Okay, I know what your thinking. When is Sparrow going to steal the bloody
boat already? Well, I've written the chapter where he does, so it's coming
next update (whoops, did that ruin the suspense?) I've been having a little
bit of writers block about the whole stealing thing because bits and pieces
of Jack's relationships have changed so this story isn't turning out how I
intended. And I really really wanted to include that damn broken compass.
I'm also thinking of reformatting the whole thing, so there aren't quite so many chapters...Arg. But I've got both entire plots, past and present, written in my head now, so now I just have to get it onto the damn screen. The story won't be that much longer folks. And I swear, there are plots! There's ships blowing up and everything.
As usual, my unlimited love and adoration to all reviewers, even if you just want to say, hey, I read your story. (
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh, little Sparrow?" Ana-Maria said enticingly, her voice sickly sweet which meant she was pissed off.
"Dear Ana-Maria?" Jack replied, sitting up on the bed fully dressed, his grin completely hidden from sight. He was the aura of innocence. She made a face at him, and he made one back at her.
She broke the silence first.
"Get ya boots of my bed." She snapped. He kicked his shoes off obligingly. She sat down next to him on the bed, holding out the eyeliner. His eyes glinted. He reached up to take it, but Ana-Maria snatched it away from his griping hands. She stared at him demurely, her veil of hair curling, a stray stand falling onto her face.
"My darling Ana-Maria," Jack said, with his gushing display of charm that he gave women when he thought he might deserve a slap. "My sexy beautiful, charming wench..." That got him a slap across the face.
"Don't even think about saying that you didn't deserve that." Ana-Maria said, her arms folded across her chest.
"Wouldn't dream of it," He said through his teeth, his face still half turned round from the blow of the slap.
"My dear, sexy, beautiful, pirate woman," He started again.
"You forgot charming." She said cattily. He leant forward, like a drunk story teller.
"That I did, but I think a woman who slaps like that can't be charming." She slapped him again, harder. He growled, wincing slightly with pain.
"You deserved that one." She said, a hint of a smile on her lips now.
"I probably did." He conceded. "Now that you've got your wonderful morning humour out of you system," She raised her hand warningly and he continued hurriedly. "I was wondering whether you be wanting to give me that eyeliner." He said extremely politely, an almost desperate look on his face. She dropped her hand, jutting her chin and looking away from him.
"No." She said finally.
"Why the hell not?!" He half yelled, his attempt at politeness breaking down.
"Jack Sparrow," She said smoothly.
"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow if you're going to be slapping me." He interjected, rubbing his jaw.
"Did you forget to mention something to me earlier?" She asked.
"What? What did I forget?" He said despairingly. "I told you that you looked pretty, didn't I?" He looked at her stern face and winced again. "You do look very pretty." He said, a fearful look on his face.
"Did you forget to mention something to me when you asked me to go to your cabin?" She asked again with care not to get angry. He shook his head, gesturing that he had no clue what she was talking about. "When you sent me to your cabin, and forgot to tell me about its occupants maybe?"
"Occupants?" He said, still pretending to be confused.
"Elizabeth and Will, Jack!! Elizabeth and Will." She said, raising her hand to slap him again, she was so frustrated. "Tall blonde lady and a boy with a poncy hat, ring any bloody bells, Captain Jack Sparrow?" She said the last words dangerously, her chin rising and falling as she spat out each word.
He bit his lip, and finally allowed the smile to form. She stared at him. He looked up at her, trying to look sheepish.
"Oh you bastard." She said finally, letting the funniness of the situation wash over her. "You just wanted a bloody check up on how they were going!" He suddenly when serious, and raised his eyebrows.
"How were they going?" She shook her head, turning her face away. "Oh, come on Ana-Maria, just tell, was she naked?" Ana's head snapped back around, and scanned his face. He darted his eyebrows up and down. Ana-Maria shook her head with rage. His face dropped.
