Title: Crossing Blades

Chapter 8

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  Especially those who answered my question. Here are the results:

Gwen/Jack 8%

Gwen/Derrick 5%

Duh…I don't know 3%

I decided to make it Gwen/Jack. And all you who think Jack is too old, well for one Jack can never be too old, and two, love comes in all different shapes and sizes, if you loved someone with all your heart you don't love their body, you love their heart.  –Hannah

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        "Why do I feel safe in your arms?" she asked him. He placed his chin atop her head.

"I have that effect on women," he muttered snuggling her closer.

"But to you I'm basically a child," Gwen pointed out. Jack only stirred in return. 

"I don't care, I'm comfortable and I don't plan on moving," he mumbled.

"What did Derrick say?" she asked squirming a bit in his hold.

"I'll remember when I'm sober," he told her.

"But-" Jack put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh, I'll tell you later. I know it's hard for you, but relax."

Relax? Relax…oh yes; I can do that, Gwen thought. Just do what Jack says. He uncovered her mouth and started nibbling below her ear. Gwen shrugged him off but he continued.

"Jack, please stop. What would my parents say?" Gwen beseeched.

"Good thing they're not here," he whispered in her ear. If he wasn't holding onto her so tightly she would be able to get up and away.

"If anything please don't kiss me," Gwen pleaded.

"I'd only kiss you if you loved me, and that isn't now," Jack replied in his matter-of-factly tone into her ear. She giggled at the sensation in her ear.

"You like that now, don't you?" Jack asked her.

"Not exactly," she told him. Jack stopped and held her even more tightly.

"You just tell me when you want me to let go," he nuzzled in closer so Gwen's head was resting below his chin. I'm going to tell him to let go now…now…later…this is too comfortable, Gwen thought. No, you can't let him carry on, the nasty part of her head told her. You know what'll happen. But he's so gentle, the sensible part of her told her. Gwen? Are you asleep? What? That sounded like Jack's voice. What's he doing in my head?

"Jack?" she murmured.

"So you're not asleep. For a moment I thought you were out," he smirked.

"Will you tell me the story of you and father and mother? I haven't heard it since I was a small child, and I'm sure they left out plenty," Gwen asked him politely. 

"You really want a story?" he asked.

"Oh Captain Sparrow would you?" Gwen pleaded with glossy eyes. Too bad he couldn't see her face.

"Well, a year before you were born I made my way to Port Royal on a borrowed boat from Anamaria. Then I didn't have the Pearl so I went to commandeer a ship, pick up a crew and go after Barbossa.

"Of course your mother had to fall and almost drown, damn corset, and the Redcoats couldn't swim so I was the one who dived down and retrieved her. She was holding us down with her substantial dress so I ripped it off and reached the surface. The two so-called men that had kept me from commandeering pulled her onto the docks. One of them was saying about her not breathing. I went up with my knife and cut her corset. She sputtered out seawater and started breathing. And you're asleep aren't you?" he stopped to hear a quiet snore.

"S'pose you are." The captain closed his eyes only to reopen them to the knock on his door. Hollis, the former cabin boy poked his head in.

"It's your turn to take the helm, Cap'n," Hollis told his captain. Jack groaned and pushed the sleeping Gwen off of himself.

"We've been up all night taking the helm, we think it only fair that you should finally take it," Hollis explained.

"Who's we?" he asked as he searched for his hat.

"Me an' Anamaria an' Derrick," he grinned. Gwen stirred.

"Shoo! I don't want you in here anyway," Jack shooed Hollis out before Gwen stirred again.

That afternoon found Gwen writing in her journal that her father had given to her on her tenth birthday. Jack was at the helm watching his crew go about their business. Gwen sat near him.

After a while, Gwen heard splashing in the water. She kept on writing because she assumed they were just dolphins or something. When her hands were aching from writing she turned from Jack and looked out into the sea. There she saw a figure swimming tiredly, and it wasn't a dolphin.

"Jack! There's someone in the water!" she turned to face him. He took out his spyglass and looked for himself.

"Indeed there is. I'm going to get hi," Jack said reassuringly. He started taking off his effects and handing them to Gwen. "Hold onto those for me," he said when he patted his effects and put his hat on her head.

Jack dived into the deep blue arms first. He swam towards the figure that stopped swimming abruptly. Jack hooked his arm around the swimmer's upper body and started swimming back to the Pearl. As he reached the Pearl the man Johnson helped Jack and the swimmer onto the ship deck.

Gwen came up behind Jack who was looking at the out of breath swimmer. Gwen recognized the face instantly.

"Jeremy, what were you doing?" she asked. Jack gave her a look. Gwen sat by her old friend and wrapped an arm around him oblivious to his sopping clothes.

"Gardenia? Is that you?" he breathed using Gwen's old nickname and taking huge gulps of air.

"I'm here, don't worry," she reassured him. Jack was eyeing her. "This is my childhood friend, Jeremy Trinket."

"Gwen, where are we?" he asked.

"We're on the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow's ship," she said. Jeremy suddenly seemed conscious of where he was.

"Your parents," Jeremy remembered, "were on my ship that was attacked by another ship. I jumped ship; your parents were fighting, and-and I can't remember what happened after that. But people on our ship were following my suit and I swam for a couple days. Nevertheless, the ship that had attacked us was the Clearwater."

Jeremy started to get up but Gwen pushed him back. His blond hair was tinted with red stains. His eye was purple and his lip was cracked. His clothes were a dark red, but Gwen knew he didn't own anything red. He noticed that she was staring.

"I'm not badly hurt, I was carrying a man but he died," Jeremy coughed. Jack pushed Gwen aside and easily picked him up.

"Where are we going?" Jeremy asked.

"My cabin," Jack said studiously. He pulled back Jeremy's shirt and winced.

"It's worse than I said, isn't it?" Jeremy asked. Gwen came up behind Jack.

"He's alright isn't he?" she asked. Jack pulled back the shirt once again; a gash ran across his stomach and it was still bleeding.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked dryly.

"Gwen will be coming with me won't she?" Jeremy asked and him and nodded. Jeremy grasped Gwen's hand making Jack's things fall from her arms.

"I didn't think you would want to do anything for him," Gwen whispered.

"He's the closest thing we have of news of your parents," Jack told her quietly.

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Thanks for readin'! Next chapter involves Jeremy, Gardenia (aka Gwen) and another OC.  

I have a stupid question, what does Mary Sue mean? I'm getting a lot of reviews that says that this is a Mary Sue. Help me out!