AN: I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving (and got stuffed to the bone!) I'm listening to 'Before He Cheats,' so I'm in a pretty good writing mood. Honestly, who could listen to that song and NOT get happy?! Anyways, I left off with a cliffhanger. Muahahaha! Anonymous reviews are ON. Read, enjoy, and review!
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Another week was spent traveling to Cyrus' home. The islands were apparently so close that Jack would be able to supervise the work that was going on with the construction of the house. According to Jack, Cyrus' wife, Bet, was quite the character. "Not much different than yourself, darling," he'd told me once.
Presently, we were expected to make port any day now, and I was quite grateful. For one thing, Jack was becoming quite annoying when it came to asking me if I'd 'found out' yet or if I was feeling well. Then again, it was proving to be amusing, for he was worrying himself to death!
I at the railing watching the sun set, allowing the fading warmth to flood over me. I'd closed my eyes, simply enjoying that Jack had allowed the crew, including me, to take the remainder of the voyage off. Meaning, to prepare for what was to come.
I was doing just that when I heard a voice whisper deeply in my ear, "I can't take it anymore…" I turned to see Will standing next to me, his gaze fixed intently on the horizon. "She's emotional, which I can normally take. But now, that she's finally seeming to realize that she's beginning to show, she's crazy!" I bit my lip, trying desperately to burst out laughing. Will, normally patient Will, was losing it. "Go on, laugh…"
I burst out, trying to control my laughter. "Will, she'll calm down eventually. Think of this as… an extended version of her illness."
That seemed to calm him down, the impatience in his eyes replaced by worry. "Yes, I suppose so. She's taking everything so hard, blaming everything on herself." I felt my smile fade away as I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.
"Will?" I whispered against his shoulder as I rested my head against it, my voice close to breaking. "I might be in that same predicament, as it were. I don't want to be, but I know it's a good possibility at the moment…" Damn, there went the waterworks. Why was I so emotional?
I heard him whisper in return. "How's Jack trying to accept the possibility?"
I pulled back, trying to wipe away my tears, unaware that my fiancé was behind me. "I think that if it's true, I'll be putting a burden on him." I felt Jack's hands on my waist, spinning me around to face him.
As I heard Will walk away, Jack's hand came up to brush my hair out of my face. "Never, darling," he said softly.
Slowly, he pulled me to him, allowing me to cry into his chest. "I don't want to…" I whined, unable to cease my tears.
"Come on," I heard him whisper. Sweetly, he led me to our cabin, where he carried me to the bed after closing the doors behind him.
As he sat upon the bed, he laid me in his lap, my head resting against his strong shoulder. "I'm sorry," I croaked, hating myself.
"It's alright, love." Jack placed one of his arms lovingly around my shoulders, the other securing me to him around my waist. "I've got you," he whispered as he kissed my forehead. "Why's this affecting you all of a sudden?"
"I don't know, Jack," I said, nuzzling my head against his skin gently as I cried. "Will was telling me how Elizabeth was adjusting to being with child and it just made me think… I don't want to be in that state, not now at least. It would make me neigh unbearable, and I don't want that for you, Jack."
He sighed deeply, his face buried into my hair. I closed my eyes, his hands gently rubbing my skin. "I know, darling, I know. Eventually, it'll happen, and we won't be able to help it." I nodded, encouraging him to continue. "You're strong, Andie. You'll be fine, I promise. I'll ensure it, after all, I took a bullet for you and I'll gladly do it again." Now, what help wasthat supposed to be? I gave him credit for trying, but what did he expect for that to do? I only cried harder, hating the memory of seeing him lying prone to anything on the bed. "Bloody hell, that didn't do any good, did it? C'mon, let's go to bed, darling. Go to sleep, you're exhausted." Gently, I could feel him remove his arms to pull down the bed's covers. Before I knew it, I was resting my head upon his chest, finally able to stop crying.
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Jack tightened the grip on his woman, relieved that he'd been able to soothe her to sleep. Worry filled his heart as he felt her sigh in her sleep. She was worried, and that caused him to worry for her even more. Normally, she was carefree, hardly ever breaking down.
I suppose, he thought as he kissed the top of her head, she needs to just relax. Perhaps I could convince Lizzie and Bet to allow her to rest before planning the remainder of the wedding. She just needs to relax, not her strong point…
With that final thought, he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.
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"Jack?" I murmured lazily as I awoke the next morning to find that I was alone in bed. I sat up, puzzled? "Jack…" I called out, knowing he probably be at the helm. After what I'd placed on his shoulders last night, I didn't blame him.
A sharp pain in my lower sides drew me out of my reminiscing. I wrinkled my face in pain, not immediately realizing what it was. As soon as the pressure let up a little, my brain unclogged itself and it dawned on me what was going on. Not wasting a moment, I happily addressed the problem, changing into a cleaner pair of breeches before going out to the helm.
