Okay, I have to say right now that the 'The end' at the end of the last
chapter was joke. Get it? Ha ha ha, very funny? We're far from finished.
Come on, you didn't think you'd get rid of us that easy, did you? And it's
nice to see that we're not losing reviewers after all. You had us worried
there for a moment.
You're lucky. I cut out about half of the description of Will's chest. I honestly forgot what I was writing about while I was writing it.
And sorry for any major errors in this chapter. Dreams are creeeeepy.
And now for something completely different. Or, you know, not. It's time for a Jack quote!
"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"
Reviewers:
Ginny-Star: Come on, we'd never end it like that... Wait, how do we end it? Oh right. Yeah, we'd never end it like that. Don't worry, this chapter's longer.
Bratprincess: I think Kelly would be slightly freaked out if I told her that Sas in England built a shrine for her... I'll do it! Besides, if you tortured us, how'd we be able to write?
Harrypotter4ever: Fear not! It's not the end!
LuvlyGRLofLIFE: We're updating sooner. We just updated yesterday, see?
Scarlett Red Rose: Dude, I think you've read our minds. But it's a secret, so don't tell. It IS unhealthy to make us wait this long for RotK. *Grumble* Stupid Peter Jackson. And yay for being a faithful reviewer!
MovieLvR4Lyfe: We haven't heard from you since chapter 13. We thought you DIED. Well, maybe we weren't quite that drastic...
Morph: *happydance* New reviewer, new reviewer!
Tipsy Pirate Lass: Don't worry, Captain Jack can't snuff it just yet. And yes, it was a funny joke. Except that I don't think very many people found it very funny. Pooh. Well I did.
szhismine: Hey! You're a poet and you didn't know it. Sorry love, just couldn't resist. And now it's time for your long-awaited Jack (Sparrow)/ Jade reunion! Yay!
Alright, alright, I'll get on with it already.
*
Eventually Jack left, wandering through the darkness back to his home. He wasn't sure how long it had been when he arrived, his mother racing out to embrace him.
"Oh thank goodness," Elizabeth cried. "We were so afraid you'd been caught." She all but dragged him into the house. His father was sitting in the drawing room, his shirt removed. The fire glistened off his tanned chest. Will was carefully examining some scratches on his chest and a rag was bound around his upper left arm. He looked up in relief as his wife and son entered the room.
"Where were you?" he asked. "It's been nearly an hour."
"I was waiting in case any men came," Jack explained. "I wanted to detain them as long as possible."
Will and Elizabeth didn't look entirely convinced, but they let it go.
"They got away?" Elizabeth asked. "No trouble?"
Jack shook his head. "It's as if they were never there."
"I expect they'll be alright then," Will assured Elizabeth. "It's a long trip, and Norrington won't even know where to begin."
"Do you know where they're going?" Jack asked.
"I think Jack mentioned Spain, or France. He sure as hell won't be headed for England."
Elizabeth sat down on the arm of Will's chair, stroking back a loose curl. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Will answered. "They're barely scratches."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"He got a couple of good shots in before I killed him." Will winced. "Then about five more came and dragged me back here, to Norrington. We told him that Jade had run off and we'd gone after her, out of concern. When the men found us, they made some horrid comments about Jack, which upset her into fighting. They had obviously planned to kill her, so we tried to defend her. When she'd killed two of them, she ran off and you went after. I stayed because the third refused to stop fighting until one of us died."
Jack's eyes widened skeptically. "He believed that? Norrington's a cow, not stupid."
"He didn't seem to care," Elizabeth said. "It was odd; almost as if he felt sorry for his actions. And besides: the only ones, other than you and Jade, who could contradict his statement were dead."
Jack laughed and then yawned, kicking in Elizabeth's maternal instincts.
"Well," she said, abruptly rising to her feet and releasing Will's hand. "It's high time we all went to bed. It's been a very long night, and I expect we could all use some sleep."
"Yes sir," Will said meekly, winking at Jack and wincing as Elizabeth smacked his good arm. "Bloody hell! That hurt."
*
As soon as the Pearl had been far enough from Port Royal, Captain Jack Sparrow removed himself from his cabin, swaggering around as if he owned the thing- which, in fact, he did. Concentrating on their tasks, the crew barely acknowledged him. At least until Jade caught sight of him.
