Chapter 2: A Long Expected Party

Chapter 2: A Long Expected Party

Will groaned and put his hand to his head as he slowly rose from the wooden floor that made up the deck of the Dauntless. He looked around and saw that everyone else was still unconscious. It was now night and the storm had disappeared. He gently massaged his forehead, willed the headache to disappear, and crawled over to his bride.

"Elizabeth… Elizabeth…" he whispered, shaking her slightly. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Ugh… what happened?"

Will shook his head and slightly winced when his head did not appreciate the motion. "I- I don't know. All that I know is that the storm is gone and it is now night."

"Yes, yes, so I see for myself," she said dryly.

Jack suddenly woke up. His eyes shot open and he immediately sat up, glanced at Will and Elizabeth, and rolled his eyes. He quickly took in the situation and when he detected no immediate threat to his well-being, casually stood up, rolled his head, and looked about more thoroughly. "Where the bloody hell are we? And who the bloody hell was that steering me ship?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Your ship? This ship belongs to the Royal Navy!"

He ignored her, wobbled like a drunken man over to Gibbs, and kicked him.

"Get up, you mangy dog!" he yelled. "This is no time for sleep." Gibbs looked up at him, blinked twice, shrugged, and pulled an unconscious Anamaria up with him.

Unfortunately for him, she woke up mid-pull. Half asleep, she screamed in fury and kicked him in the groin. Gibbs gasped and fell to the floor again, cursing violently. Once she realized whom she attacked, she winced. "Oh… ehh… sorry," she said with a shrug. Anamaria shot him one look of sympathy before she walked off to join the captain, who was now standing on the port side of the ship with Elizabeth and Will.

Jack twirled his fingers around, looking out at what was unmistakably land. They were on a lake- well, a pond, just offshore. He looked rather pleased with himself.

Anamaria stared at him. "What're you so happy 'bout, Captain?"

His pleased look turned into a smug grin. "I said we were going to get back to land; I did it rather quickly, didn't I?" Without further preamble, he grabbed Elizabeth's wrist and took the bracelet from her before she could protest.

"Jack, I clearly said-"

"That you wanted to get back to land. We have found land. A deal's a deal, love," he finished for her, pocketing the bracelet.

"You dare take-" Will began, but Elizabeth stopped him, putting an arm on his shoulder and gently holding him back.

"It's not worth it," she said, glancing at her husband and then glaring coolly at Jack. "Thank you for this unexpected adventure, but we will be leaving now. I'm sure the people on land are much more hospitable." Will, very much agreeing with her for the moment, started down the ship, Elizabeth following him. "Oh, and Jack? The stones on that bracelet are not real." With that, she disappeared.

"Not real?" He took the bracelet out and inspected it more closely. "That bloody wench," he muttered, glancing at Anamaria and Gibbs, the latter who had finally recovered from the blow. "I'm going after them. She owes me more than this. You two stay here and watch the ship."

"Jack," Gibbs started before he started to descend. "What about that strange man? What is Middle-earth? And how in the world did we end up in a pond out of all places?"

The Captain shook his head. "Such things can be worried about later. You two mind the ship. Don't you dare think about leaving me behind." With that, he climbed down and out of sight.

Gibbs glanced at Anamaria, and then at the pond. "Leave without him...?"

The woman shrugged. "Don't ye ask me. I'm still convinced he's out o' his mind."

"That's what he wants you to think, and most o' the time, he has me thinkin' it."

O0O0O0O

Jack was able to catch up to Elizabeth and Will easily; indeed, they were in the process of climbing a large hill and were quite easy to spot from the Dauntless, which was at the bottom of said hill.

"Hey! Hey Elizabeth, Will!" They stopped and waited for the pirate. Will glanced at Jack with amusement and Elizabeth's face was expressionless. "Now, love, a bracelet with fake stones was not part of the deal-"

"I asked for land, you asked for a bracelet. We each got what we want." With that, she turned around and started climbing again. Jack went in front of her, his hands in front of him as he tried to reason with the woman.

"Now, now, Elizabeth, that wasn't a very honest thing you did there-"

"Just as honest as you were."

