Captain of the Bloody Rose

The moment his lips touched hers she knew he felt the same. A fire started from that point of contact, a fire that spread throughout her body and warmed her in a way that she hadn’t been as long as she could remember. She clung to his shirt, afraid to let go, afraid still that even this wasn’t real. She had to hold him, feel the warmth of his body herself to prove that he was truly alive, truly there, and that he really loved her too.

When he pulled back she kept her fingers entangled in his shirt, using her hands to keep herself grounded, to continuously remind herself of his existence. His words warmed her as much as his kiss had, made permanent what his lips had told her. She rested her head on his shoulder, pulling him tightly against her. Jane was by no means stable now. No, in fact if possible she was now more unhinged than before, because now her emotions were on a rampage as well, loose within her small frail body.

Jane was not the strong woman he had once known so well. She seemed smaller if possibly and definitely thinner. Held close he could feel her ribs through her shirt and her cloak, for all the times she either forgot or simply had no will to eat. Her hair was longer, and if possible even more untamed, the wild curls falling over her shoulders in tangles. She hadn’t slept in days either.

Amongst all this there was hope. The one thing in her life that had begun to heal her before was alive and loved her as well. The road for her recovery would be long, but she could recover and that’s what mattered most of all.

Joseph kept his arms around her, though managed to take one of her hands in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. "I love you." he whispered, unable to bring his voice any louder than that. He ran his lips, planting tiny kisses, from her ear back to her lips, all the while repeating himself.

He opened his eyes halfway, simply to see her. He had to fix her.

((This is what she looks like now btw. Life has not been kind))


She didn’t think she’d ever grow tired of hearing those words come form his lips. He loved her and she loved him and that was all that mattered for her at that moment. With him there she felt safe and secure, a feeling she never thought she’d feel again.

Finally, exhaustion took its toll on Jane and she fell asleep, curled into his lap, her lips pressed against his neck.

Joseph waited until he was sure she was sound asleep to move, one arm under her knees, the other around her back as he stood.

He slowly made his way up the sand to the pier, his boots clunking on the wood as he made his way to his ship.

"Cap'in." A man tipped his hat to Joseph as he boarded, watching him go to his cabin where he tucked jane in, sitting beside her with his head on the bed next to her shoulder.

She slept soundly for the first time in months, her breathing soft and unlabored. She slept dreamlessly, without haunting images of Joseph's fall from the deck into the angry sea or Skip falling at her feet in a gush of a blood. For once she slept like she had before she lost her family, the sleep of the innocent, the unharmed, those without worry and strife.

The next morning dawned bright, small slivers of sunlight bouncing of her closed lids, waking her slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she was in an unfamiliar place, which was not so unusual for her, neither was not remembering how she got there in the first place. She was used to that with her drunken nights and wanderings. Then she remembered something during the night that was not so usual for her.

She shot up, her eyes wide with fear and frantic. Her quick movement, waking Joseph beside her, though she hadn't realized he was there at all.

"No, no, no..." She mumbled, her head in her hands. She couldn't have made it all up in her head could she?

Joseph blinked, startled when she sat up then stood, placing a hand on either of her shoulders sitting beside her. "Woah, easy." he frowned. "Jane, calm down."

He took her face in his hands making her look at him. "Deep breaths."

It took a moment, and in that moment he could clearly see the fear and downright hysteria in her eyes before recognition sparked on her face and she began to calm down. She reached out and clutched his shirt again in that death grip of her's, holding on to him like she was afraid he would disappear into the mist.

"I thought, I thought I dreamed it all." She said slowly, tearing her gaze away from him and leaning her forehead on his chest. She felt shame creeping up on her. Shame she was this weak and fragile. She knew it wasn't right to be this afraid, this paranoid over what might happen. Yet she was.

"I panicked. I'm s-sorry." She stuttered, for the first time in his presence she actually stuttered, tears creeping up again. 'I'm pathetic' she thought to herself, another tear joining the first.

Joseph frowned. "Don't be. It wasn't a dream." he said and stood up, releasing her. "For now, why don't you just rest. Right now, I have a crew to manage."

For a moment she looked like she would disagree, as if she would demand he stay there with her instead. But Jane, even in her unstable state, knew that she couldn't ask him to not do his job as Captain of a ship. And Captain he was, from the way he acted and talked, all the way to that moment in the bar when he'd congratulated her on answering his question correctly. There would be time for them to talk later, to figure out what the hell they were going to do. Right now, he had a crew and tasks to perform. She would have to wait, but she couldn't just wait there for him like a sick puppy. She had more pride than that.

