A/N: Thank you for the reviews!
Miss Anya...Glad you're enjoying, I will do my best not to keep you waiting too long.
Cal...Thank you so much for the two beautifully detailed long reviews. Jack and Ana are by far my favorite PotC couple as well. It seemed such an obvious match in the movie and it is a shame there are so few stories about them to read. I really enjoyed reading through your reviews and getting a chance to see what you thought about different parts. I love knowing what people are thinking as they are reading. I'm really working hard on staying in character for each of the characters, but especially Jack and Ana so I hope that I'm being true to them. I hope you enjoy this next update as well. Thanks again for the great reviews.
Chapter Three
When Anamaria awoke the next morning, she found herself lying in Jack's arms, her own draped loosely around his waist. She did not want to have to face Jack in that position and hurried to get out of the bed. She was almost finished dressing when she heard him stir. Rubbing his eyes and blinking back the sleep, he slowly sat up.
"See, I didn't get left behind this time" she said, pulling on her boots.
Jack let out a small laugh. "I told you, you 'ave nothin' to worry about. I couldn't run the ship the same without you."
Anamaria rolled her eyes, "I'm sure Captain Jack Sparrow could find a way."
Jack did not take her joke lightly and was going to stand and join her when he remembered he had no clothes on.
"It's a bit late to be modest now," she said a small smile playing across her lips.
Jack gave her a sarcastic grin.
"Don't worry, I'm just on my way out," she said, scooping up his clothes and dropping them on his bed as she walked by. "I'm going to get breakfast in town. I'm absolutely famished. See you in two days," she added as she walked out his door.
Jack spent a few minutes marveling at this woman's ability to leave him speechless in a matter of seconds before deciding to get out of bed and get dressed. After clothing himself, he turned his attention to his desk.
It took him a good while to clean up the mess that he and Anamaria had created the night before. Glass littered the floor from the bottles of rum that had been pushed aside. Several maps had been destroyed by the pungent liquid and Jack was forced to toss them out. Fortunately, Bootstraps' map had survived unstained and unwrinkled. Jack was amazed, but took it as a sign that things had taken a turn for the better for once. Dry candle wax had to be scraped off the hard wood floor and Jack was more than a little concerned to find there was a hole burned into his beautiful blue Oriental rug. He ended up moving a large vase pilfered from a small China town many years ago to cover it and decided, upon closer inspection, that it probably should always have been displayed there. Although he hated cleaning, the actions that had led to it gave him something to smile about as he performed the menial tasks.
When the area was tidy again he ate breakfast alone in his cabin and then proceeded to plot the details of their next voyage. He used the ideas that he and his first mate had discussed the day before to draw out the navigational charts; however, in the end he knew it would come down to what the crew wanted. Jack ran a tight ship, but it was customary in pirate culture for the entire crew to decide where to travel to next. It was a democracy and Jack understood that the best way to get his way was by convincing the crew that it was the only way.
By late afternoon, he was starving and opted to leave The Pearl for the bustling streets of Tortuga. He ate dinner alone in one of the quieter restaurants and then stopped at a tavern to replace the five bottles of rum that he and Anamaria had managed to single handedly consume the evening before. He carried the bottles back to The Pearl and stored them in his cabin before deciding to finally face Giselle and head to The Briar Rose.
Jack saw her the instant he walked in the door. She was serving drinks to several unruly patrons who were currently ogling the way her breasts poured over the top of her dress. She was laughing and smiling with them and Jack hoped she was in a good mood. He chose a seat at the bar where he knew she would eventually be forced to speak to him and then waited patiently. Not long after, she brought him a mug of rum, slamming it down on the bar so the liquid sloshed over the edge, spilling onto both of them.
"What are you doing 'ere Jack?" she asked hotly.
Jack stared at her for a long moment before answering. She looked tired, but healthy. The usual spark was missing from her deep blue eyes and he weighed the possibilities that it might be his fault. He remembered what she had said to him the last time he had seen her, right before she had slapped him. And he remembered not fully understanding it. He had never given Giselle a reason to believe she was the only woman in his life. In fact, he had done quite the opposite, always stressing the issue that their relationship was nothing more than a physical one. That was why he never stayed the night, why he never sent her letters, why he never really vocally expressed that he cared for her. They took care of each other's needs and remained casual friends, but that was all.
Jack held her icy glare and finally answered, "I was in town, I needed some rum, and I wanted to see you."
Giselle scoffed at his answer, "Couldn't find any other girls to share their bed with you?"
