Disclaimer: Sadly, the Mouse is the head honcho in all PotC dealings. I
own nothing except my own characters. Woot woot.
A/N: After the LONG agonizing delay, I give you chapter 13! Now we get to see Jack try to climb out of the hole he's dug for himself, aye? Enjoy!
PineAppleLint
* * *
Jack sat there, shirtless, looking utterly speechless.
"Who's the pretty wench?" the black haired whore asked slyly, massaging Jack's tanned shoulders as he gaped at her, "Has she come to play wit' us?"
The whore in the green dress stood up from the bed, walking over to Belle after stroking Sparrow's thigh.
"Have ye come to join the fun?" she asked, gazing at her with a sneer, "Because I think there's enough o' the Captain to go around. There always is, isn't that right, Gwen?"
"As right as rain, me dear," the beautiful woman on the bed proclaimed, bending over and whispering something provocative into Jack's ear before wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, slowly running her palms up his chest.
"Well I'm SORRY to interrupt, CAPTAIN," Belle said angrily, "Didn't mean to INTRUDE." And was she slurring?! Hell, she was! Her words were beginning to run together like sloppy paints on a wet canvas. The buzz of rum was making her skin tingle, and her brain seemed like it was rolled up in stuffy cotton.
She was getting drunk too many times for her own damn good. Wasn't this but the second time she's acted like a complete idiot from a little too much rum?
"Miss Blake," Jack replied hoarsely, "I know this is rather awkward, but I am sorry ye had to see this and..."
"I know, I know..." Belle exclaimed drunkenly, flicking her wrist at him, "I'll leave now. You can continue on with your JOB, girls. Wouldn't want to keep you from getting PAID." She realized accenting words while piss drunk was quite enjoyable for her. Belle swayed a bit as she bent over and picked up the package she dropped, sniffed haughtily, then slammed the door shut on her way out.
"Was she objectin' to our profession, Jack?" the brown-haired lass said, pouting as she sashayed over to wear he sat rigidly.
"O' course not, um..." Jack winced in thought. He scratched his head before adding, "What was yer name again?" The whore shrieked and slapped him across the face. The smack resounded off the walls like a gunshot.
"I don't think I deserved that," he said with a frown.
She picked up her fancy feather hat with a "hmmmpf" and stomped out of his cabin. He heard the click of her shoes as she made her way down the gangplank and off the Pearl.
"This evenin' isn't turnin' out so well," Jack groaned and sank back into his covers. He sighed in frustration. All he wanted was a good time and he always managed to mess things up for himself. Good going, Sparrow. Was he losing his touch?
"Don't be feelin' down, Captain," Gwen commented in a breathless voice, "Perhaps things turned out for the better, hmm?"
He stared at her if she was insane, but waited for her to make a valid point.
"After all," she said, running a finger down his chest, "Now it's just the two of us. It'll be worth yer money, I promise."
She leaned over, giving him a good view of cleavage, and a black curl slowly tickled his shoulder as her face came an inch from his.
"Relax," she commanded in a whisper. He savagely brought her head down so their lips could meet, and his hands began to wander wickedly down her body, causing Gwen to moan into his mouth. He wanted to ruin this woman for all men. He wanted to live up to that reputation of his, as well as exceed it.
And...perhaps he wanted to drown out Belle's face. Jack closed his eyes, yet Belle did not fade from his mind. And as he had his way with the whore, all the while he thought of a different woman.
* * *
Belle sat on her cot, barefooted, with her chin resting on her knees. She had been sitting there in the same position for quite some time now, staring out the window, as silent as the grave. Perhaps she was afraid to talk for the fear of setting off that insistent throbbing in her head once again overwhelmed her. The door creaked and she glanced towards the doorway. It was Ana Maria. She closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, watching as Belle returned her gaze to the night sky out her window.
Ana Maria let out a breath and ran a hand through her wild locks, tucking some of it underneath the navy cloth wrapped around her dirty forehead. She opened her mouth to say something but Belle interrupted her.
"I know, you don't have to say it, Ana," Belle said without emotion, "That 'I told you so' is going to be wasted on me."
"No one ever calls me Ana," she responded, sitting across from her on a wobbly chair.
