Title: Send Her My Love
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: Alrighty, let's see… Books? Check. Cookies? Check. Owning Pirates of the Caribbean? Ah, damnit! Still a no. Oh, and the quote from the tv show Psych? Well, that's a no-brainer – that one doesn't belong to me either.
A/N: -giggles- Alright, so I'm really beginning to enjoy this hectic pace right about now. In addition to clearing out more story projects that I haven't yet gotten around to finishing, it is also providing a wonderful diversion from work, and other such things. And this chapter brings me even closer to part two of the series! I really feel that this is finally starting to take shape – there's foreshadowing, implications of further chapters, oh, it's simply brilliant!
Can you tell yet that I'm excited, exhilarated even?
Asides from posting two fairly well done chapters in quick succession that is. That's kinda a dead give-away.
-ahem- Alright, now, to the important part. Reader feedback! The reviews!
HeavenlyKitten, yes, it was actually two chapters (and I honestly can't believe it either). It's the same pace I had when I first started writing this back in the March of 2008. Doesn't that sound so long ago? Anyway, yeah, I figured that I didn't want to draw their relationship out any longer, and given that the instance with the kidnapping was the second time Payton left his life, I felt that it was only reasonable for Jack to respond in such a way, ergo, lemon! And, if you noticed in eighteen, there wasn't an end to that in their relationship now that it got there. I say, top notch!
Nelle07, yays to the love! It makes my day.
To chickenwinglegolas, thanks for reading, I'm really glad you like it. You know, I never thought of the age difference before now. But you do bring up a valid point. However, I feel I must respond in a most infuriating way – not intentionally, but it's the only way I can. She's so young cuz I feel like it. Honestly. It's her age, and really, it just feels right to have the character at that age for this story. As for Jack, he's kinda… well, timeless, when you think about it. Regardless of his age, he still seems young. At most, I've always seen him at this thirties, youngest, mid-twenties, though that doesn't work out so well unless Will was in his teens before he went after Elizabeth… though, it could be reasonable. But we can talk chronologically later.
And as a final note, the description of the chapter isn't really a description at all, so, yeah, I broke from my general story outline. But do check out the show, cuz it's brilliant.
Now, to the main event! Chapter Nineteen, awaits! This one's proving to be a long one!
Chapter Nineteen: Immoral Men
"Oh, ye immoral man of low fibre! You should really eat some more bran." ~ Shawn Spencer, Psych.
News reaches through the world slowly, especially in a world where the fastest transit of news consists of letters carried on ships, or with messengers. So, it stands to reason that the news of the failure of the Naval vessel to either kill or capture one Captain Jack Sparrow did not reach the Helio until long after the main mast was replaced, long after all repairs were completed. However, Calico Jacques already suspected that the Navy had failed when he did not meet up with the ship at the designated trading point. For once, the pirate was able to keep his infamous temper under control when one of his lackeys told him the news. Disinterested to the point of downright distraction, Calico merely nodded to the man, then returned to peering at his map as he had been for the past week.
Gilles came to speak with him captain when he found the messenger still alive. "Captain...?" He hazarded, unable to tell what sort of mood Calico was in.
"Ouais Gilles?" The other man didn't look up.
Taking in a deep breath, Gilles barged ahead. "May I presume to ask what is to be done about Sparrow?"
"Hmph." Came the response, and Calico looked at his first mate. "Under normal circumstances I'd 'ave yer 'ead for suggesting such a ting." Gilles shuddered, but his captain continued. "Mais, maintenant, zese tings are… different. Come 'ere."
Curious, Gilles moved to Calico's side, seeing now the map that Calico was inspecting. "You see Gilles, to recover what is rightfully mine, I must first know where ze bastard 'as gone wit 'er."
"An' we know where that is Capt'n…?"
"Non. An' zat is ze annoying part of it. 'E is always after some sort of treasure or such, an' I cannot see what it is 'e would be after now!" Calico threw his navigational tools off of his desk in a bought of fury. Gilles, grasping some amount of forethought, stepped out of his captain's way.
After a few minutes of raging, Calico calmed to a point where he could talk again. "If I was zat bird, where would I go?"
Gilles interrupted Calico's musing. "Where did we find him last time Captain?"
"What?" Calico looked up, slightly aggravated.
"When we were tracking him. Where did we find him, or at least find him near?"
Calico said nothing, looking at the map. "Sout' America."
"Capt'n?"
"Set sail for Sout' America!"
"But Capt'n, Sparrow hates-"
"Set. Sail."
"Aye aye Capt'n!" Gilles saluted smartly, exiting the Captain's Cabin, complexion fairly pale. "WEIGH ANCHOR!" He bellowed, making his way to the quarterdeck to give the helm's man the heading. Even if he was a cut-throat back-stabbing bastard, Gilles was no fool, and could recognize danger – especially when it was staring him in the face.
