Chapter: Swimming and Reconciliation
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"But that night she was like the little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with overconfidence. She could have shouted for joy."
-- The Awakening, Kate Chopin
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Sophia set down the trail with elation in her heart. She was free. She was going home. It was over.
She was leading one of the two surprisingly handsome horses pulling the carts that were laden with Jack's newfound literary treasure. This steed was a vibrant chestnut and Sophia thought she identified a trace of the distinctive Arabian dished nose. She won this particular gelding over with many pats and coos, and it was not long before the animal was nuzzling her arm in return for affection.
After pitying Elizabeth extensively in their first mile or so—she had been grimacing with every step—Sophia boosted her up into the cart and the girl now sat, her face drawn, amidst chests and sacks that dwarfed her. Jack, on the other hand, was ecstatic, and Sophia could see the bounce of excess energy in his step. After weeks of stress, of holding his crew at arm's length, he could be happy. Sophia was glad for him.
She found, much to her surprise, that the encounter with her cousin and his circle of murderous men had melted her anger towards Jack. The memory of him with the prostitute in the dreary gloom of The Weary Stag seemed very long ago. And she found that she missed their playful conversations, his easy smiles, and his hands against her skin.
They were nearly back now. She would be starting home tomorrow, and she promised herself that she would go. Why give up a life of stability and a loving husband for uncertainty and unquestionable heartbrokenness?
Jack's gravelly expression wreaked havoc on her thoughts. "Only a few more hours, mates! Then we can spend our newfound fortune on whatever we may bloody please. 'Bout time, 's wha' I say!" This was met with a roar of approval from his "mates." Sophia's mouth curled into a slight smile.
They were walking along a rather hazardous section of the trail now. It was wide enough for the carts, but the edge of the footpath dropped vertically nearly twenty feet down into the ocean, and, although the sea was calm today, many members of the crew commented on the dark hue that indicated its unusual deepness. Sophia, however, did not notice the danger; she was thinking about how profoundly she would miss the Pearl's crew and the life she had come to know in the past year.
She was snapped from her deliberation when a swarm of tropical birds took flight abruptly from a bush on the edge of the trail. It was a beautiful sea of pulsing color that Sophia took time to stop and glance at, laughing as the birds flew but a foot in front of her. It was this distraction that kept her from realizing that the horse that she was leading shied violently, the powerful muscles in the gelding's haunches tensing as it reared and leaped to the side.
Sophia could do nothing until it was too late. The horse's heavy shoulder rammed into hers with a force that pushed all of the breath out of her, and she stumbled away from the assaulting collision. She felt her feet leave the edge of the cliff and a strange weightless feeling as they suddenly met nothing but air. The last thing she saw was the striking chestnut gelding snorting and prancing near the cliff's edge, his nostrils flared as he watched her with wide, panicked eyes. At least the Fortunes are all right, she thought uselessly before plunging into the tepid water. Then she screamed
She would die now, she knew. Sophia waited for the pain.
Jack heard shouts and the clattering of a horse's hooves against the packed dirt and he turned to see Sophia stagger over the edge of the cliff. He listened to her scream, a high, desperate sound, and then the splash as she hit the water. "Christ. Bloody hell!" Jack barked, his shoulders tensing as adrenaline pounded through his body. She couldn't die.
He was in the water before he could hear his crew. Before he could see Elizabeth's devastated face, Anamaria's eyes fill uncharacteristically as she shouted into the water and to Sophia. Almost every member remembered what had happened the last time Sophia had fallen into the sea nearly six years ago and it frightened them to think that she, such a strong figure in their lives, could be gone.
Sophia flailed miserably in the green depths of the ocean. Her lungs were burning and she could do nothing but sink. She did not know how to swim.
Ah, but Jack was coming. She could see him stroking through the gloom, his eyes wide and searching her face as she gazed at him calmly through the haze of water. She felt his arm around her waist and then the sudden drive upwards as he kicked out sharply beneath them. It seemed an eternity before they reached the light above the waves, but reach it they did, and with a splash broke the churning surface. Jack was breathing heavily beside her, his arm still clasped firmly around her waist as he turned towards her and lifted a hand to move the soaking strands of her hair out of her face. He continued to use his legs and free arm to keep them afloat, but the effort was tiring. "Sophie!"
Sophia was coughing up salt water, a disgusting process that left her nose and mouth burning. She felt exhausted. She managed to choke out words so that Jack would know she was all right. She heard her voice like it was muffled. "I'm here."
