Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in Translation (Pirates of the Caribbean) ❯ Blessings and Curses ( Chapter 19 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kilala81 
Non Anime: Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure / Action / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.23.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 278 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure / Action / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.23.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 278 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Nineteen:
Blessings and Curses
* * *
Blessings and Curses
* * *
The moment the tepid water engulfed Kaitlyn she went into shock. She had lived and relived this moment so many times that it almost felt surreal, as if it were just another dream. At first, she did nothing, but she quickly got her wits about her and began struggling with the rope that was binding her hands together. She had never been much of a swimmer. Obviously, living in the Caribbean, she had learned how to handle herself in the water. However, a young woman, such as her, didn't spend a lot of time at out at sea or in the water. Under normal circumstances she might have been able to get back up to the ship and find a way to save herself, but with her hands bound together she was having difficulty merely getting herself back up towards the surface so that she could simply get a breath of air.
Quickly, she realized that she had to choose between putting all of her focus into getting to the surface or worry about getting her hands untied. Trying to do both wasn't working and would not help her situation. She decided that getting air was the first priority and began kicking and trying to use her arms awkwardly, but found her wet clothes and bound hands were going to keep her from accomplishing her goal.
The silence in the water suddenly became near deafening. No matter where she looked everything became disorienting and panic began to seize her as she struggled to get the rope removed. After what felt like an eternity, her lungs began to burn and she couldn't stop herself from taking in a breath full of sea water. Almost as soon as she inhaled the horrible liquid, she began coughing and choking violently and finally lost her focus completely when as she began to grow faint. A strange warm and tingly feeling began to overtake her entire body as she found herself slipping into unconsciousness.
* * *
“Stop!” Dallin charged towards Jack and Ackhart. Jack's tried to motion for the boy to shut up but to no avail. The longer they kept Ackhart and his crew aboard the ship, the more risk everyone was in. “You can't just kill an innocent woman!”
“Sounds as though you'd like to join her,” Ackhart quipped as his eyes narrowed. He didn't appreciate being talked to with disrespect by anyone, let alone women or men so much younger than himself.
“Better dead than killing women,” Dallin replied. “There's no honor in that.” Ackhart looked to Jack to see if he would take charge of the situation. When he said nothing, Dallin too, looked at Jack in near disbelief.
“I can't believe you! You'd let her die to save yourself?” Before Jack could respond, Dallin turned and darted across the deck, shedding his hat and extra clothes in the process and then climbed over the side and dropped into the waters below.
Jack shook his head slightly. There was no easy way for him to handle the situation. He didn't want to see Kaitlyn hurt or killed but if he tried to help her, it was going to lead to his entire crew suffering. Whether he liked it or not, at times like these he had to be a Captain first. Bringing her back onto the ship would lead to himself, the crew and her all being killed or much, much worse.
“Some Captain you are, Sparrow,” Ackhart smirked at him. “Have women and boys on your ship and not a one of them shows you respect.”
“Sorry, mate,” Jack said with a smirk. “I never did see the appeal of being out at sea for months with nothing but a crew full of filthy, hairy miscreants. There are a few benefits to havin' lasses aboard, savvy?” He did his best to sound as though Kaitlyn and Ana were there merely for his and the crew's pleasure.
“And the boy?” Ackhart questioned. Had any member of his crew spoken to him the way Dallin had spoken to Jack, they would have suffered a humiliating and painful death.
“The lad took a bit of a fancy to the young lass,” Jack lied. “There's no reason to bother killing him if he intended to do it himself, eh?” Jack took a look around and then back to Ackhart. “You took your debt of blood, I see no reason for you to stay on me ship. Unless, of course, you intend to join my crew.”
Quickly, she realized that she had to choose between putting all of her focus into getting to the surface or worry about getting her hands untied. Trying to do both wasn't working and would not help her situation. She decided that getting air was the first priority and began kicking and trying to use her arms awkwardly, but found her wet clothes and bound hands were going to keep her from accomplishing her goal.
