AN: I am so sorry that this took so long, but once again RL got in the way. But, what else is new? So, I hope you like the chapter, and many of you will probably notice that I changed the title of the chapter, but, maybe you won't. Who knows? Anyway, I did so cuz if I put it all into one chapter, this thing would be like 20-something pages and that would be really long. But, here goes, and I hope you like!
"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain . . . and most fools do."
~Benjamin Franklin
Silver and Gold
Chapter Eight: Funny things, storms
The resounding slap echoed in the busy streets of Tortuga, along with the sound of a body falling. Jack landed on his back among the broken barrels and boxes that lined the alleyway. He had no idea what he had done to offend the street wench, seeing as he was currently drunk off of his ass.
The street wench-what was her name? Maria, Tessa, Lizzie-walked huffily away, her dress sashaying behind her. He started to call out to her, but his head pounded every time he attempted to think. He sat among the rubble, his eyes narrowed to just mere slits against the torch lights. Two pairs of feet stepped up in front of him.
Jack looked up slowly, throwing his head back to be able to gaze drunkenly up at the two people. Gibbs stared down at him, worry for his captain lining his face. AnaMaria was shaking her head, no expression present in her eyes.
"You deserved that," AnaMaria said, "I bet you anything."
"Don' know whatcher talkin' about," Jack slurred, attempting to stand up, but failing miserably.
"God, yer pathetic," AnaMaria replied. "Why the hell did you let her go when you knew this was gonna happen?"
Jack merely stared up at her, no expression evident on his face save for drunken stupor. He scrambled to get up again, this time succeeding. He stood in front of them silently, swaying heavily on his feet. He pointed a finger at AnaMaria, opened and closed his mouth several times, and then toppled forward, unconscious.
AnaMaria simply moved to the side, willing to allow him to collapse onto the dirty ground. Gibbs, however, reached out and grabbed hold of Jack's arm, catching him before he bashed his head on the ground. Gibbs shot her a dirty look, struggling to lift the dead weight of his captain.
"You could at least help, lass."
"I say we leave 'im 'ear. God knows he would deserve it. Getting as drunk as this on our last night in Tortuga. I haven't enjoyed this leave Gibbs, ya know that? I've 'ad ta follow 'is stupid ass all over Tortuga just to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and wind up with a bullet in 'is skull."
Gibbs sighed and shook his head. "He's your captain AnaMaria. Now get yer ass over here an' help me."
She glared daggers at him but reached down to grab hold of Jack's arm anyway. "I swear to God if he throws up on me again, I'll shoot him meself."
Gibbs merely laughed as they started to walk out of the alleyway, carrying their drunken captain between them.
* * * * * * *
His fingers ran the length of her abdomen, sending goose bumps up her skin. Her own hands roamed over his bare chest, feeling every muscle, every scar that she couldn't see in the darkened room.
"Jack," she breathed, kissing him lightly.
Jack kissed her back roughly and then trailed hot kisses down her cheek to her ear. "Lor," he whispered. "You got away once, love. You won't do it again."
Lor's eyes narrowed as his voice changed slightly, growing deeper and angrier. His fingers squeezed tighter on her side, becoming almost too painful to bear. He leaned up quickly, revealing to her that he was no longer the man she loved, but. . .
"Skinner," she whispered.
Skinner laughed cruelly and then held up his right hand, the blade of the dagger that he held glinting in the moonlight.
"Now," he said, his face changing before her eyes into another man that she hated. "You die, pirate."
Lor's eyes widened as the knife now clenched in John Mason's hand transformed slowly into a length of brown rope and an itch building on the skin of her neck. As she reached up to scratch it, she found the other end of his rope to be tied around her neck.
Without warning, the bed below her disappeared, and she fell, the rope around her neck tightening until. . .
