We're ba-ack! Yay! Well, sort of yay. See, Kat's sad. Well, she WAS happy
because we have 101 reviews. We have as many reviews as Dalmatians! (I'm a
large Disney fan, shhh.) But now she's sad. See, her brother was s'posed to
take her to The Order tonight. Well, he was s'posed to take her on opening
night, and didn't do that EITHER, but I digress. So now the closest theatre
it's playing in is an hour away, so she doesn't get to see it. And
considering she's been waiting all summer to see it, she's very sad. And
the very VERY worst part is, he won't take her to see Pirates instead! He
said no Pirates! How can you say no Pirates? So you all absolutely HAVE to
review, and make her feel better, or we'll never ever update again. EVER.
By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Tipsy Pirate Lass because she's our one hundredth reviewer.
And now for a quote from our pal Jack. Who is one thousand times cooler thank Kat's brother. I bet JACK would take her to see Pirates.
"If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it."
Reviewers:
Bratprincess: lmao, that was absolutely hilarious. And hey, look. We ARE updating soon. So ha. We pillage, we plunder, we rifle or loot...
Satan's Sidekick: Don't worry! We're updating!
Ginny-Star: Yes, young Jack finally realizes. But what will he do about it?
Szhismine: Well, I suppose, under ordinary circumstances it WOULD mean the story was drawing to a close. There's only one problem: it's us. We have the hardest time ending anything. Really. You should hear our phone conversations. Don't worry. There's still quite a bit left.
LuvlyGRLofLIFE: Well, I hope this will uplift your spirits again!
J. Liha: Whips? And Jack clones? Excuse me while I go take a VERY cold shower. (Kat says to just FedEx her the fricking arctic.)
Scarlett Red Rose: We're updating as fast as humanly possible!
LotRseer3350: No! We're not trying to kill you! We'd never try to kill you!! As it happens, your cameo is in (duhn duhn duuuuhn) this chapter! T'wards the end. You can't miss it! And no, it's not a one-line thing. It is significantly bigger than that.
Tipsy Pirate Lass: Glad to see you're alive. Hope we haven't killed you again. Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! We have 101 now! I choked on my drink when I found out this morning.
*
"Jack?" Jade persisted, drawing his attention back to her. "You wanted to tell me something?"
"I, uh, I wanted to tell you that... you dropped your hat." He bent to pick up the object, which he had noticed close by.
"Oh, thank you," Jade said, looking somewhat surprised and even the slightest bit disappointed-although Jack tossed that to his imagination. He watched as Jade ran after her father before reluctantly following himself. What would probably be his only chance to tell her how he felt, and he had lost his nerve. Yet how could he bring himself to do that; to tear her from the sea, her father and the life she loved so soon after it had been returned to her? He couldn't. So he settled himself to following behind, thinking of what might have been.
*
When Jade reached the Pearl, she ran to every crewmember, hugging them in turn and surprising them all. She raced about like a child, thrilled at being returned to her home. By the time they were ready to set sail, Jack Turner had lost sight of her, climbing dizzyingly high up the mast.
"Jade, get your bloody arse down here immediately," her father ordered. She scrambled back down and smiled at him so sweetly that he could do nothing but roll his eyes and laugh. "Just get away from me, savvy?" She nodded, and scampered off, flying past the younger Jack again.
"Where are you going now?" he asked, laughing.
"To get changed," she called back. "I've been wearing my sleeping clothes for the past few days!" She left for the room that had been designated as hers years ago and still contained all her effects.
When she returned, she was dressed comfortably in dark pants and a loose pale shirt, offsetting her tanned skin. She had tied a bright red sash around her waist, and her arms clinked with multiple bracelets. She leaned against the railing, breathing in the salty sea air. Her father came to stand beside her.
"We've been relishing in delicious silence of not hearing the blasted song since you left," he commented.
"But you missed me."
"Yes," he admitted, rather grudgingly.
"A lot," Jade pushed.
"Yes." He glanced down at her. "I've grown rather fond of you."
"Does that mean I don't have to swab the decks anymore?"
"No."
"Can I... steer the ship?"
"No."
"What about letting me climb the mast?"
"No."
