Now, she is officially on the Black Pearl in this chapter.
Disclaimer - No ... I don't own Captain Jack Sparrow. :(
Chapter XI.
Is This Me Cabin?
Jack showed her around the Black Pearl just like he promised. He showed her where the galley was, where the hold was but made her promise that she wouldn't go down there alone for the first few weeks, just till everyone got used to the fact that she was part of their crew, and they started to treat her with respect. Grace already knew where and what most of the things were but didn't want to tell him, he looked like he was having fun.
Suddenly they stopped in front of the Great Cabin and Grace looked at Jack confused. This was his cabin… why was she here?
He opened the door to let her enter and Grace did so, but a little slowly. Soon two crew members came with her trunk that they had left on the deck, and placed it in the room before they left without another word. Jack closed the door and turned around to look at her.
'I couldn't think where to let you sleep. I didn't want to put you with the crew as it would be too risky. So, I reckoned me cabin would do. I promise… no funny business.' He said, answering all of the questions she had - except one.
'But there is only one bed, I take it we'll be sharing?'
'Aye.' He replied, he was going to ask if that was okay but he decided not to, he wanted to have some authority over her.
Grace nodded her head, 'That's fine.'
She then walked over to her chest and moved it to the end of the bunk, thinking it would be better there. Leaving Jack to stare after her like she had two heads. That was rather simple. He was expecting some sort of argument, saying that she wouldn't sleep in the same bed as him, but no. All she said was "That's fine". Odd. She didn't seem like she would be the one to say yes to sharing his bunk. Okay, so maybe they weren't sharing it in that way, but they were still sharing it. She would probably decline his invitation to share his bunk that way, but he was sure she would come over to his side. They always did. Then they never go back, and they can't get enough of him.
'Is it okay if I put my trunk here?' Grace's voice asked, and brought him back from his thoughts. He looked at where it was and didn't see anything wrong with it, his cabin was already a mess anyway. So, he nodded. Grace smiled in return and took her time to look around the cabin.
The back wall was mainly windows and the wooden structure looked like it had taken a beaten at some time in it's life. A desk was positioned near the window, and littered with maps and parchment and bottles and plates of food. There was the bunk that looked like it would just fit the two of them and no more. There was a small bookshelf full of books, some looked old, some looked quite new. Some candles were littered all over the room and a couple of trunks were also placed around the room, probably containing jewels and gold. Grace had to stop herself from gagging. If Jack left to take the helm, the first thing she was going to do was clean this place. She would not sleep in this state. Sure, she lived in a brothel in Tortuga, the filthiest place in the world, but even that she kept clean.
'Look love, I need to get back out on deck and get this ship out of Tortuga. You can stay here for now, or you can come out on deck if you want.'
'Okay.' She said, smiling at him and with a grin in return, Jack left Grace alone in the cabin.
'Oh. Thank God.' She breathed and walked over to the desk; that was the first place she was going to clean.
She pondered around the cabin, cleaning and arranging things for some time. Almost losing track of time if it wasn't for the large wall of windows, which gave her a rough idea of what time it was by the amount of light that entered the room.
She hadn't left the cabin at all that day since she first entered it, and as she sat on the winged chair to the desk to ease the strain on her back, she thought about going out on deck just to show Jack she was alive.
Suddenly, the door opened and Jack entered through the door, shutting it behind him. But he stopped in his tracks when he looked around his cabin. Was this even his cabin? It was clean. Too clean for his cabin. Sure, that was his table and his bed but it was clean. He saw Grace sitting in his chair by his desk, her head falling back over the edge.
'Did you do this, love?' He asked, and her head snapped up to look at him, her face relaxing when she saw it was only Jack.
'Yes. I was not living in the pig sty. How you managed to do such a thing, I have no idea.'
'I only use it for sleeping or planning courses. That's it, I spend most of me time at the helm.'
'Ah. Would make sense.' She answered nodding her head, looking around herself, proud that she managed to tidy it up. Jack observed her and noticed how at home she was aboard the ship already, she truly was a sailor's daughter.
'Anyway.' Jack started and Grace turned her head back to look at him once again, shocked by the sight of him, like she always was. He was truly breathtaking and so exotic. 'Gibbs said he is starting dinner, he wants you in the galley now. Just to show you around.'
'All right. I'll be there in a second.' She said as she stood up and dusted off her dress. She walked over to her trunk and opened it. Pulling out a small pouch, she reached into it with her hand and produced a few hair pins. She began putting them in her hair, and when she was finished her hair was fully up and out of the way. No longer a nuisance to her.
Jack watched her and decided she suited her hair down more than she did up. He wasn't saying that she didn't suit her hair up, just that when it was down it framed her face better. Grace slowly made her way back to the cabin door and back to Jack, who was still looking at her.
'Jack? You'll need to move if I am to make it to the galley in time.' She said, biting her lip before she talked.
'Uh? Oh, aye. All right.' He answered and stepped aside to let her leave the cabin.
She moved to the door and grasped the handle.
'Thank you, Jack.' She said quietly before leaving him alone. Jack smiled at the door for a second before he looked around himself once more.
'Huh. Didn't know it could be so tidy and organised.' He walked over to his desk and realised that his table was still full of the maps and parchment like it was before. Only the plates were gone, as was the food.
Grinning he sat down and pulled out the map he stole from his old enemy. Turning the map so that Florida lined up and the cup aligned.
'Agua de Vida.' He said to himself, watching the cup with eyes sparkling with interest. 'Water of Life.'
He reached and grabbed the full bottle of rum that Grace had sat out for him. Uncorking it he took a mouthful and sat it on his lap.
'The Fountain of Youth.'
Grace walked down to galley of the ship and found Gibbs waiting for her there.
