Chapter: A Not So Fond Farewell
-
The pub was loud and the whore who'd perched herself on Jack's lap was distracting him. His palm slid down the length of her waist to rest at her left hip, and she bent forward to rest her cheek against the line of his jaw and flicked the tip of her tongue against his ear. He could hear her breathing, and quietly he asked her her name, which turned out to be Vera. He forced himself to focus on his rum and the various other occupants of the table he sat at.
A woman named Mercedes whose Spanish name corresponded to her dark appearance placed her elbows on the splintering surface of the table and leaned against it, conveniently exposing the dark shadow between her breasts to Jack's wandering gaze. "And you really fought those skeleton pirates? How brave of you, señor."
Vera's hand was creeping steadily up his thigh. "O' course I did, love! Where did you think th' stories came from?" He answered, casting her a faint grin.
"So there was a curse, then?" This question came from a pirate whose name Jack couldn't remember but he was small and slight with the kind of eyes that sought out anything of value. Right now they were glued upon Mercedes' bosom.
"Aye, there was a curse." Jack was not paying much attention to the idle conversation that was now occurring, and hissed quietly through clenched teeth as Vera's fingers brushed against his groin, before grasping her wrist in a grip so tight that it caused the woman to wince. He silenced her protest as he drew her hand away with a brief but rough kiss. "What d'you say t' findin' a little privacy, love?" His voice was hushed with a gruff undertone.
"Wha' 'bout your little friend? Th' girl ye came with?" She said silkily, and Jack shivered as she pressed her lips against the underside of his jaw after speaking.
"Her? She's –" He turned toward the chair that Sophia had been seated in just moments before.
She was gone.
The entire pub silenced as Jack's murderous bellow echoed through the room. "Bloody 'ell!"
-
Sophia was starting to think that perhaps leaving the pub was not such a brilliant idea on her part. She'd been wandering around the port for some time now, and had not caught so much as a glimpse of a respectable gentleman who would be willing to grant her a passage home. Men were staring at her, and she was utterly alone.
Jack had made her furious with his mindless dallying. After that whore had climbed into his lap and he had ordered his third or so rum she'd had enough, and slipped out of the room unnoticed, holding the mass of her skirts in her left hand so they would not drag wastefully over the grimy floor.
She now slipped quietly into a vacant side street, breathing hitched, and placed a trembling hand against her chest to quell it's heaving. It was dark, and she felt as if eyes were staring out at her from the shadows. She knew it was going to happen again. A quiet keening sound escaped unintentionally from her lips, and she placed her head in her hands, rocking slightly on her feet. She wished fervently for her safe, white cap.
You have to find Jack.
A strange voice was speaking to her from the recesses of her mind. She shook her head faintly. "Shut up. I won't go traipsing back to find that repulsive pirate." She unintentionally said this aloud in a childlike voice, and despite the knowledge that she was completely alone, whipped her head around to check if anyone had heard her talking to herself. You're going insane, Sophia. She ignored the voice this time, and after some moments of standing completely still within the alley, ventured to glance out into the crowded street once more.
A group of soldiers in their characteristic red uniforms were making their way casually down the street, blatantly ignoring the destruction and various miscreants that crossed their paths. Stifling a cry of delight, Sophia hitched up her skirts and ran towards them. Stopping before them, she was silent for several seconds, simply staring at the faces of her rescuers, before speaking. Her voice was shaken. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I don't suppose you could help me?"
One of the soldiers glanced at his companions and then down at her. Sophia had the distinct impression that he was trying to catch a glance down her bodice, and shivered despite herself, her eyes wide. Finally, he spoke. "Of course, Miss. . ."
"Cuthburt. Sophia Cuthburt. I'm trying to find a way to Port Royal. I was kidnapped, you see. . ." She trailed off, noticing the stunned expression on the soldier's faces. "Is something wrong?"
One of the other soldiers spoke up. "No, nothing's wrong. There's been an extensive search for you, Miss Cuthburt. Commodore Norringon's been looking in every port, from Tortuga to Port Antonio. In fact, the Dauntless is docked in Nassau tonight for restocking."
Sophia thought she might faint with relief, and one of the soldiers rushed forward to aid her in the event that she would, but she managed to remain upright on shaky knees. "Oh, thank goodness. . ." Her voice was a whisper, the previous thoughts of finding Jack all but flying from her mind. "Would you kind men please take me to the Dauntless?" She could see the reluctance in their faces, and continued hurriedly. "I'm sure you will be rewarded nicely by the commodore." The soldiers grinned.
Her voice protested. I thought you didn't like Norrington.
-
Sophia found it amazing how much easier it was traveling through the streets of Nassau with soldiers. The crowds visibly parted for the red-coated men, and it took a mere five minutes to make their way to the docks. Well, Sophia nearly made it to the docks.
She had been trailing behind the soldiers, who had been conversing excitedly about what sort of treasure they were sure the commodore would give them, when something grabbed her about the waist and tugged her into an alleyway. She opened her mouth to let out a high-pitched scream, only to find a grimy palm pressed firmly against her lips, and the hard length of a body pressing her against the wall at her back. Here we go again. . . She thought, rather calmly for the situation.
