Fic: Ghosts 1/? [PotC, Sparrabeth, PG-13]
Title: Ghosts 1/?
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: PG-13 for now
Fandom: PotC
Pairing: Sparrabeth
Continuity: This fic is a sequel to Fate Intervenes.
Summary: After leaving Libertalia, Jack and Elizabeth Sparrow once again take to sailing the seas on the Black Pearl; but raw emotions, rough seas and the past seek to test their happily ever after.
Beta: Karen, the Awesome.
Author's Notes: *Deep breath* Oh man, here I go again :) The first story was so well received, I guess it's all downhill from here :) I hope it doesn't disappoint.
******************************
CHAPTER ONE: Lost at Sea
Elizabeth Sparrow stood at the rail of the Black Pearl under a thundercloud-grey sky with the wind whipping at the sleeves of her shirt and the sides of her breeches. She could feel the brewing tempest in the air; could almost feel the weight of the clouds above so saturated they would split open soon and bleed rain on her. She also felt her husband's gaze boring into her back. She wished for the hundredth time that day that she would feel his strong arms around her but knew that it wasn't likely to happen. Jack watched her, nearly constantly, but never touched her anymore. She waited for the rain so she could cry unnoticed.
They had spent four months on Libertalia, which was three times as long as she had expected they'd stay. The first two months were wonderful. Jack surprised her with his skill at carpentry and, with help from the crew, their house had come together quite quickly. Jack made no mention of leaving any time soon and they were truly happy. Then, Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant.
Of all the endless topics she and Jack had discussed, this was one that neither had ever broached. Elizabeth had been too afraid Jack would tell her he never wanted children and, she suspected, Jack was equally afraid Elizabeth would tell him she wanted scores of them. And then suddenly discussion of wants and wishes was completely irrelevant because they were about to be Shanghaied by a tiny little pirate.
Elizabeth waited a week after she was certain of her condition before she sat Jack down and told him. He hadn't been angry as she had feared, nor overjoyed as she had secretly hoped. He'd had an inscrutable expression on his face, kissed her forehead and then went for a walk on the beach. She had cried then, watching from the darkened window of their house, wondering if she'd see the Black Pearl sail out of the harbor and out of her life that night; taking her husband with it.
When Jack came back, she was already in bed but not asleep. He slipped naked under the covers behind her. Elizabeth turned to face him, not caring if he saw her tears. He seemed surprised by them and gently wiped them away with his thumbs. That night, he made love to her slowly, gently, and with as much care and feeling as he ever had. He still hadn't told her how he felt about the child, but he was telling her how he felt about her. For the time being, that was enough.
Not two days later, Elizabeth noticed blood on her underclothes. As it was only a drop or two, she didn't worry. She'd never had a mother to discuss feminine matters with, but she'd picked things up, here and there, from nannies, maids, women in the town. She knew that a little spotting was no cause for concern. By that evening, she was bleeding copiously and cramping when Jack found her on the floor of the entryway.
He left her side only long enough to call Gibbs, who was normally of great use medically. This being a "female concern" however, he was effectively useless. Gibbs ran to fetch Anamaria from her house. Jack lifted Elizabeth's sobbing form into his arms and moved her to the bedroom. The cramps were painful, but she wept because she knew what was happening. It seemed you didn't have to have been schooled by a mother to know instinctively when you were about to be denied becoming one yourself. When Jack laid her on the bed, she would not let go of him. He sighed and sat near the headboard, pulling her against his chest. He held her and kissed her forehead as she cried uncontrollably.
Jack stayed in the room as Ana examined her. All Elizabeth's hopes that perhaps her ignorance in these matters had caused her to panic over nothing were dashed when she saw the look of pity on Anamaria's face.
