It was exactly a month later when Angelica found herself wandering around the lively streets in Tortuga late at night. People were laughing, drinking, enjoying the night. But Angelica couldn't help but feel sad.
She had just said goodbye to Salma and John. They had found a place they could stay, and John had found a job in one of the many taverns. After Salma would have given birth, John would embark on a new sailing adventure. He was a sailor after all, a great sailor even.
Angelica would miss Salma. It was great to have a woman, her best friend, aboard the Pearl. Just someone to talk to other than Jack, Gibbs, or the other sailors. A woman.
Over the last few weeks, Angelica had seen Salma flourish. She was truly happy with John. It was a beautiful thing to see. Angelica had promised them to come back as soon as she could, so that she could see the baby.
It had made her think about her own relationship with Jack. About her life. Was this the life she wanted to live, a pirate out on the seas until she would meet her end? She was not quite sure anymore.
Yet, she also couldn't deny how much she loved being out on the seas. Or how much she liked being in Jack's company.
The more time she had spent around him again, the more she came to understand that he had changed, in a positive way. He was calmer, more at peace, more caring.
She looked at that one ring around her finger. "Espera…" Suddenly, she realized.
"It's not Cuba…" She quickly got the book out of her pocket and opened it. Why had they not thought about this before?
Their next destination was not Cuba. It was the place where the rings could be found before Jack and Angelica had gotten them. It was where Jack had found them. They could skip that and head straight toward the treasure. Right?
"Why?!" She got frustrated when she found the right page. It was a blank page. Was this what Jack meant? That some pages could only be read with the light of the rings?
Luckily, today would be the day to find out. It was a full moon again. Yet, neither of them had thought about it. She had to find Jack.
She continued to walk around, looking for that one tavern she knew Jack would be at. He was some sort of famous guest around there. To be fair, it annoyed her a little. Men and women were constantly fighting for his attention. He was feared but loved at the same time.
"Come 'ere, lass. Ye look beautiful!" Some drunk men approached her.
"Aye, we be payin' ye!" Another one yelled.
She quickly pointed her gun at them. "Don't you dare come closer or I will make sure you won't." Scared, they moved away. Confidently, she continued to walk toward the harbor where there were more taverns.
When she was close, she suddenly felt someone pulling her into a small, dark alley. Her breathing stopped. But upon feeling his touch, she immediately relaxed.
"What are you doing here?! Your scared me!" She hissed.
He chuckled. "Figured I needed to come get ye before any other man around 'ere would, aye." She rolled her eyes. Apparently, he had seen her threaten the drunk men she had just encountered.
"You're drunk." It was as if he was totally soaked in rum. She did not like it. But what else did she expect after leaving him alone for several hours in a tavern in Tortuga?
Jack frowned. He had had a lot of rum, yes. But he was not totally drunk yet, just tipsy. He had managed to find her in the busy streets and he surely would not have been able to had he been drunk.
"No, luv. Not yet." He grinned.
Then his eyes fell on her right hand, holding the book. "Why ye be carrying that 'round?"
Angelica quickly looked around to make sure no one could hear them. "We have made a mistake. It's not Cuba…" She whispered.
"Do tell, dearie." Jack raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"That's where the rings could be found, but we already have them. We need to read the next page…" She opened the book to show him the blank page.
"For which we need the light…" Jack finished her thoughts. He pulled her with him to the street and started kissing her hard. It took Angelica a few seconds to comprehend what was happening before she responded to the kiss. Realizing they were out on the streets for everyone to see, she quickly broke it. She was relieved to see that no one was paying attention to them.
"You hold it, I shine on it." She ordered him. He took the book and waited for the rings to light up. When they did, they quickly looked at each other, smiling.
"Vale." Angelica put her hand above the page and slowly something started to appear. It was as if someone was drawing on the page.
"It's… a map…" Jack stared at the page.
"Where is it? Do you know?" Angelica looked at the map on the page. It was a small island but there was no name on the map. This could be any island in the world.
"Wait…" Jack slowly spoke. Something else was appearing on the page; letters this time.
"La llave está aquí…" Angelica spoke the words that were slowly appearing on the page. Then there was a cross on the map.
Jack chuckled. "Ha…"
"What?" Angelica hissed, looking at him sternly. He was not telling her something.
"Luv, we're 'ere." Jack pointed to the map in front of them.
Angelica frowned. "Tortuga?" Jack nodded in return.
"But where is the cross? What does it mean?" Angelica looked at the map again. She couldn't figure out where it was.
"It be in a street somewhere. I say, we indulge ourselves a little more and look for it tomorrow, eh?" Jack had a certain look in his eyes, and Angelica did not like it.
"Tell me, Jack. How are we going to find the place without a map tomorrow?" She raised her eyebrows, challenging him. Clearly, the rum had gotten to him more than he wanted to admit.
Jack sighed. He just wanted to go back to the tavern with Angelica, drink some more rum, play games. Now he was suddenly forced to go on an adventure late at night. But he quickly realized he had no choice when she started pulling on his coat, dragging him along with her.
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