Disclaimer: I do not own anything from PotC.
Chapter Twenty: "Traveler's Rest"
The Traveler's Rest was by no means the choicest tavern along the docks. The whores weren't the loveliest, and the whisky wasn't the oldest. The Inn served cold food and warm beer. However, in a shadowy corner booth, a pirate with a cheap bottle and no irritating companion was the happiest he'd been since hearing the news of the sinking of the Black Pearl.
The tavern was dark and crowded with representatives from proper society as well as the not so proper citizenry. Near the bar, a table of marines were playing a card game they probably hadn't learned at the local officers club. At this point the pot included a pocket watch, a wedding ring, and a fetching brunette who was barely wearing a flattering blue dress. In the next booth, a man from the governor's staff was making a deal with a man who definitely was not from the government offices. Across the room, a haggard merchant drank heavily, as though attempting to forget the problems he left at the door. Reclining in the dimly lit corner booth at the other end of the pub, another somewhat well known pirate was watching the scene just as keenly as Prescott. The former officer nodded his head in the man's direction, and the other pirate lifted his glass slightly to "Lefty Scott."
Prescott was not enjoying the whisky, but he was enjoying the almost theatrically interesting scenes unfolding in front of him. A young marine, who'd probably never seen the inside of a tavern before today, had just won a new pocket watch, his sergeant's wedding ring, and a night of education from a very professional woman. His eyes were wide and frightened as the woman led him away from his comrades, who were all sending him lewd encouragements. Prescott chuckled, thinking he could quite contently drink himself silly and stumble back to Loyalty without sparing one more thought for the lover's drama going on between his little sister and Jack. And, if he kept going at the brisk pace he'd already set, maybe he truly wouldn't care how the whole affair played out.
Quite unexpectedly, a young man in a pristine uniform slid onto the bench opposite Prescott. The older man turned a somewhat bleary gaze to his uninvited guest. "Son," he said, his voice only slightly slurring. "I'm attempting to remain unnoticed while losing myself in this bottle of abhorrently cheap whisky. That will become increasingly difficult the longer a sparkling white midshipman shares my table. So, my advice to you would be that you remove yourself from this establishment as quickly as your legs will carry you." Prescott smiled after he finished his wordy speech, amused by how much he sounded like Jack when he drank.
"I'm John – "
"John Norrington, I know who you are," the pirate went on, happy to see that his recognizing the young man had caused John pause. "Your father's son, with your mother's eyes," Prescott didn't know what he meant by that last statement. He suspected the liquor was starting to speak for him, just the tiniest bit.
The midshipman turned his eyes to the table top, momentarily interested by the various stains in the wood grain. Suddenly, finding courage anew, he once again faced Prescott. "I heard everything," he said, keeping his voice low. The pirate lifted an eyebrow, hoping to convey the notion that he didn't know or care what the boy was talking about. John took a breath. "My father," he said, pausing. "Your sister."
"Oh," Prescott couldn't stop the drunken smile from splaying across his face. "That everything." The midshipman nodded silently. "Well, I am sorry, but all fairytales end, and most aren't happy ever after."
"I know my parents are not perfect," John said. "I know my mother loved another man years ago, and that my father will probably forever be her second choice." Prescott's brow rose. "My father would never divorce my mother – "
"No, far too many rumors."
John nodded impatiently. "Exactly. My parents may not love each other, but they love scandal even less."
"My dear Mr. Norrington," Prescott said, already suspecting what the young man was insinuating. "I am not a diplomat or a government officer. I am a pirate. If you have something you want to say, speak plainly. I've no need for word puzzles and implications."
The boy leaned across the table, beckoning the former officer to do the same. "My mother will not stand for it. She's never much cared for your sister anyway," he said, casting a glance over his shoulder as though someone might be eavesdropping.
Prescott rolled his eyes. He sensed that Norrington's son may actually have some bit of pertinent information, but he was going to die of old age waiting to hear it. "Damn it, man," he swore. "Out with it."
"When you and Captain Sparrow left," John said, seemingly getting to the crux of what he'd come to say. "My mother was in the study … with Captain Gillette."
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Concealing herself in the long burgundy draperies, Elizabeth Norrington watched the one armed pirate draw his sword, say something that apparently shocked the company he was keeping, and turn to stalk away from the Admiral's house. Captain Gillette, who'd been standing just behind her, made a move to leave as well. "Wait," Elizabeth whispered. Just outside, Jack and Anamaria stood facing one another. They weren't going anywhere, and neither was Gillette. "Sparrow's still out there," she explained.
"Yes," the Captain agreed. "But, if we allow Lefty Scott to get away, we may never find him again."
Gillette was right, of course. Prescott Tarret was the kind of man who could disappear round a corner and never reappear until he wanted to be seen. While Elizabeth severely disliked the man, it was his younger sister who was currently bearing the brunt of her rage. She was not helping Gillette take down two of the last great pirates in the West Indies because she was having a sudden crisis of conscience. Not even close. Elizabeth was helping the Captain because Anamaria could potentially break up her marriage and her picture perfect life. Imagine, an Admiral carrying on relations with a piratess. If there were a worse scandal, Elizabeth could not envision it.
"Take Sparrow into custody," Elizabeth began, "Then, set a trap using him as bait. Lefty Scott will not let his friend go to the noose without a fight. If you wait, he will come to you." Gillette smiled slyly, apparently impressed by the Admiral's wife. She ignore his nonverbal praise. Elizabeth wasn't looking for accolades, she was looking to systematically dismantle the dark skinned lady pirate's life. First, she would bring down Anamaria's love, then she would take away her family, and all the while she would be aiding the Navy in keeping the waters of the Caribbean safe for decent people. If she had any time to consider it, Elizabeth would have been quite proud of herself.
"I'll just go collect Sparrow, then," Captain Gillette was saying.
Elizabeth nodded. "Hurry," she instructed, watching the two pirate's faces as the spoke on the side of the road. Yes, hurry. Get there and snatch Jack away from his lady fair before he's had the time to say his apologies or profess his affections. Take him from Anamaria before she has the chance to know his heart.
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Sheathing his blade with the casual inattention characteristic of a man who lived his life by a sword, Scotty shot one more glare to each his sister and Jack, before turning on his heel and storming down the road. Watching the older pirate's exit, Jack pitied anyone who may have the misfortune of finding themselves in his way. He'd heard Scotty say things like this before, heard him declare that he couldn't care less if his sister and Jack went to hell in a hand basket. But, those times, Scotty had been shaking his head and laughing, he hadn't been deadly serious.
The pirate in Jack wanted to say Sorry, love and take off after Scotty. The pirate knew that his life was forfeit if Loyalty sailed away and left Jack in hostile territory. However, the lovelorn man that was no longer buried so deeply within Jack's heart was keeping the pirate Captain rooted to the spot where he stood, outside of Norrington's house. That man knew that if he walked away from Ana right now, she would never forgive him and his life would be forfeit anyway.
Looking down at Ana, still sitting on the grass where her brother had gracelessly deposited her, Jack remembered the first time he'd ever met the intrepid woman who'd so affected his life. He couldn't remember actually seeing her, for he'd been in a ghastly prison, waiting for the sweet repose of death to mercifully claim him. What he remembered was her voice. She had knelt beside his tortured body and prayed … prayed for him. Courage, Captain, do not stumble though thy path be dark as night. There is a star to guide thee. Let the road be dark and dreary and its end far out of sight. Face it bravely, strong or weary. Trust in God, and do the right. She had not known him from Adam, but she had cared enough to send words to the Almighty on his behalf. Those words, that voice, had gotten him through a hell he hadn't known he wanted to live through.
The beginning of the prayer, do not stumble though thy path be dark as night had always been the part Jack recalled. So many times he'd trudged down paths so black he never thought he'd see the light of day again. However, this dark path he had created for himself. He did not need to worry about stumbling, because he had already fallen to his knees and was barely managing a crawl. This day, the ending of that prayer was much more relevant. Face it bravely, strong or weary. Trust in God, and do the right.
For too many years, Jack had taken his lady for granted, assuming she would always be there to put up with him. But the past few days had shown him, with startling clarity, that he could lose Ana. Broken on the beach of another desert island, Jack had made a promise to God, to himself, to Ana. He'd sworn that if he'd only had the chance, he would make certain that Ana knew how vital she was to the him. She was the deck beneath his feet and the air he breathed. She was the life's blood running in his veins, she was what sustained him.
On that island, a man who made few promises had pledged that he would right the wrongs he done, if he got the chance. Well, fate or Scotty or God was giving him the opportunity that he had begged for. Do the right. He had gone so long without doing right by Ana. If he stood any chance of holding on to her, he would have to do right … right now.
"Jack,"Ana's voice, unsteady, interrupted his new found determination.She rose from the ground, brushing off her dress and hesitantly meeting Jack's eyes. She drew in an nervous breath. "I've been with James."
