Please can I have him? Sob

Thank you to all the regular reviewers, your comments really help when I come to edit the chapters (along with Hilary and Linnie).  It's especially flattering when you say that I write Jack's character well, it's also an enormous relief!  For those who want to know when Jenny will finally thaw out, tune in to the next chapter…! ;)

Misty, yes I do research everything which can be a helluva bugbear at times!

…

Chapter Eleven: 'Jen, you're a bloody genius luv.'

The Black Pearl fired a warning shot off the bow of the Spanish galleon which didn't hesitate long before drawing up their flag of surrender.  As the ships neared, the pirate crew lined along the port side, weapons at the ready in case the Spaniards tried anything.  Jack pulled Jenny back away from the noise.  'Yer to stay here luv, defend the ship in case any of them bastards make it over here, savvy?'  He handed her the small sword that she used when sparring with him.  She nodded mutely then watched as the grappling hooks flew over to The Santa Maria, followed closely by Jack flying through the air, leading his men, then strutting about the Spanish ship like he owned it.  He spoke in Spanish to the captain then ordered his men to get what plunder they could. 

Part of Jenny marvelled at how disciplined the pirate crew were, each man knew his job and stuck to it.  Some guarded the Spaniards while the others looted the ship, bringing their plunder onto the deck and either slinging it over to The Black Pearl if it was not breakable or stashing it in sacks and sending them over on ropes, which the remaining crew on board The Pearl caught.  She decided that she would help by piling the sacks onto the other side of the ship so they were out of the way of the crew, and ready for sorting later.  Whilst she was standing by one of the gang planks  waiting for the next lot of booty to come over, her ears pricked up the sound of couple of the Spanish crew talking rapidly about some of their colleagues that were hiding in the hold, waiting to attack their adversaries.  Jenny ran across the board, albeit carefully, and sought out the quartermaster, Jack having gone to the captain's cabin with the Spaniard a while ago. 

'Mr. Gibbs!'  Jenny pulled the older man to her and whispered in his ear about what she had heard.

'Ah, is that so?  Right lass, you go an' tell the Cap'n, I'll send this lot down to th'hold.  Off ya go.'

She made her way across the deck to the captain's quarters and opened the cabin door slowly.  'Jack, there are some men hiding in the hold.  I've told Mr. Gibbs and he's seeing to it.'

He looked sideways at his counterpart and wagged his finger at him.  'Tut, tut mate, that's playin' dirty.  Come in luv, we're just holdin'... negotiations,' he beckoned to her and she entered the cabin with some trepidation. 

While Jack and the Spanish captain were talking, Jenny took a good look around the cabin, noting that it was quite basic with no luxurious furnishings as was the case in Jack's cabin.  Her eyes glanced at some maps of South America that had been spread out, so she bent over and studied the uppermost one, her eyes widening in disbelief.  She snatched it up then folded it and tucked it in her breeches as she turned to say something to Jack who was standing with his back her, still talking.  Jenny yelled a warning as a swarthy man crept through an open stern window and went towards him, cutlass raised in his hand.  She leapt across the cabin and landed in front of the man who stared at her in horror as her sword plunged into his body.  Jenny's senses reeled as she watched the life die in the man's eyes and she let go of the hilt as his dead weight bore down on the blade.  She gave a strangled scream, her breath coming in racking sobs and she stared wildly at Jack who grabbed her and half dragged, half carried her out of the cabin, pulling her sword from the man's body as they left.

'Gibbs, haul down th'sails and cast 'em.'  Jack handed her sword to his quartermaster, caught a rope and leapt from one ship to the other, with Jenny clinging onto him.  As soon as her feet touched the deck, she shot across The Pearl and leaned over the side, retching sobs shuddering violently through her.  Jack ordered the men standy by the guns and once all of his men were safely on board, he gave the order to raise anchor and watched the Spanish ship carefully as Paul Rochester steered The Black Pearl away from The Santa Maria.  The Spaniards did not retaliate and they made a clean getaway, heading back on course once more.

As soon as Jack was satisfied everything was in order he went over to Jenny and squatted beside her, holding on tightly as she clung to him, sobbing.  'Shhh, c'mon luv.  It's over now,' he soothed, gently rocking back and forth.

