asked, pointing to the body that his quartermaster and crew mate were hefting to the plank. Gibbs shook his head.
"Nay, Cap'n. There's been no ship to go in or out of the harbor without us inquiring about it since dawn," he answered. Jack nodded before he turned and continued his swagger down to the dock.
"I'll be at the Faithful Bride," Jack said with one of his hand gestures as he continued walking.
"What you be doing there, if ye don't mind me askin'?" Gibbs called out.
"Why, havin' me some rum… and some conversation," Jack answered. Gibbs, unsure of how rum was going to fix the situation, watched his captain for a moment longer until he gave up trying to understand with a shrug and went back to his work.
It was on the far side of three hours later and the sun was beginning to cast its late afternoon shadows when Jack finally swaggered his way back to the Pearl. The entire crew, unsure of what Jack's mood would be like and how soon he would return, had stayed aboard in wait of him. He boarded his ship silently, his beloved tricorn hat neatly in his hands. Everything else about him was slightly askew. Gibbs' caught the strong odor of ale wafting from the man now standing in front of him that bespoke of such a brew being spilled rather than indulged in. The reddening spot near Jack's eye bespoke of things other than conversation occurring.
"Pardon me askin', Cap'n, but did ye deserve that one?" Gibbs asked, raising his hand to his own face to indicate where Jack's bruise was likely to form by the next day.
"Depends on which side of the fist you're on, mate," Jack said before turning to address the rest of the crew.
"Weigh anchor and hoist the mail sail, mates. Our course is Port Royal…" he said, sending everyone scurrying, before turning and returning himself to the Pearl's helm. The weary captain rested his forearms between the grips of the wheel and watched his men prepare for their journey. Gibbs' presence by his side a few insignificant moments later did not surprise him.
"Port Royal, Jack?" the quartermaster asked, unease causing his voice to become slightly gruffer. Jack didn't turn, just continued to watch the deck in front of him.
"Aye, Port Royal," Jack confirmed.
"I don't mean to be questionin' it, Jack, but we've reason to be back there, haven't we?" Gibbs asked, leaning forward on the quarterdeck railing, watching the action below as Jack was.
"If you be asking whether we'll be safe in said place, then I have no answer. If you be asking whether I have information that leads us to said place, then I again have no answer," Jack said simply. Gibbs finally turned to look at his captain.
"Then what answers might ye have?" he asked. Jack turned with a gold-tipped smile.
"I never said me venture was unproductive," he said. Gibbs stood straight.
"Will it get us what we're after?" the older man asked. Jack's smile turned serious.
"We shall see… we shall hope… and see," he answered, his eyes looking behind them at the horizon waiting for them. "We need another able mind, and there's only one I trust."
Four days later…
"Cotton'll man the ship with the crew while you and I go ashore," Jack told the man as he hurriedly tucked his pistol into his belt. Gibbs stood by, along with Cotton, in the doorway to their captain's cabin as Jack picked up his discarded weapons.
"And what of the Royal Navy? There's a price on the Pearl… and almost every man on it," Gibbs said. Jack just grinned.
"The crew knows what to do…" he said as he made his way out onto the deck. Gibbs shook his head, following close.
"Keeping to the code doesn't seem to be anyone's strong point on this ship, Cap'n," he said. Again Jack grinned.
"Never said anything 'bout keeping to the code…" Jack said with a sly quirk of his eyebrow.
"Aye…" Gibbs said reluctantly as he took a quick sip from his flask.
"…the crew knows to sail the Pearl on… and we'll find our way to it. Should trouble arise, that is," Jack said. Gibbs narrowed his eyes.
"You seem to doubt there bein' any trouble… We'll find our way?" he asked, not quite grasping his captain's meaning. Jack looked portside as they sailed quietly past the steep wall of rock that shielded Port Royal Harbor from Mother Nature's baser elements. With a surreptitious point, he called attention to the Dauntless… and the smaller, quicker ship anchored next to it.
"Rumor be credited, that be the Intrepid… due to the untimely demise of the valiant Interceptor, it has inherited the title of fastest ship in the King's Navy… savvy?" Jack reported with a mischievous smirk. Gibbs let out a smirk of his own as he caught a glimpse of the ship before it was out of sight.
