Kindred Spirits

Spiritual Reunions

Devon was drawn to the source of light in front of her, almost as if she was being pulled to this light by means of an attraction that she couldn’t control, let alone resist. As she got closer and closer to the source of this strange yet magnificent illumination, the biting cold that had spread throughout her body diminished and in its place she felt a comfortable numbness. She felt as if the light was revitalizing her, as though the weariness and weak feeling she previously possessed just vanished and she was left with the calm, serene air around her. Everything was placid. There was no sound… and the sheer silence of it was overwhelming. She couldn’t see a thing save the glorious light that was embracing her.

Follow the light… light is good… light is warm…

There was that mantra again … it made her feel at ease. This place was good… this was where she wanted to be. It occurred to Devon that it didn’t matter that she had no idea where “this” might be. Everything was good as long as she was bathed in this glorious light.

As she looked up into the light, seemingly searching for its centre, she felt a presence coming closer. Even if she tried, she couldn’t see what it was, all that her vision registered at that moment was the magnificent and powerful light that seemed to be surrounding her; swallowing her whole. But she could still sense that someone or something was there with her. She turned her head and that was when she saw him. It was merely an outline of a figure encircled by an even brighter light… but she knew who it was. She could never forget that particular profile. The image was rattling and yet so comforting at the same time. She rubbed her eyes to see if they were betraying her… It can’t be… But when she opened them again, he was still there, illuminated and absolutely radiant. The image was so clear. It was unlike the other hallucinations that Devon had in the past after drinking absinthe. As since she knew she hadn’t touched the green fairy in a long time, that couldn’t be the cause if this was in fact a hallucination. This thought sent her mind into a state of chaos because she couldn’t figure out what could possibly be the cause of these hallucinations. She rubbed her eyes again. She didn’t believe that what she saw was real… it just couldn’t be real. But he then why did he seem so real, and so near?

‘Dad?’ she spoke hesitantly, surprising even herself with the tranquillity present in her voice.

‘‘Ello Devony,’ Duncan Black spoke warmly while he drew nearer to his daughter, ‘I’ve been waitin’ for ye.’

Devon rushed forward, not even feeling her legs move her across the short space that separated them, and fell into the strong arms of her father. He feels real too… She pulled away from the embrace reluctantly, still not certain where she was or how she had gotten here. In fact what was puzzling her most of all was why her father was here with her. If he’s even truly ‘ere fer tha’ matter… Devon gazed up at his face – and noticed that he hadn’t aged or changed a bit. The scar on his left eyebrow still graced his face, his thick looped earring still hung in his right earlobe, the brand mark still adorned his forearm, while the black anchor tattoo that she used to admire still rested underneath the brand, and his big hands were as callused as they had been when she had held them last… Nothing had changed – he looked exactly like he had done when she had seen him last. That was before… well before he had gone on the venture that had cost him his life. Ah, now she spotted something different. His face seemed to glow; in fact his whole presence seemed to radiate with this incredible luminosity, and he seemed happy and so calm. Not only that, but he seemed more serene then she had ever remembered.

‘Ye have?’ she whispered, rubbing her eyes to spare herself from this entirely too vivid vision that was still wreaking havoc in her heart and her head. She still couldn’t grasp that all of this was real and her father was standing before like he hadn’t done for so long. Then a thought struck her, and as the thought washed over her, what reflected on her face was both passionate and heart-wrenching to watch. ‘Am….. I …. Am I dead, dad?’

‘Aye, we may’ve been awaitin’ yer arrival, dove, but ye’re not dead. T’is not yer time. Ye’ve come too soon. Come closer, me sweet, an’ let me show ye…’

Just then Devon heard another voice from behind her, it was the voice of someone she knew so well, loved so much, and hadn’t heard in so long… ‘Mon enfant, permettes-moi de voir vous. Vous venez à votre mère.’ ((My child, let me see you. Come to your mother.))

