Disclaimer: Everything that is in italics (the speech) is not mine. It is taken from the movie so that I could express what happened with background to it. So please don't sue me! Copyright goes directly to Disney and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Thanks :)
Key To My Desire
-Recognition-
"Most of the time, the mind overwhelms our emotions, and denial sets in, erasing all of what our heart believes. Though, once in a while, breakthroughs happen, and the heart wins the battle, so that truth prevails."
..:-:..
The bloody compass is what started the entire mess and for the first time, Jack Sparrow wished that he had never received it to begin with. It was his very compass that showed him where the treasure chests were, but it was also his compass that had stopped working because he had met Miss Elizabeth Swan. Every time he tried, Jack Sparrow would close his eyes and hope for some kind of direction, but none of those attempts worked. The compass switched from right to left and Jack was floored. He couldn't think of a reason as to why it was broken. All he wanted was to find the key, get the heart of Davy Jones, and to control the fate of his soul. But if that was the case, then how come the compass didn't display a heading when he asked it to? Deep down, in the very pit of his heart, where his blood flowed and boiled, he understood the situation. However, denial can often times be insistent and that's the way it remained.
Thoughts of the fiery tempered woman would spring into his mind, and occasionally, the captain would smile to himself. Those fleeting moments of his life, which he spent with Miss Swan, would be etched into his memories forever. Since the moment he saw her, dressed so proper and elegantly, since he saw her roaring spirit in her deep eyes, Jack Sparrow knew that she was different from the rest. It was true that every woman was a target of the captain, but this one was an exception, for she stood her ground and demanded answers from him. She would always come up to his face with the question she wished to know the answer to. Each time, Jack gave her his most honest reply, well, some of the time. It was the curiosity, which sparked in her eyes, the never-ending thirst for knowledge about his pirate life, which kept him so intrigued by her. Elizabeth Swan was a woman of class, so why be bothered by the life of Captain Jack Sparrow?
As time flew by, the pressing conversations between the two of them became meaningful and personal. It shocked him somewhat, the way he would give into her demands so quickly, how he told her some of the truth, and nobody else. A game was played between the two, one that wasn't filled with rules, but instead with taunting inquiries and ultimatums. They enjoyed each other's challenges, inspired to take the other of bounds. But the end came, and she became proper once more. He was doomed from the beginning, to hang as a wanted man. Their time together was all buried in the soft sands of the past.
So when the moment arrived, when Jack Sparrow turned around and saw her standing there, fully clothed as a pirate, excitement sprang up inside of him. His eyes brightened with delight as her voice flooded through his ears. The first thing he did was he told her the truth, in that tantalizing manner which she was so accustomed to. Of course she looked better in a dress, every woman did. He let the nature of a mischievous pirate get the best of him and he joked around with her. At first she seemed amused, but her expression turned serious at the mention of that pathetic man, Will. His tactics changed immediately and he saw the trust growing in her desperate eyes. Naturally, he lied; the underlying reason was because he wanted her to be near him, and for her to not hate him so much.
The days passed by without much enthusiasm, yet he found the atmosphere undeniably lighter and enjoyable. Her long glowing hair rustled in the breeze and her skin became illuminated by the rays of sunlight, which were cast on her figure. Jack found himself smiling more often, joking around with her and feeling much better about his fate. Her presence was like a gift that he secretly had wished for all along. The first thing he did when he saw her again was very crucial in his plan. He handed her the compass and he finally had his heading, he would finally obtain that which he desired most. A key and a chest, combined with its content would help him save his life. Crew and captain sailed onwards, but as he strutted along the decks, he would catch sight of her glances toward him and inside he laughed. What could she possibly find so intriguing about Jack Sparrow? Their little game was starting again, and on one fine day, it took a very interesting turn. Jack laughed as he remembered how much fun he had in those few minutes.
"One word love, curiosity. You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do, because you want it. To act on selfish impulse, you want to see what it's like. One day, you won't be able to resist."
Jack leaned a bit closer to her, slurring his words in a teasing fashion. Already he saw that her face was concerned and that she was thinking about his words deeply. But suddenly, she asked a question which he hadn't expected.
"Why doesn't your compass work?"She cocked her eye intriguingly and the smirk was wiped off of his face. Jack Sparrow looked out to the sea and for a moment he actually thought about her question. Why was it really that his compass wouldn't work for him? And why did she want to know? He pushed his head up and tried to look like the question hadn't affected him the slightest bit.
"My compass works fine."
Her voice came back with strength and an unwavering solidity in her statement. It flowed through his veins and seeped into him like being sprayed with cold water. She was admitting an ironic truth.