The times between running, fighting for your life, and the chaotic storms on a pirate ship were mostly boring. Though Jack's tenacity for aggravating the two female members of the crew lead to quite a few fireworks, of many different types – some that the crew could watch, and the rest for Jack and Payton alone. For the daily upkeep of any seagoing vessel, there were repairs, daily chores, in some respects it was even worse than being at home – except you got paid. And no annoying parents to ask what on God's earth you're doing still in the house and not out doing a decent day's work. To Payton, that detail really didn't matter to her, given her history. So, when she grew fed up with cleaning the galley, she threw up her hands in disgust, shoved her tools aside, and went to find a certain pirate captain who could solve her problems. She didn't quite know what she wanted right now – be it a fight or something of entirely a different nature, all she knew right now was that she needed a break.
The pirate captain in question was in the process of making sure that his crew was swabbing the deck appropriately, and not damaging the rigging overly much. He noticed instantly when Payton appeared on deck, a slightly distant look in her eye as she scanned the Black Pearl. He smirked when their eyes locked and she blushed, but she sashayed over to him, not missing the appreciative glances he gave her.
"Capt'n…" Her voice trailed off when his dark eyes caught her own, becoming distracted.
"Aye Miss Dumer?" A sparkle and grin showed that he was up to something, and pleased with his effect on her.
She quickly shook herself. "There's a mite of a problem below, per'aps ye could assist me for a moment?"
Intrigued, Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Alright then luv."
Smirking in a very Jack-esque fashion, Payton returned to the galley, with her pirate captain following closely behind her. Once he entered, she closed the door tightly behind him, and before he could speak, she accosted him, kissing his lips fiercely.
When she broke away, he spoke, somewhat bemused. "Alright luv, I'll bite. What's on yer mind?"
"I'm tired, frustrated, and horny. 'S that enough reason for you, Captain Sparrow?"
"Aye luv, more'n enough." With that, Jack closed the distance between them, and clothing was removed shortly thereafter.
In the evening, Payton lay awake beside Jack in the bunk, thoughts wandering. He had never once yet said that he loved her. She supposed that she was supposed to grasp that from his treatment… but he had whores ashore, or so she had heard from the many stories of the Infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. Even in England, people couldn't stop talking about the handsome rogue who could, if given the chance, charm the birds from the skies. She rubbed her eyes, feeling very tired, but also completely unable to fall asleep, an annoying contradiction given the circumstances.
Laying beside her, Jack had very much the same feeling.
He could sense that something was bothering Payton. Something significant, and likely pertaining to the new level their relationship had taken. But for Jack, someone unused to handling females on any other scale than as pleasurable company for one evening, and one evening alone, he had no idea what to do about it.
So he feigned sleep, laying beside Payton as she lay beside him, both of them striving not to wake the other, though neither was asleep.
Moments later, Payton rolled over to look at Jack, to find him awake.
"Oh." She said dumbly, somewhat surprised to find his eyes staring into hers, boring into her soul. "You're… awake."
"Aye." He whispered hoarsely, licking his lips. "As are you luv, from what I've noticed."
She nodded, moving closer to him. "I can't sleep."
He stroked her hair, feeling an unfamiliar emotion wash over him. "Dreams?" He felt rather than saw her nod. She was tense, either from fear or frustration.
"I can't make heads or tails of them, and it's... I don't get it Jack." She swivelled her head to look at him.
Jack stroked his goatee thoughtfully, hand still resting on her head. "I have heard talk of dreams bein' reflection o' the subconscious mind trying to sift through daily events."
Payton blinked. "What an odd idea."
"S'what I thought when I heard it too." He chuckled, and she swatted her arm.
"Seriously Jack. I'm at about at my wit's end, an' I don't know what to do."
Jack shrugged. "Sorry luv, but there's nothing you can do about it. Dreams are the one thing in this life you can't run from."
She didn't know what it was about the statement that caused her to look at him again, perhaps the wistful tone, perhaps the brooding emotion behind it, but what she saw on his face was enough to make her heart break. She snuggled further into his embrace, jolting him back from wherever he had just gone. He a gentle smile, he pulled her even closer to her, running a hand deviously down her spine from her neck to her tailbone. She shivered, just as he expected.
"Cold luv?"
His seemingly innocent question was laced with lust, and Payton blushed. Though she had been bold this afternoon, she was somewhat afraid to do so again, and knowing that saying no would only lead her into dangerous – and likely embarrassing – territory, she opted out.
"Yeah…"
Jack had to strain to catch what she said, but once he had, he smirked. "Is tha' so? Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we?" Without warning, he pulled her on top of him, carefully positioning the two of them, then paused, looking over Payton.
"How will this fix being cold?" She looked down at Jack confused, until he thrust up, and her eyes widened, mouth opened in a silent o. He smirked. "Easily luv."
