INTO THE CARIBBEAN
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Marooned
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The bright Caribbean sun shined down upon the white sandy beach, showering its warmth on anything it touched. The leaves of the palm trees lightly rustled in the cool breeze and the shallow cerulean waves gently lapped against the shore. No birds circled the beach or skimmed the waters for any catch of the tropical fish, and a peaceful silence graced the island.
This little scene of paradise is what Alex eventually opened her eyes to with a small groan. Her eyes slowly flittered opened while she lay on her back, face up towards the blazing sun. Squinting her eyes, Alex tried to recover her memory and remember where she was. It all finally came back to her like an immense blow, and when it did, she quickly sat up. Pain rushed through her, causing her hand to fly to the side of her head where the pain settled, and with a loud groan, she dropped back onto the sand.
"Whoa, take it easy there, luv." A deep voice warned. With a hand holding her head, Alex turned her face to see Jack sitting just a few feet to her left. His bare legs – tanned and slim, she appreciatively noticed – were slightly bent towards him as he examined the flintlock pistol in his hand. His other piratey effects were on the other side of him arranged like a shrine. His boots were supported on a pair of sticks sticking up from the sand, creating an "X", and his sword, compass, belt and vest were lying nearby.
"What happened?" Alex moaned.
"Marooned – again." Jack answered. While he dropped his arms to rest against his legs a look of longing appeared upon his features. "That was the second time I had to watch that man sail away with my ship."
Alex didn't know what to say to his despondent statement. But what was she supposed to say? There was doubt if anything would cheer him up or make the situation any better. Thinking it best to change the subject, Alex asked, "Where's Elizabeth?"
Jack shrugged, and then lazily waved his pistol over to a path of footsteps in the sand before resuming his inspection on the firearm. "She took off thataway after she made sure you were going to be alright."
Alex chuckled as she slowly sat up and carefully continued to rub her head. "She trusted you to watch over me?"
"Not really, but I changed her mind easily. Persuasion is part of my charm." He grinned.
"I'm sure it is, Jack." Alex replied with a sarcastic smile, and Jack chuckled as he turned his attention back to the pistol as hers momentarily found its way to Will. He was still alive – he had to be for the blood ritual – but he was gone. Her throat constricted at the thought, and she was forced to stare at towards the empty horizon to keep herself calm. She wasn't one to cry, not since she was a little child, and she sure wasn't about to start now.
You can't change the twists and turns that life throws at you, so you'll have to bloody accept it and flow with it…yet another one of Alex's philosophies that she lived by when things went rough. She usually was a very optimistic woman, laughing in the face of danger or carelessly brushing off some of the minor cares of the world off her shoulders, but this was different. She wasn't about to laugh at the danger Will faced, and she wasn't going to brush off the fact that they wouldn't see each other again. Ever.
Not wanting to dwell on the depressing thought anymore and not being able to stand the silence any longer, Alex asked, "So, am I dead and the good Lord thought it'd be funny to stick me on an island with you, or did a kind dolphin save me from drowning?"
Jack chuckled. "You aren't dead, but I'm not surprised you think being with me is Heaven." He smugly grinned. "So aye, I suppose it might have been a dolphin. Handsome lil' devil he was, too. Built like a shark, though." Alex laughed, but nonetheless smiled her thanks to the pirate, who winked in return.
"I suppose this handsome dolphin – I mean shark, or whatever – wouldn't know a pair of sea turtles to get us off this island, now would he?" She asked, giving Jack an amused look. He narrowed his russet eyes at her, but she only laughed. He lazily raised his index finger and pinky in the air, a trait Alex noticed he used sometimes when he was about to explain or point out something, and opened his mouth to speak but was soon interrupted.
"Alex! You're alright!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she approached. She almost ran up to Alex before she fell to her knees and tightly hugged her.
"Whoa, easy on the goods, Lizzie. I'm fine." Alex coughed, but still patted her on the back with a small smile to return the embrace. Over Elizabeth's shoulder she saw Jack smirk with amusement. After they broke the hug she looked Elizabeth in the face with concern. "But are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Alex asked while looking her over for any sign that she was harmed. "And don't lie, I know when you're lying."
"I've been better." Elizabeth admitted. "Will told me about what happened since the attack on Port Royal, how you came along to help. I can't thank you enough."
"Oh, it wasn't just me and Will. Jack helped, too." Alex said, nodding towards Jack.
Jack readily grinned to accept what he expected to be, "oh, thank you, Jack! How can I ever repay you?" Instead he received a harsh glare from Elizabeth. Lowering his pistol and leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is there something between us, Miss Swann?"
