~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
About two and a half weeks later, Will arrived. Jack had never been happier to see him.
"All right, mate, here it is. We commandeer the ship, go in search of the Pearl, get rid of my lousy crew, find me a new one, then you go home and live a life of complete solitude with dear Elizabeth, never bothered by me again. Savvy?" He grinned.
Will stared at him for a moment. "Nice to see you, too, Jack. How about we discuss your proposition over a drink?" Will smiled.
"Or we could do that..." added Jack, smiling weakly.
After getting to the bar, Jack realized he had yet to tell Will about Jessi.
"Oh, Will, by the way-"
"Jessi...?" A perplexed Will was now looking past Jack to the pretty young bartender.
The captain looked behind him to see Jessi standing there, smiling at Will.
"Hello, William."
"I thought you said he wouldn't remember you." said Jack, confused.
"Apparently, I was wrong..." said Jessi, also looking slightly bewildered.
A grin spread across Will's face. "Of course I remember you!"
"Yeah, I can see why. After all, you were a whopping two years old when you saw me last." Jessi laughed a little.
"You look just the same..." marveled Will.
"I look like a twelve-year-old?"
Will rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."
"So..." She looked at Jack. "I guess Jack has told you all the details, huh?"
"Uh..." Will paused. "No."
He looked to Jack, who smiled sheepishly. "Funny thing, that... How letters explain so little..."
With that, he plunged into his story from day one, finally ending up at their current situation.
"So that's it, then?" asked Will. "I get nothing out of this?"
Jack resisted the urge to punch Will and smiled reluctantly. "Except the satisfaction of knowing that you helped me."
"And that's supposed to give me incentive for doing this?"
"Dear, dear William..." said Jack sarcastically, placing a hand on the young blacksmith's shoulder. "Have we been so quick to forget the time I helped you rescue your little girlfriend?"
"No. In fact, I think you've been the forgetful one."
"Forgetful? How do you mean?" asked Jack truthfully.
"When I, oh... Sprung you from jail and then saved you from being hanged?" Will smiled.
"Yes, but you also have to realize that, had it not been for you, I wouldn't have been in those situations in the first place. So, in truth, it seems that you still owe me quite a deal."
Will stopped smiling upon hearing this and looked to Jessi in his desperation.
"Don't look at me." she said. "I'm on Jack's side."
Jack's eyes darted over to Jessi and he smiled a little. Looking back to Will he asked, "So, what'll it be, mate?"
Will sighed. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"
Jack pretended to ponder this. "No, not really..."
Will laughed. "Okay, fine, I'll help."
"Didn't we just establish that you have no choice?" Jack decided to confirm this item of redundancy.
"I said I would help, okay?" Will answered, starting to get slightly annoyed. He looked at Jessi. "Why exactly are you here, anyway?"
Jessi didn't answer and a bit of an awkward silence ensued.
The Captain was thoroughly confused. Hadn't he and Jessi already had this conversation in advance? "Jessi? What's wrong?" Jack looked up at her.
She forced a smile and avoided Will's eyes. "Um... Will? Do you remember how we met?"
"Well, yeah!" Will answered blatantly. "I was with you for over a year, after all, how could I forget it?"
"Ah..." Jessi paused and noticed the odd look on Jack's face. "It's nothing." she assured him. He continued to stare at her, giving her the odd sensation that he could see through her lies.
"Well, we can talk about nothing later..." said Will, breaking the awkwardness between the three of them.
"Yes, we can!" interjected Jessi once more. "So, Will... The thing is, I'm, uh... I'll be coming with you..."
Will paused. "Why?"
"Because... I want to get out of this town." She tried to ignore Jack's frequent glares directed toward her.
"Hmm..." Will looked at Jack, who merely ignored him, meticulously scanning Jessi's eyes for the hidden story she had failed to tell him. "What do you think, Jack?"
"I think we need a little more information on this lass, don't you, mate?"
"It's not information I'm worried about, Jack, it's her welfare."
"Will, you hardly even know me!" Jessi blurted out.
"Jessi, you took care of me for over a year! You were my only family- "
"What does that mean?" interrupted Jack suspiciously.
"It means nothing, Jack, now can I come with you or not?" Jessi was getting touchy and Jack didn't dare question her motives.
"Fine! You can come, but we're going to have a talk later!"
Jessi laughed sarcastically. "Okay, Jack, fine, we'll have you're bloody talk. What will we talk about, rum?"
Jack could tell that she didn't mean anything by it, but it still hurt. He'd had concern for her well-being. He only wanted to know her better, and yet she hid things from him that obviously proved to be somewhat relevant in their present situation.
"Yeah. We'll talk about rum. After all, I care about nothing else."
He glared at her and stood up quickly, almost loosing his balance, but regaining it as he walked briskly out the doors of the bar, without even realizing that this hurt Jessi more than she had hurt him.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
About two and a half weeks later, Will arrived. Jack had never been happier to see him.
