The Siren

Title: The Siren
Author: Hellborne (the_ferret_mom@yahoo.com)
Age Rating: 18+

Disclaimer: Characters, if you saw them in the movie, not mine. See the Mouse. Story, mine, but I make no money. He does, but not on this.

Typing convention: / is used for thoughts. * - * - * is used for scene changes and passages of time.

Summary: Will has been abducted by The Siren, a beautiful pirate captain with a crew of women. It's Jack's job to get him back, and he seems scared about it. Many surprises.

Warnings: H/C, angst, lemon, rape, Het.

Betas: The two greatest BetaGoddesses in the world, Pendragginink and Littlebird! You're both truly magnificent, and I wouldn't be able to write half as well without you!

NOTE: I live for reviews. Being quite depressed lately about my health and missing my job, I could really use some reviews...and don't think I'm begging for cudos! I happen to love flames and constructive criticism just as much and sometimes more! Lord knows, without constructive criticism, I'd have never fixed some of the boo-boos I've made!

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Chapter 9 - Law & Justice

When Jack entered the cabin, he strode directly to the desk, sat in the chair, and sunk his head on his hands on the desk. Elizabeth approached carefully, put her hand on the middle of his back and started gently moving it in circles. Although he made no sound, she could feel his gentle sobs through his back. After several minutes of unbroken silence, Jack sat back in the chair, his head back and his eyes closed, his face wet with tears.

Quite suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he stood, turning to face Elizabeth, an insane look on his face. He moved lightning fast, grabbing Elizabeth and tearing her clothes off. "SHE'S GONE!!!" Jack threw her onto the bed and leaped onto her, grabbing her wrists and pinning them against her chest with his bad arm, oblivious to the pain. He used his other hand to unbutton his breeches and lower them enough to release his throbbing manhood. He entered her hard and fast, holding her wrists hard enough to bruise them.

Elizabeth screamed, trying to get away from him. Jack pumped himself hard inside her, as if he wanted to hurt her. He bent his head, covering her mouth with his other hand to keep her from screaming further.

She fought to free herself, seeing only madness in his eyes as he took her, tears streaming unchecked down his face. The relentless attack continued, and Elizabeth managed to get a hand free and scratch him down his face, drawing blood. He slapped her across the face hard enough for her to see stars as he wailed wordlessly in his rage. He came hard, then unceremoniously collapsed on top of her, still sobbing. Elizabeth dumped him off of her onto the floor, tears in her eyes, cringing in the farthest corner of the bunk away from him, the bedclothes wrapped about her and watching the direction he fell in, shaking in terror.

Jack stood and looked at Elizabeth. What showed of her face and arms were already bruising. He looked in the mirror and saw where she had scratched him. Apparently his tears were not the only things running down his face. He wiped the blood and tears off with his cravat, tossing it aside, pulled his breeches on quickly, and then fled the room, slamming the door behind him.

* - * - *

"What do you mean, you want the keys to the brig?"

"Just that, Commodore. I need the keys to the brig."

Norrington called the quartermaster over and had him hand Jack a ring of keys. "What on earth happened to your face?"

"Go look in on Elizabeth, would you?" Jack turned and strode to the hatch leading below.

Confused, James went to the bridal cabin and knocked. "Lady Markham?"

Elizabeth's voice sounded like she was crying. "Go away!"

"Elizabeth, I really must insist. Jack told me to look in on you, and by the look of him, I'm very concerned about your safety." He waited.

"Fine. Come in." Her voice was angry now.

Upon entering the room, James saw the bruise on Elizabeth's face and gasped. "What did he do to you?"

"He forced himself on me. And when I fought him and scratched his face, he slapped me."

"Do you have other injuries? I'll call the doctor."

"No, don't. There are just some bruises where he held me. There's nothing bad enough for a doctor."

Norrington was furious. "Although he was legally within his rights, I cannot stand by and see you mistreated!"

"No James. He wasn't himself. It was like he was possessed by demons, and it scared me. The only words I could understand were, 'she's gone.' James, please don't be angry with him. It's obvious that the death of his sister hit him harder than he expected, and he wasn't ready for it. Please? For me...forgive him."

James thought about it and nodded. "All right, Elizabeth. But I do believe I'll go have a talk with him and see if there is a way I can help." He left, closing the door gently.

* - * - *

As the Commodore entered the hold containing the brig, he tripped over something that jingled as it slid away from his foot. He picked it up: the ring of keys to the brig. He walked to the first cell and looked in. Jack was in fetal position in the far corner, sobbing silently. "Jack?"

Jack didn't move. "You saw Elizabeth?" Remorse and self-loathing inundated his voice.

"Yes, but..."

"Then you know what I did to her."

Norrington unlocked the cell and opened it. "Jack, she's your wife. And she forgives you completely."

Jack didn't even look up. "Doesn't matter. You know I don't live by your laws. I live only by the Code and Ship's Articles, which, since I wrote the Articles, are absolute as far as I'm concerned. And Ship's Articles state that any man that harms a lady (wife or no) shall receive punishment proportionate to his crime, the least being Moses' Law and forfeiture of his shares. The lady gets paid according to damages. Taking a lady (again, wife or not) against her will shall be executed by being weighted and thrown overboard. His shares go to the lady." He finally sat up and looked at Norrington. "So you see, Commodore, I'm a walkin' dead man."

