Caribbean Wind

A/N: Thank you for the reviews!

Beta: Howlong!


Disclaimer: Of course I own Captain Jack Sparrow. He is mine… mine…MINE! Muahahahaha

(Kath has been escorted out by four gentlemen in white robes. She is currently a resident of a nice, secluded facility, just a few miles out of town. She has been claimed to call herself The King of the Pirates and the Wench of Captain Sparrow. We join her family in mourning.)

Chapter 6

“Shelter from the storm”

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

‘Shelter from the storm’, Bob Dylan

xxx

Jack woke up early, even before the sun lit the deck of the Empress. It had always been his habit, and even when he captained his own vessel, he could never sleep till midday and miss this most beautiful time of the day, when the golden rays revealed the true beauty of his ship. He could not understand why sailors usually did not seem to appreciate this watch, but he always woke up to observe the rising sun breaking the horizon; indeed, it was the only thing that could ever touch the uncatchable line dividing the sea and the sky, and as such it held some sort of a pulling power over Jack Sparrow.
But, as always, when the sun was finally wholly visible above the sea, Jack could not fall back to sleep, so instead he occupied himself by helping with the rigging, working as hard as every crewman on the Empress. He knew he probably didn’t have to, but somehow the strain of his muscles let him forget of all the disturbing notions restlessly plundering his mind.

And yet the hours passed and with every minute Jack’s eyes darted even more to the captain’s door, which remained closed since the last evening. When the bell rang announcing ten o’clock, he could not stop his feet, which led him straightly to her cabin, but when he got there, he hesitated, startled by the strange noises audible from behind the thin door. He listened for a moment, then pressed the handle gently, and peered inside. There he saw Elizabeth leaning over a bucket, throwing her guts out.

Without a second to think, Jack crossed the room and knelt by her, keeping her hair out of her face. She did not acknowledge his presence with any gesture or sound, as another wave of nausea overpowered her body. When she finally finished, he took her by her hand, seating her on a chair. He then poured some water to a cup and handed it to her together with a wet cloth to clean her face. Elizabeth thanked him with a grateful stare, but soon closed her eyes as she pressed the cool fabric against her forehead. After a few moments she leaned back on her chair and looked at Jack, who was staring at her quizzically ever since he had handed her the cloth.

“Alright,” she said, “I'm waiting, let’s hear it.”

“Hear what?” The expression on Jack's face was one of sheer interest and confusion.

Elizabeth hesitated. “Well... I thought - I mean, you've seen me there and... ,” she sighed loudly, regaining her composure. “Go ahead Jack. I’m a big girl. I can take it. Laugh at your Pirate King suffering from a seasickness like a common landlubber.”

For a second he didn't respond, just looking at her in a way she could not comprehend. It then struck her he was only in his breeches; nothing covered the tanned skin upon his chest, and she almost blessed the nausea that made her look so pale, because she would probably blush right about now.

“Why do you think I would laugh at you, eh?” he asked at last. “Do you really think I'm that insensitive? I'm deeply wounded, love.” Jack’s hand flew to his chest in a coquette manner, but when the only response he got was a raised eyebrow, he spoke again. “Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought then,” he pouted.

As if to prove his words, he stood up and walked to the place where Elizabeth had left her bucket; with it in his hands, he went to the open window and poured out the contents into the sea.

“Do you have a rope here?” he asked not turning around and Elizabeth stirred in surprise.

“What?”

“A rope. A String. A cord or a line. Something that you use when you want to tie something to something else, as it were.”

“Oh, yes, of course. There is one just a few inches from your left foot,” she answered, wondering what he needed it for.

Wordlessly, Jack took the line and tied it to the bucket’s handle, securing it with a hard knot, then he lowered it to the sea, and Elizabeth realized he was just cleaning it so that there would be no stench in the cabin. She watched him as he worked, ever so gracefully, looking so much unlike any man she'd ever met. Of course, many of them had been handsome, she had been a rich heiress and there had been many suitors who had wanted her to become their wife, but none of them could compare to Jack.

