AN (11/25): The last chapter has been done for almost a week now... Silly fanfiction, not letting me update. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to any of you living in the US...
AN (12/3): This chapter...well, it was a bit difficult to write. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration...but I'm sorry it took me so long to update. Hope you enjoy this newest chappie...
Chapter 21: Surprise
"Jack," Meagan responded, smiling lightly and putting an extremely pallid hand on his bent knee. "I need you t' do something for me."
How she was still alive was quite a mystery, actually. Jack had seen many men die of wounds less serious than the one he'd given her. He stared at her hand dumbly for a moment, feeling as though he'd shot himself in the foot or something. His conscience was plastered with guilt. The pale moonlight washing into the room seemed to make matters worse. It gave the blood pool on the floor a slightly silver hue.
When Jack didn't respond, Meagan merely went on, a worried look in her pale blue eyes. "Jack, yer daughter is in the next room over. I need you to take care of her." The worry in her voice was strong enough to make Jack feel even more guilty about the whole thing. It barely even registered in his mind what she'd said. "Please, Jack. I'm begging you." This was obviously the dying plea of a mother desperate for someone to take care of her child. Her voice ripped through Jack's soul. How could anyone ever refuse such a desperate plea?
Jack stared at Meagan numbly as even more color drained for her face. She was obviously fighting hard to stay alive long enough to have some sort of peace of mind for the life afterwards. "I will," Jack found himself replying. He watched in absolute horror as her hand slumped off his knee immediately and hit the floor, a content smile on her face as she drifted off into oblivion.
Jack looked at the corpse for a moment, still trying to process what he'd promised to do and what he'd done. He'd killed the only woman he'd ever loved. Killed her in cold blood because he'd been holding a pistol to steal from the treasury by kidnapping the key from the governor. She'd merely been trying to defend her home, and he'd shot her. Breathing a bit heavily, Jack gently placed Megan's cooling hand next to the pool of crimson staining the carpet. He'd killed her. And yet...she hadn't seemed angry with him. All she'd been worried about was her daughter.
Jack dropped the pistol to the floor as he thought of the daughter. Meagan...he had a daughter? Jack Sparrow couldn't be responsible for any children. He couldn't have any children. That couldn't happen to Captain Jack Sparrow of the famed Black Pearl. Surely she'd been jesting when she'd said "yer daughter", because Jack would never make a woman pregnant and then betray her like that. No. He couldn't have. It just wasn't possible. Jack would never abandon the mother of his child.
Amid these swirling thoughts in his mind, Jack noticed a light headed towards the room. Were other servants here to investigate? What if he was captured? Frowning, he pulled the door to the kitchen open and stepped behind it as the light drew closer. He heard someone muttering something. The voice sounded incredibly angry, but so silent that Jack could tell the person had quite a bit of self-control. It was a male's voice, which made Jack both more anxious and more relieved. He could deal with killing a man... but he didn't want any more blood on his hands.
The man with the candle didn't seem to notice that there was a corpse on the floor. He walked right past Meagan and the door behind which Jack was standing. For a moment, Jack could see what appeared to be a large hat on the man's head. This was unusual. The man about to find the tied-up governor was obviously not a servant.
"Governor!" the man exclaimed, completely astounded when he noticed the governor and the woman tied together on the floor. "What happened?"
Jack felt the unmistakable urge to laugh at the whole situation. Restraining himself from doing so was probably the hardest thing he'd done so far. A man's guilty conscience often wants to make it obvious to the world that something is wrong. He was biting his lip so hard that he tasted that awful metallic slobber that indicated he was bleeding.
"I was robbed!" the governor said importantly, clearly both upset at the man's sudden appearance and relieved. "Could you please help me up?"
Jack frowned slightly as he heard the man help the governor up to his feet. It struck him as a bit odd that the woman wasn't saying anything. Wouldn't she be grateful as well? Something about the man's voice made Jack want to punch a hole in the wall...
"Jodi!" the man said, shock and indignation in his voice as Jack heard the slight whumph of the governor being allowed to drop onto the floor again, along with the woman. Obviously the man hadn't expected to know the lady. Jack felt shivers down his spine. What if....no...it couldn't be the Jodi he knew...
