Alone and Unloved no More - Part 3

[skellagirl]

More old badfic. C:



Chapter 3 - Ashanti Learns to Sail

Smee was finishing a hem on Ashanti’s new pair of pants when Hook came down in a beautiful black coat, gold threads twisted ornately into the fabric. Underneath that he wore a ruffled cream-coloured shirt and navy blue pants, and black leather boots. For now he wore no hat. He walked straight towards Ashanti and shoved a hairbrush into her hands. She stared at him.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked, giving it back to him and putting on the pants Smee had just finished for her. Hook shoved the brush back into her hands.

“My hair needs brushing,” he said firmly. She blinked. He kept his hand on hers and ran the brush down one side of his head. “I’m sure a girl like you knows how to use a hairbrush,” he said, “What with all your silky hair.” He ran his fingers through her hair. She shied away for a moment, then regained her confidence.

“And I’m sure boys do, too,” she said, thrusting the brush back into his hand. He smirked, closing his fingers around her hand. She shuddered.

“Of course, love, of course,” he said. Again he lifted her hand and ran the brush through his hair. Still smirking eerily, he took a step towards her and pushed her into the mast until he was uncomfortably close to her. He continued to run the brush through his hair while she stared at him with large eyes. “We’ll do it together,” he said in a strange tone. She just stared at him, her eyes large as ever and her mouth open slightly. Every once in a while it seemed like he got a little closer, but she couldn’t be sure.

They stood there for what seemed like hours, while he forced her to brush his hair, all the while smirking in that creepy, seductive way. Finally he lowered his hand and she could breathe again - at least, for the time being - Within a few seconds he leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek. Her stomach tied into a knot and the hairbrush fell from her lifeless fingers. Her eyes widened even more, if possible, and her whole face turned rosy pink. He put his hand on her neck as he pulled away, his smirk reduced to a half-smile.

“Thank you, love,” he said softly, and walked away, suddenly barking orders to his crew. As the crew flew into action, Ashanti set her hands on her head, her eyes unblinking. All she could do was stare at the back of this man as he walked up the stairs to the wheel, and when he turned around she saw a confident smile on his lips. The crew was gathered around in an eager circle, awaiting their captain’s orders. It had been who-knows-how-long since they had seen him at the wheel, and it usually meant something eventful was about to happen. She blinked slowly and stared into his eyes, even if he wasn’t looking at her. Those forget-me-not blue pools sparkled in excitement as he caressed the wheel, as he looked out at the horizon, as he cried out his orders to the crew. “Crew!” he yelled. She could barely clear her head enough to listen, including the fact that she didn’t understand ship-talk. All she heard was her own name, and that she was supposed to ‘help let down the sails’. Or at least, that’s how she heard it.

She sprung into action. Smee told her to follow him, and she did. She followed him to some rigging on the masts and did as she was told until the sails were unfurled. Wind caught in them and made a strangely familiar noise to Ashanti. Hook continued barking orders. Below and through her hair and she could see complete pandemonium on the deck.

“Ashanti!” she heard Hook yell. She looked down at him, blushing a bit, “Look alive, love! Help the others hoist anchor!”

She stared blankly at him. “Hoist anchor?” she murmured. Smee began to climb down to the deck.

“Follow me, lass! I’ll show you!” he yelled. She followed him. Once she was back on deck there was less wind, so she could hear better. She continued to follow Smee to the anchor, and, with some other pirates, pulled the heavy anchor out of the water and up to the boat. Immediately the boat began to drift forward. Ashanti tumbled off the little ledge she was on and hit the deck. She could hear Hook burst into laughter somewhere above her. She stood up and looked at him.

“What’s so funny?” she yelled. He just laughed, then shook his head and returned to the wheel. When everything was in place, the crew huddled around their captain again.

“Cap’n!” said one pirate, “Where are we headed?” Hook smiled at his faithful crew.