"I'm a pirate; you're a noblewoman. You have a name to live up to, y' know. Can't have the governor's daughter cheating people out-"

"Cheating a pirate out of-"

"You shouldn't be talking so ill about pirates when your own husband-"

"Jack! Elizabeth! Quiet; can you hear something?" Will shushed them, staring up at the top of the hill intently.

Now that the two had stopped arguing, they did indeed hear something. They heard music, and the noise of several people gathered together. Suddenly a large firecracker went off and it filled the sky with lights.

"Well, would you look at that! A party- I love parties!" Jack said, his argument forgotten for the moment. "I'm going to go join them." With that, he started up the hill once more. The couple glanced at one another before hurrying after him. Will caught up with Jack and grabbed his shoulder.

"I don't think you should just into run into a party like that. You're a wanted man."

"So?" Jack shrugged off his arm. "It's a party; they'll be too drunk to recognize me. Even if they did, I've escaped such situations before." He started up the hill again.

Elizabeth sighed. "Part of me wants to simply leave him to his own doings, and yet another part of me can't bear to think him dead."

"He does that to you," Will said thoughtfully. "If anything, we were looking for people, and we have found some. We still do not know where we are, and we need to find our way home- perhaps there will be someone you knows who you are. Your father is a well-known governor of England."

"Perhaps. Either way, both Jack and other people are up there, so let's follow him." Will nodded and the two made their way to the party.

O0O0O0O

Jack looked at the partygoers with what only could only be described as complete bemusement. All he could see were children. Granted, there were many children, but they were still only children. It was a saddening thought; the likelihood of pretty wenches and rum at a children's party was slim.

He heard two people approach from behind. "Decided to join me then, eh? It's a large party, but not like the festivities in Tortuga, I'm afraid to say."

"Are they all children?" Elizabeth asked with clear surprise as she watched the scene. They could not see much behind the tents, but they could make out quite a few small shapes running back and forth, sitting, eating, and drinking with one another.

"Looks so to me."

Elizabeth glanced at her husband and Jack and then back at the party. "I think they will be less threatened by me. You two wait here while I see where all the adults are."

"And see if they have their own party," the pirate added with a smirk. She did not reply, but rather left the bushes that they hid behind and went to the nearest child she could find.

"Excuse me," she said, and when the child turned, she held back a gasp of surprise. The child looked as old as her father!

"Yes, what do you want?" he asked, glancing at her with suspicion. "I am about to go to get some cake, so do be quick!"

"Oh, I- I am sorry, I- my apologies."

The child-sized man shook his head as he walked away, muttering, "Big Folk. Such a bother."

She turned to make her way back to her companions, but as she did she nearly bumped into two of the small people who were carrying a large firecracker in the shape of a red dragon. They dropped it in surprise and looked as if they were to bolt, but stopped as they looked her over.

"Oh!" said one. "You are not Gandalf. Good."

Elizabeth shook her head as she looked at them. They were not old, but they did not look to be children, either. Indeed, they both looked to be around her age. "I'm sorry, I do not know who Gandalf is."

One of them hastily started putting the firecracker back from where they had taken it while the other gave her a strange look. "You don't know who Gandalf is? Then you didn't come with him?"

"No, no, I just came not too long ago- I beg your pardon, but what exactly are you?"

He laughed. "You don't know what I am! How very funny. I am a hobbit, mistress. Peregrin Took at your service- though my friends call me Pippin," he explained. "There is my cousin, Meriadoc Brandybuck- everyone calls him Merry, though." Pippin frowned as he glanced her over. "If you didn't come with Gandalf, then who did you come with to the party?"

"Well..." she began uncertainly, but then stopped as she saw Will and Jack make their way from the bushes towards her. "What are you doing?" she asked once they were with them.

"We saw you standing around and thought we would join the conversation. Bushes are sadly rather poor conversationalists," Jack said with a bright smile. He glanced at Merry and Pippin, frowning. "You aren't children."

"No," said Merry with a sigh, "we're hobbits. You are in the Shire, our homeland; you really should know that if you're traveling through here."

"We came here quite unexpectedly," Will put in, looking down at the hobbits' feet with bemusement. He looked back to their faces before they noticed. "It's a rather odd story."

