Chapter Text
Angelica lied a lot to Jack, but as Jack was leaving her on the island she decided to shout she was pregnant with his child.
She knew Jack wouldn’t believe and she wasn’t really expecting him to, she was using it just to get a bit of mercy to get her ass out of another problem.
As she was spending her days on the island, a small ship came by as they saw the lady in trouble.
It wasn't hard to take over the ship of some brainless Alcohol renters who would do anything for a woman as long as she promised things she would never do as long as the pride still holds her.
She sailed a few days until she made it to Tortuga, the city of chaos and sins.
As luck got to her, some pirates recognize the young pirate as the daughter of Blackbeard and decide to stay away from her and some others even wanted to join her crew if she is willing to build one but no one spoke when she decided to change her second name to “Read” to avoid people she didn’t want to bother her and her baby and new life needs a new changes.
But it wasn't her plans, she is done with the curel pirate life, even though it was too late to become a nun (thanks to that rat, Jack) and too late to become a better person.
how does someone know it's too late for him to become a better person? He is not willing to do it anymore like a spark that fades away.
her innocent self isn’t holding hands with her anymore and she is lost inside a personality of a pirate that was no longer in use.
She paid for some people to build a house on the far side on the island, meanwhile she bought from an old man his old but good bar before he goes bankrupt and starts her own business. If she leaves the pirates' lives, she is going to do it like a badass lady but still.
A few weeks later, her men finished building the house and she moved in and a few days later she opened her bar.
She was more successful than she thought she would be but always acted like she deserved it, which was true.
As her bar grew and the rumors about her past were like a protection against the “monsters” of the pirate city, she became a well known, successful and respected woman by almost all of Tortuga's pirates.
And thanks to her hired men, she was almost untouchable. Unstoppable.
After those few intense months, she finally felt calm about bringing a baby to this cruel world, a baby that the world doesn’t deserve, god.. she sometimes though about being a mother but she never truly knew how to love something so much.
sure she loves her father but it was different, something she just couldn’t explain.
She knows it's not typical for a pirate to love.
It was strange to most of them.
But now.. loving felt like the easiest thing to feel.
and a few months later, the baby came.
”It's a girl, my lady,” said her servant.
The servant cleans the baby, puts her in a blanket and hands her to Angelica.
She looks in her baby eyes “She is strong”.
”And beautiful, my lady” Angelica smiled over to the servant.
Angelica sighed a long sigh as she was relaxing in her bed, ready to sleep.
”I guess I can forgive your dad” she said to the sleepy baby “not about leaving me on that island though this son of a dog”.
The little baby girl yawn in response.
”So little but yet I can feel the world has a lot to offer you.. I can see the fire in your eyes and soul.. I shall call you Mary Read” said Angelica as she pocked gently on her daughter’s small nose.
~~~
Four years later
"Miss Malon!" said the panting servant. "Please slow down!"
The servant ran after Marian with a towel, but Marian wasn't planning to take a shower.
"No! No no no!" Mary muttered to herself.
While losing the servant who was following her, Mary heard her mother's thundering voice from the main hall.
Mary ran quickly toward the voice and when she arrived, she stopped in her place behind one of the extending railings of the walkways that descended to the hall where two figures stood.
Mary looked down at her mother standing and speaking angrily with a stranger.
"You're not welcome here..." her mother said to the man.
"No... Angelica, please let me see her," said the stranger in a quiet voice, appearing uncomfortable.
"Burn in hell, Jack," said her mother, approaching the man with a stomping foot. "Not only did you ruin any chance I had of becoming a nun, you killed my father and left me on that cursed island! How dare you show your face in my home?"
"In my defense, Blackbeard took the drink himself so it doesn't really count," said Jack, pointing to clarify his point, but his hand behaved like jelly. Strange man.
"Jack..." Angelica said in a threatening voice, and two men appeared from nowhere with hands ready to draw guns.
"The point is..." Jack waved his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I want to see her, Angelica. That day on the island, I didn't believe you until the rumors reached me."
"So what took you so long?" Angelica asked in a venomous voice.
"Knowing I'd have to go through you," he said.
"I don't understand you, Jack," said Angelica After a moment . "You have ten women on every island or land you step on, including this one we're on now. What happened that made you decide to take responsibility?"
