Title: Dragonfly
Author: Muse a.k.a. Viorith
Rating: R for sexual content and violence.
Pairing: Will/OFC, Jack/Anna-Maria
Feedback: Hell to the yeah!
Archive: Ask first please_
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with PoTC, I'm just playing with them. I do own Sabine. So please ask if you want to play with her.
Summary: Sabine has loved Will since she was 16, but since his eyes were for Elizabeth only, she settled for his friendship. A year after the curse is lifted, Sabine now needs him to teach her the way of the blade so she can avenge her father's death on a man that once called himself his friend.
Chapter 12
Sabine was tired, borderline exhausted. Three weeks had passed aboard the Pearl, but the young woman felt more akin to a slave than a pirate. She had scrubbed the entire upper deck from stem to stern, slopped tar on the lower decks to plug the leaks, cleaned and oiled the canons and the canon balls, sifted the powder, and braided the extra line for the anchor until her palms were red and raw. She had even been ordered on the sweeps during a patch of dead water, but Will's unyielding protests had her quickly removed.
The only thing she felt she was learning about piracy was the blade work Will showed her; that and to hate Jack Sparrow, although it was evident her view was not shared by the crew.
On the times when she would eat in the mess with the other crew, they would share with her adventures they had undertaken with Jack as their led. The stories were always harrowing, and sometime not entirely true, but one thing was clear: the crew would follow Captain Jack Sparrow into the flames of hell if he ordered it. She tried to look for that leadership quality that had captivated his crew, Will included, so completely, but to Sabine, Jack Sparrow was little more than a tormenting bully. Each day he seemed to make it his mission to find a task that would demean and break her down a little more than the day before.
The young artist was used to hard work and getting her hands dirty, but the labor she undertook on the Pearl was vastly different than the work of keeping a house. The only benefit to the grueling schedule, was that it left precious little time for anything else, and that included contemplating her situation with Will. In fact it seemed the only time she shared with him was that of their training sessions.
They had begun earlier that day, beginning the session just after the forenoon watch, instead of in the evening after her slave labor as was the custom. Jack had assured her he had something special planned, and although she tried to keep her mind on Will's instructions, she couldn't help but wonder– and dread– what nefarious task the devil at the helm was concocting in his twisted mind.
The more she tried to dismiss what tricks Jack had planned for her, the more it pushed to the forefront of her mind, and somewhere along the way she slipped into automatic pilot Her step, parries, and thrust became a reaction to what was thrown at her from the blacksmith, and it wasn't long before his sword bit into her arm.
Sabine yelped, her weapon clanging to the floor as her hand subconsciously pressed over the wound. It was a slight wound, no where near as serious as it would have been had Will not caught his forward thrust. But the blood still flowed, wetting the sleeve of her shirt.
"I'm so sorry," he atoned quickly putting his sword down and trying to tend her wound.
"It's just a scratch," she remarked.
She tried to brush him off, but Will would not be so easily dismissed. Despite her protests, he seized her arm, examining the cut as best he could through the slit made in her shirt. His finger probed the edges of the wound, eliciting a sharp hiss from her.
With her arm still in his hands, he turned his eyes to hers. Almost a month had past since the blacksmith had been allowed so close to her. He stared at her, memorizing her again as if it were the first time he was seeing her. For the first time he noticed the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. They were so dark they almost blended perfectly with her chocolate complexion.
He wanted to caress her face, but was afraid the action would scare her off. Instead he pulled his eyes back to her arm. "You'll have to remove you shirt," he instructed.
"Why?" She pulled her arm away and examined the cut again herself. "It's little more than a scratch.
"Even a small scratch on a ship has the potential to become infected. I shall fetch something to clean it with."
Sabine parted her lips to argue and protest more, however, Will departed leaving her alone in the hold. She unbuttoned her shirt, but only removed her arm from the sleeve instead of removing the entire garment. Taking a seat on one of the boxes she tried to still her mind, and her pulse. She tried to pretend there hadn't been a moment between them when Will's eyes met hers; that she felt nothing with his body's heat radiating against her. She tried to tell herself that what she felt stirring in her was just the reaction of a woman for a man, but she knew the lie for what it was.
