When Norrington returned to the deck, he found that any activity had been suspended following Laura's appearance and the men were clearly awaiting his orders. He found his two lieutenants standing at the railing, engaged in a conversation that ceased suspiciously as he approached.

Groves turned to meet him. "Everything all right, sir?" he asked cautiously.

"We will carry on as planned," Norrington said.

"With the girl on board?" Gillette asked, not quite keeping the incredulity out of his voice. "You mean we are to bring her along on a pirate hunt?"

"I have full confidence that you and the men will be more than capable of seeing to her safety, should the need arise."

"But, sir, surely a voyage like this is no place for a young lady."

"Yes, Lieutenant, I had thought of that and told her as much before we departed," Norrington answered sharply, not in the mood to be argued with. "I cannot afford to waste the Navy's time and resources returning to shore, not if we are to complete this mission. Since you seem to be especially concerned, it seems fitting that I should assign you the duty of personally overseeing Laura's safety for the remainder of this voyage."

"Of course, sir," Gillette said, lowering his eyes in submission. "Sorry, sir."

"Prepare to sail."

Laura hid behind several large barrels of water, hiding her face as she cried. It hurt to see her uncles so disappointed with her. She had expected the Commodore to be upset, but his reprimand had still been scathing as he practically accused her of being a disobedient, disrespectful, selfish girl with no thought for anyone but herself. But in a way, the disappointment in her Uncle Jack's eyes had caused the deepest wound. She had hoped he would welcome her aboard, and be proud of her resourcefulness in finding a way around the obstacles the Commodore placed in front of her. But he had condemned her disobedience, too.

The sound of footsteps halted Laura's sobs. She practically held her breath, hoping with all her might that she would not be discovered. But the footsteps drew closer and closer until they stopped directly behind her. Laura tried to sit as still as possible, silently begging the shadows to conceal her.

There was a cry of surprise, and Laura turned suddenly to find herself looking up into the wide-eyed face of a young sailor. He looked down at her in confusion, frowning slightly. Then his eyes seemed to register the tear stains on Laura's face, and his confusion melted into concern. "Are you all right, miss?" he asked.

Laura nodded, and turned away, ashamed, to wipe her eyes.

The sailor came around the barrel and knelt in front of her. "You're Commodore Norrington's niece, aren't you?"

"Yes," Laura replied, managing a small smile. "I'm Laura."

"Benjamin Hayes," he said, extending a hand of introduction.

Laura accepted the hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Benjamin."

"I'm sure the pleasure is all mine." He sat all the way down on the ground, leaning back against another stack of barrels. "I don't mean to intrude, but I thought I heard someone crying, and I can only assume that that someone was you."

Laura looked at the ground and nodded. "My uncle is upset. I'm not supposed to be here."

"In the cargo hold?" Benjamin smiled slightly.

The hint of a return smile played on Laura's face. "On this voyage. I stowed away on the Black Pearl after he told me to stay in Port Royal."

Benjamin's eyes widened slightly. "And you disobeyed him?"

"Yes, I guess so."

He stared at her as if she had done the unthinkable, then seemed to realize he was staring and looked away. "Sorry. I'm just surprised the Commodore let you off so easy for disobeying him."

"He didn't let me off easy," Laura said, indignantly. "He's angry with me. He gave me a lecture about respect and thinking about the needs of others." She bit her lip to keep the tears from resurfacing.

"Hence the crying," Benjamin surmised. "I've never had the pleasure of one of the Commodore's reprimands, and I'd very much like to keep it that way. He doesn't tolerate any sort of misconduct well."

"He has a right to be angry," Laura admitted. "I shouldn't have come, but I wanted to be here when he finds my father's treasure."

"Treasure?" Benjamin repeated.

"That's what we're looking for. My father's treasure. It's supposed to be mine, but it was hidden. My Uncle Jack and his crew went after it, but they were attacked and it was stolen. The purpose of this voyage is to find it and take it back." She looked at him quizzically. "You didn't know that?"

Benjamin frowned. "I was told we were after a pirate."

"We are. The pirate that stole my father's treasure."

"That does make things a bit more interesting."

"I guess it does."

"And infinitely more exciting."

"I'm glad you think so."

"Oh, certainly. Chasing a pirate in hopes of reclaiming the treasure he has stolen from a lovely lady. It's the greatest adventure a man could hope for."

Laura beamed under the compliment, but ducked her head to hide the giddy smile. "I hope I'm not keeping you from your duties. My uncle wouldn't be pleased."

"Not at all." Benjamin stood up and offered his hand to Laura. He pulled her to her feet. "I'm off-duty, officially. Unofficially, I feel it is my duty to give you a tour of this ship."

Laura smiled, and decided not to tell him that she'd seen her uncle's ship a hundred times already.

Another chapter, friends! Huzzah for timely updates, yes? Anyway, I hope you liked this, and I hope you'll like Benjamin. Reviews are much appreciated! :)