To Drink the Wild Air
"Come on, Stormmare, you're gonna have to do better than that." Anamaria flourished her blade, grinning.
Ginny bent over and rested her hands on her knees, panting. "I told you that I'm rusty."
"Aye, and 'rusty' gets you killed. Pick your sword back up."
Ginny squared her shoulders and scooped up her sword. It did not suit her. The blade was not balanced. It was made for a strong man, too. Ginny could handle it well enough, but she longed for a blade that would fit her. Her eyes flashed with the thought of brandishing a blade crafted for her. She'd take Anamaria down. Or, Ginny reasoned, at least fare better in their duel. They circled each other, Ginny's blue-green eyes never wavering from Anamaria's dark brown ones. Ginny narrowed her eyes, watching Anamaria for signs. Anamaria's nostrils flared ever so slightly. Ginny tensed and readied her blade to parry. Anamaria lunged and struck Ginny's blade. Ginny gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands and swung. Anamaria dodged and sliced at Ginny, who brought her sword to meet Anamaria's attack. Their swords clanged. A few of the crewman gathered to watch. Ginny ignored them. She allowed her body to recall her training, though it had been many years and the sword she used was not light enough.
Anamaria lunged again. Ginny used her forearms to knock Anamaria's thrust to the side. Anamaria's blade cut into Ginny's arm, but she twirled her blade and forced her arms down, locking Anamaria's in place. Anamaria dropped her sword. Both women stepped back, panting.
"Oy," Jack sauntered toward them, his chin raised, and his brow furrowed. "I'm all for some friendly sparring, but do try not to slice each other up, eh? I'll need my strongest when we go to Isla de Muerta."
Ginny exchanged a glance with Anamaria. "Isla de Muerta?"
"Aye, love," Jack replied, grinning. "Did you not see all that treasure?"
"As long as you don't touch the pieces of Cortez, we can take all the gold in that cave." Ginny replied, sheathing her sword.
Anamaria eyed Ginny. "Teach me that move you used."
Ginny rolled her shoulders. "Can it wait? I don't think I can move my arms."
Jack frowned. "Let me see your sword."
Ginny unsheathed it and held it out for him. He took and attempted to balance it on his fingers. The sword wobbled. He lifted his eyebrows. Ginny shrugged. "It's the only one that really fit for me, I suppose."
"You need a better one."
"I know," Ginny replied, taking the sword back. She sheathed it. "I need something much lighter."
"Aye," Jack replied. He looked at Anamaria. "I believe it's your turn to take the helm."
Anamaria nodded and trotted off. Jack turned to Ginny, who wiped her brow. "Isla de Muerta, huh?"
"Aye," Jack muttered. He furrowed his brow. "How's your shooting, love?"
Ginny rubbed the back of her neck. "Not very good, I'm afraid."
Jack grinned. "Well, let's seek to remedy that, shall we?"
"Shouldn't I get back to my chores?" Ginny raised a brow.
Jack blinked. "Oh, those. Right. After your chores, then."
Ginny watched her captain saunter toward his cabin, her brow pinching and the corners of her mouth drawing downward. She looked toward Anamaria at the helm, who stared ahead. Ginny shrugged and headed below deck to attend to her chores.
…
Jack met Ginny on the top deck at sunset. He had already set ten empty bottles on the portside rail. The deck was empty, save for Gibbs, who sharpened his dagger. Jack grinned at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows at the bottles. "Don't tell me you emptied those bottles today by yourself."
Jack smirked. "I can handle me alcohol, love."
"There's this condition called consumption, you know. You can die from it."
"Is that concern I hear?"
"No." Ginny folded her arms and raised her eyebrows, challenging him. Jack merely smirked.
"Pistol out, love. Shoot the far-left bottle." He pointed at it. It glinted in the glow of the setting sun.
