This is a work of fiction based on characters created in the Fox/Miramax/Universal Pictures film, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” There is no intent to infringe on copyright or profit in any way from the characters.  The story is strictly for entertainment purposes as a work of fantasy fan fiction.  Do not copy, print or publish any part of this story without the written permission of the author.

Deep Ocean Darkness

by: Little Fish
©2004

With a headache to match the softening pain in his heart, Jack Aubrey slowly opened an eye to check the wine decanter on the side bureau.  Dry as a bone.  As was his throat - quite parched.

Slowly turning his head, he gazed at the sleeping woman who shared her bed with him.  Even in repose, she was lovely to behold, her blonde hair cascading across the pillow.  A Prussian beauty - a baroness.  What a blissful evening they had shared and a night of unexpectedly deep passion.  They had met last evening quite by chance.

Aubrey was still reeling from the indiscreet messages he received on his return to Portsmouth.  It seems that his dear wife, Sophie, had garnered the attentions of a young Army officer while Jack was away over the last six months at sea.  At first, he grew angry with these tales, staring the men down and turning on heel so as not to dignify their babble.  However after a time, the stories, though lacking in any detail, seemed a bit plausible.  After all, she was alone for all of those months, with the children and her mother.  Sophie was still quite lovely.  She must have missed Jack terribly.  Perhaps she sought some comfort in the arms of -

The thought was more than Jack could bear.  An affront to his pride, his manhood, and possibly, indecencies indulged under the roof of his home.  How could she do this to him?  After all of the lonely years of command at sea, far from hearth and home, from her and the children - all to support them under his duty to King and Country.  The palpable pain in his chest had left him breathless.

The good doctor, his friend Stephen Maturin, heard the reports, too, and insisted that Jack board the coach with him to visit an acquaintance of theirs.  With knowledge born of personal experience, Stephen knew the anguish Jack suffered.  He sought to provide him some respite from the heaviness in his heart, which is why they rode on to Lady Melanie’s home, where a small gathering was underway.

Removing his hat, Jack quietly followed Stephen through the door and found all eyes directed toward the two of them.  After an amiable introduction to the group, Lady Melanie handed Jack and Stephen their first glasses of wine for the evening. 

A young naval officer raised his glass in a toast, “Joy to Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin on their return from a most prosperous venture at sea!”  With open smiles, glasses were raised and drained all around by the men and sipped demurely by the women. 

It was then that Jack raised his eyes from the inside of his empty glass to gaze at a mysterious woman across the room.  Her blonde hair shone like a crown, piled high on her head.  Her pale green dress fit well, framing a curvaceous figure.  An emerald and diamond necklace sparkled fire on her ample bosom.  She was looking directly at him and when their eyes met, she smiled radiantly and nodded to him.

“Stephen,” Jack murmured, firmly grasping his friend’s arm.

“Yes, Jack?” Stephen whispered.

“Who is that woman?  She is a. . . vision, is she not?”

Stephen smiled slowly, “Why, yes, she is.  Come.  I’m certain that Melanie will introduce you to her.”  Stephen drew Melanie’s attention and whispered something to her.

With that, Melanie slipped her arm into Jack’s and together they walked over to where the woman stood.  “Please Baroness, allow me to introduce Captain Jack Aubrey of His Majesty’s Royal Navy.  Captain Aubrey, may I present Baroness Ingrid Kleff.  She is a friend of mine, recently visiting us from Prussia.”  Jack bowed to the baroness as she curtsied and offered her hand.  Jack placed his lips above her hand for a mere breath.

“I am honored to meet you, Baroness.”

“It is my pleasure, Captain.  I have heard a great deal of your successes at sea.” 

Jack chuckled softly, “Please.  Ask me no tales of the sea tonight.”

Jack turned to note that Melanie had silently stepped away.  He was alone in the corner with this Germanic beauty.

“Well, ah. . .what brings you to England, Baroness?”

“Please, call me Ingrid.  And may I call you, Jack?”

“Yes, please.”  Jack looked down into her face, which glowed in the soft light.  She was mesmerized by the changing color of the ocean in his eyes, the shape of those lips. 

Clearing her throat with a slight cough, she replied, “England?  I have come to England to visit some dear friends and to rest.  You see my husband died two years ago and I am quite alone.”

“Oh, dear.  That is most unfortunate.”  A momentary cloud passed over Jack’s face, his eyes misty.  “May I express my deep sympathy for your loss, Baroness?”

“Yes, thank you. You are very kind, sir.”

