Tortugan Beginnings

I haven't updated in a while. I apologize. I kind of went on a hiatus from writing and fan-fiction in general. I haven't been on the website. Anyways, I'm also sorry that I wasn't able to personally respond to each review. Thank you for your wonderful reviews. Enjoy the chapter.

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Tortugan Beginnings

A Heart Beat

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Lucas began to wake from his deep slumber with a flutter of his eyelids and his body quivering slightly from ache. His eyes were wide now, from the pain and confusion. He could faintly make out the slumbering silhouette of a girl on a hammock and he heard the soft hum of her breathing. The hammock swayed in the rocking of the ship and it instantly caused him to become nauseous by just gazing at it. Shutting his eyes tight, the calm sensation returned to him and he opened them once more. He stirred and attempted to sit up but in doing so, a sharp, intense pain struck his shoulder. He moaned and lay back down in defeat.

He was in utter confusion. Where did this pain come from? Why did it stab him like a thousand knives into his flesh? The memories of the past week had been slightly murky; he remembered rescuing Audrina and learning her terrible secret. Marcus Addison was their father but the rest he had trouble recalling. There was a battle; that he remembered. The sound of clashing swords, slicing flesh, screams, gunshots and the utter mayhem of combat. He remembered it only vaguely.

As he searched his memory desperately, it came back to him. He remembered running over the deck, cutlass in hand and vengeance in his eyes. He was too rash; he made the decision on impulse. He decided to murder Marcus Addison. Lucas wondered if he killed him. In the back of his mind, he was certain that he hadn't but there was still that sliver of doubt.

Remember, Lucas, remember.

Addison's face was so dark. He remembered seeing the individual beads of sweat on his ruddy face. Lucas could picture those dark eyes glazed over with malice. Lucas ran at him. He remembered running. He remembered his feet hitting the wooden deck and the pounding of his heart in his chest. The ache was vivid in his mind. It was so sudden. They were suddenly fighting. Father against son. Even if Addison knew, it wouldn't have mattered. Lucas Hart was just another pirate to him – blood ties or not. The cutlass had struck him, mere flesh wounds, but then a crack of a pistol.

Then there was only darkness. And now, he lay on the hard bunk of the sick bay listening to the hum of the ocean in the night.

Suddenly, Lucas realized that he had no idea how long it was after the battle but he supposed it was only a few days – three at most. The wound was still fresh and still stung with fervor. Bruises were still apparent on his lithe body and the cuts still scabbed.

Angelina stirred in her hammock and she rose to her feet to check on her ward. He watched her with inquisitive and affectionate eyes as she approached him. When she caught sight of his open eyes, she gasped. Angelina rushed towards him and embraced him. Tears were falling from her eyes onto his cheeks. Lucas touched her hair, that long, golden hair. He petted it, cooing to her and soothing her. Angelina shouldn't cry. Her grip tightened even more and the pressure on his shoulder caused him to groan. She let him go and sat on the edge of the bunk. Lucas could see tears glittering in her eyes.

"Lucas," she said softly. "You're back."

Nodding, Lucas reached out and took her delicate hand in his own and held it tenderly. "Yes, Angelina, I am. I never truly left, you realize that. But tell me, how long was I gone?"

"Three days, I cared for you and I will continue this. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Anything, Lucas."

Lucas smiled with appreciation. "Thank you, then, Miss Lewis," he said with his turquoise eyes twinkling. He realized that his voice was raspy and hoarse and that his breathing labored. "Water, I ask. I'm severely thirsty."

"Yes. You do not want anything to eat?" she asked softly.

He considered it and nodded slowly. "Yes I think that I would like food. Thank you," a pause. "Audrina? Is she well?"

"Audrina is alive and unharmed," Angelina averted he eyes from his face. "She's different, in a way. Jack says it. She's tormented by him, you know. Your father, my master."

Silence. Lucas said nothing for a long period of time with Angelina's hands clasped within his own. He sat in thought as she simply stared at him in frightened awe.

"He's not your master," he said very quietly – a mere whisper. "He's not my father. Not mine, not my blood and not my flesh."

Taking her hand to his chest, Lucas laid it on her chest. A fiery flush came to her cheeks. He placed his hand over hers and felt the best underneath. It was pounding fiercely and with such rhythm. They listened in union and in silence of some time. To feel her heart underneath his fingertips – it was exhilarating.

"That is the beat of your heart and not his," he said. "You and this heart are one. It is yours and eternally so even when you taste bitter mortality. That rhythm still belongs to you. He reigns no power over you, Angelina, my love."

Lucas then took her hand to his chest. Her hand was cold on his bare flesh. It made him shiver. He whispered, "This is the beat of my heart. This belongs to me and no man – father or not – would ever dominant it. Understand this, Angelina, humanity cannot be enslaved, not in the literal sense. The beat of one's heart defines freedom, I ask you to understand this."

