The sun was setting, and no signs of pursuit were in evidence. Jack
relaxed, leaning against the wheel. Will was sharpening his sword, half-
listening when a snarled scream reached their ears. Both men jumped up to
see Raven storming out of the cabin. Will started down the stairs, and
looked at Jack, raising his eyebrows.
"Best leave her alone mate, till we know who she's screaming at." Footsteps were heard, and they saw Elizabeth run out of the cabin after her.
Raven whirled on her. "Where is he?" she snarled.
Mutely, Elizabeth nodded towards Jack, who cringed. "Great. Just wonderful," he muttered as Raven stormed up the stairs. Her fury was soon revealed as she raised her hands and shook the chain that connected them.
"Planning on leaving these on?" she hissed, eyes narrowed.
Jack's own eyes widened in surprise, and some relief. "No no, not at all. We just..forgot about them in all the excitement, that's all." He threw a glare at Will, who shook his head.
She looked suspicious still, and Jack tried to sidle his way out of it with a wide smile. "Honest luv. We were so busy, you passing out and all."
She lowered her hands, and shook her head. "Unlikely, but as long as you take them off, I forgive you."
He nodded. "Right. Um, Will?"
Will rolled his eyes, then gestured for Raven to join him. Working carefully at the cuffs with a small dagger, he finally got one popped open, then the other. Raven nodded her thanks, then turned to Jack. "And where are we headed now then?"
"Tortuga," Jack answered promptly. "Figure that's where the Arrow is now."
She bowed her head. "My thanks." She glanced at her shoulder, and it seemed to have started bleeding again. "Bloody bullets. I'm gonna go find Gibbs."
"You do that," Jack said, again with a broad smile. She gave him a suspicious look, then headed off to find Gibbs. He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wheel. "She's got a temper on her, and it hasn't changed a bit."
Elizabeth had joined them then, and raised her eyebrows. "I knew you've known her a while. How did she come by the Arrow anyway? I know Anamaria is a pirate, but she's not a captain."
Jack's eyes twinkled in the fading light. "That, lass, is a tale worth telling." He settled himself on a barrel near the back of the ship after securing the wheel. Elizabeth joined Will, leaning against his shoulder.
"I didn't know her before she came to Tortuga, but the story goes that she was captured in the America's by some pirates that were later caught, but not before they dropped her at Tortuga. She apprenticed under some wench, don't know her name, but ended up surpassing her. She was indeed a prize, and later mainly catered to the captains, where I come in. That's when I met her, and a different woman she was then. She had the sweetest tongue in the Caribbean, I swear, could talk a man out of his life if she wanted to. Which is how she came by the Arrow.
"I wasn't docked when it happened, but she was..entertaining the captain of the Arrow. Somehow, one way or another, she never really told anyone how, she got him to sign a document turning ownership of the Arrow over to her." Both pairs of eyes widened at this.
"A golden-tongue indeed," Will whispered. Jack nodded.
"She won't use it no more though, not to save her life even. Cause of guilt they say. See, when she came to the Arrow the next mornin', she threw the old crew off. Mainly cause they wouldn't sail under the command of a woman. Well, they couldn't really do nothin' bout her takin' over though see? Not with that piece of paper. So's, they found the captain. Dragged him out of bed I heard. Died a horrible death, the crew was so angry. Later, they threw the remains of him on board the Arrow. Raven's never talked much after that."
"But where did she find all of her current crew?" Jack's mouth opened to answer, when Raven's voice interceded.
"Prostitutes, unhappy with their life. Women pirates, like Anamaria. Some were beggars off the streets." Raven leaned against the rail, arms crossed casually. "There weren't many then that believed we could really make a life out of it, but I've proved 'em all wrong. 'Cept old Jack here. He's the only one that's ever taken on the crew of the Arrow and won." She glanced at him, and he just grinned.
"But Jack, if you're sort of friends, why did you take on the crew of the Arrow?" Elizabeth was now utterly confused.
Jack shrugged and leaned back again. "Revenge luv." He glanced at Raven, who sighed.
"Six years ago, about a month after I had gotten the Arrow, Jack asked for passage to some island. I refused. I don't take men aboard my ship, no ways or how. Jack didn't take to it too kindly."
He shrugged. "You wouldn't either, were you stranded on Tortuga."
Raven half-growled, making Jack jump. "Ya forget mate, I WAS stranded on Tortuga. For 15 years. Long enough for ya?" She whirled and stalked back down the stairs.
