(A/N- update 3-21-03-
Okay- something REALLY bothered me about this chapter. I was not happy with it at all and I couldn't figure out why. I didn't know if it was just me though, so I put it online anyways. But then LuckySparrow's review TOTALLY pinned it for me… Emma's being really dishonest with Jack- that spells DISASTER for a relationship and that was what I hated about it. That's what was wrong! (THANK YOU LuckySparrow! YOU ROCK!!) But for the sake of my plotline, she can't spill the beans just yet. Anyways, I rewrote the end of the chapter and feel a lot better about it now. It's quite different, so please if you've read it already, I would recommend rereading the last part again. Okay- I'll shut up now- Ughh… still sick…)
Chapter 3- Myths and LegendsJack winced visibly and gave his friend an apologetic shrug. Yes, he'd taught his daughter well… too well.
" Well?" Bootstrap waited for him to answer impatiently. Jack brought both hands up in an attempt to calm his friend.
" Steady there mate… ye'll get it back, whatever it is the little treasure-snipe stole from ye, that is."
Bootstrap grunted impatiently as Jack dug into his coat pocket and fished out four shillings to pay for the rum. He tossed them on the wooden table, and then stood up abruptly. Bootstrap followed suit and they both headed purposefully towards the door.
" She's back on The Pearl, most likely." Jack said conversationally.
Just as they reached the door, Jack stopped abruptly and pivoted on the ball of his foot, making Bootstrap stagger backwards as to not run straight into the Captain. Jack swayed slightly and regarded him with a glint of danger in his dark eyes. " Oh yeah, mate… before I forget…" He straightened and smoothed out one corner of his moustache between his thumb and forefinger. " I could see ye eyeing me woman in a most indecent manner back there… more than once, I might add..."
Bootstrap regarded him dubiously. " Whatever it is Jack, just say it!"
Jack Sparrow pursed his lips, squinted one eye at his genuinely confused friend, and said, " No one plunders her booty but me, savvy?"
Bootstrap stiffened and clutched both hands together in earnest. " Jack! I wasna' thinking it! I swear it to ye!"
Jack's serious face broke and he flashed a metallic smile. " Ye'll need to brush up a bit on the lies mate… Yer a tad rusty. And just so ye know… Emma's one to be trusted. Whatever trinket it is the little sea rat's stole from ye, ye don't hafta be weary of her."
Bootstrap didn't answer him right away, his face darkened and his eyes flashed with remembered pain. "It's jest that… after what happened with the mutiny an' all… I 'ave trouble trustin' new faces, Jack. Especially with somethin' as important as this! But I'll take what ye said to 'eart…"
Jack raised an eyebrow at him with a questioning glance. Bootstrap blinked back quickly then spluttered, "Both! Both things ye said! I'll take 'em to 'eart!"
Jack grinned, then gave one vague nod of his head in satisfaction and turned back towards the door, rubbing his hands together with anticipation. " I can smell a change in the weather!"
Bootstrap followed behind him as they exited The Faithful Bride, grinning devilishly. " Indeed! But… I'm thinking that it may get a bit stormy before it's all over..."
" It always is." Jack said as he swaggered down the loud, raucous main street of Tortuga toward the docks.
~*~*~*~
The last rays of the setting sun were fading behind the horizon. The view was brilliant from the deck of The Black Pearl, which was anchored not far from the harbor. Emma leaned on a railing, watching the children as they played about in the water over the port side of the ship in the shade of the boat. Claire was playing her favorite game with Jamie, which involved diving deep down into the water, and then jumping out as high as she could and imitating the whales as they fell back down on their sides. She always aimed her splashes directly at the boy, who tried to go under before she could get him in the face. While Jamie was stronger and faster running on land, Claire was five times stronger a swimmer, and quite naturally. Like Emma, when her daughter's feet touched the water of the ocean, they joined as fins.
Claire had just aimed a very large splash at Jamie and was laughing at him when he (much to her surprise) dove down and grabbed a hold of her tail. He gave her a sharp yank and she disappeared from the surface.
