PIRATES, CHOCOLAT AND ROCK 'N' ROLL

Elyse left Will Turner's suite in a slight daze. Her knees still wobbly, she slowly made her way to the hotel lobby. Apparently it was going to take a little time for her to get over the spectacle she had just witnessed. Taking another deep breath, she hailed a taxi to take her to the arena. It was time to get to work! That is what she told herself, anyway. Resting her head on the back of the seat, she closed her eyes and attempted to clear her head. Thoughts began to enter her mind wondering how Jack must have looked taking that shower. She envisioned his silhouette slowly coming into focus through the steam. Her breathing deepened as she imagined Jack's eyes closed, the water streaming over those amazing cheekbones, down to his goatee. She further imagined Jack washing himself and the earthy, masculine scent of Aramis soap filling the bathroom. The sight of his beautiful hands came into her mind then, his broad shoulders, his strong arms, his smooth, tanned back and of course that firm, muscular ass...just aching to be touched....



Her little daydream was whipping her into quite a state...Elyse then imagined Jack's kiss...Opening her mouth she licked her lips and with no thought whatsoever, her hands began to travel up her thighs.



"Mmmm...Oh...Jack" The words escaped her before she realized what was happening.



"Pardon, Ma'am, Are you all right back there?" The young cab driver looked a little embarrassed.



Elyse sat up with a start like cold water had been thrown in her face. Now it was her turn to look embarrassed.



"I'm fine. Thanks, just a little tired, that's all." Sheepishly, she picked up her notebook and pretended to read.



Shit Elyse! she thought to herself. Get yourself together, girl! Another very deep breath followed.



Ok, its time to be professional Elyse Newton. It is time to be the excellent award-winning journalist that you know that you are!



Her self-scolding thoughts had worked for now...



At last the taxi arrived at the arena with two hours before show time. The band had done their sound check earlier that morning. Everything was ready for them to begin.



Elyse stopped by a back stage dressing room to freshen up. She had dressed very casual in jeans, boots and a slightly low-cut sage green blouse. The color brought out the beauty of her crystal blue eyes. She brushed her long strawberry blonde hair and took a closer look at herself. For a moment she began to regret her decision not to wear a really sexy outfit to the concert. She consciously chose her low key attire so she could easily blend in and would hopefully gain access to more candid information.



Applying her sun-lit coral lipstick, she mused at her reflection noticing her face was still a bit flushed. She looked pretty good for 34, she thought confidently.



With an hour before show time, she made her way to her reserved front row seat. She could have opted to watch the show from backstage, but she thought it might be more interesting to start with a fan's perspective of the band and the performance. With her notebook and voice recorder, she was ready to go to work.



****

Jack Sparrow paused for a moment to check his appearance one last time before going on stage. His ebony eyes sparkled as they roved, checking every detail. Dressed in full pirate regalia, he was stunningly handsome.



"Well, I think everything is in order here." he announced, obviously pleased with himself. Lifting his glass, he toasted his reflection. "Cheers mate! Here's to a great show and to all the bonny lasses!" Flashing a wicked grin, he gave the mirror a wink and sauntered confidently out the door to meet his band mates.

"Hello Mates!" Jack made his entrance. "Is the crew ready to board?" he chuckled to himself, sometimes he thought himself quite the comedian.



"Aye, Captain! The crew is ready." Will Turner answered with a bit of sarcasm. Jack is so full of shit, he thought. Everyone knows who the real captain is around here. That would be yours, truly. Will smiled at his own humorous thoughts.

In addition to serving as the band's manager and bass guitarist, Will Turner lived Black Pearl. He started the band and it was his only family. Most of the time they felt like brothers to him, but sometimes they were his children. He was fiercely loyal to his band mates. Some thought he was a tad over-protective at times. Will felt strongly that it was his sole responsibility to stay one step ahead of the herd of the lawyers, accountants and record company executives that it took to run this well-oiled rock and roll machine. The truth was that Will did not completely trust anyone except his brothers in the band and for that reason there was little room in his life for romance or anything else that might come between him and his "family". The only time Will allowed himself to loosen the reins was when he was on stage with his brothers in front of thousands of adoring fans. Will allowed himself to enjoy the performances, to let out everything that he kept held in most of the time.



"It's about that time!" Will was anxious to get on that stage and let off some steam. It had been far too long since he had allowed himself to let go.



"Yeah Man, Lets go raise some hell!" Dr. Gonzo was getting psyched for the show, roaring his usual battle cry. Dr. Gonzo was a mad man. In his younger days he could out drink, out smoke, out party anyone. Alcohol tended to do a Jekyll and Hyde number on Gonzo resulting in numerous infractions. There were loads of headaches for Will during that time between Gonzo and Jack getting a little too wild, getting kicked out of hotels, having some slight run-ins with the law. That was then.



