Heart Of The Sea: Chapter 6 - Marked
ZeldaQueen: I have to say, I'm rather confuzzled on the order of events here. Apparently they've gone to Tortuga for no reason at all, before heading back out to sea? I don't know
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Chapter 6: Marked
Later that night, after stocking up on supplies, the Black Pearl faded once again into the darkness of the Caribbean night.
I couldn’t sleep, though I lay in bed wide awake.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, your bed. Your bed which you shouldn't have
Tossing and turning, I found myself restless and sleep futile, so I rose and wrapped a nearby coat around my nightgown. I walked out of the room, and down the corridor. I paused to knock on a door at the far end, but reconsidered.
ZeldaQueen: That's nice. She can't sleep, so she's going to wake up Jack so he can entertain her
I must be daft if I’m doing this, I thought.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, yes you are daft
I knocked on the door, and it didn’t take a moment for it to be answered. Jack appeared in the doorway, and it was clear that he was puzzled about me coming to him in the middle of the night.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Let me get this straight, you're supposed to be a tough, liberated chick, but you need me to help you get to sleep at night?"
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
He took my hand in his, and led me into the cabin, shutting the door behind me.
ZeldaQueen: Is anyone else getting creepy Daddy vibes from this?
“Why did you come, Kate?” he asked as he sat down at a desk.
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "Because you're so sexy"
I'm sorry
“I told you, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Don’t lie to me - I’ve known you too long.”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "I know you want sex, so let's just get this over with
I sighed and looked down at the wooden floor. I knew that I could no longer lie to Jack. Nor to myself.
I looked up at him then. “I love you.”
ZeldaQueen: Well gee, that totally took me by surprise
He seemed slightly surprised, though not caught off his guard. “Still?”
“Yes.”
ZeldaQueen: When she next paused, Jack rammed his sword through her throat. "There, one less Mary Sue to bother me," he muttered
In the darkness of his eyes, I could see a gentle glimmer, the one with which he used to look upon me. And it had returned.
Jack still loves me.
ZeldaQueen: Um, that's not a surprise either. Gethesemane's Sues always have their way with the male lust objects of their choice
He rose from the chair and walked over to me. He pulled me to my feet, his eyes piercing mine.
ZeldaQueen: What, again? Methinks the suethor's vocabulary is a tad limited
He dipped his head, and pressed his lips to mine in a fiery, breathtaking kiss. The kiss that I had been craving for so long.
ZeldaQueen: Didn't the lip-bruising one in Tortuga count?
And if her lips really were bruised then, why doesn't this passionate kiss hurt like a mother? (Yes, I know I'm harping on about the lip-bruising thing, but I can't get over how dumb that is)
I allowed him to deepen it, and didn’t protest when he lifted me into his arms and laid me on the bed.
ZeldaQueen: My that's quick. Although I guess My Inner Life still trumps it, with the sex in the first chapter and all
Once the stormy passion had faded, I lay on Jack’s chest. I had no regrets about what had transpired between us. I was no longer frightened of losing him. The euphoria forbade any feeling but love to enter my mind.
ZeldaQueen: ...Wait. Did they just have sex? Or was knocking her over onto the bed enough to release their lustful feelings?
And Kate, darling? He's a pirate. Just because he (I assume) boinked you doesn't mean he's going to stay faithful
Jack looked down at me, and ran his fingers through my hair, his lips coming to rest on mine.
“Well, what did you think?” I asked him with a smile.
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "How does that rate, from one to ten?
He returned it with his infamous devilish grin. “Best sex I’ve ever had.”
ZeldaQueen: Well someone certainly is full of themselves
I giggled, but I soon grew serious. “I meant what I said earlier, Jack. I still love you - I never stopped.”
“I know,” he said softly.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "You're a Mary Sue, and thus never will let me go
He sighed before continuing, “When I was on that island, the only thing I thought about was how I could get back to you. Of course, by the time that I had gotten the Black Pearl back, I found that you had gone. None of the crew, not even Gibbs, knew where you were.”
ZeldaQueen: . . .
That's all he thought about? Not, you know, getting revenge on Barbossa, LIKE CANON STATED? Well, I guess he looked like an idiot carrying that shot around then, since clearly the Sue is all he cared about. *is in a bad mood*
“I returned to Kingston Town,” I answered him. “I thought that I could forget about us, but it was stupid to think that I could.”
