Desiderata
Summary: Sparrow finds himself in yet, another, misfortunate dilemma. But, when his own wit and cleverness does not save him, he needs to rely on his faithful, though, unorthodox friend… and their adventure redefines their friendship completely.
Takes place before CoTBP.
Chapter One: Placid amid Noise and Haste
. . .
"Mmmm…" She moaned softly beneath her breath. The night was cold, damp, yet beneath the covers of her bed, she was hot. She was on fire. As was he, and he panted softly, moving himself against her gently. They both moaned softly in ecstasy… their voices ever so soft, so that no one would hear them. Fingers trailing each other's skin… caressing their faces, their thighs. Ah, and despite their sweaty composure, they smelled of exotic spices and Irish springs.
The coupling was hot, sexy, and ever so romantic. What, since her husband had died, she'd been longing for someone to grant her the same attention that her husband had… and this; this was all she could have ever hoped for. Her face was flushed, and her thick, curly red hair splayed across the mattress, creating waves of crimson that framed her heart shaped face… Her freckles were buried in a shade of pink… her breath labored, as she looked into those chocolate, kohl framed eyes of his…
She never wanted it to end. No, she loved Jack Sparrow… within minutes, the flame of passion begun to fade out, and he laid himself beside her on the bed, holding her closely to his chest, purring softly in her ear, sending shots of shivers straight down her spine, to her toes. She closed her eyes… mouthing the words, "I love you" as her sleepiness finally begun to take her to the land of blackness and dreams…
She woke to the warmth of the sun as it leaked in through the open window of her room. She smiled, turning her head.
"Ah… Jack." She hummed, giggling softly… She lifted her hand from underneath her body and felt her arm for Jack's hand… She, however, opened her eyes immediately when she felt nothing there… And the warmth of the sun, she had confused for the warmth of Jack's body. She bolted upright in her bed and threw off the sheets from the mattress, stripping it bare to reveal the painful truth that Jack had up and left her. She cursed herself for her stupidity… she should have known, huh?
"Eejit!" She screamed, picking up a pillow and ruthlessly beating the empty space where Jack had lain. "Numpty! Arr! Ya bas! And tha poor blighter 'ad a face like a skelpit erse. Ah…" She took another powerful swat at the emptiness on her bed, causing loud ruckus and drawing attention to the open window… A wandering passersby could easily hear the commotion going on through the open window, and were more tempted to approach it and peer inside. She let out a long, loud, string of curses… "Ah can't believe ah fell fer tha! Tha kindness! BULLSH-!"
Mothers covered their children's ears as they passed the open window… And some rebellious teens stood near the frame, listening to the woman swear and curse, and they giggled with each word… Feathers were flying in all directions and floating out from the window magically… creating more suspicion amongst the townsfolk outside. Creating more giggles, and more stink eyes from elderly folks, not wanting to hear the woman let out her frustration.
. . .
Seagulls cry softly in the distance, as Jack leans against the rails of the ship, his head facing the deep, dark, misty ocean... yet his focus rested entirely on the one ring he had collected. And the new bags of other gold items as well. He was... enchanted, almost. Haunted, by the beauty in the ring he had taken from the woman. She dosen't need it anyway... He thought. 'Er damned 'usband is dead anyhow.
"Back so soon?" Bootstrap Bill says… Jack looks at him and smirks, wondering, again, why he had allowed himself to be stuck with this idiot for so long…
"…n'yeah." Jack mumbles softly, he turns his head and begins to wiggle onto his finger, the lovely gold and black ring. The sun simmers against it, creating a wonderfully golden glint, catching Bootstrap's attention. He only chuckled softly in his throat and shook his head, in a mix between disbelief and an attitude as, 'How did I not expect this?'.
"… You're kiddin' me." He mumbles, soft enough to not have spoken… yet loud enough for Jack to hear. The captain was caught off guard somewhat, and he flexed his fingers, making sure that the ring fit nice and snug on his finger.
