Disclaimer: Same as always.
Author's Note: Again, sorry it took so long. I'd also like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, you guys are the greatest! :) Enjoy.
---
A few hours, stories, and bottles of rum later, Rebecca stood at the bow's point. Staring straight ahead, all she could see was still water in the dead of night and the star filled heavens. St. Lucia was still a couple of days' travel away from the Pearl.
Behind her, a loud raucous echoed through the crisp air. The crew was laughing and having themselves a grand time with their rum. Rebecca drew back her head, downing some more of the rum in her own bottle. Unflinching was her expression, and her nearly black hair hung in random waves that framed her face, accenting her high cheekbones. The liquid burned her throat, but she didn't mind the almost soothing feeling it provided afterward.
Her hand traveled absentmindedly to the chain around her neck and even further so to the medallion at its base. Slender fingers traced the engraving on the metal that was already warmed by the heat of her body. The coin had a picture of a sailing ship hand carved into it with a skill showing remarkable talent.
"So are you going to inform me as to how you landed that gold, or not?" Rebecca jumped, hearing the voice at her side, but she managed to recover when she saw that the speaker was Will.
"Not drinking with your friends, Will?" she asked, sidestepping his question and tucking the medallion back under the protection of her clothing as if keeping it out of sight would keep it out of mind.
"You aren't," Will said quickly in response to her question.
"They're not my friends." She sighed and turned her head away while whispering words impossible for him to hear. "No one is."
"Well, they could be if you'd give them a chance," he interjected impatiently over her whispered aloud thoughts. "This entire day and night you've distanced yourself from everyone." He stared at her intently, focusing on the wild contrast her eyes gave to her dark hair and noticing how lonely those eyes seemed to look.
"Bill gave it to me," she said all too quickly. It seemed to her that she'd much rather discuss the medallion than her social habits.
"What?" Will obviously hadn't caught on.
"The coin," she told him, yanking the chain off of her neck and placing it in his palm.
"Our father?" he asked as he ran his fingers over the gold.
"Yes, that'd be the man." She nodded once, a bit of a smile rising to her face.
"Why did he give it to you?" He tried to give the coin back to Rebecca, but she turned away, refusing to take it back just yet. "What is it?"
"I'm not exactly sure. He's never said. All that he did say was to not let anyone touch it or lay eyes on it until we found 'the piece.'" She made air quotes with her fingers, taking good care not to drop her bottle.
"What's that?" he questioned, looking up from the medallion at her and raising his eyebrows. His question roused only a shrug from his sister's shoulders. "Did you not ask?"
"Of course I asked." She looked at him as if he'd have been half crazy to have assumed otherwise. "He said I'd find out when the time came." Will nodded, not saying another word. This was followed by silence on the part of Rebecca as well, until she said, "You'd best be gettin' back to yer girl."
"Come with me," he said, taking a step backwards and holding his hand out, willing her to walk in front of him.
"Thanks, but…" She watched him, her nose upturning ever so slightly. "I think I'll just stay here."
Will only shrugged, shaking his head as he walked away. Upon his return to what could only be described as the night's party, Jack took him to the side and spoke loudly over the noise of the crew.
"How'd it go? Speakin' to yer sister'n all? She soften up a bit yet?" Jack's arm was now wrapped around Will's shoulders.
"Jack, you're drunk," Will stated, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, that I know, mate," Jack agreed, rolling his head and arms about in the air, "but 'tis she?"
"If she drinks that bottle of rum she has out there, I bet she will be." Will stopped speaking, a realization dawning on him. "Why'd you ask?"
Jack attempted to look innocent, but it back fired and he ended up grinning deviously. "No reason."
Will removed Jack's arm from around his shoulders. "You're unbelievable, Jack."
"Why, thank you, William. I think yer quite unbelievable yerself." He seemed to be dead serious, thinking Will had actually meant to compliment him. He turned on his heel and walked off in the other direction.
Smiling to himself, Will scanned the crowd made up almost solely of the crew. His eyes searched for Elizabeth and eventually found her holding a bottle of rum in her left hand. She seemed to be striking up a conversation with Mr. Cotton's parrot, but on careful examination, Will realized that she was actually speaking with Gibbs. He approached them.
"Are you drinking?" he asked Elizabeth, surprised.
"Only a little," she admitted as if it were her father who had caught her drinking and not Will. "Mr. Gibbs here thought that I wouldn't be able to hold my liquor, but I've proved him wrong. Isn't that right, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Indeed it is. She's a natural, Will. I'll tell ya." Gibbs nodded, giving effect to his words. "She isn't at all drunk, and this'll be the end of her first whole bottle."
"An entire bottle, Elizabeth?" he asked her, his surprise becoming amusement.
"Yes, Will, an entire bottle." She grinned. "You know, I still believe it's a vile drink, but it isn't all that bad."
