A/N: Not my characters, obviously. Just my idea of what the characters COULD do! Enjoy.
It was the quiet that gets to a man. The vast desert in every direction. The lack of water despite what the eyes showed. No wind, no company, not even a bloody damn monkey to shoot.
That type of quiet was enough to make a man crazy. See things, hear things that wasn't possible yet seemed so real.
Sometimes a man could forget where he was, that the people, places, things were a figment of the mind and those times the sound of his own voice was his comfort.
Sometimes a man could forget who he was, that he was alive. The void spoke volumes to the man.
Images and people from his past came every so often, enough to make him believe he was starting to go crazy. Mary, the first lass he was with at the age of fourteen, came one day and they had a most interesting talk about the social events of twelfth century France. Another was a lad named Davy who was the first he had killed with his own hand. In their chat Davy forgave him and admitted his fault in the disagreement, acknowledging 'twas not wise to doubt Jack's abilities to run him through.
It was an odd moment when the betrayal of Lizzie didn't cause some emotion when he was by himself. Although he hoped Mr. Gibbs or mayhap the whelp was trying to find a way out of his limbo he felt the icy pit in his stomach telling him he was dreaming about that and this was it. He placed his heels of his hands to his eyes, starting to become accustom to the fact that Captain Jack Sparrow was no more when a voice broke me revelry.
"Jackson, me boy."
He looked up from his seat to see a man slightly shorter than him swaggering across the sand towards him. He scowled at the man as he fell down on the beach beside him and noted although there be more lines on his face than he remembered it still be the same face. "Dad," he greeted sourly.
"How ye be, son?"
He rolled his eyes at him and gestured wildly around. "No food, no water. No rum!"
"Aye. Tha rum be gone."
Jack narrowed his eyes as the elder pirate echoed another scene on a beach so long ago. His blue eyes peered back at him between heavily applied kohl. His black hair had some grey in it now an' was queued into a style much like William's. He sported no facial hair, never had, and around his neck he still had a lavender sash tied that had belonged to Jack's mum. Jack crossed his arms as he stared at the older captain. "What ye be doin' here?" he finally asked.
He smirked slightly like Jack's own and placed his be-ringed hand around Jack's shoulder. "Seems we have a need ta talk. Seems I have call ta be 'shamed o' me own flesh an' blood."
He shrugged his arm off of his person. "Not 'nough ta scream at meself, have ta have me ol' man talk me down. I be right, this be hell."
He rumbled his deep laughter and Jack was sent a memory of long ago when he sailed on his ship The Pretender and would smile when he laughed so. Now it just fueled his anger. "Jack, ye may be dead but this not be hell. What I want ta know be how a son o' mine be tricked by a damn female."
He grimaced and shifted sand through his fingers. "Askin' meself that question, Dad."
"Thought I raised ye right," he stated. "Ne'er had ye been roped in 'fore."
Jack groaned. "I know."
"Ye mum an' me used ta be known fer some drag outs an' she got tha best o' me time or two but kin honestly say she ne'er killed me. Wanted ta but ne'er literally."
"Aye, but we not be in love. Sweet goddess, Dad, she not even belong ta me but ta a whelp who was fathered by 'nother pirate."
His dad shifted slightly in the sand. "Tryin' ta steal her from 'nother mate, Jack? Wonder tha lad didn't kill ye instead."
He had ta snort. "Hardly. Ye'd have ta know tha boy. Bootstrap Turner's boy, raised too long by his mum. She have more o' a pirate 'eart than he. Good kid but no backbone."
"She pretty?"
He put his face in his hands at the sharp image o' her. "Bloody beautiful. Wouldn't be distracted 'nough by someone not."
"Figured."
"Gov'ner's daughter at that.
The older man busted out laughing again and Jack had to smile. "How ye git inta wit' that type?"
He smirked. "Saved her life an' she an' Turner helped get me ship back. They got engaged an' I had thought I be done wit' 'em but then life threw us back together. Guess she thought none too kindly 'bout me suggestions that she an' William not be a pair but, honestly, she could've just slapped me like all tha others."
"Love's always a distraction, Jack."
He bristled. "Who be talkin' 'bout love?"
\Teague lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, I thought I understood ye proposed in ye round 'bout way on ye ship ta her."
Jack snorted, this time to hide his discomfort. "Thought ta help in me quest ta bed her."
"Ye would marry her ta bed her?"
"What? No! An' I not be in love wit' tha witch that killed me. Wish she be here right now so I can let her know 'xactly how I feel 'bout her now."
He shook his head. "What will ye say ta her when she comes?"
"Nothin'," he snarled. "She'll try ta apologize, I know she will, an' I will carry out me revenge by lettin' her marry tha whelp."
"Some revenge, son. Lettin' her do exactly what she wants."
Jack shook my head before pushing some of his hair back. "Nay, she just thinks she wants him. Truth o' tha matter be that she be a pirate in her 'eart an' bein' tied ta tha land an' ta a man who don't be understandin' her will kill her spirit. She'll remember ol' Jack an' tha guilt will eat her 'live. She'll be nothin' but a shell in less than a year."
"There's me vengeful lad!" Teague said, fairly beaming at him.
He sighed and looked at him. "But a flaw be tha I be stuck. Stuck in me own purgatory, talkin' ta people who not be here, in a place that don't exist. Mayhap she still be guilt-ridden," I said in a hopeful tone.
The father smiled. "Ask her yeself, Jackson." He gave Teague a confused look. He stood and Jack did as well, trying to figure the man out as usual. "Remember, lad, fer someone who outright killed ye she worked twice as hard ta bring ye back." He started to walk away.
Jack tried to follow. "Dad? What do ye mean? Dad!" He never turned around and watched as Captain Teague Sparrow disappeared.