Chapter 1-
"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!"
"Jade! Stop singing that bloody song!"
"When I was younger, you couldn't get me to sing it enough!"
"And when you were younger you listened to your poor old father!"
Treasure Jade Sparrow rolled her eyes, swinging the soaking wet mop around the deck like a dance partner. "WE PILLAGE, WE PLUNDER, WE RAVAGE OR LOOT, DRINK UP ME HEARTIES YO-HO! YO-"
Her song was suddenly cut short as a large hand wrapped around her mouth. Eyes burning with suppressed mirth, she turned to come face to face with her father. "You know, once upon a time, I told a fine young woman that I would teach that song to my crew, and we would sing it all the time!" He practically sang the last three words, the lilt in his voice carrying to the crow's nest, where Gibbs could only shake his head ruefully. "But you, my darling daughter, have made that song so irritating that I can no longer stand to hear the barest bar of it hummed. Do you understand?"
Nodding her head, Jade stepped back as he released her. Stepping up on the side of the ship, she smirked at her father, staring him straight in the eye as she began to hum. "Hm-hm hmm hmmm, a pirate's life for me." Grinning, she jumped backwards, flipping in midair and disappearing under the deep blue water.
"Damn it all to hell." Jack muttered, trying desperately not to smile at his daughter's antics. "Drop anchor, Jade's gone for a swim!" He called, striding to the side of the ship. Leaning on his elbows, he fixed a disapproving look on him face as Jade surfaced. "As much as I dislike what you have just done, I shouldn't want you to be the lunch of that shark over there. You might want to come back aboard, let us get under way again."
Glancing over her shoulder, Jade swam quickly back to the ship, scurrying up the rope ladder Jack threw down to her.
"And of course," he added as she stood before him. "You haven't finished swabbing the deck." Grinning cheekily, he walked away, aware of his daughter's rolling eyes. "If you keep that up, your eyes might get stuck in the back of your head. And then you won't be able to see the deck so to swab it."
*
Jade crawled into bed, flopping backwards and ignoring the covers. Her father pulled them up. He always did, had for fifteen years. "So," she started casually. "Where are we going now?"
"To the Caribbean," Jack answered. "To see an old friend of mine."
"How'd you meet him?" Jade demanded, curious about her father's past.
"How d'you know it's a him?"
"Is it?"
"Yes. But there's a her too."
"I was half right. How'd you meet them?"
"Well it all started with the quest for the Aztec gold on the Isle of-" Jade cut off Jack's story.
"Not that bloody story again. I could recite it with you. I want to know about the people. What are they like?"
"Will's a good man. And his wife Elizabeth is a charming lady."
"A good man? How perceptive. Is that all you have to say about them?"
"Yes. Go to sleep," Jack ordered, kissing her on the forehead.
"Go to sleep?" Jade protested. "That's not fair. Now I'm curious. You have to tell me more."
"I 'have' to do nothing," Jack corrected. "It's my story and I'll tell it if I want to. Good night." Leaving his daughter glaring at him, he blew out the candles and left the room.
"Rotten bastard," she muttered.
"Well, if your going to resort to insults from your filthy mouth, I s'pose I might as well stay." Jack returned to the room. "Where'd you learn that language anyway?"
"From you."
"Forget I asked. And stop listening to me."
"Fine you miscreant. Now tell me the story. And if you mention the bloody gold, I'll cut out your tongue with your own sword and feed it to Mr. Cotton's parrot."
"And with that lovely image. It all started when my boat began to sink. I ended up tying off in a little place called Port Royal. There was some big to-do that day, a new commodore was being. commodored. And it was the perfect day to commandeer a new ship."
Jade snorted. "You mean you stole it."
"Commandeer! It's a nautical term. You've lived the past fifteen years on a ship, you should know the nautical terms."
"Dad, you stole the boat."
"Fine. But I stole it very well, thank you. Now, this new commodore had his sights set on this lovely young thing named Elizabeth Swann, who just happened to be the daughter of the governor. It was her first time wearing a corset, and they laced it a bit too tight. As the commodore proposed, I was checking out this pretty little ship I was planning on commandeering. Miss Swann fainted, and to this day she swears it was because of the corset, but I firmly believe she was trying to avoid the question."
"What question?"
