Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, except a Jack Sparrow poster, but that's pretty much it. Only original creations (characters, places, etc) are mine.

AN: Hi! Sorry about the late update; the Christmas holidays totally took over, so I couldn't update per-usual. But that only means I get to update twice in one week! Yay for my readers! Anyway, have fun reading, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 17: Venetian Romance:

Turning over in his bed, Jack stared at the ceiling and scowled. After a decent night's sleep, and a good deal of going over yesterday's activities, Jack realized that it had been far from the romantic one he'd imagined having with Evie. True, it had been a relatively good day spent in her company, but it hadn't exactly been an intimate, romantic one. He was going to have to fix that by planning something far more suitable.

Many wouldn't believe it, but he, Captain Jack Sparrow, did have a bit of a romantic side –he just never had any use for it. Now he was going to have to draw on every romantic idea he could come up with in order to win Evie over, and that was going to be a challenge. However, he was certainly willing to take it on.

'Luckily, I try to plan ahead.' Well, as much as he could, anyway.

Yesterday had been a good start, but Jack knew that there was still more he had to do if he was going to win a woman's heart. It couldn't be done in a single day, or even a couple days –time and patience were what was needed, and unfortunately, Jack had precious little of both right now.

Well, that wasn't true. He did have patience –when it came to plots and dealings, as well as life in general, Jack was a very patient man. If he wanted to come out the winner in any situation, he had to wait and act accordingly, which was what he was trying to do now with Evie.

In this case, however, both time and patience were running thin. Time was against him because, in the back of his mind, Jack was certain that some handsome Italian (or any other kind of European man) was going to snatch up Evie when he wasn't looking. That, he couldn't allow.

As for patience –well, Jack had the feeling that it would be running very thin before long. Part of him wished that capturing Evie's heart would be swift and simple, ensuring that it was he who had won her affections and not some other bloke who just happened along. However, that would be no challenge at all, and anything difficult was usually worth both time and effort. Jack had learned that lesson several times over, and though he did like the occasional "easy win," he always became suspicious whenever too many things came to him too easily.

'And love is always worth working for,' he thought with a smile. It was something his father had taught him, and it was a lesson he never forgot.

But now the question was: what was he going to do next? Rushing things was out of the question –he couldn't risk frightening Evie off in being too forward towards her. On the other hand, if he wasn't aggressive enough, he would lose her to the next attentive man to pass by.

'But cautious can be done, if it's done the right way.' He sighed.

Then he realized what he'd just thought of not a moment before. Love? No, it couldn't be…could it? He barely knew the girl –that was why he was trying to slowly romance her and see where things led!

Jack could have slapped himself. Aye, that had been his intention, but things were different now. Try as he might, there was no denying that he felt something very keenly for the feisty matchmaker who slept contentedly in the cabin next door to his.

"And what's there not to like?" he pondered aloud. "The girl's got spirit, humor, wit, and thanks to Anna-Maria, she knows how to handle herself in a tight spot."

She was also quite attractive. Her brown hair had developed some very pretty highlights from the warm Caribbean sunshine, and her once pale skin now sported a healthy golden tan that went beautifully with the color of her eyes –a dark brown that had lately lightened a tad and developed a sparkle they had not possessed before.

'She also has a beautiful neck,' Jack reminisced, smiling as he recalled the feel of her soft skin under his fingers.

Bringing himself back to the present, he turned back to the task at hand. He had planned another day out with Evie, and though the glassblowing excursion had been fascinating (if hot), this one was going to be enough to try any man's patience.

"A lace maker?" I asked. I was so surprised I almost dropped the bundle of canvas I was hauling over to Rosa so she could clean it.

This morning, I'd been woken up by my fiery Spanish friend, who declared that just because we were in port didn't mean that there wasn't work to be done. I'd grudgingly gotten up, but soon realized she was right. There was a great deal of laundry to be done, and though most of it had been sent to a local group of laundresses, I still had a stack of dirty personal things that needed a good scrub.