Emma suppressed a smile as the two rose moments later in a sudden fit of laughter, then she turned and started gathering up their dirty garments that lay in a careless pile next to the railing. When she picked up Claire's mud-stained dress, something small and white fell out of one of the hidden side pockets, along with a few loose shillings. She ignored the money and instead focused on the white object, which refracted rainbow colors as it caught the light of the setting sun. Emma's breath caught in her throat and she froze staring down at it in amazement.
The sound of the children's laughter suddenly became very distant in her ears as she hesitantly stooped down and picked up the smooth round disc. She dropped the clothes she had clutched under her other arm as she scrutinized it. The look on her face was a mixture of horror and fascination. There were 12 lines etched around the perimeter of one side that were like the hours of a clock, and a set of runes decorated the edge of the reverse side. One of the lines that pointed to 11 o'clock gave a brief pulsating glow in the fading light in response to the caress of her fingers as she ran one hand around it's edge in a full circle.
" This…this is…" She muttered under her breath and then turned and cried "… CLAIRE!" Emma shot a glance over the railing. "CLAIRE! Up here NOW!"
The children regarded her with outraged looks of disappointment. But her stern face won over their protests and they reluctantly climbed up the ladder and stood dripping wet in their undergarments on the deck. Claire had managed to pull herself up by her hands, and as soon as her tail hit the dry deck boards, she was able to stand on her own two feet again.
Emma took a step towards her daughter, and then her legs seemed to give way from beneath her and she practically fell to her knees. Emma thrust the white disc under Claire's nose and her voice trembled as she asked, " Claire… where did you find this?"
Claire looked at the disc and gave a noncommittal shrug. " We found it on the beach mum! Buried in the sand!"
Jamie caught his breath and looked at Claire startled. Picking up on this subtlety, Emma swiveled her gaze to Jamie and asked him the same question sternly, " Where did you really find this, Jamie?"
Jamie opened and closed his mouth a few times, glancing back and forth between Emma and Claire. Claire was giving him one of her ' If you snitch I'm going to beat you up' looks, but the idea of inciting the wrath of Emma won over Claire's warning stare. Jamie hunched his shoulders and looked at his feet. He answered her very softly so that Emma had to strain to pick up his words, " The man had it."
" What man?" She said quickly.
" Me." Came a gruff voice from behind.
Emma jumped to her feet and spun around so fast that she almost tipped over. " What?"
Bootstrap and Jack were just clearing the railing from the shore boat. Will and Elizabeth stepped on the deck moments later. They had apparently all found each other and gone back to the ship together. Will had a long wrapped package underneath one arm.
" DAD!" Cried Jamie excited. He ran across the deck and launched himself at Will, throwing his arms around his shoulders as Will quickly lowered himself to one knee to receive him in a swift hug.
" I said… It's mine." Bootstrap continued, ignoring the distraction and held his hand out in an obvious gesture for her to give it back. " Yer little treasure-snipe stole it from me. Probably while they were bringing me to see Captain Jack."
Emma clutched the white disc to her bosom and shot him a worried look. His eyes were focused on her, they were not unkind, but there was a strange look of mischief in them that she found unsettling.
" W—where did you find this?" She asked, trying hard to keep her voice from shaking.
" Found it?" He pursed his lips and looked at Jack, who was eyeing Emma with mild interest. Why was she acting so strange? Did she know something about the disc that he did not? He decided to tread this subject carefully until he could figure out what she was hiding. " Why, Miss Emma." Bootstrap quickly changed his tone to a more lighthearted note. " I found it during me adventures! It's but a trinket… I do fancy it though, so I'd like ter have it back, if ye wouldn't mind?"
For a moment, Emma looked as if she might turn and try to run for it without giving it back. But reluctantly, with stiff legged strides, she closed the distance between them and very hesitantly pressed the disc into his open palm.
" You… be careful with that." She said under her breath to him, and then faltered, realizing that everyone's eyes were on her. In an attempt to seem less criminal, she jumped back and said in as steady a voice as she could manage, "It's… very pretty… I wouldn't want to see it break."
