"Everything accounted for, Gibbs?" Jack asked they took inventory of the things that Gibbs had purchased in Tortuga.

"Aye, it's all here."

"Beautiful. Thanks mate."

"Jack, why the hell do we have seventeen crates of rum but only three crates of oranges? Are ya daft?" Barbossa asked while holding up a bottle of rum.

Jack raised an eyebrow, his eyes wide as he feigned innocence.

"Erm, Gibbs did the shoppin', not me!" he replied, pointing to his first mate.

Evangeline smiled as Gibbs rolled his eyes. He always seemed to be blamed for things.

"Oh shut up, Jack," Barbossa grumbled as he opened the bottle and took a drink.

"Ya seem to be enjoying the rum, so don't act like you're angry, Hector. Besides, rum is infinitely more important than them oragnish circles. Ya will be thanking me for all that alcohol later on, believe me," Jack said, wiggling a finger at Barbossa like he was reprimanding a child.

Barbossa shook his head and stomped away, bottle of rum in hand.

"Are we ready to cast off, Jack?" Gibbs asked.

"Aye, I do believe so! But first, lock up that rum! I don't want any thievin' crew members comin' down here and thinkin' that it is just for the takin', savvy?"

"Aye, good idea," Gibbs said, wiping sweat from his brow

"Of course it's a good idea! I thought of it!" Jack declared as he slapped Gibbs on the back

Evangeline was sitting on a barrel below deck with Jack and Gibbs, waiting to be asked to help with something. It was an unbelievably hot day and every part of Evangeline was covered with sweat, even below deck without the sun's rays it was sweltering. Her sleeves were rolled up as far as possible, she had removed her vest, she had even pinned her hair so that is was off her neck, but it didn't seem to help anything.

"Jack, how can you possibly be wearing a jacket in this heat?" she asked, fanning herself.

He looked down at his attire and shrugged.

"Is it hot? I hadn't noticed."

Gibbs and Evangeline looked at each other in disbelief.

"What? Ya think it is hot today? Ya two have no bloody idea what heat is, this is a cool spring mornin' compared to some of the scorchers I've been through. Anyway, I'll make sure I toss ya in the drink before it gets too unbearable," he said with a smile.

Evangeline wished she had Jack's superhuman body temperature control, for she was seriously considering just jumping in the water without Jack's help.

"Alright then, we're off," Jack declared before making his way towards the deck.

"Lord help us, for today it's hot as hell," Gibbs muttered as Evangeline followed.

Upon climbing up the stairs to the deck, Evangeline felt direct heat from the sun and felt as if she might faint. She heard Jack calling out orders to the crew, but no one was bustling about. Everything was done slowly and everyone seemed to be in a haze. A few men were drenched in sweat, hiding in whatever shade they could find. Others were red faced and shirtless as they preformed their duties.

Evangeline wished she could remove her shirt as well, for the material was sticking to her sweat covered skin and was becoming quite bothersome.

"I'm gonna die," Pintel moaned as he passed by Evangeline, Ragetti at his heels.

"Tis cursed heat will be the end of us," Ragetti replied, rubbing his wooden eye mercilessly.

Evangeline readily agreed with the men before making her way towards the helm where Jack was standing, overseeing his crew members and barking orders. He didn't seem to notice as she timidly stood behind him in a spot where the sails cast a slight shadow, a place that was a bit cooler. His left hand was tightly wrapped around one of the spokes of the wheel, eager to leave the port. She watched as he drummed the fingers of his opposite hand against another wooden spoke, his many rings glistening in the sunlight.

His hands were rough, callused and gentle. She imagined him running them down her arms and tangling his fingers with hers, kissing her softly, holding her the way he had held that woman in The Faithful Bride. She felt a cry bubble inside her as she thought about how he would never want to be with her that way. She was a sister. She was first mate material; she was not that woman in the tavern to him.

"Daydreamin'?" she heard him ask and she shook herself from her imaginings.

"Just thinking," she replied, realizing suddenly that the ship was moving.

"We're on our way, luv. Scotland bound," He said, smirking.

She smiled back, feeling foolish for daydreaming about him.

"Ya ready for that sword fightin' lesson, luv?" He asked, fingering the hilt of his own sword

"What? Now?"

