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 (in previous chapter. This one's just good clean hotness.)
Summary: Chloe Sullivan is captured by pirates. Do you need anything else?
Prompt:
ari_g a crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean
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Chapter 1
Previous (Chapter 2)Next (Chapter 4) "Mr. Gibbs, why does a man--a good man--turn to piracy?"
Mr. Gibbs turned to look at Chloe and followed her line of gaze down to the deck where the Captain was discussing something animatedly with the helmsman. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at Chloe. She turned to look at him expectantly, as though she wanted him to have a simple, one sentence answer.
"When you say, 'a good man,' 're we talkin' of a particular man, er men in gen'ral?"
Once again caught looking at Oliver, Chloe's cheeks flushed slightly and she turned her gaze elsewhere. "In general."
Mr. Gibbs sighed weightily, pulled out his flask and took a strong swig. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked out over the smooth horizon. "Lot o' reasons. Fer some it's greed, pure and simple. Fer others, desperation. Knew a man once turned pirate to save the girl 'e loved. Bit of an idiot, that one. Then again, she was some kind o' woman. Still, there be other reasons. Freedom, adventure. Many a man falls in love with the sea. Love it more than they could ever love any woman or home on land."
She eyed him thoughtfully. "Is that what it was for you?"
He nodded gruffly.
She hesitated, biting her lip and glancing down at the Captain again. "What about the Captain?"
"Oliver Queen's an unusual man. Born into wealth, society. Somethin' musta changed his perspective on life somewhere along the way. Stories say he was marooned on an island for years, and when he got off, he was a different man. Leastwise that's what they say."
Chloe said nothing, they both simply gazed down at Captain Oliver Queen, the enigma, and, when he seemed to feel their eyes on him and glanced up, they both looked away.
Chloe's relationship with the Captain had altered slightly since the day he rescued her. An almost imperceptible change made them something resembling friends. Gratitude to Oliver quenched most of the contempt Chloe had harbored for him, even if she continued to resent his kidnapping her--not without good reason. The truth of the matter was that Chloe had become uncertain as to whether or not she actually wanted to find a means of escape. She was happier with this band of pirates than she had ever been with her father, and the idea of never seeing her fiance again brought her no grief whatsoever.
She never consciously acknowledged these things to herself, but instead spent a great deal of time telling herself exactly the opposite.
"What are you thinking about?" Oliver's voice interrupted her reverie one afternoon as she gazed out across the ocean, leaning against the railing of the ship. She started slightly, not having heard anyone approach.
"Land," she said simply, and Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"And?" he pushed.
How much less I miss it than I probably should. "And responsibilities." And how glad I am to be rid of them.
"Interesting. What about them?"
"How different all this is." She gestured vaguely out to sea. Then suddenly she turned to him. "Why in the world did you bring me out here?" she asked.
He was startled by the question, but he shrugged it off evasively, smirking at her. "Do I have to have a reason?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes."
"Well then, it seemed like a shame to let any girl who can get the best of Jack Sparrow go to waste."
Her expression remained unmoved. "Uh huh," she said dryly. "You do realize eventually I'll get off this boat, don't you? And that most likely my getting off of this boat will result in your being hanged?" Not that she necessarily wanted it to happen. But it seemed inevitable.
He winked at her, not remotely worried. "If I'm lucky, by that time you'll have fallen violently in love with me, and you won't want to go in the first place."
She scoffed. "You're a big dreamer, Captain," she told him, turning to leave him, thinking to pick up the book she'd been reading. Vaguely she wondered what it would be like to be in love with and loved by Oliver Queen. She swallowed tightly. The word 'satisfying' stood out prominently in her mind. She had the strong suspicion that whatever that man did, he would do it extremely well.
"Well, you'll probably get your chance this evening," Oliver called after her, and she swore she could actually hear the smirk in his voice. Her attention snapped back to him.
"What are you going on about?" she demanded, trying not to give too much weight to his words. He was leaning against the railing of the ship, resting his forearms on it at either side of him, his loose shirt exposing part of his tan, toned chest and Chloe found her throat going dry as she remembered the sight of him without any shirt at all. Look at his face, she ordered herself, disgusted with her train of thought. It didn't help much. He was wearing that arrogant expression that generally made her either want to slap him soundly...or kiss him. What was it my cousin used to say? If you don't know whether you want to kiss him or spit in his eye, then you're probably in love? Great. I'm in trouble.
"I'm letting you off the ship."
That caught her attention. "Are you an idiot?"
He laughed, not having expected quite that response. "Not since I lately checked, but it has been suggested on other occasions."
She walked back up to him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "What are you trying to pull?"
He raised his hands defensively. "Most of my crew have reached the end of their contract with me, and I promised Jack Sparrow to take him to Tortuga, so to Tortuga we are going."
Chloe's heart sank into her stomach, which she felt flip over. "Tortuga?" she repeated. He was marooning her in the pirate town? She wouldn't last five minutes.
...Well, maybe she was selling herself short, but still.