"I'm sorry, Lady," Anamaria said. "I'm so sorry." Fresh warm tears squeezed past Elizabeth's lashes and Jack hugged her tighter. Ana looked to Jack. "I'll go to my house and brew something for her. It will ease the cramping and help her sleep." Jack nodded and as Anamaria left, he gently rocked Elizabeth, stroking her hair and whispering words of affection. In half an hour, she was drinking down Anamaria's tonic and slipping into unconsciousness.
Since that moment, she felt like she'd fallen into a nightmare that she had yet to wake from. The next morning, Jack was attentive. He even kissed her a few times, but he was distant. She thought, at first, that perhaps he was grieving, but he never showed any signs that she could see. And after her bleeding had stopped, he never mentioned anything to do with it. It was as if the whole incident had never occurred except that now there was this chasm between them. Oh, he still smiled at her; was still kind; still kissed her now and again. But he didn't really talk to her anymore and he never held her. It was as if he feared any contact would impregnate her and he wasn't about to risk it again. More and more it seemed he wouldn't come to bed and in the morning she would find him asleep in a chair downstairs. Even after they'd decided to return to the Pearl and the sea, he stayed up on deck all night. Once or twice, she had come looking and found him bunked in the crew quarters.
It seemed Elizabeth had lost her child and her husband all on the same horrible night. Her heart had broken and left this ghost of her behind to cycle through the motions of what was once a very happy life. And her husband had yet to notice or to care.
With an ominous clap of thunder, the threatening skies finally burst open and clean, chilly, droplets of rain began to soak into her. With a shuddering breath, Elizabeth finally let herself cry.
*******
Jack Sparrow clutched hard at the pegs of the Pearl's wheel as he watched his wife's shoulders almost imperceptibly begin to shake. Every time it rained, she stood at the rail and cried, looking off into the distance. Whether Elizabeth was looking toward Port Royal and the life she should have had, or Libertalia and the life she could have had, he hadn't yet been able to discern. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was away from here, away from the Pearl, away from him. She never asked to leave, and nothing short of that would cause him to abandon her, but every day he was waiting for her to tell him it was over and request a port. He had steeled himself for that harsh blow for weeks now and every night she elected to remain, he was relieved for a few hours. Then with the rising of the sun, the fear would start again and the walls would rebuild. For what little sleep he got anymore, it was almost not even worth closing his eyes at night.
He ached to touch her. Jack longed for that with every fiber of his being. It was becoming overwhelming, that urge to just touch her, taste her, take her. The only thing that held him at bay was the concern that his touch would be the thing that sent Elizabeth away. He sighed as he adjusted the wheel against the increasing chop of the waves. He felt…no…he knew that if they could just be together, just reconnect, they could find their way out of this mire. But she behaved as though the mere sight of him caused her pain and he wasn't about to force himself on her. He hoped that all she needed was time. Trouble was Jack Sparrow was never what could be described as a patient man.
Jack stayed out from underfoot, left her to sleep in peace, anything he could think of to buy her time. But time was quickly becoming so expensive he wondered how much it would cost the both of them in the end. He never brought up the baby. He hadn't even had the chance to fix on how he felt about becoming a father and then suddenly, as though the universe had decided he'd be terrible at it, the baby was gone. Jack tried not to reflect on it too much after that. But how could Elizabeth not? Here or gone, she'd paid for that baby in blood and pain. Jack had no words to make it better for her, so he just tried not to make it any worse and remind her of something lost to them both with pointless conversation.
When she had told him that she was soon going to be adding to the Sparrow line, it was more numbing than a douse of Artic water. He was fairly certain he'd kissed her and said something, though he wasn't sure what. Then he wobbled his way out of the house and onto the moonlit beach, where his legs finally failed him and he dropped to sit on the sand.
