Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, no matter how much I whine and complain about wanting to. It just doesn't happen, alright? You think I'd be drinking Kool-Aid every day if I did? Psh. Heh. Anyway, I DO own Zora, the Leighlands, Malrice, and any character you don't reckognize.
Author's Note: Yay! People are still reading! Woot-ness! I honest-to-gods tried to update last night, but Word Perfect didn't want to open up, so I wanted to out-stubborn it. I won. Hehe. Cookies to my reviewers!
Brigitte: Glad ya liked it! And yes, Norrington wasn't too terribly bad - but just wait, he makes another appearance later in the story...
dugadugabowbow: Thank you! And here, you will see how their night turned out. :)
writerplus: Thank you again! And yes, I have that problem, too... of course, switch out Jack, put my hubby-man in, and I'd be there like -snap- that!
williz: Isn't she? I just thought she'd be a woman with her wits about her. :)
Mg-Nashisko: Thank you, and yes, definitely good thing. Poor Jack would've found himself in the noose again. But knowing Jack Sparrow, he would've found a way out. Here's your update!
Now, I had to edit this chapter because of lemon that I'm not sure I'm quite allowed to post... if you'd like the unedited version of this chapter, feel free to email me. Now then... onto the much-anticipated chapter 7!
Warning: Minor sexual content.
Chapter 7
A Night to Remember
The party continued as the night went on. As much as Jack enjoyed seeing Zora happy, it wasn't Jack's place there. He was getting antsy and annoyed. The stuffy high-society brats continued to turn their noses up and whisper around him. He was beginning to wonder if he could make a run for the Turner's house to grab his effects to arm himself and be back before being missed.
The captain stood out on the outside balcony, one that overlooked the sea as the property was located near the edge of a cliff, his coat unbuttoned completely and the undershirt unbuttoned only to his waist. He rested a foot on the low stone rail, leaning down with his arm on his knee as he watched the water below. It was the only place there Jack could get some fresh air and be slightly at peace.
"I knew I would be able to find you here," the familiar sweet voice that haunted his thoughts called out to him. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Zora striding toward him, only to slip an arm through his and kiss his clothed shoulder.
Jack smiled, then looked back out at the sea. "For people that hate the sea, they live in a bloody strange place," he commented wryly.
Zora smirked, and nodded in agreement. "My parents and I always had such an argument," she told him. "They stand by the fact that to impress, they needed to own a superb property, and only the best are located beside the sea."
"Though now we believe it was a drastic mistake," Richard Leighland said from behind them. Both Jack and Zora turned to see the Leighland's and Malrice standing in the doorway of the huge balcony, her father approaching. "It might have contributed to your strange fascinations growing up." Her mother and Malrice followed after him.
"Nothing that can be changed now, and I definitely do not regret growing up right here," Zora returned. "Jack, may I introduce my parents, Richard and Carrie Leighland, and Lieutenant Charles Malrice of the Royal Navy." She placed her arm through Jack's again as she looked back at her parents. "This is my fiancé, Captain Jack Sparrow."
Immediately, sneers crossed the men's faces and a gasp of horrified shock left Mrs. Leighland. It caused Jack to smirk, baring a gold tooth or two. "Pleasure to meet ye all, too," he muttered, not meaning a word.
"Are you serious, Zora?" Malrice demanded, then thrust a finger in Jack's direction. "He's a bloody pirate! A wanted criminal!"
"And a fine man," Zora added. "Better than most, I would say." Her bitterness at Malrice was very evident in the statement. Jack couldn't help but grin in delight at the situation. Both parents and the hand-picked suitor were discomforted. He felt loads better about being at that stuffy party.
Richard grumbled to himself before saying aloud, "A disgrace to your name and heritage, Zora. We always knew your head was full of stories and fantasy, never cemented in reality, and you ran away instead of taking your place in society. Only to return three years later as a wench on a pirate ship." Zora turned her head, not wanting to watch their expressions as her own father demeaned her. It hurt more than she was willing to admit.