Jade sank her head down heavily, sighing. Then she perked up, looking at her father carefully. "Can I stay here, with you, on the Pearl?"
"Absolutely." Jack gave his daughter a full-fledged Captain Sparrow grin and winked at her. "Now go swab those decks, savvy?"
Jade returned an almost identical grin, willing to do even this tedious task. "Aye, aye, cap'n"
*
She ended up swabbing the deck for possibly a quarter of an hour before growing bored and wandering off in search of Jack.
"Gibbs!" she called, catching sight of him.
"Yes Miss Jade?"
"Have you seen Jack?"
"Which one?"
Jade sighed impatiently. "The one I don't call 'Dad'. Turner!"
Gibbs nodded. "Aye, you. Turner!" Jack appeared from the hold, dirt on his face.
"Yes?"
"I'm bored," Jade announced. "You and I are going to go do... something. I haven't decided what just yet, but I'll think of something."
"You're a lot like your father," Jack decided.
"Thank you."
"I'm not quite sure that's a compliment."
"Trust me, it is." Jade stopped suddenly, deciding where she wanted to go. "Come on!" she said, dragging him along.
"Where are we going?" Jack questioned.
"Here." Jade had led him to the bow of the ship, and climbed up to the figurehead. Jack looked after her rather apprehensively. "Don't worry," she told him. "The worst that could happen is you'll fall."
"That's not very reassuring," Jack said, but started after her. When he had secured himself beside her, he was glad he had. They somehow seemed isolated from the rest of the ship, the rest of the world, really. The smell of the salt air was almost intoxicating, and the breeze carrying a light spray was refreshing. In an odd way, Jack was reminded of the night the captain had left his daughter and she had run for the sea.
"Jade," he asked curiously, "Who was your mother?"
"What?" she asked, looking at him in surprise.
"You told me once that everyone has a woman that bore them until they were born, but not everyone has a mother. Who was she?"
Jade was silent for so long that Jack was worried he'd upset her. "I don't know," she admitted finally.
"You don't even know who she is?"
"No." She sat still for a moment, staring off over the ocean contemplatively. Then, with such speed she nearly startled Jack from his perch, she jumped onto the deck.
"Where are you going?" Jack asked. She turned back to him.
"To find out who I am, savvy?"
*
When Jade found her father, he was sitting in his room. She sat down silently in a seat opposite him, and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.
"Have you finished swabbing the deck?"
"No," she answered shamelessly. "Who was my mother?"
Jack's eyes darkened at the question, and he raised the bottle of rum to his lips to take a swig with vengeance. "Why do you wanna know all o' the sudden?"
Jade shrugged, trying not to show her interest. It seemed odd that it was so difficult to pretend- she had been pretending for a very long time. But she had never bothered to around her father before; she had never needed or wanted to. Around him she was never anything but herself, she had never been ashamed of her opinions, afraid to show her fear or discomfort, worried that she might upset him. Upsetting him had often been the best part. Sitting still next to him, trying not to squirm or show her nervousness, Jade could not for the life of her, remember a time she had been nervous around her father. She didn't like it.
"I don't know," Jade answered him quietly. "I suppose that I just never thought about her before. It doesn't matter, just a passing thought I decided to verbalize. You know me- odd, says whatever she likes, odd," she paused trying to think of another word to use.
"Do you really want to know?" Jack questioned.
"Odd. You know, the way you and the crew describe me at the pub in Tortuga. Did you say something?"
Jack sighed, long-sufferingly. "I said 'do you really want to know?'"
Jade tried to sound nonchalant, but came off sounding like a child on their birthday. "If you wouldn't mind sharing- yes, I would."
"It's not a pretty story, and I don't think you'll like it. Not that that ever stopped you. In any case-" Jack's tone changed, as did his posture. He had been leaning back against the wall, but now sat hunched over his bottle of rum- almost protectively. For a moment, Jade wished she hadn't asked. But the thought was fleeting, and she knew she would never be able to ask anyone else.
"Only one other person knows everything, and that was because she wouldn't leave me alone. Bloody female pirates, they have to know everything. You'd think that she would give me some respect, but no. Half the time she just calls me 'Jack', no captain or anything, just 'Jack'. The crew's gonna stop respecting me soon."
