Disclaimer: :sigh: My plan failed. :pout: Where's the monkey? I need to shoot something.
Author's Note: Actually I have nothing to say at the moment so I don't know why I have this here...Ahh screw it! Here's the story...
A commotion above her finally snapped Elizabeth out of her thoughts. She hurried up to the deck and saw that they had finally reached where The Lady Rose had been anchored. The crew was rushing around her, dividing up supplies to take aboard the other ship. She felt eyes on her and turned towards the helm.
Jack. He was standing at the wheel, every inch the pirate Captain, with the members of the crew who weren't busy surrounding him. He spoke in his usual animated way, no doubt telling them an extremely exaggerated tale of his battle with the kraken. They listened rapturously, hanging on his every word. But even though his words never faltered, his eyes were trained on her.
Across the deck they locked with hers and he arched an eyebrow in question, slanting his eyes toward Will who was readying the gangplank to board The Lady Rose. She smiled, a true smile that lit her eyes and nodded to his unspoken question. Jack nodded back, only a slight inclination of his head and continued on with his heroic story.
Elizabeth longed to join him at the helm, to hear the unbelievable tale for herself but she was stalled by Gibbs, who had joined her while her attention had been on Jack.
"Ya'd best be gettin' yer things Miss Elizabeth. We'll be loadin' her up an' pushin' off soon enough."
Apparently Gibbs and the rest of the crew were still unaware of the happenings between herself and their Captain. Or her and Will for that matter. She would have thought it obvious after the time she'd spent in Jack's cabin.
'I guess the crew doesn't gossip nearly as much as I thought they did.'
"Mr. Gibbs, you seem to be misinformed. I'm staying with The Pearl," she replied, smiling.
Gibbs blinked, "But young Mr. Turner said he'd be goin' with The Lady Rose?"
"He is. I'm not."
The poor man was terribly confused now and Elizabeth felt bad for him, "Will and I have broken off our engagement and I'm staying with The Black Pearl. For good. I'm joining the crew, Mr. Gibbs."
Gibbs' eyes widened so much she feared they might fall out of his head. His gaze flickered quickly to Jack and then back to her and she saw realization dawn in his eyes.
"I know you aren't fond of having women aboard, Mr. Gibbs, but I hope you'll be able to cope with my presence."
He got over his shock rather quickly and smiled a genuine grin at her, "Miss Elizabeth, I reckon I could handle havin' ya aboard awhile longer yet. Seein' as ya have such a...calmin' effect on the Captain and all."
She laughed at his phrasing and touched his arm in thanks before making her way over to Will. He smiled uncomfortably as she approached and she realized that he wouldn't want anyone to know what had just happened below decks. She smiled back at him, trying to assure him without words that she wouldn't let on and he visibly relaxed.
"How many crew will be joining you?"
"Six men, not including myself or Barbossa. Gibbs is staying with The Black Pearl but Cotton and Marty will be helping us get The Lady Rose to port."
It made sense for Gibbs to stay with The Pearl, not many others could decipher Jack's odd turns of phrase. She worried though, about Barbossa being aboard with so few crew members. He'd behaved himself, mostly, throughout the rescue mission but Elizabeth would never trust the man. She'd witnessed first hand how cruel he could be and no part of her wished to know what he would do if her was able to take over the ship.
"Just be careful around Barbossa, Will. That man is far too smart for his own good. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Will smiled at her worry, "Don't worry Elizabeth. I'll be sure to keep my eyes on him. You just worry about taking care of yourself. You've seen how dangerous a pirate's life can be."
"I promise I'll be careful, Will. It's not as though I'll be alone."
She regretted that statement as soon as it had left her mouth. She hadn't specifically been talking about Jack as she'd become quite close with some of the crew but she knew how it had sounded. Her thoughts were confirmed as she watched Will's face cloud over immediately, his eyes flickering toward Jack, still at the helm. Elizabeth saw the anger in his gaze and was suddenly very thankful that Will would be making the return journey on a different ship. If the two of them were forced to share a space this small for any length of time, she feared she would be unable to stop the fight that would undoubtably occur.
