Chapter Text
"So..are you going to tell me what happened?" Angelica was curious. "We heard cannon fire, I thought… I thought you...I thought they…" She mumbled hoping that he didn't hear the hint of concern in her voice that she was feeling.
"I told ye, I am fine. So ye don't need to be concerned." He said calmly. "As for the cannons…" He trailed off, briefly glancing at Cristina who had a look of sadness on her face about what he was about to say.
"I was not concerned!" Angelica interjected, not wanting to look weak in front of him before he could continue. "I was only wondering what happened"
"Oh, I see. Well, ye can lie to yourself if ye want but don't think I can't tell" He said plainly. "Why did I ever think 'this' would work between us again after everything ye did."
"What?! You're blaming me again for what Cristina did?!" Angelica had forgotten that Jack didn't know.
"How could what ye did possibly be her fault?" Jack asked glaring at Angelica.
"She lied to you Jack! Don't be an idiot!" Angelica wanted this misunderstanding to be resolved. Jack's expression changed to that of bewilderment; he didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Oh don't look so sad! She lied to me too!"
"What is she talkin' about?" Jack turned to Cristina suspiciously. She looked away.
"I made a mistake. I thought she would be better off without you" Cristina muttered. "But I was wrong! Will you two just get back together and stop fighting?"
"Not likely," Jack said calmly.
"You're not going to yell?" Cristina was prepared for another reaction similar to Angelica's and was slightly confused by Jack's calmness.
"No, I'm not upset about that...I mean yes I am...er it doesn't matter. If she can't be honest with me, or herself for that matter, then I would say 'no' to that" Jack said only glancing slightly at Angelica. Angelica folded her arms and turned away from him. Jack sighed and stood up. He took a few steps away from her and sat next to Cristina who was slightly weary of what he was doing but she was more worried about Angelica's reaction. Angelica glanced over her shoulder to see that Jack was now sitting right next to Cristina.
"Now what are you doing?" She was tired of his nonsense.
"What? As if I need to explain myself to you," He retorted. "If ye can just have a little 'make-out' session in the middle of a fight, with the enemy no less..." He put an arm around Cristina. She didn't mind since it was cold down there, but she did not want to be part of their fight. "...then I sure as hell can just sit next to her without a reason!"
"Aww, is little Jackie jealous that I kissed someone other than him?" Angelica said mockingly.
"Not in the slightest" Jack chuckled.
"What's funny?!" Angelica sneered.
"Ye think I'm the jealous one when ye were the one who flipped out when I sat next to her," Jack said. "Ye are too predictable."
"Just shut up Jack" She growled.
"You. I'm talkin' to Crissy." He returned.
"My dad used to say, 'Jackie, ye can't make someone luv ye, so don't try.' I should have listened to him." Jack said uneasily. He looked at Angelica's tense figure. Her soft brown hair fell effortlessly over her strong shoulders. Even when she was angry, she was still the most gorgeous woman he ever knew. But, he couldn't look at her anymore. Her apparent anger towards him made him feel sick. He turned back to Cristina, giving her a weak smile. "My dad was a wise man. One other time he told me 'Jackie, if ye focus yer life around one person, you'll lose sight of who else is out there in the world'" Jack said changing his tone. "Er, I guess that was his way of sayin', there are always more fish in the sea" He chuckled.
"That's true. He sounds like a nice guy" Cristina said. "Jack…"
"Ye want to know what happened…" He said grimly, removing his arm from around her so he could look at her. "Are ye sure ye want to know? It may upset ye. There is no real good way to put it."
"Just say it. I need to know" Cristina said with false bravery.
"If yer sure." He gave in. "Yer crew...was uh…" He just had to say it. "They were tied to the mast of yer ship and...fired upon." He cringed at his words. "I tried to stop him. But he's not one for being merciful. Last I saw of yer ship, it was sinkin' to the crushin' depths of the sea."
He relaxed when she seemed unphased. That was not what he expected.
"Are ye ok?" He asked carefully. Angelica rolled her eyes. She didn't like how well Jack and Cristina were getting along. However, she couldn't very well tell him because that would involve admitting that she did care, and at the moment she wasn't sure if she did.
"I...I...failed them..." Cristina answered quietly.
"There was nothin' ye could have done," Jack said softly. "If it makes ye feel any better, it was over quickly." Cristina only nodded, there was nothing to say.
"Ye look cold. Here put this on," He took off his coat and put it around her.
"Thanks, Jack" She smiled slightly before resting her head against the wall of the cell.
