"No!" she cried running for her home, her screams straining against her vocal cords. "No!"
Jack caught her in his arms and tried her calm her.
"No! You bastard! You left him!" she cried, trying to escape his tight grip.
"Shh. It's alright," he whispered into her ear.
"No! No!"
She turned and hit him over and over with her fists against his chest, yelling obscenities at him. He let her, he simply held her as she fought him.
"You bloody coward! You just left him! I hate you! Let me go! Let me go!" she screeched turning back toward the house. "No! Father! No!"
Jack kept his grip on her as she fell to the ground in a puddle, sobbing and screaming.
"I'm so sorry, luv," he whispered as he watched her house burn.
She again tried to run from him, but he only held on.
"Please let me go," she sobbed.
"It's too late, luv. It's too late."
The house fell into a pile of burning rubble, sending Evangeline into another round of hysterics. Jack picked her up, his arms underneath her knees, and moved further into the maze of alleyways, trying to hide. Evangeline sobbed into his chest as he got lost, unsure of where to go. He set her down on the ground, cupping her face in his hands.
"Luv, I need to know where to go," he said, rain running down his face.
She turned away from him, angry and hurt.
"Geline," he said sternly.
She turned back, tears falling down her face, mixing with the rain.
"Where do we go?"
"Nathaniel's, if it hasn't burnt, and if he isn't dead," she whispered bitterly.
"Take us there, please," he said, trying to pick her back up.
She slapped his hand away and stood up on her own, leading the way. She silently wept as she saw her father's face in her mind. Everywhere she looked, there was chaos and fire. People screaming and crying, calling out for loved ones. The rain poured down mercilessly, mixing in with the horrifying sounds around them. Jack took in the sight for a moment.
"This is all my fault," he whispered.
They continued en route when Evangeline was suddenly pulled back into Jack's arms and pushed into the shadows as a few of Boone's men came down the alleyway.
"We have to find him! Boone said a whole pound to the person that does!" one said, laughing.
Evangeline and Jack were pressed together in the shadows, her heart beating so quickly she thought she might faint. She felt his heart against her as well and matched hers in intensity, both of them scared.
"Jack," she whispered. "They'll find us and kill us."
"Shh," he growled, waiting for the men to pass.
Once they were gone, Jack and Evangeline began to run towards Nathaniel's house, which, luckily, was not in the middle of town like everything Boone's crew was attacking. They reached his front door and Evangeline knocked loudly, calling out his name. The door opened slightly and Nathaniel peeked out and upon seeing her, he threw the door open.
"Geline, thank God!" he cried, pulling her into his arms.
"Can we stay here?" she asked.
"We?" Nathaniel asked.
He looked up and was surprised to see Jack.
"Of course, hurry, get in," he said.
They were pulled inside, Evangeline still wrapped in his arms.
"I was so worried, I had people here hurt and I couldn't leave. Thank you for getting her here safe, Jack. Are you alright, darling?" he asked, as she burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.
Nathaniel looked to Jack, ready to kill him if he had hurt her.
"Her father. He didn't make it out," Jack murmured.
Nathaniel held her tighter as Jack sat in a chair in front of the fire that burnt in the fire place. In the room adjacent to them were a few people on makeshift cots, being tended to by a much older Joshua and a woman who appeared to be his mother. Jack sat and stared blankly at the fire place, his hand over his mouth.
"What's happening out there, Sparrow?" Nathaniel asked, still holding a sobbing Evangeline.
"It's a crew of men and their captain, Viktor Boone. They are looking for me. This is all my fault," he grumbled, peering into the fire.
Evangeline pulled away from Nathaniel, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Jack," she said, hiccupping and sitting next to him.
He turned to her, his brow knitted together in worry.
"It's not your fault, don't...don't blame yourself," she cried.
"Evangeline, yes, it is," he whispered, taking her hand. "Your da, I am...contrite. There was nothing to be done. He gave me an order, and I obeyed."