"That's never a problem for Captain Jack, luv," he said, smiling slightly before realizing he probably shouldn't have said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You're despicable," Giselle said, rolling her eyes and stomping off.
Jack's mug had been empty for a long time before she finally appeared with another. He assumed she was holding out on him because of her anger. Slamming it down harder than the first, Jack bit his tongue to keep from cursing at the woman.
"I jus' want to talk to you, Giselle."
"F*ck you Jack," she spat, turning on her heels and storming off.
"Boy, you really know how to pick 'em," a feminine voice whispered in his ear as he took a long drag from the mug.
He turned to see Anamaria making her way across the tavern with two rough looking pirates. She winked at him as she caught his eye and he smiled back. Well, at least one of us is going to get laid tonight he thought to himself. They took a table in the back, out of Jack's direct line of vision, and he returned to his alcohol.
Giselle did not take as long to return the next time and he again attempted to reason with her.
"Giselle," he began. She looked at him coldly, but at least she was paying attention. "How about I jus' walk you home from work."
Giselle turned her eyes to the ceiling, but he continued.
"I jus' want to talk to you."
"We'll see," she offered. Jack smiled at her. At least he was making progress.
She continued to warm up to him throughout the evening and by the time she got off work, she had conceded to let him take her home. He peered around the tavern before leaving and saw Anamaria disappear upstairs with one of the men he had seen her with earlier. Thank goodness she understands our relationship, Jack thought, turning to Giselle and giving her a slight smile.
Unfortunately she had caught him watching the dark-skinned girl. "That's the same girl you were starin' at the las' time you were in 'ere," she said sullenly.
He almost told her that she was actually a part of his crew now, but quickly thought better of it and asked, "Is she?"
Giselle sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at him for the millionth time that evening. "Are you walking me home, or not?" She turned to go and Jack hurried to catch up with her.
The night was hot and muggy as they stepped into the streets of Tortuga. Jack was glad he had left his coat onboard The Pearl. He attempted to put his arm around her as they walked, but she shrugged it off, keeping a brisk pace, despite the warm weather.
"Are you not going to say a word to me, luv?" he asked when they had walked over half the way in complete silence.
"And what exactly would I say Jack?"
"Anythin' really, jus' tell me what's going on, how work's coming, the usual."
"The usual?" Giselle almost shouted, stopping to turn and face him in the middle of the road.
He caught tears in the corners of her eyes and he hoped she would not start crying. He hated dealing with women who were crying.
"What would be usual to us Jack?" she asked, the hot tears beginning to spill down her face.
"No, no, don't start that luv."
Giselle turned her head to try and stop the flow, but it was to no avail and the tears kept coming.
"I...I...I thought we had somethin' Jack," she finally stuttered, realizing how silly it sounded only after she got it out.
Jack didn't know how to respond and ended up just standing there, staring at her.
"But that's stupid isn't it? Thinkin' I could 'ave somethin' with a bloody pirate. And not jus' any pirate, but a womanizing one like Jack Sparrow at that." Giselle shook her head. "I should 'ave known better."
Still Jack was unsure how to respond. He was, for once, at a complete loss for words.
Giselle wiped her face with the back of her hand and began walking down the street again, not really caring if Jack followed or not.
"Giselle," he offered, catching up, "I never meant to hurt you."
"Right," she kept walking, speeding up her already brisk pace.
They were only a couple of paces from her door when Jack caught her arm and spun her around to face him.
"Bloody 'ell woman," he started.
"You led me on Jack. You let me think there was somethin' there that wasn't."
"I may be a lot of things Giselle," he paused before adding, "womanizer included, but I never led you on."
"Hmph."
"You know that just as well as I do. Tell me one thing I ever did to lead you on."
Giselle faltered.
"See," he said softly.
Giselle began to cry again, throwing herself into Jack's arms for a hug. "I'm sorry Jack...It's jus'...I really care about you. Do you feel nothin' for me?"
Jack gently patted her back, very unsure of himself in this caretaker role and disliking the feel of it extremely. "I do care about you," he struggled with the words. "It's jus' not the same."
Giselle pulled away.
Feeling very uncomfortable making such a scene in the street, Jack asked, "Can we finish this inside?"
She nodded, not saying a word and he followed her to the door and into her tiny home. He sat down at the table, removing his hat, and she sat down across from him, putting her head in her hands and continuing to cry.
"Giselle, I do care for you. I need you, even. But not..."
"Like I do about you," she finished.
