The Oldest Story in the Book
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: Not mine. But I expect them to fly me out to the Caribbean to work on the sequel any day. Don't worry, I'm not holding my breath.
Author's Note: Tiny update. I know. Sorry. Just be glad I got it up.
As the crewmen moved to disarm the crew Pearl sat on the box before the wheel, continuing her little speech.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Pearl Sparrow. You may call me Captain Sparrow if you like, as I find myself in charge of this lovely new ship. I am the daughter of the infamous Jack Sparrow, who is now to be referred to as Commodore as his good daughter has brought him another ship. That is the same Jack Sparrow our hawk-eyed lookout has even just now spotted approaching." She paused then, to pull up the back of her shirt and tug at the ties of the corset as her men finished disarming those around her.
"Well, she has her father's sense of drama," Norrington muttered as his captor took his cutlass.
"You've met her before?" the captain asked, eyeing the crewman as he was disarmed.
"Yes, I've had that unfortunate pleasure a few times. Her father as well."
"How did you not recognize her?" the captain demanded as she pulled the offending corset off and chucked it into the ocean with a great deal of energy.
"I wasn't looking for her among your crew. They came highly recommended, after all."
Meanwhile Pearl reclaimed her spot while railing way, "Stupid bloody corset make me look like a stupid bloody man. Bloody father can do his own bloody dirty work next time. All right all! Good job. No struggling, no killing, and the good Commodore over here doesn't have to launch himself at me spouting murder charges. Everyone's job is easier, really. Now if you would all lay down and wait patiently for my darling father to get off his lazy arse and join us, I'm going to sit here and bask in the glory of my new ship. Maybe I should name it Glory."
"You, Miss, will return my ship to me," the captain informed her as the crewman kept a pistol aimed at his head, following the man down onto the deck.
"That's really my father's call," she answered with a shrug. "But probably, yes. This ship is really too big to be much of a pirate ship. Doesn't maneuver very well. Too slow. No, we'll probably just unload it and come up with some clever way to get you out after we've left, leave you with the ship. So you can calm down."
She sat amiably beside the wheel humming to herself for the next half hour it took her father to catch up with the ship.
"Ho, you nasty wench," Norrington heard Jack's voice at last. Laying flat on the deck as he was he couldn't see the pirate, although the dark rigging looming over them left no doubt of the pirate's presence.
"Ho, you scurvy pirate," she answered.
"Permission to board, Captain?" he called.
"Permission granted, Commodore," she answered.
And with a thunk Jack Sparrow was suddenly standing over the Commodore, a few other crew members behind him. Grinning he swaggered over to his daughter, putting his arm around the girl. "Any trouble, luv?"
"None at all, despite the latest edition to the law enforcement," she remarked, waving toward Norrington.
Jack turned sharply, looking at the man in apparent surprise. "Why Edward, whatever are you doing here?"
"It's Commodore," he ground out as Jack kneeled down next to him.
"Oh, aye. How silly of me. Whatever are you doing here, Commodore?"
"I'd been getting complaints of pirates up here. Mostly of a large black pirate ship."
"And you thought you would stop me all by your onsies? I'm touched, Commodore," he told him, placing a palm over the spot his heart would have been located had he been anyone else.
"Yes, touched in the head," Norrington ground out.
"Aye, well, that too," Jack agreed. "You have to admit, it's just plain bad luck, you getting onto the same ship as my darling daughter."
Another thunk next to him announced the arrival of another member of the Black Pearl's crew. A glare fixed on his face Norrington looked up, directly into eyes that were the mirror image of his. There stood Emerald Sparrow.
Her hair had gotten long, he noted happily, pulled back into a tight tale at the base of her neck with bits of gold yarn tied around it at intervals, making a nobby imitation of a braid down her back. She wore a dress, he was relieved to note, even if they were divided riding skirts. Her landing had revealed a flash of black breeches and boots beneath, so there was something of her mother's style to the outfit. Her face was well-tanned, the freckles of her youth either faded with age or hidden by the hearty tan. She had gotten taller, drawing even with her rather short grandfather with the look of passing him up very soon.