She stood about ten feet away from her father, glaring at him with her hands on her hips. He tensed as she marched toward him, fully expecting a slap across the face. He was surprised when instead she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He smiled and patted her back soothingly before stepping back, caught completely off guard when she did slap him across the face. Very, VERY hard. His mouth moved soundlessly as he lifted his head to look at her with hurt eyes.
"That hurt!" he cried.
"Good!" she yelled back, raising her hand threateningly. He dodged back and grabbed her wrist.
"That's not very nice, and especially after I nearly died."
"But you didn't!" Jade yelled. "You were perfectly fine, and never bothered to tell me."
"Sorry?" he offered with hurt puppy dog eyes. Jade glared at him a moment longer before laughing loudly.
"Next time, warn me first, savvy?"
"Savvy," her father agreed. It was then that they realized the entire crew was staring at them.
"Get back to work you scabbers-dogs!" Jade ordered, walking off.
"I was going to say that," Jack muttered.
*
The actual voyage passed by too quickly for Jade to notice anything. They were all kept busy all day long, and by the time night fell, she was too exhausted to do anything but collapse in her bed. Any free time she had she spent harassing her father until he had enough and suddenly remembered some tedious task she had yet to complete.
No, it wasn't until they actually reached Spain that Jade noticed anything was wrong, and even then it was a few days before she realized what, exactly.
They were all in a bar in the tiny Spanish coastal town they had docked at, where hardly anyone spoke English. Her father was off flirting shamelessly with the barmaid (flirting, after all, is an international language) and the rest of the crew was lazing about. Jade sat alone at a table with a drink of rum, and suddenly realized that she was bored. Well, not bored, exactly. She wasn't sure she knew HOW to be bored; watching the pretty barmaid dumping the contents of her jug over Jack's head was entertaining enough. But Jade felt almost as though something were missing.
Abruptly she stood up and left, returning instinctively to the Pearl. She sat on the railing, swinging her legs over the side. She faced the ocean, her back to the town, ignoring the few strains of sound that managed to float to her. Jade began to hum tunelessly, making it up as she went along.
"Oh, Jack!" she cried, suddenly remembering something she wanted to tell him. She had turned to the boy before realizing he wasn't there. Jack was an ocean away, and not likely to show up any time soon.
"Well that could be my problem," Jade muttered. "I miss Jack. That's why I feel so bored. But how would that make me bored? I never felt like that BEFORE I met him. Of course, that could be because I had yet to meet him, as it were. Savvy?" She sighed heavily. "I need to talk to someone. Who's not my father. Or male, for that matter. Which narrows my choices somewhat. To me or Anamaria." She flipped over the railing, landing steadily on her feet. "Well talking to myself hasn't helped so far. Maybe Anamaria will be more helpful."
*
When Anamaria returned to the ship several hours later, the sky had clouded over, blotting out the starlight and, in fact, virtually all the light. She found her way across the pearl in the dark, heading for her cabin. She lit a lamp and nearly jumped as she discovered Jade sitting broodingly on her bed.
"By the gods, Jade, what are you doing?"
The girl looked up at her, confusion in her brown eyes. "I miss Jack."
Anamaria moved around the cabin, tidying up the already clean room. "That's to be expected. You and he were quite close."
"I know," Jade said in exasperation. "But it's different." She flopped back on the bed and smacked her head on the wall. "Blast."
Anamaria grinned. "How so?"
"What d'you mean 'how so'?" Jade demanded, rubbing her head. "I hit my head. It hurts."
"I meant, how is it different?"
"Oh." Jade was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the words to explain. "I'm not sure, exactly. It's as if something's missing from ME. I feel, well, not lost, exactly, but... The stuff that I love doing I still enjoy, but it's not the same, savvy? I find myself wishing he were here, so I could show him, which is rather odd considering how we hated each other at first and-"
"Jade," Anamaria finally stopped her. "What is it your father always tells you?"
"Uh..." Jade was clueless. Anamaria sighed.
"I'm going to tell you something, something you most likely didn't notice. When you left and Jack remained on that dock, there was a look in his eyes. A look of pain, pain of losing something he loved."
Jade gaped at her, eyes wide. "Not all treasure is silver and gold," she breathed.
"Exactly." Anamaria grinned again. "It's nice to see you've finally woken up."
Jade seemed to be in shock at her latest revelation. "I love him," she whispered. "And, and... he loves me?" Anamaria nodded. "But what am I supposed to DO?"