“Anywhere other than this island!” he yelled, “I’m sick and tired of this place!” He gazed around them, finally resting his eyes on Ashanti. “Come on, men!” he yelled, looking up at the horizon, “You know what to do!” He began barking orders to his dogs as Ashanti was pushed up the stairs towards him by Smee. Once she was on the same level as the captain, Smee bid his goodbyes and ran back down to the main deck. Ashanti stared at the captain as he yelled out his final orders, then he fell silent.

He turned towards her and smiled, then continued to steer. She walked over and examined him for a moment, then gave him a hard slap across the face. He rubbed his cheek, grimacing, then glanced at her. “Now that wasn’t very polite, was it, love?” he said.

“Sorry, I just had to do that,” she snapped, “You deserve it, you know, you stupid idiot.” He scowled at her, then grasped the wheel. They were silent for a few moments, then Hook looked back to the island. They hadn’t moved very far, but there was a good wind. Hook yelled something to his crew and turned the boat so the wind caught directly in the sails and pushed them along. Ashanti wobbled a bit, then grasped the wheel - right over Hook’s hand. She stared at him, her eyes wide, and quickly whipped her hand away. She wrung out her hands as if he had been covered with some kind of disease. Hook smirked.

“Ah,” he said back to her, “There’s only one more way that could have been more obvious.”

“One more way?” she whimpered, her knees weak. She walked over to the wheel and stared at him. “What’s that, Captain?”

Without any hesitation whatsoever he leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly against her face, right next to her lips. She immediately pulled away and screamed at the top of her lungs, then shook her head, spitting as she did so and wiping her mouth on her arms. Hook just collapsed on deck from laughing so hard. When the boat began to sway a bit in the wrong direction, Hook stood up and went back to steering it.

Ashanti ran over to him and slapped him over and over again, until he grabbed her hand and pushed her away.

“I’m trying to steer the ship,” he said, rubbing his cheek. She strode back over to him and put her hands on her hips.

“You’re being a… a…” she stuttered and fell silent, closing her eyes in frustration.

“Calm down, love, it’s just a game,” he said.

“WHAT?!” she screamed, her face pink in anger, “You’re so stupid! A game… You’re just trying to get me into bed with you!” She slapped him again. He sighed.

“Ah, sweet seduction…” he mumbled.

“What the crap?!” she screamed.

“That’s not what I’m trying to do!” he said, looking at her directly for the first time in a while. “I’m a… mostly honest man. Not to mention that I always keep my promises.” He smiled a cocky smile and looked back to the horizon, where it was open water.

“What does honesty and keeping promises have to do with seduction?!” she yelled.

“Quite a lot, actually,” he said.

“How would you know?” she asked.

“How would you?” he asked her, smirking.

“Well, why don’t you just answer my question?” she asked, grimacing.

“How about…” he looked back towards Neverland, which was fading into the distance, “I make an oath?”

“What?” she asked, tears in her eyes from being so angry. He grabbed her hand and put it on the wheel to keep it steady, then turned to her and put his hook on his heart, raising his left hand and showing the palm to her.

“I, Captain James Matthew Hook, solemnly swear on the pain of the gallows, stabbed, or any other way of death, that I will never seduce you without your knowing about it,” he said. She stared at him, her mouth open.

“That kind of defeats the meaning of seduction, doesn’t it?” she asked. He rolled his eyes.

“Alright then,” he said. He lowered his arms, then brought them back up to the previous position. “I, Captain James Matthew Hook of the Jolly Roger, which was previously docked in Neverland, solemnly swear on the pain of the gallows, stabbed, or any other way of death, that I will never perform any act of sexual significance to you, Ashanti, without your permission.” He lowered his arms again. “Is that good enough for you?”

She stared at him once more. “Cross your heart?” she asked. He smirked and pulled away his shirt, showing a bare, pale chest. He ran his hook through his flesh in the shape of an ‘X’. The strange yellow blood began dribbling from it.

“Cross my heart, love,” he said softly. To her shock, he pulled his shirt closed and went back to the wheel, gently pushing her away from it.

After a while of silence, Hook turned around so he could watch Neverland fade into the foggy distance. He waved, leaning against the wheel.

“Goodbye, Neverland!” he yelled in a strange voice, “And good riddance!” He turned back to the wheel and smiled at her.