The silence in the water suddenly became near deafening. No matter where she looked everything became disorienting and panic began to seize her as she struggled to get the rope removed. After what felt like an eternity, her lungs began to burn and she couldn't stop herself from taking in a breath full of sea water. Almost as soon as she inhaled the horrible liquid, she began coughing and choking violently and finally lost her focus completely when as she began to grow faint. A strange warm and tingly feeling began to overtake her entire body as she found herself slipping into unconsciousness.
* * *
“Stop!” Dallin charged towards Jack and Ackhart. Jack's tried to motion for the boy to shut up but to no avail. The longer they kept Ackhart and his crew aboard the ship, the more risk everyone was in. “You can't just kill an innocent woman!”
“Sounds as though you'd like to join her,” Ackhart quipped as his eyes narrowed. He didn't appreciate being talked to with disrespect by anyone, let alone women or men so much younger than himself.
“Better dead than killing women,” Dallin replied. “There's no honor in that.” Ackhart looked to Jack to see if he would take charge of the situation. When he said nothing, Dallin too, looked at Jack in near disbelief.
“I can't believe you! You'd let her die to save yourself?” Before Jack could respond, Dallin turned and darted across the deck, shedding his hat and extra clothes in the process and then climbed over the side and dropped into the waters below.
Jack shook his head slightly. There was no easy way for him to handle the situation. He didn't want to see Kaitlyn hurt or killed but if he tried to help her, it was going to lead to his entire crew suffering. Whether he liked it or not, at times like these he had to be a Captain first. Bringing her back onto the ship would lead to himself, the crew and her all being killed or much, much worse.
“Some Captain you are, Sparrow,” Ackhart smirked at him. “Have women and boys on your ship and not a one of them shows you respect.”
“Sorry, mate,” Jack said with a smirk. “I never did see the appeal of being out at sea for months with nothing but a crew full of filthy, hairy miscreants. There are a few benefits to havin' lasses aboard, savvy?” He did his best to sound as though Kaitlyn and Ana were there merely for his and the crew's pleasure.
“And the boy?” Ackhart questioned. Had any member of his crew spoken to him the way Dallin had spoken to Jack, they would have suffered a humiliating and painful death.
“The lad took a bit of a fancy to the young lass,” Jack lied. “There's no reason to bother killing him if he intended to do it himself, eh?” Jack took a look around and then back to Ackhart. “You took your debt of blood, I see no reason for you to stay on me ship. Unless, of course, you intend to join my crew.”
Ackhart very much wanted to kill Jack and simply take the Pearl. He knew Sparrow far too well, to believe that he would actually be receiving any payments. However, he wouldn't go back on his word and break the code. He had accepted the Dette de sang so for now he would abide by the agreement he had made. He started barking orders to his crew men and then turned back to Jack as they began returning to his ship.
“I will hunt you down like a dog and kill you, if you don't pay me,” he promised. Jack knew that he wasn't lying and once they found a buyer for the statue he would need to give Ackhart his money or he would be putting himself and the entire crew in more danger.
“Wouldn't have it any other way, mate,” Jack replied with a sarcastic smirk. Shouting from different crew men ended the conversation abruptly, drawing everyone's attention to the water where Dallin had resurfaced. The other Captain gave Jack a malevolent look and then ordered a few of his men that were still aboard the Pearl to pull Dallin out of the water. Jack watched intently as the boy was dragged onto the ship and felt his stomach lurch a little when he saw that he was holding Kaitlyn who showed no signs of life whatsoever.
“She's not breathing,” Dallin said as he laid her on the deck and knelt beside her. Several of Jack's crew were watching as well but dared not say anything while Ackhart and his men remained near. Finally, the other captain walked over and stood staring down at the boy.
“A bit pointless, lad, you'll just be tossing her back over board,” he said with a heartless smirk. Dallin glared up at him and then looked to Jack who was standing silently nearby.
