Chapter 9 – Hanging with Noose
There are some things in life you know you are going to regret doing before you do them. As I opened the door to the smithy, I looked over my shoulder at Norrington. Yep. This was definitely one of those things. "Jack?"
"There you are!" The smile died on Sparrow's face when he saw Norrington behind me and then it came back, even brighter. "Well, good morning to you, too, Commodore Norrington. Did my bonny bounty hunter turn me in to you then?"
Norrington's eyebrow rose slightly as he looked down at me and then he turned his attention back to Sparrow. "Despite her protests to the contrary, I deduced you were not far from where I came upon Miss Plum and Mrs. Turner this morning."
"He's going to help me look for Junior," I told Sparrow. "He promised he's not going to hang you today."
"Oh, well, if he's not going to hang me today...." Sparrow smiled lazily and gestured for me to come to him. "Would ye excuse us just for a moment, Commodore?"
"Certainly, Sparrow."
"Captain Sparrow, if you please," Sparrow corrected him, taking my arm and guiding me into a corner. Still smiling, Sparrow tilted his head, looking very much like his namesake. "The dress looks lovely on you, pet."
He was being way too happy. It was starting to scare me. "Thanks."
"I did warn ye not to do anything stupid, didn't I," he asked, softly.
"I just –"
Sparrow interrupted me with a finger to my lips. "Let's take it step by step, shall we, and see if we can't find out where ye went wrong. Ye went off by yer onesies. I know I told ye not to do that, so that was a mistake, yes? Ye involved Mrs. Turner. We spoke about that, too. You got caught by Norrington. I didn't warn ye about that, so maybe that one's my fault. I think my very favorite part so far is that ye brought him here and he promised not to hang me today."
"I –"
"Shhh." He used two fingers now. "He's agreed to help ye find your man, so that part isn't so very bad. In truth, I find myself quite impressed by that particular turn of events."
Sparrow took his fingers away and eyed me expectantly. There wasn't really much I could add to that, so I rolled my eyes and walked back to Norrington. "I told you he wasn't going to be happy about it, Noose."
"Just so," Norrington agreed.
"Noose," Sparrow echoed, his eyes growing wide. "Ye have a pet name for him?!"
"It's easier than calling him Norrington," I shrugged. "That's a real mouthful. Besides, back home in the Burg, just about everyone had a nickname. I grew up with guys nicknamed Moochy and –"
"Noose," Sparrow repeated. "Ye call me Sparrow, but him ye call Noose! Woman, you are the most vexing –"
"Hey, guys! What do you think? Do I look like a younger, sexier George Washington or what?" Diesel let himself into the smithy and stopped short, his gaze flitting from Norrington to Sparrow to me and then back to Norrington. "Hoo boy. Did I interrupt something juicy or what?"
Norrington's mouth dropped open at the sight of Diesel wearing period clothing that fit a hell of a lot better than what he'd borrowed from Will Turner. His black suit was topped off with a pair of Ray-Bans. "You! You're real!"
"And I do everything that real boys do, too," Diesel told him. He turned back to Sparrow. "You're gonna have to fill me in. I bet I missed some real fireworks."
"She calls him Noose," Sparrow told Diesel. "I think that sums it up sufficiently."
"Yo, Noose, how're they hanging?!" Diesel gave Norrington a friendly punch in the arm. "Dude, I'm kidding. Really. Lighten up. Sweet cheeks, how much did you tell ol' Noose here?"
"We got as far as Junior is a very, very dangerous man."
"Cool." Diesel flashed a smile at Norrington. "Hi. I'm Diesel. I work with Stephanie."
Norrington looked him up and down while he decided on a course of action. It was the first time I'd ever seen him flummoxed. Apparently, it was the first time Sparrow saw it, too.
"If ye decide to hang him, I wouldn't complain, Commodore."
A smile slowly worked its way across Norrington's face. "I'm close to hanging the lot of you and taking the rest of the day off."
"Damn, I love this guy," Diesel exclaimed, clapping Norrington on the back. "This man is law enforcement at its finest."
I rolled my eyes and wished I could hang the lot of them and take the rest of the day off if this was what I was going to have to put up with.
"You keep rolling your eyes like that and you're going to shake something loose in there," Diesel told me. "Anyhow, it looks like you've got everything under control here, Steph. I'm going back to headquarters to see if we can get a better bead on Junior. You doing legwork with Sparrow and Noose?"
I nodded, not really trusting myself to say anything at all.
"Great. I'll hang with you guys later. Get it? Hang?" Snorting, Diesel let himself out of the smithy.
"If I don't shoot him the next time I see him," Sparrow told me, "it means I'm actually starting to like him."
"If that happens," Norrington put in, dryly, "I'll shoot both of you."
It was a shame there were no doughnuts in 1689. I could have eaten about two dozen chocolate ones right there.
A/N – Sorry about that pesky chapter numbering problem. I learned how to count over Memorial Day weekend. Special thanks to those wonderful people who've sent their feedback, including So I Am, whose consistent, persistent and sometimes cryptic comments often provide that much-needed kick in the butt to get me writing again. Luv ya all.
