Commandeering Commodore
Chapter 48
"Bugger bugger bugger bugger….." Jack mumbled to himself over and over again as he paced the deck, every once and a while glaring at the ship that was disappearing over the horizon.
Will and Elizabeth decided this would be a good time to go below, Teague stood there smiling, and James seeing an opportunity headed over for Jack.
"So tell me Captain Sparrow," James said with a smirk as he stepped up next to him, his hands clasp behind his back, "Do you plan this all out or does it just seem to happen naturally to you?"
Jack shot him a dirty look and then flopping his arms about said, "Seems to me Commodore you being on my ship puts you in the same boat I am." Then smiling at his unintended humor, looked at James to see if he had gotten it, and seeing James give him one of his Commodorely looks in return continued with his bugger bugger bugger.
"None the less Captain, it would appear we need to find land very soon or all run the risk of becoming guests of Davey Jones." James said, paused for a moment and then looking at Jack questioningly said, "Do you have any idea where there may be any land close enough to save us that particular pleasure?"
"Not at the moment Commodore, but believe me I'm workin on it." Jack said in a sarcastic tone as he waved his arms about, then with a sour look on his face went on, "One visit with that personage was quite enough."
Teague walked over and said, "Jackie if ya want my advice….."
"I want your map not your advice!" Jack interrupted snippily as he glared at the man. "But it appears you don't know the opportune moment to give either one of them away."
"What if ya could have both Jackie?" Teague said with a smile.
"A fine ideal I'm sure, but in case you haven't noticed mate they've sailed off leavin us here in the middle of…of……of this." Jack replied still snippily as he flopped his hands around wildly. "And I have a hole in me Pearl thanks ta you."
"Can't hardly be blaming me fer that." Teague said a bit defensively.
"Can and do!" Jack replied in a tone full of irritation.
"Well then I'll just be toddlin off ta partake of a bit of rum since ya don't seem the least bit interested in the bearin of the island I happen to know about." Teague said with a shrug as he turned to head off to the galley.
"You're not even from around here!" Jack said, "How would you possibly know about what island is where?"
Teague gave his biggest smile and throwing his arms up and out said in a fine imitation of his son, "I'm Captain Teague Sparrow." He heard the Commodore let out a snort as he turned and headed off across the deck.
It took Jack a moment but then he was sashaying in a panicked manner, arms and hands flopping wildly after the retreating man, having caught the look in the man's eyes and knowing how stubborn and obtuse the man could be and not doubting for a bit he'd go down with the ship rather than give up the heading once he'd said he wouldn't. "Hold on there a minute, no reason to be rash about it. I'm sure we can come to some kind of an accord here mate…. some agreement of sorts as it were……..surely some terms we can harmonize over……. some common ground ta be meetin on." and then with his face scrunched up in an almost painful expression he said it, the word he swore when he was twelve years old he would never utter out loud again. It didn't come easy and he wasn't sure he would be able to say it loud enough for the man to even hear, wasn't even sure he wouldn't choke to death on the sound, but this was the survival of his Pearl he was dealing with, his reason for living since he first laid eyes on her, he was desperate, and desperation he'd found over the years will make a man do strange things, things he wouldn't otherwise do, so he took a deep breath and made it come out, forced it from his lips no matter how hard it wanted to stay bottled up inside him……. "Da."
Teague stopped dead in his tracks, his head snapping up in shock. He didn't turn around right away, sensing how hard it had been for the man to say that one little word, the word Teague hadn't heard for decades, hadn't ever though he would hear again, had given up hope of ever hearing again, the word he had taken from his son by not being anywhere near what the word implied. He felt the guilt for being the cause for saying it now come crashing down on his shoulders, and at the sound of that word felt the guilt for having done nothing over the years to change the fact that he didn't deserve it. He stood as he was for what seemed like forever, telling himself he was giving the man behind him the chance to get himself under control, knowing in truth it was because he was trying to get himself under control, trying to master the emotions that were welling up inside him. He did finally turn around when he was able to put a sham of a cocky grin on his face, although his eyes refused to go along with the whole charade. He looked at Jack and saw he was having the same trouble and looked down at the deck. He cleared his throat and said in an overly cheery tone as he finally focused his eyes somewhere over Jack's left shoulder, "Now what say you we go find that island?"
Jack met his eyes for a brief moment and paused for a handful of heartbeats, then turned his head and shouted, "Mr. Gibbs!"
"Aye Cap'n?" Gibbs answered from the wheel.
"We have our heading." Jack said, then without another look or word to anyone headed for his cabin. Teague, without a word or a look, headed for the wheel.
James, who was in a position to see both men's faces during the exchange, watched with fascination as emotions he would never in his wildest dreams attributed to either of the two men washed over their countenances. He stood there for sometime after the two men departed mulling over what he had just witnessed.
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Jack entered his cabin, went to the cupboard, grabbed a bottle of rum, sat at his desk, kicked his feet up on the desk crossing his ankles, and began doing his best to empty the bottle in his hand, and thinking about maybe empting a couple more after that.
"Go away!" Jack shouted at the knock at the door.
Teague opened the door and stepped inside the cabin anyway.
Jack looked at him, took a long swig from the bottle and said angrily as he waved the bottle around, "That wasn't enough for ya? Have ya come ta hear it again? Or perhaps yer expectin a lovin hug from yer dear son now?"
Teague stepped over to the desk without answering. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of well worn paper, and unfolding it held it in front of Jack.
"Not a thing I kin do about the years past Jackie, and this don't make up for a bit nor half of it. But just so ya know, I'm not fully a scoundrel, mostly mayhaps but not fully, same as yerself. You'll be getting yer part of the treasure." He folded the paper and put it back in his pocket and turned and walked out the door.
To Be Continued
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