Broad Seas || One X One || Caebeeb and Pirate

Sometime in the middle of the night, Jackson awoke, moonlight filtering in through the porthole. He had a terrible kink in his neck and his body as a whole ached something fierce. Still groggy and half-asleep, he staggered to his feet, dragging the blanket with him as he moved toward the bed. Alice had left him enough room, and he kind of just fell into the open space, tossing the blanket over the both of them. Lying on his back, he draped his hands over his stomach, rapidly falling back asleep.

Jackson awoke slowly, hardly remembering how he had ended up in the bed. It certainly beat the floor, though. He cast a quick glance to his side, seeing Alice crammed into the corner, as far away from him as possible. Heaving a sigh, Jackson got to his feet. "You know, I've kept you safe this far. I don't understand why you're so afraid of me. I'm not going to rape you in the night," he muttered, wincing at the soreness that swept his body. He paused, glancing back at her, "Oh wait, I'm betting it's my rank that frightens you most, right, heiress?" His aching body wasn't putting him in the best of moods. He pounded on the door, and it opened a moment later. James led him out, closing the door behind him. Jackson limped up to the top deck, taking a deep breath of the salty air. After a brief chat with his brother, he took up residence at the side of the boat, staring out at the sea. James stood with him and they spoke for awhile. Jackson was earning his freedom back, though he knew they still had an eye on him. Meanwhile, Shane, being the scumbag he was, took the opportunity to head to the lower deck to terrorize his captive. He unlocked the door and stepped in, holding a fresh set of clothes. He eyed Alice for a moment, taking in the handiwork he'd done on her cheek. He tossed the clothes on the bed, "Get dressed," he demanded. Folding his arms across his chest, he hardly waited for her to start undressing before he closed the gap between them. "A fine woman, you are," he murmured, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "I'd hate to betray my brother, but an eye for an eye is only fair." He smiled before rushing to grasp her face and yank her in for a kiss. Pressing her up against the wall, his hands strayed to her clothes as he began to rip and tug at them. He managed to pull away the top half of her clothing, his lips finding her neck as he reached for his belt. Up top, Jackson turned toward James, "I'm going to go get Alice. She deserves some fresh air." James frowned slightly, "So long as she doesn't jump overboard," he muttered. Jackson chuckled as he made his way to the stairs, moving below deck. He headed to the room they were being kept in, pulling open the door to find his brother molesting the heiress. It didn't take long for Jackson to be filled with rage and he immediately stepped forward, reaching for the chord necklace that he knew was around Shane's throat, pulling it tight as he yanked him away. His adrenaline numbed the pain in his bruised body, and he hastily pulled his brother out of the room, the man sputtering and clawing at the necklace strangling him. James met the pair on the stairs, stepping out of the way in surprise as Shane was brought to the top deck. The entire crew saw the squabble and stopped what they were doing to watch in fascination. Jackson struggled to drag his brother to the side of the boat, pressing him against the railing. "I suppose you don't understand. We specifically agreed that no harm would come to the heiress," he hissed, pulling him further over the side. "I see land a mile out. You can swim, brother." In the next moment, Jackson fought momentarily with him before Shane was toppled over the side, the look of shock on his face the last thing he saw. Jackson stared over the side, watching Shane flounder in the water as he simultaneously had his airways opened and had to tread to survive. He had mixed emotions, but it was thrilling to feel a weight lifted from his shoulders. Before he could see the fate of his older brother, Jackson turned his back, taking in the shocked expressions of his crew members. None of them moved. Silently, he walked to the lower deck, his body now paying the price for the exertion and protesting each step. Upon finding Alice, he kept his distance, afraid to approach her, afraid he'd frighten her. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, slowly raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

Jackson felt his heart breaking at the pitiful heiress' words, slowly moving toward her. He sunk down the wall beside her, wrapping his arms around her to pull her against his chest. He gently adjusted her top so that she wasn't so exposed before he began to lightly stroke her hair. "I'm going to take you home, Alice. I promise," he murmured gently, rocking her slightly. Even if she tried to pull free of his grasp, he held her snugly, not wanting her to bolt from him like she normally did. "Shane's gone," he said quietly, glancing down at the sobbing woman. "There's nothing to fear anymore. I'll take you home."

Jackson held the heiress until her sobs faded away, still stroking her hair. When he was certain she wasn't going to fall apart, he loosened his grip and allowed her to pull away. Climbing to his feet, he turned to face her as she pulled on the tunic. He smiled at her words, "People like me are always beneath people like you, heiress," he said gently. Nodding slightly, he headed toward the door, "You're free to walk around. I have to go talk to the crew." He started to head through the doorway before pausing, "Oh, and please don't take anymore dives off the side of the boat." With that, he headed up to the top deck.