“So… Why exactly are we leaving Neverland? It seems fine to me, except for the crocodile,” she said.

“Well, love, let me tell you a long and painful story,” he said. He then proceeded to tell her the story about how he got his right hand chopped off by a little boy in tights, and how he got his hook, and he ended his story like this: “And that, Ashanti, is why we’re leaving Neverland.” By the end of the story she had mostly forgotten she was angry with him, and so was listening intently. She actually managed a smile and rubbed the back of her neck as she watched the faint silhouette of Neverland way out in the distance. It was only a couple seconds before it finally disappeared completely.

“Why did it take so long to disappear?” she asked, “That must have been… ten minutes… or fifteen…”

“It’s an island, love,” he said, “And a big one, at that. It’s going to take a long time to disappear.”

“Well, it’s gone,” she informed. He looked back, his eyes wide.

“It is?” he asked. Suddenly he smiled. “It is…” He broke down into tears and collapsed on deck, laughing at the same time. Ashanti immediately kneeled down beside him and put her hand on his back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, panicked. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, shaking his head and smiling. He looked up at the sky, which was overcast. It was finally starting to rain. The storm was finally coming. She watched him, her eyebrows drawn. He quickly recovered his sanity, though he stayed there while she rubbed his back.

“I’ve finally escaped… That terrible place is finally gone…” he gasped. She sighed. Suddenly he stood up and grabbed the wheel, turning the ship again to its course. Ashanti stood up and moved next to him, smiling into his glistening blue eyes. He sighed and smiled at her, and she froze. Her own smile faded and she moved away.

The wind picked up, blowing rain into their faces and the sails the wrong way. Hook ordered his crew to (As Ashanti translated it) bring the sails up. She watched as quite a few of the pirates climbed up the rigging and up the masts, and she watched as the giant sails retracted. The ship stopped moving and began swaying around. Ashanti would have tumbled around deck if she hadn’t grabbed onto the wheel.

“Weigh anchor, weigh anchor!” Hook yelled. The pirates flew into action, running over to the anchor and letting it drop into the water. The ship took a jolt and Ashanti fell to the ground and rolled down the stairs to the main deck. Hook burst into laughter. “Get some sea legs, love!” he called over the wind. Ashanti regained balance and struggled up the stairs to Hook, about ninety percent of her drenched already.

“How did this storm get so bad so quick?” she yelled over the wind. Hook moved his face closer to her, so as not to yell.

“It’s the sea. Be ready for anything,” he said. He slowly let go of the wheel to make sure the ship would stay, then ran down to the deck. Ashanti followed, thinking they were going somewhere dry. Instead she bumped into the back of Hook while he was yelling orders to his crew. Ashanti stepped up beside him, trying to avoid the water that washed over the side of the ship.

“Why aren’t we going somewhere dry?” she yelled.

He didn’t answer. She looked around the ship as the crew went up and down the rigging, back and forth on the deck, in and out of rooms, and so much more that Ashanti couldn’t keep track. Hook grasped her arm and began running down the stairs. Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise that terrified Ashanti. Hook remained calm, simply stopping in his tracks as a gigantic wave crashed over the boat, drenching anyone on the port side of the ship, including Ashanti and Hook. Once the wave had passed, he continued running till he was at his bedroom door. He opened it and pushed Ashanti in.

“Stay dry,” he said.

“Wait!” she yelled.

“The storm will pass soon, just stay dry in here. I’ll come get you later!”

“Wait, stop!” she yelled. He ignored her, closing the door and locking her in. She grabbed the doorknob and jiggled it around, but got nothing. “Let me out! Let me out of here right now!” she screamed. After kicking the door, the ship took a lurch to the right, and Ashanti went tumbling to the floor, knocking into furniture and stopping only when she hit the wall. Then, as she was getting up, the ship took a lurch to the other side, and she went rolling to the other wall. She finally found something she could grab onto for balance, and watched as the waves crashed and raged outside. Suddenly the storm seemed to get twice as worse. The wind picked up to an insanely violent speed and blew the window in. Ashanti ducked down and tried to dodge the glass, but ended up getting sliced in a few places. She put her arms up over her head and closed her eyes.