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Admiral Norrington watched from an upstairs window as Annie spoke to the pirate. He could not hear what she was saying, and he was too far away to read her lips, but he knew just the same. The rigidity of Sparrow's stance, the anxious expecting look on Annie's face. She'd told him about last night. She'd told the pirate that she had lain with an Admiral. James waited almost as nervously as Ana for the pirate Captain's response.
"Not going after her, then," Elizabeth's voice turned her husband away from the window.
Across the room, she stood leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed and frown fixed on her normally pretty face. James knew that his wife was only trying to bait him, so he chose not to respond. He did not know how he was going to recover his marriage, or if he even wanted to. He had no idea if Annie would stay or go. He had no idea if Elizabeth would stay or go. He did know that no good would come of constantly fighting about events that could not be changed.
"Pity," Elizabeth commented. "She may be in need of a knight in shining armor." A devious smile followed the words.
Eyes wide, James turned his gaze back to the window. His brow furrowed and his mouth fell open. "Elizabeth," he whispered. "What have you done?"
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Jack, who had been looking like he was about to say something, opened and closed his mouth several times, searching for some sort of response but finding none. Ana did not know why she told him. Remnants of childhood lessons about honesty being the best policy, or the desire for the air to be completely cleared between she and Jack. Maybe she had been feeling hypocritical being angry at Jack for meaningless affairs when she'd just engaged in one that was not so meaningless. Maybe she wanted him angry enough so he wouldn't want her back. Perhaps she just wanted to see some spark of emotion from the man who used to be so charismatically animated. It didn't matter. The words were out there in the universe and could not be rescinded.
If she were looking for some emotional response from Jack, she was not going to be disappointed. The man who had laid bare his soul and fallen to his knees before her was gone. The man who's determination, bravery, and poise had first taken her breath away was back. The proud broad shoulders, a squared jaw cut from stone, and eyes deeper, darker, and more smoldering than any Ana had ever seen had reappeared.
"Norrington?" he said, as though he wanted her to be referring to any other James.
She nodded, now understanding why she had told Jack about her night of indiscretion. Ana wanted a fight. She didn't know how she wanted the fight to end, with Jack charging into the Admiral's house and demanding satisfaction or with him rushing away never wishing to see her again. But, she did want passion, of some kind, from the pirate Captain.
Jack took a step back, utter disbelief and shock warring for control of his face. "Why?"
Grief. Loneliness. Fear. Ana could have answered Jack's simple question a dozen different ways. "You were dead, Jack," she said, deciding for the most brutally honest. "I thought I was alone."
"Didn't take you long t' find company, did it?" the pirate said, looking as though he'd surprised himself by voicing that accusation.
"I'll wager it took me longer than it ever took you in Tortuga, or Eleuthera, or Trinidad or Curacao… need I go on?"
Jack's body stiffened, taking Ana's blow. "You never –"
"I never, what, left?" the lady pirate interrupted. "No, I didn't. I had this misguided notion that I was more important that all the others. Like an imbecile, I thought that one day you would come back from another woman's bed and realize I was the one you really wanted," Ana was a little taken aback by the words that were so easily falling off of her lips, but she could do nothing to stop them. "I lived in a fantasy world where the pirate Captain was in love with his first mate. I couldn't see the truth staring me in the face. I was blind, and I was a fool. But, I can see everything very clearly now, Jack. You were dead, and you died without ever telling me what I was waiting to hear." Ana finally stopped shouting. She was almost out of breath but not finished. "You don't trust people, Jack. I know that you've tried and it's nearly killed you. But, I don't know what else I can do to make you trust me. I – "
"I do trust you."
The pirate's quiet declaration completely halted Ana's tirade. He said it. He trusted her, and he actually said it. He finally said what she had hoped to hear for years, and she did not have a clue what to say back.
Jack took a deep breath, steadying himself. He seemed to be trying not to yell. "I do, and I have, since tha' night in your garden," he paused, black eyes meeting hers, completely without fear or trepidation. "My life has … has been in your hands ever since."
"A lovely sentiment, Sparrow," Ana turned to see Gillette, backed by ten marines, smiling smugly at her Captain. "But, I'd have to disagree. I'd say your life is in the hands of British authorities, now."
TBC
Well, at long last, there it is. If anyone's interested in my excuse for such a long wait, my parents were in town and have been staying with me for the past two weeks. So, sadly, real life took priority over writing. Accept my apology in the form of lots of Jack/Ana action and this rather longer than usual chapter. And, know that no matter how long I rudely leave you hanging, I'm not giving up on this story. I actually have a pretty good idea of how it's going to end, so I just have to get there!
Please, let me know what you think of this last chappy. I love reading your reviews and hearing your feedback!