‘Ma mère êtes que vraiment vous?’ ((Mother is that really you?)) Devon whispered as she turned around. And there she was… her mother. The very same woman who drove her up the wall as a teenager, the woman who introduced her to Francis Steward, the woman that wanted her to live the life of a proper lady… by being the woman that wanted her to keep her feet dry and stay on land. Oh, how she despised her mother sometimes, but now… all Devon sensed was a feeling of completeness. It was her mother! She was reunited with the ones she had loved and lost and it felt so good….

‘Oui c’est moi, Devony. Mais permettes-moi de regarder vous,’ ((Yes, it is me, Devony. But let me look at you,)) the woman spoke as she pulled Devon close to her and began to examine her as if she were an item on sale at market. ‘Juste regardez-vous! Regardez que vous avez fait a votre peau! Est ceci comment j'ai haussé tu?’ ((Just look at you! Look at what you did to your skin! Is this how I raised you?)) Her mother scoffed when she spotted several of Devon’s tattoos that could be seen through Jack’s thin shirt. Duncan walked up to his wife and nudged her side lovingly. ‘Ye never disliked my tattoos, ma femme chérie… ((my darling wife)) but I mus’ say Vonnie, I rather like ‘em.’ He turned to Devon with a grin.

A smile formed on the woman’s lips and as Devon hugged her mother she whispered, ‘Vous avez tourné hors juste la façon j'ai imaginé, mon enfant. Vous a fait votre père très heureux.’ ((You have turned out just the way I imagined, my child. You make your father very happy.)) Devon embraced her mother and father. She still had no idea what was going on, but regardless of that fact, nothing else mattered to her at that moment. It felt so goddamn good not to be an orphan anymore… to have them both close to her… especially her father. How she had missed him. Despite the fact she was a grown woman, she had missed her father every single day of her life since he had passed on.

‘Come along Vonnie, there be somethin’ ye need ta see,’ her father broke the embrace and took her by the hand. Then both of her parents guided her towards what appeared to be a window. It seemed odd to Devon that even though she appeared to be walking, she never felt her legs move. In fact it felt like she was floating about in a brightly lit vacuum… there were no walls, no floor and it looked as though the room had no ceiling at all. Is this wha’ thems religious people call infinity?

Her father chuckled, but Devon looked over at him in confusion because she didn’t know what had caused him to laugh. He didn’t say anything else to her about it, but sent a wink her way as if she were about to find out.

Devon smiled back at him, knowing he was reassuring her in his own way, but her trepidation of this place increased once she spotted an oval window in front of them. Now Devon sees oval windows all the time, living on a ship and all … but this one was different. This window had no wall that the window was made to look through. In fact, the window seemed to float in front of them in an endless space filled with that strange bright white light. Am I dreamin’? She thought as she looked around her.

‘Nay, pet, this is no dream. This be a place ye needed ta visit, but tis not yer time ta stay ‘ere yet, Devony… Regardless o’ how long yer mom an’ I’ve waited, there’s another path tha’ was chosen for ye. Ye ain’t passin’ on, yer just passin’ through, as it were…’

‘I don’t understand…’ she mumbled.

‘Th’ path tha’ was laid out for ye involves a certain someone ye left behind…’

Devon stared blankly at her father. ‘Someone I left b’hind? Who?’

‘Well… see fer yerself, pet,’ Duncan Black pointed to the window. What happened next was something that Devon couldn’t even begin to describe. She looked through the window and saw a very strange scene play out before her eyes.

Devon blinked to make sure she wasn’t really hallucinating this time, but sure enough when she opened her eyes she saw the same thing. She couldn’t believe it! It was herself! She looked deathly pale and was tucked under many blankets in Jack’s bed because she was trembling. As her eyes took in the rest of the picture before her, she noticed how Jack paced about his cabin, his hands waving in some unheard argument with himself. Her eyes doubled in size when she saw him cease his pacing to walk over to her and stroke her face softly. Then he got a panicked look on his face and began to shout something. His arms were now moving frantically now so she knew that he been shouting about something. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Stitch hurry into the room, buckle a belt around her upper arm and make an incision in it with his knife. She watched, transfixed, as a trail of crimson slide down her arm before it was caught in a silver bowl that Ana had bought in with her at some point. Devon didn’t even remember seeing her enter… she must’ve been pre-occupied with why the hell Stitch would cut her arm and purposefully draw her blood out like that. She ceased her musing when she saw them softly place a wet cloth on her head, they were all being so gentle with her, and she swore that she never looked so … fragile before. Then she looked back to Jack, who stood beside her with her cherished dog in his arms, and even her heart ached at the sight. Her black pirate heart yearned for him. It yearned for both of them. She wanted so much to comfort him and tell him she was okay… he looked so pale… so worried. Is this all ‘cause o’ me? She had never seen him act this way. In fact she was certain that no one had.

