Disclaimer: Nothing I own, Yoda I talk like.
Jackfan2: hee hee, you read my mind, that's exactly what he SHOULD have done! Thank you soooo much! :)
Daisy Sparrow: Yep, it is a ship full of women. Kinda cliche I know, but apparently there actually WERE whole ships of
pirate women at the time, so I'm not totally going nuts. I'm gonna try and do more Will stuff, but it'll prob need much
tweakage. And Jade is kiiiiiinda an old flame of Jack's, u'll find out soon enough ;).
PschoPuppyDog: wahooo, thankee v. much, I try :)
Rabid Cheese Bitch: Thanks a lot, stuff about Jade is coming up in next chapters, lots of flashbacks..
Oooooh P.S. ppl, all of the titles as you might have noticed are now quotes. They're meant to be things that Jade and
Jack have said to each other at one point or another in the past. If I forget to put them in somewhere in the story,
uhhhh, my bad!
Thank you sooo much people for the support, I really wasn't sure about writing this cuz the characters are so hard to do.
Advice is much appreciated.
** = Flashbacks.
*5*
**Jack remembered the day Jade had been brought aboard the Black Pearl. It wasn't often that women came aboard their ship,
least of all so unwillingly. Least of all someone so sweet looking. The Black Pearl was his, Barbossa having not yet
dared challenge him openly, fearing the strength of his influence with the crew. They had stopped for supplies at a port
that was not memorable enough to merit the mention of its name, and Jack, in normal form, had joined a group of his men
for a drink and had returned with them to the ship before collapsing in his cabin. It was one of the rare occasions when
pillage and destruction had not been indicative of their arrival at the port, possibly because, as Jack later learnt,
Barbossa had been otherwise occupied. He was normally the instigator behind the crew's ravenous attacks, something Jack
did not object to providing they brought something worthwhile back with them. Over the cranks of Hell turning in his
skull he had heard the raucous yells of a further group of his crew returning. Staggering out, he had come across his
First mate Barbossa and those he had left with, staggering and laughing drunkenly, falling over, vomiting over the side
of the ship, a throng of disorder. "Good on ya boys." he mumbled almost to himself, a lazy smile falling across his
face. The one pale face amidst the sweaty, dirt streaked group caught his attention.
Hair coiled in delicate spirals on the back of her head, her dress was simple, a non-descript blue-green. Not a whore
then, he decided as his gaze meandered up the curve of her breasts, along the throat to her face. Definitely not a
whore, if the lack of caked-on make-up was anything to go by. A delicious full mouth. Long eyelashes. Her huge luminiscent
eyes darted round the ship, full of fear and wariness. But most of all, an unwillingness to be here. He could almost
see her brain thinking of ways of escape. An arm slung round her carelessly, Barbossa tipped his head back to finish
the remnants of a bottle of rum in his possession. Taking this opportunity in an action so swift it surprised even Jack,
she whipped out from underneath his arm and darted for the plank down to the pier, leaping and landing on the boards
before running up the pier. She only got halfway up before one of the crew caught up with her and carried her viciously
struggling and screaming like a banshee, back up to the ship.
Barbossa laughed and threw the empty rum bottle over the side, flicking a hand for her to be brought forward. "Good on
yeh Rygan. You," he said, his cold eyes falling on the girl, slapping her hard across the face. Her head did not
remain snapped to one side for long before he gripped her jaw in a vice grip and made her look at him. "Yer'll not be
tryin' that again. Yeh don't want to be tryin' my patience girly." Her eyes were locked on his, fiery with futile rage.