It was fortunate that before he self destructed, Gonzo found the love of a good woman. Donna adored him. She loved his blazing green eyes and wild black hair and his love of life... He and Donna had been married for five years now. Gonzo had ceased his crazy lifestyle and was now a contented soul. One would think that his newfound serenity would have affected his drumming. It did not. Playing the drums and performing on stage was the only way he got crazy these days. He still played with the same ferocious fervor that he had twenty years ago. Dr. Gonzo was still a wild man and his band brethren would have it no other way.



Dr. Gonzo looked around and noticed that Roux was missing. "Where's the Roux-man?"



"I'm here, mates." Roux entered the room slowly, looking very pale and weak.



"Stage fright monster got a hold of you this evening, Roux?" Jack teased. He could not understand how Roux could still get stage fright after so many years of performing.



Roux was nursing a rather severe case of stage fright. It always happened to him especially before a big show. Even after all the years of performing, the big shows still freaked him out. He would start thinking about ALL those people who had paid ALL that money to see them play. The possibility of letting down all those fans frankly terrified him. He would become pale, his palms would become sweaty, he had butterflies in his stomach and he felt as if there was an elephant sitting on his chest. Over the years he had tried several remedies, but nothing seemed to help. Nothing that is except the feeling of the piano keys beneath his fingers. Once he started to play, he knew he was home and safe.



Jack approached his closest friend who in essence was really more like his brother, "Come on mate, you know it's going to be ok!" "It always is, man you know you're the master!"



Jack winked at Roux and whispered "I'll even share me harem with you tonight if you want!" "That's just what you need to get back to your old self"



Roux was grateful for Jack's effort, but the truth was it wasn't helping. He managed a small smile for his friend. "I'm fine. Let's just get to the show."



Roux was not fine. It was a struggle for him to be there at all. It had been 2 years since he lost his wife and the child she was carrying. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever feel complete again.



Roux possessed a rare male beauty. warm, chocolate brown eyes, long chestnut brown hair with golden highlights usually worn in a ponytail, a fine, chiseled face with gorgeous high cheek bones that any model would kill for and delectable, full lips. To complete his "tortured artist" look he wore the slightest hint of a goatee and he dressed in a quirky, retro style.



While Roux did not get the massive female attention that Jack got, he received his fair share of female admirers. Roux was never interested in the women who threw themselves at him. That type of behavior disturbed him. Jack had his "harem" of groupies after every show, but Roux had no interest in it.



Roux pressed on as there was no longer any time to consider the crowd or his unhappy personal life. It was time to go to work. He would get through it just as he always had.



Roux felt another wave of panic pass over him as the glossy black stretch limo approached. He and the rest of the band piled in and sped off for the arena. The time had come for the Hall of Fame Tour to begin...



Chapter 5 - Ladies and Gentlemen....Black Pearl



As the fans entered the arena, the electricity and tension in the air was steadily rising. The fans of Black Pearl were long-starved to see their heroes. It had been four long years since the last American tour.



Suddenly...the stage went black. Nothing could be seen or heard from the stage. Roux took his place at the keyboards, Dr. Gonzo at the drums and Will Turner placed the bass guitar over his shoulder and took his place in the darkness. It was customary for Jack to make a grand entrance and tonight would be no exception...



"Good Evening everyone...Please welcome Island Records recording artists...BLACK PEARL!" The announcer's voice boomed clear and loud followed by the sound of Dr. Gonzo and Will beginning to play. It was a familiar, hard-thumping, crowd pleaser that immediately had the audience on their feet with their hands in the air. The stage was still pitch dark with the exception of the tiny glow of light at the rear of the stage. As the music and the crowd grew louder, the light began to grow as well until it held an amber glow where the lone silhouette of Jack Sparrow gradually became apparent. The roar of the crowd grew still louder in its anticipation....the music stopped...



"Do you wanna get rocked?" The decidedly naughty voice of Jack Sparrow was heard over the crowd.

Suddenly, the stage lights were almost blinding as Jack Sparrow ran with his guitar, sliding on his knees to the front of the stage, as the band began to play again. The timing was impeccable...



Jack was high from the crowd. This was his kingdom where he ruled. Strutting assuredly across the stage, he had that devil smile in full force. He scoped the crowd as he performed..."yes" he thought to himself "they still love me...they still want me." It aroused Jack to think about how the females wanted him. He could tell by the range of expressions on the faces. The young ones were enchanted and the ones who had been there from the beginning had faces with sheer lust written all over them. Jack's smile grew even deeper as he thought about what fantasies they must have. “I can't wait to see the "harem" tonight!" his thoughts were apparent to Will.