"Wot?" He asked, hiding his hand away, trying not to be guilt-tripped by any one else today.
"That ri-"
"Okay!" Jack cut in, not wanting to hear the long, conversation. Even though, Bootstrap wasn't one to hold long conversations, he wanted to avoid being seen in an odd shade of light, for surely, any man who dare steal a widow's wedding ring would be doomed to the fiery depths of hell… "Yeah. I took it from her…"
"… I wasn't asking."
"Of course you weren't." Jack snarled, softly… not fully intending for his comment to reach Bootstraps ears. The two fell silent and Bootstrap slowly slipped away and disappeared from the deck of The Black Pearl. Jack smirked, knowing full-well that though what he did was entirely wrong, Bootstrap would not tell a soul.
And it came to past, the day Jack Sparrow actually remembered that he had accomplished the task that he had set out to do! Yes… He simply needed the money. He frowned at how he 'sold' himself so cheap… seducing a poor widow, then taking her belongings.
"Well…" Jack spoke to himself in his cabin… The shadows were his only audience, as the men were robustly working on deck. "… If she was stupid enough to sleep with me… she should have known better." He nodded slowly, liking the silence that greeted him back, all but the distant shouts and the gentle pounding of boots upon the deck. "I shouldn't feel guilty." He assured himself. "She had in comin' poor lass…"
His eyes wandered to the shiny, black and gold ring on his finger. It glinted at him with a demonic light, sneering and laughing as though waiting for him to fall to pieces. He snarled at it, thinking to himself… "It's… just a ring." He could imagine seeing her… The beautiful widow. What was her name? Lily? Laura? Loretta…? The name could not come into his mind, yet… he could see her. Standing at the alter with her thick, red hair tied up into a large bun on the top of her head… Her red lips pouting slightly against her light, milky skin that was lightly sprinkled with freckles. That beautiful smile. And a lovely white dress that shimmered beautifully in the sunlight… He could almost feel the happiness in the ring. The warm memories that he had stolen.
"Bugger…" He mouthed.
. . .
So, when a pirate swipes a fair penny… where does it go? Tortuga!
Once they tied up at the dock, the crew dispensed around the isle of Tortuga, picking up women, picking up new crew members, picking up gold, or anything that caught their interest. Jack watched from a distance, as he noticed Barbossa walking away from a market venue, a green apple loosely tucked into his pocket… still shining in the moonlight. Jack sighed… wondering how he'd ever picked such a crew.
He looked around, the women were all the same… He was getting tired of having the same old- same old nights in Tortuga… With the women with their large breasts, full lips and pale skin. Their large Antoinette wings and their obnoxious laughter. He felt a snarl creep onto his face and he shook the thoughts from his head… feeling sullied that he had slept with most of them. No, he needed a change for once…
But where? Tortuga was a port of consistency… Nothing changed here. Sighing, Jack relied on his old philosophy of life. "It's much better when seen from the bottom of a glass." He sauntered over to the Captain's Daughter… preparing to speak loudly and guzzle as much rum as his body could take.
Meandering inside of the tavern, Jack's attention was first drawn to a beautiful woman in the center of the room… His jaw dropped a little, and his eyes widened as he stared. It was no wonder she was the center of attention. Many tall, buff pirate men surrounded her, attempting to grope her body and offer their sweetest talk while drunk. She had such an innocent giggle, and with her voice, she held the power to swoon almost any man…
"Oh, boys…" She giggled. "You really can't tempt me with your soft words and sweet music." Jack watched helplessly as the strong, sailor men that surrounded her turn to jelly and melt to their feet. It was frightening…! How much power a woman, A WOMAN, could hold over such air-headed blighters.
"Unscrupulous strumpet." A gruff, tired voice spoke to Jack from the shadows, causing the now, terrified pirate to turn on his heels and glare madly into the darkness.
"Ibegyourpardon?" He spat.
