Chapter seven: Vengeance and Jewels
The air was chill but she did not care - Alex sighed softly as she ran her fingers over Jack's bare chest, admiring his muscles as her former nervousness returned in full, but not overwhelmingly so. The candlelight reflected in his dark eyes as he watched her, one arm under his head. He was contemplating something, and she could tell, but she did not want to break the peaceful silence. Suddenly he stood, pulling on his trousers before walking across the room to his desk. She watched him with her brows furrowed in confusion, though soon decided to get dressed as well. She was buttoning her shirt when Jack returned to her.
'If yeh kill him tonight, there's no goin' back,' he reminded her, and she nodded.
'I know,' she stated quietly, leaning against him once he sat down beside her. She had no regrets about taking on a pirate's life, for that was the only life that had something to offer her in her eyes.
'I've been talkin' to Gibbs 'bout somethin',' he began, snaking his arm around her waist. 'As first mate, he could marry us, if yeh wish.' When she hesitated, his resolve broke. 'I could be a good husband t' yeh, Alex, if yeh give me a chance. I'm a pirate, but I'm human as well, 'n I can love just as well as the next man.'
'It's not you I'm worried about,' she soothed. 'I know you'd make a good husband - hell, you'd make an excellent husband … but it's me I'm worried about. I never thought I'd make a good wife.'
'Yeh make a wonderful lover,' he murmured, 'and nothin' would change between us, 'cepts we'd be official, so where's the problem?'
'If you'll accept me,' she whispered, 'I'd love to marry you.'
'Then we'll get married,' he smiled, kissing her lips. She smiled as well and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. 'I got yeh a ring, if yeh wanna see it.' She sat back up, grinning, and he smiled and reached for the small box he had set on the bedside table. He opened it and removed the ring, sliding it onto her finger as his eyes danced with merriment. 'I love yeh, darlin'.'
'I love you, too, Jack,' she murmured, and glanced down at the ring before kissing his lips passionately. When the kiss ended, she remember what the night had in store for them and her joy was dampened. He noticed the sudden change in her, and since he knew what had caused it, he knew how to sooth her.
'I'll protect yeh, lovely. I let yeh get away once - it's not happenin' again,' he murmured, and she took his hands.
'I know you'll protect me, Jack,' she stated. 'It's not seeing him again that worries me … how could he have done that to Carolyn?'
'He did the same thing t' yeh, Alex,' Jack pointed out. 'I know yeh have the fury t' be a cutthroat if yeh have t' be, but I'm not encouragin' it any more than I'm encouragin' yeh puttin' on a dress and living in Port Royal. It's up t' yeh. Either way, I love yeh.'
'You'd love me if I was a fancy lady in Port Royal? You've been banned from Port Royal on pain of death,' she reminded him, and he kissed her cheek.
'I'd sneak int' see yeh everyday,' he stated, and then stood. 'Yeh'd best be gettin' ready, little lady. Can't have yeh goin' into Tortuga lookin' so revealed.' She rolled her eyes and stood, running her fingers through her hair to put it into place.
'I wouldn't look so revealed if you hadn't have decided you had to have me,' she pointed out, and he chuckled softly, walking up behind her and nipping her neck playfully.
'It's 'coz I'm so irresistible, isn't it, Alexandria?' he purred, and she pushed away from him with a grin.
'Something like that. Since when do you call me Alexandria?'
'I dunno, but yer name has a nice ring t' it.'
'It's too much of a mouthful,' she muttered. 'Alexandria Katherine O'Conner takes too long to say. Much easier just to say Alex.' She reached into the wardrobe, and furrowed her brow in thought. Jack began to wonder what she was thinking until he saw her pull out a dress.
'It would certainly catch his attention,' Jack stated, ''n everyone else's.'
'That's what we want, isn't it? If my body has his attention, he'll be too distracted to notice when you come in. Not only that, but a dress allows me to hide more weapons than a shirt and breeches do.'
'Yeh might just be ont' somethin',' he said with a grin, liking the thought of her being better armed. She was emotionless as she found the appropriate undergarments, and he let her be, knowing she needed to be in her thoughts for the time being. He prepared himself, carrying extra shot and powder, and knives hidden in various places. When he was ready, he looked to Alex. She was standing, running a comb through her blonde locks, and when she saw he was watching her, she motioned for him.
'Could you help me do up the laces?' she asked, and he nodded, fastening her dress for her. He ran his hands down her sides and rested his head against hers, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist.
'Yeh ready fer this?' he murmured, and she nodded.
'Yeah,' she breathed, taking his hands and turning to face him. 'I'll be fine, Jack, so stop worrying.'
'I'm not worryin',' he stated defiantly, and under her skeptical smirk, he shrugged and kissed her cheek. 'Yeh keep yerself safe 'n well, 'n if yeh need me, yeh call fer me. I'll be there fer yeh, always.'