'J-Jack, I k-k-killed him.'  The emotion was raw in her voice.

'Aye luv, the first time's always the worst.  But if ya hadn't killed him, he'd have killed me, an' then probably you after he'd had his fun wi'ya, savvy?' he whispered.  He stood once more and gently lifted her from the deck, helping her to his cabin.  He lay her down on the bunk and fetched a bottle of rum, tipping it against her lips and ignoring her protests.

'Jack....'  She wailed, and pushed him out of the way, as she dived for the side cabin and the head, retching into it.  He knelt on the floor beside Jenny and held her again as she continued being sick until there was nothing left to bring up, then carried her back to the bunk and lay beside her, stroking her hair and softly singing songs and shanties until she fell into a restless sleep.

…

'Arrgh!'  Jenny's eyes flew open, still seeing the man's dead eyes staring at her.  She lay there panting, trying desperately to breathe normally again.

'S'all right luv.  It's all right, yer Jack's here.'  Jenny felt him squeeze her as she lay half on top of him, both his arms wound around her, legs entwined with her own.  He stroked her back soothingly and crooned softly in her ear.  Gradually her breathing calmed down enough for her to talk.

'Will you tell me the rest of the story, when Barbossa left you on the island?'  She wanted something, anything  to take her mind off what had happened.

'Ah, well luv…'  He told Jenny the tale of Barbossa, Will and Elizabeth and the cursed treasure of Cortez, spinning it out, making her laugh, and making her gasp in shock when he told her that he'd been un-dead for a time.

'What did it feel like?'  She suppressed a shudder.

'I didn't really feel anything, it was no different than before.  Maybe I'm un-dead all the time!'  Jack made a growling noise and loomed over her, pretending to be a monster, making her laugh hysterically, which soon turned to sobs. 

'Ah, come on luv, it'll be all right, I promise ya.'  He cradled her in his arms, waiting for the sobs to subside.  'What was that map yer took luv?  What's different about it?'

Jenny shot up and jumped off the bed.  'I brought it with me?  I don't remember.'

'Aye, it was tucked into yer trousers.'  Jack got off the bunk, and fetched the map, spreading it across the table and anchoring it down with a couple of large stones and a lamp, which he turned up.

'Look,' she jabbed a finger at the southernmost tip of Argentina.  'There's the Cape of a Thousand Virgins that leads into the Straight of Magallenes and that there, ' she pointed at two lakes and a channel by the straight, 'That looks like a face.  Those lakes are the eyes, that channel there is the nose, and this inlet here is the mouth.  It's the man of Magallanes!'  Jack looked at Jenny in wonder then whooped, sweeping her into his arms and swinging her around the room, laughing and kissing her as he did until she managed to break free from his embrace.  He fetched some of his maps of South America and looked at the same area, but nothing resembled a face in any of them.  'Must be the way the Spanish draw 'em,' he mused, stroking his beard braids.  'Jen, you're a bloody genius luv.'

'I'm glad you think so,' she replied dryly, looking at the map and wishing it would burst into flames.  'Too late now anyway,' she reminded herself, regretting bringing the map with her.

'Eh?  What's up luv?'

'What's up?  I do not want to go all the way down to the tip of bloody Argentina, that's what is up.  Please will you set me free, now that you know where you are going?'

Jack's demeanour hardened as he looked at her, all enjoyment at the discovery gone.  'I'm afraid I can't do that luv.  You know where we're going an' if I let ya go, you will tell Norrington where we're going.'  He removed the items from off the map and folded it, taking it over to his chest of drawers where he kept personal effects and valuables and locked it in the top drawer.  'I've told ya before, yer comin' with us, savvy?'

Jenny glared at him and went over to the bunk, yanking the drapes across, wondering how the mood could have changed so quickly.

…

Authors notes:

  Pirate crews would sometimes haul the sails down, tearing them in the process and cast them into the sea, to slow the progress of the other ship and ensure they would not catch up and exact revenge or alert the authorities.  Sometimes they would burn the sails.

  This place actually exists, although like with Jack's charts, I have only seen one map where it really does look like a face which gave me the inspiration for it.