A/N: Patience Madame Opera Ghost.Patience! The 999 grim grinning ghosts are coming soon. Next chapter the gang finally arrives at Gracey Manor! But this chapter is important because exposition always is. And quick reader poll: who want's bloopers at the end like this was a movie? Read, review and respond!
And TriGemini: No, I've only been to New Orleans once too. I'm from Kentucky like Stacey and about half my heroines on I went on a mission trip which is the best way to get exposed to the locals and pick up on their culture. New Orleans made a big impression on me and I pray that reconstruction will be quick so I can return.
So this chapter is dedicated to the State of Louisana.
peace, love and lipgloss,
Mlle. Fox.
The next morning, Murray was sleeping soundly on top of Jack's chest in a little black ball of fur, when he woke at the sound of the Turners creeping into their room. He wagged and panted his greeting as Will opened the blinds. Jack stirred awake from the bright sunshine and blinked a few times looking around the room before Elizabeth said,
"Good Morning!" At this, Stacey, who was thought to be hiding her head under the covers at the head of the bed, raised her sheet covered head at the foot of the bed. Jack asked,
"How did you two get out of your room?"
"Pirate!" answered Will with a smirk on his lips.
"Well I do hope that you didn't pick the lock before Mrs. Turner got to raise your sails, pirate!" implied Jack. Will and Elizabeth exchanged looks as Will said,
"No, we saved that for after we had pulled into port!"
"And you had the proper canons for protection?" asked Jack.
"Yes we did, Captain!" said Will.
"And I hope Mrs. Turner enjoyed her voyage?" asked Jack.
"Yes, it was quite the pleasure cruise!" smiled Elizabeth at Will. Stacey muttered from under the covers,
"This is way too much sexual innuendo this early in the mornin'!" Jack climbed out of bed saying,
"Right, today we are going to spend planning a strategy for getting in and out of Gracey Manor safely. We'll go first thing tomorrow morning! Will, since you smell fresh as a daisy, you must have bathed. Show me how the loo works, and then we'll get our day started by maybe buying a few supplies!" Jack led Will to the bathroom, as Elizabeth sat on the bed playing with Murray, while Stacey choose to lay her head back down. Jack returned and pulled the sheets off her revealing her messy bed head. He growled at her as she held her head up glaring at him,
"Get up!"
An hour later, they were at the statue overlooking the river. Stacey, wearing sunglasses, was leaning against the wall, and Jack was writing in a notebook,
"Now, I figure we split up by floors. Stacey said it was about four stories, so the first story will be covered by me and Will, Elizabeth, you and Stacey take the second..." Elizabeth was holding Murray and was completely bored, when Will tapped her shoulder, shushed her and beckoned her to go with him. Stacey shooed them away, as Jack continued,
"You know Will maybe you should go with Elizabeth and I go with Stacey, what do you think? Will?...William?" Then he looked around seeing the Turners long gone. He looked towards the street and yelled,
"WHELP! FINE! BUT DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU WIND UP CURSED!" He stormed back over to Stacey and began to write in his notebook again.
"Fine, it's just you and me Luv. Now if we...hey!" he said as Stacey grabbed the notepad out of his hands and flung it into the river.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked. She lifted the sunglasses off her face and said,
"You know, I have seen very little of the fun-loving easy-going Jack Sparrow Elizabeth told me about. Today, you and I are going to live it up in New Orleans and you're gonna like it, come on boy!" Before Jack could protest, she pulled on his arm to start heading towards the French Quarter.
Jack would hate to admit it, but he had an incredible day. From shopping in the French Market, that vast potluck of sellables and collectables, to trying on costumes at the numerous costume shops on Magazine Street, to seeing (and smelling) Bourbon Street. Jack particularly liked spending the day with Stacey. To loving her laughter at the fire eaters jokes, or revealing in her touch when she wiped the powdered sugar on his mustache at Cafe Dumonde while eating lunch. Or just watching the twinkle in her eye as they walked around Jackson Park in front of the cathedral. And despite her reservations about the dead, she took Jack to an aboveground cemetery where they joined a procession of a New Orleans style funeral making its way out. He admired her for that. Finally, they wrapped up the day by taking a cruise on the paddle boat Natchez. It felt good to feel water currents under his feet again, but he was amazed that a ship could be powered by steam.
