Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.
AN: Here's chapter five. Just a bit of warning: I'm going on vacation soon, and won't be able to update for a couple weeks. I thought I'd warn readers just so people don't panic if there isn't an update when there's supposed to be one. Enjoy, and please review!
Chapter 5: Confusing Feelings:
After our third week at sea, I was becoming bored out of my mind. True, we had stopped a few times, but those visits were mostly just long enough to re-provision the Pearl…and to let the men get drunk out of their minds for one or two nights. Once those two things had happened, of course, we were back to sailing to wherever it was that Jack had in mind, of which I had no idea where we were going.
To my amazement, none of the crew had any doubts about where we were headed. The men simply went along their day without a worry as to where Jack was leading them, everyone except me content with whatever direction the Captain pointed them to. I, however, grew more and more frustrated with each passing day. It seemed as though everyone else knew a secret about Jack and the Pearl except for me, and it tended to have me throwing a private fit in my room at night, when no one was watching.
Then, one day, just when I thought I'd end up going mad with cabin fever and not knowing the Secret of the Black Pearl, Jack appeared to see my dilemma. I had been on deck, staring out at the ocean, when I heard Jack call for Mr. Gibbs to take over the helm. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't surprise me and I would merely ignore it. However, since that Jack hadn't stepped down from the wheel since we'd left Tortuga, leaving only to eat a quick meal and to sleep at night, this was rather unusual.
Turning my head at the sound of Jack's shout, I was surprise to see him leave his post, but decided that perhaps he needed to stretch his legs. Shrugging, I returned my gaze to the Caribbean and the setting sun, watching the glorious colors dance across the sea and sky.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked a familiar smooth voice right into my ear. Jack had joined me at the railing and was hovering behind me, just over my right shoulder.
I shivered slightly as I felt the warmth of his breath on my skin. "I love to watch the sun rise and set on the water," I said, smiling at the shifting rainbow of colors. "It's just so…magical."
From behind me, I heard Jack shift from his position and move to stand by my right arm, positioning himself so close that his sleeve brushed against mine.
"Aye, Nature can create the most magnificent pieces of art you'll ever see. And once you combine her works, like the sun and the ocean, well…"
Jack's soft voice seemed to wrap itself around me, holding me in an embrace that seemed to make that moment seem almost…perfect. I felt comfortable there with him in the silence that followed, though I wished that he would keep speaking; it made me feel as though I could stand there forever with him, just listening to him talk about the sea and all of the beauty and freedom it had to offer. Jack Sparrow had the gift of a captivating voice, and it was something that I found myself relishing each and every time that he spoke to me.
Suddenly, I felt his warm hand on my arm, startling me out of my warm blanket of contentment. My body jerked in response to the light touch, which caused the pirate captain next to me to laugh in amusement.
"Sorry to startle you, luv, but I've got a question to ask of you," he said, his voice still as soft as it was before.
"What would you like to know?" I asked, tiling my head to the side in puzzlement.
"You seem to be a bit…moody of late," Jack replied, looking a bit concerned. "Now before you slap me for this, I'd like to ask…is it because of a…certain monthly visitor that has you so on edge lately?"
I blinked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. Leave it to a man to skirt around the topic of a woman's monthlies! Quickly covering my mouth to stifle my laughter, I tried to sober quickly to answer his question.
"No, Captain Sparrow, I'm not on my monthlies," I said, still snickering into my hand.
Jack sighed with relief as he turned his gaze towards the horizon. "Well, that goodness for that!" he said. Suddenly, I could feel him looking at me again. "Seriously, though, darling, what's troubling you? It's not like you to be so short-tempered with everyone, and the men are starting to feel a bit fearful of you, like you're going to start strangling them in their sleep."
For a moment, I thought he was serious, but when I turned to look at him, I realized that he was sporting a teasing smile. But despite the smile, I could feel that Jack was truly worried about me, and that he wanted to help me feel better. Just the thought of him being so caring towards me made my heart swell, and though I tried to push my feelings for him aside, it was growing harder and harder to do so. No matter how hard I tried to resist, I found myself falling even more for the handsome man beside me, even though I knew that there was little to no chance of him ever returning my feelings.
And so, pasting on a smile, I hid my secret emotions as I answered his question.
"I just feel as though you're all keeping a secret from me, like you don't want me to know anything specific about where we're going," I said, glancing back to the water. "I feel…
"You feel like we're leaving you out of it?" he asked. I nodded, not turning my gaze away from the dancing waves, and heard him sigh. "Well, can't blame you for that. I thought that Gibbs or another crewmember would have told you, but I suppose that's what I get for assuming things." His firm but gentle hand gripped my shoulder. "Come to my cabin and I'll tell you a story."