"Why not?"

"It's too hot!"

"Nonsense! No time like the present, eh?"

Evangeline groaned at heat but couldn't say no due to the smirk on Jack's face. He raised an eyebrow and she gave in, she would have blushed if her cheeks weren't already pink from the heat. As the Pearl left the docks of Tortuga, Evangeline stood on the deck facing Jack, the heat was still relentless and she wished Jack could have waited for a cooler day.

"Are ya listening, luv?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"Alright, now the proper and standard stance is like so," he said, turning so that his back was facing her and placing his feet slightly more than shoulder width apart, his left foot behind him and his right foot in front.

"Ya see?" he asked, turning his head.

She nodded and placed her feet like Jack did. But he turned back to her, shaking his head.

"No, no, no luv. Well, your feet are right, but your hips are off," he said, stepping behind her

She felt him grab her by the waist and she gasped as he turned her hips at a slight angle. She looked over at Gibbs, Barbossa, Pintel and Ragetti; all of whom were watching and chuckling at Evangeline's reaction to being touched. She glared at them and they were instantly quieted.

"See, luv? Like this. It'll help ya keep your balance, give ya more mobility," he said quietly, his voice tickling her ear and she closed her eyes, deciding she was going to love these lessons.

He removed his hands from her waist and faced her again, looking at her form.

"Good. Now, when I step, ya step opposite of me, just like dancin'," he said, and he side stepped to the right.

Evangeline stepped to the left, following Jack in a circle. He nodded as they walked.

"Good, luv! One thing to remember, ya never cross yer feet! Ya keep yer feet in place as ya move. If ya cross, you're openin' yerself up to a direct hit," he warned.

Evangeline nodded as she listened to every word he spoke, she wanted to remember, she wanted to be able to be good at this, to make him proud.

"Now, since you're right handed, your right foot will always be in the back position. When you're actually in battle with someone, that kind of form doesn't really matter just as long as ya never cross your feet."

Jack worked with her for a while on footwork, something that she picked up quickly. Every so often he would have to stop her and tell her to fix her stance, but apart from that, she retained everything he was teaching her. He taught her how to keep her form while moving, how to keep her feet in place while small group that had gathered to watch was whispering to each other, and she knew they were talking about her. They were being rather boisterous, laughing and cheering at the most minuscule things and getting real quiet and whispering like girls whenever Jack had to touch her. The whole crew knew how she felt about Jack and she did not enjoy the fact that her embarrassment at being touched was their entertainment.

An hour and a half later, Evangeline was fanning herself furiously, trying to cool herself down. The sun was directly above them, around noon time, and it was significantly hotter than it was earlier if that was even possible.

"Jack, can we please take a break?" she asked, "It's so hot."

Jack had shed his jacket and his sleeves were rolled up, his arms glistening with sweat.

"Aye, luv. Perhaps we will continue when this blasted sun has gone away. Good job on your first lesson, darling, ya did well," he said, grabbing his jacket, smiling widely and making his way towards his cabin.

The group dispersed and Evangeline decided to follow Jack to see if she could be of any assistance. She shut his cabin door behind her and followed Jack to his desk where he sat, looking over a few papers and maps.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked, leaning against the opposite side of the desk.

He looked up and thought for a moment, pursing his lips in thought.

"Not particularly, luv," he answered.

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning over and looking at the papers.

"Oh, just captainy duties, I'd bore ya to tears if I explained," he said, shuffling the papers so she could not see what he was doing.

Evangeline got the feeling that Jack was rather busy and didn't want to be bugged.

"You want to be left alone?" She asked

Jack smirked, leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and brought his feet up on his desk, crossing his ankles and relaxing.

"I never said that, luv."

"It just seems like you're busy. I'm not bothering you?"

"Not a bit, darlin'," he chuckled, "Come here."

Evangeline raised an eyebrow as Jack ushered her over with his fingers. She obeyed and walked around to the back of the desk.

"I have somethin' to show ya," he said, smirking.

"What is it?"

"A secret," he answered, bringing his index finger to his lips to shush her and urging her to step closer

She leaned in and he pointed underneath the desk with a ringed finger.

"Under your desk?"

He nodded and she ducked her head under the desk, seeing nothing.