"Angelica..." Jack moved closer to speak more quietly. "She's my only one."
Angelica's eyes widened.
"You're lying," she said and took a step back.
"It's true, let's just say there's not really a possibility to have children the way I do it," he said with a proud smile.
"Why are you proud of yourself?" Angelica asked with disgust. "You think that's less beastly?"
"To be honest? Aye," he said and cleaned his hat from dust.
Angelica's face softened after a minute.
"Angelica, I remind you that I'm a Pirate Lord, more than that, I'm from the lineage of the Code Keepers," he added. "If I'm not mistaken, there's even a clause that we're not allowed to have more than one child."
Marian noticed the hesitation and confusion her mother tried to hide.
Suddenly Mary heard the hurrying footsteps of the servant approaching, and Mary ran quickly down the stairs and ran straight to her mother and hugged her dress.
There was a sudden silence in the surroundings.
"Is that her?" asked the guy named Jack.
"Aye..." Angelica looked down at Mary, examining if something happened, and then stroked her head.
Angelica paused for several good seconds devoted to thoughts.
"You'll get a chance..." said Angelica and pulled out a sharp knife from her boot under her dress. "If you stab yourself in the foot."
"Just take the knife and pierce?" asked Jack as he took the knife.
"No, hold the knife above your Foot from a height and let it fall."
Jack looked at Angelica in the eyes and she didn't escape his gaze. "Very well," he said finally.
Jack raised the knife to eye level, Angelica asked a servant to cover Mary's eyes, and dropped the knife which hit his foot but fell aside without leaving any damage.
"Well, have I proven myself in your little test?" asked Jack.
Angelica bent down to pick up the knife and before Jack could react, she stabbed his foot and leaned on the knife.
Jack groaned in pain but tried not to move and stared ahead.
"This isn't a test, dear Jack, it's a lesson," she said while standing up with the knife still stuck. "If you hurt Mary, if you fail, no matter the severity or what damage comes from it, I'll make sure it will be as severe as possible, is that clear?"
Jack nodded his head.
Without removing her gaze from him, Angelica pulled out the knife and asked the same maid who covered Mary's eyes to go clean it.
"You got your chance," sighed Angelica. "If you fail, you can only pray that Davy Jones's heart was in your possession to escape from me."
"It's Will's heart now," said Jack.
Angelica rolled her eyes. "It’s ok, m’baby" Angelica tried to hint to Mary to come out of hiding toward Jack.
Mary, who ran back to her mother's dress, peeked toward Jack who stood there and didn't take his eyes off her
He knelt down, swayed a bit from his Fresh wound as he did so, and took off his hat and extended an inviting hand toward Mary.
He was different from most people she had met so far, but she also hadn't met many people so far except for the maids, servants and her mother's people.
While Jack waited for Mary to introduce herself, Mary found herself freezing in place as if she had swallowed her tongue and burrowed deeper into her mother's dress.
"Look at that," said Angelica to Jack. "The first girl who ever rejected you."
Jack got to his feet and swayed from leg to leg with a smile that emphasized his discomfort. "Children aren't my strong suit."
"Give it a chance and time, it will happen as you visit," said Angelica while lifting Mary into her arms and kissing her cheek, and Mary giggled while they started to climb the stairs.
"But I mean it," said Angelica who turned her head toward Jack without turning her body. "You're going to visit at least once every two weeks, three tops."
"Wait what!?" Jack asked loudly. "I'm a pirate! How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"Want to be a father, Jack?" Angelica turned and continued climbing the stairs. "Lesson number two, responsibility."
Mary saw from her mother's shoulder the frustration on Jack's face, but there was also a spark of determination and hope as his eyes met Mary's.
Jack was different, and she's not saying that just because of how he dresses or behaves, he had a way of speaking that people from around here didn't have and a salty smell from different seas than what she knew, and he allowed himself to speak loudly - Mary almost never heard anyone speak loudly, you could say the estate whispers entirely.
But Jack was a stain in a perfect painting, a stain that doesn't belong there, like her.
~~~
After about two weeks, Mary ran in her mother's estate's wide garden, running quickly between the colorful bushes while a servant tried to keep up with her like a tail, as usual.
