Aren't I doing well? Two chapters in two days! Anyway . . .onwards!
*~*~*
Captain Jack Sparrow stared into space, wondering for the hundredth time how he was going to get away this time. It was only a few hours until dawn, and already he could sense his spirits fading, becoming the dark pit of despair. It was too much to hope that someone might find it in their hearts to add this escape to his reputation.
The guard dozed in his chair, one eye open and on the prisoner, the prison dog at his feet. So, generally, the atmosphere in the cells was lazy and tense. All Jack could do was wait for the dawn light to filter in through his barred window.
There was a noise above them, one of a door being opened, and footsteps on the steps that led down to the dismal room. Both men sat straighter, hearing the rustle of skirts that belied a female presence entering the cells.
She stepped down, into the tiny space, glancing about almost indifferently at the locked cells. Her eyes paused for just one moment as they passed over Jack's wary figure, before she moved towards the guard.
'Well now, my darlin',' he said in what he obviously thought was a seductive tone, 'what brings a pretty thing like you down here at so godforsaken an hour?'
Jack heard her giggle, but was more interested in the intriguing shape of her skirts. They were bunched at the waist, almost as if she had something concealed beneath them. He allowed his eyes to travel over her body, searching for anything out of place. Even though the candlelight was not the brightest it could be, hiding many details of her appearance, it was enough for him to see what was obvious.
Her hair was tied back in a simple loose knot, hardly the fashion among the whores at that time, and he spied the flash of a brown leather boot where a dainty slipper would have been far more appropriate. He felt a grin work its way onto his weathered face and quickly suppressed it, waiting to see what would come from this encounter.
The guard reached out and curled a clumsy arm around the young woman's waist, drawing her down to sit on his lap. She did so, willingly, but Jack caught the slight grimace of disgust that crossed her face as the guard began to caress her neck and shoulders.
'Who have you come to pleasure this eve, my darlin'?' he asked, trying to kiss her.
There was a click, and he felt the cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his head.
'Not you, that's for certain,' she said pleasantly, lifting herself off his lap and motioning him to rise.
He did so, shaking slightly in fear. The girl looked him up and down witheringly, and gestured for him to retrieve the keys.
'Now, you do as you're told, and I won't pull this trigger, understand?' she told him.
The guard nodded hurriedly, obviously terrified by now. He had quite obviously never come up against a woman with a weapon before, Jack thought, and therefore didn't know how to cope.
'Open the captain's cell and let him out,' was her first command, which was quickly obeyed.
Jack slipped into freedom, and took the keys from his jailer at the same time, ushering him into the cell and locking him in, with his dog.
'No shouting, mate, and you might live,' he told the shaking man, enjoying every minute of this unexpected rescue. 'My thanks, love, for your timely intervention.'
Grasping his effects from the rack beside the table, he made to slip past her up the stairs, but found the gun now pressed firmly against his ribs. Infinitely surprised, he looked down into quite a pleasant smile.
'Not so fast, Mr Sparrow,' she said softly, and Jack gave a quick sigh of impatience.
'Why can nobody remember the Captain?' he asked no one in particular. 'It's Captain Jack Sparrow, love, and I've a mind to be free of this fort, so if you'd remove the pistol . . . ?'
She didn't budge even an inch.
'You wouldn't get five feet without me,' she murmured. 'There are men out there with orders to shoot if I'm not with you.'
Jack's eyes widened.
'What have I done now?'
She gave him a sweet smile that was somehow more unnerving than the professional way she held the gun.
'Nothing that I know of,' she admitted, fiddling behind her back with one hand. 'My captain wishes to have words with you, Mr Sparrow, so there's no point in trying to get away. Your own crew were encouraged to sail out of the harbour earlier this evening.'
Jack heaved a huge sigh. He'd lost his ship, again. As he contemplated his options, of which there were very few, the girl drew in a deep breath and there was a whizzing sound, like that of rope moving fast through rigging. The gun never moved from his ribs as she shed the heavy dress with an audible sigh of relief.
He felt the grin from earlier slide into place as he took in her far more practical appearance. Shirt, waistcoat, breeches, boots, belt, pistols, sabre . . . he had been rescued and captured by a pirate lass, no doubt about it. That explained the less than fashionable hair as well. She caught him looking, lifting his chin with the pistol.
'Eyes up, Mr Sparrow, I don't tolerate men taking an eyeful.'
Sufficiently warned, he followed her up the stairs and out into the cool night air. As she motioned him back into the shadows, he noticed a small gathering of bodies piled on top of one another by the wall.
The girl must have felt his curiosity, and glanced back at him as she edged through the fort.
'Not dead, just . . . sleeping,' she told him, her voice almost lost on the sea breeze.
