HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN MERMAID
CAP'N JACK, FATHER OF THE YEAR?
Cold waves washed over the wreckage of the Fearless as its carcass swayed slowly in the cold sea. Only three quarters of the first desk was afloat, the rest was given to Davy Jones' locker.
The crew of the Unforgiven had searched and looted what was left of the Fearless finding no one aboard, but they hadn't told their captain that yet.
"Crouch, who be on that ship?" Baron yelled to his first mate as he and other members of the crew climbed aboard the Unforgiven. "Was she on that ship?"
"Uh...no cap'n" Crouch whispered.
Baron's face formed furiously, frightening any one within ten feet.
"No one?" he growled, "I saw that little wench, I bloody saw her"
Through frustration Baron pulled out his pistol, aimed at a nearby crewmember and shot him.
The only sound heard was the thud of the body on the deck.
"Cap'n" Crouch said desperately.
"Crouch, I've 'ad enough of it!" Baron growled louder than ever. "We need to find this bloody piece of filth and drain her blood!"
Baron turned sharply on his heel and headed for his cabin leaving his crew frightened of their captain.
Maybe there should be a mutiny.
---
A soft morning sea breeze was accustom to the Black Pearl and its occupants and the morning after the arrival of William Turner and Kate...whatever her name is, did not disappoint. Jack Sparrow stood on the deck of his prized ship as that very same soft morning sea breeze blew into his face. His spirits were still low but the breeze calmed him as he thought over the things that had been troubling him for so long. The problem was he didn't exactly know what was troubling him.
As he stood on his deck he felt the presence of someone next to him, he didn't bother to turn he just watched the slow sea waves crash upon each other.
"You haven't spoken to her since we arrived" It was William, bothering him about that pirate, woman...girl, whoever she was.
"Mmm" Jack nodded.
"Are you going to?"
"Why would ye want me to speak to that...girl?" Jack wondered out loud.
Why indeed.
"Because she, well..." Will mumbled, "She's a fellow pirate, that should be reason enough,"
Jack turned to him giving him his trademark grin.
"Still as dumb as always aren't ye, Will?"
"Jack, I just mean that Kate wants, no she needs to speak to you" Will pressed, "It's important"
"If the little pirate needs to 'ave a jolly ol' chat with my wonderful self then she can come to me by herself" Jack explained as he turned to his old companion.
Will sighed frustrated and walked away.
"I swear that boy is more a woman than his bonny lass sometimes" Jack nodded to himself and continued to stare out to sea.
Will continued to walk down the deck of the Black Pearl he was heading for Kate. She was leaning on the railing at the bow of the ship as he paced quickly over to her.
"You still haven't told him" Will sighed angrily.
He watched Kate, her expressions were exactly like Jack's had just been, he could tell she was thinking.
"I know" she nodded, staring at the wood grain of the railing.
"Why? Just bloody tell him!" Will huffed angrily.
"I will" she shot back and turned to Will, "I just didn't want to get thrown overboard just as soon as I got here!"
Silence was between the two now. Neither of them knew what to say. Questions just filled the space between them. Why wouldn't Kate tell Jack? Why was Will still with her? Why was Will pressuring Kate? Why was it so hard to talk to her Father?
"You should tell him, it will only get harder" Will murmured and left Kate to her thoughts.
Kate breathed in the sea air, she did have to tell him, soon. No, now.
Without another thought Kate strode across the old deck of the Pearl, she headed straight for Jack who was just in site.
As she got closer Kate found herself getting slower and her heart started racing.
She finally came to a stop no less that five feet from him. He didn't take any concern of her company.
"Cap'n Sparrow?" she asked carefully.
Slowly he turned to her. He looked tired, just plain worn out.
"Can I have a word with ye?"
Jack looked a little confused. He didn't really know what to say he just nodded slowly and Kate sighed.
"Well yer see." She breathed, "I've been told somethin' since I was born, so I've known it since I can remember. And well I know about it but ye don't so now I need to tell ye about...it" she sighed again.
"C'mon girl, out with it" Jack commented impatiently, his hands waving wildly.
Kate breathed deeply and pulled the old blue ribbon from her hair. She held it out to Jack who looked at it carefully.
"Do ye recognise this here ribbon?" she asked.
Jack let his thumb rub over the flowers that were stitched into it as he nodded to Kate.
"That belonged to my...mother" she explained.
Jacks eyes shot from the ribbon to Kate's eyes. What? Her mother?
"Yur mother?" he voiced his confusion, he looked as if he was suddenly sober or something.
