23. I See You
"Jack! Jack Sparrow!" Elizabeth exclaims as she intrusively runs into Jack's cabin without warning.
"WHOA!" Jack exclaims as he throws me off of him, covering me in bedding.
"OH MY GOD!" Elizabeth exclaims in return at the sight of naked Jack and naked me as she holds her hands over her eyes.
"That's why ye knock first!" Jack shouts angrily as he covers himself in bedding with me.
Elizabeth turns around, her back to us. "Jack, it's been morning for quite some time and the crew is angry you haven't given orders yet. Yet, judging by the lack of sunlight in here, you mustn't have known it's been morning for four hours already," She explains.
"It's morning?!" I ask surprised.
"Wow, indeed it is," Jack says in awe as he pushes back the curtain over the window next to the bed.
"Yes, Captain Sparrow, it is morning. Please do something about it," Elizabeth states agitatedly.
"Well, if I could do somethin' about it, I'd keep it night all the time," Jack laughs.
"Do something about the crew! Send them to stations—anything!" She replies.
"Well said, Captain Swann—send them to stations!" Jack retorts with a grin.
"Me?! I'm not Captain of this ship, Jack," she replies, her back still to us.
"Jack, we should get up anyways," I say.
"I was up until Lizzie barged in," Jack winks at me.
"Good one, Jack. Real classy," I laugh as I push him out of bed.
"We'll be out in a minute, Elizabeth, dahling," Jack says. Elizabeth nods and leaves the room.
Moments later Jack and I emerge from his cabin. I look around the deck trying to seem inconspicuous about spending so much time in the cabin with Jack—although by now everyone surely must know about all the affirmative action. Jack and I discussed that we didn't care if they knew about that. It was, discussed, however, that our emotions for one another remain between the two of us—no one is to know since neither of us knew what was to come either.
"And a good mornin' t' ye, Captain!" Gibbs greets Jack with a large grin and a wink, "no doubt ye slept well,"
"Aye indeed I did, Gibbs—as any man should," Jack replies with a similar grin.
"Aye, especially when there is affirmative action regarding miss Lindsey," Gibbs continues to wink at Jack, but Jack's grin drops immediately.
"What?" He asks, lowering his eyes are Gibbs.
"I said that affirmative action must be especially nicer when with Lindsey," he replies, a bit nervous at Jack's reaction.
"Aye it is, but why should ye think so?" Jack asks sternly.
"Well, Captain, it's widely known knowledge throughout the crew that both Lindsey and Elizabeth are what we consider trophy women—fantasies for men like us," Gibbs explains.
"Well we'll 'ave none o' that on board. Miss Swann…er, Mrs. Turner is married indeed and Miss Ferrara is well, not interested in consorting with your types," Jack explains with some troubles coming up with the right words.
"Aye indeed," Gibbs nods his head in confusion at Jack's odd commentating, but doesn't continue to think anything of it. It is Jack Sparrow after all.
"All men to stations!" Jack then orders to the crew, "it is time for us to make sure we get good and lost!"
"Lost, Captain?" Pintel asks Jack.
"Aye! Lost! We must be lost in order to find a place that cannot be found," Jack states as he looks at his compass. The dial turns and points to Jack's right. Confused at this direction, he turns to his left and sees me pulling a rope and tying it. He immediately leaves Gibbs and walks over to me.
"What do you make of this?" He asks me, putting his hand on the rope. I look up at him and smile, excited to see that he's talking to me on deck with the crew scattered around.
"Well, it looks proper to me," I say, still smiling.
"Proper? It is in fact an abomination!" He says to me, irritated.
"I'm sorry—I just thought…" the smile from my mouth fades as I notice Jack's stern gaze, realizing that he is serious.
"You just thought that because I was talking with Gibbs it'd be acceptable for you to complete less than adequate work on my ship," he states firmly as he grabs the rope from me.
"Jack, what's wrong?" I ask with my voice low and staring up at him, desperately trying to soften his gaze.
"This knot—that's what's wrong," he replies as he re-does my work.
"Jack—I'm gonna ask you one more time—what's wrong?" I place my hands on my hips and stare him down.
"Below deck," he orders. I continue to stand there staring at him. When he doesn't look at me, I just shake my head and leave for below deck.
