Disclaimer: I succeeded in capturing Jack, but Disney stole him back, so I don't own him.
AN: I love reviewers, they're so funny sometimes! Some were confused and thought I was on drugs when I said that the previous chapter was 'short.' I meant that it was shorter than the amount I usually write, that's all. I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter, though; it took me forever to write out the darn thing correctly! Anyway, sit back and enjoy the chapter, featuring Captain Jack Sparrow!
Chapter 2: Visit to Port Royal:
The Black Pearl: Jack's POV:
Groaning, Jack rolled over in his bed and tried to ignore the screaming coming from outside his door.
"Jack, if you don't get out here and take the helm, there'll be hell to pay!"
Another groan exploded from Jack's dry lips. He really should have stopped at three bottles of rum last night, but when Samuels had proposed a drinking contest, who was he to refuse? Presently, Jack couldn't remember exactly how many bottles of rum he'd consumed the night before, but he knew that he'd won by a landslide. Smiling at his triumph, Jack managed to enjoy his victory for only a few seconds before the same feminine voice came through the door.
"Don't think I don't mean it, Sparrow! I swear I'll come in there and kick you out of that bed if you don't get out here right now!"
'I swear that Annamaria's voice gets more piercing every day,' Jack thought to himself as he pulled a pillow over his head, attempting to muffle the sounds from outside. 'That woman's voice isn't helping my hangover any.'
Through the pillow, Jack could hear the stomp of boots leaving the helm and coming towards the door of his cabin. It was at that point that he knew that his peaceful moments were numbered, and that he'd better haul himself out of bed before Anna actually came in here and (literally) kicked his ass out of bed. Throwing his hungover self out of bed and pulling on his pants, shirt, and boots, Jack stretched for a quick moment and stood up, trying not to wince at the headache pounding behind his eyes. He'd just made it to the door at the same time Anna did, so, swinging the door open, his brown eyes clashed with those of a very impatient and fairly surprised first mate.
"Well it's about time!" she huffed. "We need you up at the helm to direct us to that hidden bay near Port Royal!"
Jack blinked. "Are we there already?" he asked, fairly surprised that they'd gotten to their destination so quickly.
Anna rolled her eyes. "You've been passed out in your cabin for more than a day, Sparrow," she said. "At least you're up sooner than Samuels, he's sleeping like the dead. The next time you decide to take a bet on who can drink the most, try not to do it when we get close to Navy territory, got it?"
"As you wish, Annamaria," he said, pressing his palms together and bowing. He heard her sniff disdainfully before stalking towards her own cabin.
Extremely glad that he'd managed to avoid getting slapped (or worse), Jack pulled on his effects, set his hat on his head, and headed out on deck. As the harsh sunlight of the Caribbean hit his eyes, Jack was happy to see that everyone doing their chores. Crewmen scurried around the deck, securing ropes, keeping a sharp eye out for enemy ships, or swabbing the deck. Others were likely below deck, keeping the cannons in good firing order or were in the galley, getting everything ready for the crew's next meal. A small snarl emanated from his abdomen.
'Speaking of meals.'
Jack's stomach growled and complained at him, demanding to be filled at once to make up for the past day or so he'd spent in bed, getting over his hangover. Smiling to himself, he turned and headed towards the doors leading to the galley and all the tasty things that lay within. Twenty minutes later, Jack emerged full and with only a small, dull ache in his head. With all distractions taken care of, he eagerly swaggered up to the helm and relieved Mr. Gibbs of the task, the wheel fitting perfectly to his hands and the Pearl swaying gently beneath his feet.
Taking a deep breath, Jack savored the smell of the sea and air, reveling in the freedom that it promised him and his crew. 'A pity the Whelp decided to stay on land and get married,' Jack thought sadly to himself.
The son of his best friend, Bootstrap Bill, deserved to live a life of freedom and adventure, not be tied down to a blacksmith job and a wife. Not that Jack had anything against landlubbers or blacksmiths, but pirate was in the lad's blood…he should have at least had a few years to taste what the ocean had to offer before settling down! And yet, there he was, William Turner, husband to the Governor's daughter! Bootstrap would have never believed his eyes, were he around today. Still, he would have been proud of his boy, especially after having helped Jack rid the Pearl of the curse three years ago.
'Which reminds me, I got to get them a gift.'