Jack sighed heavily. If he'd known it was going to be this hard, he never would have offered to come home with her. Now he felt trapped. He moved around the table to sit beside her.
"I'm sorry," Giselle said. "It's my fault. I never should have thought..."
"It's ok," Jack said, touching her hair and then tilting her chin to look into her eyes. They searched his, but found nothing more than what he had already told her was there.
"I want you," he kissed her on the forehead. "I need you," he kissed her on the cheek. "And I care about you," he kissed her lips softly. "But those are the only commitments I can make."
"Jack?" she whispered softly.
"Yes?"
"Is there a girl out there somewhere that 'as your heart?"
Jack hated talking about love. It was a terrible subject to discuss and an even worse way to feel. He answered quickly, hoping not to dwell on the topic too long, "Not anymore luv, not anymore."
Giselle looked at him through tears and then dried her face again. "Do you think anyone will ever capture your heart again?"
Jack wanted this discussion to end as fast as possible, "I don't think so." He stood up.
"Jack?"
"Yes?" he asked, getting slightly annoyed.
"Tell me about 'er," she whispered.
"About who?" he asked, getting more agitated by the minute.
"The girl you used to be in love with."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore Giselle. This was supposed to be about me and you."
She was quiet.
"I told you 'ow I feel. I come by every time I'm in Tortuga so you must know I care for you. But I can't give you my 'eart."
Giselle nodded, standing up beside him. There was silence for a moment and then she spoke softly, "I'm not mad with you and I'm sorry I slapped you that night. But my 'eart can't take this Jack. You don't feel the same and that's fine, I don't 'old it against you. But I can't see you anymore. Please don't stop by again, it jus' hurts too bad to wake up alone in the morning."
Jack nodded in understanding and picked up his hat to leave, but Giselle stopped him from placing it on his head. Looking at her with quizzical eyes, Jack paused and she kissed him softly on the lips.
"One last night," she whispered. "Leave me with good memories."
Jack smiled, kissing her back. He knew in the back of his head that this probably wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't resist. It had been a stressful situation dealing with her emotions, one that he would not have normally put himself in and as a result he felt that he deserved to get something out of the evening.
Giselle blew out all the candles and then met Jack in her bedroom to share one last good night between the two of them.
Miss Anya...Glad you're enjoying, I will do my best not to keep you waiting too long.
Cal...Thank you so much for the two beautifully detailed long reviews. Jack and Ana are by far my favorite PotC couple as well. It seemed such an obvious match in the movie and it is a shame there are so few stories about them to read. I really enjoyed reading through your reviews and getting a chance to see what you thought about different parts. I love knowing what people are thinking as they are reading. I'm really working hard on staying in character for each of the characters, but especially Jack and Ana so I hope that I'm being true to them. I hope you enjoy this next update as well. Thanks again for the great reviews.
Chapter Three
When Anamaria awoke the next morning, she found herself lying in Jack's arms, her own draped loosely around his waist. She did not want to have to face Jack in that position and hurried to get out of the bed. She was almost finished dressing when she heard him stir. Rubbing his eyes and blinking back the sleep, he slowly sat up.
"See, I didn't get left behind this time" she said, pulling on her boots.
Jack let out a small laugh. "I told you, you 'ave nothin' to worry about. I couldn't run the ship the same without you."
Anamaria rolled her eyes, "I'm sure Captain Jack Sparrow could find a way."
Jack did not take her joke lightly and was going to stand and join her when he remembered he had no clothes on.
"It's a bit late to be modest now," she said a small smile playing across her lips.
Jack gave her a sarcastic grin.
"Don't worry, I'm just on my way out," she said, scooping up his clothes and dropping them on his bed as she walked by. "I'm going to get breakfast in town. I'm absolutely famished. See you in two days," she added as she walked out his door.
Jack spent a few minutes marveling at this woman's ability to leave him speechless in a matter of seconds before deciding to get out of bed and get dressed. After clothing himself, he turned his attention to his desk.
It took him a good while to clean up the mess that he and Anamaria had created the night before. Glass littered the floor from the bottles of rum that had been pushed aside. Several maps had been destroyed by the pungent liquid and Jack was forced to toss them out. Fortunately, Bootstraps' map had survived unstained and unwrinkled. Jack was amazed, but took it as a sign that things had taken a turn for the better for once. Dry candle wax had to be scraped off the hard wood floor and Jack was more than a little concerned to find there was a hole burned into his beautiful blue Oriental rug. He ended up moving a large vase pilfered from a small China town many years ago to cover it and decided, upon closer inspection, that it probably should always have been displayed there. Although he hated cleaning, the actions that had led to it gave him something to smile about as he performed the menial tasks.
