It was late evening, possibly early morning judging by the stars position in the clear night sky. A small while had passed since they returned from visiting Tia Dalma and while the majority of the crew had taken their leave to recover from weeks sleeping in a suspended cage of bones, Nicolette had volunteered to take the night shift at the helm. They had a clear heading and the air was warm, it was one of those rare perfect Caribbean nights. Just the right breeze, no tropical turns in the weather and no interruptions.
When she was First Mate on the Pearl, under Barbossa, Nicolette had always taken the night shift. In the earlier years the primary reason for it was to avoid her marital bed as much as possible. If she could be going to rest as Barbossa was leaving their cabin, it made that day just a little easier to live through. But the other reason, the one she sought now, was the almost silent deck. No crew were running about, no yelling or nonsense. Those of the crew that were still awake got on with their duties quietly and efficiently and they barely acknowledged her unless it was urgent.
Only the sound of the calm waves kept her company, and if that was how it would be for all eternity, and she would be fine with that.
"Beautiful night init love." The voice came from her left and, without looking, Nic inwardly groaned. He must have crept up on her while she had been revelling in the euphoric atmosphere and now the feeling was gone, washed away like a pail of cold water had been thrown over her.
One could always dream of peace…and pray it was experienced before death.
Jack popped his lips when he failed to get anything back from the girl. "Shame, given the desired destination…" He took a step forward, pushing himself from the railings and wandered into Nicolette's eye line. When she glanced at him, he frowned, as she was completely lacking any form of…anything. Her lips were tight in a straight line, her posture had been relaxed and her grip on the helm feather light when he had first climbed up to the deck but now Nic stood rigid. "What?"
He took a step towards her as if to test the waters and then when she didn't react, he took another.
"Nicolette…" Still nothing, not even a second glance. Her eyes were focused on the horizon as if caught in a trance and upon noticing this, Jack became panicked and hopped forward to wave his hand limply in front of her face. "Do I need to call for the doctor?"
"I am not talking to you." Nic suddenly snapped and slapped his hand away. His limb remained there for a second as he watched her in shock and then, at the same time as it fell to his side, his face fell.
"This is about Tia Dalma." Jack drawled dryly. "Beg my pardon for not fully understanding how I am at fault for her saying what it is that she said…But I'm sure it will all be fine lo-"
"He was mine! Not yours to give away." Nicolette snapped, becoming agitated by his boring and unneeded rambling, and once again she managed to silence Jack.
He stared at her as silent as the grave, until eventually his lips parted. "…this is still about the monkey." Jack drawled, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull almost, as a false and minimalist smile appeared on his lips.
"He has a name." Nicolette rolled her eyes. Her lips pouted and she still tried to blank his out of her vision, her eyes studying only on the horizon. But it was hard when he kept slowly shuffling into her line of sight.
"Ah-" He stuttered, instantly quieting again. "I-" Nicolette glanced at him, for only a second, and scowled when she saw how confused and bewildered he looked. Why was it so hard to believe she loved her pet. A one she assumed lost…how the hell had he even been with Jack anyway? And cursed? "I am sorry luv, truly…it is a…loss to the crew." Jack cleared his throat although she could feel how pained the words were for him to say. The were as false as most the whores busts in Tortuga. "But, and forgive me for believing, there are larger conflicts we face." The ship creaked under his weight as he began to approach her. At first his steps were flamboyant, like a dance, as he rounded her and then they slowed as he disappeared out of sight.
Her senses heightened, the sound of the waves tuned out so she could try and work out where exactly Jack was in relation to herself and what he was doing. But then, before she could predict it, his breath was on her neck.
"Think of it as, the little…"
"Jack." She quickly interrupted, hiding her smirk. If he wanted her to forgive him then he was going to have to work for it.
"Little Jack." He continued, his hand sliding over her waist and down her arm until his hand wrapped around hers on the helm. "Sacrificing himself for the good of a cause. His bravery allowed us to find out where the key is, which gets Big Jack one step closer to Jones."
Nicolette removed her grip from the helm, now Jack supported their heading, and turned in his arms. As she leant back against the uniquely carved wood, she tilted her head up so that she finally met Jack's gaze and smirked openly.
"Hmm…I love it when you make up poppycock to bring me back over to your side." There was a pause, a few seconds of silence, and then a grin spread across Jack's face and he took a step closer to her. Before long, his free hand had woven its way around her waist and come to rest on the small of her back.
