Disclaimer: You know… not mine… never has been... never will be… blah… blah… blah…
AN: I hope to finish this before At World's End is released and makes it completely AU. As opposed to the only slightly (I say with tongue firmly in cheek) AU that I've already created and sheepishly admit to. I am going to shamelessly beg... please review it makes hours spent writing so much easier.
Val watched Jack as he cockily sauntered away, his actions at odds with the plaintive almost wistful note that she had detected in his words. Only one act left in which they hadn't engaged. While Val doubted that his statement was completely accurate she was astute enough to realize what Jack was trying to say without actually saying. The night he had taken her virginity she'd been so hurt by his reaction that she'd said some unforgivably harsh things that she now regretted. Not the least of which had been her comment about no lady ever caring enough about him to want to pleasure him with her mouth. Despite the many permutations of lovemaking that they had indulged in during the past days, this was one permutation that had not occurred.
Val knew very well why she had not instigated such an action but she now questioned why Jack had also refrained from any prodding in that direction. It was not as if Jack had been reticent about demanding multi varied sexual favors from her. Actually it had been quite the contrary with Jack pushing her far beyond what she was comfortable with only to have her discover new physical delights and heights of passion. So why had he not even so much as hinted that he desired such activities until today?
A small bubble of hope began to well up inside her chest. Perhaps Jack was afraid that she would resist or refuse? And if that were true… If that were true, then that meant that it mattered to Jack whether or not she harbored feelings for him and there could only be one reason why that would matter. Giddiness threatened to overtake her at such an idea but then she told herself to calm down and look at things rationally before jumping to conclusions.
Like a barrister building a case Val began to examine each facet of her and Jack's relationship. First, although he had disappeared the morning after their marriage he had never sought an annulment. Second, Jack had gone to a lot of trouble to disrupt his marriage to Millicent. Third, by getting her out of Port Royal while she was still in danger of being thrown into the gaol he had acted in a protective manner. Fourth, rather than pounce on her once she was aboard the Diamond he had carefully seduced her until she acquiesced before making love to her. Fifth, finding her with Dr. Camberton had pushed him into a possessive rage which persisted to this day.
This last fact was the weightiest of all of the bits of information. Jack often still seemed a man driven by jealous demons when they made love. His insistence, that she verbally acknowledged her surrender to him, bordered on desperation. It was as if he were determined to so completely claim her physically that she would have no choice but become fully his. Smiling wryly Val realized that in typical male fashion Jack had it backwards. He would never have been able to so claim her body if he had not already possessed her heart.
The question still remained; did she posses his heart? There seemed to be a very real likelihood that she did but he had never declared any feelings for her. On the other hand, neither had she voiced her emotions. It could be that he was just as wary as she of being vulnerable. Well tonight she would express to him in deed what she was afraid to express in words.
Val began to make her way below deck. She had a lot to accomplish before this evening. She needed to pack for their arrival in Port Royal tomorrow and then she would spend the remainder of the day pampering herself and planning Jack's seduction. A friendly voiced halted her progress.
"Good day to you Miss Val."
Val secretly grinned to herself at Gibbs' return to calling her Miss Val. Throughout the voyage he had been unable to settle on one way of addressing her and had switched from miss to ma'am and back again never settling on one form of address for more than a few days. Evidently she and Jack were not the only ones confused about the status of their relationship. "Good morning Mr. Gibbs. I was just going below to pack. I never knew how much I relied on my lady's maid until this journey."
Gibbs thoughtfully scratched his chin and appeared to be screwing up his courage. "Aye it's often the truth that we don't appreciate what we have till it's done and gone. I was just saying that to Jack."
Val stared at him for a moment trying to determine if he was sending a message. "Really? Well, what did Jack say to that observation?"
"Told me to stop being such a sentimental barmy old fool and that the trick to life was to hold onto what you wanted once you'd found it."
"But what if you don't know you want it until it's gone?"
"That's exactly what I asked Jack and he said that if that happened you had to do whatever it took to get back what was yours. Course I've found that that sometimes a man needs a bit of a kick in the pants to realize what it is he truly desires."