"I paid for yeh in good money, so if yeh know what's good for yeh, yer'll be more accomodatin'." he grated, his voice a
harsh whisper. Grabbing her round the nape of the neck tightly, like one might grab a kitten, he dragged her over to
where Jack stood, propped against the side of the boat watching the proceedings. "Cap'n, I bought this runaway off a
load of whores who don't want the cost o' feedin' her anymore. Permission to keep her in my cabin." Barbossa asked, the
lecherous glint in his eye making it more than apparent what for. Jack felt the girl's eyes on him, but when he looked
at her she turned her head away, fuming with helpless distress. Paid and bought. A done deal. It was none of Jack's
business. "Think she'll be of any use to the rest of us Barbossa? I don't want anyone who can't pull their weight on my
ship." asked Jack, straightening and giving Barbossa his most scathing look. As of late Barbossa had been taking
liberties that Jack did not appreciate. "I'm sure we can find use for her Cap'n. I'll make sure of it." Barbossa
replied, giving her neck a vicious squeeze that made her swallow tightly. Jack nodded in agreement, his eyes returning
to her lowered face. "What's yer name luv?" he inquired, cautious to not sound too threatening, or too gentle for that
matter. Barbossa's grip on the girl was suggestive of how he'd tolerate advances towards her. "Jade Quinn sir."
"Captain luv. Captain Jack Sparrow." he said, flashing her a grin when her eyes dared to peek up and look at him
again. Her eyes did not react to the smile other than to take him in intently. "Right then..." sighed Barbossa with a
grin of triumph on his face, dragging her round and shoving her towards his cabin. The rest of the crew began to laugh
lasciviously "See yeh later Barbossa!" "Make it an hour or so lads!" he cackled before slamming the door shut. Jack
shook his head against the twinge of pity he felt for the girl in his heart. He knew what was to come next, and he
doubted the girl would endure it silently.**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two ships had remained anchored, locked together in the middle of the sea, boards thrown across to allow passage from
one to the other. Having witnessed the perfectly amiable encounter between the two captains, followed by the declaration
that they and Will and Elizabeth needed time to talk, the two crews had mingled in relaxed terms, tending to the
wounded, sharing alcohol and fights, in a typical display of Pirate commaraderie. Belowdecks on the Pearl, in Jack's
cabin, the four conferred.
"Why did you feel the need to kidnap Elizabeth if you claim you would not hurt her?" demanded Will, his glare fixed on
Jade. "Returning to Isla de Muerto is not something I'm sure any of you would want to do. So I doubted I could say
'hey Liz luv, mind giving me a few directions?' and receive a yes" she replied, her words dripping a toxic sarcasm.
"You had no right to take her by force!" yelled Will, standing up sharply. "Will boy, sit down..." Jack said wearily,
waving his hand theatrically and downing some rum. Jade shook her head in disbelief "And you're Bootstrap Bill's boy?
Shame all that anger's been directed to people's 'right' to do this and the 'etiquette' of that." she said mockingly,
swivvling her hand in an impromptu bow. Will slowly sat down "Is there anybody who didn't know my father?" he asked in
exasperation, his glare not faltering. "He was a good man. One of the few of that cursed crew that didn't think my
body was property for all." Jade said venomously, and Will didn't fail to notice that Jack physically winced as if struck
at this comment.
"You still haven't told us why you want to go there luv." Jack said, looking up from his bottle finally.
Will was relieved, thinking that Jack had chosen to lie low throughout the entire discussion. His reaction to Jade's
appearance had made Will wonder what exactly their past relationship had been, and whether a pretty face would sway not
only Jack's judgement, but his self-preservation instincts. Jade's amber gaze silkily slid round to Jack's face "Captain.
Captain Jade Quinn. And my reason for going, is no concern of yours. Simply show me the route, and you'll never have to
see me again." Jade replied, standing and placing her hands on the table in front of Jack, lowering her face to stare
back at him. As Will took in the careful looks between them he was not entirely sure whether that was what Jack wanted
at all. There was a long pause before Jack tilted back in his chair, never breaking the gaze he shared with her.
"All right." he said finally, lazily. Will shot a glance at Elizabeth to gauge her reaction and she showed him nothing.
He began to doubt his own harsh misgivings about Jade, but not much. But still, if Elizabeth seemed to trust her...
"You two go for a swim or something. We need some privacy, savvy? No one comes in until I say so." said Jack, bringing
himself upright in his seat again. Will nodded grimly in agreement and stood, leaving with Elizabeth on his arm.
