Disclaimer: I do not have permission to be using these characters…

AN (11/22): Well, I'm in my Independent Study class with nothing to do, so I'm busy typing this up. I'm so incredibly tired that it might not make any sense, but at least I'll be ready to update as soon as I can. Sorry that this one is so short...

All Hallow's Eve: Chapter 7

He did not answer me right away as he glanced at the blanket now over his body. "Thanks," he muttered, struggling to keep his teeth from chattering. "I was afraid tha' ye wouldn' notice me sitting there."

"Well…it does take me a while to notice anything," I replied, wishing he'd just answer me. Why couldn't men give a straight answer, anyway? They always assumed that women didn't really mean what they were asking, even though that was definitely not the case half the time. If a woman asked a man a direct question, she should receive a direct answer in response. "Especially with just my lamp on." I looked towards the lamp on the end table near my bed again. It wasn't a very bright lamp, and I was probably ruining my eyes each time I read by its light alone. Not that I really cared. If I turned my actual light on, my father would know I was awake when I wasn't supposed to be. I was probably the only teenager in the neighborhood with a set bed time.

"Glad ye did," he replied, closing his eyes. He looked absolutely exhausted and pale. Pirates were never meant to be pale, for it was a grotesque sight to me, even though I'd never seen an actual pirate before. Leaves littered his dark hair, giving him the appearance of a corpse.

For some reason, I got the impression that I shouldn't let him fall asleep. "Jack?" I said sharply, reaching over and touching his cheek. It was very cold to the touch, bordering on icy. What had happened? Was he in the process of dying before my
eyes?

"So, d' ye think tha' the Bush fella will make a good king?" he asked languidly, struggling to open his eyes to calm the worry in my voice. "I wouldn' 'ave ever guessed tha' the Colonies actually got t' choose their own king."

"Well, Bush won't be our king," I replied. Ah, so that was how the
presidential race had turned out, eh? How had Jack known that? "He'll be our president. It is like the king, but different." I felt slightly depressed that we'd have four more years of the monkey president…but I couldn't even vote so it really didn't matter. In four years, I would definitely pay more attention to the outcome of the elections. Where would I be in four years, though? The thought was rather frightening.

"Ah." One of his eyes fluttered shut and abruptly opened again. "Well, I personally think 'e resembles ole King George, bu' wha' do I know?" He chuckled absent-mindedly. It suddenly occurred to me that he was in a lot of pain.

"Jack? Can you tell me what happened?" I asked softly, gently touching his cheek again. I'd never felt a dead body, but I was fairly sure that it would feel something like the way his cheek felt, all cold and leathery. I rubbed his cheek and felt as though I were rubbing the scales of a lizard or snake.
Perhaps the fictional past was trying to set things straight and make it so he was dead, as he definitely would be by now. What if I was watching the illustrious captain die?

"Was in a bar. Fell over an' spilled me rum. I din' know tha' rum could come in different flavors. Rather interestin', it is. If I could figure out 'ow they did it, I could leave the Pearl behind an' sell tha' an' die a rich man." He chuckled again. I was getting the distinct impression that he was delirious.

"Oh." He still wasn't explaining what had happened, and his eyes were closing again. "Jack…can you at least tell me what hurts?" I gently stroked his scale-like cheek, desperately trying to keep him awake. If he fell asleep…well, it looked like he'd never wake up again.

"Everything." His eyes slowly opened in surprise. "Except for me cheek." The gloss in his eyes was starting to slowly lessen. How could he be in so much pain and talk about things like rum?

I looked at him, amazement slowly filling my eyes as I realized that the skin under my cheek was starting to get warm. Like those MRI's the military has. You just add water and can burn yourself in a matter of moments. Soon it was so hot that I had to move my hand away. What was going on? Maybe he was now trying to spontaneously combust.

"Put yer hand back." It was a piteous whimper. That really surprised me. I didn't think that he could whimper. "Or maybe on the other cheek, luv. Somethin' abou' your 'and helps the pain."

