What Followed by Pirateer

Chapter 11


The next evening.

"Jack?"

"Hmm." He shifted slightly.

"What's with the compass?"

"I've told you, luv, it's broken."

"Then let me see it. Perhaps it can be fixed."

Jack chuckled quietly. "I highly doubt that."

"Let me see it."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Elizabeth sighed. That's something she hadn't done for quite a while, she realized.

- - - - - - -

After a night of passion-filled entangling Elizabeth had tried to stay awake. She really wanted to find that compass! Something about the way Jack had wanted to keep it from her had intrigued her.

She poked the snoring captain several times in the nether region. No reaction. She said "I still love Will" into his ear at an average conversation-volume. Still no reaction. She licked his earlobe. No reaction, still.

'Good.' She slowly crept out of the bed, not trying to move any of Jack's limbs, and started tiptoeing about the cabin, grabbing the still glowing lamp on the bedside table and looking about her.

Where to start? Jack's cabin was a mess. A mess consisting of at least 30 empty rum-bottles, several maps and charts, some pieces of underwear (hers!) and used plates and cutlery scattered on his desk, the bed and the floor. Jack's only comment on all this was: "Only a genius can control chaos."

Elizabeth decided to start searching systematically. She would start at one end of the cabin, where the desk was, and would work her way through all the shelves, boxes and chests until she got to the bed, which she would also inspect and into which she would clime again, if she found nought.

The desk was huge and made out of some dark, heavy type of wood. It gleamed dimly in the light of the lamp as Elizabeth started searching all the drawers, all the nooks and crannies. But she found nothing. (If you consider more empty rum-bottles, a kohl-pencil, more maps and a strange looking doll with tentacles nothing.)

So not in the desk. Then in the shelves leaning against the walls of the cabin. They were full of books (Yes, dear readers, Jack Sparrow does not only drink and swagger around. If he has some time to spare, he might drink and read a book. Occasionally. On very, very special occasions. Once or twice a year, maybe.) and other things.

Elizabeth scanned the titles of the books. How ye becometh a pirate. By Calico Jack. Ah. Shanty Collection. By Anne Bonnie. And…

..Ye olde Holy Bible?!

Elizabeth chuckled. He probably had needed it as prop for "impersonating of a clergyman of the Church of England". She'd ask him about that someday.

Then: The History of the Piracy. By…Elizabeth eyes widened….By Cutler Beckett. She'd ask him about that, too. Tomorrow.

There was nothing else than books, globes and more empty rum-bottles to be found on the shelves. What a pity.

So now only the bed was left. The most difficult place to look for the desired object, because Captain Jack Sparrow was lying on it, his arm and legs spread, snoring loudly.

Elizabeth tiptoed to the bed, putting the still faintly glowing lamp onto the bedside table.

The bedside table! It would probably be in h … nope, more empty rum-bottles and her apple from yesterday, half eaten.

She just about to check the tiny space under the bed as she heard Jack mumble something. She shot up and checked if he was awake.

He was not.

Just about to bend down again, she heard him mumble: "…love you, Elizabeth."

She froze immediately. Had she heard correctly?

…

TBC

AN: I'm soooo sorry for letting you wait so long! Your reviews keep me writing and I let you wait! Naughty me!
Glad you liked the previous chapter. I wasn't so sure about it, though.

Hope you all recognized the hint to the end of PotC 1 (Jack's nearly hanging)

HUGS and CHOCOLATE BARS

Pirateer