A/N: Ah, you lovely reviewers you. I send you all baskets of cookies.
HAHAHAHAHA! GET IT? A cookie like the pastry and a cookie like the thing on
the inter...net..... OK dumb joke.
Disclaimer: (insert standard disclaimer here)
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I was left alone with myself for all of five minutes, but all the while I was waiting for a knock on the door. When it finally came, along with a half-hearted wiggle of the doorknob I had to hold myself back from opening it right then, "Please leave me be."
There was silence, and then I heard him say very quietly, "Whatever you want, love."
Jack's footsteps away from the door drove me over the edge. Leaping from my unsteady perch I threw open the door, aware of how disheveled I must have looked. He stopped, only being about five feet away, and looked at me in surprise. Mustering up what was left of my courage I took a deep breath and asked slowly, "Why am I here?"
A familiarly satisfied look entered his face and he answered back, "What are any of us here, love?"
Feeling my anger start to return I stared, shooting mental darts at him until he sobered and recognized my actual question. The smugness evaporated and he sighed, sitting down on an armchair in a corner. I approached him cautiously, waiting for an answer.
"Do ye remember when I asked for yer help?" he asked almost tiredly.
I nodded, urging him to go on. "I never told ye what I needed yer help with, did I?"
Still confused, and not wanting to get him off track, I shook my head no. He sighed quietly and took a slow drink of air before starting, "Well, I told ye that I took ye on board because I couldn't have ye telling any officers about my ship bein' at their port. Which is partly true. But Laurel," he got up after saying my name, crossing to where I was and taking my reluctant hand in his, "Yer father is Hugh Brinkley, savvy?"
I had to speak, "Yes, he is. But what of that? Pirates care not for government officials, except for ransom. And you didn't attempt a ransom with me at all."
Sparrow released my hand, rubbing his temple; "Ye crossed from England with yer father when ye were but a child, right?"
I nodded, wanting to point out he wasn't much more of an adult then than I was, either. But he started again before I had the chance, "This is all hard to explain, love, understand. My crew and myself have been searching for the Isla De Muerta for over two years now, but there's a catch. The dreaded Isla De Muerta is an island said to hold the treasure of Cortez. But it can only be found by those who know where it is. So that leaves my jolly roger out of the pickins, doesn't it?"
"This isn't helping, Sparrow. What do I, or my father for that matter, have to do with a lost island, or treasure?"
He looked pleased that I asked that and jumped back in with more vigor, "Right, love. You've gotten me to my point. On that crossing from England your family took the captain of that ship was named Miguel de Papua, correct?"
Thinking back as hard as I could, I vaguely remembered Father speaking about the great Captain Papua, and how he was the only merchant sailor he trusted. I nodded in confirmation, urging him on.
"I knew it. Captain Miguel de Papua was the descendent of Cortez, and the secret of the Isla de Muerta was passed down his family to keep the treasure safe. But poor old Papua died shortly after your crossing, and not without reason. You were too young at the time to know this, and I only realized it later after hearing tales, that the one passenger crossing he made was quite out of the way for a Spanish merchant vessel, sailing all the way from England to the Caribbean with no cargo but a family. It wasn't long before I realized why. Miguel de Papua brought your family to the Isla de Muerta at one time, didn't he?"
I had been listening with an ever-increasing confusion since Sparrow had started talking. But at that I shook my head, "No..... No, he couldn't have. We would have noticed an island with treasure on it, I'm sure."
It was Jack's turn to cut in, "Not necessarily, love. The Isla de Muerta is not an island unlike others. It may have looked the same as all other islands. So did you stop at any island?"
Right then it hit me. A rush of memories came flooding back, memories I hadn't even known I had in my head. Lush green foliage, beautiful blue rock. A dark-skinned man with kind eyes telling Father that he merely had to drop off some trade items at the storage cell kept on this island.
Taken aback by my sudden memories I exclaimed, "How could I remember that? I was only three years old! I barely remember England! It's not possible!"
Jack's eyes got excited as he raised his arms to the heavens, "That's it, love! It doesn't matter what age you are! If you are taken to the Isla de Muerta then its location stays in your mind forever!"
It was impossible! But I looked at him, and couldn't fathom how he could create such a fantastical story. When the reality of it set in, I was even more scared than before, "How did you know it was me on the dock? How were you going to find me or my family?"
