Chapter Three: Stowaway
"You look awful comfortable, Cap'n."
Jack cracked one dark brown eye open to see Ana Maria standing over his hammock. He cocked his head in question, but then remembered the two children that still lay sleeping against him. "I dunno 'ow 'm gonna get outa 'ere without wakin' 'em," he mumbled, shifting his position.
Ana chuckled at this, leaning over and placing a kiss on his forehead. "You'll figure something out, luv. I'll tell their grandfather we've found 'em."
"Ye've been lookin' for 'em?"
"Aye."
"Sorry."
"Should 'ave known."
Bill shifted, opening his eyes. "s'mornin' yet?" he mumbled.
"Aye, lad, but let me up an' ye can sleep more."
Jack did his best to stand from the hammock gracefully, as not to tumble the two children out after him. He looked at Ana for a moment before putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "I missed ye last night."
"Just one night? What are you ever going to do if we 'ave to go two separate directions for any length of time?"
Jack just smirked as he placed a kiss on her lips and started to limp – his knee stiff with the inactivity of the night's sleep - towards the helm.
---------------------
"You know Richard and Marie," Ana told the girl in her arms. "Remember? Marie's the sweet lady with grey hair tha' tells you pirate tales?"
Katherine shook her head no as she clung to Ana Maria's neck. "I wanna go with you!"
Ana sighed. "Bill, help me 'ere."
"But I don' wanna go either, Aunt Ana." He put on his best stern face. "I wanna 'elp you an' Uncle Jack on the Pearl. 'm big enough to be a pirate, right, Uncle Jack?"
Jack looked startled as if he'd only half been listening. "Wha'?" He chuckled when he saw the look on Governor Swann's face. "Lad, I was too young to be a pirate when I was, an' yer much too young. You'll make yer decision which way you'd rather when yer older, eh?"
"I'm old enough now!"
"No, lad." Jack squatted down next to his best friend's eldest child. It was time to take a new approach. "Listen, lad, you want to be a pirate but you've all ready proven you can't take an order from a captain."
"What?"
"I told you tha' you an' yer sister need to go to stay at the Bruckworths' for a time. You're not listenin' to me on tha', now are ye?"
"That's not fair, Uncle Jack!" the boy wailed as he flung himself around Jack's leg, bringing a muffled sound of pain from the pirate captain. "I have to go! Kathy an' me don' wan' t' loose you an' Aunt Ana too!"
Jack looked to Ana Maria for some help, but she could offer none. He winced as he knelt next to the now sobbing boy and put a hand on his small shoulder. "Jus' come up with us, eh? Do tha' for me, lad? Someone's gotta look after yer grandfather, ne?"
The boy nodded. "Okay," he said at last and Jack stood. The small group started off for the Bruckworths' temperoary home.
--------------------
"Jack!"
"'Allo, Marie," the pirate greeted his mother. "Sorry to barge in on ye like this, but somethin's 'appened."
Jack relayed the entire story of the battle between the Black Pearl and the Black Depths, leaving out the entire segment of the crates crashing down on him and his injured knee. No need for his mother to begin acting like a mother now, right? She always has been and you know it! a voice chided him in his mind. He went into the fire and finally got to the reason they were there: the children and Governor Swann needed a place to stay. Lt. Gillette would stay to protect them all from harm, of course.
"Of course we'll take the dears in!" Marie answered, gushing over how the two children had grown so since she'd last seen them.
"Marie, dear, you're suffocating the poor girl," Richard mumbled. "Where do you think they've taken the Turners?"
"Tortuga is our best guess," Jack answered his stepfather.
Richard nodded. "Then you'll leave out in the morning, I suppose?"
The pirate captain shook his head. "No, we can't afford any more time than we've given. We'll leave now."
"Uncle Jack!" Katherine squealed, latching onto him much as her brother had. "Don't go!"
"Listen, poppet, I 'ave to if ye want me to save yer mum and dad, right?"
Bill tugged his sister off of their uncle. "Come on, Kathy," he said soothingly, but then dropped his voice down so only she could hear him. "I have an idea."
-----------------
"The children are in the back playing," Marie said as she looked toward the setting sun. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Jack?"
"'m fine. Don't pester me over it."
Marie smiled. "You'll have to forgive your old mother."
Jack looked away, not able to easily meet her eyes. "Yeah. I know you'll take care of 'em. Thanks."
"Just be careful, Jack, you hear me? I've seen you limping around here. I'm not blind. Old, but not blind."
