Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis, by Hellborne (the_ferret_mom@yahoo.com)
Pirates of the Caribbean – NC-17

Copyright: Characters, not mine, See the Mouse. Story, mine, but I make no money. He does, but not on this.

Typing convention. / and * are used for thoughts. * - * - * is used for scene or perspective changes, and elapsed time.

Summary: When checking out a port he’d never seen before, Jack runs into the WRONG woman. G/B, N/C, M/F, J/W, H/C, Angst, H/C, Slash, Lemon.

A/N: Let me know what you think of the experiment.

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Chapter 9 – Bilge and Beyond

The two pirate guards were as careful as possible with the nude, unconscious form in their arms as they carried her down the ladder into the bilge. One held her up as the other stood on the keelson board above the water and draped the chain of her wrist manacles over a hook in the low ceiling. He tested them to be sure she couldn’t escape, then nodded to his partner to lower her. She hung by her arms against the curve of the hull in a sitting position, submerged up to her belly in the foul water of the bilge.

“There, now she won’t be drownin’ held up like that.”

“Nah. Her arms’ll be achin’ and her wrists’ll be raw, but she should pull through just fine. It’s better down here in the dark than tied to the mainmast like she was. Won’t be broiling in the sun at least. She was so dried out I couldn’t help but give her water.”

“Same here. Orders or no, I don’t want to lose this one. Hey, Tom. Why don’t we take turns wid ‘er while she’s out? She can’t fight us that way?”

Tom grinned. “Aye.” He moved the lantern from his arm onto a ceiling hook and started unbuttoning his breeches. “We can both take ‘er at once, mate. You take the front and I’ll take the back, then we’ll switch.”

The two men quickly got ready, pulling down the buttoned flap on the front of their breeches to expose their manhoods not wanting to be caught with their pants down or off. One held Jack up as the other slid beneath her in the brackish water, his member standing proud in expectation. The man holding her lowered her onto the stiff organ as it pushed inside her opening. Tom moaned. “Tight...tighter than you ever were, Richard.”

Richard watched for a minute, fisting his manhood to full stiffness. He spread both their legs and knelt before them, moving forward till he was positioned at her womanhood and pushed in, sighing in his delight. “You’re right, Tom. She’s tight all right.” He grunted as he started hammering into the unconscious woman.

Tom reached around Jack with one hand to cup her breast, squeezing it hard, pinching her nipple. Richard leaned forward, sucking on her neck hard enough to leave marks then all of a sudden started screaming as the body between them came to life and fastened strong teeth in his neck, biting through the large vein, splattering blood all over. He clutched at the wound in horror, falling to his side into the water and yelling.

Jack rolled off Tom, twisting around in the manacles so that she could kick him in the head. Her heel connected with his chin hard and fast enough that Tom’s head snapped back, the sound of his neck breaking music to Jack’s ears.

With Tom dispatched, she focused on Richard, who was thrashing about in the water, no longer trying to get to his feet, still holding his neck and screaming. She watched impassively as the screaming became weaker and finally stopped, the lack of further bleeding telling Jack he was dead.

Jack spat on both of them and tried to find the keys to the manacles by searching them with her feet. No luck; the keys must have fallen into the water. She searched within her range with no success.

Lifting the chain off the ceiling hook was out of the question; the inside of the hull was too slippery with slime and mold for her feet to get a purchase. Neither could she sit down to ease her wrists, the chain not being quite long enough for her hips to rest solidly on the floor of the bilge.

And so, half submerged in the filthy water, she settled back, hoping to fall asleep soon, with her full weight hanging from bleeding wrists that were already beginning to swell, retching occasionally from the stench with two corpses for her only company.

After what felt like hours, a man climbed down the ladder and held up a lantern. “Tom? Richard?” He walked in Jack’s direction, bent over due to the low ceiling. He saw the bodies of the two men next to her. “How the...you killed them! Pretty or no, there’ll be hell t’ pay, Princess!” He turned around and made his way out of the bilge, taking both lanterns with him, leaving Jack in total darkness.

* - * - *

Jack knew the dreams weren’t real, but they were realistic enough. First, there was the blinding light from heaven, painful, searing her eyes even through her eyelids.

