She sat by the water, enjoying the feel of the breeze rolling off the ocean wash over her skin. The damp on her cheeks made her face feel colder then it was, yet she made no move to dry and warm herself up. Her eyes gazed out over the sea, stretching towards that horizon, the one that never ended the, one that held so many dreams. Smiling faintly, her hands twisted and turned a single rose between her fingers. A brilliant white, with just a touch of pink to the petals. It was beautiful. He had bought it for her, told her it looked more beautiful next to her skin, then anywhere else in the world. The contrast bought out its beauty, showed its uniqueness. He was often one for flattery when in trouble.
It had been a day full of insults, arguments and extreme foul language and it had seemed it was all over. It had only started out as a causal thing, one drunken night that led to another and eventually the drink was left out and all there was was the two of them, shagging each others brains out. Their story isn't like a cliché though. Far from it. For starters, they didn't fall in love for an incredibly long time, or at least didn't realize it. That day, the day of the rose as it had become to be known, it seemed like their run of casual sex while at sea was over because they had simply had enough. Chalk and cheese was one way of describing them sometimes. She infuriated him with her lack of femininity and he annoyed her with his sleazy moves towards her when he was after something.
She had threatened to leave the ship, as soon as they touched land. Packed her bags and everything. The argument still rang in her ears, even now. Realizing that if she left he would lose one of the more important members of his crew (and his bed buddy) he decided he wouldn't let her leave. How did he do this? Well, she said she would leave as soon as they touched land, so they simply didn't touch land. It took a full month and a half for her to forgive him and agree to stay. As soon as she said the word, he finally allowed the ship to reach the port they had been circling for six weeks. Of course as far as recollections go, theirs was probably more rough then the average couple, but after all- they were pirates. When she woke the next day, she had a single white rose lying next to her face, with the note "Beautiful" next to it.
She sighed; letting her fingers gently rub across the petals, enjoying the softness as she closed her eyes from a moment or two. When they opened, fresh tears shimmered, ready to break free and roll down her cheeks. Looking down at her hands, she noticed just how old they looked. The skin wrinkled and shrivelled, tired after many year working on a ship, tired out after life. She had never felt old until now. She had never felt so sad, like she did right at that moment.
Not long after the rose day did she discover she was pregnant. It didn't come as much of a surprise. It had to happen sooner or later, and they had already discussed what they were going to do when it did. They were pirates; they didn't want kids getting beneath their feet. She would never go as far as having a backstreet abortion, but that didn't mean that when she had the child she would keep it. They both seemed perfectly happy with the thought of finding a wealthy couple that would pay any price to buy the baby. Such an easy way to make money!
Although, that first pregnancy didn't get very far. The miscarriage had the worst timing though, setting in during an incredibly difficult raid. The raid had nothing to do with what was happening, but it didn't help. She had been in the middle of fighting heavily with a man when she got a searing pain right across her abdomen. This had almost cost her her life, and would have if it hadn't been for Jack winning the battle he had been having with the captain of the enemy right at the correct moment in time.
The loss came as a shock to her. She kept thinking that she should be feeling relieved, whereas she just had a hollow, incomplete sensation inside. Like something important was missing. He spent countless amounts of nights holding her while she sobbed her heart out, ashamed of the feeling, of the tears but powerless to stop them.
It was over a year until they had to encounter another pregnancy. She was clearly terrified as she told him the news, so frightened of losing the baby although she still had every intention of giving it away once born. This time she progressed through normally, next to no problems. Quite a few strange cravings, like the mashed banana, pickle and melon combo she adored, but not many problems. He would often sit watching her munch on her new favourite food wondering what kind of child they had produced to make her want to eat such a thing.
Surprisingly, they both enjoyed her pregnancy. Up until the last month or so, when she grew very uncomfortable, which in turn turned her grumpy and fed up. But other then that, it was amazing. Neither of them had encountered the experience first hand before, so every little thing was exciting to them. Anamaria had laughed herself silly when she felt the foetus hiccup, and even more so when she saw Jacks face as he felt her belly. The first kick had come in the middle of the night, so of course she woke him up. Unfortunately for him, it didn't happen again for a few days, so he was woken for nothing.