He nodded, smug as ever. "So if you plan on making good your escape from the fearsome, bloodthirsty pirates who have so abused you, I would seize the day if you know what I mean," he told her before heading back to work.
This time her voice stopped him in his tracks. "And if I don't?"
He actually felt his heart thud in his chest, but ignored it. He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Miss Sullivan, on my ship, you have a permanent invitation."
Chloe watched him go, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She might be able to hire someone to take her back to England. But what pirate would take her? Most of them wouldn't even let women on their ships to begin with. But she would be able to pay them well once she--she swallowed tightly--once she got back to her fiance. Perhaps one of Oliver's current crew, who would no longer be sailing with him? Yes. That might work. She glanced around her, wondering who would be mad enough to take her home. She didn't even have to acknowledge that the ones who be most willing...they would never abandon their captain.
_ _ _ _ _
Chloe tried not to panic. This was not her type of town. Not that she couldn't handle herself or anything, but even the amount of time she'd spent on a pirate ship didn't prepare her for a town like Tortuga.
Fortunately, Vic, AC, and Bart came to her rescue almost immediately. A bit late, really, but it didn't take too long. It was about the time that an extremely drunken man with a ridiculously long, tangled beard had started coming onto her a little too strong for comfort. Chloe had delivered a swift blow to his solar plexus, yanked his arm around behind his back, nearly dislocating his shoulder as she informed him that if he ever so much as touched her again, he would be missing certain beloved body parts.
And then the boys showed up. "You shouldn't be wandering around here by yourself, Chloelicious."
Chloe raised an eyebrow, giving them a dry look. Then she rolled her eyes, releasing a breath at the absurdity and threw an arm around Bart and AC, the two closest to her. "Bart, don't ever call me that again. Now," she looked at the three of them in good humor. "Buy a lady a drink?"
It felt good to be on dry land.
_ _ _ _ _
Something pirates were still underestimating about Chloe on a regular basis? Her ability to hold her liquor. She had a cousin who liked to drink a little more than was strictly lady-like, and she had trained Chloe well.
So her three companions were well out of their league and well under the table before Chloe started to get well and truly drunk, and it wasn't until she was well and truly drunk that the man she had dubbed the bane of her existence made his appearance. Him and a few other unexpected guests.
"Shouldn't you be bartering for passage back home?" he grinned slyly at her, leaning against the bar beside her, where a gruff barkeep was graciously pouring Chloe another shot, which she threw back readily before turning to Oliver with narrowed eyes.
"Shouldn't you be kidnapping someone?"
"Working on it," he smirked, although the meaning was lost on her, since she didn't waste time deciphering the statement.
"You really are a pain, do you know that?"
"Don't sweet talk me now, I might start to think you like me," he said, snatching up a glass of his own. "You're cute when you're drunk, you know that?"
She rolled her eyes and swayed slightly, starting to lose her balance a bit. "You're annoying sober and drunk."
"You're just trying to flatter me, now."
She glared at him, the effect not quite as intimidating as she hoped. "You're an ass."
"You're beautiful when you're angry."
"You're a law-breaking, treasure-hording piece of scum."
"You're absurdly eloquent."
"You're unbearably arrogant."
"You're irresistibly attractive."
"You're an uncouth swine."
"You're even ladylike when you're trying to swear."
"Treasure-hording scalawag."
"I love it when you talk dirty to me."
"Bloody Pirate!"
So naturally he wrapped an arm around her waist, hauled her against him, and planted one on her, dipping her back until she it was only his hold on her keeping her from dropping to the floor. Already dizzy from her drink, Oliver's kiss left her head spinning, the feel of his lips an unwelcome pleasant sensation that had her moaning in surprised gratitude for the warmth it sent flooding her entire body. Even in her tipsy state, she could tell he was smirking against her lips.
Vaguely, sound filtered back into her brain, and she became first aware that the crowd they had gathered in their insult contest was roaring a raucous approval--most audible being Victor, AC, and Bart. The barkeep was telling them to take it elsewhere. And finally, the last to slowly sift into her consciousness, just as Oliver was setting her back upright, his face still inches from hers, their chests rising and falling heavily as they stared at each other, was a voice repeating her name in shock.
"CHLOE!"
She whipped around, stepping away from Oliver as recognition suddenly set in. Behind her, unnoticed, Oliver frowned at the man who had said her name, someone he had never seen before.
"Clark?!" Chloe gasped out the name, eyes widening dramatically. "You--you're--what's--uunh--" Her eyes rolled back in her head as she passed out.
A sharp female voice came piercing through the crowd at the same time as a ferocious woman shoved her way into the circle that had formed around Oliver Queen, Clark Kent, and Chloe Sullivan.
"Well what are you doing, you idiot?" she demanded of Clark, who was looking between Chloe and Oliver, totally baffled. "Pick my baby cuz up off of this drink soaked floor and get us out of here!"
Jack Sparrow's voice interrupted. "Do you mind if I just take that pearl necklace, then?"
"Shut up," was the simultaneous reply from every party.
"Right, I'll just be on my way, then."
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