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Chapter 10: Change In The Wind
I sat there with the others for a while listening to them talk and discuss what happened when we first arrived, I occasionally stuck in my two cents but was busy pondering over Jack again. Elizabeth was very familiar with my look and rolled her eyes knowing all too well who was on my mind, but for once she said nothing and continued to discuss matters with Will and Gibbs. Jack finally with much effort leaned forward in his chair and lifted a hand getting my attention and motioning me back over to the table. "I don't want to talk with you any more Jack…you bloody pirate." I thought crossing my arms and seeing him narrow his eyes in annoyance before starting to stand, but before he could manage to do so he saw I was already on my way over to the table and ignoring the curious looks from the others. As I passed another table getting to where Jack was a hand reached out and grabbed my ass and I turned glaring at another clearly less then appealing drunk and noticed how the jerks all seemed to look alike, before I grabbed his hand in an another attempt and twisted it within inches of breaking.
"Touch me again…I will remove your whole damn hand." I snapped warningly before releasing the wrist seeing the man quickly retract his hand and rub the throbbing appendage. "Anyone else care for a removal of appendages…I have a special two for the price of one grab." I muttered glaring around the table seeing all eyes narrow at me but none attempt to move in my direction. "Thought not." I quipped before starting my way back over and again flopping in a chair across from Jack who was studying the men I had just peeved off.
"Ye like trouble, I'll give ye that." Jack muttered watching one of the men slowly stand only to fall down after a bottle was broken over his head by a very irritated looking Elizabeth. "Remind me not to turn my back on her…wait I already know not to do that." He stated sarcastically ignoring the curious look he was receiving from Elizabeth.
"I know you're hurt, I can make it much worse Jack." I warned seeing his gaze move directly to my face wondering if I was being serious or not. "This is becoming monotonous and boring…Elizabeth hurt you, everyone around you has done something to irk you at one point or another……get over it, been there and bought the t-shirt. I've been through people turning on me too; the only ones to be there sad to say are those two." I said pointing to Elizabeth and Will. "Now that we're through with you feeling sorry for yourself explain what you wanted." I muttered watching his dark eyes widen in surprise before narrowing to fine warning slits. "Yick…went too far." I noted studying him for a long while seeing his fingers tapping the table as though counting away any violent thoughts that may have crossed his mind. "I shouldn't have said that…sorry." I murmured watching his hand pause in mid tap and seeing another confused look cross his face.
"Ye be too bloody complex love." Jack muttered slowly standing from the table and allowing the briefest of flinches before turning to leave the tavern. "I'm going back to the Pearl." He muttered irritably.
"On your own?" I asked watching him pause and lean against one of the many beams in the room. "Not likely…I'm going with you and you can argue on the way." I said cutting off his attempt at protesting and ducking a flying rum bottle. "Looks like they've got their hands full." I pointed out seeing Elizabeth had stirred up trouble with our friends by knocking the one out and nodding in Will's direction indicating I was good.
I ignored Jack as we slowly exited and grabbed a piece of crate batting a couple of flying bottles away at our exit amongst ducking others, and once outside I slowly followed after Jack careful not to annoy him further then I had. To his paranoid credit he made the trip longer the need be to the Pearl and paused in the middle of one of the streets spotting someone heading our way. "Scarlet and Giselle." I noted seeing a frustrated look cross his face already getting a good idea what might happen. Without really giving him warning and knowing I probably hurt his ribs a bit, I yanked him into an alley and half pulled him down and out another one pausing against a building to stare out into the street. I watched both women pause in the street apparently confused and saw them go the opposite direction and nodded satisfied I had lost them. "Bloody woman trying to rip off me arm and then bust me up some more." Jack thought glancing out into the street seeing both familiar figures run off far away from them and staring at me with a curious look on his face.
"I didn't think you needed to be slapped around, you've had enough hell for a while." I muttered watching him carefully tuck his hand inside his coat and press against his throbbing ribs. "Come on lets get you back to the ship so I can do the cold compress's again." I murmured sighing impatiently at the sour look on his face. "Jeez, when did he become such a baby?" I wondered giggling at the frustrated look on his face before realizing we were headed away from the docks. "No you don't Jack Sparrow." I quipped grabbing his arm and leading the way toward the docks following a few now familiar paths and pausing a few feet from the Black Pearl waving to Cotton who was on guard at the moment.
"Captain…Yer not putting me through that ice bath again woman." Jack warned as we made our way onto the deck and paused outside his cabin.
"Afraid I am." I stated ignoring his attempt at protesting and shoving him into the cabin. "Stay put…I swear I will hunt you down Jack." I warned before shutting the door behind me and making my way to the side of the ship asking Anna-Maria to find me the coolest water she could possibly manage to find.
