Never Say Die

6. Old Friends

by

Hippediva and Elessil

Pintel poked his head over the edge of the Pearl's rail, and thrust a short arm in their direction. "It's Captain Jack!"

Ragetti appeared next to him, raising his head from where he had been crawling on the deck. "Again?" A small thing fell from his fingers and plopped into the sand below, rolling a few paces. "ME EYE!"

Pintel tut-tutted at him. "An' ya just finished makin' it. Wot a pity."

Murtogg appeared behind them and held up one hand. "As my mother always said, practice makes perfect. Make a new one."

A derisive snort echoed over the waves. "How would she know? She obviously never did."

"I will have you know that my mother..."

"GENTLEMEN!" Jack bellowed loud enough to be heard back in Singapore. "If you will do me the favour of shutting it! Where is he?"

Barbossa stalked towards the rail. Pintel pointed. "It's Captain Jack."

A glare silenced him.

"Sorry. Jack, I mean."

"Well, technically, since 'e's got a ship there..."

"Ahoy Hector. Bit o' trouble up there? It's a rather funny place fer careenin', mate." Jack was fidgeting on deck, staring up at his ship's black keel in dismay. "I must say I'm pleased t'see you've found y'self a port."

Barbossa mockingly waved his hat. "Since ya found yerself a ship, Jack, why be you chasin' mine around? Bringin' back me charts?"

"My chart an' my ship, mate. Ships. That still doesn't explain how ya got yerself up there. Sightseein'?" Jack turned to Gibbs. "Mr. Gibbs, close yer mouth or ye'll be catchin' flies. Keep a sharp eye and do NOT leave that wheel."

James muttered, under his breath, "I will not call you Commodore Sparrow."

"I wouldn't expect it, luv." Jack's grin was a golden shark's. His mind racing ahead, he could only imagine the chaos aboard the Pearl. "Hector, luv, yer awful quiet up there? Seas not bein' kind t'you?"

"No. She spilled you ashore here, an' the Devil knows why. It seems I'll have to find a more permanent way to rid myself of yer presence."

"Hector, luv. I wouldn't be doin' that." Jack watched the Pearl rock precariously as the crew shoved the guns out of their ports.

Barbossa bared his teeth. "If Fortune be on our side, the cannons shall blow ya to Kingdom Come, and us from this godforsaken rock."

"Your problem entirely, mate. At this angle, ya couldn't hit the broadside of a butterfly!" Jack was warming up to the situation and found it entirely in his favour. "But that's entirely beside th' point, luv. I wouldn't risk the Pearl on such an effort, if ya know wot I mean. Might have repercussions."

Barbossa held up his hand and the monkey jumped onto the rail to chitter. "Ya wouldn't risk her, would ya, Jack? You've always had such a soft spot for my ship."

"My ship, mate. An' I think ya might wanna run out the portside guns too. Yer tiltin'."

The Calypso had but four guns, small swivels at that, but Jack did not order them loaded. There was no chance of hitting anything that far above them any more than the Pearl could aim a cannonade at them without sending her crashing from her vantage point.

Sparrow waved the chart. "Of course, should ya blow us outta the water, luv, you'll lose any chance o' recoverin' this."

He leaned towards Norrington, who had been watching the proceedings with an arched brow. "He never could outthink me."

"Is that why he is captaining your ship. Again."

"Only temporarily, luv. Wonder how he got up there? "

"It may have escaped ya, Jack, so let me bring to yer attention that I already be here. An' that although you saw fit to steal me charts, yet you still were slower. Is that not th' story of yer life?"

"An' yet you're up there, high an' dry, and I'm down here. In the water. Funny innit?"

Jack glanced at Norrington, then at Gibbs. "F'God's sakes, look busy at least!"

James cleaned underneath his fingernails.

Gibbs immediately dropped to the deck and started scrubbing with his shirtsleeve.

Jack rolled his eyes and scowled up at the Pearl. "I suppose I could come back an' try t'tow you off. But I've important business to attend to. So, regrettably, I must say, ta!"

Barbossa put both arms on the rail, caressing it in an imitation of Jack and leaned forward. " And yet, you'd trade yer part fer mine. That be fine, no, Jack?"

"Doubtful, at best. Seein' as you're up there, and I'm down here. An' I don't see you jumpin'."

Jack leaned over to Norrington. "Think a bit o' canvas would move us along, luv? I really don't want t'continue this conversation."

James did not even look up. "No wind, I fear. We are as grounded as he is."

"Bugger! I don't wanna be jawin' wif Hector till the second Coming. Bloody hell!" He bit his lip and was about to shout up some new insult when the wind started to rise like a hurricane. Jack's hat flew off as it whistled through the Calypso's sails. Above him, Barbossa was laughing.

"JACK!" He turned and watched as Gibbs hung onto the wheel, his boots lifting from the deck. There was a low laugh in the gale as it tore Gibbs away from the wheel, straight towards the Pearl. Up he floated like a very large, grizzled bubble. Jack's eyes followed him, mouth open. "Now I've seen ev'rything!"

