You forget One Very Important Thing Mate – (18)
Ashley walked onto the top deck to see Captain Black and all of his crew tied to the mast of the ship. She scowled at each of them; especially Black himself, before turning to see the crew of the Pearl, and its strange Captain all scattered about on the ship. Looting! She rolled her eyes.
Gibbs looked at her, and then walked over to Jack – eliminating all chance she had of just slipping away in one of the long boats without being noticed by her estranged Father.
"I found Ashley, Captain. Locked in the brig,"
Jack frowned. "What? Why isn't she in Port Royal? How on earth could she have possi-"
"She escaped, sir,"
"How?" The elder Sparrow narrowed his eyes.
"Sea Turtles," Gibbs replied incredulously.
"Aye, a pair of them strapped to my feet," Ashley smiled, finally strolling up to the two of them like she owned the world.
"Not so easy is it?"
"Actually, it was rather easy for someone of my vast intelligence," She replied, trying to get to him.
It worked.
"Well, you'll just have to take two sea turtles back to Port Royal won't you?" Jack replied, turning his back to her and starting to walk away.
"I'm not going back, Jack," Ashley made him stop in mid-step.
"Fine. We'll just have to take you back,"
Jack himself didn't even know why he was responding like this.
"Ugh, Captain…what about your compass?" Gibbs pointed to his Captain's belt.
"Eh?"
"Well, we were following its direction. Maybe ye should check it again,"
Ashley crossed her arms and made loud impatient noises as Jack fiddled with his compass. Suddenly his expression changed.
"It's pointing the other way…we came all this bloody way for nothing and now it's changed its damned direction…AGAIN!" He exclaimed.
"Ah…Captain…I can't help but think you found what ye were looking for," Gibbs said quietly into Jack's ear. He gestured over to Ashley, who had grown tired of the charade and was now leaning over the ship, talking to someone.
Jack snorted and walked over to his daughter. Peering over the ship at three women in a long boat.
"Well, we better be off Ashley, darling, we don't want to bother your Captain," One called out to her with a wave, as she and another began rowing away.
Ashley watched; and felt surprisingly upset at losing them, despite the fact that she'd only really talked to them for five minutes or so. She waved back, calling out: "He's not my Captain! He's just my Father!"
She heard the women chuckle, before they disappeared into the mist.
"Tortuga," Ashley nodded and mumbled to herself; hoping that she might find them there.
"Oi! Who says yer goin' back to Tortuga?" Jack followed her as she flounced her way across the ship.
"Me,"
"We're not takin ye back,"
"So you're takin' me to Port Royal?"
"Well..no..You see we wouldn't be 'ere if it weren't for my compass, it was pointing this way, we followed its direction, ever since Gibbs found ye, its been pointing in another direction," Jack explained.
"And you mean?"
"I mean, maybe ye'll have to stay with me…us…. aboard the Pearl, otherwise we'll never get anywhere," Jack said.
"So I have no choice?"
"You have no choice, if ye try and escape, we'll lock ye in the brig until ye understand, Ashley Sparrow!" Jack replied, although, he didn't mean a word.
Both he and Ashley were stubborn, neither of them were about to apologize for anything. It was easier to pretend they had no choice but to remain together on the Pearl. It would avoid any awkward confrontations…for the time being….and on the plus side, both were wishing that they could just get along. For Ashley, because she'd never known anything of her real family, this was a huge thing; despite the fact that she was still a little mad at Jack for the whole Port Royal incident. She intended to make him feel comfortable, and then she would swoop in with all sorts of questions and accusations. Ashley was very much like Jack in that sense, you never quite new whose side they were on until the end.
Jack, he had his own reasons for wishing Ashley to stay aboard the Pearl. He found that he liked having family, someone who he understood and who understood him.
'She's my daughter, I need no other reason to want her on my ship!' Jack thought.
"CREW! WE GOT WHAT WE WANTED…BACK TO THE PEARL!" Jack yelled.
The crew of the Pearl lugged the last of Captain Black's valuables and such onto their ship. Obviously planning to celebrate their little victory.
"Well Captain Black, I would like to thank you for absolutely nothing," Ashley said, looking directly at the ships Captain, who was tied to the mast of his ship with his crew. Now forcing him to be an equal of them all; as he had never been before.
"You…your just a useless wench...how did you escape?" Black asked.
"You forget one very important thing mate, she's Ashley Sparrow," Jack grinned, before grabbing Ashley and swinging back over to the Pearl.