Comfort Fic for Jen
~ A Bit of a Stick ~
Molly Hatter had just put the finishing touches on her latest creation when there was a rap at the door of her shop. It was long past sunset, but she'd know the sound of that knock anywhere, and with a cry of joy on her lips she ran to let him in.
"Jack!"
"Molly!" Jack grinned ivory and gold, his eyes a-sparkle with obvious delight. He held out his arms and she melted into his embrace.
"You left so sudden," she said against the shoulder of his coat. "I wondered what'd happened."
"Important business, love. But look here." Jack released her and turned to show her a young man standing just out of the light.
"Oh! You should have said something, Jack," Molly said, blushing to think that a stranger had been witness to their warm greeting.
"I am saying something."
"Before!"
"Before my hug and kiss? Not likely. Anyway, 'twas all perfectly genteel. Completely innocent, as even a green lad could see." He lowered his voice to add, "And there's few greener'n this one, give you my word," but the young man had good ears for he frowned darkly. Jack paid no heed, and continued the introduction. "Molly, this is William Turner, son of an old friend of mine. Will, this is Mistress Hatter of Hatter's Hattery, Headgear for the Discerning Gentleman -- of which I am one."
Molly bobbed a curtsey. "I'm pleased to meet you, sir."
Will Turner's expression softened as he bowed. "The honor is mine, Mistress Hatter," he said, very polite.
He was a handsome thing, and his voice most pleasant. Not to compare with Jack, of course. But then, no one she'd ever seen did! She smiled. "Won't you and Jack come in?"
As they did so, Jack said, "We'll do more than that, if you'll have it. Us, I mean. Here. Tonight.”
"To stay?" Molly frowned. Jack was always welcome, of course, but to have the young man there, too...
But Jack said, " Aye, Will can have the loft. I'll be fine anywhere. We're leaving in the morning. I've acquired a ship."
Acquired! "Jack!" Molly exclaimed. "It's not Anamaria's? It went missing last week and she's fit to be tied! She said… I was afraid perhaps..."
"No, no, not Ana's," Jack said, quickly. "Gone missing, eh? Hard luck, that. No, this is one I... we... borrowed from some naval gentlemen of our acquaintance. Nice little brig. Gibbs is finding me a crew, though Will and I sailed her here from Port Royal, just the two of us."
"Only the two of you!" Molly smiled at Will. "Not green at all then, Mr. Turner. That's quite a feat, even with Jack in command."
Will unbent a little. "I did have a lot to learn. I'd not sailed since the passage from England, when I was a boy."
"All the more remarkable," said Molly.
"The lad's about done in, love," said Jack. "Not used to sailing, and all that fresh air and sun. Why don't you show him up to the loft so he can get some sleep? I'll tell you the rest of it when you come back down."
Will seemed in agreement with this plan, and Molly led him toward the stairs. But as they passed the end of the counter, the young man's eye lit on Molly's newest work. "Did you make this?" he exclaimed.
"I did, indeed," said Molly, with perhaps pardonable pride. It was a big felt hat with a curled brim, an ornate buckle adorning the wide band, and some wonderfully fluffy ostrich feathers Jack had brought her. "The style's a bit dated, but it's one I love."
"I've always wanted a hat like that," Will said, with a faraway look.
*
Molly, having seen Mr. Turner disposed comfortably, descended the stairs once more. Jack had wandered into the back rooms, putting a kettle on in preparation for rum toddies -- it was raining now, and the night was cool.
"I'm very glad you mended the roof last time you were here!" Molly smiled.
"Couldn't have Will sleeping in the rain, could we?"
"No, we couldn't. Even if we didn't know of his existence two weeks ago!"
Jack chuckled. "Ah, but I knew something was in the wind. Wait 'til I tell you, love: the Black Pearl is back in these waters."
"Your ship!"
"My ship." Jack came to her and pulled her into his arms. "I've seen her, Molly, and she'll be mine again. You may lay on that!"
There was something dark and very determined in his voice and eyes, and Molly was a little taken aback. "She was in Port Royal, then? Is that where you saw her? What happened?"
"What happened?" he repeated, and suddenly grinned. "Lots. Too much. I saved a lass from drowning -- the governor's daughter, no less. That started the whole thing."
"You're a hero! Was she... pretty?"
Jack nodded. "She was. Very. But she's Will's. Or Norrington's-- he's the navy chap. Hard to tell at this point."
"Mr. Turner and the governor's daughter?" Molly considered this. "He is very stiff and formal. Perhaps he would make her a good match."
"Stiff and formal," Jack scoffed. "He's got a blasted stick up 'is arse."
"Jack!" Molly said reprovingly.
"Well, he does."
"He's young, that's all."
"I was never that young." Molly laughed, and, thus encouraged, Jack went on. "Here: let's make the rum toddies and hie to bed. I'll tell you all about it."
"Just anywhere?"
"Eh?"
"You said you'd be fine sleeping just anywhere."
"So I did. But let me clarify: anywhere so long as it's a great soft bed with clean white sheets and hand sewn quilts."
"Well, there's only one of those in this house, and that's my bed."
