Nope, still ain't mine!

Thank you for the reviews, appreciated as always. Many thanks to Kat for her quick editing/read through. I thought being as you had to wait so long for this to be posted, I'd give you a treat and upload this one quicker! ;)

…

Chapter two

"Who th'bleedin' hell is that ship?"

"Ain't got a clue," Jacob Sumner replied, taking his spyglass and training it on the Urchin, frowning as he tried to work out what was going on. "They're lettin' someone down into a boat… looks like, a woman!"

"Eh? Shall I fire th'warnin' cannon?" Elliot Deane called from his lookout post on the opposite headland to his crewmate.

"Nah… it looks like… fuckin' hell, Deane! It's Celia – with a couple of bairns!"

"What?" the younger man exploded, looking at the small boat bobbing precariously in the wash of the sloop as the ship started to pull away. "She's goin' ter capsize!" Without a second thought, Elliot dived from the top of the cliff and into the water, swimming strongly towards the boat as soon as he emerged.

Celia watched in horror as the figure dived into the water, certain that they had just fallen to their death. Her eyes grew wider as a head bobbed up some distance from the rocks and started swimming towards the small boat, containing her and her children.

"Miss Celia!" Elliot panted as he neared the boat. "It's me!"

"Elliot?" she gasped in astonishment before shaking herself and helping him in to the boat. "What on earth…?"

"I might ask yer th'same thing," he grinned, wiping the dripping water from his eyes. "We searched everywhere f'yer!"

"Why were you on the cliff? How did you know it was me?"

"Me an'Jacob are on watch duties – he had his spyglass, didn't he."

"Watch duties?" she echoed. "W-who is in charge of Tortuga then?"

"Th'Cap'n," Elliot boasted proudly as he took up the oars and started rowing them towards the harbour mouth.

"Jack!"

"Aye, Cap'n Jack Sparrow! I'll take yer t'his mansion."

"N-no! I-I don't think that w-would be a good idea… I'll go to Aggie's – she is still here, isn't she?"

"Still here? Bleedin' hell, Celia – there've been some changes since yer were last here. Aggie runs her own brothel now!"

"Oh! My goodness…"

"Here, yer nipper's don't look so good," he pondered, frowning at the sight of the two un-naturally quiet children.

"No," she worried. "They've barely eaten for three days, nor had much to drink. The ship we were on… it was horrible, Elliot," she shuddered, taking one last look at the Urchin as the sloop went on her way.

"Definitely better get yer ter th'captain's then," he declared. "Toby'll cook yer up a fine broth."

"Toby?" she gasped, smiling at the thought of the cook. "Don't any of you go to sea now?"

"Yeah, but we ain't been fer nigh on two months," Elliot lamented. "Been too busy makin' sure there's no trouble here, but th'cap'n has promised that we'll be back at sea next week, at th'latest!"

'Oh, why couldn't I have come next week instead…?' Celia rued, not entirely wanting to face her former lover again – at least, not so soon. "Please, Elliot, take me to Aggie's."

"Th'cap'n would have me guts fer garters, sorry," he chuckled, glancing across as they passed the black hull of the Pearl. "Oi! Any of yer lazy bastards awake?" he called, "'cos I've got a surprise…"

"What's that then?" came the voice of Matthias Swain and Celia looked up and waved at him excitedly. "Bloody Nora! Come an' look at this, lads!"

"Is it true that you searched for me?" Celia enquired once they had gone past the pirate ship and her waving crew.

"We looked an' asked everywhere we went fer a good year or so," Elliot confirmed. "We couldn't give chase when yer left b'cause of th'state th'Pearl was in."

"I know," she nodded, "I was banking on that. Aren't you going to ask me why I left?"

"I think we can all guess at th'reasons – but that said, it ain't any of my business. It's between you an' th'cap'n." He threw the mooring line up to a dockhand and picked a listless Milly up and carefully placed her over his shoulder, carrying her up the steps and putting her down once he got to the top, reaching down to take Connor off Celia as she held him high before climbing up herself, her knapsack slung across her back.

