Chapter Thirty Eight

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 Chapter Thirty Eight

Jack stood at the helm of his ship; he took a deep breath to calm the unfamiliar feeling of butterflies that seemed to be present in his stomach.  It was unusual for him to feel nervous as a plan came together, usually he was excited and amused in this kind of situation, but then again usually the stakes weren't quite so high.

Suddenly, something caught his eye and Jack squinted into the horizon. Lifting the spyglass to his eye, Jack finally caught sight and confirmed what his eyes had been unable to see, the ship. Not just any ship, he thought as a small grin found its way over his face, but the same ship he'd spent the last few weeks alternating between trying to escape its path and then trying to hunt it down.

With one final glance he collapsed the scope and turned to address his crew. Anxiously he barked out orders and as one the ship was a hive of activity, leaving Elizabeth and Will left to stand back and watch as each sailor went about their tasks. It was practiced ease and experience that drove each man (and woman) to know exactly what their job was. Out of respect, each was more than willing to do what was necessary to seek the revenge they all desired for the pain inflicted on their beloved Captain.

Will's gaze was fixed on his friend, noting the expression which held an odd mixture of emotions played out over the dark pirate's features. Yet, before he could catalogue each one Jack seemed to pull himself together with a firm shake of the head. Once more the protective façade of Captain Jack Sparrow, the one very few people ever saw beneath, that which he staunchly maintained for his own protection against the world, was firmly in place.

Just as Will was about to go and speak to his friend he saw that he had been beaten to it by the only female crew member. Curiously, he watched as Anamaria stood directly beside the pirate captain, the man that he had no doubt held her heart.  

It was with a loving tenderness, evident to any one looking, that she gently rested her arm on her Captain's shoulder, and spoke quietly into his ear. While Will could not make out the words, he could see the response those words brought forth; Jack smiled. And for once the expression was reflected in his deep brown eyes as Ana softly caressed his cheek and brushed his hair away from his face. Then as the female pirate stepped closer Will's mouth dropped open in shock when she planted a tender kiss on his lips.

At that moment Will looked away unable to believe his eyes. After a moment, he returned his gaze to face the helm and once again the shock multiplied. Jack Sparrow now stood with his arms around Anamaria drawing her into a tight embrace, his head resting on her shoulder as if drawing strength from her love.

"It's fantastic isn't it?" Elizabeth asked from behind him. Will jumped slightly, then blushed a deep crimson as he realized his intended covert gazes, had become outright, open-mouthed ogling.

"What is?" he asked confused, finally able to tear his eyes away from Jack and Ana.

"That those two have finally admitted that they love each other. I mean, we all knew it long ago yet for some reason they didn't see fit to tell each other, let alone show it." she responded before walking away and once more leaving Will in his now familiar posture with his mouth hanging open in shock, was he really the only person on board the vessel that missed what was going on in front of his eyes?

Scott carefully wrapped the last of the makeshift bandages around the injured woman's torso. He hated to see the previously vibrant young lady looking so pale and hurt.

"Thank you for coming back" Julia told him as he checked his handiwork for the last time.

"Save it for his funeral," a voice said from behind them. Julia felt a chill race down her spine as goose flesh rose on her arms.

Out of a dark corner of the room, Harry Birch stepped forward and nodded his head to two of his crew members. Two of Birch's goons moved to either side of the first mate and none too gently hauled him to his feet. The men were twice his size but he struggled as they dragged him to stand before the Captain.

"Changed sides have we Mr Orchid?" he asked his voice quiet, which somehow was much more threatening than if he had pulled a blade. Scott cast his gaze downwards unable to meet the fury filled gaze directed at him. "You have no right to touch my daughters. They belong to me, and I can do what I want with them, you will not interfere with my plan!" he told the younger man his voice a callous hiss. "Take him to the brig." He instructed his men.

Secure in the knowledge that his men would indeed follow his orders, he didn't bother to watch as they left. He knew full well that those men would follow his orders, for they were too afraid to do anything else. Besides, money meant power, and Harry Birch was rumoured to have plenty of both.

The man turned his gaze to his conscious daughter, and grinned, a feral gleam illuminating his eyes. He squatted down beside her and traced a line down her pale cheek with his calloused fingers.

"Now what do we do with you?" he asked, yet she could tell that he didn't really want her to answer. "I suppose I will have to keep you alive for the time being, give Mr Sparrow some incentive to play my game for a while, but when I have clipped his wings, well that's a different story" he told.

Standing to his full height, he turned a walked away and returned to the helm once more. Placing the spyglass over his eye, an evil grin snaked across his rotted teeth as he caught sight of the guest he had been hoping would join him.

"That's it Jackie boy, fly in to the rescue" he muttered to himself.

The next time that Will saw Jack the pirate Captain was stood in his cabin strapping a belt around his waist, on which a large cutlass and a couple of daggers rested. He also noticed an extra pistol tucked in the sash that the pirate wore around his waist.

"Expecting a war?" Will asked, his eyebrow raised in question.

"No whelp, I'm starting one" Jack replied, a menacing grin plastered across his tanned face.

Will couldn't help the shudder that ran through him at the words, his mind conjuring up the image of Jack suspended taut from a ceiling by his arms and the catalogue of injuries, both emotional and physical, that Jack had sustained at the hands of the man they were about to face. Will could only imagine how the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow would see fit to deal with such a specimen of the human race.

End Chapter Thirty Eight