Kathryn looked at Jack and crossed her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrow. "Did you think that I wouldn't, Captain Sparrow?"
"I've known many who do not. I suppose I'm jaded an' I forget that yer not jaded by this world... yet."
Kathryn continued to scowl at him. "No, I am not jaded as you say."
"Aye... So, Carter, think ye remember how to get us outta here or do I need to?" Jack smirked.
Carter looked at Jack, eyes wide. Then he looked back at Kathryn as if expecting an order.
"Well," Kathryn said, "Answer the man." Carter looked back to Jack.
"I don't think that I would want to ruin the lady's ship, sir. Perhaps it would be better -" he looked down at his feet. Jack grinned.
"Aye, I'll get us outta here, if it's alright with said lady?" Jack said slightly bowing, with his hands pressed together as if in prayer to Kathryn. Kathryn rolled her eyes at Jack.
"Aye. It's all right with me. Assuming it's me you're talking about," she joked.
She gave Jack a shove to make him stand upright and she went over to stand beside the wheel. Jack followed to the helm, and began barking orders to the crew as they sailed out towards the harbor.
Kathryn stood by and watched as Jack called out to her crew. She watched him, smiling in admiration. Soon Jack guided the Venture through the reef and as soon as it was cleared of the reef, Jack moved aside. Slightly bowing with his hands pressed together, he let Kathryn regain control of the helm. Jack held his compass in his hand and thought of the Pearl, and then opened the lid. The arrow spun a bit then stopped suddenly.
"The Pearl is that way." Jack said pointing in the direction his compass showed.
Kathryn tried to look over Jack's shoulder at the precious compass. She turned the wheel in the direction that Jack was pointing and smiled, still trying to look at his compass. Every time she tried to catch a glance at his compass, he would turn it so she couldn't see it. Jack grinned. Kathryn tried not to look disappointed; instead she donned a look of annoyance and determination as she turned her ship in the direction that Jack had directed.
"Well, now what?" she asked him.
"Now we hope to catch up."
Kathryn rolled her eyes and turned to the helmsman.
"Carter, take over will you?" Carter came over and took the wheel from her. "That way, got it?" He nodded.
Kathryn looked at Jack. "Why is your compass such a secret, Captain?"
"Because... it is."
Kathryn turned to walk down the steps. She was tired of the word games and code that Jack spoke in. It was making her tired. Jack followed, not knowing what else to do, or where to go. Kathryn opened the door to her cabin and noticed that Jack was right behind her.
"What are you doing, Captain Sparrow?"
"I'm becoming too sober minded an' all me rum is in yer cabin remember?"
Kathryn shook her head. "Aye, it is in here." She sighed. "Fine," she made way for him to enter her cabin, "Come on in, then."
Jack scurried in after her, immediately going to the cupboard holding his rum bottles. Jack took one out and uncorked it with his teeth, spitting the cork out on the floor. He then tossed back his head, drinking down almost half the contents. Kathryn watched in amazement as Jack downed most of the rum. Then she shook her head and went to sit in her chair behind her desk.
"So, Jack. Tell me something."
"Something."
She rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I meant. Tell me about this expedition that I have gotten myself into. Who is the Captain of your ship right now? Is he dangerous?"
"Right now, Barbossa is in command o' me ship... I wouldn't call him dangerous... but he's not a nice guy either... He was more dangerous before I killed him but that's because he was cursed and couldn't die... now he's mortal so now, not so dangerous."
Kathryn blinked.
"Before you killed him? I don't understand, Captain."
Jack sat down in a chair across from her and put his feet up on the table, knowing this was going to take a while.
"Aye, I shot him in the chest, killed him dead once the curse was ended, but then when I died, Tia Dalma brought him back to the land o' the living so that he could release her from her fleshy prison an' save dear ol' me from the Locker."
Kathryn stopped. "Jack...Curse? What curse?" To herself, she whispered, "I am so confused." She looked up hoping that he didn't hear her
"The curse of Cortez. Heard of it love?"
"I have heard the name...but other than that..."