The next was being boiled alive, and roasted from the inside out while invisible demons stabbed and plucked at her with red hot swords and blacksmith’s tongs.

Then she was being ducked into the Thames back in England. It was winter; and blindfolded, she would be tied hand and foot, dunked and held under; she would swallow water, be hauled out gasping and choking, splashed with ice water and rolled over in the soft snow. That one recurred several times.

* - * - *

Jack groaned and opened her eyes. She felt her body tingling from the waist down with “pins and needles” as if it were asleep, but she couldn’t move or feel anything beyond that. Her neck, shoulders and arms ached terribly; her hands throbbed and tingled as well. She was under a comforter...it smelled familiar.

She tried to sit up, to raise her head and look around, but fell back into the feather bed completely exhausted from the effort of lifting herself a couple of inches. /This is my cabin on the Pearl!/

“Help...” Her throat was very sore and her voice a hoarse whisper from weakness.

She wished she could remember how she got there. All she could remember was the sting of salt on her sunburned skin, being chilled to her bones from the bilge water, blood from her lacerated wrists trickling down her arms, the stabbing pains before they went numb, and the putrid stench of the two corpses left down there with her. She also felt hot, but mostly she felt hungry and thirsty.

“Jackie!” A familiar head and shoulders moved into view; it was Elizabeth. “Thank God! We all thought we were going to lose you!”

“Wha’ ‘appened?”

Elizabeth’s arm went smoothly under Jack’s shoulders, lifting her gently, a welcome cup held to her lips. “From what we could gather, you were manacled to the mainmast for two days—“

Jack tried a small sip and smiled. /Water laced with rum...bless you, Lizzy./

“I remember that. They gave me water that second day.”

She managed two more sips, and one good-sized swallow. Then scowled as the friendly cup went away.

“You can have all the water you want, just not all at once.” It was enough, for now. The rum felt good in her sore throat.

“Then they chained you in the bilge. When you were found, there were two dead men near you. It was obvious what they’d done to you, but...”

“I killed them. Bit one on the neck...watched him bleed to death. Kicked the other one hard; I heard his neck break. A man came down and yelled at me for killing them and left. After a while I got very cold from the water, sleepy...and that’s as far as I remember. I must have passed out.”

Elizabeth nodded. “You were down there for three days before the Black Pearl rescued us. There are eight of us in the Captain’s Cabin; the other four are in Anamaria’s cabin. This is the Captain’s bed you’re in; Captain Sparrow is missing.”

Jack picked up on the fact that Elizabeth hadn’t told anyone about the curse. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

“I’ll go tell Mr. Gibbs that your fever has broken and you’re awake.”

“Have him send in the doctor. Something is wrong with my arms and legs and I want to know what it is.”

Elizabeth nodded and left.

* - * - *

“Well, Mrs. Turner, the tingling you feel is from being in that cold water for so long. The feeling may come back eventually; I’ve seen several people in your condition, and I’d say most had the tingling disappear and the feeling come back eventually. But I’ve also seen cases where after such a high fever, the feeling never returned and they were bedridden the rest of their lives. But one way or another, you’re lucky to be alive.”

Jack took the news well. She grinned. “I’m one stubborn wench, Doctor. I’ll be fine. But why do my hands tingle? They weren’t in the water at all.” She looked at her heavily bandaged hands as the doctor lifted and examined them in turn.

“You hung by your arms in those manacles for so long that the blood fairly stopped reaching your hands. When you were first brought to me, your hands were white, and so swollen, the wrist cuffs had cut deeply into the skin. I’ve been watching for gangrene, but they seem to have gone back to almost their normal size and color, and your fingers are warm, so I believe you’re out of danger on that. Whether you’ll be able to use your hands very well is another question. I just don’t know.”

“Where are we going?”

“Well...Port Royal, eventually, but we need to make a short stop in Tortuga to pick up three of our crewmen. But don’t worry. None of you ladies are leaving the ship there.”

“Why did you leave three men in Tortuga?”

“Truth be told, our Captain is missing, and they’re trying to get information on where he might be.”

“Oh. What happened?”