She bit the hand that covered her mouth, and heard its owner emit a muffled curse. "Wha' th' bloody 'ell did you do tha' for, Sophia?"
It was Jack.
Despite herself, Sophia expelled a relieved breath. "Get off of me! Let me go. I have to go home!" Her voice sounded panicked to her own ears. Jack released her, in doing so withdrawing the body that had been holding Sophia against the wall so effectively. She felt suddenly very cold, and wrapped her arms tightly around the slenderness of her form.
Jack was standing in the shadows. Sophia could see only the dark gleam of his eyes as he scrutinized her and the stoic silhouette of his form. When he spoke his voice was deep and gravelly. "I should kill you for leavin' like tha'." Sophia shivered at his tone. He was very, very serious.
"I have to go now, Jack." She winced minutely at her use of his first name. He was Captain to her, nothing else. "Commodore Norrington is here in Nassau. He's been looking for me. I'm going back to Port Royal. . ." She tilted her chin upwards. "I'm going home." She allowed her gaze to hold his for several moments more. His eyes were expressionless in the darkness. She turned to walk back to the street.
A movement behind her, the soft rustle of cotton on skin, of beads chinking against each other. She felt his hands on her shoulders. He whirled her around and drove her sharply to the wall once more, pressing her firmly against the brick at her back. His lips were on hers, and then she knew nothing of her surroundings. Not of the impending dawn, nor of the guards shouting her name on the street, calling for her.
He tasted of rum and something else she couldn't place. She stood motionless, her lips parted slightly within the kiss. Jack was moving against her, grinding his hips into hers, the satin of her dress rasping faintly against the rougher cloth of his clothing.
She'd never been kissed like Jack was kissing her now. Not as a woman. Playful pecks as a child, hidden and awkward ones with a neighborhood boy named Jamie with whom Sophia had walked on the beach for an afternoon. But never like this. She felt as if he kissed her long enough, her soul would escape gladly from her lips. And she was surprised to find that she was kissing him back.
Her lips were touching, seeking against his. Jack groaned as her hands rose to hesitantly brush against his neck, his jaw, shoulders, and then he was gone from her, and she was left with a tingle upon her lips and a fire in her belly. She could hear him breathing harshly as he stood several feet from her.
"Jack, what. . .?" Her voice was soft and broke through the silence like a knife through flesh.
"Go home, Sophia." His footsteps echoed through the darkness as he turned and strode away. She didn't watch him go.
-
Jack observed Sophia from within the shadow of yet another pub as she hiked uncertainly up the ramp and onto the decks of the Dauntless. Her face was unreadable as Norrington greeted her in a fussy nature. Jack squinted slightly, for the sun was beginning to rise and it set off a glare across the water. He could see only the outline of Sophia's body against the brightness, but it was enough to see that her hair had come loose. Wispy locks were playing across her shoulders, and she held the skirts of that damned blue dress in her right hand to combat the bluster that was beginning to arise.
He shouldn't have kissed her like that, but the sight of her turning away, her skin a pale glow, had spurred something inside of him. It was for the best that she was going home.
She'd been so soft and pliable beneath his hands in comparison to the brittle, practiced woman he had grown used to in his pirating years, the modest amount of skin available to his touch a silky reminder of what lay beneath her dress. He had forced himself to stop after she'd touched him, her fingertips whispering delicately across his shoulders. Anymore of that and she would have found herself rutted hard into the wall with him between her legs. Yes, it was best that she leave.
Jack sighed faintly as the Dauntless began to pull away from the docks, reaching his hand within the leather pouch that held his various gold coins and jingling its contents slightly. Vera was waiting for him.
-
Sophia gazed silently at Jack's retreating form just as the Dauntless was beginning to set sail once more.
Captain Jack Sparrow is another of those memories you should forget, Sophia.
She could still feel the sting of Jack's lips against hers, the tightness in her chest as his hands flitted over her collarbone. She placed a hand briefly to her temple, willing that blasted voice to quiet.
Silence.
She breathed a faint sigh of release. The Dauntless rounded the corner of the island on which Nassau lay, and Sophia suddenly found herself with a full view of The Black Pearl and felt a faint tugging in her chest. Unexpectedly, Sophia had been happy on those days aboard the Pearl, for there had been much work to do and not a great deal of time to think. It had been a grateful respite from the long nights of nightmares and sleeplessness at home. And yet she found herself missing her father, missing the quiet and fixed ways of the townspeople of Port Royal. The entire ordeal was over, and she would never have to deal with the infuriating mannerisms and (sometimes successful) flirtations of Jack Sparrow again.
"One adventure is enough for a lifetime, I think."
-
Oooo… I'm so evil. Leaving all of you with only a kiss to remember ickle Jack and Sophia by.
No, of course it's not over, but I think all of you may be a bit surprised at how this lovely little story starts up again.
Sue, thank you so much for your e-mail, and I promise you your little suggestion will come into play later on.
Goodbye for now, mis amigos! Look for a new chapter in several days. And please read and review! Yes, I love reviews, as do all those who write these entertaining little fics. So, if you have kindness in your heart, review a story today! All us authors will appreciate it.
(Mwaha. Advertising career in my near future, I bet.)