Mary ran to her favorite spot, a half-circle of rough stones built into the cliff, where one could see all of Tortuga.
While looking at the many ships anchored at the island, one unusual ship caught her eye, a pitch-black ship she had never seen there before, unlike the other ships.
Mary's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned forward toward the edge to try to get a better view of the ship.
"Be careful," said a strange voice. The moment she turned toward the voice, along with her servant, there stood that strange man again. "You don't want to slip accidentally, it's less pleasant, from personal experience."
While Mary was struck with shyness, she took a few steps back, and then the servant stood between her and the man.
"Mr. Sparrow, does Mrs. Mallon know about your visit today?" asked the servant.
The man seemed impatient with her. "Yes, I passed by her bar before coming here," he said and gave the servant a signed note.
After a glance, the servant cleared the way. "Very well," and let the man pass toward Mary.
When Jack passed the servant, he gave her a polite nod and rolled his eyes after passing her.
Angelica had taught Mary that it was more polite to shake hands with people or bow to them when meeting new people, but Mary didn't remember these things at that moment.
Jack and Mary stared at each other for a long minute until Jack lowered his hat and turned toward the stone wall and leaned on it while his eyes wandered far to Tortuga's landscape.
"Do you have a building you particularly like?" he asked without taking his eyes off the view.
"No," Mary said with a small smile and joined beside the man.
"I can understand, it's a special place, each part isn't special on its own as much as it is special in the complete picture," he said.
Unintentionally, Mary was still staring at the black ship that was still anchored there and started imagining who sailed such a magnificent ship.
She slipped for a moment and would have fallen down the steep slope with the many stones if Jack hadn't caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"All good, chick?" he asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Mary nodded. "What would have happened if I had fallen?"
Jack seemed to hesitate for a few moments before asking, "Do you know how old you are?"
"About four," said the servant.
"No offense, ma'am, but you look older than four, and I was talking to Mary," he answered her with a look that seemed a combination of tiredness and a sarcastic smile.
After a few more seconds of hesitation from Jack, he continued speaking after muttering to himself, "I think it's okay."
"You would have died," he said finally.
"And what's that?" Mary felt comfortable asking suddenly.
"Your body is like a shell, and your soul is like a hermit crab. When the shell is cracked and too uncomfortable, the crab decides to leave it," he said.
"Leave my body? Like in a dream?" I asked.
"You could say that, except death is dreaming forever without waking up," he said.
The statement caused some panic in Mary and she started to sob a little.
Jack startled, he had never had to deal with a small crying child before, he knew how to make them cry but not how to calm them down.
Jack sat down on the floor to be at eye level with Mary. "Dreaming forever can be fun! You can't get hurt there and do anything your heart desires as long as your spirit is in you."
"But my spirit won't be in me," Mary said between sobs.
"That's true," Jack feels lost for a moment, if Angelica sees him like this near Mary, she'll never allow him to even anchor in the port, let alone see Mary again.
He saw the servant hesitating whether to intervene from the corner of his eye.
Jack finally sighed, "Mary, look at me." Jack removed Mary's hands from her eyes with the utmost gentleness he could muster, and she looked into his eyes. "As long as I'm alive and my spirit is in me, no one will touch you. Your mother, alone, manages to do this better than any woman or even man I've seen in all the seven seas and continents, and now you have me too, and I'm here promising you that there isn't another living person more protected than you."
Mary absorbed his words for a few moments and calmed down.
She approached Jack and extended her hand, "I'm Mary, Marian Malon."
Jack's mustache highlighted the smile that was spread across his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow, but for now just Jack for you, madame."
Mary smiled shyly before asking “sparrow?”
Jack stood up “it’s a type of a bird, a fast and smart one”.
Mary smiled mischievously “small one, so you are a birdy?”
Jack smiled “you can say that”
Mary chuckled and ran again between the many flowers, followed by her servant and jack walked after them.
~~~
After about two weeks, Mary ran in her mother's estate's wide garden, running quickly between the colorful bushes while a servant tried to keep up with her like a tail, as usual.
Mary ran to her favorite spot, a half-circle of rough stones built into the cliff, where one could see all of Tortuga.
While looking at the many ships anchored at the island, one unusual ship caught her eye, a pitch-black ship she had never seen there before, unlike the other ships.
