Usual disclaimers
With thanks to Kat for editing and Hils for being a pain in the you-know-where! She's not really ;)
A few more reviews would be nice…
…
Chapter Twenty oneCelia leaned against the stern rail, having finished her chores some time ago and she was now enjoying watching the changing colours of the sky as the sun sank lower on the horizon, glad of the peace and quiet to collect her thoughts. 'If I give myself to him, I'll be damned to hell… I'm damned to hell anyway,' she sighed. 'I never could quite master being pious and chaste.' Celia thought back to her time in the convent when she struggled to adapt to a live of obedience and purity. Although she had never been anything but a good and dutiful daughter, she had still been allowed more freedom of thought by her parents and they had enjoyed many discussions about what was happening in the village and country as a whole, even if she had rarely ventured into the outside world. She looked around as she heard someone approach and smiled at Jack as he weaved and swayed his way over to her.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"It is," she agreed, automatically snuggling into his embrace. "I can't believe it's the middle of February. Winter was never like this back home."
"Indeed not, but you wait fer th'hurricane season…"
"I've already encountered one," she replied sadly, thinking of Beth Ashby who had perished when the ship they had been sailing on got hit by a storm.
"Aye, I'd forgotten that," he sympathised, hugging her. "Come on, let's go an' have supper, eh?"
"All right," Celia agreed, smiling shyly as he slipped his hand in hers and lead the way across the quarterdeck and down the steps. "Oh! In the cabin?" she questioned when Jack lead her to the main cabin doors and not the hatch as she expected.
"Aye, any objections?"
"No - just surprised, that's all." Celia smiled to herself when she remembered the time, not so long ago, when she was too afraid to eat with the men in the mess, and now she thought nothing of it.
"That's good." Jack pushed open the door and allowed her in first, for once, resisting the urge to pat or fondle her bottom.
"Jack…?" She turned and faced him, a hesitant smile on her lips. "I-I… I'd like to… you know… tonight."
Jack mentally congratulated himself on managing to keep from leaping in the air for joy and instead just allowed a grin to creep across his face. "You sure?"
"Yes," she stated firmly. "It's getting harder and harder to resist your advances, and as I said before, I would rather give myself to you rationally than let my emotions take over and do something I may regret."
"And Fernan?"
"I like Oliver," she sighed, "but not in the way I like you. I don't know whether my feelings for you are right or wrong, but I know I don't have the same feeling for him."
"Pleased ter hear it," Jack murmured, stepping towards her and wrapping her hand, which he still held, around his back, swearing quietly as a knock sounded on the door.
"Supper, Cap'n," came Tobias' voice from the other side. "An' right tasty it is too," he chuckled as he pushed open the door without being beckoned, stopping as he saw the closeness of the two occupants. "Ah… umm… sorry…"
"Bring it in," Jack sighed, moving away from Celia and cursing a missed opportunity. "Do yer want ter change?" he asked her.
"All right," she agreed, scurrying to the side cabin and yanking the drapes across, her heart pounding and her face glowing.
"Sorry, Cap'n," the burly cook winced as he set the tray down. "I should've waited…"
"Aye," Jack sighed ruefully, shrugging his shoulders. "Yer'll know next time, eh?"
"Aye, Cap'n," Toby replied, looking around as Elliot appeared with a second tray and a jug of wine. "I'll wait..." He nodded his head at his younger crewmate, indicating it was time for them to depart, and Jack stood in the middle of his cabin, deep in thought.
"C-could you tie my laces?" Celia asked as she nervously peered around the side cabin doorway, her earlier resolve fast disappearing. She crossed the cabin and turned, allowing Jack access to her back and shivered at the nearness of him, the feel of his warm breath on her skin.
"You look gorgeous," he murmured, pleased that she had put on the dark red silk gown which he had given her in Saint Georges, and he took his time in pulling and fasting the cords, chasing small butterfly kisses across her shoulders and smiling as she mewled with pleasure.
"Thank you," she replied shyly.
"Come on," Jack chivvied, leading her to the table, knowing that if he was not careful, he would take her there and then and he did not want to do that. He wanted to make her first time as special as he could. "Let's not waste th'food."
