EEEEEK! So excitement huh? Do keep on reading chaps! A big hug and kiss to all my reviewers! Lurve yah very muchly! And on with that chapter. As usual…leave a review ;)
Angelica, in a state of panic was helped by some very confused men to somehow keep walking, no matter the pain it caused her. She grimaced and groaned her way through just a little more of the thick vegetation surrounding them. Faltering and unfaltering steps on and on and on. But at last they happened upon a clearing, insignificant to many but the very summit of the mountain to this small party of pirates. Before them, in the corner of this small clearing was a wooden hut on stilts. It was small and weather worn, vines twining themselves around its delicate frame and engulfing it, allowing it to blend in with the untameable sea of green that surrounded it. A few lanterns were dimly glowing from the small platform in front of it and a curious smell wafted on the hot breeze towards them. Snakes, lizards and an entire menagerie of birds and other creatures clung to its beacon for wilderness. The building looked both wild and humble and could either mean danger or safety at last. Many of the company dispersed grumbling about food, water, shelter and sleep. Angelica squeezed her eyes tight as another wave of tight pain washed through her. "Um…you alright love?" Jack asked shakily, clearly way out of his depth with the entire situation, Angelica shot him a death glare, very far from in the mood for his panicking. "Well, I was wondering when you would finally arrive." A chilling voice came from behind them, stopping them both dead in her tracks. Angelica felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as they turned to face where the sound had come from, though they could not see any body to connect the heavily accented voice with. "Over here." The voice sighed from a completely different direction, sounding both patronising and fed up. "Enough with the games we need your help!" Jack yelled to the air around them, which answered him back with a devilish laugh. So quickly she could not have walked but simply…materialised, a woman in a blue cloak stood before them. "Angelica." She breathed happily her mouth curling into a smile. "You…know me?" Angelica asked in disbelief, receiving look from the curious woman that suggested it should be obvious that she did. Angelica presumed this was the witch. This was Indah Batari Guntur. She was intimidating and chilling, though wore a warm, motherly smile. Her eyes were a steely grey, full of mischief and mystery that contrasted sharply with her dark skin. She looked to be in her early twenties, even though, according to Jack, the storied about her stretched back for hundreds of years. Her hair was in thin dreadlocks, all gathered together and tied at the back of her head with different colours of cloth. She was very thin and very graceful, with a strange and unconventional beauty. She was very difficult to read, Angelica was not sure whether she could trust her or not, whether that smile was inviting or dangerous. She was already impossible to predict and they had only been in her presence for a matter of seconds. She automatically drew in all those around her, and yet sent off every alarm bell in their body at the same time. "It may be hours yet but you should be in a bed, labour is dangerous and for you I sense…very much so." She offered out a bony hand in Angelica's direction. Shakily Angelica found herself reaching out to take it without truly thinking about the action, the effect this woman was having on her was strange and as she felt Jack pull her back to him away from the witch she realised that the only person being so intensely pulled in was her. "If you want your children to walk this earth you will let me help her." She snapped at Jack. Angelica turned to him, showing him the tears in her eyes. She took both of his hands, entwining their fingers together. She closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his, inhaling his scent deeply and he did the same, savouring every second. "Jack…" She breathed and led his hand down with hers, to rest on her hip. She guided his fingers over the rough white "J" left on her skin. "Forever." She whispered in his ear causing a huge lump to rise in his rough throat. He kissed her softly, with excruciating sweetness and passion holding her too him, wishing he would never have to let her go. "Jack…I love you, if this goes wrong well I just want you to know I will always love you, that I always have and promise me you'll be happy." She said sincerely, staring so deeply into his eyes she was looking at his soul. "No, don't! You can't talk like that!" Jack protested through gritted teeth. "Just…listen." She said, desperately trying to keep her tone as calm as possible. "Jack, you hurt me. I hurt you. We have come a hell of a long way and it's all been leading to this. And now everything, everything is as it should be. I love you, with all my soul and you love me. And this is going to happen. So I'm sorry, I love you and may god forgive me for my sins." Jack touched his forehead back to hers once more and closed his eyes, drinking in her presence. Forgetting his eyes for the moment and feeling with only his heart, something he had rarely, if ever done. "You. Will. Not. Die." He stated bluntly with determination burning the back of his throat. She pulled herself away from his, sliding her fingers gently out from between his, holding his gaze. His eyes burned with the fierce belief she would have to be alright, though this look could not hold. He broke. His eyes displaying a hopeless, defeated sorrow. "You cant…" He whispered, "I need you." And she touched her lips to his once more before turning her back, walking into the oblivion with a stranger by her side, worry in her mind and Captain Jack Sparrow in her heart. Forever.