Jade rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest and looking down on her father from her vantage point in the doorway. "It's been going on for over fifteen years; I don't think it matters anymore."
"She should still stop."
At his failure to reprimand her for interrupting, Jade felt herself tense physically. This really was difficult for him to do.
"She wasn't anything special, just another woman in Tortuga. I didn't meet her on some grand adventure, and I didn't fall in love with her the minute I saw her. She was just the first person I saw there who didn't slap me. I suppose that fact set her apart. I sat down with 'er and the lads, had a coupla pints of rum, and then...er..."
"I know what you do in Tortuga." Jade said simply, her own voice void of emotion.
"I went back ten or so months later, and she walked up to me in the street. I expected her to slap me this time, but she didn't. She just looked at me, looked me straight in the eye for about a minute. Then she took my hand and led me down the street. She pulled me into the room we had been in last time, and I was under the impression that it was for the same reason. Then she showed me you. You were awake, and looking up at me like you already knew who I was." Jade rolled her eyes, but didn't interrupt. Never noticing the slight movement, Jack continued. "I wanted to say that you weren't mine, but I looked in your eyes and I knew. You were me, mine, savvy?"
Jade grinned, sitting down across from him. "Savvy. What happened next?"
"Christ you're impatient. I went to the pub and got some rum."
"WHAT? You didn't stay and watch me do nothing for hours?"
"No."
"Did you at least take me with you?"
"No!"
"Well what did you do?"
Staring into the nearly empty bottle, Jack took another swig of his rum. "Got roaringly drunk; babbled the entire story to Gibbs and Anamaria. They let me sleep it off, something you never do, I might add, and we went back the next day. Your mother hadn't named you yet, she said she knew I'd be back."
Jade sat up excitedly. "Was she a witch?"
"It was Tortuga love."
"Oh. Right."
"We went and got you baptized- she was adamant about that. I named you myself, as we stood at the altar. Gibbs and Anamaria are your godparents by the way.
"When we got outside, she asked me to hold you. She settled you in my arms, smiled at you for a moment and then walked away. I never saw her again."
Jade frowned. "You didn't run after her?"
"I was holding you, Treasure, I was afraid to walk. I sent Gibbs and Anamaria off, but they couldn't find her. She just disappeared. She loved you though."
Silence reigned for a few moments, as Jade let the story sink in. When her father gave her no indication that he would continue, she questioned, "What did she look like?"
Jack's eyes slid shut, and he found himself seeing the image of Jade's mother clearer then he had in years. "She wasn't particularly tall or short, but she was beautiful. Dark red hair, deep green eyes." His own opened and he smiled at his enraptured daughter. "That's where you get your name, miscreant. I said, 'We'll call her Treasure, for she is, and Jade, for your eyes.' That's all I remember."
"What was her name?"
A far off look came across Jack's face and he drained the last of his drink. "I don't remember. Go... teach Mister Turner that bloody song or something. I'm going to do something important which I've no doubt forgotten to do." He strode off, empty bottle in hand, and Jade stood slowly.
"Anya."
That voice came from behind her, and Jade turned to see Anamaria.
"I found your mother that day, despite what your father believes. She told me that she was leaving you with him for good. She was sick, and having you had nearly killed her. She trusted him without really knowing him, enough to let him take you. I asked her why, and she told me it was because he hadn't hurt her. So many of them had, and he didn't. And his eyes- your eyes. He wasn't lying when he said she loved you, she loved you enough to give you away when she knew she would never see you again. If she had kept you, you would have been left to the streets when she died. He truly doesn't remember, but her name was Anya."
As quietly as she had arrived, Anamaria left, leaving Jade to her thoughts. "Anya." She said softly, a smile on her face as she ran off to find Jack.
* * *
He sat alone on the figurehead, apparently waiting for her to return. Scrambling down to her perch, she grinned at him.
"So did you discover anything about the woman who bore you?"
Jade nodded. "My mother's name was Anya."
"I thought you didn't have a mother."
Looking ahead to the oncoming waves, the salt laden wind whipping at her hair, Jade answered him softly. "I did. I had a mother."
