Disclaimer: Still don't own the fabulous Captain Jack Sparrow, or the
other characters.
AN: College homework and mid-terms should all die. That's all I have to say about that. Oh, and I also think that Spring Break needs to be longer. Anyway, now that I'm done babbling: on with the chapter!
Chapter 5: Breakfast and Talks:
The day after Jack had left the book in her cabin, Elena woke up to a smiling face a few inches away from hers. She yelped and leaped backwards, colliding with the wall next to her bed. She grimaced as the back of her head knocked against the wall. As she closed her eyes and rubbed the sore spot now forming, she heard someone chuckling. Opening her eyes, she saw the Captain smiling down at her.
"Morning, luv," he said, his smile turning into a large grin, flashing gold teeth.
She stared up at him. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out, her eyes widening at his grin. Looking down, she saw that all she was wearing was her thin nightgown, and that the blanket had been pushed aside in her haste to get away from the intruder. She instantly grabbed the blanket and covered herself as Jack pouted.
"Ye didn't need to cover up, luv, ye looked perfectly decent," he said, scanning her up and down. "Ye've already got lots of covering."
"Only in your own twisted way would you think of a thin nightgown as 'lots of covering!' How did you get in here anyway?" Elena said, pulling the blanket further up. "What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping off your usual hangover?"
"Actually, the door was open, considering Annamaria is up on deck. And I didn't drink much last night," Jack said, taking a seat in front of her, on the bed. He noticed that she moved back a bit as he did so. "I was reading a bit of "The Odyssey."" He leaned a bit closer, effectively trapping her against the wall without touching her.
Elena stared at him in surprise. "You didn't drink rum because you were reading Homer?" she asked incredulously.
Jack grinned. "Aye, lass, that's what I did," he said. He looked her up and down again, taking in her rumpled reddish-brown hair and light brown eyes. Even though she had only woken up a few moments ago, she really was a lovely young woman. "Now, would ye like to join me for breakfast, luv?" he asked, standing and offering her a hand.
"Um, I think I should get dressed and fix it, first," she said, giving him a small smile. "Would you please leave, Captain?"
"Luv, I told ye to call me Jack," he said as he waved a finger at her, as though he were talking to a naughty child.
Elena sighed. "Well, Jack, would you please leave so that I can get dressed?"
"Of course, milady," he said, bowing to her before he turned and left.
After ten minutes, Elena came out, her hair neatly braided and wearing a faded red dress she had brought with her from Tortuga. Jack scanned her up and down, slowly, watching her blush as he did so. He then offered her his arm. She took it, and the two headed towards the galley. Once there, Jack sat and watched her as she cooked everything. He hadn't realized it before, but she was a very graceful girl; she seemed to dance around the galley, easily flowing from one place to another, never missing a step as she gathered everything together and seasoned it before tossing it into the pot or pan assigned to it. He was so wrapped up in watching her that he didn't hear Annamaria come in.
"Captain!" the female pirate exclaimed in surprise. "What are ye doing down here? Shouldn't ye be sleeping off yer rum?"
Jack had jumped in surprise, clutching his heart at the sound of Annamaria's voice. "Anna, do me a favor and never to that again!" Jack said, glaring at her.
The dark-skinned female grinned at him before going over and helping Elena with breakfast. "So, Lena," she asked, using her new nickname for the redhead. "What do ye think of the Pearl after two weeks on it?" she asked as she turned over the sausages.
Elena smiled at her as she whisked a dozen or so eggs in a bowl for scrambled eggs. "It's been very interesting," she replied, trying to ignore Jack's presence. "I never expected a pirate ship to be so beautiful. I thought it'd be dark, leaking, and dirty, but the Pearl isn't anything like that. I've grown rather fond of it, actually." She poured the eggs into a hot, oiled pan, stirring it around with a spatula as she added the seasoning.