Will cleared his throat discreetly upon his return. Her left breast was partially visible through the thin camisole Anna-Maria had given her. Her dark areola threatened to draw Will in like a moth to the flame. He lowered his eyes, but like before focused his attention on the angry cut on her upper arm.
He opened the bottle of rum, soaking the strip of material in it before taking a seat next to Sabine. "This may sting a bit," he informed.
Sabine jumped as the alcohol soaked cloth touched the wound.
"Sorry," Will offered softly.
She tried to ignore the gentleness of his voice, and the delicate way his fingers lighted upon her skin. She didn't mind the way the calluses grated over the delicate flesh, in fact she enjoyed the rough feel.
"Has Jack always been such a bastard?" she questioned. She didn't really care about the pirate, or his past, but it was something to take her mind off of Will's fingers against her arm. It brought back the memory of the night in Tortuga, the way he touched her before everything had gone wrong.
"He's not so bad once you get to know him," Will defended, remembering his feelings for the pirate ran on the same vein when they first met.
"I don't want to get to know him," she spat out, then hissed when the alcohol touched the deepest part of the cut.
"Sorry," he offered again along with a soft smile, delighted that he and Sabine were finally having a real conversation. "I know he's been hard on you, but he has his reasons for what he does."
Sabine muttered something in Spanish, words that were lost on Will's ears, but the pitch and tone was enough for him to depict, Jack had been called something very unkind. Finished cleaning the wound, he used the cloth as a bandage, wrapped it around her arm and tied a tight knot over the top. Even with the deed complete, he couldn't bare to release her arm. His fingertips skimmed down to her hand and continued to hold on. His thumb moving in a slow circular pattern over the tender flesh on the back.
Sabine's eyes traveled down to her hand resting between both of his. Her brain sent the signal to move it, but somewhere the order was intercepted or lost all together. Or perhaps her hand was just too content, resting in his lap.
"We could leave," he proposed, pleased that she made no attempts to pull away.
"Leave where?"
"Here," he began, "You need only to say the word, and I shall have Jack drop us at the nearest port. We can return to Port Royal, if that is your wish."
His heart dared to hope. For a month Sabine had shied away from his touch, his very presence. Sitting next to her was what he had hoped for, holding her hand was more than he dreamed, but it also seemed as if his prayers had been answered. He regretted his decision to assist in her quest of vengeance, and it seemed she was finally relenting. At least that was what he thought until she abruptly snatched her hand away.
"Is that where you wish to return to?" she accused, "Because you miss her terribly?"
Sabine regained her footing, slipping her arm back into her shirt as she again put distance between her and the blacksmith. The confused expression on his face only served to stoke her anger.
"Who?"
"How do you think?" she snapped, "The woman you spent your entire life in love with. The woman who holds your heart even though she is married to another."
"What has Elizabeth to do with us?"
"She is in Port Royal, or do you think me such a fool that I wouldn't realize the reason you would hasten there?"
She turns away and fastens her shirt before retrieving her sword from the floor and replacing it in the scabbard around her waist. Tears of humiliation threatened to build in her eyes. She couldn't believe she had been such a fool.
"It is not Elizabeth that has my concern at present, Sabine."
"Please spare me your sympathy, it is neither required nor desired. I'm not some lost wretch that needs to be taken care of. You have done your duty and I do not wish to burden you any further. If it is Port Royal where your heart bids you to go then do so, you will be compensated for your time.
Her words cut deeper than any blade could have. The hope that had sparked a moment ago was crushed like embers under a boot heel. She couldn't have been further off course with her speculations, but he wasn't sure how to convince her of that. He still cared for Elizabeth, but she wasn't the reason he wanted to return to his home island. He didn't care where they left for, so long as they left before it was too late for her, the way it was too late for Jack, and Anna-Maria, and Gibs.
"London," he said softly, his thoughts taking on vocal manifestations.
"What?" Sabine turned back to face him.
"Miss Sabine," both of them turned as Gibs entered the hold. His eyes shifted between the two, positive he was interrupting something, but clueless as to what. They no doubt thought it was hidden well, but the entire crew was aware of the quiet tension between the two. "Captain Sparrow requires you on deck. Said you are to come armed."
~~~
"This is a bad idea," Anna-Maria protested following Jack to the ship's boat.