My attention was immediately his the moment that Jack had uttered those last few words. I loved his stories, and if he was willing to tell me one, then who was I to argue? Quickly, I followed him to his cabin, eager for a tale that was fit for a book.
"So Will and Elizabeth managed to help you escape from the hangman's noose?" I asked, not sure if I believed his tale or not.
"Aye, that they did!" Jack exclaimed, grinning as he put his feet up on the large, round table. "Good man, young William is, even though he's a eunuch."
I laughed. "Just because he spends his time practicing with a sword doesn't make him a eunuch, Jack," I said, smiling.
Jack merely rolled his eyes at me. "Well, what did you think about the story, luv?" he asked, looking at me. "Did you manage to figure out what the compass does?"
"You mean point to the Isla de Muerta?" I asked, hoping that I'd guessed correctly.
"Nope, that's not it," he said, smirking at me. "Care to try again?"
I shook my head. "I give up," I sighed, throwing my hands up into the air.
"Well, then," Jack quipped, swinging his feet to the floor and sitting up straight. "I suppose you won't believe me if I told you that this compass," he held up the small black box, "points directly to whatever it is the holder wants most in the world." He glared at me when I snorted in disbelief. "Here, go ahead, try it," he ordered, placing the compass on the table and pointing at it.
But instead of doing as he said, I merely shook my head, chuckling at I did so. "And prove you right?" I said, holding my hands up in front of me as though I were defending myself. "No, thank you; I'll just take your word for it."
What I couldn't tell him was that I feared what it would point to. If the compass really did work the way he said it would, it might just point to him, and if it did, how would I explain that? There were probably thousands (or at least hundreds) of women who wanted Captain Jack Sparrow the way that I did, and it was likely that Jack knew about them. Jack was a free soul who would probably never fall in love or be "tied down," as the crew put it. If he ever found out about how I felt about him, I knew that I would die of embarrassment, though probably not before he threw me off of the Pearl. No, best not chance it…
"Why thank you, milady," Jack sarcastically replied, interrupting my thoughts. "It is so nice to know that you have faith in me and my abilities!"
I couldn't hold back a snicker. "Well, as long as you're leading us to some fun, excitement, and something valuable to make this all worthwhile, then I have complete faith in you," I said, giving him a true smile with no humor in it. "Speaking of which, where are we going?"
Jack stood up from his chair, picking up the compass as he did so and flipping it open. "Well, from what I can see, we're heading towards India…" he cocked his head to the side, as though puzzled. "Or somewhere thereabouts."
I merely sighed and shook my head as I left the cabin.
So we were headed towards the Far East. My father had done business with those mysterious, enchanting countries, and most of those goods that had passed through our house on their way to be counted or given as expensive gifts to friends. The large ships would be full of tanned sailors shouting orders as the goods were unloaded into the back of carts, and my father would oversee them while I, a little girl at the time, waited in the carriage, watching everything from the window.
Once the carts were underway, Papa and I would follow behind them in our carriage to the warehouses. After the goods had been opened and counted, my father would allow me to gently touch the cloths he had ordered, or to delicately sniff a few containers with markings that I was too young to read for myself. Sometimes he would hand me a small animal carving made from wood or ivory that he had snuck out of a box, and he would let me play with it until it was time to go home. It was probably my admiration for those exotic things that had made me who I am today…an explorer. All my life I had seen ivory tusks and beautiful ebony carvings from Africa. I had smelled exotic spices and sandalwood, and fingered fine silks from China and further east since the time I was old enough to accompany my father around to his warehouses. However, what I desired most was to know the stories behind these objects. I wanted to see the cities where they were made and the ports from which they had sailed. I wanted to meet unique foreign traders and see their colorful, glamorous outfits, so different from those worn in Europe. Most of all, I wanted the chance to see and smell the air of a place far from the city where I had grown up. I wanted to see the world.
Jack had given me an understanding smile when I had told him that, right after he'd shown me his compass. One afternoon, on the fifth week of our journey, I had been beckoned to the helm by him, and Jack had asked me what I thought about this whole voyage to India, or, quite possibly, China. I'd rattled off how much I yearned to see where the most beautiful, exquisite things I'd ever seen came from, and he had patted me on the shoulder and given it a squeeze, assuring me that he would show me exactly what I was looking for.
So here I was, riding a ship across the Atlantic Ocean once more. It struck me as funny that, only a month or so ago, we had been on our way to the Caribbean. Now here we were, crossing it again, heading for…well, who-knows-where? Still, it was giving me a good chance to practice the skills that Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Cotton, and the other crewmen had taught me on the way over from Europe, so it wasn't a total loss. Best of all was that the men were teaching me card games to help pass the time, and were now introducing me to gambling. I didn't like to gamble, as I had practically no money, but Mr. Gibbs let me watch as he played and even let me help him, allowing me to keep a coin or two from the winnings he got.
