Thanks for the reviews! You guys are super! Sorry it's taken me so long
with this chapter, my computer broke and then my internet too... Anyway, here
it is...
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Tara awoke the next morning, warm and comfortable under Anamaria's duvet. She hardly dared open her eyes because she was so used to seeing Jack's above her in the mornings.
Today, however, he was not here.
Tara felt strangely distressed by this in a way she couldn't quite explain. She lay in bed a while, trying to put her finger on her true feelings for Jack. She could think of twenty reasons to hate him- then twenty more to like him. She felt strange in her heart about him... but she could not believe that she was falling in love with a pirate. Perhaps it was lust, brought on by the appeal of things she could never have; after all, her father would faint if she suggested marrying the infamous Jack Sparrow.
She climbed out of bed and looked for her shoes. She had always had a thing with shoes, she was always losing them. She found a note on the desk, which read:
Dear Tara, I have left you some clothes and shoes in my bathroom. May God be with you. Anamaria
Tara went into the bathroom. It was much like Jack's. There was a small woven basket beneath the table, and on closer inspection, Tara found inside of it: a tight white shirt, a pair of baggy black trousers, a corset, a somewhat frayed hat, and two dresses. The first was white, with a high-collar and many ruffles, and it was indeed beautiful. The second was much more interesting- a lower layer of black silk, with a layer of red silk on top, and a red mesh net over the skirt. It was scandalously low in the neck. Tara found a pair of boots and a pair of high-heeled black shoes in a cabinet with some black fishnet stockings.
A smile curved on her face.
~*~*~
Jack had had a confused night, wondering why Tara had rejected him. He had been so sure that she liked him. He sighed, scratched his head, and went to take his place at the wheel, his eyes fixed on Tara's door.
It opened suddenly, and Jack stared in amazement at the woman who wandered out. Her dark hair was curled on her head with many red ribbons, her lips red, her hazel eyes lined with possibly more kohl than his own. She was wearing a corset, very tightly, and an outrageously low-cut dress he had seen Anamaria wear once. Because of the heels she was wearing, some of her slim, pale leg, clad in fishnet stocking, was visible.
Jack almost fainted. What was Tara trying to do, rub his nose in what he couldn't have? As a matter of fact, that was exactly what she was trying to do, and her plan was working most spectacularly.
~*~*~
Tara could feel Jack's eyes on her, though she didn't look at him. She tried to look cool, but the corset was preventing her breathing very well.
She moved quickly around to the other side of the ship where he could not see her, and saw to her dislike that they were still docked at Tortuga. Surely Muse would catch them if they were still for too long? This made her breathing worse, and she leaned against the post at the top of the ramp which led down to the ground.
A man and a small boy were walking towards the ship, tugging behind them a wagon. Tara waited, interested. They reached the ship. The man nodded politely at Tara, and reached into the wagon to pull out two bottles of rum.
"Take these into the brig!" he barked at the small boy and the boy took them and made his way up the plank.
"Excuse me," said Tara, and the boy and man stopped.
"Yes, Miss?" asked the man.
"Who are you?" asked Tara.
"I be Mr Smith," said the man. "Rum supplier."
Tara arched her eyebrow. "Oh? I don't think we want any rum."
She doubled up, suddenly finding it harder to breathe, and the small boy produced a beautiful silk fan from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said, fanning herself and feeling rather better.
"Sorry, Miss, but I still don't know who ye are," Smith said.
"Miss Waller," she said, her breathing shallow.
"Well, Miss Waller," said Smith. "Is this the Black Pearl?"
Tara nodded, unable to talk.
"Is this ship still under the command of Jack Sparrow- Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow, I mean?"
"Yes," said Tara, fanning herself quickly.
"Well, Cap'n Sparrow bought and paid for this here fifty bottles of rum," Smith said.
"Fifty?" Tara exclaimed.
"I'm sure he wants them."
"Jack Sparrow has recently discovered that his insides are too weak to handle alcohol," Tara replied coldly, a small smile playing at her lips as she realised Tortuga would soon be buzzing with that news.
"Ye sure?" asked Smith, noticing her bitter smile.