“If you were a real man you would have killed him,” he said as he stood and pointed at Jack. “He's the one that owed you money, not her.”
“I will hunt you down like a dog and kill you, if you don't pay me,” he promised. Jack knew that he wasn't lying and once they found a buyer for the statue he would need to give Ackhart his money or he would be putting himself and the entire crew in more danger.
“Wouldn't have it any other way, mate,” Jack replied with a sarcastic smirk. Shouting from different crew men ended the conversation abruptly, drawing everyone's attention to the water where Dallin had resurfaced. The other Captain gave Jack a malevolent look and then ordered a few of his men that were still aboard the Pearl to pull Dallin out of the water. Jack watched intently as the boy was dragged onto the ship and felt his stomach lurch a little when he saw that he was holding Kaitlyn who showed no signs of life whatsoever.
“She's not breathing,” Dallin said as he laid her on the deck and knelt beside her. Several of Jack's crew were watching as well but dared not say anything while Ackhart and his men remained near. Finally, the other captain walked over and stood staring down at the boy.
“A bit pointless, lad, you'll just be tossing her back over board,” he said with a heartless smirk. Dallin glared up at him and then looked to Jack who was standing silently nearby.
“If you were a real man you would have killed him,” he said as he stood and pointed at Jack. “He's the one that owed you money, not her.”
Ackhart grinned maliciously at him and then at Jack. “No wonder your crew committed mutiny,” he quipped. “Even a cabin boy has no respect for you.” Gibbs finally stepped forward and placed a hand on Dallin's shoulder before he could say anything more.
“Now's not the time, boy,” he warned calmly and glanced down at Kaitlyn's body. The last thing they needed was to have more of them ending up in that position.
“I could be mistaken, mate, but I believe you're still on my ship,” Jack pointed out. His patience was growing thin quickly, both with Ackhart and with Dallin.
“Aye, the worthless Captain and pathetic crew are testament to that,” Ackhart quipped and then smirked again. “Guess we'll be seeing each other again soon, eh, Captain Sparrow?”
“Lookin' forward to it,” Jack retorted and then watched as Ackhart barked out a few more orders and then return to his own ship. The time seemed to drag on as the other ship finally lifted anchor and departed. Everyone watched anxiously, not sure if they would decide to open fire on the Pearl once they had put a bit of distance between the two ships. Ackhart and his crew weren't exactly known for being trustworthy.
Once they were staring at the departing ship at a safe distance, Gibbs looked to Jack. He was avoiding looking to the deck where Kaitlyn's body lay unmoving and Gibbs realized that, though Jack was a pirate, he didn't like losing members of his crew in such a way. Kaitlyn hadn't been a member of the crew, however. Jack had brought her along to assist him and she had no real knowledge of how things worked on the sea. He was positive that Jack felt that he had, at least to some extent, failed as a captain and as a man. Gibbs also realized that he had been trying to avoid many deaths in lieu of one. As hard as that could be to comprehend to some, it was just a harsh reality of being a sailor of any sort, particularity when you lived the life of a buccaneer.
“Captain?” He finally prodded gently. He wasn't a fool. Jack Sparrow had always enjoyed women but he had never seen him share more than an occasional night's pleasure with one. Perhaps it was merely because they were confined together on the ship, but it was obvious that Jack and Kaitlyn had grown fond of each other. The thought of Jack Sparrow ever being in love was almost inconceivable, however, the thought of him caring enough to be bothered by her death wasn't. Jack glanced at Gibbs and then turned abruptly and headed towards the helm.
“Get her off the deck,” he said briskly as he walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was show any more weakness or emotion to his crew. He had actually been hoping that Dallin would get to Kaitlyn before it had been too late. The sight of her lying on the deck completely lifeless made his chest tighten and he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his thoughts.
