Hey! You guys have all been waiting for it! Audrina is reunited with Jack!
WHOOPEE!
Thanks for the reviews guys and thank you Kayley Taylor for being my beta. D
Tortugan Beginnings
The Brothel
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Angelina sat on the wooden docks, her legs dangling into the crystalline waters as it lapped at her bare ankles. The moonlight reflected upon the tranquil waters and seemed like a mirror image of the starry sky above her. For a moment, it seemed like old times. It reminded her of a time when she was nothing more than a child, living in Tortuga with her whole life ahead of her. Angelina smiled inwardly at these faded memories, the vague remembrances of a former happier life. She was not always the meek and timid woman she was now. She was once a rambunctious child that scampered around the cobblestone paved streets, laughing and smiling the whole way. Sitting on the docks, with her feet dangled over the edge, reminded her of those times when she truly was free.
"Angelina?" she heard behind her.
Slowly, she turned and withdrew her legs from the cool envelope of the water. Angelina's eyes brightened as she saw the man that she might have once considered a father. "Napoleon?" she uttered with a quivering lip.
"Aye, darlin', it's me," he responded. "Ya look positively radiant, m'darling!"
A blush crept onto Angelina's cheeks. "Thank you," she replied quietly. "Will Audrina come back to us?" she managed to ask with a nervous hesitation in her voice.
Napoleon smiled with a sadness that she couldn't seem to describe. It was like a smile at a memory rather than a person. She felt her stomach drop and her throat become thick as if the words she wanted to say would not leave her. She could hardly feel the breaths leaving her lungs. Angelina was dreadfully scared at what news was to come.
"Honey, no frettin', them boys, Sparrow and Lucas, are goin' to save 'er. She'll be rescued soon 'nough. No frettin', no frettin'." he cooed.
With strong arms, he wrapped her in an embrace that brought tears to Angelina's eyes. He held her, as a father would hold his daughter. She shuddered from his affection that was quite foreign and alien to her. However, as she thought about his previous statement, she realized it was odd. How did he even come to meet Jack and Lucas? The mere thought of the young pirate's name made her smile and feel warm, as if she could just feel his gaze upon her face. But he was not here; he was out playing a hero -- a title that fit him quite well, in Angelina's opinion.
"You know them?" she asked in a small, inquisitive voice. "How?" she added, in complete bemusement.
Napoleon nodded. "Ah yes. Fine fellows, they are. Fine, fine fellows! Met 'em by theā¦.tavern."
The old man suddenly felt disgusted at himself. As if he was, in a way, confessing his alcoholism to Angelina. He felt as if a grotesque man, a distorted replica of whom he once was. He felt as if he had let down all those girls he had been a temporary father to. What if they had found out, in some way, who he really was? Napoleon averted his dark eyes away from Angelina's distressed face. He was ashamed, terribly ashamed. Thankfully, Angelina wasn't a very observant young woman and missed the tone of his voice as he uttered the word tavern with disgust and revulsion. She had even missed the way his eyes left her face as if he had been caught in a complex lie.
"I missed you," Angelina uttered wistfully.
Napoleon looked at her hard as if he was trying to analyze her, but instantly, his gaze softened. He placed his lips softly upon her forehead. "Don't miss me, honey. Ye got a better life now. Ye actually have a life. I missed ya too, 'Lina. But these are the ways things are. No point in frettin' over it."
"You're like my father," she said in a diminutive voice and turned towards the open sea. Way down the shore line, she thought she could almost see the bulk of the Abaddon, beached upon the sandy white shore.
"To me, ye are me daughter," he paused and moved his gaze towards his shoes. "Ye should get back, 'Lina. It's not safe."
Angelina opened her mouth to protest but felt no words come out. She simply nodded, with tears glistening in her eyes, and turned to leave. She faintly thought if she would even see Napoleon Basset ever again.
In time, she would find out she would.
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The brothel that loomed ominously before them was exactly where Napoleon had described it would be. It was in the very center of the town, where the rats ran rampant on the dirty cobblestone streets and the scent of sweat and filth lingered on the air. Garbage littered the small, narrow streets. The neighborhood reeked of disease and death. The companions could just faintly sense the aroma of rotting food and the stale stench of rum and alcohol. The whole street was cloaked in darkness, with the lanterns dimly lit flickering on the sides of the street.
The slums were curious to Jack. It was neither loud nor rowdy with the shouts of drunken pirates and the booms of a pistol, yet there were taverns close by. It was nothing like Tortuga. There were no wenches, faces thick with make up, yearning and begging for a customer. The town was eerily silent, and Lucas thought for a few moments he could hear the murmurs of the enslaved women inside. It seemed as though the building before them seemed the busiest and, with the clenching of his fist, he knew exactly why. Every now and then a stray man walked inside, his eyes glued to the cobblestones and disappeared into the brothel. The companions just watched and waited.
Jack glanced at the young pirate beside him. He could see the quivering of Lucas' lip and the nervous rivulets of sweat slowly making its way down his forehead. Jack would have had to been blind to not have seen that Lucas was terrified.
"My remarkable intuitive sense of the eunuch creature informs me that yer either worried, troubled, fretful and or disturbed," Jack joked with a reassuring smile gracing his features.
Lucas inattentively nodded in response to him, not really listening to his gibberish. "What if someone has already purchased her?" he then asked quietly to Jack.
"Ah, do not aggrieve yerself, whelp." Jack retorted and added, "The worst case scenario would be that our little 'Rina is purchased to some sadistic gent and we won't ever be able ter rescue said distressing damsel while she lives out her life in utter melancholy. All in all, that really is quite ghastly, but what exactly are the chances of that happenin', mate?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes on the supposedly drunken fool before him. "Quite large, actually."
"Well then, stop this chitter chatter and let us rescue said distressing damsel before such a dastardly event could indeed happen!" Jack urged, pushing him towards the brothel entrance.
The young pirate, faced with the doors of the brothel, felt his heart pound against in chest in a panic. His throat felt choked up, he couldn't move nor speak. He could only gaze at the handles of the large mahogany door in wonder. Audrina was only in his grasp. He almost felt as if he could reach out and touch her, hold her again. He yearned for his sister again. Never had he felt so lost. For as long as he could remember, it was only him and Audrina. Now it was only him. Even when she had suffered dreadful abuse, it was he who cooed her to sleep, telling her that everything would be alright in the morning. But now, she was alone in that brothel. Was she whimpering? Did the tears flood her pallid cheeks? Was her body broken, damaged beyond repair? Lucas didn't think he could face her being so broken, so lost. He wasn't emotionally strong enough.
But he was a pirate, wasn't he? Life was forcing him to be strong at the moment. And at the moment, he was envious of Jack -- so aloof, so carefree. He disguised his emotions well. They were contained and controlled. Never did he cry, never did he shudder with fear. And never did he feel lost. And Lucas desperately wanted to be like Jack.
He turned around to face Jack who was watching him with intensity and curiosity. "It's the witching hour, Jack, it's time. We rescue her tonight." he managed, keeping his voice leveled.
Jack's eyes glittered with hope and excitement. "One suggestion, mate."
"What?"
"Don't get in my way and this should go rather ravishingly," he said before opening the doors of the brothel.
He had left before Lucas could open his mouth to answer him. The first thing he heard was a loud, terrified scream.
It was a woman's scream.
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The brothel was hot and sticky with the perfumes of sexual desire. It reeked of sweat, bodily fluid, and salvia. The faint aroma of scented candles lingered as well. Lucas wrinkled his nose in disgust at the putrid smells. The inside of the brothel was as grisly as the exterior. The furniture was all second rate, cheaply made pieces of wood. The mirrors hung upon the wall were hazy with dirt and misuse. The faint sounds of moaning and groaning were from the upstairs rooms, causing the hairs upon Lucas's neck to stand on end. The wallpaper peeled at the edges, and the lanterns were all very dimly lit, causing an atmosphere of sexual macabre.
Jack had the barrel of his pistol lingering fatally at the throat of a dark-skinned woman with frightened saucer round eyes. This alarmed Lucas, Gibbs, and Owen equally. Jack truly was a rather unpredictable fellow. The three pirates certainly did not see this scenario in the near future.
In fact, the situation all was quite odd. There were only five of them in the room, including the terrified, brown-skinned, elderly woman. The first thought that sprang to all their minds was 'where are the women?' Jack seemed the only one that went to any lengths to retrieve any answer.
"If you help me, I'll help you. Then we're square, luv," Jack said with a sense of urgency in his voice.
The woman tried to slither away from his grip but he only held her tighter. "How are ye goin' to help me, ye bloody fool? Why should I help ye!?" she responded with malice lacing her words.
"Ah, well, if ya don't help us, please give my salutations to dear ol' Davy himself," Jack hissed at her. "Where are the girlies?"
The lady narrowed her eyes upon the men in frustration. Clearly, she knew it was either lose her money or lose her life. She seemed to make up her mind quite quickly. "I'll tell ye, ye filthy bastards," she snapped at them.
"Tell us!" Lucas shouted with passion with his fist curled at his sides and his eyes narrowed on the infuriating grotesque woman.
Her head whipped towards the young pirate. Her lips twitched with a morbid grin that sent chills up Lucas' spine. "Ah, the impassioned lover," she started, but immediately decided against it when she saw the look of disgust on the boy's face. "No? Ah, I see. Yer the faithful father; no, I take that back. Yer the brother. Maybe even son. Come to save 'em, eh, boy? It's fun to watch the men squirm. Want yer dolly back, eh, boy?"
Jack pressed the barrel of the gun harder against her throat. She trembled in his arms. "This really is becomin' urgent, darlin'."
"There's a room beneath the house. That's where they be. Take the staircase there." The brown-skin lady pondered for a moment and tried to push away the gun, but Jack held it tight against her throat. "Take this blasted thing away! I told ya everythin' ya need!"