"You were going to tell Barbossa about Will in exchange for a ship." Elizabeth answered slowly to restrain herself from yelling at him.
"Actually—" Alex started to explain, but was beat to it by Jack.
"We could use a ship!" He loudly pointed out. "The fact is I was going to not tell Barbossa about bloody Will in exchange for a ship, because as long as he didn't know about bloody Will, I had something to barter with, which now no one has! Thanks to bloody stupid William." He finished as he abruptly stood up.
"Oh…" Elizabeth said, a little taken back at the true intentions of the pirate and feeling almost guilty for accusing him otherwise, just like Alex did back on the Black Pearl.
"Oh." Jack mockingly repeated.
"He still risked his life to save ours." Elizabeth said, pointing out the nobility for his namesake.
"Ha!" Jack mocked before turning his back on them both and walking towards the shady palm trees. Elizabeth and Alex both stood, gave one look at each other, and quickly started to follow after Jack.
"But we have to do something to rescue him!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Jack swiftly turned and gave her a mocking smile. "Off you go then, let me know how that turns out."
"But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? So we can escape in the same way you did then!" Elizabeth eagerly suggested as she followed him off the beach, Alex close behind with interested ears.
"To what point and purpose, young missy?" Jack asked as he yet again turned around, causing both women to suddenly stop unless they wanted to run into him. Motioning towards the water, he looked down at Elizabeth in irritation. "The Black Pearl is gone, and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice…" He eyed her chest with uncertainty. "…unlikely…young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him."
"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow!" Elizabeth persisted as she followed him. With a bewildered eye, Alex watched as he knocked on a tree trunk before taking four long steps into a sandy clearing. "You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot! Are you the pirate I've read about or not?" He suddenly began to jump up and down a few times on something wooden before Elizabeth walked in front of him and solemnly asked, "How did you escape last time?"
"Not sea turtles, that's for sure." Alex murmured. Crossing her arms, she leaned against a palm tree with a smirk as Jack gave her a dry smile over Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Thanks for the tidbit, darling." He then looked down at Elizabeth, and looked very hesitant to answer her question. "Last time," He finally began, "I was here for a grand total of three days, alright? Last time…" He moved back a step before bending down and opening what seemed to be a secret hatch. Alex narrowed her eyes in curious suspicion as he continued while disappearing down the stairs. "…the rumrunners used this island as a cache. Came by, and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've long been out of business. Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that."
Alex was suddenly discouraged at his words. Not at the true story of his grand escape, because she could have figured that out anyways, but at the fact that bloody Commodore Norrington ruined the day yet again. But her spirits were immediately lifted when Jack emerged with two bottles of rum in his hands.
"So that's it then?" Elizabeth said angrily. "That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days, lying on a beach, drinking rum?"
Jack looked from one bottle of rum to the other before giving Elizabeth a grin. "Welcome to the Caribbean, luv." He then brushed past her, pushing a bottle of rum into her hands, and headed back towards the beach.
"Agh!" Elizabeth shouted in frustration. "I can't believe this!"
"Neither can I…" Alex agreed under her breath, and with a frown watched the retreating form of the pirate.
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Leaning back against her elbows in the sand, Alex absentmindedly watched the glistening water before her. She had removed her boots, revealing the slender legs that her breeches didn't cover, and rolled her sleeves up her arms, enjoying the sun's warmth upon her revealed skin. While Elizabeth paced behind her, verbally going on and on about how Jack was a fool and a good-for-nothing scallywag, Alex gave thought about taking a quick refreshing dip. The water looked nice, and it would be somewhat relaxing, but she didn't really feel up to it at the moment. She felt tired.
"Lizzie, just sit down. Calling Jack names isn't going to change him. Believe me, it's been tried."
Elizabeth stopped in the middle of her rant, and with a huff, she finally sat beside Alex. "I know it won't, but it's just…he's just…"
"Impossible, I know." Alex finished. "You get used to it after a while." For some reason, that seemed to quiet Elizabeth, and they remained that way for several moments until Alex broke the silence. "How was Norrington's party before…well, you know." She asked, trying to sound interested but when in truth she couldn't care less. It would at least keep Elizabeth's mind off of things if not hers.
"Oh, that…" Elizabeth's mind wandered off to recall the day, and from the look on her face it didn't seem to be her fondest memory. "It was quite grand, I suppose."
"That's it? Just 'quite grand'?" Alex questioned unbelievingly. "Nothing exciting happened?" Not like it was expected at those kinds of parties, though…
"Well," Elizabeth started. "Right before that corset incident on the battlement, Commodore Norrington…" She trailed off and looked hesitant to continue.
Alex watched her impatiently and motioned with her hand for her to keep going. "Commodore Norrington…?"
