A/N: I'm going to try to be updating faster, I'd like to be able to put aside at least half an hour a day for writing, because I'd like to finish the story before the summer is over. But I confess that my ulterior motive is to get more reviews hehe. Quicker updates = more reviews, right? Anyway, on with the chap =)
Chapter 12: Deadlines and Caroline
Will hastily turned a Port Royal street corner, flustered by his absolute stupidity. He realized that he had reached his deadline. Three weeks. Jack would be there that night to collect the information from him, and he didn't have any. He pulled out the small piece of parchment that Jack had scribbled the address on and slipped into Will's pocket as they hugged goodbye so Elizabeth would not notice. This was a men's matter, after all, or so Will tried to assure himself as he considered what Elizabeth's reaction would be if she found out about this little escapade.
Will finally reached the address, and peered in a single small, dusty window. The place was dark, but he could tell it was completely deserted. If no one's there, Jack had said, go to the bar and ask for Caroline. "Caroline, Caroline," Will repeated to himself over and over so he wouldn't forget it. Jack knew Juliet was friends with this infamous girl, one of the easiest, most experienced, sluttiest, and kindest strumpets in town. She was also very loose-lipped, in the gossipy sense. She definitely could not keep a secret.
A few minutes later Will ambled into the Addled Corsair, the bar where Juliet had worked. He went up to a girl who was less intimidatingly busty and rude-looking than the rest.
"Excuse me, um, Miss? Do you know Caroline?" Will asked quietly. He kept his eyes completely locked on her face, not daring to let them wander, or he might receive an invitation that he wouldn't appreciate.
She sighed and smiled, then turned and pointed towards the back of the pub. Will's gaze followed her finger and he knew he had found Caroline as soon as he set eyes on her. She was sitting on a table with one leg crossed over the other, laughing, cheering and drinking with a group of very drunk men. At first glance you would think she was drunk as well. However, she was very pretty and it was obvious why she was so popular. Gleaming blond hair arrayed her shoulders and hung at the sides of her face. She was slender and tall, in fact, she was taller than many of the men.
Will apporached the crowd and took a deep breath, then cleared his throat and pushed through them to the edge of the table.
"'Ey, boy! You wait your turn jus' like e'rryone else, ya' hear?" said a red-faced man as Will edged past him. He finally reached the table and Caroline was laughing histerically and heavily flirting with the man in front of her. Will cleared his throat again and spoke up.
"Caroline?"
She turned and an amused smile crossed her face, but as she looked him over, she squinted skeptically and grinned. "Ah, I thought I'd be seeing you." She hopped down from the table and the other men looked dumbstruck and angry, so Will quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front of the bar and then out the door.
"Whoa, whoa!" she yelled, laughing as he finally slowed down.
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly and started to explain himself. "I'm a friend of Jack Sparrow, and I understand you're a friend of Juliet's." Caroline nodded and Will continued. "When Juliet left three weeks ago, did she tell you anything or leave something with you?" he asked, ruffling his hair and trying to be casually aloof. As if.
"Did she leave somethin' with me?! Oh, nothin'! Only a kid!" Will's eyebrows shot up and Caroline slapped her hand across her mouth. "Whoops, I'm a bit... eh... loose-lipped, if you catch my meaning." She winked at him and ran her eyes from his hair to his feet and back up again. Will was getting uncomfortable and wanted to finish this as soon as possible.
"Juliet has a child?" he asked while crossing his arms.
"Yeh, and apparently so does your friend."
"What?" Will blanched. It wasn't the fact that Jack had a child that surprised him, just the fact that she seemed to be implying he had one with Juliet. Will had assumed Jack had children he didn't know about all over the place, considering his history with women. But with Juliet? "You must be mistaken."
"I'm not! I wouldn't go and tell Jack, though. Juliet's sworn me to complete secrecy, so there must be some good reason for it, aye?"
"Well I see you hold your vows important," Will answered sarcastically. "Where can the child be found?"
"She's at my house, actually. Juliet told her to go to me once she left, and she did. She's a sweet girl, very smart, perhaps too smart."