Mary's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned forward toward the edge to try to get a better view of the ship.
"Be careful," said a strange voice. The moment she turned toward the voice, along with her servant, there stood that strange man again. "You don't want to slip accidentally, it's less pleasant, from personal experience."
While Mary was struck with shyness, she took a few steps back, and then the servant stood between her and the man.
"Mr. Sparrow, does Mrs. Mallon know about your visit today?" asked the servant.
The man seemed impatient with her. "Yes, I passed by her bar before coming here," he said and gave the servant a signed note.
After a glance, the servant cleared the way. "Very well," and let the man pass toward Mary.
When Jack passed the servant, he gave her a polite nod and rolled his eyes after passing her.
Angelica had taught Mary that it was more polite to shake hands with people or bow to them when meeting new people, but Mary didn't remember these things at that moment.
Jack and Mary stared at each other for a long minute until Jack lowered his hat and turned toward the stone wall and leaned on it while his eyes wandered far to Tortuga's landscape.
"Do you have a building you particularly like?" he asked without taking his eyes off the view.
"No," Mary said with a small smile and joined beside the man.
"I can understand, it's a special place, each part isn't special on its own as much as it is special in the complete picture," he said.
Unintentionally, Mary was still staring at the black ship that was still anchored there and started imagining who sailed such a magnificent ship.
She slipped for a moment and would have fallen down the steep slope with the many stones if Jack hadn't caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"All good, chick?" he asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Mary nodded. "What would have happened if I had fallen?"
Jack seemed to hesitate for a few moments before asking, "Do you know how old you are?"
"About four," said the servant.
"No offense, ma'am, but you look older than four, and I was talking to Mary," he answered her with a look that seemed a combination of tiredness and a sarcastic smile.
After a few more seconds of hesitation from Jack, he continued speaking after muttering to himself, "I think it's okay."
"You would have died," he said finally.
"And what's that?" Mary felt comfortable asking suddenly.
"Your body is like a shell, and your soul is like a hermit crab. When the shell is cracked and too uncomfortable, the crab decides to leave it," he said.
"Leave my body? Like in a dream?" I asked.
"You could say that, except death is dreaming forever without waking up," he said.
The statement caused some panic in Mary and she started to sob a little.
Jack startled, he had never had to deal with a small crying child before, he knew how to make them cry but not how to calm them down.
Jack sat down on the floor to be at eye level with Mary. "Dreaming forever can be fun! You can't get hurt there and do anything your heart desires as long as your spirit is in you."
"But my spirit won't be in me," Mary said between sobs.
"That's true," Jack feels lost for a moment, if Angelica sees him like this near Mary, she'll never allow him to even anchor in the port, let alone see Mary again.
He saw the servant hesitating whether to intervene from the corner of his eye.
Jack finally sighed, "Mary, look at me." Jack removed Mary's hands from her eyes with the utmost gentleness he could muster, and she looked into his eyes. "As long as I'm alive and my spirit is in me, no one will touch you. Your mother, alone, manages to do this better than any woman or even man I've seen in all the seven seas and continents, and now you have me too, and I'm here promising you that there isn't another living person more protected than you."
Mary absorbed his words for a few moments and calmed down.
She approached Jack and extended her hand, "I'm Mary, Marian Malon."
Jack's mustache highlighted the smile that was spread across his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow, but for now just Jack for you, madame."
Mary smiled shyly before asking “sparrow?”
Jack stood up “it’s a type of a bird, a fast and smart one”.
Mary smiled mischievously “small one, so you are a birdy?”
Jack smiled “you can say that”
Mary chuckled and ran again between the many flowers, followed by her servant and jack walked after them.
~~~
After about two weeks, Mary ran in her mother's estate's wide garden, running quickly between the colorful bushes while a servant tried to keep up with her like a tail, as usual.
Mary ran to her favorite spot, a half-circle of rough stones built into the cliff, where one could see all of Tortuga.
While looking at the many ships anchored at the island, one unusual ship caught her eye, a pitch-black ship she had never seen there before, unlike the other ships.
Mary's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned forward toward the edge to try to get a better view of the ship.
"Be careful," said a strange voice. The moment she turned toward the voice, along with her servant, there stood that strange man again. "You don't want to slip accidentally, it's less pleasant, from personal experience."
While Mary was struck with shyness, she took a few steps back, and then the servant stood between her and the man.
"Mr. Sparrow, does Mrs. Mallon know about your visit today?" asked the servant.
The man seemed impatient with her. "Yes, I passed by her bar before coming here," he said and gave the servant a signed note.
After a glance, the servant cleared the way. "Very well," and let the man pass toward Mary.
When Jack passed the servant, he gave her a polite nod and rolled his eyes after passing her.
Angelica had taught Mary that it was more polite to shake hands with people or bow to them when meeting new people, but Mary didn't remember these things at that moment.
Jack and Mary stared at each other for a long minute until Jack lowered his hat and turned toward the stone wall and leaned on it while his eyes wandered far to Tortuga's landscape.
"Do you have a building you particularly like?" he asked without taking his eyes off the view.
"No," Mary said with a small smile and joined beside the man.
"I can understand, it's a special place, each part isn't special on its own as much as it is special in the complete picture," he said.
Unintentionally, Mary was still staring at the black ship that was still anchored there and started imagining who sailed such a magnificent ship.
She slipped for a moment and would have fallen down the steep slope with the many stones if Jack hadn't caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"All good, chick?" he asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Mary nodded. "What would have happened if I had fallen?"
Jack seemed to hesitate for a few moments before asking, "Do you know how old you are?"
"About four," said the servant.
"No offense, ma'am, but you look older than four, and I was talking to Mary," he answered her with a look that seemed a combination of tiredness and a sarcastic smile.
After a few more seconds of hesitation from Jack, he continued speaking after muttering to himself, "I think it's okay."
"You would have died," he said finally.
"And what's that?" Mary felt comfortable asking suddenly.
"Your body is like a shell, and your soul is like a hermit crab. When the shell is cracked and too uncomfortable, the crab decides to leave it," he said.
"Leave my body? Like in a dream?" I asked.
"You could say that, except death is dreaming forever without waking up," he said.
The statement caused some panic in Mary and she started to sob a little.
Jack startled, he had never had to deal with a small crying child before, he knew how to make them cry but not how to calm them down.
Jack sat down on the floor to be at eye level with Mary. "Dreaming forever can be fun! You can't get hurt there and do anything your heart desires as long as your spirit is in you."
"But my spirit won't be in me," Mary said between sobs.
"That's true," Jack feels lost for a moment, if Angelica sees him like this near Mary, she'll never allow him to even anchor in the port, let alone see Mary again.
He saw the servant hesitating whether to intervene from the corner of his eye.
Jack finally sighed, "Mary, look at me." Jack removed Mary's hands from her eyes with the utmost gentleness he could muster, and she looked into his eyes. "As long as I'm alive and my spirit is in me, no one will touch you. Your mother, alone, manages to do this better than any woman or even man I've seen in all the seven seas and continents, and now you have me too, and I'm here promising you that there isn't another living person more protected than you."
Mary absorbed his words for a few moments and calmed down.
She approached Jack and extended her hand, "I'm Mary, Marian Malon."
Jack's mustache highlighted the smile that was spread across his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow, but for now just Jack for you, madame."
Mary smiled shyly before asking “sparrow?”
Jack stood up “it’s a type of a bird, a fast and smart one”.
Mary smiled mischievously “small one, so you are a birdy?”
Jack smiled “you can say that”
Mary chuckled and ran again between the many flowers, followed by her servant and jack walked after them.
~~~
After about two weeks, Mary ran in her mother's estate's wide garden, running quickly between the colorful bushes while a servant tried to keep up with her like a tail, as usual.
Mary ran to her favorite spot, a half-circle of rough stones built into the cliff, where one could see all of Tortuga.
While looking at the many ships anchored at the island, one unusual ship caught her eye, a pitch-black ship she had never seen there before, unlike the other ships.
Mary's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned forward toward the edge to try to get a better view of the ship.
"Be careful," said a strange voice. The moment she turned toward the voice, along with her servant, there stood that strange man again. "You don't want to slip accidentally, it's less pleasant, from personal experience."
While Mary was struck with shyness, she took a few steps back, and then the servant stood between her and the man.