She saw Jack's face relax, his lips miraculously managing to grin faintly. "Bloody good thing, too. Captain Jack Sparrow does not risk his own life for nothin'!"
They treaded water for several moments before someone from above found a rope and threw it down for them to catch. Sophia grasped it with weak muscles, clinging for all she was worth while Jack held on easily with one arm.
Once on dry ground Sophia lay on her back beside Jack, her chest heaving. The crew huddled around her with frightened eyes. It was only then that Sophia realized the strange absence of one thing that left her feeling uneasy. Pain. Where was the pain?
Jack and Elizabeth, the only two of their party that knew of Sophia's affliction, looked at her with worry written clearly on their faces. Jack was silent, turning his head as he lay next to her, nearly out of breath as she was. He watched her for signs of that overwhelming pain but found none. Elizabeth was not as calm.
"Oh god, Sophia! D-Don't let it hurt too much, it will pass in a moment! Just lie there, that's right. You're alright," she managed to tremble out.
Sophia was entirely shocked. Despite being out of breath, tired, and waterlogged, she felt perfectly fine. It was a very strange experience, to have been afraid of something for so long and then find out that, now, that fear has no logic behind it.
After lying mute for several more minutes, Sophia sat up, her eyes wide. Quickly, she looked at Jack. "There's no pain, Jack. Once the Fortunes are found there is no more use for it." Finally she smiled, her eyes showing utter relief. It was gone. "It doesn't hurt!"
Jack returned her grin, his face almost comical beneath the sopping ropes of his hair, before standing and wincing slightly as his sore muscles protested. Reaching down to pat Sophia gently on the shoulder, he said, "Tha's good, love," and left it at that. There was no use in getting sentimental.
The crew had been pretending not to hear this exchange, but Jack could not help but notice their curious looks. He swiftly changed the subject of conversation. "Well. . . shall we be on, then?"
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Sophia couldn't sleep.
The crew had gone off to do whatever it was they did in Tortuga—Sophia opted not to think about it. Jack, strangely, volunteered to stay and look after the ship. Sophia did not have the energy to think what had prompted this sudden change in character.
They were leaving tomorrow, and she would be home in four days.
So she waited fruitlessly for slumber. Her legs were tired and sore but they would not relax. Elizabeth had been so frightened and unsure of herself on the ship that Sophia felt a pang of sympathy and allowed her to sleep beside her in her small cot. It was crowded, but Sophia found it comforting as well.
Elizabeth was breathing softly through her nose, and as she rolled over Sophia noticed the girl's eyeballs moving beneath her eyelids as she dreamt. She hoped that they were gentle dreams, not like the nightmares that she had experienced after her rape. Carefully, she lifted a hand to stroke the other woman's cheek, a sisterly gesture that surprised her.
Sophia was restless, and, after another hour of boredom, finally relented and stood up, padding out the door without bothering to put on breeches underneath her thigh-length nightshirt. The only other person on the ship was Jack, and she had no reason to be modest in his company.
The night was very still, the water like pale glass as it reflected the moonlight. Sophia inhaled the scent of salt water, half-decayed wood, and the hot, musty smell of rotting plants that drifted northward from tropical forests. She would miss this place. Very much.
Jack was standing at the bow, his elbow propped against the railing of the ship. Sophia went to stand next to him. They were silent for a long while.
"Tomorrow, eh? Mus' be excitin' for you, goin' home." Jack finally broke the silence, his voice low and very quiet.
Sophia nodded. "I've been away for so long, I'm afraid I'm not sure what to expect," she said, adding with a chuckle, "I'll probably grow very bored."
Jack did not answer nor smile, and she found this very strange. He was not one to be serious. He glanced downwards to where his fingers were toying with one of his numerous rings. Sophia watched him carefully as he turned towards her, his eyes raw with thoughts he had not bothered to disguise. "I've been thinkin', Sophie. . . I've made a lot of mistakes."
Sophia was quite dumbstruck. Jack Sparrow did not admit that he ever made mistakes. But she knew. . . She knew what he was trying to say. He was struggling, she could see, with this rare confession, and she graciously cut in. "Hush. I know. I've made many as well, you know. I hid inside myself for years, I even hid my appearance, because of the actions of one man. I didn't even have to come with you when you dragged me away from those soldiers at Port Royal; I could have pulled away. It probably would have saved us both a lot of trouble. And perhaps I overreacted a bit when I found you with. . . well. . .you know. That woman. I didn't have the right to blame you."
