Revenge of the Bleeding Heart

Disclaimer: I only own anything you don't recognize from "Pirates of the Caribbean". This is the sequel to "A Halloween Wish", so suggest you read that first…or you won't understand this.

Author's Note: Ahoy! I apologize for not updating sooner. I've been having trouble writing this story and there was a lot of drama going on in my life and I couldn't focus. Enjoy this chapter. I'll update again when I can.


Chapter 11: Fighting

For the next few days of traveling on the Black Pearl, I avoided Jack to the best of my ability, except when he was ordering me to help sail the ship with the rest of the crew. It was like déjà vu all over again…me spending time alone, eating before the crew made it to the kitchen, and getting to bed before they got back to work. Only when Will desperately needed help with his work would I stay out at night. It seemed that he had forgotten about me almost crying in his cabin and the rest of the crew seemed to forget Jack humiliating me.

"ATTENTION!" I heard Jack shout from the helm, "ATTENTION!" I knew this was my chance to sneak down to the kitchen and grab a quick bite to eat before the rest of the crew went down there in ten minutes. Jack had been bragging about returning to Tortuga again to stock up on supplies and spending the rest of his time with whores for the past few days, and today he was just going to mention it again. What a bastard he was…

I quickly slipped out of Jack's sight and down the stairs to the kitchen before anyone noticed and shut the door behind me. Thank God the cook had left at Jack's call as well. I had at least a few minutes to be alone. I quickly grabbed an apple, some bread, and a bottle of rum from the counter and sat down at the table the crew would sit at. As I bit into the smooth crimson skin of the apple, I felt relief. I had skipped breakfast and was desperate to eat something. Sadly, I only had a short amount to time to eat my food, so I followed through rather quickly.

When I finished the apple and bread, I drank down the rum at my regular pace and finished half the bottle. I decided I would hide the rest in here and save it for tomorrow. As I placed the bottle in the back of a cabinet behind some spices, I heard the crew cheering from above. "Jack must have finished his speech," I muttered as I closed the cabinet and started for the door. However, I stopped when I heard the rustle of feet running down the hallway and men shouting "rum".

"Shit," I whispered as I looked around. There was NOWHERE I could hide in this kitchen. The cabinets were filled and there were no closets I could go to. If Jack caught me down here, I'd surely be locked up for not listening to his speech. He had gotten like that lately…being all tough, I mean. It got rather annoying after a while. As I heard the steps get closer, I knew it would be best to escape, but there was only a small porthole that was even too tiny for me to squeeze through. I quickly darted under the table and braced my arms and legs across the top. Since it wasn't that long, I was able to hold myself up. The question remained, could I do it for a half hour? I know, I know…I'm a pirate on this ship, but talking with the men was NOT in my best interest right now.

I heard all men barge into the room and when they sat down, slamming their hands on the table like animals, it made it more difficult to hold on. Eventually it all went quiet and I knew Jack had entered. They had praised him not only for returning to Tortuga, but for my capture and bedding as well. I listened carefully to hear the heels of his boots clump across the wooden floor and eventually stop directly in front of me. I saw his legs slide under the table and to my surprise they were only a few inches from my face. If I fell, he'd be the first to know.

"Jack, are ye sure we should return to Tortuga this soon?" Gibbs asked, "I mean with that Norrington fellow still looking for us?"

"That Commodore won't come within ten leagues of me Pearl. He knows better than to mess with Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack replied with his usual emphasis on the "captain". What an arrogant jerk he was.

"SQUAWK! Pretty girl! Not here! SQUAWK!"

I suddenly felt nervous. That bloody parrot had mentioned me.

"Mr. Cotton, I'm afraid that Nat is absent from dinner again," Jack stated solemnly.

"Do ye love her, Cap'n?" one of the pirates asked.

"Aye that I do. Always loved the girl, but she has such a temper."

"Was she good in bed, Cap'n?"

"Oh yes…quite the little temptress if ya know what I mean, men." I felt like slapping Jack from that comment. So this is what they spoke about when I wasn't around. "She would be the best whore in Tortuga if she lived there."

"Jack, don't speak of Natalie like that!" Will almost yelled, "If you love her so much, you shouldn't speak of her in such ways."

"Whelp, she's not here at the moment so it doesn't matter what I say."

"Of course it matters! She's such a sweet young woman who only wants to live a good life. You say you care for her, but then you go and talk about her behind her back. It's just not right, Jack!"

