A/N I do not own any of the original characters from POTC but I do own Hope and her crew and ship.
HOPE'S POV:
When I awoke in the morning, I felt brilliant. It had been the first time to get sleep in a very long time.
I crept to the next room over, which Jack had said was his last night, and I walked over to his bed. I watched him sleep for a moment, and then realized he was not asleep… just pretending.
"Hi, Jack." I said. "I know you're awake. I saw that." His eyes flickered open, and he sat up and looked at me for a moment. I grinned at him.
"No hangover?" He asked. Then I remembered with a jolt that I was supposed to be drunk last night. Grin disappeared.
"I… Well, I… don't get hangovers. I mean, no, uhhh… my… head hurts." Jack was looking at me skeptically.
"You weren't drunk, were you?" He asked. I grinned.
"It worked, didn't it?" He rolled his eyes.
"I'm sort of broke though… seeing as how I've been stuck on an island for 5 days and didn't get a chance to pick up some poor soul's purse. Well, you owe me anyway." I continued, enunciating to make him feel guilty. He interrupted.
"I thought we decided that there was nothing I could have done." He put in. I pouted.
"Well, I still can't pay you back." I put a sickly sweet tone in my voice. "Thanks for the room, Jack."
I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, and down into the bar. I put some coins on the table, because the bartender had said I had forgotten to pay for those drinks last night. Then I just walked out, and down the street, trying to make another plan. What could I do now? The mutiny had ruined everything… my whole plan, and now… I was plan less. I racked my brain.
Well, my old plan was down in the trashcan; even though Jack had sworn not to touch my helm, he had sailed away with my ship, so I had to think of something new.
"Hope? Wait." I heard a voice behind me, and knew it was Jack. What did he want now? I already told him I didn't have any money. I turned slowly to see him walking at a fast pace to catch up with me.
"Where are you going?" He asked. I groaned.
"Look, I don't need you following me around, regardless of what you think."
He looked at me funny.
"What?" I said, irritated.
"Well…"
"Yes?" I asked him again.
"Um…"
"I don't have all day…" I continued impatiently.
"Will you just let me talk?" Jack spat at me in a not very nice tone.
I was startled. Well, if he was going to be mean, then no, I would not let him talk.
"If you're going to be unfriendly, then no, you can't speak to me." I told him coldly, and then turned around and kept walking, hearing his footsteps behind me.
"Ok, love, I'm sorry, but what I wanted to say is, I still feel bad about leaving you on that island, and I would like to help you get your ship back."
I turned to look at him. It was really sweet that he wanted to help, but…
He would just get in the way. None of my plans ever work out if someone else is involved.
"Thanks for the offer, Jack, but I have plans to make, and I can't depend-"but I couldn't finish because he cut me off.
"You can depend on me! I would feel much better if I could help. Besides, the world isn't right when there's a captain without their ship."
He just looked so eager I couldn't say no.
"Fine."
"Great! Now, I think I can work out a plan if…"
"I come up with the plans."
"Oh- right, right. Where are we going?"
I grinned at him. "My house."
"YOU HAVE A HOUSE?" Jack asked, obviously a little irritated. I couldn't come up with a reason why.
"Of course I have a house!" I said to him.
"But… what about all you said about your past, and… was that all lies?"
"Oh, not lies." I told him. "Just… y'know, stretched truth."
He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Would you mind filling me in a little before we go into you house, so I know what to expect?"
"Oh, I'll be delighted to!" I told him, stopping for a moment to check where we were, and then I kept walking.
"You see, I grew up in a whorehouse." Jack waited for me to continue.
"Yes?" He asked, urging me on.
"Well, that's where we're going." I told him.
"Well, what about all the other stuff? All lies?"
"No."
"Well, what then?"
"What nothing!"
"Aren't you going to tell me?"
"Nope." I stared at him hard, and he went quiet.
"What?" I asked him confused. What did I do?
"Nothing." He said, and turned away quickly. I was upset. Was I really that scary?
I waited a moment. He didn't say anything. I waited a little while longer. Was he really this stupid? Or just distracted? And then…
"Wait… You grew up in a WHOREHOUSE?" I grinned. I had been expecting this comment for a little while.
