A/N: Thank you for the feedback! Hope you will like chapter 2.
She's Engaged
Chapter II
Jack spends most of his days commandeering the ships, going back and forth between them. At points he swings himself through ropes hanging from masts and lands onto another deck of another ship within this fleet. He just has to keep focusing on the goal; bringing the Baron safely to New England. And, keep away from Angelica. He does feel uncomfortable under her very watchful gaze.
She keeps pretending she is not looking at him, but he does catch her glances every so often and she keeps looking away, as if she in the first place never really stared at him.
Of course, but he would deny it, she would catch him do the very same.
But he never speaks to her, nor she to him.
Only when something necessary has to be said, that is to say.
She is standing inside a cabin, trying out dresses as one of her closer maids is helping her out of it with help from the seamstress.
"I am not sure... what do you think?"
The maid shakes her head.
"Lady Angelica, I am-."
"Stop titling me," Angelica accuses. "My husband is another ship."
The maid tilts her head in amusement. "Lady Angelica," she persists. "I am not in a position to give you any sort of advice. I am just a plain maid."
Angelica rolls her eyes. "You are a woman, and so am I." Completely dismissing their different standards in life.
The maid smiles slightly and the seamstress hides her own grin.
It is unusual, extremely unusual, to meet someone not living in the clouds from an upper class.
"Well," the maid starts uncertainly. "I personally prefer the other one. Something with the tail just seems more... right."
Angelica meets the maid's eyes and for a brief moment, she wonders if she regrets speaking her mind to her superior.
But then Angelica eventually nods. "You are probably right. It sounds legit," she motions to the other white gown hanging on a closet door. "Let's try it again."
Jack is outside on a nearby ship. By coincidence he sees the female figure of Angelica in a white dress through a square-like window.
She is being treated like royalty.
Well, she certainly deserves being treated like a queen. But he just finds it somewhat odd the rest of the world in fact agreed with him.
Something is just not right.
When he sees her tap a sailor's shoulder and is properly assisted over a boarding plank to another ship, Jack takes a step aside from the helm. He is about to head down the stair to deck when Gibbs stops his tracks.
"Don't."
Jack looks innocent. "Don't what?"
Gibbs' look at him knowingly.
"Ye need to choose, Jack."
Jack's eyebrow quirks as he removes one of Gibbs arms that blocks the way to the stair. He heads down it with Gibbs hurrying behind him.
"Choose?" he questions over his shoulder.
"Aye. Between havin' her or havin' yer name engraved into the official books forever."
Jack shakes his head. "Whatever ye be naggin' 'bout, Master Gibbs. There be nothin' to worry 'bout. Believe me when I say she barely exists to me."
Gibbs snorts in disbelief.
Jack pulls out a boarding plank and wobbles with his hands reached out to keep his balance when walking on it. He almost loses his balance, causing Gibbs to nervously press his palm over his face to cover the sight of an unstable Jack.
Somehow, the Commandeer manages it over to the other vessel. And there she stands, at the railing. The captain Jack has hired is not even behind the helm. He is enjoying a bottle of rum in company of a sailor and they seem to be way into their conversation to take a note their superior's fiancée has boarded the deck.
It is sundown and the sun is glazing in a red color. Angelica looks right at it into the horizon and waves her fan slowly to keep herself cool. She does not seem to notice Jack's presence until he opens his mouth, as she immediately tenses.
"Always underestimating yer skills of technique. But how, tell me, did ye manage to put on this show of bein' such a royal damsel?"
He places himself beside her and sees how her lean fingers clench into the wooden railing. Her thumb rubs it and her shoulders sink. She must be relaxing now.
When her hand moves to her cleavage, Jack is the one grabbing a hold of the railing. What is she doing?
For the first time, she turns to him.
From her cleavage, she has fumbled up a piece of paper which she pushes against Jack's chest.
The motion astonishes him. The touch causes him his eyes to flash as he for this moment wants to grab her wrist and pull her towards him.
He meets her eyes and suddenly her lower lips hangs slightly open. Those kissable lips he every now and then used to devour.
Now, they are off limits as long as he wants to stay alive.
He looks down onto the paper he presses against his chest with his hand and unfolds it.
"Lady Angelica Teach, daughter of deceased wealthy merchant Lord Peter Teach."
Jack looks up and catches her eyes again. He turns the paper and points with his index finger at the stamp.
"Who'd ye bribed for this?"
She rolls her eyes and snatches the paper back to her. "Nobody."
Jack chuckles tauntingly. "What'd ye had to do to get it then?"
His indication towards her boobs causes her to gasp. She hits hit arm with the back of her hand but his smile only grows larger. It is not a harmful hit, rather playful.
She is glowing and he winks at her. She blushes and looks away, turning her gaze back to the horizon. Instead of having her stare him down, she glances to him in the corner of her eyes.
When he sees the stone on her finger, shimmering by the glow of the burning sun, something in him freezes. Angelica notices it and moves her other hand on top of it, covering the sight from Jack.
"You should leave this ship, cariño."
He does not know what that means in Spanish, but if it meant something bad – she would have spoken wittily and not with such a soft voice.
"Scared of Mr Baron?"
That causes Angelica to laugh. She looks to Jack and he draws in his breath.
Whenever her eyes meet his, it is as if the world stops spinning. How stupid that may sound. She holds his gaze and he cannot think of anything but of how they possibly could have ended up there.
She used to be his. His woman, the lady he has around his arm. The one waking up in his bed, joining him on islands and fighting by his side on deck.