* * * * * * *
Lor bolted up in bed, sweat drenching her body. She smoothed her wet hair back, pushing it away from her face. Her heart pounded in her chest in time to her quickened breathing. She held her breath for a moment, hoping to slow down her heart.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed slowly and stood up, trying to allow the vestiges of the dream to fall off of her. She paused for a few seconds, giving herself enough of a chance to gain back her balance before throwing on her vest and boots.
Lor opened the door quickly, just in time to see Jeremy in her doorway, his right arm raised as if he were about to knock.
"Ah, good, you are awake. I was hoping you were."
Lor blinked at him rapidly, hoping that what she saw behind him were merely figments of her imagination. "Tell me those aren't what I think they are," she said, nodding her head at the people standing behind him.
"Hmm? What?" Jeremy asked, turning around quickly. "Oh, yes. Well, my dear, we cannot have you look like a sailor while you are acting like a lady. It would simply be unbecoming."
Lor arched an eyebrow as she took in the dresses held up behind her grandfather by maids and man servants. Others held small slips of cloth, and one held a painful looking garment that she was sure she did not want to wear. She hesitated for a moment before letting the people in, unsure if she wanted to go through another torture, albeit a torture of a different sort.
Slowly, she stepped aside, allowing her grandfather and his servants to enter. She knew, deep in her mind, that these 'Lady lessons' would one day be the death of her.
* * * * * * *
Gold surrounded him, reaching as far as his eyes could see. Yet, for some reason, his pirate urgings did not want to take any of it. He turned around slowly in place, his eyes absorbing the golden glow around him.
Suddenly, his head snapped up as he heard a soft voice call out. He walked quickly, turning corners around mounds of gold, striding down aisles, following the soft voice, in search of whoever was speaking. When he reached what had to be the center of the hoard, he stopped.
Standing in front of a small, gold pedestal, her back to him, was a woman whose red-black hair hung down to the middle of her back. At first, he wondered what he was seeing as he watched her fingers lovingly caress a tiny silver armlet that hovered in front of her. Then, suddenly, she turned on her heel to look down at him. He stepped back quickly as he caught sight of her eyes.
Her eyes, the oddest eyes that he had ever seen, were the color of the gold surrounding him, and yet the color of the deepest depth in the ocean. Her tanned face bothered him as he stared up at her. She seemed so familiar, and yet he knew he had never met her.
"Go back," she stated, drawing him out of his thoughts. "Go back, you do not belong here. You are not the Guardian. You are not the one we are looking for."
She paused for a moment as another, paler face flickered over hers. For a second, her breeches and blouse were transformed into a beautiful dress, her eyes becoming a dark, chocolate brown. The moment he blinked, his eyes closing for only half a second, she was changed back into the woman he had first seen.
"A sparrow will hold the key but it is not yet time. Go back, Captain of the Black Pearl, and do not seek this place again until it is time."
* * * * * * *
Jack awoke from his drunken slumber, the dream he had been having disappearing, no matter how hard his tired mind attempted to hold onto it. He sat up slowly, the throbbing in his head escalating to heights it had never before reached. A pounding that he at first thought was solely in his mind, echoed painfully in his ears.
"Open the damn door and stop poundin' on it!" he growled.
The door opened quickly to reveal AnaMaria, her dark eyes blazing. "You had enough yet, Jack?"
"What're you talkin' about?" he asked, burying his throbbing head in his hands.
"You know bloody well what I'm talkin' about," she said. "Yer tryin' ta drown out whatever feelin's yer havin' by tryin' to drink yerself ta death. Yer a bloody damn fool if you think it's goin' ta work."
Jack lifted his head up slowly, his hands slipping down his face, his eyes blazing with anger as he glared across the cabin at her.
"Don't give me that look, Jack Sparrow. As yer first mate, I'm entitled ta havin' my say. After the things you've pulled the last few days yer damn well lucky I didn't leave yer ass in the alley in Tortuga. Yer bein' an idiot Jack an' I'm not afraid ta say it."
Jack's blurry mind attempted to absorb what she had been saying. She was right. He had been acting like an idiot, but no more so than usual.