"I'll take th'lass, eh?" Elliot offered, picking the girl up into his arms and leading the way up the hill.

'I've climbed this hill many a time,' Celia thought to herself, remembering when she worked for Ethan Penhallick, and wondering what had happened to him.

"Here we are," Elliot announced, interrupting her thoughts.

"Here?"

"Aye, th'cap'n didn't want ter live high on th'hill, he wanted ter be where he could get to th'ship quickly if needs be."

"I see…"

"Here, I'll take yer straight round th'back – that's where we all go in."

Celia looked at Jack's house, not quite as big as Penhallick's had been, and certainly not as ostentatious – at least, not from the outside, and she started as they came to the back of the building, seeing the unobstructed view it offered over the harbour and the mouth of the harbour, and Celia immediately saw Jack's reasoning on building his house there.

"It ain't quite finished yet," Elliot told her as he reached a door. "Just a few rooms that are habitable, includin' th'kitchen… Toby!" he yelled as he kicked open the door, his arms still being filled with the sleeping child. "We have a visitor or three…"

"Announce it ter th'bleedin' world, why don't yer?" the burly cook cussed, his glower turning to a frown as he saw the girl in his crewmate's arms. "Who…? Celia?" he gasped as she came into view. "What…?"

"Hello, Toby," she smiled, tiredness overcoming her now they had finally reached safety.

"Fer gawds sake, sit yerself down woman, before yer fall!" Toby strode across the kitchen and took Connor from her arms, then guided her to a chair and helped her to sit before placing her son on her lap. "I'll get us some grub dished out."

"Don't go to any trouble," Celia protested, moving Connor over to make room for Milly and hugging them both to her.

"It's never any trouble f'yer. I've got a stew almost done, anyway. Th'men'll have ter find somethin' else ter eat, eh?"

"All right," she agreed, watching as Toby busied himself stirring the stew then fetching some pewter bowls and spoons from the large cupboard which dominated his kitchen and ladling out generous portions into the bowls and carrying them over to the table.

"Yer look like yer haven't eaten in days."

"We haven't really," Celia sighed, taking a spoon and feeding Connor whilst Toby concentrated on her daughter. "Come on, darling," she urged, tipping the spoon back gently, feeling relief flooding through her as her son gulped it down and showed signs of wanting more, as did his sister, and the two children made short work of the bowls of stew. "The ship we sailed on was… rather horrible."

"Sounds like an understatement ter me," Toby remarked. "Come on, lass, yer need ter eat as well…"

"Five years…" came Jack's drawl from the doorway where he had been watching them. "Five years an' you turn up here an' expect ter be fed."

"I-I… Elliot brought me h-here," Celia stammered, not noticing as her son reached up and slurp the broth from the spoon she was holding, frozen in mid air. "I-I wanted to go to Aggie's…"

Jack looked from Celia to the young girl sitting on her lap and raised an eyebrow, smiling ironically to himself as he noted the child had the same hair and eye colour as himself. "So, where'd yer end up? An' you might as well eat that broth – save wastin' it, eh?"

Celia gulped and bit her lip in the face of his coolness and shook her head. "I've imposed too much," she said quietly. "I shall take my leave."

"What did you come back for?"

"I-I had to," she whispered, her face paling.

"Papa died," Milly piped up. "And some nasty men came and frightened us."

Jack frowned, torn between wanting to find out more and wanting his former lover to see how angry he was with her for running away and losing him the treasure of Geoffrey Goodluck. "I'm sorry about yer husband," he said eventually. "Were you in debt?"

"I-I…"

"I'll take th'nippers out an' show 'em th'pigs I got in a pen, shall I?" Toby put in, taking both the children's hands in his giant ones and leading them outside.

"N-no… w-word must have got out about Ol… my man's death for the following night two men came to rob me… and worse," Celia told Jack, answering his question.

