Welcome to the second chapter of the Black Pearl : Bringer of Freedom! A nice long chappie for you folks! Sorry it had taken me so long to write again and thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm honoured that you think I do Jack justice – he is a very unique character giggle Well, here we go!!!!
Hyperactive frogchild: Thank you onee-sama for your praise of me and Jack, hee hee, I try wink. And I am all for the infamous dive, I just need a reason to get Jack off the ship…lol.
Uselessrandom: For you I did try to update soon, I didn't, but I did try. And I hate that feeling when you are into a story but there's no next chapter. I am very sorry.
Jessie-Rose: Thank you, I am glad you like it. I really appreciate it as I didn't think I had brought Jack in quick enough but I take you at your word.
Nicoletta Sparrow: Yes this is my first POTC fanfic – blame a late night sugar rush and my reluctant muse… However I do not say that Jack will never save Grace's life, speaking of which we will have to talk about that surname…
Heavenstar3: I shall try to keep this story as interesting as possible and thank you for reviewing.
Disclaimer: No, I do not own POTC or Jack Sparrow (even if I did I'm sure someone would have stolen them by now….)
Chapter Two : Kidnapped
Grace slowly came to. God but her head hurt. What on earth had happened to her last night? She did drink it was true but she never drank this much!! She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the throbbing pain that was drowning out everything, even the roar of the sea. She felt so bad that the very floor itself seemed to be rocking to and fro….. wait a minute. She opened her right eye a crack. The floor was wooden, like her floor at home, but this floor seemed quite a bit wetter than the floor at home. She tried to reach out and touch it but to her surprise and gradual horror she found that she could not move them. She opened her eyes fully and twisted her head round in shock to discover that both her hands and her self were lashed to a think wooden pole that looked suspiciously like a mast.
"Oh so yer be awake now miss,"
She whipped her head round to face a kindly if weather-beaten old man smiling at her. He nodded at her and added "I'll go and tell the Cap'n,"
Cap'n? Oh no. It all came back to her, the grotto, the treasure, the pirate…. And now she was on his ship. At least she supposed it was his ship. She looked up from the deck to find all manner of pirates and sailors peering at her. She grimaced slightly. She had wanted something to take her away from it all and now look what had happened to her. Be careful what you wish for just didn't quite cut it. Lord knows what they were going to do with her now. Thomas had told her about pirates he had met on his travels and he had once told her that a favourite punishment of theirs was keel-hauling, where the particular victim would be tied under the prow of the ship, whereupon he would either drown or bleed to death from the many sharp barnacles clustered on the ship's prow. She gulped involuntarily; not that she especially wanted to die but there had to be a better way than that.
Suddenly she was grabbed by two burly men, untied and led down to the cabins where she was led into one and forced, none too kindly, into a chair. When she had smoothed her dress down she began to admire her new surroundings. She was obviously in the captain's quarters. An actual bed had been built into the wall on one side, she was sitting in front of a desk covered in maps and instruments and on a shelf nearby stood a little chest, locked. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable, then winced as pain stabbed through her head. She took advantage of her loneliness to gently touch the bruise on top of her head. She sucked in her breath through her teeth. "Fraid that was Mr Gibbs that did that," she started "not me." she sat shock still as the pirate Jack Sparrow stepped out of the shadows and came around to face her, behind the desk. Leaning on his chair he spread one arm up "Welcome to the Black Pearl, miss."
He then sat down and put his feet up at the desk and began to polish his sword as he spoke "Now I'm sure your wonderin', why is it exactly that you're here," giving his sword a swipe "well I'm afraid miss, that you were unwise enough, to stumble upon one of my treasure caches. And I simply can't let you go off and tell everyone," gesturing with his blade "not when His majesty's finest are so anxious to catch up with me, savvy?" he said, with a startling wink.
Grace sat there staring at him, quite unable to take everything in. Here this man was talking to her as if they were discussing some great joke, when in fact he had carried her off, away from the home she had ever known and now likely never to see again, in order to keep some stolen booty and save himself from the hangman's noose. She looked at him incredulously. Jack misinterpreted the look.
"On don't get me wrong luv," he comforted, putting his sword down "I don't mean you no harm," he sat up straighter "once all the to-do has died down I'll take yer back to yer island, in a few months,"
"Months!!" she cried shooting up, unable to stop herself.
