Chancing Fate - Jack Sparrow x OC

Part 2 - Chapter 3

The boats had an uncomfortable silence over them as the group made their way upriver, passing numerous huts and the occasional person nearby that peered at them. Lena felt like an outsider, intruding in a place she wasn't supposed to be. And Jack's tense posture and wandering eyes did nothing to ease her mind. From her spot beside him, she reached out her hand, grabbing his unwrapped one as she leaned towards him, whispering so they would have some semblance of a private conversation. Of course, the closest to them was Cotton, rowing just behind them. So, she supposed their conversation wouldn't be shared too quickly either.

"Are you sure we need to go here for help?"

Immediately, his shoulders tensed as he spun in his sit, looking at her with wide eyes. "Of course," he squeezed out, higher pitched than normal.

Lena narrowed her eyes but couldn't say much. She hadn't had a chance to speak with him about much since they had been joined by Will. There were a million questions and she hardly understood what was going on. "Once we leave here, you owe me a real explanation."

"Suppose I will," Jack muttered back, almost to himself as his eyes drifted back to the waters in front of them.

With nothing else to do, conversation ending, she settled her hand on his leg in silent support as she looked in the same direction.

They had nearly reached the river's end when their destination was in sight. Ahead of them stood the hut containing Tia Dalma. Stepping out of the boat with a hand out to keep steady, Lena eyed the building with trepidation.

"No worries, mates," Jack encouraged with each step he took. "Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are. Were. Have been. Before."

His words did little to help her relax. He was not convinced of his own words and she couldn't help dwelling on just what kind of history they had. Doing her best though, she tried to focus on why they were there and not on who was there.

"I'll watch your back," Gibbs promised.

Jack had other ideas though as he said, "It's me front I'm worried about."

Though Lena knew he wasn't much for comforting touches, she stood beside him and grasped his hand. Even if it didn't help him, it helped her as she felt his grip tighten around hers. It was a small gesture that she didn't see often.

"Mind the boat," Gibbs said, echoed by each pirate until only Cotton remained.

As Jack cautiously walked inside, pulling Lena with him, a voice called out warmly.

"Jack Sparrow."

Tia Dalma stood before them and Lena had to admit she seemed to practically personify what she imagined voodoo to be like. There was an otherworldly air around her that she couldn't understand.

"Tia Dalma," Jack greeted with a forced smile, ducking just as he avoided hitting his head off a hanging jar.

"I always knowed the wind was going to blow you back to me one day," she replied before her attention turned to Will. "You. You have a touch a' destiny about you. William Turner."

"You know me?" Will asked, thrown off by her knowing his name.

Leaning towards him, she said with a grin, "you want to know me."

Cutting between them quickly, Jack waved them off with his free hand. "There'll be no knowing here. We've come for help and we're not leaving without it." He dropped Lena's hand then as he led Tia Dalma away from Will, saying to her, "I thought I knew you."

"Not so well as I'd hoped," Tia Dalma replied as she walked towards the back. "Come."

Uneasy from the comments, Lena slowly dropped back a step, self-conscious as she placed a hand on her right arm, closing herself off. She wasn't sure if she felt invisible or if she would rather be invisible at that moment. It was easy for all the attention in the room to be drawn to Tia Dalma. She was a spectacle to see with the confidence to go with it. Lena on the other hand, always preferred to be out of the spotlight, but not when it came to Jack's attention.