She is truly amazing. Jack shook his head but said nothing, grinning. "How? How d'you do that?" He asked, bewildered.
"What?"
He didn't answer, and Sophia was content to let the silence hang for a moment. Balancing on her stomach, she leaned over the edge of the ship to look down into the faint ripples on the ocean's surface rather dangerously. Jack had to fight the urge to grab her arm lest she fall over. "I don't have to be afraid of the water anymore!" She declared with more than a hint of joy in her voice.
Sophia saw Jack grinning devilishly out of the corner of her eye. "Fancy a swim?"
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Sophia stepped lightly into the shallows, the gentle waves lapping at her ankles with a caress that both delighted and frightened her. She did not know how to swim and the thought of losing her footing in the deeper part of the shore was terrifying.
Jack stood out further, the surface of the water just splashing against his bare stomach; he'd discarded his shirt earlier for the sake of easier movement while swimming. He watched Sophia carefully as she took small steps into the thigh-deep water, her nightshirt just skimming the ocean's surface. Her face was a shadow, for the moon was behind her and its light was shining through the thin garment she wore, silhouetting her body clearly. Jack could see the details of her frame that he remembered well and felt a familiar desire.
Sophia watched her feet, pale and warped beneath the water, as she walked. She was almost to Jack, and let out a shaky laugh. "It's very strange, Jack, to be afraid of something for so long. Old habits are hard to lose, I suppose."
Jack grinned easily, his eyes black in the darkness of the night. "Don't worry, love," he rumbled, his voice deep and somewhat throaty in its quietness.
Sophia smiled at him. He was always there to save her, she realized. "I'm not worried!" She insisted in a distinctly playful tone as she stepped further out into the depths, the water lapping at the curve of her hip. "Come on, then, if you're not frightened."
Well, if she was going to put it that way. Gently, Jack scooped her up and splashed out into deeper water with Sophia squealing in his arms. She was not afraid at all now. He set her on her feet, and Sophia gasped as the water came nearly up to her shoulders. "Oh god. . ." she moaned, her hands waving uselessly below the surface.
Jack hushed her with a touch on her shoulder. "You should go under, Sophie. . . 'ave to get used t' the water."
Taking a deep, frightened breath, she hurriedly dunked her head under the water and surfaced once again, breathless and pushing her hair back to blink the salty burn from her eyes. "Urg. The salt water stings."
Jack chuckled heartily in response to her expression of utter uncertainty and she glared at him. "It's not humorous at all, Jack. Imagine if you had to. . . face old Captain Barbossa after all this time and not seem a bit scared."
Jack frowned, sobering considerably. "How d'you know 'bout 'im?"
She shrugged. "Port Royal's a small town. Word travels," she mumbled.
After that, they were quieter. Jack taught Sophia to float with a gentle hand at the small of her back, and that touch brought back a myriad of memories. She remembered his hands on other places of her body as well. Her skin was tingling—she was not sure if it was from the coolness of the water or otherwise—by the time that Jack demonstrated actual swimming for her. She watched his arms, darkly tanned and shining with a slick of salt water, slice through the ocean as easily as if it was butter and he a knife. Hesitantly she tried several clumsy strokes herself. Jack told her she was doing well for a beginner, but Sophia had nothing to base her own opinion off except Jack's expert swimming, so she thought herself rather terrible. Nevertheless, Jack smiled at her.
Sophia was shivering slightly when Jack asked her if she'd like to return to the ship. "I'm a bit cold, so that might be nice," she responded politely. The lack of easy conversation was awkward.
"Alrigh', then. If you insist," Jack said with a cheeky grin, his eyes following her as she strode towards the dry beach. She might as well have been wearing nothing at all; the white nightshirt had become almost completely transparent in the water. Jack swallowed hard.
Sophia, remembering her manners, turned abruptly to thank him. "Oh, I almost forgot—" She stopped talking immediately as she noticed the absolute lust in his eyes. But this was different than before and she had not the thought to place how. She could not think about such things now, for she felt her skin flame and come to life under his scrutiny and knew that her body, not just her face, had flushed pink with a desire that responded it his. "Jack. . ." Her voice was husky and contained a seductive note that she had not intended.