Will exchanged confused glances with Elizabeth, then he turned and looked at Jack. The pirate captain was watching Emma with a look of cool amusement. A hint of a smile was on his face as his eyes strayed down to regard her hands, which were clenched tight and buried in her skirts. She always did that when she was severely agitated.
" I will…" Bootstrap replied while thinking to himself, "Yes… she DOES know something I don't!"
He immediately opened his mouth to press her for details. But before he could utter a word, she whirled around so all he could see was the back of her head, and took off at a sprint across the deck. She launched herself off of the far railing and dove into the water with barely a splash.
Bootstrap stood there dumbstruck at this strange occurrence with his mouth still hanging partially open. "Uhh… ah! By the blazes Jack! Yer wench just pitched herself overboard!"
Claire, who had been forgotten during this exchange by all the adults saw Emma's unexpected dive as a good enough excuse to continue with her evening bath. And so with a hoot of delight she took off at a run and jumped in after her mother.
" And now yer wee kitten!" Cried bootstrap horrified. He dashed to the edge and looked down frantically, but they were nowhere to be seen on the surface of the water.
He shot a panicky glance at Jack and pointed down incredulously. " Drowned! They're drowned!!!" And he started to shrug off his coat as if to jump in after, but a hand clamped down on his shoulder and he turned surprised to see Will there with laughter in his eyes. Bootstrap blinked confused and then glanced at Elizabeth, who was trying hard to suppress a smile. Then he looked at Jack and his face fell into a perplexed frown.
Jack's eyes were focused on the spot where Emma had disappeared into the water. With lips pursed, he seemed to be thinking very hard about something.
" Jack?" He asked hesitantly.
Then, Jack snapped back to the present and quickly turned to regard him. The suave Captain swayed back on his heels and waved his hands dismissively.
" Oh, don't trouble yerself with her, mate… she likes to do that when she needs to cool off. Ye get used to it after a while. Oh… and the slip of an urchin? She's fine too…"
Elizabeth, sufficiently recovered the mirth she'd gotten through the newcomers apparent confusion, covertly glanced at the white disc that was still in his grip. There did not seem to be anything particularly special about it from her poor vantage point. She wondered what it could be that had provoked such a response out of Emma.
" She must know what it is…" Elizabeth thought perplexed. She studied the faces of both Jack and Henry, and could tell as they were exchanging meaningful glances, that they had picked up on that fact as well.
There was a short silence among the group, and then Jack cleared his throat and turned to Will and Elizabeth.
" I'm just going to show Henry here around the ship a bit, he'll be sailing with us the day after tomorrow, as a member of me crew." He said this with the unfailing authority of a Captain addressing his crew. "I'm in need of a new gunner, after all… and Henry here told me he's one o' the finest you'll find south o' the Bahamas."
Henry stood a little straighter and tried too look dignified, which was a long stretch with his disheveled, ragged appearance. But Jack's tone was undisputable. Will and Elizabeth could only nod their heads dumbly in acceptance as he finished his speech. They watched as Captain Jack Sparrow turned his back to them and draped a hand over the stranger's shoulder, leading him away in the direction of the helm.
" So tell me, mate," Jack said in a low voice, glancing back discreetly to make sure Will and Elizabeth were out of earshot, " Just what is it ye've brought up from the briny deep, eh…? What would put M'dear Emma in such a state?"
" As I was saying, Barbossa choose a right opportune spot to send me to Davey Jones' Locker! I sunk to the very depths of the ocean. And I surely would have been in perpetual blackness if it hadn't been for this little trinket here…" Bootstrap held up the disc and Jack took it with one hand and turned it over a few times, studying both sides carefully. There were lines around the edge of one side and a strange set of runes decorating the other side that looked like nothing more than little squiggly marks to his eyes.
" I managed to extricate meself from the canon and swam along the ocean floor, following the glowing light I saw in the distance… for what else was I to do, eh? After awhile of searching, I found a sunken ship that was so rotted and decayed from old age that it was barely a skeleton. But the light was coming out o' it, so I investigated. I found this disc partially buried under some debris amidst a hoard of loose treasure. The rune side glows when submerged. It was my light and savior during those dark years at the bottom of the ocean."
