Jack shot out of his cabin, wide-eyed and saber drawn. The cannon fire jolted him awake, along with everyone else on the ship. From below, half the crew came pouring up onto the deck. Most were still half-asleep, but had weapons drawn and were ready to fight.

To everyone's immense surprise, the Pearl was very alone in the vast ocean.

Jack blinked a few times, but another ship never appeared. Slowly, he scanned his crew, each looking more confused than the last.

"What... happened?" Jack asked slowly, half-expecting someone to pull a cannon out from under their shirt.

No one had a chance to answer before Caleb poked his head up from below decks. "Cap'n!" he called. "We have a problem."

Jack turned towards him, the motion almost menacing. "Do tell, Mr. Arvin."

"It's the girl. She-"

Jack didn't give Caleb a chance to finish. He's heard all he needed. Bursting into motion, Jack stormed past Caleb and down through the hull of the ship. He heard the crew following behind him, all talking in confused voices.

As he rounded one corner, he saw Jonesy and Tazz standing in the doorway of Tazz's room. Jonesy was trying to keep Tazz from leaving, and Tazz was trying to simultaneously shove past him and tie on her bodice. As he got closer, he heard Jonesy yelling.

"Yer not goin'! We don' know who it is an' yer not gettin' hurt again!"

Tazz snarled, "Jonesy, if you don't move I'll-"

"May as well let her out, Mr. Jones," Jack said as he passed. "There is no enemy."

Jonesy, surprised by the wave of men, lost his focus and Tazz slipped past him into the flow of people. Snaking her way through, she managed to catch up to Jack at the front. "What's going on?" she asked.

Jack didn't turn to look at her, instead keeping up his march towards the cannons. "We'll see," he growled.

They arrived a minute later. As Jack and the crew entered the gun deck, all stopped in surprise. Jack had to blink a few more times to fully comprehend what he was seeing. Standing there attempting to look as innocent as angels, and failing miserably, were Pintel and Ragetti. Gabrielle was a few feet away near a recently disturbed cannon, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Her golden curls were frizzled and coated in black soot from the blow-back. Beside them was a large hole in the side of the ship where the cannonball had blasted through.

Tazz's jaw fell open. "Holy shit."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jack's reaction had not been pretty. Pintel and Ragetti had been reduced to no better than slaves. Jack had them doing everything he could think of, from cleaning the darkest, dustiest corners of the ship to merely sitting to one side of the deck where he could watch them. The girl had once more been locked into a cabin, not free to wander about unless Jack specifically wanted her taken somewhere. Even then, she always had at least one escort. Jack was pissed.

He decided they were going to sail towards Aruba to make repairs. The repairs would have been easy, had it been just a cannonball hole. However, the cannon hadn't been strapped down, so with the kickback, it swung sideways, ripping a nice chunk out of the hull. Aruba wasn't far, only about a days journey. In the meantime, everyone stayed well out of Jack's way. Most of his anger was aimed at Pintel and Ragetti, true, but he was liable to snap at anyone nearby.

Tazz watched from the safety of the crow's nest as he stormed across the deck and disappeared below decks, probably to find the two idiots responsible and make them clean the chamber pots for the third time today. She let out a sigh and shook her head. She'd never seen Jack in such a state. It almost scared her, but she knew Jack would never take out his frustrations on someone who didn't deserve them.

As her eyes flitted over the deck, she suddenly locked gazes with Jonesy. Tazz froze. He was just standing there, leaning against his mop, staring up at her. Tazz was too far away to accurately read his expression, but it seemed almost... disappointed.

She immediately looked away. She hadn't spoken to him since the explosion. In fact, she'd been going out of her way to avoid him. Last night had been a mistake. A huge, hormone-induced mistake. Thankfully, Jonesy appeared to have at least one ounce of honor in him and he hadn't said anything to anyone. Calming her suddenly rapid heartbeat, Tazz risked a glance back down.

He was still watching her. This time, Tazz was unable to tear her gaze away. Jonesy watched her for another long moment, then finally looked away first, shaking his head and walking off. For Tazz, it felt almost like a kick in the gut. So now she was the bad guy? She hadn't asked him to come into her room!

But she hadn't stopped him either...

Tazz frowned and looked out at the ocean. It was her fault. She hadn't told him no. Hell, she'd been just as eager and willing as he was. And it wasn't like it had been a bad experience. On the contrary, Jonesy managed to set her every nerve on fire, and she was positive that if they hadn't been interrupted, it would have been amazing.

