The Seal of Cleito
(A/N-revision: 9-30-03- My original upload was not spell-checked! *Cringes* So sorry! That's what I get for trying to finish this thing at 2 AM… so anyways, that has been fixed. I hope it's relatively free of stupid errors now. =)
I'm SOOOOoooo sorry for how late this chapter is. I got REALLY really stinking sick last week (even more than the week before). And then I was out of town all weekend. So I didn't get the chance to put this chapter up until now. It's really long and so I hope that makes up for the tardiness! Expect the next chapter sometime next week. I won't have any time to write again until next Sunday most likely.)
Chapter 4- The Poor ThiefThe dawn of the next day promised to be as stifling and hot as the last. Emma opened her eyes to the sounds of thumping and scraping on the poop deck above and jumped at a sudden 'THUMP' of a barrel falling and rolling on the ceiling just above her head. It seemed that the crew was hard at work with the preparations for the voyage to Nassau. According to Jack, they would be sailing the following morning. Will must have found Gibbs last night, and Gibbs in turn must have found the rest of the crew, which would account for the early morning disturbances. They would want to get most of the preparations done before the full heat of the day took hold. Emma stretched and rolled over with the desire to bury her face in Jack's chest and try to catch a few more winks before she had to face the day. But she was disappointed to find that he was not there.
Reluctantly, she sat up and stretched and looked about the cabin. His coat and hat were not on the chair, which meant that he was probably carrying out Captain's duties on deck. Then, with a sudden sinking feeling she remembered the events of the previous day. The knowledge of Bootstrap's sudden appearance, coupled with the unnerving discovery that he carried The Seal of Cleito settled on her like a rain cloud. She felt her good mood quickly disappear. Emma remembered her late-night decision to try and steal it from him to dispose of the object. It was still the only solution that she could come up with, but the idea of it made her stomach do an uncomfortable turn. She was not a thief. She would have to try and get the object by devious means rather than pickpocket him. She swallowed hard at the thought of what might happen to her if she was caught. Jack had told her that Bootstrap was a member of the crew, and he therefore fell under the pirate's code of conduct. If she was caught stealing from him, like any member, even she wasn't exempt from a sound lashing as punishment.
She jumped as another great 'BANG' was heard above and then with a grumble rose from the bed and reached for her clothes. She would make everything right today. Nothing would stop her from getting her hands on that disc!
~*~*~*
" Bring those canon balls down to the gun deck." Will directed Kursar and Ladbroc, who between the two had a particularly heavy crate of ammunition. " And Quartetto, Put the first barrel of apples in the galley and the other one in the hold for later."
" Mr. Cotton!" Jack's voice carried over Will's as he called from the Helm. " When yer done storing those ropes, clean out the canon's! They're so filthy it's likely they'll blow up our own ship next time we use 'em!"
" Wow Jack," Bootstrap surveyed the view from the helm and grinned a toothy smile. " It feels great to have my feet back on a sturdy vessel. I'd almost forgotten the feel of freedom."
The gaunt and disheveled man had cleaned himself up quite a bit since yesterday. His hair had been washed and was pulled back at the nape of the neck into a small ponytail, his beard was trimmed, and he sported a travel-stained white shirt (which was a thousand times better for wear than his old shirt). Over this, he wore a frayed but relatively clean looking black vest, and his pants looked as if they're previous owner had been dragged through the dirt for several miles. He had steadfastly refused to get rid of his patched coat, however, which he wore about his person like royalty, and his old worn out boots and their frayed laces. The final accoutrement to his new ensemble was an old and cracked leather Baldric slung over his shoulder with a cutlass that hung at his hip, and a flintlock pistol tucked securely in his belt.
Jack looked at his friend and gave him an appreciative smile. " Well, freedom doesn't come easy, mate… when yer in my line of work!"
" Faith! That do be true." Bootstrap agreed whole-heartedly as he surveyed the crew hard at work, but no matter how hard he tried to keep his attention on the work at hand, his gaze continually strayed to Will. Jack could see his eyes soften as he watched the tall dark haired man directing the storage of the food and ammunition. It made the pirate captain think back to what had happened earlier that morning, when Elizabeth and Will has first laid eyes on Bootstrap in his new ensemble.