"It smells delicious," she smiled up at him as he seated her and then went to sit opposite in his chair.
"Aye, Toby's a damn fine cook," he grinned as he served out the food from the platter and on to two petwer plates, handing one to Celia before pouring two goblets of wine. "Even if his sense of timing's lousy…"
"Please, not too much," she begged, looking in alarm at the amount he decanted into her beaker.
"You want it watered?" he offered with a grin, taking a large swig of the good wine and licking his lips appreciatively.
"No. I'll just drink it slowly," she replied, shaking her head at him with the ghost of a smile hovering on her lips. If she was going to lose her virginity that night, she wanted to at least remember it.
"Did you want to leave th'veil? Was comin' out here an excuse ter get away?" Jack enquired,watching her carefully over the rim of his goblet. Although he knew the young woman fairly well now, there was still so much going on in her mind that he could not fathom, and her request that he have her that night only served to add to his confusion.
"I don't know," Celia admitted with a shrug, cutting up a piece of meat but not eating it. "My parents, especially my mother, were horrified when I announced I would be joining a convent. They said I was marrying in haste!" she snorted. "I suppose they were right. I couldn't face telling them that I had maybe made the wrong decision and so yes, I suppose I did use this an a legitimate excuse to leave the veil." Celia took another sip of the wine, careful not to gulp it down. "Nothing in my life ever goes as I had planned it," she smiled sadly, finally placing the meat into her mouth and chewing it.
"Same here," Jack chuckled wryly, waving his fork about as he talked. "I was goin' ter take over my father's business an' marry Isabel once her husband died," he told her. "Look where I am now!"
"He might not have died for years," Celia frowned, hoping he was not going to admit to a plot to kill the husband of his former lover.
"He was much older than she was, an' in ill health. Trouble was, he was also a very distant cousin ter th'King, an' when he found out about us, threatened ter use his influence ter ruin my father."
"Why didn't you set up your own merchant business elsewhere?"
"It takes money, luv, an' that was somethin' I didn't have at th'time. I could have done after I left Weymouth in such a hurry with th'authorities on my tail - I could have gone ter Ireland or maybe even th'continent. But when you've got riches beyond yer wildest dreams, when you've made your wealth by ill gotten gains, it's hard ter be straight again, savvy? It's hard ter go back to toilin' night an' day fer relatively little reward."
"But your family were well off, weren't they?"
"Aye, by most people's standards, we were well off - I was educated at one of th'best schools in th'country an' then trained as a cartographer. But what I made through smugglin'… it was more than my father an' his father b'fore him had made in their lifetimes." Jack drained his wine and poured himself another, his mind still back in the time when he was younger. "It might have been an easier life, though," he mused, more to himself than his companion. "At least I wouldn't have had th'noose ter worry about."
"So you regret your life now?" Celia asked, leaning forwards as he held her full attention.
"Heh! I don't know about that," he grinned. "But it'd be nice ter go into any port I fancied whenever I fancied…"
"You'd be bored!" she snorted. "You'd miss the excitement and everybody lauding the great and infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate extraordinaire!"
"Ah, Celia, luv… yer know me too well," Jack chuckled, shaking his head ruefully.
"As I fear you know me," the young woman sighed.
"What's wrong with me knowin' you?" he mused as he ate. "It's not so bad is it?"
"You're the one who says it's good to have an air of mystery," she teased, as she finally tucked into her food.
"Believe me, luv," he mumbled, his mouth full, "you have my complete an' undivided attention without needin' ter be mysterious."
"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Celia chuckled, a glint of merriment dancing in her eyes as she regarded him.
"How so?" Jack enquired, giving her the same intense scrutiny that she was giving him and enjoying the fact that she didn't break eye contact this time around.
"If you're thinking about me all of the time, how can you concentrate on being a good captain?" she pondered, an innocent smile playing on her lips, belied only by the mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"I can concentrate on more than one thing at a time, young lady," Jack growled with a grin, standing and walking slowly around the table, his smile broadening as he noticed her gulp and shift in her seat. "Would you like me ter show you…?"
"I… erm…" Celia stammered, licking her dry lips with an equally dry tongue.