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "The suethor was determined to boink you, and as her avatar, I must fulfill her wishes
He smiled at me. “Why don’t we celebrate?”
I groaned as I lay back on the pillows. “You’ll find any excuse to get that damn rum!”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "You caught me, love. I was going to get you stinking drunk, before clobbering you with the bottle and making my getaway"
“Come on, Kate,” he pleaded. “Please?”
“Oh, all right.”
ZeldaQueen: I love how Jack sounds like a whiny child here. "Pleeeeease let me have some rum?" Last I checked, he was an adult and the rum was his. Why would he need the Sue's permission to have any?
He grinned and jumped out of bed, then hurried to a nearby cupboard. He withdrew the single bottle, and sighed.
“It’s empty.”
ZeldaQueen: Bipolar Jack is bipolar
He looked at me. “There’ll be more in the galley.”
ZeldaQueen: And? What do you want her to do about it?
Taking this as a command for me to get dressed and follow him, I silently threw on my gown. He dressed as well, and, taking my hand once again, he led me down the corridor and up the stairs.
ZeldaQueen: What is up with him holding her hand everywhere? Is she such a helpless female that she can't walk on her own? And why does she need to go with him? Can't he bring the wine there? Why - oh fuck it
Leech was standing at the wheel. “Steady as she goes, Cap’n?” he asked.
“Steady as she goes,” Jack answered as he led me past the helm and into the ship’s hold.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "I'm just sneaking off with the Sue, like a horny college senior fratboy"
Below deck, loud snores of pirates echoed throughout the hold like thunder, and Jack made certain to keep me close to him.
ZeldaQueen: Because sleeping pirates might attack her? Because the snoring is a brown note that drives all who hear it insane? Because there's so much space that she'll get lost? What?
A cage of chickens began clucking madly as we entered, but Jack raised his pistol - and the chickens silenced.
“That’s what I thought,” he muttered.
ZeldaQueen: Um, Gethesemane? I don't think that Jack can teach the chickens to shut up on threat of a pistol. The monkey, sure, but not chickens. For starters, he gets one shot at a time with that thing, and I'm sure that chickens aren't easy to get or keep on board a ship. So I doubt that he'd waste the bullets and chickens to drive that point into their tiny brains
We then continued through the hold until we at last came to the rum locker. Most of the racks, however, were empty - much to Jack’s disappointment.
“Why is the rum always gone?” he said under his breath.
ZeldaQueen: Hooray for canon line plagiarism.
Wait a second, we're going to that scene with Bootstrap. This means that Jack must know that he needs to find the heart, and is worried about the Kraken coming after him. If that's the case, why is he running around, boinking the Sue and trying to get drunk with her? Wouldn't he be worrying about saving his own skin?
Oh wait, that would mean he'd have to be in character. Never mind
He stopped, however, when he spied a bottle on the lower rack. He happily tugged it free, but I placed my hand on his arm upon seeing the bottle.
It was encrusted with barnacles.
“Jack,” I said softly, “something isn’t right.”
ZeldaQueen: What, something in a watery, leaky place has sea life growing on it? Imagine!
He uncorked it, looked inside, and turned it over.
Instead of rum, a cascade of sand piled at our feet. He looked at me, and was as confused as I was.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Alright, who swapped my rum with Aladdin's lamp?"
“Time’s run out, Jack.” a voice said from the shadows.
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "The Sue's grip on you is tightening, you must flee while you still can"
Jack and I turned, and found a face emerge from the shadows from which the voice had come. The face we saw was covered in starfish and barnacles, and a crab crept up the man’s arm as he stepped towards us.
“Oh my God,” I breathed upon recognition.
ZeldaQueen: She knows Bootstrap. HOW DOES SHE KNOW BOOTSTRAP?
“Bootstrap?” Jack asked. “Bill Tuner?”
“Aye, Sparrow,” answered the man. “You look good. And you got your bonny lass back - nice to see you again, Miss Morgan.”
ZeldaQueen: Oh God, I really am having My Inner Life flashbacks! Suethor, it's not a good sign when you are similar to a crazed fangirl who can't tell the difference between "threw" and "through"
Jack and I looked at the gruesome sailor. Try as we might, there was simply no way to return Bootstrap’s compliments.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "I mean, he's ugly! Ew!"
