Chapter Thirty-Four: Stranded! Again.
Alaina stood at the railing of the Pearl, looking blandly at the island they were passing, thinking of how mad Carrick and the boys were going to be when they found her gone. She could imagine it at this moment: Jack and James bursting into Carrick's room and demanding that they immediately go find her, even though she specifically told them not to. She could see Carrick agreeing with them.
Sighing, she focused on the large palms that grew on the island's sandy beach and blinked as she saw what appeared to be a person running past.
"O'Brian?" she asked, moving her head slightly to face him but not taking her eyes off the beach.
"Aye?" he asked coming up next to her, glad to get a small break.
"Is it just me or is that a person?" she asked, pointing to the figure.
O'Brian squinted and focused on where she was pointing. "It appears to be," he confirmed.
"I thought so," Alaina said, quickly walking up the few stairs that led to the helm where Jack stood humming his favorite song.
"Captain Sparrow," she said, coming up next to him.
"Hmm?" he asked, turning his head to her.
"Someone's on that island," she told him, motioning behind her.
"Really now?" he said, uninterested.
"They could be stranded," she said, knowing that it didn't bother him in the least bit. "Maybe by a mutinous crew," she added, winking at Ana Maria, who was looking at her curiously.
Ana Maria just shook her head and went back to work. 'That girl really knows how to get his attention,' she thought.
Jack looked at Alaina and agreed to the idea of going ashore to take a look, if only for the possible bonus of gaining something worthwhile from it. "But since this was all your idea, you're coming with me," he told her, motioning for Gibbs to take over the helm.
***
"This had better be worth the time," he told her as they pulled the rowboat ashore.
"Oh please, we can make up any time we lose. We do have the fastest ship in the entire Caribbean, you know," she reminded him, standing up and shielding her eyes as she looked around.
"Well, I don't see anyone," Jack told her, looking down the beach.
"Whoever it was on this beach was here less than ten minutes ago, so they couldn't have gotten far," Alaina said, ignoring him and starting to walk in the direction she'd last seen the person running.
Jack sighed and followed, silently noting that she was a lot like Elizabeth.
***
"I still don't see anyone," Jack told her as they walked through the thick forest of palm trees and bushes.
"Will you shut up?" Alaina asked, pulling back a branch and stepping forward.
She let it go, and it sprang back, slapping Jack in the face.
"What the 'ell was that for?" Jack asked, rubbing his jaw and following her quickly.
Alaina stopped suddenly and frowned as she saw a makeshift hut standing in the densest part of the trees.
"Now do you believe me?" Alaina asked, turning to the captain, a small grin on her face.
Jack stood dumbfounded, looking at the hut, then at Alaina, who was making her way toward it. "Now wait a minute—" Jack started, but he was cut off by the booming sound of a cannon going off.
Immediately they went running towards the beach.
"NO!" Jack yelled, seeing the Pearl and The Gray Morning firing on each other. "Stop blowin' holes in my ship!" Jack almost screamed, jumping up and down on the beach in frustration.
Any other time, seeing the Captain like that would have sent Alaina doubling over with laughter. But the fact that they were stranded on an island and the Pearl's existence was in danger seemed to make everything less humorous.
"Oh, to hell with you!" Jack yelled, turning to her and waving his arms around as he stepped towards her.
Alaina stepped back and a small pang of guilt hit her, then was gone. "Well excuse me if I care about others besides myself!" Alaina screamed back at him, getting in his face.
Jack was a little taken aback at her aggressiveness, so he backed down. Now was not the time to be getting in a fight. They both watched as the Pearl quickly made its way away from the Gray Morning and away from the island.
"That's the third time I've had to watch that ship sail off without me," Jack said, calming down and sitting on the beach.
"Sorry," Alaina apologized, sitting next to him.
'You should be,' he thought grimly, squinting as the sun began to get in his eyes.
"Well, let's go see if they have any rum around here," Alaina said after a moment, getting up and heading off back to the hut.
Jack thought on what she'd said for a few seconds, then watched her retreating figure. "That sounds like a good idea," he agreed, taking one last look at the fading outline of his ship and following.
The Pearl would be back. It had to come back.
***
"You sure aren't like your mother," Jack told her as Alaina threw the empty bottle of rum aside and picked up another one.
"What was she like when you knew her?" Alaina asked, lying on her stomach and facing him.
