Disclaimer: PotC does not belong to me, I haven't quite finished my plans
to take over Disney. ;-)
A/N: I-Love-Sirius - Your review made me smile! But when I went on johnnydeppzone.com it said the bandwidth had been used up, so I couldn't actually go on the site. ( Maybe next month?
ILoveHobbits - London is cool. 'nuff said.
Badassgothicgirl, elkalili, Charmed Angel - Thank you!
And so the story continues... (I think this is a weird chapter, but anyhoo...)
Chapter Seven-The Storm Rages
Nicola worked hard the following day on the ship. So hard that she didn't speak to Jack all day, despite the fact he was on her mind for the entire day. Maybe it was the dinner last night. Maybe it was the hat. For some reason, his words wouldn't leave her...and neither would his grin. She didn't listen when the crew spoke to her, not even during dinner when everyone was talking to her at once about how well she had worked for a woman. The same thing happened the next day, and the day after that. In fact, it was a whole week before she spoke to him again, and it wasn't good news.
"Nicola...I need to have a word with you." He beckoned her away from the rest of the crew, where she had been mending one of the ropes attached to the sails.
"There's a storm coming up, and I don't think you're ready to handle the situation."
"Excuse me? Are you saying I am weak?" She stared at him, insulted.
"No! No, I'm just saying that maybe you don't have the same amount of experience as the rest of the crew and you could end up being a danger to them if you don't know what to do. "
"Oh. Are you sure there's a storm? Maybe you have just read the signs wrong..."
Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or be outraged. "I've been sailing for over fifteen years. Do you really think there's even the slightest chance I could have read the signs wrong?"
She didn't answer. It was obvious now that he couldn't be wrong. Still, the thought of travelling through a storm was pretty daunting. It reminded her of the last time they were being chased by a storm. This time, however, they were a lot further from shore, therefore a lot further from safety. Come to think of it, there was no where safe for her to go while she was onboard a pirate ship, but that wasn't the point. Nicola was terrified of dying in the ocean. It had been the way her brother had died when he was part of the Navy. She didn't want to be the second one to be lost to Davy Jones' Locker.
"So...what do you wish for me to do when the storm begins?"
"Take shelter in the your room. I warn you, though, it might get a bit shaky in there. I'll check on you if I get the chance, but if this storm is as violent as it looks like it's gonna be, I'll be out on deck helpin' the crew and steerin' the ship., savvy?"
She nodded. "Do you know when the storm will be?"
"Most likely in the early evening. If you need to talk to anyone I would advise you do it now." He said, fiddling with one of the rings on his fingers. Nicola soon learned this was his way of showing he was nervous without making it too obvious. They spent another moment just standing in silence, watching each other's reaction. It seemed to be becoming a habit of theirs.
~~~***~~~
When the storm finally came, Nicola was waiting. She had taken refuge in her room and was listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the window. Below, the waves were crashing against the side of the ship and the wind was becoming stronger every minute. The sky was so dark that there was very little light entering the room, despite it only being five o'clock at night. It was enough to make Nicola shiver a little and she secretly wished that Jack had been able to stay here with her to keep her company and keep her spirits up. Of course, he had his duty to his crew to keep the ship moving...and Nicola wasn't even sure if he would have stayed even if he could.
She had noticed that he acted differently around her, though. When he was with the crew, he was loud, confident, over-dramatizing his every move. When he was with her by herself, he was quieter, more personal, and almost normal. She wondered if he was like that with everyone, or if it was just her. She secretly hoped it was the latter, although she didn't quite know why that was.
The thunder growled angrily above. The lightning flashed though the sky. Nicola was shaking with fear now, and she wrapped herself in the sheets on her bed. She didn't stop shaking even then. So she did the only thing she could do when she was scared; she sang. She sang the song her uncle had taught her when telling the story of the famous pirate captain.
"Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A pirates life for me, We pillage, we plunder, we ravage and loot, Drink up me hearties, yo ho! We Kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, Drink up me hearties yo ho!
Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates life for me, We're rascals, scoundrels, villians and knaves, Drink up me hearties yo ho! We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs, Drink up me hearties yo ho!
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirates life for me..."
She smiled at the memory of her uncle teaching her the song. There was even a dance she used to do to it, which always made him laugh. Her father hadn't approved at all. He was disgusted that she was singing about pirates. That was probably why her uncle had never been allowed to visit since.
While she was singing, she had been facing the window, so she didn't notice when Jack opened the door and slowly walked up behind her.
"Y'know, that's my favourite song."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! Jack! Don't do that! You frightened the life out of me! As if I ain't frightened enough!" She exclaimed, forgetting to speak in her normal, formal tone in shock.
"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to see how you were. The men seem to have everything under control."
"But obviously they haven't been able to keep dry," she commented, looking pointedly at Jack's wet hair and drenched shirt. "You should change, you might get pneumonia if you stay wet."
"Pneumonie-what?"
"Pneumonia. You could die from it." She explained. In a way, she had begun to regret her words; Jack wearing a wet shirt wasn't really that bad...
Before Jack had the chance to answer her, the ship swung violently sideways, forcing him and Nicola to go flying into the wall and landing on each other.
"Ow!" they both cried, wincing from the pain.
"It's getting worse." Jack warned. "Looks like this storm is gonna be a big 'un!"
The ship swung round again, but this time Jack was ready and he held onto a hook on the wall while keeping Nicola steady by wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She was clearly surprised by this action and a puzzled expression swept across her face. But soon she was being swept across the floor as the hook unattached itself from the wall. They both landed on the hard wooden boards with a groan; Nicola was quieter, however, as she had landed partially on Jack, creating a softer landing.
"Sorry Jack!" she managed to blurt out before being swept to the other side of the room.
This cycle continued to happen for at least another five minutes, but soon the water calmed down a little and they were able to stand once again... even if it was now painful to do so. Jack helped Nicola up on her feet, before turning to leave and return to his men. As their hands parted, she found herself not wanting to let go. That was when she first began to wonder if she liked Jack Sparrow a little too much...
A/N: I-Love-Sirius - Your review made me smile! But when I went on johnnydeppzone.com it said the bandwidth had been used up, so I couldn't actually go on the site. ( Maybe next month?
ILoveHobbits - London is cool. 'nuff said.
Badassgothicgirl, elkalili, Charmed Angel - Thank you!
And so the story continues... (I think this is a weird chapter, but anyhoo...)
Chapter Seven-The Storm Rages
Nicola worked hard the following day on the ship. So hard that she didn't speak to Jack all day, despite the fact he was on her mind for the entire day. Maybe it was the dinner last night. Maybe it was the hat. For some reason, his words wouldn't leave her...and neither would his grin. She didn't listen when the crew spoke to her, not even during dinner when everyone was talking to her at once about how well she had worked for a woman. The same thing happened the next day, and the day after that. In fact, it was a whole week before she spoke to him again, and it wasn't good news.
"Nicola...I need to have a word with you." He beckoned her away from the rest of the crew, where she had been mending one of the ropes attached to the sails.
"There's a storm coming up, and I don't think you're ready to handle the situation."
"Excuse me? Are you saying I am weak?" She stared at him, insulted.
"No! No, I'm just saying that maybe you don't have the same amount of experience as the rest of the crew and you could end up being a danger to them if you don't know what to do. "
"Oh. Are you sure there's a storm? Maybe you have just read the signs wrong..."
Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or be outraged. "I've been sailing for over fifteen years. Do you really think there's even the slightest chance I could have read the signs wrong?"
She didn't answer. It was obvious now that he couldn't be wrong. Still, the thought of travelling through a storm was pretty daunting. It reminded her of the last time they were being chased by a storm. This time, however, they were a lot further from shore, therefore a lot further from safety. Come to think of it, there was no where safe for her to go while she was onboard a pirate ship, but that wasn't the point. Nicola was terrified of dying in the ocean. It had been the way her brother had died when he was part of the Navy. She didn't want to be the second one to be lost to Davy Jones' Locker.