“Is this a dream?” asked Jack.
ZeldaQueen: Sorry buddy, you've got a Mary Sue attached to you. This is reality
I noticed that his hold around me had tightened.
ZeldaQueen: WHY IS HE CONSTANTLY GROPING HER? DOES HE THINK THAT THE ONLY SAILOR WHO REFUSED TO MUTINY WILL REALLY ATTACK HER?
“Nope.” Bootstrap answered flatly.
ZeldaQueen: Modern lingo, far out man!
“Thought not,” said Jack. “If it were, there’d be rum.”
ZeldaQueen: You know, Jack's casual banter doesn't match with the tense atmosphere you're trying to create, suethor
Bill grinned and handed Jack a bottle. Jack pried the bottle from the pirate’s hand and uncorked it, sniffing it to be cautious.
Apparently, it must have been rum, for Jack took a long drink before handing it to me. I shook my head - I was no longer in a celebratory mood.
ZeldaQueen: This is boring, and I don't care
“You got the Pearl back, I see.” Bill said as he glanced around.
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "And another Mary Sue"
I stared at the slithering, slimy sea life that occupied the man’s skin.
ZeldaQueen: You know, in the hands of a better writer, the descriptions of Kate being squicked by the sea life could be interesting, kind of used to illustrate how mutated and inhuman Bill is becoming, and how she feels uncomfortable that there's Something Not Right about him. Given how she's been going on thus far? It sounds like she's disdainful because Bill is gross
Jack seemed to have been staring too, but he snapped himself out of it. “I had some help retrieving the Pearl. Your son.”
Bootstrap did nothing to hide his surprise. “William? He ended up a pirate after all, eh?”
Jack nodded. “He’s got an unhealthy streak of honest in his blood though.”
“That’s something then,” Bill answered. “Though not credit to me - it’s his mother in him, too.”
The crustacean-encrusted pirate fell silent.
ZeldaQueen: I'm surprised that the Sue isn't throwing a tantrum for them not paying attention to her
“And to what do I owe the pleasure of your carbuncle?” Jack finally inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Jones,” Bootstrap replied.
My eyes widened. “Jones? Davy Jones?”
ZeldaQueen: No, Martha Jones. She's a doctor who has saved the Earth and traveled with the Doctor.
Seriously, how the fuck does Kate know all of these people?
He nodded. “The very same, Miss Morgan.”
It seemed that Jack had been expecting this, for he said, “Ah, he shanghaied you into service, then.”
“I chose it. I’m sorry for the part I played in the mutiny,” Bootstrap said sincerely.
Jack brushed the apology off and took another swig of the rum.
I looked at Jack, and then at Bootstrap. Almost defiantly, I rested my head on Jack’s shoulder.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "My property"
That's just creepy. How is resting one's head on a shoulder "defiant"?
“Everything went wrong after that,” Bootstrap continued. “I ended up cursed - doomed to the depths of the ocean, unable to move, unable to die.”
I felt Jack shudder.
“All I could do was think,” Bootstrap sighed. “And mostly I thought if I had even the tiniest hope of escaping this fate, I would take it. Trade anything for it.”
“That’s the kind of thinking bound to catch his attention,” Jack said.
I knew of Jack’s knowledge - he knew more than a bit of Jones’s love for a good bargain.
ZeldaQueen: Don't tell me she already knows about the deal for the Pearl. Please
“It did,” nodded Bootstrap.
In his voice, I could detect the mist of regret.
ZeldaQueen: *bored* Oh, aren't you so great
“Davy Jones came,” said the pirate. “Made the offer: I could spend one hundred years before his mast, with the hope that after, I would go on to a peaceful rest.”
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "I tell you what, I haven't had a proper nap in weeks, what with those stupid kids who won't stop running around on my lawn!"
I knew that Bootstrap had been a fool to accept Jones’s offer. There was no guarantee that he would go on to a peaceful rest once his century-long servitude had expired.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no. Jones always kept his word. Look at when Will played the game against Jones - Jones kept his promise and said that Will was free to leave when they next made port. He was willing to give Jack time to collect replacement souls. He kept his frigging promises. I suspect that this is just an attempt to bash Bootstrap, or make the Sue look clever. Neither works at all
“You made a deal with him too, Jack,” Bootstrap said. “He raised the Pearl for you, and thirteen years you’ve been her captain.”