Will snapped out of his dark thoughts after a moment and gave her a tight smile, "No. I'm sure you'll be well taken care of. I really should get back to my task Elizabeth. The crew is wanting to depart within the hour."
He touched her hand briefly in goodbye before turning back to his preparations. She left him to his work, knowing that it had to be painful to be speaking with her so casually after their last conversation, especially after her thoughtless remarks. Elizabeth wandered around the deck briefly, unsure of where to go. Of course, she wanted to go talk to Jack but she was conscious of the fact that Will was still aboard. It would be cruel to force him to see her and Jack together so shortly after their relationship had ended. And his earlier reaction made her all the more cautious about inciting his anger.
Her wanderings led her to the mast and she leaned against it, watching the crew hauling supplies across the gangplank and readying the ship. They were very efficient from serving for so long under Jack, and before long The Black Pearl was weighing anchor and setting off in the direction of Tia Dalma's swamp. Will caught her eye from the deck of the other ship and gave her a brief nod. She returned it, torn between guilt at hurting him and relief at the sudden loss of tension aboard The Pearl.
Jack, no longer surrounded by his loyal fans, caught her eye from his place at the ships helm. A quick jerk of his head told her to join him and she did so happily. She made sure to stand a little away from him however, both to keep from attracting the crew's attention and to keep herself from doing something completely unladylike such as tackling him to the deck.
He seemed to notice her distance and, being Jack, quickly guessed the reason for it. The grin he shot her made her revise her previous thoughts of kissing him to slapping him. He really was the most infuriatingly cocky man she'd ever known. Irritation aside she went willingly when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his side a moment later.
"I noticed young Mr. Turner decided against stayin' with The Pearl," he started, staring off at the horizon, "Am I correct in assumin' the reason for that is the same as the reason for the lack of ring on yer fair finger?"
It shouldn't have surprised her that he would notice the absence of her engagement ring but it did.
"I told him..." she said, pushing down the remembered pain of that conversation.
Jack's eyes flickered over her face for a moment before returning to the horizon, "An' how are you farin' with that, luv?"
'It is completely pointless to try to hide anything from him. I wonder if it's all pirates that are so irritatingly observant or just Jack and Barbossa.'
"He already knew. He saw the kiss...he knew."
Jack didn't seem surprised, "He's a smart lad, he is. Pity about the eunuch bit."
She did slap him for that one, but lightly on the arm instead of across the face as most women in his acquaintance did.
Jack laughed and made no move to defend himself, "I suppose him and the mutinous bastard will have plenty to talk about on the long voyage. Plottin' my next death and all."
"He doesn't want to kill you, Jack," she paused then, thought for a moment, and amended her statement, "At least I don't think he wants to kill you."
Jack shrugged, "Won't do 'em any good either way. I'll just come right back. C'mere luv."
He pulled her in front of him and before she could figure out what his intentions were, he'd placed her hands on the wheel, with his holding them in place. She gasped both from shock at his actions and the feel of The Pearl beneath her hands. The crew was staring in shock, though whether it was shock at Jack's closeness to her or that he'd handed the wheel of his beloved ship to her, she wasn't sure. If Jack noticed their gawking looks, he didn't react.
"D'you feel 'er, luv?" he whispered into her ear.
She nodded barely, entranced by the feeling of The Black Pearl. It was an indescribable feeling. She was like a living creature. Elizabeth could feel the pull of the wind in the sails and the sway of the sea through her hands and she suddenly realized why Jack spent so much time at the helm. It was a powerful sort of freedom and, she imagined, very addictive.
"I've never felt anything like her," she whispered back, not wanting to break the sacredness of the moment.