Jack put Bullet down and reached for her hand, and then he started to shout again. Devon inched towards the window, because she couldn’t quite make out his expression…. Is ‘e cryin’! No, she silently corrected herself, Jack Sparrow doesn’t cry, Devon…

‘Oh, but ‘e does, pet. ‘E’s a lot like yer old man ‘e is. On th’ outside, ‘e’s nigh untouchable an’ quite unpredictable ta boot. But on th’ inside, we both seem ta hide th’ things tha’ could wound us if others knew ‘bout ‘em. Ye should know tha’ well ‘nough, ye’re another expert in hidin’ what ye really feel. Guess ye take after me more than yer mom in tha’ sense. Yer mother has worn ‘er heart on ‘er tongue all ‘er life. Although ye tend ta just blurt out things tha’ pop inta tha’ pretty head o’ yers, when it comes ta feelin’s… Th’ feelin’s are safely locked away. But this Jack Sparrow has found the key, hasn’t ‘e, Vonnie? An’ ye’ve gotten under his skin too… he loves ye, same way tha’ ye love ‘im.’

Devon was appalled at her father. ‘Do not!’

Duncan laughed at his daughter. ‘S’alright ta say tha’ I’m right…. We know, Vonnie. Yer mom an’ I, we know what ye feel an’ what ye think. Ye don’t ‘ave ta pretend with us pet. Ye love ‘im an’ this is why it isn’t yer time yet. There are things ye need ta work out with ‘im an’ there is just so much left undone. An’ even more that’s been left unsaid for that matter. But ye needed ta see for yerself how much ‘e cares. ‘E’s a good man Vonnie…’

Devon couldn’t help but be both angry and astonished at her father, she knew this was a dream, it had to be a dream… but no matter the situation she would not stand, or even float about in this case, while her father defended the man that had made her cry! ‘He fucked another, dad!’ Only after the statement burst forth from her mouth did she realize how odd it was to talk in that manner to one’s father, so she hastily added, ‘Pardon me language…’

Duncan Black laughed warmly, his daughter had matured, but hadn’t changed all that much. She was still the same stubborn girl with a big mouth and a warm heart.

Her mother wrapped an arm around Devon’s shoulders in an attempt to comfort her daughter, ‘Quelques hommes font des choses étranges afin de trouver leurs vraies sensations, Devony. Mais il vous adore. Juste regarde-lui…’ ((Some men do strange things in order to find their true feelings, Devony. But he loves you. Just look at him…))

Devon looked into the strange window again and then she saw him. He was alone with her… Th’ others must have left… Jack held her hand and kissed her brow, and she could almost hear what he was whispering to her… his lips moved and she was surprised that she could make out what he was saying. ‘Don’t ye ever do tha’ ta me ‘gain, ye hear? I was so afraid I’d loose ye… I can’t loose ye now, tart, not when it took me so long ta find ye. I love ye, ye know tha’?’

She had been so entranced by the scene that when she tore her eyes away for a moment she was startled to notice that the window was gone and everything was black again. She missed the white light and its warmth and comfort. But then her fears lessened when she heard her father’s comforting voice, ‘Go on Vonnie…. Return ta him… go on now… make amends….’ Devon wanted to say goodbye to her parents, look at them one last time before she left – but suddenly, gravity claimed her.

Devon felt as though she was falling slowly at first, but soon she could feel the air rushing past her and kept gaining speed. It was as if she was falling through a never ending hole, and even though her eyes were closed tightly she could still see the whole spectrum of colours passing before her eyes. She couldn’t even recall closing them, but they were certainly shut now.

