Title: Of the Sea Rating: PG-13
Chapter Title: 13. Evasion
Summary: Matthew avoids Jack, and the latter comes up with a plan.
Timeline: Wednesday, June 1, 1675
Author: Cicatrix (Marin K.)

He is avoiding me, Jack said to himself, or she is. I still don't know what to call him... her... it. It was nearing a week since Matthew had cried into his chest, told him the story of her rape, thanked him for lending her his coat, and left his cabin. She had said, "The crew will think it suspicious if I no longer sleep in the mess." He had agreed with her, but understood now that he was being avoided.

That had been their last actual conversation. He had tried to talk to her, but all his attempts were met with short, curt replies. "Sorry, sir. Cotton needs help with the rigging," or "Gibbs asked me to take inventory," or a myriad of other chores or excuses to remove himself (herself, itself) from his company. Despite having a broken shoulder and collarbone, Matthew has determined to be useful, to prove that she was not simply dead weight the Pearl was forced to carry.

He saw her on the quarterdeck, on the opposite side of the ship. She was holding a bucket for Marty with her one hand, while the shorter man was trying to fix a broken swab, the shaft of which had broken in two. He had managed to salvage her disguise by having her wear his coat. It effectively hid her feminine figure, and served the dual purpose of making it absolutely impossible for her to move her left arm that was beneath the buttoned covering. The second reason was the one which was given to the crew, and they accepted it readily enough. She cut a rather humourous figure, the jacket being much too large, and the left sleeve was always left to dangle emptily at her side.

Marty eventually gave up on his attempts to fix the mop. In fact, the shortened shaft was far more in proportion to his stature. He said something to Matthew, who set the pail down, and walked away, Jack assumed to find some other menial task to carry out. He watched her disappear below decks, and sighed, preparing to follow her and make another likely-to-fail attempt at conversation.

"Matthew," Jack said. She was taking inventory, again.

"Sorry, sir," she began, her usual introduction to one of her many excuses for why she couldn't talk to them at that precise moment. Over the past week, he had lost count of the number of times she had said that particular phrase, though occasionally, 'sir' was substituted for 'captain'. "I'm in the middle of--"

"Avoiding me, I've noticed," he cut her off. Reaching into a barrel, he pulled out a green apple and took a bite out of it. He wanted to grin as he noticed her make a small tick next to something on the piece of paper that was the inventory.

She looked up from the paper and arched her slender brows. "I've no idea what would give you that impression, sir."

"How about the fact that every time I attempt to talk to you, you conveniently are in the middle of something, or about to do something else?" He bit into his apple again, looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry, sir," she said again, and he felt he was going to slap her if she said it one more time, "but I've been very busy, as you remarked. I've been trying to be useful, I don't want anyone to think me a burden."

"I don't think you're a burden, Matthew," Jack said, stepping toward her, "I think you have a broken arm, I think you're--" he was about to say pregnant, but she looked at him pleadingly, and he swiftly amended the statement, "you're in need of rest." He paused, "and I know for a fact that you are avoiding me, and I order you, as your captain, to explain why." He continue to walk slowly in her direction, and he noticed how she edged away with small steps.

Miriam jumped as she backed into the wall. Jack was still walking toward her, making her nervous. She clutched at the pen in her hand. "Jack, what are you doing?" she asked, and he looked at her inquisitively, taking another step, another bite from the apple. Her brows furrowed. He put the apple down on a table as he walked past it, and shortened the gap between them to mere inches.

"Answer the question, Matthew."

"I'm-not-avoiding-you," she said quickly, her words slurred together. She tried to push herself into the wall. He was invading her space all of a sudden, probably because she was a bad liar and they both knew it, and he was trying to get the truth out of her. The truth was that she was avoiding him because every time she looked at him she remembered that she'd been raped, and how she had cried into his chest for she-didn't-know-how-long, and he knew who and what she was, and that she was weak and fragile and she didn't want to be reminded of everything that had happened to her, and how fragile she felt, and this man was very confusing, and she had suddenly realized how right Bootstrap was after all, and that she should avoid him because he was trouble for sure and--

"Liar," he said. She tried to shuffle sideways away from him, but he stopped her by leaning forward. He put his hands against the wall on either side of her, trapping her. Her eyes were wide, panicked, and it occurred to him that he was being rather cruel, but he needed and answer that he wasn't going to get by any other means.

