Of Swashbuckling Pirates and Distressing Damsels--6/6
Title: Of Swashbuckling Pirates and Distressing Damsels
Category: Smallville/Pirates of the Caribbean Crossover
Rating: R
Genre: Crossover--adventure/romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: violence, some adult content
Summary: Chloe Sullivan is captured by pirates. Do you need anything else?
Prompt: ari_g a crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean
Ha! This time I actually finished it. Win. And hooray for Stockholm Syndrome. lol I had to acknowledge that. Now enjoy!
--Blue
banner by 552158
Chapter 1
Previous (Chapter 5)
Morning broke eventually and the storm dispelled, and Clark was determining that they needed to get back to Lois and let her know that they were all right.
As if called into existence by Clark's thoughts, Lois burst in the door, pistol in hand, shouting and looking around her for a trace of her missing fiance. Her eyes landed on them and her body slumped in relief. "Thank God," she muttered, "that was easier than expected."
She walked over to Clark and tugged him out of his chair, "Where's my cousin?"
"Lois, relax, she's right there. I was just going to wake her so we could go see you. She's right over there."
Lois's eyes followed Clark's hand to where her cousin lay with her head on a Bart's shoulder, her knees up and Victor and AC sleeping nearby. She raised an eyebrow. "Why is she surrounded by pirates? I thought you were going to bring her back."
Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we couldn't go back in the storm, and Lo...she came here on her own. She called those men her friends."
Lois turned to survey her cousin's companions more carefully. The small one, whose shoulder she was leaning on, had an arm thrown around her shoulder like he wanted to protect her. She knew they were pirates...outlaws...but, somehow the term 'criminal' didn't mean the same thing it had when she and Clark had first set out to look for her cousin. She'd begun learning that even if a man doesn't keep his toe in line, didn't mean he was necessarily bad. Sometimes, even the best men in the world, had to sink to lesser means in order to do the right thing. She glanced at Clark, thinking of all she'd asked him to do on their journey. Then she looked at the sad expression on her cousin's sleeping face and began to wonder what had really happened to her over the last couple of months. Sure, she'd been taken away against her will, but did that mean she wanted to leave now? She was starting to wonder why Chloe had really been on the brink of tears since the moment they'd arrived.
"Clark," she said at length, "wake my cousin, tell her I want to talk to her alone outside. I need to have a word with these gentlemen."
She walked over and rudely shoved the three men awake, all of them protesting in confusion as Lois dragged them off to another room.
Chloe yawned sleepily as she and Clark waited for Lois. When her cousin appeared, there was a look of resignation on her face that neither of them understood. Lois looked to Clark first. "Can you go check with that guy...Gibbs? The one who said he could get us out of here? His friends said he's in the barn asleep." Clark nodded and took off, leaving the cousins alone.
"How are you doing, Chloe?" Lois asked, searching her face.
Chloe swallowed uncertainly. "Fine. I'm just...tired. I didn't get much sleep."
Lois sighed, dropping her head before looking up determinedly at Chloe. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" she said.
Chloe was startled, her face flushing. "Lo, what are you talking about?"
"Look, Chloe, we don't have time here for you to play dumb. Last night after Clark and I dropped you off to get some sleep we found someone who actually promised to get us all out of here." When he found out you were one of the ones going, she added mentally. "But he and the crew he's with are leaving early this morning. So if there's anything you want to tell me, now would be good."
Chloe made several false starts and in the end couldn't find anything to see.
Lois heaved an exasperated sigh. "Let me see, where can we start?" she asked sarcastically. "Oh, I know: It's taller than Clark, handsome, blonde, and had its lips plastered to yours when I first found you." She looked at Chloe ironically.
Chloe's face burned red and she stared at the ground. "You're right."
"What?"
"You're right. I'm in love with him. And...I guess I came here last night because I wanted him to ask me to stay. I told myself it was to say goodbye, but...well I don't think it really matters either way." She looked up at the tavern's second floor, though she couldn't see his window from there. "He didn't stop me...he just...let me go."
Lois studied Chloe's face. "Are you sure about that?
" "What do you mean?"
"Well, did he just let you go? Or did he let you go?"
"What's the difference?"
"The 'just' means he didn't care one way or another. Otherwise he made a distinct decision about what he thinks you want or what he thinks is best for you."
Chloe just stared at Lois. "I…."
"Mmhmm."
