Nightmares By The Sea

Chapter Four--Pursuit

Stay with me under these waves tonight / Be free for once in your life tonight.--Jeff Buckley “Nightmares by the Sea”

****

Paul Bryan eyed the daytime denizens of Tortuga with a mixture of pity and disgust. Truth be told, he didn’t have the energy for the pity half of it. He was about as exhausted as a man could get this side of death and almost out of hope, too. Since the morning Evangeline had been discovered missing, life had passed in a surreal daze. He didn’t know if he could face going home to tell Amy their girl was lost. And if he didn’t find her in this God-forsaken place, she was truly lost.
Before the sun had risen on the second day of Evangeline’s absence, he had gathered a fleet of six ships and they had scoured every port within three or four days travel of Montserrat. He feared his mistake was saving Tortuga for last, but it was the very reputation of the place that had kept him away. If his little Eva was here or had left from here, well, he didn’t want to think about the possibilities. He had taken to studying every redheaded girl that crossed his path. Too intently, it seemed, for he had been threatened by angry husbands and had prices quoted to him. Once, he had grabbed a girl by the shoulders and turned her around, nearly giving the poor thing fits. Needless to say, an officer’s uniform wasn’t exactly conducive to interrogation in an environment such as this.
He fingered the porcelain miniature of Evangeline he was keeping in his breast pocket. He was reluctant to take it out anymore. Despite the fact that he doubted there was an honest person breathing within a hundred yards of him, whenever someone denied seeing her, truthfully or not, it was like losing her all over again. Finally, tired of the suspicious looks he was getting from all and sundry, he ordered his first mate to purchase him a set of civilian clothes and he retired to the ship.

****

Ale was a vile drink and Paul suspected this tavern’s house ale was more vile than most, as was the company. He sat alone at the filthiest table in the filthiest establishment he had ever had the misfortune to visit and wondered how so many miscreants could gather in one place and not cause Armageddon. It sounded like Armageddon, least ways. After an hour of sitting there, scanning the crowd for a familiar face, he had lost what little hope he had. They would sail tomorrow and he would be about the business of telling Amy that Evangeline was gone. Maybe he’d tie the anchor around his legs, t’would be an easier task. He left his still full tankard on the table, threw too much money down for payment, and walked out the side door into an alley. He contemplated his options for a moment: The alley was the quickest way to the docks and the streets were the safer, but only by the smallest degree. Finally, deciding quicker was better, he made his way back towards the ship.
He could hear the creaking of the ships and smell the salt air when a blow to the back of his knees sent him tumbling. Rolling over, he found himself looking up at quite possibly the ugliest man he had ever seen. His eyes were lackluster and his skin ashen from scurvy. What teeth he had were black and what hair he had hung lank around his near skeletal face. His thin lips pulled back in a sneer as he regarded Paul and he held a large knife comfortably in his hand.
“I’ll be havin’ that full purse o’ yours, guvnor,” he said in a dead voice.
Paul schooled his expression to remain blank as he made to reach for his purse. Keeping his eyes locked with the thief’s, he grabbed his pistol and, in one deft movement, had it cocked and aimed between the man’s eyes.
“My mistake,” said the thief, lowering his knife and making his way back down the alley.
“Wait!” Paul called as he got to his feet, but the man paid him no heed.
“Stop or I will shoot you in the bloody back!””
The man turned, hands half raised, and eyed Paul with more curiosity than fear. Paul, for the first time, realized that the key to honesty in this town may well be the threat of a well-placed bullet.
“Guvnor?” the thief asked.
Paul reached into his pocket and had some small satisfaction when he saw the man flinch. He pulled the miniature from his pocket and held it towards the man. The thief eyed Paul warily, but after a moment stepped forward to take a look. He had intended to beg Paul off with a “no”, but he was so surprised at what he saw that he chuckled and shook his head.
“I’ll be damned,” the thief said “She have a brother then?”
“A brother?” Paul answered “No. Why?”
“Ol’ Tanner were through here nigh a fortnight ago with a young man he were claiming was his boy. Had a good laugh, we did. Claimed he was his son from t’other side of the sheets, as if he e’er knew the proper side, but the boy were so pretty and he were so protective o’er him, we all thought maybe he’d been too long at sea, if ye catch me meaning.”
Paul didn’t answer and the man seemed to remember the gun and started to back away.
“One more thing,” Paul said evenly.
“Yes?”
“Did you see where he took this boy?”
“No, can’t say that I did, but me mate Ralph said he saw ‘im goin’ aboard a ship with black sails, draggin’ the boy behind. Only one ship what has sails like that docks ‘ere. Hell, I only know of one at all with sails like tha’, the Black Pearl.”
The way the man paused, Paul could tell that this was clearly supposed to have some effect on him and the man was disappointed when it didn’t.
“The Black Pearl is Tanner’s ship then?” Paul asked.
The thief scoffed.
“Tanner couldn’t handle a ship like the Pearl. She’d eat ‘im alive. Jack Sparrow’s the only one what that ship e’er loved. She’s passed hands, true, but she sails true for Sparrow and Sparrow alone. ‘Sides, Tanner had a bit o’ trouble with his own ship. Said he sent his crew to Fiji to fetch another.”
Paul took all this in silently, then threw his purse at the man’s feet. The thief bent down to pick it up and Paul was gone before he righted himself. Gone back to the docks with a new heading and a new hope.