He didn't respond, and after a few minutes of companionable silence, Jade glanced over at him. "Why did you wait here for me anyway?"
Jack grimaced, a sheepish look taking over his features. "I didn't really have a choice. I don't know how to get up."
*
From where he stood at the helm, Captain Jack Sparrow heard his daughter's shout of laughter. Glancing up toward to sky, he nodded in respect. "Thank you." He said, to no one in particular.
By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Tipsy Pirate Lass because she's our one hundredth reviewer.
And now for a quote from our pal Jack. Who is one thousand times cooler thank Kat's brother. I bet JACK would take her to see Pirates.
"If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it."
Reviewers:
Bratprincess: lmao, that was absolutely hilarious. And hey, look. We ARE updating soon. So ha. We pillage, we plunder, we rifle or loot...
Satan's Sidekick: Don't worry! We're updating!
Ginny-Star: Yes, young Jack finally realizes. But what will he do about it?
Szhismine: Well, I suppose, under ordinary circumstances it WOULD mean the story was drawing to a close. There's only one problem: it's us. We have the hardest time ending anything. Really. You should hear our phone conversations. Don't worry. There's still quite a bit left.
LuvlyGRLofLIFE: Well, I hope this will uplift your spirits again!
J. Liha: Whips? And Jack clones? Excuse me while I go take a VERY cold shower. (Kat says to just FedEx her the fricking arctic.)
Scarlett Red Rose: We're updating as fast as humanly possible!
LotRseer3350: No! We're not trying to kill you! We'd never try to kill you!! As it happens, your cameo is in (duhn duhn duuuuhn) this chapter! T'wards the end. You can't miss it! And no, it's not a one-line thing. It is significantly bigger than that.
Tipsy Pirate Lass: Glad to see you're alive. Hope we haven't killed you again. Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! We have 101 now! I choked on my drink when I found out this morning.
*
"Jack?" Jade persisted, drawing his attention back to her. "You wanted to tell me something?"
"I, uh, I wanted to tell you that... you dropped your hat." He bent to pick up the object, which he had noticed close by.
"Oh, thank you," Jade said, looking somewhat surprised and even the slightest bit disappointed-although Jack tossed that to his imagination. He watched as Jade ran after her father before reluctantly following himself. What would probably be his only chance to tell her how he felt, and he had lost his nerve. Yet how could he bring himself to do that; to tear her from the sea, her father and the life she loved so soon after it had been returned to her? He couldn't. So he settled himself to following behind, thinking of what might have been.
*
When Jade reached the Pearl, she ran to every crewmember, hugging them in turn and surprising them all. She raced about like a child, thrilled at being returned to her home. By the time they were ready to set sail, Jack Turner had lost sight of her, climbing dizzyingly high up the mast.
"Jade, get your bloody arse down here immediately," her father ordered. She scrambled back down and smiled at him so sweetly that he could do nothing but roll his eyes and laugh. "Just get away from me, savvy?" She nodded, and scampered off, flying past the younger Jack again.
"Where are you going now?" he asked, laughing.
"To get changed," she called back. "I've been wearing my sleeping clothes for the past few days!" She left for the room that had been designated as hers years ago and still contained all her effects.
When she returned, she was dressed comfortably in dark pants and a loose pale shirt, offsetting her tanned skin. She had tied a bright red sash around her waist, and her arms clinked with multiple bracelets. She leaned against the railing, breathing in the salty sea air. Her father came to stand beside her.
"We've been relishing in delicious silence of not hearing the blasted song since you left," he commented.
"But you missed me."
"Yes," he admitted, rather grudgingly.
"A lot," Jade pushed.
"Yes." He glanced down at her. "I've grown rather fond of you."
"Does that mean I don't have to swab the decks anymore?"
"No."
"Can I... steer the ship?"
"No."
"What about letting me climb the mast?"
"No."
Jade sank her head down heavily, sighing. Then she perked up, looking at her father carefully. "Can I stay here, with you, on the Pearl?"
"Absolutely." Jack gave his daughter a full-fledged Captain Sparrow grin and winked at her. "Now go swab those decks, savvy?"
Jade returned an almost identical grin, willing to do even this tedious task. "Aye, aye, cap'n"
*
She ended up swabbing the deck for possibly a quarter of an hour before growing bored and wandering off in search of Jack.