I did as he requested, though I had to move it in a matter of moments when it became too hot for me to bear. What was going on? Was he trying to freeze and die of a fever all at the same time?

"I know tha' ye can't stand the heat, luv...bu' could you please touch all of me? I almos' feel normal on my cheeks." He looked at me, and I was aware that he was in indescribable pain.

"No problem," I replied heartily, trying not to cry as I touched his nose, mouth, forehead, scalp and neck. "I just wish that I could do more." I touched his left arm, but felt no warmth. It puzzled me for a moment, until I realized I was touching a particularly filthy cotton shirt in rather than his skin. I pulled the sleeve up and gently rested my hand on his arm. A few moments later, I moved it because of the heat. Great...I'd have to take his shirt off.

"I jus' wish I hadn't left," he replied with a slight chuckle that sounded like a whimper. "I should've come back when I started 'avin' problems movin' me legs." He frowned and winced as I bumped his arm with my elbow as I started unbuttoning his shirt. It was getting very hard for me to concentrate as I pulled the shirt apart and noticed his perfectly defined abs. Not many men in this century could boast that from hard work.

"How did you get back, then?" I asked after touching his bare shoulders, trying to keep a grip on reality. Suddenly I realized I'd have to take off his pants to do his legs...it would be odd when I got down to his nether regions...what was I supposed to do? I mean, he clearly didn't like me, or he wouldn't have left. Obviously I was too young for someone like Captain Jack Sparrow. It struck me as a bit odd that his chest was as tan as his hands. You'd think it wouldn't be, from years of being trapped beneath cloth...

"It was very 'ard," he admitted softly, smiling at me now that he could. "I didn' think I'd make it. Bu' then I saw yer house and I started running...might've hit a few cats and dogs on the way...bu' somehow I managed to make it here."

"What will happen when I go to school, though? I can't stay next to you all the time, Jack." I didn't want to stay next to him, suddenly. Couldn't he just leave me alone and go back to where he came from? He was only back here because he would die without me, not because he wanted to be back.

"I was fine for the firs' day I left," Jack replied with a slight sigh. "At leas', the pain was bearable for the firs' day." He frowned slightly as he muttered that. I think he could sense that I wasn't happy with him...but he couldn't figure out why I wasn't happy with him. Men were so dense.

"Oh." I continued to press my hands to his skin. I stopped for a moment on his chest and glanced at some of his scars before moving back to his cheek. Well, the skin was back to normal, and it didn't burn anymore. That was good, right? I might not have liked Jack at the moment, but I certainly didn't want him dead. Who knows what would happen if he died? The ramifications were endless.

"So...I'm sorry." He looked at me sadly as I stopped touching his chest. "I shouldn' 'ave left you like that, luv."

"No kidding," I muttered, frowning as I moved my hand to another section of his frozen skin. Couldn't he tell I wasn't in the mood for this? I knew what he'd say...he'd say that he didn't mean to hurt me and that he'd just been afraid, yet again...I hated being used like a tool.

"I'm afraid of commitment." He said this so seriously that I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. I couldn't see any sort of jest in his expressive brown eyes.

"What?" Had he been watching talk shows or something? That wasn't a phrase men said unless their psychiatrists forced them to. Shaking my head slightly, I took my hand off his chest. I felt uncomfortable, just touching him. Stupid teenage hormones.

"I'm afraid of commitment, luv. I really am attracted t' ye...I lef' because I'm afraid of hurtin' you." He sighed softly gently reaching up and grabbing my hand.

"Afraid of hurting me, eh?" I pulled my hand from his. "Jack, you failed miserably on that count. You've hurt me more than I've ever been hurt in my life." I shook my head. "Obviously you just wanted to use me. If all men are like you, it'd be better for me to live on Mars."

