Secrets of the Past

Chapter 20

It was early in the morning and everything was quiet and normal, but something didn't feel right. Jack was laying on his stomach with his head turned to the left. He opened his left eye and looked around. Everything seemed fine. He sat up, and thought of the dangers: Cougars, pirates, jaguars, animals unimaginable.

Jack took a look around him to make sure maybe someone just didn't have to empty their bladder or something like that. The sleeping arrangements remained pretty much the same every night. Angelica and Abigail slept to his right. To his left was his father and directly in front of him was Barbossa.

He still didn't know if he trusted Barbossa. He did go to the locker to save him, and fight with him against Cutler Beckett, to finally join him in the finding of the fountain of youth, but still there were doubts.

Jack rose and went to look at the other people around him. At the fire to the left slept Joshua on the side closest to him. Directly across from where he slept was Gibbs. Pintel slept across from Joshua, and Ragetti slept across from Gibbs.

After he checked the rest of the campsites he went back to his own to get ready for the day. He strapped his sword belt on and placed his gun in place before putting his coat on. He then went on to wake his family and Barbossa before they spread out waking everyone else.

Everyone was ready, and Jack couldn't stall anymore so he left not knowing why he felt so strange. He'd look around and then whack some grass down with some random crew members. He'd look around and then whack, look around and then whack. He tried to brush of the strangeness, but couldn't.

Hearty laughter stopped everyone in their tracks. Jack brought his left leg up to his right and didn't move an inch except to tighten his grip on the sword. The skinny left handed man to his left brought his sword up ready to fight. Pintel and Ragetti to his far right looked at each other. To his left was Barbossa who gave a mischievous smile. On his far left was Angelica who glanced his way and his father whose features didn't really change, but just stood still as Jack himself was doing now.

More hearty laughter erupted to Jack's ears as two drunken men emerged. One mad was an older man with a white beard, brown jacket, and a bottle of rum on his lips. The other with a bushier blonde beard and a hat on was at his side.

The blonde man saw them first. "Who are ye?"

Jack brought his sword up to the mans chest. "Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Well, Jack." The blonde one smiled. "I wouldn't come a step closer if I were you."

"Why's that?"

"Our Captains back there, and he don't take kindly to strangers."

Jack smiled. "I'm not afraid of you or your captain, mate."

"Nice knowing you," the white haired man said laughing. He took another drink of rum while turning around and following the blonde one into the jungle.

Angelica approached Jack and laid a hand on his arm. "Do you think there's much of a danger?"

He shook his head and walked over to Barbessy. "Stay in the back, and don't get hurt," he told Abigail.

They walked some more before coming out of deep jungle into a clearer area. To the right was what looked like a drop off. Barbossa walked and looked down before signaling Jack and Teague. Down below was a small stream only a foot across and a few inches deep. In the area were pirates.

"Think they're a threat?" Barbossa asked.

"Let's not find out," Jack said.

They went on their way, out of the clearing and back into the jungle. They really doubted that the pirates would catch up with them, and were to busy getting drunk and partying. Still they kept their eyes pealed, not because of those pirates, but the ones they might see.

Abigail pulled the map out and examined it. She saw the clearing where they were at. They still had to climb some more hills before coming up on an area that said "Caves" on it with black images that she figured would have to be the caves.

The thought of people around them sent shivers down everyone's spine. They decided to change out people every hour so everyone would get plenty of sleep and be on guard later on. Jack said he'd take the first and assigned everyone their time to watch. It continued on into the next night.

Angelica stood looking into the dense jungle listening and looking for danger. Jack had his back to her behind her doing the same. When they were sure everyone was asleep they'd run to each other and enjoy their time together. Here Angelica sat with Jack's arms around her savoring every second.

"Do you know what today is, darling?" Jack asked her.

Angelica shook her head. "July 5th?"

"Yes, but what were we doing on July 5th eighteen years ago."

She turned around and smirked at him. She turned back around and leaned her head back against his chest. "You remembered." They didn't say anything for a few minutes. "Why did you leave me?"

He sighed. "I didn't know when I was coming back."

"I hear you were with another woman, Scarlett Giselle."

"No, those were two women, prostitutes."

"Jack, I'm not sure I can marry you."

He brought his legs together from around her and crawled to look her in the eyes. "Why not?"

"I can't trust you." Angelica shook her head. "You left and hurt me once. How can I know you won't do it again?"

He crawled up to her and kissed her for he hoped wouldn't be the last time. "Can you trust me now?" He asked with his faces still inches from hers.

She shook her head again. "No."

He kissed her again and slowly pushed her down again like when they were chasing the fountain of youth. She slid out from under him and stood up and looked at him for a minute. She turned and started to walk back and go to sleep.

"Angelica," he called out. She turned back to him. "I love you. Always have, always will."

Angelica tuned back around and crawled in between the covers. She laid down on her back and then looked to her left at Abigail sleeping. Should she have stayed with Jack for her? No, Abigail was practically grown now. She would probably marry that Joshua boy, and wouldn't need her or Jack. If it didn't work out between the two she wouldn't have trouble finding a husband. She was beautiful.

Angelica woke several times not being able to sleep, and then think about her and Jack's time when they were younger. There they were happy, free, not a care in the world. There they were with wine, the best foods ever, and Jack serenading her with his own secret talent and passion, the violin. Angelica sat in awe as he closed his eyes and slowly slid the bow across the string creating a beautiful melody. The pace picked up and he scrunched his face as he played with lightning fast accuracy.

She gazed at the sky and the quarter moon. She glanced at Abigail and finished playing her life in her early twenties again. She thought back to the days when she wobbled around Abel's large house. She laid a hand on her growing stomach and smiled as she felt the kick of her child. She talked softly to her in case one of the maids hear her talking about the baby's true father.