“You bastard!” Dallin felt himself shaking from his anger. He hadn't had the pleasure of growing up completely devoid of a soul. The idea of seeing a woman die for a crew full of men was disgusting and disgraceful and to simply throw her back to the sea was almost worse than what Ackhart had done to her. Everyone on the crew watched in complete silence as Jack stopped walking and then slowly turned to face the younger man. “You won't even deal with it yourself?” He continued. “You're no better than the men that killed her.”
“I did what was right by the crew,” Jack answered simply. He had no desire to stand and argue with Dallin over what had been done. He had done everything possible to keep the women safe, without getting everyone killed.
“She died defending you,” Dallin said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” Jack agreed with a nod and then turned and again started walking away.
“You're a coward,” Dallin said. “You not only let an innocent woman die for you, but you're too cowardly to face her. This is the legacy of the great Captain Jack Sparrow?” Jack stopped walking again, the silence on the ship now was nearly deafening. It was true; he didn't want to face Kaitlyn in death. It wasn't simply a feeling of guilt that was bothering him, though he realized that she had not only died defending him but wouldn't have been in this position at all if it had not been for him. He wasn't entirely sure that he could look at her lifeless body and not reveal some amount of pain and loss.
Finally, he turned and walked across the deck wordlessly and scooped Kaitlyn up, fully intending to deal with her body himself, rather than continue hearing accusations and reminders that he had gotten her killed.
“Does this suit—” Jack's words were cut short when Kaitlyn took in a desperate gasp of air and gripped onto him. He nearly dropped her right back onto the deck but her grasp on him was far too tight. She had easily been lying there not breathing for half an hour, there was no possible way that she could be alive, yet she was now taking in labored gasps of air and trembling violently in his arms. The entire crew stepped back and watched in stunned silence as Jack finally kneeled to the deck and laid her down again.
“Are you alright, love?” He finally asked quietly when she had better control over her breathing. Dallin, Gibbs and Ana Maria inched their way over and were looking down at her over Jack's shoulder. Kaitlyn opened her eyes and then closed them tightly for a moment. When she opened them again she looked stunned and she finally sat up slowly.
“It's not a dream,” she murmured to herself. She had relived that moment many times over the past couple of months. She had been struggling in the water and all had gone dark. When she awoke they were standing over her on the deck, but each time she woke abruptly from the dream, unable to fill her lungs with enough air. This time, however, there was no awaking a second time. She looked around in confusion before standing nervously. “I should-dry-myself.” Kaitlyn glanced at them once more and then start walking away. Her voice and demeanor both suggested that she was in a state of shock, though, it wasn't at all hard to see why. Everyone stood silently contemplating what had just happened.
“There is a curse,” Gibbs finally muttered. Jack glanced at him and then around the ship. There was no way to know if everyone was affected, if it was, in fact, caused by some sort of curse.
“You consider immortality a curse?” Ana asked him. Most would consider such a thing a blessing, not a curse, especially living a life when death came so readily.
“Aye,” he replied with a solemn nod, “there are far worse things than death.”
Jack stood watching the cabin door where Kaitlyn had gone then turned and started giving orders to the crew. He was still the Captain and sitting in the middle of nowhere wasn't accomplishing anything. He took the helm and stared into the horizon, thinking over the things that Dallin had said. Then another realization swept over him. If Kaitlyn's dream had come true and had been caused by the curse, then it was possible that he would be forced to face his own dream as well, and he wasn't entirely sure he was prepared to face her death again so soon.
*
Jack hesitated at the cabin door, not sure if Kaitlyn would even be awake. He had to assume dying was a tiring thing, though, he also imagined it to be one that would trouble most people. The crew was now busy and the ship was sailing, so he decided he should check on her and find out more about the statue and curse that was upon it. Finally, he knocked on the door and waited patiently. He nearly turned to leave, thinking she had fallen asleep, when the door opened slowly and she looked out at him. Rather than speaking, she stepped back and opened the door further so that he could step inside and then closed it behind him.
“Feeling alright, love?” He questioned as he let his eyes wander the cabin, avoiding looking at her.