“And your children?” Jack politely inquired.

“We had none.  My husband died. . . too soon..”

Jack was stunned by this revelation.  He had no words.  All he could do was thickly whisper, “I am truly sorry, Madame.”

She placed her hand in his, feeling the calluses on his strong palm.  Something stirred inside of her and the heavy sadness returned.  As Jack cupped her hand in both of his, he felt hot tears hit his hands.

“Oh, no,” he thought, “not tears.”  Nothing, apart from the sea, melted his heart more than a woman’s tears.

“May I. . .uh. . .get you something to drink perhaps?” Jack blinked, as he pressed his pocket kerchief into her hand.  She nodded, “Yes” and sighed, holding back more tears.

The wine flowed freely during dinner and afterwards, as did the quiet talk.  They were well past counting the glasses in a short amount of time.  As Jack and the baroness returned to their corner, Ingrid clinked her glass to his, no longer sipping demurely.  Jack was amazed at how well she handled “Bacchus’ gift.”  Her smile captivated him.

Stepping back, Ingrid sat down on a small couch, drawing Jack down next to her.  The fit was tight.  Jack’s hard thigh rested against hers, pressing more directly as he moved to position himself more comfortably into the seat, moving his sword back and away.. 

Being this close, he suddenly felt it was all he could do not to draw her to him and kiss her.  His face slowly flushed red at the impulse.

“I think I need some air,” he murmured.

“As do I,” Ingrid responded.

They quietly rose and with his hand on the small of her back, Jack urged her around the couch, through the small door that led into a moonlit garden.  The air was a bit chilly and Ingrid shivered momentarily. 

Having felt her tremble, Jack slipped off his uniform jacket and placed it gently around her shoulders.  He took her hand, stepping past a few tall hedgerows into a darkened corner, out of sight. 

Jack wrapped a strong arm around Ingrid’s waist and pulled her to his chest.  As she rested her head there, she heard the insistent beating of his heart, the quickening of his breath.  She smelled of lavender.

With a breathless moan, Jack tilted her back and kissed her first softly and then, more intently.  She pulled back for a moment, looking into his face, but it was veiled in soft darkness.  Then she felt his weathered lips, traveling from the side of her face to her ear and down her neck.  She thought she would cry out in surprise, but his lips rejoined hers once again, his tongue hungrily seeking hers.  Succumbing to his kisses, she was feeling lightheaded.  “Surely it is the wine,” she mused.  She pulled away, giggling quietly.

Jack’s demeanor changed at the unexpected sound.  He pulled back, releasing his hold on her and cleared his throat.  “I have been away at sea too long.  I. . .uh. . . please, Madame, I beg your forgiveness.”

Ingrid smiled and tenderly wrapped her arms around his neck.  “No, Jack.  I am sorry.  I was just so happy in that one moment.  You see, it has been long since I’ve been so near to a man and. . .”

“Then, I haven’t upset you?” he asked, as he ran his thumb along her cheek to her chin.

“No, my dear.  Please let us go on..”

And with those words, she pressed closer still and began to kiss his face, tracing the scars there beneath her lips.  These were the tracks of his life of duty, his time away at sea, the marks of an unrelenting mistress.   Jack’s breath caught in his chest at the heat from her silky lips.  He knew he was losing control, but somehow, it was what he wanted now more than anything.  No duty, no bells, no command - only this incredibly strong woman in his arms.

“Jack, we must leave now.”

“What?!  Why?”

Ingrid whispered softly into his ear.  “We crave privacy, do we not?”

Jack knew instantly that his response would either propel him back home or plunge him into Ingrid’s arms and ultimately, her bed.

He swallowed hard as he spoke the words, “I would like privacy with you, Madame, now. . . more than anything.”

“Then, we are done here.  Bis spater. . .Until later.”

Ingrid handed Jack his coat back, pressed a tiny piece of paper into his hand, stole a kiss from his lips, and disappeared into the night.
Jack was stunned.  Where did she go?  What was he going to do now?  What was he doing?

He reentered Lady Melanie’s house and sought out Stephen.  His friend was busy discussing some of his latest naturalist discoveries with an old acquaintance and when Jack tapped him on the shoulder, he turned quickly, rather startled by the interruption.

“There you are, Jack!  I was just telling Dr. Norris here of the wonders we found. . .”

“Wonders?  Oh, that you found, Stephen.  Yes. Uh, Stephen, may I have a word with you, please?”  Stephen caught the edge of urgency in his voice.