"Commandeer?" he asked, his steel gray eyes alight with a roguish gleam.
"Aye, commandeer… we'll just have to repeat a bit of history, won't we?" Jack asked Gibbs.
"Sqwuaaaak… Wind in the sails, wind in the sails… sqwuaaaak…" Cotton's parrot answered for the quartermaster. Jack gave Gibbs' shoulder a hearty pat.
"I take that as a yes," he said before heading down to the main deck. "Ready the row! No time to dawdle, mates!" As Gibbs watched Jack assist in the lowering of the row boat he hummed a bit of the pirate captain's favorite ditty… Drink up me hearties, yo ho…
"Don't mind if I do…" the quartermaster said as he took another swig from his flask and then went to join Jack.
Port Royal
…"Ye think we be at the right one this time?" Gibbs asked, looking up at a small stone house. He took a long drink from one of the carafes of rum he'd taken when their unfortunate owner had looked the other way. "We've been to three such houses, all of them in the wrong…"
"You don't need to inform me of that, mate," Jack said as he rubbed his slap-sore cheek. Bloody hysterical females… "I'm well aware of our inaccuracies…"
"There be only one Mr. Turner in all Port Royal, yet no one seems to know where, exactly, he be…" Gibbs muttered, staring at the large wooden door in front of them. Jack extended a hand to indicate Gibbs should knock.
"By all means, take over the inquiry… I've been rapped about enough for the evening," Jack told the man. Gibbs gave him an odd look, but knocked twice anyway. After a moment of silence, Jack reached up and added his own knock. Then, there was a clicking of locks and the door was opened only slightly so the person on the other side could peek out.
"Who is it?" Will Turner's voice asked. With a grin, Jack pushed his way in the door and past a surprised Will.
"Ah, William, me lad…" Jack said as he walked comfortably into the modest front room.
"Jack? Mr. Gibbs?" a distinctly female voice asked, causing Jack to turn in its direction. A grin came over his face as he looked back to Will and then to his guest.
"Dear Elizabeth," Jack greeted with a slight bow and a tip of his hat. "A pleasant surprise…"
"Miss Elizabeth…" Gibbs also greeted. Then Jack frowned and went to the door to look out it. When he finally closed the door behind him, he looked at Elizabeth questioningly.
"No escort, Miss Swann? At this time of the evening?" he asked, causing Will to frown at his fiancée.
"You told me you brought one," the blacksmith scolded disapprovingly. Elizabeth shrugged, but blushed slightly at being caught in the lie.
"I snuck out of the mansion…" she said. "I've had an escort in my presence since the moment we returned to Port Royal…" Elizabeth looked from an amused Gibbs, to a smirking Jack, and then to an uncertain Will. Finally, Will just let out a breath and turned back to Jack.
"What brings you back here so soon?" he asked the pirate. There was a slight flicker of pain in Jack's dark eyes as he thought back.
"I seem to have misplaced a crew member," he succinctly revealed. Will's eyebrow rose.
"Who?" he asked.
"Anamaria…" the pirate answered after a slight hesitation. Will watched Jack closely as Elizabeth sucked in a quick breath in understanding.
"What happened, Jack?" the young woman asked. Jack took off his hat and rubbed the remembered frustration off his face. Gibbs answered for him.
"We believe she be taken…" he said. Will's eyes widened slightly.
"Taken? Kidnapped?" he asked. Jack nodded.
"Aye, lad. 'Cept hostage is more the like," he said.
"Tell us, Jack," Will urged.
"Not too much to tell… we made berth in Tortuga. We were set to ship off the next morning, but before we could, we were attacked. A Captain Gideon Deverill was behind the trouble. He said that he was to rid the waters of the Black Pearl's curse… Ana had gotten herself involved in the fray. Gotten herself injured in the like, so I ran the good Captain through, ordered Ana to my cabin and then went off to finish the mess. By the time it quieted, Ana was no where to be found. Not on the Pearl, in the surrounding waters, nor in Tortuga. She was taken…" Jack recounted, becoming agitated enough to begin to pace. Will frowned in though.
