Disclaimer: I don't own any of this…well maybe the characters I made up…and Milton. But that's about it.
Two years after the Pearl set sail from Port Royal it lands on Barbados for reasons unknown to the outside world. A few days later the Challenger (Evan's ship) receives word that the crew of the Black Pearl is on an island; it sets its sails and heads for the Barbados.
"What in the bloody 'ell did you do to yourself?" Ana laughed. She and Evan had reached the island with little trouble since Ana had once been there before. When the two walked in they were surprised to be greeted by pigs and the WHOLE crew of the Pearl. Dinah had almost not noticed that they had even come in but over the commotion she heard Katherine scream in delight, for she too thought Ana was like another daughter.
Jack sighed. He had heard this question from his mother and had refused to tell her until she stopped looking at him in a strange way. The four friends were in the backyard, away from all the pirates and noises in the house. "Can't you come up with something better to say? Like hello my former captain, how are the seas these days?"
Ana smiled at Jack's dry humor and sat down across from him in a chair that Evan got for her. "Okay fine, so Jack, how has the raiding and pilfering been? I haven't talked to you in a while!"
"Why I'm surprised you haven't heard of my success!" Jack said proudly but Dinah rolled her eyes.
"The success that oddly enough led to this mishap," Jack shot a look at her and she smiled.
"I was gettin' to that! But anyways," directing his story back to Ana and Evan, "the crew was gettin' a little…antsy, you might say since we hadn't come upon a ship for at least three weeks. Finally, after trip after trip to Tortuga, we came upon a little som'in'…"
Ana raised an eyebrow, "By the look of you, more than you bargained for…"
Jack sighed in irritation and said through clenched teeth, "Will you let me tell the bloody story?"
Ana smirked and said, "Yes, of course, I'm sorry…"
"Good. Now, the little som'in' we came upon was a convoy of three ships from Port Royal, in fact. And our little friend, Commodore Norrington was on it." Dinah rolled her eyes at the memory.
"Yea, and all they did for ten minutes was threaten each other, but of course Jack won…"
"Norrington doubted the strengths of my crew and me, but we got over to the head ship and tied everyone up, even Norrington. But there was one thing we slightly over looked…" Jack paused. Ana and Evan were both listening intently. Jack looked at his wife, she gave him a 'do you want to tell the truth about this?' look and he rolled his eyes.
"So there was one thing we slightly overlooked…" Jack went on, "As half the crew stood watch- the rest of them, Dinah and I went lookin' for the goods…What we found was the exact opposite."
"Will you just bloody tell us!" Ana shouted, fed up with all the details that didn't really need to be told.
"Dinah and I went in the Commodore's cabin and it was dark as Davey Jones' locker in there, but we heard a noise. So we went carefully around the cabin and a thing jumped out of no where and attached itself to my leg. Well the thing turned out to be a cat and the bloody thing left nail marks in my skin. The blasted thing broke through the skin and made me start bleedin' all over."
Ana started laughing before he could finish his story, "You mean, you have a cast on your leg because of a cat!" She laughed more.
"No Ana, I don't!" He said over her laughing. She slowly died down and waited for the rest, "The things that followed that made me get a cast on my leg. Somehow I managed to stumble backward, but there was a nail in the wall, and it went into the back of my leg and then I tripped over a chair and broke my leg."
Ana was shaking so badly from trying to hold the laughter in that what Dinah said made it worse, "Yea, except he wouldn't get himself to a doctor when he did that. He ordered the crew to go raid the other two ships while I helped him back to the Pearl. He didn't even go lie down or anything, the man just stood on deck and let the blood drain out of his leg." Ana burst out laughing again and Dinah gave her husband a disgusted look.
"You seriously expected me to give up three ships because of a stupid leg?"
"It was broken!" Dinah argued. Jack rolled his eyes, acting like it didn't mean anything to him. "Well when we finally got to a decent doctor he said that Jack was lucking he was still alive because he had lost so much blood. I almost died myself."
"Why?" Jack questioned.
"Because if you died after two years of marriage…I don't know what I would've done…" Jack looked almost touched and put his arm around his wife and kissed her forehead and looked at Ana and Evan.
"So I'm supposed to get this thing off in about two months."
"Well what's you're crew going to do during those two months?" Evan questioned.
Jack shrugged, "Well so far they've just stayed here…mum seems to be okay with it, but the crew is lookin' a little antsy again, so I might send them out by themselves and tell 'em to be back in about two weeks or so."