"You wanted this, remember?" Jack purred in her ear, making her shiver violently. 'Please don't let her back out,' he prayed silently as he brushed his lips against her skin and hitched the scant bit of material that lay on her shoulders down her arms, leaving her shoulders bare.
"I-I know," she replied timidly. "I-it's just… I'm scared."
"Nothin' ter be scared of," he assured her. "I won't hurry you an' I certainly won't force you, savvy?"
"I-I know… b-but…" she closed her eyes and moaned out loud as Jack's lips replaced his fingers on her shoulder and suckled gently on her soft skin, his hands holding her arms in a gentle grip. "Oh, Jack," she breathed, leaning against him and tangling her hand in his hair.
"Stand up," he rasped as he broke away, pulling her to her feet and turning her around so she faced him. Jack took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself before snaking his arms around her waist and brushing his lips against hers, his tongue running over her teeth. "You have no idea how much I want you, do you?"
"N-no," Celia replied, wanting to kiss his neck and the part of his chest exposed by his open shirt, but being too afraid to. "W-will it hurt?"
"It may hurt a little th'first time," Jack explained, cupping her face and stroking her cheekbones with his thumbs. "But I'll be as gentle as I can, savvy? Do you know what ter expect?"
"Y-yes," she gulped, tears springing to her eyes. "H-him and Syndony m-made m-me watch them," she shuddered, still unable to say the name of the pirate who had captured and sold her. "It w-was…"
"You poor luv," Jack murmured, holding her close. "No wonder yer scared." He broke away again and looked her in the eyes. "I swear it won't be like that - I'll love you, not ravish you, savvy?
"T-thank you," Celia replied shakily, wiping a stray tear that was trickling down her cheek. "Will y-you do it now, please?"
"Let's go an' get ourselves comfy, eh?" he smiled wolfishly as he took her hand and lead her to the side cabin, turning to face her once more as they reached the bunk. "Thank you fer dressin' up," Jack murmured, reaching for the laces at the back of the gown and tugging at them.
"I-it's a pleasure…" Celia closed her eyes as Jack pulled the garment and her underslip down, revealing her breasts and gasped as his mouth closed over a nipple whilst his thumb caressed the other, sending flames raging through her body. "L-Lord…" she panted, her body trembling as she tried to keep some semblance of control.
'Bloody hell,' Jack thought as he savoured the feel of her hard bud beneath his tongue and her body arching into his. 'I'm never goin' ter last th'course.'
"T-the c-crew will h-hear," she gulped, her hands flailing to the side as she wondered what to do with them.
"No they won't," Jack muttered, breaking from his ministrations to slide his hands down inside her dress, groaning softly as she bucked her hips. "I'll make sure they don't hear." He pulled the dress and undershift hard, uncaring whether they ripped or not, until they fell in a heap at her feet, her knickers following suit soon after until she stood before him, naked. "Beautiful," he murmured, capturing her lips with his and drawing the young woman into a searing kiss which left them both panting and breathless. "D'you still trust me?"
"Y-yes…" Celia gasped as she felt his fingers probe between her legs, brushing and stroking and she parted them further to allow him better access and bucked her hips in time with his rubbing. "J-Jack…"
"Still trust me?"
"Mmm," was the only sound she could make as desire coursed through her body once more, intensifying as his fingers gently pushed their way inside her and started thrusting slowly. "Oh… L-Lord…" she panted, writhing in his embrace as he drove harder, deeper into her. "S-stop… please, stop," Celia begged, sagging once he withdrew his fingers and looking at the pirate with wide eyed panic. "T-that is…" she gulped, pulling away from him, a dismayed look on her face. "I-is t-that normal?"
"Aye. Very, very normal."
"Oh! Is… I don't want to… oh, Lord," she cried, covering her face with her hands. "I-I can't…"
"Can't what?" the pirate captain asked gently, prising her hands away and lifting her chin once more. "I won't make you do anythin' ter me, savvy?"
"Even… that," she croaked horsely, glancing down at his groin and Jack cursed himself for forgetting.
