A/N: usual disclaimers, etcetera, etcetera. Wouldn't it be great if I did own him, though? I might even be pursuaded to share . . . it shouldn't usually take me this long to update, either, but my life has been crazy lately and things have finally settled down again. Reviews are welcome!
Joanna woke the next morning with a headache and an almost empty bottle of rum clutched in one hand. She squinted in the bright morning light at the scene in front of her, bodies splayed out on the beach in various forms of repose, before remembering where she was. Joanna rolled from her side to her back, belatedly noticing the arm strewn across her waist and her lack of a dress or corset. Jack.
She thought over the last twenty-four hours of her life. She'd greeted the morning before from the deck of a ship that was now at the bottom of the ocean, and said goodbye to a man on that ship who'd been like a father to her. Joanna's view of the sparse clouds above her began to blur as tears gathered in her eyes. Tears not just for Uncle Arthur. As she took a swig from the bottle in her hand and felt it burn down her throat, she started to uncharacteristically pity herself and her situation. Her parents were gone, she'd left her life and friends in London to travel to relatives she'd never met in a country she'd never desired to see, and the only other person in the world she'd ever thought of as family was lying with his ship in Davy Jones' locker because of her. Joanna tried to choke down a sob by taking an even longer swig, but the rum and her throat would not cooperate and she spluttered and had to roll over onto her stomach and prop herself up with her arms to prevent herself from being sick.
"I can see I'm going to have to teach you to drink, or keep you away from the really good stuff from now on," came a drawl from the ground next to her. Joanna swallowed back the bile in her throat and looked at Jack. He was lying on his back, his hat shielding his eyes from the sun, a Cheshire grin playing at his lips. "But I admire your effort to do it on your back," the grin got bigger and he let out a quiet, throaty chuckle before expertly raising his own bottle and downing a large amount of the rum inside.
"I'm sure there's no end to the fascinating things you'll show me, Capitan Jack, but what I'm keen to know is why I'm no longer dressed, and what has happened to my clothes."
Jack lifted his hat and peered at her with a hurt expression on his face, thinking he would have a little fun. "You mean to tell me that you don't even remember?" The hat fell back over his eyes and he let out a long sigh. "That's interesting, I've always thought of myself as a very memorable lover. . . You really mean to tell me that you don't remember begging me to free you of your clothes and take you on the beach?" Jack looked up at her with a polished earnest expression and was disappointed to see no big reaction. Why was it that he couldn't get hysterics when he wanted them for a lark, but when he didn't want or need them they came aplenty?
"It'll be a cold day in Hell when I ask you to take me on a beach. I've discovered recently that sand has a nasty habit of getting everywhere; which would probably be compounded by rutting around, not to mention extremely uncomfortable. Besides, memorable or no, you didn't do anything to me last night that I don't remember."
Jack was fairly certain she didn't recall him carrying her away from the fire when she'd fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder. He was even more certain that she didn't remember his roving hands as he removed her outer things and tucked her under a blanket beside him. Best keep that information to myself, she's bound to be as prudish as Elizabeth was before she married the whelp. Jack found his feet and walked a few steps to where he'd laid out Joanna's dress on the trunk of a palm growing its' way down the beach. When he walked back she was lounging on her back, propped up by her elbows, squinting out at the Pearl.
"I didn't say I wanted to put that back on, did I?" she asked without looking up. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to sell me a decent pair of your trousers and a shirt, would you?"
Jack tossed the dress at her and plopped down on the sand. "It's possible, luv. But speaking of money, when do you plan on paying for these clothes on top of what you'll owe for a berth in my cabin? I didn't see a whole lot of coinage in that trunk of yours."
Joanna whirled around to face him, "You went through my trunk!"
"Pirate."
"Right. And why will I be staying in your cabin?"
Jack gave her a golden, toothy grin, and held up both hands to start counting off on his ringed fingers. "I didn't suppose you'd want to sleep with the crew, there's no room anywhere else, and your things will be safe. Sharing my bunk is optional unless you're a blanket hog. Snoring isn't recommended, either. I'm a very light sleeper. You could say delicate."
