Disclaimer: Disney owns POTC, I own my OCs.

A Sparrow's Shadow on the Sea

The Red Velvet Surprise

I woke early in the morning. It was just beginning to become light outside and the birds were already starting to chirp and squawk in the surrounding rainforest. Jack was still asleep, his muffled snoring like a soothing melody.

I'd dreamt of him, an echo of our time together in the jungle the day before. The image of his lean, tanned body surrounded by lush jungle made me think of a jaguar; lithe, muscular, and lethal. I giggled softly at the contrast of that image with the sight of the snoring, purring, pirate next to me.

Today, I was a woman with a mission! I rose from the bed, washed and dressed, then made my way downstairs, leaving Jack to his rumbly sleep.

I found Kate in the kitchen, busily overseeing the preparation of breakfast. The room was invitingly warm from the stove, and the smell of coffee and freshly baked cinnamon buns had begun to invisibly waft through the house. I reveled in the cozy hominess of it.

"Well, me dear, ye're up and about early," Kate observed as she saw me, "An' just in time to sample a warm cinnamon bun!" She poured me some coffee and sat me down at the large table in the middle of the kitchen. A plate piled high with warm buns beckoned irresistibly from the center of the table.

"Kate, I have a favour to ask, and you must be discreet because it's a secret," I said as I munched one of the delicious buns.

"Ooh, that'd be intriguing, dear," she replied with enthusiasm, "What ye be needin'?"

"That chair in the sitting room, the one that Jack always sits in, did you find that in town?" I asked.

"Aye, sure did," she responded, eying me questioningly, "Ye want to go into town an' buy one for Jack, I take it?"

"Yes! One of the chairs in the cabin met with some…unfortunate circumstances, so I thought it's be nice to get him a new one," I explained, "But it has to be a surprise! I want to sneak it onto the Pearl, so it's waiting for him when we leave."

She was beaming at me as she wiped flour off her hands onto her apron.

"Do you think Seamus could keep Jack busy today, so we could get that arranged?" I asked, smiling mischievously.

The devious glint in her eyes told me she was game. "Aye, lass, Seamus'll keep Jack busy for as long as ye like," she answered, smirking, "We'll go get yer pirate king his throne!"

We were both giggling when Jack wandered in sleepily. "Kate, you're sure I can't lure you away from here, to cook on the Pearl?" he drawled, kissing her cheek, and grabbing a cinnamon bun.

Not to miss an opportune moment, I pointed at Jack and teased, "See, Jack, all women!"

He sat next to me, smirking, then kissed me, leaving my lips sticky with cinnamon and sugar. "But you're my favourite, luv," he said with all his pirate charm.

"Really? Am I, now?" I teased, "Even though I can't cook?"

"Mmmm…but you have other…far more enticing talents," he drawled seductively.

"Alright, ye two!" Kate exclaimed, "Before ye decide to have at each other on the table, I need to talk to ye, Jack."

Jack flashed me a wink and a smirk, then turned his attention to Kate. "And what can I do for you, Mrs. Greaves?"

"Not me, Jack, Seamus. He'll be needin' yer help with the improvements he be makin' with the distillery," she told him, "Probably gonna take the entire day."

Jack looked torn. "Is that alright with you, luv?" he asked hesitantly.

"She'll be fine, Jack, we'll go do some shoppin'," Kate added, as Jack looked at me searchingly.

I smiled. "You go have fun with Seamus, Jack," I encouraged, "There's probably a few things I forgot to pick up."

"More baby things?" he asked in disbelief, "I don't understand why such a tiny person would require so much stuff!"

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After enduring the bumpy carriage ride, Kate led me into the large furniture emporium. We strolled through what seemed to be an endless sea of settees, chaises, and chairs before finding an exact mate to the chair in Kate's sitting room. It was constructed of an ornately carved frame of darkly stained, glossy wood, with cushions upholstered in rich, red velvet. In all honesty, it looked like it belonged in a bordello. Probably why Jack felt so at home in it, I thought wryly. It was at that moment that I had an attack of déjà vu. I'd seen that chair somewhere before! Somewhere besides Kate's sitting room…

Jack's sketchbook! This was the chair in his drawing of me, draped over it with a bottle of rum and looking "fetchingly disheveled" as he phrased it.

