A/N: I always ramble before I start the story, deal with it. This story was written on a dare. I was sitting at my computer looking at pictures from the movie and someone who shall remain nameless made the comment Tom Pullings is hot. Well, he is rather hot I'll admit (at gun point.... which I am being held at for the moment! HELP!!) and the fact that his name is Pullings amused me (and the rest of the girls in my dorm, and the Captain, and pretty much anyone who knows me), and so I joked about writing a random, highly unlikely, Pullings romance. I don't know why everything I end up posting is always romance.... Anyway.... This story is so very, VERY unlikely, and mysterious. There are also random parts I've been told are amusing. I do hope they amuse you too (
Rating: PG-13 for language only really. Haha my character's have a potty mouth.
Chapter One
Olivia Corin slid across the small ledge, looking for her next handhold on the side of the cliff. The afternoon sun was just beginning to warm up, warming her back as her face pressed against cool, damp, rock. Her friends in the camp below where just beginning to make breakfast, which amused Olivia as she had been climbing for at least an hour already. She knew she would never convince the others to come up with her. She had a hard enough time getting them to go camping. The friends she was with this weekend were far less adventurous than Olivia. They all seemed to believe that a cheap Holiday Inn was camping, but they had agreed to come if she would drive them on a road trip to New York next semester. It was a fair enough deal, and she wanted the chance to climb, so she agreed. Olivia loved to climb. When she was little she would often hide up in the trees back home. Her Grandmother, a rather formidable Hungarian woman who could frighten grown men, had told her she would climb anything if it would sit still long enough as a child and wished they had stamped this hobby out when she was young. When she was ten her father had taken her to an indoor rock wall, and she was hooked. Ever since then she had perfected her skills so she was quite secure hanging far above the ground off a cliff. At school her friends teased her constantly, being the only vocal major and girl in the outdoors club at her University, but she loved it. Olivia was a lot tougher than she looked.
She was rather delicate looking, annoyingly fair skin that would burn if she didn't coat it in sunblock, long blonde hair that at the moment was piled on her head in a messy bun, and large green eyes that gave her an almost surprised expression. Her friends, after seeing Lord of the Rings, teased her by asking if she played an elf, which would gain them a swift kick in the butt. She could not stand being viewed as a girly girl, and as a child drove her mother and grandmother insane with her refusal to act like the perfect, proper, little girl. She remembered word for word the lecture from her grandmother about being a "proper young lady so she could marry a fine Hungarian, or Hungarian-American man." This lecture of course would be in Hungarian, as her grandmother was determined that her grandchildren should emerge themselves in the "Mother Country". Olivia also hated it when she felt people were underestimating her, and hated it even more when people fussed over her. She'd had her fair share of injuries to be sure, years of climbing up cliffs, playing sports, and general recklessness had left her with a fair share of trips to the hospital and broken bones, but she always bounced back as tough as ever.
Her walkie-talkie attached to her belt crackled to life and making sure she had a firm hold on the cliff, she reached down with one hand to unhook it. "Livie, where are you?" One of her friends below asked. It was Casey, her current roommate.
"Look up." Livie replied with a grin, knowing Casey was afraid of heights and thought the rest of the world should be as well.
She obviously did and saw Olivia hanging onto a cliff high above the ground. "Jesus! Livie, be careful up there!"
Olivia laughed, "I'll be fine Casey. Be back down in a few hours." She replied, putting the walkie-talkie back on her belt, and continuing her climb.
After a few hours, however, Olivia was getting tired. The climb was harder than she predicted, and she was having difficulty. She was also getting hot, but was almost to the top. All her safety training about having a buddy and not climbing alone was ringing in her ears at the moment, as she reached for the next hold. Her fingers slipped on the rock and she made a wild grab, it was a good thing she found secure rocks for her hands because at that moment her foot slipped. Panic filled her mind and she kicked, but training took over and she made what she thought was a secure hold.
"That was close." She muttered under her breath, laughing a bit. She did not notice until too late that the rock was giving way. Suddenly, with an awful noise it slid, making her lose her grip. She tittered for a moment, arms swinging out, attempting to grab something as gravity pushed her backwards. This time she didn't win, and she lost contact with the secure rocky cliff and felt herself falling backwards. Terror filled her mind as she fell and she braced herself for the hard impact of the ground, hoping it would not kill her.