"Uh-huh. Knife, please."
"Joanna, Joanna, Joanna. The famous Captain Jack Sparrow has just graciously offered you something he's never extended to anyone, not even the whelp, bless his little eunuch heart, and your reaction is astounding. Knife, please! Are you always this terse?"
Jack's hands stopped dancing around and he looked down at her speculatively, one dark brow tilting up in the corner. He didn't move as she pulled the knife from his side and pulled her dress onto her lap without even looking at him. Joanna found the inside hem at the waist and made a small cut in the fabric before handing the knife back to Jack, handle first. "Are you always this verbose?"
"What are you doing?"
"Paying you an exorbitant sum for my safe passage and a set of men's clothes." Joanna dug into the tiny hole and coaxed out first one ruby, then a string of others attached to it by an intricate chain. She fixed Jack with a steely stare as she held out the bracelet between them, "I'm going to trust that this is enough even for a pirate such as the famous Captain Jack Sparrow, who I am certain will not feel the need to go through my things again without permission lest I be forced to exact some very nasty punishment on said famous pirate."
Jack shook her extended hand and slipped the bracelet into and then through his fingers, making it disappear from sight. "We have an accord." One hand went to his chin as he played with his beard and looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. "When you say nasty punishment, do you mean the sort where you leave me on a deserted island with only one shot, or the sort where you tie me to my bunk and then proceed to drink my best rum in front of me while wearing absolutely nothing but my hat?"
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Jack looked up into the glaring sky and felt his head pounding as Will hovered over him, saying something, although he still couldn't figure out what.
"Jack, what on Earth did you say to her?"
"Hmmm? What? Where'sm'hat?"
Knowing he would only get sense out of Jack when Jack saw fit, Will sat back on his heels and tossed his friend the battered hat that was his constant companion. Jack took it and fixed it proudly on his head as he looked around them at the beach and then out to the ship with a perplexed expression on his face before visibly relaxing and turning to Will, who was now holding out a fresh bottle of rum to his captain. "Pearl'll be ready to sail as soon as I get you aboard. Elizabeth is seeing Miss Siddons settled in your cabin, and trying to ease her mind about your character."
Jack started giggling into his bottle of rum and took a long swig while digging into the sash at his waist and bringing out the bracelet for Will's inspection. "And why does your lovely wife feel the need to ease our new little friend's mind?"
Will let out a low whistle as he took the proffered bracelet and began to examine the blood-red rubies. "Elizabeth thought it might save you from further head injuries, not that they seem to make much difference at this point. So, Jack, what did you say to make our new little friend hit you so hard that you've been out cold for the last half hour?" Will handed the bracelet back and looked at Jack expectantly.
Jack giggled again and took another drink before turning to Will and recounting the entire conversation complete with dancing hands and several swills of rum. If Captain Jack Sparrow was anything, he was a fantastic storyteller. Will just shook his head and laughed.
"So what do you think, Will? Think I might have deserved that?" Both men stood and started walking toward the last boat waiting on the beach.
"Yes, I think you definitely deserved it. Whatever possessed you?" Will helped Jack push the boat out and then jumped in and grabbed the oars. It was easier to listen to Jack when he could occupy himself with something else at the same time.
"Jus' having a little fun. Honestly, she let me kiss her last night. Think she might've liked it, too."
"Jack, she was probably just in shock. Seems she's had a bit of a crazy life as of late. You might want to lay off the seduction bit, we don't know how long she'll be with us, and there are always plenty of women in port for you. Elizabeth will probably skin you alive if you try to have too much fun with Joanna, she seems to like her. Besides, you've said it yourself, ship romances are a bad idea and should be avoided at all costs; Elizabeth and myself being an exception, of course." Will had stopped rowing halfway through his diatribe when they'd bumped against the hull and had been imitating Jack's way of speaking when he turned his captain's own words back on him.
Jack stood up in a rush over his friend and grabbed with one hand the rope hanging over the side of the ship. He gave Will a dark, calculating look for a moment before a quick smile crossed his face and he turned around to make his way up the side of the ship. "Maybe I just want what you have, eh?"
