Two hours later Jack was still staring into his full mug of rum. Across from him sat Will, who hadn't drunken anything in the time they had been here either. They had said a few words to each other but not a whole lot. Nothing in seriousness or in foolishness.
Will finally got fed up with it. "Jack, tell me about Beverly."
"There's nothing to tell anymore mate. She's out of my life."
"She affected you when we were in her bar!" Will said pointing outside the ship, "She's affected your life. Tell me."
He shook his head, "I can't Will, I just can't."
"Why not?"
"Why do you want to know so bad? It's my past!"
"I think you could help a few people on this ship if you just opened up just a little."
"Opened up to who?"
Before Will could respond Gwyneth came down the stairs and asked Roberts for some coffee. Will looked at Jack.
"Her?" Jack whispered.
Will nodded, "You're not the only one who's lost someone," He got up, "Think about it," and left.
Gwyneth stood in front of Jack, holding her cup and asked, "Why'd he leave?"
"Because he's a bloody fool."
She rolled her eyes.
"Sit down…though you should be gettin' some rest in your cabin."
"And you should be up on deck keeping watch…but I'm not saying anything."
Jack smiled.
"So Beverly is an interesting person, huh?"
Jack eyed her; she wasn't looking at him, but around the room. She was trying to get the same information out of him that Will was. But why did Will think he'd open up to this woman rather than him?
You could help a few people on this ship if you just opened up just a little
Opened up to who?
You're not the only one who's lost someone
"Gwen, tell me about Nathan…after that I might be able to offer you some interesting facts about my life…"
Gwyneth smiled meekly as if she'd been found out. "Nathan Swann…He was Elizabeth's brother, as you so brilliantly found out the day I came aboard. I met him when Elizabeth and he came into my store."
"You have a store?"
"Well it's actually my mother's store…but as part of the family, I work there too."
"What do you sell?"
"Um…dresses, fabric, hats, gloves…they were in there to get a present for their mother…who at the time had failing health, though I didn't find out until quite a time later."
Jack nodded.
"Elizabeth and I got to talking about her mother and the present the two of them wanted to buy for her and then I mentioned I knew Will Turner…"
*****
"Will Turner is my older brother's friends…I've known his for years."
"Really? I too have known him for years."
"From what I hear from Will, the two of you have known each other since little children!"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, but the real reason I came here Ms. Johnson was that I…my brother and I need to buy something for my mother."
"Please, call me Gwyneth…and what were you thinking about?"
*****
"Well Elizabeth and I met once a week regularly and became quite good friends which caused me to be around her brother. Nathan and I went out together sometimes, but not a lot. We mostly went out with Elizabeth, Will or my parents. Nothing fancy but just enough to melt my heart. One night about two months before the Pearl raided Port Royal…"
*****
"Nathan! What are you doing here?"
"I had to come and see you."
"At two o'clock in the morning? Couldn't it have waited until a decent hour?"
He shook his head, "Gwen, my mother passed away just an hour ago."
*****
"He called you Gwen?" Jack asked, interrupting her story.
She nodded.
"Is that why you hate it when I call you that?"
"I don't hate it."
Jack looked at her, his eyes full of emotion.
"I just…it just reminds me of Nathan…now stop interrupting me! So like I was saying, his mother had passed away…"
*****
"Nathan, I'm so sorry."
"Yes, but it made me realize something, I love you and I don't want to loose you, be my wife?"
"Nathan, are you sure? I mean you're mother just…"
"I've never been so sure about anything in my life. My mother's death made me realize that anyone could die at any minute, I want to make sure that you're my wife as soon as possible."
*****
"Well to say the least, I was a bit taken aback from this declaration, but I got over it." She smiled, "We had a long engagement as most couples do now…and then on the day of our wedding, he gets murdered…"
Jack watched as her eyes seemed to glaze over as a single tear came down her face. She seemed to be thinking of him and what place he held in her heart.
"I'm sorry Gwen…oh, do you want me calling you that?"