It didn't change the fact that it would have been a disastrous idea.

"Yer face if gonna get stuck like tha' if ye keep frownin'."

Tazz gasped and leapt nearly clear out of the crow's nest. Beside her, Caleb jolted backwards.

"Sorry! Sorry, I thought ye heard me come up," he said, reaching out to pull her away from the edge of the nest. "I didnae mean t' scare ye."

Tazz gulped down a few lungfuls of air, her hand clutching at her racing heart. "Jesus, I need to get you guys bells," she panted. "To what do I owe the visit?" she asked, calming herself.

Caleb smiled. "I need a reason?"

Tazz cocked a brow.

"A'right, ye she-demon. I'm hidin' so's not to get nabbed for Gabby-walkin' duty."

"Good reason," Tazz acquiesced. "So how long does Jack figure repairs will take?"

Caleb shrugged. "We won't be sure till we dock an' are able t' give it a proper look. I'd wager no more than a day, tops."

Tazz gave a vague nod in response. "So what happens during repairs? Not everyone can help, so do the rest of us just scurry off and get as drunk as possible in a short span of time?"

"Uh, well, ye can I s'pose," Caleb said with a chuckle, "though I can't right say I can see you doin' just that."

"Neither can I, but it's an idea," Tazz replied. She then recalled the look of disappointment on Jonesy's face, and her smile faded slightly. "A tempting one at that."

~*~*~*~*~

They arrived on the coast of Aruba around ten in the morning, and were docked by eleven. As expected, many of the men immediately went ashore and headed for the bars and brothels. Tazz lagged a little behind, taking in the view from the crow's nest.

They had passed a beautiful beach on their way in, and Tazz was determined to figure out how to get there. After tilting and turning and standing on her tiptoes, as if that would help, she spotted what appeared to be a road in the direction she wanted to go. With that, she scurried down the rigging and set off across the town.

Once out of the port, Aruba was just as breathtaking as all those travel brochures described. After climbing to a high point on the island, Tazz looked out over the empty coast. It was nothing but palm trees, white sand, and blue ocean. After taking nearly five minuets to stare in awe, Tazz continued onwards, heading down the path towards the empty beach.

There was a small inlet to one side of the stretch of sand, white waves breaking against the rocks that peaked fifteen feet above the water surface. Making her way onto the outcropping, she looked out at the landscape.

The waves were peaceful and the sky was cloudless. The sun beating down on her back had probably warmed the waves to near perfect.

Yeah, she had to go swimming. Thankfully, she'd had the foresight to wear her old black shorts and ratty top instead of her new outfit.

She looked over her shoulders, making sure no one was peeping on her. After deeming the area secure, she sighed and pulled off her top, leaving on her ragged black bra. Frowning down at the undergarment, Tazz briefly considered taking it off as well, but decided against it. She tossed her shirt to the side, pulled off her boots, and leaned over the edge of the rock and peered into the water. No rocks were visible in the clear sea, so there was nothing to hurt herself on. Backing up slightly, she took a deep breath, then slowly grinned. A split second later, she went running forwards, leaping off the boulder and sailing through the air with a howl of delight. Her airborne state lasted only a moment before she hit the water and went under.

The Caribbean waves were indeed warm, but soon Tazz had to crash to the surface for air. She flipped her wet hair out of her face and tread water for a moment, then took another breath and submerged. She swam through the sea like it was second nature, every so often coming up for another breath of air. After ten minutes of swimming, Tazz made her way to the beach and walked up along the sand, then climbed back up onto the outcropping.

She was met by Caleb and Jonesy lying on their stomachs, peering over the side of the rock. Caught totally off guard, Tazz didn't know how to handle the situation at first. She had been trying to keep her distance from Jonesy since... since then, but now she was suddenly accosted by him and Caleb and she had no idea what to do.

Jonesy grinned. "'Ave I ever mentioned that yer a fantasy made real?"

Tazz went very still. Huh. So he wasn't going to make some sly off-handed comment about what happened? Then maybe she could just play it cool as well. "How long have you two been there...?"

"We followed ye when ye wandered away from the docks," Caleb answered, a smirk on his face as well. "At first, it was cuz we didn't want ye t' go off alone, but then ye started actin' like a mermaid, so we stuck around."

"You two are unbelievable," Tazz muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "And you." She stared at Caleb. "I'd expect something like this from him," she jerked her head at Jonesy, "but you?"

