Unexpected News
Three weeks later, the Pearl and the Phantom pulled into harbor in the coastal town of Cunai in Brazil. Isabella hadn't been feeling well for a few days, so she went on shore and sought out the local doctor.
Meanwhile, Jack was busy pouring over maps in his study. He was trying to calculate the exact amount of time it would take to reach the Galapagos from the port they were anchored at. Well, if we continue sailin' at the speed we are now, it'll prolly take us 10-11 months…Jack pondered. An' then t' get 'round the world…he looked at another map. Prolly a year and a half, maybe two. Jack's mind was flying as he thought about the Galapagos. He had already asked Will if he'd perform the marriage ceremony, and, despite the fact Will knew nothing about how to preach the ceremony, he agreed. Jack kept the ring he was going to propose with in a box and hidden on a shelf behind a framed black and white photo of Isabella.
A few hours later, Isabella returned to the Pearl. Jack was still in his cabin, so Isabella sought him out there. She knocked on the cherry wood French doors and waited.
"It's open!" Jack's voice called from deep within. Isabella opened both doors and walked into her boyfriend's cabin, shutting the doors once again behind her. Jack was at his desk, his back to Isabella, so Isabella slowly made her way to Jack's side. He was deep in thought about something, so Isabella stood patiently at his side, waiting for Jack to acknowledge her presence.
"Oh, Izzy." Jack said upon realizing it was his girlfriend. "Sorry. Had I known it was you, I wouldn't 'ave kept ye waitin'."
"It's alright love." Isabella replied. "I didn't want t' disturb ye." Jack slid his chair back from his desk and Isabella took it as her cue to sit on her boyfriend's lap. So she did.
"Feelin' better?" Jack inquired after Isabella.
"A bit, yea," Isabella replied. "I'm really tired though."
"Do ye wanna lie down?" Jack asked, shifting his weight slightly as if about to stand. "We can relax on the couch if ye want." Isabella nodded and rose to her feet. Jack stood as well and the two pirates made their way over to the couch. Jack made himself comfortable, then pulled Isabella down to his side. He sensed something was wrong, but decided not to ask, just in case Isabella didn't want to talk about it.
"Jack?"
"Mmh?"
"Do ye remember back at the beginnin' of this voyage, when ye were thinkin' 'bout the future we may someday have?" Jack did remember, but was curious as to why Isabella had brought it up. Hadn't they decided that they weren't going to start a family despite the fact that Jack was going to propose once they reached the Galapagos?
"Aye…" Where's this going…Jack thought. What's Isabella hidin' from me?
"Well, umm Jack…"Isabella began. "This is kinda hard fer me t' tell ye, but…" Isabella knew she couldn't hid the truth from Jack any longer. They were going to have to face the reality of the situation sooner or later.
"Go on." Jack said after a moment's silence. Isabella took a deep breath, turned and looked Jack squared in the eyes. Just as Isabella was about to tell Jack, there was a shout from on deck.
"Sail HO!" A wave of relief swept over Isabella. Jack rose from the couch and helped Isabella to her feet as well. Whatever it was that Isabella was going to tell Jack was just going to have to wait. The Pearl had lifted anchor when Isabella had boarded and was once again in the open ocean when Jack and Isabella appeared on deck. Jack grabbed his spyglass and headed for the bow, Isabella at his side.
"That's interesting…" Jack mused to himself. "That's very interesting."
"What is love?" Isabella asked. Jack handed her the spyglass and she looked through it.
"That, m'dear, is a merchant ship sailing from India." Jack informed Isabella as she looked out at the ship off the Pearl's starboard bow. "Loaded with silk, spices, an' jewels from the East Indies is my guess."
"Where d'ye suppose they're goin'?" Isabella asked.
"Prolly England." Jack replied. "At least, that's prolly where they're hopin' t' reach."
"Why hopin'?"
"Because they're not exactly gonna make it with the two fastest ships in the Caribbean on their tail." Jack replied with a smile. Isabella met Jack's eyes and smiled as well. She returned the spyglass to Jack and headed over to the Phantom to make ready for the attack. Both ships flew the colors of England until they got extremely close to the other ship. That's when they saw the Spanish flag flying on the other ship. They were gaining fast on the merchant ship and Jack saw the ship's name on the stern: Spanish Rose.
