For celandineb: The dragon's eye
Title: The dragon's eye
Recipient: celandineb
Fandom: PotC
Author: Ceria (ceria_taliesin
Pairing: Jack/Elizabeth/Will
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Technically AU, set between CotBP and DMC
Summary: ~1150 words. There be dragons here… in three short snippets.
Note: Thank you watersword for the beta, all mistakes are my own.
His wet fingers slipping on the lines, Will sighed with relief to be back near the Pearl, even if he wasn't on her deck yet. It still seemed unbelievable to him that the three of them had managed one adventure that didn't end up with… anything chasing them. He glanced up, almost even with her railing, when one bejeweled hand reached over for him. Shaking his head at how quickly Jack had climbed aboard, it was easier to let Jack take his hand and pull him over the railing than to disagree.
Automatically his eyes roamed the deck until they settled where Elizabeth sat, cross-legged near the mast. He couldn't begrudge her for not waiting. The deep red ruby she held - the size of her fist - was stunning. Even Jack claimed it was the first he'd seen without any pink in it, and Will wondered how many rubies Jack had stolen through the years. The treasure, and the effort they put into retrieving it, was well worth the effort to make her smile. Gibbs and Anamaria were staring, edging slowly closer, his hand twitching and her eyes wide with desire. Shaking his head, because he knew they could only see the value of the ruby, Will turned to Jack.
Jack stepped in front of Anamaria and Gibbs, shooing them away as Will wrung the saltwater out of his long hair, then pulled it back again with a leather tie, the sea water always made it more tangled if he left it loose. He leaned against the mast as Jack dropped to the deck in a tangle of limbs in front of her, absentmindedly tucking loose hair behind her ear. "Happy birthday, luv."
Her brilliant smile was worth the trip through dragon's teeth - stalagmites - and dragon's breath - volcanic vents - to reach the far side of the cave. Traveling across the tiled floor that looked like dragon scales, to reach the carved eye - then running like Cortez himself was chasing them as they escaped, all three expecting something - anything - to chase them.
How disappointing that nothing did.
~ * ~
Her booted feet propped on the table in the great cabin - mimicking Jack - Elizabeth swallowed the rum straight from the bottle while Will grimaced. "I fear I didn't believe you, Jack. First you and Will concoct this story about a dragon guarding a ruby, then tell me I can have it for my birthday?" She didn't ask what his reward was for bringing her and Will on this trip, but Jack could hear the question in her voice.
"I have swag aplenty for the moment, and me crew was bored," Jack answered, tipping his head back to drink, noting how Will's eyes followed the lines of his throat; even if he didn't let the jewel in Elizabeth's hands leave his sight. He handed the bottle to Will, who declined, reminding Jack it was too early in the evening for him to drink rum. Nodding, Jack held onto it a while longer; soon enough Will would want a drink, he always drank sometime after Elizabeth started.
"So. This was out of the goodness of your own… heart?" she asked, her voice dripping with more sarcasm than drink. Was that even possible? Even the Pearl rocked, tittering with laughter as her hull creaked.
Frowning, Jack stroked her side, his hand sliding along the hull, wood warm beneath his fingers. Yet his eyes never left Elizabeth. "Isn't it your birthday? What more could a lass want?" Even if he told nothing but the truth, they would not believe him. No one believed anything Jack said. Which was fine, because he was quite sure he didn't want them to know his real opinion anyway.
Whatever she was going to say, Will, who must have thought that she would argue more since he stood up and approached her, stopped her words with a chaste kiss. "Elizabeth," Will whispered as she sat up in the chair, her body following Will as he pulled away. Each time she did that made Jack smile, for she hadn't learned to hide the truth her body revealed yet.
"We wanted you to have a day to remember, nothing more." Will didn't look at Jack, during of after the kiss, but Jack dropped his feet to the deck, leaning forward with his chin propped on his palm, to watch them. Nor did Jack look away as she lingered near Will's mouth, staring. However, Jack knew the moment that she realized what she had done.
Clearing her throat, Elizabeth relaxed, sinking back into the chair, letting Will hover above her. She glanced at the locked chest sitting on the table that had begun the whole conversation. "I think I'll keep the ruby with me, Jack," she said and Will glanced at him finally, his expression clear that he hoped Jack would accept her decision.
Very well, then. "I could think of a payment…" Elizabeth yanked her gaze away from Will and frowned until Jack continued. "If you thought you needed to pay me, that is," his eyes flickered between Elizabeth and Will. Then he grinned, his teeth glinting gold in the candlelight said enough about what payment he wished for.
~ * ~
She woke first, slipping quietly from the bed to watch them while she dressed. Their nights were often like this, entwined limbs locked in passion, encouraged by rum. And the moment they slept, sated, she would escape Will's grasp to lie freely on the edge of the bed.
Empty rum bottles rolling quietly across the planks, the sun rising through the porthole above Jack's bed, they slept. Even with the scattered burn marks on his body from being a blacksmith, Will's skin was still smoother than Jack's. Her fiancée still claimed he wasn't a pirate; that he was naught but a humble blacksmith caught in their path. Elizabeth wondered how long until he admitted the truth. Well, the truth as she saw it.
Any moment now, the sun would be high enough to caress Jack's face, and he always woke the moment light touched his eyelids. This was her favorite time of day; the moment after Jack woke; lips smacking together, his mouth parched from too much rum and kissing. He would blink his eyes, then let go of Will long enough to rub them. Only then would he remember he wasn't alone in his bed and very carefully he'd touch Will's back, hand gliding from shoulder blade to waist as he stared at him, a gentle smile on his face. It was the only time she could see beneath the façade he presented to the world as Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth loved that moment. The moment she was reassured that what they did, what they felt, was real - treasured.