Before Caleb could think of a decent response, Jonesy jumped in. "Oh, Caleb can be just as bad as me. The only difference is 'e doesn't let ye see it."

Caleb whopped him upside the head.

"What?" Jonesy yowled. "'S true."

None of this made Tazz feel much better. "Great; so I have two perverts to deal with."

"Ye do not," Caleb argued. "It's just... Well, ye did look pretty incredible down there."

Tazz bit the inside of her cheek to maintain her 'I'm not happy' face. "Well, I was planning on going back in, but with you two vultures watching me, I think I'm gonna just go into town." She held out one hand, the other continuing to cover her chest. "Hand me my shirt."

Jonesy looked affronted. "Are ye mad?" He tucked the shirt underneath where he lie. "Ye'll 'ave t' best me in combat first."

"Don't think I won't."

"Hold on, you two," Caleb cut in. "Before ye kill him, why not let us go swimmin' with ye?"

Jonesy immediately grinned. "I love th' way yer brain works."

Tazz raised a brow, ignoring Jonesy's statement. "Oh?"

Caleb shrugged and got to his feet. "Why not? It's hot as ever, an' ye can't keep an entire beach t' yerself."

Jonesy, too, stood up, purposely kicking Tazz's shirt further behind him. "Aye, Tazz. Mind if we join ye?"

This had 'won't end well' written all over it, but Tazz rolled her eyes and shrugged. "If you really want to..." A few moments later, the only thing the two men still had on were their pants and Tazz had to make a conscious effort to keep her eyes on their faces. "Okay then. Go on in. Water's fine."

Jonesy gave her a patronizing look, but it was offset by the leer on his lips. "What, an' let ye run off while we're not lookin'? By all means, ladies first." He gave a sweeping bow, his arm stretched towards the outcropping.

Tazz let a sinister grin cross her face. Before Jonesy could catch his balance, she darted in and shoved him hard, sending him toppling to the rock's edge. However, she didn't take into account his quick reflexes. He managed to grab her wrist as he fell over the side, pulling her down with him.

And to add the icing to the cake, Caleb grabbed Tazz's other hand, trying to keep her from falling in too, but only ended up getting pulled over himself.

The three crashed into the water below, immediately splashing to the surface for air. Jonesy took a gasping breath, then turned wide eyes on Tazz. "What the 'ell was that for?" he cried.

"Oh stop whining, you sissy," Tazz muttered, pushing her hair back from her face. "You got your revenge, and I hope you're happy."

Jonesy stared incredulously at her. "Are ye tryin' t' say that you getting' pulled in is my fault? If ye 'adn't tried t' push me in in the first place, we'd all be fine."

Before Tazz could argue, Caleb splashed the both of them with a wave of water. He grinned as the two looked murderously at him. "Lighten up, you two. Let's have some fun b'fore all hell breaks loose, aye?"

They couldn't deny, Caleb was right. Grins crossed their faces and the three forgot all previous obligations to anything, instead choosing to splash in the ocean like little kids.

Nearly an hour later, they were too tired to keep treading water and opted to head back to the white sand of the beach. There, they stretched out, letting the sun's rays dry them off.

Jonesy lay sprawled on his stomach, his arms folded under his head and his eyes closed. Whether or not he was sleeping was anyone's guess. Caleb and Tazz were resting on their backs. Tazz had her arms folded behind her head, while Caleb's hands were clasped over his stomach.

Yawning widely, Caleb groaned a little and flipped onto his stomach in a position similar to Jonesy's. Sand coated his back and legs. "So," he mumbled, eyes closed, "was yer day off decent?"

Tazz laughed and shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. "I dunno. I got to spend it on a beautiful beach with two attractive, shirtless guys. I think that's a success."

Caleb smirked and cracked open one eye. "Doesn't take much t' please ye, does it?"

"Yeah, I'm simple like that," Tazz replied. She turned her head to the other side, observing Jonesy's still form for a moment. "D'ya think he's really asleep?"

Caleb shrugged one shoulder. "With him, who knows? Poke him with a stick, see if he moves."

"Poke me an' ye'll be very sorry," Jonesy mumbled in reply, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Well, that answers that." Tazz slowly sat up, brushing the sand off her back. "C'mon, quit layin' there like a lump."

"Which one?" Caleb muttered.

"Either. I'm bored."

"But the sun's all warm an' I'm nice an' cozy," Jonesy groaned, still not moving.

The next thing he felt was a ball of sand pelting him in the face.