"He told me to," she said weakly.

"Who?"

"Nobody. No one. That is, no one important. I don't want to talk about it." Her eyes darted nervously. "Please, don't do that," she said, finally settling to look at him. He didn't move.

"Why's that, love?"

"Jack, stop." Her tone was more forceful, insistent. The pirate did not move, but stood resolutely, trapping her within the cage of his arms.

"No," he said, "not until you tell me what is going on." She shook her head, and there was a clatter as something fell to the ground. Jack looked to her feet, saw the quill that she had dropped, and suddenly heard and felt a loud crack as something forcefully connected with his jaw. He stumbled back, and blearily recognized the taste of blood in his mouth. Catching his balance, he touched a hand gently to his cheek before wincing and removing it, then spit out part of a broken tooth. He looked up at her incredulously; the woman had punched him.

She straightened her back, tilting her chin proudly, as if to say, 'I told you not to do that.' He felt that he had probably deserved it. When he met her eyes, she said, "And don't call me 'love', Jack."

He held his hands up in apology. "Sorry, Matt. I'm jus' trying to understand, is all."

"Understand what?"

"Why every time I try to talk to you, you run away."

Because, Jack, you scare me. Because I want to consider you my friend, but I'm afraid of the implications, because the second that happens you'll die or disappear, or leave me in Tortuga, or something equally horrific. Because you remind me of Bootstrap, and I miss him, and because I want to blame you for his death but I can't anymore. Because every time I look at you I think about what they did to me, and about how you know what they did to me, and that I can't just revel in my pain alone, which is what I'd really rather be doing. Because I actually want to talk to you, which is unusual, and it frightens me. She said, "Because, Jack..." but couldn't finish the sentence.

He stepped forward again. She thought he was going to hug her, and she pushed him away. "I don't need your pity, Jack. That's why I'm avoiding you, because I don't want your sympathy." She was lying through her teeth again, but managed to put the sharp edge in her voice that gave Jack enough pause to think she might mean it, and he would be hesitant to doubt her after she had decked him one. She almost felt bad. He receded, and she sighed. "I have work I need to do, so if you'll excuse me, Captain." He shook his head, and picked up his apple. He turned and left, and Matthew watched him leave before she bent to pick up her pen..

Above deck, Jack gathered all of the crew, with the exception of Matt, who remained below deck, probably taking inventory for the seventh time.

"I know we just came from Tortuga two weeks ago, but I was thinking we should go back. If we go back, you'll all have a full week's vacation, with only a day's work before we leave port."

The men looked at each other, considering the offer. Usually, they stayed in port only a day, maybe two, and were expected to spend a great deal of that time working on the ship and getting ready for the next voyage. A full week's vacation was a good, long time to spend on land, and would promise to be amusing. Anamaria looked at him.

"Why's this?"

"I have my reasons, mainly being that there're a few things I need to check out there, that I've only just recognized, and it'll probably take me about a week to finish my affairs." She shrugged in response, presumably satisfied with his answer. He looked at each of them in turn. "So, what say you?"

He was met by a rousing chorus of 'aye!', which was good, because it meant he wouldn't have to consult Matthew, who would have been outvoted anyway had she objected, but still. Jack had an idea, and Tortuga was the best spot to carry out his plans.

As he walked away again, Anamaria caught him by the arm. "Cap'n Sparrow?"

"Aye?" he asked, with raised eyebrows.

"Wot 'appened t'yer face?"

He winced, shook his head, and mumbling something about a wall, went to his cabin.

Author's note: So Jack is planning something, and Matthew is intent on avoiding him. (tacky soap opera voice) What nefarious thing is Jack planning to do, and will Matthew reveal the true reasons for her fears? Dun dun dun....! I've no idea, meself.