Chapter 35: Passing Time on the Journey to the Brethren…
The blue waters of the Atlantic danced before Keira's eyes as she sat at the prow of the Pearl, her legs dangling over the side as usual, her face turned up toward the rising sun as the ocean spray splashed against her cheeks in cool droplets.
Jack watched his wife from the helm, admiring her from head to toe. She was still clad in the formfitting emerald kimono and black breeches. Her hair brawn away from her face in a long plait down her back. The loose hair around her face wet from the ocean spray. Jack smiled when he heard her sigh, titling her head forward as the wind picked up, her green eyes closed.
"You can't be gettin' distracted on me now, Sparrow," Barbossa's gruff voice snapped Jack from his admiring state.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Barbossa," Jack snapped, turning to the taller, older man.
Barbossa chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, "Now that ye wife is aboard, I won't allow you to drift off like ye just did. You're the Captain, and a captain can't be distracted by a woman."
Jack scoffed, "If I were you, Barbossa, I would not be speaking, for I've seen you glancing at the new wench, Clover," he teased in a childish tone.
Barbossa looked stunned and Jack looked triumphant. He returned his gaze to his wife and Barbossa stomped away, not sure whether to argue or give up.
Clover, on the other hand, caught Barbossa as he made his way to the stairs below deck. AS he was going down she was coming up, a bottle of rum in her hand. She blushed furiously and moved aside to let him pass and he continued his way below, his pale blue eyes stealthily glancing over her figure in the blue kimono and black breeches she was donning.
"Sorry," she muttered quickly as he passed, before rushing up the stairs and onto the deck.
Keira noticed the woman stumbled onto the deck, her cheeks a vibrant red. She swung her legs over the rail, hopping back onto the deck. She strode over to her and took the bottle of rum, taking a swig.
"You're up early," she mumbled.
"Couldn't sleep, Captain," Clover replied, looking at the boards of the deck.
"How's Hector?" Keira asked in a sing-song voice and Clover blushed even more.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered with embarrassment.
Keira winked, a goofy grin spreading across her face, "It's alright Clover, I'll keep it a secret. But there's something I wan to tell you as well…"
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Jack watched his wife pull Clover aside as few moments after she stumbled onto the deck. He could no longer hear their conversation and his curiosity spiked. He leaned forward over the wheel, straining to hear what Keira was saying to the newest woman aboard the ship. When he came to no avail, Jack growled and eased back into an upright position, although his eyes continued to follow his wife about the deck as she commenced with her morning chores.
"Jack, could I have a word?" Will broke Jack from his musing a few moments later.
Jack let out an exasperated sigh and handed the wheel over to Gibbs. He reluctantly followed Will into his study and flopped into the nearest chair, propping his feet up on the desk.
"What is it, dear William?" he asked wearily.
"There's something wrong with Keira," he said quickly and Jack stared at him.
"I've been with her every night since she returned to this ship, William, I think I would know if she had a fault," Jack sighed.
"No, Jack, I think she's going to have a child."
Jack stiffened, his brown eyes wide, "What?"
Will nodded gravely, "Aye, I saw her this morning, she looked sick, and she never looks sick, Jack."
Jack looked even more bewildered and got to his feet, shaking his head stubbornly, "No, she's just adjusting to being back on the Pearl, is all. She's not used to it yet. You don't know anything about children, mate. My wife is not pregnant."
Will got to his feet as well, "If you say so, Jack. But I even asked Elizabeth and she agrees, but Keira hasn't said anything herself, so I'm just telling you what I think."
"You;'re wrong, mate," Jack said quickly. "Elizabeth does not know Keira's body like I do. I know she's not with child and she won't be. Not until this mess is over."
Will narrowed his eyes curiously at that comment but could not reply when the study door swung open to reveal none other than Keira. Her eyes shifted carefully between her brother and husband before she spoke.
"Will, Elizabeth is looking for you. Jack, what's wrong, you look pale," she said, moving into the room and cupping Jack's face gently in her hands.
"It's nothing, Love," he muttered, kissing her softly.
"Jack."
"Hmm?"
"You're lying to me, what's wrong?" she persisted, pushing Jack into the chair he'd vacated.
He looked stubbornly up at her and shook his head, wanting her to speak first. Keira sighed and slammed the study door behind Will as he marched back onto the deck. She moved slowly over to Jack and took a seat on the table in front of him, resting a foot on either side of Jack's thighs.
"What's wrong Jack," she asked quietly, leaning forward to tempt him.
He swallowed hard and Keira leaned even farther forward, her lips inches from his, her hands inching up his thighs.
"Does it have to do with William?" she coaxed, her hand moving still further up his thigh.
Jack was really struggling now, and Keira knew it. She smiled when he swallowed again and nuzzled her cheek against his to get him to break. This seemed to work for her sighed and nodded.
"Fine, William, he told me something," Jack stammered and Keira beamed.
