Just…incredible.
"I'm no stranger to this place, where real life and dreams collide, and even though I fall from grace, I will keep the dream alive."
Oasis – Keep the Dream Alive
- - -
Gibbs had made it a habit not to want to go back to Port Royal for Jack Sparrow. Every day since that sunset four years ago, the captain's first mate wanted to retrieve the stubborn bird and get him back to where he belonged.
While Jack and Sadie are inside their home, frantically searching for their missing daughter, Gibbs is knocking back another mouthful of rum, trying desperately to ignore the pain of seeing the docks of Port Royal calling to the Pearl with every ounce of their volition. Gibbs is readily apt to heed the call, but he knows that if Jack takes one look at his ship, he would have too difficult a decision to face: his ship or his daughter? Gibbs, however, knows the captain, more so than many others, save for Ms. Sattelle herself. And he knows that the captain would choose that woman and their child over the ship, considering he had done so already.
The Pearl lazily wanders by Port Royal, many crewmen longingly staring at its shores. Most of those upon the Pearl have not even felt land for nearly a month or more. But Gibbs remains under the captain's strict orders not to retrieve him for any reason unless he calls upon them. Little does the portly, mutton-chopped first mate know that is exactly what would transpire in a matter of moments.
- - -
Jack bursts into his study, frantically throwing every one of his effects back onto his person. Every sash, belt, sword and pistol is placed back onto him. The meanwhile, Sadie stands in the doorway wringing her hands, tears falling from her eyes. Her little Harper, alone without her or Jack to protect her…Sadie forever dreaded the thought, and now it had come.
She hands Jack his compass, hat, and coat from the wall, and follows him from the study to the front door.
"Sattelle," he says breathlessly (Jack never calls Sadie by her full name unless under complete and unfathomable duress), "Go to the docks and find a sailor to send word to Gibbs. I need to get to the Pearl."
"You don't think Harper's still in Port Royal, Jack?"
Jack shakes his head as he pulls on his boots.
"No, she's gone. Whoever's taken her has more up their sleeve than just a kidnapping." Jack stands, his love before him with blue eyes watery and lips quivering. She blinks once and puts a hand on the side of his face.
"I've forgotten how fast you act," she says. Jack closes his eyes and relishes the feeling of her skin against his. "Go look again, near the cove and every where else you can. I'll be back in a moment."
Jack nods, and the warmth of Sadie's hand disappears. He opens his eyes to see that she has already fled the house. Jack turns and opens the door, and a moment later, a white blur passes by. The sound of hooves clobbering the dirt road fades away as Jack watches Sadie on her horse, galloping down to the docks.
The trip passes in a matter of moments, the horse feeding off his owner's worry and urgency. Upon arriving and dismounting her steed, Sadie immediately goes to Jonathan, the stout but otherwise honorary watchman, who stands at attention when he sees her.
"Missus Sparrow!" He cries, a look of worry coming to his features upon seeing hers. "What be you needin' from me?"
Sadie grasps the horse's halter. Her hair is askew and the wind has left dirt upon the tear trails on her face.
"Get word to Mr. Gibbs, Jonathan. My daughter has gone missing."
Jonathan goes to speak when he hears the other watchman above on the roof of the inn shout something down to him.
"Johnny! The Pearl's on the horizon!"
- - -
Gibbs is sitting by Marty with a bottle of rum, watching Port Royal drift by like the ghost of a lover. Somewhere on deck, Cotton's parrot squalls "Weigh anchor, make for port!" but the birds' ramblings fall upon the deadened air without recognition. Marty leaves Gibbs to brood, mentioning something about going to the head. Gibbs merely throws his head back, along with a long slow swig of rum. The deck is predominately quiet, the warm winds carrying the Pearl past the small inlet of Port Royal.
The first mate closes his eyes, just to rest them, when Cotton's parrot flies over his head shrieking "Prepare to board! All hands on deck!" To which Gibbs opens his bleary blue eyes and notices something waving from the docks.
As Gibbs lifts himself from the deck, Pintel and Ragetti (whom Gibbs still has no taste for) run up against the railing in front of him. Pintel points one pudgy finger out to the Port and begins jumping up and down excitedly.
"They's need us, Gibbs!" He cries. "They're waving with the blue flag!"
A glimmer of hope and overwhelming relief envelopes Gibbs and the rest of the crew, and the first mate boisterously calls for Cotton to make for port.
- - -
Sadie watches from the docks as the Pearl begins to make its way to their position. She turns to Jonathan and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Tell them to wait on the ship. Ja - Captain Sparrow will be here in a moment." She turns away and mounts her horse, veering it away from the docks and back towards her home. The tears are still coursing down her worried face, and the wind does nothing to help. She barely needs to direct the horse beneath her back to the house, but even so, she wouldn't be able to. The grief that has taken her is too strong, and the need to have her daughter back in her arms is overwhelming. The horse stops before the Captain standing outside, and Jack takes the halter and watches Sadie dismount weakly. Jack releases the horse and ignores its wandering as he takes the sobbing woman into his arms. Sadie grabs onto his jacket for dear life, burying her face in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Jack closes his eyes and places a hand on the back of her head, trying to console her, but it yields no result. He, too, is so shaken by what has transpired that he can only hold Sadie closer and try to calm both their fears.
"Sadie," he says, trying to bring her out of her hysteria. The woman leans back and wipes her eyes, but only more take their place. She sniffles and looks into Jack's eyes, nodding.
"Yes, Mister Jack?" Jack visibly wilts at the name. He wipes another of Sadie's tears with the pad of his thumb.
"You know you have to stay here. I can't go losing both my gels, savvy?"
