Chapter 24: Haunted by dreams

We turned a corner and there it was, stretching out before me, the vast blue sea. It sparkled and glimmered in the afternoon sun and I paused for a moment recognising it as my home. We were approaching a beach, small and deserted, with a figure stood feet paddling in the water, gazing out to the black ship which stood not far off in the water.

Jack and the Black Pearl.

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes closed. Everything was fine again. I had Jack and the Pearl and it's crew. I was no longer alone.

My eyes snapped back open and a new energy erupted in my legs, arms and chest so I released it running down to the beach. Soft white sand squeezed in between my toes and flew behind me as I ran towards the man.

"Jack!" I called, feeling tears in my eyes. He turned around but as he did so I flung myself onto him winding my arms around his neck and burying my face into those dread locks of his. It really was my Jack.

"Luv…" he pulled me away from him slowly and looked at me. He looked tired and starved. "Is it really you?" he whispered.

I nodded and he pulled me close again.

Gibbs and Ana watched edgily. It was not every day you saw a pirate, let alone your Captain, involved in what can only be described as a "soppy scene". Gibbs looked away and Ana suddenly became interested in a small spot of something on her sleeve.

Finally the hug ended. I didn't want to pull away from his warm embrace but we couldn't stay there forever, on that beach, our feet in the warm sea, the ship anchored only minutes away from us. I wish it could lasted forever, until the sun set, until the stars came out and lit the sky alight with white jewels, until the sun rose for a new day.

"Come on," came the voice of Ana. I snapped out of my daydream. Ana was stood, knee deep in the water, with a rowboat by the side of her. Gibbs climbed in and settled himself on the oars ready to head home.

The rest of the day went past in a whirl and soon it was time to turn in and see the night through. Weight of the food and rum rested in my belly as I turned into the only bed I knew. The party was still raging in all its fullness on the deck outside but my eyes were so heavy that if I were to stay awake much longer I fear I would have never woken up. Well not for a few weeks anyway.

The bed squashed as I lay on it giving a sense of extreme comfort. Sleeping in a cell had been a nightmare with nothing to offer but a few strands of straw and a hard concrete layer. I gently rested my head on the pillow and gazed up at the ceiling thinking of everything that had happened these past few days. It felt like years ago when we were safely in Tortuga. My eyes began to shut sleepily and I began to doze…

"come to me," someone whispered in the darkness, "come my sweet child"

A gloomy fog swirled ahead of me for a few moments and began to clear showing…a castle. Dark as the night it stood.

"come…"

Where was that voice coming from? It was so faint I could barely hear it..

A door swung shut loudly and I sat bolt upright on the bed. The noise from outside filtered back into my mind but I could still see the castle standing there in my mind.

"What's the matter luv?" came the familiar voice of Jack. I rubbed my head for a moment, but finally shook it.

Jack came over to me and sat on the bed. "Luv?" he questioned again.

"Really it's nothing Jack, just leave it," I moaned rubbing my head which had suddenly erupted in pain.

Wait a moment…

"Uh…Jack?"

"Aye?"

"Jack…why aren't you drunk?" The mere thought of a party and Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain of the Black Pearl, being sober at the other end of it…scared me.

He looked at me with those chocolate brown eyes and smiled, but there was something else there…something the smile was covering up.

"Jack…what's the matter?" I questioned.

"If you're not going to tell me yeh problems then why should I tell yeh mine?" he said cheekily.

I sighed, typical Jack. "I just had a nightmare, a silly childish nightmare."

There was a short silence until…

"About a black castle?"

I blinked. Had I said that or had…?

Slowly I looked up at him, his lips were parted. It had been him. Wordlessly I nodded.

"It's where we're headed. It's where…" he trailed off in a very non Jack manor.

"…it awaits," I finished. We stared at each other in wordless understanding.

And then the weight came back, that powerful shiftless weight of responsibility…of death. I had blocked it out for so long now, wishing it to just go away. But fate, it seemed, always had a way of catching up.

"Tomorrow…tomorrow we shall plot a course. It's time we ended this once and for all."

I nodded, the time had come. We had carefully footed around it for so long now that there was nowhere else to tread but directly on it.

"Don't be scared luv. It's what we are supposed to do."

"I'm not scared Jack. I only regret not seeing more of the world." I turned to look up at him, and I smiled. "If this is something I was put here to do, there would be no one else in the whole world I would rather do it with than you."

He smiled at me, "same goes for me."

Slowly he placed a weathered hand on my neck leant forwards and…

It was almost magical. As if my whole life pivoted around this point. Dreams would be made from it, whishing fantasies were granted.

But it only lasted for a moment, one breathtaking moment before…

"Cap'n, Ana got really drunk and, you'll never believe this, she started…oh…" the fool at the door stopped in his tracks when he finally took a moment to observe the scene in front of him. "I…ah…I'll…" and he shut the door behind him.

There was an awkward silence. But the moment had passed.

Gingerly I lay back down in bed feeling the tiredness sweep over my body again. Jack slumped down beside me muttering words of "fool" and "bloody kill him" under his breath.

Once again I let my eyes close but as I began to doze the image came back to me carrying with it those sickly words "come…come"

My eyes snapped back open and again I took a moment to remember where I was. It was like I was being haunted, hunted by this person, by…the Evil?

There was silence outside, the party was over. Each member of the crew would be tucked up in their hammocks fast asleep… and unaware if anything was to happen…

But the lookout would be there, watching out over the sea. He would warn us if anything were to happen. But still I felt uncomfortable.

The light sound of Jack sleeping beside me filled my ears and I edged closer to him. The tension around me began to slacken and I felt comforted. The touch of his skin sent ripples down my spine and I moved to look into his face. He looked so peaceful asleep, un haunted by dreams. Slowly I allowed my arm to slip over his chest and nuzzled my head into his shoulder.

Once again I allowed myself to drift asleep only this time no nightmares came and I slept soundly.

A/N: Bet you all thought I was gone forever eh? Well no fear, I am back and ready to put an ending on this story! There will probably be about 3 chapters left…maybe 4. Depending on whatever happens! Somehow I can't seem to control the story anymore…the characters do that by themselves!

I'm sorry for the extreamly late update, I hope you havn't all forgotten what has happened so far (in truth I had to read some parts again myself).

Please review!