“Well, technically…” Jack began to object.
Bootstrap cut him off. “You won’t be able to talk your way out of this one.”
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "Jones has sent you the curse of the Mary Sue. Enjoy"
I grew frightened for Jack’s life, though I didn’t show it.
ZeldaQueen: *rolls eyes*
“The terms what applied to me,
ZeldaQueen: That applied, you idiot
apply to you,” continued the pirate. “One soul, bound to crew a lifetime aboard his ship.”
I wasn’t about to lose Jack to a ghostly bastard of a pirate.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, I see. She was bashing Jones earlier, because he had to gall to try to take away her sweetie-pie
“The Flying Dutchman already has a captain,” I argued, my voice cold. “So there’s no need for Jack.”
ZeldaQueen: Butt out, you little whore
“Aye that it does, Kate, but it’s going to the locker for your captain should he refuse to meet his end of the bargain. Jones’s leviathan will find you and drag the Pearl back to the depths…and you along with it.”
ZeldaQueen: Any particular reason why Bill switched between two subjects, midway through that sentence?
I froze.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "A stinky monster? Eat my sweetie? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!'
“Any idea when Jones will release said terrible beastie?” Jack asked casually.
I knew that he was scared out of his wits, but he was trying not to sound too worried.
ZeldaQueen: STOP BEING OBVIOUS, SUETHOR!
Bootstrap raised an arm and pointed to Jack’s hand. Jack took a step back, but it was too late; on his palm appeared the dreaded Black Spot.
ZeldaQueen: I thought that Bootstrap had to physically place the black spot on there
Jack was a marked man.
“No!” I screamed, lunging at Bootstrap. “You son of a bitch!”
ZeldaQueen: For fuck's sake, mind your own business! Jack made the deal, he knew the conditions of the deal, he brought it on himself! Bootstrap's the frigging messenger, leave him alone!
“There’s no use in fighting him, Kate,” Jack said somberly as he drew me back against him.
“It’s not a matter of how long till it comes after you,” said Bootstrap as Jack looked down at the spot. “It’s a matter of how long till you’re found.”
I looked up at Bill. “Please,” I pleaded. “Let me…take me in Jack’s place.”
ZeldaQueen: Why would Jones want her?
“Kate, I can’t,” Bootstrap sighed. “That’s not for me to decide. If you want to plead your case and trade your life for Jack’s, you need to take it up with Jones.”
ZeldaQueen: If Jones states that the Sue's soul is worth Jack's, I'm going to kill someone
He disappeared, and I turned to Jack.
Jack grabbed my hand and ran.
ZeldaQueen: Yet again with the hand-holding
“On deck!” he yelled to his sleeping crew as we passed through the hold. “All hands! Lift the skin up! Scurry! Movement, I want movement, ye old sea dogs!”
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane? You're trying a little too hard on the pirate talk, there
As the groggy pirates dragged themselves to their stations, Jack looked into the ship’s black sails.
“Haul those sheets!” he ordered. “Haul ‘em! Run, mates, run, as if the devil himself is on us!”
With the crew distracted, I watched as Jack wrapped his hand in a rag to conceal the mark. Jack and I made our way to the mast, and we came to stand behind it.
ZeldaQueen: Quit following him around and do something useful, you cow!
“Do we have a heading?” asked Gibbs as he approached.
“Land!” yelled Jack.
“What port?” Gibbs inquired.
Jack was growing thoroughly annoyed. “I said land! Any land!”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Preferably with a volcano, to throw the Sue into"
Just then, the stupid monkey jumped from the rigging, and landed on Jack’s shoulder. He knocked the captain’s hat overboard.
“Jack’s hat!” I cried, knowing how fond of it he was. “Bring the ship about!”
ZeldaQueen: STOP STICKING YOUR NOSE INTO CANON!
“No, Kate,” Jack snapped. “Leave it.”
Jack’s crew, as well as I, was stunned. We knew how much it meant to him - how could he not want to retrieve it?
ZeldaQueen: Um, Kate? Did you miss the entire conversation, about how he was going to have a huge sea monster eat him?
“Mind your stations, the lot of you!” Gibbs ordered.
He turned to Jack and me. “For the love of mother and child, Jack, what’s coming after us?”
