As ever, thanks to the guest and Icar372 for the reviews! I'm glad that James seemed in character because that was what I was most worried about!

In this chapter, Fiona shows what she's made of and she and James might just get a little closer!

Chapter Twenty one - Think Like Jack

Was it rather foolish of us all to think we'd overcome the worst of the storms? To be sure, James had locked Jack Sparrow in the brig again with no intention of releasing him until we reached port. There was no contingency plan for our return journey, but I suppose none of us were really considering it. It crossed my mind as I stumbled into the rowing boat and took a seat that I thought would be furthest from James that Jack Sparrow had been wrong. We'd returned from the cave unharmed. Hadn't he said the man he knew had never been the same after he'd witnessed something here? James and I were unchanged. Granted, we were both a little riled and I was certainly both depressed and angry but hadn't I been so before I'd stepped foot on that island?

I'd expected some kind of furore when the other men in the boat caught sight of the sword in James's hands but remarkably he'd managed to somehow conceal it beneath his coat. I could readily understand why he had done so, because he'd intimated to me many times by then that he did not trust his crew. I did think that maybe it was the wrong move to hide such a thing. Surely his crew would only gain more respect for him if he told them he had found some form of treasure, and they would appreciate being kept in the loop. But what do I know about how things work amongst a naval crew? What I did know was that the crew were becoming restless because they had been led to believe that James had skills other captains did not. So far he had not lived up to the precedent my uncle had set in his name. The men were becoming anxious to return home because they feared they might spend many years at sea with James. They were doubting his ability in every way. Part of me understood that, but there was also a part of me that reasoned that there was no arguing with James's determination. He was bound for some kind of luck and fame for he was fighting so hard for it.

The sword was hastily transported below deck once we found ourselves back aboard The Surgence and as James appeared to have forgotten all about the map case we had found I decided to keep it with me so I could take a first look at it's contents. If I found nothing of interest I'd hand it over to James eventually. I knew I'd not have a chance to unfurl the maps that night as we could see a storm raging further out at sea. The main deck was a hive of activity as the crew prepared to cast off and I wondered if I could manage to sneak off down to the brig to tell the pirates all that I had seen that day. Lieutenant Thompson had offered me something to do though, and I quickly dropped the map case beneath some bench seating where I hoped it would stay out of sight. I'd spent the last storm in my cabin and I wasn't about to have the crew thinking I could not muck in with the best of them. I couldn't bare to have them blackening Mick's name in saying that I knew nothing of sailing.

I was positioned on the main deck and was glad of it, for I was not of a want to be near James at the helm. "Keep an eye on that jib boom and the jib sails Miss," Lieutenant Thompson called to me over the increasing volume of wind and rain. "The crew tend to forgo the smaller sails for the main sails but if we want to keep our heading and navigate the outskirts of this storm we'll need the jib in place. If there's any damage fetch someone to fix it and tell them it's a direct order from me or if it pleases you Miss, you are perhaps well equipped in that you are probably smallest and quickest here to do the best job of repair. Do not think I did not see you scaling that mast at lightening speed on the first day we met, Miss O'Connell. Only attempt it though if you can fetch a crew member to keep watch for you!"

With that he was gone and I was left helping tie down the ropes of the fore sails whilst keeping a weather eye towards the bow. It did not go unnoticed that I had been sort of lumped in with the rest of the crew in being given a job that befitted the skills I had previously shown. Despite knowing I could carry out any job on deck well enough, I did feel a sense of pride that he'd not tried to force me blow deck or tie me down to some menial task. He thought me capable. Perhaps in another life or in a different world I would have appreciated the easy manners of Lieutenant Thompson a lot more. He was easy going and decidedly ready to hand out praise where it was due. He'd that sense of adventure about him too that I felt running though my own veins. Maybe I would have looked to him if it had not been for the enigma that is James Norrington.

