Chapter Twenty-Five: The Morning After

Jack woke up early the next morning to find himself lying next to a sleeping Ana Maria. 'What the 'ell did I do last night?' he wondered, puzzled at why she was there. Than he realized he wasn't in his own room but on the small bed of one of the cabins below. He was about to move when Ana Maria rolled over and rested her head on his bare chest.

Jack thought about his predicament. If he got up, she would wake up. If he waited till she woke up, it wouldn't be any better. He sighed and began to play with her hair like he had always done when he woke before her.

He wondered how it would be to wake up every morning like this, with Ana Maria next to him. He wondered what it would have been like to settle down and have kids like Will and Elizabeth had done. He wondered what kind of a father he would have been, where he would have lived, what he would have done, what kind of woman he would have had. He knew the only woman he had ever even actually thought about having any kind of serious relationship with was lying right next to him.

Looking down he watched as she slept. She was so peaceful, she always had been. Even after everything that had happened in her life, sleep was the one thing she had that could take her away from reality, away from its cruelty and pain. She had told him that one night long ago when she had been sick and didn't realize what she was telling him.

He frowned when he remembered that day; Ana Maria had gotten extremely sick from working so much that she had gone delirious. She had even tried to kill him because she didn't remember who he was and he was leaning right over her. 'I know I deserved that,' he thought to himself. Everything that Ana Maria had ever done to him he deserved.

Except her loyalty.

She had been on his side since the first day he had been in command of the Pearl. Whenever someone had questioned his judgment, Ana Maria set them straight. She had always kept her ideas to herself, unless she was asked. Jack had always trusted her, and she him. Until he had misused it, like most pirates do.

Jack almost jumped as Ana Maria mumbled something, then relaxed as she snuggled up closer to him. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Ana Maria," he whispered softly in her ear. Ana Maria mumbled something again and then was still. 'She always did talk in her sleep,' he remembered with a grin, but he was also quick to remind himself that he did to.

"Jack?" Ana Maria asked.

"What?" He wondered, knowing that whenever she was speaking—and he could understand her—it was important.

"I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you."

Jack froze. She wasn't good enough for him? "What?" he asked again, not believing what he had just heard.

Ana Maria didn't say anything, making Jack wonder if he had made that all up.

***

Will woke up to find his head resting on something. He looked down to find James asleep in his lap. Will smiled and gently moved his son over so he was resting on the bed and off of him. Will slowly and carefully got off the bed and stretched. It had been a long night.

After his small talk with Alaina he had gone to the gallery to find Jack and James eating and talking. He had joined them, thinking it odd that the two were getting along so well. He had never thought that the captain could get along with someone who was as conservative as his son.

Nevertheless they were and Will had joined their conversation about the Royal Navy. He and Jack had both been surprised at how much James knew about it, and Jack had interrogated him on the number of ships, how fast they were and if the commodore was still after his head.

That is, until Ana Maria had come in drunk. Although they couldn't tell she had been until she had hit the end of the table. That's when Jack had decided to help her to her room and had left, leaving Will and James to talk, which involved neither of the pirates, Elizabeth, Alaina or their current situation.

Will yawned and quietly went out of the cabin shutting the door behind him.

***

"Urg," Jack said, opening his eyes and making Carrick laugh.

"Not a morning person I take it?"

Jack shook his head and rolled over onto his stomach. "What time is it?" he asked with a groan.

"I don't know, but it's not dark outside anymore," Carrick told the boy, picking up his dry clothes and throwing them on the bed.

"I salute you, Captain Obvious," he said, giving a mock salute and stretching.

Carrick paused and looked at him. "You're a lot like your sister," he observed.

"That I am," Jack agreed, knowing that his sister had said that on a few occasions.

"Can I ask you something?" Carrick wondered, putting on his shirt and buttoning it up. Jack nodded. "Is your sister always so…" Carrick paused, not knowing how to phrase how Alaina had seemed.

"Sarcastic, odd, insane?" Jack provided. Carrick nodded. "As long as I can remember," Jack said, shaking his head. "Why?"

Carrick shrugged. "She just isn't like anyone I've ever known."

Jack laughed. "And I highly doubt you'll ever meet anyone like her ever again."

Carrick laughed with him and knew it was true.

