Adult-FanFiction.org : Movies

The Flying Dutchman	By : BrethlessM Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 3366 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter Eight

Jack slept fitfully. The first time he awoke after falling asleep with Elizabeth in his arms was when Gibbs had opened the door to the Captain�s cabin, stuck his head inside to make sure everyone was decent, and then withdrew, pushing a drowsily stumbling William inside. At Jack�s welcoming grin and beckoning gesture, the boy had crawled into bed between the two adults as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

And although Elizabeth and William slept soundly, curled next to him on his bunk, Jack continued to wake every few hours, reaching out in the darkness to make sure they were still there� that he wasn�t dead or dreaming. They never woke when Jack touched their faces, and once comforted, he fell back into an uneasy sleep.

He only knew when dawn came by the familiar accuracy of his internal clock, and the dim glow of sunlight creeping from the entrance of the cave to peer in at his cabin�s windows. In that faint illumination, Jack could see the still sleeping figures of Elizabeth and William beside him, and for a while, he watched them sleep.

Jack felt an odd trembling in his stomach that he hadn�t experienced since turning around to face the looming mass of the Kraken. He rarely thought about his feelings, but looking at Elizabeth and William, he felt as though he were drowning, and it suddenly occurred to the pirate that the situation he�d gotten himself into here wasn�t simple.

It was not a question of want � he wanted Elizabeth. Always had. But as usual, he hadn�t thought - about what coming for her would mean to any of them. Jack had learned the hard way about being too open and too familiar with others, and it was not a mistake he�d make lightly again. Frowning, he thought about what winning this battle of wills he was engaged in would mean. Worse, he thought about what losing the battle would result in, and it put everything into sharp perspective for Jack.

