Disclaimer: see previous
A/N: Thanks for the reviews I got =) I think I posted at a realli busy time so my story was number 18 w/in like 5 minutes of it showing up but oh wells ;] this chap picks up where we left off, still in the midst of jack's story, so this is NOT present time... enjoy and please review!! =)
EDIT NOTE: It was pointed out that there were 10 years between the mutiny and the present time.. so I've decided that he met Juliet soon after the movie time, and it's now seven years after the "movie", when the story takes place. This means I changed a bit in the last chapter about his "rise to fame" in Tortuga, you may want to go back and check it out.. Also, I would like to ask you to ignore the comment in the second or third chap about "the mutiny would have been a lot harder with her aboard.." until I go back and edit it away =). thanks VERY much for pointing that part out, trusty reviewer ;-)...
Chapter 8: A Very Interesting Night
Juliet lowered her hand from her face, bringing it to join her other. She sat quietly, twisting the emerald ring on her thumb while Jack told stories of his miraculous feats to the crowd gathered around their table. He seemed to have a different story to tell every night, and Juliet wondered whether he just came up with them on the spot, trying to further feed the fire of his celebrity.
"And then, they made me their chief." Jack smiled as he finished his tale, enjoying the satisfied laughter of the crowd. The onlookers began to scatter, some to other corners of the pub, all clapping Jack on the shoulder as they walked by, some staying close and conversing with other listeners. Jack looked over to Juliet, who sat with her eyes cast down, playing with the ring he had given her. She's much quieter than usual, Jack thought. Usually, Juliet was nagging him in an amusing fashion to finish his stories so they could get out of that place. However, he figured the bar would not be the best place to ask if something was bothering her. He removed his feet from the table, adjusting himself in the chair and leaned forward, placing a hand on Juliet's shoulder.
"Ready to go, luv?" he asked her casually, offering his hand to her as he stood up. She reached out and grasped it firmly, in her usual manner, and pulled herself into a vertical position. Jack tried to make eye contact with her, perhaps establish why she seemed so withdrawn, but she only briefly met his gaze, smiled weakly and looked away, nodding her head in answer.
"Right, then... MR. CONWAY!" Jack hailed Conway from across the room, gesturing for him to come over to the pair. Conway nodded and excused himself away from the girl he was occupied with, and hurried over towards Jack. Juliet looked down as Conway approached, playing along with the role she knew so well, though she still gripped Jack's hand tightly behind his back.
"Five shillings, paid in full, Conway... See you in the morning." Jack quickly turned on his heel, and began to walk towards the door, Juliet in tow.
"Jack! Captain! Wait just a moment, if you will!" Conway called after him uneasily, and as Jack stopped and turned to face him near the door, Conway scurried over to the pair. He drew himself up close to Jack, leaning towards his ear and whispering nervously.
"This uh.... this be the last night I can let ye have her Jack... The other men are gettin' a bit tired o' her never bein' around..." He jerked his head toward the bar, and Jack glanced over, eyeing a crowd of men obviously jeering and staring at Juliet. Juliet's hand grew cold in his and he gave it a small reassuring squeeze behind his back.
"Well then, Mr. Conway," Jack replied, narrowing his dark eyes, " we shall make it a night to remember."
..................................................
With a small nod to Conway, Jack turned again, hastily opened the door and stepped outside, pulling Juliet after him. As soon as the door was shut once more, he whirled around and placed both his hands on Juliet's shoulders, regarding her through narrowed eyes, studying if her expression. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then, it seemed, the right words escaped him, and he said nothing, but turned again, striding towards his ship.
A few minutes later, they had climbed aboard and were safely inside Jack's cabin, where they could talk freely. Juliet sat down on the edge of Jack's bed, her face cupped in her hands and her elbows digging into her knees. Jack had never seen her in such a state before, and he tipped his head, examining her from across the room, as if he was scared that she would break if he was to touch her. And as he decided to sit down next to her, she did just that.