"Ye alright, lass? Ye look like ye've just seen a ghost!" Kate said with some concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," I assured her, "Let's buy this and begin its migration back to the ship."

And what an adventure that turned out to be! No matter how we tried, the blasted thing would not fit inside the carriage. The driver had to strap it to the roof. Not exactly inconspicuous!

Once back at the house, Kate summoned a few of the burly plantation workers to carry it to the beach and load it into the longboat. They refused to row it out to the ship, however, muttering some sort of superstitious nonsense about the Black Pearl.

Kate dismissed them after thanking them politely for transporting the chair thus far.

"Guess we'll be left to our own devices, me dear!" Kate announced cheerily, "An' a damn good thing we're not a pair of bloody shrinkin' violets, either!"

"I agree, a damn good thing, indeed!" I said, laughing.

We climbed into the boat after pushing it, with all our might, into the water.

The monstrously huge chair provided a nice counterbalance, as Kate and I sat next to each other. We each rowed with one oar, trying to stay in sync, while laughing and joking the entire way.

"Gibbs!" We yelled as loud as we could, upon reaching the ship.

Gibbs' perplexed face peered at us from above the rail. "What the devil be the two of ye lasses doin'?" he asked, eying us, and then our cargo, "An' why in blazes have ye got that chair with ye?"

I smiled hopefully at the first mate. "Gibbs, it's a present for Jack and it's a surprise! Could you lend us a hand to get it up to the cabin, please?"

Gibbs climbed down with a sling and some rope to secure around the chair. "I'm the only one onboard, Miss, so ye girls are gonna have to come up an' help," he informed us.

"T'ain't a problem, Joshamee!" Kate said as she glanced smugly at me, "Us girls made it just fine so far!"

Gibbs pulled the chair up, with Kate and I catching it and untying it. As Kate and I went to lift it, to carry it to the cabin, Gibbs interceded.

"Miss Eve, I have to insist that ye refrain from doin' that, in yer present condition, an' all," Gibbs said resolutely, "Mrs. Greaves and I will take it from here, if ye'll be so kind as to open the doors."

I dashed ahead to get the doors open, directing them to place the decadent piece of furniture in the corner by Jack's side of the bed. That way, it wouldn't be the first thing he saw when he entered. And, I had to admit, it did make a handsome addition to the cabin. I squealed with excitement, imagining how thrilled Jack would be.

"Thank you so much for all your help, Gibbs," I gushed, hugging him, "We really couldn't have done it without you! And remember, it's a surprise, so not a word to Jack!"

"Aye, Miss, ye can count on me," he replied briskly.

Kate and I returned to the boat to row ourselves back to shore. Mission accomplished! I couldn't wait to surprise Jack! And I was so pleased that everything had gone without a hitch, well, mostly.

Seamus intercepted us on the lawn as we returned to the house. "Have ye completed yer daring escapade, then?" he asked heartily.

"Aye," Kate answered, "An' why aren't ye at the distillery with Jack?"

"Ugh! Keepin' that boy occupied's no small feat! An' all he did was complain 'bout how he wasn't with his bonny lass," he exclaimed, "Damn near got sick an' tired of listenin' to him, bleatin' like a bloody wounded sheep, he was!" Seamus laughed jovially. "Ye sure got that man wrapped 'round yer finger, good an' tight, lass!"

"As well she should," Kate reminded him pointedly, as we headed into the house.

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"Where have you been?" Jack asked as he saw us, "The carriage returned a long time ago." He had a frowny and pouty expression as he spoke.

"Kate and I went for a walk along the beach, Jack," I said pleasantly, "It's such a nice day!" I was hoping I didn't look too sweaty from the rowing we had done to get back to the beach.

"Aye, in fact, it's such a nice day I think the two of ye should go take a dip in the mineral springs," Kate suggested, smirking, "Just follow the path through the garden. It'll take ye straight to 'em." She ushered Jack and I out the French doors, toward the garden.

"I hope those mineral springs can cure your mood," I remarked to Jack, as we meandered along the path, "Why are you acting so grumpy?"

