Hey all! Thanks for taking the time to read my little fic. And no, I don't own POTC, et all, but I can use them in my stories!! However, I do own Charlie and her crew, so nya nya na nya nya Disney! (*blows raspberry at mean people who won't sell her Jack and Johnny Depp then stops and looks around* O-kaay, he he, onto the fic!
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Charlotte mac Cumhail (pronounced mac Cool), better known as Cap'n Charlie, sauntered into the most profitable bar and inn in Port Rose like she owned it- which she did. She usually got stares when she was town, due to the fact that she wore breeches instead of dresses, but a cheer went up in the bar when she entered. She smiled and bowed, removing her cap to reveal long gold hair braided into hundreds of tiny intricate strands. A purple bandana covered her hair and her trusty tricorn hat covered that. She wasn't that tall, but no one could mistake the air of superiority she held, the indistinguishable and comforting confidence that made her a true captain. She slung her leg over a chair and sat down at a table with some of her crew. Her right hand was immediately occupied with a glass of rum and her left was busy with five cards. She threw her heavy purse on the table and gold coins spilled out.
"Ye boys planning on losing yer money?" she asked innocently, "Cause I'll clean you out before the night's up". A slight hint of an Irish accent made her speech lyrical and seductive, but her pose was anything but. She glanced at Tom to her left and saw he was a fidgety. Her eyes softened for a second and she placed her hand on the boys shoulder.
"Mary'll be fine, Tom, don't worry" she whispered. He looked at her and gave a small smile and it was then she noticed how pale he was. His wife, Mary, was in labor upstairs at this very moment. He was dying to go and see her, but Charlie knew it would just distress him and annoy the midwives. She ordered a bottle of Jack Daniels (an: did they have that back then?? I dunno, but it sounds good, though) and five shot glasses. They toasted three times, to life, piracy, and Tom, Mary, and the baby. Now that they were good and smashed, Tom was relaxing and Charlie was satisfied he wouldn't break from being wound too tight. They played cards for a while, Charlie winning most of the money. Charlie grabbed her winnings and excused herself, wanting to go check on Mary and the baby.
Charlie heard the labor pains in the hall and entered the room without knocking, closing the door behind her.
"Hey Mary" she smiled and kneeled next to the gasping woman.
"He doesn't want to come out" Mary wailed, and Charlie could tell the poor girl was near to hysterics.
"Shh, its okay luv. He's just taking his own time about it is all. He'll come out fine- when he's good and ready." Charlie didn't flinch at the pain as Mary started to scream again and strangle her hand. The contraction passed and Charlie looked over to one of the midwives, most of them from her own crew.
"What are her contractions like?"
"They're getting closer and closer" Pip answered, ringing out a cold cloth in the wash basin.
"See Mary? That means little Tom is making his way into the world."
"I wish he'd just hurry up!" the seventeen year old girl sighed, closing her eyes.
"He will, sweetie, don't worry." Charlie had never had kids of her own, but with a ship crewed by an equal number of men as women, things were bound to happen. She'd delivered five godchildren so far, some of them on her own ship. Mary screamed again and Charlie said soothing things to her, urging her to push. Pip's head appeared from between the pregnant woman's legs with a grin.
"He's coming, I can feel his head. A few more pushes should do it!" the eighteen year old announced. Suddenly a large boom was heard and Charlie cursed.
"Bloody pirates!" Pip added, for the minute discounting the fact that she was a pirate, too.
"It's probably a man" Charlie added, looking out the bay window. She saw a large ship anchored off the coast and a spark of color. Another BOOM radiated a second later, hurling a cannonball towards the small town.
"We're under siege, Gwen. Ready the men- get Mitch, Jason, and Kyle up here and tell the rest to secure the inn and ship. We'll come down after Mary's out of the woods, savvy?" The petite woman nodded and ran out the door. Charlie saw the longboats moving towards shore and cursed. They'd be there in a matter of minutes. A moment the door burst open and the aforementioned men poured in. Tom took one look at his wife and promptly fainted. Jason, a lanky man in his mid twenties, caught him deftly and deposited him safely on the floor.
"Nice catch" Charlie grinned and winked. The men had drawn their cutlasses and daggers, with pistols trained at the door. Charlie could see the line of progress and her stomach clenched when she saw they were heading right for the inn. She tried to think- should they move Mary, mid labor, to the safety of the ship? Should they make a stand? She hated the thought of losing the inn, but Mary and the babe were more important. Charlie could clearly see the raiders now and a lump lodged itself in her throat, fear making her adrenaline spike.
She recognized these men.
But it was impossible.
He's dead.
She had heard the reports. Everyone said Barbossa had died on Isla de Muerta. Jack Sparrow himself confirmed the account.
Then how could be right at her front door?
~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N *~*~*~*~*~*~
Dun dun dun!!! Okay, this isn't going to be your typical girl/ Jack fic, so don't worry! I want to do something original, so this is going to be extra creative since most things have already been done. Most girls Jack meets are either hookers, crew members, hostages, or stowaways and most of them are slightly bleh in my opinion- I wanted to write about a woman who is smart, capable, a captain, and a match for our fearless hero in every way (in the bedroom and out {hint, hint}) for he would accept no less, I think. The rating will probably go up later as Jack enters the picture, but for now its' tame. Okay, so, I'm done with my little shpeal and I'd love to hear your thoughts, so press the pretty grey review button, please. I'll give you a walking, talking, smirking, perpetually hung over Jack doll to play with! (and yes, he's agreeable to everything you say!)
Cheers!
Ro
