Rebel
Chapter 2: Pure
Jack Sparrow grimaced at the baby. Ugly little fat pink thing, it was, and always screaming at him. Whine, whine, whine. And Anamaria was worse. "Jack, feed the baby. Jack, give the baby a bath. Jack, he's your son. Don't you care about your son, Jack?" Captain Sparrow muttered under his breath and stalked over to the makeshift cradle one of the crewmen had put together. The silly creature was bawling again.
"All right, what's wrong wif you now?" he grumbled. It was midnight and Jack was not in a good mood, especially since Anamaria had insisted that the child sleep in the captain's cabin, away from the crew, who she didn't seem to trust an inch. To shut the baby up, he grabbed a coin from his nightstand and thrust it into the child's palm. The baby immediately quieted down and grasped the coin tightly. Try as he might, Jack could not get him to let go. He grinned. "Once you stop making awful noises in the middle of the night, you're going to be the best bloody pirate on the Caribbean, mate. Well, second best anyway." After all, the kid's blood was diluted by that…that…woman's. The woman who had perversely named the kid Anthony, which meant "protector of mankind" according to her. It was the kind of name that Jack refused to call any son of his.
Fourteen years later
"Hey, junior!" Anthony rolled his eyes, wondering if in his entire life his father had ever called him by his real name.
"Aye?"
"That's Aye, Cap'n," Jack corrected him sternly. Anthony sighed and walked across the deck to the helm, where Captain Sparrow deftly guided his ship through the waves.
"Aye, Cap'n?"
"You're on first watch tonight. And don't fall asleep this time."
"Aye, Cap'n," Anthony grumbled. He turned away and headed for the railing to watch the sunset. The rest of the crew were starting to finish up their chores and go below for card and dice games.
"He doesn't mean to be so hard on you," Anamaria said, coming up behind him. Anthony jumped; his mother could move more silently than a cat.
"Why won't he ever say my name?" Anthony closed his eyes fiercely before the tears he could feel welling up could spill. A pirate had no business crying, especially in the presence of both his parents.
"Jack Sparrow never learned to be a father," she explained gently, her Spanish accent, so familiar, calming and comforting him. "He wants you to be a good pirate."
Anthony sighed. "I still haven't been in a raid. He won't let me. How am I supposed to be a good pirate if he won't let me?" To that Anamaria had no answer for her son. She sighed and squeezed his shoulder before leaving him alone at the railing.
***
Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter. I realize this one's a little short as well, but next chapter there will be a plot! Yes there will. Hopefully, anyway.. ^_^