"That, Miss Sparrow, is entirely up to you."
*
Jade was awake all that night, the gentle rocking and sound of water lapping against the ship unable to lull her to sleep as they normally did. Her mind was whirling as she lay there, trying to decide what to do. Eventually she fell asleep, just as the sky began to lighten and dawn began to break. She was allowed to sleep, and when she woke up just after noon, she knew what she was going to do. Dressing quickly, she went off in search of her father.
Jack Sparrow was lying, hung-over, on the top deck, his eyes closed as he faced the sky.
"Dad?" Jade prompted. His eyes snapped open to look at her, and he winced as the sunlight flooded into them.
"Aye?"
"We need to go back to Port Royal."
"Oh really?" the captain asked lazily. He got slowly to his feet, draping himself over the wheel. "And why, pray, is that?"
"Um, well, because," Jade gulped. "Because I forgot my hat!" Jack raised his eyebrows.
"It's on your head."
"Not that one."
"You only have one hat."
"No, I got another one. While I was in Port Royal." Jade was beginning to look pained.
"With what money?"
"Elizabeth's... and Will's... and it's important that I get it back."
"Jade, love, I know. Anamaria told me."
Jade, meanwhile, had thrust her hat off the ship. "There, see? I've gone and lost my other one too. Wait, Anamaria told you I'd lost my hat?"
Jack sighed. "Not the brightest candle on the ship, are you?"
"Yeah, well, I get it from you," she retorted. "So you know?"
"Yes."
"You're not mad?" Jade looked at him hopefully.
"Mad isn't the word for it." Her face fell. "I'm your father, love, and no father ever wants to see their daughter growing up and running off with some boy, savvy?"
Jade nodded despondently.
"However." Jade looked up again. "As far as 'some boys' go, I suppose there are worse ones than Jack. After all, he was named for me. And it will give me an excuse to keep in touch with dear Lizzie and Will."
Jade could hardly believe her ears. "You mean..."
"We leave for Port Royal tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you!" Jade cried, hugging him until he nearly fell over.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm the best-damned father in the whole ocean. Now go fetch that damned hat."
Jade's eyes widened. "Oh bloody hell!" she cried, diving over the edge. Jack watched her for a moment before gloomily wandering off in search of rum.
You're lucky. I cut out about half of the description of Will's chest. I honestly forgot what I was writing about while I was writing it.
And sorry for any major errors in this chapter. Dreams are creeeeepy.
And now for something completely different. Or, you know, not. It's time for a Jack quote!
"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"
Reviewers:
Ginny-Star: Come on, we'd never end it like that... Wait, how do we end it? Oh right. Yeah, we'd never end it like that. Don't worry, this chapter's longer.
Bratprincess: I think Kelly would be slightly freaked out if I told her that Sas in England built a shrine for her... I'll do it! Besides, if you tortured us, how'd we be able to write?
Harrypotter4ever: Fear not! It's not the end!
LuvlyGRLofLIFE: We're updating sooner. We just updated yesterday, see?
Scarlett Red Rose: Dude, I think you've read our minds. But it's a secret, so don't tell. It IS unhealthy to make us wait this long for RotK. *Grumble* Stupid Peter Jackson. And yay for being a faithful reviewer!
MovieLvR4Lyfe: We haven't heard from you since chapter 13. We thought you DIED. Well, maybe we weren't quite that drastic...
Morph: *happydance* New reviewer, new reviewer!
Tipsy Pirate Lass: Don't worry, Captain Jack can't snuff it just yet. And yes, it was a funny joke. Except that I don't think very many people found it very funny. Pooh. Well I did.
szhismine: Hey! You're a poet and you didn't know it. Sorry love, just couldn't resist. And now it's time for your long-awaited Jack (Sparrow)/ Jade reunion! Yay!
Alright, alright, I'll get on with it already.
*
Eventually Jack left, wandering through the darkness back to his home. He wasn't sure how long it had been when he arrived, his mother racing out to embrace him.
"Oh thank goodness," Elizabeth cried. "We were so afraid you'd been caught." She all but dragged him into the house. His father was sitting in the drawing room, his shirt removed. The fire glistened off his tanned chest. Will was carefully examining some scratches on his chest and a rag was bound around his upper left arm. He looked up in relief as his wife and son entered the room.