Even more than the ruby currently bound between her breasts.
Recipient: celandineb
Fandom: PotC
Author: Ceria (ceria_taliesin
Pairing: Jack/Elizabeth/Will
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Technically AU, set between CotBP and DMC
Summary: ~1150 words. There be dragons here… in three short snippets.
Note: Thank you watersword for the beta, all mistakes are my own.
His wet fingers slipping on the lines, Will sighed with relief to be back near the Pearl, even if he wasn't on her deck yet. It still seemed unbelievable to him that the three of them had managed one adventure that didn't end up with… anything chasing them. He glanced up, almost even with her railing, when one bejeweled hand reached over for him. Shaking his head at how quickly Jack had climbed aboard, it was easier to let Jack take his hand and pull him over the railing than to disagree.
Automatically his eyes roamed the deck until they settled where Elizabeth sat, cross-legged near the mast. He couldn't begrudge her for not waiting. The deep red ruby she held - the size of her fist - was stunning. Even Jack claimed it was the first he'd seen without any pink in it, and Will wondered how many rubies Jack had stolen through the years. The treasure, and the effort they put into retrieving it, was well worth the effort to make her smile. Gibbs and Anamaria were staring, edging slowly closer, his hand twitching and her eyes wide with desire. Shaking his head, because he knew they could only see the value of the ruby, Will turned to Jack.
Jack stepped in front of Anamaria and Gibbs, shooing them away as Will wrung the saltwater out of his long hair, then pulled it back again with a leather tie, the sea water always made it more tangled if he left it loose. He leaned against the mast as Jack dropped to the deck in a tangle of limbs in front of her, absentmindedly tucking loose hair behind her ear. "Happy birthday, luv."
Her brilliant smile was worth the trip through dragon's teeth - stalagmites - and dragon's breath - volcanic vents - to reach the far side of the cave. Traveling across the tiled floor that looked like dragon scales, to reach the carved eye - then running like Cortez himself was chasing them as they escaped, all three expecting something - anything - to chase them.
How disappointing that nothing did.
~ * ~
Her booted feet propped on the table in the great cabin - mimicking Jack - Elizabeth swallowed the rum straight from the bottle while Will grimaced. "I fear I didn't believe you, Jack. First you and Will concoct this story about a dragon guarding a ruby, then tell me I can have it for my birthday?" She didn't ask what his reward was for bringing her and Will on this trip, but Jack could hear the question in her voice.
"I have swag aplenty for the moment, and me crew was bored," Jack answered, tipping his head back to drink, noting how Will's eyes followed the lines of his throat; even if he didn't let the jewel in Elizabeth's hands leave his sight. He handed the bottle to Will, who declined, reminding Jack it was too early in the evening for him to drink rum. Nodding, Jack held onto it a while longer; soon enough Will would want a drink, he always drank sometime after Elizabeth started.
"So. This was out of the goodness of your own… heart?" she asked, her voice dripping with more sarcasm than drink. Was that even possible? Even the Pearl rocked, tittering with laughter as her hull creaked.
Frowning, Jack stroked her side, his hand sliding along the hull, wood warm beneath his fingers. Yet his eyes never left Elizabeth. "Isn't it your birthday? What more could a lass want?" Even if he told nothing but the truth, they would not believe him. No one believed anything Jack said. Which was fine, because he was quite sure he didn't want them to know his real opinion anyway.
Whatever she was going to say, Will, who must have thought that she would argue more since he stood up and approached her, stopped her words with a chaste kiss. "Elizabeth," Will whispered as she sat up in the chair, her body following Will as he pulled away. Each time she did that made Jack smile, for she hadn't learned to hide the truth her body revealed yet.
"We wanted you to have a day to remember, nothing more." Will didn't look at Jack, during of after the kiss, but Jack dropped his feet to the deck, leaning forward with his chin propped on his palm, to watch them. Nor did Jack look away as she lingered near Will's mouth, staring. However, Jack knew the moment that she realized what she had done.
Clearing her throat, Elizabeth relaxed, sinking back into the chair, letting Will hover above her. She glanced at the locked chest sitting on the table that had begun the whole conversation. "I think I'll keep the ruby with me, Jack," she said and Will glanced at him finally, his expression clear that he hoped Jack would accept her decision.
Very well, then. "I could think of a payment…" Elizabeth yanked her gaze away from Will and frowned until Jack continued. "If you thought you needed to pay me, that is," his eyes flickered between Elizabeth and Will. Then he grinned, his teeth glinting gold in the candlelight said enough about what payment he wished for.
~ * ~
She woke first, slipping quietly from the bed to watch them while she dressed. Their nights were often like this, entwined limbs locked in passion, encouraged by rum. And the moment they slept, sated, she would escape Will's grasp to lie freely on the edge of the bed.
Empty rum bottles rolling quietly across the planks, the sun rising through the porthole above Jack's bed, they slept. Even with the scattered burn marks on his body from being a blacksmith, Will's skin was still smoother than Jack's. Her fiancée still claimed he wasn't a pirate; that he was naught but a humble blacksmith caught in their path. Elizabeth wondered how long until he admitted the truth. Well, the truth as she saw it.
Any moment now, the sun would be high enough to caress Jack's face, and he always woke the moment light touched his eyelids. This was her favorite time of day; the moment after Jack woke; lips smacking together, his mouth parched from too much rum and kissing. He would blink his eyes, then let go of Will long enough to rub them. Only then would he remember he wasn't alone in his bed and very carefully he'd touch Will's back, hand gliding from shoulder blade to waist as he stared at him, a gentle smile on his face. It was the only time she could see beneath the façade he presented to the world as Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth loved that moment. The moment she was reassured that what they did, what they felt, was real - treasured.
Even more than the ruby currently bound between her breasts.