"Well, gentleman. Thirty minutes is up." said Victoria. Both men were leaning towards her, hanging on her every word.
"What?" said Norrington snapping out of her spell.
"You can't leave us hanging like this woman! Does Jac…I mean Sparrow live? Did he recover?" asked Gillette.
"Well I would assume so Gillette since the man is in our cells as we speak!" said Norrington slapping his hand over his eyes.
"Oh." said Gillette. Standing up Victoria said,
"I bid you goodnight, Gentlemen."
The next morning, Port Royals' docks were bustling with activity. Sailors were stowing cargo in the hold, carpenters were working on repairs, and fishermen were pulling in the catch of the day. In a secluded corner just off the docks, Gibbs peeked around the corner spying the military ships. Turning back to Anamaria he said,
"You think this'll work? Sending wee ones to mess with the rudder chains?"
"It'd better work! I told all their parents I'd have them back by this afternoon!" said Margarite over the heads of young Tommy and the other former students of Victoria.
"We'll 'elp ye Mister! I'd do anythin after ridin' on the Black Pearl like a real pirate!" said Billy Kelly.
"We'd do anything to help Miss Baker…I mean Mrs. Sparrow!' said Lucy.
"How romantic!" said little Bessie, still in pink. Anamaria looked to Gibbs and smirked,
"You know…they might pull this one off!"
"Aye! All right children, listen up! Old Uncle Gibbs is going to teach ye all how to disable a rudder chain!" said Gibbs getting to one knee before the children. The children giggled as Gibbs shushed them.
A little later, two soldiers by name of Murtogg and Mullroy lead a little red head boy with freckles off the Dauntless .
"This dock is off limits to civilians!" said Murtogg crisply. Billy looked up to the young sandy haired man and said,
"So what are you doin' 'ere?" The black haired portlier man Mullroy rolled his eyes and said,
"Get on now you! You've caused enough trouble for today!" As they pushed Billy away, the young boy caught his friends creeping off the gangplank unnoticed by the two redcoats. They gave him a thumbs up and he in turn stuck out his tongue at the two soldiers and ran off.
On another dock, a little girl in a pink dress and brown curls walked up to a solider guarding the ship and pulled on his pant leg. Looking down at the girl he said,
"May I help you Miss?"
"My name is Bessie and I'm lost!" she sniffed a little and began to tear up. When the solider got to one knee to comfort her, Tommy and a few other children crept past and up the gangplank. When they crept back out again, they found little Bessie being entertained by the solider and a few old musical sailors while she wore the soldier's hat. They gave her a thumbs up before all but Tommy ran away. Bessie handed the solider his hat and said,
"I see my big brother! Thank you for helping me sirs. I had a lovely time." The solider gave her a kiss on the cheek to which she replied,
"How romantic!" Then she dropped a curtsy and scampered off after Tommy.
Gibbs, Ana, and young Ralph sat in a boat waiting under the docks. Above little Lucy cried out,
"AGGG! My dolly! My dolly! I lost my dolly in the water!" The soldiers guarding the boat ran up to her and tried to calm her down. Gibbs helped Ralph grab onto the chain of the anchor and he started to climb up. When the boy came back down, Lucy heard a meow from Anamaria and then said,
"My kitty! It's out of the water!"
"But I thought you said you lost your doll, Miss?"
"Oh my kitty is named Dolly! I must go now and call for her! Goodbye!" And she ran off leaving the soldiers very confused.
That night, Victoria sat in the Commodore's office once again. And once again Lt. Gillette and a Lt. Groves joined them. She waited until the Commodore finished his report when she noticed a brightly colored parrot fly by the window. She smiled and when the Commodore put down his quill pen she said,
"Now Gentlemen. Where were we?"
"Anamaria had just finished taking the bullet out of Jack's leg. It went in deep. Apparently it had hit bone. I had to practically through myself on top of Jack to prevent him from moving. His only painkiller was rum and that simply did not work fast enough. We had gotten Jack out of his wet clothes, (well Gibbs did, I had turned my back) and now with his dry knickers pulled up pass his knee, Anamaria took a spare bottle of rum, uncorked it with her teeth and then proceeded to pour the alcohol over the wound…"
"EEEERRRRR! BLOODY HELL WOMAN! EEERRR!" shouted Jack as the rum hit his knee. Victoria held him down by his shoulders forcing him to stay still as Anamaria said,
"Do ye want an infection, Captain?"
"EER! NO!"
"Then shut up and let me work!" she barked at him. Lying his head back on the propped up pillow, Jack hissed,
"Gibbs!"
