Disclaimer: I do not own POTC charcters or rights
Last Chapter lies here! I hope you enjoyed the story. Look for the sequel "Ceremonies at Sea" in the coming weeks.
Thank's for your support!
Chapter 10
The next morning Charity awoke to see a new outfit, much like her normal one, just much newer. She put it on excitedly and ran out to Katherine. "Thank you so much! You've done so much for me, I can't believe this!" She hugged Katherine tightly.
"I didn't buy you that dear." She said quickly.
"Then who did." Charity stopped hugging her.
"I have one guess." Katherine smiled and pointed to Jack's bedroom. "He's in there." Charity nodded gratefully and ran in to Jack's bedroom. He was buttoning his shirt when she jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" She squealed Jack almost fell over.
"It's not that big of a deal is it?" Jack patted her back as she climbed down.
"It is, I… it was really thoughtful Jack. Thank you." She sighed and then suddenly gave him a playful look and snatched his hat from his head.
"Give it 'ere."
"You'll have to catch me first!" Charity ran out of the room, Jack close on her heels. They stomped through the living room past Katherine and Peter, Charity shrieked with almost maniacal laughter.
"Take it outside!" Katherine called and soon heard the door quickly open and slam shut. "I've never seen him so happy, well unless he's drunk." Katherine and Peter shared a laugh.
Charity popped up behind Jack and hopped on his back, his arms flailing wildly in the air, she hopped off and made her hand a pistol firing a shot. "Aha! Got ya!" Jack pretended to stagger and fell backwards onto the street. Charity leaned over him, his eyes were closed, and he sat up grabbed her shoulders and rolled over until he was on top of her.
"Now it appears to be me that's got you." He pointed out. "Now, you can give the hat back… or you have to kiss me. Charity pursed her lips in thought. Then smiled coyly lifted her head and pecked him on the cheek. They both stood up brushed off and Charity replaced Jack's hat on his head.
"Looks better on you anyway." She smiled and they proceeded to go on a walk. "So, Jack?" She said innocently.
"Yes?"
"Tell me about you being an only child?" She prompted.
"Ah yes. Well, I had a brother, he was two years older than me. It was weird, we were both raised on the ship with our parents and the crew, but he seemed so different then the rest of us. As soon as he was a teenager he took of and joined the king's navy. The folks and I were very surprised that although he was raised a pirate he dedicated his life to tracking them down. Then he set out to track me down and well…" Jack paused. "He caught me, but not before I fired a shot, he was pronounced dead the next day. I didn't mean to do it, but the hate in his eyes enraged me. I didn't understand how he could have killed me." Jack shook his head. "That's really all that happened. Sorry to disappoint."
"Well, you didn't, you told me the truth." Charity stopped walking and her eyebrows knitted together. "Jack, I want to see my parents. No, I have to see them." She looked angry.
"Are you sure about this?" Jack stopped as well.
"Yes, they live near Panama, we should set sail as soon as possible." And they did, they sailed out the next morning, Charity was very eager to get there and the entire trip she was acting very strange and distant. When they arrived Charity ran off the boat and started darting in and out of people and food carts, Jack was running into everything trying to keep up. They stopped in front of a very small rundown house. Charity looked back at Jack. "Now, you stay here. No matter what you hear, just don't come in after me. I'll be out in ten minutes at most, if I don't come out, just assume the worst." She whispered harshly. Jack didn't realize how serious this was.
"Wait! I… be careful." Jack knew he probably would go in there, he didn't want anything to happen to her. Charity nodded and proceeded inside. She closed the door behind her into the dim lit room it smelled of mildew.
"Well look who it is Frank, our daughter back to see us. Last I heard you were a no good, bloody, pirate." The woman hissed. Charity stood straight looking her in the eye. "Get out here Frank, she needs to know what's comin' to 'er!" Charity's father came out from the bedroom with barely a tooth in his head he gave an evil grin and closed his distance between Charity until he was a mere centimeter from her face.
"Glad to see you home, you little wench! How dare you kill the man we got for you!" He raised his hand and struck her across the face, making Charity lose her balance and fall to the floor. She grabbed her pistol and cocked it.
"You're not going to hit me any more." She muttered and fired. Frank laid face up in a pool of his own blood. Charity was now walking towards her mother.
"Charity, darling." Her mother made her voice syrupy sweet as she began to dig through a drawer, keeping her gaze on Charity. "You couldn't kill your own mother could you?" She pulled out a gun, cocked it and BOOM.
Charity's mother lay dead as well. Charity had managed to reload before her mother could fire. She kneeled over her mother's body and snatched the ruby necklace her grandfather had given her. "That would be mine." Jack hurried in the room.
"Sorry I just wanted to be sure you weren't the one receiving the bullets." He pulled on her shoulders, picking her up. "Let's go."
