A/N: Alright, here's chapter one. It's a bit...depressing, but it gets the story going. The little italicized phrases at random points are just little...breaks I guess you could call them... in the story. The first 2 and the last one are from Aerosmith songs and the third one is a song by Lifehouse.
Reviews pretty please.
Enjoy.
Chapter 1: The End of an Era
Loved and hated, Wouldn't trade it, Love me Jaded
10 Years Later
The wind was strong, filling the black sails to the bursting point. With it on their side, the Black Pearl and her crew sped across the crystal water, getting closer and closer to the island and the small town that resided there.
Jack Sparrow-Captain Jack Sparrow- stood at the wheel, his ever so-slightly aged, smoky, kohl rimmed eyes darting slowly back and forth across the horizon.
His eyes lingered here and there on deck, observing this life he and his crew had chosen to live on his precious ship. He looked back towards the island. They would be there by sunset. A good thing too as they were running low on rum and…food perhaps?
The captain picked up the bottle at his feet and took a swig. Jack smiled, gold teeth shining in the late afternoon light. Rum, he thought, Rum is good. With that, he took a swig, but after a brief sip, pulled the bottle from his lips pouting. The last dregs were finished and the bloody rum was gone.
He, though somewhat reluctantly without his drink of choice, went back to scanning the horizon. However, something high up in the rigging caught his gaze…or rather someone, who continuing to climb, made his eyes linger just a while longer, with that sly, but charming grin on his face showcasing all of his gold teeth. And a lovely someone it was at that.
Her black hair, much like his own, streamed down her back, falling to the middle of her tattered shirt, the wind teasing the softly curling strands as she climbed towards crow's nest. Her normally boot-clad feet were bare, her black breeches reaching down to the middle of her calves.
The red sash at her waist flapped wildly about her legs, teasing the tip of the cutlass hanging off the left side of slender hips. She almost never too the damned thing off, nor did the pistol he knew she kept tucked into that red sash ever leave her side. A potentially problematic situation for whatever enemy happened to cross her path. Jack smiled again; he had taught her well.
She had reached the crow's nest by now, and was more or less facing him, but didn't catch his gaze. Jack didn't entirely; watching Reyna was something else. Her expressions, her movements…they were fluid and seemingly effortless…beautiful.
She was staring out to sea, opposite from the island, with a smile across her face, from unpainted red lips to her eyes. Those eyes, that were too so much like his own, deep as the sea and rich, smoky brown, like melted chocolate with black and gold flecks throughout. They were the kind of eyes that held secrets.
Unlike Jack however, her eyes weren't as kohled as his seeing as they needn't be. Thick lashes, curved brows, and high cheekbones defined the deep set eyes they surrounded, making her whole face as beautiful and with the same flow as her father's.
He had continued to watch her a few moments more when she looked slightly down and met his gaze. Her smile widened ever so slightly, just as his did. There eyes held for the intake of a breath. Then she looked away.
"That's a fine lass you got there Cap'n." said Mr. Gibbs, walking stick in hand, looking up at the crow's nest as Jack was. Though Gibbs was getting on in his years, he wanted to be no place other then where he was.
"Aye, Mr. Gibbs that she is." Jack replied still looking intently at Reyna. They stood in silence for a moment and then Gibbs spoke up again.
"We'll be at Port Anne in an hour, Cap'n. Should we drop canvas?"
"Leave it be for the moment Gibbs." Jack replied, finally breaking his sight away from the nest. He swiveled the wheel a bit to straighten their course. Gibbs nodded and began to amble away, walking stick making little raps on the black planks of the rocking ship.
Livin' on the edge
She knew he had been watching her; out of the corner of her eye, she had watched him watch her. It made her smile to herself as she once again focused on the water, on the sea that had always captivated her.
When she looked down and met his gaze, she smiled a little more, as did he. Father, she thought simply. She'd called him that once, out loud as a small child, and remembered the funny, slightly uncomfortable look he had gotten in his eyes. Ever since then she had just called him Jack.
He had returned to steering the Pearl and she sat for another moment, staring out across the sea alone with her thoughts. As the sun began to sink, casting a blood-red glow across the gentle waves, Reyna climbed down from the nest and onto the deck to help the rest of the crew ready the longboats.
