Note; Hey guys! I am so so so so so so so sorry about the wait! With school, and extra-curricular stuff, I really haven't had time. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Again, I apologize for the wait! Love and best wishes to all of you who still look for my updates! 3
"Jack?" Annabelle asked stupidly, as if the man weren't standing right in front her. "I…erm..I-"
"Who are you?" Joseph asked loudly, standing up and bearing menacingly at the pirate, who had him beat in height by a good six inches or so.
Jack ignored the boy, turning and approaching his sister. The dark woman looked unphased. He took her arm and turned her away, whispering furiously. Though the impression was to be discreet, his voice carried.
"Wha' the hell 'ave you been playin' at?" he asked, traces of worry and anger in his tone.
"I believe you and Lady Montel have much to discuss," Liliana replied, twisting from her older brother's grip and turning to the queue sitting behind them. She looked at Annabelle meaningfully, to which Annabelle stood rather awkwardly. As she approached the two, more footsteps could be heard from the front doorway.
"Jack?" a male voice called out hesitantly. "Jack? Are ya in there?"
Annabelle immediately recognized Joshamee Gibbs to be the owner of the voice. The portly man, looking as gray and harried as ever, his ponytail coming loose, came cautiously into the room. As he saw Annabelle, his dark hazel eyes widened with shock.
"M-Miss Crowe!" he spluttered, trying frantically to tie his hair into a more presentable state. "I-we didn't expect you.."
"That's an understatement," Jack muttered under his breath, glaring at Liliana as he did.
Liliana stared back at him, her face as cool and smooth as marble, and his hurtful gaze faltered. Jack turned to Annabelle, standing mere inches away and whispered, "Wha' are yeh doin' here, Anna?"
"It's a story for a later time, Jack," Annabelle pleaded, her eyes darting quickly in the direction of her children.
Jack's eyes mirrored in the same direction as Annabelle's. A flash of recognition passed through his face as they rested on Joseph. Almost thinking that she imagined it, Annabelle saw the pirate's shoulders straighten slightly, an expression close to pride on his chiseled face. The rather strange moment was broken by another voice, this one distinctly feminine.
"Jack?" the mystery woman said, and the entire party of people turned to face the sound. A petite woman, her head peaking just over Jack's shoulder, stood in the sitting room doorway. Her golden brown hair was braided under a small, black tricorn hat, and she was adorned in men's clothing. Annabelle suddenly recognized the woman to be the same one who saved Jack from the gallows in Port Royal, all those years ago. Her golden-brown eyes scanned the room apprehensively, and turned to Jack, an annoyed expression covering her face.
"What is going on here?" she demanded, her voice surprisingly delicate and proper despite the strength and volume coming from it now.
Jack seemed to flinch at the small woman's voice, turning away from Annabelle to fully face her.
"Lizzy," he said carefully. "it seems we 'ave a bit of a problem."
"And what exactly is the problem, Jack?" the woman replied, her tone becoming clipped and waspish.
"We're not exactly sure," Gibbs interjected, still attempting to make his hair more presentable. "Yeh see, Miss Crowe here, she-er-well, would you like to explain Cap'n?"
The portly man turned to Jack, causing everyone's gaze to follow. Jack shot a sharp look at his first mate before addressing the angry woman.
"I think this is a story for a later time," Jack said blandly, echoing Annabelle's words.
"Si," Rebekah said, speaking for the first time since dinner. "I think I'm getting a little tired. Come, Lily, Roisin, I will show you your bed chamber for tonight." She pronounced Roisin as raw-sheen.
Jack turned abruptly, giving his niece a soft smile. "Ello, Becky,"he said, and promptly began to act insulted. "Too old to give your uncle a kiss?"
Annabelle saw a smirk immediately emerge on the man's face as the girl approached, placing a kiss on his stubbly cheek.
"Lo siento, Tio," she said softly. "It is wonderful to see you."
Jack brushed a lock of brown hair from her oval shaped face, smiling in a way that was almost fatherly. "Been too long."
Rebekah merely nodded, walking back and taking Lily's small hand, gesturing to Roisin to follow. As young Lily met Jack's eyes, her face flushed at an alarming rate.
"G'night," she mumbled, more of a whisper than anything.
As the three girls left the room, Joseph spoke again.
"Who the bloody hell are these people!" he shouted, walking to his mother and glaring at Jack.
"Joseph!" Annabelle reprimanded, looking sternly at her son. "You are wildly out of place!"
"S'alright, Anna," Jack said, contemplating the boy's indignant face. "He 'as a right to know." The pirate stuck out his hand to Joseph. "Captain Jack Sparrow," he said formally.
"Joseph Montel," the boy replied, still glaring, taking the outstretched hand firmly and shaking it.
"As much as I think yeh should be able to be privy to this impending conversation, I think tha' it's up to your mother," Jack inclined his head toward Annabelle.
"Go to bed," she said softly, her voice firm with twelve and a half years of mothering.
Joseph opened his mouth as if to speak and thought better of it, turning and stalking down the hallway after the girls.
Liliana strode over to a chair and sat gracefully. "It seems we have much to discuss."
Annabelle sat as well, occupying half of a loveseat, the other half holding Jack. Gibbs flopped down on a small pouf, one that looked as if it might not hold his weight for very long. 'Lizzy', chose to stand, her arms crossed over her chest, stance wide and almost masculine.