"Not yet." She took off again down the street, stopping this time in front of a large white-bricked house. She tried the door, locked and then thrust the butt of her sword through the window. Climbing through she let Jack in the door and then looked around. All of the furniture had been destroyed. Everything he'd left her.
Tears ran down Charity's face as she stepped up to the painting of her grandfather as a young man that had been slashed in half. She tried to piece it together, but it didn't work. Charity stormed past Jack out to a pub with a lantern in front, broke it off the wall, bought a bottle of rum, ran back to the house doused the front with rum and dropped the lantern. Jack pulled Charity back before the flames would've hit her. "Now, we have to go."
That night on the ship Charity reeling around the boat, horribly drunk. "Dammit Jack! Why does God hate me so much?" She cried crashing into the side of the boat when they hit a large wave. Jack shook his head.
"He doesn't hate you. We're all unlucky sometimes Charity." He assured her looking back at her from the wheel. She was vomiting over the railing, then she downed some more.
"Why did the only person who ever loved me have to die?" She walked over next to Jack. He wanted to tell her that her grandfather wasn't the only one, but not when she was like this. Jack was angry with her for acting like this. He turned and yanked the bottle out of her hand. "Hey! That's mine. Jack!"
"No, I'm not going to sit here and watch you do this. You have to feel something once in a while Charity. I know you're hurting, but rum only prolongs the sensation… truth is you'll just be miserable as soon as you're sober. I did what you're doing for to long, I had to grow up and now so do you." He through the bottle over the ledge. Charity reached for it hopelessly then stared back at Jack angrily, pointed in his face, and lost consciousness. Jack carried her into the cabin. She stayed there all week.
They returned to Jack's parent's house. Jack carried a tearfully exhausted Charity to the house. Katherine sat at the dinner table with Kidd none the less. "There you are Jack!" He shouted warmly. Jack shushed him and carried Charity to the bedroom Katherine had made for her. Then he returned to Kidd. "What happened to her?" Kidd asked.
"She killed her parents and burnt down her grandfather's house." Jack said simply. Katherine and Kidd looked at Jack horrified. "I'll explain later. What are you doing here Commodore?"
"Ah, well the Navy's after me and I thought you'd want to help me out, tag along. Would you come? We'll only be gone for about six months."
"Charity's much too weak, I couldn't." Jack shook his head.
"Well, she could stay here and wait. Wouldn't that be okay Mrs. Sparrow?"
"It's fine with me, but I doubt she'd stay here, she'd be gone long before you get back." Katherine had a sorrowful look on her face as she went back to check on Charity.
Jack fought with himself in his head. So much of him told him to go, because Charity would never go for a guy like him, but something tugged in his chest when he thought of leaving her, but he said he'd go anyway. Jack ran into the room Charity laid in to say goodbye to Katherine.
Katherine was applying a cold cloth to Charity's forehead. "Don't do this Jack, you'll never find her again." She tugged his arm.
"She doesn't want me mother. Goodbye." He kissed Katherine on the cheek and walked out of the house. Less than ten minutes later Charity's eyes fluttered open.
"Where's Jack?" She questioned looking around.
"He's leaving, but if you hurry I think you can catch him at the docks." Charity stood up and ran out the door on still sleep wary legs. Kidd's ship was already a few yards from shore. "Jack! What are you doing!" She shouted at the edge of the dock.
"I'll be back Charity! In six months!"
"Nobody leaves Captain Charity behind!" She yelled back and jumped into the water swimming after them. She caught up and was thrown a rope. The crew pulled her aboard and she landed with a clunk in front of Jack, who helped her up. "What do I have to do to convince you to stay?" She looked at him seriously.
"I don't know." Jack shrugged.
Charity grabbed his shoulder and quickly pressed her lips to his. "Do I have to do that?" Her eyes searched his face for an answer. "Or this?" She pulled him in and kissed him on the lips much more passionately than before. After a moment she pulled away. "I love you Jack." She held his cheeks in her hands. His mouth made a sly grin and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again.
"I love you." He looked over to Kidd. "I don't think I'll be joining you Commodore!" He called. Kidd shook his head and laughed.
"Get outta 'ere you crazy kids!" He laughed and they jumped overboard. "There go the most fearsome pirates in the entire ocean." He told his crew looking after them.
Katherine and Peter stood outside the house and watched Jack and Charity pull themselves out of the water. "Looks like you took my advice son!" Peter smiled at the pair.
"What's he talking about?" Charity smiled up at Jack.
"Oh, just that I shouldn't let a bonny lass like you slip away." Jack hugged her tightly.
"Where be our next adventure Captain?" Charity smiled coyly.
"Wherever we please my dear, wherever we please."