***

Alaina sighed and blew a strand of loose hair out of her face. She'd been up almost three hours and still hadn't left the room yet. She guessed it was past noon but didn't feel like even moving. Finally her ratted hair got the best of her, so she picked up the comb and began to detangle her hair; she only succeeded in getting the comb tangled in her hair.

"Need help?" a voice asked from the door, and she looked up to see Captain Sparrow standing in the doorway.

Alaina gave him a look and he came in. "I hate long hair," she fumed, letting go of the comb and allowing him to take over.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "Alaina, luv," Jack began uncertainly as he dislodged the comb. "When we were at the tavern a few nights back, and you, uhm…" He paused, trying to think of how to word it. "Suggested we could do something else." He paused again and tried not to think about how he had almost taken her up on the offer. "Were ye serious?"

Alaina shrugged and smiled to herself. She wasn't going to tell him. "Why does it matter?" she asked.

Jack was getting a little impatient. "I just wanted to know. So…were you?"

Alaina shrugged. "Its all in the past now,"

"Yes but," Jack said, stopping and thinking for a second, a plan forming in his head. "I just wanted to know if you felt something," he finished, removing all her hair from one side of her shoulder and putting his face only centimeters from hers.

Alaina just looked at him, her face completely serious. "And what if I did?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well I was just saying," Jack continued, taking his hand and tracing her jaw line. "If you did I could—"

"Jack what the hell are you doing?" Will asked, stopping at the door, his eyes wide. Alaina stifled a giggle at how awful this must look from where her father was standing. Jack was completely flustered and just sat there, his face still so close to Alaina's she could feel his breath on her lips, staring at Will.

"Get away from her now!" Will demanded, coming in the room and grabbing Jack's shoulders and yanking him off the bed, nearly making the blanket that was covering Alaina fall off.

She held onto it tightly, though not realizing that it had slipped off her shoulders and halfway down her arm, too interested at the look on their faces and what was happening between her father and Captain Sparrow.

"Luv, you might want to adjust yourself," Jack told her with a grin, his eyes roaming the skin that was revealed.

Alaina was confused. Then she looked down to see that almost her entire chest was uncovered. "Shit!" she said, closing her eyes and lying down on the bed, her back facing them, trying to cover herself up.

Will yanked Jack to his feet and dragged him out the door, slamming it shut behind him. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" Will asked, slamming

Jack up against the wall, his eyes blazing.

"Whoa, calm down there, Will," Jack said, becoming extremely nervous. "I was just playing around." Only after those words came out of his mouth did he realize how wrong they sounded.

"I could see that!" Will assured, tightening his grip on the man.

'You're really loosing your charm, Jack,' the pirate thought to himself. "No I meant—"

"I don't give a damn what you meant!" Will yelled at him. "Now you listen," he said lowering his tone. "Because I'm only going to say this once." He paused to make sure Jack was listening. "If you ever so much as LOOK at my daughter again, I'll help you become familiarized with the various ways of pulling off one's genitals with fondue tongs."

Jack stared at Will, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. 'He's serious,' he thought with a frown. Will stood there for another moment before he let go of Jack and went down the hall.

Jack stood there for a few seconds until he realized his compass was in Alaina's room. "Oh bloody hell!" he yelled before he began to follow Will, not wanting to test how serious Will was with his threat.

***

A/N: I'm sorry for the last scene, but I HAD to include what Namarie2Legolas wrote in her review! So here's my disclaimer:

I do not, I repeat, DO NOT OWN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, Disney does. Nor do I own Will's threat, Namarie2Legolas does. Gosh, I don't own anything worth value.

Oh well! If you'd like to flame me and tell me I'm getting sick in the mind, go ahead. I welcome criticism!

GullomRox- Hey thanks for reading and reviewing this! I appreciate you telling me what's working and what's not.

Araphin: I also thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Dohgzmania: Well thank you! You rock too!!!!

Vimana Feral: Yeah I wasn't too sure if that was like gross or not but I'm glad you liked it!!!

And THANKS TO MY EDITOR who is now back from her play! I missed you!!!

Anyhoo, Have a GREAT day filled with pirates and the unexpected!!

Oh yeah, does anyone know if they even had fondue tongs?