Disclaimer: As much as I wish I owned the dashing Captain Jack Sparrow, I only own him through owning the movie and a few internet pictures. Therefore, suing me is of no use.
AN: Yes, you read correctly: only two weeks of summer vacation! Well, less than a week, now. Don't worry, I plan to get as much rest as I possibly can before summer classes start, before graduation, and before I start job-searching. Enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter 8: Treasure Hunting and Emotions:
Jack's POV:
Blinding white light piercing his eyelids woke Jack the next morning, causing him to roll over and groan in pain. Apparently he had had a bit too much rum last night, and now he had to deal with the consequences. As he cracked his eyes open, he saw amused amethyst eyes looking down into his.
"A bit hung-over this morning, are we, Captain?" Angela asked in an amused voice. She chuckled in response to his pain-filled groan. "I've got just the thing!"
As he opened his eyes a bit wider, Jack realized that she was holding a cup in her hand, which was steaming a bit. She took his hand and pressed the cup into it. He sat up and gave the contents a quick sniff before cringing.
"A bit strong-smelling, isn't it, luv?" he asked, looking from the cup to her face. "This stuff smells like it would take the paint right off of the walls!"
The sound of her laughter filled the air. "Don't worry," Angela said, grinning as she patted his hand in comfort. "It's just some medicinal herbs in warm water. It would be more effective if you drank the whole thing down at once. I promise that it won't hurt you." Her mouth twitched in amusement at her last words.
Jack took another whiff of the concoction and winced. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he muttered before downing the whole thing in two gulps. The taste was terrible, but his headache disappeared a few moments later. Blinking away the last of his headache, he took a better look at the woman by his side.
Morning sunlight filtered in through the window above their heads, giving her an angelic look. Her black hair was pulled into a loose bun, but still shimmered like black silk in the sun. Her purple, gemstone eyes, glittering in a lightly suntanned face, were filled with a mixture of concern and amusement. As he smiled at her, the concern vanished and was replaced with even more amusement.
"Well, I'm glad to see you back to your old self again, Jack," Angela stated, standing up. She gave his appearance a quick glance before blushing, taking in his shirtless upper-body. "You might want to put on a shirt, though. It looks like it might rain a bit later. I'll be down in the dining area, having breakfast." With those words, she turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Jack stared at the closed door. Blinking his surprise away, he got up and pulled on his shirt, boots, and other effects before going for the door.
'That woman sure is a puzzle,' he thought as he went to join her for breakfast. 'A lovely, fun puzzle, though.'
Angela's POV:
As she dug into her plate of bacon, eggs, toast, and cup of coffee, Angela couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions about the pirate currently upstairs. One of her emotions was an uneasiness from this morning, when she had discovered something after she had first awoken before dawn.
She had been on her right side when wakefulness had come, and the first thing she had noticed was a warm, rum-smelling breeze against her cheek. That had sent a jolt of alertness through her, causing her eyes to fly open. The sight that had greeted her left her both breathless and uneasy. A shirtless Jack lay next to her, his arm around her waist, and his lips inches from hers! This had caused her to slowly remove his arm and back away, trying not to wake him. After realizing that he hadn't been disturbed by her actions, she had sat up and looked around the room, quickly spotting the rum bottle that had likely caused his heavily unconscious state, and had smiled. Angela had then carefully removed herself from bed, trying not to wake the sleeping Captain. She had dressed in yesterday's gown and had gone downstairs, hoping that someone was awake. The owner's wife had been in the middle of making breakfast, and had given Angela the ingredients to mix up a headache potion for Jack. What was even better was that the woman had offered free food to the young herbalist and her roommate if she were to mix up more medicine for the other tavern guests as well. After completing her side of the bargain, Angela had gone upstairs to help Jack with his hang over, taking a seat on Jack's side of the bed, the medicine in her hand.