She nodded.
"Giselle Brook"
"No" Jack shook his head. "No, it can't be"
He looked into her eyes again and he realised the familiarity of them, they weren't just her eyes, they were his.
"Jack, listen to me" Kate sighed, "Giselle was my mother...ye are my father" Kate smiled, tears resting in her eyes.
Jack shook his head and scrunched the ribbon in his hand.
"No" he declared defiantly and threw the ribbon on the deck.
Jack stormed away to his cabin leaving Kate by herself, in tears. A pirate in tears. She turned on the spot and followed his path with her eyes. A hollow chuckle escaped her lips as tears ran down her cheeks.
Will appeared at her side but stayed silent, she turned to him.
"Didn' turn out as good as I thought it would" she smiled, still in tears.
Will placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. She sniffed quietly to herself. He tried to pull Kate in a hug but she shrugged him off of her.
"Nah, Will" she shook her head, "There's no point"
She sniffed again and picked up the ribbon on the deck. Will opened his mouth to say something but Kate shook her head again, he was silent.
Kate wiped a tear from her cheek and left for the Crow's nest. The place where she could be alone.
---
A mutiny seemed like a fine idea aboard the Unforgiven. The crew discussed the said idea while their captain fumed in his quarters.
"I still say that we 'ave to vote Cap'n Baron out" said one crewmember.
"Baron 'as given us all we got, we can't vote 'im out" said another.
"'e's not worth it" yelled out the first.
"We can't vote out Cap'n Baron" Crouch defended, "We just find that little Sparrowand the Cap'n will be happy. Aye?"
"Aye!" seconded a pirate with a scar across his face.
"That's all we 'ave to do and this be all over" Crouch nodded.
"Aye" the first pirate nodded, sounding convinced.
"I say we go after the Black Pearl and chase down ol' Cap'n Jack Sparrow" Crouch grinned, "'e might 'ave an idea where 'is little girl is"
"Why 'aven't we gone after the Pearl sooner?" the scarred pirated asked.
"I didn't 'ave a chance to mention it to the cap'n. 'e's been too angry to listen to anythin'" Crouch sighed.
The crew nodded and was full of sorrowful 'aye's' as Crouch walked slowly towards the helm. It seemed they were on their way back to Tortuga.
---
"Yur need to talk to the Cap'n you knows that right?" a voice asked Kate.
She looked up from the table and saw the only other female pirate of the Pearl, Anamaria.
Kate nodded.
Anamaria sighed and sat across from her at a table in the galley of the Black Pearl. She took a swig of whatever Kate was drinking. Which turned out to be rum, then spoke again.
"'e was shocked is all" she nodded.
Kate nodded again.
"'e is a strange man" Anamaria nodded, "but that don't mean 'e's a bad'n"
Kate nodded again.
"I need his help" she said quietly.
"Then you need to tell 'im that" Anamaria smiled and took another swig of rum.
"I do" Kate nodded.
"Then tell 'im"
---
Slow clicks rattled across the deck of the Black Pearl. The clicks were from the boots of Kate Sparrow, she walked slowly to the Captain's quarters. She needed Jack's help, she needed it desperately otherwise death was the only alternative.
Kate knocked softly on the door of Jack's quarters and the face of Will Turner welcomed her. He was there talking to Jack himself, probably about her.
"Kate" he smiled and allowed her in.
Kate slowly walked into the quarters seeing Jack sitting at his chair and table, his maps spread across the place. After Jack finally noticed her he sat up straight and looked as if he didn't know what to do with himself.
Kate walked softly over to him, making sure her pace made effect. She stopped right next to his chair, less then a couple of feet from him.
"Jack" Kate inquired quietly as she looked down at him.
Jack stood slowly so that he would be the one looking down. He made sure he stood directly in front of her, for effect he pushed his chair backwards and the smack of wood against wood was deafening in the silent room.
The two Sparrows now stood less than a foot away from each other, the youngest looking up to the elder. They weren't glaring they were just staring.
"Was there something ye needed?" Jack asked his daughter, although not wanting to admit that.
"Yes, Kate, is something wrong?" Will asked trying to lift the room a little.
"Jack, I need yur help" Kate stated clearly.
"Ye need me help? Do ye even want my help?" Jack asked, he glared a little now.
"I need help and I want it from my father, any daughter would" Kate said this with a little smirk as Jack winced a little.
"I'll leave you two to discuss it" Will nodded and left the awkward atmosphere of the Captain's quarters.