Morning dawned brightly, and today it was Payton up first, feeling remarkably well rested, and rather sore. Grinning to herself, she stretched out on the bunk, relishing the feeling of Jack's embrace. He stirred, looking at Payton groggily. With a giggle, she gently kissed him. "Mornin` Capt`n!"
"Ugh." Jack rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. "S'too early fer ye!"
He should have known that attempting ignore Payton was not only foolish, it was downright deadily.
Running her fingertips up and down his ribs, Payton found was she was looking for – a location, upon which applying the least amount of pressure caused Jack to jump in a most unmanly fashion.
"So, this is the Infamous Captain Jack Sparrow's greatest weakness – not rum, nor women, not a gun, or a giant sea creature, nor even evil men bent on revenge." Her fingers were poised over his sides as he watched her warily. "You're ticklish!" She pronounced with enthusiasm, now tickling him mercilessly.
Jack yelped in shock, and was currently trying to wrestle Payton into submission, which was failing because he couldn't catch his breath for long enough to make much of an attempt of it. Finally, Jack grabbed Payton around the middle, and through some fluke, the two of them had moved precariously toward the edge of the bed. Payton tried to pry Jack's arms off, but he clung fast to her, and after one final push, she managed to send the both of them to the floor, Jack landing under her. Catching his breath, he was aware of Payton watching him anxiously, worriedly. He feigned injury to get her to let down her guard, then he flipped her, growling lowly.
"Tha' trickery of yours luv, is want ta get ye inta dangerous situations." His tone made her shiver, and she gladly admitted defeat as Jack took his revenge.
In the afternoon, after a minor spat earlier in the morning between Captain and Galley Mistress, Payton walked up to Anamaria, and dragged her away to the galley, under the bemused watch of most of the crew, including Jack. Then, once the galley door was shut, Payton turned to her friend. "Help me!"
Anamaria stood looking at Payton, dumbfounded. "I'm sorry, wha'?"
Payton began pacing the length of the galley. "He is sincerely the most infuriating man I've met! He… he – he… that… pirate!"
Anamaria leant back against the wall. "Alright Payton. You're going ta have ta slow down, and tell me what exactly our Captain did now, that fight wasn't that bad."
"He… I –He… I don't know if he even…"
"He's not good with words. Though, right about now, I'd be sayin' that yer no better. What in the name of God has the man done?"
"He's just thoroughly dense! And-"
"He's a male." Anamaria waved off as she interrupted. "They are thoroughly dense. An', on that note, tend to all make stupid mistakes. That doesn't tell me what he's done." Anamaria gave her a calculating look. "You love him, don't you."
Payton froze. "I – I – I never said that!"
Anamaria waved a hand. "Inimportant details. You do, don't you? Otherwise there wouldn't be all this fussin'."
"I… I don't know Anamaria." She sighed. "I don't know what love feels like!" Payton wailed as she hit one of her nicely secured cabinets.
Anamaria sighed. "Alright lass, stop yer wailin', it's unbecoming and frankly irritating. Love 'im or no, ye've got ta remember one important thing – that 'e's Jack Sparrow, and that tends to change things a bit."
"Captain Jack Sparrow!" Came a voice from the hallway. "Oh, bugger."
The two women, not keen on being interrupted, or spied upon for that matter, turned to the door. "Jack?" Anamaria asked, voice calm.
"Aye luv?"
"Get in here." It was a command rather than a suggestion.
"But-"
"If ye were curious enough ta come spy on us, and stupid enough to get caught-"
"Hey!" Jack interjected, offended.
"Then ye better be prepared to face the consequences." She continued as if nothing had happened. With a grumble, the rather guilty-looking pirate opened the door of the galley and shuffled in, grabbing himself a stool to sit on as he glowered at the women.
"There we are. Now that everyone's present, I can continue." She looked to the two of them, and found no resistance. "Payton, ye hav' a grievance?"
Payton muttered something under her breath, and Anamaria glared. "English girl! Only English!"
Payton glared and threw in a comment in French that sounded suspiciously similar to 'go fuck yourself', to which Anamaria closed the distance between the two of them, Jack all but forgotten. Taking this as his cue, Jack attempted to escape from the galley, only to be met with an unfortunately rusty hinge on the door he was trying to sneak through, thus hindering him to the point of rendering his plot ineffective. He stood stock still, frozen in place as Anamaria's wrath was transferred to him. "Goin' somewhere Capt'n?"
Jack looked around frantically. "Er, well, uh… no, not especially."
"Good! Now, come 'ere." She all but dragged Jack to stand beside Payton. Anamaria looked the two of them over, now seeming satisfied. "Alright, this requires co-operation. Can ye do that?"
Payton turned to Jack, and Jack shrugged. Payton looked over at the newly repaired wall, now fiddling with her hair.
