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The Chalice of Doom	By : Jessica66 Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 2364 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
13.
The calm before the storm

Miguel Alfonso de Santiago turned up
his nose as he walked through Cayona's dock area, wishing he'd taken the
carriage. Despite all the years he knew that part of town, he'd never get used
to the incredible stench. Also he'd never understand what made it so attractive
to grown-up men to wallow in the filth like pigs, even if said men were stranded
outsiders of society. He didn't grudge them the fun they had with cheap booze
and whores, and if they absolutely needed a public screw it was up to them as
well. But why didn't they know when to stop? Why did they always have to fall
asleep in their own vomit? That was the most disgusting thing to him. Yet all
sailors, villains, pirates and adventurers of the Caribbean got shiny eyes
whenever the name 'Tortuga' was mentioned, and almost everyone had a story of
his stay in the most lawless harbour to tell; a story that probably ended in
vomit.
The
Spaniard took a deep breath when he finally reached the quay and a fresh breeze
blew from the sea, driving away the bad smell. His heart leapt at the sight of
the two dark ships that were moored there; the imposing, majestic shape of the
Black Pearl with all her beautiful wooden carvings and next to her lay her
little sister, the more slender and less extravagant decorated Jewel Star.

With
a smile on his face he entered the Jewel and headed for the captain's cabin in
order to look for Rowan Scarlett. But even before he could walk down the
companions way, a voice called him back.

"She's
not in there."

He
turned around to see Marris sitting on a coil of ropes, idly polishing his
cutlass.

"Ah,
so where's she?"

Marris
pointed his head at the Black Pearl when he saw Santiago pulling a face. He
sighed, slightly annoyed but most of all unnerved. "Nah, not again. Listen
mate, I've already spent hours setting Anamaria straight that she's only in love
with the idea of loving the famous Captain Jack Sparrow, since a woman who-
because of a lack of arguments- continuously slaps the guy she thinks she loves
can't possibly love him dearly, and therefore she's not the right one for that
man; especially if said man is Jack Sparrow."

"Did she get what you're talking
about, lad?" Santiago asked ironically, raising a bewildered brow at the
blonde pirate.
"Well, she slapped me. Guess she
likes me a lot." He grinned at the thought of the fierce Mulatto woman, but
only a second later his eyes narrowed. "That's not the point. The point is
that I'm getting sick and tired of it. Damned, am I the only one to see clearly
what's obvious? This is a pirate love-story, mad, wild, and maybe even
self-destructive. But can you keep an untameable animal in a golden cage,
bearing to see it die like a flower fading in the shade? Can you tame the wind
or burn the devil? You can't. So do me a favour and leave them alone since
there's nothing you can do about it."
"You're
being very cryptic this morning- or should I call it philosophical? Anyway, I
promise to keep your words in mind but I really have to talk to Rowan now. Am I
right to assume that she's aboard the Black Pearl with Jack?"

Marris
rolled his eyes. Just what had he been talking about the whole time? Of course
Rowan was with Jack! He sighed. "Well if ye gotta go 'n disturb them better
make a detour through the galley and take a pot of tea along. Ye know what she's
like early in the morning."

The Spaniard looked sceptically at the
sky; the sun was already at its zenith. But then he just shrugged. Maybe he was
too old to remember what it was like to be young and in love, therefore Marris
may be right. Ah, Marris was definitely right. That blonde fuzzy-head had a
certain talent to see more than meets the eyes, a very rare gift. If only he
wouldn't be so slackly in nature, too cheeky to take anything serious and always
ready to crack a joke� then he'd even be able to become a magician... Alas,
though he might be an undiscovered talent he surely lacked patience,
concentration and most of all respect for that secret knowledge...
It
was the same secret knowledge that welcomed Santiago when he set foot on the
dark planks of the Black Pearl, because these planks literally breathed with
magic. It was the magic he'd used to give Jack a safe refuge, a swimming,
impregnable fortress, and the fastest ship in the Caribbean. Yet that daft fool
didn't even know where he got the Pearl from...