"There is nothing here, Jack."

Suddenly, Jack appeared by her side, underneath the desk, chuckling. He pressed his hand to the wood above their heads and the old desk creaked against his palm as he popped a panel from its place and set it on the ground. Jack turned and smiled at her as he blindly fished around in the hole he had just made in the underbelly of the desk. Evangeline gave a small smile back as she waited for him to produce whatever it was he was trying to show.

"Ahh!" he exclaimed as he removed his hand and held a rolled up map, his eyebrows wiggling.

"A map."

"Not just a map, luv, THE map, this is where I keep it hidden, safe and sound," he said, scooting from under the desk.

"So," Evangeline started as she stood, "why did you show this to me?"

Jack unrolled the map and looked at it lovingly, holding it in front of his face.

"Because someone besides the captain needs to know where certain things are hidden should said captain perish in any unforeseeable event," he answered.

"Am I the only one besides you who knows about it?"

Jack looked around his map to see Evangeline.

"Aye," he answered curtly, returning to his map reading.

"What? Who knew about it before me? And why didn't you tell Barbossa or Gibbs?"

Jack sighed, rolled his map back up and slumped back into his chair.

"The person who was privy to it before you is no longer with us and to answer the second part of your question; firstly, I don't trust Barbossa as far as I can throw the Pearl across the water, which isn't very far, mind you. Secondly, Gibbs knew at one point, but has forgotten."

Evangeline looked at him questioningly.

"That man knows too much, all that knowledge in that fat head of his just gets jumbled up."

"What does he know?"

"Everything, luv. Besides, I told him a million years ago. Believe me, darlin', he no longer remembers."

She certainly was confused as to why he would tell her, but she pushed her confusion away for a later date. Jack was downing a bottle of rum that had been sitting on the corner of his desk, happily drumming his fingers against the arm rest where he had sat. Despite being sheltered from direct sunlight, it was still hot in Jack's cabin and Evangeline wanted to sit and rest. She peered longingly at his bed but didn't move. She thought it impolite to just take a seat on his bed, this was his territory. He must have seen her looks of desperation because he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Take a seat, Geline, no need to stand all day."

She smiled in relief and made her way towards the end of the bed where she sat with a sigh as she remembered the night she had fallen asleep in the very same bed.

"Great bed, eh?"

"Compared to what I sleep on, yes," she answered but immediately regretted it, blushing, "I mean the bed I sleep in is lovely! I didn't mean to sound ungrateful!"

Jack chuckled and set his rum on the desk with a thump.

"Not at all, luv. I know what ya sleep on must be dreadful, just dreadful. Ya should sleep in mine instead, I wouldn't mind," He replied suggestively.

Evangeline squirmed uncomfortably, wrapping a loose piece of black hair around her finger.

"Aww, c'mon Geline, ya know I'm only havin' a laugh. We both know that I would never ask ya to sleep in the same bed as me. 'Tis impolite and awkward," Jack said, his hands held up, palms facing away from him.

"Yes, completely awkward," she reiterated.

Jack sat up in his seat and looked questioningly at her.

"Oh, I see. So even if I asked ya in all seriousness, 'Geline, would ya care to share a bed with me?' ya would pass?" He asked, hands animated

She bit her lip to remind herself she was completely idiotic.

"Well, um, well it's...it's immoral, isn't it?" she asked stupidly.

Jack only looked at her for a moment before smirking.

"Luv, I'm a pirate, I've no morals. I don't understand the concept, whatsoever. I'm also absolutely positive if ya spent a night with me in any bed, ya wouldn't question the morality in the mornin', I guarantee it," he purred but his face took on a serious look after a minute.

"Ya know, I keep the sexual innuendos and comments to a minimum around ya luv, because you're intensely shy and sweetly innocent. If ya were any other lass, I'd'ave shown ya just how immoral Jack Sparrow is a long time ago, luv. I respect ya too much to pin ya to me bed and ravage ya, as strange as it sounds, and I don't say that to just anyone.