It was strange how he tried to hide his appearance though; the long hair, the bandana, mustache and beard - everything in vain, for it took only a few seconds for a sharp eye to notice the beauty beneath the layers of dirt and trinkets. And, strangely enough, although most of her past suitors had always been impeccably clean, the heavy smell of perfume lingering on their skin and clothes had never made her feel then the way she was feeling now, seeing Jack after the whole morning of hard labor along other crewmen. It was obvious he did not just sit while the others worked, no, there were evidences right there on his skin, glistening with sweat, dark from the sun . . . Standing here like that, she realized, he looked like a human incarnation of everything that was sinful and desired.

His muscles, tensing just underneath his skin, fixed her stare, and Elizabeth could not avert her eyes as they wandered lower and lower, taking in the scars and tattoos marking his body, right to that wonderful line of black hair on his stomach, and then even further south, to the place where the brown skin was covered by the thin material of Jack's breeches. Suddenly she felt the cabin became unbearably hot and she just knew that the crimson color of her cheeks were betraying her thoughts. With all her might, she tore her stare away and forced herself to look back at his face, but she was not prepared for the sight of his eyes boring directly into hers with unhidden amusement.

'Oh God, he saw me looking,' she thought and yet did not lower her gaze, deciding not to give him this final satisfaction. She would not let him intimidate her. But her heart started beating even faster, when she realized that although he was smiling at her, there was also something else hiding in the blackness of his devilish eyes, something wild, dangerous and primal. A nervous chill ran down her spine, but she did not fear, no, it was definitely not fear that she experienced, and it scared her even more.

And then Jack moved. Elizabeth watched with terror as he approached her, but she was fixed to the spot by his eyes, hypnotized by their almost mystic powers, and she could not move if she tried. But he went past her to sit again on his chair, and Elizabeth wondered why was it that she felt so… disappointed.

“Has it been the first time you felt sick lately?” he asked suddenly.

“I - No, no,” Elizabeth’s voice sounded thin and weak, so she cleared her throat, “It happened before, twice in the cove and yesterday morning, when we left the port.”

He looked at her sharply. “Why didn't you say something?”

“About what? There is nothing to talk about, it must be an aftereffect of my illness, and the rolling of the ship certainly does not help, that's all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, what else would it be?” Jack looked at her in a strange way, but did not answer, instead he just stood up again and crossed the cabin to the table where Elizabeth placed her maps.

“I thought about our heading and... I wanted to ask you to sail to Tortuga first,” he said finally, and again the sudden change of subject caught her off guard.

“What? Why?”

To her surprise, she thought Jack looked slightly uncomfortable. “I figured that maybe when Barbossa realized I... ah... misplaced his charts he would come back looking for me there... ”

And Elizabeth cursed herself for being so foolish - of course, the Pearl. It was difficult to say how hard it was for him, now when his beloved ship was once again in the hands of his enemy; he rarely let people know what he felt deep inside, but she knew that the Black Pearl was everything to Jack, and it was breaking her heart to see him so dark, so unlike the man she knew. She swore she would do everything to bring the smile back to his face. “I'm sorry Jack,” she said softly. “We will find your ship, I promise.”

“Somehow when you say it, I even start believing it myself.”

“I will order the men to set course for Tortuga. Although…,” she added more like an afterthought, “I wish we could go to Port Royal too... It seems forever since I’ve been there. Maybe- Well... I wanted to visit my father’s grave.”

“You know we can't, Lizzie,” Jack’s voice was delicate, as if he was speaking to a child, and it irritated Elizabeth, although she could not really say why.

