Disclaimer: I own nothing except the characters I create.
Small rays of light slipped into the room through the boards that didnt' quite fit together, giving it a disheveled look. Moaning softly, Corey rolled onto her side and gasped in surprised pain; the discomfort had caused her to jolt back to the world of the living and realizing for the first time that she was in a foreign place, she began to look around warily. Where in bloody hell was she?
At the sound of heavy footsteps moving towards the room, Corey felt her anxiety swell and her fears increase as she tried desperately to conjure up memories of the previous night and yet she kept drawing a blank. . . an image flashed suddenly before her eyes, a tavern. A tavern? That word triggered the rest of the night and she cried out as the pain seemed to double because she now knew what caused it- and yet she still had no idea where she was or how she'd gotten there.
Walking down the hall towards the girl's room, Jack wondered what had possessed him to bring her on board. He really didn't have the time for this, as he'd said many a time before, The Black Pearl waits for no one. And despite his need to be at sea again, and despite his crew's unspoken words of disapproval at having a woman, and not even a pirate lass, on board. And still he'd told the scallywags to get back to work and brought her here- to his room, the best one on the ship- he'd reached the cabin; quietly he turned the handle, just in case she was sleeping. . . but she wasn't. She wasn't there! Not in the bed or in the chair!
Frantically Jack began to whirl around in a way that looked so comical that it would have funny if he hadn't been looking for a girl with bruises and wounds all over her body. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shutters to his window open and he felt his annoyance and anger replace his worry.
"Stupid girl," he muttered, "What in the living hell is she doing climbing out of windows. Since when do injured people actually enjoy moving around? I swear, when I get my hands on her-" Jack grunted as he hoisted himself through the window landing with a thump on the deck. His not so graceful landing caused Corey to whirl around, her eyes wide with fright when she saw that he was indeed what she had suspected from the various clues in the cabin- a pirate.
"Now love, why don't ye tell me why you aren't still in bed like a good little lass, hmmm? Here I go out of my way mind you, to save your arse from that madwoman, take you aboard my ship, fix up your wounds nice and tidy, give you my bed-"
"I didn't ask you to do any of this; it was your decision to do all of those things, so in my books I owe you nothing. Knowing the likes of you, you probably want me to crawl back into bed so that you can have your way with me. Well that isn't going to happen, not today sir, and most certainly not-"
"You're right, love, that isn't going to happen today because no man in his right mind would take a hellion like you into his bed; you'd end of pummeling his face in if he tried to touch you." Jack paused meaningfully. "Does that bring back any more memories? Me and you, last night?"
Corey's brow furrowed and she began to wring her hands together nervously. "What do you mean, 'me and you, last night'?"
Jack paused for a moment, and it hit him that she didn't remember that she'd given him a punch in the nose that he'd never forget. Jack grinned inwardly- it wasn't exactly essential that she know right away. He could definitely have a little fun with this; call it payback for scaring the daylights out of him by leaving her bed.
Clearing his throat and quirking a brow he replied, "Wouldn't you like to know."
Corey's jaw dropped and she shook her head in utter disbelief, "You can't mean you and I, as in you and I," Corey emphazied as a pure panic began to well up in her, "can you?" When Jack remained silent, she felt sick, but not from the pain from the bruises, but from disgust. . .how could she? Corey felt tears well up in her, and she felt herself turn red in humiliation; turning away quickly, she wiped furiously at her eyes. How much more could her world crumble?
Jack saw her tears and her embarrassment and he angrily berated himself for making her feel that way. He hadn't meant for her to get so riled up, and now that she was he regretted it. "I'm sorry. love; I didn't mean to-"
"You didn't mean to what??" Corey snapped suddenly, "Ruin me? Did you slip and hit your head on something and that took away your sense of rational thinking? Hmm? I'd like to see you explain yourself! You said no man would ever want a hellion like me in their bed and yet here you are implying that I've already been there. Well, explain yourself!" Corey stood their, her cheeks red and her eyes flaring as she forgot that he was a pirate and that if he wanted he could kill her easily. All she cared about was getting an answer.
"Yes, I actually did get my senses knocked out of me- by you in fact." Jack laughed wryly. "You've got one hell of a right arm."
"What are you saying? Would you please stop telling me the minor details and tell me what happened?" Corey grimaced in pain as she took several strides closer to Jack.
"I was gettin' there, love. Anyhow, last night ye got into a brawl with Atria, who I presume was your boss, right?"
"Right." Corey replied cautiously.
"Well for some reason you punched some drunk and I stepped in to come to your assistance-" Jack paused to bow comically.
"I don't appreciate your antics, Mr.-"
"That'd be Captain Jack Sparrow, love."
"Yes, well, I don't appreciate your antics Mr. Sparrow." Corey said in a clipped tone.
"Fine. So, back on track then. I stepped in and you whirled around and punched the daylights out of me."
