A/N: Sorry about the lack of update-tation, I've had band camp, which devours my soul, lol, and this chapter was giving me a lot of trouble because I had BAD block. hopefully you'll enjoy!
James bid Ginny goodnight, and went to the deck for his nightly walk before bed. His mind was racing. So Ginny was related to Simon. It made sense. She had lost her brother…that had been terrible, he imagined, and to think that the Navy had been involved. He racked his brain to be sure that he had not assisted with that murder, and was sure he had not. He was utterly startled when he ran into Camron…quite literally.
"Excuse me! Sorry Camron," James stated, shaking his head. Camron nodded.
"My fault Captain. Might I enquire as to the dazed look? Does it have anything to do with a certain female aboard our ship?" James' arm fell off the railing, and his balance was lost.
"Mr. Sharpe, I'm not sure that's your place…and of course not!" he lied. Camron laughed.
"My apologies Captain…but I'm not quite assured that you're telling the truth," he smirked. James rolled his eyes.
"Indeed. My thoughts have nothing whatsoever to do with a certain Miss Shields. She is merely an acquaintance and fellow shipmate, nothing more."
"She may just be a shipmate, Captain, but that doesn't mean that you aren't allowed thoughts about her," Camron pointed out. James rolled his eyes again.
"I won't think of her. I cannot think of her. Mr. Sharpe, do you know the story of my heartbreak from a certain Miss Elizabeth Swann?"
"Not completely sir. I was at Sparrow's hanging, but I am not aware of what occurred after you chased him and Mr. Turner upon the battlements."
"Elizabeth chose to point out, in front of most of the Royal Navy, that she did not love me, but Mr. Turner, and that our engagement had been nothing more than a ploy to save him. Distraught, I let her go, and I swore never to let a woman have control of my life again," James rubbed his forehead. Camron proceeded tentatively.
"Perhaps she wouldn't have control of your life…perhaps she shares your past," he said. James looked at him quizzically. "I've spoken with her before, as this is quite a voyage. She loved a man, but he asked another woman to be his wife, and was killed, along with her brother, in an incident with the Navy. It's quite possible that she's as lost and alone as you are, Captain."
"I am not lost, and I am not alone! I'm perfectly fine; I have no feelings for this woman. I could tear my heart out if I wanted to, women just don't ca--" James gasped. Camron eyed him.
"Sir?" he asked, but James merely walked away. He made his way to Ginny's cabin, pounding on her door.
"Yes?" she answered, clutching an old captain's jacket around her, her sleeping chemise clearly visible, as she'd obviously been preparing for sleep.
"Ginny, when you were attacked, they asked you for a heart?"
"Yes. They were fish-like creatures, and they pillaged for a 'heart'. Oh come in," she said, motioning to her bed, and sitting down. "I've been thinking about it often lately, and I can't help but to wonder if they came after me because of the aid I gave to a young sailor woman. She came to my door, begging for assistance and directions to the nearest port, as she had obviously been sailing in circles and was quite lost. She went on something terrible about how she had seduced a man to his death and was sure her fiancé knew and was angry with her, and now she was sailing them in circles because of, now don't laugh at me, but I was sure she said something about a compass, which confused me, because compasses point north, so how could they sail in circles?" she frowned, while James collapsed on the bed next to her. "I told her that they were gaining upon Tortuga if they didn't mind it being a pirate port, and she thanked me profusely, saying that Will would be pleased. I asked if she needed a place to rest, but she just went on to say that there wasn't enough time and that she had to save Jack, and then she went rushing off," Ginny finished, and James shook his head.
"She killed Sparrow. She loved him, so she killed him," James eyed Ginny. And to think that could have been me.
"You knew her?" Ginny asked. James sighed.
"She was once my fiancée, until she left me for William Turner, who, I'm assuming, she plans to leave for Jack Sparrow lest they find him," James laughed. "I was sent to arrest her, Will, and Sparrow when I was still part of the Navy," he sighed. "I have feared my feelings since I have been separated from her, and really, her leaving was the best thing for me," he stood. Ginny frowned.
"I don't understand James, what does the heart have to do with anything?"
"Ginny…what would you say if I told you Davy Jones' crew had ravaged your home?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow.
"I'd say you were crazy," she began, but stopped as she saw James' serious look. "You're joking. Davy Jones?" she shook her head. James sighed.
"I said the same thing. He was a mere myth, but I was chased by his crew. I betrayed these people, I was selfish. I wanted to save myself, and only myself, and now, because of it, Sparrow was killed because of lust," he made for the door.
"Captain…is this why we're going to Australia?" she asked. He stopped dead and spun.
"What?"
"Well, everyone knows about the end of the world."
