Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.
AN: I know this is unexpected, but I'm afraid that this story is coming to a close. But fear not! In all likelihood, there will be a sequel. All you need to do is keep checking my bio page after "Call of Freedom" is over to see how things are going in my twisted little brain. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!
Chapter 20: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not:
As I watched the island and its cove fade away into the horizon, I turned away from the balcony windows in Jack's cabin and collapsed on the bed, feeling extremely depressed. It was three days after the kiss, and Jack had been avoiding me like the plague. Ever since the day we returned to the Pearl, Jack seemed distracted, muttering things to himself and frowning in thought. He didn't even want to take care of me anymore, instead sending in a few crewmembers to help me, should I need it.
To be honest, it was nice seeing a few different and friendly faces. Most often, it was Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Cotton and his parrot, or Barton who came in to check on me and keep me amused whenever I became too bored. They even took me for walks around the deck and helped me flex my arm once and a while so that the muscles didn't become tight and useless. It was a pleasant change, and I enjoyed trading jokes and teasing the others about meaningless things; it made me feel as though I were still part of the crew, and I think it helped speed up the healing in my shoulder, as the stiffness was nearly gone.
Meanwhile, Jack resumed his captaining duties aboard the Pearl. In fact, the only times I saw Jack was when he came in to go to bed, and even then, he only came when it was pitch black inside and when I was almost lost in sleep. Occasionally, I'd wake up as he was getting into bed, but didn't say or do anything to let him know he'd woken me; instead, I savored the warmth of his body lying next to mine as we both drifted off to dreams. If the gods were kind, I'd wake up the next morning with Jack's arms around my waist, holding me close until he woke up and pulled away to go tend to his duties at the helm. Besides those precious moments at night, though, things between us had grown thin and distant.
With the island fading from view, I realized that, since we were leaving the safety of the hidden cove, Jack probably considered me healthy enough to take the Pearl to another island. A deeper thought into the matter revealed that perhaps I was recovered enough to perhaps join the crew when they all went to have some fun at wherever we were heading to. After all, hadn't Jack said that us hiding out in that small cove was so that I could heal in peace?
Odd-sounding footsteps from above told me that Jack was walking away from the helm for the moment, and as they approached the door, I turned my gaze to look at it. A swift knock was closely followed by my calling for the person to enter, and sure enough, Jack sauntered in, a smile on his handsome face.
"Good news, luv," he said, grinning widely. "We're heading for Tortuga to restock the galley, and I'd like to properly show you the town a bit more thoroughly after we've docked."
That last part surprised me, but I was perfectly willing to get out and stretch my legs on solid land again. Happy with the arrangement, I nodded my agreement, returning Jack's grin with one of my own before watching him leave to go back towards the helm. Perhaps I'll be able to have some fun after all.
Every thing was going as it should. Soon, they'd be in Tortuga and he'd be able to woo Rose as she was due. Jack had to admit that the pirate town was probably the worst place to romance a lovely young woman, but it was the best he could do; he was a wanted man in every respectable port in the Caribbean, and he wasn't about to risk dragging Rose through a gauntlet of flying bullets in the name of romance! Besides there would be plenty of time for fighting the Navy and such later on during one of his mad adventures; he was always good for one of those.
'Only this time, there's no way Rose is going to be near the railing when we raid someone,' he decided as he steered the Pearl towards his destination.
Now came the hard part: how to woo the woman currently dwelling in his cabin. In truth, Rose technically didn't have to be there; her shoulder was healing quite well, and she could easily go back to her cabin to rest and recuperate. She could even resume light duties, such as dusting or polishing things on the Pearl, or helping Mr. Cotton in the galley.
'But with me being the selfish pirate that I am, I happen to like having Rose living in my cabin,' Jack thought with a grin as the island housing Tortuga came into view.
Plus, ordering her to stay in the cabin meant that he could easily get away to put his plans into action without getting her attention or suspicions. The men agreed to be sure that she stayed on the Pearl, and if he went on shore under the guise of restocking the ship, she wouldn't suspect a thing until it was too late. But first, everything needed to be perfect. After that…
'Well, we'll see what Fate brings,' Jack thought to himself as the destination drew nearer.
I huffed and pouted as I sat down on the bed. "But Jack, I want to go on land," I whined.
