Song of the Sea: Sunsets and Black Sails

Chapter 16: Cutler Beckett's Revenge

Then

The Black Pearl had made port in Tortuga to celebrate the latest near escape. Drinks all around, and plenty of flirty bar wenches for the men. Aria sat in Jack's lap, laughing and talking, and pausing on occasion to kiss him. Tonight was for fun and celebration before the gruelling search to secure Jack's freedom began. He had joked that as soon as this issue was solved, they could move on to happier things, like... how had he put it? Ah yes, "filling the world with a whole armada's worth of miniature Sparrows to pillage and plunder with."

Obviously the armada bit was a joke (she hoped), but Aria loved the way Jack's face lit up with excitement when he was thinking about the possibility of children... She wouldn't mind one or two or perhaps even three little ones running around the Black Pearl, though she would certainly insist on a different crew first. The hired hands were a necessity, but she didn't necessarily trust them.

"Here's to the most beautiful fiancee in the world!" Jack declared to her, lifting his tankard high. "Faithful and passionate through hurricanes and bloody king's men!"

Aria laughed and took his face in both her hands to kiss him deeply, not caring who saw. Jack wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her as close as he could. Finally, they parted for breath.

"Give me a thousand hurricanes any day, so long as you're by my side..." Aria murmured, grinning.

Jack set his drink aside and began to kiss her jaw and neck.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be..."

Aria let herself lean into him, just for a moment, before she pulled away.

"More of that later, Jack, I've got an errand to run..."

He brought her close again to kiss her once more.

"I could accompany you on this... errand... and we could head straight to the Pearl right after... How does that sound?" Now that was awfully tempting...

Quickly, before her resolve could weaken any further, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"No accompanying this time..." Aria said firmly. "It's a surprise." Before he could entangle her again, she stood and grabbed her hat off of the table. "Though I would be happy to meet you back at the Pearl..."

Jack grinned at that, an excited gleam in his eye.

"Then I shall eagerly await your return, my lady..."

Aria sent him a suggestive wink that promised more later, and slipped through the crowd, out into the street. She had arranged to meet with a physician, a woman well versed in both medicine and magic alike. If her suspicions were correct, then it would become even more important to ensure that Jack escaped the dark fate set forth by Davy Jones.

As she made her way through the town, she began to feel uneasy. Like someone was watching her. Or following her. Aria continued on, glancing around. There was no one that she could see...

From the shadows, the telltale click of a pistol cocking made her freeze.

"Miss Swann," came the voice of one Mister Mercer, "How strange to see you here, of all places... A lady like yourself doesn't belong on the streets of a pirate port like Tortuga."

"Why Mister Mercer," Aria said, keeping cool in the face of danger, just like Jack would, "Don't you know? I'm not a lady anymore..."