Anamaria narrowed her eyes at them. "I'll be takin' the lack of reply as yes, y'hear? Now, the two of ye need ta be talkin' whatever this is out, or ye'll not being doing much of any movin' forward."
"Meaning what exactly?" Jack reclined against a cabinet, face unreadable, ignoring the evil glares from Payton from daring to touch anything in her galley.
Anamaria clenched her fist in annoyance. "Meanin' that you two will fail, an' be going yer separate ways rather quickly!"
After that pronouncement, neither Jack nor Payton looked at the other, and Anamaria threw up her arms in frustration. "Ugh, I might as well talk ta the wall! That'd be a far more useful use of my time!" She rubbed her eyes with a hand, then turned her glare to Payton. "You!"
Payton moved back, fearing the older woman's wrath. "Either talk ta him or cease whining, ya can't do both! And you!" She rounded on Jack, who in turn moved away, knowing full well the power of her slap. "You straighten this mess out! Ye know better than ta do this!" Jack muttered an excuse under his breath which caused Anamaria to glare more. "Being a captain, and being a pirate have no merit on this situation! Be a man!" With that final statement, she was gone, leaving Payton and Jack in a decidedly awkward situation, more so than before.
"Uh, soooo…" Jack offered weakly, unsure of what to do. "What's on yer mind that ye wanted ta talk about?"
Payton rubbed at her arm, looking over at the pots and pans still to be cleaned. "It's… nothing. Just some frustration, I'm fine Capt'n, really."
"Ye sure of that luv?" Now Jack started to get curious, feeling that there might be something that Payton wasn't telling him. When he was in the hall, he had been having trouble hearing exactly what was being said, missing entirely Anamaria accusing Payton of loving him. All he managed to get out of it was that there was something on her mind significant enough to cause her to go to Anamaria, in secret, and that it pertained to him.
"Yeah. 'S good Capt'n. I, er, Just… wanted to know what she thought you'd like for dinner. Ta… make up for yellin' at you this mornin'." Payton rubbed her neck, looking at the floor, roof, walls, anything but Jack's face. Even though she knew he wouldn't understand, and that it'd lead to an argument, she couldn't help but feel bad for lying to him. Let's hope he lets it lie…
"Anythin' ye cook is good enough luv." And yer a rotten liar! He coughed slightly, exiting the galley, but still looking at Payton. "Well, I should be gettin' back ta the helm."
"Uh, aye, er, I'll, just get on makin' dinner." She quickly shut the door in Jack's face, leaving a surprised expression on his face. Moment's later, he heard a crash from inside the galley, and cursing.
Stifling a chuckle, he asked, "Everythin' alright in there Payton luv?"
"Uh, a-aye Capt'n!" Came the hasty reply.
Shaking his head, Jack returned to the deck, making a note to get to the bottom of what was bothering the girl before the end of the week. Anyone who lies that terribly was either inviting prying eyes, or actually wanted someone to help them. Either way, she was looking for something.
After the fiasco in the galley, Payton made it a standing objective to avoid Jack at all costs – which was a fairly short sighted idea, given that she was sharing a cabin with him, along with other activities. After hiding in the crows nest for a while, Payton looked down onto the darkening deck with a small sigh. Was she right? Do I… love him?
Payton shook her head, seeing the man in question swaying his way toward the cabin in the rays of the fading Caribbean sun. She shrank back, afraid that he might look up, that he might find her hiding place. He disappearing to the cabin, and she breathed a sigh of relief, continuing to watch the horizon.
It was disconcerting to look out over the sea. It seemed to stretch on forever, in all directions. The ship, which seemed so large when docked, was really just a tiny speck floating from one land mass to another. Payton sighed, and leaned back against the mast, the pleasant feeling of sunlight on her face making her lapse into an almost trance-like, relaxed state.
Jack was not drunk. Not at all. He was having trouble walking – but he nearly always had trouble walking. His vision was fine, and he knew what he was looking for. That girl. That troublesome, infuriating, addicting female, that for some reason chose to plague his very existence, even when she was nowhere near him. Grumbling to himself after finding his cabin devoid of her pleasant figure, he rubbed at his face, trying to figure out where she might have gone. Scratching his head, he exited the cabin, looking around the deck. He had already checked the galley, and her other favourite haunts on the ship. Jack had noticed that she had a fondness for looking out at the ocean, but he hadn't seen her anywhere near the prow. Muttering about foolish females and their tendency to wander off if not properly supervised, he started pacing the deck.
Look mate, unless she dove off the side of the ship –
Which she might just do! Can't trust women to be rational, look at Anamaria!
– Then she's hiding somewhere. Somewhere you don't expect.