Ginny sighed and took out her pistol. She aimed and fired. The blast echoed across the deck. The bottle remained standing. Ginny pressed her lips together. Jack clucked his tongue. "No worries." He stood behind her and guided her hand to point toward the bottle. His chest pressed against her back. "Steady, love. Focus. Look down the barrel, toward the front. You should still see the target. Might be blurry, but make sure the front of the barrel is still aligned with it. Fire."
Jack stepped back to let Ginny do it on her own. Ginny took a few seconds, then fired. The bottle shattered. Jack grinned. Ginny twirled to look at him, her face glowing with a wide a smile. It folded into a smirk. "Not too shabby, Sparrow."
"Not so bad yourself, Stormmare." Jack returned. He took out his own pistol and shot the next two bottles. "Need to work on your speed, though."
Ginny scowled at him as she aimed at the fourth bottle, which Jack shot before her. She glowered at him. Jack raised his eyebrows. "I'll die of old age before you fire, love. Or you'll get shot before you get the chance to even aim."
"Not bad for my first lesson, though." Ginny argued. She shot the fifth bottle off the rail but missed the sixth and seventh.
Jack tucked his pistol away and retrieved the bottles. "We'll work on it, love. Fortunately for you, you're a fast learner."
"I wouldn't have survived this long if I weren't." Ginny muttered.
Jack leveled his gaze with hers. "I know." They stared at each other for a moment. Jack admired the golden glow on Ginny's cheeks, courtesy of the sun. Her eyes seemed crystalline green in the light. Jack jerked his chin. "Dismissed, Stormmare."
Ginny dipped her head and exited the deck. Jack watched her long after she had disappeared below deck. Mr. Gibbs joined him by the portside rail, watching the doorway that led below deck. "Bit sweet on her, eh?" Gibbs commented.
Jack scowled. "Nonsense, Mr. Gibbs."
"Well, if ye ever wanna teach me to shoot properly, ye don't have to hold me so close." Gibbs chuckled as he trekked below deck.
Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek and furrowed his brow. His chest clenched as he trekked toward his cabin, where he closed and locked the door.
…
Ginny sat on her cot, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes followed the flickers of the candlelight. Anamaria's boots thudded on the floor. Ginny realized that she still wore hers, so she pulled them off, her brow still puckered.
"I can practically hear you thinking," said Anamaria. "Care to share?"
Ginny bit her lip. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Does Jack behave… oddly around me?"
"You're going to have to clarify what you mean by odd." Anamaria snorted, stripping of her belt, vest and hat.
Ginny pulled off her weapons and vest. She unbraided her hair and attempted to comb through it with her fingers. "You were at the helm when Jack taught me to shoot, right?"
"Aye."
"Well, wasn't that… strange?"
"For Jack, aye. I'd say that it was strange. He certainly didn't teach me to shoot like that. Then again, if he had, he'd have had a black eye." Anamaria smirked.
Ginny huffed. "I don't want special treatment."
"I'd say it was more flirtatious than anything."
Ginny's mouth dried. "Flirtatious? Jack and I are just friends."
"Right," said Anamaria. "And I'm as blonde as you are."
Ginny glowered at her friend. "Look, I'm sure Jack holds some affection for me, but like siblings. We knew each other as children. Back then, it was all talk of sailing the seas forever as captain and first mate… I used to wonder if we'd have ever grown to be sweethearts, but that chance was ripped away from us before Jack was a man. Our parents joked about it, but it was all fun. Jack and I were inseparable as children, until we were quite literally separated. I used to want to find him, but… Some part of me blamed him for what happened. Some part of me was angry with him. He didn't deserve it. He was only a boy…" Ginny stopped, realizing that Anamaria no longer regarded her with a smirk, but with a puckered brow and soft eyes.
"What happened?" Anamaria's voice was quiet.
Ginny looked up, her chest clenching. "To be frank, I'm not sure. My family harbored his for a while. We kept them hidden from the authorities for a few years. But we were discovered. His family escaped and mine paid the price. My mother was executed in front of me. My brother and sister were taken, and I was sold to the Beckett family. My father fled. To this day, I don't know why. I don't know why my father fled or why Jack's family left us… I suppose that was our punishment for trusting pirates."
