A/N: I know, I'm lazy and I left off at a cliffhanger. Like you people are updating your stories! You know who you are! Eh, I'm just kidding, you people know you rock! Okay, these are gonna be kind of short cause I'm running out of room!
oliverlover-Um, the title doesn't come from the lyrics of 'Helena.' I thought of it because Elli and Ari and Will and Jack are both from different worlds and they end up meeting each other and their worlds kind of crossover and collide. Lol-sorry if that's confusing. Thanks for reviewing!
The White Masque-Yes, I figured that's where your pen name came from, I really like it and I'm glad you liked the chapter. XD We can only wonder what happens next huh? Thanks for reviewing and I love your story! It's great! Thanks for reviewing!
Evil Duckie of the Black Lagoon- Burn! Yea! That was a sad chapter wasn't it. Poor Jack. No! I'm not letting you 'comfort' him-besides, Elli might kill you. O.o Thanks for reviewing!
TriGemini- Jack did make a lot of mistakes, the biggest one probably being the fact that he forced Elli to make a decision quickly. Things just went downhill from there. Things will get solved between them...in this chapter actually...Thanks for reviewing!
Blossomlite-Hm, if I were Elli, I would definitely go with Jack! But you'll see what she chooses in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
Jinxeh-You've corrupted Cory? Nah, will probably help him deal with the problems you'll cause him at camp! Lol-I feel sorry for him, but happy for you cause you have a job! I need a job...anime is expensive! Thanks for reviewing! Rebel!
The Future Mrs. Jack Sparrow-'dodges darts' I'm soooooooory! This chapter is better okay-just stop throwing darts at me! 'cries' Yea, I'm close to 100 reviews! By the by, thanks for reviewing!
Incubus2074-Oh, Will and Ari have a lot of problems later...one concerning...well, I can't tell you! We'll get back to them soon enough-we just need to work out Elli and Jack first! Thanks fore reviewing!
Elli-Yea, I'm so glad people love this story and that you love it too, but you're supposed to cause you're in it! No, but really-thanks for reviewing even though you know it all. Love you too.
Orlandoschick08-Lol, now I know not to upset you, you're scary! XD Thanks for reviewing!
Siriusly Sirius Lily Black-Yep, it's confusing, isn't it. Things will work out though! Thanks for reviewing!
Katweenathesmiley- Hey! Be careful! If you knock me out, I'll never be able to update! 'snatches Jack Sparrow poster' I'm keepin' this! Muahahah! Thanks for reviewing!
Mouse10-Yesssssssssss, I am evil! Muhahah! 'coughs' Thanks for reviewing!
WolvenRose08-Thank you for such a kind review. I really get into my stories sometimes! XD
Chapter Nine-The Other Half
It's plain to see, it's trying to speak. Cherished dreams, forever asleep. Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly. Hopelessly, I'll give you everything, but I won't give you up, I won't let you down and I won't leave you falling, but the moment never comes. -Muse, 'Endlessly'
As Jack said, we began preparing the ship to set sail on this grey, cold morning.Tattered clouds flew across the grey sky and it looked as if it was going to rain.It seemed the sky was reflecting everyone's moods. I smiled wryly at the irony as I packed my small suitcase. Everyone was down today, even the Moineaus. Jack was the worst though, he hadn't come out of his room for lunch or dinner and I thought he was sulking, but then Elli told me what they had talked about in the garden and I learned that it was depression, not the fact that he was upset about something.
I was down too because I had asked Elli if she would be sailing away with us and she said she wasn't sure yet. I really wanted her to come with us, I would miss her terribly if she didn't come. She was my best friend after all. But I knew I couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want, so I would just have to wait and see what she would choose.
I sighed deeply. I hated waiting, especially when it was a decision such as the one Elli was facing.If she didn't decide soon, Jack might make a decision of his own and decide to leave without her, but if part of him still loved her even though she didn't love him back, then he would wait.
"Jack is almost ready to set sail." Will suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts.
"Already?" I asked, snapping my suitcase closed and turning around to look at him.
"Well, you know how he is." Will replied softly.
"Yea." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I knew how Jack was and right now he was really starting to get on my nerves. He had been acting sullen ever since we received the letter from the Moineaus to come here. Looking back on it now, maybe we shouldn't have convinced him to come see his parents again. Maybe everyone would've been better off if we had just sailed on by instead of changing our course and sailing to Italy.
