Chapter Seven: Better to have Loved and Lost
"There's a ship comin' up on the starboard side!" Ana Maria announced she stepped away from the window, returning to her captain's side. She looked at Will, uncertainty held within her dark orbs. "They fly the flag of the British Navy."
"Norrington," Will muttered.
"He won't hang Jack!" Elizabeth protested. "We won't let him! He won't do it."
"'e couldn' 'ang me if 'e tried," Jack managed.
"Hush, ya daft fool," Ana Maria said with a small smile. "Yer using all yer energy tellin' us things we know."
This brought a chuckle from the pirate captain. The laughter stopped just as quickly as it started and Jack's face became serious as he reached an unsteady hand up for Ana Maria's face. "Wha' 'bout you, luv? Did 'e...."
She took his hand and held it close to her face. "I got 'im good," she laughed. "Think he cried for about an hour. He wasn't able to touch me, Jack, don' worry."
He grinned, forcing back a cough. "Good. Wouldn' wan' you 'urt."
Ana Maria turned her head slightly. "You could always find another first mate, Jack. And then Gibbs wouldn't always be telling us what bad luck I am." She said it with a smile, but her eyes were saddened.
"I could get a new first mate, luv, but I can't replace Ana Maria," Jack said firmly.
"Jack Sparrow, of all the times for you to-"
Jack waved his hand, hushing her. "Let me get it out, Ana, 'case this is the last time, eh?"
Ana sat in horror, realizing what he was saying. She vaguely heard someone holler that Norrington had boarded. "Jack.... You're not gonna-"
"Not if I can 'elp it, luv, but 'm not immortal, eh?" He pulled himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain radiating from his ribs from both gunshot wound and broken bones.
Ana half panicked. "You are daft, you moron!" she hissed. "Jack, lie back down! You'll be fine enough, but after you rest. You-"
Jack didn't bother to hush her verbally this time, just pulled her close and kissed her. She tensed for a moment, but then relaxed against him, deepening the kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jack thanked God that she hadn't pulled away and slapped him. She had every right to, he knew. She had any other time that he had made a pass at her, but of course, every other time hadn't been serious. This was serious.... He thought. Well as serious as Captain Jack Sparrow could be.
Someone clearing their throat above them caused the newly formed couple to part. Ana Maria blushed deeply as she stared up at Commodore Norrington. Jack grinned. "Can we do somethin' for ya, Commodore?"
"I hate to interrupt this..." He stopped, almost loss for words, a rarity for our dear Commodore. "...moment, but I believe that the rest of your group is leaving. Care to join?"
"And 'ang tomorrow mornin', eh?" Jack mumbled.
The Commodore smirked. "I'm sure we could arrange something, Captain Sparrow. I seem to have noticed a few less pirate ships looting Port Royal and any ships near it since you left with your Pearl. Know anything of it?"
"Maybe just a bit."
"Ah, well perhaps we could discuss this once you're onboard the Dauntless or back at Port Royal."
"So I can pass out now?" the pirate captain asked his first mate.
"'slong as you plan on waking up again."
"Count on it, darling. I'm not lettin' you get 'way that easily." As soon as the words left his lips, he passed out onto Ana's shoulder.
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"How is he?" Marie asked Ana Maria as she stepped up behind the younger woman.
"Asleep," Ana answered slowly. "Restless, but still asleep. Jack has a habit of dreaming when injured."
Marie nodded. "I'm sorry to have caused him trouble by coming to Port Royal. It's a funny 'ol world, isn't it? Meeting up with him after sixteen years and not even planning on it."
Ana smiled. "You remind me a bit of him. I think he got a lot of his spirit from you."
"You think?" Marie asked, looking honored. "He looks and acts so much like Jonathan. I feel like I'm staring at a ghost when I see him."
"Norrington's not going to hang Jack. I was worried, but I think Jack's earned the Commodore's respect somehow."
"Yes.... You should go to him, Ana Maria. I think he needs you."
"Will you go to Richard?"
Marie smiled sadly. "There are things in life one cannot change, and Richard is one of those. He cares for me, in his own way, and thinks he does right. He doesn't understand that his right is not always everyone else's right."