Springing up onto his knees, Jonesy yelped and sputtered, vigorously wiping the sand off his face. "Ugh!" he cried, turning flabbergasted eyes on Tazz. "Ye little cretin!"

Tazz just sat there grinning. "It got you up," she pointed out.

Two point three seconds later, Tazz was running for her life down the beach, Jonesy hot on her heels. He was surprisingly quick on his feet for having just woken up. Tazz could feel him just out of arm's reach behind her. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty; she should have remembered that Jonesy's legs were longer than hers, his endurance was higher, and he had the tenacity of a hunting dog.

She was doomed.

An arm suddenly caught her around the waist, stopping her abruptly, and she lurched and fell to the sand. Jonesy stumbled as well, pitching forward and collapsing next to her; his arms were still holding her around the middle, his chest pressed to her back.

Out of breath, Jonesy and Tazz didn't move for a minute. They merely stayed where they were, panting for air. Finally, Tazz rolled sideways, lying on her back. Jonesy's arm lay across her stomach, his other under the small of her back. The fall had covered then in sand, making them ever dirtier than they already were.

"Okay," Tazz panted, "you win."

"Not yet, I don't," Jonesy growled.

Before Tazz could move, Jonesy got up, lifting her off the ground bridal-style. With a yelp, Tazz stared bewildered at him. "What are you doing?"

Jonesy just grinned. "Gettin' revenge."

Then with three quick strides, Jonesy skipped up to the water's edge and unceremoniously threw Tazz into the ocean. She landed with a splash and went under. Jonesy laughed and waited for her to rocket up, angry as ever.

Half a minute later, and she still hadn't come back up.

Starting to worry, Jonesy called out, "Okay Tazz, 's not funny anymore. Quit it."

Nothing.

"Shite," Jonesy cursed. He went crashing into the waves, looking around for Tazz until he was waist-deep in the water. "Tazz!"

And then he was bowled off his feet, fell into the water, and had his pants yanked off.

Coming back to the surface and gasping a ragged breath, Jonesy saw Tazz in the shallows, his pants held aloft victoriously. She grinned happily and Jonesy gaped at her.

"Oh bugger, not again..." Jonesy groaned. "Tazz, don't even think about it!" he shouted.

"Too late!" Tazz called back, racing for the outcropping on which the rest of their clothes were strewn. She leapt over Caleb, who was watching her curiously, and scaled the rock, quickly gathering up all of Jonesy's clothes.

Once Caleb realized what Tazz was doing, he burst into laughter. "Brilliant! As if once wasn't humiliatin' enough, twice!"

"Caleb!" Jonesy howled. "What'd I ever do t' you?"

Before he could answer, Tazz directed their attention. "Oh Jonesy," she called in a sing-song. She stood triumphantly on the outcropping, holding Jonesy's sash high. "I'll leave this for you!"

Jonesy watched in depressed resignation as Tazz and Caleb raced off back towards the port. He sighed heavily. "Damn 'em t' Hell..."

~*~*~*~*~

Jack stared at Tazz curiously as she strolled back onto the deck, Caleb behind her. "Might I inquire as to why you're carrying Mr. Jones' clothes?" he asked.

Tazz halted and tried not to snicker. Caleb straightened up as well. "Well–" Tazz began.

"Stop, I withdraw said inquiry. I realize I don't want to know," Jack interrupted. "Decided we'll head out tomorrow morning," he continued. "The Pearl is nearly repaired as is, so we'll take a short leave here and be out at high tide."

"Got it," Tazz affirmed, nodding her head.

A moment later, Jack snorted and valiantly bit back laughter. Before Caleb could ask if he was okay, Jack pointed to the gang plank behind them.

Tazz turned around, only to be horrified to see Jonesy behind them. He was still sopping wet, his sash wrapped around his waist nearly three times to cover him from hips to mid-thigh. The glare on his face could peel paint from a wall.

Her preservation instinct kicked in, and Tazz smiled disarmingly. "You made it back quick," she mentioned offhandedly.

Jonesy's glare didn't recede, and his voice was cold. "You, Devil, are amazingly lucky yer too beautiful t' kill."

"Indeed," Tazz squeaked.

Jonesy's angry gaze abruptly shifted to Caleb. "Yer not." Then he burst into motion and chased Caleb below decks. The two vanished with the sound of thudding feet.

Tazz was left blinking at the spot the two had just been. Sighing, she tossed Jonesy's clothes down the stairs leading below decks and rubbed her forehead. "What have I gotten myself into?" she grumbled.