The pirate removed the canvas cloth covering it the unlatched it from the bindings holding it prone. Inside he set a single shovel, then gave the nod to the three men that stood ready to lower it into the water.
"She wants to be a pirate," Jack countered with a grin.
"Aye a pirate, not your personal servant," she corrected, "She isn't here to clean your ship from the mast to the bilge and stem to stern."
"A little manual labor never hurt anyone."
Anna-Maria grabbed Jack's arm before he moved away from her. His eyes narrowing had her quickly releasing him, but her goal was obtained, he remained to listen to her.
"I know it's not my place to question your decision," she began in a soft voice as not to be over heard by the crew, "But your methods--"
"--Are employed for a reason he finished," he looked up to see Gibs return followed by Sabine. He gave a nod to his Quarter Master, then with his arm now on Anna-Maria's arm, gently stirred her to a less busy part of the deck. "Look at her Anna, she's no more a pirate than I am a gentleman. She needs to be disillusioned, not encouraged."
"Her father was a pirate," Anna-Maria pointed out, "Or have you forgotten that she came to you to help her seek revenge on his murderer?"
"Her father was a traitor, who got what he deserved," Jack bit back the snap.
It was Anna-Maria's turn to narrow her eyes, "So you are afraid she will betray you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind," Jack mumbled finally releasing Anna-Maria and turned back to see Will cross the deck to stand near Sabine.
"If you fear her betrayal, why did you agree to help her?"
The pirate turned back to the woman he was so close to loving and grinned, "Because of the gold milady. If the map she gave up really is to La Samara, the lot of us will be as rich as kings."
He gave a quick wink and sauntered back to where Sabine stood. His eyes dropped to the red stain on the sleeve of her shirt, before he gave a glance to Will. He said nothing, just grinned slightly.
"Miss Sabine and I will be going ashore," he announced, "We'll be back before night falls."
"Ashore?" Sabine repeated, then turned in the direction Jack nodded in to see a small island off the port side.
"Just you and Sabine," Will repeated turning to the same island, "Are you sure that's safe?"
"Well if it ain't we'll soon find out," the Captain replied with a grin.
He gestured for Sabine to take the lead climbing down to the boat, smirking internally when she almost slipped on the slick rungs.
Will wanted to say more, to stop whatever plan was knocking around inside Jack's mind, but he knew the pirate wouldn't listen to him. Instead he simple asked, "You will watch over her?"
"Like she was one of me own," Jack assured with a golden grin before heaving himself over the side to the boat below. Practice made his decent more graceful than Sabine's had been, and he gestured to the oars as he pushed the boat off from the ship.
"You want me to row?" she asked not bothering to hide the indignation in her voice.
"You surely don't expect the Captain to row," he replied.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Jack what he could do with the pair of ores, but she reigned her temper in before the words left her mouth and damaged her apprenticeship-- if that was what she was-- beyond repair. She also bit back the Spanish curses that wanted to tumble from her mouth as she remembered the pirate spoke the language fluently.
Jack flashed his famous grin once again as he settled back with Sabine laboring them to the island. He let her row solo the entire time, only helping to tug the boat ashore once they reached the upper banks of the beach. It was Sabine that carried the spade from the boat, following Jack, who followed a predetermined course on an old map. If the island was inhabited, there was no proof of the residence as he led her deep into the center.
He came to a halt at an old dead palm tree and quickly compared the coordinates on the map, to the landmarks around him. As she had the duration of the hike, Sabine remained silent, trying to focus on the lovely surroundings instead of letting her mind linger on what possibilities the pirate had in store for her. She also tried to keep her mind from lingering on Will. She wanted to believe he genuinely cared for her, but his voice calling Elizabeth's name made that a near impossible task.
"Dig," Jack's word interrupted her thoughts as he thumped her shoulder lightly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"If you're going to be a pirate, you must learn how to dig for buried treasure. Start digging right here," he marked the area by sliding his foot across the sand. "About six feet down, and make sure you leave a way to climb out of the hole."
He pat her shoulder again and moved off to a lie underneath a shaded palm tree, his head pillowed on sand blown against the base. With a quick adjustment of his hate to cover his face from the sun, the pirate settled down for a nap leaving Sabine to mutter as she began to sling the sand in the pirate's general direction.
