Disclaimer: "We're going to steal a story? That story?" GooseLives asked,
motioning to the huge Pirates of the Caribbean logo floating off in the
distance. Jack's face contorted in a rum-induced sneer, and he slurred,
"Commandeer! We are going to commandeer that story. Nautical term."
**Jack made me do it, lol! Just kidding, I don't own anything you
recognize**
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 11)
After a long night of incessant thinking about the man who refused to be forgotten, Natalie had finally fallen into a restless sleep. When she awoke the following day, the sun was high in the bright blue sky and spilling mercilessly into her cabin window as a reminder that she couldn't possibly stay inside forever.
With a hopeless sigh, she threw back the covers and sat up in the surprisingly comfortable cot. While it was far from the plump down mattress that she was accustomed to sleeping on, it didn't bother her in the slightest anymore, a fact which chilled her.
She was getting entirely too comfortable here and she knew not how long she would be welcome. After last night's fiasco, the good captain probably had the plank all set up, ready to turn her into fish food.
Shaking her head, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and dragged herself to her feet. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to go on as usual or things would get even worse.
She crossed the room to the chair where she had left her clothes the night before, quickly slipping out of her nightgown and into the pair of worn breeches and white shirt that she had picked up while in Tortuga. Smiling to herself, she remembered Jack pressing her about the matter when he was through hollering at her about it. She never had told him where she'd picked them up.
In truth, she had simply come across a man who had admired it, and not herself, so she offered to trade. It was all rather funny, considering how ecstatic he was about the whole thing. Lord knows what crazy idea Jack had put into his head about the whole thing, but Natalie was perfectly content to let it fester in that hard head of his.
With a smile, she tossed her auburn waves over her shoulder and hurried up on deck. She wouldn't want to anger the captain, after all!
* * * *
Will softly opened the door to the cabin he was sharing with Elizabeth and crept across the wooden floorboards to her side. It was almost noon and everyone else had been awake and on deck for a while, but he couldn't bring himself to rouse her. She hadn't been the same since Natalie's capture and she deserved her rest.
With a smile, he sat down on the edge of her bed and brushed a lock of deep blonde hair from her face. God, she was beautiful. Sometimes, when he woke to see her sleeping peacefully beside him it was all he could do to stare like a slack-jawed idiot in wonderment of his good fortune.
Elizabeth was the best thing that had ever happened to him and nothing but death would ever quell his love for her.
"Hmm," she groaned, turning in bed to face him as her eyelids fluttered open. Dreamily, she smiled up at him murmuring, "Will."
Will brought her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss, softly saying, "Good Morning, darling. I apologize if I woke you. I had just stopped to look in and see if you were well."
Raising a hand, she brushed her fingertips across his cheek and replied, "What did I ever do to deserve you, William?"
He covered her hand with his own and furrowed his brow as he gazed down upon her, wondering how she could ask such a thing of him. "Elizabeth, dear, you were you. There's no better reason in all the world."
Her face suddenly slipped back into seriousness. "Will, what do you suppose Jack wanted with Natalie?" Her eyes met his and she continued, "Do you think he's in trouble?"
Will just smiled, leaning over and planting a kiss on her forehead before replying, 'With a Swann lady on board, that man is most definitely in trouble!"
* * * *
It had been less than an hour since Natalie had waltzed up on deck, looking delightful in the midday sun as she laughed and joked with the crew, and, already, he wanted to throw something.
He had downed nearly a bottle and a half of good strong rum from the time he'd left her the evening before, and now his head felt as though it would simply roll off of his shoulders, thudding all the way. And to add to his frustration, she was acting so.so.
So NORMAL! It was as though last night had never happened! Jack quirked his lips to one side, knowing that this had been his intention when he cut their little assignation short, but it was the principle of the thing.
He was irresistible to women.so how is it that this one wasn't under his thumb?
Damn frustrating, it was!
So there he stood, slouched over the wheel sneering at her as she gave her brilliant smile to everyone on the damn boat but himself. In fact, she was making a point of avoiding him. Aha!
Jack's discovery withered and died in his foggy brain as she spun about and their eyes met in a devastating collision. She seemed to stare right into his soul, and that scared the living daylights from him. God knows what she would find in there.
Much to his surprise, she started over to the helm, stopping a hair's breadth from his own form. "Good afternoon, Captain. I trust you are in good spirits on this fine day, hum?"
He had to grit his teeth of gold to hold back a string of expletives that threatened to burst forth at the cold formality of her address and her perfectly ordinary behavior. "I'm fine, Miss Swann, thanks for askin'," he replied, trying to look past her to the ocean stretched out before the Cara Mia.
She simply nodded and turned to walk away, and Jack suddenly snapped! "Are you infirm or something, Miss?!" he said in a harsh whisper, grabbing her forearm and whipping her around to face him.
He saw shock flash momentarily in her startling emerald eyes before quickly darkening in anger. "Excuse me, Mister Sparrow. You will unhand me immediately," Natalie said, slowly and dangerously.
"It hasn't even been a full day since I had you callin' me name and now all of a sudden you're acting as though it never happened!" Jack said, mere inches separating their faces.
Natalie's eyes grew lethal and, without warning, she slapped him soundly across the face, muttering, "You are a heartless cad, MISTER Sparrow! Good day!" And with that, she stormed off, disappearing below deck to work through her blind rage.
Jack furrowed his brow and ran his hand over his stinging cheek, visibly shaking with fury. Withdrawing a flask from his pocket, he pulled out the stopper and chugged the entire thing, hurling it overboard when he was through. More than a few crew members looked over at their captain in concern as the container whizzed past their heads, and all he could do was growl.
