Cold Comfort

by Gryphons Lair

Pairing: J/N
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean is owned by Disney, Bruckheimer, et al. No infringement intended.
Originally Posted: 12/06/04
Note: Written for elessil as part of the wishkisses challenge/community. Which all of my friends (especially any NatPackers out there!) should go check out ASAP, BTW. Many thanks to my betareaders, fabu and commodorified.
Note: This is a standalone story from the Men Must Work universe.
Summary: A chilly Christmas present.

The pistol dug into his back.

Norrington lay quite still, feigning docility, ignoring the heat of the musty sack over his head, the ropes biting into his arms. The cart stopped; rough hands pulled him to his feet.

Walk!

Shifting sand underfoot, then the hollowness of wood. Hands turning him onto an upward-tilting surface, ending abruptly. He stumbled, caught himself, felt a ship moving beneath him.

Down.

A gangway, another. The creak of hinges. His ropes fell away as a hand pushed him, hard. He stumbled forward, fell. Caught himself on outthrust hands, struggled free of the sack.

A small square space, carpet beneath his feet, rough fabric lining the walls, his breath pluming white in the cold air.

Cold?

A sound behind. He whirled—

—to see a familiar figure rising from a heap of furs.

Jack?!

The pirate smiled, spread his hands. Surprise.

Jack, where are we?

Ice ship.

What?

She's an ice ship. French. Well, New France.

He considered this. Why?

Y'said it didn't feel like Christmas 'thout snow. I couldn't get ye that, but figured a bit o' cold might do as well. And look 'ere. Jack pulled the curtain behind him aside. Plum pudding, and rum punch. Couldn't manage a goose, no way to keep it 'ot.

Blue flames flickering over the pudding. The punch steamed. It smelled delicious.

Jack, I...

Jack raised a hand. Look up.

A small twisted branch, pinned to the ship's beam.

Mistletoe.

James spread his arms; Jack stepped into them.

Notes: New France is Canada, before the French ceded her to the English crown in 1763.

The concept of an ice ship is probably totally anachronistic, not to mention improbable. I know they used them in the late 1800s & early 1900s, to haul ice down the eastern seaboard. However, I suspect that any ship that tried to bring ice to the Caribbean in the 1700s would have ended up with a hold full of very wet sawdust. But I couldn't resist the idea.

ETA: Ice ships were unknown until some clever New Englander thought them up in the mid-1800s. But the idea was too fun to pass up.

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