COMMENTS ON THE COMMENTS

Heykyra13 = Well, again and again I still can succeed in raising that high- pitched squeal from you. How I love to tease! And of course I gave William a ponytail! What kind of person would I be to deny your deepest desire? And yes, that would be the Roy voice!

LoneGunGirl88 = I shall be updating every other day or on the case of weekends, every two days. Anyway you look at it, you will have a chapter soon!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Seeking The Pirate Inside

"Kat?" Riley came in their cabin, cautiously. She smiled when she saw her friend sleeping on the floor. Apparently, she hadn't been able to reach the bed before 'lights out'.

A couple weeks on sea had gotten Kat a whole lot of sword-fighting. Not quite good enough to best Jack or Will but still, pretty damn good. She had practiced a bit with Riley but since Riley only wielded a staff, it wasn't exactly the same. Still, blocking and attacking were pretty easy. Will had made her a small sword that didn't weigh much and she treasured it. Every night, she would sit with him and together they would polish their swords until they shined in the moonlight.

That day, Kat and Riley really got into their practice and got into a little fight. The stuffy air and all the practice had gotten them cranky. It was all petty fighting, nothing in particular. Just bored out of their minds from all the fighting and no one to beat up on except themselves. Although, there were many a times when Riley had challenged Jack but still lost, thanks to cunning and flirting of Jack.

Riley went to the other side of the room and grabbed a couple pillows. When she turned back around, she saw Will enter the room. She smiled and then went to Kat.

"Here, I'll carry her." Will said, coming forward. He gently scooped Kat up in his arms and laid her on the bed. "She worked herself down to the bone."

"Yah, well, that's just Kat for you. Won't stop until she's got it 100%." Then, Riley frowned. "I'm getting worried though. We're running low on food and I've noticed that she hasn't eaten as much as she should."

"Neither have you, ms. Riley."

"You can drop the formalities with me, Turner."

"Aye," Will then pulled out a piece of bread from a sack on his hip. "I've been saving this since we left Port Royal. It's still good. Make sure she eats it when she wakes up." With that, Will exited but he left with more concerns on his mind than when he entered.

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Tortuga in sights, Jack waved his hat over the deck. It signaled the crew to get ready for a night on the town. Since it was their last night on the Black Pearl, for the crew at least, all the men parties and drank. Sort of a pre-lude to Tortuga.

"I have never seen a man drink so much and still keep their consciousness!" Riley exclaimed after watching all the men drown themselves in rum. Kat just rolled her eyes and moved over on the bed, trying to get comfortable.

"Well, could you tell them to keep it down? I'm trying to sleep!"

"I could but it seems that Will is doing that for me." Then, Riley smirked and looked over at Kat. "Actually, he's doing it for you."

"Tell me again what he did this morning!" Kat laid on her side and smiled, a dreamy expression in her eyes.

"Aw, c'mon! I've already told you that story about a million times today!"

"But I want to hear it again!"

"Fine!" Riley closed the cabin door and sat down on the bed. "I was trying to get you in your bed and I went over to grab some pillows but when I turned around, Will was already lifting you up and tucking you in. There, happy?"

"More than I should be." Kat closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it was like, cradled in Will's arm. Still, she wished she had actually been awake for the moment. Though, she seriously doubted she'd be able to keep a straight face.

"Oh, why don't you ask Will to carry you to bed every night?" Riley said. She ducked to the side, barely missing the pillow that smashed into the wall beside her. "It was just a suggestion! Man, is someone a little sensitive!" Riley got up, laughing at Kat's red face.

"I swear, if you ever say something like that to him, I'll do something so evil that even you will be scared!"

"Kat, all you have to do to scare me is to flash that dangerous temper of yours and I'm gone!"

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A few hours later, when most of the men had all passed out from the rum, Riley and Kat came out for a breath of fresh air. William was already trying to help get some of the guys down below.

"Need some help, Will?" Kat asked. Will smiled and nodded. He grabbed one of the pirate's legs while Kat grabbed his arms and they both slowly carried him down the stairs.

Riley then grabbed a couple of mugs and dumped them in a barrel of water. Maybe that way, they'd get clean and she wouldn't have to clean them herself. Then, she heard a mumbling above her. Walking up to the helm, she grimaced when she saw Jack leaning against the wheel, his eyes partly closed.

"I don't be needin' them! They gots themselves to be worryin' 'bout." Jack's hat fell over his eyes as he talked. He didn't even bother pushing it back up.

"You silly sparrow." Riley came over and sat next to him. "You're gonna kill yourself with all this drinking."

"Who's there? Did you bring me eggs?" Jack looked up but he didn't seem to recognize Riley at first. Then, a slow smile appeared on his face. "Kitten, you came back to me!"

"Came back?" Riley lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't know that I left."

"Of course not, what was I thinking? Why would a pirate such as yourself ever leave the Pearl?" Jack passed her a mug. She took it and then tossed it into the barrel behind them. Jack didn't seem to notice because he slumped down onto the floor.

"Sparrow, are you feeling alright?"

"I be fine," Jack turned on his side towards Riley and propped his head on his hand. "Why do you want to be a pirate? There's a lot of danger involved, luv."

"That may be the reason that I stay. I've wanted a grand adventure and I practically climb in one." Riley tugged on Jack's hat, acting as if she was going to take it. Jack made no movement to stop her so she planted it on her head firmly.

"I'm going to be wantin' that back, Kitten."

"I know but I want to wear it for now. I think it looks better on me anyhow." Riley then watched as Jack's eyes closed in grimace. "Sparrow, what's wrong?"

"Me head, its pounding like a thousand cannons!" He grabbed his head and tried to stand up but fell back to the floor. Now on his back, he looked up into the sky and sighed. "Ever feel as if all this is going to come to an end, Kitten?"

"What is?" Riley said quietly. But she already knew what he was talking about.

Piracy.

It was already dying out. The Black Pearl was the last real threat in the Caribbean Sea and practically the last pirate ship around. Soon, pirates would be a thing of the past. A story to tell by the fire to scare the little ones. It would be a sad time for Jack and the worst part was, he could feel it all closing in. He didn't say anything but just swept his arms out.

"This is all I know. It's my life and I'll live this way until I die." His eyes glazed over as if remembering something. Then, without turning to Riley, he spoke in a softer tone. "You could stay here if you like. Me and Will could teach you and your friend all you need to know 'bout being a pirate. We'd be a regular fleet, us all."

Riley bit her tongue to keep from squealing out loud. If anything she would have wanted, being a pirate was among the top 3. Yet, even with the risk of dying, she was still ready to do it.

She was going to have to leave to old world behind and join this new fading era while it still lasted. Maybe with her and Kat around, piracy would thrive.

"What say you, Kitten?" Jack's voice drifted into a softness that Riley had never heard. It was odd to see him like this. He was so serious and yet drunk almost to death. Perhaps, when he was like this, he was the most serious of all.

Taking off Jack's hat, she played with it a bit before setting it back on Jack's head. He looked up at her with a quizzical face and she couldn't help but smile.

"Nothing would please me more, Sparrow."

END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN