"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
-Edmund Burke
Chapter Three
Everything would be a lot simpler if Jack would just indulge me. Just a little.
"Well, anything strange happen lately? At all?" I ask him, clearly annoyed, which seems to entertain him. What is wrong with this man?
"No, darling, not a thing."
He's got to be kidding me! Something has to be going on; a curse, ghosts, demons, dead men dropping like flies. . . something unnatural! If not, why am I here? How am I supposed to have any clue of what is hunting him, or how I'm going to stop it?
"Are you positive?" I ask once more. Over a dozen questions, and we've gotten nowhere!
"Absolutely." Jack takes another swig of rum before handing me the bottle.
I observe it for a moment before taking my own drink. The amber liquid is not surprisingly spicy. Not the best I've had, but it's not wretched, either. I limit myself to only a gulp or two; who knows the things that might happen if Ihave more! I, for one, am not in the mood to deal with my drunken actions. Or Jack's, for that matter.
I hand the bottle back without a long moment of seconds thought. "We're doomed." I state, brushing a long piece of hair from my eyes.
"In that case," Jack saunters across the room, to where I am sitting comfortably cross-legged on the bed. "A bonny lass such as yerself would be frightened. . . positively shakin' with fear!" he exclaims dramatically. "I suppose yer gonna need some comforting, love."
"Not as much as you'd like to think," I argue.
"Is that so?" the pirate says thoughtfully, settling in his oak desk chair and gazing at me through black lashes.
To my surprise, Jack hasn't mentioned or even hinted at our little incident this afternoon. It's as if our lips never met. And honestly, that's perfectly fine with me. I wouldn't want him thinking that I wanted to return his advances, would I?
"Let's clear some things up," I say bluntly, "First of all, I'm not here to be your mistress. I just want to get this over with, so I can move on to the next bastard who needs my help."
But by the expression on Jack's face, he's not caring what I say. "An' then what, Andie?"
"The process is repeated."
He raises a dark eyebrow and frowns, a look I can't say I'm used to seeing on his handsome face. "For how long?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Forever."
Jack gives me a somewhat sympathetical look. Well, as much of one as he is capable of giving, anyway.
"Life's a bitch and then you die," I tell him, as though it explains everything.
But I know it doesn't. It's just my way of dealing with this "mission" of mine, as Chester likes to call it. I have a meaning in life, he says, and that's to even out the balance between the good and the bad. The red line between the two is much thinner then most know.
"It never ends?" Jack questions, brow furrowed.
"It will when I'm gone," I inform him.
Silence ensues. It's not awkward, but the quiet is a little uneasy to my ears. The ship rocks to and fro, swaying obediently with the deep azure waves. I notice after a long moment that Jack is watching me, and I glance over at him to see a thoughtful look slowly consume his rugid features.
"I know nothin' about ye," he says finally, reaching up to cup my cheek.
"Ah," I say with a smile, and I know my hazel eyes are shining mischievously, "But I know plenty about you, Jack Sparrow."
"If ye knew so much, ye'd know it's Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Captain captain captain. We'll save it for a rainy night, aye?" I flirt.
He grabs me tightly by the waist, yanking me forward, but I stop myself with my fists against his chest, not even a breath away from his kiss.
"What did I just fucking say!" I shove hard against him.
"Why do ye lie to yerself?" His eyes are shining with black lust.
"I'm not. Between the two of us, I'm the only one willing to admit reality." I snap.
A malicious grin slowly lifts his chapped lips. Rolling my eyes, I'm a moment away from walking out the door and slamming it shut with pent-up frustration. I wish I had my own cabin, but it was either sleeping with the crew, or sharing the captain's quarters with Mr. Confidence himself. Needless to say, I chose staying with Jack.
"Why don't ye tell me a tale, then? Knowin' somethin' about ye is gotta help with understandin' ye." He settles with my previous place on his bed, lying with his back to the mattress.
With a peeved groan, I sit down atop the quilts beside him. "Should I begin with 'my parent's never loved me', or would you prefer something more specific?" I ask sarcastically.
Jack gives me the 'just-get-on-with-it' look, to which I once again roll my eyes. "Something more of importance then," I decide. "Well, I was ten years of age when I started noticing the signs. Chester calls them the Signs of Athena."