The change had been so dramatic, that Bootstrap had made both Will and Elizabeth do a double take. Elizabeth had squinted at the stranger slightly, then shot a comparative glance at Will, and back again. Luckily for Bootstrap, she had been quickly called away on an errand before she'd had the time to make any further connections from her observations of Henry's unusual likeness to her husband. Lucky for Bootstrap, Will wasn't keen enough on his own features to realize that he was looking at a much older, thinner, and dirtier copy of himself.
" I almost didn't recognize you, Henry." He said with a warm smile. " It's a vast improvement from yesterday."
" Aye! Well, it seems my ill luck is on an upturn." Bootstrap said thankfully, absently patting his side where the cutlass hung. " Captain Jack was good enough to lend me some o' his old throw-offs."
" You'll have plenty of time to fill them out on the upcoming voyage." Elizabeth said, a little distractedly, still looking from him to her husband in obvious confusion.
Bootstrap shot her a nervous smile, but thankfully Jamie plunged into the center of the ring with his sword, and provided a well-timed distraction.
" Arrr!! Barbossa ye white-livered squid!" He cried brandishing his wooden sword at Bootstrap, " Draw yer sword or prepare to die!"
" I accept yer challenge whelp!" Bootstrap cried, eager to escape from Elizabeth's penetrating eyes. He did a quick sidestep away from a clumsy stab from Jamie and drew his sword. He shot a quick smile and a wink at Will, as if to say, " Ye can trust me with the lad." And allowed the boy to push him back towards the stern of the ship.
" Jamie, after you kill Barbossa I want you back here to help me with an errand!" Called Elizabeth. " So make it quick, won't you?"
" Yes mum!" said Jamie just as Bootstrap tripped backwards over his bootlaces and fell flat on his back. Jamie went in for the kill, plunging the tip of the sword in the crook of the older man's armpit.
" Curses! Ye haven't seen the last of me!" Bootstrap cried, holding the sword upright with his free hand as he gave a dramatic convulsion, " I shall have my revenge!"
" I win!" Jamie cried joyfully. He grabbed up his sword and turned to run back to his mother. Elizabeth, Jack and Will all had watched the exchange with amusement.
" Even if the circumstances are suspicious," whispered Elizabeth to her husband. " Henry seems rather genuine, don't you think?"
" I… suppose so…" Will agreed, then turned to see his wife and son off the ship, for one last trip to shore before they would be departing.
Bootstrap was sitting up and had watched this exchange from afar, Jack could see a pained smile on his face as Will gave Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek as she climbed onto the ladder and disappeared over the edge of the ship.
" Ah!" Bootstrap uttered a cry of surprise that snapped Jack back to the present. " There's yer wench! Finally awake now…"
Jack directed his gaze directly downward over the railing and sure enough, Emma had emerged into the sunlight. She immediately looked up and her face lit up at the sight of Jack, then she glanced at Bootstrap who was also looking down at her with an unreadable smile on his face. Her smile faltered and then she turned away quickly and walked along the length of the deck. Elizabeth had just returned from her errand, and climbed on board with Claire and Jamie close behind her. A few seconds later, two more pirates climbed up over the edge, hoisting up between the two of them a rather large and heavy looking chest that Elizabeth directed towards the hold. In her arms, she held several wrapped parcels and each of the children held their own small package clutched protectively to their chest.
" Emma! Good morning," Elizabeth smiled warmly to the girl as she approached.
" Elizabeth! Let me help you with some of those." Emma grabbed up two of the parcels from the top of Elizabeth's pile without waiting for permission and they started to head for the deck below. " What is all this for?"
" Oh! Well… we're not exactly coming back to Tortuga for all I know. And I hear rumors that the Spanish are planning to attack. I couldn't bear to leave some of my favorite possession's behind to be destroyed or looted. The same goes for the children. I told them to take their most precious items."