"Because you and I are alike, and there will come a moment when you will have the chance to show it, to do the right thing."
He smiled thoughtfully and looked away towards the sea. She continued to stare at him, trying to twist the power out of him and into her own hands. But Captain Jack Sparrow would have none of it. He came back with another witty comment so that he could prove that he wouldn't cave into her delicate voice.
"I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by."
"You'll have the chance to do something… something courageous," she walked up and stood next to him near the rail, her small laugh billowing in her throat, "and when you do, you'll discover something, that you're a good man."
He looked at her for an instant, trying to believe the words that had come out of her mouth. For a moment, he wished that she would really think of him like that, but he smiled, knowing that they were still competeing against one another.
"All evidence to the contrary."
"Oh I have faith in you. Want to know why?"
"Do tell dearie."
He wouldn't look her in the face at that second. She was so sure of herself and her words caused him to think about his actions more than he had ever done so before. Lizzie had faith in him, and he couldn't possibly understand why.
"Curiosity. You're going to want it. A chance to be admired, and gain the rewards that follow. You won't be able to resist. You're going to want to know what it tastes like."
He slowly turned his head towards her, the soft words whispering into his face, her neck craning up at him, taunting, trying to lure him in. All of a sudden, his senses became blurry and she was the only thing he wanted. His mouth parted with hesitation, the temptation too much to bear. He turned towards her and took a breath of air. His eyes gazed at her face longingly.
"I do want to know what it tastes like."
"But seeing as you're a good man, I know that you would never put me in a position that would compromise my honor."
He brushed her face, her soft cheeks ever so gently and their breath came onto the others, mixing the salty air with hot steam. Suddenly, just millimeters away from fulfilling the yearning which filled his heart, his eyes widened and he pulled away, the dark mark on his hand growing rapidly. Elizabeth took a deep breath and he saw the happy pain in her eyes as he pulled away.
"I'm proud of you Jack."
His thoughts and emotions conflicted inside of him. After such a tempting offer, he had almost caved into her. But soon enough, they were interrupted and nothing happened. Davy Jones was getting in the way, yet again. Land had been spotted and once more his thoughts shifted to the task at hand. Suddenly a man stopped him, someone he loathed yet couldn't care less for at the same time. Norrington said one simple sentence.
"You know, there was a time when I'd give anything for her to look at me like that."
This one statement caused confusion in Jack's head. What had he implied when he said that to him? The suggestion that she felt any other emotion other than disgust for him was incomprehensible. The wind blew by and Jack gazed onto the strip of land to which the compass pointed. They all rowed out to the beach with shovels and Elizabeth leading the way with the compass. As he stepped onto the sand, he walked away form the group and scanned the island for anything and nothing in particular. Suddenly he heard Lizzie's frustrated voice.
"Oh, it doesn't work!"She sat down and folded her arms like an angry child. He smiled and looked at the compass himself. This time he knew that without his life, he wouldn't be able to even speak with her, so for once in a most long period of time, he knew what he wanted. They dug out the chest and his eyes scanned it with greed. Jack looked up suddenly as his dear Lizzie smiled brightly and began to run towards a soaking man. His happiness faded away instantly when he saw the two of them kiss. For some reason, a bright green spurt of fire erupted inside his chest and he looked away, trying to set his mind straight. What was happening to good ol' Jack Sparrow?
Nothing different except that he was getting closer to getting what he always wanted. With Davy Jones's heart secured in his lovely jar of dirt, he could sail away, knowing that he could do whatever he pleased. However, when that jar of dirt crashed into a mound of tiny pieces, the sand piled out with no heart in sight, everything inside of him dropped to his stomach and he grew extremely worried.
The battle ensued, and the Black Pearl was holding out on her own. But the horrid beast, the servant of the master of the seas, had a different plan for his ship. The most important thing to him was to flee for the sake of his own life. Jack ran away, and began to row from the sight of the struggling crew, and the swirling legs of the Kraken. Suddenly, he saw a figure standing on the ship, her golden hair flowing gently, her face full of disappointment. Regrettably, he took out his compass, and at once it pointed straight in front of him. However which way he looked at it, the compass had told him what he had been hiding in his heart for quite some time. With a deep breath of air, he rowed towards his ship, unsuspectingly towards the doom that awaited him.
Everywhere he looked, men were running desperately in every which direction, trying to save the ship and their own lives. The Kraken was slowly engulfing the Black Pearl and in front of him swung a net full of explosives. A rifle went flying towards him and a pair of nervous eyes trailed its path. Jack smiled as he saw her lunge for the rifle, her entire life depending on it. He put his foot down upon it, and the look of utter shock calmed him. The captain had surprised Elizabeth and when he pulled the trigger, he felt free of all burden. He had done what she hadn't expected from a pirate; he had came back to do the right thing.