"Not a problem." He said warmly. "If I may, I suggest we all get some sleep, tomorrow is gonna be interesting." He leaned back and let his hat fall over his eyes. Gibbs had been napping on and off the whole day but still managed to fall quickly asleep. Cristina had fallen asleep as well. After a few minutes of silence, Angelica relaxed when she thought that everyone was now asleep. She calmed down after she argued with Jack and had only now noticed the cold. She had her leather coat, but it seemed to not be of much help. She wished she could just curl up next to Jack. He was always warm. She didn't want to wake him, because she would never live it down if she did. He appeared to be sound asleep. Unannounced to her, Jack was still awake. He couldn't help wondering what she was thinking and why she kept arguing with him. He didn't know, of course, he had been more distant lately, but what did she expect?
"Jack" She whispered, wanting to make sure he was asleep. He didn't answer. He didn't know if he wanted to know what she wanted now. She moved so she was right next to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Couldn't stay away I see" He smiled. She was about to sit up and push herself away from him but he wrapped an arm around her. She relaxed against him, although she now wished she had just let herself freeze to death instead. "I knew ye couldn't resist"
"Only because it's so damn cold," She retorted.
"mhmm" He smirked.
"Just go to sleep," She said quietly before she did just that.
Angelica sat up suddenly aware that she was now alone in the cell. She immediately pulled herself to her feet, looking around for any sign of the other three. She heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs towards her.
The man stopped in front of the cell and grinned wickedly.
"Ah Mrs. Sparrow, good to see that yer awake and feeling better," he said menacingly.
"What have you done with Jack and my friends?!" She hissed glaring at him fiercely.
"Perhaps a little trip upstairs will jog yer memory," He said vaguely. He opened the door for her and motioned her to come with him. She didn't move. "Get a move on. Yer ex-husband-to-be will be ever so pleased to see ye." He grabbed her by the arm and gave her a shove toward the stairs.
"What are you talking about?! We weren't married!" She insisted. "What's going on here?!" She was completely confused and she didn't know whether or not she should be afraid.
"Keep movin'!" he ordered. "Can't keep the Captain waiting."
"What?" She stated curiously as she walked up the stairs, the man close behind her.
He chuckled. "Smart man he is."
"Who?" She wasn't getting any answers.
"Ugh, if ye don't remember then you'll just have to wait and see" He rolled his eyes.
The sun was bright in her eyes as she came to stand on the main deck. She looked all over for any sign of Jack, Cristina, or Mr. Gibbs. When she didn't see them, she looked for this 'captain' she was supposedly being taken to. She saw the silhouette of a tallish man standing on the quarterdeck. The sun was directly behind him preventing her from getting a good look at his face.
"Come on, he hasn't got all day" He grunted from behind her. She slowly began walking up the stairs curious about this 'captain'.
"Angelica!" She recognized the man's voice immediately; it was Jack. "How kind of ye to join us"
"Jack? You have some explaining to do!" She sneered. "And what have you done with Cristina?!"
"Why Angelica, he's done nothing at all, I'm right here." Cristina stepped out from behind him and he put an arm around her waist.
"And ye look as beautiful as ever darlin'," He said kissing her on the cheek before returning his attention to Angelica.
"You better tell me what's going on. Right. Now." Angelica was outraged. How could he?! How could she?! She was her best friend. Or she was... Angelica didn't know, she just wanted answers.
"Oh yes of course," Barbossa said stepping forward from behind her. "Ye see that island right there?" He pointed to a small sandy island not too far away.
"Oh no. You are not leaving me on that beach!" Angelica tried to back up but bumped into someone. She turned around to see who it was and practically jumped out of her skin. It was Blackbeard.
"Father?" She barely managed to say.
"Hello Angelica," He said gruffly. "Why didn't you save me my child?"
"I couldn't!" Tears tugged at her eyes. She backed away from him carefully, only to run into Jack who put his arms around her.
"Why couldn't you love me?" He whispered.
"I did...I mean do. I do love you." She replied. He didn't answer. She pulled his arms off her and stepped away from both of them only to come face to face with Cristina.
"Why didn't you trust me? I thought we were friends?" Cristina asked sadly.
"I did...I do trust you" Angelica backed away until she was against the rail of the ship.
"You can't push us away forever," Cristina said monotonously, stepping towards her.
"If ye do, you'll be alone forever," Jack said in a similar tone.
"Ye can't run from yer past, present, or future, my child," Blackbeard said as well.
"I'm not running from anything!" Angelica defended. The three stepped towards her and she edged uncomfortably towards the stairs.
