Chapter 21: Me? I'm Dishonest, and a Dishonest Man you can Always Trust to be Dishonest. Honestly. It's the Honest ones you want to Watch out for, Because you can Never Predict When they're going to do Something Incredibly...Stupid.

"And there I was, at the brink of immortality yet again, just to have Will Turner snatch it from me. It's not that difficult to avoid getting stabbed in the heart, is it? I've avoided it. And his girl would have been very difficult to console." Levi stroked his mustache. "Much trickier to deal with a weeping woman than finding another way to live forever, savvy? So Will's the one who is stuck with all the dead people and now I'm the one who gets to live free. Really not such a bad decision."

"I know," the nine year old boy, Benjamin, said, "I've seen the movie."

Levi put his hands on his hips. "You seem rather unimpressed."

"I still say you should've gone for immortality."

"I wouldn't have done well with a tentacle face. Is that what you'd want? Maybe a nice starfish latched to your cheek?"

"I think it'd be pretty," his little sister, Rebecca, giggled.

Benjamin scoffed.

"Would you like one, then?" Levi inquired her.

"I think so."

"Maybe you and William can switch places. Maybe take turns. That way you can have what you want and he can spend time with what's her name."

"Elizabeth," Benjamin corrected.

Levi quirked his mouth to the side. "Was that it?"

"Yes," Rebecca said, hugging his leg. "They have true love!"

"I'm so glad it's not contagious," Levi sniffed.

"Do you have a true love?" Rebecca asked.

"Me? True love?"

Rebecca blinked her cute little Bambi eyes up at him, hopeful.

So he knelt down, hoping not to break her adorable little heart. "Of course I have a true love."

"Who?"

The parents shuffled from their spot as they took pictures and video, causing him to glance up at the noise. Their movement revealed the next guest in line, dressed in her normal Disney finest, staring right at him.

Nora.

He should have looked back at Rebecca right away. He should have gone with a silly answer without even trying to be serious. But Nora was like the sea, calling to him, even though he wasn't sure what it meant.

Rebecca followed his gaze, a triumphant smile on her face. She tackled him into a hug, almost knocking him over.

"I'll keep your secret," she whispered. Then, with a sort of intellect he never expected, but always found with children, she changed the subject. "You have to teach me to sword fight so I can kick my brother's butt."

Benjamin huffed.

She whispered to Jack again, "He really loves you, he just gets embarrassed."

"Ah," he whispered back, "I'll make a good show of winning his affections."

He gave them both a quick lesson in swordplay before taking a last picture, sending them off on their way.

And then it was Nora's turn, who had jumped in line at the last cut off, making her his last guest, which left them without an audience. Even the PhotoPass Cast Member decided to wander off, following Sarah, who normally did skirt her duties of making sure Levi was kept safe.

Which meant they were alone. And he had to pretend she hadn't seen him be completely blown away by her mere presence when a little girl had asked him who he loved while also remembering not to have any Levi moments, which was sure to happen eventually considering how much Levi knew that Jack didn't.

Not to mention the last time she had visited him, she had looked ready to murder him while nonverbally demanding who he was.

"What was that?" Levi had practically yelled at Oliver over the phone as soon as he'd gotten off of work.

"I seriously don't know. She's insane. We were just walking along and then all of a sudden she had that crazy light in her eyes because she wants to know who you are so badly. I tried to snap her out of it, but she's basically as stubborn as Elizabeth when it comes to you. You need to tell her."

Levi had swallowed, holding back tears and the simple truth that he didn't know how.

But right now, he was alone with Nora, and he had to figure it out.

No pressure. After all, he was Captain Jack Sparrow.

He tipped his hat to her, putting on his most confident, poised expression. "Our last encounter was a bit...inopportune."

"Yeah...I'm sorry. I...got a bit weird." She played with her hands. "I just know you know Oliver and it's driving me insane that you don't trust me, even though clearly last time I acted like you shouldn't."

Bugga. Bugga it all.

"Nora, I really do think you have a misunderstanding of what weird is. I have once eaten a peanut off of my brain." He rocked forward, nodded sternly. "And I'd do it again."

"I know you're not supposed to stray away from piracy, but...I need to know if I should just not come back here."     

He didn't say anything.

"I've made up this stupid game, or story, or whatever in my head and I just want to know so it can be done with. And I understand if you were never part of the game in the first place and don't want to participate at all. Oliver was under the impression you'd tell me sometime. You know." His name. "And obviously now is a bad time, but it would seriously help me sleep better at night if you told me soon."

"You shouldn't be losing sleep at all." He was annoyed that she'd gotten so wrapped up in some weird fantasy of him. Of Jack Sparrow, at least. That Oliver had gotten involved. That whatever this is was probably ending.

"Who do you love?" Nora asked under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

"That girl was asking. You didn't answer. Who do you love?"

