(Back again with chapter 10. Angelica's death probably came as a shock to all of you. Nevertheless, it'll all be allright. I promise. Enjoy this chapter, as always, please leave a review, and thank you guys so much for reading this. It means a lot to me).
Chapter 10.
Three full years passed. Sophia grew. Will stayed. Jack grieved, and no matter how often the sun set, he couldn't let go of the pain and the anger he felt. Blackbeard took the love of his life away, and the mother of his child. And he promised himself, that when the time came, he would be the one to send that filthy sea dog back to hell, where he belonged.
Jack Sparrow didn't resign, he never gave up. He stayed captain of the Black Pearl as she sailed over the seven seas. Besides his crew and little Sophia, his ship was all he had left to live for. Though they discovered new places, found treasures and fought a lot of fights, nothing major ever happened. It seemed as if Blackbeard, Barbossa, and any other old 'friend', purposely tried to stay away from Jack and his crew. Which, considering Jack's anger over the death of Angelica, was a smart thing to do. Everyone stayed away, except for Will. Will, his crew and his ship, accompanied the Black Pearl during its travels across the globe. There were times that the Flying Dutchman dissapeared, often for months at a time, but Will always appeared when Jack needed help. Because he knew that Jack was struggeling.
Being the captain of a great ship like the Black Pearl, and a father at the same time, was not easy for him. Jack tried the best he could, surely, but there were times that he failed miserably, either as a captain or a father. Still, his crew, Will, and Will's crew were always there to break his fall. They had become Sophia's family. She never knew any better.
Jack taught her to walk. He held her hands as she put her little feet on his, and he would walk her around the ship like that. And when she fell, he picked her up and dangled her upside down until she laughed, and they would try again. And when she was able to walk and speak, Jack taught her to climb. Within weeks, Sophia climbed into the mast like she hadn't ever done anything else. At three years old, she climbed better and higher than most other men on the ship. When she turned four, Gibbs taught her how to play cards, it turned out to be her favorite game. Sophia loved Cotton's parrot. She talked to it, played with it and fed it. For some reason, they shared a bond.
Every night before Jack put her to sleep, he would read her a story about pirates, princesses, queens, wild seas, far countries and hidden treasures.
She was still learning how to read, but it was coming along. And Will saw that Jack loved her, and that no matter how much mistakes he made, he was a good father to her. She grew up to be beautiful. Sophia had big, brown eyes, long lashes and full, arched eyebrows. She had pouty lips and a rosy colour on her cheeks. Her hair grew long, dark and wild. The wind and the sea shaped her into a beautiful, little girl. She looked so much like Angelica, it almost hurt Jack to look at her.
But they didn't speak of Angelica. No one did. And Sophia never asked. But hell, at four years old, she had never really thought of her mother. She grew up with pirates, with men. She hadn't ever seen another woman, and she was too young to remember Angelica. Jack knew she would ask, someday. But until that day came, he would keep his mouth shut.
On the morning of Sophia's fifth birthday, on July 22, that day came. The crew, like they did every year, decorated the ship with palm leaves and tiny flowers, which they had collected just a day before. Gibbs made her a special birthday breakfast, like he did every year. Banana pancakes with pineapple juice. Sophia's favorite food in the world, she told Gibbs. And every year, the crew, both Wills and Jacks men, gave the child a little gift.
But when the gifts were given, and Sophia had her birthday breakfast, the men went on with their daily routine, and Jack took Sophia op to the rudder. As he held her in his arms, she put her tiny hands on the wooden wheel and she would steer the ship. With Jacks guidance, of course. But Sophia loved it. The feeling of controlling a big, powerful ship, she liked it. And Jack enjoyed watching her do it. He wanted to teach her everything he knew at an early age, so that one day, she'd be the most amazing, fierce pirate, (and captain) on the seven seas. Just like her mom once was.
''Dada'', Sophia cried out as she softly hit her fists on the rudder. That was Jack's cue. She was tired of it. Jack laughed about it, spun her around and sat her down on the wooden table next to the wheel, where they would normally read maps on. As Jack took the rudder and spun it around, Sophia looked at the Flying Dutchman and happily waved at Will, who climbed into the mast. Sophia loved having Will around. She liked being able to hop from one ship to another. And to be very fair, Jack enjoyed the company. Not only for himself, but for Sophia too. He wanted her to grow up happy, with pirates. Just because he and Will often had their disagreements, he still was a good friend to him and Sophia. And because Will had to wait four more years to see his son and his wife again, he eased his pain by being around the little girl.
