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Author: wicked_jade
Summary: Miss Swann is finally set to marry her blacksmith, but its the Commodore and his Lieutenant who are acting more like a married couple than the couple about to be married. But will the wedding even happen? Will Andrew kill Teddy for flirting with his sister? Or will he kill Jack for flirting with James? Perhaps he'll just strangle James for making him attend the wedding in the first place. A continuation of the Black Cat and Once Upon a Time arc.
Genre: Romantic, Slashy Comedy :)
Characters: Norrington, Gillette, Groves, Sparrow, and the whole CotBP gang, with a special guest appearance by Andrew's sister, Marie.
Pairings: Gillington, and maybe a bit of Sparrington if you tilt your head and squint.
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter.
Warnings: A dash of foul language, the barest hint of smut, and a healthy dollop of bickering.
Disclaimer: PotC and it's characters, including Norrington, do not belong to me. He belongs to Andrew and Teddy.
Feedback is welcome and encouraged. *sets out fresh Commodore Cupcakes*
Author's Note: Anyone remember this story? Anyone? Bueller? I started this story over a year ago, and it's still not finished. Hopefully it won't take me another year to finish the rest. For now, I hope you enjoy this part. If you haven't read the first chapter (or even if you have), I recommend reading it before you start on this one, so I've posted the link below. This part, along with the first chapter, are probably my favorite things I've ever written. :) A huge thanks to Pearlsie and Mrs. N for all of their help and support. Y'all are the best! *hugs*
Get Me to the Church on Time: Part 1
James would never admit it to Andrew, but he was secretly glad that they were nearly late for the ceremony. By the time they arrived, the church was almost full to capacity, which allowed them to sneak in quietly and take the last remaining seats of the very back pew on the bride’s side. He could see Admiral Donovan and his family sitting near the front of the chapel, but thankfully there was no time to exchange pleasantries before they were ushered to their seats. Being at the back also had the advantage of having no one sitting behind him. James didn’t think he could stand sitting through the whole ceremony while pitying looks and whispers were leveled at the back of his head. If people wanted to stare at him, they had to be obvious about it and turn around in their seats. And James felt absolutely no compunction about glaring at those openly rude enough to do so. So far, everyone who had dared to turn and stare had quickly turned back under the heat of James’s reproachful mien, much to his continuous satisfaction. Intimidating boorish so-called ladies and gentlemen was quite amusing, and a novel change to scaring the midshipmen (though that pastime never really got old).
And so Commodore Norrington found himself sitting on the center aisle, with Lieutenant Gillette sulking on the pew next to him. He wasn’t sure what was making Gillette scowl more; being stuck at Miss Swann’s wedding on the hottest day of the year, or the fact that Teddy was seated on Andrew’s other side and was currently flirting shamelessly with Mrs. Marie Darlington, Andrew’s widowed older sister. Quite possibly it was the fact that Marie was flirting back. She was more than capable of holding her own.
“James, may I ask you question?” Andrew asked with a brittle grin.
James kept his eyes to the front of the church, though an edge of exasperation was starting to creep into his carefully controlled tone. “No, we may not leave now that we have put in an appearance. If you ask me that or any variant of it one more time, these people are going to be treated to a reenactment of the crucifixion instead of a wedding. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Lieutenant?”
“See, this is why you should never assume things, sir, you make a right ass out of yourself. I was merely going to ask what the devil that is Mr. Sparrow has on his infernally inflated head. And then I was going to ask if you’re absolutely sure I can’t arrest the bastaooouchsoneofawh!...”
James covertly pinched harder, twisting the flesh of Andrew’s thigh none too gently and forcing his Lieutenant to bite back another yelp. If Andrew was good, he’d consider kissing the bruise better when they got home. “He would appear to be wearing one of Governor Swann’s old wigs, and no, you may not arrest him, as the Governor officially pardoned him last week. And in case the flowers and the sodding string quartet haven’t filled you in, we are attending a wedding. And we are in a bloody church, for god’s sake, so watch your language!” James mumbled out of the side of his mouth as he politely nodded to Mrs. Houghton, who had turned around in her pew two rows up to give them a censorial glare. Her thin-lipped scowl melted immediately when she saw just who she had been shushing, and she elbowed her horse-faced daughter, Catherine, who turned to giggle inanely and bat her eyelashes at James over the incessant fluttering of her fan. James forced a painful smile until both women turned to face the altar, where William Turner stood, fidgeting nervously with the lace at his cuffs and generally looking more like a man condemned to the gallows than a man about to be married.
“Christ, I’ve seen men look more relaxed with a noose around their necks,” Teddy crowed in a gleeful stage whisper, leaning around Andrew to waggle his eyebrows at James. Sometimes, he got the sneaking and decidedly disconcerting suspicion that Teddy could read his mind. “And to think that was almost you, Jamie! Do you think the reverend will list his crimes before or after they exchange vows? I wonder…what could possibly be horrible enough to be punished with matrimony? Ow!” Teddy exclaimed, rubbing his arm where Marie had just whacked him with her closed fan.
“And what would you know of the state of matrimony, Mr. Groves?” Marie whispered, opening her fan with a deft flick of her wrist. “Perhaps you should consider giving marriage a try, before you condemn the practice altogether. You never know, you might find it to be to your liking.”
Teddy’s laughter drowned out the sound of Andrew’s groan. “Why Mrs. Darlington, was that a proposal? You should be careful of saying such things in jest – you never know, I might accept.”
“That depends, Mr. Groves….do you think you could keep me in the manner to which I am accustomed?” Marie’s tone was innocent enough, but her wide brown eyes were giving Teddy a rather brazen look of appraisal.
“And what manner would that be, my dear? Comfortably? Satisfactorily?” Teddy asked, his voice oozing lewd suggestion.
“Faithfully,” Marie drawled flatly, her rosy lips curling into a wry smirk.
James snorted as Teddy fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. Marie: 1, Teddy: 0. Teddy quickly recovered and cleared his throat. “You’re the one who has theoretically proposed, madam, so in that case I believe you would be the one keeping me. And I have no doubt it would be a most satisfactory union.”
“You are far too sure of yourself, Mr. Groves. I am not so easily satisfied.”
“I’m always up for a challenge, Mrs. Darlington,” Teddy volleyed back with a smug grin.
“Word has it that you’re always up for just about anything. And besides, I have it from reliable sources that you are not a man to be kept, Mr. Groves. At least not by one person, and certainly not for long,” Marie drawled archly.
Marie: 2, Teddy: 0. Marie gave James a wink and a mischievous smile as she pushed an auburn ringlet out of her large, sparkling brown eyes that were so like her brother’s.