Surprise flashed over her features for only a moment before she turned her attention to her mother, a somewhat clueless smile crossing her features. "No!" Pearl cried. "Absolutely not! We haven't secured the ship. Jack, I told you to keep my daughter on the Black Pearl until everyone's locked up."
"Mother, I'm not a child," Emmie chirped out, skipping and twirling her way across the deck and humming under her breath like a five-year-old with a new prize. "I'll be fine. No one will hurt me."
"For their sakes, I hope not," Pearl answered.
"Besides, Grandfather promised me shinies," she added with a grin for Jack.
"So I did," Jack proclaimed as Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Just see to it she doesn't get all of the Captain's private stash. You've promised me some of that."
"Private stash?" Norrington whispered to the Captain.
"A few jewels," the man said defensively. "My daughter's dowery. Although how they found out about it I'll never know."
"Now, then, to those of you who find yourselves unwitting members of my crew," Jack said with a wide wave of his arms. "Long as you all behave yourself you've nothing to fear!"
As Jack gave a long-winded speech Emmie skipped merrily around the deck, twirling and humming to herself, the very picture of a fourteen-year-old without a worry in the world. For a moment Norrington found himself worrying that his daughter had inherited more of her grandfather's insanity than brilliance. At least until he caught the flicker of her eyes as the girl skipped past him. Weapons, he realized after a heartbeat. She was searching the gathered crew for hidden weapons. Pride bloomed in his chest as he watched his daughter skip through the rest of the crew and return to her mother's side.
"So best get down to business," Jack said at last. "All right, all. My lovely crew will escort you all down to the brig. I hope you've been taking proper care of the place. Everyone cooperates and we won't have any trouble. When I find the time I'll send for someone to begin negotiations. In the mean time, enjoy your break. Think of it as a vacation."
"Their brig or ours?" Pearl asked.
Jack turned to look at her thoughtfully, turning his back on the gathered prisoners, when suddenly one of the men jumped to his feet, pulled a dagger from beneath his jacket, and lunged toward Pearl's back. As if in slow motion he saw Jack's eyes widen as he reached out to place a strong hand on his daughter's shoulder. With horror Norrington realized there was no way Jack could move his daughter in time. Then a sudden blur interrupted the knife's intended path, knocking it skittering across the deck. Norrington blinked again and his daughter was standing there with a knife poised at the man's throat, a dangerous glint in her eye, proving once and for all that the carefree, skipping girl was a front for a hard, amazingly fast, and incredibly capable pirate.
"Give me one good reason not to cut your throat," Emmie ground out.
"It's against protocol," Norrington called out. He might buy his daughter being a pirate, but he wasn't ready to see her as a cold-blooded killer.
All three heads turned to him, only the potential victim holding stock still. "Says who?" Jack demanded.
"The Navel Code, line 15, subsection-"
"The Navy hasn't got any standing here," Jack said, crossing the deck to kneel before the still-prone Commodore.
"By the pirate's code, until the pirates outnumber the people being overrun their ship retains the former codes and rules," Norrington answered.
"Ah, but the Pirate code has no hold over this ship unless I say it does," Jack replied.
"It's the same code as says mutiny is unacceptable," Norrington answered. He saw Jack wince, and hated himself for being so manipulative about this, but knew he had no choice. This crewman, just like all the others, was his responsibility.
"Tie the gutless chicken. He gets his own cell," Jack called.
"You're kidding," Pearl said.
"Not now," Jack said.
"But he tried to kill me!" Pearl cried.
"And I want them locked up, now," Jack said. "Someone go to the captain's quarters and find me the key. They're going to sit in their own brig."
Jack ignored Pearl's further protests, ordering those of his crew, and the traitor crew, to escort them downstairs.
As Norrington stood and dusted himself off he found himself staring straight at Pearl. "He's my responsibility," he told her as the crewman watching him obviously got the idea and moved away.
"Aye," Pearl responded, drawing close and whispering, "but what if he had been aiming for Emmie, hmm? I'll let you think on that." With that she grabbed his arm and shoved him toward one of the crew. "Take him," she ordered before stomping off.
Author's Note: Oh, can you feel the tension? And Norrington got one over on Jack. How did that happen? Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm living on caffeine and reviews right now. Thanks for the sustenance. Love to all. Speaking of which, I promise more lovy dovies soon.