Chloe bit her lip and then gave up. "It doesn't matter either way, Lo. I belong at home with you and Clark and Dad and-" she swallowed tightly "-and everyone else."
Lois arched a brow. "Do you honestly think you can go home and never look back? Because if that's the case, then I will pack your things myself. But if not-"
"I'm going home, Lois," Chloe said firmly.
Lois looked slightly disbelieving, but the determined expression on her cousin's face kept her silent. "All right then," she nodded. "In that case we need to get moving. We don't have much time left before the ship sails." She took Chloe's hand tightly and gave a wave toward the window of the tavern where Clark was waiting on them before turning with Chloe to head for the Inn so they could collect their things.
Chloe couldn't help glancing behind her up at the second floor of the tavern toward Oliver's window. She thought she saw him there but when she blinked he was gone. Well, if he wanted her to leave, then so be it.
Oliver watched her walk away, ducking to the side when she glanced up in his direction, as if she had felt his eyes on her. A war waged inside of him as he battled with the idea that she was going back where she belonged and the idea that she belonged with him.
She came to see you, a voice in his head pointed out. She looked like she wanted you to ask her to stay. You should have. If she really didn't want to be with you, she would have stayed with her friends and not even bothered to look back, let alone say goodbye.
He slammed the side of his fist against the wall, frustrated with himself and the world around him. He'd gotten used to taking what he wanted, and he'd done exactly that when he first threw her over his shoulder and carried her onto his ship.
Impatiently he paced his room, fighting the impulse to run off and do exactly that yet again.
He was a fool, he determined dryly, suddenly grabbing his gear and heading for the door. He was a fool and hell with it all.
"Fearful bad luck," Gibbs grumbled under his breath as he secured a rope, Chloe at his side as the ship moved slowly away from the port.
"Mr. Gibbs," Chloe said with an air of tired amusement. "Did I bring you the slightest amount of bad luck in all the time that you've known me?"
He gave her a surly look. "Mebbe not, but that cousin o' yers is a man overboard waitin' ter happen."
Chloe laughed. "You might be right, but you know, Lois tends to be a handy woman to have around at times. Ask Clark. He'll tell you some stories…." she said distantly, her eyes drifting to the docks for the umpteenth time.
Gibbs gave her a shrewd look. "Inneres'ing how men talk about women. Cap'n Oliver, for instance-"
"I think I hear Lois terrorizing one of the other sailors," Chloe said abruptly, her voice a little too loud. She turned and left Gibbs, who rolled his eyes to the Heavens. "Bloody bad luck," he muttered to himself.
The slandered Lois was, in fact, nowhere near the sailors at the moment, but instead talking with the captain of the ship, a burly man with a red beard. Chloe instead made her way along the opposite side of the ship, fingers skimming the railing, her heart clenching as the dock grew smaller, a light breeze in their favor dancing in her sun-bleached hair.
They were at least twenty yards from the dock when sense finally took over Chloe.
"Lois! she shouted. "Lois, where are you?" Her cousin appeared within moments and Chloe flung her arms around Lois.
"Chloe, what-"
"Kiss my father for me, will you?" she whispered as she squeezed Lois tightly before shouting for Gibbs. "Mr. Gibbs! Mr. Gibbs, tell the captain I'm stealing one of his life boats!"
Gibbs looked over at Chloe like she'd lost her mind and swore. She had climbed in a lifeboat and was working at the too-tight knots holding it up.
Lois took a moment to cotton on, and Clark appeared at her side almost instantly, ready to wrangle Chloe out of the boat. Lois caught his arm to stop him.
"What's she doing?" he asked.
Lois smiled softly. "Going back where she belongs."
"What?" he asked.
"Chloe," Lois called at her cousin. "What are we supposed to tell everyone?"
Chloe glanced up with a smile on her face. "Whatever you want! I was lost at sea. You never found me. I turned pirate…pick a story!"
Lois shook her head and laughed, eyes welling up with tears. "I'm going to miss you, Chloe," she said as Chloe slowly lowered the boat.
"I know. I will, too, Lois. You too, Clark," she added. She lowered the boat into the water and released it from the pulleys, taking up the oars and taking a deep breath.
By the time she reached the docks, short distance though it was, her arms ached from rowing. She reached the ladder and had to pause to collect her breath, not having realized she should have paced herself on the way to shore.
Telling herself she could rest when she found Oliver, she grabbed the rungs of the ladder, not caring for the life of her if the lifeboat sank or crashed into shore or drifted out to sea. It was halfway up the ladder that a wonderfully familiar voice reached her ears.
