J.L. Dexter… your product seems like a miracle sent from on high… I'd love to have said monkey… and the rum… I have plenty of bananas for the plot machine should it come to begging and bribing. And might I say that you are a very dutiful member of the Insane and Scandalous Consumer/Telemarketer Proprietors of America – I salute you… and I appreciate your offer. It may come to a point where I will have to take you up on it. As for the cliffies, I'm addicted to them. I know I have a problem… If it continues on the scale that I seem to be projecting, I may need help. Oh well... :P
Cal… Thank you for your congrats and for your enthusiasm for the story. Stupid move… taking over all the time I dedicate to my story. But hey, it also provides a useful escape should everything become too stressful, right? Computer problems abound… oh well. I'll figure it out. I just need to spend some time on something else. Everything looks better when you take a break and come back to it. At least I'm hoping that philosophy will work for me in this case! Hope you enjoy this part, and I always look forward to your novellas. It makes the hard work in writing and posting worth it!
Leap of fate… Commodore?! Of course! I have a serious soft spot for him. If I weren't such a Jack/Johnny fan, then our dear James/Jack would be at the top of my list. I couldn't possibly leave him out of this story – especially since the plot kind of circles around him in a strange way… right? ;)
Hollaiuar… You honor me with your words. I think I may have teared up a bit as well… thank you. I'm glad that you liked this idea and I'm sorry I seemed to have swiped the carpet from beneath your feet where it's concerned, however unbeknownst to me… Can't wait to see if you like this next part!! Enjoy…
Wyte-tygre… Sorry I confused you on that part… I skipped from where Jack and Ana were having their conversation about Elizabeth right to the next day… so Elizabeth and Will got back to Port Royal on their own time in the interim between the scenes. I figured the reader could use their imagination where that was concerned since it would have been a bit boring to read about… Again, sorry. I just assume that people read like I do… :) As for the 'bump on the head to bring it all back' scenario?? No freakin' way… too cliché for the likes of me. Not too sure how I'll handle it yet, but it certainly won't be that!
Will watched with a wary eye as the gangplank for the Intrepid was lowered. He knew his fiancée's temper could rival the Devil himself when she felt maligned enough. And from the frown on her beautiful face as she carefully made her way down to the dock, said temper would manifest itself soon enough. Will looked up at where the Commodore stately stood, his arms folded behind his back. Norrington's handsome face didn't betray any emotion, but his eyes held amusement and curiosity at how the reunion between the two lovers was going to play out. Will looked to his side where a very interested Jack stood. The pirate captain didn't even bother to hold back his amusement, the cad. Will turned back to his beloved just as she stopped within arm's reach. He opened his mouth to greet her, but she stepped forward quickly and laid a fist into his stomach, causing the air to be struck from his lungs. Elizabeth didn't hit him her hardest – she didn't want to hurt the miserable bastard – but she put enough force into it.
"Eliza… beth…" Will blew out in a drawn out breath as he clutched his stomach slightly and squinted at her.
"You miserable bastard," she echoed her earlier thoughts with narrowed eyes as Will slowly stood up straight and drew his shoulders back. Jack clapped his hands once and let out a quick laugh.
"That was better than I anticipated!" he whooped and swiftly received a slap for his trouble. He clutched his stinging cheek and looked to the woman who had delivered the blow. "Mary, Mother of… what the bloody hell was that for?" Elizabeth glared at him.
"You know what the 'bloody hell' that was for…" she said. "Trouble follows you around like a puppy nipping at your heels. And you like to drag everyone you can with you…" Jack looked at her.
"What do you mean drag, luv? I haven't dragged anyone anywhere," he said, looking around for the mysterious people she was calling attention to. Will stepped back slightly to avoid the impending slap that was surely to befall Jack. But it didn't come.
"Let me finish, Captain Sparrow…" she said harshly, causing Jack to come to attention. With a deep breath, the young woman held her indignation and anger in check. "And since your adventures of recent never seem to be solitary and without the accompaniment of my fiancé, then I think it best to inform you that I shall be included." Jack gave her a look, with raised eyebrows.
"You shall?" he asked. The woman nodded once.
