Into the Vortex

Chapter 19

Caribbean Sparrow

July 7, 2006 2:35 a.m.

A/N (7/22/06): Warning: DMC spoilers. Hopefully, by the time this chapter gets posted, everyone has watched the movie. If you haven't, go now. It's bloody awesome. And I'll keelhaul any mother's son what says otherwise.

A/N (8/5/06): I'm thinking of writing a fanfiction based on "Curse of the Black Pearl" where I, well, correct all the mistakes Disney made. What do y'all think of that idea? I mean, they made so many mistakes. Like, the whole mutiny thing. It so wasn't even mutiny. There was no reason to mutiny. They could've just voted Jack out of the captaincy. It happened all the time among buccaneer crews. They still would've marooned him, but it wouldn't be against the Code. And the whole governor of Port Royal business—there was no governor of Port Royal, he would've been the governor of Jamaica. Character motivations would shift, details would change, but the basic plot would remain the same. So. How 'bout it?

Rachel: I'm updating. Review this chapter, too. And they still need to steal you a horse, don't they? Hmm. I'll have to write you a chapter. What do you want it to be called? And what do you want to happen? Plus you may need to describe your horse again.


Lyn stepped out of the theater, her forehead furrowed in a puzzled frown. "That's not right. That can't be right. I had Uncle Jack's hat, no way the Kraken could have gotten it. And Anamaria's not dead, she was watching it with us!"

Jack soothed the crease in her brow with a finger. "Of course Mom's not dead, love. She wasn't in the movie because she was in Nassau, with the Carters."

"And just what was she doing in Nassau?" Lyn demanded. "Did Uncle Jack throw her off the ship because she slapped him one too many times?"

"Ah, no. Actually, she was pregnant. With me."

"But he was hitting on Elizabeth."

"Well, they weren't married yet."

"Oh." Lyn paused for a minute, digesting that information. "So what about the hat?"

Jack shrugged. "Can't expect Disney to get everything right, can we?"

"And what about Bootstrap?" Lyn continued. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for him?"

"Er," Jack replied. "Why, yes, I suppose we are. Since I've never met him, I'm going to guess that he disappeared when Will stabbed Davy Jones's heart."

"But Will didn't stab his heart. Your father stopped him."

"This time, aye. But there's always next time. You've forgotten that they've got another movie to make."

Lyn snorted. "Oh, right. Like I'd forget that. They have to have another movie after that ending. Or non-ending, I should say. And how come Barbossa came back?"

"Ask Dad. He lived through this, remember. I was busy trying to be born."

"Lived? Speaking of lived, Uncle Jack so can't be dead. No way, no how. And the Pearl's still here, too. I know because I live on it!"

"I think the Kraken spat them back out. No doubt it had indigestion from all that eyeliner Uncle Jack wears," said Katie.

Lyn glared at her evil twin. "There is nothing wrong with guys in eyeliner."

A sudden pain racked Lyn's body. She stumbled and almost fell, but latched onto Jack's shoulder with a hand that was more like a claw than any human appendage. "Speakin' o' tryin' to be born," she gasped, "I think the baby's coming." Jack glanced from his wife's pale face to the puddle of water at his feet. Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms and sprinted for the car.

By the time they got to the hospital, they had an escort of police cars. Not that the cops meant to escort them. Really, they were trying to stop them. For breaking just about every traffic law known to man. "Sorry, my wife's having a baby," Jack said as he forced his way into the hospital with a grimacing Lyn leaning most of her weight onto his shoulder. "Ye okay, love? Does it hurt? When's the baby going to be born?"

"Give me a gun so I can shoot you," Lyn said through gritted teeth. She was rushed through the emergency room to the birthing ward. Most of the hospital was dark and quiet. It was, after all, three in the morning.

"As soon as this baby is born, I'm going to kill its father," Lyn announced to a rather amused doctor. "This hurts, damnit! I am not going through this again. You hear me, Jack? You ever so much as look at me, I'll put a bullet where it hurts the most. You'll be singing soprano with Uncle Will."