But then again, coming here was a good thing in a way, because Elli and Jack finally came to terms, they finally realized that they couldn't hide or ignore their feelings anymore and maybe now since Elli knows Jack loves her, she'll grow to love him.Which is why I was anxiously waiting for her to make her choice because I thought they deserved a second chance at what could've been if things had just gone the right way.
Will sensed my anxiety and knew what I was worrying about. He walked up behind me and put an arm around my shoulders. I smiled up at him quickly and then looked down again.
"I'm sure she'll come with us. I don't think she can stand being here anymore than Jack can." Will replied.
"But what if she does decide to stay with Adam? She did seem to get along better with him." I noted. Will pulled me close to him and I leaned my head against his shoulder.
"Maybe you should go talk to her?" Will suggested, looking down at me. I gave him a small nod and he let go of me and watched as I walked out of the room.
I made my way down the stairs and Mr. Moineau sitting in the living room, reading a book. I made it to the bottom of the stairs and walked up to him carefully. I still hadn't grown used to the fact that Jack's parents were rich and noble and so I was uncertain when it came to how to address them and speak to them and such.
But he knew I was behind him and before I could say anything, he put down his book and turned to look at me.
"Yes Ari? How can I help you?" He asked gently and I felt myself relax. He really was a nice man and I wondered why all noblemen weren't like him.
"I was wondering if you've seen Elli." I said softly. I already knew she wasn't in her room, she left the table after breakfast and didn't returned upstairs.
"Oh yes, she's out in the garden with Adam. I think she needed to talk to him about something." Mr. Moineau replied. So that explained why Adam wasn't upstairs either. As for Jack, he was upstairs, talking to Scipio I think...
"In that case, I'll wait for her." I said and sat down on a hard, straight backed wooden chair.No wonder all the 'proper' ladies had such good posture. I would too if I sat in a chair like this everyday.
Mr. Moineau nodded in agreement and I thought he was going to pick up his book again and start reading, but instead he was looking at me seriously, examining me almost. I shifted uncomfortably. I can be very self-conscious about myself and so I was always nervous when people stared at me for a long time.
Suddenly he smiled though and leaned back against the couch, no longer studying me so intently.
"Why did you decide to become a pirate, Ari?" He asked, his voice full of humor and interest. "I'm hoping that maybe you can explain it to me and then maybe, maybe I will be able to understand why my son decided to run away." His voice was now soft and sad and I looked at him, but he was staring out the window.
xXx
"But why doesn't she love me? I don't understand it. I was trying to get to know her, to talk to her and be kind to her, but she was the one who kept pushing me away. Why is that?" Jack demanded, half talking to Scipio and have talking to himself. Scipio shrugged his shoulders and began saying something in Italian before he remembered that Jack spoke little Italian now.
"'When there is no madness in love, it is not love." He quoted. Since Scipio was more comfortable speaking Italian, he had problems speaking English correctly and so he found it easier to quote lines or passages he read out of books. Jack sighed irritably and stopped his pacing to cast a glance at Scipio, who was sitting on his bed, his legs tucked under him.
"And who said that?" Jack demanded.
"Pedro Calderon de la Barca." Scipio replied simply.
"Aren't you the clever one." Jack muttered and sat down on a chair, sulking slightly as if he was a young boy. Being with Scipio had that affect on him, made him feel like he was just a little boy again. More and more Jack found himself wishing that he was a little boy again, an innocent boy who was not yet corrupted by the world and so therefore knew nothing about love or hate, rejection, heartbreak or disappointment.
"You were clever." Scipio muttered in Italian. "But I fear the sun as messed with your mind."
"I understood part of that." Jack grumbled in a warning tone., shooting a dark look at Scipio, who smiled blithely and decided to change the subject.
"So...I am...confused. You love Elli...and told her...but she...do not love you...and now you are upset?" Scipio asked, now serious.
"Yes." Jack replied darkly.
"Why does she not love you?" Scipio asked gently.
"If I knew, would I be beating myself up over this?" Jack shouted, getting to his feet once again and pacing the ground.
"That's not what I mean. I just asking. Maybe...something you did?" Scipio suggested.
"But what did I do? If she was mad at me for something, she should've told me to my face instead of harboring it against me and using it as a reason not to love me back!" Jack cried, pacing quicker.
