Birds of a Feather

Chapter 1

I had finally gotten out of the lame excuse for a ship and was now walking through the "famous" Tortuga that I had heard so much about. The pirates on the ship I had stowed-away on were so excited about docking in Tortuga for a week, and I don't see what all the excitement was about.

Tortuga wasn't that nice. To be frank, it wasn't nice at all. I had heard that pirate ports could be dirty, but not this dirty. But I guess I should get used to this because I shall now cal this place home. Me, a pirate. I never thought I would be calling myself that 6 months ago, but lets not think about the past right now.

I walked along a street of Tortuga looking for a decent place to work. I needed money to eat and find lodging. After walking for a couple of minutes I came upon a place called "The Faithful Bride" and I had to chuckle as I read the sign. 'Like you could actually find a woman here to fit that description' I thought to myself.

When I walked through the doors, the place was packed with drunken pirates and parading whores. There was almost a whore for every man. 'Well this looks like a nice place' I was surprised no one could hear the sarcastic tone in my head. I walked up to the barmaid who was a plump older looking woman, probably in her late 50's. She had dirty blonde hair down to her breasts which were protruding from her dress quite a bit.

"What can I get ye missy?" she asked not paying direct attention to me but enough to notice I was a woman dressed in men's clothing. They were so much more comfortable than those damn corsets I had to wear. With dark brown breeches, a loose fitting cotton shirt and a tight black undershirt (to keep 'them' hidden even though it didn't help much), I thought I could pass for a man. Maybe it was my brown shoulder length curly hair that gave me away, even with a tri-cornered hat on.

I finally regained my train of thought and looked at the barmaid who was looking at me with an annoyed look on her face. "Oh, yes, sorry. Do you have any openings, so that I might work as a waitress? But just to tell you tell you I wont do any whoring, I'll only serve drinks." I stood up straighter when I said the last part to prove I wont be pushed around.

She looked me over and, I guess, decided that I could fit to be a waitress. "All right, I'll give ye a job. But don't come cryin to me when some drunk gets to rough with ye." She said doubting I could handle myself.

"Oh, I won't. I can handle myself" I couldn't keep the smile off my face. My first night here and I already had a job.

She handed me an apron and told me to go to a table when someone waved me down and take their orders. 'Well that sounds easy. I mean, how hard can it be?'

I was going good for the most part, getting al the tables that signaled and giving them their orders before they could get any ideas and reach for me.

I had long lost the need or want for a man since my last birthday.

A man had just signaled for me from across the room. While I was making my way over there when I felt an arm pull me roughly and quickly, around the waist, into a man's lap.

"Come and entertain ole Jack." Said the owner of the lap.

I turned around quickly to slap the man in the face, and I came eye-to-eye with the darkest brown eyes I have ever seen. The kohl lining around those eyes only enhanced their darkness. My hand froze mid slap as I felt something push into my thigh. I realized quickly what it was and continued with my slap.

SLAP!

"Oww! Luv, wacha' do that for?" Said the owner of the eyes, arm, lap…..and other things.

I stood up quickly and shook out my apron defending my self. "I'm not some whore that you can pay to please your lust, Sir. I am a waitress, I serve rum." While I said this I couldn't meet his eyes, so I looked at the rest of him.

He had a red bandana holding back his long brown hair that was in partial dread locks with trinkets and beads weaved into a couple of pieces. And was that a bone in there too? His attire clearly stated "Pirate!" with a white cotton shirt, somewhat opened, under a blue vest. He also had dark blue breeches all tied under a long red and white striped piece of cloth and a couple of belts over that. He had a sword on his left side and a pistol tucked into the cloth and belts. He had a brown leather tri-cornered hat on his right knee and brown leather boots.

But the thing what caught my attention the most was his face. 'A pirate should not look this handsome. But what do you know about pirates. The only ones you saw were the disgusting pigs on that ship.' The sun had tanned his skin to a golden brown, only attainable by staying in the sun for a very long time. He had high cheek bones, enhancing his handsome features. He had a mustache and goatee with beads weaved into that as well. I stayed away from looking at his eyes but still remember what they look like. His mouth curved upward into a smirk as I looked him over. I quickly looked at my feet realizing he though I was admiring him which was completely insane.

"Oh so ye serve rum, do ye? Then can me and my crew have some of this said rum?" He asked this with the same smirk present on his face.

"Coming right up." I said in a toneless voice as I walked away.

I came back a while later to find the "crew" and the brown eyed pirate laughing loudly and talking between gulps of rum. When I came up, the brown eyed pirate turned to me a smiled.

I thought my heart felt something right then but that's not possible…

"Here's your rum Mr……." I trailed off not knowing what to call him.

"Captain, No Mr., Captain Jack Sparrow." He said this as he tipped his head with his hand out to the side.

'Jack Sparrow….Jack Sparrow…why does that name seem so familiar?' I finally realized after a second and gasped. 'This is the man the pirates on that ship didn't want to run into. He doesn't look anything like their descriptions.'

"So you've heard of me? Well why wouldn't ye, I am Captain Jack Sparrow" he said probably hearing my gasp.

I chuckled just a bit just to annoy him and it seemed to work. "No I haven't heard of you. I gasped because that man over there just fell on a cat." I said trying to get him to turn around so I could escape.

It didn't work

"Why don't you sit down, luv." He said this not as a question but a compelling suggestion. He grabbed my wrist and gently tugged me to the chair next to him.

"No I should really be getting back to work" I said trying to look away from his entrancing eyes. But I couldn't, so I sat.

"There's a girl. Now tell me what's a girl like ye doin in a place like this?" He leaned forward in his chair. I felt compelled to tell him the truth, but not the whole thing.

"I just docked on a ship that I was crewing on and I thought that I might stop here and make some money being a waitress." I didn't tell him I was a stowaway.

"Oh did ye, well why would you want to work in a place like this if you weren't a whore?" He looked at me skeptically.

"Well this is a bar." I stated, waving my hand around. "Not a whore house."

"Touché, but this place is a bit of both really. You get rum and the company on women" He said this moving his hands around while he talked and I found it quite funny.

"Well I'm part of the bar part and not the other part." I said this hoping I would confuse him, but he just smiled.

"You don't seem like other women around here, luv. What's yer name?" He asked smiling.

Again I felt compelled to tell him the truth.

"Taylor. My names Taylor Robin."