He stared at me in surprise. "First, I woke up all alone, and you know how I hate that. Then, you go and run off with Kate all day, to leave me with Seamus and his boring lectures about various methods of distilling spirits. I don't care how they're made, I just like to drink them! And I don't like being ignored, luv," he said like a pouty child.

"I was busy, Jack, I wasn't ignoring you," I responded, "There were some things I needed to do." I smiled inwardly at his discomfort, secretly feeling overjoyed that he had missed me so.

"Well, I hope you got all your things done, Eve, because we're leaving tomorrow," he announced.

I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him.

"What?" he asked, as he turned to face me.

"Jack Sparrow! You're jealous of my friendship with Kate!" I accused.

"Am not!" he said indignantly, tipping his head back and looking down his nose at me.

"You are to! She's the only friend I have in this world, and you're bloody jealous!" I retorted.

"Well, you've only known her a couple of weeks," he whined, "And all that time, the two of you are always whispering and giggling together, and sharing secrets…"

"Yes, it's called Girl Talk, Jack. I'm sure you've been around enough women in your life to be somewhat familiar with it," I told him, "And might I remind you, the we share plenty of secrets too, darlin', they're just…different."

He glanced at me dejectedly. "Well, I've discovered I don't like sharing you," he muttered.

I arched my eyebrows at his admission. "Jack, you'd best get over that quickly, because in a few months' time, you'll have to share me with the baby," I pointed out.

"But that's different, luv," he said, "Of course, that wouldn't bother me."

"I'm relieved to hear it," I replied, though not entirely certain I believed it. The man had spent too much time having too many women falling all over him, and had become spoiled because of it.

As we reached the spring, I was struck by the ethereal beauty of it. With the surrounding jungle in full bloom, it seemed like a tropical oasis. A thin veil of mist hovered on the surface of the water. It was so pristine and magical, that I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see a unicorn relaxing next to it or a mermaid frolicking in the water.

A nearby movement jolted me from my imaginings. Jack was busily unbuckling his belts, and removing his "affects." Smirking, he said, "Last one in's a…"

I dove into the water before he could finish. "A spoiled, jealous pirate!" I teased as I popped to the surface.

"That's not fair, luv," he said, "You didn't even take off your clothes."

I took off my shirt and when he wasn't paying attention, wadded it up and threw it at him. Thwap! It struck him right in the face, and I giggled fiendishly.

"Bloody wench!" he snarled, as he hopped up and down to regain his balance as he pulled his boot off. "If it's a war you want, then it's a war you're going to get!"

He was looking down, concentrating on unfastening his breeches, when my own wet and wadded up breeches smacked him on the side of his head. He turned his head slowly, casting the most withering glare at me. Then, in one fluid and graceful movement, he dropped his breeches and dove into the spring.

Momentary panic fluttered through me as I waited for him to surface. I expected vengeance. My heart began to race, as I looked around me. Where was he?

He was toying with me! I knew he was! But that knowledge didn't prevent the feeling of panic and dread that began to creep through me. Where was he?

Suddenly, I felt something wrap around me and pull me under the water! Panic seized me full force, and I was beginning to struggle when I felt lips pressing against mine.

We were still kissing as we broke the surface. I abruptly pulled away. "Damn it, Jack, you scared the hell out of me!" I yelled breathlessly.

"Thought you'd lost me forever, did you?" he said, smirking. He thought better of his teasing when he saw my sullen expression. "I'm sorry, luv, I didn't mean to frighten you," he murmured, "You'll never be rid of me that easily."

"Good," I replied, "Because I don't want to be rid of you at all."

His infuriating smirk had re-appeared. "Can't get enough of me, eh?" he said arrogantly, as he pulled me against him.

The feel of his warm, bare chest against mine was a startling change from the coolness of the spring water, sending an instinctual shiver through me. It was true. I yearned for him, ached for him, and couldn't get enough of him.

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A/N: The chair described in this chapter looks like the one in the portrait of Jack on the menu portion of "Captain Jack Head to Toe," on the DMC special features DVD. Thank you all so very much for reading, and for all your kind reviews! You're the BEST! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!