Will's face registered his surprise before he let out a sigh and went to work preparing the small vessel to be hauled out of the water for their departure. Jack was an enigma. He'd never seen his friend look at a woman the way Will himself looked at Elizabeth. Will just assumed Jack was perfectly content with the bachelor's life at sea, a sweetheart or two in every port; he couldn't imagine a woman onboard (other than Elizabeth or Annamaria, who sometimes sailed with them) competing with the Pearl for Jack's attention. Well, thought Will as he reached the deck and headed to the kitchen for a bite to eat before he went about his duties, I guess you learn something new every day.
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Jack entered his cabin in a good mood that swiftly departed him. His trunks were open, his possessions strewn about the cabin floor, clothes hanging from parts of the ceiling where it had disrupted their arcs through the air. He saw Roberts with his back to the door hanging up a hammock and was about to demand to know what was going on when he saw Joanna enter barefoot from the head in some dandyish clothes Elizabeth had picked out for him. Neither noticed the captain fuming in the doorway as Joanna walked to Roberts and thanked him for fixing her hammock.
The young man turned to leave and the smile on his face grew infuriatingly larger when he saw Jack glowering at the state of his cabin, "Morning, Captain." Roberts knew something juicy was coming when he saw Jack's nod, and he quietly closed the door behind him on his way out to finish his duties with the crew and tell them yet another entertaining story about Joanna. First that knockout punch this morning, and now messing with Jack's private things. Having her aboard would be fun if she kept this up; the captain was hilarious when he got properly riled, even if you were the target of his anger.
"Care to explain?" Jack's voice was dangerously quiet as he walked toward the windows at the back of the cabin and looked out before turning to face Joanna. Silently, gracefully, he sat back on the ledge underneath them and leaned against the glass, his arms crossed over his chest and his soft lips in a hard line.
Joanna knew from Elizabeth that he'd been testing her when he'd made the comment on the beach. Apparently, he liked saying risqué things and seeing how far people would let him go. Elizabeth assured her that Jack could in fact be a perfect gentleman if he so chose, but Joanna would have to let him know that she wouldn't accept anything less or she'd never see the end of raunchy jokes and groping hands. And even then, Elizabeth had said, he still liked to push the boundaries occasionally. So Joanna raised her head and didn't take her eyes from his, "Explain what? I think my reaction to your lewd comment this morning perfectly self-explanatory."
For the first time Jack smiled at her, and waved his hands as if in dismissal, "Oh, I know I deserved that. No," his smile disappeared and his eyes widened as he gestured at the state of his cabin, "what I'm keen to know is why you've done this!"
Joanna smiled her most winning smile, "Is that not self-explanatory as well? You went through my things without regard-by the way, I want my kohl back, you obviously have some of your own-and you owed me a set of clothes. I should think it was perfectly obvious. We're even now."
She was almost to the door when his voice stopped her, "If that's the way you want to play it, lass, then you've got a nice punch to the face coming your way."
Joanna turned around and gave Jack her most disdainful look, despite her discomfort that he'd managed to sneak up right behind her without a sound. "I'd like to see you try."
She didn't even see him move, just felt and heard a tiny rush of air before stars exploded in the black and then faded away to nothing.
Jack caught Joanna before she fell to the floor of the cabin and picked her up, carrying her over to the hammock and gingerly laying her inside. He leaned over her, checking that she would sleep peacefully without danger of concussion or a fall from the hammock. Jack straightened and swaggered toward the door. "Now we're even." He smiled as he threw open the cabin door and made his way to the helm.
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"He's taking us to Port Royal, isn't he?" Elizabeth turned to face Will as he joined her at the bow.
"He wants to find out as much as he can about our current passenger situation. It does seem odd that the Spanish are after her, too. Makes me wonder how much she's really telling us, and if she is who she says she is."
