Hello again, sorry it took so long, but I was in LA. Guess what! I got checked out by a famous person! Ok, so, he was a midget, but I can deal. Yes, that's right my people, "Wee-man" from "Jackass" thought I was good- looking (well, it is common knowledge that I am). Ok, anycrap, I'm writing this next chapter and I hope you enjoy it! I've changed the main character's name, since neither I nor my beta thought it fit. Mucho Gracias to my wonderful, fantastic, beautiful, talented beta, Lydia (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!) thanks for cleaning up the crap I leave behind in my story (how was that for a touching metaphor, eh? I think I'm improving!)

Chapter 2

Jack had never met a woman who could hold that much rum. Hell, most men couldn't. His pride was very nearly cut down as she beat him to her fifth pint.

"How d'you do that, love?" Jack had to shout over the noise of the tavern: the screaming, laughing, barking, and fighting.

Fey glanced up at him. "Do what?"

"Yeh've nearly beaten my record for the most rum capacity!"

"Eh. I've got a lot on me mind. It won't really set in 'til later."

"Care to share?"



"No." She went back to nursing her latest mug of rum, sipping it more slowly now. Jack wasn't put off easily. He was intrigued by this strange, beautiful, insane woman, and there was something about her that he couldn't quite understand. She wasn't telling him something. How did one go from living in a small town in Ireland to being one of the most feared and respected pirates in the entire ocean? So, being Jack, he asked the first thing that came to his head.

"All right, lass, you just let me know when that alcohol settles in, then I'll get you acquainted to my ship and her captain's quarters..."

Fey looked up interestedly.

". . . and the bed," Jack finished. The disgusted woman leaned back with a disappointed groan and covered her eyes with her arm.

Of course, she thought, this was Captain Jack Sparrow, it's not like he could be kind for once. "For a minute there, mate, I thought you might have had a generous thought in your mind. Well, ferget about that." (A/N, it's supposed to be spelled like that, she's got an Irish accent, remember?)

"Now, lass, why d'you say that?"

"Well, a gentleman would share his ship to help me get me own back."

"Ahh. Now you see, that's why I'm a pirate and not a gentleman."

Fey rolled her eyes. This man was blind. And stupid. And diabolically good-looking. She leaned forward and looked right into his eyes as she spoke.

"Let me tell you something, mate. I can tell by looking at you what sort of pirate you are. Yeh live for adventure. Yeh love and fight yeh love to take risks. Yer not easily scared. Although yeh love the treasure, yeh'd do it without the pay any day." She sipped daintily at her rum.

Jack stared at her, his jaw dropping. "How'd you know all that?"

"Yer jus' like me. But think about it, mate. How much fun would that all be without any competition? Without someone to fight with for the best steals? Without fake alliances and true enemies? It wouldn't be good at all! It just wouldn't be worth it. Yeh need me."

"Aye, but now the mystery's gone. I know who y'are. I know what yer like. I know all about you."

"Alright then, what does me name mean? Maeve, what does it mean? Anyone who really knew me could tell."

He glared at her. "Fine, but the mystery is still slightly gone. What is it you want me to do anyway?"

"I want yeh to help me get me ship back."

Jack spat out the mouthful of rum he had in his mouth. "Hones'ly woman! How'm I t'do that?! I can't just sacrifice everything for you and yer ship!" He sighed and looked at her thoughtfully for a while. "On the other hand, yer right. It wouldn't be half the fun without you and yer ship. I'll tell you what, Lady Maeve. If you tell me why you're without yer ship, I'll consider letting you stay on me boat for a bit."

"Wait, did you say 'boat'? What happened to 'ship?" She looked at him suspiciously. "This is the Black Pearl we're talking about, right?"

"Well . . ."

"WHAT d'yeh MEAN, Mr. Sparrow? Where is your ship?! "

"Captain Sparrow, if you please, mate," he muttered, turning red with embarrassment, but still managing to salvage some of his pride."Eh. . ." he coughed, "about the Pearl ..."

"Yes..." she prompted.

Jack sighed. He had been leading her on the whole time and was starting to feel guilty. Almost.

"Well, you know how you were mutinied? Well," Jack chuckled bleakly, "welcome to the club, love."

"You? Your crew left you?"

Another sigh. "Yes."

"When?"

Yet another sorrowful sigh. "Nigh two years ago."

She countered his sigh with a groan and leaned back again, covering her eyes with an arm as if trying to prevent the truth from entering her head as well as the on-coming massive headache that was about to attack. She had bought the man a drink for nothing. Her whole plan was down the drain. She had been willing to do anything. She had nearly seduced the man, for God's sake! And to find out that he himself was without a ship... She groaned again. All was lost.

Jack felt almost sympathetic towards her. "Listen, love, I have a proposition for you."

"What?" she said sharply.

Jack winced. "I do have a boat. Not a grand ship, mind you, but she'll work. It's small, but it's fast. Listen. Are we not the two most feared pirates in the Caribbean?"

"Well, I suppose that is true," he said with considerate pride.

Jack smiled. "Look, why don't we go together and try to get our ships back?"

She lifted her arm and peered at him from under it. She hesitated a moment. "Mine first." She replaced the arm over her eyes and leaned back again.

Jack sighed for the billionth time. "Fine, yours first." He was starting to grin. This would be some adventure. Just the thing he needed. The past two years had been torture. He had had to steal a small boat from his friend Anamaria. Fey would be disappointed when she saw it he knew. But it was all they had.

"Now you said that your crew committed mutiny. Did they leave you alone on an island?"

"Aye"

"Oh. So how'd you escape."

"Prolly the same way you did." She was going this whole conversation just lying down with an arm flung across her eyes, and speaking very blandly.

"You bartered your way on board a trade vessel?"

"Not a trade vessel. Another pirate ship."

"Em, if you don't mind me asking, what did you use for bartering?"

For the first time in the discussion she lifted her arm and looked at him. "If you were a desperate, attractive young woman with one choice, give them your body, or die, what would you do?"

"How did you survive for a week on a tiny little island?"

"Large coconuts."

"No, that's how you got away."

"Har har har, very amusing, Captain Sparrow." She looked at him. "Now if you would be so kind as to stop looking at said coconuts. . ."

Jack moved up his gaze so that it rested on her face. She squirmed a bit, slightly unnerved by his intense gaze. She wanted to change the subject. "So how'd you get away from your lovely island?

"Same way you did."

"I knew yeh were woman."

"Very funny. It wasn't as hard for me, the men didn't find my body quite appealing."

"--Although I don't doubt yeh tried to change their minds. . ."

"Hilarious, mate, I assure you I'm laughing on the inside," he said dryly. Then his expression went from sarcastic to thoughtful. "What happened to those men who hurt you?"

"I don't know. But if I ever see those lousy bastards again, I'll rip them to pieces and make a necklace out of their severed privates."

Pause.

"That was truly nasty."

"Thank you."

"What is it with you and castrating people?"



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Hehe, thanks for reading it, (if you even DID!) and review to tell me how you feel about it. And to clear up the accent question (since Lydia was concerned, I figured others were as well) I'm keeping her accent very Irish, and Jack has a unique one, and he does say both "yeh" and "you" depending on whether there was a vowel next, and schtuff like that, so there y'are! REVIEW! Cheers!