Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Those reviews definitely brightened my day! I hope you all enjoy chapter two, which I got up as fast as possible. So, without further ado…
Chapter Two"I found him in a pub in Tortuga if ye'll believe it" Jack told Annamaria. He got into trouble there, and as you can see he came out worse."
"What kind of trouble did he get into?" Annamaria asked curiously.
"A fight, with a giant. What I want you to do is tend to him, I'd do it meself but I want to get back in Tortuga and question some people," Jack said.
"Captain, why do ye want me to help a man who tried to hang ye?" Annamaria said in surprise.
"There's a reason behind his bein' drunk in Tortuga and I want to find out. Something strange is going on here," Jack said.
"Aye Cap'n." Annamaria agreed, "I'll tend him."
Jack nodded and headed back to Tortuga. He had decided he should try to figure out as much as he could about the reason Commodore Norrington was drunk in Tortuga. He figured he would have an advantage that way because Norrington wouldn't know what he knew and what he didn't; therefore he would be less likely to lie.
When Jack got back aboard the Pearl he was considerably more drunk than when he'd left, but he had managed to find out a few interesting facts concerning the Commodore. Now Jack staggered to Gibbs' cabin where he would be sleeping since he had let Norrington use his bed. Gibbs was already passed out and snoring and Jack was not to far behind him.
In the morning Jack gathered his crew and told them they were sailing on the morrow, which meant they would spend today gathering supplies. Among other things, the Pearl needed new sails, as the ones they were using really were getting to many holes to be usable. So Jack assigned various jobs to his crew and sent all but Gibbs and Annamaria off. They were the only two who knew Jack was helping Commodore Norrington; the rest just knew that there was another man aboard but for now his identity was a secret. Jack was waiting for the opportune moment to tell the rest of the crew. For now Jack had assigned a disgruntled Annamaria to tending to him. The only reason she even agreed in the first place was because Jack had promised her once he was awake the rest of the crew would know about him and she would have help.
Jack and Gibbs decided that there really wasn't enough rum onboard the Pearl and as they didn't know how long they would be at sea, they had to go buy more. They visited many different pubs and bought crates full of just rum, both drinking plenty in the process. Once they had completely stocked up and packed it safely aboard the ship it was getting dark and the rest of the crew were returning with the errands Jack had assigned to them.
Jack told them to go into Tortuga again for their last meal out, and to return in an hour. Once they were all gone Gibbs said, "Will ye be tellin' them of the Commodore?"
"Aye, he should be wakin' soon, and they should know about him" Jack replied.
"Yeah and ye said once he's up the crew'll be helpin' with him" Annamaria reminded him.
"Aye, now go eat, ye only 'ave fifty minutes now" Jack said.
Once Annamaria had left Gibbs looked at Jack and said, "It's frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard sir." Then he went on into Tortuga.
Jack went to see that Norrington was still passed out then locked him in the cabin just in case he woke while no one was there and he went off to get some food. Once everyone had eaten and was back on the ship, Jack gathered them in the galley and said, "Mates by now ye all probably noticed that we seem to be playin' host to a very unfortunate person. I'm sure ye are all curious as to who he is, right?" There was a general murmur of consent around the crew at which point Jack just dove right in and said, "He is a Commodore in the royal navy. Goes by the name of Norrington. I'm sure many of you 'ave heard of him."
There was an instant uproar among the crew until the dwarf stepped forward and said, "Captain, are ye crazy? That bloody Commodore tried to hang ye, and once he's up and about he will try to arrest us all and hang us!"
"Aye, he did try to hang me, but this time is different. I found him in Tortuga drunk, and in the process of getting beat up. I don't think he is in the position to be arresting anyone."
At this point Gibbs spoke up and said, "I dunno what you all think, but despite Jack's crazy ideas he has never led us to the noose and I trust him. What do you all say?"
Once again there was a murmur of consent around the crew and all agreed they trusted Jack and would agree with him on this matter. Jack nodded and went on to tell his crew they were sailing in the morning, he then assigned different people to check in on Norrington throughout the next day.
In the morning everything went as Jack had planned and they were soon sailing in the warm blue Caribbean waters. Jack stood at the helm of his beloved ship and gazed out at the peaceful ocean, it was a perfect day for sailing. Jack had the content, free feeling he always had when he sailed.
Back in Jack's cabin Norrington stirred and opened his eyes. "Where am I?" he murmured to himself. He had spent enough time on ships to know by the gentle rocking motion that he was on one now. The last thing he remembered was sitting in a dirty pub drinking. He had been trying to drown out his thoughts on what had happened in Port Royal, but no, he could not think of that now, it was too painful. Clearly he had some gaps in his memory though, he had no idea how he had gotten here. Norrington sat up to look around, but than gasped in pain. His ribs felt very bruised and upon further inspection he found they were tightly bandaged. His face felt as though he had bruises and cuts there as well.
Suddenly two men burst into the room apparently drawn by his gasp of pain. "Yer awake!" one said.
"So it would seem," Norrington said smartly.
"Inform the Captain the Commodore is awake" the man who had originally spoken said to the other.
"How do you know who I am?" the Commodore demanded of the man that still stood watching him.
"Quiet! The Cap'n says ye are not to be told anything!" was the reply he got.
Norrington thought on this awhile. Judging by the way the men dressed and spoke they were pirates, and if it wasn't bad enough that he was on a pirate ship, it was pirates who knew who he was, which meant they probably weren't to friendly to him, considering his reputation. Just then a woman entered the room carrying a tray of food, she turned to the male pirate and said, "The captain wants ye on deck now", then she turned to Norrington and said, "The Captain figured ye would be hungry."
"How considerate of him", Norrington snarled, "do you care to tell me who your captain is, and what he is planning to do with me?"
"Do with ye? Ye'll have to ask the captain that", she said and walked out.
'Great' Norrington thought to himself, he still did not know whose ship he was on or even what ship. 'My luck just keeps getting better and better' he thought glumly.
At the helm Annamaria went up to Jack and said, "He wants to know where he is and who ye are."
"Aye, I figured he would. No one told him anything did they?"
"No, but why don't ye want them to?" Annamaria asked curiously.
"I want to be the only one he gets information from, that way he will have to start trusting me, and the sooner he does the easier things will be." Jack said.
"Well are ye gonna tell him soon? It's annoyin' havin' to listen to all his questions." Annamaria said impatiently.
"After awhile", Jack said vaguely, "right now I want ye in the crow's nest."
"Aye Captain." Annamaria said and walked off. Jack smiled to himself, Annamaria could be so impatient, but she was a good pirate and despite what Gibbs said she had yet to bring bad luck to the Pearl.