A/N HI! I'm back! So sorry I have kept you on the edge of your seat! I just switched jobs and have been super busy with adjusting and haven't had the opportunity to write. :/. And I was struggling with how to transition from the last chapter. This day has gone on long enough don't you think? Lol. Sorry if this seems a little rushed and a little crazy. I'm trying to tie up all the loose ends as much as I can. :) ENJOY! Please read and review and give me some encouraging feedback! Xoxo JTD
Finally.
Will was alone with Anya for the first time tonight. Flynn was no where to be found and Aladdin was occupied with Angelica of all people. He was curious about that encounter but didn't dwell on it for too long. Anya was here and he wanted to reconnect. They sat at a small table in the corner people watching. The night was nearing to a close. People were pairing up and heading home.
"What are you thinking about?" Will asked noticing the pensive glare in Anya's blue eyes.
She shrugged.
"How much I don't want to go back home tonight."
She paused for a moment.
"No. No. It's not my home. It's just my new-found brother's house. Home is a feeling. And I don't get that from that house."
Before Will could question her further about the meaning of home, Jack appeared looking slightly worried.
"All good nights must come to an end, William. I fear it is time for us to depart."
Will looked at Jack with a mixture of confusion and anger.
"We're kind of in the middle of something here, Jack."
"No need for your fun to end. Anya is welcome to our flat. Just as long as we get there and stay there effective immediately."
Will had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Jack never left a night out early. Something was wrong.
"Oh. I see. Uh. Anya do you want to come hang out for a bit?"
She shrugged.
"Sure. It's better than going back home."
The three headed for the door.
Jack was focused on getting back to the privacy of his temporary apartment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple walking very close together down the street.
"What's that?" he mumbled to himself recognizing a very familiar girlish figure in the arms of another man.
For a split second, Jack was a little heartbroken that Angelica had forgotten about him so quickly. But then he realized, he's Captain Jack Sparrow and he doesn't get heartbroken. He raised his chin up high and confidently marched in the direction of his apartment. Will and Anya followed.
"Is he like this all the time?" Anya asked Will.
"You have no idea."
Esmeralda was ready to make her exit as well. Dimitri had busied himself with Sinbad's ex-girlfriend, Belle. Jasmine had disappeared. Angelica just left with Aladdin. Clopin had disappeared after his altercation with Jasmine and Sinbad. Flynn was desperately trying to pick up a poor sweet Cinderella Tremaine. But where was Meg?
Esmeralda as concerned about her friend. She hadn't seen her since she went to talk to Hercules. And Hercules and Gaston were heading for the door. Esmeralda was afraid that Meg had gotten upset and sulked out without a word which wasn't good. Meg was fragile. Esmeralda scanned the room for her friend.
When she finally saw Meg she was pleasantly surprised to find her smiling and laughing with...Sinbad. What?
She made a beeline for the couple to investigate further.
"There you are. You disappeared a while ago."
"Oh, hey, Es. Yeah, I had to uh...dry my tears I guess."
"Oh no, that bad?"
Meg shrugged.
"I don't know, Es," she said turning to look at Sinbad. "Things may just be getting good for me for once."
Esmeralda smiled glad that her friend was finally considering moving on.
"Well, have a good night," Esmeralda said before waving goodbye to her friend.
She watched Sinbad walk Meg out of Club Agrabah. Meg looked very content. She hadn't seen her so at ease since Hercules. Even so, seeing the two of them made Esmeralda a little sad. Angelica was with Aladdin. Meg was with Sinbad. Flynn was actually getting somewhere with Cinderella. She was the only one without someone tonight.
Esmeralda always told herself she didn't need a man to be happy. She was independent and strong-willed. Not many men could handle her nature. She didn't like to be handled anyway. She knew she shouldn't have felt this way but she did. She had to admit that seeing Meg – the most cynical of all her friends – being escorted home by Sinbad made her feel...lonely. And Esmeralda hated feeling lonely.
'There was always Dimitri,' she thought to herself. But then she noticed him wrapped around a Bimbette. So he was a no.
Esmeralda shrugged and surrendered to the fact that it was okay to go home alone. She'd had a good night with friends. And now it was over. As she left the club, she decided that she didn't want to wait for a cab. Walking home sounded a lot better. It would give her time to clear her head and rid herself of this lonely feeling.
Why was she lonely?
Esmeralda had never really had a serious boyfriend. She dated and had her fun occasionally but she never gave her whole heart and soul to a guy before. She'd tried with Dimitri years ago but he was too caught up in himself. She had never really felt that way about him anyway. The way that Jasmine felt about Clopin. Or the way that Hercules had felt for Meg. How Angelica felt for Jack.
Jack.
A terrible wave of guilt swam over her.
No matter how many times she prayed to banish it from her memory, it was still there. As vivid as the sunset, she recalled every single detail. How could she have done that to her sister? Angelica's feelings for Jack – however mixed up they may be – were strong and very real. And she felt horrible for betraying the bond of sisterhood.
She had to fix it. She had to make things right somehow. She had to settle this thing with Jack. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to assess her surroundings. Making a note of the trail she'd have to take to get to Will and Jack's apartment, she headed in that direction. She would tell Jack just what she thought of him. She would tell him how what happened was a mistake and must never be mentioned again. And finally she would tell him to leave Angelica alone.