Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you for the review! That made my day ️❤️ I definitely plan on continuing with this story and have quite a few plans already. In response to your question, my previous name was Corsair5, but it looks like all of my stories have been removed, sadly. I do plan to finish this story and have ideas for others as well. I may also re-write some of my old stories since they are gone now anyway.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

"Your offer?" Her voice nearly cracked.

Captain Sparrow noted how uncomfortable the lady was. It was also just then that he realized there was fresh blood on the right side of her abdomen. "You're wounded."

She looked down and gasped. She remembered the injury, but there hadn't been as much crimson fluid there before. She touched it, and more blood started to ooze from her belly and drip down her hand. There was a look of alarm on her face as she turned her eyes back up in the pirate's direction.

He held out his hand, "Come, Miss. That will need tending too."

She took a step but then hesitated. "Wait, what were you talking about before?"

"Oh, regarding my invitation for you to take passage aboard me ship. I can't imagine ye'd want to stay here, now, would you?"

Jack regarded the look of uncertainty in her eyes. "I meant what I said before, you have nothing to fear, Milady."

She swallowed and fearing this was her best option for survival, she stepped closer to him and away from the locked door behind her. "My name is Charlotte Knightly," she introduced herself, and her eyes met his. Those few seconds that passed between them felt like an eternity before she finally broke their gaze. I must be more careful, she chided herself, he is after all a notorious pirate.

She did place her hand in his though, as he was still holding it out in a welcoming-like gesture. He raised it to his face and kissed the back of her hand. The feeling of his lips on her skin was surprisingly soft, and Charlotte could feel her cheeks blush.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Knightly. As I'm sure you already know by now, I am Captain Jack Sparrow." He flashed a grin at her, revealing a couple gold teeth.

Charlotte tried to control herself. How did this man seem so polite and agreeable, yet flirtatious at the same time? It didn't help that he was devilishly handsome.

"I hope my greeting wasn't too informal. I'm not very accustomed with traditional formalities."

She offered a kind smile, thinking back to how she had greeted him, with a sword to his throat… "Well, you were more polite than I was."

The captain laughed and beckoned her to follow him.

He found his quartermaster, Barth was his name, and instructed him to make sure none of his men plundered the lady's belongings. He also gave him directions to have her items transported into the storage cabin aboard the Black Pearl.

Charlotte watched the two pirates chat momentarily, and she wondered about her circumstances. Would she truly be safe on the Black Pearl? She'd heard various rumors about its captain and the ship herself, though it was hard to say if any of it was true. People did always like to talk and embellish things, especially regarding infamous criminals, the wealthy and royalty. Charlotte swallowed and glanced at the quartermaster. He was a large burly man, with a full brown beard that reached down to the tip of his chest. His hair was somewhere between medium length and long, and she could see the trace of a long scare that painted his face, from above his left eyebrow and all the way down past the bottom of his lip, on the right side. Charlotte felt a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen, and she placed her hand there again, trying to stifle the moan which escaped her lips.

The captain took note of her affliction and waved Barth on to carry out his orders. He then made a motion for her to follow him across the gangplank and onto his ship. "We must get that injury dressed." Jack watched her to make sure she was steady as she crossed the bridge to his vessel. She didn't appear to have too much trouble moving, but he could see the look of distress on her face.

Charlotte beamed a little as she stepped onto the Black Pearl. It truly was a magnificent ship, with a black hull and sails, just like the stories. She was a galleon to be sure, armed with 32 twelve-pound cannons. Charlotte heard on occasion the Black Pearl had been known to frighten young women, but she was not in the least bit disappointed. She imagined how effective the vessel would be at hiding in the night should the need arise. She also wondered if it was as fast as had been reported by more than a few naval officers. The ship's visual features were striking, and Charlotte was mesmerized.

Captain Sparrow paused and took in Miss Knightly's countenance. She seemed to be in awe of his vessel, and the look of wonder in her eyes spoke volumes. He had witnessed others be taken captive by the wonder of the Black Pearl before, but rarely a lady of high class. Jack had figured she must have come from a wealthy family, with the way she dressed and spoke. One could truly deduct quite a lot about a person with the proper observation and skill. If he was being honest with himself, he liked the way she gazed at his ship, which made him want to know even more about her…

"This way, Miss Knightly."

She snapped back into the present moment and followed the pirate captain towards the stern of the ship and down a couple steps. They were beneath the helm now. Jack stopped at a large wooden door, but he gestured toward the passageway just down from where they were standing. "The door to the storage cabin is right down there. We may need to just clear up a bit of space in there for you, but there is a bed inside. It may not be the type of quarters you are accustomed to… but it is the only extra space we have."

"Oh, I'm sure that will do just fine." Charlotte tried to make the statement sound nonchalant, but truth be told, she was having a hard time not looking at the captain. His dark hair was long and a bit altered, no doubt due to being in the Caribbean sun all the time. His mustache, goatee, and beard seemed to compliment him well, with the two braids adding character to his features. She could see a part of a red bandanna, underneath his tricorn hat, and his skin was quite tan. Many people from the high-class society she was used to would have found tan skin to be intolerable. They would have thought it unfashionable and distasteful, but Charlotte liked it very much. Very much indeed… Oh! She needed to focus.