She began to cry again, causing Nathaniel to fly to her side. She gave Jack's hand a squeeze, letting him know she understood, and he nodded.
"I should leave," Jack said, "before I cause more trouble. My crew may need me."
"No!" Evangeline protested.
"Don't be impractical, Jack. You're fine here," Nathaniel said.
"Are ya sure, mate? They are out there, searching for me. I'm the captain."
"All the more reason for you to stay hidden. You can stay here for the night. There's a room upstairs you can take," Nathaniel insisted, showing Jack.
Evangeline sat by the fire, the flames bursting into her mind, reminding her of her house falling to rubble with her father inside. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry again. Jack. She had called him things she didn't mean; she had said she hated him. She felt awful and broken.
Nathaniel came down the steps, and rushed to the window, making sure they were still safe. He then came and sat beside her, taking her hand. He let her head fall in his lap as he stroked her hair.
"I'm sorry, Geline," he said.
"He's gone. My house was on fire, he was inside it..he.."
"I know, but you're safe, that's all that matters."
"He told us to leave him there, Nathaniel. He told Jack to leave him and get me to safety."
The doctor continued to pet her hair, until she fell asleep, from pure exhaustion, otherwise she would have still been up, obsessing over the images in her mind.
A few hours later she woke up, it was still dark outside and she saw Nathaniel on the chair next to her. She sat up and the couch creaked, causing Nathaniel to wake.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Never mind it. How are you doing?" he asked, moving next to her.
"Alright, for now," she said. "Jack?"
"He's asleep upstairs."
"He decided to stay?"
"He's safer here, I persuaded him to stay put."
She nodded.
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked, the fire crackling.
"I'll be fine. What else can I do?"
"I know now is not the greatest time, and I may be selfish in asking, but have you considered my proposal? Since your father has passed on, perhaps there is no reason for it anymore," he muttered.
"Natty..." she began to whisper, but was cut off by Nathaniel's lips against her own.
She was taken aback as he kissed her, her mind raced to the time when they had first done this and she remembered that she had felt nothing, just as she did now. Nathaniel pulled away.
"I'm..I'm sorry," he said.
"It's alright."
"That was unacceptable. It was uncalled for. You're hurting. Forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive," she replied.
"I want you to know that my offer still stands, because I still love you. I want to marry you, I did not ask simply because your father is...was ill."
Evangeline was so tired, she did not know if she could handle this after all that had just happened a few hours ago.
"Natty," she said, standing up. "I cannot accept your proposal. I can't marry you. I love you, I do, but not the way that you are hoping."
She stood facing the window, rain falling down it, hoping not to see Boone's men.
"I don't understand," he said.
Her heart broke at the sound of sadness in his voice.
"You... You deserve someone who loves you back, someone who wants to be with you. I won't be that for you. I cannot love you because my heart belongs to someone else. It's not fair to you," she whispered.
There was silence for a moment in which she closed her eyes and prayed for sleep, prayed for this second to be over so she could sleep.
"It's Sparrow isn't it?" she heard him ask.
She turned towards him, his eyes settled on the fire. She could hear the resentment in his voice, it was hidden, but there.
"Yes," she whispered. "I love him, I have for years. That is why I cannot marry you, I will never stop loving him, and you deserve someone who will never stop loving you."
He was silent again, pinching the spot between his eyes.
"Does he know?" he asked. "Does he know you're in love with him?"
She moved and sat next to him.
"No. I haven't told him," she said.
"Why?" he asked, looking at her.
"You're angry," she muttered.
"I'm not. Lord, Evangeline, how could I be angry with you? I...I understand. I would not dream of trapping you into something you wouldn't want, if you're in love with Jack...I wouldn't dream of taking that from you," he whispered.
She looked at him and began to cry, it was all too much for one day.
"Shh," he said, taking her in his arms.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed.
"No, you can't choose who you love, Geline. I will always love you, regardless of different sentiments. You will always be my friend," he whispered as she fell asleep again.