" I've never seen anything like it," Jack said as he offered him back the white disc, which Bootstrap took eagerly.
" That's not all, mate." Bootstrap interjected. " Have ye ever heard of the Seal of Cleito?"
" I've heard the stories." Jack answered casually. He looked out over the horizon and said loftily, as if quoting some famous verse. " Ye who finds the Seal of Cleito, shall know the key and unlock the mystery of Acaelum. The cursed city half above and half below; take heed in its faith, the mists are the path to go." Jack trailed off and shot Bootstrap an amused look. " Am I right?"
"Aye!" Bootstrap confirmed with a quick nod of his head, then grinned, "That was beautiful Jack! So ye know the old stories, eh?"
" Well, Mr. Gibbs is filled with enough superstitious stories to keep me well entertained, I first learned of it from him." Jack confessed.
Bootstrap nodded his head thoughtfully. "Gibbs… aye! I seem to recall hearing that name." Then he shrugged, " Well, the stories are relatively accurate, so to speak, though they vary widely. But the rundown is that Acaelum was an ancient city partially submerged in water. It was also the only known city inhabited by Merfolk, hundreds and hundreds of years ago…but no one right knows what happened to it. Some say it was cursed, some say a natural disaster… I say maybe it was a bit o' both… "
Jack scratched under his chin thoughtfully, sending his braided beard dancing. " Acaelum is only a myth, there's no proof it existed. It's a very crazy venture yer proposing, mate…" Then his face broke into a grin, " … It sounds like fun."
" Aye! This is proof enough, isn't it?" Bootstrap shook the disc in front of Jack's nose for emphasis, making the roguish pirate lean back on his heels to keep himself from having to look at it cross-eyed. "We jest need to find out how it works… and when we do, we could find Acaelum! Imagine that, eh? It's supposed to have wonders beyond yer wildest dreams! Not just any old silver and gold, Jack… but the very treasures of the merfolk! How priceless would they be, eh?! And it's not just the swag… think o' the adventure! We'd be famous if we found the place! Our names would go down in the history books as explorers! Alongside Cortez, and Columbus!! Riches and fame… how can ye say no to that, Jack?"
" You're right… it's a very tempting venture, mate." Jack agreed. Instead of the fervor that was in Bootstraps eyes though, he was looking contemplative and distant. The perpetual smirk was still adorning his face as he stroked his beard absently. He had soaked up all that Bootstrap had said, weighed the facts and come to the conclusion that the little disc he'd brought back was indeed the Seal of Cleito. Emma's reaction had all but proved it to him. It was a merfolk artifact, and she'd recognized it for what it was. The puzzle pieces were all beginning to fall into place for him. But there was still the largest question to be answered, what did she know about Acaelum? What was it about the Seal of Cleito that had made her so nervous? His eye twitched and he stole a glance out over the side of the ship where Emma had disappeared.
Bootstrap caught his glance and frowned contemplatively, " I'm positive that woman o' yours knows something Jack… did ye see the way she looked at me? It was like I was some kind o' monster for carrying the thing around! What do ye reckon she knows?"
Jack didn't say anything for a while, then gave his friend a mischievous smile and crossed over to lean against the helm.
" I'll tell ye one thing mate…" He said from his new vantage point, which gave him a good view of the sunset. " When Emma wants to keep her mouth shut, it's nearly impossible to get her to say a word."
" But Jack! If we let her in on the plan, don't ye think she'd help?"
" Not likely." Jack's eyes glittered. " Ye see… in regards to M'dear Emma, your overlooking one tiny but crucial fact, mate…"
" What's that?" Bootstrap gave him a dubious look.
Jack was smiling from ear to ear as he pointed out at the water, and then gave a vague gesture to the disc his friend was holding. " I'd wager me hat that she can read that writing on yer tiny disc there, and knows perfectly well what it means."
Bootstrap's face hung in suspended animation for that moment as Jack's words slowly sunk in. Then he gave a sudden jolt of surprise and whirled around to look out at the water again, there was still no sign of Emma or Jack's daughter to be found on the glassy ocean surface. He spun back to face Jack with a look of amazement.