“I'm fine,” she answered. After a moment he let his gaze settle on her. She was wrapped up in a blanket, her hair still wet from being in the sea.
“Guess there is a curse, eh?” He said with a slight smirk, doing what he could to lighten the mood. She nodded silently and did her best to force a smile.
“I guess there is.” An awkward silence hung in the room for a moment, both wanting to speak and neither knowing what to say. Finally, Kaitlyn took a shaky breath and then looked at the bed.
“I should probably try to rest. It's been a long day,” she said. Jack nodded but his eyes didn't leave her face. She was avoiding looking at him and he could see that she was much more bothered than what she was willing to let on.
“This wasn't my intention, love,” he said with more emotion than he had used in a long time. He had believed that if the curse did have any merit that it would be he that would be affected by it. He had been the one that had sought it out, after all. The idea that someone else, someone that he did care about, would have to suffer because of him left him more bothered than he cared to admit, even to himself.
“I know,” she answered. Her eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears and he truly did feel remorse for putting her in the situation. He had seen how badly her dreams had upset her and to actually live it, to experience such a horrible death only to revive and live with the memory, couldn't be easy for her. He stepped closer to her and finally touched her face so she would look at him then he gave her his best reassuring grin.
“The wonder of curses, love, is that they can almost always be undone,” he said. “All we have to do is figure out how to go about doing that.” She looked up at him for a moment and then nodded but her tears finally broke free and she started sobbing. Instantly, Jack froze. He wasn't used to being around anyone, let alone women, that cried or showed such raw emotion. It just wasn't something you did when you lived on the sea. Before he could even react she clinging to him, crying. After a moment he put his arm around her, not sure what he could say or do to make her feel any better about what had happened to her. He glanced around the cabin, feeling awkward and uncomfortable but couldn't bring himself to say anything that would let her know that.
“Tell me, love, when exactly did you realized that you were blessed with this curse?” He questioned. She remained silent for a moment and then pulled away from him and dried her eyes.
“When I woke on the deck of the ship,” she answered. “I had started to suspect, but I really didn't know.” Ever since she had returned to the ship after finding the treasure there had been many small things that had left her feeling different. The first and foremost was Pepe. Her pet had rarely left her side before. Of course, he had always enjoyed Jack and it wasn't unusual for him to spend hours with him and away from her. However, the monkey had always insisted upon sleeping with her at night. Since their return, however, he practically refused to let her touch him. He had even begun sleeping below deck with Jack and seemed almost frightened of Kaitlyn for no apparent reason.
“Then why in the world would you do something so-stupid?” He asked, not in a harsh tone but genuinely wondering why she had literally allowed herself to be killed. It was she that had offered theDette de sang and made no other suggestions for people to offer up in her stead.
“He was going to kill you,” she answered.
“Seems he did kill you, darling,” he pointed out. “If there hadn't been a curse, you wouldn't be here right now.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“Now's not the time, boy,” he warned calmly and glanced down at Kaitlyn's body. The last thing they needed was to have more of them ending up in that position.
“I could be mistaken, mate, but I believe you're still on my ship,” Jack pointed out. His patience was growing thin quickly, both with Ackhart and with Dallin.
“Aye, the worthless Captain and pathetic crew are testament to that,” Ackhart quipped and then smirked again. “Guess we'll be seeing each other again soon, eh, Captain Sparrow?”
“Lookin' forward to it,” Jack retorted and then watched as Ackhart barked out a few more orders and then return to his own ship. The time seemed to drag on as the other ship finally lifted anchor and departed. Everyone watched anxiously, not sure if they would decide to open fire on the Pearl once they had put a bit of distance between the two ships. Ackhart and his crew weren't exactly known for being trustworthy.