Together they slipped silently through the eerily empty fort, and down into the town. Jack felt, more than saw, the ever present eyes of his new companion's crew as they followed the pair down into the town towards the dock. As they passed a darkened alleyway, Jack felt his collar grasped by a rough hand and he was yanked backwards into the shadows.
His eyes quickly adjusted to the new darkness, and he found himself surrounded by men who looked strangely familiar. At least now he knew he had been captured by a crew he might know, save for the girl who stood beside him.
'What's up?' she asked softly, her voice barely audible.
A small figure slipped forward to her side.
'The navy have patrols up and doon the docks, miss,' he said in a thick Scottish accent. 'Tae frequent tae slip past wi' him, and tae well trained not tae try and yell fer help.'
The girl nodded, and Jack could almost hear her thinking, trying to work out the problem.
'Of course, you could just leave me here,' he heard himself say, and instantly regretted it.
The pistol was back against his ribs, and this time there were several hostile stares on him as well.
'You're coming with us, Mr Sparrow, whether you wish it or not,' the girl hissed. 'One more word from you and you won't be walking to the dock, do you understand?'
'Far better than I could ever wish to, love,' he assured her, surprised by the violence of their reaction. 'And it's Captain Sparrow.'
The man closest to him leant forward.
'I'd shut up right now if I were you,' he muttered, his eyes on the young woman by their captive's side.
Jack nodded, having noticed the addition of a sabre to the pistol in his ribs. There was a hastily whispered conversation that he could hear nothing of, and most of the dark shapes slipped away into the shadows, leaving Jack alone with the young woman, and the boy.
There was a loud commotion down by the docks and they saw the dark shapes run past them, up towards the fort, making as much noise as possible. They were quickly followed by a large number of marines, feverishly fixing bayonets as they ran uphill. As they passed, Jack stepped backward in the gloom, fully intending to run, and fell over a barrel, lying against the wall behind him. He let out a hoarse cry, and grabbed for the girl as she turned to see him land unceremoniously on his arse.
'What the hell do you think you're doing?' she hissed, leaning down to pull him to his feet.
There was a noise from the alley mouth, and they both turned to see a pair of marines peering into the gloom, a lantern held aloft between them.
'Damn,' he heard her swear. 'Nowhere to run.'
Jack smiled, an idea popping into his head that he was certain he'd pay for later.
'Then relax, love,' he murmured into her ear. 'If you struggle, they'll definitely come and take a closer look.'
Without any warning, he bent and kissed her, pushing her firmly against the wall and capturing her hands as she raised them to fight him off. His lips were bruising as he held her still, acutely aware that the marines were moving closer, wanting to check that there was no trouble. Finally, she seemed to notice and relaxed somewhat, allowing him to pull her close and make the kiss seem a little more natural. Just at that moment, the light from the lantern fell on them, and they heard the marines chuckle and move away.
With a show of strength he would never have believed a woman could have, had he not spent the last few years in Ana Maria's company, Jack was shoved bodily away from his young captor, slamming into the stone wall with a thud. A dagger whistled from its sheath and pricked his nose.
'Don't you ever do that to me again,' he was warned.
She stalked away, to the mouth of the alley, leaving Jack to exchange a look with the grinning boy.
'Ah, you've hit a chord there, Master Sparrow,' the boy told him. 'Not one fer mushy stuff, is our lady.'
Jack returned the grin, shrugging non-commitally.
'Shame.'
The darkened figures slipped past again, and he found himself pushed forward, obediently breaking into a run beside the girl he had so rudely accosted only moments before. They skidded along the jetty to the boats that lay waiting, and were quickly aboard and rowing out to their ship, the marines none the wiser.
The ship itself looked asleep, with no movement on board to betray its readiness for the off. As the longboats came alongside, Jack glanced up, and saw a figurehead that was very familiar. A red dragon gleamed in the moonlight. He nodded to himself, letting the crew manhandle him aboard and throw him into a corner while they went about their duties.
A voice he remembered very clearly said,
'Take him below, mates, there's work to be done before we can explain ourselves.'
Jack was hoisted to his feet and pushed down into the bowels of the ship. He landed on his knees at the foot of the stairs, and was greeted with a gasp of surprise.
'My goodness! Jack, are you alright?'
His eyes widened further as this voice registered as one he knew also. Looking up, he was greeted with a surprising sight.
'Elizabeth?'
*~*~*
And there's chapter two! Like it? Hate it? Let me know! *gestures hopefully towards little purple button*
And I do author's notes! See, you get a complete package! (
Froline el-Vasper - my first reviewer! Thank you! As far as the shanty went, I wanted to tie it in with the film, but if there are any other shanty scenes, you may rest assured I will use another one, 'cause I have a whole bank of them swimming around my little head. And thanks for pointing out the goblet thing - you're right, my mistake. Sorry! I'm glad you like the fic, and please continue to read it!