"Look, luv, I said I'm afraid of commitment." He frowned as he noticed how upset I really was. He winced as he moved his feet uncomfortably under the fleece blanket I'd peeled back to his waist to help him get warm. "If I spend any more time wiv ye, I'll end up lovin' ye. And I can't let tha' 'appen again."

Alteng: Well, teenagers aren't exactly the smartest creatures walking on the face of the planet... If I'd been her, I would've called an ambulance. But, it wouldn't have helped anything, apparently. And just think about what she's going to have to do...in bed...wow...I can't believe I decided to solve his problem that way. Icky.
I really don't care about the whole Valedictorian thing. I'd have to give a speech...that's not fun.
jack sparrow is a SEXY beast: There actually is a theory like that around the world of Physics nerds...that's partly where I got my idea from, actually, since I watched a show on just that thing...I don't actually believe in it. But Jack will get to his own time. Eventually. Not too much longer from now. I hope. Thanks for the review!
Laura: Woot! I've always wanted a Quizno's sub...are they any good? I like leaving the readers on edge...makes it easier for me to write my next chapter, ya see? Anyway, thanks for the review...this chapter was a bit odd, due to my sleep deprivation...but that's okay! I'll be ending this story soon...
Misty Addams: I'm glad you found this so impressive. I'm sick of all the filth clogging up Fanfiction as well...which is why I mostly write, nowadays, and leave reviewing to other people. Bad way to look at it...but, oh well. Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you think it is so well written...I've tried to be professional about the whole thing. I update each week (unless some emergency comes up). Would've updated earlier, but fanfiction was going through repairs...
theatrevixen13: Well...that was just a bit of randomness, because I was sick of naming things a set way. Tis odd for me to not have chapter names, actually. Thanks for leaving a review!
Pirates-arr-me-life63: I'm glad you found it so touching...I really hadn't intended to bring him back. But my mind does odd things like that all the time...I'm glad you like the last chapter so much. Thank you for leaving a review again! I really appreciate it! If you like this story...well, you might like my other ones...
Lady Fae: I just wish I could've updated faster...thanks for the review!
pyritetomboy: I shall try harder to use my imagination more...sometimes I get lazy when describing things...or I want the reader to picture it for themselves...anyway, thanks for the compliment and review!
Emx: Ah, yes...Well, I addressed that in this chapter. Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this one!
orcachick2005: -whispers- I haven't actually seen My Fair Lady. Is it any good? Do you like performing it? You are too a genius. You always have something witty to say...and you can't be witty and a dunce at the same time. It just doesn't work...and maybe I was putting a bit of myself into Daisy, too...ya never know. I can score high on stuff I've never even studied... Thanks for the review and your constant support/criticism. Keep up your good work on your fanfic.
sunkist3208: I didn't either...I planned on stopping a long time ago. How did the funeral go? Was it nice? Did you cry? Not that I really need to know, of course...but I'm sure you did a very good job playing Taps. Thanks for the review...and you'd better update soon...
It would be really creepy to see Jack turn into Will...I'd fall off the bed or something. And the cliffhangers...well, I don't intend to do it, sometimes...other times, I don't want to think about what comes next until later, so I end it.
Jack: I'm sorry I made you afraid of going to sleep...it really wasn't what I intended to do. That dream was mostly to make you think of Jack showing up...I didn't really intend to have Jack show up in the last chapter...it just happened. He is like a puppy...
Rachel Sparrow: Oh, he'll be okay. I think. I don't plan to really kill off Captain Sparrow...that would be bad. What if he disappeared from the movie or something? Thanks for the review!
meggumscat: Well, ya kinda missed the next chapter. Or left a review on an older chapter...anyway, you said I could make her evil! -pouts- Just kidding. I think that Megan will have a change of heart...or, at least, will be forced to believe our little protagonist...maybe. I dunno. Anyway, you get a loverly cardboard pirate ship called the Bonny Kate for being the first to leave a review after I updated on this story.