"Mr. Sparrow, does Mrs. Mallon know about your visit today?" asked the servant.
The man seemed impatient with her. "Yes, I passed by her bar before coming here," he said and gave the servant a signed note.
After a glance, the servant cleared the way. "Very well," and let the man pass toward Mary.
When Jack passed the servant, he gave her a polite nod and rolled his eyes after passing her.
Angelica had taught Mary that it was more polite to shake hands with people or bow to them when meeting new people, but Mary didn't remember these things at that moment.
Jack and Mary stared at each other for a long minute until Jack lowered his hat and turned toward the stone wall and leaned on it while his eyes wandered far to Tortuga's landscape.
"Do you have a building you particularly like?" he asked without taking his eyes off the view.
"No," Mary said with a small smile and joined beside the man.
"I can understand, it's a special place, each part isn't special on its own as much as it is special in the complete picture," he said.
Unintentionally, Mary was still staring at the black ship that was still anchored there and started imagining who sailed such a magnificent ship.
She slipped for a moment and would have fallen down the steep slope with the many stones if Jack hadn't caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"All good, chick?" he asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Mary nodded. "What would have happened if I had fallen?"
Jack seemed to hesitate for a few moments before asking, "Do you know how old you are?"
"About four," said the servant.
"No offense, ma'am, but you look older than four, and I was talking to Mary," he answered her with a look that seemed a combination of tiredness and a sarcastic smile.
After a few more seconds of hesitation from Jack, he continued speaking after muttering to himself, "I think it's okay."
"You would have died," he said finally.
"And what's that?" Mary felt comfortable asking suddenly.
"Your body is like a shell, and your soul is like a hermit crab. When the shell is cracked and too uncomfortable, the crab decides to leave it," he said.
"Leave my body? Like in a dream?" I asked.
"You could say that, except death is dreaming forever without waking up," he said.
The statement caused some panic in Mary and she started to sob a little.
Jack startled, he had never had to deal with a small crying child before, he knew how to make them cry but not how to calm them down.
Jack sat down on the floor to be at eye level with Mary. "Dreaming forever can be fun! You can't get hurt there and do anything your heart desires as long as your spirit is in you."
"But my spirit won't be in me," Mary said between sobs.
"That's true," Jack feels lost for a moment, if Angelica sees him like this near Mary, she'll never allow him to even anchor in the port, let alone see Mary again.
He saw the servant hesitating whether to intervene from the corner of his eye.
Jack finally sighed, "Mary, look at me." Jack removed Mary's hands from her eyes with the utmost gentleness he could muster, and she looked into his eyes. "As long as I'm alive and my spirit is in me, no one will touch you. Your mother, alone, manages to do this better than any woman or even man I've seen in all the seven seas and continents, and now you have me too, and I'm here promising you that there isn't another living person more protected than you."
Mary absorbed his words for a few moments and calmed down.
She approached Jack and extended her hand, "I'm Mary, Marian Malon."
Jack's mustache highlighted the smile that was spread across his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow, but for now just Jack for you, madame."
Mary smiled shyly before asking “sparrow?”
Jack stood up “it’s a type of a bird, a fast and smart one”.
Mary smiled mischievously “small one, so you are a birdy?”
Jack smiled “you can say that”
Mary chuckled and ran again between the many flowers, followed by her servant and jack walked after them.
~~~
After about two weeks, Mary ran in her mother's estate's wide garden, running quickly between the colorful bushes while a servant tried to keep up with her like a tail, as usual.
Mary ran to her favorite spot, a half-circle of rough stones built into the cliff, where one could see all of Tortuga.
While looking at the many ships anchored at the island, one unusual ship caught her eye, a pitch-black ship she had never seen there before, unlike the other ships.
Mary's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned forward toward the edge to try to get a better view of the ship.
"Be careful," said a strange voice. The moment she turned toward the voice, along with her servant, there stood that strange man again. "You don't want to slip accidentally, it's less pleasant, from personal experience."
While Mary was struck with shyness, she took a few steps back, and then the servant stood between her and the man.
"Mr. Sparrow, does Mrs. Mallon know about your visit today?" asked the servant.
The man seemed impatient with her. "Yes, I passed by her bar before coming here," he said and gave the servant a signed note.