"Oh." Val was now sure that Gibbs was trying to tell her something but his message was unclear. "Mr. Gibbs, are you trying to tell me something?"
Blushing to the roots of his hair Gibbs stammered, 'Well now Miss Val that'd be what I was wanting to talk to you bout. I know it's not my business but…"
"Gibbs quit flapping your gums and get back to work." Jack's voice bellowed across the deck.
Looking relieved at the interruption Gibbs smiled and said, "Well I'd best be getting back to work afore Jack busts a gut. I'll talk to you when we dock Miss Val. Tweren't nothing I had to tell you that can't wait till then."
"You are dreadfully late James." Katherine lightly scolded her husband.
Dropping a quick kiss on the top of his wife's head, James joined her at the table. "Sorry Kat but things were in a bit of an uproar and it was difficult to steal away." He began to hungrily tuck into the food. Since their marriage Kat had insisted that at least twice a week he return home during the day to share the afternoon meal with her. It was a ritual that he had grown fond of for more reasons than the nourishment provided.
She watched him devour half the meal before raising her eyebrow and asking, "Well?"
James carefully laid down his cutlery. "Well what?"
With an impatient snort Kat demanded, "Are you going to tell me why the French Ambassador is raising Cain and demanding Jack's head on a platter or not?"
Picking up his fork and spearing a potato James answered, "Not." Then he popped the forkful of food into his mouth and chewed as he waited for the explosion. He was not disappointed.
"James Norrington you are the most annoying frustrating man I have ever known. You can not simply refuse to tell me what is going on!" Kat hotly informed him. "You were the one who so forcefully reminded me that a husband and wife should not keep secrets from each other and yet here you are keeping me in the dark."
Sighing, he gave up any hope of finishing his lunch and once again set down his fork. "Kat this situation is completely different from the one you refer to. It is not that I will not tell you but rather that I can not tell you. Duty prevents me from speaking to anyone but Governor Swann about this matter."
Kat recognized the truth of his words. James took his duty seriously and it was not fair of her to ask him to reveal what he felt duty bound to keep hidden. "Very well, I accept that you can not tell me all but can you at least tell me when the Diamond will be back in Port Royal?"
James smiled, "That information dear wife I can happily give you. Jack and the Diamond were spotted a few days ago and will likely make port tomorrow."
Satisfied that she had ferreted out all of the information on that topic that James was willing to consciously part with, Kat moved on to another subject, "Is Mr. Witherspoon still pushing the Governor to rush through the annulment papers?"
"Yes, he continues to be relentless in his efforts. I am uncertain as to whether the Governor is acting on behalf of Jack or if he owes a political favor to Mr. Witherspoon. At any rate, the papers will be complete and ready for signature before the Diamond docks. It seems as if Miss Witherspoon has decided that given a future as a countess she is willing to overlook some more past indiscretions on Jack's part. Fortunately, she has at last accepted that Val did not commit bigamy and has abandoned her campaign to have Val thrown into the gaol."
"Well that is certainly a relief." Kat smiled and took a sip of wine and then in an apparently idle tone inquired, "Is there any particular reason why the Governor would be willing to do such a favor on Jack's behalf?"
James immediately saw through her ploy and with a glint in his eye warned, "Kat you will cease trying to trick information out of me."
"Very well, but you can not fault me for trying. I do have to wonder if Governor Swann has gone through a lot of trouble for nothing."
Having had the same thought, James almost agreed but then decided to have some fun teasing his wife. "What do you mean Kat? When they left Val made it abundantly obvious that she no longer wished to be married to Jack." He took delight in the soft flush that crept up her neck and into her cheeks. Despite her enthusiasm in the bed chamber, Kat was easily disconcerted by talk of intimate relations.
