Chapter Five

It felt good to talk to Jack again. She told him about the quarrel she'd had with Edward and where he'd gone. He listened to all that she said and then before long, Serena found herself laughing at his quirky expressions and comments when he talked about Barbossa and Will and Elizabeth. She couldn't believe how much he'd been up to.

"Marooned!" Serena exclaimed, her cat-like green eyes wide. "How did you escape?"

"I roped together two sea-turtles with human hair – from my back." Jack said slowly and dramatically. He looked expectantly at Serena's reaction, but it was not the one he wanted. To his surprise, Serena burst out in peals of laughter.

"What?"

"Come on, Jack! You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?" Serena giggled, the sunlight catching her hair better without a bonnet. "How did you really get off the island?"

Jack looked at her. This was just like Elizabeth all over again. He couldn't keep telling people the truth. He had his reputation to keep up. But then this was Serena, who knew him before he was a pirate. He sighed. He still hated to do it, though.

"I bartered a passage off from some rum-runners. Back then, they used the island as a cache." Jack confessed and looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Ah." Serena smiled to herself, feeling pleased that Jack had told her the truth. She knew how important it was to him to be admired and important.

"Just...keep it to yourself, eh?" Jack said, sitting back and placing his three cornered hat over his eyes to shade him from the sun.

"How long were you on the island for, then?" Serena asked with interest. There was a slight pause before Jack spoke.

"Three months."

"Liar."

"Eh?" Jack sat up quickly, his hat falling down his face. Serena raised her eyebrows at him expectantly, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Three days." Jack admitted irritably, leaning back and repositioning his hat.

They sat in silence for a while. Then acknowledgment dawned on Serena's face.

"So what about Nassau Port and the East India Company?" she said cheekily. "Were they stories too?"

Now this was too far for Jack. He had to keep some of it quiet.

"No." he grunted.

"You know, Jack, you're not as tough as you think you are." Serena smiled secretively. Jack wondered what he should say when Serena reached over and took his hat from where it rested on his face. He sat up, squinting in the sunlight and saw her holding the hat and laughing. Her skin was fresh in the sunlight and her green eyes glittered mischievously. Without thinking Jack leaned towards her, locking his lips with hers, one hand on her neck, one on her waist.

Serena felt her stomach dip as Jack drew her into a kiss. She put her hands around his neck and kissed him back just as eagerly. Jack's hat lay forgotten on the ground beside them.

Meanwhile, Edward's heart was beating in terror. He watched, aghast as a fellow Lieutenant was run through with a cutlass. Another pirate was advancing on him now. He duelled as best as he could, but he knew he didn't stand a chance. He tried to keep his feet moving but skidded on some blood on the deck. That one action was enough for his opponent to take his chance and plunge his sword into Edward. The pain was excruciating and Edward knew he was about to die. As he lay on the deck soaked in blood, his last thoughts were of Serena.

Back in Antigua, Edward was the last thing on Serena's mind. In the small secluded place, she and Jack were kissing much more passionately as he lay on top of her. Eventually, Serena's senses came back to her and she realised what she was doing.

She sat up, pushing Jack off her. She couldn't believe she had let it get like this. Edward was probably fighting pirates at this very moment here she was, wrapped in the arms of one!

"What is it, love?" Jack was confused.

"I...I have to go."

Serena stood up, smoothing the creases in her dress and adjusting the bodice. She pushed an untidy tendril back from her face behind her ear.

"Why?" Jack stood up too, disappointed but concerned.

"Edward."

Jack raised his eyebrows as if to say 'Not him again' and looked away impatiently.

"Jack I'm engaged to him. I...can't be doing this with you. It's a mistake."

"What you see in him, I can't understand!"

"He really cares about me Jack! He acts like a proper gentleman and..."

"A proper gentleman? Since when did you like 'proper gentlemen'!"

"Since you left! Do you really think I'd find another man who'd show me that there was more to life than dresses and parties like you did? No chance around here!"