All of a sudden she stopped falling, but she didn’t land on something soft and fluffy, like Jack’s bed … she was in something sticky and wet, the sensation was awful and she almost heaved. Then she began breathing deeply, trying to calm down and quell the urge to heave, and felt a calmness and comfort settle over her as she realized that it was actually her own body she had just re-entered. How odd is tha’? She suddenly felt the inescapable urge to open her eyes…


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Jack was so incredibly relieved when Devon was finally stable. Sometime during the night he had dozed off and as a result he had almost lost her. Luckily he woke up just in time, he thought that he had heard her call out to him, but he knew that must have been no more than a figment of his imagination. But imagination or not, he thanked the heavens for that vivid imagination of his. Stitch had told him that if he hadn’t woken up when he did, Devon would’ve surely died. She was still weak, her breathing was still shallow however, and she hadn’t awoken yet… but she was stable now and that was more than he could’ve asked for. The only thing he wanted now was for her to wake…. He needed to talk to her, to tell her everything was going to be fine… now if only to convince himself that it would be….

He was certain his heart leapt in his throat when he saw her move her head ever so slightly, and he nearly wept with happiness when she began to slowly open her eyes.

He had stayed there and watched her ever since Stitch and Ana had left, he didn’t want to fall asleep again, and he couldn’t bear to leave her in someone else’s care either. When he first saw movement in the bed before him, he thought his eyes were betraying him. When he was certain that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination and that she really had opened her eyes, he practically sprung out of his chair and was at her side within a second.

‘Devon! Luv? Can ye hear me?’

Devon blinked her eyes, her vision was blurry, but she heard him and opened her mouth. Even with shallow breaths, she managed to form some words very slowly, ‘Yes, Jack… I can hear ye…. Wha’ … what’s goin’ on? Wha’ ‘appened?’ She could speak… She had actually spoken. Her lips had moved and somehow words had come out… yet she barely recognized her own voice, it sounded so light… so breakable. She was still breathing irregularly, but at least she could speak!

‘God, woman ye had me so worried!’ and before Devon could even process what he was doing, he kissed her tenderly and scooped her up in his arms. Words could not express how Jack felt, when he could finally hold her again and he could talk to her. He was holding her so tightly, he was afraid that she’d slip away again.

‘Wha’ happened, Jack? Why am I ‘ere?’

‘Ye almost drowned, luv. I was able ta get ye out, but ye had been in th’ water fer too long, ye were out fer near 24 hours. I’ve been so worried bout ye.’ It took Jack a moment before he remembered Stitch’s orders about not moving her from the bed, so he carefully put her back down on his bed. He even fluffed the pillows for her.

‘T’hurts when I breathe,’ she whispered.

‘Stitch says ye must’ve jammed inta somethin’ when th’ waves came ‘board, nothin’s broken he wagers, but he said ye might feel sore fer a while.’

‘Ah…,’ she said, not recalling anything of what Jack had just told her. ‘Wait, wha’ waves…?’

‘We were caught up a storm, quite a nasty one, ye didn’t secure yerself…’

Devon stared at him. His face held the very same expression she had witnessed earlier when she had looked down at him through the window.

‘Wha’s wrong, Jack? I’m gonna be fine… honestly…’ I am, aren’t I?

‘Nothin’s wrong…’ he mumbled as he held her right hand in his own.

‘I’m so sorry Devon,’ Jack said softly while he stroked her cheek with the back of his left hand.

‘Wha’ for?’ she asked while she looked into his eyes, and tried to ignore the shivers she felt run down her back. She was getting cold again, but she was certain that not all those shivers were due to the fact she was cold. ‘Ye said I didn’t secure meself, then tha’ be MY fault then not yers…’

Jack turned his face away, this was so difficult. Apologizing to her and confessing his feelings while she was unconscious was just so much easier. But now, when he wanted to say the words again so she could hear, he found that the presence of those deep blue eyes of hers was not making things easier for him. ‘That’s not what I was referrin’ to...’

Devon’s eyebrow rose ever so slightly, ‘No?’

