Chapter 1: Unexpected Visitors
"So he broke up with you?" Emily's voice asked over the phone. It was more a statement than a question.
Portia didn't answer. She was tired and just wanted to sit down and watch a movie, anything to take her mind off her latest boyfriend.
"Hey," Emily said trying to be comforting. "Do you want me to come over? We can watch movies and do girl stuff?"
"No, that's ok," Portia replied. She tipped her head to look out the window of her apartment's living room and grimaced when she saw the black storm clouds beginning to fill the sky. "Besides, looks like its gonna pour pretty soon. I don't want you driving in that."
"All right," Emily replied. "Get some sleep girl. Bye!"
Portia hung up the phone and sighed. Grabbing a box of Starbucks dark chocolate covered raspberries, she flopped down on the old couch that was one of the many assorted pieces of furniture in the oddly decorated room and turned on the TV. "Friends" was playing. Bored, Portia flipped from channel to channel, finding nothing of interest to watch.
"100 channels and there's never anything on," she grumbled. Dragging herself from the embrace of the couch, Portia gazed down at her large collection of DVD's and pulled "Ocean's 11" out from among the rest and put it in the player. As the beginning credits started to roll she sighed in contentment and popped a chocolate raspberry into her mouth, letting the chocolate melt on her tongue and slide down her throat before chewing the raspberry. Portia felt her eyes begin to droop and she slipped into sleep as the storm ragged wildly outside.
**********
Portia woke to a loud "thump" that seemed to eminate from somewhere inside her apartment. Used to burglars breaking into her bedroom through the fire escape, Portia snatched up the baseball bat that she kept on the kitchen counter, and made her way quietly down the hall towards the bedroom and den. The "thump" came again and then an audible groan in a very deep, rugged voice. Putting the bat up in front of her, Portia pushed open the door to her bedroom with her toe and peered inside from the darkness of the hallway.
The forms were sprawled on her bed. One of the forms groaned in the same deep voice and mumbled something that sounded like, "grroff me 'ill!" Portia twisted her mouth into a half-smile. These were some professionals. The man on top, who the man on the bottom with the deep voice had mumbled at, heaved himself off the bed, and catching his foot in the comforter, fell heavily to the ground. The man with the deep voice craned his head around to look at the man on the floor and asked, more than mumbled, "You all right there Will?"
The man, Will, on the floor nodded his head, and then stopped placing a hand to his forehead, groaning. Neither of the men seemed to have noticed Portia standing in the doorway, bat poised to strike.
"Jack, where are we?" Will asked quietly removing his hand from his head to look up at the man, Jack, on the bed.
"No idea mate," Jack replied and when he smiled, Portia saw gold caps glinting in his mouth. "Bed's comfy though."
Portia thought Will smiled, but she couldn't see him as clearly as Jack. 'All right,' Portia thought to herself, 'Enough is enough,' and she cleared her voice to get the men's attention.
The soft "ahem" that came from Portia's throat had the strangest effect Portia had yet witnessed in her life. Jack sprung off the bed and whipped out a cutlass to aim right at her throat, and Will seemed to fly off the ground and when his feet touched the carpet again he was standing just behind Jack, a pistol in hand.
"What do you want missy?" Jack asked in his rugged voice. A thought crossed Portia's mind that it sounded like he drank a lot of rum and spent all of his time down in the Caribbean.
Portia laughed. "I was wondering if you were planning on trying to steal anything, or should I just kick you out now?"
Will and Jack looked stunned. Jack wiped the look from his face more quickly than Will did and it was soon replaced by a devilish smile. "Now why would we want to steal anything?" Jack asked as charmingly as he could.
Portia was losing her patience. "Then what are you doing in my bedroom at midnight? That usually means you're some pathetic guy who can't make a living in New York, so he decides to break into the first apartment he sees."
"New York?" Will muttered to Jack. Jack's shoulders seemed to shrug, indicating to Will he didn't understand either.
"Who are ya?" Jack asked.
"Portia Turner, and you are?" she tried to sound sarcastic, but she came across more as annoyed.
"Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, and." Jack began, but Portia cut him off.
"I see. You're some loonies from the mental hospital who are convinced that you're Captain Jack Sparrow and William Turner? That's nice." Portia laughed silently. These guys were crazy.
"I wouldn't be laughing missy. This sword here is not made of wood." Before Portia could blink, Jack had swept up to her side and placed the cold blade at her throat. Her body seized up at Jack's hand on her rear and he chuckled at her reaction. "Now, why don't you be helpful and tell us where we are?"