"Huh, I was wrong." Jack said to Will who stood at his side. "They're goin' t' Spain, not England. Oh well. They wont make it t' Spain either." Will laughed with Jack and the two returned to the helm. Elizabeth came on deck from her cabin.
"What's going on up here?" Elizabeth inquired.
"Spanish merchant ship." Will replied. "We're gonna take any cargo she may be carrying."
"And what kind of cargo might that be?"
"Silk, spices, jewels, gold, need I go on?" Jack replied. Elizabeth smiled and returned to her cabin. Over on the Phantom, Isabella had noticed that it was a Spanish vessel as well. It didn't make a difference whether it was Spanish or British, but after examining the ship more closely, Isabella saw how gorgeous the ship was and decided that they should take her as a prize. It'll help build up the fleet. Isabella thought. She turned the helm over to Kristen and boarded the Pearl.
"Jack!" Jack took his eyes off the merchant ship and they landed on Isabella on deck below him.
"Aye?"
"We shouldn't sink that ship! She looks fast and strong. Make a good addition t' the fleet." Isabella informed Jack. "Not t' mention, she's downright beautiful." Jack told Will to keep the Pearl steady on course and followed Isabella to the bow. He looked through his spyglass again at the ship and saw what Isabella was talking about. The Spanish Rose was indeed a beautiful ship that appeared to be very fast. Naturally, no ship could compare to the Pearl or the Phantom in speed, but they could still be fast and as a pirate, speed always came in handy.
"Alright, we'll take 'er a prize." Jack finally said. Isabella nodded and followed Jack back to the helm. The Pearl was almost on top of the Spanish vessel when the Jolly Roger was finally raised into the air. The Spaniards on board were caught completely off guard, just what Jack had wanted. The disorganized Spaniards didn't stand a chance against the two most feared pirate captains in the world, but that didn't sop their determination. The grapples were thrown from both the Pearl and the Phantom over to the Rose and Jack, Isabella, and their crews boarded. The Spaniards on board didn't speak any English, but that was no problem for Isabella. The Spaniards didn't put up much of a fight. Jack and his crew had them tied so they couldn't move in no time. Isabella then began explaining everything to the Spaniards in Spanish while Jack, the Pearl's crew and her own crew removed all of the cargo from the Spanish ship's hold.
"¡Hey! ¿Qué se está encendiendo aquí? ¿Quiénes son usted?" (translation: Hey! What is going on here? Who are you?) one of the sailors asked.
"Soy capitán Isabella von Tassel y su nave y todas sus mercancías ahora son mina." (translation: I am Captain Isabella von Tassel and your ship and all of its goods are now mine.) Isabella replied in perfect Spanish. The sailors were all amazed that the Caribbean pirate captain could speak their language so well.
"¿Es usted un español?" (translation: Are you a Spaniard?) the same sailor asked.
"No, soy pirata del Caribe." (translation: No, I am a pirate from the Caribbean) Isabella replied.
"¿Qué va a pasar con nosotros?" (translation: What is to become of us?) another sailor asked.
"Bien, su nave es la mía, como dije antes, y le dejarán al dado en alguno uncharted la isla." (translation: Well, your ship is mine, like I said before, and you will be left to die on some uncharted island.) Isabella replied with a smile. Sure enough, when the Pearl, Phantom and Rose arrived at a desert island, all anchors were dropped and the Spaniards were shoved overboard and forced to swim over to the island not far away.
"¡Maldígale Isabella von Tassel!" (translation: Curse you Isabella von Tassel!) the captain (author: or should I say, former captain) of the Spanish Rose yelled.
"¡Ése es capitán Isabella von Tassel a usted!" (translation: That's Captain Isabella von Tassel to you!) Isabella replied. The three ships weighed anchor and sailed off.
The Spanish Rose, like Jack had predicted, had been loaded with chests of gold, silk, spices, jewels, and many other wonderful things from the East Indies. Isabella had inspected the entire ship and was very pleased that she was now a pirate vessel. She swung back over to the Phantom and went over to Kristen.