Watching her, Jack couldn't stay silent any longer. "Ye might want to go easy on the girl, mate," Jack spoke up, raising a hand as if he were asking for something to be handed to him. "She may not be what ye wanted her to be, but she's a gifted woman. She has a good head about her, and puts her entire heart into what she does. She was brave enough to seek her dreams, unlike other fools I've seen. So I'd appreciate it if ye'd not try to make yourselves feel better by putting the girl down, savvy?" He started forward toward Richard, and stood before him, his eyes narrowed with their faces only inches apart. "Calling yer own daughter a wench… well, I shouldn't expect better of a man who handpicked the man to deflower his daughter when she was hardly an adult at the time."
Malrice shoved Jack away from Richard. "Watch yourself, pirate," he stated. "Or I will make sure you end up in the gallows soon enough."
"He has free passage in Port Royal," Zora said finally, putting herself between them. She had been relishing in the fact that Jack stood up for her, and thought she should protect him as well. "'Tis in the code that should a pirate be given an invitation to a social gathering, they are allowed to move about the city of the gathering freely without being arrested."
"Hang your filthy code," Malrice returned snidely. "Sparrow will hang. All the Navy will see to it."
Jack chuckled, and replied, "Oh dear boy, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Not a soul has managed to reduce me to death just yet. How many times have I escaped during my last visit here? Three, four?"
"You will eventually pay for your crimes, you disgusting pig," Carrie finally spoke up. Her voice was shaking with fear, and Richard reached out to hold his wife. "You were with them that night."
"What are ye babbling about, woman?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes as he made to look at her. He was developing a headache from this annoying meeting.
Carrie took a deep breath to calm herself, and Jack saw where Zora got that trait from finally. "On our crossing from England, twenty years ago. Your pirate ship bombarded our's, and luckily, we had some of Britain's finest swordsmen aboard to beat you filthy heathens back to your ship. A young man of twenty amongst other despicable men, trying your best to steal the pearls from my purse." Carrie shook her head, her eyes narrowed with hate. "You will hang; it's your destiny."
So now the truth was out, why Zora's parents hated the sea and especially pirates, why they never spoke about the crossing from England. Zora looked from them to Jack, realizing fate's hand in all this. A smile appeared on her mouth, soon followed by a giggle. All four turned to look at her. "Oh, how marvelous a player destiny is in this game of life," Zora stated, her crooked forefinger pressed against her lips as she continued to giggle.
"I hardly see anything funny about this, Miss Leighland," Malrice retorted. "All that I see is a pirate that needs condemning and a young lady who's disgraced her family and needs a proper punishment for doing so." He looked between the woman that had been his betrothed and the man that made his name famous from his grand escapes from death. "Disgusting pirate. I bet you took all sorts of pleasure in corrupting her pure mind."
Jack smirked, and replied, "It was hardly pure when I got there, mate. She's managed to teach the ole captain a thing or two…" Malrice was boiling with rage, but was determined to not let it show. Jack saw it plain as day, though, and rather enjoyed knowing he was unsettling the lieutenant. "It must just burn ye up that ye didn't get the chance to learn how a woman like her operates, ay? Jealous that the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow stole her heart long before ye were in the picture?"
Zora watched the interaction with satisfaction; at least she knew Jack was having some real fun in annoying them, especially with the fact of deep feeling between the two pirates. However, as much as she enjoyed seeing Jack get the best of Malrice verbally, she knew a physical confrontation would be the result. She tried to head it off before anything could happen. Stepping between them once more, Zora placed a hand on Jack's chest. "Calm yourself, love," she said sweetly. "He is not worth your breath and wit." She looked over at Malrice, her hate and anger firmly on display in her features. "If you were simply a sliver of the man Jack is, Mister Malrice, you may have been worth the time to insult. You are not, and therefore, are not worth anything to us."
"If I were anything like what that miserable being is, I would hang myself and save the rest of the island the trouble," Malrice returned.
Zora took a step forward, and slapped him hard across the cheek. "Pirates have the bad reputation, but as I see it, the only one fit for a noose is you."
