The Empress of the Seas

Jack’s POV

When I woke up the next day Emma was at my side. I stroke her hair and smiled down to her as she readjusted herself against my chest. Birds could be heard flying overhead and light shined in from under the door. I sighed and reluctantly got up and dressed before walking out to start the day.

It was maybe an hour before noon by the position of the sun as I walked onto the deck. Gibbs immediately came over when he saw me.

“I finally got her,” I joked but he eyed me suspiciously.

“That’s not your ‘I finally got her’ look.”

I couldn’t help myself from looking over his shoulder to my cabin.

“Jack…” he sighed.

I turned my attention back to him. “What?”

“You got that look in your eye.”

You got that look in your eye. His precious phrase. And yet, I still remember the first time he said it to me.

*FLASH BACK*

I frowned as I looked at the sign in front of the gates that read Lord Charlester. How could he have possibly lived like this for so long?

I pushed the gate open and slowly made my way up the path. The late night air smelt too… proper for my liking. Once at the door I knocked and was greeted by the butler. He didn’t seem to think twice of my clothes though I doubted he would have cared if I came naked.

“Dismissed,” I voice from behind the door spoke almost instantly. The butler didn’t give the command any second thought and walked away. The man pulled the door open wider, revealing himself. He did not look like I would have expected but then again, I had no idea what I was expecting.

His eyes bulged as he took in my appearance. “Leave, leave now. I have nothing for you.” He attempted to slam the door but I caught it.

“Please,” I spoke unusually polite. “Lord Charlester-”

“I already told you! I have nothing for you!” he yelled and pushed against the door but I never let go.

“Sparrow.” I said more sternly and he stopped fighting. There was only one man in the world who knew he was once called that name.

He opened the door and looked straight at me for the first time. “Jack?”

“How’d ye know?” I smiled which he returned before letting me in.

The next few days were the most informative hours of my life. My father had cancelled everything he had to do and welcomed me fully into his home. We talked mostly about his early pirating years.

“And after I met Kyle,” he chuckled. “Well, things were never the same but in a good way! Always had some adventure, one more legend he wanted to go after. That’s why I left you with him.”

“Ye left me with him cause he always wanted to go after a legend?” I asked curiously.

“Now don’t get me wrong, he calmed down a bit after he met Anna.” I straightened in my seat and he smiled. “Ah, you remember her…”

“Well first you should know why I left. You see, Anna had… some enemies. And they would stop at nothing to get her. Kyle and I took over another ship and decided to split up, to confuse them. He insisted that Anna come on my ship. He wanted Emma to come too,” I twitched at her name but covered it up by leaning my arms on the table, “but I couldn’t have that. No, there was just as much danger on my ship as there was on his. So we agreed, Anna would come on my ship while you stayed below deck and watched Emma. She was barely even one…”

How could Anna possibly have enemies? She was the closest thing to a mother I ever had and, as far as I could remember, was the nicest person... ever. But then again, she was about three when I saw her last.

“Anyway while Kyle and you sailed to port, this one in fact, we waited a few days to trick them but that didn’t work. See they… were very good trackers and once they came close enough she just jumped into the water; just like that. It was too late for me to stop her...” he closed his eyes for a moment, picturing it in his mind.

“Then came after me. Not the brightest kind they are. They thought I was Kyle! They wound up destroying my ship, forcing me to swim to shore. Kyle helped me get a fake name and everything. I was planning to leave as soon as I could but I never did get the chance.”

“Come with me now then!” I yelled jumping up but he only chuckled.

“No, too suspicious. I would have to make plans. You see as much as I would love to go back out to sea if I ever needed to go back into hiding this is a wonderful place. And all I would have to do is say I’m back from vacation!”

I sat back down slowly and we sat in silence for a few minutes. I couldn’t get the picture of Anna out of my head. But I didn’t have many memories of her and the pictures of Anna started turning into Emma.

“Didn’t Anna say anything before she… left?” I asked looking back at him.

He smiled. “Yes, yes she did. She told me that I was an angel for helping her, no matter what I did before that. She said to look after you and Emma. Oh, Emma; poor girl never knew her mother…”

I restlessly changed positions. Thinking about Emma always made me uneasy. I wasn’t sure if I could talk about her.

“She also said that when Emma was old enough she would get the bracelet she had given Kyle.”

“The bracelet? That’s it? She had so many things, expensive dresses and silks and she only gave her the bracelet? They aren’t even good emeralds!”

He chuckled again. “You always did have an eye for riches, even when you were a baby. But no, she just gave her the bracelet. Besides do you think Emma would have worn any of it?”

I sank back into my chair. No, Emma probably would have burned it all for fun.