Should
I've wrapped a red ribbon around her hull like a birthday present, including a
card that read 'all the best to you', signed with my name? He wouldn't have
appreciated it anyway. After all, he didn't wish me to interfere in his life
anymore, not after Panama and certainly not after the mutiny. He made that
unmistakably clear... The
Spaniard sighed... It still hurts, and I'll never forget the harsh words he
shouted at me when I finally found him, partying with the rum runners. He was so
completely out of his own then, drunk and probably stuffed with all kinds of
drugs. Maybe he has learned his lesson now, maybe he has changed in the
meantime- or maybe I've never really figured him out. Who knows?

"Don Miguel, are you alright?"

"Mr. Gibbs! Nice to meet you."
Santiago replied politely but suddenly he felt rather stupid. After all, he'd
just walked aboard the most famous pirate vessel, carrying a tray with two
steaming mugs of tea in his hands and looking for Rowan as if he was her
cabin boy. He- a cursed, 246 years old magician. It seems no matter how old you
are you can still manage to look ridiculous. He cleared his throat. "Well,
I was obviously a bit lost in my thoughts. Actually I'm looking for Captain
Scarlett. I was told she's here."
Gibbs made a sign to avoid evil and
pointed to the captain's cabin. "Aye, she's in there, alas. Please forgive
me for speaking so freely but if you ask me it's frightful bad luck to have one
woman aboard and now we have two." He took a gulp from his
little silvern flask he always carried along to underline that this was really
too much for him.
Santiago just nodded and continued his
way, hindered by no one. The few man on guard let him pass since they already
knew him; after all, he'd been the one who'd repaired the Pearl when help was
bitterly needed.
Then he entered Jack's cabin and
immediately felt like an intruder when he saw Jack and Rowan in such an intimate
embrace, her red hair mingling with his dark strands and dreadlocks. They smiled
in their sleep; it was a relaxed smile that Santiago had never ever seen on
Jack's face and which he'd long missed on Rowan's. Now he understood what Marris
had already seen long before he could see it. They were a lovely couple- in
their very own pirate ways though, but that still didn't alter the fact. He had
to come to terms with it because he couldn't tear them apart as well as he
couldn't burn the devil and hope to win...
A clicking sound interrupted his
thoughts and only a second later a cocked and loaded pistol aimed at him.
"Ah, you know you can't shoot me,
lad." He said matter-of-factly.
"Alf!" Jack yelped,
definitely astonished to see the Spaniard. At once he lowered his pistol,
breathing a sigh of relief that there was no attack, no mutiny- just Alf paying
him a visit and bringing him... tea?
"Aye, it's me. And since you know
now that it's me, would you please spare me this sight and cover yourself?"
Captain Jack Sparrow gazed down at
himself, not knowing what should be wrong with the sight of a perfect body. Then
he noticed that he was totally naked and quickly wrapped a sheet around his hips,
grinning sheepishly at the Spaniard.
Meanwhile Rowan stirred in her sleep,
instinctively reaching out one hand for a mug of tea but after she'd slurped
some she pulled the sheets up over her head again.
"What d'ye want?" She
grumbled sleepily and obviously not very pleased to see Santiago.
"Well, I have to talk to you, my
dear girl."
"Go away. I'm tired."
Santiago didn't go away; he knew how
she was like when waking up. Silent he watched her having another sip of tea and
this time her eyes were open but unfriendly narrowed. He sighed. "You were
quite in a rush yesterday- which I can understand of course- but there are still
a few things we have to talk about. We need a plan to stop the evil things that
are happening here."
"Ye want me to think of a plan? Now?"
Rowan turned around and hid her head under the pillows, definitely not in the
mood for evil magicians and even more evil goddesses.
"No, not now. I just want you to
come to my house in- let's say in two hours." He looked at Jack. "Of
course you're also welcome since you're already too deeply involved."
"Ah, are ye just saying that
Captain Jack Sparrow has been so daft to take that damned chalice from Isla de
Muerta, therefore he's gotta pay for it and fix the whole bloody mess?"
Jack asked suspiciously.
"Well, that's a tempting thought
indeed but unfortunately even the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow isn't a match
for a magician like Ratbone." Santiago patted the pirate's shoulder
comfortingly. "No, my lad. I've no intention to feed you to Ratbone since
I've got other plans for you. See you in two hours."
"He really knows how to spoil my
day." Rowan moaned after Santiago had left the cabin.
"Well, at least he didn't shout
at me that I should keep my fingers off you. Also, I'm apparently welcome in his
house again- dunno how that's gonna end but I'd say that's a good start."
Jack sniffed at the tea, not knowing if he should really drink something that
obviously lacked any rum. He decided against and slipped under the sheets again,
nibbling at Rowan's neck. That was definitely a better taste. "After all,
we've got two hours left." he purred in her ear.

