Born To Be: Chapter Seven
This will be my last chapter until late August. I'm going to be spending my summer in Paul Smiths New York, at camp. I'm leaving June 24th, returning August 15th. I promise as soon as I get back I'll write a nice, long chapter. Read and review, please! And may you all have pleasant summers.
It seemed that Elizabeth had made a vow not to forgive Jack. She made sure that she was constantly a good, far distance from him. On the occasion that she did run into him, Jack would hopefully lift his eyes to look at her; she'd glare and look down. She would then turn on her heels and walk the other way. Jack, who thought Elizabeth was being a party pooper, would let a frustrated sigh.
Theo, (who was usually around when this happened) would then rollher eyes and get back to work with whatever she was doing. It used to be funny to watch the two of them squabble like an old married couple; but after a week it became pretty boring.
Theo had been on the Pearl for a week and a half now. She had settled in nicely and enjoyed the environment of the Pearl. She caught onto the ships routine quickly and became comfortable with the surroundings. But she made sure she was always a fair distance from the brig.
The crew wasn't too bad. At least they were friendly enough. She became acquainted with the kind Mr. Gibbs, who didn't seem to like her at first. But after she tied a perfect knot to hold down the cannons during a small storm a few days ago, he came to realize she was just as useful, if not more, as any other man in the crew, and not a lovesick, pirate wannabe who had their eyes on a certain captain. He still had his suspicion of women on ships though, as much as Theo tried to kindly protest. He was a kind soul; although if you saw him drink you'd beg to differ.
There was also Ana Maria, the other woman pirate in the crew. Ana Maria did her work well and kept to herself most of the time. Theo went to her one day to have a small chat.
"How long have you crewed on the Pearl?" Theo asked casually. Ana Maria's dark eyes inspected Theo and softened.
"Long: too long. I used 'ta have my own ship 'till Jack came along one day. Used his sweet talk and everything after tha' is embarrassing to tell. It ended with Jack stealin' my ship and sailin' away with me stuck at damned Tortuga." Ana Maria said fiercely. Theo let out a small laugh. Ana Maria looked at her and smirked.
"I guess 'tis funny now, but god, did I hate 'tha man…" Ana Maria said as she shook her head.
"I'm Theo, by the way." Said Theo.
"Oh, I know who 'ye are. I'm Ana Maria, but you can jus call me Ana." Said Ana with a bold smile. Theo nodded.
"How's ye hand?" Ana asked, pointing to Theo's wrist. Theo looked down at her hand, which was covered in a thick bandage. It looked better, and although it was still burning and throbbing, she had gotten used to the pain and didn't mind it anymore.
"It's alright: I might have to sew it up, though." Said Theo. Ana winced sympathetically. Ana crossed her arms over her chest, sat down on the deck, and leaned against the ship. Theo joined her.
"So, Theo: what's your story?"
Theo laughed.
"Jus' ask Jack." Theo said, looking over to the other side of the ship where Jack was standing. He was holding a book, pretending to read, but maybe, Theo thought to herself, it would look a bit more convincing if the book wasn't upside down. Jack lifted his eyes from the book and saw the two women looking at him. He dropped his eyes down back to the book. Theo and Ana giggled quietly.
"He likes 'ye." Said Ana.
"Eh. He likes Elizabrat even more. " She said quietly: Ana laughed.
"I guess you can say he likes pretty women, generally. But tis isn't the place for her." Ana said, playing with the frill on her sleeve.
"What?"
"She's not exactly a pirate. She was born into the life of the rich. Her father was governor of some fancy shipping port. The former crew of the Pearl, who thought she was the answer to their prayers and the end to a curse settled on the ship, kidnapped her. It turns out her lover boy, William Turner, was the one they wanted. All in all, the two of 'em were supposed to wed. But they were arrested for helpin' Jack escape before they could say 'I do.'" Explained Ana. Theo starred at her blankly.
"Somethin' wrong?" asked Ana. Theo shook her head.
"No…I just…didn't know Elizabeth and I shared so many similarities. So, Elizabeth is here because…?" Theo mumbled. Ana raised an eyebrow. She hunched down low and began to talk in a whisper.