After a glance, the servant cleared the way. "Very well," and let the man pass toward Mary.
When Jack passed the servant, he gave her a polite nod and rolled his eyes after passing her.
Angelica had taught Mary that it was more polite to shake hands with people or bow to them when meeting new people, but Mary didn't remember these things at that moment.
Jack and Mary stared at each other for a long minute until Jack lowered his hat and turned toward the stone wall and leaned on it while his eyes wandered far to Tortuga's landscape.
"Do you have a building you particularly like?" he asked without taking his eyes off the view.
"No," Mary said with a small smile and joined beside the man.
"I can understand, it's a special place, each part isn't special on its own as much as it is special in the complete picture," he said.
Unintentionally, Mary was still staring at the black ship that was still anchored there and started imagining who sailed such a magnificent ship.
She slipped for a moment and would have fallen down the steep slope with the many stones if Jack hadn't caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"All good, chick?" he asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Mary nodded. "What would have happened if I had fallen?"
Jack seemed to hesitate for a few moments before asking, "Do you know how old you are?"
"About four," said the servant.
"No offense, ma'am, but you look older than four, and I was talking to Mary," he answered her with a look that seemed a combination of tiredness and a sarcastic smile.
After a few more seconds of hesitation from Jack, he continued speaking after muttering to himself, "I think it's okay."
"You would have died," he said finally.
"And what's that?" Mary felt comfortable asking suddenly.
"Your body is like a shell, and your soul is like a hermit crab. When the shell is cracked and too uncomfortable, the crab decides to leave it," he said.
"Leave my body? Like in a dream?" I asked.
"You could say that, except death is dreaming forever without waking up," he said.
The statement caused some panic in Mary and she started to sob a little.
Jack startled, he had never had to deal with a small crying child before, he knew how to make them cry but not how to calm them down.
Jack sat down on the floor to be at eye level with Mary. "Dreaming forever can be fun! You can't get hurt there and do anything your heart desires as long as your spirit is in you."
"But my spirit won't be in me," Mary said between sobs.
"That's true," Jack feels lost for a moment, if Angelica sees him like this near Mary, she'll never allow him to even anchor in the port, let alone see Mary again.
He saw the servant hesitating whether to intervene from the corner of his eye.
Jack finally sighed, "Mary, look at me." Jack removed Mary's hands from her eyes with the utmost gentleness he could muster, and she looked into his eyes. "As long as I'm alive and my spirit is in me, no one will touch you. Your mother, alone, manages to do this better than any woman or even man I've seen in all the seven seas and continents, and now you have me too, and I'm here promising you that there isn't another living person more protected than you."
Mary absorbed his words for a few moments and calmed down.
She approached Jack and extended her hand, "I'm Mary, Marian Malon."
Jack's mustache highlighted the smile that was spread across his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow, but for now just Jack for you, madame."
Mary smiled shyly before asking “sparrow?”
Jack stood up “it’s a type of a bird, a fast and smart one”.
Mary smiled mischievously “small one, so you are a birdy?”
Jack smiled “you can say that”
Mary chuckled and ran again between the many flowers, followed by her servant and jack walked after them.
~~~
After Angelica returned home from work at the bar with some of her people who lived near the estate, she saw Jack wandering among the flower bushes with Mary and her servant.
It would be a lie if Angelica said she wasn't surprised to see him there.
She thought that two weeks ago he had simply come to complain to the air about the fact that they had a daughter and then forget about it two days later, but here he was talking about flowers with a four-year-old girl. True, he looked completely lost, like an elephant in a china shop, but he was there and that was almost enough for Angelica.
When Angelica approached them in her large black dress, Mary immediately noticed and ran into her mother's arms.
"My beautiful," Angelica kissed her daughter's cheek, "it's starting to get dark, we better go inside."
After they went inside, Angelica asked Mary's servant for dinner and meanwhile invited Jack for tea.
"You wouldn't happen to have rum?" he asked.
"The cheap drinks are at the bar," she said and poured jasmine tea into his cup, "and it wouldn't hurt you to drink something other than rum after twenty years."
"You sound like you've never drunk rum," said Jack. Angelica remained silent in response.
"You've never drunk rum, huh? Well, that explains the... 'elegant' character you suddenly pulled out of your sleeve," he waved his hands at her.