"Where were you?" he asked. "It's been nearly an hour."
"I was waiting in case any men came," Jack explained. "I wanted to detain them as long as possible."
Will and Elizabeth didn't look entirely convinced, but they let it go.
"They got away?" Elizabeth asked. "No trouble?"
Jack shook his head. "It's as if they were never there."
"I expect they'll be alright then," Will assured Elizabeth. "It's a long trip, and Norrington won't even know where to begin."
"Do you know where they're going?" Jack asked.
"I think Jack mentioned Spain, or France. He sure as hell won't be headed for England."
Elizabeth sat down on the arm of Will's chair, stroking back a loose curl. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Will answered. "They're barely scratches."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"He got a couple of good shots in before I killed him." Will winced. "Then about five more came and dragged me back here, to Norrington. We told him that Jade had run off and we'd gone after her, out of concern. When the men found us, they made some horrid comments about Jack, which upset her into fighting. They had obviously planned to kill her, so we tried to defend her. When she'd killed two of them, she ran off and you went after. I stayed because the third refused to stop fighting until one of us died."
Jack's eyes widened skeptically. "He believed that? Norrington's a cow, not stupid."
"He didn't seem to care," Elizabeth said. "It was odd; almost as if he felt sorry for his actions. And besides: the only ones, other than you and Jade, who could contradict his statement were dead."
Jack laughed and then yawned, kicking in Elizabeth's maternal instincts.
"Well," she said, abruptly rising to her feet and releasing Will's hand. "It's high time we all went to bed. It's been a very long night, and I expect we could all use some sleep."
"Yes sir," Will said meekly, winking at Jack and wincing as Elizabeth smacked his good arm. "Bloody hell! That hurt."
*
As soon as the Pearl had been far enough from Port Royal, Captain Jack Sparrow removed himself from his cabin, swaggering around as if he owned the thing- which, in fact, he did. Concentrating on their tasks, the crew barely acknowledged him. At least until Jade caught sight of him.
She stood about ten feet away from her father, glaring at him with her hands on her hips. He tensed as she marched toward him, fully expecting a slap across the face. He was surprised when instead she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He smiled and patted her back soothingly before stepping back, caught completely off guard when she did slap him across the face. Very, VERY hard. His mouth moved soundlessly as he lifted his head to look at her with hurt eyes.
"That hurt!" he cried.
"Good!" she yelled back, raising her hand threateningly. He dodged back and grabbed her wrist.
"That's not very nice, and especially after I nearly died."
"But you didn't!" Jade yelled. "You were perfectly fine, and never bothered to tell me."
"Sorry?" he offered with hurt puppy dog eyes. Jade glared at him a moment longer before laughing loudly.
"Next time, warn me first, savvy?"
"Savvy," her father agreed. It was then that they realized the entire crew was staring at them.
"Get back to work you scabbers-dogs!" Jade ordered, walking off.
"I was going to say that," Jack muttered.
*
The actual voyage passed by too quickly for Jade to notice anything. They were all kept busy all day long, and by the time night fell, she was too exhausted to do anything but collapse in her bed. Any free time she had she spent harassing her father until he had enough and suddenly remembered some tedious task she had yet to complete.
No, it wasn't until they actually reached Spain that Jade noticed anything was wrong, and even then it was a few days before she realized what, exactly.
They were all in a bar in the tiny Spanish coastal town they had docked at, where hardly anyone spoke English. Her father was off flirting shamelessly with the barmaid (flirting, after all, is an international language) and the rest of the crew was lazing about. Jade sat alone at a table with a drink of rum, and suddenly realized that she was bored. Well, not bored, exactly. She wasn't sure she knew HOW to be bored; watching the pretty barmaid dumping the contents of her jug over Jack's head was entertaining enough. But Jade felt almost as though something were missing.
Abruptly she stood up and left, returning instinctively to the Pearl. She sat on the railing, swinging her legs over the side. She faced the ocean, her back to the town, ignoring the few strains of sound that managed to float to her. Jade began to hum tunelessly, making it up as she went along.
"Oh, Jack!" she cried, suddenly remembering something she wanted to tell him. She had turned to the boy before realizing he wasn't there. Jack was an ocean away, and not likely to show up any time soon.