"Do ye think ye might stay on after the required year is up?" Annamaria asked her, placing the now cooked sausages on a plate. "I know I'd like ye to stay, and the crew's never been so happy. Good food makes a happy, obedient crew, ye know."
Elena gave a small chuckle. "I doubt it, Anna," she said. "I've got an aunt I need to get back to, to show her that I'm doing alright."
"Well, we could always drop ye off and let ye see her, if ye want," Annamaria said, helping to boil the coffee. "I'm sure the Captain wouldn't mind a small stop." Elena went quiet at the mention of visiting her aunt.
Meanwhile, the said Captain was only five feet behind them, listening in on their conversation and thinking. He couldn't let the red-headed lass go and visit her aunt's, she might want to stay there and leave the Pearl. If he tried to take her away by force, there would certainly be some problems with the Royal Navy, considering that they always tended to rescue members of the British Empire, and Jack wasn't about to put his crew and ship in danger just because a member of his crew wanted to visit some family. He certainly did not want to encounter Commodore Norrington again, not if he could help it! A voice brought Jack out of his thoughts.
"No, I don't think that's wise," Elena, was saying. "I don't want to put the crew in danger, especially when my aunt lives in waters patrolled by the British Navy. I don't want to break the deal I made with the Captain, either. I've made a promise to stay on this ship for a year, and I'll do it." She smiled. "Besides, I like cooking for everyone. I've never had so many compliments at one time before."
Jack chuckled, causing the women to remember his presence. "I have to admit, lass, that ye are the best cook that's ever been aboard the Pearl," he said, smiling at Elena, who blushed at the compliment. "If ye did try and leave, I'd have to find ye, kidnap ye, and bring ye back from wherever ye were hiding!"
The two pirates laughed as Elena blushed even redder. Fortunately, breakfast was done by that time, and the crew had gathered in the eating room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of food. Jack slipped out of the galley to join the crew, taking them completely by surprise. Elena could hear the crew's exclamations through the door, smiling at their surprised remarks on the Captain's presence. As Elena dished out the last of the eggs onto a plate and made ready to take it to the crew, Annamaria stopped her.
"Ye should really be flattered, Lena," the dark-skinned woman remarked, looking the red-head in the eye. "The Captain doesn't make that sort of compliment or joking threat lightly, ye know."
Elena looked at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"I mean that, if the Captain likes ye enough to joke about coming after ye if ye leave before the end of the deal, he'll bloody well do it," Annamaria said seriously. "He never jokes about that unless there's a bit of seriousness under it." She then took the plate of sausages and pot of coffee out to the crew, leaving a somewhat disturbed Elena standing in the galley.
*~*~*~*~*
Some time later, after Elena had walked through the door and served the eggs to the crew, she had raced towards the safety of the galley. She needed to think about Annamaria's words, and the galley was the only place she could do it. After she had eaten her breakfast, she had then turned to washing the crew's dirty dishes. During that whole time, her mind had dwelled on Jack's joke and Annamaria's words. Would Jack really come after her if she left before her time was up? She doubted it. If she could train a replacement, Jack probably wouldn't even know she was gone! Perhaps she should begin training Annamaria in the ways of the kitchen, and secretly get off at the nearest port?
Before she could complete the idea, she felt a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw Jack standing behind her, smiling. She gave him a small smile as she finished washing the last of the dishes. As she reached to put them in the rinse water, she was surprised to see Jack grab a drying towel and some of the already rinsed dishes, drying them swiftly. She stared for several moments before rinsing her dishes and joining Jack in drying the others. As they finished, Jack decided to break the silence.
"Well, lass," he said, setting the towel aside. "Now that the dishes are done, what do ye say to joining me in my cabin?" He saw panic cross her face and smiled. "Don't worry, lass, I won't be taking advantage of ye," he said, offering his arm.
Elena looked at his arm before glancing at his face. She saw that he was sincere, so she took the offered arm. The two walked down into his cabin, where Elena took another look around. She was still amazed at how clean it was compared to the previous times she had entered his cabin to deliver his breakfast. As she glanced around, Elena heard the door close. Turning around in panic, she saw Jack chuckling at her.
