11. The Appointment
Rose remained at the beach a long time, bemusedly trying to organize her chaotic thoughts. She stroked the white seashell around her neck. It felt real. Had this insane adventure been real too? Had she actually met a turtle-girl and followed her to an undersea castle with merfolk?
If she had, was it any stranger than being dragged back in time by the Heart of the Ocean, or the fact that the Flying Dutchman existed, or that they were about to summon a sea goddess?
Still feeling numb and confused, Rose walked back along the beach and up the path to Jack's house. The sun was almost setting, she must have been gone longer than she had thought.
When she walked inside, Jack sprang from the bed, staring at her wildly.
"Where have you been?"
"Um… out?" She did not feel like explaining her unusual afternoon.
"Out? Where? I looked all over the place! How could you be so thoughtless?" He grabbed her arms and all but shook her. "After the first night I thought…" He let her go, breathing heavily.
"First night?" Rose felt a growing suspicion. You can't stay too long, or you will find everybody has grown old and you haven't. "How long was I gone?"
"Don't you even know? Where were you?"
"Just answer the question!" Now it was Rose's turn to grab his arms.
"Three days. You were gone for three days."
"My goodness… where I was, no time passed. It felt like less than an hour!" Then she told him the whole story, showing him the seashell necklace as proof.
When she had finished, he still looked angry. "I can't believe you followed an unknown girl into the ocean like that. What if she had trapped you there? You could have been stuck much longer than three days."
"I know, I didn't think straight. I was in shock."
"Stupid. Reckless," he muttered, turning his back. He was trembling heavily, Rose noticed, and his shirt was soaked with sweat.
"Are you alright?"
"No I'm not," he growled, stomping back to the bed and throwing himself on it, still with his back turned.
Rose sat beside him, touching his forehead. It was burning hot, and clammy with perspiration.
"What happened to you? Are you ill?"
"It's nothing."
"It's something. You look terrible."
"Why, thank you," he said sardonically. "Trust me, it's nothing to worry about. It will pass. In another day or so I'll be fine."
Rose was confused. Thinking back, she realized Jack's malady had started the day after they came here, when he had been so irritated for seemingly no reason. What was causing it, and how could he be so sure it would pass? Unless…
"This happened to you before?"
"Aye."
"And you seem to know why. Is it a curse?"
"I guess you could call it a curse." He laughed mirthlessly.
Then the truth hit her. "It's the drink. Your body needs it."
His silence was answer enough. So, he was trying to get sober, and that was why he would stay a week here before his appointment. Apparently he did not want whomever he was meeting to see his normal, drunk self. That would also explain his heavy drinking afterwards that Gibbs had mentioned. But why? Why put himself through something like that voluntarily? It was clear the abstaining made him feel terrible.
Again, Rose knew she would have to be patient. In time, she would find out.
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
The day before the appointment, Jack's tremors were finally gone entirely and thankfully he seemed less cross too. His crankiness the past days had grated on her nerves terribly.
He was not quite as amiable now as during their first day, but almost. They fished, he took another nude swim, they played at dice and Rose lost again, he even boiled some water so they could wash their hair and clothes.
Jack spent a long time making himself ready the next morning. He trimmed his beard short and combed his hair, tying it back in a ponytail after the fashion of this time, and put on well-tailored clothes he had kept in a chest by the bed. When he was finally done he appeared elegant and respectable, and without the black around his eyes they looked softer, making him seem younger and more vulnerable. He almost had become a different person, as if he had removed his pirate persona together with his old clothes.
"I hardly recognize you."
"For the better, or worse?" He smiled, obviously knowing the answer.
"You look handsome," she acceded. "So, who are we meeting?" If it was his mother, that would explain a great deal. Perhaps she did not know her son was a pirate.
"You'll see." He fidgeted with his shirtsleeve, and suddenly looked nervous. "Remember not to call me Jack. Over there I go by the name of Thatch. John Thatch."
"It's your real name, isn't it?" She peered at him imploringly. "John… Jack. It's your name."
"Yes. Please keep it a secret, though." Again he had that vulnerable expression, and Rose fought an impulse to give him a comforting hug. Instead she turned around, indicating her unlaced corset and dress.
"Help me with this, will you? If you are such a fine gentleman, I should at least look somewhat ladylike, right?"
Jack complied, but Rose had not anticipated the effect he would have on her as he laced her up, how intimate it felt to have him touch her back. When he had finished, his fingers lingered just a little too long on her neck. Then he turned her around, holding her at an arm's length, his gaze trailing over her critically.
"It will do," he said at last, but his eyes spoke volumes more of what he really thought. Rose suddenly found it hard to breathe, and not only because of the corset.
They left the house, Rose on Jack's arm, walking down the other side of the hill and along another path through the greenery. After the jungle came a large sugar plantation and the path widened into a road.
