Disclaimer: I still don't own Jack Sparrow or Pirates of the Caribbean!
AN: Someone said that I don't really need to label POV, but I like to think that its not as abrupt as just jumping views unannounced, so I'm going to keep doing it. No offense to anyone. Also, someone said Jack's fallen in love too quick. He's not really in love, he's just infatuated and…well, lonely (wink, wink). Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I hope you won't stop reading! Enjoy!
Chapter 3: An Offer She Cannot Refuse:
Midnight: Jack's POV:
As the Pearl silently coasted up to the side of her target, Jack took a brief moment to glance at the name of the vessel he'd be plundering. The Sea Maiden, stated the large wooden sign on the stern of the ship. Jack chuckled darkly to himself. How appropriate, especially for a vessel carrying the bonny lass he wanted so badly. Gripping the helm of the Pearl tightly in his hands, Jack focused his attention completely on getting as close to the Maiden as possible without being spotted. The moon was full this night, but it was clouded over, creating the darkness his crew needed for a successful raid.
'And this will be a successful raid,' Jack silently pledged to himself as they approached the desired spot beside the Maiden.
The woman would go with him no matter how she pleaded and begged. This would definitely be a night to remember!
The Raid: Author's POV:
When it was needed, pirates can move as silently and swiftly as shadows, leaving nothing but dead or unconscious bodies in their wake. Tonight was one of those nights: Captain Sparrow had ordered all of his crew to first knock out the sailors and, should they prove difficult, to slit their throats as quickly and quietly as possible. It was fortunate for them that the sailors were already either down below in their quarters or too drunk to notice that there were pirates were there weren't any before.
As he made his way aboard the Sea Maiden, Jack gave the unconscious bodies a cold glance before heading down to the cabins. He nodded towards Gibbs, who nodded in reply and signaled to two of the Pearl's strongest and most silent men. The three crewmen then headed towards the captain's quarters to take care of him and make sure that no alarm was given. Meanwhile, Jack quietly made his way downstairs, towards the passenger rooms. He had a feeling that, being the fine lady that she was, his girl would be in one of the larger rooms.
Smirking, Jack headed towards his intended destination. Quietly opening the door to the first cabin he came to, he spotted the man he had seen on deck, smoking a pipe, his back turned towards the door…and he was alone. Sneaking up behind him, Jack raised his sword and swung, hard.
An Hour Later: Eleanor's POV:
Sleep had not come easy for me, so it was no wonder that I was vaguely aware that there was someone in my cabin, sometime in the night. The fact that it sounded like someone sneaking around in boots was what told me that the intruder was not here for noble purposes. I kept my eyes shut, trying to guess who was in the room and why. It couldn't be the sailors; they're rough men, but wouldn't try anything so bold as to rob the passengers when we were so close to our destination. Nor would they try and assault me, what with my father and brother here to defend my honor. We had no real servants here on the ship, so it couldn't be anyone like that. I was still trying to guess who it was when I felt rough hands grab my shoulder and shake me out of my thoughts.
My eyes flew open, and I saw the strangest man that I'd ever seen in my life. He was a pirate, no argument about that. If it wasn't for the pistol at his hip or his sword at my throat, it was definitely the rough clothes and the tri-corner hat on his head; there was only one captain of the Sea Maiden, and this man was not it. He wore a long blue coat, a red sash around his waist that was tied over brown leggings, and a once-white shirt. His belt had numerous instruments dangling from it, but I wasn't able to fully make out what they were. Beads and other trinkets dangled from his hair and from the twin braids hanging from his beard, clinking as he leaned closer to my face.
"Time to get up, luv," he whispered, his sword resting just under my chin.
Ice-cold fear surrounded my body, but I gave a small nod to prove that I understood him. The pirate captain moved back, his sword following me as I rose from the bed, the sheets clutched in my hands as I truly did not want to get up and stand in front of this man in nothing more than a nightdress. I suppose the pirate saw my unease because he handed me a robe and gestured towards the soft-soled shoes at the foot of the bed.
"Put those on."