"Th'bastard!" he spat, hugging her and stoking her smooth back. "I certainly won't be makin' yer do that, at least not until you're more experienced, an' then only if you want to," he assured her, wishing that he could have done all this when he had first met her, before Davy Stockton had had a chance to traumatise the young woman, but also acknowledging to himself that he probably wouldn't have been so considerate of her feelings back then, before he'd had a chance to get to know her - care about her. "Undress me," Jack urged. "An' we'll lie on th'bunk a while, touchin' an' holdin', eh?"
"Are you sure?" she asked, wide eyed. "I-I don't want to… disappoint you."
"Celia, luv, you could never disappoint me." Jack expertly untied his sword belt and then his sash, throwing them in the corner of the side cabin, out of the way. "Undress me an' that way you can go at yer own pace an' touch what you want ter touch."
"What I want to touch…?" Celia repeated uneasily.
"Aye," he grinned salaciously. "Nowhere is out of bounds, savvy?" He took her hands and placed them on his chest, pulling his shirt open a little more as he did.
She frowned slightly before plucking up enough courage to start on the few shirt buttons that were done up and then slipped her hands inside, glancing worriedly at him as she encountered his nipples. "D-do I do what you did?"
"If yer like. Do what feels natural."
"I don't know what feels natural," Celia sighed, pulling his shirt past his shoulders and gulping audibly as she moved towards his nipple, tentatively poking her tongue out and licking it like a puppy would lick a child's hand before covering it with her mouth and sucking on it, surprised at the feeling of yearning that rushed through her as she did.
"S-sweet… mother…" Jack gasped, holding her head in place and cupping her buttock with his free hand, resisting the urge to explore her womanhood once more. He knew that there would be time enough for that later, when she felt more relaxed and at ease. He closed his eyes in bliss as her hands roamed across his back and slipped down the waist of his breeches.
"Oh!" Celia gasped when she broke from the semi trance she had been in and realised where her hands were, snatching them back out as if they had been scalded. "Oh, dear," she sighed dejectedly. "I'm not very good at this…"
"You will be," Jack soothed. "Just take yer time an' remember nothin' is wrong, savvy?"
"It's easy for you to say," she smiled, her timid hands going to the laces of his breeches. "I can't imagine you ever having been innocent." Celia steeled herself before slowly untying the cord, unaware of the effect her actions was having on the pirate until he moaned out loud as her fingers lightly brushed against his throbbing manhood.
"W-when I was born…" he rasped, his eyes still closed and his head tilted back as molten desire coursed through his body in place of blood. "That was th'only time I was innocent."
"I can believe it," Celia chuckled, the awareness of just how much she affected him emboldening her and she pulled his breeches down past his hips, her courage then completely failing as his pulsating member was freed of the constraint of the breeches and brushed against her hip, making her gasp and back away.
"Meet my not so little friend," Jack grinned, opening his eyes and looking at her. "An' yes it will fit inside you," he assured her, anticipating her fear. He took her hand and guided it to his manhood, stroking her fingertips along his length and enjoying her reaction as she watched it move and jerk, horror and awe written on her features in equal measure. "Hold it," he whispered hoarsely, shuddering as her hand closed around him and instantly began pumping.
"L-like that?" she gulped, although the look on his face spoke volumes.
"Oh… yes…"
Celia concentrated on pleasuring Jack, relaxing as she built a rhythm in time to the thrust of his hips and she found she was enjoying it once more, enjoying having him in her hands and having his emotions in her grasp, figuratively speaking. She gave a muffled shriek as his hand suddenly seized her head and he drew her into a fierce kiss, and at the same time, Celia could feel warm, sticky liquid shooting against her belly and trickling down her hand, then his manhood started to soften and go limp.
"You can let go now," he gasped, leaning his head against her shoulder, panting hard.
"Did I do that all right?"
"Beautifully," he grinned, nuzzling her neck. "Come on, let's get on th'bunk. Don't worry," he added as she stiffened in his arms. "I can't have you fer a few minutes yet - not until I've had chance ter recover."
"All right," Celia agreed, climbing up first and blushing as he patted her bare bottom. "You really do have a thing for my derriere, don't you?"