You, he wanted to say, but it was too soon. It was the wrong time, he wasn't truthful to her, and they hadn't even known each other very long, not to mention Oliver had given him a lot to think over. It was probably just some crush or leech-like feeling since he didn't have any other friends. And clearly, he didn't love her enough to be honest with her, so it wasn't even true in the first place.

"My only love is the sea. And the only person anyone has ever even remotely possibly been a case of the stirrings is Angelica who, as I keep explaining to everyone, I left marooned on an island. Not exactly ideal for a romance, is it?"

She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "I'm sure you have more love in your heart than you pretend."

What was she playing at? Why wasn't she letting this go? What had Jack Sparrow ever done to her to make her think anything other than friendly guest relationships—if that was even what she was doing. Levi knew he was pretty dense when it came to romance, and pretty bad at knowing who Nora really was, but she couldn't possibly be hinting that he, Jack, was in love with her. He was Captain Jack Sparrow. Sure, they got along brilliantly in their roles. Sure, Levi looked forward to her visits. But the real reason he had feelings for her was getting to spend time with her without the costume, without the fake persona.

So why didn't she seem interested in him? In Levi.

And, in his frustration, he said the first thing that came to mind, "And what of you, Nora? You and the brown haired boy."

He had seen Nora sad before, wilting, closed off. This was nothing like that. Her whole body stiffened, her face turned cold.

"I don't remember bringing him around," Nora said coolly.

"A pirate hears things."

"And where did he hear things? From Oliver?"

His nose shriveled. "Floating in the wind is all. The East India Trading Company is always promoting the ritual of courtship and those participating."

"We're friends. Not that it's any of your business."

Oh, it was. Because he was the friend. And he was tired of all this, even if he knew it was all his fault for causing it.

"I'm not sure if you know what you want," he said through his teeth.

"At least I'm not lying to myself about immortality being the best thing for me."

What did that even mean? Was she claiming she was best for him? That was laughable. She didn't even know him—not really. Not even when he was Levi. And, clearly, if she knew, they wouldn't speak ever again, whether he was wearing a captain's hat or not.

"You do understand the severity of whatever it is you could be implying?" he asked, his voice low, eyes wide, as if widening his eyes would help her understand how helpless he was as a CM to do anything for her.

"I'm not implying anything, Jack."

But her tone was sharp. They were fighting. And since when did guests and face characters actually argue and mean it? They were closer than they should be. They could both get in so much trouble for this.

Nora had a sort of impulsive, crazy side to her when it came to her relationship with Jack Sparrow. Now, he wasn't sure he could trust her with the truth. Not when it could get him fired.

"Whatever you expect of me, I can't grant it."

"I only expect you do be a pirate. Nothing more." She let her arms swing like the gallows, defeated. "I'd offer you a pinky promise, but I doubt you'd care for that."

And then she was off, walking towards the exit of Adventureland, Levi frozen in place with guilt and anger fighting for domination in the pit of his stomach.

Levi left his shift with a very short, direct text already lighting up his screen. "I'm at Epcot. I need you. I mean it."

He wanted to chuck it at the wall. She needed him, did she? The guy who was just a friend? Why was she even mad at Jack, anyway? She was the one risking his job. He could easily report her and get her banned from the parks. But as angry as he was with Nora, he couldn't ever do that to her. As angry as he was, he went. Because maybe he'd get a different side to things than Jack would get. A side he didn't deserve.

He drove over to Epcot. The cheerful music did nothing to lift his mood as he dragged himself to the front of the park, off the side of Spaceship Earth where Nora stood, dreary as Eeyore and sporting Rabbit's temper.

Before she could get a word out, which is clearly what she wanted to do, he said, "Nora, I've been on my feet all day. Can we sit somewhere?"

She crossed her arms and gave a curt nod.

Great. He would probably get to fight with her twice today.

He didn't want to talk all the way over to the World Showcase, so they ended up going to Sunshine Seasons. He dragged himself up the steep slope of The Land, almost regretting the choice, before they stepped into the nice cool air of the building. They took the escalator down to the bottom floor, stepping into the neat food court with plenty of options to choose from.

"I'll pay," Nora said once he'd picked out his food. She'd gotten herself a slice of chocolate mousse cake, as well as one for him, which softened him a bit.

He ate his Mongolian beef furiously, relieved to find his mood improved with hydration and a full stomach. Tiredness bogged down his mind, making his thoughts sluggish. He wasn't sure if he could talk to Nora about something so serious with the fog. With his emotions all over the place.

Her silence throughout the meal had been expected and, if it weren't for him knowing her mood already and being so frustrated, he would have asked what was wrong. But he didn't. And hopefully she would forgive him for that, at least.

"Long day?" she asked when he put down his fork after scraping as much stray chocolate from the bottom of the container as he could.

Her voice had gone back to princess level gentle, which ended up being a punch to the stomach. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

He didn't deserve that. "No, I'm sorry. I don't want things to be off between us."