"How did you get away?" the pirate captain queried, cocking his head to one side and he continued to watch her.

"I-I… k-killed o-one of them… my man taught me how to use a p-pistol," Celia gulped, blinking away tears. "T-the other one ran, b-but not before he robbed me of nearly everything we owned…"

"Bloody hell!" he swore, that possibility never having crossed his mind. "So why didn't you go to the authorities?"

"I couldn't, Jack!" she cried, her hand automatically going to her belly. "What if they hadn't believed me? I would have been hanged or bonded and I couldn't risk that."

"Well if you're what I think you are, they wouldn't have hanged you anyway – they don't hang pregnant women. Why did you run from me?"

"B-because… I thought you wouldn't want to know, I thought you'd… I don't know, reject me. And besides, I was angry with you for what you had done to the church, although I realised afterwards that you had done it for me. I-I'm sorry, Jack…"

"You never even gave me a chance ter prove myself ter you," he mused, shaking his head sadly. "An' now yer thought you'd see if I would help yer out, eh? Even though yer lost me th'treasure of Geoffrey Goodluck an' still owe me around forty guineas…"

"Y-you… bastard!" she hissed, jumping to her feet. "I never asked to be brought here – Elliot gave me little choice!"

"But why come back ter Tortuga at all, I wonder?" he mused, stroking his braids thoughtfully. "Could have gone somewhere respectable…"

"I'm a murdress, damn it! How on earth could I live somewhere respectable ever again? There will be a notice out for me, and besides, Oliver brought your daughter up for five years – now it's your turn!"

"Oliver!" Jack gasped in shock. "As in Fernan?"

"Of course, as in Fernan!"

"So yer plotted all this between you?" he demanded angrily. "Thought you'd have a laugh at my expense?"

"Oh don't be so damned stupid, Jack!" Celia shouted. "Our paths crossed in Cockburn when I was heavily pregnant with Milly. He didn't hesitate to take on your child!" She stormed over to the door and yanked it open, striding across the garden to where Tobias was showing the two children his menagerie of animals. "Time to go, Milly, Connor."

"Can we come back again?" Milly asked eagerly. "Mister Toby said we could feed the pigs."

"Maybe," Celia muttered, taking both their hands and marching to the path leading around the side of the house. "You want your forty guineas, Jack Sparrow? You shall have it – by hook or by crook! And don't worry, I'm sure I will find some way of feeding Milly…"

…

"Sweet Jesus!" Aggie breathed as the blonde woman timidly walked into the hall of her brothel with a child holding each hand. "Celia…?"

"Aggie," Celia gulped, unsure of the welcome she would receive and still feeling shaken by her run in with Jack. "Hello…"

"Oh my God! Come here, you!" the red haired woman ran across the hall and embraced Celia in a bear hug, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Dear God, I thought y'were dead!"

"No," Celia gasped, trying to draw breath. "I ended up on Grand Turk."

"An' with a man I gather," the whore grinned, looking down at Connor. "She Jack's?" she mouthed silently, nodding at Milly.

"Yes," Celia confirmed. "I-I've just come from there… I wasn't going to go, but Elliot took me and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Ah… not a happy reunion, then?"

"He's angry with me for running away before my debt was paid, for losing him the treasure, and for ending up with… Oliver."

"Mouse? Bleedin' hell! Come up ter my room – these two look like they need a nap, an' yer can tell me all about yer adventures."

…

'Bloody hell,' Jack thought to himself as he paced the sparsely furnished drawing room of his house for the umpteenth time that afternoon, his head still reeling with shock. 'She came ter you fer help an' you turned her away…' he frowned as his conscience pricked him and shook his head, determined to stay angry with Celia. 'She didn't trust me ter tell me she was carryin' m'child… thought I'd cast her aside…' "Well you did, eventually," he muttered out loud, sighing despondently as he thought of the small girl with dark auburn hair and deep brown eyes. "Damn, damn an' thrice damn!" Jack cursed, kicking the leg of a settee and wincing as he belatedly remembered that he had no shoes or boots on. "What am I goin' ter do?"