"Hello Nathaniel." Jack had to strain his ears to hear the reply as the woman muttered it near the hardwood floors of the kitchen. He knew that voice, most definitely. His sister...she'd been sleeping with the governor? How long? Rage filled Jack as he contemplated that fat man having anything to do with his fair sister...
The governor groaned and cursed softly as he struggled to his feet. "We were only discussing your promotion, Commodore."
"This late at night?" Nathaniel couldn't keep the fury disguised very well as Jack heard him turn to face the kitchen door that was still closed. Jack heard him take a deep breath and imagined him turning back to face the governor.
"Yes," the governor replied easily, lying like a knife slicing through whipped egg whites. Obviously he was a politician, or he would've sounded flustered. Jack was fairly sure he'd kept his flabby face from blushing as well. Frowning, Jack clenched his fist into a ball and had to work to keep himself from moving.
"We were only discussing your promotion, Nathaniel," Jodi confirmed quietly. Her voice was full of sympathy at what Nathaniel was experiencing and honesty. When had she learned to lie so well? "I came this late because it was the only time the governor could see me."
Jack heard his brother-in-law sigh. Obviously Nathaniel didn't believe her or him...but it would be so much easier for him if he did. "I meant to say, Governor, that most of my officers have been attacked by scoundrels. I barely escaped by killing the three who attacked me." Jack frowned slightly, trying to remember whom he'd sent to take care of the man who'd murdered his mother and married his only sister. Obviously he hadn't sent anyone who'd actually kill him...Jack hadn't wanted his nephews or sister to get hurt at home.
"You were attacked?" the governor asked lightly. Jack could almost hear the saliva in his mouth near his lips as he suddenly yelled, "Well so was I! Didn't you happen to notice the dead body out there, you bumbling fool! Go after them! They're headed towards the Treasury right now! I bet that some bloody pirate captain is the mastermind of the whole operation!" Jack heard the fat man pant a few times. He'd felt a small prick of pride when he'd been referred to as a bloody captain...but that soon disappeared into his anguish from killing the only woman he'd probably ever love.
"Yes sir," Nathaniel replied, not the least bit cowed by the man's ranting and raving. He turned towards the kitchen door, stopping as he noticed the woman on the floor. "Governor...I suggest that you barricade yourself in the fort. You never know what they intend to do after they raid the Treasury." Jack felt like punching the door to make it swing into Nathaniel's nose. He didn't say anything more to Jodi as he stormed off, in search of the pirates who were doing such a good job at stealing from the city.
Jack shook his head lightly as he heard the governor storm off to the fort. At least the politician appointed by the king could pay attention to good advice...not that it did any to lift the man up in Jack's eyes. All he wanted to do was kill both the governor and the commodore for the way they treated his sister...not that he'd treated the woman he'd loved any better. At least Jodi wasn't dead.
Light sobbing soon filled the kitchen as Jack slowly crept out from behind the door. At least it was dark...Jodi probably couldn't see him. Yet...his brotherly instincts were touched by her tears. It reminded him of the day she'd announced her engagement to Nathaniel Dennis.
What could Jack do? He couldn't really comfort her...he'd just killed the mother of his child. He had to find the little girl and dump her off in someone else's hands...but Jodi's piteous sobs were tearing at his already broken heart. He felt like joining her. That was really saying something, for Jack hadn't cried since that fateful day when Meagan had left him the first time.
"Jacob?" Jodi asked through her sobs as she peered over to where he was trying to get to the door out of the dining room. "I know you're still in there."
Jack rolled his eyes slightly, wishing she'd just leave him alone or call him by his new name. "It's Jack, Jodi...no' Jacob. Jacob wouldn' kill a defenseless woman." Blast his aching conscience...he'd said something he hadn't intended to say. He really hadn't intended on saying anything.
Jodi peered at him curiously as she kept sobbing silently. "Fine. Jack then. Why are you still here? Don't you kill people all the time?" She rubbed at her head and sat down on one of the counters. Jack could hardly see where she'd moved to, because of the faint moonlight in the kitchen. It was much lighter in the dining room.