"Maybe...she afraid of...anger...you do have a temper." Scipio noted. Jack sighed and sat down on the bed next to Scipio, his head in his hands.
"I don't know Scipio. I don't know what I did wrong, all I know is that she doesn't love me. I wish I knew what I did. I would make her it up to her, I swear to God." Jack replied, his voice a whisper now. Scipio made a disapproving noise and crossed himself.
"No swearing to God, it's not right. You know this." He replied.
"I really don't want to be lectured about my religion right now, Scipio." Jack muttered. Scipio gently smacked him on the back of his head. Jack shot him a half hearted glare before staring at the ground again
"Alright. So...what are you doing about it?" Scipio asked.
"Leave here." Jack replied. Scipio shook his head sadly.
"Jack...always you think that running will help. It will not. You run too much...your problems, they follow you...no matter where you run. Sometimes...running causes more...bad than good. You see?" Scipio said, wrapping an arm around Jack's shoulder.
"But Scipio, if she comes with us...then maybe she'll..." Jack's throat tightened at the thought of what happened yesterday in the garden and he found it hard to speak or breathe."Love you?" Scipio finished and Jack nodded, with out looking at him. "And what if she does not come?" Scipio asked softly.
"If she doesn't come, then I won't have to be bothered by her." Jack replied simply, his voice dark with anger and loathing.
"You don't mean that." Scipio said softly. Jack said nothing in answer and Scipio sighed deeply. "Jack, maybe...maybe she is not for you." Jack looked up at Scipio, his eyes dull and full of a sad light.
"But there's no one else I've loved as much as I love her. Come to think of it, I don't think I've loved anyone else but her. I was too busy going around pilfering and plundering to think of love." Jack noted, sitting up straight and looking at Scipio who was smiling at him in a sad, soft way.
"Then maybe...you tell her–yes?" He asked. Jack sighed and put his head back in his hands.
"I already told her I loved her." Jack muttered, trying to keep his anger and frustration in check. He already had his parents, Adam and Elli mad at him. He didn't want Scipio, one of his closest friends to be against him as well.
"That's not what I mean. You tell her...what you told me. That you never love anyone but her. Maybe she will see." Scipio suggested.
"Maybe." Jack grumbled. "But knowing Elli, she'd just think I'm lying about it all. She didn't believe me at first when I told her."
"If you love her–it is worth trying." Scipio replied simply. Jack sighed deeply and stood up, walking over to the door.
"I'll tell her, Scipio. I'll try." Jack decided, looking over his shoulder and Scipio who was smiling now.
"Good. You always were a smart one." Scipio replied, standing up and walking over to Jack, who was frowning at him by now, pretending to be upset.
"That's not what you said earlier." He muttered. Scipio put an arm around Jack's shoulders again and laughed. Jack laughed a little as well, but stopped when Scipio became serious once more.
"Jack...please come home again one day. I worry about you–out there on sea. So do your family...Adam and your mother and father. They do love you. And so do I. You have been...like my own son." Scipio said gently and for the first time Jack realized how much his absence had affected his family. He had always thought that they wouldn't care or that they wouldn't even notice, but they had. He realized how much he had hurt them all. Scipio was proof of this as he stood beside Jack, his arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders as if he didn't want to let him go again, his blue eyes full of a deep sadness that Jack had never noticed before.
He nodded, his amber eyes bright and full of determination. "I will come back–I swear to God." He said and then grinned, knowing how it upset Scipio who had crossed himself again.
"You do not know how much I have prayed forgiveness for you!"Scipio exclaimed.
"Well Scipio, I'm afraid you're going to be spending a lot more time praying for me." Jack replied.
"Don't I know." He muttered. Jack grinned at him, before becoming serious again.
"Well now...I should go find Elli and see if she's coming--then we better leave." Jack said softly and Scipio nodded.
"Of course." He replied, looking down at the ground, but looked up again when Jack gave him a quick, one armed hug.
"Goodbye." Jack said, before walking off down the hallway. Scipio sighed and then smiled sadly to himself. Even though Jack was a grown man, Scipio still saw much of a little boy in Jack. The little boy who pleaded for stories of pirates and adventures at nighttime before bed, the little boy who would spend hours looking over his father's maps in the study room, dreaming of one day sailing to those exotic, far-off places. The little boy who would grow into a man, but still be confused by the world and the people in it.
xXx
As Jack made his way down the stairs, he was surprised to see that Elli was coming up the stairs, her eyes looking at the ground.