Emma was relieved that the few things that she treasured were all stored in Jack's cabin and she didn't have to go on shore. She glanced down at Claire and raised an eyebrow at the girl's small parcel.
" What did you bring with you, darling?" Emma asked her daughter.
Claire smiled brightly up at her. " My treasure!"
" Treasure, eh?" She grinned as they made their way towards the stairs leading to the brig. " And what would that be?"
" It's a secret." She said protectively.
Emma gave her a dubious look, " Well, okay, go stash it and come right back, there is work to do before we set sail." She handed the parcels she'd been carrying for Elizabeth to a pirate who was already on his way down.
" Where are we going?" Claire asked.
" To a port called Nassau." Emma said matter-of-factly. " I think you'll like it very much."
" Are there oysters in the harbor?" Asked Claire.
" I don't know. But I imagine there should be."
" I hope so!" Claire said with excitement, and then she turned and disappeared below deck in pursuit of Jamie and Elizabeth.
With her daughter amply distracted, and she found herself with a moment of free time, Emma looked around for Bootstrap. She frowned when she no longer found him at the helm where she'd seen him just moments before.
" Have you seen Henry?" She asked Matellot who happened to be walking by with his arms full of grapples. The sun burnt face turned to her with an inquisitive look.
" That's the new guy, right?" He asked. " Tall and really skinny?"
" Yes." Emma confirmed with a nod.
" I think he's on the gun deck."
Before Emma could utter a word
of thanks, he turned and scurried away at a shout from Gibbs. She spared a covert glance around the deck,
noticed that Jack had his attention on the proceedings of hoisting a canon on
board the ship, and walked as swiftly and stealthily as she could towards the
opening to the gun deck.
She found Bootstrap checking the port side guns.
" Everything in order?" She asked hesitantly. Bootstrap straightened at the voice and turned a little nervously, his eyes scanned her suspiciously in a quick glance and then he smiled.
" Aye Miss Emma… Jest checking to make sure they're properly cleaned. The gun's aren't much good if they backfire on ye." He patted the gun he was examining knowingly, then moved over to the next and knelt to inspect the inside.
" Umm…" Emma faltered, wondering how in the world she was supposed to get that disc from him. " Uhh…"
" Aye?"
Bootstrap glanced up from over the canons barrel. " Is there something I can do for ye?"
" Oh- no… nothing. " Emma gave
him a very forced smile and danced backwards slightly. "Do you still have…that little trinket of
yours from yesterday? You do know what
it is, don't you?"
" Aye." Bootstrap nodded his head unconcernedly, but his eyes sparkled. He put on his best look of mild interest. " The Seal of Cleito, that's what it's called, right?"
" Yes!" Emma said quickly, unable to hide her nervousness. " Yes it is…"
There was another long, uncomfortable pause where both looked like they wanted to say something, but didn't know exactly how to say it.
Finally, Emma broke the silence, " Well… I just came down to… uhh… apologize! Yeah—apologize for my daughter for the other day. She didn't know you, and strangers are fair game to her. But now that you're part of the crew, you needn't worry about her." As she said this, she walked closer to him, until they were standing only a few feet apart. " I promise she'll be on her best behavior from now on…" Emma trailed off a little nervously. Her fingers twitched and she was thinking hard about how she might be able to close those few feet and get the disc without rousing his suspicions.
" Aye…" Bootstrap's smile faltered and he pursed his lips. He had about a hundred questions he wanted to ask her, but he didn't know how to even start without scaring her off as he had the other day. Jack had said 'If you know where to press.' But he didn't know the slightest thing about this strange golden haired mermaid. " I'll be sure to remember that."
"Good..." Emma said haltingly, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. How in the world was she supposed to steal it from him?! She was sure he was on to her. He had the strangest look on his face at that moment. She had no idea what he was thinking. All at once her resolve crumbled. She would have to come up with some sort of plan. The straightforward approach so far was getting her absolutely nowhere. " Well then…" And she gave a tiny curtsy and turned to go, but halted suddenly as his hand caught her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
" Miss Emma…" Bootstrap's voice sounded desperate as Emma turned to regard him with a questioning glance. The man scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, then seemed to steel himself to what he was about to say and squared his shoulders. She could feel the tension in his posture as he spoke.