~~~
The skin of her palms were rubbed raw. She had tied her kerchief around her left hand, as it took the brunt of the task, but it did little to ease the pain. Instead of the wooden shovel rubbing against her flesh, the kerchief chaffed against it. Her shirt was mostly unbuttoned, and sweat still stained the armpits and the center of her back.
Sabine stood, the hole was so deep, she was no longer able to see her Captain snoozing under the shaded palm. Tossing the shovel up to the surface, she climbed out of the hole, looking back down in over the side. It had to be at least seven feet, and there was no sign of any treasure. Enough of this.
"Jack," she called moving to his side. "Jack!" she yelled his name. When he still made no attempt to regain consciousness, Sabine delivered a hard kick to his thigh that had the pirate scrambling for his firearm before his remembered where he was.
"Oh," he adjusted his hat and looked up at her, they turned to the hole. He climbed to his feet and inspected the hole. "Very good."
"There's nothing down there," Sabine pointed out.
"Nor should there be."
Sabine didn't stare; she gaped. "I thought you said I was digging for treasure?"
"I said you need to learn how to dig for treasure, I never said you were going to find anything here. You need to learn to listen more carefully, luv." he clarified.
"My palms are raw, my back is sore, my muscles ache, and my face burns and all of this was to benefit my excavation skills?"
"Yeah," Jack agreed.
He continued speaking after that, saying something about her filling in the hole, but the young artist heard none of it. She clenched her raw, blistered hand into a fist and struck Jack across the jaw with everything she had in her. The pirate was so stunned by the first blow it didn't occur to him to block the second that sent him sprawling to the ground.
Sabine went on the attack again, not allowing Jack enough time to rise before bringing a boot down where his head used to be. He caught her ankle and gave a yank, sharp enough to send her to the sand. She didn't stay down, and much to Jack's surprise, the fight lasted much longer than he would have thought. He had thought her a harmless mouse, but it appeared under the demeanor of a mouse was a hellcat waiting for provocation to come to the surface.
They traded blows, although with Will in mind, he tried to keep his to a minimum, only punching her after she gave him a bold kick to the groin. In the end, Jack ended up using her own clothing against her, pulling her shirt from her shoulders and successfully pinning her arms to her sides as he sat on her legs.
"I was wondering if there was any fire in you," he stated once she calmed enough to listen to him. "Now that I have your attention…"
He released her and moved away, allowing her to gather her dignity back upon her shoulders, and allowing his inner beast to calm down. He had no real desire to bed her-- beyond her being a woman-- but it was hard to see her dark breasts beneath the camisole and not become slightly aroused. He was, after all, just a man.
"Everything I have done has been for a reason," he began.
"A reason?" she sniped, "You haven't been teaching me to be a pirate, you've been teaching me to be your slave. It is your choice not to take me seriously, but I will not be mocked or made a fool of."
"Ah, but you will be made a pirate," Jack added. "Being a pirate isn't fun, it isn't all cavorting around the world with a ship and a crew and… well actually it is, but there's more to piracy than that."
"So this has been what, my initiation?"
"Yes," he answered with a grin, "If I'm going to spend my time teaching an artist how to be a pirate, I want to make sure that the artist doesn't run at the first sign of trouble."
Sabine continued to regard Jack like a cornered fox tracking the movements of a hunting dog, but she was also beginning to understand what the last month had been about. "And have I passed your test?"
"Part of it," he answered, "The other part won't be so easy. The other part has to do with your loyalty and overcoming the traitorous nature in your blood." When it became evident she didn't follow his thought line he continued, "You're father double crossed Jacinto, you said that much yourself."
"He did it for me, to get out of this life,"
"The life you're rushing head long into, what would your father say?"
The young woman looked away at that. She had pondered that very questions herself during the late hours of the night. "He wouldn't want this for me," she confessed.
"There, you see."
"Nor would he have wanted to be shot like a dog in front of his child," she added.
To that Jack remained silent, a slow grin spreading his lips. He tried to fight it, and he wouldn't have admitted it, but he was beginning to like Sabine. She definitely had determination, anyone else would have quite long ago. But the uneasy feeling in the pit of the pirate's stomach remained, and twenty odd years of pirating had Jack accustomed to trusting his gut feelings. He was beginning to like her, but he still didn't trust her.