Juliet's head hung low and she inhaled slowly and deeply, seemingly concentrating on simply breathing. Jack usually touched her as little as possible, because she would always pull away or flinch if he did. He guessed it was because of the bad experiences she'd had with men like him. However, he went against his usual actions and reached a hand over to her face, placing a finger underneath her chin, his thumb coming to rest on her cheek. Though she slightly flinched at his touch, he did not remove his hand and she didn't pull away. He tipped her chin up gently, kindly forcing her to look into his eyes. In the dim lighting of the room, Jack could see a solitary tear rolling down the side of her face, leaving a sparkling trail behind it and glistening in the darkness.
"What is it, luv?" He sounded genuinely concerned, and though he already knew what was on her mind, he wanted it confirmed by her mouth. Juliet turned herself so she was facing him and sniffed, trying to regain a little composure.
"It's all over after tonight Jack," she said heavily, her lower lip trembling as she spoke. Again Jack's mouth opened a bit, but he still could not seem to find the right words. Juliet continued, "I can't stay here anymore, or so Conway says, and I know that you and your crew are leaving soon." Jack looked at her questioningly, obviously wondering how she knew. "Anamaria told me," she answered, reading his thoughts perfectly.
"Jules, let me ask you something... If you were to leave here tonight, knowing that you would be ensured safety and shelter as long as you remained with me, do you think you would regret it?"
"There's certainly nothing I would miss here," she replied. "So no, I guess I probably would not regret it." Jack nodded and smiled wryly.
"As I thought... Do us a favor, stay here for a moment, I'll return shortly..." Jack arose from the bed and strode out the door of the cabin, shutting it behind him. Juliet could hear him shouting on the deck, though she couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. Moments later, however, she heard an unmistakable cry of "Weigh anchor, men! We sail tonight!"
The next minute, Jack appeared in the doorway of his cabin, holding two large bottles of rum. He sat back down next to Juliet and raised his bottle, passing one to her.
"To a life without regrets."
...........................................
Jack twisted the large emerald ring on his finger as he glanced up at Will, who had been listening quite attentively through the entire story. Jack had been lost in his own thoughts for a moment, and Will quietly cleared his throat, gently signaling Jack to come back to reality. Jack repositioned himself in his chair, straightening up a bit, and began to speak again.
"So, in short, Juliet was gone the next morning, and Conway was not very happy with either of us, to say the least. In fact, he sent a group of his own pirate friends out looking for us, though it took them close to a year to find us. And when they did, well, let's just say they didn't return to dear old Conway. Ever since, though, Conway has been on the lookout for both of us, as should have been obvious earlier this evening. And THAT, young William, is why she's in danger. Along with the Pearl of course," he added in quickly.
..................
A/N: W0OT! No procrastination this time, I swear!!! Just loads and loads and loads of schoolwork... but hey, I got it done ;-) please please please more reviews this time!! You'll be rewarded I promise ;-)
Now, for the G0OD people, here you go ;] *hands out cookies shaped like jacks head* I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS!!!
Missjensparrow: well, jack was initially attracted to juliet because she's beautiful, but it's easy to see there's a strong chemistry between the two.. basically, jack's doing that for her because he cares about her ;-) I KNOW!! So cute right? Hehe.. anyway.. now he's taking her away with him.. it's just ever so romantic, no? Lol thanks for reviewing!!
Arien Star: I know I looove the way Jack treats our lovely Jules :-) im really really glad you like the story.. your reviews are so awesome and long ;] and I LOVE long reviews lol.. let me know what you think of this chap!! =)
Deyna Ian Bloom: chivalrous would be the correct spelling ;-) oh, the wonders of spellcheck hehe.. im really lovin ur story, amanda is cool =) referring to your sn, did you see orli in PEOPLE'S 50 Most Beautiful People?? YUMMMM!! Lol ;-) thanks again!
