A/N: A brief dedication--First, to Sphynx, who beta'ed this story for me at the expense of her own time and sanity and also because she took me to Medieval Faire. To Jess, because she walked me through the many panic attacks that happened after the 'incidents'. And lastly, to the Jack Sparrow impersonator guy at Medieval Faire, without whom this one shot would literally have never happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates, I just borrowed them and I made no money. Proper disclaimer to come later.

If ever it were possible to have a festival on a ship, it happened this night. Jack had pulled out all the stops tonight...all the lamps were lit and instruments rang joyously, and the bottles of rum never seemed to end. We'd recently acquired a lofty treasure from an ancient island, all from a map that belonged to my family. Jack and I, who were almost swallowed up into the sea with the island as it sank into the cold blue depths, decided that a magnificent gala was in order, as we'd almost lost our lives and deserved at least a small reward for our trouble. So we sailed out into the middle of the ocean and fired the cannons into the night to let the world know that the great Captain Jack Sparrow and his ever devoted Kate were little more than shark food yet.

Around midnight, Gibbs quieted the group to lead them in a stirring round of applause for Jack's efforts. Jack merely tipped his hat to his crew and took another sip from his bottle. Gibbs hushed the crew and pointed to me before delivering a flattering speech about my own heroics, followed by another round of applause. I blushed and tottered over to Jack, who started an off-beat cry of "huzzah!" The men cheered for one another, and Jack, satisfied with his distraction, enveloped me in a tight embrace.

"Might I say you've made an exquisite choice in clothing, my dearest?" Jack muttered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved Jack's hat over his eyes. He often commented about my current ensemble; my rather revealing shirt and waistcoat combination seemed to be his favorite. I tugged on the neck of my shirt to cover my bosom and began to walk away when Jack's voice called out to me, soaring above the boisterous roars of the crew.

"A kiss, fair Kate?"

My immediate reaction was a laugh. A most unusual question indeed...a farce, if nothing else, to amuse the crew, whose eyes were peering intently into us by now. I could feel a blush soak into my cheeks and I raised my eyes to Jack's own brilliant onyx ones. They sparkled with mischief and his lips curled into a smile. The crew made suggestive noises as Jack stepped forward and snaked his arms around my waist, his golden teeth shimmering in the lamplight. "Well? Don't be impolite, Katie. We're all waiting."

I turned to Will, my friend and confidant, for his protest, for I was certain he'd have one. He was taken by a gleeful grin of amusement. He was encouraging me.

The majority of the crew abandoned their suggestive noises for low chants to egg me on. I was so embarrassed, I could scarcely look Jack in the eye. I dropped my voice to a harsh whisper, so only he could hear me. "Why are you so resolute in compromising my dignity?"

Jack merely squeezed his arms tighter around my frame. "Surely one...small, minuscule, insignificant kiss...won't make you any less of a lady?" I tried to pull away civilly, but Jack remained unfaltering. "This is a celebration, Kate, a show we put on to help the men forget their woes. Need I remind you that my men, not only us, exhausted themselves today to bring us the wonderful bounty that financed this spectacular event? Show them mercy, Katie, give them just this one shred of entertaining relief. Kiss me." I hated to admit it, but the grin he was giving me wasn't helping my resistance.

"I-I don't see the necessity," I managed to choke out.

"Nor I," Jack purred as he leaned closer to my face, "though I can't deny the appeal." I opened my mouth to retort, and in that split second Jack must have misinterpreted my bemused expression for one of consent, for his lips collided with mine in the blink of an eye.

Somehow, in my pseudo-astral state of mind, I could hear the voices of the crew die down, then suddenly crescendo into cat calls and evocative whistling. Jack moved to deepen this kiss, and as I felt a smile form across his face, I suddenly drifted away from everyone else. A deafening silence filled my head, and even though I knew that the cheers around us only erupted further, all I could hear was the sound of my heart beating in time with Jack's. For a filthy pirate, his lips were surprisingly soft and reminded me of rose petals. His scent, also a welcome shock, was a pleasant blend of mulled spices, the salty freshness of the sea, rainwater, and a musky richness that was distinctively Jack.

My senses began to fail and I could hear Will behind me making a snide remark about Jack and how long he was taking in his 'performance.' I hastily freed my lips from Jack's and the crew flew into another merry cheer. I couldn't allow myself to see Jack's eyes, but I managed to flicker my eyes in his direction enough to see that his smile had disappeared. His nose twitched, and I felt his bewilderment piercing my heart from his gaze. "You didn't have to stop," he said, his tone annoying vague. Was he serious, or just teasing me?

Will suddenly came to my rescue and dragged me away to our galley. I can almost say I was fortunate that I didn't see Jack for the rest of the evening. My heart was pounding against my ribs--I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Jack would be so insistent on kissing me...kissing me. I prattled off my thoughts to Will, who sat me down with a cup of water and offered his own opinions.

"It's no secret that Jack favors you, Kate. He's had his eye fixed on you since 'ere I came...but why he'd make such a brash public display eludes me." He poured himself a cup of water and sat on the crate beside me.

I sighed, still feeling thoroughly lost. "Because, Will, Jack's a showy person. Have you ever noticed that every time he escapes something, he always does it with more ostentation and flamboyance than any normal person would? Why shouldn't he apply the same rule to romance?" I sipped my water, not buying my own explanation for one minute.

Will shrugged and suggested we call it a night. Judging by the crashing and shouts of drunken brawling above us, the party had expired and everyone was turning in. I shed my waistcoat and boots, bid Will a fond goodnight, and fell into a hazy slumber.