As childish as I appeared at that moment, I truly wanted to get off of the ship, if only for a little while. Although I loved the Pearl, there are only so many days a person could stay cooped up in a cabin before going mad from boredom and from seeing the same four walls every single day. It wasn't as though I were an invalid either; my shoulder was healed enough so that I didn't need bandages anymore, and although it was slightly stiff, I could still move it with only a bit of ache and pain.
However, my nursemaid was having none of it. "It's not happening, darling," Jack declared as he looked at me with a smile.
I huffed once more and crossed my arms over my chest. When Jack's eyes traveled to look at the slightly revealing collar of my shirt, however, I quickly dropped my arms and scowled at him.
"Something I can help you with, Captain?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Jack's eyes quickly snapped up to my face, though I could easily tell that he was still thinking about the fact that the shirt I was wearing was low enough to offer him a good view, should I move my arms or body the wrong way.
"Oh, no, nothing, luv," he said as his eyes twitched downwards slightly. "I'm perfectly fine."
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Of course you are," I sarcastically replied.
"Really, darling, being so grumpy doesn't suit so lovely a face as yours," Jack chided me, a smirk on his face as I rolled my eyes once more.
"But Jack, we've been here in Tortuga for two days! Can't I at least go outside and stretch my legs on solid land?" I pleaded, allowing my eyes to turn large and pleading, like that of a puppy.
He opened his mouth to protest, then stopped, his jaw hanging open as I stared at him with pouting lips. "Rose, luv, I really think that…" Jack stopped speaking as I allowed tears to enter my eyes. "Oh, alright, I'll take you to town!"
My sad look vanished as I let out a cry of joy, leaping off of the bed and flinging my arms around Jack's neck. He returned the hug, and I could tell that he was all too happy to do so, since just as I was about to let go, I felt Jack's right hand slide down from my back and pat my bottom.
"Ah!" I yelped, my body automatically jerking forwards, colliding with Jack's in a rather intimate way. "Jack!"
"Sorry, Rose, but you had to admit, it was fun." I saw his smirk grow wider as he wrapped an arm around me and led me outside into the hot Caribbean sunshine.
Now, Tortuga wasn't precisely my ideal place to regain my land-legs, but since we were here, I decided to just be grateful that Jack let me off of the Pearl at all. I scrunched up my nose after we'd left the port, disliking the smell of the town to the point of being nauseous. After being at sea for so long and having fresh, salty air blowing constantly, the smells of the pirate town turned my stomach. Unwashed bodies, a dozen different types of alcohol, cheap perfume, rotting food and flowers, filthy animals and birds, as well as the droppings of those animals, made me wish I were back on the ship.
'Note to self: be careful what you wish for, Rose,' I thought to myself as Jack led me up a side street. However, this was not the usual way to the Faithful Bride, and I glanced over at him in confusion.
"I've got different plans for us than going straight to the Bride today," he explained, though I was still puzzled. "I thought I'd buy you a nice bit of something, to reward you for being such a good patient."
Despite his teasing words, I felt myself blush at his bit of flattery. "You don't have to do that, Jack," I protested with a smile.
"Actually, I do," he stated as he led me down another street, this one very quiet and actually quite clean. "Now, this part of Tortuga is less frequently used by the drunks and such, being as it's away from all of the taverns. Only the center of town has the bars and pleasure houses, but most business takes place away from all that so that noise and such doesn't get in the way of making a coin or two."
During his explanation, I did my best not to laugh at him as he waved his hands around, pointing one way or another as he sashayed down the road. Instead, I merely nodded my understanding and followed him into a shop that had a sign claiming to be a blacksmith shop. We stepped inside and looked around. At the back of the place stood a man with silver hair, busily working on a piece of metal on an anvil and unawares of our entry. Jack cleared his throat loudly and caught the man's attention.
"I'd like to buy a sword for the lass," Jack stated, jerking his head towards me.
"What?" I said, completely shocked. "But Jack, I already have a sword!"
He merely waved his hand at me, dismissing my comment. "You need one specifically made for a lady," Jack declared. "No offense, luv, I admire your skills, and you're quite good, but you need something lighter than the chunk of metal that's holding you down." I sighed and nodded my head.