"It is," Elizabeth agreed, recalling the events that brought them here.

"Perhaps you should talk with Gandalf," Pippin said.

"Perhaps who should talk with Gandalf?"

The group turned around and the three strangers kept their check in surprise as the first normal-sized person came into view. He glanced at his fireworks cart and then to the two hobbits, and finally to the other three.

"We're going to be going now," Merry said, dragging Pippin along with him. They quickly hurried off, leaving the four alone.

Gandalf looked them up and down, noting Will's and Elizabeth's rich attire and Jack's completely mismatched outfit. Jack remained completely stoic, though in truth the old man's gaze felt unnatural to him.

"We apologize for the intrusion," started Will diplomatically. "I am William Turner, and this is my wife Elizabeth, and my companion Jack..." he trailed off, unsure whether to reveal his full name.

Jack had no such qualms. "Captain Jack Sparrow; a pleasure to meet you," he said with an overly lavish bow. Gandalf raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and returned his gaze to Will.

Will was busy glancing nervously at Jack, so Elizabeth took up the story before the old man noticed. "We didn't mean to come here, truly. We just sort of, well, landed here." With Gandalf's attention now on her, Elizabeth quickly told him about the sea, the storm, and how they woke up there. She left out the odd man at the wheel, though; she did not want to sound completely out of her mind.

"It's a wild story to believe, but our ship is in the pond; you can see it from the top of this hill." She quickly led him through the tents and behind the bushes so they had a clear view of the land surrounding the hill. Down south in a small pond the Dauntless could be clearly seen.

Gandalf said nothing, but gazed at them thoughtfully one by one, his gaze staying the longest on Jack. The pirate met the gaze evenly, though he was relieved when the old man finally broke it- a fact he would not admit to anyone, of course.

"I sense no falsehoods in your tale, though you do not reveal all," Gandalf said plainly, looking once more at Elizabeth. "The ship is proof enough; I have never seen such a vessel before. What sea were you sailing, mistress?"

"The Caribbean- in the New World," she clarified.

"The Caribbean in the New World?" Gandalf mused. "I have heard of neither." What he thought of the revelation he did not reveal to the newcomers. "Nonetheless, it is quite clear that you are not from around here. I would not suggest wandering far- beyond the borders of the Shire, it can be dangerous." He looked them all over once more before he spoke again. "No, there is no evil in you- perhaps some mischief, but no evil. Certainly no mischief beyond plain hobbit mischief." He glanced at Jack subtly before continuing. "I suggest you stay with my friend Bilbo, and his nephew Frodo. The hobbits are celebrating their birthdays this evening. I will tell both of them about your situation, but I suggest that you keep the story to yourselves. The local hobbits will already be in for quite a shock when they see this great vessel in the pond; there is no need to spread the story on how it came to be there. So come, join the party and enjoy yourselves." With that, the wizard turned and went back to the festivities.

Jack frowned at the old man's back. "I don't trust him."

"It's kind enough of him to trust us as much as he does," Elizabeth argued. "We are the strangers here. And anyone who is wealthy enough to throw a party as great as this would be nice to stay with for a while."

"As it is," Will put in, throwing an arm around his wife, "I'm famished. I'm going to take the old man's advice and enjoy myself. You can stay here if you really want, Jack." With that, he and Elizabeth headed over to the party.

Jack frowned. "Don't think you have gotten out of your payment for the trip so easily, Elizabeth!" he yelled after her. "Bloody love birds."

"What, those two? Yea, they're awful."

Jack turned around, and frowned when he saw Gibbs and Anamaria nearby, climbing up the hill towards him. "I thought I ordered you to stay with the ship."

"You did," Gibbs agreed readily. "But we thought on it and realized that nobody could take it even if they wanted to. Besides, you three were takin' too long, so we decided to see what was happenin'."

"I see." Jack crossed his arms and stared at the two evenly. "You still broke an order."

"Yes, we did."

"And you know what I am going to do about it?"

"What, Captain?"

He slapped Gibbs upside the head. "That." Without another word, he turned around and went to join the party.

Gibbs rubbed his head and glanced at Anamaria. "Why didn't he do that to you?"