"All right, mate, here it is. We commandeer the ship, go in search of the Pearl, get rid of my lousy crew, find me a new one, then you go home and live a life of complete solitude with dear Elizabeth, never bothered by me again. Savvy?" He grinned.
Will stared at him for a moment. "Nice to see you, too, Jack. How about we discuss your proposition over a drink?" Will smiled.
"Or we could do that..." added Jack, smiling weakly.
After getting to the bar, Jack realized he had yet to tell Will about Jessi.
"Oh, Will, by the way-"
"Jessi...?" A perplexed Will was now looking past Jack to the pretty young bartender.
The captain looked behind him to see Jessi standing there, smiling at Will.
"Hello, William."
"I thought you said he wouldn't remember you." said Jack, confused.
"Apparently, I was wrong..." said Jessi, also looking slightly bewildered.
A grin spread across Will's face. "Of course I remember you!"
"Yeah, I can see why. After all, you were a whopping two years old when you saw me last." Jessi laughed a little.
"You look just the same..." marveled Will.
"I look like a twelve-year-old?"
Will rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."
"So..." She looked at Jack. "I guess Jack has told you all the details, huh?"
"Uh..." Will paused. "No."
He looked to Jack, who smiled sheepishly. "Funny thing, that... How letters explain so little..."
With that, he plunged into his story from day one, finally ending up at their current situation.
"So that's it, then?" asked Will. "I get nothing out of this?"
Jack resisted the urge to punch Will and smiled reluctantly. "Except the satisfaction of knowing that you helped me."
"And that's supposed to give me incentive for doing this?"
"Dear, dear William..." said Jack sarcastically, placing a hand on the young blacksmith's shoulder. "Have we been so quick to forget the time I helped you rescue your little girlfriend?"
"No. In fact, I think you've been the forgetful one."
"Forgetful? How do you mean?" asked Jack truthfully.
"When I, oh... Sprung you from jail and then saved you from being hanged?" Will smiled.
"Yes, but you also have to realize that, had it not been for you, I wouldn't have been in those situations in the first place. So, in truth, it seems that you still owe me quite a deal."
Will stopped smiling upon hearing this and looked to Jessi in his desperation.
"Don't look at me." she said. "I'm on Jack's side."
Jack's eyes darted over to Jessi and he smiled a little. Looking back to Will he asked, "So, what'll it be, mate?"
Will sighed. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"
Jack pretended to ponder this. "No, not really..."
Will laughed. "Okay, fine, I'll help."
"Didn't we just establish that you have no choice?" Jack decided to confirm this item of redundancy.
"I said I would help, okay?" Will answered, starting to get slightly annoyed. He looked at Jessi. "Why exactly are you here, anyway?"
Jessi didn't answer and a bit of an awkward silence ensued.
The Captain was thoroughly confused. Hadn't he and Jessi already had this conversation in advance? "Jessi? What's wrong?" Jack looked up at her.
She forced a smile and avoided Will's eyes. "Um... Will? Do you remember how we met?"
"Well, yeah!" Will answered blatantly. "I was with you for over a year, after all, how could I forget it?"
"Ah..." Jessi paused and noticed the odd look on Jack's face. "It's nothing." she assured him. He continued to stare at her, giving her the odd sensation that he could see through her lies.
"Well, we can talk about nothing later..." said Will, breaking the awkwardness between the three of them.
"Yes, we can!" interjected Jessi once more. "So, Will... The thing is, I'm, uh... I'll be coming with you..."
Will paused. "Why?"
"Because... I want to get out of this town." She tried to ignore Jack's frequent glares directed toward her.
"Hmm..." Will looked at Jack, who merely ignored him, meticulously scanning Jessi's eyes for the hidden story she had failed to tell him. "What do you think, Jack?"
"I think we need a little more information on this lass, don't you, mate?"
"It's not information I'm worried about, Jack, it's her welfare."
"Will, you hardly even know me!" Jessi blurted out.
"Jessi, you took care of me for over a year! You were my only family- "
"What does that mean?" interrupted Jack suspiciously.
"It means nothing, Jack, now can I come with you or not?" Jessi was getting touchy and Jack didn't dare question her motives.
"Fine! You can come, but we're going to have a talk later!"
Jessi laughed sarcastically. "Okay, Jack, fine, we'll have you're bloody talk. What will we talk about, rum?"
Jack could tell that she didn't mean anything by it, but it still hurt. He'd had concern for her well-being. He only wanted to know her better, and yet she hid things from him that obviously proved to be somewhat relevant in their present situation.
"Yeah. We'll talk about rum. After all, I care about nothing else."
He glared at her and stood up quickly, almost loosing his balance, but regaining it as he walked briskly out the doors of the bar, without even realizing that this hurt Jessi more than she had hurt him.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
