A/N: Hello there everyone. Hope you're all ok. :)
Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, very much appreciated. Something went wrong and I couldn't recieve author alerts or review alerts for some reason but I think it's fixed now (crosses fingers).
I was aiming to have this chapter up yesterday but then my internet connection broke on my laptop so I couldn't, sorry! :S Technology can be a real pain when it won't do what it's supposed to do.
Anyway, enough of me ranting...enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 7 – The point of no return
"Do you realise we've known each other for a month?" asked Sylvia as she ran her hand over her skirt which was draped across her crossed legs.
"I didn't realise," said Jack looking a little surprised, "That be something to celebrate luv." They were in Lord Ryecroft's cabin again, Jack had another book on his lap and Sylvia was, once again, sitting beside him but she didn't have her finger on the page this time. Jack had progressed remarkably well with his reading, Sylvia guessed he must have had the solid foundations taught to him at one point but she didn't ask about it. Although Jack had never expressed a dislike about talking of his past Sylvia had never heard him bring the subject up at all. The snippets she had received from Gibbs led Sylvia to believe that he didn't know much either leading Sylvia to the conclusion that she should probably leave Jack to tell her what he wanted when he wanted. She was in no rush anyway.
"How will we celebrate?" asked Sylvia who thought she already knew the answer.
"We'll get drunk," said Jack bluntly. He winked at Sylvia and she grinned.
Half an hour later they were in the Lamb's Heart. Sylvia briefly hesitated at the doorway remembering that she was supposed to be a dignified lady, she wasn't supposed to enjoy this kind of thing, she was supposed to drink tea and discuss things like the latest fashions. Jack abruptly broke her out of this chain of thought by giving her a nudge in the small of the back to get her through the door. If he was wondering at the reason behind Sylvia's pause he did not ask. Sylvia rather suspected that he had not even really noticed. A few minutes later and Sylvia felt the warm feeling again as the rum slipped down her throat. It still tasted disgusting but she could ignore that now. Once again the Lamb's Heart began to look a lot less disagreeable. Time lost its meaning after a while and the world through Sylvia's eyes became rather blurry.
"Jack?" she asked sitting up from where she had slumped in her chair.
"Yes luv?" asked Jack leaning forward and nearly colliding with Sylvia's forehead.
"I think that man wants to talk to you," said Sylvia looking at a point over Jack's shoulder. Jack turned feeling his mind give a painful twinge as he did so but there was no one there.
"Er...what man?" he asked struggling to get the point where Sylvia was looking in focus.
"Oh," said Sylvia with a hiccup, "He must have gone." She swayed and almost toppled off her seat but Jack caught her by the shoulders.
"How much 'ave ye drunk lass?" he asked trying to clear his own head without much success.
"Not enough," said Sylvia raising the tankard to her lips once more.
"Steady luv," said Jack warningly. He did not like the colour Sylvia's face had turned. Sylvia looked at him, opened her mouth to say something to him and then vomited into his lap.
Jack carried Sylvia back to her ship. This task was made much more complicated than it would have been usually as Jack was far from steady on his own feet. Twice he almost dropped Sylvia but she did not notice. After being sick she had passed out completely. If Jack had of been sober he might have tried to wake her but as he wasn't her eyes remained closed. He made a great deal of noise getting onto the Conqueror, enough to wake most of the inhabitants but in his mind he was being rather quiet. When they saw who it was the Conqueror's many crew watched from doorways and shadowed corners as Jack lurched his way to Sylvia's room. Some laughed behind their hands, some shook their heads, and others exchanged knowing glances. Lord Ryecroft was not going to like this.
He had just laid her down on her own bed when the three maids came bustling in, their skirts rustling to announce their presence long before they spoke. They all froze in the doorway when they saw Jack. Milly shrank into the shadows and hurriedly removed the rags from her hair.
"I'll be going," said Jack raising his hands to clarify that he wasn't a threat, "Just bringing Syl...Miss Ryecroft back." He was all too aware of the way he swayed slightly as he spoke and the rather obvious fact that he was covered in the content's of Sylvia's stomach.