"Damn women! It must be a Swann family trait to be completely VEXING!"
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 11)
After a long night of incessant thinking about the man who refused to be forgotten, Natalie had finally fallen into a restless sleep. When she awoke the following day, the sun was high in the bright blue sky and spilling mercilessly into her cabin window as a reminder that she couldn't possibly stay inside forever.
With a hopeless sigh, she threw back the covers and sat up in the surprisingly comfortable cot. While it was far from the plump down mattress that she was accustomed to sleeping on, it didn't bother her in the slightest anymore, a fact which chilled her.
She was getting entirely too comfortable here and she knew not how long she would be welcome. After last night's fiasco, the good captain probably had the plank all set up, ready to turn her into fish food.
Shaking her head, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and dragged herself to her feet. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to go on as usual or things would get even worse.
She crossed the room to the chair where she had left her clothes the night before, quickly slipping out of her nightgown and into the pair of worn breeches and white shirt that she had picked up while in Tortuga. Smiling to herself, she remembered Jack pressing her about the matter when he was through hollering at her about it. She never had told him where she'd picked them up.
In truth, she had simply come across a man who had admired it, and not herself, so she offered to trade. It was all rather funny, considering how ecstatic he was about the whole thing. Lord knows what crazy idea Jack had put into his head about the whole thing, but Natalie was perfectly content to let it fester in that hard head of his.
With a smile, she tossed her auburn waves over her shoulder and hurried up on deck. She wouldn't want to anger the captain, after all!
* * * *
Will softly opened the door to the cabin he was sharing with Elizabeth and crept across the wooden floorboards to her side. It was almost noon and everyone else had been awake and on deck for a while, but he couldn't bring himself to rouse her. She hadn't been the same since Natalie's capture and she deserved her rest.
With a smile, he sat down on the edge of her bed and brushed a lock of deep blonde hair from her face. God, she was beautiful. Sometimes, when he woke to see her sleeping peacefully beside him it was all he could do to stare like a slack-jawed idiot in wonderment of his good fortune.
Elizabeth was the best thing that had ever happened to him and nothing but death would ever quell his love for her.
"Hmm," she groaned, turning in bed to face him as her eyelids fluttered open. Dreamily, she smiled up at him murmuring, "Will."
Will brought her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss, softly saying, "Good Morning, darling. I apologize if I woke you. I had just stopped to look in and see if you were well."
Raising a hand, she brushed her fingertips across his cheek and replied, "What did I ever do to deserve you, William?"
He covered her hand with his own and furrowed his brow as he gazed down upon her, wondering how she could ask such a thing of him. "Elizabeth, dear, you were you. There's no better reason in all the world."
Her face suddenly slipped back into seriousness. "Will, what do you suppose Jack wanted with Natalie?" Her eyes met his and she continued, "Do you think he's in trouble?"
Will just smiled, leaning over and planting a kiss on her forehead before replying, 'With a Swann lady on board, that man is most definitely in trouble!"
* * * *
It had been less than an hour since Natalie had waltzed up on deck, looking delightful in the midday sun as she laughed and joked with the crew, and, already, he wanted to throw something.
He had downed nearly a bottle and a half of good strong rum from the time he'd left her the evening before, and now his head felt as though it would simply roll off of his shoulders, thudding all the way. And to add to his frustration, she was acting so.so.
So NORMAL! It was as though last night had never happened! Jack quirked his lips to one side, knowing that this had been his intention when he cut their little assignation short, but it was the principle of the thing.
He was irresistible to women.so how is it that this one wasn't under his thumb?
Damn frustrating, it was!
So there he stood, slouched over the wheel sneering at her as she gave her brilliant smile to everyone on the damn boat but himself. In fact, she was making a point of avoiding him. Aha!
Jack's discovery withered and died in his foggy brain as she spun about and their eyes met in a devastating collision. She seemed to stare right into his soul, and that scared the living daylights from him. God knows what she would find in there.
Much to his surprise, she started over to the helm, stopping a hair's breadth from his own form. "Good afternoon, Captain. I trust you are in good spirits on this fine day, hum?"
He had to grit his teeth of gold to hold back a string of expletives that threatened to burst forth at the cold formality of her address and her perfectly ordinary behavior. "I'm fine, Miss Swann, thanks for askin'," he replied, trying to look past her to the ocean stretched out before the Cara Mia.
She simply nodded and turned to walk away, and Jack suddenly snapped! "Are you infirm or something, Miss?!" he said in a harsh whisper, grabbing her forearm and whipping her around to face him.
He saw shock flash momentarily in her startling emerald eyes before quickly darkening in anger. "Excuse me, Mister Sparrow. You will unhand me immediately," Natalie said, slowly and dangerously.
"It hasn't even been a full day since I had you callin' me name and now all of a sudden you're acting as though it never happened!" Jack said, mere inches separating their faces.
Natalie's eyes grew lethal and, without warning, she slapped him soundly across the face, muttering, "You are a heartless cad, MISTER Sparrow! Good day!" And with that, she stormed off, disappearing below deck to work through her blind rage.
Jack furrowed his brow and ran his hand over his stinging cheek, visibly shaking with fury. Withdrawing a flask from his pocket, he pulled out the stopper and chugged the entire thing, hurling it overboard when he was through. More than a few crew members looked over at their captain in concern as the container whizzed past their heads, and all he could do was growl.
"Damn women! It must be a Swann family trait to be completely VEXING!"