“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me.” Jack sang quietly rifling through the cabinets. He wasn’t sure he’d find what he was looking for, a house full of girls, only two boys, one of whom fancied men. He doubted he’d find it. With a girl like Buffy in charge it’d be well hidden.
“Oh,” a startled voice behind him. He turned and found the lovely younger sister of the mistress of the house standing in the doorway. “I didn’t know anyone else was up.”
Jack grinned. “Couldn’t sleep either eh?”
Dawn had been disturbed at first by Xander’s transformation. It wasn’t so much the accent, or his weird mannerisms, as his looking at her with great appreciation. Xander had never looked at her that way, and even when she’d had a crush on him she’d been too young to know what to do if he did.
“I just needed a midnight snack.” She answered. “At two in the morning. You?”
“I’ve been transported centuries into the future into the body of my great great and then some grandson. Who lives in a house full of beautiful women, one pouf, and he’s only got one eye with which to gaze upon them. I need a drink love.”
Dawn could barely suppress a giggle. “I think Faith has a secret stash around here somewhere.” She said, and helped him look. Sure enough, a bottle of Vodka was hidden away in the back of the freezer.
“You’re a life saver darling.” Jack sighed, taking the bottle like it was a newborn baby. “Care to join me?”
“Oh no way.” Dawn grimaced. “I’m way too young.”
“Too young to drink?” Jack said doubtfully. “What sort of nonsense is that?”
“Oh, in America you’re not allowed to drink until you’re 21.” She explained.
Jack looked dismayed. “What’s this world come to?” he asked. “Surely you’re not going to let that stop you?”
“Buffy’d kill me. And you.”
“Ah. Well we wouldn’t want that of course. Pity. Still, more for me.” He took a swig from the bottle and closed his eyes in ecstasy.
“Uhm, just be careful.” Dawn warned. “You might have had a high tolerance for alcohol, but I don’t think Xander drinks much.”
“More the fool him then.”
“So you’re taking this all pretty well.” Dawn decided to change the subject.
“How’s that?”
“Well you know, the time travel thing. Not to mention Andrew’s story.”
“So it was true?”
“Well, not the magic sword or the ninjas, or the gunfight. Or the flying bit. But the rest of it was true. Sort of. The Vampire thing was true.”
Jack nodded. “That’s what I thought. And Buffy?”
Dawn seemed to know what he meant. “Well all she knows about Pirates is from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disney world.” His face showed he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Oh, and she was really scared of Captain Hook when she was a kid.”
“Hook?” Jack choked. “Captain James Hook?”
“You’ve heard of him?”
“I stole a ship from him once.” Jack grinned. “Strange bloke that one.”
“You mean he’s real?”
“As real as Vampires and curses love.” There it was. That light in her eyes. The light that her sister lacked. Among her many wonderful features, this was one of the best. Jack was not a sentimental man. Or not very often. But the look of fire in a young girl’s eyes got him every time.
“So we told you about Xander,” Dawn said, perching on the counter. “Tell me about you.”
“What, sailor stories?”
“I bet a pirate would be full of stories.”
Another swig from the bottle and he smiled. “Very well, have you ever heard of a man named Cortez?”
*****
Many people hated their jobs. Harold was not one of them. He loved his job. Even though some scoffed at it, to him, it was the perfect fit. He was too prone to motion sickness to be a sailor, but he still loved the sea. So where better to work than at the docks. His complexion made him burn easily, so what better time to work than at night? Maybe most people wouldn’t want to be a night watchman at the docks, that made him all the more employable.
The sound of the water lapping against the pylons, the cries of the seagulls, the only thing better would to be a lighthouse keeper, but those were mostly obsolete now.
That and besides his salary the mob paid him to turn his back on a few smuggling operations.
Life for Harold was quiet, but that was the way he liked it. He was a solitary man, never one for the dating scene. And once they invented Tivo he didn’t have to miss any of his shows.
Yes Harold loved his life. It was a shame that it was cut unceremoniously short when a man came up behind him and slit his throat. He was dead almost before he knew it. Which was kind of how he’d have wanted to go anyway.
*****
“And then they made me their chief.” Buffy heard Xander say.
“No,” She thought. “Not Xander. Jack.” She stood in the hall, listening. The sun had just started to rise and she’d wanted to get up early. To check up on…him. And he was talking to someone.
“Now you’re just showing off.” Dawn’s voice emanated from the kitchen. Buffy paled at the thought. Dawn had been in the kitchen for who knew how long with that pirate?
“It’s the God’s honest truth love.” Jack said. “All except for the Zombie parrot. That was to add a bit of color.”
In spite of herself, Buffy felt herself smile at that. She stifled it. He was a pirate. Pirates lied and cheated, and stole and raped and pillaged and…she shook her head. All she knew about pirates came from that ride in Disney World. But could she trust Disney?
“Dawn,” Buffy announced herself, entering the kitchen. “Don’t you have homework?”
“It’s summer.” Dawn said defiantly. Buffy glared at her. “Whatever.” The younger Summers sighed. “He’s not a bad guy Buffy.” She defended Jack as she stalked out of the room.
Buffy turned her glare to Jack.
“I promise,” he said. “She’s unspoiled. I don’t go where I’m not invited. I’m like a Vampire that way.”
“Comparing yourself to a Vampire might not be the best course of action when talking to a Slayer.” Buffy retorted.
“A point well taken.”
“Hope you got some sleep. Faith and Andrew insisted on taking you sight seeing today.” She saw the empty vodka bottle on the table. “If that’s Faith’s, you’d better hope she likes you more than I do.”