Title: Whippersnapper

Author: Anisky

Disclaimer: I do not own Cutthroat Island or anything in it.

Summary:  The story of Morgan Adams as a child, and how she became "The Notorious Lady Pirate."   Cutthroat Island.

Rating: PG

Archiving: Just ask.  HoneyB87@aol.com



Chapter 2

"Morgan, have you eaten yet?" The sun was beginning to set and Harry had just gotten back to his daughter, who was still sitting in the same place looking out over the sea.

Morgan shook her head, refusing to look at him.

"Well, I have a special treat," he told her.

"I don't want it," said Morgan stubbornly. 

Harry had really no idea how to deal with children, girls in particular.  He was really at a loss about how to treat this girl who was suddenly his responsibility. He cleared his throat.  "Well, Morgan, I'm going to have to insist that you come with me." 

Morgan shook her head again, folding her arms and still not looking at him.

"Morgan, aren't you hungry?" he asked.  "I have some good food just for you."

"I don't want it," she repeated.

He considered his options.  Lord, why did he have to deal with this child?  "If you come and have some food, we'll buy you some clothes next time we go to port."

Morgan looked up at him for the first time with a look that was strangely calculating for a girl her age.  "Proper clothes?" she asked finally.  "A dress and boots and everything?"

"Proper clothes," he promised, holding out his hand for her to take.  "Come on and eat."

She looked at his hand and hopped up from her seat but did not take his hand.  She just stood there, waiting for him to move.

Harry smiled and tried not to laugh as he turned and led her to his quarters.  He suddenly agreed with Lilly: no matter what the little girl thought now, she was definitely going to adapt quite nicely to the life of a pirate. 

He pulled the smoked sausage and chocolate cake out from his desk.  "Here you go, Morgan," he said, setting the sausage in front of her.  "Once you're done, you can have the cake."

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry we don't have any silverware, Morgan," Harry told her.  "We don't usually have any need for it."

"It's ok," she said just as quietly as she picked up the sausage.  "I never use it anyway.  It drives… it used to drive Mum crazy."

He gave a sad smile as he looked at his daughter.  "I know you miss her a lot," he said.  "I wish there was something I could have done."

Morgan just shrugged and began to eat rather messily. 

"Morgan, I know this is difficult for you.  It's a new place.  But I think that if you just give it a chance you could like it a lot here.  Your mother said that you'd like it here.  You'd believe her right?"

Morgan looked up at him with a confused look on her face.  "Harry.  I'm eating."  She turned back to her sausage, tensed up, obviously expecting him to be angry that she refused to call him "Daddy" or "Father."

Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.  "Of course." 

The young girl looked up at him again, surprised.  "You're not angry that I called you Harry?"

"No," Harry told her, "in fact I prefer you call me that."

"Oh.  Okay."  Morgan polished off the sausage and reached across the table to get the chocolate cake.  Halfway across the table she froze and looked up guiltily. 

"What?" asked Harry. 

"Aren't… aren't you going to yell at me for no table manners?"

The pirate raised his eyebrows at his daughter.  "Do you remember where you are?"

"Oh.  A pirate ship.  Right."  Morgan blushed and leaned over across the table, pulling the chocolate cake over to her.  She settled back in her seat and proceeded to stuff her face with the chocolaty goodness.   "So," she asked through mouthfuls of cake, "when will we be going to port?"

"In a day or so," he told her.  "There's one nearby."

She nodded and finished the cake.  "Alright then.  A proper dress, you promise?" she asked again, still with suspicion.

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, a very proper dress."

"Good," said Morgan primly, a strange sight when there was chocolate smeared all over her face.  Harry made a mental note to make sure to get her boys' clothes as well; he had a strange hunch she would prefer them all too soon.

***

Morgan lay there in her bed as the ship rocked back and forth and back and forth.  She knew that some people got very sick when they were on a ship, but she didn't have any problem with it.  In fact the rocking of the ship was strangely comforting, putting her somewhere in the mind of a rocking cradle. 

She still didn't know what to think of this ship.  It was so strange, and the men there definitely scared her.  But she knew she kind of liked the way she wouldn't have to worry about her manners or anything like that.  She didn't know if she could get used to the food, though.  It always made her wrinkle her nose and gag.  She wondered if there would be any way to get her father to get her good food for every day.

She rolled over and before she knew it, she was sound asleep in her tiny cabin, with a peaceful smile on her face. 

When she awoke, it was the next morning.  This was unusual for Morgan; she usually had trouble sleeping.  She opened her eyes, stretched, and tumbled out of bed with a little squeak.

"Ow," she said, rubbing her arm where she fell.  There was nothing to get dressed in, and she was fairly sure that there was no reason to brush her hair or wash her face.  (What a relief.  Morgan always hated doing those things.)  So, she shrugged and opened the door to her cabin, leaning out. 

Mommy did tell Morgan to try this life out.  Morgan was very suspicious of the men here and the way they lived, but if Mommy had wanted her to then she decided she'd at least try.  She could always run away if she didn't like it, after all.

Morgan shielded her eyes from the sun as she went out onto the deck.  Most of the men were sitting around eating their breakfast.  The young girl looked around for her father, finally spotting him sitting on the railing-thingie.  Morgan wasn't sure what it was called; it was the thing up around the boat so she didn't fall off.  She walked over to him and tugged on his pant leg.

"Hi, Harry," she said.  "I'm hungry."

"I'm sorry," he told her, "there isn't anything for you like yesterday…could you at least try this food?"

Morgan nodded reluctantly and took the piece of bread he handed her, suspiciously taking a bit of it.  To her surprise it wasn't bad.  "Harry, when are we going to get to the port?

He smiled down at her.  "Sometime today, actually," he told her.  "We're closer than I thought. The wind is good"

Morgan's face lit up.  "Really?" she asked with a smile.

"Really," said her father.  "Now, finish up the bread."

Morgan skipped over to the helm as she ate her bread.  She sat there, watching as Blair steered the ship.  After a while she spoke.  "Is it difficult to learn how to do that?" she asked.

Blair looked over at her briefly.  "Easier than learning most things on this ship," he told her. 

"So you learn how to do everything?" she asked.  

"It's the business," he told her, walking over to untie some rope then walking back to the helm.  "We're docking at Port Royal, are we?"

"Um…I guess so," said Morgan.  "At the closest port, he said."

"So, Morgan, do you like this ship?" 

Morgan shrugged and looked over to the land in the distance.  "I don't know.  It's awfully boring."

Blair laughed, and Morgan looked over at him, surprised.  "What?" she asked.  "It's true, there's nothing to do." 

"Trust me," he told her, "There is plenty that somebody has to do on the Morning Star."

Morgan wrinkled her nose.  "What?"

To her dismay, Blair wouldn't tell her.  Morgan crossed her arms sulkily, and then stood up and took off, exploring the ship.  If nobody would pay attention to her, well, she would learn to make her own fun.


A/N: once again! Reviews!