Jack raised his hands and rolled his eyes. "Good grief woman. Can ye really blame me? Now ye know how it is to be away from your ship. Be it ten years or a week." He was leaning against the railing, still talking to her as she hesitated about opening the door. She looked up, face almost lost in the shadows.
"And how do ye think my crew will fare without me Jack? The Pearl's an established ship. Unless your crew mutinies again," Jack grimaced. "Ya don't have to worry bout losin' it. Me? I've still got old crew members of the Arrow at Tortuga. Why do ya think we never stay there long? Too many try to take back the Arrow. Tisn't safe Jack. Tisn't safe." Turning away from the cabin, she instead walked to the prow.
Finding comfort in the sea's sound, and the rock of the deck beneath her, she didn't look up at his footsteps. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed it a little bit.
"I'm sorry luv. I wasn't thinkin' like that. I didna know that the old crew was still in Tortuga. Thought they'd moved on by now."
She sighed. "I know Jack. But you keep forgetting that, though we may be some of the respected pirates in the Sea by the Navy, the other pirates would just as soon see us as prostitutes and whores."
He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, that IS what you used to be."
She brushed his hand off and turned around. "But not anymore. That's why we sail the Arrow now." She looked up, and was surprised to see him gazing off into the waves. "Jack?"
He glanced down. "Hm?"
"Do ye still see us as prostitutes and whores?"
He grinned, his gold and silver teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Nay. I see ye as some of the best pirates that sail this sea." She smiled softly, and moved closer to him. His eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Well, sometimes, we're not much better then the women of Tortuga I'm afraid." Reaching up, she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head down, pressing her lips to his. She felt him smile and wrap his arms around her waist, tangling his fingers in her midnight-dark hair.
A throat cleared broke them apart, and Raven coughed, turning away. Jack shook himself, trying to shake off the stupor he was in. He'd forgotten what that woman could do when she wanted to. "Will?" He coughed now.
"What dya need son?"
"Well, Gibbs said we're to dock soon, and he's sighted the Arrow's sails, whatever that means."
Raven laughed out loud, turning back around. "That means lad, that he's sighted the blood-red sails, streaked with black, that mark my ship. Thank the gold. If anyone else had gotten a hold of the Arrow, they would've changed the sails." She grinned again, her major worry gone. Steps light, she made her way back to the helm, snatching the glass out of Gibbs' hands.
Putting it to her eye, her grin grew. "Get me over there Jack, and ye're forgivin'."
Jack pretended to look offended. "And I'm not already lass?"
She grinned. "Only when I'm safely on my ship."
"Best leave her alone mate, till we know who she's screaming at." Footsteps were heard, and they saw Elizabeth run out of the cabin after her.
Raven whirled on her. "Where is he?" she snarled.
Mutely, Elizabeth nodded towards Jack, who cringed. "Great. Just wonderful," he muttered as Raven stormed up the stairs. Her fury was soon revealed as she raised her hands and shook the chain that connected them.
"Planning on leaving these on?" she hissed, eyes narrowed.
Jack's own eyes widened in surprise, and some relief. "No no, not at all. We just..forgot about them in all the excitement, that's all." He threw a glare at Will, who shook his head.
She looked suspicious still, and Jack tried to sidle his way out of it with a wide smile. "Honest luv. We were so busy, you passing out and all."
She lowered her hands, and shook her head. "Unlikely, but as long as you take them off, I forgive you."
He nodded. "Right. Um, Will?"
Will rolled his eyes, then gestured for Raven to join him. Working carefully at the cuffs with a small dagger, he finally got one popped open, then the other. Raven nodded her thanks, then turned to Jack. "And where are we headed now then?"
"Tortuga," Jack answered promptly. "Figure that's where the Arrow is now."
She bowed her head. "My thanks." She glanced at her shoulder, and it seemed to have started bleeding again. "Bloody bullets. I'm gonna go find Gibbs."
"You do that," Jack said, again with a broad smile. She gave him a suspicious look, then headed off to find Gibbs. He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wheel. "She's got a temper on her, and it hasn't changed a bit."
Elizabeth had joined them then, and raised her eyebrows. "I knew you've known her a while. How did she come by the Arrow anyway? I know Anamaria is a pirate, but she's not a captain."
Jack's eyes twinkled in the fading light. "That, lass, is a tale worth telling." He settled himself on a barrel near the back of the ship after securing the wheel. Elizabeth joined Will, leaning against his shoulder.
"I didn't know her before she came to Tortuga, but the story goes that she was captured in the America's by some pirates that were later caught, but not before they dropped her at Tortuga. She apprenticed under some wench, don't know her name, but ended up surpassing her. She was indeed a prize, and later mainly catered to the captains, where I come in. That's when I met her, and a different woman she was then. She had the sweetest tongue in the Caribbean, I swear, could talk a man out of his life if she wanted to. Which is how she came by the Arrow.
