Author's Thanks: Thank you to my first reviewers!

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Everyone else, please read & review! It keeps me posting

The Love of a Dragon

Chapter 3: Cleaning the Slate

Will just sat there in the mess hall, still stunned. Honestly, at his point he was fairly shell shocked to begin with. Being snapped at by a strangely intimidating young woman aside, getting dumped by his first love for Commodore Norrington had come as a stunning blow. He was still reeling from it. The pain was still sharp sometimes, but mostly he was just numb. Nothing seemed real, except the blinding flashes of anger and indignation that came without warning like a flash flood. There were brief, vague tingles of emotion now and then: contentment, pleased, sad, bored, lonely, good, not so good, and mellow. Actually the first real tingles of emotion he'd felt in months were when Captain Sparrow had lured him to Tortuga with promises of a good price for his skills repairing weapons and such for the crew and making replacement bits for the Pearl. Jack had seen the lost look in his eye and offered him a place on his crew for his services first as a smithy and second as a sailor. Will felt a thrill being back on the Pearl. He missed the life of a pirate. More than he wanted to admit even to himself. It seemed like the perfect escape. Jack's main reason for inviting Will, though Jack never said so, was as way of thanking Will for his help. And truth be told Jack enjoyed watching the slip of a man fumble his way through life with an enjoyable cocktail of naiveté and bluster; this evening performance being a fine example.

Will sat staring pensively at his stew and eating bites of it occasionally for hours, even after everyone else had eaten and well after the stew was cold. Finally, as the candles were starting to sputter, Will looked up and surveyed the tables and benches: covered with bowls, spoons, food, scraps of bread, leftover food, plates, pitchers of grog, mugs, and general mess.

'Dragon's in charge of the kitchen. She'll have to deal with this mess after being up there on watch for hours. If I clean this up for her so she can go straight to sleep, it will wipe the slate clean.' Will reasoned and set about to clean up the mess as khol rimmed eyes watched from outside the doorway, laughing once more.

'Gods, I should have put these two on the same ship ages ago. I wish I'd known how entertaining they'd be. Will makes it all so easy for me.' Jack mused. He wasn't sure which was more amusing; watching Dragon lose her temper or watching Will trying to impress a woman.

High above the main deck in the crow's nest, Dragon kept watch, fuming silently for about a dozen reasons. In the first place, how dare that young whelp of a boy be here on this ship fishing around for her job! In the second, how dare the Captain complicate matters with her damned hormones by bringing in anyone near as attractive as himself. The Captain muddled her about more than enough and he knew it damn the man. The worst part was that he hardly tried. Dragon had been on the Black Pearl for a little while now. She knew Captain Sparrow enough to know he was a good sort at heart, but still, she knew more than enough not to trust him. Not even a hair's breadth. He was dangerous to her for any number of reasons, but he was also her link to true freedom.

And why did Will have such a terrible effect on her? He was like a clumsiness plague and a breathing problem with fever and loss of appetite. Damn him thinking he could come here with his charm and his good looks and take her job away. He wasn't even that attractive with his scrawny body and pretty features. He was built more like the useless female he left behind, from Anna Maria's description. She cursed herself for ever having compared anything about him to a Spartan warrior. Dragon had degenerated his stormy fury to a whiny snit in her mind. She knew her rant was entirely illogical at this point, but she found she barely cared. Eventually, she spotted Johnson coming up to replace her. He was nice enough, a bit older, but eyes like a hawk. He was a much better lookout than Roberts who had the eyes of the seagull, a sharp eye only for food. She gave him a strong nod, letting him know she saw him.

"Ready to come down Dragon?" Johnson called up.

"Ready as I'll ever be. There's nothing for miles. You'll have a nice quiet evening I expect." Dragon replied with a smile.

"I suppose that's good. Still awful dull."

"Well Thomas has the wheel tonight. With his sharp eyes, you might be able to sneak some shut eye."

"Naw, I'll be alright. If it gets too dull, I'll play at cards." He replied indicating his breast pocket and grinning amicably with a mouth missing a third of its teeth.

"Good enough." Dragon chuckled.

She scurried down the rigging as well as any sailor with a bit of pride. After the last few days, her ability was coming into far too much question. Dragon couldn't have the crew thinking she was some empty-headed, useless female.

'Well, at least I can vent some of my frustration on those pans. They must be well set by now,' she mused with a grin.

She walked into the mess hall, looking forward to some hard labor and found four spotless tables and six spotless benches with a spotless floor no less. The lantern was even polished!

'That whelp!' Dragon raged in her mind. 'How dare he take her mindless solace!' Her eyes flew furiously around the room looking for something to break. 'How dare he take her refuge! Damn that man! And damn the Captain from bringing him on board!' Finding nothing to break, her anger finally boiled over. Her hands flew to her waist and in a heartbeat, her daggers were imbedded into the door across the length of the room.

"Tsk tsk," Came from the doorway.

Dragon froze, stiffening. Knowing it was the Captain. Cursing herself for not controlling her temper and for her misfortune at being caught by the Captain disrespecting his one love. She turned slowly. Her head bowed appropriately.

"I'm sorry Captain. I didn't mean to injure your ship. I lost my temper. I won't injure her again sir."

He nearly grinned at her. She had such a temper, but the way she showed remorse for injuring his ship was priceless. It was nearly as heartwarming as a glass of rum. Instead, he addressed her sternly, "See that you don't. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to bed. If you have anything further to say to Mister Turner, or anything to throw," he added with a mischievous grin. "I believe you could find him in the galley finishing up."

She looked up, fire blazing in her eyes and then caught his gaze. She smiled a bit and shook her head. He really knew everything that went on, on his ship.

"Indeed lassie," he replied as if she had said something. "I know everything. You had better not throw anything at Mister Turner that would keep him from his work."

'You mean my work,' Dragon thought fiercely.

As if reading her thoughts again, he replied "His work on My Ship lassie. You two work this little tiff out. You're both my crew and you'll hav' to get along. I won' mediate between you two, savvy?"

"Yes sir. Sorry sir. I didn't mean for my facial expressions to be so insubordinate."

"Well they often are." He replied smiling at her. "This is why you never win at poker luv. You jus' can't hide your hand."

"I hide the things I need to." Dragon replied defiantly

"There's that insubordinate tone again." Jack replied wagging a finger at her. "You don't hide much lass."

"I never said I did. But I'm a pirate, Captain and as such being insubordinate to a certain degree comes with the station." Dragon countered her chin held high.

She had him there. "Fair enough. I wish all my lads had you wit." He turned to go then stopped and turned back to face her with an ironic smile. "Then again. Perhaps I don't want them all to have you're wit. I'd be hard to command forty of you."

"I would argue most find it difficult with just one." Dragon replied taunting him lightly now.

"I won't even take that bait lass." Jack chuckled. "I'm very late for an important engagement with some of Port Royale's finest rum."

"Wouldn't dare delay you Captain. Good night Sir." Dragon smiled warmly. She might not trust him, but she truly enjoyed their banter.

He swaggered off looking like he had already had some intimate acquaintance with his rum earlier. With the Captain gone, Dragon crossed the room and carefully removed her blades from the wood. She ran a hand lovingly over the dents. At least she hadn't hurt the wood much. She sighed. Dragon loved that ship in a way she had loved nothing since her parent's death. She understood the Captain's feelings for the ship perhaps better than anyone else. She would seal the holes with beeswax to keep moisture out later.

For now, she had a blacksmith to break in.