"Ay' Cap'n?" said Gibbs from his seat trying to assist Anamaria who was mixing up some herbs.
"Set course for Port Royal. We have to start dropping Miss Victoria off!"
"Oh no you don't Jack Sparrow! You're not getting rid of me that easily! I'm staying to help you." said Victoria. Jack looked up at her and said,
"A promise is a promise. ERR!"
"Yes and you can keep that promise later after you can walk around again. Which won't be for a while yet, will it Anamaria?" said Victoria dabbing Jack's forehead with a cool rag. Anamaria shook her head no and said,
"Not on that knee he won't! It's going to be at least six weeks before this wound heals. And possibly another ten to get him walking around as good as he was again! Now Jack drink this. It'll help you sleep." ordered Anamaria handing Victoria the bowl. She pressed it to Jack's lips and helped him to drink. Only he spit some back out and said,
"It's bloody awful! EERRR! Couldn't you just bash me head in with a rum bottle?"
"Don't tempt me!" said Anamaria dryly as she reached for the bandages Victoria had made.
"Drink!" said Victoria forcing the bowl to his lips again. When he failed to open his mouth, she held his nose closed until he complied. After the drought was drunk, Jack looked over to Gibbs and said,
"Well you're a lot of ruddy help!"
"Told you women on board were bad luck!" said Gibbs humorously chuckling as Ana rolled her eyes and Victoria glared. Jack laid his head back onto the pillow and sighed painfully,
"Four months! Well If I could survive without the Pearl for ten years I suppose I can deal with four months of two and a half mother hens!"
"Two and a half?" questioned Victoria. Jack looked up and Victoria and smiled weakly,
"Well Ana is only half woman you know! ERRR!"
"Opps. Must have pulled on the bandage too tight!" said Anamaria sweetly as she finished dressing Jack's knee and Gibbs barked a laugh loudly.
"And don't you worry Jack, Ana and Gibbs can handle the Pearl in your absence. You just sit back and relax!" said Victoria getting up and tucking Jack in. As the effects of the sleeping drought began to kick in, Victoria turned to see two pirates looking doubtfully at each other.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Lass, Ana and I can handle the Pearl, but who's going to handle being the captain?" said Gibbs standing up.
"I don't follow." said Victoria.
"Jack isn't like most pirate captain's Victoria. He actually has a system of attack, of strategy. Stuff we depend on to stay out of the noose! And keeping those books don't help!" said Anamaria,
"The books he has and the maps he uses are vital if the Black Pearl is to operate and make a profit. And me and Anamaria aren't skilled enough to use them." said Gibbs shaking his head.
"So you can't get on without someone keeping the books or charting maps?" asked Victoria.
"How do you think Jack Sparrow has been able to make a name for himself by sacking Nassau without firing a shot? Slipping under seven agents of the East India Company? He plans ahead. That's how Jack Sparrow makes his luck. And without someone to continue on in his place, we're going to run out of luck." said Gibbs.
"So what are you going to do?" asked Victoria.
"We need an educated hand, Miss. We need you." said Anamaria.
"ME? You want me to captain the ship?" cried Victoria.
"Only the parts we're you tell us where to go. And for keeping the books and everything. And maybe even work out some strategy for planning an attack!" said Gibbs. Looking desperately between the sleeping Jack and the two pirates Victoria said,
"Well…"
"I must warn you, Mrs. Once you help us, you'll be committing an act of piracy. Which means you'll be a pirate yourself. Are you ready for that?" asked Gibbs. Victoria looked to the faces of all present. Especially at Jack. Taking a breath she said,
"Where do we start?"
"First we have to get the crew to vote on it. But I'm sure they'll agree. Come on Ana." said Gibbs beckoning Anamaria to follow him out. Gathering up her supplies, Ana turned to Victoria and then to Jack and said,
"You might want to tell him who be the captain in his stead, …Captain." Then the black haired woman walked out. Victoria stared at Jack's sleeping form for a minute before walking over to the hammock.
"All right…how does one get into this thing?" muttered Victoria picking up her skirts.
"Ye might want to try putting your bottom in first." said a slurred Cockney from the bed. Victoria walked back over to him and said,
"Aren't you suppose to be sleeping?"
"I'm working on it…Captain." said Jack before dozing off again. Victoria smiled. He approved. And she was thrilled! Why was she thrilled? Walking back to hammock, she sat in the hammock and tested it's weight.
"Not so bad…rather comfy reaaaAAALLY!" Victoria screamed as she flipped heels over head backwards off the hammock and onto the floor with a thump. Moaning, Victoria slowly propped herself on her elbows and said,
"This is going to be a long four months."