When it came to the time of giving birth, Anamaria had never felt so terrified in all her life. To begin with, Jack was the least help that she needed. He came away from the first few hours with several bruises after patronizing her. However, when the time came to push, he became her rock- quite literally. She lent against his chest, practically breaking his hands as their son came into the world, kicking and screaming. He had tears in his eyes as he held him for the first time, so proud of the tiny life they had created. They were still planning on giving the boy away, already having found a family for him. Yet when it came to the time to hand him over, a couple of days later, Anamaria found she couldn't do it. One thing she hadn't banked on when she first got pregnant and found the family she was planning on giving the baby away to, was the maternal feeling of love she would feel. He had only been in the world three days and already she couldn't imagine her life without him. How could she? He was a part of her now, and that was never going to change.
After a lengthy talk, where Ana told Jack she was keeping their son whether he stood by her or not, they agreed to find a home for them. It wasn't fair to bring a child up on a pirate ship, not with the risks involved, so it was agreed that Anamaria would stay home with their child while Jack carried on being a pirate, bringing home money to provide for his new family. The next important thing then became an issue. What to call the new baby? Naturally, Jack wanted him to be called Jack, but Anamaria wasn't up for that. Eventually Andrew was the name they decided on. Andrew Jack Sparrow.
The years began to roll on, with Anamaria staying in a beautiful house, while Jack visited three times a year. Just enough time to get Ana pregnant a couple of more times. It was after the birth of their third, a daughter named Amelia, that Jack declared his love. Seven years after first getting together, and they finally admitted love for each other. He bought her a ring, the closest thing she was going to get to marriage, a simple ring, studded with diamonds, brilliant white.
Looking at her aged hands, she let her fingers run over the stones, still studded in that ring he had given her. Just like the rose, it contrasted beautifully against her skin. She rarely took it off, and as a result had a permanent dent in her finger.
Fifteen years and eight kids later, Jack went home for good, giving up piracy after a raid had gone wrong and he lost his left hand. He had the Black Pearl moored in a cave, hidden, ready for one of his sons if they wanted it when they were older. There wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to give it away to anyone other then his family. Chances were, one of his five sons would want it. And one of them did.
Jamie, their second son, was sixteen when he decided he would venture out into the big wide world on his fathers ship. Nothing major, he didn't want to become a pirate, just a simple merchant would do him. Jack however, didn't want his son to be an easy target, and although Jamie wanted nothing to do with real piracy he was still taught the tricks of the trade. How to fight dirty, how to beat the opposition without a real struggle. It was clear from the look of pride on Jacks face as Jamie sailed away that first time, that there was nothing more that he could have wanted for one of his children. He wasn't a pirate, but he was embracing the feeling of the sea in his blood. Every now and then Jack would travel out with him, enjoying the feel of the sea beneath his feet again. It was on one of these occasions that it happened.
Just a few days earlier, Jamie had returned home, head hanging low, unsure of how to break the news to his mother. They had been attacked while out at sea, one of the last remaining pirate ships wanted to sink the legendary Black Pearl. Even of it no longer sailed as a pirate ship. The raid went badly wrong. The Black Pearl won, but lost its true captain. Anamaria had only had to take on look at her sons face to know what had happened, something she had feared for a few days. She had had a gut feeling something had gone wrong, and was sure either Jack or Jamie had been badly injured or killed. She was utterly heartbroken, and Jamie blamed himself. It had taken her hours to console him, make him understand that it wasn't his fault and he couldn't have done anything to prevent it.
Taking in a shaky breath, Ana bought the rose to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the petals. She closed her eyes, saying a final farewell to him in her head. She was glad he had died the way he had. It was true to whom he was, a pirate at heart. Had he died any other way it wouldn't have been right. He had never stopped being a pirate; whereas she had the moment she gave birth to Andrew.
Anamaria let the flower go in the sea, watching it float away amongst the waves and knew it would get to him, one way or another. He had been buried at sea; his body never would have made it home without decay too badly and it was right he should be buried there. It was his true home, his truest form of freedom. He loved his family more then anything in the world, and wouldn't have changed how his life turned out, but no one could deny the sea of its captain when it came to claiming him back.
Ana smiled as she watched it go. Thirty odd years wasn't bad in this lifetime. Thirty years of happiness, five boys and three girls, two miscarriages and several pets. What more could they have ever have wanted?