"My mates are never going to believe this!" commented Jack as he escorted Stacey around the deck. Stacey leaned against the railing saying,
"See? It didn't kill you to take a day off from constantly planning your next move." Jack looked at her,
"Come again?"
"I know your type. I am that type! You're always planning your next move. You're trying to survive. Trying to achieve your own goals. But every now and then, Jack, ya gotta take a day off and be spontaneous, with no plans and ya just got to relax. Enjoy the freedom ya earned for yourself!" said Stacey.
"You are an amazing woman!" said Jack stunned. Then a slow song with a lonely trumpet over everything began to play nearby.
"Must be the ship's band!" commented Stacey.
"It's going to be hard to forget this music too! Well, I'd ask ye to dance, but I don't know how to dance to this rhythm!" said Jack.
"We can fix that!" said Stacey. She stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist not noticing Jack gulp as she placed her arm on his shoulder.
"Follow me first, it's slow, slow, quick quick, slow slow, quick quick, good now you lead! Now you've got it! Ah, I love this song...Love...Careless Love! You done me wrong...and now you're gone...Hmmhmm hmmhmm!" she sang in his ear placing her head on his shoulder. Jack remembered the gypsy's words,
"...the one that will give you what the Black Pearl can't give back." He rubbed his chin in her hair and whispered so low she couldn't hear,
"Careless Luv...careless!" The sun was setting on the horizon, and with every inch Jack remembered that this might be his last moment alone with Stacey. He resolved to himself to not leave until he told Stacey what she had done to him.
"Hey, hey! Loraine and Gary! Just like I promised, here's the offer signed, sealed and delivered." said Jim walking into a local themed bar called the Tiki Hut on Bourbon Street. The owners of the house he had just sold to the Coleman's, the Thompson's, greeted him happily from their booth.
"Thank you, thank you so much! We are so grateful!" said Gary.
"This is a cause for celebration! Let's buy you a drink!" said Lorraine
"Oh no I can't. I've got to get going, my wife is waiting for me!" said Jim checking his watch.
"This is such a big deal for us, we have to celebrate!" said Lorraine.
"I really can't, I'm late!" apologized Jim.
"We insist! Please?" pleaded Gary. Jim raised his pointer fingers,
"Ok, one quick drink! One quick one! Sir, can I have a ginger ale over here please?" But Lorraine scoffed,
"Oh no, that's not a drink! Sammy! Three volcanoes!"
"Oh no, no! No volcanoes!" protested Jim.
"They're incredibly smooth!" promised Gary.
"Oh we love it here! We've been coming here for years!" said Lorraine sipping on her second volcano of the night.
"Its like Hawaii!" said Gary.
"Yes, yes..." said Jim looking around wondering where that one quick drink was.
"We spent our honeymoon there!" said Lorraine.
"It was fantastic! Have you been?" asked Gary.
"No, never been there!" said Jim picking up the pen trying to put it in Gary's hand.
"Promise me you'll go!" said Gary clutching his hand.
"Promise!" said Lorraine.
"I'll go if you sign; I'll go to Hawaii if you sign! But I've got to get going now because it's my anniversary tonight; I'm trying to get home to my wife..."said Jim checking his watch again.
"Your anniversary? Happy anniversary!" exclaimed Lorraine.
"Thank you! Sign that thing there!" said Jim trying to push the pen into their hands again. Much to his dismay, they broke out into a rendition of "Happy Anniversary". While Jim was being tortured, Jack and Stacey walked in the Tiki Hut making their way to a booth. But they stopped with raised eyebrows when Jim barked at the Thompson's,
"Hey sign this!"
"Ok Jim!" said Gary stunned taking the pen and signing the contract. As Jack and Stacey continued on, Jim apologized to them and to the Thompson's,
"Sorry! Sorry about that!"