It was as if the sea knew we now held precious cargo in the form of the sword. I copied the actions of some of the crew after a while and tied a rope around my waist to try and keep myself in place as we were thrown all over the deck. Everyone was drenched and the officers looked the worst; with some wigs matted to their heads and some wigs lost entirely to the wind and the rain. Each time I turned sharply my wet hair would slap against the side of my face and obscure my view for a second or two. My hands began to slip on the sodden ropes instead of clutching them tightly, and my shoes were of no use at all because there was no grip upon the soles. I was no different to anyone else though. Even the crew in their thick strong boots couldn't rightly keep their footing that well. The swells of water landing on deck were sending us sliding all over, and the only thing stopping us from veering over the railings was the lengths of rope we were using to tie ourselves down.

Afterwards I wondered what it must have felt like to be stuck in the brig without any idea what was going on above deck. It must have been frightening, or in Jack Sparrow's case I'm sure he just felt that he was missing out. At the time though I was too preoccupied for such thoughts. I heard the shouting of orders from somewhere, but with the wind whipping my hair around my face and the crack of the sails above me I couldn't make out any significant words. I just carried on with what I was doing for I knew if I let go of the rope I was holding the sail might fly loose. The crew were running this way and that over the deck as best they could and I turned to watch them sliding towards their eventual destinations. I felt the rope loosening around my waist but I dared not let go to try and tighten it for I could feel the tension in the rope I held and knew that the mast was threatening to topple. I turned around to glance behind me to see if there was anyone I could snare to help secure the mast but everyone was occupied already. I looked towards the quarter deck where I knew there would be some officers and I could just make out James at the helm. Through the rain I could not tell where his gaze fell, but I had the most unnerving feeling then that he was staring right at me. Of course there would be no way for him to tell one person from another so far away but even as I turned back to try and observe the jib sails I felt as if his eyes were upon the back of my neck.

I ran forward suddenly and abandoned my post as I watched the spirit sail which should hang below the jib boom come loose. I hoped the midshipmen could keep the mast upright without me and I was already too late for as I reached the bow the sail broke free of it's restraints and was caught up in a wave. There were shouts all around me then, and I turned back to witness some of the crew dragging one man back onto his feet again. It appeared he'd almost gone over the side and a few seconds later an officer arrived and declared orders that everyone was to go below. I shook my head in disbelief at the orders, sure that James would be angry to hear his officer give such instructions but the men seemed to be following suit. I moved further back up the deck to find out what was going on when Lieutenant Thompson caught my arm. He was much more dishevelled than I'd last seen him, with his blonde hair plastered to one side of his face and his wig nowhere to be seen.

"Everyone below decks, Commodore's orders!" he yelled at me and moved on.

That James had ordered everyone below decks in the midst of a storm such as the one we were in made no sense to me at all, but when I turned and gazed up at him standing at the helm I realised just what was going on. His face was set in anguish, and I was close enough to see the pain crossing his eyes. He had lost a crew in a storm such as this, and he was struggling with the thought of such a thing happening again. Clearly he did not want to lead this crew to their deaths but I failed to see how we stood any chance of gaining the upper hand in such a storm if the ship was not manned. Everyone else was now headed below deck and I ducked away from Lieutenant Holmes as he tried to usher me down into the staircase. I dived under the bench I'd hidden the map case beneath and grabbed it. Back on my feet again I tried my hardest not to slip as I was buffeted by the wind. I reached the staircase again and kept moving, climbing the steps that brought me to the quarterdeck. There were still officers and midshipmen there tying off the sails.

"Commodore, are you not moving yourself?" I yelled. For a few seconds I thought he had not heard me over the roar of the wind and rain but he turned to me very slowly. "It can't be one rule for you and another for everyone else! You're captain. If you stay up on deck then your officers will stay too!"

I was right in what I said, for although the crew had little loyalty to James he was still sending them below decks to try and save them. His officers though were taking up positions around him in defiance of his orders. Whatever his reply was, I did not hear it for as he began to speak a gust of wind took my feet from under me and I slammed into the deck below me. The map case rolled from my hands off across the deck and there was no one to catch it. Everyone around me except James had been floored too but they were next to the railings and had something to hold on to. I felt myself sliding along the sodden deck and I had two choices of direction. I could either aim for the railings which were closer to me or head for the map case. You will know by know that I feel some form of affinity with maps and charts. I've always had this notion to try and protect and preserve them if I can because I have such a skill with them. I imagine you can guess my choice. James says he yelled at me from where he still clung to the helm to keep himself upright, but I didn't hear him. I slid on, getting the chance to rise to my feet again and take the last few steps at a run.