…

"Bleedin' hell!" Aggie stated, looking incredulously at her friend when she had finished recounting all that had happened during the past five years or so. "Yer have been busy… I'm so sorry 'bout Mouse, though. He was golden."

"He was," Celia gulped, blinking away tears. "The thing is, Aggie… I have nowhere to stay and precious little money," she fretted. "Can you suggest somewhere?"

"Eh? Yer daft mare! Yer stayin' here an' fuck Sparrow!"

"A-are you sure? It'll just be until I can get on my feet… although, doing what, I haven't a clue."

"Yer can go into service again."

"And what would I do with these two?" Celia enquired, looking at her sleeping children. "Not to mention this one," she smiled, patting her belly.

"Another one?" Aggie squealed, hugging her friend. "Aw, poor Mouse…"

"He didn't know," Celia shrugged sadly. "He'd been at sea for nearly three months."

"Look, yer can stay here as long as yer need, an' don't worry about food an' stuff fer now."

"I can't accept charity off you, Aggie…"

"That's what friends are for!" the whore stated firmly in a tone that brokered no argument. "Yer did enough fer me an' Giselle when yer lived with us – it's time ter return th'favour."

"How is Giselle?"

"She's Giselle," Aggie giggled, winking at Celia who joined in the laughter. "How 'bout bar work?"

"Children," Celia sighed, her smile fading. "I could take in sewing and laundry I suppose… but then I'd need somewhere of my own in order to wash and dry."

"Get yerself settled in again, an' worry about work another time, eh?"

"All right," Celia nodded, embracing her friend once more.

…

A week later "Sorry, Jack," Connie smiled apologetically. "But Aggie said…"

"Said what?" the pirate exploded. "That I'm banned? I don't bloody think so! I'm king of Tortuga now, an' she can't ban me!"

"Oh yes I bleedin' can, Sparrow!" Aggie yelled as she emerged from a room and crossed the hall to the front door of her brothel. "I don't pay yer no dues, so I can do what I bleedin' well like! How dare yer treat Celia like that!" she goaded, smirking because she knew the house was full of pirates and whores and all would have half an ear on the conversation. "How dare yer say that yer won't support yer own daughter! Hell, even Mouse treated her like his own an' yer not even man enough ter do th'same when she is yer own!"

"I…" Jack floundered, looking at the two woman blocking the doorway before turning round and storming off back towards his house, fuming and swearing beneath his breath as he went.

"Is it true, Mama?" Milly asked, a questioning look in her eyes as they sat in their room above the hall. "Is Jack Sparrow my father?"

Celia sighed, cursing her friend and her loud voice, and her daughter's sharp mind. "Yes," she confirmed. "But Oliver was your real father, you understand. He was the one who loved you, fed and clothed you and taught you right from wrong."

"And he didn't want to do that?" the girl queried. "He didn't want me?"

"Oh, Milly… I never gave Jack a chance. He didn't know about you, or if he did, he didn't know where I had gone and so couldn't find me."

"Is he a bad man?"

"No! No, Jack isn't a bad man by any means. He's just… he's a pirate and pirates don't get married and have children," Celia shrugged. "Now come on, back to bed."

"All right," Milly agreed sleepily. "G'night, Mama."

"Goodnight, my darling," Celia smiled, bending to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Sweet dreams." She tucked the girl in and walked quietly across the room, closing the door behind her and taking a deep breath before walking down the stairs to Aggie's office, rehearsing her argument in her head.

"Did yer hear that?" Giselle cackled as she spotted Celia. "Cor, th'bastard didn't know what hit 'im!"

"I think the whole of Tortuga heard that," Celia remarked ruefully as she knocked on the door and entered the room. "Do you have a moment?"