As I'd suspected, Jack was at the wheel, his dark eyes lost in thought. Slowly, I climbed the stairs and snaked my arms around his waist from behind, startling him. "Sorry," I whispered as I kissed his neck in greeting.
"No trouble, my love," he said, pulling me in front of him. I wrapped my arms around his waist once more, looking into his dark eyes as one of his arms secured itself around my waist, the other steering the Pearl. "How are you?"
I blushed in remembrance of my meltdown the night before. At least now I could explain the reason for my emotional breakdown to him. "I'm alright."
He kissed me gently. "Even if you are with child, love, ye should know that I won't leave you and…" I cut him off, unable to contain the news inside of me.
"Jack," I began, making eye contact with him. "I'm not… 'with child'."
He looked at me, puzzled. "You're not? When…"
"Just now," I whispered against his lips, teasing him sweetly.
Jack chuckled, bending down to kiss my neck gently. "What say you to celebrating? When you're able, that is…" I laughed, burying my head into his chest as he held me.
"No. Jack Sparrow, you and I are not doing anything past kissing and hugging and such until our wedding night."
I could hear the teasing tone in his voice as he spoke. "And I thought you'd be eager to do so…" I smiled and kissed his clothed chest tenderly, feeling him pull the edges of the coat he was wearing around me. "I love you, darling," I heard him whisper in my ear as he kissed it gently before resting his head upon mine.
"I love you too," I whispered.
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Will quietly shut the door to his cabin, careful not to wake his still-sleeping wife. Carefully, he made his way beneath the covers behind her, gently pulling her towards him. Her back was facing him, and he laid his face in the crook of her neck, wanting to hear her sweet voice. Gingerly, he placed a kiss there, awakening her.
"Will?" Elizabeth's groggy voice broke the calm silence, a smile slowly creeping across her face. "Your boots are on. You've been outside?" She questioned as she felt the leather against her bare feet.
"Aye," he whispered, "I have. I thought that you'd miss me in here."
She turned in his hold to give him a sweet kiss, her lips intoxicating to him. Will chuckled as she gave him a knowing look. "Andie and Jack are out there, aren't they?"
He nodded, stroking her cheek gracefully. "Yes, and from the looks of it she's not pregnant."
"Which means, she's received the sign…?" Will nodded once more, kissing her neck tenderly. "Will, do you think that she could still be…?"
"No," he said, pulling away enough to look into her honey-colored eyes. After all, didn't the illness mean a woman wasn't pregnant? He voiced his question as she merely laughed, snuggling closer to him.
"Yes, but remember, if I were only two months along, then I wouldn't be showing in the slightest way. I must've conceived shortly before we got a 'sign' that I wasn't with child, Will. My maids and governess used to tell me to not be fooled. I think it's a good chance that she still could be… But not a word to her! After her breakdown yesterday, I doubt she'll need to hear that she could still be pregnant. The last thing she needs right now is to hear that, especially when she's due to be married within the next month or so!"
Will nodded. He didn't quite understand, but then again, both Andie and Elizabeth were women; he doubted that any man would ever understand.
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Jack led me from the longboat onto the white-sanded shore of the Island Cyrus called home. We'd reached it merely a day after I'd received my 'curse', but to my surprise it wasn't affecting me all that much, not to mention that I was barely sore!
I took his hand as we led the crew ashore, the wind gently teasing us as we walked towards the jungle. A brunette woman, who was around my height, came out, and judging from the way she flung her arms around Cyrus' neck, she was Bet.
Jack led me over to her, nerves suddenly overcoming me as I unsteadily walked along side him, my land-legs still not fully developed. After all, I hadn't even been upon land ten times. In Tortuga, I didn't worry about it that much for if I were to stumble, it wouldn't be judged too harshly; drunks were far worse at walking than I was.
Bet enveloped my fiancé in a warm hug, his expression priceless as she squeezed the living tar out of him. Finally, she released him only for her green gaze to rest upon me. "Well, well, well, Jack who've we got here?"
He motioned me to his side and unsteadily, due to unexpected nerves, I stood beside him as his arm automatically attached itself to my waist. "Bet, I'd like you to meet Andie, my…" He seemed to have trouble announcing that we were engaged. Of course the crew knew, and perhaps Cyrus knew as well, but to make it official was apparently difficult to him. "My fiancée," he finally spat out, grinning an apologetic grin in my direction. I smiled before turning back towards the other woman.
I extended my hand that wasn't holding onto Jack. She scoffed at it and instead, to my immense surprise, pulled me into a warm hug. "No use in using that formality stuff, dear. We're pirates, but Jack's pretty much family." She released me. I was almost certain that my expression mirrored Jack's from earlier, causing a blush to stain my cheeks.
