He's a Pirate -- Chapter Eleven
Title: He's a Pirate
Author: megansleevwillo
Disclaimer: The POTC characters belong to Disney and the originals belong to me. They're my brain chillun and I will treat them as such.
Pairing and Characters: Will/Liz, Captain Jack Sparrow, Commodore Norrington, the crew of the Black Pearl, and OCs abound.
Rating: PG-13, will amend if certain chapters breach this.
Warnings: None this chapter.
Summary: AU after The Curse of the Black Pearl. Will and Liz married and settled in Port Royale and shortly after became the parents of a little girl named Alice. The family was happy until the day pirates raided the Jamaican capital and Elizabeth and Ali were taken hostage. After a lengthy search with no results, Will was condemned to forever wondering where his family was until the quartermaster of a certain pirate ship shows up...
Chapter Eleven Hiding
After quickly devising a plan, the three women and the monkey climbed the vine up through the hole and found some fallen trees nearby. They then proceeded to drag them to the clearing and work on brushing the sand away. Underneath the sand was rock, and Elizabeth and Chris figured the hole was a weak spot in the cave's roof. Chris and Elizabeth then wedged the fallen logs down so that they covered the entire hole, except for a spot big enough to squeeze through, and then the sand was replaced to try and camouflage the wood. As they finished, the women and monkey (who was sitting upon Ali's shoulder) stood back to observe their handiwork.
"It's going to be dark in there." Elizabeth said, looking at the hole.
"We can use the lantern from the captain's cabin." Chris replied. "Let's just hope this is stable enough if someone walks on it. I don't fancy being awoken by a rain of men." Ali laughed at the image.
The vine was now tied to one of the logs so that no one would notice it. Chris had lugged a flat rock to cover the space that would allow them to enter and exit and yet still contribute to the ruse. Now, as the sun disappeared, Elizabeth took Ali into her arms and they slid down the rope into the cave first. The monkey rode with them, letting out a screech along the way. Chris climbed down the rope enough so that she was inside the cover of the cavern before grabbing the flat rock and sliding it over the hole. The inside of the cavern was dark as she continued down the rope, but by the time she reached the water, her eyes adjusted.
Before heading above, the four had salvaged some bedding from the Tempest and hauled it to their resting place, along with the lantern from the captain's cabin and the flint. As Chris made her way to the treasure island, she saw Ali and Elizabeth arranging the bedding. The treasure wasn't comfortable, but it was a far cry better than sleeping in the water or on a ship that held who knew how many corpses. Chris found the flint and lit the lantern, turning it down low enough so that it only cast light on the island of treasure. The women and monkey then dove into their dinner for the night: bananas.
Ali, after eating a few bananas, dozed off lying in her mother's lap. Elizabeth held her for a short while before picking her up and laying her in the most abundant bedding and covering her with a blanket. Chris watched from where she had propped a golden chest up as a backrest. "It's been forever since I was able to do that, it seems." Elizabeth said, tucking a stray lock of Ali's hair behind her ear. "My heart has ached for her and Will ever since I was captured and Ali and I parted. I never knew I could hurt so much, and now… Now I have her back again, and I will have Will shortly." She sniffed and turned to Chris, a smile of genuine happiness on her lips. "Do you and Jack have children?"
Chris's eyes just about popped out of her head as she drew it back, and then she burst out laughing. "You -You think Jack and I are - are together? Like married?" She chortled so loud Ali started to stir. Chris clapped her hands to her mouth, her stomach bouncing with laughter. The monkey, full of bananas, looked at her grumpily.
"Ali and I were talking, and she called Jack Uncle and you Auntie, so I assumed -" Elizabeth said, her cheeks flushing with color in the dim light.
"She was sorely mistaken." Chris laughed, and then she hiccupped. "Jack as a father? Ah, could you imagine!" Her smile softened. "Could you imagine?" She asked and shook her head.
