Chapter 2: Back to the Isla de Muerta
The next morning Jack stood on the quarter deck of the Black Pearl, shouting orders to the crew below him. Will and Elizabeth helped with the ship work, as usual. Over on the Midnight Phantom, Isabella's first mate, Kristen, shouted orders to the crew while Isabella worked on repairing sails high above. Her black braids caught the sun every so often and shone beautifully. Jack, on occasion, would look up at her and sigh, glad he had re-connected with her and began to daydream.
"Jack! Do you want me to clean the figurehead?" Will's shout brought Jack back to reality.
"No, I'll get it." Jack replied. He grabbed a nearby bucket full of soapy water and a rag and headed for the bow. "Anamaria! Keep watch over the crew while I go scrub down the figurehead!"
"Aye!" Jack jumped up onto the bow spar and walked out over the that moved swiftly beneath him. He slid down onto a rope swing that hung in front of the figurehead and situated himself on the board held up by two ropes. He began scrubbing the figurehead and looked over to the Phantom only to see Isabella who was cleaning her rearing wild horse figurehead.
"Havin' fun?!" Jack yelled across the water to Isabella.
"Of course! What could possibly be more fun than sittin' on a wooden swing, danglin' over the ocean as it rushes below you?" Isabella called back with laughter in her voice. Jack thought on it for a moment, then replied.
"I can't think of a thing!"
"Neither can I!" Isabella replied, still laughing. Suddenly, Elizabeth's voice could be heard from somewhere above Jack.
"Jack! Where ya at?"
"I'm beneath the bow spar, Elizabeth! Cleanin' the figurehead!" Jack called up to her. Elizabeth walked out onto the bow spar and sat down, straddling it.
"Ah, here you are." she said, looking down at Jack, her light brown hair dangling inches from Jack's face.
"Yep, 'ere I am. What d'ye need, love?" Jack asked, shielding his eyes against the sun as he looked up.
"There's a rip in one of the topgallant sails and I was wondering if you want me to go patch it or if I should send Will or someone else." Elizabeth informed Jack.
"Are ye doin' anythin' at the moment?" Jack questioned.
"No, only talking to you." Elizabeth replied smiling.
"Very clever remark m'dear. Since ye aren't doing anythin' of importance at this point, why don't ye climb up there an' fix it?" Jack replied sarcastically and with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Alright. I have nothing else to do." Elizabeth replied. She stood up on the bow spar, turned, and walked back over to the deck. Jack turned and looked over at the Phantom only to see that Isabella wasn't there anymore. He finished scrubbing the figurehead, lowered the bucket into the sea below with a rope to get clean water and rinsed off the figurehead. Once the task was complete, he climbed back up onto the bow spar and walked onto the ship again.
"Hey Jack. I noticed Elizabeth's up repairing that sail." Will said, once Jack had reached the deck.
"Yeah, I told 'er she could fix it." Jack replied.
"I could have done it once I was done washing the rails." Will informed Jack.
"I know. But the sooner it gets done, the better. She wasn't doin' anythin' else anyway." Jack said, looking up at Elizabeth high in the rigging.
"True. I was just making sure she didn't just go up there without telling you or Anamaria first, seeing as that is the rule on this ship." Will replied, looking up as well.
"Exactly. No one goes up there without tellin' me or Anamaria first unless it's a serious emergency. Can't have anyone fallin' to their deaths or somethin'." Jack said, facing Will once more.
"How many times have I heard you say that." Will said, rolling his eyes.
"More than enough, I bet." They both chuckled. Jack and Will continued talking when Anamaria called out.
"Oy, Jack! I'm grabbin' a bite! Want me to grab ye somethin' from the galley?"
"Sure, could ye grab me a cigarette?" Jack replied. Isabella swung over to the Pearl and overheard Jack's request.
"You still smoke?"
"Yes, I do." Jack replied, as he turned to face Isabella, surprised to see her there.
"Good lord. I thought you quit years ago." Isabella replied, a bit shocked.
