Broken

Chapter 6: Uninvited Conscience

A/N: Sparrowlover and Princess of the Pearl: Thank you both for your reviews! I’m so glad that you are enjoying the story! Not to worry…Jack will feel sorry for treating Elizabeth so harshly and have a change of heart. He will come to her after spending the night at the wheel contemplating how he has acted. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

Disclaimer: I still do not own POTC or Jack Sparrow…Disney won’t let me have them… L And I make no money from this or any of my other stories.

Around evening time the winds started to pick up quite noticeably on their course towards Singapore. Jack could feel it in the air…there was a storm brewing. And from the looks of the dark clouds that had begun approaching them from the west it looked to be quite a powerful one at that. Sensing his crew’s uneasiness he approached the wheel deck where Gibbs was currently on duty.

“Captain?”

“There’s a storm coming so I’ll take over at the wheel for ye Gibbs.”

“Ye want t’ take over at the helm sir?”

“Aye.”

“What bout Miss Elizabeth?”

“What bout her? She will stay in my cabin of course. So go get her an’ tell her t’ take shelter there…captain’s orders of course.”

“Aye sir.”

Gibbs stepped away from the wheel letting Jack take over his place as he headed down the stairs towards the galley to go find Elizabeth. Down below decks he found Elizabeth sitting all by her lonesome at the table in the galley. She was poking at her food with her fork clearly uninterested in eating what was on her plate. There was a sad looking frown etched onto her pretty face as she sat with her head down and her shoulders slumped forward. Gibbs cleared his throat softly making her head jerk up quickly. She flashed him a small fleeting smile.

“Uh Miss Elizabeth…yer t’ take shelter in the captain’s cabin during the storm that’s about t’ be upon us.”

“Am I?”

“Yes ma ‘am.”

“By whose orders?”

“Uh the captain’s orders Miss Elizabeth.”

“I figured as much. Just another way to get me to do what he wants.”

“It’s for yer safety Miss…the captain would be right miserable if anything happened t’ ye. Jus’ between us…of course.”

She smiled again and nodded standing up from the table leaving her untouched plate.

“Aren’t ye going t’ eat Miss Elizabeth?”

“No I’m not very hungry Mr. Gibbs. I’ll retire to the captain’s cabin now.”

Gibbs nodded as he watched her head up towards the captain’s cabin. On deck Jack watched from the wheel as Elizabeth emerged from below decks. He smiled as he saw her look up at him. But she offered no smile in return…only a quick nod as she walked towards his cabin. Jack frowned as he watched the door shut quickly behind her. Obviously she was still quite unhappy about the way he had acted last night. Well that was something she would just simply have to learn to get past. If she was going to survive on the Pearl then she would have to learn how to be thick skinned and not get her feelings hurt over little insignificant things. His dark eyes turned towards the darkening skies when he felt the first drops of rain hit him. The storm had arrived. Moments later the rain was coming down in sheets slanting from the force of the winds as they stirred up the sea tossing the Pearl among the waves. Jack gripped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white as he held steady against the storm. His jaw was set in a hard line his lips pursed as he navigated his beloved ship through the churning ocean. Although he was concentrating on keeping the ship afloat his mind kept wandering to the tawny haired young woman that was holed up in his cabin at that very moment. She had looked rather pitiful when she had looked at him before going into his cabin. Feeling strange twinges of what he guessed to be guilt he frowned. Suddenly he could hear voices echoing in his mind. No not voices…his own voice rather.

‘Jus’ look at yerself…fretting over hurting little Elizabeth’s fragile feelings! Why ye’ve gone soft spending all this time with that girl! Some pirate ye are mate!’

Jack frowned as he opened his mouth to respond but was cut off quickly by another version of himself.

‘Don’t listen t’ that primitive fool…having consideration for Elizabeth’s feelings does not make ye soft. It means ye care for her…an’ ye do care for her mate.’

‘Yeah ye care for her alright…enough t’ keep her around for entertainment reasons of course. She may not be experienced like the women yer used t’…but she does serve a purpose mate.’

Now he was hearing himself argue…with himself. Great. Shaking his head he muttered softly to himself.

“Go away…the both of ye!”

But of course they didn’t listen.

‘Now now Jackie…ye won’t be getting rid of us that easily mate. An’ make no mistake…yer not fooling anyone…ye think of Elizabeth as much more than jus’ serving a purpose.’

‘Do not! Rubbish…utter complete rubbish! I suppose next he’ll be trying t’ tell ye that ye love that girl.’

‘It’s not rubbish…it’s so obviously true that he does love Elizabeth. Otherwise he wouldn’t be feeling so bad bout the way he treated her.’

Not bothering to wait Jack interrupted the voices.

“Alright…that’s it! I’ve heard quite enough from the both of ye…or me rather. Now kindly shut it an’ let me concentrate!”

‘Jus’ admit that yer in love with Elizabeth an’ go make things right with her. Or else risk losing her forever. An’ can ye really imagine not having her in yer life?’

‘Who cares? There’ll be plenty of wenches t’ take her place.’

‘True enough…but ye will always love Elizabeth…an’ no other woman will ever compare t’ her. Think bout that mate.’

Tilting his head Jack mulled over what both of the voices had said to him. Sighing heavily he decided that only one of them spoke the truth. He was in love with Elizabeth and he did feel awful for the way he had treated her. And what was far worse was the idea of Jack not having her around.

“I’ve made up me mind…not because of anything that either of ye said…but because m’ me own person an’ I decide what’s best for me. M’ going t’ apologize t’ Elizabeth an’ make her see what a fool I was.”

‘Good man! Ye won’t be sorry mate…she’ll see ye in a whole new light.’

‘Sappy an’ disgustingly weak says I! I thought ye were more of a man than that mate? Obviously that girl has gotten underneath yer skin…an’ mark me words…she’ll be the death of ye…again.’

“Bugger off mate…nothing ye say can change me mind. I love Elizabeth…an’ I’ll express that t’ the best of me capabilities. As for ye…the more reasonable one…my gratitude for helping me t’ see the light.”

‘It was entirely my pleasure Jackie…but the reward will be seeing ye build a future with Elizabeth.’

‘Yer a fool an’ ye deserve whatever hell that girl brings upon ye! Don’t say I didn’t warn ye mate!’

Smiling Jack focused on sailing the Pearl through the remainder of the storm. It was early in the morning now…so early that the sun still hadn’t even risen. But the storm was weakening and the Pearl would be in the clear soon enough. Once the sun broke the horizon Cotton would be up to take over at the helm and then Jack could go see Elizabeth and fix the damage he had done the previous night. He had never meant to hurt her and for the life of him couldn’t understand why he had acted like such a foolish child. But something positive did come out of the time they had spent not speaking…he had been forced to realize how much she truly meant to him. Somewhere along the way Jack had managed to fall in love with Elizabeth Swann. And his determinedness to take her to see Xian, his witch in Singapore. He just had to help Elizabeth get over losing Will and if there was anyone who could help him it was Xian.

A/N: Okay next chapter Jack approaches Elizabeth to apologize…she brushes him off at first not believing him but when he drops to his knees to tell her he has fallen in love with her it makes her realize that she cares more for him than she had allowed her self to admit. Please read and review!