Chapter Four – Member of the Crew

I opened my eyes slowly. The room was still dark, and I was still tired, and had no clue what had awakened me. Then the noise came. It sounded a lot like rocks being tossed about by a garbage disposal. I blinked. Was Charlie using the garbage disposal? No, wait, that wasn't mechanical sounding. It was about that time; I noticed the weight pressing down on my middle. I groaned and turned, trying to dislodge it, only to come face to face with Jack. I barely held in my screech, and eyed him curiously, a hand clapped over my mouth. So, that was were the God-awful noise was coming from. I smiled, and added this interesting fact to my mental file on Captain Jack Sparrow. Along with, 'he loves rum' and 'he's been to Singapore', I now added, 'snores like a freight-train'.

He mumbled under his breath and tightened his grip on my waist, pulling the fabric of the hoodie tighter, and dragging me a bit closer to him in the process. My morals were screaming at me to stop it there, and not do anything else, but, if you all think less of me, after you realize I didn't keep those morals . . . screw you! Have you been in bed with Captain Jack Sparrow? Indeed, I'm betting the answer would be an unequivocal 'No!', so shut the hell up and let me tell my story, savvy? Walk the plank ye will!

So, I was at a moment of indecision. There he was, my idol, the hot man who I had admired through glass and pixels, was laying beside me in the flesh. What else could I do? I bit my lip in nervous anticipation before lifting my arm and bringing it under his, to wrap around his waist. I waited a few seconds, and since he was still sleeping peacefully, I scooted closer, careful not to shake the bed. I stared in awe at his lips, which had since lapsed into silence, and were curled in a grin. Obviously he was having a very good dream. At this moment, I figured I was too. Why waste such a good one on indecision? I leaned in and just as my lips were about to brush his, Anamaria burst through the door.

"JACK!"

I slid away, eyes wide with fright. Jack stirred. "Leave me be, Anamaria, or ye'll walk the plank." He grumbled wrapping an arm around me and hauling me back against him. The female pirate eyed me with distaste, and distrust before marching up to where Jack lay.

"CAPTAIN SPARROW!" She shouted into his ear. "If you don't get up at this very moment, I swear we will steal this ship, dump you and this . . . off in the middle of the ocean." My eyes widened. That wench did not just call me a 'this', did she? I replayed the words in my mind and my eyes narrowed. She most certainly had. With a growl I sprang up.

"Leave him be." I stated in as regal a tone as I could muster, acutely aware that my hair was flying every which way, my drawstring pajama bottoms were all twisted and my cheek was red from resting it on my hand. I didn't much care. I had gotten very little sleep, and I would not tolerate some woman who played at being a man to call me a 'this'. She glared at me and I just glared back.

"I don't take orders from harlots." My face darkened with rage and I raised a fist. Jack had leapt up in the meantime and caught my hand before the balled fist could smash into Anamaria's face.

"I'm up, Anamaria. What is it?" I tore my hand from his grasp and continued to glare at the woman. I hadn't liked her when she slapped Jack in the movie, and now, having met her, I must say she is the most disagreeable person on the planet. Bloody pirate wench. I cursed her in my mind, not really paying attention to the conversation until Jack spoke my name. My head popped up.

"Aye?" They both turned to look at her and I blushed. "What?" I asked, trying to cover my anger. Jack shrugged.

"She's t'be stayin' with us for a while."

"Wonderful." Anamaria grumbled. I stuck my tongue at her, pulling it back in when Jack shot me a look.

"And you'll be teachin' 'er how to be a part of the crew, savvy?" Both of our eyes widened.

"WHAT?" We screeched together.

"There's no way that I'll teach that whore..." Anamaria protested.

"I refuse to learn anything from the likes of her!" I retorted. Jack threw up his hands and us women lapsed into silence.

"I'm captain of this 'ere boat . . . ship, and what I say goes." He whirled on me. "You need to learn how t'be a sailor, aye? And Anamaria can teach ye. I won't 'ave anyone dissenting in me ranks, so ye'd better learn to like her." I started to say something but my mouth snapped shut at the warning lift of his brow. Apparently Jack would brook no arguments on this point. Anamaria snickered. Jack whirled back to her and pointing a finger at her. "An' as fer you, lass, teach 'er right. If ye don't or I have to re- teach her, you will be swimmin' with the fishies, aye?" Anamaria nodded, glaring at me. I stared back blandly. It looked like Caesar had spoken.

"Hail, Caesar." I muttered. Jack looked at me quizzically.

"What?"

"Nothing." I replied, following Anamaria out on deck.

"Chloe!" I turned back to Jack and shaded my eyes. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, love!"