It has never been in my nature to confront anyone who has caused me unease, and I wasn't about to resolve this mannerism now. The next morning I took extra careful steps to make sure I didn't run into Jack if Will wasn't present, for I knew I couldn't trust myself to be on my own around the captain. I was lucky, as I only saw Jack once before sunset...I met his eye briefly and received a roguish wink in return. Before I could even allow myself time to blush, Will ushered me away to finish our chores.

Meredith and Will watched me with puzzled eyes as I dragged the same sack of provisions from one end of the galley to the other. I pretended not to notice, particularly since I had more important things to worry about. Every time I thought about Jack or the kiss we shared, my heart fluttered. Why me? Why was I his choice for such a spectacle? There were quite a few other girls on board for our party, so why not one of them? Most of them were far prettier than I, and every last one of them more than willing to dote so affectionately on our dear Captain Jack.

In fact...it seems that almost every woman I'd encountered during my time with Jack was instantly attracted to him. Most of the pirate ports we visited were filled with people who knew Jack or, at least, knew of him. I used to find it humorous how the female population of the area would follow Jack around like hungry puppies, offering him tokens of their fondness, locks of hair, and even marriage proposals. I found it even more humorous when Jack would flirt shamelessly with them then, before they could make a move, he'd turn his heel and step into the nearest pub. He was a tease, I knew this to be true, but now I was faced with the possibility that he'd used me, like those common wenches in the street, for his mean games. I'd forgotten that Jack had been sailing since ere I was born, and there could be hundreds of girls who'd endured the same oration and charm Jack used on me for the same purpose. Such a notion poisoned my heart, and I feared there would be no antidote to soothe the ache it felt.

But on the other hand...if had merely used me for a show, why did he look so perplexed when I pulled away? True, he didn't act entirely devastated that I'd parted our lips, but reason told me that he'd have made his remark with a captivating smirk and low, rumbling chuckle if it were only a joke. What did he mean by all this?

I pondered this, completely oblivious that I'd decided to stand still in contemplation on the hem of Meredith's dress. She tugged and pulled, waving her hands in front of my face to alert me of her distress. Will tapped me gently on the shoulder to pull me from my reverie, and I detached my boot from Meredith's skirt, apologizing profusely. Meredith assured me all was well before joining Will in the corner for a break from their labor. I stared down at my bag of provisions, totally embarrassed that I was overreacting. Realizing that the sack I was toting around belonged on the other side of the galley, I turned my heel to finish this task when I collided head-on with another body, one that wasn't there a moment before. My eyes trailed meekly to meet the bewildered gaze of the captain, whose protective arms had glided around my shoulders to steady me after our impact.

"I knew we'd run into each other eventually, pet," Jack crooned, releasing me from his grasp with a smile, "but I never anticipated it by these literal means, however pleasant and welcome."

I heard Will and Meredith mutter something about fetching a barrel up on deck and immediately hurried out of the galley, leaving Jack and I completely alone. We stared at our feet awkwardly for a moment before I finally summoned the courage to speak. "Did you...did you need anything?"

Jack moved back an inch or two, allowing me enough room to breathe but not enough to give me a running start. "Do I need a reason to stand in me own galley?" he asked innocently, his eyes shining at me as he leaned against a tower of crates.

"No, I suppose not. But I do have chores to attend to, and you might get in the way," I muttered as I tried to slip past him. He casually shifted his weight to block my path and presented a boyish smile.

"Then do I need a reason to see you?"

"No, you may see whomever you like and stand where you please. I am not the captain."

"Forgive me for missing my bonny Kate."

"Not now, Jack, I don't have time for games."

"I'm not playing a game, Katie," he said, forsaking his playful tone for a serious one. "Not a game...or joke...or stunt. Tell me, have I grown so repellent that not even the radiant creature before me would grace me with her presence?"

I was stunned. He'd genuinely missed me today. "I've been busy, there's much to be done."

"You insult me, love. I'm not a fool, and it's rather obvious you've been avoiding me. I won't pretend to not know why." He tilted my chin up to look him in the eyes. His face was etched with melancholy and injury, his guard was completely let down and I was allowed to see.

I wanted nothing more to erase the sadness from his features, my earlier inhibitions forgotten. I granted him the sincerest and sweetest smile I could manage before wrapping my arms around his waist for a fierce embrace. I rested my head on his chest and heard his heart beating, just as I had the night before. "I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving. I've been such a child...forgive me?"

My heart leaped with gladness when Jack's arms curled around me and held me tightly to his chest. "I couldn't deny you the stars in the sky, my sweet, much less my forgiveness." He squeezed me firmly before allowing me my breathing room, though I couldn't help but notice that his arms remained securely around me. I cannot honestly say whether or not we exchanged more words in those next few moments, but I could never forget the instant that our eyes locked and, all our earlier trouble abandoned, our lips met once more. This time, very much unlike the night before, I hadn't a chance to savor his touch, for as quickly as it happened, that's how fast it was over.

We were none to keen to look each other in the eye, and when Will and Meredith came trudging back with an empty barrel in tow, Jack mumbled a hurried excuse before rushing back to his cabin. We three threw ourselves into our work silently and hastily, as we were anxious to collapse into our hammocks. All the while, I deliberated over my newest experience with Jack, and what it meant. It wasn't for show, for amusement...it was personal. He and I alone shared something that no one else had witnessed, and I was feeling more vulnerable than ever. Whatever the reason, I knew that it was one of three things: one, he was teasing me, as I thought before. Two, he himself was confused, desperate for answers and pursued them the only way he knew how. Or three, he and I were destined for something spectacular.

Okay, guys. Now for the cool part: this is based on a true story! No joke! Seriously, email me and ask me about the Jack Sparrow impersonator that I met at the Medieval Faire...and BOTH times that he KISSED ME. Ta!