James smiled back, biting his lip to stifle a laugh. Of all the Gillette family, Marie and Andrew were the most alike, in both appearance and spirit. As children they had been inseparable. Though they were actually two years apart in age, Andrew and Marie looked and acted more like twins. An uncanny intuition for each other’s thoughts and feelings, coupled with their ginger hair, chocolate eyes and wicked smiles only served to cement that impression. Marie also shared her brother’s cutting wit and cheeky sense of humor...along with his stubborn streak. And like her brother, she also fancied James like mad, though her affection for the Commodore had grown more sisterly over the years – especially as she had come to realize and accept that Andrew’s affections for James were more than brotherly. She might not have been the most stunningly beautiful woman in Port Royal, but her warmth, humor and intelligence made her James’s undisputed favorite. In a different world, under different circumstances, James imagined that they might have made an excellent match.
“Accept her proposal before she has the good sense to withdraw it, Teddy. You could do far worse,” James murmured appreciatively, which earned him a glare from Andrew and giggle from Marie. While they were not meant to be anything more than good friends, that still didn’t stop him from admiring her. Marie’s pale, freckled cheeks were flushed a becoming shade of pink from the hellish heat of the church and James found himself following the path of a drop of sweat as it trickled down the graceful line of her pale neck. Though James considered himself to be taken, he certainly wasn’t blind. Mrs. Darlington was an undeniably attractive and singularly spirited woman.
James realized he probably shouldn’t be ogling his lover’s sister roundabout the time Andrew elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“He might do worse, but she could do much better,” Andrew growled at Teddy, cutting off Groves’ reply before he could even open his mouth. “Stop flirting with my sister, Theodore.”
“She flirted with me first!” hissed Teddy in wounded whisper.
Marie’s clever eyes darted between Andrew, who was still glaring at James, and James, who was covertly rubbing his abused ribs. “Actually, my heart is set on James. Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Groves, but you are nothing more than a tool in my grand scheme to seduce the Commodore with my feminine wiles.” She smirked triumphantly at the look of jealousy that crossed her brother’s features. James just shook his head; Marie loved nothing more than to wind her little brother up, and over the years she had mastered the technique. He thought they would have to compare notes one day.
“You’re my sister, you are not allowed to have feminine wiles,” Andrew grumbled crossly, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat and pulling at his cravat. The air in the church was suffocating and the cloth around his neck seemed to tighten with each stifled breath he took.
“I think you’re going to have to learn to live with it, because she’s got them whether you like it or not,” James quipped, earning himself another elbow to the ribs. “Ouch! Why don’t you elbow her, she started it.”
“Because I can’t reach her. And because she has bony elbows and isn't afraid to use them. As for you,” growled Andrew, pointing an accusatory finger in James’s face. “If you’re going to be deliberately unhelpful, you can just shut it.”
“Can we please get back to the subject at hand? What’s James got that I don’t have?” Teddy whined, following Marie’s gaze and choosing to play along with Operation: Annoy Andrew. After all, it would be a pity to be outplayed by amateurs; he was the king of annoying Andrew. He would show James and Marie how it was really done.
“Oh, I don’t know…dignity? Propriety? Fidelity? A sense of shame?” Marie ticked the list off on her small, gloved fingers as Teddy crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a scolded toddler. She held her head high as she primly smoothed down the folds of her sapphire blue skirts. “Amongst other marriageable qualities,” she added with a coy little smile. She worried at her bottom lip with her teeth as her dark eyes slowly raked over James’s tall, imposing figure. Even though he knew she was just doing it to rile Andrew, James could still feel the blush starting to creep up his cheeks as she undressed him with her eyes. He could also feel Andrew’s hands balling into fists at his sides.
Teddy snorted indelicately, attracting the attention of old Mr. Hardwick in the pew just in front of them. “You obviously don’t know our Commodore that well at all, my dear. And as for marriageable qualities, I find it quite insulting that you think I’m lacking in them. I could have marriageable qualities. As a matter of fact, I was married once. I think.”
“You think?” said Marie, arching one skeptical brow in an expression so eerily reminiscent of Andrew it made James shiver.
“It was accidental,” Teddy said with a nod, as though an accidental marriage was as commonplace as a trip to the market.
Marie tilted her head to the side in confusion, setting her ginger curls bouncing. “You don’t say. And accidental marriages don’t count? Tell me Mr. Groves, how exactly does one manage to ‘accidently’ get married?”
“Well, it was either a marriage ceremony or a bizarre dining ritual. I’m not exactly familiar with Greek traditions. There was a girl, and we walked around a table and there was a huge party afterwards. Well I think there was…I don’t remember most of it, to be honest. There was food and dancing, I remember that much. And there was that drink, what did they call it?” asked Teddy, turning to Drew.
“Ouzo,” said Andrew with a longsuffering, eye-rolling sigh.
“Ouzo! That’s the one. I like ouzo!” Teddy exclaimed in a whisper, turning back to beam at Marie. “Good stuff, that. You should try it sometime. And your brother was absolutely no help whatsoever…the one language he couldn’t translate…” Teddy grumbled, giving Andrew a sidelong glare. “It was all his fault, I’m sure of it. I know he said the wrong thing and gave the poor girl the wrong impression. Anyway, we set sail the next morning, never to return. The way I see it, not knowing your bride’s name counts as an automatic annulment.”
“And how exactly is this evidence of your supposed marriageable qualities?” Marie asked, biting back an unladylike snort of laughter.
“It proves that, despite all evidence to the contrary, I am capable of commitment. I just might not remember making the commitment the next morning. Of the three of us, I am the only one to actually make it to the altar,” Teddy said with a pointed look at James. “So I’ve got that going for me.”
Despite being angry with Norrington for dragging him out of bed and to Miss Swann’s wedding, Lieutenant Gillette couldn’t stop himself from coming to his lover’s defense. “Being dragged to the altar by your bride’s two burly older brothers because you were too drunk to walk hardly counts, Teddy.”
Teddy cocked an eyebrow at Andrew. “And whose fault was that? As I recall, not only did you instigate the drinking, you did most of the talking.” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “In fact, I’ve always suspected that you mistranslated on purpose, just to have a laugh at my expense.”
Andrew lowered his voice to a whisper so Marie couldn’t hear. Which, of course, only resulted in her leaning closer to Teddy so she wouldn’t miss the good bits. James didn’t miss the way Teddy’s eyes kept drifting to her décolletage, or the way Marie leaned just a little further forward to enhance his viewing pleasure. “No, that whole mess started because you insisted on making me an accessory to your whoring. If you had just left me to tour the village like I wanted instead of insisting on dragging me along on another of your conquests, there wouldn’t have been a problem. If I happened to mistranslate, well…I did warn you that I only knew a few words of Greek.”
