Fiction. Later That Day. Jack and Stephen. PG
TITLE: Later That Day
AUTHOR: Ashley-Pitt
CHARACTERS: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
GENRE: Slash
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 670
SUMMARY: Follows after the story: Blood
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I borrow them once in awhile, but put them away tidily.
Smoke from the last broadside still swirled about as Jack came back on deck.
“Mr.Pullings! How goes the fight?” he called.
“The enemy seems to be in irons sir. Are you well, sir?”
“Quite well, Mr. Pullings. Give me the glass.”
Jack took the proffered telescope and trained it on the enemy ship.
“Her steering has been shot away. Her helm don’t answer,” he said as he snapped the telescope shut.
“Mr. Pullings, beat to windward of the enemy and have the guns loaded and run out.”
“Shall we send her another broadside sir?”
“I think not, Mr. Pullings. We can stand off and rake her stern at our leisure. Only a fool would not capitulate. We shall play the waiting game.”
Jack walked calmly back to the stern. He noticed that his hair was in disarray and took a moment to re-tie his queue.
Mr. Pulling came running aft.
“We are on station windward of the enemy with her stern in our sights, the guns loaded and run out sir.”
“Very good, Mr. Pullings. Have your most forward gun layed to put a shot as close as possible to her starboard side without damage.”
Pullings grinned and said,“ Aye, aye sir.”
A few minutes later the cannon thundered out and all eyes watched the ball arc over the water and land mere inches from the starboard rail.
A cheer rang out from the men massed on the Surprise’s deck.
“A prodious fine shot, Mr. Pullings,” Jack said, “And now…”
“ She’s striking her colors sir,” Mowett cried as the blue and white flag disappeared from view.
“Mr. Pullings, get a boarding party together and take command of the prize. Oh, and take the carpenter. I want to see how fast repairs can be completed.”
“Aye aye sir.”
Later that day, after the repairs to the prize had been made; after the repairs to the Surprise had been made; and after the crew had been piped to supper, did Jack finally get to sit down to his meal.
“Ah, Stephen” he cried when he saw the doctor come into the room. “I was just going to send for you. Have you eaten since breakfast.”
“I think not,” Stephen replied as he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a rather disreputable slice of toast that appeared to be stained with blood, “ And I am not sure if I have even eaten then.”
“Well sit you down, Doctor and enjoy!”
Stephen sat. The smell of the pot of coffee alone made his stomach rumble in protest, yet he hesitated.
“Jack., might I ask you something.”
Jack paused from his vigorous cutting of the large fatty piece of mutton on his plate.
“Pray brother, out with it.”
“It is, well… Jack what game where you playing with me when they brought you below earlier?”
“Game?”
“Yes Jack. You had no wounds that I could discern and you seemed to be not in your senses, but you opened your eyes when I spoke to you. Were you feigning?”
“Never in life, Stephen! “ Jack cried.
“But,” he continued as he turned his head to one side as if looking into the distance, “It was for one moment I was on the deck of the Surprise and at the very next, I was under a tree at dear Ashgrove. I was idling there looking at my fine gardens, my fine pasture land; my fine stable of many horses, and in the distance I could hear Sophie and my children laughing. But as I sat I could collect that something was amiss. Then faintly I could hear my name being called. When I opened my eyes, you was there, Stephen.”
“Oh,” Stephen said as he toyed with his mutton.
Jack stood abruptly and said “No, you do not smoke what I am saying…”
He walked over to Stephen. and knelt next to him.
He placed his hand along Stephen’s cheek and said, “ I had to come back. Do you not see? For I do not know how I could go on without you.”
AUTHOR: Ashley-Pitt
CHARACTERS: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
GENRE: Slash
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 670
SUMMARY: Follows after the story: Blood
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I borrow them once in awhile, but put them away tidily.
Smoke from the last broadside still swirled about as Jack came back on deck.
“Mr.Pullings! How goes the fight?” he called.
“The enemy seems to be in irons sir. Are you well, sir?”
“Quite well, Mr. Pullings. Give me the glass.”
Jack took the proffered telescope and trained it on the enemy ship.
“Her steering has been shot away. Her helm don’t answer,” he said as he snapped the telescope shut.
“Mr. Pullings, beat to windward of the enemy and have the guns loaded and run out.”
“Shall we send her another broadside sir?”
“I think not, Mr. Pullings. We can stand off and rake her stern at our leisure. Only a fool would not capitulate. We shall play the waiting game.”
Jack walked calmly back to the stern. He noticed that his hair was in disarray and took a moment to re-tie his queue.
Mr. Pulling came running aft.
“We are on station windward of the enemy with her stern in our sights, the guns loaded and run out sir.”
“Very good, Mr. Pullings. Have your most forward gun layed to put a shot as close as possible to her starboard side without damage.”
Pullings grinned and said,“ Aye, aye sir.”
A few minutes later the cannon thundered out and all eyes watched the ball arc over the water and land mere inches from the starboard rail.
A cheer rang out from the men massed on the Surprise’s deck.
“A prodious fine shot, Mr. Pullings,” Jack said, “And now…”
“ She’s striking her colors sir,” Mowett cried as the blue and white flag disappeared from view.
“Mr. Pullings, get a boarding party together and take command of the prize. Oh, and take the carpenter. I want to see how fast repairs can be completed.”
“Aye aye sir.”
Later that day, after the repairs to the prize had been made; after the repairs to the Surprise had been made; and after the crew had been piped to supper, did Jack finally get to sit down to his meal.
“Ah, Stephen” he cried when he saw the doctor come into the room. “I was just going to send for you. Have you eaten since breakfast.”
“I think not,” Stephen replied as he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a rather disreputable slice of toast that appeared to be stained with blood, “ And I am not sure if I have even eaten then.”
“Well sit you down, Doctor and enjoy!”
Stephen sat. The smell of the pot of coffee alone made his stomach rumble in protest, yet he hesitated.
“Jack., might I ask you something.”
Jack paused from his vigorous cutting of the large fatty piece of mutton on his plate.
“Pray brother, out with it.”
“It is, well… Jack what game where you playing with me when they brought you below earlier?”
“Game?”
“Yes Jack. You had no wounds that I could discern and you seemed to be not in your senses, but you opened your eyes when I spoke to you. Were you feigning?”
“Never in life, Stephen! “ Jack cried.
“But,” he continued as he turned his head to one side as if looking into the distance, “It was for one moment I was on the deck of the Surprise and at the very next, I was under a tree at dear Ashgrove. I was idling there looking at my fine gardens, my fine pasture land; my fine stable of many horses, and in the distance I could hear Sophie and my children laughing. But as I sat I could collect that something was amiss. Then faintly I could hear my name being called. When I opened my eyes, you was there, Stephen.”
“Oh,” Stephen said as he toyed with his mutton.
Jack stood abruptly and said “No, you do not smoke what I am saying…”
He walked over to Stephen. and knelt next to him.
He placed his hand along Stephen’s cheek and said, “ I had to come back. Do you not see? For I do not know how I could go on without you.”