CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: MEETING UP IN JENGA

The next day, the Pearl set sail by noon and headed toward some southern remote islands. They were going to drop off some supplies Jack promised a merchant he would haul for him in exchange for a large amount of coins. After that, they would head back to Jenga to meet Will and Elizabeth.

"What do you think, Jack?" Sunni asked, dancing toward him on a Jamaican street. Two young children followed.

Jack stopped bartering for a moment and looked down at his wife. Six or seven strands of her long blond locks were braided among the rest of her hair. At the end of each braided strand was two sparkling rubies given to her by Perch.

"Very interesting, luv," he fingered a strand. "Yer lookin' like a real pirate." He turned back to the man he was bartering with and spoke in a broken native language that Sunni didn't understand. Jack kept gesturing to his wife as he rambled.

The dark man listened intently and finally nodded and shook Jack's hand. Then, the man turned to Sunni, who was studying the entire exchange with confusion, and he bowed down to her, bending low at the waist.

"What was that all about?" Sunni asked, following Jack down the dusty road.

"Women who are with child are considered sacred by many of these tribes," Jack told her as they followed the man.

"So are cows," Sunni said dryly, as she rubbed her sore back.

Jack chuckled. "Well, if it'll make ye feel better, ye just got me a great deal on a goat."

"A goat!" Sunni exclaimed, startled. "You bought a goat?"

"Aye. So ye can have fresh milk to drink."

Sunni smiled. "You'll make a great dad, Jack."

The pirate stopped. "Ye think so?"

"Aye, I know so."

The crew was out stocking up for the coming cold season. While some were bartering, most pilfered and swiped. They loaded up the ship with their blankets, logs for fire, extra clothes, and food to set sail before the town realized that a good deal of their supplies was missing.

Later that day, Jack stood behind Sunni at the helm of the ship while she steered the great Black Pearl toward Jenga. Jack held his compass out in front of him as he studied the horizon.

"Give her twelve degrees ta th' starboard side, luv," he told her.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Sunni nodded in mock seriousness. She pushed Jack's three-point captain's hat higher on her head so she could see. "How far away is Jenga?"

"We're probably a day away."

"Ye know, Elizabeth'll be expecting me to be ready to come home with her once we reach Jenga. She'll think I'll be so sick of the ocean that I'll be itching to jump back into a dress."

"Are ye, lass?"

"Are you kidding?" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't go back to that life for all the tea in China."

"Yer happy, then, here on the Pearl, with me?"

"Ye know, fer bein' th' great Cap'n Jack Sparrow, ye don't have much confidence in your ability of making a woman happy."

"You're not just any woman, luv."

The Black Pearl saw the coast of Jenga a day later, skulking into port in the early afternoon activity. No one was alarmed to see a pirate ship, Jenga saw ships like the Pearl nearly as often as Tortuga.

"Will, they're here," Elizabeth exclaimed that afternoon as they walked on the boardwalk, away from the bars. They quickly changed directions for the docks. "We have all of Sunni's clothes, right?" Elizabeth asked as they hurried along. "We've got her trunk? She's going to be ready to come home as soon as she sets foot on land. She'll want her regular clothes."

Will said nothing as he held his son on his hip. He was not so sure.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Elizabeth called, hurrying up the gangplank. "Where is Sunni?"

The first mate of the ship stopped coiling rope and turned to the visitors. "Ms. Elizabeth! It's so good to see you! An' young William, nice to see you, too. An' this young man! Johnny has gotten so big! Jack an' Sunni left the ship already," Gibbs said, finally answering her question.

"Did they come looking for us?" Elizabeth asked, trying to stay out of the crew's way as they preformed all of their docking duties.

"No, no," Gibbs shook his head. "Th' Cap'n promised Ms. Sunni some of Jenga's famous fudge. They left to get some. Still caterin' to her every want, ole Jack is." The old man laughed and tossed a look over his shoulder. " 'Ere they come, now."

Elizabeth swiveled around and threw a look over the railing of the ship. She finally picked the couple out of the bustling crowd on the sidewalk. Jack had an arm around Sunni's waist and was whispering something in her ear. Sunni's nose wrinkled up and she burst out laughing. Jack grinned down at her and popped a piece of fudge in his mouth.

At the gangplank, Jack ushered Sunni up onto the ship.

"Elizabeth!" Sunni cried, throwing her arms around her sister. "I missed you! How are ye?"

"I'm wonderful," Elizabeth answered, taking in her sister's sparkling appearance. "I missed you, too. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great!" the younger sister cried, pulling back. "I don't know when I've ever been happier! Hello, Will," she pecked him on the cheek. "I missed you. Oh! An' there's my nephew!"

Elizabeth watched as Sunni lifted Johnny from Will's arms. As she did, Jack came into her view. He stood back, hands clasped behind his back. "'Ello, Jack," Elizabeth nodded.

"Good to see you, Lizzy," Jack took her hand and kissed it.

"I see you're taking good care of my sister," Liz said frostily. "When she left with you, she was a proper lady in a dress. Now, she's a pirate in trousers."

"If you'll remember, she was also cryin' and bleedin'. Now, she's smilin' an' healthy," Jack swaggered back to pack Will on the shoulder.

"If you'll also remember," Liz countered, "before she met you, she was about to court a respectable young man, and she wasn't PREGNANT!"

"An' now, I'm married to a wonderful man and I AM pregnant!" Sunni said cheerfully, breaking up the spat. "Come, now, let's go to our cabin. We have much to talk about."

