Chapter 96 – He’s What

Usual disclaimers – if you recognise anything, it belongs to Disney – else it’s mine.

Usual thanks to Pendragginink for being my beta. And thanks to all of those of you that have reviewed, especially: Smithy – your wait is at an end; SparrowsVixon – is Jack ever anything but?; 1BabyBoy – well, Mab does have an excuse for it; MrsKiLupin-Darcy – I’m not done with cliffhangers yet!

This chapter is dedicated to the strangely self-professed Willabeth fan, Smithy! May the affliction pass soon!

Chapter 96 – He’s What?

“He’s what?” Will Turner gasped, looking at the pirate in disbelief.

“Cap’n’s getting married,” Owen repeated. “He wants me t’ escort you an’ th’ fair Elizabeth here to San Juan for the ceremony…”

“But…” Will spluttered. “How?”

“I’ve a small dory in Jack’s favoured cove,” Owen revealed. “She isn’t much, but she’ll see us safely to San Juan, don’t you worry…”

“I don’t know,” Will worried, glancing anxiously at his visibly pregnant wife.

“If Jack Sparrow is getting married,” she declared, “I’d have to be in labour to miss it!”

“But you’ve only three months to go…” he fretted.

“Will Turner, we are going!” Elizabeth insisted. “Now I suggest you arrange for somebody to watch the forge whilst I start to pack!”

“I’ll arrange some supplies and then go and wait in the cove for you,” Owen offered. “I’m known to Captain Groves and I’d hate t’ bump into him…” The HMS Amersham had been in the harbour when he had sailed by the entrance and he knew that to be recognised would mean his death.

“We know the cove,” Elizabeth assured him, turning to her husband. “Well, go on!” she urged. “Or else I’ll go without you!”

“I’ll rig a tarp,” Owen suggested. “It’ll keep you shaded at least…”

“Thank you, Owen,” Elizabeth smiled, glaring at Will who had still not left. “Go!” she screeched.

Will, realising he was not going to win, sighed heavily. “Yes, dear,” he nodded, resignedly heading for the door.

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As he helped Elizabeth across the deep sands to the waiting boat, Will ruefully admitted to himself that Owen had not been exaggerating when he had called the fishing dory small. Easily capable of being handled by a single man, he admitted to himself that there would be little chance of privacy during the voyage.

“You sure you want to go through with this?” he asked, wishing that Elizabeth would change her mind and yet knowing that she would not.

“Are you mad?” Elizabeth snorted, handing the extra basket of provisions she had brought with them to Owen. “I am not missing this for anything!”

She accepted the pirate’s hand into the boat, scrambling awkwardly to sit under the tarpaulin that he had rigged to shade her as Will shook his head in exasperation, throwing their belongings in after her before helping Owen push the craft from the beach.

“I still say this is a crazy idea!” he muttered to himself, jumping into the boat as Owen did the same. The pirate raised the jib and the boat gently headed from the calm waters of the cove out into the open sea. “How long do you reckon it will take?” he asked.

“Six days if we’re lucky, two weeks if we’re not,” Owen shrugged. “We can stop over in Santo Domingo for fresh water in roughly three days…”

“Changing your mind yet?” he remarked, glancing at Elizabeth as she made herself comfortable.

“No!” she insisted. “I have to see it for myself for I still can’t believe that anybody could be stupid enough to marry Jack!”

“So,” Will pressed, turning to Owen. “Who is she?”

“A nice girl from a respectable family,” he explained.

“How she’d meet Jack then?” Will asked wryly.

“I’ll let Jack tell you,” Owen smiled.

“So what can you tell us?” Elizabeth pressed.

“She’s a good cook, is a dab hand at mending clothes an’ a natural up the rigging,” he offered. “She’s also partial to a spot or two of th’ Captain’s rum…”

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, remembering when Jack had tried to get her drunk when they had been marooned together. “He hasn’t changed his tack then?” she chuckled. “Still using rum to woo the ladies?”

“But she can nearly drink him under the table…” he laughed.

“She can what?” Will spluttered. “I thought you said she came from a respectable family!”

Elizabeth merely chuckled, delighting in the thought of a woman, of whatever background, that could take on Jack Sparrow at his own game. “And?”

“I don’t think there’s anything else,” Owen frowned. “Other than the fact that they are hopelessly in love,” he shrugged.