"Well that could be my problem," Jade muttered. "I miss Jack. That's why I feel so bored. But how would that make me bored? I never felt like that BEFORE I met him. Of course, that could be because I had yet to meet him, as it were. Savvy?" She sighed heavily. "I need to talk to someone. Who's not my father. Or male, for that matter. Which narrows my choices somewhat. To me or Anamaria." She flipped over the railing, landing steadily on her feet. "Well talking to myself hasn't helped so far. Maybe Anamaria will be more helpful."
*
When Anamaria returned to the ship several hours later, the sky had clouded over, blotting out the starlight and, in fact, virtually all the light. She found her way across the pearl in the dark, heading for her cabin. She lit a lamp and nearly jumped as she discovered Jade sitting broodingly on her bed.
"By the gods, Jade, what are you doing?"
The girl looked up at her, confusion in her brown eyes. "I miss Jack."
Anamaria moved around the cabin, tidying up the already clean room. "That's to be expected. You and he were quite close."
"I know," Jade said in exasperation. "But it's different." She flopped back on the bed and smacked her head on the wall. "Blast."
Anamaria grinned. "How so?"
"What d'you mean 'how so'?" Jade demanded, rubbing her head. "I hit my head. It hurts."
"I meant, how is it different?"
"Oh." Jade was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the words to explain. "I'm not sure, exactly. It's as if something's missing from ME. I feel, well, not lost, exactly, but... The stuff that I love doing I still enjoy, but it's not the same, savvy? I find myself wishing he were here, so I could show him, which is rather odd considering how we hated each other at first and-"
"Jade," Anamaria finally stopped her. "What is it your father always tells you?"
"Uh..." Jade was clueless. Anamaria sighed.
"I'm going to tell you something, something you most likely didn't notice. When you left and Jack remained on that dock, there was a look in his eyes. A look of pain, pain of losing something he loved."
Jade gaped at her, eyes wide. "Not all treasure is silver and gold," she breathed.
"Exactly." Anamaria grinned again. "It's nice to see you've finally woken up."
Jade seemed to be in shock at her latest revelation. "I love him," she whispered. "And, and... he loves me?" Anamaria nodded. "But what am I supposed to DO?"
"That, Miss Sparrow, is entirely up to you."
*
Jade was awake all that night, the gentle rocking and sound of water lapping against the ship unable to lull her to sleep as they normally did. Her mind was whirling as she lay there, trying to decide what to do. Eventually she fell asleep, just as the sky began to lighten and dawn began to break. She was allowed to sleep, and when she woke up just after noon, she knew what she was going to do. Dressing quickly, she went off in search of her father.
Jack Sparrow was lying, hung-over, on the top deck, his eyes closed as he faced the sky.
"Dad?" Jade prompted. His eyes snapped open to look at her, and he winced as the sunlight flooded into them.
"Aye?"
"We need to go back to Port Royal."
"Oh really?" the captain asked lazily. He got slowly to his feet, draping himself over the wheel. "And why, pray, is that?"
"Um, well, because," Jade gulped. "Because I forgot my hat!" Jack raised his eyebrows.
"It's on your head."
"Not that one."
"You only have one hat."
"No, I got another one. While I was in Port Royal." Jade was beginning to look pained.
"With what money?"
"Elizabeth's... and Will's... and it's important that I get it back."
"Jade, love, I know. Anamaria told me."
Jade, meanwhile, had thrust her hat off the ship. "There, see? I've gone and lost my other one too. Wait, Anamaria told you I'd lost my hat?"
Jack sighed. "Not the brightest candle on the ship, are you?"
"Yeah, well, I get it from you," she retorted. "So you know?"
"Yes."
"You're not mad?" Jade looked at him hopefully.
"Mad isn't the word for it." Her face fell. "I'm your father, love, and no father ever wants to see their daughter growing up and running off with some boy, savvy?"
Jade nodded despondently.
"However." Jade looked up again. "As far as 'some boys' go, I suppose there are worse ones than Jack. After all, he was named for me. And it will give me an excuse to keep in touch with dear Lizzie and Will."
Jade could hardly believe her ears. "You mean..."
"We leave for Port Royal tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you!" Jade cried, hugging him until he nearly fell over.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm the best-damned father in the whole ocean. Now go fetch that damned hat."
Jade's eyes widened. "Oh bloody hell!" she cried, diving over the edge. Jack watched her for a moment before gloomily wandering off in search of rum.