Jack mentally kicked himself. Not only had he been nearly late to the Turner's wedding over two years prior, but he'd also managed to forget to get them a wedding gift! Elizabeth had been quick to forgive him, but both Jack and Will had seen the angry glint in her eye when she offered Jack the invitation to visit any time he wanted. Jack, being the clever man that he was, could clearly see that the invitation gave him one last chance to redeem himself in the gift-giving department, and if he failed, well…he certainly didn't want to deal with an angry Elizabeth Turner!
Mentally going over the latest treasures the Black Pearl had acquired, Jack came up with at least three bits of treasure to give the spunky Mrs. Turner as a wedding gift, as well as a birthday gift that would be perfect for the event coming up in a few weeks (which he hopefully wouldn't be here for, as he didn't want to have a meeting with the delightful Commodore just yet). Unfortunately, Jack didn't quite know what the spunky lass liked, so he'd have to take all three and get the Whelp's advice on his wife's likes and dislikes.
Sighing, Jack turned his attention back towards sailing the Pearl into a special hidden cove on the other side of Jamaica, out of sight of the British Navy.
Four Hours Later: Jack's POV:
After securing the Pearl (and making sure that Gibbs and Annamaria were ready for any sort of situation involving the Navy), Jack quickly made his way through the thick green foliage towards Port Royal. It wasn't an easy or pleasant walk, but as long as he wasn't seen by the Navy, that was all that mattered. A small branch hit his forehead, and Jack sighed. It was going to be a long day…
Port Royal, Nerissa's POV:
"For goodness sakes, Lizzie, you look fine!" Nerissa said, trying not to roll her eyes in annoyance.
Elizabeth turned to look at her. "Do you really think so? The pink isn't too much?"
The darker-haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Elizabeth, you know William is going to love you no matter what you wear to dinner tonight," she answered, smiling at her younger cousin.
As much as she loved Elizabeth, Nerissa Fox still wanted to roll her eyes every single time she asked if Will would be impressed with one gown or another. Only one word came to mind whenever the younger woman asked questions like these: newlyweds. Honestly, they'd been married for nearly two years and they still act as though the wedding had happened yesterday! They still stared at one another from across the table, as though they were the only two people in the world, frequently overlooking the fact that a guest was currently staying in their home for the next several months.
'Perhaps I should ask Uncle to let me stay at his mansion instead,' Nerissa thought to herself.
Her uncle had asked (practically begged) his beloved niece to stay with him, but she had wanted to stay with Elizabeth. Nerissa had thought that her cousin, despite being four years younger, would be a rather fun companion and that they could catch up on the time and events that had passed since her departure from England over ten years before.
'Wrong on that account,' she thought to herself as Elizabeth prepared to try on another dress.
"Oh, for Heaven's sakes, Lizzie, the pink dress is perfect!" Nerissa said, exasperated. "Would you please stop fussing, dinner is in fifteen minutes!"
Elizabeth's face donned a guilty look. "I'm sorry, Nessie," she said, light brown eyes begging for forgiveness.
The older girl sighed. "It's alright, Elizabeth," she said, calming down. "It's just that I really don't have the patience for this sort of thing; I never have, and I never will." They both laughed. "Well, now that you're all ready, it's my turn. I'll meet you downstairs."
Elizabeth nodded and swept out the door, leaving her cousin little time to change and put up her hair. Sighing, she went to her wardrobe and searched through the stack of gowns the two had just bought that morning.
An Hour Earlier, Jack's POV:
Finding Will's (formerly the late Mr. Brown's) blacksmith shop was easy; it was getting past the redcoats that was the tricky part. The whole bloody town had been wary of pirate attacks since Barbossa's stunt three years prior, and the dear Commodore Norrington had very much tightened the town's security. Now Jack had to spend extra time trying to slip into Will's shop. Finally, one of the soldiers turned his back, and the pirate slipped into the building that hardly ever changed. Well, there was one difference…the old drunk was gone from the corner, for which Jack was extremely grateful. Spotting Will over by the forge, Jack sauntered up to his friend and tapped him on the shoulder. Will turned around, and the look of surprise on the lad's face was worth the risky trip to Port Royal.
"Jack?" Will's eyes almost fell out of his head from surprise.
Blinding gold teeth sparkled in amusement. "Hello, Whelp!"
"Don't call me that," Will said, clapping his hand onto Jack's shoulder. "What brings you here?"