Anna-Maria smiled amused that I planned on what she deemed torturing Jack again and did so surprising me with a bucket of cooler water then Elizabeth had managed. "Right this will be good." I thought walking slowly back to the cabin already knowing Jack would be crabbing about the cold water and entering the cabin finding him seated on his bed and unwrapping the bandages already with his shirt tossed to the side. I walked over grasping a familiar chair and placed it in front of his bed seeing him eyeing the water with a scowl before his eyes humorlessly met mine.
"Don't bother giving me that look…you need the swelling to go down again." I muttered watching him huff irritably but laying back allowing me to toss the first of the ice cold cloths across his form and cursing avidly at the icy cold he received in turn. "Anna was very helpful." I stated laughing at the annoyed look I received before rotating the cloths.
I rotated the cloths several times laughing hysterically at the various expressions I received for the torture until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and then I surrendered the torture and placed everything aside. I then flipped my chair around and rested on my arms allowing my fingers to slowly regain their feeling again. Jack was clearly uncomfortable and lay there for a long while glowering at me before I noticed him start to doze. "That girl is going to drive me over the edge…she's a pawn, a bloody pawn, a thing to be used against Lizzie, someone to manipulate and to distrust. I don't like her and am not going to like her, I don't even want her around me…I can't trust her, she's…she isn't Lizzie." He finally thought reluctantly and shifted across the bed his body protesting the move, before he become aware of one of the many blankets in his cabin being tossed over him and heard a shifting sound as I returned to my chair. I watched Jack sleep for a long while studying his steady breathing making sure he didn't roll or turn too suddenly in case of injuring himself further and found myself starting to doze in my protective watch.
--Other POV--
Jack woke with a start and hissed painfully at the motion before shifting carefully and seeing Blair had finally fallen asleep watching over him. He glanced down seeing the blanket was still tucked around him and let out a breath of annoyance. "She has really got to leave me alone, I'm becoming soft." Jack thought studying the snoozing form carefully for a long while seeing nothing of ill intentions in her face, or the evil he assumed she had brought with her. She was nothing like Elizabeth and in her current state of sleep she looked innocent, and clearly had no hidden agenda. Jack kept telling himself she was a pawn an ace he could use against his enemies but found himself no longer thinking that, he found himself truly starting to wonder if she had been nothing but honest with him and realized something right then. "I can't trust her…I want too but I can't." Jack thought not sounding convincing to himself at all and wondering what there was about her he couldn't trust, she hadn't given him one reason to doubt her and was one of those that was very bad at lying.
"Bloody hell Gibbs…why did ye have to tell me." Jack murmured softly seeing her shift in her sleep but not waken to his movements yet. "In yer world they gave ye the wrong idea……I'm nothing like that man you seen in those movies, Elizabeth was right in what she did as much as I hate to admit it." He muttered seeing her start awake and rub her eyes studying him sitting up and watching her intently.
"(Yawn) No she wasn't." I muttered catching the brief rant he had muttered and running my hand through my hair. "You just want to believe she's an angel…she isn't." I retorted glancing around his cabin and seeing it was now dusk and the town was getting louder by the hour.
"Ye want me to think she's the devil and yer an angel?" Jack questioned quirking his brow and shifting to the side of the bed allowing his feet to slip off the side and leaning forward studying my amused expression.
"I'm not an angel either…I have the horns to hold the halo and the tail to keep the wings looking straight." I retorted in explanation before standing and stretching, then returning to my seat seeing him look at me curiously before he allowed an amused chuckle. "How do they feel?" I questioned noting his side was still an awful shade of black and blue.
"How do ye think they feel?" Jack muttered sarcastically before testing them with his hand and cringing slightly in pain. "Bloody stupid table…whoever attacked my ship better hope I don't pay them back for this." He ranted watching as I stood again and walked over sitting beside him and re-wrapping his ribs without warning, hearing his startled hiss as my hand bumped against his side in the process.
"Sorry Jack…hold still." I warned ignoring his muttered ravings and finally wrapping him securely or tight enough that he wouldn't do too much more damage, I hoped. "All done." I stated sounding overly chipper and laughing at the startled look I received. "Do you ever joke around or have fun?" I asked rolling my eyes and turning to the sound of returning crew hearing merry drunken laughter and singing. "It sounds like a party." I murmured dryly.
"Be sounding like that most of the night…I wouldn't be surprised if Lizzie wasn't one of them." Jack muttered a very thin note of sarcasm in his voice, before observing as I walked to the door and glanced out hearing several voices and noting a round of crew men dancing merrily across the deck nearly falling over one another.
"She isn't that far gone." I murmured knowing Elizabeth was most likely smashed and spotting Will half dragging her up the gang plank while she was talking and giggling madly. "Scratch that……she's smashed." I muttered nearly yelling when a hand come to rest on my shoulder and I turned quickly seeing Jack was amused by scaring me. "I really dislike being snuck up on Jack." I grumbled staring at the others aware of how close he was to me and wishing just for a moment I could just let myself go. "What is he doing?" I wondered turning as a finger very hesitantly moved my hair from the side of my face and met dark eyes following my every move again, aware of nearly colliding with his nose in the process. "Not this again." I thought resisting the urge to grumble and pulling back making my way around Jack and over to his desk parking on the edge studying some of the open maps curiously.
