Destiny's Requiem

CHAPTER 5

The soft cries of her son echoed in her ears as she opened her eyes and went to retrieve him from his cradle. Jack of course awoke to the same sounds and watched as she trudged over to claim the lad.

“Is he always going to be that loud first thing in the morning?” Jack asked wiping the sleep from his eyes.

She couldn’t help but laugh, “For a while. You’d better get used to it Captain since you refuse to allow me slumber anywhere but here.”

“Ill find a way to deal if it means having you in me arms every night,” he muttered groggily, half-heartedly wanting her to hear him.

She calmed her son and returned to the bed to sit next to Jack. The sleepy pirate was quick to wrap a protective arm around them.

“Thank you Jack.” She met his eyes.

“For what luv?” He asked before turning his eyes to the baby who began tugging on his dangles yet again, “I hope he grows out of this soon,” he muttered. “It hurts!”

Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh before replying, “For merely holding me last night. I haven’t felt that safe; that happy in a very long time.”

He merely nodded his head at her before lifting his lips to her cheek and rising from the bed. “Need to tend me ship. Gibbs’ passing means my late mornings have too. Guess it’s a good thing Willy likes to wake up early or I may never get to the helm with you in me bed.” He smirked at her. Somehow he had transformed himself in the last minute and was now the Captain Jack Sparrow of legend and not the man she had come to admittedly love.

“Jack!” She mocked anger, “nothing has happened yet!”

“Ah, YET. I love that word Lizzie, means I have something to look forward to. Maybe tonight eh? I’m sure I can bribe Marty to take the lad off yer hands if I offer ‘im an extra ration of rum.”

She rolled her eyes at him and tossed a pillow in his general direction, making a mental note of the habit it was becoming. “I was wondering what had happened to the lewd Jack Sparrow.” She smiled at him.

“Captain, luv…need I always remind you? But is that a yes?” He asked as he pulled his coat on and positioned his hat.

She couldn’t fight the smile that came to her lips, “Its not a no, CAPTAIN Sparrow.”

He through a playful smirk in her direction and was through the door without comment.


She was probably standing at the side rail for nearly an hour thinking: Thinking about Will and how he’d been so right about what he had said, about how she’d secretly longed for Jack for almost as long as she’d known him; about how guilty she was starting to feel for ever having agreed to marrying Will during the battle. Now that she had been removed from it she knew she had only agreed because something told her they weren’t to both survive. Her gut feeling wasn’t entirely false either. Will was dead. Had it not been for Jack’s quick thinking he would have been lost for eternity instead of merely decades at a time. Jack. He had only stabbed the heart for her; to give her the man he thought she loved. The man she thought she loved. It took her to much time to realize Will was the brother she never had, Jack was the man she loved with passion. It took being separated from both of them to understand that much. She was pretty certain she had destroyed her life until she saw Jack in Shipwreck City. Jack had come back for her. He had not abandoned her. Something told her he never would.

“Schilling for you thoughts Lizzie?” She had been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard him approach.

“Since when do you pay for things Jack?” She replied voice even and playful.

“Good point, luv.”

She chuckled at him. “Jack, can I ask you a question?” Her voice turned serious.

“Of course Lizzie.”

“Will you answer truthfully?” She raised an eyebrow on him.

“Pirates honor.” He held a hand up to his heart.

“Cause that’s worth a lot,” she chuckled, “but I suppose it’ll have to do.”

He frowned, mocking hurt before grabbing her hand. “What’s troubling you?”

“Why did you let Will stab the heart?”

He briefly looked over his shoulder; she’d observed that seemed to be his routine these days when he wanted to say something distinctly uncharacteristic. “You loved him, couldn’t let him be taken from you like that.” He was completely serious and that encouraged her, yet she laughed at the precautions he took to assure that no one else know he cared for her, although it was kind of obvious.

“But I had killed you, didn’t you want me to suffer? Even the score a little?” She pushed the matter, still uncertain as to how he could just forget her past indiscretions.

“Lizzie. It was bound to happen that way. Sure as the tide I was going down with the Kraken.” His eyes left hers, “I came back with that intention.” His eyes wondered as if he didn’t want to admit the next part, “knew it was the only way to save you. You just made it easier for me to actually do what I came back to do. I’ve told you already, you’ve been forgiven.”

