Chancing Fate - Jack Sparrow x OC

Part 3 - Chapter 11

A/N: Updated

Lena's Journal – August 10, 1729

Until we reach Shipwreck Cove, I can only guess at the date. Hopefully my counting is not too far off. Regardless, I am trying my best not to let it bother me the way it did the other day.

I still find myself replaying yesterday's conversation, almost expecting to remember it differently. It hardly feels possible that Jack Sparrow was the one who said those words, and yet every time I think back, they remain exactly the same. There are many things Jack loves. The Pearl. The sea. Rum. Somehow I've managed to find myself on that list too, and I can't seem to stop smiling every time I think about it. Lizzy and I used to imagine what falling in love might be like. Now I finally have something real to tell her, and she isn't here to hear it.

I still can't quite believe that when Jack imagined forever, he simply assumed I would be there with him. I haven't decided whether the idea is romantic or completely absurd. It's probably both. Perhaps I should be questioning my own sanity for actually considering it, though I imagine anyone would after the last several months. Then again, I've become rather accustomed to impossible situations by now. I still don't know what our future looks like, and perhaps that's all right. I told Jack I'd stand beside him, and I meant it. The rest can wait until it becomes more than another impossible conversation between the two of us.

***

"Trusting me to the end regardless of the plan. That is exactly why I love you."

Lena was certain those words were eventually going to send her overboard.

She frowned down at the rope in her hands, only to realize she'd somehow managed to undo nearly everything she'd tied over the last several minutes. With a quiet sigh, she started over, but the knot had scarcely begun taking shape before the same seven words drifted through her mind yet again. She pulled it snug, frowned at it for a heartbeat, then sighed when she realized she'd somehow tied it backwards.

"If yer gonna be up here with that disgustin' face, least ye could do is make yerself useful while doin' so."

Jumping as the rope suddenly disappeared from her hands, Lena looked over just in time to see Barbossa retie it properly in a matter of seconds.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied with practiced innocence, reaching automatically for the rope again. "I have the same face as always."

"I think not," Barbossa scoffed, handing it back to her with a dismissive wave. "Whatever is goin' on between you and Jack, leave it in the cabin. Now's not the time to be woolgatherin'. The way to Shipwreck Cove is not a simple trip."

Lena rested her forearms lightly against the rail beside him, curiosity replacing embarrassment. "So it's named rightfully so?"

"Aye. Even those knowledgeable of its location may find maneuvering to its port treacherous."

Lena found herself looking out across the open water anyway. Ever since Gibbs and Barbossa had first explained the Brethren Court, Shipwreck Cove had felt strangely unreal. Now, with every mile they sailed, it felt a little less like a story and a little more like somewhere they were actually going.

"Why would you pick a location so difficult to reach?" she asked, looking back at him. "Seems rather counterproductive to have this pirate haven if you risk losing ships before even reaching it."

"Depends who ye need to keep out. Not all pirates are welcome. And even the pirate lords are willing to fight amongst themselves." Barbossa nodded toward the helm. "Ye've seen firsthand Sao Feng's desire to have Jack dead."