She followed him inside the captain's quarters but then hesitated. "What are we doing in here?" Charlotte couldn't help but look about the cabin. There was a bookshelf to the far left corner and many other items of interest that piqued her curiosity.

Jack used his hand to signal towards the table, arranged in about the middle of the cabin. "I'll need to use that as a surgery area." He then began rummaging around in a couple of his drawers, in search of something.

Charlotte swallowed. "Is – is there a doctor coming?"

He chuckled and pulled out a large worn sheet. "We did have a doctor, but he is sick."

"Oh…"

Jack started to clear away a few items before he spread open the sheet and covered the table with it. "I know this may look a bit dirty, but yeh have me word, it is clean. And with regards to our doctor, I'm almost certain he has the same virus as what plagued the crew of that ship. He is at present in Nassau Port, in quarantine with a few others. We shall be heading back there in a few weeks' time." He then uncorked a round-shaped bottle and handed it to Charlotte.

She took it reluctantly. "What is this for?"

"You'll want to drink a good bit of that, Darling. It will help with the pain."

Charlotte's eyes widened a bit, but what had she been expecting? Of course, it was going to hurt. She knew he was right though, so she raised the bottle to her lips and took a large gulp. Oh! She tried not to spit it out and swallowed quickly. "That's awful…"

He grinned and let out a gentle laugh. "It's rum, Milady. But it's very strong and will do the trick. Drink some more."

She eyed the bottle with distaste, but she complied with his instructions. Trying not to make a weird face, Charlotte continued to take now smaller sips of the amber liquid.

Jack pulled out a few more things from one of his drawers, what looked like some kind of surgical instruments. Then, after setting them down on the table, he began to remove his effects, coat, and hat.

She tried not to stare, but seeing the pirate remove even just the top layer of his clothes was enough to make her cheeks turn into a rosy glow. She swallowed a much larger gulp just then, and almost choked.

"Ye alright there, Luv?"

"Oh, yes," she sputtered, "My apologies, I just…um…" Her eyes met his deep brown ones again, and she felt locked into place. "This stuff is just strong." She tried to hand it back to him, but Jack declined.

"Not yet, Miss Knightly. You'll want to drink as much of that as yeh can."

Charlotte looked back at the bottle in her hands and frowned. "Do I really need to be that drunk?"

He chuckled again, and she couldn't help but notice how much she liked the sound of his laugh. It was soothing for some reason, but then again, maybe she was starting to feel the rum.

"Trust me, Luv, the more drunk yeh are, the less pain you will feel."

She knew he was right and let out a sigh before taking another gulp.

"I don't mean for this to sound insulting, but do you… do you know what you are doing?" She glanced at the surgical instruments and back to him.

"I know enough."

Charlotte swallowed another sip. "That is reassuring…"

Jack raised his eyebrows and asserted, "I know that rum ye're drinking will also help with disinfecting yer wound, but you could have a physician look at it once we reach the next port as well."

"The rum? What do yoou-uu mean?" She was starting to slur. Well, at least this method was working. Charlotte just hoped he would be an honorable man in circumstances such as these…

He grinned at the sound of her drunken speech. "Wish I was feelin' just as good as you, Luv. But, alas, I shall wait till we are finished here. What I mean about the rum is once you're on that table there, I will pour some on the injury, before and after dressing it."

"I see." It dawned on her just then what he likely meant – he would need to pour the rum directly onto the wound, which would require that at least most of the outer layers of her garments be removed, and her shift lifted up far enough for him to dress it. Charlotte's eyes grew big, and she looked at him again, feeling more nervous now than she had this whole afternoon. If she had been in London, this type of situation would be highly inappropriate. Not only was she in his personal quarters, but she was with him alone, with the door closed. And she was starting to get drunk. Charlotte swallowed another sip of the rum. It was starting not to taste quite so bad now.

The captain could tell Lady Knightly was feeling uneasy, and he pondered what he might say to calm her nerves. He had no intentions of taking advantage of her, that was for certain. He had never touched a woman in such a way unless it was desired by both the lady and himself, but it wasn't like Charlotte had any way of knowing that. Come to think of it, Jack was confident she had probably heard many rumors about him, mixed in with the truth somehow, but still twisted. He had tried to assure her earlier on that he had no ill will towards her, but that hadn't exactly gone very well. And she kept looking at him, right in the eyes, not that he minded. But he couldn't tell if she was attracted to him or scared of him.

"Miss Knightly," he started.

"I know, I know... I shouullldd," she swallowed another sip, "take off my things. I mean so you can…" her words trailed off, and she felt a loss for what to say.

Jack blinked and tried to display a kind smile, perhaps that would help. "Yes, Darling. That is necessary for me to dress yer wound. However, I can see you are uncomfortable. I know me words are just the words of an untrustworthy pirate to you, but I do want to relieve yer fear. I really am only trying to help in dressing yer wound and have no vile intentions towards you. I'm not the type of man to touch a woman… in that way, if it is ever unwanted. Do you understand?"

