Jack went to the window and gazed out into the late afternoon sun.
Admiring the fall of sunlight across his face that gave his short black hair reddish highlights, Elizabeth rose and went to him. "What do we have to do?" she asked as she snuck her arms around his waist from behind. She gently bit the back of his neck and then kissed it, sucking gently on the bitten spot.
He stiffened and gasped, clutching at her hands on his waist as goose bumps rose on his neck and arms.
"All right, that's it," he growled, turning around. "You, young lady, are begging for trouble." He gripped both her hands in his and then put his arms around her so she ended up pressed against him with her hands held behind her back.
He kissed her neck several times, ran his tongue around the edge of her ear and nipped the lobe with his teeth. His mouth traveled down her neck to her shoulder, and Elizabeth—with his hands holding hers firmly behind her back—was powerless. She shivered.
"You look," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling and making her shiver, "like the loveliest figurehead in the world, my darling."
She struggled against his hold and he released her. She locked her arms around his neck and answered his rapacious kisses with her own. He held her even tighter against his wiry frame, swallowing her moans with his mouth.
"Now, now, Miss Liz," came Teague's rumbly voice from the doorway, where neither of them had heard him open the door. "How about you unhand my son for a little while, eh? No need to be anticipatin' yer wedding night—it'll come soon enough."
Jack and Elizabeth broke apart guiltily when Teague first started speaking. At his last remark, Jack glowered. "That is entirely a matter of opinion," he growled. "And I don't share yours."
Teague smirked. "Nevertheless, it is my house, and I'm not in that much of a hurry for grandchildren, so reef yer sails, the both of you."
Elizabeth giggled, a little embarrassed. "Well, he didn't say 'drop anchor,'" she pointed out quietly to Jack.
"Mrs Ainsley-Swann is on her way back up here from her walk," Teague informed them.
"Drop anchor," Jack advised Elizabeth instantly, with a grimace of dread.
He pulled her down to sit next to him on the divan. "We still need to figure out what to do about Angelica, anyway. She's still cluttering up my lovely Pearl."
"Any ideas, short of killing her?" Elizabeth asked.
Teague, seeing them engaged in respectable conversation instead of amorous pursuits, nodded. "Better," he mumbled to himself as he backed out of the room but pointedly left the door open.
"I'm sorely tempted to reunite her with her father," Jack replied grimly.
"Blackbeard? But he's dead. I thought you didn't want to kill her?"
"No more I do, but her father's on the Flying Dutchman."
"With Will? How did that happen, if he died inland?"
"Not sure, exactly. Something to do with the way he was killed—it's more mystical mumbo-jumbo. Will has him working as his cabin boy."
"That's interesting," Elizabeth mused. "So he can bring the dead back to life?"
"Only if they want to serve as crew aboard the Dutchman, and it isn't really life, as I understand it. More like undead—you know, the way you were, on that ship—before Calypso gave you that little spark of life."
"But can he employ the living? Like Angelica?"
"No idea," Jack said, shaking his head. "If he can, that would keep her out of trouble for a century or so."
"Only problem is, I'd hate to saddle Will with her. Somehow I doubt they'd get on together," Elizabeth said.
Jack, who could often let moments to do the right thing pass him by with a cheerful wave, apparently did not do the same with opportunities to tease Elizabeth. "I don't know about that," he said. "Will and I have been known to have our tastes in women overlap."
Elizabeth gave him a humorless look. "Just because you both like me doesn't mean it would be the same for every woman, Jack."
"Oh, not just you, darling, although you are of course the best example. I was talking of Calypso."
"What?" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Surely you knew about that, love? You were right there, at World's End, when she mentioned it to me."
"I—she—I don't think I heard that! At World's End I was too concerned with rescuing you and hoping you'd forgive me for what I did. I never thought—you mean you? And Calypso?"
"Aye. I thought you knew."
"Recently?"
"Oh, no, years and years ago."
