When Em woke up very early the next morning, the third day since Malva Dame joined the crew, she felt as if her world had literally been turned upside down. Fighting the urge to throw up in the crow's nest then and there, she quickly rolled over to the side and swung onto the ropes. The motion of the ship, though very light, made her very dizzy. By the time she had reached the last five feet of the net ladder, she slipped off and crumpled face down on the wooden deck.

Up in the crow's nest, Jack Sparrow heard a dull and loud thud sound familiar to a body crashing on the ground, and then, a harsh retching sound pierced the cool air. Thinking it was just one of the crew members with a hangover, Jack gave a nod to Cotton before walking over towards the stairs. When he reached the top step, his heart jumped in alarm as he watched Emelia Kraven at the foot of the main mast face down and throwing up horribly on his deck.

Reacting quickly, Jack practically sailed down the stairs. In no time at all, he was kneeling right next to her, holding her long hair out of the way as he softly whispered words of comfort into her jewel-encrusted ear.

When Em seemed to have stopped, Jack was careful to pick her up and carry her away from the mess. He placed her on her feet near the bow of the ship and let her hold onto the rail for support before bombarding her with his questions.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Em wiped the spittle on her chin with a shaky hand and answered, "I woke up feeling as if some parasite was making a home of my stomach." She saw the look of concern Jack now wore and tried to wave it away. "It's passed now. No more worries," she reassured him, but she didn't even convince herself.

"Oh I won't be worrin' because I'm makin' ye see Ozz," Jack told her sternly.

Cotton's parrot flapped its colorful wings nervously as the angry voices of the two captains erupted from the main deck. Even the normally stoic Cotton shifted just as nervously behind the great steering wheel.

"Rawk. Ship steering into dangerous waters," the parrot said, and soon enough, a distinct sound of someone being slapped across the face rang.

Cotton chanced moving away from the steering wheel and towards the balcony railing. Squinting his eyes, he saw Jack kissing Em before she pulled away and slapped him again. This time it was hard enough to send him spinning a full circle and toppling on the deck. When Jack lifted himself back onto his feet, Em was already heading towards the hatch leading to the lower decks.

Em found Ozz Green awake and in the galley. He looked like he had just woken up by the droopy look in his eyes. Ozz looked up when he heard someone at the doorway. Recognizing his captain in the dim lighting, he gave Em a nod and a crooked smile. "'Ey, cap'n. Wuldn't 'spect ye here this early," he told her, waving her towards him.

Em shook her head and stepped inside the galley. "I'm down here for your medical advice on Jack's orders," she grumbled.

Ozz raised a curious dark red eyebrow before taking a seat on an empty crate. "That right, eh?" Ozz ran a hand over the dark shadow growing on his chin and sighed tiredly. He kicked another empty crate towards Em and told her to sit down. "What happened?" he inquired.

"I woke up this morning and threw up quite horribly," Em recounted the event in as much detail as she could muster.

Ozz nodded his head thoughtfully. "I dun't 'spose ye've been feelin' well of late?" he asked. "Did ye drink heavily last night?"

Em shook her head. "I didn't drink at all last night. Rum hasn't appealed much to me for the past few days," she told him. "Lately, it has been making me feel very queasy. I've been sticking to drinking water, but I think that the water's starting to spoil."

"Aye, it is. Some of the crew are gettin' sick cuz of it. We need to get to port soon." Ozz sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. When it came to being the ship's doctor, Ozz knew how to do his job well. "Anythin' else?"

"I've been feeling very tired aside from feeling sick. Very recently, my body constantly feels weak. Performing the simplest of tasks takes up all my energy. It's like something is sucking the energy out of me."

"Dun't go the way o' Gibbs and believe in those kinds of spirits now," Ozz cautioned, but all in good humor. He motioned for her to get up and opened her mouth. He stood up and looked at her teeth and gums. "Yer gums aren't swellin' or bleedin'," he observed once he stepped away. "But ye said yer tired, have muscle weakness, and sickness. Do ye feel sick all the time?"

"Only in the morning."

"The morning," Ozz repeated to himself. "Any rashes?" Em shook her head and Ozz nodded. "I dun't think it's scurvy." Ozz was silent for a moment, and in that time, his serious look grew grim.

"When was the last time ye had yer monthly courses?" he finally asked her.

Em looked at him peculiarly before replying, "A week or two before we met Jack in Tortuga, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Ozz looked into her dark brown eyes with a mysterious glint in his own muddy green eyes. "It may 'ave to do wit ever'thing."

Ozz assured Em that she'd be fine, yet cautioned her to not overtax herself. Fully having been informed by Ozz of her condition and knowing Em wasn't likely to listen to the doctor, Jack tried to make her stay in his cabin, but ended up being slapped again. So he just left her relatively alone but kept his eyes on her like a trained hawk.

Em passed the rest of the morning quite peacefully until Malva Dame made her appearance on the main deck.

Em noticed when she spotted the vixen standing at the doorway leading into Jack's cabin that Malva's dress (which was really one of Em's disguises) was pulled so low that the neckline showed off the tops her plump breasts for all to see.

"That dress is ruined." Em turned to Michael. "She's whoring them off for Jack, no doubt," Em muttered in his ear as they both watched the woman in question saunter towards the helm.