Jack is never going to grow up. Will thought to himself as his bass guitar raged with rhythm. It was going to be a great show. It was great being on stage, feeling the adoration of the crowd and the raw energy of their music. Will could feel the stress, tension and worry leaving his body. He felt like he was flying. This... is heaven. he thought.



Dr. Gonzo was exploding into his drum set letting out a yell. "Man, what a rush!" His black hair was already drenched. He had boundless energy and he always gave each show everything that he had.

Oh yes...that's it. That is SO much better now. Roux's breathing and color had returned to normal and he no longer felt woozy. The music was moving through him, carrying him away. His wonderful music had never let him down. It was the only thing in his life on which he felt he could truly depend. His thoughts returned to his desire to share his life with someone special. Would he ever find her? Roux was beginning to doubt it.



*****



For a moment, Elyse almost believed in time travel. In her mind, she was 16 again, going to see her favorite band and the man whose face she had plastered all over her bedroom walls. The major difference being that now, she had front row seats instead of being in the "nose bleed" section. She wished so much she had a girlfriend with her to giggle and get into the music with her. The music and the atmosphere were taking her to a place she hadn't been to in years. She felt alive again. She knew she needed to come down a bit and get serious and she would. She forced herself to look at everything except Jack. She attempted to focus on the fan reaction. She found it amusing to watch the various ages represented and how they loved Black Pearl.



With Elyse's seat being front and center, she found it impossible not to watch Jack. "Oh, screw it!" Elyse said out loud as she once again gave in to herself. It would have been easier not to breathe. With wide-open eyes, she allowed herself to take in his presence. There he was, all glorious again..."Damn, what a beautiful man!" He could not be more beautiful...under the heat of the stage lights, sweat at his temples, chest visible through the white, gauzy shirt. On his face, arrogance, pride, playfulness, and that million dollar rascally grin. Elyse felt her heart beating rapidly and her breath deepening as the memory of seeing this man perform on another type of stage filled her mind. She thought to herself "Girl, you are so in trouble."



The energy of the show continued to increase in momentum. Elyse watched as Jack Sparrow worked the crowd....seducing the audience...working them into a frenzy with his special magic. Black Pearl had re-claimed their audience. The concert was a huge success.



The time had come for Gonzo's amazing drum solo. The other band members left the stage and let the Doctor go wild, giving the drums a thorough workout. When he reached the end of his solo he twirled the drum sticks around several times and throwing each one into the air and catching them, not losing a single beat. Dr. Gonzo completed his solo wearing a satisfied grin upon his face...taking over from there was Will with his high energy bass solo. He was having a ball, hamming it up, playing his heart out. Will waltzed off the stage as his bass solo ended. Simultaneously, Roux came out for his piano solo and the stage again went dark for a few moments. The glow of a lone spotlight shone on Roux's graceful figure as he began to play. The illumination of that halo of light added drama to his presence. Roux's understated beauty radiated from his fingers throughout his body. The audience became uncharacteristically quiet, entranced with the sight and sound of him. Tiny flickers of light began to appear in appreciation. The music was haunting, almost classical in nature.



Elyse found herself completely drawn in. This was a different kind of charisma. Quiet, gentle, sensitive...there was sadness about him that she found compelling. She watched in awe as his long, elegant fingers stroked the keys. [i]He looks like he is touching a beautiful woman instead of playing piano[/i]. Elyse thought to herself. Sensual, elegant Roux...she hadn't really noticed him much before but at this moment, he had left her breathless. His talent was so viable, so real and most of the time, so overshadowed by Jack. Yes...it was now apparent to Elyse that Roux was indeed the heart of Black Pearl. Elyse could also not help but notice how attractive Roux was...those lips...those eyes... at that very moment "those eyes" turned and made contact with hers. She didn't know why but for the first time in years, Elyse actually blushed. Unable to control her expressions, she smiled and looked away.



A shy smile crept upon Roux's face. ]How refreshing...she actually blushed! Roux was used to the ones who threw panties and exposed themselves to him. This was a whole different animal. She has no idea how lovely she is. he thought. He hadn't felt this way in so long. Not since the first time he saw his wife, Michelle. He then noticed that Elyse didn't seem to have an escort for the evening. Good. he thought. If she was sitting on the front row, the chances were excellent that she would be at the after-show party. “I’m going to meet that sweet, beautiful woman”. He said to himself. The end of the show could not come fast enough for him.



After several more rockin' numbers, a couple of ballads and three encores later, the band took their last bows and left the stage...