۞
The next morning dawned pink and orange upon the horizen, and with cool breezes across the waters there was promise that it would be a beautiful day. The storm of the day before was just a dark line off of the edges of the ocean that was now behind them, and Jack Sparrow would look behind, off of the Pearl's stern, to frown at the tempest that had torn some his precious ship's sails. It was minor damage, but damage of any kind to the Black Pearl was never taken lightly by her captain. Otherwise, the Pearl had fared well, and as he looked over her beautiful lines from his place at the ship's wheel, he could not help but swell with pride. She truly was a miracle, his ship, an absolute work of art. He smugly ran his hands over the smoothness of the wooden wheel, and smiled... his lovely Pearl, his lovely lady...
As Jack was lost in his reverie, he almost did not notice the door of the Turners' cabin opening slightly, and then completely, and William stepped out upon the deck, without his bandanna, his shirt tails hanging, stretching and yawning, blinking his eyes in the bright sunrise. Looking up at his cousin, he smiled broadly, and decided to climb the steps up to the quarterdeck to join him. As he joined the smiling captain, who was also enjoying the warmth of the sun upon his dark face, William said nothing... he merely nodded good morning and lightly patted Jack's shoulder.
Jack turned to him and said, "So, William... how are things this morning?" It was such a general statement that William did not know quite how to reply. He decided that it was best to be direct, and replied, "I have never had such a strange night in my life, and that includes my time spent upon the Flying Dutchman!"
"Oh?" was Jack's only comment, looking at William closely out of the corner of his eye. William clasped his hands behind his back, and cleared his throat.
"Well, it seems that there was someone, or something, in our cabin last night... I happened to be dozing when a very strange thing happened. The door to the cabin opened, and I could have sworn that a leprechaun entered into our room! It left gifts and a letter from you, and it certainly did not look like you..."
"A leprechaun??? Nonono, couldn't be." Jack frowned darkly at his smiling young first mate, "Leprechauns are ill-tempered little devils... there be no leprechauns aboard me ship," he paused, and with a delicate hand, he lifted the dreadlocks from one shoulder and whispered, inexplicably, "... no, mate... ye're not a leprechaun... yer jus' a little bitty 'me'..."
As William slightly shook his head in bemusement, Jack blinked and looked back at him, still frowning, "Leprechauns... we weren't near Eire, an' I'm too tall for a leprechaun..." he stopped frowning, as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
William looked at the captain out of the corner of his own eye, this time. He drew in a deep breath of fresh salt air, exhaled, and said softly, "...thank you, Jack...we will always cherish the gifts that you made...we do not know what we would do without you..."
It was a comfortable relationship that the two of them had, now... well deserved for both of them. Jack also drew in a deep breath, and answered, "... you're welcome, lad... th' feelin's are mutual...even more so upon my part..."
۞
It would only be a matter of hours before the Pearl would reach Tortuga, as sea gulls were beginning to circle gracefully in the ship's wake, and the crew's mood was a merry one. It had been a very, very long voyage... they had not been back to Tortuga or the Caribbean since just after the trials and tribulations at World's End. So much had happened since then... Hector Barbossa had commandeered the Pearl, and Jack had cast himself upon the mercy of the seas in his little dinghy with nothing but a pilfered chart to find the Aqua de Vida, several bottles of rum and a mind oblivious to the danger that he had placed himself in. It was during another storm at sea that Captain William Turner had found Jack, knocked out by his own oar in the bottom of his boat, and had taken him aboard the Flying Dutchman.
They had all been rescued... Jack, William, Elizabeth and the entire crew... physically, and emotionally, and now here they were. They were a family, alive, well, and there was now a beautiful newborn baby boy in their midst... it was a happy pirate crew that was going to take a well deserved rest in Tortuga City.
As the sun rose in the morning sky, the aroma of fresh coffee rose from the galley, as the crew gathered for a simple breakfast prior to readying the Black Pearl to sail into port. As Jack took his mug of coffee at the wheel, everyone else gathered about with steaming mugs and hardtack rolls... real food in port would be very welcome after the voyage across the Atlantic from the last stop in Southampton, England. It was a clandestine stop for supplies, and only Mr. Gibbs and Elizabeth had gone ashore... mostly for Elizabeth to take what might be her last look of the country where she had been born. It was not hard for her to leave... it had not been home since the crossing to Jamaica, and even Jamaica was not home any longer. Home was the cozy little cabin aboard the Black Pearl.