"Come along lass, it's time we be on our way."
Jack retrieved the shovel as he and Sabine headed back to the beached boat.
~~~
She was exhausted, she should have been below deck curled up in bed dead to the world, but Sabine couldn't sleep. After returning to the Pearl, she reported to the surgeon to have her hands soaked and wrapped in white bandages, then climbed into the crow's nest until the end of the last dog's watch.
She had eaten and retired to her room in an attempt to let the exertions of the day overtake her body, but her mind refused to shut down. Jack's words haunted her brain and the more she tried to sleep, the more sleep escaped her. No matter how much she hated to admit it, he was right, her father was a traitor. He had signed up for the life of a pirate, but from his journals he had never been comfortable in that role. He stayed in it, because there was nothing else he knew, and though he loathed admitting it, the crew had become the only family he knew. It was only after his wife became pregnant, and the possibility of his own family became real, that he gave up the life he despised.
Insomnia had driven her to the bow of the top deck, and there was where Will found her. Like the blanket around her body, her mind was wrapped in her thoughts, so much so, she didn't realize her friend stood next to her until his voice startled her back into reality.
"It's me," he replied to her startled gasp, "I didn't mean to frighten you," he added and offered the steaming tin cup in his hands. "Tea," he informed, "I thought you might be a bit cold out here."
Grateful for the warm drink, Sabine uttered a soft 'thank you' and wrapped her hands around the cup, blowing on the contents before slowly sipping the liquid. Will watched her drink, hating the awkwardness between them, especially with the knowledge he was responsible for it.
"What happened on the island today?" he questioned. It wasn't what he wanted to ask, but it was the only thing he had the nerve to say at present.
"We came to an understanding."
"And did he do this to you?" his fingers grazed the slight bruise on her cheek from Jack's fist.
"It was well earned, Will. Don't make a fuss."
The blacksmith turned his dark eyes to the sea. His fingers picking at each other as he leaned down against the railing. She watched him from the corner of her eye, admiring the shadows and depth the moonlight created across his face. Most of his hair was still caught up in the ponytail, but there were several strands and locks that worked themselves free and danced along the wind. He looked up suddenly, catching her eye before she looked away.
"Sabine, about what you said earlier," Will begin coming to his full height and turning towards the woman. "About me wanting to return to Port Royal to be with Elizabeth."
"Will--" her words were silenced when he pressed his fingers to her lips.
"I only suggested it because it's the only home you've known, and because of Gezana, but we don't have to go back there. We can go to London, or the colonies. We could go to Morocco or Barcelona for you to find a tutor."
"I'm not an artist anymore Will," Sabine stated, "I don't know what I am."
"You're beautiful," he whispered, his voice so low he wasn't sure she heard.
She had heard him, but she chose not to respond. She didn't feel beautiful, she felt lost, and alone and confused, and the man standing next to her was only succeeding in confusing her more. She didn't know if his feelings for her were genuine, or what the nature of his feelings were for that matter. Did he still view her as a life-long friend, or did he see her as a woman? Did he see her as the woman, he could spend the rest of his life with, or was Elizabeth still the mistress of his heart?
"Sabine," he murmured her name, but it was enough to get her attention.
He took the cup from her hands, then raised each in turn, his lips lying over the bandages on the palms. He then placed a kiss over her bruised cheek. He pulled back, hesitating for only a fraction of a second, then touched his lips to hers. She didn't kiss him back, but then he didn't expect her to, the kiss didn't linger long enough.
"Please leave with me," he urged, "Let me take you away from this."
"I can't," she insisted.
"You can, you don't have to do this. Your father will understand."
"If you want to leave, leave, but do not ask me to give this up. My hate is all I have left."
"It's not all you have."
Sabine shook her head and turned from the railing only to have Will seize her arm. He pulled her against him, her back to his front. He released her arm, but only long enough to wrap his around her shoulders.
"It's not all you have," he repeated.
His lips pressed against her temple, and for a moment he felt her cave. Her body melted into his, but the moment was far to fleeting. She pushed away from him, and though his arm longed to retain it's hold, he released her. He was sure it would have taken just three words to make her stay, to make her leave with him. But like his father, those words had never come easy to the son of Bootstrap Bill.