He sighed heavily, and looked away so that he could avoid those eyes of hers, ‘Nay, I be sorry fer actin’ like a right arse in th’ “Willing Wench” th’ other night. I did tha’ ta get back at ye, ye nearly drove me insane flirtin’ wit’ tha’ barkeep. I shouldn’t ‘ave gone through wit’ it, I realise tha’ now. Ye were on me mind constantly an’ I didn’t mean ta… ye know… hurt ye. Honestly. But I thought ‘bouts ye the whole time I was fuc-, ye know while I… an’ then I thought I’d lost ye… an’ tha’ damned whore screwed us both…. I didn’t want ta… ye know….’

‘Jack?’ she interrupted him.

‘Hmmmm?’ he mumbled while he fidgeted with the sheets, suddenly realising that he had his arms limp at his sides and that he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

‘I understand.’

He looked at her from beneath his unruly hair, and due to a dread hung in front of his eyes, it caused him to look at her cross-eyed, ‘Ye do?’

‘Mmm hmmm. I’ve come ta realise tha’ we’re more alike than I figured. An’ b’sides…’ she hesitated for a moment when she remembered the words her fathers had spoken, but swallowed them down. She needed him to say it… and since he hadn’t, she still didn’t know if he wanted there to be anything between them. ‘There’s nothin’ b’tween us, so there’s really no need fer ye ta be apologizin’…’

Jack felt as if she had kicked him in the gut, after all this, she was really going to lie there and tell him that there was nothing going on? Was she really going to deny the tension between them? Was she really going to ignore all the ciphers she was giving him constantly?

Devon turned her head away, but he cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger and moved it back, so she was facing him again. ‘Are ye tellin’ me tha’ ye don’t ‘ave these… ye know…’ he made a face when he finally spit it out, ‘…feelin’s?’

‘‘Ow do ye mean?’ she asked innocently.

Jack cleared his throat loudly, got up and walked to his doors and quietly opened them. Then he stuck his head out in the small corridor to make sure that no one could hear them or was eavesdropping, stepped back inside and then proceeded to lock his doors from the inside, before walking back to her.

‘Ye know what I mean, don’t ye…? These feelin’s.. not just th’ lust, it’s somethin’… I dunno, strange inside yer stomach… ye don’t ‘ave tha’?’

Devon smiled softly and nodded.

‘Ye do?’ Jack asked, careful not to sound too thrilled at the answer, and he leaned forward, his nose almost touching hers.

Their eyes locked and Devon felt so tired…. She wanted to sleep, but she needed to come clean too. The weight of denial she had carried around on her shoulders had become too much for her to bear. Her father was right… there was too much left unsaid and he had apologized, hadn’t he? So Devon summoned all the strength she had and did the bravest thing she’s ever done… she told him how she really felt.

‘I do…. They…’ she paused for a moment, breaking away from his dark eyes, then continued, ‘They don’t make sense an’ I’ve fought ‘em long enough…tis o’ no use anyhow. I’ve come ta realise tha’ ye make me feel things tha’ I thought I’d ne’er feel… I…’ she cleared her throat before she said it, ‘I care fer ye Jack.’ The word care was all she could give him and it would have to do.

There was an awkward silence that lingered between the two of them for a few minutes, which seemed like centuries to Devon before she continued. ‘An’ now tha’ we’ve concluded tha’ we both ‘ave these... ye know…’ Her eyes closed for a moment. She was so tired.

Jack poured water into a cup and brought it to her mouth. Devon drank a few sips and then pushed the cup away. ‘Thank ye… I needed tha’…’

Jack nodded and put the cup on the nightstand. ‘Go on, luv. What did ye want ta say?’

‘I was jus’ wond’rin’. Where do we go from ‘ere then, eh?’ Devon asked as her voice cracked a bit. Then she raised her hand slowly to touch one of the braids in his beard.

Jack shrugged his shoulders, ‘Dunno… I’ve ne’er felt this b’fore, these feelin’s I mean.. let’s jus’ see how it goes, eh?’

Devon smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. ‘Mmmm hmmm, but let’s not… ye know… tell anyone jus’ yet since I ain’t so keen on answerin’ questions.’

Jack grinned. ‘Ye’re so much like me! Tha’ would be best I wager.’