" Ye don't mean to tell me… that she's…?"
" Aye!" Jack answered coolly to Bootstraps unfinished question. " And me daughter as well… she would be getting' that part from her mother's side, obviously."
His friend continued to stare in shocked amazement for a few more seconds, then his face broke into a grin and he let out a short, barking laugh. " It figures, ye old sea dog! That ye'd find yerself a woman as crazy and unusual as yerself! Why… shiver me timbers, I thought it strange that ye'd settled down… but now I can see why. Ye found yerself one o' the rarest treasures in all the seven sea's! This is great, Jack! I'm sure she knows everything there is to know about it!" And he gave an enthusiastic jump in the air, almost tripped over his fraying bootlaces, and staggered for a moment as he righted himself. He pushed a handful of hair out of his eyes and looked up at Jack sheepishly for his over-the-top enthusiasm.
Jack grinned at him, there was certainly a reason everyone called him bootstrap. The man could never keep his shoelaces tied. And so was quite prone to tripping over them. It was good to see that the past twenty years had not changed him too greatly. But Bootstraps sheepish smile soon dwindled away as a silence descended between the two old friends. Jack could see the man's eyes take on a look of cunning and his lips curled back in a familiar devious smile. The pirate captain shifted his weight back to the balls of his feet and regarded him expectantly. He could almost guess what Bootstrap was thinking.
" How do we make 'er tell us what she knows?" He said conspiratorially.
Jack's smile didn't falter, but he straightened to his full height and said. " I told ye before, mate… she won't say a word if she wants to keep her mouth shut..." Then he turned as if to go, but hesitated and said discreetly over his shoulder. " Unless of course… ye press her in the right places."
" Ye know where?" Bootstrap asked him eagerly.
Jack just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally before continuing down the steps from the helm to the main deck. He did not answer.
" Feel free to stay the night down in the crew's quarters," Jack called over his shoulder to him as he reached the base of the steps. " We'll get ye some decent clothes on yer back first thing tomorrow." He opened the door to the captain's cabin and sauntered inside, leaving Bootstrap alone to mull over what Jack had said.
~*~*~*~
Elizabeth had stiffened when she saw Jack put a hand around the strangers shoulder and led him away towards the stern of the ship. Their heads were together and she could see Jack talking very quietly in the man's ear. He had a crooked smile on his face, which she had seen many times before and knew well enough. It meant he was up to no good.
" They're up to something." She said to Will quietly.
" Da! Did you bring me my present?" Jamie interrupted the somber moment quite tactlessly.
Will exchanged amused glances with Elizabeth and said. " Oh, well it's nice to see you too, Jamie."
" Is that it?" Jamie asked quickly, eyeing the package excitedly.
Will nodded and then set him down and held it out to him. Jamie took it reverently and tore the wrapping off. It was a smooth and finely crafted wooden sword.
Jamie's eyes alighted at the gift and he looked up at his father expectantly.
" I thought I'd start teaching you how to use one of those." Will said with gravity. " You'll get a real one when you can learn how to use this one properly." Jamie gave a great whoop of delight and set off at a run towards the bow of the ship, swinging the sword about him as if fighting off imaginary foes.
" Thanks Da!!" They could hear his voice trailing off as he disappeared behind the foremast.
Will shot a nervous glance at Elizabeth, who had both hands on her hips and was giving him a hard-eyed glare.
" I thought we agreed, not until he's ten!" She said through clenched teeth.
Will gave her an apologetic shrug, " He'll be ten this year, and I thought it would be a good gift for him."
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head, " Well, too late now, you can't exactly take it away from him."
There was a long pause and they both looked again over at Jack and Henry, who were talking conspiratorially on the helm of the ship.
Will watched the back of slightly taller, thinner figure of the stranger and shook his head confused. "It just doesn't make sense!"
" What doesn't?" Elizabeth asked.