Suddenly there was an ear-piercingly loud cracking noise. Ashanti opened her eyes to see the whole back of the ship blow off and disappear into the distance. Her eyes widened and she dashed over to the door, trying hard to open it again. It didn’t budge. She could feel the ship tilting back, and the furniture in the room began sliding back towards the water. She held on for dear life as water began filling into the room. She looked to her left and saw Hook’s dresser sliding back, every one of his little nick-nacks with it. She stretched out one of her arms and tried to grab it, to try and save it, but she could only reach so far. She let go of the doorknob and grabbed it, and took a few steps backwards, but it was too heavy - She was being pulled towards the water…

She pulled back towards the door with all her might, but it was no use. The ship was tilting more and more, till it was almost vertical. She grabbed onto Hook’s scarf - the one she had patched up for him - and began climbing up towards the door, stuffing the scarf into her shirt again. Right as she was about to reach the door, it opened and Hook was standing on the frame. He reached into the room and grabbed her arm, pulling her out.

“Sorry, love! Come here!” he yelled. He climbed up to the deck and forced her onto his back, then jumped off. Ashanti screamed and wrapped her arms as far as they would go around his neck. They landed with a huge splash. Hook managed to find the way up to the surface, even in the hurricane. They drifted on the surface until Hook cracked his head into a lifeboat. Smee, who was in the boat with four other pirates, reached over and grabbed his captain, pulling him in. Then Hook pulled Ashanti up, as he had left her in the water. Once she was in, they tried to keep the boat steady as she tried to keep warm. Hook grabbed his crewmates and pulled them in, so they were all huddled around Ashanti, keeping her as warm as possible while the hurricane tossed the tiny boat around on the waves. Ashanti could barely see, through the rain and hail, through the tiny bits of debris, through her hair and the other pirates’ clothes and hair, the depressing sight of the Jolly Roger sinking under the water.

She looked back to see Hook watching the same thing - his magnificent boat… Gone forever… His face clouded over and he looked away as the last of it disappeared below the black waves. Ashanti turned back just in time to see the figurehead break away, then disappear. She shuddered and put her hand against the scarf she still had hidden in her shirt.

Suddenly the storm came to a screeching halt. Ashanti looked around through drips of water from her eyelashes. She reached up and pushed her hair away from her face.

“What just happened?” she asked, “Where are we? Is the storm over?” She felt Hook adjust himself somewhere behind them.

“No, it’s not over. We’re in the eye of the storm,” the captain said. They all looked around quickly for any other survivors. “I imagine they’ve all died,” Hook said as though he’d read their minds.

“You didn’t die, cap’n,” said a pirate somewhere beside Ashanti, “when you brought the lass back, I mean. And you practically jumped right into Davy Jones’s locker.”

“Plus, you’ve only got one hand to swim with, captain,” Ashanti said suddenly. Hook gave them a small half-smile. “And you pulled me out of the room. That takes some muscle!”

“Shut up, all of you,” Hook said, though he was still smiling a bit. He let his smile fade away, then looked around. “What we need to focus on now is getting out of this storm. We need to find land.” He looked around again, then at his faithful bo’sun. “Smee, just row. Let’s get out of here, and find some land, and maybe some survivors. We have a bit more room before this lifeboat will sink.”

Smee did as he was told, and before long they were caught in the storm again. Only this time it was a hundred times worse - both because they were in such a small boat, and because it was just suddenly… worse…

The boat thrashed about and flew into the air, and they did all they could to stay in the boat. Sometimes it landed in the water right, sometimes it landed so they were in the water, and they had to hold their breaths and the sides of the boats to keep in the boat. After a while of this the wind picked the boat up and tossed it around like a ball. Ashanti could hear everyone else screaming around her, plus her own screaming. She held onto the sides of the boat until her knuckles were white.

So is this the end? she thought, I die with a bunch of pirates?

Suddenly a piece of wood flew into view and cracked her right in the head, and everything went black.

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