'I know,' she stated, trailing her fingers down his jaw. 'I think I've said this before … but I almost lost you last time …'
'That's not happenin' again,' he declared firmly. 'I'm not leavin' this island without yeh. I won't … I can't …It nearly killed me last time, knowin' I had left yeh with him -'
She placed her fingers over his lips, kissing his cheek gently. He turned his head and caught her lips with his own in a tender, loving kiss that left her breathless, but when he took his lips from hers, he stepped away as well, and walked across the room. She touched her lips with her fingertips, wanting to have him kissing her still, but when he returned, his face was set and she knew he was no longer in an affectionate mood. He handed her a pistol and several knives, and she got to work at hiding it all in the bulk of her skirts. She hid daggers in each of her boots, with another strapped to her thigh over the breeches she donned beneath her long skirts, and the pistol she kept in her large pocket.
'Yeh only 'ave one shot, so use it only when necessary. If he as any friends out there, a gunshot isn't a good idea. It could alert them,' Jack stated, and Alex nodded, pulling on her boots as he paced slightly. When she knew she was ready, she took Jack's hand and led him out onto the deck.
Gibbs met them, and he embraced Alex, looking at her very much as a father would look at a daughter. Alex noticed this and kissed his cheek before embracing him once more, and then she walked over to the start of the gangplank, allowing the two men to talk. Carolyn was preoccupied with Anamaria, as Alex had planned.
'Take care o' your fiancée, Jack,' Gibbs stated with a smile, and Jack felt the reality that he was getting married sink in a little more.
'I'm not lettin' anythin' 'appen t' 'er,' Jack replied, and then lowered his voice. 'If we're not at the docks in an hour, go t' Port Royal. We'll find yeh there.' Gibbs looked skeptical, and Jack sighed. 'Alex wants Carolyn safe, Gibbs. I've talked this out with 'er.'
'I don't like it, but alrigh' …'
'I don't want to rush,' Alex stated, and Gibbs turned, having not known she was behind him, 'and no one else is getting hurt on his account. It may take more than an hour, but he's not catching me off guard this time, and he won't catch you.' She sighed heavily and looked down at the ring on her finger before meeting Jack's gaze. He nodded, and she slid the ring off. 'It's too much of a giveaway for me to wear this … that and I don't want to lose it … plus, if you have it, I have to find you, don't I?' She grinned, and Gibbs nodded as he took it into his hands.
'Nothin' will happen to it, I promise.'
So much blood … Alex looked around, unfeeling, and sighed softly. She had certainly made a mess of the place, but for some reason, she didn't care. Biting her lip in thought, she walked across the room and pulled the thin rug off the floor, wiping off her hands as she looked back to the bed, where Hurston's corpse lay. She had slit his throat, and when he had began to gag and choke on his own blood, she had lodged the knife firmly into his stomach. There was no worry that he would bother her, or Carolyn, ever again.
'Jack,' she called, listening and waiting for her fiancé. As he had promised, he came at her call, and as his gaze drifted over the red heap of man and blankets on the bed, she came to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
'Yeh okay?' he asked quietly, and she nodded, locking her arms around his middle. He rubbed her back, knowing she was lying, because she was trembling gently. Whispering gentle words in her ear, he picked her up and carried her to the room he had reserved for the night. She had finished her job early, and he had nearly half an hour to sooth her. After he had laid her on the bed, he went and fetched some water and a rag.
'Yeh don't need t' vomit, do yeh?' he asked, and she shook her head. Tenderly, he cleaned away the rest of the blood on her hands, and then used a clean corner of the rag to wipe the tears from her cheeks. 'I had to, after me first kill. It's never a nice thing, yeh know …'
'How old were you?' she asked, and he shrugged, laying down beside her and holding her close.
'Young,' he admitted. She met his gaze, and he leaned forward, placing a light kiss on her lips. Her arms went around his shoulders, and he returned the embrace without delay.
'I'm tired,' she breathed, and he kissed her cheek.
'Yeh might wanna take that dress of, little lady. We don't need no questions on the way t' the ship.' She looked down at herself, only to find more crimson stains, and sighed softly, sitting up reluctantly. He undid the laces, and she slowly slid out of the dress, dropping it to the floor. She was very grateful that he had suggested she wear a shirt and breeches beneath the dress, but found herself too tired to thank him for it. After laying back down, she snuggled closer to Jack and closed her eyes. He let her rest for a moment, smoothing her hair back from her face while waiting for her to speak.
'I tried to make it quick,' she whispered, and he silenced her.
'That's more 'an he deserved, lovely,' Jack soothed, placing a sweet kiss on her temple. He met her gaze, and watched as she thought what he said over. Slowly, she calmed and stopped trembling, and the fury of what had happened filled her eyes with flames. 'See?' he murmured. 'Think o' all he did t' yeh, 'n t' Carolyn, 'n tell me yeh regret it.'
She met his gaze without hesitation and gave him a shaky smile. 'I don't regret the murder, but it was slightly stomach-turning.' He couldn't help but smile, but his smile faded as he ran a finger over her wrists, marred with wounds that were slowly fading. Alex saw the change in him and lifted his chin, coaxing him to meet her gaze. 'What he did to me will only make me stronger. I'm going to live on the Black Pearl, after all.'