With a splash she hit the water. Salt stung her eyes and she kicked towards the surface as instinct took over, removing her heavy belt of equipment as she went to speed up her ascent. Suddenly she remembered that there was no water near their campsite. Especially salt water. She shook the thoughts out of her head. Get to the surface that was her goal. She made it with a gasp for air and blinked several times, clearing her vision as she treaded water.
"What the Hell?" She cried out in shock. There was no land in sight, nothing but ocean for miles and miles, and not even a sign of a cliff. Confused, her mind filled with possibilities. Was she dead? No, she didn't think so. Her foot hurt from where she must have twisted it when she slipped, and her body stung from the impact of the water. Not to mention she was cold. Her mind immediately went to the question of what one should do when stranded in the middle of the ocean. Having grown up in the mountains that had not exactly been on her list of worries. Luckily, she did at least know how to swim. She decided to flip over on her back and float until she came across something she could hold onto. Hopefully, someone would come across her, or she would see land. She couldn't be that far out, could she? "Olivia, you've gotten yourself into a real pickle." She muttered to herself. Still terribly confused, she closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax to the gentle rising of the waves.
Lt. Tom Pullings was on watch abroad the HMS Surprise. It was a night watch, and a rather dull night at that. The waters were calm, the weather was good, and it was a very clear night. He looked out over the water, pacing the quarterdeck. It was a cool night, and he watched as his breath formed clouds in the air, looking out over the dark water. Suddenly, a flash of white caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes, straining to see what it was, putting the glass to his eye to get a better look. He froze, blinking in surprise, a man in the water, and they were going to right by him.
Tom sprung into action quickly. "Man overboard!" He called. The half awake crew looked up, and then also rushed to look out into the water, and then quickly at Mr. Pullings's orders, set to rescuing him. He appeared to be alive, barely moving, but alive. The men worked to pull the man up on deck. They all crowded around, surprised and curious to see whom it was. One of the rescuers stood and shouted to Tom. "A woman sir!"
"A woman?" Tom's eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at the shivering woman on the deck, she was most certainly a woman there were no doubts there. "Send for Doctor Maturin! And wake the Captain!" He ordered. She looked half alive, but scared out of her mind. Clearly, she was not a native woman, with blonde hair, pale skin, and large green eyes. She was dressed in short trousers and a green shirt with no sleeves that fit her form. It was a little too fitting in Tom's opinion and he imagined the crew had no protest to this. Tom knelt by her side, taking off his overcoat and wrapping it around the shivering woman. "Are you all right Miss?" He asked kindly.
She looked at him, her green eyes wider than he thought possible. "W- Where?" She stuttered, her teeth chattering with cold.
"You are on the HMS Surprise miss." He told her gently. "Do not worry, you shall come to no harm here." He assured her. "What is your name?"
She was still shaking uncontrollably. "Olivia." She replied.
Doctor Maturin appeared at that moment, pushing through the men crowded around the woman. When he saw her his eyes widened and he looked to Tom questioningly. "Where did she come from?" He asked, kneeling beside her to examine the poor shivering creature.
"We pulled her out of the water Doctor, there's no ship in sight." Tom replied. "Will she be all right?" He asked, truly concerned.
The Doctor nodded. "She's very cold, but I imagine once she warms up a bit she will be fine." He commented. He then turned to Olivia. "I'm Stephen Maturin, Miss. I'm a doctor. How do you feel?"
"Cold." She stuttered through blue lips.
He smiled kindly, "Well I imagine so." He replied.
"Mr. Pullings! What is going on?" Captain Aubrey called out as the men moved aside to let him through. He stopped short when he saw the woman lying on his deck. Jack looked at his first lieutenant with surprise. "Mr. Pullings, why is there a wet and frozen woman on my deck?"
Tom felt all eyes on him at that moment, and noticed that several others had come up on deck, awoken by the noise. "We pulled her out of the water sir."
"Were there others?" The Captain asked.
"No sir."
"A ship?"
"No sir." Tom replied, shaking his head. "Just this woman."
Captain Aubrey stared at him for a moment before kneeling beside the woman. "I'm Captain Jack Aubrey, Miss. Can you tell me how you got here?"
"I- I- don't- know." She replied through shivering lips. "Climbing- fell- cold." She stuttered.
Dr. Maturin shook his head and turned to the Captain. "Jack, right now she ought to warm up a bit. She's nearly frozen. I am sure once she rests a bit she will be more than happy to answer your questions."
The Captain nodded. "All right lads!" He shouted to the crew. "Back to work. We have all seen women before."