"He probably knows I'd slap 'im right back."

"Ah."

O0O0O0O

Will and Elizabeth found that while many puzzled glances came their way, for the most part they were not questioned by the other partygoers. For this they were thankful, and soon enough they found the first two hobbits they had stumbled upon, Merry and Pippin.

"Oh, hullo again!" said Pippin with a grin. "Did Gandalf help you?"

"Yes, he did very much," Elizabeth smiled.

"Tell me," Will started, "what is Gandalf doing here when all the rest of the guests are... hobbits?"

"He's Bilbo's friend," Merry explained. "And he made great fireworks for the party."

"He made them?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes; he is a wizard, and wizards can do those sorts of things, you know." Pippin looked at the two humans with a frown. "Everyone knows that he is a wizard. Where in the world are you from?"

"Far... far away," Will shrugged, remembering Gandalf's advice.

"I guess so," Merry said, looking at them suspiciously.

They were saved from further conversation when Elizabeth grabbed Will's arm and pointed to their left. "Gibbs and Anamaria are here!"

"What are they doing here?"

"Likely got bored."

The two crewmembers were indeed on the outskirts of the party, looking at the little people with awe. They had quickly caught on to the fact that they were not children, but were not quite sure where to go; they could not see Will, Jack, or Elizabeth among all the partygoers.

"Oh! You two must be Will and Elizabeth- Gandalf just told me about you."

Startled, the two turned around and saw the person speaking to them was the same height as everyone else, and looked older than them. He seemed to be a very cheerful person and overall good-natured.

"Err, no," said Gibbs with an awkward smile. "But we're with them- where are they?"

"Gibbs! Anamaria!" The small group turned to find Will and Elizabeth making their way over.

"Oh! Gandalf told me that there were three of you." The small old man looked puzzled at this.

"I'm sorry; they were down at the ship," Will explained. "There are just the five of us. Are you Bilbo?"

"Oh, goodness, yes! Bilbo Baggins of Bag End." He gave the humans a short bow. "And there is quite enough room in Bag End for three or five- Gandalf explained the situation to me, and after what I've seen in my days, I am little surprised that now we have boats dropping into Shire ponds!" He chuckled. "Now, I hope you all are enjoying yourselves- eat and drink as much as you want, there is plenty for all, and I know you Big Folk don't even eat that much as it is!" Chuckling once more, he bowed again. "I am frightfully sorry, but I do need to go and make some preparations for a speech I'm giving later tonight. Until another time!" With that, Bilbo scurried off.

Anamaria watched him wide-eyed as he left. "What are these people?"

"They call themselves hobbits," Elizabeth said with a shrug.

"I've never heard of a hobbit before."

"Neither have I," Gibbs said with a light frown. "But they seem rather friendly, and the food looks good. But where's Jack run off to?"

"I don't care," Will said. "I'm going to take up Bilbo's suggestion and eat, and leave Jack to his own doings." Elizabeth nodded and the two left to find a place to sit and eat. Anamaria and Gibbs, not too worried about Jack for the moment, followed them.

O0O0O0O

Jack sat at a table in front of a stage, sitting with a very lovely hobbit lass. He had found that if he ignored their rather short stature, they were close enough to any other person. The ale helped make the illusion stronger.

This hobbit lass, likely one of those adventurous Tooks or Brandybucks, thought Big People were absolutely fascinating and had joined the newcomer with no preamble. Jack had warmed up to her immediately when she brought a tankard of ale to him.

"So you are Bilbo's friend?" she asked him.

"Of course!" Jack said as he drunk the ale- surprisingly good ale at that. "We've been pals for many years! And you?"

"Oh, I'm just his third cousin on his mother's side; twice removed, of course."

Jack blinked. "What?"

"Oh, you like family history!" With that, she started a long tale of how they were related, naming every quirk of said relation and of course boasting about all of their accomplishments. Throughout the tale, Jack drank and tried to concentrate on her, for she was rather comely and had her assets.

Before he completely lost his concentration, an old hobbit suddenly came up on stage, and the lass stopped her spiel as the crowd started cheering for him. Through the cheers Jack was quickly able to make out that the old hobbit was Bilbo, one of the guests of honor.

