Chapter 11
The spread set out in the captain's private dining area was lavish and entirely more than the two of them could eat by themselves. Everything about the Pearl was extravagant, and surprisingly very clean for a pirate's ship. The two feasted, and Emma listened as Jack recounted for her a not entirely complete tale of his rescue of Elizabeth and of how he got the Pearl back from Barbossa and the rest.
By not an entirely complete tale, Jack didn't exactly tell her about the fact that it was Will Turner, Port Royal's blacksmith, who was involved, which was extremely hard as almost the whole story centered on him and the fact that he was the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner. No, he didn't tell her that William Turner, her brother, twin what's more, was still alive. He didn't have the slightest idea of how to even begin to tell Emma about Will. He would have to wait until the opportune moment, until he thought of some way to actually do it. Besides, he said to himself, she's already been told so much today...
He finished the story, to which Emma had been an excellent listener, reacting appropriately at all the right times. They ate the rest of their dinner, speaking casually. When they were finally finished, Emma sighed and said, "I can't believe how much food is still left here on the table!" Jack laughed at her random remark. "Honestly Jack, we need at least two more people to dine here with us!"
Jack smiled and shrugged, "I'll take that into consideration, love."
They went out on deck and gazed at the stars after the sun set. Emma told Jack all about her life back in New Derbyshire. She had, just as Jack predicted, lived the life of a debutant, well cultured, smart, elegant in all she said or did. She was also quite accomplished musically, and she even wrote and told stories. Jack asked her to tell him one of them, and she obliged.
However, Emma noticed Jack seemed not to be listening after a while and stopped talking. She felt a little hurt that Jack would just ignore her. If he was bored, he could've made an excuse to leave or something, after all, he was a pirate, why should he try to stay here and be courteous?
Jack had been looking at Emma out of the corner of his eye and noticed a hurt look come across her face and then she stopped talking. He knew, without even asking, what she was thinking. He smirked and said, "I was still listening to you. I don't think that you were finished with that story yet, as the knight just found out that the evil prince has kidnapped his bonny lass and plans to use her to get to the king's treasure."
"I thought you weren't listening anymore."
"I know, love. I'm sorry," he said, his smirk changing to his warm smile. "I was thinking about you in fact," he added. Emma's eyes widened. "I was thinking about how I would like to hold your hand again," he said, gently taking her hand in his. Emma looked down at their hands and smiled. "Now go on with your story love."
Emma finished her story, or at least all that she had of her story, for it wasn't yet complete. The knight was only just preparing to face the evil prince in a duel. Emma stopped at this point, and Jack asked impatiently, "And? And then what?"
"And then nothing," Emma shrugged.
"What do you mean nothing?"
"I haven't finished the story yet."
"Oh. Well, ye be a fine storyteller, love."
"Thank you, Jack."
"You should finish it."
"Aye, I'd thought about maybe doing so," she laughed.
"After you've finished you can tell the crew in a few days, savvy?"
"But I hardly know them!"
"Just give it a couple of days, love; they're already rather fond of you. How could they not be? You're amazing." Emma's eyes widened for second, and Jack silently scolded himself wondering where that had come from. "I mean, most all of 'em were you're dad's former crew and so they already are fond of you because they respected him so much. Why else do you think they're willing to do this? Like you said earlier, we don't need the treasure."
"You're a good man Jack, not like I imagined the infamous Jack Sparrow to be."
"Captain, love it's Captain Jack Sparrow; and I 'm not nearly as good a man as your dad He was the best pirate I'd ever known, and an even better human being, treated everyone fairly and cared about their well- being and their feelings."
A silent tear rolled down Emma's cheek and Jack wiped it away. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, love."
"No, I'm glad you did, Jack. It's nice to hear about him, I don't remember a lot, and when I grew older he wasn't home as often as he was before." They stood in silence for a while.
A cool breeze whipped across the ocean, and Emma shivered. Jack put an arm around her and she snuggled against him and rested her head against his shoulder. Having her this close was driving him insane. First, he didn't want to feel this way towards her. Second, he felt so inadequate. Emma was absolutely wonderful and perfect in every way, and as her grandmother had hinted to, probably had scores of suitors; he was only a pirate.
"You know Jack, ever since the day of that pirate attack, when...when..." she broke off, unable to finish.
"I know, go on, love." Jack took her hand again, facing her as she talked about this.
"It's almost like I've had two completely separate lives; my life in England, and my life in the Caribbean. My life in England seems like some kind of, I don't know...it's like it's all something I made up, just one big dream. I miss my family, well, my mother and father and Will and my grandfather. It's so strange to know that my father is actually alive."
"Do you know what's so wonderful about the Pearl? It's freedom. I feel so alive when I'm out here, on this ship. It's something that I can't really describe. I never knew my parents; my mother died in childbirth, and my father died of scarlet fever before I was born. I was raised in an orphanage in London. The only real kind of family I ever had was Bootstrap, he treated me like a son. The only place I've really felt at home was here on the ocean, it feels almost like I'd never really lived before, so I know what you mean, a little anyway."
Emma yawned, covering her mouth. Jack laughed, "Still tired. I think it's time I take you to your room, savvy?" Jack placed her hand in the crook of his arm and led her to her quarters. He opened the door for her and was going to turn to and leave, but as he locked eyes with her, he was rooted to the spot.
His heart started to beat faster, and he leaned toward her. Their eyes closed as their lips met, and he kissed her softly, his hand brushing her cheek. It was quick and sweet. Jack pulled back and Emma smiled and sighed contentedly. She then went into her cabin and closed the door, not saying a word.
Jack laughed. "Goodnight love." He'd just kissed the daughter of Bootstrap Bill.