Either way, something would be lost. Either he would lose a bit of his freedom to a blonde-haired woman and her mite of a son� or he�d lose something that was beginning to seem far more important. It was troubling. Being tied to anything made him nervous, but looking at the matching golden heads lying beside him�.
Jack�s mouth went dry, and he felt an overwhelming need for rum. Carefully untangling his limbs from the ones surrounding him, Jack slid from the bunk as quietly as he could. A cold lamp hung near his desk, and with fingers long accustomed to the task, he lit it and made his way towards the door.
A soft moan froze him in place and he turned to catch William rubbing his face with one irritable hand. Jack waited to see if he were awake, or just shifting in a dream.
William�s eyes opened and met Jack�s instantly. He breathed the pirate�s name as he blinked his eyes, struggling to wake up.
Jack kept his voice low. �Go back to sleep, Mate. �
William stared for a minute. �You�ll be back?� he asked.
Nodding, Jack closed his eyes to keep his emotions from showing. �Won�t be long� Captainy things.�
Succumbing to the pull of sleep, William sighed contently and hummed a few lines from a song that called to Jack�s mind an enormous fire, and he and Elizabeth dancing in drunken circles�
With William snoring again, Jack escaped from the room onto the deck of his ship. The light wasn�t much better out here, but the lamps were lit around the clock, and he could see several of his men engaged in general repairs and maintenance. It was so soothingly normal that Jack couldn�t help but feel relief at the sight. Hanging his own lamp on the hook beside his cabin door, Jack turned right to walk up the set of stairs leading to the wheel. Although there was nowhere to go, he felt a desire to be in command.
Mr. Gibbs was there already, watching over the crew that shuffled to and fro across the lower decks. The First mate did not smile when he saw Jack, but watched him approach with an unreadable expression on his face. It didn�t take a sea witch to understand why.
As Jack reached the wheel and took his place unnecessarily behind it, Gibbs spoke, and confirmed the Captain�s suspicions about his manner. �Didn�t know she had a son,� he said.
�Yes, it would seem the whelp isn�t a eunuch after all,� Jack said blandly. �Frankly, I�m as shocked as you are.�
Gibbs frowned. �Makes things a mite complicated, I�d wager.�
He was fishing, but Jack refused to bite. �And yet, he managed it in one go. Doesn�t appear he had any trouble at all, did he?�
�Damn it all, Jack!� Gibbs swore exasperatedly. �What are you about?�
Jack narrowed his eyes. �I seem to recall a particularly meddling First mate urging me into this situation in the first place.�
Gibbs at least had the decency to blush. �Yes, but Jack� a married woman with a child is-�
�I�ve bedded many a married woman in my day, Mate,� Jack didn�t meet the other man�s eyes. �Some of them even had children.�
�Aye, but this isn�t just any husband you�re aiming to cuckold,� Gibbs stepped closer to his captain and lowered his voice. �You forget, Will�s captain of the Dutchman now, and you barely survived the last time you tangled with that ship.�
Jack looked at him. �You�re forgetting who put the whelp in that position to begin with,� he said.
�Yes, well I�m not so sure he�d be thanking ye for it by this time. Especially if he returns to find ye taking advantage of the opportunity.�
Jack was silent for a minute. �Of course, you didn�t see fit to think of all this before sending me after the wench?�
The expression of Gibbs� face was somber. �Perhaps I should have Captain, there be truth in that. I�ll admit though, I didn�t expect��
Jack frowned dangerously. �Didn�t expect what, Mate?�
Gibbs searched Jack�s face before answering. �I hoped to see you get her out of your system, is all,� he said. �Elizabeth�s a fine sailor, and a good captain, but women on board a ship are trouble, and she�s haunted you like a ghost for the last ten years. I�d thought seeing her one last time would clear her spirit from the air, but I never dreamed you�d go and fall in love with one another.�
Jack flinched as though he�d been struck. �God�s Teeth man, what are you blathering about?�
But Gibbs didn�t back down. �Say what you like, Captain. You�ve never craved a solitary woman as you have her, so perhaps I should have known. But I saw the three of you when you came on board yesterday, and I�m not so old that I can�t remember what it looks like.�
Again, Jack was watching his First mate walk away from him at the helm before Jack could come up with a response. Love? Infantile twaddle, that was. What was in Gibbs� head?
�Captain?�
Looking over the railing, Jack saw that Marty had come bearing a tray of breakfast foods suitable for a woman and child. Still wide-eyed with bewilderment, Jack leapt over the railing beside the miniature bosun and took the tray from his hands. With a nod of thanks, he picked up the lamp he�d left outside the door and went back into his cabin.
Light struck Elizabeth�s face, and Jack caught his breath. He froze, staring, and the echo of Gibbs� words resounded in his ears. As he frowned at them, Elizabeth gave a soft little sigh and her honey-colored eyes opened, falling on him.
Jack braced himself for her shock, her disgust, her accusations of wrongdoing on his part that had resulted in her spending a night in his bed but instead, she smiled. Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes again and stretched the ache of sleep from her body, and Jack had to look away.
�Morning,� she said finally.
�That it is,� he replied glibly. �Hungry?�
