Thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot to me and it's nice to know that my
work is appreciated! You guys are the best! Without further ado, I present
chapter 17:
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Tara fanned herself like crazy with the fan, looking at Will from under her eyelashes.
"It's... my corset," she panted.
Will nodded knowingly. "Elizabeth frequently complains of her corset."
Tara felt terrible, but she managed to breathe out, "Elizabeth?"
A tiny red blush ran up Will's cheeks. "Miss Swann. I thought you were friends."
It was a question more than it was a statement, and Tara felt it needed a reply.
"We were, but we've grown apart," she said.
Will noticed her struggling to breathe. He slipped his arm around her slender shoulders, the warm silk brushing his arm pleasantly, to steady her.
"Thank you," said Tara, looking unblinkingly at him.
"Would you care to sit down, Miss Waller?" he asked politely, steering her to a bench-like lump of wood below the helm, right before the wheel.
"Please," said Tara, sitting beside him, "call me Tara."
Will watched Tara fanning herself. "I shall," he said, "if you call me Will."
Tara thought of her similar arrangement with Jack, and she smiled a big beam at Will. Then she grabbed at her chest.
"Are you alright?" asked Will.
"I'm fine," she breathed. "Did J- Captain Sparrow tell you about Muse?"
Will sighed, looking sad. "Yes. Jack and I have no secrets."
Tara raised my eyebrows. Tara could not imagine Jack telling the absolute and complete truth to anyone. Still, if he had, what had been said about her?
"Will," said Tara, her breathing quickening. "Where's Jack? He only went to get the rum. We need to leave before Muse catches us."
Will looked up the road. "He isn't there, Tara."
His voice was full of fear. Tara looked at him, horror-struck.
"What do we do now, Will?"
He took charge straight away, shouting commands out: "All right you dibbies! Prepare to sail! We're going to need to be gone yesterday, understand? Miss Waller and I are going ashore; we need to leave as soon as we return!"
Will took Tara's arm, and they walked down onto the road.
"Where shall we look?" asked Tara, waving her fan.
"The taverns," said Will bitterly. "Where else? Will you be okay with your corset?"
"I'll be fine," Tara said, already tottering off to Rose's tavern.
She was amazed at how fast she could go with her corset, and before she realised it she had entered.
It was empty and less smoky than last time. Rose was washing a glass, and, as Tara had suspected, Jack was leaning on the bar, flirting with her, his wagon of rum beside him.
"Tara!" exclaimed Rose.
Anger filled Tara's veins. It was worse than before, Tara felt angry with Jack for putting her life in danger, as well as the lives of the whole crew.
"Sparrow!" she roared, in a most unladylike way.
He opened his mouth, probably to point out the whole 'captain' problem, but the words never left his mouth because Tara had lifted him literally off his seat and slammed him against the wall.
"You- you-"
Tara never finished her reprimand because at that moment, her breathing stopped.
She fell to the floor. The world seemed blurred; she saw Rose's green eyes floating above her, but they were streaked and smeared.
"Tara?!"
That was Jack, and he sounded really scared.
"I'm fine," Tara managed to gasp. "We... need to get back to the Pearl... before Muse."
"Oh, holy Jesus, I forgot," Jack said, lifting Tara up, "I am so sorry, Tara."
Tara could not find the air to respond; she allowed Jack to dump her in his rum wagon. Jack pulled her quickly back towards the ship, picking up a livid Will on the way.
On deck, Tara resumed her seat on the wood plank. Jack took the wheel, the anchor was raised and they moved away.
"You bloody idiot!" Will was standing beside Jack, shouting like a maniac. "You bloody DRUNKEN idiot!"
Jack was indignantly disregarding Will's words. Will stomped down to sit next to Tara.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Tara nodded, her breathing disturbingly shallow. She let Will take her hand and hold it in a comforting way.
"Jack is such an idiot," Will said in a low voice.
"So am I for wearing this corset thing," said Tara.
Will looked as though he was about to say something back, but Jack shouted down, "Turner! There are jobs needing doing around here! Go and clean the guns!"
