A/N: Thank you everyone for the support! You are the best readers, ever.

Right now I have too much fun playing with Jack and Angelica playing house.

Married

Chapter V

One Day

Madre de dios, is it possible for arms to be this sore?

Frances will not be hushed, no matter how much Angelica tries to comfort her. After strolling back and forth for the thousand time, continuously bouncing the toddler up and down, she sighs in frustration.

"Please sleep," she begs while trying to register herself if she already is asleep and sleepwalks, or in fact if she is awake and this is not a dream. "Por favor, duerme, cariña." She is desperate to make this child stop.

But Frances will not stop.

"What is wrong? Why won't you sleep?"

And Frances continues to wail.

This would have been so much easier if the girl could have talked. And Angelica could have known what to do. But now she is just beyond frustrated. "What can I do for you?"

Of course no answer but hysterical crying.

"This would be a very good time for your first word," Angelica groans and walks out of the room with the baby crying in her arms. She almost kicks in her bedroom door and Jack groans as response.

"You need to help me!" she demands.

Jack is not much for help. He only brings the cover over his head and Angelica snorts at his reaction. She mutters in hatred with her gritted teeth.

"Tu padre es un hijo de…"

"Lady Teague!"

The nursemaid has rushed upstairs and her coat still hangs loosely over her shoulders. It appears heavy by rain and reveal the weather from outside. So does her hair, slicked to her face as if someone had poured a bucket of water above her head. However, Angelica cannot be more thankful. She hands over Frances at once.

"Please," she hopes it does not come out as a pleading even if she does nothing but begs in her mind for a saver.

She barely reckons what the nursemaid replies, nor how she manages to make the baby-girl stop crying. Only thing her mind notices is the softness of the mattress and Angelica is fast asleep before she knows it. A little lightness peaks from between the curtains, revealing even though the dull weather - it is sunrise. So when Jack's beautiful snoring, or heavy breathing - whatever it is, Angelica is barely conscious of how she partly asleep but yet very harshly throws a pillow at him, completely knocking his head. Furthermore, she does fall asleep heavily herself and sleeps with her face buried deeply in between pillows while spreading out all over bed. This will earn a glare from Jack in the morning. Specifically when he feels the pain in his lower back. For a brief moment he must think of what age he has reached to achieve this backpain but then just with a bit of envy sees the comfortable mattress the other now Teague gets to have.

He is actually on a hunt for rum. London is offering a rainy day so he is somewhat glad no sunshine blinded him in the morning. While servants still run about to organize the move, the house is yet sort of peaceful. Silence. Just what he needs. A grin is plastered on his face in between when crossing by a staff member but otherwise he just finds his way to a dining room where he closes the double doors. Even though he loves standing on a pedestal, getting viewed over like a piece of gold - he enjoys privacy probably more than most.

There is a drinking wagon further away and he is about to reach for rum when Hans enters. He stops tracks as if being a child getting caught by his parents. And Hans wear that precise expression of a scolding parent.

"Perhaps not, Teague," he speaks. He too closes the doors behind him and Jack's look falls to disappointment. With a last glance he watches the perfection of rum before plopping down at the overly long dining table, Hans on the other side.

"They will serve breakfast later," Hans announces.

Now Jack is dressed, but a bit more casual than Hans, who is fully attired. Is he going to a party? Hold a meeting? Or execute someone? No one can tell. Not even Jack. And so it goes. Hans proposing different scenarios. Introducing this Rothley family and their whereabouts. Everything Jack needs to know to push the right buttons. There are files slid over the table, Jack opening a few and browsing the many words and descriptions of each person. He has homework to do and is not very much interested in doing that. Yet another scold gets earned from Hans and a bit of a treat of the Pearl, and Jack is suddenly hovering over the journals.

They actually do a bit of progress before Angelica enters the room. Jack is about to pop if she was run over by a wagon on her way down, but shuts his mouth when he sees her sitting down behind the set table. There are forks and spoons there, but also a knife and he knows her temper is not be played with. Even if he restrains himself from throwing a remark here and there, he likes to tease her. Sort of his part time hobby.

Intuition? Mind-reading? Or simply knowing Mr Sparrow as well. She shoots him a glare, tilts her head in warning and he sees Hans mouth "Don't" to Jack. He bites his tongue and instead grins, honestly - to make the tension go away and lighten up Angelica. He actually meant to be nice for once. Yet...

"'Ello, sunshine."

Ops. It sounded too sarcastically than he intended.

She flies up from the chair and Jack jumps out of his to hurry to the other side of the table.

"What, are you three?" she spits, only trying to manipulate him back.

Jack eyes her up and down from a safe distance, knowing her too well. He had pissed the cat, that is for sure. "I'd trust Kraken more than ye, love."

Wispy Hans slams his bony hand into the table with surprisingly more strength one can imagine him containing. Porcelain neatly set along the table bounces and both Teagues react with a jolt, turning to him.

"Sit down," he demands, also tired of their bickering.

Not liking his scolding, Angelica sits back down and Jack slowly returns to his seat. They keep glancing to each other and Hans sighs at the vision. Could not Governor Milton have chosen a better couple than this? At least a couple that would be in love and easy to cooperate with? Maybe this is how life is with pirates though? Freespirited with strong minds? These two are an absolute nightmare to work with.

