Slowly regaining his awareness, James opened his eyes with significant effort, only to feel the vacant spot next to him in bed, making his body alert with confusion. Giving the room a slow, comprehensive glance, his eyes eventually landed on his wife.
Elizabeth was already sitting in front of her bureau. Although she was still in her night clothes, it was quite unusual that she would arisen before he did. The faint light leaking into the room from behind the curtains indicated that it was well past dawn.
He supposed it was a clear testament to how tired he´d been after finally returning home the night before.
James had been tasked with a mission to one of the colonies on some of the furthest island´s from Jamaica, and as expected, he had already been weary and irritated by the time they made their way back to Port Royal. The assignment had been a fruitless effort and he had wanted nothing more than to see Elizabeth again; so receiving the urgent report of the remainders of an unknown vessel being found washed ashore on the other side of the island, almost immediately after he stepped foot on land...
He found himself unable to receive the news with the grace that it was due, even more so when his plan to travel to the site and return in a matter of a few, short days, was hampered.
The report had forced his hand into quickly expediting his soldiers to the place of the incident, else he risked the evidence being lost to sea or possibly thieves.
At their arrival he had indeed found the remains of what once was a large vessel, now nothing more than small pieces of it scattered on the coast, and no bodies left to question, identify nor bury.
The one good fortune about his findings was that the ship had not been one of their own. The tattered pieces of an Spanish flag had been the only hint to its former alliance.
Even if the presence of an enemies' vessel on British soil was, in itself, something that created many more interrogatives than it gave him answers to, as he had received no reports of it lurking around their waters during his absence, nor that of any storms strong enough anywhere nearby that would have demanded seeking refuge on hostile land.
It was much too obvious that the ship had been completely out of its way.
In spite all of that, he had felt almost pleased that he would not find himself being aggravated by the visit of an opulent, disgruntled and uninvited fool in his office this time.
He´d already felt significantly irritated by the inconvenience of the circumstances and had planned to make fast work of the unavoidable task. Sadly, fortune would have it that a few merchants caught wind of the news as well, taking the opportunity to follow his unit, shamelessly exploiting him and his men as their unpaid escorts, and forcing him to rework his short expedition into a week's long journey.
When he finally accepted that his best efforts would still not be enough to prevent the delay, he took advantage of the nuisance to scout the old caves on the mountains as they made their return. Finding that the well known hideout for both pirates and smugglers alike, remained abandoned and unused -even if only for the time being,- was one less concern for him to deal with.
The combination of those consecutive events, had proven to be significantly more exhausting that he originally assessed. And now, as he spied on Elizabeth while she brushed her long, silk soft, golden hair, his distracted eyes caught sight of the deep blue fabric tossed on the floor, bringing his focus to the piece of parchment still tucked away on its breast pocket. The reminder that he had yet to tell his wife about his new orders, was not a pleasant one.
The night before he had been unable to find an opportune moment to do it. Truthfully, unwilling, would have been the most accurate term, particularly as her soft, tender hands began roaming the planes of his front with insistent purpose.
But now, he couldn't help the small hint of unease starting to manifest on his stomach at the notion of telling her. While well aware of the pressing need tell her about the missive, he was uncertain about how she would react when he finally did.
The letter from England that Groves had promptly handed over after his return to the Fort the day before, had done nothing to improve his already disturbed mood, especially when he saw the emblem engraved on the wax.
Deciding to avoid the unpleasant thoughts that his mind invoked as he relieved the words written on the letter for just a moment longer, James moved his gaze back to her delicate form again.
He silently stared at the soft outline of her slim figure while remembering the way it felt to slowly run his fingers all over it.
Elizabeth on the other hand, was humming to herself while rummaging thru her drawers, still unaware of him. Eventually, she lifted her eyed and spotted him through the mirror, showing him a self-satisfied smirk while greeting him with a soft "Good morning, Dear"
"Good morning" was his lazy reply, voice still raspy with sleep.
"I was starting to worry about you" she said with a mischievous tone and smirk firmly in place "Did I tire you out too much last night?" she joked, keeping her eyes on him thru the mirror.
He smiled back at her roguishly as he remembered the night before. "Don´t worry about me Love, I can take it" he assured confidently, feeling his mood improve and his body relax further onto the linen.