"I'm not s'posed to know this, but I'm smarter than Jack thinks I am. Ye see, Jack is in a load of trouble with the Davy Jones. Jack gave Will to Davy Jones to stand in his place. Will is aboard the Dutchman, the living Hell ship, because of Jack. Elizabeth doesn't know that, and Jack has coaxed her into one of his little games, only to git what he wants." Ana said harshly.
Theo felt her stomach drop. She actually felt somewhat guilty for being rude to Elizabeth. Jack was using her.
"Jack needs Elizabeth to find Davy Jones's heart. That compass of his…"
"Shows the way to what you want most and she wants to find her William most. Will has the heart of Davy Jones?" Theo finished for Ana.
"…Not exactly, but you get the point. Anyway, since Elizabeth wont go near Jack now, and since you were able to show Jack the way to the heart last week…"
"He's just going to use me instead. Lovely." Theo said, becoming agitated.
"When I was young I got around a lot. I've heard plenty o' tales about Davy Jones, mostly from pirates who knew their stuff. Davy Jones keeps 'is heart in a chest: the dead man's chest. He keeps the key to the chest with him at all times. The chest, though, is hidden somewhere: pro'ly on some little island that nobody has ever seen. Jack promised Elizabeth that if he had the heart, he could save Will, which is true, but…it's just not right." Said Ana, her dark eyes fixed with anger.
"He's awful." Said Theo.
"Now, now, cant I git a little credit?"
Theo and Ana turned around to see Jack standing over them.
"Captain." Said Ana, blushing.
Theo looked away, her heart beating fast.
"Ana Maria: go help Gibbs patch the tear in the sail." Jack said, his eyes not leaving Theo. Ana left, giving Theo an "I'm sorry" look. Once Ana was gone, Theo looked up at Jack.
"If you have something to explain, please do it now." Said Theo.
"Actually, love, I don't. Ana gave you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You can go around givin' me all the dirty looks 'ye want, but I don't really care. Because guess what, love? I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Pirates take what they want and want what they take. I may be dishonest but it's what I am, savvy?" Jack said harshly.
Theo was shocked. She never thought Jack could be so…straightforward. (A/N: either did I!)
"Yes, captain." Theo said quietly: she embarrassed and sort of ashamed. She was just as dishonest and scheming as Jack but she thought of him as a bad man, who he was, but she couldn't blame him. He was just living and doing what he did best, like she was.
Jack nodded and began to walk away. He stopped and turned back to her.
"I want you in my cabin later to help me navigate. If you disagree, I will literally throw you off me ship, got it?" said Jack, pointing a finger at her.
Now that was pushing it too far for Theo.
"Don't…" Theo stopped to suck in a deep breath to calm her anger. "Threaten me." Theo said before walking off.
"Is that a yes?" Jack called after her.
"YES, CAP'N!" Theo shouted back. She walked over to Ana who was bent over a torn sail, sewing away. Ana gave Theo a needle and the two began to work.
"He acts like a two year old. Just when he does something good he goes and does somethin' stupid!" Theo mumbled angrily.
"I know, I know…" chorused Ana.
(Later.)
Theo stood over Jack's beautiful maps, trying to work in the dimly light room. Jack watched her carefully as she traced her fingers over the thin papers, her dark eyes wide.
"Well, we'll be sailing in this direction…" Theo said, dragging her finger along the map "until we come to this island. And that, Captain Jack Sparrow, is where your bloody heart is." Said Theo. She put the compass down, which she had been holding tightly in her palm for about an hour now. Jack sighed with relief and plopped down into a chair.
"But if you want your crew to survive,you'll be needing to make port for supplies." Theo said, looking back down at the map. Jack sighed and covered his face with his hands.
"What's the closet one?" he asked, his voice being slightly muffled by the hand over his mouth.
"You have about a weeks left of supplies, and it'll take about another week and a half to get to the island. Your best bet is Darlete, which is about a two day sail from here if we make haste today and through the night." Theo said while studying the map. Jack moved the hand from his face.