"Its fine." She said, swinging her legs over the bunk so she could stand as well. "I'll just let you do what you have to do and go..." She tapered off, unsure what it was she did need to do at that point. Get a room at the inn finally? Find herself something to eat would probably be a good idea, she hadn't eaten in two days after all. Most likely she would probably just wander the town, trying to keep herself occupied and out of way.

"You're welcome to stay on board." Joseph said straightening his hair, only half caring about how it fell in his face. "Do you need money? To get a room, maybe some food?" he offered, raising an eyebrow as she stood awkwardly.

He was still determined to fix her.

((Merry Christmas!))

"I- I just don't want to be in the way." She said awkwardly, straightening her skirt as she stood. "And I have some money of my own. I can buy what I need."

"Get what you need or want." Joseph said. "If youll allow it, I'll be taking you with me when we leave port. I'll see to it you have your own cabin too."

Jane paused, not sure what to say or how to respond. It was a question, not a command, but she knew that tone of voice when she heard it. When she was still a Captain she would have turned right nasty if her crew mate had spoken to her like that, but Jane was not a Captain anymore and it was obvious in every way that Joseph now was. In a way he was asking her, but it felt like he was telling her and for the first time in her life she didn't mind.

"What could I possibly do on your ship Joseph?" she asked, not angrily or trying to be rude, but genuinely curious and almost exacerbated. "I'm not strong like the other men, I don't take direction well, your crew will fight anything I do every step of the way. I know this. I was a Captain once."

Each word that came out of her mouth made her doubt that soundness of that idea, of her joining him on that ship. Yet, that was something she wanted more than anything. Now that she knew he was alive she didn't want to let him out of her sight.

"You might be surprised by the crew Ive hired.... We have more than just you on board without a stick betwen their legs."

In other words; she wouldn't be the only girl.

"Besides. I still need someone I know I can trust as first mate."

Now she was really hard pressed to find a reason to say no. Again, not because she wanted to, but because she was naturally pessimistic and constantly had to find the flaw in any plan. His comment about other women on the ship made her pause. Women as pirates. actual pirates and not whores kept on to keep men happy, were very rare. The only other woman Jane had ever met was named Mary and she had been a right bitch. Most likely because they were rivals for trading routes, but nonetheless, it had not given Jane the best impression of women.

Of course she'd never really had a good impression of people in general. Her outlook on life was rather depressing really, and yet it suited the dark haired woman. She never expected much, and thereby was never really disappointed by anything.

"You are rather crude you know." She said mockingly, referring to his way of announcing there would be other women. The smile on her face showed that she was only jesting though.

"Do you think you can handle me as first mate? I am rather overbearing." She said simply, her eyes burning into his.

"Gyp." he reminded her with a snarky grin. "Besides; If i could handle you as a captain, I can work with you as first mate." he said simply.

He had a point. As a gypsy, he followed no rules... Including that as basic sea-fairing... bringing women on the ship and what not.

She smiled, the first genuine smile she had had in months. It was that same smile that had first captivated him, that lit up her eyes and made her seem young and happy with life rather than downtrodden and barely holding on to a semblance of sanity. It crossed her mind for a moment that he was probably making the worst decision in his life, but she didn't want to try and fight his logic anymore. If he wanted her there, then she would go.

"Alright. I'll join your crew. After all, I did answer your question correctly didn't I, Captain?" She said smartly, trying out the word on her tongue. It had been years since she'd called anyone else Captain and she thought it would feel odd, wrong in a way. Yet, calling him Captain felt as natural as calling him by his name.

Joseph smiled, glad to have her agree. "Right you are, Ms. Jane." he said. "You answered my question perfectly."

He picked up a small pouch of copper and silver from the bed and tossed it into Jane's hands. "Get yourself all set." he said. "We'll be leaving port within the next day."

Where they were headded, he had plenty of gold stowed away....

She looked at the small pouch of money and frowned before shaking her head. She would have to get used to this she decided. After all, it wasn't her money that she was handing out to pay her crew anymore. It was his money, and he would be paying her. Either way, it felt wrong, and she almost wanted to give it back and insist she pay herself before deciding against it. He offered, and the pirate in Jane said take it and screw your principles.

