Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.
AN: Okay, Gerry gets nasty at the end of this chapter. Please don't hate me for whatever I type out involving him, as they are not my own personal views. Remember that Gerry is a villain, and he's bound to say something that will make people angry, so try not to hurt the poor authoress. To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi: if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful that you can possibly imagine! Also, how else will the story get updated? Anyway, please review! Thanks!
Chapter 17: Dreaming of You:
After what felt like forever, Jack managed to get the Pearl to land. He'd been forced to beach the ship, then have the men begin cutting down trees and treating them with tar before hammering them to the Pearl's hull. Of course, it would take time to fix all of the damage that Hastings had caused.
The first day of repairs, both Jack and Gibbs had managed to deduce how long they would be stuck on land. The end result was that it would take a week to finish construction at the minimum, but if they didn't want to find unseen leaks the hard way, it would be best to stay longer. That, of course, meant Rose was sailing further and further away from them, but Gibbs remained optimistic about it.
'Gibbs doesn't have to worry that much, because it's not Gibbs' bloody wife that's been kidnapped,' Jack thought to himself as he poured over his maps.
He was seated on the beach at a large table he used for plotting courses and studying how far away the Pearl was from her destination. He'd had the crew move the table out of his cabin and onto the beach so that he could work out a plan while the men worked on the damaged Pearl. It had taken a lot of effort, but the crew managed to figure out that it would just be easier to obey their captain rather than argue with him, especially given Jack's current mood.
Today, Jack was trying to see if he could see where Hastings was taking Rose. So far, the Storm Chaser had been sailing rather erratically through the Atlantic, but it appeared that it was ultimately headed for Europe. Where they were going in Europe, Jack had no idea, but the thought of Rose heading in that direction made him uneasy.
'If she's recognized, then there is sure to be trouble,' he thought to himself as he reached for his rum bottle and took a long drink to calm his nerves. 'Her father's got an army of merchants and ships at his command, and if he tries hard enough, I'm sure he could find her and take her home.'
Rose had told him that being found by her family was one of her fears, and Jack knew that she had every right to be scared. She did not like the idea of being forced to leave him, and Jack had sworn to both her, and to himself, that he would sooner die than let anything happen to her. That promise had somewhat eased Rose's mind, but right now, Jack was cursing himself for not sticking to the oath he had sworn to his wife.
'You bloody coward,' Jack thought, sneering to himself. 'You let Hastings take her right out of your arms! What kind of pirate lets that sort of thing happen to him onboard his own ship?'
He groaned and wiped a ringed hand over his face. Bad enough that he'd suffered a mutiny because of his weakness; to lose his wife to the hands of someone like Hastings was something else entirely! If there was a way for him to go back in time and do it over again, he would do it without hesitation.
'And what good would that do?' snapped a voice in the back of his head. 'Hastings had six ships to your Pearl; you could hardly have engaged him in a fight and won! If you had, then you and all your men would be dead, and Rose would still have ended up in the hands of Gerry and his crew of sea scum! With you and the crew dead, who would be left to save Rose? You literally had no choice.'
Damn that voice of common sense! It was right, and Jack knew it. He could not have fought for Rose and won, even if he wanted to. Besides, Rose had told him not to risk the lives of the men to save her, and he never was the sort of man to refuse his wife's wishes. It still angered him that Rose had asked that of him, but he could understand; after all, these were not only their crewmates, but also their friends. The men onboard were like family, and both he and Rose trusted them with their lives.
'And she saved theirs by giving herself over to Hastings.'
It hurt him so, just thinking about that. Even though Jack knew that Gerry could be good-natured when it suited him, the man could also turn cold-blooded and ruthless in an instant. If Gerard Hastings thought for one minute that Jack was close to retrieving Rose from the Chaser, there was sure to be a battle.
'If that's the case, then I'd better be prepared,' Jack thought with a nod.
Setting aside his rum, he focused his attention once more on his compass and maps.
Sighing, I turned my gaze out the window and tried not to go mad from boredom. So far, I had been on the Storm Chaser for three days, and I could slowly feel myself growing more and more agitated with everyone and everything around me. Since I was the apparent "guest" of Captain Hastings, I wasn't allowed to do any sort of work whatsoever in any part of the ship.
'Not that I'd want to help Hastings out by doing anything for him in the first place,' I thought with a snort of contempt.