"I did no such thing! A lady never does anything of the sort-"
"So, you're a lady then. Odd place, a tavern, for a lady to working, don't ya agree." Jack remarked casually.
"I don't have to answer your questions; I repeat I owe you nothing."
"It wasn't a question, only a statement; you'd think a man could just make a remark about the weather, the fashion, whether someone is who they said they are-"
"Listen, how dare you try to turn this on me!" Corey paused and shook her head, laughing out loud. "God, you are talented! You've completely made me forget that you haven't answered my question."
"Refresh my memory, love. What was your question?"
"What did you and I do last night?" Corey asked, her voice coming out in a hiss.
"Right. I thought I'd cleared that up. You see, I was angry because you didn't stay in bed-"
"Yes, yes, I know, like a good little girl. Boo hoo."
Jack's eyebrows lifted at her attitude and he smiled a little; she made for pretty interesting company. "Right. So I decided to make you pay for worrying me by scaring you a bit. But I'll have you know that I regret-"
"This was a joke?" Corey asked increduously. "You thought that making a mockery of my honor was funny?"
Jack gulped a bit at the fury that was kindling in her eyes. "No, not funny. . . perhaps you should lie down? A little rest and I'll bring you a cup of rum?" Jack saw that his reply was not helping him. "A book? Tea?"
"You son of a-" Corey narrowed her eyes, temporarily forgetting her wounds and swung her fist at his face.
Jack knew she was angry, but he wasn't expecting another bloody nose. "Ye hellion!" Jack spluttered, squeezing his eyes closed and cupping his nose to stop the bleeding.
A groan stopped his ranting as he opened his eyes and looked down on the deck where the girl was doubled over, clutching her sides.
"Love. . ." Jack began hesistantly.
"Be a gentleman," Corey replied in a strangled voice, "and get me back to bed. Please."
Jack knelt down beside her and picked her up in the same way he had the previous night. Carrying her the long way back to the cabin to avoid having to go through the window, Jack began to feel the same emotions he'd felt earlier- that tugging at his heart that he hadn't known for the longest time. Quickly pushing his confused thoughts aside he smiled almost mockingly down at her and said lightly, "Well, I believe that after that punch you surely owe me something, right?"
Corey hesistated before answering, than replied stubbornly, "No."
Jack burst out into laughter and Corey joined in, and surprisingly it numbed the pain, and not just of her wounds, but of her past.
"Alright," she acquiesced, "what do I owe you?"
"Your name, love."
Corey was startled; she didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it was more than her name. Smiling slightly she looked up at Jack and said simply, "Corey Seaton."
Small rays of light slipped into the room through the boards that didnt' quite fit together, giving it a disheveled look. Moaning softly, Corey rolled onto her side and gasped in surprised pain; the discomfort had caused her to jolt back to the world of the living and realizing for the first time that she was in a foreign place, she began to look around warily. Where in bloody hell was she?
At the sound of heavy footsteps moving towards the room, Corey felt her anxiety swell and her fears increase as she tried desperately to conjure up memories of the previous night and yet she kept drawing a blank. . . an image flashed suddenly before her eyes, a tavern. A tavern? That word triggered the rest of the night and she cried out as the pain seemed to double because she now knew what caused it- and yet she still had no idea where she was or how she'd gotten there.
Walking down the hall towards the girl's room, Jack wondered what had possessed him to bring her on board. He really didn't have the time for this, as he'd said many a time before, The Black Pearl waits for no one. And despite his need to be at sea again, and despite his crew's unspoken words of disapproval at having a woman, and not even a pirate lass, on board. And still he'd told the scallywags to get back to work and brought her here- to his room, the best one on the ship- he'd reached the cabin; quietly he turned the handle, just in case she was sleeping. . . but she wasn't. She wasn't there! Not in the bed or in the chair!
Frantically Jack began to whirl around in a way that looked so comical that it would have funny if he hadn't been looking for a girl with bruises and wounds all over her body. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shutters to his window open and he felt his annoyance and anger replace his worry.
"Stupid girl," he muttered, "What in the living hell is she doing climbing out of windows. Since when do injured people actually enjoy moving around? I swear, when I get my hands on her-" Jack grunted as he hoisted himself through the window landing with a thump on the deck. His not so graceful landing caused Corey to whirl around, her eyes wide with fright when she saw that he was indeed what she had suspected from the various clues in the cabin- a pirate.
"Now love, why don't ye tell me why you aren't still in bed like a good little lass, hmmm? Here I go out of my way mind you, to save your arse from that madwoman, take you aboard my ship, fix up your wounds nice and tidy, give you my bed-"
"I didn't ask you to do any of this; it was your decision to do all of those things, so in my books I owe you nothing. Knowing the likes of you, you probably want me to crawl back into bed so that you can have your way with me. Well that isn't going to happen, not today sir, and most certainly not-"
"You're right, love, that isn't going to happen today because no man in his right mind would take a hellion like you into his bed; you'd end of pummeling his face in if he tried to touch you." Jack paused meaningfully. "Does that bring back any more memories? Me and you, last night?"
