"Captain! We put into port tomorrow!" Ana-Maria called to Jack as she walked up to him.

"Aye. It'll be good to set foot in Tortuga. The crew will have a good time."

"Aye. The crew will. Including Marina?"

"What? You can't be serious," Jack said, turning to look at Ana-Maria.

"Aye jack. I am. Marina…"

"Captain," Jack interrupted.

"Marina won't be leavin you Jack," she continued, pretending not to hear the correction.

"Captain," Jack said a little bit more sternly.

"That's what you're worried about isnt it Jack? You're worried about losein her aren't you, Jack?"

"Captain woman!" Jack yelled. "Captain!"

"Aye. You are the captain but right now you're gonna listen to me on an equals base!" Ana yelled back.

Jack stared at her with a look of complete shock on his face. He couldn't believe that one of his crew would dare talk to him in such a way. But at the same time he realized that he did need to be on a name base if he were to really listen to what Ana-Maria was telling him.

After a few moments Jack said calmly.

"You're right Ana-Maria. And you know it," he eyed her suspiciously. "I cant afford to lose her. She's become too valuable. She's one of my best crew members."

"Aye, Jack, I know," Ana-Maria said understandingly. "But she wont leave us Jack. She cares about the crew. She cares about me. She cares about the ship. She cares especially for you, Captain."

Her last statement, Ana-Marie noticed, seemed to trigger something in Jack.

"You're sure that I wont lose her?" Jack asked.

"Aye, Captain. I'm sure. Let her come with us to Tortuga. There are a few things she wants to do."

"Alright Ana-Maria. Marina will join us in Totuga."

"Thank you Jack…er…Captain," Ana-Maria said, hardly able to keep herself from throwing her arms around Jack and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Ana-Maria, tell Marina to come see me. Don't tell her that I said she could go with us to Tortuga."

"Aye Captain. I wont be sayin a word to her bout it," Ana replied.

She turned around and walked towards the steps that lead to the bunk she shared with Marina. When she got down below she found Marina dressed and pulling her hair back under an orange scarf.

"'Rina. The captain wants to speak with you."

"Really? About what?" Marina eyed her suspiciously.

"Didn't say. Captain just told me to tell you he wants a word with you."

"Alright," Marina said.

Quickly she made her way on deck and found Jack at the Pearl's wheel. Slowing her pace to an even walk she went to stand at Jacks right.

" You asked to see me, Captain?"

" Aye " Jack said nonchalantly.

Marina stood next to him for a few minutes expecting him to tell her what ever it was he had wanted to say. Finally her impatience won over common sense and she said, "Are you gonna have me just stand here all day or are you gonna tell me something? I have nest duty today at non and by the look of it, it's already 11:30."

"Aye. I got something else to say to you, but I'll be tellin you when I'm ready. So until you can stand there in silence and look pretty."

Mariana crossed her arms over her chest and sulked. When Jack turned to look at her he grinned mischievously and said, "I said look I pretty /I , love."

Marina turned to glare directly at Jack. She was too mad to speak. All she could do was stare at him and hope that if she glared long enough her eyes would bore a hole through his insensitive skull.

"I was only joking, love. You know I think you're cute when you're angry."

"Well thank you, Captain," Marina hissed sarcastically.

"Now now… That's no way to act with me. Especially when I was going to let you go into Tortuga with Mr. Gibbs, Ana-Maria, and me. But if you don't want to…" Jack trailed off.

"No I want to! Oh Jack you mean it?"

"Captain Marina. Captain."

"Sorry. Im just so excited. I'm really going to Tortuga! This will be the first time you've let me off the ship Captain. Did you realize that?"

"Aye. And I want to apologize for it. It was not really fair for me to keep you on the Pearl. Its just… well its your own bloody fault! If you weren't so useful I don't think I would have dept you on board for so long. But you turned out to be one of the finest members of my crew and I didn't want to lose you. Now if you tell anyone tell anyone what I just said I'll deny every word."

Jack's face held no trace of humor, but Maria could tell he was holding back a grin.

"Don't worry Captain. I wont be leaving you. Beside I like the ocean too much to stay on land. Plus you've invested a lot of time into teaching me to be a pirate. What kinda way would it be if I turned around and left you for another ship?"

"A pirates way," Jack interjected with his trademark grin.

"I have my loyalties to you Jack. Nothing could waver it. You and the crew are like family to me. I could never leave you."

"Marina I…" Jack started.

"Aye Captain?" Marina answered, looking at him with a smile dancing in her eyes.

Jack stared into her eyes, just watching them. The color seemed to dance and change. It was again hypnotic in the same way the ocean was if you stared out to long.

"Captain? Are you alright?" Marina's voice brought Jack out of his trance and he blinked a couple times.

"I'm fine," he said with a flourish. " Now don't you have nest duty? I'm sure that Cotton doesn't like it up there near as much as you seem to, and does not want any extra time on his shift."

"Eep! You're right! Thank you again Captain," she called over her shoulder as she ran over to the ladder attached to the nest.

Jack watched as she moved aside so that Cotton could climb down. When he was safely on deck, Marina scurried up the ladder and into the nest. A few moments later, Jack saw an orange shirt and a pair of brown pants hanging over the edge of the crow's nest.

'So that's why she can tan without distracting the crew,' Jack thought to himself. 'I wonder how she would react to a visitor.'

At this last thought he flashed another grin and called Ana-Maria to take over for a while. When Ana complied, Jack took off his boots and left them with her. Quietly he snuck over to the ladder and began to climb. He needn't be so quiet, he realized soon, because he could hear Marina singing after he was only about 10 feet off the deck. What little noise he made was carried away from Marina's ears by the wind anyways.

Stealthily he slipped over the railing to the nest, approached Marina undetected and…

Damn I am evil lol... hope you'll keep reading