He knew she had to be� they had missed supper due to his little accident last night, and he couldn�t help grinning when her stomach gave a tremendous rumble of enthusiasm in answer to his question.
Elizabeth giggled wryly and easily slipped from the bunk to join Jack at his desk, where he�d set down his tray. It was simple food, but fresh, and with the exception of the feast Barbossa had presented her with when she�d been here as his prisoner, it was the nicest fare she�d seen onboard this ship.
Pineapple sliced into rings and an assortment of other fruits, along with a rasher of bacon, kippers, and bread so new she could still feel the warmth of it. She was so ravenous that she didn�t care where it had all come from, and she sat down and immediately began to devour the meal.
Jack merely uncorked a fresh bottle of rum and took a healthy swig, watching Elizabeth�s very unladylike table manners with a smug grin. His Lizzie could eat just as heartily as any of the men on his crew. He�d always hated a woman�s habit of pecking at their food like a bird� wait. His Lizzie? And for that matter, Lizzie? He scowled bemusedly. This was becoming a right annoying little habit he�d developed.
Elizabeth noticed his expression and faltered in her eating. A deep red flush crept up from her d�colletage and she let her hands fall, still holding the hunk of bread she�d been about to shove into her mouth. �I�m sorry, Jack,� she said in embarrassment. �I�ve been rude� would you like anything?�
The look in her eyes softened Jack, and he waved her offer aside. �I�ve got all I need right here,� he said, holding up the bottle for her to see.
Raising her eyebrow at the sight of his breakfast, Elizabeth found her eyes following his arm and coming to rest of the bit of skin revealed at his wrist by the gesture. The tight discolored skin that formed the shape of a �P� held her attention, and she found herself needing to know so many things about the man in front of her.
�Jack?� she asked, unsure. �Will you tell me about your scar? You said you were with the East India Trading Company?�
Jack stared at her uncomfortably, hand automatically reaching to cover the old wound. Finally he nodded shortly. �That�s right� I was a merchant seaman � Captain of the Wicked Wench under our old friend, Cutler Beckett.�
She waited for him to continue, and when he didn�t she asked, �Why did he brand you?� He looked away, and she added, �It�s just� there�s so much I don�t know about you� I want to understand.�
Jack had become very still, with only his eyes moving back and forth as though scanning memories long locked away. When he looked at Elizabeth, it was with a weary expression that made him look older. At last, he spoke. �My father was a pirate, and my mum, an Indian lady from Madagascar. They met around the time that the French East India Trading Company began trying to establish colonies there, and Captain Teague fought to protect his interests. They fell in love, and I was the result.�
Elizabeth waited for him to continue, hardly daring to breathe.
�As you�ve heard, and it�s true, I was born during a typhoon on board my father�s ship. I didn�t see a lot of him as a lad, and I grew up with what will surprise you as a healthy disregard for the piratical sort.� He shrugged at the irony, although he didn�t smile. �At fifteen, I stowed away on a ship bound for Tortuga in search of that swivel-tongued serpent from whose loins I�d sprung.�
Elizabeth blinked. �I thought you got on well with your father,� she said.
Jack laughed. �No one gets on well with my father� with the exception of me mum� he always displayed an unusual amount of affection for her.� He trailed off for a moment, lost in memory, before returning to his story. �Captain Teague and I have an understanding. I don�t look to him for any favors and he doesn�t go out of his way to kill me.�
�Jack, that can�t be true. I remember your father. He may have been a bit gruff but he certainly didn�t seem at all disappointed in you, or - �
Jack cut her off. �Lizzie darling, thank you for the kind words of support, but can I get on with my story now?� She fell silent, although she didn�t look pleased. Having started talking, Jack had to finish the tale or he knew he�d begin to relive it in other ways. Ignoring her glare, he continued. �I never found him in Tortuga, nor for many years after. Got myself into a right bit of trouble though, and I spent several years dancing in and out of one situation or another.
�When I was about eighteen, I went back to find my mum. While I�d been off looking for Captain Teague, he�d been right back where I�d started.� He continued hurriedly when he saw that Elizabeth would interrupt. �Not the entire time, no, but he knew I was looking, and made no attempt to find me himself. There were words, none of them pleasant, and in the end, I set out to be the kind of man my father never had been. I returned to the Caribbean and joined the East India Trading Company.
�It was honest work, and I was at home on the sea. I worked hard, tried not to get in the wrong people�s way, and sent nearly every penny back to Mum. She didn�t need the money, Captain Teague took care of her well enough, but I didn�t want him doing what I could do for meself.�
Jack sighed, as if bored. �Then I had the misfortune of meeting Cutler Beckett.� Jack�s eyes were on the table, and he was frowning. �He was newly a Commodore then, and looking for new Captain�s for his ships. The Captain of the ship on which I was a Privateer at the time mentioned me, and although I thought Beckett a foppish barracuda, I wasn�t about to turn down a ship of my own, and an assignment that would allow me to return regularly to Madagascar.