The crew turned and looked, as the door to that cabin opened, and Elizabeth emerged... she was smiling broadly as Mr. Cotton, Mr. Ragetti, Mr. Pintel, Murtogg, Mullroy and Marty all gathered around, as she held in her arms a small basket... a small basket with two tiny pink hands trying to move the blanket that was covering a wiggling form underneath it.
William beamed with pride, as Elizabeth looked gorgeous upon this dawning morning... her golden hair had been curled, and was swept back from her face upon one side, held back by a lovely comb, carved with a design of swans. As the crew gathered around her to see the new baby, she looked up at her two men at the helm... her handsome, tall husband, and his slight dark cousin, the captain of the ship, both of them with their hair blowing and sipping their hot coffee.
"... please let us see th' wee li'l fellow, Miss Elizabeth..." Mr. Pintel smiled, "... we waited a long time t' see 'im..."
"... oooh, look at all o' 'is hair! Curly, like Mr. Will's..." Mr. Ragetti marveled, "... a fine 'andsome, lad, 'e is, Miss Poppet... I mean, Miss Elizabeth..."
Mr. Cotton smiled broadly at the baby, as the parrot flapped his wings and squawked, "... shiver me timbers!..."
Murtogg and Mullroy both gathered close and Mr. Murtogg said, "A fine addition to th' crew he'll be..." and Mr. Mullroy added, "... just like we were!"
"... He'll be climbin' de riggin' soon..." Marty exclaimed, and he then frowned as Elizabeth uncovered Little Will for all to see, "...he's already taller dan me," he said ruefully. Everyone laughed at his unhappy observation.
The only one that sat apart from the rest, sipping his coffee and enjoying the scene, was Joshamee Gibbs. As Elizabeth walked over to him, he said warmly, "And how are you feelin' this mornin', Missy?"
William joined them with a cup of coffee for Elizabeth, as she slowly sat down next to Gibbs, after William had rolled up a blanket for her to sit upon, carefully. She took Little William from his basket, and held him for Mr. Gibbs to see. "I feel wonderful, Mr. Gibbs." She reached over and put an arm around his neck, kissing him upon his whiskered cheek. "... I have yet another hero, now, to add to my list..." Gibbs blushed deeply, as he cleared his throat.
William leaned over and said, "Josh, we would not have been able to have our son safely if we had not had you to help Elizabeth, and had not had Jack to hold onto the Pearl. We are so grateful to you... thank you." William reached across to pat Mr. Gibbs upon his knee, as the older man said nothing for a moment.
Gibbs cleared his throat again, and looked down at his coffee mug... he wiped his eyes a little as he looked into the face of this beautiful baby, the sun shining upon him for the very first time. His soft brown curls blew slightly in the sea breeze, his cheeks were rosy, and his little eyes opened to look up at the blue skies and at the Pearl's sails above his head.
Gibbs said, very softly, "I needs t' be thankin' th' two of you... only Jack knows about me past, an' he was a good enough friend t' not tell you two..." As he wiped his eyes, again, he said, only loud enough for the young couple to hear, "... thank ye for givin' me back some faith in meself... th' last babe tha' I delivered was me own son... he an' my wife didn' make it... when we visited the graveyard in Southampton, Miss Elizabeth, it was t' say goodbye t' my wife an' my own boy, as I know I won't ever go back..."
William and Elizabeth looked at each other, and then looked at this man who had become like another father to both of them... their old friend from the crossing to Jamaica, who had been the first to raise a toast to Jack Sparrow in Tia Dalma's shack... the first to say "Aye" to find his friend at World's End... and the first to offer his knowledge to bring their child safely into the world.
Elizabeth took Joshamee Gibbs' mug from his hands, and as she smiled, she handed the wee bundle to him. "Little Will..." she said to the tiny baby, "... here is the first one that you saw as you were born... we hope that he does not mind that he is now your adopted grandfather..."
Mr. Gibbs held the child close, and said, emotionally, "... good mornin', laddie... I'm honored..." Little Will's slender, long Teague hands reached up, and touched Gibbs' smiling face...