"No it's fine!" said Gary. Jim stood and said,
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you! Aloha! Ok bye!" As he left the chuckling Thompson's, he heard,
"Oh excuse me! Did I just hear you correctly? Did you just sell their house?" He gave thumbs up to the blond woman,
"I sure did!" His face fell when he heard her husband say,
"'Cause were looking to buy!" He sighed,
"Honey, forgive me!" Then putting a winning smile on his face, he shook their hands saying,
"Well I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers real estate! Tell me about your dream house!" Meanwhile, Jack and Stacey were sitting at their booth when Jack commented looking around,
"This place reminds me of an island that made me their chief once!" Stacey shook her head and laughed,
"Jack, that's one of the things I love about you. You've led such an exciting life! I only hope I'm as lucky as you someday!" He leaned forward and held her hands and her gaze,
"Stacey. I have to tell you something!"
"What Jack?" she asked a little taken back that he had called her by her first name.
"Stacey, we haven't known each other very long, but in these past three days, I felt as if I've known you my entire life."
"Jack, what are you trying to say?" she laughed.
"Stacey, I think I..." But Jack was interrupted by a loud crash. They turned and saw Will picking up a few shopping bags of souvenirs (mostly Elizabeth's), with Jim over him saying,
"Sorry, so sorry! Here have a calendar! I'm coming Sara!" Elizabeth laughed and Murray barked when they saw Jim exit out one side of the entrance, and then rush over to the other side. Soon the Turners joined their table with Stacey reaching for Murray saying,
"Hey, Baby! Was he a good boy today?" Elizabeth sat and said,
"Yes he was! Was Jack a good boy today?" Ignoring the glare Jack gave Elizabeth at her comparison of him to a dog, Stacey said as Murray licked her face,
"Well I had to pick up after him in Jackson Park!" They all laughed at the joke, even Jack with a slight chuckle as Will asked,
"Did you two have fun today?'
"A delight Mr. Turner, a delight! And did you and Mrs. Turner enjoy yourselves?" asked Jack.
"Immensely!" hummed Elizabeth leaning over the table to give her husband a kiss to which Stacey smiled dryly at Jack, but he tried to keep his face blank. Pulling back Elizabeth clutched her middle and said,
"Yet, I am also stuffed! I must have tried every delicacy New Orleans has to offer! Beignets, pralines, red beans and rice..."
"Gumbo, jambalaya, Po'Boys! It's a wonder we didn't explode!" finished Will. Stacey pulled out a Styrofoam container,
"Ah, but did ya'll ever have crawfish?"
"I'm afraid to ask, but what are crawfish?" asked Will. Lifting the lid, revealing little red crustaceans, she said,
"They're little, fun to eat and good come on!" Elizabeth made a face,
"No thanks! They look disgusting!"
"Ah come on Slim! What are ya? A wimp?" teased Stacey.
"What did you call me?" asked Elizabeth.
"Ya heard me!" said Stacey.
"I think I speak for Mrs. Turner when I ask what exactly a wimp is darlin'!" said Jack. Stacey smiled,
"Oh. Well a wimp is someone who can't handle things that might be a little disgusting or scary or physically difficult!"
"Excuse me, but I faced a band of undead pirates that looked like rotting flesh in the moonlight! Who are you to say that I am a wimp?" asked Elizabeth.
"Just somebody wondering what'ca gonna do about it?" teased Stacey. Determined, Elizabeth took a crawfish and said,
"Alright, how does one eat this thing?"
"Just break the tail off and pick out the meat! Helps to not look at the eyes!" told Stacey as each of them took one crawfish. Elizabeth did hers as an old pro and smugged at Stacey when she popped the meat into her mouth.
"Not bad!" said Elizabeth.
"Not bad at all! Give me another one!" said Will reaching for his second.
"Oh! Jack, you were gonna say something before?" asked Stacey turning her attention to Jack. He slowed his chewing to meet his friends' gazes. To cover, he raised his glass and said choking down his crawfish,
"I was just going to make a toast!"
"Oh!" said Stacey as she and the Turners raised their glasses with Jack.
