Chapter One:
Jack licked his lips. They were dry, tender, and raw all at the same time. It was the result of a rum filled night, a morning flavor on his tongue he wasn't foreign to. Sitting up slowly the pain surged from his spine straight to his head. Jack's body collapsed back into the position it had first been in; slightly curled to the point not even his blood hurt so much.
"This is going to be one hell of a day," Jack spoke to himself.
After multiple quick, short breaths, Jack jumped to his feet and held in the howl he'd managed to tame from his many morning fits.
Jack was completely oblivious to what he'd been through the night before. All he had cemented in his mind at the moment was the fluffy bed that awaited him in his captain quarters on his beloved ship, the Black Pearl. Stepping outside the bar he'd might as well own since whenever he wasn't on the sea he was there, he squinted his eyes and watched the flashes of red speed past him.
"What in the blazin' hills did I drink last night?" Jack asked himself dizzily, after catching himself before he fell into the cobblestone under him.
~
Bridget didn't have anywhere else to run. Her father had sent his men after her a lot sooner than she'd hoped. No one was going to force her to do anything she didn't want. At least that's what she believed, which is the main reason why she'd ran in the first place.
She'd made it from Port Royal and through Kasamarie. She couldn't believe her father's soldiers were actually able to follow her all the way to Tortuga. But she was frightened now and if it were up to her she'd sail one of these large boats out of here. However since it wasn't up to her she settled with boarding the ship that blended with the night.
Deciding on the finest room the ship held she undressed herself all the way down to her knickers and corset and lay in the warm bed. The fear of getting caught was no longer by her father's soldiers but only by the crew and captain this ship belonged to. But if she were correct in her assumption, they wouldn't be back until late the next day. They'd still be drowning in their kegs of rum by now and that gave her plenty of time to rest.
~
Jack wobbled into his quarters on his beloved boat. Awkwardly he stumbled into his room as he practically slipped on the dress that lay sprawled on the floor.
"That's interesting," he murmured. Ignoring it almost instantly he removed his shirt and his boots before climbing under the already messed covers.
Gently, Jack secured his arms around the trinket of life next him and almost instantly fell asleep. That was until he'd realized that there was someone in his bed with him. Opening his eyes he looked into the hazel ones of a girl lying next to him. He knew right away she couldn't have been any older that twenty-two because of her young face and shrilly scream that caused him to fly backwards from the bed.
"Damn!" Jack scowled as he touched his nose. It felt as if he'd fallen on it. As he continued to remain on his hands and knees, it took Jack a moment to re-evaluate the situation.
"You-you scoundrel! You PIRATE!" the girl squawked as if he had just offended her.
"Shut the bloody blazes up!" Jack mumbled as he stood.
"Pardon me?" she spat.
"What do you take me for?" Jack blinked. "Listen, there are red coats scavaging the docks, I can call them in here and have you arrested!" he threatened.
"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed.
"Do you wish to make this easy then?" Jack asked as the girl sat in the corner of the bed that hugged the wall. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"I asked you first!" Jack made a face of disapproval.
"And?"
"And. and. you know what this is my ship! Now tell me who you are or I'll go get a uniform!" Jack spat.
"Bridget Marie Flagman," the girl said quickly, not wanting the coats to be involved. It didn't take another moment for Jack to realize that the very mention of a soldier being brought in made Bridget squirm.
"Right, Bridget, excuse me," Jack left the room and leaned over the rail of his ship. Whistling over the soldier nearest to him, Jack plastered a smile that pretty much said he wanted to get this over with.
"Yes-erm-sir?" the soldier forced the 'sir' out of courtesy. It didn't matter though; he enjoyed watching the man squirm.
"There is a stole away aboard my ship who is refusing my orders to disappear!" Jack sighed. Right away the soldier boarded the ship and called two more of his crew over. "She's down there," Jack pointed in the direction of his room.
Following the soldiers down the few stairs he watched as Bridget stood there, her arms crossed, still in the same clothes she'd been in before he'd left. However when the soldiers looked from Bridget, to the clothes on the floor and back to Jack, he knew exactly what they were thinking.
"Miss Bridget, what's going on here?" one of them asked as Jack's eyes widened and he attempted to grab his boots and shirt to cover his bare chest. Yet it was when he heard her sniffle he looked up at her to see the tears running down her cheeks. Jack rolled his eyes and put both his boots on.
"It-" she began, "He-" slightly covering her mouth she fanned herself. "He told me it'd be beautiful!" she burst. "Like nothing I'd ever felt before! He told me he'd love me forever and that our love would be stronger than ever after last night!"
"So what are ye sayin' exactly, Miss Bridget?" the soldier asked as if he needed clarification. Jack again rolled his eyes and shifted his weight on to his other foot.
"I'm saying that this-man is the most beautiful being. he is the only man that knows me inside. and out," she answered dramatically.
"Oh good God," Jack murmured under his breath. The soldiers turned to him with looks of disgust. Jack sighed and before a moment was lost he dashed from the room and attempted to escape. However if it weren't for the dizziness that remained from the night before and the pounding in his head, he might have just gotten away.
