Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to Pirates of the Caribbean. That belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, and a bunch of other people. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.

AN: Well, here we are: a brand new year! And to celebrate, I've made this a longer chapter! Yay! Please enjoy, and don't forget to review! Thanks!

Chapter 19: A Venetian Masquerade:

It was a magical evening, to say the least: dinner served in our private box seats; a performance done in Italian (but still relatively understandable, even to me); and all of it taking place beneath the marvelous artwork decorating the immense walls and dome of the theater.

From the moment we entered, I had been in awe of my surroundings. The walls and ceilings were all done in fantastic frescos and murals, taking my breath away instantly. All around us were men and women dressed in their finest –men in their best coats and hats, and women in gowns made of silk, velvet, or satin. Several of the men had gold-topped canes, and the women wore jewelry that glittered in the brightness of candlelight.

It took me a moment, but I began to realize that there were a few patrons who were dressed almost as nondescriptly as Jack was. My handsome escort was in all brown, but his clothes were of good quality and material, so he appeared to belong there. I suppose some men could dress to be 'invisible,' particularly if he's a pirate.

Following Jack's lead, I had soon found myself in one of the expensive box seats, with red velvet cushions on the beautiful wooden chairs, and matching wood tables set about. We had a perfect view of the stage, and I couldn't help but glance over at boxes across the way to spy on the other patrons. Then the lights dimmed, and the performance began.

The play had been Romeo and Juliet, done in Italian, but as I knew the story already, I was able to follow it in a general sort of way. I would very much have liked to understand everything that was being said, but you can't have everything in life, so I merely sat and let myself enjoy it.

When it was time for intermission, a small army of servers came into the box, armed with flute glasses of champagne, and small platters of quaint finger foods that all tasted sublime and were quite filling. As we ate, Jack and I chatted about the first half of the play, and had a good chuckle over how ridiculously dressed some of the patrons were.

"It's hard to believe a man will happily wear a wig that big," Jack muttered, nodding towards one particular fellow as the lights began to dim again. "I never had the need or want to wear such a thing!"

I giggled. "Your hair is quite extraordinary enough without one," I teased, sipping the last bit of champagne.

He grinned at my comment. "Aye, but you can't see it, now, can you?"

That was true enough. He'd tucked some of it up under his hat, and the rest was tied in a tail at the nape of his neck, giving him the appearance of an eccentric merchant or traveler, and nothing more.

By the time the play ended, I was exhausted and more than a little tipsy from the champagne. Ever the gentleman (or as much as he could be), Jack escorted me back to the Pearl, wished me a pleasant sleep, and headed off to his cabin, leaving me to my own devices.

As I opened my own cabin door, I was about to panic about how to get out of my dress when, to my delight, I saw Anna there waiting for me. She didn't say a word, just helped me out of my gown, pulled the combs from my hair, and brushed the locks out so that they wouldn't tangle. In a waiting basin full of warm water, I quickly washed the powder and makeup off my face, and was more than ready to throw myself into bed.

"How was your night, Evie?" Anna asked as she gently laid my gown out over a chair to keep it from wrinkling. "I hope the Captain treated you like you deserve?"

Yawning, I crawled into bed and let my head fall back onto the pillow. "He was fine," I assured her. "He treated me very well, and I had a wonderful time." I looked over at the dress. "And thank you for helping me undress –you must have been up forever waiting for me."

She waved that aside. "Don't be silly. It was either me or one of the others, and since I knew that you wouldn't want to be bothered by endless chattering, I decided I'd be the best choice."

I grinned, still a bit tipsy. "Well, don't worry. As soon as I find you a match and you start going out for dinners and such, I'll return the favor. I promise," I said, my eyes starting to close.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought I heard her curse slightly under her breath, but then the world went dark and I couldn't be sure.

"Find me a match?" Anna growled as she headed back to her cabin. "Where in the world did the girl get the idea that I want to be matched with a man?"

By the time she got back to her cabin, she'd figured it out. Evie had seen how protective Anna had been over the past few days, meaning that she'd seen Anna looking around at the men around them and mistaken it for something else.

"This is all Sparrow's fault," she muttered, clenching her fists. "If he didn't have me playing overprotective nursemaid to Evie, I wouldn't be in this mess!"

It'd be even better if the idiot just admitted to Evie how he felt about her, rather than beat around the bush with all this wooing nonsense.

Well, that tears it. She'd have to have a very long talk with her Captain in the morning and clear all this up.

