Thanks for the marvelous reviews, sorry I couldn't respond to them individually.


Squabbling At Sea

I woke up, slumped over on Jack. He had one arm around me and his other arm around the wine bottle. I sat up blearily, clutching my throbbing head and saw that the playing cards were splayed all over the bed. I looked down at Jack who was still sleeping soundly and remembered the coins he had won from me the previous night, so I searched him, trying to find the money pouch. I took back what coins he had taken from me, doubting he would even recall winning them in the first place. I smiled, thinking Jack would be proud of my cunning, if it were not him I was stealing from, oh well. I settled down next to him again, hoping to sleep off my headache, but I didn't get a chance. I was just drifting off when there was a light knock on the door. I got up stiffly, grumbling under my breath as I walked to the door. It was Will.

"Mr. Gibbs sent me to wake you. He thought you and Jack might want some breakfast."

"Thanks, we'll come down as soon as I can revive him."

Will looked over my shoulder at Jack who snorted loudly in his sleep.

"Good luck with that."

Once Will had gone I sauntered back to the bed and got down on my knees so I was facing Jack. I pondered over what method I would use to wake him and decided to try several things and see which one got the best response. First I kissed him lightly on the lips, he smiled briefly, most likely thinking he was having a dream. Next I tried to pry the wine bottle from him, but he had a death grip on it.

"Get yer hands off a me you scurvy dog!" He growled as he turned over, still asleep.

I resolved to try one more thing before giving up. I crawled up onto the bed next to him and leaned over so my mouth was just a couple inches from his ear.

"Jack, the ship's on fire!" I whispered urgently. There was no reaction. I thought for a moment, "Jack, someone stole the gold!" Still nothing, "Jack, the rum is gone!"

His eyes popped open, "What! Why's the rum gone?" He sat up nearly knocking me backwards.

"Jack, calm down," I said grabbing hold of his shoulders, partly to reassure him and partly to regain my balance, "there isn't any rum!" I giggled; I hadn't expected such a strong reaction. "I was only trying to wake you!" I laughed until my sides ached; all the while Jack just glared at me.

"You have a cruel sense of humor, you know. Waking someone like that, honestly, getting me all worked up about some rum I never had in the first place!"

I was trying desperately to stifle laughter and Jack's hysterics weren't helping any. A small grin spread across his face.

"All righ', ye got me," he chuckled, putting an arm around me, "Now what's so important that you had to rouse me from my slumber?"

"I was going to see whether ye wanted somethin' to eat before we got back underway."

"I have never been known to turn down food."

I nodded knowingly, then pulled my boots out from under the bed and slipped them on. Beside me, Jack did the same, also strapping his pistol on and lastly placing his hat jauntily on his head.

"Shall we?" He asked offering his arm.

"Yes, I think we shall," I replied, taking it.

We strolled out of the room and down the stairs grandly, making a show of it. Even though there was no one present to witness it. When we stepped into the galley it was clear that we were the last ones up. The whole pirate crew was sitting at the long tables and digging into big bowls of mushy porridge. Gibbs was standing behind a massive cauldron, dishing out more.

"Who knew you could cook," Jack said leaning over and peering at the cauldron's contents.

"Just full of surprises, aren't I?" Gibbs remarked, handing us each a bowl.

Soon Jack and Gibbs were discussing the condition of the ship and if it needed any repairs, etc. I stood by them for a while pretending to be interested, but I spotted Will across the room and left to go sit with him.

Will was sitting alone, as far away from the pirates as possible. I had never known him to warm up to people very easily, but it was obvious that he had a strong dislike for their kind, which now happened to be my kind. I took a seat beside him; he was staring at the questionable slop in his bowl.

"Tried it yet? Is it any good?"

"I think Gibbs should keep his day job," he smirked.

"At least it's food," I took a spoonful and lifted it to my mouth, "I think…."

I stared down at my bowl like he had been doing, wondering if I really wanted to eat the rest.