"Yes sir," said Lotte in a petrified squeak. It was clear none of them were prepared to make a move forward until Jack made himself scarce so he left the maids to it. As he walked back to his ship he thought that perhaps he shouldn't have introduced Sylvia to rum after all. He smiled to himself, she would have made a mighty fine pirate. That was the last coherent thought he had before he tripped and landed sprawled in the sand.
Lord Ryecroft was deeply disappointed at his daughter's behaviour. No, disappointed did not cover it. He was outraged, disgraced, horrified! The crew had began to swap stories concerning Sylvia's drunken antics, not within his hearing of course but he knew, he wasn't a fool. Lord Ryecroft dreaded to think what Lady Ryecroft would say; her voice rang in his ears at the thought and made him cringe even though she was miles and miles away. But despite his reluctance to see Sylvia become a laughing stock and risk losing her reputation he had to admit that he had never seen her so happy. She laughed more often, delighted in the smallest things and she seemed to be having the time of her life with that pirate. Sparrow had given her that and Lord Ryecroft found himself half pleased, half terribly worried. He could see Sylvia's friendship with Sparrow growing and developing, it was certainly a deep concern but Lord Ryecroft did not confront his daughter again. As he watched her cross the sand towards the pirate he wondered if he was doing the right thing. What was a loving father to do?
Sylvia had Jack's hat on and his sword was in her hand. She moved the blade through the air and then pointed it at an invisible opponent. She still had a slight headache but it had faded from the pounding it had been earlier which she was immensely grateful for. Fortunately for her the previous evening had been reduced to only a few hazy memories and Jack assumed, for she had not mentioned anything, that she had completely forgotten about her violent illness which was alright by him. He only wished he had forgotten it too.
"Ah," said Jack admiring her and ridding his mind of thoughts of the evening before, "Ye look like a real pirate now." Sylvia laughed and held the sword out between her and Jack. She was holding it with both hands, it was far heavier than she had expected.
"Hands up," she said. Jack obeyed with a smile on his face. She did not have a hope in hell of striking anyone while holding the sword like that. Sylvia laughed suddenly for a reason known only to herself and dropped the sword in the sand. Her hands went to the brim of the hat on her head.
"I like your hat," she said looking upwards so she could see the dark rim.
"So do I luv," said Jack taking it from her and placing it back on his own head, "And it suits me better."
"Oi," said Sylvia pretending to be offended, "That is a lie Captain." Jack looked at her with a look of mock outrage on his face.
"Ye be doubting me wench?" he asked, "Doubting the word of a captain?"
"Yes," said Sylvia stoutly, "Because it's quite clear I look better."
"Is that so?" asked Jack and before Sylvia could react he picked her up.
"I'll be dropping ye in the sea if ye continue t' doubt me," he said walking with her towards the surf. Sylvia shrieked and laughed. She tried to struggle free and they ended up collapsing in a heap on the sand. Sylvia was lying on top of Jack, they were both breathing hard. And that was when it happened. It would have been impossible to say which party was responsible. One moment they were lying on the sand, the next Sylvia found her lips were pressed against Jack's. As soon as this realisation dawned on her she jerked backwards. She scrambled off Jack's chest onto the sand.
"Come on luv, it wasn't that bad," said Jack with a smile playing on his lips as he sat up. The smile died when he saw the look on Sylvia's face. She looked shocked and very frightened. He had never seen that expression on a woman he had just kissed before and he didn't like it.
"Sorry luv," said Jack quickly, "I didn't realise ye didn't want..."
"I did want it," said Sylvia but she continued to look petrified like someone caught in a trap. Jack tried to move closer to her but she scrambled backwards and found her feet. Jack remained on the sand looking up at her in confusion. Sylvia gave him one more terrified look and then she began to hurry back across the sand. Jack called after her but Sylvia could not turn round. It was as if an invisible rope was pulling her back to the Conqueror and she could not fight it, she was not even sure that she tried to. She did not turn round soshe did not see Jack watch her leave with a mixture of abject bewilderment and regret.
"What ever is the matter Sylvia?" asked Lord Ryecroft upon seeing his daughter. She looked up startled. Her thoughts had enveloped her so completely that she had been utterly oblivious to anyone else around her.
"Oh," she said, "Father, I didn't hear you approach." Lord Ryecroft's forehead creased in a small frown. He had been standing there for five minutes, it had been Sylvia who had approached him.
