What Would You Do? *1*

Author: Pilgrim
Title: What Would You Do?
Rating: NC-17 by the end possibly sooner depends on how the story progresses again
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the PotC characters or movies (unfortunately); anything you recognize isn’t mine (god damn them to hell!) Before anyone asks yes, Oria is mine who else could have thought up such a creature?
Feedback: Please! First time fan fiction writer and desperate for tips, tricks, advice, stuff me full of info please! I want to improve and take over the world with my genius mwhahaha! Lol, only kidding but feedback would be fantastic, send it to raukarwen_deomene@yahoo.com or review!
Notes: So far unread, so really need feedback on it.

Chapter 4 - Loneliness

Oria stared out over the ocean; Barbossa had asked her frequently why she hadn’t just left the ship, every time she had given the same answer, ‘Because you’re right’ and every time she had corrected herself mentally, ‘Because this is where Jack will try to get back to’.

Six months apart, all the time wishing he was back where she could see him. She knew he was strong but to face a world of nothing, she knew the despair that came with that, people coped with it in different ways. She had changed into something harsher, stronger and distant, she knew occasionally she was an unbearable bitch with a temper more fiery than the volcanoes in hell but that was just her way of coping.

For some reason Jack had accepted that, adapted to withstand the heat and she knew on some deeper, unconscious level she had responded to that understanding and acceptance that no one else had shown. Somehow the fire had gotten easier to handle, easier to dim down. No one else had bothered to try and see through it to the potential. Somehow Jack had not only seen through the fire and the hatred but persuaded her to drop the shields and walls she had built around her childhood self, not all the way, but that person was beginning to break free of its’ own accord now it had been shown the way.
Barbossa called out for her, she glanced over her shoulder, he had no concept of her true feelings, the shields had returned with Jacks’ departure. The ice bitch was back around him even if inside the ice was beginning to melt; she would not let him see that, not let him see that Jack had got to her.

:/

Jack ducked a blow from the red coat, who knew just watching Oria fight had somehow managed to boost his own skill, it wasn’t much but he could copy some of her dirtier moves. He was finding them quite successful, they were old and no one knew how to counter them anymore. He dodged a swing to his belly and returned with the same move, the red coat screamed in pain and stumbled to the floor.

Jack glanced about the deck blocking another swing, the pirates were losing drastically. Dodging away from the fray he decided it was time to try another of Oria’s dirty tactics, he ran over the boarding plank connecting the two ships and bolted down to the hold. Glancing about the lower part of the ship gave him no indication of where he was supposed to go, there was nothing but a mess of hammocks and randomly placed crates. Brushing past several he came across the rum store, it pained him to do this to a now well acquainted friend but if he was going to get through this alive it was necessary.

“Sorry mate.” Jack whispered regretfully as he tipped up his gunpowder bag for his second pistol, he didn't need one for the first, that was fine with the shot and powder in it, he made a small trail and lit it with a grin before realising the flame was travelling down it faster than he had anticipated. Turning on his heel he ran for the stairs and took them three at a time fighting down the urge to cry out in fear. He reached the deck just as the small rum cache blew up splintering the planks of the deck and side of the ship.

Everyone froze and stared at the explosion and Jack looking slightly char-grilled and more than slightly shocked, he coughed at the amount of smoke, how the hell had Oria managed to blow a whole ship up? All he had managed to do was give everyone ear ache and blow a small hole in the deck, the ship shifted suddenly underneath him with a groan and he glanced down the hole worriedly.

He grinned, well that was helpful at least, the blast had loosened the ships’ sides enough to let water drizzle in and the pressure was prising it further apart letting a positive flood occur. He frowned as he realised the ship was going down with him still on it; he scrambled for the plank and reached the pirate ship just as the HMS vessel fell into the ocean in the widening gap. The red coats stared in disbelief at the man stood there, slightly singed but otherwise unharmed. The pirates wasted no time in restraining them and slapped Jack heartily on the back once the men were restrained to the mast, the Captain approached him with a broad grin.

“That was like something from a story of old. How did you manage that? Sinking a ship without damaging ours, you can’t have hit the powder keg, how did you manage to weigh
out the right amount?” Jack grinned,

“Quite simple really. A man not of their crew can theoretically slip down their holds’ throat while said crew are distracted by the crew they are trying to defeat and failing to defeat because one is creeping behind the lines to destroy them before they have chance to defeat those they want to defeat. So technically they are defeated long before they even realise their demise is close enough to be registered as imminent defeat which distracts from the fact that they are being.” The crew stood in silence for a few seconds and stared at Jack, he grinned hopefully, slowly they began to chuckle and laugh more boldly. He laughed with them, still not sure why confusing people was helpful, but it was working well, definitely a ploy to keep for the future.