"She wasn't naked? Maybe that boy's an eunuch after all." He eyes widened as he processed this information. Ana-Maria dropped her head in her hands.
"Oh, Jack!"
"Well, what other explanation can there be for her not being naked?" Jack continued. "I mean, Elizabeth's an attractive girl, and the boy may be a bit slow on the uptake, but even he should know what to do on their wedding night. I mean, if it had been me."
"You better not finish that sentence, Mr Jack Sparrow." Ana-Maria said, her face still in her hands. "Of course she was bloody naked."
"Oh." Jack stopped, and then smiled. "Good old Will." He said, his eyes distant. Then he refocused on Ana, and made an ashamed face. "Sorry bout that love. But its fun to see you squirm."
"What are they doing here Jack?" She said, still recovering. Jack put his arm around her, comfortingly, and kissed the top of her head.
"We picked them up last night, after you went to your cabin. They thought it might be best to get married quickly, before Liz's father changed her mind. They also thought it might be a good idea to get out of Port Royal for a while, in case the Commodore decided to throw Will in jail after all."
"And they're in your cabin because?" Ana-Maria asked. She looked up at Jack, and the constantly surprising man he was and sighed. Then she laughed, somehow managing to see the funny side of the situation.
"Well, its their honey moon." Jack grinned. "Why else do you think I came down here? I needed a place to sleep." He batted off the body slaps that this comment received.
"Oh, you. you. pirate you." Ana-Maria cursed, not being able to think up a better description.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A month later, finished with their business of a while, and having as much as a holiday as pirates get, the Portella was nuzzled cosily into a bay; they had bought and traded enough for the town folk to let them stay in the port for the night. Thank god not all ports were intend on hanging every pirate they saw.
Ana-Maria found herself walking down the beach adjacent to the port, her feet dragging in the sand, leaving ruts rather then footprints. She fiddled with the long emerald she still wore. She was becoming attached. She closed her eyes, imagining, no, not Jack Sparrow, someone else. Think of someone else, she thought snakily.
"Arg. Stop this." She muttered. "I'm bloody pirate, I don't need any man wrapped around me on a beach."
"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." Turner said, emerging from the trees. Ana-Maria rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, Turner," She licked her lips, gave him a long look. "You're going to ask me when we're going to England again aren't you?" Turner rubbed his goatee, nodding guilty. He pursed his lips, jamming his hands in his pockets and came to stand next to her.
"And you were hoping that it was Sparrow following you." Turner said unceremoniously. Ana-Maria shot him a sharp look, prepared to deny it. Turner shrugged.
"Maybe just a little." She conceded.
Her and Sparrow had been talking again, conversations stolen here and there, and smoke shared in the darkness. But neither seemed ready to broach the ever-increasing physical gab.
Ana-Maria and Turner were silent for a second, taking in the night. It was a beautiful night. The sea was dark enough so that it was almost impossible to tell where the sea ended and the sky began. Turner sat down, gesturing for Ana-Maria to do the same.
"You know, I love the Caribbean. I gave up my home, and I think lost part of my heart to it. It something I chose. I was greedy, maybe. And I was hungry for adventure." He said calmly. Then he looked over at Ana-Maria calculatingly. "But I chose it. Do you know how old I was when I became a pirate?" Ana-Maria shook her head dispassionately.
"I was twenty one. I was a full grown man."
"And your point Turner?" Ana-Maria asked, getting sick of how many times people pointed out the failings of her youth. "Ana, you're like a daughter to me. And I know it saddened Gull to think..." He stopped, dropping his head. "Is not my place." He said simply. He made as if to rise. Ana-Maria grabbed his arm.
"What? What did my father, what used to sadden him? Turner.... Bill, please." Ana-Maria asked, her voice cracking slightly. The big pirate pursed his lips, his greasy hair falling slightly over his face. He pulled a face, debating his words.
"It saddened him, that you'd never have any other life." Turner said finally. "What?" Ana whispered so quietly that it was barely auditable. But the shock and outrage was evident in her face, in the widening of her eyes.