Devon graced him with a small smile, but found that she was having even more trouble keeping her eyes open the longer they talked.

‘Luv?’

‘Mmmmmm…’

‘Just ta be sure… we’re ok now, righ’?’

Devon nodded her head while she tried to get comfortable in the big bed. ‘We be good, an’ I be better… But I’m jus’ so goddamn tired an’ so cold…’

‘Tha’ mean I can get inta bed wit’ ye? I can get ye warm….’

Devon nearly smiled and wanted to answer him, but sleep finally claimed her and she dozed off into a dreamless sleep. Jack pulled an extra blanket over her and tucked her in. Then he softly kissed her brow.

‘Go ta sleep now, darlin’, ye need yer sleep,’ he said while he stroked a stray curl away from her face.

There was a short knock on the door, but Jack was still gazing at Devon, he was thanking every god he could think of for her recovery and for bringing her back to him. When he heard another knock, this one more persistent than the previous one, he got up and opened his doors to invite Stitch in.

The ship’s ‘doctor’ couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw and checked Devon. Her fever had almost completely gone down, and her pulse was regular. Stitch said that she still needed to be checked up on every hour. It seemed that no one wanted to take the chance of her slipping away again.

‘It truly is a miracle how she’s bounced back like that… given th’ state she was in just a few hours ago.’

Jack nodded. ‘I know, couldn’t believe it meself either. She did say she was still cold though’, he said, while he glanced down at her.

‘Best keep her warm, but I’ve seen ye’ve tucked her in nice ‘n warm, Capt’n. She’ll be fine,’ Stitch said. ‘She’s a fighter.’

Jack smiled. ‘Aye, tha’ she is. Tha’ she is indeed…’

He wanted to kiss her, if only for a brief moment, but Stitch was still present and since he wasn’t too keen about his crew knowing about him and Devon either, he fought the urge to do so, and made way to the helm instead, leaving his Devon in the capable hands of Stitch.

He wore a big smile on his face as he climbed the stairs. The smile looked like it had been carved onto his face.

When he relieved Ana from her shift, he told his first mate how Devon had awoken and that she seemed to be stable and just fine. When Ana left to go check on her friend, he took his place behind the wheel again, trying to shake the memory of the other day out of his mind.

‘Jack! How is she doing now?’ Gibbs came to him, handing Jack the small silver canister of rum from his vest-pocket.

After taking a heavenly gulp from it, he handed it back to Gibbs, ‘She’s fine. Stitch says she’ll be okay. She’s sleeping as we speak.’

‘Ah, that’s good ta hear, Jack. Very good ta hear’

‘Thought ye didn’t like her… what happened? In fact, ye referred ta her as bein’ ‘utter evil, th’ spawn o’ Satan, Lucifer’s daughter herself’ if I remember correctly…’ Jack teased.

Gibbs took a swig himself, embracing the momentarily silence, ‘Changed me mind, well not entirely, but I’s figured tha’ if she were in fact a witch, she wouldn’t have drowned… that, or she would ‘ave mingled with the water and turn to salt or sea-foam…’ The look on Gibb’s face was dead serious as he relayed these “facts” to Jack.

Jack simply rolled his eyes and the smile on his face turned in to a smirk, as he grabbed back the canister back from Gibbs. ‘Ye’ve got too much imagination, mate!’. Though tha’ ain’t necessarily a bad thing, Jack mused while he stroke his beard. Images of him and Devon came to mind and he couldn’t help but grin again. A woman can never have too much imagination I tell ye!

Gibbs ruefully shook his head, ‘But even ye must admit, tha’ there be something very odd about her Jack.’

Jack took another gulp from the flask and returned to his place behind the wheel. ‘Define odd.’

Gibbs sighed, ‘She doesn’t look like a lady fer starters…’

Jack grinned, ‘I don’t recall ‘er claimin’ ta be one, but she’s all woman tha’ I can assure ye.’

There was a slightly appalled and disgusted look in Gibb’s eyes for a moment, but then he shrugged it off. ‘An’ I dunno… there’s just something about her tha’ gives me the jitters.’