A very sly look came into the pirate captain's eyes, and he trailed a thumb along my chin, "Laurel Elisa Brinkley's beauty is famed throughout the Caribbean. Can't go a place without hearing your name from well-to-do families on the streets, hoping to marry off their sons to your prosperous self. I already knew where your voyage sixteen years ago dropped you off at, and as soon as I saw your beautiful self running down the dock I felt blessed. I wouldn't have to go wreak havoc by attempting negotiations with your father, or possibly taking you when you weren't looking to run away." He ended with an audacious wink, proud of his fortunate.
But I was not! I had been tricked! What I had thought was merely a fateful meeting would have inevitably taken place one way or another. The pirate looked so smug I felt like beating him senseless. So I was his compass, his astrolabe to find Spanish gold. All the wooing, the sweet words, the attention were merely to warrant my cooperation. My deception was past anger now.
Putting on a sweet face I drew near to him, running a finger along his collarbone while staring warmly into his eyes, "Does your crew know about my purpose?"
He grinned, softening and placing his hands on my waist, "Only my first mate, Barbossa. He'll tell naught a soul."
Letting my grin grow to a smile I brought back my balled up hand discreetly and letting loose, allowed it to fly directly into Jack Sparrow' stomach while I half-yelled, "Well then you'll only have to explain to him why I jumped off this god-forsaken ship!"
He doubled over in shock while I ran out the door, happy to find the deck that I was on deserted, with only the blowing breeze to keep me company. Leaning over the dark wood railing I stared into the dark blue depths of the churning water below me. The sun shone down on it, casting bright rays into my eyes and causing me to turn away for a moment before gulping with resignation.
I had to do it. Or be used as a pawn before most likely being thrown to the sharks once I had fulfilled my purpose. The promise that Sparrow had given to me felt worthless, as I realized fully for the first time that he was a pirate and pirates rarely held their word.
It was a final decision, one I had to make. Lifting up my skirts cautiously and kicking off my shoes, I swung one leg and then the other over the railing so I was in a sitting position, my skirts fluttering in the wind as the ocean spray reached my toes even from thirty feet up. My heart pounded with fear as I had never dealt well with heights. The seconds passed slowly, me edging off the slick wood only to push myself back.
The wind was like a hand on my back, slowly pushing me off, and my mind countered, forcing me to weigh my options again and again. I started to cry again, and my balance was tested. Should I just go back over? The dizzying height struck me as I looked down, the water glistening a cold azure from the space dividing my doom and me. The space that was only air.
On the count of three, I resolved to let go. I counted slowly......one.....two....three..... I let go and felt as though I had been grabbed while I was falling....falling.... my stomach went to my throat as I hit wood.
Wood?
"If you wanted to go swimming, love, you should have told me. I could have gotten you the right attire. As it were, what you are currently wearing is not."
I opened my eyes and let my head regain its hold on things. Above me was Jack Sparrow, his shirt off and a blossoming purple bruise on his well- defined abdomen. Immediately my upbringing kicked in.
"Sir! Cover up!" I shouted, jumping to my feet with my eyes tightly closed. The indecency almost made me choke! If my mother could have seen me now it would have been off to a convent with me!
He chucked and pried my fingers off my eyes, revealing his topless self to my eyes. "No worries, love. There is no modesty aboard a pirate's ship. Although if that is why you were prepared to jump I suppose I could don a shirt, but the fabric sorely rubs this fine injury you've done me."
While he was speaking, I was dumbfounded. I had seen boys without shirts on before, but none of my own age or older. His shoulders were wide and lead to defined upper and lower arms that curved nicely with muscles, but not too much. His chest was smooth and all of his skin was evenly tanned, as if he worked often without clothing on it. My eyes wandered down to the bruise I had caused. My untamed mind mourned for those abdominal muscles tainted by grey, as they were quite distinct.
Unfortunately, Jack noticed my observations and grinned, "Then again, I see you have no more objections."
That caused me to blush furiously and regain composure, "Captain Sparrow, I will be in my quarters."
With that I walked away as regally as I could muster, mixed up inside. So many questions loomed in front of me, questions I couldn't ignore.