"Ah."
"Go to him."
"Aye."
-----------------------------
Jack was tossing and turning in his sleep when Ana Maria entered. She sat down next to him and ran a hand through his loose hair. That settled him down and he cracked one dark eye open. "G'mornin', luv."
"It's not morning, Jack."
"Well I'm 'wake so that makes it somethin' like mornin', don' it?"
Ana Maria smiled and leaned in, kissing his forehead where his bandanna usually resided. "You've got a fever."
"Not much 'o one."
"But you have one."
Jack grasped her hand suddenly, pulling it to his face and letting it rest there. "I had a nightmare, ya know that?"
Ana cocked her head. Jack never spoke of his dreams, even when she asked. He never volunteered anything of them. "What was it about, Jack?"
"You died," he said after a long pause of thought. "I 'eld you and you died in me arms. An' I thought.... I wondered why I should live if you weren't there."
Ana Maria stared at her captain in silent shock. "Jack....?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
Jack smiled. "I love you too."
-------------------------------
Marie smiled from outside. Her son would have what she never could: lasting love. Better to have loved and lost, though, wasn't that the saying?
"Marie?"
"Yes, Richard?"
"Coming?"
"Yes, dear."
Yes.... Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
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Thanks very much for reviews!
Ivy Crane: Yes... poor Jack. He's going to hate me, just as all my muses do. I tend to severely injure all my favorite characters, and he is not an exception
Kungfuchick: Perhaps your computer DOES talk back and you just don't know how to understand it..... Ever thought of that, eh? When I first got my computer it was the kind that makes a laughing noise when you turn it off. ( I kid you not, it sounds like children laughing, is that normal?) I had just figured out how to put a background on it and had a Sailor Moon background and my computer LAUGHED when I turned it off. Freaked the crap outa me. I was little, so I was easily freaked out....
Brigitte: What's h/c? Hurt/comfort? Anyway, I'm being nice to Norrington, I could never decide if I liked him or not. He can be a real jerk, but sometimes he's really nice, so I have this theory that I'm going to play out in this series I'm working on, so more Norrington, don't worry!
"There's a ship comin' up on the starboard side!" Ana Maria announced she stepped away from the window, returning to her captain's side. She looked at Will, uncertainty held within her dark orbs. "They fly the flag of the British Navy."
"Norrington," Will muttered.
"He won't hang Jack!" Elizabeth protested. "We won't let him! He won't do it."
"'e couldn' 'ang me if 'e tried," Jack managed.
"Hush, ya daft fool," Ana Maria said with a small smile. "Yer using all yer energy tellin' us things we know."
This brought a chuckle from the pirate captain. The laughter stopped just as quickly as it started and Jack's face became serious as he reached an unsteady hand up for Ana Maria's face. "Wha' 'bout you, luv? Did 'e...."
She took his hand and held it close to her face. "I got 'im good," she laughed. "Think he cried for about an hour. He wasn't able to touch me, Jack, don' worry."
He grinned, forcing back a cough. "Good. Wouldn' wan' you 'urt."
Ana Maria turned her head slightly. "You could always find another first mate, Jack. And then Gibbs wouldn't always be telling us what bad luck I am." She said it with a smile, but her eyes were saddened.
"I could get a new first mate, luv, but I can't replace Ana Maria," Jack said firmly.
"Jack Sparrow, of all the times for you to-"
Jack waved his hand, hushing her. "Let me get it out, Ana, 'case this is the last time, eh?"
Ana sat in horror, realizing what he was saying. She vaguely heard someone holler that Norrington had boarded. "Jack.... You're not gonna-"
"Not if I can 'elp it, luv, but 'm not immortal, eh?" He pulled himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain radiating from his ribs from both gunshot wound and broken bones.
Ana half panicked. "You are daft, you moron!" she hissed. "Jack, lie back down! You'll be fine enough, but after you rest. You-"
Jack didn't bother to hush her verbally this time, just pulled her close and kissed her. She tensed for a moment, but then relaxed against him, deepening the kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jack thanked God that she hadn't pulled away and slapped him. She had every right to, he knew. She had any other time that he had made a pass at her, but of course, every other time hadn't been serious. This was serious.... He thought. Well as serious as Captain Jack Sparrow could be.