"Jack, I understand your feelings, but you're not currently on the Black Pearl, your wife forgives you claiming that you were definitely not yourself, you've just gone through one of the hardest ordeals that a brother can go through, and no one but Elizabeth witnessed what happened."

"No one had to witness it. I know it happened. I WROTE those bloody Ship's Articles, and I've killed men who have raped their wives. And unlike the British Aristocracy, a pirate ship's captain is not above the Articles."

"But the Markham heir-"

"-Will be born, aye. That's why I'm here and not drowned yet, Commodore. I won't go against the conditions of the Markham estate or my sister. But I cannot believe that a man who would mistreat his wife once won't eventually do it again." Jack's eyes were darkened with guilt even without his usual kohl.

"Jack, I didn't know Angeline long, but I feel an acute loss in my soul with her gone."

"That's the real reason why she was called 'The Siren,' mate. Will was the first man to ever keep his heart and soul safe from her through his love for Elizabeth."

"Yes, but during the time I knew her, my officers have told me that I wasn't acting like myself. And now that she's gone, Lt. Groves has already accused me of extreme moodiness; that I'm acting as if I lost a loving wife of many years, and I have to admit he's right. Jack, if she can make a man who knew her for but a little over a week crumble as I have, I cannot even begin to imagine the torment you must have gone through...are going through. And Jack, if punishment for harming a lady starts with Moses' Law, what punishment would be given for killing one? Firing into that powder trail was truly the hardest thing I have ever done."

"That's different, James. Ship's Articles approve of mercy killin'. And believe me, she was truly sufferin' and there was no hope for her. On the Pearl, you'd be rewarded. Now, if I know Bill and Nina, other than tryin' t' best each other, the Pearl is followin' this ship at maximum sighting. I need ye to heave to and run up a white flag to call her in. I need to talk to them, and I'm not leavin' this cell till I do."

"Very well. But I think you'll be making a mistake if you tell them before you can handle what happened yourself." Norrington made to leave with the keys, leaving the cell door unlocked and open.

"Commodore, lock the cell door. I don't trust what I'll do without bein' locked in."

James reluctantly locked the cell door. "I'll send a guard down for you in case you wish anything."

Jack nodded numbly as James left.

* - * - *

"So why is Jack in the brig, and what do we need to do to get him out?"

Jack recognized Will's voice.

"Actually, all you need do in order to get Jack out of the brig is to talk him into leaving it." Norrington opened the door to the brig area and the group entered. "As for what he is doing in the brig; he's being thick-headed and stubborn." The guard saluted, proceeding the group to the cell door with the ring of keys.

Jack heard the cell door open.

"Jack, get out of there this moment!" Apparently, Anamaria was not amused.

The voice was soft but definite. "No luv." Jack sat up and looked at the crowd. He could see Bill, Nina, Will, and Anamaria, though he knew that James was behind them somewhere. "Luv, would ye please explain to the good Commodore just what punishment is given to a rapist?"

Although puzzled, Anamaria did as she was told, then looked back at Jack. "Now, get out of there."

"No." Jack stroked the scratches on his face. "Nina, I know you recognize this kind of scratch. Anamaria, you should too, since we've killed many a man with this evidence on his face."

The women gasped. Bill was stunned. Will stepped forward, his intent to kill Jack evident by the look on his face as he unsheathed his sword. "If you hurt Elizabeth...!"

"NO!" Everyone froze and turned to see Elizabeth just inside the room that held the cells. "Will, please don't harm him. He wasn't himself."

Anamaria walked over to her and looked closely at her bruises. "I've heard that one afore, missy, but it is no more true now than it was then."

"You don't understand." She turned to Bill. "Mr. Turner, how close were Jack and Angeline?"

Bill didn't even pause to think. "Not meanin' you to take this the wrong way, but they were closer than any brother and sister, or even married couples could be." Elizabeth nodded. "I mean, when Angeline sailed away with the rest of the crew on the White Rose, Jack seemed to lose himself for a while, which was how he managed to take Barbossa and his crew Aboard the Pearl without knowin' the first thing about them."

Elizabeth nodded again and turned to Nina. "And Angeline?"

"I wasn't there back then, but I'd heard that Angeline went crazy for weeks. She'd have horrible, violent fits for no reason. The men began to fear her, and as she found women to replace them, most of the men fled."

Elizabeth walked through the crowd into the cell. "You see, Jack? It wasn't you who did this. You couldn't help yourself, and it won't happen again."

"It won't, eh? You heard what Nina said. Angel was violent for weeks, and that was only because we separated. How long might I be violent now that she's dead?"

Will put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "He's right. He could become violent at any given moment, and who knows how long it'll last?"

"Will! How can you say that about Jack?!" Elizabeth glared at him. "Jack Sparrow has the gentlest soul in this room!"

Jack stood, keeping his distance. "No, love. The lad is right. But I think I have a way to keep me harmless to you, as it were."

* - * - *

TBC