Jack licked his lips. They were dry, tender, and raw all at the same time. It was the result of a rum filled night, a morning flavor on his tongue he wasn't foreign to. Sitting up slowly the pain surged from his spine straight to his head. Jack's body collapsed back into the position it had first been in; slightly curled to the point not even his blood hurt so much.
"This is going to be one hell of a day," Jack spoke to himself.
After multiple quick, short breaths, Jack jumped to his feet and held in the howl he'd managed to tame from his many morning fits.
Jack was completely oblivious to what he'd been through the night before. All he had cemented in his mind at the moment was the fluffy bed that awaited him in his captain quarters on his beloved ship, the Black Pearl. Stepping outside the bar he'd might as well own since whenever he wasn't on the sea he was there, he squinted his eyes and watched the flashes of red speed past him.
"What in the blazin' hills did I drink last night?" Jack asked himself dizzily, after catching himself before he fell into the cobblestone under him.
~
Bridget didn't have anywhere else to run. Her father had sent his men after her a lot sooner than she'd hoped. No one was going to force her to do anything she didn't want. At least that's what she believed, which is the main reason why she'd ran in the first place.
She'd made it from Port Royal and through Kasamarie. She couldn't believe her father's soldiers were actually able to follow her all the way to Tortuga. But she was frightened now and if it were up to her she'd sail one of these large boats out of here. However since it wasn't up to her she settled with boarding the ship that blended with the night.
Deciding on the finest room the ship held she undressed herself all the way down to her knickers and corset and lay in the warm bed. The fear of getting caught was no longer by her father's soldiers but only by the crew and captain this ship belonged to. But if she were correct in her assumption, they wouldn't be back until late the next day. They'd still be drowning in their kegs of rum by now and that gave her plenty of time to rest.
~
Jack wobbled into his quarters on his beloved boat. Awkwardly he stumbled into his room as he practically slipped on the dress that lay sprawled on the floor.
"That's interesting," he murmured. Ignoring it almost instantly he removed his shirt and his boots before climbing under the already messed covers.
Gently, Jack secured his arms around the trinket of life next him and almost instantly fell asleep. That was until he'd realized that there was someone in his bed with him. Opening his eyes he looked into the hazel ones of a girl lying next to him. He knew right away she couldn't have been any older that twenty-two because of her young face and shrilly scream that caused him to fly backwards from the bed.
"Damn!" Jack scowled as he touched his nose. It felt as if he'd fallen on it. As he continued to remain on his hands and knees, it took Jack a moment to re-evaluate the situation.
"You-you scoundrel! You PIRATE!" the girl squawked as if he had just offended her.
"Shut the bloody blazes up!" Jack mumbled as he stood.
"Pardon me?" she spat.
"What do you take me for?" Jack blinked. "Listen, there are red coats scavaging the docks, I can call them in here and have you arrested!" he threatened.
"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed.
"Do you wish to make this easy then?" Jack asked as the girl sat in the corner of the bed that hugged the wall. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"I asked you first!" Jack made a face of disapproval.
"And?"
"And. and. you know what this is my ship! Now tell me who you are or I'll go get a uniform!" Jack spat.
"Bridget Marie Flagman," the girl said quickly, not wanting the coats to be involved. It didn't take another moment for Jack to realize that the very mention of a soldier being brought in made Bridget squirm.
"Right, Bridget, excuse me," Jack left the room and leaned over the rail of his ship. Whistling over the soldier nearest to him, Jack plastered a smile that pretty much said he wanted to get this over with.
"Yes-erm-sir?" the soldier forced the 'sir' out of courtesy. It didn't matter though; he enjoyed watching the man squirm.
"There is a stole away aboard my ship who is refusing my orders to disappear!" Jack sighed. Right away the soldier boarded the ship and called two more of his crew over. "She's down there," Jack pointed in the direction of his room.
Following the soldiers down the few stairs he watched as Bridget stood there, her arms crossed, still in the same clothes she'd been in before he'd left. However when the soldiers looked from Bridget, to the clothes on the floor and back to Jack, he knew exactly what they were thinking.
"Miss Bridget, what's going on here?" one of them asked as Jack's eyes widened and he attempted to grab his boots and shirt to cover his bare chest. Yet it was when he heard her sniffle he looked up at her to see the tears running down her cheeks. Jack rolled his eyes and put both his boots on.
"It-" she began, "He-" slightly covering her mouth she fanned herself. "He told me it'd be beautiful!" she burst. "Like nothing I'd ever felt before! He told me he'd love me forever and that our love would be stronger than ever after last night!"
"So what are ye sayin' exactly, Miss Bridget?" the soldier asked as if he needed clarification. Jack again rolled his eyes and shifted his weight on to his other foot.
"I'm saying that this-man is the most beautiful being. he is the only man that knows me inside. and out," she answered dramatically.
"Oh good God," Jack murmured under his breath. The soldiers turned to him with looks of disgust. Jack sighed and before a moment was lost he dashed from the room and attempted to escape. However if it weren't for the dizziness that remained from the night before and the pounding in his head, he might have just gotten away.