In the Hands of Fate II: Dead Man's Chest

Chapter Thirteen

I stared at the chocolate eyed captain.

"What are ye doin', love?" he asked.

I tilted my head to the left. "Enjoying a conversation with the former Commodore."

He squinted his eyes at me. "About what exactly?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, this and that. What's it matter to you, Jackie?" Jack chuckled and glimpse of a little green monster frittered in and out of his eyes. I smirked. "You're not gelos are you?"

He scoffed. "Love, Captain Jack Sparrow does not get jealous."

I gave him an innocent smile. "Oh, of course not. What was I thinking?"

"Obviously, you weren't," James answered, playing along.

"Clar."

"Land, ho!" Gibbs yelled. Everyone, save for Jack and I rushed to see the island.

"I'll get the jar of dirt," I told Jack seriously.

The trip to shore was not only crowded, but quite amusing. Pintel and Ragetti were bickering as always. This time over the pronunciation of "kraken."

"'Krocken' is how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian, and 'kracken' closer to that," Ragetti stated.

"Well, we ain't original Scandinavians, are we?" Pintel asked. "'Krayken.'"

I sighed. "Well, I'm a Romanian gypsy and I've always pronounced it 'krockien'."

They both looked at me and I shrugged.

"It's a mythological creature. I can calls it what I wants," Ragetti said.

"That settles that," I murmured.

After we reached the shore, we stumbled about following Elizabeth as she followed the confused compass. Finally she sat down and gave up. And I, dressed in my normal Gypsy garb including my bare feet, sat down in the smoldering sand as well, thankful for the break.

"This doesn't work," she claimed. "And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most."

James had an "uh-huh... sure…" look on his face. Jack paraded over to the compass that sat on the ground.

"Yes, it does," he countered. "You're sitting on it."

She stared at him. "Beg pardon?"

"Move." He waved his hands in a shooing motion until she did as he ordered.

He whistled at James to get started on digging.

I began playing in the sand, writing simple messages.

"Te iubesc… who?" Jack wondered as her read over my shoulder.

"No one." I flung my hand about, erasing my message.

He plopped down next to me and leaned on my shoulder, smiling cheekily. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't 'te iubesc' Romanian for 'I love you'?"

"And if it is?"

He plainly stared at me, a hint of shock in his eyes. "You love me?"

I smiled at him. "You are my best friend, Jack, why wouldn't I love you?"

He squinted in that 'You can't fool me' way he does so often. "Most people don't doodle mindlessly in the sand about them. Nor do they spell them."

"How did you…?"

"The first time, up in the crow's nest, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a calm sensation when you touched me. Normally, it's just the opposite," he admitted. "The second, I had no intention of flirtin' the way I did with Elizabeth, at least not with ye in earshot. Not after the conversation we had today."