Disclaimer: I just realized literally a few seconds ago that I've been forgetting to put up disclaimers… So while I'm sure you all know none of this is mine, for those of you who are incredibly stupid, all I own is Abby, Thomas, Ron, Jimmy and anyone else who wasn't in the movie. So very, very, VERY unfortunately, I don't own Captain Jack Sparrow. If I did do you think I would be having issues about a guy at school I like? Nooo…. I would have Jack! But alas! Instead, I worry over some guy… at least he likes me too. Heh.

A/N: Oi! It's been… crazy. Heh. But I'm happy! All the stuff with my friends is over… as far as I'm involved (directly) that is. The guy I liked… Well my friend got pissed at me, I gave up on him cuz it wasn't worth it and we're all friends now. And then I wrote my cousin too and even got a letter back from him today! Hehe. I know, this chapter's pretty short. But I couldn't really think of what to put for the last full day, so… eh. This is what came out. Heh. Short, but sweet I think. The next few chapters should start to have more in it, since the story will really be starting then. Well, I had been expecting to have time to write Labor Day weekend, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time really. So it's a little later than I expected (ok, a LOT later.. hehe). Sorry about all that, but I'm sure you all know how real life can be demanding at times! Heh. And I don't really know ship things too well and I'm not one to research for a fanfiction, so if anything's wrong, just tell me and I'll correct it! I'm not sure if things will be on land or more ships after this, but I believe there will be some parts at least on the Pearl again. Thanks everyone! And I think what I'm going to do with Abby, is have her start being more child like now that she's out of Tortuga and able to be a little kid. She's going to start realizing she can be care-free and have fun in the simple things in life soon I hope.

Chapter 5: Day 4

Jack groggily pulled his eyes open. He had gotten extremely drunk the previous night before falling asleep — he lifted his head up and looked around — before passing out sprawled across his bunk with about seven or eight empty bottles of rum apparently.

What the bloody hell is that noise? Jack thought, sitting up to listen better upon finally noticing the voices coming from outside his cabin.

"We plunder, we pillage-" Abby's voice was interrupted.

"No, no! Ye have it backwards, lass. It's 'we pillage, we plunder,'" Gibbs's voice could be heard through the door.

"Aw, don't fret, girl! Ye'll get it soon enough. We have all day t' teach ye!" Anamaria said, apparently comforting her.

"Will you… Will ye sing it fer me then?" Abby asked, making a noticeable effort to speak as they did.

"Aye, course we will!" Gibbs said while chuckling a bit. Just as he and Anamaria started to sing, Jack stepped out of his cabin. He looked up and saw Abby standing in the crow's nest, occasionally singing when a part she remembered came about, the rest of the crew was working except Anamaria steering the ship. Gibbs was working on the rigging along with Ron and Jimmy. They kept nervously looking between Jack, Abby, and Thomas once they noticed Jack come out of his cabin. Thomas however was calmly repairing an old sail that had been ripped in a storm the week before, acting as though nothing were out of the ordinary. Jack noticed all of this and put it away in his memory in case he needed it. Even a loyal crew like his would mutiny against a captain if they disliked something he was doing. And with some of the men's reactions to Abby being on board… Jack shook his head. They would be rid of her by tomorrow; he just had to keep remembering that.

Jack walked over to take the wheel from Anamaria, joining in on the singing as he walked. Upon hearing his voice Abby finally noticed his appearance and scrambled down to the deck. She ran over and threw her arms around his legs, stopping all singing. Jack looked down at the top of her head, shocked. He slowly brought a hand up and awkwardly patted the top of Abby's head.

"Jack!" she squealed, pulling away just enough to look up at him. "Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs have been teachin' me a pirate song! And t' talk like one too!" She spoke excitedly, stumbling over some of the words as a result of trying to speak to quickly.

"That's wonderful, love," Jack stared at her, amazed that anything could talk that fast and be understood.

"Yeah! It's fun! I been up for hours, but you kept on sleepin'! Mr. Gibbs said you don't normally sleep this long. He said you're always up takin' care of your ship. When are we gunna get to land, Jack?" She changed topics so fast Jack's head spun.

"Er… We should be getting' to Port Royale by tomorrow…" Jack tried to catch up.

"Tomorrow? Awww… I was just starting to like it here!" Abby whined, clinging even more to Jack's legs. Thomas snorted at this. Jack looked over to Thomas, who never once stopped working on the sail.

"I noticed, love," he said, still eyeing Thomas. "Maybe you should just… have fun while you're still 'ere then…" Jack trailed off, wondering just what exactly Thomas might be planning. As he stood staring out at the ocean, Abby scrambled back up to the crow's nest, with only a bit of difficulty after having been going up and down all morning. After a while, Jack went to the front of the ship, continuing to think.

*****

That evening, the crew was below deck eating dinner and Jack was alone on deck steering his beloved Pearl. He was whistling "A Pirate's Life for Me" under his breath when he heard soft steps coming up the stairs and a small voice began singing along. Abby came above deck and walked over to him, continuing to sing, and he continued to whistle. When they finished, Abby looked up at him.

"Jack?" she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Mmm-hmm," Jack responded, not looking down at her but instead focusing on the open sea in front of him.

"Are we going to be there soon, Jack?"

"Aye. We should be there by noon tomorrow, Abby," Jack nodded his head, finally looking down at her.

Abby's face fell and Jack couldn't quite tell but he might have seen tears in the small girl's eyes, but she turned away just as he tried to get a better look.

"Ok," she said quietly. Abby slowly walked below deck again.

Jack looked after her, puzzled. He had thought Abby would be happy to have a new home and be back on land after the few days she'd spent at sea. He felt a small tug at his heart from deep within him, but he ignored it, and pushed any and all thoughts of the small girl, whose birthday was 4 days away, out of his mind.

But why do I remember when her birthday is? And why am I still thinkin' about this? Jack wondered. He shook his head and tried to just concentrate on the sea. Tomorrow would be a new day, and with it, they would arrive at Port Royale where he would talk to Will and Elizabeth. Surely, they would be more than happy to take in Abby and she could have a proper life with a loving family. As he thought this over, Jack felt that tug again. This time, he firmly shoved all thoughts concerning Abby out of his mind and just went back to steering his ship.