Hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year!
Katherine - Glad your hooked, and once again sorry about the grammer, i know i'm just terrible but as of chapter 10 onwards i installed a grammer check program so with any luck you'll notice the difference from then on.
Opi666- More heart strings to be pulled later on! I'm not going to make Jack and Amber's life easy (chuckles evily) but thats what makes it fun right?
Sparrowslover - It really puts me off reading a story when the auther moulds Jack or any other character into something they are not. Jack is a pirate and althought he's "a good man" i've tried to keep him in a bad light too, otherwize he wouldnt be a pirate.
Spadesjade - Sorry about the short chappies! From now on i'll make them a bit longer (When i say from now on i mean from chapter 12 onwards cause i've already written them up to there) Untill then i post more quickly. (I'm so nice !!!!!!)
Jadeddreamz - Nork was an asshole and i loved getting rid of him, origionaly he was going to feature in the whole story but as i already had a couple of bad guys lined up for the part i decided to axe him.
Thanks for the feedback, i'm loving it! Speak to you all soon! xxxxxxxx
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Amber woke before the room she was in had been touched by the morning light, pulling the thick blanket around her she propped herself up onto her elbows and peered into the dark. She could make out Jack hunched over his table, forehead pressed against the wood and rum clutched in one hand. Sighing she snuggled back down into the bed not feeling at all guilty that its previous occupier was perched in such an uncomfortable position, as far as she could see he deserved to be giving up his bed to her. Closing her eyes she curled up and let out another contented sigh, Jack's bed or not it was exactly what she'd been praying for ever since she'd laid down on a cabin bed. Much better than her cabin, it was cold and damp and without a lock on the door she had never slept more that a couple of hours each night.
Smiling gentle she listened for a moment to the soft sound of Jack's breathing. Even her dislike for him could not mask out the appreciation that he was here, no one, not even that Nork bastered would dare come in here to molest her, and Jack, well he had at least proved his worth by sleeping in his chair and not trying to hit on her during the night. She was safe, that feeling just overwhelmed her with warmth.
By the time morning broke Jack was gone, sunlight steamed through the windows and left on the table was only his half empty bottle of rum and his hat. Smiling she sat up and admired the rich embroidered blankets, the satin pillows and tasselled cushions. She was almost sorry that it was morning, the thought of her own cabin bed was already shadowing her nerves.
Above deck Jack was trying to rub the tiredness from his eyes, he had hardly slept, Nork picked at his guilt and Amber as usual played on his mind. Seeing her lying there asleep had been a slow torture for him. Her thick lashes resting on bruised cheeks, one hand limp against her heart. The rise and fall of her breasts. Rubbing his temples harder he pushed away the image. The sooner he got her into Port Royal the better, at least there she would be able to barter her way back to Debrine without to much risk of being kidnapped.
Below he watched as she emerged from his cabin, her hair tousled, she had pulled a blanket around her to cover just the shift she wore underneath. Nervously she turned and squinted up at him, all he could do was offer her a lopsided grin and mocking bow, her answer was no more than a twitch of her lip and a nod. Frowning he lazily leant against the wheel and watched as she wandered over to the edge of the Pearl, her hair fell over her face as she peered over the barrier, the same way she had done so often aboard the Hawk. Chuckling softly Jack flipped the rope over one of the spokes and flounced his way down to her.
"It seems that you still haven't been able to rid yourself of that sickness." he commented leaning an elbow on the barrier and grinning at the look of annoyance that flickered over her face as she glanced up at him.
"Listen scoundrel, tis not the sea or the waves that is making me sick, it is your ship, your crew and you." she finished by stabbing a finger in his chest. Jack took an unsteady step back and curled his ever twitching fingers in towards his front.
"Hardly the way to speak to your Captain love." he muttered with narrowed eyes.
"Your not my Captain." she shot back turning to return her gaze to the waves below her. Behind her Jack made a face and lent closer to her ear, is finger pointing down at the water.