“My, what a shiny halo you have there, Mr. Gillette,” hissed Teddy, the soft volume of his voice not diminishing the sarcasm. “You didn’t seem to mind being an accessory to whoring when you disappeared with burly brother number one later that night. And don’t give me that mistranslation rubbish. You somehow managed to turn ‘how much for a suck?” into ‘will you marry me?’ Mistranslation is a bit of an understatement, don’t you think?”
“Time and place, gentlemen!” snapped James, pinching the bridge of his nose in vain hoping of staving off an encroaching headache. It was far too hot and his carefully schooled patience was reaching the end of its tether. It was then he noticed the rising volume in the church as the chatter of the wedding guests grew louder. “What is taking so bloody long?” he mumbled to himself as he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “The wedding was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago.”
Marie turned in her seat to look at the doors behind them, which were still firmly closed, and then to look at William Turner, whose restless twitching was growing more pronounced with each passing second. “Maybe Miss Swann changed her mind again? One could hardly blame her if she did,” she said with a smirk, again letting her eyes rove over James, resplendent in his dress uniform. “Realized she was getting a boy when she could have had a man.”
“I could blame her. She made her bed, and now she can lie in it. With him!” Andrew gritted out through his clenched jaw, nodding sharply at young Mr. Turner. James swore he could hear Gillette’s teeth grinding. He reached down and reassuringly squeezed Andrew’s right hand, which was hidden, clenched at his side between the skirts of their coats. James gently caressed each bulging knuckle and traced each straining tendon, soothing away the tension until he could lace their fingers together in a now familiar gesture of comfort.
“Maybe the Governor is making a last ditch effort to talk Miss Swann out of it,” Teddy theorized. “That could explain the holdup.”
“I seriously doubt that,” replied Marie with an eye roll. “Have you ever known Weatherby Swann to deny his precious daughter something she really wanted? I mean, he pardoned Sparrow just so she could have her pet pirate at her wedding. Besides,” she added reasonably, “if he even so much as attempted to deny her, we would know it. They would probably hear the resulting tantrum in London.”
Teddy and James shared a bemused look. “Is there some sort of ongoing Gillette-Swann family feud that we don’t know about? Or is the hatred of poor Miss Swann just hereditary?” Groves asked, leaning into Marie so that their shoulders brushed companionably.
“I don’t hate her,” said Marie defensively, with a haughty toss of her curls.
“I do,” grumbled Andrew, his short fingernails biting into Norrington’s palm as he tightened his hold.
“Oh be nice, Drew! I resent the way she treated Jamie, but I don’t hate her,” Marie soldiered on, ignoring her brother. “She has redeeming qualities. She’s beautiful and quite brave, by all accounts; even you cannot deny that, brother dear. And she’s more intelligent than most of her peers on this rock, male or female. It’s just a pity she doesn’t apply a bit of that intelligence into actually thinking before she opens her mouth.”
Teddy’s laugh was lost in the growing din of the congregation. “Careful Mrs. Darlington, your claws are showing.”
“It’s not my claws you need to worry about, Mr. Groves,” Marie rejoined, giving Teddy a wicked, shark-like grin.
“You know, that might be one of the most backhanded compliments I’ve ever heard,” said James with grudging admiration. “Though I will admit you have a point. Discretion has never been Elizabeth’s strong suit. No, if Weatherby was trying to stop the wedding, the whole town would know about it. Something else must be wrong. Complications with her wedding dress, perhaps? Carriage broke down on the way? Wedding day jitters?”
“Divine intervention?” Andrew cut in hopefully. “God is obviously set against this unholy union. This is a sign from heaven that we are all meant to go home and enjoy the rest of our Saturday in peace and quiet. Who are we to argue with God?”
“Somehow, I don’t think God would really approve of the things you plan on enjoying at home, darling,” James muttered in Andrew’s ear, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back down as Gillette moved to stand up.
“We haven’t been struck down by lightning yet,” Andrew argued, glaring stubbornly at his equally obstinate lover. “There’s a thought, maybe Miss Swann’s been struck by lightning!”
Andrew sounded a little too gleeful for James’s liking, so he gave him another hard pinch on the leg at the same time Marie covertly reached over to hit him upside his head with her fan. He ignored Andrew’s indignant yelp and returned his gaze to the front of the church, where William Turner was pacing restlessly in front of the altar. James felt a swell of sympathy for the young man, and an even bigger wave of relief that it wasn’t him in Turner’s place.
He was just considering going to find out if there was a problem when Estrella, Elizabeth’s maid, poked her head through a door that led to a small room just off the chapel. She motioned to both Turner and Sparrow, and James watched while the three bowed their heads together for a fast, whispered exchange. Curiosity quickly faded to worry when James saw the way William’s face blanched. The panicked young man tried to push past Estrella, who sternly held her ground and motioned for Will to stay put. As she scurried back through the door, Sparrow put a comforting, be-ringed hand on Will’s shoulder and flashed him what was probably meant to be a reassuring grin. James could see the unsettling glint of his gold teeth from the back pew.
The volume in the church increased again as more people began to take notice of the tableau before them, craning their necks and laughing behind their fans at the obviously distressed groom. James’s annoyance on William’s behalf was growing with each passing second. He knew that most of Port Royal society had come to the wedding, not to wish the happy couple well, but in hopes of witnessing a shipwreck. It was times like these that reminded James just what a pack of hungry wolves his peers could be. Conspiratorial murmurs and wild speculation thickened the already oppressive air of the church, and James found himself the subject of increasingly intense scrutiny as more and more heads swiveled in his direction, as though he must have had a hand in the latest dramatic twist in the ongoing saga of The Blacksmith and the Governor’s Daughter.
Norrington swallowed back the low, defensive growl that had stuck in his throat and schooled his features into a look of cool indifference. If they were expecting histrionics on his part, they would just have to learn to live with disappointment. Most quickly lost interest in his bored expression and turned back to watch as William attempted to pace holes though the tile flooring, but some continued to shoot James looks of suspicion. Their whispers only increased his growing discomfort, combining with the insufferable heat to ratchet up his tension. James rolled his stiff shoulders, feeling them pop beneath the heavy weight of his uniform coat. His sweaty shirt clung uncomfortably to his back, and the sticky feel of it made him want to crawl out of his skin. He really didn’t want to admit it, but perhaps Andrew had been right. Because just then, James Norrington really wished he had just stayed in bed.