Jack looked out over the water at the anchored Pearl and a smile came to his face. He could just see climbing the rigging with a little boy following right behind him, around 5 years old with long dark hair pulled back in a leather string. It was common tradition to name a child after one of the parents' fathers, but Jack didn't need any other reminders of Teague Sparrow, and Weatherby was a name assured to get the snot beat out of any poor little tyke labeled with it; perhaps Jacob, or Lucas, or even James. In a flash the image changed and he was walking on deck, carrying a little blonde girl in a lacy dress; her tiny little hands threading through his hair. She was asking him questions about every trinket she found there and he would tell her a story for each query she had. Her name would be Beth, after her mother. That much, at least, he was sure of.
Wearing a decidedly silly grin, Jack stood and brushed the sand from his pants. He turned to go back to the house when the moonlight cast his shadow before him on the beach. Now he frowned. He was picturing Jacob-Lucas-James as a teenager, all brass and balls and the invincibility of youth. He could see him charging in during a shipboard raid and getting cut down for his inexperience. Elizabeth looked very fetching in black it was true, but oh the pain on her face was unbearable.
Jack sank to the sand again. This time, he saw his little Beth, sixteen years if she was a day. She was clapped to the side of some lecherous sailor, his hand firmly placed on her backside. Jack shook his head to rid him of that sight. When he looked down, his pistol was in his hand and pointed at just where that phantom suitor had been standing just a moment ago. Jack looked one way, then the other and quietly holstered the weapon. A great wave of empathy for Weatherby Swann washed over him. The next moment he was bathed in something altogether different; fear.
Captain Jack Sparrow could be a husband and a lover. He could be a pirate, a poet, a troubadour. He could be a carpenter, a shipwright, and a navigator. He could even be clergy if circumstances called for it. But how in the Hell was he supposed to be a father of any merit? Teague Sparrow was certainly nobody to be emulated in a parenting capacity. Come to think of it, almost every man he'd ever called friend was a pirate of some sort and therefore had left their families ashore for the freedom of the seas. Just as he felt doomed to failure, a thought occurred to him. Neither Teague nor any of the others had had Elizabeth Sparrow beside them. She would teach him what to do. She wouldn't let him fail at this. They'd all be fine because Lizzie would see to it.
Jack stood again and took a deep breath. He was going to be a father. All at once, he was not only agreeable to it, but looking forward to it. Silly smile back in its proper place, he made for his house and his bride.
When he found her in the bed, crying, it startled him for a moment. Then Jack realized that she was likely as scared as he was. She'd had no mother to show her how to be one. They would have to help each other through this, as they had done on so many other great adventures. He had kissed her slowly and they had made love. For once in Jack's life, he was truly at peace with the world.
Two days later, when he found Elizabeth on the floor and bleeding, Jack knew that he had been a fool to think this harsh world was ever going to let him find an easy path to happiness. He'd sent for help and seen to her as best as he was able, but he couldn't stop the miscarriage and he couldn't stop his Lizzie's heart from breaking. He'd seen her to sleep and waited until Gibbs and Anamaria had left the house, and then collapsed into a chair downstairs and cried.
Jack had kept his grieving to himself. The last thing Elizabeth needed was the burden of his sadness on top of her own. He tried to take his cues from her on what she would like best. This had turned out to be harder than it seemed. He didn't want to rush her physically and so waited for her to initiate things to let him know that he was allowed again. Weeks later, he was still waiting. The only spark of happiness he got from her after she lost the baby was suggesting that maybe they should return to the sea. She seemed excited by that, but once aboard, she had sunk into melancholy again. He wanted to help her but he just didn’t know of anything else he could do. She seemed to be drowning in her grief and he couldn't find a way to reach her.
A crack of lightening lashed across the dark sky overhead, breaking Jack out of his reverie. "Lizzie, Love," he called across the deck. "Time to go inside."
Elizabeth didn't budge. He swept his eyes across her again. Her hands were gripping the railing, her nails nearly digging into the wood there. The shake of her body was more noticeable now, indicating to Jack that she was crying even harder. It was possible she was so lost in whatever misery that had hold of her that she never even heard him. Of course, it was equally possible that she was so sick of him that she chose to ignore him. He glanced overhead as another roar of thunder rolled over the ship. Jack sighed in irritation. She could be as angry with him as she liked, in fact he was about to give her even more reason, but she didn't need to be risking herself like that.