****

Jack eyed Evangeline’s sleeping form with much concern. She had been in a fitful sleep for just over a week and he would give anything to smooth those worried lines on her forehead with a word or a caress, but she remained deaf to him. Nightly she relived the horror of that island and he had to lie on top of her thrashing body to keep her from harming herself. Were it not for her distress, it would be the favorite part of his day. Doffed of her bindings, she was soft and lush and Jack longed to learn her curves with his hands. She had a fever the first two nights, but it broke with the last of the bad weather. Still, Jack refused to let the Pearl move on until he was sure she was well. They remained anchored off the island and his crew was growing dangerously restless. One more night, he promised himself. Had she not improved by morning, they’d carry on. As if on cue, Gibbs knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an invitation. He closed the door behind him, removed his had from his head and set about the business of looking anywhere but at Jack.
“Cap’n,” he started meekly “The men are-”
“I know how the men are,” Jack interrupted “I’m not daft.”
“It’s just, well, it’s frightful back luck to stay in one place fer so long, ‘specially with a death so recent on the island. His spirit could-”
“Gibbs, did you ever consider that it might be bad luck to speak of bad luck at all?”
This shocked Gibbs into a silence that was broken by a weak voice behind them.
“He’s dead then? Truly?”
They both turned in unison to see Evangeline sitting up in bed. They also noticed in unison the sheerness of the nightshirt Jack had put her in. Gibbs flushed and turned away. Jack smiled slyly and shifted a lamp for a better look.
“Good morning’, luv,” he drawled “Or evenin’ as it were.”
“My name’s not luv, it’s Evangeline,” she said crossly “And you haven’t answered my question.”
“A rose by any other name, luv,” Jack said, winking “It would seem ye went to bed a boy and woke up a spitfire.”
Gibbs cleared his throat and started to walk out. Jack followed close behind them. When he reached the doors, he opened them and then turned around, nearly bumping into Jack.
“She’s a woman, Cap’n,” he whispered.
“Aye, ye noticed that, too?”
“Well, it’s bad, I mean, something bad might….damn….”
Jack turned Gibbs around and left the muttering man out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Turning back to Evangeline, he smiled and swayed back across the room, sitting on the bed next to her.
“Now, what was yer question, luv?”
“Is Tanner dead?”
“Aye,” Jack said, absently.
Evangeline narrowed her eyes at Jack who was still smiling at her like a ridiculous schoolboy, then gasped when she realized he wasn’t exactly looking in her eyes. She went to pull the covers up and gasped again when she saw what she was wearing.
“Where are my clothes?” she squeaked.
“Well, ye were wet and with fever. Didn’t seem proper to leave ye in those soggy clothes. Don’t worry, I didn’t look.”
Evangeline stared at him hard.
“Okay, that’s a lie. I did, but only a little.”
He smiled widely and Evangeline raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, that’s a lie, too.”
Jack prepared himself for a berating he knew he deserved, but he looked up to find Evangeline crying.
“Thank you,” she said between sobs.
Jack, not entirely sure what to do with the weeping girl, put his arm around her shoulder. If she would only slap him, that he could deal with.
“There, there, sweet,” he said frantically “Ol’ Jack considered it an honor. Dispatching Barty, I mean, not the looking’. Well, the looking’ were an honor, too, but I won’t do it again. Well, that’s probably another lie, but what do you-”
Evangeline’s sobs became wails and Jack quickly backed away from the bed, nearly falling over.
“Oh, damn,” he said, panicked and ran to the door. He opened and, not taking his eyes from the catastrophe unfolding in his bed, hollered for Gibbs.
The older man was there in moments with a pained expression on his face.
“What did you do?” he cried over the racket “She sounds like a bleedin’ banshee!”