The spread set out in the captain's private dining area was lavish and entirely more than the two of them could eat by themselves. Everything about the Pearl was extravagant, and surprisingly very clean for a pirate's ship. The two feasted, and Emma listened as Jack recounted for her a not entirely complete tale of his rescue of Elizabeth and of how he got the Pearl back from Barbossa and the rest.
By not an entirely complete tale, Jack didn't exactly tell her about the fact that it was Will Turner, Port Royal's blacksmith, who was involved, which was extremely hard as almost the whole story centered on him and the fact that he was the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner. No, he didn't tell her that William Turner, her brother, twin what's more, was still alive. He didn't have the slightest idea of how to even begin to tell Emma about Will. He would have to wait until the opportune moment, until he thought of some way to actually do it. Besides, he said to himself, she's already been told so much today...
He finished the story, to which Emma had been an excellent listener, reacting appropriately at all the right times. They ate the rest of their dinner, speaking casually. When they were finally finished, Emma sighed and said, "I can't believe how much food is still left here on the table!" Jack laughed at her random remark. "Honestly Jack, we need at least two more people to dine here with us!"
Jack smiled and shrugged, "I'll take that into consideration, love."
They went out on deck and gazed at the stars after the sun set. Emma told Jack all about her life back in New Derbyshire. She had, just as Jack predicted, lived the life of a debutant, well cultured, smart, elegant in all she said or did. She was also quite accomplished musically, and she even wrote and told stories. Jack asked her to tell him one of them, and she obliged.
However, Emma noticed Jack seemed not to be listening after a while and stopped talking. She felt a little hurt that Jack would just ignore her. If he was bored, he could've made an excuse to leave or something, after all, he was a pirate, why should he try to stay here and be courteous?
Jack had been looking at Emma out of the corner of his eye and noticed a hurt look come across her face and then she stopped talking. He knew, without even asking, what she was thinking. He smirked and said, "I was still listening to you. I don't think that you were finished with that story yet, as the knight just found out that the evil prince has kidnapped his bonny lass and plans to use her to get to the king's treasure."
"I thought you weren't listening anymore."
"I know, love. I'm sorry," he said, his smirk changing to his warm smile. "I was thinking about you in fact," he added. Emma's eyes widened. "I was thinking about how I would like to hold your hand again," he said, gently taking her hand in his. Emma looked down at their hands and smiled. "Now go on with your story love."
Emma finished her story, or at least all that she had of her story, for it wasn't yet complete. The knight was only just preparing to face the evil prince in a duel. Emma stopped at this point, and Jack asked impatiently, "And? And then what?"
"And then nothing," Emma shrugged.
"What do you mean nothing?"
"I haven't finished the story yet."
"Oh. Well, ye be a fine storyteller, love."
"Thank you, Jack."
"You should finish it."
"Aye, I'd thought about maybe doing so," she laughed.
"After you've finished you can tell the crew in a few days, savvy?"
"But I hardly know them!"
"Just give it a couple of days, love; they're already rather fond of you. How could they not be? You're amazing." Emma's eyes widened for second, and Jack silently scolded himself wondering where that had come from. "I mean, most all of 'em were you're dad's former crew and so they already are fond of you because they respected him so much. Why else do you think they're willing to do this? Like you said earlier, we don't need the treasure."
"You're a good man Jack, not like I imagined the infamous Jack Sparrow to be."
"Captain, love it's Captain Jack Sparrow; and I 'm not nearly as good a man as your dad He was the best pirate I'd ever known, and an even better human being, treated everyone fairly and cared about their well- being and their feelings."
A silent tear rolled down Emma's cheek and Jack wiped it away. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, love."
"No, I'm glad you did, Jack. It's nice to hear about him, I don't remember a lot, and when I grew older he wasn't home as often as he was before." They stood in silence for a while.
A cool breeze whipped across the ocean, and Emma shivered. Jack put an arm around her and she snuggled against him and rested her head against his shoulder. Having her this close was driving him insane. First, he didn't want to feel this way towards her. Second, he felt so inadequate. Emma was absolutely wonderful and perfect in every way, and as her grandmother had hinted to, probably had scores of suitors; he was only a pirate.
"You know Jack, ever since the day of that pirate attack, when...when..." she broke off, unable to finish.
"I know, go on, love." Jack took her hand again, facing her as she talked about this.
"It's almost like I've had two completely separate lives; my life in England, and my life in the Caribbean. My life in England seems like some kind of, I don't know...it's like it's all something I made up, just one big dream. I miss my family, well, my mother and father and Will and my grandfather. It's so strange to know that my father is actually alive."
"Do you know what's so wonderful about the Pearl? It's freedom. I feel so alive when I'm out here, on this ship. It's something that I can't really describe. I never knew my parents; my mother died in childbirth, and my father died of scarlet fever before I was born. I was raised in an orphanage in London. The only real kind of family I ever had was Bootstrap, he treated me like a son. The only place I've really felt at home was here on the ocean, it feels almost like I'd never really lived before, so I know what you mean, a little anyway."
Emma yawned, covering her mouth. Jack laughed, "Still tired. I think it's time I take you to your room, savvy?" Jack placed her hand in the crook of his arm and led her to her quarters. He opened the door for her and was going to turn to and leave, but as he locked eyes with her, he was rooted to the spot.
His heart started to beat faster, and he leaned toward her. Their eyes closed as their lips met, and he kissed her softly, his hand brushing her cheek. It was quick and sweet. Jack pulled back and Emma smiled and sighed contentedly. She then went into her cabin and closed the door, not saying a word.
Jack laughed. "Goodnight love." He'd just kissed the daughter of Bootstrap Bill.