"That's your little problem," Jack replied, "and as such, no longer my own. I wish you the best of luck."

She cast him a withering look. "Go do some captain-y things, aye?"

"Brilliant suggestion, Devil."

A few minutes after Jack had sauntered off, Jonesy came marching back on decks, tying his sash back into place around the waist of his reacquired pants. He was wetter than he had been before, and Caleb was nowhere in sight. This was a tad worrisome, but Tazz didn't get much time to ponder it before Jonesy started speaking. "Not tha' I don't enjoy th' idea of ye strippin' me of my britches, if ye ever do it again without my consent, I'm returnin' th' favor." He shot her a look that clearly stated he knew exactly what he had just said.

Tazz's brow furrowed at the glance, then she moved on. "So," she said, "uh, why are you suddenly all wet and where is Caleb?"

Jonesy grinned. "Is tha' th' order of importance?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Th' bastard threw a mopping bucket at me, so I tied 'im to 'is hammock." He suddenly bent over and shook his head vigorously, spraying water everywhere like a giant dog.

Tazz stared at him as he stood back up. His hair was now about twice the volume it normally was, sticking out in every direction imaginable. "Furball," she muttered.

Jonesy frowned a little. "So?"

Tazz rolled her eyes and went down to the quarters to rescue Caleb. She passed through the doorway just in time to see Caleb struggle his way into flipping the hammock, leaving him hanging face-down underneath it, his back bowed at an extremely uncomfortable-looking angle. Tazz quickly made her way over to his side and knelt so she could see his face.

He looked up at her imploringly, his fair Irish skin flushed a deep tomato red with embarrassment. Tazz clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back giggles.

"I'd hoped ye would never see me in such a position," Caleb told her with more than a bit of a pout in his voice. Tazz just shook her head and stood to work at the ropes that bound Caleb to the hammock.

Caleb was bound around the shoulders, waist, and both ankles. The rope around his waist also looped around his wrists, and all three lengths of rope were tightly woven into the hammock and knotted with sailor's knots, the kind that only tightened the more they were pulled. Tazz dug her fingers into the knot at the small of his back, but it was no use.

She frowned. "Jesus, he really did a job on these. How the hell did he get you to hold still long enough?"

"Knocked me head." Caleb jerked his chin at the heavy belaying pin laying on the floor off to the side. "I was only out for a few seconds but he's a quick bastard."

Tazz shook her head. "You two play too rough. I can't get these with my hands." She made to draw her sword but a touch on her arm stopped her.

"Let me."

Tazz blinked at Murdoc, who appeared behind her seemingly from nowhere. She glanced at his hip, but there was no sword or dagger in sight. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen him carry a weapon at all. He'd borrowed Jonesy's hanger the one time she'd sparred with him.

Tazz opened her mouth to ask how he was planning on freeing Caleb. Before she could, though, there was a whirl of steel and mahogany and a balisong knife appeared in his hand as if by magic.

Tazz's jaw dropped. She'd seen butterfly knives before, but that had been in 21st century America. She'd always assumed they were fairly modern, like switchblades. Something that came about in the 1930's or something like that.

Murdoc slid the six-inch blade under the knot and twisted his hand, and the rope gave like thread. He swiftly cut the other two ropes, and Caleb fell to the deck, catching himself gracefully on his hands and rolling out from under the hammock.

"Ye didn't slice up me bed, did ye?" he asked, inspecting the hammock. Murdoc smirked and flipped the knife closed.

"Did ye think I would?"

Tazz was busy staring at the butterfly knife in Murdoc's hand. "Where did you learn to use that?" she asked.

Murdoc turned his attention towards her. "This?" he asked, gesturing to the knife in his hand. He smirked. "I'm trained in eskrima."

"Eskrima? Isn't that kali?" Tazz asked.

It was Murdoc's turn to look a little confused. "Kali?" he repeated.

Tazz shook her head. Must have been a modern term. "Nevermind. Where'd you learn it? The Philippines are a long way from here."

The smirk came back and Murdoc glanced at Caleb, as if sharing an inside joke. "My mother was half Filipino. My uncle took me there for training when I was young."

Well, that was the most information she'd ever gotten out of Murdoc about himself. Fascinating. Figuring it was better to quit while she was ahead, Tazz let the subject drop, turning to Caleb. Before she could say anything, though, Jack's all-too-familiar holler rang out.