However, another emotion had blossomed while she had sat on the bed, watching the sleeping Captain. Angela had already known that Jack was a handsome man, but he was different when asleep. When awake, he was proud, cunning, and dangerous, ready to fight at a moments' notice. She had never noticed it before, but his features were softer and gentler as he slept, giving him a kind and peaceful look for a viewer to admire. Angela had been leaning closer to his face when he began to stir, and his wakefulness had pulled her out of her stare, forcing her to pretend that she had simply been there to help him with his hangover and nothing more.
Now Angela sat at the table, picking at her eggs as a familiar form sat down in front of her. Looking up, she saw Jack leaning over the table, staring back at her. She blushed before looking down at her plate, quickly eating her food as Jack ordered and began consuming his. Neither one spoke, but somehow Jack finished before Angela did, for while she had been eating in a proper manner, Jack had quickly devoured his food in record time. As he sipped his third cup of coffee (flavored with some rum, of course), Angela finished her food and wiped her mouth before folding her napkin. Looking up, she saw something flash within the depths of Jack's dark brown eyes, but didn't know what it was. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, and she realized that Jack was talking to her.
"I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't catch that," she apologized, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "You were saying?"
Jack smiled at her. "I asked ye if ye wanted to go and do some shopping in town before we leave tomorrow," he said, finishing off his coffee before tossing two coins onto the table. A passing serving woman waved her hand at him, indicating that she wouldn't accept the pay. Startled, Jack returned the coins to his money pouch as the dirty dishes were gathered up and taken away.
Meanwhile, Angela did some thinking. "I don't think so," she said. "I already gave Gibbs and Annamaria a list of what herbs I need, and I think I have enough clothes for a while. Why do you ask?"
Jack shrugged. "No reason," he said, looking down at her neck for some reason. "Since we're in Tortuga for a while, why don't I show ye the town and its shops? Ye might spot something ye like."
Angela frowned in silent consideration. It wouldn't hurt to look around, actually. She might spot something that she had forgotten she needed. Plus, it might be interesting to see what Jack and the Pearl's crew saw in this 'pirate's paradise.'
She nodded. "Alright, let's go see what this town has to offer," she said, smiling at Jack.
"Wonderful!" Jack exclaimed, waving his hands around expressively. He stood up. "Let's go, luv." He offered her his hand, and she accepted, allowing him to safely tuck her hand under his arm and lead her out the door into the streets of Tortuga.
As they walked around the streets, Angela couldn't help but notice that Jack had kept them on the outskirts of town. She knew this because all of the buildings, as well as the people, weren't shabby or rundown. No, these buildings were in good shape, and the people here looked somewhat decent, though nowhere near as respectable as the people in Port Cain or the other British colonies.
"Jack," she whispered as she leaned closer to his ear. "Why are we still in the outskirts? I thought everything here is more expensive than in town."
"It is, luv," he softly commented. "But what's sold here is of better quality, what with all of the rogue merchants illegally buying, selling, and trading their goods here. I promise that everything ye could possibly want will be here."
The two then began looking in shop windows for anything eye-catching. However, neither one realized that Jack had securely wrapped his arm around Angela's waist, and that she was somewhat leaning into his embrace. In fact, they were both acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jack's POV:
After an hour or so of window shopping, Jack noticed that his arm was around his bonny lass, and found himself enjoying it. It was unusual for him to feel so protective of one single woman, but it was a good feeling. He liked feeling needed and protective, and there was no way he was going to stop. However, he had to be careful while doing so. Although Jack had no trouble subtly displaying his feelings for her, he had no idea whether the attractive young lass next to him returned his feelings or not. Also, she was a witch, and Jack had no desire to wake up and find himself turned into an animal of some sort! No, he had to play his cards carefully with this one, and he would play it right! All he needed was some time and patience, that's all. That was why, while Angela was glancing in a jewelry store window, Jack planned on putting a part of his plan into action.
"I'm having a thought here, luv," he said, waving his free hand around. "Why don't we go inside and look at everything? They probably have better things inside, anyway." Before she could protest, Jack dragged her inside.
Angela's POV:
As Jack dragged her into the jewelry shop, her breath caught in her throat. Precious stones glittered under wood-and-glass cases. Sparkles of different shades of red, blue, green, violet, yellow, and white met and dazzled her eyes. As she blinked, trying to adjust to the dimmer light of the shop, Jack dragged her over to one of the cases. Inside were numerous necklaces and chokers, all beautifully decorated with jewels of various colors. After she had briefly glanced at the contents of one of the cases, she turned to the man beside her.
"Jack, why are we here?" she whispered, glancing at the jewelry in the case. "I mean, I like jewelry as much as the next person, but these must be so expensive!"
"Just thought ye might like something of yer own, luv, that's all," Jack replied nonchalantly. "Now, which one do ye like better? Personally, I think the purple ones, they match yer eyes. Although," he said, looking at another case, "the black pearls are nice, too. I like those."
She looked up at him in shock. "Jack, I can't afford anything in this shop!" she exclaimed. "I still owe you for what I took in Port Cain, remember?"
Jack merely waved her comment aside. "No worries, luv, I've got it all taken care of," he said, smiling down at her.
Angela tried to say something, but at that moment, an elderly woman came into the shop from the back room, her gray hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head, and her dress a no-nonsense black color. She scanned the two of them, smiling.
"Hello, dears!" she exclaimed. "My name's Bea. Are you two looking for engagement rings?"
Angela's eyes almost fell out of her head in alarm. "No! No, we're not!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her face in embarrassment. She turned her head away to cool her face down, letting Jack handle the situation by himself.
"Oh, what a pity," Bea said, looking at them. "You make such a lovely couple!"
Jack chuckled uneasily. "Just looking for something for this lovely lass, that's all," he said. Pointing at something in the case, he asked, "How much for this piece here?" Angela turned to look at him in shock, but he ignored her.
The old woman came over and glanced at the piece he appeared to have pointed at. "This piece?" she asked, pointing.
Angela leaned over the case. It was a lovely necklace/choker of gold, with heart-shaped amethysts and black pearls set in an alternating pattern along it. At Jack's nod, the woman quoted the price.
"Done!" exclaimed Jack as he pulled out his money bag. In an instant, the choker was around Angela's neck and the two of them were out the door, heading back towards the inn.
As they walked back to the inn, Angela felt like she was in a daze. Her hand drifted to her throat and felt the gemstones that rested around her neck. Upon remembering the price of the lovely piece of jewelry that she wore, Angela realized that the money Jack had paid for it would have funded her living expenses in Port Cain for an entire year!
'Why would he spend that much money on me?' she thought to herself as they climbed the stairs to their room. 'Surely he doesn't expect me to work off this debt as well?!' As they entered and settled down in their room, Jack turned towards her.
"How do ye like yer gift, luv?" he asked, smiling at her as he sat on his side of the bed and patted an open spot next to him. Angela accepted the spot, and faintly blushed as Jack stared at her neck. "A nice combination of gems, if I do say so myself. They go well with yer hair and eye colors." He then reached out and touched the choker, caressing her neck with his fingers in the process.
"Thank you," she whispered back to him, her eyes meeting his. Angela then realized that Jack was much closer than she had first thought. His face was now a mere inch from hers and getting closer when a knock on the door forced them apart.
"Who the bloody hell is it?" Jack snapped, obviously upset over the interruption. He opened the door, revealing a young maid holding a small basin of warm water.
"I thought that ye might like some water to wash up with," she squeaked, holding out the basin.
Angela quickly came up beside Jack and accepted the basin. "Thank you," she said, smiling at the maid, who curtseyed in reply before scampering away. As Jack shut the door, Angela set the edge of the basin on the small table on her side of the bed. She then handed the oil lamp to Jack without looking at him. "Would you set this on the other table, please, Jack?"
The sound of footsteps going to and from the other side of the bed was heard as she stayed where she was. Giving the matter a second thought, Angela picked up the basin and handed it to Jack, who had come up beside her.