"You mean besides the fact that I owe your lovely wife a wedding gift?" Jack sighed. "Not much."
Will laughed. "Well, as long as you brought a good one, and you come over for supper tonight, Elizabeth will be sure to forgive you."
Jack's golden smile came back into existence. "Sounds good! When's dinner over at your house?"
Pulling a pocketwatch from seemingly out of thin air, Will checked the time. "We should leave now, Elizabeth hates it if I'm late."
After quickly locking up the shop, the two headed up a back street, avoiding the Navy soldiers and heading towards the 'ritzy' part of town. The last time he'd been in Port Royal, the Turners' had lived in a fairly good-sized cottage in town. When he asked about the change, Will said that the Governor refused to have his daughter live in something less than a mansion, and so provided a much larger home for them. The cottage in town was still theirs, as they needed something to give their future children, and the smaller house would be a nice dowry for any daughter born to the Turner home.
Finally reaching the large, white mansion with Roman columns and blue paint, the two were greeted briefly by a butler. A minute later, Elizabeth came down the stairs looking charming in a pink-and-white gown. She gave her husband a kiss before turning narrowed eyes upon Jack. Deciding to act quickly (and to avoid any slaps or yelling), Jack pulled out a black velvet box and opened it so Elizabeth could see the lovely golden pearl necklace with matching earrings within.
Whatever she planned to say died on her lips at the sight of the gems. "Oh, Jack!" she gasped, reaching out to put on the jewelry that very moment.
Knowing that he'd managed to pacify her, Jack inwardly sighed in relief. 'Good choice!' he thought to himself. 'Better save those other two gifts for later, just in case.' He heard Elizabeth babble on about how wonderful the gift was, and merely nodded as she thanked him over and over again.
"Oh, Nerissa, there you are!" Elizabeth suddenly said, jerking Jack's attention back to the present. "Look at these pearls! Aren't they lovely?"
Following Elizabeth's gaze to the top of the stairs, Jack's eyes met with a very lovely vision. There at the top of the stairs stood a young woman, clad in a ruby-red gown, her deep brown, almost black, hair pinned up and decorated with a single red rose. Brown eyes almost as dark as her hair met his own, and Jack's stomach did a small dance inside his body. As she approached, the faint scent of roses mixed with ocean met his nose, and his stomach did another, more aggressive, dance.
"Jack, this is my cousin, Nerissa Fox," he heard Elizabeth say. "She just arrived just a few days ago from England. Cousin, this is Captain Jack Sparrow, the pirate I told you about."
"A pleasure to meet you, Captain Sparrow." Nerissa smiled and held out her hand a friendly manner.
Jack decided to play it safe and kiss it in a gentlemanly manner. She was a very attractive young lady. Not skinny and tall like her cousin, but fairly short and much rounder, though by no means fat. No, this woman had curves that any decent man would give his right arm to run his hands over. Golden skin and almond-shaped eyes spoke of an Eastern ancestor or family member, and both traits very much complimented her dark hair and eyes. The lack of a ring showed her to be single, which was a tad bit unusual for a noblewoman of her age. Looking closer, Jack would guess her to be in her early or mid-twenties; a bit past the usual age of marriage, but definitely not an old maid!
For a moment, Jack was lost in his thoughts. This girl was the Governor's niece, meaning that she was a noble. She was quite interesting in appearance, but from past experience, Jack knew that he couldn't judge a girl by her appearance. In his mind, Jack pictured all of the women or girls that should have been well-educated were instead extremely lacking in intelligence (barring a certain Mrs. Turner. It was rather depressing, really. Suddenly, he felt someone gently tap his face with their fingers.
"Captain Sparrow? Are you alright?"
Jack blinked and looked right into Nerissa's concerned brown eyes. "Fine!" he said, smiling. "Just a long voyage, that's all. Is that food ready yet? The food on the Pearl is somewhat…lacking."
Three Hours Later: Nerissa's POV:
Dinner was a casual affair as everyone sat around chatting and catching up. The topics were interesting, as there had been a range from two to ten years to catch up on (depending on who you were speaking to). Will and Elizabeth told Nerissa about how they had met on the ship over from England and all about their adventure with Jack on the Black Pearl. Jack, of course, had to add in his own personal details and opinions about everything, but Nerissa found them more interesting than annoying. He was quite amusing, and she caught herself laughing at quite a few points in his story, which seemed to please him for some reason.