"Gibbs!" she called, catching sight of him.
"Yes Miss Jade?"
"Have you seen Jack?"
"Which one?"
Jade sighed impatiently. "The one I don't call 'Dad'. Turner!"
Gibbs nodded. "Aye, you. Turner!" Jack appeared from the hold, dirt on his face.
"Yes?"
"I'm bored," Jade announced. "You and I are going to go do... something. I haven't decided what just yet, but I'll think of something."
"You're a lot like your father," Jack decided.
"Thank you."
"I'm not quite sure that's a compliment."
"Trust me, it is." Jade stopped suddenly, deciding where she wanted to go. "Come on!" she said, dragging him along.
"Where are we going?" Jack questioned.
"Here." Jade had led him to the bow of the ship, and climbed up to the figurehead. Jack looked after her rather apprehensively. "Don't worry," she told him. "The worst that could happen is you'll fall."
"That's not very reassuring," Jack said, but started after her. When he had secured himself beside her, he was glad he had. They somehow seemed isolated from the rest of the ship, the rest of the world, really. The smell of the salt air was almost intoxicating, and the breeze carrying a light spray was refreshing. In an odd way, Jack was reminded of the night the captain had left his daughter and she had run for the sea.
"Jade," he asked curiously, "Who was your mother?"
"What?" she asked, looking at him in surprise.
"You told me once that everyone has a woman that bore them until they were born, but not everyone has a mother. Who was she?"
Jade was silent for so long that Jack was worried he'd upset her. "I don't know," she admitted finally.
"You don't even know who she is?"
"No." She sat still for a moment, staring off over the ocean contemplatively. Then, with such speed she nearly startled Jack from his perch, she jumped onto the deck.
"Where are you going?" Jack asked. She turned back to him.
"To find out who I am, savvy?"
*
When Jade found her father, he was sitting in his room. She sat down silently in a seat opposite him, and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.
"Have you finished swabbing the deck?"
"No," she answered shamelessly. "Who was my mother?"
Jack's eyes darkened at the question, and he raised the bottle of rum to his lips to take a swig with vengeance. "Why do you wanna know all o' the sudden?"
Jade shrugged, trying not to show her interest. It seemed odd that it was so difficult to pretend- she had been pretending for a very long time. But she had never bothered to around her father before; she had never needed or wanted to. Around him she was never anything but herself, she had never been ashamed of her opinions, afraid to show her fear or discomfort, worried that she might upset him. Upsetting him had often been the best part. Sitting still next to him, trying not to squirm or show her nervousness, Jade could not for the life of her, remember a time she had been nervous around her father. She didn't like it.
"I don't know," Jade answered him quietly. "I suppose that I just never thought about her before. It doesn't matter, just a passing thought I decided to verbalize. You know me- odd, says whatever she likes, odd," she paused trying to think of another word to use.
"Do you really want to know?" Jack questioned.
"Odd. You know, the way you and the crew describe me at the pub in Tortuga. Did you say something?"
Jack sighed, long-sufferingly. "I said 'do you really want to know?'"
Jade tried to sound nonchalant, but came off sounding like a child on their birthday. "If you wouldn't mind sharing- yes, I would."
"It's not a pretty story, and I don't think you'll like it. Not that that ever stopped you. In any case-" Jack's tone changed, as did his posture. He had been leaning back against the wall, but now sat hunched over his bottle of rum- almost protectively. For a moment, Jade wished she hadn't asked. But the thought was fleeting, and she knew she would never be able to ask anyone else.
"Only one other person knows everything, and that was because she wouldn't leave me alone. Bloody female pirates, they have to know everything. You'd think that she would give me some respect, but no. Half the time she just calls me 'Jack', no captain or anything, just 'Jack'. The crew's gonna stop respecting me soon."
Jade rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest and looking down on her father from her vantage point in the doorway. "It's been going on for over fifteen years; I don't think it matters anymore."
"She should still stop."
At his failure to reprimand her for interrupting, Jade felt herself tense physically. This really was difficult for him to do.