With that thought lingering in his head, Jack looked up, and sure enough saw a foot dangling from the crows nest. With a silent whoop of victory, Jack all but ran to the rigging. He scrambled up over the ship, his speed slowing as he sobered after nearly falling off of the side of his ship. Reaching the crow's nest, he climbed up beside her, feeling odd as he saw her sleeping, unsure if he should wake her.
His choice was taken from him as she stirred in her half-sleep, groaning and stretching her cramping muscles.
"Payton." He tried not to laugh as she jumped nearly a foot in the air from where she was sitting. "Ye had something that was botherin' ye."
"Uh, n-no, I didn't." She was now looking for escape routes.
He pinned her with a doubtful look. "Ye're a right awful liar luv. C'mon, come out wit it."
She fidgeted with her sleeve. "I… You frustrate me. An'… I don't even know… I don't wanna talk about it Jack."
Jack watched her, curious. He chuckled, and pulled her against him, making her freeze in bewilderment and confusion. "Ye certainly are a handful."
"Uhh… I'm lost?" She relaxed in his hold, soon leaning her head on his chest.
"Oh? An' where are ye headed? I might be able ta point you in the right direction." He joked softly, leaning against the mast, holding her securely.
"Dunno ta be honest. I'm likin' right here though…"
"S'good ta know luv." He watched the sun setting. "But, Payton, that doesn't bring us ta what's botherin' you."
She glared at him, trying to pull away, as if he had betrayed her because he brought the subject back up. "Told you I didn't wan' ta talk about it!"
"Calm yerself luv."
"No, I will not, you… you… you condescending pirate!" Payton spat acidly, pushing herself away from Jack, a tad too forcefully, hitting the edge of the crows nest, and was loosing her balance. Jack's arm shot out and grabbed hers in an iron hold, pulling her back. "Th-th-thanks." She shrank back again when she saw his face – a stony mask of indifference, the lively eyes that she had come to like were now guarded and dim.
He ignored her as he left, climbing down the rigging to the deck, and quickly disappearing into his cabin. Payton watched him go, a gnawing feeling of guilt growing in the pit of her stomach, only becoming stronger as she heard the slam of the door to the cabin. Why can't I do anything right?!
In the morning, Jack awoke alone. He hadn't slept well the night before, and couldn't quite place why in his sleep fogged brain. Feeling somewhat perplexed, he went over the events of the past few day, and sighed, rubbing against his eyes. Anamaria was right – they did need to talk about this. Especially given Payton's penchant for hitting his sore spots. He stood up, stretching, and started to hunt around for his clothes. He had half expected her to come to sleep with him the night before, but wasn't surprised that she didn't. He closed his eyes, willing the weariness to leave his muscles and mind. The first step in solving this was to find that girl.
Payton had been inclined to stay in the crows nest all night, but the brisk wind off the sea had cured her of that idea quickly. Instead, she decided to go down to the galley and find something to do, something to distract herself with. For some reason she felt very awake, a bundle of nervous energy and guilt preventing her from finding any rest. Nearly all night she had wandered the galley, alternatively cleaning and pacing in the small space. Now, it was early in the morning – she had gone up on deck for some fresh air, for some sort of perspective on her thoughts, and had unexpectedly managed to see the sun rise. In the near silence of the morn, she had found a tranquility in herself that she didn't know could possibly exist. There were noises coming from inside the captain's cabin, and Payton took that as her cue to return below deck, to avoid a fight she felt brewing. Closing the door behind her, she felt the security of her hiding place. The galley was a safe place to think, to distract herself, a place to avoid her rolling emotions that threatened to betray her at a moment's notice. She looked around wistfully, finding that there was nothing further for her to do in here, and a terrible weariness settled over her mind, making her shoulders droop. Footsteps above her on the deck made her jump, reminding her, in some bizarre form of logic, that the potatoes needed peeling, and that she'd have to reheat breakfast for the crew. She had made it last night in her fervour to stay busy, and had placed it to the side, forgetting it until now. Judging that it would be too early for many of the crew to be awake, Payton instead sat down at the small wooden table, dumping the bucket of potatoes out on the table in front of her, placing the bucket on another stool beside her. Picking up the knife she had brutally stabbed into the table surface the night before, she sighed, starting on her task.
When Jack had stepped out on the deck, he spotted a flash of colour disappearing below deck, looking suspiciously like Payton. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he vowed that he'd investigate once he had assigned someone to relieve the man at the helm. Seeing Cotton up and about, Jack signalled for the mute man to come over. "Take the helm. I'll relieve you at mid-day." Cotton smiled, and went to the helm. Jack gave a bitter smile. Some days, the best thing about Mister Cotton was that he couldn't speak.
It was the same rusted hinge that alerted Payton to his presence when he attempted to sneak into the galley. She had her back to the door, and didn't bother turning around when she chose to address him. "There's some breakfast in the pan over there. It's not warm, but it'll still be good. I figured it would be too early to -"
"I'm not interested in food right now luv." He could have sworn he saw her jump at the sound of his voice.
