Disclaimer: I had Jack Sparrow chained in my basement, until Disney came to reclaim him. Now he's no longer mine…
AN: I'm going on vacation soon, and won't be back until the New Year. Therefore, there won't be any updates until then. I promise to write really fast and post when I come back, though, I swear! Also, the end is coming up! I might or might not write a sequel, since I'm sort of running low on enthusiasm for Pirate stories. I'll just have to wait and see. However, I will most likely be heading for the Phantom of the Opera section, since I can't seem to get the movie (and the extremely hot and sexy Gerard Butler/Phantom) out of my head. Keep a sharp eye out, though. You never know where I'll be next! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 11: Return of the Sirens:
Nerissa's POV:
The next day dawned bright and beautiful on the deck of the Black Pearl, though none were awake to enjoy it, except for one person. The crew had partied late into the night and early morning, and had gone to bed only a couple hours ago. The only person who hadn't participated in drinking down rivers of rum and alcohol was Nerissa, who was doing the rather boring task of keeping watch from the crow's nest. Considering they were currently floating in an isolated little cove away from prying eyes, this task was a piece of cake. So, to keep herself busy, Nerissa had strapped a small rucksack to her back and hauled up a wide-rimmed hat, a book, some bread and meat, and a flask of water flavored with a hint of lemon.
As she settled down, Mr. Cotton's blue parrot joined her, perching on the edge of the nest and focusing its attention on her bread. Having a rather large soft spot for animals, Nerissa gladly shared her food with the bird, laughing at the funny noises and quotes it squawked to her. After a while, though, Parrot quieted down, tucked its head under its wing, and quickly fell asleep. Nerissa longed to join him, but she pushed that aside and resumed the task of looking out for dangers that weren't really there.
As she gazed out over the perfectly calm and blue water, she silently patted herself on the back for not drinking her weight in rum the night before. In all likelihood, she was the most (and probably only) sober person on the ship, and wouldn't suffer from a hangover, either. It was somewhat naughty of her to be smug of her sobriety, but the Sirens had taught her the value of moderation in all things, even treasure. Greedily overdoing it would only cause problems later on in life, so it was better to control herself now and not have to deal with a lot of pain and suffering later. Smirking, Nerissa secured her hat on her head and sat back to watch the sun dance on the waves.
Hours Later: Jack's POV:
Getting over a hangover was child's play for Jack Sparrow. He'd been through the pain (and nausea) of it so many times that he had developed a routine on how to make it less miserable for himself. Six glasses of water and a mug of tea made from willow bark did the trick fairly quickly, so he was up and about by the time lunch was ready to be served. However, since the entire crew was currently sleeping the previous night's party away, the next two or three days meant fending for one's self, meal-wise.
After wolfing down some bread, cheese, carrots, and a mug of rum, Jack went on deck to get some fresh air and to check over the Pearl. As he gazed upwards, though, he saw his favorite female pirate perched in the crow's nest, watching the sea. It was surprising to see Nerissa up so early and doing watch duty, especially after last night's shindig, but Jack found himself admiring her sense of duty. Deciding to surprise her, he slipped up the ropes behind her, intent on catching her unawares.
The climb was quick and silent, so he was extremely happy and satisfied with the small yelp of surprise that escaped Nerissa's lips when he tapped her on the shoulder. He knew she wasn't angry, though, because after she had slapped his arm and spouted a few curse words, Nerissa smiled at him and moved over so he could join her. Gladly accepting her offer, Jack leaned his arms on the side of the basket-shaped crow's nest and glanced over at her.
"So, what could cause a lovely young lady such as yourself to leave her bed, climb up here, and keep a sharp eye out for danger?" he asked, his tone light and jesting.
Nerissa laughed. "Considering I'm probably one of the few sober people onboard the ship, it would be a good idea for me to take this task, wouldn't you say?" she replied, brown eyes sparkling in the Caribbean sunshine.
Jack grinned, letting his gold teeth flash in response to her sparkling brown orbs. "True enough, darling," he said, turning his eyes out towards the sea. "Although, I sincerely doubt that we're going to run into any trouble while we're here."
Next to him, Nerissa shrugged. "Can't be too careful, especially in this line of work."
"True, true…"
For a while, the two of them simply sat and stared out at the calm blue waves of the Caribbean, the warm air flowing like silk across their faces. Sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye, Jack watched as loose strands of Nerissa's hair floated on the salty sea breeze. It was fascinating, watching the sun and sea making her best attributes stand out. Her hair shimmered in the sunshine and her eyes seemed to sparkle as much as the waves during a bright, cloudless day.
