A/N: Hope you enjoy...tell me what you think about Arabella and the person from POTC1 I'm bringing back...hee hee hee...
peace, love and lipgloss,
Mlle.Fox
Captain James Norrington looked over his new crew. Some common laborers were mixed in with EIC military sailors. The ship was in perfect order, just as he liked it. They were preparing to make way when Norrington bumped into one of his crew mates.
"I apologize, sailor." Norrington said distracted.
"Don't mention it." said the feminine voice. James blinked and then looked at the figure standing before him. He lifted the floppy hat to find himself looking into a pair of warm brown eyes. Beautiful cat like eyes. The mulatto woman smirked at him and said,
"Paint a portrait it will last longer."
"You're a woman?" asked Norrington.
"I'm a sailor first. And I was hired same as everyone else. Who be you?" the woman glared at him.
"CAPTAIN James Norrington...Miss?" James replied smugly. The woman blanched at insulting her commanding officer before ducking her head and replying,
"Anamaria..."
"No last name?" he asked.
"Slave owners don't give them out and I didn't want to claim his..." she said coldly. Norrington looked away this time.
"Sorry..."
"Norrington...didn't you use to be Commodore at the fort?" she asked suspicious. Norrington looked at her and said sarcastically,
"I use to be...now I'm Lord Beckett's golden retriever. Anymore questions Miss Anamaria?"
"No sir." Anamaria said shaking her head.
"Good. Carry on then." Norrington ordered walking off to inspect the rest of the ship. Anamaria couldn't help but glance at the large leather pouch he carried on his belt. She could have sworn she heard a heartbeat.
Auburn. Her hair had been auburn. As red as a sailor's sunset he use to say. His hands tangled himself in those long precious waves of hers as she sat on his lap giggling.
"Jack...I mean...Captain Sparrow...you're about to sail out..." she told him with a breathy Welsh accent. He continued to kiss her neck muttering into her ear,
"We can always stow ye away. And I know the perfect way for you to earn your keep..."
"Jack...we promised each other...Besides...you of all stowaways know it's not a pleasant experience." she told him looking into his deep brown eyes. They sat in his new captain's cabin, with bay windows lining the walls, his bunk under one of these windows on the side. How tempted was he to pick her up and ravish her on said bunk? But a promise was a promise...
Looking at his fiancée as they sat together at his round desk, Jack told her,
"I know...but meeting a clever as a whip barmaid in Tortuga more than made up for it." She snuggled into his neck,
"Oh Jack...I'm going to miss you so much. Must you see Tia Dalma?" Sensing the jealously in her tone, he pulled her back and looked her square in the eye.
"Now Luv, don't fret. Mr. Beckett gave me the Wicked Wench on the agreement I got to keep her once I got this compass he wants from Tia. "
"I know...but Jack she's always...leering at you...like a side of beef..." she said disgusted at the idea.
"Hey I can handle her, remember?" Jack reminded her.
"Sure you want me to stay behind?" she asked him. He sighed and nodded,
"Aye...you have to get our house ready for the wedding and the rest of our lives, Savvy?" She smiled and rubbed her forehead with his,
"Who'd of thought two years ago I would love you as I do now? That being ship wrecked on this island together, poor as church mice and needing each other to survive would make us closer? Sometimes I miss those days on the Barnacle when we were still in blessed ignorance of our feelings for each other. Loving you has proved hazardous to my health Jack Sparrow!" He chuckled pecking her lips to his,
"Captain, Luv...CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow!"
Jack woke with a start from the warm bunk he had been sleeping in. As he calmed his racing heart, he groaned inside. Not the dreams...not again...He sat up, barely noticing he had a fresh pair of trousers, borrowed from the crew more likely. He was clean and smelling better than he had ever smelled in a long time. Of course anything was better than the breath of that beastie. Whoo! He saw his clothes and effects were on the table of what he assumed was the captain's cabin. Clean as well. He began to pull on his boots thinking about the last week and all that happened before.
He was alive. He had survived that creature with a tentacle for every tooth. Somebody up there must like him. Jack even mused to himself that maybe the Christ himself just wanted him to get up there to tell him of his adventures for all eternity. It was a comforting thought.
But why those dreams? Why those dreams of such joy they caused him pain? Why were they haunting him once more? He knew why. Because of stupid, ruddy Elizabeth Swann. And her stupid, ruddy way of being right about things. And her stupid, ruddy ability to think like him and catch him off his guard. And her stupid, ruddy kiss. That kiss had brought along with it so many memories. Sure he was attracted to her. More attracted to her than any wench he had met in Tortuga. He even thought for a moment back on the Black Pearl that she just might be the lass he could let into his heart. A spot he had only reserved for one other woman. A woman who was a lot like Elizabeth in many ways. A woman who had been dead these thirteen years.
