A ficlet snippet
Feb. 21st, 2004 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veronica_richAt some point, Elizabeth is going to "hand the torch," so to speak, to Jack, regarding Will (this is for the fifth series story I'm working on, "Admit"). I thought I'd post a bit of their conversation, see what readers think:
He didn’t acknowledge her when she sat beside him, not too far away, but he didn’t need to. She remained silent, to his surprise. “Why is something that is supposed to be the greatest comfort in the world, so ... painful, instead?” he drew out slowly, seeking the correct words.
“Love’s a hard thing, Jack.” Elizabeth shifted slightly. “I’m not sure it’s really supposed to be easy. I was always taught that something dear comes with a price proportionate to its value.” She chuckled. “I always thought Father said that to get me to stop pestering him for new hats when I was a little girl – which he did – but he said it at other times, too.” She sighed. “So is he worth it to you?”
“Hmm? Eh?” Jack blinked and looked over at her. “Let’s have it, then.”
“What?”
“This is th’ part where you tell me your intentions t’ win him back. Or mebbe not even back, jus’ ... to your ’tention, again. Not like you lost it in th’ first place.” He kept his gaze on her, level and a touch cold; Jack was used to having things pulled away, but he never enjoyed it.
She surprised him once more. “I’m not saying any such thing. I’m sure that’s Will’s decision. You know as well as I how angry he gets when he thinks someone’s trying to make his mind up for him.”
“Aye.” The pirate turned his attention once again to the street beyond the small yard, with its noisy carriages and heavy foot traffic muffled only slightly by the trees planted along the iron fence.
“And still, you haven’t answered me.”
Jack lowered his gaze to the flagstones leading a narrow path toward Esther’s flowerbeds. He recalled how she’d filled their flat with potted flowers and wispy plants, how she’d warn him to keep his black thumb away from her projects on an almost-daily basis, but in a playful tone.
Their gardening abilities aside, there was never really much else that had ever tied or held them together – still wasn’t, save for Isabella. Even for his daughter’s sake, Jack wasn’t sure he could have remained married to Esther all these many years. He and Will had much more in common than had he and any other person – even the lad’s father – and Jack reflected not for the first time that perhaps Hector Barbossa had actually given him a gift of immeasurable value, depriving him of his ship and marooning him to die. Oddly, he’d found more reasons to live since, than he’d ever had before then.
“He’s worth it,” he finally said, almost so quietly as not to be heard even by his own ears.
“You mean that? You’d do anything for him?”
Jack’s long sigh turned into a rumbling chuckle deep in his chest as he rubbed at his chin. “If you’re askin’ if I’d cheerfully brave th’ bowels o’ hell for th’ lad ... well, why not? I’m sure it’ll get t’ that point somewhere ‘long th’ way; this isn’ the safest life he could’ve chosen, as you’ve been gracious ‘nough to point out t’ both him an’ me many a time.”
A third time, she surprised him. “I don’t like it.” Well, that wasn’t the surprise, but then she continued. “If he has to be with someone besides me, though, I can think of a lot worse than you, Jack Sparrow.”
“Oh, you’re too kind. Really,” Jack drawled sarcastically.
“You’ll watch out for him, I know. You’ll keep him as safe as you can without smothering him.” The implied tone was that she wouldn’t be able to resist as much, herself. “Will’s always told me he never expected to live beyond that day we plucked him out of the ocean, so he’s fairly grateful for each new day he does have.”
“I’m not gon’ let him get killed, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at,” Jack noised, looking over at Elizabeth again. “I look out for th’ whole crew tha’ way; I’ve told ye this before.”
“When the time comes,” she sallied forth, “I believe you’ll make him happy. As I’ve told you before, he wouldn’t be with you unless he saw something you offer that’s worth pursuing. And I think it’s more than the ship.”
He didn’t acknowledge her when she sat beside him, not too far away, but he didn’t need to. She remained silent, to his surprise. “Why is something that is supposed to be the greatest comfort in the world, so ... painful, instead?” he drew out slowly, seeking the correct words.
“Love’s a hard thing, Jack.” Elizabeth shifted slightly. “I’m not sure it’s really supposed to be easy. I was always taught that something dear comes with a price proportionate to its value.” She chuckled. “I always thought Father said that to get me to stop pestering him for new hats when I was a little girl – which he did – but he said it at other times, too.” She sighed. “So is he worth it to you?”
“Hmm? Eh?” Jack blinked and looked over at her. “Let’s have it, then.”
“What?”
“This is th’ part where you tell me your intentions t’ win him back. Or mebbe not even back, jus’ ... to your ’tention, again. Not like you lost it in th’ first place.” He kept his gaze on her, level and a touch cold; Jack was used to having things pulled away, but he never enjoyed it.
She surprised him once more. “I’m not saying any such thing. I’m sure that’s Will’s decision. You know as well as I how angry he gets when he thinks someone’s trying to make his mind up for him.”
“Aye.” The pirate turned his attention once again to the street beyond the small yard, with its noisy carriages and heavy foot traffic muffled only slightly by the trees planted along the iron fence.
“And still, you haven’t answered me.”
Jack lowered his gaze to the flagstones leading a narrow path toward Esther’s flowerbeds. He recalled how she’d filled their flat with potted flowers and wispy plants, how she’d warn him to keep his black thumb away from her projects on an almost-daily basis, but in a playful tone.
Their gardening abilities aside, there was never really much else that had ever tied or held them together – still wasn’t, save for Isabella. Even for his daughter’s sake, Jack wasn’t sure he could have remained married to Esther all these many years. He and Will had much more in common than had he and any other person – even the lad’s father – and Jack reflected not for the first time that perhaps Hector Barbossa had actually given him a gift of immeasurable value, depriving him of his ship and marooning him to die. Oddly, he’d found more reasons to live since, than he’d ever had before then.
“He’s worth it,” he finally said, almost so quietly as not to be heard even by his own ears.
“You mean that? You’d do anything for him?”
Jack’s long sigh turned into a rumbling chuckle deep in his chest as he rubbed at his chin. “If you’re askin’ if I’d cheerfully brave th’ bowels o’ hell for th’ lad ... well, why not? I’m sure it’ll get t’ that point somewhere ‘long th’ way; this isn’ the safest life he could’ve chosen, as you’ve been gracious ‘nough to point out t’ both him an’ me many a time.”
A third time, she surprised him. “I don’t like it.” Well, that wasn’t the surprise, but then she continued. “If he has to be with someone besides me, though, I can think of a lot worse than you, Jack Sparrow.”
“Oh, you’re too kind. Really,” Jack drawled sarcastically.
“You’ll watch out for him, I know. You’ll keep him as safe as you can without smothering him.” The implied tone was that she wouldn’t be able to resist as much, herself. “Will’s always told me he never expected to live beyond that day we plucked him out of the ocean, so he’s fairly grateful for each new day he does have.”
“I’m not gon’ let him get killed, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at,” Jack noised, looking over at Elizabeth again. “I look out for th’ whole crew tha’ way; I’ve told ye this before.”
“When the time comes,” she sallied forth, “I believe you’ll make him happy. As I’ve told you before, he wouldn’t be with you unless he saw something you offer that’s worth pursuing. And I think it’s more than the ship.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-02-21 07:06 pm (UTC)Otherwise I like it. Elizabeth is wonderful, and Jack seems so very lost, though I can't exactly pin-point why at the moment (other then the reasons that we already knw, he just seems more lost then normal).
Anyway, great job! *scampers*