Elizabeth looked down at the waves being broken by the ship and contemplated her next words. Although class had never been an issue for her, she knew that their different backgrounds made Will uncomfortable at times. "When my Mother was still alive and we lived in London, she used to love to go to the theatre. She told me stories of how Father wooed her at the playhouse, even though he hates plays. The last show we all saw together was a command performance for the late King Charles. I was six at the time, so that would have made Prince Edward twenty . . . two. Twenty-two. He had . . . a reputation even then as a womanizer, and you know it had to have been bad if even I knew about it. The show we saw boasted the entire Siddons family on the bill. Husband, wife, daughter. She is who she says she is.
"Will," she continued with a sigh, remembering a part of her past, "London Society, the Beau Monde, whatever you want to call it, is a snake pit in fancy clothing and carriages. For someone like Joanna, from a humble background and with no family or other protection, to come to the attention of no less person than the King of England Himself . . . it's unthinkable. She must be so frightened of what will happen to her. I would be, and I was raised among them! It's an incredibly bold move to go against the grain like that. I have to admire her for it, and I want to help her, Will. I just hope Edward will have gotten over it by now. It seems to me that if he wants to ingratiate himself to the people he could do something more practical and less selfish than taking as mistress a popular celebrity of humble origin, like lowering taxes or improving living standards.
Will rubbed his wife's shoulder and looked at her adoringly. He considered himself very fortunate to have her love, and was still constantly amazed at her capacity to care for other people when she didn't have to. She was so—
"Seems to me that being the King's mistress could be a very profitable business." Will groaned inwardly as he and Elizabeth were approached by Jack. For all of his talk about opportune moments, the man didn't seem to have any respect for others' pursuit of such moments. He was now standing right next to them, holding the bracelet between the three of them for examination. Elizabeth gasped audibly.
"Jack!" She looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before continuing in a sharp whisper, "Be careful! You shouldn't say that or have that," she pointed at the string of rubies in his hand, "out where people can see or hear! You don't know who's listening. And especially don't talk that way around Joanna, please, it's not very sensitive."
"Firs' thing's first, luv," Jack held up the bracelet and smiled when it glinted in the sunlight before slipping it back into his pocket, "when in our entire acquaintance have you ever known anyone to take anything I say seriously?" She looked at Will as if expecting him to say something but he merely shrugged at her, and they both looked once more at Jack, knowing he had plenty more to say. "Secondly," the hands were dancing in the air now, "there's no way Joanna heard that little comment." He gestured towards his cabin, "she's incapacitated at the moment."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed shrewdly, "What do you mean, incapacitated?"
Jack steepled his hands under his chin and looked up at her from puppy dog eyes that didn't fool anyone, "she's taking a little nap in her new hammock."
Elizabeth sighed and brushed airily past both men on her way to check on Joanna. "Right," she muttered under her breath, "my Aunt Fanny."
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"I can't believe he hit you!" Elizabeth's voice raised a pitch from its usually melodious tones and Joanna winced.
"I can. It hurts like Hell and looks like shite." She looked apologetically up at the other woman from under the cold compress she'd been given, a blush creeping across her cheeks and up to a very bruised and swollen temple where Jack had gotten his revenge, "Oh, sorry! I should really watch my mouth."
"You don't have to worry about offending me, Joanna. It's nothing I haven't heard or said before. I'm really sorry about this. He wouldn't like people to know it, but Jack's really like a sweet little puppy. He just likes to give people the wrong first impression."
"How did someone like you become friends with someone like him?"
Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. "The first time I met Jack, he saved my life, insulted my honor, and escaped gunfire and a regiment of marines within five minutes."
Joanna's eyebrows shot up, but she managed to control her manners and avoid snorting. As though Elizabeth could read her mind, she launched into the story of how she met Jack, was kidnapped by Barbossa, and helped end the curse on the Black Pearl. As if on cue, Elizabeth's stomach grumbled in a most unladylike manner just as she finished her narration. "My goodness, have I been talking this entire time?"
