19- Nightmares And Naps

By pretending that nothing had happened between them, much of the tension and awkwardness left the ship. Jade suspected that some of the Pirates picked up on static between her and the Captain, but no one said anything so Jade shrugged it off.

The day after they stayed up until dawn, Jack was slapped awake by Jade.

She was asleep, but doing something she hadn't done since Joseph was murdered; talking. It started as a mutter… and then her voice grew to a panic.

Jack could her saying: "No. No. No, I won't. I'm not. No. No…" to herself while he was still dozing. Suddenly, his nose was throbbing because her hand had whacked him in the face as she yelled: "I'm not your bird!" and sat up.

Jade shot up in bed and opened her eyes. Everything was dark, and the only sound she could hear was the swishing of the waves and the heavy breathing coming from her mouth.

"It was just a dream." She sighed to herself. Her breathing slowed and she started to relax. "It was just a dream."

"Yes, well, it was a bloody painful dream, wasn't it?" Jack said, still lying down.

Jade jumped; she thought he was still asleep.

"What?"

"You whacked me in the face! I might not be able to ever smell again; my nose is bloody throbbing."

"I- I hit you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's all right; it's not the first time a woman hit me."

Although it was dark, Jade could tell that he was smiling, and she smiled too, lying down again and adjusting the covers.

They were silent for a long time until Jack's curiosity came over him.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Jade looked at him in the dark. He couldn't be serious.

"Come on, tell me. You yelled: 'I'm not your bird' when you hit me."

"It was just a silly dream, it didn't even make sense."

She thought that Jack would drop it, but after another moment of silence, he asked her again.

"Well come on, tell me, love." He hadn't called her 'love' in a while, and felt odd to do so now.

Jade sighed.

"Alright, I dreamt I was getting married to some one, I don't know who, but I didn't want to be married to them. I was, walking down this long hallway in my wedding dress, and it was moving, swaying, and I was being forced to walk to the end of the hall, I didn't want to go through the door, but something was forcing me to- like I couldn't control myself. I ended up in a church, with no exits. The windows and the doors were barred, like a cage. The Priest asked me 'do you do' and I yelled 'NO I DON'T', I yelled it a thousand times. But then I was hand-cuffed to the groom, and then I woke up."

Jack thought the Princess was crazy. A moving hallway? Who dreams about these things?

"Well, you certainly do not want to get married."

"Are you kidding me? That's what ironic about it all; I've been wanting to get married since I was nine years old."

Women truly were the most confusing thing on the planet, Jack concluded. He went back asleep, still not sure why Jade yelled: "I'm not your bird!" when she whacked him.

Around noon the next day Jack came in to his room to grab a map from his desk. Jade was taking a nap and seemed completely unaffected by her dream from the night before. Jack sat on the side of his bed and watched her sleep. The sun was on her face and she was smiling slightly. Her eyelashes moved and Jack quickly got up and left the room- he could not be caught looking at her and he had to stop doing it. What was it about the way she slept?

Jack decided to humble himself in the ultimate way; he would ask AnnaMaria about what Jade's dream could mean.

"What a weird girl. 'I'm not your bird' how am I to know what this nonsense means? And you say that the church she was in was barred? Like a prison, then. Ohh…"

AnnaMaria thought for a moment. "She was handcuffed to her groom…"

"What?" Jack asked shortly. Why couldn't she just tell him?

"Jack," AnnaMaria said, looking at him "Jade feels trapped. That's why she said 'I'm not your bird' because birds represent freedom but people cage them up and keep them as their pets. She feels like she is being kept in a cage by the William fellow."

"Thanks mate." AnnaMaria went back to giving orders and pushing her power around.

As the sun started to set, Jade came up to deck to wander around, it was supper, but Jade was not hungry. AnnaMaria went down to eat but Jack stayed up to watch the water; white sails had been seen earlier on, no more than a speck in the distance, but white sails nonetheless.

"Why aren't ya eatin'?"

"Not hungry." Jade responded. Her hand trailed the hand rail as she stepped up to where the helm was.

"Care to give 'er a go?" Jack asked, motioning to the helm. Jade smiled and stepped up to it. She took hold of it and Jack stood behind her, watching to make sure she didn't screw up.

"This isn't so hard."

"You're going straight." Jack pointed out. He picked up his pirate hat, which was hanging of the post at the end of the hand railing, and put it on Jade's head.

"Now you're a real pirate." Jack said, laughing at how ridiculous Jade looked in his hat. "I bet I could do this with my eyes closed."
"Please don't." He put his hand on the helm, beside hers, just in case she did decide to close her eyes.

The sky was purple and red, the sun half down. Jack grabbed his telescope and smiled; no sails anywhere. Jade looked up at Jack. He took his hat off of her and her hair blew slightly in the warm breeze.

They kissed. Both of them kept one hand on helm as they did so. And a moment later, they broke apart, and said nothing. It had been romantic, and Jade didn't question it.

AnnaMaria came back five minutes later, and without eating supper, both Jade and Jack went back down into the Captain's quarters, knowing what would happen once they were there.