" Henry…" He screwed up his face into a contemplative frown and squared his shoulders. " He just shows up out of nowhere, sits at our table for a drink of rum, listens to all our plans, and is suddenly Jack Sparrow's trusted new friend?"
" Yes, and I'd love to know what that white disc is that Emma was so nervous about that they seem so keen on discussing without us." Elizabeth added heatedly in agreement to his complaints.
Will nodded, " It's too much for it to be coincidence… That man definitely knows Jack from somewhere! But where?"
" We've been sailing with Jack for nearly ten years." Elizabeth said, then pursed her lips and shrugged. "So he must know Henry from before then."
Will stood watching them for a moment, and then took a step hesitantly in their direction. Elizabeth could see he was thinking hard.
" But why lie to us? Jack told me at The Faithful Bride that the man was no one to be concerned with. Why didn't Jack introduce him to us himself if he was such an old friend?"
" Who knows why Jack does what he does?" Elizabeth said with finality, throwing her hands up in the air exasperated. " I can never figure him out anyways…"
Will took a deep breath, then exhaled with one great sigh and turned his back to them. Reluctantly, he made his way towards the hatch leading to the hold.
" I'll worry about it in the morning, I'm too tired to think on it now." He said wearily.
Elizabeth called Jamie back to them and ushered the rambunctious boy over to the hatch, telling him sternly that if he so much as took a swing anywhere within ten feet of her, he wouldn't see that sword again until morning. Jamie took this warning to heart and hugged it to his torso as he descended the steps behind his father. Elizabeth spared once last glance back over her shoulder at the two conniving scalawags before disappearing from view.
Once below deck, Will paused at the door that led to their small apartment. With pursed lips, he turned to Elizabeth and said, " And I still can't shake that feeling I get…"
" What feeling?" She asked.
" Like I've seen him somewhere before."
" Maybe it'll come to you in the morning, after you get some rest. It's been a long day." She said soothingly.
Will didn't look convinced, but nodded his head reluctantly and opened the door.
It wasn't long afterwards when he finally lay his head down to sleep. But his dreams were filled with anxiety. There was the shadowy face of a man. Pain and betrayal overcame Will as the man turned his back to him and started to walk away. No matter how much Will yelled at him to come back, he would not turn around. He stood there, powerless to stop him until he disappeared completely from view.
~*~*~*~
Jack smiled the moment he opened the door to his cabin at the familiar sight of a dripping wet Emma standing in the middle of his threadbare carpet ringing the water from her hair. His daughter was beside him looking jubilant. She ran up to him as he closed the door and looked down at her with interest. Claire held out her hands, showing him a rather large and very dirty oyster that she's apparently found on her latest excursion from the bottom of the bay in Tortuga Harbor.
" Look what I found, da! D'ye think it has a pearl in it?"
" Let's take a look, poppet." Jack knelt on his knee and brought a knife out of his boot with a swift flick of the wrist. He took the oyster from her hand and skillfully slid the knife between the tightly closed ridges of its shell, prying it open easily.
Claire hung over him entranced and watched with baited breath. Emma stood in the background with a warm smile on her face, but her mind was still preoccupied with the day's recent events, particularly the sudden appearance of The Seal of Cleito. She watched distractedly as he fished around inside the meat of the oyster with the tip of his knife, and was relieved to hear a squeal of delight from Claire as a large round white pearl popped to the surface. It was about the size of a dime, and glowed dully in the last rays of the sun that shone through the window.
" That's got to be one o' the largest one's I've seen yet, poppet." Jack scrutinized it deftly, turning it over between his fingers. " Nearly perfect shape too… Ye'd best keep a good handle on it now, savvy?"
" Savvy!" She responded victoriously as she took up the offered pearl between thumb and forefinger. Jack reached his free hand out and ruffled her hair, then glanced at Emma who had not moved from her place in the middle of the carpet. A rather large puddle had formed around her and she was staring off into space distractedly, lost in her own thoughts. He slid his knife back into his boot and stood, giving his daughter an obvious glance towards the door.
" Go show Jamie now, love. I'll wager he'll be wantin' to show ye his new present as well."