The soft rasp of a calloused thumb drawing circles on his palm brought James’s world back into focus. The low buzz of voices sharpened, and James realized with a start that Teddy and Marie’s conversation had carried on without him. He looked to his left and found Andrew giving him a look of quiet understanding. James gave Andrew’s fingers a tender squeeze of gratitude, letting the simple touch anchor him.
“Alright, sir?” Andrew asked. He glanced down to make sure their joined hands were still hidden from view by the heavy wool of their coats. His tone was deferential but so full of concern that it made James’s heart swell.
James quirked an eyebrow and managed a weak smile. “Fine, Mr. Gillette. I’m a far sight better than poor Mr. Turner, I daresay. At least I’m used to the glare of the public spotlight. The poor boy looks likely to melt under it at any moment.”
“Well, he did get himself into this,” Andrew reasoned. “That’s the price one pays for daring to love the Governor’s daughter. Did I, or did I not say this was going to be a circus?”
James chuckled and shook his head. “Ah, there it is. The four magic words I’ve been waited for. ‘I told you so.’ Go on, say it. I know you want to.”
“Don’t you dare give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right, Jamie Norrington,” Marie butted in, leaning past Teddy to poke her brother in the chest. “We’ll never hear the end of it if you do.”
“Besides, I would hardly call this a circus,” supplied Teddy with a wide yawn, groaning as he made a futile attempt at stretching out his legs in the cramped confines of the back row. “A circus implies excitement, and I’m dead bored.”
Marie rolled her eyes as she continued to fan herself. “You’re always bored, Theodore.”
“Not always,” said Teddy with a thoughtful smile, staring at her chest instead of at her rolling eyes.
“Why not?!” Andrew protested, slapping away his sister’s petite hand. “Why shouldn’t I get the satisfaction of one little ‘I told you so’? James never hesitates to gleefully inform me whenever he’s right about something.”
“Yes, but where James is endearingly smug, you, Brother Dear, come off as disgustingly self-satisfied. It’s not your best look.” Marie fanned herself with more vigor as she pushed her curls off her neck to help relieve the heat. “Christ, it’s boiling. If Miss Swann doesn’t make an appearance in the next five minutes, I’ll go up there and marry the boy myself, just to get this over with.”
“He’s a bit young for you, isn’t he?” deadpanned Andrew. “Cradle-robber,” he added in an audible undertone.
Marie just smiled mischievously and started humming a familiar bawdy tune that no lady of her status had any right to know. Andrew blushed scarlet when he realized his sister was singing “The Lusty Young Smith” under her breath and tried to hush her. James and Teddy both tried and failed to choke back their laughter.
“Marie,” Andrew growled in a scandalized tone, leaning around Teddy who was now wiping tears from his eyes. “Stop it. Must you be so inappropriate? And where did you learn that song?”
“I am being lectured on propriety by a man who is best friends with Theodore Groves, Manwhore of the Caribbean.” Marie was almost as good at keeping a straight face as James. She regarded her brother with an arched eyebrow and pursed, pouting lips. “For you information, Richard taught it to me years ago,” she said quietly, challenging her brother to dare comment.
Captain Richard Darlington was Marie’s late husband, and had been a good friend and colleague to them all. He had been killed five years previous in a battle with the Spanish. James still clearly remembered that horrible day – he had a bullet wound in his own right shoulder as a memento. Bringing home three heavily laden ships of the Spanish treasure fleet should have been a joyous occasion. Instead it was one of the saddest days he could remember in all his years of command, having to deliver the grim news to Marie, who at the time had been seven months pregnant with her daughter, Madeleine. Richard had been a good man, always cheerful and easygoing. James smiled to himself, remembering his friend; teaching his young wife vulgar songs was exactly the sort of thing Captain Darlington would have found amusing.
His smile didn’t last long, though. It cracked and crumbled into a frown the moment Marie went and opened her big mouth again. “And if I recall rightly, Richard claimed that James was the one who taught it to him. So if you’re going to blame anyone for my corruption, blame the Commodore,” she added with a giggle.
Teddy’s laughter redoubled as Andrew once again turned his glare on James. “And where, pray tell, did you learn it?” Andrew asked, his tone more playful than cross.
“Where else? Mr. Yates, of course,” James lied with ease, letting his gaze drift back to the front of the church where Sparrow was following William’s pacing footsteps, gesturing wildly with his hands as he tried to keep the young man calm. It had been Sparrow who had taught him that annoying song, so many years and so many scars ago. James shivered despite the sweltering heat, remembering the sound of Jack’s voice tunelessly yowling that damnable song into the dingy blackness of the Viper’s brig as they waited for their chance to escape. A shadow of the pain and fear James had felt that miserable night crept over him as he watched Jack, but it was kept at bay by Andrew’s hand clasped tight in his own.
They had both been so much younger then, Jack no more than eighteen and James himself only thirteen, but it seemed very little about Jack had changed. Sure, he had adopted a drunken swagger and a proper pirate name, but in many ways he was still the Jack that James remembered. There he was, still offering comfort to others when he really didn’t have to, trying to allay William’s distress over his delayed wedding just as he had once attempted to cheer James up about being captured and abused by pirates. His incessant chatter was probably only contributing to William’s headache, but his intentions were doubtlessly good.
James shook his head and smiled to himself, only to feel his smile slip a second later. Apparently, he had been thinking too loudly, because when he looked up, James found himself staring directly into Jack Sparrow’s black, impish eyes. Sparrow cocked his head in a decidedly bird-like fashion, letting his ever watchful eyes dart between Norrington and Gillette. A knowing, mad grin lit his tanned face, as though he could see straight through all the pews and the people in them to where James and Andrew’s linked hands were hidden, still clasped on the pew between them. He gave James an approving wink, to which James just rolled his eyes. He prayed to a god he didn’t believe in that Andrew missed that particular exchange. Andrew was already jealous enough about Elizabeth; he didn’t need him getting the wrong idea about Jack, too. But judging from the way Andrew stiffened at his side, his nails biting possessively into his palm, James knew he was going to have to do some damage control.
“Are you absolutely sure I can’t shoot him?” Gillette growled, darting Sparrow a poisonous look that alone should have been enough to kill him.
“You could,” said James absently, nodding towards the pulpit with a vague expression of horror on his face. “But then you’d miss that circus you’ve been waiting for.”
“What?” Gillette’s look of confusion melted away the moment he followed Norrington’s gaze. Jack Sparrow was shooing the reverend away from pulpit and flailing his hands about, trying to get the crowd’s attention. Andrew’s face lit up like a child that had been told Christmas had come early. “Nevermind, I’ve got twenty pounds that says Turner shoots him first.”
