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Chapter 3: Stories and Comfort

"Would ye tell me it, love?"

Ana looked at him warily. She frankly wasn't used to seeing a nice Jack Sparrow. She sighed. "I'm a bloody runaway, Jack. Ye heard Evans tell you that. I ran away eight years ago."

Jack blinked. "Yer a pirate now, love, not a slave. And a damn good one at that. 'Aven't even got a brand."

Ana closed her eyes and muttered an oath. "Who says I don't?" She pushed her hair aside and turned her shoulder, pulling part of her shirt down so he could see the back of her shoulder. Jack sat up on his knees, mouth falling open and he reached out a dark-tanned hand to trace one of the angry light scars that become visible then out of sight once more as they crisscrossed down her back.

She flinched when she felt him touch her. She was completely unprepared when she felt his chapped lips brush over one in a tender kiss. He drew back, eyes unreadable. "Nobody hits ye, love."

"Well Sparrow, they did." She said softly, covering up her scars once more. "I've got my demons too, aye?" She made to get up and leave only to have Jack block her way. She tried several times to get around him only to have him intercept her. She let out a scream of frustration. "Sparrow, out of my way!" She raised her hand to slap him but was stopped by his almost sad voice.

"Darlin', you can slap me, bite me, or kick me but I ain't movin'. I think there's more to yer story and ye be hurting, savvy?" Jack had his arms around her and she went limp in his grasp.

"Aye," she muttered. "There's more." She found herself not able to stand. Jack stiffened and caught her, sinking them both down on the windowseat. Ana's world spun and jolted as the past she had so fiercely fought against came flooding back to her. She threw her arms around him and buried her facer in his chest, trying to block out everything but Jack. He had started to stroke her hair. She began shakily. "I was born a slave. My father was born free and when I was young he used to tell me stories about the outside world. I was a little wild in my work, and was always punished for it. But that's not where the scars came from. When I was sixteen the Lord of the plantation, Charles, decided he wanted me to himself."

She shuddered and Jack's hand stilled. "Ye mean--?"

"Aye," she cut him off. "I was his whore. I can't." she shook her head angrily. "I can't tell ye what he did to me, Jack. I tried to escape a few times.and couldn't. "She swiped furiously at her eyes and drew a shaky breath. "My son was born when I was seventeen.Stephan."

"Ye have a boy!" Jack exclaimed. "Why didn't ye say so, love? We can go pick him up and teach him to be a pirate."

"No!" Ana yelled. She sighed. "No. Everything got worse when I was eighteen. Stephan was a year and he got sick.measles. He wouldn't stop crying and they beat me." She sobbed brokenly and tried to continue. ".They killed him, Jack."

Jack's arms tightened inescapably around her and he murmured something in her ear that he couldn't make out. She quieted slowly and her emotions and the expression faded from her voice. "I ran away again and bartered a passage off a merchant ship and ended up in Tortuga. The rest is history." She shrugged and raised her tearstained face. She was shocked to see small pools of wetness beneath Jack's eyes as well.

Ana carefully wiped them away and Jack tilted forward to bury his face in her hair. "So strong, Ana." He murmured.

Suddenly Ana was angry: angry with herself for being so weak, angry at her hunters for starting this again, and angry at Jack for being so kind. She pushed him off and jumped up, snatching her hat from the desk. "Aye, are ye disgusted with me, Capt'n? That you've kissed a whore like me? I've dirtied yer bloody ship, that's for sure!"

"Darlin'." Jack started, getting to his feet.

"Let me off this ship, Sparrow!" she shouted. "I won't bloody go back! Just give me a bloody rowboat, I can do it just fine by myself."

"Yer not dirty, love." Jack smiled wryly but didn't come closer yet. She wasn't ready for physical contact, he could see that. "And the Pearl.she's lucky to have a lady like yourself. I've seen my share of whores." Ana snorted at this, and he had loved them too, she finished bitterly. ".And ye ain't like any of them," Jack finished lamely. Gorgeous, man, he thought to himself.

He stepped closer and she was pinned against the desk. "And I ain't bloody letting you go," he growled, wrapping her in his arms, keeping one hand free to touch her cheek.

Ana looked at him. She caught sight of the emotion clearly visible in his eyes and felt it too. It was she who acted upon it. She took his face between her hands and kissed him hard. One of Jack's arms flailed for a few moments, and, discouraged, Ana let him go. Jack gaped at her, then smiled silkily and curled his mustache.

He pitched forward and kissed her with a passion that stunned her. She had seen his lust. This was his passion and it gave her an incredible rush of pleasure that it was for her. His tongue caressed hers as they danced and fought. Each person drew the other closer, unwilling to be outdone. Ana tossed Jack's hat aside and tangled the fingers of one hand in his hair. Jack pulled away a little to rest his forehead against hers, running his hand down her back in what he would explain to her as comfort and coming back to cup her face and tangle in her hair. He kissed her shoulder, the side of her neck, her cheek, and then her lips again.

Ana wrapped her other arm around his neck and she felt him change, slow. He met her lips tenderly, softly caressing them and sucking on her lower lip. She felt her heart swell and warmth rush through her veins. Jack Sparrow, was shaken. Ana was unlike any woman he'd ever kissed, her met. He wanted to keep his promises to her.prove himself to her. He wanted to protect her and was taken by some emotion like he'd had too much rum already.

Something banged on the door. Both pairs shot open and up. Jack kept Ana tight against him, shielded from the door. "Aye?" he asked roughly. "Aye?" he called louder, with one hand picking up his pistol and pointing it at the door.

Seconds passed.

**

AN- A little short.sorry, but I'll try to make the next ones longer.