I had to have them answered now.
It was time to ask the only other man who supposedly knew why I was on the ship, First Mate Barbossa.
Disclaimer: (insert standard disclaimer here)
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I was left alone with myself for all of five minutes, but all the while I was waiting for a knock on the door. When it finally came, along with a half-hearted wiggle of the doorknob I had to hold myself back from opening it right then, "Please leave me be."
There was silence, and then I heard him say very quietly, "Whatever you want, love."
Jack's footsteps away from the door drove me over the edge. Leaping from my unsteady perch I threw open the door, aware of how disheveled I must have looked. He stopped, only being about five feet away, and looked at me in surprise. Mustering up what was left of my courage I took a deep breath and asked slowly, "Why am I here?"
A familiarly satisfied look entered his face and he answered back, "What are any of us here, love?"
Feeling my anger start to return I stared, shooting mental darts at him until he sobered and recognized my actual question. The smugness evaporated and he sighed, sitting down on an armchair in a corner. I approached him cautiously, waiting for an answer.
"Do ye remember when I asked for yer help?" he asked almost tiredly.
I nodded, urging him to go on. "I never told ye what I needed yer help with, did I?"
Still confused, and not wanting to get him off track, I shook my head no. He sighed quietly and took a slow drink of air before starting, "Well, I told ye that I took ye on board because I couldn't have ye telling any officers about my ship bein' at their port. Which is partly true. But Laurel," he got up after saying my name, crossing to where I was and taking my reluctant hand in his, "Yer father is Hugh Brinkley, savvy?"
I had to speak, "Yes, he is. But what of that? Pirates care not for government officials, except for ransom. And you didn't attempt a ransom with me at all."
Sparrow released my hand, rubbing his temple; "Ye crossed from England with yer father when ye were but a child, right?"
I nodded, wanting to point out he wasn't much more of an adult then than I was, either. But he started again before I had the chance, "This is all hard to explain, love, understand. My crew and myself have been searching for the Isla De Muerta for over two years now, but there's a catch. The dreaded Isla De Muerta is an island said to hold the treasure of Cortez. But it can only be found by those who know where it is. So that leaves my jolly roger out of the pickins, doesn't it?"
"This isn't helping, Sparrow. What do I, or my father for that matter, have to do with a lost island, or treasure?"
He looked pleased that I asked that and jumped back in with more vigor, "Right, love. You've gotten me to my point. On that crossing from England your family took the captain of that ship was named Miguel de Papua, correct?"
Thinking back as hard as I could, I vaguely remembered Father speaking about the great Captain Papua, and how he was the only merchant sailor he trusted. I nodded in confirmation, urging him on.
"I knew it. Captain Miguel de Papua was the descendent of Cortez, and the secret of the Isla de Muerta was passed down his family to keep the treasure safe. But poor old Papua died shortly after your crossing, and not without reason. You were too young at the time to know this, and I only realized it later after hearing tales, that the one passenger crossing he made was quite out of the way for a Spanish merchant vessel, sailing all the way from England to the Caribbean with no cargo but a family. It wasn't long before I realized why. Miguel de Papua brought your family to the Isla de Muerta at one time, didn't he?"
I had been listening with an ever-increasing confusion since Sparrow had started talking. But at that I shook my head, "No..... No, he couldn't have. We would have noticed an island with treasure on it, I'm sure."
It was Jack's turn to cut in, "Not necessarily, love. The Isla de Muerta is not an island unlike others. It may have looked the same as all other islands. So did you stop at any island?"
Right then it hit me. A rush of memories came flooding back, memories I hadn't even known I had in my head. Lush green foliage, beautiful blue rock. A dark-skinned man with kind eyes telling Father that he merely had to drop off some trade items at the storage cell kept on this island.
Taken aback by my sudden memories I exclaimed, "How could I remember that? I was only three years old! I barely remember England! It's not possible!"
Jack's eyes got excited as he raised his arms to the heavens, "That's it, love! It doesn't matter what age you are! If you are taken to the Isla de Muerta then its location stays in your mind forever!"
It was impossible! But I looked at him, and couldn't fathom how he could create such a fantastical story. When the reality of it set in, I was even more scared than before, "How did you know it was me on the dock? How were you going to find me or my family?"