"What the bloody hell am I doing?" Jack wondered watching me glancing over various objects on his desk and glancing back out at the others seeing Will and Elizabeth were too busy keeping each other up to notice what he was up too. Jack had the perfect opportunity to manipulate everything into his court but couldn't seem to do it, he studied me for a long time and then saw Gibbs was probably the closest to being somewhat sober out of the lot and noticed he was watching him with a thoughtful look on his face. "She's getting through to him." Gibbs thought noting Jack give him a suspicious once over before shutting the door. I stared at the desk for a long while finally bored with the various maps and was aware of the door shutting turning seeing Jack was leaning on it an odd look in his face. "Oh now what did I do?" I wondered deciding it would be in my best interest to leave Jacks cabin and standing to do just that or so I thought.
--Jack's POV--
"She's trying to leave again." Jack realized blocking her exit for what seemed like the hundredth time since meeting her and watching her eyes reflect more curiosity then annoyance. He knew his expression was probably strange and could sense he had somehow thrown her off at the moment. "I really am going to kill Lizzie for this…she somehow left me to die again." He thought closing his eyes irritably before using the door as support feeling his ribs throbbing painfully again realizing he had been leaning at an odd angle. "Lizzie had a plan but clearly it isn't going her way." He realized sensing he was being scrutinized closely and allowing his eyes to open tilting his head seeing an expression of worry on Blair's face again.
"Jack…are you alright?" Blair asked seeing he was again in pain and wondering if she should leave the room or help him back to his bed. "He looks like he's fighting with something." I thought wondering what could be bugging him so much.
"Lizzie left me to die and yer bloody trying to rescue me from the fate…she was serious." Jack thought realizing he was in trouble of messing up all his careful laid out plans and schemes just because someone had managed to worm past his barriers. Jack cursed everything he had learned since meeting her, and cursed Gibbs several times over for evening telling him of the strange girls' romanced ideas of what his life was like. "Ye jumped into death and pulled me back from a dark place…question is why did I come back?" he wondered startled when she stepped back as though she had been shocked and paused glancing him over so intently he wondered what could possibly be going through her head.
--Back to Original POV--
"What's going on…he looks different, something's happening." I realized feeling like lightening had just shot through my system sending off hundreds of warning bells and alarms. I felt myself begin to panic realizing something was considerably different and for fear of the manipulative man Jack had become I reacted on instinct and jumped back.
"I have to go." I murmured seeing Jack had slowly stepped into the room after my reaction and slowly making my way to the door sensing if I moved quickly the odd electricity in the room would shock me. "I need to retreat to my room and hide." Were my thoughts the minute my hand touched the door.
"Because Lizzie said so?" Jack asked forcing me to freeze at the door, feeling my thoughts racing momentarily. "Or because ye are afraid of what she will do?" he questioned knowing he was using his knowledge against me, but also realizing it was the only thing he had to beat down my barriers with.
"Because I don't trust myself around you or trust you." I thought sensing something had changed in that moment and regretting ever coming to the ship with Jack. "I'm not afraid of Elizabeth." I stated firmly turning to glare at Jack feeling my heart leap into my throat watching again as either of his hands flew out blocking my escape and studying his dark eyes. "I don't always do what Liz tells me to do either." I said sharply seeing a small smirk playing at his face and realizing I had nowhere left to go. "Elizabeth and Will are both smashed and I have to put up with the manipulative one again." I thought not entirely sure if he was being manipulative or truthful at the moment and becoming completely confused.
"If ye don't always do what Lizzie tells ye to do, then why are ye listening to her now?" Jack questioned watching her eyes stare at him cautiously seeing he had hit home with the question and allowing his smirk to broaden.
"I'm not…you're just being you, manipulative and I don't trust you Jack." I stated noting my voice barely raise enough for me to hear it. "Boy don't I sound convincing." I thought wryly realizing I would have to duck out again, or allow him to be manipulative.
"I know that…but I'm not being manipulative this time." Jack murmured coming closer to me and making me hold in my breath nervously scanning trying to decide what to do. "Ye will be turning blue if ye don't breathe love." He said seeing I was very nervous right then and smiling faintly as I let out my breathe glaring at him irritably.
"You are too being manipulative Jack." I snapped glaring crossly at him and watching his smirk broaden slightly seeing I had only amused him again. "Damn it." I thought wondering for once if he was lying or not. "Silver tongued, manipulative, pirate." I thought sourly.
"I can prove otherwise." Jack stated ignoring my dark look and leaning forward claiming my lips with his own.