Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Jack turned around and looked me over, and I ended up wishing I hadn't said anything at all, because now he was feasting his pirate eyes on me and my see-through wet night gown. Will, thankfully, noticed this and stepped in front of me.
"This is exactly the reason Miss Swann needs more suitable garments, Jack," he said. My lips twitched. Here was Will, valiantly protecting my modesty. Will, who saw me in breeches or a bodice, more often than not, when we had our little fencing lessons. Jack frowned at Will, but nodded.
"Well, yer officer-ness…I'm quite sorry, lad, but yer just going to have to lend that fine uniform to this lovely lady here," Jack said. The Naval Officer, I knew not his name, looked horrified. Some of his fellow sailors would have looked amused, were it not for the fact that Jack pointed his pistol at their leader and said, "Now, mate. I haven't got all day. Fair maiden to save and all that," he said.
I looked away as the poor man slowly took off his uniform. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. I didn't look up until Jack tossed the clothes to me, and the sailors lowered a lifeboat and rowed away. "Sir, they've taken the Dauntless. They've taken the ship. Sparrow and Turner, they've taken the Dauntless, and they've kidnapped the Governor's daughter!" I heard the officer yell, waving. I started laughing, he must have been quite a sight to see, waving in only his under garments. Jack had even taken his boots, which would probably be too big on me anyway, but there were a lot better than the ballet flats, more like slippers, I had on.
Will and Jack went about setting up the ship to sail, and I watched eagerly. I had read about ships, and had been on plenty, but I wasn't quite sure how to sail. All I wanted to do was climb up the rigging and sit in the little cup thing and yell "Land ho!" when the opportunity arose. Of course, I didn't quite know the north from my elbow, so I wouldn't be much use. I assumed that Jack and Will would teach me.
"Here they come," Will said as the Interceptor stationed itself next to us. The soldiers swung aboard, and one of them grabbed my elbow. "Will!" I shouted, trying to wrench my arm back. Jack ran up and hit the soldier with the butt of his pistol. "There you go, Miss," he said. I grinned, "Now what are we going to do, Captain?" I asked. He didn't answer, merely grabbed hold of my waist and then grabbed a rope, swinging onto the Interceptor.
Swinging through the air would have been quite thrilling, if I had a better grip on the rope than none. But I did not, and was force to grab the Captain instead. He grinned insolently at me. I was too busy staring at the water that was about a good fifteen feet down, maybe more. I held on tighter.
"Come on, boy, we haven't got all day for you to dally around!" Jack shouted, and Will tossed him a very dirty look indeed. We were now on the deck of the Interceptor, Will still swinging over on a rope. I was still clinging to the Captain.
"Well, if I didn't know you were so taken with young Mr. Turner, Miss, I would think that you fancied me," Jack said. I blanched, even though he had said the first part a great deal quieter than the second, and the second part quite loud, for Will's benefit I suppose. Not that it mattered, when Will clearly had a one track mind for Elizabeth. He dragged me over to the big wheel on the ship (yes, I did read about ships, but I didn't say that retained all the information, now did I?) and did one thing or another to make us pull forward. "Sailors, back to the Interceptor! Now!" Commodore Norrington shouted, his wig probably quivering with rage. Ha! I pulled tighter to Jack and grinned at him. If I ever saw my father again, he would surely kill me.
The sailors grabbed ropes and attempted to swing back onto the Interceptor, failing miserably and splashing into the water. We would be so in shambles if some rival decided to take over Port Royal. Spain, perhaps. Or Iceland. I never paid attention to my geography tutor, that much is obvious.
We were safe distance away from the Dauntless now, and I wondered why they weren't following us. I assumed that the Commodore would have wanted to blow this ship sky high now that it was in the hands of, oh good heavens, a pirate. Not to mention one of many competitors of sweet Elizabeth's heart - and hand - in marriage. I sighed bitterly. Maybe my father had forbidden him to fire at us, seeing as how I was on the ship.
Will glared and grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly away from the Captain. I nearly tripped over my still-damp night gown and Will steadied me, his arm around my waist. Not for the first time, I noticed.
"That is no way to treat Miss Swann, Captain," Will spat. I am so sure. "You will treat her with the respect she deserves, as she is a lady and not some wench you'd have on your knee," he continued. I looked up at him, shocked. The cause of this sudden protectiveness of me is because I am the only female in miles and miles of water, no doubt. Not exactly a heartening thought. I'm sure if Elizabeth was here, I'd be invisible again. But then, Jack didn't seem to fancy her much, so maybe I'd be invisible only to Will. Which is even more depressing than being invisible to everyone. I tried to catch Will's eye, but he was very intently ignoring me. What a surprise. Figures, I am the only female here and I am still ignored. I looked to Jack, who had a most aggravating smile playing on his lips.
