Kindred Spirits

"I can imagine the moment,

breaking out through the silence.

All the things that we both might say...

and the heart it will not be denied

'til we're both on the same damn side,

all the barriers blown away."

- Peter Gabriel -

Chapter 19

- Bitter sweet denial -

With the dawn of the next morning, which was really only a few hours after the pirate duo ceased their night-time activities, came a warm glow that fell through the small window above the two pirates, and cast a soft light within the loft. It seemed almost magical with its pinkish-orange hue as it fell over the two figures lying in each other's embrace. There was a scent of bodily fluids and salty sweat which hung in the air, and the clothes, weaponry and other assets could be found where they had been carelessly dropped or thrown the night before. But then again, by the standards of the randy pirate duo the loft was actually rather tidy.

The only items that had been folded into a neat bundle were Devon's vest and Jack's waistcoat, but this was only because they were used as makeshift pillows. Naturally the Turners had several spare bedrooms that they could've slept in, but Will Turner had no intentions to disturb the pair the night before. And since there wasn't much furniture in the secret loft other than several tattered chairs and a few other pieces of worn furniture, Jack and Devon had consequently fallen asleep on the rough floor.

Playing devilishly lusty games on a hard wooden floor was one thing, but they found that attempting to get some decent shut-eye on it afterwards, was a different matter entirely. But both pirates had spent nights on harder floors then this wooden one and had spent most of said nights shackled and without any entertaining company. So it was that comfort that allowed them to get a few hours of well deserved sleep that night. That and the fact that they were thoroughly exhausted from said games with said company.

Cautiously, Will Turner peered into the secret passage door and climbed the dusty stairs. He reached the landing and padded across the wooden floor as quiet as a mouse. He stood still for a few moments, and found that once his eyes became accustomed to the lack of light in the room, the first thing he noticed was a tangled bunch of black curls and dark brown beaded dreads and several tan limbs splayed across the floor in front of him. 'Thank God they're not facing me, or I would have seen a lot more pirate than I bargained for,' he mused with a smirk on his face. There was no sign of either of the pirates being awake, and since Will didn't feel like waking naked people, especially when those naked people happened to be pirates with horrid tempers, he figured that the best idea would be to attempt to quietly return downstairs and let them sleep off whatever was needed to be slept off.

After reaching said decision, Will turned to leave the loft, but before he could even take one step back down a raw voice spoke, 'Are ye jus' gonna stand there like a mute, dear Eunuch? Or would ye care ta enlighten me why yer starin' at us?' Will cringed. How is it that Jack always seemed to be able to catch him off guard?

Jack looked down at Devon and found her still fast asleep, her hair partially covering his shoulder and tickling his nose. He smiled when he compared her audacious appearance from last night and the face of an angel which she now wore. Me darlin' Devon ye couldn't look more like an ange noir than ye do right now... he mused, fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Just as a blushing Will was about to retort, Jack tore his eyes away from the sleeping beauty and spoke, his deep voice cutting off any response from Will. 'Or did ye want me an' the Hellcat 'ere 'ave ta give ye a few pointers on 'ow ta improve yer love life?'

At that moment Jack felt a firm tug on his beard, and he yelped in pain while he tried to pry her demanding fingers from his beloved braided trademark. 'Bloody hell woman, yer gonna yank it off! Do ye 'ave any idea 'ow long it took me ta grow tha'? Will. You. Just. Fuckin'. Let. Go?!' he growled, instantly forgetting how he wanted to kiss her moments ago and falling back into his I-hate-her-with-a-passion routine. 'Duville, I said will ye let go? Seriously, I mean it! Let. Go!!!' Despite Jack's attempts to remove her fingers that seemed to be latched to his beard, Devon's fingers never wavered or lost their grip on the facial hair but she simply smiled at him. That smile just made him even more angry, 'Took me years ta get me beard right woman, let go this instant!!!' he said in his best 'Captain voice' while his fingers kept on fidgeting with hers. Part of him wanted to get up and shake her off, but he knew they were both stark naked with a certain Will Turner still in the room, that might not be the best of situations to be in. Not only that but by getting up he would pull her along on his beard and that would cause infinitely more pain than he was in at the moment.

