Disclaimer: I do not really know what goes on inside of Jack's head...though, I think its probably something similar to this nonsense I keep writing...

AN (1/2): I really don't want to start school tomorrow...honestly, I wish I had at least two weeks off...ah well, complaining won't change a thing. Sorry for the delay...took a bit of a holiday from thinking like Jack over the break...

One More Day: Chapter Three

I watched Anamaria leave with a certain sense of dismay...she was good company, when she wanted to be, and I enjoyed sharpening my tongue on her, for I knew she could handle any sort of playful banter I threw her way. I wasn't quite sure if I could do that with my new bonny lass...I hoped I could, but she was often quite sensitive. Of course, that was probably because she was a teenage lass, still getting used to the whole "curse" of maidendom...how do I know about that? Well, it involved a lot of rum and rather garbled discussions with several women for me to figure out that whole system...and I hadn't admitted to any woman that I knew about such times in their lives. It would be dreadfully embarrassing, of course, if a man knew anything about it...

The ridiculous notion that the hearth was for the woman had always bothered me...I thought it was great, when women tried something "unconventional". I never revealed a woman's secret, if one offered to join my ship disguised as a man or young boy...I thought it was good for them, to do something other than sit at home. Unfortunately, my opinion was in the minority. I received a lot of rude comments, for me having Anamaria aboard...I was very much aware, after all, that most of my crew thought she was my personal strumpet. How else could a woman have a position of prominence aboard a pirate ship? It wasn't the case...I respected Anamaria very much, actually. She was a fine sailor, and liked to go against my rather odd ideas sometimes, pointing out flaws that I'd forgotten (or decided not to address) or mistakes in the past that I'd rather not remember that were similar to what crazy venture we were about to attempt. If she wasn't on the Pearl's roster, I'd probably be dead by now.

"Jack?" a voice asked softly as the little slip of a girl I'd actually fallen in love with exited my cabin. "How long have you been up?" She seemed slightly worried, but relieved when I smiled at her.

"For abou' an hour, or so," I replied vaguely, not really having a clue as to the answer in the first place. I often let time slip away from me, when I was at a port...there was no sense in counting down the time until I'd be at sea again, for that just drove me crazy. "Why?"

"Well, you had me a bit worried," she replied without any tact at all as she slipped her arm around my midriff and put her head on my shoulder. "Guess I'm just paranoid that not even I can tame the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Luv...I wouldn' leave like that," I replied softly, gently rubbing her shoulder as I looked towards Tortuga with disdain. With her in my arms, it seemed like a nasty, vile place, rather than a sweet, proliferous bouquet..

"I know," she replied softly, though I could sense some disbelief in that as well. Why did women always assume I couldn't be faithful? If I wanted to, I could...sometimes I just didn't want to. A lot of women...well, they got obsessed with me, and refused to leave my side at all...sometimes I was unfaithful just to get them to leave me alone...

"I wouldn'," I insisted once more. "I never leave wivout some sort of explanation, unless, of course, the night was spent with a strumpet." It was true...I never did just leave someone I hoped to spend another night with...besides, I really didn't know what to say to strumpets, in the morning. Thanks...but, I've got to get to my ship. Might want to think about being more creative...but I've already paid you, so I can't give you what I really think you're worth....yea. That wouldn't go over well at all. I wouldn't be such a 'ladies' man' in Tortuga if I did such a thing.

"I believe you, Jack," she said softly, a slight fire in her eyes as I mentioned the strumpets...you know, I had decided to give them up for her. The least she could do was realize that they were a part of my past and not get mad at me for mentioning them. I couldn't just forget about them completely, for they had taught me a few valuable things about women.

"Good," I replied lightly, kissing her softly to get that fire out of her eyes. I was in no mood for a squabble with her today. Of course, I didn't like squabbles any other time...but she'd just come back to my world, after all...we should spend the day doing something (dare I say it?) romantic.

She didn't reply as she turned her attention to the town, her eyes wide in excitement as what she'd done suddenly sunk into her mind. Perhaps she thought this whole experience had been a pleasant dream...but she was actually on the Pearl and near Tortuga. All those crazy fancies in her head had actually come true...alarming. Her reaction was very unlike my own...I'd been absolutely terrified, when she'd taken me to her home to see all of those...oddities. I was just very good at masking my fear. It was a talent that came in handy, when I was at Death's door.

"Lovely, isn' it?" I asked softly, looking towards the town as though I had never seen it before.

"A sweet, proliferous bouquet of piratedom," she responded lightly, glancing up at me with a smirk on her adorable face. That would drive me nuts, if she quoted things I'd said before continually...how many times had she watched that...thing about me? Probably a lot more than I would've liked. At least I hadn't noticed any pictures of myself on her wall, unlike at her friend Daisy's house...that had been very disturbing.

"Aye, that it is," I replied, hiding my disgust. If she did it too much more, I'd set her straight...but it was her first offense, after all. "D' ye want t' go an' see it? I doubt there's anyone else tha' could give ye a better tour."