But then a dissatisfied groan was forced out of him when she stretched out her hand and pettily pulled open one side of the curtains, letting the brightness from the outside illuminate the room more fully and hitting him directly on the face in the process.
He could heard her happy giggle as he huffed discontentedly, turned onto his stomach and buried his face deep into the pillow; instantly comfortable once again. The temptation of falling back asleep was becoming strong, but he knew he needed to tell her.
There was no point in delaying it, might as well say it fast, he concluded with resignation.
Turning his eyes back to her, he kept his voice low and tempered as he informed her "I've been summoned back to England"
"What?" she asked, stopping the movement of her brush midmotion and turning around to face him with a small confused frown "By whom?" Then when a new thought flashed in her, her mouth set with frustration "You only returned yesterday"
He couldn´t contain the sigh that escaped at her reaction, he knew she wouldn´t like it. Turning onto his back he tried again as he rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily "I received a missive from The Admiralty while I was away, the letter ordered my presence back in England"
Although she would not show it in her face, he could hear the stress barely concealed in her voice when she inquired with a careful tone "...Permanently?"
"No" he denied swiftly. Not wanting to give her time to create any misunderstanding, he elaborated "It was not a reassignment, the letter only ordered me to report myself on the main building as to 'discuss important issues regarding the continuous development of the Caribbean'" he repeated dully.
She finally stood up and walked back to the bed, unceremoniously falling on top of him. Her forearms crossed on top his chest as she let her head rest on top of them, looking at him with a curious frown. "There was no further explanation as the reason why you've been summoned in person?" she asked, leaning her head to the side.
He smiled ruefully at her question but shook his head slowly. "No explanation, and only containing enough pertinent information to cause me a headache"
Her lips pursed in musing before carefreely pointing out "It's very unexpected that you would be abruptly summoned without being given any proper explanation nor clarification"
He knew there was no ill intent behind her musings, but her words provoked his body to fill with tension.
She seemed to realize his change because she hurried to try to reassure him "There is no need for you to stress much about it, I'm sure it can´t be anything bad" offering him a soothing smile as she added "You´ve done absolutely nothing that could be a motive for criticism."
"I only let one of the ships under my command get stolen by pirates, allowed it to be destroyed and then let said pirates escape unpunished" he refuted her, feeling absolutely no amusement about it.
"That was almost a year ago!" she defended, raising herself away from her comfortable position to look down at him. "You are a brilliant officer, the best soldier Port Royal has. If not for you this city would not have become what it is today, and pirates would start ravaging this place down again if you were to disappear. Besides, you did capture Barbossa' crew! you only lost- "
The way her words halted midsentence and her eyes opened wide was almost comical, if not for the true panic he saw deep in her eyes. He even heard the way her teeth clanked as they clenched together to stop herself from continuing that thought.
It was obvious what she'd been about to say. But somehow, that particular subject had become a delicate matter between the two of them, one that they always avoided speaking of. He had never held her responsible for what happened; even if he did it for her, it had been entirely his decision to let those two escape. Still, he made no attempt to talk about it, if she didn´t want to discuss it, he would not force her to.
She stared at him for a long moment while frowning down with suspicion, probably expecting him to say something. When he didn´t, she restarted her argument as if nothing had happened "You are not going to lose your commission, James" she promised, and her voice was filled with such honest conviction that it made him smile.
When he saw the worry remain in her eyes his hand moved up to bring her closer as he gave her forehead a kiss, making an effort to sound less worried about his upcoming audience "Thank you"
Elizabeth hummed her response and let her eyes close as her head moved back to his chest. "How is it that you ended up being sent here anyway?" she mumbled.
"What do you mean?"
Her eyes opened back to stare at him in disbelief as her hand came up in between their faces and started listing with her fingers "Young officer, very capable, good breeding, bright future" letting her hand drop back on his chest, her eyes sparkled as she smirked "Did you defy a superior officer by pointing out all the ways he was doing his job incorrectly?" she started laughing at her own words as she remembered James as a young Lieutenant, it was much too easy to imagine that serious, confident but arrogant, younger version of him doing exactly that.