Of course, without chores to do, I was now left with keeping to my cabin and steadily reading through the book collection that currently lined the shelves. I had tried to teach myself to draw, and had managed to learn to sketch fairly decent outlines of things inside my cabin, as well as attempt to draw the waves of the ocean with some success. After a while, though, I tired of that and needed something new to do before my mind left me.
By now, I was beyond the point of missing the Pearl; I was desperate for it! If I had been back on the Pearl and bored like this, I would have the chance to talk with Mr. Gibbs, feed Mr. Cotton's parrot, trade jokes with Marty, or done any number of chores that the men didn't want to do. I could be mending sails, fetching tools for some of the men, or preparing things for supper. On the Pearl, I was actually useful to everyone and best of all, I belonged.
Here on the Storm Chaser, I wasn't allowed to do anything that could be classified as 'work.' I had tried to ask for some needle and thread to mend a small tear in a sheet, but the crewman I'd requested it from had taken the sheet and returned it to me, completely fixed. When I began to dust my room with a handkerchief I had found in a drawer, I had been caught by Hastings himself on one of his impromptu visits. He'd glared at me and stated that while I was on his ship, I was not allowed to do any sort of chore or work.
So here I was, bored to the point of madness after only three days of imprisonment. If Hastings wanted to interrogate me about anything on Jack and the Pearl, I would probably tell him everything if only he would give me something useful to do!
'Oh, dear, if only Mother could hear me think or say that out loud!' I thought with a smile.
Yes, if my mother were here, she would tell me to enjoy myself, as was befitting a woman of my 'station' in life. Before the Pearl, I hadn't done one single bit of work that was useful or beneficial to anyone. Even my embroidery had been saved and stored away, probably to be used as examples for the little aristocratic children I was to have in the future.
Before Jack, I had been given everything a woman could possibly want. I had servants to tend my every need, coachmen to drive me everywhere, and chiefs to prepare any meal I asked for. I'd had everything in life except for one thing: a truly useful purpose. Oh, my mother said that a noblewoman's purpose was to get married, bring a meaningful alliance to her family, and bear heirs for her husband, but those wasn't the purposes I'd wanted. I had longed to be needed for something more than a womb and an alliance chain between two families, but I'd had no choice in the matter.
The night I'd met Jack was one of the grandest events in my life. After meeting him, I'd felt as though the door of my cage had been left unlocked, but still unable to be opened from the inside. Each evening spent with Jack on the Pearl had made me stronger, but not strong enough to actually push the door open and fly away. Jack himself had lent me the strength to open my cage by offering me the chance to go with him; by accepting that, I'd thrown open the door and set myself free.
Jack had also given me a purpose, too. He'd made me feel useful, given me chores and lessons on how to survive in the pirating world, and all of that had helped me create a feeling of confidence that I had never felt before. In my parents' home, I had never been allowed to lift a finger; on the Pearl, I was handed tasks that my mother would faint and cry at doing. Whenever I finished a chore, I felt a sense of accomplishment that had long been denied to me, and it felt good.
And then, of course, there was Jack himself…
At the mere thought of my husband, a pang of longing shot through my chest. I missed him so dearly that it almost broke my heart. I felt a choked sob in the back of my throat every time I thought of him. That rogue pirate with the charming grin, playful nature, and a good heart…how in the world did I get him to fall in love with me? I would have to ask him the next time I saw him.
Sighing, I turned towards the windows of my cabin and watched the waves dance beneath the sun.
Gritting his teeth, Jack stood at the helm and watched as the last few nails were hammered into place. It had taken nine days, but the job was done. The hull was fixed, and the tide was coming in to carry the Pearl out to sea.
For over a week now, Jack had been more than ready to rescue his love, but the ship hadn't been ready, and no matter how much he pushed, there was always something new that apparently needed to be fixed. Besides the holes that had been shot into the hull, a few other boards had been damaged and needed to be replaced as well. Of course, while they were on the island, the men needed to eat, so supplies were beginning to run low. Given all of the hard work and effort the men had been putting into fixing the Pearl, Jack hadn't bothered rationing the supplies.
Which was why the next decision had to be made…
"Cap'n?" Gibbs said, coming up next to him at the helm. "You alright, Jack?"
Jack merely shook his head. "We need more supplies," he muttered. "We'll need more shots for the pistols, food and water for the galley, and cannonballs for the guns if we're to take on Hastings and his little fleet to get Rose back."
Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Aye, sir, but you've got their bearings, right?" He smiled when Jack nodded. "Then it'll be no problem finding them. No need to worry about their trail going cold."
Jack merely sighed to himself as Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder and left him to his thoughts. As the sea rose around him with the tide, all Jack could think about was what Hastings might be doing to Rose right this moment. Had he hurt her in any way? Had he forced her to do things she did not want to do? Perhaps he had sold her at a slave market for money to make up for the necklace Jack had stolen so long ago…
'If he's done any of those things, I'll deal out punishment according to his actions,' Jack ruthlessly thought. 'If he's hurt Rose, I'll beat him to a pulp with my own hands. If he's forced Rose in any way, I'll castrate him.' At this point, Jack was grinning savagely. 'And if he's sold her into slavery…I'll castrate him and make him sing when I bring him into a slave market!'
The Pearl swayed as the water rushed up around it, lifting the ship and gently pulling it out to sea. It was a wonderful feeling, and Jack savored it. Memories of him and Rose standing up at the helm together filled his mind, and he couldn't help but smile. Quickly, though, the smile faded and was replaced with a scowl.
'It's just not the same without Rose,' he thought as the Pearl moved further out to sea.
He'd get her back, though. Even if he had to sail through Hell to get her, he would. After all, Captain Jack Sparrow was not one to stand by while his treasures were taken.
Tonight was my ninth aboard the Chaser, and I was required to join the captain in his quarters for dinner. This had started my fourth day on Hastings' ship, as he had suddenly had the fancy strike him. Since then, I was forced out of my cabin and into his, taking a seat at a table laden with food and drink the likes of which I hadn't seen since my days as a noblewoman.
That first meal together, I had refused to eat. Instead, I had merely sat in my chair, stubbornly waving aside each dish being offered to me. Hastings, after seeing my stubborn actions, had then told me that I would not get another meal until morning, and that it would be best for me to eat now. By that point, my stomach was empty, and so I had helped myself to the simplest things being offered, such as bread, a slice or two of meat, some vegetables, and a glass of water.
As I ate, Hastings had looked torn between being angry and amused. He was obviously upset that I was refusing to take part in the elegant meal his cook had worked so hard to prepare, but his amusement was a puzzle to me. Perhaps he thought it funny that I was still being stubborn in accepting my fate as his captive. Well, if it kept him guessing about me, then I was happy to continue doing it. It was also my sole amusement for the day, and I found myself looking forward to it, if only to try and drive the man insane.
This was why, every evening, I used a different tactic of eating. I did this because I had no idea if he was going to poison me or drug me, so I occasionally sat there and randomly chose food from different plates. The crewmen who served us at these dinners often set an already prepared plate in front of me, but I always pushed this aside and ate whatever I wanted. Mostly, I chose foods that weren't already on the plate they served me, as there was the risk that the food on the plate and from the main dish they were chosen from were drugged or tainted with poison for me. Fruits, bread, vegetables, and water were my usual dinner, as they were the hardest things to poison. Sometimes, though, I added meat or fish to my meal, just to be different.
While I was doing this, I always watched my captor's face. Sometimes he looked ready to laugh, sometimes he seemed frustrated, and, very rarely, he looked angry. After nearly a week of this, though, he appeared to be calming down and attempting to understand why I was acting this way. Today, he finally understood.
"You need not worry about poison on my ship, my lady," he said. "As I'm sure to have told you before, I gain nothing from your death, and you are much more entertaining when alive."
I glared at him. "You may claim that as much as you'd like, Captain, but I highly doubt that you're going to simply keep me a prisoner here on you ship for the rest of my life," I said while holding my head up high.
"Oh, please, Miss Rose, call me Gerry," he said. "Or if you prefer not to use nicknames, call me Gerard. I'm not stuck on my title as most men are."
"It's Mrs. Sparrow," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You should remember my married state, Gerard."
Green eyes narrowed as he looked at me from across the table. "As a Christian man, I can hardly recognize a barbarian Hindu wedding ceremony as valid," Gerard said, leaning back into his chair.
I could feel myself grow pale. How did he know what sort of ceremony Jack and I had had in India? Jack had told me that Gerard would never enter British waters, and since India was in British territory, he couldn't have been anywhere near Jan's house! Where did he get his information from?