"Oh. Sorry then."
"No, don't be," Ana Maria replied with a smile, "It kind of sounds mysterious. I like it."
Belle nodded, getting quiet once more. She stared down at her fingernails and began to pick at the grime hidden underneath them.
"And by the way, I wasn't goin' to say 'I told ye so', don't put words in me mouth." Ana Maria sighed and leaned against the wall, getting comfortable, "I saw the Captain come on board with those two and I instantly knew there'd be trouble."
"Trouble?" Belle snorted, "I am not going to cause any trouble. What he does while visiting Tortuga is none of my concern."
"The way ye feel about him makes it your concern though," Ana Maria pointed out. Just as Belle glared at her, she added with her hands raised, "And I'm not tryin' to start somethin'. I'm statin' a true fact, that's all. So don't start yer bitchin'."
"All right, there will be no bitching from me," she said with a weak grin. She sneezed suddenly and her blonde hair fell down over her eyes. "Ugh, it's such a hassle taking care of this." She gathered up her tangled hair and showed her the knots to prove a point.
"Ye have nice hair."
Belle rolled her eyes at Ana Maria's comment and flipped her hair back over her shoulders.
"We could do somethin' about it if it bothers ye so much," Ana Maria said with a wicked smile.
"Like what?" Ana Maria held up a finger and placed it against Belle's lips, then got up to leave. She disappeared for a minute or two, leaving Belle to furrow her brow and wonder if she was supposed to follow. She appeared with a pair of scissors in her hand, gleaming in the dim light. Belle's eyes widened as Ana Maria raised her eyebrows in silent question.
"I don't know..." Belle stammered, "I..."
"Think o' it as bein' a symbol of startin' your new life, aye? Ye know ye want to try somethin' new."
Belle eyed the scissors and a burst of excitement and anxiety flowed through her veins. A change. She suddenly craved it more than anything, to be able to let her hair hit the floor while she shed her fear of the future. She felt like embracing piracy with open arms and not letting anyone stand in her way to get what she wanted, as well as Jack.
"All right. Let's do this." As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a fierceness, a certain boldness she had never experienced before. Even as Ana Maria tilted Belle's head to one side and she began to hear the steady 'snip snip' of the scissors, she was still smiling.
* * *
Jack groaned as he walked out of his cabin, feeling horribly hung over and tired from staying up all night. The whore hadn't left until three, giving him a quick peck on the lips after he paid her her wages for their rendezvous. She left without so much of a goodbye, losing that mask of lust and replacing it with a look of greedy satisfaction for the coins jingling in her dress pocket.
He stepped up to the helm and ran a finger across it, cherishing his ship. He shut his eyes, which didn't have any kohl because he forgot to put some on, and knew that the Pearl would be the only thing he would ever love eternally. Everything else was just...there. But the Pearl, well, that was his freedom. If she was taken away from him, then he might as well have his heart cut out.
Jack realized he had to have a talk with Belle, and he dreaded having to do it, but he would have to discuss things with her nonetheless. He actually found talking with her to be quite refreshing, but talking to her about last night, well, it didn't top his list of favorite things to do.
"Ana Maria!" Jack barked, swaying a bit as he whirled around to look for her.
"Aye, Captain?" she said innocently, walking up to him with her arms crossed, "What is it?"
"Where's Miss Blake? I have to speak with her."
"Oh, I believe..." Ana Maria squinted in mock concentration, "She's up top helpin' Gibbs with the sails."
"I thought she was afraid o' heights," Jack frowned.
"Well, ye thought wrong," Ana Maria snorted, "Why don't ye look for yerself?"
Jack didn't understand the meaning of her secretive smile until he glanced up and almost choked on his own saliva.
"Belle!" Ana Maria called sweetly, "Jack wants to speak with ye!"
"I'll be down in a second," she yelled down, winking at them both. She and Mr. Gibbs exchanged a few words and he nodded. She carefully climbed down the loose ropes and once she landed on her feet, she walked steadily and confidently over to them.
"Yes Jack?"
"Your hair," he croaked, his head spinning, "What happened? What did ye do?"
"Oh, you like it?" she laughed, touching her choppy chin-length blonde hair, "It was a spur of the moment kind of thing."