"Years," he added "Two at the most,"
Grace bit her lip to keep from hitting him. While she was now utterly furious she was highly mindful on the fact that she was now stuck on this man's ship (on deck there had been no land in sight) and as such, he had complete power over her.
"Well now," he said cheerily and stood up and leaned on the desk toward her, with a grin. "What's yer name?"
She answered him with a scowl that could have made demons quiver and the chilling reply "I don't give my name to dishonourable men."
Jack baulked. Little did Grace realise but for Jack, that comment had been a hit below the belt. As a pirate he prided himself on his honour above all else (at least most of the time). He heartily believed in the idea that pirates were in fact 'gentlemen of fortune' and so being told that he had no honour, did not sit well with him.
"Mr Gibbs!!" he barked.
"Aye Cap'n?" Gibbs replied, appearing at the doorway.
"Be so kind as to take our guest to her new accommodations," he ordered scathingly, seizing his sword and reflecting on its brightness as the door closed behind him.
It was a week later that Mr Gibbs walked back into Jack's cabin, beating an unusually serious look on his face. Jack, who had been staring out of the window, asked roughly, 'How is she?'
'Oh she's fair, Cap'n' replied Gibbs, a tad nervously. Appearing to steal himself for something, Gibbs then added, 'she, er still won't give her name sir.'
Jack wasn't surprised. The girl had not had a bite of food within a week, yet when he had gone to talk with her the day before she had shown no signs of weakness. On the contrary, she had stood up, poker-straight, in her tiny cell while Jack had spoken to her, completely silent. He had cajoled her, teased her, ordered her to speak, but te only answer he had received had been in her eyes. That look of loathing was what got to Jack, she thought him so despicable that she would not even lower herself to berate him. Meditating upon this thought as he stared at the wild waves, it occurred to him that starvation alone may not be enough to crack this particular wench.
'Mr Gibbs.'
'Yes sir.' Gibbs jumped to attention.
'I have the thought that perhaps we should put this lass to work.' Said Jack, turning around and giving his best sly smile.
Half-standing, half-sitting in her cell below decks a week ago, Grace had been of the mind that things for her, could not get any worse. As anyone with half a brain will know, things can always get worse. Grace was discovering this important fact, cleaning, cooking, and washing as she now was for the entire crew of the Black Pearl. The work was hard, gruelling and thankless, but then Grace was used to that and did not particularly mind it. It was the fact that the pirates themselves either seemed to despise her or ignore her existence completely. It was after an especially taxing day of this treatment that Grace dragged herself to her cabin, too tired to do anything else but seethe inwardly. Groaning with exhaustion, she clambered clumsily into her hammock then cried out as the twisted ropes promptly untwisted and emptied her out again. Thus bruised, mistreated and flaming with anger, Grace let out a scream that shook the entire ship.
Anna Maria, who had happened to be passing by Grace's cabin at that moment, immediately dashed in. She took it all in, the drab furnishings, the upturned hammock, the little Grace-shaped heap on the floor looking up at her defiantly, even as tears rolled down her face. Jack had ordered them all to ignore the girl but Anna Maria, in spite of herself, felt her heart succumbing. Some time later, when Grace had been watered, fed and was safe in her hammock, Anna Maria was explaining to her the pirates' behaviour. Grace was not amused.
'Well why would he order you to do a thing like that?' she asked wildly.
'Ah, suppose he thought it might make you tell us your name.' Said Anna Maria, speculatively, while shaking her head to demonstrate the impossibility of the idea. Grace stared at her incredulously, then burrowed down more into her hammock, muttering quietly.
'He's a fool.'
'Oh no miss,' Anna Maria's eyes grew serious and firm, 'Jack's a lot of things, a liar, a thief, a cheat, a scoundrel to name a few, but he's no fool, I promise you that.'
Grace somewhat perturbed by this claim from Anna Maria, remained quiet and thoughtful.
'You know,' Anna Maria considered for a moment, ' You could try being a bit nicer to him.' Grace was stunned.
'Nicer, to him?'
'Aye,' she nodded, 'I'm not suggesting you give him yer name. That's determination and Jack, while yer may vex him to hell with it, admires that. All I'm saying is that yer could be a mite friendlier to him that's all.'
Grace looked at her in disbelief. This man, this pirate had given her enough reason to damn him to the depths of hell almost and here this woman was telling her to be nice to him! Grace turned her back to her, the conversation over.
