Stronger Than Glass

Sequel to Cold as Glass

End of the Glass Trilogy

A Captain's Adventure

Chapter 9

As the night turned into day, day into night, night into day, and so many times over again, I sat upon the deck of the ship, watching my husband sleep across a bench and wrapped up in my blanket and his.

Frost had developed upon the tips of his hair, chin, cheeks, and nose, while the rest of his skin grew dry and red from irritation.

Lovingly, I reached over again, and rubbed my raw fingers against his cheeks in attempts to brush off the frost as he slept.

The last thing I needed was for him to get sick and leave me here stranded with all of these crazy and conniving people. And maybe, just maybe, I'll loose my self control and kill Elizabeth one of these times.

Oh, I could only wish.

Most of the rest of the crew was asleep, or in some form of trance which they shook and blankly starred before them. Like Pintel and Ragetti who had their backs to one another, and shared a simple blanket around their torsos, but shook in opposite increments. So when Pintel shook, Ragetti was still. And when Ragetti shook, Pintel remained still.

All were like this except my father and Tia Dalma.

And in this moment of perfect soundlessness and dim light from the tinted dark sky, I took my chance to look up at my father, who was directing the boat with the small rudder at the back of it.

He caught my starring and sent me one of his classic cheeky grins, obviously teasing me for agreeing on going on this chaotic journey for Jack Sparrow, when I would have been sleeping safely and calmly in Tortuga under my mother's roof.

I rolled my eyes childishly back at him, just like I did when I was barely as tall as his knee. Yet still, unconsciously, my fingers were brushing against my husband's face making sure he was still breathing and keeping his facial features warm.

"One of these days," my father quietly mused, looking back out at the sea," you're face will be stuck in that expression, Beaux." He looked back at me and teased, just me like he had when I was a child," You should be careful or else it'll stay that way for good."

"Dad!" I groaned in embarrassment at his stupid joke, which he always used with me. Yet oddly enough, I felt myself using the same exact tones I had used as a seven year old. "That can't ever happen."

"So you say," he mused to me again, glancing back out at the constantly changing landscape with the passing icebergs," but I've seen it. So has Jack, all you need to do is ask him, when we get him."

I rolled my eyes again, glancing back at Sirius, whose warm breath was still coming out of his nostrils in billows of foggy clouds.

"Tell me," my father began in his usual superior tone, as I still looked at him," what have you been doing while I was away?"

I lifted up a eyebrow, but he repeated with another superior toned question," I mean other than Davy Jones seeking you out, giving you my title, and then fighting against the Kraken and leaving Jack to perish?"

Secretly, I was surprised by how overjoyed I felt, hearing him inquire about my life and what he had missed.

So, with a smirk upon my lips, I answered, as I looked over at my husband's sleeping form. "I got married within a week of your death but the morning after my marriage, Sirius had been hired by Commodore James Norrington to hunt after Jack and had left me. I was without him for a great many months, before I received a letter from Cutler Beckett saying he had been killed, off the coast of Tripoli, along with the rest of the crew of the HMS Interceptor, except Norrington who somehow managed to get away."

I glanced back at my father, who wore a confused expression, making me smile and coo to him," Don't worry, this story has a good ending."

I then took in a deep breath and finished," I admittedly became a bitter old maid, while I lived with Elizabeth in Port Royal. And upon Elizabeth and Will's wedding day, Beckett interrupted us again and arrested Will and Elizabeth. He would have gotten me too, but I ran away, dressed in boy's

clothing and stowed away upon a boat and came to Tortuga (during this time I received my spot). After some searching a shrimper knew where Jack and the Pearl had gone off too, and much to my surprise Will managed to tag along, after having a deal with Beckett to free Elizabeth if he got Jack's compass."

My father furrowed his eyebrows together in distaste, before I continued, once again in reassurance," We found Jack upon the isle of the Pelegostos, along with Jack who was being held hostage as their god and the rest of the crew was being held hostage for a meal."

My father let out a chuckle to himself, allowing me to pause in remembrance of that hectic day, which I barely spoke of anymore. After all, Sirius wasn't part of that time in my life.

"But we all got out with the Pearl, and met Tia Dalma who directed us to where Davy Jones would be, so Jack could find the chest and key. But in the end Davy Jones freed me of my spot, along with Jack, only after demanding one hundred souls and taking Will as prisoner upon his ship. So Jack's best hope was Tortuga to get enough people to be stupid enough to join him to their deaths. And upon our arrival in Tortuga, Norrington showed himself and joined Jack's crew, and during a brawl I knocked out Norrington, and much to my surprise my husband came running to James Norrington's aid."

I let out a giggle to myself, as my father starred at me oddly. "When Sirius saw it was me, I barley had any time to react before he grabbed me and pushed me against a pole and kissed me with all of his might."

But my dream soon quieted down some, as I tried not to sicken my father with my happiness I have with Sirius," But Elizabeth, dressed as a boy as well, got onto the Pearl, along with Sirius and Norrington, and brought along letters from Beckett that pardoned Jack Sparrow, as long as he renounced his piracy and became Beckett's slave."

My father snorted in laughter at this, making me continue, in my theatrical tone," We found the island Davy Jones' kept his chest with his heart, and with Jack's compass we found it. But Will suddenly appeared having escaped from his slavery, and declared he detested Jack and finally found his father. But then Sirius, Norrington, Jack, and Will all got caught up in a fight about the key to the chest that they had nearly all but forgotten about the chest, which Ragetti, Pintel, and myself had stolen."

"That's my girl," my father commented with a wide grin.

"But," I scowled for a second," Elizabeth followed us and delayed us. Losing the chest in the process, as Davy Jones' men attacked. But by the time we got to the long boat, Will and Sirius were unconscious, Jack thought he had the heart in his jar of dirt, and Norrington took a supposedly empty chest and fought off Davy Jones' crew, telling all of us to leave him there. But as we now know, Beckett got the heart, reinstated Norrington to Admiral Norrington."

I paused in thought for a moment more, before smiling," I think that is all that really matters that happened, while you were away."

My father nodded, before he paused and his expression went blank for a moment. "Are you and Sirius ever going to settle down to start a family, or are you just going to be renegade pirates like your fathers?"

I shrugged my shoulders, before glancing back at my husband and moved quickly to brush off more frost from his lovely face. "I'm still trying to figure that part out."

"Let me guess," my father inquired in a teasing tone (like he had seen this hundreds of times before), as I still looked away," you want to settle down and he wants to be a pirate?"

"Actually," I paused and sucked my dry and cracked bottom lip-causing me to flinch in pain for a moment, before I looked over at my father," I can't really decide what I want to do, and I'm pretty sure Sirius wants to settle down once we get Jack back."

My father sent me a cross stare for a moment, before he smirked, and looked back out at the near frozen waters. But he said nothing more, only just smiled. Almost as if…it was a game, and he…he was winning.

He was planning on at least keeping me upon a boat, or making me a permanent fixture of the sea. With or without my husband at my side.