It was almost noon by the time I finished, and now it was time to deal with the spare canvas we used for sails. Most of what hadn't been taken to the laundresses had already been cleaned in one of Rosa's special herbal soap mixtures, and lay drying out in the sun. I don't think the Black Pearl had ever smelled as fresh and clean as it did today.

So there I was, hauling the last batch of canvas over to be cleaned, when Jack surprised me with this proposal. A lace maker's shop seemed a rather odd place for a man to take a woman, particularly since men had no interest whatsoever in the dainty things.

Jack, however, merely beamed at me and nodded. "Aye. Venice is known for more than just glass, luv. Its lace is legendary because it's so fine and delicate, and so expensive that only two types of people can wear it: the rich, and the families of those who make the lace."

Now I was even more confused. "Then why are we going?"

He gave me a very patient look. "Because I want to show you that there's more to Venice than just glass, Evie. Now, are you going to go change into one of your dresses, or would you rather sit here doing laundry?"

Well, when he put it that way…

Within an hour, we were walking through the streets of Venice, me in my pink gown, and Jack in his usual pirate garments. However, he had cleaned himself up rather well, and since it was a port city with many foreigners passing though, he wasn't the oddest-looking man in the crowd.

I had worried that Rosa would be angry with my leaving her alone to clean, but by then Penny and Selene had arrived from a morning out with their beaus, so they offered to help while Jack took me into town.

We took a much different route than the ones I had previously taken with my friends. Gibbs and Rannoch had insisted that we stay in the wider streets, as they were safer than the narrow alleys that wound through the city, and there was more light in the wider avenues, leaving no place for robbers to hide and jump out of.

Jack, however, insisted on following one of the alleys to our destination. I asked if we could stop for a quick meal, but he refused, saying that this was important and I would get my lunch "in good time." Sighing, I let him lead me through a twisting, winding pathway, my stomach grumbling as we walked.

Finally, we came to a stop before a small shop that stood just off of one of Venice's many bridges. In the windows was an array of beautiful lace samples, indicating what they sold here. There were lace trimmings for dresses, lace handkerchiefs and hairpieces, as well as veils that looked so soft and delicate that they could be drawn through a bride's wedding ring. All of them were unique, and all were exquisitely beautiful.

"Oh, my," I breathed, staring at the finery. "Jack, I'm not sure if we should-"

"Tut, tut, luv," he chided me. "Let's go in. We're expected, after all."

"We are?" I asked as he led me inside.

The shop was small, but cozy. There were two tables with spools of lace in various widths, and a counter stood in the back, where an old woman sat stitching something. The woman glanced up to see who had come in, and her sweet, wrinkled face lit up with surprise and joy.

"Jack!" she cried, tossing aside her work as she flew at him.

"Nicole," he said with a grin as he hugged her. "How have you been? Is the shop doing alright?"

"Oh, Jack, of course it is!" Nicole exclaimed in English. Grinning broadly, she turned towards me. "He's such a dear boy, always worrying about his old aunt like he does." To my surprise, she was an Englishwoman, with only a touch of an Italian accent in her voice.

"Evie, this is Nicole, an old friend of the family," Jack said, introducing us. "Nicole, this is Miss Evianna Watkins. She's one of my crewmembers."

Nicole looked me over, which gave me time to return the favor. She was tiny, round, and rather jolly looking, with wide grey-blue eyes. Tidy wisps of white curls framed her face while the rest of her white-grey hair stood in a tight bun on the top of her head. Her round frame was in a grey dress of plain quality, but there was a lovely trim of white lace along the collar and sleeves, adding a touch of elegance to the garment.

"You're joking with your old auntie, Jack," she reproached him. "She's a fine young woman, too good for a pirate ship, even one as well-known as the Black Pearl!"

I chuckled. "Well, technically, I was hired on as a matchmaker for him and his crewmates. I only officially joined the crew because I wanted to earn my keep, and because I tend to get bored very easily."

Nicole's eyes lit. "Ah, a girl who enjoys working and earning things in her life! Well, she's certainly different from most of the women I know you've associated with, Jack. This one's as good as gold, and you'd be a fool to let her get away!"