"Believe me, it's been a while since I've been with a woman, and I could charm yer clothes right off, have ya underneath me and touch ya in all the right places this very second, but I haven't the slightest interest in doin' so, and I know ya wouldn't ever want that because you're a good, respectable woman, and I like ya too much," he said, seriously

Evangeline was already hot, but her body's defense against Jack's foreign and tantalizing words was obviously intense heat flashes. She looked away from him while fanning her face. It hurt her that he didn't have any interest in her but it angered her so much more to hear him say that she wouldn't ever want that from him. He knew nothing about what she wanted and didn't want.

"Ya alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, yes, it's just...it's so hot," she replied.

"Do ya need anything?"

"Um, I could use something to drink."

Jack grabbed his rum but shook his head, remembering the way she had reacted yesterday to his drink of choice. He stood up and made for the door.

"I'll only be a second, luv," he said, leaving the room.

Evangeline fell backwards on the bed with a frustrated sigh, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Lord, I hate him," she grumbled out loud, removing her hands from her eyes and forming fists.

"Ugh, no I don't! I love him so much it hurts!"

She looked up at the wooden ceiling just as she had done the last time she has laid in his bed, with him beside her.

"What am I doing?" she whispered.

Why did she stay on board this ship? HIS ship? She was only making it worse for herself, he didn't want her and he was never going to want her. Why did she put herself through this in hopes of his feelings matching hers?

'I must be crazy.' she thought, 'Certifiably insane.'

The awful truth was, she had nowhere else to go, she couldn't go back to Folkstone, not with the Navy after her. Truth was, she had no place, so the Pearl was her only refuge, and she just so happened to be madly in love with the man who offered her the refuge in the first place. A man who trifled and broke women's hearts, who swore never to love again, who saw her as his sister. It seemed to be a recipe for heartache. How idiotic she was.

The door to Jack's cabin opened and she sat up as he sauntered in, a bottle in each hand. One held rum, obviously, and the other he handed to her. She raised an eyebrow, not sure what she was about to ingest.

"Water. 'Tis just water," he said, taking a swig from his bottle.

"Should I trust you?" she asked, peering into her bottle.

"Always," he answered, sitting next to her.

She brought the bottle to her lips, closed her eyes, and let the...water fill her mouth and slide down her throat.

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought it was some type of alcohol. I would have killed you if you had made me drink that vile stuff again."

Jack fell back onto the bed as she had done only minutes before, chuckling.

"Ya couldn't kill me if ya tried," he responded, grabbing her shirt and pulling her down next to him.

She didn't want to lay next to him, she was angry at him and at herself, but it was just too damn comfortable to sit back up. Their legs were hanging off the edge of the bed, Jack's swinging slightly.

"Look," Jack said, eyeing the space between them, "We're sharin' a bed, ain't so bad, is it?"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. She wanted him to know she was mad. He should be aware of her mood, but she gave it up and shyly smiled.

"I promise to keep me hands to meself, if ya promise yet keep yours to yourself," he said, setting his rum down on the floor and tucking his hands into his pockets.

She giggled quietly and nodded, following suit.

"See? Now isn't this lovely? Two mates just loungin' around, drinkin', keepin' their hands to themselves,

bein' mates...and it isn't awkward because you're a woman and I'm a man and it's not two men layin' next to each other on the same bed," Jack spoke in a gibberish manner.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jack," she said.

"Neither do I, luv. Sometimes I just open me mouth and hope whatever comes out is intelligent and logical, half the time it isn't," he chuckled

"Half the time? Sometimes I think you're just saying the first string of words that comes to your mind."

"I do not. If I did, I would talk like this, 'Rum rum rum women blue orange gold women sun sex plate rum rum rum nutshell rum women and sex.' Actually, that sentence makes perfect sense to me," he said, waving his hands around in the air and wiggling his fingers above his head.

This sent Evangeline into a fit of laughter and Jack laughed along with her.

"Ya try it," he urged.

"No! It's ridiculous!"

"Precisely why ya should try it, luv!" He proclaimed

"Oh, alright, um...tree foot music lavender love piano," she stopped to laugh and Jack told her to continue, "um, whale shoe Jack Jack Jack hat Jack Jack London."

Jack chuckled, smiling wide.

Evangeline felt her smile fade as she realized she may have used his name in her 'first thought' sentence a few too many times, but he didn't seem to notice. Maybe he hadn't noticed.

"Can I ask ya something, luv?" he asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Or, perhaps he had noticed.