Chapter Seven
"Elizabeth, luv, I don't know what it is we can do," Elizabeth stood in
front of Will inside the blacksmith's shop. He sat on a wooden chair, his
hand rubbing his chin.
"We have to do SOMETHING," Elizabeth pouted. "If we just let Norrington
go after him, Jack will die. Do you not see that?"
"No, I see it," Will told her. "I just don't know where to start."
"Tortuga," Elizabeth said, making it obvious that she had already
brainstormed some ideas. "I know there's a big chance he won't be there,
but it's worth a try. And if we can't find him, maybe we'll find someone
who knows where he is."
"It is worth a try," Will sighed, taking in the seriousness of what would
happen if they didn't find Jack before Norrington. "But we're gonna need
a boat and one small enough to be crewed by two people." He noticed the
solemn look on his fiancée's face, stood up, walked to her and wrapped
her in his embrace. "It'll be alright, we'll get a boat."
"That's not the problem," she replied, returning his embrace with her
own. "The problem is finding Jack once we have the boat. He could be
anywhere and, and........." she sighed and looked up at him. "Will, we owe him
our lives."
"I know," he delicately kissed her forehead and smiled. "Well, we better
get to work then."
--- --- ---
"Mummy! Mummy, I'm going to the market!" Annie flew down the stairs and
ran towards the door, flinging it open and ready for her first pirate
lesson from the man she met yesterday.
"Whoa, hold up a minute there," Katie wrung her hands off in a towel,
dropping it on the pub counter. Sarah and Mary bustled about the tavern,
serving food and drinks to the regular customers. "You're leaving so
soon?"
"Um......... I'm meeting Victoria at the market and then I'm going to go to her
house," Annie lied, remembering how she was asked to keep it a secret.
"Alright, be safe darling," Katie bent down and kissed her daughter's
forehead. "But be back for dinner. I have something I need to talk to you
about," she gave Annie a final kiss before she ran off, knowing that once
she told her that her father was alive, she would finally be able to meet
him.
Annie ran as fast as she could back to the candy stand, her heart racing
with excitement. But when she finally reached her destination, she was
surprised to see that the man wasn't there, but in his place a tall,
slender woman with dark skin. She was wearing a brown skirt that went
down to her ankles, black lace-up boots, a white blouse and a broad-
brimmed hat. When she stopped at the table, she stopped and tried to
catch her breath.
The woman turned around and looked at her, crouching down so that they
were eyelevel. "You must be Miss Anna Pearl," she smiled at the girl.
Annie nodded. "Can I tell you something?" Annamaria asked. Annie nodded
again. "My name is Ana, too." Annie's face lit up. Kids are so cute,
Annamaria thought. "I'm gonna teach you how to be a REAL pirate. Would ye
like that??"
Annie nodded. "What about—"
"Somethin' of importance came up and he asked me to teach ye instead. I
hope ye don't mind."
"I don't," Annie grinned and took Annamaria's hand as she was led towards
Tortuga's blacksmith shop where she would learn her first lesson about
swordsmanship.
--- --- ---
The sun slowly began to sink in the sky, the ocean's waters turning a
deep red. Jack stood on the secluded beach on the far side of Tortuga,
skipping rocks into the ocean waves. He had a messenger send a message to
Katie, asking her to meet him there, and all he could do was hope that
she got it.
He had to see her again. The temptation of knowing she was where he was,
was too hard to resist. And he had to make sure she understood that what
she saw last night meant nothing to him. He loved her and her only and
couldn't bear to think that she might think otherwise.
"Hello, Jack," he let the small stones in his hand fall to his feet when
he heard her soft voice behind him. He turned around and faced her, the
smile still on his face.
"'Ello, luv," he took a step forward and caressed her cheek, surprised
when she didn't object. "You came."
"Of course I came," she replied, the faintest of smiles on her lips. "I
thought something might be wrong. You're not the kind to send a message,
Jack. Usually if you have something to say, you say it yourself."
"I know ye don't want me to see her yet," Jack reminded her, knowing full
well that Annie was spending the day learning how to be a pirate (just
like dear old dad) with Annamaria. "I didn't want to risk it."