“Jack you couldn’t….” he pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

“Lizzie, please, stop. We can’t change anything that’s come before, only live with what we’ve done and wait to see what comes next. There was plenty of times for us both to have changed the way things had happened by merely changing one behavior, but believe me luv, it was meant to be this way. Destiny’s way of righting things, as it were. Besides you came back for me remember?”

“One other thing Jack…” she moved to stand in front of him and instinctively he placed his hands on her hips. “Curiosity is once again getting the better of me and Captain Teague …”

“You spoke to him then.” He looked almost hurt, betrayed. Not that she knew of his issues with said father. Now he knew how Captain Teague had known of her love for him. It wasn’t really a surprise since she had mistaken him for his father, but the mention of his name brought back his most recent aggravation with the man.

“Aye, he is your fath…”

“A fact I rather like to ignore.” His hands suddenly dropped from her and he turned away. “I need to get back to the helm.”

Puzzled, Lizzie just watched him run off. Clearly unsure as to why the legendary Jack Sparrow would not speak to her on such a simple topic, especially since he’d been so open with her until she mentioned him. Something in her had to press further; she wanted to know why Teague had told her that he would never open up to her. So she followed him.

“Jack. You’re very much like him.”

“Not listening.” He mumbled. That was the last thing he ever wanted to hear.

“Seems he didn’t want to talk much about you either.” She remembered how many times she had tried to get Teague to tell her about Jack as a child.

“Good, let me just go on existing without talking about him then, eh?”

“Jack.” She placed a hand on his. “I was persistent with him and it wor…”

“Not working Liz, why don’t you just go check on Willy.”? He didn’t mean to push her away, but some wounds were better left covered, or in this case buried deep within himself.

“Fine, I thought you had finally become the man I always thought you could be. I guess I was wrong.” And she walked off in a huff, hurting him more with those few words than anything else ever could. “And maybe HE was right.”

He stood disgusted with himself. Here he was trying not to be like his father and push her way or hurt her and yet he just had, and to make it worse he had apparently lived up to his father’s expectations. He didn’t want to tell her about the man. Truth was that Jackie, the son of Teague, had died the day he left Shipwreck City, and it took him a great deal to go into that town to get her. It brought back too many memories, ones he had spent his life running from. The infamous pirates son, work hog, punching bag, and defender of what little honor Teague hadn’t stolen from his mother.

He thought back to right before he’d left home. His mother had been crying all night, knew it was his fathers’ infidelity yet again. That fact confirmed that morning when his father informed him of a half sibling on the way. His father never really was one for discretion. Flaunted everything, never cared how what he did affected others, truly a pirate in every sense of the word. Something within him had snapped that day. He walked up to Teague and whipped him around, screamed at him told him to leave and stay gone if he was going to do this to her repeatedly. Truth was she let him do this to her, but Jack was forever on her side; even if she wasn’t. After all she took care of him, actually treated him like a son. The pirate merely laughed at him, telling him he was boy and knew nothing of the world and its opportunities. Truth was he knew more of the world than he should have. Learned it at the hands of his father, when he didn’t tie a rope right, when he wasn’t quick enough in restocking the mans rum, when he dare question anything, or when he just didn’t want to be bothered. He refused to live this life any longer. For the first time he stood up to his father, pulling his sword on the man with absolutely no intention of merely sparring. Teague was of course one step ahead, as he always was and Jackie was quickly without a weapon. He’d rather be alone then live like this, suffering and watching his mother suffer too, had become too much. Living on ones own for a few years it’s easy to find the perks of joining the ranks of Beckett it was a steady meal and place to sleep. And it was an honest living, one his father would never endorse, therefore making it that much more appealing.

“Cap’n am I still to watch the boy tonight?” Marty had approached him while he was lost in his thoughts.

“No. Won’t be necessary.” He muttered, before turning the wheel over to Cotton.


Jack was sitting at the bow drinking his rum. He’d dropped anchor for the evening and sent the crew below shortly after he walked the deck inspecting his ship. He needed to be alone, and he knew that Lizzie would be in his cabin, so there was no need for him to be there just yet. Mini Jack was sitting on his shoulder scowling at him. He’d listened to him ramble on about how he’d blow it if he didn’t stop being so heartless and then he started to ignore him, or maybe the more he drank the less he acknowledged the presence of himself. Either way he was alone with his thoughts and his rum. He was about to pick up his bottle when he felt a hand stop him.