“We stopped at a strange Spanish port, and he disappeared. We asked everyone we could find, but the only people who remembered him were a bartender who didn’t know where he went, and a madwoman. When we asked her where the Captain was, she began chanting ‘gone’...at us over and over. We figure the woman must have witched him somewhere else, so we’ve been looking for him ever since. Per chance, Mrs. Turner, before you were abducted, did a man with trinkets in his hair visit you or your husband? He and your husband were friends, and he may have gone to Mr. Turner for help.

Jack smiled slightly at that. “I wouldn’t know about that; you’ll have to ask William. I certainly haven’t seen anyone matching that description.” /Well, maybe in the mirror...no...I don’t want them to know it’s me...much too embarrassing./ “Could I ask a favor of you, Doctor?”

“Certainly.”

“I want to get better quickly. I don’t want my husband to fret. Could you please have someone bring me some crutches?”

“But your hands...perhaps a wheelchair?”

“Crutches. I mean to WALK, Doctor.”

The doctor shrugged, seeing her determination. “All right. I’ll go get them immediately. In the meantime, I’ll have some food brought in for you. You’ll need to build up your strength or you won’t be able to get out of that bed.” He left.

For the rest of the day and well into the night, the Pearl’s crew took turns gently massaging Jack’s hands, legs, and feet, trying to get feeling back into them. Although they couldn’t help their thoughts, not one was anything but a gentleman now that they knew she was married to Will Turner. They also fed her and brought her water, helping her learn to hold the mug without the feeling in her hands. By the next morning, Jack was feeding herself, though she had to watch what she was doing.

After breakfast, Jack sat up straight on her own, swung her legs off the side of the bed, grabbed the crutches for balance and stood up. The prickling in her feet and legs became almost unbearable, but she took several steps anyway. By the time she made it across the room, she was almost in tears with pain, and completely out of breath.

Davis, the crewmember presently taking care of her, walked over and picked her up, letting the crutches fall out of her hands to the ground and carried her back to the bed. “Now you rest a bit; doctor’s orders.” He tucked her in and left, propping the crutches well out of her reach in the corner.

Elizabeth walked over to the bed and sat down next to Jack. Her voice was quiet so that nobody else would hear. “Jack, how are you feeling?”

“My arms and shoulders are basically fine now, and I have a bit more feeling in my hands, so I know this is temporary. In fact, that walk told me I’m going to be fine. I expect my legs will hurt later, but that’s a good thing, really. Right now they just have that prickling feeling.”

“I do hope you get your own body back soon; the Pearl’s crew is lost without you.”

“They’ll be fine until then. It won’t be much longer, I’m sure. Oh. I want to thank you for not telling them about me.”

“I wasn’t sure you wanted them to know, so I decided you would tell them if you wished.”

“Good girl. Thanks again.” Jack put her hands together in thanks.

Lunch was served on the great table to all the ladies including Jack, who Raggetti personally carried to the head of the table. “If any of you ladies need anything, just let someone know and we’ll be happy to get it for you. Remember, you’re not our prisoners. And please be sure to let me know when Mrs. Turner is finished so that I can bring her back to bed.” He bowed and left the ladies to their lunch.

The ladies all dug in, Jack eating like a horse. When she was finished, she asked for the crutches, saying that she felt MUCH stronger and wanted to walk.

* - * - *

Close to sunset, Anamaria noticed a small commotion followed by soft cursing on the steps to the bridge and gazed over at the slow movement. The concentrated determination on Jackie’s face looked very familiar to her. When the injured girl made it all the way to the wheel, she was breathless as she asked the lady pirate if she could steer.

Ana was surprised. “I wish it were earlier in the day; we’re almost to Tortuga, so I’d need to take the wheel again after only a few minutes. Maybe after we leave Tortuga I can let you try it.”

“Oh, I know how to dock. I’ve steered a ship before. May I bring us in to Tortuga?”

Anamaria smiled, and agreed, figuring that the girl wouldn’t last that long anyway, so there was no harm. She would be taking over soon enough. “All right. If you feel weak or tired, just let me know and I’ll take over and someone will get you back to bed.”

