The Call of a Sparrow

The Call of a Sparrow

Chapter Two: Envy

Summary: Will was not fast enough to save Jack at the gallows, so he was forced to watch as Jack died by the noose. He blames himself for the pirate’s death, until a mysterious letter from Cotton’s parrot prompts him to sail immediately for Tortuga.

Disclaimer: This movie and all of its characters do not belong to me. But I do have a Jack Sparrow poster! Yay!

Rating: R, so I can do what I want, right? Heck yeah!!

Warnings: Don’t really know yet.

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Will leaned against the railing of The Matador, smiling as the fresh ocean breeze blew across his face and played with his hair. Jack must have been right when he claimed that pirate was in his blood; it felt good to be at sea again.

He heard distinct footsteps on the planks of the wooden floor and immediately jerked out of his reverie, grabbing the nearest rope and pretending to be useful. He had been able to barter his way onto the merchant ship, vowing to pull his own weight and aid any crew member whenever necessary until they reached their destination. It had been sheer luck that the ship had been heading towards Tortuga the exact day he had decided to leave for the boisterous town. He smiled to himself, thinking of the roguish pirate he was expected to meet, when a hand clapped down on his shoulder.

“Turner.”

Will spun around to face the tall, lanky man and relief washed over his features. It was Andrew.

“Oh. I thought you were the captain.”

Andrew smiled. The two men had quickly befriended one another, for Andrew was one of the few men on board who even bothered to engage in conversation with him beyond a mere greeting. Will returned the smile with one of his own.

“Yeah, well, not too much longer ‘til we reach Tortuga.” Andrew squinted his eyes at Will. “You never said why you needed to go, but if it’s personal,” he said quickly, not wanting to interfere, “you don’t have to say nothing about it.”

“That’s all right. I’m looking for someone,” he said, his smile widening. “I’m looking for Jack Sparrow.”

Andrew was quiet for a long moment. He bit his lip and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “THE Captain Jack Sparrow?” Will nodded. “Uh, you a friend of his?” Will nodded once more and Andrew bit his lip again.

“Sorry to be the one to say, but Sparrow is dead. Has been for a bit more than a year now.”

Will blinked. “Oh yes. I know.”

He smiled at his friend’s confusion. Andrew stared at him, deciding not to press the matter, and just to let the subject drop. He assumed the young man knew what he was doing, and if Will had indeed gone mad, he should just leave him alone and pretend that all was well. Best not to provoke the insane.

“R-right.” He paused for a brief moment, collecting his words. “I hope you find him,” he said awkwardly.

Will smiled again, suppressing a round of possibly rude chuckles. “Thank you.”

They stood in uneasy silence for what seemed like an eternity until a shout was heard from the Crow’s Nest.

“Land ho!”

The deck of the merchant ship immediately sprung to life as crewmembers bustled about, preparing to dock. Will pitched in with earnest, his excitement growing with every passing moment. After all this time he might actually see Jack again. A grin curved his lips and he continued his present task, wishing for the wind to blow just a little harder.

At long last The Matador was securely moored and the gangplank was lowered. A group of crewmembers disembarked, heading towards the town to retrieve the necessary items, for their visit to Tortuga was merely a supply run. Will, after shaking hands with the captain and saying a quick farewell to Andrew, he quietly took his leave.

As he descended the gangplank, a thought formed in his brain, a thought that had not crossed his mind before. He fished the parchment letter out of the bag he carried containing his possessions and read it again. There were no instructions as to where to meet this supposedly dead pirate. Will furrowed his dark eyebrows and glanced around the part of the town he could see from the dock, then returned his attention to the letter. He frowned, realizing he knew nothing about the town; he only vaguely remembered the path that he and Jack had taken while searching for a crew crazy enough to sail with the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow. Another smile touched his lips at the memory.

“Ah, I expected you to be here.” A hand clapped down on Will’s shoulder and he jumped, turning sharply, immediately on the defensive.

Will blinked once. Twice. Three times. He looked the man before him, taking in his entire form. The man was wearing a loose white shirt, tan breeches and brown boots. His dreadlocks were tied away from his head and a rather attractive hat adorned his head. However, these accessories did nothing to prevent Will from correctly identifying him.

“Jack?! Is that really you in there?”

A grin spread across the man’s features and he laughed. “The one and only! My dear William, it’s good to see you again. Come, come. We have much to discuss.”

Jack patted him affectionately on the shoulder and began to walk off, expecting him to follow. Will walked behind him dazedly, staring at the back of the infamous Jack Sparrow in wonder. That man should not be waking in front of him; it must be some sort of trick of the mind. That, or he must be dreaming.

“Jack?”

“Aye?”

Will said nothing in reply, having called his name only to see if he would respond. He continued to follow Jack, allowing himself to be led blindly. He recognized little on the way to wherever they were going, but it didn’t really matter, as his eyes never left the man in front of him.