The crew, mumbling among themselves went back to work, leaving Dr. Maturin, the Captain, and Lt. Pullings with the woman.
"Can you walk Miss?" Dr. Maturin asked kindly.
Olivia nodded, and he helped her to her feet. However, he legs quickly gave out and fainted. Dr. Maturin luckily was supporting her and caught her, picking her up.
"Bring me extra blankets." Dr. Maturin instructed Padeen, carrying the woman. She looked very small and helpless at that moment.
"Is she-?" Pullings called after him.
"She'll be fine Mr. Pullings, once she's warmed up a bit." He called as he took her below.
The Captain turned to Tom. "Keep a sharp eye Mr. Pullings." He said, glancing out into the waters. "She cannot have come here alone. There may be others."
Tom nodded, "Aye sir." He replied.
"We will have to be cautious, many of these men are very superstitious." He said thoughtfully.
"And the way she was just floating in the middle of the ocean will not help matters." Tom added, wondering himself just how she came to be there.
"Yes, well, keep a close eye on her as well." Aubrey said.
Tom looked at the Captain quizzically. "I cannot imagine her causing any harm sir. She appeared so frightened."
Captain Aubrey raised an eyebrow; a bemused look crossed his face. "Women can often be more than they appear, Mr. Pullings. Do not be fooled by an innocent face." He said knowingly, before walking away, leaving the younger man to ponder his words.
A/N: So that's chapter one. Kind of boring I know but the funny stuff comes later. I had to get the background crap out of the way. Actually, all that background on Olivia I just added because her character has grown considerably through my writing ahead to a sequel (that will probably never be....) and the fact that I use her in a rather amusing RPG. So I felt that if there's any hope of me doing the second story I better put some pointless background for Olivia.
Haha another note. I started this story a loooong time ago before I read the books and as I wrote I learned more about the characters, nautical stuff (haha stuff..... yeah I'm very educated), and things in general. It has been checked for semi-correctness from my wonderful Captain (also known as Elessar King) who told me to post this. So um.... It's the Captain's fault if anything is wrong! Haha okay no, not really, but it's fun to blame stuff on Jack. This story is also kind of AU.... (haha okay very if it's a book fic... which I think it's more movie) but it's fan fiction so deal with it.
Haha that being said, please review! Reviews amuse me and let me know where I'm screwing up (haha in the past it's always grammar and spelling but let's face it.... I'm not going to carefully proof an 80 some page story I'm writing for fun, just so you know) and I appreciate the feedback, good or bad.
Rating: PG-13 for language only really. Haha my character's have a potty mouth.
Chapter One
Olivia Corin slid across the small ledge, looking for her next handhold on the side of the cliff. The afternoon sun was just beginning to warm up, warming her back as her face pressed against cool, damp, rock. Her friends in the camp below where just beginning to make breakfast, which amused Olivia as she had been climbing for at least an hour already. She knew she would never convince the others to come up with her. She had a hard enough time getting them to go camping. The friends she was with this weekend were far less adventurous than Olivia. They all seemed to believe that a cheap Holiday Inn was camping, but they had agreed to come if she would drive them on a road trip to New York next semester. It was a fair enough deal, and she wanted the chance to climb, so she agreed. Olivia loved to climb. When she was little she would often hide up in the trees back home. Her Grandmother, a rather formidable Hungarian woman who could frighten grown men, had told her she would climb anything if it would sit still long enough as a child and wished they had stamped this hobby out when she was young. When she was ten her father had taken her to an indoor rock wall, and she was hooked. Ever since then she had perfected her skills so she was quite secure hanging far above the ground off a cliff. At school her friends teased her constantly, being the only vocal major and girl in the outdoors club at her University, but she loved it. Olivia was a lot tougher than she looked.
She was rather delicate looking, annoyingly fair skin that would burn if she didn't coat it in sunblock, long blonde hair that at the moment was piled on her head in a messy bun, and large green eyes that gave her an almost surprised expression. Her friends, after seeing Lord of the Rings, teased her by asking if she played an elf, which would gain them a swift kick in the butt. She could not stand being viewed as a girly girl, and as a child drove her mother and grandmother insane with her refusal to act like the perfect, proper, little girl. She remembered word for word the lecture from her grandmother about being a "proper young lady so she could marry a fine Hungarian, or Hungarian-American man." This lecture of course would be in Hungarian, as her grandmother was determined that her grandchildren should emerge themselves in the "Mother Country". Olivia also hated it when she felt people were underestimating her, and hated it even more when people fussed over her. She'd had her fair share of injuries to be sure, years of climbing up cliffs, playing sports, and general recklessness had left her with a fair share of trips to the hospital and broken bones, but she always bounced back as tough as ever.