Anamaria lowered her gaze. "We might not be an altruistic lot, but there's still somewhat of a code of honor. At least among friends."
Ginny shrugged. "I suppose I just want answers. The only person I'd be able to get that from is Cutler Beckett himself."
Anamaria's nose wrinkled. "Sodding wretch."
Ginny smirked. She laid back in her cot. "What about you? Do you have family?"
"Aye," Anamaria muttered. "My father. I work as a barmaid on Tortuga. Or I did. There's more money in this, and now I've got to buy a new fishing boat for my father, since Jack stole the Jolly Mon."
"He what?" Ginny rolled over to look at Anamaria.
Anamaria smiled. "The bastard stole it. That's why he owed me one. Jack said he'd help pay me back. He's a man of his word, if he gives it to you. Jack's not a bad captain, either. Let us join the crew, anyway. Many would think we're bad luck."
"Idiots." Ginny rested on her back once more. "I am glad he chose to set us in a cabin of our own. Not that we can't handle the men, but…"
"I was relieved as well," Anamaria muttered. "Men at sea lose their heads if they haven't had lovin' in a while. But if something like that were to happen, Jack wouldn't be forgiving. He's no tolerance for behavior like that on his ship."
"Good," Ginny breathed. "I expect many captains aren't like Jack."
"No," agreed Anamaria. "Jack is probably the most reasonable captain. At least he is of the ones I've worked with." Anamaria rolled over sharply. "Don't you ever tell him I said any of this!"
Ginny looked at her friend. "I thought it was an unspoken agreement that whatever we say in here is confidential?" She grinned, which Anamaria returned. Ginny looked at the ceiling. "Besides, Jack's ego is inflated enough already, don't you think?"
"Bloody hell," Anamaria grumbled. Her cot creaked with her movement. "He could fill the sails with his hot air."
Ginny laughed as Anamaria doused the lamp, plunging their cabin in darkness.
…
Jack peered through his telescope, a frown drawing his features. Isla de Muerta seemed a skeleton of its former glory. Rocks from its cliff face broke off and tumbled into the sea. Gibbs joined Jack, watching Isla de Muerta crumble. "It's too dangerous to go ashore." Gibbs muttered.
Jack lowered his telescope. "Aye. Seems breaking the curse means destroying Isla de Muerta. The sea's reclaiming the entire island."
"We're running out of supplies," Gibbs muttered. "There's treasure aboard from Barbossa's reign, enough to purchase supplies and pay the men."
Jack worked his jaw. "That's bonus, Mr. Gibbs. I'm not paying my crew with Barbossa's money, mate."
Gibbs frowned. "We don't have enough supplies to spend too long at sea, Cap'n."
"We won't," Jack promised. He looked down at the deck, where his crewmen looked at the drowning Isla de Muerta. "On deck, you bilge-sucking dogs! Come about!"
The crew jumped to work. Jack grinned and returned to the helm. The Pearl turned and sailed against the wind. Eventually, Isla de Muerta disappeared behind them. Jack focused on the horizon. They sailed toward it, the wind brushing his skin with salty fingertips. Jack smiled. Here, he was free. Here, he was a sparrow, sailing on the wind and drinking the wild air. He looked toward the deck, where Ginny sat. He had tried to ease her into the workload of a sailor, employing the skills she already had. Ginny sat and sewed a sail, repairing the damage Barbossa had delivered to it. Her brow pinched as she focused. She had braided her hair, though a few strands had escaped and fluttered in the wind like a golden stream. Jack tilted his head. He hoped that she was happy here in her new life. Did she miss Port Royal? Did she miss that ginger-haired eunuch? Jack inhaled deeply and left the steering to Cotton. He descended the steps and stood in front of Ginny, who remained focused on stitching.
"How's the newest crewmember holding up?" Jack asked.
Ginny looked up. "I'm fine."