"She wasn't anything special, just another woman in Tortuga. I didn't meet her on some grand adventure, and I didn't fall in love with her the minute I saw her. She was just the first person I saw there who didn't slap me. I suppose that fact set her apart. I sat down with 'er and the lads, had a coupla pints of rum, and then...er..."
"I know what you do in Tortuga." Jade said simply, her own voice void of emotion.
"I went back ten or so months later, and she walked up to me in the street. I expected her to slap me this time, but she didn't. She just looked at me, looked me straight in the eye for about a minute. Then she took my hand and led me down the street. She pulled me into the room we had been in last time, and I was under the impression that it was for the same reason. Then she showed me you. You were awake, and looking up at me like you already knew who I was." Jade rolled her eyes, but didn't interrupt. Never noticing the slight movement, Jack continued. "I wanted to say that you weren't mine, but I looked in your eyes and I knew. You were me, mine, savvy?"
Jade grinned, sitting down across from him. "Savvy. What happened next?"
"Christ you're impatient. I went to the pub and got some rum."
"WHAT? You didn't stay and watch me do nothing for hours?"
"No."
"Did you at least take me with you?"
"No!"
"Well what did you do?"
Staring into the nearly empty bottle, Jack took another swig of his rum. "Got roaringly drunk; babbled the entire story to Gibbs and Anamaria. They let me sleep it off, something you never do, I might add, and we went back the next day. Your mother hadn't named you yet, she said she knew I'd be back."
Jade sat up excitedly. "Was she a witch?"
"It was Tortuga love."
"Oh. Right."
"We went and got you baptized- she was adamant about that. I named you myself, as we stood at the altar. Gibbs and Anamaria are your godparents by the way.
"When we got outside, she asked me to hold you. She settled you in my arms, smiled at you for a moment and then walked away. I never saw her again."
Jade frowned. "You didn't run after her?"
"I was holding you, Treasure, I was afraid to walk. I sent Gibbs and Anamaria off, but they couldn't find her. She just disappeared. She loved you though."
Silence reigned for a few moments, as Jade let the story sink in. When her father gave her no indication that he would continue, she questioned, "What did she look like?"
Jack's eyes slid shut, and he found himself seeing the image of Jade's mother clearer then he had in years. "She wasn't particularly tall or short, but she was beautiful. Dark red hair, deep green eyes." His own opened and he smiled at his enraptured daughter. "That's where you get your name, miscreant. I said, 'We'll call her Treasure, for she is, and Jade, for your eyes.' That's all I remember."
"What was her name?"
A far off look came across Jack's face and he drained the last of his drink. "I don't remember. Go... teach Mister Turner that bloody song or something. I'm going to do something important which I've no doubt forgotten to do." He strode off, empty bottle in hand, and Jade stood slowly.
"Anya."
That voice came from behind her, and Jade turned to see Anamaria.
"I found your mother that day, despite what your father believes. She told me that she was leaving you with him for good. She was sick, and having you had nearly killed her. She trusted him without really knowing him, enough to let him take you. I asked her why, and she told me it was because he hadn't hurt her. So many of them had, and he didn't. And his eyes- your eyes. He wasn't lying when he said she loved you, she loved you enough to give you away when she knew she would never see you again. If she had kept you, you would have been left to the streets when she died. He truly doesn't remember, but her name was Anya."
As quietly as she had arrived, Anamaria left, leaving Jade to her thoughts. "Anya." She said softly, a smile on her face as she ran off to find Jack.
* * *
He sat alone on the figurehead, apparently waiting for her to return. Scrambling down to her perch, she grinned at him.
"So did you discover anything about the woman who bore you?"
Jade nodded. "My mother's name was Anya."
"I thought you didn't have a mother."
Looking ahead to the oncoming waves, the salt laden wind whipping at her hair, Jade answered him softly. "I did. I had a mother."
He didn't respond, and after a few minutes of companionable silence, Jade glanced over at him. "Why did you wait here for me anyway?"
Jack grimaced, a sheepish look taking over his features. "I didn't really have a choice. I don't know how to get up."
*
From where he stood at the helm, Captain Jack Sparrow heard his daughter's shout of laughter. Glancing up toward to sky, he nodded in respect. "Thank you." He said, to no one in particular.