Apparently, Cyrus didn't know of the engagement (which I could've sworn that he had) and he grinned. "Jack Sparrow engaged. I thought I'd never see the day! How much of what did someone have to get you to drink for you to propose, lad?" He kidded, causing me to become uneasy.
"Nothin' and no one, mate," Jack grinned as Bet and Cyrus led us a short distance through the jungle to their home. "Ye're not exactly the marryin' kind yourself, Cyrus."
The elder scoffed as they led us to a rather homey-looking wooden home. It was two stories, probably encasing a winding staircase, something I'd only heard and read about. I thought it would be rather fun to climb one.
The inside, to my surprise, was rather warm. The walls were covered in planks of wood, probably to keep the wind out of the logs that the house consisted of. As they led us deeper into the home, I grinned at the sight of the anticipated staircase. It, too, was wooden, and it was rather pretty.
"Your rooms are up the stairs, dears," Bet said as she pointed between Jack and I and the Turners. "You two," she pointed to Will, who was clutching onto Elizabeth's waist. Judging from her expression, she was nervous about being with child for she was definitely showing from the way Will's hand was pulling her shirt back against her body. "Are the first room on the left. Make yourselves at home. And ye two hellcats," she grinned as she pointed to Jack and I, "are at the far end of the hallway. There's a back staircase that you can use to get up and down. Fairly easier to use than walking all the way across." With one last grin, she went to join her husband, who was a few feet away.
"C'mon, love," Jack said, pulling me away from the staircase.
"Where're you taking me?" I questioned, wondering why he didn't want to get settled in, as it were. The crew was supposed to bring our trunks up, so we didn't have to do that.
"Thought that you'd enjoy a little afternoon at the shore," he whispered as we exited into the jungle once more. "So what do ye think so far, darling?"
I grinned as I took in all the beautiful foliage. "Bet's rather interesting and the home is very nice. Will ours look like it?" I paused and looked up at him with hope-filled eyes.
"Aye, Andie," he whispered against my lips as he pulled me to him. "Exactly like it if you'd like."
I laughed against his lips. "Well, maybe a little different…" I said as he rested his forehead against mine. "But there's one thing I'd definitely like it to be."
He raised his eyebrows at me, bringing his lips to mine once more before continuing to lead me to the beach. "And what would that be, my dear?"
I gasped as we emerged from the jungle onto the beach, its beauty taking my breath away. "Perfect," I murmured, not sure if I was talking about the home or the gorgeous shoreline before us.
"Aye," he assisted me in taking off my boots by allowing me to grab him for balance. "That it'll be."
I slowly treaded barefoot to the ever moving waters, allowing the gentle waves to engulf my feet. I heard him approaching me; his arms holding me close from behind. "It's all perfect, Jack," I whispered, turning to bury my face in his slightly exposed, tanned chest.
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Jack could hear her sigh against his skin as he held her in the gentle waves. She was obviously enjoying herself, something that she'd seemed incapable of doing for quite some time. It is indeed beyond perfection, he thought as he kissed her forehead. But if that's so, then why is something feeling awry?
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Gingerly, Will led his wife down into the sitting area, where Bet had earlier informed them that they could chat with her. As Elizabeth curled her legs beneath her, he felt Bet's gaze on them; more specifically, on Elizabeth. Apparently, she sensed it as well and met the elder woman's stare. "How far along are ye?" She questioned friendly. "If you don't mind me prying, that is."
Against his hold, Will could feel her muscles tense as she answered. "No, not at all. We think around three months, judging from the way my stomach is growing."
Bet nodded in agreement. "I would say so, as well. You don't sound certain."
Elizabeth took a deep breath before continuing. It was rather uncomfortable to discuss such things with a woman they'd not known for more than an afternoon, but she seemed like the type of woman that could be trusted. "All I know is that I'm carrying a child. I suppose my illness threw me off, for it occurred…"
"Shortly after?" Bet finished, not needing to say what was supposed to follow 'after'. She smiled gently and kindly. "With one of my kids, that happened. We only had two, but with the second one, that happened. I didn't think on it, until the midwife told me that bleedin' could occur after consumption. She told me that after I'd told her I was only eight months along…"
Elizabeth and Will both smiled, trying to hide the reality that had dawned on them.
Bet noticed it, but before she could question the young couple's behavior, Andie strolled in, sitting next to Bet across from the Turners. "Where's Jack?" Will asked, noticing something uptight about his half-sister's expression.
"He went to check on the crew and to make sure they brought up the trunks," she replied, her smile suggesting that she was fine, but her eyes showing that something was far from alright. What was causing it, however, was what left Will stumped. And he had a feeling that it had something to do with Bet.