*Disclaimer* Ich kann nicht glauben, daß Sie wirklich den Verzicht lesen. Ich

nicht Selbst Wille Turner. (Translation: I cannot believe you're actually reading the disclaimer. I don't own Will Turner.)

A/N to anniescribe: Thanks for the review! You're right---in the event of a storm, the sails would be "put away" to prevent the wind from snapping the masts. However, this is where nautical terms get a little confusing. "Furl" means that the sail is bunched up and not catching any wind. "Unfurled" means that the sail is loose. In a storm, loose is bad. So the sailors would climb the rigging, stand on (or, if they were smart, straddle) the crossbeam, and haul on a rope until the sails were drawn up like a set of mini-blinds. As you can imagine, it's not a job you'd want. ;-) Good question!

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The door to the captain's quarters opened with a slow, drawn out squeak. Will watched as John slunk into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Now that the boy was standing in front of him, Will's practiced speech deflated into one simple, slowly-spoken sentance.

"It's time to tell me who you really are, John Bloodworth."

The silence hung thick in the air. John looked in no way shocked, nor did he splutter or protest. He seemed to be thinking. Will watched his body language carefully. He was standing rigid and straight, with hands folded in front of him. Will may have imagined it, but he was almost sure he saw a breif tremor of the boy's fingers. After quite a few moment's thought, the silence was broken.

"My name is not John. My name is Julie...Julia Adrienna Bloodworth." His---her voice suddenly became higher and lighter. She pulled off the rag tied around her head and wiped some of the dirt off her face and neck. Will did his best not to look too shocked as her more feminine features became apparent. In fact, he found he was becoming angry with himself for not seeing it sooner. The "sister" on land had done nothing except tie her hair back, don sailor's clothes, and trundle her merry way on board. All this left him with only one question.

"Why?"

"Because I am a good sailor and I need the money." Her answer was quick, straightforward, and sensible.

"You have sailed before," Will said.

"Many times. At first I was a cabin boy. Then, once I learned enough, I became a real sailor and earn my wages, same as any other man." Her voice was flat. She knew that she wasn't doing herself any good. Will straightened himself and looked down at the girl.

"Why should I keep you on this ship, Miss Bloodworth?"

"Because you need another sailor." Again, simple and straightforward. "And we are weeks from our next port." Also true. Will sighed, suddenly feeling very weary.

"Very well. You'll continue to serve on this ship, continue your facade as a man. When we arrive back at Portsmouth, you will depart with full wages."

"No, sir." Will looked up, startled. Julia's eyes had suddenly taken on a dangerous glint, like that of a wild animal. Her voice was a dark growl. "I will not depart at Portsmouth."

"You will if I discharge you from my service." Will reasserted.

"I will tie myself to an anchor and throw myself into the sea first."

"Why, Miss Bloodworth?" Aside from just trying to cause him trouble.

"Do you know, Captain Turner, what it is like for a woman with no father, no family, and no husband?" Will's silence spoke volumes. Julia leaned against the wall, clenching her fists determinedly at her sides. "She is more sought out than a prostitute. Once it is learned that she is unattatched, every vile creature at port takes it as an open invitation for..."

"Miss Bloodworth..."

"I must speak plainly, Captain Turner, or you will understand very few of my actions." Will sighed and rubbed his hands over his hair.

"Very well. What have you to say?" She was silent for a moment, her lips pressed together and her brow furrowed in what he could only assume was deep thought. At length, she spoke.

"I do not seek glory, captain. Nor do I seek adventure. When I left home, all I sought was a chance at something other than poverty. By the time I realized that there were worse things than being poor, both my parents had been taken by the plague." He wondered if she were coming to some kind of point, or if this were just a ploy, though to what end it could be he was not entirely sure. She seemed to guess his thoughts.

"I had to think quickly to survive. That was the first time I cut my hair and boarded a ship as a cabin boy. Since then, I have worked almost entirely without discovery. When my shipsmates began to grow suspicious, I drew my pay and disappeared at port. Always by the time I was missed I had donned my petticoats and become Julia Bloodworth again. I live off my wages until my solitary status is discovered. Then I begin seeking a new berth."

"A clever plan." The sarcasm in Will's voice was biting and unrestrained. "But you said you worked almost without discovery."

The silence in the air was thick. The girl's dark, dark eyes held his and refused to let go. Will tried to interpret the expression with no success.