He looked at her, confused. "That statement makes absolutely no sense."
She reached up, snatching a hold of his shirt collar (which was still torn, by the way), and she pulled him down onto her lap while planting a kiss on his lips. "I know," she said, pulling away and winking.
"Why don't you have a drink fer yerself," Gibbs said shoving a bottle at the young man's shoulder, but Will pushed it away.
"No thanks," he said, "I'd rather not."
"Aw, c'mon, Will!" Elizabeth jeered.
Gibbs eyed him scrupulously. "First you let the lady beat you in a sword fight, and now you'll let her out drink you? What're ya, mate? A eunich?"
Will rolled his eyes. Not this again.
Across the ship at the bow, Jack approached Rebecca while swinging through the air two bottles of rum that he had hand picked from the stash all by himself. He was quite proud. He watched Rebecca, who was now sitting on the deck with both legs dangling off the ship between the rails. An empty bottle lay at her side, and her fists were fastened tightly to the rails.
"Run dry?" he asked, settling himself down cross legged next to her. She tipped her head upwards to look at him, not sure if she should be glad or mad that Jack showed up. When he handed her one of the rum bottles, she realized that she was glad and she quickly snatched it up.
As an afterthought, she muttered the words, "Thanks, Jack."
"'Tisn't a problem," he returned, showing off a gold toothed grin. They sat quietly at first, each opening their bottle and drinking a bit. "So what's yer deal, love?"
Rebecca wrinkled her nose at him. "My deal? What do you mean by that?"
"How's it 'at one min't ye'r rowdy as hell, hittin' people an' the next ye'r a recluse?" He studied the strong features of her face's profile as she stared immovably at the ocean below.
"Must I answer that?"
"Yes."
"I don't feel as if I belong here," she admitted sullenly, turning her head to glance at him.
"Well, lass, 'at's because you don't," he stated blankly, not seeing the point to her words. She angrily faced the opposite direction, swinging her hair in Jack's face. While spitting strands of it out of his mouth, he realized he'd said the wrong thing. "Now wait a min't! I di'n't mean that. 'S'just – well, 's'just that –"
Facing him again, she spared him the trouble of finding something nice to say. "It's just that it's the truth." A pause for her to drink some rum. "I don't belong here. I really don't belong anywhere."
"Di'n't you belong with yer father?"
"No. I was always…uncomfortable, and everything seemed so out of place." She took another a swig from her bottle, and she looked up into Jack's eyes, surprised to find them already focused on her. "Am I crazy?"
"Yes," Jack said plainly, but he went on to say, "but not for 'at reason."
Her expression showed, without any attempt to conceal it, confusion. "Then what reason is it?"
He stared at her. "Yer not drunk yet."
Not more than three quarters of an hour later, Rebecca was dragging a sputtering drunk Captain Sparrow around her shoulders. He had nearly fallen asleep on her shoulder before she jolted him upright again with a pinch in the arm. She would have hit him, but she felt it a somewhat harsh action, especially after his attempt to make her feel better. The key word there was attempt. She still felt terribly.
"D'ya ever wonder why water looks blue from far away, but 'as no color up close?" Jack asked seriously.
"It reflects the color of the sky," Rebecca stated blankly.
"Oh," he said, quieted for a moment. "Then, why's the sky blue?"
By this time, they had reached the crew at the other end of the ship. Rebecca handed Jack over to Will. "I believe this is yours." Will caught Jack, a look of clear shook evident across his face.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The captain's a drunk."
"That's news," Gibbs rattled while snatching Jack away and sitting him down on a nearby crate.
"Am not," Jack mumbled slowly. He pointed at Elizabeth, who was stumbling over to them. "She is."
"Jackie!" Elizabeth called, falling into Jack.
"What 'appened 'ere?" Jack asked Will and Gibbs. "She fall apart after 'er first drink?"
"No," Will said admittedly, "she held up fairly well until her third bottle."
"FOURTH!" Elizabeth shouted at the top of her lungs.
Gibbs nodded slowly. "I think the woman's right."
"Always am!" She chipped in, nodding eagerly.
"Fine then," Will glared. "You pirates have turned my fiancé into a drunk! Are you happy?"
"I am! I am!" Elizabeth cheered from behind him.
Heaving a sigh, Will spun around and grabbed her by the arms. "I'm taking her to bed," he announced and proceeded to drag her off in the direction of the cabins as she whined in protest.
Jack looked after them longingly before glancing at the silent Rebecca. "I don't s'pose you'd take me to bed 's'well?"
Rebecca glared at him almost playfully pretending to be mad. She actually had to admit that Jack was being rather amusing. "Find your own bed by your own self. Goodnight Jack." She smiled and walked off toward her small room, leaving Jack to stare at her behind as it moved away, but even before she exited the deck Jack's body slumped against the mast next to him and he was asleep.
