Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to Pirates of the Caribbean. That belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, and a bunch of other people. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.

AN: I know I'm updating early this week, but Friday through Sunday is going to be busy for me with a lot of Spring Cleaning that I need to do, so I thought I'd treat you to an early update, rather than a late one. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 9: Quality Time:

At last, dawn came, and with it, my excitement in learning how to fight was renewed. I woke on edge, my heart beating fast as I dressed, had breakfast, and rushed to put together the day's noon meal.

Once the lunch stew was mixed, I was pulled up onto the deck by Anna-Maria. Awaiting us was Mr. Gibbs, who seemed uneasy as he shifted from foot to foot. Around us sat the men, who, I was amused to see, were keeping one eye on their work and another on us.

'Goodness, I hope the ones sorting through today's catch pay closer attention to what they're doing,' I thought, watching them work. 'I don't think that having a stomachache is something they can afford to have.'

They had been very good students, watching and learning from me as I sorted through everything the fishers had caught in their nets. They knew what was good to eat, what wasn't, and what fish could be consumed if they were cut apart correctly. I was very glad that their desire to stay healthy and fed overcame their desire to avoid me at all costs.

'The Sea God knows that it took a whole day just to teach them to gut a single fish correctly!' I thought, just barely keeping myself from rolling my eyes. 'But I am glad that they have taken my directions seriously.'

Right now, however, the men were in serious danger of poisoning their supper. Heaving the soft wheeze that served as my sigh, I went over to them, and corrected Perkins before he dropped a set of poisonous spines into the 'eatable' bucket. His odd, brown-green eyes looked at me as I pointed out what he had missed in his gutting, and showed that he had almost destroyed a perfectly lovely cut of fish by allowing himself to be distracted.

To my amusement, and everyone else's, Perkins blushed right up to the roots of his blonde hair. "Sorry, Rina," he mumbled so that only I could hear. "I'll do better with the next one."

I gently patted his arm and smiled, showing him I had confidence in him. He merely gave me a small salute and waved as I went to join Gibbs and Anna-Maria, both of whom held swords in their hands, though Anna held two of them.

"Here you are, Rina," she said, handing me one blade. "Hold still and let me adjust your grip."

Firmly grasping the sword, I stood and waited as Anna rearranged my hold on the hilt. When she deemed it good enough, Mr. Gibbs hefted his own sword and told me to watch his stances and movements as he demonstrated.

Swallowing nervously, I did as asked, my stomach beginning to knot with anxiety.


Watching her friend turn pale and slightly panicked, Anna-Maria sighed and went to push Gibbs out of the way.

"Heave off," she snapped, taking his place. "You're frightening the poor girl by showing her moves that she won't be able to copy for at least a few weeks! Go back to mending the nets while I teach Rina what she needs to know."

All around them, the men chuckled quietly, but turned back to their work as their source of amusement had been taken from them. Meanwhile, Gibbs went to a corner of the deck, where a mound of nets awaited him, mumbling under his breath.

Paying him no mind, Anna smiled at her student. "Now, take your sword and hold it like this. When you have your sword up, move your feet around until you feel secure on them."

Marina watched her closely and mimicked the action, shifting her feet to copy Anna's stance. "Very good," Anna complimented her, coming to adjust her student's elbows. "Now, do everything I tell you, and copy what I show you."

The next hour or so left Marina looking drained and tired, but Anna couldn't afford to have too much mercy on her. Life aboard a pirate ship was dangerous, and sooner or later, they would find another ship to plunder, which would mean another nasty battle. Even though Anna counted Marina as a friend, she could not afford to let her attention waver towards Rina's welfare during a fight.

That was why these lessons were so badly needed. After the last raid, Anna wanted to be sure that Rina was able to defend herself, at least until help could arrive to get her out of trouble. She also strongly suspected that Gibbs and the Captain wanted the same thing –it was a bit obvious that Gibbs was fond of Marina, and liked having the girl pay attention to his tall-tales of piracy. He would feel very guilty if anything happened to the poor girl.