There are some things in life you know you are going to regret doing before you do them. As I opened the door to the smithy, I looked over my shoulder at Norrington. Yep. This was definitely one of those things. "Jack?"
"There you are!" The smile died on Sparrow's face when he saw Norrington behind me and then it came back, even brighter. "Well, good morning to you, too, Commodore Norrington. Did my bonny bounty hunter turn me in to you then?"
Norrington's eyebrow rose slightly as he looked down at me and then he turned his attention back to Sparrow. "Despite her protests to the contrary, I deduced you were not far from where I came upon Miss Plum and Mrs. Turner this morning."
"He's going to help me look for Junior," I told Sparrow. "He promised he's not going to hang you today."
"Oh, well, if he's not going to hang me today...." Sparrow smiled lazily and gestured for me to come to him. "Would ye excuse us just for a moment, Commodore?"
"Certainly, Sparrow."
"Captain Sparrow, if you please," Sparrow corrected him, taking my arm and guiding me into a corner. Still smiling, Sparrow tilted his head, looking very much like his namesake. "The dress looks lovely on you, pet."
He was being way too happy. It was starting to scare me. "Thanks."
"I did warn ye not to do anything stupid, didn't I," he asked, softly.
"I just –"
Sparrow interrupted me with a finger to my lips. "Let's take it step by step, shall we, and see if we can't find out where ye went wrong. Ye went off by yer onesies. I know I told ye not to do that, so that was a mistake, yes? Ye involved Mrs. Turner. We spoke about that, too. You got caught by Norrington. I didn't warn ye about that, so maybe that one's my fault. I think my very favorite part so far is that ye brought him here and he promised not to hang me today."
"I –"
"Shhh." He used two fingers now. "He's agreed to help ye find your man, so that part isn't so very bad. In truth, I find myself quite impressed by that particular turn of events."
Sparrow took his fingers away and eyed me expectantly. There wasn't really much I could add to that, so I rolled my eyes and walked back to Norrington. "I told you he wasn't going to be happy about it, Noose."
"Just so," Norrington agreed.
"Noose," Sparrow echoed, his eyes growing wide. "Ye have a pet name for him?!"
"It's easier than calling him Norrington," I shrugged. "That's a real mouthful. Besides, back home in the Burg, just about everyone had a nickname. I grew up with guys nicknamed Moochy and –"
"Noose," Sparrow repeated. "Ye call me Sparrow, but him ye call Noose! Woman, you are the most vexing –"
"Hey, guys! What do you think? Do I look like a younger, sexier George Washington or what?" Diesel let himself into the smithy and stopped short, his gaze flitting from Norrington to Sparrow to me and then back to Norrington. "Hoo boy. Did I interrupt something juicy or what?"
Norrington's mouth dropped open at the sight of Diesel wearing period clothing that fit a hell of a lot better than what he'd borrowed from Will Turner. His black suit was topped off with a pair of Ray-Bans. "You! You're real!"
"And I do everything that real boys do, too," Diesel told him. He turned back to Sparrow. "You're gonna have to fill me in. I bet I missed some real fireworks."
"She calls him Noose," Sparrow told Diesel. "I think that sums it up sufficiently."
"Yo, Noose, how're they hanging?!" Diesel gave Norrington a friendly punch in the arm. "Dude, I'm kidding. Really. Lighten up. Sweet cheeks, how much did you tell ol' Noose here?"
"We got as far as Junior is a very, very dangerous man."
"Cool." Diesel flashed a smile at Norrington. "Hi. I'm Diesel. I work with Stephanie."
Norrington looked him up and down while he decided on a course of action. It was the first time I'd ever seen him flummoxed. Apparently, it was the first time Sparrow saw it, too.
"If ye decide to hang him, I wouldn't complain, Commodore."
A smile slowly worked its way across Norrington's face. "I'm close to hanging the lot of you and taking the rest of the day off."
"Damn, I love this guy," Diesel exclaimed, clapping Norrington on the back. "This man is law enforcement at its finest."
I rolled my eyes and wished I could hang the lot of them and take the rest of the day off if this was what I was going to have to put up with.
"You keep rolling your eyes like that and you're going to shake something loose in there," Diesel told me. "Anyhow, it looks like you've got everything under control here, Steph. I'm going back to headquarters to see if we can get a better bead on Junior. You doing legwork with Sparrow and Noose?"
I nodded, not really trusting myself to say anything at all.
"Great. I'll hang with you guys later. Get it? Hang?" Snorting, Diesel let himself out of the smithy.
"If I don't shoot him the next time I see him," Sparrow told me, "it means I'm actually starting to like him."
"If that happens," Norrington put in, dryly, "I'll shoot both of you."
It was a shame there were no doughnuts in 1689. I could have eaten about two dozen chocolate ones right there.
A/N – Sorry about that pesky chapter numbering problem. I learned how to count over Memorial Day weekend. Special thanks to those wonderful people who've sent their feedback, including So I Am, whose consistent, persistent and sometimes cryptic comments often provide that much-needed kick in the butt to get me writing again. Luv ya all.