A/N: Did y'all enjoy that last chapter? Thank you so much for all of the very sweet reviews. Now settle down for the continuance of my little tale.
Listen carefully...
McFadden-
Chapter Two
Deftly moving, with all the grace of a skilled pirate, Jack followed Jezebel through the backstreets of Southland. Jack knew this familiar path. He had taken it with her many times before. Sometimes carrying her laughing body through the alleyway singing at the top of his long while intermittently placing numerous stolen kisses upon her. Ahh yes, Jack had been quite taken with her. Seeing her again only brought those private, secret feelings to the forefront, making them stronger, tenfold. In the midst between his daydreaming, he had barely realized that she had stopped walking. He halted just in time to stow away behind a large barrel a safe distance behind her, or so he thought.
"Jack,...stop following me."
Jezebel's voice was a little more than tired, and a bit distracted perhaps. Jack felt the stark coldness run through him that comes when being caught. And here he was thinking he was clever. He boldly reached out for her hand, which could prove to be a deadly move. But she didn't snatch her hand away.
"We have unfinished business, Love."
He looked at her, studying her intensely. Something was wrong here. She wasn't acting normal. Even in the past during brief encounters after their falling out, she had entertained a little banter with him. Now it was as if she was highly nervous to be around him. Not because of what he may do, but more so afraid of what someone else may do. As she took her hand loose from his grasp, she looked increasingly exhausted as she stood there. Her eyes opened and closed slower by the second as if she hadn't the strength to keep them open much longer. Despite all that, she managed to look at him pointedly. Jack decided to cut off the playing, whatever this shadow was that cast itself over her had been causing her much anguish and Jack intended to find out what was wrong.
"Jeze..."
Immediately her eyes sprung back to life. Uh Oh...wrong word. Jack had completely forgotten. He could only watch as her anger built. It was whispered, but it was seething.
"Don't...ever...call me that again. Do you hear me, Jack."
That was the one sentiment that he knew her by. How could he have been so stupid as to let it slip by him now. Still, her demeanor worried him.
"Tell me what's the matter with you darling. You're not yourself..."
She knew what he had really meant. But she wasn't about to tell him.
"That is none of your business anymore now is it?"
It was a verbal slap in the face, and it hit him hard.
Jezebel knew that she couldn't stay in his presence much longer. Not if she wanted to remain sane. She would have to leave. Or he would...either way, she didn't want to be there. Finally she looked at him completely defeated.
"Go home Jack...go back to your ship and let me alone, please."
Jack was shocked. She was almost begging him to leave. This wasn't the Jeze he knew. He was becoming a desperate man. He had to know what was bothering her so terribly. He knew that it wasn't just the fact that he had showed up. This was different. Daring himself to use her forbidden name once more.
"Jeze, come back to me..."
Unfortunately, that was the one that did it. He saw it in her eyes before the screaming started. All Jack could do was close his eyes and stand there, taking the barrage of words flying at him.
"Come back to you? COME BACK TO YOU! Do you even remember what it was like?"
Ohh he had remembered what it was like, he knew all too well. But somehow he figured that what he had in mind was not what she was referring to.
"You stayed drunk! You're drunk now! You couldn't even keep yourself off the ground!"
He swerved from one side to the other and looked at her with one wide, but sober eye. His voice whispered raspily.
"Didn't have to, Love... I kept awares long enough to get you right, didn't I?"
Her face went slack before burning furiously. Half out of anger, and half because she knew it was partially true. She just scoffed and turned away from him, completely disgusted. What else had she expected? Six years and he was still the same. All the salt in the Carribean couldn't sting this man. Jack just continued to stand there with his eyes closed and a confident smirk plastered to his face. This was more like her, he thought. She was livid...and beautiful. Jezebel turned back, looking him over with an appalled but hurt look.
"Why am I even having this conversation! Look at you... You could care less what I have to say. Well you know what Jack? It's been years...years! Far too long for me to care now! And I'm finished with it. I'd have a hard time believing you ever cared for me in the first place. All you had time for were the painted ladies of filthy TORTUGA!"
She had stopped, breathing harshly. After it subsided, she whispered venomously.
"Look at me you Blackheart..."
Jack couldn't. That had stabbed him through the heart. Didn't she realize how much he loved her then. To think that she never felt loved by him sent a strange pang of hurt to him. He cared for her even now as she refused him. Finally, he opened his eyes, fearing that everything he was feeling at that moment would come spilling out of him when he looked at her. She had never seemed more beautiful than she was right then. The wind ruffled through her hair, any light that was visible seem to catch like fire in her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her lips were red and swollen like they used to be after his bruising kisses. She must've been biting on them when he wasn't looking. Fed up with his silence, Jezebel turned and disappeared briskly in the night. Leaving Jack full of self doubt and confused. Because when he had been silently following her before, she had been headed in the direction of her home. Now she turned into a new and strange direction that he didn't know where it led to.