"Here, hold this," she said, still not looking at him. He obeyed, and she carefully moved the bedside table so that it was several feet away from the wall. Sitting down on her side of the bed, she pulled the table up in front of her, Jack standing on the opposite side, still holding the basin. "Alright, put it down here," she ordered, pointing to the exact center of the table. Her command was carried out quickly. "Now, do you have the coins from the Heron's treasure?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Aye, but what do you want it for?" Jack asked, looking down at her in puzzlement.
"I'm going to try and look for it," she said, smiling. Jack nodded and handed her the two gold coins.
"So how does this sort of thing work, luv?" he asked, leaning closer. "I've never seen magic before."
Angela smiled. "It's relatively simple," she said, holding the coins up. "By simply using a basin of water and a small sample of what I'm looking for, I can find exactly what I want, whenever I want. In this case, with these coins, I can find out exactly where the Blue Heron, and its treasure, is hidden."
She carefully dropped the coins into the basin and waited. A bit of movement in front of her caused her to look up, catching Jack shifting restlessly from one foot to another. "You can take a closer look, if you'd like." A naughty grin settled on Jack's face, puzzling her for a moment before she realized the double meaning of her words. "I meant look at the basin! The basin!" she cried as Jack laughed.
"Just kidding, lass, I knew what ye meant," he said, still chuckling as he bent over the basin. A moment later, Jack inhaled sharply as the water became cloudy before slowly clearing itself. Both leaned a bit closer to see what would appear.
It was a diagonal view of an unusually large island, one that resembled many other islands in the Caribbean. It had hills, palm trees, sandy shores, rocks, and a few good-sized fresh water streams that flowed into the sea. As Angela focused harder on the island, things appeared to move faster, as though time were speeding up, hurrying them towards their target. The view sped to one side of the island, to some rocky shores on the right side of the island before drifting into a tremendous cave.
"Big enough to hold a ship," Jack whispered as he leaned closer.
Indeed, it did seem that big. The view slowly drifted into the cave and became pitch-black, as though they were walking through the cave. A few seconds later, the view settled on the shape of a ship, sunlight pouring down on it from an angle through a hole in the roof of the cave. The name on the back of the ship declared it as The Blue Heron.
"That's it!" she gasped. "But which island is it?" she whispered into the basin. The scene changed so that the image of the cave vanished, and they were looking at a bird's eye view of the island, directly over it. As the image moved further away, the island took up the most unusual shape.
"The shape of a bird in flight," Angela commented as she squinted at the bowl. "Actually, it looks like one of those shadow-shapes one makes with their hands. You know what I'm talking about; the bird shadow-puppet shape."
"Aye, it does," Jack whispered, looking closer. "And I know exactly where that island is, too!"
As the two of them pulled away from the bowl, their eyes met, and for that one moment, time seemed to stop. Angela silently gulped as Jack slowly moved his head closer to hers. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against hers. It was a soft kiss, a gentle caress of the lips actually, but it was enough. She could feel the spark between them, and a tug at her heart that told her that this man was something to be kept in her life forever.
Jack's POV:
He couldn't explain what had made him do it. One moment they had been glancing at the image in the bowl, and the next thing he knew, his lips were against hers. Perhaps it was because of the magic in the air, or because he had secretly been wanting to kiss her all day, but he didn't really care: all he knew was that this was right, and this was what he wanted. This woman, here, with him, right now, was all he cared about. In the end, the kiss was what mattered, and so he carefully moved himself around the table to sit beside his bonny lass, deepening their first kiss as much as he could.
Third Person POV:
After several moments of intense kisses and caresses, the two broke apart, panting for air. They looked into the other's eyes, feeling the tension in the air between them. The question that they saw in the other's expression clearly asked one thing.
So what happens now?
However, as the two silently pondered that one question concerning the two of them, someone outside their partially opened door was asking something else.
How do I get to the Treasure of the Blue Heron before the Black Pearl?
AN: Yay, another chapter done! I'm trying to finish this before my extremely short summer vacation is over, but I doubt that'll happen. Still, I promise to finish this story, and possibly write a sequel. However, a sequel will only happen if people read and review it at the same time! So, if people want a sequel, please tell me in your reviews! Thanks, and naked Jack Sparrows for everyone who has reviewed so far!
