Finally found some time to update, sorry for the long wait... :)
Amazed by the lovely reviews I'm getting ;)
Thanks to these "bribers":
Cat, tim, Skewbald, fresco, Sabina, sophie, brisa, a.m567, marina, rose and all of the Guests!
I offered you 'alone' time... so you shall have it, mua hahaha xD (Sorry I'm a bit crazy if you hadn't gathered XD)
Chapter 5: A Game of Bets
Angelica hadn't really seen Captain Sparrow since the day they'd set sail from the hearty Tortuga, the freedom, wind and tide guiding them to whatever quest they were to delve into next.
They had been following Jack's infamous 'broken' compass, and scanning the unusually calm waters in hope that Jack had found what he'd desired- although it seemed horrifically useless as the heading seemed to change whenever he closed the glossy black lid, and reopened it a second later...
Even the compass didn't know what he wanted.
His compass could only find desired objects that were actually known, and hidden for the person who held it - However, because he had no idea what it was that seemed to be missing, the compass was a pointless piece of nautical navigation.
What more could he want?
He had the Pearl.
He had a crew.
And a full store of rum.
Jack knew there was something niggling at him- he wore a spaced, faraway look as he stood behind the wheel, eyes fixed on the fairly calm water that stretched miles ahead on them, vanishing out towards the horizon.
They'd been sailing for five days straight now, which the crew didn't seem to mind because they instantly realized how much their Captain longed to be on deck of his loyal ship.
At that moment, as their unpredictable Captain stared blankly into the distance, most of them were getting on with odd jobs, like painting the banisters, cleaning the deck or fixing holes in the helm to keep busy.
Gibbs was stood awkwardly next to the lost Jack, who was still in his own little world of thoughts and feelings.
"Sir?" the first mate addressed, attempting to bring the pirate from his daze that he'd been in far too long.
"Gibbs," Jack answered, eyes not acknowledging him. "It be almost sundown. We won't port, but we'll anchor close to land."
"Aye Sir..."the first mate replied, grey eyes eyeing his Captain worriedly.
"Don't you feel like somethin' is missin'? I do..." Jack said almost emptily as he began to think out loud.
"I don't know Jack... Should there be some'in missin'?"
There was a slight silence.
"No."
He frowned, finally blinking to tare himself away from his confusion.
"The absence of said unknown item is makin' me feel... apprehensive, shall we say."
Gibbs' eyes widened and he looked at Jack, as if the man was a ghost.
"How apprehensive?"
Jack swallowed, raising an eyebrow in defeat, "Extremely."
Seeing as it was out of character for Jack to tell him this, Gibbs nodded; He knew his friend didn't want to say anymore on the delicate subject, and instead of staying on topic, he looked away towards the front of the Pearl.
"There be land ahead Cap'n. Should we weigh anchor? It's not yet sunset."
Without glancing at his first mate, Jack nodded twice, looking bewildered.
"Aye," he said, trying hard to put enthusiasm into his strained voice. "Weigh anchor... But we're sitting ducks."
Gibbs nodded and scurried away from him down the planked stairs, immediately barking orders at the lounging crewmen so they could prepare the anchor. Jack watched the crew hurry around the ship, setting to their sudden work with content smiles on their faces.
"Are we makin' port?!" an Irish man asked Gibbs loudly, catching Jack's curious attention over the noise of the raucous crew's labour.
"Nay! We be sittin' ducks!" -Jack smirked- "None of ye be leavin' the ship today, this just be a lil'day off! None of ye be affordin' anythin' in this port anyway!"
All of them men heard this and paused at whatever they were doing at them time, full attention on the scruffy first mate. They all looked at him quizzically, including the Captain.
"This be La Martinique! Not Tortuga or Shipwreck's Cove! Now git back t'work! The lotta ya!"
Jack's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
That foreign feeling of absence... It now seemed obvious what he was missing. How had he forgotten?!
"La Martinique..." he whispered, blurred memories flooding back in front of his mind's eyes. "Angelica!"
He dashed from the steering wheel, shooting down the crooked stairs to stamp his way onto the main deck. He swayed uncontrollably as he frantically turned to face the abandoned cabin; Not delaying this any further, and wanting to see if she was truly the absence he had felt deeply, he barged through the glass paned doors, carefully closing them behind him.
Jack had practically neglected Angelica... yet he felt that it had been her choice to stay inside the Captain's quarters, not his.