Jack mentally slapped himself. 'Dear gods, I'm turning into a whelp like Will!' he thought, a groan managing to slip through his lips before he could stop it.
"Jack, are you alright?" A soft, though slightly callused, hand pressed against his forehead, as though checking for a fever.
He turned around to look into her concerned eyes. They still sparkled, and Jack couldn't keep himself from taking another nice, long look at them. Yes indeed, those soft doe-like eyes would be the death of him. Forcing a smile on his face, Jack did his best to appear nonchalant about what had just happened, although having a doting Nerissa hover over him wouldn't exactly be a bad thing…
"No worries, luv," he said, waving his left hand about. "Just a bit of my hangover still having its effect on me."
"Do you want me to get you something?" she asked, removing her hand from his face.
Jack did his best not to look disappointed at the loss of her touch. "No, I'm alright. I think I'll just stay up here and get some air," he hurriedly replied, silently hoping that she'd stay with him.
"Well, if you're sure…"
The pirate captain did his best not to sigh in relief as Nerissa made no move to leave him. Instead, she handed him a bit of cheese from a pack she had apparently brought up with her and helped herself to some as well. As the two ate, they continued to stare at the sea, watching the gulls swoop in to catch their meal. The scene was like watching a painting come to life, and both did their best to simply enjoy life and all that it had to offer. Risking another glance out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw that Nerissa's eyes were halfway closed, as though she were in a trance or falling asleep. Deciding not to take a chance, Jack reached out with his left arm and wrapped it around her waist, catching her just as she drifted off to sleep.
Nerissa's POV:
She awoke to the feeling of a soft breeze blowing into her hair. The air flowing through her loose tendrils of hair was too warm to be that coming off of the sea, but Nerissa couldn't, for the life of her, figure out where it was coming from. Deciding not to disturb her comfortable (and extremely pleasant) rest, she once again closed her eyes and tried to go back to the very nice land of dreams. However, there was someone whispering into her ear, and she couldn't discern who it was. So, instead of falling back asleep, Nerissa decided to see who was whispering into her ear.
It was then that her conscious mind finally grasped that something was definitely wrong with where she was currently resting. A pair of strong, male arms were wrapped around her and holding her close to a very warm, and likely male, body. Instead of panicking, though, Nerissa merely woke herself up and looked down to see who was holding her. A pair of heavily-ringed hands were clasped tightly around her waist, and judging from the 'P' shaped brand below a tattoo, she was being held by none other than the dashing captain of the Black Pearl. Swallowing hard, she carefully moved her head so that she could look around.
They were still in the crow's nest, but from the position of the sunlight beaming into the over-large basket, it was well into the afternoon. How long they had been up there, Nerissa had no idea, but from the slight numb feeling in her left arm, she had been lying on her left side for quite some time. Shifting her head around, she discovered that Jack had also fallen asleep, though he had a slight smile on his lips as he slept. As much as she didn't want to wake him, Nerissa shifted her position so that she was on her back, her face looking up into Jack's so that she could watch him as he dozed.
From the moment she'd first met him, Nerissa had known that Jack Sparrow was a heartbreakingly handsome man. Elizabeth had told her about the 'rum incident' on the island the two had been deserted on a year or two prior during the Barbossa adventure, and Will had told her about the three women who had slapped him in the pirate town of Tortuga. It was likely that he had at least a hundred women all around the Caribbean who he fancied or who fancied him whenever he pulled the Pearl into port for a small stay on land.
In her mind, Nerissa knew that there was no possible way that Jack would (or could) ever be attracted to a woman like her. Not that there was anything wrong with her, of course. She was attractive enough to call the attention of noblemen, and had all of the proper behaviors of a lady. It was just unlikely that the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow would ever want a woman who had been groomed and bred into high society. After all, he was a free-roaming pirate of the seas, and she was a nobleman's daughter with the education and wealth that went along with it. Their lives and upbringings were so vastly different from one another that there wasn't a chance that he could want someone like her.
'Sort of like Romeo and Juliet,' Nerissa thought, smiling as she watched the dashing captain wiggle his nose in his sleep. 'I highly doubt Father would approve of my falling in love with a pirate, despite my Siren upbringing.'
