A/N I do not own anything
HAHAHAHAHA! Emily! 6 chapters this weekend! I bet that's a new record! Anyway, that's just proof that I have absolutely no social life!
Thanx for reviews, I'll try to mention ya'll sometime. What do you guys think of Tawny? I really, really like her… and I have a slight plan for her, but I'd kind of like your opinions too.
***~***
Anne and Jack walked back to the Pearl slowly and cautiously. The winds were just picking up, and the sky was getting dark, but they were relieved to see that there was a light in the galley and food on the table.
Jack was not happy though.
Because the people sitting at the table were people he recognized.
One was Tawny… she stood out very clearly, her black boots on the table, her tawny hair hanging over the back of the chair. She stood up when they came in and grinned.
"Anne… Jack, why don't you guys come in and get comfortable! I went to the blacksmiths, and told Will you guys were here, and he insisted on coming over straightaway and bringing his wife, Lizzie. Jack…" Her smiled got wider. "You never told me that you knew Will and Lizzie! From what I hear, ya'll go way back!"
Anne was grinning, but Jack was not. His eyes rested on the two other people in the room that he recognized; Will and Elizabeth Turner. When Anne saw the look on Jack's face, her smile disappeared and she stepped forward. Grabbing Tawny by the arms, she said. "You guys obviously have some catching up to do, and so do Tawny and I, so we'll just leave you all to chit chat."
On her way out, dragging Tawny with her, she whispered to Jack.
"I'm really sorry… good luck."
Jack sat down at the table and cleared his throat.
"So… how have you been… recently?"
Lizzie stepped into the light, and Jack could see she was extremely pregnant, but that didn't keep the furious expression off her face.
"Six years, Jack." She seethed. "Six years! And you were supposed to be Lari's godfather! Why has it been so long, Jack? Couldn't you have at least had the decency to drop by?"
"Yes!" Will said, standing up and holding his wife. "Couldn't you have at least dropped us a note or something? Our children have heard all of our stories and have dreamed of meeting you for years! Lord, Jack, you're Lari's godfather, and she hasn't seen you since the day she was born! Six years ago!"
Jack fidgeted. "And… erm… how many children do you have now?"
Lizzie looked at Will, and her gaze softened. She sat down next to Jack.
"Forgive us, Jack. We understand that you've been busy. It's just that… well, after all we'd been through, we had hoped…"
"Missing piracy?" Jack asked with a weak grin.
Will sighed. "Not enough to leave. We have three children, Lari, who's almost six, Tommy, who's three, and Ruby, such a sweet little angel girl, who was born last year." He frowned. "We wanted you to be there."
"And uh… how are things going?" Jack asked. He was still feeling uncomfortable.
"Fine." Elizabeth answered.
There was a long silence, until Jack cleared his throat.
"Really, I am sorry, I just haven't had the time… and I didn't want to you take away me rum…" He sighed. "The thing is, you should be thanking Anne, because if not for her, I wouldn't be here."
Elizabeth studied him.
"You've definitely changed, Jack."
"Must be Anne's getting to you." Will commented quietly.
Jack closed his eyes. "Yeah, you would think that… you and the rest of the world…"
***~***another conversation***~***
Anne and Tawny were sitting in the Captain's cabin. Tawny stretched out on the bed and yawned, then sniffed and wrinkled up her nose.
"Whas that smell?" She asked Anne, frowning. Anne, who had sat down on a chair, grinned.
"I know. Terrible, isn't it? It's sweat and rum… and something else, I think, but it's Jack's bed, so I don't know." Tawny immediately sprang up and stared at the bed. She sat in a chair across from Anne.
"So what's up? What happened to Calico? And Mary? They're not here, are th- What's wrong?" Anne was frowning, and her face was scrunched up.
"Calico was hung… over a month ago. And Mary… suicide. I know… I'm still getting over it, y'know?"
"S' Jack helpin ya?"
Anne looked at her sharply, so Tawny leaned back a bit. "Sorry, sorry, I was just wondering… he's not been known to keep his pants up, y'know."
"Yeah, I know… and that's kind of what worries me… I've heard so much about him, but he's not anything like that in real life."