He just knew she was in there- he couldn't physically see her, but he had a notion that she was probably in the separate bedroom, that would be completely unknown and hidden to any ordinary stranger's eyes.
"I see you've took your late father's choice in staying to your cabin," Jack stated loudly, taking slow idle steps further into the main room.
"How did I know that you would greet me like that?" her hoarse voice called back, from the exact bedroom Jack had originally thought her to occupy. He smirked in victory and looked curiously towards the open bed chamber door.
How tempted was he to enter that room...
"We be anchored for the night." he hinted sneakily, turning away from the direction of Angelica to take a gander at his forgotten lodgings. From his quick observations, he could tell she'd made herself at home... Her wondrous feminine scent clung to the place like some sort of metal claw, making him want to delve deeper... and then back off in fear.
"Oh, so we are making port then?" she answered, still shouting since she'd not shifted herself from her place inside of her recently claimed boudoir.
"No," Jack quickly shot back, smirking again when Angelica hadn't butted in (she was obviously surprised). He sat on the edge of the long, grand oak table, clearly rebelling against the chairs that he could've sat on that were under the object he was sat upon.
"Why 'ave you shut yourself in 'ere love?"
"To get away from you obviously."
"Don't believe you!"
"I don't care about what you believe. I'd survive perfectly well without anything to do with you."
"No you wouldn't."
"Yes I would!"
Jack jumped off the table, boots landing softly over the rug. He stalked closer, to the shining ebony door which was temptingly cracked open... Daring him to just go in...
"I would most gladly bet that ye wouldn't survive." he offered childishly, beaming a mischievous, devious grin as he paused, almost passing through the door.
"Oh yes? And what do you 'bet' Sparrow? You have nothing of interest to me." she hissed, clearly lying through gritted teeth though Jack didn't realize it.
He placed one of his warm, callous hands flat onto the smooth black surface of the door, lowering his entrancing brown eyes to the floorboards beneath him when he listened intently. He leaned against the door lightly, glad when it didn't give out a single creak.
"And before you even dare to come in here Jack - because I know you're right by the door" - He looked up, eyes large with surprise - "I have a pistol on me, so don't try to sneak up on me! Now come on, if we have a bet, at least name your offer!"
Jack hadn't moved from his place at the door, yet his eyes darted around frantically in thought.
What did he have?!
Money - too boring.
Clothing - Hm, why the hell would she want that?
... The power to speak - Hello. That could come in handy...
Jack smirked triumphantly. If she was playing trickster, he would join in too.
"Silence," he answered simply, tarnished brown eyes burning into the door as if he could see her right through it.
"What?"
"I offer you my silence. Now, if you couldn't survive without yours truly, what do ye 'ave to offer me?"
Angelica sighed.
"Anything you desire, whatever would complete you and make you happy. If that means I would leave again... So be it."
Jack winced like he'd been stung and pushed the door open, tired of waiting to lay eyes upon her. He heard her surprised gasp, but didn't look up at her - he just stared down at the ground.
"Your offer is better." he said quietly, not lifting his eyes to the blushing Angelica who pulled the bed sheets over her to cover her bare, golden form.
"I-I don't know..." she stuttered, fighting with slight embarrassment of her current naked state underneath the thin sheets. "I think yours is very good. Sometimes you never shut up."
Jack smirked, bringing his eyes up to land on her body that was hidden by the opal covers, her olive skinned arms clinging around them to conceal her upper torso, her chest heaving quicker when she caught him looking.
"I could say the same for you," he said huskily, eyes unable to hide the emotion they were conveying strongly towards her.
"Shame," she commented, a little more shrilly as he began to make his way to the bedside nonchalantly. "It was you that bet your silence, not me. So unfortunately I will keep talking and talking, until one day I will kill you because of it."
"And then what'd ye do?" he asked, hanging his hat onto the bedpost to his right as he sat down beside her laid out body. "You'd be all alone."
"I-I-I would have this ship! And this crew! All of your money, your friends... your treasures, your stories... Your compass, your-"
"Ye know what? Ye do talk to much."
He leaned closer and smothered her words with his own mouth, the tender touch of his lips taking her by utter surprise. Angelica frowned in confusion, fingers gripping the sheets tightly, ensuring that they didn't fall from her chest.
No matter how befuddled she was, she didn't pull away, soon melting and finding her own plump lips reacting in the manner he was kissing her in. She let out a little moan as she felt rough, ring covered fingers sliding through her dark, tempting tresses.
Without herself knowing, her hands had stroked down his burning neck, stopping when they were placed on top of his rapid pulse.
