Chapter 6 - Snowfall

The salt in the water stung his body and when Elizabeth washed his hands he had to turn his head away.

"I'm afraid these are infected Jack." She said as she looked at the black and blue marks. There was no soap around so she couldn't properly clean him.

"No worries lass." He said and yelped a little when her finger touched a particulary soar spot. She stoped her movements suddenly. "Get them cleaned out luv."

Jack and Elizabeth sat on the beach until the skies started darkening again. She shivered as she was still in the small amount of clothing gave to her by Crane and his men. Jack looked at her and stood. If it was going to get any colder they would both be frozen as his shirt was long gone. "Show me where you were going to build a shelter."

Elizabeth stood and they started back toward the cave when something in the trees caught Jack's attention. "Lizabeth look."

She followed Jack's stare and saw someone standing in the trees. A woman by the looks of her dress. In fact that dress looked a lot like hers. "Is that my dress?"

The two of them walked closer to it and sure enough it was the dress Elizabeth had been wearing when they first arrived. "It is love, but don't touch it. It could be a trap." She nodded and they walked with caution right up to it. Jack looked all around it and saw that it was simply caught in the branches and twigs of the trees around it.

"Let me take it down." He said and Elizabeth stepped back away from the dress, she was sure to make sure there was no one else around.

Carefully, Jack took the dress down and with only some minor snags he handed it to Elizabeth. "Put it on love." He said gently and she put her back to him, taking off the top part of her short outfit and put on the dress with some difficulty. When she turned around Jack was a few feet ahead of her gathering more wood.

"Let me help you Jack." She said and he turned around. His eyes were bloodshot and he was sniffling. "Jack are you crying?"

"No love, just have a headache." He said and started to wobble as he stood. Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder and he dropped the wood, holding his head. He caughed and collapsed on the ground.

"Jack!" Elizabeth screamed. She got on her knees and went over to him. His eyes were open and he was breathing heavy. "Jack?"

His eyes seemed to focus on her and he moved his mouth a little. "Jack please get up. Just come to the clearing and I can try to make a little hut or something. I have to get you out of the cold." She said and pulled on his arm to help him get on his feet. With Elizabeth's help, Jack was able to get to the small cleaing. Setting him down on the ground Elizabeth went to work digging small holes and putting the larger branches in them, making walls. Every once in a while she would stop and look at Jack who seemed to be watching intently. When she was able to make a few branches stay up on three sides she put some one top to make a roof. After about the fifth time it fell down she stood and put her face in her hands. She wanted to cry.

Watching her from his seat on the ground Jack took soft, even breaths trying to get some strenght back. When it looked like she was going to cry he stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Jack it won't stay!" She said and tears started to fall.

"No worries darling." He said and took his belt off, wrapping it around ont of the top branches and part of the 'wall'. Using some long pieces of grass and other platlife he tied the branches together so it was somewhat steady. When they got the three walls up, Jack took three more branches and simply leaned them up against the others. When they were inside it Jack collapsed from fatigue. It wasn't very big but there was enough room for them to sit or lay comfortably.

"Jack? Are we going to be okay?"

The pirate smiled. "Aye love. We'll be okay."

Elizabeth shivered and pulled her dress around her legs before looking to Jack. Frowning she felt her dress and the different layers it contained. Taking it in both hands at the hem she ripped it all the way around so she held the outside layer in her hands. It would have to do for now as the lack of food was half of the probelm as to why both her and Jack were so tired.

"Here Jack. Cover yourself up with this." She said and he took the cloth in his hands.

"Well aren't you a genius." He said and smiled as he layed his head down and fell asleep.

Elizabeth wished she could do the same but her body wouldn't let her. She was so tired she couldn't sleep, couldn't even rest. Decideding that it wouldn't do any good for her to sit and do nothing she went out of the small room and went in search for something to eat.

While Elizabeth was gone Jack dreamed.

"Heard she commandered two ships from the British Royal Navy." One man said.

"No, I heard she coadswalloped the prince of India and took his jewls." Another said

"No, you're both wrong. She took Captain Morgan's treasure right out from under his nose."

Jack sat at the bar and slammed his mug down. "I know the real story. She was the woman of a very good and smart pirate captain named Captain Jack Sparrow. She was such the little devil she stole his heart then broke it. After a terrible fight that involved flying dishware she left his life and made stories up about herself to justify her life and what it was that she did becuase in all reality there was nothing remarkable about her, but to be rmembered she made up the stories then told them becuase in fact if there's no one to tell them to is there really any stories?"

The other three men looked at Jack like he was crazy then lost interest in him and started arguing with eachother again.

"Jack Sparrow. What is it I can do for you tonight?"

Jack looked up and saw Scarlet, one of the local but fairly new hookers. She was pretty. Young. After losing the Pearl five years ago to Barbossa and after losing Julien the year before to...him, Jack was a little lonely.

"How much for the whole night?" He asked without hesitation.

"Food."

He blinked a couple of times. "I'm sorry?"

"Jack I have some food."

One eye opened then the other before they focused on Elizabeth. "Elizabeth?"

"It's started to snow a little. I came back worrying that you were too cold. I brought some berries. Don't worry there some wild strawberries and some black and malberries. Nothing poisionus." She said at the look on his face. She had carried them in her dress and he picked up a blueberry but something on his hand made him stop. The wound from the nails were healing but it was leaving a nasty black spot in it's place.

Elizabeth followed his gaze and sighed. "Oh Jack. You need a doctor."

"I don't need no doctor." He said stubbornly and pulled his hand away from hers.

"Well, it's not like we'll find one here anyway." She said and pulled herself into a ball, huddling herself agains the cold when the wind blew. Luckily the trees outside their small shelter was working as a windbreaker.

Jack saw her shiver. "Did you put something out to catch the snow? We could use clean water."

She just nodded and closed her eyes. Jack layed down next to her and felt the cold wind through the cracks.

"Jack. I miss Will." Elizabeth said and started to sob.

He felt bad. Elizabeth and Will were supposed to be the happy couple, living in a big white house with a fence around it and their kids playing in the yard. That's what Julien wanted too. Shaking his head Jack pulled her into his arms to keep her warm. He was going to make sure she lived. Even if he died.

TBC