Actually, he did like it, but he was still trying to get over the initial shock of her suddenly hacking off all of her curly locks. The new haircut accented her eyes and the sharpness of her chin, giving her a devilish, cocky look rather than that innocent, proper one she had maintained before.
"It's...goin' to take some getting used to," he responded finally, removing his tricorne hat and scratching his head. His eyes never left her face.
"What did you have to talk to me about, Captain?" Belle questioned cheerily.
He opened his mouth and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, no words coming out of his mouth. Finally he said, "I wanted to make sure ye were all right from last night."
"Why wouldn't I be?" she said, raising an eyebrow. She finally said dramatically, "OH. You mean catching you with those women last night? Don't worry, I understand. You were just looking for a bit of fun."
"I..."
"Were they expensive?" she asked as if she were making small talk, "Because women like that are usually cost a bit. The kinky ones."
"How would you know?" he said a bit sharply than he intended for it to be. The sudden cutting edge of his voice caused her grin to widen. Here they go again.
"I don't know. I'm not the one who has sex with strangers."
"Is there a problem between us, Miss Blake?" he asked, his eyes now narrow slits, "If there is, feel free to share with me. Hell, I'd like to know why ye are actin' this way."
"Why would there be a problem?" she said with an innocent shrug of her shoulders, "It was my fault I walked in on such a pitiful display in your cabin."
"Pitiful?" he scoffed, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. When it comes to women, there is no such thing as a 'pitiful display'."
"There you go again, Jack," Belle rolled her eyes, "Thinking you are the greatest man alive. Well you're not. Even Captain Jack Sparrow has flaws."
"And why are ye tryin' to get me angry, Belle?" he hissed, his head beginning to throb mercilessly, "I think last night bothered you more than ye would like to admit."
Belle's calm demeanor diminished and her gaze grew stormy. "You shut your mouth, Jack Sparrow. You have no right to say such things to me."
"It hurt you to see me with them, eh? Did it? Did ye cut your hair just to get my attention?" Jack asked in a pleading tone, "Just tell me." He wanted to know. He wanted the truth. He was so desperate, he would hurt her to get it from her, to hear those simple words exclaiming her attraction for him escape her lips.
Belle was quiet for a moment. She almost scared him out of his boots when she grabbed him by his coat and pulled him to her. He froze when he felt her lips against his earlobe. She whispered, "You are an ass." And then kneed him right in the groin.
He should have seen it coming. Her knee connected with his manhood with such force that he instantly saw stars before he blacked out for a second or two. She pushed his body off of hers and walked away from the helm, not saying another word.
Jack held his hands to the crotch of his breeches and let out a strangled gasp as he fell to his knees. Some of the crewmembers snickered, but when he looked up to see who would dare laugh at him, they smothered it and went on to tend to their duties elsewhere.
Ana Maria waltzed up, stared down at his pained face and said, "So, did she or didn't she?"
"Do what?" he asked, his voice about three pitches higher.
"Make ye a eunuch."
Jack let out a shaky breath and struggled to stand up properly without bending over a bit. "I'm not sure," he replied, his voice returning to normal, "But there's goin' to be hell to pay. No lass kicks me in the sociables and gets away with it."
"Do I even have to point out that ye deserved it? Anyway, you're going to have to wait for her to get back, then."
"Wait, what? Where did she go?" Jack questioned in confusion.
"Into Tortuga. She said she had to return somethin'."
"She can't go into Tortuga by herself!" Jack roared, "Is she daft?"
"Daft like you, I suppose."
"Fine, see if I care," he mumbled, "Women...argh!" At that comment he threw up his hands in exasperation. Ana Maria let out a chuckle and shook her head as she walked away, whistling to herself.
He grabbed a bottle of rum he hadn't managed to finish the other day and uncorked it, taking a rather large swig.
"Stupid wench," he muttered, "I'm not crawlin' like a dog after her."
Five minutes rolled by, and they were the longest five minutes he had ever witnessed. The wind picked up, causing his dreads to tickle his cheeks. He checked his gun for shot and shuffled his feet in irritation. Tapping his fingers against the helm, he finally snapped, just like Ana Maria predicted he'd do.
