Disclaimers: The characters directly from PotC are not mine. I only lay claim to the compilation of the words, and the character portrayed as "you".
Author's Note: Chapter Four is here! I'm shocked, you know, because I didn't expect to be writing this for a while! Oh, the joys of writing for yourself! Well, here is the chapter. Enjoy!
You take in a breath of the fresh air, as you and Elizabeth stand on the balcony. The two of you have left Will and Jack to their own devices for a moment, so that you can have some time to talk to one another alone.
"Do you like him?" Elizabeth says, out of nowhere.
"Who?" you ask, deciding to play the oblivious one. You know who she is referring to, but are not about to just answer the question.
"You know who!" Elizabeth laughs, nudging her head in the direction of the room behind you. "Jack. Do you like him?" She stares at you for a moment, awaiting your answer.
"Well," you begin, taking the time to sigh, before continuing. "He's definitely..." you trail, trying to find the correct words. The man is gorgeous, there is no doubt about it, but that is something that you are happy to keep to yourself. While she might understand, Elizabeth is still a risk for Jack to find out what you think. When it comes right down to it, he isn't a bad man; he was helpful in getting you out of the carriage, and he did manage to make you smile, something that rarely happens with new people that you meet. In truth, you can't help but feel friendly toward Jack.
"He's definitely... What?" Elizabeth's voice returns you from your streaming thoughts, and you look at her. She is smiling mischevously, a sign that she already knows that you like him.
"He has definitely changed my original stance on the crew of the Black Pearl," you say, with a smile. "He has definitely put my fears at ease."
"Who has put your fears at ease?" you hear Will call from behind you, and you sigh, knowing that Jack is most likely with him, meaning that they probably heard the whole thing. "And, just what fears are we talking about?"
You turn around, and face your friend. "You know, Will, I keep telling you that you are going to get yourself into serious trouble someday, if you keep asking questions as if the sun will never set again." You have to stop, and take a breath. "That was one long sentence," you think to yourself, randomly. Will sticks his tongue out at you, and you return the gesture without haste.
"(You) was just talking about Jack," Elizabeth speaks up, teasingly. She notices your mouth, as it hangs open for a moment, before you quickly close it. How could she say something like that? A vow suddenly comes into your head, one saying that you will get her back, at any and all costs.
Without responding to Elizabeth's comment, you turn back around, and look back out at the sea. You want the moment to go away, because you know that your friend's words have most likely reached the ears of the man that they were directed at, and you are embarrassed. You aren't angry, just very, very embarrased.
"Oh," Elizabeth picks up again. "I left something at home, and I wanted to bring it here." You look up at her, confused. What in the world could she have forgotten? You had everything in order for Will's homecoming days ago, but Elizabeth has still managed to forget something. You doubt it, very much. "Would you like to come with me to get it, Will?" Your attention directs toward your other friend, hoping that he will not agree. It is a ridiculous idea, since you know that Elizabeth will do anything to have a few moments alone with Will. "It won't take long, I promise."
"Alright," Will agrees, smiling. He turns to Jack. "Will you be alright here, while I go with Elizabeth?" Jack nods.
"So long as the lady doesn't kill me." He looks at you, and smiles. "However, I don't think that such a thing will be an issue, will it, Miss?" You just shake your head, and return your gaze to the water. "In that case, we're fine."
"We won't be long," Elizabeth whispers to you, brushing her hand over your arm.
"Alright," you respond. "We'll be here." You watch, as your friends exit, leaving you and your new aquaintence standing on your balcony together.
A quick breeze blows across the balcony, and you close your eyes, taking in the sensation of more fresh air. Nothing has ever made you smile as much as the fresh air, as it comes across the sea. You take a deep breath, and sigh, as you exhale, the moment of sanity and peace passing, just as quickly as it came.
"Something in the air today, luv?" Jack asks, breaking your moment of tranquility. "You seem happy."
"Yes," you say, with a sad smile. "The sea breeze is something that I absolutely love, to no end." You take another breath, and continue to smile. "Of course, I don't have to explain that to you, now, do I, Captain Sparrow?"
Jack shifts his body from left to right, and narrows his eyes. "I thought that I told you to call me Jack," he teases, his eyes still narrowed.
"And I thought that I told you to call me (you)," you fire back, knowing that you have a valid point. You raise your eyebrows, and Jack nods.