"Listen, Will…"

"NO! I won't let you talk about Natalie like this! Do you know how much you embarrassed her!" My heart suddenly began racing. What was Will going to tell him? "You slept with her, stole her clothing, told the crew what you did, and she came running down the stairs and bumped into me! She said she wouldn't cry, but it was obvious she would have been crying if she had let her feelings escape."

"She was crying?" Jack asked.

"Almost crying, Jack. There's a difference! And how do you think she would feel if she knew you were speaking about her right now?" That was it! I wasn't going to let them keep talking about me like this. I quickly dropped down to the floor and pushed Jack's chair legs, knocking him flat on his back.

"Bloody hell, what was that!" he yelled as he sat up, only to find himself looking up at me. I had gotten to my feet and was now towering above him. "Natalie, love…what were ye doing under the table?"

"Avoiding you at all possible costs you selfish bastard!" I screamed as I kicked his chair and stormed past Will, slamming the door on my way out. As I walked up the stairs, I could hear the pirates below all bellowing about how stupid Jack was for letting me get away with what I did, but I didn't care anymore. Jack Sparrow had wrecked my life and I wanted to kill him. This man had reawakened the feelings I wanted to keep inside me and was now playing with my head. I had promised myself that I would never fall for him, yet I had slept with him the night before! Was I crazy?

"Natalie…"

"What, Jack?" I asked with my fists clenched at my sides. I knew it was him. I could hear his slurring speech from all the rum he had been drinking. Still, I kept my back to him. Looking into his eyes would only cause more heartache.

"Why were you hiding under the table like that? You know you're welcome to sit with us."

"After what you said about me Sparrow, I figure I'm nothing more than amusement for you," I replied, holding back any tears that would prick my eyes.

"Amusement?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Jack. I heard everything you were telling them. I especially loved the comment about how I'd be the best whore in Tortuga."

"Love, I didn't mean it to offend ye."

"Then why did you fucking say it!" I shouted as I turned and faced him, my face flushed from anger, "If you love me so much, why treat me like this!"

"Natalie, I'm a pirate. What did ye expect…manners?"

"In this case I would, Sparrow. You can be such a jerk!" When I took a step to walk away from him, I felt him grab my hand and pull me back. I ended up with my body pressed against his and looked up into his eyes, which seemed darker than the normal chocolate brown that they were.

"Don't ever call me a jerk…ever."

"And what are you going to do about it? Throw me overboard? Rape me? Kill me?"

"I'm not one to hit a lady," he replied calmly.

"Well, I'm one to slap a man!" I retorted, raising my free hand and slapping him across the face firmly. I watched as he turned his face slightly from being hit, but he didn't change his expression. All he did was adjust his jaw slightly and look at me again.

"Why would you hit me, Nat? I haven't done anything you didn't want."

"Sparrow, you've used me in so many ways that I can't even talk about it! You ruined my life…and my chance for anyone else to ever love me! Just leave me alone!" I screamed as I yanked my arm from his hand and stormed off to my cabin. I slammed the door behind me and walked over to the wall on the other side of the room. Bracing my hands on the wall, I let out a loud scream and hung my head, feeling a tear run down my cheek. How is it that Jack could hurt me so much? I wanted to hate him, yet I couldn't. I could never truly hate Jack Sparrow. Why was that? What hold did Jack have over me? Sure, I had slept with him, but did it really matter that much to me? He played me…used me. It wasn't like he was the dependable type like Chris. "Oh God…Chris," I mumbled to myself. I had forgotten about him! The one man I was supposed to be in love with…had drifted from my thoughts!

KNOCK

What was I going to do?

KNOCK

Chris was the one guy who had always been there for me. He had never disrespected me…ever! And here I am now…dealing with some sick and twisted bastard who I don't give a rat's ass about.

KNOCK

I slowly turned my head and looked at the door, feeling my heart begin to race. I knew that it was Jack. It had to be. All he does is follow me around and make moon eyes. Damn, I hate that. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Was his one goal in life to make me miserable? Somehow I dragged myself over to the door and twisted the knob. Before I could even open the door fully, I was shoved back by the force coming from the other side. I stumbled into the wall and groaned when my head smacked into the wood. "What the hell?" I asked. I looked at my intruder and noticed that it was Anamaria. Thank God it wasn't Jack.

"Jack ordered me to tell you to stay in here," she stated firmly.

"Why?" Suddenly, I felt the ship shake with such force that I almost lost my balance. "Was that a cannonball?"

"Just stay in here. The Bleeding Heart is attacking us," the woman said as she walked out and shut the door behind her. Only one thought crossed my mind…Chris.