"Yes, young William, my boy, but I am sure that you would not disagree to having this lady on your knee, now would ye, mate?" he asked. I flushed up to my hairline, I'm sure, and before this could drag on to further humiliate me I shouted.
"Alright, enough! If you two are done debating whether I am a wench or a lady, and whose knee I should be perched on, we do have a…mission…a reason for being on this ship. And that is to save my stupid sister, who was not intelligent enough to jump out of the window away from the pirates in the first place. In fact, if it wasn't for her blatant idiocy, we wouldn't be here in the first place, and you wouldn't be discussing if I am a wench or what not. So can we please move on?"
I was rewarded by ringing silence from both of my antagonists. Thank Goodness for the sounds of the ocean, at least it wasn't stunned to stillness from my very sensible and entirely indispensable outburst.
"Right then, to work!" Jack said. "Miss Swann, love," he added, for good measure. Men are not only infuriating, but incredibly stupid. I think I may have mentioned this before, and it certainly wont be the last time. Will glared, his arm around my waist tightening. Instead of making me leaning into him and being all lovey-dovey, I (to my surprise) pushed his arm away. Well, I have some pride. I am not just some outlet for his lust when my sister is not there for him to feast his eyes upon. For heaven's sake. I glared at him and he just looked confused. And, damn it, hurt, which nearly broke my resolve and make me inch closer to him. Nearly. But not quite.
"Yes, Captain?" I asked. "Perhaps ye should go change into yer more suitable clothes. Then we'll set ye to work, because, as ye said, you did not just come to see us off. And so you shall have to be a fully participatin' member of this crew," he said. I nodded and grabbed the clothes, which thankfully Will remembered to bring from the Dauntless. I went down to the belly of the ship to get changed.
I sighed - of course there was no door so I had to hope that the men would quell their obscene need to spy on the only female for miles and hastily stripped out of my night gown. I pulled on the undershirt of the naval officer, feeling my skin crawl because these were not my clothes, nor were they any woman's clothes. No, they were a man's clothes, and Lord knows the bathing habits of men. I shuddered.
Thankfully, I had worn long undergarments to bed last night, so my legs were covered up to just below my knee. Of course, all I had on was a sleeveless under shirt and my long underwear (that was, need I say, still damp. Typical.) when Will decided to bound down the stairs and walk in on me. Okay, so maybe their perverted need was not so easy to quell, because although I am no Elizabeth, I am not horribly disfigured and I am not fat. Well, not disgustingly fat, though my hips and rear were a bit larger than considered becoming. You know, I had expected this sort of behavior to come from Jack, because he is a pirate and he cannot help himself, but not from Will. Although it wasn't a big deal, he'd seen me in britches before, and that was really what I was wearing.
Except for the fact that it was my damned underwear.
Anyway, he barged in and I shrieked, my arms crossing over my chest defensively. Thankfully (and I am being far too thankful lately) the undershirt was long on me, but loose. "Will, what in the name of all things holy are you doing!" I shouted. He had the courtesy to flush and look away. "The Captain requests that you hurry it up," he said. I was going to clobber him, and when I was done, I was going to clobber the Captain and sail this bloody ship to wherever the hell we were going by my-bloody-self.
"WELL COULDN'T YOU JUST YELL THAT FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS!" I bellowed. Apparently not. Will tried to turn around again. "DON'T YOU DARE, WILLIAM HAROLD TURNER, OR I SWEAR ON MY IDIOT SISTER'S GRAVE THAT I WILL SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!" I yelped. Will winced at the mention of his middle name. Good. Serves him right for walking in on me like this. Not a proper way to treat a lady, indeed.
I hastily pulled on the pants, trying not to think of who had been wearing these first. I mean, a shirt is one thing, but pants too? Good Lord, this is why women should be allowed to wear breeches instead of those stupid dresses. I had to poke a new whole in the officer's belt so they wouldn't fall down.
"Okay, you can turn around now," I said, turning my back to Will and ripping a large part of my robe to tie as a corset-like thing around my midriff. Not because I was particularly fond of corsets, but because the shirt was very loose.
Here lies a problem: I cannot tie something that is on my back. Will walked over (much to my dismay, and, annoyingly, thrill). "Here, let me," he said softly. If I had been Elizabeth, I would have fainted. But, thankfully, I am not. And so I only nearly fainted.
Die, hormones, die!
"There you go, miss," Will whispered. Oh, why did his voice do those stupid things to my stomach? I risked turning to face him. "Why so formal all of a sudden, Will?" I asked curtly, fidgeting, but trying not to, under his gaze. He said nothing, only leaned in a bit. I gulped, and turned away again quickly, ripping another sash from my robe and tying it as a head band. Will didn't move. He was much too close.