“Of course I know that!” she cried. “We're both wanted pirates and I would be hung before I would set my foot on the pier. You dragged me and Will into this madness and now I can’t even see my home, unless it would be to meet with a hangman’s noose. But you would like it, wouldn't you?” she lowered her voice, “Watch me swing in the wind with a string around my neck?” Even as she spoke those words she regretted them, knowing how untrue they were, knowing she had never blamed him, not even for a second in her life . . . If it wasn’t for him, she would be dead, Will would be dead, and her trust in him had always been strong, never wavered, not even when she had watched him sail away from the Pearl when the Kraken attacked them. But how could she explain this to him?

Elizabeth looked at Jack, hoping he would yell at her, defend himself, but he did not say anything. He just watched her with hurt in his eyes for a few long moments, and then... then he turned around to leave the cabin. She thought he would slam the doors but he closed them delicately, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the sudden feeling she had lost something she didn't even know she had.

xxx

There was a certain heaviness in the air and the canvas hung limp in the stagnant air. For the first time this day Elizabeth found the courage to step out of her cabin. She was the sodding captain and it was only proper that she should inquire about what was causing this unusual stillness, but she stopped when she saw Jack leaning over the railing just a few steps from her. Of course you would see him, you are on a bloody ship, just talk to him, apologize. Accept the consequences of acting like an immature child.

She made a move to approach him and was about to speak, when he silenced her, rising his hand.

"Shhh . . . can you hear that?" he whispered.

Elizabeth thought for a second, wondering what exactly he meant, but she could neither see nor hear anything unusual.

"Look," he said, and pointed at the horizon, urging her to notice something he obviously saw there. At last, she realized there was a small cloud in the distance, but she did not understand what was so special about this particular one. She looked at Jack questioningly and he just smiled, as if nothing had happened earlier, as if she had not questioned his friendship with the most horrible accusations. “Before the night falls, those sails will be full and the rigging will be crying with exhaustion. There is a storm coming ahead.”

“A storm? Shall I order the men to make port and wait it through?”

“No,” he grinned. ”I would never dream of losing all the fun. But the question remains... are you up for the challenge?”

Elizabeth raised her chin and straightened to her full height. “Of course!”

“Then get yourself ready, Lizzie-girl, I shall come for you when the time comes.”

xxx

There is something indescribably powerful in the sight of the approaching darkness. Unlike most of her friends, Elizabeth had always been fond of storms. She did not think of them as of a destructive force that could take life away, on the contrary, in the complete and utter chaos, she could always find elements of creation. There was life in every falling drop of rain. And although the rolling thunders often made her shudder, she had always felt almost religious exultation when Mother Nature showed her true powers. People could fool themselves thinking they possessed the world, bearing civilization to lands which had never known the human presence before, but it all crumbled to pieces in the face of a hurricane or an earthquake.

However, never before could Elizabeth observe the approaching storm without any shelter to run away to. What was a ship really? How could it fight against such force? And so Elizabeth stood at the bow, watching her pride, the Empress, with every minute getting closer to the ominous clouds, to be finally completely embraced by the darkness, which fell upon the world even though it was still daylight.

It wasn’t raining yet, and there was barely any wind, but every few seconds the sky was torn by striking lightening, followed by roaring thunders which froze the blood in Elizabeth’s veins. She tried to remain calm, seeing that most of the crew’s eyes were focused on her, but she could not restrain her fingers from clutching the railing nervously every time she heard the deep growling sound of the nearing gale.

Finally Elizabeth felt moisture on her cheeks, and she almost met the first raindrops with relief; a few minutes more and she would surely go mad with anticipation. As if reading her thoughts, Jack approached her from behind and placed one hand upon her shoulder. She didn’t jump only because her already sharpened senses let her hear Jack’s light footsteps a moment before he touched her.

“It’s time, love. Come with me”

Elizabeth nodded in response. She remained at the bow for a few more seconds, feeling that the first blows of the wind were already causing them to gain speed, and then followed him. When she reached Jack at the helm, he took a step back, letting her take his place.

“Now, take her,” he said with a smile.