"That's it, I'm going."
* * *
Please review! They are dandy.
A/N: After the LONG agonizing delay, I give you chapter 13! Now we get to see Jack try to climb out of the hole he's dug for himself, aye? Enjoy!
PineAppleLint
* * *
Jack sat there, shirtless, looking utterly speechless.
"Who's the pretty wench?" the black haired whore asked slyly, massaging Jack's tanned shoulders as he gaped at her, "Has she come to play wit' us?"
The whore in the green dress stood up from the bed, walking over to Belle after stroking Sparrow's thigh.
"Have ye come to join the fun?" she asked, gazing at her with a sneer, "Because I think there's enough o' the Captain to go around. There always is, isn't that right, Gwen?"
"As right as rain, me dear," the beautiful woman on the bed proclaimed, bending over and whispering something provocative into Jack's ear before wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, slowly running her palms up his chest.
"Well I'm SORRY to interrupt, CAPTAIN," Belle said angrily, "Didn't mean to INTRUDE." And was she slurring?! Hell, she was! Her words were beginning to run together like sloppy paints on a wet canvas. The buzz of rum was making her skin tingle, and her brain seemed like it was rolled up in stuffy cotton.
She was getting drunk too many times for her own damn good. Wasn't this but the second time she's acted like a complete idiot from a little too much rum?
"Miss Blake," Jack replied hoarsely, "I know this is rather awkward, but I am sorry ye had to see this and..."
"I know, I know..." Belle exclaimed drunkenly, flicking her wrist at him, "I'll leave now. You can continue on with your JOB, girls. Wouldn't want to keep you from getting PAID." She realized accenting words while piss drunk was quite enjoyable for her. Belle swayed a bit as she bent over and picked up the package she dropped, sniffed haughtily, then slammed the door shut on her way out.
"Was she objectin' to our profession, Jack?" the brown-haired lass said, pouting as she sashayed over to wear he sat rigidly.
"O' course not, um..." Jack winced in thought. He scratched his head before adding, "What was yer name again?" The whore shrieked and slapped him across the face. The smack resounded off the walls like a gunshot.
"I don't think I deserved that," he said with a frown.
She picked up her fancy feather hat with a "hmmmpf" and stomped out of his cabin. He heard the click of her shoes as she made her way down the gangplank and off the Pearl.
"This evenin' isn't turnin' out so well," Jack groaned and sank back into his covers. He sighed in frustration. All he wanted was a good time and he always managed to mess things up for himself. Good going, Sparrow. Was he losing his touch?
"Don't be feelin' down, Captain," Gwen commented in a breathless voice, "Perhaps things turned out for the better, hmm?"
He stared at her if she was insane, but waited for her to make a valid point.
"After all," she said, running a finger down his chest, "Now it's just the two of us. It'll be worth yer money, I promise."
She leaned over, giving him a good view of cleavage, and a black curl slowly tickled his shoulder as her face came an inch from his.
"Relax," she commanded in a whisper. He savagely brought her head down so their lips could meet, and his hands began to wander wickedly down her body, causing Gwen to moan into his mouth. He wanted to ruin this woman for all men. He wanted to live up to that reputation of his, as well as exceed it.
And...perhaps he wanted to drown out Belle's face. Jack closed his eyes, yet Belle did not fade from his mind. And as he had his way with the whore, all the while he thought of a different woman.
* * *
Belle sat on her cot, barefooted, with her chin resting on her knees. She had been sitting there in the same position for quite some time now, staring out the window, as silent as the grave. Perhaps she was afraid to talk for the fear of setting off that insistent throbbing in her head once again overwhelmed her. The door creaked and she glanced towards the doorway. It was Ana Maria. She closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, watching as Belle returned her gaze to the night sky out her window.
Ana Maria let out a breath and ran a hand through her wild locks, tucking some of it underneath the navy cloth wrapped around her dirty forehead. She opened her mouth to say something but Belle interrupted her.
"I know, you don't have to say it, Ana," Belle said without emotion, "That 'I told you so' is going to be wasted on me."
"No one ever calls me Ana," she responded, sitting across from her on a wobbly chair.
"Oh. Sorry then."
