May I ask you something? Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?
~●~○~●~
The Black Pearl anchored at the docks of Tortuga one Tuesday evening, with the sun setting over the horizon behind the translucid clouds. The crewmen didn't waste any time to leave the ship and rush into the town they knew too well, leaving Cotton alone to keep watch. Not even his parrot stayed to make some company to the mute man.
The captain, Narissa and Gibbs were the last ones to set foot on land amongst the thick fog. Jack looked around, wondering where to go first. He loved the town so much that he didn't even know where to start. There was no land that Jack liked more than the ocean, but for him Tortuga was a place to forget his duties for a few hours. This was probably the only piece of land he truly enjoyed.
Narissa's hand reached for a piece of paper from the inside pocket of her blue coat. "I'll go send the letter to William."
Nodding, Jack remembered he had seen her writing the letter in their cabin the previous night, very focused under the light of a few candles. He knew she missed her friends greatly, specially Will, and she wrote to them almost every time they made port. "We'll be at The Rusty Anchor," he informed her, making her smile fondly at the mention of the tavern where they met.
Both men watched her walk away. If she had been any other person, Jack would have told her to be careful, but he knew her well. She had lived there all by herself as a child and survived, she was strong enough. He was certain that she would be alright.
As always, Tortuga was filled with drunkards, prostitutes, pirates and any other person that just wanted to enjoy some hours of fun in the island. Walking through the narrow streets with her monkey sitting on her shoulder, Narissa recognized the distinctive smell of the town: Alcohol, mud and piss. Oh, how many memories from her childhood!
The small house that played the role of a post office was not too far away from the docks, so the walk along the coast wasn't too long. When she stood before the door, she petted the monkey and said "Alright, Jacky, just as we practiced." The small animal nodded and screeched excitedly. Narissa had spent a few days teaching the monkey how to steal; it hadn't been too difficult, he was very smart.
As she entered the post office, she found a woman sitting at a table and smoking a pipe. Many boxes full of letters were behind her. Narissa knew this woman already. Her name was Tace, a voluptuous woman in her late 40s that made a living out of scamming those who needed to communicate with the rest of the world. An almost empty bottle of booze was on the table, which would make things easier for Narissa and her small friend.
Jack climbed down her body and hid next to the table of the office. After giving the postwoman the letter, Narissa left on the table the amount of money that she was asked for. Knowing Tace, she wasn't surprised to find out it was one shilling more than the last time. The woman took the coins and dropped them into a box under her chair, as she always did.
"The captain of the packet ship will be here in a week," Tace informed her, smoking her wooden pipe and forming a grey cloud around her face.
"Have you got anything to the name N.B?" Narissa asked. She had told Will and Elizabeth to send their letters there and, after sending them six letters since she had left Port Royal, she was expecting to receive some words from them.
The postwoman extended the palm of her hand. Understanding, Narissa rolled her eyes and gave her another coin. After placing that coin in the same box under the chair, Tace rummaged through all the letters she had received, which were ordered in alphabetical order. While her back was turned to her, Narissa spotted a quick tiny furry figure under the chair, next to the money box. She smirked proudly and held back a giggle.
After a few minutes searching for the name, Tace told her "Sorry, miss. Nothing for N.B."
Narissa looked disappointed. Frowning, she asked "Are you sure? Could you check again?"
Facing Narissa, the woman took another drag from the pipe, blowing the smoke on the face of the younger woman, who clenched her jaw to keep herself under control. "I'm telling you there's nothing in the 'N' section."
Desperately, Narissa insisted. "Maybe it was misplaced. Could you check the other sections?" She really needed to know something from her brother and her best friend, even if it was only 'Hello, we're fine'. Anything.
Sighing, the postwoman replied "That would take a long time... I'd need an extra."
"Fine!" she concluded with a complaining tone, placing three chillins on the table that separated both women. In any other circumstance, she wouldn't have insisted that much, but this was an exception. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. And you'll get two more shillings if you find my letter."
"Right away, miss! It's a bliss to have clients like you!" were the woman's last words before she got to work.
Soon after exiting the building, she felt tiny hands and feet quickly running up her back. Jack regained his place on her shoulder with a small leather bag in his mouth. The animal dropped the bag into the open palm of her hand. Looking into the bag, she found all the money she had payed to Tace, plus some extra. "Good job, Jacky," she said, petting the little thief's chin and giving him the bag to keep it save.
Walking by one of the many inns of Tortuga on her way to meet Jack and Gibbs, Narissa heard a man yell at her "Hey, lass. At what time do those legs open?"
Being used to those nasty comments, specially in that town, Narissa ignored him. Taking an annoyed deep breath, she simply kept walking. She heard footsteps behind her and the monkey looked around nervously from her shoulder. She had expected the man to follow her, so her hand stayed close to her pistol. She felt a sudden hand on her shoulder and it only took her two seconds to reach for her pistol, turn around and point it to his head, right between his eyes.