"I kill men who try t' kill me," Jack responded heavily. It now struck him as odd that he hadn't recognized her earlier, when Skip and Hawksmoor had been busy trying to embarrass her. Of course, he really hadn't been thinking properly, because he'd shot a woman, and he'd been concentrating on the governor...but this was too much of a shock, seeing her in there. "No' women."
"Jack...she startled you," Jodi replied, still sobbing. It was amazing that she could cry and comfort others at the same time. "Don't beat yourself up over it."
Jack bit his lower lip. "I wish I could follow yer advice, sis...bu' I jus' can't. The woman...well...I knew 'er." He found himself walking to the kitchen towards Jodi's familiar voice. On his way into the kitchen, he nearly tripped over the rope that had tied Jodi to that fleshy display of ineptitude. Obviously Nathaniel had untied them while Jack had been listening behind the door.
"You knew her?" Jodi asked softly, a frown on her face. Jack couldn't see the frown...but he could hear it as he stepped next to the counter. She sobbed lightly a few times more, clearly more worried for her brother than for what had just happened to her.
"Aye," Jack admitted with a heavy sigh. "I almos' married 'er. An' now she's dead." His voice was falsely light, as if he were discussing the weather.
"Oh." Jodi's sobs disappeared as she put a hand on her brother's shoulder. She hadn't seen Jack in over eight years, and it felt like it had been just yesterday he'd left her again. She didn't know what to say, of course, for she could tell he was eating himself up with guilt.
Jack nodded and sighed again, wishing he could stop feeling like he needed to cry. That wouldn't solve anything. Though...now that he had his sister here..."Jodi?"
"Hmm?" She'd apparently been lost in thought during the strained silence. "What is it, Jack?"
"D' ye think you could do me a favor?" Jack bit his lower lip, struggling not to cry. Goodness, he couldn't be a father...not after he'd just killed the poor girl's mother. He'd be too full of guilt to do anything with her.
"What?" Jodi asked, wondering what in the world Jack would want her to do. He was always so fiercely independent...
"I...well...I jus' learned tha' I'm a father. An' I can't take care of a little girl on a pirate ship." Jack stopped as he fought back the tears of complete despair. If Jodi refused to take care of his daughter...well, he didn't think he'd have the heart to abandon the girl at a monastery or something. And he really couldn't take care of a child on a pirate ship.
"You want me to take her in?" Jodi asked softly, moving her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. "Jack...I'd be happy to." She was fairly sure that the woman he'd killed that he'd known was the girl's mother. But she didn't want to ask any questions. It didn't matter. "Where is she?"
"Meagan...she said that she's in the nex' room over." Jack choked on the words he wanted to say next. Sighing, he struggled to gain control of his emotions as he felt Jodi wipe at the tears rolling down his face. "I don't even know 'er name, Jodi."
"It's all right, Jack," Jodi said softly. "I'll take care of her...and find out her name. Don't you fret about a thing. You could even forget you had a daughter, if you want to."
"Thanks," Jack said, putting his hand to her's and pulling it down. "I don't wan' t' forget about her, you write about 'er, in your letters?" He was ashamed of crying...but at least it had been in front of his sister, rather than in front of his crew.
"Of course," Jodi replied. She smiled and touched his cheek once more before jumping off the countertop. "Shall we go meet your daughter, then?"
meggumscat: Ya know, I really don't know why I didn't update earlier....but I suppose I'm lazy. Sorry for keeping you on the edge of your seat, as it were, and thanks for the review. And, thankfully, I can handle being Nied at.
Aliana Archer: Tis what I like to call irony. Well, of course, anything unexpected is ironic. And this is a very ironic chapter...much more so than the last one, eh? Anyway, he should've accidentally shot the creepy governor. I'll have to have a discussion with him about that... Thank you so much for the constant support...and I'm truly sorry I kept you waiting for so long.
padme17: Oh, I'm so sorry I kept you waiting for so long! I really didn't mean to...but school is, well, icky, and I'm busy applying for college...lame excuses, but that's all I've got. I generally update once a week. Thanks for discovering my story and leaving your compliments!
Jack: Well, Fanfiction was being a pansy. Wouldn't let me update for a few days. Sorry for the delay...thanks for your support and heckling. Since you were the first to review, you get a loverly yellow lupe plushie from McDonald's.