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane, your chapter breaks suck
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Onward to: Chapter 7: The Island
Back to: Chapter 5: James Norrington
Return to: Table of Contents
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Chapter 6: Marked
Later that night, after stocking up on supplies, the Black Pearl faded once again into the darkness of the Caribbean night.
I couldn’t sleep, though I lay in bed wide awake.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, your bed. Your bed which you shouldn't have
Tossing and turning, I found myself restless and sleep futile, so I rose and wrapped a nearby coat around my nightgown. I walked out of the room, and down the corridor. I paused to knock on a door at the far end, but reconsidered.
ZeldaQueen: That's nice. She can't sleep, so she's going to wake up Jack so he can entertain her
I must be daft if I’m doing this, I thought.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, yes you are daft
I knocked on the door, and it didn’t take a moment for it to be answered. Jack appeared in the doorway, and it was clear that he was puzzled about me coming to him in the middle of the night.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Let me get this straight, you're supposed to be a tough, liberated chick, but you need me to help you get to sleep at night?"
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
He took my hand in his, and led me into the cabin, shutting the door behind me.
ZeldaQueen: Is anyone else getting creepy Daddy vibes from this?
“Why did you come, Kate?” he asked as he sat down at a desk.
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "Because you're so sexy"
I'm sorry
“I told you, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Don’t lie to me - I’ve known you too long.”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "I know you want sex, so let's just get this over with
I sighed and looked down at the wooden floor. I knew that I could no longer lie to Jack. Nor to myself.
I looked up at him then. “I love you.”
ZeldaQueen: Well gee, that totally took me by surprise
He seemed slightly surprised, though not caught off his guard. “Still?”
“Yes.”
ZeldaQueen: When she next paused, Jack rammed his sword through her throat. "There, one less Mary Sue to bother me," he muttered
In the darkness of his eyes, I could see a gentle glimmer, the one with which he used to look upon me. And it had returned.
Jack still loves me.
ZeldaQueen: Um, that's not a surprise either. Gethesemane's Sues always have their way with the male lust objects of their choice
He rose from the chair and walked over to me. He pulled me to my feet, his eyes piercing mine.
ZeldaQueen: What, again? Methinks the suethor's vocabulary is a tad limited
He dipped his head, and pressed his lips to mine in a fiery, breathtaking kiss. The kiss that I had been craving for so long.
ZeldaQueen: Didn't the lip-bruising one in Tortuga count?
And if her lips really were bruised then, why doesn't this passionate kiss hurt like a mother? (Yes, I know I'm harping on about the lip-bruising thing, but I can't get over how dumb that is)
I allowed him to deepen it, and didn’t protest when he lifted me into his arms and laid me on the bed.
ZeldaQueen: My that's quick. Although I guess My Inner Life still trumps it, with the sex in the first chapter and all
Once the stormy passion had faded, I lay on Jack’s chest. I had no regrets about what had transpired between us. I was no longer frightened of losing him. The euphoria forbade any feeling but love to enter my mind.
ZeldaQueen: ...Wait. Did they just have sex? Or was knocking her over onto the bed enough to release their lustful feelings?
And Kate, darling? He's a pirate. Just because he (I assume) boinked you doesn't mean he's going to stay faithful
Jack looked down at me, and ran his fingers through my hair, his lips coming to rest on mine.
“Well, what did you think?” I asked him with a smile.
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "How does that rate, from one to ten?
He returned it with his infamous devilish grin. “Best sex I’ve ever had.”
ZeldaQueen: Well someone certainly is full of themselves
I giggled, but I soon grew serious. “I meant what I said earlier, Jack. I still love you - I never stopped.”
“I know,” he said softly.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "You're a Mary Sue, and thus never will let me go
He sighed before continuing, “When I was on that island, the only thing I thought about was how I could get back to you. Of course, by the time that I had gotten the Black Pearl back, I found that you had gone. None of the crew, not even Gibbs, knew where you were.”
ZeldaQueen: . . .
That's all he thought about? Not, you know, getting revenge on Barbossa, LIKE CANON STATED? Well, I guess he looked like an idiot carrying that shot around then, since clearly the Sue is all he cared about. *is in a bad mood*
“I returned to Kingston Town,” I answered him. “I thought that I could forget about us, but it was stupid to think that I could.”
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "The suethor was determined to boink you, and as her avatar, I must fulfill her wishes
He smiled at me. “Why don’t we celebrate?”