" Jack told me to trust you… and I'll take that to 'eart. I have a mind to go after Acaelum with the disc."
Emma's eyes widened slightly, just the mere mention of that place sent her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She tried her best to look calm though, and after a moment of not saying anything, Bootstrap continued.
" It would certainly be helpful if ye could tell me what ye know. Seeing as I don't know much about the Seal of Cleito."
" I really couldn't help you there." Emma said quickly, tiptoeing around his question with as vague an answer as she could come up with. She was acutely aware of his hand tightening on her wrist involuntarily, " It's a lot of myths and nonsense really… nothing you'd be interested in hearing."
" --Don't be so sure…" He interrupted her excitedly. His face was alight with a strange chaotic fervor that she recognized from yesterday, " I'd be most interested in hearing what sorts of stories yer kind has about it! Please do tell!"
" My kind???" Emma muttered uncomfortably, "What do you mean?"
" Jack told me about you." Bootstrap said.
Her eyes widened in concern, and he sputtered, " I don't mind it!" with hasty reassurance. " I think it's quite fascinating actually. I've never met one before." He threw his head back and chuckled to himself. " It's rather unusual actually… seeing as I spent about ten years wandering the depth's. There must not be many of ye left…"
" No…" Muttered Emma. " You're right, there are not many of us left…" She wanted more than anything to be on deck and away from this confrontation. Oh! How in the world did Claire do it?
Emma paused in her thoughts when she noticed Bootstrap staring over her shoulder. His face had fallen from eager to somber in seconds. With a sudden feeling of dread, she whirled around to see Jack standing in the doorway watching the two of them. He was leaning with one shoulder against the vertical wooden support and his glance was directed at Bootstrap with… was that anger?
Emma yanked her hand away from Bootstrap and lengthened the distance between the two of them with a few hurried steps. Her heart was pounding as she realized just how bad a position he'd caught them in and turned to Jack, trying her best to look cool.
" Oh good, there you are…" She said, trying desperately to come up with a good reason for why she was talking to Bootstrap alone on the gun deck when she knew perfectly well that she should have been helping with the loading above.
Thankfully, she didn't have to open her mouth, because Jack did first and saved her from having to give a lame excuse.
" I came down to tell 'Henry' that he's needed on deck, there's two new canons that need to be brought below." Jack said this with an unconcerned tone of voice, but his narrowed eyes flashed dangerously as he glanced at Bootstrap.
" Aye, Captain…" Bootstrap hastily bobbed his head and then bustled past the two of them, disappearing up the stairs with amazing speed.
Emma's heart sank as her chance to get the disc walked out of the room and up the stairs. Some thief she was turning out to be! She'd had the perfect chance and had completely blown it! Then she stiffened as Jack's narrow eyes shifted to her.
" The bosun told me that there's some food in the galley for ye if yer hungry, love." He said silkily.
Hunger had been the furthest thing from Emma's mind at that moment. She knew her face was bright red; she felt guilty and ashamed that Jack had caught her in such an embarrassing situation and wanted desperately to set him straight. But even more she didn't want to excite his suspicion at what she was up to. He didn't seem to be asking her for excuses though, so she figured it would be better to just brush off the entire ordeal and act normal.
" Thank you, I think I will have that bite to eat." She said and then flashed a warm smile at him as she headed towards the doorway, hoping that it would abate any anger that he might still be harboring. It seemed to work, because he extended his hand as she passed by and caught her by the waist, pulling her close to him with unexpected ferocity. Emma found herself crushed up against his chest in that moment and he bent his head down to kiss her. He was quite used to taking what he wanted, and she'd grown used to his sudden and sporadic bursts of affection. It was part of his unpredictability and charm.
She was slightly breathless when he released her as quickly and with just as little warning. He leaned in and whispered in her ear with a hint of ardor in his voice.