"Don't worry, lass, I just don't want the crew to hear our conversation," he said, smiling at her. He motioned towards a set of chairs across each other, facing over a small table which held a basket of fruit. "Care to join me?"
Elena nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said, going towards a seat, pausing when Jack held it out for her. She nodded her thanks as took her seat and reached for an apple. "So, Jack, what did you want to speak to me about?"
The captain smiled at her. "Well, lass," he said, taking a seat, picking up another apple before taking a bite. "I like to know about my crewmembers so we can get comfortable with each other's company." He noticed her blush and smiled. "What is it, lass?"
"I am comfortable with you, Jack," she said, peeling the apple with a small knife she had spotted on the table.
Jack grinned, showing his gold teeth. "Is that why yer blushing, lass?" he asked, taking another bite of apple. Chewing slowly, he watched as she finished peeling the apple, then sliced a small piece from it. He watched even closer when she put the piece of apple to her mouth and ate it, much as a lady would. "Where did ye learn such lovely table manners, luv?" he asked, wanting to know as much about her as he could.
She smiled as she finished her bit of apple. "My father was a merchant in England," she said, eating another slice of apple. "My mother died when I was small, but my father felt that I should have training in etiquette, so I've had plenty of experience for my twenty-one years of age." She looked sad at the mention of her father.
"So how did ye end up in Tortuga, luv?" he asked, finishing off his apple and throwing the core out the open balcony doors at the back of the cabin.
Elena gave him a small, sad smile. "I was visiting my Aunt Melinda in Jamaica," she began, eating another piece of apple. "My father decided to come for me, since he was on a trading voyage from the Caribbean to England. We had departed from Jamaica when our small fleet was attacked by a band of pirates. They were kind enough to me, but they killed or made slaves out of the rest of the crew, plundered the fleet and sank what they couldn't carry. My father was among the dead. I was released into Tortuga with nothing but the clothes on my back, so I began work at the Ragged Dog, earning my room and board. After six months, you showed up to offer me a job, and here we are."
"Do ye remember which ship attacked ye?" he asked, frowning as he leaned forward.
She frowned. "The captain of our ship in the fleet said it was the Blue Star," she said.
"I know that ship," Jack said, leaning back. "Captain Green is a hard, but fairly good man. He'd kill an army of men, but refuse to touch a woman in any harmful way. Too bad the man hates my guts." He saw her questioning glance. "I stole a bit of his treasure when I raided his ship, a few months back. He'd love to get me on the receiving end of a pistol." Jack then proceeded to look at her face. "What I don't understand, luv, is why ye don't hate pirates like nobles and pirate victims should."
Elena nodded. "Well, I could spend the rest of my life hating pirates, but I know that not all of you are alike," she said, smiling at him. "I've met many pirates in Tortuga. Many are decent, and many are horrible. Tommy was a sailor, but he's very kind. And you are a very nice person as well, Jack."
"Why, luv, I do believe that ye just gave me a compliment!" Jack said, grinning at her.
She coughed in embarrassment. "Well, don't let it go to your head," she said, smiling at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Elena felt her heart flutter as Jack's dark-chocolate brown eyes met her light-brown ones. After a few seconds, Elena felt that she needed some air.
"I need to, uh, check the food for lunch for the crew," she said, flushing slightly as she rose from her chair. "Thank you for the apple, Jack." She then raced out the door of the cabin, closing it securely behind her.
Jack simply sat and stared after her, a smile on his face. She thought he was a nice person! He grinned broadly. He'd prove that he was indeed a nice man, and would do everything in his power to prove it. He'd win her over if it was the last thing he did! If there was one thing Captain Jack Sparrow liked, it was a challenge!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Another chapter done! The plot is slow going, but with mid-terms and homework, excitement is a bit out of reach for me. Maybe I should watch the movie again? Anyway, please leave a review to help inspire me! Thanks!