"Aye," Jack grinned, leaning over and kissing her once more, his hand cupping her breast and gently kneading it, while he pressed his body into her, grinding his thigh against the fuzz of hair between her legs and grinning in the kiss as she started to respond. "Like that, hmm?" he mumbled, not quite breaking contact with her mouth.
"Mmm," she agreed, nodding her head and parting her legs, groaning as he pressed harder against her and Celia rubbed herself along his thigh. "I-I think I want you now," she gulped.
"Good job I'm ready then, eh?" Jack murmured, moving so he covered her body with his. "I'll take it nice an' slow, I promise."
"But I want you now!" Celia demanded, bucking her hips, "Please, Jack."
"If I take you hard, it'll hurt, an' I'm not goin' ter hurt you." He guided himself to her entrance and gently pushed the tip of his erection inside her, stopping as she tensed up, then inched upwards until she gasped and tightened against him. "All right," he soothed, knowing that he had reached the point of no return for her. "How about I stay here a while, until yer get used ter me there, eh?" Jack smiled and kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue until he felt her completely relax and then pushed his length fully inside her, stifling the cry of pain with his mouth. "It's all right, luv…"
"I-it hurts," she whimpered, looking at him with fear in her eyes. Celia did not know how it would feel to have him inside of her but she was not sure it would feel like this. She felt as if he was inside the whole of her body and fought the urge to push him off, to scream at him to get off her and leave her alone. But she knew it was too late - that her virginity was no longer intact.
"I told you - it won't hurt fer long, an' have I ever lied ter you?"
"I-I don't know… have you?"
"Never," he stated firmly, slowly drawing his length back down her moist tunnel before easing it back in again, taking it very slowly until the young woman finally relaxed her grip on him and started to move her hips in time with his thrusts and only then did Jack push harder, deeper into her womanhood, the tightness of her tunnel making him almost insane with desire and it took all of his self control not to pound into her as he so desperately wanted to do. "Put yer legs across my back," he rasped as the tip of his tongue played inside her ear.
"All right," she panted, doing as she was bid and shifting beneath him uncomfortably as he seemed to go even deeper inside. Celia held onto Jack and began to respond to his motion and she recognised the now familiar build up to losing control, to letting her desire have free reign over her body for a few moments and she clung to him harder, burying her face in his neck and biting him as her longing increased. "J-Jack…" she gasped, her whole body tensing and then flying free as waves of passion crashed over her, engulfing her mind and body.
Jack closed his eyes as he felt her climax pulsate against his manhood, urging himself to hold on for just a bit more, until he could bear it no longer and released his seed deep inside her, pushing harder with each spurt until he was fully spent. "Bloody hell," he groaned, withdrawing slowly from her and rolling onto his side, tenderly brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "You're mine now," he murmured with a smile.
"Y-yes… are you mine?" she asked, turning her head and looking at him.
"I always was, Celia, luv. I always was…"
…
Celia half woke, wondering why everything seemed different until the memories of the previous night came flooding back and she jumped awake with a start.
"Mornin', luv…"
"Morning, Jack," she replied, turning over and facing him, unsure as to where she now stood, or lay, as the case was.
"I won't ask if yer slept well, 'cause I know you did," he grinned, reaching over and kissing her.
"Yes, I did," she admitted when they parted and she snuggled into the crook of his arm, her head resting on his chest, relief flooding through her. She had been half afraid that he would not be interested in her any longer. "Did you?"
"Like a babe in yer arms," he chuckled, stroking her back absently. "Good job too, I need ter gather my strength again after last night."
"Old man," Celia teased, shrieking as he loomed over her, a look of mock indignation on his face.
"Old man? Old man! I'll give you old man, missy," he growled playfully. "I'll give you punishment fer insubordination while I'm there, too."
"You will?" she gasped, a picture of wide-eyed innocence.
"Aye," Jack rumbled, sliding his hand beneath her and turning her over onto her front and slapping her backside gently.
"No!" Celia squealed, kicking her legs. "No… stop it!" she gasped, startled to find herself becoming aroused. "Jack…"
"Yes?" he whispered huskily as he lay on top of her and pressed his erection between her legs. "Don't you like your punishment?"