" I don't care what you are up to love, but don't let me catch ye like that again… You know I don't like to share what's mine, and I'm prepared to prove it to ye the hard way if need be…"
As he spoke, Emma's emotions took her from hope, to guilt, to anger. She had not had those intensions in the slightest, and he was accusing her of being unfaithful? The injustice of it all was enraging.
She flashed him the back of her left hand as if to hit him, but stopped just short of his cheek, he did not even wince as they glared at each other. Emma held her hand up, displaying an empty ring finger and said scathingly, " What's yours? What's YOURS? Do you see a ring on this finger? NO! Whose fault is that? YOURS! So tell me again what is YOURS when you remedy that situation!"
Without another word, she whirled around and stalked away down the stairwell towards the galley. Jack hadn't moved from his position against the side of the doorway that entire time, but his mouth had upturned and he followed her with his eyes until she'd completely disappeared from site. God, how he loved that woman! But… marriage? The very thought sent a shiver of terror up his spine. He was perfectly happy where he was, why should he change anything? Then, his grin fell to a frown as he turned and walked back up to the deck. He hadn't thought for a second that she'd actually been unfaithful; he'd only thought to tease her. He had a pretty good idea what she had been doing down there, it had to do with the Seal of Cleito, he was positive on that account. He'd been pondering since last night about how he'd get her to tell him what she knew (because he was strongly of the opinion that Acaelum would be a great side trip on the way to Nassau). Now, the strange encounter on the gun deck suddenly gave him an idea. He spotted Bootstrap, who was straining with one of the canons to bring it across the deck. The man caught Jack's stern eyed gaze and paled considerably. Jack stood and watched him with his back against the mainmast as they loaded the canon onto a lift to hoist to the gallery below. As soon as the work was done, he caught Jack's gaze and wandered over to him.
" Don't be mad, Jack… if it's about what ye saw down there… I swear I didn't do anything!" Bootstrap was adamant in his defense. Jack folded his arms and rolled his head back, gazing coolly down the ridge of his nose.
" What makes ye think I'm mad?" He asked his friend.
Bootstrap faltered with his next excuse already on his lips, " Err…well… ye didn't look too happy is all…so I assumed that--"
" No, no…" Jack waved his hands in the air, and then pointed at Bootstrap purposefully. " I'm not mad, I know what you're up to."
" Ye do?" He said dubiously.
" Aye! But, here's a little warning…be smart about it, savvy?"
Bootstrap blinked confused, and then nodded his head. "Smart? Of course! Anything ye say…Jack…"
" Good!" Jack's somber face melted away and was instantly replaced with a whole-hearted smile. " Well, back to work then, eh? Mate?"
" Aye, Captain." Bootstrap looked a shade paler as he turned and made his way back towards the gun deck. He didn't know exactly what it was Jack had warned him against… but, like Jack, he was not one to let anything stand in-between him and what he wanted. He would just have to be more careful in regards to Emma in the days ahead.
Captain Jack Sparrow watched Bootstrap stagger away with an amused expression, and then noticed Elizabeth was lingering nearby, and shot a glance at her.
" Eh! Mrs. Turner, would ye do me the favor of checking out that crack in the topmast? Make sure that it's no danger of breaking in a storm?"
Elizabeth jumped up as if stung, and then headed over to the shroud with amazing speed. " Yes, Captain!"
Jack watched her scurry up with a glittering smile. Then turned and sauntered over to Gibbs.
" May I ask what yer in such a good mood about, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs inquired in response to Jack's smile.
" Double the food stores." Jack instructed. " And the water and grog… We might be at sea a bit longer than a fortnight…"
" Aye?" Mr. Gibbs raised an eyebrow questioningly, " Why do you reckon, Jack?"
" I have a feeling." Was all Jack would say.
" Well, if ye have something up yer sleeve, I'm sure we'll all be hearing of it in good time…" Gibbs said with a laugh and a shrug, " That's what we've all come to expect from ye, after all…" then he turned and began barking his orders.
Jack watched from the sidelines, his smile did not falter. If everything continued as he planned, they would all be seeing Acaelum in the near future.