Tawny shrugged. "Some people exaggerate, but this is a lot of people we're talking about, so I don' know…"
"Well, it doesn't matter Tawny, because I'll be leaving soon… I need my own ship, y'know? You of all people have to understand… all my life, people have expected me to come up with all the plans, me to be strong and smart, and good at whatever it is that I'm doing, but I'm sick of it all. I need to be free from all that, just for once, so I need my own ship."
Tawny was quiet for a moment.
"Yer different, Anne. I don't know how, but you've changed… maybe it's the death of Calico and Mary, or maybe it's something else."
Anne grinned. "Or maybe Jack Sparrow's getting on my nerves." Tawny smiled too.
"I'll be by with Sam in the morning, Anne, but actually, I think I'd better go… I promised da I'd help get the twins to bed… Marissa ran off again last night, down to the docks to watch the merchants pull the ship in, and I have to nail her window shut now. So I'll be seein ya… say bye to Sparrow and Liz and Will for me, alrigh'?"
"Be careful in these winds!"
Tawny, who was halfway out the door, didn't bother to turn around or acknowledge that comment, instead just raised a hand up over her head in a gesture of farewell. And Anne went to find Jack, and maybe rescue him.
Jack sat at the table and listened very closely to the story that Liz was telling him about something that Lari had done, while Will was at the same time, putting in occasional comments. Now that Jack was back here, in Port Royal, he was anxious to hear what his goddaughter had been doing; he had a bit of a soft spot for the little girl.
Anne appeared at the door, but when she saw that they were in the middle of a story, she turned around to go.
"Wait!" Lizzie called to her back, and Anne turned around and raised her eyebrows.
"Won't you join us?" Will asked. Jack, if possible, slid down a little lower in his seat. Anne just shrugged and sat down.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Well…" Lizzie said. "What have you two been doing while we were…? I mean, not that, I mean, what kind of adventures have you been having? Jack, you're always in trouble of some sort, right?"
Jack mumbled a yes, and then there was more silence. Anne sighed and stood up.
"You two might want to be going on home, especially if there are children at home, because those winds are picking up, and you don't want screaming and terrified little ones, now do you?"
So Will and Lizzie left pretty quickly, saying there good byes and hurrying away. Anne watched them go, and then sat down at the table and watched Jack across from her. He wouldn't meet her eyes.
She sighed and folded her arms, resting her head on top of them. A flicker of amusement touched the corners of Jack's mouth.
"Bored, love?"
"Let me guess… you want to give me something to do?" She said in a slightly irritated tone.
"Not just anything…" He said, leaning forward slightly.
"Yeah, I know, Jack, you can ice that cake for years and years, but no matter how pretty it looks, I'm not going to buy it." She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, then opening them so she could stare at the ceiling.
"So what's the deal with Tawny?" Jack asked her, just trying to make conversation so there wouldn't be a dead silence.
"You don't care." Anne told him.
"Actually, I'm slightly interested. What's up with her?"
Anne sat up and looked Jack in the eyes.
"I'm not sure if I can tell it all… not really my secrets to tell, if you know what I'm saying."
"I do, but please… I'm curious."
"Alright… her mother was a pirate, a bloody good one, by the name of Kitty Silver. Had her own ship, the Blue Moon, which was lost at sea one year. Fortunately, Tawny was living with her dad at his tavern, but unfortunately, her mother was killed. Tawny's been a bit… I don't know how to explain it, but her mother's death hit her hard. Her older brother Sam is her real brother, but he never really was one to be grieved by anything, he's intelligent, but doesn't dwell on things. Marissa and Daniel's mother is not known; they are Tawny's half brother and sister. Marissa's quite adventurous, really; she often hangs out at the dock and listens to seamen's tales… right little scoundrel, she is. She'd make a good pirate, I'm sure. But Tawny… Tawny wants to be a pirate, but she'd never make her life as a pirate. Plus, she's really unstable, and has been known to…"
"Yes?" Jack prodded.
"Well… she's moody. That's just it. She's easy to get along with otherwise though. We met at her father's bar, and she's a good friend of mine."
Jack nodded.
"And Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm only going to say this once more; don't mess with her. That's the last thing she needs, more heartbreak. Okay? Don't break her heart, Jack, or I really will kill you."
"What are you, her mom?" Jack mumbled.
"I might as well be…" Anne said, and then muttered something incoherent.
"Yeah, I know." Jack mumbled, and he went to his cabin to sleep.