Like a yawn, the stomach-grumbling seemed to be contagious, and Joanna's gave a low grumble in response to her companion's question. Immediately, Elizabeth was bustling around Jack's cabin, adding to the bundle in her arms as she moved from trunk to shelf to cupboard and in a matter of minutes they'd begun tucking into some of Jack's favorite goodies. Joanna had begun to feel comfortable enough around Elizabeth to tell her more about her situation, how Edward had been showering her with gifts over the past several months, his commissioning of the Drury Lane Theatre, what had been her parents' hard work and her professional home, so that he as King was now in charge of everything that went on there. As Elizabeth listened patiently, Joanna recalled everything from her first meeting with the King, to her several summons to court and command performances, how her life had drastically changed in a remarkably short period of time and her efforts to stay afloat in a dangerous tide which had brought her now to this place at this time. The sun had set and the two women could hear the men outside as they readied the Pearl for sailing at night with a skeleton crew.
"Don't worry, Joanna," Elizabeth reassured her as they shared a warm hug, "we'll do everything we can to keep you safe."
"Thank you. I—"
The only thing she'd left out was the only thing she still hadn't fully been able to recover from. Joanna never wanted to tell anyone about the night before she'd left London. If she didn't tell anyone, maybe she'd be able to forget it, and then it could be like it had never happened . . .
"Joanna, are you alright?" Elizabeth's eyes searched her face and she barely managed to fight back the tears that threatened to come unbidden.
"I'm fine. I'm better than I've been in a long time, I just—I never expected any of this to happen. But, I'm glad I met you."
"Me, too." Elizabeth squeezed her hand and then made her way to the cabin door, turning around and smiling at her before leaving Joanna alone to wait for Jack, "me, too."
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Elizabeth was relieved to see Jack and Will both at the helm; she could tell them at once, and they were actually easier for her to convince when they were together.
"We're going to Tortuga," she announced without preamble.
Jack turned to Will, "you need to teach your lady love a decent sense of direction," he said seriously, one hand eventually stopping to point at a tiny spot on the horizon, "see, we're going to Port Royal, and Tortuga is thataway."
"No, Jack," Elizabeth patiently explained, confident that she would get her way, "Joanna and I want to buy the men a full night at Turtle's Back, drinks and everything—excluding you, dear—" she winked at Will, "but the deal is contingent upon you agreeing to our terms."
Jack pulled upon his beard and tried to hide his excitement until he was sure he wasn't being cheated—Elizabeth had a habit of being tricky, one of the reasons he admired and feared her so much. "And what are your terms?"
"We dock at least a week, crew is sworn to absolute secrecy, and you agree to consider the plans we lay forth once in Tortuga."
Jack looked at his first mate and raised one brow. "Why do I feel like there's something she isn't telling me?" he asked.
"Because there probably is," Will answered truthfully, "but when have you ever turned down free drinks?"
"Did someone say free drinks?" Joshamee Gibbs approached the helm for his shift.
Jack patted him on the back and smiled his Cheshire smile. "Set course for Tortuga, Mr. Gibbs. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can start our free evening of drinkin' and lasses—or lads in Roberts' case," he muttered, still sore that his crewman had let Joanna wreak such havoc on his cabin. He looked pointedly at his friends, "I'm going to drink and bed. You can manage taking us in, can't you? I may have a long night ahead of me," he added, giving Elizabeth a playful wink as he walked off.
"I'm sure you do," she answered knowingly, causing Will and Gibbs to look between her and Jack, not sure of the joke.
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"I'm going to give you a choice," Joanna said to Jack from her perch on the table as he entered the cabin. "You can either come sit still for me over here, or," she paused, looking at him straight in the eye and willing with all her might to make him fidget or give her a sign that she had a chance at the upper hand, "or I can get rid of all of your rum when you're not looking."
Jack's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for Joanna before she was disarmed by a winning smile and the swagger she was beginning to get used to as Jack made his way over to the table and sat in the chair in front of her. "You wouldn't do that, luv. You don't even know where all my rum is," he leaned forward in his chair until his face stopped inches below hers and he looked at her seriously, just the hint of taunting laughter in his voice, "there's always more where that comes from."
Joanna smiled at him and reached behind her where she had hidden a particularly fine-looking bottle. "You're absolutely right, you know," she handed him the bottle and saw with an inward squeal of delight that he paled somewhat, "I found this one under the third floorboard from the window with the warped pane. Ready to sit still for a bit?"