"I'm not sure about this at all." said Will, the worry clearly apparent in his voice because Elizabeth turned him and
kissed him softly. "I believe her when she claims she would have let no harm come to me. And if that is true, then she
can't be so bad a person as to do anything sinister at Isla de Muerto." Elizabeth said, her voice gentle to avoid being
heard as they travelled abovedecks. They watched as the two crews conversed, dramatically detailing attacks, partaking
in arm wrestling competitions. It must have been a welcome change from seeing solely your own sex month in and out.
"You have been here for four days. She could have fed you all kinds of lies..." Will replied somewhat sulkily, still
concerned about how Elizabeth's safety had been jeopardized. "Jade does not seem to share confidences easily Will.
Nearly all information I have gathered of her is from her eyes, not her speech. Maybe if you did not glare at her and
simply looked at her for an instant you would see it too..." said Elizabeth, mildly reproachfully as they stood and
looked out at the sea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** It was only for a few weeks that the screaming continued. The first night it had undoubtedly awoken half of the
rest of the crew, blood-chilling and utterly desolate. Jade was not a coward. She fought him, she tried, valiantly, to
keep him off her. But she was still soft and weak then, only nineteen, not raised to hurt, and she was not accustomed to
the harsh punches, the backhands across the face that made the world spin with stars. She was not used to the pain of a
beating when she did not do as she was told, did not lie on her back and keep quiet, but still she fought like a hell cat
until there was nothing left in her with which to fight. It was only then, blood streaming from her nose and mouth, that
she allowed it, his heavy, hot, rank stench hanging over her as he put his tongue in her mouth, tore at her clothes, the
weight of him seeming to soak through her and fill her with all that he was. Only when her rips were so painful from
punches, did she stop screaming that night. But it did not mean the screams stopped.
Barbossa did not even need to be in the room for Jade to scream, locked in as she was like an animal to do nothing but
pace and wait in fear for the night when he would come again. The beatings would vary, never relinquished fully because
SHE never relinquished fully. Depending on how much of a mess she had made, ripping and tearing at everything in the
room, scraping at the door until her hands were bloodied.
"You're like a bitch dog that needs trainin'." he'd growl as he threw her against the wall by the hair.
And then... the screams stopped. **
** Jack had not been able to bear another night of the screams, hadn't been able to sleep. Why did the girl have to be
so damn resilient? Wasn't she tired of warding Barbossa off? He didn't know what it was that didn't allow him to sleep
through the girl's nightly anguish. It was a deepseated feeling of unease, a coldness in the pit of his stomach that no
amount of rum seemed to be able to warm up. Of course he felt sorry for the girl, of course he did... But what was he
meant to do about it?
Throwing his trousers and shirt back on, not wanting to wait for the girl to start screaming, he headed out of his cabin
to the front of the ship, the cold night wind skimming over his heated skin and making him calm instantly. He reached
the wheel and stroked his hands across the smooth panes of wood that formed its shape. Taking a deep breath of the cool
night air, he pondered their next destination when out of the corner of his eye he saw the slightest of movement.
Turning his head slowly, his eyes narrowed into the dark, piercing the shadows. Remaining stock still, save for the
breeze lifting tendrils of her hair, was the girl, sitting on the edge of the ship, her head turned so it was apparent
that she could see him. Bloody typical, a woman trying to kill herself on his ship! Frantically thinking of a delicate
way of handling the situation, he flashed her a quick, almost nervous smile.
"Uhhh, hello."
She didn't move or say anything, holding her breath. Undoubtedly hoping he'd forget about her and go away. He tried
again.
"Shouldn't you be tucked up in bed with Barbossa?"
She physically recoiled at this and he mentally cursed himself, waving an apologetic hand and dancing nervously from one
swaying foot to the other, praying she didn't fall off. Not delicate, definitely NOT delicate. He heard a dry cough and
looked up to her face to see she was hesitating upon speaking.
"... I let him... tonight. He leaves the door unlocked if ... I behave." her voice was so quiet and soft, barely having
lost its child-like edge. But the sensuous appeal was fully fledged despite this, in the subtle purr of her speech.