"And so gentlemen, I began my life as a pirate. The next morning with Jack's instructions, I set about to working on the maps. They seemed easy enough but then why shouldn't they after I had used them so often in the classroom? Gibbs and Anamaria did handle the actual sailing of the ship and I used my skills in navigation, thought slightly limited, to set a course for Tortuga, the pirate's safe haven for supplies and fun. The crew would stop by after each watch to visit with Jack who was put primarily in my charge seeing as how I had the most free time.
The Account books were fair enough as far as addition and subtraction. But the task of counting swag and dividing it evenly amongst a crew of over thirty grew tedious. I was in the dark, damp hold for hours at a time. Never did I appreciate sunshine until after experiencing the hold. But the book Jack had on merchant Captain's was priceless. There were enough wicked deeds and wrongdoings by these 'honest' laborers, that I almost felt guilty for reading such juicy gossip.
Meanwhile, Jack spent his time reading his books and discussing them with me. And then we would spend hours discussing everything else. Except for when I had to fuss over him and check his bandages.
"Woman, must you baby me?" he'd say.
"Well you keep acting like one. Now open your mouth." I would order.
Slowly, I began to help Jack try to walk a little, but most of the time he'd keep to bed. After a while, I began to tease him about his very small but developing love handles he was getting from eating three square meals and lack of activity. After which he'd just growl at me and tell me to shut up.
And Jack told me that I also had to meet with the said informants at Tortuga to get an update on information. I was reluctant, but Jack assured me that with Gibbs by my side and the common knowledge that the crew would spread about me being Captain Jack Sparrow's wife, no one would dare try anything…"
Victoria had never seen so many ladies of the night, drunkards and scallywags assembled in one place. Gibbs and a few of the bigger, stronger men of the crew escorted her to a lonely little dive called, "The Faithful Bride". Tortuga did not notice their arrival and apparently it was common enough for women to be escorted around by men to taverns. But then it could have been the other way around in most cases. The tavern grew silent when they stepped in. Victoria figured the crew must have already been here to tell all present the tale of Mrs. Jack Sparrow. When the room started to become loud again, Victoria said to Gibbs,
"Gibbs, why must I do this again?"
"They'll only talk to Jack usually. So you have a better chance at getting them to talk since you are expected by scared vow to be loyal to your husband." said Gibbs.
"Gibbs we were married by a justice of the peace not a priest." said Victoria as she followed him across the room.
"Same difference. Uh-oh." said Gibbs stopping.
"What?"
"Trouble." said Gibbs ushering the two crew men to be on alert. Victoria saw a tall red haired woman in a ratty red dress saunter over to them.
"Gibbs."
"Scarlet." said Gibbs acknowledging the woman.
'Perfect name.' thought Victoria as the woman eyed her up and down and said,
"You Sparrow's woman?"
"Aye." said Victoria gulping.
"Never thought I'd live to see the day." she said shaking her head.
"Don't you have a customer, Scarlet?" asked Gibbs irritated. The woman glared at him and said,
"I just wanted to see for myself what kind of woman would wind up snatching Cap'n Jack up, is all. Hold on to him, Mrs. If he can make a prostitute feel like a lady, he can make a wife feel like a queen." And with a flip of her hair, she walked off leaving Victoria to wonder how many women Jack Sparrow made feel like ladies. Gibbs led her to a secluded and rather quiet corner of the pub and sat her down at a table. Soon five gentlemen joined her table. A Dutchman, a French, a Spaniard, and two Englishmen. As they ordered their drinks, Gibbs whispered in her ear,
"Jack never gives them anything higher than two chests of gold each, Mrs."
"Thank you Gibbs." Turning her attention back to the quite men she said,
"Good evening Gentlemen."
"When I pulled into Tortuga, Senora, I was surprised to hear Captain Sparrow had taken a wife. Now…"the Spaniard raised her hand to kiss it.
"I can see he has excellante taste!"
"Thank you Senor…?" asked Victoria.
"We never give our names Missus. All that matters is we know Sparrow's." said one of the Englishmen.
"Where is Sparrow by the way?" asked the Frenchman.
"Attending to other business that could not be delayed. So Gentleman, your price?" asked Victoria.
"Four." said the Frenchman.
"Five." said the Dutch.
"Three." said the Englishmen.
"Dos, Senora."
"The price will be two. Now gentlemen, my information?" said Victoria.
"Sparrow's Circle!" cried Groves interrupting Victoria.