Author's Note: Again, sorry it took so long. I'd also like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, you guys are the greatest! :) Enjoy.
---
A few hours, stories, and bottles of rum later, Rebecca stood at the bow's point. Staring straight ahead, all she could see was still water in the dead of night and the star filled heavens. St. Lucia was still a couple of days' travel away from the Pearl.
Behind her, a loud raucous echoed through the crisp air. The crew was laughing and having themselves a grand time with their rum. Rebecca drew back her head, downing some more of the rum in her own bottle. Unflinching was her expression, and her nearly black hair hung in random waves that framed her face, accenting her high cheekbones. The liquid burned her throat, but she didn't mind the almost soothing feeling it provided afterward.
Her hand traveled absentmindedly to the chain around her neck and even further so to the medallion at its base. Slender fingers traced the engraving on the metal that was already warmed by the heat of her body. The coin had a picture of a sailing ship hand carved into it with a skill showing remarkable talent.
"So are you going to inform me as to how you landed that gold, or not?" Rebecca jumped, hearing the voice at her side, but she managed to recover when she saw that the speaker was Will.
"Not drinking with your friends, Will?" she asked, sidestepping his question and tucking the medallion back under the protection of her clothing as if keeping it out of sight would keep it out of mind.
"You aren't," Will said quickly in response to her question.
"They're not my friends." She sighed and turned her head away while whispering words impossible for him to hear. "No one is."
"Well, they could be if you'd give them a chance," he interjected impatiently over her whispered aloud thoughts. "This entire day and night you've distanced yourself from everyone." He stared at her intently, focusing on the wild contrast her eyes gave to her dark hair and noticing how lonely those eyes seemed to look.
"Bill gave it to me," she said all too quickly. It seemed to her that she'd much rather discuss the medallion than her social habits.
"What?" Will obviously hadn't caught on.
"The coin," she told him, yanking the chain off of her neck and placing it in his palm.
"Our father?" he asked as he ran his fingers over the gold.
"Yes, that'd be the man." She nodded once, a bit of a smile rising to her face.
"Why did he give it to you?" He tried to give the coin back to Rebecca, but she turned away, refusing to take it back just yet. "What is it?"
"I'm not exactly sure. He's never said. All that he did say was to not let anyone touch it or lay eyes on it until we found 'the piece.'" She made air quotes with her fingers, taking good care not to drop her bottle.
"What's that?" he questioned, looking up from the medallion at her and raising his eyebrows. His question roused only a shrug from his sister's shoulders. "Did you not ask?"
"Of course I asked." She looked at him as if he'd have been half crazy to have assumed otherwise. "He said I'd find out when the time came." Will nodded, not saying another word. This was followed by silence on the part of Rebecca as well, until she said, "You'd best be gettin' back to yer girl."
"Come with me," he said, taking a step backwards and holding his hand out, willing her to walk in front of him.
"Thanks, but…" She watched him, her nose upturning ever so slightly. "I think I'll just stay here."
Will only shrugged, shaking his head as he walked away. Upon his return to what could only be described as the night's party, Jack took him to the side and spoke loudly over the noise of the crew.
"How'd it go? Speakin' to yer sister'n all? She soften up a bit yet?" Jack's arm was now wrapped around Will's shoulders.
"Jack, you're drunk," Will stated, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, that I know, mate," Jack agreed, rolling his head and arms about in the air, "but 'tis she?"
"If she drinks that bottle of rum she has out there, I bet she will be." Will stopped speaking, a realization dawning on him. "Why'd you ask?"
Jack attempted to look innocent, but it back fired and he ended up grinning deviously. "No reason."
Will removed Jack's arm from around his shoulders. "You're unbelievable, Jack."
"Why, thank you, William. I think yer quite unbelievable yerself." He seemed to be dead serious, thinking Will had actually meant to compliment him. He turned on his heel and walked off in the other direction.
Smiling to himself, Will scanned the crowd made up almost solely of the crew. His eyes searched for Elizabeth and eventually found her holding a bottle of rum in her left hand. She seemed to be striking up a conversation with Mr. Cotton's parrot, but on careful examination, Will realized that she was actually speaking with Gibbs. He approached them.
"Are you drinking?" he asked Elizabeth, surprised.
"Only a little," she admitted as if it were her father who had caught her drinking and not Will. "Mr. Gibbs here thought that I wouldn't be able to hold my liquor, but I've proved him wrong. Isn't that right, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Indeed it is. She's a natural, Will. I'll tell ya." Gibbs nodded, giving effect to his words. "She isn't at all drunk, and this'll be the end of her first whole bottle."
"An entire bottle, Elizabeth?" he asked her, his surprise becoming amusement.
"Yes, Will, an entire bottle." She grinned. "You know, I still believe it's a vile drink, but it isn't all that bad."