James turned to share a look with Teddy, who was casually lounging in his seat and eying Captain Sparrow with something more than professional interest. Marie looked slightly miffed that her cleavage wasn’t enough to hold Groves’ wandering attention. She in turn eyed Sparrow with open dislike. “I’ll take that bet, though I say Mr. Turner will take him outside and properly duel him to the death in the church garden. I’ve heard he’s good with a blade, and he seems too much a gentleman to kill a man in a house of God.”
“Of course Will’s good with a blade, he had an excellent teacher,” James replied, a smug grin on his face as he leant back to enjoy the show. “Personally, I’ll put my money on Mr. Cordingly bludgeoning Sparrow to death with his bible.” James indicated the cleric with a nod; the man was currently shooting Jack a decidedly unchristian look of murderous intent. “I don’t think he approves of having a pirate at his pulpit.”
“No one’s going to kill him.” All three of them turned to look at Teddy, who just shrugged and gestured toward the pirate. “He’s Captain Jack Sparrow.”
James groaned and watched in morbid fascination as Sparrow drunkenly swayed forward, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish as he tried to make himself heard over the din of the congregation. He could feel Andrew shaking at his side from the effort to suppress his laughter.
“’Scuse me! Ladies and gentleman…if you would be so kind as to…if you’ll all just shut your bloody gobs for a sec…OI! SILENCE, YOU DOGS!” Sparrow finally bellowed in his best quarterdeck bark, making everyone but James jump in their seats. An uneasy silence descended upon the crowd as everyone directed their attention to Jack. William stood off to the side, his face hidden in one hand, looking as though he would like nothing more than to melt into the wall at his back. With all eyes now on him Jack was in his element, and preened accordingly. Sparrow seemed to take no notice of William’s embarrassment and soldiered on, clearing his throat with a loud flourish before continuing.
“That’s more like it! Now where was I….? Oh yes! Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that a complication has arisen. Well, obviously you’ve probably realized that much already, as these nuptials should’ve started over twenty minutes ago and we should all be sipping rum punch and eating cake in the Governor’s garden by now, but a complication there has been, nonetheless. A most inopportune and unforeseeable complication owing to the imprudent combination of Jamaican heat and over-corseting. Which, when you take the average Jamaican temperature into account, any corseting is over-corseting really, so actually the complication wasn’t all that unforeseeable after all. Down right avoidable, really. Silly things, corsets, when you think about them. All they are is false advertising, that’s what they amount to. Why does Lizzie even need to wear one at this point, anyway?” Jack mused, turning to Will. “You’ve already agreed to buy the goods, so to speak. Shouldn’t she be taking them off display…?”
“Jack!” Will barked, his face now glowing crimson.
Jack stopped to draw a breath and used it in a failed attempt to blow a stray curl from the ridiculous wig he was wearing away from his nose. James made a mental note to corner Sparrow at the reception and tease him mercilessly over that particular fashion faux pas. Honestly, had the man lost a bet? If he was attempting to look respectable, he was failing spectacularly. Jack beamed at the crowd, blessedly oblivious to his own ridiculousness as he continued. “Fortunately, this unfortunate complication as been overcome, and the blushing bride will be joining us forthwith. Mr. Turner and I would like to thank you all for your kind patience. Now, let the rumor-mongering recommence,” he finished with a sweeping wave of his arms, stepping down from the pulpit and sauntering over to where William stood, glaring at Jack from between his fingers. James didn’t miss the sarcasm in that thank you, though like most of Sparrow’s little speech it seemed to fly over the heads of the rest of the befuddled crowd. He stifled a laugh and gave Sparrow a tiny, approving nod when the man cast him a conspiratorial look. Again, Andrew did not miss the look that passed between them.
Marie was the first to break the silence. “I think he was trying to communicate with us,” she whispered, batting her long amber eyelashes in confusion. “Would one of you care to translate? Drew?”
“Sorry, I don’t speak mad pirate,” Andrew snorted, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his lover. “Try Teddy, I believe he’s fluent in it.”
Teddy, however, was too preoccupied with staring at Sparrow’s arse as the pirate bent over to pick up the bible Mr. Cordingly had just thrown at his head. “Hmm? I’m sorry – did I say this wedding was boring? I spoke prematurely.”
“Miss Swann fainted,” James sighed, resigned to explaining the obvious. “Again. At least now I know not to take it personally that she passed out when I proposed. It would appear to just be a bizarre courting ritual of hers.”
“And how do you come to that conclusion, Commodore?” Marie asked with genuine confusion. James took pity on her, remembering this was her first real encounter with the verbal hurricane that was Jack Sparrow.
“When Sparrow says there was a complication due to heat and over-corseting, what he really means to say is that Miss Swann’s maid laced her corset too tightly again so that she couldn’t breathe in this suffocating heat and she fainted. She has apparently recovered and the ceremony will begin shortly. Thank god,” James grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Women and fainting…look at all the layers we have to wear, you don’t see us fainting.”
“I don’t see you wearing a corset either, Commodore…though I’d pay good money to,” Marie added in a thoughtful undertone. “So…Miss Swann fainted. Why didn’t Mr. Sparrow just say so?”
“Because he’s Jack Sparrow, and there’s no known cure?” offered Andrew offhandedly.
“Captain Jack Sparrow,” corrected Teddy, receiving three simultaneous glowers for his effort.
A biting retort was on the tip of James’s tongue, but it died a premature death as the double doors behind him flew open in a burst of dazzling sunlight. The string quartet, which had stopped playing during Sparrow’s rambling soliloquy, suddenly sprung back to life in a flurry of turned pages and fumbled bowstrings as they scrambled to start playing. James let his hand slip from Andrew’s as he turned to watch Miss Swann finally make her way down the aisle.
amused
I can't remember if I read the first chapter when you posted it before, so I went back to read it (again?).
Anyway, love this :-) Hope you can write/post more soon!
You write the best Gillington, well worth waiting for.
lulu
You write so well with everyone, and I love your original character of Gillette's sister.
Thanks for commenting!
Sooo sorry I missed this!! Had a slightly mad weekend, as it were.
But.. EEEEEEEE
This is brilliant!! Marie is, of course, amazing. And you wrote Jack's speaking very well. All in all, wonderful.
Except for an issue with metaphors - technically speaking the metaphor "the heat of the spotlight" and melting under it would be anachronistic. xP Nitpicks ahoy!!
But wonderful. ^^ Great to see that you got something written!
Still, I'm glad Jack's voice worked. :)
And even minor tweaking is good. Baby steps, darling, baby steps. *g*
*steals Jack's wig & runs*
Cute and funny.
I'll be rooting fro you mate ^_^
Thanks for commenting!
bueller? buuuuuueeeeller?
Re: bueller? buuuuuueeeeller?
