Forever and Almost Always
Author: IdentityUnknown
Prologue
"Jack Sparrow! Ye' have played me false for the last time!"
Even faced with certain death and dismemberment by the comely - though furious - island enchantress before him, Jack could not stay his need to correct her.
"That's 'captain' Jack Sparrow, luv," he stated with clasped hands, and what he hoped was his most charming smile.
The Enchantress, a one-time lover of his, and her favor the reason he'd escaped death inumerable times over the years, almost scorched him with the very real fire blazing from her exotic, tilted eyes. Her long, living, sea-green hair, wrapped with shells and other trinkets, tossed in the tempest surrounding her, barely covering her most interesting womanly parts, and she reached out an accusing hand, pointing a taloned finger at him.
"Ye' have been under my protection for nigh on two decades of your short human years, Jack - but no more! Your devil's luck has done expired, and ye' shall have nothing more from me!"
"I understand, luv, and I deserve it, I admit it, but give me a chance to explain - " Jack spoke quickly, but the Enchantress shut his mouth for him. His dark eyes widened under the sudden restriction of his lips, and he vainly tried to open them - being unable to speak was quite the shock for him.
The Enchantress smirked, her eyes still fiery. "Not one more word from that polished silver-tongue of yours, Sparrow. Ye' are too clever by half, and I'll not have you charming me out of handing down your punishment!"
At the word 'punishment', Jack made a very muffled exclaimation, and then gave her a 'Who, me?' look.
"I remember the boy ye' once were, Jack Sparrow," the Enchantress said fondly, and then frowned suddenly. "I see little of him in ye' now, that brave, willful child. Ye' set out to become a pirate, and that ye' accomplished too well. Ye' lie, and ye' loot, and ye' steal -you're greedy, an' selfish, an' ye' break hearts an' promises as easily and as often as ye' break open a bottle of rum." She shook her head, looking almost sad. "Ye' even broke your promise to be faithful to me, Jack. Me! Ye' dare!"
Jack flailed his hands wildly, rigorously trying to speak, but she ignored him.
"Ye' can sail the world, Jack, but ye' can't run away from the person ye' are in your heart. I know ye' can still be a good man...when ye' care to. Ye' may even be able to love one other than yourself, someday." The smoldering fire died, leaving behind the iridescent blank whiteness of her heavily-lashed eyes.
"Perhaps I am bein' selfish, cursin' ye' in such a way," she sighed, and Jack's expression turned to one of pure panic at the word 'curse'. He dropped his head and shoulders, and slowly turned, intent on sneaking off, only to find he couldn't take more than a single step away. His eyes dropped to his legs, and he quickly bent down, trying desperately to yank his knees into movement.
The Enchantress finally noticed his antics, and she made a sound of disgust in her throat. "Aye, I can see that I am the fool - what other kind of person would be saddened to see the back of one such as ye'? And yet I cannot fathom of a world without ye' in it, my love."
Jack whirled around hopefully at the endearment, and placed his hands together in a pleading manner, his dark eyes looking at her soulfully.
The Enchantress moved forward and put her hand on his rough, warm cheek. His eyelashes dropped, barely hiding the glint of triumph in them as he lowered his head to kiss her.
She allowed the kiss, for she truly did love the deceitful sod, and then she pulled back, and slapped his beautiful, smug face as hard as she could.
Jack's head snapped back, and it took him a moment to right it and look back at her. The stunned look in his brown eyes told her she finally had his attention - in all the years he'd known her, she'd never before struck him.
The Enchantress stepped back again, her chest hurting as she stared at him. "That was for breaking my heart," she whispered, and Jack had the grace to look shamed for an instant.
"And this is my last gift to you, Jack Sparrow," she continued, raising her hand to show him what was in it. She could feel her own blood chill at the expression on his face as he realized what it was she intended for him.
Jack gritted his teeth, and moved back as far as he could as she reached out toward him, grimacing as she placed a heavy golden coin on a chain around his neck.
The Enchantress watched as he glanced down at the coin resting against his bare, lean chest, and then looked up at her, his expression torn between bitterness and horror. Bitterness because he'd never believed she could hurt him so, and horror because he knew the cursed item hanging around his neck may as well have been the noose he'd always managed to avoid, and his future an adventure into hell.
"Ye' have what ye' always wanted, now, Jack," she told him ruefully, already beginning to vanish into tendrils of a ghostly mist. To be the immortal 'Captain Jack Sparrow'."
Able to speak at last, Jack's lips twisted into an unfeeling smile, and he asked, "Aye, ye've given me forever, luv...and that's not all. It's not going to be an easy task trying to return this to a chest on a sunken island, savvy?"
The Enchantress was only an outline in the mist now. "The island is long gone, Jack, along with all the rest of the cursed gold. There is only one way to break the curse on that coin."
Fingering the smooth skull embossed on the coin, Jack looked down at it and gave a harsh laugh. "Of course it's not tha' easy. Wouldn't be a punishment if it were, 'ay?" He looked up with arched brows, but the Enchantress was gone, along with the sun, and the stretch of darkening beach around him was suddenly much less welcoming than when he'd first arrived. A strong gust of wind nudged him, but was of little comfort, for he could no longer feel if it was cool or warm, nor smell the briny sea upon it.
Jack sighed, and sank to his wobbly knees in the sand, and lifted a hand to the new numbness of his cheek.
"S'pose I deserved tha'."
Disclaimer: I do not own PotC, or it's related characters.