Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I really appreciate the encouragement! Here is the final chapter of "A Touch of Destiny."
Chapter 20: Epilogue
Warnings: none
"An' this is Cotton."
"Hello," Joana said to the disheveled older pirate.
He did not verbally respond, merely nodding at her, revealing his dire lack of teeth in the front of his mouth. Joana glanced sidelong at Jack, who noticed her confusion and nodded to Cotton.
Joana looked again at the older pirate, who opened his mouth to reveal the lack of a tongue. She almost gagged at the sight. Well, that's something I cannot help him with, fortunately for myself….
"Now, Cotton normally has a parrot t' speak for 'im—Cotton's parrot was my chosen name for said bird—but it seems that Cotton's parrot has refrained from remainin' wiv us."
"He's been gone, ye know," Marty, who was standing nearby, pointed out. "He took off before our battle with the Dutchman."
Jack glanced over at Joana, who was utterly lost.
"Don' ye fret; I'll explain all that later. But there is someone I do think you should meet firs'. He most certainly knows th' ropes."
The pair stood before Joshamee Gibbs, Jack's First Mate.
"This, luv, is Mr. Gibbs, me First Mate aboard the Pearl. This is my daughter… Joana."
"Pleased to make yer acquaintance," Gibbs said, giving her a little bow of the head. He then realized the nature of what was just said by Jack, and his eyes widened.
"Jack, can I speak to ye fer a second, o'er here?" He glanced at Joana, who was giving him a glare of mild disapproval.
"Don' worry, Miss; it's somethin' ye'll benefit from, though I must present me idea to the Cap'n first."
She smiled, instantly liking the personality of this easygoing, grandfatherly-type man. Gibbs put an arm around Jack's back, leading him towards the gunwale.
"Cap'n, bein' as now yer very own flesh an' blood is present aboard the ship, I am hereby movin' my bunk to the forecastle so she can have a comfy cot within yer ca—"
"Now, stop right there, Mr. Gibbs."
Jack held a finger up to shush the First Mate. Gibbs was taken aback by this response.
"I have no clue wot I'm supposed to do an' wot is inappropriate." He paused. "Rather, I feel that her bein' in me cabin is rather inappropriate, as opposed to her bein'—"
Gibbs was slightly perturbed.
"Bein' where, Cap'n? Surely ye can't stow her in the forecastle with the crew."
Jack looked crestfallen for a moment.
"Of course not. Wot about Lizzie's cabin? She could sleep—"
"'Tis only one bed. Yer cabin is big enough fer two. She can stay on the cot that I eventually moved in there, if ye recall. There be plenty o' hammocks fer me in the forecastle. Jus' drape some curtains or whatnot o'er half o' the room. Ye two have much to catch up on. Ye best get started now, before we be makin' berth again—"
The worried frown on Jack's face was replaced by a mischievous smile, as he came up with a new idea.
"Well, wot of th' cabin of our dear Hec—"
Barbossa's voice suddenly cut in, and soon he was standing right in front of the two men.
"Gents, gents, 'tis enough arguin' fer a day. We've worse problems than what ye two are bickerin' about, bein' as we've completely run out of food."
"And rum," Marty added, approaching the group from his station.
Barbossa patted his sidearm, a grin spreading across his face, looking at Jack's empty belt.
"Jus' so's yer aware, Sparrow, this time I be choosin' our nex' stop."
Fin
So here's my post-story poll. If you liked reading this story, please help me figure out if I should write a sequel, and if so, what you'd like to see. The more votes for choices, the more likely it will appear!
Here goes:
1.) Do you want a sequel?
(a) yes
(b) no
If you have chosen (b), then no need to answer any more questions. If you have chosen (a), please continue!
2.) What would you like to see in this story? (please choose more than one letter, unless you only want one, of course)
(a) Descriptive flashback(s)
(b) Beckett torture (not excessively graphic)
(c) - (your opinion)
(d) big battle sequence(s)
(e) love scene(s)
(f) A possible appearance from Will
(g) none of the above
3.) What sort of pairings, if any, might you like to see in this story? (you may also choose more than one letter if you so wish)
(a) Heavy Beckabeth
(b) Light Beckabeth
(c) Sparrabeth
(d) no char/char pairings
(e) Joana/OC
(f) Jack/OC
(g) -(your opinion)
4.) Would you like this story to include character's thoughts in italics?
(a) yes/whatever, I don't mind it
(b) no, I hate it
5.) Which point of view would you like this story to be told from?
(a) third person – sees all, everyone's thoughts, everyone's actions (like Beckett's Debt and A Touch of Destiny)
(b) first person – sees everything only from one person's perspective (like my story Mr. Monk and the New Assistant)
(c) a mixture of third person and first person
(d) doesn't matter
If you have chosen A, skip question 6
6.) If you want first-person POV storytelling, whose view do you want it to be?
(a) Beckett's
(b) Elizabeth's
(c) Joana's
(d) -'s (your opinion)
7.) Is there anything else you'd like to see, or would you like to add some detail(s) about something you'd like to see that you noted above?
Unlike the U.S.'s Electoral College, your vote will matter in this. The more votes I can get on a particular aspect of the new story, the more likely it is to occur. So please vote; you only need say for example 1)a2)a,e,f3)a,e, etc. I promise not to do the review reply for your poll votes. So you needn't explain why you chose what you did. I will only reply to your poll votes if it is expressly desired in said message. Your anonymity in voting as you do is assured. You can even vote under complete anonymity, and your vote will matter all the same! So please vote! The sooner I get the poll results, the sooner I can start writing the new story! I'm excited and ready to go with it!
One more thing: what sort of rating would you like this story to be? I have had 2 or 3 express an interest for an M rating. So... M or T? Hope you notice this.
Well, I hope you liked this story! Thanks for your interest!