Her husky alto laugh reverberated throughout the loft and Jack positively loved its sweet sound, even the overall effect was tainted by the addition of Will's tenor chuckle. 'I bet it'll take me a helluva lot less time ta rid ye of it, ye facetious bastard. An' don' EVER call me Hellcat 'gain!' she hissed at him. She couldn't resist one last tug to get her point across before she released his braids and reached for her blouse. She deftly threw it on, and didn't even miss the golden opportunity to jam an elbow in his ribs while she did so. It pained Jack, in more ways then one, that she had ruined the moment for him. The fact that he could've watched her get dressed would have normally been a very erotic moment to him, if it weren't for the pain she caused while doing it.

Devon graciously tilted her head towards Will Turner, flashing him a broad pseudo-innocent smile. And truth be told, being able to give a convincing and innocent smile while awake and sober was quite difficult for someone like Devon Duville. The gem on her tooth glittered in the rays of the morning sun as she addressed William.

'Pay no 'tention ta th' grumpy stinkin' swab o'er there, Mr. Turner. Methinks our dear vain sailor is jus' projectin' 'is own insecurities on others... like when 'e calls someone a eunuch. An' me theory is tha' 'e be projectin' said insecurities on ye ta be precise.' She flashed another grin at him and William returned it with a broad one of his own. Will found that he already liked the piratess, for he enjoyed how she could put Jack in his place in the exact same way he would do to others. She had used his secret weapon, namely wits and clever insolence, on him and Will adored her for it.

'I 'appen ta 'ave no insecurities what so ever, wench! An' will ye – jus' – stop – hurtin' – me – already?!' Jack spat in irritation and exasperation while he rubbed his sore side. 'An' jus' why in th' Blazes aren't ye still asleep?!?!'

'It be a bit 'ard fer a woman ta sleep when th' man next ta 'er could easily overpower th' sound o' a herd o' wild hippopotamuses wit' his own snorin', Sparrow. An' t'be even 'arder when said man be yellin' very loudly as well, an' dangerously close ta 'er eardrum ta boot.'

'Jack Sparrow does not snore, ye demonic harlot!' Jack roared in return.

'Oh my, did I jus' hear tha' right? Seems ye forgot th' Capt'n, Capt'n,' she quipped as she pulled his face closer to hers by his precious braids. 'Now ye see, tha' be what a wild nigh' wit' Devon Duville does ta a man, they ferget who they are an' it seems things like titles are lil' or nothin' afterward.' And with that she stuck the tip of her tongue out at Jack, before turning her head, setting Jack's beard free once more, and buttoning her blouse, so that she could turn around and address William properly. She didn't think it would be too polite of her to shove her nakedness in Will Turner's handsome face.

She tilted her head and winked conspiratorially at the handsome blacksmith. 'Denial be mostly one o' th' first symptoms o' an insecure man, Mr. Turner. It seems 'e's got quite th' tender, fragile soul after all...' she grinned while she mockingly stroked Jack's jaw with the palm of her hand. 'Now if ye've come ta inform us tha' breakfast is ready, I'll be down in a flash 'cause I be famished,' she said with glee.

Then, she rubbed her chin in thought and cocked an eyebrow, 'Or would ye rather 'ave me show ye some tricks that'll drive tha' missus o' yers wild? Or better yet, send th' lovely Mrs. Turner up 'erself, an' I can teach th' doll things that'll leave a smile on yer fetchin' face fer days,' Devon stated, and amusedly studied the face of the now slightly crimson William Turner.

Will was astounded and couldn't think of anything to say other than a hasty, 'Meet you downstairs then!' before he swiftly turned and practically ran down the stairs.

'E's such a spoilsport!' Devon laughed and reached for her pants. As she bent to pick said garment up, she found Jack grinning at her impishly. It seemed his hate-her-with-a-passion mode, had been replaced with the surprised-and-loving mode for a brief moment.

'Wha'?' she asked, raising her eyebrows at his expression.

'Ye certainly 'ave a way with men, Duville. Me thinks ye've scared th' livin' Hell out o' dear William!' he smirked.