Rolling over in his bed, Jack sighed. Bright sunshine beamed in through his large windows, illuminating the tiny dust motes floating in the air. In a quick decision, he pulled himself out of bed and went to open one of the large bay windows, letting in a fresh breeze and helping the dust to escape out into the clear morning. The water was a lovely blue this day, and he could hear the gulls cry as they circled above the docks. The Pearl swayed gently on the waves, making him want to fall asleep again.

Memories of the night before made him smile. Evie had been everything he'd hoped she'd be: beautiful, sweet, fun, and elegant. Funny how he'd met women with all those qualities before, but none of them had ever appealed to him.

'Perhaps it's because most of them were brainless little things,' part of him whispered.

Ah, yes, that was the one trait that most of them lacked: intelligence. Not that he wanted a bloody genius or anything, but rather a woman with more between the ears than an admiration of all things pretty and shiny. Some managed to talk a little about music, art and theater, but none had gotten further than two minutes on the topics before they went silent.

Evie was different. She was clever, had a witty sense of humor, and best of all, she had an appreciation for glassmakers, books, the theater, and hard work. She was also quite attractive.

Jack felt a surge of pride. The gown had been glorious, the jewelry glittering, and the makeup well-done, but all of it failed to compare with the beauty that shone through it all. True, Evie wasn't a dazzling beauty, but she had a certain something that made her truly beautiful, at least in his eyes.

He grinned. 'I'm a very lucky man indeed.'

A harsh knock on his cabin door, followed by a familiar, and very angry, female voice completely destroyed his good mood. Groaning, Jack went and opened the door to keep it from being kicked in by his angry second mate.

"Sparrow," she growled, "We need to talk. Now!"

Holding back a sigh, he let her in and shut the door. "What is it now, Anna-Maria?" he asked, frustrated that his joyful morning had turned sour so quickly.

"Jack, do you realize that, because of your foolish order for me to guard Evie, she now thinks that I'm in need of a match?" she demanded. "And don't you dare start laughing! She saw how I'd been keeping an eye on the men around her, and now she thinks that I'm in the market for a husband! Do you have any idea how infuriating that is, especially when I've no desire to have a man?"

To give himself credit, Jack did try hard to keep his amusement in check. Still, a small smile made its way out, though he did manage to swallow his laughter. 'Well, I can certainly see where this is going, so I'd better put a stop to it before Anna's complaints turn into a tirade.'

"Alright, Anna, you win," he said. "If it's making things too difficult for you, you can stop being Evie's secret chaperone."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't you give me that, Sparrow. You know I won't change my mind about keeping her from harm, but any potential suitors will have to be your problem." She then turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Jack sighed. "Well, that went better than I expected. At least she didn't slap me."

Glancing back over his shoulder, he smiled at the paper box that sat on the table.

"Jack, where are we going?" I hissed as he pressed me into a gondola, different from the one last night.

He tsked at me. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now, would it? Trust me, Evie, you'll have a grand time."

It wasn't that I didn't trust him; I just wanted to know what he had planned. Unfortunately, he was being very secretive about it. He had merely interrupted my afternoon knife lesson with Anna-Maria and told me that I had to get ready for this evening. There was apparently a gown waiting for me in his cabin, and I was to be ready by six o'clock. That was all.

When I went to his cabin to see the gown he had chosen, I had been confused for a moment. It was the red-and-black gown I had so admired, and lying atop it was a fairly good-sized paper box. The contents of the box surprised me beyond measure.

First, there was a marvelous face mask of some sort of red metallic material, trimmed around the outside and the eyes with black braid. A trio of black feathers as long as my hand were fasted to the top of the mask by a cluster of faux red and black jewels, and two long red satin ribbons were attached so that it could be secured to the wearer's face.

Next, there was a necklace of black and red glass beads, black onyx stones the size of my littlest fingernail, and tiny red crystals. It went perfectly with the gown. There were also a dozen small red and black rose hair decorations made of lace, silk, and satin, and black velvet shoes with red bows on them.

Anna-Maria, being the good friend that she was, offered to help me get ready. When she saw the contents of the box, she had grinned, but when I asked her what it was all for, she flatly refused to tell me, claiming that she didn't want to spoil it.

So now here I was, my gown carefully arranged around me, my hair artfully tied up and arranged carefully, and my mask firmly in place. Beside me, Jack was dressed as a glorified pirate captain, meaning he wore a fine white cotton shirt, a black coat with silver braid, black breeches, a black bandana, and a black hat with a large black feather attached to it with a large metal clip. Over his face was a black and silver mask that accented his eyes perfectly.