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: Not mine. But I expect them to fly me out to the Caribbean to work on the sequel any day. Don't worry, I'm not holding my breath.
Author's Note: Tiny update. I know. Sorry. Just be glad I got it up.
As the crewmen moved to disarm the crew Pearl sat on the box before the wheel, continuing her little speech.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Pearl Sparrow. You may call me Captain Sparrow if you like, as I find myself in charge of this lovely new ship. I am the daughter of the infamous Jack Sparrow, who is now to be referred to as Commodore as his good daughter has brought him another ship. That is the same Jack Sparrow our hawk-eyed lookout has even just now spotted approaching." She paused then, to pull up the back of her shirt and tug at the ties of the corset as her men finished disarming those around her.
"Well, she has her father's sense of drama," Norrington muttered as his captor took his cutlass.
"You've met her before?" the captain asked, eyeing the crewman as he was disarmed.
"Yes, I've had that unfortunate pleasure a few times. Her father as well."
"How did you not recognize her?" the captain demanded as she pulled the offending corset off and chucked it into the ocean with a great deal of energy.
"I wasn't looking for her among your crew. They came highly recommended, after all."
Meanwhile Pearl reclaimed her spot while railing way, "Stupid bloody corset make me look like a stupid bloody man. Bloody father can do his own bloody dirty work next time. All right all! Good job. No struggling, no killing, and the good Commodore over here doesn't have to launch himself at me spouting murder charges. Everyone's job is easier, really. Now if you would all lay down and wait patiently for my darling father to get off his lazy arse and join us, I'm going to sit here and bask in the glory of my new ship. Maybe I should name it Glory."
"You, Miss, will return my ship to me," the captain informed her as the crewman kept a pistol aimed at his head, following the man down onto the deck.
"That's really my father's call," she answered with a shrug. "But probably, yes. This ship is really too big to be much of a pirate ship. Doesn't maneuver very well. Too slow. No, we'll probably just unload it and come up with some clever way to get you out after we've left, leave you with the ship. So you can calm down."
She sat amiably beside the wheel humming to herself for the next half hour it took her father to catch up with the ship.
"Ho, you nasty wench," Norrington heard Jack's voice at last. Laying flat on the deck as he was he couldn't see the pirate, although the dark rigging looming over them left no doubt of the pirate's presence.
"Ho, you scurvy pirate," she answered.
"Permission to board, Captain?" he called.
"Permission granted, Commodore," she answered.
And with a thunk Jack Sparrow was suddenly standing over the Commodore, a few other crew members behind him. Grinning he swaggered over to his daughter, putting his arm around the girl. "Any trouble, luv?"
"None at all, despite the latest edition to the law enforcement," she remarked, waving toward Norrington.
Jack turned sharply, looking at the man in apparent surprise. "Why Edward, whatever are you doing here?"
"It's Commodore," he ground out as Jack kneeled down next to him.
"Oh, aye. How silly of me. Whatever are you doing here, Commodore?"
"I'd been getting complaints of pirates up here. Mostly of a large black pirate ship."
"And you thought you would stop me all by your onsies? I'm touched, Commodore," he told him, placing a palm over the spot his heart would have been located had he been anyone else.
"Yes, touched in the head," Norrington ground out.
"Aye, well, that too," Jack agreed. "You have to admit, it's just plain bad luck, you getting onto the same ship as my darling daughter."
Another thunk next to him announced the arrival of another member of the Black Pearl's crew. A glare fixed on his face Norrington looked up, directly into eyes that were the mirror image of his. There stood Emerald Sparrow.
Her hair had gotten long, he noted happily, pulled back into a tight tale at the base of her neck with bits of gold yarn tied around it at intervals, making a nobby imitation of a braid down her back. She wore a dress, he was relieved to note, even if they were divided riding skirts. Her landing had revealed a flash of black breeches and boots beneath, so there was something of her mother's style to the outfit. Her face was well-tanned, the freckles of her youth either faded with age or hidden by the hearty tan. She had gotten taller, drawing even with her rather short grandfather with the look of passing him up very soon.