"Then what's your story? How'd you get into pirating? You don't speak like most of them. Well, you can, but I've also noticed you have some refinement and propriety about you." Elizabeth said, staring at her dimly lit face.
Chris sighed. She was hesitant to share details of her past with most pirates, for she had a rather privileged background compared to most and it may seem that her tendency towards piracy was a waste of what she could have had and could have been. But Elizabeth had been honest with her and she would be the same. Chris let out a sigh, wishing she had some rum, and began. "I was born to a noble family in England. It was me mum's second husband, and I had an older brother already from her first marriage. I had a grand childhood, and me brother and I were best mates, the very best. But he was in the Navy and called to serve in Jamaica, so we were separated. After that, me dad only wanted what was best for me, so he arranged a marriage between a wealthy lord and myself when I was about fourteen or fifteen. He just wanted to make sure I was going to be taken care of." She let out a sigh at that. "The lord's name was Edward Malcolm."
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she stared at Chris as though asking if she were serious. "The son of John Malcolm?" She asked.
"Aye. But I didn't know his true nature, neither did my father. But that is not the end of the story! I sailed for the Caribbean on a merchant ship named the Eliza May. She was taken by a pirate named Torin Malloy, and the captain gave him the idea that I could be ransomed not only for my father's money, but that of my intended. The captain told Torin this in exchange for keeping his ship, and Torin let him have the ship except without the cargo. I was going to be ransomed, and Torin did his best to protect me from any… Lustful ideas the crew might have in store for me.
"Only a true man of honor would do something like that. The pirate ship was attacked by Spaniards and I ended up saving Torin Malloy's life. In gratitude, he offered to put me off at any port. Instead, I decided to turn pirate." Chris' voice softened as the story drew near to its conclusion. She stared into the lantern, a certain light seeming to awake in her eyes as she finished. "Whenever we docked in Tortuga, Captain Jack Sparrow was always kind to me in the taverns, and about two years ago when I was eighteen, Torin Malloy met the love of his life and retired. I was in Tortuga when it happened, and Captain Jack Sparrow he told me he was signing crew onto his long lost ship the Black Pearl, so I signed on." She blinked and the light in her eyes was gone. "A year ago I became quartermaster, and then all this happened." Chris picked up a banana and peeled it. "Not a fairy tale, I know, but it is my life."
"It is a life you have made for yourself, Chris." Elizabeth said. "And a life worth living, if I do say so myself." She smiled, and Chris couldn't help but smile back.
Near dawn, the Black Pearl and the Dauntless approached the very island the three women and one monkey were on. Jack had retired for a few hours of sleep before manning the helm again, accompanied by Will, and now he pointed. "There! That must be Malcolm's ship!" Jack said in the dark, pointing to the white sails that shone in the moonlight in one of the island's bays. "I thought they'd follow this course… Thank you Lady Luck!"
"Let's tell Norrington and go find Ali and Chris before the worst happens." Will said, crossing to the starboard side, off which the Dauntless glided.
"Aye, mate." Jack said. "Mr. Cotton!" The aforementioned man's parrot squawked as his master jolted awake by his name being called. Over the past hour, the crew had slumped in the rigging with sleep. "Mr. Cotton, if you would take the con…"
The Dauntless only glided less than a hundred feet apart from the Pearl. Jack called across the water in a hushed voice. "Oi! Norrington!"
After a few moments' silence, the reply came back. "Yes?"
"That ship, that's Malcolm's. We've found 'em!" Jack replied, unable to keep from smiling.
"They won't be expecting a night assault." Norrington called back. "I'll have my men launch their boats."
"I don't think so you bloody wanker!" Jack replied.
"Wanker?"
"Enough!" Will hissed. "I think what Jack is trying to say," Will looked sharply at his pirate friend, "Is that all alarms will be sounded if half a dozen or more jolly boats start tendering towards the shore. We should take one boat and scope out what's going on, and then return when we have more information."
There was silence from Norrington's end. "You could have been a strategist, Turner. Lower a jolly boat, cross over, and some of my men and I will row in with you."