I groaned as I lay back on the pillows. “You’ll find any excuse to get that damn rum!”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "You caught me, love. I was going to get you stinking drunk, before clobbering you with the bottle and making my getaway"
“Come on, Kate,” he pleaded. “Please?”
“Oh, all right.”
ZeldaQueen: I love how Jack sounds like a whiny child here. "Pleeeeease let me have some rum?" Last I checked, he was an adult and the rum was his. Why would he need the Sue's permission to have any?
He grinned and jumped out of bed, then hurried to a nearby cupboard. He withdrew the single bottle, and sighed.
“It’s empty.”
ZeldaQueen: Bipolar Jack is bipolar
He looked at me. “There’ll be more in the galley.”
ZeldaQueen: And? What do you want her to do about it?
Taking this as a command for me to get dressed and follow him, I silently threw on my gown. He dressed as well, and, taking my hand once again, he led me down the corridor and up the stairs.
ZeldaQueen: What is up with him holding her hand everywhere? Is she such a helpless female that she can't walk on her own? And why does she need to go with him? Can't he bring the wine there? Why - oh fuck it
Leech was standing at the wheel. “Steady as she goes, Cap’n?” he asked.
“Steady as she goes,” Jack answered as he led me past the helm and into the ship’s hold.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "I'm just sneaking off with the Sue, like a horny college senior fratboy"
Below deck, loud snores of pirates echoed throughout the hold like thunder, and Jack made certain to keep me close to him.
ZeldaQueen: Because sleeping pirates might attack her? Because the snoring is a brown note that drives all who hear it insane? Because there's so much space that she'll get lost? What?
A cage of chickens began clucking madly as we entered, but Jack raised his pistol - and the chickens silenced.
“That’s what I thought,” he muttered.
ZeldaQueen: Um, Gethesemane? I don't think that Jack can teach the chickens to shut up on threat of a pistol. The monkey, sure, but not chickens. For starters, he gets one shot at a time with that thing, and I'm sure that chickens aren't easy to get or keep on board a ship. So I doubt that he'd waste the bullets and chickens to drive that point into their tiny brains
We then continued through the hold until we at last came to the rum locker. Most of the racks, however, were empty - much to Jack’s disappointment.
“Why is the rum always gone?” he said under his breath.
ZeldaQueen: Hooray for canon line plagiarism.
Wait a second, we're going to that scene with Bootstrap. This means that Jack must know that he needs to find the heart, and is worried about the Kraken coming after him. If that's the case, why is he running around, boinking the Sue and trying to get drunk with her? Wouldn't he be worrying about saving his own skin?
Oh wait, that would mean he'd have to be in character. Never mind
He stopped, however, when he spied a bottle on the lower rack. He happily tugged it free, but I placed my hand on his arm upon seeing the bottle.
It was encrusted with barnacles.
“Jack,” I said softly, “something isn’t right.”
ZeldaQueen: What, something in a watery, leaky place has sea life growing on it? Imagine!
He uncorked it, looked inside, and turned it over.
Instead of rum, a cascade of sand piled at our feet. He looked at me, and was as confused as I was.
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Alright, who swapped my rum with Aladdin's lamp?"
“Time’s run out, Jack.” a voice said from the shadows.
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "The Sue's grip on you is tightening, you must flee while you still can"
Jack and I turned, and found a face emerge from the shadows from which the voice had come. The face we saw was covered in starfish and barnacles, and a crab crept up the man’s arm as he stepped towards us.
“Oh my God,” I breathed upon recognition.
ZeldaQueen: She knows Bootstrap. HOW DOES SHE KNOW BOOTSTRAP?
“Bootstrap?” Jack asked. “Bill Tuner?”
“Aye, Sparrow,” answered the man. “You look good. And you got your bonny lass back - nice to see you again, Miss Morgan.”
ZeldaQueen: Oh God, I really am having My Inner Life flashbacks! Suethor, it's not a good sign when you are similar to a crazed fangirl who can't tell the difference between "threw" and "through"
Jack and I looked at the gruesome sailor. Try as we might, there was simply no way to return Bootstrap’s compliments.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "I mean, he's ugly! Ew!"
“Is this a dream?” asked Jack.
ZeldaQueen: Sorry buddy, you've got a Mary Sue attached to you. This is reality
I noticed that his hold around me had tightened.