Will glared at Jack, smiled at Tara and walked off. Tara glowered up at Jack. Then she marched up to him.
"That was a cheap attempt to get him away from me, Sparrow," she breathed sharply.
Jack didn't look at her. "If you want to refer to me in that unkind way, then it's Captain Sparrow. And I think we need to make clear that not everything on this ship revolves around you, Miss Waller."
Tara opened her mouth to shoot something back. She took a step forward, and her corset tightened with the movement. She fell to the deck, unable to breathe, and Jack looked across slowly.
"You won't win me-" he began, then he saw her still body, and he cried out, "TARA!"
He dived through the air, and landed by her side. To his horror, she was not breathing at all. He reached in his belt, looking for his knife. It was not there, and he didn't much fancy slicing off her corset with his cutlass or blowing it off with a pistol.
Thinking fast, he tore off the top part of the dress with his hands to reveal the corset beneath. He only owned one thing which could remove it fast enough.
His teeth.
He bent over and bit into the corset, immediately becoming aware of her floral smell. Trying to ignore it- it was now creeping into his mouth- and he tore quite a way down. Tara took a deep, shuddering breath, and-
SMACK.
"What are you doing, you, you, you-?!"
Tara looked at her chest and saw how far he had ripped. She was wearing nothing beneath the corset, and her cleavage was spilling out. With a shriek of anger, Tara held her corset together and ran into Anamaria's room, to change.
She changed into the tight shirt and baggy pants and boots, and washed herself with a lot of water. But she was sure a musty smell, mingled with that of rum, clung to her. She lay on the bed, trying to fight the tears which were surely coming, but to no avail. The crying began, and she sobbed hopelessly into her pillow, overcome by a wave of homesickness.
"Tara?"
Will was outside.
"Please go away, Will," sobbed Tara.
Will's footsteps walked away slowly.
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Well, chapter 17. Good god, this is going on a long time. It was supposed to be finished 10 chapters ago... oh well. Did you like? It was a bit boring, but I promise some real action is coming up soon. Please review this, it makes my day and makes me type faster *winks*. I know, I know, talk about sucking up... any way, please do, and take care.
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Tara fanned herself like crazy with the fan, looking at Will from under her eyelashes.
"It's... my corset," she panted.
Will nodded knowingly. "Elizabeth frequently complains of her corset."
Tara felt terrible, but she managed to breathe out, "Elizabeth?"
A tiny red blush ran up Will's cheeks. "Miss Swann. I thought you were friends."
It was a question more than it was a statement, and Tara felt it needed a reply.
"We were, but we've grown apart," she said.
Will noticed her struggling to breathe. He slipped his arm around her slender shoulders, the warm silk brushing his arm pleasantly, to steady her.
"Thank you," said Tara, looking unblinkingly at him.
"Would you care to sit down, Miss Waller?" he asked politely, steering her to a bench-like lump of wood below the helm, right before the wheel.
"Please," said Tara, sitting beside him, "call me Tara."
Will watched Tara fanning herself. "I shall," he said, "if you call me Will."
Tara thought of her similar arrangement with Jack, and she smiled a big beam at Will. Then she grabbed at her chest.
"Are you alright?" asked Will.
"I'm fine," she breathed. "Did J- Captain Sparrow tell you about Muse?"
Will sighed, looking sad. "Yes. Jack and I have no secrets."
Tara raised my eyebrows. Tara could not imagine Jack telling the absolute and complete truth to anyone. Still, if he had, what had been said about her?
"Will," said Tara, her breathing quickening. "Where's Jack? He only went to get the rum. We need to leave before Muse catches us."
Will looked up the road. "He isn't there, Tara."
His voice was full of fear. Tara looked at him, horror-struck.
"What do we do now, Will?"
He took charge straight away, shouting commands out: "All right you dibbies! Prepare to sail! We're going to need to be gone yesterday, understand? Miss Waller and I are going ashore; we need to leave as soon as we return!"
Will took Tara's arm, and they walked down onto the road.
"Where shall we look?" asked Tara, waving her fan.
"The taverns," said Will bitterly. "Where else? Will you be okay with your corset?"