"I shall…" she answered. Jack looked to think for a second before holding out his hand to Elizabeth.
"Aye, we have an accord, young miss," he said. Elizabeth took it and gave him a smile. But it slipped off her face when she dropped her hand from Jack's grasp and turned to Will.
"And you…" she said, her eyes narrowing once again. Thankfully, when he'd stepped back to avoid the negated attack on Jack's person, Will had stepped another arm length away.
"Yes, Elizabeth?" he asked, knowing full well he was inviting trouble. Rather than get angry again, Elizabeth seemed to deflate slightly. Her eyes saddened.
"I never expected such a devious turn from you, Will Turner," she said. "Thinking you dead once already has taught me that I never desire a moment as such ever again. And then you steal off in the middle of the night without so much as discussing this in the slightest…" The girl wiped the corner of her eye to catch the sitting tear before it fell. Will stepped forward and took her upper arms in his hands.
"Elizabeth… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you like that… I just didn't want to put you into the path of danger like before. You shouldn't be involved in this. You shouldn't be here…" he said with guilt and worry heavy in his voice. Elizabeth looked to be fighting another tear as she looked into Will's dark eyes.
"It was I who put myself in danger before, Will… taking your medallion and then assuming your name… And I believe I proved that I could take care of myself when situations should warrant it," she said. Will looked down into her flawless face.
"I know that… and I am sorry…" he said. Then he gave her a soft smile. "But you're here now." Elizabeth's eyes dried as she straightened up with a smile. Then she leaned in and gave her blacksmith a quick kiss. Jack watched the woman's demeanor do a complete turn-around. It was then he realized what happened. With a shake of his head and a smirk, he stepped close to the couple.
"Methinks you've been duped, mate," Jack said cheerily. "She's got you to thinking you want her here… to keep the domestic peace, as it were…" Both Elizabeth and Will turned to look at him. He just gave them another grin as he stepped back from them slightly and pointed to the deck of the Intrepid.
"I best go talk wind speed with the good Commodore," he excused himself and headed up the gangplank. Elizabeth watched him swagger up towards the stoic James Norrington and then turned back to Will.
"Have you found any information as to where they took Anamaria?" she asked. Will's eyes traveled up to where Jack was leaning nonchalantly against the rail.
"No, there hasn't really been anything good. Jack thinks they'll keep to the waters between Port Royal and Tortuga…" he said. Elizabeth also looked up to where the pirate stood next to an impeccable Norrington. Her heart ached for the captain. Elizabeth knew that Jack's heart belonged to the ocean and to his beloved Pearl… and after the past few days, it had become blazingly obvious to her that his heart also belonged to his first mate… whether he consciously realized it or not.
"Poor Jack," she said softly. Will let out an undignified snort.
"Poor Jack, indeed… he's been his normal mischievous self more often than not…" the young man commented. Elizabeth smiled at Will's comment, but her often-assessing-the-pirate gaze fell on Jack again. He communicated in his usual flighty, gesturing manner with the Commodore, leading the military man to observe Jack as something worth admiration and a bit of a peculiarity – but there was an awareness in the pirate's eyes that told Elizabeth that all was not well in his eccentric, misconstrued world. It was that moment that Elizabeth set aside her teenage-girlish notions and her schoolgirl crush towards one Captain Jack Sparrow. There were too many facets to the pirate that she knew, in reality, she could never handle. He needed a stronger woman than her to keep him in line – or as close to the line as he could possibly get… A woman like Anamaria. At the thought, Elizabeth was reminded of why they were all there.
"He's just pretending most of the time – going through the actions… I'm certain that his mind's elsewhere," she answered her fiancé's observation. Then she turned to face him.
"Shall we go join them?" she asked. Will's eyebrow went up as he smiled.
"And see how the wind fares?" he asked back as he offered Elizabeth his arm. She took it with a smile of her own and the both turned to board the Intrepid. Norrington caught their movement first and turned to them with a welcoming smile.
"Mr. Turner… Miss Swann," he acknowledged the two as they stepped onto the deck. Jack grinned as he turned to them.
"All's fair with the soon-to-be Turners?" he asked, looking between the two.