"Captain Deverill… is that all you know? Is there any other information? Was he a pirate?" he asked.
"I don't much believe him a pirate. He was too gentlemanly… too proper a git. Fought like a military man almost," Jack said with a frown as he looked to Gibbs. "I also found that there'd been a ship named the Zephyr anchored off shore. It was the ship that had passed port…" Gibbs let out a strong curse, causing Elizabeth to raise a proper eyebrow.
"Apologies miss… but Ana had been troubled about that ship. Said something weren't right with it…" he said. Elizabeth nodded.
"Makes sense… although everyone thinks women on board are bad luck, their perception would be an immeasurable aid to sailors the world over…" she said, her chin lifting. Gibbs let out a horrified huff as Will smiled and laid a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Miserable, filthy bad luck," Gibbs muttered before taking another drink of rum. Suddenly, Elizabeth's eyes went wide and she stood up quickly.
"Elizabeth… what…" Will started, but was cut off when she laid a quick, soothing kiss on his lips.
"I just… oh my… why didn't I think of this before?! I'll be back in a little while…" she told the group of men as she ran excitedly to the door.
"Elizabeth!" Will cried after her as he scrambled to the now open door and watched the slim figure do the best it could to sprint in petticoats.
"What the blazes was that about?" Gibbs asked. Jack shrugged.
"Women… I'd hand over the Pearl willingly the day I find a man who could understand the crazy creatures…" he said.
"You don't think anything happened do you?" Will asked a short time later, stepping away from the window to look at Jack – who had since sat down and propped his booted feet on the table. Jack stopped twirling one of Gibbs' empty rum bottles and looked up at him.
"Who? Your girl?" he asked. "If you don't think she can take care of herself, mate, then you'd best rap yourself in the head with an oar and knock some sense into you…" Will smiled.
"Still sore about that, are we Jack?" he asked. Jack gave a wave of his hand.
"What's to be sore about? I'll get square with you on that account one day… savvy?" Jack asked with a smirk. Will looked at the pirate seriously.
"I daresay we're about to square up on another outstanding debt…" the blacksmith said, heavy with meaning. Jack sobered.
"Aye, Ana for Elizabeth… I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't need the help," Jack said seriously. Will nodded.
"I know that, Jack. You have my help, but you'd have had it regardless," the younger man said. Jack was silent, his eyes locked on Will's.
"Aye, I know that lad. Your father would have been proud of you," Jack said with a small smile. Will stood up straighter at the thought.
"Thank you, Jack," he said. There was silence until the restless pirate captain stood, tossing the bottle carelessly between his hands.
"We've got to find her… if those cowardly swabs took her off, then we'll find them and take 'em apart piece by piece if we have to," Jack said as he paced, yet again, in Will's humble lodging. Gibbs sat at the table taking a larger part in his second bottle of pilfered Port Royal rum.
"We don't know she's even alive, Jack. For all we know, she's at the bottom of Davey Jones' locker," the quartermaster said. Jack spun on the older man, a flare of unusual temper visible in his dark eyes.
"You don't believe that, mate. And when we do find her, those murderous dogs will get their repayment, ten-fold," he said harshly. Will stood near the fireplace quietly and watched his pirate friend pace furiously, and without his trademark swagger.
"If she's actually…" Will started, but was cut off by a glare from Jack. "Ahem, if something happened to her, then going after them could be a suicide mission on your part, Jack…" Gibbs also watched Jack carefully as Will started in on the usual logic.
"The lad is right, Jack…" he said finally. Jack shook his head, the interwoven beads in his hair making a slight clacking sound.
"I can't believe me ears… you've offered help, but what's this?" he asked, looking between the two men with a wounded look. "If she's alive, I'll find her. You two – me own mate and the man with the might to take on the Royal Navy to save his beloved Miss Swann – saying different. Almost as bad as mutiny…"
"Let's not go that far, Cap'n," Gibbs said, nearly choking at the word 'mutiny'. "All we're sayin' is that to go fetch a probably near-death Ana from those black-hearted bastards, it may risk a heavy loss on our side… and quite possibly your fine self…" Jack crossed his arms in front of him and glared again.