"Touch me again if you dare," she said determined. The man raised his hands in surrender, seeing the wrath in her cold blue eyes. "Now pray that I won't see you again, because if I do -" She cocked the pistol. "- I won't hesitate to pull the trigger."
The man ran away in fear without saying a word. Placing the pistol back on her belt, she rolled her eyes and scoffed "Men." And as if nothing had happened, she kept walking to The Rusty Anchor. She wasn't surprised to find the tavern full of people; it was one of the main reasons why Jack liked going there, he could talk about his business and nobody could hear him between the noise, the fighting and the yelling. As usual, the place was a mess that night: An empty glass bottle flew above her head, she dodged a man that was unconscious on the floor - she wasn't sure if he was drunk or knocked out - and she almost got lost in the middle of a fistfight between two hysterical women.
Despite all the chaos, Narissa was able to spot Jack and Gibbs at their usual table. With a sigh, she sat down with them, finding three jugs full of rum on the table, one of which was waiting for her. She was thankful that the men had ordered a drink for her, because it would have been nearly impossible to get one between all that turmoil.
"Any news from the whelp?" the captain asked her. He grimaced when the monkey stood in front of him on the table.
After taking a large gulp of the sweet rum, she shook her head. "Nothing. I asked the postwoman to search better, I'll go check if there's any letter tomorrow." Holding the jug tightly between her hands, she concluded "Maybe they don't want to write back, they could get in trouble." The thought saddened her, but it was possible. She was a wanted pirate, if someone caught them sending letters to her, who knows what would happen to them. "Maybe I should stop writing to them as well."
Gibbs recognized the sadness in her voice. "Don't say that, Miss Narissa. I'm sure that Miss Swann and the Turner boy really want to write back. There must be a reason for this."
"Aye, sometimes letters get lost at sea," Jack added with a shrug of his shoulders. He wished he could say something more, but he wasn't that good with words when it came to feelings.
"I hope you're right," she muttered to herself.
After some talking and drinking, a man staggered towards their table. He was obviously drunk. Standing behind Narissa, he leaned over her shoulder with a repulsive smile plastered on his face.
"What's a woman like you doing with two men like these?" he asked with a throaty voice, trying - and failing - to sound charming.
Not liking the tone of the man's voice and his closeness to Narissa, Jack immediately warned him "Get away from her, mate. She'll kill you if I don't do it first." His tone held anger and disgust, and his hand moved slowly towards the handle of his sword. He wasn't a jealous man, he knew that Narissa was loyal to him, but he also knew that she hated it when men approached her like that.
The man, who stank of alcohol, laughed mockingly. "Come on, the pretty lass is sulking with you. She could use some fun. Right, dearie?" He grabbed her arm quite aggressively.
The woman stood up abruptly and hit him firmly on the face with her elbow, knocking him out. One single blow was enough to have the man laying on the dirty floor, unconscious and with a broken nose. Kneeling next to his body, Narissa searched him and found some coins in the pockets of his coat. After giving them to the monkey, he kept them in the small leather bag that he carried.
"You let that animal keep your money?" Gibbs asked incredulously.
Sitting back down, she explained "That way, they won't steal it from me. Nobody's going to rob a monkey."
Jack found himself smiling like an idiot. She was brilliant; he loved that about her! Shaking his head with a laugh, he said "You shouldn't trust that monkey with your money. The moment you aren't looking, he'll spend it on peanuts."
"That's the second man that tries to touch me today," she complained, looking back at the unconcious man that laid behind her chair.
Still bitter, the captain said "You're an attractive woman, love."
She took a drink of the golden liquor and added "And they are bloody stupid. Don't they see I have not one, but two swords?"
"Men stop thinking when they see a bit of skin," Jack grunted, now eying every man that walked near Narissa. "Not my case, of course," he added quickly as he saw Narissa, who was sitting in front of him, arching an eyebrow and smirking playfully at him. Jack smiled at her, showing a few of his gold teeth. "Now if you'll excuse me," he ended as he finished his drink with a long gulp. "- I have to find someone." As he passed by her side, he leaned into her ear, whispering with a husky voice "You be ready for tonight. I'll show you why I'm the only one who can touch you." He squeezed her shoulder as a goodbye gesture, leaving a fluttering feeling in her stomach.
Smiling, she stared longingly at the pirate as he walked away. Indeed, no other man had ever touched her the way Jack did; no man talked to her the way he did; no man made her feel the way he did. He was something special and she was so glad that he was back in her life.
Gibbs' words brought her back from her thoughts to the real world. "Do you have any idea of what is the captain's next plan?"
She shook her head in denial, looking back at her friend. "Not really, he simply told me he needed to talk to someone about some business. Didn't say more."
