The Incredibly Annoying And For Some Reason Much Needed Disclaimer: YES, I owned everything. EVERYTHING! YAY! Now, all I have to do is kidnap some poor descendant of the famous JRR Tolkien, and get them to sign over some rights...anyone know anyone? Darn. So, until then, I own nothing. Well, only the lint in my pockets, but that's it.

A/N: Hey, y'all! Sorry for the long wait...you guys are probably out there like 'WTF? Where has this freak been at!' Well, yet again, my computer is going crazy, deciding to delete ALL my files. Sometimes technology is a pain in the arse. As a warning, I am using stereotypes for the pirates in here- too lazy to research, haha. Please don't kill me? runs and hidesAlso, some of you might have noticed that I changed the rating on this fic to T. Figured there wasn't enough blood in it to merit M without making it vulgar. Anyways, here's the awaited chapter! Pirates! Battle!

Chapter Five

Erin stood calmly at the helm, watching with hooded eyes the pirate ship draw closer and closer to her own vessel. The two ships drew even, the scraggly crew of miscreants leering evilly at their intended victims aboard the Seahawk. Their captain stood at the front of his men, dressed in gaudy colors, the silks and brocades of his outlandish dress at one point, long ago, clean.

Grappling hooks were thrown onto the Seahawk, and the pirates quickly began boarding.

"Get below, Master Legolas," Erin commanded quietly. Her eyes never left her enemy, but she seemed to know exactly where everything and everyone was at any moment.

"I can fight,"Legolas replied, not moving.

"Get below, Master Legolas. That is an order," she hissed venomously, stressing the title she had given him, making it sound almost mocking.

A vehement retort sprang to his lips, but he had no time to speak, for then the pirates were upon them, sabres and cutlasses swinging dangerously through the air.

Erin sprang into battle, drawing her sword and neatly removing the head of a nearby pirate before he could realize she was behind him.

Blood spattered everywhere, a crimson rivult marking the path that the rolling head had taken across the wood. It came to a rest several feet away, the sightless eyes staring upwards in a frozen mask of horror. The body thudded to the deck, and Erin casually stepped over the lifeless corpse to engage another pirate in a heated swordfight. Shouts and screams filled the air, accented by the clash and clang of steel meeting steel. Droplets of blood flew through the air, flung from the dancing blades of both sides, the wood becoming slick under the feet of the fighting men with the ammounts spilled.

Then, it was over, the few remaining scallywags fleeing back to their ship as Erin cut the ropes of the grappling hooks and bellowed for full sail.

The Seahawk leapt forewards like a thoroughbred from the gate, careening through the waves. Whipping her sword through the air to rid the blade of blood, she sheathed the weapon at her hip, surveying her bloodied and tired crew.

"Let's get thes mess cleaned up, mates," she sighed, grabbing the nearest body and heaving it over the rail, into the sea. Buckets of seawater were hauled up and splashed across the deck to wash away the sangre.

The ship was soon cleaned, leaving only the sailors dirty and red-streaked. They had been several hours scrubbing down the Seahawk, and Erin deemed them far enough away from the blood and bodies to be safe from sharks. She gave the command to stop, and the windjammer came to a stop, bobbing easily on the waves. The sails were furled, and Erin ordered the men to get cleaned up. Half of the crew gave a cry, and they leapt over the rails, plunging gleefully into the sea. Erin sat on the prow, watching the men splash and play below, cleansing the blood from their bodies. Conscious of the others, the seamendidn't spend much more time than necesary in the water before returning to the ship, dripping and laughing.

Another league drifted away under the vessel before she stopped again, and Erin nodded to the men, stifling a small grin as the other half leapt overboard without ado.

The young woman again stood at the prow, her minute smile crinkling the corners of her green eyes. She heard Iain at her shoulder, and removed her sword from her hip, handing the sheathed weapon and its belt to her first mate. The hat and dark brown vest followed.

"Mr MacPherson, if yeh doona mind."

The crusty sailor took her effects with a broad smile. She returned the grin, then leapt easily onto the rail. Pausing for a moment, she surveyed the men frolicking and laughing below, making sure that she would not hit anyone before diving from the ship, slipping into the water with a small splash. Iain watched her swim around with a shake of his head. His expression turned sad as he reminissed, staring at the water with unseeing eyes. Then Erin was once again beside of him, dripping wet from her swim. Shaking her head, the girl splattered Iain with water droplets, grinning mischeiviously as she pulled her hair back into the queue she had worn it in earlier for the fight. The first mate gaver her a half glare, then chuckled.

"Lass, yeh need to see th' doc. Yeh have some cuts from yer swordplay."