ZeldaQueen: WHY IS HE CONSTANTLY GROPING HER? DOES HE THINK THAT THE ONLY SAILOR WHO REFUSED TO MUTINY WILL REALLY ATTACK HER?
“Nope.” Bootstrap answered flatly.
ZeldaQueen: Modern lingo, far out man!
“Thought not,” said Jack. “If it were, there’d be rum.”
ZeldaQueen: You know, Jack's casual banter doesn't match with the tense atmosphere you're trying to create, suethor
Bill grinned and handed Jack a bottle. Jack pried the bottle from the pirate’s hand and uncorked it, sniffing it to be cautious.
Apparently, it must have been rum, for Jack took a long drink before handing it to me. I shook my head - I was no longer in a celebratory mood.
ZeldaQueen: This is boring, and I don't care
“You got the Pearl back, I see.” Bill said as he glanced around.
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "And another Mary Sue"
I stared at the slithering, slimy sea life that occupied the man’s skin.
ZeldaQueen: You know, in the hands of a better writer, the descriptions of Kate being squicked by the sea life could be interesting, kind of used to illustrate how mutated and inhuman Bill is becoming, and how she feels uncomfortable that there's Something Not Right about him. Given how she's been going on thus far? It sounds like she's disdainful because Bill is gross
Jack seemed to have been staring too, but he snapped himself out of it. “I had some help retrieving the Pearl. Your son.”
Bootstrap did nothing to hide his surprise. “William? He ended up a pirate after all, eh?”
Jack nodded. “He’s got an unhealthy streak of honest in his blood though.”
“That’s something then,” Bill answered. “Though not credit to me - it’s his mother in him, too.”
The crustacean-encrusted pirate fell silent.
ZeldaQueen: I'm surprised that the Sue isn't throwing a tantrum for them not paying attention to her
“And to what do I owe the pleasure of your carbuncle?” Jack finally inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Jones,” Bootstrap replied.
My eyes widened. “Jones? Davy Jones?”
ZeldaQueen: No, Martha Jones. She's a doctor who has saved the Earth and traveled with the Doctor.
Seriously, how the fuck does Kate know all of these people?
He nodded. “The very same, Miss Morgan.”
It seemed that Jack had been expecting this, for he said, “Ah, he shanghaied you into service, then.”
“I chose it. I’m sorry for the part I played in the mutiny,” Bootstrap said sincerely.
Jack brushed the apology off and took another swig of the rum.
I looked at Jack, and then at Bootstrap. Almost defiantly, I rested my head on Jack’s shoulder.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "My property"
That's just creepy. How is resting one's head on a shoulder "defiant"?
“Everything went wrong after that,” Bootstrap continued. “I ended up cursed - doomed to the depths of the ocean, unable to move, unable to die.”
I felt Jack shudder.
“All I could do was think,” Bootstrap sighed. “And mostly I thought if I had even the tiniest hope of escaping this fate, I would take it. Trade anything for it.”
“That’s the kind of thinking bound to catch his attention,” Jack said.
I knew of Jack’s knowledge - he knew more than a bit of Jones’s love for a good bargain.
ZeldaQueen: Don't tell me she already knows about the deal for the Pearl. Please
“It did,” nodded Bootstrap.
In his voice, I could detect the mist of regret.
ZeldaQueen: *bored* Oh, aren't you so great
“Davy Jones came,” said the pirate. “Made the offer: I could spend one hundred years before his mast, with the hope that after, I would go on to a peaceful rest.”
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "I tell you what, I haven't had a proper nap in weeks, what with those stupid kids who won't stop running around on my lawn!"
I knew that Bootstrap had been a fool to accept Jones’s offer. There was no guarantee that he would go on to a peaceful rest once his century-long servitude had expired.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no. Jones always kept his word. Look at when Will played the game against Jones - Jones kept his promise and said that Will was free to leave when they next made port. He was willing to give Jack time to collect replacement souls. He kept his frigging promises. I suspect that this is just an attempt to bash Bootstrap, or make the Sue look clever. Neither works at all
“You made a deal with him too, Jack,” Bootstrap said. “He raised the Pearl for you, and thirteen years you’ve been her captain.”
“Well, technically…” Jack began to object.
Bootstrap cut him off. “You won’t be able to talk your way out of this one.”
