Chapter 3
Charity awoke to the sun in her eyes, she had no idea where she was, when she looked over to see Jack sleeping soundly next to her. She shook him gently. "Jack?" No response. "Jack!" She said a bit louder with a more vigorous shaking.
"Yes... I want pancakes... and rum." He mumbled, obviously dreaming. Charity gave him a final shove in the shoulder. "Yes! What... Charity, what is it?" He rubbed his eyes groggily.
"Where are we?" She questioned.
"On a boat." Charity looked at him like a confused puppy. "Tied to the dock." He assured her.
"Oh." She nodded and sat up on her knees. Jack grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.
"Are we alright? By we I mean you." He pointed a finger at her chest. She nodded quietly then smiled. "What is it?"
"I... I need a new sword." She raised an eyebrow. Jack didn't respond, he was distracted by her hair, although rumpled from a night's sleep, it gleamed beautifully in the morning sun. "Jack, are you listening?" She asked, when she caught his gaze.
"Oh, yes. I would like one also, perhaps even two." The side of his mouth raised in a smirk.
"Or three?" Charity could tell he was catching her drift. They stood up and walked off the boat to the nearest armory.
Due to Charity's little stunt she's pulled the night before at the bar, and Jack's lasting reputation, they roamed the crowded streets with their heads held high, while pirates scrambled out of their way and their sight. They turned into the shop and both caught themselves heading for the owner. "I'll take him." Jack insisted as he tapped his pistol.
"No, you got to be Captain, I deserve this." She argued. Jack agreed and he stepped back to swipe a few items. Charity casually strided up to the owner. "Beautiful knives ye got 'ere." She gave him a dazzling smile.
"My pride and joy they are." He chuckled while he polished a long, golden handled sword.
"You seemed nice man." Charity shrugged, but none the less aimed and fired. She found herself waltzing out with plunder in hand next to Jack.
"You keep doing that and we'll be the last ones in this town." He joked, secretly admiring how easily she seemed to make crime.
"Hasn't happened to me yet."
In the next hour they sat on the ship admiring their steals. Charity stood after sharpening and polishing her old sword. She gave a few jabs to the air, watching for Jack's reaction. She noticed the way he made funny faces and hand gestures when he thought no one was looking. "You really like that thing don't ye?" He asked, watching her glide around with her sword.
"It was a gift." She said simply.
"From who, may I ask?" He patted the spot next to him. She sat down quickly.
"My husband."
"Oh, then I imagine you'll be wanting to return to him won't ye?" Jack felt as though a load of rocks had been dumped on him, but he couldn't help feeling a bit betrayed even.
"No, he's dead." Jack noticed how she said this without an ounce of pity or grief in her voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. My parents forced me to marry young, they needed the money. He was a wealthy naval captain. I was only sixteen ,he was thirty-four, when they saw me board the ship along with him. Everyday I longed to sail off on my own, I'd always loved the sea, I took after my grandfather. I couldn't stand him, he'd force himself on me and when I wouldn't oblige he'd take to a whore. I couldn't take it anymore, so I sailed off on my own. He caught me soon enough, said he'd never have a pirate for a wife and then he gave me this." Charity lifted her hair to show a large scar on her neck. "He sheathed his sword and as soon as he turned I managed to retrieve it and I plunged it through his chest. I hated him, I knew it that moment he lay writhing on the deck. I took his sword as mine, forged a crew and after that I was know as Captain Charity Roberts." She seemed very distant after telling the story.
"I'm sorry Charity, you didn't deserve that... he didn't deserve you." Jack felt his hand touch her knee in sympathy.
"Thank you Jack." She smiled weakly and stood, flipping her sword. "Shall we dance?" Her head tilted in question.
"Well, a sword fight would quite be fair, I mean me being a man and you a woman." Jack knew this would raise her nerve.
"Although I am a woman, I've won my share of duels." She glided her sword over his. "Careful Captain Sparrow, I'm not the girl to underestimate." She smiled coyly. Jack did a quick step and caught her off guard, but she caught him. She turned and caught him again, knocking his sword from his hand. Jack fell to his knees in plea.
"I surrender." He laughed. "You are quite good! Where'd you learn?"
"My grandfather, he practically raised me. I miss him so much." She shook her head as if to remove the memory. "It's getting late, care for some rum?" She smiled innocently.
"I would actually. We should invite Kidd though." He suggested. Charity nodded in agreement. They took off and grabbed Kidd from his house. They sat in the bar, Jack and Kidd reminiscing about their old adventures, entertaining Charity, as well as exaggerating for thrill. Jack was laughing hard and close to reeling when he asked, "Right Charity?" to no response. "Charity?" He said again and turned around to see no one. He looked oddly at Kidd who shook his head. Then he hailed the bartender. "Have you seen the lass I was with? About yay high, curly hair, pretty?" The bartender shook his head and turned to another customer. Jack got up and looked around the bar. He hurried out to the streets with Kidd, they split up. "Charity!" He called a bit frantically. "Charity!"
"Found her!" Kidd called gruffly. Jack ran to meet him and saw Charity at his feet. "She doesn't look so good." Kidd said as Jack bent to lift her. Jack began rushing to the boat. "Where'd ya think yer goin'?" Kidd asked.
"To the ship."
"No, bring her to my place, we'll fix her up." Kidd insisted. Jack nodded and they walked to his house. Kidd showed Jack to the extra bedroom, where Jack laid Charity gently on the bed while Kidd lit a lantern.
"Go get bandages, and a rag and water." Jack commanded as he focused on Charity's wounds. Kidd hurried off to the kitchen. Jack could see where she's been beaten and was already developing quite a shiner. She had a cut below her eye and a busted lip. A knife had obviously slashed her chest and there was a stab wound on her arm. Kidd brought the bandages and left the room. Jack softly dabbed her wounds and when he came to the wound across her chest, he lightly unlaced her collar. "Forgive me." He whispered, wincing.
"Okay, I was expecting dinner first." Charity laughed, waking quietly. Jack gave a sigh of relief and hugged her gently.
"What happened?" He asked, continuing to clean her wounds.
"That drunk from the bar the other night, you know the one I threatened? He and his friends took me and gave me quite a wallop." She tried to pass it off as nothing. Charity began to sit up, fighting the pain.
"No, you need to rest, lay down." Jack pressed her down. She looked grateful. "They didn't... they didn't you know...rape you?" Jack bit his lip. "Cause if he did, ol' Captain Sparrow would be on him in seconds." Jack tried to cover his concern.
"No, he didn't, I managed to stab him. It earned me a slap in the face, but he didn't do anything more than bloody me up a bit." Charity closed her eyes warily. She couldn't believe a pirate was taking time to dress her wounds. She watched silently as he softly wrapped her arm and cleaned her cuts. "Jack, you're not like ordinary pirates are you?" She meant to think this, but it came out of her mouth.
"Whatd'ya mean love?"
"I mean a normal pirate would've left me to die, but not you." Jack nodded and scratched his chin.
"No, I guess I'm not like ordinary pirates, but on the contrary, you're not like ordinary women are ye?" He fought hard not to touch her cheek. Charity felt herself blush, luckily it was too dark for him to tell. "I've been thinking, we don't have to part ways Charity. We could be a team. I think we make quite a good one." Jack prayed she'd say yes.
"Yes, we do don't we?" Charity considered Jack's words. "Sounds like a great idea Jack." She held out her hand weakly. "No mutiny." She raised her eyebrows.
"Of course not." He grasped her hand as they shook on it. "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight Jack, and thank you." He turned off the lantern and watched as she closed her eyes, he felt himself nod off as well.
