Shadows, Sails and Pirate Tales

Norrington and his crew climbed aboard the Dauntless, leaving the Interceptor totally unguarded. They were so confident that they would successfully catch the criminals attempting to commandeer their ship that they did not think to leave any protection for the ship they had themselves exited.

"Search every cabin!" Norrington ordered, moving towards the captain's cabin. Will, Bernadette and Jack swung onto the interceptor, and began sailing away before the men had even noticed they were not aboard the Dauntless anymore.

"Back to the interceptor, NOW!" Norrington ordered his men. The crew rushed to the side of the boat ready to leap but the boat was too far away, and nothing could be done. The interceptor sailed smoothly away from the docks, and away from Norrington and his crew. Will sharpened his sword, obviously his mind lay elsewhere.

"When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father." He said to Jack.

"Is that so?" Jack said, uninterested.

Will continued, "My father, Will Turner. At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father."

"I knew 'im. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." Jack told Will. "Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him."

"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." Will argued, he had relaxed his grip on his sword and was now staring at Jack with a pained expression on his face.

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag," Jack replied calmly.

"My father," Will began, grabbing tightly onto his sword, "Was not a pirate."

"Put it away, son, It's not worth you getting beat again," Jack said.

"Again? When did you fight him before?" Dette asked Will. She knew she'd be ignored but it was worth a try.

"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you." Will argued.

"When did you fight him?" Dette repeated, turning to ask Jack instead.

"In the smithy," Jack replied quickly. Turning to Will, Jack began, "Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?"

Jack swifltly knocked one on the sails so the yard caught Will, swinging him out above the water.

"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these. What a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy? So-" Jack continued, swinging Will back onto the boat and handing him a sword. "- can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"

"I can," Dette piped. "And I know Will can."

Begrudgingly taking the sword, Will asked what Tortuga was.

"We're here," Jack replied, bringing the boat into the harbour, "It is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"

"It'll linger," Will replied, as he turned to check on Bernadette. "Stay close," He told her. Scanning the area he knew it would not be safe for an un-chaperoned lady, the place just screamed danger.

"I will. You sound just like my father Will," She laughed, prodding him cheekily in the side.

"Nice to know," Will grinned, glad to finally hear some tones which were not dulcet.

"Enough chit-chat," Jack said loudly, "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted."

Jack was grinning widely at Bernadette and Will when a young lady appeared behind him.

"Scarlett!" He cried, before she slapped him across the face.

"Not sure I deserved that," Jack pouted. He was rubbing his face when another woman appeared beside him.

"Giselle!" Jack said, leaning away from the impending danger of a slap.

"Who was she?" Giselle asked, her fury clear to both Dette and Will.

"What?" Jack said, confused, before being slapped again, "I may have deserved that."

Bernadette laughed, but stopped when Jack turned and looked at her. His stare turned her insides mushy and once again made her incredibly self-conscious.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were scared of me," Jack said, studying her reaction.

Will stifled a laugh, "You don't even know."

As they followed Jack into the centre of the town, he paused, glancing in lots of directions. Suddenly from behind, an man called out to Bernadette.

"What's a pretty young thing like you doin' wi' the likes o' them?" he called, "Come wi' me. I'll take you 'ome!"

Will grabbed Bernadette closer to him, before turning and glaring at the men, "See what I mean?"

"Relax," Jack called to them, "Everyone's like that."

"Why are we here?" Dette asked Will, becoming unnerved by the unsavoury atmosphere.

"No idea. Just follow Jack. He seems to know what he's doing," Will replied, keeping Dette firmly by his side.

"That's reassuring," Bernadette mumbled, turning around check the man who hollered at her was gone, and not following them.

Eventually they reached a barn and entered. Upon entering, they noticed a man asleep in the hay, beside a rather smelly pig. Jack grabbed a bucket of water, and Will followed suit. The once dry man was now sopping wet and bolt upright, glaring at Jack.

"Jack?" Dette cried shocked.

"Oh, calm down," Jack replied in a sickly patronising tone.

"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" he focussed on the figure before him and his expression relaxed, "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." The man said.