Just as I reached the map case the ship lurched suddenly, and not even James could remain on his feet. I slammed into the deck again and just managed to grab the map case. James had been thrown back onto the deck but he was clinging to the wooden base below the ship's wheel. I could feel myself sliding again and even as I reached out to try and snare the railings with my arm I missed them. Just as I thought I was going to either hurtle into a bulky object and knock myself out or fall overboard something gripped my ankle tightly. I recognised the feeling of the grip of a hand and glanced down. James yanked me towards him by my ankle and I did not even notice that as my skirt rode up to just above my knees with the motion, he glimpsed for a second my injured knee.

"Have you got a death wish?" he snarled at me as he let go of my ankle and grabbed my waist to hold me in place. "Hold on!"

I could tell there was no arguing with him by his expression and so I did as I was told. I grabbed onto the ship's wheel with my free arm and with the map case resting in the crook of my elbow of the other arm I clutched onto the arm that he held around me. The one and only time I'd been that close to him had been back in the cave when he'd pulled me from the water. Yet again, despite all of the chaos around us his eyes were still drawn to the pendant that rested near my sternum. I wanted to shake him then for letting something so trivial distract him from the predicament we were all in. There was no chance of moving anywhere with the ship lurching from side to side so harshly and so we all stayed where we were, clinging to whatever we could to stay aboard.

You wouldn't imagine I'd be able to smell much over the wind and rain would you? Let me tell you, I could smell him. held so tightly against him I could smell the paste he had used to shave that morning, and the soap he used to wash. There was something else there too, his own unique scent that was somehow full of a spice and warmth that I recognised from home even though by the look of him he was not a man to err towards any spice of a kind. It was disconcerting, and I wondered if that was how he felt when he gazed at my pendant. It seemed any anger I had felt towards him, any irritation seemed to slip away from me in that moment and I recalled that twice in one day he might have saved my life.

There was no choice for us all really but to stay where we were and hope the wind would abate itself. The rain was hammering down so heavily upon us that it was enough to stop us getting to our feet again. For a long while no one moved. My arms grew tired but I never let them slacken because it was not just myself I had to consider. Deep down I knew that James was not one for foolish notions, but on the surface I had the fancy that if I lost my grip James might follow me in some daft rescue attempt. That was what kept me pushing through the pain of exhaustion as the ship was tossed to and fro in the wind. I would not let myself dwell upon the fact that his arm was still latched tightly around my waist and that no man had ever held me that closely for that length of time before. I think you'll know there was a part of my mind that would have thought of us lying together in such a position in a not so precarious scenario. I might have imagined it a peaceful and comforting embrace if I had allowed such thoughts. Most of all, I was worried that my expression might change and that James might see such a thing, so I let no such thoughts enter my head until much later.

For anyone who had thought him somewhat of a pushover, or a typical pretender who had all that intelligence and skill at navigating the seas but no real strength or nerve when it came down to dire situations; I can tell you that you're wrong. Perhaps his previous experiences would leave you to believe that, but I can't begin to explain just how safe and secure I felt with his arm wrapped around me. I had already decided that I trusted him, but there was something there in the air between us then that had me believing he'd go to the ends of the earth for me. I didn't rightly know back then if it was because he was the kind of person who would do anything for those he trusted; for those he called friends or if he was beginning to feel the same things that I was. Now in hindsight I can confirm that both are the case. He always wants to please, and he feels indebted to those he calls his friends. That's the reason he'd promised his Miss Swann he'd help her find Mr. Turner. It's not something I'd call a failing at all because it isn't. It's a mark of how good a person he is. Some people might easily take advantage of such a trait and that's where the problems arise. I knew all of that back then, but I didn't know how he felt about me. Heavens, I didn't even know how I felt about him then.