-

"You're late."
"Aye." Rowan didn't try to
talk her way out of it nor look guilty since she would have failed anyway. In
fact, she didn't even give a damn if she was in time or not. What matters time
when you make love? She had every right to get a bit of distraction, forgetting
Nirrti, magic, Ratbone, the chalice... and Jack was very talented in distracting
her. He made her feel wanted, attractive and desirable, maybe even loved though
he'd probably never say that. He wasn't like Tyagraja who'd written poems or
played a song on his sitar for her; Jack said all he couldn't speak out with his
dark brown eyes.
Although she hadn't been in the mood
to tell him about Nirrti- mayhap she'd never have the nerve to tell him- she had
wondered why he didn't pester her with questions. Last night he'd been so eager
to find out what's wrong with her, but today? Not a single word. First, she had
thought he simply didn't care, that last night had been last night and today was
just another day. But not Jack; Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't a man to forget
things that easily, so the only reason he didn't ask was that he already knew.
Realizing that had hit her like a bolt from the blue.
She still remembered how infuriated,
hurt and betrayed she had felt when Jack told her that Marris was to blame.
Well, of course he hadn't literally said that Marris was to blame but
that's what it had meant to her. Of all people, her best friend had stabbed her
in the back. Then, after a while and a few comforting, calming kisses later, she
had realized that she was wrong. Probably she'd never ever have the guts to put
in words what had happened in Madras, therefore it would always be between her
and Jack. Thus, Marris had done her a favour...
"Rowan, dear, are you still with
us?" Santiago asked and made her wince since she hadn't listened to him at
all.
"What?"
"I've said we have to destroy
that statue of Nirrti before Ratbone can lay hands on it, do you agree?"
"Aye." Nirrti, Nirrti,
NIRRTI ... that damned name echoed in her ears with every pulse of her
heart, getting louder each time like the sound of the drums on that crematorium
ground.
"Listen luv," Jack reached
her a glass of wine. "it seems that I'm the one who'd messed things up so
I'm gonna be the one who's gotta fix them again. Savvy? So I'll sail to the Isla
de Muerta, find that statue and destroy it. What d'ye say?"
"Well Jack, that's a fair offer
and I wish it would be that easy but..."
"Bah!" Rowan snorted,
interrupting Santiago. "How could you even consider that? Do you two really
think I'm a frightened, easy to intimidate girl that needs to be pampered?"
"No, no, I haven't said that,
luv." Jack hurried to hush her with a little kiss. "I just thought
there might be no need to confront you with that nasty Nirrti Goddess again."
"I'm not scared of a statue-
savvy, sweetheart?"
"Of course ye're not scared, ye
only scare others... um, I mean ye gotta consider that others might be scared about
ye because ye're such a beautiful, courageous woman- sometimes even a bit too
courageous and quite rash when it comes down fighting..."
"What are ye trying to tell me
now? That you worry about me or that you fear I'd do something stupid?"
Jack dramatically rolled his eyes
before he gazed back at her, hands lifted in an attempt to underline his next
words but then he decided better not to answer. Instead he put an arm around her
shoulder, hugging her tightly. "Ah, I just love it when ye call me
sweetheart."
She drank a sip of wine and glanced
flirtatiously across the brim of her glass, fluttering her long, dark lashes at
him. "Is it so?"
There was a drop of wine on her lips
he just had to kiss away before she could lick it off and he did that thoroughly.
Apparently both of them had forgotten- or chosen to ignore- that they were not
alone in this room. It was then that Santiago audibly cleared his throat.
"Well, it's nice to see that you
enjoy yourselves here but..." He thumped on the table, rebuking them
strictly. "... we're not here to enjoy ourselves. Good Lord, you can
paw one another as much as you like after we're done with more important things.
So keep your fingers to yourselves now because that is a very serious
matter. You're absolutely not aware with whom we have to deal, kids. Ratbone's
an old and mighty magician; he's very dangerous..."
"Gosh,
I still can't believe we're talking about the same little creep. Thought he's
just a boot-licking, mentally retarded hunchback." Rowan giggled, though
she knew it better. After all, she had seen him in Port Royal; she had seen the
aura of gloomy power around him. Yet that was something she didn't want to think
about now.