"Well, it wasn't really that bad. You get used to it." I glanced at him. "And then again… there was never really a time when I didn't know what sex was… nobody ever tried to shield me from it."
Jack looked as if he just though of something.
"Um… darling…"
"Yes?"
"Were you ever… a… you know… pleasurable company?"
I laughed. Did he seriously think I could be a whore? Besides the fact that I am too small, I'm not exactly beautiful, so y'know, that occupation would be hard. He seemed to realize this too.
"No." I told him firmly.
But there was something nagging at the back of my mind… the way he had looked at me when I stared at him. I had to ask…
"Do I scare you Jack? Tell the truth, please." He looked at me, and for a moment, I thought he was going to lie. But I was being totally serious. I had never realized I was that intimidating!
"Yes." He said quietly.
I sighed. I wasn't sure what to think.
"No, no, no, love, it's a good thing. People will do what you want; don't you think it's useful?" I smiled weakly at him, so he would shut up. He got the hint.
He was quiet for a little while. The silence was unbearable. Then, I found the house, and I walked in and tapped on the door.
JACK'S POV:
A woman with dark hair and eyes answered the door. She said something in French. I wasn't sure what to say, But Hope did. She said… something else in French. The woman smiled, and then shooed us inside. But then she disappeared somewhere. I looked down the hall, and saw lots of doors. Somebody screamed softly, a strange sound. I drew my sword on instinct, but Hope grabbed my hand away from it and smiled at me.
"You're French?" I muttered to her. She shrugged.
"Actually, I don't think so. But my mother likes French and loves to speak it, so I grew up knowing. Kind of funny isn't it."
But she didn't sound like she thought it was very funny. She looked around for a moment, and then dragged me over into a room. At first I thought… something, and I panicked, but then I realized that the room had a table in the middle, and the woman who had answered the door was sitting at it, humming softly while pouring some amber liquid into a glass. She smiled and held it out to me.
"Rum?" She said. I was surprised to hear her speak English, until I realized with some sheepishness that she had to speak English also if she was going to live in the Caribbean.
"Absolutely." I told her, taking the rum and then racking my brain for something in French which I could wittingly say and then charm her somehow.
She turned to the woman and smiled. "Mama, this is Captain Jack Sparrow. He wants to help me with…"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me for a moment," Hope's mother said.
Hope got up and looked out the door of the room. So did I. There was a woman, obviously a prostitute, standing there talking with Hope's mother. She was dressed very revealingly and had red hair. The conversation was unreadable, but there was a man standing next to her with a big grin on his face. Next, Hope's mother held up a key, and the redhead took it, and pulled the man down the hall and through a door.
Hope sat back down. Her face was expressionless, and she was staring hard at the table and the rum. Hope's mother walked in, and then she smiled.
"I think we need more rum…" She said, going into another room.
I like that woman.
I had a rather personal question to ask Hope, and I knew she was going to be mad, but I asked it anyway.
"Are you untouched, Hope?" Her eyes shot daggers at me, but she answered.
"No."
Oh, good. So I wasn't dealing with a virgin. Virgins do tend to be good luck with mutinies, but they also tend to lack a lot of experience on how to seduce men.
Then again, maybe Hope wouldn't be too good at that either…
"How many times?"
"Don't you think this is a bit personal?"
"No."
"Fine. Once."
Well, now I was curious. Once usually meant it was a slip up, or not by choice, or too soon to be breaking virginity.
"Did you want to-" But I was cut off.
"DAMMIT SPARROW! That's my business!"
"Fine, fine."
Hope's mother came back in, with a big bottle of rum, which she handed to me.
"Hope, sweet heart, where is Luna?"
"There was a mutiny, mother." Hope said coldly. I wondered why she was being so cold.
"Oh." Her mother said and glanced at me. "Is that why you… and the Captain are here?"
"I'm a captain too, mother."
Her mother shook her head and muttered something. I didn't quite catch it, but apparently Hope did.
"What choice did I have, huh mother? I thought we agreed a long time ago that that was the best solution!" Her voice was rather loud, and her mother shot a wary glance at me, and then cast a look at Hope that said please shut up.