"Gibbs, to the wheel man!" Jack barked out.
"Aye, Jack," Joshamee Gibbs said as he smoothly took position.
Jack walked from the wheel and towards his oblivious bride. He grabbed hold of her arm and turned her to face him roughly. Elizabeth gasped at the contact, obviously startled. "Wh-what is it?" she asked, keeping her face tilted toward the ocean in an effort to hide the wetness on her face not caused by the rain.
Jack's attitude softened instantly. "Love, the storm's getting worse. Time to go in now, eh?"
Elizabeth's breath caught. She'd been a million miles away when he touched her, but after realizing it was Jack, her hope had swelled. But of course, he was only touching her to get her attention, and now she was to go inside and out of his sight. Her lower lip crumpled as ill-timed fresh sadness rushed at her before she could contain it.
He watched as tears filled Elizabeth's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She tried to turn her head away from Jack but he caught her chin in his hand and wouldn't let her. In desperation, she closed her eyes. He might be able to force her to let him watch her fall apart, but he couldn't make her see him do it.
Jack touched her face gently. Her eyes opened in shock. Elizabeth found him looking at her with such tenderness, such concern.
"Elizabeth, just tell me what I've done. What did I do to hurt ye so?"
Elizabeth swallowed quickly and hoped her voice would not desert her. "Would…," she took a deep breath. "Would you hold me, Jack?"
Jack smiled at her. "Course, Love. Easy as breathing, that." He enfolded her in his arms and her whole body shook. She slid her arms around him in a gesture that indicated she might never let him go. Jack grinned against her hair.
Without warning, the Black Pearl jolted violently and threw them both to the deck.
TBC: CHAPTER TWO: Shipwreck
Following Chapters:
2. Shipwreck
Crossposted to sparrabeth, deppfanfiction, pirates_bride
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: PG-13 for now
Fandom: PotC
Pairing: Sparrabeth
Continuity: This fic is a sequel to Fate Intervenes.
Summary: After leaving Libertalia, Jack and Elizabeth Sparrow once again take to sailing the seas on the Black Pearl; but raw emotions, rough seas and the past seek to test their happily ever after.
Beta: Karen, the Awesome.
Author's Notes: *Deep breath* Oh man, here I go again :) The first story was so well received, I guess it's all downhill from here :) I hope it doesn't disappoint.
******************************
CHAPTER ONE: Lost at Sea
Elizabeth Sparrow stood at the rail of the Black Pearl under a thundercloud-grey sky with the wind whipping at the sleeves of her shirt and the sides of her breeches. She could feel the brewing tempest in the air; could almost feel the weight of the clouds above so saturated they would split open soon and bleed rain on her. She also felt her husband's gaze boring into her back. She wished for the hundredth time that day that she would feel his strong arms around her but knew that it wasn't likely to happen. Jack watched her, nearly constantly, but never touched her anymore. She waited for the rain so she could cry unnoticed.
They had spent four months on Libertalia, which was three times as long as she had expected they'd stay. The first two months were wonderful. Jack surprised her with his skill at carpentry and, with help from the crew, their house had come together quite quickly. Jack made no mention of leaving any time soon and they were truly happy. Then, Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant.
Of all the endless topics she and Jack had discussed, this was one that neither had ever broached. Elizabeth had been too afraid Jack would tell her he never wanted children and, she suspected, Jack was equally afraid Elizabeth would tell him she wanted scores of them. And then suddenly discussion of wants and wishes was completely irrelevant because they were about to be Shanghaied by a tiny little pirate.
