Witch

Witch, by Hellborne
Pirates of the Caribbean – Slash: Jack/Others, Jack/Will. NC-17.

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

Typing convention: / is used for thoughts.

Summary: What did Jack do to be tortured so? He would love to know. Torture, Rape, Lemon, Slash.

Beta: pendragginink, the greatest beta in all fanfic history! ThankYouThankYouTHANKYOU!!!!!

NOTE: I live for reviews. No reviews, no more writing. Can’t figure out if anyone likes it if they don’t review. So REVIEW! PLEEEEEEZE???

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Chapter 7 – Side Effects

The pain was unbearable. He felt like his leg had been peeled like a banana and sewn up again. He opened his eyes and shut them again immediately. He’d have to tell Will to stop spinning the ship till his hangover went away. He tried to open one eye slowly. This was better; there was only one ceiling beam now. He turned his head and felt like he was going to hurl. “Whelp! I need ye!” The sound hurt, and he was barely able to keep from throwing up for the moment.

Will heard Jack from a far distance. Jack was in trouble! He tried to find him, but kept getting kicked in the head by gold feet. Finally, he grogged awake, his head hammering at him. He turned over and found Jack. He sat up, seeing the pirate’s head turned the other way. “Jack?”

“Hmmmmm…” Jack REALLY didn’t want to open his mouth.

“How do you feel?” Will immediately felt stupid. He knew how Jack had to feel.

“Gon’ throwup.”

Will moved as quickly as he could, freeing the pirate from the board and partially rolling him to the side of the bed. Jack heaved, though nothing came out. Will climbed off the foot of the bed and brought Jack some water, which Jack drank, then grabbed a bucket and put it below his face on the floor just in time for the first heave.

Jack kept drinking water and heaving. “Where’s th’ doctor? I wan’ ‘im.”

Will smacked his forehead and yelped in pain, then went over to the bolt hole and opened it. The doctor stood there patiently and quietly.

“It’s over and Jack wants you.”

Dr. Abernathy looked over and saw Jack. “Oh dear!” He ran over and tried to lay Jack back onto the bed.

Jack started to heave and bent over the side again. “Doc’or, why ‘m I sick?”

“Captain Sparrow, the drug I gave you to put you out has this as an unfortunate side effect. But don’t worry. It should pass in a day or two.”

“M’Vizhon’s worse. Can only use one a’ a time.”

“That’ll pass by tonight. As to your next question if you would be honest with me: I’m going to give you something for the pain.”

“Rum.”

“No. Laudanum.”

“Rum. Laudanum makes m’ feel funny.”

“That’s an odd statement from someone who drinks as much as you seem to. However, Laudanum will also stop the pain and help you sleep. I’d rather you tried to sleep anyway.” He grabbed jack by the jaw and forced some liquid from a brown bottle down his throat, then backed it up with a different bottle. Jack started to fight it, then gave up when he saw Will smirking.

After he finished swallowing the liquids, he turned his open eye to Will. “Wot’s s’ funny, Whelp?”

“You are.”

The doctor turned to Will. “Go and get a jug of broth and a jug of water, both of them as large as you can. Oh, and another bucket, so that you can switch them out while you empty them overboard.” He turned to Jack. “I hadn’t really wanted you to wake up yet, but I suppose I can finish with you awake.”

Jack allowed Will to pack some pillows behind him so he could sit up and watch with one eye while he drank water and heaved. Will left for the broth. The doctor produced an odd looking item that looked for all the world like a shoe made from a corset. It was black with red trim, and the doctor wrapped it tightly around Jack’s bruised, purple-blue foot. “Close your eyes.” Jack did as he was told, and the doctor took hold of his toes which were, thankfully, warm.

Jack opened his eyes as he said, “keep yer fing’rs t’ yerself, doc’or.” He was definitely starting to feel the laudanum.

Abernathy smiled broadly. “Good. So far, captain, your foot looks like it will be fine.” He produced an envelope of white powder and sprinkled some of it into a mug of water, and helped Jack drink it. “We were lucky that the apothecary had this. It’ll help with the swelling.”

The sounds of hammering and other constructive things began to be heard out the door and from below them. As Will walked into the cabin, jugs in hands, Jack looked at him. “Wha’ happen’ while I was ou’?”