Jack lifted a brow. "No need for hostilities, love."
Ginny stopped sewing, her shoulders dropping. "I don't want special treatment, Jack."
Jack leaned against the rail. "I'm not giving you special treatment, love. I'm employing your strengths. Besides, if I dropped you into regular chores, you'd want to leave. I figured you might be homesick for Port Royal."
"What?" Ginny frowned. "I'm not homesick for Port Royal. I miss Will and Elizabeth, but… I don't miss Port Royal."
Jack contained his smile. "Good. Now, prove to me that you're capable of the tasks I've given you, and then we'll talk about other duties."
Ginny nodded and returned to sewing. Jack lingered, watching her for several moments. Ginny stopped and looked up. "Is there anything else, Captain?"
Jack blinked. "Make sure you teach Anamaria that move from yesterday, savvy?"
Ginny frowned but nodded. "I will."
Jack left her, frowning at himself. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? His interactions with her seemed strained. Jack wasn't sure if it was Ginny's coldness or his. He rounded the deck, checking on the other crewmembers. That would show her that he didn't seek her out individually. However, he did not spend nearly as long with them as he did with Ginny. He returned to the helm. Jack peered through his telescope, pushing thoughts of Ginny from his mind.
Jack retired to his cabin after his shift at the helm. He looked over the map draped across his desk. He wanted to hug as close to Tortuga as possible, as the Pearl was running low on supplies. However, he knew that merchants tried to veer away from Tortuga. It was no secret that Tortuga was a lawless port. Jack frowned. If they sailed more eastward, toward San Juan, they could run into pepper merchants. Jack worked his jaw. Southeast meant they would likely run into slave merchants as well. Gold was also a probability. Jack nodded to himself and pushed away from his desk. He opened his cabin door and nearly walked smack into Ginny.
He blinked and backtracked, looking down at her. Her right hand was raised, ready to rap her knuckles against his door. He lifted a brow. "Need something, Miss Stormmare?"
Ginny lowered her hand. "Erm, I came to apologize, actually."
Jack drew back. "Apologize? What for?"
Ginny bit her lip. "I feel I was bit cold toward you today. I meant no disrespect."
Jack stared at her for a moment. "Wait here, love." He hurried to the helm, informed Cotton of their direction, and returned to Ginny. She stood inside his cabin. Jack's stomach twisted. "It's rude to enter a man's habitation without permission, Stormmare."
Ginny jumped and whirled around. "Sorry. I… I saw the bookshelf and wanted to see what you read."
Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek and furrowed his brow. "Last time I let someone in me cabin to look at our bearings, I was mutinied upon."
Ginny parted her lips. "I didn't look at anything but the bookshelf, Jack."
Jack believed her. He moved closer to her. "Are you impressed or disappointed by my collection?" He folded his arms and leaned against the shelf.
Ginny looked at the spines of the books. "Impressed. I didn't take you for a Shakespeare man."
Jack raised a brow. "Didn't take you for a Shakespeare woman."
Ginny snorted. "I prefer Dante Alighieri's Inferno. Homer is nice, too. I loved learning about the Greek deities. They were fascinating."
"The Odyssey was rather frustrating to read, though." Jack hummed.
"I agree." Ginny replied. Jack watched her brush her fingers along the spines of the books. She turned to look at him. "You wanted me to wait, so I did."
Jack blinked out of his daze. "What made you think I was giving you special treatment earlier?"
Ginny pressed her lips together for a moment. "The way you taught me to shoot… I get the feeling that you don't teach everyone that way."
Jack stiffened. She was right. But he didn't have answers for her. He had done what was natural. He inhaled. "Love, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm surprised you took it seriously."
Ginny's brow pinched. Jack's stomach lurched. Ginny looked away from it. "Right. Silly of me to forget the kind of man you are."
She pushed past him. Jack turned and watched her go. He lowered his gaze. He had told her the truth, but some part of him wondered if it was all the truth. He couldn't say that he thought of Ginny as just another wench to flirt with or possibly bed. He respected her more than that.
