A/N: This is my first ever posting on anything. Any mistakes are my own, and I blame no one but myself as I am too lazy to check any reference beyond those I own. If any of my inaccuracies drive you to distraction, let me know and I will certainly see what I can do about them.
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I did, but at this point in time it seems very unlikely that I will ever have any rights to this film. On with the story.
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"Captain, what does that look like to you?" Winn Morgan handed the spyglass to the Captain who had just come up on the poop deck. She waited patiently for a reaction from the man, and when he let out a stream of curses that turned the air blue, she merely blinked. "I take it that you agree we're being followed by a pirate ship?" Winn asked with imperturbable calm.
"Miss Morgan, this is no time for wit. We need to prepare for ba –"
"I agree. We do need to prepare. Reef the sails and drop anchor."
"What! We still have a chance to outrun them. The Kestrel is a fast ship, miss. It is unlikely that we would be caught if we –" the man paused as the temperature of his companion's gaze turned from cool to arctic.
"No Captain, it is very likely that we would be caught. If you haven't noticed from the ship's description and the insignia on her flag, that is the Black Pearl, the fastest ship in these waters. We cannot outrun her, and it's unlikely that we would come out unscathed in a sea battle. I prefer not to irritate the Pearl's captain, goading him into actions he otherwise would have never taken. Follow my orders please."
"But miss –"
"Follow my orders Captain Riley, or I shall relieve you of duty and find someone who will." Winn's tone was hard as stone as she stared down a man she had known since childhood.
Riley's back stiffened as he said, "Yes ma'am."
The ship had been taken without a fight – in fact, the Kestrel hadn't even tried to resist the pirate boarding party. The ship's unlucky crew was gathered on deck, clustered around the mainmast. Her captain and first mate were being held on the stern near the helm. The pirate crew had searched below deck and had found to their disappointment that while the taken ship was rich in foodstuffs, it was poor in booty. Peeks into the cabins had revealed even less than that – the ship carried but one passenger, a passenger that had been found in the prow near the masthead.
"I believe you're standing in my light. It's rather inconvenient at the moment. It you would be so kind as to move." While the words sounded polite, they were said with the tone of one who is tired of being interrupted by unimportant nuisances, and the one delivering them did not look up from her book.
The captain's dark eyes glittered with equal parts amusement and exasperation as he considered a reply. God save me, he thought, from the overbred manners of spoiled merchant brats. At least she wasn't screaming. "The last time I checked, lass, pirates were never considered a convenience."
"True, but some have been known to be more convenient that others." The girl still sat facing away from him, brown head bowed as she turned to the next page in her tome.
So, the silly chit thought that she could match wits with him, did she? "If you consider raiding and pillaging to be a convenience, luv."
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of rescuing drowning ladies and defeating shiploads of cursed pirates, Captain Sparrow, although such gallantry seemingly ends when it comes to protecting one's rum supply."
Jack Sparrow felt shock ripple though him as he drew his sword, though he was careful to keep his customary smirk on his face. His voice was low and dangerous as he said, "I think you'd best put your book down and stand up, luv – I'm wanting some answers."
The young woman stood up with an air of resignation, though she kept a finger in her book to mark her spot. As she did so, the pirate captain realized two things – firstly, that she was no merchant get. Her skin was too deeply tanned for her to be a proper English lady. Most English women in this part of the world wanted to keep their fashionable ivory completions and used any number of ridiculous stratagems to preserve them. This female clearly enjoyed spending time outdoors. Secondly, though it was hard to pinpoint her age, she was not as young as he had first supposed.
All this he noticed in the blink of an eye (as all good pirate captains can), and putting his observations aside for the moment he concentrated on getting answers to his questions.
"Who are you –"
"– and how did I know who you were?" the girl interrupted. "That's simple enough. Everyone knows that Jack Sparrow escaped the gallows last summer to return to his ship, the Black Pearl. I simply saw a ship that matched the description of the Pearl and assumed that you were still captain. Risky in the pirate business, I know, but since your crew was loyal enough to come fetch you from the hangman's noose, I thought that they might not have mutinied against you. Really Captain, is that sword absolutely necessary?"
"Yes, it is. And while what you say makes sense, I'm more concerned with how you got your information than with what information you have."
"Easy, I read smoke signals, especially when rum is the main fuel." While her face was solemn, her eyes gently mocked him from behind brass rimmed spectacles. When she saw that he was not amused, she muttered something that sounded very much like, "so much for a sense of humor," then said, "Look, if you don't let us go soon we'll be late getting to port, and then there will be all hell to pay."