The Captain seemed satisfied with her answer and slid his away from hers and onto her waist, letting her guide The Pearl on her own. He stepped in closer to her and Elizabeth leaned back slightly to feel him more solidly against her. Jack made a small noise of approval in his throat and suddenly Elizabeth was desperate to kiss him again. She tensed slightly with the need and Jack, as always, sensing what she wanted turned her sharply toward him, uncaring of the helm for the moment. He bent his head and claimed her mouth in a kiss that scorched her very soul with it's heat. Elizabeth surrendered to him without thought or hesitation.
Their embrace was broken a moment later by various applause and cat-calls from the crew who'd witnessed the rather passionate kiss between their Captain and the woman they'd come to think of as crew. Elizabeth jumped back from Jack, blushing bright red and mortified from the attention, but Jack was unfazed.
"Get back to work, ya scabberous dogs, or I'll toss the lot of ya ta Davy Jones' locker!" he ordered, taking the wheel once more and putting them back on course.
The threat held a lot more weight than usual since the Captain who was making it had just returned from said locker an the crew went immediately back to their tasks.
"Gibbs," Jack called once they were back on course, "Take the helm and keep us on course. I'll be in me cabin if any problems arise or ensue."
Gibbs did as ordered, though his face held the hint of a smile, and Jack grabbed the shocked Elizabeth and pulled her down the steps and into his cabin.
As soon as the door was closed Elizabeth lost what little composure she still held, "Oh God. Oh God they just saw us...Jack! The whole crew just saw us kissing!"
"Aye."
Jack was not nearly as bothered by this fact as Elizabeth was. In fact he was advancing on her with a very distinct purpose on his face. Her eyes widened as she realized his intent.
"Jack! We can't! They'll know what we're doing!"
"What's yer point, luv? They'll think it whether we do it or not. No stoppin that."
He was still advancing on her and Elizabeth backed up rapidly, holding a hand out as if it would stop him, "But-"
"Lizzie..." Jack started, a dangerous look coming across his face, "Ya made a promise that we'd be finishin' this luv. Ya don't intend on going back on your word now do ya?"
He was dangerously close now and Elizabeth frantically continued backing away, "No, of course not Jack but-"
"Then stop runnin' from me darlin'. T'won't do ya any good anyway. Only so many places to run in this cabin."
Elizabeth's heart was pounding in her chest and she could see the hand she held in front of her trembling violently. He was right, though. He was blocking the way to the door. She wasn't even sure why she was so intent on getting away. She had known the crew would talk. It was not as though they would be able to hide any kind of a relationship in such close quarters. So why was she running away, all of the sudden?
She didn't get a chance to answer that question as Jack used her moment of distraction to lunge at her. He grabbed the hand held in front of her and used it to pull her, hard, into his body, her hand trapped against his chest. They were face to face now, every inch of their bodies touching and Elizabeth felt her heart race even faster, her breaths coming out quick and ragged.
This was it. She was not going to leave this room a virgin. It should have bothered her that she was about to make love to a man she wasn't married to but it didn't. Instead it caused a tingling fire to start in the pit of her stomach. She raised her face to Jack's, giving herself over to him and her feelings. He didn't kiss her, though, as she thought he would.
Her brow furrowed in confusion, "Jack?"
Jack's jaw tightened for a moment before he answered her implied question, "No regrets, 'Lizabeth. Tha's the only way this is gonna happen. No regrets. 'Cause once this happens, there'll be no goin' back. You'll be mine an' I won't be givin' ya up. Savvy?"
He was giving her an out, she realized. He was letting her know that she could still change her mind and he'd let her walk out of this room and right out of his life. But this was her last chance. If they did this, she wouldn't be getting another chance to leave.
She opened her mouth to reply but closed it again as she reconsidered his words. He'd told her he wasn't giving her up. His voice had been calm, face devoid of all emotion expect passion but...she could feel his heart beat under her palm. It was racing almost faster than hers had been. He was nervous. He was offering her forever, Elizabeth realized. A lifetime with him. It was as close to a declaration of love as she was likely to get.
She smiled, calmed by his words and what they implied, and brushed her lips against his, "No regrets, Jack. I promise."
TBC...tomorrow. Probably...