A/N Ok, first, I do not own anything. Second, I'd like to give a BIG thank you to all of my reviewers, I truly appreciate your consistency and support, and I wish the rest of the world would be more like you guys. Third, please review. I'd really appreciate your suggestions and support, just to know that I'm not just writing this for no reason.
I hope you can all catch the double meanings hidden in one of the paragraphs, otherwise you won't understand the paragraph.
A very special thank you to Emily Knibbe (wow, you'd give up your love for Dirk? I am blown away…) for being so nice and encouraging all the time (even though your encouragements were mostly threats to kill me if I didn't update…) and thanks to Orca Girl b cuz every time I update you review! I'm so happy, thank you.
Ok, Emily, here's your update, be patient, pleez!
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Anne avoided talking to Jack except to give him orders… it annoyed him, but they did make better progress, so Jack kept his mouth shut. They got to the cave where the Pearl was hidden before sunset that night, and Jack rushed immediately to the helm, running his fingers over the smooth wood, which seemed to amuse Anne.
Jack was surprised to see Anamaria step out of her cabin, and Anamaria was surprised to see them both, but Anne seemed unfazed by her unexpected appearance.
"Anne!" Anamaria said pleasantly, looking confused but smiling nonetheless at Anne. Anne glanced at Jack.
"Jack… The treasure is being stored in your treasure compartment. I haven't seen it yet… why don't you go familiarize yourself with the treasure?"
Jack nodded and turned to go, only looking slightly suspicious. Anamaria waited until the door had closed behind him before turning back to Anne.
"Anne!" She hissed quietly. "What about the plan? You're not supposed to be here… now he knows you're not dead!"
Anne raised her eyebrows quietly and glanced at the door which Jack had gone into. "He's still listening; Anamaria… I've decided to drop the plan."
Anamaria frowned and then sighed. "So what are you doing here?" She asked.
"Jack offered me a position on the Black Pearl, and I intend to take it." Anne answered smoothly.
Anamaria narrowed her eyes. "What position?" She asked darkly.
"Captain, like I was before."
Anamaria sighed. "I guess I should be angry, but I'm not… it's wonderful to work alongside you, and I'm sorry if I was cross at you at first… got used to being the only woman on board, y'know?"
Anne nodded understandingly, and Anamaria smiled. "So how'd you get here?" She asked.
Anne explained about the Sparrow's goods and Anamaria laughed. Anne walked over to the helm and rubbed one of the knobs, sighing. She turned her gaze back to Anamaria, who was studying her. "You know, Ana, everybody is passionate about a few things in their life. The only thing I got left to be passionate about is freedom. It gets taken away, and I might as well die. I don't know why I was so depressed about being in that cell, but when I was locked up like that…" Her voice faltered and she shook her head.
Jack walked back on deck at that very moment, and it was quite obvious that he had been eavesdropping. He walked over to Anne at the helm stood behind her, putting his hands over hers resting on the wheel.
"I completely understand." He said. "Now, what are we going to do until the crew gets back?" He grinned cheekily at the two women. Anne walked away, to her cabin without a word. Jack turned to Anamaria and raised his eyebrows. "Do you fancy a roll in the hay, then?" He asked her, grinning again.
"Sod off." She muttered darkly and walked away to her cabin.
Jack frowned. "Is it cold in here or what?" He said to no one in particular and walked back to the treasure room to do some inspection.
Anne went to her cabin and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was just wood, with a suspicious looking dark patch in one corner. But Anne ignored that and rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillow, but then a vision popped into her head. She wondered how many other women had laid in this bed, next to Jack. It was a creepy thought, so she got off the bed, disgusted, and left the cabin.
"Jack." She said, walking up to him quickly. "I never want to sleep in your bed again." She shuddered. "I'll take the hammock." Jack just shrugged.
"Are you sure? I'd be willing to share it with you…" He grinned, and Anne shoved him.
"Please stop talking like that… it's bothering me… you're different from before… are you drunk again?" She asked him suspiciously. Jack frowned.
"I'm more sober than I've been since when we were locked in that cell when we first met." He said. Anne smiled.
