A Pirate's Love

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Madeline hurried out of the house.  Picking up her skirts and she ran.  Ran as if the devil himself were on her heels.

"Madeline, wait!" she heard Jack yelling behind her.  She kept running.  She ran until she was on the dock by the ships.  Jack caught up to her and grabbed onto her arm.

"Let go!" she yelled at him.

"No.  Ye and I are going to talk and we are going to talk now."  He steered her towards the Black Pearl and towards his cabin.  He led her in and slammed the door shut.  Madeline turned around in a huff.  Hands on her hips.  Before she could get a word out,  Jack walked her backwards so that she was sitting on his bunk.

"Maddy.  I want answers and I want them now.  Ye are going to give them to me.  Savvy?"  Madeline knew the time had come for their talk.  She wasn't going to hold anything back.  If they were to move forward in any way, she had to be honest with him.

"Savvy Jack."  Jack began to pace.  "Jack.  Please sit down.  I can't talk when you're pacing like a caged animal."  He turned and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"Begin." He said.  She opened her mouth to speak, but Jack held up his hand.  "Begin with telling me about the Louis Jaquette."

Her lips were quivering.  "He's just another pirate that I know."

"Just another pirate ye know.  Yer mother said that ye slept with him."

"I didn't sleep with him Jack.  I met him after I left Port Royal.  He wanted to sleep with me, but I told him I couldn't.  That I was pregnant and very much in love with my baby's father.  He tried to seduce me, but I couldn't.    I couldn't because my heart was in one place.  With you."

"Continue."

"The time I spent with you on the Pearl was the happiest time of my life.  I loved being with you.  Loving you.  Lying in your arms night after night.  You were my world Jack."  She looked up at him and he was still watching her.

"After a while, I figured out that I was pregnant.  I hid my morning sickness from you.  Mr. Gibbs knew though.  I wanted so much to tell you.  To tell you that our love made something beautiful.  But I couldn't."

"Why couldn't ye?"

"Because that wasn't in your plan Jack."

"How did ye know me plans?"

"Jack, you're a pirate! Love, marriage and babies aren't in those plans of a pirate.  I devised a plan to leave the Pearl.  My crew knew of this plan."

"And mine didn't?"

"Jack, sometimes your crew isn't very bright."  Jack smirked at her comment.  She was right on that regard.

"I left that night.  And headed to Port Royal.  Knowing I was pregnant, I told Elizabeth what had happened and that I couldn't and wouldn't deprive you of the life you love so much.  As much as I loved you, I couldn't deny you."

Jack stood up, knocking the chair over. 

"Bloody hell."

"Jack, after I saw Elizabeth, I came to the island to have JJ.  When he was born it was the happiest day of my life.  My only regret was that you weren't here with me.  When JJ was about a year old, we returned to Port Royal.  I wanted him to go to school.  Wanted him to be around other children."

"And not pirates."

"Jack, that has nothing to do with it.  He has so much pirate blood in him that no one can deny it.  He loves the sea.  He loves being aboard ships.  He is his father's son."

"So ye were never married?"

"No Jack.  The only man I could give my life to was my son and you.  I only pretended to be married so that people wouldn't scorn me."

"No one would ever scorn ye."

" You would be surprised Jack.  My own mother scorns me Jack."

"What am I supposed to do Madeline? What do ye want me to do?"

"Love me."