Jack was even paler than Lyn. He clutched her hand like a lifeline. "I don't suppose ye've got any rum?" he asked the doctor.

"She shouldn't be drinking alcohol at a time like this."

"I wasn't goin' to give it to her," Jack said. "The rum's for me!"

"I am so going to kick you for that when we get out of here."

"I love you, too, darlin'."

Three hours later, they heard a loud squall as the doctor brought the new Sparrow into the world. He handed her to her mother, who forgot all about her threats to the baby's father after one look into her daughter's eyes.

"So, what should I put on the birth certificate?" the doctor asked.

"Caribbean Sparrow," Lyn replied.

The doctor seemed to take the strange name in stride, although he did give her an odd look. He raised an eyebrow at Jack, who nodded. "What surname?"

"Sparrow is the surname," Lyn said. "Now write it down fast, before I eviscerate you."

Jack winced in sympathy. Eviscerate was one of the more pleasant things Lyn had threatened to do to him during the course of her labor.

For the first time, the doctor really looked at them, taking in their strange manner of dress. "I suppose you two just came from watching the premiere of that new pirate movie with Johnny Depp. Wasn't the pirate named Jack Sparrow?"

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack and Lyn corrected him at the same time.

"I think we should leave now, love," Jack suggested.

"No, you can't leave yet," the doctor protested. "We have to run tests, make sure the baby's healthy."

"Before one of us kills the good doctor," Jack added.

"My baby is perfectly healthy!" Lyn declared indignantly. "If Katie can give birth on a bloody island and be fine, then I can go home now." Looking around for something to use to cover baby Caribbean, Lyn settled on the bedsheets. "Now, I be leavin'. Ye got a problem wi' that, ye'd best keep it to yerself, or ye might end up dead. Savvy?"

The good doctor stepped aside to let them pass. Lyn held Jack's neck in a stranglehold to keep from falling, but she did manage to move her own feet.

Unfortunately, they'd forgotten about the police. "Put your hands in the air."

Only baby Caribbean obeyed. Lyn and Jack both reached for their pistols.

"It's okay, Officer, I'll handle this," someone said in a commanding tone. Jack looked at him. It was that guy with the strange hair again, Jack Murphy. This time he was dressed in a pirate costume. Green bandana, black leather coat, blue wrap pants, black fold-top boots. It didn't look quite right on him. Murphy approached them, ignoring their pistols. When he was close enough not to be overheard, he hissed, "I thought I told you two to keep a low profile."

"Sorry," Lyn hissed right back. "Anonymity is a foreign concept to us."

"These two are in possession of some highly classified information," Murphy informed the astonished cops. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave. Round up the civilians and get them out of danger."

Much to Lyn and Jack's surprise, the police did just that.

"Now, would you care to explain why you had to draw the attention of every single cop in Melbourne on your way here?" Murphy demanded.

"Lyn was havin' a baby," Jack explained.

Murphy looked from Jack to Lyn to Caribbean and back to Jack. Something flashed through his eyes—a hint of longing—then was gone as though it had never been. "Get back to your ship, kids. And I know this is difficult for you, but please try not to do anything stupid."

Lyn blinked. "You were quoting Jack. From the first movie."

"Paraphrasing, actually," Murphy corrected. "But yes. I do that. Bad habit."

Lyn smiled at Jack as they got into the car. "So. When can we have our next baby?"

Little Caribbean, tiring of them ignoring her, screamed at the top of her tiny lungs. Jack winced. "If I'm smart, not for another twenty years, at least."

"Well, I never accused you of being smart."


I'm still looking for suggestions for Paradox Cove. It'll probably be the next chapter. And I'd like people's opinion of Murphy. I'm developing him as a character for purely personal reasons. If you'd like to see more of him, say something, and I'll arrange for more scenes to include him. If not, he'll show up every once in a while, whenever I feel like adding him. If you're curious about him, I can include more of his history. But you'll have to tell me. I may be a genius and absolutely perfect in every way, but I can't read minds. Just kidding about the perfect part. ;-)