You know, I actually imagined a bit of Sparrington dialogue along those lines for another fic I'm thinking of writing. James points out that Jack's persona is a clever artifice, that he makes everyone underestimate him by playing the fool. And Jack returns that James has done the same thing, but in his case, he's made everyone think he's all honorable and noble, so they never see it coming when he cheats.
I'm happy you liked the story. :) Marie has been one of my favorite OCs to write for awhile now, which seems strange since this is the first story I've posted with her actually in it. She'll show up more in future installments and other stories, so you haven't seen the last of her.
You've created the atmosphere so evocatively and captured everyone's voices so well that I could see and hear everything very clearly, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I'm really glad you enjoyed the story. :) Thanks for the lovely comment!
I know exactly what you mean about Jack-speak. I have to rely on my beta to tell me if what I write works, because Jack is really really difficult to pin down (in any sense!). In fact, so is James. He's more subtle, but every bit as complex. You capture his voice very well! And Jack's too. His mannerisms are absolutely spot-on here as well (such as how his sarcasm flies over most people's heads). I love your naughty Ted and your insecure Andrew too. And Marie is just wonderful. Really looking forward to that prequel, and the reception as well. :-)
I think I'm better at capturing Jack's physical mannerisms and attitude than his voice. I guess I need to go back and rewatch CotBP a time or two to get Jack's voice in my head again (such a hardship, I know.) That's the secret behind my James voice...if I ever feel it slipping, I pull out my Coupling dvds and get Jack Davenport's voice in my head. If I can imagine him saying the lines I've written, then I know I'm doing okay. ;)
Rewatching their scenes to get their voices right is the best kind of hardship... heh. The thing with Jack Davenport (imo) is that he gets so much into every character he plays that every character has his own mannerisms and his own idiosyncracies. Steve is definitely adorable... I love his rants!
I agree about Jack Davenport's characters all having such wonderful quirks. I think my Jamie's voice is a combination of several things that I've drawn from various sources. He's got Norrington's command and sarcasm, Steve's mix of scathing wit and sweet dorkiness, and (from what I've discerned from commentaries and interviews) Jack's own sense of self-deprication. Throw in a few elements of my own personality (because all of the boys have some part of me built into their characters, I think. Sadly, that's probably where Drew's insecurity comes from.) - and I get Jamie's voice.
Strangely enough, I'm also inclined to see something of myself in James. Unlike your portrayal (I agree completely about JackDav's/James's tendency to be self-deprecatory), mine just doesn't seem to work when I do that (none of the self-identification stuff ever makes it into a final draft). It's fascinating to see how different characters played by Davenport have characteristics that overlap! The two other characters that I tend to think of the most when I think of James are Peter Smith-Kingsley from The Talented Mr Ripley and Lt Ralph Clarke from The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant. Peter because he is completely guileless and has a tremendous capacity to accept others and overlook their flaws (he could be a younger James, imo) and Lt Clarke because of the obvious Navy parallel (although I think he is far more volatile and cynical than James is). I also think that James might have a slightly brattish quality when he is in a private setting with a lover, (which I think comes from how I see Miles from This Life.) *grin*
I adored Peter in The Talented Mr. Ripley, though I suppose very little of him shows in my jaded, damaged version of James. Perhaps that sensitivity you mentioned that James exhibits for Andrew's feelings could be traced back to Peter. Jamie is cynical and reserved, and doesn't often open himself up to the perils of falling in love. But when he does love someone, he does it completely and unreservedly.
As for Lt. Clarke...well, my James!muse suddenly started exhibiting heretofore unknow artistic abilities after I watched Mary Bryant. *g*
I love artistic!James! Isn't he beautiful when he is sketching in Mary Bryant? Thanks to Peter, I also see James as very interested in music. And writing. (I think that comes from me!)
When I first started writing and creating this 'verse, I did it to rebel against the cliches in so many PotC fics. In so many of them, James was a perfect, lily-white, unscarred, teetotalling virgin. Some of those fics were quite good, but I wanted to take a different tack. So I set out to write a story in which James was scarred both emotionally and physically from his life experiences. My Jamie is a damaged man, but despite - or perhaps due to - that damage he is still (hopefully) the honorable man we meet in CotBP. Basically, I've written what's interesting to me - how a flawed, imperfect man can still be a good one. :)
Artistic!James is lovely. I love the sketching scenes in Mary Bryant, though I love the piano scenes in Ripley even more. But I play piano myself, so that could be my inner musician talking. I'm working on a ficlet where Andrew discovers Jamie's secret musical talent. :)
I'm curious... in what way is your James flawed and imperfect? I didn't get that from this fic; he seems rather happy and confident here. :-) Or is that something that is part of your 'back story' for James?
I don't think there's anything more beautiful than Peter playing the piano in Ripley. *smile* I had better hope my 'inner musician' doesn't influence my James, because I haven't played the piano in years! And yesyesyes to James having a musical talent that he keeps a secret from almost everyone. I've been planning a music-fic forever, but the time is not yet right for it (in my head!). I will watch out for that ficlet of yours. :-)
On a related note, I was involved in a fascinating conversation sometime ago on what music James might like. I thought he might like Vivaldi and Bach (specifically the Four Seasons and the St Matthew Passion). I'd be very interested to know what kind of music you think James might like! Have you heard Fariborz Lachini? Whenever I think of James composing music, Lachini comes to mind. Particularly pieces such as this one.
That's not to saying the other extreme is necessarily in character, either. Though one of my favorite fics of all time did feature James as a functioning alcoholic. I can't remember the title or who wrote it - it was before I actually joined LJ, so sadly it's not in my memories - but it was post CotBP, written before the sequels. It was a ficlet that centered around the growing isolation James felt as he progressed through his career, and the inherent loneliness of command. No one noticed that he was hurting or that he had a problem, because no one bothered to look past his competent, polished exterior to see the loneliness and despair just underneath. It stuck with me all these years later, because it was so heartwrenching and tragic in a very real way.
As for my James, he's really quite damaged, though with Andrew's help he's finally started to move on and find some happiness by the time "Get Me to the Church" starts. I'm not sure I can even sum his backstory up, at least not concisely. It's complicated, not the least because I haven't managed to weave it all into the story yet. I've only covered his early years, so far. Clinically, I suppose I'd diagnose him with PTSD and a severe case of survivor's guilt.