"Leave me alone?"
It wasn't a demand, but a request, and he saw tears trembling on those long eyelashes. "I can't do it when you're
watching." she whispered, teeth gritted against the wavering in her voice. Jack swallowed hard before he found himself
able to speak again. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to stick around luv." he replied, stepping forward and getting
a firm, but gentle grip on one of her wrists. Her head lowered as tears spilled down her cheeks silently, and he lifted
her chin to make her look at him. His eyes narrowed when he saw the enormous purple bruise that blighted the other half
of the girl's face, covering her forehead and her eye. Barbossa had done a real number on her. "You don't have to do
anything stupid luv. I'll take care of you, don't you worry about it." he said softly, lifting her one leg, then the
other back over the edge of the ship until she was standing safely aboard again. She was so stiff and awkward, and when
he saw a melee of other bruises over her pale skin, he did not need to question why. What disturbed Jack even further
was that he meant his promise. She laughed quietly, a nasty sound "What can you do? You're Captain of the ship, but I'm
not part of the ship. He bought me. He.... BOUGHT me! Like a damn dog!" she seethed through her teeth, tears flowing
even as her voice spat anger. "Hey sssshhhh... Don't you worry luv. I can handle Barbossa." he said, giving her a
confident, reassuring grin. She locked gazes with him, searching for the sincerity of this promise, no doubt suspicious
of why Jack even cared. Jack was wondering why himself. God forsaken woman with her beautiful face and her tears and
her not deserving this, making his heart tighten up like he was some whelp!
Slowly her heated breathing ceased, and she wiped the tears from her eyes, wincing as her hand made contact with her
swollen, tender face. "I've probably got something for that eye of yours..." he said, lightly touching her face before
she stepped back, head snapping round to the side of the ship. Voices could be vaguely heard from belowdecks. "I
should go. He'll wake up. Thank you." she said, eyes dancing with life again as a small, almost shy smile crept across
her face before she ran away to the stairs,her feet making only the tiniest tapping noise against the boards.
Jack remained as his heart fumed with a confused state of anger and uncertainty.**
Jackfan2: hee hee, you read my mind, that's exactly what he SHOULD have done! Thank you soooo much! :)
Daisy Sparrow: Yep, it is a ship full of women. Kinda cliche I know, but apparently there actually WERE whole ships of
pirate women at the time, so I'm not totally going nuts. I'm gonna try and do more Will stuff, but it'll prob need much
tweakage. And Jade is kiiiiiinda an old flame of Jack's, u'll find out soon enough ;).
PschoPuppyDog: wahooo, thankee v. much, I try :)
Rabid Cheese Bitch: Thanks a lot, stuff about Jade is coming up in next chapters, lots of flashbacks..
Oooooh P.S. ppl, all of the titles as you might have noticed are now quotes. They're meant to be things that Jade and
Jack have said to each other at one point or another in the past. If I forget to put them in somewhere in the story,
uhhhh, my bad!
Thank you sooo much people for the support, I really wasn't sure about writing this cuz the characters are so hard to do.
Advice is much appreciated.
** = Flashbacks.
*5*
**Jack remembered the day Jade had been brought aboard the Black Pearl. It wasn't often that women came aboard their ship,
least of all so unwillingly. Least of all someone so sweet looking. The Black Pearl was his, Barbossa having not yet
dared challenge him openly, fearing the strength of his influence with the crew. They had stopped for supplies at a port
that was not memorable enough to merit the mention of its name, and Jack, in normal form, had joined a group of his men
for a drink and had returned with them to the ship before collapsing in his cabin. It was one of the rare occasions when
pillage and destruction had not been indicative of their arrival at the port, possibly because, as Jack later learnt,
Barbossa had been otherwise occupied. He was normally the instigator behind the crew's ravenous attacks, something Jack
did not object to providing they brought something worthwhile back with them. Over the cranks of Hell turning in his
skull he had heard the raucous yells of a further group of his crew returning. Staggering out, he had come across his
First mate Barbossa and those he had left with, staggering and laughing drunkenly, falling over, vomiting over the side
of the ship, a throng of disorder. "Good on ya boys." he mumbled almost to himself, a lazy smile falling across his
face. The one pale face amidst the sweaty, dirt streaked group caught his attention.