"I've got an idea," Will said after a few minutes of simply looking at our 'food', "we'll make a sport of it, the first one to eat everything in their bowl without vomiting wins."

"And what does the winner win?"

"Eh…I don't know…you just, you know…win."

"Well that certainly provides some incentive." I scoffed.

"Winning should be plenty incentive to win, you greedy corsair!"

"Ok…ok, on the count of three, one…two." I didn't even get to finish the countdown, Will, the scoundrel, cheated!

I didn't even take the time to insult him and just started wolfing down the porridge-like-stuff. After the first few mouthfuls I really began to regret agreeing to the contest. I was about to gag down the last blob, when Will slammed his bowl down on the table claiming victory. I glared at him grudgingly as I swallowed and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. He slowly turned in my direction looking overly pleased with himself, although he was a slight shade of green.

"It seems that I was just too much competition for you." He said smiling feebly.

"Now that's where I think yer wrong, ye rotten cheat! I would have won if you hadn't taken that head start."

"Or so I would have you believe," He said grinning slyly.

The room fell into a tense silence. It was then that I looked up and realized that pretty much the entire crew including Jack and Gibbs were watching us interestedly. Then as quickly as the hush had come, the room filled with fresh conversation. I turned my gaze back to Will and tried to stop the smile from spreading across my face. He looked positively ill!

"So how does it feel to be a winner?" I questioned cheerily.

"Not as good as I thought it would," he mumbled miserably.

"Just remember, my dear friend, you were the one who proposed that we do this." I gently patted him on the back.

" Oh it was an awful idea. Stupid, stupid, stupid." He moaned resting his head on the table and wrapping his arms around his stomach.

The longer I watched Will sit there sicker-than-a-dog, the less amusing it seemed to be. I couldn't just sit there and grin like an arse while my best friend suffered next to me.

"Aw, Will," I sighed, scooting closer to him.

"What?" He asked pitifully sitting up.

"Come 'ere," I said putting an arm around his shoulders, "All I ask is that you don't get sick on me, alright?"

"Alright," he grumbled laying his head on my shoulder.

"You've always known how to worm yer way into my affections, haven't you?" I grinned.

"It's a gift," he grinned back, halfheartedly.

"Anyways, your stomach probably isn't used to this kind of foodstuffs. It could be a touch of seasickness too, I suppose, it can afflict people at different times." I stated matter-of-factly.

I didn't get any reply except for a few unintelligible groans.

After a while Jack swaggered over and leaned on the tabletop across from me.

"What's the matter with him?"

I knew very well that Jack knew what was wrong, but I decided to humor him.

"He won the eating competition."

"Really? Looks to me like he lost!"

"No, he won. He cheated, he won, and now this misery, is his punishment." I taunted accusingly.

"Cheated you say? The High and Mighty Will ignored the rules of engagement? Tsk, tsk, I had thought better of you young Mr. Turner."

"Oh just kill me now!" Will moaned.

"And suicidal too, Sage I think it would be in yer best interest to find yerself some more appropriate friends." Jack continued confidently.

"Guess she'll have to stop hanging around with you then," Will shot back smartly.

"Oooo, touchy aren't we?"

Will let out something like a low growl.

"Well, I've proved my point," Jack replied, satisfied, "I'll see the two of you up above." He flashed a devilish grin and quickly departed.

"I truthfully don't know what you see in him." Will declared crossly.

I thought about that for a moment. What do I see in Jack? My mind instantly exploded with words and phrases of description. I rapidly became too embarrassed to tell Will what I was thinking, but I looked at him and he was looking back at me expectantly.

"Words cannot describe all that I see in him…" I said smiling uneasily.

"You're not going to tell me are you?"

"Nope." I whispered, desperately hoping that I wasn't blushing.

"Fair enough…"

"So," I started after a few minutes, "what do you say to going up and seeing what damage the squall did?"

"Aye, sure why not," he responded grumpily.