۞
Jack tied the wheel off to join the others down on the main deck, holding onto the railing as he swayed, trying not to spill his coffee... William and Elizabeth looked up, puzzled, as he stopped, midway, and said, to no one... "No, you may not have my coffee, ye swabbie! Go t' th' galley an' get yer own!" He changed his demeanor only slightly and said, in a more polite tone, "... bring me a peanut, will ye?... an' sliced limes... I likes those." As he stood there for a moment, he then shook his head violently and blinked hard. "Where was I?" he muttered, as he resumed his way down the steps. "I hate when I do that...s'gonna be a long day if I keep that up..."
He joined the Turners and Gibbs, parking himself in a chair next to the table where they had been talking, and he propped his feet upon the railing, just as William had. They all enjoyed the sun as Little Will feel asleep in Mr. Gibbs welcoming strong arms.
"So!" Jack said, smiling at the young couple, "Are ye goin' t' give th' little whelpie a name fer th' middle? I know tha' those of Izzy's former social station in life loves t' give looooong names." He emphasized his point by slowly spreading his hands gracefully out wide. He looked at the baby, and said, "... when ye can talk, little laddie, ye have t' learn t' make a statement... ye inherited my hands, so use 'em t' your advantage!"
"We haven't decided yet, Jack." William smiled, "I don't have a middle name, but Elizabeth has two, believe it or not!"
"Izzy! Ye never tol' us that!" Jack swiveled his head around and looked at her in surprise.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said, "That is because I deplore my second middle name!"
They all looked at her expectantly as she frowned at William for exposing a much hated secret. As they all stared at her, she sighed and said, "My full name is Elizabeth Anne Eugenie Swann Turner."
Jack started to chuckle, "Eu - wot - ie?" William bit his lip. Elizabeth punched the captain soundly upon the arm, making his coffee slurp over the side of his mug. He chuckled more and said, "Sounds quite high tone. Aren't ye glad ye had a boy? Eugenie!" He screwed up his face.
"My father's name was better," Elizabeth reached over and touched her baby's hair, "... Weatherby Arthur Charles Swann..."
"Aye, that's better," William took a sip from his mug, then sighed and said, "but our son does not seem like a Weatherby... with all due respect."
Elizabeth curiously turned around and looked at the remainder of the crew, as she said to them collectively, "Strange, we have all known each other for a very long time, and you are all our friends, but we don't know your first names!" She smiled and said to Mr. Pintel, "What is your name, Mr. Pintel?"
The rotund pirate looked up from his coffee in a startled fashion, and stared at her. He smiled with pleasure and said, "Well, poppet, my first name happens t' be Leon!" As chuckles went around, he growled and said, "An' the rest of ye has better names?"
Elizabeth giggled as Jack, William and Gibbs looked at each other and mouthed, "Leon???" Elizabeth smiled, and said, "Very noble, Mr. Pintel..."
"Rags... what about you?" Elizabeth smiled at the younger pirate that had helped her with so many things during her pregnancy. He looked up at her, shyly, and said softly, "My name is Mac... Mac Ragetti."
"Wonderful, Mr. Ragetti! I shall try to remember to call you 'Mac' now and then!" Elizabeth said, nodding. "We already know Angus Murtogg and Giles Mullroy, as well as Mr. John Cotton and Joshamee Gibbs. How about you, Marty? We only know you by your first name."
Marty looked all around at his companions, and glared, "None of you ha' better laugh, or I'll cut th' ropes o' yer hammocks!" They all nodded, curious now that he had made that statement. Marty stood up and straightened up to his full height, "My name is Martin Jacques de Bouvier Chevalier..." he nodded with pride and added," My father was French."
They all stared, as Jack tilted his head to one side and his eyes got as round as dark moons. "Bugger! Hell of a good name, that! An' all I got was 'Jack'...might change it t' Jacques..."
And with that statement, breakfast was over with, and they all set about getting about their tasks prior to shore leave... Jack took the helm, again, as William prepared to go to the hold to check the condition of the weapons that all would make sure to have at their sides, once they docked in the famous haven for all pirates... Tortuga.
Even if it was a haven, it could also be a place of danger if one was unprepared... William, as first mate and weapons master, would make sure that none of the Black Pearl's crew would go ashore unprepared... he only wished that he could be so sure that his cousin would as well prepared, since the captain's own sword - an old friend to the captain's thin hand - had been broken by the claw of Davy Jones...
To be continued...