His eyes danced when he remember all that had happened. He had thought that she would never forgive him for failing to rescue her from Hurston the day she was taken, but yet she had accepted his proposal, and they were to be married. He voiced his thoughts to her and she smiled, pulling him even closer. 'I was … so afraid of loving a pirate that I was suspicious of everything. Knowing you tried to rescue me, and risked your life for me, means everything.'
'I was afraid I'd lost yeh,' he muttered, showing a side not usually seen from Jack Sparrow and resting his head on her shoulder. She sighed softly and tangled her fingers in his wild hair, meeting his gaze for a brief moment before he cleared his throat and sat up, moving away from her, much to her disapproval. Watching with her brows furrowed as he stood, she made a soft noise of discontentment and nudged his thigh with her toes, catching his attention. He extended his hand for her, and she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She had thought that he had withdrawn emotionally from her, but when he pressed his lips to hers in an apologetic, yet hungry kiss, she realized that she had been mistaken. 'We don't wanna miss the ship,' he explained, and then lifted her from her feet and was about to carry her out of the room when she told him to put her down. On her feet, she untied the dagger from her thigh, and then kneeled and rummaged through her discarded dress, removed her pistol, and stuck it in her belt. Jack grinned and picked her up once more, nipping her shoulder through her shirt as he carried her from the room.
The wonder of Tortuga was that they were not stared at as he carried her through the street, but they did indeed draw attention to themselves, from two women Alex realized she had never seen before. Upon seeing them, Jack put Alex down and tensed considerably as they neared. Both were about Alex's height, but where they were delicately thin, Alex was more muscled, and the two women were older than Alex. She found herself comparing herself to them silently, but when she realized what she was doing, she shoved her thoughts aside. If Jack wanted them … then she'd deal with that later.
'Giselle,' Jack muttered, looking at the blonde, 'Scarlet,' was directed towards the redhead. Both nodded, but their gaze was locked firmly on Alex. She ignored them both and looked over their shoulders. They were not far from the docks, and she could see what she thought to be the Pearl waiting. She wasn't in the mood to put up with what she assumed to be prostitutes, by their low cut dresses and attitudes. But of course, assuming she was correct and they were whores, then Jack had more than likely done business with them. She pushed aside her jealousy, at least for the moment.
'I'm sorry ladies, but I really don't need company tonight,' Alex said smoothly, refraining from a grin, but Jack openly snorted with laughter.
'We're not here for you,' Giselle stated, flicking her eyes over to Jack, 'we're here for him.'
'So bold,' Alex hissed, quickly losing her patience. She was tired, thirsty, slightly hungry, and wanted on the ship, into her bed, and asleep with no distractions, especially not by her lover's previous conquests.
Jack knew Alex's temper was rising and worried that the adrenaline of her revenge had not yet left her, but though her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, she appeared more weary and frustrated than ready to take action. He snaked his arm around her waist, slightly surprised by how readily she accepted his comfort. As she leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder, she cast a stare at the two women that clearly said 'try me.'
'So the rumors are true then?' Giselle muttered, her emotions cleverly masked.
'And you're Alex?' Scarlet muttered, then grinned. 'Some said it was a man by the name of Alex that Jack had been taken by.'
'Alexandria,' Alex stated, 'Alexandria O'Conner.'
Jack watched in silence, utterly amazed as he saw a silent truce form. Giselle walked off, sulking slightly, but Scarlet stayed, examining Jack for a moment before nodding to Alex, who nodded in return. When Jack didn't move, Alex nudged him in his back, and he walked with her towards Pearl. No gangplank had been lowered, but Gibbs threw ropes down to them, and they were pulled onto the deck. When he was sure everything was taken care of, and they were sailing into the night, Jack led Alex to their room and as she readied herself for bed, he watched her from his seat on the edge of the mattress.
'What was that between yeh 'n those two?' he asked, and she shrugged. 'C'mon, Alex, let an old man in on yer secrets.'
'You're not old, Jack,' she corrected, running a comb through her hair. She waited until she had smoothed the front of the overly large shirt she was wearing to bed, so large it nearly reached her knees, and then met his gaze. 'It wasn't much, just they accepted you were claimed … if that doesn't bother you.'
'You did all of that without saying a word?' he asked, and she shrugged.
'If they want you, and you want them -' she muttered, trailing off to see if he had been tempted, but he took her hands. When he felt cool metal against his palm, he looked down to find she was wearing the ring once more.
'Never,' he stated, meeting her gaze once more. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
'You're mine,' she stated with a mischievous grin, 'and I'm yours.' She paused for a moment and then sat down beside him with a sigh. 'I'm really tired,' she stated, and he nudged her, coaxing her to lie down. When she had, he scooted further onto the bed, and pulled the blankets up over the both of them before blowing out the candle and snuggling close to her.
I am very mad at myself right now, I truly am. I have to extend my grandest thanks to everyone who is reading this right now - I know that you have had to wait entirely too long for this, and I will try so hard to update the rest quickly. I will make no excuses …
Alyssa
P.S : I know that the marriage thing may be a but corny to a few people, but as I've said before, keep reading. I promise you this story will not end up so predictably. Thank you all so much!