“Oh, not much. There was a ship that decided to fire on us while we were docked.”

“Wha’ ship wo’ be stu—“ He threw up.

“The Cardinal’s ship. That’s why I had the doctor in the bolt hole. You wouldn’t have fit.”

“Where’s ‘e now?” Jack seemed to look a bit concerned, trying but failing to pass it off as mere curiosity.

“Gone. He left when we got out of his firing angle.”

Jack’s eye seemed to unfocus and he leaned his head back. “Heavy. M’head’s heavy.” He giggled himself to sleep.

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Will woke to a rather nasty headache. He didn’t feel sick, for which he was both shocked and pleased. He looked over at the doctor, who was preparing more broth with the white powder. “What is that stuff, doctor?”

“It’s a powder that I found some years ago from some tribal people in the Americas. It helps with certain kinds of pain and helps to reduce swelling. We were lucky that the apothecary here has folk medicines along with the modern ones.”

“Doctor, I’d like to offer you a permanent home on the Black Pearl. You would only have work as a doctor, yet you’d get a full share of any treasure we may get. You’d also have a lot of chances to learn more than your already extensive knowledge by having all kinds of injuries bought to you to toy with, along with the fact that we do travel all over the world. You could study techniques in Africa, India, China; anywhere we touch port. As my illustrious partner would say if he were presently able, ‘what say you to that?’”

The doctor didn’t even bat an eye. “Of course. Captain Sparrow will be needing me for some time, and I’ve already taken care of the men who had injuries that needed my attention for most of today. I feel it quite refreshing to treat people who have come by their injuries honestly, and to not be forced to inflict pain on men and women whom the Cardinal has deemed witches.”

A moan was heard from the bed. “I believe the word the good doctor is dancin’ around, young William, is vivisection.” The doctor walked over and gave Jack the mug of broth, which he drank immediately. The doctor gave Jack the bottle of laudanum and the other one, and Jack took a small swig of each, without argument. He may not like the feel of the laudanum, but it DID help with the pain. He wasn’t sure what the other liquid did, but it seemed to have a lot of ginger in it, along with some kind of liquor, which made him happy to drink that one.

William looked at the doctor, his face showing that he hadn’t a clue to what Jack had just said.

The doctor paled a bit. “Yes, Captain. That is the word. But I prefer not to use it because most people don’t know what it means, and those who do would rather that they didn’t.”

“Unless they enjoy watchin’ others get tortured, like that son of a whore Cardinal.”

Will was real confused now. “All right! Now I want some answers. First, why would anyone actually ENJOY watching someone get tortured? And next, what is vivisection? I know that section means piece, basically, but I’m at a loss for the full term.”

“Ah, my naïve, sweet William. Everyone enjoys watching others get tortured to some extent or another. I enjoy the annoyed look ye get when ye catch me not admittin’ something that ye know I’ve done. You enjoy forcing me to admit those little items which I’d rather keep to myself. Each of those things cause pain of a kind on the other. And point of fact, I do so enjoy that little wrinkle ye have now ‘cause you’re both hung over and confused. But there are people, lad, who are sick in the head; who enjoy the pain of others nigh up to their death. Like the Cardinal. I no doubt gave him a wonderful time because I wouldn’t let him kill me outright.”

“What?”

“Lad, had I confessed to bein’ a witch just to get out o’ the pain as I suspect he offered me, he’d ‘a’ had me killed.”

“Worse. He would have given you over to me and had me give you a first hand knowledge of what parts of your anatomy looked and felt like outside of your body.” The doctor looked pained and embarrassed.

“Yes. Anyway, that’s yer first question. As to vivisection, had the doctor not knocked me out or given me anything for the pain, he’d ha’ been performin’ a vivisection on me leg. Or to put it another way, perhaps a bit closer to home for you: Ye know how YOU eat a roasted chicken? I’ve seen ye do it. Ye carefully cut the bird’s meat out a bit at a time. Ye do it artfully and take your own good time doin’ it, inspecting every little piece you remove from the bird. Now, if that chicken were living and you were doing that, whether to learn from what the chicken’s reactions would be or for whatever sport you might find by doing it, that would be vivisection. And that’s what our good Dr. Abernathy did for the Cardinal, though I believe he would rather have been curing those people rather than cutting them up while they screamed.”