When the area was tidy again he ate breakfast alone in his cabin and then proceeded to plot the details of their next voyage. He used the ideas that he and his first mate had discussed the day before to draw out the navigational charts; however, in the end he knew it would come down to what the crew wanted. Jack ran a tight ship, but it was customary in pirate culture for the entire crew to decide where to travel to next. It was a democracy and Jack understood that the best way to get his way was by convincing the crew that it was the only way.
By late afternoon, he was starving and opted to leave The Pearl for the bustling streets of Tortuga. He ate dinner alone in one of the quieter restaurants and then stopped at a tavern to replace the five bottles of rum that he and Anamaria had managed to single handedly consume the evening before. He carried the bottles back to The Pearl and stored them in his cabin before deciding to finally face Giselle and head to The Briar Rose.
Jack saw her the instant he walked in the door. She was serving drinks to several unruly patrons who were currently ogling the way her breasts poured over the top of her dress. She was laughing and smiling with them and Jack hoped she was in a good mood. He chose a seat at the bar where he knew she would eventually be forced to speak to him and then waited patiently. Not long after, she brought him a mug of rum, slamming it down on the bar so the liquid sloshed over the edge, spilling onto both of them.
"What are you doing 'ere Jack?" she asked hotly.
Jack stared at her for a long moment before answering. She looked tired, but healthy. The usual spark was missing from her deep blue eyes and he weighed the possibilities that it might be his fault. He remembered what she had said to him the last time he had seen her, right before she had slapped him. And he remembered not fully understanding it. He had never given Giselle a reason to believe she was the only woman in his life. In fact, he had done quite the opposite, always stressing the issue that their relationship was nothing more than a physical one. That was why he never stayed the night, why he never sent her letters, why he never really vocally expressed that he cared for her. They took care of each other's needs and remained casual friends, but that was all.
Jack held her icy glare and finally answered, "I was in town, I needed some rum, and I wanted to see you."
Giselle scoffed at his answer, "Couldn't find any other girls to share their bed with you?"
"That's never a problem for Captain Jack, luv," he said, smiling slightly before realizing he probably shouldn't have said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You're despicable," Giselle said, rolling her eyes and stomping off.
Jack's mug had been empty for a long time before she finally appeared with another. He assumed she was holding out on him because of her anger. Slamming it down harder than the first, Jack bit his tongue to keep from cursing at the woman.
"I jus' want to talk to you, Giselle."
"F*ck you Jack," she spat, turning on her heels and storming off.
"Boy, you really know how to pick 'em," a feminine voice whispered in his ear as he took a long drag from the mug.
He turned to see Anamaria making her way across the tavern with two rough looking pirates. She winked at him as she caught his eye and he smiled back. Well, at least one of us is going to get laid tonight he thought to himself. They took a table in the back, out of Jack's direct line of vision, and he returned to his alcohol.
Giselle did not take as long to return the next time and he again attempted to reason with her.
"Giselle," he began. She looked at him coldly, but at least she was paying attention. "How about I jus' walk you home from work."
Giselle turned her eyes to the ceiling, but he continued.
"I jus' want to talk to you."
"We'll see," she offered. Jack smiled at her. At least he was making progress.
She continued to warm up to him throughout the evening and by the time she got off work, she had conceded to let him take her home. He peered around the tavern before leaving and saw Anamaria disappear upstairs with one of the men he had seen her with earlier. Thank goodness she understands our relationship, Jack thought, turning to Giselle and giving her a slight smile.
Unfortunately she had caught him watching the dark-skinned girl. "That's the same girl you were starin' at the las' time you were in 'ere," she said sullenly.
He almost told her that she was actually a part of his crew now, but quickly thought better of it and asked, "Is she?"
Giselle sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at him for the millionth time that evening. "Are you walking me home, or not?" She turned to go and Jack hurried to catch up with her.
The night was hot and muggy as they stepped into the streets of Tortuga. Jack was glad he had left his coat onboard The Pearl. He attempted to put his arm around her as they walked, but she shrugged it off, keeping a brisk pace, despite the warm weather.
"Are you not going to say a word to me, luv?" he asked when they had walked over half the way in complete silence.
"And what exactly would I say Jack?"