It wasn't a request; it was a command, one that I had no choice but to follow. I did as he asked, standing still as he place himself behind me and directed me towards the main guest cabin where my family had gathered so peacefully together only hours before. The man behind me was surprisingly merciful and gentle when leading me inside the cabin, and I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't tried to harm me by now. However, my thoughts in my head stopped when I saw the situation in the main cabin.
My mother and Edward were huddling together on the floor of the cabin, surrounded by armed and very dangerous pirates. To my relief, Mother appeared to be fine, physically, though she looked very much afraid for her life. Edward, on the other hand, was bruised on the right side of his face, by his temple, and he looked more than angry; if he'd had a sword in his hands, the pirates would be in very deep trouble by now. I tried to sooth him by looking into his eyes and telling him to calm down, but it didn't work; he only seemed angrier, and I could see a great deal of fear in his eyes.
"Edward, what's wrong?" I blurt out, not caring if the pirates punished me for my outburst.
I tried to walk over to them to find out what was wrong, but the pirate captain wrapped an arm around my waist and held me tight against him. I looked back at him, glaring at him in anger. I was not about to be held here when someone in my family needed me! Instead of fainting away (as I'm sure the pirate would have expected), I raised my arm and sank my elbow into his stomach, resulting in my release. I immediately flew forward, shoving pirates out of my way, not caring what happened to me as long as my family was safe. What I saw stopped me in my tracks, even as the uncaring pirates grabbed me and held me in place.
"Papa!" I screamed.
Jack's POV:
The Captain of the Black Pearl felt as though something hot had stabbed him in the chest. He had harmed the poor girl's father…her father, and not a husband, betrothed, or suitor. He had unknowingly knocked out, and possibly seriously harmed, the single most important man in this young woman's life. But despite all that, Jack didn't feel completely bad. Oh, he felt a little guilty because he'd jumped to conclusions, but he didn't regret his actions. Actually, he simply felt bad for causing the young lady to cry…but she was so lovely when she cried…
'Enough of that,' Jack snapped to himself. Rubbing his ribs, he winced. 'Lass knows how to elbow a guy right where it counts, I'll give her that.'
Glancing at her, Jack realized that several members of his crew had grabbed her roughly by the arms, keeping her away from her unconscious father and what he assumed was her family. With a jerk of his head, the men released her, and she quickly flew to the side of her unconscious parent. Staying where he was, Jack stood back to watch the scene. Perhaps an opportune moment or bargain would present itself soon…
Eleanor's POV:
I felt the numerous hands release me and took advantage of my new freedom to try and help my poor father, lying face-down on the floor, unconscious. There was a small bit of blood on the wood beneath his head, a small puddle of it, and it made my heart sink. I knew in my head that such a small amount meant that he wouldn't be seriously hurt, but my heart screamed at me that Father was hurt and needed help. I motioned for my mother and brother to help me, and they did, unhindered by enemy hands. For some reason beyond my comprehension, the pirate captain didn't order us restrained, but instead simply allowed us to turn Father onto his back to take care of his wounds.
My stomach lurched. There was a long gash along the side of his face, which was the likely cause of his bleeding. Examining the wound, I knew that the gash would heal well on its own and wouldn't need stitches, but would likely leave a scar. Taking a closer look, I noticed that there were also bruises on his cheeks and his lip had been split open. It was almost as though someone had beaten him after he'd been knocked unconscious. I felt anger swell up inside me. Even though I knew the bruises would fade and the lip would heal, I couldn't believe that someone would stoop so low as to beat an unconscious man!
I turned to glare at the pirate captain. "How dare you assault my father when he is unable to fight back!" I cried. "How could he have been a threat when he wasn't even awake?"
Shocked silence and threatening growls filled the inside the cabin, but I ignored it…I had more important matters to attend to. Reaching inside my robe, I pulled out two handkerchiefs. I handed my mother a piece of cloth and the two of us began to clean the blood and dirt away from Father's wound. Edward looked a bit pale from the sight of blood, so I did not ask for his help in this matter.