Half an hour later, a jolly boat with an equal amount of armed pirates and armed British sailors was rowing towards the ship anchored in the bay. As they approached the ship, Jack held a finger to his lips and they listened for any sound from above. They were not disappointed.
"Captain says they've been searching the island all over, can't find that slag and the rat." A voice growled from up on deck.
"If he had given them torches…" Another man replied.
Jack then directed them to row away from the ship, and as soon as they could whisper without threat of being heard, Jack said, "'Slag' was definitely in reference to Chris. They should have called Ali 'mouse,' rats are not as cute as mice…"
Norrington rolled his eyes and one of the sailors asked, "What do we do now?"
"We head to the island." Will broke in. "We can find Chris and Ali, the Pearl and the Dauntless can take Malcolm's ship by surprise in the dark, blow it sky high! The cannon fire will probably draw Chris and Ali out, and then we can all head home."
"The eunuch has a point!" Jack said, patting Will on the back.
"Only a few should go into the island." Norrington said. "The bigger the group, the more of a chance we have to get caught. Myself, Mr. Murtogg, and Mr. Mullroy will accompany Mr. Sparrow and Mr. Turner onto the island, the rest will aid the Black Pearl with the Dauntless."
No one argued. The jolly boat was rowed to the shore and Will, Jack, Norrington, Murtogg, and Mullroy stepped onto the beach. "Attack as soon as the sun rises!" Norrington commanded as the jolly boat was pushed back out to sea. Jack checked his pistol and sword one last time and then turned to the dark tree line. "I hate nature." He commented.
The five men delved into the forest, taking care not to make too much noise, as well as listening for any sound of Malcolm's men. They found that it was easier to head uphill, as the vegetation was not as thick. They continued their hike, hands on hilts and triggers as the ominously silent night began to draw to an end.
Pretty soon, the horizon began to glow orange, and Jack quickened his pace, knowing that they wouldn't have much time before the Pearl and Dauntless attacked to try and find the quartermaster and child before the cannon went off. The group made it to a clearing and noticed the ground was rather lumpy, but appeared to be made of sand. Jack took a step forward and felt how uneven the sand was. "Now this isn't right…" He said, kicking up a spray of sand to reveal old logs underneath. "Look at this!" Norrington, Murtogg, Mullroy, and Will joined him as he kicked more sand from the logs. "Something's under here!" Jack announced. He began to jump up and down several times, as though testing to see if what lay underneath was hollow.
"Jack, I don't think you should -" Will began. The pirate jumped again and there was a cracking sound as all of the logs gave way, making the men fall into large gaping hole.
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
WHUMPF!
Norrington, Murtogg, Will, and Mullroy all fell into the water while Jack somehow landed on the pile of treasure, not more than three feet away from the sleeping form of his quartermaster. Chris awoke with a start, immediately throwing her fists into the air to sock whoever she saw. Upon seeing her captain, she clapped a hand to her breast. "Lord, Sparrow," She said, "You know how to make an entrance."
"Only one of my many gifts, love." Jack groaned, sitting up. "Ahh my back -" He cocked his head to the side at the sight of the Tempest. "Um. Ship?" he pointed.
"Long story." Chris replied.
Norrington, Mullroy, Murtogg, and Will had all stood up in the water, looking like drowned rats. "I've brought rescue!" Jack stood and slid down into the water, taking some treasure with him. Ali and Elizabeth stirred as Chris followed suit. Norrington dumped a large amount of water from his hat and straightened his wig as Jack presented Chris. "Norrington, my lad, this is my quartermaster, Christiana." He figured it would really chafe Norrington's rigging to see a female pirate. Jack grinned with anxious expectation.
Norrington froze, as did Chris. "Christiana?" He asked, his hat falling from his hands, forgotten.
"J-Jamie?" Chris replied, her jaw dropping.
The pirate captain's brow furrowed in confusion. "You two know each other?" He asked, his head whipping back and forth between the two.