He laughed as he understood she was making fun of him, but corrected her "It would be quite accurate actually. My old Captain suggested me for the post, and I readily complied" when her brows lifted with surprise, he added "But I do believe he wasn´t trying to punish me."
That was truly a surprise. She could not imagine why -given the choice- James would willingly ship himself to Jamaica instead of staying in England and seeking to further his career where the 'civilized' people were. "But why did you accept?" she asked instead.
"This is the most important British colony in the central Caribbean" he reminded her with amusement.
"Yes, now it is. But it´s also a considerably dangerous place, crawling with thieves, pirates and uncivilized people" she said, repeating the words she had heard from her father almost daily when they first arrived. "There are too many pirate attacks that happen around these waters. I can´t imagine Port Royal would be the most desired destination to most officers, especially back then. I still remember hearing about the constant confrontations and the daily hangings when we first arrived"
"Do you?"
"My father, that poor man was always stressed about something at that time"
"The Governor conversed with you about those matters?" he asked with scepticism coating his voice.
The question made her pause for a second. "The information might not have been acquired by the most honest means" she confessed reluctantly, making him chuckle.
It was thanks to the support the Governor had given him that they´ve managed to make meaningful progress in bringing the city into a new, civilized era. But James knew there was still much work to be done, he was well aware that pirates, petty criminals and smugglers were still a problem at large on Port Royal and that getting completely rid of them proved to be an endeavour of endurance; thru the years, he´d come to accept that the city he was tasked to protect, was a particularly attractive destination for the sort of lawbreakers he was fiercely trying to drive away. Each time he had managed to capture and bring to justice one of those, ten more would appear later. It had frustrated him to no end when he had first become a Captain, it still did.
"Your father has done a fine job, Elizabeth" his expression became pensive then "But I don´t think you´re mistaken, most of the others were not particularly excited about the prospect. At least no senior officer was looking forward to abandoning the comforts of England in favour of a post in a far away, underdeveloped island that crawled with pirates" he confirmed good-humouredly, then his eyes shined with mirth as he smirked "In fact, the only ones eager to arrive here were the youngest sailors on our crew," his crinkled eyes were staring at her with wistfulness "tempted by the promise of sailing to the exotic waters of the Caribbean" it was obvious who he was referring to.
"It was my first time aboard a ship! Of course I was excited" she defended with a childish scowl.
"You were already quite enthusiastic before, but you became a positive terror after we crossed paths with that wreck" he taunted her.
She was surprised he remembered the voyage with positive feelings. He had been entrusted with not only his responsibilities as the acting captain but also with taking care of a couple of unruly kids running amok around the ship.
"I was young" was her only excuse, even if she felt a little embarrassed as the memories of the way she had run around the entire galleon, -exploring every nook and cranny she could sneak into- assaulted her. While James had been the one tasked to protect and watch over her, on top of all his other duties.
"You still are a positive terror" he corrected with a new laugh.
Her face twisted with affront as she made to pull away from him. But his hand snaked behind her head before she could, holding her nape still as he sat up a little to reach her mouth, giving her an insistent kiss that quickly made her forget he had just slighted her.
"I never said I don't enjoy it" he whispered slyly against her mouth once he let her go.
Her annoyance at him melted instantly. "Haven´t you become quite proficient at the sacred art flattery now?" she joked, making him snort. "Still, you were aware of all that, then why did you accept the commission?" she asked with a challenging eyebrow.
"There wasn´t a reason not to. My former Captain considered me capable enough to handle the assignment, and I was a young officer empowered by my recent promotion to Lieutenant" His eyes glinted happily at her as he grabbed her chin and pulled her face close so he could whisper in her ear in a conspirational hush "And... I may have also been anticipating the battles to come against dissolute criminals"
It was her turn to laugh at him, "So you were simply being an ambitious and arrogant kid" she deduced with merriment.
James' smile stayed in place as his head tilted to the side as if thinking about it, then he agreed without shame "I suppose that would not be an inaccurate description"
His easy admittance of his past immaturity delighted her, but then she saw the way his nonchalant expression fell almost imperceptibly as his palms continued to stroke along her sides absently.
"Of course I hadn´t expected to be effectively left in charge of the entire colony right after receiving my Captain's promotion.
"Did you not wish to?" she asked with confusion. She´d always thought of James as the best suited type of man to hold power.
