Hello everybody! How's it going? I'm good! Anyways, please check out my joint account with MorganS (no relation) under the pen name SixthYearGryffindor! It'll be gggggrrrreeeeaaaatttt! And we're dispirit for reviewers. Don't laugh, it's not funny! Anyways...please! Oh, and please check out my new oneshot fan fic called Your Name My Son. I know, bad title but I couldn't think of one. It'll be in three parts so please read it. Thanx.
-I don't own POTC!
Chapter sixteen: Alone with Evil
"Ouch." Jack whispered, pulling up his shirt and examining the bandages in the full-length mirror in the corner of his room. They were soaked through with blood again. The eleven-year-old had told him to say when this happened but Jack didn't think so. He could look after himself. Slowly, he peeled away the dirty cloth and let the wound get some air as he pulled off his shirt the rest of the way and then proceeded to change the bandages. When he was done, he sighed, grabbed his old dirty shirt again and put it on. He felt like a walk around the ship.
The night was cool as a light wind blew, tossing the ship ever so slightly. Looking up, Jack found the starry sky and watched it for a while, taking in the brightness around them and filling his lungs with the cool night air, licking the salt from his lips. When he looked down again, he found he wasn't alone on the deck. Navy men watched him as they went about their duties and Anamaria stood near by, at the railing, watching the water below.
"Hello luv." Jack said, joining her. Anamaria made no motion of acknowledgement but simply kept her eyes to the water below. "What's keeping you up so late?"
"Nothing." Anamaria said pensively. Jack nodded and leaned on the railing, making sure to keep his side well away from the wood. "You?"
"I'm sober. I can't function properly. Damn Norrington won't give me anything to drink but tea. He insists that it's my favorite drink." Jack smiled. "I don't know which one I hate more at the moment."
Anamaria made a weird guttural sound and then said, "I never know when you're sober and when you're drunk Jack. You seem about the same to me." Jack smiled.
"Glad you don't see a difference but I'd rather be drunk then sober. Everyone looks better when I'm drunk. Even Norrington."
"Do you believe in God, Jack?" Anamaria asked suddenly. Jack looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. "Well?"
"Not really." Jack answered. "I mean, either way I'm going to hell right? Does it matter if I believe in God or not?" Anamaria shook her head and sighed, leaning heavier on the railing. "Why?"
"Because, he did." Anamaria said. Jack's brow furrowed.
"Who did?"
"My husband." Anamaria said quietly, playing on her hunch. "He believed in God." Some clouded expression came over Jack again and Anamaria had the impression he did that when he didn't want to feel or remember.
"Well, I wouldn't know." Jack said, "I stopped believing in God a long time ago...it's not important anyway."
"Thank you." Anamaria said as Jack turned away. He stopped. "Thank you. You were the only one who stopped. You were the only one who didn't leave me."
"I didn't do anything." Jack said, turning back to her. "I like being thanked for stuff I didn't do but only when it gets me an award of some kind like money. When I didn't do anything though it makes me look like a good guy and that...would be wrong." Anamaria began to cry. Had she been wrong? She watched him for a moment through streaming eyes before breaking down completely.
Jack stood there, stunned and terrified. He could take on cursed pirates but... a crying woman was way to much. His Anamaria, the only woman he knew who could take out five large guys and drink a tankard of rum at the same time, was crying? Not knowing what to do, Jack walked forward a few steps and reached out an arm very slowly, touching Anamaria's arm with one hand and patting her head awkwardly with the other.
"It's okay, luv. You know, this looks really bad. Could you hold it until we get away from all these...people?" That just made Anamaria cry harder. Around them, men stopped what they were doing to watch but when they caught Jack's eye they hurried back to work. "You're lucky you're not on the Pearl."
"I'm sorry." She gulped, trying to get a hold of herself. "It's just I'm s...so frustrated a-a-and I c-cant take this a-any-more!" Jack moved another few steps forward so he was standing close enough that he wasn't leaning and moved his hand from her head to her back.
"Done?" He asked. Anamaria wiped her face on her sleeve and looked up at him through watery eyes.
"I think so. It's just, sometimes I get overloaded." Jack nodded as empathetically as he could and suddenly; she was gone, walking away across the deck. Jack watched her go for a moment and then called out.
"Wait, Luv!" Anamaria didn't stop but kept walking, "Darling! Sunshine! Cry-ey!" Anamaria didn't stop. Damn, he was going to have to say her name! "A-A-Ann..." Anamaria stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder, her eyes shining still in the moonlight. "There, luv. Please stop and listen to me for one second." He made his way across the deck in a few strides and came up right in front of her. "Look, luv. I know we've had our differences in the past few days but, I want you to know that I...I, um..." Anamaria knew better then to think he was apologizing. "I forgive you."