"No, don't be," Ana Maria replied with a smile, "It kind of sounds mysterious. I like it."
Belle nodded, getting quiet once more. She stared down at her fingernails and began to pick at the grime hidden underneath them.
"And by the way, I wasn't goin' to say 'I told ye so', don't put words in me mouth." Ana Maria sighed and leaned against the wall, getting comfortable, "I saw the Captain come on board with those two and I instantly knew there'd be trouble."
"Trouble?" Belle snorted, "I am not going to cause any trouble. What he does while visiting Tortuga is none of my concern."
"The way ye feel about him makes it your concern though," Ana Maria pointed out. Just as Belle glared at her, she added with her hands raised, "And I'm not tryin' to start somethin'. I'm statin' a true fact, that's all. So don't start yer bitchin'."
"All right, there will be no bitching from me," she said with a weak grin. She sneezed suddenly and her blonde hair fell down over her eyes. "Ugh, it's such a hassle taking care of this." She gathered up her tangled hair and showed her the knots to prove a point.
"Ye have nice hair."
Belle rolled her eyes at Ana Maria's comment and flipped her hair back over her shoulders.
"We could do somethin' about it if it bothers ye so much," Ana Maria said with a wicked smile.
"Like what?" Ana Maria held up a finger and placed it against Belle's lips, then got up to leave. She disappeared for a minute or two, leaving Belle to furrow her brow and wonder if she was supposed to follow. She appeared with a pair of scissors in her hand, gleaming in the dim light. Belle's eyes widened as Ana Maria raised her eyebrows in silent question.
"I don't know..." Belle stammered, "I..."
"Think o' it as bein' a symbol of startin' your new life, aye? Ye know ye want to try somethin' new."
Belle eyed the scissors and a burst of excitement and anxiety flowed through her veins. A change. She suddenly craved it more than anything, to be able to let her hair hit the floor while she shed her fear of the future. She felt like embracing piracy with open arms and not letting anyone stand in her way to get what she wanted, as well as Jack.
"All right. Let's do this." As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a fierceness, a certain boldness she had never experienced before. Even as Ana Maria tilted Belle's head to one side and she began to hear the steady 'snip snip' of the scissors, she was still smiling.
* * *
Jack groaned as he walked out of his cabin, feeling horribly hung over and tired from staying up all night. The whore hadn't left until three, giving him a quick peck on the lips after he paid her her wages for their rendezvous. She left without so much of a goodbye, losing that mask of lust and replacing it with a look of greedy satisfaction for the coins jingling in her dress pocket.
He stepped up to the helm and ran a finger across it, cherishing his ship. He shut his eyes, which didn't have any kohl because he forgot to put some on, and knew that the Pearl would be the only thing he would ever love eternally. Everything else was just...there. But the Pearl, well, that was his freedom. If she was taken away from him, then he might as well have his heart cut out.
Jack realized he had to have a talk with Belle, and he dreaded having to do it, but he would have to discuss things with her nonetheless. He actually found talking with her to be quite refreshing, but talking to her about last night, well, it didn't top his list of favorite things to do.
"Ana Maria!" Jack barked, swaying a bit as he whirled around to look for her.
"Aye, Captain?" she said innocently, walking up to him with her arms crossed, "What is it?"
"Where's Miss Blake? I have to speak with her."
"Oh, I believe..." Ana Maria squinted in mock concentration, "She's up top helpin' Gibbs with the sails."
"I thought she was afraid o' heights," Jack frowned.
"Well, ye thought wrong," Ana Maria snorted, "Why don't ye look for yerself?"
Jack didn't understand the meaning of her secretive smile until he glanced up and almost choked on his own saliva.
"Belle!" Ana Maria called sweetly, "Jack wants to speak with ye!"
"I'll be down in a second," she yelled down, winking at them both. She and Mr. Gibbs exchanged a few words and he nodded. She carefully climbed down the loose ropes and once she landed on her feet, she walked steadily and confidently over to them.
"Yes Jack?"
"Your hair," he croaked, his head spinning, "What happened? What did ye do?"
"Oh, you like it?" she laughed, touching her choppy chin-length blonde hair, "It was a spur of the moment kind of thing."