Tara placed one of her fishnet-clad legs forward. "Do I look like the type of woman who knows not her own mind?" she asked, fanning herself in a very coy way.
"O-of course not, Miss Waller," stammered Smith, very red.
Tara curled one finger towards him, gesturing for him to come up to see her. He did, awfully shakily. Tara put her face very close to his and said, "We don't want the rum, savvy?"
This was enough for Smith, who grabbed the boy and the wagon and hurried away. Tara smiled maliciously. You may well ask why she was acting so mean towards Jack. The truth was she hated the overconfident way in which he had tried to kiss her last night and planned on teaching him, in her opinion, a much-needed lesson.
Jack approached her then, in a rather nervous way.
"Good morning, Jack," she said with a sarcastic smile.
Jack looked confused. "Um... has me rum been yet?"
"It's been and gone, if you know what I mean." Her smile was becoming more sardonic by the second.
"No, not really."
Tara, who might have laughed save for her lack of air, pointed to Smith's retreating back. Jack looked at her. She thought for a moment he was going to get angry, but it looked as though he was fighting to hide a smile. Casting one last, fleeting look at her, he ran after Smith, his arms flailing about in a very comical way.
"Stop! Hey, Smith, we do want the rum!"
Tara was very amused, if a little bit breathless. She fanned herself a great deal, cursing her blasted corset under her breath.
"Miss Waller, I did not have you down as the type of woman who would play practical jokes on the Captain."
An amused voice spoke behind Tara, who turned to see William Turner, the blacksmith, standing in the brig doorway.
"Mr Turner," she said, breathing shallowly, "I did not have you down as the type of man who spied pitilessly on agreeable young women performing essential tasks."
They smiled at each other, and Tara's heart raced. If she had a crush on Jack, it was nothing compared to how much she fancied Will Turner.
"Are you alright, Miss Waller?" inquired Will, as Tara collapsed against the post.
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There you are, chapter 16. This opens up a whole range of romantic possibilities between Tara and Will... how will Jack react? And what is his real motive for bringing Tara aboard? I'm stuck now with an image of a tiny Jack running around waving his arms in my head, so make it worth my while by leaving a review. *winks*
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Tara awoke the next morning, warm and comfortable under Anamaria's duvet. She hardly dared open her eyes because she was so used to seeing Jack's above her in the mornings.
Today, however, he was not here.
Tara felt strangely distressed by this in a way she couldn't quite explain. She lay in bed a while, trying to put her finger on her true feelings for Jack. She could think of twenty reasons to hate him- then twenty more to like him. She felt strange in her heart about him... but she could not believe that she was falling in love with a pirate. Perhaps it was lust, brought on by the appeal of things she could never have; after all, her father would faint if she suggested marrying the infamous Jack Sparrow.
She climbed out of bed and looked for her shoes. She had always had a thing with shoes, she was always losing them. She found a note on the desk, which read:
Dear Tara, I have left you some clothes and shoes in my bathroom. May God be with you. Anamaria
Tara went into the bathroom. It was much like Jack's. There was a small woven basket beneath the table, and on closer inspection, Tara found inside of it: a tight white shirt, a pair of baggy black trousers, a corset, a somewhat frayed hat, and two dresses. The first was white, with a high-collar and many ruffles, and it was indeed beautiful. The second was much more interesting- a lower layer of black silk, with a layer of red silk on top, and a red mesh net over the skirt. It was scandalously low in the neck. Tara found a pair of boots and a pair of high-heeled black shoes in a cabinet with some black fishnet stockings.
A smile curved on her face.
~*~*~
Jack had had a confused night, wondering why Tara had rejected him. He had been so sure that she liked him. He sighed, scratched his head, and went to take his place at the wheel, his eyes fixed on Tara's door.
It opened suddenly, and Jack stared in amazement at the woman who wandered out. Her dark hair was curled on her head with many red ribbons, her lips red, her hazel eyes lined with possibly more kohl than his own. She was wearing a corset, very tightly, and an outrageously low-cut dress he had seen Anamaria wear once. Because of the heels she was wearing, some of her slim, pale leg, clad in fishnet stocking, was visible.
