Chapter Twenty-Three: Starlight



It was a beautiful night to sleep under the stars. Not that anyone was sleeping. Rachel found that she liked the feel of the hammock, pulling her body close to Jack's. It was nearly impossible for two people to share a hammock without cuddling. Unfortunately, recent events were preying on her mind, and it was somehow managing to hinder her enjoyment of the situation. She snuggled closer to Jack, trying to derive comfort from his closeness. He pulled her into him, sensing her anxiety. "What's wrong, luv?" he asked her.


"What are we going to do, Jack?" she asked.


"D'you have to ask, luv?" he replied with a grin.


"I mean about the ransom," she told him.


"Nothing we can do, pet. The ransom is there, and we'll just have to live with that fact. We'll try to take some precautions, but that's all we can really do."


"What kind of precautions?" she asked.


"Well, for one, I think you should stay aboard the ship as much as possible. It's you they really want, and I'll take no chances with you or the babe."


"And what about you? There's a ransom on you, too."


"There's always been a ransom on me, luv. After all," he smiled and his gold teeth glinted in the moonlight. "I am Captain Jack Sparrow, the most fearsome pirate in the Caribbean."


"There's always been a ransom on you?" she asked. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You never asked," he replied. "Besides, it just would have worried you. Just like it's doing right now. I admit though, the ransom's never been this big before. I'd be flattered if I didn't know the real reason behind it."

"Maybe I could go and talk to the man," she began.

"Out of the question, luv," Jack interrupted. "What would you say to him, if you did? He'd never believe the truth. If I hadn't seen some pretty fantastic things already, I wouldn't have believed you myself."

"Maybe if I told him I was happy with you, and you didn't kidnap me . . . " Rachel sighed, realizing just how implausible that sounded.

"He wants his daughter back, Rachel. Unless you're ready to go back with him and be that daughter, you'd best just stay away from him."

"You're right, I know. I just find it so frustrating. My being here could put the whole crew in danger. And I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you, because of me."

"No worries, luv." He smiled. "I've been avoiding ransoms for a very long time now. This one isn't much different from the others. And you being aboard just may be safer for the crew. Those ships back at Tortuga avoided firing directly at us. They just fired warning shots, meant to threaten, but not to harm. I don't think Lord Pepperidge would be pleased if his rescuers caused us to go down with you aboard. Think about it, luv."

"Maybe you have something, there. I was wondering why they seemed to give up so easily."

"That's why, pet. There was nothing they could really do unless they could catch us, and there isn't a ship in the Caribbean that can catch the Pearl. Now, stop worrying, lie back, and enjoy the starlight."

She sighed. "It is a beautiful night. I never realized just how many stars there were out there."

"Haven't you ever looked up before?" he asked.

"Of course, but living in the city makes it hard to appreciate the stars. There's so much light all around that you can't see all of them."

"Where does all the light come from? Most cities put out the lamps after a certain hour."

"Where I come from, the lights stay on all night, and they're so much brighter than the lamps here."

"Such a shame, for so many people to miss out on this," he said, sweeping his arm across the sky.

"There are a lot of things I missed out on, before," she said. "The sea air . . . the spray on my face . . . you."

"That's one thing you'll never have to miss out on again, luv," he replied as he rolled her over on top of him. "Or this either." He brought her face down to his and kissed her. She responded in kind, exploring his mouth with her tongue. She could taste the slight tang of the gold in his mouth but it was a taste that she was familiar with. It was a part of Jack. He moved his hands down to her hips and pressed her against him. She could feel his passion building beneath her and she knew she was about to experience another first. She'd never made love in a hammock under the stars, before.