"Lemme
guess- Ratbone's not even his real name, aye? I mean, a mighty, old and
dangerous magician can't possibly be called Ratbone. "

"Of
course not. His real name's forgotten but as a magician he was once known by the
name of Anirvan, the undying. That was before he'd eaten a human brain to gain
even more power. Now he's not only a magician but also a Rakshasa�"

"What's
a Raskas... Rashaksa... Rakshasa?" Jack interjected curiously.

"A
Rakshasa is a Vedan night-demon that usually lingers around at crematorium
grounds..."

"So
to say a lovely companion to her Maliciousness, Nirrti." Rowan sounded
rather cool but that was only pretended. Nirrti, Nirrti, NIRRTI...
she dug her fingers into Jack's hand and felt at once more confident. Gently he
brushed a wisp of hair from her face, suspecting very well what she was going
through at the moment but still fascinated by that unusual color. Lost in
thoughts he winded the strand round his index finger.

Instead
of giving him a rap on the knuckles- like she would have done only a week ago-
she just smiled now and snuggled up to him, playing with these two stupid braids
that Jack calls a beard. Soon they'd start kissing again, Santiago interpreted
the glances they exchanged, and he was slowly losing patience with them. Had he
ever thought that they were a lovely couple? Well, maybe they were when asleep
but awake they were simply unbearable.

"Stop
that now!" The Spaniard barked. Though he didn't grudge them their
happiness he was really pissed off with all that bill and coo because they
seemed to forget more significant things. "Blast, that's really an
important and very serious matter! Ratbone could tear out your hearts and have
them raw for breakfast if he wants to, so stop behaving like infatuated kids."

"Thought
he prefers brains." Rowan dared to say yet she fell silent when Santiago
shot her an unnerving look. For a moment it appeared to her as if he would like
to do some really nasty things himself.

Jack
couldn't help but interrupt once more. "Yeah and why didn't he just bash in
my head, steal my compass and eat my brain? Or eat my brain first before
stealing the compass?"

Santiago
rolled his eyes. "Brats! I wish I'd knew since I don't understand that
either. Maybe he thought eating your brain would only make him sick. But,
actually there's only one logical explanation- he's not in total control of his
powers yet after Khadim had sent him into a magical sleep
for centuries..."

"Who's
Khadim?" Jack and Rowan asked in unison.

"You
really drive me nuts! Why can't you just shut up and listen to what I have to
say without interrupting me all the time? Do I have to put a silence spell upon
you? I promise that I'll tell you all you need to know if you'd only let me
finish." Santiago paused for an instant, awaiting a response but the two
pirates only nodded, obviously not very keen to get spellbound. A wry smile
curled up the corner of his mouth. "Well then, let me tell you a story of
two friends that had started their career as magicians together until they
reached a crossroad and each of them chose a different way; one decided to walk
the path of light and the other that of darkness. Over the years, Khadim and
Anirvan became bitter enemies. Anirvan lusted for power, and power he gained by
worshipping Nirrti, the Vedan Goddess of Darkness and Destruction who had
vanished from people's mind such a long time ago. In a vision she told him to
eat a human brain in order to transform him into a Rakshasa, a mighty demon and
her loyal companion; thus he did. Then, he
created the Chalice of Doom... But Khadim thwarted his plans of setting
Nirrti free. They fought a long, fierce battle and after all's said and done the
Rakshasa Anirvan was put under a magical sleep somewhere high in the mountains
of the Himalayas. It's not known why Khadim neither killed him nor destroyed the
Chalice of Doom, maybe that simply wasn't within his powers. But it is known
that he hid the chalice at a safe place where no one could ever find it, and it
is also known that he used a magical compass to get there. Alas, soon after he
had returned from his voyage Khadim got killed by some ordinary thugs and from
that day on the compass was reported missing. So, what I really want to knows is
how you came by that compass, Jack."