"You never got to chose whether this was the life you wanted. To be a pirate or not. I think, I know, it saddened him somehow. I think he was afraid he'd disappointed your mother, by the way he raised you." He pushed his hair back off his face.
"He asked me, he said if he never got the chance, well he wanted me to ask you to think long and hard about this life. I mean, girl, none of us would blame ya if you wanted to give it up. That Portella's too full of memories. And we've got gold enough for you to just..." He faltered again. "I just wanted to tell ya, because I don't think he ever got the chance to." He stood, leaving gorge marks in the soft sand.
"If your worried about my captaining abilities..." Ana-Maria started. Turner waved a hand, silencing her.
"I'd just never want my son not to have the chose. And you're like a daughter to me, girl. Just think about it." He said, turning to leave. "Oh, and Sparrow's in the bushes. Relieving himself. You guys talk out your lovers tiff." He continued with his back turned. "And don't worry girl. I'm no teller of tales."
Ana-Maria stared wordlessly after his retreating back. Turner walked with an odd grace on the sand, his pirate accent softened by his British background.
Sparrow stumbled out, a rum bottle in hand. He paused a few steps behind Ana-Maria. He looked from his rum bottle to her to the rum bottle again. The he raised his eyebrows sceptically and shaking his head in case she wasn't real.
He collapsed on the sand next to her.
"Where'd Will go off to then?" Jack asked, nudging her. He offered her the rum bottle, with she turned down with just the wave of a hand. Not even an angry wave, just a dreamy, distant one.
"Jack?" She asked finally.
"Hmmm?" He murmured, half to her, and half to the bottle.
"Look at me." She said, turning the full extent of her brown eyes on him. He looked at her, at the eyes that were so dark they seemed to be made out of charcoal, and how they welled with sadness. So beautiful.
Whatever she was searching for she seemed to find very quickly, raising her hand and slapping him hard across the face.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Ah, my first slap." Jack said reminiscently. Ana-Maria scowled.
"Yeah, but not your last."
"No," Jack shook his head sadly. * * * * * * * * * * *
I'm also thinking of reformatting the whole thing, so there aren't quite so many chapters...Arg. But I've got both entire plots, past and present, written in my head now, so now I just have to get it onto the damn screen. The story won't be that much longer folks. And I swear, there are plots! There's ships blowing up and everything.
As usual, my unlimited love and adoration to all reviewers, even if you just want to say, hey, I read your story. (
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh, little Sparrow?" Ana-Maria said enticingly, her voice sickly sweet which meant she was pissed off.
"Dear Ana-Maria?" Jack replied, sitting up on the bed fully dressed, his grin completely hidden from sight. He was the aura of innocence. She made a face at him, and he made one back at her.
She broke the silence first.
"Get ya boots of my bed." She snapped. He kicked his shoes off obligingly. She sat down next to him on the bed, holding out the eyeliner. His eyes glinted. He reached up to take it, but Ana-Maria snatched it away from his griping hands. She stared at him demurely, her veil of hair curling, a stray stand falling onto her face.
"My darling Ana-Maria," Jack said, with his gushing display of charm that he gave women when he thought he might deserve a slap. "My sexy beautiful, charming wench..." That got him a slap across the face.
"Don't even think about saying that you didn't deserve that." Ana-Maria said, her arms folded across her chest.
"Wouldn't dream of it," He said through his teeth, his face still half turned round from the blow of the slap.
"My dear, sexy, beautiful, pirate woman," He started again.
"You forgot charming." She said cattily. He leant forward, like a drunk story teller.
"That I did, but I think a woman who slaps like that can't be charming." She slapped him again, harder. He growled, wincing slightly with pain.
"You deserved that one." She said, a hint of a smile on her lips now.