"Is that so?" Jack asked, still walking towards her.
"I'm not running…" Angelica stepped slowly down the stairs.
"Don't lie to yourself" Cristina said harshly.
"I'm not!" Angelica didn't understand what was going on. What was wrong with them?
"It seems to me that ye are," Blackbeard said.
"What am I running from?!" She asked sharply.
"From yer feelings" Jack replied.
"From people who care," Cristina said.
"From who ye are," Blackbeard said.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, and the other three continued to follow her.
"I can't take this anymore" Angelica climbed onto the rail of the ship and held onto nearby rigging. She looked down at her hand. She didn't realize until now that she had a pistol.
"You are a disappointment," Blackbeard growled.
"We could've had a future together darlin" Jack sighed.
"Who's it going be?" Cristina asked.
"What do you want from me?!" She yelled frantically.
"They want ye to make a decision" Barbossa stated from his position at the top of the stairs. "Who's it gonna be?"
Angelica eyed the menacing gun in her hand.
"I can't kill any of you" Angelica mumbled.
"Ye have to choose luv," Jack said calmly.
"No" She shook her head violently. "Fine. Myself then" She held the pistol up to her chin.
Jack pulled out his pistol as well and held it under his own chin. Cristina pulled out her sword and held it to her own throat.
"If ye kill yerself, ye kill me as well," Jack said plainly.
"If you shoot yourself, then I am as good as dead," Cristina said with little emotion.
"I be already dead, so if ye shoot yourself there, I will cease to exist," Blackbeard said.
"Thats not fair!" She didn't know what to do. "Why would you all die too?"
"B'cause I love you, and I can't live without ye," Jack said.
"Because you're my friend," Cristina said.
"Cause, ye still feel guilty" Blackbeard stated.
She co*cked the gun in her hand. A gust of wind blew over the ship, crashing into Blackbeard. In an instant, he was reduced to nothing but bones before her eyes, collapsing lifelessly to the deck.
"Father!" She yelled. Not more than a second later, she heard a thud on the deck. There Cristina lay, blood pooling around her.
"Cristina!" Angelica yelled through painful tears. How she wanted to go down to her, but she couldn't move. She looked at Jack and realized that he was the only one left. He was now kneeling between the remains of Blackbeard and the corpse of Cristina, holding the gun firmly beneath his chin. She looked into his hollow eyes, empty of all emotion.
"Don't you dare!" She yelled at him.
"Sorry luv" With that he pulled the trigger and fell limply to the deck, the pistol falling out of his hand and landing beside him.
"No!" She was now full-on crying. She so desperately wanted to turn away, but something out of her control would not let her move. The sky blackened, and the ship pitched violently against the harsh seas. She lost her balance and fell to the deck, breaking her fall with her hands. She gasped for breath.
"What happened to daddy?" A small high-pitched voice asked from right in front of her. She looked up slowly, tears still pouring down her face, to see a young girl with dark brown curly hair and deep brown eyes.
"Who..who are you?" She thought the young girl looked familiar, but was certain she had never seen her before.
"Angela...Angela Sparrow, I was named after my parents" The girl replied calmly. "Why did you kill my parents?"
"Your parents were...Jack and...Cristina?" Angelica didn't know if she could accept that.
"No silly. My parents were Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow" Angela replied. "That would be Jack and Angelica as you would have known them."
"What?" She was confused again. "I don't have any children"
"Kind words to hear from one's mother," Angela responded harshly.
"It's a sad thing when a mother doesn't recognize her own child," Barbossa said wickedly from where he stood.
"What?" Angelica didn't know how to answer that.
"No wonder Daddy left you," Angela said coldly. "I see now that you pushed him away until he was so far that he couldn't take it"
"Jack? I loved him!" Angelica demanded. She couldn't believe she was arguing with a child about her own feelings.
"Ha. Good way of showing it." Angela said. "Daddy never had as many fights with Cristina"
A look of both anger and shock spread over Angelica's face.
"Oh yeah, didn't I mention that after you pushed him over the edge, he left you for her" Angela said smugly. "He seemed much happier, but he was never the same without you"
Angelica didn't even have a response. She was so caught up in everything she had heard and witnessed that she wasn't sure how much more she could take.
Angela sighed. "If only you would have loved him like he loved you"
"Well it's too late for that now isn't it!" Angelica finally said angrily glaring at Angela who seemed unphased.
"No, silly," Angela said as she lifted the pistol that Angelica had dropped upon impact with the deck. "Say goodnight!" Angela giggled.