'Ah! There you are.' He said and Grace smiled in return, walking over to stand by his side.
'What are we making?' She questioned, still smiling at him widely.
'Fish. Freshly caught today.'
She nodded and watched as he walked away from her and picked up a bucket, he brought it back over to her, inside was the fish.
'I take it you know how to gut a fish?' Gibbs asked Grace rolled her eyes, 'Of course I do, Mister Gibbs.'
She walked over to the counter and washed her hands, drying them with the cloth that was positioned beside the basin. She picked up the knife and walked back over to Gibbs and the fish. She placed her hand into the bucket and pulled out a fish. Quickly cutting off it's head and slicing it open, she began to gut it. Once finished she sat it on the table and Gibbs picked it up and went to place it on the stove to cook it.
'Wait!' Grace exclaimed, stopping him from what he was doing, she walked over to him and took the fish from his hand.
'It's needs to be washed before it is cooked, you'll have a higher risk of food poisoning if you don't.' She stated before she proceeded to wash it and then placed it on the stove.
'Huh. Never thought about that.' He stated and Grace smiled at him.
'Mr. Gibbs, I am sure I could manage here by myself, you go back on deck and do some of your work, I'm sure being Jack's first mate you have a lot of work to do.'
'Aye, that I do lass. Are you sure you'll be all right?'
'Positive.'
'All right then. I'll see you when it's cooked, just give me a shout if you need anything or if it's ready to be eaten.' He said with a soft smile.
'Will do.' She replied, and he nodded his head before he turned around and left Grace alone in the galley.
She liked it better that way, she could think and wouldn't have to make small talk. She wasn't in the mood to talk at all right now. She picked up another fish and started to hum to herself as she gutted that fish as well.
'We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot, drink up me hearties, yo ho. We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, drink up me hearties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me.' She sang softly, smiling softly to herself.
Jack made his way from his cabin and looked around the deck, only to find Gibbs standing on deck, securing ropes and barking orders at crew members.
'Gibbs!' He shouted and the older man looked up and then came running over to him.
'Aye, captain?' He asked but knowing full well why he was shouted over, he knew what question was coming next.
'Why are you on deck and not down in the galley with Grace?'
'Because she told me that she was doing fine and that she no longer needed me help, I showed her around and she knows what to do, I had a lot of work to do here Jack. But you know that because you gave said work to me.' Gibbs finished with a nervous smile. Jack looked at him for a minute, it was wrong to get so uptight about Grace being left alone by herself in the galley. Surely, she would be fine and she had cooked before so it wasn't like she needed guidance.
'Back to work then, Gibbs.' He finally said, and he dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
'Daft man.' Gibbs muttered as he walked away. Jack looked between the helm and where the galley would be. Cotton had the helm and that would do for now, deciding to go and visit Grace in the galley, he set off in its direction.
As he walked down the stairs into the galley he heard singing.
'We're rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves, drink up me hearties, yo ho. We're devil and black sheep, really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a-'
Jack cut her off and finished for her, 'A pirates life for me.'
Grace face snapped around and held out the knife defensively. Seeing it was only Jack she sighed and lowered the knife.
'Don't do that to me.' She chided him, before turning around and picking up the fish she had thrown down on the counter.
'I've not to do anything? You were the one pointing a knife at me.' He said as he walked over to her and leaned on the counter next to her.
'Yes, well, sorry… it's a reflex when someone frightens you and you have a sharp object in your hand.'
Jack chuckled, and then replied, 'Seems like a good reflex to have on a pirate ship, love.'
'Yes, I believe so. Where are the potatoes?' She asked as she turned to look at him.
'We're having potatoes with the fish?'
'Yes, why what's wrong with that?' Grace questioned, picking up the newly gutted fish and placing it on the stove with the others.
'Nothing, just we don't normally have something else with fish, that's all, takes too long to prepare all those different things.'
Grace turned to look at him, her eyebrow arched. 'Takes too long to make, really?'
He nodded. Grace was starting to think that her coming aboard the ship to cook was a God send for them. Were they really that slow at cooking? Did they really eat so poorly? She shook her head, well who cares? She was making fish with potatoes and vegetables and they would eat it.
'Well, I don't care, where are the potatoes?' She repeated.
'Down in the hold, I'll get someone to get it for you.' He said before he moved to the door. 'Oi! Gibbs!' He shouted and Grace heard Gibbs voice reply.
'Get someone to bring potatoes up from the hold, and bring them to the galley for Grace.'
'Aye, captain.' Jack turned back around and looked at her, 'Sorted.'
'You couldn't go and get it yourself?' She replied and he grinned back at her.
'Of course not, I'm captain. Captains do captainy things.'
Grace chuckled and shook her head, going to reply but she couldn't find anything suitable.
A man walked in a sat the potatoes down in front of Grace, who thanked him. The way he looked at her made cold shivers run through her body. On the way out of the galley, the man said to Jack, 'She's nice, where've ye had her hidden?' Before leaving them alone. His words made Grace freeze and Jack glared at his retreating figure.
'Don't worry about him… but you should probably carry that knife around with you at all times now.' He said with a grin.
Grace laughed, 'Maybe I will, but would I get into trouble if anything happened to him?'
'Nah, not if it was self defence.'
'Which is the only way I would harm someone.' She said honestly.
'Then you won't make a good pirate, love.' Jack replied before leaving the galley to do his "captainy" things, leaving Grace staring after him. Why would she want to be a pirate? But it was then she realised, being on a pirate ship, it wouldn't be long before she succumbed to piracy. She'd soon be ditching dresses for breeches and shirts and replacing cooking knives with swords and pistols. Only Grace wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Only time would tell.
Review? Please? Jack is waiting for a review. :)
Charlotte xx