"The Aztec people paid Cortez to stop the slaughter he reeked upon them with his armies, blood money. But Cortez was a greedy bastard, so the Heathen Gods places upon the gold a nasty little curse. Any mortal that removes even just one piece of gold from the stone chest, would be punished for eternity."
"I see," Kathryn said thoughtfully. "So, I'm assuming that this Barbossa took some gold from this chest?"
"Aye, he an' his crew took all 882 pieces. And like the dumb-asses they were, they spent them, traded them, on drink, food and… pleasurable company, before they realized they were in fact cursed. No drink would quench their thirst, no food would cease their hunger, and no woman would satisfy their lust. The only way to end their curse was to return all 882 pieces and the blood be repaid."
"But they must have. You said that he is mortal now... So, then when did you kill him? You must have done so after the curse was ended. Since you said that...Tia Dalma is it? Brought him back to life," Kathryn worked out the story out loud.
"Aye. Shot him right as the curse was ended. So... Barbossa was dangerous, but now, he's just annoying an' a menace to society."
"Hmm. Interesting. So, how are you planning to get back your precious Dark Pearl?"
"One, It's Black Pearl, and two... I plan on killing the bastard... again. Only this time I don't have to wait ten years and for some stupid curse to be ended." Jack said gleefully.
Kathryn blushed as she got the name wrong. "And what am I and my crew expected to do in this siege?"
"Well, I imagine most of me crew is still loyal to me, just fearful t' go against Barbossa, so mostly I'll just swing over, kill Barbossa, reclaim my ship, yell a bit at my crew, then together we'll go find the Fountain of Youth."
"And so I just need to stay here on my ship? No shooting or fighting," she asked hopeful, but trying to sound diplomatic.
"Hopefully it won't come to that love... hopefully he won't know this ship, and will think of it as being non-threatening."
Kathryn nodded hoping she didn't look too relieved. "So, what about this compass?"
"It will take us to the Black Pearl and eventually the Fountain of Youth."
"I figured that much out on my own, Captain...I mean, why can't I see it? How can it lead you to your ship and to the Fountain?" Kathryn asked.
"Because at this moment, the thing I want the most in this world is to find my ship. Once I get my ship, the thing I'll want the most is to find the Fountain of Youth. And you can't see it because... too many people have already seen it and used it against me."
"So, basically what you are trying to say is that you don't trust me, aye?" she smirked.
"Nay, what I'm saying is I don't trust anybody right now love."
"Same thing," she said quietly.
"Not the same thing. If I only didn't trust you that would mean I trusted at least one other person and right now, I don't trust anybody. I was betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust with me life an' she killed me. Savvy?"
Kathryn rolled her eyes. The word games again. She couldn't seem to wrap her mind about the whole thing. So, she decided to talk about something else.
"Elizabeth killed you... How is she anyway? I haven't seen her in years! Not since she and her father left for Port Royal. We wrote letters for a while..." she trailed of in thought.
"You know her?
"Aye. Didn't I say that?"
"No."
"Oh! Well, she and I were very much like sisters. I never had a better friend. When she and her father moved to the Caribbean, I stayed in my room for a week. We wrote letters. She told me about a blacksmith that she liked...I can't remember his name..."
"William Turner, the second." Jack filled in, and then continued, "I'm sorry to tell ye though, her father was murdered recently."
Kathryn looked up suddenly. "What? Killed? No!" She felt a tear escape her eyes; "Governor Swann was like a father to me, since mine was not..."
"Aye. He was a good man, from what I knew of him. He is at peace though. We saw him as we were leaving the Locker and he was going off to the after life."
"Poor Elizabeth," she said, wiping the tear and taking a deep breath. "Now, who is this Mr. William Turner the second? Is that the man that she married?"
"Aye. He's a good man; he's no longer a blacksmith, though." Jack said, sadness flashing across his features for a second before becoming neutral again, "He turned pirate."
"And now he is the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, you say? How sad for Elizabeth..." Kathryn was getting tired of this sad subject and was hoping that Jack would talk about something less depressing as she didn't know what to say.