AN: Yes, you read correctly: only two weeks of summer vacation! Well, less than a week, now. Don't worry, I plan to get as much rest as I possibly can before summer classes start, before graduation, and before I start job-searching. Enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter 8: Treasure Hunting and Emotions:
Jack's POV:
Blinding white light piercing his eyelids woke Jack the next morning, causing him to roll over and groan in pain. Apparently he had had a bit too much rum last night, and now he had to deal with the consequences. As he cracked his eyes open, he saw amused amethyst eyes looking down into his.
"A bit hung-over this morning, are we, Captain?" Angela asked in an amused voice. She chuckled in response to his pain-filled groan. "I've got just the thing!"
As he opened his eyes a bit wider, Jack realized that she was holding a cup in her hand, which was steaming a bit. She took his hand and pressed the cup into it. He sat up and gave the contents a quick sniff before cringing.
"A bit strong-smelling, isn't it, luv?" he asked, looking from the cup to her face. "This stuff smells like it would take the paint right off of the walls!"
The sound of her laughter filled the air. "Don't worry," Angela said, grinning as she patted his hand in comfort. "It's just some medicinal herbs in warm water. It would be more effective if you drank the whole thing down at once. I promise that it won't hurt you." Her mouth twitched in amusement at her last words.
Jack took another whiff of the concoction and winced. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he muttered before downing the whole thing in two gulps. The taste was terrible, but his headache disappeared a few moments later. Blinking away the last of his headache, he took a better look at the woman by his side.
Morning sunlight filtered in through the window above their heads, giving her an angelic look. Her black hair was pulled into a loose bun, but still shimmered like black silk in the sun. Her purple, gemstone eyes, glittering in a lightly suntanned face, were filled with a mixture of concern and amusement. As he smiled at her, the concern vanished and was replaced with even more amusement.
"Well, I'm glad to see you back to your old self again, Jack," Angela stated, standing up. She gave his appearance a quick glance before blushing, taking in his shirtless upper-body. "You might want to put on a shirt, though. It looks like it might rain a bit later. I'll be down in the dining area, having breakfast." With those words, she turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Jack stared at the closed door. Blinking his surprise away, he got up and pulled on his shirt, boots, and other effects before going for the door.
'That woman sure is a puzzle,' he thought as he went to join her for breakfast. 'A lovely, fun puzzle, though.'
Angela's POV:
As she dug into her plate of bacon, eggs, toast, and cup of coffee, Angela couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions about the pirate currently upstairs. One of her emotions was an uneasiness from this morning, when she had discovered something after she had first awoken before dawn.
She had been on her right side when wakefulness had come, and the first thing she had noticed was a warm, rum-smelling breeze against her cheek. That had sent a jolt of alertness through her, causing her eyes to fly open. The sight that had greeted her left her both breathless and uneasy. A shirtless Jack lay next to her, his arm around her waist, and his lips inches from hers! This had caused her to slowly remove his arm and back away, trying not to wake him. After realizing that he hadn't been disturbed by her actions, she had sat up and looked around the room, quickly spotting the rum bottle that had likely caused his heavily unconscious state, and had smiled. Angela had then carefully removed herself from bed, trying not to wake the sleeping Captain. She had dressed in yesterday's gown and had gone downstairs, hoping that someone was awake. The owner's wife had been in the middle of making breakfast, and had given Angela the ingredients to mix up a headache potion for Jack. What was even better was that the woman had offered free food to the young herbalist and her roommate if she were to mix up more medicine for the other tavern guests as well. After completing her side of the bargain, Angela had gone upstairs to help Jack with his hang over, taking a seat on Jack's side of the bed, the medicine in her hand.
However, another emotion had blossomed while she had sat on the bed, watching the sleeping Captain. Angela had already known that Jack was a handsome man, but he was different when asleep. When awake, he was proud, cunning, and dangerous, ready to fight at a moments' notice. She had never noticed it before, but his features were softer and gentler as he slept, giving him a kind and peaceful look for a viewer to admire. Angela had been leaning closer to his face when he began to stir, and his wakefulness had pulled her out of her stare, forcing her to pretend that she had simply been there to help him with his hangover and nothing more.