AN: College homework and mid-terms should all die. That's all I have to say about that. Oh, and I also think that Spring Break needs to be longer. Anyway, now that I'm done babbling: on with the chapter!
Chapter 5: Breakfast and Talks:
The day after Jack had left the book in her cabin, Elena woke up to a smiling face a few inches away from hers. She yelped and leaped backwards, colliding with the wall next to her bed. She grimaced as the back of her head knocked against the wall. As she closed her eyes and rubbed the sore spot now forming, she heard someone chuckling. Opening her eyes, she saw the Captain smiling down at her.
"Morning, luv," he said, his smile turning into a large grin, flashing gold teeth.
She stared up at him. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out, her eyes widening at his grin. Looking down, she saw that all she was wearing was her thin nightgown, and that the blanket had been pushed aside in her haste to get away from the intruder. She instantly grabbed the blanket and covered herself as Jack pouted.
"Ye didn't need to cover up, luv, ye looked perfectly decent," he said, scanning her up and down. "Ye've already got lots of covering."
"Only in your own twisted way would you think of a thin nightgown as 'lots of covering!' How did you get in here anyway?" Elena said, pulling the blanket further up. "What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping off your usual hangover?"
"Actually, the door was open, considering Annamaria is up on deck. And I didn't drink much last night," Jack said, taking a seat in front of her, on the bed. He noticed that she moved back a bit as he did so. "I was reading a bit of "The Odyssey."" He leaned a bit closer, effectively trapping her against the wall without touching her.
Elena stared at him in surprise. "You didn't drink rum because you were reading Homer?" she asked incredulously.
Jack grinned. "Aye, lass, that's what I did," he said. He looked her up and down again, taking in her rumpled reddish-brown hair and light brown eyes. Even though she had only woken up a few moments ago, she really was a lovely young woman. "Now, would ye like to join me for breakfast, luv?" he asked, standing and offering her a hand.
"Um, I think I should get dressed and fix it, first," she said, giving him a small smile. "Would you please leave, Captain?"
"Luv, I told ye to call me Jack," he said as he waved a finger at her, as though he were talking to a naughty child.
Elena sighed. "Well, Jack, would you please leave so that I can get dressed?"
"Of course, milady," he said, bowing to her before he turned and left.
After ten minutes, Elena came out, her hair neatly braided and wearing a faded red dress she had brought with her from Tortuga. Jack scanned her up and down, slowly, watching her blush as he did so. He then offered her his arm. She took it, and the two headed towards the galley. Once there, Jack sat and watched her as she cooked everything. He hadn't realized it before, but she was a very graceful girl; she seemed to dance around the galley, easily flowing from one place to another, never missing a step as she gathered everything together and seasoned it before tossing it into the pot or pan assigned to it. He was so wrapped up in watching her that he didn't hear Annamaria come in.
"Captain!" the female pirate exclaimed in surprise. "What are ye doing down here? Shouldn't ye be sleeping off yer rum?"
Jack had jumped in surprise, clutching his heart at the sound of Annamaria's voice. "Anna, do me a favor and never to that again!" Jack said, glaring at her.
The dark-skinned female grinned at him before going over and helping Elena with breakfast. "So, Lena," she asked, using her new nickname for the redhead. "What do ye think of the Pearl after two weeks on it?" she asked as she turned over the sausages.
Elena smiled at her as she whisked a dozen or so eggs in a bowl for scrambled eggs. "It's been very interesting," she replied, trying to ignore Jack's presence. "I never expected a pirate ship to be so beautiful. I thought it'd be dark, leaking, and dirty, but the Pearl isn't anything like that. I've grown rather fond of it, actually." She poured the eggs into a hot, oiled pan, stirring it around with a spatula as she added the seasoning.
"Do ye think ye might stay on after the required year is up?" Annamaria asked her, placing the now cooked sausages on a plate. "I know I'd like ye to stay, and the crew's never been so happy. Good food makes a happy, obedient crew, ye know."