And, of course, there was her Siren heritage to consider. Although she was half Siren and had been taught in their ways, there was no sure way that she could ever be with Jack. Land-living Sirens were expected to wed merchants, nobles, traders, bankers, anyone that could bring some sort of elevation in the power of the Sirens. Very few had married into the more 'dangerous' occupations, such as assassins, pirates, and mercenaries, whose services were not often needed or called upon by the Sirens.
'Still, would it be so bad for me to marry for love?'
Nerissa closed her eyes and chewed her bottom lip in thought. There was a chance that she could persuade the Siren Council elders that she should marry for love. After all, they wouldn't want her to be miserable. If a Siren was ever unhappy with the marriage, the entire Siren nation went out of their way to get the unhappy woman out of it and find someone more suitable from the Siren community to change places with the unhappy girl. There was hope for her, after all!
She opened her eyes once more and looked at the man lying next to her. Now all she had to do was get him to feel the same way, too…
Jack's POV:
The feeling of someone's finger running over his nose made him sneeze, causing Jack to wake from his very peaceful nap. He had been having such a nice dream, too, one where he and Nerissa were happily asleep next to one another and he'd had his arms around her, holding her close to him. It had seemed so real, and he was very upset about waking up from such a pleasant dream. He didn't have much of a choice about it, though, because that same finger was now running over his chest, and that just made him…uncomfortable. Cracking open an eye, Jack found himself looking into a pair of very amused brown eyes.
"Time to get up, Captain," Nerissa softly called in a sing-song voice.
Jack grunted. "Too bloody comfortable and early to get up, luv," he said, closing his eyes tightly to try and get back to sleep.
"It's nearly evening, Jack, so it's not what anyone would call 'early,'" she said, snickering slightly. "Besides, you need to let me go so that I can try and cook something eatable for the crew's dinner."
That last sentence caused Jack to come into complete wakefulness. His eyes popped open and drifted down to Nerissa's waist, where his arms had a sort of death grip on her. A slight blush suddenly found its way into his cheeks, which made him frown; Captain Jack Sparrow did not blush for any reason! Still, it was a fairly intimate position, and he very much admired and respected the woman lying next to him; he did not, under any circumstances, want to destroy any chance of furthering their relationship from friendship to romantic!
Quickly releasing Nerissa, Jack sat up, the arm currently lying underneath her pulling her up as he rose. The two of them stretched and quickly made their way down to the deck, heading towards the galley to prepare a decent meal before the crew arrived.
Two Weeks Later: Nerissa's POV:
The crew had fully recovered from their hangovers two days after the little nap incident Nerissa had shared with Jack in the crow's nest. After he was sure that everyone was able to function to the best of their abilities, Jack had sailed the Black Pearl out of the hidden cove and pointed it towards Tortuga, where Edward Clarence had been waiting for his share of the treasure.
After delivering the goods, the Pearl had headed out to the open sea in search of a different port to spend their swag. Jack's reason for avoiding Tortuga was based on the fact that Edward was likely to harbor a small grudge against Nerissa for a while, so the crew would be going elsewhere to spend their free time (as well as their money). Presently, they were headed towards a very small pirate port for some rest and relaxation.
'I could certainly use it,' Nerissa thought to herself as she lay on her bunk, staring at the ceiling.
For two weeks, she had been thinking about what had happened up in the crow's nest with Jack, unsure of how the man felt about her. Had he been holding on to her because he feared that she might somehow fall out of the nest and onto the deck or into the water? Or was he unconsciously trying to show his affection for her? She knew they were friends, and that Jack respected her for her Siren heritage and training, which had brought him some fairly good luck and swag lately.
'But is that all that he wants from me, or does he want something more?'
It was that thought that had her tossing and turning all night long. There was no doubt that she had fallen for the pirate captain that had stolen her from an arranged marriage. He was an arrogant man, but he had every right to be; not only was he brilliant, but he displayed behaviors that totally fooled everyone around him into thinking otherwise. Not to mention that he was good-looking, brave, and knew how to blush quite well when he was uncomfortable.
Nerissa laughed to herself. She highly doubted that any other man could look as adorable blushing as Captain Jack Sparrow could. It had been sweet to see him look a bit uncomfortable and ashamed when he had realized their situation, he with his arms around her as she slept, and it had only made her fall even further for him. Jack was a good man with a good heart…she just had to convince the Sirens of that, and see if she could possibly make Jack see her in a different light than that of a friend.