"Well,
I didn't kill him- if that's what ye mean." Jack defended himself defiantly.

The
Spaniard shook his head before hiding it in his hands, chuckling silently. Then
he looked at the pirate again. "Oh boy, either you're really much too full
of yourself or the daftest fool I've ever met. Khadim got killed about
four-hundred years ago so it's very unlikely you had your dirty hands in that
affair."

"Ah,
that's good."

"So
how did you come by that compass?"

"Well...
um, it was after Singapore. A great place, by the way- just like heaven on earth
for a man..."

"Please
spare me these details. Singapore's just like Tortuga, a run-down disgrace
swarming with worn-out faces and lacking any culture at all. Or do you really
want to call the ill reputed brothels there places of cultural interest?"
Of course that was only meant as a rhetorical question which any decent person
wouldn't even think answering. Alas, Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't what one would
call a decent man because he was in fact a pirate, and pirates usually got other
priorities right. Therefore, ill reputed brothels definitely were places
of interest to him and he could probably even see a cultural aspect in that;
Santiago saw it in his eyes and impatiently cut him short before Jack could even
open his mouth. "No, don't answer. Just tell me about the compass."

Jack
shrugged. After exchanging glances with Rowan he cringed and came to the
conclusion that Alf was right, maybe it was really better not to mention
Singapore's famous brothels when she was around. Well, she had taken it with a
kind of sophisticated humor, just raising a brow when he had indicated what he'd
almost done last night and he didn't want to push it too far now. Quickly
he leaned over to give her a brief kiss before Alf could attract his attention
again.

"Well
then, after Singapore I raided the Gulf of Bengal for a while and- without
boasting- I could keep up easily with the local pirates. Soon my name was as
infamous there as it was in the Caribbean so there were of course many envious
persons and one of them must have betrayed me to the East India Company..."

"Jack,
the legend of how the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow escaped from under the eyes
of seven agents of the East India Company and nevertheless got marked with a
pirate brand is already known; so there's no need to tell that story
again." Santiago sighed, impatiently trying to suppress his continuously
increasing impatience. "All I want to know is how. you. got. that.
compass?"

"Ah
that! Well, actually I bought it at a market in Bombay. An old Indian woman sold
it to me, said it's a magical compass granting me fortune and fame..." Jack
fell silent, grimacing at the thought of what he had gotten instead. Losing his
Black Pearl to Barbossa wasn't what he'd call fortune and fame, and during these
lonely ten years there had been many moments when he'd damned himself for buying
a compass that doesn't point north.

"That's
interesting." Santiago mused as he patted Jack's shoulder like praising a
good boy. "So you've bought that compass of an old Indian Gypsy woman."

The
pirate just made a mumbling sound that could be interpreted as approval and it
was also quite obvious that he'd like to change the subject now- or better,
leave the room. He didn't even want to know what Alf was thinking up in his
246-years-old-magician-mind at the moment since that meant trouble anyway.
Apparently they were just about to set sails for Isla de Muerta and destroy that
statue of Nirrti before a magician turned demon could lay hands on it. He was
right.

"Jack,
you'll lead us to Isla de Muerta. Prepare to sail before sunrise."

"Captain."
Jack stressed, beginning to get sick and tired of being treated like a child.

"No,
no. There's no need to call me captain." Santiago replied lost in thoughts.
"I'll travel as a passenger aboard the Jewel Star."