"As Shane is no longer here, I believe I should be acting captain," Jackson said stiffly, watching as the crew members shifted their weight and cast glances toward one another. They seemed to come to an agreement, turning their eyes back to Jackson to nod and murmur their agreeance. Jackson gave a curt nod, "And we're taking the heiress home. She doesn't belong here." James tipped his chin up, gesturing past Jackson, "Speak of the devil," he muttered. Jackson glanced over his shoulder, seeing Alice hovering in near the stairs. Turning his attention back to his crew, he added, "And she will not be harmed. If I find out anyone has touched her, I will personally slit your throat." The men muttered something quickly, shrugging. "Why don't we just drop her at the next town? You said it yourself, she doesn't belong here, all smug and mighty," Pete grumbled, making a face. "She got you into that tiff with Shane. Why are you protecting her?" chimed another. Jackson sighed, "I made a promise. Look, we just take her home and she's out of our hair, okay?" James cleared his throat, "She'll rat on us, have us arrested." Jackson frowned, glancing back at Alice. He finally sighed and turned back toward the men, "Oh well. We can handle it." The men started to speak again, all talking over one another, before Jackson silenced them. "Look, she hates us. She's afraid of us. Her class far exceeds ours. We did kidnap her, though. She has every right to turn us in." James piped up again, "You didn't even want to kidnap her, Jacks! You tried to talk Shane out of it. Why should you pay for your brother's mistakes? She's gonna turn us all in either way, so let's just drop her. Otherwise we'll be sailin' in to infested waters." Jackson sighed, "Turn the boat around," he snapped before turning and heading toward the stairs. He glanced up at the heiress, "Maybe you could find it in your heart to forgive us. We don't have much. We don't have lavish wealth to entertain us like you do. The men love this boat. That's all they want, is to be able to sail." He sighed, avoiding eye contact with her again, "We'll have you home soon, heiress." He headed below deck, aching and exhausted as he moved toward the small room they'd been sharing. He lowered himself onto the bed, letting out a sigh.

Jackson was in the midst of pulling off his shirt and boots so he could pass out comfortably when he heard the gentle knocking at the door. "Come in," he called, sighing softly when he saw it was the heiress. His eyes followed her as she walked toward him and sat down, trying to figure out what she could possibly want from him. He remained silent when she began to speak, immediately disagreeing mentally that they were anywhere close to being similar. The fact that they were orphans was precisely where the similarities ended. He was homeless and poor for the majority of his life, whereas she'd fallen into wealth. He saw more differences than anything. As she looked up to him, he turned his eyes to his bare feet, frowning at what she had to say next. He was a bad person and his crew chose this life. They were perfectly happy, granted that this was all they knew. When she spoke of compensation, his frown deepened and he turned his eyes to hers. He'd spent his entire life being a charity case where people took pity on him and could sooth their guilty consciences by flinging nearly worthless coins his way. He would not accept a reward for doing something terrible. His gaze fell back to his feet as she gave him the news of her engagement, realizing the implications it held for him and his men. They'd never be truly free again, shackled to the fear and terror the Navy would cause them whenever they were spotted from there on out. He sighed, glancing up at Alice when she stood, pulling back slightly in surprise when she kissed his cheek. He gave a slight nod at her words, waiting for her to leave before he stretched out on the bed, his bruised, muscular back to the door. Up on the top deck, the members of Jackson's crew saw the heiress coming and gave her a wide berth. None of them walked on the same side that she was on, instead walking twice the distance to simply get around her. They didn't like her, especially since they all assumed she was the cause of their future troubles. Most of them fell into a melancholy silence, pondering their lives away from the sea and locked up in a cell. A few hours past, and as day was wilting into night, Jackson awoke and redressed, heading up to the top deck. Dark storm clouds were fast approaching and the wind was picking up. "Jacks!" Pete called, "We're heading right back into that storm!" Jackson waved him off, heading for the side of the boat. The storm had followed them, and in order to get the heiress home, they had to sail through it again. Rain began to patter the ship as the new captain made his way to Alice, "Perhaps you should go below deck. It's safer." James laughed, "We certainly don't want the princess going overboard," he called over the howling wind, and Jackson shot him a look. Turning his attention back to Alice, he gestured toward the stairs, "We'll have you home in a day or two, depending on this storm. There's a furnace down there. You'll be warm."

Jackson watched as Alice disappeared below deck before he went over to help his crew prepare the ship for the storm. As the wind howled around them and the sky darkened, the rain picked up, making the deck slick. The men had to hold onto the railing and brace themselves against the elements. Pete was reaching for a rope when the boat rocked violently and he went tumbling over the side. Jackson rushed to the railing, searching the dark water. He shouted for a ladder to be brought over, just barely seeing the man's head above the churning waves. By the time the ladder was brought over, Pete was nowhere to be seen. The entire crew gathered around the side, shouting for their lost friend. An eerie silence fell over them when they all realized he wasn't going to resurface. The men slowly dispersed back to their places, manning the ship through the storm. When they eventually saw clear skies ahead, Jackson noticed James rushing toward the stairs. He jogged to cut him off, extending an arm across his chest to hold him back. "What're you doing?" he asked gruffly. "This is her fault! He died because of her!" James yelled, shoving against his friend. "James, calm down. We all loved him." James shook his head, pulling away from him. "If we get rid of her, we get rid of the problem!" he cried desperately. "James, you can't hurt her." The man shook his head, "What's wrong with you, Jacks? I don't even know you anymore!" Jackson set his jaw, "Maybe I'm trying to right a few wrongs," he hissed. James violently shook his head, backing away before he headed to the side of the boat. Jackson let out a breath, relaxing his shoulders. The next few hours passed slowly, but eventually they were within fifteen miles of Alice's city.

[Sure. And the fiancé can be there or somethin'. xD Anywho, I have to go to work right now. Only working about three hours today. ]

[Ahhh, yes, that's a good idea.]

Jackson's eyes snapped up when the heiress came up beside him, turning his eyes back to the water. He saw the British ship coming and knew it was futile to try and outrun them. He shrugged at her question. "Pete fell overboard. He drowned," he said hollowly. Quickly straightening up, Jackson glanced toward the woman when she spoke again. "Probably. And they won't do us any good. Go back below deck for right now. I'll call you up when it's safe," he said hastily before calling out orders to his men.