Pairings: JS/OC, WT/ES
Overview: The Infamous Captain Jack Sparrow has had interesting acquaintances and activities in the past. This story is of a chain of many events that have gone awry, and come back to haunt him.
Disclaimer: If I owned it, it wouldn't have finished. Ever.
A/N: Pah. A pathetic number of reviews. But chapter five will be up regardless, and quite possibly chapter six within the next little while.
So, Sirenne Claire, you receive cookies for your review, and I request that others who read this please put in a review, I would honestly like some feedback, particularly on the way I lay out the fic.
In addition, suggestions are nice too… Not like I'm hinting at stuff or anything.
Onto Chapter Five, which I do believe will be horrendous to write up. Many apologies if it's terrible. My muse didn't give me much to work with on this one. It seems to prefer chapter six for some odd reason.
Chapter Five: That's All
Where we see some familiar faces, Payton confesses, and Jack gets serious. (gasp, shock, horror!)
He could hear her accusing voice echoing in his head as he stood at the helm, discretely watching the crew board the Black Pearl. It was the argument that wouldn't leave him. The one that made her right pissed at him.
He would never have said that to Anamaria, even though she was a woman as well. And, as Jack recalled, Anamaria was right pissed with him too for a while. But the two of them simply did not understand his motivations.
What Payton took as insults to her abilities was where he was trying to discourage her from getting hurt.
However, woman never understood.
Payton marched up to him, furious. The blazingly hot sun hung in the sky above the Black Pearl on the endless ocean, but its heat couldn't compare to her fury.
The crew stopped what they were doing to watch the proceedings.
Jack watched as she approached, very aware what a woman on the warpath looked like. Regardless of the situation he was in, Jack smirked coyly at her, not entirely aware of the degree of trouble he was in for.
"Captain Sparrow! A word…"
He nodded to acknowledge her. "Aye luv, what be yer trouble?"
"You for starters."
"Oh aye luv? And what has Jack done ta trouble ye?" His smirk broadened and he propped a knee up on the railing.
"You assigned a man to, and I quote, 'look out for me'." She stood on a step below him, glaring upwards at Jack.
"And the problem be…?" He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knee.
"Captain Sparrow, unless I am mistaken sir, you have not assigned others to look out for other members of the crew."
"Why, o'course not luv. We all look out fer each other."
"Aye, I understand that Captain, yet you felt the need to specifically tell a person to look out for me?"
"Well, luv," He stepped forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Ye've only just learnt how to handle a weapon, aye?"
She angrily pushed the arm off of her. "Yes Captain. Regardless –"
"So, then luv, t'would make sense that yer not as seasoned with a blade as the other members of the crew, aye luv?"
"That is entirely beside the point Sparrow!"
"Nay luv, that be the point!"
Her eyes flashed, and Jack began to realize that he was only digging himself in deeper. "Are you saying that I cannot defend myself Captain Sparrow?"
"Nay luv, I'm not sayin' that ye haven't the experience ta do an adequate job of it."
"I beat you."
"Aye luv, but that was practise."
"And you're saying that it doesn't count, because if it doesn't, then why in the seven seas should I do it!"
"I didn't say that Payton, stopped twistin' me words." Jack was growing annoyed because she wouldn't back down.
"And what in God's name makes you think that I cannot beat you?"
He smirked. "Pirate."
"As am I." The words were drawn out and terse.
Jack sighed. "Luv, women are not meant to be on the sea." He saw from the corner of his eye that Anamaria stiffened, and he knew that she'd be talking to him at a later day.
Women!
Payton moved even closer to him, her body nearly radiating her anger. "Listen to me Sparrow –"
"Captain Sparrow."
"Just because I am not a barmaid, or spread my legs like every other woman in your life does not mean that I will in the future simply because you believe that is the way things are to be done!"
"I wouldn't want ye ta be like all the other women in my life luv." Jack muttered this under his breath, hoping it would escape her notice.
Another glare. "What did you say?"
"Luv, you are missing the point! I know yer not like the other women, but no woman should be subject ta a life like this!"
Now Anamaria was glaring at him too, and the male crewmembers were backing away from her.
Payton didn't noticed, so focused was she in her fury. "Oh, how noble!" Her words were just dripping with sarcasm, and Jack repressed a wince. "How chauvinistic of you! Listen here Jack Sparrow, I am not subjected to anything, I choose. And there's a little something lacking from this here, and its called respect, Captain Jack Sparrow." She turned to leave.
"Well, you know what I think Payton? If ye're so convinced ye can deal with this world on yer own, then yer welcome to try. Get off my ship."
Absolute silence on the deck.
She turned back to face him, no expression on her face. "Fine then Sparrow. I will."
"Then it's settled. I'll be leavin' ye at the next port. Ye'll find I'm not so unkind as ta maroon ye."
She didn't reply, turning heel and disappearing below the deck.
Jack looked around at the still deck.
"Back ta work ye scabrous dogs!"
Looking back on it, it was understandable that she was annoyed. Not only about him leaving her in Tortuga, (which, admittedly, was not the wisest place to leave a young girl, pirate or no) but why she was so annoyed with his meddling. He had only been trying to keep her safe, but she had held her own, and became frustrated with his lack of faith in her.