"Do you think that matters to me?" he asked. Will crossed the room to where Jack stood and put a hand on the pirate's shoulder.
"Good, no worries then," the blacksmith said, his eyes holding a smile of memory. It took Jack a moment, but he gave a quick smirk at the younger man's attention to the reversal of roles. Just as Jack was about to say something back, the door to Will's house opened, revealing a disheveled Elizabeth. Will rushed to her side.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned at her appearance. "Were you waylaid?" Elizabeth looked at him in confusion for a moment before she realized what was causing his concern.
"Oh… goodness no… No one harmed me. I went to the mansion and then I ran back here. I didn't want to wait for the carriage to be drawn as my father instructed," she said hurriedly.
"Due to your haste, I presume there is good news?" Jack inquired, not really knowing what 'good' news would be at this moment. Elizabeth looked to Jack with a small, sad smile.
"Good news concerning Anamaria's whereabouts, no. Good news as to information on one Captain Gideon Deverill, yes," she said. Elizabeth let out a startled yelp as Jack suddenly stepped to her and grabbed her shoulders.
"Tell me all," he said as he led her to the table and sat her on the chair opposite Gibbs. She watched the pirate captain with a slight frown on her face as he resumed his pacing in front of her. After a look at an encouraging Will, she took a deep breath and started.
"Well, I requested a meeting with Commodore Norrington…" she started, only to be interrupted.
"Norrington?! What bloody good is he going to do?" Jack asked, throwing his arms up. Will looked thoughtfully at his fiancée.
"Is that why you left in such a hurry?" he asked. Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes. You see, James has been in port for three days. According to my father, he is supposed to weigh anchor early tomorrow morning. I needed to hurry in order for my request to be met and he come to meet me" she explained. Jack grumbled.
"I still don't see what good he'll do," the pirate said. Elizabeth looked back to him.
"Jack… something of what you told me gave me an idea," she said. "You said that your Captain Deverill had a gentlemanly air to him the bespoke of a military upbringing. The very second you said as such, Commodore Norrington's image popped into my mind. And since your attacker was certainly not the Commodore, it led me to think he may have been an enlisted man." Jack thought this over for a second.
"That's interesting," he said as he ran a finger over on of the braids at his chin. "Was the Commodore of any assistance?" Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes, he was. When I told him of what happened, he recognized the name that you gave me. It took him a moment or two, but he ended up placing it. Apparently, your Captain Deverill was Lieutenant Deverill in His Majesty's Navy… along with his brother Captain Damien Deverill. This was about the same time that the good Commodore was Captain as well. When James was promoted, there was a bit of dissension in the ranks among Captain Damien Deverill's men – his brother included. So, rather than serve under a Commodore whom they felt usurped the position Captain Deverill deserved, they left – and have been wanted by the crown for desertion every since…" Elizabeth concluded. Her captivated audience was silent as they absorbed this information. Jack had since ceased to pace and now had a thoughtful frown on his face.
"That still doesn't explain why he would attack the Pearl," he said finally. "And take Ana…" There was silence again as each person tried to ponder up explanations.
"That bloody captain said that he was to rid the waters of the Pearl's curse… More'n likely he's heard the stories of Barbossa… ye think he may not have heard the curse was broken?" Gibbs asked. Elizabeth shook her head.
"I don't think so… the news spread like wildfire to soldier and sailor alike here in Port Royal," she said.
"But that doesn't mean the man had heard it," Will countered. Elizabeth brought a finger to her lips as an idea struck her.
"What if part of this has to do with the Commodore's promotion?" she asked. The men looked to her questioningly.
"Meaning precisely what, luv?" Jack asked.
"James let the Pearl and its captain go… gave the wanted ship leave… what if the attack was an attempt to capture both?" she asked. Will picked up on his love's thought.
"To surpass the good Commodore's failure… Norrington does not have leave to give you nor the Pearl clemency or even suggest it. The fact that he allowed you to leave violates the naval code," she concluded. Jack thought this over for a second.