Looking into her soft twinkling eyes and her smooth porcelain skin, he felt inclined to taste her flesh, her lips. He moved closer to her and felt her smooth lips for the second time. Lucas pulled away almost immediately and looked at her, her taste still fresh.

"Why do you torment me?" Angelina asked in a hoarse voice as she quickly rose and left the room.

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The wind against her cheek felt almost alien to Audrina. The soft hum of the ocean was mere memories until now. It seemed as if she had not seen the ocean in years. She smiled as the spray of the ocean splashed on her face and she smiled at the moonlight dancing upon timid waters. With her arm lazily draped over the railing, all she could think of was Jack. The way he smiled and the way his voice sounded – so lazy and relaxed yet articulate and more intelligent than Audrina would have guessed.

That afternoon – hours earlier – they had touched each other, roved each other with hungry mouths. As they were about to commit themselves more to each other, he stopped her, he didn't take her like she wanted. Faintly, she wondered why. She had been frightened and all throughout she had that ghastly, grotesque vision of her father. Yet, she struggled to forget only so she could finally feed her lust.

Drumming her long, slightly elegant fingers with bitten fingernails on the wooden rail, Audrina turned around in boredom. It was then she saw the profile of Jack Sparrow at the helm, his fathomless eyes locked onto the dark distance. She stared at him and felt her limbs lock and unable to move. Slowly, it seemed almost inhuman; he looked at her and her cheeks turned redder still. His eyes locked onto her own and neither turned away. As her heart began to slow, Audrina began to move towards the stairs that led towards the helm. His eyes followed her the whole way.

"Salutations," Jack drawled while his eyes averted back to the open darkness and he tipped his hat teasingly.

Audrina's shoulders slumped. "Jack," she said. "What happened? Tell me, Jack and tell me now or I'll surely go mad!

He looked at her, smiling. "Ya must be more specific, luv. A lot has happened in my forty years o' livin'."

"You know what I'm talking about," she retorted with an intense frown. Audrina walked towards him and now stood directly before the helm, staring into his eyes.

Jack swallowed his anxiety uncertainly. "Oh," he whispered. He did not really know what to say. The answer was mute on his lips. After a long period of just staring at her, he answered. "Well, 'Rina, acts of the carnal nature committed durin' the afternoon hours are quite scandalous."

"This is a pirate ship, Jack. It is meant to be scandalous," she snapped.

It was at that moment Audrina realized that Jack was lying. She did not know the reason why he recoiled from her but she knew that whatever he claimed the reason to be was a hideous lie. It would have been a lie for her to say that it did not hurt her. It hurt her like the stab of a knife and a bullet piercing her heart and it hurt her like Marcus Addison had hurt her. She knew Jack saw the anguish residing behind her glimmering eyes. Yet, he said nothing concerning it.

After a few moments of heavy silence, he finally felt complied to answer her protests. "Well, luv," he snaked an arm around her and trailed his fingertips up her bicep, "a continuation of said events could be in motion."

Audrina looked away, shuddering from his touch. It seemed as if she contemplated the mere idea of just being with him. She felt as if she had no words to say. She stood there on the deck with her mouth parted and her heart hammering in her chest. "Why should I?"

"You want me," he answered simply with a small smile of satisfaction.

It was his smile of arrogance that irritated her. As her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed upon him, Audrina became slightly unnerved at how he did not squirm underneath her stare. "You're bold."

"Oh, the wide array of adjectives you use to describe me. Intolerable, insufferable, unbearable, adorable – don't deny that one, luv – and now finally, bold. I think I feel slightly honored at such thought of my own character, 'Rina."

Audrina, now, could not help but chuckle at his own arrogant view of himself. "All of them are true, save adorable."

"Ah, yer humor, dear Audrina," Jack said wryly. "Refreshing. Yer lack of hygiene and feminine washin' habits contain even more hilarity."

She smiled softly and ran a hand through her hair. It occurred to her suddenly that her hair was unclean and smelt rancid. In fact, her whole body acquired such an odor. "I think you're right," Audrina nodded in agreement. "I think I'm in need of a wash."

"What say you and me assist each other in said washing." he suggested with a playful wag of his eyebrows and a wicked grin.

Audrina smirked and chuckled softly. "Oh, your so charming, Captain Sparrow!" she mocked with a faked enthusiasm. "How do I resist such charm and wit, I wonder?"

"A question that may be pondered fer centuries," Jack retorted and with that, she spun on her heels and left him with an amused smile.