“Exactly, Captain Sparrow.”

“Always so proper. You’ve seen me inside and out. It’s high time you called me by my Christian name. Call me Jack.

Will was turning green and helped himself to Jack’s bucket. “You realize I’m never eating chicken again, Jack.”

Jack grinned. “You’re too easy, Whelp. You’ve learned good seamanship, good fighting, good commanding, and good lovemaking. But you’re still a whelp.”

Dr. Abernathy handed Will a bottle. “Drink a sip of this. It’ll help with your stomach.” He turned to Jack. “And you may call me Tim.“

Will straightened up a bit, obviously uncomfortable about something. “Oh, uh…Tim. That reminds me. Since you’ll be staying with the Pearl permanently as ship’s doctor, you’ll have a cabin to yourself. You’re welcome to look over the furniture and equipment in the holds to see if there is anything you may want or need. You’ll have the cabin next door. It’s the first mate’s cabin, but nobody has used it for quite a while, as Ana Maria prefers her cabin not to have an easy access to the Captain’s cabin.” He walked to a door in the same wall as the desk and opened it. “It’s right in here.”

“But where will you sleep? I’d assumed that cabin was yours.”

Jack giggled quite uncontrollably. Will glared at him, then looked at the doctor, smiling. “Doctor, I sleep here in the Captain’s cabin.”

“I don’t understand. Then where does Captain…er…Jack sleep?”

“He sleeps here too. We’re partners, Tim.”

“You mean as man and wife?”

Jack giggled again. “Yes, Tim. Me and my sweet wife William both sleep in this here bed.”

Will blushed. “More like man and MAN, but yes, Tim. So you see, the cabin next door is all yours.”

“So you are sodomites?”

Jack winced, stifling his giggling. “Only if ye look at it from an Old Testament point of view, Dr. Tim. If ye read what the Lord said in the NEW Testament, he said the God wanted all men to LOVE one another.” Jack’s hands were weaving their usual confusing spell.

Tim certainly looked like he was trying to keep a finger hold on his reality. “But he wasn’t speaking of physical love, Jack.”

“Oh? William, the big book on the top of the desk please.” Will brought the huge bible to the bed. “This was the Bible I used years ago in the priesthood.” He found the page he wanted (it was marked with a red ribbon), and read it in Greek. “This word;” he pointed to a word; is the physical form of the word ‘love.’ What it means in the way it’s written, Tim, is that men should tumble with each other only if the emotion is there. It’s rather hard to make war with someone ye bed. Elsewhere it also states that ye must marry a woman before ye tumble, else you’ll go to hell. It never mentions emotion in the case of women. Now, yer Cardinal; he’s goin’ t’ hell, mate. I remember part of what he did. He took me from behind with no nevermind that I didn’t love him. Or did ye not know about the Cardinal laying with men by force?”

“I knew someone was doing it. But I didn’t know it was the Cardinal. When did you learn Greek, Jack?”

“I told you. When I was studying for the priesthood. I’m not a whelp, Tim, nor have I been a pirate my whole life. William, what are you giggling on about?”

Will stifled his laughter. “You’ve never been a priest.”

“I was. It was before you were born, whelp. I was a bit younger than you are now. How did ye think I was able to hide as a cleric of the Church of England for nigh on three months? In truth, had the Bishop not visited and called me out, I would probably have stayed there longer. The Church gets more swag in a month than we do in a year. Anyways, I discovered that the priests had taken that text to heart, but told the masses that it merely meant to make friends with one another. When I discovered that the Bishops didn’t care if there was emotion with the act, nor really if their partner had a mind to tumble with them in the first place, I ran away with what swag I could get away with.” Jack looked pointedly at Tim. “Keep that blasted laudanum away from me from now on, savvy? Rum will do me far better without makin’ me feel funny.”

The doctor walked back over to Jack, grabbing the two bottles as he went. “You didn’t take a full dose. Here.”

“Please, doctor? Let’s just try the rum instead of the laudanum, just this once? And then I’ll promise to take the other medicines without an argument. Do we have an accord?”

The doctor thought about it. “If you throw up the rum, or if I feel the rum doesn’t sufficiently numb the pain, you’re back to the laudanum, all right?”

“Agreed. Now bring me a bottle and I can get rid of the ache in me foot.”

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TBC

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