That likely stemmed from his remembrance of what she was like when he first spoke with her, after Anamaria had thrown her arms up in disgust over the girl. And Anamaria certainly had words with the captain after the explosion between himself and Payton. He winced at the memory of that, and looked out at the clear horizon.
"Capt'n! All's here and accounted for, we're ready to make sail!"
"Very good Mister Gibbs. Lads, to the horizon!"
After they had left Tortuga, Jack had set a course towards some islands off the coast of South America, standing at the wheel, looking over his ship.
It was still early in the morning, the sun still rising in the heavens above them. Jack was honestly surprised that Payton had not woken up, he figured that getting her away from Tortuga was going to be incredibly difficult. Then again, he had thought it would be near impossible to find her again, and it had been relatively simple.
He was enjoying the serenity that the sea was providing when he heard the door to his cabin open. He moved to the stairs to greet a rather angry Payton.
"Ah, it's about time ye woke luv."
"You said one night you lying bastard!"
The crew looked over curiously. The last time they had seen Payton had been two months ago when Jack had unceremoniously (and rather deliberately) dumped her in Tortuga, penniless.
Ragetti turned to Pintel. "There going at it again."
"I can see that you fool! Quiet, I'm listening!"
"You think she's going to leave again?"
"She only just got back, I'd doubt it."
"You never can tell with women. Strange they are."
Anamaria cleared her throat, and the two of them shut up rather quickly.
"Well, luv, ye should know… I'm a dishonest man."
She slapped him hard across the face, then turned and stalked back into his cabin, slamming the door hard enough to cause the glass to rattle in its frame.
Jack massaged his jaw. It had been one of the stronger slaps he had received, and he definitely deserved that one.
"Mister Cotton, take the helm." With that, Jack disappeared into his cabin, softly closing the door behind him.
Payton was sitting in his chair. And she did not look the least bit impressed.
This is not good.
"Explain."
He was taken aback by the amount of venom in her voice. "Well, luv, I had a bit of time ta think since we last spoke."
She snorted. "As if you could call the last time we spoke a conversation. What do you want from me now Sparrow?"
"Why are you so defensive luv?"
She laughed, a bitter and harsh sound. She was extremely displeased.
This is very not good in the least.
"What on earth could possibly make me so defensive of you, hm Sparrow?" She stood up, and moved towards him, ticking off instances on her fingers.
He hadn't yet moved from the doorway.
"Let's see, for starters, you help me out, but then, not confident of my abilities, you insult me by having one of the crew 'look out' for me. Next, when I try to find out why, you decide I should leave the ship. And then, you dump me, with no money, in Tortuga of all places, as if to show me that I hadn't a hope in hell of surviving! Oh, and when it appears you've run out of women for your desires, you decide to track me down, and kidnap me in the middle of the night! So, no Sparrow, there is absolutely no reason I should be defensive, you're completely right." She was now standing directly in front of him, glaring at him as he stood nearly pinned against the door, his hands up as if to apologise.
"Listen, luv, I know I haven't been… as straightforward as I probably should've been, but, luv, I made a mistake."
She paused, loosing her anger for a second. "A mistake? What mistake?"
"My mistake was leavin' ye in Tortuga."
"Is this your idea of an apology, Captain Sparrow?" She was still not amused, even though her tone was more neutral than before.
"If ye want it ta be, then yes."
She backed off, her voice softening. "Jack… if it doesn't mean anything, then it is just words. I've had enough words to last a lifetime. Take me back."
"What? Back to Tortuga? What for?"
"Well, I have spent two months there. I had a life there."
"Like ye had a life in London?" He asked spitefully.
She shook her head. "Nothing like that. Stop betraying me."
He was baffled. "I haven't betrayed ye luv."
"Oh? And comparing now to then isn't a betrayal? I trusted you, I told you my past when you asked. Don't use it against me. You're not the pirate I was sent to go to, so prove it."
He glared at her, but she remained passive, and calm. She walked to the window, and watched the ocean around the ship. Within a moment Jack joined her, standing behind her.
"Luv, I did make a mistake." He tried tentatively.
"What makes you think it would ever work?"
"Why shouldn't it?"
She turned, a smile on her face. "Jack, you're a pirate. I'm from a wealthy English family. Just because I was sent to Calico doesn't mean that it'd be approved by society. You know that, and I know you know that."
"Aye luv, but does knowing that I know that you know that I know help in any way here? I made a mistake."
"And I forgive you Sparrow. But I'm not going to be open towards you for a while." She turned back to the window. "I made a mistake too Jack."
He looked down at her. "An' what was that luv?"
"Getting so angry because you were concerned." She drew patterns on the dark wood framing around the glass.
She understands?
"You're not mad?"
She laughed at him. "Oh no Jack, yer not off the hook as easily as that. But I do understand why you were actin' like that."
"Ah. So… what now luv?"
"Well, I suppose I could stay here for a while, if you want."
"Ye don't hafta if ye don't want ta luv. I told ye, tis yer own choice."
"It has always been my own choice Captain Sparrow. I'll see you at lunch in the galley." She smiled, and brushed past him.
Please review, I has teh cookies!
I know this is a relatively short chapter, but chapter six will be much longer, I promise!