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The hot water soothed Audrina as she sat in the basin with her head back and her eyes closed. A soft breeze from beyond the velvet red curtain enveloped her nude body causing her to shudder in discomfort. She opened her eyes and took a bar of soap that Lucas had bought sometime in their visit to Nassau months ago and rubbed it against her body. The soap did not lather yet she felt satisfaction when the soft smell of lavender touched her nose. She submerged under the water. After soap had been thoroughly cleansed from her scalp, she rose from the tub.

Her bath had been short but the short time allowed her to relax. As she stepped out of the basin and onto the floor, dripping wet, she sought for a cloth or rag to wipe her body dry. She found a piece of fabric from a shirt perhaps and dried herself. Slipping on new clothes – she decided to wash her old ones – her hand traveled to her throat. It was then that she remembered the necklace Jack had given her.

The necklace was beautiful, she remembered. Many facets of sapphire glimmered in the moonlight. It was heavy but still hung from her neck with a simple elegance. He gave it to her that night she was stolen from her home, the ship. With guilt, Audrina fiercely wondered if the bastards had ripped it from her pretty little neck and sold it while she lay in a cage in the Captain's Quarters. She never told them about the cage. She didn't tell anyone but Angelina knew and said nothing. She didn't want to speak about the cage – neither did Audrina. That cage, did they take the beautiful necklace as she lay unconscious?

After a few moments thought, Audrina yelped with joy when she remembered she had taken it off before she ventured out onto the dark deck. The necklace was terribly heavy and it didn't seem to fit in with her pirate's rag. The black bandana did not compliment the gleaming stone. She remembered placing it on the little table where she put most of her possessions. Spotting the table near the bookcase, she moved towards it with excited velocity. There the necklace shone as much as it always did. Her heart soared at seeing the beautiful piece of jewelry abandoned on the table.

Carefully, Audrina took it from the table. She held it in her hands and felt its weight. She softly blew on it to relieve the dust. Then, she placed the stone between her breasts and clasped it in the back. Turning to a mirror, she smiled at her reflection. Her hair was soaking wet with the ringlets distorted and mere waves, it would curl as it dried. Her skin was clean once more, sweat washed off and dried blood disappeared. Audrina's eyes without kohl and bright. Her feet bare and her breeches stopping just at her knee while her shirt was white – near white – and fell to her thighs. The buttons of the shirt were carefully undone, showing a hint of breasts and the fabulous gleaming necklace.

It seemed so out of place yet seemed to fit in perfectly. It was gorgeous and for the first time in many a night, she smiled at herself. Then she turned away, and retreated to the bunk and a book. She would leave the bunk when Jack returned and go to her hammock but the bunk accommodated her finely for now.

Romeo & Juliet was near the end, the bulk of pages becoming thin. Juliet was about to be placed in the catacombs while Romeo still banished in a neighboring Italian town. It was sad – heartbreaking – yet Audrina felt no sympathy for them. She merely felt a satisfaction that she was not yet wounded by love yet they were. It was terribly selfish but they were fictional and she was real and only then was it allowed to be selfish.

Heavy footfalls pulled her concentration out of the page. Audrina marked the page, put it on the bookshelf and then went to her hammock. She reclined in it, with her arm behind her head and her other hanging lazily off the side. She gazed at the ceiling in awe. She sensed his arrival and turned to look at him and nodded a hello. He did the same.

Then Jack saw the necklace and a large grin stretched out on his face. "Splendid! This is all going so splendidly!"

"What, Jack, is so splendid?" teased Audrina.

Jack sauntered over to her hammock and rocked it roughly causing her almost to spill over but she steadied herself and glared. "Rather, what isn't splendid!"

Audrina laughed quietly and reached over towards the table. Taking a brush in her hand, she softly combed out the tangles and imperfections in her hair until it gleamed and cascaded in curls. Taking the bandana, she tied her hair back. "Whatever you say, Jack."

"About continuing said rather enjoyable activities of this morning, luv, what say you?" he drawled.

She furrowed her brows, rather shocked at his boldness. Her heart began to quicken and she shrugged lightly. "I don't know."

"That's unfortunate," he answered with an obvious frown.

Audrina rose from the hammock unsteadily. "I suppose it is."

Audrina got up from the hanging hammock and moved to the bookshelf. Looking at the spine of the books, she saw her Romeo and Juliet. Suddenly, she remembered the line he quote hours earlier and her heart quickened still. Audrina stole a quick glance at Jack before he caught her. She was exhilarated from the mere appearance of him that it was almost embarrassing.

"You want it," he growled. "Ya want it as ya wanted piracy, luv. Ya want it as ya want freedom. I am freedom, dearie. Everyone wants to taste freedom."

Audrina spun around to face him as her face darkened ominously. "It would be wise to refrain from arrogance, Captain Sparrow."