"Thanks Jack." Anamaria said, turning away. "I'll keep that in mind." And she left Jack to curse himself silently for his lack of human emotion.
"Jack?" Elizabeth called out quietly, knocking on the door. There was no answer inside so she slowly and very cautiously pushing the door opened and popped her head inside. "Jack?" There was a candle on the desk beside the bed, illuminating Jack's still form and slowly rising and falling chest. She closed the door and walked inside.
Jack was asleep, his deep steady breathing calming her nerves. She smiled, watching him for a moment and feeling mildly surprised at the fact that he was able to sleep so deeply and still hold a tankard so steadily beside him. Slowly, she leaned over him and eyed the liquid inside. Water, she was sure.
"Can I help you with something?" Jack's voice suddenly muttered, making Elizabeth jump. She stood quickly and backed off a few steps before looking at his face. His eyes were still closed but now she knew he was awake.
"Did...I wake you?" She asked unsteadily. Jack cracked one eye open and looked at her. "Or, were you awake?"
"I was asleep." Jack said monotonously. Elizabeth nodded and pointed to the tankard beside him.
"How do you do that?" Jack looked blankly at her. "How do you sleep and not spill a drop?" Jack closed his eye again and wrinkled his nose.
"Well, habit I guess." He answered finally, spinning the liquid around and around inside the glass with a few flicks of his wrist. The water came close to the rim but not one drop was spilled. "Unfortunately, My taste for water far engreaves me so, I would rather have spilt the whole thing and have been done."
"Spilt it?" Elizabeth asked, reaching out and taking the tankard from Jack. "Why?"
"Well, that little whelp doctor makes me drink it." He said, slowly sitting up. Elizabeth could tell he was in pain but trying hard not to show it. "I'll smack him if he makes me drink more." Elizabeth set the cup down and reached out for Jack's hand, which he didn't give her. Instead, he struggled to his feet, trying not to put any strain on his injured side and began straightening his clothing.
"It's for your own good, Jack." Elizabeth said, lowering her denied hand. "He's a very good doctor." Jack smiled slightly.
"Not good enough." He was moving his left hand up and down his right arm in a quick pace as if trying to warm his cold skin. "I need a drink." Elizabeth smiled.
"I saw Anamaria." She said, handing him his water. Jack scowled but took it and emptied the glass as she kept talking. "She seemed upset last night. She came into our cabin crying." Jack's eyebrows shot up and he threw the tankard on to the bed where a few drops of liquid rolled out onto the blankets. Elizabeth rushed over and picked it up. "I couldn't get an answer out of her. Gibbs said it was simply a lover's spat."
Jack, who had been putting his jacket on, spun around to face her so quick it made Elizabeth yell out in surprise. "It was nothing of the sort unless you count a dead man being a lover still." Elizabeth watched him curiously. "Her husband...something to that effect. She thought I was someone I'm not."
"Oh, I see." Elizabeth said quietly. Jack pulled his coat on the rest of the way and began looking for his boots in the dark room. It sucked only having one candle.
"What does that mean?" He asked. Elizabeth sat on the bed and watched him search under the dresser before she pulled a boot out of the messy blankets on the bed.
"Nothing." She said, searching for the other. "I just didn't know Anamaria was married." She finally found the other one and pulled it out, holding it high enough for Jack to see.
"'Was' being the operative word there, luv." He said, grabbing his boots. "Was married. He died, don't know how though."
"And she thought you were someone else?" Elizabeth asked, watching Jack struggle to put on his boots without hurting his side. "She's known you for a long time Jack, how could she mistake you for someone else?"
"She just did. Some stranger who stopped to help." He straightened up and looked at her. "Why so many questions?" He asked. Elizabeth shrugged but Jack's head suddenly snapped to the door.
He swore, sprung up and rushed to the door but Elizabeth grabbed his arm and stopped him. "No! Just, wait!" Jack pulled his hand from her grasp and tried to turn to face her but lost his balance and slammed into the door. "Oh my! Are you okay?" Jack watched her for a moment before he pushed her away hard enough to make her fall onto the bed. Then he was gone, out the door and up the stairwell. Now it was Elizabeth's turn to swear.
"Jack!" She called, running through the Dauntless's halls and up the stairwell to the deck. "Jack! Wait!" She saw him rushing across the deck to the far side, towards Commodore Norrington.