"Kristen, someone needs t' be captain of our new ship. What say you to the task?" Isabella asked her first mate. For the time being, Isabella's second mate, Ellen, was at the helm of the Spanish Rose, but Isabella knew the ship needed a proper captain. Kristen jumped at the opportunity.
"Ye mean, the Rose would be my ship?" Kristen asked.
"Aye, she'll be yers if ye accept the captaincy." Isabella replied. "What say you?"
"AYE!" Kristen exclaimed. Isabella laughed and hugged her first mate, who was now captain, and watched as she swung over to the new ship. Ellen, her second mate, returned to the Phantom and stood next to her captain.
"Ellen, tell the crew that once we reach our next port that 1/3 of my crew along with 1/3 of Jack's crew will become the crew of the Spanish Rose." Isabella told her second mate. Ellen nodded and headed for the lower deck. Isabella remained at the helm, but then remembered that she still had to talk to Jack.
After about ten minutes, Ellen reappeared on deck. Isabella called her up and told her to keep the Phantom steady on course while she went and talked to Jack. Ellen nodded and took the helm while Isabella swung over to the Pearl.
"Jack! I need t' 'ave a word with ye!" Isabella called up to the pirate who stood at the helm above her.
"Alright! Anamaria! I need ye t' take the helm fer me." Jack replied. Ana hurried up to Jack's side and took the helm from her captain. Jack descended the stairs to stand before Isabella and followed her to his cabin.
"Now, what were ye gonna tell me earlier, love?" Jack inquired once the doors were shut.
"Well, erm…ye may wanna sit down before I say anything." Isabella replied. Jack shrugged and sat down on the edge of his bed. Isabella made herself comfortable beside him and looked deep into his chocolate brown eyes.
"Jack…I'm pregnant."
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Author's Note: How many of you saw that coming? Hopefully not many of you are raising yer hands! How's Jack gonna take the news? Please R&R! Thanks!! -Depp's Girl
Three weeks later, the Pearl and the Phantom pulled into harbor in the coastal town of Cunai in Brazil. Isabella hadn't been feeling well for a few days, so she went on shore and sought out the local doctor.
Meanwhile, Jack was busy pouring over maps in his study. He was trying to calculate the exact amount of time it would take to reach the Galapagos from the port they were anchored at. Well, if we continue sailin' at the speed we are now, it'll prolly take us 10-11 months…Jack pondered. An' then t' get 'round the world…he looked at another map. Prolly a year and a half, maybe two. Jack's mind was flying as he thought about the Galapagos. He had already asked Will if he'd perform the marriage ceremony, and, despite the fact Will knew nothing about how to preach the ceremony, he agreed. Jack kept the ring he was going to propose with in a box and hidden on a shelf behind a framed black and white photo of Isabella.
A few hours later, Isabella returned to the Pearl. Jack was still in his cabin, so Isabella sought him out there. She knocked on the cherry wood French doors and waited.
"It's open!" Jack's voice called from deep within. Isabella opened both doors and walked into her boyfriend's cabin, shutting the doors once again behind her. Jack was at his desk, his back to Isabella, so Isabella slowly made her way to Jack's side. He was deep in thought about something, so Isabella stood patiently at his side, waiting for Jack to acknowledge her presence.
"Oh, Izzy." Jack said upon realizing it was his girlfriend. "Sorry. Had I known it was you, I wouldn't 'ave kept ye waitin'."
"It's alright love." Isabella replied. "I didn't want t' disturb ye." Jack slid his chair back from his desk and Isabella took it as her cue to sit on her boyfriend's lap. So she did.
"Feelin' better?" Jack inquired after Isabella.
"A bit, yea," Isabella replied. "I'm really tired though."
"Do ye wanna lie down?" Jack asked, shifting his weight slightly as if about to stand. "We can relax on the couch if ye want." Isabella nodded and rose to her feet. Jack stood as well and the two pirates made their way over to the couch. Jack made himself comfortable, then pulled Isabella down to his side. He sensed something was wrong, but decided not to ask, just in case Isabella didn't want to talk about it.