"What do ye need?" Jack finally questioned.
"The night that Will and I came aboard the Pearl, do ye remember it?" Kate asked.
Jack sighed.
"O'course I remember it, it were but a few days ago" he said this as he circled his table, leaving Kate standing by herself.
"Well I don't know if ye have drunk too much rum to remember it" Kate argued.
Kate began to circle the table and Jack continued as he had before. It looked as if they were about to draw their swords and fight to the death.
"Ye sure as hell look like ye have" Kate growled.
Jack's face contorted to surprise then anger. He continued to circle the table, as did she.
"How dare ye speak to me like that" Jack spat.
"Why?"
"Because I am Captain Jack Sparrow, ye are under me!" Jack stomped.
Kate followed suit and stopped circling as Jack had. The anger in the two's faces was unavoidable. It was as if all they felt for each other was pure hatred.
"Please, Jack" Kate whispered, the anger in her face was gone.
As Jack saw her calm down his face softened with sympathy and just a little bit of confusion.
"I really do need yur help" Kate whispered again.
Kate's eyes danced on the floor, now afraid to look at Jack. Jack's eyes watched her face, she really did need his help. But what was it she needed?
"What is it ye need?" he asked cautiously.
Kate sighed and sat down on the standing wooden chair. Jack stood the other one up and sat across from her at the table. Jack looked straight into her eyes, waiting for her to begin.
"The night that Will and I came aboard, I was runnin' from someone" Kate began, "Cap'n Rick Baron, that's who I were, still am, runnin' from"
"Baron?" Jack asked, "I ne'er 'eard of him"
"Most 'aven't" Kate nodded.
"Why is Baron after ye?" Jack wondered out loud.
"I took somethin' from 'im" she confessed.
Kate sighed and threw her carry pouch on the table with a clunk. Jack looked at it surprised, whatever was in there was heavy.
Slowly Jack reached for the pouch and opened it, he tipped the contents into his dirty hand. Out slipped a golden statue, a golden statue of a mermaid.
Jack looked at it confused, then at Kate confused. She shrugged slightly and Jack studied the statue closely.
It was a finely sculpted piece, but Jack didn't see the reason why a Captain would chase after a girl for it.
"It's a trinket, nothin' more" Jack sighed and put it back down on the table.
"Well on me travels I bumped back into Baron, 'e told me the story of how 'e acquired it" Kate explained.
"And how did 'e acquire it?" Jack wondered.
"As my luck 'ave it. I nicked the only thing left 'e has of 'is dead wife" Kate sighed.
"Kate" Jack shook his head.
"And now Baron is gonna bleed me dry just so 'e has the satisfaction" Kate said as she tied the pouch back to her belt.
"So what do ye need me to do?" Jack asked.
"I need ye to protect me when Baron finally catches me" she said plainly.
"Protect ye?" Jack asked, he laughed a bit.
"Aye" she nodded, "It's not that funny ye know" she huffed and smacked her hands lazily down on the table.
Jack watched her, she was almost sitting like he was, she had his eyes, she had his scowl. It was strange, how could this girl be a product of him. His eyes wondered down her and he noticed a scar on her jaw line, from a blade most probably.
He let his eyes wonder further, past her corset kind of shirt and to her tattooed arms.
Jack studied the lines, wavy lines and symbols. He looked to her left arm and noticed a symbol that caught his attention. Slowly he pulled her left arm to him, Kate looked confused but didn't say anything, she was enjoying this positive attention from her father.
Jack looked at the symbol on her forearm. A sparrow, a baby one, it was flying over the wavy lines on her arms. He smiled softly then looked up to her.
"I like it" he smiled again then pulled up the shirtsleeve on his arm to present a similar tattoo on him.
Kate smiled this time, she studied his tattoo quietly, running her finger over the marked skin. Kate looked up at Jack who was waiting for her to say something.
"I like it too" she smiled and Jack smiled back.
---
And that my wonderful readers was chapter four!
Sorry it's taken so long, a month! I can't believe it!
I've been so busy, I was in a production which just finished last week so I had no time for social, internet or writing time. So sad.
So that's why this one is a little shorter...
Anyway! Thanks so much to shattered-demon, ButWhyIsAllTheRUMGone, Lumiere, dumbblonde76 and SxcLilMuffin17 for their awesomely awesome reviews and comments. Reviewers rock my world, thanks so much, it makes me feel so special! Haha
So I hope to see you next time, thanks everyone. Have a good day/night wherever you may be.