A/N- I am just on a roll today….

Chapter Eight – Don't Rock the Boat!

I stood in the galley, waiting impatiently for the ship to dock so we can get off this damned ship! I was releasing stress, and seething, while cutting up potatoes like always. I chopped down so hard and so fast, that I almost cut off my finger. What I really need right now is music, and here there is no music unless you make it. So I need to get my hands on a piano soon, or I might just 'splode.

" Careful Kami! You're going to cut of your finger at the rate your going!" Dana said worriedly. I smiled up at her, through a clenched jaw. My mind was still racing over what had happened with Will. At first I was disappointed, but then as I started to think about it I got angry. Angry with myself for even letting me feel that way. He just lost the love of his life, he's not looking for a girl like me. I kept repeating to myself, each time the stress level in my voice rising.

" I'll be careful Dana, don't worry." I muttered, slamming the knife down into another innocent potato. I could feel Dana's eyes boring into the back of my head, and it was distracting!

" What?" I snapped shooting her an accusing look. Dana jumped suddenly and just shook her head casually.

" Are you okay?" She asked quietly. I nodded.

" Just peachy." I hissed through my closed teeth, hacking into another potato.

" Let's give the knife a rest." She said gingerly pulling the knife out of my grasp. I let it go freely, and it dropped to the counter with a clunk.

" Tell me what's bothering you." She persisted, resting her hand on my back. I stayed silent, my eyes fixed on my hands. I nibbled at my bottom lip, silently thinking of a good explanation for my behavior. After trying to come up with something for a few silent moments I gave up with a huff. Throwing my hands in the air I shrugged.

" I don't know what's wrong with me Dana." I said truthfully, looking up into her sympathizing green eyes. Her forehead creased together and she frowned.

" Is that what it is? That you don't know?" She could have almost sounded like a therapist. I didn't answer and thought about it.

" I just don't know." Dana lovingly hugged me from behind and then smiled.

" Well don't get mad! Get Glad!" She said excitedly into my ear. I groaned. " Besides, it's your birthday today!" My ears perked up.

" It is? What's today?" I asked, slightly annoyed that I had forgotten my own birthday.

" November 15." I smiled and let out a deep breath.

" That's right. It is my birthday! Every one make their own blasted dinner!" I said shoving the cutting platter away. Dana laughed and then patted my back. I let out a slow, long breath and relaxed.

" It's my birthday…nothing can get me down." I said calmly, closing my eyes serenely

" It's your birthday, it's your birthday, we're gonna party like it's yo birthday." She sang and danced around crazily. I laughed and then joined in with her.

" It's my birthday! It's my birthday! I'm gonna party like it's my birthday!" I sang loudly, as Dana pulled me out of the galley.

We stumbled around the place for a bit, singing and laughing cheerfully. She had officially put me in a better mood, and I liked it. Right now we were singing, 'Rock Your Body' by Justin Timberlake. I hate the song, but love the rhythm, absolutely awesome to dance too.

" Got time, but I don't mind.

Just wanna rock you girl

I'll have whatever you have

Come on lets give it a whirl

You see, I've been watchin you

and I like the way you move

Du-du-du-du-um- don't know the rest of the song!" I bellowed as Dana continued with the words. Dana attempted to spin, but she must have forgotten that our arms were connected, we stumbled forward with a scream. I came up laughing hard, while Dana continued to sing the song. If someone came across us right at this moment, they would think we were drunk no lie.

" We should get all dressed up for tonight."

" What's tonight?" She rolled her eyes.

" Your birthday! Duh!" I smiled and nodded.

" A bath would do me good, my hair is sick!" I said inspecting the tips of my hair. Over the week it had become all grimy and gross, sticking out all over the place Yup, definitely time for a bath...

" We could check with Anamaria..." she suggested, pulling me to my feet. I shook my head.

" I don't think that chick likes me much." I muttered bending backwards and cracking my back. Dana shivered and cringed.

" That's sick, stop it!" I laughed and straightened. She cringed and grabbed my arm and started pulling me off in another direction.

" C'mon, she's not to bad. Besides she's the only other woman here, and if we wanna change of clothes we are going to have to go through her first." I shook my head again.

" How do you know she will lend me clothes?" I asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow. Dana shrugged.

" I don't know, she just will." Without letting me get in my answer, she pulled towards Anamaria's cabin and rapped on the door with her knuckles. A minute later the door opened and Anamaria's face appeared.

" Can I 'elp ye?" She asked eyeing me wearily. Dana nodded.

" Yeah, can we borrow some clothes for Kami? It's her birthday toni-"

" O' course. Come in." She opened the door and ushered us in. I can't say that I was surprised, because I was, am. Dana came in, since she slept here, and without hesitation made herself comfortable. I just stood there awkwardly, looking at the walls.

" Well, 'ow old ar' ye?" She asked, breaking the silence. My head shot around and I looked over at Anamaria. She was sitting at a small wooden table with her feet elevated on the table.

" Eighteen." I smiled, and so did she.