"Ah, I see you're surprised," he said while pouring a glass of wine. "You see, my dear Rose, while I may not have access to the waters of India, I have the uncanny ability to gather any sort of information I please." A green eye winked at me as he raised his glass in a mocking toast. "Including whatever I need to know about you."
My face flushed from anger and fear. "Well, then, I'm sure that you know our friend William Turner, captain of the Horizon's Flame, performed the ceremony with pomp and decency, just as any sea captain has the ability to do," I said, letting my eyes shine with satisfaction.
He may not recognize a Hindu themed ceremony, but a man could not deny the rights a ship's captain had to conduct a wedding ceremony. Jack and I had wanted to be married in a way that would be seen and recognized by each and every country, and having Will wed the two of us was the only solution. I doubt that there was a place out there that would deny the marriage between me and Captain Jack Sparrow, and if there was, well…we would have to fix it when that time arrived.
Right now, I kept a sharp eye on Gerard Hastings, who was glaring at his wine glass with a look of fierce hatred. I could tell that he had not heard about Jack and I being married by William, and had, in fact, built his entire revenge scheme around the possibility that Jack and I were not lawfully bound by the English form of matrimony. Foolish man, did he really think that Jack Sparrow would be so haphazard when it came to his own wedding?
A fist slammed down onto the table, knocking over a few glasses so that they rolled off the table and shattered on the floor. Several crewmen of the Chaser raced in, ready to defend their captain from harm, and relaxed upon seeing nothing but Hastings and I sitting there, unarmed and obviously not fighting to the death. I watched as Gerard waved his hand towards the mess on the floor and several men came forward to pick it all up.
In moments, the glass shards and crewmen were gone, leaving me alone with my captor once more. We sat there in silence for several minutes, and during that whole time, I kept my eyes focused on a knot in the table,
"Why marry him, Rose?"
My eyes snapped up from where they had been focused on the table and turned towards him. 'Why would he ask me that?' I thought to myself.
"Why marry Jack?" There was true curiosity behind those green eyes, and yet, I could sense that he had another motive for asking me that question. "Why would you marry a man who you know has a woman, and probably a bastard child, in every port?"
I felt my blood boil as my vision turned red. However, I did not allow myself to lose my temper. Mother had schooled me for years in the art of keeping my face a blank mask; it was considered rude and vulgar to show one's anger in polite society, and so I had learned to keep my face emotionless despite whatever I was feeling. Taking a deep breath, I calmed my nerves enough to speak.
"That may have been true in the past, but that is not the case now," I evenly declared. "I love Jack, and I know that he truly loves me. We would not have married otherwise."
I watched as Gerard Hastings merely smiled at me in a patronizing manner, just to humor me. Obviously he did not believe a word I said. "Well, then I hope that the saying is false, and that distance doesn't make the heart grow fonder," he said, rising up from his chair.
I, too, stood up, and would have run away had he not been faster than I expected. I didn't even see him rush towards me, but I certainly felt both his hands pin my arms to my sides. Once he was sure I couldn't escape, Hastings slid one muscular arm around me, holding me tightly to him. I felt his free hand move underneath my chin, tilting it upwards so that I was forced to look him in the eye.
"It is my wish that you make yourself comfortable here, Rose," he whispered, his face inches from mine. "You should accept your fate, for you will be with me on my ship for a very, very long time."
With that said, I fell to the ground, released from his strong grip. I heard him shout for his men, and felt two pairs of hands gently, but firmly, grab hold of my arms and lead me out the door, carrying me along until I was forced inside my cabin, the door locking behind me as I fell to my knees, weeping.
Sitting back in his chair, Gerry looked into his wine glass and swirled the ruby-colored liquid, admiring how it changed colors under his eye. Of all the women he'd encountered, this one had to be the greatest challenge of them all. Even after giving Rose a beautifully decorated cabin filled with books and serving her the best food in the world, the stubborn girl still wouldn't think kindly of him!
'Looks like I've got my hands full,' Gerry thought to himself with a smile.
Still, if there was anything that he liked, it was a challenge; even sweeter was when it was in the form of a woman! He'd never break her of that spirit, which would be a crime in itself, but the thrill of the chase…now that was something he was looking forward to! And with Sparrow sinking somewhere in the Atlantic…well, he just had all the time in the world, now, didn't he?
AN: Wicked, wicked, Gerry…when will he learn? Don't forget to review! Thanks!