"Ah...so, I've my own personal tour guide? Spiffy!" She laughed lightly and kissed my hand softly. "You sure you wouldn't mind? I thought that it was...a bit dangerous, if you didn't plan on getting drunk or hooking up with women."

"Well, it isn' dangerous if you've got me wiv you," I responded with a satisfied smirk on my face and a shrug of my shoulders. She did realize that life as a pirate wasn't as fun as most people thought it was. It was actually quite hard. Plagues often wiped out entire crews, mutiny left many to die on small islands, captains were incredibly cruel, and attacks on other ships were very dangerous. Oh my goodness! What was I doing? Bringing her aboard the Pearl...she couldn't...she could die, if I let her stay here...but she'd never let me put her somewhere else, for safe-keeping, because she wouldn't trust me to come back...what a quandary! I hadn't even thought about that, quite frankly.

"Good," she replied, snuggling closer to me for a moment before pushing herself away. "All right, Captain Sparrow...show me around this town." Almost a command. Good thing I was such a liberal man (for the times, at least...I'd seen a man actually buy a respectable woman a drink of beer, in that bar), or I'd be rather mad. Women weren't supposed to tell men what to do...

"Of course, milady," I replied, taking her hand and kissing it like a gentleman. I could be chivalrous when I wanted to...and I decided to just push my worries from my mind. I could protect her, as long as she stayed inside the cabin during fights. It wouldn't be too hard...I'd just have to remember that I had a bonny lass. I liked forgetting everything but my love for the Pearl when I was in a fight with another ship...made it so I fought more ferociously, and had no moral qualms about taking another man's life.

She smiled and curtsied slightly in response, waiting for me to lead her on. I did just that, offering my arm for her to grab, like a respectable gentleman would. I could use manners, if necessary...I knew them well enough, having grown up in a respectable wealthy house...


"This'd be me favorite tavern," I said as we stopped right outside of the Faithful Bride. They had some of the best rum around...of course, not the best, but the clean mugs and cheerful, winking strumpets were much better than at the place with the best rum. It'd taken me years to find the best drinking establishments...years of trial and error. There was one horrid tavern that actually started serving its customers pure alcohol after about ten o' clock. That might seem like a good thing, but it really isn't. Pure alcohol can blind a man, with just one sip. If you drink a whole glass, or more, you run the risk of waking up dead in the morning. Of course, not many drunkards noticed...most taverns watered down their alcohol at about the same time. Not the Faithful Bride. The tavern keeper here didn't water it down until one in the morning.

"The Faithful Bride, eh?" she asked with wide eyes, completely captivated by its smell and noise. "It's lovely, Jack." She smiled at me, grasping onto my arm tighter. I think she was a bit wary, that I'd be approached by another female intent on taking my freely-spent money. "Looks exactly how I pictured it to."

Again with the references to the movie! Blast...why had I brought Will here, in the first place? I should've just left him on the Interceptor. Honestly, that stick had overheard too much.... Ah well. How could I stay mad at her for long? She was just too...adorable, I suppose. Man, I'd never thought I'd think that of anyone ever again. It was disturbing, really, how attached I was to her as I led her inside the noisy tavern. I ordered a bottle of wine from the barkeep...an odd order, yes, but the Faithful Bride didn't ask questions of its customers. Once the wine from 1688 was passed to me, I escorted her to a table. We both sat down and I poured us some wine. I doubted she'd ever had the stuff before...unless she had wine at church...so, this would be interesting. I set her mug in front of her and slowly poured my own. I didn't particularly like wine...but I didn't want to have rum. It always only caused mischief, in my life.

She smiled and murmured, "Thank you," before sipping at the alcohol derived from grape. I had to admit that 1688 was a very fine year...and that I'd be paying a lot, for this luxury. Not that I was concerned about the cost of wine. I was never very stingy when it came to showing women a good time...it was good for the economy of the islands, anyway.

"My pleasure," I replied, taking a seat and lifting the mug to my mouth. I inhaled the fragrance; smiling as I realized that 1688 was, in fact, a very fine year. I didn't drink much wine...but I knew that this would please my senses far more than what I'd had before. Wine wasn't something pirates often drank, unless they were trying to impress a hostage or a rival.

She smiled again and took another sip of the perfect blend. Definitely the liquor of the gods. Dionysis...well, he was a very nice god, in my opinion. Much like myself; continually drunk and staggering around after women. Of course, that would have to change for her...I couldn't go after women anymore. Nor could I drink rum anymore, for I was afraid to drink too much and accidentally hurt her by going after some minx that winked at me or something. "Jack?"

"Hmm?" I almost choked on the wine. Why was she asking me a question now? Couldn't she see that I was busy playing with the wine in my mouth? Well, perhaps playing was a strong word...but I was definitely enjoying its different approach at getting me drunk.