Elena gave a small chuckle. "I doubt it, Anna," she said. "I've got an aunt I need to get back to, to show her that I'm doing alright."
"Well, we could always drop ye off and let ye see her, if ye want," Annamaria said, helping to boil the coffee. "I'm sure the Captain wouldn't mind a small stop." Elena went quiet at the mention of visiting her aunt.
Meanwhile, the said Captain was only five feet behind them, listening in on their conversation and thinking. He couldn't let the red-headed lass go and visit her aunt's, she might want to stay there and leave the Pearl. If he tried to take her away by force, there would certainly be some problems with the Royal Navy, considering that they always tended to rescue members of the British Empire, and Jack wasn't about to put his crew and ship in danger just because a member of his crew wanted to visit some family. He certainly did not want to encounter Commodore Norrington again, not if he could help it! A voice brought Jack out of his thoughts.
"No, I don't think that's wise," Elena, was saying. "I don't want to put the crew in danger, especially when my aunt lives in waters patrolled by the British Navy. I don't want to break the deal I made with the Captain, either. I've made a promise to stay on this ship for a year, and I'll do it." She smiled. "Besides, I like cooking for everyone. I've never had so many compliments at one time before."
Jack chuckled, causing the women to remember his presence. "I have to admit, lass, that ye are the best cook that's ever been aboard the Pearl," he said, smiling at Elena, who blushed at the compliment. "If ye did try and leave, I'd have to find ye, kidnap ye, and bring ye back from wherever ye were hiding!"
The two pirates laughed as Elena blushed even redder. Fortunately, breakfast was done by that time, and the crew had gathered in the eating room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of food. Jack slipped out of the galley to join the crew, taking them completely by surprise. Elena could hear the crew's exclamations through the door, smiling at their surprised remarks on the Captain's presence. As Elena dished out the last of the eggs onto a plate and made ready to take it to the crew, Annamaria stopped her.
"Ye should really be flattered, Lena," the dark-skinned woman remarked, looking the red-head in the eye. "The Captain doesn't make that sort of compliment or joking threat lightly, ye know."
Elena looked at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"I mean that, if the Captain likes ye enough to joke about coming after ye if ye leave before the end of the deal, he'll bloody well do it," Annamaria said seriously. "He never jokes about that unless there's a bit of seriousness under it." She then took the plate of sausages and pot of coffee out to the crew, leaving a somewhat disturbed Elena standing in the galley.
*~*~*~*~*
Some time later, after Elena had walked through the door and served the eggs to the crew, she had raced towards the safety of the galley. She needed to think about Annamaria's words, and the galley was the only place she could do it. After she had eaten her breakfast, she had then turned to washing the crew's dirty dishes. During that whole time, her mind had dwelled on Jack's joke and Annamaria's words. Would Jack really come after her if she left before her time was up? She doubted it. If she could train a replacement, Jack probably wouldn't even know she was gone! Perhaps she should begin training Annamaria in the ways of the kitchen, and secretly get off at the nearest port?
Before she could complete the idea, she felt a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw Jack standing behind her, smiling. She gave him a small smile as she finished washing the last of the dishes. As she reached to put them in the rinse water, she was surprised to see Jack grab a drying towel and some of the already rinsed dishes, drying them swiftly. She stared for several moments before rinsing her dishes and joining Jack in drying the others. As they finished, Jack decided to break the silence.
"Well, lass," he said, setting the towel aside. "Now that the dishes are done, what do ye say to joining me in my cabin?" He saw panic cross her face and smiled. "Don't worry, lass, I won't be taking advantage of ye," he said, offering his arm.
Elena looked at his arm before glancing at his face. She saw that he was sincere, so she took the offered arm. The two walked down into his cabin, where Elena took another look around. She was still amazed at how clean it was compared to the previous times she had entered his cabin to deliver his breakfast. As she glanced around, Elena heard the door close. Turning around in panic, she saw Jack chuckling at her.