"Jack, for heaven's sake, please tell me where we're going?" I hissed to him.

He simply winked at me and said, "Patience, luv."

It wasn't long before we pulled up to a small dock near what appeared to be an opera house, with many costumed and masked people going inside. Even at this distance, I could hear music coming through open doors and windows, as well as talk and laughter.

The gondola came to a stop, and Jack immediately leaped out so that he could offer one of his heavily ringed hands to me. "My lady?" he said with a small bow.

Behind my mask, my cheeks flamed. "Thank you," I whispered, stepping carefully onto the dock.

"My pleasure," he said with a smirk. "Now, shall we?"

I took his offered arm and tried not to faint as we made our way inside, following the crowd.

The theater last night had been impressive; the opera house was absolutely astounding.

Tall candelabras gilded in gold stood everywhere, lit with wax candles that released light scents into the air. On a wide dais, an orchestra played, and in the grand entryway, many couples danced elegantly, their steps in perfect sync with each other and the music. Costumes of a hundred different varieties filled my vision, and for a moment, I felt dazed.

"Alright there, Evie?" Jack whispered, reaching out to steady me. "You're not feeling ill, are you?"

I smiled at him. "No, just overwhelmed. Jack, what is all this?"

"A Venetian masquerade," he said. "The rich are famous for them. There's music, dancing and such, like a ball, but I think the masks and outfits add a bit of mystery and magic, don't you?"

I had to admit, I did. It was like being in another world, a faery realm where the air cast a spell on your senses and everything was magical and beautiful.

"Come on, luv," Jack whispered into my ear. "Let's dance."

That's when I began to panic. "Jack, I can't dance," I blushingly admitted.

He chuckled. "No worries, darling. I'll take care of you. Now, follow my lead, and be ready to have fun, savvy?" He then took one of my hands in his, put the other around my waist, and pulled me closer to him. "Put your left hand on my shoulder. There we are. Now, follow my steps."

At once, my skin began to alternate between hot and cold as he began to lead us in a dance. Slowly, I began to learn the steps. Jack was a fairly good teacher, and as it wasn't a complicated dance, I was soon able to move about the floor with little trouble…well, for the most part.

As the dance changed, I found it growing harder and harder to concentrate on what I was doing. Jack's fingers were warm on my own, and the heat of his palm on my back made me feel both secure and rather distracted. It didn't help that, as the dancing progressed, he was holding me closer and closer, until our bodies were almost touching.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to focus, but as Jack inched closer, all thoughts flew out of my head. I swallowed and closed my eyes in an attempt to gather my nerves. That was when I felt a warm breath on the nape of my neck, just below my right ear.

Gasping, my eyes flew open, and I immediately grew tense. 'Oh, my!'

"Shh," he breathed into my ear. "Relax, darling. I've got you."

Shivers went up and down by body as his warm hand pressed even firmer on my back. Jack may have been trying to sooth me, but his touch did the exact opposite of that! Even worse, his thumb was caressing the back of my hand, and I was having a rather hard time swallowing.

The music came to a slow stop, and Jack released me long enough to applaud the musicians. It gave me enough time to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. My luck held when a server passed by with a tray of delicate glasses holding bubbling champagne, one of which I immediately snatched to steady my nerves.

"Easy on the drinks, Evie," Jack teased, reaching to keep me from downing the entire glass. "It's going to be a long evening, and you ought to keep your wits about you. Are you hungry? There's a refreshment table nearby, I'm sure."

I doubted that food would be the cure I needed, but it might help, at least a little.

There was an impressive array of food being served, so I had a difficult time choosing. Jack saved me by selecting a small number of things for me to try, and even though I cleared the plate, I couldn't for the life of me remember what I'd just eaten.

After I finished a second glass of champagne, Jack made sure to keep the drink servers away as he led me back to join the dancing. As another slow-paced tune began, Jack gently pulled me towards him, again pulling me so close that his cheek nearly pressed against mine.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Evie?" he asked, his breath warm on my ear as he spoke.

I flushed. "Yes," I shakily replied, almost trembling.

"Good," he murmured, sending another shiver down my spine.

Glancing over his shoulder, I noticed several women looking in our direction. Or rather, they were looking at Jack, who seemed oblivious. It still made me uneasy, however –after all, I knew Jack's reputation with women. Would he leave me alone in this mad mass to pursue another woman?

'Of course he will,' whispered a small part of my mind. 'And what are you doing here, having fun with the man who employed you to find him a wife? Should you not be working at making him a match?'