*~*~*
Captain Jack Sparrow stared into space, wondering for the hundredth time how he was going to get away this time. It was only a few hours until dawn, and already he could sense his spirits fading, becoming the dark pit of despair. It was too much to hope that someone might find it in their hearts to add this escape to his reputation.
The guard dozed in his chair, one eye open and on the prisoner, the prison dog at his feet. So, generally, the atmosphere in the cells was lazy and tense. All Jack could do was wait for the dawn light to filter in through his barred window.
There was a noise above them, one of a door being opened, and footsteps on the steps that led down to the dismal room. Both men sat straighter, hearing the rustle of skirts that belied a female presence entering the cells.
She stepped down, into the tiny space, glancing about almost indifferently at the locked cells. Her eyes paused for just one moment as they passed over Jack's wary figure, before she moved towards the guard.
'Well now, my darlin',' he said in what he obviously thought was a seductive tone, 'what brings a pretty thing like you down here at so godforsaken an hour?'
Jack heard her giggle, but was more interested in the intriguing shape of her skirts. They were bunched at the waist, almost as if she had something concealed beneath them. He allowed his eyes to travel over her body, searching for anything out of place. Even though the candlelight was not the brightest it could be, hiding many details of her appearance, it was enough for him to see what was obvious.
Her hair was tied back in a simple loose knot, hardly the fashion among the whores at that time, and he spied the flash of a brown leather boot where a dainty slipper would have been far more appropriate. He felt a grin work its way onto his weathered face and quickly suppressed it, waiting to see what would come from this encounter.
The guard reached out and curled a clumsy arm around the young woman's waist, drawing her down to sit on his lap. She did so, willingly, but Jack caught the slight grimace of disgust that crossed her face as the guard began to caress her neck and shoulders.
'Who have you come to pleasure this eve, my darlin'?' he asked, trying to kiss her.
There was a click, and he felt the cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his head.
'Not you, that's for certain,' she said pleasantly, lifting herself off his lap and motioning him to rise.
He did so, shaking slightly in fear. The girl looked him up and down witheringly, and gestured for him to retrieve the keys.
'Now, you do as you're told, and I won't pull this trigger, understand?' she told him.
The guard nodded hurriedly, obviously terrified by now. He had quite obviously never come up against a woman with a weapon before, Jack thought, and therefore didn't know how to cope.
'Open the captain's cell and let him out,' was her first command, which was quickly obeyed.
Jack slipped into freedom, and took the keys from his jailer at the same time, ushering him into the cell and locking him in, with his dog.
'No shouting, mate, and you might live,' he told the shaking man, enjoying every minute of this unexpected rescue. 'My thanks, love, for your timely intervention.'
Grasping his effects from the rack beside the table, he made to slip past her up the stairs, but found the gun now pressed firmly against his ribs. Infinitely surprised, he looked down into quite a pleasant smile.
'Not so fast, Mr Sparrow,' she said softly, and Jack gave a quick sigh of impatience.
'Why can nobody remember the Captain?' he asked no one in particular. 'It's Captain Jack Sparrow, love, and I've a mind to be free of this fort, so if you'd remove the pistol . . . ?'
She didn't budge even an inch.
'You wouldn't get five feet without me,' she murmured. 'There are men out there with orders to shoot if I'm not with you.'
Jack's eyes widened.
'What have I done now?'
She gave him a sweet smile that was somehow more unnerving than the professional way she held the gun.
'Nothing that I know of,' she admitted, fiddling behind her back with one hand. 'My captain wishes to have words with you, Mr Sparrow, so there's no point in trying to get away. Your own crew were encouraged to sail out of the harbour earlier this evening.'
Jack heaved a huge sigh. He'd lost his ship, again. As he contemplated his options, of which there were very few, the girl drew in a deep breath and there was a whizzing sound, like that of rope moving fast through rigging. The gun never moved from his ribs as she shed the heavy dress with an audible sigh of relief.
He felt the grin from earlier slide into place as he took in her far more practical appearance. Shirt, waistcoat, breeches, boots, belt, pistols, sabre . . . he had been rescued and captured by a pirate lass, no doubt about it. That explained the less than fashionable hair as well. She caught him looking, lifting his chin with the pistol.
'Eyes up, Mr Sparrow, I don't tolerate men taking an eyeful.'
Sufficiently warned, he followed her up the stairs and out into the cool night air. As she motioned him back into the shadows, he noticed a small gathering of bodies piled on top of one another by the wall.
The girl must have felt his curiosity, and glanced back at him as she edged through the fort.
'Not dead, just . . . sleeping,' she told him, her voice almost lost on the sea breeze.