"Don't worry, lass, I just don't want the crew to hear our conversation," he said, smiling at her. He motioned towards a set of chairs across each other, facing over a small table which held a basket of fruit. "Care to join me?"
Elena nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said, going towards a seat, pausing when Jack held it out for her. She nodded her thanks as took her seat and reached for an apple. "So, Jack, what did you want to speak to me about?"
The captain smiled at her. "Well, lass," he said, taking a seat, picking up another apple before taking a bite. "I like to know about my crewmembers so we can get comfortable with each other's company." He noticed her blush and smiled. "What is it, lass?"
"I am comfortable with you, Jack," she said, peeling the apple with a small knife she had spotted on the table.
Jack grinned, showing his gold teeth. "Is that why yer blushing, lass?" he asked, taking another bite of apple. Chewing slowly, he watched as she finished peeling the apple, then sliced a small piece from it. He watched even closer when she put the piece of apple to her mouth and ate it, much as a lady would. "Where did ye learn such lovely table manners, luv?" he asked, wanting to know as much about her as he could.
She smiled as she finished her bit of apple. "My father was a merchant in England," she said, eating another slice of apple. "My mother died when I was small, but my father felt that I should have training in etiquette, so I've had plenty of experience for my twenty-one years of age." She looked sad at the mention of her father.
"So how did ye end up in Tortuga, luv?" he asked, finishing off his apple and throwing the core out the open balcony doors at the back of the cabin.
Elena gave him a small, sad smile. "I was visiting my Aunt Melinda in Jamaica," she began, eating another piece of apple. "My father decided to come for me, since he was on a trading voyage from the Caribbean to England. We had departed from Jamaica when our small fleet was attacked by a band of pirates. They were kind enough to me, but they killed or made slaves out of the rest of the crew, plundered the fleet and sank what they couldn't carry. My father was among the dead. I was released into Tortuga with nothing but the clothes on my back, so I began work at the Ragged Dog, earning my room and board. After six months, you showed up to offer me a job, and here we are."
"Do ye remember which ship attacked ye?" he asked, frowning as he leaned forward.
She frowned. "The captain of our ship in the fleet said it was the Blue Star," she said.
"I know that ship," Jack said, leaning back. "Captain Green is a hard, but fairly good man. He'd kill an army of men, but refuse to touch a woman in any harmful way. Too bad the man hates my guts." He saw her questioning glance. "I stole a bit of his treasure when I raided his ship, a few months back. He'd love to get me on the receiving end of a pistol." Jack then proceeded to look at her face. "What I don't understand, luv, is why ye don't hate pirates like nobles and pirate victims should."
Elena nodded. "Well, I could spend the rest of my life hating pirates, but I know that not all of you are alike," she said, smiling at him. "I've met many pirates in Tortuga. Many are decent, and many are horrible. Tommy was a sailor, but he's very kind. And you are a very nice person as well, Jack."
"Why, luv, I do believe that ye just gave me a compliment!" Jack said, grinning at her.
She coughed in embarrassment. "Well, don't let it go to your head," she said, smiling at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Elena felt her heart flutter as Jack's dark-chocolate brown eyes met her light-brown ones. After a few seconds, Elena felt that she needed some air.
"I need to, uh, check the food for lunch for the crew," she said, flushing slightly as she rose from her chair. "Thank you for the apple, Jack." She then raced out the door of the cabin, closing it securely behind her.
Jack simply sat and stared after her, a smile on his face. She thought he was a nice person! He grinned broadly. He'd prove that he was indeed a nice man, and would do everything in his power to prove it. He'd win her over if it was the last thing he did! If there was one thing Captain Jack Sparrow liked, it was a challenge!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Another chapter done! The plot is slow going, but with mid-terms and homework, excitement is a bit out of reach for me. Maybe I should watch the movie again? Anyway, please leave a review to help inspire me! Thanks!