My cheeks turned red as I began to panic. "Oh, no, no, we aren't anything like that! We're just friends; that's all. He brought me here because he wanted to show me how Venetian lace is made, and explain why it's so highly sought after."

For a moment, Nicole looked disappointed, but then she became excited again. "Oh, well, if you're here about my lace, that's another thing altogether! Come, let me show you!"

Jack had nearly felt his heart break when Evie described him as a mere 'friend,' but then, what could he expect? He clearly hadn't done anything to persuade her otherwise, and after that whole incident in France, who could blame her for thinking that he wasn't interested in her? The more fool he!

Well, that was going to change, and Jack was going to do everything in his power to make sure Evie knew how he felt about her. Not right away, of course, but in time, she'd find out. He would not let this girl get away.

For now, he had to bide his time and do things right. If it involved him taking her to places that most (or all) men found dull, but women found fascinating, then so be it.

He bit back a sigh. 'Oh, the things we do for love!'

Before Nicole showed me the wonders of her shop, she sat the three of us down for a good hearty luncheon. There were slices of fresh vegetables, as well as a stew that consisted of tomatoes, spices, shrimp, fish, crab, clams and mussels. There was also fresh bread to dip in the broth, and for dessert she served a marvelous lemon custard that was light as air.

When the last bit of food had been scraped from our bowls, Nicole took me firmly by the hand and led me back to where she'd been sitting when Jack and I had first entered the shop. It had been a lace pattern she'd been working on, and even though she'd thrown it haphazardly across the room in her excitement to see Jack, it had still come out alright.

Sitting down in her chair, she motioned for Jack to move two others over to join her. "Watch and learn," she said, giving me the stern look of a teacher to a student.

I watched in amazement as her wrinkled, gnarled old fingers flew across the pattern, weaving the delicate white threads into intricate patterns that were absolutely breathtaking. It was relaxing and hypnotic, watching Nicole work, the lace seeming to form magically under her hands.

This particular batch of lace was a flowing floral arrangement, with leaves, vines, and flowers blossoming throughout the length of material. The threads were far more delicate than anything I had ever worked with, and part of me longed to be able to create something so lovely. Like any decent woman of my class, I knew how to sew, and did it well, but creating works of art like this would set me up forever.

'If I could take this skill back to the Caribbean, I could make lace for a living,' I thought with wonder. 'Women from all over would pay a fortune for lace made in the Venetian style, and would come to me since they wouldn't have to wait for it to arrive from Europe!'

But of course, reality set in. It would take years to learn this art, and I did not have that kind of time.

'Though I suppose I could have Jack bring me back here to Venice, once my task was finished on the Pearl.' That was a good idea. There were worse places in the world to live in than Venice.

It felt like a few minutes, but it was in fact an hour later when Nicole finished her task. "There," she said, holding it out to me. "What do you think?"

I was afraid to touch it, given the coarseness of my fingers. "Oh, I couldn't. My hands would ruin it." I showed her my palms as evidence. "But it is beautiful."

She nodded. "All women deserve to have something fine to put on their gowns," Nicole told me as she folded and stored the material. "Since you're a good friend of my boy's here, I'll let you choose something from my shop."

As we turned to look at Jack, we saw that he'd fallen asleep in his chair, his legs stretched out before him and his hat over his eyes as he lay back in his chair. Soft snores came from beneath the hat, and I had to giggle.

"Oh, pfft!" Nicole said, rolling her eyes. "He's always done that, even when he was a lad! You should have seen how quickly he'd fall asleep whenever I was trying to teach him how to fix his own clothes. As he was bound to be a pirate like his father, I told Jack that he had to learn how to sew up holes and such in his clothes. If he didn't, he'd be as naked as the day he was born within a month!"

I had to swallow a laugh to keep from waking him up. "Oh, I'm sure he's not that bad with his clothing," I said. "I've never seen anything of his fall to pieces, and they all seem in good shape." Well, he was my employer, so I had to defend him.