"You got all of this from a conversation with our dear Commodore?" he asked her. Elizabeth blushed slightly with a smile.
"I've been known to read up on pirates… and anything concerning them. Like the Royal Navy," she admitted.
"So it's been said…" Jack said before turning to Will. "You've a clever woman here, lad. Don't let her get away, savvy?" Jack placed an arm securely around Elizabeth's shoulders.
"I don't intend to," Will answered, adoration shining in his eyes as he looked at her. She blushed deeper in pleasure at both the pirate's words and her fiancé's, and then softly placed her hand over Jack's.
"Jack, I don't know Anamaria half as well as I'd like to. But I know that she is strong-willed and equally as clever, if not more so. They wouldn't have taken her if she were dead, which leads me to believe that she is still alive and doing her best to stay so. There is only one person in this world as cunning and astute as you, Jack Sparrow… and that's Anamaria," she said earnestly. Jack's dark eyes focused on the young woman next to him, causing her to inwardly squirm at his scrutiny. After a second, he dropped his arm and made his way to the table and sat down in Elizabeth's vacated chair.
"Aye, I dare say you're right," he said after a second of inward thought. "It's quite probable that the minx has already laid them low and is trying to find her way back to the Pearl…" The confident bravado hiding the doubt and fear he suddenly felt. With a barely noticeable shaking hand, Jack pilfered Gibbs' pilfered rum and took a long swig.
"So…" Will prompted. "… what's our next move?" In the firelight glow, Jack's eyes almost looked black when he looked to Will. A smirk crossed the captain's face – a smirk that bordered on wicked.
"Why… we give chase, young Turner…" he answered in a way that almost sent chills down Will's spine. The look, the smirk, and the voice all told the young blacksmith that there was more to this than just a chase. It was an unseen, uncharted side of Captain Jack Sparrow that Will was witnessing… and it worried him.
Ana was aware of only that she was being dragged. Two men half-carried her limp form down a flight of stairs.
"Put her in the brig… we'll let her heal a bit before we give her another round. We'll get nothing out of her while she's unconscious," a voice said. Ana opened her eyes slightly to find the owner of that voice, but everything was blurry. The glow from the hanging lanterns only added to the confusion as she tried to focus.
"Ahhhh, she's awake, Cap'n…" another, gruffer voice said. With a dry, painful swallow, Ana closed her eyes. No, I'm not awake! She mentally urged. Leave me alone! There was a heavy numbness to her entire body, but she could still feel a slight pain radiating a slow heat from her face and her arms. Her eyes snapped open when a hand gripped her chin in an unforgiving manner. Again, she couldn't focus on the man's face.
"Welcome back, missy. Maybe next time, you'll be a little more cooperative. We'll let you rest up a bit, and think over your situation. The next time we ask you questions, it would serve you better to answer…" he said, roughly releasing her face. There was a clanging of metal as the doors to her cage were opened. The two men holding her dropped her unceremoniously to the floor. She tried to sit up, but the muscles in her arms protested as she tried to move them. Instead, she rolled as best she could onto her back and looked up at the man standing on the other side of the bars. There were only three questions that she needed answered at this precise moment.
"What happened to me?" she asked hoarsely, licking her dry, chapped lips. "Who are you?" There was no answer from the man. And finally, an even softer "Who am I?" Silence reigned for a few more moments as Ana blinked a few more times, her vision slowly becoming clearer; her head becoming a little less heavy. Finally, the slightly more-in-focus man turned to his counterparts with an evil smile.
"Well, well… How very fortuitous. It seems, gentlemen, that we now have a different kind of pawn in this…"
Author's notes…
A little longer than I'd anticipated the update to be, but I'm fairly certain I won't hear any complaining… :PAuthor's fair warning… I hearby state forthwith that history will be played with a teeny-tiny bit in this story, and I apologize for it to those buffs who may read further into the story and find the discrepancies (I don't want to hear about it in reviews, cuz I already know!). Although, I must say, there was a little bit of history and protocol played with in the movie as well (e.g. Commodore Norrington, and the East India Trading Company brand… among things…)