Sadie nods in compliance, but immediately another bout of sobs wracks her body. Jack catches her in his arms and pulls her hair away from her face, trying to coax some quiet out of her. Sadie leans into his hand and releases a shaky sigh, taking a moment to catch her breath. Jack smiles grimly as he rights her, taking one of her shaking hands in his and leading her down to the docks. Sadie goes silent as a martyr, clasping the pirates' hand in a death grip. Jack doesn't register the pain, instead looking out to see the Pearl docking only a hundred yards ahead of them. Four years was too long of time for him to be away from his ship. But at the same time, the idea of leaving Sadie behind in Port Royal leaves a similarly rancid taste in the man's mouth. Jack looks down at their conjoined hands and then at Sadie's set face, knowing that inside she is breaking into the tiniest of pieces.
Jack glances back when he notices Gibbs waving at him from the deck of the Pearl excitedly, as well as the rest of his crew. Jack returns a feeble wave, but the rest of his attention turns to Sadie at his side. They stop walking where the docks meet the dirt road, Jack turning the woman to face him. Sadie sniffs once, but looks up into his eyes and tries not to break down at the sight of his face, showing all the worry in the world for her and their family.
"Are you listening, Sadie?" Jack says, placing a hand on the back of her neck. She nods.
"Yes, Jack."
Jack takes a step closer to her, gently pulling her head back to make her look up at him. Otherwise, she will only stare at the ground and try to hide her tears.
"You are going to go and stay with William and Elizabeth, and you will stay there until I come back with Harper Rose."
Sadie only nods. Jack sighs and places both of his hands on the sides of her head, bringing her brow against his.
"Sadie?"
"Yes, Jack."
That was it. The one sign that Sadie's heart had broken. Her unresponsive tone, the dead look in her eyes, those are the signs that tell Jack that this sudden choice of his had more repercussions than he thought. He looks into Sadie's eyes, trying to glean some responsiveness from her. Instead, she closes her eyes and bows her head, not noticing the anger flare up in the man before her. Jack huffs and bends down, capturing Sadie's mouth with his as he returns to standing. Sadie gasps, a familiar electric sensation traveling over her skin and through her blood stream at the feeling of Jack's hands on her arms and neck, and the euphoria of having him kiss her so passionately and recklessly. Sadie wraps her arms around Jack's neck and holds him close to her. When he pulls away, Jack notices the glimmer has returned to her eyes and a furious blush has risen to her perfect cheeks.
"There," he says, memorizing once again every curvature and dimple on Sadie's face. "There she is."
Sadie grins, battling the tears. Jack lets out a laugh, catching the woman in another embrace. She, too, wraps her arms around him and tries to hold him tightly enough so that he will not escape from her. But Sadie pulls away with disdain, knowing that the sooner he leaves, the sooner she can have Harper back safely in her arms. Sacrifice is the one thing that she still needs to work on.
"Go, Jack," she says, looking him sternly in the eye. "You have to go now, or else I'll never let you."
Jack smiles, kissing her one more time. Every ounce of his fear, worry, guilt and love goes into it, bruising Sadie's lips and his own. Sadie grabs onto his jacket and hair, trying to hold onto him as much as possible. People begin to stare at the two of them, standing in the middle of the road and ignoring their watching eyes. Jack opens his eyes and pulls away, holding the side of Sadie's face in one hand. He leaves one last kiss on her lips, touches his brow to hers and sighs.
"I love you, Sadie."
Sadie's eyes snap open, but the pirate is already gone from her arms and running towards the Pearl before she can regain her own balance. She teeters and falls to her knees, watching in sorrow as Jack climbs aboard his ship, greets a few crewmembers and immediately sets to shouting orders. Sadie's heart is pounding so hard in her chest that it threatens to burst forth and die in the dust.
"Jack…" she whispers in the wind, new tears trickling down her face. As if he heard her, Jack turns on the deck to watch her, so far away from him already. He walks over to the railing and places his hands on it as the Pearl begins to move from the docks. He watches as Sadie reaches a hand out to him, and he knows quite well that her face must be sodden with tears. Jack suddenly reaches for his belts, removes his compass from the maze of fabric and trinkets, and whistles to Sadie. He sees her head perk up, and she is on her feet in seconds, running down to the dock where the Pearl just left. Jack throws the compass to her, the woman catching it deftly and pulling the little wooden box into her.
"Stay!" Jack calls to her in demand. Sadie looks at him, standing back on the deck of his beloved ship once more, and still trying to protect her. Sadie smiles through her crying and brings her left hand to her mouth, kissing the silver and onyx ring on her finger. From the ship, Jack removes his hat and places his hand, palm flat, on his headscarf.
Jonathan comes to Sadie's side, he too watching the giant Pearl sail off into the distance. He looks down at the woman next to him, noticing a glow emanate from her. She clutches the Captain's compass in her hands and holds it to her chest.
"He's more than a Captain, Jonathan," she says, closing her eyes. The sunlight causes the blood in her veins to heat up, and a heady sense of pride and defiance fills her. She turns to the man at her side and gives him a strange look – one that has cunning written all over it – and strings the compass around her wrist.
"He's my teacher in everything."
With a wink, she runs off towards the Turner's home, her ring glinting in the afternoon sun.
- - -
Jack turns away from the rail after watching Sadie run from the docks, knowing somehow, obeying his command is the last thing on her mind. Gibbs and the rest of the crew of the Pearl, each of them beyond thrilled to have him back in their company, meet him.
"Orders, Cap'n?" Gibbs asks anxiously. Jack replaces his hat and storms over to the helm, Cotton graciously relinquishing the duty to his Captain. Jack throws the wheel towards the port side, the crew scurrying to keep up. In that moment, those aboard the Black Pearl realize that this is not going to be just another voyage.
This will be something entirely different.
- - -
Hope that wasn't as crappy a chapter as I thought it was…Rachel