"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl my big, round FAT ass!" I hissed grumpily, scrubbing a rag over a gargantuan stain on a table. Anamaria had gleefully informed me that my first duty would be to clean the crew's eating area. What she hadn't told me, and I hadn't discovered until I'd stood on the threshold, mop in hand, was that the place should have been labeled a Level 4 Biohazard. I blew a tendril of hair out of my face and continued scrubbing with renewed vigor. The last thing I wanted was for Anamaria to have a reason to yell at me. That woman's voice annoyed me enough in speaking tones, then there was no telling what would happen to my sanity if she yelled at me too. After a long while, I stared into the mucky water and sighed.

How did they expect me to clean anything with dirty water such as this? With a grimace I dipped the mop back into the water and began on the floors. Disgusting. Not only was it hot, stuffy and smelly below decks, I was finding things that should be burned rather than thrown away. I found a piece of bread that was so molded...it was like a piece of charcoal sick with green chicken pox. I shuddered before tossing it onto a piece of sail that Jack had given me for stuff that couldn't be mopped up. My hair was falling out of its restraint again, and I was up to my elbows in filthiness.

"Fabulous." I grumbled scrubbing at a spot that looked suspiciously like dried blood. I shook off the worry and began whistling to myself, hoping that it would make the task go by quicker. No such luck, however, since as soon as I finished the galley, Anamaria in all her smug, annoying superiority told me to – no, ordered me to – go below and clean the crew's cabins. I stared at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"Are you bonkers, lady?" I demanded my filthy hands planted on the sides of my equally filthy hips. She just stared at me, and I stared back. If she thought a little glare would frighten me to go below decks and clean up after the smelly pirates that were the crew of the Pearl, she had another thing coming to her.

"You want me to go and get Captain Sparrow?' She asked curiously, the threat clear in her eyes. My own temper flared.

"Go right ahead." I growled. She frowned at me before turning on her heel and marching up the stairs. I grabbed the mop and bucket before storming after her. The sea air cooled my hot cheeks, making the loose tendrils of hair whip around my face. I walked to the edge of the deck and dumped the bucket over the side. With a groan I brought a hand to my back and stretched, unnerved by the noisy crack that ensued on the movement.

"Takin' a break, love?" I whirled at the sound of Jack's voice.

"Uh . . .yeah." I whispered conscious of the smears of mud and filth on both my cheeks and the sad state of my attire. I had shed my hoodie before cleaning, so I was standing in nothing but a plain white tee-shirt that said 'Captain Jack can swash me buckle anytime' and a pair of the rattiest pirate pants Jack had dug out of his pile of old clothes. Jack eyed the shirt with amusement before frowning at me.

"Anamaria tells me ye're bein' insubordinate."

"Am not!" I declared hotly. "She's being bitchy and a complete pain in the ass." I insisted. "She wants me to clean the cabins. THE CABINS! There is no way I'm entering the sleeping places of disreputable pirates. Lord knows what I would find in there." He quirked a brow.

"She wanted ye to clean the entire crew's cabins?" He asked incredulously.

"Mm hmm!" He shook his head.

"That's somethin' I'll have t'speak with her about that." He nodded. "I wouldn't mind if ye cleaned mine . . ." He shot me a hopeful look and I just stared back, arms crossed over my chest, mop handle resting in the crook of my left shoulder. His shoulders slumped. "All right then, would ye like t'learm how to work th' masts?" He smiled at my eager face.

"Yes, that would be so cool!"

"Cool?" He frowned at me. "Why would fixing the sails be cold?"

"No." I chuckled. "Cool, means the same thing as good, or fabulous." He frowned.

"Ye're a strange one." He smiled and I frowned in mock anger.

"Don't blame me, it's my generation that thought it up!" I declared, and we both laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and leading me to the mast.

Three minutes later I was cursing his name, arms and legs wrapped around the arm of one of the sails, staring down at the deck in fright. How had he talked me into climbing up a good hundred feet to mess around on a dowel that didn't seem wide enough to hold my weight, secured by a very iffy-looking rope, I had no idea. I reached for the rope and undid some knots that showed up in the constant folding, and unfolding of the sails. I could hear the crew below, laughing at my misfortune. At any other time, I would have found my position damn hilarious. I was sprawled on my belly, legs and arms wrapped around it, face pressed into the wood, screaming obscenities down to the captain who was currently laughing it up with his bloody crew. "Bloody pirates!" I shouted angrily. This yell caused an uproar among the pirates below me, and I cursed more; they would obviously just laugh at me, and leave me to my own devices. I had just begun to think of a way to get myself down when I felt a hand wrap around my ankle. My head turned and I gazed over my shoulder at the dark eyes of Captain Jack Sparrow. He tugged on my leg a little and I tensed.