Hair coiled in delicate spirals on the back of her head, her dress was simple, a non-descript blue-green. Not a whore
then, he decided as his gaze meandered up the curve of her breasts, along the throat to her face. Definitely not a
whore, if the lack of caked-on make-up was anything to go by. A delicious full mouth. Long eyelashes. Her huge luminiscent
eyes darted round the ship, full of fear and wariness. But most of all, an unwillingness to be here. He could almost
see her brain thinking of ways of escape. An arm slung round her carelessly, Barbossa tipped his head back to finish
the remnants of a bottle of rum in his possession. Taking this opportunity in an action so swift it surprised even Jack,
she whipped out from underneath his arm and darted for the plank down to the pier, leaping and landing on the boards
before running up the pier. She only got halfway up before one of the crew caught up with her and carried her viciously
struggling and screaming like a banshee, back up to the ship.
Barbossa laughed and threw the empty rum bottle over the side, flicking a hand for her to be brought forward. "Good on
yeh Rygan. You," he said, his cold eyes falling on the girl, slapping her hard across the face. Her head did not
remain snapped to one side for long before he gripped her jaw in a vice grip and made her look at him. "Yer'll not be
tryin' that again. Yeh don't want to be tryin' my patience girly." Her eyes were locked on his, fiery with futile rage.
"I paid for yeh in good money, so if yeh know what's good for yeh, yer'll be more accomodatin'." he grated, his voice a
harsh whisper. Grabbing her round the nape of the neck tightly, like one might grab a kitten, he dragged her over to
where Jack stood, propped against the side of the boat watching the proceedings. "Cap'n, I bought this runaway off a
load of whores who don't want the cost o' feedin' her anymore. Permission to keep her in my cabin." Barbossa asked, the
lecherous glint in his eye making it more than apparent what for. Jack felt the girl's eyes on him, but when he looked
at her she turned her head away, fuming with helpless distress. Paid and bought. A done deal. It was none of Jack's
business. "Think she'll be of any use to the rest of us Barbossa? I don't want anyone who can't pull their weight on my
ship." asked Jack, straightening and giving Barbossa his most scathing look. As of late Barbossa had been taking
liberties that Jack did not appreciate. "I'm sure we can find use for her Cap'n. I'll make sure of it." Barbossa
replied, giving her neck a vicious squeeze that made her swallow tightly. Jack nodded in agreement, his eyes returning
to her lowered face. "What's yer name luv?" he inquired, cautious to not sound too threatening, or too gentle for that
matter. Barbossa's grip on the girl was suggestive of how he'd tolerate advances towards her. "Jade Quinn sir."
"Captain luv. Captain Jack Sparrow." he said, flashing her a grin when her eyes dared to peek up and look at him
again. Her eyes did not react to the smile other than to take him in intently. "Right then..." sighed Barbossa with a
grin of triumph on his face, dragging her round and shoving her towards his cabin. The rest of the crew began to laugh
lasciviously "See yeh later Barbossa!" "Make it an hour or so lads!" he cackled before slamming the door shut. Jack
shook his head against the twinge of pity he felt for the girl in his heart. He knew what was to come next, and he
doubted the girl would endure it silently.**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two ships had remained anchored, locked together in the middle of the sea, boards thrown across to allow passage from
one to the other. Having witnessed the perfectly amiable encounter between the two captains, followed by the declaration
that they and Will and Elizabeth needed time to talk, the two crews had mingled in relaxed terms, tending to the
wounded, sharing alcohol and fights, in a typical display of Pirate commaraderie. Belowdecks on the Pearl, in Jack's
cabin, the four conferred.
"Why did you feel the need to kidnap Elizabeth if you claim you would not hurt her?" demanded Will, his glare fixed on
Jade. "Returning to Isla de Muerto is not something I'm sure any of you would want to do. So I doubted I could say
'hey Liz luv, mind giving me a few directions?' and receive a yes" she replied, her words dripping a toxic sarcasm.