"Yer not old yet."
"Older than you."
"One might hope so."
"Jack?" Ana hollered. "Are we going?"
"Aye, luv." The pirate captain turned back. "We'll be back with Will an' 'Lizabeth in no time."
-----------------
"Cap'n!"
Jack looked up from his resting place to see Gibbs walking towards him. He had a struggling Bill Turner in by the wrist and a pouty Katherine Turner in his arms.
"Wha's this?" Jack asked, forcing back a small smile at the children's stunt. "Stowaways, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Aye, sir." Gibbs was having a harder time than his Captain holding back his amusment. "Found 'em aboard not five minutes ago. Said somethin' about Gillette being able to take care of ol' Swann. Shall I throw 'em overboard, Cap'n?"
Katherine squealed in Gibbs' arms, thrashing about until he set her down. She ran over to her uncle, tugging on his jacket. "You wouldn't do that, would you, Uncle Jack?"
The pirate captain grinned and picked her up. "I outa make you walk the plank, ya little schemer. You too, Young Mister Turner, with you being the brains behind it, 'm sure."
Bill's face wasn't near as playful as his sister's. "We're serious, Uncle Jack. We have to help. You can't turn back or you'll loose time."
Jack stared at the young boy in front of him, dark eyes wide. "Yer a smart one for yer age, lad. Well, guess tha's about right, then, wouldn' ye say, Mr. Gibbs? Seems like the li'll treasure snipes'll be joining us." He sighed. "I 'ope ye left somethin' for poor Marie to find notin' wha' ye've done, because she'll drop dead of a heart attack."
Katherine nodded with glee. "Aye aye, sir! We wrote this for 'em!" She produced a note written in unsteady, child like handwriting.
"Kathy!" Bill gasped. "You were supposed to leave that on Aunty Marie's table!"
The little girl looked down at the paper. "Oops..."
---------------------
Flute Damioh: Well, I dunno if this is being posted in the time you're home or not, because I don't know what time zone you're in. lol. So hopefully just in time for you! Glad you like it :)
Kungfuchick: Yes, I've been off writing about lovely Sands from Once Upon a Time in Mexico lately. I'm back! Jack and Ana are very likely to have many a moment in this story! I love that coupling so much!
"You look awful comfortable, Cap'n."
Jack cracked one dark brown eye open to see Ana Maria standing over his hammock. He cocked his head in question, but then remembered the two children that still lay sleeping against him. "I dunno 'ow 'm gonna get outa 'ere without wakin' 'em," he mumbled, shifting his position.
Ana chuckled at this, leaning over and placing a kiss on his forehead. "You'll figure something out, luv. I'll tell their grandfather we've found 'em."
"Ye've been lookin' for 'em?"
"Aye."
"Sorry."
"Should 'ave known."
Bill shifted, opening his eyes. "s'mornin' yet?" he mumbled.
"Aye, lad, but let me up an' ye can sleep more."
Jack did his best to stand from the hammock gracefully, as not to tumble the two children out after him. He looked at Ana for a moment before putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "I missed ye last night."
"Just one night? What are you ever going to do if we 'ave to go two separate directions for any length of time?"
Jack just smirked as he placed a kiss on her lips and started to limp – his knee stiff with the inactivity of the night's sleep - towards the helm.
---------------------
"You know Richard and Marie," Ana told the girl in her arms. "Remember? Marie's the sweet lady with grey hair tha' tells you pirate tales?"
Katherine shook her head no as she clung to Ana Maria's neck. "I wanna go with you!"
Ana sighed. "Bill, help me 'ere."
"But I don' wanna go either, Aunt Ana." He put on his best stern face. "I wanna 'elp you an' Uncle Jack on the Pearl. 'm big enough to be a pirate, right, Uncle Jack?"
Jack looked startled as if he'd only half been listening. "Wha'?" He chuckled when he saw the look on Governor Swann's face. "Lad, I was too young to be a pirate when I was, an' yer much too young. You'll make yer decision which way you'd rather when yer older, eh?"
"I'm old enough now!"
"No, lad." Jack squatted down next to his best friend's eldest child. It was time to take a new approach. "Listen, lad, you want to be a pirate but you've all ready proven you can't take an order from a captain."
"What?"
"I told you tha' you an' yer sister need to go to stay at the Bruckworths' for a time. You're not listenin' to me on tha', now are ye?"