She obeyed, carefully closing her fingers around the warm wood. She gasped when she felt an unfamiliar sensation beneath her hands, almost an electric jolt flowing from the helm and then through her body. For a few seconds she would have sworn the ship was a living creature, she could sense her nervous strain, feel the awareness of the approaching fight. Then, without any warning, a strong blow shook the ship, almost pulling the wheel from Elizabeth’s hands. She was unprepared, and therefore lost her balance, but was caught quickly by Jack, standing behind her.

“Careful,” he said. “I wager you don’t wish to meet your end yet? You know, there is all the glory in death at sea... I’ve done it though and I strongly object against repeating it anytime soon.”

“Jack, I don’t think I can … she fights so.”

“Ah, that she does,” he admitted. “So don’t do this for her, she does not need the strength of your muscles, it’s only the strength of your will that she needs,” he put his hands upon Elizabeth’s. “Let her take the blows; she is a fighter, that one. I assure you, all you have to do is lead her and not fight against her; she is your ally.”

Elizabeth listened to Jack’s words murmured into her ear, at the same time trying to adjust the course, focusing more on her ship now, than on the tension of her muscles. With a surprise she found it was not that hard anymore, because the ship cooperated swiftly, and only sometimes she had to put more strength into steering. But in fact, Elizabeth had never felt like this before, it was as if something was burning down in the pit of her stomach, rising up to her heart and then to her head; being drunk usually gave her similar experiences, and yet it was somewhat different. A wide smile stretched her lips as she took in the beauty of her ship, the crew busying themselves with the work that needed to be done on the deck, and above her head, fighting with the ruby rigging. She could understand why Jack did not want to run from it. There was power in this and she drank it greedily.

However, as hours went by, Elizabeth felt weariness overcoming her, and although she still enjoyed steering, her limbs ached from the hard work. But it seemed that the storm only gathered its strength, for it felt like it would be only a matter of minutes before they would disappear in the ragging ocean, becoming but a memory and a tale. And yet, every time Elizabeth looked at Jack, his face was calm, if not happy, glowing with something unusual she could not identify. She hoped she could understand the source of his joy, knowing that it was the key to understanding the enigma whose name was Jack Sparrow. But it could not be, would not be … he held his secrets to close to his vest, and even though she sometimes thought she knew him, he changed too quickly for her to be sure if it wasn’t just a mirage of sorts. Elizabeth raised her head to look up at him again, and noticed that this time he was gazing at her as well. When he noticed her stare, he laughed loudly, as if she had just told him a most amusing joke, but then his laughter ceased and he frowned, eying her closely.

“Go and fetch a rope, Lizzie, this night is far from being over, and I fear it will be easier for us to strap ourselves to this blasted ship,” he yelled over the tempest, and Elizabeth nodded. She took off down the stairs and toward her cabin and after a few seconds emerged with a long and thick line. She was about to rush back to join Jack, when a loud cracking sound made her stop dead in her tracks. The upper part of the foremast broke, falling onto the deck. Most of it was hanging above the water and only the forestay was securing it from plunging completely into the water, but it was obvious it should be cut loose or else the fallen mast would cause them all to lose the battle with the storm. Elizabeth moved toward the bow to free the lines, when her heart almost stopped beating - there, a few feet above the roaring sea, tangled in ratlines, hung a young man, helplessly struggling with the rigging. He had probably been trying to secure a footloose topsail when the mast had broken, taking him down. Even from the distance, Elizabeth knew he would never get free without a knife, and most probably no one even knew he was there - no one except for her.

The decision was made before she even knew it, her mind hardly registered the actions as she threw the line she held to the deck, and run, placing her dagger between her teeth. Then, before anyone could stop her, she sat on the fallen mast, straddling it, and slowly begun moving toward the sailor at the end, hoping the lines would hold the weight of them both.

xxx

The wind was too loud for Jack to hear the breaking mast, but he saw it falling before his eyes, and hoped that someone would be intelligent enough to remove it from the deck. The crimson sails were dipping in the water, gaining weight and even now he felt how the Empress objected against the sudden obstacle.