I had just asked Mother to rip some cloth for a bandage when I felt strong hands suddenly grab my arms and pull me away. I was roughly turned around to face my attacker, my body colliding with one that was tense and obviously very angry. I looked up into burning brown eyes, eyes that belonged to the pirate captain that had brought all of this down on us. I glared back, focusing my blue eyes on his brown orbs. I saw his eyes narrow in response, and swore that he growled in the back of his throat.
"It's not wise to upset the pirate captain that has you and your family at his mercy," he whispered into my ear. "He's lucky I didn't kill him when I first came in here, when he was smoking his pipe, unarmed and unaware of my presence."
The pirate proceeded to pull me closer against him and I shivered as his hot breath caressed the skin of my neck and ear, the warm air softly brushing against the side of my face. As a noblewoman, I'd only been held close by two men, my father and my brother, and even then the touch was a bit distant. I'd never been this close to any man, and this was much more intimate than anything I had ever experienced before. At the moment, I wasn't sure whether to struggle against his hold on me or allow him to continue.
The captain seemed to understand that this position was uncomfortable for me, and proceeded to take advantage of it. He pulled back slightly and gave me a very naughty smirk, one which made my stomach flutter nervously. No gentleman would ever look at a lady that way…at least not to her face.
'Pirate,' quipped a small voice in the back of my mind. 'This man is a pirate, dear, he's not exactly like the polite noblemen back in England!'
It was then that I realized that I'd upset the man who was holding all of our lives in the palm of his hands. I swallowed and looked into his eyes, this time showing true fear for the first time since we'd met.
Jack's POV:
He knew he had her the moment he saw the fear in her eyes. This was the moment he was waiting for, the opportune moment, as it were. Smirking inside but adorning a frown on the surface, Jack looked down into her eyes, looking every inch the part of the evil pirate captain.
'Who says you're acting?' whispered a voice in his mind.
'Shut up,' he snapped, reaching for his pistol. Out loud, he said, "Well, luv, you've put your family in a very dangerous situation. After all, they're at my mercy. I give the word, and your family will be dead before the smoke clears. What do ye say about me putting your father out of his misery, eh?"
Jack cocked his pistol and aimed it at the head of the unconscious man.
Eleanor's POV:
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. "No!" I cried, my hands reaching up to clutch the pirate captain's shirt and coat. "No, please, Captain, have mercy on my poor father! Please!"
I could feel my heart stop within my chest. I had to do something to stop them, but what? They hadn't offered any bargains in exchange, so I couldn't offer them something in return for sparing our lives. My only hope was to plea for our safety and release with the captain, and who knew whether he would keep his word or not? Still, I had to do something!
"Please Captain, I beg you!" I pleaded, releasing his coat and dropping to my knees in front of him. I saw his eyes widen in surprise. "Please, have mercy on my family! I beg you to spare their lives!"
My hands reached to clasp the back of one of his rough ones, hands which held the instruments to destroy my life and the lives of those I loved. My eyes searched for any sort of emotion besides cruelty and possible greed, begging for him to hear my plea and grant it.
Jack's POV:
She was on her knees in front of him, begging him to do something humane with his actions. She was in the palm of his hand, playing right into the net he had made and was totally willing to use to the greatest advantage. Jack felt a rush of triumph as her blue eyes stared up at him, waiting for him to answer her pleas. If it was an answer she desired, then an answer he would give her; however, it would be far different from the one that she wanted.
Putting away his weapons, Jack leaned forward and pulled her up so that their eyes met, brown clashing with blue, their faces inches apart. He could feel her hair around his hands, the strands of glittering brown lightly tickling his fingers as he gripped her shoulders. At that moment, there was nothing Jack desired more than to run his fingers through her hair as he made love to her, hard, in his bed on the Pearl…but there would be plenty of time for that later. Pushing such thoughts from his head, Jack leaned forward so there would be no mistake about the bargain he was about to put before her.
"I'll give ye a choice, luv," he said, loud enough for everyone in the cabin to hear. "Your family will be spared, as will everyone else on the ship -" he held up his hand to stop any form of interruption, "if you agree to come onboard my ship with me…permanently"
He waited impatiently for his answer.