"She comes 'round here everyday… hoping to build some kind o' name for herself…" The voice spoke, then was taken over by a tough coughing fit. Jack peered closely into the shadows to see who it was that was speaking, and he approached the dark table cautiously. When he gave up, he reached for a nearby candlestick and held it into the shadows, revealing a man… A much older man, with a dirty face and sorrowful eyes. He had a nice cigar between his teeth and a wooden mug halfway filled. When the light reached his eyes, he held up his hands, which were scratched and dirtied as well, to protect his dull eyes.
"Ah. The gal over yonder?" Jack asked, taking a quick glance over his shoulder to gaze at her beauty once more.
"Yar." The man responded. "She looks promisin', but don't associate with lower class folk like her." He chuckled idly, taking a long swing from his mug, then pounding the cup onto the wood of the table with such force that the sound made Jack jump back a little. "… She's awful fond of takin' things that don't belong to her."
"Oh." Jack nodded in understanding, feeling awful now… That he had lowered himself to be just like the strumpet yonder. Sleeping with other people just to steal their belongings. Surely, Captain Jack Sparrow was now the lowest scum of the earth had everyone known what he'd done… and to a poor widow! He growled softly in his throat and turned his head.
"Yar an odd lookin' fellow." The man said.
"I can't tell if that's a compliment or not."
"Take it as you want. But I didn't mean it as a compliment…"
Jack was at a loss for words, and he simply nodded and took the liberty of sitting down beside the old man. Setting the candlestick down beside them to shed some light. The older man coughed, and Jack took this opportunity to study the man… When you looked at his face, he wasn't that much older than Jack. Yes, he was possibly old enough to be Jack's father… yet, his age did not compare to Captain Teague's. The man had another harsh, coughing fit. Jack opened his mouth to speak once more, before hesitating and closing his mouth again.
"Mm. I've seen better days." The man chuckled. Jack nodded awkwardly, not quite knowing how to respond to a statement like that… He realized that the giggling and the cooing had faded off, and he turned over his shoulder and looked to the spot where the beautiful woman used to be. In her place… there stood a rather ugly, older woman… Still making silent giggling gestures. Her long, thick hair was now thinned and grey and her lovely tan skin was now dull and pale. Her lush lips were thin, cracked and bleeding… and the strong, brave sailors that surrounded her… all turned into short, buck-toothed donkeys.
Jack shuddered, and in a blink, the loud, obnoxious laughter of hers and the way the men cooed had all gone silent… It felt like just him and the old man now. He heard the soft, gentle tap of the wooden mug hitting the wood of the table, and Jack's attention turned back to the mysterious old man he had met…
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste…" He said. "And remember what peace there may be in silence."
Jack raised an eyebrow, watching as the man lifted the mug to his lips once more, finishing off his mug of rum.
"What be your name?" Jack asked.
"Gibbs." The man replied… "Joshamee Gibbs."
Jack gave a crooked smile, his golden teeth glinting devilishly in the candlelight, making Gibbs smirk as well. Together, they sat in complete silence, (despite the loudness of the tavern, what, with the ladies fighting and the men laughing hysterically.) none of them even stirred at the noise around them, and they were, indeed, placid amid the chaos.
Author's Notes:
I'm NOT dead! :D
I haven't written anything, in a super long time. In case you didn't notice, this fiction is loosely based upon the concept of "Desiderata". In case you didn't know, as well, "Desiderata" means, "Desired things" and it is a short-ish poem about happiness and life.
In AWE, one of the Jack replica's is seen half nude, and sporting this poem tattooed across his chest, shoulders and back. (*To jog your memory, he's the replica that Jack stabs.) Got me to thinking, "Now, why would Jack pick that poem?"
That, and I like writing friendship/adventure stories. I decided to make Gibbs his partner is crime.
Happy reading. Reviews are very helpful, especially when you add some constructive criticism, or suggestions. It helps me with plot development, character development and the prevention of plot holes or inconsistency. Also, if I happened to miss some grammar or spelling, please let me know! (It's embarrassing when you realize you've spelled some word wrong, but it happens to the best of us!)
Thanks, again!
- Rawiyah