"It was an honour to be chosen, and I would never have deserted my duty"
That still did not sound like it was something he had personally desired.
"Is that related to the reason why you were serving as the acting Lieutenant of The Dauntless on the voyage here?"
One of his eyebrows twitched up, he looked almost surprised she remembered that much.
"Captain Johnson was... displeased with his assignment here" James said politely, trying to hide the smirk fighting to come out with his next words "The man left as soon as he deemed me 'sufficiently prepared' for the task"
She could barely remember anything about James' predecessor, only that he was a frivolous man that always seemed to be angry about something, and that her Father had not being very fond of the man. Then, the old man had suddenly disappeared from the city before she even had her debutante.
"I cannot believe you had us all fooled like that" she complained lightly "My Father has revered you since forever, and I was cheated into believing you were a mature, stoic, and unmovable man"
"Is that so?"
She held onto his chin and moved close until his gentle breath tickled her lips. "Annoyingly, so" she confirmed, before capturing his lower lip in between hers for a short moment. "Even back then you seemed to be a completely composed adult, but now I realize you were even younger than I am now" she pondered, softly stroking his cheekbone.
As her other hand lazily moved down his chest, another thought occurred to her, drawing a frown on her face before asking out loud "How did you achieve such commendable control of everything back then?"
His smile fell a little more "I needed to be capable of at least that much, didn't I? It is my duty to protect the innocent and defenceless from the wicked"
His duty, again. This man was too much of an unfaltering altruist, Elizabeth marvelled with some concern.
"Why do you appear so disgruntled?" he asked her curiously, running his palm down her back.
"Because sometimes you´re so virtuous that you make me feel appallingly devious"
She would rather he be more selfish; and at the same time, she found herself fascinated by how he had been burdened with all the responsibilities of having to manage the entirety of the military might on Port Royal by himself at such a young age and still had had managed to get rid of the majority of criminals that had ravaged the island for so long, transforming the city into a liveable place, in less than a decade.
She´d never paid him much mind back in those days, but she could remember his capable, reliable figure present and ready to act each time he was needed. For some reason it all filled her with an inexplicable sense of pride, which was ridiculous, they were all his achievements, not hers. She was being entirely silly.
"I find you incomparably charming" he praised her, tightening his arms around her body securely and making heat rise to her face. His was the complete image of relaxation as he added like it was a simple afterthought "I will admit to my exceedingly authoritarian ways, probably significantly more so than now"
"I couldn't possibly imagine that" she quipped with mischief.
"I cannot remember it clearly either. But I will confess to feeling overwhelmed and ill-prepared quite often. There was very little rest to be had in those first few years. Whenever I wasn´t sleeping I was hunting down pirates or fighting them; but I was young and very determined" he said with a small self-deprecating chuckle. "I was always in a perpetually bad mood as well, I'm sure my men hated me even more back then than they do now"
By the happy glint his eyes maintained as he said it, it was clear he was not at all regretful for any of it.
"You have to be mistaken about that. I don´t believe anyone in Port Royal could possibly justify hating you" she argued with a shake of her head.
He made a face at her that denoted he didn't believe she was correct.
"I have never heard anything but praise about you" she insisted.
"That doesn't mean people like me, only that I´m a capable enough officer to have earned their respect and so, I´m tolerated"
He wad stubborn and very firm on his beliefs. Sometimes she had to wonder if it was that part of him that made him such an efficient leader.
"They do like you!" she continued with insistence, becoming progressively invested on their ridiculous argument "If you tried to act friendlier to them, you would become even more popular"
"I don't believe I care about that. As their captain and the person in charge, I cannot afford the luxury of showing weakness to my crew nor any of the men under my charge, they all rely on me to make the most appropriate decisions during the most challenging situations. If I falter, so will they and that is something I simply can´t allow. It means the difference between life and death" he told her, looking entirely too serious.
She sighed in unbothered defeated as her eyes stared straight at him, cupping his face with both of her hands before moving to tangle into his hair. Pulling herself towards him until their lips made contact. It was a slow kiss, but the light graze of their mouths was so full of affection it made her jaw tingle.
When she let go of him she let her thumb swipe across his glistening bottom lip to clean the moisture she left there. The soft but firm sensation of his skin under her fingers was distracting.