�The Wicked Wench set sail from Toliara in Madagascar to the British colony of New York, from whence it would return. Beckett gave orders that none but those he�d specifically appointed were to inspect the cargo, and the remainder of the crew, myself included, were to stay out of the hold.�
�But you were curious,� Elizabeth guessed.

�As a cat, love,� Jack nodded. No sooner had we reached open sea, then I made it my Captainly duty to find out just what kind of cargo I was carrying.� A subtle sneer twisted his face, and Elizabeth could see the anger in his eyes. �Contrary to popular belief, I�m not stupid. I knew what kind of person Beckett was, and I knew a bit about the East India Trading Company. I thought the commodore was holding out on the Company� keeping some of the shiny for his onesie. But when I saw what was in the hold, what I had taken on as cargo�.�

His voice failed him for a moment and he looked away. �It was people. Magalasy negroes destined to be sold as slaves in the Americas. They were starved, dirty, and stripped of every human dignity, shoved together so close they were on top of one another.� Jack growled as though the memory hurt physically. �I turned the Wench towards the Caribbean and set the lot of them free. Some of them stayed on me crew, where they were treated far better than either at home or where they were being sent, and some ended up with Tia Dalma in New Orleans.
�That boatload of negroes was the end of the honest Jack Sparrow. When Beckett caught up to my ship he brought a rope to hang me with, and that damnable cane of his with its distinctive brand.� Jack again rubbed his arm. �He branded me a pirate and set my ship aflame, but before he could string me up, I leapt into the water, where I stayed until Davy Jones came to collect me.�
�Wait � Jones?�
Jack nodded. �It was not the first time we�d met, and the old squid was eager to get me in his clutches. I wasn�t quite ready to give in just yet, so I made him a bargain.� He leaned back in his chair, kicking his boots up onto the desk. �He would raise my ship, which I would Captain for thirteen years, and after that, I promised to spend the next one hundred years aboard the Dutchman. It seemed like such a long time then, thirteen years, and I figured I�d find some way out of it in the end.�
He smiled. �And the rest, you know. After three years I had a crew, a compass and a plan to find the Isla de Muerta. Then that bilious Barbossa mutinied against me, and I spent the next ten years trying to get me ship back.�
Surprised understanding illuminated Elizabeth�s face. �You mean this,� she looked around.
�Aye, love,� Jack gestured widely with his hands. � The Wicked Wench, rechristened the Black Pearl after her Phoenix-like immersion from the depths.�
�That explains the black sails,� she said weakly.

He fell silent, and Elizabeth stared. Falling back in her chair, she tried to process everything he had just told her, to make it mesh with everything she already knew of Jack. It seemed an impossible story, and yet, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She�d known him to be a good man from the moment she�d met him, but it�d been so difficult to make that impression hold in the face of his less than desirable tendencies.

Now she saw it all for what is was� an act. A brilliantly played role, in which Jack assumed the rum-soaked persona known to everyone in order to hide a streak of nobility and a lack of blood-thirstiness that was a handicap for a pirate. He had spent his youth hating pirates, but when faced with a choice between death or piracy, he found a way to make the less desirable option work for him.
Just as she had.
Just as Will hadn�t. Elizabeth had no doubt that as soon as her husband returned, he would never look back on his life at sea with the same longing as she did, or as Jack would, if bound to the land. He would forever be content with the mundane in life, and as much as she loved her son and husband, Elizabeth suddenly understood exactly why Jack always said they were peas in a pod. It wasn�t just their wit, their strength, or their ability to adapt to their circumstances. It was their longing, the salt that ran in their blood, and their need for the freedom given them by the sea � by the Pearl.
Her heart was in her eyes, and she knew it. Closing them tightly, Elizabeth lifted a hand to cover them as well, and the room suddenly felt too close. In an instant, Jack was in front of her, concerned, and she tried to pull away but he grabbed her chin and called her name so forcefully, she had no choice but to meet his gaze.
And he saw. He knew. His eyes widened, and he leaned back on his heels, whispering her name. They were frozen in the heartbeat of that moment, and Elizabeth found herself wondering why he didn�t kiss her.
Then William was in her arms, on her lap, oblivious to the intensity of emotion in the cabin and eager to fill his empty stomach with the remaining food Jack had brought them. Her eyes were still on Jack, who was watching her every movement, and she did not take her eyes off of him as she wrapped her arms around he son and kissed the side of his neck.
Whether she�d meant it or not, there was a message in that action and Jack saw it with clarity. Taking a steadying breath he returned William�s greeting of �good morning�, and went to look out the window on the far side of the room. There was nothing to see but the dark walls of the cave, but he wasn�t focused on the view anyway.