And so time passed, until, finally, we arrived in the Indian Ocean.
From his place at the helm, Jack watched the goings-on of his crew as they amused themselves. It was nightfall, and a new moon, making it too dark to sail. Instead, Jack had dropped anchor and stood back to watch his men (and woman) gamble at a deck of cards. However, his sights were primarily set on the woman currently hunched over at Gibbs' side, giggling as the men made jokes or poked fun at one another.
'She's fitting in quite well,' he thought, smirking from his stance at the wheel. He had yet to leave his spot, even though they had dropped anchor for the night. 'I never expected the men to accept her as one of them this soon.'
Truth of the matter was, Jack had fully expected for them to make inappropriate advances, call her names, and downright send her into tears the first couple months she was onboard the Pearl. Even Annamaria had had her share of insults while she was serving on the Pearl, which was probably why she had beat a new ship right out of him. The mere thought of the whole escapade leading up to the purchase of said ship still made his face hurt.
'That will be the last time I ever borrow a boat from a woman and promise to pay her back for it,' Jack thought, rubbing his chin with a wince. 'Blasted woman damned near knocked my head off with her last hit, and even then, my face hurt for a week.'
That last hit had been the final straw, causing Jack to buy the first decent ship he came across, handing the deed over to Anna as fast as he could…which happened to be the instant the ink was dry. She'd merely smirked at him before heading off to find a crew of her own.
'Thank goodness she'd left with a smile, or else she would have really taken my head off.' Oh, well, at least Rosie was a good crewmember, and had been accepted far better than Annamaria. 'Though it might have been Anna's temper that kept the men from befriending her…'
A sudden jolt flew through Jack's chest at the sight of Gibbs hugging Rose around her waist, obviously celebrating them winning a hand at cards. Gibbs took a drink from his flask as Rose picked up the coins and began to count them, dividing the money into three piles. Two were for Gibbs, one for him to keep for himself, one to use for wagering at the next game, and one was the tiny portion for herself in the form of Gibbs' thanks for her support and company.
'Never thought I'd see the day where Gibbs was thankful for having a woman onboard,' Jack thought with amusement.
Indeed, the older sailor seemed to be having the time of his life, teasing and exchanging whispers with Rose over the cards he held in his hand. The other sailors were chuckling at one another and occasionally with Rose, but if one of them said something inappropriate or uncalled-for, Gibbs was there to put them in their place. It almost felt like he was treating the girl like a friend or a daughter, which pleased Jack to no end.
'At least I've got no real competition from the rough-mannered dogs I call a crew,' he thought to himself. 'After all, she is the only female onboard, so who else am I going to have fun with?'
On the other hand, there was no way that Jack wanted to go against Gibbs, especially if the first mate was playing guardian on Rose's behalf. True, the man was loyal as any captain could ask for, but if you got on the wrong side of him, it was always best to apologize as quickly as possible, for your own sake.
'Still, it might be worth it,' Jack thought to himself, puckering his lips as he considered his options. 'After all, she's my crewmember, and I did rescue her from that wedding of hers…not to mention that she's quite easy on the eyes.'
Yes, Rose (formerly Angela) Nelson was quite the looker, though she didn't really know it. The girl had long brown hair, though unlike Jack's, hers had touches of red and blonde in it, making the strands do very interesting things in sunlight if it was hanging loose. Her brown eyes were a chocolate brown, and filled with a curiosity that Jack found appealing. Best of all was that she wasn't a thin, stick-figured girl like most women or whores he knew, but instead had curves right where they were most flattering. Just the thought of them made him smirk.
'I just have to wait for the opportune moment,' he thought before heading towards his cabin for a nap.
Sometimes being a mute was a blessing, since others tended to forget he was there if his parrot wasn't squawking. Watching his captain go into his quarters, Mr. Cotton gently petted his bird as he shook his head. He knew that the Captain was interested in Rose, but would not readily admit it to anyone, much less himself. For a man who was usually so talented in winning over women (if only for the one time), Jack Sparrow seemed clueless as to how to woo this one. Rose was too clever to fall for Jack's usual tricks, which seemed only to confuse the pirate captain even more. Still, Mr. Cotton had every confidence that this would sort itself out.
Smiling to himself, Cotton headed to keep watch from the crow's nest, his parrot on his shoulder.
AN: A bit shorter, but still good…I hope. Please review and let me know how it is!