"Maybe not," she conceded, "But he was unbelievably rough on his clothes as a boy. Poor Lilly! She had a dickens of a time making sure that his pants or shirts didn't fall apart from all their use. Still, I did manage to knock those lessons into his head, and he's turned out right enough."

"Yes," I said, glancing over at Jack. "I suppose he did."

"Well, let him sleep," Nicole said, helping me to my feet. "I'll show you what I've got here, and you can pick whatever suits you."

Oh, the wonders the shop held! Lace of every width, design, and length was stored here, and it was impossible to find only one that I liked.

"Well, would you like some to trim a gown, a nightdress, or a handkerchief?" Nicole asked me. "Think carefully, dear."

Sadly, I had no dresses to trim, and I didn't wear nightgowns to bed anymore –I primarily wore a nightshirt, as it was lighter and cooler in the warm Caribbean. I didn't even have handkerchiefs to decorate, as all I needed were plain squares of cotton. Besides, anything pretty would have to be kept hidden away, since I wouldn't want to ruin it.

"Here, love," she finally said, pulling out a spool of lace that was two fingers wide. "I think you ought to have this."

I unrolled a bit of it to look at the design, and gasped. It was an ocean theme, with waves, shells, and sea birds decorating it. Best of all, it shimmered in the sun, making it look more like something a mermaid had woven instead of a human.

"Oh, I can't take this," I said, trying to return it. "I don't have anything to trim with it, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to wear it for a long time. Not until I've completed my job aboard the Pearl."

"You mean you don't have anything yet," Nicole said firmly. "I've no doubt that, someday, you'll have a wedding dress or marvelous gown you'll want to trim. And believe me when I say that, when you do, you'll be prepared. Now, take this with you, and some of these as well."

She handed me a small paper package wrapped with twine. "These are some of the best lace handkerchiefs I have in my store. No, don't you dare refuse! I have plenty more, and I know that all of them will be bought by some spoiled noblewoman one day. At least I'll know that someone decent has these. Besides, Jack's fond of you, I can tell, so you most certainly deserve them."

Blushing, I accepted the lace. It was beautiful, and what woman would refuse such a priceless gift? "Thank you," I said, smiling at her. "I'll cherish it always."

Behind the counter, Jack snorted and sat up, pushing back his hat as he woke. "Oy, are you two finished already?" he asked drowsily. "Ah, I see you've managed to find something that suits you, Evie. Wonderful!"

"Aye, no thanks to you, you lazy dog!" Nicole lectured him. "Now, I'm going to show her a bit more lace making, so you can either take another nap, or go for a pint of rum or ale somewhere."

He considered it a moment, then shook his head. "No, I'll stay. Mind if I look around your shop? You've some quality items that'd fetch me a fine price in the Caribbean, if I do say so."

She actually chuckled. "Aye, go ahead and take a gander, Jack. I'll sell it to you at a fair price, with only a small inflation, since it's you. Come on, Evie."

As he pretended to browse the shelves, Jack watched the two women out of the corner of his eye. He had not been amused by Nicole's embarrassing stories of his youth, but Evie had apparently found them charming, so he let it be.

It meant a great deal to him, knowing that Nicole approved of Evie. In a way, Nicole had been an aunt to him –she had been his mother's best friend, and her confidant until the day she met an Italian sailor and gone off with him. She'd only settled in Venice after his death, and only because it had been the place of his birth. She'd raised three sons at sea with her husband, and each of them had gone off to have adventures as sailors. Fortunately, all her sons were still living, and all sent money back to their beloved mother.

'Hell, even I send money sometimes,' Jack thought with a smile. His mum and dad would never forgive him if he didn't. 'If Evie only knew about my sentimental side. I wonder what she'd think?'

Well, she would soon enough. For now, however, he would have to take a riskier step when it came to romancing her. He had something very special in mind for tomorrow, and it would require her wearing one of the more elegant gowns he'd provided.

Smirking, he turned and watched Nicole give Evie a brief lesson in making lace. Oh, yes, tomorrow would be a much more entertaining evening.

AN: Review?