"Gibbs?" Bernadette said, recognizing the man as a former crew member on her father's ship, the very man to introduce her to the concept of piracy.

"Miss Swann?" he cried, "Good Lord Jack, why is she here?"

"Never mind that," Jack replied, "Now for your bad luck. How's about the man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it, while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

"Aye," nodded Gibbs, "That'll about do it."

Will then threw his bucket of water over Mr Gibbs, making everybody jump. Dette moved to the side, avoiding the splash-back.

"Blast, I'm already awake!" Gibbs yelled, eyeing Will with both suspicion and annoyance.

"That was for the smell," Will told him, suppressing a smile. Dette had to agree, the man smelt awful, but nothing that a good wash would fail to fix.

"Shall we get going?" Jack asked.

"Aye," Gibbs replied.

"I guess we just follow then," Will said to Dette.

"If we must," she pouted, "But I am only here to save Elizabeth."

Will raised an eyebrow at her, not believing that to be the entire truth – he may be slow to pick up on certain things, but he was in no means oblivious to Dette's fascination with Sparrow.

"Stop it Will," Dette whined, turning slightly red.

"I can think of another reason," Will said.

"And what'd that be?" Jack asked.

Dette looked over at Jack, not having realised he'd been listening.

"Dette has always wanted adventure," Will joked, winking at Dette.

"Bernadette the pirate. It has a ring to it," Jack said in such a way that Dette could not decipher whether it was sarcasm or serious.

"Women shouldn't be on boats, bad luck," Gibbs mumbled to himself.

In no time they were in a tavern, all men holding a large drink in one hand, the other resting upon their swords.

Jack turned to Will and Dette, "Keep a sharp eye."

Jack sat a table with Gibbs, leaving Will and Dette standing to one side.

"Now, what's the nature of this venture of yourn?" Gibbs asked him, taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm going after the Black Pearl. I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it." Jack answered, as Gibbs almost choked on the liquid.

"Jack, it's a fool's errand," Gibbs said, "Why, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."

A group of men entering the tavern wolf-whistled at Bernadette, and unnerved, she shuffled closer to Will.

"Bad Idea to bring her as well," Gibbs told Jack as they turned to see her, "What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"

"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh? That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?" Jack grinned at Gibbs.

"Is he, now? Leverage, says you? I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." Gibbs laughed.

They toasted one another, clinked their tankards and drained their drinks.

"Will, can we go outside?" Dette asked him, "I don't like it in here."

"Don't worry Dette," Will reassured her, "Jack knows what he's doing."

"Oh damn Jack," Bernadette said angrily, "There's no way we can catch up with the Black Pearl now!"

"He knows what he's doing," Will told her, "He is a pirate after all."

"By far one of the worst I have ever seen," she spat.

"Thank you Miss Swann." Jack said from behind them.

Bernadette blushed bright red and again became fascinated by her feet.

"Where will we stay?" Will asked, "You can't find your crew at this time of night."

"There is a inn across the way." Jack said, "Miss Swann may stay there, while we look around the island."

"You shan't cast me aside like an old boot! I'm not being left alone on this island!" Dette said to Jack becoming more and more annoyed and upset.

"Then you'll have to stay here a bit longer," Jack yawned, "I'm not tired enough yet."

"I will go back to the ship with Dette," Will reasoned, "And you can meet us back there."

"You alone with a woman? How improper," Jack joked, winking at Gibbs.

"Will has propriety, which is more than be said for some people," Dette said, glaring at Jack, "Can we go now Will?"

Will nodded, and turning to Jack, asked how to get back to the ship.

"I'll show you the way," Jack said sulkily, pushing in front of Dette, "Gibbs will want to see the ship anyway."

"Do you think I was a bit mean to Jack there?" Dette asked Will, feeling guilty. Before Will could answer Dette reprimanded herself, "Yes of course I was, How stupid I am, I should have just stayed at home."

When they reached the ship, Dette rushed past Jack and Gibbs into the cabin.

"Why did I ever let her come?" Jack asked himself.

"I reckon you took a fancy to her," Gibbs said to him, "You've always like the young, feisty, pretty types."