She set her mug down on the table and looked at me earnestly for a while. Was she drawing courage, or something? I wasn't really sure...she could be hard to read, at times. "Do you think you could teach me something about sword fighting? I've always wanted to know how to defend myself..."

That was it? Why was that hard for her to ask? Grinning slightly into my cup as I took another sip of the nectar, I nodded. After swallowing, I added, "It'd be wise for ye t' know how t' defend yourself. Life aboard a pirate ship is never easy. Tis worth it, yes...but it is never easy. Too many chances for ye t' get injured...I'm being rather daft, bringing ye along, as it is."

"Well...you are a very brilliant man," she said with a grin. "I wouldn't call it daft...you can tell that I can defend myself. Now...if I was some sort of other girl, I don't doubt that you'd use me for a week and drop me off on some remote beach somewhere, completely ridding yourself of any guilty thoughts as you moved on to your next conquest."

"'Ave ye been talkin' t' Anamaria, eh?" I asked with a slight frown. She'd said a very similar thing to me once, when I'd been rather drunk and trying to...well, conquer her. She'd seen through me, though, and had given me a bruise on my left cheek, for daring to kiss her...that was the last time I tried anything with the tall woman.

"No...has she ever said anything similar to you?" Her eyes were mocking me...I swear they were. "I just happen to know a bit about men like you."

I chose to ignore the question about Anamaria. No sense in giving her any fuel for a later haranguing of words...women could wield words like swords. "How d' ye know a bit about men like me, eh? I'm the only man like meself, as it were...an' yer only seventeen."

She smiled mysteriously and took a sip of wine before responding with, "Aye, Jack, but I've read all sorts of stories that have tried to go inside your thick skull...I'm fairly sure that I know a bit about what you're really thinking. Unless, of course, they were all wrong..."

I frowned and nodded slowly. "Of course they are, luv. No one can tell wha' a man is thinkin', based off a bunch of movin' paintings." So what if I couldn't recall what that horrid thing about me was really called? The wine was starting to give everything a rather pleasant light.

"Moving paintings, eh?" she remarked with a slight laugh. Well, photographs didn't exist in my day... "You're probably right. We've got you all wrong." I didn't like that little look in her eyes...but we dropped that subject and enjoyed the rest of the evening without any little squabbles.


Jack: Well, twenty bucks is more than I have...good luck on saving up for that island. And thanks for the review...Jack does kinda sound like Anamaria's father, rather than captain...but he's an odd fellow, so no worries.
Misty Addams: I'm glad you like it from his perspective...tis rather hard, though, and exhausting. I can see why there aren't many out there. It is really hard to get into his head...and getting out is even harder. Thank you for the compliments and the review!
sunkist3208: Poor Whitney! I doubt that your mum would go so far to actually put sensors in...but still! I'm glad my mum lets me spend a lot of time on the computer, usually...I just have to keep her company, on Saturdays...thanks for the review! And that was a blatant advertisement, for my other stories. Jack keeps dropping other hints, too...and he likes addressing the audience.
interruptedxthought: I suppose some of the insecurity that you're catching from Jack is just because...well, he doesn't like being in love. Horrible memories about it, as discussed in the second chapter. He does have a very big head when it comes to piracy and sailing and rum and pleasing women, though. And I will be bringing in the Turners...not for a while, though, but they will get to meet the woman that actually made Jack fall in love, after only a few days...
Perhaps Jack does have ADD...who really knows? The heat apparently fried his brain...
Eccentric Banshee: Christmas does have a way of making everyone busy...I'm just glad that you got around to leaving a review. And I'm glad that me making a sequel has made you happy, Sara...my goal in life is to keep you happy, so you'll keep writing. -sly grin- And why were you running outside with no shoes on? During winter? That makes little to no sense...
CrazyPirateGirl: Well...I try to avoid country music, if at all possible. One More Day is the title to an old sea song...Thank you for the review.
blossomlite: Thanks for leaving your opinion!
orcachick2005: I can write fast when I want to. And when I have an idea. I didn't really have an idea for this chapter...which is why tis so...fluffy...but I'm going to skip ahead in the next one, probably. Anyway, thank you for leaving me a review! I'm so glad that you liked this chapter! I know that it is a bit repetetive...but not many of the reviewers above have read all the rest of my stories, yet. I hope they will someday..but if not, meh. Besides, I do throw in a few hints about things I haven't even discussed...
Oh, I want to tell you that you know what's going to happen to our lovely seventeen year old charrie...I've already decided. I'm cruel, yes, but it leaves Jack open to find Daisy at some later date...talk about star crossed lovers...anyway, you should like the camera. It does zoom, and you can even zoom in on the pictures you take. You can make a Quicktime movie, actually...as well as turn off the flash. Tis uber spiffy. For being the first to leave a review...I'll give you a spiff-tastic glass cube thingy with a pirate ship etched into the glass with a laser...makes it all 3-D.