CHAPTER FOURTEEN: MORNING AFTER

Will quietly closed the door to nursery and studied his wife. Elizabeth was seated at the kitchen table, staring into the bottom of her teacup. He stealthily made his way to her and sat down across the table.

"She's been preparing to be a pirate her entire life," Elizabeth mumbled. "How could I not see it coming?"

"What are you talking about?" Will asked gently.

"Sunni," Elizabeth explained. "She's been able to handle a sword since she was nearly seven, could outfence nearly the entire royal navy at sixteen. I've never seen a woman be able to hold more liquor for her size and age. . . for any size and age, actually."

Will sighed. "Jack's a good man, sweetheart. Pirate or not, he'll take very good care of her. Besides, he loves her."

"He says so, but how do you know?"

"You said it yourself when they were here," Will shrugged. "He's a greedy pirate. Why would he haul around a pregnant wife that will be a burden when he can go to any port in the world and find a wench? Could only be because he loves her."

"I suppose you're right," Elizabeth said, resting her head in a fist. She sighed. "Do you realize that they were married already at Johnny's baptism? That night they married was the very night before we christened our son."

Will let out a chuckle. "I suppose you're right. I was wondering why they were holding hands. At the time, I only thought it was because they were godparents."

"What were thinking making Jack our son's godfather?" Elizabeth asked, but revealing a tiny smile of joking.

Will smiled as well. "Well, we always thought that if something were to happen to the both of us, then Sunni would care for Johnny. Jack would just be around for the title. It looks like, now, however, that we chose a loving couple for our son."

Elizabeth groaned and threw a hand over her eyes.

Flashback

"What are we goin' ta do? What are we goin' ta do?" Jack kept repeating as he drug Sunni through the streets of Port Royal.

"I'll tell you what I'm goin' ta do," Sunni grumbled. "I'm getting a drink." She tore her arm from his grip and charged into the nearest pub, with or without Jack.

Jack rolled his eyes, but then thought better of it. A rum did sound like the perfect solution.

Sunni was seated at the bar when Jack walked in. She had two mugs of ale in front of her.

"Knew you'd come," she almost smiled. The hangover, and the entire situation, prevented her from fully smiling.

"I always come when alcohol beckons," Jack mumbled, plopping onto a stool.

"We don't even have rings," Sunni broke the silence. "What kind of preacher marries a couple without rings?"

Jack glanced at his hands. They were covered in rings, save for the ring finger on his left hand. "An' what kind of preacher marries a couple who are dead drunk?" he grumbled, tipping back his mug.

"I think we need to find this guy an' get him to seriously reconsider his vows," she mumbled.

Jack let out a laugh.

Again, they drank in silence. The bar was fairly empty, save for the few hard core drinkers that were scattered sporadically around.

"We could find th' town magistrate an' stop him from signing our marriage certificate," Jack suggested.

Sunni shook her head, her loose blond locks flowing over her shoulder. "'S too late. Most people around here get up and do business before one o'clock in th' afternoon."

Jack's eyes shot to the clock. It was just before one. It must have been a good night.

"Whyyetwolooksoglum?" a slurred voice asked as a heavy weight was dropped on a stool next to the couple.

Sunni and Jack glanced over to find a man dressed in rags, smelling of bacon grease, rum, and saltwater, and who was carrying an ale that seemed to be permanently attached to his hand.

"Do I know you?" Jack asked.

"Name's George," the man threw out a hand, hoping that someone would catch it and shake it. Sunni grabbed it just in time, before he knocked over her ale. "I've been drinkin' in this bar for seven years."

"Consecutively?" Sunni asked under her breath. Then she leaned over to Jack and whispered, "He's drunk as a frog."

Jack nodded in agreement.

"Why so glum?" George asked again, taking a swig.

"We woke up this morning an' found out we're married," Sunni said. "Can you fix that?" she asked sarcastically.

George frowned and thought for a moment. Then he shook his head. "A good ale'll fix anything, lass!"

"Cheers to that," she said, lifting her glass with him and taking a long drink.

"That's how we got in this bloody mess," Jack said, but took a drink anyways.

"So why don't you just stay married?" George asked.

"You don't understand," Sunni said. "We're not sweethearts, or a couple. We were friends-"

"Best couples start out as friends!" George declared.

"But they don't usually skip right to th' marriage faze!" Jack exclaimed.

"Why waste time?" George waved a hand. "Ye were goin' ta ask her ta marry ye anyways."

"Oh, is that so?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Of course. Ye love her, mate. Even as intoxerat. . . intozerca. . . even as drunk as I am, I c'n tell ye love her."