"Me either."

He wanted to bury his face in his hands. It was his fault that it was. As much as he wanted to blame her, it was on him. "Nora—"

"I need to tell you something," she said, then it rushed out. "I go to see Jack Sparrow all the time. And I probably see him too much. Because things have gotten weird between us."

His finger twitched. "Weird?"

"Not that weird. Well, yes, that weird. I mean, it's not. I'm not—" And then she stopped and looked at him, eyes boggling out of her skull as if she realized that yes, she was admitting to something crazy aloud. "I just got too carried away."

"Okay," Levi said, because asking for details didn't seem like something she wanted. Or did she? Did she want someone to call her out for getting too attached to some guy she didn't even know? Because calling her out about himself as Levi hadn't gone too well.

Nora leaned back, slumped at an awkward angle to the point where her feet were bumping against his. "At least I wasn't saying crazy things like he was."

"Like what?"

Her fingers ran through her hair, as if she were debating tearing it out. "Never mind. It was just a stupid fight." Then she went still. "Did you tell him something?"

"Who?"

"Jack."

"Why would I ever talk to him?"

"You both work in Adventureland and he knew that the two of us hang out."

Levi shrugged. "I don't really talk to people, Nora. Except you."

And Oliver, but he didn't want to bring him up.

Her lips pouted. "Then how would he know?"

"Cast Members talk? We're at the parks all the time, especially Magic Kingdom."

"There are thousands of you guys. And you clean bathrooms, no offense, so I highly doubt all your coworkers are all that interested in who you're hanging out with. Especially since you just said you don't talk to anyone. Except Oliver, but why would Oliver talk about you to Jack?"

All the puzzle pieces, right there for her to grab and put together, and they weren't clicking. Right there for her to tell her, but he still couldn't. "So...why's it a big deal then?"

"Because I'm not used to having anyone in my personal business. And now all of a sudden everyone knows everything about me."

"I thought you said you were going to try to get better at letting people know you love Disney?"

"Yes, but I didn't say anything about my Disney people knowing about my regular stuff."

"Me included?"

Nora faced him again. "Of course not you. You know some stuff. I started with the whole you knowing stuff. Maddie, for instance. And...this."

Right. And why was he even pushing her? She didn't know anything about him. He hadn't let her. Levi bit the inside of his lip. "It's not really fair that he seems to know more about you than you do about him."

"Exactly."

"But I guess he might be worried about his job. Since people aren't supposed to know who he is."

"That's not really part of it. Some Cast Members know, right? Oliver told me he's Gaston."

"Yeah, but Oliver is pretty...Oliver."

Nora sighed. "Yeah. I know. It's just weird that Jack's keeping tabs on me or something. As if he's jealous."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Jack really did know a lot about her and did want to spend time with her.

"Not to mention it's not like he seems to ever be working while we're at the park. So he's never seen us...unless he saw us when he was out as a guest. I could have talked to him without all the makeup or pirate mannerisms and I wouldn't have known it. That would explain how he knew we hung out."

She'd definitely met him without the captain hat. And he was sitting right here. At her table. And if she found out, it would be the gallows for him.

"But I don't talk to people either," Nora steamed. "Not guys, at least. Except you and Oliver."

Levi tried not to blink too much.

"So was he just stalking me or something?" she said to herself. "Or was it accidental and he just saw us around sometime? And why would he bring it up..."

All his resolve to tell her stuffed itself in a very deep hole, shivering and small. "You should probably leave it alone, Nora. It'd put you both in an awkward position if you try to get him to explain stuff. And you could get him fired. And maybe lose your AP if you cause too much of a stir."

"But why would he be jealous?" she murmured, as if she hadn't heard anything he'd said. "And he wasn't jealous of Oliver, who made the most sense for him to be jealous of because he knows nothing is going on between us since he's friends with him..." Her hand came up to her mouth, as if to hide a smile.

"Nora?"

"Hm?"

Levi paused. He was being a hypocrite. Whatever it was she was thinking, it probably wasn't good. And he should put a stop to it.

But he was also hurt that the possibility of them dating was such an atrocious thought to her. Laughable. Offensive.

"I need to get going home. I have an early shift tomorrow."

"Oh. Sure thing. I'll see you sometime soon, Levi. Thanks for talking this out with me."

"Sure." Because it was the only thing he could say. The only thing he ever said to her. He was so much more than six feet underground now. Why bother stopping?

Old Jackie really has gotten himself into a hole, hasn't he? Not sure if he can get out of Davy Jones' locker this time.

Question of the Chapter: What is your least favorite thing about Disney parks (or theme/amusement parks in general). Mine is the toilet paper. That might sound weird, but you get super tired of the thinnest possible toilet paper. It's one of the only nonmagical things there. And leaving. Leaving is also the worst.

-Flips