Michael rolled his sky blue eyes and struck a grin. "Well, at least Jack made it clear last night that you're wholly his." He snickered at the appalled look that found itself across Em's face.

"You and Gibbs were spying on us!" Em exclaimed and batted her hand at her childhood friend.

"So was Malva."

Em immediately dropped her playful mood and turned her attention back towards the helm as Michael moved off to help Briggen raise the foremast's sails near the bow. She moved closer towards the helm, making sure to not make her presence known as she peaked through the wooden pegs of the balcony.

Malva leaned into Jack's arm and smiled coyly up at him. "'Ello Jackie," she crooned and batted her long eyelashes. "Lovely day it is."

Jack made a derisive noise with his throat before saying, "It would be lovelier is ye didn't show yer face."

Em moved quickly away and pretended to be surveying the mast before her as Malva stomped down the wooden stairs. As Em felt her approach, she decided it was the time to turn around to face Malva.

"Good day, Miss Dame," Em greeted her coolly, but they both heard the bit of triumph in Em's tone.

Malva stopped in front of Em and gave her a look filled with loathing. She took a step closer to Em until they were eye to eye with a foot of space between them. "I will make him mine," Malva hissed.

Em's eyes frosted over. "Is that a threat?" she challenged.

Jack was startled by the sudden uproar that seemed to be taking place down on the main deck. He exchanged fleeting looks with Cotton before striding towards the stairs.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" Jack demanded as he pushed through the men. They were all crowded around the center mast. "This ain't a bar room - dear Lord!" Jack exclaimed as he surveyed the sight in front of him. He may not want to admit it, although he certainly would, but watching Emelia Kraven and Malva Dame fighting right at his feet was exhilarating.

"I have ten doubloons on Cap'n Kraven!"

"Fifteen fer Malva to throw 'er down!"

"I call fifty for Em to throw her down!" Michael yelled. He was smacked upside the head by Jack, who looked torn between looking stern and also joining the betting exchange.

"As much as I would love to see this progress even further, I sadly must insist as the most capable and responsible captain that this be stopped," Jack told him.

Michael shrugged, and then nodded.

Jack smiled widely and clapped Michael on the shoulder. "Good, good. Now get along there!" Jack started to turn away, but suddenly Jack the monkey appeared before him, screaming right in Jack's face. Jack shouted in alarm, took his pistol from his belt, and fired at the primate.

Michael looked from Jack, to the two women fighting in front of them, and then back to Jack. "You're joking, right?"

Putting his pistol away, Jack rolled his eyes and turned back to Michael. "Alrigh'." Together they plunged into the fray. Jack grabbed Em and Michael grabbed onto Malva. At Jack's signal, they pried the two women apart with much difficulty.

"Let go of me, you scum-sucking blaggard!" Em yelled as Jack put his strength in restraining her from going at it again with Malva. Her long hair was wild and her fists and limbs were flying. 

Malva was in a similar condition, although her lip was bleeding. Em seemed unscathed.

Mr. Gibbs moved in front of Em, reared his hand back, and dealt her a blow across her face. Em instantly fell silent and her limb dropped back to her sides. She took a deep breath before pushing away from Jack.

"'Thank you, Jack. I really appreciate your help, Jack,'" Jack mocked in a high-pitched voice.

Em rounded on him and opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly, the Pearl lurched to the starboard side.

"What's happening?" Gibbs shouted over the confusion as everyone tried to grab some sort of anchorage.

Jack turned his head towards the helm and roared at Cotton, "What the bloody hell are ye doing to me ship?"

"Jack! Em!"

The two captains looked up at the crow's nest and saw the excited look on Chase Turnbull's rugged face. He was pointing out to the distance in front of the ship. "There's a merchant ship abroad!" he shouted gleefully.

The Pearl gave another lurch, and it was righted again. Everyone has a split second to get their bearings before Jack and Em began ordering them about. They were not going to miss a chance to restock their diminished supplies. Jack took a step towards the helm, but heard someone throwing up behind him.

Spinning around on his heel, he saw Em bent over the rail and emptying her stomach into the sea below. His dark eyes looked at her, and then at Malva, who was trying and failing miserably to act like she wasn't there. Jack made a face before stopping the nearest person that was closest.

"Throw Miss Dame in the crew's quarters," he told them sternly. Once the man left to complete his order, Jack cautiously made his way towards Em as she came up for air.

"Darling, I don't think you should be here," Jack told her gently as he placed an arm around her waist and began steering her towards his cabin.

Em tried to push away, but Jack tightened his hold on her. "Jack, my men need me," she argued.

Jack shook his head. "Emelia, this is only a raid, not a great battle. We can handle this without you," he reassured her. He felt Em begin to struggle harder under his arm and cursed her stubbornness. In a quick decision, Jack bent forward and threw Em over his shoulder and strode into his cabin with her kicking and screaming. He tried to place her carefully on her feet, but with a kick in his gut, he ended up throwing her onto the hard wooden floor.

With all the speed he possessed, Jack ran towards the door before Em had the time to recover, yelling, "Sorry luv, but this is for yer own good!"

"Jack Sparrow!" Em shouted, but her voice was shut off with the slam of the double doors. Em huffed and slowly got to her feet. She trudged over to Jack's writing desk and collapsed on his chair, exhausted. Jack was going to get it when the raid was finished.