Chapter Four

We walked into a small room that I had never been in before. There was five chairs seated around a circular rug with a small wooden table on it. I really should explore the house more, I thought to myself as I sat down in a chair next to Elizabeth. Will sat on her opposite side and much to my surprise and dislike, Jack sat next to me.

I turned my head slightly to look at Jack out of the corner of my eye. He looked just like the pirate in one of the stories Will and Elizabeth had told me. Jack noticed me looking at him and smiled at me again, I glared at him and then turned my head to look straight ahead.

"Jack?"I heard Elizabeth ask and I could see out of the corner of my eye he switched his gaze from me. "What were you saying."

"Ah, yes." I looked back at him and watched his eccentric hand movements that he used as he spoke. "As I was saying to you two," he stopped and looked at me, and obviously pleased I was looking at him again, he smiled and I could see laughter in his eyes. I turned my head away but still looked at him out of the corner of my eye, "and now there is three." I heard him say. I tightened my jaw knowing he was laughing at me.

"Jack..." I heard Will warn and I silently thanked him. I saw Jack smile slightly at Will before continuing.

"I need you and Elizabeth to come back to the Pearl with me." Jack said quickly, complete with his hand gestures.

"Is that all?" Elizabeth asked. "You had us wake up in the middle of the night to ask us to come down to your ship for a night? That couldn't wait until morning?"

"Actually, not just for the night." Jack smiled slightly. "You see, I need you two to join my crew again and fight off what is remaining of ol' Barbossa's crew."

I was starting to drift off by now, the conversation wasn't making too much sense at the moment, although I had a vague idea of what Jack wanted.

"Wasn't his crew taken care of?" Elizabeth asked. "I thought Norrington hung them all."

"Some of them," Jack's face became dark at the thought, "and some o' them are planning to avenge their ol' capt'n." then his face suddenly brightened up again. "He said what?" I saw his face split into a smile, "Hung 'em all, did he?" I looked at Elizabeth and Will and saw them exchange looks as Jack continued to utter incoherent insults about Norrington, his smile growing as he continued.

After a while, Will coughed lightly to get Jack's attention. Jack looked up and smiled innocently at Will and Elizabeth before continuing, "So, what say you ?" he asked as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

"I'm sorry Jack." Elizabeth said and Jack's shoulder's instantly dropped. "We can't." She turned to Will and smiled. Will got the hint and continued.

"We are to marry in three weeks." he said as his chest swelled with pride. Instantly, my eyes shot open and I blurted out, "What?!"

It seemed as though my presence was temporarily forgotten until the previous moment, and three pairs of eyes shot towards me, each of them smiling.

Elizabeth stood from her chair and knelt in front of me, "We were going to announce it after your news was announced," she paused before she continued, "it was meant to be a happy evening." I averted my eyes, I didn't want her to see the shame in them, but she gently turned my face to face hers again. "But you should know," she whispered, "I'd probably done the same thing as you." she smiled, and I allowed myself to smile slightly as Elizabeth stood up again.

I looked over to Will and saw that his attention was turned to Elizabeth, I smiled again at how happy they looked and then I sensed someone looking at me. I looked at Jack and he was giving me a weird smile that was mixed of confusion and amusement. I turned away again and to resist the strange and sudden impulse to smile back. I pulled my knees up to my chest and looked back at Will and Elizabeth and saw them whispering to each other. I felt my eyes start to drop again, and it was getting harder and harder to resist letting them close.

"There's one other thing," Elizabeth started after her and Will stopped talking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack avert his attention to Elizabeth. I hear Elizabeth begin talking again, but I couldn't hear what she said, I had finally allowed myself to be folded into the blanket of sleep.

I could hear voices talking quietly, and I try to open my eyelids, but they're too heavy. I feel myself being lifted by strong arms and my nostrils are filled with a mixed scent of salt water and rum. I shift slightly and I feel whoever is holding me reposition the way they're holding me. I feel the person begin to walk, but surprisingly, I don't panic, and it's almost as if the strange scent is comforting. I can feel the person begin to walk up stairs, and my head lightly bounces against the person's shoulder on each step. When I know we reached the top of the stairs I hear Elizabeth's voice faintly before I feel the person begin to move again.

After a while of more walking, I finally feel myself being gently lowered into my bed. When I am fully on my bed I manage to open my eyes to see Jack looking down at me. He smiles his smile that annoyed me only a little while before, but this time, I wasn't sure what it did, but it didn't seem so bad. I slowly close my eyes again. I feel a callused finger gently run down my cheek before I drifted off into a deep sleep, with Jack's smiling face painted in my mind.