"Evie?" he softly called into my ear, catching my attention. "Are you alright?"

Looking up into his eyes, I saw those deep brown eyes of his darken with worry. Touched by his concern, I had to smile. "I'm alright, really," I managed to lie. "It's just so overwhelming! I've never been to a masquerade before."

To my relief, Jack seemed to believe my falsehood. He nodded his understanding and led me through the rest of the dance, then into several others. When I began to lose my breath once more, Jack took notice and led me towards the edge of the dance floor. As the music drew to a close, he escorted me to a place to stand and catch my breath. There I was able to rest while Jack signaled a server with a tray of filled glasses to come over. He quickly asked something of the servant, and after he received a reply, Jack took a glass and pressed it into my palm.

"Drink this," he said. "It's lemonade."

As I slowly sipped the chilled liquid, I discreetly looked around the room, taking note of the women around me. Some of them were still studying Jack, who, much to my surprise, still seemed oblivious.

"Perhaps we should go?" I asked, trying to ignore the onlookers. I truly didn't want to leave, but I didn't know how much longer I could stand those women eyeing the man beside me.

"Do you want to?" he asked. "There are dancers here who are going to perform for the crowd. It would be a shame to miss them. If you're feeling tired, you may lean against me, since there doesn't seem to be a free chair in the entire room."

Before I could reply, Jack slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me close, so that my right side rested against his left. I looked up at him in shock. It was entirely inappropriate for us to be this close, but then, we'd danced fairly closely earlier.

"There, is that better?" he asked, grinning at my surprise. "You know, I didn't mention it before, but you do have a very fine form, Evie." His gold and silver teeth glinted in the candlelight. "And you have the loveliest blush I've ever seen."

"Oh, you're impossible!" I said, laughing, my cheeks flaming as I playfully smacked his chest. "But I would like to see the dancers." 'If only to keep my mind off the women staring at you,' I privately thought.

Then the dancers appeared, and the floor immediately cleared for them. After that, everyone (including myself) was too preoccupied to notice much else.

The masks and costumes were of the same theme of black and white, but in different cuts and designs. The men all wore leggings and coats, while some women wore long skirts, and others wore short, but all were quite talented in their art. Their steps were perfectly timed, and their gracefulness seemed effortless. The men were strong, as they were able to lift and carry their partners, drawing numerous periods of applause from the crowd.

Once in a while, I felt Jack's hand on my hip, his fingers occasionally tightening, as though he were trying to assure himself that I was alright. Once, I looked up to find him looking off to our left, a scowl on his face. When I turned to follow his gaze, I noticed a tall man in green looking away, as though he'd been caught at something. I didn't understand what had occurred, so I turned my gaze away towards the other women in the crowd. Thankfully, they were all watching the dancers or talking to the men next to them, which put my worries to rest.

Looking back at Jack, I noticed that he was rather tense, and there was a scowl on his face as he looked at the floor. The thumb of the hand he had placed on my hip was rubbing around in circles, which concerned me. When he noticed me looking at him, Jack let the frown fall from his face and his hand stopped mid-rub, much to my disappointment.

Leaning over, he whispered, "Alright there, luv?" he asked.

I nodded and turned back to watch the performance. From then on, we both kept our eyes on the dancers. Once they finished, we applauded with the rest of the party's attendants. When the last performer vanished back to whence they came, Jack took my hand and tucked it under his elbow.

"Come, Evie," he said, a fragile smile on his face. "It's time to head back. It'll be past midnight, you know, and you'll need your rest for when we leave port."

I stared at him as we made our way back to the gondola, which had miraculously waited for us. "We're leaving?" I asked while taking my seat. "When? And where are we going?"

He looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure where, yet, but probably the day after tomorrow. We'll load up on supplies, then head out. Lord knows we can't stay in Venice forever! But when I pick a destination, I'll let you know."

I didn't press further. Rather, I remained quiet until we returned to the Pearl, and headed back to my cabin to be undressed by Anna-Maria, who seemed to sense that I didn't want to say much. I quickly changed clothes, washed up, and brushed my hair before tucking into bed, still puzzled over what had happened tonight with Jack.

AN: Okay, I admit it: I "borrowed" a little from the Phantom of the Opera and put in a synchronized dance scene in here. Still, can you blame me? Seriously, I can't imagine a masquerade without some sort of performance, so there it is. And I know there was no kissing between Jack and Evie, but that'll be coming up in a later chapter. In the meantime, thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!