Will walked over to the men.

"What's wrong with the lass?" Gibbs asked.

"She feels bad for being mean to Jack," Will said.

"Do we have any rum?" Jack asked Will.

"Yes."

They turned to see Bernadette walking out of the cabin with a dusty box of bottles. She picked up two bottles and brought them over to Gibbs and Will, then turned back and got another for Jack.

"Thank ye Lass," Gibbs said, as he opened his bottle.

"Thank you Elizabeth," Will paused and quickly corrected himself, "Bernadette, Dette, Sorry."

She looked up at him and shook her head before turning on her heel and returning to the cabin.

"Thank you Miss Swann," Jack called after her.

"Poor Lass," Gibbs sighed. "Always compared to her sister."

"Would've been better if she were a lad," Gibbs said.

"No it wouldn't," Jack and Will said simultaneously.

"I told ye Jack took a fancy to the lass," Gibbs told Will triumphantly.

"I have not," Jack argued.

Soon the topic of conversation turned to sleeping arrangements.

"Where will we sleep?" Gibbs asked, "If the lass is there?"

"Ask the lass if she minds," Jack said.

Will walked over to the door and knocked on it. Bernadette stepped out.

"Do you mind if we sleep in the cabin?" Will asked, "You can have the captain's cabin if you want some privacy."

"I'm the captain!" Jack moaned.

"She is a woman," Will told Jack.

"I noticed," He replied

"So she should get the captain's cabin on her own," Will reasoned.

"I'll be goin' to the Inn then," Gibbs said, leaving.

"Ah, but for her own protection, she shouldn't be left all by herself," Jack said.

"But even if she needs to share a room, then she must have the best room, as she is a lady," Will argued.

"She's dressed in men's clothes!" Jack cried.

"Dette, go to the captain's cabin," Will told her.

"You're the boss," She replied before walking away.

"I'm the boss! I'm the Captain!" Jack pouted.

"Then you can share the captain's cabin with Dette," Will said.

"But I'm the captain," Jack said.

"Share it then," Will said, not backing down.

"Fine," Jack sulked.

"And don't upset her," Will warned, "She's awful when she's upset."

"Fine, Fine," Jack mumbled.

"I'll go in the crew's quarter's" Will told him, before leaving.

Jack entered the Captain's cabin and saw Dette looking out of the window.

"I guess we're stuck together then," he said, startling her.

"Oh, Jack," she said, turning around.

"Well, where are you sleeping?" he asked her.

"I don't mind," Bernadette replied.

"Surely you need your beauty sleep," Jack mocked.

Bernadette laughed softly, "You're funny when you're not being obnoxious."

"You're not too bad yourself," Jack told her.

"Now where are you going to sleep?" she asked him.

"Where do you want to sleep?" Jack asked.

"I thought you had first choice, Captain," Bernadette smiled.

"Ladies first," Jack said.

"Such a gentleman," Dette said sarcastically.

"I take it back. You're not alright," Jack said.

"I don't take it back," Dette said, walking over to a bed.

"So you have the bed," Jack said, "Okay, the floor it is."

Jack lay down on the floor, he stayed there for a while, tossing and turning, but couldn't get comfortable.

"Are you okay?" Dette asked, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"Yeah, I'll just move to the chair," Jack told Dette.

She smiled sleepily at him, "Okay."

As Dette closed her eyes again, and Jack looked at her from the chair.

He shuffled around slightly, trying to find a comfy position to fall asleep in.

Dette opened her eyes and looked over at Jack.

"Jack," she said, softly, "Do you want to share the bed. You might actually be able to get some sleep then."

"Not if I had my way, love," he said under his breath.

"Pardon?" Dette asked.

"Yeah, that's fine, if it's ok with you," he said.

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise," she smiled, before shuffling over to make some space for Jack.

Jack kicked off his boots and climbed into the bed, trying to put as much space between himself and Dette as possible.

"Goodnight Jack," Dette murmered as she drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight Bernadette," Jack smiled, settling back into the cushions for the most restful sleep he could remember.