Chapter 14: Little Talks

I was back on the BlackPearl. The wood was splintered and burning. Smoke clouded out the sky. Exactly the way I last saw it. "What am doing here?" I asked myself. I've had enough dreams and nightmares to know that this was one of them but I didn't know why my mind brought me back here.

The ship rocked. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. "It's just a dream, Jason. Just a dream." the self-comforting didn't work. My heartbeat quickened as I saw the first tentacle. Its slimy green color and texture was one hundred percent accurate. I reached for one of my swords and grasped air. All of my weapons were gone. Panic surged through me.

The tentacle grabbed me. It felt slimy and wet, exactly like the real thing. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream." I kept telling myself but the more I said it the more it seemed like a lie. Maybe I hadn't escaped. What if I had been knocked unconscious and forgotten about. What if this was real? I'm going to die.

I started struggling but knew it was useless. The kraken's grip tightened as it lifted me over the water. The body rose out of the abyssr. Its jaw opened showing what seemed like infinite rows of sharp teeth as big as my body. The tentacle's grip on me loosened. One of the teeth scratched my shoulder as I fell into the opening maw of the leviathan.

"Jason, wake up." my eyes shot opened. Barbossa was standing over me with his hand on my shoulder. Surprise added to the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I sat up quickly, almost bumping heads with Barbossa.

"What happened?" I asked, my breath coming out in gasps and sweat beaded down my forehead.

"Ya twitch a lot in yer sleep." Barbossa answered. "Looked like you were having a nightmare."

I wiped my forehead and examined my surroundings. Tia Dalma's hut was dark. The only light was from a candle sitting on a table. Outside it was dark. Everyone else was still sleeping. "What time is it?"

"Not yet dawn. Ye can still sleep for a few more hours." Barbossa walked away and sat down at the table. Along with the candle, Lil'Jack and a map were sitting on top of it.

"No one could fall asleep after that." I muttered and swung my legs over the edge of the bench. My back and ribs were still sore but my headache was gone. My swords were resting on the floor near the couch and my knife was still on my belt.

"Suit yerself." Barbossa muttered, barely paying attention to me.

I stood up and stretched. "Have you been up all night?"

"Aye."

"So you've just been sitting there looking over a map."

"Aye."

"A person can only look over a map for so long before getting bored."

"Get to the point." the captain sounded annoyed.

"Were you watching me sleep?"

"No."

"Then how did you know I was having a nightmare?"

Barbossa sighed. "I glanced over and saw ye were nearly falling off the bench…again."

"I fell off a table the first time." I retorted, walking over and sitting on a chair next to him. Lil'Jack walked over to me. I scratched the capuchin on the head. "What are you looking at?"

"The best route to Singapore."

"Right." I was silent for a few seconds then spoke up again. "Why are we going to Singapore?"

Barbossa looked at me. "Ye ask a lot of questions, don't ya?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Barbossa sighed and turned back to his map. Another question surged on my mind. I opened my mouth to ask then closed it knowing that Barbossa would get annoyed. I did that several times over the course of a few minutes. Finally, Barbossa looked at me with a pissed off expression. "What's on yer mind?"

"How did you come back from the dead?"

"I already told ya I don't know."

"But what do you remember?"

Barbossa rubbed his temple then sat in silence. I waited patiently. "I remember pain then nothing but cold as the world turned black."

"Wow. That was pretty deep."

"You want to hear the story or not?" I stayed quiet. "Then, I woke up." he glanced at me, almost daring me to ask another question. When I didn't say anything he smirked and continued on. "Now, when I woke up I wasn't completely…intact."

"Meaning?" I asked.

"Meaning I wasn't whole. More like…decomposed."

I held up my hand. "Wait, what? Decomposed? Like when you were under the curse and you stood in moonlight and you turned all skeleton-y?"

"A bit like that except maybe more dramatic."

"Like what?"

"Maggots, internal organs showing, the loss of an eye, rotting skin…"

"Okay, you can stop now. I already have enough nightmares as it is." I had my hand up to my mouth.

"Yer the one that wanted hear the story."

"Can we just move on…please?"

Barbossa gave a small laugh. "Didn't think you were the squeamish type."