"That is true but perhaps during the voyage things changed and an annulment may not be possible." Kat caught the small smile that James quickly hid. Damn him, he knew exactly what she was talking about but he wanted to embarrass her by having to spell it out. She decided to get a little of here own back. Adopting a dreamy expression she murmured, "After all, Val and Jack will have been together for close to a month and Jack is rather hard to resist. I suppose that it's the pirate in him. So dangerous and exciting that a woman fairly swoons thinking about it."
The sound of a chair scraping across the floor had her eyes flying open to stare across the table. James stood and stealthily began to walk towards her. In his low rumbling baritone he murmured threateningly, "Did I ever tell you of the time that I spent sailing with Jack and his crew aboard the Pearl?"
Kat's gaze met his and she did not even try to hide the mischievousness in her tone when she waived her hand airily and said dismissively, "Oh yes you told me all about that James. But that was so very long ago it hardly counts. Now you've become such a boring old Commodore bound to work and duty." The last was said with a shriek as James reached her end of the table and pulled out of her chair.
"Boring,eh? Well I shall have to remedy your misconception of my character Mrs. Norrington." So saying he picked her up threw her over his shoulder and headed towards the door.
Kat gave up all pretenses and started laughing. "James put me down. For heaven's sake what will the servants think?"
"Well I imagine the male servants will think that I am one lucky man and I would hope that the female servants think you one lucky woman. Now stop wriggling around so much or I'll drop you." With this warning he proceeded out the door and up the stairs to what was without a doubt his favorite part of coming home for midday meal.
Under the table, Val discretely rubbed her sweaty palms on the napkin. Lord but she was nervous. She had spent most of the afternoon preparing for this evening. As she had single handedly struggled into a corset that was not bound nearly as tight as it ought to have been, she had recalled her words to Gibbs about missing her maid. That had set to her to wondering what is was that Gibbs wanted to tell her. She'd distracted herself for quite awhile by imagining all sorts of revelations that Gibbs could produce but then before she knew it was the dinner hour.
When she'd arrived at Jack's quarters she had received her first surprise of the evening. Jack had once again reverted to his role of titled gentleman. The change made Val nervous for it was as if her lover of the past weeks had disappeared and a new man sat in his stead. The second surprise was that he had seemed as nervous as she. As a result conversation had occurred in fits and starts and dwelled solely on inconsequential matters. Now they had just finished their pudding and it was time for her to execute her plan. Taking a calming breath Val rose from her chair. Her plan was immediately foiled when Jack also arose.
"Jack, please sit back down."
"But a gentleman always stands when a lady leaves the table." Jack protested.
"Well yes but please just sit down." Val snapped at him irritated that he was making this more difficult than it already was. When he failed to act quickly enough for her liking, she literally pushed him back into the chair. "And stay there until I say otherwise."
Jack opened his mouth to argue but then thought better of it. Trying to appear meek he settled back and waited and wondered what Valentine was up to. He soon had his answer. Planting herself just out of arm's reach Valentine reached behind her back and with a fluidity derived from weeks of dressing without a maid's assistance, she quickly unfastened the hooks of her dress. A slight shrug of her shoulders and the dress slithered down her body. Carefully she stepped out of it and then stood before him.
Jack forced himself to stay seated while his eyes feasted on the sight before him. Valentine was wearing nothing but her shoes, stockings, and a corset made from the sheerest of black lace. Beginning at her feet, slowly Jack raked his gaze over her. Her legs were slightly parted as if in invitation and her silk stocking were held in place by garters adorned with tiny satin bows that just begged for a man's fingers to untie them. When his eyes reached the juncture between her legs he saw that her womanhood was completely uncovered but for the tiny beads of dew that glistened in her curls signaling her arousal. He swept past the luscious curve of her hips past the indentation of her tiny waist and up to where the creamy mounds of her breasts looked as if a single breath would send them tumbling forth from the tight confinement. He croaked, "I see you've been to Singapore."
"What?" Val was confused by his apparent non sequitor.
"Never mind darling. Come over here."
"Oh no you don't, Jack Sparrow. I am the one in charge. If you want any hope of satisfaction you will do as I say."