Jack
gasped audibly while Rowan started to giggle, which reminded him that there
seemed to be no need of her accompanying them into unknown dangers, and he'd
liked to keep her out of any danger if possible. Yet he didn't even dare to
mention that because he already knew that she hated being treat like a child
just as much as he did, so of course she would accompany them. Remember never
ever to fall in love again with such a stubborn, vivaciously, proud, beautifully
insane woman who doesn't give a damn 'bout me worries for her, he told
himself, completely ignoring the simple fact that he'd fallen in love with her
mainly because of that. Also, he'd almost forgotten that she could take care of
herself on her own very well, so he cracked a smile now, remembering how she'd
beaten up Commodore Norrington once before things went dreadfully wrong. If she
was as good with her sword as her footwork was, he should stop worrying...

-

Some
people might say that taking a hot bath on a warm Caribbean evening is absurd, a
decadent waste of time and almost indecent. These people surely lacked any sense
of sensuality, Rowan thought while she slid into the scented water, stretched
out her limbs and sighed with pleasure. Or maybe it was the sensual feeling
itself some people had problems with and seeing Santiago's bathroom might have
confirmed their theory of heathen traditions because it was a luxurious dream of
Arabian Nights. The tub- if you really want to call that little pool a tub- was
in the middle of the room under a star-painted cupola carried by four marble
columns. It was installed in a raised area to which three steps led covered in
blue white tiles as the rest of the room was. Candles were lit everywhere and
the damp air smelled of exotic spices like sandalwood. You could think whatever
you want of Santiago but the man definitely knew about lifestyle. Of course he'd
traveled far and he had adopted many attitudes of other cultures than the
Christians where it was still a widespread belief that water- if hot or not- did
harm the health. Therefore some narrow-minded members of high-society rather
shrouded themselves in heavy clouds of perfumes before they'd ever dip a toe
into a bathtub.

Rowan
shuddered at that thought but then she stopped thinking and just enjoyed the
hot, scented water caressing her body like a lover's touch, feeling completely
relaxed from head to toe. For a short moment her mind was caught in a sweet void
of sleepy laziness... until the door opened...

She
sat up, wiping sweat and water off her face, prepared to shout some nasty words
at the intruder. Then she saw that the intruder was Jack and relaxed again.
"Ah, it's only you."

"Aye.
Me." A smile curled up his lips when he saw her sunk neck-deep in warm
water and though he tried hard not to stare at her too obviously, he failed.

"Why
are ye staring at me? Never seen a woman taking a bath?"

Jack
shrugged. He'd never spent that much time with a woman before and Tortugan
whores weren't very famous for being clean, so he had in fact never seen a woman
taking a bath. It was a lovely sight but also a very intimate moment that he
almost felt he was disturbing here. "Um... d'ye want me to leave?"

"No.
Come here." Rowan splashed around the water to make it unmistakably clear
where she wanted him. He raised his brows in anticipation.

Of
course he didn't have to be told twice when a lovely woman begged for his
company, nevertheless Jack took his time. First he threw a cautious glance at
the corridor outside, then he closed the door and locked it carefully. After
all, he was in Alf's house and the last thing he had in mind was to infuriate a
246-year-old magician- or better said to infuriate him even more than he had
already done.

"Just
wanted to make sure we remain undisturbed, savvy?"

"And
I almost thought you're scared of water- strictly speaking of taking a bath."
Rowan teased him by splashing some water in his direction.

"Luv,
I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. I fear nothing." He boasted and started to
undress. Then he sat down at the edge of the pool, smiling cheekily at her while
he dipped his fingers into the scented waters and sniffed at them before he
nodded his head in approval. "That'll do. It wouldn't be good for my
reputation if I smelled like a bouquet of flowers afterwards, aye?"

"You
are scared of taking a bath." Rowan claimed and grabbed his arm; now
she was smiling cheekily.

"I'm
not!" Jack yelled as he fell into the pool with a big splash, a flood
of water slopping over its sides. Snorting he shook his soaking wet hair and
the pearls in his dreadlocks jingled. He tried to get hold of Rowan.
"Blast! If ye'd told me right from the beginning how keen you are to
take a bath with me instead of telling me that I needed one it would have saved
us a lot of trouble."

She
needed a moment to figure out what he was about but then her eyes narrowed.
"I definitely wasn't keen to take a bath with ye when we met for the first
time! Damned, I really hate it when ye're so..."