Once they were staring at the departing ship at a safe distance, Gibbs looked to Jack. He was avoiding looking to the deck where Kaitlyn's body lay unmoving and Gibbs realized that, though Jack was a pirate, he didn't like losing members of his crew in such a way. Kaitlyn hadn't been a member of the crew, however. Jack had brought her along to assist him and she had no real knowledge of how things worked on the sea. He was positive that Jack felt that he had, at least to some extent, failed as a captain and as a man. Gibbs also realized that he had been trying to avoid many deaths in lieu of one. As hard as that could be to comprehend to some, it was just a harsh reality of being a sailor of any sort, particularity when you lived the life of a buccaneer.
“Captain?” He finally prodded gently. He wasn't a fool. Jack Sparrow had always enjoyed women but he had never seen him share more than an occasional night's pleasure with one. Perhaps it was merely because they were confined together on the ship, but it was obvious that Jack and Kaitlyn had grown fond of each other. The thought of Jack Sparrow ever being in love was almost inconceivable, however, the thought of him caring enough to be bothered by her death wasn't. Jack glanced at Gibbs and then turned abruptly and headed towards the helm.
“Get her off the deck,” he said briskly as he walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was show any more weakness or emotion to his crew. He had actually been hoping that Dallin would get to Kaitlyn before it had been too late. The sight of her lying on the deck completely lifeless made his chest tighten and he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his thoughts.
“You bastard!” Dallin felt himself shaking from his anger. He hadn't had the pleasure of growing up completely devoid of a soul. The idea of seeing a woman die for a crew full of men was disgusting and disgraceful and to simply throw her back to the sea was almost worse than what Ackhart had done to her. Everyone on the crew watched in complete silence as Jack stopped walking and then slowly turned to face the younger man. “You won't even deal with it yourself?” He continued. “You're no better than the men that killed her.”
“I did what was right by the crew,” Jack answered simply. He had no desire to stand and argue with Dallin over what had been done. He had done everything possible to keep the women safe, without getting everyone killed.
“She died defending you,” Dallin said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” Jack agreed with a nod and then turned and again started walking away.
“You're a coward,” Dallin said. “You not only let an innocent woman die for you, but you're too cowardly to face her. This is the legacy of the great Captain Jack Sparrow?” Jack stopped walking again, the silence on the ship now was nearly deafening. It was true; he didn't want to face Kaitlyn in death. It wasn't simply a feeling of guilt that was bothering him, though he realized that she had not only died defending him but wouldn't have been in this position at all if it had not been for him. He wasn't entirely sure that he could look at her lifeless body and not reveal some amount of pain and loss.
Finally, he turned and walked across the deck wordlessly and scooped Kaitlyn up, fully intending to deal with her body himself, rather than continue hearing accusations and reminders that he had gotten her killed.
“Does this suit—” Jack's words were cut short when Kaitlyn took in a desperate gasp of air and gripped onto him. He nearly dropped her right back onto the deck but her grasp on him was far too tight. She had easily been lying there not breathing for half an hour, there was no possible way that she could be alive, yet she was now taking in labored gasps of air and trembling violently in his arms. The entire crew stepped back and watched in stunned silence as Jack finally kneeled to the deck and laid her down again.
“Are you alright, love?” He finally asked quietly when she had better control over her breathing. Dallin, Gibbs and Ana Maria inched their way over and were looking down at her over Jack's shoulder. Kaitlyn opened her eyes and then closed them tightly for a moment. When she opened them again she looked stunned and she finally sat up slowly.
“It's not a dream,” she murmured to herself. She had relived that moment many times over the past couple of months. She had been struggling in the water and all had gone dark. When she awoke they were standing over her on the deck, but each time she woke abruptly from the dream, unable to fill her lungs with enough air. This time, however, there was no awaking a second time. She looked around in confusion before standing nervously. “I should-dry-myself.” Kaitlyn glanced at them once more and then start walking away. Her voice and demeanor both suggested that she was in a state of shock, though, it wasn't at all hard to see why. Everyone stood silently contemplating what had just happened.