Suddenly after a few more seconds, she shoved him off her, causing him to almost roll off of the whole bed (luckily he was able to shift back before he did, lying flat next to her).
He frowned, opening his dark eyes to face the bedrooms planked roof, catching his breath.
"Please don't Jack..." she said hoarsely, forgetting about the covers that were revealing to top half of her bronzed breasts. He didn't look over at her, still breathing in and out heavily. "Jack?"
"I'm right, I know it."
Angelica growled and turned away from him, frustration hitting her.
He smirked, sitting back up on the weight of his elbows.
"Love, ye know you're tempting me just actin' like this. So it isn't exactly fair is it?"
"What!"
"Is there nothing that I can tempt ye with?"
'You are tempting me Sparrow! Just being this close to you... You have no idea! You are so close to capture... I just need to ply you some more and-'
"There is nothing."
"Ah, that is a great loss... Because I thought..."
Jack paused, rolling onto his side to face her. He leaned closer, nuzzling her smooth, bare shoulder.
"... that being in La Martinique would tempt ye. It does tempt me..."
She huffed and whispered, "What is it that you want this time Jack?"
"I couldn't possibly say darlin'..." he breathed lowly, his moustache and goatee tickling her as he continued to nuzzle down her sweet scented arm. Angelica's eyelashes fluttered as he kissed his way back up to his starting point of her delicate, rounded shoulder.
Now he was becoming more persistent, she found him more difficult to resist...
"Jack... No. I can't do th-"
"Don't lie..." Jack whispered, his quiet tone changing to something low and almost hurt. At this, she moved her head to look at him square in the face, her body following, still wrapped in the covers. Before she could verbally lash out at him, he dipped his head to her collarbone and dragged his nose up her flesh, lightly nibbling on her tanned neck- he knew too well, that he'd hit her weak spot now...
He wasn't going to give up his "wish list" to her this time. If he told her, she'd either disapprove or somehow adapt his wants to be her own- just like she had done with the Fountain.
Jack's fingers explored her the smooth, young skin of the top of her chest, the tickling sensation making her sigh in defeat.
Damn that man! He was manipulating her... again! Not that she was complaining when it was like this... But she'd make she'd dominate him next time. She wasn't being his pet.
Next his mouth left her neck and his inviting lips were on hers again, her own naturally playing with his at first touch. His firm hands travelled further down, beneath the white bed sheets that clung loosely around her, the hotness and intensity of the situation suddenly on full boil. She snaked her wet tongue into his moist mouth, which he didn't seem reluctant to reject easily. He smirked against her, hearing her groan into his lips when his thumbs roughly drew lines up and down her breasts.
Angelica pulled him down closer, taking her arms from the covers to grasp his shirt and waistcoat with clawed hands. He sensed her urgency when she began to moan more often, soon pulling away for air.
"You know you're right..." she whispered, looking at him through hypnotised, desire filled eyes, breaths becoming even more frantic as he studied her intricately.
Yes, he knew he was right...
And he also knew he'd been tricked into showing some sort of feeling... Or so he thought anyway...
She moved back towards him, eyes fixed on his lips as she brushed her own against him.
He shuffled back with knitted brows, making her stop her romantic actions. He let go of her body and took his hands away from the heated sheets.
"Jack?"
He placed a peck on her lips and blindly reached for his hat, placing it carefully onto his head. He then simply sat up and stood, quickly striding away from the bed before she registered it.
"Jack! Where are you going?!"
He disappeared through the door, his footsteps shallow thuds as he crossed the main cabin.
"Jack?!"
She heard the main doors slam and that's when she jumped.
She'd been rejected? Or had he suddenly realized what he was actually doing... or had he been scared of how he felt? Or perhaps he'd remembered he had something else to do...
She couldn't think.
Angelica sighed, swallowing the lump of rejection in her throat and burying her teary eyes in the pillows that now smelt of him.
He was such a complicated man to understand.
Even when she'd get him, she knew she would never truly know everything about Captain Jack Sparrow.
Even then, he would remain a mystery.
Just as she was still a mystery to him...
And always would be.
Hello, thanks for reaching the bottom, and ... OOH. How did you feel this chapter went...? And don't worry, you shall find out why dear Jackie left so suddenly soon, I promise... I love your reviews, keep them coming! I LOVE PRAISE AND CRITICISM! But mostly praise...XD
SecretSparrowTodd, Forever in Your Gratitude ;)
-Keep writing, reading and reviewing xx