"No chance of that with Edward, then. When you're married, dresses and parties will be your life. And you know that, don't you?"

Serena dropped her eyes to the floor under Jack's intense stare. Of course she knew it. But that was the way it had to be.

"Is that the way you want to live? The Serena I knew wanted freedom, adventure. But yet you still went to all those parties. You tried to take me with you once, but they threw me out."

Serena laughed softly at Jack's face as he recalled the incident.

"Do you remember how shocked they all were? I thought my aunt was going to have a heart failure!"

But Jack was still lost in the memory. He had gazed through the window for the rest of the night, looking in at the party. Serena didn't know he was there as she made small talk with other guests and danced with smartly dressed, well-mannered men. He had watched her as she basked in the company of those upper class, fancy people. It was as if Jack was seeing a different Serena. It was then that he realised, whatever the future held, they would never be able to be together. She was being sucked into the first class world, turning into a proper young lady and there was nothing he could do about it. The rain had started to fall from the night sky, soaking Jack to the skin, but he never took his eyes from Serena. The twirl of her expensive dress, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed from dancing. She had always said that she hated those parties, but she seemed to have been enjoying herself.

It was then he had realised that she couldn't love him. Not really. Their worlds were too far apart. She had been going to many balls and dinners recently, spending her time with lords and ladies. She couldn't see it, but soon enough, Jack had thought – there will be a rich young man to sweep her off her feet with dresses and good manners and she would have no time to climb out of her window at night to meet him. She wouldn't want to.

It wouldn't be any good for him to stay here anymore. He took one last long look through the window at her in the bright room as the cold rain plastered his shirt to his skin. It was the only time Captain Jack Sparrow had let his tears fall silently for anyone.

Glasses clinked and laughs filled the air as the violinists began another song. Gentleman bowed to ladies who curtsied back to them as the dance music began, drowning the noise of pattering rain outside.

Nobody noticed the person at the window as he slipped away into the night.

Looking up, Jack noticed that Serena was caught up in her own thoughts. He looked at her ringlets and fancy dress and it suddenly dawned on him that nothing had changed. It was still as though he was looking through a window at her. At the party all those years ago he had felt like the window was a barrier, telling him that he wasn't welcome. So he could only watch through it as Serena was taken away from him.

Why had he thought that he could change things by coming back? It was just the same as before, if not worse now that she had the rich young man. Serena was right. This was a mistake.

Serena opened her mouth to break the silence, but she felt hesitant to let loose what she was thinking. But she hated this silence.

"Jack, I'm sorry." Serena said sincerely. She looked at him worriedly. He was strangely quiet and withdrawn. "Jack?"

Jack lifted his head, and suddenly all the confidence flooded back into his face. He knew what he had to do and he wouldn't let it be like last time.

"You're right, love. We shouldn't have done that, it was a mistake." Jack spoke calmly and somehow formally. He'd had enough of being emotional. Serena stared at him.

"Oh," she said unsteadily.

"I'll be leaving with me crew tonight and I probably..." he swallowed the quiver from his voice and cleared his throat. "...probably won't see you again."

His voice sounded uncaring to Serena, but as she forced herself to meet his eyes and saw that they were the saddest she'd ever seen them. Why was he putting on a front again? She wanted to open her mouth and tell him she didn't want him go, but she couldn't make a sound. Why didn't she want him to go?

Jack reached out his hand and took Serena's, kissing it softly. But he didn't let go and Serena suddenly stepped forward, enveloping Jack into a hug. Her arm was resting across his shoulder blades and she pressed in hard as she felt a lump rising in her throat.

Jack's chin rested over her shoulder, feeling the softness of her shiny hair against his skin. He blinked his kohl-rimmed eyes rapidly and drew back away from her.

For a few seconds they both just stared at one another. Then Jack tipped his hat and turned away, the beads and trinkets in his hair clinking. And he was gone.