Elizabeth waited a week after she was certain of her condition before she sat Jack down and told him. He hadn't been angry as she had feared, nor overjoyed as she had secretly hoped. He'd had an inscrutable expression on his face, kissed her forehead and then went for a walk on the beach. She had cried then, watching from the darkened window of their house, wondering if she'd see the Black Pearl sail out of the harbor and out of her life that night; taking her husband with it.
When Jack came back, she was already in bed but not asleep. He slipped naked under the covers behind her. Elizabeth turned to face him, not caring if he saw her tears. He seemed surprised by them and gently wiped them away with his thumbs. That night, he made love to her slowly, gently, and with as much care and feeling as he ever had. He still hadn't told her how he felt about the child, but he was telling her how he felt about her. For the time being, that was enough.
Not two days later, Elizabeth noticed blood on her underclothes. As it was only a drop or two, she didn't worry. She'd never had a mother to discuss feminine matters with, but she'd picked things up, here and there, from nannies, maids, women in the town. She knew that a little spotting was no cause for concern. By that evening, she was bleeding copiously and cramping when Jack found her on the floor of the entryway.
He left her side only long enough to call Gibbs, who was normally of great use medically. This being a "female concern" however, he was effectively useless. Gibbs ran to fetch Anamaria from her house. Jack lifted Elizabeth's sobbing form into his arms and moved her to the bedroom. The cramps were painful, but she wept because she knew what was happening. It seemed you didn't have to have been schooled by a mother to know instinctively when you were about to be denied becoming one yourself. When Jack laid her on the bed, she would not let go of him. He sighed and sat near the headboard, pulling her against his chest. He held her and kissed her forehead as she cried uncontrollably.
Jack stayed in the room as Ana examined her. All Elizabeth's hopes that perhaps her ignorance in these matters had caused her to panic over nothing were dashed when she saw the look of pity on Anamaria's face.
"I'm sorry, Lady," Anamaria said. "I'm so sorry." Fresh warm tears squeezed past Elizabeth's lashes and Jack hugged her tighter. Ana looked to Jack. "I'll go to my house and brew something for her. It will ease the cramping and help her sleep." Jack nodded and as Anamaria left, he gently rocked Elizabeth, stroking her hair and whispering words of affection. In half an hour, she was drinking down Anamaria's tonic and slipping into unconsciousness.
Since that moment, she felt like she'd fallen into a nightmare that she had yet to wake from. The next morning, Jack was attentive. He even kissed her a few times, but he was distant. She thought, at first, that perhaps he was grieving, but he never showed any signs that she could see. And after her bleeding had stopped, he never mentioned anything to do with it. It was as if the whole incident had never occurred except that now there was this chasm between them. Oh, he still smiled at her; was still kind; still kissed her now and again. But he didn't really talk to her anymore and he never held her. It was as if he feared any contact would impregnate her and he wasn't about to risk it again. More and more it seemed he wouldn't come to bed and in the morning she would find him asleep in a chair downstairs. Even after they'd decided to return to the Pearl and the sea, he stayed up on deck all night. Once or twice, she had come looking and found him bunked in the crew quarters.
It seemed Elizabeth had lost her child and her husband all on the same horrible night. Her heart had broken and left this ghost of her behind to cycle through the motions of what was once a very happy life. And her husband had yet to notice or to care.
With an ominous clap of thunder, the threatening skies finally burst open and clean, chilly, droplets of rain began to soak into her. With a shuddering breath, Elizabeth finally let herself cry.
*******
Jack Sparrow clutched hard at the pegs of the Pearl's wheel as he watched his wife's shoulders almost imperceptibly begin to shake. Every time it rained, she stood at the rail and cried, looking off into the distance. Whether Elizabeth was looking toward Port Royal and the life she should have had, or Libertalia and the life she could have had, he hadn't yet been able to discern. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was away from here, away from the Pearl, away from him. She never asked to leave, and nothing short of that would cause him to abandon her, but every day he was waiting for her to tell him it was over and request a port. He had steeled himself for that harsh blow for weeks now and every night she elected to remain, he was relieved for a few hours. Then with the rising of the sun, the fear would start again and the walls would rebuild. For what little sleep he got anymore, it was almost not even worth closing his eyes at night.