"Well, thanks for your time, Caroline. I'm Will, by the way, Will Turner."
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Turner. Perhaps we'll see each other again." She winked again, then turned, sweeping her dress behind her with an absurd amount of flourish and sauntered back towards the pub.
Will headed back home, glad that he had found something out, but he wasn't happy about what it was.
..........................
"Gibbs, meet me at the wheel in two minutes," Jack whispered as he brushed past Gibbs on deck. Juliet was currently at the wheel, and they were headed for Tortuga, or so Jack had told them. At the moment, however, they were no more than ten miles off the Port Royal shore, and it just happened to be exactly three weeks since the last time they were there. How convinient.
"I'll steer for a bit, luv," said Jack as he strode up behind Juliet. He twirled one of her long curls around his finger as he waited for her to turn around. She smiled and looked into his eyes for a moment, then replied, "Aye, I'll help Anamaria with the riggings." Jack smiled too and patted her shoulder as she passed behind him. Her old nautical way of speaking had come right back to her, the words flowing off her tongue as if she had never left. She had also re-donned a sailing uniform, her outfit parroting Anamaria's. Perhaps old flames can be rekindled, thought Jack as he watched her walk towards the riggings. As soon as she was out of sight and earshot, Gibbs appeared in front of the wheel.
"Jack, yeh wanted to see me?"
"We're going to be encountering a change in the wind tonight, Gibbs, and we may be pushed to the shores of Port Royal. A pit stop, if you will. I have some unfinished business there, very important. But Juliet must not see me leave the ship or all will be lost, savvy?"
"Secrecy says you, I'll be feelin' that change in the wind, says I."
Jack grinned conspiratorially and turned back to the wheel, forming a plan in his head to keep Juliet below decks that evening.
A/N: I know, it could be much longer. But I'll be updating again very soon, hopefully ever few days. =) please review if you read, it makes me oh so happy!!
DeynaIanBloom: I hurried for you lol. Too bad Jack hasnt found out yet, but don't worry, it should be in the next chapter... I promise you'll enjoy the scene lol... maybe a bit of fluff, maybe some anger, not quite sure yet.. i'll figure it out as I go lol, but I know what'll happen in general.. hope you enjoyed this one! =)
Chapter 12: Deadlines and Caroline
Will hastily turned a Port Royal street corner, flustered by his absolute stupidity. He realized that he had reached his deadline. Three weeks. Jack would be there that night to collect the information from him, and he didn't have any. He pulled out the small piece of parchment that Jack had scribbled the address on and slipped into Will's pocket as they hugged goodbye so Elizabeth would not notice. This was a men's matter, after all, or so Will tried to assure himself as he considered what Elizabeth's reaction would be if she found out about this little escapade.
Will finally reached the address, and peered in a single small, dusty window. The place was dark, but he could tell it was completely deserted. If no one's there, Jack had said, go to the bar and ask for Caroline. "Caroline, Caroline," Will repeated to himself over and over so he wouldn't forget it. Jack knew Juliet was friends with this infamous girl, one of the easiest, most experienced, sluttiest, and kindest strumpets in town. She was also very loose-lipped, in the gossipy sense. She definitely could not keep a secret.
A few minutes later Will ambled into the Addled Corsair, the bar where Juliet had worked. He went up to a girl who was less intimidatingly busty and rude-looking than the rest.
"Excuse me, um, Miss? Do you know Caroline?" Will asked quietly. He kept his eyes completely locked on her face, not daring to let them wander, or he might receive an invitation that he wouldn't appreciate.
She sighed and smiled, then turned and pointed towards the back of the pub. Will's gaze followed her finger and he knew he had found Caroline as soon as he set eyes on her. She was sitting on a table with one leg crossed over the other, laughing, cheering and drinking with a group of very drunk men. At first glance you would think she was drunk as well. However, she was very pretty and it was obvious why she was so popular. Gleaming blond hair arrayed her shoulders and hung at the sides of her face. She was slender and tall, in fact, she was taller than many of the men.
Will apporached the crowd and took a deep breath, then cleared his throat and pushed through them to the edge of the table.