Hanging by a moment
The trip into Port Anne was quick. The re-supplied on the necessities and rum, lots of rum. The local tavern had been good to them as well. Towards midnight, with a bit of rum and food in their bellies, Jack, Gibbs, Reyna, and the rest that had come ashore began to row back towards the ship with their cargo in tow.
As they approached the Pearl, many noticed another ship not too far from them. Jack and Gibbs felt there was nothing to worry about, buy Reyna wasn't so sure. Something about the looming ship in the distance didn't feel right.
As the longboats gently bumped the side of the Pearl, the distant ship began to extinguish its lamps.
"Jack, I really think there be something wrong-…" Reyna began to voice.
"Nonsense love. Just another ship much like ourselves, though undoubtledly without our pillaging intentions, savvy?" Jack didn't wait for her reply as he began to climb up onto the Pearl. Reyna, not entirely reassured, gave one last look at the now darkened ship, and began the ascent up the edge after her father.
They were just beginning to unload the boats when it happened. Out of the darkness came the deafening sound of cannon and musket-fire, all aimed at the Black Pearl. On deck, there was smoke and shouts coming from every direction.
"TO ARMS!"
"LOAD THE GUNS!"
"WEIGH ANCHOR!"
"HOIST THE SAILS!"
Then, the bombardment stopped as quickly as it had started and all there was was the gentle rocking of the ship on the waves and the earsplitting silence of destruction.
Reyna had never experienced anything like this before. Battles had been waged countless times in the past, but none had ever yielded this sudden ceasefire and shaky silence. For the first time in over ten years, Reyna felt the hands of terror grip her like fists.
The smoke gradually cleared and when it did the sight that met her eyes was one of the saddest she had see. Almost half the crew that had been on deck lay on the black planks dead or dieing. One of the sails was torn to shreds by cannon fire, and countless holes had been blown into the ship. She looked into the distance and found the ship that had attacked them steadily sailing away.
"Oh you BLOODY COWARDS!" She screamed it with everything in her, drew her pistol, and aimed.
"I don't think you want to be doin' that love…hm…just…ah…in case." said a strangely short of breath Jack.
Reyna turned, pistol still poised toward the enemy ship, bewildered. Then she saw him. Jack Sparrow was slumped against the mast of his beloved Pearl, blood seeping from his chest through his dirty white shirt and onto his weathered black coat. For reasons she would never understand, Jack had on the same smile he had looked at her with earlier that day.
"No…" she whispered dropping her pistol, "NO!" and ran to his side. When she reached him, Reyna buried her face in his mass of messy black dreadlocks, held on to him tight, and started to shake, trying to hold back the tears burning behind her eyes. She jumped when she felt a light hand on her shoulder, a grimy hand with different rings on every finger.
For the first time in her life, Jack brought his hand to her cheek and traced it down to her jaw. She put her hand over his, tears beginning to roll slowly down her flushed cheeks as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, the way only a father can.
"Ta…take the P-Pearl love…al-l-right?" His voice was starting to fade. "Promise me…Rey-Reyna…"
"I pro-…I promise." She replied, knowing she was promising more then that, her voice fading with his.
By now, the remaining members of the crew, Gibbs included, though he already knew, stood at a distance, staring in utter disbelief at their fallen captain and his…daughter? Could it be, this girl who had stumbled onto their ship ten years ago a child be their infamous captain's daughter?
"I…I l-love you…father." She whispered, bending forward and kissing his cheek. Jack smiled still, his eyes slowly closing.
"L-Likewise d-darlin'…I-I love you t-too…m-my…Rey-" his grip on her hand was loosening, his breath becoming shorter, "my…p-pirate…pirate…m-my…daughter…Rey-Reyna…l-love…y-you…"
His eyes so like her own, closed…
His hand went limp in hers…
His chest stopped rising…
And Captain Jack Sparrow, was gone.
There're a million tears that fill a sea of pain.
A/N: Ok...sad and depressing. But I promise it gets better and not so sad. PLEASE continue to read even though I...killed Jack Sparrow. Will update soon.