Jack's face darkened significantly. He walked towards her through the water that rippled across his waist and raised a palm to cup her cheek. He felt a strange flutter in his chest as her wide gray eyes gazed calmly into his and she lifted her hand to brush her fingertips across the swarthy hue of his forehead and prickly cheek, the nail of her index finger smudging the kohl that had smeared from his left eye, before her hand moved to toy with his various braids and dreadlocks. Sophia's breathing was very shallow. Slowly, she moved towards him and, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaned into his damp, firm chest and shuddered as he enfolded her in his arms, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. She lifted her face to kiss him and was met with the heat of his ultimate desire, his lips moving against hers with a desperation that warmed her.
She did not know how long they kissed, but Sophia felt herself, as if someone else was controlling her body, wrap her legs around his waist as Jack finally moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, kissing the sensitive skin there as he said her name reverently between delightful caresses. She was weightless in the water, her hips resting lightly against his, but she could feel the heat of his desire just as well. She tilted her head back, eyelids half-closed as if she was drugged with some enchanting brew that rendered her weak and willing. She did feel drugged, warm and loose and wonderful.
Jack could barely keep his desire in check. He'd truly missed her, he knew that now. She felt right as she pressed her body, her breasts and stomach and thighs, against his. He kissed her gently, sliding the slack garment from her left shoulder and stroking the round curve with rough fingers.
Sophia's eyes opened further as she noticed someone watching them from the ship a mere fifty yards away. It was Elizabeth. Sophia gave no sign that they had been discovered, and instead held the girl's gaze serenely, her pupils hazy with need. Elizabeth looked both shocked and curious, and Sophia could see her blushing even through the darkness of the night. Sophia knew what Elizabeth saw: the captain of the Black Pearl lavishing his lustful desires on Sophia, her esteemed cousin, whose well-formed legs were wrapped around the captain's waist like a whore's. Sophia knew she would no longer be respected in high society, now that she had ruined herself with a pirate. She realized, now, that she truly did not care what the high class of society thought of her anymore, and it surprised her. All she cared about was this man who had changed her and captured her entire being effortlessly. How had she changed so much without realizing it?
Sophia stared at her cousin for several more seconds, before the demands of her body captured her attention once more and she groaned as Jack brushed a hand across her breast. The next time Sophia looked, Elizabeth had gone.
Once again Sophia secured Jack's lips with her own in a heady kiss, before breaking apart, breathing hard, and speaking. "Let's go up to the ship, Jack. . ."
Jack could have taken her right there in the fertile depths of the ocean, but instead, for her sake, nodded and loosened his hold around her waist minutely. Sophia untwined her legs from his body, and, silent, they walked back to shore and onto the ship. Once they had retreated into the privacy of Jack's cabin, Sophia whispered his name again and he reached for her, drawing her close to his body.
Then, they went to bed.
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"Nothing—and I mean nothing, Carly Banks—is crazy if you're in love."
-- Trans-Sister Radio, Chris Bohjalian
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Author's Note: Mmm. A very "feel-good" chapter (finally!), I think. One more chapter left and then a short epilogue after that, just warning you.
Thanks to everyone who responded to last chapter. It's wonderful to read all of your individual reactions, comments, and criticisms. Lashandra, thank you for the entirely valid "long-winded speech." I was cringing when writing that particular section of Chapter 25, but I had to include somethingabout the greatest playwright of all time in this story. In the author's note of that chapter, I believe I said something like "Shakespeare would be rising from the dead just to murder me" for writing something in which his great play, "King Lear," was in the Caribbean hidden in a cave, and I am still waiting for him to come at me bearing a butcher knife. Believe me, I, who always at least attempt to write with as much historical accuracy as possible, do know that Shakespeare was not as popular in the late 17th century as I depicted, and I am always thrilled to have fellow history buffs point out my mistakes.
One thing I don't know, however, is the year in which "The Pirates of the Caribbean" was supposed to have taken place. I know old William died in 1617 (or about), so that would mean, going by what lovely Lashandra said (movie happened 30 years after his death), that POTC took place in the late 1640's. Again, a prize for anyone who knows exact dates. Did I miss something in the movie or was it mentioned elsewhere? If someone knows please let me know in a review, e-mail, etc. I'm probably just letting my dumb blonde (which is strange, because I'm not blonde) surface, but I'd still enjoy knowing.
And I think that's quite enough of that. Talk to you all when I post next (and final, if you don't count epilogue) chapter. Everyone enjoy yourselves and have a very happy weekend.