"Arabella..." he whispered to himself. He hadn't spoken that name in so long. Then he remembered Will. He couldn't do that to the whelp. Because A, Will would kill him. B, he and Elizabeth could never truly be. C, Will would kill him and D, Will would kill him. And Jack hated to be killed. He was about to put on his clothes, when he picked up his white shirt from the stack. With a panic, he looked down at himself and saw he was wearing nothing but bandages and a few new scars.
"Oh bugger..." he said realizing they had seen his pirate brand. He quickly dressed, carefully creeping up to the door and peeking out at the working fishermen. He wondered if he could make off with one of their lifeboats when he heard behind him,
"Going somewhere...pirate?" The click of a pistol was what Jack heard as he turned around. That was when Jack noticed the second door heading up to the quarterdeck, and the captain aiming his gun straight at Jack's heart. Jack gulped before saying cheerfully,
"No...unless I'm taking too much room which by all means I'd be happy to relive myself of your presence Sir."
"Listen very carefully...I was going to drop you off at Tortuga..." the captain said as Jack smiled."But I think I'll just maroon you instead." Jack's face fell.
"Maroon? As in...leave me with nothing but my pistol and a single shot? That kind of marooning?" Jack asked.
"No...we'll leave you with some supplies and food. Hopefully you can barter passage from a nearby ship. I realized when you're identity was revealed that dropping a pirate off at Tortuga would only look bad on my part as if you took passage from me." he captain explained.
"No worst than dropping off an innocent stranger in a vicious pirate port all by his onesies..." Jack mused.
"I'm sorry...but this is the way things must be. My crew threatens to mutiny if I don't have you punished in some form for being a pirate." the captain said. Jack nodded and smiled,
"Know the feeling myself, mate."
Barbossa sat on a barrel eating a large green apple as Will paced nearby. He kept glancing to the main street of Tortuga, watching for any sign of the redhead.
"She'll be here mate. We told her to come at nine sharp when the tide goes out." Barbossa told him. Will stopped pacing and asked the older pirate,
"How does Miss Morgan know Jack exactly?" Barbossa shrugged,
"Don't rightly know the tale myself. I figured they must have had something cooking once...much like...you and Miss Elizabeth..." Will looked away and began to pace again, his light brown eyes holding back anger. After a moments silence, Barbossa asked the boy,
"What did she do to you Lad? What vexed you so?" Will glared at Barbossa,
"I make a point of avoiding private matters with men who tried to kill me." Barbossa nodded,
"Fair enough." Then he shifted his eyes to the streets and smiled, "Ah...there she is now!" Will turned and saw the redhead, with a leather bag slung over her shoulder.
"Good day Miss Morgan." Will told her. She nodded and looked to the same fishing boat at the end of the dock.
"Barbossa. Please tell me that dilapidated piece of sea horse poo ain't our ship?" Arabella asked the tall scruffy pirate. Barbossa told her,
"It was all they had down at the Blue Bayou."
"Why not just ask the illustrious Tia Dalma to conjure up something?" Arabella asked with a snide jealous streak lacing her tone.
"Apparently you have to pay extra." Barbossa quipped.
"Ah! Glad to hear she hasn't changed!" Arabella grinned.
"So are ye ready to cast off on our noble quest to rescue friend and foe, Arabella?" Barbossa asked her with a dramatic flare. She looked at Barbossa a moment before tossing her bag to Will and telling him,
"Here Turner. Make yourself useful and take my items to the ship. We'll be along in a bit.": Will nodded but eyed each of them suspiciously. If being friends or whatever he was with Jack Sparrow had taught him anything, it was this...never trust a pirate. As he walked back to the ship, he mused to himself that even included a certain fiancée. Arabella watched the lad go, before asking Barbossa,
"Alright Hector. Why do you really need me along anyhow? Being dead for about a year must have made you more than capable of handling the supernatural. So why need me?"
"I'll answer all your questions in my cabin..."Barbossa said trying to walk ahead. She stopped him with her commanding voice,
"No...now...Why?" Barbossa sighed and told her,
"Because only you know Captain Sao Feng, Pet..." Arabella grew uncomfortable and gingerly touched her stomach as if feeling for something. Then her cool demeanor returned and she said,
"So what part of the good Captain's collection of supernatural gadgetry do we need?"