Chip the Ice: wow great name, very original!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for pointing out the flaw in years... *extra cookies for you.. and a glass of milk to dip them in..* may sound weird but people who point out flaws are the absolute best reviewers lol.. hopefully my attempt to fix it makes sense.. and you're so lucky your name is Juliet!! What a GORGEOUS name, and sure, keep dreaming ;-) lols and keep reading too!! =)
*******STILL WONDERING ABOUT HOW TO POST BOLD AND ITALIC TEXT... ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED! ;-)
A/N: Thanks for the reviews I got =) I think I posted at a realli busy time so my story was number 18 w/in like 5 minutes of it showing up but oh wells ;] this chap picks up where we left off, still in the midst of jack's story, so this is NOT present time... enjoy and please review!! =)
EDIT NOTE: It was pointed out that there were 10 years between the mutiny and the present time.. so I've decided that he met Juliet soon after the movie time, and it's now seven years after the "movie", when the story takes place. This means I changed a bit in the last chapter about his "rise to fame" in Tortuga, you may want to go back and check it out.. Also, I would like to ask you to ignore the comment in the second or third chap about "the mutiny would have been a lot harder with her aboard.." until I go back and edit it away =). thanks VERY much for pointing that part out, trusty reviewer ;-)...
Chapter 8: A Very Interesting Night
Juliet lowered her hand from her face, bringing it to join her other. She sat quietly, twisting the emerald ring on her thumb while Jack told stories of his miraculous feats to the crowd gathered around their table. He seemed to have a different story to tell every night, and Juliet wondered whether he just came up with them on the spot, trying to further feed the fire of his celebrity.
"And then, they made me their chief." Jack smiled as he finished his tale, enjoying the satisfied laughter of the crowd. The onlookers began to scatter, some to other corners of the pub, all clapping Jack on the shoulder as they walked by, some staying close and conversing with other listeners. Jack looked over to Juliet, who sat with her eyes cast down, playing with the ring he had given her. She's much quieter than usual, Jack thought. Usually, Juliet was nagging him in an amusing fashion to finish his stories so they could get out of that place. However, he figured the bar would not be the best place to ask if something was bothering her. He removed his feet from the table, adjusting himself in the chair and leaned forward, placing a hand on Juliet's shoulder.
"Ready to go, luv?" he asked her casually, offering his hand to her as he stood up. She reached out and grasped it firmly, in her usual manner, and pulled herself into a vertical position. Jack tried to make eye contact with her, perhaps establish why she seemed so withdrawn, but she only briefly met his gaze, smiled weakly and looked away, nodding her head in answer.
"Right, then... MR. CONWAY!" Jack hailed Conway from across the room, gesturing for him to come over to the pair. Conway nodded and excused himself away from the girl he was occupied with, and hurried over towards Jack. Juliet looked down as Conway approached, playing along with the role she knew so well, though she still gripped Jack's hand tightly behind his back.
"Five shillings, paid in full, Conway... See you in the morning." Jack quickly turned on his heel, and began to walk towards the door, Juliet in tow.
"Jack! Captain! Wait just a moment, if you will!" Conway called after him uneasily, and as Jack stopped and turned to face him near the door, Conway scurried over to the pair. He drew himself up close to Jack, leaning towards his ear and whispering nervously.
"This uh.... this be the last night I can let ye have her Jack... The other men are gettin' a bit tired o' her never bein' around..." He jerked his head toward the bar, and Jack glanced over, eyeing a crowd of men obviously jeering and staring at Juliet. Juliet's hand grew cold in his and he gave it a small reassuring squeeze behind his back.
"Well then, Mr. Conway," Jack replied, narrowing his dark eyes, " we shall make it a night to remember."
..................................................
With a small nod to Conway, Jack turned again, hastily opened the door and stepped outside, pulling Juliet after him. As soon as the door was shut once more, he whirled around and placed both his hands on Juliet's shoulders, regarding her through narrowed eyes, studying if her expression. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then, it seemed, the right words escaped him, and he said nothing, but turned again, striding towards his ship.
A few minutes later, they had climbed aboard and were safely inside Jack's cabin, where they could talk freely. Juliet sat down on the edge of Jack's bed, her face cupped in her hands and her elbows digging into her knees. Jack had never seen her in such a state before, and he tipped his head, examining her from across the room, as if he was scared that she would break if he was to touch her. And as he decided to sit down next to her, she did just that.