"Elli–what are you doing?" He asked. Elli shifted her gaze up and looked him in the eyes.
"I'm coming with you." She replied. Jack furrowed his brow and stared at her in shock.
"You are?" He asked, stammering slightly. She nodded and looked away. "Why?"
"Because." She replied simply, but Jack saw a ghost of a smile on her lips.
"Alright then...I'll be waiting for you." He replied. She nodded again and walked past him. Jack smiled to himself and ran the rest of the way down the stairs to the living room where Will and I were waiting for him, along with the Moineaus.
"Elli's coming with us." He said as soon as he ran into the room. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled.
"Yeah, we know." I replied.
"You knew? How come every one knows something before I do?" He muttered.
"We thought Elli would want to tell you herself." Will interjected.
"Do either of you know why?" Jack asked, gripping the back of the couch. Will and I smiled and exchanged a glance.
"No." We replied simply. Elli walked into the room with her suitcase in her hands and came to stand beside Will and I, smiling slightly at each of us.
"Well, mother, father–we should be leaving now." Jack said, turning to his parents and Adam who stood with them. Mrs. Moineau came forward first, hugging Jack tightly and whispering something in his ear. She then released him and turned to Will, Elli and I.
"I am glad Jack has found friends such as you." She began, looking at each of us in turn. "I can see that you care about one another and I am glad you came to see us as well."
"We were glad to be here." Elli replied politely and we nodded in agreement. Then Mr. Moineau stepped forward, giving Jack a quick hug before stepping back and looking at him, his hands still on his shoulders.
"It was good to see you again, son. I hope you'll come back sometime soon." He said. Jack nodded in agreement.
"I promised Scipio I would and I'm sure he's going to hold it to me." Jack replied. Mr. Moineau nodded and turned to the rest of us.
"It was good to meet all of you. Please do come with Jack when he decides to return." He said and we nodded again.
At last Adam stepped forward and we looked at Jack warily, wondering if he was just going to storm out of the room without saying goodbye. But instead he gave Adam a small smile and held out his hand. Adam looked down at his hand, surprised–but then smiled as well and shook Jack's hand firmly.
"Come back soon." He said softly.
"I will, Adam." Jack assured him, letting go of his hand and walking out of the room. We said our goodbyes and followed Jack to the door and out into Florence.
"Well, that was fun." I said brightly. Elli cast a glance at me and I laughed. "Okay, maybe there were some rough spots, but at least it wasn't dull."
"They wouldn't be Jack's family if they were dull." Will replied, looking at Jack, who grinned.
"You know, we really should visit them again." He noted. We all stopped dead in our tracks, but he kept walking towards the docks until he realized we weren't following him. He looked over his shoulder at us, an eyebrow raised. "What?" He asked.
"You just said you wanted to visit them again." Elli replied. Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, I do." He answered simply and Elli smiled softly, walking up beside him.
"You know, I think you're in danger of becoming a good man." She replied. Jack looked at her, disbelieving and then closed his eyes, while still walking.
"Me? Never." He replied flatly.
"I think so." Elli countered. Jack opened his eyes again and smiled at Elli brightly.
xXx
Night had fallen now and we were miles away from Italy. The trip to the Moineaus was something none of us were going to forget for a long time–for many reasons. The best reason of all was that it helped Elli and Jack...come to an understanding if you will.
xXx
Elli sat in bed reading, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in." She called, book marking her page and setting the book on her night stand. The door opened and Jack walked into the room, closing the door behind him. "Yes?" Elli asked him. He sat down on the edge of her bed and looked her in the eyes.
"Elli, I've been wondering–why did you want to come with us?" He asked softly.
"Because." Elli replied and Jack groaned and put his head in his hands. He should've known she was going to be difficult about this.
"Elli, please give me an answer." He pleaded, taking his head out of his hands and looking at her again. Elli smiled at him brightly and leaned forward.
"You didn't let me finish." She said. "I came back...well, because I love you too." Jack stared at her, his amber eyes wide with disbelief, but then he narrowed them.
"You aren't lying to me? Are you?" He demanded. Elli shook her head, still smiling brightly.
"Would I lie to you?" She asked. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but before he could–Elli leaned forward and kissed him.
A/N: Awwwwwwwww! The angst is over and Elli and Jack love each other! Aren't I just the best? Lol-review please and I'll love you! XD