"Aye... So... You want to know about my compass aye?" Jack said suddenly more bright and animated.
"Are you going to tell me or are you going to talk your way around it again?"
"Do you know what you want most in this world?"
Kathryn's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that I've ever thought about it..."
Jack took out his compass and slid it across the table to her.
"Pick it up an' open the lid."
Kathryn gently picked up the compass and lifted the top. The needle spun around and around. Kathryn looked up at Jack curiously and he motioned for her to watch the needle. She looked back at it and then, suddenly the needle stopped. She looked in the direction that the needle was pointing and knew that it was pointing north, through Jack.
"What? I don't see how special this is...it is pointing north, like a compass should."
Jack looked at her confused and dropped his feet to the floor and stood up. He walked over to her to look at what his compass was doing. Kathryn watched the compass needle as Jack came around behind her desk and her eyes went wide. She covered her mouth as the needle followed Jack and continued to point at him as he stopped just behind her on her left. Jack looked down at the needle.
"It's not pointing North love."
Kathryn slowly shook her head in disbelief.
"It was," she whispered.
Jack furrowed his brows, and then realization dawned on him as he looked at the needle once more. As an experiment, Jack moved to her right side and saw the needle mimicked his movements.
Jack leaned down and whispered, "I think I know what you want most love."
Kathryn couldn't speak. The compass mystified her. She realized that Jack was speaking to her. "What?" she asked in a very quiet voice.
"You want me love."
Kathryn turned to look up at him and blushed. He was very close to her and she could feel his breath on her cheeks. She realized that he was right. Her heartbeat and breathing sped up with Jack so close to her.
"And that needle will continue to point at me until your want is satisfied. Savvy?"
Still unable to speak, Kathryn nodded slowly.
"I could think of a few ways to quench that want, love."
Kathryn looked confused.
Jack rolled his eyes, "We could make use of that bed over there love." Jack said pointing out her bed.
Kathryn blinked, and then she smiled. "And what could we do there, Jack?" she asked jokingly.
"Well, we could..." Jack said, then leaned in and whispered in her ear of all the sexual things they could do on her bed.
Kathryn leaned in close to Jack and put her hand on his chest. She looked up at him through her eyelashes grinning.
"So what do you say love? Care to have a go?"
Kathryn winked and leaned in closer. Their noses touched and Kathryn breathed, "Why not?"
"Well, last time you ah... couldn't get away from me fast enough love... are ye sure?" Jack said unsure if she was trying to trick him.
She closed her eyes and brought her lips up to his, and whispered as their lips touched, "Aye."
Jack wrapped his arms around her, helping her to stand up, as he kissed her passionately. Kathryn stood on her toes and kissed him, her arms about his neck, holding him closer. Jack began backing them up towards her bed, his tongue flicking along her lips, begging for entrance.
Kathryn gently opened her mouth and her tongue touched Jack's. She followed him towards her bed, still holding onto him. Just as Jack sat down, Kathryn heard the door to her cabin open. She turned her head to see Henry standing in the doorway, surprised. Jack looked over to the door and saw a young man standing at the doorway and groaned, knowing he wasn't going to get her in bed today.
Kathryn quickly released Jack's neck and stepped away from him. "Henry, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"Umm, the crewmen've been asking questions, Captain. No, never mind," he said as he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
"Well that was odd." Jack commented.
"And maddeningly unhelpful."
"Ye'd best go find out what those questions be just to be sure it's not a mutiny."
Kathryn sighed. "Yea. I guess." She turned and walked onto the deck, pulling her shirt together as she walked.
Jack followed her out, wondering what was going on. As he looked out to the horizon he spotted a ship not too far away with black sails. Jack began jumping up and down, running around the deck waving his arms around.
"My ship!" Jack cheered.
A/N: Well, there it is… review please!!
As Always… Take What Ye Can… Give Nothin' Back!
Captain Sparrow's Pirate Wenches
Scarlet and Giselle