Chapter 12
"No! Where's Will? Grandfather!"
Jack lay awake in his bed. He'd been having quite a good dream when he'd been awakened by the noises from Emma's room, which was on the other side of the wall. She's been tossing and Jack had debated whether or not to go wake her, but her cries cut through him and he bolted out of bed and into her cabin.
Jack walked over to the large bed and gently shook Emma. She started and sat up, clinging to Jack as if trying to cling to life. She started crying into his shoulder and Jack stroked her hair with one hand while he wrapped his other arm around her.
"You were dreaming about the day of the pirate attack again, weren't you?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she sobbed bitterly into his shoulder.
Jack kissed her forehead and hugged her a little tighter, "Hush now. I'm right here, savvy?"
Emma finally calmed after a few minutes. "Jack," Emma pulled away from his shoulder to look at him.
"Yes love?" he said, gently wiping away her tears.
"Jack, will you...will you sit in here while I try to sleep. I've not dreamt about...about that day for at least seven years, and it was just so much more vivid than last night. I just don't feel like I can go back to sleep."
"Of course, love. I'll just sit here on the bed next to you, savvy?" Jack walked around to the other side of the bed and then sat leaning against the headboard. He took Emma's hand in his as she lay back down and sighed. He gently stroked it as she began to talk softly.
"I think it's because I'm back on a ship again that I've been having these dreams."
"Is this the first time you've been on a ship since then?" Jack asked. Emma nodded and he laughed. "The daughter of Bootstrap Bill at sea only twice in her life! I think you'll feel at ease once we've been to Port Royal."
They sat in silence. As soon as she'd fallen asleep, Jack went back to his cabin. He tried to sleep again, but couldn't. He punched the pillow brutally. He was going soft – no, he wasn't. What he'd just done, that was simply because Emma was Will's sister. The whole dinner affair, him holding her hand, the kiss, he'd simply gotten a little carried away. She was pretty, and her beauty was as intoxicating as his beloved rum was. He'd simply gone a little too far, but it didn't really mean anything. It couldn't have been any more than that.
Jack wrestled within his head trying to explain his actions for the rest of the night, but even when the sun began to cast its light on him, he still had no more answers than he had before in the quiet darkness while the thoughts of Emma were filling his head, nothing else to push them out. He would simply keep things like that from happening again.
"No! Where's Will? Grandfather!"
Jack lay awake in his bed. He'd been having quite a good dream when he'd been awakened by the noises from Emma's room, which was on the other side of the wall. She's been tossing and Jack had debated whether or not to go wake her, but her cries cut through him and he bolted out of bed and into her cabin.
Jack walked over to the large bed and gently shook Emma. She started and sat up, clinging to Jack as if trying to cling to life. She started crying into his shoulder and Jack stroked her hair with one hand while he wrapped his other arm around her.
"You were dreaming about the day of the pirate attack again, weren't you?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she sobbed bitterly into his shoulder.
Jack kissed her forehead and hugged her a little tighter, "Hush now. I'm right here, savvy?"
Emma finally calmed after a few minutes. "Jack," Emma pulled away from his shoulder to look at him.
"Yes love?" he said, gently wiping away her tears.
"Jack, will you...will you sit in here while I try to sleep. I've not dreamt about...about that day for at least seven years, and it was just so much more vivid than last night. I just don't feel like I can go back to sleep."
"Of course, love. I'll just sit here on the bed next to you, savvy?" Jack walked around to the other side of the bed and then sat leaning against the headboard. He took Emma's hand in his as she lay back down and sighed. He gently stroked it as she began to talk softly.
"I think it's because I'm back on a ship again that I've been having these dreams."
"Is this the first time you've been on a ship since then?" Jack asked. Emma nodded and he laughed. "The daughter of Bootstrap Bill at sea only twice in her life! I think you'll feel at ease once we've been to Port Royal."
They sat in silence. As soon as she'd fallen asleep, Jack went back to his cabin. He tried to sleep again, but couldn't. He punched the pillow brutally. He was going soft – no, he wasn't. What he'd just done, that was simply because Emma was Will's sister. The whole dinner affair, him holding her hand, the kiss, he'd simply gotten a little carried away. She was pretty, and her beauty was as intoxicating as his beloved rum was. He'd simply gone a little too far, but it didn't really mean anything. It couldn't have been any more than that.
Jack wrestled within his head trying to explain his actions for the rest of the night, but even when the sun began to cast its light on him, he still had no more answers than he had before in the quiet darkness while the thoughts of Emma were filling his head, nothing else to push them out. He would simply keep things like that from happening again.