But was it really that? Was it the right thing he wanted to do, or was it the rewards he would gain from it? The battle for the ship raged on, and more men were dragged into the depths of the deep dark waters. Inside of his heart, Jack knew that they had already lost. He wouldn't sail his ship through the rough seas again.
The few remaining crewmen started to gather into the rowboat and for one last time, Captain Jack Sparrow touched the mast, walked on the deck and bowed his head in thanks for the years in which he had been captain of the great Black Pearl.
"Thank you Jack… you came back."He turned around suddenly and there she was. Something was different about her, but he couldn't pin point what it was. Elizabeth approached him cautiously and hesitantly. He didn't smile, nor did he move. His heart started to beat faster, because it had sent his mind a very significant message. Somewhere in her face was admiration and a look of expectation. She was trembling slightly and with each step she took, her eyes widened, her lips parted more and the uncertainty in her voice told him what she was going to do. The conversation they had echoed in his thoughts swiftly, and before he knew what had happened, he heard her firm voice, her affirmation of a promise.
"I always knew you were a good man."
His eyes fluttered as her lips grazed over his, her entire mouth forcing itself onto his. He had never known such an implausible feeling than he had at that moment in his life. The very instant she had put her hands on his arms, he lost the will to think anymore. Her taste was incredibly sweet yet sizzling, and invigorating. The stillness he sensed at her delicate yet strong touch left him weak, weaker than he had ever been before. Her forceful kiss pushed him back towards the mast and with every moment, he craved more of her. And then, as if he was snapped out of a dream, his eyes slowly opened after she locked him to his ship. Jack's heart felt like it had been wounded. His eyes scanned her face for any trace of an explanation, and he received it. Every second that passed, she seemed to be clawing at her thoughts. She would seem distraught, then satisfied, then weak and sorrowful. But Elizabeth found her strength in the midst of it all.
"I'm not sorry."
It was all he needed to hear to understand what had happened. At once a taunting smile crept onto his face, for he knew that she had caved in as he had. Jack was proud of his Lizzie. She had betrayed the man she was betrothed to, and she went back on all of her own words, to act like a selfish…
"Pirate…"The look on her face was full of realization and buried underneath it all was a hunger for more of the taste which she desired. For one split moment, he thought she would yield to him once again, but she closed her mouth bitterly and ran away, leaving him there to question everything that had happened. The sails flapped in the wind and he watched sorrowfully as her face disappeared from his view.
Yes, it indeed was that bloody compass which caused him all of that pain. It had conclusively told him the truth; he longed for her, to be near her, to play the taunting game with her, to taste her. All along, Jack Sparrow had lied to himself, pretending that he didn't care about her that much. But after he was swallowed inside of that humongous beast, after he was spewed up into the most disgusting underwater cave, he had forced himself to think of her, and to reflect on everything which had occurred. Jack Sparrow loved his Lizzie, but he wouldn't admit that out loud, he wouldn't speak it because he feared the pain it would cause him to hear those words come out of his own mouth.
The pirate sighed as he crawled along the rocks inside of the pit of darkness. As he laid himself down, he put a hand underneath his head and inhaled deeply the scent of the brackish water splashing onto the rocks nearby. There was no telling how long he would survive in the Kraken's cave, but what was worse than dying, was living with the fact that somewhere out there was the woman of his dreams. Somewhere out there, she would fall asleep, and the taste of his lips would remain on hers in silent torture, the same torture he lived with every single waking moment.
A/N: Well then, this was Jack's point of view of everything… hope you liked it! I'd like to make an announcement… due to the amazing response I've gotten from the first chapter, I thought long and hard about it, and instead of four parts, this story is going to have AT LEAST nine or even ten chapters! I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, and I hope you do so once again! Your enthusiasm has helped me write this chapter and it's all thanks to you!
What has also helped me is the wonderful website of youtube, because on there is where I was able to watch the "Curiosity" scene over and over again, getting all of the dialogue right. This site also has that wonderful kiss on it, so once again, I was inspired by that ;)
Chapter 3 will go back to Will and Elizabeth. For those of you who are still confused about what happened to Jack, he was taken by the Kraken. The beast swam to this underwater cave and spewed Jack out… yes, eww… however that means he is alive! But the entrance to the cave is miles underneath in water, and so of course he can't just swim out lol :D But no worries.. for this story will have to go somewhere… mwhahaha! I just love this pairing! I really do!
Thanks for reading and have a marvelous day!
-Monika-