"Yes…" Chris responded. "Captain, may I present my brother?"
Author: megansleevwillo
Disclaimer: The POTC characters belong to Disney and the originals belong to me. They're my brain chillun and I will treat them as such.
Pairing and Characters: Will/Liz, Captain Jack Sparrow, Commodore Norrington, the crew of the Black Pearl, and OCs abound.
Rating: PG-13, will amend if certain chapters breach this.
Warnings: None this chapter.
Summary: AU after The Curse of the Black Pearl. Will and Liz married and settled in Port Royale and shortly after became the parents of a little girl named Alice. The family was happy until the day pirates raided the Jamaican capital and Elizabeth and Ali were taken hostage. After a lengthy search with no results, Will was condemned to forever wondering where his family was until the quartermaster of a certain pirate ship shows up...
Chapter Eleven Hiding
After quickly devising a plan, the three women and the monkey climbed the vine up through the hole and found some fallen trees nearby. They then proceeded to drag them to the clearing and work on brushing the sand away. Underneath the sand was rock, and Elizabeth and Chris figured the hole was a weak spot in the cave's roof. Chris and Elizabeth then wedged the fallen logs down so that they covered the entire hole, except for a spot big enough to squeeze through, and then the sand was replaced to try and camouflage the wood. As they finished, the women and monkey (who was sitting upon Ali's shoulder) stood back to observe their handiwork.
"It's going to be dark in there." Elizabeth said, looking at the hole.
"We can use the lantern from the captain's cabin." Chris replied. "Let's just hope this is stable enough if someone walks on it. I don't fancy being awoken by a rain of men." Ali laughed at the image.
The vine was now tied to one of the logs so that no one would notice it. Chris had lugged a flat rock to cover the space that would allow them to enter and exit and yet still contribute to the ruse. Now, as the sun disappeared, Elizabeth took Ali into her arms and they slid down the rope into the cave first. The monkey rode with them, letting out a screech along the way. Chris climbed down the rope enough so that she was inside the cover of the cavern before grabbing the flat rock and sliding it over the hole. The inside of the cavern was dark as she continued down the rope, but by the time she reached the water, her eyes adjusted.
Before heading above, the four had salvaged some bedding from the Tempest and hauled it to their resting place, along with the lantern from the captain's cabin and the flint. As Chris made her way to the treasure island, she saw Ali and Elizabeth arranging the bedding. The treasure wasn't comfortable, but it was a far cry better than sleeping in the water or on a ship that held who knew how many corpses. Chris found the flint and lit the lantern, turning it down low enough so that it only cast light on the island of treasure. The women and monkey then dove into their dinner for the night: bananas.
Ali, after eating a few bananas, dozed off lying in her mother's lap. Elizabeth held her for a short while before picking her up and laying her in the most abundant bedding and covering her with a blanket. Chris watched from where she had propped a golden chest up as a backrest. "It's been forever since I was able to do that, it seems." Elizabeth said, tucking a stray lock of Ali's hair behind her ear. "My heart has ached for her and Will ever since I was captured and Ali and I parted. I never knew I could hurt so much, and now… Now I have her back again, and I will have Will shortly." She sniffed and turned to Chris, a smile of genuine happiness on her lips. "Do you and Jack have children?"
Chris's eyes just about popped out of her head as she drew it back, and then she burst out laughing. "You -You think Jack and I are - are together? Like married?" She chortled so loud Ali started to stir. Chris clapped her hands to her mouth, her stomach bouncing with laughter. The monkey, full of bananas, looked at her grumpily.
"Ali and I were talking, and she called Jack Uncle and you Auntie, so I assumed -" Elizabeth said, her cheeks flushing with color in the dim light.
"She was sorely mistaken." Chris laughed, and then she hiccupped. "Jack as a father? Ah, could you imagine!" Her smile softened. "Could you imagine?" She asked and shook her head.
"Then what's your story? How'd you get into pirating? You don't speak like most of them. Well, you can, but I've also noticed you have some refinement and propriety about you." Elizabeth said, staring at her dimly lit face.