Jack looked at her thoughtfully, taking a swig of the rum. He was about to begin when suddenly a furry creature sprang through the door of the hut and onto Jack's shoulder. Alaina snorted and began to laugh as Jack shouted and stood up, dancing about wildly and trying to get the thing off.
"Get off!" Jack yelled at the thing, twirling around. He only succeeded in falling and making the creature give a scream.
"Aw," Alaina said, still laughing. "It's just a poor little monkey." Alaina sat up and lightly slapped her knees, motioning for it to come to her.
"I hate those things," Jack commented as it jumped off him and nestled itself in Alaina's lap. Alaina ignored him and began to stroke its head.
"Do you want some rum?" Alaina asked the monkey with a giggle, picking up the bottle and waving it at him.
"You're not serious, are you?" Jack asked, looking at her curiously.
Alaina just laughed and looked at him. "Of course not. Why waste the rum?"
Jack nodded in agreement and stretched. "Well, it's a little late, don't you think?"
"Mmm hmm," Alaina agreed, looking out the open door to see that it was already dark.
"There's only one bed," Jack said slyly.
"We can share," Alaina told him, letting go of the monkey and trying to stand up,
but she fell over onto Jack again, laughing.
"Whoa there, luv," Jack said, catching her.
"I'm so drunk I can't even get up," she said, her laughter subsiding as they looked each other square in the eye.
Alaina slowly leaned in to him and their lips brushed. Abruptly she fell against his chest in a dead faint.
"Well," Jack said aloud, blinking and looking down at her passed-out figure, "I guess that's it for tonight."
***
"This is not good," Ana Maria said, pacing the deck anxiously. "This is really not good," she told Gibbs.
"Aye, but we can't go back that way for a few days yet. The Gray Morning knows we were going that route, so they'll be around."
"Yes, but Jack and Alaina alone on an island doesn't sit well with me."
"That it doesn't," Gibbs agreed, gripping a rope and leaning on it.
"I only hope we don't run into the Constance before we get them back," Ana
Maria told him. She shook her head, knowing that if Will found out Jack was with Alaina alone, he'd kill him.
***
A/N: Well to all you who wanted me to write a Jack/Alaina scene there it is. To the ones who thought the very idea of them being interested in each other was sick than I'm sorry but I couldn't help it.
Alaina stood at the railing of the Pearl, looking blandly at the island they were passing, thinking of how mad Carrick and the boys were going to be when they found her gone. She could imagine it at this moment: Jack and James bursting into Carrick's room and demanding that they immediately go find her, even though she specifically told them not to. She could see Carrick agreeing with them.
Sighing, she focused on the large palms that grew on the island's sandy beach and blinked as she saw what appeared to be a person running past.
"O'Brian?" she asked, moving her head slightly to face him but not taking her eyes off the beach.
"Aye?" he asked coming up next to her, glad to get a small break.
"Is it just me or is that a person?" she asked, pointing to the figure.
O'Brian squinted and focused on where she was pointing. "It appears to be," he confirmed.
"I thought so," Alaina said, quickly walking up the few stairs that led to the helm where Jack stood humming his favorite song.
"Captain Sparrow," she said, coming up next to him.
"Hmm?" he asked, turning his head to her.
"Someone's on that island," she told him, motioning behind her.
"Really now?" he said, uninterested.
"They could be stranded," she said, knowing that it didn't bother him in the least bit. "Maybe by a mutinous crew," she added, winking at Ana Maria, who was looking at her curiously.
Ana Maria just shook her head and went back to work. 'That girl really knows how to get his attention,' she thought.
Jack looked at Alaina and agreed to the idea of going ashore to take a look, if only for the possible bonus of gaining something worthwhile from it. "But since this was all your idea, you're coming with me," he told her, motioning for Gibbs to take over the helm.
***
"This had better be worth the time," he told her as they pulled the rowboat ashore.
"Oh please, we can make up any time we lose. We do have the fastest ship in the entire Caribbean, you know," she reminded him, standing up and shielding her eyes as she looked around.
"Well, I don't see anyone," Jack told her, looking down the beach.
"Whoever it was on this beach was here less than ten minutes ago, so they couldn't have gotten far," Alaina said, ignoring him and starting to walk in the direction she'd last seen the person running.
Jack sighed and followed, silently noting that she was a lot like Elizabeth.
***
"I still don't see anyone," Jack told her as they walked through the thick forest of palm trees and bushes.
