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Tangled Threads - A Story of Pirates	By : KiwiGirl Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 4819 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Three - Ghosts

Her nightgown whipping around her legs, dark curls
streaming back from her face Bella stood on the balcony of her bedroom; Tortuga was sparkling in
the morning sun. From this distance the town looked like any other pretty
seaside settlement, that is if you did not look too
closely at the sails of the ships at anchor. She could see The Black Pearl and
scowled, she had tossed and turned last night, a half formed idea was beginning
to take root in her head, damn it she was so angry with Jack. She was past
twenty now, quite old enough to see what lay outside the pirate town. She could
sail and fight and do a host of other things that Jack knew nothing about and
would be quite horrified if he ever learnt. She had to go beyond Tortuga, that was where she would find answers, Bella could
no longer live with not knowing, she needed to find out who she was, but she
could not tell Jack, not yet, least she hurt him, that he thought that she was
unhappy with her life.

�Bella, Bella are you awake.� Maggie�s voice came through the door even as it
swung open and she entered preceded by her swollen belly, she was talking as
she bustled about the room pulling the drapes back and tying them.

�Sam has a whole handful of gold that Jack gave him for you to buy yourself
something nice with, I was thinking that you might like to go into town with
me?�

Bella frowned, handfuls of gold, she did not want gold, she
had gold of her own. However, Jack did not know that.

Maggie looked at her face and let out a noisy sigh �if you want to buy
something other than a dress, say that little pistol that you have been looking
at, well then I think I could look the other way.�

Bella grinned and began to dress hurriedly, sucking in a sharp breath as Maggie
laced her into the corset. She hated wearing the restricting undergarment but
Jack always smiled when she wore the dresses that he bought her on his travels
and if Jack was happy then perhaps he would reconsider.

*

Jack was busy, he was provisioning the Pearl for the
voyage, he had salt pork, beans and bacon and a list of other foodstuffs almost
as long as his arm that the cook had requested, nay demanded. He would never
have admitted it but they were all a little scared of the cook, he laid a good
table but was as mad as a snake in battle so everyone stepped carefully around
him and if he wanted dried apple, well Jack Sparrow would get him dried apple.
Then there was the powder and lead and the innumerable other items that were
commonplace on a working pirate vessel and last but not least he had to see a
man, and not just any man, this fellow had once sailed with Jack�s father and
Jack had a feeling that he might know something more about that map.

*

As he strolled through the streets Will was keeping an eye on the crew as they
caroused, it was early, but day blended into night and night into day here.
Ships came and went with the tide not with the sun so the taverns traded and
the wh*res
bargained no matter the time. Gibbs was lurching along beside him, they had
both ordered new pistols the last time they had been in port and were off to
collect. Gibbs� coin was burning a hole in his pocket and he wanted the weapon
before he drank the money away.

They entered the small shop quietly; the gunsmith looked up as the bell on the
door chimed and nodded then went back to speaking with the two women at the
counter. They were both dressed in good silk dresses, the older woman heavily
pregnant but the other was in one of the tight waisted creations that were the
current fashion. Not tavern girls Will though to
himself but it seemed odd that they would be looking at a little pistol. The
way that the younger woman handled it, well it was obvious that she knew what
she was doing. He leaned against the wall watching as she handed over some gold
coins. As the pair turned to leave Will saw their
faces for the first time.

He didn�t really notice the older woman his gaze was caught and held, eyes of
the most incredible shade of blue met his briefly then returned lingering on
his face for just one moment before she stared at Gibbs. He was looking back at
her a worried expression on his face.

�Gibbs,� she said hesitantly �Mister Gibbs?�

Gibbs was looking panicked his eyes darting from side to side and he gazed
imploringly at the older woman.

�Come along Bella� she grasped her arm �I think you are mistaken.�

�No Maggie I know that man.�

The woman she had called Maggie was towing her from the shop, as she craned to
look back her eyes met Will�s and he found himself holding his breath until the
door slammed shut behind them.

�Bloody hell� Gibbs groaned sagging against the wall.

�Who was that� Will demanded, �how did she know you?�

�Tis best that you don�t know young Turner� Gibbs muttered under his breath as
he threw his money down on the counter.