"Unfortunate. Where did you get your information from?"
"An old and dear friend – the soon to be Elizabeth Turner. Are we done now?"
Jack didn't hear the question, he was too busy muttering under his own breath, something that sounded distinctly like, "yes, tell us all why you burned the gods-blest rum. Why don't you tell the entire bloody world while you're at it? There's no living with some people." This went on for some time while the girl tried to stifle her mirth. Unluckily, she wasn't too successful at it, for she managed to draw the man's attention to her once again. "Now do you understand why I wouldn't want to be late, Captain?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "It takes but three days to reach Port Royal from here. The weddin's not for another two weeks. I think we'll be standing here for a while yet, luv; you still haven't answered all my questions."
"I suppose that means that you aren't going to be putting that thing away any time soon, are you?" Her eyes threw a distasteful glance at the unsheathed blade that hadn't moved from its position near her midriff.
"I suppose it doesn't. What's your name?"
The woman glared at him. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that."
"I haven't. Don't make me ask again, savvy?"
With a look of extreme dislike she said, "Winifred. Regrettably, most fail to understand that I have never liked that name, so they insist on calling me by it. You call me that and you'll regret it."
Jack came a step closer, forcing her to raise her head in order to maintain eye contact. Her eyes became wary behind her spectacles, as with a grin Jack almost purred, "What makes you think I would regret it, Winifred?" His tone implied he was speaking about more than just saying her name.
Her eyes narrowed, "Elizabeth burned your rum to save both your lives, Captain." At this reminder, Jack's eyes also narrowed. "What I would do would be ever so much more creative. I have three older brothers – I know all about pulling pranks and about how to defend myself." To prove her statement, Winn's booted foot came down on Jack's at the same time as her nails sank into the tender flesh of the pirate's wrist. Sparrow's sword clattered to the deck as he grabbed his foot. Winn made no move to pick it up as she waited for the slightly injured Sparrow to recompose himself.
What kind of woman would be caught dead in sea-boots, wondered Jack as he took his time straightening from his crouch. Even more bewildering was the question – what kind of woman attacks an armed pirate, or even treats one with indifference, for that matter. Although when all is said and done, a bruised foot is slightly better than a slap in the face, thought Jack with a slight grimace.
"That was fair foolish, missy." Jack looked up to see that a member of his crew had come to his aid. Winn stood deathly still as one Joshua White held a knife to her throat, ready to slit it at Jack's earliest convenience. While her face was pale, Winn's eyes were as steady as ever as she watched the pirate captain rise to his full height. Almost daring him to give the order to kill her, she said, "You might want to retrieve your sword, Captain. I hear there are dangerous criminals onboard."
Rolling his eyes, the Pearl's captain responded, "Luv, didn't anyone ever teach you to hold your tongue when your life is being threatened? Or are you just too naïve to believe that I might have you killed for that little stunt?" Jack had no intention of actually harming the girl, he just wanted to see what was going on behind those glasses which were still perched upon her nose, albeit precariously.
"I was taught that pirates are like dogs in some aspects –" At this the knife at her throat darted in to raise a welt across her windpipe. She gasped, as if astonished that someone would dare harm her. Then, before Jack could lift hand or voice to rebuke White, she threw her head back, jammed an elbow into her captor's diaphragm, and brought a booted foot crashing down on White's instep. Jack winced in silent pity at the crack of broken bones that followed the young pirate to the deck as he fell, trying to breathe through what appeared to be a broken nose and a thorough winding.
Sparrow made a mental note to talk to the man later as he stooped to pick up his sword. He waited for the young woman before him to compose herself before asking, "What was it you were saying?"
Surprise flickered in Winn's eyes. Was there to be no reprimand for striking at the captain and maiming a member of his crew? Her eyes followed Jack's actions as he slide his blade into its sheath. Rubbing her throat, she murmured, "Umm . . . I was saying that pirates, like dogs, can smell fear. Although I don't entirely believe Grandfather when it comes to that. . ." she trailed off.
Winn was off balance, unsure of what to expect. The pirates she knew would have backhanded any man for the way she was acting towards this one. True, they tended to have a fairly strange moral code when it came to women, but this man's tolerance was almost unheard of. Even Grandfather would be bellowing to wake the dead by this point.