"Send them out alone? With out a Captain?" Ana questioned.
"Yea, so?"
"Are you daft? Those men would kill every single person in a boat! They need direction! They need a captain."
Jack thought a minute and then said, "Well how about you?"
Ana took on a serious face and looked at Jack with a face full of concern, "But Jack I-"
"I know you're on Evan's ship…but like you said my crew needs a Captain…"
The statement almost took the air out of Ana altogether, "You mean, you're…"
"I'll hand the ship over to you for about two weeks or so."
Ana stopped and studied Jack. He seemed cool and unconcerned about what he was asking her to do. "What's the catch?" She questioned.
Jack sat forward, moving his arm away from Dinah and balancing his elbows on his knees, "Are you tellin' me that you're not gunna take this chance to be on the Pearl? I know you want to be back. I can see it in your eyes." Jack said with full emotion in his eyes. Jack and Ana sat they for a while just studying each other.
True, I've missed the Pearl, but that doesn't mean anything. I'm happy on the Challenger. I'm happy with Evan… Ana thought to herself as she leaned back and said, "I don't need anything more than what I have."
"Suit yourself! But this is your last chance, lass. The Pearl's waitin'."
Ana looked from Jack to Evan, Evan didn't say anything and his eyes were unreadable. Then he finally said, "If you need to do this, luv, then go right ahead and do it."
Ana sighed and tried to look for some confirmation that what he said was really true, but didn't find any. She looked at Jack, feelings as thought she was going to regret this later she hesitantly put out her hand, "It seems we have an accord."
Jack smiled crookedly, showing his gold teeth, "That's what I'd thought you'd say." They shook on it and they talked over the terms of the accord. She was to leave tomorrow and then get half of the plundering. She agreed and her and Evan went into the house and Jack and Dinah heard, "Alright you scallywags! I'm takin' over for a while!"
"Why did you do that?" Dinah asked, as her and Jack lowered them selves on a blanket they had set out here earlier. She cuddled up next to Jack and he put his arm around her.
"Because they need to get off this island, and Ana can take 'em."
"Yes, but Jack, she's not a part of your crew anymore. Why tempt her to do something that both of you know she wants to do."
"Dinah let me tell you something, Evan might be a pirate and his ship maybe full of pirates, but your first ship is always the one you love the most. I knew how hard it was to leave the Pearl, and I just want her to be back home."
"Yes but Jack, won't it be harder to leave the second time?"
"That's what I'm plannin' on, luv."
Dinah sat up and looked at Jack in shock, "You mean you're deliberately trying to get her back?"
Jack sat up on his elbows, "She has no future aboard the Challenger. The Pearl is her home and besides- you miss her too."
"Yes, but that's no excuse! You're not going to put all this on me Jack, you're not going to lay here and tell me you're just doing it for me, because you're not! You're doing it…why are you really doing it, honey?"
Jack sighed, this woman doesn't quit! It's like once I marry her I'm supposed to be honest with her… "I just want her back on my crew, luv. I didn't really want her to leave in the first place and now that I've had time without her, I realize that I need her back on board."
Dinah looked at her husband questioningly. She was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. Since they got married it took Dinah two whole weeks to figure what Jack was REALLY up to, she knew that he was trying to get used to this 'partner' thing in marriage, but she wanted it to happen a little quicker. She reminded herself that it would take time, and for now she would believe him. "Okay, but I want you to stop. Please Jack, she was happy on the Challenger before you brought this thing up. And I'm not so sure Evan's real okay with this either…"
"Who cares about Evan?"
"Ana does, that's my point Jack. She wants to be with him, and if she decides to change her mind and she's back on the Pearl, she'll be miserable, and you know it."
"Ana doesn't show her feelin's on deck, and you know that."
"Yes well, that's only because she's a pirate, but you wouldn't be getting the full Ana. You'd be getting half the effort and half the work, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, that's what it would be like. And it'd be worse when seeing you and me together." Jack sighed, knowing that his wife was right, unfortunately. She sighed and looked at him, "Jack please promise me you'll stop now, before any of us regret it."
Jack sighed and nodded, "I promise you, luv." She smiled and nestled her head back on her husbands shoulder, but inside he was trying to think of a way to get out of the promise he just told his wife. Yes, he was married and loved Dinah, but he also wasn't used to giving up things he knew he could get. He waved away the fact that Ana would be miserable and tried to think of a plan.