"I was found out once. This spring I was on shore leave, and three men took a fancy to me. As they were quite a bit stronger than I..."

"Miss Bloodworth..." Will felt his stomach turning. She spoke so matter-of-factly, as though all this were part of the natural order of things. He felt something for her that he had not felt for some time--exquisite pain. His numb shroud had been torn away, and a piece of the young, naive Will that he had thought dead writhed in agony for this girl. She continued speaking as though she hadn't heard his interjection.

"I returned to the ship and resumed my duties as normal...but within two weeks I realized that this time was different...this time, I couldn't just hide away..." For the first time, she hesitated. Will would have done almost anything to not hear her next words. "...Because of the child that grew within me." She sighed and looked away from him out the window, eyes fixing on the point where the blue of the sea and the blue of the sky fused. "I tried desperately to forget about it. I worked so hard the rest of the crew wondered if I was ill. The larger my belly grew, the more desperately I tried to leave it behind. Then one day...I did."

She swallowed hard and looked back at him. Her eyes were dull, any pain she felt restrained behind a dam that must have become a survival trait over time.

"I began to bleed. Though I tried to hide it, the pain prevented me from standing. They threw me in the hold of the ship until we reached port, then dumped me off. The only thing that kept me from the chopping block was my knowledge of a few...unsavory activities the captain was involved in."

"And that, Captain, is my story. Now, expose my lie if you will, only pray stand aside so I can throw myself oveboard first." The way she ended her narrative with that theatrical flair told Will she had been planning this moment for quite a while. Will rubbed his forehead. His mind raced for something to say.

"Miss Bloodworth...I'm sorry that you've been pained in this way..."

"I did not ask for your -pity-, Captain Turner." Julie slammed her fist violently into the table she stood beside. Her eyes became burning brands that seared away his lame attempt at consolation. "I ask for aid, do not give me platitudes. Will you keep my identity or will you not?" Will stared at her for a moment, startled. Her jaw was set so firmly that he was tempted to believe her threat to dive into the sea.

"...I will keep your sex in the strictest confidence, Miss Bloodworth." Will rubbed his forehead. Julie heaved a deep sigh, suddenly looking ill.

"Thank you, Captain Turner. I will never forget your kindness." Without making a sound, she slipped the rag back over her forehead, turned, and slipped out of the room.

Will began pouring himself a measure of rum and counting under his breath. At ten seconds exactly after the door clicked shut, a soft knock sounded.

"Come in, Nero." The sound of heavy hobnail boots grew louder as the door opened and Nero stepped in.

"Did ye...did ye find out 'o 'e is?" Will's stomach still quivered, making him sweat and giving him chills. The sickening horror of her story still haunted him.

"Yes. Yes, Nero, I found out."

"Is 'e..."

"No, he's not a pirate."

"Oh." Nero raised an eyebrow as Will gulped at his drink. He knew his trusted friend would not ask further, though he were dying to know. "All right, sir. Air ye well, Cap'n Will?"

"Yes, better than some..."

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Julie leaned over the railing of the ship, letting the breeze blowing up from the water cool her burning face and watery eyes. Her heart thudded in her ears, and her breath came fast. Burning hot waves of anger and panic buffeted her.

She was furious with herself. If she had just played dumb a little less and not jumped into the fray of the storm...if she had just stayed belowdecks where she belonged...Maybe they wouldn't have found her out.

Of course, no bad day would be complete without the requirement of telling the story of her life to a man she barely knew. She felt a fresh wave of blood rise to her cheeks. Her past was her own, no one's business but hers, and now she had to spill it out in matter-of-fact style to save her life.

Sorry. He said he was -sorry-. His eyes had been full of pity for her. Julie's fingernails dug into the ship's railing. She did not ask to be thought of as slimy or used or broken, nor had she asked to be pitied. Now that he knew about her past, heaven knew what he would do with that knowledge.

Still, a small voice reminded her, she owed him a debt of gratitude now. It was a debt that she would probably never be able to repay. Though it meant she was at his mercy, and being placed in that situation made Julie want to vomit, she still had to feel the tiniest bit of thankfulness.

He could, by all rights, have done any number of things---thrown her behind lock and key, taken her as his mistress, given her to the authorities...she had been threatened with it all before. Instead, she got away with a little discomfort and a faithful promise to keep her secret.

Or at least, the promise had better be faithful. If it wasn't, she was buggered.

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