"To tomorrow. May we find the mirror and return home no matter what dangers await us in the unknown!" he said.
"Cheers!" said Will as they clicked glasses.
"Did ya have to say it like that?" whined Stacey.
"Wimp!" teased Elizabeth.
"Darn tootin'!" exclaimed Stacey.
Meanwhile, Sara Evers opened her front door and saw a big white teddy bear in front of her husband say,
"Hi Sara I'm Teddy! Your husband told me to tell you he loves you very much, but sometimes he loses track of the time!" Then Jim came in and said kissing her cheek,
"I'm sorry I'm late! Happy anniversary!"
"Happy anniversary." said Sara taking the bear sadly.
"Yes, gasp, look at what he brought you!" said Jim taking a gold watch off the bear's arm. He continued while putting it on her, "Look at that, isn't that pretty? Oh, you know you have a wonderful husband who thinks about you like that one your anniversary! You're so fortunate!"
"Its beautiful." commented Sara.
"Actually it's Teddy's fault that I'm late. He had a little accident in the backseat; cotton all over the place, but I cleaned it up though." joked Jim.
"That's ok. I forgive Teddy!" said Sara angrily before throwing the bear in a chair and walking to the living room.
"Oh, come on Sara! Don't be like that! I'm on a roll here, we sold seven houses this month!' said Jim defending himself.
"Yeah, what about the three soccer games, two birthday parties and barbecue you missed?" asked Sara spinning around to face him.
"Did I miss that much stuff this month?" asked Jim as Sara nodded. "Ok I gonna tell you what were going to do we'll take off this weekend!"
"What?" said Sara.
"Were going to take off and go down to the lake like we did last year, just us and the kids the whole weekend! How's that sound?"
"Can we really close on this?" asked Sara with a smile.
"How about this, can we close on this? " he said giving her a kiss. "How about that? Can we close on that? Let me go tell the kids alright? Ok, alright! Megan and Michael, big family adventure!" said Jim going up the stairs.
'Hey Michael Jordon Evers!" Then he heard a scream and his young son dashed out into the hall pointing in terror at his room.
"Hey whoa whoa whoa!"
"Dad there's a…" said Michael.
"What is it?" asked Jim in concern.
"There's a spider in my room! There's a spider in my room on the window!" spat Michael out.
"Why don't you kill it man?" asked Jim. Looking at him like he was crazy, Michael replied,
"That's a big spider!" Jim sighed and took his hand leading him in the room saying,
"Oh come on Michael its just a spider! How big could it be? What is this, where's the spider at? What? Man you're acting like it's Mothra! It's just a spider!" After a long speech about becoming a man and how to kill a spider correctly, thirteen year old Megan entered the room, took the rolled up magazine out of her father's hand and smacked the spider flat. She gave the magazine back and said sarcastically,
"There, happy?"
"No I'm not happy Megan! I was trying to teach your brother the importance of whacking your own spiders!" said Jim to her retreating back.
"Whatever!" she said.
"…Past the old miller road."
"Ok great!" said Sara writing the direction down while she listened to the man on the other end.
"It's an old home Mrs. Evers and my employer is anxious to move on. Would it be possible for you to come alone to discuss the situation?" he asked.
"But my husband and I work as a team." Sara told him.
"The master usually does not take visitors. However from your photograph he felt you to have a trustworthy face. About your husband, he felt…differently." the butler replied.
"Oh, you got our flyer!" she said rolling her eyes.
"The master had wished to meet you tomorrow evening." he said. As Jim came down the stairs, he heard Sara say,
"Oh I'm sorry, but tomorrow we got plans that can't be broken!"
"Who is that?" Jim mouthed as Sara said to the caller,
"Excuse me a second."
"Who is that?" asked Jim.
"Just someone calling about repping a house." shrugged Sara.
"What's the address, where is it?" asked Jim as he looked at the piece of paper Sara gave him. He opened his eyes wide and said, "Sara do you know where this place is? The places up here are big multi million dollar mansions! This could be big!"
"But what about our big family adventure?" asked Sara.