"Anythin' really, jus' tell me what's going on, how work's coming, the usual."
"The usual?" Giselle almost shouted, stopping to turn and face him in the middle of the road.
He caught tears in the corners of her eyes and he hoped she would not start crying. He hated dealing with women who were crying.
"What would be usual to us Jack?" she asked, the hot tears beginning to spill down her face.
"No, no, don't start that luv."
Giselle turned her head to try and stop the flow, but it was to no avail and the tears kept coming.
"I...I...I thought we had somethin' Jack," she finally stuttered, realizing how silly it sounded only after she got it out.
Jack didn't know how to respond and ended up just standing there, staring at her.
"But that's stupid isn't it? Thinkin' I could 'ave somethin' with a bloody pirate. And not jus' any pirate, but a womanizing one like Jack Sparrow at that." Giselle shook her head. "I should 'ave known better."
Still Jack was unsure how to respond. He was, for once, at a complete loss for words.
Giselle wiped her face with the back of her hand and began walking down the street again, not really caring if Jack followed or not.
"Giselle," he offered, catching up, "I never meant to hurt you."
"Right," she kept walking, speeding up her already brisk pace.
They were only a couple of paces from her door when Jack caught her arm and spun her around to face him.
"Bloody 'ell woman," he started.
"You led me on Jack. You let me think there was somethin' there that wasn't."
"I may be a lot of things Giselle," he paused before adding, "womanizer included, but I never led you on."
"Hmph."
"You know that just as well as I do. Tell me one thing I ever did to lead you on."
Giselle faltered.
"See," he said softly.
Giselle began to cry again, throwing herself into Jack's arms for a hug. "I'm sorry Jack...It's jus'...I really care about you. Do you feel nothin' for me?"
Jack gently patted her back, very unsure of himself in this caretaker role and disliking the feel of it extremely. "I do care about you," he struggled with the words. "It's jus' not the same."
Giselle pulled away.
Feeling very uncomfortable making such a scene in the street, Jack asked, "Can we finish this inside?"
She nodded, not saying a word and he followed her to the door and into her tiny home. He sat down at the table, removing his hat, and she sat down across from him, putting her head in her hands and continuing to cry.
"Giselle, I do care for you. I need you, even. But not..."
"Like I do about you," she finished.
Jack sighed heavily. If he'd known it was going to be this hard, he never would have offered to come home with her. Now he felt trapped. He moved around the table to sit beside her.
"I'm sorry," Giselle said. "It's my fault. I never should have thought..."
"It's ok," Jack said, touching her hair and then tilting her chin to look into her eyes. They searched his, but found nothing more than what he had already told her was there.
"I want you," he kissed her on the forehead. "I need you," he kissed her on the cheek. "And I care about you," he kissed her lips softly. "But those are the only commitments I can make."
"Jack?" she whispered softly.
"Yes?"
"Is there a girl out there somewhere that 'as your heart?"
Jack hated talking about love. It was a terrible subject to discuss and an even worse way to feel. He answered quickly, hoping not to dwell on the topic too long, "Not anymore luv, not anymore."
Giselle looked at him through tears and then dried her face again. "Do you think anyone will ever capture your heart again?"
Jack wanted this discussion to end as fast as possible, "I don't think so." He stood up.
"Jack?"
"Yes?" he asked, getting slightly annoyed.
"Tell me about 'er," she whispered.
"About who?" he asked, getting more agitated by the minute.
"The girl you used to be in love with."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore Giselle. This was supposed to be about me and you."
She was quiet.
"I told you 'ow I feel. I come by every time I'm in Tortuga so you must know I care for you. But I can't give you my 'eart."
Giselle nodded, standing up beside him. There was silence for a moment and then she spoke softly, "I'm not mad with you and I'm sorry I slapped you that night. But my 'eart can't take this Jack. You don't feel the same and that's fine, I don't 'old it against you. But I can't see you anymore. Please don't stop by again, it jus' hurts too bad to wake up alone in the morning."
Jack nodded in understanding and picked up his hat to leave, but Giselle stopped him from placing it on his head. Looking at her with quizzical eyes, Jack paused and she kissed him softly on the lips.
"One last night," she whispered. "Leave me with good memories."
Jack smiled, kissing her back. He knew in the back of his head that this probably wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't resist. It had been a stressful situation dealing with her emotions, one that he would not have normally put himself in and as a result he felt that he deserved to get something out of the evening.
Giselle blew out all the candles and then met Jack in her bedroom to share one last good night between the two of them.