Eleanor's POV:
'It's a trick,' was my first thought. 'Why else would he make this kind of insane bargain with you in the first place?'
It had to be a trick; there was no way a pirate would want an English noblewoman on his ship for any reason, except…
'Oh, God,' I thought to myself, my face going pale and my body going cold as realization dawned on me. 'No, he can't seriously mean for me to join him on his ship as his hostage!"
My family wasn't wealthy enough to pay much of a ransom, but if they tried to contact other members of the family, it was still possible. We had some very wealthy distant relatives in France, and they would gladly loan us the money. But was that what he really wanted? Money in exchange for sparing the lives of everyone onboard this ship? Something in his eyes told me, no, that was not what was in store for me when I was plucked off this ship. However, if that were the case, I would be stuck on his ship for quite some time.
I looked up into his eyes once more, spotting something heated and lustful in his gaze before it quickly vanished beneath the surface. It was so quick I thought I imagined it, but I had to be sure. I stared even harder and saw the look flash by again. If I went with this man, I'd have to be extra careful to keep my virtue intact.
'But what other choice do I have?'
I did my best to fight back tears and looked up into his eyes. "I agree to your terms, Captain," I whispered, not daring to look at the expressions on my mother and brother's faces.
Jack's POV:
A huge grin threatened to destroy all of his hard work, so Jack smashed it down inside, allowing his hard exterior to take over once again. Instead, he simply nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the door.
"Alright, you dogs, get what you can and let's get out of here!" he snapped to his crew as he pulled the struggling young woman out of the cabin and onto the deck.
He heard people slamming against cabin doors, trying to get out and stop the looting that was going on. Now fully grinning and not caring who saw, Jack snatched up a rope and wrapped an arm around his woman's waist. He couldn't hold back a smirk; she fit perfectly in his arms and against his body. It made him think of all the things the two of them would soon be doing at night…
"Better hold on, luv," Jack whispered into her ear, enjoying the fact that she was shivering against him. "Wouldn't want ye to fall into the water, now would we? The water's mighty cold at this time of night." He pressed his lips against the outer rim of her ear. "Unless ye want me to warm you up later?" he suggested, smirking when he heard her gasp.
"No, that's quite alright," she stammered, reaching up to clutch at his coat.
"You'd better wrap those lovely arms around my neck, just so your hands don't slip," Jack commanded, more than suggested.
She nodded and did as she was told, the two of them easily swinging aboard the Pearl. The moment her feet were securely on the floor, his captive flew out of his grip and ran to the railing, Jack racing along behind her to keep her from escaping.
Eleanor's POV:
The crew had just made it onboard, and the pirate ship was swiftly pulling away from the Sea Maiden, leaving a ravaged ship and crew in its wake. I saw Edward come up on deck with Mother right behind him, both of them stepping over dead or unconscious bodies to get to the railing. I could see tears dripping down Mother's face as she saw me, waving frantically at me to jump into the sea and swim back to them. I could swim and could easily have made it, had it not been for the arm suddenly wrapping around my waist, firmly keeping me here on the pirate ship that was now my prison.
I saw Edward stand still at the railing, staring at me with shock and sadness before reaching out to me with his hands, as he had done when he was a little boy, needing and pleading for his older sister to play games with him. He seemed to plea for me to come back, to come back to him and to our family before it was too late.
'But it's already too late,' I thought, not moving from the spot where I was currently held firm by a pirate captain's arm.
It was too late, and we both knew it. Who knew when we would see each other once again? When would I be ransomed off for an absurd amount of money that my family did not have? Was ransom even what the pirate had had in mind when taking me? I didn't know, nor did I want to know. All I knew was that I wanted my family back together again. I reached out my hand, showing Edward that I wanted to come home as much as he wanted me back with him.
That was the last thing I saw, before the darkness and pain came.
AN: Seriously, was the ending too much? It seems like a touch much to me, but then, that's just my opinion. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!