Chapter Thirty-Three: Dinner

"Uh, what's that?" Alaina asked as Jack came out of the kitchen with two plates full of who only knew what.

"Dinner," Jack told her, looking a little hurt at the expression on her face.

"Is it supposed to be edible?" she teased, taking one of the plates and sitting down at the table.

"Where'd the boys go?" he asked, looking out the open door to the hall.

"They were smart and hightailed it out of here once they heard you were in the kitchen," Alaina laughed, taking one of the plates and setting it down next to her.

Jack gave her a look and slid the plate over to her as he sat down.

"Actually they're off in their room, I believe. Please don't tell me you're going to make them eat this?"

"As a matter of fact, I am, because I'm sure it doesn't taste that bad," Jack told her, scooping up a forkful and shoving it into his mouth.

Alaina watched closely as he chewed. "Well?" she asked after a few seconds.

Jack swallowed and thought. "It could use a little improvement."

Alaina rolled her eyes and cautiously stabbed some. "It's still moving!" she cried out, jumping back in mock surprise.

"Haha," Jack said, taking another bite.

Alaina watched him again, finally deciding to take a bite. But just as she lifted her fork a voice interrupted her.

"Alaina?"

"What?" she asked, setting the fork down onto the plate.

"Would you come in here?"

Jack chewed and watched as Alaina got up and walked out of the dining room. "Food's gonna get cold," he called after her.

"What a shame," she muttered, walking down the hall to the closed parlor door.

"What?" she asked, leaning against the door.

"Come in here," her brother Jack told her, grinning at Carrick.

"Why?"

"Just open the door," Carrick laughed, sitting down in the large chair by the window.

Alaina looked down the hall at Jack, who was standing just outside the doors of the dining room.

"Okay, I'm coming in," she told them, slowly turning the knob, not knowing what to expect.

Jack got impatient and motioned for James to go and yank the door open. James grinned and nodded. He ran over to the door and quickly pulled it open, sending Alaina falling forward.

"What the—?" she sputtered, staring dazedly at the small pile of books sitting on the coffee table.

"Happy birthday, Miss Dimwit," Jack teased her, rolling his eyes.

"My what? No, wait," Alaina said, stopping and thinking. It was the twenty-third of October. "It is!" she said, suddenly feeling very stupid.

Carrick laughed. "And you care to call me slow."

"What are these?" Alaina asked, ignoring Carrick and picking up one of the three books. "If you open it, you'll find out," James told her with a grin.

Alaina looked at him for a second, then opened the cover and laughed.

"What?" Jack asked, striding into the room behind her.

The twins jumped, both a little startled at seeing him there. Carrick however, just gave a small wave.

Alaina quickly shut the book, however, and looked at him. "Until I have that journal in my hand, you won't know."

"Really now?" Jack asked, leaning in closer to her, making her step back. Just then, Jack felt eyes on him and he glanced over to see Carrick's gaze boring into him. Feeling a little uncomfortable, he backed away from Alaina, not wanting to get into any trouble while he was there.

Alaina just shrugged and grinned as she made her way over to Carrick. "Off my chair," she told him, motioning for him to get up.

"It's a big chair. Can't we share?"

"I don't want anyone to question my virtues," she told him, winking at her brothers.

Jack grinned and sank down onto the couch and propped his boots on the table.

"Funny," Carrick drawled, "I don't recall you hesitating when you came to my room in the middle of the night."

All three turned to look at him, each a little shocked, though Jack knew that nothing had actually happened; he wanted to see what her reaction would be.

"Carrick Matthews!" she cried as her face turned red. Carrick only laughed as she slapped him with the book, and the boys shrugged.

"You don't care?" Jack asked them, raising an eyebrow.

"We're sleeping right next door. They're not going to do anything," Jack told the pirate, rolling his eyes.

Jack frowned and looked behind his shoulder again to see Carrick pull Alaina onto the arm of the chair and take the book.

'I'm not too sure about that,' he thought as Alaina slipped and fell into his lap.

"Dinner's getting cold," he said after a moment.

Jack and James both looked at Alaina, who shook her head and ran her hand over her neck. "Uh, we're not hungry," James said, giving an uncertain smile.

Jack shook his head. "It's not that bad. I promise."

***

"Are you sure about this?" Jack asked for what had to be the sixth time in the last ten minutes.

Alaina nodded as she quickly shoved an extra shirt and pair of breeches from her father's chest into the small sack she held.

Jack sighed and leaned against the door. The Pearl had anchored just off coast an hour ago, and they had to leave now, or be caught and tried for piracy.

He'd been there a few days, and had to admit that the Turners were definitely an interesting family. And his little vacation had been quite pleasant: he'd been sober, learned how to cook, and had almost read Alaina's entire journal, which he deemed to be highly entertaining as well as a bit morbid.

"You understand completely what you're doing?" he asked, wanting her to fully understand what she was getting herself into. Again she nodded and they started down the stairs, but Jack grabbed her arm and stopped her. "You know that you can be hanged for voluntarily coming aboard."

"My father would do the same thing."

'He did,' Jack thought, but nevertheless let go of her and hurried down the stairs with Alaina right behind him.

Alaina glanced behind her at her brothers' room before she opened the front door. Jack saw her glance back and felt a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

'Lord forgive me,' he thought as he led her down the dark and now empty streets of Port Royal.

***

A/N: FINALLY!!! ARG! I lost my original version of this chapter, so yeah. I hope you like this version. Anyhoo, my editor can put up the rest of the chapters now yay!!!

Or not yay as I have still yet to connect my ending with the rest of the chapters. L But anyways, thanks to the person who gave the idea of Jack making dinner. And to the person, oo oo, I forget who it is.

Oh yeah, Lioness-07863 who offered to edit my chapters while my official editor was busy. THANK YOU SOO MUCH for the gesture it was WELL appreciated. But my editor was the only one who had the chapters past that point cuz I'm a retard and delete them off my lap top when I put them on a floppy (you'd think I'd learn my lesson) *sigh*

BUT I'M NOT DEAD!!!! YAY!!!

As always, gives thanks, rum and kudos to my editor!! Who is coolie!!! She is!!!