"I'm not, usually. It's just my mind tends to over exaggerate so what you just told me I probably pictured it ten times worse than it actually was." Barbossa gave me a 'really?' look. "I'm serious."

"Okay. What were ye picturin'?"

"A rotting body infested with maggots, guts spilling out, dried blood covering the ground, et cetera, et cetera. Can you please finish the story?"

"Fine." he cleared his throat. "The next part is a little…weird."

"Believe me, I have seen weird."

"Tia Dalma was there but not at the same time. She physically was not there but here voice seemed to echo through my head."

"Your half rotten, brain damaged head?" I asked with a smile.

Barbossa glared at me and continued with his story. "She said she would bring me back to life so here I am." he threw his arms out in a slight gesture.

"That's it? No bargain? No lifelong servitude?"

"Nay."

I looked at him skeptically. "You're lying."

"Very good, Jason. Yer not as dumb as ya look."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "What really happened?"

"There be some things I prefer to keep to meself, if ye don't mind."

"Fine then, keep your secrets. It's not like I'll spend every waking moment trying to figure out what you're hiding from me." Barbossa ignored me. "Okay, I have something on my mind that I would like to say."

The captain sighed. "What is it?"

"Back at Isla de Muerta…"

"Before you apologize…"

I gave Barbossa a confused look. "I'm not apologizing."

He returned the expression. "What?"

"Why would I apologize for saving my best friend? I did what I felt was right. I mean, I'm sorry that you died but…you know it's kind of weird saying you died when you're sitting right next to me. Anyway, all I'm saying is that I did the right thing and if I had to do it again I would. No questions asked. Admittedly, I would try and stop the whole you dieing thing."

There was moment of silence before Barbossa spoke. "So what are ya trying to say?"

"I guess I just don't want you to get the wrong idea. I know that we're family, but only by blood. Real family is a group of people you care about. Will and the rest of the crew, they're my family so they come first." Lil'Jack put his head under my hand making me pet him.

"So in some hypothetical situation where you have the choice of saving them or me..."

"I would save them."

"Yer very blunt."

"Yeah I know. Hey, if you're not such a jerk this time around maybe I'll let you join. But just maybe."

"That's what ye saw me as? A jerk?"

"A complete and total ass-hole. I would've said jack-ass but that's Sparrow's nickname."

Barbossa let out a small laugh. "Well, that's one thing we agree on."

I smiled. "Okay, I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep before we set out." I stood up. "Oh, and you can't really get angry at me for betraying you."

"And why is that?"

"If you didn't die you might've suffered the hangman's noose. Therefore, none of us would be here." I gestured to everybody. "I would be in jail, Elizabeth would've married Norrington, and you and Jack would've hung while Gibbs and the rest of the crew sailed off with the Pearl."

Barbossa looked up at me. "Perhaps yer right."

My eyes widened slightly. "I can't believe it. Captain Barbossa agrees with a fourteen-year-old kid."

"Yer not just any kid, you're my son."

"You're not cut out for that sentimental crap." I said, half laughing.

"Yeah I know. Now go to sleep."

"You still haven't told me why we're going to Singapore."

"That'll be for tomorrow. Now go to sleep. I don't want you tired tomorrow when we set out."

"Nice to see that you care." I said, rather smugly, and stood up. Halfway to the bench I stopped and turned around. "What should I call you?"

Barbossa turned to look at me. "What?"

"Well, you're my dad so I can't call you Barbossa. That would just be weird because it's my last name too. So, I don't know what to call you."

"And why should I know?" he looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

"Because you're an adult and you're supposed to know everything." I said in a mocking tone. "But seriously, what should I call you?"

"I don't know. Sleep on it." he turned back to the table. Lil'Jack jumped from my shoulder onto the chair I had been sitting on.

"Fine. Fine." I sat down on the bench. Before lying down I looked back at Barbossa. "Goodnight, Dad." I said, tentatively, and then laid down.

After a pause Barbossa murmured: "Goodnight, Jason." then he put out the light.

Yeah, I know that chapter is kind of short. Sorry.

Thank you again to anyone who has read, reviewed, favored and/or followed. The next story should be up not very soon because I will be out of town from Wednesday to sometime in early July.

To everyone reading, you can still review. Comments, suggestions, questions, everything! I love hearing from you!

Until next time,

-WolfPirate