"Damn it! Can't you get this thing ready to make way any faster?" he shouted. "I've got to catch up with the boat out there.
"Listen, Queen," a Scottish voice replied, "my men and I weren't planning to leave for another several hours. I'm doing yeh a favor by leaving early so shut yer bloody trap!"
Chloe paused in relief, her body almost trembling just from knowing he was trying to chase her down. She took a shaky breath, attempting to steady herself before climbing the rest of the way to the deck. She almost laughed at the sight of him chewing out the other captain, obviously frustrated with not being in charge.
The second man, glared hard at him, crossing his arms. Then his eye caught Chloe's, and the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. "Are you finished yabbering, yeh blithering idiot?"
Oliver appeared too frustrated for words, so the other man continued.
"So this is some woman yer chasing after, is it?" he asked, tone softening just slightly into a teasing one.
"Yes, we've established that," Oliver said impatiently.
"Blonde from the bar last night, right?"
"Would you just-"
"Turn around yeh swooning whelp," he said with a wave of his hand, turning to attend to his crew and glad to be shot of Oliver.
Confused, Oliver turned around, his eyes settling on Chloe, expression giving away that he didn't quite believe he was really seeing her.
Chloe's mind raced nervously, realization settling in that she hadn't quite planned further ahead than getting back to shore, and she had no idea what to say to him. "I-well-I just-" she swallowed nervously, "-I just figured that-"
"That I should have asked you to stay," he said simply.
She caught her breath and gave a nervous laugh. "And I should have known I'd never be able to leave."
The grin that spread across Oliver's face could have reflected more brilliantly off the ocean than the sun itself. He wasted no more time in sweeping Chloe into his arms and kissing her as hard as he could. When he pulled away he chuckled slightly.
"What?" Chloe asked, now grinning like mad as well.
He laughed again, clearly at himself. "I was just thinking we'd better go find the others. Bart was wallowing in broken-hearted misery the last time I checked. And Vic and AC were looking at me like they'd never been so disappointed in anyone."
She laughed as well and kissed him again. "Well we'd better go put their fears to rest, then, I suppose."
"Definitely."
Chapter 1
Previous (Chapter 5)
Category: Smallville/Pirates of the Caribbean Crossover
Rating: R
Genre: Crossover--adventure/romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: violence, some adult content
Summary: Chloe Sullivan is captured by pirates. Do you need anything else?
Prompt: ari_g a crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean
Ha! This time I actually finished it. Win. And hooray for Stockholm Syndrome. lol I had to acknowledge that. Now enjoy!
--Blue
banner by 552158
Chapter 1
Previous (Chapter 5)
Morning broke eventually and the storm dispelled, and Clark was determining that they needed to get back to Lois and let her know that they were all right.
As if called into existence by Clark's thoughts, Lois burst in the door, pistol in hand, shouting and looking around her for a trace of her missing fiance. Her eyes landed on them and her body slumped in relief. "Thank God," she muttered, "that was easier than expected."
She walked over to Clark and tugged him out of his chair, "Where's my cousin?"
"Lois, relax, she's right there. I was just going to wake her so we could go see you. She's right over there."
Lois's eyes followed Clark's hand to where her cousin lay with her head on a Bart's shoulder, her knees up and Victor and AC sleeping nearby. She raised an eyebrow. "Why is she surrounded by pirates? I thought you were going to bring her back."
Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we couldn't go back in the storm, and Lo...she came here on her own. She called those men her friends."
Lois turned to survey her cousin's companions more carefully. The small one, whose shoulder she was leaning on, had an arm thrown around her shoulder like he wanted to protect her. She knew they were pirates...outlaws...but, somehow the term 'criminal' didn't mean the same thing it had when she and Clark had first set out to look for her cousin. She'd begun learning that even if a man doesn't keep his toe in line, didn't mean he was necessarily bad. Sometimes, even the best men in the world, had to sink to lesser means in order to do the right thing. She glanced at Clark, thinking of all she'd asked him to do on their journey. Then she looked at the sad expression on her cousin's sleeping face and began to wonder what had really happened to her over the last couple of months. Sure, she'd been taken away against her will, but did that mean she wanted to leave now? She was starting to wonder why Chloe had really been on the brink of tears since the moment they'd arrived.