He looked at her, confused. "That statement makes absolutely no sense."
She reached up, snatching a hold of his shirt collar (which was still torn, by the way), and she pulled him down onto her lap while planting a kiss on his lips. "I know," she said, pulling away and winking.
"Why don't you have a drink fer yerself," Gibbs said shoving a bottle at the young man's shoulder, but Will pushed it away.
"No thanks," he said, "I'd rather not."
"Aw, c'mon, Will!" Elizabeth jeered.
Gibbs eyed him scrupulously. "First you let the lady beat you in a sword fight, and now you'll let her out drink you? What're ya, mate? A eunich?"
Will rolled his eyes. Not this again.
Across the ship at the bow, Jack approached Rebecca while swinging through the air two bottles of rum that he had hand picked from the stash all by himself. He was quite proud. He watched Rebecca, who was now sitting on the deck with both legs dangling off the ship between the rails. An empty bottle lay at her side, and her fists were fastened tightly to the rails.
"Run dry?" he asked, settling himself down cross legged next to her. She tipped her head upwards to look at him, not sure if she should be glad or mad that Jack showed up. When he handed her one of the rum bottles, she realized that she was glad and she quickly snatched it up.
As an afterthought, she muttered the words, "Thanks, Jack."
"'Tisn't a problem," he returned, showing off a gold toothed grin. They sat quietly at first, each opening their bottle and drinking a bit. "So what's yer deal, love?"
Rebecca wrinkled her nose at him. "My deal? What do you mean by that?"
"How's it 'at one min't ye'r rowdy as hell, hittin' people an' the next ye'r a recluse?" He studied the strong features of her face's profile as she stared immovably at the ocean below.
"Must I answer that?"
"Yes."
"I don't feel as if I belong here," she admitted sullenly, turning her head to glance at him.
"Well, lass, 'at's because you don't," he stated blankly, not seeing the point to her words. She angrily faced the opposite direction, swinging her hair in Jack's face. While spitting strands of it out of his mouth, he realized he'd said the wrong thing. "Now wait a min't! I di'n't mean that. 'S'just – well, 's'just that –"
Facing him again, she spared him the trouble of finding something nice to say. "It's just that it's the truth." A pause for her to drink some rum. "I don't belong here. I really don't belong anywhere."
"Di'n't you belong with yer father?"
"No. I was always…uncomfortable, and everything seemed so out of place." She took another a swig from her bottle, and she looked up into Jack's eyes, surprised to find them already focused on her. "Am I crazy?"
"Yes," Jack said plainly, but he went on to say, "but not for 'at reason."
Her expression showed, without any attempt to conceal it, confusion. "Then what reason is it?"
He stared at her. "Yer not drunk yet."
Not more than three quarters of an hour later, Rebecca was dragging a sputtering drunk Captain Sparrow around her shoulders. He had nearly fallen asleep on her shoulder before she jolted him upright again with a pinch in the arm. She would have hit him, but she felt it a somewhat harsh action, especially after his attempt to make her feel better. The key word there was attempt. She still felt terribly.
"D'ya ever wonder why water looks blue from far away, but 'as no color up close?" Jack asked seriously.
"It reflects the color of the sky," Rebecca stated blankly.
"Oh," he said, quieted for a moment. "Then, why's the sky blue?"
By this time, they had reached the crew at the other end of the ship. Rebecca handed Jack over to Will. "I believe this is yours." Will caught Jack, a look of clear shook evident across his face.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The captain's a drunk."
"That's news," Gibbs rattled while snatching Jack away and sitting him down on a nearby crate.
"Am not," Jack mumbled slowly. He pointed at Elizabeth, who was stumbling over to them. "She is."
"Jackie!" Elizabeth called, falling into Jack.
"What 'appened 'ere?" Jack asked Will and Gibbs. "She fall apart after 'er first drink?"
"No," Will said admittedly, "she held up fairly well until her third bottle."
"FOURTH!" Elizabeth shouted at the top of her lungs.
Gibbs nodded slowly. "I think the woman's right."
"Always am!" She chipped in, nodding eagerly.
"Fine then," Will glared. "You pirates have turned my fiancé into a drunk! Are you happy?"
"I am! I am!" Elizabeth cheered from behind him.
Heaving a sigh, Will spun around and grabbed her by the arms. "I'm taking her to bed," he announced and proceeded to drag her off in the direction of the cabins as she whined in protest.
Jack looked after them longingly before glancing at the silent Rebecca. "I don't s'pose you'd take me to bed 's'well?"
Rebecca glared at him almost playfully pretending to be mad. She actually had to admit that Jack was being rather amusing. "Find your own bed by your own self. Goodnight Jack." She smiled and walked off toward her small room, leaving Jack to stare at her behind as it moved away, but even before she exited the deck Jack's body slumped against the mast next to him and he was asleep.