Corey's brow furrowed and she began to wring her hands together nervously. "What do you mean, 'me and you, last night'?"
Jack paused for a moment, and it hit him that she didn't remember that she'd given him a punch in the nose that he'd never forget. Jack grinned inwardly- it wasn't exactly essential that she know right away. He could definitely have a little fun with this; call it payback for scaring the daylights out of him by leaving her bed.
Clearing his throat and quirking a brow he replied, "Wouldn't you like to know."
Corey's jaw dropped and she shook her head in utter disbelief, "You can't mean you and I, as in you and I," Corey emphazied as a pure panic began to well up in her, "can you?" When Jack remained silent, she felt sick, but not from the pain from the bruises, but from disgust. . .how could she? Corey felt tears well up in her, and she felt herself turn red in humiliation; turning away quickly, she wiped furiously at her eyes. How much more could her world crumble?
Jack saw her tears and her embarrassment and he angrily berated himself for making her feel that way. He hadn't meant for her to get so riled up, and now that she was he regretted it. "I'm sorry. love; I didn't mean to-"
"You didn't mean to what??" Corey snapped suddenly, "Ruin me? Did you slip and hit your head on something and that took away your sense of rational thinking? Hmm? I'd like to see you explain yourself! You said no man would ever want a hellion like me in their bed and yet here you are implying that I've already been there. Well, explain yourself!" Corey stood their, her cheeks red and her eyes flaring as she forgot that he was a pirate and that if he wanted he could kill her easily. All she cared about was getting an answer.
"Yes, I actually did get my senses knocked out of me- by you in fact." Jack laughed wryly. "You've got one hell of a right arm."
"What are you saying? Would you please stop telling me the minor details and tell me what happened?" Corey grimaced in pain as she took several strides closer to Jack.
"I was gettin' there, love. Anyhow, last night ye got into a brawl with Atria, who I presume was your boss, right?"
"Right." Corey replied cautiously.
"Well for some reason you punched some drunk and I stepped in to come to your assistance-" Jack paused to bow comically.
"I don't appreciate your antics, Mr.-"
"That'd be Captain Jack Sparrow, love."
"Yes, well, I don't appreciate your antics Mr. Sparrow." Corey said in a clipped tone.
"Fine. So, back on track then. I stepped in and you whirled around and punched the daylights out of me."
"I did no such thing! A lady never does anything of the sort-"
"So, you're a lady then. Odd place, a tavern, for a lady to working, don't ya agree." Jack remarked casually.
"I don't have to answer your questions; I repeat I owe you nothing."
"It wasn't a question, only a statement; you'd think a man could just make a remark about the weather, the fashion, whether someone is who they said they are-"
"Listen, how dare you try to turn this on me!" Corey paused and shook her head, laughing out loud. "God, you are talented! You've completely made me forget that you haven't answered my question."
"Refresh my memory, love. What was your question?"
"What did you and I do last night?" Corey asked, her voice coming out in a hiss.
"Right. I thought I'd cleared that up. You see, I was angry because you didn't stay in bed-"
"Yes, yes, I know, like a good little girl. Boo hoo."
Jack's eyebrows lifted at her attitude and he smiled a little; she made for pretty interesting company. "Right. So I decided to make you pay for worrying me by scaring you a bit. But I'll have you know that I regret-"
"This was a joke?" Corey asked increduously. "You thought that making a mockery of my honor was funny?"
Jack gulped a bit at the fury that was kindling in her eyes. "No, not funny. . . perhaps you should lie down? A little rest and I'll bring you a cup of rum?" Jack saw that his reply was not helping him. "A book? Tea?"
"You son of a-" Corey narrowed her eyes, temporarily forgetting her wounds and swung her fist at his face.
Jack knew she was angry, but he wasn't expecting another bloody nose. "Ye hellion!" Jack spluttered, squeezing his eyes closed and cupping his nose to stop the bleeding.
A groan stopped his ranting as he opened his eyes and looked down on the deck where the girl was doubled over, clutching her sides.
"Love. . ." Jack began hesistantly.
"Be a gentleman," Corey replied in a strangled voice, "and get me back to bed. Please."
Jack knelt down beside her and picked her up in the same way he had the previous night. Carrying her the long way back to the cabin to avoid having to go through the window, Jack began to feel the same emotions he'd felt earlier- that tugging at his heart that he hadn't known for the longest time. Quickly pushing his confused thoughts aside he smiled almost mockingly down at her and said lightly, "Well, I believe that after that punch you surely owe me something, right?"
Corey hesistated before answering, than replied stubbornly, "No."
Jack burst out into laughter and Corey joined in, and surprisingly it numbed the pain, and not just of her wounds, but of her past.
"Alright," she acquiesced, "what do I owe you?"
"Your name, love."
Corey was startled; she didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it was more than her name. Smiling slightly she looked up at Jack and said simply, "Corey Seaton."