I was so very tempted to say, "Jack's right, your are touchy," but decided against it, it wouldn't do any good to ruffle his feathers any further. Instead, I got up, helped him up, and made way for the stairwell. I heard the shuffling of many feet behind me as the rest of the pirates followed our example.

I stepped out, squinting in the bright sunlight. It was easy to see that the ship was not in the best of shape. Holes were ripped in several sails and the deck was covered with pieces of debris. All of the supplies that had been kept above deck had been washed away. I could see Jack pacing back and forth at the helm and looking at the spit of land visible in the distance. The rest of the crew soon emerged behind me and Gibbs ordered them to clean up the wreckage and swab the decks. I went to go see Jack, stepping over bits of rubbish all the way and passing Will who was leaning heavily on the rail and taking deep breaths.

"So what's the plan Captain?" I asked Jack.

"Well," he began, still studying the horizon; "I'm hoping we can make it to that island," he pointed at the landmass in the distance, "there we can make repairs and re-supply."

"And if we don't make it…"

"Then, we'll most likely die."

"Oh, is that all?" I questioned coolly

He grinned, slipping an arm around my waist, "I hope every one has as good an outlook on this as you do.

I smiled and moved closer to him. In truth, I was a little worried, but I trusted Jack and had faith in him to get us to safety, even though there was small part of me that was saying, don't screw this up Jack!

"Beggin' yer pardon sir, Miss Sage," Gibbs said giving a slight bow as he strode up to us, "what would ye be planning on having us doing?"

I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face as Gibbs bowed and spoke so formally, it made me feel a bit like pirate royalty, if there was such a thing.

"Make her ready for sail, we'll be heading for there," Jack said very captainly as he gestured once more at the land.

"I'll start the preparations immediately," Gibbs swiftly left and began barking orders.

Soon the ship was ready, Jack was positioned behind the wheel and the crewmembers all standing and waiting. The sails hung limp as there was barely a breeze and everyone was silent and staring at Jack, who stood there looking as confident as ever. Eventually, some of the pirates became restless and moved about nervously. I kept my eyes on the sails, willing them to fill with a strong breath of wind.

"Don't fret me dear crew," Jack shouted, shattering the silence, "I'm Jack Sparrow, savvy, and that's all the assurance you should need." I watched Will roll his eyes in exasperation.

It seemed like an eternity passed, when suddenly the sails snapped to life and billowed out with air. A cheer went up among the crew. Jack had an enormous grin on his face as he announced,

"See, what'd I tell you?" I could practically see his ego expanding.

The Interceptor crept along, slowly carrying us to the land we so desired to set foot upon. We would have made better time had the holes not let so much air escape from the sails. At one point, I noticed Jack chuckling. Overcome with curiosity I ambled over to the helm, Jack tried to speak, but couldn't, so he pointed out the source of his mirth. Of course it was Will, heaving over the side of the ship and clutching the railing for support.

"Today is a grand day on many levels!" Jack gasped and went right on laughing.

"For you maybe," I said elbowing him in the ribs, which made him sputter for a few seconds, then continue to chuckle away. I sighed loudly and cautiously went over to Will's side and put my hand on his back. He was now just standing there and staring at the churning waves below. "Feeling any better?"

"Well…yes, I am," he said firmly, not even looking up at me, "and I will never again do anything so foolish."

"You sure about that?"

"Aye, this is the last time I let Jack Sparrow have a laugh at my expense."

"Will I…"

"Forget it," he interrupted, brushing me away, "I just want to be left alone for a while, alright?"

"Alright," I answered quietly, genuinely hurt, as he stormed off. I didn't know what to do after that, so I wandered over to where Jack was at the helm.

"So has William gone off to sulk alone and spare us from his presence?" he grinned.

"Shut up!" I raged, unable to take it anymore.

"Wha' did you say?"

"I told you…to shut up!

"What's wrong with ye? Are you all of a sudden on his side!"