"Neighbors are going to be interested in meeting you, see how you live, your stories, where you come from, heritage. Even about little Frances. I need you to be alert on the matter," Hans slides another file to Angelica who begins to scan it. "There are going to be parties, tea parties, encounters and some may even meet you outside while enjoying a bit of fresh air," he then hands Jack an envelope. "And that is an invitation to the New Year's Eve celebration at Duke Montgomery's. He is a cousin of Baron Rothley which means the Rothleys will definitely attend this gathering."

Angelica exchanges a look with Jack. Just to see. Curiosity that brings her away from focusing on how much she loathes this man to instead try to read him. If the mentioning of New Year's Eve brought him to the very same memories as it does for her. To think of that particular, yet special celebration they shared. Gibbs had grown tired of them, which is an underestimated description of how he felt. One moment they would linger around one another and the first mate would wish to puke. The other moment they where almost burning up the Pearl itself. In some sort of relationship counselling he had handcuffed their wrists and dropped them off at an island, forcing them to get along and get their stuff together.

Which they had.

Which they definitely had...

Getting uncomfortable under her stare, very well aware of that she knew that he is certainly thinking of the very same as her, Jack suddenly regains his posture and decides to eye her back, shooting an eye at her in challenge. At once she blushes and removes her gaze forward to Hans who begins to fumble on his words, realizing the two of them has not heard a word of what he just said.

He cannot get a grip around them. Not at all. One moment he believes he is making progress, making them cooperate well and even in belief they almost appear like a family that could have been real. Only to the following moment wish he never decided to go for this mission at all. If he only did not wish to look good in Governor Milton's eyes he never would have had strength enough for this.

"I'm sorry, ye were saying?" Jack announces and Hans draws in a breath in frustration.

He swallows his irritation and lets his tense shoulders sink. "Work on appearing in love, as a perfect family and fool anyone in this house. Even me," he speaks. And then he utters, "Like what you do right now at this precise moment," which causes them both to wake up. Bewilderment, surprising expression, non-agreeing - their looks scream questions, thus Hans stands up.

"Looking like you are in love."

With both objecting, clearly disagreeing, Hans already leaves and shuts the double doors closed before they have another chance to try to fight him or each other. Perhaps his plan works out well. At least for a brief moment. Because he manages to get the couple on agreeing terms, on the very same page for once.

"He is delusional!" Angelica exclaims.

"Aye," Jack agrees. "Bloody Caribbean asparagus."

It brings out a smile from Angelica, which she does try to force back but to no avail. It breaks out on her lips and she even chuckles at his descriptive remark. Contagious as her smile is, Jack soon joins her and is grinning wryly. Him equally fighting it back all he can.

Now this could have been such a beautiful moment. How they are smiling, looking at one another, at peace.

But the sound of Frances' wailing causes Angelica's pleasant smile to wash away.

Afraid of her commands, and in absolute no want of being around a child - Jack is fast to dig among the journals. As she approaches him, his search grows desperate until he feverishly fumbles on one, flipping page until he sees the fine line.

"Aha!" he points his finger at a line, reading a descriptive variant of instructions of how this Frances shall be mainly cared for by Angelica. "Those are Hans words..," suddenly realizing she is leaning partly over his shoulder, his words come out painfully stuttering. "N-n-n-ot mine."

Oh dear, he is so close to her upper body. The way she is leaning over him even causes her to touch him. She awakens every piece in him and he wonders how she would be like in his lap right now.

"Give me those," she snatches the papers and reads them, Jack using her preoccupation to examine her closely. He almost closes his eyes by her proximity and tries to savor the moment for as long as it lasts. Because in the background, Frances is crying her eyes out and Angelica soon wishes to shove the papers down his throat before she storms out of the dining room. Left cold as always, Jack too gulps before his eyes finally end up on the drinking wagon. Perhaps now could be a great time.

And Angelica walks upstairs, now a closed smile plastering her glowing face for any butler or servant that cross her path to the nursing room. Frances is standing in the crib, face almost red by anger and wet from tears streaming down her cheeks. Her balance is stabilized by her small hands holding onto the bars of the wooden crib. Clearly she is upset.

There is no other option than for Angelica to bend down and scoop the young lady up to her embrace. Now again starting this mystery of understanding whatever problem the princess has.

"You want to eat?" she wonders. "Sleep?" she tries. "Have you..?" suddenly she makes a face and keeps the baby away from her. No, just no. She will not do this. When she turns around she notices Jack leaning in the doorway, completely enjoying the moment.

"Now this be a sight I never thought I'd see."

Angelica struggling with a screaming toddler in her arms.

Fuming, she throws him a death glare. "You Demonio."

Jack's grin remains. He sips his rum but has to move aside as the nursemaid pushes herself inside. "Lady Teague."

It causes Jack to pause his drinking and view the interaction. How not only it sounds funny to hear, but how Angelica actually responds to being called that.

Lady Teague.

She could not have thought the nursemaid could have come any sooner, and quickly hands over Frances to the nursemaid. When she passes Jack, she accidentally slaps the bottle out of his hands, causing him to lose it to the floor. It breaks and she walks non-bothered down the hallway, not even looking over her shoulder. The clashing sound reveals her accomplishing her action. This could probably have led for Jack to explode. But he keeps looking at her - amused.

A/N: I'm in such a Jackelica mood right now. :-)