"A map...to the Devil's Gate..." Barbossa answered watching Arabella's eyes widen with recognition. He added, "You've heard of it."
"The portal Hob and everything evil uses to travel to Purgatory and beyond...I've caught a glimpse...Have you told them?" Arabella asked nodding towards the crew. Barbossa shook his head,
"Not yet..."
"You better get to it...Ignorance ain't always bliss." Arabella said looking out to the sea as she said this.
"We will once we get underway and into open water." Barbossa said.
"Do we have any cannons on that floating shipwreck?" Arabella asked.
"One...why?" Barbossa asked.
"If we're facing down Sao Feng...we're gonna need it." Arabella said darkly.
The Lady Virgina was finally out on the open seas. It felt good to be a Captain again...in command...in control. He had quickly shown his command and gained their respect, threatening to give them Moses Law if he even looked at them cross eyed. A year ago he would have never considered being that cruel, but times had changed. He had changed.
Looking down to the decks, Norrington watched his crew work and pull in sails and tie things down. But he often caught himself glancing at that Anamaria woman. She too had quickly established herself on board, letting every man know she was not their plaything. He had only come in at the end, but he had found the woman standing over a man holding his crushed organs between his legs in the center of the crew. Now no man dared look at her...no man except him that is.
She had taken off her hat and her long black hair was blowing behind her in the wind. She looked so in place, so in tuned with the sea.So very beautiful. Norrington tried to tell himself that the only woman he wanted was Elizabeth Swann. They were of the same class, same background, same social circles...at least they had been. Elizabeth now by every account was a pirate. And he wasn't even in the British navy anymore. Would the wealthy merchants invite him over to tea with their beautiful daughters and granddaughters? No. Would the noble classes ever again ask his opinion on the state of affairs in Europe? Not likely. So it wasn't very surprising to him that he found the beautiful black woman attractive. They were in the same boat as it were.
Norrington had been so lost in his musings, that he did not notice that behind them on the port side, three figures bobbed along in the water watching the ship past. Then they dived below the breaking whitecaps, their blue fins glistening in the sunlight.
Jack sighed as he watched the long boat row back to the fishing vessel. At least they had given him some supplies to hold him a while. The waves lapped up on the shore, wetting his boots, as he raised his eyebrows in a slight mental shrug, and walked back over to the small crate they had given him. Extra gunpowder...shot...food he could stretch out for six weeks if he had to...fresh water...old sails to use for shade...But nothing delighted him more than seeing an amber bottle of rum near the bottom. He raised his face to heaven and shouted,
"Thank you!" He pulled out the rum and set it aside muttering, "Least somebody round here cares about me.." Then he glance around to his left, and to his right at the empty beach..."Course, bring the only other presence here..." he shrugged returning to searching his supplies. He reached for the bottle of rum, but his hand felt nothing but sand. His hand scrambled in the sand trying to find it. He looked, eyes wide with panic, when a chattering came to his ears. He looked up and saw a little brown monkey with a long tale screech at him, waving the bottle over his monkey. Jack growled, pulled out his pistol and fired, missing the creature by inches. As the monkey ran off terrified into the jungle, Jack muttered hotly, beginning to run after it,
"Monkeys, monkeys, monkeys! I hate monkeys!" He fought the brush and the tree branches, keeping his sharp eyes peeled for the pesky little ape. He spotted a brown tail and fired twice before running ahead again. The monkey tossed the bottle to his little friend, who jumped when he saw the crazy looking human take aim at him. He hollered and ducked just as Jack fired again. Jack took after the two monkeys as they tossed the rum back and forth among the trees. Jack swung his gun back and forth trying to catch one of them, when he tripped on a log and fell face first in a shallow pond. He sputtered and shook his wet dreadlocks, before spotting the two monkeys watching him in curiousity. They screeched again when Jack fired his pistol at them, but to Jack's dismay the monkeys ducked out of the way and his last bullet hit the bottle instead.
"No no no! I didn't mean it...I didn't...aw forget it!" he shouted as the two monkeys ran off. He sighed and began to pick himself up from the pond, when the wind changed. The sky grew dark and thundered rolled. He looked from the sky to the water beneath him. It was beginning to swirl and glow a bright blue.
"Uh oh..." he muttered. He got to his feet and started to run toward the water's edge, when the whirlpool opened the earth up and Jack was pulled in below it yelling,
"HEELLLPPPP!"