"He told you more than me, then," the man said with a light chuckle.
"Well, I am his first mate after all," she reminded him, leaning back on the chair and drinking.
"And he's courting you, too."
That word made Narissa choke on her drink. "We haven't really... We've never concluded that we're a couple... Officially."
"It doesn't have to be official." Gibbs stopped talking to look around for a moment, making sure that nobody was listening to their private conversation. "Jack really likes you, I can see it, I know him well. He's liked you since the day you met. He has never stuck to any woman, you're the exception. I sense he's going to keep you around for a long time," he said matter-of-factly.
Giving him a friendly smile, she really hoped that his words were true. "I never thought I'd talk with you about something like this, Josahmee. You didn't like me much years ago. In fact, you didn't trust me at all."
"Oh, but I was right not to trust you. Aye?"
~●~○~●~
~ 10 years before ~
The crew of the Black Pearl had started their quest to find Isla de Muerta and the aztec treasure, but first they stopped at the pirate hideout of Tortuga. Narissa entered the familiar tavern of the island to find her captain. She had agreed that she'd meet him there once she had bought the supplies for the ship. Hector Barbossa, the captain's first mate, guarded the Black Pearl at the docks, along with Pintel and Ragetti. Little did she know that on that night the talks about a mutiny began.
The place wasn't too crowded, which was uncommon, so she was able to find the young Jack Sparrow in no time. He sat at the same table where she had met him, next to the bar counter. And just like the day she had met him, Joshamee Gibbs was sitting by his side. During the past months, Jack had talked to her about his dear friend.
Despite working for his enemy, Jack trusted Gibbs like a childhood friend. Mr. Gibbs was a modest man who worked for the Royal Navy and he, as many others who served the Crown, was underpaid, usually cheated of his payment or beaten for the most insignificant reasons. Every time he had some free days, he spent them in Tortuga amongst people that understood him better. Lately, and convinced by people like Jack, Joshamee had started to believe that the life aboard a pirate ship was more humane and democratic than the military service.
The moment she sat with them at the table, Jack winked at her and Narissa, with her teenage heart, prayed that he wouldn't notice her reddened cheeks.
There were only two jugs full of booze on the table and Narissa felt insulted by that. "You knew I was coming, captain. I thought you'd order a drink for me."
Laughing, the young captain explained "Sorry, Nari, but the last time you drank you could barely hold your liquor." He was referring to a few nights before, when she had drunk for the first time, dancing and singing with the crew until her face met the floor violently. The truth was that her father didn't allow his crew to drink on the ship, so Narissa had never had the chance to try alcohol when she'd served on his ship.
Standing up again, she said "I shall practice, then." And she headed to the bar counter to order her own drink.
Eyeing her suspiciously from the distance, Gibbs murmured "I don't like her."
The pirate raised his eyebrows at him. For Jack, Narissa was worth three regular sailors. "Why not? She's a good lass. She's terrific with a sword, she works well, she learns fast, she obeys..." By then, his eyes were fixed on the girl, who had found a way to get a free jug of rum. He smirked. "And she's really clever too."
The marine narrowed his eyes at her, studying the way she had gotten away with her unpaid drink. "Aye... Maybe too clever. Keep an eye on her, Jack." He rested a hand on the pirate's shoulder.
"Nonsense." Jack rolled his eyes, disregarding his overly suspicious thoughts. Sometimes Gibbs could be a bit paranoid. Now the young man was focused on Narissa stealing a bag full of coins from a man that had gotten too close to her. "I trust her," he concluded.
Inspecting Jack's expression, a thought passed through Gibbs' mind. "You... like her? Like romantically?"
"Shut the bloody hell up," Jack retorted right away, staring angrily at the man.
As if that was enough to confirm his thoughts, Gibbs pressed a hand against his face in exasperation. "Oh, Jack... That lass is going to be a lot of trouble for you."
The moment Narissa was back at their table with the biggest jug she could get, the three of them started talking and laughing, drink after drink. Her eyes didn't miss the angry and suspicious glares coming from Mr. Gibbs.
That night, Jack and a slightly tipsy Narissa walked back to the Black Pearl. Luckily, her father was sleeping and he would not see her in such an embarrasing state again. The young pirates climbed up to the crow's nest, her favourite spot, and talked for a few more hours, with a few more laughs and a few more drinks.
That night, plans about a mutiny started to form.
That was the night of their first kiss.
~●~○~●~
Together, Gibbs and Narissa headed back to the ship, since the captain was taking quite a long time to come back. Once she was aboard the black vessel, she ordered Cotton to rest or have some fun at the town like the rest of his mates, and she replaced him supervising the ship while Gibbs went to sleep in the hold.