Nicolette had been mad. She still was mad, in a sense. It was her little Jack and not Jack's to give away to some voodoo wench. But it was Jack and there something about him she could not quite pinpoint. Like a puppy, Jack Sparrow had something in his code which made him so hard to stay mad at. There were times Nic wondered if it were only her who could see it, this invisible trait, but then she remembered all of the whores he had crossed and how they each fell back into his lap at the drop of a hat. Maybe it was only women? She hoped not, that thought alone was far too degrading.
"You're always on my side. There are just moments you need help seeing it clearly."
"Oh?" Nic quirked her brow. "Well, seeing as I'm on your side, why don't you let me in on your plan?"
"You already know it. We're going to find the Dutchman." His voice was perky, quick, and told Nic everything she needed to know which was that she did not know everything she needed to know.
She cleared her throat, cocking her hip, and Jack narrowed his eyes before peering down at her.
"Oh alright…" Jack sighed, deflating. "How do you always know?"
As Nicolette removed his arm from her and stepped out of his embrace, Jack couldn't take his eyes off her as he awaited her answer with pure curiosity.
"Because I know you." Nic started, walking to the Pearl's railing. The sea was still as calm as it had been all night but from here at the very edge of the ship she could pick out the reflection of the stars the water perfectly. They rippled and swayed with the tide as if they were the eyes of sirens below the surface. Beautiful. "And I know you wouldn't just walk over to the Flying Dutchman…even with a jar of dirt." She looked over her shoulder sending him a pained look and found that Jack was working on securing the helm with the tiller rope.
"Who said I was the one going over to see ol' Jonesy?" She heard him following her and turned her head as he came to stand by her side, staring out at the ocean as she had done.
"Oh…so we're trusting the boy?" Nic scoffed softly, leaning her arm on the railing so she was turned fully towards Jack. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes as she began to chuckle. "Good. That always works out so well for you."
"I'll think you'll find lass, that it does." He was quick to reply, looking at her straight on. "For if it were not for young William, you and I would both be hanging in the bay of Port Royal right about now." Nicolette stared at Jack, pursing her lips in detest as she knew he was right. The boy had technically saved them…but there was still the matter of him being a pain in her behind.
She sighed, turning away from Jack's smirk before she wiped it off with the back of her hand. "I'm just saying, I don't like him. There is something…off." Jack instantly rolled his eyes at the statement.
"You say that about almost everyone luv."
"And how often am I right?" Nic snapped, brow raised, and it was Jack's turn to accept she was right. She had a strong intuition when it came to people, granted it was a little off in the beginning what with Barbossa and such but the point still stood, and the boys energy was dark.
Jack sighed and, as it was not something she heard him do often, Nicolette watched him closely. He was staring out at the waves in thought, he almost looked defeated.
"This is the only way." His cheeks were hollow as he sucked on them, his eyes wincing into narrowed slits and he played with the trinkets adorning his hands. The rings were twisted until the skin beneath became so warm and swollen they would no longer turn. "We find the Dutchman's prey, we send the boy aboard." The points were laid out sternly. "Jones shows himself and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt, I'm in the clear, the debt is settled and we are free to go wherever the wind may take us." It was more worrying than comforting when Jack suddenly turned to her with a grin, arms held out open to his sides as if he had just performed a trick.
Nicolette took a moment to go over the plan he had just spurted out and then slowly began shaking her head.
"You think it's going to be that easy?" The enthusiasm drained from Jack's face and he became serious.
"The boy is a soul which Jones will accept in place of mine. And if not, the boy will find the key as long as he knows Elizabeth is in danger. He would die for her, told me so himself once." Nicolette took a hesitant step forward closer to Jack so there was only inches between them. She had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes, and he dropped his chin to look at her.
"But would he die for you?" She asked in a whisper, her eyes noticeably darker. "We still have no chest remember."
"You're getting yourself far too worked up about this."
"As should you." She spoke considerably stricter than she had been doing already. He needed to stop acting as if he could talk himself out of this one, this wasn't just Barbossa and a mutiny. This was an immortal Lord of the Sea for dying out bloody loud, something that was pure myth to her until yesterday.
Nicolette chuckled again, a forced and pained raspy laugh, and she tried to take a step back from Jack. "The Kraken could be right beneath us as we speak and you're acting as if it…"
He grabbed her then, pulling her forward those last few inches so their chests were pressed together and she had nowhere else to look but at Jack. The grip he had on her was bruising but she could barely feel it, not as she looked into his eyes and saw the fear mixed amongst everything else.
He was never scared. As he? Nicolette couldn't recall a time she had noticed it but now it was prominent and winning above all else.