"Caleb!"

Caleb stood up straight, surprised by the shout. "Aye, Cap'n?" he called back.

Jack poked his head into the room. "Ah, there you are. For someone so capacious, you elude detection quite well. However, your size and stealth are neither here nor there. I need you to take over for Dawson with repairs. The twit put a nail into his hand."

Tazz cringed at the thought, but Caleb merely nodded. "Aye, Cap'n. Be right there." He sighed as Jack vanished back the way he'd come. "So much for a respite," he mumbled. "I'll catch up t' you lot t'night. We're meeting at the Bold Jackal Tavern later."

"The Bold Jackal?" Tazz repeated. "Who's in charge of naming these taverns?"

Caleb merely shrugged and ducked out into the hall.

~*~*~*~*~

As agreed, Tazz made her way to the Bold Jackal after sunset. By then, the tavern was already crammed full, but she snaked her way through the crowds and managed to get to the bar. She swiftly ordered a hard cider and managed to find the single empty table in the whole building.

Nursing her cider, Tazz scanned the tavern. Assorted members of the crew were scattered about, laughing and drinking. Caleb was hard to miss, as he was half a head taller than anyone else in the place. He was laughing at some joke that Sebastian had just told. Tazz smirked. He was too adorable for his own good. There was a red bandanna tied loosely around his neck, probably leftover from keeping dust out of his face from his earlier carpenter shift. It just added another element to his slightly country boy demeanor.

Going back to her drink, she suddenly found an unfamiliar man sitting down across from her. Before barking at him to buzz off, she figured there were no open seats anywhere else, so she let it slide and stared at her mug. It wasn't until he started speaking that Tazz realized the mistake of not kicking him out immediately.

"Wot's a pretty young thing like yerself doin' here?" he rasped. "Lookin' fer some fun, aye?"

"No," Tazz said coldly. "Look somewhere else."

"But I like wot I see right here." A low snicker ground out of his throat. "C'mon lass, I'll be gentle with ye."

Tazz kept her skin from crawling away by sheer will alone, because her skin sure as hell wanted to go run and hide. "Back off, pal. I don't wanna hurt you," she growled, not bothering to make eye contact.

The drunk scoffed, seeming offended. He sneered at her. "Yer probably one of them types wot likes women, ain't ye? Yer afraid o' men, ain't ye?"

Tazz rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I'd have bigger concerns if I was intimidated of you."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Caleb appeared beside Tazz. "He botherin' ye Devil?" he rumbled, leveling a dark stare at the man across from her.

"Yer friends with this tribade?" the drunk slurred at Caleb. "Don' waste yer time, boy."

Caleb's eyes went wide. He turned to Tazz. "What'd he call you?" In truth, Tazz had no idea what she'd just been called, but by Caleb's reaction, it had been insulting.

"Stuck up little bitch is afraid of men, she is," the drunk continued. "Useless t' men, 'less ye wanna hold 'er down."

"I've been listening to this for five minutes," Tazz muttered, "and it's getting old."

"Want me to deal with it?" Caleb asked, turning his glare on the drunk.

"No, I'll get him soon," Tazz replied.

The drunk scoffed. "Gonna sic yer woman on me, lass?"

Finally, Tazz looked up, and she wasn't happy. "That's it. You think I'm a lesbian because I won't have sex with you? God, you're skewed. Heaven forbid my standards be higher than 'drunk asshole in bar'."

"Oh yeah? What're yer 'standards', then?" the drunk asked.

Tazz slowly got to her feet, glaring at the drunk. As if on cue, the smattering of the crew that was in the bar rose as well, ready in case a brawl broke out.

"You wanna know my standards?" she repeated. "Fine." In one fluid movement, she reached out, grabbed Caleb by the bandanna around his neck, and pulled him down towards her. She had the brief satisfaction of seeing the look of shock on his face before she pressed her mouth to his and closed her eyes.

There was a moment of total silence, then the bar erupted into loud cheers from the crew. Caleb seemed frozen at first, but stumbled forward slightly, leaning further into the kiss. The howls went louder.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tazz and Caleb parted. Caleb had a wild look in his eye that Tazz had never imagined he could possess. At the raucous cries of the crew, she realized they had just made quite a scene. She wanted Caleb, yes, but this wasn't how she's imagined attaining him. She needed to leave and rethink her strategy, right now, before things progressed even further.

With a quick smirk to Caleb, Tazz turned and walked out of the bar. She turned down the road, then ducked down one of the side streets to head back towards the docks.