"No Jack! That's just it! Do you have even the slightest idea of how much it pains me to watch the only two people in this world that I love, constantly bickering and putting each other down? I am not on Will's side and I am not on your side, I am simply stuck in the middle and I can bear it no longer!" I confessed then I turned and stalked off, hoping he wouldn't follow me because as soon as he had me in his arms, I knew I would melt. I soon discarded my boots and climbed up into the rigging and then to the maintop platform, where I couldn't be seen or heard. I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest, and was suddenly seized by spasms of shuddering sobs that wracked my entire body.

In time, I looked up and saw that the ship was nearing the shallows where we would drop anchor and take the rowboats to shore, so I hastily wiped the tears from my face and gulped in a big breath to stop myself from shedding more. I knew that my eyes were, in all probability, red and puffy so I decided to wait some more before I actually climbed down.

When I felt that I had waited long enough, I crept to the edge of the platform and squinted down to see if anyone was waiting for me at the bottom, there wasn't. I slowly crawled back into the rigging and then downwards, checking now and then to make sure no one was there.

I was about to jump down when someone grabbed hold of my ankle. I stifled a yelp of surprise, I had checked only a moment ago and no one had been there, I knew of just one person who could move that quickly, Jack Sparrow. I looked down and of course he was standing there, still firmly gripping my ankle, and staring back at me intently. I tried to struggle from his grasp and scurry back up, but it was useless.

"Yer not gettin' away this time," he said resolutely, then he grabbed my arm and pulled me down to face him.

I gave him what I hoped was a charming smile, "Fancy meetin' you here,"

That made him laugh and he loosened his grip on me, "You're acting like I'm planning on flogging you within an inch of your life! I just wanted to apologize for my crude and unfriendly manner towards your friend. I didn't realize that it bothered you. I've also remembered that your friend also happens to be the guy who sprung me from jail and ended up reuniting us, so I guess I could give him 'some' respect."

It was a bit hard to believe, but it was something.

"I promise that I will conduct myself better around Will, savvy?"

"I will hold you to that promise."

"Good, cause I plan on keeping it," he said putting his arms around me, "it will be hard though, can I help it if he's a pansy?"

"Jack," I growled.

"Sorry, it's more challenging than I thought it would me."

"You don't have to be a perfect angel, if that's even remotely possible, just work at it, alright." I said in compromise.

"Agreed," he purred as he shook my hand.

"Shall we drop anchor sir?" Gibbs called.

"Aye." Jack answered, not even bothering to turn around.

There was the clattering of the anchor chain as it plunged into the depths. Then I saw Will come up the stairs.

"Here's your chance to prove yourself…there's Will." I said.

He looked over his shoulder and then gave a quick grin, winked, and dashed off in Will's direction. "Will, I do hope you are feeling better…" I heard him begin.

I sat down and watched amusedly, Will looked really startled and maybe even a little frightened.

I jumped out of the rowboat and helped pull it up onto the sandy beach. All of the pirates had come ashore except for Cotton and two others, their names unknown to me. I had shared a boat with Jack, Gibbs and Will. The whole way Jack chatted pleasantly with Will, who looked very alarmed, as did Gibbs who kept looking over at me questioningly.

"Is he feelin' alright?" Gibbs whispered to me.

"Well, his face might be hurtin' from that phony smile he's got, but otherwise I think he's fine." I whispered back and smirked slyly.

"I'm guessin' ye had somethin' to do with this."

Once all the boats had come to shore, Jack gathered them together and gave orders. They were to retrieve the supplies they were told to get and return with haste. I was standing off from the rest of the group and Will soon came and joined me.

"So, Jack talked to you?" I asked timidly.

"Aye, and talked and talked and talked."

All was well between us again…for a while anyway.


The moral of this chapter? Cheaters never win...actually this is crap because we all know cheaters can win, butI felt like sharing some wisdomosity. I also want to tell you that I'm changing the eight years to five years because I want the characters to be younger. I haven't gone back to change the previous chapters, but I will. Just wanted to let you all know. And as always I can't wait to hear from you! Arr, Swash, Swash, Buckle, Buckle!