“But Jack, don’t underestimate that bracelet. The emeralds might not be that good but it’s not the jewels, it’s the power inside them.”

I furrowed my eye brows and was just about to ask him what he could possibly mean by that when the butler came through the door.

“Young Master Grotter is here to see you, sir.” He spoke then left the room.

My father rolled his eyes. “The git, he thinks I’m some proper trophy and will shine my shoes for a little bit of advice.” He flashed me an oh-so-familiar smirk before telling me I could go since he wouldn’t be back for a while.

I stood up reluctantly and strolled outside. It didn’t take me that long to run into Gibbs.

“Ello Captain.” He said walking next to me. “I’m supposing ye met your dad.”

“Yes Gibbs, I did.” I told him.

“What’s he like?”

“Very… cocky.. And he’s got a lot of stories to tell.”

“Sounds a lot like ye.”

I just smiled. “So where to Gibbs?”

“Well the Star lit Inn has pretty good rum.”

“The Star lit Inn it is.”

We quickly turned the corner and came up to the bar. What was inside those walls was something, rather someone, I would have never expected.

Once inside I froze. I couldn’t take one more step as I stared at the girl sitting in the back corner. No, she wasn’t a girl anymore. I couldn’t take one more step as I stared at the woman sitting in the back corner; the woman with a cheap emerald bracelet on her wrist.

“Jack…” Gibbs said. I could hardly hear him or anything else for that matter.

“What?”

There was a moment of silence before he spoke. “Ye got that look in your eye.”

*END FLASHBACK*

“Jack?” Gibbs tried to get my attention.

I shook my head and looked back at him. He had honest worry in his eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told him. “We were just drunk. Nothing’s going on.”

“Maybe not with her but there’s something going on with ye.” I was about to fight back but he gave me a look, a look that said he was right.

But I was stubborn and glared at him. “It’s not like that.”

*FLASHBACK*

“What look?” I asked and managed to look at his face. The smile on his face was between amusement and unbelieve-ment.

“The look.”

Now my attention was fully on him but her presence was still burning me. “Gibbs, what are ye talking about?”

“Ye got that look in your eye. Ye know, that look we always joke about. The one that’s on the young sailors’ faces when they finally get back home and rest their eyes on his lass.”

I blinked a few times and it went through my head.

“The love sick look one gets when they see something, more likely someone, they can’t have. Jack, ye got that look in your eye.”

I could almost laugh. No- I did laugh.

“Gibbs, listen to what ye are saying. Captain Jack Sparrow doesn’t get ‘that look’; especially not for her.” But when I looked back at her I couldn’t help remember the last day on her fathers’ ship.

“Jack… Who is she?”

I turned back and stared at him blankly. Who was she? Was it possible that someone, anyone, did not know? “Emma Read.” I said plainly and turned back to her.

“Didn’t we just shipwreck her?!” he almost screamed, referring to how just yesterday when we ran into each other for the first time. The only reason I sunk her ship was so she didn’t sink mine.

“Yes, now Gibbs, why don’t ye get yourself something to drink.” I said, giving him one last look before cautiously making my way over to Emma. When I reached the table she was finishing off what looked to be at least her tenth drink according to the pile of empty bottles on the floor.

“Can I help ye?” she slurred when she noticed me and I sat down in a stray chair.

“Actually, ye can.” I smiled.

“Well ye gonna tell me or what?” she said getting annoyed. Drunken people did tend to get annoyed easily but I had never seen her drink more then three bottles of rum. Of course that was a long time ago but I wondered how much more she could take; that or how drunk she was to not recognize me.

“I’d like to get ye a drink.” I said waving over the bartender who brought six drinks.
She immediately grabbed one and downed it as I drank one slowly, watching her. Looking up at me with her eyebrows down, she studied my face.

“What’s your name?”

I smiled. “Can’t say but I do know a pirate by the name of Dove.” If she was any bit sober something would have clicked in her head but instead she merely shrugged.

“Girly name for a pirate.” She said taking another bottle.

“Ye did said that.” I mumbled but she didn’t hear.

“So ye want anything else or did ye just want to get me rum?”

I had heard rumors about her but I never thought her control on alcohol was really that strong. Although her voice was slurred and she was close to falling out of her chair, that was pretty good after fifteen bottles of hard liquor.

As I stared at her I couldn’t get some of her last words out of my head. What about me? I never did answer that question; it had completely took me off guard. Sleep with Emma? Kyle would have surely killed me if I even thought about it. But then again, Kyle wasn’t here anymore.

Then I made a choice that I wasn’t sure if I would regret later or not.

I leaned across the table, took her face in my hands, and kissed her full on the mouth.

*END FLASHBACK*