More plantations followed and then they reached a small town. On the edge of it was a large, demure stone building surrounded by a well kept park.
"Here we are."
"It's… a monastery? We're meeting a priest? Or a nun?" Rose looked around her with wide eyes.
As they continued she marvelled over what was just happening. She and Jack, on their way to a monastery! In a million years she could never have guessed it. Was his mother a nun?
The building itself was less interesting than its surroundings. There was a fruit orchard and a large herb garden, smelling heavenly, and Rose drew deep breaths. The place was almost eerily still and silent.
Then she heard steps and a girl came running up the gravel walk, throwing herself around Jack's neck.
"Daddy!"
"Whoa, you've grown tall." He glanced sheepishly at Rose. So, it was not his mother he was meeting after all.
"I missed you lots and lots. Have you got my present?" The girl looked at him expectantly.
"You obviously only missed my money."
"Yep. That's what I have you for." She smiled shrewdly, looking uncannily like Jack. "Who is she?" She nodded at Rose.
"This is Miss Rose Dawson, a good friend of mine. And Rose, this is Pearl Thatch, my daughter."
"How do you do." Pearl curtsied prettily. Rose returned the greeting, feeling a warmth at being called Jack's 'good friend'.
"So. My gift?"
"Alright, impatient imp. Happy thirteenth birthday." He produced a small box. The girl opened it, and gasped happily as she took out a set of pearl earrings that Rose instantly recognized. It was hers. Jack had got them as payment for his help with the summoning.
"Pearls for my Pearl," he said.
"Cheesy." The girl was already putting them on. "Anyway, the nuns won't let me wear them, you know."
"Best not get caught at it then."
"Right. I won't." She pulled a lock of hair from her updo on either side of her face, covering the pearls. They shared a sly grin.
The girl skipped ahead and Jack offered Rose his arm. He wore an odd expression, as if challenging her to show reproof. Maybe in this era having a – presumably – illegitimate daughter was a horrible thing, and come to think of it, it was frowned upon in her time as well – but Rose was not quick to judge. At least he acknowledged the child and visited her regularly, that had to count for something. And frankly, with his looks and flirtatious behavior, it was not very surprising he should have a child – it was more strange he only had one.
"She's beautiful. Takes after her father, probably." As she met his gaze, the look of relief and gratitude in his eyes made her stomach flip.
She was falling badly for this man, there was no denying it anymore.
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
They spent two days at the monastery, sleeping very prudently in guestrooms placed in entirely different parts of the building to prevent indecency, and enjoying pleasant albeit dull meals with the nuns and the other girls at their care. Jack entertained Pearl with his recent adventures as a merchant marine, which was his given profession – none of them true, Rose suspected – and Pearl told him of all the mischief she had been up to. She apparently was an expert at leading the other girls on quests of trickery and pranks against the nuns, as well as making nightly raids into the kitchens, and she never got caught.
"That's my girl," said Jack proudly.
Then came the evening of the second day, and it was time to leave. Pearl bravely waved goodbye, her eyes dry, but the pain of separation was written all over her face. Rose was certain Jack felt it too, although he feigned cheerfulness during their walk back to his house, talking about how good it would be to board a boat again the next day.
"I've almost lost my sea legs," he complained.
Rose did not speak much, instead she mulled over all the questions she wanted to ask him, fearing he would refuse to answer as was his habit.
She waited until they lay in semi-darkness in his bed. If he could not see her face, he might find it easier to talk.
"If Pearl is thirteen, you must have been a very young father," she said.
"I was sixteen. She wasn't exactly planned." He sounded bitter.
"Who is her mother?"
"A whore," he said flatly. Rose suspected he wanted to shock her, making her too intimidated or disgusted to keep asking. He ought to know by now she was not that easily daunted.
"Where is she now?"
"Sleeping around, I suppose?"
"Jack…"
He sighed, finally giving in to her curiosity. "We lived together at first, after she discovered she was pregnant. But after the baby was born we had almost no money left, and I saw no other way than going back to sea. Then one time when I came home, they were gone. She had taken the money and left Pearl with the nuns. When I found her, she was back at the same brothel where she used to work."
"But why? Why would she want to go back to that?"
"I guess she and I were rather alike. The old way of living was too tempting, we just couldn't stay away from it. The money, the fine clothes, the drink… the freedom."
"What will you do when Pearl comes of age? You can't keep pretending forever, Johnny."
"Stop it." He poked her shoulder. "I don't know what I'll do then. Maybe I'll quit. But I said that many times... About many things."
"I wish you would stop–"
"Don't. Please."
"You don't even know what I was gonna say."