“s’my rum.” He grumbled, half thinking it was one of his mini counterparts.

“Only if you talk to me Jack.” The voice was soft, but unyielding, and certainly not his own.

“No point…”

“I know he wasn’t the best father.”

“Not going there again Lizzie.” He tried to stand up and get away but she stopped him by plopping herself down in his lap and grabbing his hands. “lemme up.”

“Jack Sparrow I will shackle you to this ship if you do not listen to me.” He could tell she wasn’t kidding.

“Wouldn’t be the first time, luv.” He hadn’t said it to be vengeful merely make her aware of his ceding this battle.

“Jack…he told me some things.” She locked eyes with him. “Told me why he thought I would never see you again.”

“Oh and what did the expert have to say?” Meanwhile now his father’s previous knowledge seemed to make sense, he’d talked to her about him.

“He said he didn’t treat you right. Wasn’t right to your mother. Said he was pretty certain that you’d vowed to do everything in your power to be the polar opposite of him.”

“Aye I did.” Her eyes were locked on his silently begging him to continue. “I joined ranks with Beckett to make him mad and as history tells us that didn’t work out very well. Got meself branded a pirate for me troubles. Reminding me for all eternity that I could never be anything but what my father was. I didn’t want to be a pirate, but I am. I don’t want to hurt ye, but I do. Lizzie, I’m not Will, and I do things sometimes to…”

She pressed a finger to his lips knowing that he was trying to express and it was ripping him apart to bring up his feelings,” I don’t want you to be Will, Jack. I want you to be that roguish pirate I met after he pulled me out of the sea, the gentleman who’s rum I burned on a beach, the cunning trickster who honestly thought I wouldn’t find out I was living in his quarters in shipwreck cove, even if it had been some decades since he’d spent time there. At this point I’m pretty certain you’re not out to hurt me Jack.”

“Barbossa let it slip eh?” For the first time in his life, Jack was willing to accept his defeat.

“No. Your father did.”

“Bloody meddling drunk never could mind his own business.”

“If you don’t want anything to do with your father then why hide me where you knew he was, in a place that was your home?

“Back to that again, eh?” He grinned at her half-heartedly.

“Jack I need to know…”

He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her and managed to grab his rum bottle and took a long swig before talking. “I knew you’d be safe there. No pirate dare harm a lord, let alone the pirate king, eh?” He paused before he finished his answer, “I don’t want to be my father. But every time I try not to be.” He pointed to the brand on his wrist. “This forever makes me just like him. But I never wanted to hurt anyone the way he did. My mother spent more time crying over him than anything else, most of my scars, a result of his punishments. I couldn’t do that to someone, didn’t get that attached to anyone to avoid it, because I didn’t know if I could not be like him. Then I met you luv.” His eyes met hers searching for reassurance. “Lizzie I cant make ye any promises. I tried to be a good man and ended up no better than he. I’m a pirate…”

“And a good man, who has proven himself time and time again. But you are blind to your own good deeds or you choose to ignore them. You saved me, without knowing who I was and countless times since. You sacrificed your desires to give me more time with Will. Jack you were branded because you didn’t think people should serve as a commodity for trade. You are clearly his opposite. If you can’t see how good your heart really is…”

He kissed her then; hard, fierce, and wanting yet equally sweet, compassionate, and endearing. He leaned his forehead against hers, “That’s why I’m here Lizzie. It took me longer than it should have but Lizzie …These are uncharted waters for me luv, and I don’t know how I’m going to do it but I swear to ye Lizzie I wont hurt ye like he hurt her. I wont hurt Willy that way either, luv.” He looked at her and in the lowest voice she’d ever heard him speak in “you’re the only one that’s ever gotten through me.” He was partially thankful that she had talked to his father; it made understanding his past that much easier. She helped him conquer his own demons.

“I love you Jack,” it was all she needed to say, all he needed to hear to silence the voices of the past with a promise of a future.

A/N: I was going to...i really was going too...but then i decided to be more dramatic. Buts it coming. I swear its coming. And i know this because i wrote some of it already. So review and maybe Ill write a little more and a little faster, savvy???