"Where are they?" He hissed into the Commodore's ear. Norrington raised an eyebrow and continued to look through his telescope at the spot on the horizon. "How many? Who?" Norrington finally lowered it and looked blandly over at Jack before passing the telescope to Gillette.
"There is no one, it's just a merchant ship." Norrington said simply. Jack smiled.
"You didn't think I wouldn't see through Mrs. Turner, Commodore?" He asked. Norrington smiled and looked over Jack's shoulder at Elizabeth who blushed. "Yes, I knew. Now, how many, who and how far away?"
"Who do you think...how many do you think?" Norrington asked. "It's them, Sparrow. They're at the island." Jack's eyes moved from the Commodore to Gillette and he reached out for the telescope. Gillette looked at Norrington, worried but the Commodore nodded and Gillette passed it over.
"Thank you." Jack said pleasantly just to mock them before he raised it and watched the three ships. It was the island! The Fated Parting treasure was there and he was saved. If he could just get away from Norrington and the navy he had a chance.
Will tossed and turned on the straw covered cell's floor, his back a mass of broken skin and bloody rags. He was cold, in pain and angry beyond belief. Bill sat next to him, leaning against the wall in his adopted spot of the cell, his eyes watching his son.
"You'll never get comfortable now." Bill said blandly, eyeing Will's back. Will turned onto his side and tried not to let any of the pain he felt show on his face. "You may as well sit like I am, in pain, and save you're energy."
"How many times has this happened to you?" Will asked. Bill closed his eyes and shivered, counting under his breath. Will could see his mind going through the different scenarios as if it were made of glass.
"A few." He said after a long while. Will snorted. "Jack and I used to get into a lot of trouble, mostly with treasure hunters after we joined up and became a team. When we boarded the Pearl, however, we kind of drifted apart. Then there was the mutiny..." Bill stopped.
"About that." Will said, sitting up slowly and moving as little as possible. "What happened that night? If Jack didn't trust Barbossa, why did he tell him where the treasure was?"
"That's just the thing." Bill said, "He trusted Barbossa to much. Now, though, I doubt he trusts any one very much any more." Bill opened his eyes again and sighed, starring at the ceiling. "Does he?"
"No, not really. He keeps things from people until it's need to know." Will answered. Bill nodded. "Why did he never tell me who he was?"
"Probably for the same reason I never came after you." Bill answered. Will waited but his father stayed silent.
"And...that was..."
"Because, I have more enemies then you can ever dream. If they thought I was dead they wouldn't come after you and, they wouldn't lure Jack into a trap by using you. Everyone thinks Jack is an only child, an orphan with no family." Bill smiled, "He has you and me. That's it. We can't have people using you or I to get him, now can we." He shrugged then winced. "It's more for his protection then ours and besides, the less we know, the less we can tell under interrogation."
"Then, I guess this would be a bad time and place to mention that I know where on the island the treasure is?" Will asked. Bill sat up and took a deep breath. "I won't tell you though, Jack needs it. Not Barbossa."
"Good, don't tell me." Bill smiled. "I'm sure we're really far from Jack now." Will sighed.
"Yeah, I don't know how Jack'll make it out of this one. But he will."
"All right, the plan is to come around the other side of the island, then we'll move inland with my men and watch them for a while, search for Mr. Turner and then leave." Norrington announced, sitting at the table with Anamaria, Gibbs, Gillette, Jack and Elizabeth. Of all the years he was in school, learning to be a British soldier, Norrington had never in a million years, pictured himself sitting here now with them.
"And we get the treasure." Jack threw in, his feet on the clean table. Norrington nodded impatiently. "That is of course an excellent plan Commodore but, it has its holes." Norrington raised an eyebrow.
"I don't hear any of your plans, Mr. Sparrow." He said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "That's one big hole I'd say." Jack sneered.
"You know what my plans would involve. Kill two birds with one very large stone." Norrington smiled, realizing the threat and taking it in stride.
"Very well then Mr. Sparrow, I doubt you're plans will involve a happy ending for me so lets just stick with mine."
"And involve a very unhappy ending for me." Jack smiled. Norrington nodded and stood, walking to the other table in the room where there was a map, drawn by Jack, of all he could remember of the island.
"Are you sure this is correct?" He asked, running a hand down the roughly drawn island. Jack sighed and stood, walking over to the other table more human like then any of them had ever seen him. He seemed to have abandoned his usual drunken swagger for more of a wobble.
"Course I'm sure." He said quietly, swatting Norrington's hand away. "Now, the one that they'll probably go for first is this one." Jack pointed to the altar situated in the rocky cove. "They're on that side and, it looks like the likely one because of its location. Unfortunately, it's not the right one." Norrington raised an eyebrow.