"Clark," she said at length, "wake my cousin, tell her I want to talk to her alone outside. I need to have a word with these gentlemen."
She walked over and rudely shoved the three men awake, all of them protesting in confusion as Lois dragged them off to another room.
Chloe yawned sleepily as she and Clark waited for Lois. When her cousin appeared, there was a look of resignation on her face that neither of them understood. Lois looked to Clark first. "Can you go check with that guy...Gibbs? The one who said he could get us out of here? His friends said he's in the barn asleep." Clark nodded and took off, leaving the cousins alone.
"How are you doing, Chloe?" Lois asked, searching her face.
Chloe swallowed uncertainly. "Fine. I'm just...tired. I didn't get much sleep."
Lois sighed, dropping her head before looking up determinedly at Chloe. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" she said.
Chloe was startled, her face flushing. "Lo, what are you talking about?"
"Look, Chloe, we don't have time here for you to play dumb. Last night after Clark and I dropped you off to get some sleep we found someone who actually promised to get us all out of here." When he found out you were one of the ones going, she added mentally. "But he and the crew he's with are leaving early this morning. So if there's anything you want to tell me, now would be good."
Chloe made several false starts and in the end couldn't find anything to see.
Lois heaved an exasperated sigh. "Let me see, where can we start?" she asked sarcastically. "Oh, I know: It's taller than Clark, handsome, blonde, and had its lips plastered to yours when I first found you." She looked at Chloe ironically.
Chloe's face burned red and she stared at the ground. "You're right."
"What?"
"You're right. I'm in love with him. And...I guess I came here last night because I wanted him to ask me to stay. I told myself it was to say goodbye, but...well I don't think it really matters either way." She looked up at the tavern's second floor, though she couldn't see his window from there. "He didn't stop me...he just...let me go."
Lois studied Chloe's face. "Are you sure about that?
" "What do you mean?"
"Well, did he just let you go? Or did he let you go?"
"What's the difference?"
"The 'just' means he didn't care one way or another. Otherwise he made a distinct decision about what he thinks you want or what he thinks is best for you."
Chloe just stared at Lois. "I…."
"Mmhmm."
Chloe bit her lip and then gave up. "It doesn't matter either way, Lo. I belong at home with you and Clark and Dad and-" she swallowed tightly "-and everyone else."
Lois arched a brow. "Do you honestly think you can go home and never look back? Because if that's the case, then I will pack your things myself. But if not-"
"I'm going home, Lois," Chloe said firmly.
Lois looked slightly disbelieving, but the determined expression on her cousin's face kept her silent. "All right then," she nodded. "In that case we need to get moving. We don't have much time left before the ship sails." She took Chloe's hand tightly and gave a wave toward the window of the tavern where Clark was waiting on them before turning with Chloe to head for the Inn so they could collect their things.
Chloe couldn't help glancing behind her up at the second floor of the tavern toward Oliver's window. She thought she saw him there but when she blinked he was gone. Well, if he wanted her to leave, then so be it.
Oliver watched her walk away, ducking to the side when she glanced up in his direction, as if she had felt his eyes on her. A war waged inside of him as he battled with the idea that she was going back where she belonged and the idea that she belonged with him.
She came to see you, a voice in his head pointed out. She looked like she wanted you to ask her to stay. You should have. If she really didn't want to be with you, she would have stayed with her friends and not even bothered to look back, let alone say goodbye.
He slammed the side of his fist against the wall, frustrated with himself and the world around him. He'd gotten used to taking what he wanted, and he'd done exactly that when he first threw her over his shoulder and carried her onto his ship.
Impatiently he paced his room, fighting the impulse to run off and do exactly that yet again.
He was a fool, he determined dryly, suddenly grabbing his gear and heading for the door. He was a fool and hell with it all.
"Fearful bad luck," Gibbs grumbled under his breath as he secured a rope, Chloe at his side as the ship moved slowly away from the port.
"Mr. Gibbs," Chloe said with an air of tired amusement. "Did I bring you the slightest amount of bad luck in all the time that you've known me?"
He gave her a surly look. "Mebbe not, but that cousin o' yers is a man overboard waitin' ter happen."
Chloe laughed. "You might be right, but you know, Lois tends to be a handy woman to have around at times. Ask Clark. He'll tell you some stories…." she said distantly, her eyes drifting to the docks for the umpteenth time.