"I appreciate the gesture," she replied. She bit her lip as a tear rolled
down her cheek, still unable to believe that Jack Sparrow, the love of
her life, was alive. She wanted to believe that Annie would welcome her
father with open arms, but at the same time knew that it might take her
awhile to get used to the fact that she actually had a father.
"Ah, luv," his thumb wiped the tear away as more began to fall. "What is
it?"
"I just can't believe it's really you," she cried, her emotions
unreadable. He had no idea whether she was crying tears of joy or whether
all the hurt and pain was coming back to her. And no matter what he did,
he knew it would only cause her to cry more.
"Don't cry," he pleaded, his hand still resting on her cheek. She pulled
away and sniffled as she began to cry harder.
"It's been so long, Jack," she sobbed. "All these years I thought you
were dead and then suddenly out of the blue, here you are! Every night
after I lost you I would have these dreams about you coming back to me
only to wake up and realize that you couldn't possibly come back. I
thought my entire life I would have to raise our daughter by myself. A
girl needs her daddy, Jack, he's the only one she should always be able
to depend on! And then there's you and me and what we had—what we had
Jack was like something out of a fairy tail! And now I feel like we're
going to have to rebuild all of it when all I really want to do is just
be with you for the rest of my life and how come you haven't kissed me
yet?!?!?"
A smirk crossed Jack's face, widening into a smile showing the golden
teeth that dotted an otherwise white smile. "I thought ye'd never ask,
luv," he took a step closer to her. Their foreheads touched, his lips
lingering just inches before hers.
"I didn't ask, Jack........." she sniffled as he wiped away another tear from
her cheek. She couldn't help but grin when his hand weaved through her
blonde tresses. "I meant it as more of a request." Before she knew it, he
was kissing her; the whole world seemed to fade away and it was just the
two of them, just like it used to be.
They became so wrapped up in each other that neither one of them noticed
the white sails of the Dauntless coming around the island into Tortuga
Bay.
"Elizabeth, luv, I don't know what it is we can do," Elizabeth stood in
front of Will inside the blacksmith's shop. He sat on a wooden chair, his
hand rubbing his chin.
"We have to do SOMETHING," Elizabeth pouted. "If we just let Norrington
go after him, Jack will die. Do you not see that?"
"No, I see it," Will told her. "I just don't know where to start."
"Tortuga," Elizabeth said, making it obvious that she had already
brainstormed some ideas. "I know there's a big chance he won't be there,
but it's worth a try. And if we can't find him, maybe we'll find someone
who knows where he is."
"It is worth a try," Will sighed, taking in the seriousness of what would
happen if they didn't find Jack before Norrington. "But we're gonna need
a boat and one small enough to be crewed by two people." He noticed the
solemn look on his fiancée's face, stood up, walked to her and wrapped
her in his embrace. "It'll be alright, we'll get a boat."
"That's not the problem," she replied, returning his embrace with her
own. "The problem is finding Jack once we have the boat. He could be
anywhere and, and........." she sighed and looked up at him. "Will, we owe him
our lives."
"I know," he delicately kissed her forehead and smiled. "Well, we better
get to work then."
--- --- ---
"Mummy! Mummy, I'm going to the market!" Annie flew down the stairs and
ran towards the door, flinging it open and ready for her first pirate
lesson from the man she met yesterday.
"Whoa, hold up a minute there," Katie wrung her hands off in a towel,
dropping it on the pub counter. Sarah and Mary bustled about the tavern,
serving food and drinks to the regular customers. "You're leaving so
soon?"
"Um......... I'm meeting Victoria at the market and then I'm going to go to her
house," Annie lied, remembering how she was asked to keep it a secret.
"Alright, be safe darling," Katie bent down and kissed her daughter's
forehead. "But be back for dinner. I have something I need to talk to you
about," she gave Annie a final kiss before she ran off, knowing that once
she told her that her father was alive, she would finally be able to meet
him.
