"Jack."
Something shook him out of dream, and his blood-soaked hands faded away to blackness. Jack Sparrow groaned and buried his face further into the sweet smelling softness that he lay in.
"Jack! Come on, wake up, Jack"
"No, no, go away, it's my treasure, you can't have it."
"As much as I wouldn't dispute that, you have to wake up!"
Light tried to seep into through his eyelids, and he fought to kill it. He groaned and bared his teeth, his fists trying to clench.
"Come on, Jack. Stop it, you're practically biting me. Jack, stop! Ow, my wrist, JACK!"
He bolted upright with a sharp intake of breath, found that he was no longer in the presence of treasure; well, not the mass of galleons and silver he'd been dreaming of. A dark young girl with inky black hair sat on his floor, his sheet stretched across her body and clenching one wrist.
"What the hell were you dreaming?!"
"Nothing, luv, nothing at all," He surveyed the room and looked at her appraisingly, taking in the picture of her face that he'd not seen since she was 17, the face he'd dreamt of more than once in the years at sea, listening to the trill of the voice that he'd only remembered.
"Uhhuh," She snorted, gathering the sheets and standing up. "And stop looking at me like that. I knew you'd do this," She looked down around her and dropped to her knees, picking up ripped and worn clothing.
"Do what, Arden?" He asked, stretching ceremoniously.
"You were drunk last night. Okay, so I was as well, but I knew as soon as we kissed..." She looked pained, the sheet balled in one hand and her shirt in the other. "I should told you no. I should have stayed in the pub and stopped it at one drink."
"Pet," Jack reached out for her, and she took a step back. "I wouldn't kick you out."
"Not like last time?" She asked bitterly.
Jack groaned. "Is that what this is about?" He asked, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Arden, I thought we had gotten past this. We talked about this last night."
"Jack," She kneeled again and pulled the top over her head, letting the sheet sink to her hips. "I don-"
Jack clambered to the floor in front of her and took her face in his hands. Arden felt old feeling rising in her chest; remembering all those nights on a hardwood deck, feeling his rough hands on her skin. She could almost taste salt water.
"I don't think I can stay," She said in a thick jerky voice. Her tone was low and mechanical, as if she'd rehearsed these words her whole life. Her eyes never left his, wide and oddly glassy. "I need to get out of here."
Jack moved his hands to her waist as she tried to move away. Her hands shook terribly as she reached for her pants, and she had difficulty tearing her eyes away.
"Let me help you out, then?" He asked, pulling her back. Her hands went to his chest, keeping a distance. "Please."
For a moment, she looked as if she would cry. Then something fiery flashed in her eyes and she pushed him away, hastily sliding into her pants and shoes, stomping toward the door.
"I knew it! You only want one thing, Sparrow!" She raged away from him, tying the cord around her waist. "It's all you've EVER wanted!"
"Come on, hold on!" He staggered to his feet, catching his shorts as gravity tried to set in. "Hold on, Arden, wait!"
"Why don't you do just what you always do, Jack? It will suit us both!"
"Arden, please!" He followed her as she passed through the door of his run down summer shack and into the streets. "What do I do, luv?"
"You leave, Jack!"
He stood in his doorway, fist seized around the band of his shorts, watching her walk away. All those old aches and pains came back to him, including what walking away had done to him the first time.
"Damn, Arden," He stepped back inside and closed the door, shuffling forth to pick up his sheets. "I tried to get you out of town."
Something shook him out of dream, and his blood-soaked hands faded away to blackness. Jack Sparrow groaned and buried his face further into the sweet smelling softness that he lay in.
"Jack! Come on, wake up, Jack"
"No, no, go away, it's my treasure, you can't have it."
"As much as I wouldn't dispute that, you have to wake up!"
Light tried to seep into through his eyelids, and he fought to kill it. He groaned and bared his teeth, his fists trying to clench.
"Come on, Jack. Stop it, you're practically biting me. Jack, stop! Ow, my wrist, JACK!"
He bolted upright with a sharp intake of breath, found that he was no longer in the presence of treasure; well, not the mass of galleons and silver he'd been dreaming of. A dark young girl with inky black hair sat on his floor, his sheet stretched across her body and clenching one wrist.
"What the hell were you dreaming?!"
"Nothing, luv, nothing at all," He surveyed the room and looked at her appraisingly, taking in the picture of her face that he'd not seen since she was 17, the face he'd dreamt of more than once in the years at sea, listening to the trill of the voice that he'd only remembered.
"Uhhuh," She snorted, gathering the sheets and standing up. "And stop looking at me like that. I knew you'd do this," She looked down around her and dropped to her knees, picking up ripped and worn clothing.
"Do what, Arden?" He asked, stretching ceremoniously.
"You were drunk last night. Okay, so I was as well, but I knew as soon as we kissed..." She looked pained, the sheet balled in one hand and her shirt in the other. "I should told you no. I should have stayed in the pub and stopped it at one drink."
"Pet," Jack reached out for her, and she took a step back. "I wouldn't kick you out."
"Not like last time?" She asked bitterly.
Jack groaned. "Is that what this is about?" He asked, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Arden, I thought we had gotten past this. We talked about this last night."
"Jack," She kneeled again and pulled the top over her head, letting the sheet sink to her hips. "I don-"
Jack clambered to the floor in front of her and took her face in his hands. Arden felt old feeling rising in her chest; remembering all those nights on a hardwood deck, feeling his rough hands on her skin. She could almost taste salt water.
"I don't think I can stay," She said in a thick jerky voice. Her tone was low and mechanical, as if she'd rehearsed these words her whole life. Her eyes never left his, wide and oddly glassy. "I need to get out of here."
Jack moved his hands to her waist as she tried to move away. Her hands shook terribly as she reached for her pants, and she had difficulty tearing her eyes away.
"Let me help you out, then?" He asked, pulling her back. Her hands went to his chest, keeping a distance. "Please."
For a moment, she looked as if she would cry. Then something fiery flashed in her eyes and she pushed him away, hastily sliding into her pants and shoes, stomping toward the door.
"I knew it! You only want one thing, Sparrow!" She raged away from him, tying the cord around her waist. "It's all you've EVER wanted!"
"Come on, hold on!" He staggered to his feet, catching his shorts as gravity tried to set in. "Hold on, Arden, wait!"
"Why don't you do just what you always do, Jack? It will suit us both!"
"Arden, please!" He followed her as she passed through the door of his run down summer shack and into the streets. "What do I do, luv?"
"You leave, Jack!"
He stood in his doorway, fist seized around the band of his shorts, watching her walk away. All those old aches and pains came back to him, including what walking away had done to him the first time.
"Damn, Arden," He stepped back inside and closed the door, shuffling forth to pick up his sheets. "I tried to get you out of town."