Angelica felt she could be angry about this but simply couldn't find the nerves, she just smiled.
"I really feel like I dodged something seeing you," she retorted.
"So how was your day?" Angelica asked after a sip of tea.
"Mary is... strange," he said.
"She got that from you," she said, and Jack looked like he'd been slapped. "Are you alright? Is the fact that she's your daughter starting to sink in?"
"Aye," he answered and stared at the tea. "The day went well, better than I expected. She's a good child, strong."
"That's my Mary," said Angelica, "and that she got from me."
"Don't take credit for everything, what did she get from me?" said Jack while leaning back and throwing his mud-covered boots on the table.
Angelica, with a disgusted face, signaled to the servant with her fingers, and the servant knocked Jack's feet off, which almost made him spill his tea.
"She got your eyes. There were times when it was just hard for me to look at those eyes," she looked at the fire burning in the fireplace beside them. "Speaking of which, what's happening these days? Anyone new on deck?"
"Not much, although the crew still doesn't quite understand why we came back here after such a short time, but for now, I can just deflect the topic with slightly finer alcohol."
"I thought you'd want to acknowledge that you have a daughter," Angelica said with a slightly more piercing look.
"Darling, it's not that simple. I have enemies out there, and pirates' children are just not the same."
"You yourself said you're doing this because you grew up the same way," said Angelica.
"And that's why I want to fix some things along the way," and leaned forward. "I was recognized too early as the Keeper of the Code's son, and I made enemies before I could run or swim. It cost me dearly too many times. She's also the granddaughter of two of the most wanted pirates from many more days."
"And besides," he continued, "I don't want to imagine what they could do to Mary while she's a daughter. I have to keep her secret until she's strong enough to be a Tortuga and inherit my name and-"
"You stop right there," said Angelica. "Mary is not going to be a pirate. She's not going to go through what happened to me with my father."
"Darling, are you comparing me to Blackbeard? Do you really think I'm that bad?" he asked like a drunk man.
"Even worse."
"That's not the point," he continued. "The point is that she's going to be a pirate whether you want it or not."
"And with what audacity do you allow yourself to say that?"
"First reason," he said and spread his hands to his sides, "pirate, I allow myself a lot of things, and second, I saw how she looks at the ships in the port, and I know you've seen the spark too," he said.
Angelica looked away, which gave Jack the right to a victory smile.
After a few minutes of silence, Jack decided he'd had enough tea for the rest of his life and felt he needed to take a bottle of rum to wash away the terrible taste of the drink.
"She's a child," said Angelica.
"And then she'll grow into a woman like you did," he said.
"I don't wish such a life for her!" Angelica raised her voice, "Thanks to you, Jack."
"I understand that-"
"Get out of here," said Angelica and stood up.
"And Mary-"
"Leave!" said Angelica and pointed toward the main door.
Jack stood up slowly and adjusted his clothes. He put on his hat that was lying on one of the corners of the armchair he was sitting on and started moving toward the exit.
"I'll be back in two weeks," he said with a wave of his hand and left, but not before muttering something about monthly hormones.
Angelica collapsed back into her seat. For a moment she felt like a fool - how could she let the man who ruined her life enter her daughter's life like this, and he sits here planning how to take her away from her permanently?
And only later that evening did Angelica learn that Jack had taught her child about death. Death! To a four-year-old child! Why did she think this cursed pirate could be a father? And a good father at that?
But while Angelica stood in the courtyard of her room overlooking Tortuga, she couldn't help but remember Marian's sparkling eyes as she talked about her day with him, or how disappointed she was when she realized he had to leave and couldn't stay a bit longer so she could show him her favorite shells from her collection.
It's true, Jack would never be the best father, but Mary loved him, and Jack cared about her enough to come every two weeks and lie to his entire crew at a heavy price.
And if comparing Jack to the standard of fathers among pirates, the fact that he just acknowledged Marian's existence puts him in the top ten best pirate-parents.
But that doesn't change anything! Marian needs the best, being a pirate is no excuse for Angelica.
This whole business was confusing and too long for Angelica, especially after she had to manage her bar just from the office so Jack's crew wouldn't recognize her.
Eventually, Angelica went inside and decided to sleep on the matter.