'Nonsense, me thinks tha' dear William, as ye so affectionately call 'im, be jus' fine. But I mos' definitely 'ad me way wit' ye last night...' she chuckled while she got to her feet and stretched her sore muscles. 'An' wha' can I say? I jus' can't seem ta behave 'round good lookin' men – ne'er could...' she winked at him and took a deep, elegant bow. Of course while she bowed, she just happened to give Jack another quick glimpse of her curvy nakedness beneath the thin cotton fabric.

'No luv, I do believe tha' I've had my way with ye, not th' other way 'round,' Jack hissed at her most certainly incorrect statement. Naturally he couldn't prevent his eyes from travelling up along her long legs and up the rest of her, nor could he prevent his body from reacting to hers again. He swiftly reached for his hat and any clothing nearby, to cover his erection for as long as needed, without looking too suspicious. By all th' green boiled cabbages in th' whole of th' bloody world, why an' just bleedin' how does she do tha' ta me??

Devon pointedly ignored him and turned her back on him while she got dressed and armed. Despite the state they were both in, she just had to have the final say in the matter. 'It be o' insignificant importance whom abused whom last nigh' Sparrow, 'cause th' things tha' 'appened last nigh' will ne'er 'appened anyways as far as our agreement goes. But jus' ta set th' record straight – I ravished ye, sailed yer body so ta speak, so therefore I was yer Capt'n, Capt'n. An' as ye well know, Capt'n Spank-me-silly, th' person on top does th' ravagin' an' if I recall I was on top most o' th' time. But as I was sayin', it never 'appened anyways an' it will most definitely will ne'er 'appen again,' she stated matter-of-factly, while a smug grin graced her face.

Jack's left eye slightly began to twitch, and he felt the most bizarre mixture of desire and anger well up inside of him, but before he even opened his mouth to retort, he thought that perhaps this time it might be best to keep his mouth shut. She was right after all; he could still feel the splinters from the hard, unpolished wooden floor on his back and bum. Last night they hadn't bothered him. Nay, he knew that last night he would have been most willing to let her fuck him on a bed of nails, even in the deepest circle of Hell with Lucifer himself pinching his behind with his pitchfork. He would have gladly endured that pain in order to have his filthy way with her. But right now he felt the painful fragments of raw wood, and he hated himself for giving in to his urges.

Once he came back to reality he also got dressed, muttering a vast number of insults of a great variety of languages under his breath in the process. He armed himself and contemplated whether or not he would let his dirk accidentally fly out of his hands in her direction. But before he could even begin to contemplate the punishment he would receive for that one, Devon was already descending the stairs down to the kitchen. But she couldn't stop there, no she had to walk down said stairs while she hummed an annoyingly cheerful tune.

Jack gritted his teeth as the mess of black curls and leather wrapped braids bobbed out of his sight. Why can't I jus' hate 'er like b'fore? he mused angrily. Tha' would be because las' nigh' changed ev'rything tha' was b'fore didn't it?' 'Oh bloody wonderful, so now's th' time I decide ta develop some distorted version o' a conscience...' He muttered to himself and sighed as he prepared for the mental battle. 'Gobbledygook! One meaningless nigh' wit' a willin' harlot don't change anythin'! It ne'er changed nothin' b'fore!' 'Jack, Jack, Jack... why won't ye jus' admit tha' she's unlike any other woman ye've met b'fore, eh?? An' why won't ye jus' list'n ta yer heart. Ye know its right 'bout this one...' Jack Sparrow shook his head so violently at that offensive statement that his trinkets whipped his face. 'Tis wrong an' me heart's got nothin' ta do wit' it! But that annoying voice just couldn't leave him be. 'Ye know I be right...' Jack stormed down the small stairs and forcefully drove his hand into the wall. Even then the voice wouldn't waver. 'Dear Capt'n, why won't ye just fact it? But nooooo... ye've got ta be th' stubborn one! Why ye wouldn't know th' truth o' yer heart's desire even if it hit ye right in th' bloody face!'