:/

Jack watched the night fall from the crows’ nest his borrowed spy glass dangling from his fingertips lazily. He was shaking slightly, he needed more rum in his system he was getting sober again and the pain was beginning to trickle back in to his mind. It was always there but the rum dulled it slightly, he longed for his freedom, he hated this, just randomly drifting on someone else’s course and mission.

The loss of control was even more unbearable than last time he had been forced to accept a lower station than Captain, this time the Black Pearl was sailing and having adventures without him. At least last time she hadn’t been in anyone else’s hands, hadn’t been seeing the world without him at her helm.

He banished the hateful thoughts, he had seen how they affected people, he had experienced Oria at both ends of the table. He smiled as he remembered, she had amused him greatly, so confused with what and whom she was. They had been equally dependent on the other to learn more about themselves. The smile faded as he wondered how long it would be till they saw each other again, the kaleidoscope of emotions, fear that she would crucify him for failing and hope that she would be just as keen to see him as he was to see her.

How he longed to know if the kid had survived, from the amount of blood he felt sure it hadn't. How could it have done, the shot must have barely missed it if it hadn't completely annihilated it. What he would have given to save it, anything, everything. He laughed, he'd never considered himself a paternal type, funny how some things can change people he pondered.

He glanced out over the ocean; he couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about him as much as he was about her. He shook his head with a slight grin and twirled the spy glass absently in his fingers.

“Don’t be a fool ol’ Jack. You never told her how you felt and she never offered anything back. Just accept it; this is a one way deal mate. Get over it.” Jack gazed back over the ocean and sighed, easier said than done. His heart wasn't sure it wanted to abandon all hope of being loved back, wasn't sure if it was ready to tear itself apart on a doubt. Somewhere amongst the doubt was faith, something common sense told him not to believe in but needed to be believed in.

He scowled as he spotted a set of islands on the distance and drew out his spy glass putting it to his eye quickly. The smooth channel of sluggish water trickling into the centre was familiar, he knew that set of islands, lowering the spy glass he made his mind up quickly and scurried down the rigging. Rats always abandoned a sinking ship, since all the rats were still aboard Jack decided he didn’t want in with them.

There was no one on deck except for the dozing man holding the helm steady, Jack glanced out over the ocean and watched as the islands crept steadily closer. Pushing a long boat as quietly as possible to the side he lowered it gently into the ocean and clambered down cutting the ropes loose as he went. Six months on one ship was quite enough for him, besides the Captain was going to hand him in at the next port regardless of whatever he had said Jack knew he would do. There was too much money, too much temptation. Jack wasn’t about to fall for the same trick twice, one mutiny was enough without being handed over to the East India Trading Company as well in less than a year. Slowly he made his way over to the channel and to the hut he knew he would be welcome at.

:/

Barbossa slapped her again across the face and watched with some satisfaction as she stumbled and rubbed her cheek tenderly. Her eyes glaring at him furiously with barely held restraint.

“What the hell was that for?” He pointed a finger at her threateningly.

“Don’t lie to me again lass; I know you know about the curse.” She smirked and he slapped her again, she bristled furiously and trembled as she fought to restrain herself from retaliating. That would be giving him what he wanted.

“I swear you do that once more and I’ll…” Barbossa stepped forwards threateningly, urging her to lose it, to lose all control and go wild. If she lost it then so could he, then they would truly know who was in charge. Too long had she been challenging him quietly, too long had she been undermining him in cunning ways, too long had she just scraped through the barriers of what he wanted from her, complete and utter obedience. Just like Jack had had, he didn’t understand why she hadn’t just fallen into line under his more dominant presence and it was driving him insane.

“You’ll what? Run me through? Now tell me about this curse, tell me why I can’t stop being thirsty. Why no matter how long I spend with a woman I am never satisfied.” Oria shook her head, time for a bit of improvisation, the longer she could keep them in the dark the better.

“I don’t know, I only know they’re cursed and if you take one you supposedly can’t die no matter what physically happens to you.” Barbossa glared at her threateningly; sure she was up to another trick.

“We’re going back to the Isle De Muerta. You are going to translate every single damn symbol on that chest and find out a cure. You are then going to help us cure ourselves. Understand?” Oria nodded slowly, there was no point fighting, she needed to stay on the ship till she found Jack; it was the only place she could think of that he would definitely go to. His beloved Pearl, she knew he would hunt it to the ends of the earth; after all it carried his arch-nemesis and where else would he be headed?