Elizabeth sighed. "He proposed…to me."
"He what?" Alex exclaimed. It shouldn't have come to her as a surprise, but it did. She never imaged that Commodore Norrington's feelings were strong enough for him to even consider something as serious as marriage. It was really quite shocking, at least to Alex, and somewhat disgusting as well. She was half his age, for goodness sake! "Well, what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything," Elizabeth answered, and Alex almost laughed at how relieved she sounded. "That was actually the last thing I remembered before I came to on the dock with Sparrow hovering over me, and well…you know what else happened from there."
"Aye, I do." Alex said, recalling that day as the day she met Jack, first vowing to castrate him for using Elizabeth and then sharing a cell later that evening with no hard feelings. That night had become very…interesting, for many reasons, and what came the next morning was too. But that day seemed ages ago now. "Hey, Lizzie," Alex paused as she laughed to herself. "Did Will ever tell you he broke open a cell door back in the fort?"
"He what?" Elizabeth asked, bewildered and shocked.
Alex chuckled as she lay down on her back, resting her arms underneath her head for support and closing her eyes as the sun basked on her. "Helped commandeer a ship and pick up a pirate crew, too." She smiled.
When Elizabeth demanded to hear the story, still in her shocked state but with a newfound amusement glinting in her brown eyes, Alex told her what they've been doing since the attack on Port Royal. She made a point in leaving out certain portions of the tale, like what had almost happened between her and Will back in Tortuga and their small fight, which led to her confidence in Jack, which she definitely didn't tell Elizabeth about, as well as a few other choice moments between herself and the pirate. But apart than that, she told her nearly everything else.
"I cannot believe that Will did all that." Elizabeth stated while shaking her head in disbelief. A small hint of a smile was revealed in the corner of her lip.
"Believe it, Liz; I've seen it with my own two eyes." Alex chuckled. Opening one eye, she peaked over at Elizabeth, and then quickly shut it again with a sigh. A thought had unexpectedly come to mind, a thought that had hid in there this entire time, and something inside – dare she say she had a conscience? – demanded her to tell Elizabeth. She didn't question why she felt the need to, but if they truly weren't going to see Will ever again, she just knew it would be the right thing to do.
"He did that all for you, you know. He cares about you." She hesitated, and then added, "a lot."
Opening her eyes to watch her reaction, Alex saw that Elizabeth looked a bit taken back by her statement, but wasted no time in quickly gazing out towards the water with what appeared to be a slight blush on her features.
"He's a good friend." She considerately answered after recovering from the crimson that crept up to her cheeks.
Giving her one last glance before letting her eyes slip shut again, Alex wondered if Elizabeth felt anything in the slightest towards Will. She never gave it any thought, but found no reason to since Elizabeth never showed any signs. Maybe she was unlike Will and knew how to expertly hide her feelings, just like Alex. But if Elizabeth felt anything towards Will that was more than friendly, and if it was the same for Will towards her, then…where did that leave Alex?
Bloody hell, I need a drink or two…or a whole dozen. Alex thought as she sat up in the sand and looked around for any bottle of rum. The one Elizabeth had with her earlier was left untouched, but that wasn't anywhere in sight. Which reminded her…
"Where'd Jack go?" Alex cautiously asked as she carefully looked around, almost expecting the pirate to jump out at her from out of nowhere.
"I'm not sure, that pirate is probably bathing in his rum somewhere instead of looking for a way off this island." Elizabeth dryly answered. Alex laughed amusedly in return, but noted how she said 'pirate' like it was a dirty word. Did she not realize that Will's father was a pirate, and that Alex was only a few steps from actually being one?
"I hear bathing, my name, and rum over there…are you lasses thinking naughty thoughts about ol' Jack behind my back?" Jack smugly asked as he approached with the missing bottle of rum in one hand as well as another unopened bottle in the other. "Jack wants to know!" Alex rolled her eyes while he sat down on the sand next to her. She noticed that he didn't actually sit; he more like slumped. Another Jack-like trademark that made him even more interesting and oddly unique, Alex thought.
"Hardly." Elizabeth irritably answered.
"Lizzie was just hoping you went off somewhere to drown." Alex grinned and Elizabeth smirked in agreement.
"You wound me, lass." Jack stated as he placed a hand over his heart, looking over at Elizabeth with feigned hurt. "This bloody island hasn't changed much, save for a few trees and whatnot." Jack said more to Alex than to the both of them. "There's still a small spring with fresh drinking water just over there, so I have been doing something useful, since you were so desperately wondering." He finished with a louder tone, this time addressing it more to Elizabeth.