"But I thought—Davy Jones and Calypso—what—"
"Davy Jones didn't stay true to the purpose she gave him, and went meddling in the black arts—putting a geas on his heart, for instance, which is what requires the person who stabs it to replace it with his own. She wasn't faithful to him, either, as evidenced by her little…dalliance… with me a long time ago."
"You mean you stole Davy Jones' woman?"
"Aye. For a little while, anyway."
"Were you the reason she wasn't there to meet him when he went ashore?"
Jack said nothing, and cast his gaze down to the side like a naughty child.
Elizabeth looked at him, open-mouthed, and shook her head slowly. "I swear, Jack Sparrow, if there's trouble anywhere in the world, you'll find it. What in heaven's name am I going to do with you?"
"Marry me, love, and as soon as possible. That way you'll always be around to get me back out of the trouble. But we were talking of Angelica. Think Will would be willing to take her on board?"
"I'm not sure. He may have limitations on his powers that we don't know about."
"Well, we can ask him," Jack said. "Not sure how to get him to agree, though."
Elizabeth's face took on a crafty smile.
Jack backed away a step. "I know that look, sweetheart. I'm afraid of it. What are you thinking?"
"Oh, I have an idea about something that may sweeten the deal."
"Oh?"
"Jacob. We could bring my son on board so that his father can meet him without having to wait another eight years."
Jack sat back. "Huh. Don't know why I didn't think of that before."
"You may have had one or two other things on your mind in recent months," Elizabeth pointed out.
"'Struth, I have. But I'd really like to unload one of them onto him, if I can!"
Elizabeth laughed.
Jack gave her a quizzical look. "I'm surprised at you, love. Using your own son as leverage to make a deal with your former husband?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "Pirate!" was all she said.
Jack grinned. "Told you so!" he crowed, pointing at her.
Agatha was overjoyed to hear, when she returned from her walk, that Jack and Elizabeth had decided to accept the governor's offer.
"That is wonderful, my dears!" she exclaimed. "Oh, it will be so nice to be able to see you, and to be able to watch my grand-nephew grow up! And perhaps have some more grand-nieces and nephews as well, hmm?"
Elizabeth giggled, a little embarrassed. "Captain Teague says he's not in a hurry for grandchildren, Aunt."
Agatha gave her a sly look. "He may say that, my dear."
"Well, if stepchildren count, he'll already have one," Elizabeth pointed out. She grinned at the thought. "Had you thought about that yet, Jack? You'll be a stepfather!"
Jack's alarmed expression said it all, but he recovered quickly and turned the tables on her. "And have you thought about the fact that you'll be letting a lifelong pirate raise your son? A thief and a swindler, who is absolutely nothing like the child's father?"
Elizabeth's grin faded.
"A-ha!" Jack laughed. "Not so cocky now, are you?" He turned to Agatha. "Or you, I'll wager!"
"Oh, I'm not worried," Agatha assured him. "I have faith in you."
"Faith enough to let your niece marry me?" Jack teased. "A known, notorious—I might even go so far as to say famous—pirate?
"My niece knows her own mind, Jack. And I ask you, as someone who's known her for years: have you ever tried to talk her out of doing something she's set on?"
Jack grinned. "Point taken, Auntie. And glad you approve."
"Aunt Agatha, I must say, I'm rather surprised that you do," Elizabeth said. "I didn't think you would be so happy for your niece, the governor's daughter, becoming affianced to a pirate!"
"Eliza dear, the man obviously loves you more than anything, and the two of you do seem well-matched. And to be honest, our little sojourn here in 'Pirate Cove' has opened my eyes a little bit. Jack is a pirate, but he is a good man who makes you happy, and who will go to any lengths to take care of you. I couldn't ask for more." Agatha's eyes started to twinkle. "Most importantly, this isn't just any old pirate you're going to marry, dear."
"He isn't?" Elizabeth queried.
"Of course not. This is Captain Jack Sparrow!" Agatha boasted.
Jack's face lit up. "Finally!" he crowed. "Someone gets it right!"