"Control your tongue lassie or I'll throw you down there to get a better look at those waves." he gave her a dangerous smile and chuckled, "And I ain't jumping in to rescue you darling."
Amber quickly checked herself and rubbed a shaking hand to her forehead.
"Apologies Captain." she muttered, "May I request a favour?" Jack cocked his head to the side and narrowed his dark eyes on her, the smallest of smiles still playing on his lips.
"Lets have it then love."
"A lock." she said quickly taking an uneasy glance around the ship as more of the crew began to surface after their lunch, "On my cabin door. Would that be within your capabilities?" Jack's heavy eyelashes fell to his cheeks and for a moment he looked desperately uncomfortable.
"No need for locks." he admitted quietly turning his gaze out to the sea, "No one will bother you again." Amber frowned and tightened the grip of the blanket.
"I've heard that before Captain, I believe I had your word on it too, it is obviously not within your grasp to protect me from certain brutes aboard this vessel." she tilted her chin in a decisive manor towards him and watched as his eyes flickered with a dark anger.
"Within my grasp?" he spat, "What is within my grasp is the life and death of my crew, one of which has lost his because of you." he stabbed a finger in her direction and scowled, "It is not my job to protect you Lady, it is not my job to baby-sit you, it is not even my job to take you back to dry land." his eyes burned with anger as he turned his back on her. "But I will, I will protect you and I will look out for you and I will take you to Port Royal," he turned to throw an icy stare in her direction. "But not because I want to," Amber grimaced as he turned away again and stormed over to his cabin door, slamming it behind him. Guilt prodded her and she sighed. Perhaps she owed Jack more than what she had counted for. And Nork? Chewing thoughtfully on her lip she scanned the deck and caught sight of Mr Gibbs as he disappeared down the hatch. Hurrying to catch up she called out his name as he turned in the door for the galley.
"Mr Gibbs! May I bother you for a minute of your time?" she took a quick glance around to empty galley, only Vini remained, sweeping the empty bottles and food that littered the floor.
"Aye lass, as many minutes as you please," he turned Vini's way and addressed him. "Fetch me a bowl of soup man, missed me lunch." As Vini nodded and headed off towards the kitchen Gibbs turned his attention back to Amber and motioned for her to sit down by him.
"Its about Nork, I was wondering what is to become of him?" she peered up at Mr Gibbs face as his eyes darkened.
"No need to worry 'bout him lassie, dealt with already." he thanked Vini as the cook brought out two bowls of soup and sat them before Amber and himself.
"How do you mean?" she persisted letting her bread soak into the chicken broth.
"No need to-"
"Worry, yes I know but please Mr Gibbs, I am no child I want to know what has become of him."
Mr Gibbs sighed and stuffed a handful of soup soaked bread into his mouth.
"You see lassie," he mumbled with his mouth full, "Rules are rules and when broken they must be punished, Nork has ignored one of the few rules Jack actually enforces and so he paid his price." the old man shrugged, "Jack found it right that he should pay with his life." Amber lowered her head and grimaced and her previous conversation with the pirate. She had not imagined that he would murder his own for her, to protect her.
"Shit." she muttered standing wearily. "please excuse me Mr Gibbs I think I better be having word with your captain."
Amber still clutching the blanket round her shoulders made her way to Jack's cabin. Preoccupied she opened the door and walked in without so much as the smallest of knocks.
Butt naked and standing with his back to her Jack didn't so much as turn round. Turning beet red Amber covered her mouth with a hand and took a step back wondering if it was at all possible to escape without Jack ever knowing she had barged in the way she had.
Unlikely.
"Close the door love," he muttered "Cold draft." having no shame at all he bent down and pulled up a fresh pair or breaches. Amber quickly turned her back to him and closed the door .
"I'm so sorry I didn't realise you would be changing."