As for Jack –well, when a pirate found something and brought it aboard his ship, he tended to keep that thing safe from others. It wasn't exactly a good kind of protectiveness; more like a greedy need to hold on to what a pirate thought of as 'his.' And since Jack had been the one to find Rina, it was a good bet that he wanted to protect the woman he had brought aboard, one who was now a working part of the crew. If there was one thing Jack hated, it was losing a hardworking crewmember, particularly one who owed him a great deal.

"Alright, Rina, that's enough," Anna called, halting her friend in mid-swing.

The blade froze in place, hanging in midair before being lowered by a wilting Marina. The poor girl looked ready to drop, and Anna felt a twinge of pity for her. Ever since her first day here, Rina hadn't been worked very hard. True, cooking was hard work, but that took a great deal of concentration, and not much physical labor.

With sword-fighting, there was a great deal of both physical and mental strain in an effort to get things right. As Marina had not done much menial labor, this was twice as difficult for her, particularly when she wasn't very steady on her feet.

'Not that I'd tell Jack that,' Anna thought, biting her lip as Marina wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead. 'He thinks her weak and strange enough as it is!'

Still, she had noticed that Rina had a rather odd gait, one that made her think that the young woman wasn't entirely used to walking. That was ridiculous, of course –all humans knew how to walk, even the very dimwitted. Anna had been concerned about it at first, but now she believed that, like Rina's muteness, it was likely a part of the trauma of being shipwrecked. Combined with her need to get her sea legs while on the Pearl, and her land legs while on shore, it was no wonder she had difficulty walking wherever she went!

Admittedly, though, she had gotten better at keeping her balance, and no longer looked as though she were half drunk or clumsy. Rina could now navigate her way around the Pearl with the best of them, so hopefully, with a bit of extra effort, she'd be able to learn the footwork that went with her fighting lessons.

"Go back to the galley, Marina," she said, smiling as her friend awkwardly handed the sword back to her. "We'll pick this up again later, when you're done making tonight's supper."

A quick smile of thanks, and the girl was gone, back to the place she had made her own. Though the Pearl was a fairly good-sized ship, it had been hard to find Marina a place that suited her, poor thing.

'Luckily, she's handy with a knife, and can prepare a soup that doesn't make people sick.'

"So, how goes everything with your student, Anna?" asked a voice from behind her.

Rolling her eyes, Anna turned. "Well, Captain, it'll take a good while to make her a moderately decent swordswoman, but with a lot of time and effort, I think we can manage it. A pity she's so busy in the galley, but two hours of practice should be enough, for now."

Jack smiled, apparently very pleased with the news. "Very good, Anna. Now, I'm off to check and see what our fine cook has ready for lunch. Make sure that Gibbs doesn't get the nets all tangled together again –as I recall, you had a bad time fixing them up, last time." He grinned and swaggered off towards the galley, humming as he walked.

Scowling, Anna turned and stomped off, uttering quiet curses at both Jack and Gibbs, who, as expected, had managed to knot two separate nets together…again.


Softly muttering his favorite sea chantey, Jack strode into the galley and was met with a welcome sight: namely Marina, dishing out a bowl of soup that smelled delicious.

"Ah, just in time, I see!" he exclaimed, retrieving a bowl and spoon so that he could help himself. "Well, since we're both eager to eat, why don't we have a meal together?"

Sitting himself down on a barrel, he motioned for Marina to join him, which she did. As they dug into their meal, Jack took care to study the girl out of the corner of his eye. Her hair was pulled into a braid, like always, showing off her shining blue eyes and soft skin, which was now tanned by the sun. Most would think the braided hair would be severe, even unflattering, but Jack thought it suited her well.

'And if Anna-Maria knew what I was thinking about her protégé, she would gut me like a fish,' Jack thought, smiling inwardly as he sipped a bit of broth.

The other men knew better than to try anything on Marina, but Jack had always been somewhat of a slow learner, particularly when it came to pretty women. Besides, the other men had been on the receiving end of Marina's attention long enough, what with her listening to some of their tales for quite a while now.