“I think I broke her,” Jack said dumbly.
Through her tears, Evangeline regarded the men and suddenly found their distress extremely funny. Her wailing ceased and she fell back on the bed, howling with laughter, tears still streaming down her face.
“You broke her,” Gibbs agreed.
After long minutes, her laughter subsided into hiccups.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
The two men eyed her like she was a wild animal someone had just let out a cage and nearly bowled one another over trying to get out the door to find some food. Evangeline took her few minutes alone to rifle through Jack’s sea chest and find herself a new set of clothes. The pants were too big and the shirt too loose, but they were a far sight better than the nightshirt. Scanning the room for a mirror, she finally settled on trying to see her reflection in the windows that lined one wall of the room. Standing on her tiptoes, she weaved back and forth until she found the proper angle in the warped and dirty panes. The bruise Tanner had left on her cheek had all but faded, but she could see small lacerations across her neck, face, and arms from her flight through the jungle. Her hair was loose and she lamented the loss of it’s length, but that was nothing time wouldn’t cure.
Jack walked in, holding a tray of food, and nearly choked with he saw Evangeline in his clothes, contemplating herself in the dark glass of his windows. The clothes were entirely too big on her. The pants rode low on her hips and the front of the shirt dipped low, revealing the enticing swell of breasts. This just wouldn’t do. His crew would never get anything done. Forget the crew, he’d never get anything done. He’d be likely to run them all upon a reef from staring at that pretty little ass of hers. Like an upturned heart, it was. Sweet and firm and-
“Captain Sparrow!” Evangeline said crossly and Jack nearly dropped the tray “Just what are you looking at?”
Jack blinked twice and answered without thinking.
“Your ass….suredly too wee to be wearing those clothes. ‘Tis not proper.”
Evangeline looked at herself in the glass again.
“Like you know the meaning of the word. What’s wrong with them?”
Jack stroked his beard and smiled wickedly.
“You have a birthmark low on your left breast,” he said smugly.
She gasped and pulled the front of the shirt tighter together, then suddenly let go and stomped her foot.
“You just know that because you looked!”
“True,” Jack said, hooking a finger into the front of the shirt and pulling it out so he could peer inside “The shirt is still too low.”
Evangeline raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her hand and pulled, bringing her close to him. She found herself staring at the hollow of his throat and looked up, then wished she hadn’t. The heat in his eyes was enough to sear. She knew she should be outraged at the liberties he was taking, but wouldn’t seem to summon the words to stop him.
“Why were you with Barty,” he asked, wrapping his free arm around her and pulled her even closer.
“I, I, I-”
“Were you and he--”
“No!,” Evangeline said forcefully, backing out of his embrace “He took me from my home, killed a man I’ve known since childhood…. He. Cut. My. Hair.”
Evangeline started to sniffle and Jack’s eyes grew wide.
“Woman, I’ll stand on me bleedin’ head if you won’t cry again. I’ll shave me beard. I’ll cut me own hair. See, this is me looking’ for a knife.”
Jack began rummaging through cabinets, but instead of a knife, his fingers closed around a bottle of rum. He shoved it towards Evangeline.
“Rum?”
“No, thank you,” she said curtly.
“Let me rephrase that then: Rum.”
He shook the bottle in front of her face and she pushed it away.
“How is that rephrasing it? It’s the same word.”
“Yes, but it’s a different inflection. A question is inflected up. An order has no inflection. If I inflect it down like this: Ru-um….Well, then I just would like a walrus, but you can clearly see-”
“So, you ordered me, then?” Evangeline asked.
