"Pirate."
The word replayed in her head over and over again. Why was it that she could never seem to forget him? That she thought about him at least 10 times a day? That every little thing would remind her of him? Sure they had come back and rescued him from Davy Jone's Locker, but some how it would never felt the same after she had killed him.
Stupid. What did you expect? For him to run right back into your arms after you left him? She shunned herself.
"Cap'n?" A voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Mr. Bell? Replied Elizabeth.
"Do we have a heading?"
A heading, that's what Jack's compass had been used for, to find a heading. Unfortunately, every time Elizabeth had used it, it pointed to the wrong thing, definitely not what she had wanted most...at the time.
"Cap'n?"
Elizabeth sighed and said, "Make a heading for Tortuga, Mr. Bell."
"Aye," replied Mr. Bell and closed the door behind him.
On her ship, The Inquisitor, Elizabeth was Captain John Marring. She could not have any of the crew members knowing that she was a woman. It was still considered bad luck to have a woman aboard, and even more so with a woman captain. She had gone to sea again shortly after Will had left. No matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to stay on land. It always seemed that the ocean was calling to her, so because of this, she assembled a rather small crew and went off to sail the blue waters once more. Sometimes she wished to find The Flying Dutchman, but knew that that would be a near impossible feat and did not bother to waste her energy trying.
Soon Elizabeth lied down to rest and felt the ship come to a stop.
Must've fallen asleep, she thought. She quickly grabbed her rifle and stuck a small knife into her boot. One could never be too careful in Tortuga. She checked her mirror for any feminine signs on her face but saw none and strode out onto the main deck.
"Cap'n Marring?"
"Aye?" Elizabeth replied.
"'We're 'ere,"
"I can see that," said Elizabeth sharply and in a manly tone.
First thing that hit Elizabeth when she walked into Tortuga was the smell, the smell of rum, dirty pirates, and cheap perfume from the women. Everyone looked like they hadn't had a bath in at least as month, smelled like it too. She wearily walked into the closest bar and sat at an empty table away from most of the crowd.
"Rum," she called to the bartender.
"Why is the rum always gone?"
As always, Elizabeth's thoughts returned to Jack and it was getting quite annoying. She shook the thought out of her head and instead began to think of Will. She wondered how it must be like for him onThe Flying Dutchman. She hoped that everything was ok and she knew that the chances of everything being ok were high but she still worried constantly, whenever she wasn't thinking about Jack that is.
Oh stop it! She scolded herself.You're married to Will and its not healthy to think about other men so much while being married. I bet he doesn't even think about you at all!
The thought of Jack not caring what happened to her made her feel terribly depressed, but it also made her feel mad. She had made a mistake and she had rescued him afterwards, hadn't she? Why couldn't he just forgive her?
After the bartender had delivered the drink to Elizabeth she tried to keep her thoughts away from Jack or anything relating to Jack.
After a few minutes of sitting there and concentrating mostly on the rum in the cup, Elizabeth felt someone nudge her shoulder. She immediately tensed and moved her hand slowly down to her sword. She was just about to bring her sword to her "attacker's" neck when she heard a familiar voice say;
"Cap'n?"
Elizabeth let out a huge breath which she hadn't realized she was holding and relaxed.
"Yes, Mr. Bell?" Elizabeth tried her best to keep the annoyance out of her voice when as she talked to her first mate.
"The crew an' me think it's best to set off now," said Mister Bell tentatively. He knew how much his captain hated getting orders or "suggestions" from the crew.
To his surprise the captain turned to him and with out the slightest anger in "his" voice said,
"Aye, I believe you're right, take the crew back to me ship an' prepare to set off."
As Mister Bell walked off quite giddily Elizabeth thought he reminded her of a little girl and laughed to herself at the thought. She knew that he was expecting her to start a heated argument with him about the crew suggesting orders to her, but Elizabeth felt a bit too tired to argue. She paid the bartender and quickly walked out of the bar almost bumping into a tall, muscled man in the doorway.
"S'cuse me, mate," said the man.
"Sorry," mumbled Elizabeth, forgetting to use her low, male voice.
As she walked back to the ship, she couldn't get one small detail out of her head. It was the man's voice. She was sure she had heard it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it, which left her very troubled.