Surprise flashed over her features for only a moment before she turned her attention to her mother, a somewhat clueless smile crossing her features. "No!" Pearl cried. "Absolutely not! We haven't secured the ship. Jack, I told you to keep my daughter on the Black Pearl until everyone's locked up."
"Mother, I'm not a child," Emmie chirped out, skipping and twirling her way across the deck and humming under her breath like a five-year-old with a new prize. "I'll be fine. No one will hurt me."
"For their sakes, I hope not," Pearl answered.
"Besides, Grandfather promised me shinies," she added with a grin for Jack.
"So I did," Jack proclaimed as Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Just see to it she doesn't get all of the Captain's private stash. You've promised me some of that."
"Private stash?" Norrington whispered to the Captain.
"A few jewels," the man said defensively. "My daughter's dowery. Although how they found out about it I'll never know."
"Now, then, to those of you who find yourselves unwitting members of my crew," Jack said with a wide wave of his arms. "Long as you all behave yourself you've nothing to fear!"
As Jack gave a long-winded speech Emmie skipped merrily around the deck, twirling and humming to herself, the very picture of a fourteen-year-old without a worry in the world. For a moment Norrington found himself worrying that his daughter had inherited more of her grandfather's insanity than brilliance. At least until he caught the flicker of her eyes as the girl skipped past him. Weapons, he realized after a heartbeat. She was searching the gathered crew for hidden weapons. Pride bloomed in his chest as he watched his daughter skip through the rest of the crew and return to her mother's side.
"So best get down to business," Jack said at last. "All right, all. My lovely crew will escort you all down to the brig. I hope you've been taking proper care of the place. Everyone cooperates and we won't have any trouble. When I find the time I'll send for someone to begin negotiations. In the mean time, enjoy your break. Think of it as a vacation."
"Their brig or ours?" Pearl asked.
Jack turned to look at her thoughtfully, turning his back on the gathered prisoners, when suddenly one of the men jumped to his feet, pulled a dagger from beneath his jacket, and lunged toward Pearl's back. As if in slow motion he saw Jack's eyes widen as he reached out to place a strong hand on his daughter's shoulder. With horror Norrington realized there was no way Jack could move his daughter in time. Then a sudden blur interrupted the knife's intended path, knocking it skittering across the deck. Norrington blinked again and his daughter was standing there with a knife poised at the man's throat, a dangerous glint in her eye, proving once and for all that the carefree, skipping girl was a front for a hard, amazingly fast, and incredibly capable pirate.
"Give me one good reason not to cut your throat," Emmie ground out.
"It's against protocol," Norrington called out. He might buy his daughter being a pirate, but he wasn't ready to see her as a cold-blooded killer.
All three heads turned to him, only the potential victim holding stock still. "Says who?" Jack demanded.
"The Navel Code, line 15, subsection-"
"The Navy hasn't got any standing here," Jack said, crossing the deck to kneel before the still-prone Commodore.
"By the pirate's code, until the pirates outnumber the people being overrun their ship retains the former codes and rules," Norrington answered.
"Ah, but the Pirate code has no hold over this ship unless I say it does," Jack replied.
"It's the same code as says mutiny is unacceptable," Norrington answered. He saw Jack wince, and hated himself for being so manipulative about this, but knew he had no choice. This crewman, just like all the others, was his responsibility.
"Tie the gutless chicken. He gets his own cell," Jack called.
"You're kidding," Pearl said.
"Not now," Jack said.
"But he tried to kill me!" Pearl cried.
"And I want them locked up, now," Jack said. "Someone go to the captain's quarters and find me the key. They're going to sit in their own brig."
Jack ignored Pearl's further protests, ordering those of his crew, and the traitor crew, to escort them downstairs.
As Norrington stood and dusted himself off he found himself staring straight at Pearl. "He's my responsibility," he told her as the crewman watching him obviously got the idea and moved away.
"Aye," Pearl responded, drawing close and whispering, "but what if he had been aiming for Emmie, hmm? I'll let you think on that." With that she grabbed his arm and shoved him toward one of the crew. "Take him," she ordered before stomping off.
Author's Note: Oh, can you feel the tension? And Norrington got one over on Jack. How did that happen? Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm living on caffeine and reviews right now. Thanks for the sustenance. Love to all. Speaking of which, I promise more lovy dovies soon.