"C'mon Chloe, let's get you down." He said, I nodded and followed him towards the mast and lowered myself to the deck. I resisted the urge to kiss the wood, and turned my red face away from the grinning faces of the crew. Jack approached me, but when he laid a hand on my arm, I turned and slapped him, hard. And not just on the face either. He moved his hands, trying to intercept the blows. They weren't hard, just open palmed smacks that did nothing more than bounce off the leather of his long coat, but it was the principle of the thing. I whirled on my heel and marched off.

Anamaria grabbed my arm and opened her mouth to lecture. I glared at her and punched her full on in the mouth. She stumbled backwards and stared at me, wiping the back of her hand over her bottom lip and staring at the smear of blood in horrified indignation. Her brown eyes shot back to me and she leapt at me. Unprepared for the body weight that connected with my chest, she managed to get me down to the deck and started punching me. I bucked, unseating her from her position over me, and rolled, pinning her to the deck. I was only vaguely aware of the crew's shouts, so intent was I on plowing my balled fist into her smug face.

Not so smug now, are you? I thought just before two hands wrapped around my shoulder and hauled me off of her. I struggled against Gibbs hold, screaming obscenities at her. "That's what you get! Oh, what now? What some more? Bring it, bring it bitch, I'll just wipe the floor with you again!" I screamed as Gibbs was forced to haul me over his shoulder.

"Take 'er to the brig!" I heard Jack shout before we went below decks.

Gibbs was carrying me in silence and I was equally silent, although I wanted to tell him that his shoulder was digging into my liver. I caught the glint of anger in his eye and kept my mouth shut. I heard the squeak of a rusty door, and he dropped me in an undignified heap into a puddle of water. "Are ye daft girl?" Gibbs asked with a glare. I jutted out my chin and refused to respond. "Actin' like that's bound t'get ye booted off o' th' Pearl. Jack's not the kind o' man t' suffer fights between crewmembers." He shut and locked the door. "Think about that lass."

He walked away and I got up, pressing my face between two bars and shouting after him "Apparently there's a leak!" Chuckling at my own cleverness I settled back to wait.

I waited less than five minutes. The door burst open and Jack stormed through, eyes snapping in his fury. "Chloe, what the hell was that?" He demanded coming to stand beside the door. "What did Anamaria do to you?"

"She was born, that's what!" I shouted. He breathed out a frustrated puff of air and grimaced.

"Lower your voice." He said shakily, rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers. Hungover, I determined, watching his eyes flutter closed and he leaned back against the wall. "I'm beginnin' t'see Gibbs' point." He muttered.

"What? That women are bad luck?" I asked. A single dark chocolate eye opened and stared at me.

"How did ye . . ." He trailed off, remembering our strange circumstances. "Never mind." He pushed off of the wall and came to the door, unlocking it. "Come with me." He grabbed my arm and dragged me out, pulling me up the stairs and into his cabin.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, wrenching my arm from his grasp. He grabbed me again and pulled me deeper into his room. I struggled. "If you think you can just toss me about and use me as you see fit, you've got another thing coming, Sparrow!" I declared. "I'm not like other, weaker females. Savvy?" I asked acidly, glaring at his face. He laughed.

"I have no intention of ravishin' ye, love." He grinned. "Unless ye aren't adverse to the idea?" I gave him such a lethal look, that had him nodding. "That would be a 'no' then?"

"Yes! That would most definitely be a 'no'!" I cursed, plopping down on the end of the bed. "Why am I here?" I asked after a moment to collect my temper. He sighed.

"Anamaria is, at this very moment, looking for her pistol to shoot ye between the eyes. No wench has bested her in front of the entire crew before." He shook his head. "An' believe me, she's battled a few vicious women in her day." He shook his head. "Ana – she's got a vicious temper, and a very large streak of pride. You just happened to aggravate both, I'm afraid." He sighed before shooting me a goofy grin. "So, it looks like I'll be getting that clean cabin after all."

"And what makes you think that?" I demanded, trying not to be amused in spite of his antics.

"You'll have t'stay in here for at least a day or two. 'Till she calms down at least." He shrugged at my disgruntled look. "Ye were the one who punched her in the jaw, savvy? You should have been prepared for the consequences." I rolled my eyes.

"Where have I heard that before?" I whispered. He skewered me with a look.

"From now on, Chloe, you're to behave like a pirate. No fighting with the crew, for any reason." I opened my mouth. "For ANY reason, savvy?" I glared. "Chloe, fights can break up the unity on a ship, an' I can't have that. If ye get into another fight, I'll make ye walk the plank, and leave ye t'drown. Are we understandin' one 'nother?" He asked. I nodded. He smiled a little before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. At that moment I felt like anything but a member of the crew.