Title: Seven Deadly Sins
Summary: A collection of one-shots relating to a character and their sin…
Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean nor the characters in this collection.
Author's Note: There are a number of relationships explored deep within the bowels of this collection. If there is one expressed that you are not particularly a fan of, please stick it out and still review. Lollipops and Tricorn hats for those who do.
Author's Note #2: Unfortunately, the content of this collection does not exactly mirror the title with which it was bestowed. I started this collection last year some time and was very proud of the outcomes, however I only managed to complete the first three of the Sins - Lust, Gluttony and Greed. My own sin relating to this collection, pride, has forced me to submit the completed aspects for, hopefully, your pleasure but only Lust, Gluttony and Greed shall be posted - unless many reviews grants me with inspiration to complete the last four. I'm hoping that's the case.
Lust
Charcter: Elizabeth Swann
There is a myth among the world of piracy and sailing that claims that having a woman aboard is bad luck.
On the Black Pearl, no such myth existed.
Instead, the Pearl thrived with a woman onboard. She was not as strong as the male sailors, nor was she as talented as some with the blade of a sword. She often made mistakes; she could not read the weather to an acceptable degree by the Captain and she preferred to be cleaner than most.
But she loved adventure. She'd willingly swing from the safety of the Pearl over the dark depths of the unpredictable sea and onto the foreign timbers of an opposing, or even unsuspecting, ship. She'd smile as she pressed her heavy cutlass to the throat of a sailor, even if her opposition was stronger and larger than herself.
She'd loved the life she had chosen for herself. She loved the Pearl and its inhabitants. She loved it all.
After all, the Pearl was her home. Not Port Royal with the reliability of William Turner, as she had previously thought. But rather, her home was wherever the Pearl took her; in the unpredictable seas and under the rule of her Captain.
With a smile gracing her lips, Elizabeth Swann sighed, her eyes still closed and weighed down with the remnants of sleep. She was beginning to sound like Jack in her affections for the Dark Lady. Perhaps, she had spent too much time around the man…
Sleepily, she stretched out a tired and work worn hand, letting it search the blankets in front of her. It came to rest on nothing of particular importance; only tangled sheets, the corner of a lumpy and uncomfortable pillow and the warmth left from the body that had previously slept there.
She should've known that he'd already be attending to his mistress.
Smiling, she rolled over, opening her eyes for the first time to take in the sight of the Captain's Cabin of The Black Pearl in admiration. Although merely a ship, the Pearl was the center point of all her dreams as a young child. The Pearl was a physical representation of what she wanted most in the world.
The Black Pearl was freedom.
Freedom was the driving point in her life. It was behind her decision to sail to the ends of the world to rescue the Captain of the ship she cared for so dearly. It was what made her explain to Will why she could not return to Port Royal with him. It was what drove her into the arms of Jack Sparrow.
"You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it."
Her smile grew as those words echoed deep within her mind. At first, she had downright objected to his statement, not verbally but mentally. Perhaps because it had irritated her at how well he knew her.
After leaving him for dead upon the Pearl, she had realized that, despite herself, she felt a connection between herself and Jack. A connection she had never experienced before.
Granted, Will was respectable, stable and she loved him dearly.
But Jack was passionate, outgoing, and spontaneous – he drove her insane and she loved it.
It, she reminded herself sternly as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, its sheets mangled from the previous night. She loved his attitude, his personality, and his effect on her.
But him, himself?
Lust, yes.
Desire, of course.
But love?
She doubted he would ever feel anything remotely close to love for her, so why waste her time feeling such emotions towards him?
In the end, she was a pirate – through and through.
Lust would do her just fine.
Pressing a calloused hand to her forehead, she pushed herself off the bed, immediately moving quickly around the small cabin, searching for her long-ago discarded clothes.
She quickly found them, strewn in a trail leading from the wooden doors of the cabin to the foot of the small, uncomfortable bed that both Jack and herself graced each night. Quickly, she picked them up, covering her otherwise naked body and moved from the view of the frosted windows of the doors.
The crew knew that she was Jack's woman. They knew not to gaze upon her with anything more than curiosity or futile admiration. But she didn't trust them completely. After all, the glass panels of the doors may be blurred but they weren't completely opaque.