"Didn't you…"
"Yes, I escaped there for a while. It's much like Tortuga, except with more whores and more trouble." Theo said bitterly. Jack's face was aglow.
"To Darlete it is!" announced Jack proudly. Theo let out a laugh and put the compass down on the table. Jack stood and rolled up the maps carefully.
"How's that hand of yours?" Jack asked as he tucked the maps into small cubbies in the wall. He walked back over to Theo and took her hand. He happened to touch her skin where it was sliced open raw under the bandage.
"ARGH!" she cried, pulling back her hand. She clutched it in pain and bit her lip.
"Whoops." Said Jack.
"It's…" Theo sucked in a breath and held back a tear "…alright." Theo sighed and looked down at her hand, which was throbbing. She took off the bandage to get a peek at her hand for the first time since a week ago. She gasped. The swelling around the cut went down: but the cut itself was red, black, and swollen.
Jack clucked his tongue.
"Do you want me to sew it?" Jack asked. Theo looked up at him, then back down at her hand, then back at Jack. She snorted.
"Do you honestly think I'd say yes?" asked Theo.
"I've done it before! To Gibbs and myself." Jack boasted proudly. Theo sighed.
"Eh…I don't really know…if you do something wrong I doubt I'll ever forgive you." She said warningly. Jack nodded, then grinned. He waltzed over to a broken glass cabinet. He took out two bottles of rum, a bottle of water, a shredded cloth, a needle, and thread. He motioned for Theo to sit on his bed. She obeyed. She nervously bounced on the comfortable mattress. Jack pulled over a chair with his free hand and sat in front of Theo.
"Ready?" he asked as he threaded the needle. Theo nodded slowly. First Jack took a bottle of rum: and drank it. Theo kicked his knee.
"Ye' dumb twat! A/N: Dane Cook moment! Could resist (: I don't want you drinking before you sew up my hand!" she yelled. Jack rolled his eyes and carefully put down the bottle of his beloved rum.
Jack carefully took her hand and washed it with water first. He was very gentle but kept a strong grip. Theo felt chills run up her spine as he ran the wet cloth over her hand. She could smell his smell: rum, sweat, and a spicy scent. Mixed together it didn't smell all to lovely, but it was Jack.
"You alright?" Jack asked, keeping his eyes on Theo's hand.
"Yes." She whispered.
Then came the rum. Jack held her wrist tightly now. He then dropped some rum on her hand. Theo felt huge tears well into her eyes as an unbearable sting shoot through her hand. She curled her toes and clutched the mattress with her free hand. When the sting faded, she released her hand, and saw a sweat stain in the shape of her hand on Jack's blankets.
"That'll keep it clean up and numb it a bit." Jack said as he put the rum down. He then looked up at Theo.
"This a deep cut, kiddo, meaning it'll take me a while and it'll hurt like hell. Are ye sure your ready for this? I'm telling ya this'll hurt more than any damned tattoo." Jack said as he picked up the needle. Theo nodded nervously.
But before Jack put the needle into her hand, he stood and walked back over to the broken cabinet. He took out a very, very small vile of a clear liquid. He dabbed a bit of the liquid onto a piece of cloth. He walked back over to Theo, sat down in front of her and gave her a funny look. Theo raised her eyebrows, and before she could do anything, Jack pounced. He managed to get her onto the bed, with his legs over her sides.
"Sorry bout this, love." He said before putting the cloth over her mouth and nose. Theo screamed, but only for a few seconds. Then everything became a blur of swirling colors, and then, everything was dark.
&&&&&&
Theo opened her eyes. She took in a deep breath and immediately smelled Jack. Her eyes became wide as she sat up. She was in Jack's bed. Under Jack's covers. In Jack's room.
Oh, god…
She then looked down at her hand. It was wrapped in a clean, new cloth, and the usual sting wasn't as bad as it usually was. Actually, it felt better. A lot better.
Jack, who came out of nowhere, sat on the edge of the bed.
"How'd you feel?" he asked with a small smile.
"You…knocked me out." She drawled slowly. She was still dizzy.