Juliet's head hung low and she inhaled slowly and deeply, seemingly concentrating on simply breathing. Jack usually touched her as little as possible, because she would always pull away or flinch if he did. He guessed it was because of the bad experiences she'd had with men like him. However, he went against his usual actions and reached a hand over to her face, placing a finger underneath her chin, his thumb coming to rest on her cheek. Though she slightly flinched at his touch, he did not remove his hand and she didn't pull away. He tipped her chin up gently, kindly forcing her to look into his eyes. In the dim lighting of the room, Jack could see a solitary tear rolling down the side of her face, leaving a sparkling trail behind it and glistening in the darkness.
"What is it, luv?" He sounded genuinely concerned, and though he already knew what was on her mind, he wanted it confirmed by her mouth. Juliet turned herself so she was facing him and sniffed, trying to regain a little composure.
"It's all over after tonight Jack," she said heavily, her lower lip trembling as she spoke. Again Jack's mouth opened a bit, but he still could not seem to find the right words. Juliet continued, "I can't stay here anymore, or so Conway says, and I know that you and your crew are leaving soon." Jack looked at her questioningly, obviously wondering how she knew. "Anamaria told me," she answered, reading his thoughts perfectly.
"Jules, let me ask you something... If you were to leave here tonight, knowing that you would be ensured safety and shelter as long as you remained with me, do you think you would regret it?"
"There's certainly nothing I would miss here," she replied. "So no, I guess I probably would not regret it." Jack nodded and smiled wryly.
"As I thought... Do us a favor, stay here for a moment, I'll return shortly..." Jack arose from the bed and strode out the door of the cabin, shutting it behind him. Juliet could hear him shouting on the deck, though she couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. Moments later, however, she heard an unmistakable cry of "Weigh anchor, men! We sail tonight!"
The next minute, Jack appeared in the doorway of his cabin, holding two large bottles of rum. He sat back down next to Juliet and raised his bottle, passing one to her.
"To a life without regrets."
...........................................
Jack twisted the large emerald ring on his finger as he glanced up at Will, who had been listening quite attentively through the entire story. Jack had been lost in his own thoughts for a moment, and Will quietly cleared his throat, gently signaling Jack to come back to reality. Jack repositioned himself in his chair, straightening up a bit, and began to speak again.
"So, in short, Juliet was gone the next morning, and Conway was not very happy with either of us, to say the least. In fact, he sent a group of his own pirate friends out looking for us, though it took them close to a year to find us. And when they did, well, let's just say they didn't return to dear old Conway. Ever since, though, Conway has been on the lookout for both of us, as should have been obvious earlier this evening. And THAT, young William, is why she's in danger. Along with the Pearl of course," he added in quickly.
..................
A/N: W0OT! No procrastination this time, I swear!!! Just loads and loads and loads of schoolwork... but hey, I got it done ;-) please please please more reviews this time!! You'll be rewarded I promise ;-)
Now, for the G0OD people, here you go ;] *hands out cookies shaped like jacks head* I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS!!!
Missjensparrow: well, jack was initially attracted to juliet because she's beautiful, but it's easy to see there's a strong chemistry between the two.. basically, jack's doing that for her because he cares about her ;-) I KNOW!! So cute right? Hehe.. anyway.. now he's taking her away with him.. it's just ever so romantic, no? Lol thanks for reviewing!!
Arien Star: I know I looove the way Jack treats our lovely Jules :-) im really really glad you like the story.. your reviews are so awesome and long ;] and I LOVE long reviews lol.. let me know what you think of this chap!! =)
Deyna Ian Bloom: chivalrous would be the correct spelling ;-) oh, the wonders of spellcheck hehe.. im really lovin ur story, amanda is cool =) referring to your sn, did you see orli in PEOPLE'S 50 Most Beautiful People?? YUMMMM!! Lol ;-) thanks again!
Chip the Ice: wow great name, very original!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for pointing out the flaw in years... *extra cookies for you.. and a glass of milk to dip them in..* may sound weird but people who point out flaws are the absolute best reviewers lol.. hopefully my attempt to fix it makes sense.. and you're so lucky your name is Juliet!! What a GORGEOUS name, and sure, keep dreaming ;-) lols and keep reading too!! =)
*******STILL WONDERING ABOUT HOW TO POST BOLD AND ITALIC TEXT... ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED! ;-)