“There is a curse,” Gibbs finally muttered. Jack glanced at him and then around the ship. There was no way to know if everyone was affected, if it was, in fact, caused by some sort of curse.
“You consider immortality a curse?” Ana asked him. Most would consider such a thing a blessing, not a curse, especially living a life when death came so readily.
“Aye,” he replied with a solemn nod, “there are far worse things than death.”
Jack stood watching the cabin door where Kaitlyn had gone then turned and started giving orders to the crew. He was still the Captain and sitting in the middle of nowhere wasn't accomplishing anything. He took the helm and stared into the horizon, thinking over the things that Dallin had said. Then another realization swept over him. If Kaitlyn's dream had come true and had been caused by the curse, then it was possible that he would be forced to face his own dream as well, and he wasn't entirely sure he was prepared to face her death again so soon.
*
Jack hesitated at the cabin door, not sure if Kaitlyn would even be awake. He had to assume dying was a tiring thing, though, he also imagined it to be one that would trouble most people. The crew was now busy and the ship was sailing, so he decided he should check on her and find out more about the statue and curse that was upon it. Finally, he knocked on the door and waited patiently. He nearly turned to leave, thinking she had fallen asleep, when the door opened slowly and she looked out at him. Rather than speaking, she stepped back and opened the door further so that he could step inside and then closed it behind him.
“Feeling alright, love?” He questioned as he let his eyes wander the cabin, avoiding looking at her.
“I'm fine,” she answered. After a moment he let his gaze settle on her. She was wrapped up in a blanket, her hair still wet from being in the sea.
“Guess there is a curse, eh?” He said with a slight smirk, doing what he could to lighten the mood. She nodded silently and did her best to force a smile.
“I guess there is.” An awkward silence hung in the room for a moment, both wanting to speak and neither knowing what to say. Finally, Kaitlyn took a shaky breath and then looked at the bed.
“I should probably try to rest. It's been a long day,” she said. Jack nodded but his eyes didn't leave her face. She was avoiding looking at him and he could see that she was much more bothered than what she was willing to let on.
“This wasn't my intention, love,” he said with more emotion than he had used in a long time. He had believed that if the curse did have any merit that it would be he that would be affected by it. He had been the one that had sought it out, after all. The idea that someone else, someone that he did care about, would have to suffer because of him left him more bothered than he cared to admit, even to himself.
“I know,” she answered. Her eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears and he truly did feel remorse for putting her in the situation. He had seen how badly her dreams had upset her and to actually live it, to experience such a horrible death only to revive and live with the memory, couldn't be easy for her. He stepped closer to her and finally touched her face so she would look at him then he gave her his best reassuring grin.
“The wonder of curses, love, is that they can almost always be undone,” he said. “All we have to do is figure out how to go about doing that.” She looked up at him for a moment and then nodded but her tears finally broke free and she started sobbing. Instantly, Jack froze. He wasn't used to being around anyone, let alone women, that cried or showed such raw emotion. It just wasn't something you did when you lived on the sea. Before he could even react she clinging to him, crying. After a moment he put his arm around her, not sure what he could say or do to make her feel any better about what had happened to her. He glanced around the cabin, feeling awkward and uncomfortable but couldn't bring himself to say anything that would let her know that.
“Tell me, love, when exactly did you realized that you were blessed with this curse?” He questioned. She remained silent for a moment and then pulled away from him and dried her eyes.
“When I woke on the deck of the ship,” she answered. “I had started to suspect, but I really didn't know.” Ever since she had returned to the ship after finding the treasure there had been many small things that had left her feeling different. The first and foremost was Pepe. Her pet had rarely left her side before. Of course, he had always enjoyed Jack and it wasn't unusual for him to spend hours with him and away from her. However, the monkey had always insisted upon sleeping with her at night. Since their return, however, he practically refused to let her touch him. He had even begun sleeping below deck with Jack and seemed almost frightened of Kaitlyn for no apparent reason.