Almost an hour later, she saw Jack climbing onto the Pearl with a bottle in his hand. He looked around until he spotted Narissa standing in the crow's nest. She waved at him under the moonlight. He smiled, of course she'd be there! With a movement of his hand, the captain signaled her to climb down and follow him to his cabin.
Once the door was closed and they stood face to face in the room, Jack raised his left hand with the bottle of red wine and grinned proudly. Chuckling, she took the green glass bottle from his hands and looked at the label and its design. "This looks expensive, Jacky." He loved how she only called him that when they were alone.
"We can afford it," he shrugged off her worries about the money while lighting some candles. During the last months, and thanks to the seaglass, they had stolen many prized items and sold them later, so money was not one of his concerns. "I thought we could use it tonight. Ye' know: some wine, a few candles, the moonlight..." He reached out to caress her cheek. Then, getting closer to her, he whispered against her ear "And you moaning my name over and over again." She shivered under his lips brushing her ear.
"A romantic night, huh?" she wondered with a love-struck smile, watching him take off his hat and coat and leaving his weapons by the door. "What's the occasion?"
"Do I need a special occassion to show you that I -" He stopped before his mouth got carried away. "- that I care about you?" He would have said that he loved her, he had already said it once, but it was still difficult for him to express those words.
Narissa was surprised, Jack wasn't the romantic type. Romanticism was for men such as William, not her Jacky. However, she wouldn't deny that she liked the attention every once in a while. Smiling warmly at the pirate, she told him "I already know you care about me, Jack."
He considered that maybe Narissa knew the deeper meaning beneath his words, maybe she understood what he didn't dare to say. And maybe she felt it for him too. Jack grasped her waist and pulled her closer to him, leaving a sweet short kiss against her lips. His mouth found her neck then, biting lightly, and Narissa almost dropped the glass bottle because of the sudden pleasure and the sensation of his rough stubble against her delicate skin.
"Before we start, though..." She stopped him by pushing his chest lightly with her free hand. He groaned in frustration as she set the bottle on the table. "Can I know what kind of business you had in Tortuga?"
He watched her as she poured some wine into two silver glasses and took a sip from one of them. She looked at him above the glass as she drank. Her eyes were waiting for an answer. He knew she deserved to know, not only because she was the first mate of his ship, but also because she'd always trust him to tell him everything that she considered important; the least he could do was doing the same thing.
Sighing, he eventually gave in. "We're heading to Turkey tomorrow morning."
"Turkey?!" She exclaimed, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "What are we looking for in Turkey?"
"I will know when I find it." His answer was strange, but she didn't perceive a lie in his words.
"Do you at least know why we need to find whatever it is that we're looking for?" she insisted, trying to get him to open up to her.
He hesitated, unsure of how to explain it to her. "I'm not sure yet."
Narissa sighed, hopeless. "Jack... If you just don't want to tell me, you don't have to lie to me."
The man took a step closer to her. "I'm telling you the truth, love. I don't know what I am after," he said promptly. He really wished he could tell her eveything that was going on inside his head, but how could he begin to explain it? How could he tell her about the big mess he had gotten into? "Could we talk about it tomorrow, Nari? I really need to forget about this for an hour or two," he pleaded while grabbing the other glass and tasting the fruity wine.
She gulped the rest of her drink and placed the silver glass back on the table. "I can make you forget for the rest of the night, Jacky," she said with a mischevious smile as her index finger ran delicately down his chest.
Forgetting about his drink, he circled his arms around her waist and kissed her, softly at first. His lips moved slowly against hers and his tongue found hers almost timidly. He tasted the wine strongly on her tongue, but he could also savour the sweetness of the rum she'd had before. The kiss became more fierce when he heard a moan against his mouth. He loved that sound and would never get enough of it.
Feeling her fingers fiddling with the buttons of his shirt and her warm hands caressing his bare chest, Jack completely lost it. Breaking the kiss, he grunted "Take off your clothes and lay on the bed."
"Aye aye, captain," she replied with a mischevious smile and a playful wink. He watched her as she undressed slowly, her seductive eyes not leaving his for a second. The naked woman walked to the bed while Jack removed his boots hastily. After throwing his shirt on the floor, he laid next to her, gawking at the bare body he knew so well.
Gripping her knees, he pushed her legs apart, exposing her to him completely. He leaned down and kissed her inner thighs, keeping his hands on her hips. His mouth advanced upwards, agonizingly slowly, leaving some tiny bites on his way. Her moans, her pleas, her hands on his hair... It all made his heart drum inside his chest.
The moment he reached her awaiting sex, Jack whispered against it "I'm in charge tonight, love."
~●~○~●~
Hello, mates!
I'm sorry this was sort of a filler chapter. This is more about the characters and not about the plot. But we'll get into "Dead Man's Chest" in the next chapter!
Also: New cover!!! Do you like it?
Did you enjoy these chapters between the 2 movies? Let me know your opinion in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
D.Xx