"While drinking rum?" Alex stated more than questioned with a raised brow.
"Well," Jack slyly grinned. "Maybe a little of that." He winked.
Alex smiled as Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She had a feeling that Jack's motives for wandering off weren't to explore the island for the second time, but to give her some time to be reacquainted with Elizabeth. He may have been a pirate, but he was still considerate of other people, something that she had learned during their voyage.
"I hope that other bottle is for me, Sparrow." Alex said. Jack blankly stared back at her, and after processing her implication, he decided that it would be better to act like it was meant for her and not him. More points for him, he figured.
Putting on his most charming grin, he said, "O'course it is! Went back to the stash and picked it out just for you."
"How thoughtful of you…" Alex said as she took the offered rum. She then suspiciously eyed it. "…it isn't poisoned, is it?"
"And ruin a perfectly good bottle of vintage liquor? Never, luv."
"Oh, thanks." Alex rolled her eyes with a smile.
"How can you two talk and go on idly like nothing is wrong!" Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed as she stood up, causing Alex and Jack to look at her in surprise at her sudden outburst. "Will is out there and he needs our help!"
"We are already aware of that," Jack irritably replied, sounding very fed up. "But like I said, unless you have a ship hidden in that bodice of yours, the whelp will already be gone before you can reach him."
"But we can make a smoke signal or something!"
"That may take days for anyone to see, Lizzie." Alex said, leaving Jack to roll his eyes before taking a large swig of his rum. "The rumrunners don't use this route anymore, and I doubt if anyone else would because of pirates like Barbossa. Jack is right – unless we have the right means of transportation, we're stuck right here."
Elizabeth looked down at her in disbelief. "How can you give up so easily like that?" She fiercely asked.
"Because I know it'll be a while until someone finds us, and by then it would be too late. You'll have to accept that we're stuck here, because I know I have."
"But he's our friend!"
"What do you expect me to do, Liz?" Alex shot back. She was beginning to feel very irritated and angry herself. She didn't want to be reminded of how helpless and powerless she was to help Will. "We're stuck here, end of story, unless Jack is willing to wade out into the waters and rope a couple of sea turtles and make a raft."
"Funny, luv." Jack sarcastically drawled, but there was still the hint of a smile on the right corner of his lips.
Elizabeth clenched her fists, and giving one last glare directed towards Jack, she turned on her heel and stomped off towards the brush.
"Oh, c'mon!" Alex exclaimed, but Elizabeth ignored her and kept going. "Fine, be like that! I don't care!" She shouted after her, and then cried out in anger before turning to look over at Jack, who grinned madly. "What?" She snapped.
"Gibbs was right when he called you a hellcat."
"Damn right he was." Alex replied. Her breathing was deep and slow as she tried to regain her calm self, but she still felt coiled and ready to spring at the smallest irritable thing that came her way.
Jack observed this through uneasy eyes, and not wanting to be the next victim of her anger, suggested, "You're looking a little…tense. Maybe some rum will help?"
"Yeah, maybe." Alex replied. She uncorked the bottle and lifted it towards her lips before taking a few large gulps. Oddly enough, Jack was right, and the moment the liquid warmed up her belly she began to unwind.
"Feeling better?" Jack cautiously asked, watching her from the top of his own bottle.
Alex shrugged. "After a few of these, I think I will be." She answered before tipping the bottle of rum towards her lips.
"I like your thinking." Jack grinned, taking a long swig of his own. After several moments of silence, a familiar sly smirk appeared on his lips, and with a throaty groan, he stretched out his arms before innocently rested the palm of his hand behind Alex in the warm sand, making him lean in closer to her.
"So, m'luv…we're alone at last." He huskily stated with a golden smile, suggestively wiggling his brows. Alex only laughed and shook her head.
"We're stranded on this beach in the middle of nowhere, and all you can think about is getting some 'alone time' with some lass." She chuckled. "Go figure."
"Not true! I'm thinking about…rum, and…how I'm stuck on an island with two bonny lasses…" His mischievous grin grew. "But the thought may have passed my mind…"
"So the pirate's true intentions are revealed." Alex smirked. "I'm guessing you probably planned this all along, you scoundrel."
"Possibly," Jack winked. "But can you guess who I'm thinking is the more appealing of the two bonny lasses to be alone with…?" He suggestively drawled.
"No, whoever could that be?" She raised her brow with a smile.
Jack hummed deep from within his throat in thought as he charmingly smiled – a combination that sent a small tingle down her spine. "I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own." He murmured, his eyes slowly trailing down to her body and back to her eyes with a devilish wink.
