Deep brown eyes scanned the crowd in the tavern. He was here, she thought, he had to be. She had seen his ship. The ship that for so many years she had called home. Until she left it, that was. But never the less, the Black Pearl was docked out in the water. Creaking silently as she waited for her Captain to come back to her for the night.
Anamaria skillfully made her way around several tables towards one of the barmaids. "Ah, Captain," The woman named Millie said. "The usual?" Ana smiled and nodded. The tavern knew her well, as this was her crew's favorite place to stop for a break. It surprised her though, how it had only been a year, and with how often she came here, she had never seen the crew of the Black Pearl. "Here ya go," Ana turned to see Millie handing her a drink. "And uh, you might find what you're looking for, over there." She pointed to a table off in the corner.
Ana turned around, ignoring Millie's smile. A smile of her own formed as she spotted him. Boots up on the table, holding a cup of rum, and of course, a whore at his side. Captain Jack Sparrow. She masked her emotions as she made her way to the table. It seemed they were about to play a game of cards. "Mind if I join you boys?" She asked and several of the men looked up.
The crewmembers smiled a bit, the ones who didn't know her shot her looks. But she only cared about what his look said. Jack stared at her for a moment, his face a mixture of surprise, shock and happiness.
Then he smiled. "Well, well, look who's come to see us men!" He yelled as he stood up and stuck his hand out. "Captain, it's a pleasure to see you again." She glanced down at his hand and then shook it.
"Long time no see huh Captain Sparrow?" She asked as she sat next to Cotton, who smiled.
"That it has been." He then turned to the crewmembers that she didn't recognize. "Boys, this is Captain Anamaria, Captain of the White Shark. Prior first mate of the Pearl. And roughest women to have sailed the Caribbean."
"You flatter me Sparrow," She said as he cut the deck.
He smiled. "Oh, but you won't be flattered by the time the nights over luv." The men laughed and she smirked.
"Some things never change I see." She said.
Jack shrugged as he called out the game. "Double poker, winner takes all. Take no prisoners." He said, holding Ana's gaze as she smiled. In Jack's terms that meant, two rounds; winner gets all the money, cheating allowed. With the cards now out Jack smirked. "Let the games begin."
Soon the only players left were Ana and Jack. Looking down at her cards she realized she had a chance of beating him. But only if she knew what his cards were. Looking over at Jack she smiled. The rum was starting to go to his head. He was shaking his head, squinting at his cards. His braids flew about as he shook his head again.
"Problems Sparrow?" She asked as she hid her cards from the view of the others behind her.
"I'm fine luv." He said. She smirked. Popping her neck she watched him closely. Soon her chance came. He turned his head to yell something to Gibbs and without a second thought she reached forward and pulled his hand onto the table, revealing his cards.
"WHAT THA HELL?" He yelled as she sat back satisfied. "YOU CHEATED!" He yelled.
Ana laughed. "Don't you remember the game Jack?" She asked. "Double poker, winner takes all, take no prisoners." He glared at her as she laid her cards down. "Double pair. So according to your hand Captain, I win."
"Bloody hell Anamaria, do you touch your helm with that cheating hand?" He snapped as she drew the money and coins into a pouch tied on her waist.
"Which helm?" She asked, teasing him. His eyes shot up and he blinked in surprise as she laughed. "I'm just jesting Jack."
"Bloody hell, no more rum for me." He moaned as he laid his head on the table.
"I'll buy you a drink Sparrow," At this his head popped back up. "But with one condition." She said. "You tell them to leave." She told him as she jerked her thumb to the crewmembers behind her. Jack looked at her for a moment, then to Cotton. As if he expected the mute to suddenly speak and tell him what to do.
"You heard her, get out of here!" Jack yelled and the men scattered. Ana called for a few more drinks and Millie brought them.
"Now that we're alone," She said.
"What do you want Anamaria?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice then took a drink his rum. He was mad at her, she knew cause he had used her full name. When she had been on the Pearl the only time he had called her by her full name was when he was mad at her.
"You think I want something Jack Sparrow?" She asked, she her self getting mad.
