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Chapter Fourteen: "En Route"
The pirate ship, Loyalty, had set sail nearly two hours ago. Jack had come aboard and, after receiving an icy glare from Scotty, retreated to the Captain's quarters. He had no idea if he was welcome in Scotty's cabin, but he had no where else to go. Up on deck he would likely only irritate Loyalty's Captain by reminding him of their conversation in his house. Besides that, Jack did not know if he could endure the accusations in the older pirate's eyes. Below decks, he was a stranger, and strangers were untrustworthy at best, and outright enemies at worst. All of this on top of the ache in his heart caused by being on any ship besides his Pearl. Jack wanted to be alone, and Scotty's cabin was the only place guaranteed to be empty while he was pacing up on deck.
Jack smiled ruefully. Scotty had always been one to pace up and down the quarterdeck. If it were not for the fact that the Captain of a pirate ship was required to take certain actions during a sea battle, Scotty could go on pacing in spite of the cannon fire. Some things never changed. Looking around the Captain's cabin made that conclusion even more obvious. When Admiral Prescott Tarret had made the decision, long ago, to give up his career for Jack, he'd helped the pirate escape from Kingston by commandeering his own ship. The crew that manned said ship, however, was made up of pirates devoted to Captain Sparrow. For these, and a few other reasons, ownership of Loyalty had been one of Scotty and Jack's favorite disagreements. They both called themselves Captain of the same stolen ship. Because of this ongoing argument, Scotty had built a wall down the center of the Captain's cabin, so neither man had to concede to the other. Scotty, now, used the first half of the cabin for his desk, charts and papers and the second half as his sleeping cabin, but the wall, built over twenty years ago, still stood as a reminder of days gone by.
So lost in memory was he that Jack almost jumped when the cabin door flew open behind him. Scotty entered, throwing his black hat and coat onto a chair. If he was further annoyed by Jack's presence in his cabin, his face did not betray those emotions. "We've a strong wind and a calm sea," he said flatly. "We'll make Kingston by morning."
Jack doubted that the older pirate expected any response to his comment, so he stayed quiet. Silently, he contemplated his reunion with Anamaria. He should be ecstatic. More than that, he should be up on deck fanning the sails himself to speed their journey. However, in place of elation, the pirate felt only trepidation. Alone on the beach, watching his ship burning and sinking below the waterline, he had sworn that, given the chance to do it all over again, he would be honest with his female first mate. For one of the very few times in his life, he had experienced the deepest, darkest sense of regret over things not said. He knew he should be eager to see Ana and ready to pour his heart out to her, but he wasn't.
Scotty had said nothing while Jack feelings were waging war inside of his head. He had set about tidying his cabin and rolling up the various charts that had been opened on his desk. After finishing, he opened an oak cabinet and retrieved a crystal decanter filled with one of Jack's oldest friends. Setting the bottle of rum on his desk, Scotty found two glasses and poured the spicy liquor into each. Raising his glass, he looked to Jack. "A toast," he said.
The younger pirate picked up a glass, and eyed his friend with interest. "What do we drink to?"
One side of Scotty's mouth lifted in a slight smile. "To second chances," he said. "And third chances, and fourth, and fifth …" he paused, emptying the glass. "And sixth, and seventh, and however many a man needs," he finished, laughing.
Jack, smiling for the first time in a long time, followed suit, placing his emptied glass on Scotty's desk.
Scotty poured a second round of drinks, his face straightening. "Jack," he started. "Annie's my sister, and you are my brother in every way that matters, and the two of you are free to carry on this incestuous relationship in any way you choose." He drained the second glass, and immediately poured a third. "But, if you intend to screw things up like you did last night, do not let me find out about it, or I shall be forced to drop you with a single blow … again."
Eyebrows raised, Jack said, "Wasn't exactly a fair fight, mate."
The older pirate helped himself to a fourth drink. "Jack Sparrow, you wouldn't know a fair fight if you were in one, which you never would be."
"I resent that."
"Dreadfully sorry. I certainly didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Scotty's face grew stern again. "Seriously, though, Jack," he said. "If you love my sister, you have to tell her. Else, she's bound to wise up and realize she could do so much better."
Jack decided that he was in dire need of another drink, himself. Shaking his head, he poured a full glass. He did not need Scotty to tell him that he didn't deserve a woman like Ana. Her devotion, her strength, he didn't warrant any of it. About all he did merit was the back of her hand, which she quite frequently gave him. When she did get angry, or frustrated, when she did break down and scream and yell at him, those were the times that he saw clearly where their relationship would end. One day, he would push the fiery woman too far, and she would leave him.
"Lighten up, Captain Sparrow," Scotty broke into Jack's thoughts. "I was only jesting."
"Were you."
"Please, half a bottle is not near enough to make me say things I do not mean. I have you to thank for that." Scotty went to the cabinet and retrieved another bottle, tossing it to Jack, who caught it easily. After all, he could never watch his beloved rum fall to the floor. Pulling the cork from a third bottle, Scotty came back to stand next to his friend. "If we all got what we deserved, Jack, you and I would've swung from the end of a rope a long time ago." This time Prescott raised the entire bottle into the air. "But, my friend, you and I are pirates. We do not get what we deserve. We take what we want."
"Aye," Jack agreed. "I'll drink t' that."
"You'll drink to anything," Scotty responded, as he so often did. Both men clinked the bottle necks together before gulping down the delicious liquid. "Annie's a pirate too, you know," Scotty said, tilting his head to one side, thoughtfully. "Hell, even before she was a pirate, she had a habit of taking what she wanted."
Jack nodded, knowingly.
"She wants you, Jack," Scotty went on. "For whatever reason, and no matter if you think you aren't worthy. You'll have quite a time getting rid of her. I'd thought you'd know that by now."