"Do me a favor love," he said. "Stop yellin' at me an' find me shirt. I have a bloody ship ta run."
AnaMaria picked up the shirt that she had thrown on the desk chair the night before and threw it at him. The shirt landed on the top of his head. Jack pulled it off slowly, messing up his already tangled hair.
"Thanks very much."
"Yer welcome, you daft fool," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, getcher ass out of bed. We're late setting sail."
"Then get ready, lass. I wanna be out of 'ere in ten minutes," he replied, his voice becoming stronger.
"Aye, Cap'n," she answered, smirking. She was glad to hear some of her captain's normal tone filter into his speech.
* * * * * * *
Tyler climbed the rope ladder quickly. On his trip to Port Royal, he had learned how to do many things on a ship. For instance, he had learned how to climb the rope to the Crow's Nest with ease while the ship was swaying beneath him.
He poked his head up past the edge of the platform, staring up at the back of his cousin. Lor stared out at the rolling ocean, her hands resting lightly on the railing. Her red hair fought with the wind, blowing around her head, tangling it further.
"You may as well come up, lad. There's no use sittin' there on the rope."
Tyler jumped slightly as she spoke. "Um, of course, thank you."
Lor laughed softly. "No need ta thank me, Tyler. You just need ta be careful and not fall. It hurts, trust me."
"You have fallen from here before?" he asked, climbing the rest of the way up.
"Of course. What good pirate hasn't? Course, I was ten at the time."
Tyler laughed as he stepped up next to her and stared out at the darkening skies. "I wouldn't stay up here too long though, lad. A storm's brewin'."
Tyler's eyes narrowed as he looked up into the sky. "How can you tell?"
Lor shrugged. "I can feel it in my bones. Comes with growing up on a ship, I guess."
"Is that what you were thinking about up here? The storm?"
Lor's eyes flicked over at him, and then back to the rolling sea. "No," she answered quietly.
"Then you were thinking about him?"
"About whom?" she asked, finally turning to face him.
"Jack Sparrow."
Lor flinched slightly. "Why would I be thinking about him?"
"Because you cannot stop thinking about him. No matter how hard you try, you cannot get him out of your mind; you care about him too much."
"You're daft if you believe that."
"And yet I can see it in your eyes," Tyler replied. "You love him."
"I am a pirate, lad. I give my heart to no one," Lor answered heatedly and then turned and climbed out of the Crow's Nest before he could say anything.
"She will keep denying that until it kills her," he whispered into the wind.
* * * * * * *
Heavy rain pelted them, plastering their clothes to their skin. Lor pushed strands of hair off of her face, and then wiped her eyes, attempting to clear rain from her eyes, but with little success. Her wet hands gripped the slippery rope, trying her best to tie it, fighting against the wind that pulled at the rope.
She tied it tightly to the peg, double knotting it to make sure that it would not pull free. She stood up straight for a moment, her hands finding their way to the lifeline tied around her waist. Lor's water logged eyes scanned the deck of the ship, searching for someone who might need her help.
"Look out!" a voice cried, barely carrying over the wind and thunder.
Before she could move, a beam slammed into her back, knocking the breath out of her and throwing her forward over the railing of the ship. Lor closed her eyes tightly against the spray of the sea water. She clenched her teeth tightly as the rope came to a sudden jolt, grinding into her skin, plunging her into the rolling ocean.
"Man overboard!" she heard someone cry as she fought her way up over the water, sparks flashing in her vision from when the beam had caught her in the back. Suddenly, the rope around her tightened again, slowly lifting her up higher into the air. The railing of the ship caught hold of her shirt, ripping the sleeve and tearing the skin.
Strong hands gripped her arms tightly, pulling her back onto the deck. She could feel herself falling and then felt as her head landed on soft flesh. She lifted her head slowly, careful not to pull at her sore back. The worried eyes that stared back at her were none other than Bryant's eyes.