“Thank you. The doctor here is good, but he’s more like a mother hen.” Both women laughed as Anamaria helped Jack stand at the wheel and grip the spokes tightly in spite of her injured hands.

Anamaria sat on the rail and watched, the crutches propped next to her. As she watched Jackie standing at the helm, feet braced and face to the sun, her mind started to wander and she was reminded of... Suddenly she stood up, shaking her head at what she’d imagined. She watched Jackie closely, and again saw what she thought she’d imagined. /She’s talking to the Pearl, just like Jack./ “Jack?”

Jack jumped a bit, coming out of her reverie of conversing with his Lady, and almost fell, grabbing the wheel hub hard to hold herself up. “Yes?”

Ana walked around her and looked her in the eye. “Jack? Is that really you?”

Jack shook her head, getting her wits about her. “Jack, Jackie, Jacqueline. I’ve been called by all of them. Why?”

The lady pirate took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jackie. I guess I was daydreaming, but you act exactly like Jack Sparrow when he’s at the helm. And come to think of it, you do look quite a bit like him.”

Jack laughed. “Nothing for it then, clearly, I look like a man or he looks like a woman. Either way, I feel sorry for him!” Both women laughed.

“I’ve seen him without his beard, and come to think of it, he DOES look much like a woman without it.”

They giggled. /Now you know why I have one, luv./

* - * - *

As the Black Pearl glided majestically into port, Will and Jim looked for any sign of their wives and the other ladies. When they saw Jack at the helm, they laughed in their joy. Once the Pearl was docked and the gangplank down, Will called out, “Permission to come aboard!”

Anamaria appeared from the bridge and gave Will a big, bone crushing hug. “Permission granted.” She looked closely at Jim and grinned. “I believe we have a treasure of yours, Commodore, and she’ll be more than happy to see you.”

James was shocked to his marrow. “Commodore?”

“Yes, Commodore Norrington. I’ve been to Port Royal several times since Jack’s hangin’; mostly to check on Mr. Turner here, but you can’t hide that profile.” She chuckled, then turned back to Will and her smile disappeared. “Will, your wife is alive.”

Will didn’t understand, but it sounded ominous to him. “Yes. I saw her steering the ship.”

“She’s not well, lad. The men that took your women kept her chained up and in the bilge for three days; her legs and arms are still numb. We tried giving her a warm bath, but she fell into a fever, so we couldn’t do very much after that other than give her cool baths for the fever and try to make her as comfortable as possible.”

“But I saw her.”

“Oh, the fever’s broken, but she still needs help to walk.”

“But why was she at the helm?”

“She’s a very strong-willed woman, Will. She said she could steer and asked if I’d let her bring the Pearl into port. So I said yes.”

“Then she didn’t tell you.”

Anamaria peered at Will. “Tell me what, Will?”

“That she’s Jack.”

“She explained that’s what some people call her.”

“No. She’s actually Jack Sparrow.”

Ana was confused. “Lad, I’ll admit that she steers much like our Captain, and might even be as good a harbor pilot as him, but she’s MUCH prettier than Jack.”

“Nevertheless, Jack was cursed and ended up in Port Royal. “He got his—er—her—ah—oh well...memory back at the end of the wedding.”

Anamaria thought about it. “Well that explains her knowing how to steer and what the madwoman said about him bein’ ‘gone’.” She looked up at the helm and back. “If she weren’t so sick I’d slap her for keepin’ it a secret.” She paused, thinking it over, then shrugged, and turned around beckoning the two men to follow her. “Well, let’s attend to the ladies then, shall we, gents?”

They all went into the Great Cabin to find eleven ladies sitting around the table, talking away. Elizabeth saw James who was immediately delighted to find himself being smothered by a very happy wife.

* - * - *

As everyone walked out of the cabin, they met Pintel carrying a tired but happy Jack down the stairs. She was pale, but she held the crutches tightly like a small girl with her favorite doll. Will took her gently from Pintel, who bowed, wished them well, and walked away. Will gave Jack a tender kiss.