Gibbs landed, pretty as you please, on the Pearl's quarterdeck. "Cap'n! JACK!"

"Nice move, Josh!"

Next to them, there was a loud splash in the water, followed by Barbossa's angry cursing. The monkey chittered and climbed onto the large feathered hat.

"Cap'n Barbossa?" Ragetti's head poked over the rail.

The winds died away as suddenly as they had started and Jack's lip curled. "MR. GIBBS! TAKE CARE O' MY SHIP." He watched Barbossa and, cursing, extended a reluctant hand. "How nice of you t'drop in."

James watched as Barbossa took Jack's hand and hauled himself aboard as they both glared daggers at each other. He remembered the hand Jack had extended to him when he'd pulled himself aboard the tiny dinghy and this entire mess began. Touching Jack Sparrow's hand led to insanity, it would seem. It was a thread in his life, and, apparently, Barbossa's.

A tiny shudder went through him and he stared at the seas, still calm, but a slow ripple shook the water, breaking the mirror surface, just like the tiny fishing boat had.

The fishing boat! He stared at Barbossa, who was emptying his hat of seawater, then leaned close to Jack. "Three times breath regained," he whispered, just as the wind hissed past them.

"Nice t'catch up wif you, Hector. Now get off my—wot? Oh." 'Three times breath regained'... three dead men. Jack glanced at Norrington, then back at Barbossa and grinned. Welcome aboard th' Calypso, Hector."

There was still no wind and they bobbed aimlessly. Damn damn damn! How to move? Jack thought so hard he was like to hurt himself, when a ripple of laughter seemed to echo from the still waters. "You steal an' wat you steal have powers, Jack Sparrow."

"You saw that?" Barbossa and Norrington both stared at Jack, who grinned and laughed airily. "Nothin'. Just thinkin'."

They exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes simultaneously.

The monkey, dripping wet, hopped from Barbossa's shoulder and shook itself with an angry chitter. Then it stilled and cocked its head, first at Jack, then at James.

With a screech, it scrambled towards James, rushing up his leg, climbing under his coat, then out of it. It fiddled and pulled and tugged, and finally, heaved a small bag out of the pocket, before jumping down to the deck with a great deal of noise.

Jack stomped a little ways off, arguing with himself about his pilfered plunder from Tia Dalma's shack. The ring? Such a pretty piece of shine, all gold and purple. The pouch? He fished it out of his pocket and poked it. Sand. He grinned. "Mr. Norrington, take the wheel. You, go make y'self useful."

"Jack, Jack, if the captain not be doing anything, nothing on the entire ship be useful." Barbossa petted the little monkey that still jumped up and down in excitement, fiddling with the bag's drawstrings.

It hit the deck and peanuts scattered all over.

Jack whirled around, staring from them to the monkey. He made a face and took a step backwards. "Where did those come from? No peanuts on my ship."

The monkey ran back towards James to check if there was more in his pockets, then jumped onto the deck, scrambling after the nuts.

He glared at Barbossa, who just looked confused. Then he turned to Norrington. His lip pushed out. "YOU!?"

James smiled charmingly and shrugged. "Your peanut?"

"OOOOH, YOU!" Jack was about to launch into a tirade about teasing one's captain with errant peanuts, when there was an ominous rumble beneath them. "Hold the wheel."

The sandbar itself rumbled and seemed to expand. Jack watched a rain of sand tumble from under the Pearl and squeaked. He ran to the bow and hurled the pouch at the looming barrier.

It shuddered, more sand falling on the deck like hail. All three shaded their eyes against it and the Calypso lurched forward, heading right for the sandbar. Bracing themselves for a collision that never came, they strained to watch a narrow tunnel open at its base and the little sloop sailed into it, right under the Pearl, teetering some twenty feet above.

James stared up, watching the shifting sand fade into complete darkness. Some ran down like quicksand, down his spine like the shudder that went up it. Sparrow's fault. Definitely. The supernatural followed the rotten pirate around like that monkey did Barbossa. He held the wheel steady, any echo swallowed by the sand.

He strained to see anything, and finally made out the barest hint of light ahead of them. Jack was standing just behind him; he could feel the warmth of breath against his neck. He jerked his elbow backwards. "My apologies. Can't see anything."

The second the sunlight hit the Calypso's deck, Barbossa jerked a pistol from his belt and aimed.

Jack moved so fast his hair hit James' in the mouth, pistol in hand. The report was swallowed in the fog and Barbossa's flintlock crashed to the deck.

A snarl, then the hiss of metal, and Barbossa had his cutlass out. The blade met Norrington's while Jack was still trying to free his newest acquisition from the too-narrow scabbard.

Barbossa snarled and lunged, his eyes widening in surprise as James blocked his attack easily and spun around for a riposte. Their swords crossed once, steel glinting mere inches from their faces. "An' who might you be to interfere with a fight betwixt two old friends?"

James smiled tightly. "An old friend." Barbossa shoved and their blades separated, then met again in a clash.