"I like you and there´s no need for you to act that way when you are with me" she reminded him while hoping she didn't need to, but then she corrected herself "I don't want you to be like that with me, ever again"
"You don´t need Commodore Norrington" he repeated, allowing his lips to kiss her thumb before he assured her "I do remember that"
She shook her head "I don´t dislike Commodore Norrington" she promised him honestly. In fact, she was quite enamoured with him.
"I will strive to not allow myself to be anything less than honest with you" he promised in return. His eyebrows set with thoughtful determination as he added "But the incident with The Black Pearl is the perfect example of what could and will happen if I fail to behave myself as an appropriate leader. I cannot allow that to happen again" he said, begging her to understand.
The only response she could be was an understanding nod. Dropping her head on the divot between his shoulder and neck, staring out the window blankly. The sky outside was foggy, painted in whites and greys, and she knew it was getting late into the morning but he had only returned home the night before after being absent for weeks. And so she was more than satisfied with spending their time together in leisure.
By the soft cadence of his breathing, she had thought he had fallen asleep, until the moment he pulled her closer when she shifted slightly.
Her gaze glanced up to look at him, his face seized by a look of concentration.
Wanting to pull him out of his reverie she mumbled in a light tone against his jaw "So you truly have no notion as to why you would be summoned with such urgency other than to be reprehended?"
His attention immediately returned back to her, and while he gave her no answer, she did not miss the way his eyes hinted at an idea "You do."
"I can´t say I´m certain"
"But you do have an inkling about it"
James seemed reluctant to talk, which only made her more curious.
"Tell me!" she demanded, getting on all fours and looming over him.
When he understood she was not about to let the subject go he asked her instead "You know the reason why I had to leave for Saint Martin, don´t you?"
"'Reinforcement for their troops'" she parroted back instantly, falling next to him.
Nodding in confirmation, he added "A group of criminals attempted to steal their newly inaugurated bank."
"A bank robbery?" She couldn´t stop the frown from forming on her face "Sain Martin´s officers requested your aid all the way to the Leeward Islands so you would help them catch some petty thieves?" she asked, uncertain she was understanding him correctly.
"Thieves?" His sudden snort startled her enough to make her shoulders jump, she was surprised to see a pronounced smirk adorning his face "If you could even call them that, considering they stole nothing" he almost sounded sincerely amused.
"You just said.."
"It was one of the most absurd things I've ever heard," his hand covered his eyes before moving back to roughly swipe his hair away from his forehead. Real perplexing took over his features as he turned in her direction and explained "They destroyed the building and half the city´s streets, but abandoned the money in the end"
"They... abandon it?" she repeated, getting more and more confused as he spoke. That truly was one of the oddest things she'd ever hear. What kind of criminals flee without taking the loot? "Why?"
"I don´t think it was deliberate, Love." he answered with disinterest "But I also don´t know the details, although the bandits managed to escape capture, that matter had been settled by the time we arrived and it was not the reason why I was requested"
"How does that have anything to do with you being summoned to England, James?" she asked with annoyed impatience.
His light demeanour sobered slightly as he grunted with quiet frustration "The reason why I was sought to go there was because a mere two days after that robbery occurred, an unknown pirate ship appeared on the bay in the middle of the night. Nobody saw it coming, and nobody could stop it. Most of their port was destroyed and their troops were decimated. It had to be a brutal attack to wreck such complete havoc, Elizabeth."
Her fingers twitched and her lips involuntarily squeezed with unease at his description of the attack "That sounds... concerningly familiar. And you still don´t think..."
She was unsure why her voice came out so softly, but if James noticed he didn´t acknowledge it. He simply shook his head in denial.
"They hoped that I could help them track it or give them some clues, but the ship disappeared into open waters without leaving any traces" the displeasure in his voice was evident.
She stared at his face as recognition lit her brain "And you suspect they might be the same pirates that you´ve been looking for"
James´ face contorted. "It´s not unlikely"
"Why would you be held responsible for that?" she argue angrily "There have been attacks on the Caribbean as long as there have been pirates. England should be well aware of at least that much by now. Besides, you have managed to reduced their activities around these waters to almost nothing."