"The secret circle that Jack Sparrow gets his information from! I thought it was a myth!" cried Gillette.
"I think that unless you want to be court marshaled, Gentlemen, you will stop interrupting Mrs. Sparrow! Continue please, madam." said the Commodore politely.
"Thank you, Commodore."
"That night, I returned to the Black Pearl with my head spinning over what I had just accomplished…"
"I've never been so scared in my life! I thought one of them would keelhaul me that very moment!" laughed Victoria as she sat on Jack's bed. Propped up against the pillows with his shirt open, Jack chuckled,
"Well, I'd just have to keelhaul them back Savvy?"
"If you can catch them." teased Victoria.
"Oh I'd stand the pain in my knee to run them through."
"I was talking about trying to catch them with those love handles!" laughed Victoria pinching the half inch of flab around Jack's exposed middle.
"Ay! Woman!" Jack growled as Victoria laughed and went back over to her hammock.
"Goodnight Jack." she sang. Jack leaned over and blew the lantern out. He sat in the dark brooding about what she had said.
"I don't have ruddy love handles." he mumbled. Then a wicked and mischievous grin spread across his face. He knew how to get back at her. And maybe have a little fun in the process. Then he heard a voice from the other side say,
"Jack? Are you asleep?"
"No Luv."
"Do you miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Tortuga." Jack looked out the bay windows lining his wall and at the lights of the pirate town. He sighed and said,
"I'll live."
"You know I met Scarlet over there."
"Scarlet?"
"Hmm. She said I should hold on to you. That if you could make a prostitute feel like a lady you can make a wife feel like a queen." Jack felt his heart stop.
"Did she now." he said as she yawned.
"Uh-huh. Too bad we aren't really married outside of the legalities. I've never felt like a queen. It would be nice." When he heard her soft breathing, he smiled.
'Oh I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one.' thought Jack before placing his hands behind his head and settling down in his pillows.
A few days later, Victoria plotted out the route they would take in pursuit of the English vessel the Dawnbreaker. Her captain was a vile, cheap man who'd only take on a few sailors to sail forcing them to work extra watches and shifts. Plus it was a confirmed rumor that he was a spy for the Spanish. She held the map up to Gibbs and said,
"We'll follow the northwest current until we hit the southeast current there. That should catapult us into the Dawnbreaker who will probably be fighting the current which will slow her down. Her captain may be a rat but our source tells us he's also a coward. So he should give up fairly easily." They stood on the quarterdeck of the bright sunny Caribbean day as Ana took the helm. Gibbs nodded at the map and said,
"What kind of coward would become a sailor?" asked Gibbs.
"A greedy one." said Anamaria turning the wheel to the right. Victoria yawned. Gibbs grinned and said,
"Which one kept you up? The books or the Captain?"
"Both. Jack kept interrupting me and I didn't finish the books until around midnight." said Victoria flipping through the book of charts she had. Gibbs closed the book nearly on her fingers and said,
"Get to bed lass. We don't need you charting our course to the Bermuda Triangle!" he said pushing her towards the ladder.
"Are you pulling rank on me co-Captain Joshamee Gibbs?" teased and pouted Victoria beginning to make her way down slowly.
"Aye co-Captain Victoria Sparrow. I am!" he chuckled.
Meanwhile, Jack slipped one foot out of the bed, and carefully placed his injured leg down. He hopped over to the desk and pulled out a knife from the drawer. Twirling it in his fingers, he eyed the hammock. Five minutes later he heard Victoria approach and quickly hopped across the room and jumped into bed. Picking up his book just as Victoria came in, he said,
"Hello Luv." Victoria smiled and looked over Jack's bandages before stepping behind the screen to change into a fresh shirt.
"Jack?" said Victoria as he realized he was holding the book upside down. Correcting himself, he said,
"Yes?"
"Is it mutiny to force a Captain to take a nap?"
"Last time I checked, no it wasn't."
"Bother. And I was so hoping for an excuse to throw Gibbs and Ana in the brig." she said.
"Why's that?" he asked as she emerged from behind the screen finishing buttoning her shirt.
"Just to see if I could do it?" she mused making Jack laugh. Still smiling she walked over to the hammock when she noticed something rather odd.
"Oh no!" she cried.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked as if he didn't know.
"The hammock! It has this huge tear in it! I wonder how that could have happened?" she said.
"One can only wonder." said Jack.
"Now where am I to sleep? I just checked the hold, we have no spare hammocks!" she said. Jack pretended to think it over a bit.
"Well, there's with the crew. With Ana or…"
"With you?" finished Victoria as Jack turned his head to look at her.