"Irresistible."
He cut her short, circling dripping arms around her neck. "Irresistible is
the word you're looking for."

Well,
she'd had other words in mind yet he had the better arguments, and his
breath-taking kiss was a damned good argument. More water slopped over the edge
of the tub as she fit herself upon him with parted legs.

"Luv,
are ye trying to seduce an innocent pirate?"

Rowan
laughed. "I guess insatiable
is the word you're looking for." She could clearly feel his desire for her,
begging for entry which she willingly granted inch by delicious inch. Yet she
still had to tease him a bit. "Besides, we could stop it if the innocent
pirate in you feels abused."

"NO!"
Jack grabbed her hard, filling her to the core and as an answer she locked her
legs behind his back. They both chuckled as another wave of water splashed over
the edges of the pool. "But we're gonna flood Alf's house if we continue."
he murmured.

"So
what?"

Later
Jack held Rowan idly in his arms and he enjoyed that moment of intimacy as much
as the relaxing feeling of warm water caressing his skin. Against the usual
opinion that pirates in general are scared of water he didn't mind taking a
bath- especially not if that ended in a sensual affair with a very unusual
woman- and he didn't even fear for his reputation if he was clean. Yet one of
the reasons for not taking a bath more often was definitely the lack of
opportunities on high seas where fresh water was rare, secondly the lack of such
a lovely company like Rowan Scarlett, but most of all it was for his own safety.
After all, a naked pirate in a bathtub was actually very vulnerable, specially
if said pirate was the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow who'd lived though a mutiny
and was wanted dead or alive by the Royal Navy.

It was
Rowan who ended their comfortable togetherness by reminding him of the
uncomfortable world outside this bathtub; a world crowded with wicked magicians
and evil goddesses.

"We
should see to it that our ships are ready to set sail at sunrise..."

"Not
now. The Pearl's always ready to set sail." Jack moaned and tried to
silence her with a kiss. But since they'd been lying in waters mixed with
scented oils she could easily slip from his hands, looking at him seriously.

"And
we have to gather our crews from the various taverns."

He
sighed. "Or we could just take whoever's available to man the Pearl.
Besides, ye know that ye don't have to come to the Isla de Muerta with us, luv.
Alf and I can cope on our own."

"Ha!
Ye'd rather kill each other!" Rowan snorted. If the bath hadn't soothed her
mind as well as her body she would be much more annoyed now, guessing right that
this was just another attempt to tread her like... like a woman. She bit back
any harsh remarks that were on the tip of her tongue and decided to be patient
with him. "Jack, I know that you only want to keep me out of
danger and I really appreciate that, but I didn't become a pirate captain
just because of my look. I learned all I needed to know starting from the bottom,
and I always had to be better than any man to prove myself, to gain their
respect. It was a hard time. Though in the end it was my crew's decision that I
should be their captain because they've started to trust me- even if I'm just
a woman. I'm sick and tired of struggling with prejudices all the time so please
give me a break and try to trust me as well. Besides, neither you nor Santiago
are able to find that statue of Nirrti since I'm the only one who ever saw
her."

"At
the crematorium ground in Madras..." Jack whispered knowingly, remembering
what Marris had told him and wondering what might have happened to Tyagraja
since Marris had failed to mention that.

"Aye,
at the crematorium ground in Madras." She got out of the tub and wrapped
herself in a large towel, shivering a bit at that thought. It was obvious that
she didn't want to talk about that anymore. She gave him a wry smile before
leaving the room. "See you at the docks."

Jack
collected his clothes, wishing he hadn't dropped them that close to the pool
since they were wet as the rest of the bathroom was. He poured the water out of
his boots and crept out of the room barefoot, hoping that he didn't meet
anyone of Alf's household when he stumbled into Alf himself. The Spaniard
stared at him from head to toe, an ironic smile on his lips.

"Good
Lord, Jack! You look almost clean! Could it be that you've actually taken a bath?
And forgotten to take off your clothes?"

Jack
smirked but didn't give any answer. Instead he hurried to get away from Alf
before the Spaniard could see the bathroom and figure out what had happened
there.
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The Chalice of Doom