The Pirate of Port Royal

Chapter 4 - The Hidden Codes

Picking up her bag, Lydia left the Pearl in search for the historian. She'd left early in the morning, avoiding talking to Jack for the time being. She didn't know what to think. All reasoning was out the window sprinting away from her.

As the rest of the Pearl woke up and looked around, they discovered she had gone. She never returned to the captains cabin, only slept in her usual spot on a crate that was always left for her. They searched for her for a few minutes, but when they didn't find a thing, they knew she had to have gone.

Jack had waited for her. For hours. That was before he ended up passing out from exhaustion, waking up sprawled out on his bed. He wanted to see her. Apologise. They had to talk, communicate on what happened the night before. Meandering around his cabin, Jack picked up a bottle of rum from his desk and stumbled outside, his crew watching him nervously. He waved them off and wobbled up the stairs to the helm, looking out over the deck.

"She's gone," He mumbled.

Cotton tilted his head down and confirmed Jack's suspicion. She couldn't have gone far Jack thought. His chest ached like a pounding fist. It wanted him to collapse, drinking away all their sources of rum on the ship. And it succeeded. Jack fell onto the crate where Lydia would sit and brought his bottle to his lips, only to find a few drops left.

"Bloody things empty," He groaned.

"She left early in the morning," Gibbs came beside him, fumbling with his fingers "off to the historian I heard."

"As long as she's safe," Jack replied.

Sighing, Gibbs sat down next to him and took the bottle from his hands, placing it on the floor. He patted his back and gave a tight lip smile.

"She'll come back lad. She needs time," He said.

"You're right. Doesn't make this any easier," Jack chuckled.

"I'm sure she didn't even look in that boys direction," Gibbs assured him "trust her. If she is lying we'll just take all her treasure for ourselves and be done with her."

"Don't think I could do that to her," Jack murmured peering down.

"The Pearl is on your side. You're our captain. Can't let you be in this slump of yours," Gibbs said.

From the side Pintel and Regetti watched the pair talking. They turned and stared at each other, biting their lips. Lydia definitely didn't tell Jack about her meeting with Peter last night. Or them hugging. Why did they hug? Without being spotted, the two of them went back down to the main deck where they'd been sorting the ropes. They went back to doing their work, repeatedly looking back to where Jack was sat. It was adamant on their faces that something was wrong, and it was obvious to the rest of the crew. The fidgeting, glances to one another constantly. They wouldn't stop. And the more and more they did it, the more people began to notice.

Specifically Gibbs. He eyed the pair and the got distracted by their tasks, shaking his head. It whipped between the two and what they were watching, spotting Jack moping in their eye line. Like a parent who had had enough of disciplining their child, Gibbs huffed and shuffled over to where they were, holding his hands on his hips. When the two realised Gibbs was watching them, they scrambled to appear they they were as busy as they could be, only making Gibbs roll his eyes more.

"What you two hiding?" Gibbs questioned.

"Nothing, just worried for jack is all," Pintel made up the excuse, Regetti nodding in agreement.

"Doesn't seem that way. You two know something and are afraid to give it up," Gibbs concluded.

Pintel shook his head vigorously, pleading that what he said was the truth while Regetti just gave a blank stare.