The core of his issues begin in Black Cat, which is linked in the header. I don't want to self-pimp (because that was the first thing I ever wrote, and lord knows it has its problems, and is not my ideal showcase of my work), but if you ever have the time or inclination, you might give it a look. The first four chapters are a bit rocky, and aren't for everyone - I tried to depict a pirate attack and it's aftermath in a brutal, non-Disneylike way, and there are moments that are violent and sometimes disturbing. You could probably even skip over them. But once young Jack shows up at the end of Chapter 5, it smooths out. Chapter 5 - 9 deals with how James first met Jack. Chapters 10 and 11 deal with the aftermath of the escape/rescue, and the emotional toll it takes on young James. Those two chapters really get to the heart of his issues, and sum up his inner turmoil up better than anything. Those issues then culimate in "Once Upon a Time", also linked above. It's set a few months post-CotBP, and immediately proceeds "Get Me to the Church." It's predominately Gillington, which I know isn't your preferred pairing. Jack is a constant background presence though, and one of the chapters has a flashback with Jack in it. I try to write my fics so they can all be read separately, even though the stories all connect. Those two series do give a better understanding of what drives James, though. :)
I wanted to get my music ficlet written this weekend, but it's just not happening. It's all there fully formed in my head, but I can't seem to get it down in words. Hopefully I'll manage it soon. I do agree with your music choices for James though. And while I wasn't familiar with Lachini's work, that piece you linked was gorgeous. I need to get my hands on that sheet music. :) I can definately imagine James composing something similar.
I like the fact that all your stories connect, and I'll definitely check out the earlier ones because I'd love to see how you connect everything, and how James has gotten to where he is now. I do have my preferred OTP, but I love reading fics with other pairings as well if they explore James's character in a way that appeals to me. And the way you write him certainly appeals to me!
I'm looking forward to your music fic very much! I know what you mean about having something in your head, and not being able to get it down in words. I have way too many WsIP that I've shelved for the time being because I can't get the words to do what I want them to. I guess it is very rewarding when that does happen, though. :-)
(I think I have some of Lachini's sheet music on PDF. Let me dig through my HD and I'll let you know.)
Sometimes I regret my decision to have my stories all connect. It can be very gratifying, seeing the over-arching story I've envisioned taking shape, but also very frustrating, especially when I'm as blocked as I am right now. There are some stories I really want to hurry up and tell, but I can't because I haven't built up to them yet. There's still backstory to be told before I can get there, or else the stories won't make sense to anyone but me. And keeping everything straight can be a real chore. Its nice to occasionally step away to write a one shot, like I'm hoping the music fic will be. But even with it, I plan on revealing some of Jamie's family history that is important to bigger picture.
If you do find any of Lachini's sheet music on your HD I would be very grateful. :) I haven't played much lately, but the bits and pieces I've heard of his music have definately sparked an interest. I keep telling myself I need to get back to practicing...maybe the distraction would ultimately help ease my writers block. Most of the time I feel like my brain is caught in a tangle of loose plot threads.
Also, I meant to ask this earlier, but do you mind if I friend you? I've really enjoyed our discussion. :)
Creating a whole 'verse must be an exhausting task! But it's great that you can see it taking shape. How wonderful! I know what you mean about one-shots. I've been working on a 35-chapter fic for the better part of a year now, and if it weren't for the occasional standalone, I'd go nuts. It's complete and yet it's not, in the sense that I have to fix details and plotholes and stuff I somehow managed to miss out on while I was writing the first draft, and it can be a welcome relief to step back from it for a while and work on a one-shot. I just started on 'Black Cat'. It's a little scary to read because I know there's dark stuff ahead, but I know James makes it through everything, so I am trying to be brave about what's coming.
I did find some Lachini on my computer but gah, it's all samples from the longer scores. I can send them to you if you like though. You can also download the free sample sheets directly from www.lachini.com, where the complete scores are also available for sale. I think the price is around $15 for each score. It would be well worth it if I had a piano to practice on! I'm trying to get access to one though, and I'll buy a few of those for sure once I do. Will let you know if I manage to procure any. :-)
Ha, I should totally write a ficlet where Jamie wakes up from one of his nightmares, panicked and babbling to Drew about hurricanes off Tripoli and fish people, and giant hamster wheels of doom, and disembodied, beating hearts, and diminuitive EITC lords who inexplicably have power in Caribbean. I can't even imagine what Drew's reaction would be to that, though.
One-shots really can save your sanity when you're working on something big like that. I go insane just editing and rewriting one part at a time, needless to say 35 chapters. That, and I can't seem to write a story in order...I skip around a lot, doling out bits and pieces of the puzzle. It's kinda random, but there is a method to the madness. At least I think there is. Maybe the picture will finally come together someday.
If you don't mind my asking, what is your fic about? I always like a good, epic story. :)
I feel this compulsion to apologize for subjecting you to Black Cat. It's sort of necessary to understanding what makes my James tick, and his bond with Jack...but at the same time I'm aware of how dark it is, and how difficult it can be to slog through. I have trouble getting through parts of it, and I wrote the damn thing. It's very bleak, and unsettling, but the helplessness and dread of a pirate attack and its aftermath would be very terrifying, so I suppose I accomplished what I set out to do, in that respect. Still, as an apology (and proof that things do get better for James), here's a link to the fic where I first introduced their dog, Admiral. It's Gillington, but Jack has a cameo, and it's extremely fluffy.
http://wicked-jade.livejournal.com/1037
Oh, I'll definately check out the website and download some of the sample sheets. :) My piano has been gathering dust for too long.
I nearly fell out of my chair laughing on several occasions as I read this. It's hilarious. I need to friend you so I actually see when you do an update! I didn't see this until today. Ack!
I'm so happy you've continued with this one. I've been looking forward to reading the continuation of this story for ages, for the main purpose of seeing Teddy meet Sparrow. Of course, it's purely wonderful, as your stories always are. I love Teddy and Marie for the reason that Marie is finally one that can hold her own against him. And the idea of Teddy "accidentally" being married is fantastic. It's something I could totally see him doing.
I think you're doing fine on the Jack-speak, but then again, I couldn't write Sparrow's dialogue if my life depended on it. I could hear the words being said by each character as you wrote them in my head, so it sounded pretty good to me. I also thought it was great how Norrington was the only one nonplussed by Sparrow. Plus, I now have this image of Jack Sparrow in one of the Governor's wigs in my head...
I still love your characterization of Norrington, though. I love them all, but your James is so spot on it's not even funny! I liked the fact that he's finally secure, but still not quite there yet in believing he's worth something to other people, namely Andrew. Must be that sense of self deprecation in him. Please continue with all your work. They are positively fabulous!
Marie and Teddy are quite a pair. Their scenes were so much fun to work on! I think the "accidental marriage" part is my favorite of the whole thing. Especially the part about Drew's "mistranslation." ;)
Jack-speak is such a nightmare! I think the only way I'll be able to manage it in longer scenes is if I tone it down a bit...if he drops some of that "Captain Jack Sparrow" swagger when in private, because he know's James sees through the facade, anyway.