"That's it then." She said. "You've spent just a little too much time in the sun, haven't you Jack?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing." He commented, turning to go into the treasure room.
"Buy the way, what's in there?" Anne said, running a finger over the surface of the helm. "I haven't been in yet." Jack turned to look at her. For a moment, he just stared at her, and her eyebrows raised.
"Well, love, there's jewels… my favorites are the emeralds, small but pure, and when you're looking into them, it's like they can see your mind, your every thought, and they just seem to go on forever. There are fabrics, too, which'll go for a lot of money… greens and blues and creamy whites, and then a flaming crimson red, silky and thick." Anne bit her lip and studied her hands. Jack continued, unable to take his eyes off her. "And there's gold… lots of gold, real gold, even if it looks fake on the outside, inside its sweet and pure. This treasure is worth a lot more than you thought, Anne. At least, that's what I think every time I look at it."
Anne was shaking her head. "I know what you're saying Jack, and I don't want to hear it. I already know I'm beautiful, and I'm not interested in being your company." She breathed deeply.
"I mean it love." Jack said, desperately wanting her to look at him.
She did, but it was not a kind look. "Don't call me that." She shook her head. "You have no right." She turned and slowly climbed the rigging of the ship, staring up at the blackness above them, the ceiling of the cave they were in. Jack didn't join her, and it was a good thing too, for she was in no mood to be joined.
Anne drew a deep breath through her teeth, and then remembered Calico, the way he was. He had been sweet and spirited, always the perfect match for her, and never one to get tied down. Of course, she could never have married him without divorcing or killing James. She had always thought of Calico as her lover. But had the feeling been mutual? They had been in love, but was it really love? He occasionally treated her like her only use was to keep his bed warm, even though she had a knack for thinking up plans. He would've been dead sooner if not for her. But he always, always took her for advantage. Never did he appreciate her like she deserved.
But why couldn't she stop thinking about him, about how much she would give for everything to be the way it was, where Mary would climb the rigging with her and give her someone to talk to who would understand every petty problem, and she would wake up every morning with Calico's arms wrapped firmly around her waist, someone to hold her tight.
But no matter how much she wished that it would happen, she knew it wouldn't, and that fact hurt. It was only now that she accepted that they were never coming back. Even when Mary had grown larger with pregnancy, and started to show signs of depression and lack of sleep and food, Anne had not believed that her usually cheerful best friend could be suicidal. Even when she had been allowed to see Calico, and there he was, on his knees in his cell the day before he was hung, she had not understood that he would be gone forever. She refused to acknowledge him when he said he wanted her to forgive him. How could she have been so cold?
Even when she had seen Mary dead on the filthy cell floor with blood pouring out of a knife wound, she had not believed it. Even when Calico had hung from a rope, his lifeless and weak body suspended in air, she had not believed it.
But she believed it now, and the shock that she had avoided hit her at that moment.
She buried her head in her knees and closed her eyes, curling up tight. She did not cry, or sob, or scream. She was just a girl, weak with grief, sitting by herself in a crows nest, and for possibly the first time since she was young, Anne did not know what she was going to do next. She had no plan.
But who needs a plan? For once in her life, couldn't she just lie back and relax, enjoy everything? Every since she had married James, she had believed herself to be free, from all the pressure around her. But she was just tangled up even more; people started expecting her to be smart, come up with the plans, get the money, save the day, until she wasn't free. It was only a cover, something people had told her, and she believed it. But it wasn't really being free.
And she still wasn't free… Jack was depending on her help, expecting her to come up with some sort of plan to help him find adventure. But she didn't want adventure; she wanted to feel the ship rocking under the swells of the waves, the wind blowing softly, and she wanted everything to be peaceful, peaceful, so maybe she could just pretend like she was okay.
Maybe she could just forget. Everyone expected her to be strong; they hadn't seen the Anne that was hidden underneath all the deceit and genius plans. Except maybe Jack; but he really was just a daft captain. A daft captain with a loyal crew and carefree life. She envied his freedom, when here she was locked in a cell woven by her own need to escape.
Maybe he could set her free.
If only she could trust him.
Why can't I trust you…