"Was anyone sold as of late?" Lucas asked tenderly, hoping for a negative answer.
"No. The wretches were ta be sold tomorrow at dusk. Get this bloody thing off me!" she hollered once more and finally Jack agreed and brought the pistol away from her throat.
He grinned in victory. "Much obliged."
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Audrina shivered in her binds. The whole room was dark; she could hardly see a few yards in front of her own face. She knew that there were other girls in the room, she heard them. She heard their whispers, asking for forgiveness and begging for help. Audrina heard their whimpers in the darkness and their soft sobbing. She merely laid there, in her binds, unmoving with her eyes shut tight. It will all be over soon. She had convinced herself of that.
The rope was chaffing her wrists and she squirmed to make herself more comfortable. However, it was to no avail, and the tight binds cut into her wrists more, making her moan in agony. Her back was against the wall with her hands bound up above her head. Squinting, she could faintly see the silhouettes of the other woman. They were in the same position as she was, and Audrina realized that they were all naked as well.
She felt the stiff breeze envelope her nude features. She shivered in response. Audrina couldn't even begin to fathom where she even was. The lack of light and air sent a thought that she may be in an underground room of a house. There were no windows and she could make out the faint outline of an entry way and there was only darkness from that point on.
Audrina pressed her head up against the wall and shut her eyes tight. She wanted to forget this all. She wanted to pretend that she wasn't bound in a dark room somewhere with tears streaming down her face. She wanted to pretend that the scars and bruises had faded on her body. She wanted to pretend that everything in the end was going to be all right and she would wake up tomorrow, lying in the Captain's Quarters on the Pearl where she usually slept.
"Can ya see 'er, whelp?" she heard throughout the darkness. The voice seemed vaguely familiar, but because of her exhaustion, it seemed more like a dream than reality.
"I can't see anything, Jack." said another younger voice.
Her heart surged at the name Jack. This voice, however, was incredibly similar to Lucas's. Audrina's eyes widened as she saw the two silhouette's move through the darkness. It felt like all a dream. It felt so surreal, so incredibly bizarre that she almost didn't want to believe it for fear of being let down.
The other girls moaned in response to the new strangers. Some begged for help, others begged for them to leave. Most of them just continually sobbed in response. Audrina simply sat there, too terrified to utter any sound.
Two more silhouettes came into Audrina's vision. "Mother Mary, Jesus and Joseph!" exclaimed another voice. "They all be bound with rope above their 'eads, Jack!"
"Turn up the lanterns!" said another voice, completely different from the previous ones.
The room brightened considerably and Audrina shut her eyes immediately in response. Finally, she mustered up the courage to part her eyes and gaze at the men who had invaded her prison. She gasped in shock at the sight before her. It was Jack, Lucas, Gibbs, and Francis Owen staring at the girls in wonder.
Lucas rushed to her side immediately and moved the hair away from her eyes. He pulled a dagger out and Audrina recoiled away from him. She quivered in the restraints of the ropes and she choked back a cry.
"No! Get away from me! Please!" she pleaded. The man before her seemed to be clouded in her eyes. She didn't see Lucas; she saw another rapist and another murderer.
Lucas blinked in surprise and choked back tears threatening to spill over. He touched her cheek tenderly and lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes. "It's me, Aud, it's me. It's Lucas. It's your brother."
"Lucas?" she said with disbelief. "Lucas?"
He nodded in response to her and wiped away the tears spilling from her eyes. "Let me cut your ties."
Audrina said nothing. With the dagger, he cut the ties with much effort. They were thick and well bound but after a few minutes, they fell away from her wrists. She brought her arms to her sides and nursed her damaged wrists with care. Lucas helped her up quickly and they found that she was unable to stand on her legs for long. He peeled off his waistcoat and loosely draped it off her shoulders, covering her nakedness. With his arm around her waist, he steadied her.
She finally looked at Jack and smiled. "Jack." she simply said, and with the motioning of her chin towards the girls, "We're taking them right?"
"Aye, luv. Good to have ya back," he responded and moved towards the nearest girl. "'ello, luv. I'm Cap'n Jack Sparrow and I'll be yer hero fer tonight."
The blond girl he was tending to shied away from his touch. She shook violently as he brought a dagger to the binds. Tears flooded her cheeks and she screamed. She screamed so loud that Audrina felt her bones literally shake underneath her skin. "Take me home! Please! Don't hurt me! I'll promise to be good! Please!" the girl pleaded.
Jack stopped for a moment; he was obviously shaken by the girl's protests. He swallowed the nervous feeling fluttering around in his stomach and smiled. "I'll take ya back home, darlin'. No one is goin' to hurt ya. So let me cut yer binds and we'll be off."
The blond girl stared into his face. She nodded slowly. "Quickly," she murmured in a low voice.
Lucas let Audrina sit back on the floor as he, Jack, Gibbs and Owen cut the ties of all the women. They peeled off as much of their clothes as they could and draped it across the nakedness of the women, covering up even their most intimate details.
"Get 'em to the Pearl. We deal with Addison later."
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