"Yes…" Celia croaked, moaning as Jack eased himself into her, half musing to herself how quickly she had become accustomed to having him filling her. "P-please…"
"With pleasure," he rasped as he lost himself to her body once more.
…
"Bloody hell!" Elliot sniggered, nudging Gabriel Jennings next to him as Jack finally emerged from his cabin some two hours after sunrise. "I guess he's had her now."
"I dread ter see th'mood Mouse'll be in," his mate fretted. "Hell'll break loose if he sees th'captain's smirk."
"I wonder how long it'll be before he tires of her?" Adam Butler enquired with a sneer. "Maybe we'll get a go…" The rest of his words were cut off by Elliot's hand around his throat and Gabriel's dagger waving in his face.
"One more word like that…" the younger man warned.
"Deane, Jennings - what the hell are you playing at?" Joshamee Gibbs barked, spotting the altercation as he emerged from a hatch.
"Nothin', Mister Gibbs," Gabriel replied, a false smile on his face as he turned to face his quartermaster. "Just havin' a bit of fun, like."
"Doesn't look much like fun ter me," Jack put in as he approached them. "What's goin' on?"
"Nothin', Cap'n," Elliot replied, finally letting go of Butler who rubbed his neck gingerly.
"Last chance…" Jack warned, his face dark with anger. "Men don't get half-throttled with daggers in their faces fer fun. What's goin' on?" he demanded again, being met with silence this time around. "Right, to th'brig, both of you."
"But, Cap'n!" Gabriel protested.
"Do not question me!" Jack countered. "Unless yer want ter feel th'lash as well?"
"No, Cap'n," both men mumbled, shooting dark looks at Adam Butler as they passed him, escorted by their quartermaster.
"Yer've had it," Elliot hissed, drawing his finger across his throat out of the sight of his two superiors.
"Well done," Jacob Sumner sighed, shaking his head at Butler who looked affronted.
"What th'fuck have I done?" he whined. "I'm th'one who they turned on."
"After yo made comments about Miss Celia," Noah pointed out. "An' then got them into trouble for defendin' her."
"Ain't no-one on th'fuckin' ship got a sense of humour?" the indignant crewman grumbled as he pushed passed the men and started to climb the rigging. "Fuckin' uptight load of tarts, that's what yer all are."
"Mister Butler!" Jack bellowed as he made his way to the quarterdeck. "You'll be joinin' Messers Jennings an' Deane if yer not careful, an' I might see fit ter lock yer all in th'same cell, savvy?"
"Aye, Cap'n," Adam Butler griped. "Savvy, Captain," he mocked quietly as he reached the crows nest.
"Sumner," Jack beckoned, and waited as his crewman walked up the quarterdeck steps. "What was that about?"
"Dunno," Jacob evaded. "I didn't catch th'start of it. But yer know Butler - th'biggest wind up merchant goin'."
"Hmm," Jack mused thoughtfully. "All right, thank you," he nodded, dismissing Jacob once more and looking up at the crows nest. 'I'm watching you,' he thought darkly, hoping that he was not going to have trouble with another crewman.
…
'I must go out… I can't…' The argument raged inside Celia's head for a few minutes as she tried vainly to pluck up the courage to leave the comfort of the cabin. 'They know what happened - I can't face them. You've got to sometime…' Celia sighed heavily and padded barefoot to the door, adjusting her shirt to ensure she was not indecent, then reached for the door handle with a worried frown. "Stop being silly!" she chided herself, taking a deep breath and yanking the door open.
"Mornin' Miss Celia," Noah beamed, his teeth flashing brilliantly against his dark skin as he swabbed the deck outside the cabin door.
"G-good morning, Noah," she stammered, smiling shyly at the former slave. "Jacob," she acknowledged as the other crewman came into view. "Have y-you seen Mister Gibbs?"
"He's busy," came Jack's voice from above her. "So you can come an' keep me company fer a while."
"Oh… all right." Celia gulped nervously as she approached the quarterdeck steps, knowing that all the men on the decks and in the rigging would be watching her and their captain. "I-I believe he has some sewing for me to do."
"He won't be long. He has some ship's business ter attend." Jack watched with a saucy half smile as his lover made her way over to him, noting the worried look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, aware of Myles Burford at the helm.