"O-oh, Jack!"
He knew that he didn't imagine the tremor in her voice. She stopped peeling potatoes to turn and look at him.
"Good morning."
There was a silent conversation between the two of them, both staring into each others eyes, Jack holding Payton in his gaze for as long as he could. She finally looked away, staring away at a wall. Jack moved closer.
"You didn't come to bed last night." He spoke softly.
"I… wasn't tired." Her lie was see-through. She didn't want to look at Jack, but she did anyway. One glance at his face showed her that he knew that she had been afraid.
"I'm not angry." Jack reached out to touch her.
Payton looked down, cursing the tears that were coming unbidden to her eyes. "You should be." She whispered, almost too quietly to hear.
He sighed. "Don't blame yourself."
"I'm not." She placed the knife down and wiped her hands on her trousers. Jack watched her, making her squirm.
"Then what's on yer mind luv? I've been askin' for a while now, and you're still not tellin' me anythin' useful!"
"You've only been askin' since yesterday!" She protested, and he gave her a condescending look.
"Luv, I've been askin' since the storm. An' before it too."
"An' what makes you think that these are in any way connected?!" Payton was starting to get infuriated by his attitude.
"Because everything lines up to bring me to the same conclusion!" Jack's mood was faring no better from her avoidance tactics, beginning to loose his hold on his already fraying temper.
"An' what 'conclusion' would that be Captain?!" Payton heard her voice rising, but didn't care to change it.
"That you… you love me." He hissed, temper at its breaking point.
The silence now between them was incendiary. Jack willed for Payton to say something, and she glared back at him.
"I think, Captain Sparrow, that you are making assumptions without the proper information." Her voice was below frigid, and had he not been so angry, he would have winced. It had been nearly three months since he had heard that voice from her.
"Oh? Then why the devil did you have sex with me?!" The space between them had diminished dramatically, leaving them yelling into each other's faces.
"Because… I don't know!" She shouted back, turning away to glare at the wall.
Jack would have none of that, grabbing her arm and roughly twisting her to face him. "You don't know?!" His voice was dripping with acid, and he was speaking very softly now.
"Yes. I don't know." Her glare flickered as she looked in his eyes, and for a moment, just a moment, he saw something in her eyes, something confused, something hurt. But it disappeared before he could properly recognize it, and he was left staring at a wildcat – feral, and dangerous.
"Fine then." He spat, dropping her arm. Without another word, he stormed out of the galley, headed to the helm.
With a muted scream, Payton picked up a potato and threw it against the wall, content as it broke into many pieces. Then, with a sigh, she felt her anger ebb away, leaving her disconnected, the only realization was that she'd have to clean up her mess.
Jack gripped the helm, knuckles white, furious thoughts cycling through his mind. Currently, he wouldn't mind marooning her. If only to teach her to not toy with men's emotions, his particularly. His blood was boiling, his mind was going over means for revenge, and his heart felt like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach.
She came out on the deck, seeming lost and forlorn, but he steeled himself against her wiles, knowing that she wasn't as helpless as she looked. He thought he caught her glancing at him, but from his vantage he couldn't be sure. In any case, it didn't matter if she looked at him or not. Anamaria went over to her, and Jack glared at the two women furiously. Gibbs was right – bad luck indeed.
"Payton, what happened?" Payton shrugged, not talking to Anamaria. The other woman looked at her friend suspiciously, but for once couldn't tell what she was thinking. "He's furious." She continued, trying to raise some sort of response from the despondent girl.
"Hmph. Typical." She turned back to the stairs.
"What happened?!" The crew turned to look as Anamaria called after Payton. The girl paused, sent Anamaria a fleeting look of abject pain that was gone as quickly as a blink. "Nothing." She whispered, disappearing again.
For the second night in a row, Jack slept in an empty bed, and Payton refused to sleep at all. She only trusted herself to come up from the galley in the middle of the night after the scene Anamaria caused earlier in the day. The cool breeze from the sea was relaxing and refreshing, letting Payton feel at bit more at peace. She sent a wistful glance at the closed door to the Captain's cabin, but quickly turned away, refusing to give in to her temptation.
Jack couldn't quite figure out why Payton's admission had caused him so much … he didn't know what to call it. He was hurt, but he couldn't figure out why. He knew he cared about her, perhaps even loved her, but he shouldn't be feeling so much pain from her admitting that it was nothing. He didn't feel quite so utterly rejected and upset when dearest Lizzie turned him aside for William, so why was Payton's rejection all but killing him? And it wasn't as if he hadn't had sex that meant nothing before. In fact, it used to be a weekly occurrence before she had come along. But with her arrival, that, like so many other things in his life, had taken a drastic change. Only to be repaid with… this. He glared at the horizon, willing land, or a set of sails to appear so he could have something to vent his frustration on.