"Jack?"
"Mmh?"
"Do ye remember back at the beginnin' of this voyage, when ye were thinkin' 'bout the future we may someday have?" Jack did remember, but was curious as to why Isabella had brought it up. Hadn't they decided that they weren't going to start a family despite the fact that Jack was going to propose once they reached the Galapagos?
"Aye…" Where's this going…Jack thought. What's Isabella hidin' from me?
"Well, umm Jack…"Isabella began. "This is kinda hard fer me t' tell ye, but…" Isabella knew she couldn't hid the truth from Jack any longer. They were going to have to face the reality of the situation sooner or later.
"Go on." Jack said after a moment's silence. Isabella took a deep breath, turned and looked Jack squared in the eyes. Just as Isabella was about to tell Jack, there was a shout from on deck.
"Sail HO!" A wave of relief swept over Isabella. Jack rose from the couch and helped Isabella to her feet as well. Whatever it was that Isabella was going to tell Jack was just going to have to wait. The Pearl had lifted anchor when Isabella had boarded and was once again in the open ocean when Jack and Isabella appeared on deck. Jack grabbed his spyglass and headed for the bow, Isabella at his side.
"That's interesting…" Jack mused to himself. "That's very interesting."
"What is love?" Isabella asked. Jack handed her the spyglass and she looked through it.
"That, m'dear, is a merchant ship sailing from India." Jack informed Isabella as she looked out at the ship off the Pearl's starboard bow. "Loaded with silk, spices, an' jewels from the East Indies is my guess."
"Where d'ye suppose they're goin'?" Isabella asked.
"Prolly England." Jack replied. "At least, that's prolly where they're hopin' t' reach."
"Why hopin'?"
"Because they're not exactly gonna make it with the two fastest ships in the Caribbean on their tail." Jack replied with a smile. Isabella met Jack's eyes and smiled as well. She returned the spyglass to Jack and headed over to the Phantom to make ready for the attack. Both ships flew the colors of England until they got extremely close to the other ship. That's when they saw the Spanish flag flying on the other ship. They were gaining fast on the merchant ship and Jack saw the ship's name on the stern: Spanish Rose.
"Huh, I was wrong." Jack said to Will who stood at his side. "They're goin' t' Spain, not England. Oh well. They wont make it t' Spain either." Will laughed with Jack and the two returned to the helm. Elizabeth came on deck from her cabin.
"What's going on up here?" Elizabeth inquired.
"Spanish merchant ship." Will replied. "We're gonna take any cargo she may be carrying."
"And what kind of cargo might that be?"
"Silk, spices, jewels, gold, need I go on?" Jack replied. Elizabeth smiled and returned to her cabin. Over on the Phantom, Isabella had noticed that it was a Spanish vessel as well. It didn't make a difference whether it was Spanish or British, but after examining the ship more closely, Isabella saw how gorgeous the ship was and decided that they should take her as a prize. It'll help build up the fleet. Isabella thought. She turned the helm over to Kristen and boarded the Pearl.
"Jack!" Jack took his eyes off the merchant ship and they landed on Isabella on deck below him.
"Aye?"
"We shouldn't sink that ship! She looks fast and strong. Make a good addition t' the fleet." Isabella informed Jack. "Not t' mention, she's downright beautiful." Jack told Will to keep the Pearl steady on course and followed Isabella to the bow. He looked through his spyglass again at the ship and saw what Isabella was talking about. The Spanish Rose was indeed a beautiful ship that appeared to be very fast. Naturally, no ship could compare to the Pearl or the Phantom in speed, but they could still be fast and as a pirate, speed always came in handy.