Jack's brow creases with adorable curiosity, "The Greek Goddess?"
"Down to every marble shield and carved temple.What do you know about her?"
"Athena's the daughter of Zeus. She represents war," he replies.
I nod. "There was a temple built for her in Greece, The Parthenon. Books were found buried there, all telling of her. The well known myths were scratched down, but also dozens of tales that no one had heard before. A few described her as young girl, finding cobras in her sheets at night and attracting black felines. Everything that was said to be bad luck or cursed was drawn to her."
I'm relieved to see that he catches on fast and is breathing it all in. I'm not good with patience. Having to explain too much will quickly get on my last nerve.
"And these things happened to ye as well?" He presses further.
"Yes, and more. But I never understood what they meant until I met Chester. I was sixteen, and he was sent to be a mentor, as you will. I thought he was completley mad at first, but then he spoke of the signs," I explain. "Of every strange thing that's ever happened to me. And then I realized he was the most sane person I've ever met."
I could get used to this, I suddenly realize. The only person I've ever been able to talk with is Chester. But there is a strange, unusual comfort within mewhen I am in the presence of this pirate. At the moment I feel as though I could tell him anything and everything.Jack and I seem to have a silent understanding.
"Athena made sure the evil was kept at bay, and the good as well. The balance between the two is very important. If one gets stronger than the other, the entire world could crumble at our feet." I reach up and tuck a lock of my dead-straight black hair behind my ear. "And that's why I'm here. It's a calling, of sorts."
Jack observes my face for a moment, his mind basking over the information I just spilled into the palms of his dirty calloused hands. "So this is hereditary?" he asks.
"No," I state, "it's prophetic."
"Prophecies?" His voice holds a tone of non-belief.
"What, you're a sceptic now?" I accuse him.
"I believe ye, Andie. It's just not every day that a young beautiful woman on me ship is claimin' that she's been sent to protect me. And 'cause of some scroll written thousands of millions of years ago."
"This coming from a pirate," I raise a shapely eyebrow, "And the very one who solved the mystery of the cursed Black Pearl, at that! After all you've seen, you're going to sit here and tell me I'm mad?" I demand defensively.
Jack's eyes narrow at my habit of taking things so personally. "I don't doubt ye, love, and I don't think yer crazy."
There is a long moment of silence, and as I force my gaze away from him, I can still feel his chocolate eyes burning on my fair skin.
He inhales deeply. "So what are ye, me guardian angel?" Jack's voice comes off most flirtatiously, and when I look up at him, his smile portrays the same.
"I'm not an angel of any kind, Jack Sparrow. If that was the case, I would have been exiled from Heaven long ago." I quip with a small grin of my own.
His eyes shine dark and mischievous. "I like the sound of that! Me very own black-winged creature from the fiery depths of Hell itself!"
And slowly Andie's character and past begins to unravel! I really like this character. She gives me the opportunity to write an offbeat and -what I like to think of as- a very different and original story. I like to write what no one else has done.
Thanks so much to all my reviewers!
Cap'n of the Deep: Will do! I'm glad you're enjoying the character as much as I am. I enjoy writing strong women, and having her beat Jack at his own specialty was so much fun!
Terradaina: You're too sweet. I hope I can keep you guys this excited throughout the entire story!
Super monkey289: Ah, yes! Original is what I like to hear!
Psychotic kitten: I hate it when OC's fall head over heels at first sight of Jack too! What I like about Andie is that she's attracted to him, but she's the kind of character that doesn't falls in love, which is similar to our favorite pirate.
A Depp Girl: I hope you can see the future, because I would love for this to be a great fanfiction as well.
Orlando's Hot Chick: Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
Heavenstar3: I'm not sure if I'm going to bring Will and Elizabeth into the storyline, but I may sometime in the future, who knows!
LoLoMo: Glad you like!
Down2MarsGirl: Andie's an interesting girl indeed! I'm sure she'll be surprising you throughout the entire fic!
Cayenne Pepper Powder: I'll be updating Wayding Waters soon, I hope. Instead of working on one story at a time, I decided to multitask. But no worries, I haven't forgotten it!
Sereture: Thanks for the praise! I'm happy to see a new reviewer; I'll be looking forward to your next review!