"N-nothing," she replied, eyes downcast. "I just feel that everyone is watching me… no - I know that everyone is watching me."
"Th'novelty'll wear off," Jack informed her with a smile. "But don't take any cheek from them," he warned. "Savvy?"
"I can't keep running to you all the time," Celia protested. "I'll be all right, I just feel… strange."
"Nice strange or not nice strange?"
"Nice… I think. No! I don't mean it like that!" she burst out, hastily trying to recover the gaffe. "I mean…"
"I know what you mean," Jack chuckled. "Here's Gibbs now. I'll go an' get us some food from Pellew - we need ter build out strength up again!" he winked, laughing out loud as he passed his quartermaster who gave him an outraged look.
"Joshamee," Celia smiled hesitantly, trying hard not to blush and failing miserably. "Do you have some sewing?"
"Yes, pet," the older man smiled sadly, cursing his captain for soiling her innocence. "Peter!" he called as he spotted the ship's boy. "Go and fetch the sack of make and mend I have in my cabin."
"Aye, Mister Gibbs," the lad grinned, disappearing back down the hatch he had just come up.
"Are you all right?" Gibbs asked Celia, turning his attention back to her. "You didn't have to…"
"I chose to," she informed him, glancing at Myles and wishing they weren't so close to him that he could overhear. "I wanted to, Mister Gibbs, and I'm sorry if that disappoints you."
"It's not for me to judge…" he began.
"But you are!" Celia cried. "You're a pirate and yet you are damning me for giving myself to Jack. I never thought of you as a hypocrite, Joshamee."
"I… erm…" he stuttered, looking askance. "I'm sorry," he sighed eventually. "You're right. It's just that… there are very few innocents left over here and I wanted to… protect you, I suppose."
"Joshamee," Celia smiled, reaching over and kissing the portly man on the cheek. "Just how innocent do you think I was after living with Aggie and Giselle and then being held on his ship for two weeks? I know you mean well, but I am truly all right, savvy?" she chuckled, glancing at Jack as he reached the top of the quaterdeck steps with two plates in his hands.
"You quoting me?" he mused, looking suspiciously at her with his head tilted to one side.
"Yes," she laughed, taking a plate off him and blushing further as her stomach growled.
"Well get it down yer," Jack chivvied, already tucking into his plate of cold meat and leavened bread. He frowned as the watch bell sounded and realised with a lurch that the change of watch was due and that Oliver would be taking over the helm. "Why don't we take this inside?" he suggested, hoping to get her out of his helmsman's sight before he arrived and sending thanks that the Irishman was late for once.
"Why?" Celia enquired with a full mouth. "I prefer to sew outside."
"But it'll be really hot today. Come on…" Jack groaned inwardly as the tall crewman emerged from the hatch and made his way to the steps, looking first at him and then at Celia, his face a mask of fury.
"Sorry I'm late, Myles," Oliver apologised through gritted teeth as he reached the helm, avoiding everybody's eyes. "I'll work over at th'end of th'shift."
"No need, mate," Myles told him, placing a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yer've covered fer me often enough."
"I-I think I will go below," Celia gulped, practically running down the steps and almost colliding with Noah Trinity for the second time. "S-sorry," she called as she disappeared into the cabin.
"If you were anythin' like a man, Fernan, you wouldn't put her in this position," Jack snapped, glaring angrily at his crewman.
"If yer were anythin' like a man, Captain, yer wouldn't have had her fer th'first time on a ship full of men," came the riposte. "You'd have taken her ter some nice tavern ashore an' treated her right."
"She was willing!" Jack barked, advancing on him. "She wanted me an' that's what you can't handle."
"Crap!" Oliver snarled. "You coerced her."
"That's enough, both of you!" Joshamee snapped, pushing between the two men. "Oliver, below - Myles, you can have the helm back for a while. Jack, to your cabin."
"Who made you captain?" Jack taunted, never taking his eyes of the tall Irishman who was himself glaring back.
"You're letting your emotions get in the way. Fernan!" Gibbs barked, shoving him in the chest. "Below before I throw you in th'brig."