Jack threw him a cynical glance.

"An' you, young lass," George turned to Sunni. "You ain't never been with a man, afore, have ye? An' now, in one night, you're married and given him yer innocence."

Sunni's eyes widened. "Oh, lord, I ain't never thought of that."
Jack gave her a look. "Don't tell me, kid, that I'm yer first?"

"I'm seventeen, Jack! Of course you're my first."

Jack, for reasons unknown, sat up a little straighter in his stool.

"Don't worry, darlin'," George waved a hand again. "What ye did was perfectly within th' rights of a married couple. An' he loves ye, what could get better'n that? An' you love him."

"What makes ye so sure?" Sunni asked.

"Ye wouldn't 'ave given him yer innocence if ye hadn't loved him," George said, swaying on his chair.

Sunni looked at Jack, but couldn't hold his gaze and looked away, blushing. Jack found her crimson cheeks to be adorable. He held a finger under her chin and turned her face back toward his. "Nothin' ta be embarrassed about, luv," he said, tweeking her nose. "Many a woman has fallen for th' great Captain Jack Sparrow."

"What?" Sunni nearly shot out of her barstool. "Ye think I fell fer YOU?"

"Oh, come, now lass. I knew ye had a crush on me th' very moment ye stepped inta that jail."

"Of all the arrogant, pig-headed remarks!" Sunni threw up her hands. "Yer sayin' that I fell fer you, but you feel nothin' fer me?"

This time, Jack couldn't meet her gaze. "Well, yer Lizzy's little sister, doll. I mean. . . it would be, I mean, I don't know if. . ." the words didn't seem to want to come out.

Sunni was studying him with a look of triumph on her face. "See. You fell fer ME, ye stubborn pirate!"

"Jack Sparrow falls for no woman!" he countered.

"Captain," Sunni absentmindedly corrected him. "Captain Jack Sparrow."

He gave her a look of curiosity. "Right. Captain."

"Will you two just give it up an' admit that ye love each other?" George suddenly burst in. "Otherwise, there's no way ye would have gotten married last night."

Sunni looked back at Jack. His sensual mouth seemed to have lost words, and his double beard with beads didn't move. His kohl-lined eyes bore into hers. His jet black, dreadlocked hair was pushed under his customary red bandana, but his captain's hat was missing. Something, she didn't know if it was the alcohol, or the force of Jack's steady gaze, but something hit her then.

Jack looked confused as Sunni pushed aside their mugs of ale and then hopped up on the bar. She sat on the counter in her fluffy dress, and scooted over to be directly in front of him. Then, in customary, shocking-Sunni style, she parted her legs, and put one foot on either side of Jack.

Taking a deep breath, Sunni proclaimed, "I can't believe I'm tellin' ye this, Jack. But from the very first moment I met ye. . . well, I always knew that YOU were the person I wanted te loose my innocence to. An' since I'm raised under Catholic law, that means a person must be married. Therefore. . ." she waved her hands to finish the sentence.

Jack studied her. "Do ye mean that, luv?"

Sunni looked to the ground, but then back up and nodded shyly.

"That's interesting. . . very interesting," Jack mumbled. "Cause I never thought that a woman who stole my heart would actually want it."

Sunni looked up sharply. "Do you mean that?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, they both smiled. Jack pulled his wife into his lap and kissed her, chastely, on the lips.

"What just 'appened!" George exclaimed, breaking the moment.

"We love each other," Sunni translated.

"All that was just a simple, 'I love you'?"

They both nodded.

"Oh." And then, good ole George passed out onto the floor.

"Do ye really love me?" Sunni asked, after taking her eyes off the man on the floor.

Jack took a deep breath. "I'm not supposed to love anyone. NO ONE. I'm still tryin' to figure out how ye did it. I've loved you since ye first handed me that rum. I've always loved you, Caitlyn Swann. From the moment I met you."

Sunni smiled. "It's Caitlyn Sparrow, if ye don't mind."

Jack grinned. "I suppose you're right, wifer."

Sunni laughed, but was interrupted by church bells gonging.

"Oh no!" she cried. "We're supposed to be at the church in fifteen minutes for Johnny's baptism!"

Jack's eyes grew wide. "You're right! We better move!"

It took thirteen minutes for Sunni and Jack to run to the Turner's house to dress, clean a little, and then make it to the church. They were two minutes early, and walked down the aisle of the church holding hands.

End Flashback

"Do you really believe this will work out? With Caitlyn and Jack?" Elizabeth asked with her head in her hand.

"We'll find out when we meet up with them in Jenga," Will sighed.