Payton managed to catch moments of sleep in the galley when she wasn't completely overcome with other chores and duties. She almost never came up anymore, at least not during the sunlit hours, because she knew that she couldn't handle seeing Jack anymore. She felt surprisingly calm about the whole situation – aside from the guilt which was making her work herself at a feverish pace. On top of the disconnection she felt with the rest of the world, Payton noticed that she wasn't feeling particularly hungry either, so she'd skip meals entirely, only eating when she felt faint.
Anamaria sat by and watched the two of them futilely, not knowing what to do. They were both completely miserable, Payton to the point of what appeared to be killing herself. Jack was eating less, avoiding the galley as much as possible, getting crewmembers to bring him food whenever he could, not eating when he couldn't. However, it was Payton that Anamaria was really worried about. It had been a week and a half since the fight which had woken over half the crew with it's intensity, and she was loosing weight drastically. Had Jack been paying attention, Anamaria felt that he would be worried. Except he wasn't paying attention, and the crew was too stunned to bring anything up. Something had to be done.
Squaring her shoulders, Anamaria walked over to her captain. "Captain! A word, if you please?"
Jack turned to glare at her, but nodded regardless. "Mister Cotton, take the wheel." Jack walked a little closer to the stern of the ship. "What do you want?"
Upon a quick inspection of the man, Anamaria felt a bit shocked. How come she hadn't seen his state before now? She hadn't ever seen such dark circles under his eyes before. "What happened Capt'n?" Her question was genuine.
He snorted, then rubbed at his eyes. "I don't have time for you too so-"
"Capt'n, stop it. What happened?" She interjected abrasively.
"S'not of consequence." He waved his hand dismissively.
Anamaria all but growled in frustration. "Maybe not for you, but she's killing herself!"
Jack's seeming indifference turned into a mask of rage. "An' tell me why I should give a damn about that girl?!"
Anamaria took one look at her captain and threw her hands up in disgust. "Fine! And when you hafta throw her over the side because she's gone and done something stupid, for real this time, then you can talk ta me about it!" She stormed away, muttering darkly about stupid relationships and why sane people don't fall in love. Jack watched her go, wondering with a slight twinge if there was some truth to what she was saying. Brushing it off, he turned to see his crew in a disarray. Angrily barking orders, he stalked among the men on deck like a tiger trapped in a cage, waiting to strike.
That afternoon, Jack decided that he would go to the galley to have dinner, just to prove Anamaria's concerns completely false.
Payton was at that moment scrubbing the floor, and trying not to fall asleep. It was between lunch and dinner, so she had a few hours of cleaning time to deal with whatever she felt like, which currently was the floor that vexed her. It simply would not clean. So, down on her hands and knees, she took the brush and angrily attacked the floor with it, removing at least a decade of grime.
Jack stealthily appeared at the door to the galley, and peered through the half open door, seeing Payton bent over, hard at work, muttering under her breath. Even though he felt furious with her, he couldn't help but appreciate her figure, the curves that even the boyish clothing couldn't disguise.
Shaking himself from his wayward thoughts, he coughed awkwardly, making Payton look up. She frowned when she saw him, and stood up, drying her wet hands on her pants. "Yes Captain?" Her tone was formal to the point of frostiness.
However, Jack didn't notice that. Instead, he saw that her clothing was a lot more loose on her body, and that she looked pale and wane. The dark circles that he had under his eyes looked insignificant next to hers – she looked like she had black pits for eyes. He couldn't help but look astonished at her.
Now feeling a mixture of fear and confusion, Payton moved back from Jack slightly, placing a hand to her temple as the room shifted in her vision. "C-Captain? What's the matter?" She began to feel another headache approaching.
"When's the last time…" He stopped, seeming to be search for words. "Where 'ave you been sleepin' luv?"
"What's it to you?" She snapped waspishly.
"You look like you're goin' ta faint!" He glared sharply at her.
"Hmph." She turned away, hiding her expression from him. "Like you care."
Growling, he closed the distance between them in two short steps. Grabbing her arm with a hand, he wrenched her around to face him. "Payton! Stop this, it's ridiculous!"
She winced as his hand dug into her arm. "Let go of me."
"No. Not until we talk."
"Well, I don't want to!" She tried to pull away from him, building herself into a panic.
"It's not up for discussion." His tone was final. Seeing her expression, he softened slightly. "We can either do it here, with the whole crew listening, or we can do it in my cabin, savvy?"
"Savvy." She bit out angrily. "The cabin." She pulled herself free and stalked out of the galley, brushing past the few crew members who weren't smart enough to get out of her way. Jack rubbed his temples in exhaustion, then followed after her.