Yet, as Grace served Captain Sparrow his lunch the next day, she couldn't help but recall Anna Maria's words. Though it shamed her to do it, she would have to be pleasant to Jack Sparrow. Having already turned to leave, she forced herself to turn back around. Jack, who had been plotting a course on some maps in front of him, looked up in surprise. She had brought him his lunch before and the best he had learnt to hope for on these brief visits was an off-hand glance, a grim expression or set of the jaw, so this direct eye-contact was new to him. Grace hovered for a moment unsure of what to say then she caught sight of Jack's dirty, weather-beaten hands and an idea occurred to her.
'Your hands.'
'Me what?!' Jack blinked, perplexed.
'Your hands,' she ventured, hesitantly, 'don't they hurt you?' Jack's eyes flicked down to them then back up to meet Grace's stare.
'And what gave you that idea?'
'Every time you hold the pen tightly you flinch slightly, or when you hold anything for that matter.' Answered Grace readily, though inside she was startled. She had not realised that she had been paying that much attention to the captain the past few days. Jack seemed to have similar sentiments.
'And why would that be of interest to you, I wonder?'
'Well,' Grace unconsciously bit her lip, 'I could give you something for them if you like?' Jack studied the offending appendadages. Anna Maria had spoken to him just last night on how mistreating the girl was hardly the best way to convince her of his honour. She had told him (ordered him was more the truth.) to be nicer to her and Jack decided that it was the most opportune moment to do so!
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Grace was preparing a bowl of what looked suspiciously like gloop and Jack was sitting beside her albeit a little nervously. Grace dipped a cloth in the mixture and shook it out. Then she reached out for Jack's right hand. Slowly Jack placed it in hers. She pulled it towards her and as she made to wrap the bandage round, she thought to warn, 'this might hurt a little.' The resulting yell shook the ship as before. Grace stared, stunned, at the now upright Jack who was clutching his hand in pain. Jack, suddenly conscious of the fact that this position might rob him of his dignity somewhat, sat back down again. Grace, who was highly amused, took his hand silently, proceeding to wrap it only, once muttering something under her breath.
'What was that miss?' Jack's eyebrows raised curiously. Grace glanced up at him, then returned to her work.
'I merely said that my mother was right.' A smile played on her lips as she continued, 'Pirates truly are cowards.' Jack was again surprised at her remark. He wasn't sure whether he was being teased or insulted until she looked up and reached for his other hand and he saw the merriment in her eyes. Relieved, he gave her his hand and asked, 'And what would she know about pirates?'
She glanced up at him disconcerted, then shrugged as she bent her head once more. 'She used to entertain them in the family tavern.'
'And does she still? Asked Jack.
'No.' came the reply, 'She died three years ago.' Jack's answer was accordingly subdued.
'I'm sorry.' Then an idea occurred to him. 'And her name was?'
'Alice St John.' It was only after this quick reply that Grace realised Jack had succeeded in getting her surname out of her. She glared at him and was met with a laugh and a grin. When her scowl did not disappear, Jack apologised and then asked, 'Who runs the tavern now?' Grace answered gradually,
'I do.'
'What about your father?'
'He was one of many visitors to mother's tavern.' A bitter edge entered her tone, 'He ran within a week.' Jack wisely decided to close that subject.
'Any brothers or sisters?'
'A brother, Thomas. He's in the..' There was a pause.
'Well?' Jack prompted.
'He's in the Navy.' Grace stated with apprehension, guessing that her answer would not be found favourable. Jack merely chuckled.
'I suppose he'll be hastening to your rescue then ay?'
'I doubt it.' This time the bitterness rang out, 'He's too preoccupied with his work ever to worry about me. In fact,' the bitterness faded, to a curious sadness, 'I wonder if anyone will notice I'm gone.' Jack stared at her, his dark eyes troubled. Grace sitting there, realised all of a sudden that she had finished her work long ago and was now simply talking to the Captain. She hurriedly got up as if to leave but a motion from Jack stopped her.
'Yer needn't go back to work today lass. Or ever if yer like. Yer have my permission to explore the ship.' Declared Jack, leaning back and examining his hands. Grace was touched.
'Thank you sir' her hand touched the door then fell.
'It's Grace.'
'What?' Jack's eyes met hers.
'My name, it's Grace.' She smiled gently. Jack smiled back gratefully, then was struck by the fact how her usually too wide face was changed when she smiled. It was like a cloud revealing the moon. Jack, slightly worried by this, waved for her to leave and was left to study the handiwork of, and to meditate upon, Grace St John.
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