It means a lot that you enjoy my characterization of James. He's very dear to me, since I've put the most work into building his character. His self-deprecation is essential to who he is, I think. He can be so scathing, that if he wasn't self-deprecating, he would be intolerable. Instead, I think it lends him a certain charm. He may be critical of others, but he saves his worst criticism for himself.
Thank you so much for the wonderful comment! Hopefully the next part won't take so long. :)
Here comes the bride!
Re: Here comes the bride!
How would Drew react if James woke up frantic and panicked from a nightmare like that? I think the very presence of the man he loves would soothe James, but Drew would also hold him close to himself, keeping James safe in the tight circle of his arms, whispering soft nothings into his ear and stroking his hair. ♥ I think James has been through stuff in his life that has tormented him greatly and still does, and sometimes he doesn't acknowledge how much he needs to be held and made love to and looked after and kept safe. He may not get that very often, but I think that when he opens himself up to the man he loves and lets him in, he can finally acknowledge that these moments in the dark, and the other times when they are together, when he is with his love and is just himself, are an enormous source of strength and peace to him. (Sorry to self-pimp, but this just reminded me of a drabble I wrote.)
It's curious that you write different sections at a time... I feel the compulsion to write chronologically, and it can be a real bitch. I was stuck with my chapter 29 for weeks... just couldn't get it done, and couldn't move on either... couldn't do anything. Nightmarish. What's my fic about? Well, mostly it's about James and Jack getting to know each other and falling madly in love, smile. It's also about a journey to find a missing magical object, in which the boys are pursued by Barbossa and two OCs, a pirate and an evil ancestor of James's who has returned to life and happens to look exactly like him. If that sounds like I've bitten off more than I can chew, that's because I probably have. *g*
Don't apologise! You are not 'subjecting' me to Black Cat; I want to read it. I like the interactions between James and his sister. I fear for her because I know James wears something of hers next to his heart as an adult, and I suspect she is not going to make it, but I want to read what happens next and how he gets to where he is now. (My James had/has a sister too! I whole a whole chapter with her in my long fic, but my beta and I decided she wasn't quite working in this fic. I've saved her though, and may include her in a later fic.)
Drew: *stroking Jamie's hair after he's finished relating his nightmare death by demented Fish Person* It was just a dream, love. A terrifying, awful dream, but that's all it was. That could never happen to us. You would never knowingly sail us into a hurricane, or risk so many lives doing something so foolish. And you certainly would never do it off Tripoli, since they don't even have hurricanes there to begin with.
Jamie: *raising his head from Drew's chest to stare incredulously at him* All of that...Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman, Elizabeth becoming Pirate King...all of those fantastical, impossible things, and you're hung up on the geographical errors?!
Drew: Well, we have seen undead pirates, so fish-people really aren't outside the realm of possibility. And I can easily imagine Miss Swann as a pirate king. But hurricanes off Tripoli? I think not.
Jamie: *dripping sarcasm* Thanks, you're making me feel so much better.
Drew: What I mean is, fish people, Davy Jones...all of those are things that I can't be sure of. What I am sure of is you. I know you, and I know that you would never knowingly endanger the lives that have been trusted to you. That just would not happen, ever.
Jamie: *snuggling closer, hiding his blush* You have too much faith in me.
Drew: *kissing the top of his head* You don't have enough faith in yourself.
Jamie: You're right of course. It was just a nightmare.
Drew: *nods* A silly one at that. Even if the worst did happen, there is no way you'd wind up a filthy drunk in Tortuga, of all godforsaken places. And there's no way Teddy would condescend to work for a man like that EITC toad you described. He doesn't go for short men, for starters. And though I'll deny it if you ever repeat this....*pained grimace* Sparrow wouldn't be that stupid. He's a lot of things, but he's not a fool. Or a coward.
Jamie: *grin* Admit it, you do like him. Just a little bit.
Drew: I will do no such thing.
Jamie: *knowingly* He's growing on you.
Drew: *grumbles* Like a flesh-eating fungus, maybe.
Jamie: *sobering, speaking hesitantly* I watched you drown. In the hurricane. I tried to hold on to you, but I couldn't. That was the worst of all.
Drew: *hugging him tight* Well then hold on to me now. Keep holding on, as tight as you like.
Hee, see what I mean about my muses going on tangents? ;) Sappy tangents, at that. This is why I can never finish anything...something like that pops into my head and completely distracts me from what I'm supposed to be writing.
Please, feel free to self-pimp whenever you like. Your writing never fails to impress me, because you always paint such beautiful pictures with your words. That drabble, with Jack soothing James...*melts.* Your gift for imagery is really amazing. I'll be anxiously awaiting your fic...it sounds wonderful! It sounds like it'll be a fun mix of romance and adventure, and it's been too long since I've read a new, epic Sparrington story. I can't wait to read about this evil ancestor of James's, he sounds really intriguing.
I feel your pain, getting stuck when you're trying to write chronologically. That happened to me when I was writing Once Upon a Time. I did write it and Black Cat chronologically, and it was SO frustrating when I'd get hung up. I do write longfics like that in proper order...in fact, that's why I haven't finished this one yet. I can't get past that moment when Elizabeth comes down the aisle. But for the shorter stories and one-shots I skip all over Jamie's timeline. I think my muses have a touch of ADD, honestly. :)
When you do get a chance to include your James's sister, I hope you're kinder to her that I was to Janet. As for Black Cat, I'm just terribly subconcious about it, I suppose. It was the first fiction of any sort I ever wrote, so I'm simultaneously proud of it and horrified by it. It's a strange feeling.
I haven't gotten any further with Black Cat yet, since I'm working ridiculously long hours for the next couple of weeks, and all my spare time is going into preparing an application for an academic grant that I'm hoping to get. But things will calm down in a fortnight or so, and then I can happily devote much more of my time to reading!
I can relate to what you say about Black Cat being your first fic. I haven't even reached the stage yet where I can be proud of my first long fic, because I'm still working on it, and parts of it really seem atrocious to me at times. I still love it to bits though because it's the first fic that I started writing for PotC, and it has a special place in my heart. It's kind of like a horribly disfigured creature that no one but its mommy can love!
Good luck with your application. I hope you get that grant! As for Black Cat, it's not going anywhere (and lord knows I'm not getting anywhere with continuing it), so take your time. :)
That description is so perfect - 'a horribly disfigured creature that no one but its mommy can love.' That completely sums up my feelings about most of my writing, but especially when it comes to Black Cat.