"I'm not in much of a position to try anything Luv, what with me leg and all." he said.
"That's true." she stated.
"Of course there's always the floor, but I think we'd all be more comfortable with you sleeping in the bed, Savvy?" said Jack. She thought it over and looked at him defeated,
"I suppose we can try it." Jack scooted over and patted the empty spot on the bed. Cautiously, she walked over. She sat down and finally took the last step of laying down with her back facing Jack.
"Sleep well Luv." said Jack. A few minutes later he heard the soft repetitions of sleep coming from her. He had not stopped looking at her since she laid down. Now he leaned over her to look at her peaceful face.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time Jack Sparrow?" he whispered to himself. He began to stroke the locks laying on the bed tenderly as he said,
"I've never felt this way about anyone Luv. Not entirely sure what to do. All I do know, is wait for the opportune moment." He bent over and kissed her temple softly before rolling over and going to sleep himself.
That night, Victoria and Jack were fast asleep in bed. Well, Victoria was. Jack opened one eye at her and then slowly if not painfully began to crawl out of bed. He then crept out of the cabin, shushing the creaking door. The only one on deck would be Gibbs who would be steering the Pearl with rope while he took care of all else that needed to be adjusted. The perfect time to work out his plan.
"Who goes about? Jack!" cried Gibbs rushing to his Captain's side. Jack waved him off and hopped over to the railing.
"Shhussh! Gibbs, just out for a little midnight constitutional, exercise and physical therapy!" whispered Jack. Gibbs didn't get it until Jack looked up to the riggings.
"You're going to climb the riggings!" rasped Gibbs.
"When I was a lad who first started to sail, I found the quickest way to build muscle was to climb the riggings. So why shouldn't I try to use it to heal my knee?" whispered Jack.
"Because Miss Victoria will have your hide!" hissed Gibbs. Jack only pointed a finger at him and said,
"Not if you don't tell her."
"What!"
"You are going to take the third dog watch every night, until I can walk around on me own again Savvy?" said Jack.
"And if I refuse?" said Gibbs.
"Then I'll maroon you on an island." said Jack. Gibbs could never tell when Jack was being serious or not so he consented,
"Fine just don't break your neck!" Jack held up his hands like in prayer before climbing painfully and slowly unto the rail. After catching his breath he said,
"Keep an eye on me knee, if it starts bleeding again, bring me down."
"Aye Cap'n. But what's in your head that makes you want to risk you ever walking again?" Jack looked down and over to the cabin.
"Let's just say it's a project I'm working on." Gibbs looked towards the cabin and then realization struck him. Nodding, he said,
"Aye. That'll about do it." Smiling Jack began the slow and painful excursion up the rigging. His leg felt like it was on fire and he had to catch his breath every few minutes, but Jack found that if he lead with his left leg most of the time, it would ease the pain of the right. Twenty minutes later, Jack came back down and after a quick bill of health from Gibbs returned to his cabin. Climbing back into bed, he smiled at the still sleeping Victoria and brushed her cheek with the back of his finger lightly before drifting off to sleep.
Weeks later, Victoria walked into the cabin to find Jack slowly limping around.
"Jack! You're walking!" squealed Victoria happily. He grabbed the back of a chair and smiled at her,
"Aye and I can dress meself!" Laughing she walked over to him and helped him back into bed.
"I brought you some lunch. Do you need anything?" she asked him walking over to the table where she had placed the tray of food down.
"You can get a new book out of me trunk." said Jack watching her backside as she leaned over. She turned back around and started to fish through the truck by the bed.
"Let's see…which one haven't you read in a while?" she said looking at the titles. Jack meanwhile looked around the cabin amazed over how clean everything was.
"I never did thank you for cleaning up the cabin." he said.
"Well you're welcome." she said.
"Wouldn't be feeling guilty about not fulfilling your wifely duties are you Luv?" he asked casually. Her head snapped up and said,
"What?"
"Cleaning after me. Taking care of me while I've been hurt. Sure sounds like you're trying to be a wife to me Luv." said Jack leaning back and placing a hand behind his neck. Standing up she said,
"I'm only trying to be your friend Jack."
"Aw well. I was just saying that if you did love me and if I did love you, you would be an excellent wife…"said Jack as he took the book from Victoria who had forgotten to blink.
"Wouldn't you agree?" he finished smirking up at her. She locked eyes with him and found the wild look she had seen the night of the storm. Her insides melted from the smoldering look. Jack Sparrow was playing a game with her. She knew it. And something about this game made him feel the thrill of adventure. She didn't know what, but she'd have to step cautiously. Gulping she said,
"But doesn't it also make me an excellent friend?" she offered. Jack only replied,
"The happiest couples are the ones who are friends first, Luv."
