(The follow up to Part I. Doesn't have the same light-hearted humor but does contain some Jack quirkiness.)

This would never do. The fast few days Captain Jack Sparrow had been terribly, distracted for lack of a better word. All of these odd feelings and thoughts had been swimming about in his brain and taking root there, refusing to leave no matter how much rum he drunk in order to drown them out. And it could be trusted that he had drunk a lot of rum. He preferred to call them Stirrings as to refer to them as anything else would be far too womanly and while (and he was reluctant to admit this) womanly may be one the way some of his acquaintances may describe the quirks of the pirate captain it was not a way he was fond to look at them himself.

It was all that wicked wenches fault! Jack had traced back the time when the Stirrings had first began and he could conclude that they had sprung up with that impromptu kiss he and Anamaria had shared on the deck a few days prior. In hindsight he supposed it hadn't been the most clever thing to do to kiss her out on deck with his entire crew as a witness but he was Captain Jack Sparrow, she had been on his ship, rum had been warming his blood and taking all three of these things into consideration he could do as he damn well pleased!

But then the next day once everyone had sobered up Jack had been at the helm when Anamaria had crept out of her cabin and almost at once shifty glances and smirks were exchanged among the crew although to give the lass credit she ignored it all for the most part and stared down anyone who looked her way for too long. One sailor was actually either brave enough or an idiot enough to mention it to her and he was quickly put back to his place with a few sharply spoken words and an even sharper first.

That's when Jack had jumped in "Anamaria, luv! I know that he was out of bounds but I can't 'ave you bangin up me crew!"

"Well then tell your crew to watch their tongues, less they want to find a cutlass so far up their arse they lose it. Savvy?" Anamaria had shot back at him, smiling sarcastically as she tossed his own phrase at him.

"Just a suggestion, Captain Sparrow." Anamaria had caught herself a moment later and turned her back to go on with her duties. Sometimes it astounded even him how much Anamaria could get away with and he felt a glow of what felt suspiciously like admiration and pride.

"Ah Anamaria, what lovely images your words paint." Jack had remarked sarcastically watching the sway of her retreating backside. He caught himself doing that quite often throughout the day and while that wasn't really anything new itself once she had caught him looking and the look she sent his way had him thinking that he might be joining Will Turner in the ranks of eunuchhood soon.

Other than that encounter he hadn't seen much of Ana and he suspected that she had been spending much of her time either belowdeck in the crews quarters or in her cabin whenever her work allowed her to be. And it seemed as they neared day three that the less Jack saw of her the more the questionable feelings….Stirrings rose. And so this day Jack had resigned himself to put an end to it.

Right at dusk Jack had been nursing his second bottle of rum for the day and so had almost missed Ana making her quiet exit to the stern of the ship. Jack had leaped up from where he had been sitting with Gibbs on a barrel by his cabin and staggered across the deck to intercept her.

And intercept he did, planting himself firmly in her path and flashing a grin at the annoyed look she sent him.

"Whatever it is ye 'ave to say I don't want to hear it, captain." Ah. So they were on formalities were they? It was strange considering that she hadn't even tried this when he had stolen her boat and from the way he saw it Ana had more cause to be angry at him then as compared to now. Nevertheless, he had come for a purpose and Jack would not let the gut twisting stare Ana was giving him shake him from that.

"Then I shall keep this short, sweet, and to the point, savvy?"

Anamaria crossed her arms, her mouth curved down into a pout that brought on the impulse to kiss her, but seeing as exactly that had got him into this situation in the first place and he knew that if he did he would be sporting her handprint on his cheek for days, Jack controlled himself.

"My person has been noticing a distinct lack of your company on deck for the past few days." Jack began trying once again to soften her demeanor with a charming smile but she only raised one brow at him and he fidgeted nervously.

"And being that I am captain of this ship and the wellbeing of the crew is a part of my duties I can't help but wonder why that is."

Anamaria sighed the tiniest bit impatiently "I've not been getting lax in my duties if that is what ye are worried about captain. Master Gibbs can back me up on that."

Ah, so we want to play coy, ey?

Jack narrowed his eyes just a bit, taking a few steps closer to Ana and she inadvertently moved back her exasperation falling away to be replaced by a guarded air that showed plainly in her eyes as she stared up at him.

"Aye, ye 'ave still been the most able bodied seaman aboard the Pearl but your spirits not there. Ye've been distancing yourself from the crew." And me.

"The crew had very well best get used to not having me about. I'm sure they aren't missing me company that much."

Jacks eyes widened at that he snorted, exasperated "Ana, you're not still on about leaving the crew are you?"

The pirate woman's eyes flashed and she took a step closer to him "I have every intention of leaving the crew the next time this ship makes berth Captain Sparrow." Anamaria's voice was deliberately cold and this time when she referred to him as captain it didn't bring on as much satisfaction as it usually did. Jack stared at her in wide-eyed surprise and some of the heat left her gaze and she looked at something over his shoulder. "I told you that before." Ana continued in a softer tone, her voice carrying something that he couldn't quite place.

Jack Sparrows mind was working in overtime as he processed that. Despite what she might have been thinking he hadn't forgotten the conversation he and Ana had a few days ago the night of the celebration despite all of the rum he had consumed then and up till now. He had passed off her mentions of leaving and no longer being a pirate as a passing fancy that she would forget about almost as soon as she brought it up.

Of course, he had been drunk then. Now he could recall the quiet seriousness in those pretty dark eyes along with another emotion just under the surface, hidden from him so that he could not place it.

Knowing that now Jack was forced to realize, blasted stirrings or not…he was fond of Anamaria and her presence aboard The Black Pearl had become as familiar to him as the way his Pearl swam with the waves or the quiet creaking of her timber.

From a captains perspective Anamaria was an asset that he didn't wish to lose. From that of a friend he didn't want to lose her, just because she was Anamaria.

Jack cleared his thoughts with an exaggerated wave of his hand "From what I remember I told you that I would not be losing ye from my crew, savvy?"

Anamaria was incredulous "Ye can't make me stay against my will!"

She had a point there. Didn't mean that he had to let her know that, now did it?

Grinning wolfishly, Jack eyed Anamaria up and down in a way he knew would make her blood boil and then gestured loosely at himself. "Pirate."

Ana's jaw tightened and at her side her hand edged toward the hilt of one of the cutlasses that she had tucked into the sash around her waist. At the last minute she seemed to change her mind and instead her hand flashed forward and connected to his cheek in a loud clap that had several of the crew glancing their way and felt every bit as painful as it sounded.

When Jack finished blinking tears from his eyes he went cross-eyed as he found the dreaded finger pointed at him.

"I hate you, Jack Sparrow." She hissed at him while he cringed in fear of another slap before pivoting and stalking off towards the crews quarters.

"If only ye meant that, darlin."