Jack nodded slowly, not at all liking the look that had come across her face. He had seen that same look on men right before they tried to run him through and on women when they were explaining why they had burnt all his rum. Evangeline snatched the bottle from his hand and pulled the cork with her teeth, earning a proud smile from Jack. Then, without any emotion at all, she turned the bottle upside down and began pouring it on the floor. His smile morphed into a look of complete horror as he took the bottle back from Evangeline. She got the feeling that, had he been alone, he would have been on his hands and knees, licking the boards.
“My rum!” he exclaimed “Have ye gone mad?! Go back to bein’ a boy! Ye were less of a nuisance”
“You drink too much,” she countered.
“You harp too much,” he said, mimicking her tone exactly.
Evangeline sat down in a huff and put a piece of bread in her mouth. Then, remembering how hungry she was, attacked the tray with gusto.
“I want to go home,” she said between bites.
“Where do you live?” Jack asked, sitting next to her and stealing a slice of cheese.
“Montserrat.”
Jack clucked his tongue and shook his head.
“No good. Too near Port Royal.”
“What’s in Port Royal?” she asked.
“Had a bit o’ trouble there,” he said “Wee misunderstanding between myself, a Commodore, and a length of rope.”
Evangeline sat there for a moment, mouth open.
“So you won’t take me home?! What are you going to do, sell me like Tanner?!”
“Couldn’t sell ye to anyone who heard you screech like tha’ No, I’ll take you home, but we’ll have to do it stealthy like. I like me neck the length it is.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, eating from the same plate. Evangeline became painfully away of his leg pressed against hers and his breath brushing past her ear whenever he leaned down to take a bite. He placed his hand on her knee to reach across and grab his bottle and she nearly came out of her skin.
“I’d like to go to bed now,” she said, suddenly standing up.
Jack smiled and leisurely lay back against the bed, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
“Do ye always think of yerself first? What about what Ol’ Jack wants?”
“And what is it you want?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I want me rum back.”
“The rum is gone.”
“I…Why do you bloody women always say that to me? It’s not a good thing. Fine, you want to go to bed? Go.”
Evangeline watched Jack, who obviously wasn’t moving from his place on the bed and sighed.
“Well?” she asked.
“Well, what?” he replied.
“Aren’t you going to go?”
“Didn’t plan on it. This is my bed. Yours is with the crew.”
“But I’m a girl now,” she said, narrowing her eyes when he laughed.
“You were a girl before.”
“Yes, but that didn’t know that.”
Jack stood up and straightened himself to tower over her.
“I’m Captain of this ship, not you, and I will sleep in me own bed!”
“Oh, don’t try to sound like my father,” she said, backing him towards the door “You’re not my Captain and you won’t tell me what to do. I’ll not-”
“I-” Jack started, baffled at how the tables had turned.
“Don’t interrupt. I’ll not sleep with the crew and that’s that.”
Jack could tell by the look on her face that that was truly that or there would be hell to pay. He might have cursed her whole sex were it not so lovely, but he made one last bid to keep his bed.
“It gets very cold in here at night. Another body would keep the chill away.”
Evangeline opened the door and shoved him out without ceremony, then closed and, finally, locked it. Jack stood there, glaring at the door, cursing her sex despite it’s loveliness. Gibbs walked up beside him and gave him a questioning look.
“You were right,” Jack said.
“About what, Cap’n?”
“It is bad luck to have a woman aboard.”
Gibbs did a strange motion with his hands and stomped his feet.
“What the hell was that?” Jack asked.
“You said,” Gibbs answered, lowering his voice “Bad luck. ‘Tis bad luck to say back luck. Might set the crew on edge.”
Jack shook his head.
“Make heading for Montserrat,” he said.
“That’s very near Port Royal, Cap’n. Are ye sure that’s a good idea?”
If it gets Her-Royal-Highness-Who-Spills-My-Rum out of my bed, it’s a good idea.”
“Will ye be sleeping with the crew?”
No, I’ll be sleeping in my bed. She just doesn’t know it, yet.”