"So he broke up with you?" Emily's voice asked over the phone. It was more a statement than a question.
Portia didn't answer. She was tired and just wanted to sit down and watch a movie, anything to take her mind off her latest boyfriend.
"Hey," Emily said trying to be comforting. "Do you want me to come over? We can watch movies and do girl stuff?"
"No, that's ok," Portia replied. She tipped her head to look out the window of her apartment's living room and grimaced when she saw the black storm clouds beginning to fill the sky. "Besides, looks like its gonna pour pretty soon. I don't want you driving in that."
"All right," Emily replied. "Get some sleep girl. Bye!"
Portia hung up the phone and sighed. Grabbing a box of Starbucks dark chocolate covered raspberries, she flopped down on the old couch that was one of the many assorted pieces of furniture in the oddly decorated room and turned on the TV. "Friends" was playing. Bored, Portia flipped from channel to channel, finding nothing of interest to watch.
"100 channels and there's never anything on," she grumbled. Dragging herself from the embrace of the couch, Portia gazed down at her large collection of DVD's and pulled "Ocean's 11" out from among the rest and put it in the player. As the beginning credits started to roll she sighed in contentment and popped a chocolate raspberry into her mouth, letting the chocolate melt on her tongue and slide down her throat before chewing the raspberry. Portia felt her eyes begin to droop and she slipped into sleep as the storm ragged wildly outside.
**********
Portia woke to a loud "thump" that seemed to eminate from somewhere inside her apartment. Used to burglars breaking into her bedroom through the fire escape, Portia snatched up the baseball bat that she kept on the kitchen counter, and made her way quietly down the hall towards the bedroom and den. The "thump" came again and then an audible groan in a very deep, rugged voice. Putting the bat up in front of her, Portia pushed open the door to her bedroom with her toe and peered inside from the darkness of the hallway.
The forms were sprawled on her bed. One of the forms groaned in the same deep voice and mumbled something that sounded like, "grroff me 'ill!" Portia twisted her mouth into a half-smile. These were some professionals. The man on top, who the man on the bottom with the deep voice had mumbled at, heaved himself off the bed, and catching his foot in the comforter, fell heavily to the ground. The man with the deep voice craned his head around to look at the man on the floor and asked, more than mumbled, "You all right there Will?"
The man, Will, on the floor nodded his head, and then stopped placing a hand to his forehead, groaning. Neither of the men seemed to have noticed Portia standing in the doorway, bat poised to strike.
"Jack, where are we?" Will asked quietly removing his hand from his head to look up at the man, Jack, on the bed.
"No idea mate," Jack replied and when he smiled, Portia saw gold caps glinting in his mouth. "Bed's comfy though."
Portia thought Will smiled, but she couldn't see him as clearly as Jack. 'All right,' Portia thought to herself, 'Enough is enough,' and she cleared her voice to get the men's attention.
The soft "ahem" that came from Portia's throat had the strangest effect Portia had yet witnessed in her life. Jack sprung off the bed and whipped out a cutlass to aim right at her throat, and Will seemed to fly off the ground and when his feet touched the carpet again he was standing just behind Jack, a pistol in hand.
"What do you want missy?" Jack asked in his rugged voice. A thought crossed Portia's mind that it sounded like he drank a lot of rum and spent all of his time down in the Caribbean.
Portia laughed. "I was wondering if you were planning on trying to steal anything, or should I just kick you out now?"
Will and Jack looked stunned. Jack wiped the look from his face more quickly than Will did and it was soon replaced by a devilish smile. "Now why would we want to steal anything?" Jack asked as charmingly as he could.
Portia was losing her patience. "Then what are you doing in my bedroom at midnight? That usually means you're some pathetic guy who can't make a living in New York, so he decides to break into the first apartment he sees."
"New York?" Will muttered to Jack. Jack's shoulders seemed to shrug, indicating to Will he didn't understand either.
"Who are ya?" Jack asked.
"Portia Turner, and you are?" she tried to sound sarcastic, but she came across more as annoyed.
"Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, and." Jack began, but Portia cut him off.
"I see. You're some loonies from the mental hospital who are convinced that you're Captain Jack Sparrow and William Turner? That's nice." Portia laughed silently. These guys were crazy.
"I wouldn't be laughing missy. This sword here is not made of wood." Before Portia could blink, Jack had swept up to her side and placed the cold blade at her throat. Her body seized up at Jack's hand on her rear and he chuckled at her reaction. "Now, why don't you be helpful and tell us where we are?"