"There are just some habits you can't break. . ." Jack began. Anamaria returned with a cigarette and a match. "Thanks love" he said once she gave them to him. He turned to face Isabella again. ". . . and this is one of those habits." He struck the match against the railing he was leaning on and lit his cigarette as he listened to Isabella. Seeing a conversation between the two captains was starting, Anamaria walked back to the quarter deck, sandwich in hand.
"We should be nearing the Isla de Muerta soon." Isabella said. Jack exhaled a cloud of smoke as he looked over Isabella's shoulder out to sea and nodded.
"Yea, we should be." At that moment, Elizabeth slid down a rope from the Topgallant spar where she had been busy repairing the sail.
"I think I saw the faint outline of land on the horizon just a moment ago." Elizabeth informed the two captains standing before her.
"Like I just told Jack, we should be gettin' close." Isabella replied.
"Anything else you need me to do?" Elizabeth asked Jack.
"Yea, take a break and get some food. Ye've been workin' hard all day." Jack replied with a smile.
"Thanks Jack." Elizabeth smiled. She turned for the galley and Will caught her on her way over and they walked in together. Isabella watched them go and she sighed.
"Well, I just came over t' see how ye were doin', so I guess I'll head back over t' the Phantom an' get ready fer when we drop anchor in the Isla de Muerta Lagoon." Isabella said as she turned to face Jack.
"Alright." Jack kissed his girlfriend's forehead and hugged her to him. Over her shoulder, he looked out to sea. "I can see the outline of the island on the horizon. We're gettin' close. I think I'll head up t' the Main Royal Yard until we get there."
"That's where I'll be." Isabella said, looking up into Jack's eyes. She kissed him briefly on the lips, not minding the smell of cigarettes on his breath. She jumped up onto the railing, grabbed a rope, and swung across to her ship. Jack turned to the main mast and began climbing the ratlines up to the Main Royal Yard spar that is his perch, cigarette clenched tight between his teeth.
TBC… Sorry about the short chapter! Reviews are welcome! - Depp's Girl
The next morning Jack stood on the quarter deck of the Black Pearl, shouting orders to the crew below him. Will and Elizabeth helped with the ship work, as usual. Over on the Midnight Phantom, Isabella's first mate, Kristen, shouted orders to the crew while Isabella worked on repairing sails high above. Her black braids caught the sun every so often and shone beautifully. Jack, on occasion, would look up at her and sigh, glad he had re-connected with her and began to daydream.
"Jack! Do you want me to clean the figurehead?" Will's shout brought Jack back to reality.
"No, I'll get it." Jack replied. He grabbed a nearby bucket full of soapy water and a rag and headed for the bow. "Anamaria! Keep watch over the crew while I go scrub down the figurehead!"
"Aye!" Jack jumped up onto the bow spar and walked out over the that moved swiftly beneath him. He slid down onto a rope swing that hung in front of the figurehead and situated himself on the board held up by two ropes. He began scrubbing the figurehead and looked over to the Phantom only to see Isabella who was cleaning her rearing wild horse figurehead.
"Havin' fun?!" Jack yelled across the water to Isabella.
"Of course! What could possibly be more fun than sittin' on a wooden swing, danglin' over the ocean as it rushes below you?" Isabella called back with laughter in her voice. Jack thought on it for a moment, then replied.
"I can't think of a thing!"
"Neither can I!" Isabella replied, still laughing. Suddenly, Elizabeth's voice could be heard from somewhere above Jack.
"Jack! Where ya at?"
"I'm beneath the bow spar, Elizabeth! Cleanin' the figurehead!" Jack called up to her. Elizabeth walked out onto the bow spar and sat down, straddling it.
"Ah, here you are." she said, looking down at Jack, her light brown hair dangling inches from Jack's face.
"Yep, 'ere I am. What d'ye need, love?" Jack asked, shielding his eyes against the sun as he looked up.
"There's a rip in one of the topgallant sails and I was wondering if you want me to go patch it or if I should send Will or someone else." Elizabeth informed Jack.