Jack just couldn’t help himself this time and started chuckling. ‘Ye are aware tha’ ye just said she gives ye th’ creeps an’ moments ago ye said ye changed yer mind ‘bout not likin’ ‘er. An’…’ Jack pointed his finger in Gibbs’s face, ‘why would ye sit next ta ‘er at th’ dinner table when ye think she’s scary?’

Gibbs decided it was probably for the better if he’d just drop the subject, since there was no winning with Jack. So he grabbed his canister back from Jack and walked away. He didn’t understand why Jack was defending her in the first place. Sure Devon could be friendly and she had never really given him reason not to like her. But he just couldn’t help it, the woman made him feel very uncomfortable. Ever since they had left Tortuga to set sail for Bermuda, she had been quiet and he could somehow relate to her, even though he had no idea what was ailing her. But still… there was something odd about her. In a way she did remind him a bit of Jack, and she had Elisabeth’s spunk multiplied by a hundred. But then again, for a pirate lass, that wasn’t exactly a bad thing now that he came to think of it. She was on a strange ship with a strange crew so maybe she needed more time to settle in…

‘Gibbs?’ Jack’s voice broke him from his thoughts.

‘Aye Sir?’ he answered, turning around.

‘Yer right ‘bout her ta a certain extent, but righ’ now she needs care an’ support from us all an’ I demand ye give ‘er tha’.’

‘Aye, Sir!’


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Devon had been asleep for hours by the time Ana came around again, this time to let Bullet see its mistress. The dog had been whining in Ana and Devon’s cabin ever since Jack had left the dog back in her care. And now that Jack had told her Devon was recovering, she felt it was right to reunite Devon and her dog. She put Bullet on the bed after she had checked up on Devon. Her breathing was regular, as was her pulse, and her fever had completely subsided. After making sure Devon was okay, she walked out of the Captain’s Quarters and left Bullet in there with Devon. ‘Ye watch yer lady now, Bullet, she needs ye as much as ye need her.’ She whispered to it before she closed the double doors.

The small dog sniffed Devon’s hair and snuggled close to her, its nose resting against her cheek. It started licking Devon’s face after a while and moments later Devon’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

‘Ye came ta check up on mommy luv? Who let ye in here?’ she spoke lovingly while she pulled Bullet up onto her chest. She didn’t keep Bullet up there for long because the pressure of his paws on her ribcage hurt her. ‘Sorry dahlink, but ye have ta lay b’sides me…’

The black and white dog yawned and then snuggled back to her, licking her arms.

‘I love ye, Bully…’ she whispered and stroke its head. Bullet returned the favour by rubbing its head against the palm of her hand. Devon looked around the room. It really was beautiful. It could have been even prettier if Jack had been a bit of a tidier man, but Devon didn’t care much. She feasted her eyes on the shelves in front of her. There was a very impressive stack of false colours. Devon smiled. Even Drake ain’t got tha’ many flags. Where th’ hell did ‘e get all those? She fought the urge to get out of bed to go and take a closer look, but settled for another scan of the room instead. The first time she had been here she hadn’t had the chance to properly look around, since she had been too tied up in her fight with Jack. Ye’ve got one heck o’ a ship Jack… ye really do.

Then she looked at the nightstand next to her and spotted a canister. Jack’s canister. Despite all her promises to keep away from liquor, she felt she could use a drop or two. Just for the taste of it. She reached for the silver flask and uncapped it, half expecting it to be empty. Why wouldn’t he have taken it with him if it still had something left inside? But to her great surprise, there was still something left in it. She slowly brought her arm up to her nose and then she smelled the too familiar scent of rum. Bless ye Jack! She couldn’t help herself, and she raised the canister to her mouth and took a swig. Aaaaaaaah blisssss! After the first sip, she decided it wasn’t fair to Jack if she were to drink it dry, so she put the cap back on and put it back in its former position. She snuggled herself back under the covers again, enjoying the tingling in her mouth. Bullet snored loudly for a moment, but as the snores got softer and Devon realised she now felt better than she had before. In fact she wasn’t so cold anymore, which she was certain was partially due to the rum, but she could move and talk better than when she woke up the first time. Truth be told her ribcage still hurt and so did her head, just realising why a few moments ago when she located a bump the size of an egg that the pain was emanating from. The nicest thing about how she felt now was that she didn’t feel as weak as she had before. Now tha’s quite a blessin’…

A soft but very genuine smile formed on her lips as she recalled her conversation with Jack earlier… Well, she didn’t know how much earlier because to her, it felt like she had been sleeping for months. It could have been an hour ago, maybe two, maybe a day, or even several days… but the time span held no importance. He had told her he had feelings for her and they were more than just lust…

Is this really happenin’? Have I found th’ one in ‘im?

