A Pirate at Heart

Chapter 30: Crushing Waves

Author's Note: Well this is the final chapter to what has been a fun and interesting story to write. There may or may not be an epilogue, I'm considering it though. I do hope that you enjoy the ending and continue to read some of my other stories. Thanks again to my beta Lynn, who has helped me with my writer's block and with my editing. Enjoy!

The blood seeped from her chest quickly, soaking through her already damp white dress and staining it a deep crimson color. The offending dagger still pressed deeply into her skin holding without any help from her hands. Tears of pain struck her and forced their way down her dripping face, as long dark blonde strands of hair plastered themselves against her face. A desperate sob escaped her lips, her body begging for the pain to cease. Her feet swayed with both the rocking of the ship and the slickness of the deck, making it hard for her to maintain her balance.

Her back suddenly collided with the long thick wood base of the crows nest. Small nails dug their way into her back but it was nothing compared to the real pain she felt in her chest. As a violent wind hit the ship she felt herself being flung harder against the wood, her long fingernails gripping into the wood behind her tightly. Quickly she began to grope at her chest until she found the dagger. With now bloody hands she pulled it out violently, screaming as she did so, and threw it across the deck.

The bed felt soft and oddly comforting beneath him, he knew he wasn't the one who was in need of comforting; he was the perpetrator. He was in the wrong. Yet, he couldn't help but feel that perhaps he was led on, after all she had kissed him back with so much passion below the deck that it had left him breathless and longing for more. Now here he was, alone on his bed, feeling guilty and used. He shook these thoughts out of his head after a moment or two, and instead reached over to his bedside table. The small wooden groove in the center provided him enough space to slip in his hand and pull out a drawer. Inside the drawer was one item, something he kept in there for emergencies only, a bottle of Spanish rum. He popped open the cork, and placed the opening of the bottle to his bottom lip, titling the bottle gently and allowing a few drops to enter his mouth. The rum felt satisfying and he felt the loneliness slowly fading away. He moved his hand and replaced it at the bottom of the bottle, and went to take another sip, when suddenly; a stentorian cry filled his ears. The bottle fell from his hand and shattered beneath him soaking his pant legs and boots in the alcoholic beverage. He leapt to his feet, cursing, instantly forgetting about his coat and hat, and dashed out of the room and into the storm of the night.

A bright light reached her eyes and she slammed them closed on reflex, her whole body felt numb now, as if it had adjusted to the pain as she had hoped. She opened her large brown eyes once more as a few tears squeezed out, her eyes darting to where the light, no longer there, had come from. There she could make out the faint outline of a person heading towards her, battling with the rain as they tried to reach her.

"Elizabeth" his voice called.

She froze, the top half of her dress drenched in blood, the salt from her tears and the seawater that had washed on the deck. The darkness hid the blood and disguised it as the dampness of the rain. She dug her nails further into the wood and pulled her self up taller as she felt her knees weakening.

He reached her finally, his eyes worried and his face soaked with rain.

"Eli--" Jack's words died upon seeing her pain-stricken expression. He opened his mouth to say something more but closed it instead, pausing for moment he stared back at her.

She felt sick and weak, her body fighting with her to surrender to the pain, to accept it, but her mind was still clinging to life. She was not ready, she wouldn't go yet. A desire burnt in the bottom of her stomach, a desire that was now filling her, a desire to be wanted, to felt like she was needed.

Strength finally found her and she pushed herself off of the base of the crow's nest, her body forcefully colliding with his and her lips slammed into his urgently. She ran her wet hands along his sides as if coaxing him to come closer as she possessed no energy at the moment to do so herself. His hands complied, and wrapped themselves around her, his fingers pressing into the mid of her lower back. Just has she had done below deck, she summoned more energy, and spun them around. His back hitting the wood as hers had moments prior. Her body pressing harder into his staining his shirt with her blood.

The rain continued to fall, the droplets were now falling harder hitting his chest and disguising the wetness of the blood on her dress. He pulled back suddenly, gasping for breath, his eyes searching out hers for an explanation, or some voice of reason.

Jack opened his mouth to try and speak, but before he had the chance she placed her hands either side of his head, balancing herself as more blood was lost from her body. With ragged breathing, she forced her swollen lips against his once more, this time more forcefully, wanting more and more to taste what its like to be wanted.

All voice of reason left his head as their lips collided once more, he wanted this just as much as she did. He pressed his lips harder as her kiss became more frantic. His hands reaching into her hair as her fingers ran along his chest. He let out a moan as she ran her teeth along his bottom lip grazing the flesh roughly. He gently bit the corner of her lip back in response as his body took over. Harshly he spun her around forcing her against the wood as they broke apart for mere seconds, before he resume the kiss quickly, their hot breath mixing once again.

Small hale stones began to fall hitting them slightly. Elizabeth had long since turned numb and could feel nothing, not even the warmth of Jack's body. The ship gave an abrupt lurch sending the pair flying backwards. Jack's back met the railing of the ship and his head fell backwards, only for Elizabeth's soaked body to clash into his. Her hands grabbing the back of his neck and placing her lips once again back on his and resuming what had been interrupted. Their hands began to travel everywhere, as nothing seemed to matter any more.

A tear suddenly fell from Elizabeth's eyes as another wave of pain hit her but did not register because of the numbness. The tear hit their lips and Jack quickly drew back at the salty taste. Elizabeth's eyes were bloodshot and her breathing was ragged and struggling. Desperately she tried to find his face again, only for his hands to grab her wrists and turn them around. His body pulled away from her and his mind focused once more.

This was wrong. She didn't want this. She had told him that. She had not had any alcohol from what he could taste, nothing to impair her better judgment. But still this was wrong. He started to close his eyes as she begun to struggle with him, trying to press away from the rail and closer to him.

It was then, in the glint of the night, the moonlight hit her with a blinding force. A sickening crimson color covered her chest a large hole which was oozing blood was clearly visible. His eyes widening and a look of panic and disgust filled his face.

"Its too late," she told him gently following his gaze.

"You tricked me," he said, shocked for the first time in a while.

Using the last of her strength she pulled her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Pirate," she whispered the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Then, her legs finally gave way and she collapsed, falling forward and landing on her knees, her hands outstretching to break her fall. Her head flying forwards causing her hair to violently move in front of her face. Suddenly she felt as if all the oxygen in her lungs was being forced out, she begun choking each cough producing a large amount of blood onto the wooden deck beneath her.

Jack quickly fell to his knees uncertain of what to do he rubbed her back softly hoping that the coughing would stop, but he knew better. Her body gave an unexpected launch and she was flung to the ground, her hands giving way. Quickly he reached out and placed her head on his shoulder, pulling her body closer to his in a tight embrace.

Her heart beat begun to rapidly increase, until finally, it clenched for the last time ceasing to pump blood. Her diaphragm contacted once last time, and her soft hazel brown eyes finally closed.

Jack stayed with her corpse for a few minutes before he walked over to the bloody dagger lying beside the mast. He picked it up and touched the blood that hadn't already been washed away. He stared at the scarlet liquid that had come from his almost lover.

Anger overtook the pirate as he hurled the dagger out towards the stormy sea, hoping to never see the thing that killed Elizabeth ever again. His heart clenched as the knife disappeared from view, but his pain didn't. Jack realized that he was the real dagger that stabbed Elizabeth's heart. She remained a pirate till the end, and so she deserved a pirate's death. He picked up the dead woman and walked to the edge. He kissed her cold lips one last time before dropping her into the ocean, to be taken to the depths by the crushing waves.