"Sail ho!" yelled several voices from above, completely interrupting her thoughts.
Jumping up from her bed, Nerissa grabbed her pistol and sword and strapped them on. If it was an enemy vessel, there was no way she was going to be caught unarmed. After she'd secured her belt, she wrapped a red bandana around her head to hold back her loose hair and raced upstairs. Once she stepped on deck, she found herself in the midst of chaos.
All around her, the crew was preparing for possible battle and confrontation. The sails were being raised and she could hear the cannons being prepared down below. Crewmembers were appearing with weapons for those who had left them below or with extras, just so everyone was more than fully armed. Walking over to the starboard side of the ship, Nerissa peeked over to see what kind of ship they were facing. If it was a Navy or heavily armed merchant ship, there would be trouble, but if it were another pirate vessel, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Pearl.
From her vantage point, she couldn't see much of the other ship, except for the fact that it was amazingly fast. She could see it catching up to the Black Pearl, although it looked as though it were using every bit of wind the sails could catch to do so. Nothing about the ship marked it as one type of ship or another, but it made her extremely nervous to see how desperate it was to catch up with them. Pulling back from the railing, Nerissa moved her way up to the helm, where Jack was standing at the wheel, a determined look in his brown eyes as he sailed.
"Jack, what's happening?" she asked, wanting to be filled in on the situation so that she could help.
"Cotton's parrot spotted a ship tailing the Pearl not too long ago, luv," he replied, fingers tightly gripping the wheel. "They're unusually focused on catching up with us. I've tried to lose them, but they must have a fantastic shipbuilder or magic powers with wind, because they're doing a first-rate job of catching up with us!"
"Could I use your spyglass to look at them?" Nerissa pressed, wanting to see who, exactly, was following them.
"Not now, luv," he ground out between gritted teeth. "You'll get a good look when they arrive!"
Sighing, Nerissa went down to help the crew prepare for the upcoming battle. Even though she didn't know if the ship was friend or foe, it was better to be prepared for the worst, especially when one was a pirate and the wrong assumption could get you killed, captured and/or hung by the Navy. The damn redcoats sometimes hired criminals to catch other criminals, so it was a good idea to have the cannons ready for when the other ship pulled up along side the Pearl.
'And from their determination, it's likely that they will do just that.'
Half an hour later, the other ship was only feet away from the Pearl. Nearly half of the crew had gathered on deck upon Jack's orders, and the rest were gathered down below, readying the cannons. Jack had ordered Annamaria to be at the helm as he took his place at the starboard side of the Black Pearl so that he could directly face the captain of the other ship. Nerissa had taken up a place on Jack's left so that she, too, could get a good look at their possible opponents.
From what she could see, the other ship was amazingly well-made. Only a king could order such a ship built from such fine materials, and from such a talented shipwright. Whoever owned this ship had to be of the Navy; no one else could possibly own such a ship. Had Commodore Norrington from Port Royal caught up with them? After all, he'd been after Jack for quite some time, not to mention the fact that Jack had abducted Nerissa from under said Commodore's nose.
'No, there's no royal flag flying, so it can't be the Navy,' she thought, chewing her lip. 'In fact, there isn't even an English flag flying, so they can't be British in any way. Possibly a merchant vessel from a wealthy trade family? No, there isn't even a flag from any nation flying from its mast!'
So where was this ship from? Sighing, Nerissa stood and watched as the other ship pulled up along side the Pearl, its crew and captain in view for all to see. At the sight of the other ship's crew, Jack and his own crewmembers tensed up, waiting for the inevitable. The other ship was crewed by nothing but women…it was a Siren ship.
Author's POV:
The crew of the Pearl reached for their weapons, but when not one shot was fired, they became puzzled. Suddenly, a white flag of truce was waved from the Siren ship, signaling that they wanted to come aboard and talk. Jack's eyes narrowed, but he nodded and waved his right arm in reply. Soon, a gangplank fell upon the railing of the Pearl and five women, all with black hair and eyes and with golden-tanned skin, stalked across to the Pearl, their faces stern and authoritative. Jack stepped back and waited for the Siren captain to say what she had come aboard the Pearl to say. To his surprise, it wasn't that Siren that spoke first…
"Hello, Mother," greeted Nerissa's calm voice from his left. "What can we do for you?"
AN: Dun, dun, DUN! I love cliffhangers, don't you? Review!