"I probably did." He conceded. "Now that you've got your wonderful morning humour out of you system," She raised her hand warningly and he continued hurriedly. "I was wondering whether you be wanting to give me that eyeliner." He said extremely politely, an almost desperate look on his face. She dropped her hand, jutting her chin and looking away from him.
"No." She said finally.
"Why the hell not?!" He half yelled, his attempt at politeness breaking down.
"Jack Sparrow," She said smoothly.
"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow if you're going to be slapping me." He interjected, rubbing his jaw.
"Did you forget to mention something to me earlier?" She asked.
"What? What did I forget?" He said despairingly. "I told you that you looked pretty, didn't I?" He looked at her stern face and winced again. "You do look very pretty." He said, a fearful look on his face.
"Did you forget to mention something to me when you asked me to go to your cabin?" She asked again with care not to get angry. He shook his head, gesturing that he had no clue what she was talking about. "When you sent me to your cabin, and forgot to tell me about its occupants maybe?"
"Occupants?" He said, still pretending to be confused.
"Elizabeth and Will, Jack!! Elizabeth and Will." She said, raising her hand to slap him again, she was so frustrated. "Tall blonde lady and a boy with a poncy hat, ring any bloody bells, Captain Jack Sparrow?" She said the last words dangerously, her chin rising and falling as she spat out each word.
He bit his lip, and finally allowed the smile to form. She stared at him. He looked up at her, trying to look sheepish.
"Oh you bastard." She said finally, letting the funniness of the situation wash over her. "You just wanted a bloody check up on how they were going!" He suddenly when serious, and raised his eyebrows.
"How were they going?" She shook her head, turning her face away. "Oh, come on Ana-Maria, just tell, was she naked?" Ana's head snapped back around, and scanned his face. He darted his eyebrows up and down. Ana-Maria shook her head with rage. His face dropped.
"She wasn't naked? Maybe that boy's an eunuch after all." He eyes widened as he processed this information. Ana-Maria dropped her head in her hands.
"Oh, Jack!"
"Well, what other explanation can there be for her not being naked?" Jack continued. "I mean, Elizabeth's an attractive girl, and the boy may be a bit slow on the uptake, but even he should know what to do on their wedding night. I mean, if it had been me."
"You better not finish that sentence, Mr Jack Sparrow." Ana-Maria said, her face still in her hands. "Of course she was bloody naked."
"Oh." Jack stopped, and then smiled. "Good old Will." He said, his eyes distant. Then he refocused on Ana, and made an ashamed face. "Sorry bout that love. But its fun to see you squirm."
"What are they doing here Jack?" She said, still recovering. Jack put his arm around her, comfortingly, and kissed the top of her head.
"We picked them up last night, after you went to your cabin. They thought it might be best to get married quickly, before Liz's father changed her mind. They also thought it might be a good idea to get out of Port Royal for a while, in case the Commodore decided to throw Will in jail after all."
"And they're in your cabin because?" Ana-Maria asked. She looked up at Jack, and the constantly surprising man he was and sighed. Then she laughed, somehow managing to see the funny side of the situation.
"Well, its their honey moon." Jack grinned. "Why else do you think I came down here? I needed a place to sleep." He batted off the body slaps that this comment received.
"Oh, you. you. pirate you." Ana-Maria cursed, not being able to think up a better description.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A month later, finished with their business of a while, and having as much as a holiday as pirates get, the Portella was nuzzled cosily into a bay; they had bought and traded enough for the town folk to let them stay in the port for the night. Thank god not all ports were intend on hanging every pirate they saw.
Ana-Maria found herself walking down the beach adjacent to the port, her feet dragging in the sand, leaving ruts rather then footprints. She fiddled with the long emerald she still wore. She was becoming attached. She closed her eyes, imagining, no, not Jack Sparrow, someone else. Think of someone else, she thought snakily.
"Arg. Stop this." She muttered. "I'm bloody pirate, I don't need any man wrapped around me on a beach."