Malrice sneered, and countered with an even harder backhand to her face, one that sent her tumbling back.
Reacting on instinct, Jack strode forward, and landed a stiff punch to Malrice's jaw, forcing him to the ground. He turned back around, going to Zora's side, assisting her to her feet gently. "Ye alright, lass?" he asked softly, moving her hand from her cheek to see to any markings. A faint redness was apparent, but nothing else.
Zora nodded. "I believe so," she said. "Just stings."
Meanwhile, Malrice had gotten back to his feet after spitting some blood out of his mouth. He moved quickly, grabbing Jack's arm to turn him around, and aimed a punch for the pirate's temple. Jack blocked it, shoving Malrice away, and instinctively reached for his pistol. He realized a bit too late that he had no weapon on his body, and received a punch to his cheek for it. Again, Jack pushed Malrice off him, landing a good punch to the lieutenant's face. The shot turned Malrice around, unbalancing him, and sent him falling over the low stone rail of the balcony and plummeting into the sea.
The Leighland's, Zora, and Jack all rushed to the edge of the balcony to see Malrice land in the water, but not pop back up. Jack cast a side glance at Zora, and remarked, "I suppose I should be a gentleman in this situation, shouldn't I…"
Zora smirked lightly. "It will gain you more banter ammunition, to be honest," she responded.
Jack chuckled, quickly stripped off his overcoat, and dove over the balcony. He entered the sea with a large splash, and immediately started pushing himself further down into the depths. It didn't take long to find Malrice, as the lieutenant's boot was caught between some rocks. Unbuckling his foot from the boot, Jack managed to drag the bigger man to the surface, then swam toward the nearest dock.
By then, a few of the other Navy personnel were down there to pull Malrice up, leaving Jack to climb up by himself. He was halfway up when Zora appeared, immediately assisting him onto the dock. "Are you alright, love?" she asked as she stood up with him. "'Twas a long fall."
Jack smirked down at her. "There've been worse falls," he simply answered. He looked over to see her parents and the Navy personnel surrounding the shivering Malrice, his eyes wide with shock at his rescuer
Will and Elizabeth reached them. "Honestly, Jack, can you ever not play the hero?" Will asked with a grim smirk.
Jack shrugged nonchalantly, and replied, "I guess it's in my blood, mate. Can't help but rescue damsels in distress."
"I am convinced it will be the death of him yet," Zora declared with a laugh, slipping her arm around his.
"It's getting late," Elizabeth told the group. "Suppose we should head on to the manor?"
"Please, before a cold takes me life and a pretty woman doesn't get the chance," Jack said, winking at Zora.
---
The ride back to the Turner's home was calm and uneventful, though the whole ride back, Zora was bound and determined to make Jack soak in hot water to reverse the effects the drop into the cold ocean had on him. In turn, Jack protested, saying it wouldn't be the last time he'd end up in the sea, and the next time there wouldn't be any hot water to soak in; he also insisted that two baths in one night, mere hours apart, was too much a torture for any man.
Zora simply smirked as she ran a finger along his jaw line, which quickly shut Jack up about the soak.
As soon as they bid Elizabeth and Will goodnight and reached the guest bedroom, the warm bath was forgotten; Zora had given in to Jack's protests in the end. As Jack removed the wet clothing, she shuffled through the stacked clothing boxes, and found the box from the liquor store. "As promised," she said as she went toward Jack, who was sitting on the bed naked except for the bandana on his head, "one bottle of rum." She handed him the box that held the bottle and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "My thanks, darling. Enjoy your drink."
Jack opened the box's top to look the bottle over; the best rum in all the Caribbean, or at least the most expensive. Though now, the rum didn't matter. "Perhaps later," he murmured, setting the box on the nightstand where the oil lamp burned. For a few moments, he watched her take her hair down standing in front of the vanity and start brushing it out around the ornaments. Such a feminine thing that he didn't understand completely and usually it annoyed him when women did it, but when Zora did, Jack couldn't take his eyes off her.