"Aye, Mister Gibbs," Oliver hissed, shooting one more look at Jack before turning on his heel.
"Jack… Captain Sparrow. Might I tactfully suggest you go and cool off in your cabin. Celia will be needing reassurance…" The quartermaster hoped that his captain's feelings for the young woman might bring him to his senses.
"Aye," Jack sighed eventually. "She will…" He made to turn but stopped. "Come ter my cabin in a while, we have things ter discuss."
"Aye, Captain," the quartermaster agreed, knowing what his captain was going to say. "In one turn?"
"One turn will be fine," Jack called over his shoulder as he made his way down the quarterdeck steps and into his cabin, shutting the door firmly behind him.
"Bloody hell," Myles Burford muttered, glancing at Joshamee who shook his head slowly.
"Celia?" Jack called, searching his cabin for the young woman before making for the side cabin. "You all right, luv?"
"What am I going to do?" she fretted, looking at him as he stood in the doorway.
"Nothin'," Jack told her, stepping inside and taking her in his arms. "It's my problem, savvy, an' I'll deal with it."
"I-I never… encouraged him," Celia worried. "I was just friendly, or so I thought."
"I know. Hey - he can't help havin' impeccable taste in women, eh?" Jack chivvied, lifting her chin and brushing his lips against hers.
"But if you're going to fight and argue everytime you see each other…"
"We won't," he assured her. "I promise."
"Maybe it would be better if I wasn't here. Maybe I can find work in Tortuga and pay you back that way?"
"No!" Jack stated, shaking his head firmly. "I'm not havin' that."
"But I will have to go back ashore sometime, won't I?"
Jack frowned, not having thought that far ahead and found himself shaking his head. "Not if you don't want to, no."
"I can't live on board!" Celia exclaimed. "I don't want to live on board!"
"What do you want, then?"
It was Celia's turn to pause as she struggled to put into words what was on her mind. "I suppose I just want to know where I stand with you, or at least where I will stand once my debt is repaid. "Will you wave me off with thanks for a good time, or…?"
"Or what," Jack asked quietly. "What do you want from me?"
"I told you, to know where I stand. Was your interest in me purely carnal and now that you've had me, you'll discard me like a rag?"
"No, luv… I won't discard you." Jack sighed and took her hand, leading her to the stern seats and sitting down, pulling her on to his lap. "My initial interest in you… well, maybe that was lust an' little else. But when I found that you'd been taken by… well, I realised that I was worried fer you - genuinely worried an' b'fore I knew it, I was making sail fer Port-au-Prince. You sure yer don't want ter stay aboard?"
"No, Jack. I hate the idea of you attacking other ships and killing the crew. I just can't…"
"We don't always kill th'other crew," the pirate captain defended. "In fact, we mostly let 'em go, savvy?"
"But when you fire on them - men get killed then, don't they?"
"Aye, th'same as my men get killed when they fire on us. It's part an' parcel of this life, Celia. So yer won't stay?"
"No," Celia declared firmly. "But you still haven't answered my question."
Jack winced, hoping to have avoided this conversation at all, for he was unsure as to what to say. "Why don't we wait an' see what happens, eh? I mean, this time last week, you were adamant that you'd never give yerself ter me, an' now…" he chuckled, sucking on her earlobe. "Now, yer can't get enough of me," he growled as she shuddered in his arms.
"Jack… no…"
"No," he agreed, breaking away with a sigh. "Too much ter do."
"I was thinking more of the indecency of it," Celia chided with mock severity, unable to supress a grin as she looked at him. "Stop it!"
"What?" Jack shrugged, trying and failing to look innocent. "No regrets, luv?" he enquired, almost hesitantly.
"I've tried to feel regret," she admitted ruefully, "but I can't."
"Thank gawd fer that. I'll get Gibbs ter send th'sewin' in here."
"No - I'm coming out on deck to do it. I'll just sit at the bow and not the quarterdeck, if that's all right?"
"Fine," Jack smiled, kissing the tip of of her nose then standing, catching his lover before she fell to the deck. "Come on then."
"All right," Celia, musing that he had still managed to get out of answering her question to her satisfaction.
…