Watching him through cautious eyes, she brought her hand away from her neck to check for blood. Sure enough, there was a faint smear giving a reddish tint to the skin of her palm.
So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she missed the look in the Captain's eyes as he observed her. Not that seeing it would have helped her much; Captain Sparrow was a man used to keeping his thoughts to himself, as much as it might have seemed otherwise. At this particular point in time, he was wondering just what his next move was going to be.
Winn, still studying her palm as if it could tell her what to do next, took an alarmed step back when the pirate captain reached for her chin. Ruefully she thought, So much for not showing fear.
"Hold still, will ye? I won't bite unless you ask me to, Winnie." Winn's eyes darted up from Jack's outstretched hand to his face. The leer he had pasted on was almost comical; the same one that the old salts on her Grandfather's estate wore when she stopped to talk to them. She unconsciously relaxed slightly at the familiarity of the expression.
"I don't believe I like the name 'Winnie' anymore than I like 'Winifred.'" Once again Jack advanced on her, although this time she resolutely held her ground. When the man's hands started to circle her neck, she continued as much to distract him as to take her mind off the feel of his hands on her skin – it was an unsettling feeling. "If you could restrain yourself from using such unsuitable nicknames, I would be much obliged, Captain." After making this request, she remained silent as the pirate studied her wound.
"We'll have to get that cleaned up when we return to the Pearl." At this Winn did react. She jerked out of his hold, fixing her deadliest glare upon the grinning brigand in front of her.
"I don't believe that I wish to do any such thing, Captain," Winn stated with as much dignity and authority as she could muster. "Moreover, I believe that we have adequate supplies on the Kestrel to tend to a scratch. I'm afraid that you'll be returning to your ship without me."
Once more Jack started walking towards Winn, who was starting to resemble a cornered animal. "It's me that should be apologizing, luv, for I really must insist that you accompany us. Just think how I would feel if a wound you received from the hands of my crew turned putrid. I'd never forgive myself." Winn gave an unladylike snort of disbelief. "You wouldn't want me to feel guilty 'til the end of my days, would you Winnie?" At this, his hand reached out and grabbed Winn's arm above the elbow. She knew immediately that trying to free herself from this grip would win her humiliation instead of freedom, so she went along with the man.
"I hardly believe that a scratch can make you feel what years of piracy, thievery, and deception have not," she replied in an icy voice as Captain Sparrow "escorted" her down the stairs to the main deck.
"You don't believe in much, do you luv?" Jack let her lose once they were off the stairs.
Winn whirled around to face him. "I believe in staying on my ship."
"Staying on your ship isn't going to do you much good lass. After all, a ship can't sail without its sails, now can it?"
"What?" Far from being defeated, Winn Morgan drew herself up, her eyes flashing. "You can't just leave my men stranded in the middle of the ocean without any sails! You would be condemning them to a slow death, unless another ship came along to tow them, which is unlikely in this part of the ocean."
"Your men have sweeps with which they can make their merry way to Antigua. It will only take them a week or so, and they have more than enough provisions to that them that long. Stop whimperin' and acquiesce gracefully, luv."
The look she gave him made him think she'd rather see him to the bottom of the ocean first. Still glaring, she said, "Fine, if you insist. However, I will tell you that my grandfather will not be pleased when he hears of this. Remember that, should you ever have enough sense to rue this." With that last pronouncement, she allowed herself to be shown to the plank running over the thin strip of water that separated the Kestrel and the Pearl.
Declining any assistance from Jack (with whom she was not well pleased, to be mild), she walked crossed the plank with all the dignity of a dethroned queen. Jack was just a beat behind her as she stepped foot onto the deck of the Black Pearl. Trying to hide his amusement, and not particularly caring as he failed, Jack once again took her arm in a firm grip and guided her to his cabin. Opening the doors, he waited for her to step inside. Understandably, she hesitated on the threshold once she realized that the room in front of her must be the captain's quarters. She turned to protest this latest inconvenience, but Jack was a step ahead of her.
"Don't start thinking like that, lass." His voice was almost kind, but his smirk ruined the effect. "I just need somewhere to stow you until I've taken care of matters aboard your ship. This would be it, unless you truly prefer the brig. I must warn you though, there's a bit of a leak below decks that we still haven't been able to locate. Now, if you'd step inside and allow me to get on with my work –"
With the look of the highly annoyed, Winn did as she was bid. The doors closed behind her, and as she looked around the room in the dim light, she wondered what she was going to do now.