"Are ye doin' anythin' at the moment?" Jack questioned.
"No, only talking to you." Elizabeth replied smiling.
"Very clever remark m'dear. Since ye aren't doing anythin' of importance at this point, why don't ye climb up there an' fix it?" Jack replied sarcastically and with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Alright. I have nothing else to do." Elizabeth replied. She stood up on the bow spar, turned, and walked back over to the deck. Jack turned and looked over at the Phantom only to see that Isabella wasn't there anymore. He finished scrubbing the figurehead, lowered the bucket into the sea below with a rope to get clean water and rinsed off the figurehead. Once the task was complete, he climbed back up onto the bow spar and walked onto the ship again.
"Hey Jack. I noticed Elizabeth's up repairing that sail." Will said, once Jack had reached the deck.
"Yeah, I told 'er she could fix it." Jack replied.
"I could have done it once I was done washing the rails." Will informed Jack.
"I know. But the sooner it gets done, the better. She wasn't doin' anythin' else anyway." Jack said, looking up at Elizabeth high in the rigging.
"True. I was just making sure she didn't just go up there without telling you or Anamaria first, seeing as that is the rule on this ship." Will replied, looking up as well.
"Exactly. No one goes up there without tellin' me or Anamaria first unless it's a serious emergency. Can't have anyone fallin' to their deaths or somethin'." Jack said, facing Will once more.
"How many times have I heard you say that." Will said, rolling his eyes.
"More than enough, I bet." They both chuckled. Jack and Will continued talking when Anamaria called out.
"Oy, Jack! I'm grabbin' a bite! Want me to grab ye somethin' from the galley?"
"Sure, could ye grab me a cigarette?" Jack replied. Isabella swung over to the Pearl and overheard Jack's request.
"You still smoke?"
"Yes, I do." Jack replied, as he turned to face Isabella, surprised to see her there.
"Good lord. I thought you quit years ago." Isabella replied, a bit shocked.
"There are just some habits you can't break. . ." Jack began. Anamaria returned with a cigarette and a match. "Thanks love" he said once she gave them to him. He turned to face Isabella again. ". . . and this is one of those habits." He struck the match against the railing he was leaning on and lit his cigarette as he listened to Isabella. Seeing a conversation between the two captains was starting, Anamaria walked back to the quarter deck, sandwich in hand.
"We should be nearing the Isla de Muerta soon." Isabella said. Jack exhaled a cloud of smoke as he looked over Isabella's shoulder out to sea and nodded.
"Yea, we should be." At that moment, Elizabeth slid down a rope from the Topgallant spar where she had been busy repairing the sail.
"I think I saw the faint outline of land on the horizon just a moment ago." Elizabeth informed the two captains standing before her.
"Like I just told Jack, we should be gettin' close." Isabella replied.
"Anything else you need me to do?" Elizabeth asked Jack.
"Yea, take a break and get some food. Ye've been workin' hard all day." Jack replied with a smile.
"Thanks Jack." Elizabeth smiled. She turned for the galley and Will caught her on her way over and they walked in together. Isabella watched them go and she sighed.
"Well, I just came over t' see how ye were doin', so I guess I'll head back over t' the Phantom an' get ready fer when we drop anchor in the Isla de Muerta Lagoon." Isabella said as she turned to face Jack.
"Alright." Jack kissed his girlfriend's forehead and hugged her to him. Over her shoulder, he looked out to sea. "I can see the outline of the island on the horizon. We're gettin' close. I think I'll head up t' the Main Royal Yard until we get there."
"That's where I'll be." Isabella said, looking up into Jack's eyes. She kissed him briefly on the lips, not minding the smell of cigarettes on his breath. She jumped up onto the railing, grabbed a rope, and swung across to her ship. Jack turned to the main mast and began climbing the ratlines up to the Main Royal Yard spar that is his perch, cigarette clenched tight between his teeth.
TBC… Sorry about the short chapter! Reviews are welcome! - Depp's Girl