Disclaimer: I can't think of anything even remotely amusing at the moment, so we're settling with I don't own anyone you recognize . . .unless, of course, its an original character of mine that you recognize from a previous story, in which case I do own them . . .
AN: This story is the third in an arc that I've created, starting with 'A Taste of Misery' and continuing in 'Trust Me Still'. Reading those first would be better, but for those who don't wish to, here's a brief recap. Most important recap points from AToM: Jack was almost killed by an assassin named Almorte that he angered, and Will and Elizabeth have twins that they name Jack and Ana. Most important recap points from TMS: Norrington is killed, Will is possessed by a sword and kills Jack, but then he's freed and Jack comes back from the dead, Jack and Ana-Maria start evolving their relationship from just a close friendship and kinsmanship to something more, and the Turner's move to Johnson, where Brian from AToM is, because Port Royal has been decimated.
AN2: This is a story that has evolved from the arc-ending story I briefly mentioned might be forming, but at the moment it isn't looking quite so arc-ending. I also don't think that it's quite so intriguing as the previous two (muses threaten to strangle EstelWolfe for being overly picky) but I want to write something, and I might be wrong. You decide. I realize that the previous probably isn't the best way to snare readers, but I believe in being honest. If people dislike this and I get a better idea later, I'll drop this from the arc or leave it as a what-if thing.
To Love and Protect
Part 1
"Jack . . ." The pirate captain muttered something unintelligible into the pillow he was clutching as he turned towards the wall. "Come on, Captain, time to get up and go back to taking care of your ship."
"Who says?" His position didn't change as he answered.
"Jack, ye've been in bed for over twelve hours. Granted, ye weren't sleepin' the whole time, but ye need to see t' yer ship." The bed shifted as Ana-Maria seated herself on the edge and reached one hand over to roll him towards her.
He blinked lazily a few times before answering. "I thought we only took minor damage."
"Aye, Jack, but ye still need t' see to the crew and to getting us back to port, okay?"
The pirate captain swung himself up and out of the bed in one fluid motion, a small groan escaping his lips as he stretched stiff muscles. Fingers expertly reached up and massaged his bare shoulders until the stiffness and the tension drained away. Jack reached around and grabbed the female pirate into an embrace, earning a long, slow kiss before she pulled away.
"Feeling better?"
"Who said I wasn't feeling well in the first place?" He stretched slowly, cat-like, his lean, muscular frame rippling, before he sat down again on the edge of his bed and rubbed idly at his left knee as he flexed his right hand.
Ana-Maria recognized the gesture. She captured his left hand as she sat down beside him and gently turned it over, tracing the intricate web of lines. "Which is it going to be this time, Jack? Tortuga or Johnson?"
Jack grinned at her. "What do you mean?"
"I know that look. You're tired of playing pirate and you're ready for a small break. You're just wondering if the crew will be willing to risk sneaking into Johnson or if you should just set sail directly for Tortuga."
"I was thinking no such thing." He paused for a moment. "Since you brought it up, though, do you think we could manage to get into Johnson? It has been nearly a year since we last dropped by. Can't have Will forgetting about us, can we?"
"Will would never forget us, and aye, I think we could manage getting into port. We're not far from Johnson anyway. Should I tell Edward to change course?"
"Bloody hell, no, we want to get there sometime before next winter. I'll do it myself."
"That's better, Captain. I'll see you on deck in a few minutes, savvy?"
"Savvy, love. Just give me time to find my shirt and jacket."
Ana-Maria smiled as she left the captain's cabin. Jack usually slept with his pants on and his sword and pistol within reach of his hand when on board the Pearl—she was a pirate ship, and it was best to be prepared. He also kept his maps carefully organized and his compass always within plain sight, as they were necessary for the safe navigation of his ship.
Everything else in his cabin, though, was in a haphazard kind of order at best. Tokens he had taken from other ships that they looted mixed in with the few keep-sakes he had left from the ten years when he had lost the Pearl, and somewhere in the chaos lurked his two shirts and extra pair of pants, as well as the bloody remnants of what at one time had been his clothing. She had once tried to organize his cabin, but had been quickly stopped by Jack, his eyes wide and horrified, insisting that if she moved anything he wouldn't be able to find it. He didn't seem to find the fact that nobody else could find anything in his cabin troubling in the least.
There was one other object that Jack kept in a place of relative safety and logic. The leather-bound book that Elizabeth had given him, a treatise on pirates that included a rather amusing version of the code, nearly always rested on top of the maps, save on the rare occasions when Jack slowly worked his way through it, occasionally sharing an exceptionally amusing, usually because of how wrong it was, story with Ana-Maria. The book had been one of the few possessions that Elizabeth had taken from Port Royal, and Jack had been as stunned by the gift as he had been by the fact that two of the other objects were the carvings he had made for her and Will.
Stepping out on deck, Ana-Maria smiled as a warm breeze fluttered in off the ocean. Jack was the most unique person she had ever known, and perhaps the only man that she had ever truly loved with her heart and mind as well as her body.
Will had been right. People could be friends and lovers in equal share, even if they were pirates. The last four years had proven that to her beyond a shadow of a doubt.
"Edward!" Ana-Maria ambled towards the helm when no answer was forthcoming. The man in question was slumped rather unceremoniously on deck, his eyes opened to bare slits. Shaking her head, she moved next to the young man and nudged him with her boot. "Edward, if ye want to survive this voyage, I'd be up and at my post before Jack comes up on deck."
The young man shifted his head to look at her and seemed to attempt to move before settling back down onto the deck. Ana-Maria was on her knees in an instant, feeling his neck to find a heartbeat that was steady but much slower than normal. His skin was cool to the touch, and his eyes, normally a lively blue, were black rings with the faintest hint of color in them.
"Oh, Jesus . . ."
This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not to Jack.
She quickly searched her memory for the names of those who were to be on watch. "Jacob! Stevie!"
No response came.
She found Stevie near the port railing, his breathing also shallow and his heartbeat slow, his eyes rolled back into his head, black pits with a trace of brown around the edge. Jacob lay near the bow, his brown eyes open and staring, his graying hair wind-swept around him. Ana-Maria knew without touching him that he was dead.
"Jack! Jack!" Panic was beginning to edge into the female pirate's voice as she hurried back across the ship.
"I see, love. What colors are we flying?"
Ana-Maria blinked once before answering, surprised at the calm acceptance in his voice. "British."
The pirate captain pointed off to starboard, and Ana-Maria could just make out a ship flying the British colors approaching. "Good. Not that I think it'll fool them, but we'll have enough time to see who's fit to fight."
She stared at the ship for a moment in wonder. "We've been set up."
"Aye, and a right good job they did of it. Come on, love, below decks wi' ye. We need to wake who we can."
Jack's eyes were cold, devoid of any and all emotion. Ana-Maria grabbed him by the arm before he could head down to where the crew slept.
"No matter what, Jack, you get off this ship if she goes. You stay with me, you hear? You stay with me. I've as much a claim to you as she does."
Ana-Maria had thought that she caught a barely perceptible nod before the first explosion rocked the Pearl, tearing her apart from the inside out.