Alex snorted in amusement as she took another drink of rum. She was enjoying this care-free flirting game they have been playing probably since that one night in jail. It was almost as fun as irritating him on purpose, but this way they both enjoyed it. But she knew they probably wouldn't go any further than this. He was known for being a womanizer wherever he went, so it was only natural that he would try to woo anyone who had two breasts. But then again, the day he stopped being his flirty Jack-ish self, she would really be worried.
Suddenly, she remembered his revelation of how he really escaped the island…rum runners. She almost expected something like that, something more realistic than riding sea turtles, but now was image she held of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow she conjured up fromthe different talesjust a bunch of made up lies?
"So, are there no truth to the stories then?" Alex spoke up, almost accusingly. Jack didn't need to ask her what she meant, and with solemn and almost mocking eyes, he pulled back the sleeve of his left arm. Alex swallowed her gasp at the sight; scars which looked like veins covered the underside of his arm, and no doubt was painful when inflicted by the boiling oil.
"Truth?" Jack repeated. And before she had a chance to fully grasp his first wounds, Jack pulled back his shirt, revealing more nasty scars in his chest. Bullet shots. He had been shot twice.
Horrified, Alex looked into Jack's brown eyes, which appeared darker than usual under his solemn stare into her own eyes. "No truth at all." He finished.
"Jack, I'm…I'm so…"
"Don't worry about it." Jack cut her off, picking up his bottle of rum and taking a single long gulp before continuing. "Just the price of getting caught, that's all."
Alex didn't speak further on the subject, leaving them both in silence. The waves leisurely lapped against the white sand, and in the distance Alex heard harsher waves crash on the other side of the island. Behind them, leaves of the palm trees shuffled in the cool breeze as the Caribbean sun continued to bask down upon them.
"Jack?" Alex finally broke the silence, becoming serious and looking intently at Jack.
"Hm?"
"I know what you told Elizabeth, but…do you think we'll get off this island?" There was a small crack within her calm façade, showing the worried mind hidden behind two dark russet eyes that looked for an honest and assuring answer.
Jack brought the bottle to his lips and took a long swig before slowly exhaling, eyes darting across the empty horizon. "Keep a weather-eye open for passing ships, and our chances are fair."
"Oh." Alex replied, looking despondently down at the sand. Seeing this, Jack frowned. He hated seeing a woman look so miserable, especially if he was in their presence.
"But," Jack started, tipping her chin up with his ringed fingers and giving her a small, reassuring smile, "You're forgetting one very important thing, luv." Alex stared at him quizzically. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"
His answer, though should have been expected and not exactly a satisfying reply, made the worry she felt vanish as he stared back at her through his kohl-lined eyes. They were the same brown eyes that had watched the love of his life sail away to never return, the same eyes that had stared numerous times at the very face of death without once trembling and becoming nervous. He didn't look discouraged or downfallen at all because that wasn't in his nature; he didn't let it become part of who he was. Alex decided the main thing that kept him together was one simple thing: hope. As she watched the small grin grow in the right corner of his lips, Alex knew that she'd need some of that hope to stay strong and collected. She wouldn't let fear overcome her.
"Well," Jack started, clumsily pushing himself up from the sand only to slightly sway as he regained his balance, the beads and other trinkets clinking in his hair. "Seeing as you aren't about to rip my clothes off, and I'm tired of waiting for you to take off yours, what say you if we move somewhere cooler?"
Alex shook her head with a laugh at his revealed agenda. There was no hope in changing that man, no matter what. She held out her free hand, which he took in a strong hold and pulled her up to her feet.
"It would be my pleasure to escort you, m'lady." Jack said with his version of a British accent. The sun glinted off the gold caps in his smile as he extended his arm out for her. "May I?"
"Why thank you, m'lord." Alex chuckled, loosely hooking her arm with his.
"Captain, darling. Always Captain." Jack corrected with a wink, resuming his husky voice, and then began to tell an extravagant tale that caused Alex to smile and laugh as they headed towards the shade of the trees. The story made Alex momentarily forget about Will, Barbossa, the Black Pearl, and everything else that was troubling her as she intently listened to Jack's deep voice, his inane hand movements and comedic facial expressions making her smile.
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A/N: Thanks to everybody who has reviewed and e-mailed me! Again, I don't have enough time to thank everyone indivudually or even post their names, but you guys know who you are. Muah! You guys rock.
Notice: This is the last chapter I'll be posting. EVER! Haha, just kidding. Well, for the most part. I'll be gone for the next two weeks, so don't expect any chapters until then. But if you're looking for something to read in the mean time, I have some under my favorites which are worth looking at!
I'll see you guys in two weeks! How about leaving me some reviews to read when I get home, savvy?