Her walkie-talkie attached to her belt crackled to life and making sure she had a firm hold on the cliff, she reached down with one hand to unhook it. "Livie, where are you?" One of her friends below asked. It was Casey, her current roommate.
"Look up." Livie replied with a grin, knowing Casey was afraid of heights and thought the rest of the world should be as well.
She obviously did and saw Olivia hanging onto a cliff high above the ground. "Jesus! Livie, be careful up there!"
Olivia laughed, "I'll be fine Casey. Be back down in a few hours." She replied, putting the walkie-talkie back on her belt, and continuing her climb.
After a few hours, however, Olivia was getting tired. The climb was harder than she predicted, and she was having difficulty. She was also getting hot, but was almost to the top. All her safety training about having a buddy and not climbing alone was ringing in her ears at the moment, as she reached for the next hold. Her fingers slipped on the rock and she made a wild grab, it was a good thing she found secure rocks for her hands because at that moment her foot slipped. Panic filled her mind and she kicked, but training took over and she made what she thought was a secure hold.
"That was close." She muttered under her breath, laughing a bit. She did not notice until too late that the rock was giving way. Suddenly, with an awful noise it slid, making her lose her grip. She tittered for a moment, arms swinging out, attempting to grab something as gravity pushed her backwards. This time she didn't win, and she lost contact with the secure rocky cliff and felt herself falling backwards. Terror filled her mind as she fell and she braced herself for the hard impact of the ground, hoping it would not kill her.
With a splash she hit the water. Salt stung her eyes and she kicked towards the surface as instinct took over, removing her heavy belt of equipment as she went to speed up her ascent. Suddenly she remembered that there was no water near their campsite. Especially salt water. She shook the thoughts out of her head. Get to the surface that was her goal. She made it with a gasp for air and blinked several times, clearing her vision as she treaded water.
"What the Hell?" She cried out in shock. There was no land in sight, nothing but ocean for miles and miles, and not even a sign of a cliff. Confused, her mind filled with possibilities. Was she dead? No, she didn't think so. Her foot hurt from where she must have twisted it when she slipped, and her body stung from the impact of the water. Not to mention she was cold. Her mind immediately went to the question of what one should do when stranded in the middle of the ocean. Having grown up in the mountains that had not exactly been on her list of worries. Luckily, she did at least know how to swim. She decided to flip over on her back and float until she came across something she could hold onto. Hopefully, someone would come across her, or she would see land. She couldn't be that far out, could she? "Olivia, you've gotten yourself into a real pickle." She muttered to herself. Still terribly confused, she closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax to the gentle rising of the waves.
Lt. Tom Pullings was on watch abroad the HMS Surprise. It was a night watch, and a rather dull night at that. The waters were calm, the weather was good, and it was a very clear night. He looked out over the water, pacing the quarterdeck. It was a cool night, and he watched as his breath formed clouds in the air, looking out over the dark water. Suddenly, a flash of white caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes, straining to see what it was, putting the glass to his eye to get a better look. He froze, blinking in surprise, a man in the water, and they were going to right by him.
Tom sprung into action quickly. "Man overboard!" He called. The half awake crew looked up, and then also rushed to look out into the water, and then quickly at Mr. Pullings's orders, set to rescuing him. He appeared to be alive, barely moving, but alive. The men worked to pull the man up on deck. They all crowded around, surprised and curious to see whom it was. One of the rescuers stood and shouted to Tom. "A woman sir!"
"A woman?" Tom's eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at the shivering woman on the deck, she was most certainly a woman there were no doubts there. "Send for Doctor Maturin! And wake the Captain!" He ordered. She looked half alive, but scared out of her mind. Clearly, she was not a native woman, with blonde hair, pale skin, and large green eyes. She was dressed in short trousers and a green shirt with no sleeves that fit her form. It was a little too fitting in Tom's opinion and he imagined the crew had no protest to this. Tom knelt by her side, taking off his overcoat and wrapping it around the shivering woman. "Are you all right Miss?" He asked kindly.
She looked at him, her green eyes wider than he thought possible. "W- Where?" She stuttered, her teeth chattering with cold.