"So, which one is it?" Jack smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he cleared his throat and ran his fingers along the island's beaches, hitting each alter and stopped at them before moving on.
"Do you have any idea what you're getting into Commodore?" Jack asked. Norrington looked up and then over his shoulder at Gillette who was eyeing Jack with an intense look. Finally, he shook his head. "The stories started a long time ago, in a pub of all places." Norrington snorted but stayed silent. "A man named Gregory Matavich. He was killed a few days later in a freak accident, save that for another time, the point is, however...he said he was from the ship, Fated Parting."
"I vaguely know the tale." Norrington said, "It sailed out of Africa..."
"India." Jack corrected, "With a mysterious treasure."
"Ah." Norrington said, looking down at the map again. "And this is where the treasure is I take it?" Jack didn't make a sound nor any motion that he had heard him. He was starring at the map.
"Are you done interrupting?" He asked. Norrington simply smiled so Jack continued. "Now, a man named Markling was the captain. He had very strong ties to the Indian trading areas and so on and so forth, he was an excellent negotiator."
"You mean he was a thief?" Norrington asked darkly. Jack nodded. "You two would have got on swimmingly."
"Yes, well, the point is my dear Commodore, Morliana, the princess, had big trouble with a man named Perdolin. One of the bottles he was asked to hide was to bring back the lost. You could bring back the dead, heal someone and bring them back to full health, bring back love..."
"Love, do pirates love?" Norrington asked. Jack shrugged.
"Markling wasn't a pirate." He answered simply. Over at the table, Anamaria shifted in her seat but Jack ignored her. "Now, Barbossa wants to bring back his brother, Mulan wants to bring back his sister and Marko...he has his own family." Jack glanced at Anamaria who had just leaned forward in her chair, watching him. "He has things to settle. Family reunions all over the place, eh?"
"And you?" Gillette suddenly asked. Jack raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"
"I have my own reasons, none of which concern you." He snapped. Norrington raised an eyebrow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to leave. Commodore." He inclined his head then swept past them, followed by Anamaria.
Outside the door, the two bumbling idiots from the dock four years ago stood. Jack stopped and all three of them stared at each other. "Hello." He said, "Nice day is it not?" They looked uncomfortable with his presence, satisfying him.
"Jack?" Anamaria's snappy voice suddenly said from behind him. Jack turned and came face to face with her. "When you say Marko, do you mean Fredrick Marko?"
"Why?" Jack asked suspiciously, frowning. Anamaria crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow making Jack sigh. "Fine, no if you'll get mad and yes if you won't."
"So it is?" Anamaria asked. Jack nodded slowly, saw the look on Anamaria's face and turned the nod into a 'no' shake. "Jack Sparrow, you don't have to protect me!"
"I know luv, but...you're nuts and I can't have you go traipsing off and get yourself killed, leaving me and Gibbs alone with evil!" He gestured at Norrington before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her to get her to look him in the eyes. "Don't go after Marko alone." He warned. Anamaria stared into his eyes and was shocked to see concern there. "Please luv, don't make me beg. This is humiliating enough."
Anamaria pushed him away and then left, walking across the deck and down to the underbelly of the Dauntless. She needed to get ready for murder.
Mcsprout: Hey, cool name! I say that a lot to ppl! Any who...Jack and Ana get together? What makes you think they'll live long enough? DUN DUN DUN! Thank you for your review and keep reading. You won't be disappointed.
DragonHunter200: Awe, that's okay. I admit it was a hard for me even to write because I recently lost someone I know...last month. It was a girl in my class and I was depressed for a long while so I must say that I cried as I read it. (Don't tell). I'm sorry I got you in trouble with your step dad. My dad's like that to though, he explodes at small things. He can have a vacation in heaven. He'll find a nice lake or something. It's okay about the lines, the ones you and you made me blush when you were commenting on my writing. That is such a flattering thing and I love you for it! I want to be a professional writer when I get older and I have my own books planned but am procrastinating on them...oohhpps. That was so mean with Gibbs! Good luck with your pillows tonight.
Alteng: Oh well, I only had thirty minutes to write that scene so...May did die. Yeah, I had an image of my head of Jack smoking weed but I din't know if there was such thing back then. Pintel and Ragettie are cool...they cane get away maybe. Yeah, you kinda gave me the idea with the gold from my first story in your review. Thank you.
Gaze: Thinking...thinking,...Yeah, I screwed up with the dating but that's okay. If you read Harry Potter you'll see his age is screwed up to. Keep reading and reviewing.