"I wasn't docked when it happened, but she was..entertaining the captain of the Arrow. Somehow, one way or another, she never really told anyone how, she got him to sign a document turning ownership of the Arrow over to her." Both pairs of eyes widened at this.
"A golden-tongue indeed," Will whispered. Jack nodded.
"She won't use it no more though, not to save her life even. Cause of guilt they say. See, when she came to the Arrow the next mornin', she threw the old crew off. Mainly cause they wouldn't sail under the command of a woman. Well, they couldn't really do nothin' bout her takin' over though see? Not with that piece of paper. So's, they found the captain. Dragged him out of bed I heard. Died a horrible death, the crew was so angry. Later, they threw the remains of him on board the Arrow. Raven's never talked much after that."
"But where did she find all of her current crew?" Jack's mouth opened to answer, when Raven's voice interceded.
"Prostitutes, unhappy with their life. Women pirates, like Anamaria. Some were beggars off the streets." Raven leaned against the rail, arms crossed casually. "There weren't many then that believed we could really make a life out of it, but I've proved 'em all wrong. 'Cept old Jack here. He's the only one that's ever taken on the crew of the Arrow and won." She glanced at him, and he just grinned.
"But Jack, if you're sort of friends, why did you take on the crew of the Arrow?" Elizabeth was now utterly confused.
Jack shrugged and leaned back again. "Revenge luv." He glanced at Raven, who sighed.
"Six years ago, about a month after I had gotten the Arrow, Jack asked for passage to some island. I refused. I don't take men aboard my ship, no ways or how. Jack didn't take to it too kindly."
He shrugged. "You wouldn't either, were you stranded on Tortuga."
Raven half-growled, making Jack jump. "Ya forget mate, I WAS stranded on Tortuga. For 15 years. Long enough for ya?" She whirled and stalked back down the stairs.
Jack raised his hands and rolled his eyes. "Good grief woman. Can ye really blame me? Now ye know how it is to be away from your ship. Be it ten years or a week." He was leaning against the railing, still talking to her as she hesitated about opening the door. She looked up, face almost lost in the shadows.
"And how do ye think my crew will fare without me Jack? The Pearl's an established ship. Unless your crew mutinies again," Jack grimaced. "Ya don't have to worry bout losin' it. Me? I've still got old crew members of the Arrow at Tortuga. Why do ya think we never stay there long? Too many try to take back the Arrow. Tisn't safe Jack. Tisn't safe." Turning away from the cabin, she instead walked to the prow.
Finding comfort in the sea's sound, and the rock of the deck beneath her, she didn't look up at his footsteps. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed it a little bit.
"I'm sorry luv. I wasn't thinkin' like that. I didna know that the old crew was still in Tortuga. Thought they'd moved on by now."
She sighed. "I know Jack. But you keep forgetting that, though we may be some of the respected pirates in the Sea by the Navy, the other pirates would just as soon see us as prostitutes and whores."
He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, that IS what you used to be."
She brushed his hand off and turned around. "But not anymore. That's why we sail the Arrow now." She looked up, and was surprised to see him gazing off into the waves. "Jack?"
He glanced down. "Hm?"
"Do ye still see us as prostitutes and whores?"
He grinned, his gold and silver teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Nay. I see ye as some of the best pirates that sail this sea." She smiled softly, and moved closer to him. His eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Well, sometimes, we're not much better then the women of Tortuga I'm afraid." Reaching up, she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head down, pressing her lips to his. She felt him smile and wrap his arms around her waist, tangling his fingers in her midnight-dark hair.
A throat cleared broke them apart, and Raven coughed, turning away. Jack shook himself, trying to shake off the stupor he was in. He'd forgotten what that woman could do when she wanted to. "Will?" He coughed now.
"What dya need son?"
"Well, Gibbs said we're to dock soon, and he's sighted the Arrow's sails, whatever that means."
Raven laughed out loud, turning back around. "That means lad, that he's sighted the blood-red sails, streaked with black, that mark my ship. Thank the gold. If anyone else had gotten a hold of the Arrow, they would've changed the sails." She grinned again, her major worry gone. Steps light, she made her way back to the helm, snatching the glass out of Gibbs' hands.
Putting it to her eye, her grin grew. "Get me over there Jack, and ye're forgivin'."
Jack pretended to look offended. "And I'm not already lass?"
She grinned. "Only when I'm safely on my ship."