Gwyneth looked at Jack, surprised that a simple story could change his feelings towards her, "Jack, honestly, yes, you can call me that."
"But why? If it reminds you of Nathan?"
"It's hard to explain Jack…"
One of Jack's eyebrows rose, has she called me 'Jack' before? Wasn't it just 'captain'? He thought.
"So you owe me a story…"
He smiled, "I guess I do…"
"Please start from the beginning; it's much more enjoyable that way."
"Maybe for you…" He muttered. "Okay!" He took a long gulp of the rum and then rolled up his sleeves, making it look like he was lifting a book case. But he knew it would get 'deep' by the end of his story. "Beverly and I met each other oddly enough not on Tortuga but on Port Royal. I had told the crew to drop me off and meet me in a week in a cove where the Commodore wouldn't be able to find them. I always visit Will, and I had heard that he had proposed to Lizzy so I had to go and live with him for a week to show my appreciation!"
"I find her pick pocketing me one day while I'm trying to be incognito. But she had other plans. I cause a riot and get us both thrown in Jail. Will manages to sweet talk the Commodore and we're both out of jail. She tells me she's a pirate and that she's out of a job for the moment 'cause she has no ship. I bring her along with me."
He sighed, "Well needless to say, two weeks later we find she's pregnant…she has Brenda."
Gwyneth gasped, "Beverly is Brenda's mother!"
Jack nodded, "About a year after the babe is born, she leaves."
"Leaves?"
"Just leaves…during the night."
"Why did you take her into your ship without knowing anything about her?"
Jack lifted his head and looked into Gwyneth's eyes, "Why did you say 'yes' to Nathan?"
"You loved her?"
"Well not at first, but yes…after a while…I just fell in love…"
As Elizabeth sat in front of Antonio she couldn't understand how her mother had anything to do with the current situation. Here was this man that she barely knew herself and he was telling her that her mother was a big part of this whole situation.
"How did my mother get into this mess?"
"You're mother had long brown hair, brown eyes and was thin and medium height, no?"
"You knew my mother?"
"Sí, señora, I did know your mother. Her name was Deborah Miller; she was an only child…"
"She lived on Port Royal her whole life!"
"Believe that if you wish, but you're wrong."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "Prove it."
"You're mother chose to come aboard my ship when she was a teenager."
"And how old were you?"
"Not much older. Early twenties, about your age."
"Why did she come on board?"
"To see the sea, live on the ocean…be with pirates."
This can't be true…it can't be true… "How long did she stay?"
He shrugged, "Five years maybe…but she left. She and I got in a fight and she left. But she took with her a map."
"She took your map?"
He nodded.
"And you've been searching each island for it and her?"
"To be honest, I couldn't care what happened to your mother, it's the map I care about."
"You are with a person five years, and you don't learn to care about them?"
"Ms. Turner, I think you're missing the point…you're mother and I were…more than friends if you get my meaning…"
Her eyes bulged, "She was you're….you're…"
He nodded, with a smirk on his face. Elizabeth wanted to lunge at him and permanently remove that stupid smirk, but she knew that she would be beat, that's what killed her. Her feelings were raging inside her and she couldn't do what she wanted because of fear.
"But the important part señora, is that we find that map."
"What makes you think I know where it is?"
"You're the only living of you family, you should be praying you know where it is or where it would be."
Elizabeth started racking her brain. "She could've given it to Nathan."
"We searched your house and his ship thoroughly. Nothing."
"Well then I have no idea."
"Is there anyone Nathan would've given the map to?"
Elizabeth paused, one name came to mind, Gwyneth.
_____________________________
Author Thanks:
Jackfan2: YAY! New reviewer! You like my story- right on. I figured you leaned toward the Ana/Jack deal, considering your FANTASTIC story, Shelter in the Rain. But yea, thanks for the review.
PED-Sarah: Oh! I got you now! She doesn't want to fall for a pirate! AH! Why I didn't catch that I'm not quite sure, but thanks for clearin' that up. J And yea…I just up load when I feel like it. I like giving myself room to change things if I need to.