Meanwhile, the blacksmith was giving us a very happy smile as he approached and took my hand in both of his large ones, his fingers spreading mine apart as he looked at it. "You've got a fine hand, miss," he said, frowning in concentration. "Delicate, but you've seen hard work and aren't afraid of it. Let's see what I've got over here and if there's nothing that suits your fancy, I'll make one up."
"Aye, sounds good," Jack said as he reached over and took my hand away from the smith's. "Now, what've you got for the lady?"
The smith took a long look between me and Jack before giving me a knowing smile. "Over here," he said, leading us to a large wooden box.
Inside lay about six swords wrapped up in cloth to keep out the elements. After unwrapping them all and lining them up to display, I leaned closer to inspect them. One of them had a frightening skull handle, which I immediately dismissed. Another had gold filigree in the handle, which I refused to have because the men all had plainer swords than this and I didn't want to seem like a vain crewmember. Two others had a hideous green-brown handle, which would look horrible even if the colors faded, and one other had a coloring like dried blood, which gave me chills.
"How about this one, luv?" Jack asked, picking the last sword up.
I gently took it from him and inspected it. The weight was good, and something I could handle much better than the sword I usually carried. The handle was a dark blue with thin silver wire ingrained into it, and the end of the handle was a Celtic knot with a blue stone in the center. Stepping out into an open space, I swung it around, listening to the whistling sound of the blade as it cut through the air. It was beautiful. Slowly, a grin spread across my face as I turned and looked at Jack.
He was grinning as well. "We'll take it."
I happily left the blacksmith shop an hour later, Jack's arm around my waist as we walked. My new sword was securely on my hip, as was a matching dagger that the smith had included in the long bargaining session that he and Jack had participated in. I was thankful when it had ended, given that if they'd gone on for much longer, I would have been tempted to either grab the sword and run, or merely hit them both in the head with it to make them stop.
"So where are we off to now, Captain?" I said, very much liking the fact that his arm was around me.
Jack merely grinned and, much to my disappointment, released his arm from my waist. "Now we eat," he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling at the sight of my grimace. "No, luv, we aren't eating at the taverns; I've got something else in mind."
Curious, I let him take me by the hand and lead me down another street, this one slightly busier than the one we had been on leaving the smithy. There were merchants calling out their wares from the front of their shops, men and women bargaining over produce, and even the occasional streetwalker. I frowned as one girl in a light blue dress approached, a pleased smile on her lips. I bit back a groan. The girl was quite pretty, for a Tortuga prostitute. She had pale blue eyes, blonde hair, and bore a lovely golden tan from the Caribbean sun. The clean dress she wore perfectly complimented her figure and features, and I felt like a drab, dirty thing next to her, which was saying something. Even worse was the fact that she seemed to know Jack, which shouldn't have surprised me.
"Hello, Captain Sparrow," she drawled, eyeing Jack up and down before giving me a quick glare.
"Ah, Belle, how are you?" Jack said with a smile. My heart plummeted to the ground as Jack released my hand and reached out to the girl, which she quickly put into his.
"Oh, I'm just fine," the girl, Belle, replied with a saucy grin. "I haven't seen you around for a while…"
"I've been busy," Jack stated as he pressed a kiss to the back of Belle's hand. "Just took the Pearl off to India for a while so that the men could have some fun. We've only just returned."
"India?" Belle cooed as she stepped forwards, latching on to Jack's arm, positioning herself between me and him so that all of Jack's attention was on her. "I've always wanted to go and see India! What's it like over there? Do they really wear those colorful clothes that the merchants are talking about in the taverns?"
A wide grin spread across Jack's face as he began answering her questions, Belle discreetly leading him away towards a nearby tavern. While Jack was busy chatting away, Belle quickly turned around and gave me a triumphant smirk before facing forwards once more.
The world around me seemed to crack and break away. Jack had left me stranded in the middle of Tortuga, with no money and no one to help defend me if I were to be attacked. My eyes turned to look back the way we had come, and I began looking for a safe, secluded place to think. Nearby stood a rather respectable book store, so I quickly headed there, ducking inside and exhaling once I was safely hidden between two rows.
'Alright, don't panic,' I thought to myself. 'It shouldn't be that far back to the port, much less the Pearl. You just need to head straight for the water and to the left, that's all.' I fingered my new sword and dagger. 'And keep your eyes open!'