"I'll be fine," Tara said, already tottering off to Rose's tavern.
She was amazed at how fast she could go with her corset, and before she realised it she had entered.
It was empty and less smoky than last time. Rose was washing a glass, and, as Tara had suspected, Jack was leaning on the bar, flirting with her, his wagon of rum beside him.
"Tara!" exclaimed Rose.
Anger filled Tara's veins. It was worse than before, Tara felt angry with Jack for putting her life in danger, as well as the lives of the whole crew.
"Sparrow!" she roared, in a most unladylike way.
He opened his mouth, probably to point out the whole 'captain' problem, but the words never left his mouth because Tara had lifted him literally off his seat and slammed him against the wall.
"You- you-"
Tara never finished her reprimand because at that moment, her breathing stopped.
She fell to the floor. The world seemed blurred; she saw Rose's green eyes floating above her, but they were streaked and smeared.
"Tara?!"
That was Jack, and he sounded really scared.
"I'm fine," Tara managed to gasp. "We... need to get back to the Pearl... before Muse."
"Oh, holy Jesus, I forgot," Jack said, lifting Tara up, "I am so sorry, Tara."
Tara could not find the air to respond; she allowed Jack to dump her in his rum wagon. Jack pulled her quickly back towards the ship, picking up a livid Will on the way.
On deck, Tara resumed her seat on the wood plank. Jack took the wheel, the anchor was raised and they moved away.
"You bloody idiot!" Will was standing beside Jack, shouting like a maniac. "You bloody DRUNKEN idiot!"
Jack was indignantly disregarding Will's words. Will stomped down to sit next to Tara.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Tara nodded, her breathing disturbingly shallow. She let Will take her hand and hold it in a comforting way.
"Jack is such an idiot," Will said in a low voice.
"So am I for wearing this corset thing," said Tara.
Will looked as though he was about to say something back, but Jack shouted down, "Turner! There are jobs needing doing around here! Go and clean the guns!"
Will glared at Jack, smiled at Tara and walked off. Tara glowered up at Jack. Then she marched up to him.
"That was a cheap attempt to get him away from me, Sparrow," she breathed sharply.
Jack didn't look at her. "If you want to refer to me in that unkind way, then it's Captain Sparrow. And I think we need to make clear that not everything on this ship revolves around you, Miss Waller."
Tara opened her mouth to shoot something back. She took a step forward, and her corset tightened with the movement. She fell to the deck, unable to breathe, and Jack looked across slowly.
"You won't win me-" he began, then he saw her still body, and he cried out, "TARA!"
He dived through the air, and landed by her side. To his horror, she was not breathing at all. He reached in his belt, looking for his knife. It was not there, and he didn't much fancy slicing off her corset with his cutlass or blowing it off with a pistol.
Thinking fast, he tore off the top part of the dress with his hands to reveal the corset beneath. He only owned one thing which could remove it fast enough.
His teeth.
He bent over and bit into the corset, immediately becoming aware of her floral smell. Trying to ignore it- it was now creeping into his mouth- and he tore quite a way down. Tara took a deep, shuddering breath, and-
SMACK.
"What are you doing, you, you, you-?!"
Tara looked at her chest and saw how far he had ripped. She was wearing nothing beneath the corset, and her cleavage was spilling out. With a shriek of anger, Tara held her corset together and ran into Anamaria's room, to change.
She changed into the tight shirt and baggy pants and boots, and washed herself with a lot of water. But she was sure a musty smell, mingled with that of rum, clung to her. She lay on the bed, trying to fight the tears which were surely coming, but to no avail. The crying began, and she sobbed hopelessly into her pillow, overcome by a wave of homesickness.
"Tara?"
Will was outside.
"Please go away, Will," sobbed Tara.
Will's footsteps walked away slowly.
*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0
Well, chapter 17. Good god, this is going on a long time. It was supposed to be finished 10 chapters ago... oh well. Did you like? It was a bit boring, but I promise some real action is coming up soon. Please review this, it makes my day and makes me type faster *winks*. I know, I know, talk about sucking up... any way, please do, and take care.