"'Course I do," Aggie beckoned as she poured herself a generous beakerful of rum and lounged back on the settee. "Sparrow was here…"

"I heard," Celia nodded, sitting down in the comfortable chair opposite her friend. "I-I can't find any work, as you know, so I have no other option…"

"What?" Aggie enquired, frowning and leaning forward. "Yer not leavin' again, are yer?"

"No – I can't afford to! I… I want to work for you…"

"Doin' what, exactly? I ain't got no vacancies."

"Y-you always need… girls…"

"What!" the red hed exploded. "A whore! I don't bleedin' think so, Celia Hammond!"

"Aggie, I have no other choice," Celia responded, throwing her hands up in despair. "There is no other work that I can do without having to worry about what to do with the children. At least the other girls would look after them while I'm…"

"Bleedin' hell…" Aggie swore, shaking her head but at the same time working out the sort of price that Celia could fetch. She knew many men had lusted after her when she last lived in the pirate town and guessed they might still be willing to pay well for her now, two children notwithstanding.

"So, are you willing to take me on?"

"Ya sure yer want ter do this?"

"I have to earn money to feed us all and to pay him back! Besides, it's not like I'm a pure virgin any more, is it?" she smiled mischievously.

"All right," Aggie finally nodded. "Yer can start tomorrow night. But, if yer change yer mind, I shan't be angry with yer, all right?"

"I shan't, but thank you," Celia replied, standing and hugging her friend.

…

"She's what!" Jack exploded violently, making Elliot Deane and Gabriel Jennings back away worriedly. "Where th'hell did yer learn that?"

"Giselle was moanin' about it," Gabriel informed his captain. "She's worried that Celia'll take some of her punters away from her…"

"If not all," Elliot put in with a grin, which was wiped quickly off his face by the look Jack gave him.

"Has she started workin'?"

"Nah, tonight – an' yer have ter book…"

"Which I sincerely hope you didn't…" Jack glowered.

"Of course not, Cap'n," Elliot lied, wondering if he could un-book without losing face, or worse, his extremely angry captain finding out.

"Right," Jack declared, grabbing his coat from the coat stand and putting it on as he hurried through the door. "We'll see about that…"

"Come on," Elliot urged his crewmate. "This should be good…"

"I'm goin' ter bleedin' kill her," Jack muttered darkly as he stormed through the streets of Tortuga, drawing curious glances and a following as people realised that something was amiss and they wanted to find out what.

"Gabriel, Deane?" Matthias Swain called, jogging along in order to catch his crewmates up at the head of the gaggle. "What's happened?"

"There's goin' ter be an explosion th'likes of which Tortuga ain't ever seen b'fore," the younger of the two laughed.

"An' who's goin' ter cop it?"

"Celia, an' possibly Aggie," Gabriel chipped in. "She's workin' as a whore from tonight an' th'cap'n ain't best pleased about it…"

"Serve him bloody right," the ship's doctor muttered, Jack's apparent refusal to help the young woman support his own daughter had rankled with quite a number of the crew.

"Y-yer can't…" a whore spluttered as Jack burst through the doors of the brothel and started searching the downstairs rooms.

"Yes I bloody well can!" Jack snarled angrily, pushing through a thong of people and finding himself in a large room filled with the other girls. "Where is she?"

"What th'hell d'yer think yer doin', Sparrow? I banned yer…"

"What am I doin'?" he exploded, whirling around and sending his beads and braids flying. "What th'fuckin' hell d'you think you're doin', lettin' her work as a whore?"

"J-Jack, calm down," Aggie stammered, never having seen the genial pirate captain and now king of Tortuga, so angry in all the years she had known him.

"How dare you!"

Jack turned again, straight into a jaw breaking slap and he reeled, as much from shock as the blow. "Wha…?"

"Who the hell do you think you are, Jack Sparrow, to decide what I can and cannot do with my life? You refused to help me, refused to help your own daughter and you say I still owe you money! Well how the hell else do you think I'm going to earn it, hmm?"