Finally, he stood up, and walked across the room to stand directly behind her, his front pressed against her back. Zora looked back at him through the mirror, her eyes glimmering in wonder. "Let's say we save that rum for some very boring night on the Pearl, should there ever be one," he told her, setting his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them as he lightly brushed his lips against her ear, "and tonight, we keep each other occupied."
Zora raised an eyebrow. She wasn't adverse to his idea; on the contrary, she rather thought favorably of it, and would have shimmied out of her clothes in an instant. She was just so surprised that he'd pass up rum for her. Not that she'd let him see her surprise at the moment. "After the night you have had, captain, I thought you would have guzzled down half that bottle already," she said, putting the brush down on the vanity. "Is it not what you have been waiting the whole night for?"
"Not completely," Jack replied, a smile curving up on his lips. "Rum will keep, that I know for certain. After tonight, I believe we both need some relief, and what better way than to relieve each other, ay?" He lightly kissed her temple before softly adding, "Perhaps it's time we have a 'first time'."
Zora melted back against him, a small smile on her own mouth. "Jack, darling… we have already had a 'first time'," she returned as his fingers slowly edged down the neckline of her dress. "In your cabin, the night we met. Remember, or had the rum you were intoxicated with reduced that to simple figments of imagination?"
Jack's smile grew enough to reveal a gold tooth. "Oh, I remember that night very well," he answered, his fingers reaching the bodice of her dress. Nimbly, he began to untie and unlace it. "That was pure carnal desire being acted upon. As I recall ye telling me, first times are supposed to be unique and mind-blowing…" He pulled the cord of her dress loose, "slow and fulfilling…" He brought his hands back to her shoulders to start shifting the dress off her body, "loving and tender…" The dress fell to the carpet at her feet, draping them in a pool of royal blue silk, and Jack slowly turned her around to face him, tilting her head up by her chin to look directly into her eyes, "something ye won't ever forget. Now, we both know our real first times were hardly any of the good mentioned there; yer's was forced on the cusp of adulthood, and I can't remember anything of mine except I was fifteen and drunk. So let's say we have a real first time, one that'll redefine first times, savvy?"
Zora couldn't help but grin back at him. "Agreed." She stood on her toes to place a feather-light kiss on his lips before quickly shedding the light under shift that was all that separated her flesh from touching his.
Jack flashed gold teeth in his grinning appraisal. "Right then…" He reached out and pulled the petite woman against his body, enjoying her light gasp at the sudden movement. He brought his mouth down to her's in a fiery kiss, tongues wrestling while Jack picked Zora up by clamping her to him and walked them toward the bed. Their mouths came apart as Jack gruffly prompted, "Go on and lay down, lass." With a minor pout at being away from Jack for any span of time, Zora made herself comfortable on the large bed. The pirate captain gently let his hand stray over her body, from toe to face, before laying beside her...
Afterward, Jack laid his head on her shoulder, his hot breath against her cooling skin as he kissed the bite mark he'd left, and Zora wrapped her arms around his body as he carefully let his weight down on her. Their bodies began to calm slowly, and their breathing returned to normal just as fast. Jack tried to move, but Zora refused to let him go; she honestly didn't want to move until they could no longer breathe. Feeling Jack on top of her, inside her, all around her, it was the best feeling in the world for Zora.
Until Jack brushed his lips against her ear, nibbling on her lobe, saying, "I love ye, Miss Zora Leighland."
Better than sexual fulfillment, better than sailing on the open sea, better than simply watching Jack for hours on end… Hearing him say those words to her, ones that a notorious pirate like Captain Jack Sparrow never said, definitely surpassed everything in terms of 'best feelings'.
Zora turned her head just enough to gently capture his lips with her's. "I love you, Captain Jack Sparrow, with all I am."
Jack chuckled lightly as he finally shifted from her warm body, and laid along side her. "Well now," he said, pulling her frame tight against him, not worrying about the covers as it was a hot night and he doubted they'd get much sleep, "tha's very interesting."
Zora laughed as he pressed his lips to her hair.
A/N: And there you have it, another chapter finished and read... now, it's your turn. REVIEW, PEOPLE!