****

Jack stood at the helm, drunk and raging. Just who did she think she was? This was his ship, that was his cabin, and she was in his bed! It wasn’t right! He had saved her life and then she kicked him out of his own domicile! He checked his heading and realized he had drifted far off course. With a curse, he jerked the wheel hard to the left and the Pearl immediately responded. There was a chorus of cries as men were tossed from their bunks and he smiled, imagining Evangeline being knocked from his bed. Served her right. Bloody woman.
“Cap’n, suppose I take over and you go get some rest. Ye can have my bunk.”
Jack looked over to see Gibbs standing there, looking sleepy and disgruntled. He nodded curtly and grabbed his rum, turning control of the ship over to his first mate. Walking towards the galley he suddenly stopped, pivoted on his heel and stalked towards his cabin. He removed a key from underneath his shirt and unlocked the door.
Evangeline woke with a start when Jack slammed the door and was wide awake by the time he had managed to light a lamp.
“I thought I made it clear I was sleeping alone,” she said.
Jack regarded her silently for a moment and then waved his hand.
“Move over, that’s my side.”
Evangeline was as still as stone.
“Move over or I’ll move you meself,” he growled.
“You’re drunk,” she stated “And you wouldn’t dare.”
Jack put his rum on a table, quickly crossed the room, and before she had time to react, had her in his arms and then over his shoulder. She screamed and he reached up to give her a swat on the backside and came in contact with….her backside.
Evangeline cursed silently. She had put the nightshirt back on because she thought she’d be alone. From now on it was pants and pants only around Jack Sparrow. Three pair. Though, from the direction his hand was roving, it was obvious that it would take more than a few pair of pants to keep him away.
“Stop,” she said and was disappointed to hear it come out more of a sigh and less that the command she had intended.
“You don’t mean that,” he said absently, kneading her flesh.
“I do,” she nearly yelled when he turned his head to kiss her hip.
She nearly jumped out of his arms when she felt his tongue, wet through the thin cloth, tracing a small circle where his lips had just been.
“Truly?” he asked, his voice liquid with desire.
Evangeline closed her eyes and summoned up all her resolve, praying her voice sounded more sure than she felt.
“Truly,” she answered, unwavering.
“Fine,” Jack said and he walked around to the other side of the bed and dumped her there with out a word.
He walked back around to his side and began to undress. Evangeline nearly cheered with he took his shirt of and then covered her eyes in indignation when his pants hit the floor.
“What are you doing?” she cried.
“I sleep better this way. Ye don’t like it, find another bed.”
Evangeline put as much bed between them as she could and huffed angrily.
“Usually when a woman is in my bed, she’s not breathing hard from anger,“ he said.
Evangeline stopped breathing all together and Jack laughed, snaking his arm around her and pulling her the distance back to him. His chest was warm against her back and his hardness was pressed into her. She squirmed, trying to get away, but this only caused him to moan loudly and pull her tighter against him. He pressed his mouth into the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulders and bit down softly. Evangeline cried out and he took this as acceptance. His other arm reached around and began to slowly inch up the hem of the night shirt. She closed her eyes and tried to will her breathing to even out. His hands stopped at the top of her thighs and she had a moment to consider if she was disappointed that they had stopped at all. She assumed he was giving her a moment to decide if this was what she wanted and she was touched at his propriety. She thought for a moment and then made the biggest decision of her young life and arched back into him.
Jack snored loudly.
Evangeline muttered a few curses and unwound herself from him, taking time to deliver a few well deserved elbows to his chest. Not a one woke him and she pulled all the blankets off of him and ensconced herself within. Making sure he was cold and she was safe from his advances.
“Bloody pirate,” she muttered.
Those were the last words she uttered before she fell asleep.

****

AN: I know, I’m SO mean. Rest of the chapter coming soon. This is all I have typed out so far. Look forward to a battle scene and some of that lemony goodness someone mentioned. J Love to all. Review please.

P.S.--Does anyone want to be my beta? Contact me at meggiebear@gmail.com