'Of course, as long as it looks nothing like I'm trying to worm my way into her attentions, no one will be the wiser.'

Finished with his meal, Jack set his empty bowl in his lap and turned towards her. "So, Marina, I hear that you enjoy the stories Gibbs has been telling you about me," he said, smiling as she blushed oh-so-charmingly. "Did he tell you about how I encountered a tribe of cannibals, and had to find a way of escaping certain death?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide in excitement. Grinning, Jack set aside his bowl and began the tale.


"…and then they made me their chief!" Jack said, finishing his story.

She stared at him, blue eyes wide with awe and wonder as she sat there, hunched forward on the barrel that served as her chair. He gave her a moment to compose herself, and almost preened with pride as she clapped enthusiastically, a broad smile on her face. As she clapped, Jack couldn't help but take off his hat and bow a little, relishing the attention and admiration.

'It's nice to have one's stories appreciated, rather that brushed aside as nonsense.'

More often than not, his accounts were met with doubt –namely rolled eyes, scoffs, snorts and other signs of disbelief. Marina's eager, enchanted gaze made him want to tell her every legend there was about him, just to see those beautiful sapphire eyes glow.

He mentally slapped himself. No, there would be none of that! The unfortunate thing was mute, after all, and so far as he was concerned, possessing such a disadvantage made her off limits. True, at first, he had chalked up her muteness to her being feebleminded, but now he knew better. She was as smart as anyone else on the ship (certainly smarter than Cotton's blasted parrot!), but he still would not move any further than friendship.

'I may be a pirate, but even I have a small bit of moral bone in my body!'

Thanks to his mum, Jack knew the difference between right and wrong (as well as in between), and normally, wooing a wench wasn't much of a concern to him. However, trying to win over a girl with Marina's 'issue' was in the wrong, and not even Captain Jack Sparrow, great romancer of women, would take advantage of her…even if he was tempted to do so.

'But even a rogue like myself wouldn't try anything with a girl this innocent.' Besides, Anna-Maria would have his guts for garters, and he rather liked them where they were.

It was tempting, though…

"Well, I'd best be off," he said, getting to his feet. "Tonight, we'll have a bit of a party, what do you say? The men are already breaking out the rum, which we've plenty of, and perhaps I'll teach you some lively dances."

She nodded in agreement. "Very good, then," he replied, tipping his hat at her. "Until later, then, Rina!"


Once Jack was gone, I immediately tidied up the galley, washing up a few of the bowls, spoons, and pots that Mr. Cotton hadn't yet gotten to, and hung up what was already cleaned and dried. The evening's stew was nearly finished, and the men were milling about on deck, clearly ready to eat their dinner so that they could ready the ship for the night's festivities.

Sure enough, not long after I set the stack of bowls and spoons out for them to use, the men formed up a line and quickly served themselves, taking their food up onto the deck to eat. It was rare to see the men so organized, something that ironically happened only on an evening that was bound to become both chaotic and interesting.

After eating my own meal, I assisted Mr. Cotton with the clean up, and helped tuck everything away into its proper place while secretly slipping bits of food to his parrot. He caught me once or twice, but didn't try to reprimand me for it.

When the chores were finished, Mr. Cotton made his way on deck, with me trailing slowly behind. Like the previous party, I had a feeling that tomorrow's food would have to be kept simple and laid out for the men to help themselves to, as they would be up at whatever hours they chose. I would not need to cook for them –my task would be to merely see that there was enough food for anyone who wanted it.

As I made my way up to the deck, dusk was beginning to fall. The torches were lit, the deck had been cleared so that there was space for dancing, and in the corners were areas for gambling, which I knew next to nothing about. I had seen them at it before, and Anna and the others seemed to enjoy it, but even after they tried to teach me, I could not understand the rules and customs, so I stayed away. The cards and dice they played with seemed interesting, but I wanted to merely play with the objects, not risk losing anything I owned.

"Ah, there you are, Rina!" Jack called, coming over to take my hand. "Glad you could join us. Come on, the lads are about to strike up a favorite song of mine, and I've promised you a proper pirate dance!"