~*~*~*
The sun was finally setting behind the horizon as the work for the day thankfully ended. The crew took this time to unwind by holding a celebration for luck in the voyage ahead. They drank rum, sang raucous and jaunty pirate tunes, and danced, swaggering and lurching about the deck in an intoxicated fervor. Claire was happily spinning about on the dance floor, being passed from one large set of hands to another and she laughed in delight at being the center of so much attention. Emma sat on the sidelines, lost in thought with her eyes on Jack. After her outburst, things had gotten so busy that she'd barely had any time to talk to him. Part of her was regretting at being so angry, but the other part felt quite righteous. She admitted to herself that she harbored a deeply buried jealousy of Elizabeth and Will's relationship. They could happily say they'd been married for over ten years! But her and Jack? What was their relationship exactly? She was his partner in every intimate way; she'd even born his child! She thought of herself as his wife in all but name. But she did not have a ring on her finger. Most of the time she choose not to think about it. What did a ring mean anyways? It was only a piece of jewelry right? Marriage and Jack Sparrow were not two words that one normally heard in the same sentence.
She sighed heavily, feeling extremely depressed, her eyes strayed over to Bootstrap, who was talking animatedly with Jamie and laughing. She thought of her mission to steal the Seal of Cleito and felt even worse. Not only had she failed miserably at stealing it that morning, but also the remainder of the day had been so busy that she hadn't had another chance to take it, let alone get close enough to Bootstrap for the opportunity. She was fairly sure that he kept it in his jacket pocket at all times, because he frequently checked it and would always be weary whenever the kids (particularly Claire) were near.
Bootstrap had his hand in that pocket right at that moment as Jamie left his company to dance around the pirates and join in the singing. Emma, feeling extremely sorry for her, lifted her mug to continue drowning her sorrows, but noticed with disappointment that it was empty. In a huff, she stood up and crossed the party to the casket of rum for a refill. Bootstrap was sitting beside it and she noticed through the corner of her eye that he was also reaching the end of his drink. Suddenly, an idea dawned on her and she remembered the time Elizabeth had told her how she'd gotten Jack out of the way when they'd been stranded on the deserted island so that she could build her signal fire. She'd gotten him stinking drunk! Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that before? If he were passed out, he wouldn't exactly be able to stop her from going through his pockets now would he?
Suddenly enlivened by this new idea, she stooped and picked his cup out of his hand. Bootstrap looked up at her surprised as she filled his mug to brimming and handed it back to him, then she helped herself and plopped down next to him.
Bootstrap had taken her offering without question and eyed her appreciatively. " What's this for, Miss Emma?"
" Nothing, just thought you might like some more." She said with forced cheerfulness, and then raised her mug. " To a swift voyage!"
" Aye! To Nassau!" Bootstrap lifted his drink. The toast was echoed by a few more pirates in the vicinity as they all tipped their mugs and drank heavily. Emma watched as he drank, the golden liquid spilled over the rim of the mug, running down his chin and dripped onto his shirt. With a start, she suddenly realized she was staring and quickly looked away. Her eyes strayed to Jack, who was currently drinking himself into a stupor across the ring of dancers and singing, completely oblivious!
Emma bristled, remembering her disagreement, and turned back to Bootstrap with renewed vigor. The alcohol that clouded her mind made her feel very bold. She poked him hard in the chest and said forcefully. " Do you have any idea how angry I am with you?"
" Do you have any idea how fascinated I am with you?" He answered her.
" That's hardly proper!" Emma said acidly. " I'm not that interesting."
" Not interesting? Yer a bloody mermaid!"
" I'm also in love with Jack Sparrow!" She said exasperated, then paused for a long swig of rum, " So I strongly suggest that you contain your indecent proposals!"
"I haven't proposed anything remotely indecent to ye!"
" Good!"
" Good!"