Hope grumbled and sat back in her chair. Her mother cleared her throat, and there was an awkward silence.
I looked at Hope. Why are we here? I asked her silently. She shot a look at me as if to say don't ask.
Her mother stood up. "You two should probably stay here for a night, just to clear a few things up while I find you another ship…" Her mother cleared her throat. "You owe me for this one though, sweet heart, because it's pretty hard to find someone trustworthy to get a ship, and…"
"You don't have to, mother, I mean, we could always steal one, but I thought you were so insistent on how stealing will send me straight to hell's door, and all that rubbish." Hope interrupted. Her mother turned red.
"Right, darling, but all I'm saying is, it may take awhile. You could just stay here with me…"
"And do what, mother?" Hope said, obviously irritated. Her mother mumbled something, but then left the room.
The second she did, Hope jumped up and ran to the door, which had shut.
"DAMMIT!" She screamed as she tried the handle, only to find out it was locked. "OPEN THE DOOR!"
I was alarmed, and decided not was not the best time to ask questions. She was obviously furious.
"YEAH, THANKS FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR ME MA, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, YOU BITCH!"
Hope slammed her fist against the wooden door, and then closed her eyes and turned around, leaning her back against it and taking a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and looked at me before she turned back around to face the door.
"She thinks she can keep me away from piracy… thinks she can stop all my stealing, and sailing around… yeah, well, I HATE YOU TOO, MOTHER! LOCKING THE DOOR WON'T KEEP ME AWAY FROM WHAT I AM!" She yelled the last part, and then kicked the door.
I really was alarmed. I had never seen her lose control of her temper this badly. Even when she was yelling at me in the bar before, she was alright. She looked right at me and told me very quietly and seriously;
"She has no right to decide what I do with my life."
I hesitated. What should I say? I glanced at the door and discovered that it would easily come undone.
"You know, love, we can get out easily."
"Yeah," She began, her eyes flashing dangerously "I know, but that's not what bothers me. She hates me, can't you tell?"
"Um…" I wasn't sure what to say.
"Ever since she saw I wasn't going to be miss beautiful, she's hated me… she totally loves Luna, you know that too, don't you? The way she asked about Luna when we first got here!" Hope was furious. She glared at the door as if it had bit her. "Ahh! I can't stand it! I'm not going to come back here… ever again!"
"Why…" I started to ask.
"The reason why we had to come here is because she hates it when I steal, so she makes me come here whenever I lose something so she can buy me it… I'm just not going to bother anymore. We'll steal a ship."
Hope turned to the door and unsheathed her dagger, sliding it through the crack between the door and doorframe. The lock clicked and she swung the door open, stepping out and walking to the door impatiently, as if she couldn't breathe while she was still inside. When we finally got out, she turned around and looked at the old graying house, the paint hanging off in shreds.
"I hate you too…" she muttered to nothing.
HOPE'S POV:
I hate her, I hate her, and oh, how I hate her! How dare she try and control my life? We already settled a long time ago that it was not my path to be a part of the working class… or sell my body. Definitely not that. It wasn't even an option, I'm too small. And after what I'd been through with the… well, the accident, my father made my mother agree that prostitution was not my thing.
"Hope, if you don't mind my asking,-" Jack started to say.
"I do." I told him coldly.
"Well, I know you do, but I'll ask it anyway. Was it by choice, your losing your virginity?"
"Yes." I lied. "A stupid choice."
He seemed satisfied by this answer.
"Why does your mother…"
"I DON'T KNOW, JACK, WILL YOU STOP ASKING QUESTIONS?"
"F-fine, alright."
There was a very awkward pause and we started walking down the street toward the docks.
"We don't want to be on the streets at night, unless you want to have a drink." Jack said. I did not answer.
"Are you okay?" I didn't answer this either, just hurried in the direction of the docks. Just then I realized something.
I stopped and turned to Jack, and I could feel my face turning red.
"Jack…" I began, and he smiled and waited.
"I've never stolen a ship in my life."
A/N Ok, look. I really like how this story is going so far, but I haven't gotten like… ANY reviews! (But I'm sure that will change, RIGHT?) Now, if you think the story sucks, tell me. If you think it's brilliant, tell me. ANYTHING! Please!