"What?! Put that down!" Angelica yelled at Angela who only shook her head smiling in response.
"Why should I? It's what you did to daddy" Angela said plainly.
"He did that himself" Angelica hissed.
"That's nice, blame him for loving you...how sweet," Angela said. "Well, if he did that himself, then so did you" She pulled the trigger. The last thing Angelica saw was Angela's silhouette against the black sky, and the last thing she heard was Barbossa laughing maniacally from the top of the stairs.
Her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up, gasping for breath. Jack just looked at her. She had been lying with her head on his lap. He had woken up a few minutes before from a dream of his own. He could imagine that his was not as bad as her's based on how many times she rolled over and the quiet words she had said as if she was talking to someone.
"Are ye alright?" He asked softly putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Jack?! You're alive!" She threw her arms around him forcefully. She hugged him tightly.
"Aye, I'm here" He stroked her long hair and pulled her closer to him.
"I love you," She said not wanting to let him go.
"It's alright, yer fine now. It was just a dream" He said softly. She pulled away from him. and looked away.
"What? What is it?" He asked. "Do ye want to talk about it?"
"No. It...it doesn't matter" She said shakily.
"Are ye sure?" He asked. "Ye can't keep everything bottled up inside, ye can't live yer life without help from anyone," She thought about it. He was right, of course.
"You...left me...for…" She trailed off.
"Who? Cristina?" He couldn't help but smile at that. "Don't ye know by now that I wouldn't leave ye for anything or anyone?"
"I don't know...do I?" She wasn't sure anymore.
"How can ye say that?" He asked softly. "Of course, I wouldn't. There are times, more often than I'm given credit for, that I do mean what I say."
She sighed. He put a hand softly on her shoulder.
"Ye have to realize sooner or later that I would die without ye," He said. "Ye have to trust me and stop pushin' everyone, not just me, away, or ye will end up alone."
"That's what they told me too." She mumbled.
"Who did?" He willed her to tell him.
"You did." She said quietly. "You said you would die without me, just before you shot yourself."
"Ye know me pretty well" He chuckled but frowned when he realized that she was now sobbing with her face buried in her hands. He turned her around to face him and pulled her into an embrace.
"It's ok...shh…" He whispered. "It'll all be ok" He pulled her off him and wiped the tears off her face.
"Not just you but...Cristina...and my father...as well" She whimpered.
"Ahh" He nodded. "So yer feelin' guilty for yer father's death, but why Cristina and I? I don't get it"
"It's like you said." She muttered. "She told me that I had been pushing people away, meaning you and Cristina, and I would, as you said too, end up alone."
"That's not possible. Ye couldn't be alone if ye tried" He smirked. "Who, besides me, told ye that?"
"Her name was Angela." She said trying to recall the rest of her dream.
"Angela...Angela...nope, doesn't ring a bell." Jack said thoughtfully. "Who was she? Some other woman you were jealous of?"
"No. She was...our...daughter" She barely managed to say.
"Hold on a minute, could ye repeat that, I don't think I heard ye correctly." He said nervously.
"She told me her name was Angela Sparrow, and her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow. In other words, us" She stated.
"Ah, that's what I thought ye said," He said quietly. "I'll bet she looked just liked you"
"I guess, but she had your eyes," She said.
"Well then she must have had your attitude" Jack decided.
"It doesn't matter what she was like. She doesn't exist." She stated plainly. "We wouldn't be good parents anyways"
"Coming from what experience?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ye looked so happy that day ye had to watch Turner's boy, Alex."
"Jack," She said as she leaned against him and he put an arm around her.
"mhmm," he answered.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly.
"For what?" He turned to look at her.
"For everything," She said.
"Ye are already forgiven" He replied softly. "If ye still want, I have no problem resuming our previous relationship."
"Oh, Jack. Do you think it could ever work out between us?" She asked.
"Yes, I do." He said with all seriousness. "Have I mentioned that I love you?"
"Yes you have" She smiled.
"I'm glad that's settled." He grinned. "What else did Angela tell ye?" He was curious to know what Angelica had imagined.
"She was sweet, she said she was named after us." She said softly. "She had your eyes and your smile. And she had my messy hair"
"She sounds perfect" He smiled deviously.
"We have to get out of here alive before we even think about that." She said noticing that look in his eye.
"Technically speaking we can imagine as much as we want. But yer right, we have to get out of here." He replied. "Fortunately for us, there is a certain someone who will be in the neighborhood that will be able to help us."