The party continued for Emma in this manner until the lanterns had burned most of their oil and were all at a very low glow, sending eerie shadows over the pirates who were finally starting to slow down and fall asleep on the deck one by one. The alcohol in Emma's system was starting to fade and she felt her sobriety coming back, along with a strong desire to curl into a ball and go to sleep. But her mission was still not complete, and she was beginning to feel desperate. No matter how many drinks she brought Bootstrap, the man simply didn't want to pass out. He could put his alcohol away like no man she had ever seen before.
" He's even more tolerant than Jack!" She thought with a hint of desperation. But as soon as she thought this, she was suddenly assaulted by the loud thud of a body hitting the deck. Bootstrap had tried to stand, and being unsuccessful, tripped on her skirts, which were billowed out around her legs and fell flat on his face in front of her. There he lay quite still. Her heart quickened and she would have jumped for joy. Finally! Emma eagerly leaned over the body and reached towards his pocket.
" Goodness!" came a voice from behind her. Emma jumped back startled and whirled around to see Elizabeth looking down at the man with an air of distaste. " He can't even bring himself to his own bed?"
" I'll help him." Offered Will, who wordlessly handed Jamie over to his mother. The boy had been curled up against his father's shoulder, with one arm soundly wrapped around the wooden sword (his newest prize possession) and the other around his father's neck. He was sound asleep. " Emma, where is Claire? I haven't seen her around recently."
" Oh, I put her to bed a while ago." Emma replied quickly. "Will, why don't you help Elizabeth with Jamie? I can take care of Henry…"
Will raised an eyebrow at her. " Do you really think you can carry him?"
" Of course!" replied Emma defensively. " Why shouldn't you think I can?"
" Think you can what?" Jack's voice came up suddenly on the other side of her. Emma whirled back around to regard the pirate captain, who was stooping over the body of Bootstrap with a look of mirth.
" Why should you care?" Emma said in a huff. " You were so busy drinking with Gibbs, I'm surprised you haven't passed out already."
Jack shot her an incredulous look, " Speak for yerself love, I'm not the one who spent the entire night trying to get another man drunk."
Emma winced and glanced discreetly at Elizabeth, whose eyebrows shot up with obvious surprise. Will looked from Emma, to Henry, to Jack, and back again and his face fell into a contemplative frown.
"I can lift him." Emma said quickly, eager to change the subject, " He is on my skirt after all."
Jack shook his head, " In all my years of knowing him… I've seldom seen him drink himself into such a stupor…"
Will stiffened, shot a discreet look at Elizabeth and then bent towards Jack eagerly. " How many years would that be, Jack?"
Jack glanced up at the younger man, and then his face broke into a smile. " Oh, a fair amount..."
Will's face faltered slightly at this and they both straightened up and regarded each other. Will with a challenging look, Jack with an amused one. Emma took this distraction to her advantage and quickly bent over Bootstrap, pretending to try and work him over off of her skirt. She reached for his coat pocket, but just as she found the fold in the fabric and was about to slide her hand inside, she felt the body underneath her shift as Jack had bent to help her.
" Let me get that for you, love." He said helpfully.
" No, really that's okay." Emma straightened up quickly; cursing her back luck as Jack easily lifted the man off her skirt.
Jack shook his head 'no' to her and with a heave rolled him over out of their way. " Jest let him sleep it off right here on deck. It's a fine night out."
" Oh… thank you." She said, hoping that the shadows the lantern cast would hide her disappointment as Jack grabbed her arm and hoisted her up. She tottered on unsteady legs and a wave of dizziness passed over her. She leaned against Jack for support and felt his strong arm loop around her waist, keeping her on her feet.
Will, cowed by Jack's lack of compliance to answer his questions, reluctantly allowed himself to be led away by Elizabeth.
" He's hiding something… I know it!" He muttered audibly under his breath to his wife.
" Of course he is, but you won't get anywhere by asking him directly. You'd have a better chance if you got to know Henry better. He seems to like you." Elizabeth said. " I see him watching you out of the corner of his eyes all the time. He probably thinks he's being very discreet too. Honestly!"
" Really?" Will frowned at her. " I haven't noticed."