As she pulled her shirt – a sailor's shirt, fit for a man – over her head, she took a moment to pause and inhale the smell of the fabric. Rum, it smelt like rum. Like Jack.
Shaking her head, a physical representation of her shaking the thoughts from her mind, she pulled on her pants and buttoned them, tying a sash around the waistline before shrugging into her jacket.
She was undoubtedly late for her work, possibly by minutes, perhaps by hours. Her captain would not care, after all, if he had, he would've woken her. But she knew that, despite the caliber in which much of the crew regarded her, they still did not appreciate the benefits she received. Neither did she.
She did not want exceptions for her whoring.
Satisfied that she was dressed, Elizabeth threw open the door and rushed outside the quarters, shutting the door hastily behind her. Shooting a rushed but genuine smile at Jack, hunched over some rigging, she moved up the stairs and behind Gibbs, positioned at the helm of the Pearl.
"Miss Elizabeth," Gibbs greeted courteously. The fact that she had once been a lady held in high regard had not escaped the man, and he still greeted her with grace.
"Mr. Gibbs," she replied, fastening the sash around her waist tighter. "Has Jack given you a bearing yet?"
She could not hide the smile from her face and the glee from her voice as she spoke the words. After all, having Jack Sparrow's infamous compass pointing towards herself when he pondered over where his latest conquest would be was a honor within itself.
"Yes, actually," a voice from behind her answered.
Still smiling, she spun on her heels to face Jack; the owner of the husky voice. "Jack," she greeted.
"Elizabeth," Jack replied before turning his attention to Gibbs, "do you mind?" He motioned to Elizabeth.
"No, sir," Gibbs responded with nod, focusing on the stretch of timber and sea in front of him.
Turning to her, Jack rested his sea-worn hands upon her upper arms, pushing her backwards gently. Somewhat obediently, she did not resist his urging and stepped backwards in time until she stopped suddenly, the wood of the Pearl's railing hard against her back.
Now confident that she was trapped between the railing and his own body, Jack ducked his head, brushing his lips harshly against Elizabeth's. With a satisfied smile, he pulled back. "Mornin' love," he greeted, his dark eyes enticing her.
Smiling, she licked her lips, tasting the fine hints of rum that lingered from the kiss. As she watched his grin widen to match her own, she let out a small giggle. "Dear Jack, are you intoxicated already?"
Jack feigned a look of pure horror at her accusation. "Me, love?" he replied, his voice tinged with sarcasm, "never."
Elizabeth giggled; her mood only lifting when she noted that Jack, too, was laughing softly. Given his usual enigmatic nature, to see emotion shining through his armor was relieving.
With a wicked grin, Elizabeth let her face change from happiness to seductiveness. Slowly, she wrapped her hands around the collar of his shirt, pulling him close so that her own face was only centimeters from his.
"I missed you this morning."
Jack eyes, she noted with glee, were not focused on her own, but rather at her lips.
"Doubtlessly," he responded, his breath warm against her face. "Something which I must make amends for right away."
As he leant in closer, Elizabeth giggled softly. "Doubtlessly," she mimicked as his lips neared her, pressing a passionate kiss upon her own.
Almost hungrily, she returned the kiss.
With Will, such a kiss would probably be frowned upon. Something for the private of their own home; not for the observation of the entire crew.
With Jack, missing such a moment for the sake of others would be frowned upon. Living in the moment, enjoying the moment was not.
Still eagerly ravishing Jack's mouth with her own, Elizabeth could not help but open her eyes as the sound of distant footsteps grew louder, indicating someone was walking towards them. Not breaking off the kiss, she positioned herself so that she could see past Jack, to glance upon the intruder.
Immediately recognizing the stern, unforgiving face, she quickly pulled back, placing her hands firmly against Jack's chest. When he didn't stop in his efforts, she pushed him off herself with surprising strength that had been gained and perfected by work upon the Pearl.
Jack glanced at her with quizzical eyes, opening his mouth to speak.
Her eyes hard, she motioned to behind him.
She watched, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, as Jack turned around slowly.
"Ahh," Jack said softly, throwing a glance over his shoulder. A mixture of surprise and amusement crossed his features; his eyes were wide, his eyebrows raised and his mouth stretched downwards at the corners.