"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." Turner said, emerging from the trees. Ana-Maria rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, Turner," She licked her lips, gave him a long look. "You're going to ask me when we're going to England again aren't you?" Turner rubbed his goatee, nodding guilty. He pursed his lips, jamming his hands in his pockets and came to stand next to her.
"And you were hoping that it was Sparrow following you." Turner said unceremoniously. Ana-Maria shot him a sharp look, prepared to deny it. Turner shrugged.
"Maybe just a little." She conceded.
Her and Sparrow had been talking again, conversations stolen here and there, and smoke shared in the darkness. But neither seemed ready to broach the ever-increasing physical gab.
Ana-Maria and Turner were silent for a second, taking in the night. It was a beautiful night. The sea was dark enough so that it was almost impossible to tell where the sea ended and the sky began. Turner sat down, gesturing for Ana-Maria to do the same.
"You know, I love the Caribbean. I gave up my home, and I think lost part of my heart to it. It something I chose. I was greedy, maybe. And I was hungry for adventure." He said calmly. Then he looked over at Ana-Maria calculatingly. "But I chose it. Do you know how old I was when I became a pirate?" Ana-Maria shook her head dispassionately.
"I was twenty one. I was a full grown man."
"And your point Turner?" Ana-Maria asked, getting sick of how many times people pointed out the failings of her youth. "Ana, you're like a daughter to me. And I know it saddened Gull to think..." He stopped, dropping his head. "Is not my place." He said simply. He made as if to rise. Ana-Maria grabbed his arm.
"What? What did my father, what used to sadden him? Turner.... Bill, please." Ana-Maria asked, her voice cracking slightly. The big pirate pursed his lips, his greasy hair falling slightly over his face. He pulled a face, debating his words.
"It saddened him, that you'd never have any other life." Turner said finally. "What?" Ana whispered so quietly that it was barely auditable. But the shock and outrage was evident in her face, in the widening of her eyes.
"You never got to chose whether this was the life you wanted. To be a pirate or not. I think, I know, it saddened him somehow. I think he was afraid he'd disappointed your mother, by the way he raised you." He pushed his hair back off his face.
"He asked me, he said if he never got the chance, well he wanted me to ask you to think long and hard about this life. I mean, girl, none of us would blame ya if you wanted to give it up. That Portella's too full of memories. And we've got gold enough for you to just..." He faltered again. "I just wanted to tell ya, because I don't think he ever got the chance to." He stood, leaving gorge marks in the soft sand.
"If your worried about my captaining abilities..." Ana-Maria started. Turner waved a hand, silencing her.
"I'd just never want my son not to have the chose. And you're like a daughter to me, girl. Just think about it." He said, turning to leave. "Oh, and Sparrow's in the bushes. Relieving himself. You guys talk out your lovers tiff." He continued with his back turned. "And don't worry girl. I'm no teller of tales."
Ana-Maria stared wordlessly after his retreating back. Turner walked with an odd grace on the sand, his pirate accent softened by his British background.
Sparrow stumbled out, a rum bottle in hand. He paused a few steps behind Ana-Maria. He looked from his rum bottle to her to the rum bottle again. The he raised his eyebrows sceptically and shaking his head in case she wasn't real.
He collapsed on the sand next to her.
"Where'd Will go off to then?" Jack asked, nudging her. He offered her the rum bottle, with she turned down with just the wave of a hand. Not even an angry wave, just a dreamy, distant one.
"Jack?" She asked finally.
"Hmmm?" He murmured, half to her, and half to the bottle.
"Look at me." She said, turning the full extent of her brown eyes on him. He looked at her, at the eyes that were so dark they seemed to be made out of charcoal, and how they welled with sadness. So beautiful.
Whatever she was searching for she seemed to find very quickly, raising her hand and slapping him hard across the face.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Ah, my first slap." Jack said reminiscently. Ana-Maria scowled.
"Yeah, but not your last."
"No," Jack shook his head sadly. * * * * * * * * * * *