Title: Love's curses and Love's Blessings
Author: Takada Saiko
Disclaimers: I have NOTHING! I kid you not.... I don't even own the PotC DVD yet! Sad, ain't it? I borrowed with full (or maybe not really full) intention to give back my friend's VHS and it's still being watched... 2 weeks later ;;;
Chapter One: Of Wedding preparations and Nightmares
Captain Jack Sparrow tossed and turned in his sleep, kohl covered eyes closed tightly shut as he whimpered slightly. Ana Maria stopped as she peeked in. Whimpering? Her captain did not whimper. What kind of dream could this be?
The first mate wasn't too surprised when her captain didn't rise and shine at his normal early hour, considering the amount of rum he had all but inhaled the evening – and into the night – before. She and Gibbs (who wasn't much more sober than their captain) had hauled him from the deck where the crew had been drinking to his own cabin, where he had been out cold long before his head hit his pillow.
This was not an occurrence Ana Maria was unused to. It was the unnatural disturbance of his sleep that bothered her this morning. She watched him turn once more, moaning in his sleep, before she gently touched his shoulder. "You've a ship to run today, Cap'in," she said as gently as she could.
Jack woke with a start on contact, his dark eyes wild with disorientation from being awakened suddenly from his dream. He turned to see Ana Maria standing over him and his shoulders sagged and he fell back into bed, hand pressed against his head.
Ana Maria tried not to laugh. "Hangover, Cap'in?"
He groaned again and turned so the light of the morning wasn't blaring in his eyes. "How long's 'e sun 'een up?" he mumbled.
"Good hour now. No one had the heart or the courage to wake ya." She turned to leave him to his own decisions of rising or returning to sleep when she stopped. "Jack, what was that dream about?"
"What dream, luv?" he answered, swinging his legs over the side of his bed and stretching as he stood.
"The one that I know you were 'aving before I woke ya."
Her captain's dark eyes lazily turned toward her and a grin spread across his face. "Nothin' to worry 'bout, luv. Just 'ol memories back t' haunt."
The first mate nodded. "I'll see you up on deck."
"See ya there, luv."
---------------------------------------------------
The Black Pearl had docked in the most inconspicuous place her crew could find for her at Port Royal. It had been some months since the crew had picked Jack back up after his meeting with the gallows there, and Gibbs was muttering about bad luck and the such from the moment they came close to the port.
Jack laughed at his old friend. "There'll be no trouble," he assured the quartermaster. "Not s'long as I avoid good 'ol Commodore Norrington."
"I hope ye do, Jack, because 'ey'll come lookin' for us and we won't be savin' ya from the brig if we're in 'ere ourselves," Gibbs answered.
Jack chuckled. "Mate, they couldn't catch me – again – if they tried! Don't worry 'bout it."
"Anyway, I'll be along to make sure he doesn't have trouble following in his wake, per the usual," Ana Maria said with a sly smile.
"Are ye?" Jack questioned. "This would be news to me."
Ana Maria grinned, tossing something into the rowboat. "I wouldn't let ya go all by your onesies, Cap'in."
Jack frowned slightly as she hopped into the boat. There would be no persuading her, he knew, but he hated the idea that it felt as if she were attempting to watch over him. He sighed heavily as he followed. Oh well, perhaps Elizabeth and she would get into preparations and he could drag the boy off for a good drink. He grinned to himself. That was a plan!
----------------------------------------
Will Turner strode into the blacksmith's shop, his eyes halfway closed, a tune coming out in the form of a whistle. Mr. Brown was, per the usual, sleeping off his night's drinking escapade and that left Will to do as he wished. While on the average day this might mean working on a new weapon of some sort, practicing with it, or something of that sort, this was not an average day. This was, in fact, the week before his wedding to his life love. Will gave a long, complacent sigh.
"Since when 'ave you let your guard down so much, lad?"
Will's eyes widened as he turned, hand grasping the nearest weapon, and locked eyes with a mischievously grinning pirate captain. "Jack Sparrow!"
The pirate's grin widened. "Tha's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow to ye, mate."
Will grinned and embraced his friend, catching the other slightly off his guard with the sudden contact, but the embrace was quickly returned. The blacksmith pulled back first, but Jack was right back in his face, as was his habit of ignoring personal boundaries. "I 'eard somethin' of a wedding 'round 'ere, lad. Know anythin' of it?"
Will grinned again. "Something like that. You are coming, aren't you? Elizabeth and I would be hurt if you weren't."