Together they slipped silently through the eerily empty fort, and down into the town. Jack felt, more than saw, the ever present eyes of his new companion's crew as they followed the pair down into the town towards the dock. As they passed a darkened alleyway, Jack felt his collar grasped by a rough hand and he was yanked backwards into the shadows.
His eyes quickly adjusted to the new darkness, and he found himself surrounded by men who looked strangely familiar. At least now he knew he had been captured by a crew he might know, save for the girl who stood beside him.
'What's up?' she asked softly, her voice barely audible.
A small figure slipped forward to her side.
'The navy have patrols up and doon the docks, miss,' he said in a thick Scottish accent. 'Tae frequent tae slip past wi' him, and tae well trained not tae try and yell fer help.'
The girl nodded, and Jack could almost hear her thinking, trying to work out the problem.
'Of course, you could just leave me here,' he heard himself say, and instantly regretted it.
The pistol was back against his ribs, and this time there were several hostile stares on him as well.
'You're coming with us, Mr Sparrow, whether you wish it or not,' the girl hissed. 'One more word from you and you won't be walking to the dock, do you understand?'
'Far better than I could ever wish to, love,' he assured her, surprised by the violence of their reaction. 'And it's Captain Sparrow.'
The man closest to him leant forward.
'I'd shut up right now if I were you,' he muttered, his eyes on the young woman by their captive's side.
Jack nodded, having noticed the addition of a sabre to the pistol in his ribs. There was a hastily whispered conversation that he could hear nothing of, and most of the dark shapes slipped away into the shadows, leaving Jack alone with the young woman, and the boy.
There was a loud commotion down by the docks and they saw the dark shapes run past them, up towards the fort, making as much noise as possible. They were quickly followed by a large number of marines, feverishly fixing bayonets as they ran uphill. As they passed, Jack stepped backward in the gloom, fully intending to run, and fell over a barrel, lying against the wall behind him. He let out a hoarse cry, and grabbed for the girl as she turned to see him land unceremoniously on his arse.
'What the hell do you think you're doing?' she hissed, leaning down to pull him to his feet.
There was a noise from the alley mouth, and they both turned to see a pair of marines peering into the gloom, a lantern held aloft between them.
'Damn,' he heard her swear. 'Nowhere to run.'
Jack smiled, an idea popping into his head that he was certain he'd pay for later.
'Then relax, love,' he murmured into her ear. 'If you struggle, they'll definitely come and take a closer look.'
Without any warning, he bent and kissed her, pushing her firmly against the wall and capturing her hands as she raised them to fight him off. His lips were bruising as he held her still, acutely aware that the marines were moving closer, wanting to check that there was no trouble. Finally, she seemed to notice and relaxed somewhat, allowing him to pull her close and make the kiss seem a little more natural. Just at that moment, the light from the lantern fell on them, and they heard the marines chuckle and move away.
With a show of strength he would never have believed a woman could have, had he not spent the last few years in Ana Maria's company, Jack was shoved bodily away from his young captor, slamming into the stone wall with a thud. A dagger whistled from its sheath and pricked his nose.
'Don't you ever do that to me again,' he was warned.
She stalked away, to the mouth of the alley, leaving Jack to exchange a look with the grinning boy.
'Ah, you've hit a chord there, Master Sparrow,' the boy told him. 'Not one fer mushy stuff, is our lady.'
Jack returned the grin, shrugging non-commitally.
'Shame.'
The darkened figures slipped past again, and he found himself pushed forward, obediently breaking into a run beside the girl he had so rudely accosted only moments before. They skidded along the jetty to the boats that lay waiting, and were quickly aboard and rowing out to their ship, the marines none the wiser.
The ship itself looked asleep, with no movement on board to betray its readiness for the off. As the longboats came alongside, Jack glanced up, and saw a figurehead that was very familiar. A red dragon gleamed in the moonlight. He nodded to himself, letting the crew manhandle him aboard and throw him into a corner while they went about their duties.
A voice he remembered very clearly said,
'Take him below, mates, there's work to be done before we can explain ourselves.'
Jack was hoisted to his feet and pushed down into the bowels of the ship. He landed on his knees at the foot of the stairs, and was greeted with a gasp of surprise.
'My goodness! Jack, are you alright?'
His eyes widened further as this voice registered as one he knew also. Looking up, he was greeted with a surprising sight.
'Elizabeth?'
*~*~*
And there's chapter two! Like it? Hate it? Let me know! *gestures hopefully towards little purple button*
And I do author's notes! See, you get a complete package! (
Froline el-Vasper - my first reviewer! Thank you! As far as the shanty went, I wanted to tie it in with the film, but if there are any other shanty scenes, you may rest assured I will use another one, 'cause I have a whole bank of them swimming around my little head. And thanks for pointing out the goblet thing - you're right, my mistake. Sorry! I'm glad you like the fic, and please continue to read it!