As they began toward the suite of the ship, Jack lifted Johnny from Sunni's arms and held him out in front of him. "Young man, you're grown much too much for a month," he said sternly. "If yer not careful, I'll have to take ye aboard my ship and use all those muscles for physical labor."

Johnny giggled, vaguely remembering the funny-looking man who visited his mother and father every now and then.

"Don't even think about it, you despicable man," Elizabeth warned good-naturedly.

"Sticks and stones, luv," Jack smiled as John tugged on one of his dreadlocks.

Sunni opened the door to their cabin and ushered her sister and husband inside. Jack set Johnny on the bed and surrounded him with pillows so he wouldn't fall off.

"'ow about a rum, mate?" Jack asked Will. Will hesitated, but finally nodded. "Lizzy?" Jack smiled.

"No, thank you, Jack," she said, crisply.

"Ye may want one, Liz," Sunni sighed, sitting across from her sister.

Liz also heaved a sigh. "Caitlyn. . ."

"Elizabeth," Sunni began. "I am 19 years old. I'm married an' expectin' a baby. I know what I want with my life. I want this. I want to be with Jack. I want to be on my Pearl."

"It's your Pearl, now?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jack, who was extremely possessive of his ship.

"Aye," Jack nodded. "She's my wife. Th' ship's half hers."

"I don't believe I'm hearing this," Liz stood to pace. "Do you really want to raise your child on a pirate's ship? What are you going to do about schooling? What happens as your child grows older?"

"I'll teach her myself," Sunni answered.

"Him," Jack countered.

Sunni only threw him a smile at their exchange.

"You're not being logical, Sun-"

"I'm being perfectly logical. Did you plan on fallin' in love with a blacksmith?"

"A blacksmith and pirate are two very different persons, Sun. A pirate's ship is DANGEROUS."

"Life's dangerous, Liz! I'm not goin' ta live my life holed up in some mansion afraid of every little thing that could possibly hurt. You know me. I live for adventure. I would die in a normal life."

"But what about your baby!" Elizabeth screamed.

This time, it was Will who spoke up. "Look at this baby's parents," he said, quietly. "Do you really think it would have a chance to end up wanting a normal life?"

Elizabeth studied Jack and Sunni. Finally, she threw up her hands. "Jack, don't you have anything to say about this?"

"I vowed to protect 'er with my life," Jack shrugged. "She'll be safe. Th' same goes for th' little one."

Liz never knew two more stubborn people in her life. Finally, she cried. "Give me a rum, for God' sake. I don't understand this," she said, swiping the bottle Jack handed her.

"Ye don't hafta understand. Just be happy for me," Sunni replied.

"Caitlyn," Liz said. "I have your clothes in a carriage back to Port Royal waiting. Do you want it, or not?"

Sunni crossed her arms. "Not."

Her older sister sighed. "All right, then. I can't force you. But what about Father? He's worried sick. And he's searching everywhere. Norrington's fleet is patrolling the waters, looking for the Black Pearl and only the Black Pearl."

"I don't want to tell him anything until the baby's born." She drew an unsteady breath. "I'm hoping a grandchild will soften the blow." She went to Jack's desk and pulled an envelope from the top draw. Sealed inside was a letter. "Here, give this to him, it will assure him I'm safe and well, but I can't return to Port Royal until the Pearl is ready to make dock there."

"Wait a minute," Elizabeth put down her rum, scrunching up her nose at the taste. "If you're not going home until after the baby's born, where are you going to have this baby?"

"In Tortuga," Sunni replied before Jack could stop her.

"TORTUGA!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Are you insane?"

"Now, Lizzie," Jack stepped forward, trying to appease his sister-in-law. "We found a perfectly respectable young doctor who is knowledgeable-"

"What do you pay him in, whiskey?" she cried.

Sunni sighed. "No, he took shillings."

"Will," Elizabeth whipped around to her husband. "We're going with them."

"What!" Will and Jack yelled at the same time.

"It's a brilliant idea," she argued. "That way I can be here to watch over my sister while she's with child and make sure that nothing goes wrong. I mean, who on this ship, has any working knowledge on how to care for a pregnant woman?"

"I'd like to think that I'm learning as I'm going," Jack interjected.

"But you're a busy man, captaining your ship," Elizabeth continued.

"What about Johnny?" Will asked, glancing over at their son.

"He will come along."

"But you were just arguing how dangerous a pirate ship is-" Jack said.

"But I know that you aren't going to engage while your pregnant wife is aboard."

Jack shrugged. "Of course not-"

"Then we will be fine."

Jack shot Sunni a pleading look. She only shrugged. "It might actually be a good idea, Jack."

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Think about it-"

"I don't even want to think about it!" Jack said, his hands dancing about. Then, he took a rum and washed it down in one gulp.

Outside the safety of the Black Pearl, two British navy ships sliced through the ocean toward Jenga. The Governor was stationed on one with the Commodore.

"Are you sure about this, sir?" the Commodore asked.

"My daughter and her husband left early this morning for this port. I suspect that they have no other reason to visit such a place other than the presence of Jack Sparrow's ship."

Commodore Norrington nodded shortly. "We will be sailing into port within the hour. I will deboard this ship which will dock down shore, and board the Dauntless to make ready to attack."

"You will only attack once you see Elizabeth has stepped off the Black Pearl to negotiate Caitlyn's release."

"Of course, sir. Once Elizabeth is off the ship, we will know that Caitlyn will have left as well. We will then punish Sparrow for his insolence."