"I…I…better see how the crew is doing!" said Victoria rushing out. Smiling to himself triumphantly, he picked up his book and muttered,
"Just a bit longer…my love…Just a bit longer."
The sun was bright, the sky was blue, but the winds were erratic. Around midday, the main mast began to snap under the weight of pressure from the blowing winds. The crew including Victoria grabbed onto ropes and pulled the mast this way and that so that Cotton and Diago the Dwarf could drop the sails and work on a make shift splint around the cracked wood so the mast wouldn't come crashing down to the deck and cause more damage. Every muscle in their bodies were straining under the pressure of the winds. Trying to keep the hair out of her face while holding onto the rope keeping the mast in place, Victoria shouted across at Gibbs,
"Quite blustery today isn't it?"
"Aye! Must be off that hurricane we passed a few days back!" he shouted pulling on the rope he and a dozen others held. Finally Cotton's parrot squawked,
"ARRK! LET HER FLY! LET HER FLY!" The crew gave one last tug on the ropes before releasing them A moment's silence was to be had to see if the mast would hold.
"THE COAST IS CLEAR!" cried the bird as his mute master gave a thumbs up. A collective breath was heard before the crew returned to other duties. Victoria tried to stretch her aching muscles when a sharp pain came from her shoulder.
"AH!" she cried.
"Lass?" said Gibbs with concern. She merely waved him off clutching and rubbing her shoulder saying,
"It's nothing! I just pulled my shoulder is all! Ooo!" Anamaria patted her arm and said,
"Go back to the cabin and rest. I'll lend ye my hot water bottle!" Turning towards the cabin she replied,
"Thank you Ana."
When she walked in the cabin, Jack looked up at her and started to laugh.
"What?" she said a little hurt.
"Ha Ha! Sorry Luv, it's just your hair! Looks like lightning struck it! Ha HA!" said Jack between laughs.
"Oh, Jack Sparrow! You're one to talk about hair! You…" she stomped over to the cracked mirror on the wall by her folding screen.
"You always have to be right don't you? Lord, it is a ruddy rat's nest isn't it?" she said running her fingers through her hair and retrieving her brush. In a few moments she had the hair almost looked like hair when Jack asked,
"So how many days till we come up on the Dawnbreaker?"
"Oh I'd say we should come across them any day no…OW!" said Victoria grabbing her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" asked Jack with concern in his voice as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Pulled my shoulder a little while ago…ooo!" she said rubbing it. Then she heard footsteps limping up behind her. She looked up in the mirror to see Jack raising his hands to her shoulders.
"Jack? What are you…yoo….ooohhh my!" said Victoria as Jack began to massage her shoulders and her neck.
"That feels heavenly!" she cooed. He said in her ear,
"Consider it a small way of showing my appreciation for all you've done on the Pearl, Milady." Victoria opened her eyes and began to examine her reflection.
"Lord, how long has it been since I had a good, long look at myself? Look at me. My skin is turning brown, My hair has grown so long and streaked by the sun. Certainly not the plain schoolteacher that left England." she said. Jack furrowed his brows.
"Plain?" he said. She shrugged and said,
"I've never been a great beauty. There's no use pretending I am or ever was. I know I'm not ugly but still…when…when no young gentlemen come to call or ask you to dance at parties, when no young men seem to notice you at all, you learn to accept things as they are and get on with your life." She looked down at the floor as she contemplated this but then a tanned hand raised her chin up until her eyes met the wild passionate eyes of Captain Jack Sparrow in the mirror.
"Now you listen to me Victoria. You are not plain, Savvy? You're not. You are the one of the most beautiful, attractive, desirable women I've ever met. Your eyes are as green as the ocean, your hair has the most wonderful shades of golden sun setting on the horizon, and your skin is as silken as a seagull's feather, and your lips as full as the sails on a windy day. You have just as many curves as the ocean itself, and you are just as strong, soothing, gentle, and wise. Plus like the ocean, you have a wild side to you just waiting to get out. You are most certainly not plain. Savvy?" he said. Victoria was trying to remember how to breath when he continued,
"If those stupid fools in England, those so called, 'gentlemen', couldn't see that pass your empty coin purse then they weren't worthy of you. So you take a good long look at yourself. For you are a great beauty, and I noticed ye, Savvy?" When he began to rub her shoulders again, she came out of her daze and whispered,
"Oh Jack…I…"
"UH-HEM!" The two turned towards the door and saw Anamaria holding up the hot water bottle, and smirking as the lazy afternoon sun streamed in behind her. Irritated Jack asked her,
"How long you've been standing there Ana, Luv?"