Elizabeth and William spent the day with the crew, Jack never far behind them and always with the same, unreadable expression on his face. She did her best to ignore his presence, but more often than not she found her eyes returning to him, or searching for his figure if he disappeared for too long.
William took advantage of his mother�s distraction by climbing into the crow�s nest with Marty, who had befriended him the night before, and learning how to climb aloft onto the yardarms and swing down to the deck by rope. Elizabeth watched with only one eye, and told herself that if it were any other crew, she would have been more concerned, instead of mooning about like a school-girl.
They ate dinner with the crew in the early afternoon before returning home. Elizabeth hadn�t forgotten what day it was, and she found herself wondering if Jack intended to return with them. He had kept a respectable distance from her throughout the morning, and though she was relieved by his discretion, she was also hurt by the sudden lack of his presence. Did he, she wondered, no longer desire her, now that he�d seen the hunger in her eyes? What was it he wanted from her?
He hung back as Elizabeth and William said their goodbyes to the crew, waiting as she shook hands or bowed her head to his men. William, with the exuberant innocence of his youth, hugged each and every pirate aboard, to Jack�s amusement. No one seemed to mind though, and each one made the boy promise to come back just as soon as his mother would let him.
When they were finally ready, Elizabeth turned to him with uncertain eyes, and Jack cursed himself. He�d thought he�d been abiding by her unspoken wishes by keeping distant, but the hurt in her eyes told him she hadn�t interpreted his actions that way. He was a fool. �Come on, Love,� he said, smiling his brilliant smile. �Ready, Mate?� William leapt forward, grabbing his hand. Jack squeezed it once.
The trio walked along the beach in silence, William darting ahead every now and then, chasing the birds that pecked along the shore. A small smile lit Elizabeth�s face as she watched her son. Jack focused on watching the boy too, and laughed when he flung himself heedlessly into the surf after a flock of startled sandpipers.
Elizabeth looked at Jack, almost shyly, and for a moment she allowed herself to take in the surreal wonder of that moment; her, Jack and William walking down the beach the way she never had with Will. Jack�s attention to her son touched her, but it was with a hint of sadness that she realized it wasn�t permanent. Jack could never be content as a family man, the way Will could be. It was silly to even entertaining the thought.
But then Jack surprised Elizabeth by taking her hand in his, and she shocked herself by not pulling away. They didn�t look at each other, didn�t speak, but for the first time in as long as either of them could remember, no words were needed between them, and she let herself forget that it was only fantasy.
Elizabeth disappeared into her bedroom to change clothing as soon as they got home, and Jack stood uncertainly in the sitting room. William asked him to play cards, and at a loss for anything else to do, Jack sat down in a chair across from the boy.
Jack listened half-heartedly to William�s chatter, lost in thought, but one question drew back his attention.
�Do you love my mother?�
Jack froze, staring at William. He contemplated lying, but immediately changed his mind. �Yeah, Mate. I�m no expert, but it looks like that might be the case.�
William focused on the cards he was sorting in his hands, not looking up at the older man but he nodded knowingly. �I thought so.�
Jack waited. �And, do you have any thoughts on the subject?�
Surprised at being asked such a question by an adult, William looked up and lay down his hand. �I�m glad. She�s lonely.�
�What about your father?�
He scrunched his brow in thought, then shrugged. �He�s coming home tonight, but she�s happy right now, and that makes me happy.� He paused. �Is it possible for someone to love two people, Uncle Jack?�
