A Rogue Wave

A few weeks later, Elizabeth woke just before dawn to take her shift at the helm. When she walked out on deck, there was a dense fog enveloping the ship. The air had a terrible bite, and the wind cut straight to the bone. Thankfully, Jack had enough sense to buy them furs to, partially at least, stave off the cold weather.

The wind whipped harder, and Elizabeth pulled her coat tighter as she walked up to the quarter deck. Laying the map out, she asked Gibbs where they were. Gibbs had pointed to the bit of water between Argentina and the Falklands. They were nearing the horn and treacherous waters awaited them. Winter had arrived. There would be no shortage of icebergs and glaciers where they were headed, and they couldn't see any farther than their noses. This might be problematic. She thought.

"Should we wake the Captain?" Gibbs asked.

"Let him sleep. We'll need him at his best should things get worse."

Elizabeth relieved Gibbs and took the helm. Already, the seas had turned to chop. It was likely they were heading straight into a storm, but it was difficult to be certain. She kept the ship as steady as possible. The crew worked feverishly to keep the sails trimmed and the lanterns lit, adjusting for the ever changing elements.

By midday, the fog still hadn't cleared and it became drastically colder by the second. The waters were starting to churn. Not good. She thought.

The sky darkened, the wind blew harder, and ice started falling onto the deck. The ship jolted violently from one side to the other.

"Should we wake the Captain now?" Gibbs asked, concerned.

Just as Gibbs finished his sentence, Jack had burst from the captain's cabin, barely able to keep his footing.

"What in the name of Calypso, is going on out here?!" He yelled as he tried to make his way up to the helm.

"We're nearing the horn!" she yelled back, straining to see ahead and wiping the moisture from her eyes. "And there's a storm." She added.

"Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"I have everything under control." She said holding the wheel firmly.

"Of that, I have no doubt, but my expertise in this type of weather could be of some use right about now, don't you think?"

"The fog's clearing up ahead!" Jonathan yelled from the crow's nest.

"See, I don't need you." She boasted.

"Doesn't mean a thing, love. Step aside, I'll take it from here." He said trying to take the wheel from her.

"NO." She pulled away.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I believe there's only one interpretation of the word 'no'"

"Not in Tortuga" he muttered. "Elizabeth, don't be stubborn."

Gibbs rushed up to the quarterdeck, gasping Jack's name as he searched for his breath.

"Cap'n" he heaved.

"Come on give it here" Jack argued with Elizabeth, trying to grasp the wheel, completely unaware of his first mate's presence.

"Cap'n. Elizabeth." Gibbs heaved again, trying to get their attention and failing miserably.

"Lend your expertise elsewhere." She said elbowing him away from her.

They argued continuously. "Elizabeth. Jack. HEY!" he finally yelled.

"What?!" They both yelled back.

"Iceberg! Hard to port!" Came singing from the crow's nest.

"That." Gibbs said, frustrated.

"Move." Jack shoved Elizabeth out of the way and spun the wheel as hard as he could.

The ship listed dramatically, the stern just barely scraping the behemoth piece of ice. Frozen shards rained on the quarter deck. As the fog dissipated completely, they were able to fully see the danger they were facing. A tempestuous sea of ice. Each piece as big as the last.

Jack screamed for the crew to swing the boom around. "We need to slow her down."

"Jack, we need to move toward land." She shouted in his ear.

"How would you like me to accomplish that? She's not a skiff. We can't just turn wherever we like."

"If we slow down, we'll be thrown into the ice." She pleaded with him.

"Trust me. I know what I"m doing."

"Look, up ahead. If we move now, we can make it through that narrow pass. She can handle it."

"You're crazy!"

"Why don't you believe that I might have some knowledge myself? We sailed through such elements trying to bring you back, if you recall?"

"I recall Madagascar. We're doing this my way." He said with unfamiliar authority.

The sleet turned to rain, showering the deck in torrents. The wind whipped furiously as the crew tried desperately to maintain their footing. The sea tossed the ship from side to side, escaping catastrophe by just a hair. All of a sudden a loud crack was heard over head. One of the short arms was starting to splinter. They were about to lose a sail.

"We need to tie that down before we lose it." Jack yelled aloud.

As Elizabeth made a move to fix the aforementioned problem, but Jack quickly grabbed a hold of her arm before she could reach the steps.

"Hold her steady, no matter what." he said, handing the wheel to Elizabeth.

"Jack, you can't go up there!" She turned her head toward him, watching him remove his coat.

"It's a better option than you going up there." He said pointedly.

"At least wait until we get to calmer seas."

"There may not be calmer seas ahead. I'll be fine. Just hold her steady." He turned and headed toward the main mast. Elizabeth gripped the helm firmly, eyes trained ahead.

Jack nimbly climbed up the rigging to the boom, and from there, to the jib. The sails flapped furiously around him as he made his way to the damaged sail.

"Overhead" Yelled a voice from the deck as a monstrous wave towered high above the ship.

"Hold her steady" Jack yelled down to Elizabeth. Almost as if he could sense what she was about to do. But this time, she did know better. They would be done for if she stayed the course they were on.