He ached to touch her. Jack longed for that with every fiber of his being. It was becoming overwhelming, that urge to just touch her, taste her, take her. The only thing that held him at bay was the concern that his touch would be the thing that sent Elizabeth away. He sighed as he adjusted the wheel against the increasing chop of the waves. He felt…no…he knew that if they could just be together, just reconnect, they could find their way out of this mire. But she behaved as though the mere sight of him caused her pain and he wasn't about to force himself on her. He hoped that all she needed was time. Trouble was Jack Sparrow was never what could be described as a patient man.
Jack stayed out from underfoot, left her to sleep in peace, anything he could think of to buy her time. But time was quickly becoming so expensive he wondered how much it would cost the both of them in the end. He never brought up the baby. He hadn't even had the chance to fix on how he felt about becoming a father and then suddenly, as though the universe had decided he'd be terrible at it, the baby was gone. Jack tried not to reflect on it too much after that. But how could Elizabeth not? Here or gone, she'd paid for that baby in blood and pain. Jack had no words to make it better for her, so he just tried not to make it any worse and remind her of something lost to them both with pointless conversation.
When she had told him that she was soon going to be adding to the Sparrow line, it was more numbing than a douse of Artic water. He was fairly certain he'd kissed her and said something, though he wasn't sure what. Then he wobbled his way out of the house and onto the moonlit beach, where his legs finally failed him and he dropped to sit on the sand.
Jack looked out over the water at the anchored Pearl and a smile came to his face. He could just see climbing the rigging with a little boy following right behind him, around 5 years old with long dark hair pulled back in a leather string. It was common tradition to name a child after one of the parents' fathers, but Jack didn't need any other reminders of Teague Sparrow, and Weatherby was a name assured to get the snot beat out of any poor little tyke labeled with it; perhaps Jacob, or Lucas, or even James. In a flash the image changed and he was walking on deck, carrying a little blonde girl in a lacy dress; her tiny little hands threading through his hair. She was asking him questions about every trinket she found there and he would tell her a story for each query she had. Her name would be Beth, after her mother. That much, at least, he was sure of.
Wearing a decidedly silly grin, Jack stood and brushed the sand from his pants. He turned to go back to the house when the moonlight cast his shadow before him on the beach. Now he frowned. He was picturing Jacob-Lucas-James as a teenager, all brass and balls and the invincibility of youth. He could see him charging in during a shipboard raid and getting cut down for his inexperience. Elizabeth looked very fetching in black it was true, but oh the pain on her face was unbearable.
Jack sank to the sand again. This time, he saw his little Beth, sixteen years if she was a day. She was clapped to the side of some lecherous sailor, his hand firmly placed on her backside. Jack shook his head to rid him of that sight. When he looked down, his pistol was in his hand and pointed at just where that phantom suitor had been standing just a moment ago. Jack looked one way, then the other and quietly holstered the weapon. A great wave of empathy for Weatherby Swann washed over him. The next moment he was bathed in something altogether different; fear.
Captain Jack Sparrow could be a husband and a lover. He could be a pirate, a poet, a troubadour. He could be a carpenter, a shipwright, and a navigator. He could even be clergy if circumstances called for it. But how in the Hell was he supposed to be a father of any merit? Teague Sparrow was certainly nobody to be emulated in a parenting capacity. Come to think of it, almost every man he'd ever called friend was a pirate of some sort and therefore had left their families ashore for the freedom of the seas. Just as he felt doomed to failure, a thought occurred to him. Neither Teague nor any of the others had had Elizabeth Sparrow beside them. She would teach him what to do. She wouldn't let him fail at this. They'd all be fine because Lizzie would see to it.