Unwanted. That was an interesting choice of words, Charlotte thought to herself, and she felt her cheeks rise in the hint of a smile. "I understand. I know you are just trying to fill in the place for a doctor in this predicament. And for that, I truly am grateful. It has been quite a day for me already."

"I can imagine, Luv. I'm sure yeh didn't expect to be accompanied by a large band of pirates today, ay?" He tried to make a joke, in hopes it might help lighten the mood.

Charlotte laughed and felt her body going into more of a relaxed state. Perhaps it was the liquor, perhaps it was the captain, maybe it was both.

Jack held up one finger. "Here's an idea. Why don't I go wait outside me cabin, with the door shut, until you are ready? Once you have undressed, except for your shift, you can get up onto that table and let me know. Would that make yeh feel a little more at ease?"

She swallowed but answered, "Yes."

"Excellent. I shall be waiting right outside."

A moment later, after the pirate captain closed the door, Charlotte tried to concentrate on the task at hand. She reached for a chord, to begin undressing, but then she froze. Panic, anxiety, and fear were enveloping her entire body. She nearly had a flashback, but she put her hands to her head. No, she thought, I can't think about that right now…

Captain Sparrow waited outside his cabin patiently, or at least he thought he was being patient. It seemed as though he had been standing there for quite some time now, and he wondered if Miss Knightly was getting along alright in there. He decided to knock on the door to check.

"Miss, is everything alright in there?"

Shortly thereafter, the door opened, and Charlotte stood there in front of him, with watery eyes and a horrific look on her face. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she reached up to wipe it away.

"I apologize, I didn't mean for you to see me like this."

Jack felt a bit more alarmed now. Was she truly this afraid of him? He understood their predicament may be uncomfortable for her – him being a pirate she just met and no doctor available to tend to her wound. But he couldn't understand the level of fear she was displaying, especially after he had tried numerous times now to communicate that there wasn't any need for her to be afraid of him. Jack wondered at that moment if something more was going on…

"I-I can't do this." She said slowly.

The captain nodded politely. "I understand, Miss Knightly." He paused for a moment, trying to think of a solution. "There are a couple of other men on board who have roughly the same knowledge as me, regarding medical practices. Would you be more comfortable with one of them tending your injury?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No, I can't."

"Alright." Jack pondered if there was any other solution. Then he had a thought, "How about this. Let's go to the storage cabin. I will move some things around, so you have some space in there. I can give you the surgical tools and the rum and try to advise you, from outside the cabin, on what to do so yeh can dress the wound."

She wasn't entirely sure if she would be capable of tending herself, but his idea sounded like something she would be more comfortable with, so she nodded her head.

"Perfect," and with that, the pirate headed down the passageway to the storage room. Once there, he pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He attempted to open it then, but the door only opened about six inches before hitting something behind it. Jack looked up and grinned, though a bit of uncertainty showed in his expression. "I'll just take care of this, one moment."

She watched as the captain pushed on the door and managed to get halfway inside the cabin.

"Oh bugger."

Charlotte blinked and heard the sound of things rustling about in the storage area. Then, a moment later, the pirate disappeared into the cabin and made a loud groan. She heard what sounded like a bunch of crates crashing and breaking as something large thumped into them. She decided to walk over and peered inside. She gasped at the sight before her. The storage room was filled with a multitude of chests, barrels, and other miscellaneous items. And Jack had fallen into the end of the bed. He looked a bit disoriented and shook his head before glancing up at her. It was quite the mess to be sure.

Jack tried to pull himself out of his stuck position, but he couldn't get a very good grip on anything and fell back down again. Charlotte noticed there didn't appear to be a mattress in the bed, only a sheet, which the captain was stuck in. There were a couple of stacked crates on the frame of the bed, and Charlotte decided to try and use those to steady herself and offered her hand to the pirate.

"Thank you, Luv."

Jack took her hand, and she tried to use her weight against the crates to help him out. But the wooden boxes suddenly fell backwards, also into the bed, and Charlotte's hand slipped. She toppled down onto the captain, pushing him further into the sheet mess, and Jack could feel his bum now touching the deck underneath them.

Charlotte tried to collect herself and looked up, the captain's face inches away from hers. He smiled, flashing his gold teeth again, and she swallowed.

Without warning, the ship bobbed up and down, rather violently. The other items in the storage cabin started falling and crashing. On instinct, Jack wrapped himself around Miss Knightly, his hands around her head, and rolled her over so he was now on top, trying to cover her from the boxes falling in their direction. Something hit his back and shattered. A moment later, when he felt they were out of harm's way from the falling debris, Jack propped himself up on his hands, and his eyes met hers. Time seemed to stop as they both gazed into each other. But then she blinked and took in a deep, nervous breath.

End of Chapter 2

Author's Note: Arg! That be the end of this chapter, but I have already started on the next one. I'd love to hear yer thoughts so far, Mates! Hope you have a great weekend and thank you for taking the time to read my story.

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(Just a note - I am also posting this story on AO3)