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dwgmHere's a little more Second Chance. The original story was here, and part two, A Clandestine Arrangement is here. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hereswith, best of beta readers, got a chance to look this one over, thank goodness!
~ Second Chance: Covert Operations ~
The sky was still full of stars when James found himself slipping down the silent lanes of Shipwreck City toward the harbor where the Black Pearl lay anchored. The internal debate over the advisability of his course had troubled his sleep, but had eased the moment he’d stepped out into the cool air. Jack was wrong about Elizabeth. She would miss them immediately. But her child wasn’t due for a month, they’d be back in plenty of time, perhaps better able to offer her support for having indulged themselves now.
The thought of Elizabeth’s coming ordeal was another thing that troubled him, as it did Jack. James had seen the haunted look in the pirate’s eyes when Elizabeth was present but not attending. Teague might laugh over it (and had), but for James it was clear evidence of Jack’s regard for Elizabeth, something he had doubted in the past. Strange as it seemed, James had come to the conclusion that Jack was good for Elizabeth. He made her laugh, and he was extremely solicitous, in his odd, sometimes roundabout way. Indeed, Jack Sparrow seemed of far more use than James at present, a wry thought. Perhaps James could prove himself more of an asset to her after she was delivered.
In the meantime, there were the docks before him, the Pearl black on rippling black a cable’s length from shore, and Mr. Cotton and his parrot waiting on the pier where a boat was tied. James walked steadily on across the waterfront, and he and Cotton exchanged smiles.
“Steady as she goes!” the parrot said, soft and clear, ruffling its feathers.
“Indeed! It’s good to see you, too, Mr. Cotton.” James looked out at the Pearl. “Are they prepared? There doesn’t seem to be much activity on deck.”
Cotton just put a finger alongside his nose, nodded, and motioned James toward the boat.
When they’d almost reached the ship, Jack appeared, leaning over the rail near the sea ladder. “’Bout time you got here, slug-a-bed,” he called softly, then turned away and was seen to be waving his arms about. As James climbed up the side, the capstan began to turn, raising the anchor, and men swarmed up the ratlines, preparing to set sail, yet no orders had been audible.
Jack was still flailing signals when James gained the deck. Amused, he asked, “Are you worried she'll try to stop us?"
“Not at all," Jack retorted. "We're practicing Covert Operations. One never knows when one’ll need to maneuver in dead silence. As it were.” He grimaced, as if remembering something unpleasant.
James restrained his smile. “Very true.”
The anchor was catted, the sails let fall, and they filled immediately with the light but steady breeze. She moves! James felt his heart lift. The circle of sky overhead had turned deep blue, the stars were fading. James watched Jack at the wheel, watched him guide his Pearl over the water of the Cove with a steady hand, and then, with great expertise, through the Devil’s Throat, the caldera’s only entrance, a narrow and very tricky passage.
“You’ve done this before,” James remarked, as they swept through the gap.
Jack cracked a lop-sided grin. “Once or twice. Almost there. Almost there… We’re out!”
This last was shouted with boyish enthusiasm as they left the shadowed Throat behind and sailed into the rougher, shoal-ridden water at its entrance, the wide horizon pale gold with the coming dawn. The wind strengthened and the ship surged forward. A song broke out among the men, and Jack gave a whoop of sheer joy. He turned to James. “Welcome back to the Black Pearl, mate! May it be a far more fortunate voyage than the last we shared.”
Memory assaulted James: Tortuga and Elizabeth finding him; rum, pigs, grief, jealousy; Jack's lackey… Jack's betrayer, sentencing him, and many of the rest of the Pearls, to Death By Kraken. Yet now, though there was an edge of ironic amusement, there seemed no real animosity in the pirate’s words, so James only replied, “Thank you. And amen to that.”
~.~
hereswith, best of beta readers, got a chance to look this one over, thank goodness! ~ Second Chance: Covert Operations ~
The sky was still full of stars when James found himself slipping down the silent lanes of Shipwreck City toward the harbor where the Black Pearl lay anchored. The internal debate over the advisability of his course had troubled his sleep, but had eased the moment he’d stepped out into the cool air. Jack was wrong about Elizabeth. She would miss them immediately. But her child wasn’t due for a month, they’d be back in plenty of time, perhaps better able to offer her support for having indulged themselves now.
The thought of Elizabeth’s coming ordeal was another thing that troubled him, as it did Jack. James had seen the haunted look in the pirate’s eyes when Elizabeth was present but not attending. Teague might laugh over it (and had), but for James it was clear evidence of Jack’s regard for Elizabeth, something he had doubted in the past. Strange as it seemed, James had come to the conclusion that Jack was good for Elizabeth. He made her laugh, and he was extremely solicitous, in his odd, sometimes roundabout way. Indeed, Jack Sparrow seemed of far more use than James at present, a wry thought. Perhaps James could prove himself more of an asset to her after she was delivered.
In the meantime, there were the docks before him, the Pearl black on rippling black a cable’s length from shore, and Mr. Cotton and his parrot waiting on the pier where a boat was tied. James walked steadily on across the waterfront, and he and Cotton exchanged smiles.
“Steady as she goes!” the parrot said, soft and clear, ruffling its feathers.
“Indeed! It’s good to see you, too, Mr. Cotton.” James looked out at the Pearl. “Are they prepared? There doesn’t seem to be much activity on deck.”
Cotton just put a finger alongside his nose, nodded, and motioned James toward the boat.
When they’d almost reached the ship, Jack appeared, leaning over the rail near the sea ladder. “’Bout time you got here, slug-a-bed,” he called softly, then turned away and was seen to be waving his arms about. As James climbed up the side, the capstan began to turn, raising the anchor, and men swarmed up the ratlines, preparing to set sail, yet no orders had been audible.
Jack was still flailing signals when James gained the deck. Amused, he asked, “Are you worried she'll try to stop us?"
“Not at all," Jack retorted. "We're practicing Covert Operations. One never knows when one’ll need to maneuver in dead silence. As it were.” He grimaced, as if remembering something unpleasant.
James restrained his smile. “Very true.”
The anchor was catted, the sails let fall, and they filled immediately with the light but steady breeze. She moves! James felt his heart lift. The circle of sky overhead had turned deep blue, the stars were fading. James watched Jack at the wheel, watched him guide his Pearl over the water of the Cove with a steady hand, and then, with great expertise, through the Devil’s Throat, the caldera’s only entrance, a narrow and very tricky passage.
“You’ve done this before,” James remarked, as they swept through the gap.
Jack cracked a lop-sided grin. “Once or twice. Almost there. Almost there… We’re out!”
This last was shouted with boyish enthusiasm as they left the shadowed Throat behind and sailed into the rougher, shoal-ridden water at its entrance, the wide horizon pale gold with the coming dawn. The wind strengthened and the ship surged forward. A song broke out among the men, and Jack gave a whoop of sheer joy. He turned to James. “Welcome back to the Black Pearl, mate! May it be a far more fortunate voyage than the last we shared.”
Memory assaulted James: Tortuga and Elizabeth finding him; rum, pigs, grief, jealousy; Jack's lackey… Jack's betrayer, sentencing him, and many of the rest of the Pearls, to Death By Kraken. Yet now, though there was an edge of ironic amusement, there seemed no real animosity in the pirate’s words, so James only replied, “Thank you. And amen to that.”
~.~