"Whether or not she should marry the poncy commodore my dear. The one with the mast up his. hm-hmm. In any case, the officers trying to keep my away from my pretty little boat- ship- sorry, couldn't swim, so I dove in to save her. The process required me to undress her, which neither the commodore nor the governor were very thrilled about. I was ordered killed, and had to escape. A fine escape, if I do say so myself."
"Well apparently, you're here to talk about it."
Jack glared good-naturally at his daughter. "Is this your story or mine?"
"Well, considering that I was not born, but can make it more interesting," she paused and yawned. "Maybe I should tell the story."
"Alright then, you try it."
"You made it to the smithy, and tried to break out of your chains. You always say this is where you get caught, but how?"
"Well, here I was, finally free and about to walk out, when in waltzes a young fellow by the name of Will Turner. I had pirated with his father, although he didn't know that at the time. He found me, and, noble little person that he was-"
"He was a nobleman?"
"No, although he deserved it more then most who have the title. He was a noble person, but not titled, understand?"
"Uh-huh."
"Excellent. He wouldn't let me walk out, not unless I fought him and won. At this time, he really didn't like pirates, stupid little fool, and was determined that I be put to justice. This man, Will Turner, also loved the little Miss Swann, although he had never told her. And lo and behold, she loved him as well. So we fought, and I found myself stunned that a smithy apprentice could hold his own against Captain Jack. I ended up double- teamed, and unconscious. I woke up in a cell, and that night, heard the music of the Pearl's cannon fire. As you have already heard about the thing I am not allowed to mention, I won't bring it up. The evil Captain Barbossa had kidnapped the darling Miss Swann, and if not for the rash actions of our own Will Turner, the Commodore would never again have seen her. The dashing Will broke me out of my cage, and together we 'commandeered' a new ship. Sailing along, we decided that we needed a crew, and can you guess who we found? Jade? Jade you can talk now. Jade, are you asleep? Bloody children." Smiling gently, Jack leant forward, brushing his lips against his daughter's forehead in the barest of goodnight kisses. "Sleep well my little pirate, we'll be seeing those two fairly soon. Maybe you can hear their story as well."
Standing up, and gliding silently to the door, Jack paused in the hallway to look back. "I swear, when she's asleep you'd never guess the mouth she's got on her."
"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!"
"Jade! Stop singing that bloody song!"
"When I was younger, you couldn't get me to sing it enough!"
"And when you were younger you listened to your poor old father!"
Treasure Jade Sparrow rolled her eyes, swinging the soaking wet mop around the deck like a dance partner. "WE PILLAGE, WE PLUNDER, WE RAVAGE OR LOOT, DRINK UP ME HEARTIES YO-HO! YO-"
Her song was suddenly cut short as a large hand wrapped around her mouth. Eyes burning with suppressed mirth, she turned to come face to face with her father. "You know, once upon a time, I told a fine young woman that I would teach that song to my crew, and we would sing it all the time!" He practically sang the last three words, the lilt in his voice carrying to the crow's nest, where Gibbs could only shake his head ruefully. "But you, my darling daughter, have made that song so irritating that I can no longer stand to hear the barest bar of it hummed. Do you understand?"
Nodding her head, Jade stepped back as he released her. Stepping up on the side of the ship, she smirked at her father, staring him straight in the eye as she began to hum. "Hm-hm hmm hmmm, a pirate's life for me." Grinning, she jumped backwards, flipping in midair and disappearing under the deep blue water.
"Damn it all to hell." Jack muttered, trying desperately not to smile at his daughter's antics. "Drop anchor, Jade's gone for a swim!" He called, striding to the side of the ship. Leaning on his elbows, he fixed a disapproving look on him face as Jade surfaced. "As much as I dislike what you have just done, I shouldn't want you to be the lunch of that shark over there. You might want to come back aboard, let us get under way again."
Glancing over her shoulder, Jade swam quickly back to the ship, scurrying up the rope ladder Jack threw down to her.
"And of course," he added as she stood before him. "You haven't finished swabbing the deck." Grinning cheekily, he walked away, aware of his daughter's rolling eyes. "If you keep that up, your eyes might get stuck in the back of your head. And then you won't be able to see the deck so to swab it."
*
Jade crawled into bed, flopping backwards and ignoring the covers. Her father pulled them up. He always did, had for fifteen years. "So," she started casually. "Where are we going now?"
"To the Caribbean," Jack answered. "To see an old friend of mine."