"Let's not speak of that little beastie, shall we?" He asked pulling her attention back to him. He had noticed her brow beginning to crease and her own thoughts beginning to swirl and her own head was not where he needed her now.
Jack's hand brushed a stray hair behind her ear and then moved down to hold her neck softly, stroking that spot her knew she liked. When his lips ever so lightly brushed hers, he could have sworn he heard her sigh but the bliss was brief before Nicolette pushed his hands from her harshly and huffed.
"I hate it when you do that." He met her irritated stare with a bored gaze, straight lipped and defeated. "I can't be distracted so easily nowadays..." Though from the smirk she gave as she stepped out of his grip, he would dare to believe otherwise. "What would you rather speak about? My dark destiny?" She snapped childishly, crossing her arms over her chest to keep Jack from reaching for her again as she glared at him.
It was not pleasing to her that Jack began to softly chuckle, the look of her stood crossed arms and pouting was both deeply amusing and endearing for him. "Twelve years Jack, twelve years that's been hovering over me like a bad smell."
"The lass could be talking about anything darling." He laughed softly and went to try and pull Nicolette back into him when a bright flash of lightening filled the midnight sky. The pair both looked up and a moment later a strong clap of thunder sounded, rolling through the air like a wave. So much for the perfect night, Nic thought. "We're getting close." Jack muttered quietly and then glanced at her. "Wake the crew, then take the helm."
Nicolette nodded, continuing to stare at the sky for a moment as another lightening bolt struck the horizon, and then she turned and hurried below deck to wake the sleeping and soon to be grumpy crew.
There was no telling how much time passed between the brewing of the storm and Jack subtly instructing Gibbs for the anchor to be dropped. It had been just the three of them at the helm when the near wreckage of a ship on the reef became visible and all of them had fell silent as if listening for something invisible.
"Where is Turner?" Jack asked Nicolette as Gibbs hurried down to the main deck to carry out his silent task. By following the First Mates path, she simply had to gesture below with a nod of her head as the boy emerged from the crews quarters.
He came onto deck, eyes darting around like he was a little lost bird. Upon spotting the stranger ship Will stared out at the wreckage, but then his head turned upwards and his gaze settled on Nicolette and Jack at the helm, both watching him.
"Mr Cotton! Take the Helm." Jack called and gestured for Nic to follow him with a flick of his wrist as he began to descend the steps. She waited until the Pearl was safely passed into the hands of Cotton and then started after Jack.
By the time she reached him, he was stood at the railings with Will and Gibbs and she took the space between Gibbs and the boy. They men each stared at the wreckage with the same amount of focus but she was still busy scanning the open parts of the ocean for Jones.
"That's the Flying Dutchman?" Will asked in disbelief, looking at the small cargo boat impaled on a reef, and Nicolette nodded. "She doesn't look like much."
"Neither do you…do not underestimate her." Jack quipped. Nicolette then felt Gibbs get forcefully pushed into her suddenly and she eyed him and Jack curiously as the man tutted and shuffled.
"Must've run afoul of the reef." The man muttered, looking at Jack harshly, and then at the boy lighter. Nic rolled her eyes pathetically and pushed away from the railing now the anchor had been dropped and they were sat swaying on the rolling waves.
"What's your plan?" Jack asked.
"I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key."
"And if there are Crewmen?" Nicolette fired, lips pursed.
"I cut down anyone in my path." Will answered, as if it were as simple and easy as breathing, and then walked off. Jack came to her side, tutting.
"I like it. Simple, easy to remember." She looked at him, rolling her eyes and then followed Will to where he was gathering his effects and getting ready to board the longboat. Jack watched his every move, as well as she, until Will was ready and moved to the ladder to take him down.
As Will began to climb down, Ragetti who had prepped the longboat serenaded him as he passed. "Your chariot awaits you. Ahahaha!" The longboat tossed in the stormy waves beneath them but Will managed to climb in and take the oars without much of a problem.
Gibbs hung over the edge of the railing to get a good sight of the boy, along with the majority of the crew, while Jack and Nicolette both watched on with more cation.
"Oi!" Jack called out before the boy became detached from the Pearl. "If you do have to get captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt. Might save your life."
"Move on out, ahahaha!" Ragetti cast off the line and Will started to row ferociously through the waves towards the landed ship.
There was a moment of silence amongst the crew as they watched the boy row out, each of them at least somewhat aware of what he was being sent to. Then, as the darkness started to mask their view of Will, Jack turned to the crew.
"Douse the lamps."