She heard another voice in the back of her mind, not the usual miss know-it-all voice that used to bug her, but the warm voice of the man that had raised her like the son he had never had. The man she owed so much to…

/Let ‘im take ‘is place in yer life, Vonnie. Ye want it an’ so does ‘e. Fate brought ye t’gether. Give it a chance, ye know ‘e ain’t like Steward, Sparrow doesn’t want ta change ye after all, ‘e likes ye jus’ th’ way ye are…/

Thanks fer yer advice, but I can make decisions on me own, an’ I think tha’ I can do it rather well too. There was that damned feeling again. It was awkward, but familiar and magnified about a hundred times. It filled every fibre in her body. Still, despite it all, she felt the need to kill it, extinguish it, but it was of no use. The flames that Pirate Captain had sparked inside her bricked-solid heart had grown too big. She couldn’t help but go along with wherever this would lead her.

/Ye ‘aven’t changed much over th’ years dove, ye still want ta ‘ave th’ final say…/

Takin’ after me ol’ man in tha’ way too I wager, she retorted. When she heard the clucking of boots drawing closer, she ceased fighting with her father’s voice and glanced at the door. The doors opened and there he was.

‘What’s tha’ thing doin’ in me bed?’ Jack muttered to himself as he took off his hat and placed it on his desk. Then he glanced back to the bed, and saw that Devon was sitting upright with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was ignoring her aching body and gave him a lethal glance.

‘Bullet ain’t a thing Jack. It’s a dog, MY dog an’ I don’t know who put ‘im ‘ere, but as long as I’m stayin’, it stays!’

‘Ye heard tha’?’ he questioned, full well knowing the answer.

‘Aye!’

‘Oh shush, when ye’re well enough ye’ll go back ta yer own cot anyhow,’ he said warmly as he approached her and planted a feather light kiss on the corner of her lovely mouth.

‘Why? Ye’re already sick o’ me?’

‘Nay, but did we not both agree tha’ t’would be best if no one knew… ye know… ‘bout us?’

Devon smiled. ‘True.’

Jack sat himself down next to Devon and planted another feather light kiss on her mouth as he twirled one of her curls around his fingers. ‘Glad ta see ye’re feelin’ better, luv…’

‘Glad ta feel better too,’ she smiled against his lips. His moustache tickled her nose and before she knew it, he kissed her again. ‘Ye go back ta sleep now, tart, ye need it.’

‘Says who?’ she asked as he tucked her in. ‘I see ye won’t be joinin’ me?’

‘I’ll sleep in me chair luv, don’t wanna be th’ cause o’ more damage ta yer…’ he glanced up and down her chest, ‘ye know… there….’ And as he made way to remove his belt and sash he heard a soft snoring that came from the bed followed by some very loud ones.

‘Blast tha’ dog… I’ll ne’er get me sleep now,’ Jack muttered to himself as he placed his belt on the back of the armchair. But regardless of his groans, he bent down to pet the dog that had made itself comfortable on the pillow next to Devon’s face.

Then he kissed Devon on her brow and made himself comfortable in his armchair. He looked at his bed once more and glanced at that odd dog, which seemed to have woken up from Jack’s touch a few moments earlier and now stared back at him with its dark eyes.

Jack smiled. ‘Watch ‘er fer me, will ye, Bullet?’

Jack swore he was seeing things when something akin to acceptance flickered in the dog’s eyes. Then Bullet turned back to Devon, snuggled closer to her and sighed deeply, and when its snores soon mingled with Devon’s soft ones and Jack knew everything would be alright.

TBC…