Chris sighed. She was hesitant to share details of her past with most pirates, for she had a rather privileged background compared to most and it may seem that her tendency towards piracy was a waste of what she could have had and could have been. But Elizabeth had been honest with her and she would be the same. Chris let out a sigh, wishing she had some rum, and began. "I was born to a noble family in England. It was me mum's second husband, and I had an older brother already from her first marriage. I had a grand childhood, and me brother and I were best mates, the very best. But he was in the Navy and called to serve in Jamaica, so we were separated. After that, me dad only wanted what was best for me, so he arranged a marriage between a wealthy lord and myself when I was about fourteen or fifteen. He just wanted to make sure I was going to be taken care of." She let out a sigh at that. "The lord's name was Edward Malcolm."
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she stared at Chris as though asking if she were serious. "The son of John Malcolm?" She asked.
"Aye. But I didn't know his true nature, neither did my father. But that is not the end of the story! I sailed for the Caribbean on a merchant ship named the Eliza May. She was taken by a pirate named Torin Malloy, and the captain gave him the idea that I could be ransomed not only for my father's money, but that of my intended. The captain told Torin this in exchange for keeping his ship, and Torin let him have the ship except without the cargo. I was going to be ransomed, and Torin did his best to protect me from any… Lustful ideas the crew might have in store for me.
"Only a true man of honor would do something like that. The pirate ship was attacked by Spaniards and I ended up saving Torin Malloy's life. In gratitude, he offered to put me off at any port. Instead, I decided to turn pirate." Chris' voice softened as the story drew near to its conclusion. She stared into the lantern, a certain light seeming to awake in her eyes as she finished. "Whenever we docked in Tortuga, Captain Jack Sparrow was always kind to me in the taverns, and about two years ago when I was eighteen, Torin Malloy met the love of his life and retired. I was in Tortuga when it happened, and Captain Jack Sparrow he told me he was signing crew onto his long lost ship the Black Pearl, so I signed on." She blinked and the light in her eyes was gone. "A year ago I became quartermaster, and then all this happened." Chris picked up a banana and peeled it. "Not a fairy tale, I know, but it is my life."
"It is a life you have made for yourself, Chris." Elizabeth said. "And a life worth living, if I do say so myself." She smiled, and Chris couldn't help but smile back.
Near dawn, the Black Pearl and the Dauntless approached the very island the three women and one monkey were on. Jack had retired for a few hours of sleep before manning the helm again, accompanied by Will, and now he pointed. "There! That must be Malcolm's ship!" Jack said in the dark, pointing to the white sails that shone in the moonlight in one of the island's bays. "I thought they'd follow this course… Thank you Lady Luck!"
"Let's tell Norrington and go find Ali and Chris before the worst happens." Will said, crossing to the starboard side, off which the Dauntless glided.
"Aye, mate." Jack said. "Mr. Cotton!" The aforementioned man's parrot squawked as his master jolted awake by his name being called. Over the past hour, the crew had slumped in the rigging with sleep. "Mr. Cotton, if you would take the con…"
The Dauntless only glided less than a hundred feet apart from the Pearl. Jack called across the water in a hushed voice. "Oi! Norrington!"
After a few moments' silence, the reply came back. "Yes?"
"That ship, that's Malcolm's. We've found 'em!" Jack replied, unable to keep from smiling.
"They won't be expecting a night assault." Norrington called back. "I'll have my men launch their boats."
"I don't think so you bloody wanker!" Jack replied.
"Wanker?"
"Enough!" Will hissed. "I think what Jack is trying to say," Will looked sharply at his pirate friend, "Is that all alarms will be sounded if half a dozen or more jolly boats start tendering towards the shore. We should take one boat and scope out what's going on, and then return when we have more information."
There was silence from Norrington's end. "You could have been a strategist, Turner. Lower a jolly boat, cross over, and some of my men and I will row in with you."