I darted away and practically flew up the stairs to get away. It was too stifling down there, and I was in dire need of air. Will followed me a moment later.
"Well, Miss Swann, you look absolutely ravishing," Jack said, sweeping his eyes over me appreciatively. If I had a penny for every time he did that, I'd be able to buy my own bloody ship and sail it without being visually molested every five seconds.
"Captain, I'd appreciate it if you didn't insist on being quite so formal, after all I am to be a fully participating member of this crew, aren't I?" I said, ignoring him. Jack nodded. "Right, then, well, Christina, have ye ever sailed on a ship before?" he asked. His eyes, I noticed, were not on my face. Bugger this, if they want to play this game, then I shall make their lives miserable. I walked up closer to the Captain.
"Well, no, not under the command of a pirate," I said, lowering my voice. He looked up and met my eyes in surprise. Aha. "Well, then, Miss, we shall have to get you acquainted with this ship now wont we?" he said, putting an arm around my waist. The things I have to put up with. I smiled. "Yes, we shall," I said flirtatiously. Will cleared his throat loudly. Oh for heaven's sake.
"Jack, we haven't got much time to dawdle, the Pearl is getting farther every second!" he said. I am so sure. But then, seeing as how he was obsessed with my sister, part of that statement might have been in earnest. Jack glared at Will.
"It'd do you good to remember who yer Captain is, ye savvy?" he muttered, and they set to work, leaving me with absolutely nothing to do. I looked up at the rigging and decided that while I was being ignored, I might as well try to climb up.
I had got maybe five feet up when Will and Jack started to talk. Of course, I was going to listen. Who wouldn't?
"When I was a lad living in England , my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father," Will said. I held my breath - he didn't talk about his mother and father to anyone except me after we had finished practicing, or were taking a break.
"That so?" Jack asked, sounding bored. I wanted to jump on him. How dare he? Poor Will was talking about his mum and all Jack did was show not even the vaguest sympathy. Pirates.
"My father, Will Turner. And in jail it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father," Will pressed on excitedly. Clever boy, eh? I sighed quietly.
"I knew 'im. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner, everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill," Jack said, his voice very carefully devoid of emotion. Will didn't seem to notice, but I did. Women usually do.
"Bootstrap?" Will asked.
"Good man, good pirate. I swear ye look just like him," Jack said, a bit like an uncle would talk to his nephew. I nearly fell out of the rigging. But Will's father had been dead for years, and he was a pirate? It took me a while to let this information soak in. Will's next words stirred me out of my thoughts.
"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor; a good, respectable man who obeyed the law!" he said angrily.
"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag," Jack scoffed. My eyes darted between both men, a bit nervous. Surely Will would get all worked up and try to kill Jack. And where would that put us? In the middle of an ocean on a stolen ship with a dead pirate. Or a dead blacksmith, depending on how the duel could go. Not good.
"My father was not a pirate!" Will insisted. I don't know, I'd rather my father was a pirate than a spineless Governor who favors one daughter over the other. In fact, it'd be rather exciting if my father was a pirate. But I couldn't imagine him as one. It was just impossible.
Will took out his sword and held it at Jack's neck. I nearly fell out of the rigging again in an attempt to get down. My foot was caught in the ropes and I crashed unceremoniously onto the roof of the Captain's cabin. And was ignored.
"Put it away, son, it's not worth ye getting beat again. " Jack said quietly. I stood up to watch what was happening, and made my way down to the deck again as quietly as I could, which was pretty loudly.
"You didn't beat me; you ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd have killed you," Will said venomously. "And that's no incentive for me to fight fair, is it?" Jack asked, turning on the wheel thing and a huge beam swung out and knocked Will nearly clean off the ship. "Will!" I cried, and ran over only to be nearly knocked over when Jack held out his arm. Lovely.
"And as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance – you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. And me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me ones, savvy? So…can you sail under the command of a pirate or can you not?" Jack asked. Will was hanging on and slipping, and I pushed against Jack, but he held me still.
"Tortuga?" Will asked. So that was the word.
Jack swung him back onto the ship. Will landed hard on his back. I winced.
"Tortuga," Jack confirmed.
1.
Hours later the ship was docked and we were walking in a town that looked as if it was built on rum and whiskey and ale, and dirty men and women whose corsets were so tight that they were bursting out of their dresses. I had changed back into my nightgown, as it was dry, but had put on the officer's boots and jacket.