"You are on the HMS Surprise miss." He told her gently. "Do not worry, you shall come to no harm here." He assured her. "What is your name?"
She was still shaking uncontrollably. "Olivia." She replied.
Doctor Maturin appeared at that moment, pushing through the men crowded around the woman. When he saw her his eyes widened and he looked to Tom questioningly. "Where did she come from?" He asked, kneeling beside her to examine the poor shivering creature.
"We pulled her out of the water Doctor, there's no ship in sight." Tom replied. "Will she be all right?" He asked, truly concerned.
The Doctor nodded. "She's very cold, but I imagine once she warms up a bit she will be fine." He commented. He then turned to Olivia. "I'm Stephen Maturin, Miss. I'm a doctor. How do you feel?"
"Cold." She stuttered through blue lips.
He smiled kindly, "Well I imagine so." He replied.
"Mr. Pullings! What is going on?" Captain Aubrey called out as the men moved aside to let him through. He stopped short when he saw the woman lying on his deck. Jack looked at his first lieutenant with surprise. "Mr. Pullings, why is there a wet and frozen woman on my deck?"
Tom felt all eyes on him at that moment, and noticed that several others had come up on deck, awoken by the noise. "We pulled her out of the water sir."
"Were there others?" The Captain asked.
"No sir."
"A ship?"
"No sir." Tom replied, shaking his head. "Just this woman."
Captain Aubrey stared at him for a moment before kneeling beside the woman. "I'm Captain Jack Aubrey, Miss. Can you tell me how you got here?"
"I- I- don't- know." She replied through shivering lips. "Climbing- fell- cold." She stuttered.
Dr. Maturin shook his head and turned to the Captain. "Jack, right now she ought to warm up a bit. She's nearly frozen. I am sure once she rests a bit she will be more than happy to answer your questions."
The Captain nodded. "All right lads!" He shouted to the crew. "Back to work. We have all seen women before."
The crew, mumbling among themselves went back to work, leaving Dr. Maturin, the Captain, and Lt. Pullings with the woman.
"Can you walk Miss?" Dr. Maturin asked kindly.
Olivia nodded, and he helped her to her feet. However, he legs quickly gave out and fainted. Dr. Maturin luckily was supporting her and caught her, picking her up.
"Bring me extra blankets." Dr. Maturin instructed Padeen, carrying the woman. She looked very small and helpless at that moment.
"Is she-?" Pullings called after him.
"She'll be fine Mr. Pullings, once she's warmed up a bit." He called as he took her below.
The Captain turned to Tom. "Keep a sharp eye Mr. Pullings." He said, glancing out into the waters. "She cannot have come here alone. There may be others."
Tom nodded, "Aye sir." He replied.
"We will have to be cautious, many of these men are very superstitious." He said thoughtfully.
"And the way she was just floating in the middle of the ocean will not help matters." Tom added, wondering himself just how she came to be there.
"Yes, well, keep a close eye on her as well." Aubrey said.
Tom looked at the Captain quizzically. "I cannot imagine her causing any harm sir. She appeared so frightened."
Captain Aubrey raised an eyebrow; a bemused look crossed his face. "Women can often be more than they appear, Mr. Pullings. Do not be fooled by an innocent face." He said knowingly, before walking away, leaving the younger man to ponder his words.
A/N: So that's chapter one. Kind of boring I know but the funny stuff comes later. I had to get the background crap out of the way. Actually, all that background on Olivia I just added because her character has grown considerably through my writing ahead to a sequel (that will probably never be....) and the fact that I use her in a rather amusing RPG. So I felt that if there's any hope of me doing the second story I better put some pointless background for Olivia.
Haha another note. I started this story a loooong time ago before I read the books and as I wrote I learned more about the characters, nautical stuff (haha stuff..... yeah I'm very educated), and things in general. It has been checked for semi-correctness from my wonderful Captain (also known as Elessar King) who told me to post this. So um.... It's the Captain's fault if anything is wrong! Haha okay no, not really, but it's fun to blame stuff on Jack. This story is also kind of AU.... (haha okay very if it's a book fic... which I think it's more movie) but it's fan fiction so deal with it.
Haha that being said, please review! Reviews amuse me and let me know where I'm screwing up (haha in the past it's always grammar and spelling but let's face it.... I'm not going to carefully proof an 80 some page story I'm writing for fun, just so you know) and I appreciate the feedback, good or bad.