"I fear I am coming down with something," Sylvia continued, "I am feeling rather weak and shivery."
Immediately Betty, Milly and Lotte were summoned and Sylvia was whisked away to be wrapped up in her warm bed until she was feeling better. Sylvia allowed herself to be pulled about and answered questions in a flat, distracted voice. She had not lied to her father, not really, but even so the guilt was just adding to her problems. She was glad for her maids fussing company because while they were there she had something distract her from the feeling of Jack's lips on hers. She almost asked them if they would stay when Lotte said, "We'll leave you alone Miss, try and get some rest." The moment the door clicked shut Sylvia was plunged into the feelings that had been waiting to pounce on her. She flung the bed covers off her and sat on the edge of the bed her head in her hands. How could she had allowed such a thing to happen? Oh, she knew it had not been Jack's fault, no, she had wanted it just as much as he did. That somehow made it even worse. If he had kissed her and she had not wanted it then she could have left and refused to see him again, she could have told her father and had him banned from the Conqueror, she could have hadhim hunted down if that's what she chose, though she never would. The problem was she knew that she had to see Jack again, she had to see him or she would feel this terrible for the rest of her life. She needed to kiss him, she needed it just as much as she needed to keep breathing. So why had she not stayed with him on the beach? Why had she run away? An image of her father appeared in her mind, as real as if he had stepped right into the room through the wall. What would she say to him? How could she tell him that she had done the thing he had probably been dreading? She had fallen in love with a pirate. Though she knew it was unfair she cursed her father in that moment for letting her have the chance to feel this way, for surely it was not possible to feel any worse than this. She was caught between two impossibly strong feelings; the safety and ways she had always known and the unpredictable, insecure love of someone she should not even trust.
As the hours ticked by Sylvia remained in exactly the same position. She was not even aware that she was supposed to be lost to unconsciousness, or the fact that she was getting increasingly colder; she was aware of nothing but the revolving thoughts in her mind. As her eyes grew heavy her thoughts became more obscure as tiredness painted them with new colours. She held the problem facing her in her hands but no matter which way she looked at it there was no way to solve it, it was impossible. Finally she was forced to obey the laws of nature. She lay back and closed her eyes. She dreamed of a giant pair of scales, gold and grand. On one side stood her father, straight backed, proud and successful and on the other hand stood Jack, a playful smirk on his face, sword in his hand point down so he could lean on it. The scales shifted up and down and Sylvia waited with baited breath wondering which of the men would finish higher than the other but when the scales finally stopped they had levelled out. Sylvia saw herself walking towards the great instrument but no matter how long she walked she never got any closer.
"I love you," she said in the direction of the two men but neither of them reacted. She shouted the words but apparently they still could not hear her. Sylvia slumped down on the ground,the words 'I love you' still forming on her lips. The question was, who did she love more?
It was avoidance and Sylvia knew it, but the next day she continued with the ill charade. Her father came in to see how she was but she pretended to be asleep which was not hard as she was devilishly tired. Her eyes remained shut a long time after he had left. All she could see were her dream scales rocking up and down refusing to give her the answer she so wanted. A part of her knew that the longer she stayed away from Jack the less likely he was to accept her back in his life, for all she knew he had taken the Pearl and set sail. She had not been brave enough to look out of the window and check, but she thought her father might have told her if that had been the case. At least she hoped so. She lay there all day running through the same thoughts over and over again until her brain was unable to take it any more and she fell asleep. This time no dreams came to her and she was able to find peace at last.
Jack had not left, the Pearl still rested where it had always been in Sylvia's memory, but her Captain was feeling far from restful. He frankly did not understand Sylvia's reaction and furthermore he could not understand why she had not tried to find him yet. He thought that perhaps she just needed some time but as the sun set marking twenty four hours since he had last seen her Jack was forced to re-evaluate the situation. Doubts surfaced at such a rate that they nearly sent Jack diving for rum but he managed to fight off this urge, for a little while at least. He could not quite believe that Sylvia did not want to see him again, he was not entirely to blame after all, but, he thought miserably, that had never mattered to anyone else, why should it matter to her? He wanted to go to the Conqueror but if Sylvia had told anyone what happened he would probably be shot on sight, this was enough to keep him firmly on the Pearl where he was at least relatively safe. It wasn't that he normally avoided danger, he had faced enough in his time to no longer feel worried about it but something about being killed when he could so easily avoid it did not sit well with Jack. He would have liked to believe that Sylvia would never authorise his execution but the look on her face came back to him. She certainly had not looked like the friend he remembered. The feeling of her lips came back to him too and that succeeded, where doubts had not, in making him hurry below to drown every feeling he had in a pirate's favourite drink.