Below deck, I chain the cannons and organize the ammunition and other various barrels of goods.
"What's gotten into Jack?" Elizabeth asks as she joins me.
"I don't know," I reply coldly as I continue my work.
"What happened with you two last night?" she asks forwardly.
"Too much, apparently," I reply, still working. Elizabeth grabs me and looks me in the eyes.
"What happened?" she asks firmly.
"Jack and I had sex—a lot," I laugh off her seriousness.
"That's not all, is it?" she asks, still holding onto my wrist.
"No, it's not," I reply, narrowing my eyes. "What do you know?"
"I know the way he feels about you," she replies, her voice softening.
"Really. And what did he tell you?" I ask, cocking my hip.
"That he's in love with you," she says finally, a smile spreading across her face. My face softens as I hear her words and her expression.
"I know—he told me he couldn't tell me loves me yet, but that I can have his heart if I'd have it," I say, a smile also forming on my lips.
"And?"
"And I said of course. You know how long I've loved him, Elizabeth," I reply.
"Yes, I do. I just didn't think he'd tell you so soon," she replies, "and now he's acting so strangely,"
"I know. He told me my rope was an abomination and then he sent me below deck to do shit work,"
"Me too!" she exclaims.
"Something's up, and he won't let up what it is," I say.
"Will you please shut it!" Jack exclaims as he enters the below deck area where Elizabeth and I stand. I whip around and see him standing there in the dim light.
"Jack, why don't you just shut it!" I exclaim back at him, "you have been nothing but cruel to me today and I…" Jack comes up to me and kisses me on the lip firmly for some time and then let's go of me.
"I'm sorry, dahling, I had to," he says finally.
"What the hell was that for? You think you can treat me like some shitty crew member and then kiss me and everything is all better?! That's not how it works, Captain Sparrow!" I shriek back at him.
"I'm not trying to make it up to you—I had t' be that way on deck so the crew won't know how I really feel about ye," he says finally.
"Jack, you don't have to be mean to me avert the crew's suspicions. Just be the same. If they see a change in how you act towards me, they're gonna be suspicious of the change and know something is different between us," I explain calmly. He nods his head.
"Yer right, luv. I'm sorry," he replies.
"Now get back up there and be Captain, and I'll keep being me, and when we're alone at night, we can be us," I say with a smile.
"Uh, pet," Jack motions his head to Elizabeth who is standing right there.
"Jack, she knows," I say.
"Jack, I'd be an idiot if I didn't know—but I'm so happy for you! You two are finally together!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, we're not together," Jack pipes in quickly. "I just told her that she can have my heart. I'm still really new at this 'love' thing and she understands that. She knows I care about her and I know she cares about me. That's 'bout where we are right now," Jack explains. I nod my head in agreement.
"Right. Well, excuse me. I'll let you two be alone," she says with a grin and walks up to the main deck.
"Jack I don't want you to feel rushed or feel like you need to be with me all the time," I begin.
"Pet, the more I'm not with ye, the more I realize how much I care about ye and want t' be around ye all the time," he interrupts.
"Well, don't feel rushed. That's all I'm saying. I've waited this long for you, I can wait as long as you need," I explain.
"I know, luv, and I appreciate that. I just feel like I've waited this long with my heart locked away, I want to just let it explode, but I don't know how t' do any o' this, pet!" He sounds so frustrated. He takes a seat on one of the barrels. I stake a sit next to him and put my arm around his shoulder and kiss his cheek.
"It's gonna be okay. I'm not gonna let you explode. I'll coach you through it all," I laugh. He smiles at me. "Love is tough—and when it's bad, it sucks. But when it's good, it's unimaginable,"
"I can only imagine," he says.
"Take a deep breath and look in my eyes and tell me if what you see is your imagination," I reply, looking at him. He turns his head and locks eyes with me.
"What doe you see?" I ask.
"Green color, some little black holes, bumps, veins in your white parts…" Jack lists off things as he sees them.
"Metaphorically!" I exclaim with a chuckle.
"Ah, yes of course," he closes his eyes briefly and then opens them, gazing into my eyes once again. This time I feel him inside me.
"Well?"
"I see ye—and I see me,"