Half an hour later, a jolly boat with an equal amount of armed pirates and armed British sailors was rowing towards the ship anchored in the bay. As they approached the ship, Jack held a finger to his lips and they listened for any sound from above. They were not disappointed.
"Captain says they've been searching the island all over, can't find that slag and the rat." A voice growled from up on deck.
"If he had given them torches…" Another man replied.
Jack then directed them to row away from the ship, and as soon as they could whisper without threat of being heard, Jack said, "'Slag' was definitely in reference to Chris. They should have called Ali 'mouse,' rats are not as cute as mice…"
Norrington rolled his eyes and one of the sailors asked, "What do we do now?"
"We head to the island." Will broke in. "We can find Chris and Ali, the Pearl and the Dauntless can take Malcolm's ship by surprise in the dark, blow it sky high! The cannon fire will probably draw Chris and Ali out, and then we can all head home."
"The eunuch has a point!" Jack said, patting Will on the back.
"Only a few should go into the island." Norrington said. "The bigger the group, the more of a chance we have to get caught. Myself, Mr. Murtogg, and Mr. Mullroy will accompany Mr. Sparrow and Mr. Turner onto the island, the rest will aid the Black Pearl with the Dauntless."
No one argued. The jolly boat was rowed to the shore and Will, Jack, Norrington, Murtogg, and Mullroy stepped onto the beach. "Attack as soon as the sun rises!" Norrington commanded as the jolly boat was pushed back out to sea. Jack checked his pistol and sword one last time and then turned to the dark tree line. "I hate nature." He commented.
The five men delved into the forest, taking care not to make too much noise, as well as listening for any sound of Malcolm's men. They found that it was easier to head uphill, as the vegetation was not as thick. They continued their hike, hands on hilts and triggers as the ominously silent night began to draw to an end.
Pretty soon, the horizon began to glow orange, and Jack quickened his pace, knowing that they wouldn't have much time before the Pearl and Dauntless attacked to try and find the quartermaster and child before the cannon went off. The group made it to a clearing and noticed the ground was rather lumpy, but appeared to be made of sand. Jack took a step forward and felt how uneven the sand was. "Now this isn't right…" He said, kicking up a spray of sand to reveal old logs underneath. "Look at this!" Norrington, Murtogg, Mullroy, and Will joined him as he kicked more sand from the logs. "Something's under here!" Jack announced. He began to jump up and down several times, as though testing to see if what lay underneath was hollow.
"Jack, I don't think you should -" Will began. The pirate jumped again and there was a cracking sound as all of the logs gave way, making the men fall into large gaping hole.
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
WHUMPF!
Norrington, Murtogg, Will, and Mullroy all fell into the water while Jack somehow landed on the pile of treasure, not more than three feet away from the sleeping form of his quartermaster. Chris awoke with a start, immediately throwing her fists into the air to sock whoever she saw. Upon seeing her captain, she clapped a hand to her breast. "Lord, Sparrow," She said, "You know how to make an entrance."
"Only one of my many gifts, love." Jack groaned, sitting up. "Ahh my back -" He cocked his head to the side at the sight of the Tempest. "Um. Ship?" he pointed.
"Long story." Chris replied.
Norrington, Mullroy, Murtogg, and Will had all stood up in the water, looking like drowned rats. "I've brought rescue!" Jack stood and slid down into the water, taking some treasure with him. Ali and Elizabeth stirred as Chris followed suit. Norrington dumped a large amount of water from his hat and straightened his wig as Jack presented Chris. "Norrington, my lad, this is my quartermaster, Christiana." He figured it would really chafe Norrington's rigging to see a female pirate. Jack grinned with anxious expectation.
Norrington froze, as did Chris. "Christiana?" He asked, his hat falling from his hands, forgotten.
"J-Jamie?" Chris replied, her jaw dropping.
The pirate captain's brow furrowed in confusion. "You two know each other?" He asked, his head whipping back and forth between the two.
"Yes…" Chris responded. "Captain, may I present my brother?"