"'Ey, boy! You wait your turn jus' like e'rryone else, ya' hear?" said a red-faced man as Will edged past him. He finally reached the table and Caroline was laughing histerically and heavily flirting with the man in front of her. Will cleared his throat again and spoke up.
"Caroline?"
She turned and an amused smile crossed her face, but as she looked him over, she squinted skeptically and grinned. "Ah, I thought I'd be seeing you." She hopped down from the table and the other men looked dumbstruck and angry, so Will quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front of the bar and then out the door.
"Whoa, whoa!" she yelled, laughing as he finally slowed down.
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly and started to explain himself. "I'm a friend of Jack Sparrow, and I understand you're a friend of Juliet's." Caroline nodded and Will continued. "When Juliet left three weeks ago, did she tell you anything or leave something with you?" he asked, ruffling his hair and trying to be casually aloof. As if.
"Did she leave somethin' with me?! Oh, nothin'! Only a kid!" Will's eyebrows shot up and Caroline slapped her hand across her mouth. "Whoops, I'm a bit... eh... loose-lipped, if you catch my meaning." She winked at him and ran her eyes from his hair to his feet and back up again. Will was getting uncomfortable and wanted to finish this as soon as possible.
"Juliet has a child?" he asked while crossing his arms.
"Yeh, and apparently so does your friend."
"What?" Will blanched. It wasn't the fact that Jack had a child that surprised him, just the fact that she seemed to be implying he had one with Juliet. Will had assumed Jack had children he didn't know about all over the place, considering his history with women. But with Juliet? "You must be mistaken."
"I'm not! I wouldn't go and tell Jack, though. Juliet's sworn me to complete secrecy, so there must be some good reason for it, aye?"
"Well I see you hold your vows important," Will answered sarcastically. "Where can the child be found?"
"She's at my house, actually. Juliet told her to go to me once she left, and she did. She's a sweet girl, very smart, perhaps too smart."
"Well, thanks for your time, Caroline. I'm Will, by the way, Will Turner."
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Turner. Perhaps we'll see each other again." She winked again, then turned, sweeping her dress behind her with an absurd amount of flourish and sauntered back towards the pub.
Will headed back home, glad that he had found something out, but he wasn't happy about what it was.
..........................
"Gibbs, meet me at the wheel in two minutes," Jack whispered as he brushed past Gibbs on deck. Juliet was currently at the wheel, and they were headed for Tortuga, or so Jack had told them. At the moment, however, they were no more than ten miles off the Port Royal shore, and it just happened to be exactly three weeks since the last time they were there. How convinient.
"I'll steer for a bit, luv," said Jack as he strode up behind Juliet. He twirled one of her long curls around his finger as he waited for her to turn around. She smiled and looked into his eyes for a moment, then replied, "Aye, I'll help Anamaria with the riggings." Jack smiled too and patted her shoulder as she passed behind him. Her old nautical way of speaking had come right back to her, the words flowing off her tongue as if she had never left. She had also re-donned a sailing uniform, her outfit parroting Anamaria's. Perhaps old flames can be rekindled, thought Jack as he watched her walk towards the riggings. As soon as she was out of sight and earshot, Gibbs appeared in front of the wheel.
"Jack, yeh wanted to see me?"
"We're going to be encountering a change in the wind tonight, Gibbs, and we may be pushed to the shores of Port Royal. A pit stop, if you will. I have some unfinished business there, very important. But Juliet must not see me leave the ship or all will be lost, savvy?"
"Secrecy says you, I'll be feelin' that change in the wind, says I."
Jack grinned conspiratorially and turned back to the wheel, forming a plan in his head to keep Juliet below decks that evening.
A/N: I know, it could be much longer. But I'll be updating again very soon, hopefully ever few days. =) please review if you read, it makes me oh so happy!!
DeynaIanBloom: I hurried for you lol. Too bad Jack hasnt found out yet, but don't worry, it should be in the next chapter... I promise you'll enjoy the scene lol... maybe a bit of fluff, maybe some anger, not quite sure yet.. i'll figure it out as I go lol, but I know what'll happen in general.. hope you enjoyed this one! =)