Actually, he did like it, but he was still trying to get over the initial shock of her suddenly hacking off all of her curly locks. The new haircut accented her eyes and the sharpness of her chin, giving her a devilish, cocky look rather than that innocent, proper one she had maintained before.
"It's...goin' to take some getting used to," he responded finally, removing his tricorne hat and scratching his head. His eyes never left her face.
"What did you have to talk to me about, Captain?" Belle questioned cheerily.
He opened his mouth and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, no words coming out of his mouth. Finally he said, "I wanted to make sure ye were all right from last night."
"Why wouldn't I be?" she said, raising an eyebrow. She finally said dramatically, "OH. You mean catching you with those women last night? Don't worry, I understand. You were just looking for a bit of fun."
"I..."
"Were they expensive?" she asked as if she were making small talk, "Because women like that are usually cost a bit. The kinky ones."
"How would you know?" he said a bit sharply than he intended for it to be. The sudden cutting edge of his voice caused her grin to widen. Here they go again.
"I don't know. I'm not the one who has sex with strangers."
"Is there a problem between us, Miss Blake?" he asked, his eyes now narrow slits, "If there is, feel free to share with me. Hell, I'd like to know why ye are actin' this way."
"Why would there be a problem?" she said with an innocent shrug of her shoulders, "It was my fault I walked in on such a pitiful display in your cabin."
"Pitiful?" he scoffed, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. When it comes to women, there is no such thing as a 'pitiful display'."
"There you go again, Jack," Belle rolled her eyes, "Thinking you are the greatest man alive. Well you're not. Even Captain Jack Sparrow has flaws."
"And why are ye tryin' to get me angry, Belle?" he hissed, his head beginning to throb mercilessly, "I think last night bothered you more than ye would like to admit."
Belle's calm demeanor diminished and her gaze grew stormy. "You shut your mouth, Jack Sparrow. You have no right to say such things to me."
"It hurt you to see me with them, eh? Did it? Did ye cut your hair just to get my attention?" Jack asked in a pleading tone, "Just tell me." He wanted to know. He wanted the truth. He was so desperate, he would hurt her to get it from her, to hear those simple words exclaiming her attraction for him escape her lips.
Belle was quiet for a moment. She almost scared him out of his boots when she grabbed him by his coat and pulled him to her. He froze when he felt her lips against his earlobe. She whispered, "You are an ass." And then kneed him right in the groin.
He should have seen it coming. Her knee connected with his manhood with such force that he instantly saw stars before he blacked out for a second or two. She pushed his body off of hers and walked away from the helm, not saying another word.
Jack held his hands to the crotch of his breeches and let out a strangled gasp as he fell to his knees. Some of the crewmembers snickered, but when he looked up to see who would dare laugh at him, they smothered it and went on to tend to their duties elsewhere.
Ana Maria waltzed up, stared down at his pained face and said, "So, did she or didn't she?"
"Do what?" he asked, his voice about three pitches higher.
"Make ye a eunuch."
Jack let out a shaky breath and struggled to stand up properly without bending over a bit. "I'm not sure," he replied, his voice returning to normal, "But there's goin' to be hell to pay. No lass kicks me in the sociables and gets away with it."
"Do I even have to point out that ye deserved it? Anyway, you're going to have to wait for her to get back, then."
"Wait, what? Where did she go?" Jack questioned in confusion.
"Into Tortuga. She said she had to return somethin'."
"She can't go into Tortuga by herself!" Jack roared, "Is she daft?"
"Daft like you, I suppose."
"Fine, see if I care," he mumbled, "Women...argh!" At that comment he threw up his hands in exasperation. Ana Maria let out a chuckle and shook her head as she walked away, whistling to herself.
He grabbed a bottle of rum he hadn't managed to finish the other day and uncorked it, taking a rather large swig.
"Stupid wench," he muttered, "I'm not crawlin' like a dog after her."
Five minutes rolled by, and they were the longest five minutes he had ever witnessed. The wind picked up, causing his dreads to tickle his cheeks. He checked his gun for shot and shuffled his feet in irritation. Tapping his fingers against the helm, he finally snapped, just like Ana Maria predicted he'd do.
"That's it, I'm going."
* * *
Please review! They are dandy.