Often enough, Jack doubted whether or not the Black Pearl was an appropriate place for Sophia to grow up. But he knew he couldn't stand not having her around. He would go mad. Well, even worse than he was already. ''How was the pancakes, doll?'', Jack asked his girl as he softly rested on the rudder. Sophia wiggled around to face him and tilted her head a tiny bit. ''Bananas'', she answered with a big smile, and Jack chuckled. ''Happy ya liked 'em. Now you gotta wait another year''. Sophia just raised her eyebrows. For a few minutes, there was silence. Sophia watched the men on deck as Jack spun the rudder when needed.
Then the question came, without warning. ''Where is mommy?''.
Jack's heart skipped a beat, and pain flinched through his heart as he quickly looked at his daughter. She just sat there, not knowing of the pain her father was suddenly feeling. Not aware that in his mind, he saw the woman he loved, gurgling in her own blood, on the deck of his own ship. Jack swallowed hard and forced a smile. ''How'd your smart mind come up with that?'', he asked. Sophia brushed her dark hair out of her face and looked up at her father, a little cautious. ''Everyone has a mommy'', she answered. Jack let go of the rudder and slowly walked up to her, taking her tiny hands in his.
He knew he couldn't lie to her. She would believe him, surely, but he didn't want to. He had promised himself to be honest to her if she ever asked him about Angelica. But he'd hoped that she was at least ten when she did. ''She's not here, baby girl. But she's around somewhere'', Jack answered, brushing her chubby cheek with his thumb. Sophia looked up at him with her big eyes, and for a second, they almost looked sad. ''Where is she?''. Jack smiled, ignoring the pain in his heart. ''Everywhere'', he whispered. He would tell her what had really happened, sure, but not yet. He didn't want her to grow up knowing that her mother was dead because of him. It was his own fault. It was his burden. Not Sophias.
''Is she pretty? Is she funny? Can she play cards like Gibbs?'', Sophia asked curiously. Jack laughed softly. ''Your mother is the most beautiful girl in the world. Well, after you. She's very funny, can make anyone laugh without using words. And she plays card better than any man on this ship. Better than Gibbs''. Sophia smiled, excited to hear about her mom. And she wondered, in that innocent, unknowing mind of hers, if she would ever meet her.
''Is she a princess?''. Jack laughed. ''No, dearie. She was a pirate, just like you. Just like me''. The little girl nodded happily. ''Princess aren't pretty, right daddy? Weird dresses''. Jack agreed. ''Is she a better pirate than you?''. Will, who heard the question echoeing through the air, laughed from the other ship, but when Jack looked at him, he quickly stopped and stared back at the sea. Jack smiled and turned back to his daughter. ''Much better'', he admitted.
Sophia's mind was filled with wonder and questions. What does she look like? Is she nice? Can she swim as well as her father? Maybe she can make banana pancakes too. Then she can have them on every day, surely. ''When is she back?'', the little girl asked. Jack clenched his jaws together. He didn't know what to say. He loved Sophia, and he didn't want to lie, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. That she would never, ever meet her mother. She would never see her face or hear her voice, she would never watch her dance, or listen to her reading a bedtime story. ''I don't know, love'', Jack whispered.
And Sophia didn't ask again.
''Thank you'', she just said, and Jack frowned. ''What for?''. Sophia shook her head and stretched out her arms to him. ''Because you are my dad''. Jack smiled a wide smile, picked her up and sat her on his shoulders, so that she could see across the deck and the ocean ahead. In every aspect, she was like her mom. Curious, wild, adventurous and certainly mysterious. But innocent, sweet and soft too.
''Company! Ship!'', Sophia suddenly called out. Gibbs had taught her that. Everytime a ship appeared on the horizon, she called it out. Most of the time it was the Flying Dutchman, appearing from beneath the waves. But this time, there was no sound of crashing waves, or a happily screaming Sophia as Will called her name. Jack looked up, and the blood in his veins froze. Just miles away, three large ships came towards the Pearl and the Dutchman. They weren't pirate ships. This time, it was worse.
Royal ships. The queen's men. And they were out for pirate blood.