Now Angela sat at the table, picking at her eggs as a familiar form sat down in front of her. Looking up, she saw Jack leaning over the table, staring back at her. She blushed before looking down at her plate, quickly eating her food as Jack ordered and began consuming his. Neither one spoke, but somehow Jack finished before Angela did, for while she had been eating in a proper manner, Jack had quickly devoured his food in record time. As he sipped his third cup of coffee (flavored with some rum, of course), Angela finished her food and wiped her mouth before folding her napkin. Looking up, she saw something flash within the depths of Jack's dark brown eyes, but didn't know what it was. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, and she realized that Jack was talking to her.
"I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't catch that," she apologized, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "You were saying?"
Jack smiled at her. "I asked ye if ye wanted to go and do some shopping in town before we leave tomorrow," he said, finishing off his coffee before tossing two coins onto the table. A passing serving woman waved her hand at him, indicating that she wouldn't accept the pay. Startled, Jack returned the coins to his money pouch as the dirty dishes were gathered up and taken away.
Meanwhile, Angela did some thinking. "I don't think so," she said. "I already gave Gibbs and Annamaria a list of what herbs I need, and I think I have enough clothes for a while. Why do you ask?"
Jack shrugged. "No reason," he said, looking down at her neck for some reason. "Since we're in Tortuga for a while, why don't I show ye the town and its shops? Ye might spot something ye like."
Angela frowned in silent consideration. It wouldn't hurt to look around, actually. She might spot something that she had forgotten she needed. Plus, it might be interesting to see what Jack and the Pearl's crew saw in this 'pirate's paradise.'
She nodded. "Alright, let's go see what this town has to offer," she said, smiling at Jack.
"Wonderful!" Jack exclaimed, waving his hands around expressively. He stood up. "Let's go, luv." He offered her his hand, and she accepted, allowing him to safely tuck her hand under his arm and lead her out the door into the streets of Tortuga.
As they walked around the streets, Angela couldn't help but notice that Jack had kept them on the outskirts of town. She knew this because all of the buildings, as well as the people, weren't shabby or rundown. No, these buildings were in good shape, and the people here looked somewhat decent, though nowhere near as respectable as the people in Port Cain or the other British colonies.
"Jack," she whispered as she leaned closer to his ear. "Why are we still in the outskirts? I thought everything here is more expensive than in town."
"It is, luv," he softly commented. "But what's sold here is of better quality, what with all of the rogue merchants illegally buying, selling, and trading their goods here. I promise that everything ye could possibly want will be here."
The two then began looking in shop windows for anything eye-catching. However, neither one realized that Jack had securely wrapped his arm around Angela's waist, and that she was somewhat leaning into his embrace. In fact, they were both acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jack's POV:
After an hour or so of window shopping, Jack noticed that his arm was around his bonny lass, and found himself enjoying it. It was unusual for him to feel so protective of one single woman, but it was a good feeling. He liked feeling needed and protective, and there was no way he was going to stop. However, he had to be careful while doing so. Although Jack had no trouble subtly displaying his feelings for her, he had no idea whether the attractive young lass next to him returned his feelings or not. Also, she was a witch, and Jack had no desire to wake up and find himself turned into an animal of some sort! No, he had to play his cards carefully with this one, and he would play it right! All he needed was some time and patience, that's all. That was why, while Angela was glancing in a jewelry store window, Jack planned on putting a part of his plan into action.
"I'm having a thought here, luv," he said, waving his free hand around. "Why don't we go inside and look at everything? They probably have better things inside, anyway." Before she could protest, Jack dragged her inside.