"Will you shut up?" Alaina asked, pulling back a branch and stepping forward.
She let it go, and it sprang back, slapping Jack in the face.
"What the 'ell was that for?" Jack asked, rubbing his jaw and following her quickly.
Alaina stopped suddenly and frowned as she saw a makeshift hut standing in the densest part of the trees.
"Now do you believe me?" Alaina asked, turning to the captain, a small grin on her face.
Jack stood dumbfounded, looking at the hut, then at Alaina, who was making her way toward it. "Now wait a minute—" Jack started, but he was cut off by the booming sound of a cannon going off.
Immediately they went running towards the beach.
"NO!" Jack yelled, seeing the Pearl and The Gray Morning firing on each other. "Stop blowin' holes in my ship!" Jack almost screamed, jumping up and down on the beach in frustration.
Any other time, seeing the Captain like that would have sent Alaina doubling over with laughter. But the fact that they were stranded on an island and the Pearl's existence was in danger seemed to make everything less humorous.
"Oh, to hell with you!" Jack yelled, turning to her and waving his arms around as he stepped towards her.
Alaina stepped back and a small pang of guilt hit her, then was gone. "Well excuse me if I care about others besides myself!" Alaina screamed back at him, getting in his face.
Jack was a little taken aback at her aggressiveness, so he backed down. Now was not the time to be getting in a fight. They both watched as the Pearl quickly made its way away from the Gray Morning and away from the island.
"That's the third time I've had to watch that ship sail off without me," Jack said, calming down and sitting on the beach.
"Sorry," Alaina apologized, sitting next to him.
'You should be,' he thought grimly, squinting as the sun began to get in his eyes.
"Well, let's go see if they have any rum around here," Alaina said after a moment, getting up and heading off back to the hut.
Jack thought on what she'd said for a few seconds, then watched her retreating figure. "That sounds like a good idea," he agreed, taking one last look at the fading outline of his ship and following.
The Pearl would be back. It had to come back.
***
"You sure aren't like your mother," Jack told her as Alaina threw the empty bottle of rum aside and picked up another one.
"What was she like when you knew her?" Alaina asked, lying on her stomach and facing him.
Jack looked at her thoughtfully, taking a swig of the rum. He was about to begin when suddenly a furry creature sprang through the door of the hut and onto Jack's shoulder. Alaina snorted and began to laugh as Jack shouted and stood up, dancing about wildly and trying to get the thing off.
"Get off!" Jack yelled at the thing, twirling around. He only succeeded in falling and making the creature give a scream.
"Aw," Alaina said, still laughing. "It's just a poor little monkey." Alaina sat up and lightly slapped her knees, motioning for it to come to her.
"I hate those things," Jack commented as it jumped off him and nestled itself in Alaina's lap. Alaina ignored him and began to stroke its head.
"Do you want some rum?" Alaina asked the monkey with a giggle, picking up the bottle and waving it at him.
"You're not serious, are you?" Jack asked, looking at her curiously.
Alaina just laughed and looked at him. "Of course not. Why waste the rum?"
Jack nodded in agreement and stretched. "Well, it's a little late, don't you think?"
"Mmm hmm," Alaina agreed, looking out the open door to see that it was already dark.
"There's only one bed," Jack said slyly.
"We can share," Alaina told him, letting go of the monkey and trying to stand up,
but she fell over onto Jack again, laughing.
"Whoa there, luv," Jack said, catching her.
"I'm so drunk I can't even get up," she said, her laughter subsiding as they looked each other square in the eye.
Alaina slowly leaned in to him and their lips brushed. Abruptly she fell against his chest in a dead faint.
"Well," Jack said aloud, blinking and looking down at her passed-out figure, "I guess that's it for tonight."
***
"This is not good," Ana Maria said, pacing the deck anxiously. "This is really not good," she told Gibbs.
"Aye, but we can't go back that way for a few days yet. The Gray Morning knows we were going that route, so they'll be around."
"Yes, but Jack and Alaina alone on an island doesn't sit well with me."
"That it doesn't," Gibbs agreed, gripping a rope and leaning on it.
"I only hope we don't run into the Constance before we get them back," Ana
Maria told him. She shook her head, knowing that if Will found out Jack was with Alaina alone, he'd kill him.
***
A/N: Well to all you who wanted me to write a Jack/Alaina scene there it is. To the ones who thought the very idea of them being interested in each other was sick than I'm sorry but I couldn't help it.