Ana cleared her throat. “Jack Sparrow. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you?” Jack looked confused for only a moment, then smiled sheepishly. “Embarrassment, luv. I’ll be back aboard as soon as I have my body back, or as soon as William can get away from the smithy. He’s a very popular sword-maker now. He’s even making one for King George! Imagine the king knighting people with my dearest William’s sword!”

“Jack, why would you be embarrassed? We’re your crew; closer than family. Surely you could trust us.”

Will intervened. “She’s been having a very hard time of it. The curse has apparently made her irresistible to men. Even the Commodore and the men at the fort are smitten with her. Men of a lesser nature have actually taken her by force because of it.”

Jack looked upset. “And the menses is driving me completely mad. First I’ll be fine, then there’s pain, then my moods attack William with either screaming, violence, or crying. I can’t think properly. Ana, my luv...how do you do it?!”

Anamaria chuckled. “Mine has never been that bad. Oh, I get moody, aye. But not what you’ve described by half. But then, it’s always been all or nothing with you, ain’t it? Now, Jack...I want ye to know that you and Will are always welcome, we want ye to come back, whether ye be a man or a woman.” She kissed Jack’s forehead.

“Let me get my health back up again.” Jack looked at Will. “I CAN walk, you know. I just use the crutches for balance because I can’t really feel much.”

Will looked alarmed. “Can’t feel much WHERE?”

Anamaria blushed. “I think I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t hesitate to return to us...ANY of you.” She turned to James. “And that includes you, Commodore.” She turned and strode into her now deserted quarters.

Will put Jack down feet first on the deck, and she held on to him for only a moment while she positioned the crutches, watching her hands as she grasped them. She made her way down the plank carefully and waited on the dock for the others. “So how are we getting home?”

* - * - *

“So, my love, can you feel this?” Will kissed Jack’s fingers.

“A little, but there’s more pain than pleasure, my darling.”

Will brought his mouth to her nipple and licked the tip. “And that?”

Jack moaned, arching her back looking for more. “Oh, yes, William. That feels wonderful.”

Will’s hand moved to her moist heat. “And now?” He pressed three fingers into her womanhood, looking for just the right spot.

“A little, but at least it doesn’t...oh Gods!” Jack’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she peaked over and over again due to Will’s fingers finding his target. She flailed helplessly as he continued rubbing, suckling on her nipple and holding on for the ride. She shrieked his name over and over again, unable to get control of her body.

When she started gasping for breath, Will leisurely pulled his fingers out of her drenched opening and smiled. “Enough, my love?”

Jack was still twitching in the aftermath, her breath coming in heaves. “I’m sorry...” Gasp...”William. I...” Pant, pant, ”...don’t...” Gasp. “have...” Gasp...

Will giggled softly. “You don’t have the energy? I know, my darling Jack. But don’t worry. This night is for you. Now rest.” He brought his hand up and saw the blood. “The doctor didn’t say you could make love during the menses.”

Jack groaned at the news, her eyes still closed. “You’d better string a hammock on deck then. I didn’t realize it had been so long since the last.”

Will kissed her nose. “No. We’ll be fine. Now you just rest.” He looked at her; she was already asleep. Will carefully got out of bed and washed in the basin. He procured some clean linen rags from a cupboard and created a breechclout for Jack, putting extra rags inside it for extra absorption. Jack slept through it all. He crawled into bed and fell asleep cuddled around her, his arm draped over her protectively.

* - * - *

Captain Groves and the other men who had lost their loved ones to the pirates were waiting at the dock when the Lady Elizabeth arrived in Port Royal. The Captain moved quickly to help the dockworkers tie the lines, barely keeping his excitement contained Will and James ran out the gangplank and secured it. His fiancé was the first to leave the ship, and both were shedding tears of joy as they scandalously hugged and kissed each other right there on the dock in front of everybody. There were similar reactions as the rest of the ladies disembarked. Bemused, Jack stood at the rail and watched. “I guess there’s nothing like a good kidnapping to bring a couple closer together...yipe!”

After kissing her soundly, Will unwrapped himself from around his now breathless wife and smiled. “Jack, let’s go home.”

* - * - *

TBC

A/N: So, what do you think? Are we having fun yet? Let me know! Hit that REVIEW button!