"My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled"
Elizabeth gasped and stopped abruptly. She knew who's voice it was. But, there was no way, was there?
"Jack," she whispered.
"Hold anchor!" She yelled to her crew and was about to rush back to the bar in order to see if the man really was Jack, but Mister Bell grabbed her wrist, "Nay, Cap'n storms a comin' we'll never out run it in time if we dont set sail now."
Elizabeth looked up at the extremely dark purple clouds and realized that he was right. She was torn, she desperately wanted to see Jack again, but was afraid that her ship would become damaged too. She weighed her options and decided that she didn't know that it was Jack and what if it wasn't? She would lose her ship AND not be able to see him again. At least this way she would get to keep her ship.
"All hands on deck!" Shouted Elizabeth on top of the storm. She shouted out orders and The Inquirer sailed away from Tortuga unharmed and out of the storms way.
All night, Elizabeth tossed and turned as she thought of Jack.
I wonder if he maybe recognized me...
What if he hates me now and doesn't care at all?
What if that wasn't really him?
But it had to be...his sent, his clothes, his voice, everything points to Jack!
"Oh, Shut it!" She murmured to herself as she turned on her side. Once again, she tried to go to sleep, but failed miserably and was tortured all night long with thoughts of Captain Jack Sparrow.
She thought of their kiss. It was wasn't soft and tender but yet, and far different from any kisses she had ever shared with Will. Maybe even better than any kisses she had ever shared with Will. Suddenly Elizabeth got a strong, undeniable want to see Jack again, to kiss Jack, to hear his voice again. Anything, but it had to be with Jack.
STOP IT! Are you bloody insane? What would Will do if he caught you thinking like this?
But Will isn't here! She argued with her self. She was having a battle with her brain and her heart.
Besides, Jack doesn't want to kiss you again.
This was true, as far as Elizabeth thought. She painfully remembered how hurt she had felt when Jack refused her kiss on the Black Pearl before she left the Pearl forever. Although she might not have showed her hurt on her face and although she did not think it mattered at that time, she knew that deep inside she was regretful that she didn't get to kiss him again.
Elizabeth got up and went out on the deck, refusing to be tortured by her thoughts any longer. The sky was illuminated with millions of little stars. Mister Bell was asleep in a corner on the ship, nestling a bottle of rum. Mister Tilde was in the crow nest doing what also appeared to be napping. The rest of the crew was no where to be seen.
I wonder what time it is, Elizabeth thought to herself.
She felt the brisk, cool wind on her cheek and gazed up on the stars. They were so beautiful and peaceful that for a moment Elizabeth felt as if all her troubles melted away. She remembered the simpler times when it was just Will and her, how happy and carefree she had seemed before she had joined into piracy. But that life was also very boring and remote. Being trapped in the manor with her father and their many maids, going to tea parties and elegant balls, it all seemed so long ago even though it hadn't been too long ago that Elizabeth wondered what it would be like to meet a pirate. Never would she have imagined being one herself.
What brought her out of her thoughts was a soft thump at the ship's side. Although it did seem much louder against the stillness and silence of the night. Elizabeth hurried to the edge on the ship and looked over. At first she couldn't see anything but then saw what looked like a body in the water.
"Man overboard!!" she yelled with such fierceness she surprised herself.
The crew woke up and rushed to the side of the boat where Elizabeth stood. Everyone stood gaping, not sure of what to do.
"Move it, you fools! Throw him a raft! Reel him in! Do something don't just stand there, you bloody cowards!"
When the crew finally awoke from their post-slumber they rushed to throw the life raft over board and quickly reeled in the man. The laid him down on the cold, wooden, deck and he immediately began coughing up water.
"Mister Flem go fetch some blankets for the poor man," commanded Elizabeth, then knelt down above the man and said more softly, "Can you hear me?"
"Aye, I can hear you just fine, lass," said the drowning man and sat up abruptly as he tried to take in his surroundings. Elizabeth gasped as she realized that the man's face had a strong similarity to Jack's. She squinted at him through the darkness. He was in fact the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.
"Jack..." whispered Elizabeth more to herself, but Jack heard her.