�Do you know her?� Will questioned the shopkeeper.

�Follow your friends advice pirate� the man shrugged
his shoulder as he took their gold, biting each coin before tucking them away
in his leather apron.

*

�That was Gibbs, you used to sail with him you would have recognised him� they
were walking up the hill, on their way back to the house.

�Well maybe it was� Maggie said calmly �but I am not a pirate anymore Bella.�

�It was I know it was � who was that man with him Maggie, I have not seen him
before?�

�I have no idea, but if he was with Gibbs then there is no doubt in my mind
that he is a pirate too.�

Bella was silent for a long moment �So it was Gibbs� she gave a quick smirk at
Maggie who frowned ��.do you think that was Will Turner, Bootstrap Bill�s son?
Jack said he is a handsome son of a bi��

�Bella� Maggie�s voice was sharp.

�Alright I�ll stop swearing, but I hope that you are going to be telling Jack
as well, he curses terribly.�

�Once this babe arrives I will be having words with the Captain about his
language, you will see.�

�Can I be there when you do� Bella grinned, �He was very good-looking though.�

�Who Jack?� Maggie laughed as Bella rolled her eyes.

�No that young pirate.�

�Aye he was Bella� Maggie did not voice the rest of what she was thinking, she
had known Bootstrap Bill and that was definitely his lad. She had heard the
tales around town of the handsome young man that sailed with Jack, all the
young girls sighed over him, even the ones that should know better. Maggie smiled
to herself, once upon a time she would have sighed over him as well, he was a striking man. She looked across at Bella; the
younger woman was very quiet, a furrow between her eyes betraying that she was
thinking very hard about something. Maggie quailed inwardly hoping it was not
another of her mad schemes, the like of which Sam and herself would have to
spend weeks hushing over so that Jack did not get to hear of it. Thank the
Lord, the Pearl sailed
this afternoon.

*

Jack was whistling as he began to climb the winding lane that led to the big
house on the hill, he had never really thought of the place as being home, his
home had been a small cottage in the very heart of Tortuga.
But during the times he had been a Captain without a ship, relentlessly hunting
the Pearl, he had heard rumours that someone was looking for Bella, he knew a
little, he had made it his business to find out, but most of her past was a
mystery to him. Taking no risks he had moved her and his mother to the old
house, hoping that the pirate community would surmise that they had sailed with
him. It seemed that the ruse had worked, the searchers had not remained long in
Tortuga and
after he had recovered the Pearl oddly
enough those that had been doing the looking had met with some rather
unfortunate accidents.

In time he had intended to move the pair back into the cottage, but somewhere
between one voyage and the next Bella had changed from a lanky wild girl into a
beautiful young woman, beautiful but still wild and totally fearless. Jack
realised that it would be much better for his nerves if she stayed in the
isolated house at the top of the hill, he just knew
that if she was running around Tortuga that
there was going to be trouble. He would be forced to take steps, rather than
having to run several of his friends through it was better for everyone if
Bella lived up on the hill.

He pushed the old iron gate open, standing still to
look up at the house. It was a sprawling white building; a large purple
bougainvillea shrouded the balcony that ran the full length of the ground
floor. She had stood neglected and empty for most of Jack�s lifetime. He had
bought her on a whim, never letting on that he had been the mystery buyer; if
she had been any cheaper he could have boasted in all honesty that he was the
first pirate to steal a mansion. It was rumoured in Tortuga that this place was
haunted, pirates were a superstitious lot, but Jack knew very well that there
were no ghosts here. He chuckled to himself, he still remembered Tom One Leg
hobbling down the hill as fast as he could on his ill fitting wooden leg, the old pirate had sworn that he had seen a ghost flitting
from room to room. Two young lads, an old white sheet and the several bottles
of rum that Tom had consumed had created a legend. But people stayed away and
that suited Jack. In recent years there were some that had become aware that
this was his home when he was on land, amongst themselves they often debated
whether he was the bravest man they knew or just crazy. Either way it suited
Jack.
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Tangled Threads - A Story of Pirates