"Speech, speech!" a few called out, and Bilbo complied.

Jack rolled his eyes through the pleasantries, but hid his surprise- though not his amusement- at the less-than-pleasant words from the speaker. At the end of the speech he was actually paying attention; it sounded interesting.

"I regret to announce that this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a fond farewell. Good bye." And then Bilbo disappeared.

As all of the hobbits (including the lass by his side) went through various stages of amazement and horror, Jack chuckled. "Good bye!" he said with a short wave. Quickly becoming annoyed with the panicked scene that was hardly developing into anything entertaining, he went to find the rest of his companions.

"Wonderful speech. Knows how to throw the audience into chaos- though there could be more of it," Jack said when he found the others.

"Did you see what he did?" Gibbs said with wide eyes. "It was witch-craft!"

"Like I said, it was wonderful," Jack nodded.

"Maybe it was wizard-craft," Will put in. "Gandalf is a wizard, supposedly."

"A wizard? What have we landed ourselves in?" Gibbs moaned. "We shouldn't mess with such things! We saw what happened with Barbossa; wizards are likely just as bad as curses, if not worse!"

"He seemed kind enough," Elizabeth pointed out. "Besides, we have a place to stay with Bilbo Baggins, even if he can disappear. And he was very generous, Gibbs!"

Gibbs shook his head. "Where is this wizard, anyways?" The group looked around, but saw no signs of him. "Oh, good, this wizard disappears just like that- what do they call themselves?"

"Hobbits."

"Well, if this Gandalf disappeared just like that Bilbo-"

"Gandalf didn't disappear." Pippin, who was nearby and overheard the last part of their conversation, joined them. He glanced at Gibbs and Anamaria curiously before turning to Elizabeth, whom he had taken a liking to. "I saw Gandalf go up to Bag End."

"Bag End?"

"Bilbo and Frodo live there." He pointed up to a home inside a hill just above the party. Elizabeth thanked him and the group hurried up to Bag End.

O0O0O0O

When they came up to Bag End, they saw Bilbo walking just around the corner with a walking stick, humming a tune to him. He did not seem to realize they were there and he quickly disappeared from sight. At the front of the house, the door was open and Gandalf stood there, back to them as he looked at the floor of the front hall.

"That's the wizard?" Gibbs muttered. She nodded. "I'll stay here, then. I don't trust him."

"First wise words I've ever heard from him," Jack said. Gibbs frowned, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Fine. You four stay here. I'll talk with him." With that, she went down the path that led to the house, leaving her companions at the gate.

As she approached the wizard, Elizabeth saw that he was not looking at the floor, but rather a lovely golden ring that lay on it right by the doorway. She soon came to stand beside him, and found that she could not take her gaze away from the small piece of jewelry.

"That is a beautiful ring," she said quietly. It was indeed very lovely; it seemed much lovelier than any other ring she had ever seen before. Suddenly a large urge to pick it up and look at it closer came upon her; she wanted to try it on and see how it looked on her hand.

Gandalf turned swiftly to look at her, seeming a little surprised by her presence, as if he had not heard her approach. He quickly covered his reaction and gazed down into her eyes. "Yes, it is, but do not touch it; it is not yours and never will be," he said gruffly as if he had read her mind. The wizard shut the door and stood outside with her. "As I said before, it would be best if you and your companions stayed here in Bag End for the time being and kept your story to yourselves. Bilbo is gone for now, but Frodo is still here and knows your tale."

She nodded, but then frowned as she remembered his words from earlier that evening. "You said that you had not heard of the Caribbean before, Gandalf."

"So I did."

"But others have said you are- are a wizard." He nodded. "Wizards are thought to be evil where I come from. But you are unlike any wizard I have ever heard of."

"Indeed?" His gruff face fell and a small smile came upon it. "How so?"

"You seem much kinder, and even wiser, though I cannot explain why. Yet how do you not know about the Caribbean? It is not an unknown sea anymore."

He exhaled. "Mistress Turner, I have been to many lands in my time, and I have never seen a ship quite like the one in the pond at the foot of the Hill. You may want to consider that as well." With that, he turned and left her there standing alone, more confused than she was before.