“No worries, love,” he patted the wheel gently. “A few minutes and everything will be just - ” He could not finish, for the words have struck in his throat, as he noticed a figure running toward the fallen rigging. He knew it was Elizabeth, just like he was certain she was up to something he would surely and definitely not like. His eyes flew to where she was heading, and it was only then when he saw the trapped man and realized what she was planning on doing. Jack’s skin paled under his tan, as his eyes darted from the sailor to Elizabeth, still running with her knife in mouth, and back to this boy, Jeremiah or James was it? He could not recall, but it did not matter, not now when she was already sitting on the mast, leaving the safety of the deck.

“Christ, no,” Jack whispered under his breath and then louder called one of the crewmen to take the helm. As he ran past the rest of the men, he saw they were all looking in the direction of Elizabeth, probably wondering why their Captain and the Pirate King, a woman, no less, was risking her life to save someone she didn’t even come to know yet. But Jack knew the answer to this question and it sent a shiver down his spine. It was a life, and as such, it was worth fighting for, no matter the price. The fact that he could understand this did not make him feel any better.

After what had felt like eternity, Jack finally reached the place where Elizabeth had left the deck. He eyed the rigging with a knowing look, and understood that if he added his weight to theirs, inevitably they would all fall into the water, it was even a miracle Elizabeth and the boy were still alive. And so all he could do was watch as Elizabeth moved on the slippery wood, with every second getting closer to the lad; he stopped breathing when a higher wave rolled over Elizabeth, but she held tightly, his brave girl, a true pirate at heart and a sodding fool, no less.

Finally she got to the boy and started cutting the lines which held his feet. The seconds flew by, and she still worked patiently, and then the lad was free, able to carefully climb up the mast and after that, crawl back to the deck. Jack however did not spare him a second glance, focused directly on Elizabeth’s movements. He saw she had problems with turning around and when she finally managed to do this, he exhaled, only then realizing he was holding his breath all along. She started moving in his direction, the dagger in her hand this time. Suddenly she looked upwards, right into his eyes, and a small, proud smile stretched her lips. Despite the danger, the bloody girl was actually enjoying herself. ‘When she is safe and sound, I will …,’ but the thought was not finished, for another wave, this time higher than the others, rolled over the broken mast, and when it disappeared, Elizabeth was no longer there. Jack jumped closer to the railing and saw her hanging just above the water, only one of her hands closed around a line. In no time he slipped his boots off and just like Elizabeth a few minutes before, it was now he who was straddling the pole. Slowly he began moving, until he found himself exactly above Elizabeth, he stretched his hand in her direction and caught her by her wrist. She looked up at him and he saw the raw panic in her eyes. Not good.

“Elizabeth,” he said calmly. “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to get you out of this.” His grip on her wrist tightened as he looked around considering their possible options. They were not far from the ship, but he could not think of any way of returning to the Empress. Suddenly one of the lines supporting the broken mast snapped and Jack and Elizabeth fell a few inches down. Jack realized they had only seconds before it would all go to hell, and he knew he had to act fast. He could do only one thing now, even if it meant that only one of them would safely return to the deck. He stared down, and his eyes searched Elizabeth’s.

“Lizzie, you need to do exactly what I say, but you have to trust me,” his expression was serious. “Do you trust me?”

She locked her stare with his and nodded slowly. “Always,” she said in a small but firm voice and he thanked God she was not panicking anymore.

“Good. Listen, there are loose lines and a rope-ladder hanging from the deck not far away from where we are. You cannot reach it now, but when I say, you will ease your grip on this line you’re holding now and I will swing you so that you can reach. Don’t worry. If I let you go, just focus on the lines and grab them so that you don’t slide down the starboard, alright?”