Jack looked up at her with an expression in his eyes like he was weighing his options before pulling the cork out with his teeth and saluting her with the bottle then taking a long swig. "For you, lass, I'll attach myself to this chair all night."
He was rewarded with his answer by a sweet and unassuming smile that took him completely by surprise. "Oh, I don't think it'll take me that long to do what I need to."
"And what do you intend to do?"
Joanna laughed and showed him her box of stage makeup, "I'm going to get even for this horrible bruise you've given me."
Twenty minutes later, she stood up to put her makeup away in her trunk and grab a mirror of Jack's before walking back to examine her handiwork. For Jack, it had been a unique experience. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched his face gently, as she had. Probably not since he was a child. He looked into the proffered glass and let out a low whistle. His face looked as though he'd spent a night in gaol and pissed off everyone within a quarter mile radius. He half expected to feel pain if he moved his head too much. "So, lass, we even?"
"For now." She grinned wickedly before retreating to Jack's bunk behind a heavy curtain partition. "Goodnight, Jack."
He was trying to figure out if she had just issued an invitation when her voice cut into his thoughts, "Thanks for the bunk. Enjoy your night with the chair!" Well, so it wasn't an invitation, exactly, but he had only stated that he would stay attached to the chair, and the chair could be moved. Oh, how he loved the English language! Jack waited a few moments until he heard her stop moving around on the other side of the curtain before he silently stood and grabbed the chair. He set it down quietly right in front of the curtain before straddling it and pulling the curtain aside in one fluid movement.
Joanna was lying on his bunk. Her clothes lay neatly folded on the floor and she was on her stomach, the heavy quilt pushed down to her waist leaving her entire back exposed. Jack's eyes went wide as he took in the sight and finally met Joanna's own alarmed expression. "You're naked."
She looked as if she were about to cry. "You wouldn't . . . ?" It was a statement, it was a question, and it brought Jack back down to earth.
"I never have, and I never will force myself on a woman." True, he liked the pleasures of the flesh as much or more than any other man, but he had enough self control to go as long as he had to without a woman's company. He wouldn't turn it down if it was a good offer, after all, he wasn't an idiot, but he would never take what wasn't freely offered to him. Obviously, somewhere this girl had gotten the idea that all men were capable of such monstrosities, which would go a long way to explain her hot and cold reactions to him. "Joanna Siddons, I give you my word that you are in no danger of such actions from either me or my crew."
She sniffed before hazarding a watery smile, "I'm sorry. I should have known you wouldn't. I was just startled; I mean, you look like a ruffian with those bruises."
Jack gave her a golden grin, "Yes, well, I got on the bad side of a really tough wench." He was relieved to hear her laugh, the darkness seemed to have passed at least. "Now, if you'll excuse me, that hammock over there is calling to the chair and me. Goodnight." Jack stood and gave her a little bow before picking up the chair and starting across the cabin.
"Wait." He turned around, not sure of what she wanted. Joanna was sitting up in his bunk, the heavy cover pulled up to her collarbone. She looked surprised for some reason, and took a deep breath, "Will you please stay with me tonight?" A deep blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Jack's mind was racing behind a blank face; nice women who said please to him didn't say it in this context.
Neither one of them spoke as Jack moved about the cabin, doffing his hat, effects, shirt, and boots before dousing all but one lantern. He brought it over to where she lay looking up at him, the bruise on her temple almost completely hidden by shadow. Jack hung the lantern above the bunk and shaded it so only a little light seeped through before sitting on the edge, his back to Joanna.
Jack lay down then, finally turning and looking at her lying between himself and the wall in the dim light. Her eyes were gazing at him with something between wonder and curiosity. Jack could just see himself getting into trouble because of this woman, but he'd think about that later, after he'd had a few decent drinks and she wasn't around to distract him. "Now," he whispered huskily in the half dark, "don't think this means you can take advantage of me in this state. If you try to have your way with me, the chair and I go straight back to the hammock."
Joanna's eyes closed and her lips curved into a tiny smile before she drifted off to sleep, "You'll be safe with me, Cap'n."