Ten hours. Ten gruelling, awful, painful hours and she wasn't getting anywhere soon. The witch had been kind though a greatly distressed Angelica was not always easy to be kind to. "¡Que sea parar joder, no puedo soportarlo más!" She screeched at the woman. "I'm afraid there is a long time to go yet Angelica." She said in a frustratingly calm tone. "It's going to get worse before it gets better." She said softly. "Well that's very bloody reasur…Ahhhh!" Angelica forgot entirely what she was about to snap at the witch, too preoccupied by more tight pain. She prayed and cried and screamed through each contraction, in disbelief that there was actually a worse pain awaiting her. It wasn't going well. Screaming and grunting and forgetting how to breathe. She wanted Jack. For him to come in with a sparkle in his eye, to hold her hand and make some witty comment about her practically crushing his bones. She needed Jack. For his love his comfort and a pair of calming, mischievous dark brown eyes to look into and make the pain go away. Make the pain go away in a way that only he ever could. Outside, Jack paced helplessly back and forth, absentmindedly biting on his dirty fingernails wishing for all this to just finish and be done with. Another scream erupted from the small building they had found amongst the vast wilderness. Each and every one of them made him flinch more than the last. His face screwed up at the sound of her pain. The men had vacated the area to go anywhere they pleased on the condition that they would be back at the ship in a few days time. It was torture, sheer torture being so useless, Jack felt as though he should be doing something, barking orders and springing into action. But all he could do is pace. Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Perhaps it was 'proper' for a man not to be involved in such matters and perhaps Jack didn't really want to be but when he heard Angelica screaming all he wanted to do was be with her and will her to keep going. His dreadlocks swished around with the vigorous, springing steps he took, his many trinkets making a jingling noise as they swayed. He didn't know how much longer he could hold off storming through the door of the wooden hut and demanding to see Angelica. He was positive he hadn't been this stressed in years and to add to the arrival of his child as if that wasn't worrying enough the bloody wench that they trekked all this way to find was going to demand a price. Any price. Jack swallowed hard, recalling all of his knowledge regarding the witch. Anything from gold to a soul. A soul. He was rapidly beginning to wish he had never decided to go to this god forsaken place. Another scream shattered the air. This scream was different, it made Jack stop in his tracks and whip his head up to look in the direction of the sound. The screaming continued. It was shear horror, terror and agony. "JACK!" He began sprinting towards the house, he darted up the steps that lead to the door, brushing aside the occasional snake with his foot. He didn't care any more, hang society and hang the rules, something wasn't right and he could feel it in his bones, he had to see her, had to be with her, she needed him now. He swung open the door with a crash and stopped in the doorway his mouth gaping like a fish out of water. There was lots of blood.
Where the sheets had tuned a rich, dark red, angelica had turned a sickening white. He rushed to her and fell on his knees beside her, cradling her head in his hands. "What the bloody hell is 'appening." The witch's eyes widened, threatening to burst out of their sockets. "She haemorrhaged." She said flatly with a touch of absolute horror before springing into action, gathering strange herbs from her shelves and chanting under her breath. "What! Is that bad?" Jack yelled his voice in a higher key than usual. "We will be able to deliver the first baby but the second…I fear for." Jack nearly had a heart attack. "T…t,t TWO!? THERES TWO OF THEM!" Twins. Two tiny humans. And he had been panicking about one. He swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat, though not because he had just been told that he was the father of not one but two children but that one of his precious, already loved children…maybe even a son who would grow to be a great man, or better a great pirate…may not survive. He didn't know how he would cope if his baby…he didn't even dare to think the word, he wouldn't he couldn't there was still hope. The blood drained from his face, leaving his a sickly, clammy colour. "And Angelica?" He asked, visibly shaking, not daring to turn in the witch's direction. "Only the gods can protect her now." She stated quietly, not wishing to put Angelica under any more stress. "WELL DO SOMETHING, WORK YOUR MAGIC! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" he yelled, not turning a deep crimson. The witch simply ignored him. Jack wanted to scream about it more, to try and help, to do anything but he couldn't tear himself away from Angelicas eyes, which were fighting to stay open. The eye contact he held with her expressed every emotion he was feeling, no words were needed. Angelicas eyes changed often, from frightened, to glazing over and seeing nothing at all. He held her shoulders tightly, supporting her back, kissing her or holding her even tighter whenever a strangled noise of pain escaped her pale lips or another crease appeared on her forehead. Jack bent down to her ear, "I love you." He whispered, and as the last syllable was uttered and small cry pierced the air. A pair of tiny lungs gasping their first breath. A son. The son of captain Jack Sparrow.
The tiny, squirming child was laid on Angelicas chest. He whimpered against its mother, screwing up his face. Angelica managed a smile, and cried with an entirely different emotion. She barley had the strength to lift her arm end place a hand protectively against this miracle and picture of perfection she wished to hold tight forever and never let go. Jack stared wide eyed, like a scared dear caught in the headlights. He had gone rigid and was clearly as shocked as his new son about what had just happened. He couldn't describe the way he felt. But finally, he knew immortality and treasure, adventure and almost even ships meant nothing. "Perhaps father would hold him?" The witch suggested, more like a command so that she could fuss over his twin. She quickly whipped the baby away and wrapped him in a towel, handing him to Jack who just stared with an awkward, stunned silence. "That was…" He said in a gruff choked voice. "Weird." He concluded before taking the child, getting shown how to do so by the woman they had encountered for the first time a matter of hours ago. He looked hesitantly down to the face of his infant son, holding the blanket out of the way so that he could see him. He smiled. No, more than that, more than grinning more than everything. Every single part of him lit up with radiance. "My son." He breathed, sounding as though he himself would burst into tears. He was so small, so warm. Jack held him just a little tighter. Never did he imagine that the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow could feel this way. Feel at all. Feel with such passion. But how could he not love what he held too him? When it made everything in his life feel so worth while. When he felt the strongest chains he would ever know, binding him to this child, and securing him more than he ever thought possible to Angelica. It was a love that was absolute, and for once he embraced it. The moment was more than perfection itself, more so when his finger was grasped tightly in a tiny fist, and held as he held it. Jack smiled wider and wider still until the muscles in his face ached and protested. Perfection. Perfection until Angelica screamed.
Well! Look at that a son! Tell me because I'm not sure I did this terribly well…was that O.K? how are you guys finding the plot? HUGE thank you to every one who is reading. Especially to Jackelica-Feels. Thank you everyone!
