Bella had spent many a hours looking at the horizon while Jack steered at the helm and Will did something that she herself had not been paying much attention to. It had been fairly silent the entire time. And it was a paintful silence that felt to Bella that it needed to be broken. Only now did Will begin to talk, he must have been feeling the edgyness in the open air like Bella had.
"When I was a lad living in England and my sister, a young girl, my mother raised us by herself. After she died, We came out here, looking for our father." Will said, Bella herself felt no need to divulge their background so soon. Though it would soon be known that Jack did not care so much.
"Is that so?" he said.
"Our father, Will Turner . At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew our father." Will said.
"I shall correct you in that sense. I knew the lass's name. It just so happens that your siblings." Jack told him before continuing. "but yes, I knew him. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner . Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."
"Bootstrap?" Will asked.
"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him." Jack said, Bella was hearing this conversation but not actually listening.
"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." Will said, with his aversions to pirates he resented this piece of information. Jack thought he best accept it and so snapped back at Bella's brother.
"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag." Jack scowled.
"My father was not a pirate." Will said, emphasising each word as he took out his sword, at the sound of a sword being released notified her to the arise of a possible fight. She stood up and faced the two.
"Will, don't." she said at the same time Jack spoke as well:
"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again." he said.
"Again?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow. Will ignored her though.
"You didn't beat me. you ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you." Will said in an low angry voice.
"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" He said and turned the wheel so sharply that the sail came and knocked her brother off the ship and over the ocean. Bella gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.
"Will!" she managed to say. Jack continued on without much attention being paid to Bella.
"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can?t bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy? So? can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not? Your sister has no problems with authority." Jack said, nodding his head in Bella's direction. She scowled at this, she had just as much aversion to Jack as Will did, but not for the reason of piracy. She still resented him for holding her as a bargaining chip. But if she wanted to find Elizabeth, she had to do what Jack said. Will was now on the ground and Jack had a sword held out to Will.
"Tortuga?" he asked as he took the sword.
"Tortuga." Jack replied, Bella just sighed, she had heard of the island. It was basically a pirates whore and rum town. Bella's nose crinkled at the thought of being there, yet if that is the place that could help them find Elizabeth, Bella would go.
"It is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga , savvy? What do you think?" Jack asked, turning to the pair. Bella was linked onto Will's arm, scared of all the drunken men and women with caked on make up. Will was the one of the two who could muster some words.
"It'll linger." Bella's brother said.
"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." Jack told him, Bella at this point found her voice.
"Some of these men should stay unwanted." she shivered. Jack then noticed someone who Bella thought might be an old friend.
"Scarlett!" Jack exclaimed and the woman slapped Jack straight across the face, Bella giggled at this. "Not sure i deserved that." he told them and straightend up and saw another female. "Gizelle!" he exclaimed just abit more causously.
"Who was she?" Giselle asked, nodding in the direction of Scarlett. "And WHO is she?" nodding towards Bella.
"What?" Jack asked and promtly recieved yet another slap. "I may have deserved that." he commented.
"I can imagine that." Bella said, smirking. She was entertained at this spectacle.
Jack grumbled and led them into a small alley where a man was sleeping with several pigs. Jack filled two buckets with water and handed one to Bella and kept the other for himself. He quickly threw it onto the man who was named Gibbs, Jack had talked about him on their journey to Tortuga. The man awoke from the water and began shouting.
"Curse you for breathing, you slack jawed idiot! Mother's love! Jack! You should know better then to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." Gibbs told him after a sling of insults, but recoiled when he recognised Jack.
"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Jack explained while Bella's head swirled at trying to figure out what the pirate had said.
"Aye, that'll about do it." Gibbs said and Bella caught a whiff of how bad the man smelled and then understood what the bucket was for and quickly threw the water at him. "Blast! I'm already awake!"
"That was for the smell." Will explained for his sister for he too looked like his nose had smelt something awful. The four found their way to a Tavern and went and Jack got drinks for him and Gibbs. Bella and Will looked at him expectantly.
"Keep a sharp eye." Jack told them, looking around suspiciously. Bella looked at him strangely but proceeded to talk to her brother while looking out for danger despite many drunken eyes on her.
While the siblings were talking, Jack and Gibbs were talking as well, but of a different nature.
"Now, what's the nature of this venture your'n?" Gibbs asked Jack.
"I'm going after the Black Pearl." Apon hearing these words Gibbs almost choked on his drink. "I know where it's going to be and I'm going to take it." he continued.
"Jack , it's a fool's errand. Well, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl." Gibbs said, trying to convince Jack not do try this.
"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to… all I need is a crew." Jack said, almost asking Gibbs for a crew.
"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa , he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one." Gibbs said argumentivly.
"Well, then I say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, aye?" Jack retorted.
"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" Gibbs asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, aye?" Jack replied, nodding his head to the two siblings who were looking around. It took awhile for Gibbs to get it.
"The kids?" Gibbs asked.
"Ther are the children of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only children, savvy?" Jack said, almost emphasising every word.
"Are they now? Leverage says you, I think I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll find us a crew, there's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." Gibbs said, eying both Will and Bella.
"One can only hope. Take what you can…" Jack began, raising his mug.
"…Give nothing back!" Gibbs finished as they sculled their drinks and made an effort to slam them down.
Jack and Gibbs got up from their seats and went over to Will and Bella.
"Lass, yah name?" he asked.
"Bella." she answered immediatly.
"Yer full name."
"Annabella Laurel Turner." she said. "Why?" she asked.
"Just interested is all." Gibbs replied. Will looked at him and then to Jack and his eyes narrowed but quickly dismissed his thoughts as Jack told them they were going to a Inn for the night. They made it there within several minutes, so it must have been fairly close, for the day had been fairly long to her.
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AN: Yup, here is an update for the long awaited 4th chapter XD Not that it is any good, I did however spend yesterday and today writing it so reveiws are nice please )
UNC
Bella Bree