Angela's POV:
As Jack dragged her into the jewelry shop, her breath caught in her throat. Precious stones glittered under wood-and-glass cases. Sparkles of different shades of red, blue, green, violet, yellow, and white met and dazzled her eyes. As she blinked, trying to adjust to the dimmer light of the shop, Jack dragged her over to one of the cases. Inside were numerous necklaces and chokers, all beautifully decorated with jewels of various colors. After she had briefly glanced at the contents of one of the cases, she turned to the man beside her.
"Jack, why are we here?" she whispered, glancing at the jewelry in the case. "I mean, I like jewelry as much as the next person, but these must be so expensive!"
"Just thought ye might like something of yer own, luv, that's all," Jack replied nonchalantly. "Now, which one do ye like better? Personally, I think the purple ones, they match yer eyes. Although," he said, looking at another case, "the black pearls are nice, too. I like those."
She looked up at him in shock. "Jack, I can't afford anything in this shop!" she exclaimed. "I still owe you for what I took in Port Cain, remember?"
Jack merely waved her comment aside. "No worries, luv, I've got it all taken care of," he said, smiling down at her.
Angela tried to say something, but at that moment, an elderly woman came into the shop from the back room, her gray hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head, and her dress a no-nonsense black color. She scanned the two of them, smiling.
"Hello, dears!" she exclaimed. "My name's Bea. Are you two looking for engagement rings?"
Angela's eyes almost fell out of her head in alarm. "No! No, we're not!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her face in embarrassment. She turned her head away to cool her face down, letting Jack handle the situation by himself.
"Oh, what a pity," Bea said, looking at them. "You make such a lovely couple!"
Jack chuckled uneasily. "Just looking for something for this lovely lass, that's all," he said. Pointing at something in the case, he asked, "How much for this piece here?" Angela turned to look at him in shock, but he ignored her.
The old woman came over and glanced at the piece he appeared to have pointed at. "This piece?" she asked, pointing.
Angela leaned over the case. It was a lovely necklace/choker of gold, with heart-shaped amethysts and black pearls set in an alternating pattern along it. At Jack's nod, the woman quoted the price.
"Done!" exclaimed Jack as he pulled out his money bag. In an instant, the choker was around Angela's neck and the two of them were out the door, heading back towards the inn.
As they walked back to the inn, Angela felt like she was in a daze. Her hand drifted to her throat and felt the gemstones that rested around her neck. Upon remembering the price of the lovely piece of jewelry that she wore, Angela realized that the money Jack had paid for it would have funded her living expenses in Port Cain for an entire year!
'Why would he spend that much money on me?' she thought to herself as they climbed the stairs to their room. 'Surely he doesn't expect me to work off this debt as well?!' As they entered and settled down in their room, Jack turned towards her.
"How do ye like yer gift, luv?" he asked, smiling at her as he sat on his side of the bed and patted an open spot next to him. Angela accepted the spot, and faintly blushed as Jack stared at her neck. "A nice combination of gems, if I do say so myself. They go well with yer hair and eye colors." He then reached out and touched the choker, caressing her neck with his fingers in the process.
"Thank you," she whispered back to him, her eyes meeting his. Angela then realized that Jack was much closer than she had first thought. His face was now a mere inch from hers and getting closer when a knock on the door forced them apart.
"Who the bloody hell is it?" Jack snapped, obviously upset over the interruption. He opened the door, revealing a young maid holding a small basin of warm water.
"I thought that ye might like some water to wash up with," she squeaked, holding out the basin.
Angela quickly came up beside Jack and accepted the basin. "Thank you," she said, smiling at the maid, who curtseyed in reply before scampering away. As Jack shut the door, Angela set the edge of the basin on the small table on her side of the bed. She then handed the oil lamp to Jack without looking at him. "Would you set this on the other table, please, Jack?"
The sound of footsteps going to and from the other side of the bed was heard as she stayed where she was. Giving the matter a second thought, Angela picked up the basin and handed it to Jack, who had come up beside her.
"Here, hold this," she said, still not looking at him. He obeyed, and she carefully moved the bedside table so that it was several feet away from the wall. Sitting down on her side of the bed, she pulled the table up in front of her, Jack standing on the opposite side, still holding the basin. "Alright, put it down here," she ordered, pointing to the exact center of the table. Her command was carried out quickly. "Now, do you have the coins from the Heron's treasure?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Aye, but what do you want it for?" Jack asked, looking down at her in puzzlement.