"Are you alright?" he yelled over the storm.
Lor nodded, still incapable of speaking, having yet to catch the breath that had run away from her. She staggered to her feet slowly and reached for a barrel that had fallen on its side. She cried out as she tried to pull it upright, her muscles straining with the movement.
"You need to go below deck!" Bryant shouted, pulling her away from the barrel. "You're too injured! You're no help to us injured like you are!"
"I've done it before!" she shouted weakly, her lungs and ribs hurting with the words.
"I'll take you down there!" he shouted as if he hadn't heard what she said, dragging her slowly through the rain towards the small door that led below the deck.
Lor didn't struggle. It hurt too much to try and pull from his grasp. The moment that they climbed below deck, Bryant untied his lifeline and then helped Lor untie hers. He placed his arm around her waist to help her walk but removed it quickly when she let out a hiss of pain.
"Rope burn," she gritted out through clenched teeth.
He said nothing, merely grabbing hold of her upper arm and helped her walk to her cabin. He pushed open the door and walked in with her, sitting her down on the bed slowly. Bryant sat down behind her, his hands in his lap.
"Can I . . . um . . . see your wounds?" he asked, stumbling over his words. "If you don't mind that is."
"No," she whispered. "Go ahead. My ribs hurt. Probably broke one or two."
Bryant lifted her shirt slowly, his eyes taking in the strange markings covering her back. His brow furrowed as he looked at the long scar running from her right shoulder to her mid-back. Bruises covered her back where the beam had hit her, and a thin line of faint burn marks covered her waist where the rope had cut into her.
"You're bruised badly, Miss Adams. You may have a few broken ribs, but you'll need to see Doc to tell that."
His fingers trailed down the long scar gently, his mind wondering where she could have received a wound such as that. He then turned his attention to the strange markings, his fingers tracing the intricate lines.
Lor lowered her shirt quickly and turned around in her seat. She looked up to find their faces inches apart.
"I thank you, Mr. Bryant," she whispered. "I will see Doc as soon as the storm ends."
"You're welcome," he said quietly, softly brushing a stray strand of wet hair away from her face. "You're beautiful."
The last two words were spoken so softly that at first Lor was unsure if she heard correctly over the roar of the storm. His rough hand cupped her cheek, his fingers still wrapped in her hair. Slowly, he leaned into her, brushing her lips with his. Lor was hesitant at first, and then closed her eyes and leaned into his kiss.
* * * * * * *
Bwahahahahaha! I am so evil. . .
Next: Chapter9: Meeting the Family. Will Lor give into Bryant? Or will her feelings for Jack stop her? What will happen when Lor finally gets to England and meets her family? Will they accept her like Jeremy and Tyler have? Or will they try to turn her away? Meanwhile, what will Jack do?
SiLvErFaTeD: Thank you!
Dawnie-7: Yeah. I don't like the uncle either. But, he will get what's coming to him in later chapters. I'm not sure if she gets a chance to shoot him yet, but she does do something. I hope that made sense to you.
Silmarwen:
Mystic Fish: Wow. So, which Disney are you at? Cuz if it's the one in Florida, then yer near me! I thank you for the compliment. I honestly did not know that my skills as a writer have improved. And if you ask the people in my Creative Writing class, they would tell you that I haven't. But they can just take a long walk off a short bridge. I'm glad you liked the scene with the little kids. I thought that would be so cute! Plus, I'd been thinking about doing a scene like that for ages!
PED-sarah:
Elentari II:
Tef_sparrow: HAHAHAHAHA! I wondered how many people would catch that reference of Lor moving on. As to her moving on, you'll just have to wait and find out. I promise you won't hate me too much.
DaydreamBeliever14: Thank you!
PineAppleLint: Hmm. . . yes, most likely a lot of sleepless nights. Who knows? I can tell you I really don't cuz I haven't got that far writing it yet. But, I can assure you that Jack and Lor really do miss each other, even if they won't say it to other people.