Hearing heavy footsteps behind her, Tazz turned around just in time to meet Caleb head on.

"What was that?" he asked flatly.

Tazz blinked as innocently as she knew how. "What was what?"

"That," he said urgently, pointing back towards the tavern they'd just exited. "Ye kissed me, Devil."

"Oh." Tazz blinked again. "Sorry. I was just making a point."

"And what point would that be?"

Tazz crossed her arms under her chest, biting back a smug grin as his eyes automatically flicked down to her suddenly enhanced cleavage. Oh, this was gonna be fun. "My point would be that that idiot in there was not up to my criterion."

Caleb's green eyes, dark almost to black in the starlight, bored into hers. "An' I am?"

She shrugged delicately. "I guess so." Entirely planning on leaving it there and letting him stew for a bit, she turned towards the ship.

WHAM.

Tazz stopped short, narrowly missing a collision with the muscular, scarred forearm that suddenly appeared in her field of vision. She realized Caleb had slammed his palms into the wall on either side of her, effectively trapping her between his very solid arms.

Quickly composing herself – such an aggressive move was out of character for him, and she'd be lying if she didn't admit it had startled and maybe even excited her a bit – she turned, leaned casually back against the wall and gave him the best eyebrow she could possibly manage. With both the moonlight and the lantern light behind him, it was hard to read his features.

"Ye drive me to madness," he rumbled, his whole body tense.

The eyebrow climbed higher. "I'm sorry?"

Caleb snorted dryly. "Yer not. Neither am I."

He was silent for a long moment, and Tazz was almost about to ask him to let her go when he spoke again.

"Kiss me proper."

That took her by surprise.

"What?"

"Ye startled me, I could hardly give a good account for meself. I won't have you goin' t' bed tonight thinkin' that's the best I can do." The muscles in his arms shifted as he bent his elbows, coming to rest with his forearms flat against the wall. The move brought his broad body within inches of Tazz's and all the breath left her lungs. "Kiss. Me."

Proudly, Tazz raised her head. "I already have. You kiss me this time."

Caleb stared for a moment. Then he huffed out an annoyed breath and descended, capturing her lips much more forcefully than Tazz had anticipated.

She couldn't help it. She moaned like a two-bit whore. The kiss was firm but slow, his lips moving against hers like a force of freakin' nature. When her mouth opened he took his time exploring it, tongue tracing her lips first, then her teeth and the roof of her mouth before finally stroking against her own.

Tazz's hands moved of their own accord, skimming up the rows of muscle on his torso, across powerful shoulders and down to biceps tensed in support of the majority of his weight. Then she went in for the kill, both hands sliding around his neck to tangle in his hair. In one swift move, she changed the angle of his head, closed the gap between their bodies, and began kissing back with everything she had.

She felt the resulting groan vibrate right down to the tips of her toes. Caleb sped up his kiss to an almost ruthless pace, his arms sliding around in the space she'd created between her back and the wall and pulling her tight against him. One reached all the way around the small of her back, his hand resting at her waist on the opposite side. The other lay flat between her shoulder blades, broad hand cradling her skull, the splayed fingers stretching nearly from ear to ear.

Bracing her hands against his shoulders, Tazz raised onto her toes to deepen the kiss, her heart thumping delightedly when his arms automatically tensed to support her weight. She leaned into them gratefully, feeling almost as if she was floating, and bit gently at his lips.

Caleb moaned loudly as his body gave, and they both fell backwards the few inches to the wall. His arms protected her from the brick, but the breath was knocked out of her, and she broke the kiss to gasp. Her eyes flew open to meet his, pupils blown dark with lust, lips glistening, and generally looking thoroughly debauched.

Guilt flashed behind his eyes and he made to remove his weight from her person. She, however, would have none of it, and tugged him back against her. His eyes widened.

She smirked evilly, determined to get the better of him.

"Is that all you've got?" she murmured lowly.