I didn't want to let myself consider that I might have a regard for him that was increasing by the day. I couldn't place what my feelings were towards him then. Of course I trusted him, and respected him but in terms of my own feelings I don't believe I could decipher whether I saw him simply as someone I might one day class as a friend or as something far more. That was why I dreaded thinking of it all. I knew it would be only too easy to see James in the best light, to really esteem him and think so very highly of him that I saw him as something much more than a friend. I'd never had such feelings before in my life, so I did not know how I should act if I let them consume me. I was sure that he would be able to read my thoughts somehow. I was also sure he would never see me in the way that I could potentially see him.

Suddenly the air was calm, even though the rain still pelted down. The ship lurched one last time and then steadied itself and we all took hesitant breaths. For a few moments afterwards we all waited, as if we suspected the worst was yet to come. James did not move his arm. I could feel the weight of it more prominently in the moments when there was no need of his hold. There was a need suddenly for speech, for without it I felt that we would both feel somewhat flustered.

"What do we do now?" was all I could think to ask.

He had lifted his head and glanced around the quarter deck to observe his officers still clinging to the railings all around them. "The wind could still catch the sails at any moment," he replied. "The previous orders stand. Everyone below decks if they can make it."

He stood then, pulling me with him and the officers followed. Through the rain we could hear the wind howling nearby and see it churning the waters off the port side. I was shaking my head, sure that his orders were not the ones we needed.

"Can't we try and sail out of this weather? Wouldn't that be a better course of action?"

It was James's turn to shake his head. "To do so I fear we might need the madness of Mr. Sparrow."

It was like a cog turned in my mind. "Then we need to think like him," I supplied immediately. "We need to think like Jack. We need to do the unthinkable, the very opposite of what we would normally do in such a situation!"

"And that is?" James did not appear convinced at all by my reasoning, judging by his raised brow.

I moved away from him then, walking down the steps towards the main deck. "We loose the sails!" I cried over my shoulder. "We cut all of them down! That way there's nothing for the wind to catch! There's less chance of being dragged back into the storm."

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard," I heard Gillette mutter as he followed behind me.

I turned as I reached the main deck and looked back at them all. Gillette was scowling, and I think James must have been just seconds before, but I turned in time to see the realisation cross his face.

"Do it!" was all that he said. His eyes met mine for a second and he gave me one stiff nod of approval that spoke of his understanding of my thought process.

I tore off towards the bow, dropping the map case and pulling Mick's knife from my belt as I went. I cut the ropes of the jib sails, making sure to get a grip of the sails before the wind could catch them and spirit them away. I threw them over my shoulder and moved on to try and help cut the fore sails down. The officers were scaling the masts as quickly as they could and I followed suit, but the top sails were all lost to the wind. Climbing back down the mast was a harder feat with sails thrown over both my shoulders, but I could already sense a lack of the force that had been buffering the ship only moments before. The ship began to drift as we all dumped the sails in a crate and watched through the rain as for a few seconds it seemed as if we might sail into the wind again.

I held my breath, knowing full well that if the wind caught the ship again it might well be my fault. Just as I felt a grimace begin to grow upon my face though, a wave crashed against the ship and knocked it off its course. Without any sails for the wind to catch The Surgence continued to turn, it's newfound direction a clear one. Within moments we were putting a steady distance between ourselves and the storm and the rain began to lighten ever so much. If it had been The Grace I'd been aboard, the crew might have cheered but aboard The Surgence there was still a sense of trepidation in the air. There was silence as we coasted for several minutes before I finally considered us out of danger. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, as did everyone around me.

"Lets get those sails rigged again!" Gillette called from behind me and we all hastened to delve into the crate to find the sails we had removed. I took the jib sails again, knowing it made sense for the smallest person to climb out on to the jib boom. I cut the rope I needed and headed off, with Lieutenant Thompson appearing at my side a few seconds later offering to help. He held the sails whilst I climbed onto the jib boom and shuffled myself along it. The rope and my knife were still slippery with the rain so it took more than a few frustrating tries before I had finally rigged the sails again. by the time I had finished most of the other sails were back in place and James had sent for the crew below decks to hunt out the spare sails to replace the top ones we'd lost.