Will was used to Jack's filthy comments and sexual remarks, but never before had he heard a woman make such annotations. And to have said woman say such things out loud, in front of others, while she was half naked – without being in the privacy of a bedroom – and be perfectly fine about it, was something else entirely. The woman acted as though this was a normal occurrence and it rattled him to say the least. It had been like listening to Jack talk, though he had distinctly heard her voice and he had seen her lips moving. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to open the secret passage, he rubbed his chin in deep thought about this enigma of a piratess. She is a pirate after all, and perhaps female pirates think, speak and act the same way the opposite sex does. No, but wait, that can't be true, since AnaMaria is a female pirate and she doesn't behave like Devon Duville does...

As he slowly made his way across the lower platform to the small ladder, which would lead him back to the smithy, he climbed down, and found that his mind was still focused on thoughts of the dark haired piratess that he had spent the night under his roof in the company of Jack. And by judging the sheer number and loudness of the noises that had kept him awake during the night, they had more in common than just their indecent choice of words... A smile formed on his lips as he shook his head again. Jack Sparrow had truly found his counterpart in her, in every sense of the word...

As Will returned to Elisabeth, he found her setting the table with two more sets of china than they normally used. Even now he still could not shake the thought of how natural those two pirates looked together and how similar they were. But of course thinking about them also lead to remember just how immensely annoying and disrespectful they were as well.

He hugged his wife, planted a loving kiss on her cheek and silently thanked her for being her normal lovely self on this crazy morning.

Elisabeth turned around and kissed him passionately. Once she broke the kiss, she studied her husband's face and saw that he was troubled.

'What's wrong Will? You look as if you've just seen water burn.'

'Well I did see something similar to burning water...' he said mysteriously.

Elisabeth raised her eyebrows at her husband, 'What is it Will? Tell me!!'

He smiled, 'Do you remember telling me you found something oddly familiar about Miss Duville, but you couldn't quite place the feeling?'

Elisabeth quickly nodded, urging Will on because she was eager to find out just what he was talking about. 'Yes, but I am still not sure what that is.'

'It just so happens that I just found out!' said Will triumphantly. 'She's a female version of Jack! They have the same mannerisms, a similar speech pattern, and the same attitude and are both extremely stubborn, among other things. Not only that, but I think Jack likes her more than he's willing to admit...'

Elisabeth giggled, after finally having confirmation that the sounds she heard last night had truly been what she thought they were. 'Do you mean to say they......?'

Will grinned back at his wife, 'I think that our dear Captain Jack Sparrow has found himself a girl.'

Suddenly a rich voice was heard behind them that took them both completely by surprise, 'I ain't a girl, dear Mr. Turner, an' I sure as Hell ain't Sparrow's one! Last nigh' was last nigh'. No less or no more than just one nigh', ye see.... Twas meanin'less, insignificant, an' although it was very entertainin', twas still meanin'less. However, if ye do 'ave th' strong an' inescapable desire ta label or title me...'

'...Then Heinous bitch would be quiteappropriate.' Jack finished the sentence for her as he strolled past, sporting quite the sardonic and twisted grin on his face as he did so.

Devon shot him a venomous glare and hissed, 'Oh bite me, Sparrow!'

He strode back to her, his lustrous dark brown eyes never loosing contact with her raging indigo ones.

'That's Captain, ye sassy tart. An' did I not take care of tha' last night?' he taunted, obviously very amused with himself, while he shoved her curls aside, revealing a love bite, HIS love bite to be precise. And it was located just under the scar that he had also given her. 'Aye, it seems I did...' Devon couldn't help but shiver when his fingers brushed her skin again. Flashes of the steamy hot war they fought last night came back to her in a flood of memories. But before the inward smile was able to grace her lips due to the thoughts in her head, she cursed herself for not tying the scarf around her neck when she dressed earlier.

Elisabeth looked at the love bite, astonished, but as her gaze dropped a tad bit lower, she also noticed the scar on Devon's neck.

'How did you get that?' she asked somewhat shocked, but curious, while she reached out to touch the scar tissue on the side of Devon's neck.

Jack rolled his eyes while he grinned at Elisabeth, 'Don't tell me dear William 'ere never gave ye one 'o those?' he queried while he glanced at Will.

