Drabble Series: 'An Execrable Business' (57/60 + Epilogue)

[dwgm]

500 words, with many thanks to hereswith for beta reading and suggestions.

Previous bits...

1. Tortuga 2. Happiness 3. Festive 4. Last Minute 5. Calm 6. Truth 7. Bargain 8. Spook 9. Down 10. Wounds 11. Moon 12. Monsters 13. Beauty 14. Name 15. History

16. Service 17. Advice 18. Captain 19. Awe 20. Cross 21. Mistake 22. Heroism 23. Gold 24. Echo 25. Greed 26. Advance 27. Challenge 28. Adventure 29. Sentence 30. Treasure

31. North 32. Coat 33. Good and Evil 34. Sickness & Health 35. Lost 36. Court 37. What if? 38. Island 39. That can't be 40. Prophesy 41. Ten Years Later 42. French 43. Deed 44. Tea 45. Scarlett & Giselle

46. Link 47. Comedy 48. Mothers 49. Fathers 50. Rib 51. Music 52. Magic 53. Pirate King 54. Freedom 55. Sea Shanties 56. Isla de Muerta

And here's today's...

57. Tragedy


~ An Execrable Business, continued...


"Nell! Nell!"

No response.

Jack had found her insensible, limp and white, and he'd snatched her up and laid her on the bed. In mounting fear, he repeated the sharp summons and gently slapped her cheeks. Finally she breathed deep, grimacing. "There's my bonny wench," he muttered encouragingly. Her eyelids fluttered as he began to chafe her hands. Some color returned to her face. "What a bloodthirsty little hellcat you are, shoot the bastards soon as look at 'em, and save questions for later, eh, darlin'? Stap me if I ever saw the like."

The men who'd accompanied him were taking the corpse out, and unfortunately she saw. It wasn't pretty, and she gave a devastated cry.

"Don't bloody look at it," he scolded, pulling her up and cradling her against his shoulder. "You did fine, there was nothing for it, lass, you did what you had to do." He held her close, rocking her as she wept.

Presently Ragetti came into the cabin, carrying a squirming Giselle. "Found her coming up from the hold, I think she was headed back here to Miss Nell, Cap'n."

"Sure she was, thank you, Ragetti," said Jack. "See love, the wee beastie is here for you."

Nell gathered herself a bit and accepted the cat. "Oh, yes, she was so frightened, the poor darling. I'm s-sorry I'm so stupid. I can't seem to stop crying."

"Captain, you're needed on deck," came Bill Turner's voice from the door with some urgency. "Barbossa's caught one of those boys that was on lookout and vows he'll flay the hide off 'im within the hour."

Jack swore, long and foul, mostly in foreign tongues, then said, "Nell, will you do? Giselle will stay, and all's safe now, give you my word."

"Yes, you must go!" Nell told him. "I'll be fine."

It was hours later, the black hour before dawn, when Jack was finally able to come to the cabin to comfort Nell again, and to take a short rest. Barbossa was put off for the moment, judgment of the lookouts having been postponed until the following day. The lock on Jack's cabin had been fixed, the blood and brains mopped up, and Nell lay small and shivering in his bed, Giselle nowhere in sight.

Jack stripped off his clothes and joined Nell under the covers, pulling her close against him, giving her his warmth and strength. She merely clung to him at first, but then their hands began to move over each other in the ways that were now so familiar – familiar, but with a difference. A desperate, reckless need altered their destination.

"No, sweeting," he whispered when he realized. But she would have none.

"Yes! Jack, please!" And she arched and opened beneath him, her hands catching him, drawing him to her.

It was unbearable; battle-weary and grieved, he bloody ached with it. His eyes closed, and his arms tightened around her. "No," he said again, but with less conviction.

"Yes!"

"Nell—"

"Yes!"

"Yes."




TBC...

Comments

[pearlseed.livejournal.com]

Nothing in the world like death to charge one's desire. Nell's quite the girl--and Jack is not made of stone. Passion burns real fine when you've looked at the alternative. I'm thinkin' there's a bit of heartbreak coming in what you've writ, word bittersweet will always mean Jack to me, very touching, Miz Ge-ma. As always, part of me wants the book to never end.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Death does tend to color things in a different light. Thank you for commenting so quickly -- I'm glad the scene worked for you.

And Yay! for your mad html skillz! *hugs*

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Again, pearlseed beat me to it and said it better than I ever could. Very bittersweet this is and I'm so touched by all the many facets of Jack you put into this chapter. You did him justice here. And Nell, too, god love her. I'm not sure what comes of this night, but I can't say it should have ended any differently.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I'm glad Jack seemed right to you in this. Thank you for commenting.

*goes off to write follow-up chapter of extreme angst*

[djarum99.livejournal.com]

Fabulous chapter! I love Nell doing what a woman can do, Jack being a good man, but battle-weary and grieved, and that final "yes."

Looking forward to tomorrow, as always ♥

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it, and that all the elements seemed to work in this. Tomorrow's is off to be edited. Oh, the angst!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

Beautiful desperation, beautiful installment! There is just something so enchanting about their final surrender, something sad, and yet not quite... something beautiful :]

I do worry about what will happen next... and I also worry about the upcoming final installment. I LOVE this story and I really don't know how I will get over the fact that there will be no more installments to brighten every day :[

*waiting with bated breath for more* :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story and that it brightened your day for two whole months! I can hardly believe it myself, lol! You've been so kind in commenting every day, I truly appreciate that.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Awesome chapter. And I am afraid he won't get away from punshing people... Or he'll get an early mutiny on his hands. And Nell won't like it. This is interesting. :-) And hot to. ;-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!