She nodded again, and he smiled reassuringly, even though he knew that the moment he would start swaying her, the rest of the lines securing the mast would break and send him to the ocean. But he knew how to swim, and it would be hardly the first time he would find himself in such position. He could risk that, but he couldn’t risk trying to save them both, not when so much was at stake. He just hoped that those of the men, who could leave the fight with the rigging to gather near the railing, had enough wits to help Elizabeth get back on board once she would catch the lines.

“Alright, Lizzie. Let go of the line.” She did as he said and with a surprise he noticed she was much lighter than he expected. She really should eat more. Slowly he began swinging her and then he shouted at her to watch out as he let her fly toward the starboard. He observed as she caught one of the lines and begun climbing up; soon one of her men pulled her up and Jack could exhale with relief. But then he felt that the lines which for so long were holding the bloody mast finally gave up and let go. The last thing he saw before he disappeared underwater, trapped under the twisted lines and sails, was Elizabeth’s face, contorted in the expression of pure shock and horror. And he could not help but to notice, that she looked much calmer when it was her whose life was endangered. After that, everything went black.

xxx

Elizabeth watched as Jack vanished under water. Some of the longer lines still held the mast afloat near the ship and for one hopeful moment she thought he would break the surface again, laughing at her stupidity with just another prank of Captain Sparrow’s. But she knew he wasn’t just trying to scare her, she saw this in his face as he was disappearing underwater. He simply gave up.

“No,” Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I will not allow this to happen, Sparrow.” She scanned the deck looking for something and there she found it, the line she had taken before to strap herself to the helm. She picked it up hastily and threw one end to the boy she rescued before. “Hold it, and whatever happens, don’t let go.” She strapped the other end around her waist and then moved toward another man; he moved backwards, afraid of her fury, but Elizabeth just caught the dagger he had fastened to his belt. After that, she went to the place where Jack had disappeared, and looked at the scarlet canvas floating on the water, hoping he had not gone down after the fall but was just tangled in the sails or ropes. She readied to jump when someone caught her by her arm - the young boy whose life she had saved tried to stop her, but she shook his hand of her. “I’m the Captain here,” she barked at him. “I will not let him die as a hero, once was quite enough.” And with that she leapt into the depths.

It took her a moment to adjust to the darkness, but then she saw the ruby sails only a few feet from her, so she dived deeper toward them, looking for any sign of a body. She was about to protrude from the water to take a breath, when with a corner of her eye she noticed a faint movement. She swam closer and realized it was Jack Sparrow, still fighting with the rigging with the rest of his strength. He could not resurface for air, not without freeing himself from the lines first, and so Elizabeth swam to take a breath and then dived close enough so that he could see her. When he did, frantically he started motioning for her to go away, but she did not listen, only swam closer and, covering his lips with hers, she blew her air into his mouth. He sucked it greedily and when she had no more air in her lungs she swam upwards to take another breath. When she returned, with the knife she took from her crewman she started cutting Jack’s lines, just like she did with this young boy before. Finally she managed to set Jack free and together they broke the surface. Jack gasped for air and Elizabeth smiled at the sound - it meant he was safe. She turned around to face him.

“Jack, embrace me, I have a line around me and they will pull us up.”

Jack obeyed, exhausted, and Elizabeth yelled to her crew. Soon they were both on board, unharmed, despite all odds. She got to her knees and moved to see if Jack really was fine. She leaned over him and realized he was whispering something she could not quite catch.

“What did you say, Jack?” she asked softly.

“I said,” he repeated louder. “I could’ve bloody well saved myself, thank you very much.”

Elizabeth looked at him startled, and then she laughed so loudly, Jack could not help but laugh himself. Suddenly Elizabeth looked around, noticing they were both the center of attention of almost the entire crew, who eyed them as if they had lost their minds.

“Back to work you lazy dogs!” she yelled at them. “Do you think that the storm took a break because we had some problems?! And cut off that bloody foremast before it takes us down!”

The crew scattered around, and Elizabeth turned to look at Jack again, only to realize he was propped on one elbow, observing her with a smirk stretching his lips.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing, love. Absolutely nothing at all.”

xxx