“But of course.  Please excuse us, Doctor.”

“I need to leave right now, Stephen.  Do you know this number?”

He handed Stephen the paper.  Sighing, Stephen fumbled his glasses onto his nose.  “Hold on, dear.  Now let me see. . . Ah, yes.”  Stephen looked over the top of his glasses at Jack.  He was met with a look of desperation and sublime longing in his friend’s shining eyes.

“Um, certainly, Jack,” he whispered into his ear.  “This is the number of the guesthouse which our hostess keeps for her most esteemed friend from Prussia.”

“How do you know that?”  Jack whispered hoarsely.

“Because I asked Melanie where Ingrid was staying.  And I know Melanie’s guesthouse, having stayed there before myself.  It is the lowset building, out beyond the garden in back.”

“Oh.  Well then,” Jack cleared his throat.  “I will bid you, good night, Stephen.  You do not have to wait for me.”

“Jack?  Are you quite sure that you. . .”

The doctor cut his question short when he saw the gentle sad smile come to Jack’s lips.  Jack was smitten beyond all reason and surely, was entering dangerous waters.  But Stephen knew that Jack was a strong swimmer and he would surface soon enough.  He hoped.

Before Stephen could speak again, Jack was gone into the cold night.



Jack did not bother to knock at the door, but entered without a word.  He bumped into a chair in the darkness.  “Oooph.”
Regaining his balance, he sat down heavily and pulled off his boots, placing them near the door.  He placed his hat carefully on the nearby couch.  Unbuckling his sword, he shoved it and his midshipman’s dirk out of sight, under the chair.

“Madame?  Ingrid? Are you here?” 

No answer.  Had he gone to the wrong place?

His questions were answered by the flickering of candlelight and the smell of fragrant incense from an adjacent room.  He rose and moved silently, filling the room’s doorway. 

There, across the room, Ingrid sat on the edge of the large featherbed, her back to the door.  She had let down her long, blonde hair and was brushing it with slow, sensuous strokes.  Jack walked over to her side of the bed and took the brush from her hand, gazing down into her sparkling blue eyes.  She stared back up at him and smiled warmly.

“Were you detained, dear Captain?”

“Only for directions, Madame.  I needed to find you.”

“Your compass is very accurate, sir.”

“I have another ‘instrument’ that is even more useful.”

“This I must see. . .” she breathed softly.

“In good time, Ingrid,” Jack smiled quietly.  “Soon.”

At that, Jack pressed her back across the soft bed.  Her ivory nightclothes glistened in the light, as Jack undid the front stays very gently.  Knots never posed obstacles for him, but were simply invitations.  The opening in her gown gaped a little, promising sweet secrets yet to be revealed.  His breath caught in his chest as his hand touched smooth skin.

Stopping there, he stood up and proceeded to remove the layers of his clothes.  When he pulled away his shirt, Ingrid gasped and sat up.  Reaching for his hand, she pulled him toward her and traced gentle fingertips over the multitude of scars on his chest and along his side.

“Oh, my dear.  There are so many.  What pain they have caused.”  She bent forward and began to tenderly kiss his scars, soothing them with her lips and tongue.
  
Jack blinked hard, closed his eyes, and swallowed.  Sophie had never spoken so directly of his wounds nor had she touched them in this most intimate way.  He was dumbstruck and this time, it was he who trembled. 

He knew that he was no longer in control when Ingrid reached for the buttons to his breeches.  A hiss escaped his lips as he covered her hands with his.

Jack offered,  “My dear, let me do this, please.  It will take me but a moment.  Easy as kiss my hand.”

“As you wish,” Ingrid sat back, amazed at how forward she was tonight. 

With a practiced pass of his hand, Jack removed the tie from his hair, which fell to his shoulders, framing his face in a golden hue.  Feeling rather self-conscious, he turned his back to her as he worked to remove his breeches and stockings.  As his large build was silhouetted in candlelight, Ingrid exhaled quickly at the sight of those powerful muscles, the sheer strength of his legs and buttocks.  Jack turned slowly to face her once again, holding his clothes at his waist. 

She wondered to herself, “This glorious man is. . .shy?”  Gently shaking her head, she reached for a glass of wine from the side bureau and offered it to him.  Looking rather quizzical, Jack drained the glass.  He, in turn, reached for the other glass, putting it to her lips.  She took a tiny sip and pushed it back to him.