"Now, don't you use that tone with me Ana! And it's Captain Jack Sparrow. Why can't people remember that?" He fumed.
"So, we finally meet up after nearly a year, and you think I want something from you? Is that it?" He stared at her, daring her to continue. So she did. "I've…I've been worried about you Jack, ok? I haven't heard a word of you or the Pearl in close to a year." She glanced away from his stare.
He let out a small chuckle. "Ana, luv, within all that time on the Pearl, with you under me,"
"Don't start with that Jack." She snarled.
He ignored her and continued. "Did I not teach you anything?" He asked. "Remember, no word, is good word. If I had been caught or worse, hung, you would have known. But I think you would have known without someone telling you."
"And how's that?" She asked.
"You and I…we have a connection. So to speak, I think it's from when we," But was stopped by her interrupting him.
"Why do you have to bring that up Jack?" She yelled.
He gave her a hurt expression. "What Ana, do you not want any one to know that you shared a bed with Captain Jack Sparrow?" He snarled.
"No, it's not that. It's just,"
"Just what? Tell me! Cause you know, I've been confused with the whole situation my self! I call you my best friend for close to eight years. I then call you my first mate for three. And then, then I had the privilege of calling you my lover for a month. But suddenly, one morning you wake up and demand that you get the ship that I owe you. Why did you leave Ana? Why?" He yelled back to her.
She glared. "You stupid bastard, don't blame me on how I left you. You're the one who let me go! You let me walk across that plank onto my ship, never even said a word and left me in Tortuga!" She leaned forward covering her hands with her eyes. "Believe it or not Jack I have a reputation to uphold. I'm a Captain now; I can't go around sleeping with any man whenever I feel like it. People already think I'm a whore, just cause I'm a woman on a man's boat. But if they were to find out I shared a bed with you," She stopped, shaking her head. "It was better for the both of us that I left."
"Are you sure about that?" He asked. She looked up at him, their set of brown eyes connecting.
"You wanna test it?" She hissed. No more than a second later his lips were on hers. He kissed her hard and when he pulled back she still had her eyes closed.
She opened them and looked at him. "Well?" He asked.
Taking a breath she spoke. "Nothing," She lied. "You?"
"Nothin," She nodded, biting her lip.
"I um, better get back to my ship." She said and stood up and started to walk away. But before she did, he grabbed her arm.
"Ana, I," She looked at him, expecting him to tell her to stay in the tavern with him. "Do you, I mean…um, would you come back to the Pearl with me?" She gave him a look. "Please?" He whispered. She nodded and they both walked out of the tavern.
The only evidence that they had been there was a deck of cards, two rum bottles and two silver coins.
He led her aboard the ship and for a moment she smiled. "She hasn't changed." She whispered as Jack stood next to her.
He nodded. "Yes she has," He said and she looked up at him in question. "You left," He said sadly and quietly turned to walk to his cabin. She followed at a slower pace, taking her time.
She entered to find him sitting at his desk. His hat had been thrown onto the table. His boots now lay on the floor. She smiled; the room hadn't changed sense the last time she had been in here. "So, what is it you want?" She asked him.
"I have a proposition for you." He said and she raised her eyebrows. "A test, to see, if we truly don't have feelings for each other. Are you up for it?"
"What if we find out we don't have feelings for each other?" She asked.
"You return to your ship, and we meet up in a year or so." He said with a straight face.
"And what if we do have feelings for each other?"
Jack's face became grim. "You return to your ship." She nodded and turned away from him, thinking.
"I don't know." She heard him sigh behind him. "Oh bloody hell," She muttered and turned around, pulling his head to hers and pressing her lips onto his.
Clothes ended up on the floor and the two Captains ended up in his bed. In the morning they would find that they indeed did have feelings for each other. But in the morning Anamaria would leave, pressing a kiss to Jack's head and promising to meet up with him in a year.
As she made her way to her ship she re-thought some of his words from last night in her head. No word, is good word. Those words went for more than one thing. No word of him being dead was good. And last night, no words had been said, but it had still been good.