Tales of a Pirate: Chapter Two: I Don't Have a Past

The sun began to set in the horizon, and the Black Pearl became closer to the Caribbean islands. Jack remained as far away from Kiley as he possibly could, but she always found a way to get to him.

"Jack," she said, rushing after him as he tried to get away from her, throwing a potato over his shoulder into her face. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I don't talk to stowaways," he replied, tipping over a barrel of clams.

She easily jumped over them. "I am not a stowaway! You are the one that let me come aboard this ship in the first place!"

"Then it seems I have made a terrible mistake in thinking you would just come aboard and leave me the bloody hell alone!"

She ran up, standing in front of him, blocking his path. He froze, and glared at her. She put her hands on her hip firmly, and just glared back at him. "Jack, you know my parents. Why won't you admit that?"

"I can't tell you," he said.

"Why not?"

"It's a secret."

"Jack! Just tell me!"

"Ah, but if I tell you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?"

"So what?"

"I like secrets," he said, pushing her to the side and walking away from her.

"You're going to have to tell me someday, Jack." She said silently as he walked past her. "You can't hide from your past."

He froze, looked her straight in the eye and whispered, "I don't have a past."

She frowned, but he simply walked away from her, not saying another word to anyone. Mr. Gibbs was sitting against the railing, peeling some potatoes. Kiley bit her lip, and decided to join him, holding the potato Jack had thrown at her in her hand.

"Why does Jack hide things?" She asked, a littler bitterly.

"Aye, Jack thinks there is no need to look in the past," Gibbs replied, some bits of potato skin falling in the bucket between his legs.

"Why is that? Does he have a bad past or something?"

"I wouldn't say that," Gibbs said, his voice lowering. His eyes glanced around, as if afraid to be talking about such a thing. "Jack has just never been treated like he had by your folks. He thinks it's a curse, and he would hate to bring it out."

"Because he's afraid of another betrayal?" Kiley asked, grabbing the sword on her hip and beginning to peel the potato in her hand.

"Aye, exactly."

"But, why doesn't he at least trust me? I am just like both of my parents, and a bit of myself. I just don't get it."

"Jack's never trusted anyone before."

"Not even you?"

"Aye. You can't be a pirate and trust people, can ye? Pirates can always backstab people who they claimed as their friend."

"But, my father saved his life. How can my father be untrustworthy?"

Gibbs shrugged. "He's a pirate, and he doesn't trust Jack. It's equal."

Kiley shook her head, a small sigh escaping her lips. "That's just going to have to change."

--

Jack sat with a bottle of rum in his hand, hidden behind barrels and boxes. His brown eyes glared up at the sky, stars twinkling in reflection of his eyes. With another gulp of rum, he forced back his thoughts, and his memories.

"Blast it all," he whispered.

"To the depths," came a voice behind him.

He looked up, seeing Kiley coming to sit with him, her own bottle of rum in her hand. She took a giant gulp, swallowed it, and then looked at him, seeing his eyes gazing at her. "What?" She asked.

He grimaced, "You don't look like the rum-drinking type." He said, turning his attention back to the sky, taking another swing of rum.

"That doesn't mean I'm not."

He nodded, but didn't say a word.

She didn't say a word, either. They both sat there, a rum bottle in one hand, their eyes gazing at the stars above their heads. (AN: awww, romantic! Lol) The wind blew soft kisses against their cheeks, and the salty air filled their souls.

"You know..." Kiley said, breaking the silence. "I came out here to become a pirate, myself."

"And look where that got you," Jack commented, stifling a little laugh.

"It got me to meet the hero I have heard about my entire life."

"Hero?"

"Of course I had to loose my ship to the navy, and my entire crew left me. But, I made it."

"That navy... let me guess, Norrington's still working?"

"Yes," she said. "How'd you know?"

Jack laughed, "He and I play a little game of cat and mouse ever since your father saved my neck."

Kiley smiled, "See? There are some good things to remember."

Jack raised a brow, "Me almost loosing my neck a few times after that is not very good."

"Guess not."

"By the way," Jack said, clearing his throat. "Why are you so content in knowing my past?"

She grinned playfully. "It's a secret."

"Aye."

She sighed, "When I was little, my father would take me out on a small ship, and he would tell me stories about pirates. He began to tell me that I had pirate in my blood, and that was why I was so feisty with the other children I knew." She laughed, "There was no boy that could stop me in sword fighting!"

Jack tried not to grin, "No doubt your father taught you?"

"Yes, he did," she said, her voice trailing as her mind went back in time. "I remember my mother telling the maids to dress me up, make me look pretty. But, it wasn't until a few hours later that I had came home in a mess from a fight with one of the local boys. Girls began to grow jealous of me when I was older, saying that I spent too much time with the boys. I never mind, it was fun, challenging."

"What made you come out on the sea?"

"I turned sixteen three years ago, and my father told me I was ready. He came with me as far as Tortuga, and then I was on my own ever since. He told me, 'if you see Jack, make sure he stays out of trouble.' At the time, I thought it would be fun."

"What about now?"

"I find it challenging... difficult... almost lonely..." Her voice grew softer, and her eyes glistened. Jack frowned as he watched her speak, seeing water form in her eyes as she revealed her past, her secrets, her fears to him. "Now I can get in real danger, where my life could really be lost. Not like when I played with the other boys, where it was only a game to win a few shillings. Now, I can really get hurt... and there is no one to clean me up but myself."

She was close to tears, and Jack froze, not knowing what to say, what to think. She was expressing herself, probably to gain his trust. With a sigh, he stood up. "Then that's why you live on the sea your entire life," he said, bending his back, a small cracking sound of his bones. "You can never get used to the pleasures of maids."

She smiled, "I supposed you're right."

"I am," was all he said as he turned and began to walk away, back to his quarters.