Jack considered this for a moment. He was sorely tempted to tumble her to the floor and illustrate just exactly who was in charge here but he was also curious about what she was up to. Playing along for a few more minutes could do no harm and it was not as if he wasn't finding the situation pleasurable. He nodded his head, "As you wish Valentine but you'd best remember that it's not wise to pull a tiger's tail unless you're willing to get bit."
"And who says I'm not willing?" Val fairly purred. Jack's awestruck countenance had given her courage a much needed boost. Placing a hand on either arm of his chair she leaned over and gave him an incendiary kiss. When his hands tried to pull her onto his lap she batted them away and then gracefully walked to the middle of the room where there was a plush rug. When she turned back around she caught Jack devouring her with his eyes. The man was practically salivating. With a wicked smile she crooked her finger and ordered, "Come."
Jack had to force himself to cross the room at a sedate pace as what he really wanted to do was run. He still did not know what she was about this evening but he was more than game to find out.
When he stood next to her, Val patiently explained, "The rules are that you must keep your hands to yourself or I'll stop whatever I'm doing. Do you understand Jack?"
At last beginning to have an idea of what she had in mind, Jack's mouth grew too dry to speak so he nodded his assent.
"Good." Val murmured and the set to work removing his jacket. Soon his cravat and waistcoat followed. Then she began to unbutton his shirt. This process took a lot longer because with each patch of skin revealed Val took time to kiss and suckle and lay claim to what she had uncovered. When the last button was undone she pushed the shirt from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. For a moment she stood back and admired what her handiwork had wrought.
Jack waited with baited breath for what she would do next. With each gentle caress of hers he had grown harder and harder and it had been nearly impossible to keep his hands to himself. When she dropped to her knees Jack felt his legs nearly give way. Then her fingers lightly brushed his crotch and he could not stifle a loud groan of desire. God, did she have any idea of how much she excited him? He glanced down to read her expression and found her biting her lower lip with an intense look of concentration as her fingers began to work free the buttons of his breeches. It took every ounce of honor that he had in him to say, "You don't have to do this Valentine." He didn't add that he thought that he would likely die of frustration if she stopped.
Val leaned back and peered up at him through her lashes. His words had been unexpected. She could easily tell that he was almost unbearably aroused by her actions and yet he was willing to give her the option to stop. Her heart warmed for surely he must care for her to even consider such a noble gesture. Smiling up at him she assured, "But I want to Jack. Now stop talking and enjoy."
The advice was unnecessary for as soon as her tongue touched his member he was incapable of speech. The reality was far better than the fantasies he had indulged in. Ever so delicately she traced the length of him as her hands fondled and lightly squeezed his sacs. With each movement of her head, her long silken hair brushed seductively against his thighs. Jack closed his eyes and fisted his hands in an attempt to remain somewhat in control so that the experience would not be over before it had even truly begun. When her lips closed over the tip and then inch by inch took him within the moist cavern of her mouth, Jack was no longer able to keep his hands to himself. He wove them into her tresses unsure of whether if his intent was to pull her from him or force her to take him even more deeply. In the end it didn't matter for he reached the point of no return. His climax was swift and intense. Shuddering and gasping for breath he spurted his seed down her throat.
When at last the tremors had subsided, he sank down to his knees and pulled her to him covering her lips with a kiss. He could taste himself in her mouth. Appalled at his own behavior for he had never even treated a whore in such a manner, he broke away. Still reeling from what had been the most intensely erotic experience of his life Jack floundered, "I am so sorry Valentine. I never should have… well I should have stopped things before they reached this point. I never expected you to … I mean we should have ended this the conventional way."
Valentine placed her fingers over his lips. "Stop it Jack. There is no need for recriminations. I did what I wanted to do. This way it was truly a first for both of us." Then in an attempt to lighten the mood which had grown uncomfortably serious and fraught with unspoken words, Val mock complained, "And are you or are you not going to assist me out of this blasted corset? I can barely breathe."
Gallantly Jack unhooked the offending garment but then roguishly spent the rest of the night ensuring that she had difficulty catching her breath anyway.