ZeldaQueen: (Bootstrap) "Jones has sent you the curse of the Mary Sue. Enjoy"
I grew frightened for Jack’s life, though I didn’t show it.
ZeldaQueen: *rolls eyes*
“The terms what applied to me,
ZeldaQueen: That applied, you idiot
apply to you,” continued the pirate. “One soul, bound to crew a lifetime aboard his ship.”
I wasn’t about to lose Jack to a ghostly bastard of a pirate.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, I see. She was bashing Jones earlier, because he had to gall to try to take away her sweetie-pie
“The Flying Dutchman already has a captain,” I argued, my voice cold. “So there’s no need for Jack.”
ZeldaQueen: Butt out, you little whore
“Aye that it does, Kate, but it’s going to the locker for your captain should he refuse to meet his end of the bargain. Jones’s leviathan will find you and drag the Pearl back to the depths…and you along with it.”
ZeldaQueen: Any particular reason why Bill switched between two subjects, midway through that sentence?
I froze.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "A stinky monster? Eat my sweetie? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!'
“Any idea when Jones will release said terrible beastie?” Jack asked casually.
I knew that he was scared out of his wits, but he was trying not to sound too worried.
ZeldaQueen: STOP BEING OBVIOUS, SUETHOR!
Bootstrap raised an arm and pointed to Jack’s hand. Jack took a step back, but it was too late; on his palm appeared the dreaded Black Spot.
ZeldaQueen: I thought that Bootstrap had to physically place the black spot on there
Jack was a marked man.
“No!” I screamed, lunging at Bootstrap. “You son of a bitch!”
ZeldaQueen: For fuck's sake, mind your own business! Jack made the deal, he knew the conditions of the deal, he brought it on himself! Bootstrap's the frigging messenger, leave him alone!
“There’s no use in fighting him, Kate,” Jack said somberly as he drew me back against him.
“It’s not a matter of how long till it comes after you,” said Bootstrap as Jack looked down at the spot. “It’s a matter of how long till you’re found.”
I looked up at Bill. “Please,” I pleaded. “Let me…take me in Jack’s place.”
ZeldaQueen: Why would Jones want her?
“Kate, I can’t,” Bootstrap sighed. “That’s not for me to decide. If you want to plead your case and trade your life for Jack’s, you need to take it up with Jones.”
ZeldaQueen: If Jones states that the Sue's soul is worth Jack's, I'm going to kill someone
He disappeared, and I turned to Jack.
Jack grabbed my hand and ran.
ZeldaQueen: Yet again with the hand-holding
“On deck!” he yelled to his sleeping crew as we passed through the hold. “All hands! Lift the skin up! Scurry! Movement, I want movement, ye old sea dogs!”
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane? You're trying a little too hard on the pirate talk, there
As the groggy pirates dragged themselves to their stations, Jack looked into the ship’s black sails.
“Haul those sheets!” he ordered. “Haul ‘em! Run, mates, run, as if the devil himself is on us!”
With the crew distracted, I watched as Jack wrapped his hand in a rag to conceal the mark. Jack and I made our way to the mast, and we came to stand behind it.
ZeldaQueen: Quit following him around and do something useful, you cow!
“Do we have a heading?” asked Gibbs as he approached.
“Land!” yelled Jack.
“What port?” Gibbs inquired.
Jack was growing thoroughly annoyed. “I said land! Any land!”
ZeldaQueen: (Jack) "Preferably with a volcano, to throw the Sue into"
Just then, the stupid monkey jumped from the rigging, and landed on Jack’s shoulder. He knocked the captain’s hat overboard.
“Jack’s hat!” I cried, knowing how fond of it he was. “Bring the ship about!”
ZeldaQueen: STOP STICKING YOUR NOSE INTO CANON!
“No, Kate,” Jack snapped. “Leave it.”
Jack’s crew, as well as I, was stunned. We knew how much it meant to him - how could he not want to retrieve it?
ZeldaQueen: Um, Kate? Did you miss the entire conversation, about how he was going to have a huge sea monster eat him?
“Mind your stations, the lot of you!” Gibbs ordered.
He turned to Jack and me. “For the love of mother and child, Jack, what’s coming after us?”
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane, your chapter breaks suck
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Onward to: Chapter 7: The Island
Back to: Chapter 5: James Norrington
Return to: Table of Contents