"Only about a few seconds." she said pitching the hot water bottled to Victoria who caught it awkwardly and mumbled,
"Thanks Ana."
"Just watch out Victoria. You might get burned." said Anamaria turning to walk away. Once she was gone, Victoria looked back up at Jack who had that same wild look to him. He winked at her before turning and limping back to bed. Jack Sparrow had just won another round of his game with her.
That night, Victoria was sleeping lightly. She couldn't get what Jack said out of her mind. He was being more than kind. He meant it. But why did he mean it? As she tried to force her mind to settle so she could drift into a deeper state of unconsciousness, a tanned hand came to rest on her stomach causing her eyes to open wide. She looked down at the hand and then at Jack. He was still fast asleep. He even was snoring a little. She took a good long look at this man who felt so comfortable around her even in the state of sleep he could reach out to her. He made her feel comfortable and uncomfortable all at the same time. He was so clever and cunning. So kind and funny and innocent at times and at others wild, thrilling, and a wicked rogue. This was the most unpredictable, spontaneous, exciting man she had ever met. And he treated her with respect, honor, and friendship. He made her feel beautiful, smart, and that she always had someone to listen to her. And he was so beautiful himself. That is, if you can call a man beautiful. Victoria wondered how handsome he would be in thirty years when his wild brown locks had turned gray, and his beard thin. Victoria knew a man like he would never loose his good looks. If anything, he'd only get more handsome as the years rolled by. She could tell just by looking at him. Then she asked herself why should she care what he looks like in thirty years?
Slowly Victoria raised her fingertips to touch the back of his hand. Then her fingers began to memorized every callous, every scar, and every nuance that was Jack Sparrow's left hand. Then she felt Jack's finger move. She froze her own. He in turn interlocked his fingers with hers and squeezed. He then replaced their joined hands back to laying on her stomach not letting go of her hand. And she didn't pull away. Instead she looked to Jack only to find him still sleeping only this time with a little grin on his lips. She smiled too and closed her eyes again ready to let sleep conquer her.
The next morning, the crew of the Black Pearl awoke to find the wreckage of a ship bobbing along in the southeast current. They pulled out the pieces until they came upon the craved name of the ship's bow. The Dawnbreaker.
"Must have not made it pass that hurricane." said Gibbs solemnly.
"Do you think we can find anything left of her? Like survivors or part of her cargo?" asked Victoria.
"Aye, we can look for both, but I have a sad feeling we'll only find some cargo." he replied.
"Would it be alright to hold services for them?" asked Victoria.
"I don't see why not. We may have been planning to rob 'em and her captain may have been a dog, but they were still sailors same as us." said Anamaria.
"We can do it tomorrow evening at sunset. After we make sure nothing survived." said Gibbs.
"I'll go tell Jack. It's time for his lunch anyway." she said making her way down to the galley leaving Gibbs and Anamaria to order the crew to see what they could find. A few minutes later, Victoria entered the cabin with a tray of bread, cheese, and chicken legs.
"I see our hen's died." said Jack as she sat the tray on his lap.
"Hmm. You know what that means. No eggs for a while." said Victoria handing him a napkin which he tucked in his shirt. As she poured him a little coffee, he said,
"Alas poor chicken! I knew him well Victoria!" She laughed loudly as he took the cup and asked
"So did you figure out what ship that bit of driftwood was?"
"Unfortunately, it was the Dawnbreaker. The crew is trying to recover any survivors or cargo as we speak." she told him.
"Hmm. That means we won't come across another ship for about another month until the odious Captain Parker comes from Port Charles. Best be tightening our belts around here, Luv." he said started to dig in on his food. She smiled and said,
"Speaking of which, that reminds me. I've noticed your love handles have disappeared and you're nice and lean again." He glared up at her.