"You had no right to take her by force!" yelled Will, standing up sharply. "Will boy, sit down..." Jack said wearily,
waving his hand theatrically and downing some rum. Jade shook her head in disbelief "And you're Bootstrap Bill's boy?
Shame all that anger's been directed to people's 'right' to do this and the 'etiquette' of that." she said mockingly,
swivvling her hand in an impromptu bow. Will slowly sat down "Is there anybody who didn't know my father?" he asked in
exasperation, his glare not faltering. "He was a good man. One of the few of that cursed crew that didn't think my
body was property for all." Jade said venomously, and Will didn't fail to notice that Jack physically winced as if struck
at this comment.
"You still haven't told us why you want to go there luv." Jack said, looking up from his bottle finally.
Will was relieved, thinking that Jack had chosen to lie low throughout the entire discussion. His reaction to Jade's
appearance had made Will wonder what exactly their past relationship had been, and whether a pretty face would sway not
only Jack's judgement, but his self-preservation instincts. Jade's amber gaze silkily slid round to Jack's face "Captain.
Captain Jade Quinn. And my reason for going, is no concern of yours. Simply show me the route, and you'll never have to
see me again." Jade replied, standing and placing her hands on the table in front of Jack, lowering her face to stare
back at him. As Will took in the careful looks between them he was not entirely sure whether that was what Jack wanted
at all. There was a long pause before Jack tilted back in his chair, never breaking the gaze he shared with her.
"All right." he said finally, lazily. Will shot a glance at Elizabeth to gauge her reaction and she showed him nothing.
He began to doubt his own harsh misgivings about Jade, but not much. But still, if Elizabeth seemed to trust her...
"You two go for a swim or something. We need some privacy, savvy? No one comes in until I say so." said Jack, bringing
himself upright in his seat again. Will nodded grimly in agreement and stood, leaving with Elizabeth on his arm.
"I'm not sure about this at all." said Will, the worry clearly apparent in his voice because Elizabeth turned him and
kissed him softly. "I believe her when she claims she would have let no harm come to me. And if that is true, then she
can't be so bad a person as to do anything sinister at Isla de Muerto." Elizabeth said, her voice gentle to avoid being
heard as they travelled abovedecks. They watched as the two crews conversed, dramatically detailing attacks, partaking
in arm wrestling competitions. It must have been a welcome change from seeing solely your own sex month in and out.
"You have been here for four days. She could have fed you all kinds of lies..." Will replied somewhat sulkily, still
concerned about how Elizabeth's safety had been jeopardized. "Jade does not seem to share confidences easily Will.
Nearly all information I have gathered of her is from her eyes, not her speech. Maybe if you did not glare at her and
simply looked at her for an instant you would see it too..." said Elizabeth, mildly reproachfully as they stood and
looked out at the sea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** It was only for a few weeks that the screaming continued. The first night it had undoubtedly awoken half of the
rest of the crew, blood-chilling and utterly desolate. Jade was not a coward. She fought him, she tried, valiantly, to
keep him off her. But she was still soft and weak then, only nineteen, not raised to hurt, and she was not accustomed to
the harsh punches, the backhands across the face that made the world spin with stars. She was not used to the pain of a
beating when she did not do as she was told, did not lie on her back and keep quiet, but still she fought like a hell cat
until there was nothing left in her with which to fight. It was only then, blood streaming from her nose and mouth, that
she allowed it, his heavy, hot, rank stench hanging over her as he put his tongue in her mouth, tore at her clothes, the
weight of him seeming to soak through her and fill her with all that he was. Only when her rips were so painful from
punches, did she stop screaming that night. But it did not mean the screams stopped.
Barbossa did not even need to be in the room for Jade to scream, locked in as she was like an animal to do nothing but
pace and wait in fear for the night when he would come again. The beatings would vary, never relinquished fully because
SHE never relinquished fully. Depending on how much of a mess she had made, ripping and tearing at everything in the
room, scraping at the door until her hands were bloodied.