Gibbs gave her a shrewd look. "Inneres'ing how men talk about women. Cap'n Oliver, for instance-"
"I think I hear Lois terrorizing one of the other sailors," Chloe said abruptly, her voice a little too loud. She turned and left Gibbs, who rolled his eyes to the Heavens. "Bloody bad luck," he muttered to himself.
The slandered Lois was, in fact, nowhere near the sailors at the moment, but instead talking with the captain of the ship, a burly man with a red beard. Chloe instead made her way along the opposite side of the ship, fingers skimming the railing, her heart clenching as the dock grew smaller, a light breeze in their favor dancing in her sun-bleached hair.
They were at least twenty yards from the dock when sense finally took over Chloe.
"Lois! she shouted. "Lois, where are you?" Her cousin appeared within moments and Chloe flung her arms around Lois.
"Chloe, what-"
"Kiss my father for me, will you?" she whispered as she squeezed Lois tightly before shouting for Gibbs. "Mr. Gibbs! Mr. Gibbs, tell the captain I'm stealing one of his life boats!"
Gibbs looked over at Chloe like she'd lost her mind and swore. She had climbed in a lifeboat and was working at the too-tight knots holding it up.
Lois took a moment to cotton on, and Clark appeared at her side almost instantly, ready to wrangle Chloe out of the boat. Lois caught his arm to stop him.
"What's she doing?" he asked.
Lois smiled softly. "Going back where she belongs."
"What?" he asked.
"Chloe," Lois called at her cousin. "What are we supposed to tell everyone?"
Chloe glanced up with a smile on her face. "Whatever you want! I was lost at sea. You never found me. I turned pirate…pick a story!"
Lois shook her head and laughed, eyes welling up with tears. "I'm going to miss you, Chloe," she said as Chloe slowly lowered the boat.
"I know. I will, too, Lois. You too, Clark," she added. She lowered the boat into the water and released it from the pulleys, taking up the oars and taking a deep breath.
By the time she reached the docks, short distance though it was, her arms ached from rowing. She reached the ladder and had to pause to collect her breath, not having realized she should have paced herself on the way to shore.
Telling herself she could rest when she found Oliver, she grabbed the rungs of the ladder, not caring for the life of her if the lifeboat sank or crashed into shore or drifted out to sea. It was halfway up the ladder that a wonderfully familiar voice reached her ears.
"Damn it! Can't you get this thing ready to make way any faster?" he shouted. "I've got to catch up with the boat out there.
"Listen, Queen," a Scottish voice replied, "my men and I weren't planning to leave for another several hours. I'm doing yeh a favor by leaving early so shut yer bloody trap!"
Chloe paused in relief, her body almost trembling just from knowing he was trying to chase her down. She took a shaky breath, attempting to steady herself before climbing the rest of the way to the deck. She almost laughed at the sight of him chewing out the other captain, obviously frustrated with not being in charge.
The second man, glared hard at him, crossing his arms. Then his eye caught Chloe's, and the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. "Are you finished yabbering, yeh blithering idiot?"
Oliver appeared too frustrated for words, so the other man continued.
"So this is some woman yer chasing after, is it?" he asked, tone softening just slightly into a teasing one.
"Yes, we've established that," Oliver said impatiently.
"Blonde from the bar last night, right?"
"Would you just-"
"Turn around yeh swooning whelp," he said with a wave of his hand, turning to attend to his crew and glad to be shot of Oliver.
Confused, Oliver turned around, his eyes settling on Chloe, expression giving away that he didn't quite believe he was really seeing her.
Chloe's mind raced nervously, realization settling in that she hadn't quite planned further ahead than getting back to shore, and she had no idea what to say to him. "I-well-I just-" she swallowed nervously, "-I just figured that-"
"That I should have asked you to stay," he said simply.
She caught her breath and gave a nervous laugh. "And I should have known I'd never be able to leave."
The grin that spread across Oliver's face could have reflected more brilliantly off the ocean than the sun itself. He wasted no more time in sweeping Chloe into his arms and kissing her as hard as he could. When he pulled away he chuckled slightly.
"What?" Chloe asked, now grinning like mad as well.
He laughed again, clearly at himself. "I was just thinking we'd better go find the others. Bart was wallowing in broken-hearted misery the last time I checked. And Vic and AC were looking at me like they'd never been so disappointed in anyone."
She laughed as well and kissed him again. "Well we'd better go put their fears to rest, then, I suppose."
"Definitely."
Chapter 1
Previous (Chapter 5)