"That's not fair, Uncle Jack!" the boy wailed as he flung himself around Jack's leg, bringing a muffled sound of pain from the pirate captain. "I have to go! Kathy an' me don' wan' t' loose you an' Aunt Ana too!"
Jack looked to Ana Maria for some help, but she could offer none. He winced as he knelt next to the now sobbing boy and put a hand on his small shoulder. "Jus' come up with us, eh? Do tha' for me, lad? Someone's gotta look after yer grandfather, ne?"
The boy nodded. "Okay," he said at last and Jack stood. The small group started off for the Bruckworths' temperoary home.
--------------------
"Jack!"
"'Allo, Marie," the pirate greeted his mother. "Sorry to barge in on ye like this, but somethin's 'appened."
Jack relayed the entire story of the battle between the Black Pearl and the Black Depths, leaving out the entire segment of the crates crashing down on him and his injured knee. No need for his mother to begin acting like a mother now, right? She always has been and you know it! a voice chided him in his mind. He went into the fire and finally got to the reason they were there: the children and Governor Swann needed a place to stay. Lt. Gillette would stay to protect them all from harm, of course.
"Of course we'll take the dears in!" Marie answered, gushing over how the two children had grown so since she'd last seen them.
"Marie, dear, you're suffocating the poor girl," Richard mumbled. "Where do you think they've taken the Turners?"
"Tortuga is our best guess," Jack answered his stepfather.
Richard nodded. "Then you'll leave out in the morning, I suppose?"
The pirate captain shook his head. "No, we can't afford any more time than we've given. We'll leave now."
"Uncle Jack!" Katherine squealed, latching onto him much as her brother had. "Don't go!"
"Listen, poppet, I 'ave to if ye want me to save yer mum and dad, right?"
Bill tugged his sister off of their uncle. "Come on, Kathy," he said soothingly, but then dropped his voice down so only she could hear him. "I have an idea."
-----------------
"The children are in the back playing," Marie said as she looked toward the setting sun. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Jack?"
"'m fine. Don't pester me over it."
Marie smiled. "You'll have to forgive your old mother."
Jack looked away, not able to easily meet her eyes. "Yeah. I know you'll take care of 'em. Thanks."
"Just be careful, Jack, you hear me? I've seen you limping around here. I'm not blind. Old, but not blind."
"Yer not old yet."
"Older than you."
"One might hope so."
"Jack?" Ana hollered. "Are we going?"
"Aye, luv." The pirate captain turned back. "We'll be back with Will an' 'Lizabeth in no time."
-----------------
"Cap'n!"
Jack looked up from his resting place to see Gibbs walking towards him. He had a struggling Bill Turner in by the wrist and a pouty Katherine Turner in his arms.
"Wha's this?" Jack asked, forcing back a small smile at the children's stunt. "Stowaways, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Aye, sir." Gibbs was having a harder time than his Captain holding back his amusment. "Found 'em aboard not five minutes ago. Said somethin' about Gillette being able to take care of ol' Swann. Shall I throw 'em overboard, Cap'n?"
Katherine squealed in Gibbs' arms, thrashing about until he set her down. She ran over to her uncle, tugging on his jacket. "You wouldn't do that, would you, Uncle Jack?"
The pirate captain grinned and picked her up. "I outa make you walk the plank, ya little schemer. You too, Young Mister Turner, with you being the brains behind it, 'm sure."
Bill's face wasn't near as playful as his sister's. "We're serious, Uncle Jack. We have to help. You can't turn back or you'll loose time."
Jack stared at the young boy in front of him, dark eyes wide. "Yer a smart one for yer age, lad. Well, guess tha's about right, then, wouldn' ye say, Mr. Gibbs? Seems like the li'll treasure snipes'll be joining us." He sighed. "I 'ope ye left somethin' for poor Marie to find notin' wha' ye've done, because she'll drop dead of a heart attack."
Katherine nodded with glee. "Aye aye, sir! We wrote this for 'em!" She produced a note written in unsteady, child like handwriting.
"Kathy!" Bill gasped. "You were supposed to leave that on Aunty Marie's table!"
The little girl looked down at the paper. "Oops..."
---------------------
Flute Damioh: Well, I dunno if this is being posted in the time you're home or not, because I don't know what time zone you're in. lol. So hopefully just in time for you! Glad you like it :)
Kungfuchick: Yes, I've been off writing about lovely Sands from Once Upon a Time in Mexico lately. I'm back! Jack and Ana are very likely to have many a moment in this story! I love that coupling so much!