"Woman the reason my love handles are not there is 'cause they never were there, Savvy? And besides as my wife aren't you suppose to be fattening me up?" he teased. She teased,
"Well until you can give me reason to be a wife to you Jack Sparrow, I shall not be doing so. Besides, I've never found handsome men to be so handsome with an extra few pounds on them anyway!" And with that she turned and walked out. Jack's grin spread slowly on his face. She was ready. He put his tray aside and got out of bed, his leg no longer limping but as strong as ever. He walked over to the open door and looked out keeping to the shadows. He had been able to walked without pain for a few days now but he decided not to inform anyone, especially Victoria, until he knew it was the right time. And that evening, when Victoria came back for dinner in their cabin, he would be standing in his best suit by the dinner table, get down on one knee and tell Victoria how he felt about her. How he really did want her to be Mrs. Jack Sparrow. Then with his wife by his side, he'd resume command of the Pearl and sail off into the horizon. It was the perfect plan. He smiled as he looked up towards the forecastle deck to see her laughing with Anamaria, her hair been blown back by the wind. He could hardly wait. The opportune moment had come. He turned back inside to return to his lunch. But up on the forecastle deck, Victoria looked across and saw Jack walking plainly without a limp back inside their cabin. Her mouth flew open as she thought,
'That…that…bloody pirate!' She stormed off the forecastle deck and over across to the captain's cabin. The crew detected her mood and stopped to stare at her. Gibbs called down from the helm,
"Lass? What's wrong?" Only she ignored him and kept on to the cabin determined to chew someone's ear off. Rushing inside, she made her way to Jack's spot on the bed where he had begun reading and slapped him across the face good and hard.
SNAP! He whipped his head back around before he said in a confused voice,
"Not sure I deserved that!"
"You most certainly did Jack Sparrow! You lied to me! You can walk just fine! And you broke your promise to me! No secrets remember?" she said angrily. Casually he tossed his book aside on the bed and got up. Victoria saw that wild passionate look in his eyes and began to back up slowly. Walking towards her he said,
"All right. I confess. For the last few weeks I've been sneaking out to climb the riggings. But the reason I did it was because of the even bigger secret I've been keeping from you." She stopped with her back against the cabin wall and said,
"What's that?" He leaned his hand on the wall. He locked his eyes with hers and said,
"I love you."
"What?" she whispered.
"I love you Victoria. I've been in love with you for a while now and I was merely waiting for the opportune moment to tell you. And now that it's out, tell me Victoria. Tell me what your eyes, your laughter, your smile has been telling me for months now. Tell me how you feel. Please?" he pleaded.
"I…I…I don't know Jack!" she whispered ducking under his arm and running out the door. Disregarding the crew on deck, he chased after her.
"Jack! Your walking!" said Anamaria. Ignoring her, Jack said,
"You do know Victoria! I know it and you know it! Just say it!" said Jack with pleading in his voice as he chased her around the deck.
"Jack! Can't you give me a while to think about this?" pleaded Victoria turning back in the direction of the cabin.
"If you don't love me Victoria, if you have any doubt, just say so and I'll never bother you again!" said Jack following her. Spinning around she cried out,
"Blast it Jack! I love you so much I can barely breath! GASP!" She turned red and covered her mouth as she realized the crew had heard their whole conversation. Jack advanced on her until he was looking down at her since he was a good head taller.
"Are you embarrassed because you love me, or because the crew heard something that may have best been said privately first?" he asked in all seriousness. She looked down at the deck and said,
"That the crew heard."
"Would you ever take it back?" She looked up at him and said breaking a smile,
"Never." Smiling himself he turned and walked towards Gibbs saying,
"Gibbs, weigh anchor and give the crew the night off will you? And break out the rum. Mrs. Sparrow and I are not to be disturbed, Savvy?" Gibbs smiled and winked,
"Aye, Aye Cap'n!" Then Jack turned back around and began to once again advance on Victoria.
"Jack? What do you mean? Jack? JACK! PUT ME DOWN!" cried Victoria when Jack lifted her onto his shoulder in one move and kicking the door to their cabin open in the next. As Anamaria shut the door, she said,
"Welcome back, Captain!" Jack proceeded to dump Victoria onto the bed. When Victoria opened her eyes again, she saw Jack laying almost on top of her gazing deeply in to her eyes. He leaned over and brushed her lips with his once then deepened the kiss with lips tasting like sweet rum, salty sea, and flavored with spice. When the kiss broke Jack brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and said gently,
"Would it be asking too much for that wedding night? Or perhaps you would rather wait?" She thought it over for about a second before saying,
"I'm already your wife in heart and soul. Now I want to be your wife in every way." A deep growl came from Jack's throat as he leaned in to kiss her more forcefully, their arms wrapping around each other never wanting to let go.
Meanwhile, the crew filled their tankards in the crew's mess when Gibbs lifted his rum and said,
"A toast to Captain and Mrs. Jack Sparrow! Long life and happiness!"
"TO THE SPARROWS!" they cheered raising their glasses to the happy couple who they knew were enjoying each others company as they spoke.