Nodding again, Jack made a face indicative of the number of times he'd heard words to that effect from Scotty. The older pirate often speculated on why exactly his little sister had fallen for the wily pirate. Most of the time, he would simply shake his head, pour a drink, and say something about never understanding the mind of a woman. He was always only teasing Jack, that, after all, was his prerogative as Ana's older brother. Still, Jack could never help but find a measure of truth in Scotty's words.
More than twenty years, Anamaria had sailed with him, and he could never find the words to say what she meant to him. I love you. Not overly difficult words. Not many words, but words that Jack could scarcely dig up the courage to say. Ana would never ask him to stand atop the mainmast and scream his declaration at the top of his lungs. She would probably never ask him to say them in front of a church filled with their friends. For that matter, Ana had never even asked him to say those three, short words quietly in the privacy of his own cabin. She shouldn't have to. He did love her, there was no denying that. He should want to ascend the mast and sing songs about her. He should have asked her to be his wife years ago. He should have told her, just once, that she was the love of his life.
"They won't have kept her in prison," Scotty was saying, talking more because he talked a lot when drinking than because he thought Jack needed to hear this information. "She's managed to avoid the infamy of her Captain, and Norrington's Admiral there, now. He won't let any harm come to her."
"You really think she'd be staying with Norrington?" Jack questioned, thankful that Scotty had given him something else to think about. "Her and Mrs. Norrington don't exactly see eye to eye, mate." More devastating memories surfaced at the mention of the Admiral's wife. Jack had seen nothing of Elizabeth since he'd met her on a rainy morning at the docks in Tortuga, and she'd asked him to tell Will goodbye for her.
Scotty chuckled as though he'd completely forgotten about Elizabeth Norrington. "Ah, yes, the governor's daughter," he said. "Spirited girl, if I recall correctly." If Anamaria and Elizabeth did not see eye to eye, then Scotty and Elizabeth could not even look in the same direction without bothering one another. They had only met on one occasion, but the young woman had instantly reminded Scotty of his former wife. Things only went downhill from there. By the time Scotty and Elizabeth had parted company, they probably would have disagreed on the color of an orange. "Spirited," the older pirate repeated his assessment, "But my money's still on Annie."
Jack silently agreed. When Ana had found out that Elizabeth didn't possess enough decency to tell Will, face to face, that she was leaving, the lady pirate had been livid. Ana had always looked forward to seeing Elizabeth again, so that she could give the younger woman a piece of her mind. Jack, however, had wished to never see Elizabeth again.
"Though, I pray it doesn't come to that," Scotty quickly finished the discussion, knowing how painful any memories of Will were for Jack. He smiled, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. "If she and Elizabeth face off, then the Admiral may be in need of a rescue by the time we arrive."
TBC
Well, as promised, this update came much quicker than the last. The next chapter's half finished, so that one will be fast too! And I'm sure lots of reviews will encourage me to write faster (how's that for some sort of blackmail?)
SylviaD: I'm glad that curiosity keeps you coming back to this. It is a lot different than "Brothers," the whole tone of the story is different, and it's meant to be. Maybe you're unsure about "Kindling" because it paints kind of a bleak picture for the future of characters that we love. I can understand that it's hard to be hopeful while reading earlier stories, when you know this is how things end up. All I can say is, I'll keep writing and I hope you keep reading. Don't ever be worried that I'll be offended if you don't absolutely love every sentence I produce. I love to hear any and all comments about my stories, even if you aren't happy about the decisions I make.
DyingStar: It was short, I know, but short is better than nothing, right? You asked about everyone's ages, and I'm sorry if there was confusion. This story takes place long after the movie. Probably about twenty years after the movie. So, imagine Norry and Prescott to be in their late fifties. Ana and Jack would be about fifty. And Lizzie's probably mid forties. So for this time period, they're all pretty old. And as far as Norry's children being grown, well, his daughter just got married so she'd be about 16 or 17, and his son's a midshipman, they can be as young as 12 (but I imagine John being about 14). Grown for the time period, but kinda young by today's standards. I'm glad I didn't disappoint you with the ending, and don't worry I'm not giving up on this story by any means!
Alicia: I'm so happy with your assessment of Ana and Lizzie, cause so far you and I are in absolute agreement. Ana and Lizzie could have gone down the exact same path, cause you're right, they did come from the same beginnings. They are two very different people on the inside, though, which is why they're so far removed from each other at this point. I'll get back to them next chapter, and I hope that conversation will be to your liking!
An-Angel-In-Hell: Do you mean to say that you've noticed I don't tend to write fairytale happy endings! I'll definitely take you're review as a compliment, and I hope I can keep throwing out unexpected twists and turns.
Yuna-Flowering: More Prescott and Jack, as requested. Next chappy will get back to Ana, James and Lizzie. And tension, well, that's an understatement!
Cal: You're right, Jack is certainly not stupid enough to tell Scotty about any of his wanderings. I sort of figure, they have a don't ask don't tell agreement where Ana is concerned. Prescott doesn't go out of his way to keep tabs on Jack and Ana, but if he finds something out, like last chappy, he won't keep it to himself either! I really liked your comments about the ceiling mural, and I totally agree. Lizzie and Norry aren't a passionately in love couple, and she really can be an immature little brat sometimes. And I'm happy to see that you caught the part about the forgotten dagger. No, Norry didn't remember to do anything about it. Come on, he was just bedded by Anamaria! You can't expect him to think at all rationally. Anyway, I'll be getting back to the Ana/Lizzie fireworks and explosions very soon. The hellcat will absolutely be using her claws!
Alright, now I have to get back to writing!