" I though' ye was youn'er." She said truthfully, and I shrugged.

" I'm eighteen,." I said firmly and added, "finally." with a roll of my eyes. Anamaria actually laughed...What is this? She's not looking at me with a scowl? Something has to have happened...

" So, ye need clothes. All I go' is breeches n' tunics." She warned, raising her hands and placing them on the back of her head.

" I don't care, anything that isn't dirty will be perfect." I said with a grateful smile. She nodded and stood up, walking over to a trunk in the corner hurriedly opened it and grabbed some stuff than closed the lid.

" 'Ere, ye migh' need a sash. Cap'n can 'elp wit' tha'." She said wrapping the clothes in a bundle and throwing them at me. I responded quickly and caught them in my hands. Dana, who had stayed silent the whole time spoke up.

" There is one other thing..." Anamaria sighed and looked over at Dana with a hand resting on her hip.

" Wha'?" Dana gulped, as the look Anamaria gave her was scary. " Ou' wit' it!"

" Canweborrowsomeshampooandconditioner (gasp) andmaybesomesoapandallthatgoodstuff." She said quickly, making it hard to understand. Anamaria nodded.

" Yeah, it's in my trunk." She said pointing over her shoulder. Dana smiled and then hurried and shuffled through Anamaria's trunk picking out some soap and bottles of a honey colored liquid I presume is shampoo and conditioner. With that we said our good-byes and went off in search of Jack.

In Jack's Quarters

Jack had been so kind as to let me bathe and get all of the grime out of my hair. Afterwards Dana pampered me up, did my hair, and...found cosmetics in Jack's desk? Should that worry me? Anyways, back to the story. The clothes Anamaria gave me were indeed to big, the shirt was supposed to be that way, but I was shorter and thinner than Anamaria apparently. The pants fell down to my ankles every single time I'd pull them back up.

Besides that, it looked good. The tunic was fresh and clean, it's a v-neck and has a tie on it which is annoying because I feel like a scamp without it tied shut, but I look like an idiot with it all done up. So, I just did it half way and left it. The pants were black and reached down to the middle of my calf, when they reach to just below Anamaria's knee. I hate shortness it's evil. We were in Jack's room so instead of asking, we hunted around (Dana n' me) and found a red sash thing to tie securely around my waist.

When Dana had finished she walked me over to the mirror with her hands covering my eyes. I stumbled, not knowing where I was. She stopped me and pulled her hands away quickly.

" TADA!" She said looking over her finished product. She left my long black, clean, hair down, and added some of the kohl Jack uses around my eyes to bring them out (not that my hair didn't already do that?...) All together, I liked it. Luckily, so did she.

" You look perfect." She said with a big smile. I nodded.

" Let's go see when we are leaving." she said dragging me out of the room. She seems to be making that a habit lately.

ON DECK

All the crew was bustling about, preparing to unboard. The ship had stopped moving and was sitting motionlessly on the waves. The sun was shining down bright, making it unearthly hot. Over the starboard side Tortuga was in clear sight, straight ahead. The harbor was filled with ships, boats, and other waterway transportation's of all kinds. You could almost call it a pretty sight, if it wasn't for the nasty appearance the town gave it.

" Oi! Lo'ely ladies!" Jack's voice called from behind. We both turned and watched as Jack sauntered up a rum bottle in hand, and a wild glint in his eye. His gold teeth were glinting in the sun, almost blinding me.

" Wow, luv. Ye clean up beau'ifully." He said with a smile.

" You 6, Will, and meself will be goin' ashore t'gether. S' wait 'til everyone leaves." He told us and then walked away, shouting orders at his crew. I nodded my understanding and my eyes roamed over the deck looking for the rest of my friends.

Lonnie was helping Mitch tie down some rope and laughing. I catcalled at them and they looked over at us with smiles and I winked.

" You guys are just so strong!" I exclaimed in a high pitched girly voice. They nodded at me and then, after securing the rigging, started to pose for us, showing off their newly tanned (and formed) muscles. I laughed at them and pretended to take pictures. Dana joined me, her eyes fixed on Lonnie. I looked over at her, than at Lonnie, and smirked.

I elbowed her lightly in the ribs and she yelped.

" What was that for?"

" How are ye and me brother doin, lass?" I teased and she smacked me on the shoulder blushing lightly.

" Alrigh' ye scallywags! Listen up!" Jack shouted to his crew. They all formed a semi circle around him, awaiting their orders.

" I 'ave business t' ta'e care o' in town. S' ya'll will be on yer ow' fer a week!" The crew shouted and whooped until Jack hushed them. " A week from t'day, ye're expected t' be back 'ere at dawn! Understood!" He shouted, pacing back and forth his arms behind his back. His crew 'ayed' in unison and then stood anxiously waiting to be dismissed.

" Now off with ya!" They didn't need to be told twice and scattered, like a duck before a fox.