"Yes, but we both know that a pirate ship capable of raiding an entire port by itself only to disappear without detection, is not normal" he grimaced a little before adding "If the news have already reached the King, I can only surmise how displease he probably is"
"You´re thinking too hard" she scolded him with a gentle smile, stroking her thumb over his furrowed mien.
After a moment, she nestled comfortably against his side, contemplating whether or not they should just stay in bed for the remainder of the day.
He still looked too preoccupied.
"They will not demoted you" she assured him seriously, letting her head drop to rest on his chest and brushing the skin of his ribs with light fingers.
His noncommittal hum of agreement made her unhappy.
"There should be no more capable officer around these waters than 'the scourge of piracy of the eastern Caribbean'" she praised him, attempting to cheer him up.
His short laugh at that was precious to her.
"I thought you didn't care for that epithet?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow at her.
"Not particularly, but you earned it through your own efforts" she admitted easily, trying not to let him see she found his reputation rather impressive.
James shifted next to her, moving his gaze to the ceiling. He didn´t say a word for a while, but eventually his voice broke the silence once more "The voyage there and back should take at least a couple of months"
His remark made her frown. Elizabeth had been trying hard not to think too much about that at the moment. "When are you expected to present yourself in England?" she asked him, trying to sound unaffected.
"I will need to depart soon, probably sometime within the next two weeks"
She buried her face against his neck as she hummed her agreement, hiding the grimace she knew she was making.
When his hand moved to stroke the back of her head, she relaxed against him.
"...Would you like to come with me?" he asked with a soft voice.
Her head lifted so fast from where it had been resting on his chest that she almost knocked him on the chin. Looking at his eyes to assess the seriousness of his offer, she asked excitedly "Truly? You'll take me?"
His sweet smile as he used one finger to move a lock of hair that had fallen on her face, made her stomach clench. "Yes, if that's what you want."
"I want to" she confirmed with haste.
"Then it´s decided"
Her lips met his as soon as the words left him, bringing her leg around his hip so she could pull herself closer to him.
Once their lips finally separated to take a breath, he chuckled. "At least if I get demoted I will have you by my side to mitigate the abasement." He was trying to sound playful, but she could hear the underlying concern lurking in his voice.
She kissed him again, with a lot more enthusiasm this time, using her hold on his hair to keep him in place. Looking at him with eyes full of mirth, she couldn´t help playfully suggesting "If they do, we can always run away together, steal and plunder, become fugitives"
James looked absolutely bewildered by her sudden proposition. "I.. would rather we do not, Love" when his lips eventually parted, his answer was deliberate and careful, apparently honestly concerned she might be serious in her offer.
She couldn´t help the maniac cackle that surged from her as his worried eyes stared at her beggingly "Forgive me, that was mean" she begged, holding his face and leaving a kiss on his temple. "They won´t, James" Then, thoughtlessly she added "Besides, there really is nothing to fault you with. Losing Jack Sparrow can´t possibly count. He´s terrible at being a pirate"
As soon as the name was out of her mouth she bit her lip with regret, squeezing her eyes closed and cursing internally. They had managed to avoid making any direct mention of Jack or Will´s name since that day. It was like they had reached the unspoken pact they were not to be named, and she had just violated it.
Gathering herself, she opened her eyes, offering him an apology "I´m sorry"
"Eli…"
James clearly saw the abrupt change of her mood at her own words, but when he tried to speak she rushed to correct herself. "What I meant to say is that it was only a single pirate, you captured and executed all the other brutes from Barbossa' crew and many more, and…" she knew she was about to start rambling.
That´s when she felt him sit up a little straighter against the headboard while still holding her close, before he interrupted her firmly "Elizabeth, I won't get mad at you for mentioning their names" he promised.
"But you... have avoided making any mention of either of them since they... ran away" she pointed out, looking at him with doubt.
"Because you have as well," He looked at her with gentle eyes "And what would you have me say? I don´t care to speak about a pair of mongrels" he joked in an attempt to make her laugh, but she couldn´t. His eyes focused on hers as he tried again "I thought all you cared about for me to do regarding those two was stay away from them?"
"Its is!" she agreed instantly.
"Then...?"
"I don´t know" she simply felt anxious whenever those two were mentioned.