" Well, you have to be aware of these things to notice." Elizabeth said a little exasperated. " Try paying attention next time…"
Their conversation dwindled and died away, both of them were sauced enough to not be concerned with who overheard their conversations. Emma and Jack were perfectly still and listened quietly until they couldn't hear anything else. Emma realized that it was too quiet, and looked around to discover that Jack and herself were the only two left awake among the slumbering crewmembers. Most of the men it seemed had also decided to spend the night under the stars. Emma looked up at Jack as he helped her towards their cabin.
" Jack, do you know that you are the most insufferable pirate I know?" She said, knowing that it was not necessarily true, but feeling particularly disgruntled that he'd managed twice to foil her plans to steal the disc.
" Insufferable, am I?" Jack replied with amusement. " What happened to terrible? Or that word you used last night, what was it? Oh yes… irresistible?"
" You have no idea." She said with a wry laugh. " I can think of loads more!"
" Enlighten me, darling…" He said as he pushed the door to his cabin open and led her inside.
" Devious, cunning, gentile, flamboyant, notorious, piratical--"
" --Piratical! I like that one." Jack interrupted.
" Charismatic, irresistible, impossible, unpredictable…" She continued rambling one word after another that came to her mind as he dropped her on the bed. " Quick, interesting, untrustworthy, Dishonest—"
" You are too kind, love." He said with a flourish as he threw his hat into its accustomed spot on the tabletop.
" I'm not finished yet." She said coolly.
" Oh? Then by all means… finish…"
" …" Emma paused, thinking for a moment, then said triumphantly. "Despicable!"
Jack raised an eyebrow at her and folded his arms, " There's one you're forgetting you know…"
" What is that?"
He jumped on the bed and gave her a mischievous gold toothed grin, his eyes lit up as he said, " Virile…"
Emma's heart quickened at his look, " Oh… That was next on my list."
Jack leaned in and kissed her.
" Jack…" She interrupted him,
pushing him away a little forcefully. "
I'm sorry about what I said earlier this morning."
Jack waved her apology off
with a shrug, " Forgiven, love." Then he smiled, and leaned back in to kiss the
side of her neck eagerly.
Emma pursed her lips feeling slightly annoyed. Here she was trying to apologize, feeling genuinely bad about how she'd acted, and he wasn't taking her seriously? Had everything he told her that morning been a big joke? Had she been worrying all day over their argument for nothing?
She had a sinking feeling that that might be the case; nevertheless, she felt the need to clear her conscience. " I'm also sorry about tonight, with Bootstrap."
" Forgiven again," Jack's voice was muffled as he kissed his way down towards her cleavage. He seemed determined to not let anything distract him from his course of action.
" You really are insufferable!" She cried exasperated. " Does nothing bother you?"
" On the contrary, darling…" Jack said, his head popped up and he surveyed her, slightly annoyed at the delay in his exploration, " It's not a matter of what does or doesn't bother me. I just don't let anything get in the way of what I want."
Emma paused as his reply echoed in her mind.
" Don't let anything get in the way…"
It was good advice. She thought of her mission to steal the Seal of Cleito. Yes! That was the answer… that was what she was missing! That was the key! She couldn't let outside things distract her. Go for broke. Don't hold back. Stop at nothing! It was for the greater good… for the safety of all the lives that she loved…Even if she had to seduce the coat right off of Bootstrap's back, she would do it. Jack would understand. She would make him understand…
Her eyes drifted closed with these new revelations. She was thankful for Jack's warm, protective presence, and his unintentional advice.
" Oh really?" She said sleepily, " And what is it that you want?"
She fought to stay awake, but the alcohol she'd consumed, plus the work and the stress of the day were too much for her to resist. And now that she'd apologized, cleared her thoughts, and come to a conclusion with her present problems, she was happy to escape into a blissful, relaxing slumber. She fell asleep lulled by the caresses of Jack's lips on her skin, and the gentle whisper of his voice in her ear.
" Now love, do you really have to ask?"
A/N- sneak peak for next chapter: Much is revealed about the Seal, Acaelum, and just what the heck is Cleito anyways? =) Leave me yer comments!