P.S. I am listening to the POTC Soundtrack as I write and am curious…… do any of you get inspired by it as well? My favorite by far is cut # 4, Will & Elizabeth, although it reminds me more of a certain inebriated captain…
Chapter 8: Culture Shock
(Jo's POV)
After leaving the contents of my stomach on the pitiful excuse of a man, I actually feel a bit better. As Jack and I step out onto the mock Pearl's deck, I can see him looking around, his sharp eyes missing nothing as they sweep the room. Avoiding the glass of my shattered rum bottle, we retrieve my shoes and make our way to the exit door. Before we leave, however, I turn to him, a couple of burning questions on my mind that I couldn't wait any longer to have answered.
"Captain, I know this is going to sound like an incredibly stupid question, but …what year do you think it is?"
I could see him pondering the question, his hand stroking his bearded goatee, and I almost laughed out loud despite my aching head as he pointed upward as if to say "A-ha!) did some calculations in the air, looked confused, wiped them away and tried again, before turning to me and shrugging. "I must confess, to me utter shame, that I have no idea as to what year of the good Lord it is, although from what I've seen so far," gesturing toward the recessed lighting and the exit sign above our heads 'that a considerable amount of time has passed. If you are inquiring as to when I was last truly aware of the passing of time, 'twas 1677. What sort of place is this, by the by….some sort of museum, eh?"
I took a deep breath and took both his hands….this wasn't going to be easy. "Jack, what I'm going to tell you is going to sound crazy…" I was momentarily distracted by the circling of his thumbs over the sensitive areas between my thumb and index fingers, which sent shivers through me, which made him smile when he caught my involuntary reaction. "but we're in a wax museum of famous people in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it's the year 2005."
(Jack's POV)"…it's the year 2005."
I stopped my subtle erotic attentions to her hands (taught to me by a master of the gentle art of seduction in India, or was it Singapore?--- at the moment I can't quite recall), and tried to collect my thoughts. Things weren't making sense at all—mainly the fact that I was apparently now in the 21'st Century, but had no recollection of leaving the 17th. I recognized the young woman before me as being from the dreams I'd been having……bits of dreams of her, touching my face and hair and my shall we say, interesting thoughts about her, her speaking to me and my replies, ……but were they dreams or memories of real happenings? Had I, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate extraordinaire, who had managed to escape from under the eyes of 7 agents of the East India Company and elude the hangman's noose no less than a dozen times in my 30-odd years on this planet, finally gone "o'er the deep edge"?
Not a chance…………
Now in my mind, that left two other options………either the lovely lady with the gentle hands an' no tolerance for liquor was as mad as I was, or she was tellin' the truth. Mind you, I'm not bragging when I say that I have more than a passing acquaintance with the female sex, and I have spent enough time in the company of the slyest bits o'muslin to be able to tell when they are attempting to pull the wool over my eyes. I have also learned to trust my own instincts, and those instincts, along with the evidence my own eyes can't deny, leads me to conclude that she wasn't being deceptive………
That left me with only one choice………she's telling the truth, which means life just got a whole lot more interesting for this scallywag………
Looking down into her worried face, I am suddenly reminded of the seriousness of the situation. I scarcely know this woman, except for those brief memories and these past few minutes……yet I can't help but feel like I am connected to her on some…what's the word…primal level. Seeing the livid bruises and the slightly glazed look that wasn't all due to alcohol, I was filled with the desire to run the cad who had dared hurt her through, but not before making a eunich of him. O'course, she had done a fairly good job of that already……
I watch her face change as I start to smile, allowing my arm to creep up and over her shoulder as I turn us both to the door. She looks confused and unsure, and I hasten to reassure her.
"2005, you say? In that case, it's been over 300 years since I last enjoyed the taste o'rum, with the exception of the hint I detected from your own sweet mouth." Damn me, it's bright in this hallway….like coming out of the cave on Isle de Muerta….. "So what say you to the two of us making our way to this compartment of yours, where we can tend to your wounds and perhaps procure some edibles, and then you can direct your captain to the nearest tavern, ay?"
(Jo's POV)
I have to admit, he took the news better than I thought he would. I was half prepared for him to bolt, and I was in no condition at the moment to chase after a raving lunatic. But for the 2nd time in one evening, Jack surprised me, putting his arm around me like we were the best of pals making plans for going to a ballgame or something. I showed him the way to the elevator, and felt his hand tighten on my shoulder tighten when the automatic doors slid silently shut. He cursed and lurched into the wall when the elevator moved, his eyes looking down at me accusingly. I murmured an apology, but couldn't keep the wry grin off my face, which he returned. We managed to get to my studio without meeting anyone, which is a good thing, since I haven't figured out a way to explain either him or my appearance which is, shall we say, somewhat worse for wear at the moment.
I step to the closet and retrieve my black t-shirt, sandals and capris, which I quickly pulled on after wrangling out of the uniform. I returned to the studio to find Jack standing over in the corner, examining with interest the pictures of himself, an expression I can't identify on his face. He apparently sensed my presence, for he spoke without turning.
"These likenesses….they're not paintings….it's almost like looking into a mirror."
"It's what's called a photograph, Jack…..another of the wonders of our modern age."
He turned back to me, his arms crossed on his chest, and a small smile passed his lips as he took in my changes in apparel. "I can safely say that I do like one aspect of modern living…the scenery has definitely improved." I flushed as his wicked brown eyes traveled up and down me, finally coming to rest on my bruised face. A moment later he was in front of me, a keen look that I wasn't familiar in his flashing eyes. His hands were suddenly in my hair, searching for and finding the bobby pins holding it in its braided coronet. It didn't take him long to have it falling down around my shoulders, his clever fingers brushing it to one side so that it mostly hid my vivid cheek. As I stood there bemused, he also took the opportunity to sneak another searing kiss that left me tingling…
Placing my arm in his, he turned back to the door. "Now then, lass, I find myself in need of some sustenance, and eager to see this Las Vegas of yours. Lead the way, if you please…."
"Things are quite a bit, well, different than they were in your time, Jack…..and Vegas isn't your typical town….it's pretty wild compared to most places, and has the nickname "Sin City."
Jack only laughed at my misgivings as we headed toward the hotel/casino lobby. "Sounds like the modern day equivalent of me very own Tortuga, and there's no locale on the planet that can match that hellhole for depravity and licentiousness. And you're forgetting one very important thing, luv….I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy, so bring on this Devil's playground!"
They rounded the corner and Jack stopped in his tracks, a look of total amazement on his face when he was faced with the bright lights, noise, and crowds of the casino. I nearly laughed aloud at his expression when he caught sight of the traffic whizzing by as we stepped outside onto the Sunset Strip. I couldn't keep the humor from my voice when I nudged him forward toward the line of cabs awaiting fares.
"Welcome to Vegas, Captain…"