James stared at her with a look of vexation "You know my feelings on the matter. Even if it´s difficult to accept that you care for those two, I won´t condemn you for it" her face set on a grimace as she listened to his words, but she remained quiet "I made you a promise and I truly intent to keep it. It´s just... I hate pirates and I don´t want any of them coming anywhere near you"
"I know"
She knew he wasn't lying, but talking to him about those two felt like a truly horrible idea, and it wasn't like there was really anything left to say on that matter anymore. She didn´t want to talk about them, but she also didn´t want James to believe she was scared to, or worse, that she was hiding something from him.
Finally deciding she would not let herself be intimidated by the names of a pair of numbskulls, she continued defiantly "I was only trying to point out that Jack Sparrow is definitely not the worst pirate that you could have let escape"
James seemed unprepared by her abrupt change of demeanour but he recovered quickly, arguing back "He is objectively the most idiotic one though" The resentment towards the man was still freshly present in his voice.
"Are you convinced of that?" Elizabeth responded, remembering the short time she had spent trapped together with the pirate on that tiny, deserted island before James had arrived to rescue her. Although it had been easy to lure him into getting wasted, that had more to do with him being a drunkard and a rake than with him being a true idiot.
She couldn´t help but disagree with his assessment. Jack´s bitter expression as he showed her the scars branded on his body, was still clear in her mind. No truth at all, was what came out of his mouth, but his eyes had told a different story. That was the moment she realized that there was more to the man that he allowed to show. That he had not kept himself alive on the basis of sheer luck alone, that the stories about him were real. He wasn't someone to be carelessly trusted, he was weird and foolish but dangerous as well, and definitely not what she would consider stupid… at least not completely.
"I think he might actually be quite clever" she opposed.
James' eyes displayed nothing but doubt.
"He did manage to trick you... On more than one occasion"
Her husband´s expression morphed into one of real annoyance at the reminder. "That was plain dumb luck" James argued, sounding affronted.
Not wanting to start an argument, she intertwined her fingers around his, playing with them as she placed a lingering kiss to his jaw before telling him placatingly "It was because you kept underestimating him, and you´re the one who´s always lecturing your men about what a grave mistake it is to underestimate an enemy. I´ve heard you."
Confronted with his own words James frowned and stubbornly continued to refute her "He's mad"
In spite of what he said, she saw the understanding settle deep in his eyes.
He might be unwilling to admit she might be right, but she knew he agreed, so she stopped insisting and this time conceded "That he is. Must be all the alcohol, I saw him gulp down a whole crate of Rum in just a couple of hours when I got stranded together with him on that island" she mused, letting a corner of her mouth raise, when she saw his expression sour further.
Her husband seemed to hate every reminder of that incident as well. It was inevitable though, she had noticed he would always show an unreasonable strong disdain every time Jack Sparrow was mentioned, one that she couldn´t truly understand.
Even if for his own gain, Jack had helped them in the end… her and Will that is.
And maybe that was the real reason why James seemed to hate the pirate so much. She couldn't help but wonder.
"Indeed. I remember the undeniable stench of distillery emanating from him" he agreed, clicking his tongue in stern disapproval.
She scrunched her nose with a disgusted face "Truly"
Both his eyebrows lifted at her agreement. "Oh? And here I thought you held admiration for rum-pot, fetid criminals?" he questioned with just a tad of mockery.
"'Admire' is too strong of a word, Dear. Interesting creatures of study is better accurate." she corrected him audaciously "Doesn't mean I cannot distinguish a good smell from a foul one" she clarified, scrunching her nose while shuddering as she recalled the disturbing odour she was subjected to while surrounded by Barbossa' man on The Pearl.
"Also the teeth" she added while flashing him with her own pearly white ones, bringing her tongue out to mimic a gagging noise.
"So kissing a pirate is not an attractive prospect anymore then?" he kept taunting her, with a tone that spoke of vindication.
"It never was" she defended with confusion, bringing her arms around his neck, holding the back of his head with one hand and rubbing his shoulder blade with the other. "You can be quite childish sometimes" she mused out loud, looking at him with a thoughtful frown.
Which made his face adopt a sudden and genuinely childish scowl.