"You're like a bitch dog that needs trainin'." he'd growl as he threw her against the wall by the hair.
And then... the screams stopped. **
** Jack had not been able to bear another night of the screams, hadn't been able to sleep. Why did the girl have to be
so damn resilient? Wasn't she tired of warding Barbossa off? He didn't know what it was that didn't allow him to sleep
through the girl's nightly anguish. It was a deepseated feeling of unease, a coldness in the pit of his stomach that no
amount of rum seemed to be able to warm up. Of course he felt sorry for the girl, of course he did... But what was he
meant to do about it?
Throwing his trousers and shirt back on, not wanting to wait for the girl to start screaming, he headed out of his cabin
to the front of the ship, the cold night wind skimming over his heated skin and making him calm instantly. He reached
the wheel and stroked his hands across the smooth panes of wood that formed its shape. Taking a deep breath of the cool
night air, he pondered their next destination when out of the corner of his eye he saw the slightest of movement.
Turning his head slowly, his eyes narrowed into the dark, piercing the shadows. Remaining stock still, save for the
breeze lifting tendrils of her hair, was the girl, sitting on the edge of the ship, her head turned so it was apparent
that she could see him. Bloody typical, a woman trying to kill herself on his ship! Frantically thinking of a delicate
way of handling the situation, he flashed her a quick, almost nervous smile.
"Uhhh, hello."
She didn't move or say anything, holding her breath. Undoubtedly hoping he'd forget about her and go away. He tried
again.
"Shouldn't you be tucked up in bed with Barbossa?"
She physically recoiled at this and he mentally cursed himself, waving an apologetic hand and dancing nervously from one
swaying foot to the other, praying she didn't fall off. Not delicate, definitely NOT delicate. He heard a dry cough and
looked up to her face to see she was hesitating upon speaking.
"... I let him... tonight. He leaves the door unlocked if ... I behave." her voice was so quiet and soft, barely having
lost its child-like edge. But the sensuous appeal was fully fledged despite this, in the subtle purr of her speech.
"Leave me alone?"
It wasn't a demand, but a request, and he saw tears trembling on those long eyelashes. "I can't do it when you're
watching." she whispered, teeth gritted against the wavering in her voice. Jack swallowed hard before he found himself
able to speak again. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to stick around luv." he replied, stepping forward and getting
a firm, but gentle grip on one of her wrists. Her head lowered as tears spilled down her cheeks silently, and he lifted
her chin to make her look at him. His eyes narrowed when he saw the enormous purple bruise that blighted the other half
of the girl's face, covering her forehead and her eye. Barbossa had done a real number on her. "You don't have to do
anything stupid luv. I'll take care of you, don't you worry about it." he said softly, lifting her one leg, then the
other back over the edge of the ship until she was standing safely aboard again. She was so stiff and awkward, and when
he saw a melee of other bruises over her pale skin, he did not need to question why. What disturbed Jack even further
was that he meant his promise. She laughed quietly, a nasty sound "What can you do? You're Captain of the ship, but I'm
not part of the ship. He bought me. He.... BOUGHT me! Like a damn dog!" she seethed through her teeth, tears flowing
even as her voice spat anger. "Hey sssshhhh... Don't you worry luv. I can handle Barbossa." he said, giving her a
confident, reassuring grin. She locked gazes with him, searching for the sincerity of this promise, no doubt suspicious
of why Jack even cared. Jack was wondering why himself. God forsaken woman with her beautiful face and her tears and
her not deserving this, making his heart tighten up like he was some whelp!
Slowly her heated breathing ceased, and she wiped the tears from her eyes, wincing as her hand made contact with her
swollen, tender face. "I've probably got something for that eye of yours..." he said, lightly touching her face before
she stepped back, head snapping round to the side of the ship. Voices could be vaguely heard from belowdecks. "I
should go. He'll wake up. Thank you." she said, eyes dancing with life again as a small, almost shy smile crept across
her face before she ran away to the stairs,her feet making only the tiniest tapping noise against the boards.
Jack remained as his heart fumed with a confused state of anger and uncertainty.**