Eyebrows rose curiously at the sound of his proper title. Jack looked her over for a second. "Truth and arrogance sometimes coincide."

Again, she considered him. His intelligence and his wit; it baffled Audrina. She bit her lip as she came closer to him – feeling brave. She was mere feet from him and if she just reached out only slightly, she could place her hands flat on his chest but she refrained from doing so. "Do you think this now?"

"O'course," he replied nonchalantly.

Audrina was fairly amused. Jack seemed so comical, standing there with a wide grin and his eyes full of lust. Really, he always had lustful eyes. In the taverns, his eyes followed his whores; they rested on their hips, their breasts. Never had she felt bitter jealousy. Now, as he looked at her with those same, wide black eyes, she felt satisfaction. He was not buying her for the night nor was she going to leave at the first sign of daybreak and take coins off the table as she ran to another customer.

The soft feel of his breath upon her neck woke her from her reverie. Audrina looked at his face, his eyes and then his lips. They seemed so soft yet she could not remember the way they tasted or felt. She could scarcely remember the feel of his beard tickling her chin. It was strange that she couldn't recall such details yet she felt that she wanted to refresh her memory. "This is madness," she murmured underneath her breath.

Jack's face brightened considerably. "Or merely brilliance, luv. Why deny yerself such freedom, 'Rina?"

"It's not denying freedom that plagues me, Jack. It's denying temptation and selfishness."

That comment seemed to catch Jack off guard. He sucked in his breath and contemplated his answer. Planning was very important to him, he needed this woman in his bed and he would use the power of persuasion to make it so. After a split second, he smiled and snaked his arm around her frail shoulders. "That is madness."

With knitted brows, Audrina seemed confused. "How so?"

"The attempt to deny my temptation, dearie. No easy feat, I assure you," Jack whispered in her ear.

Immediately, she shrugged his arm off her, to his disappointment. Turning away from him, Audrina seriously contemplated just forgetting her worries and doubts. She thought about just turning towards him and feeling the soft tickle of his beard and the harshness of his lips. Yet, strange cowardice kept her from doing so. She could feel his stare on her back; she could feel his impatience although it was not verbally expressed. Audrina was surprised to see her hand shaking violently as she lifted it to run her fingers through her long, black hair.

She felt the pressure of a hand on her shoulder and she turned in alarm. Although she knew who it was, it still surprised her. Turning once more towards Jack, Audrina backed up as their noses were almost touching. He grimaced in response and took a step forward. She took a step back, keeping less than a foot between them. Again, Jack stepped forward as she stepped back. Her back was now pressed up against the wall and Audrina looked away from his demanding face. The pestering sensation of fear welled up inside her.

A flutter of her heart and the familiar rush of adrenaline reminded her of the feeling of fear. She had experienced it aboard that ghastly ship. She had experienced it as a young girl, running from the flames she had ignited. She had experienced deep within the brothel with the darkness taking hold of her. Fear – it wasn't terribly common for her, yet more common for her than any pirate. Still, this was unusual for Audrina. He frightened her? It seemed preposterous and bizarre. And her fear was affecting her pride – her famous confidence in herself. Swallowing her breath, Audrina moved her eyes back to his bright face and told herself silently to relax. This was Jack Sparrow and had he ever hurt her?

No, he hadn't.

Jack was almost reeling with satisfaction. He walked towards her and found that she couldn't back away. His body was touching her and his lips only lightly touched hers.

Audrina sucked in her breath. "That was bold."

Again, he kissed her roughly. Jack's hands rested on her hips, drawing her close and not letting her move away. It surprised him at first that she did not respond. Then, after moments, she began to kiss him back with such a ferocity that astonished him. She let her hands move underneath his shirt and rest on his powerful chest. Underneath his flesh, Audrina could feel the thump of his heart, beating in rhythm. They parted for a moment and stared at each other.

"I don't love you, Jack," Audrina said suddenly.

Jack scanned her face curiously. It was surprising, really. He had taken many women. Some whores and others were not. The others often professed a deep admiring love or affection to him after he had tasted their flesh with his lips. Most always wanted to see him again. But never had a woman bluntly said she felt no love for him. Honestly, it puzzled him. "N'ver expected ya to, luv."

"You don't love me either," she continued.

Jack nodded. "No, my only love is th' sea, dearie."

Audrina nodded with a smile. She was satisfied with his answer. As long as he was being honest, she was fine. She could handle the fact that they only felt a faint affection and attraction for each other and nothing more. Lightly, she placed her hand on his unshaven cheek and brought his face closer. Again, she kissed him with fervor and she felt tugging at her breeches.

She let them pool around her feet and Jack led her towards the bunk. With each step, her heart was racing.