"Yes…it actually worked very well. Sorry bout throwin' ye onto the bed and all that, but I doubted you'd allow me to knock you out in the first place." Jack said, looking down at her hand.
"You really are something." Theo said, shaking her head. Jack looked up at her.
"You're not mad at me?" he asked.
"No; well, yes. But it was a nice thing to do… in a strange, twisted sort of way." Theo said slowly. Jack seemed to like that answer.
(Later, at night.)
After Theo awoke from her unconsciousness she went back to work for the rest of the day. Her day went smoothly and her hand felt better already.
At about two in the morning, Jack was peacefully sleeping in his cabin. He didn't hear it, but someone entered the room. The person lifted their boot and kicked him. Jack had a habit of sleeping close to the edge of the bed, so once the hard leather boot hit his back he flopped off the bed. He moaned and surfaced from the floor, rubbing his head. There, on the other side of the bed, stood Theo.
"I was told 'tis your watch now." Said Theo. Jack studied her slowly. She looked different. She was practically glowing with beauty. Her black hair was cleaned and brushed out beautifully. Her skin was scrubbed clean and looked flawless. Her eyes were lined with fresh, dark kohl, and her lips were painted a dark, smooth red.
"Uh, yes." Jack said stupidly. Theo stood their, studying him. Jack pretended to look for his boot but was really paying close attention to Theo's eyes that were practically eating at his body. He quickly shoved on his boots and turned to Theo. She was standing right in front of him. She took a step closer. She grinned and pulled Jack closer to her.
Theo's lips met his. He closed his eyes and let his mouth succumb to hers as her tongue danced wildly in his mouth. His strong hands roamed over her body, picking at the buttons of her shirt and the tie of her pants, her arms ripping off his shirt as she stepped out of her boots with her pants at the ankles…
"Captain…caaaptain…"
Jack's eyes shot open as he felt himself fall off the bed. He groaned and shook his head. When he looked up he saw that strange crewmember with a huge fake eye starring down at him.
" It's your turn for watch, cap'n." He grumbled before leaving the room. The door slammed behind him. Jack stood there for a minute in dumb shock. He shook his head and moaned.
"Stupid, rotten dream…" He mumbled angrily.
(Somewhere, not so far away…)
Arthurus was pacing across the floor of his cabin with his hands behind his back. His face was contoured in a deep frown, his eyes focusing on the floor. He stopped walking a let out a frustrated sigh. Just when he was about to let his nerves take over, he felt a cold, gentle breeze blow over his body. He shivered and felt goose bumps form on his arms.
She was near.
A soft song was now audible to Arthurus' ears. He felt his heart melt and his breath come out slowly. His eyes closed as the soft notes filled his ears. It was a song so beautiful it could bring a man to tears. Then Arthurus remembered something, and he forced his eyes open and tried to block the song from entering his head.
"Stop, stop it!" he yelled, covering his ears. The singing stopped. The door opened.
"I told you to never pull any of that enchantment on me. Well…" Arthurus grumbled, turning to the door. "Did it work?"
A woman, so beautiful it was absolutely painful to look at her, stepped into the room. She wore a dress of a rich blue and gold. Her long hair was white blond, reaching to her lower back. It poured over her strong shoulders in a wave of messy curls. Her skin was shockingly pale. Her eyes were the actual color of the Caribbean oceans.
"Yes and must I say, it was a pleasure to watch." She said, in a voice so breathy it was barely a whisper.
Arthurus grinned and settled into a chair. The woman was a Siren; one of the most gifted Siren's Arthurus had ever met. Arthurus could never fully look at her in eyes, for he feared that even he might succumb to her overwhelming beauty; and her song.
The Siren smiled at Arthurus.
"I sent Jack a Dream of her. A very well done spell, I must say." The Siren whispered. Arthurus looked at her with a devious half smile.
"Thank you, m'dear. Your business for tonight is done." Arthurus said, getting up from his chair.
"Might I ask when your father will be joining us?" The Siren asked, running a hand through her hair. Arthurus looked out his cabin window, sighing heavily.