Caleb's lip curled into a snarl, and Tazz had a heart-pounding moment of oh shit before a powerful thigh slammed between her knees, lifting her bodily off the ground and bringing her neck within reach of his mouth. She mewled like a kitten, high and pitiful, as he went to work on the tender spot below her ear. Her outside leg lifted and curled around his back for support as she hung on for dear life, unable to do anything but gasp and squirm and try not to fall over. Her vantage point allowed a beautiful view of the muscles of his shoulder, neck and back, outlined in sharp contrast by the deep shadows. As soon as he moved enough to allow her access, she dove on the tendon in his neck, working it with her lips and teeth as he groaned and went slack against her, face buried in her shoulder. One huge hand came up to steady them against the wall as he laid soft kisses in a line from her throat down towards the neckline of her bodice. Needing better access, he lifted her off the ground entirely, and the pressure from his arm around her back caused her to arch, her breasts lifting towards him. She gasped again as he pressed kisses to all the skin he could reach, occasionally sneaking a teasing kitten-lick under the gathered hemline of her shirt.

"Caleb…" she breathed, unable to think of anything else. Her head fell back against the brick, and her fingers scrabbled against his biceps for support. She felt him grin into her skin and that was it, she wanted him naked now.

She writhed against him, the movements more and more violent until Caleb got the hint and put her down. As soon as she could use her hands again, she attacked his buttons, licking and sucking at each bit of pale, scarred skin as it was revealed. She was dimly aware of his hips grinding into hers, of the hard thigh pressed against her crotch, of his fingers deftly unlacing her bodice. She was completely unaware of the noises she was making, and would have been deeply embarrassed had she been listening to herself.

An unintelligible male shout had them springing apart guiltily. Tazz quickly glanced up and down the street, but there was no one there; the noise must have been from the next street over.

Dammit, she thought, studying Caleb. He looked absolutely delectable, half-dressed and shifting foot to foot nervously. His face showed a mixture of shockingly intense lust and adorable, kid-in-the-cookie-jar guilt.

Tazz was the first to look away.

"We should probably head back to the ship," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.

Caleb nodded wordlessly and they both turned to go. Immediately Tazz stopped, feeling her clothing shift.

"Whoa," she said, catching her unlaced bodice before it fell away from her body entirely. Caleb closed his eyes and let out a strangled little moan. Blushing furiously, Tazz turned her back and quickly rearranged her clothing. To her surprise, she felt Caleb's hands replace her shaking fingers at her ties. He laced her up as skillfully as he had unlaced her. His hands lingered at her waist for a moment, then he gently turned her around and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Tazz flushed harder and averted her eyes, not sure how she felt about such an affectionate act. When she looked back again, Caleb had finished doing up his buttons and offered her his arm. She blinked, then took it, pleased with the genteel gesture. They slowly made their way back towards the ship.

-

Back the other direction, just around the corner, Jonesy walloped Murdoc in the arm.

"What'd ye do that for?" he asked, annoyed.

Murdoc cocked a brow.

"They were 'bout to get sinful in th' middle o' the street," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What if someone should happen upon them? Tazz would murder them and our Irishman would die o' shame on th' spot. No, 'tis better t' let them have their privacy."

Jonesy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Ye ruin all me fun," he huffed, looking for all the world like a sulking toddler and not like a grown man who had very nearly witnessed two of his best friends getting down and dirty.

Murdoc just chuckled, knowing better than to take Jonesy seriously.

"C'mon, we'd best take th' shortest way back to th' ship. Wouldn't want them gettin' suspicious, now."

Jonesy didn't have time to either agree or argue. Three steps down the road, they heard the Pearl's bell being rung over and over, a call usually reserved for only the most serious of occasions. Without a second though, the two men burst into a full-tilt run, racing through the streets to get back to the Pearl as fast as they could.

At the gangplank, they met up with Tazz and Caleb, but all were too concerned about what problem may be at hand to even question the timing. Tazz zigzagged through the crowd of men, all who had come running, and quickly found Jack standing at the helm with Gibbs. He was frowning at a piece of parchment held in his hand, no hint of humor anywhere on his face. After a long, tense minute, he looked up at the crew gathered on deck.

"Gents, our small, blonde problem seems to have turned into a very large, cannon-toting one," he said, his voice uncharacteristically low. He handed Gibbs the parchment, Gibbs immediately bringing it down the stairs so the crew could see.

Tazz jostled for position against everyone else trying to get a peek at what had the captain and first mate so worried. Shouldering her way through, Tazz almost ran straight into Gibbs when she reached the front. With an expression of consternation, he showed her the parchment.

It was a "Wanted" poster, with a sketch of a young girl in the center. Underneath, it read, "Missing. Suspected kidnapped. Return to Lieutenant Thomas Gillette of Port Royal, Jamaica. If possible, capture those responsible for punishment." Tazz's heart nearly stopped, because she knew exactly who the sketch was.

Gabrielle.