"You see, my lad, if every town on earth was like this on, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack said triumphantly. I raised an eyebrow. "Or sober. And no woman would ever be without child," I muttered. Jack laughed heartily at that. Suddenly a thin red-haired woman walked purposefully up to Jack. "Scarlet!" Jack said, holding out his arms to her. Her dark eyes flashed dangerously under what had to be a ton of kohl lining. Her pale powdered face contorted with anger and grew redder than the rouge she wore.
She glared at me, "Who's she?" she asked. My eyes widened, "Oh, no, we're not, he's not - " I started to say, but she smacked Jack nonetheless. I blinked, shocked. Women at Port Royal surely never did that. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack said, looking dazed.
"Giselle!" he called as yet another woman walked up to him. With her blonde hair and fair skin, she was a slovenly version of my sister. "'Oo was she?" she sneered, smacking Jack hard across the jaw before he could answer. I could see where all those gold teeth came from.
"I may have deserved that," Jack confessed. Will raised an eyebrow and I laughed. Will took my hand, and after a few moments of trying and failing to pull my hand him his grasp, we followed Jack to a pig sty. Literally. Jack grabbed a bucket and dumped over a man who was sleeping with the pigs. I wasn't even about to begin to attempt to contemplate this.
"Can't I have a breather, you slack jawed idiot!" the man shouted, getting up. The pigs barely noticed the water. I wrinkled my nose. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better then to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck," the man said. He looked oddly familiar…
"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking," Jack explain. I just barely followed that statement, and by the look on the man's face, neither did he.
"That'll about do it," he agreed finally. Jack grinned. Will tossed another bucket of water on him. "Blast! I'm already awake!" the man said. Will nodded, "That was for the smell," he answered. The man grumbled, and then he looked at me.
"Well, bless my eyes, if it isn't young Miss Swann!" he said. I blinked. "Don't tell me ye don't remember me? It's Francis Gibbs, from the ship under Captain Norrington? Eight years ago? You certainly became quite the pretty young thing, I remember when you were a gangly little runt," he said. I just stared, trying very hard to place this man. "Good Lord, Missy, you were only twelve back then, you can't not remember!" he said. Realization dawned on me.
"Oh! I do remember you!" I said. He grinned, "Now, where's that pretty little sister of yours? I'd like to see how she turned out," he asked. I looked away angrily, ignoring how Jack studied me carefully.
"Now, enough of that, I've got bad luck to counter," he said, shooting a questioning look at me. I avoided his gaze. "Keep a sharp eye out," Jack muttered to Will.
"For Miss Christina, if for nothing else, there is nothing more dangerous than a drunk man on Tortuga. Except, perhaps, a woman scorned," he added thoughtfully as we headed for a pub.
Will and I leaned against a pillar as Mr. Gibbs sat hearing out Jack's proposal. We didn't hear much over the roar of drunk, smelly men and loose women. One particularly fat woman came and pressed herself up against Will. He inched away from her, grabbing me around the waist as a man (obviously very intoxicated) reached out for me. He put himself between me and that flea bitten scoundrel. I had an idea.
"Will," I whispered, leaning up and tucking my head safely into his neck. His breath caught and he looked down at me questioningly. "What are you up to, Christina?" he asked.
I grinned. "Just play along, maybe they'll leave us alone," I said. I took his free arm and drew it around me waist, and wrapped my arms around his neck, standing closer. I tried to see what was playing across his features at this, (most likely disgust) but as he looked down at me, there was a smile on his lips. This time my breath caught and I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from his lips, except to stare into his eyes. I bit my lip and my eyes ticked past his shoulder as Jack and Mr. Gibbs toasted to whatever they had said. I looked back to Will, who had moved closer. I swallowed hard.
"They're done," I said, trying to push away. He wouldn't let go. I groaned, "Will, now is not the time for you to pretend that I am Elizabeth, do let go," I said angrily. He blinked.
"Alright, you two, lets go. There's an inn we can stay at 'til morn' if ye'd like, or we can go back to the ship. But, Miss Christina, I think ye'd like some fresh clothes to wear, so we'll go get that for ye first," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from Will. I could breath again, now that I had my own personal space back. It was very hard to breathe around Will lately. He was like an emotional corset.
Jack dragged me, Will and Mr. Gibbs followed behind us. We left to stay at an inn, and Gibbs went off to sleep with his pigs. As I lay on the bed - and there was only one, seeing as how we didn't have much money, although the inn keeper had said he'd give us the room for free if I agreed to stay with him, which I did not and Jack berated me for this after - I stared up at the ceiling. Jack had taken the floor, and Will had claimed a lumpy chaise as his bed. I tried not to notice how Will's breathing was unsteady and he was obviously still awake, like me.
This adventure would be the death of me, I just knew it.