�I don�t know, Mate. I don�t know.�
�William? You should go change. It�ll be time to go meet your father soon.�
By the look on her face, Jack thought she might have been standing there listening for longer than he would have liked. She was holding an old, familiar chest in her hands, and when William disappeared she put it down on the bench of the pianoforte, avoiding his eyes.
�Did you mean it? What you said, Jack?� Elizabeth asked, not turning around.
He had no idea what answer would make her happier. �What do you think, love?� he finally answered.
�I think,� she began. �I think, you�re a good man, Jack, You know I�ve always thought that.� She met his eyes. �I want the freedom of the sea, and the life I once knew, but I want a family more.�
He nodded, understanding, and his jaw clenched. �I didn�t mean it.� His voice was low and harsh with hurt, but Jack couldn�t find it in him to care. �I�m not the kind of man you want.�
Elizabeth stepped back as if he�d hit her. She�d thought that maybe� but he hadn�t meant it after all. He didn�t love her. She was a fool. Tears sprung to her eyes and she quickly turned away to hide them. �Yes,� was all she could answer.
�I�ll get me coat.� Jack�s effects, hat and regular clothing were in Elizabeth�s room, and he scooped the pile up without stopping.
William emerged from his own room in breeches, a maroon vest, and a tri-corned hat. Jack smiled, but it didn�t reach his eyes. �I�m off, Mate.� He tried cheerfully. �Behave yourself, alright?�
The pained confusion on the boy�s face was enough to ruin Jack, and he quickly went out into the foyer.
Elizabeth was waiting there, and he couldn�t make himself meet her eyes. After a moment�s hesitation, William burst into the room behind him and flung his arms around Jack�s waist.
�Wait! You have to stay! You�re supposed to be here when Father comes home!� William was crying.
Jack�s smile was ghastly. �You tell them� tell them I got called out early, or something.� Then in a lower voice, he added so that Elizabeth couldn�t hear, �I�m sorry, Mate. So sorry.�
Elizabeth could hardly speak around the emotions clogging her throat. �Jack� you can�t get the Pearl ready before nightfall, and you�ll never get her out of that cave after dark. You should� for William�s sake��
�No, love,� Jack interrupted. �I think I�d rather sleep on the ship. Give my regards to your Dearly Beloved.� A hardness had returned to his voice and it lent an edge to his words he didn�t fully intend. Still, the hurt in her face made him feel a bit better. For a moment anyway.
�Please stay, Jack,� William begged tearfully. �Please!�
With a last look at William, but not another word, Jack opened the door and walked out of Elizabeth�s life. She shut it behind him firmly, determined not to watch him go. Sinking to her knees in front of her son, she took him in her arms and held him until the shaking subsided, and his sobs faded.
But William was young and resilient, and although hurt by Jack�s departure, the imminent arrival of his father after so many years was enough to distract him after the first wave of pain reached its crescendo. It was not quite as easy for Elizabeth, but she too had plenty to look forward to. Her husband, Will, the man she�d waited for faithfully for over ten years would be in her arms tonight, finally.
With William running excitedly ahead of her, singing an old familiar pirate song, the two made their way to the cliff near their house to watch for the green flash that would announce the Flying Dutchman�s arrival at sunset. Mother and son exchanged a fond look in complete and sudden silence, and then, in a moment of bated breath, the ship was there.
Elizabeth inhaled deeply, and smiled. This was what she had been waiting for. She would have to banish Jack Sparrow back into the little corner of her heart that he had occupied since her childhood.
She just had to. Will was home.
- 7
- 8
- 9
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Flying Dutchman