"This ain't th'place," he growled, stepping forward and picking the mother of his child up and slinging her over his shoulder, holding on to her legs so she could not kick him.

"Let me go!" Celia shrieked, trying to kick but pummelling his back with her fists instead. "Put me down, you bastard! You have no bloody right to do this!"

"You are not workin' as a whore," he declared, pushing through the onlookers and out of the door of the brothel.

"So we'll starve, shall we?" Celia demanded, turning her body so that she was shouting down his ear. "Will you see fit to give me and my children a proper funeral – or is even that beyond the great Jack Sparrow!"

"Don't be bloody stupid," Jack snapped as he strode back towards his mansion. "You can work fer me again…"

"What!" Celia screeched, trying hard to kick him. "There is no way I am working for you, ever again! Put. Me. Down!" Her anger gave her extra strength and Celia managed to get one leg free of Jack's embrace and she aimed hard for his groin, crying out in shock when he dropped her to the ground as he doubled up.

"No, yer don't, Missy," he gasped, shooting one hand out and grabbing her before she had chance to run, whilst the other hand clutched at his groin. "We need ter sort this out…"

"I was trying to," she hissed, trying to pull her arm away. "There is a dearth of decent jobs around here, in case you hadn't noticed!"

"So work fer me again – I won't be there fer most of th'time."

"Some pirate king you'll make then!" Celia sniped sarcastically. "There'll be someone else take your place by the time you return."

"Ain't no-one else got th'balls or th'brains ter do so," Jack boasted, trying to straighten up and keep tight hold of Celia at the same time.

"You're incredible!" she snorted, shaking her head as she stood and faced him.

"Aye, I know," he grinned, jumping back from her kick. "Now, are yer goin' ter walk properly or do I have ter carry you th'whole way?"

"Guess?" she retorted, shrieking as he scooped her up once more. "Jack, put me down! We have nothing to talk about!"

"We have plenty ter talk about, startin' with that forty guineas…"

"Oh, don't worry," Celia snapped. "You'll get it back!"

"But I don't want it!" Jack protested. "I'm goin' ter waive it fer you."

"Oh no you are not! I'm not going to be beholden to you for the rest of my days, Jack Sparrow – now put me down before I turn really nasty."

"Celia, stop being so bleedin' stubborn! Th'money was never an issue fer me…"

"So why the hell did you bring it up as soon as you clapped eyes on me again, hmm?"

"I never thought I'd see you again, then yer turn up out of th'blue with two bairns in tow." Jack sighed as he stopped and placed her back on the ground. He frowned, torn between wanting to tell her how much she had hurt him when she left and not wanting to admit his feelings so publicly, especially in front of the crowd that had been following them from the brothel. "You repaid yer debt when yer had my child, savvy?" he said quietly. "Look, call th'forty guineas payment in lieu of what I owed Oliver when he… left th'ship.

"No, Jack," Celia declared. "You're not purging your guilt by waiving my debt. I shall pay you back and you have no right to decide how I earn my keep." She gathered the now dirty and torn dress up past her ankles and stormed off back in the direction of the brothel, her mind in a whirl with all that had happened.

"Bloody hell! Look at th'state of yer!" Giselle gasped as Celia entered the house of ill repute once more.

"I'm sorry, Aggie," she apologised, her hands sweeping the dress which her friend had loaned her for the night. "I'll clean and mend it for you."

"Not yer fault," the Madame shrugged. "Y'all right?"

"F-fine," Celia stammered, tears brimming her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, I can't…"

"I don't expect yer to," the red haired woman smiled kindly. "Yer go ter bed an' I'll sort out th'punters. Somehow…" she muttered once her friend was out of earshot. "Bloody hell, this is goin' ter cost me," Aggie mused ruefully, knowing the only way she would be able to pacify those who had booked Celia that night, would be to give them a free go with the other girls. "Damn yer Sparrow! Marlow never gave me this much grief…"

…