Rags of Time
Part 14
by
Full headers in Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it. Claim no ownership and make no money. I just like to play with them. Sorry!
Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it. Claim no ownership and make no money. I just like to play with them. Sorry!
James felt the weight of his return to Port Royal and duty press at his chest like a dark specter. It was made all the worse by seeing that Jack was practically itching to get back out to sea. He'd catch him staring out to the horizon running a lock of hair between his fingers or clicking his thumbnail against his rings.
James didn't let the sting of his disappointment show on the last morning when Jack insisted on rising early to catch the dawn tide. James woke to see Jack half dressed and gathering his things together, but when he made to get up Jack only kissed him, gently pushed him back down onto the bed and told him to go back to sleep. He kissed James's eyes closed, his beard tickling the soft skin there, and told him he'd visit in a fortnight with the full moon.
James woke again as the sun crept over the hillside, and allowed himself a moment to press his hand into the cool dent in the bed beside him—now empty. Only a moment though, as he rose and began to put things to rights in the room and collect together what he would take back home with him. He locked the door, checked it was secure, and lingered for a while on the hilltop watching the unwavering straight line of sea meeting sky. The Pearl was probably docking in Tortuga; Jack would be nearly halfway there by now with the wind this strong. Another fortnight was hardly any time at all to have to wait to see him again. Yet it felt an age. He turned and began the hour long walk back at a slow pace.
Jack was nowhere near Tortuga. He'd left the small boat at the base of a path in the cliffs near Port Royal, used by the rum runners before the British put them out of business. He thought of heading to the fort first, to see if what he was looking for was in James's office. But he suspected James would have brought it home, hidden it away somewhere in his writing desk.
James really needed to tighten the security at his house, it wasn't a challenge to break in, even in broad daylight with all the servants scurrying around preparing for his return. He crept quietly into the study, and found it in the third drawer of the desk. It was there beneath the leave of absence order James had shown him, written on the Governor's official papers. Jack supposed this would be the explanation for what James had called 'distractions from his duties', and the reason they'd insisted he take some time off. Jack sat down in the chair, found a flask of rum in his coat pocket and began to read with heels crossed on the tabletop.
James arrived home in the late afternoon, and spoke briefly with the butler before making his way upstairs. He opened the door to his study and froze when he saw Jack perched at his desk. He blinked for a moment and then closed the door behind him.
"Jack, what are you doing?" he asked quietly, seeing the papers strewn out before him.
"Thought it'd be a nice surprise for when you got back."
"No you didn't," he said, walking towards the desk. "Why have you been going through my private papers?"
"Pirate, luv," Jack said quietly, his face unreadable. "There's no such thing as private to the likes of me."
"Indeed," James replied shortly, snatching up the papers as he realised just what they were. "You should not be reading this."
"Why not, James? What are you afraid I might find out?"
"I am not afraid you might find out anything."
"Is this the reason they sent you on leave?"
"There is no reason, Jack. There is nothing wrong, it's just Naval politics." James could feel the chaos of panic rising in his chest as he fumbled with the pages, messily trying to arrange them in order because he couldn't seem to get his own thoughts in order at that moment.
"Really? Isn't this one written by your first lieutenant?" Jack continued, his tone still unreadably blank as he plucked one of the papers from James's hands. "Sayin' he has doubts about your ability to command properly. Where's it now? Here—'he seems incapable of the most basic of decisions at times, including but not limited to investigating claims of pirate sightings'—and so on."
James sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor.
"Are you quite done?" he asked quietly.
"Naval politics, luv?" Jack replied, handing him back the page. "That sounds to me like back-handed mutiny. Either that or he's a sneaky one for gettin' a promotion. Why are they trying to drive you out?"
"It's not mutiny, Jack. And he is not chasing a promotion."
"So he's just a lyin' bastard then?"
"No. No, he's not."
"So you're just going to let them believe it? What are you gonna do about it?"
"Nothing, there's nothing to be done," James said, his tone too tight as he shuffled the papers against the table top.
"Jamie, luv, readin' this it sounds like you're an incompetent whelp. How can you not do somethin' to put them right?" Jack stood up suddenly, frowning in confusion at what he couldn't understand.
"Incompetent!" James shouted, smacking his palm against the desk and suddenly too angry to determine where the anger should be directed. "Well, tell me then, Jack—just how can I be a competent scourge to piracy when I am fucking the most notorious of them?"
Jack's eyes narrowed slightly at the bitterness in James's voice. He opened his mouth to reply, but then remained quiet. James's laugh was hollow as he spun on his heels with a hand to his face. He stuffed the pages back messily in a draw of the dresser.
"What was it the Governor said to you the other week?" Jack asked quietly, and James could hear in his voice that he was beginning to see all the pieces.
"I refuse to discuss this with you, it's none of your concern," James replied, trying to calm his voice and regain his composure.
"He thought you were pinin' for Elizabeth. You said it was me."
"Don't flatter yourself, Sparrow," said James sharply, turning to face him but then thinking better of it when he met his eyes. He could almost see Jack putting it all together, and suddenly those words forming in Jack's mind threaten to leap across the room and throttle him. He walked past Jack and snatched up more pages from the desk. "You think you are the cause of this? You are a symptom, nothing else. You think I would jeopardize all I've worked towards for a convenient tryst?"
"Oh, is it now. A convenient tryst, is it?" Jack said quietly, his voice as threatening as the dark glimmer in his eyes. James looked up, met his gaze and made it cold.
"What else?" he said with all the venom of indifference.
"That's not the impression I've been gettin'," Jack said after a pause.
"Really, Jack?" James replied, somehow dragging an air of arrogance from somewhere to inject into his tone. "And you're usually so perceptive."
Jack wrinkled his nose and sniffed loudly. His lips pursed as he looked at the floor for a moment.
"Well, then. In that case—now that we understand each other—" he began, suddenly animated again, angry and twitching like a drunk marionette as he made his way closer. "Seein' as now's an inconvenient time for you—I'll be off. I'll just be off out the window then, make me way down to the docks through the square, 'ey?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Jack. You'll be seen," James replied, not looking up from the pages he was still busying himself arranging.
"But wouldn't that be a convenient end to your inconvenient problem though, 'ey luv?" Jack stood less than an inch from him now, he could almost feel the anger radiating from him through his sickly-sweet sarcasm. "Hang your pesky tryst and re-establish your reputation all in one. Discreditin' the people lyin' about you and relievin' yourself of a chore all at once."
James turned slowly, looked down at Jack who glowered at him, rage shining in the darkness of his eyes, swirling like snow falling in the night.
"Do not attempt to call me out on this, Jack," he said slowly, his voice stony and low. "You would not like to see the hand I hold. It will not be what you think it is."
"Fine," Jack said after a pause, his smile stretched and empty while his eyes set hard and sour. "Fuck you, then. I'll be sure to stay out of your hair, luv. Been meanin' to go back to Singapore. Left my best hat there last time."
Jack barged past him and James fell back against the desk. He watched as Jack hitched a leg over the window sill and vanished as quietly as a cat. James felt his mouth open, heard words forming in his mind to call him back. But they remained unspoken.
James felt cold suddenly, as though the world had just gotten a little smaller. And he felt his chest tighten.
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