The crew returned to work reasonably quickly once they realised that we were free of the storm but no one had any idea where we were. A midshipman had fetched James's spyglass for him, which he stood with on the quarterdeck as he tried to catch a glimpse of any recognisable features on the horizon. At long last he mentioned glimpsing land on our port side and it was quickly concluded to be the southern tip Madagascar. I wasn't so sure though. In my mind I could picture the very map I'd seen in my dreams and judging by just how much we might have travelled whilst in the midst of that storm, I thought we were much further west of Madagascar. When I mentioned so, no one seemed to heed my words. It was only James who eventually agreed that it must indeed be Amsterdam Island which was deserted.

I think there must have been within James some strong desire to maroon Sparrow and his crew upon that island just out of spite, but the honourable part of his mind would not have it. He announced that he would plot a course for Rio de Janeiro, from where the pirates might receive a fair trial. I picked up the map case from where I'd dropped it and followed James who had disappeared below deck. I had the strangest notion then of not secretly unfurling the maps alone. After all, it was James who was in command of the ship and who knew when I would ever be able to boast of such a thing. If I was lucky enough to find a crew to take me on I'd have to work from the bottom up again. It had also occurred to me that there might be some kind of clue as to who the sword had once belonged to or where it had come from upon the maps. I reached the doorway and descended into the gloom of the dark corridor that led to James's cabin, but it appeared he had realised I was following him. He had stopped just beyond the door and appeared to be catching his breath.

I offered the map case to him as a gesture to let him know he had forgotten all about it, but he paid very little attention to the object. His eyes had caught mine and despite my desperation to look away I was unable to. In the gloom of the corridor the brightness of his eyes was heightened, so much so that it was almost as if there was a glare that smarted my own eyes. We were both breathing heavily, trying to catch our breath in the stuffy corridor that held little air at all, and water was dripping from my hair onto my already soaked shirt. I didn't know it at the time but James could make out the outline of my breasts through my shirt once I pulled my hair behind my shoulders. Of course, ever the gentleman he never made it apparent that he glanced in that direction at all. I couldn't tear my eyes from his as the tension between us began to build and I longed for something to say to fill the silence, but I could think of nothing at all.

Unbelievably, he took an infinitesimal step closer to me which seemed a much greater leap than it was considering the narrow corridor we were in. I clutched the map case to me then as a sort of barrier between us, sure that any intimacy between us would be regretted immediately afterwards.

"I see what's going on here now!"

We both jumped apart as much as the corridor would allow when we heard the voice. Mr. Hawkins was emerging from the gloom at the end of the corridor and it was clear he had been there the whole time.

"Mr. Hawkins-" James began but he was cut off.

"Little cosy cave visits, rendezvouses in the dark empty corridor. What will be next Miss O'Connell; secret little map readings in the Commodore's cabin? You are behaving like the Irish hussy I hoped you would not be-"

"Mr. Hawkins!" James cried. Even I jumped as his tone cut through the tense atmosphere. He had moved swiftly so that I was behind him and he was blocking Mr. Hawkins's way. "You are a guest aboard this ship, as is Miss O'Connell. I do not tolerate rudeness to anyone aboard, including guests. Miss O'Connell may just have saved all of our lives during that storm, so you should be thanking her; not besmirching her name. If you are unhappy with your current place aboard my ship you are of course welcome to seek alternative transport back to England when we reach the nearest port. Until then I ask you to remain aware of the language you use and how incumbent it is that you are polite and gracious at all times. I will have no qualms in informing our benefactor of your behaviour if you do not desist with these ramblings. You will also endeavour to remain as far out of the way of Miss O'Connell as you can."

James threw out his hand then to take the map case from me and I passed it to him hastily and considered myself dismissed by the gesture. "Miss O'Connell, perhaps you might return to your cabin to fetch some warm clothing for yourself." James had not glanced at me once as he spoke, but still glared at Mr. Hawkins. I did not need telling twice. I scurried away from him and back out onto deck where it was still raining lightly. As I descended the staircase from the main deck into the bowels of the ship, I could not help the way my heart beat erratically or my face flushed as I thought of how James had come rather close to kissing me.

So James and Fiona have taken another step closer, but can they keep moving in the right direction?

In the next chapter, we meet another player in the game and Fiona gets a little riled.