"Of course," Elizabeth answered. "Now… what important conversation have we missed?"
"Aye… which way does the wind blow?" Will asked. Jack grinned.
"We've moved on to more manly subjects, lad. We're talking strategy…" he said.
"He lies… we're discussing which colors should happen to make our complexions look sallow…" Norrington countered with an unsurprisingly straight face. The jest from such an unlikely jester caused Jack to start.
"Well… that was unexpected," he commented after a moment. Norrington smiled slightly.
"I may be a military man, Captain Sparrow, but I am by no means a dull rock," the Commodore replied. Jack grinned.
"There be hope that we can turn you pirate, Commodore," he said. Norrington shook his head.
"That may be reaching beyond a miracle, Captain," he answered, and then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Now, back to the conversation at hand…" Jack straightened.
"Aye… as I was saying… I would be much obliged if your appointed harbormaster would keep an eye out and an ear to the ground, so to speak, in Port Maria and Port Antonio. Any information regarding the Zephyr or Damien Deverill being passed about is worth more than we have at present," Jack directed to the Commodore. The bewigged man thought for a second before he nodded once.
"That should be easy enough…" he said before giving way to a scheming pause. Finally, he spoke again. "You shall have the Intrepid's assistance… two ships scouring the seas for one would have better luck." The three in his company all turned to him in surprise.
"Isn't that a bit too… piratical… for the King's Navy?" Jack asked, an inquiring look upon his face as he tugged on a braid from his chin. Norrington turned to the pirate.
"Who's to say we weren't doing a routine survey and happened across a suspicious vessel? Who's to say they didn't engage us?" the military man asked. Gold winked as Jack grinned.
"What the mother country doesn't know won't hurt her?" Jack asked the Commodore with a sly look at Will out of the corner of his eye. Norrington smiled a quick, full smile.
"Precisely that," he answered. Jack let out a laugh as he clapped a hand on the man's shoulder.
"We'll make a pirate out of you yet, mate," he said. Norrington shrugged one shoulder as he rested his hands on the hilt of his intricate Turner-made sword.
"Not quite. Captain – and I use the title loosely – Deverill is wanted by the Crown. I will simply be doing my duty," he answered. Jack shook his head sadly.
"Pity that, mate. What you need is a good and bloody battle to stir your pirate blood, savvy?" Jack said waving a hand around in a sword fighting manner. Norrington watched, clearly amused.
"I've just had one, thank you," the Commodore responded. "Although, it wasn't bloody until the very last…" Elizabeth shuddered at the memory of battling the undead, cursed pirates causing Will to tighten his arm around her waist.
"It was quite gruesome," she commented. Norrington looked to her with a friendly smile.
"Agreed, Miss Swann," he answered. Elizabeth laughed.
"After everything, Commodore, I believe you can curtail the propriety. We were engaged, after all," she said. Norrington gave her a small, acquiescing bow. Jack was about to break into the conversation with a sure-to-be-witty comment but he was interrupted.
"Ahoy, Cap'n!" Gibbs' voice called from the docks. Jack looked over the railing to his quartermaster.
"Aye?" he inquired. Gibbs pointed to the Pearl.
"We be set to weigh anchor," he informed Jack. The pirate captain nodded and turned back to the group.
"We're off, then," he said as he made his way to the gangplank. Will, Elizabeth and Norrington all watched him depart. Finally, the Commodore gave voice to his concerns.
"Will he be alright, should this turn in a direction not to his liking?" he asked the couple as he continued to watch Jack. Will looked to Elizabeth quickly before he, too, watched the pirate board his Pearl.
"I can't answer that, Commodore. Jack hasn't shared much of his plan. Only the details of coming here and then heading towards Port Royal. As to what he's feeling… I've only hints and some unguarded conversation," the blacksmith noted. Norrington nodded.
"I'd prefer Damien Deverill to be taken alive… for the sole pleasure of seeing him hang. Should he meet his end otherwise, I will not protest. But I don't want to have to trade the man's place in the noose with a certain pirate captain…" he said, restrained animosity in his voice at the mention of the formerly mentioned captain. Will watched as the normally composed man gripped the metal of his sword handle in a crushing hold.
"We'll try to avoid that, at all costs, Commodore," the blacksmith said. Norrington nodded, the joviality of his earlier demeanor spent.
"I presume that you are after sailing with the Black Pearl?" he asked. Both Elizabeth and Will nodded. The man nodded.
"Then you'd best be off. We're set to sail after you," he said before he took his leave and approached his lieutenant at the helm.
"I'm sensing there is more to the story of James Norrington and Damien Deverill than I probably wish to know…" Elizabeth noted as she and Will disembarked the Intrepid and headed for the Pearl. Will nodded solemnly.
"It unnerves me slightly to have to agree with you," he said back with a parting glance at the Intrepid and its captain.
The Zephyr
…Ana stood behind her crewmate and gritted her teeth to keep from correcting the way he tied off the sail. It wasn't her place, no matter how much she wanted it to be, to yell at him for being incompetent. Instead, she walked away and went about her own duties. With one last look over her shoulder, she mentally told herself that she'd go back later and fix it.
The sky was beginning to deepen into its evening mauve and the nighttime preparations had begun. Ana was beginning to feel restless. She had no clue as to what the Zephyr's destination was, or what exactly the captain did on the seas. There was no cargo to be delivered and no talk of picking anything up. They'd been at sea for over three days and the only word she'd heard passed around was 'Jamaica.' And being the only woman on board the ship, no man was willing to impart information to her. It was strange now that the men, with the exception of Damien and Jonesy, seemed to watch her with a wary caution the longer they were at sea. It was as if they were waiting to be struck down by the hand of the Lord Himself and that she would be the cause of it. Most times she would ignore it, but for some reason all the scrutiny felt heavy on her shoulders this evening. And it was for that reason that her ears perked up at the conversation being held in a group of men standing on the main deck. Going about her work, Ana could hear snatches of what they were talking about.
"… ol' Robby says there be the Devil on our tail," one gruff man said. Another scoffed.
"Ol' Rob is scattered in the head. He don't know what he talking 'bout," a skinny fellow answered. The man with a gruff voice shook his head.
"No, no, no… he's certain. And I've 'eard the cap'n say something along the lines of awaitin' a pursuit. Jonesy hisself, while in his cups, has said that there be more to this journey than meets the eye. And all know that Jonesy all but runs the cap'n's right hand…" he continued. There was a spattering of denials from the other men, but one answered up.
"Aye… I've heard that the Black Pearl is runnin' for us," he said. The skinny man's eyes went wide.
"The Black Pearl? Why would a ship of such nefarious nature be after the likes o' us? We've nary an incident with 'em…" he asked. The gruff man snorted.
"Aye, nary an incident we've had… but the Cap'n's brother? He stormed the ship with the intention of takin' it. Failed quite miserably, I be told. Only a handful of his crew survived and made report to our good Cap'n. Rumor has it, below decks, that the Pearl is after revenge… murderous revenge. All know the nigh unspeakable tales of the Black Pearl. They be merciless murderers. Take no loyalty to crown or pirate alike and will destroy every unfortunate thing in their path…" he said. More inaudible murmuring cut off Ana's meager supply of information. With a frustrated huff, Ana hefted a burlap sack of supplies towards the captain's quarters knowing that Damien liked his cabin well-stocked. As she approached, her brow furrowed in thought. If the Black Pearl was after them, it explained why the men were nervous. At the mention of the scourge of the Caribbean, Ana pictured the daunting black ship of her dreams. It had to be the Pearl… and she had to have been on it at one time. But, unfortunately, after the past few days the memories had stopped coming to her. There were no more voices, no more dreams, no more anything. And it frightened her that there would be nothing more to help her in piecing her life back together. All she had to go from was the seemingly infamous Black Pearl… and she'd do anything to see that it help her find her way back. If the Pearl was coming for the Zephyr, she would wait for it…
Note: I had this written a day and a half ago… but I forgot all about it due to the 100th episode of Angel and all the excitement it caused. And then in my anger, sadness and disappointment from that episode, I completely forgot to post it. I apologize for it. Slaps TV Bad Angel! Making me forget this… So, here it is. I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you thought!!