Jack danced out of the way, still struggling with his sword and grimaced. "Friends, by that, meanin' people who only try to kill me." He dodged James' blade by an inch and jumped up and down trying to get the damned sword free.

"BUGGER! BUGGER! BUGGER!"

His eyes darted, along with his feet, as James and Barbossa put their arms into quite a show. The blades rang and sparked and Jack squeaked as Barbossa almost took off the top of his head with a vicious slash.

Oil? Only got one lamp. Rum. Nah, that won't work. Jack leaped about to stay clear and his heel turned. He fell flat on his backside and eyed the crushed peanut fragment, then grinned.

They were all over the deck, and Jack had to fight the monkey for a sizable handful, hissing and cursing the creature as they both tried to grab the nuts and steer clear of the flashing blades. He tiptoed around behind Barbossa and let the handful fall.

James' eyes widened for a split second, and he pressed, thrusting his blade forward. With a laugh, Barbossa easily dodged the lunge. His bootheels crushed the peanuts and he wavered.

That was all James needed. He leaped forward, blade twisted to his side and knocked the cutlass out of Barbossa's hand, and, with a shove, sent him down to the deck, flat on his back. Another peanut, tossed with unerring aim, landed on him.

James waited until Jack had safely stowed the blade before pointing his own away from Barbossa's throat. "James Norrington is the name."

Barbossa raised an eyebrow. "Y'mean Norrington, the Pirate Hunter? Thought ye were dead." He pushed James' sword aside, leaning on his elbows. "Jack, yer always a surprise. Where'd ya find him?"

Jack looked at James and grinned. "Hangin' round. Apparently, dead is a relative term nowadays."

James held out his hand. "I had hoped you were dead."

Barbossa smirked and hauled himself to his feet. "So sorry to disappoint ye. I was. So was he." He pointed at Jack, who was once again ready to shoot the monkey. It had found his hat and was hanging from the rigging, chittering and threatening to toss it overboard. "Don't touch my monkey, ya scurvy swine."

"I think he intends to shoot it, not strangle it," James drawled.

"GIMME BACK MY HAT!" Jack yelled, taking aim.

Barbossa shook his head and whistled. "C'mere, Jack. That's a good Jack. Nice Jack." He tossed the human Jack his hat. "Present comp'ny excepted."

The monkey made a face at Jack, who stuck his tongue out at Barbossa.

James turned to Jack, his lips twitching. "So there are likeable specimen carrying that name."

"Don't you start! How in hell did ya fall off my ship, Hector? Eyesight givin' ya trouble in yer old age?"

Barbossa grimaced at his own hat, where James' sword had cut clean through one of the shabby feathers. "I be drawn to you, Jack, you should be aware of that." He laughed. "Or at least yer ship. You promised to make me Commodore, gave me yer hand on it, as ye might remember."

"Like you signed onto my crew as first mate?" Jack countered. "An' I'd say yer more like drawing on me. Constantly."

For the first time since encountering the sand bar and gliding through it, Jack took a look around them. Patchy fog lowered like miniature stormclouds above brackish water the colour of ink. The air smelled dank and close and it was chill as January. Jack suppressed a shiver and grinned at Barbossa. "I fail t'see where rehashin' old negotiations is any help... help?" He peered through the fog at some hazy form in the distance, then looked at James. "More comp'ny."

Slowly, a raft was floating towards them, dim and grey as the fog. As it drew closer, they could see it was festooned with fishing nets, draped like bunting about it, all empty and hanging limp. Aboard it, a tall woman in grey stood, her face leadwhite, her hair streaming to her knees, pale and silvery. She raised her head and one empty eyesocket gaped, the other fixed a milky blind eye on them. She pointed from whence she came in silence, and in silence passed them by, leaving a chill that cut to the bone.

Barbossa stared and even the monkey stopped chittering. "What on earth—or hell—be that?"

James swallowed hard, then straightened and gripped the wheel tight. "A sign we are on the right course."

Jack tore his eyes away, shuddering and quite sure he, for one, remembered her. One look at James' face, then Hector's, told the same story: they all had seen her and not one could stomach mentioning the fact.

"You'd think they'd have buoys, like normal folk, wouldn't ya?"

"What would you know of normal folk, Sparrow?"

"Enough t'know they don't use strange females as signposts."

"Point taken." Uneasy laughter echoed over the ship, then silence, until James broke it again, "So we follow, Captain?"

"Aye, James. Keep us on course. Hector, wot say you we haul t'gether instead of spendin' this whole voyage tryin' t'skewer each other. Long as yer here."

Barbossa's eyes narrowed. "An' wots t'say you won't break such an agreement th'moment we're close?"

Jack sighed. "Mate, I got a funny feelin' we don't have much of a choice here. Do we have an accord?"

Barbossa bared his teeth and finally offered his hand. "Aye, once again, we do."

Jack took it and a little of the chill eased at a warm touch. "Agreed." He sniffed at the faint breeze. "Let's give her more canvas, aye?"

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