Annie ran as fast as she could back to the candy stand, her heart racing
with excitement. But when she finally reached her destination, she was
surprised to see that the man wasn't there, but in his place a tall,
slender woman with dark skin. She was wearing a brown skirt that went
down to her ankles, black lace-up boots, a white blouse and a broad-
brimmed hat. When she stopped at the table, she stopped and tried to
catch her breath.
The woman turned around and looked at her, crouching down so that they
were eyelevel. "You must be Miss Anna Pearl," she smiled at the girl.
Annie nodded. "Can I tell you something?" Annamaria asked. Annie nodded
again. "My name is Ana, too." Annie's face lit up. Kids are so cute,
Annamaria thought. "I'm gonna teach you how to be a REAL pirate. Would ye
like that??"
Annie nodded. "What about—"
"Somethin' of importance came up and he asked me to teach ye instead. I
hope ye don't mind."
"I don't," Annie grinned and took Annamaria's hand as she was led towards
Tortuga's blacksmith shop where she would learn her first lesson about
swordsmanship.
--- --- ---
The sun slowly began to sink in the sky, the ocean's waters turning a
deep red. Jack stood on the secluded beach on the far side of Tortuga,
skipping rocks into the ocean waves. He had a messenger send a message to
Katie, asking her to meet him there, and all he could do was hope that
she got it.
He had to see her again. The temptation of knowing she was where he was,
was too hard to resist. And he had to make sure she understood that what
she saw last night meant nothing to him. He loved her and her only and
couldn't bear to think that she might think otherwise.
"Hello, Jack," he let the small stones in his hand fall to his feet when
he heard her soft voice behind him. He turned around and faced her, the
smile still on his face.
"'Ello, luv," he took a step forward and caressed her cheek, surprised
when she didn't object. "You came."
"Of course I came," she replied, the faintest of smiles on her lips. "I
thought something might be wrong. You're not the kind to send a message,
Jack. Usually if you have something to say, you say it yourself."
"I know ye don't want me to see her yet," Jack reminded her, knowing full
well that Annie was spending the day learning how to be a pirate (just
like dear old dad) with Annamaria. "I didn't want to risk it."
"I appreciate the gesture," she replied. She bit her lip as a tear rolled
down her cheek, still unable to believe that Jack Sparrow, the love of
her life, was alive. She wanted to believe that Annie would welcome her
father with open arms, but at the same time knew that it might take her
awhile to get used to the fact that she actually had a father.
"Ah, luv," his thumb wiped the tear away as more began to fall. "What is
it?"
"I just can't believe it's really you," she cried, her emotions
unreadable. He had no idea whether she was crying tears of joy or whether
all the hurt and pain was coming back to her. And no matter what he did,
he knew it would only cause her to cry more.
"Don't cry," he pleaded, his hand still resting on her cheek. She pulled
away and sniffled as she began to cry harder.
"It's been so long, Jack," she sobbed. "All these years I thought you
were dead and then suddenly out of the blue, here you are! Every night
after I lost you I would have these dreams about you coming back to me
only to wake up and realize that you couldn't possibly come back. I
thought my entire life I would have to raise our daughter by myself. A
girl needs her daddy, Jack, he's the only one she should always be able
to depend on! And then there's you and me and what we had—what we had
Jack was like something out of a fairy tail! And now I feel like we're
going to have to rebuild all of it when all I really want to do is just
be with you for the rest of my life and how come you haven't kissed me
yet?!?!?"
A smirk crossed Jack's face, widening into a smile showing the golden
teeth that dotted an otherwise white smile. "I thought ye'd never ask,
luv," he took a step closer to her. Their foreheads touched, his lips
lingering just inches before hers.
"I didn't ask, Jack........." she sniffled as he wiped away another tear from
her cheek. She couldn't help but grin when his hand weaved through her
blonde tresses. "I meant it as more of a request." Before she knew it, he
was kissing her; the whole world seemed to fade away and it was just the
two of them, just like it used to be.
They became so wrapped up in each other that neither one of them noticed
the white sails of the Dauntless coming around the island into Tortuga
Bay.