'You wish that he gave me a scar, Jack?' Elisabeth said in exasperation 'Fortunately for me he did not!'

Jack cursed himself for forgetting about the scar and for not nibbling Duville on the other side of her royal-pain-in-the-arse neck.

Devon casually sat herself down in one of the chairs and lazily picked her fingernails while she drawled, 'Well my darlin' Missus Turner, p'haps yer 'usband didn't give me this lovely thing, but one o' 'is blades sure did.' Devon had studied Jack's sword, and saw that it was a thing of beauty, it was crafted with such devotion, and there wasn't a single doubt in her mind the detailed handiwork on it was done by none other than Will Turner.

Elisabeth looked at Devon in shock, putting two and two together quite quickly, 'Please don't tell me Jack did that?'

At that point Jack decided that his feet were in desperate need of his attention, so he looked down to study them while he casually hummed to himself, while he hoped and prayed to every God he could think of that this discussion would end simply because he wished that it would. Of course, it didn't, nor did the accusing looks on Will's and Elisabeth's faces falter.

Devon didn't feel the need to answer Elisabeth's question, the silence that hung it the air of the kitchen did that well enough. Instead she took a roll of bread from the basket that was in the middle of the dinner table, and chewed on it.

Elisabeth leaned over the table so her eyes met Devon's, 'He did give you that scar, did he not?'

Jack sighed, knowing he had to face the music, since Elisabeth wasn't the type to just drop a subject. 'Aye, lass, I did. But just so ye know, th' Hellcat over there ain't as harmless as ye seem ta think she is!'

Will and Elisabeth gave him a very venomous look, 'That is no excuse to hurt a lady, Jack! And would you stop it with the name-calling!' Will shouted angrily.

'She ain't a lady fer Pete's sake an' she bloody asked fer it, she did! She provoked me!' Jack shouted, while he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the evidence of her so-called 'harmlessness.'

''E's right, dear. The nigh' we met we had erm... Well, let's say we 'ad a bit o' a misunderstandin' an' things got slightly out o' hand,' Devon said truthfully, given that the proof of her short temper was able to be seen by all in the hazy rays of the morning sun.

Elisabeth sighed. 'Slightly out of hand?! So you mean to tell us that scar –' she said while she pointed accusingly to Jack's upper arm '– was your doing?'

'Guilty as charged,' Devon stated softly, while she buttered another piece of bread.

At this statement, Will found his voice and added his own thoughts on the matter. 'Well, aren't you quite the pair! I'm surprised you didn't kill each other last night.'

'We ain't a pair!!' Jack and Devon nearly screamed simultaneously. The truth is that how they had gotten along so incredibly well last night was beyond the both of them as well.

Elisabeth glanced between the two pirates in her dining room. She found enough information in the way they looked at each other and the way their eyes seemed to light up when they bickered. Their spoken and shouted words were belied by the emotions that were buried deep in their eyes. Eyes always gives anyone's true feelings away, and although she could tell they both did their utmost to lead on that they loathed each other, even after the events of last night, it seemed that they did not do a very convincing job of it.

Elisabeth could sense the fact that they had feelings for each other even without searching their eyes, but it was those emotions that were present in their eyes that let her know that she was right. These two arguing and wrangling pirates were clearly in denial. And if Devon was as stubborn as Jack, which appeared to be the case, they would stay in this realm of denial for quite some time...

While Elisabeth was thinking this over, Devon looked around the room in an attempt to escape the strange sensation Jack's eyes gave her. It was then that she caught sight of her reflection in a mirror and as she slightly tilted her head, she perceived the proof of her 'relations' with Jack. The two markings on her skin said it all. It truly was an ironic symbol. It was as though love and hate were right there to be painted like some picture across her skin.

Devon looked at Jack only to find him gazing back at her. Devon quickly averted her eyes. She knew she denied it and Jack did too, but deep down inside the truth was there, it had been there all along. The only problem was that now it must be hidden again, buried underneath the thick layers of bitter sweet denial. In the battle love was clearly gaining territory on hate, but for a pirate, it was just so much easier to hate...

TBC