"I'm very grateful for you saving Elizabeth, Captain Sparrow," she said, finishing the last of her wine as they stood and made their way to the parlor. "It was quite kind and brave of you to do that."
"T'was no trouble, luv," he said, walking in an almost hypnotic pattern. "But you seem to know all about us, and yet I know nothing about you." He sat down on a couch and patted a spot next to him.
Nerissa hesitated for a moment. She was certain she could handle whatever moves the dear Captain would attempt on her, but she was looking forward to speaking further with the interesting pirate. Inwardly sighing and promising to handle whatever he threw at her, Nerissa took a seat next to Jack, though a fair distance away, just in case he attempted anything…inappropriate.
"Now, luv, why don't you tell us all about yourself?" Jack drawled, his eyes focusing on her face.
"Yes, Nessa, you haven't said anything about what you've done since we last saw one another," Elizabeth said, pouring some sparkling white wine for everyone except Jack, who happily accepted a tall glass of what appeared to be rum.
"Well, it's a good-sized tale." Nerissa accepted a glass of wine from her cousin. "It all started when Father decided that I needed to have a thorough education so whenever he traveled, I went with him. I occasionally visited Elizabeth and brought her gifts from some of my travels with my father."
Elizabeth nodded. "You brought me chocolates from France, music boxes from Germany, and a pretty comb from Spain another time."
"Well, Father had decided that I should spend more time with Elizabeth, being as we're so close in age, but after she left, he decided to expand my horizons," Nerissa said, taking a sip of her wine.
"Expand them in what way?" Will asked, sipping his own wine.
"Well, you see, my father is a firm believer in learning," Nessa explained. "My mother was no longer with us after my little brother was born, and as he was the heir to the family fortunes, Father decided that I should see as much as the world as I could before I married. He sent me to France, Italy, Spain, and Germany to absorb the local cultures and to learn their languages. French and Spanish are somewhat similar to one another, so I learned the both of them fairly quickly, and I also learned Italian because most of Father's family is from Italy." She smiled for a brief moment. "I'm afraid German was a touch much for me, but I learned enough to say something and not accidentally insult who I was talking to."
The others laughed, and applauded her for her success. Nerissa smiled and nodded her head in thanks as they all drank their wine. After soothing her throat, she continued her story.
"After spending a year or two in each country, Father brought me home to learn other things, such as geography, mathematics, art, and literature. My brother, Philippe, was taught along side me, and I was frequently asked to help him with his studies." She drank the last drop of her wine and held it out for more.
"My brother really is quite brilliant. Seventeen years old and he's so far ahead of most boys his age that Father decided he needed to be taught how to run the our estate now instead of later." Nerissa smiled at the thought of her brother. "I was sent here to the Caribbean so that I wouldn't what Father calls 'mothering Philippe,' but I prefer 'offering support,'" she said, chuckling as Will poured her more wine. "And so here I am, drinking wine with my cousin, her husband, and a pirate captain."
Jack smiled at her and raised his glass. "Here, here!" he said before taking a large drink, polishing off the entire thing in an instant.
Nerissa laughed and pressed Jack for more information about his adventures and the truth behind them. He really was a fascinating man, and he told stories in the most captivating way imaginable! She especially liked the way that he told about becoming chief of a native island, which had her laughing for a good five minutes before calming down. Even Will and Elizabeth had a hard time keeping straight faces!
Unfortunately, all good times must end, and as Captain Sparrow bid them goodnight, he pressed a gentle kiss to Nerissa's hand, making her smile. As she fell into a somewhat drunken slumber, Nerissa couldn't help but dream pleasantly of a certain pirate's adventures and daring escapes.
That Night, Jack's POV:
Snuggling underneath the soft sheets of his bed aboard the Pearl, Jack couldn't help but think of Nerissa Fox. He'd never met such a well-traveled young woman, much less one who had been so well-educated! The lass could also hold her alcohol, seeing as she'd had about four glasses of it that night. The wine couldn't have been that potent, though, seeing as it was specifically made to be consumed while talking with friends, and getting drunk was usually out of the question when socializing with others. Still, the amount she'd had was impressive…
Sighing, Jack closed his eyes and drifted off onto a sea of dreams.
AN: Okay, now you know the main characters of the story. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!