"I believe Lady Montel must be the one to begin," Liliana purred, curling up within her chair and looking expectantly at Annabelle.
"Well, it started some time ago," Annabelle started, her voice shaking slightly. "A few weeks, maybe a month, I'm not sure how long we'd been there…"
As she continued the tale, she saw Jack's features tighten in anger, and Lizzy's eyes widen. Mister Gibbs looked as if he'd been hit in the face with a brick, and Liliana's face remained passive, as if she had heard the story before, despite the fact that Annabelle had said nothing to her.
When she was finished, she looked down at her pale blue skirt, feeling ashamed. Jack had begun pacing at this time. Annabelle's face gained a slight flush, knowing that Lizzy would figure out why Teach had known Jack would come to her rescue. She was correct.
"You mean that…that…?" her eyes moved to the hallway that the the children had disappeared into and then flitted to Annabelle's face. Instead of throwing out what could have easily been a sharp and hurtful judgement, the fair woman took the spot on the love seat where Jack had been, taking Annabelle's pale hands in her own.
"I'm so, so, sorry," she said, her voice taking a very gentle tone. "I know how you must feel."
Annabelle felt very dubious about that. Lizzy must've been able to tell, for she pulled a large, worn, golden locket from underneath her white blouse and unlatched the clasp. Inside was portrait of a man and a young toddler, presumably a boy, sitting in his lap. They both had the same dark blonde hair, and dark inquisitive eyes. Despite the rather crude design and painting skill, here was no doubt they were related. Annabelle looked up into Lizzy's eyes and saw golden brown pools of love and regret.
"Billy was three when we paid for that portrait," she said, looking down affectionately at the picture. "He's thirteen now. It's been ten years since he and his father have been in the same country, let alone the same room. Our family can never be truly whole because of choices someone made years and years ago."
Annabelle felt an intense pang of empathy for this pirate woman. Having lost Jacob to war for eight years, she knew exactly of what the dear lady was speaking.
"I'm Elizabeth Turner," the woman said, stretching out a hand to Annabelle. "But feel free to call me Lizzy if you like. Everyone else seems to." she cast a sharp look at Jack, who smirked at the chastisement.
Annabelle's blue eyes widened at the name, recognition hitting her in the face like an anvil. "You're-you're the Pirate Queen?" she asked, slightly breathless.
"Yes," Elizabeth laughed, patting Annabelle's hand lightly. "Unfortunately."
"No one ever told me you had a family," she said, suddenly eager to hear more about the woman.
"Not many people know. It's for their safety. Though, Will can take care of himself quite well. Being captain of the Flying Dutchman usually keeps the rogues at bay."
Annabelle felt another flash of shock run over her. She was just about to say something when Jack interrupted.
"Enough with the introductions!" he snapped, stopping in front of the women. "We 'ave to get out of 'ere!"
"What about us, Jack?" Annabelle asked, standing abruptly. "You can't just leave us!"
Jack looked dumbfounded for a moment, his chocolate eyes confused. He recovered quickly, replying, "Yeh'll come with us, of course."
"Jack," Annabelle said desperately. "If we leave with you, Teach will kill Jacob! He only let him on board on my request. He is alive because I've been following his orders. I will not let him die!" her voice had risen to a shout by this time. She had come to the point where hysterics were necessary, and the privilege to shout had been denied to her too long.
Jack completely took her by surprise when he pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. Her head laid just above his heart, and she could hear its frantic beating. Despite its wildness, it calmed her fear and desperate guilt.
"Shhh," he consoled her, his warm breath brushing her auburn hair.
Her breath slowly calmed, and her fingers gripped the thick fabric of his shirt, clinging steadfast to his voice, his warmth, his scent. When he released her, she felt an eerie emptiness inside of her. Jack turned to Elizabeth and Gibbs, and said firmly, "Back to the Pearl, both of yeh. I'll inform yeh of our course in the morning."
Both first mate and Queen exited without a fuss, disappearing into the newly fallen night. Jack approached his sister and leaned down, whispering quickly into her ear. Liliana nodded smoothly, looking into her brother's eyes deeply before rising as well.
"I shall let you say your goodbyes," Liliana addressed them. "Good night to you both."
As she exited the room, Jack turned to Annabelle, taking her wrist and leading her to the front door. He stood stiffly, all his energy coiled inside, looking as if he didn't know whether to bolt from her sight or stay exactly where he stood with her.
"Jack," Annabelle began, unsure of what to say. "I-"
Warmth and light bombarded her body.
Jack Sparrow's lips covered hers before she could even finish her sentence. All of his tense muscles relaxed, and Annabelle could feel his energy coursing through her. She felt something else, too, though a name was too frightening to place at that moment. When he released her, he bundled her body up against him, his arms enfolding her. She breathed in salt water and rum and faint traces of oranges. She buried herself in the smell of him.
Jack lifted her chin up, so that their eyes met.
"I will not lose yeh," he whispered. "And I will not let that man die on my account, either. I owe yeh much more than this, but it's a start."
He disentangled their bodies and opened the door. Before leaving, he planted a soft peck on Annabelle's head. She swore she could feel the impression of his lips in her auburn curls.
With that he sauntered into the darkness, the moon shining a faint path of pearl down the walkway from the door. As he disappeared past the trees at the front of the property, Annabelle whispered softly, hoping her voice would carry on the light breeze.
"Thank you."
