Secrets of the Past

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21:

The jungle was dark, the fire shadows were scary, everything was silent and Jack was shaken. Karma came into play. He left her twice, now she left him. Even they were. They weren't even. He left her twice, she left him once. If this was half even he sure didn't want to feel completely even.

He settled down to sleep when the time came. He didn't get any sleep. He noticed Angelica probably wasn't either. There she lay in her own misery, staring at the sky one time when he woke up.

Pintel and Ragettai noticed their captain was sad and avoiding his supposed lover. "Maybe they had a quarrel," Pintel said.

"I think they just had a bad sleep is all."

"Maybe they were to busy to sleep." Pintel looked at his friend and smiled. "Jack did volunteer himself to spend his hour with Angelica."

Ragettai smiled back. "Pro'ly so. Last time that happened Abigail came about." He laughed. "Now she can have a little brother, Jack Jr." Pintel joined in laughter at their assumptions.

Pintel and Ragettai weren't the only ones to noticed the awkward. Abigail noticed, and in fact the whole crew new something was amiss. Jack lead with Teague and Barbossa while Angelica hung in the back behind the captains' crew. Abigail finally got her confidence to talk to her father. She waited until Teague went to order some of his crew.

"What happened between you two?"

"What do you mean what happened?"

"Did you have a fight?"

Jack sighed. "She blew off our wedding."

Abigail smiled at the thought of them being engaged. It faded when the rest of the sentence clicked, she blew it off. "When did you get engaged?"

"A few weeks ago. We were going to get married, but Angelica couldn't keep a secret from me."

"Secret?"

"You."

"Oh," she said simply. It was the night when she overheard Angelica, when her world began to crumble. Her world was rebuilt maybe better than it was before. She won't how

Abigail put off talking to her mother. She kept Barbessy as her usual trot and listened to Jack and Teague talk. They were trying to determine how long it'd take to get to where they assumed the caves were. Tomorrow if nothing slower them down they decided.

"Whoa," Abigail pulled back on the reigns bringing everyone to a halt.

Teague looked up at her. "What are you doing?"

She motioned like she was shooing them. "Keep going, I'll be fine." They kept going and Abigail eyes the crowded.

When Angelica saw her she looked confused, maybe curious. "I thought you'd be up front with your papa and grandpa."

"Me too. That's why I asked papa what was going on. He said you broke off your engagement."

Angelica didn't respond and just kept walking, staring at her feet. She didn't know how to explain her feeling to Abigail. She couldn't trust Jack. He was a dirty lying pirate, but she didn't want to loose their father daughter relationship because Abigail doesn't know if she can trust him or not.

"He broke my heart too many times. I can't trust him." There she told the truth about her trust, but maybe made it sound more about him leaving her than not knowing if he'd do more like put her life in front of his desires.

"You and Elizabeth talked me into going back to Joshua. I'm glad I did. I trust he didn't hang out with women and won't do it again."

Angelica rose her head. She didn't understand her daughters faith in a boy she hardly knew. "You just trust he wasn't? You didn't have any proof?"

Abigail smiled."Not exactly," she said while shaking her head. "I may have talked to a couple of men he was with. They said he just gulped down a few glasses and then stumbled down the street."

Angelica let out a small laugh. "Lack of trust. Sounds like something I would do. Or Jack..." A small smile was apparent on her lips.

"You love him."

Angelica bowed her head again. Of course she loved him. She wouldn't have agreed to marry him if she didn't. If she couldn't put her life in his hands then how could she be a good wife. But then again she would be a pirates wife. Her mind went back and forth and she decided that if she was that uncertain then her answer would have to be no. If she ever decided she did want to go through she'd find Jack, which wouldn't be hard if they were both to keep connections with their daughter.

Abigail held her hand out to Angelica wanting her to ride up to the front. "At least be with me and not alone back here."

Angelica responded with a small smile. She took her hand, but released it since they had no saddle. She got one of the men's attention thy she noticed as some of Barbossa's crew. He helped her up on the horse. It was the first time she had rode in a while. Horse riding wasn't something pirates did a lot of.

"Watch this," Abigail said slapping the reigns. Barbessy sped up and Angelica leaned slightly forward as they sped by. Abigail had never rode she had told her, but she sure seemed to know what she was doing. She also seemed to be enjoying every minute of it.

Angelica eyed Jack when they approached the group of men, Jack Teague, and Barbossa. She never moved her gaze as she slid of the horse and walked over to him.

"Hello Angelica," he greeted her.

"Hello Jack."

They walked side by side for a few minutes. Teague and Barbossa looked at each other before giving them their space and Abigail slowed Barbessy down. They kept walking for another minute.

"I don't trust you, but Abigail does. If you ever do anything to break that." She drew her sword with speed. She gave Jack a cold stare. "I will kill you," she said raising her voice.

"I have no doubt of that." He carefully laid his fingers on the sword only inches from his chest. "Which is why I would never lie to her. And because," he continued a few seconds later. "She's my daughter and I love her. That's something you think I can't do."

"I don't think that. I know you can love, but do you love enough not to trade me for something else?"

"Of course."

They kept walking, stepping over logs, ducking under branches, moving limbs out of their path. Teague, Barbossa and Abigail soon caught up with them when they went silent. They glanced at each other after seeing how cold Jack and Angelica were to each other. They hadn't made up like that hoped. Like Teague and Abigail hoped. Barbossa really didn't care either way and just watched for entertainment.

"Whats that?" Abigail shielded the sun with one hand and pointed with the other. In front of them was a cave. When they reached that cave they saw more and more.

Jack came near her and dug through Barbessy's pack for the map. He unrolled it. "I didn't think we'd get her until tomorrow at least."

Teague walked behind him and saw for himself. "Me too. You know your grandfather was bad at reading maps at times too." He added after a minute.

So here they were already at the caves. It was the first night of a half moon so they had a wait. What were they to do in the meantime? Battle off pirates? Abigail hoped not. Her wound still had a long ways to go to heal and she didn't need it reopened. Surely out of 3 pirate captains and their crew they wouldn't need an injured girl. That wait would kill her though.