Someone clearing their throat above them caused the newly formed couple to part. Ana Maria blushed deeply as she stared up at Commodore Norrington. Jack grinned. "Can we do somethin' for ya, Commodore?"
"I hate to interrupt this..." He stopped, almost loss for words, a rarity for our dear Commodore. "...moment, but I believe that the rest of your group is leaving. Care to join?"
"And 'ang tomorrow mornin', eh?" Jack mumbled.
The Commodore smirked. "I'm sure we could arrange something, Captain Sparrow. I seem to have noticed a few less pirate ships looting Port Royal and any ships near it since you left with your Pearl. Know anything of it?"
"Maybe just a bit."
"Ah, well perhaps we could discuss this once you're onboard the Dauntless or back at Port Royal."
"So I can pass out now?" the pirate captain asked his first mate.
"'slong as you plan on waking up again."
"Count on it, darling. I'm not lettin' you get 'way that easily." As soon as the words left his lips, he passed out onto Ana's shoulder.
-------------------------------
"How is he?" Marie asked Ana Maria as she stepped up behind the younger woman.
"Asleep," Ana answered slowly. "Restless, but still asleep. Jack has a habit of dreaming when injured."
Marie nodded. "I'm sorry to have caused him trouble by coming to Port Royal. It's a funny 'ol world, isn't it? Meeting up with him after sixteen years and not even planning on it."
Ana smiled. "You remind me a bit of him. I think he got a lot of his spirit from you."
"You think?" Marie asked, looking honored. "He looks and acts so much like Jonathan. I feel like I'm staring at a ghost when I see him."
"Norrington's not going to hang Jack. I was worried, but I think Jack's earned the Commodore's respect somehow."
"Yes.... You should go to him, Ana Maria. I think he needs you."
"Will you go to Richard?"
Marie smiled sadly. "There are things in life one cannot change, and Richard is one of those. He cares for me, in his own way, and thinks he does right. He doesn't understand that his right is not always everyone else's right."
"Ah."
"Go to him."
"Aye."
-----------------------------
Jack was tossing and turning in his sleep when Ana Maria entered. She sat down next to him and ran a hand through his loose hair. That settled him down and he cracked one dark eye open. "G'mornin', luv."
"It's not morning, Jack."
"Well I'm 'wake so that makes it somethin' like mornin', don' it?"
Ana Maria smiled and leaned in, kissing his forehead where his bandanna usually resided. "You've got a fever."
"Not much 'o one."
"But you have one."
Jack grasped her hand suddenly, pulling it to his face and letting it rest there. "I had a nightmare, ya know that?"
Ana cocked her head. Jack never spoke of his dreams, even when she asked. He never volunteered anything of them. "What was it about, Jack?"
"You died," he said after a long pause of thought. "I 'eld you and you died in me arms. An' I thought.... I wondered why I should live if you weren't there."
Ana Maria stared at her captain in silent shock. "Jack....?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
Jack smiled. "I love you too."
-------------------------------
Marie smiled from outside. Her son would have what she never could: lasting love. Better to have loved and lost, though, wasn't that the saying?
"Marie?"
"Yes, Richard?"
"Coming?"
"Yes, dear."
Yes.... Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
----------------------------
Thanks very much for reviews!
Ivy Crane: Yes... poor Jack. He's going to hate me, just as all my muses do. I tend to severely injure all my favorite characters, and he is not an exception
Kungfuchick: Perhaps your computer DOES talk back and you just don't know how to understand it..... Ever thought of that, eh? When I first got my computer it was the kind that makes a laughing noise when you turn it off. ( I kid you not, it sounds like children laughing, is that normal?) I had just figured out how to put a background on it and had a Sailor Moon background and my computer LAUGHED when I turned it off. Freaked the crap outa me. I was little, so I was easily freaked out....
Brigitte: What's h/c? Hurt/comfort? Anyway, I'm being nice to Norrington, I could never decide if I liked him or not. He can be a real jerk, but sometimes he's really nice, so I have this theory that I'm going to play out in this series I'm working on, so more Norrington, don't worry!