"Ah, so I take it you've heard of me," smiled Jack.
With horror Elizabeth realized that if jack was to find out who she was, things would not be good. Jack would use her identity to blackmail her and get whatever he wanted. If the crew knew that she was a woman, she feared she would not get the same respect she got now.
"Uh..." mumbled Elizabeth in her most manly tone when she saw that Jack was looking at her intently, "Men! Look after him, make sure he gets well rested. Thank ye," said Elizabeth quickly and was about to rush back to her quarters to hide, but Mister Bell called after her,
"Cap'n Marring, wouldn't ye want to question 'im?" he called.
"Um, No! I mean, yes! Oi, I'm getting quite tired, uh, rather sea-sick too, tomorrow Mister Bell!" Elizabeth faltered many times and turned bright red. She was thankful for the dark night as she ran down to the captain's quarters.
"Weird cap'n," mumbled Jack.
"Er, 'es not usually like t'is," explained Mister Bell.
Back in her cabin, Elizabeth was panicking, trying to figure out what to do. On one hand, she could pretend to be a man in front of jack, but she was sure she would do something to give away her true identity, or Jack would simply see through her disguise. On another hand, she could tell him who she really was, but then she would have to face his knowing looks and his black mailing. None of the choices looked promising, but Elizabeth decided to go with pretending to be a man.
A knock on the door made her look up. So, wrapped up in her thoughts, Elizabeth didn't ask who it was or check to make sure all feminine signs were covered. Due to this, she forgot to put on her hat, which would cover her golden hair.
She opened the door and practically yelped when she saw Jack looking at her questioningly. Realizing that she was with out her hat, she shut the door in Jack's face and yelled in a deep voice,
"Uh, one minute!" She grabbed her hat swept some of the locks that had escaped from her high braid under it.
She reopened the door and saw Jack smirking at her. Oh no, she worried had she already figured out who she was?
Stupid idiot!! How could you open the door with out putting on your hat? Her voice yelled in her head, but she pushed he voice aside and said slowly,
"Yes?"
"Just checking up on our dear Cap'n, I understand there are some...propositions you would like to discuss with me, aye?
Elizabeth didn't understand what he was talking about.
"Propositions? Of what sort?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Oh ye know, what do ye want in return for ye freeing me?"
"Nothing," Elizabeth realized that this was true, to be on the safe side, she just wanted him off of her ship.
"Really, cap'n Marring?" He asked, taking a step forward.
Elizabeth was about to take a step backwards, bit remembered that such a noble captain as herself would never do that. So in stead she attempted to take a step forward, but tripped over Jack's foot, not realized how close he was, and fell down. In the process her hat fell off and she tried to cover her face as best she could with her hands and coat. Her efforts failed.
"Excuse me, dear cap'n," said Jack mockingly.
"You did that on purpose!" Yelled an angry Elizabeth not caring if he would realize who she was.
"Funny, I would have thought a noble pirate such as your self would have a lower voice and shorter hair, oh and possibly a more muscled body," he chuckled.
"Oh shut it Jack!"
"Lizzy?!" gasped Jack but quickly composed himself, "Uh, and dont think that I didn't recognize ye earlier! Because I did, really!" He chided unconvincingly. He must have realized that she was a woman, but not who she really was.
"You cannot, I repeat cannot tell any of my crew about me being a woman, do you understand?"
"Ah, so your crew doesn't know about your...shall we say...condition. That's very interesting."
"Do you understand?" Repeated Elizabeth crossly.
"Aye, aye, and may I ask, does the whelp know about you now being a fearsome captain?"
"Stop calling him that!"
"Am merely speakin' the truth darlin', honesty is always the best policy...unless it comes to ye bein' a lady yet pretending to be a man, that is..." he continued to be amused and it was beginning to make Elizabeth quite angry.
"Is something wrong cap'n?" Asked Jack with a mocking smile.
Elizabeth could not stand it any longer, she slapped him across the face, hard, and spat angrily,
"As a matter of fact something is wrong, and that something is standing right in front of me!"
With that she turned around, picked up her hat an walked back to her cabin, slamming the door behind her.
Jack still felt the sting of the slap as he sat outside.
Bugger, woman, he thought to himself.