Moisture pricked the back of my neck, and nervousness turned my supper into a stone in my stomach. Before I could try and refuse him, however, Jack grasped my hand firmly in his and pulled me to the cleared area, where he motioned for the men with instruments to play. Grinning, they did so, and all around us, many began clapping while others joined us to dance.

"Hold tightly, luv," he said, grinning as he grabbed both my hands.


With a strangled sound that was between a squeak and a squawk, Marina let him pull her all around, her feet trying to mimic his as they went into a jig.

There was a brief moment of panic on her face as he swung her about, but after a little while, she began to relax, trusting him to teach her the correct steps, or at least lead her through it. He grinned. It was rather satisfying to have someone put so much faith in him.

Around and around the deck they went, the crew laughing and clapping as Jack and his partner whirled about and coasted across the deck. Marina's face was now less panicked, and she seemed to be having fun. The blue in her eyes flickered in the torchlight, and her black hair began to come loose from the braid it was in. She looked utterly enchanting.

'No! None of that!' cried a voice in his head, nearly causing him to trip over his own feet. Well, how was he supposed to act when the girl in front of him was attractive?

Fortunately, he remained steady in his step, and was able to guide Rina to the end of the dance, the two of them breathless as the music ended. By then, she was giving a quiet, gentle wheeze, which Jack guessed served as her laugh.

"You're a natural, Marina," he complimented, earning a blush and a smile from her. "Have a rest, and we'll see if we can get another out of you!"

Shaking her head, she grinned broadly at him and squeezed his hands, silently thanking him for the dance. Jack, on the other hand, barely had time to nod at her before she raced off to join Anna-Maria, who pressed a mug into her friend's hand.

"Good idea, Anna!" Jack hollered, turning towards his men. "Break out the rum, and let's see if I can't win a few coins from a few of you!"

Cheers and good-natured jeers filled the deck as his crew rushed to fetch their cards, dice, and boards, all of them eager to test their luck. Grinning, Jack gave Marina a playful salute and went to the nearest card game.


Oh, goodness, dancing was such fun! The first time had been slow, but this one had been much better!

Sipping the water that Anna had given me, I watched as the men partook in their games. Some cheered as they won, others groaned at their losses, and all the time, coins changed hands. It was fun to watch, though playing the games didn't appeal to me.

For a while, I was content to sit with my friend and drink my water, or nibble on whatever food was passed in my direction. Sometimes, Mr. Cotton's parrot would fly over to beg for some hardtack or bread crust, and others, Mr. Gibbs would come tell me a short story about pirates he had known in the past, or to give me a brief lesson in piracy in general. I rather liked listening to Mr. Gibbs –he had a very nice, soothing voice and accent, and he made me laugh.

An hour or two after my dance with Jack, the music makers started another tune. This caught everyone's attention, and it wasn't long before Mr. Gibbs pulled me to my feet.

"Come on, Rina!" he exclaimed as Anna took my cup. "Join the fun!"

Unable to resist, I let him pull me into a lively dance, in which I soon found myself tossed around the deck, hooking arms with one man after another as the music played, and the air filled with laughter and clapping hands.


Jack did his best to appear positive, but he really didn't like the way poor Marina was being manhandled by the crew. True, it was just a dance, but on a ship where the men severely outnumbered the women, it was a good idea to try and keep the men in order, before things went too far.

Fortunately, his men weren't completely lost in their cups, and had enough sense to let Anna-Maria lead the poor thing off to bed once the dance was over, all without protest. Once temptation was out of their sight, they immediately began to make fools of themselves, allowing Jack to relax a little…but only a little.

Taking a long pull of rum from his cup, Jack decided on something. Tomorrow, Jack himself would take over Marina's fighting lessons, to show the men how serious he was about taking care of her, and send a silent message that he would not tolerate any one of them putting one finger on her, either.


AN: Hmm, seems Jack is starting to warm up to Marina, doesn't he? Thanks for reading, and please review!