"So...what do you wish for me to do when the storm begins?"
"Take shelter in the your room. I warn you, though, it might get a bit shaky in there. I'll check on you if I get the chance, but if this storm is as violent as it looks like it's gonna be, I'll be out on deck helpin' the crew and steerin' the ship., savvy?"
She nodded. "Do you know when the storm will be?"
"Most likely in the early evening. If you need to talk to anyone I would advise you do it now." He said, fiddling with one of the rings on his fingers. Nicola soon learned this was his way of showing he was nervous without making it too obvious. They spent another moment just standing in silence, watching each other's reaction. It seemed to be becoming a habit of theirs.
~~~***~~~
When the storm finally came, Nicola was waiting. She had taken refuge in her room and was listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the window. Below, the waves were crashing against the side of the ship and the wind was becoming stronger every minute. The sky was so dark that there was very little light entering the room, despite it only being five o'clock at night. It was enough to make Nicola shiver a little and she secretly wished that Jack had been able to stay here with her to keep her company and keep her spirits up. Of course, he had his duty to his crew to keep the ship moving...and Nicola wasn't even sure if he would have stayed even if he could.
She had noticed that he acted differently around her, though. When he was with the crew, he was loud, confident, over-dramatizing his every move. When he was with her by herself, he was quieter, more personal, and almost normal. She wondered if he was like that with everyone, or if it was just her. She secretly hoped it was the latter, although she didn't quite know why that was.
The thunder growled angrily above. The lightning flashed though the sky. Nicola was shaking with fear now, and she wrapped herself in the sheets on her bed. She didn't stop shaking even then. So she did the only thing she could do when she was scared; she sang. She sang the song her uncle had taught her when telling the story of the famous pirate captain.
"Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A pirates life for me, We pillage, we plunder, we ravage and loot, Drink up me hearties, yo ho! We Kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, Drink up me hearties yo ho!
Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates life for me, We're rascals, scoundrels, villians and knaves, Drink up me hearties yo ho! We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs, Drink up me hearties yo ho!
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirates life for me..."
She smiled at the memory of her uncle teaching her the song. There was even a dance she used to do to it, which always made him laugh. Her father hadn't approved at all. He was disgusted that she was singing about pirates. That was probably why her uncle had never been allowed to visit since.
While she was singing, she had been facing the window, so she didn't notice when Jack opened the door and slowly walked up behind her.
"Y'know, that's my favourite song."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! Jack! Don't do that! You frightened the life out of me! As if I ain't frightened enough!" She exclaimed, forgetting to speak in her normal, formal tone in shock.
"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to see how you were. The men seem to have everything under control."
"But obviously they haven't been able to keep dry," she commented, looking pointedly at Jack's wet hair and drenched shirt. "You should change, you might get pneumonia if you stay wet."
"Pneumonie-what?"
"Pneumonia. You could die from it." She explained. In a way, she had begun to regret her words; Jack wearing a wet shirt wasn't really that bad...
Before Jack had the chance to answer her, the ship swung violently sideways, forcing him and Nicola to go flying into the wall and landing on each other.
"Ow!" they both cried, wincing from the pain.
"It's getting worse." Jack warned. "Looks like this storm is gonna be a big 'un!"
The ship swung round again, but this time Jack was ready and he held onto a hook on the wall while keeping Nicola steady by wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She was clearly surprised by this action and a puzzled expression swept across her face. But soon she was being swept across the floor as the hook unattached itself from the wall. They both landed on the hard wooden boards with a groan; Nicola was quieter, however, as she had landed partially on Jack, creating a softer landing.
"Sorry Jack!" she managed to blurt out before being swept to the other side of the room.
This cycle continued to happen for at least another five minutes, but soon the water calmed down a little and they were able to stand once again... even if it was now painful to do so. Jack helped Nicola up on her feet, before turning to leave and return to his men. As their hands parted, she found herself not wanting to let go. That was when she first began to wonder if she liked Jack Sparrow a little too much...