Jack half turned and gave her a sceptical stare as she peeked round to see if he was decent. Blushing furiously she quickly turned her back to him again.
"So what do you want?" he paused, "You can turn round, I'd rather not talk to your back."
Still blushing Amber turned slowly avoiding his eyes.
"I wanted to just say that I'm sorry about earlier." she risked a glance at the pirate to find him staring at her with some amusement. "I didn't realise that you had to …. You know… I didn't think you'd do something like that."
Jack sucked on a tooth and shrugged turning his attention to the buttons of his breaches.
"He had it coming love." Amber relaxed somewhat and allowed herself to take in some of the details of Jack chest and back as he done up the buttons of his breaches. The scars, the tattoo's. she winced at the welts down his forearm and the scars across his back, obvious signs of a whipping.
"I guess I owe you a thank you," she continued absentmindedly, still absorbed in the bullets wounds that blemished his chest, "My mother and father would never take me back had he got his way with me."
Jack turned to face her and raised a single eyebrow.
"And why's that?" Amber glanced up and blushed slightly.
"It would be immoral, they could never find a husband for me if I had been corrupted ."
"Yet you were so willing to hand it over to me?" he cocked his head to the side and chuckled much to Amber's annoyance.
"A mistake that I would not be repeating." she remarked sharply. "I think it has done nothing more than to make me realise that I must keep myself-"
"Incorrupt." Jack finished for her shaking his head with disapproval, "Its not as immoral as you seem to think love, in face its quite the opposite," he flashed her a mouthful of gold in a rather devilish smile. "I bet your mother told you that its filthy and dirty and young ladies should not involve their self in it until they wed and want children." he chuckled as he fished about a trunk and pulled free a shirt.
"Perhaps not so dramatically," Amber admitted watching with intrigued eyes as the pirate dusted the creases from the shirt.
"It so bad and corrupt that you almost threw your honour to Davie Jones on board the Hawk," he turned and fixed his eyes on her narrowing them to capture her in his stare. "you tell me what you felt that night was immoral, you tell me that it was bad and dirty." his mouth curled up at one side into a roguish grin. "Corrupted would be to deny yourself the simple pleasure of enjoying sex."
"That was different." Amber defended quickly, "You were a different person." Jack lifted a finger and waggled it her way.
"How? We weren't wed, we were just two people that found each other. Had we not have been interrupted you would quite surly have been 'corrupted' as you call it," he grinned, "I would call it satisfied."
Amber shuffled uneasily on her feet.
"It would have been a mistake." she muttered lowering her eyes.
"Why? Because you happen to find out I'm a pirate? Because sleeping with the enemy would make it a sin?" he set down the shirt and approached her, his eyes dark and enchanting. "I can show you different love, a woman can take her pleasure the same as a man can, it's the last time you would ever call it immoral darling, I can promise you." he slid an arm round her waist and pulled her closer than she would ever have liked to be against a pirate.
Any other pirate.
Her breath caught and she lost grip of the blanket, it fell to the floor leaving her arms to goose pimple in the cool of the cabin. Shuddering against his breath as it cascaded down her neck, Amber raised her hands and pressed her palms against the smooth warmth of his chest, she allowed herself for the smallest of moments to enjoy the hard muscles that knotted under her touch. Allowed herself for that moment to close her eyes and allow him to catch her chin with his finger and raise her head to his.
"No." she stepped back quickly, "I don't think I should-" she stopped abruptly as she caught sight of Jack as his mouth twitched into a grin. "What is so funny?" she demanded jamming her fists onto her hips and glaring at him.
"If you wed as avirgin, I'll retire love," he turned his back and scooped up the shirt. "There is too much fire in you to hold back on me." he grinned again as he put an arm through a sleeve. "I've seen what your capable of love, remember? I've no intention of denying us what could have been, you just need a bit more persuading."
Amber snorted and crossed her arms.
"Well you've got what? Three days? Good luck to you Jack Sparrow."