“Jack Sparrow… hopelessly in love?” Now it was Will’s turn to laugh. “I’ve heard it all now!”

“Well, in a few weeks, you’ll see it all too!” Owen insisted. “And then it will be my turn to laugh – at your expressions!”

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Elizabeth almost began to wish she had not been so insistent on going when the squall hit their small boat four days out from Port Royal, forcing them to take shelter in a cove on the southern coast of Hispaniola. Soaked and shivering, she was grateful for the small fire that Owen had managed to coax to life.

“We’ll wait it out here,” Owen announced as he finalised lashing the tarpaulin from the boat between two trees, ushering Elizabeth beneath it before turning to fetch their belongings from the boat, hoping that they would be able to eat something warm, despite the weather.

“Whereabouts are we?” Will asked.

“A day or so from Santo Domingo,” Owen guessed, knowing their approximate location by experience even if he did not know it exactly. “We’ll load up again there and then push on to San Juan.”

“At least we’re half way…” Elizabeth shivered, holding her hands to the fire as Will wrapped his arms about her, trying to warm her up.

“I told you this was not a good idea…” he began.

“Oh shut up, Will!” Elizabeth cursed. “I’m cold, wet and pregnant, not a bloody invalid!”

“Elizabeth!” he chided.

“Oh come on, Will!” she retorted. “You’re such an old woman sometimes… you’d make a saint swear!”

“That’s no excuse for you to do so,” he chastised, gratefully taking the beaker of warm tea from Owen and passing it to his wife. “Now, enough of the language and let’s get this down you,” he urged. “You might feel more yourself when you’re warm…”

“Hah!” she snorted, but took the beaker, wrapping her fingers around it, savouring the warmth. “Thank you, Owen,” she acknowledged, sipping it cautiously.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled, pouring another two beakers before joining them beneath the tarpaulin. “It’d be better with sugar,” he sighed, “but at least you thought to bring tea…”

“Having travelled with Jack, I knew what to expect,” Elizabeth remarked sourly.

“Aye, there is that,” Owen chuckled, glancing at the sky. “I think it’s breaking already,” he offered. “Give it an hour or so and we can sail on…”

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Will watched Santo Domingo slip from the horizon, a regretful sigh escaping his lips. He had tried to persuade Elizabeth to stay in the town or, even better in his mind, book passage on a sturdy ship back to Port Royal, but she would hear none of his arguments. Elizabeth was determined to see Jack Sparrow married and nothing on earth would dissuade her from what he considered folly. He could see that she was finding the journey difficult and worried about her and their child that she carried. He knew that obstinacy was in her nature and, to be fair, he had known what she was like when he had married her, but admitted to himself that it was a foolish hope to think that her pregnancy would in any way change her headstrong behaviour. He glanced across at her, smiling as he caught her eye.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, sweating in the heat that had followed the squally storm, using a wrapper from some of the food that they had brought in an effort to fan herself.

“Just wishing we were there already,” he evaded, knowing she would not welcome his true wishes that she was safely at home and not in a small dory as they sailed towards the Mona Passage with another two or three days sailing ahead of them.

“Look,” Owen called, pointing ahead of them. “There’s Puerto Rico!”

Elizabeth turned excitedly, if clumsily, holding her hand across her face as she squinted in the dazzling light that glinted off the sea. “See!” she declared, looking back towards Will. “We’re nearly there!”

“Nearly?” he sighed, shaking his head as he too looked at the distant smudge on the horizon. “It will still take us at least a day.”

“That’s still one day less than yesterday,” she smiled.

“You’re so astute!” he remarked dryly, shaking his head as she poked her tongue out. “See what I have to put up with?” he sighed, turning to Owen.

“I’m just glad I’m single,” the pirate chuckled, having found the couple’s regular disagreements a welcome distraction to the boring journey.

“Stay that way!” Will advised sagely. “It’s safer!”

“Oh, I intend to,” Owen laughed. “I fully intend to.”

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Reviews? I can’t promise they’ll make the next chapter come quicker as I am caring for both my elderly parents at the moment – my father who is disabled following a stroke some years ago and is currently bedridden with illness plus my mother who has just had a hip replacement. I am so busy running around after them, I don’t know if I’m coming or going. Please bear with me until they are better. Ta!