Nodding to myself, I stepped out from between the rows and came face-to-face with an elderly woman. "Are you alright, dearie?" she asked, looking me up and down. "Oh, a pirate lass, are you? Which ship are you with?"
I tilted my head to the side, puzzled. "Well, actually, I'm with the Black Pearl," I slowly replied.
"Oh, Captain Sparrow's crew!" she crowed. "A good lad, Jack is. He saved this poor old woman from a harsh beating and robbery once." She gave me another close look. "Well, you look like an intelligent woman who enjoys reading…you do enjoy reading, don't you?" I nodded excitedly. "Oh, good! Now, come take a look at my stores; it's so rare I get a true lover of literature in here; most of my customers are sailors who want horrible romantic novels to keep them company at sea. But you, my dear, don't strike me as one of those!"
I blushed and let her lead me further into the shop. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I don't have any money," I apologized. "And I really should be getting back to my ship…"
"Nonsense!" the woman said as she stopped before a few shelves. "Besides, I get so much business from those sailors that I can afford to give a true book- aficionado a few things to keep your mind occupied. An exercised mind is a healthy mind, young lady, and don't you forget it!"
Goodness, the woman sounded like my grandmother! Instead of arguing with her, I nodded and meekly followed her through the shelves of books, occasionally stopping to look at something about history or one of Homer's works. The shopkeeper beamed whenever she saw me pause, and told me to pick out three books of my choice. I inhaled sharply at the generous offer, fully ready to protest, but the look on her face prevented me from doing so. Instead, I picked out a book about India (so that I had something to talk to Padma about when I went back), Homer's The Odyssey, and a book of sea mythologies. The woman seemed pleased with my choices and wrapped them up in sturdy brown cloth, tying it shut with a thick length of black ribbon.
"Enjoy these, my dear," she said as she handed me the parcel. "And may they keep you good company on the worst of nights."
For some reason, I suddenly felt a quiver go through my bones at her words. "Um, thank you," I replied as I turned to leave.
When I stepped foot outside, I realized that these books could very well indeed be good company, especially since I would be sleeping back in my cabin as of this night. Taking a deep breath, I turned towards the port and walked purposely down to the docks, ignoring all of the shouts and catcalls coming from men in the streets. I glared at a few of them before showing the hilts of my sword and dagger, causing most of them to go silent.
'Walk as though you're dangerous and have a purpose or destination to get to,' I thought to myself. 'Beware of those around you, too.'
I spotted a man with a nasty grin approach me, but when I drew my sword, he stopped, hands in the air as his eye grew wide. I watched both him and those around me as he stepped away, something inside me going to full alert as I began to slowly turn back towards the Pearl.
"Rose!" a familiar voice called. Turning, I spotted Mr. Gibbs rushing towards me. "Rose, what are you doing, rushing around the streets of Tortuga like that? Let me get you back to the Pearl."
Never had I been so happy to take someone up on their offer of protection.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Jack thought to himself as he rushed through the streets, retracing his steps time and time again.
He hadn't meant to leave Rose all alone like that; it's just that he and Belle had a sort of fun history together as friends and lovers, often meeting each other whenever the Pearl pulled into Tortuga. They'd talk about his adventures and meet for the evening at the nearest inn for the night (or longer) before he had to leave again. It had been nothing serious, and Jack had done his best to be sure that Belle understood that. However, something had been different about this particular meeting. Belle had been unusually attentive and adept at steering conversation towards him getting her out of Tortuga, "for old time's sake". It hadn't been until then that Jack remembered why he was in this part of town, the "better" part of Tortuga that he almost never stepped foot in for very long. When that happened, he'd gotten up from the table of the tavern they'd been in and left Belle sitting there while he rushed to find the woman who'd captured his heart, swearing under his breath.
After hours of searching, Jack finally stopped to think logically about the situation. If Rose had any sense, she'd be at the Pearl. She was armed, so men looking for 'entertainment' would know her for a pirate and stay away. Nodding to himself, Jack raced for his ship, charging up the gangplank and onto the deserted deck before heading to his cabin. When he opened the door, fully prepared to apologize on bended knees, he saw something else entirely different from what he'd expected.
Rose and all of her belongings were gone.
AN: Cliché, I know, but still necessary for conflict! The story's ending soon, so please review!