"I know, love. That's the best part."
~.~
Molly Hatter had just put the finishing touches on her latest creation when there was a rap at the door of her shop. It was long past sunset, but she'd know the sound of that knock anywhere, and with a cry of joy on her lips she ran to let him in.
"Jack!"
"Molly!" Jack grinned ivory and gold, his eyes a-sparkle with obvious delight. He held out his arms and she melted into his embrace.
"You left so sudden," she said against the shoulder of his coat. "I wondered what'd happened."
"Important business, love. But look here." Jack released her and turned to show her a young man standing just out of the light.
"Oh! You should have said something, Jack," Molly said, blushing to think that a stranger had been witness to their warm greeting.
"I am saying something."
"Before!"
"Before my hug and kiss? Not likely. Anyway, 'twas all perfectly genteel. Completely innocent, as even a green lad could see." He lowered his voice to add, "And there's few greener'n this one, give you my word," but the young man had good ears for he frowned darkly. Jack paid no heed, and continued the introduction. "Molly, this is William Turner, son of an old friend of mine. Will, this is Mistress Hatter of Hatter's Hattery, Headgear for the Discerning Gentleman -- of which I am one."
Molly bobbed a curtsey. "I'm pleased to meet you, sir."
Will Turner's expression softened as he bowed. "The honor is mine, Mistress Hatter," he said, very polite.
He was a handsome thing, and his voice most pleasant. Not to compare with Jack, of course. But then, no one she'd ever seen did! She smiled. "Won't you and Jack come in?"
As they did so, Jack said, "We'll do more than that, if you'll have it. Us, I mean. Here. Tonight.”
"To stay?" Molly frowned. Jack was always welcome, of course, but to have the young man there, too...
But Jack said, " Aye, Will can have the loft. I'll be fine anywhere. We're leaving in the morning. I've acquired a ship."
Acquired! "Jack!" Molly exclaimed. "It's not Anamaria's? It went missing last week and she's fit to be tied! She said… I was afraid perhaps..."
"No, no, not Ana's," Jack said, quickly. "Gone missing, eh? Hard luck, that. No, this is one I... we... borrowed from some naval gentlemen of our acquaintance. Nice little brig. Gibbs is finding me a crew, though Will and I sailed her here from Port Royal, just the two of us."
"Only the two of you!" Molly smiled at Will. "Not green at all then, Mr. Turner. That's quite a feat, even with Jack in command."
Will unbent a little. "I did have a lot to learn. I'd not sailed since the passage from England, when I was a boy."
"All the more remarkable," said Molly.
"The lad's about done in, love," said Jack. "Not used to sailing, and all that fresh air and sun. Why don't you show him up to the loft so he can get some sleep? I'll tell you the rest of it when you come back down."
Will seemed in agreement with this plan, and Molly led him toward the stairs. But as they passed the end of the counter, the young man's eye lit on Molly's newest work. "Did you make this?" he exclaimed.
"I did, indeed," said Molly, with perhaps pardonable pride. It was a big felt hat with a curled brim, an ornate buckle adorning the wide band, and some wonderfully fluffy ostrich feathers Jack had brought her. "The style's a bit dated, but it's one I love."
"I've always wanted a hat like that," Will said, with a faraway look.
*
Molly, having seen Mr. Turner disposed comfortably, descended the stairs once more. Jack had wandered into the back rooms, putting a kettle on in preparation for rum toddies -- it was raining now, and the night was cool.
"I'm very glad you mended the roof last time you were here!" Molly smiled.
"Couldn't have Will sleeping in the rain, could we?"
"No, we couldn't. Even if we didn't know of his existence two weeks ago!"
Jack chuckled. "Ah, but I knew something was in the wind. Wait 'til I tell you, love: the Black Pearl is back in these waters."
"Your ship!"
"My ship." Jack came to her and pulled her into his arms. "I've seen her, Molly, and she'll be mine again. You may lay on that!"
There was something dark and very determined in his voice and eyes, and Molly was a little taken aback. "She was in Port Royal, then? Is that where you saw her? What happened?"
"What happened?" he repeated, and suddenly grinned. "Lots. Too much. I saved a lass from drowning -- the governor's daughter, no less. That started the whole thing."
"You're a hero! Was she... pretty?"
Jack nodded. "She was. Very. But she's Will's. Or Norrington's-- he's the navy chap. Hard to tell at this point."
"Mr. Turner and the governor's daughter?" Molly considered this. "He is very stiff and formal. Perhaps he would make her a good match."
"Stiff and formal," Jack scoffed. "He's got a blasted stick up 'is arse."
"Jack!" Molly said reprovingly.
"Well, he does."
"He's young, that's all."
"I was never that young." Molly laughed, and, thus encouraged, Jack went on. "Here: let's make the rum toddies and hie to bed. I'll tell you all about it."
"Just anywhere?"
"Eh?"
"You said you'd be fine sleeping just anywhere."
"So I did. But let me clarify: anywhere so long as it's a great soft bed with clean white sheets and hand sewn quilts."
"Well, there's only one of those in this house, and that's my bed."
"I know, love. That's the best part."
~.~