"Alright, we'll take 'er a prize." Jack finally said. Isabella nodded and followed Jack back to the helm. The Pearl was almost on top of the Spanish vessel when the Jolly Roger was finally raised into the air. The Spaniards on board were caught completely off guard, just what Jack had wanted. The disorganized Spaniards didn't stand a chance against the two most feared pirate captains in the world, but that didn't sop their determination. The grapples were thrown from both the Pearl and the Phantom over to the Rose and Jack, Isabella, and their crews boarded. The Spaniards on board didn't speak any English, but that was no problem for Isabella. The Spaniards didn't put up much of a fight. Jack and his crew had them tied so they couldn't move in no time. Isabella then began explaining everything to the Spaniards in Spanish while Jack, the Pearl's crew and her own crew removed all of the cargo from the Spanish ship's hold.
"¡Hey! ¿Qué se está encendiendo aquí? ¿Quiénes son usted?" (translation: Hey! What is going on here? Who are you?) one of the sailors asked.
"Soy capitán Isabella von Tassel y su nave y todas sus mercancías ahora son mina." (translation: I am Captain Isabella von Tassel and your ship and all of its goods are now mine.) Isabella replied in perfect Spanish. The sailors were all amazed that the Caribbean pirate captain could speak their language so well.
"¿Es usted un español?" (translation: Are you a Spaniard?) the same sailor asked.
"No, soy pirata del Caribe." (translation: No, I am a pirate from the Caribbean) Isabella replied.
"¿Qué va a pasar con nosotros?" (translation: What is to become of us?) another sailor asked.
"Bien, su nave es la mía, como dije antes, y le dejarán al dado en alguno uncharted la isla." (translation: Well, your ship is mine, like I said before, and you will be left to die on some uncharted island.) Isabella replied with a smile. Sure enough, when the Pearl, Phantom and Rose arrived at a desert island, all anchors were dropped and the Spaniards were shoved overboard and forced to swim over to the island not far away.
"¡Maldígale Isabella von Tassel!" (translation: Curse you Isabella von Tassel!) the captain (author: or should I say, former captain) of the Spanish Rose yelled.
"¡Ése es capitán Isabella von Tassel a usted!" (translation: That's Captain Isabella von Tassel to you!) Isabella replied. The three ships weighed anchor and sailed off.
The Spanish Rose, like Jack had predicted, had been loaded with chests of gold, silk, spices, jewels, and many other wonderful things from the East Indies. Isabella had inspected the entire ship and was very pleased that she was now a pirate vessel. She swung back over to the Phantom and went over to Kristen.
"Kristen, someone needs t' be captain of our new ship. What say you to the task?" Isabella asked her first mate. For the time being, Isabella's second mate, Ellen, was at the helm of the Spanish Rose, but Isabella knew the ship needed a proper captain. Kristen jumped at the opportunity.
"Ye mean, the Rose would be my ship?" Kristen asked.
"Aye, she'll be yers if ye accept the captaincy." Isabella replied. "What say you?"
"AYE!" Kristen exclaimed. Isabella laughed and hugged her first mate, who was now captain, and watched as she swung over to the new ship. Ellen, her second mate, returned to the Phantom and stood next to her captain.
"Ellen, tell the crew that once we reach our next port that 1/3 of my crew along with 1/3 of Jack's crew will become the crew of the Spanish Rose." Isabella told her second mate. Ellen nodded and headed for the lower deck. Isabella remained at the helm, but then remembered that she still had to talk to Jack.
After about ten minutes, Ellen reappeared on deck. Isabella called her up and told her to keep the Phantom steady on course while she went and talked to Jack. Ellen nodded and took the helm while Isabella swung over to the Pearl.
"Jack! I need t' 'ave a word with ye!" Isabella called up to the pirate who stood at the helm above her.
"Alright! Anamaria! I need ye t' take the helm fer me." Jack replied. Ana hurried up to Jack's side and took the helm from her captain. Jack descended the stairs to stand before Isabella and followed her to his cabin.
"Now, what were ye gonna tell me earlier, love?" Jack inquired once the doors were shut.
"Well, erm…ye may wanna sit down before I say anything." Isabella replied. Jack shrugged and sat down on the edge of his bed. Isabella made herself comfortable beside him and looked deep into his chocolate brown eyes.
"Jack…I'm pregnant."
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Author's Note: How many of you saw that coming? Hopefully not many of you are raising yer hands! How's Jack gonna take the news? Please R&R! Thanks!! -Depp's Girl