Jack trekked to his bed and pulled off his boots. He needed sleep before his early morning shift. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling a long while before sleep claimed him.
His eyes flicked to her lips. Her eyes appeared half-lidded and heavy. It sent a tingle down his spine. His lips wanted to touch hers. No, they wanted to crash against hers. He wanted to feel her skin against his. She stepped closer, a smirk toying with those plump lips of hers.
"Make me, Sparrow." Her breath tickled his ear. She stepped back, eyeing him coyly.
He wanted to growl at her. He grabbed her hair –gently –and smashed his lips against hers, driving her against the wall. He was vaguely aware of removing her clothes. He didn't remember removing his. He just remembered the feel of her skin on his. He tangled his fingers in her strands. She rolled on top of him, clasped his hands and pinned his arms over his head. He grinned as she devoured his mouth.
"How's this for special treatment?" he growled as he nibbled on her ear. She moaned in response, and Jack smirked.
Jack awoke covered in sweat. He stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily. He rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Bugger."
He pushed up from his bed, pulled on his boots, coat and hat and exited his cabin. He avoided Ginny as much as he could. It was fairly easy; she had her own duties to attend to, and he was captain. After hours at sea, Jack spotted a merchant sloop ship. He grinned and lowered the telescope.
"All right, lads –and lasses –we've got a chance for pay day! To your stations!" Jack bellowed. The crew cheered and obeyed. Jack's chest swelled. These men and women obeyed his orders without grumbling. He only truly trusted Mr. Gibbs, but he felt inclined to trust Ginny and even Anamaria. Jack rolled his shoulders back and held his head high. He grabbed the spokes of the wheel and steered the Pearl toward the sloop. It took very little time for the Pearl to catch up to the sloop. They aligned themselves with the port side of the sloop. Jack waited for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Arm the cannons with grapples only, savvy?" Jack instructed.
Gibbs relayed the order to the crew. Jack had no desire to spill needless blood and sink the merchant ship. He looked to Gibbs but did not see his first mate. Jack's lips dropped as he scanned the deck. Ginny stood at the steps descending below deck. Jack caught her eye. She grinned. "Awaiting your orders, Captain!" she called.
Jack shared her mirth. "Fire!"
Ginny called down the steps, alerting the crew below. The boom of cannon fire reverberated across the sea. The sloop's port side crunched as grappling hooks found their target. Jack released the wheel, watched it spin as the Pearl halted, and then joined his crew on the deck. Jack looked to his crew. He was lousy at speeches. "Take what we can, lads!" he shouted. The crew responded with a cheer. They grabbed ropes and swung over to the other ship.
The captain held a pistol and trained it on Jack's face. The man's hand shook. "Leave us, pirates. We have nothing of value."
Jack grinned. "If that's true, then you don't mind if me men take a look?"
A few of Jack's crew dispersed to find the cargo. The merchant captain watched them go, his face losing a shred of color. He looked at Jack. "Anything you take, we will fight for."
Jack watched the captain's hand shake for a moment. He lifted his eyes to meet the other captain's. "You don't seem like you want to fight for it, mate."
"I…" The captain swallowed. "Don't hurt me or my men."
Jack placed his hand over the barrel of the pistol and lowered the other captain's arm. "We have an accord, mate."
Jack nodded to Gibbs, who ordered a few of Jack's men to tie up the merchant crew and its captain. Anamaria, Cotton and Ezekiel returned on deck, carrying crates. Anamaria nearly dropped hers. "Bloody hell, this is heavy." she grumbled.
Jack approached the crates. Cotton handed Jack a crowbar, who used it to pry open one of the crates. Jack nearly shit himself at the sight of the gold bars. He looked back at the merchant captain and grinned. "Nothing of value, eh?" Jack examined the other crates. One was filled with more gold while the other held pepper. Jack tilted his head. "Since this fine captain surrendered, we'll leave them one crate of pepper, aye?"