"I'll do me best, lad. Though 'm sure our 'ol friend Norrington will show 'is face sooner or later there, won't 'e?"
"He will, but he wouldn't dare arrest the groom's best friend," Will answered with a grin. "Hey, Jack, I know this is late to ask, and I understand if you say no because of needing to keep low in Port Royal, but...."
"Will!" Elizabeth's voice rang through the shop. "Did you see who came?"
Jack gave her a grin and waved. "'e knows, lass."
"What I was asking, Jack," Will started, bringing the pirate's attention back around, "was if you'd be my best man for my wedding."
Jack stopped and stared for a moment, his dark eyes questioning as he cocked his head to one side.
"Will, we're going to have trouble enough just being there, much less standing out," Ana Maria, who had followed Elizabeth in, began.
"S'alright, luv. I'll do wha' I can, Will, but I'll try." He grinned. "I'm honored ya want me in yer weddin', lad."
Will chuckled. "Well, it is partially your fault that Elizabeth and I finally got together, right, Lizabeth?"
She nodded. "Scoundrel that he is. And Jack, if you are in the wedding, two things."
"What would those be, lass?"
"One: no getting drunk." She walked forward. "Two-" she gently picked up one of the braided and beaded locks of his hair – "You need to look at least somewhat presentable."
"'m not presentable, lass?" Jack asked, feigning hurt.
"No, Jack. You're a pirate, and while normally the kohl under your eyes and the beads in your hair doesn't bother me in the slightest, if you're going to be at the wedding..."
"'spose I couldn't wear it anyway," Jack said thoughtfully, tugging lightly at the beads. "Makes me stand out a bit, don't it?"
"Just a bit," Elizabeth laughed.
"Now that that's settled," Jack said as he leaned back into Will's face once more. "Where do ya stash your rum, lad? If I can't be drunk at th' weddin', might as well get drunk enough now."
Elizabeth fumed. "JACK SPARROW! YOU WILL NOT BE PERSUADING MY FIANCE TO GO OUT DRINKING THAT VILE SUBSTANCE!"
Jack blinked, smiled, and waved a dismissive hand. "Tha's 'Cap'in', luv."
A/N: 'Allo, all! Hope you like it. I'm trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible and still keep it original. Tell me how I'm doing! R&R please
Author: Takada Saiko
Disclaimers: I have NOTHING! I kid you not.... I don't even own the PotC DVD yet! Sad, ain't it? I borrowed with full (or maybe not really full) intention to give back my friend's VHS and it's still being watched... 2 weeks later ;;;
Chapter One: Of Wedding preparations and Nightmares
Captain Jack Sparrow tossed and turned in his sleep, kohl covered eyes closed tightly shut as he whimpered slightly. Ana Maria stopped as she peeked in. Whimpering? Her captain did not whimper. What kind of dream could this be?
The first mate wasn't too surprised when her captain didn't rise and shine at his normal early hour, considering the amount of rum he had all but inhaled the evening – and into the night – before. She and Gibbs (who wasn't much more sober than their captain) had hauled him from the deck where the crew had been drinking to his own cabin, where he had been out cold long before his head hit his pillow.
This was not an occurrence Ana Maria was unused to. It was the unnatural disturbance of his sleep that bothered her this morning. She watched him turn once more, moaning in his sleep, before she gently touched his shoulder. "You've a ship to run today, Cap'in," she said as gently as she could.
Jack woke with a start on contact, his dark eyes wild with disorientation from being awakened suddenly from his dream. He turned to see Ana Maria standing over him and his shoulders sagged and he fell back into bed, hand pressed against his head.
Ana Maria tried not to laugh. "Hangover, Cap'in?"
He groaned again and turned so the light of the morning wasn't blaring in his eyes. "How long's 'e sun 'een up?" he mumbled.
"Good hour now. No one had the heart or the courage to wake ya." She turned to leave him to his own decisions of rising or returning to sleep when she stopped. "Jack, what was that dream about?"
"What dream, luv?" he answered, swinging his legs over the side of his bed and stretching as he stood.
"The one that I know you were 'aving before I woke ya."
Her captain's dark eyes lazily turned toward her and a grin spread across his face. "Nothin' to worry 'bout, luv. Just 'ol memories back t' haunt."
The first mate nodded. "I'll see you up on deck."
"See ya there, luv."
---------------------------------------------------
The Black Pearl had docked in the most inconspicuous place her crew could find for her at Port Royal. It had been some months since the crew had picked Jack back up after his meeting with the gallows there, and Gibbs was muttering about bad luck and the such from the moment they came close to the port.