"I know what you were gonna say." He paused. "Rose, despite what people may think, I'm not stupid. I know I drink too much. I know it's dangerous. The gutters of Turtuga are full of miserable wretches who only live for the bottle, and sooner or later they end up dead. Usually sooner. I'm not there yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's where I'll be eventually. Unless they hang me for piracy first." He closed his eyes. "Even now, I think of it. That first bottle, how I will crack it open and take a long pull, savvy? The feeling of my senses slowly numbing."
"I guess it's fun to get drunk every once in a while, but all the time? What's the appeal?"
"Sober me is boring, haven't you noticed?" he said bitterly. "This me worries. Feels guilt. This me regrets that I can't play house and be with my daughter like a real father."
"You don't like yourself?"
"No, I do like myself. I'm pretty amazing, actually." He smiled wryly in the dim light, and she knew he was completely honest.
"Arrogant bastard." She returned his smile.
He touched her cheek lightly, serious again. "This me looks at this beautiful woman next to me and wants to kiss her but… hesitates."
"Why?" Her breath caught. She wanted him to kiss her.
"Because this me knows I'm no good for her. I'm too old. A thief and a killer. While she… she is kind and pure. I'd ruin her."
"Pure." She could not hold back a chuckle, and the tense mood lightened.
"Drunk me would not care about those things and just go for it. No second thoughts. But sober me would offer her the chance to walk away before it was too late."
"What would you do if she walked away?"
"Well…" His lips quirked up. "Honestly, I'd be surprised and rather disappointed."
She laughed at that, moving a little closer. "You're funny, Johnny. What would you do if she chose to stay?"
"First, I would box her ear for calling me Johnny again. It's only slightly better than Jackie, which is what my dad calls me. Next, I would kiss her thoroughly until her lips were swollen. And then I'd slowly undress her, lighting a candle so I could admire the view. When she was naked, I'd taste her with my lips and tongue, every inch of that very promising body."
"Even my toes?" Rose's heart beat faster. Hearing Jack speak like this was more arousing than being painted by her Jack wearing only the Heart of the Ocean. Well, her other Jack, that was.
"Especially your toes. I'd suck them."
"Oh God…" She swallowed. "And then what?"
"You know what. You did it before."
"Well, yes. How can you tell?"
"Lucky guess." He smiled. "There was someone on that ship, was it?"
"Yes. He was named Jack, actually."
"A good, strong name."
"There must be something with men called Jack that appeals to me." She combed through his hair with her fingers, meeting his gaze earnestly. "Look... You don't have to worry about my purity or ruining me. I may be younger than you but I'm not stupid either, I know this would only be temporary. Just… two people finding comfort in each other's… company."
And then she did what she had wanted to do for a very long time, and kissed him.
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Rays from the rising sun streamed in through the open window, landing on Rose's face. She blinked tiredly, hiding her face in the nape of Jack's neck. He smelled good. She nibbled his skin, deciding he tasted good too.
"I'd better make you breakfast before I find myself on the menu of a cannibal again."
"I'm hungry for something else."
"I thought I had worn you out yesterday." He yawned and stretched his arms. "I'm too old for this."
She snorted. "You're not old. And is it so strange I want to make the most of what little time we got left?" A thought struck her. "Do you think they do this kind of thing in the afterlife?"
"Probably not where you're going. There will be harp-playing, gathering flowers – that sort of thing. But you could always go down a few circles to where I'll be. I'm sure that place is much more decadent."
She tried to laugh but it caught in her throat. Soon she would die again, and this time there would be no pirates, no adventure, no making new friends… no Jack.
He palmed her cheek, turning her face towards his, caressing it with his thumb. "Maybe you'll be an angel. You'll come back to save wretched scoundrels like me."
"I will." She wiped her eyes. "And I'll put in a good word for you, telling them you're loyal and loving towards your daughter and a good friend. There is a heart in there, somewhere." She placed her hand on the soft skin of his chest, smiling through her tears. "Like you said yourself – you're pretty amazing. You're a pretty amazing man, Jack."
He stared at her in surprise, and then quickly turned his face away, but not before she saw the self-loathing that had filled his eyes.
"You're deceiving yourself." His voice was harsh, almost angry.
"No, I'm not."
"I'm a bloody pirate and a scumbag, Rose. Don't do this." He hastily sat up. "Get dressed. It's time to return to the Barnacle."
A/N:
There will be no more out-of-character Jack for a while, in the next chapter he will be back as his familiar old drunk self, the one that we learned to love and… well, love. That will be nice. Or?
About Jack's real name… most of the pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy went by pseudonyms. Since Jack's father Edward Teague in the movies was loosely inspired by Edward Teach (Blackbeard), also spelled Thatch, I'm thinking they should share surnames.
Also, if anyone wonders about the Blackbeard of the fourth movie (On Stranger Tides), he doesn't exist in this story, since this is an alternate version of what happens after movie 3 (At World's End).
Thanks to 8Ball3 who faithfully reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate it a lot!