She shrugged, then looked back out at the water. The expression on her tanned face instantly became sour.

An ominous fin cut a V-shape through the aquamarine waters, headed straight for the Seahawk.

"Damn! Damn, damn, damn," she swore. "Shark! Shark off tae port!"

The men heard her, and began climbing back up the ropes, but one was too far away to hear.

"Shit!" Erin bellowed, drawing her dagger from her boot. Clenching it between her teeth, she dove back into the water, swimming quickly towards the crewman. Reaching his side, the captain drug him with her, back to the Seahawk.

"Shark's headin' thes way, laddie buck. I suggest yeh start swimmin' like yer life depended on it, because it does!" she growled around the blade. They were almost to the ship when the man gave a cry, going under. Taking a deep breath, Erin went under after him, driving the dagger into the shark's gills. It was only a small one, unused to being attacked with such savagery, and immediately released the sailor's leg, retreating with a trail of blood behind it. The man was slowly climbing up the rope when the young woman came back to the surface, the dagger again clenched between her teeth as she helped the man up from below. When they were again on deck, Erin spat out her blade and ripped off her shirt, wrapping the garment around the man's bleeding leg.

"Get Malcolm!" she ordered, trying to stem the red flow from the limb. One of the men standing infront of Legolas pushed past, hurrying for the doctor. He left the Elf a clear view of the captain and the wounded sailor. The sight of blood did not bother him, but he bit back a cry at the sight of Erin. Her shirt was wrapped around the man's leg, but she still wore a cloth tightly wrapped around her chest, effectively concealing her breasts. Her skin was tanned, her middle slim and muscled. But several scars ran across her back, some more like angry red welts, only recently healed over. One or two even still oozed a small ammount of blood. Her strong arm sported a red gash across the upper part, obviously from the fight earlier. When Malcolm, the doctor, arrived, she stood and backed up. Not many missed seeing how gaunt their captain looked. Under the tanned skin and hard muscle, one could count all her bones. A hard look crossed her face, and everyone adverted their eyes. Duncan wordlessly handed her a shirt, which she donned thankfully. As the cloth came in contact with her wounds, Erin hissed softly, trying too late to lock it behind her teeth. Erik, the wounded sailor, heard the expelled air, and looked sharply at the young woman.

"Malcolm, look t' the Capt'n's wounds. I can wait."

Erin glared down at the sailor. "I'll hear none o' thet, lad. I can take care o' myself."

Iain shook his head. "Nae, lass, Malcolm will look t' your wounds when he's done wi' Erik."

"I doona need yer help," she growled, turning on her heel and walking stiffly to her cabin.

Iain saw Legolas' worried look, and pulled the Elf aside.

"You're worried about Erin," the first mate said, more of a statement than a question.

The prince nodded.

Iain sighed. "Doona be. I have that particular job here, aboard ship."

"Why does she look so gaunt, and sleep so little? Every watch, she is there."

"Erin," the sailor paused hesitantly, almost unsure of what he was about to say. "The lass is a good captain, and a better sailor. She knows this ship from top to bottom and right back up. She's not the type to be jumpy, but there's been a smudge on the horizon for several days, never closer, never farther. She doesna know what it is, and it's makin' her nervous. Give her an enemy and she'll fight him until one is dead, but all this waitin' and watchin' is wearin' her thin. Where we're headin', it's nae somewhere she wants others to know of, it bein' a family secret and all. As for her bein' so gaunt," again he paused. "We packed extra rations and such, but we picked up two extra crewmen at our last port, meanin' that things were tight. Some of our barrels were washed away during that storm, and," he trailed off.

"And I came along, as well," the Elf finished.

Iain nodded. "Erin's a good captain, one of the best I've sailed with. If there's somethin' short, she'll give up whatever she has to to fill the gap. In this case, we're short rations, so she goes wi'out. Not that she tells anyone or complains, mind you. Lass just takes her meals in private, and downs more whisky than a person should. Erin, that's a tough one if they ever are. I'd advise that if you like your head, make no mention of this conversation to anyone."

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A/N: Hmm...what could the smudge be? Where is the Seahawk headed? Will Legolas find a long bow, or will he be forced to wield a sword gaspshould the crew come across more pirates? Find out, next time on 'MI: FF'...Is it just me, or does the title abbreviated look like some bad Mission Impossible plot? haha. To whet y'all's appitites, in the next chapter, drum roll some of your questions will be answered. collective gasp from audience Yes, they will be! But, I will give you a hint, my wonderful- though few- readers: the more reviews, the faster I'll post. So, just click that little button in the bottom left corner, si'le vous plait!