Jack almost fainted. What was Tara trying to do, rub his nose in what he couldn't have? As a matter of fact, that was exactly what she was trying to do, and her plan was working most spectacularly.
~*~*~
Tara could feel Jack's eyes on her, though she didn't look at him. She tried to look cool, but the corset was preventing her breathing very well.
She moved quickly around to the other side of the ship where he could not see her, and saw to her dislike that they were still docked at Tortuga. Surely Muse would catch them if they were still for too long? This made her breathing worse, and she leaned against the post at the top of the ramp which led down to the ground.
A man and a small boy were walking towards the ship, tugging behind them a wagon. Tara waited, interested. They reached the ship. The man nodded politely at Tara, and reached into the wagon to pull out two bottles of rum.
"Take these into the brig!" he barked at the small boy and the boy took them and made his way up the plank.
"Excuse me," said Tara, and the boy and man stopped.
"Yes, Miss?" asked the man.
"Who are you?" asked Tara.
"I be Mr Smith," said the man. "Rum supplier."
Tara arched her eyebrow. "Oh? I don't think we want any rum."
She doubled up, suddenly finding it harder to breathe, and the small boy produced a beautiful silk fan from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said, fanning herself and feeling rather better.
"Sorry, Miss, but I still don't know who ye are," Smith said.
"Miss Waller," she said, her breathing shallow.
"Well, Miss Waller," said Smith. "Is this the Black Pearl?"
Tara nodded, unable to talk.
"Is this ship still under the command of Jack Sparrow- Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow, I mean?"
"Yes," said Tara, fanning herself quickly.
"Well, Cap'n Sparrow bought and paid for this here fifty bottles of rum," Smith said.
"Fifty?" Tara exclaimed.
"I'm sure he wants them."
"Jack Sparrow has recently discovered that his insides are too weak to handle alcohol," Tara replied coldly, a small smile playing at her lips as she realised Tortuga would soon be buzzing with that news.
"Ye sure?" asked Smith, noticing her bitter smile.
Tara placed one of her fishnet-clad legs forward. "Do I look like the type of woman who knows not her own mind?" she asked, fanning herself in a very coy way.
"O-of course not, Miss Waller," stammered Smith, very red.
Tara curled one finger towards him, gesturing for him to come up to see her. He did, awfully shakily. Tara put her face very close to his and said, "We don't want the rum, savvy?"
This was enough for Smith, who grabbed the boy and the wagon and hurried away. Tara smiled maliciously. You may well ask why she was acting so mean towards Jack. The truth was she hated the overconfident way in which he had tried to kiss her last night and planned on teaching him, in her opinion, a much-needed lesson.
Jack approached her then, in a rather nervous way.
"Good morning, Jack," she said with a sarcastic smile.
Jack looked confused. "Um... has me rum been yet?"
"It's been and gone, if you know what I mean." Her smile was becoming more sardonic by the second.
"No, not really."
Tara, who might have laughed save for her lack of air, pointed to Smith's retreating back. Jack looked at her. She thought for a moment he was going to get angry, but it looked as though he was fighting to hide a smile. Casting one last, fleeting look at her, he ran after Smith, his arms flailing about in a very comical way.
"Stop! Hey, Smith, we do want the rum!"
Tara was very amused, if a little bit breathless. She fanned herself a great deal, cursing her blasted corset under her breath.
"Miss Waller, I did not have you down as the type of woman who would play practical jokes on the Captain."
An amused voice spoke behind Tara, who turned to see William Turner, the blacksmith, standing in the brig doorway.
"Mr Turner," she said, breathing shallowly, "I did not have you down as the type of man who spied pitilessly on agreeable young women performing essential tasks."
They smiled at each other, and Tara's heart raced. If she had a crush on Jack, it was nothing compared to how much she fancied Will Turner.
"Are you alright, Miss Waller?" inquired Will, as Tara collapsed against the post.
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There you are, chapter 16. This opens up a whole range of romantic possibilities between Tara and Will... how will Jack react? And what is his real motive for bringing Tara aboard? I'm stuck now with an image of a tiny Jack running around waving his arms in my head, so make it worth my while by leaving a review. *winks*