Dead Man's Chest I Jack Sparrow

Chapter Eight

      Rain thundered down on the crew, matting Jacqueline's hair so it clung to her. Thunder cackled above her, followed by lightning striking in the near distance. She scanned the empty waters, not a single ship in sight. She wondered how far they had to go before they would find the Dutchman. She heard footsteps move towards her, and felt his presence behind her.

      "Jack." He stood next to her and stared straight ahead.

      "You know, back then and now, I always knew I would find you leaning against the railings." She shrugged, as it didn't seem that big of a deal.

      "Closer to the sea." His lips twisted upwards, and he glanced down at her. Despite the gloomy weather, his eyes shone brightly. A beaded strand of hair fell into his face, and she fought the urge to push it back.

      "Would you mind doing me a favor?"

      "Depends on the favor." She smirked, remembering a certain conversation Jack and her had in a past time that went slightly like this one. Perhaps Jack remembered it too, because his cheeks tinted pink.

      "Right...I just need something from my cabin. I seem to have left my map in there. I would go by myself, but William has been eying me and if I were to leave deck, he would grow suspicious." She furrowed her brows.

      "Suspicious of what?"

      "Me in general. Plus, there might be an extra bottle of rum in there." She perked up, and Jack chuckled at her reaction. She couldn't help herself; she hadn't had a good bottle of rum in a while. 

      "I'll be back with your map." She casually strode into the captain's cabin, although she'd wanted to run. Once she made it to the door, she realized Jack hadn't told her where his map was. She brushed it off and entered his quarters, as it was probably on his desk somewhere. She circled the table, scanning the contents. She filed through papers, growing frustrated as she couldn't find the map. She decided to search elsewhere, even under the sheets of his bed. Her temper rose, as Jacqueline was not only missing a map, but her promised rum. She rifled through the only drawer on the desk, in which she was met with more invaluable paper, to her at least. As she picked through the papers, a letter caught her eye, as her name was written in Jack's messy handwriting on the top. She debated with herself if she wanted to be nosy, and decided, why the hell not?

      Jacqueline,

      Somebody told me that writing a letter would somehow help with the pain that I'm feeling. I don't see how. With you gone, I don't know how I'm to move on. I messed up badly, and I know the feeling of regret too well. I was a fool- a fool to not realise that girl wasn't you, and a fool to let you go. I love you so much it hurts knowing that you're gone. The only thing that helps is knowing that you're better off without me. All I hope is that you live happily, and that maybe one day I'll be blessed enough to see that angelic smile of yours again.

                             -Jack 

      She clutched the letter in such shock. She knew this was written after she'd left him, that much was clear. Jacqueline felt guilty. She'd invaded Jack's personal space by reading that note. She wasn't supposed to know about it. But why, after all these years, did he still have it? She pushed away all of her thoughts and stowed the letter away. Jacqueline forced herself to smile as she left Jack's cabin, prepared to scold him for there being no map or rum. But as soon as she stepped on deck, she noticed something was off. Everyone crowded around the port railing, and she bustled towards them. Her heart dropped as she saw William rowing towards a ship wreckage. Instantaneously it all clicked in her mind. Jack had merely been distracting her so that he could use Turner as bait.