"How'd you meet him?" Jade demanded, curious about her father's past.
"How d'you know it's a him?"
"Is it?"
"Yes. But there's a her too."
"I was half right. How'd you meet them?"
"Well it all started with the quest for the Aztec gold on the Isle of-" Jade cut off Jack's story.
"Not that bloody story again. I could recite it with you. I want to know about the people. What are they like?"
"Will's a good man. And his wife Elizabeth is a charming lady."
"A good man? How perceptive. Is that all you have to say about them?"
"Yes. Go to sleep," Jack ordered, kissing her on the forehead.
"Go to sleep?" Jade protested. "That's not fair. Now I'm curious. You have to tell me more."
"I 'have' to do nothing," Jack corrected. "It's my story and I'll tell it if I want to. Good night." Leaving his daughter glaring at him, he blew out the candles and left the room.
"Rotten bastard," she muttered.
"Well, if your going to resort to insults from your filthy mouth, I s'pose I might as well stay." Jack returned to the room. "Where'd you learn that language anyway?"
"From you."
"Forget I asked. And stop listening to me."
"Fine you miscreant. Now tell me the story. And if you mention the bloody gold, I'll cut out your tongue with your own sword and feed it to Mr. Cotton's parrot."
"And with that lovely image. It all started when my boat began to sink. I ended up tying off in a little place called Port Royal. There was some big to-do that day, a new commodore was being. commodored. And it was the perfect day to commandeer a new ship."
Jade snorted. "You mean you stole it."
"Commandeer! It's a nautical term. You've lived the past fifteen years on a ship, you should know the nautical terms."
"Dad, you stole the boat."
"Fine. But I stole it very well, thank you. Now, this new commodore had his sights set on this lovely young thing named Elizabeth Swann, who just happened to be the daughter of the governor. It was her first time wearing a corset, and they laced it a bit too tight. As the commodore proposed, I was checking out this pretty little ship I was planning on commandeering. Miss Swann fainted, and to this day she swears it was because of the corset, but I firmly believe she was trying to avoid the question."
"What question?"
"Whether or not she should marry the poncy commodore my dear. The one with the mast up his. hm-hmm. In any case, the officers trying to keep my away from my pretty little boat- ship- sorry, couldn't swim, so I dove in to save her. The process required me to undress her, which neither the commodore nor the governor were very thrilled about. I was ordered killed, and had to escape. A fine escape, if I do say so myself."
"Well apparently, you're here to talk about it."
Jack glared good-naturally at his daughter. "Is this your story or mine?"
"Well, considering that I was not born, but can make it more interesting," she paused and yawned. "Maybe I should tell the story."
"Alright then, you try it."
"You made it to the smithy, and tried to break out of your chains. You always say this is where you get caught, but how?"
"Well, here I was, finally free and about to walk out, when in waltzes a young fellow by the name of Will Turner. I had pirated with his father, although he didn't know that at the time. He found me, and, noble little person that he was-"
"He was a nobleman?"
"No, although he deserved it more then most who have the title. He was a noble person, but not titled, understand?"
"Uh-huh."
"Excellent. He wouldn't let me walk out, not unless I fought him and won. At this time, he really didn't like pirates, stupid little fool, and was determined that I be put to justice. This man, Will Turner, also loved the little Miss Swann, although he had never told her. And lo and behold, she loved him as well. So we fought, and I found myself stunned that a smithy apprentice could hold his own against Captain Jack. I ended up double- teamed, and unconscious. I woke up in a cell, and that night, heard the music of the Pearl's cannon fire. As you have already heard about the thing I am not allowed to mention, I won't bring it up. The evil Captain Barbossa had kidnapped the darling Miss Swann, and if not for the rash actions of our own Will Turner, the Commodore would never again have seen her. The dashing Will broke me out of my cage, and together we 'commandeered' a new ship. Sailing along, we decided that we needed a crew, and can you guess who we found? Jade? Jade you can talk now. Jade, are you asleep? Bloody children." Smiling gently, Jack leant forward, brushing his lips against his daughter's forehead in the barest of goodnight kisses. "Sleep well my little pirate, we'll be seeing those two fairly soon. Maybe you can hear their story as well."
Standing up, and gliding silently to the door, Jack paused in the hallway to look back. "I swear, when she's asleep you'd never guess the mouth she's got on her."