Jack laughed at his old friend. "There'll be no trouble," he assured the quartermaster. "Not s'long as I avoid good 'ol Commodore Norrington."
"I hope ye do, Jack, because 'ey'll come lookin' for us and we won't be savin' ya from the brig if we're in 'ere ourselves," Gibbs answered.
Jack chuckled. "Mate, they couldn't catch me – again – if they tried! Don't worry 'bout it."
"Anyway, I'll be along to make sure he doesn't have trouble following in his wake, per the usual," Ana Maria said with a sly smile.
"Are ye?" Jack questioned. "This would be news to me."
Ana Maria grinned, tossing something into the rowboat. "I wouldn't let ya go all by your onesies, Cap'in."
Jack frowned slightly as she hopped into the boat. There would be no persuading her, he knew, but he hated the idea that it felt as if she were attempting to watch over him. He sighed heavily as he followed. Oh well, perhaps Elizabeth and she would get into preparations and he could drag the boy off for a good drink. He grinned to himself. That was a plan!
----------------------------------------
Will Turner strode into the blacksmith's shop, his eyes halfway closed, a tune coming out in the form of a whistle. Mr. Brown was, per the usual, sleeping off his night's drinking escapade and that left Will to do as he wished. While on the average day this might mean working on a new weapon of some sort, practicing with it, or something of that sort, this was not an average day. This was, in fact, the week before his wedding to his life love. Will gave a long, complacent sigh.
"Since when 'ave you let your guard down so much, lad?"
Will's eyes widened as he turned, hand grasping the nearest weapon, and locked eyes with a mischievously grinning pirate captain. "Jack Sparrow!"
The pirate's grin widened. "Tha's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow to ye, mate."
Will grinned and embraced his friend, catching the other slightly off his guard with the sudden contact, but the embrace was quickly returned. The blacksmith pulled back first, but Jack was right back in his face, as was his habit of ignoring personal boundaries. "I 'eard somethin' of a wedding 'round 'ere, lad. Know anythin' of it?"
Will grinned again. "Something like that. You are coming, aren't you? Elizabeth and I would be hurt if you weren't."
"I'll do me best, lad. Though 'm sure our 'ol friend Norrington will show 'is face sooner or later there, won't 'e?"
"He will, but he wouldn't dare arrest the groom's best friend," Will answered with a grin. "Hey, Jack, I know this is late to ask, and I understand if you say no because of needing to keep low in Port Royal, but...."
"Will!" Elizabeth's voice rang through the shop. "Did you see who came?"
Jack gave her a grin and waved. "'e knows, lass."
"What I was asking, Jack," Will started, bringing the pirate's attention back around, "was if you'd be my best man for my wedding."
Jack stopped and stared for a moment, his dark eyes questioning as he cocked his head to one side.
"Will, we're going to have trouble enough just being there, much less standing out," Ana Maria, who had followed Elizabeth in, began.
"S'alright, luv. I'll do wha' I can, Will, but I'll try." He grinned. "I'm honored ya want me in yer weddin', lad."
Will chuckled. "Well, it is partially your fault that Elizabeth and I finally got together, right, Lizabeth?"
She nodded. "Scoundrel that he is. And Jack, if you are in the wedding, two things."
"What would those be, lass?"
"One: no getting drunk." She walked forward. "Two-" she gently picked up one of the braided and beaded locks of his hair – "You need to look at least somewhat presentable."
"'m not presentable, lass?" Jack asked, feigning hurt.
"No, Jack. You're a pirate, and while normally the kohl under your eyes and the beads in your hair doesn't bother me in the slightest, if you're going to be at the wedding..."
"'spose I couldn't wear it anyway," Jack said thoughtfully, tugging lightly at the beads. "Makes me stand out a bit, don't it?"
"Just a bit," Elizabeth laughed.
"Now that that's settled," Jack said as he leaned back into Will's face once more. "Where do ya stash your rum, lad? If I can't be drunk at th' weddin', might as well get drunk enough now."
Elizabeth fumed. "JACK SPARROW! YOU WILL NOT BE PERSUADING MY FIANCE TO GO OUT DRINKING THAT VILE SUBSTANCE!"
Jack blinked, smiled, and waved a dismissive hand. "Tha's 'Cap'in', luv."
A/N: 'Allo, all! Hope you like it. I'm trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible and still keep it original. Tell me how I'm doing! R&R please