"Right. I suppose I should get a room then for the night. Doubt you want me crowding you here." She said simply, starting towards the door before she stopped. Turning around on her heel she pulled him to her and kissed him hard, melding his body to hers forcefully and with no restraint. As fast as the kiss had begun she pulled away, her expression dark.

"I'll be at the Cat's Call Inn. Don't disappear on me." She said softly, her eyes painfully tearing away from his as she walked out the door.

Joseph blinked, his mind left fuzzy by the sudden passionate kiss.

He watched her go before allowing the blush to creep onto his cheeks.

He grabbed his walking stick, pushed the door to his cabin open and stepped out onto the deck, looking out over his ship... It felt nice to think that again.... HIS ship.

He sighed and looked up. Clear skys, though the rising sun was red... It meant rough seas; most liekly meaning a delay in leaving port.

Jane left the ship quickly, staring down anyone who dared look at her funny. Yeah with her long skirt, tight bodice, and skinny frame she didn't exactly look like a woman who was particularly dangerous. In fact, she realized, I probably look like some whore that Joseph picked up off the streets. She couldn't help but smile at that, though it was odd that she would find such a thought humorous.

The rest of the day she spent gathering things that she would need if she was really going to be working on a ship again. Laudanum was on that list since her leg and rib were still healing and caused her pain every once in a while, rum of course (she probably drank more than three normal men combined), and a ledger with a new quill with ink. If there was one thing she had learned as a Captain, it was to always have blank paper and a ready quill around to help you keep count of money and chart where the hell you were going next. It was only that night at the Cat's call that she finally ate something. A small bowl of lentil soup, not even half a meal for the sick really, and yet she couldn't even finish it. Her panic was starting to set in again, so she quickly made her way to her empty room and sat on the bed, trying to distract herself in any way she could.

~Meanwhile

A member of the crew watched Jane leave, and smirked. Now that was one hell of a woman. A bit on the mean side for him, too little fat on her body, but still a beauty none the less. 'Wonder where she's off too' he thought to himself, watching her with obvious hunger in his eyes. Seeing the Captain he walked over and tipped his head a bit in greeting before speaking.

"You're quite the lucky man sir. Where did you find that lovely lady?"

"We used to be ship hands together." he said simply. "She'll be my first mate on this ship, so if you foresee any issues, I suggest you leave before we depart."

Joseph was only blind in one eye, and his crew didnt know that much. his eyes were locked on the man, having seen that hunger and felt an immediate sense of anger. Almost a sense of possession... Jane was no wench to be had. She was a woman to attempt and earn.

"Keep an eye out for an older man; named Collins. If you see him, send him my way, understood?"

The man was immediately taken aback by the fire in his Captains voice. Obviously he'd misjudged the relationship between his Captain and this mysterious new first mate.

"Not a problem at all sir. Wouldn't dream of it." He quickly replied, wondering what exactly was between them, talking more about going after the girl than any actual problems. Of course if anything should happen to break this strange bond between the two of them, then as far as he was concerned said woman would be fair game.

"Older guy. Got it. I'll send him sir." with that said he walked off.

It took a few hours before Collins arrived, but when he did he was weighed down by a rather large bag. The man pointed him towards Joseph and he knocked before stumbling in, nearly falling over from the weight. He put it down on the table and breathed heavily for a moment before finally catching his breath.

"Got it all. Cost a pretty penny it did but we're stocked up for any calamity at this point." He said simply, glad it was Joseph he was speaking to and not some other Captain. Anybody else would have probably beat him silly for how he'd walked in and just fallen into a chair after dumping a lot of stuff onto the table.

"Sorry bout that." He said, gesturing to the bag. "These old bones aren't what they used to be."

"Collins, if anyone understands that it'll be me." Joseph assured the old man, looking at the vast array of supplies he had bought. "the main hold's split into male and female." he said looking over. "Can I trust you to behave? Jane will have the private quarters next to yours."

"You got her to agree? Hell you got her to see reason?!" Collins said, his joy at the news obvious. He had been hoping that he would be able to get through to the woman. He didn't even care how he'd done it. He was just glad that she was going to be somewhere where people could take care of her.

"ah I see she told you that story did she." Collins said sadly, sighing he looked down at his gnarled hands.

"On me life after that day I never did something like that again. I'm still ashamed it even happened. You can expect no trouble from me Joseph. Besides, I can't do much now can I?" He said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Are you sure you want her in a room alone though?" He asked, thinking about the looks she usually got around strangers.