30 minutes later

Lonnie, Mitch, Dana, Gina, Ashley, Anamaria, Gibbs, Will, Jack and myself all stood idly on deck. The crew had gone ashore and now the ship was dead silent in an eerie kind of way.

" Why do you get to take a bath!" Gina whined, looking at my clean hair with envy. I shrugged and pointed over at Dana.

" She did it." Gina crossed her arms over her chest.

" Oh, you got a bath yesterday you nit-pick." That was news to me.

" What! You got a bath yesterday?" Gina nodded.

" Why wasn't I informed it was possible?" I asked slightly annoyed, no one answered but only smiled at me. Jack shushed us and then started debriefing us.

" Gibbs, Anamaria, ye are takin' watch t'night." Gibbs nodded firmly, but Anamaria hesitated and then looked over at me a guilty glint in her eyes. I looked over my shoulder to see if there was somebody behind me, there wasn't. I turned back around and she was gone. What was that about? I thought to myself curiously. I threw it off as if it were nothing.

" Now, thar' be eight o' us. 'N one boa' s' we ar' gonna 'ave ta squeeze." Jack informed us and lead us over to the rail of the Pearl. Down in the water was a lifeboat, the size of a small car floating carelessly in the water. With one look at it I shook my head fiercely.

" Are you kidding?" I looked over at him my brow scrunched. He shook his head.

" Nope." I chuckled and shook my head.

" We'll surely tip it over, or sink!" I said stepping away from the railing. Jack laughed.

" No we won', luv. Trus' me." He said putting his arm around my waist.

" Ha!" I said pulling out of his grasp.

" Just get on the boat Kams, it won't hurt ya." Lonnie said, his head sticking up over the railing as he lowered himself into the boat.

" Easy for you to say fish boy! I don't like swimming in the ocean." Jack looked over at me with a bewildered look on his face. I scowled.

" What!" He shrugged.

" I don't see 'ow someone wouldn't lo'e the sea."

" Well let's see… There are sharks, there are big fish…and there are sharks." I said naming them off with my fingers. Jack laughed.

" Shar's don' eat peop'e fer fun, luv." I laughed wildly.

" Yeah they do! Have you never seen Jaws!" I said heatedly. Ashley laughed and pulled me forward.

" Everyone knows that's just a movie Kami." She said, pulling me forcefully forward. I shook my head.

" Just like every one knew 'Pirate's of the Caribbean' was just a movie! Look where we are!" I countered.

" Touché."

" Come on, I guarantee it will be worth it." She said with a mysterious grin. I speculated her closely and saw that she was hiding something. It's my birthday maybe they have something planned. I thought with a grin.

" Alright, but if I get eaten by a shark, I'm going to come back and haunt you!" I warned, my eyes narrowed and threatening. She just laughed at me.

" Your eyes are too innocent to be scary, dear." Ashley said smirking. I rolled my eyes and carefully climbed over the side of the rail. My hands were sweaty and my mind was racing at a million miles per minute.

Once I was safely into the lifeboat, I sat with my hands clutching tightly to the sides holding on for dear life. I peered over the side once or twice and looked down into the murky water, not being able to see past the surface. The boat tipped to the side as Jack finally climbed in. He was the last one and I sighed gratefully.

We rowed off, me still clinging to the side of the boat with Ashley laughing beside me. In the row behind us, Mitch and Dana were arguing playfully.

" Don't make me throw you overboard!" Dana hissed pointing a finger in his face. Mitch laughed.

" I go down, you go down with me." He said stubbornly folding his arms across his chest. They started wrestling each other, tilting the boat scarily over to the side water almost pouring in. I glared back at them.

" Stop it!" I said evilly, they both paused and turned away from each other. I smiled triumphantly and turned back around in my seat. Few seconds later, and almost to shore, I heard them starting to bicker again. I turned around to scold them but it was too late. They were standing up and falling over into the water, flailing about. I held on with all my might as the boat tipped dangerously over to it's side.

When I opened my eyes again I was relieved to see that I was still sitting safely in the boat with everybody, but Mitch and Dana.

I watched in pure pleasure as Mitch struggled to get his scrawny butt back in the boat, with me just sitting there watching with a smile. He paused for a moment, breathing hard, and looked up at me.

" This will be done a lot faster if you'd help." he said trying to pull himself up again. I rolled my eyes.

" You got yourself in there, get yourself out." I tempted, sticking my tongue out childishly. He glared at me and I sighed. Kneeling down I went over to the side and put my hand out for him to grab. He grabbed it gratefully and then, without warning, pulled up catching me off guard. Once again I lost my balance, but a hand grabbed the back of my shirt holding me upright. Once I was sitting poised in the boat I looked over to Ashley who had grabbed my shirt and smiled.

"Thanks." I said putting a hand over my heart.

" No prob." She said casually.

" I told you we would tip it!" I shouted at Jack, he looked back at me with a crooked grin.

" We didn't ti' i', luv. Yer friends fell in." I rolled my eyes. Of course they fell in! But can we just get back to shore?

Ne wayz...Whaddya think? Please review!

Hazel