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Chapter Three

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The riggings rattled against the winds as the sails flapped but other than that nothing else made some unecessary noise or unwanted ones. Jack relaxed. He had lost his sanity in the Locker. He thought the illusions were a permanent case. He was very grateful that it wasn't.

He heard the familiar creak of a door opening and closing. The closest quarter was his cabin. And the only one occupying the said cabin was his recently traitorous murderer, Elizabeth Swann. The woman never stayed put and had been famous for defying orders.

Jack snorted and hardened his grip on the spokes.

Downstairs, Elizabeth closed the doors to the captain's cabin carefully. Her companion was looking at the stairs with a nervous expression on his face.

"You look like you're about to walk the plank." Elizabeth said and watched him with a smile. The boy smiled impishly at her before turning his back to the stairs.

"Come on. I should warn you that some of the crew walk when they sleep. So just ignore anyone who passed by." She said and faced the stairs leading down to the crew's quarters below.

The kitchen was connected to the large dinning room at the back of the ship. It was a small room filled with pots and barrels of rum. The dinning room was connected to the captain's cabin. Below the dining room was the kitchen. It was located a level lower so that it would be much easier to transfer goods from the cargo below when the chef was cooking.

Elizabeth had once been captive there in the dinning room. And she stayed inside after Barbossa had dined with her. She thought he would rape her and so she refused to go inside any room with a bed. She could at least rebel in the slightest way by refusing to agree to her own ruination and rob him the comfort and pleasure of bedding her on a soft berth.

Now all of the doors in the captain's cabin was locked except the main doors. No doubt Jack locked it. Not letting any chance that Barbossa would mutiny while he was inside.

"Sneaking about when everyone's asleep, Miss Swann?"

Elizabeth stiffened.

Jack Sparrow took a step away from the shadows. Elizabeth swirled on her heels while the one smaller than her hid behind her. Her face was a mask of suprise while her lips opened but no words came out.

He wanted to get back to the helm. He wished he had not checked on her. He did not check on her. He was simply cautious of her. What if she's planing his death once again?

"I'm not sneaking about, Captain. I would hardly go out of the main doors if that were so." She said and placed a hand against her hip.

"So formal, Miss Swann?" He said and leaned against a wooden post, crossing his arms. His hat was low over his forehead that she could barely see his eyes. He looked casually threatening.

"I believe there's nothing to be unformal about." She raised her chin in defiance, matching his indifferent tone but just adding just enough hauteur to make it sound like the proper Miss Swann that she had been before.

"Nothing?" Jack raised his brows and grinned. His grin that was full of malice and contempt. It was not lost on her that he meant the kracken or quite possibly the passionate kiss between them.

"We were just hungry and would like to have some bread to fill our stomach with." She said, changing the topic. She didn't want it to lead to things she'd rather keep to herself. Like how she dreamed about that kiss many times and how sorry she was for it to end like how it ended. In her dreams it didn't end with him tied to the mast. And when she woke up she had to force herself to accept that she could never turn back time to change it.

"I see you have some companion. Mind introducing me to the little guy?" He tilted his head to the side, trying to get a glimpse of the child hiding behind her.

"Should I ignore him? He seemed quite awake to me." The boy whispered behind her but Jack had heard. "Do you trust the lady, lad?" Elizabeth glared at him and narrowed her eyes in a threat not to start something.

Lei Zho came out and watched the man with a diretness that amused him for such a small and innocent boy. "I trust her, sir.. I mean Captain." He amended quickly.

"A polite one, I see," He told Elizabeth with an amused expression before he turned back toward the boy. "Why do you trust her?"

"Jack." Elizabeth threatened, giving him a bespeaking glance.

"What? I asked him a perfectly normal question." He looked back at her with an innocent expression that she doubted was innocent at all.

"If you're trying to– Elizabeth started but the boy grabbed her arm and gave her a smile. The smile stopped her and Jack put his hand against his chin at the unusual familiarity of the gesture, wondering now who the boy was. Did Elizabeth had a child? He never thought he was trapped so long in the Locker for her to have a child. And William clearly did not have a paternal aura to him, seeing that the two was not talking like friends or lovers or.. parents.

"I trust her because she's a smart, kind, and compassionate lady." The boy said and Elizabeth had to stiffle her mirth at Jack's expression. It was clear that he was not a man who mistreated children nor was he particularly known to break one's ideals. The boy had a hopeful and innocent look in him that he believed his words with all his heart.

"Compassionate, is she?" Jack smiled knowingly at her; his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at her. "Are you sure there's something compassionate with her?" He didn't take his eyes away from her as he said the word 'passionate' with heaviness and emphasis. Elizabeth raised her brow at the obvious implication of the word. Images of their kiss quickly flashed into her mind. She had kissed him with passion to keep him distracted. But along the process she had realized she didn't have to fake it. She had felt desire the moment she felt those lips against her. And she had paid dearly for it every night in her dreams. That was why she didn't sleep next to Will the next few days after they had reached Tortuga. And William had been terribly hurt by her sudden distance.

"Tell me boy. Was your apparent trust of the lady came from her appallingly good looks or can you base your conviction elsewhere?" He said as if she was not there. She did not miss the appallingly part for she raised her eyebrow higher.

The boy furrowed his brows in concentration as he digested his words. Good Lord, they were actually taking it seriously. And she was standing there some ornament a skeptical mercenary would like to buy and examine by.. apparently questioning her trustworthiness.

"Yes." Lei Zho's expression brightened. "She's kind to my mother."

Jack rubbed his chin. "Where is your lovely mother then? I'd have to ask her for confirmation."

"She's not here." The boy said; his expression darkening with sadness. Elizabeth tugged on his hand and glared at Jack. He frowned back at her in confusion. "We'll be on our way, Captain." She cooly nodded to him. Lei raised his eyes at her and his expression quickly softened. He glanced back at Jack and said the answer with less sadness, "My mother is in Singapore serving under Lord Sao Feng." He smiled back at Elizabeth. "And she's the best mother in the whole world."

Jack smiled at his answer, a really genuine smile this time. He looked back at Elizabeth who knelt by the boy and hugged him.

"Well, if that is so, then we'll have to make a feast for her, don't we lad?" He straightened and smiled down at the boy. Elizabeth turned her head with a suprised look on her face; her arms were still around the boy.

"Would a roasted lamb be enough for you? Or should we add some chicken legs and some.." He wrinkled his nose. He was about to say apples but Barbossa was clearly obsessed with his favorite fruit.

Lei smiled at him and said teasingly, "Some Kracken's meat?" Elizabeth laughed so hard her eyes turned misty.

"No." Jack glared at them. "It taste like a rotten rish."

"Oh, Jack," Elizabeth said, breathless from laughing. "He got you on that one." She smiled at him.

Jack raised his eyebrow. It had been a long time since they had teased each other. He had to admit that it was shockingly refreshing to see her smile at him. "Smart lad. But don't you dare tell him stories which will plaster me as some kind of a joke." He teased.

"And what should I tell him?" She said; her eyes alight with humor.

Jack stared at her for a few seconds; his eyes turning warm. Then he smiled his roguish smile before saying, "Pirate."

Elizabeth lost the smile on her face as she stared at him but this time without the hatred and guilt that she had once struggled to hide from him. "Aye and a good man."

He tipped his hat in reply before walking away to wake the chef.

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FIN