Jack's crew shouted their agreement and hurried to collect the remaining crates. Ginny and Anamaria worked on lowering the plank between the ships while the males carried the crates. Jack grinned as his crew worked. He looked at the other captain, who watched with wide eyes. At last, Jack's crew finished loading the Pearl. Jack allowed his crew to exit the merchant ship before turning to follow.
"God will punish you, pirates!" spat the other captain.
Jack turned to look at him. Taking off his hat and delivering an exaggerated bow, Jack declared, "I welcome him to try!" Then, Jack returned to his ship. "Mr. Gibbs, set a course for Tortuga."
…
Ginny sat in the moonlight, watching the ocean glitter with the stars. The night shift was rather uneventful, leaving Ginny with plenty of time to think. Jack had avoided her most of the day. She wondered if it was what she had said to him. She had insulted him. She worried at her lip. No other man could get under skin like Jack Sparrow could. His arrogance and flirtatiousness itched under skin and prompted a sharp response from her. Others had noticed Jack's behavior around her and when she had commented on it, he had brushed it off. No, what had really irked her was his turning it around on her. He had berated her for taking his actions so seriously. Did he truly think so little of her?
Irritation rippled from Ginny's stomach to her throat. She huffed and looked toward the wheel, where Jack stood. Ginny sighed and stood. She approached him and picked at her sleeve. "Captain."
Jack peered at her. "Stormmare."
Ginny inhaled sharply. "I feel I must apologize. I assumed too much."
"No need to apologize, love," Jack replied. "Many mistake me for flirting. Only natural that you should, too."
Ginny scowled. "Now you're assuming too much."
"Am I?" Jack replied, looking at her.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You are bloody infuriating. You know that others thought your actions odd?"
"Others? What others?" Jack replied.
"Anamaria," Ginny snapped.
Jack's expression froze for a moment. It smoothed into a grin. "Well, then you both saw something that wasn't there, love."
Ginny huffed. "Fine. I overreacted. I took the moment too seriously, and for that, I am truly sorry." Ginny placed an exaggerated hand over her heart.
Jack's eyes flicked to her hand and back to her eyes. "Apology not accepted. I can hear the insincerity."
"Oh, my bad," Ginny replied, maintaining her sugary tone. She batted her eyelashes at him and moved closer to him. She smirked and softened her insincerity. "I suppose I thought you respected me more than some tavern wench."
Jack sobered. "I do."
Ginny lowered her gaze and nodded. She lifted her eyes to meet his. "Then why did you act like it meant nothing to you?"
Jack's face paled, even in the limited light of the moon. "Erm… Love, I… Er, you have to understand that…" Jack cleared his throat and looked ahead. "I flirt with a lot of people, love. People I respect."
"You don't flirt with Anamaria."
"Anamaria is not above shooting me." Jack replied. He stared ahead, but Ginny moved closer.
"So, I am nothing more than a pretty face aboard this ship? A little fun for the captain?"
"No, I…" Jack cleared his throat. "It won't happen again, love. I just did what was natural."
"Ah, so this" –Ginny moved even closer and lowered her voice to a whisper – "is natural to you?"
Jack's Adam's apple bobbed. "I didn't mean anything by it. You and I are just friends, savvy?"
Ginny laughed at the nervousness in Jack's voice. She moved away, giggling. "You shouldn't take my flirtations so seriously, Jack. I meant nothing by it." The sugar had returned to her voice.
Jack gaped at her. Then, he scowled. "All right, I get it. You made your point."
Ginny smirked and leaned against the railing. "I'm glad we're in agreement. I'll see you in the morning, Jack." She pushed away from the railing and returned to the deck, her lips quirking. Take that, Captain Sparrow.
…
So we've got a little flirting game going. Sorry if this chapter was bit slow. More action to come! And sorry updates have slowed… I just had so much going on with school and everything. But I graduated college, so hopefully I'll have more time to work on stories. Thanks for your support! Please continue to do so by leaving a review! I love to hear from all of you. :)
