A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 22: Reunions

Jack swaggered along the docks as he made his way towards his beloved Pearl.

The plan to gather one hundred souls was completely shot, which meant Jack now had to move quickly. He needed to find that chest and he needed to find it now. It was the only option left now if he wanted to save himself from Davy Jones's wrath.

"Captain Sparrow?" A voice, vaguely familiar, called from behind.

Jack glanced back to see a young man, possibly a recent ex-sailor given the boy's rather smart dress, coming up.

He thought he saw another smartly-dressed boy and a much filthier, drunk male further behind the boy who had addressed him, but Jack barely gave any of them a glance as he turned back to the front.

"Come to join me crew, lad?" He called carelessly over his shoulder. "Welcome aboard."

"I'm here to find the man I love." The young man declared, and Jack froze for a moment with his foot almost on the gangplank leading up to the Pearl.

Well, that wasn't something one heard every day – particularly from a boy.

"I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea." Jack replied uncomfortably while gesturing at Gibbs, who had just come down to greet his captain, to get the strange lad away from him.

There was the sound of retching from behind – probably the dirty drunkard, who had looked like he was barely standing – before another, very familiar voice commented dryly: "She meant William Turner, Captain Sparrow."

Jack froze for a second time, but for very different reasons this time; and he turned slowly to face the newcomers, his eyes going passed Elizabeth despite the fact that she was closer and meeting the blue orbs that had plagued him every time he looked to the sea for the last few months.

"Anna."

It was almost sinful the way her name rolled off his tongue and Annalise found herself fighting a shiver as she stared back into those deep, dark brown eyes that had followed her every thought since the day she had let him go.

"Jack."

She had meant it to be strong and firm; instead, his name came out in a whispered breath.

Jack swallowed.

His mouth was suddenly dry and Jack Sparrow found himself for once actually speechless. His normally smooth words seemed to fail him; his usual sarcastic comments seemed to stick in his throat but his true feelings were heavy on his tongue. Jack Sparrow rarely ever spoke what was truly on his mind let alone what went on in his heart. And to try do so now seemed impossible; so all he could do was stare with his mouth ajar at the one woman he seemed unable to forget.

"I don't mean to interrupt." Elizabeth interjected apologetically after a beat during which neither Annalise nor Jack could find anything to say. "But-"

But Jack recovered when Elizabeth spoke, her voice breaking the spell that tied him to the younger woman.

Focusing his attention instead on the blonde Swann sister, he found himself calming and easily slipping back into his usual persona as he announced, interrupting Elizabeth: "You know, Elizabeth, these clothes do not flatter you at all."

He gestured at said lady's male attire as he continued: "It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin-"

He gestured towards his ship next while Annalise looked at him incredulously. Was this really how he was going to come at them?

'Of course it is.' She thought sourly and with more than a hint of disappointed bitterness. 'He's Captain Jack Sparrow.'

Elizabeth had a mixed look of disgust and similar exasperation on her face as she cut across Jack's snarky comments off as he had cut her off.