Claire left the room in a huff of excitement, leaving Jack to regard Emma. The woman looked at him pale faced through the dripping wet strands of golden hair that were carelessly plastered to her face. He sauntered over to his desk and sat in the bolted down chair, swiveling his feet up to rest them crossed on the tabletop. He regarded her with a look of mild amusement.
" I had a talk with Bootstrap." He said through a glittering smile. " I reckon that he's up to no good with that little white disc. Ye know what it is, don't ye?"
Emma nodded mutely.
" It's called The Seal of Cleito, am I right?"
Emma nodded again.
" What else do ye know?"
She pursed her lips, then shook her head and slumped down on the edge of the bed, resting her chin in her hands.
" Nothing." She said shortly.
Jack's eyebrow shot up and he looked at her dubiously. " Do ye really expect me to believe that, love?"
She shot him an indignant glare; all previous traces of nervousness were gone from her countenance, and then looked away angrily. " I told you, I don't know anything!"
"Well…" Jack thought, "So much for the straightforward approach." So she was going to make things interesting for him then… He smiled as an idea formed in his mind, and instead said.
" Bootstrap has a mind to find Acaelum…"
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, Emma's jaw clenched and she tensed slightly. But her face remained immobile.
" Oh?" She said after a moment, trying to sound unconcerned. " That place is not real."
" That's what I said." Jack grinned at her.
Emma glanced up at him and her look softened. It was comforting to know that he was at least on her side. She had not handled the earlier encounter with Bootstrap very well. The shock of suddenly finding The Seal of Cleito amongst her daughter's possessions had unnerved her so greatly that she'd completely forgotten that it was best to be discreet in such circumstances, especially when she did not want attention drawn to her. Jumping off the ship had been a stupid move too, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't know how else to loose her tension in that moment. While she trusted Jack, she did not yet trust Bootstrap. That much she knew for sure. And the knowledge that he was planning on looking for Acaelum was not a great surprise to her. She glanced at Jack again and an overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over her. She was not used to lying to him. She'd not done such a thing since when she'd first met him… She hated herself in that moment, but it was for his safety that he didn't know. It was for his safety, and the safety of everyone on the ship that no one knew anymore about that Seal than the scattered accounts and fairytales that had arisen around it by the seafaring community over the ages. She knew Jack well enough that even if he really knew, he probably would not take heed to her warnings, he wouldn't see them as serious enough to merit caution. She had to remain silent, that was the only answer. If he didn't know, then there was no way he or Bootstrap would find Acaelum, and they would remain safe.
" It's for his safety… for Claire's… everyone's!" She told herself over and over again.
But it didn't mean she still didn't feel horrible about the situation.
" Jack…" She finally said, watching her hands folded in her lap. " I know you're curious… but I can't say anything more."
" That's what I figured." Jack said, watching her wearily. " Don't worry, love… I'm sure ye have your reasons, ye only needed to say so."
" I'm sorry." She said shortly, feeling horribly inadequate in that moment. The room felt hot and stuffy, and she longed for the cool sea breeze on her face. She stood up and gave him a tiny smile. " I'm… just going to take a breath of air, I'll be back in a moment."
He didn't answer her, but she could feel his eyes following her all the way to the door. As she closed the door behind her and walked out onto the edge of the railing, her mind was in a complete state of chaos. She couldn't keep her silence up for long, she knew that much. What could she do to make things right without having to tell him everything she knew?
" Bootstrap wants to find Acaelum?" she remembered Jack's warning and shivered despite the heat. " If only I could get that disc back. It would be better off at the bottom of the ocean. That horrible thing!"
She grabbed a hold of the railing as a plan began to form in her mind. Yes! If she could only get that disc… it would only take her a second to chuck it into the water. They would never be able to find it again. All her worries would be solved!
With this plan firmly lodged in her mind, she turned around and headed back towards the Captain's Cabin, feeling much better. If she could just get rid of the object, then she wouldn't have to lie anymore, or avoid dangerous questions.
" I just have to make sure I don't get caught…" She thought a little nervously. " Well, if Claire can steal it from under Bootstraps nose, why can't I?"