"Fair enough, luv," he agrees, taking a few steps forward. He leans his arms forward, letting them rest against the railing of the balcony. The sounds of carriage wheels and horse hooves catches your ears, and you look over the balcony to see Elizabeth and Will waving up at you. You wave back, as does Jack. The two of you stand in silence for a few moments, watching the carriage that carries your friends disappear into the distance. You hear Jack clear his throat, but pay no attention. Out of the corner of your eye, you see him shuffling around, looking at his surroundings. Turning his head toward you, Jack smiles. "This is a nice house," he compliments, trying to make some form of friendly conversation with you.
"Thank you," you respond, returning a smile. Conversation is not something that you feel confortable with at the moment, and you fear that the older man can sense it. "He's not a dog," you think to yourself. "It's not like he can sense things like one, either." Another moment passes in silence, with the two of you sharing quick smiles and glances with one another now and again. You suddenly get an idea, one that you think is a rather good one. "Jack?" you ask, looking up at him, warmly. "Would you like something to eat? Our cook could have some food prepared fairly quickly, and I would be honoured if you would stay for dinner." You are ready to kick yourself for your choice of words, knowing that the word honoured was quite misplaced. However, you push the thought to the back of your mind, and await the answer that you expect from an already smiling Jack.
"Should you wait for Will and Elizabeth to get back for you have dinner made?" he asks, his voice lined with laughter. "No use is making food just for it to get cold."
"Oh, I don't imagine that we should be seeing them again for the night, Jack," you laugh. "I think that Will has stranded you here for the night." You wait for Jack's face to fall, in a combination of fear and horror. However, the look never comes, and you decide that now is a good time to be hospitable beyond all other compare. "Don't worry, we have plenty of rooms. You are welcome to stay for the night."
"Thank ye', luv," he says, still smiling. "I appreciate it." You smile back, and motion for him to follow you into the house. As you go through the threshhold of the door, Jack asks you a startling question."You wouldn't happen to have any rum, would ye'?" he asks, almost causing you to fall over.
"Rum?" you ask, picking up a pillow from the small couch in the middle of the room. "Absolutely not!" With one quick, smooth motion, you toss the pillow at your new friend, accidentally hitting him in the face. He hits the floor with a thud, completely caught off gaurd by the unannounced attack. You cover your mouth, and rush to where he has fallen. "I'm sorry!" you say, through your laughter. "I didn't mean to do that!" Biting your lower lip, you give a smile, and, hold out your hand to Jack. He grasps your hand, and you try to pull him up. You try to lift him up off of the ground, but don't get anywhere, and just get frustrated at the fact that he is still sitting on the floor. It doesn't hit you until you see Jack smiling, that there is a reason for why he hasn't budged; he is fighting your pull.
The next thing you know, you are being pulled down to the floor, and end up in Jack's lap.
"Thanks for the help," he smiles, his expression warm.
With a smirk, you try to get to your feet. Half way to standing, you are pulled back down, and end up back in Jack's lap. You let out a small shriek, but your sounds are muffled, as you feel pressure against your lips. It doesn't take long for you to realize that Jack has pulled you into a kiss, and you can't help but enjoy the feeling that his lips bring to you. Even though your head is telling you that you shouldn't be doing this, your lips respond to those of the man whose arms you are being held in. Finally, you decide that the kiss has to end, and you pull away. You look at Jack for a moment, who is still smiling, and allow a curve to cross your own lips.
"I have to go make the arrangements for dinner," you breath, as you rise to your feet, leaving Jack sitting on the floor of the room. You start down the stairs, not waiting for the man that you left behind. The kiss runs through your mind, the feeling of his lips touching yours, and the instant embarrassment that you feel, knowing that you just kissed a man. To make matters even worse, the man was a pirate! If anyone ever found out about it, you would most certainly be in trouble.
However, the kiss was something that you had been thinking about just moments before it happened.
"What is wrong with me?" you question, scolding yourself. "The man is a criminal. I shouldn't even be around him! What am I doing?" You feel tears coming to your eyes, at the feeling that you did something wrong, as you round the stairs, and turn into the kitchen. You don't understand why you feel so bad. After all, don't you deserve to have someone around, too? You're only human, and you feel a sudden sense of relief at coming to such a realization. You don't even know that it will ever happen again.
"Harlene," you say, spotting the servant girl in the kitchen. "We will be having a special guest for dinner tonight."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! As always, I await your thoughts! Until the next chapter...