"You're jealous" she realized happily, smiling with all her teeth at him, quite pleased by his reactions now, which provoked his eyes to narrow slightly. But he did not make any effort to contradict her. "There's no need to. I could never" she assured him.
A small hum, that was neither agreement nor protest, was his only answer.
"I much prefer the way you smell," she insisted, moving her nose to rub his jaw, inhaling softly. And that was the truth, he always smelled as clean as he looked, there was an intrinsic scent of wood and sea mixed with his skin that she couldn't help but associate with his ship "and how you feel." she whispered intimately while drawing near and giving his lips a small, playful lick. "Your mouth is quite appealing too."
"Would you say my teeth are acceptable, then?" he asked, playing along with her and using a low, alluring tone she could not resist. His hands travelled to the back of her thighs, holding her firmly and dragging her hips towards his, until her center brushed sharply against his.
"Very acceptable." She nodded absently, breath hitching when he pulled on her hips again. But her attention was now solely on his lips "The most acceptable," finally letting her lips caress his, she gave him a teasing brush "the only acceptable." she corrected herself, before redirecting all her attention to kissing him in earnest.
As his tongue moved persistently against hers, she barely noticed they way his hands rearranged his hold on her and tightened around her backside instead. Still, she remained oblivious until the moment his fingers pressed mildly on her skin and he flipped her over so fast that a high pitched shriek of surprise came out.
He laughed heartily as he stared down at her stunned face.
"You're clawing me, Love" he informed her with a small flinch of pain.
Her fingers twitched and he flinched again, finally realizing that she had dug her nails on his shoulders in order to maintain her grip and hastily retreating them as soon as she realized where they were; she pulled him closer in order to assess the damage, using her tongue to sooth his reddened skin. But once she was sure she hadn´t made him bleed, she swatted his chest.
"That was not gentlemanly" she complained.
"And here I was, convinced you did not care for that" he challenged unaffected, knowing he was right. At the same time, his hands moved down to her upper thighs, parting them with practice ease and settling himself between them. His fingers quickly found the edge of her night gown and dipped underneath, not stopping until he had firm hold of her bare middle. bringing along the edge of her nightgown.
She smirked back at his obvious intentions "I don't" she responded, tangling her legs around the back of his and pushing her hips up in provocation.
Her actions only served to encourage him further, his mouth wandering to her neck as his hips gave a harder push of their own in retaliation, making her whine loudly the moment he rubbed against that sensitive place that drove her needy. The fact that he was still not wearing any clothes as a result of their ventures from the night before, did not help.
"Wouldn't you rather forget about those moronic wretches and concentrate on doing something much more enjoyable with me?" he was asking but his hands were already working to get rid of her only piece of clothing, not slowing until her naked body was completely exposed to him.
"I'm not sure. The subject.. is rather… thought provoking" she had to praise herself for managing to hold back her moans long enough to sound somewhat coherent, even as his hands and mouth left scorching trails on her skin.
"Let's stop talking already" he begged seductively near her ear. Licking a wet trail under the hollow space of her jaw with deliberate slowness at the same time his fingers found her nipple, making her shudder all the way to her core.
Her fingers scratched down his chest with a little too much force in response.
"Why don't you..." now she really struggling to form complete sentences, so their game was almost over "you... make me?" she ended with a pant.
Truly, her only intent was pure provocation, she really had absolutely no interest nor desire of continuing their earlier conversation, but she loved the way his caresses would become rougher whenever she was the one to stall.
His mouth pulled into a grin against her chest as his other hand reached the juncture between her parted legs. She was already plenty invested in their activities and the proof of it was rather evident when his fingers reached inside her, making him growl deep in his chest at the wet contact.
"I´m afraid you might forget more than that if you continue to incite me, Love" he mused, letting his fingers stroke her down, drawing tortuous pleasure with each caress. "I'll make you forget absolutely everything about pirates" he promised before his tongue travelled down her navel.
She could no longer find the will to care about anything else besides the merciless rhythm of his fingers inside her.
"Do..hhn..your best" she offered arrogantly, even as her vision became blurry and her ears began to ring, making it difficult to understand what he was saying.
"You will definitely regret those words" was the last thing she was capable of assimilating before his fingers gained speed.
They did not get out of bed that morning. But she did not regret her words.