“Ah,” he grinned, “liquid courage to be sure,” downing the rest, casting his clothes aside, and wiping his mouth slowly with the back of his hand.  Ingrid could not help herself.  Her eyes traveled quickly from his face down to his groin, but at the last moment, she glanced away shyly, thinking, “What possesses me tonight?”   

Jack noted her unsubtle reaction and smiling to himself, he poured her another glass of wine and insisted that she share deeply.  Closing her eyes, she finished the drink and handed him back the glass.  Then, she stood up quietly and with a shrug of her shoulders, her nightclothes slipped silently to the floor.  She stood there, naked, a voluptuous vision for his eyes.

“Oh, dear God, but you are lovely to behold,” Jack breathed, placing the tip of his tongue between his lips.  This was his chance to survey her beauty and he did not look away.

He drew her to him in a tight embrace and she felt him hard against her.  Huge hands traced a path along her back to her rounded bottom.  With one swift movement, he lifted her up along his thighs to the level of his waist. The heat of her wetness showed she was more than ready for him.  He raised her up and down a number of times, rubbing her warmth against him.  She gasped at his boldness, tilting her head back, eyes closed in anticipation of what she hoped might come next.

Jack suddenly surprised her by placing her gently back onto the bed.  He crawled onto the bed, bracing himself squarely above her.  To her amazement, he began to rock over her, to and fro, reminiscent of the motion of the sea.  She wrapped her arms around him, as best she could, as he trailed kisses across her face, to her full breasts, sucking and attending to her sensitive nipples.  He hungered for more of her.
The motion stopped abruptly as Jack closed his eyes and pressed his strong body down onto hers.

“Ingrid, I can barely contain myself.  Tell me what you want,” he rasped into her ear, breathing hard.

“Jack,” she whispered, holding back a sob in her voice, “I need you. Come to me, mein Liebling.”

At the sound of her plea, Jack placed a strong arm under her back, while he unconsciously spread her legs wider with his other hand.  His blue green eyes met hers and he saw her cheeks blush pink.

Kissing her deeply, he breathed into her mouth, “Be ready for me, my sweet.  I promise to be gentle.”

The captain was true to his word as he nestled himself up over her more directly, tugged himself a bit, and moved to her swollen opening.  As she pressed up against him, urging him to her, he pushed in slowly, moving in and back, again and again.  Ingrid moaned at the feeling of him entering her so surely.  She would soon know the whole of his generous length as well as his thickness. 

She shimmied under his weight a bit, wrapping her legs up around his waist, insistently pulling him in ever deeper.  Jack groaned, reveling in the scent of her warmth.  It was as if he were naked in the sea, diving underwater.  He held his breath and thrust his hips gently toward her.  She met his moves with her wide hips, gasping and crying out, “Mein Gott!  Mein Gott!”

Suddenly, she saw herself underwater with him, swirling breathlessly downward into deep ocean darkness.  She held onto him for dear life and continued this wondrous, sensuous plunge into heady ecstasy. 

Jack rocked deeper into her, his muscles tightening with every sure thrust.  Ingrid became lost in the motion, the heat, the press of his manly body upon hers.  She pursed her lips and Jack kissed her instinctively, his thick hair brushing her face over and over.  He thought he heard her whimper as she dug her fingernails into his muscular back and buttocks, sending intense fire coursing all through his body.  A guttural growl escaped his lips. 

When he saw her sweet mouth move to a soundless ‘O,’ Jack strengthened his pace.  Soon they were calling to each other, gasping and endlessly kissing eyes, cheeks, lips.  Starlight flowed into the deep waters, bursting over them.  Trembling together, throbbing their release, they clung desperately to one another.

“Oh, mein Gott!  Jack!”

She had to let go of him and drew her hand across her face, licking her lips.  Jack was finishing his last thick thrusts and all at once, his body went heavy.  He caught himself and moved off to her side, scooping her up into his embrace and kissing her forehead, her eyes.  “Oh, my sweet.  My lovely.”

Ingrid quietly murmured, “Thank you, mein Liebling,” as small tears rolled down her face.  “It has been so long.  Danke schoen.”

“Shhh, my dear.  It is I who should thank you for giving so much, so sweetly to me.”  He held her close to his heart, kissing her over and over.  He then drained the last of the wine and covered Ingrid protectively with his body.

Jack was truly moved by the lovemaking he shared that night with this mysterious woman.  Sophie might not understand, but then, she had never entered the deep ocean darkness with him - as Ingrid had. 

They would enter the ocean depths many times together through the night.  Neither wanted the breathless plunges nor the bursts of starlight to end.

THE END