“Then why in the world would you do something so-stupid?” He asked, not in a harsh tone but genuinely wondering why she had literally allowed herself to be killed. It was she that had offered theDette de sang and made no other suggestions for people to offer up in her stead.
“He was going to kill you,” she answered.
“Seems he did kill you, darling,” he pointed out. “If there hadn't been a curse, you wouldn't be here right now.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
Jack gave a sigh before smirking at her. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, love,” he said as if he were revealing a secret. “But you are a terrible pirate.”
She choked out a slight laugh that threatened to turn into tears again then took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. A horrible squawking from the wardrobe drew both of their attention to the place she had left Pepe. Jack cocked an eyebrow and then sauntered over and opened the door. Instantly, a less than pleased monkey lunged out, climbed onto his shoulder and began chattering indignantly.
“Now we're square, eh, mate?” Jack said to the noisy creature. The chattering ended and Pepe cocked his head and listened, as he almost always did when Jack spoke directly to him. “Steal my hat again and you'll find yourself right back in there, savvy?” He couldn't help but grin at Pepe. He'd never had any real fondness of animals. Living on the sea his entire life, there had been no place for pets or other things that he would need to be responsible for. However, he found that he enjoyed the monkey, despite himself. At the mention of his hat, Kaitlyn walked over and picked it up from the stand where she had abandoned it when she had tried to silence Pepe; after Jack had sent her to the cabin.
“I managed to get it back from him,” she said with a slight smile. She always found his interaction with her pet amusing. As she walked over to return it to him, Pepe began chattering nervously and fidgeting on Jack's shoulder. Kaitlyn's gaze went to her pet, that clearly didn't want her getting any closer, and then she simply handed him his hat and stepped back.
“He's nervous around me,” she explained.
“Now we're square, eh, mate?” Jack said to the noisy creature. The chattering ended and Pepe cocked his head and listened, as he almost always did when Jack spoke directly to him. “Steal my hat again and you'll find yourself right back in there, savvy?” He couldn't help but grin at Pepe. He'd never had any real fondness of animals. Living on the sea his entire life, there had been no place for pets or other things that he would need to be responsible for. However, he found that he enjoyed the monkey, despite himself. At the mention of his hat, Kaitlyn walked over and picked it up from the stand where she had abandoned it when she had tried to silence Pepe; after Jack had sent her to the cabin.
“I managed to get it back from him,” she said with a slight smile. She always found his interaction with her pet amusing. As she walked over to return it to him, Pepe began chattering nervously and fidgeting on Jack's shoulder. Kaitlyn's gaze went to her pet, that clearly didn't want her getting any closer, and then she simply handed him his hat and stepped back.
“He's nervous around me,” she explained.
Jack could see that it upset her but chose not to mention it. “I'll take him up to the helm,” he said. “Monkey can earn his keep, eh?”
Kaitlyn nodded and watched as he headed towards the door. “¿Permanecerá usted conmigo esta noche?” Jack turned and looked at her oddly. He was aware that she could speak in other languages, but she knew that he couldn't, and had never spoken to him in Spanish before.
“Sorry, love, 'fraid I didn't catch all that,” he replied.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” She asked, as though she were merely repeating herself and didn't realize that she had addressed him in another language altogether. He could see that she was still upset and nodded.
“Aye,” he said and glanced at the cabin. “Should get yourself some rest, love.”
“I will,” she agreed, feeling fatigued from the day's events. Jack gave her one last glance and then walked out of the cabin, wondering what exactly this curse entailed and how they would go about removing it.
“Sorry, love, 'fraid I didn't catch all that,” he replied.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” She asked, as though she were merely repeating herself and didn't realize that she had addressed him in another language altogether. He could see that she was still upset and nodded.
“Aye,” he said and glanced at the cabin. “Should get yourself some rest, love.”
“I will,” she agreed, feeling fatigued from the day's events. Jack gave her one last glance and then walked out of the cabin, wondering what exactly this curse entailed and how they would go about removing it.