Jack stood again and took a deep breath. He was going to be a father. All at once, he was not only agreeable to it, but looking forward to it. Silly smile back in its proper place, he made for his house and his bride.
When he found her in the bed, crying, it startled him for a moment. Then Jack realized that she was likely as scared as he was. She'd had no mother to show her how to be one. They would have to help each other through this, as they had done on so many other great adventures. He had kissed her slowly and they had made love. For once in Jack's life, he was truly at peace with the world.
Two days later, when he found Elizabeth on the floor and bleeding, Jack knew that he had been a fool to think this harsh world was ever going to let him find an easy path to happiness. He'd sent for help and seen to her as best as he was able, but he couldn't stop the miscarriage and he couldn't stop his Lizzie's heart from breaking. He'd seen her to sleep and waited until Gibbs and Anamaria had left the house, and then collapsed into a chair downstairs and cried.
Jack had kept his grieving to himself. The last thing Elizabeth needed was the burden of his sadness on top of her own. He tried to take his cues from her on what she would like best. This had turned out to be harder than it seemed. He didn't want to rush her physically and so waited for her to initiate things to let him know that he was allowed again. Weeks later, he was still waiting. The only spark of happiness he got from her after she lost the baby was suggesting that maybe they should return to the sea. She seemed excited by that, but once aboard, she had sunk into melancholy again. He wanted to help her but he just didn’t know of anything else he could do. She seemed to be drowning in her grief and he couldn't find a way to reach her.
A crack of lightening lashed across the dark sky overhead, breaking Jack out of his reverie. "Lizzie, Love," he called across the deck. "Time to go inside."
Elizabeth didn't budge. He swept his eyes across her again. Her hands were gripping the railing, her nails nearly digging into the wood there. The shake of her body was more noticeable now, indicating to Jack that she was crying even harder. It was possible she was so lost in whatever misery that had hold of her that she never even heard him. Of course, it was equally possible that she was so sick of him that she chose to ignore him. He glanced overhead as another roar of thunder rolled over the ship. Jack sighed in irritation. She could be as angry with him as she liked, in fact he was about to give her even more reason, but she didn't need to be risking herself like that.
"Gibbs, to the wheel man!" Jack barked out.
"Aye, Jack," Joshamee Gibbs said as he smoothly took position.
Jack walked from the wheel and towards his oblivious bride. He grabbed hold of her arm and turned her to face him roughly. Elizabeth gasped at the contact, obviously startled. "Wh-what is it?" she asked, keeping her face tilted toward the ocean in an effort to hide the wetness on her face not caused by the rain.
Jack's attitude softened instantly. "Love, the storm's getting worse. Time to go in now, eh?"
Elizabeth's breath caught. She'd been a million miles away when he touched her, but after realizing it was Jack, her hope had swelled. But of course, he was only touching her to get her attention, and now she was to go inside and out of his sight. Her lower lip crumpled as ill-timed fresh sadness rushed at her before she could contain it.
He watched as tears filled Elizabeth's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She tried to turn her head away from Jack but he caught her chin in his hand and wouldn't let her. In desperation, she closed her eyes. He might be able to force her to let him watch her fall apart, but he couldn't make her see him do it.
Jack touched her face gently. Her eyes opened in shock. Elizabeth found him looking at her with such tenderness, such concern.
"Elizabeth, just tell me what I've done. What did I do to hurt ye so?"
Elizabeth swallowed quickly and hoped her voice would not desert her. "Would…," she took a deep breath. "Would you hold me, Jack?"
Jack smiled at her. "Course, Love. Easy as breathing, that." He enfolded her in his arms and her whole body shook. She slid her arms around him in a gesture that indicated she might never let him go. Jack grinned against her hair.
Without warning, the Black Pearl jolted violently and threw them both to the deck.
TBC: CHAPTER TWO: Shipwreck
Following Chapters:
2. Shipwreck
Crossposted to sparrabeth, deppfanfiction, pirates_bride