She turned the wheel starboard, toward the wave, and toward the opening she had seen earlier. "Brace yourselves!" She shouted. The wave crashed onto the ship, sending men sliding all over the deck. A couple of crew members were swept overboard as the ship continued to rock. The ship avoided collision once more as she made a quick turn to avoid another hunk of ice. Finally free from the ice jungle, she let out a sigh of relief, but the storm continued to rage on, and the ship pitched violently through the water.

Elizabeth quickly checked the rigging to get a visual on Jack. He still clung tightly to the lines, trying to tie down that sail.

Damned woman is trying to kill me. He thought, desperately clinging for his life and hoping to finish his task before conditions got any worse.

Elizabeth could see a break in the storm just ahead, she just needed to hold steady until they reached it. Rubbing away the water from her face, Elizabeth opened her eyes to another gigantic wave staring her in the face. Hold on, Jack.

Once more, the ship drove bow first into the wave, and water crashed hard upon the ship, scattering supplies across the deck. The crew scrambled to regain their footing.

Maintaining her grip, Elizabeth focused on the task at hand. Her eyes never strayed from what lay in front of them. It was difficult for her to not shift her gaze toward the rigging to see if Jack was all right, but she would doom them all if she didn't get them through this storm. Without warning, the ship crested upon another wave. As if by magic, the water had disappeared from beneath them and all Elizabeth could see were dark stormy skies ahead. The crew screamed in panic as the bow began to top downward. It was quite a distance for a ship to drop without suffering considerable damage, but somehow the Devil collapsed onto the sea with a great thud and not much else. Everyone cheered at the realization they'd survived and that the ship was thankfully still afloat. A surge of adrenaline shot through Elizabeth and she began to laugh wildly while she continued to steer the ship.

Several hours passed before the waters finally calmed. She handed the wheel to Gibbs, as he came up to the quarter deck. "Where's Jack? Is he alright?" she asked urgently.

Gibbs shrugged. "I haven't seen him since he was climbing back across the boom."

Elizabeth's heart lurched, panic creeping into her veins. She scanned the rigging, hoping he'd made it down after that last wave. He wasn't there, a mixture of relief and fear coming over her. Frantically, she searched the deck. Men were picking themselves up and gathering as many of the barrels and crates as they could before they slid overboard. "Jack." Elizabeth called out, but there was no response. She quickly ran to the stern and checked the waters behind them. "Jack!" She screamed. Nothing. She ran from port to starboard to bow, peering over the sides. No sign of him. "JACK!" She started to hyperventilate, dropping to her knees. "JACK!" She cried near hysterics.

"Down here!" She heard a voice call out from below deck. Elizabeth bolted to the steps leading to the hold, and there, in a crumpled heap, lay Jack.

"Jack." She said with desperation as she rushed to his side. There was water in the hold, shin deep and freezing. Gods only knew how long he had been laying in it, but his skin had turned a pale shade of blue. They would need to get him warmed up immediately. Elizabeth leaned over him. "He's still breathing!" She exclaimed. "Help me move him to the galley." She ordered Toby and Thomas. "Jonathan!" She bellowed.

"Right here, miss." He peaked from behind the other crew members.

"I need you to get some wool blankets from my cabin. There's a trunk under the window."

"Yes ma'am."

He scurried off. "Bennett, can you get a fire started in the hearth?"

"Already burning, Captain."

"Thank you" She said, following the two men carrying Jack.

Jonathan returned quickly with the blankets. Elizabeth had him lay one out in front of the hearth before they lay Jack down. "Leave us." She grunted after they set him down.

Once they were alone, she stripped off Jack's clothes and wrapped him in the other wool blanket. Had circumstances been different, she might have laughed at the situation, imagining all the lewd things Jack would be saying to her while she removed his clothing. But as it stood, she was more concerned that he lived. The fire roaring, she moved him closer to the hearth. She sat with Jack's head in her lap, and rubbed his chest to ensure his heart didn't stop.

"Stay with me, Jack" She whispered. "Don't leave me. Please, I need you." She leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on his forehead.

After a while, his breathing steadied, and his color returned. Gibbs had come around to check on them.

"How is he?" he asked with a bit of trepidation.

"I think he'll be all right. We should probably move him to my cabin now that he's warmed up a bit." She said, never taking her eyes off of Jack.

"I'll send down some hands" Gibbs turned and headed up to the deck.

They moved Jack into the Captain's cabin, and Elizabeth had them put Jack in her bed. After receiving a few sniggers, she dismissed everyone except Gibbs.

"Orders, Elizabeth?"

"Maintain our course. We will stop in the next available port, assess any further damage, and restock supplies. We may need to wait out the next few months wherever it is that we stop. I fear the conditions are just too dangerous to continue."

Gibbs nodded and headed for the door. He paused and turned around.

"Don't worry. Jack's a survivor."

Elizabeth nodded weakly, and Gibbs left the cabin.

She unwrapped the wool blankets from around Jack and replaced them with her own bed linens. He remained unconscious, but his color continued to improve. Elizabeth gathered all of the candles she could find, and surrounded the bed with them, trying to create as much warmth as possible. Once satisfied, she pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, and picked up, what appeared to be, a journal or Captain's log that had been hidden among the books they brought aboard. She didn't read a full page before she quickly drifted off to sleep, the chaos of the day finally catching up with her.