"No," she speaks. When her gaze falls to the sea beside them, she shakes her head as if amused and smiles slightly. When she meets his eyes again, she seems very content and clearly speaks the truth. Perhaps that is why it stings Jack as if someone had hit him with a sword. "I am truly happy. We, are very happy together."
Jack swallows.
Dear God.
"And I cannot wait to marry him," she follows. "I love him."
Jack eyes her and nods once very slowly. "I see."
There is something quite beautiful with how they look into each other eyes, yet hurtful.
"Commandeer Sparrow!"
They are interrupted by a sailor who waves to him from another ship. Angelica watches Jack intently as he leaves her and wanders across the deck to the other railing.
"Spill."
"There be suspicious ships ahead, Commandeer."
Jack nods. "Enemies, then," he mumbles to himself. "Find the Baron!" he shouts.
"Ay-ay Captain!" the sailor shouts and hurries off.
Jack looks over his shoulder to Angelica.
She seems puzzled.
"You will go to a ship in the middle," Jack decides for her and points into the middle of the large group of ships.
She frowns.
"Oh, please. I can surely-."
With something between his flamboyance steps and very firm ones, he snatches his fingers to three nearby sailors and points to Angelica.
"Make sure she gets into the head ship alongside the Baron."
"Jack?! You know I hate it when you mandarme, como si fueras mi jefe."
Off in duty, Jack jumps onto another ship.
"All man on posts!" he shouts and heads over yet to another ship, causing all working sailors and soldiers to prepare for a possible battle.
He eventually finds the Baron and approaches the table on which he has an unfolded map.
"My suggestion be goin' to the right of this," Jack motions with his index finger along the map as if he invisibly draws a line. He brings up his binocular and checks out the ships. He gives it to the baron. "Does it look like enemies?"
"It does."
Jack then snatches his fingers to Gibbs to approach the table. He points at it.
"This manoeuvre Gibbs. Make sure everybody knows it."
Gibbs nods and does an 'Aye, Captain', before he runs off, shouting orders to everybody.
Jack climbs up onto the helm and the Baron heads after him.
"Mr Baron..," Jack starts. "Ye should hide somewhere further behind. No offence."
"Non-taken," he responds. "But where is Angelica?"
Jack nods to the ships behind him. "Commanded her to get somewhere at the back in the middle."
That is when the first booming sound erupts. The only ship ahead of them is hit and their front line begins to shoot back cannon balls.
The Baron jumps and Jack has to roll his eyes at the sight. Still, he has a job to get executed and has no time in baby-sitting the Baron.
He gestures to the ships behind. "Please, Baron Baines."
George nods in agreement.
"It sounds like a thoughtful plan, Commandeer."
He runs off behind.
The first ship is lost as the men falls into the water. The few who manage jump over to another ship help the ones in the water, while the rest fights the enemy-ships that have reached them.
Jack pulls out his sword but stops tracks as he watches yet another one of his own ships get ambushed.
"Gibbs!" he hollers.
Gibbs stops tracks from a few ships further away. Among the thundering noise he manages to hear Jack's upset voice call.
"Why aren't anybody watching the left?!"
"I'll fix it!" he promises in a shout before he is off.
"Ye better," Jack mutters. Too many men were in the water, but fortunately – the enemies have lost more to the sea.
"Commandeer!"
Baron Baines' voice is heard. Jack has to turn around to the back of the ship to see him at the head vessel in the middle.
"She is not here!"
For a brief moment, Jack freezes, immediately alerted.
He spins around and scans the view around them. Ships at the front are under attack and men were fighting.
Why can she not just ever for once listen to him?
Then he sees her. The perfect bakery in form of a wide dress holding a sword in her hands as she fights two men.
That woman...
At once Jack jumps down right onto another ship's deck to run across it and jump yet over to yet another one. It takes three ships until he reaches her.
He kicks one of the men away from her which lets her fight off one of them on her own.
"I told ye to not stay here!"
Jack takes over and pushes her aside as he fights down the man into the water.
"I am a good fighter and I can help!" she retorts.
A man swings his sword towards her and she has to step aside but loses balance and falls into the water.
Of course, she just has to.
Jack swings his sword towards the man and fights him off before he hurries to the railing.
She is nowhere in sight.
"Angelica?!" he calls.
Without further thought, as by instinct, Jack is diving into the water. She is now anywhere around below water.
Panic starts to increase in Jack. For the very first time his heart starts to race. He feels sick to his stomach and continuously dive below surface.
Then he finds her.
She hangs over a wooden chest in the water and he quickly swims over. Just in time, he kicks away the man who was about to stab her.
She coughs water but Jack does not let her rest there. He grabs her waist and begins to swim back to the ship. Damn dress she wears. It is very unpractical in water.
Two sailors throws down a rope which he is fast to grab a steady hold on. The arm he has around her is firm as if frightened to death of losing her.
She continues to cough when they are being pulled up and pushes him away when reaching deck.
"I had full control of myself!"
Jack ignores her and points to the sailors.
"I command ye to take her to the head ship and if ye don't... So help me."
When hearing that she does an attempt in leaving but they grab her mid-air to force her to the ship.
"Jack!"
He can hear her shouting for him but he has to do this for her. She is an excellent fighter. And stubborn like no one else. But he cannot stand the thought of her harming herself.
He simply turns on his heels.
He has a battle to win.
A/N: What did you think of this chapter? Still a little introduction! :)