A very sly look came into the pirate captain's eyes, and he trailed a thumb along my chin, "Laurel Elisa Brinkley's beauty is famed throughout the Caribbean. Can't go a place without hearing your name from well-to-do families on the streets, hoping to marry off their sons to your prosperous self. I already knew where your voyage sixteen years ago dropped you off at, and as soon as I saw your beautiful self running down the dock I felt blessed. I wouldn't have to go wreak havoc by attempting negotiations with your father, or possibly taking you when you weren't looking to run away." He ended with an audacious wink, proud of his fortunate.
But I was not! I had been tricked! What I had thought was merely a fateful meeting would have inevitably taken place one way or another. The pirate looked so smug I felt like beating him senseless. So I was his compass, his astrolabe to find Spanish gold. All the wooing, the sweet words, the attention were merely to warrant my cooperation. My deception was past anger now.
Putting on a sweet face I drew near to him, running a finger along his collarbone while staring warmly into his eyes, "Does your crew know about my purpose?"
He grinned, softening and placing his hands on my waist, "Only my first mate, Barbossa. He'll tell naught a soul."
Letting my grin grow to a smile I brought back my balled up hand discreetly and letting loose, allowed it to fly directly into Jack Sparrow' stomach while I half-yelled, "Well then you'll only have to explain to him why I jumped off this god-forsaken ship!"
He doubled over in shock while I ran out the door, happy to find the deck that I was on deserted, with only the blowing breeze to keep me company. Leaning over the dark wood railing I stared into the dark blue depths of the churning water below me. The sun shone down on it, casting bright rays into my eyes and causing me to turn away for a moment before gulping with resignation.
I had to do it. Or be used as a pawn before most likely being thrown to the sharks once I had fulfilled my purpose. The promise that Sparrow had given to me felt worthless, as I realized fully for the first time that he was a pirate and pirates rarely held their word.
It was a final decision, one I had to make. Lifting up my skirts cautiously and kicking off my shoes, I swung one leg and then the other over the railing so I was in a sitting position, my skirts fluttering in the wind as the ocean spray reached my toes even from thirty feet up. My heart pounded with fear as I had never dealt well with heights. The seconds passed slowly, me edging off the slick wood only to push myself back.
The wind was like a hand on my back, slowly pushing me off, and my mind countered, forcing me to weigh my options again and again. I started to cry again, and my balance was tested. Should I just go back over? The dizzying height struck me as I looked down, the water glistening a cold azure from the space dividing my doom and me. The space that was only air.
On the count of three, I resolved to let go. I counted slowly......one.....two....three..... I let go and felt as though I had been grabbed while I was falling....falling.... my stomach went to my throat as I hit wood.
Wood?
"If you wanted to go swimming, love, you should have told me. I could have gotten you the right attire. As it were, what you are currently wearing is not."
I opened my eyes and let my head regain its hold on things. Above me was Jack Sparrow, his shirt off and a blossoming purple bruise on his well- defined abdomen. Immediately my upbringing kicked in.
"Sir! Cover up!" I shouted, jumping to my feet with my eyes tightly closed. The indecency almost made me choke! If my mother could have seen me now it would have been off to a convent with me!
He chucked and pried my fingers off my eyes, revealing his topless self to my eyes. "No worries, love. There is no modesty aboard a pirate's ship. Although if that is why you were prepared to jump I suppose I could don a shirt, but the fabric sorely rubs this fine injury you've done me."
While he was speaking, I was dumbfounded. I had seen boys without shirts on before, but none of my own age or older. His shoulders were wide and lead to defined upper and lower arms that curved nicely with muscles, but not too much. His chest was smooth and all of his skin was evenly tanned, as if he worked often without clothing on it. My eyes wandered down to the bruise I had caused. My untamed mind mourned for those abdominal muscles tainted by grey, as they were quite distinct.
Unfortunately, Jack noticed my observations and grinned, "Then again, I see you have no more objections."
That caused me to blush furiously and regain composure, "Captain Sparrow, I will be in my quarters."
With that I walked away as regally as I could muster, mixed up inside. So many questions loomed in front of me, questions I couldn't ignore.
I had to have them answered now.
It was time to ask the only other man who supposedly knew why I was on the ship, First Mate Barbossa.