"William told you what?"
"Love, really," he whined, making Keira laugh.
"Come on Jack, I can't help you if you don't tell me," she smiled.
"Hethinksyou'rewithchild," he said quickly and Keira looked confused.
She shook her head, trying to interpret the fast speech before it dawned on her face. Her green eyes widened and she laughed.
"He thinks I'm going to have a baby?" she laughed, clutching her stomach. "That's outrageous!"
Jack sighed with relief and pulled Keira off the table onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his dreadlocked hair.
"Everyone knows you cannot have a child on the sea, any woman would lose it in days," she muttered. "If I was going to bear a child, Jack, I would tell you."
Jack nodded and she leaned close to his ear, her breath warm on the side of his face. She kissed him gently, moving down his neck and he smiled as she kissed his jaw before stopping at his lips. He embraced her without question, his hands moving over the soft material of her breeches.
Keira was the first to pull away and she hopped off his lap, "Later, Jack, you have a ship to crew."
"Love, please," Jack whined and Keira smiled.
"No," and she turned on her heel to find Elizabeth and scold her.
Jack, on the other hand, stayed put, mulling over the idea of Keira having a child. His initial reaction was fear, of being a father, a mentor, a responsible person. Then a sense of comfort washed over him. What would it be like to have a son or daughter? Could he be a good father? The sudden feeling passed quickly though and he pushed the thoughts from his mind hastily. He jumped to his feet and stomped form the study himself, wanting to distract the notion. He ended up bullying Barbossa for a while, Keira nowhere on the deck.
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"Elizabeth Swann, how dare you!" Keira snapped, bursting into the woman's bunk below deck.
Elizabeth jumped, she had been reading a book, absently staring at the same page for almost an hour. She started when Keira burst into the small space and she got to her feet quickly.
"What are you talking about?
"Telling Will you thought I was pregnant! What is wrong with you?" Keira yelled heatedly, the color rising in her cheeks from anger.
"I was only saying what looked evident!" Elizabeth defended.
"Why would you mislead someone like that? If I was going to have a child, don't you think I'd tell my own brother myself!" Keira shot, her temper itching to boil over. "More directly my own husband!"
Elizabeth look stunned and Keira's hand twitched toward the sword at her waist. Her brown eyes flicked to her own sword resting on her hammock and she reached out for it. Keira was too quick for her and she drew her weapon, smacking Elizabeth's hand.
The older woman gasped and lunged for her sword, drawing it as Keira lunged after her. The two woman fought about the lower deck, their fight soon spilling onto the deck as the rest of the crew bustled around them. Will jumped at the clash of swords and everyone stopped to watch the two women go back and forth, each expertly parrying each other's blows.
"Stop this!" Clover shouted, running in between the two and grabbing Elizabeth's sword as it came down for a fatal swing to Keira's arm. Clover's hand began to drip blood as she held the sword tightly in her hand, her blue eyes boring into Elizabeth's brown.
"I suggest you leave this matter be, Elizabeth. You're not helping the situation fighting about it," she said coldly.
Keira watched as Clover let the sword go, a deep gash in her palm where she's held it. Elizabeth eyed the blood on the sword before sheathing it. She turned on her heel with a huff and stomped over to Will, who looked slightly bewildered. Clover then turned to Keira and nodded silently, a mysterious connection between the two before Keira moved to Jack's side at the helm and Clover moved to another part of the deck, dipping her bleeding hand in a bucket of water and trying to wrap a piece of cloth around it.
Barbossa moved forward and took her hand, tying the cloth over the wound for her. Clover blushed again and thanked him before moving below deck to find a new sponge.
"I'm sorry that had to happen," Keira muttered as Will past her on his way to join the crew below deck for dinner.
"Don't," he growled, not looking at his sister as she jumped down from the rail beside the helm.
"William Turner, I am apologizing for my foolish mistake and you ignore me! Where is your dignity?" she demanded, her temper flaring again.
Will sighed and looked up at her, "Keira, please, just leave it. She did not mean to upset you. It was my fault I told Jack in the first place, just let it pass."
The young Turner clenched her jaw in anger, her mind reeling, "Fine, but if it happens again, I'll kill her," she growled and stomped away to Jack's study, grabbing a bottle of rum from Gibbs as she went.
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Here you go! A faster update and I hope a good one. Bellatrix, this one was for you, cuz I know you are bent on seeing Keira preggers. I hope that now you'll see why I didn't get her pregnant…yet. But I wanted to toy with Jack's mind a little too.
Jessica, I hope you're still liking Clover. I told you she'd be closer to Barbossa this chapter! Maybe next chappie they'll actually kiss or something, I'm not sure. But I have to keep the focus on Jack and Keira. Their problems are ever mounting as the Brethren looms closer.
That's all I'm saying on that front, you all know what to do now! Push that little button and review!
Sadie