Sylvia made her decision early the next morning before the sun had even come up but now she was full of more questions, more uncertainties, more problems. She dressed, in her "pirate gear" for convenience sake and slipped from her quarters. Normally the sight of the watchman asleep would have appalled her but this time she was only too grateful. She tiptoed past them and onto the now familiar beach. To her surprise she saw Jack much sooner than she had expected. He was sitting by the water's edge a despondent air around him. He was looking out to sea, his heavy heart almost visible. Seeing him made Sylvia's considerable nerves quadruple so she felt crippled by them. She wanted to say something, but at the same time she wanted to run away so fast that Jack would not even realise she had been there. Equal forces pulled her to him and held her back so it wasn't until by chance Jack turned and saw her that she actually spoke.
"Hi," she said. She attempted a smile but it did not work very well. Jack looked up at her his whole body frozen as he waited for some indication of what mood she was in or why she was here. Sylvia would never have believed it, but he was just as churned up as she was.
"I...how are you?" asked Sylvia groaning inwardly at her inability to just come out and say what she had come to say.
"Been better luv," said Jack a little stiffly, "Ye look like ye ain't slept at all." That produced a real smile on Sylvia's face, straight to the point.
"I haven't," said Sylvia honestly, "There's been a lot on my mind."
"Aye," said Jack, "I figured that were the case." There was an awkward silence. Sylvia was surprised to see Jack looking almost wary of her, perhaps he was afraid she would run off again.
"Oh this is stupid," she said out loud although she really was talking to herself. She looked at Jack.
"I'm so sorry I...reacted the way I did," she said her cheeks burning slightly, "I didn't know what to do, I was afraid. And then I thought you might have taken the Pearl and left, I'm ever so glad you didn't."
"I wouldn't go without saying goodbye luv," said Jack with a small smile, "Even if I 'ad to dodge bullets to get t' ye."
"Oh Jack," said Sylvia and Jack recognised her lip trembling as a sign that she was about to cry so he stood up.
"Don't cry luv," he said but he seemed not to want to come any closer. Sylvia's tears began to fall onto the sand and her shoulders began to shake. Jack edged closer to her and this time Sylvia did not back away. He put one hand on the side of her face and wiped away the tracks of tears.
"Don't cry," he repeated and then he kissed her. At first Sylvia's instinct was to pull away again but she felt her fear vanish as his lips caressed hers. This was her choice. Jack stopped and looked into Sylvia's eyes and was relieved to see them looking back at him without fear or fright.
"I'm sorry I ran away," said Sylvia, "I..." But Jack cut her off by kissing her again, there was no need for any more explanations. Sylvia's arms found their way around Jack's neck; his hands had found her hair. The sea was lapping up against them but neither of them noticed they were too busy tasting each other. Sylvia felt Jack's tongue inside her own mouth; she stroked it with her tongue and felt a tingle of pleasure run full length down her spine. Finally they broke apart. Sylvia found herself looking up into Jack's deep brown eyes. Any doubts she had still carried with her vanished. It was as if she had been carrying something heavy within her for so long without even realising it, and now that something was gone Sylvia felt lighter than air.
"Oh Jack," she said softly and he kissed her again. He was firm but gentle, an expert. He moved from kissing her mouth to kissing her neck and Sylvia squirmed with delight. He stopped too soon. Sylvia thought that was all she was getting for the day and was disappointed though prepared to accept it so she was quite surprised when Jack took her hand.
"Jack?" she asked.
"Come with me luv," he said and he led Sylvia down the beach, to where she didn't care, as long as they went there together.
A/N: sighs Ah,I like the ending of that chapter. I am just a romantic at heart. :D
Hope you liked it too!