"Will," Elizabeth began.
"Ragetti and Pintel need you," Will stated, curtly cutting off Elizabeth. With a nod, satisfied that he had given his message, he turned on his heels and made a hasty exit.
Elizabeth sighed softly, hanging her head, as Will's retreating footsteps got softer. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Despite the fact that she had chosen the road less traveled – the road of piracy which did not end, nor start, in a glimmer of light -, she still feel a burning guilt for Will.
While engaged to him, she had kissed another.
Still engaged, she had chosen almost certain death to save said person.
Still engaged, she had greeted Jack with such passion, such happiness, that she knew that her marriage-to-be would never be.
He hadn't even let her explain her actions.
He hadn't let her tell him that, despite her relationship with Jack, she still loved him.
Pirate or not, she was still a woman and she still had feelings.
Snapping her back into reality, Jack sighed against her warm skin, taking a moment to lean back and stare into the depths of her glassy eyes. Gently he brushed her face with a dirty calloused hand, regarding her soundlessly.
"Hating yourself will only further my hate for you as I hate those who hate themselves," Jack said softly, his voice reassuring even through the complexity of his statement.
She sighed. "It's just-"
Stubbornly, Jack shook his head, pressing a finger to her lips. "He lost you, Elizabeth. Don't dwell on it."
Her mind countered Jack's statements. Will hadn't lost her; Will had had her snatched cruelly from her grasp – by none other than Jack Sparrow, a man that a lady such as herself would've usually despised.
Lady. The word hammered painfully in her mind. She wasn't a lady anymore. She was a pirate through and through.
Subconsciously, Elizabeth let her thumb rub over the raw brand on her foreman. P – the brand of a pirate. Something she had acquired during a run-in with Cutler Beckett.
He had taken such pride in the way she squirmed when he had pressed the white-hot iron to her flesh…
Elizabeth jumped uncharacteristically as Jack spoke.
"Besides," Jack continued, aiming to lighten the mood. "I'm a much better catch."
"Are you, Captain?" Elizabeth teased gently, although the burden of her betrayal of Will still weighed heavily on her mind. "And how, dare tell, can you prove such a declaration?"
When he leant in closer towards her, she could feel his warm breath against her face as he slowly inhaled and exhaled at a constant speed. Despite the excitement that bred deep within her at the intimacy of the position, she raised her jaw slightly and cocked a curious eyebrow at him.
Jack groaned loudly, pulling away slightly. "As much as the proposition of displaying such a declaration would be greatly appreciated and satisfying, I have a ship to sail."
"You could leave the ship in Gibbs's care," she suggested with a mischievous smile. "And explore such displays."
Almost defensively, Jack straightened. "Are you suggesting I hand over my beloved?"
"Never," she countered, the sultriness of her voice remaining, "If you do not wish to reap the rewards of our relationship," she pushed him backwards, manipulating their position so that she could step away in a taunting manner, "than that is your choice."
Again, Jack groaned. "Would such reaping of such rewards be still on offer after I tend to the ship?"
Teasingly, Elizabeth cocked her head slightly and bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure, Captain. Your one and only love is the sea, no? The Pearl the only lady you need?"
She grinned as she noted his eyes traveling up and down the length of her body.
"As a captain, yes…" he let his voice trail away, stepping towards her, "as a man, however…"
Elizabeth feigned shock. "The infamous Captain Sparrow admitting that he is merely a mortal man?"
"A hard thought to process, doubtlessly," Jack replied, his characteristic grin lighting up his features. "But, surprisingly, I am merely a man."
She snorted. "Modest too."
Almost longingly, Jack stepped forwards, his arm coming from his side to reach out for her.
With a mischievous grin, Elizabeth dodged his outstretched hand, moving backwards. "Attend to your ship, Captain," she stated, her tone serious even though it was merely a joke.
Eyes narrowed, Jack huffed in mock anger. "Women," he merely stated before spinning on his heels and walking away.
Knowing he would look, Elizabeth remained still, staring after his retreating form. Sure enough, as he reached the steps leading to the lower deck of the Pearl, he spun on his heels and flashed his gold teeth.
Smiling, Elizabeth nodded to herself.
Lust would definitely do.