ta1nt3d1uv- No way. Will/Elizabeth 4EVAH! ;)
ButWhyIsAllTheRUMGone- Thanks! I just got the computer fixed, so I'll be able to update more often.
Eternal Silver Flame- Well, actually, she did make her mind up. She picked Will. It's not like she wanted Norrington to propose or for Jack to get all weird. But the whole thing was pretty complex, so I get where you're coming from.
Caribbean Babe- Don't worry, I knew what you meant. I was just saying that even if someone flames, there must be some truth behind it, lest they wouldn't have bothered to have reviewed in the first place. I dunno, I try to value everyone's opinions, even if I don't agree with them.
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Grace left the bottle in the sand and went inland, searching for something to eat or refill her canteen with. 'Barbossa is the stupidest pirate ever'. She thought, as she came into a clearing with a lovely oasis surrounded by all manner of fruit trees. Retrieving the soap and brush from her bag, she was able to wash herself and her clothing, which dried quickly in the warm, Caribbean sun. "This," she said to herself, taking a large bite of mango, "is most likely the closest thing to heaven on earth."
She returned to their makeshift camp in time to hear Elizabeth begin to teach Jack 'A Pirate's Life For Me "Oh, boy. It's coming."
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By nightfall, the three were in frenzied dance around the blazing campfire.
"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs! Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me!" Sure, Grace hadn't had a drop of rum the whole time, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, right? Besides, if you laugh too hard, you usually feel like you're drunk anyway. (AN1)
"I love this song! Really bad eggs! Ooh." He collapsed in a heap with Elizabeth next to him. "When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!"
Elizabeth laughed. "And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main."
"Not just the Spanish Main, luv. The entire ocean."
Grace sat down beside Elizabeth. "The entire world."
"Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails… That's what a ship needs but what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom." Even though she had seen it before, it still stumped her as to how Jack could say something so profound and yet be drunk off his rocker.
"Jack? It must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island."
Jack looked out over the sea. "Oh, yes. But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think. The scenery has definitely improved."
"Mmm."
Grace's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She immediately grabbed a nearby bottle and raised it in the air. "A toast! To, uh, FREEDOM!"
"To the Black Pearl!" Jack downed the rest of his rum and fainted. Elizabeth was about to do the same but Grace put her hand over the bottle and shook her head. She stood up and pulled Elizabeth to the sea's edge and let the cool water wash over her feet. Then she dampened her sleeve and pressed it against Elizabeth's forehead. "Here." She held out her canteen. "Drink some." Waiting a moment, she asked, "Are you ok?"
She regained her composure slightly and nodded. "Um, what just happened?"
"You don't want to know."
They sat there for a long while and when Elizabeth had cleared her head, she spoke, "Thank you."
"Well, I couldn't just sit back and watch-"
"That too, but back a Port Royal when you told me to trust my instincts? That really helped save my life. The best advice I've ever gotten."
"Oh. You're welcome. I thought it might help."
"You aren't a regular pirate, are you?"
"I'm not a pirate. Period."
Elizabeth chuckled slightly. "I must really be drunk. I thought you just said that you weren't a pirate." She stopped laughing when she saw the despairing look in her eyes as she gazed out to the water. "Oh my God. You aren't kidding."
Grace looked back at Elizabeth and began weaving her tale, even including the bits she had failed to mention to Jack and Will. Perhaps it was because she looked up to her like a big sister, or maybe it was just a woman thing. When she had finally finished, it was very early in the morning and the sun was going to peek up over the horizon within the hour. Deciding to end on a happy note, she added, "Want to go burn some rum?"
"Yeah, ok." said Elizabeth, understanding her intentions.
Jack awoke to the tell-tale sounds and smells of burning rum. "Uh-oh." He frantically jumped up. "No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing! You burned all the food! The shade! THE RUM!"
"Yes, the rum is gone."
"Why is the rum gone?"
"Duh. Because we burned it. That's why."
"I'll tell you why the rum it gone! One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels!" shouted Elizabeth.
Grace smiled and continued the rant. "Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for Elizabeth, do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?"
"But why is the rum gone?"
Elizabeth huffed over to him, swung her arm back and smacked him across the face. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow! You give it one hour,"
"Maybe two."
"Alright, maybe two, but keep a weather eye out and then you will see white sails on that horizon! Hmph!"
"Good one, Elizabeth. I'll tell you, that wasn't in the movie."
Jack stalked off and imitated Elizabeth in an exaggerated, high pitched voice. "Must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack. Must've been terrible for you!" Jack looked back at them, now making a game out of it and exploring all the possible ways to blow up rum. "WELL IT BLOODY IS NOW! Bloody women and their bloody Norringtons." He looked up again and spotted the Dauntless. "There'll be no living with her after this." he said, his hand absentmindedly going to the red handprint on his cheek.
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AN1: No, seriously. You do. Either that, or I got drunk from too many marshmallows... I highly doubt that. :)