Payton barged into Jack's cabin, slamming open the doors with enough force that they recoiled once she was through. She paced the breadth of the cabin, muttering about pirates and their motives. Jack walked in a few moments later, noting her agitated disposition. He fell into his chair and watched her pace for a few minutes before speaking up.
"When did you last have a decent night's sleep?"
She ignored him, an expression of pure anger settling on her face. She didn't stop pacing.
He tried again. "Payton… You don't look well."
She slammed her hands down on the ledge by the window, and moodily glared out at the sea.
Jack growled, frustrated that his attempts at sympathy were being outright ignored. "Listen ta me girl, this has gone on for long enough!"
"Hmph." That was the only indication Payton had heard him.
"Look at me girl." She ignored him further, so he spun her around. "Look at me!" His chest was heaving, and he was trying to control all his pent up rage. "This is it! Either we talk, or ye'll be marooned for real this time!"
"Then send me off your god damned boat you bastard!"
His eyes narrowed, and he moved to stand closer to her, pinning her between the windows and himself. Leaning down, he spoke softly into her ear. "You are being ridiculous Payton."
"So?!" She tried to push him away, but found him an unyielding statue. "Move!" She futilely beat her palms against his chest, tears forming in her eyes. "Damn it Jack, move!" Her tears began to fall against him, and she bent her head so he wouldn't see her cry.
At that moment, anger forgotten, Jack lifted her chin to make her look him in the eye. "Nay luv, don't cry." He pulled her into a hug, which at first she resisted, then gave up, crying piteously against his shoulder. Whispering reassurances, he gently pet her hair, hoping that the worst had come to pass. "When did you last properly sleep?"
"… Not since the fight." She admitted warily, looking at the floor, feeling incredibly weak.
Jack cursed under his breath. "Come ta bed luv."
Payton turned her eyes up to him, new tears threatening to fall. "B-b-but…"
"Don't worry about dinner. Someone else can deal wit it. You need ta sleep."
"N-no, I'm fine!" She pushed away from him, swaying dangerously on her feet. Taking a few steps, she seemed to steady, and started toward the door. Not more than a few feet away from the handle, she swayed again, and Jack rushed to her side as she collapsed on the floor.
"Yer not fine at all luv." He picked her up easily from the floor, and deposited her on the bed, pulling the covers over her slim figure after pulling off her boots. "Enough of this nonsense. Yer not doin' well, and ye've gone and made yerself sick. Now, rest. I'll be back with something ta eat in a little bit, savvy?" She nodded weakly, and he continued. "Good. An' I'd best not be findin' ye out of bed until you have my say-so, savvy?"
"S-savvy."
Appeased, he left the cabin, shutting the door softly. Taking in a few breaths to steady herself, Payton closed her eyes, and felt tears coming to her eyes. In the silence of the cabin, she allowed herself time to cry.
A few hours later, Payton was woken by a gentle shake. Jack was sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, holding a bowl of soup. She looked at him curiously.
"Dinner." He answered her unasked question gruffly. "I had someone cook it up from what you had cut up earlier."
She nodded, sitting up and gratefully taking the bowl and spoon from him. "T-thanks Captain."
He sighed, moving to the window. Perplexed, she silently ate, surprised how good the food tasted.
"Payton."
She looked up. "Aye?"
"I was told something rather disturbing. When did ye last eat before now?" Jack looked tense as he stood at the window.
"Er, well… I think, maybe… yesterday?"
"You don't recall." It was more of a statement than a question. She nodded miserably, and he sighed. "Why've ye been starving yerself luv?" His question held a note of desperation in it that she hadn't ever heard before.
She shrugged. "I… just wasn't hungry Jack."
"An' that's more dangerous than you know. You nearly fainted Payton."
"Didn't." She glared at him, crossing her arms.
He waved a hand. "Doesn't matter if ye believe me, you know it's true." He shook his head. "Ah, this is a mess."
Payton returned to eating her soup, content to finish every last drop. She got up to put the now empty bowl on Jack's desk, and stumbled. Jack was there to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Th-thanks." She muttered, feeling colour rising to her cheeks.
"Go back ta bed luv. You look exhausted." He took the bowl from her, gently pushing her toward the bunk. She dutifully lay down. Moments later he joined her.
She would have complained if she had the energy. But, she didn't, so she only let out a contented sigh as Jack pulled her into his arms.
"Aww, isn't it sweet?" A jeering voice woke both Payton and Jack from their rest. They opened their eyes to see swords pointed at their throats. "C'mon you two. Capt'n wants ta see ye on deck, and'll be havin' no funny business. Got it?"
Payton gulped, and Jack nodded, a furious glare affixed on his features. They were roughly pulled out of bed and dragged to the door of Jack's cabin.
Wow. That's freaking long. Feel proud, longest one yet! And that's it for chapter nineteen! Next one is the conclusion to Send Her My Love! I'll put it up soon! Please review!