"Soon; very soon."
"Sooner than you thought, m'boy."
The Siren whipped around and gasped. Arthurus didn't even flinch. He slowly turned and saw his father, leaning against the cabin door, his cold eyes staring straight at his son.
"Good to see you, father." Arthurus said with a small smile. The Siren glanced at Arthurus nervously, her eyes wide. She was used to magic; but had never been face to face with the man who even sea-demons like her feared. Arthurus gave her a reassuring smile and looked back at his father.
"This is Mersephia, one of the most gifted Siren's I've ever come across." Said Arthurus. Davy Jones nodded politely to her. She nodded back, smiling slightly.
"I understand tha' you have some sort o' plan afoot?" Jones asked his son. Arthurus nodded, walking over to his father. Mersephia sat in a chair, watching the two of them.
"Yes father, and you'll be happy to know it actually concerns that Jack Sparrow you have such a loathing for." Arthurus said, knowing his words were enticing to his father's ears. Jones's eyes widened and his beard of tentacles shook.
"Sparrow?" Jones asked coldly.
"Yes; I have a little she-devil who escaped from my clutches whom I'd like to settle a score with once and for all. She escaped with Sparrow back in Tortuga: but not without putting up a fight…" Arthurus said, lifting his mangled hand. Jones nodded slowly.
"I plan to corner her in Darlete: and I will make no mistake to kill her." Arthurus said slowly, liking the way it sounded. His insides twisted with pleasure just mentioning it.
"While I do my deed, I was thinking maybe I could help you. Stop Sparrow from taking that chest of yours, ever since his little friend took the key…"
"How'd you know about the chest and the key?" Jones snapped. His eyes narrowed and his beard danced with anger. Arthurus let out an impatient sigh and motioned to Mersephia, who sat daintily in her chair. Jones eyed her.
"Sirens usually don't do business without pay, m'lady." Jones said to Mersephia. She grinned, revealing a mouth brimmed with gleaming white fangs.
"Your son gives me two men every day: two men to pull into the seas and devour their souls. In exchange I do his biddings: spells and spying. It is, sir, a pleasure working with your son." Mersephia drawled. Jones chuckled darkly.
"Ah, interesting. So explain to me why my presence was requested here tonight." Jones said to his son. Arthurus nodded and began to explain his plan. After he finished, Jones smiled and shook his head.
"Why do ye want this girl so much? And how do ye know Sparrow trusts 'er enough to help him?" asked Jones. Arthurus nodded to Mersephia. She stood and walked over to the men.
"I sent Sparrow a Dream, the first of more to come. I'll make sure he will have no reason not to trust her. His desires for her are growing and he will soon have no doubt in his mind that he wants her, and only her. His trust will be so deep he will have no worries." Mersephia explained.
"I must say…it does sound interesting. Although there is room for flaws…"
"But how else can you make sure you get your heart and not Sparrow? Just think what he could do with it…"
"I know that, Arthurus! But if you get too wrapped up in catching ye' little hussy, how can I be sure ye' wont leave me?" Jones demanded.
"I would never abandon you father." Arthurus said solemnly. A small smile crept across his lips.
"Especially when it means killing the girl who killed my brother." Arthurus said. He knew very well how much a spark this would set off inside his father. His beard shook and his eyes blazed. He clutched his fists and inhaled sharply.
"It's that girl?" Jones asked coldly. Arthurus nodded. Jones glared at his son. After a minute he sighed.
"Alright." Jones said quietly. Arthurus grinned and nodded. And just like that, Jones disappeared into thin air. Mersephia let out a sigh and turned to Arthurus.
"I'll be leaving for tonight: I'll return tomorrow." She said with a smile. She began to walk across the cabin. Arthurus watched her carefully. She began to sing softly, letting out the most beautiful sound known to a man's ears. Arthurus dug his nails into his palms to stop himself from following her. She began to disappear until she was gone. Arthurus was left alone in his cabin. He settled down into his chair, grinning widely.
It was wonderful to have all of the pieces of the game in place; but the sweetest award for Arthurus was that everything was now in his favor.