They finally reached a noisy pub, similar to the one where Jack had asked Mr. Gibbs to find a crew. Jack glanced behind him to see if Will was still there and motioned for him to stay close.

“Someone as clean and innocent as you is an easy target here,” he whispered, his eyes smiling.

Will set his jaw. “I’m not as clean and innocent as you might think,” he attempted to say challengingly.

Jack quirked an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

Will opened his mouth, then closed it and sighed. Jack chuckled and seated himself at a nearby table. Will sat down across from him and stared into the pirate’s dark eyes. It took him long moments to voice his concern. Jack waited patiently.

“What? How is it that you’re here?” he finally was able to ask.

Jack grinned that impossible grin of his. “That, mate, is a question that gets even me. I’m not quite sure how I managed to keep myself alive through a hanging, but of course, it shouldn’t be so surprising, as I am—”

“Yes, Captain Jack Sparrow,” Will filled in for him, smiling fondly.

“Aye, so you have been listening.”

Before Jack could continue, a waitress, who no doubt doubled as a whore, sauntered to the table. She smiled suggestively to Jack and stood close to him. “Would you two care for a drink?”

Jack’s grin widened, the pirate in him shining through, and he pulled the waitress onto his lap, attempting to push his hand up her dress. She giggled flirtatiously, encouraging Jack to continue.

“Rum,” he said. “And a mug of your weakest ale for me friend, here.”

A vague nod and another giggle. She jumped, squealing, as Jack pinched her rear. Will, ignoring that Jack had obviously assumed that he couldn’t hold his liquor, watched the scene with a slight frown. An unexplainable stab of jealousy pierced his heart, and he struggled to keep his emotions from appearing on his face. Jack luckily took the frown as one of disapproval and let the girl slide from his lap to go about her business with the drinks.

“So,” Will began curtly, “how did you escape?”

If Jack noticed the anger in Will’s tone, he let none of it show and continued on as if nothing had occurred. “Aye. Well, apparently Lady Luck was on my side that day. When the rope dropped, it didn’t kill me instantly like it was supposed to, so I just kind of went unconscious. Takes about ten minutes to die if your neck ain’t snapped in two by that, mate. Those blokes must not’ve checked me thoroughly, because I was apparently alive when they took me from the noose. Don’t remember too much of that though. What I do remember is falling. Aye, falling and hitting water. Not a very nice feeling if you’re not ready for it.” He nodded his head and closed his eyes as if remembering.

“But,” he continued, “the impact of the water woke me more so than the falling did. About here’s when my memory fails. Next I remember I was on the Pearl with Anamaria putting a wet towel on me head.”

Will nodded, having forgotten his earlier ire and becoming completely engrossed in Jack’s tale.

“How is it that I hadn’t heard about your still being alive?”

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. “I try to keep off land as much as I can, you know, to slow down the rumors. Wouldn’t do if I was caught again. Might not escape with just rope burn. Might not escape at all, if you know what I mean.”

“…Are you serious?” he asked, still awed at his story.

“Would I make this up?” When Will didn’t say anything, he started again. “Look, I called you here for a reason.”

“Really?”

“Aye.” Jack stared at him seriously. “I want you to come aboard the Pearl and be a part of me crew, savvy? It’s just not the same without you on board.”

Will stared at the pirate across from him, disbelief written plainly on his features. He worked his mouth for a long time, searching desperately for his voice. The only words he could find were, “What about Elizabeth?”

“What about her?” Jack said, his tone border-lining rudeness.

“I…”

“Are you two married now?”

“Well, no…”

“Well then, there you have it.” He leaned in closely, invading Will’s personal space, and narrowed his eyes curiously. “You’re a pirate, boy. The sea is where you belong… And besides,” he said cheerfully, “if you haven’t married the lass by now, chances are you aren’t going to. I could’ve sworn you had me all ‘round the Caribbean for this girl. If you wanted her that bad, you would’ve married her long before now.”

Will found he had no sufficient argument against the pirate’s logic. Jack stared at him expectantly; the young blacksmith fidgeted under the intense gaze. Jack sighed.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I was just offering—”

“No!” Will said without thinking, surprising them both. “I mean, I want to be a part of your crew. I’m not the best at sailing, though.”

“Not a problem at all! You’ll learn, I’m sure of it.” Jack grinned again, the smile lighting up his entire face, and Will found himself grinning also.

“The Pearl is docked and waiting. We can leave whenever you want. But if you could make it soon…”

“What about the drinks?”

“Doesn’t matter. Need to get back to the sea, mate. I’m not too cozy on land these days.”

Will nodded and rose from his chair. “Then we can leave now.” He extended his hand across the table, and Jack took it, shaking it with a broad smile on his face.

“It’s good to have you aboard, Will.”

“Yes, well, it’s good to be aboard, Jack.”


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Wow, this was hard to get out. Thank you, reviewers! You’re the only reason I even tried for a second chapter. SilentChaos89, I did try to email you, but my message just got sent back. *shrugs* Dunno. But thank you guys again for reviewing!