"I'm going to try and look for it," she said, smiling. Jack nodded and handed her the two gold coins.
"So how does this sort of thing work, luv?" he asked, leaning closer. "I've never seen magic before."
Angela smiled. "It's relatively simple," she said, holding the coins up. "By simply using a basin of water and a small sample of what I'm looking for, I can find exactly what I want, whenever I want. In this case, with these coins, I can find out exactly where the Blue Heron, and its treasure, is hidden."
She carefully dropped the coins into the basin and waited. A bit of movement in front of her caused her to look up, catching Jack shifting restlessly from one foot to another. "You can take a closer look, if you'd like." A naughty grin settled on Jack's face, puzzling her for a moment before she realized the double meaning of her words. "I meant look at the basin! The basin!" she cried as Jack laughed.
"Just kidding, lass, I knew what ye meant," he said, still chuckling as he bent over the basin. A moment later, Jack inhaled sharply as the water became cloudy before slowly clearing itself. Both leaned a bit closer to see what would appear.
It was a diagonal view of an unusually large island, one that resembled many other islands in the Caribbean. It had hills, palm trees, sandy shores, rocks, and a few good-sized fresh water streams that flowed into the sea. As Angela focused harder on the island, things appeared to move faster, as though time were speeding up, hurrying them towards their target. The view sped to one side of the island, to some rocky shores on the right side of the island before drifting into a tremendous cave.
"Big enough to hold a ship," Jack whispered as he leaned closer.
Indeed, it did seem that big. The view slowly drifted into the cave and became pitch-black, as though they were walking through the cave. A few seconds later, the view settled on the shape of a ship, sunlight pouring down on it from an angle through a hole in the roof of the cave. The name on the back of the ship declared it as The Blue Heron.
"That's it!" she gasped. "But which island is it?" she whispered into the basin. The scene changed so that the image of the cave vanished, and they were looking at a bird's eye view of the island, directly over it. As the image moved further away, the island took up the most unusual shape.
"The shape of a bird in flight," Angela commented as she squinted at the bowl. "Actually, it looks like one of those shadow-shapes one makes with their hands. You know what I'm talking about; the bird shadow-puppet shape."
"Aye, it does," Jack whispered, looking closer. "And I know exactly where that island is, too!"
As the two of them pulled away from the bowl, their eyes met, and for that one moment, time seemed to stop. Angela silently gulped as Jack slowly moved his head closer to hers. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against hers. It was a soft kiss, a gentle caress of the lips actually, but it was enough. She could feel the spark between them, and a tug at her heart that told her that this man was something to be kept in her life forever.
Jack's POV:
He couldn't explain what had made him do it. One moment they had been glancing at the image in the bowl, and the next thing he knew, his lips were against hers. Perhaps it was because of the magic in the air, or because he had secretly been wanting to kiss her all day, but he didn't really care: all he knew was that this was right, and this was what he wanted. This woman, here, with him, right now, was all he cared about. In the end, the kiss was what mattered, and so he carefully moved himself around the table to sit beside his bonny lass, deepening their first kiss as much as he could.
Third Person POV:
After several moments of intense kisses and caresses, the two broke apart, panting for air. They looked into the other's eyes, feeling the tension in the air between them. The question that they saw in the other's expression clearly asked one thing.
So what happens now?
However, as the two silently pondered that one question concerning the two of them, someone outside their partially opened door was asking something else.
How do I get to the Treasure of the Blue Heron before the Black Pearl?
AN: Yay, another chapter done! I'm trying to finish this before my extremely short summer vacation is over, but I doubt that'll happen. Still, I promise to finish this story, and possibly write a sequel. However, a sequel will only happen if people read and review it at the same time! So, if people want a sequel, please tell me in your reviews! Thanks, and naked Jack Sparrows for everyone who has reviewed so far!