AN: I meant to get this chapter up a lot sooner, but I've been busy.

I did make it to the Tall Ships festival this weekend. It was fun. My friends and I dressed up. We had people thinking we came on one of the ships. :grins: My lame boyfriend wouldn't wear his Jack costume or I'd direct you all to my website to see it. (He will wear it to Renaissance Festival or I shall run himthroughwith me cutlass...)I'll post pictures of the ships there sometime this week, though. By the time we got there, it was too late to board any of the ships, which sucked.

The Schooner Providence, which was used in POTC 2 did not make it. I was kind of disappointed, but at least there were other ships to drool over. None as beauteous as the Pearl, though.

Anyways, the usual drabble:

This story is also located on my POTC website, Nigh Uncatchable. There's also other stuff on there, too so feel free to look around. I have a costume guide I'm working on, as well as an interactive look at the Black Pearl and some history that can be linked to the movies. There are also biographies for the characters of this story, complete with actors I had in mind while writing them, and a soundtrack listing is in the works.

I'd love for you all to check it out! There's a link to it on the bottom of my summary on my author page.

This story contains SPOILERS! If you don't want to be spoiled, then wait until you've seen the movie, and then read it, okay? Okay!

Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Chapter 18: Hurricane

Jack stood at the helm of the Black Pearl, his compass in his hand. He followed the needle as he steered the wheel. He looked back and forth from his compass to the sun in the sky. He narrowed his eyes.

"Ana!" He shouted.

"Aye, Captain?" Anamaria answered from behind him.

"Take the helm." He turned and strode away. "Head east," he shouted back to her.

Anamaria watched as he swaggered down the stairs. She shook her head as she took the helm in her hands.

Jack walked past both his own crew, and that of the late Dolphine. He nodded to those who saw him pass.

He stopped next to Evelyn as she was teaching Elizabeth how to play a fife. Elizabeth was just getting the hang of it when Jack walked up to the pair.

Will was pulling on the rigging while Porthos helped him secure it. "You knew my father?" Will asked as he watched the exchange between Evelyn, Elizabeth, and Jack.

"Yep." Porthos replied. "Best pirate I've ever known."

"So I've been told." Will was still curious to know what his father was like. He held the rope tightly in his hands.

"You might want to ask Evelyn if you want a better answer than that." Porthos said. "He practically raised her after I sent her off to sea." He tied off a knot on the railing.

"She won't kill me?" Will asked. "She seems to have it out for anything male at the moment." Both men watched as Evelyn glared at Jack, her face inches from his. She turned and stalked away and into his cabin. Jack ran to follow her. She shut the door to his cabin and bolted it shut. Jack let out a sigh.

"Nah." Porthos answered. "Just Jack." He chuckled. "They've been going at it like that for years."

"Come on, Evy, darling!" Jack said as he pounded on the door. "I really don't want to have to break this door down." He frowned. "Don't. Make. Me. Hurt. My. Baby!" He shouted pulling on the door handle. He leaned back and gave it a great tug.

Evelyn opened the door, tiring of all the racket Jack was making. Jack went flying backwards and landed on his behind inches from where Porthos and Will were standing. The pair stared down at the captain.

"What are you lookin' at?" Jack glared at them. "As ye were, mates!" He shouted, rising to his feet. He groaned, placing a hand on his backside. He strode over to Evelyn who was, as well as the rest of the crew, laughing. He put his arm around her waist. "That wasn't funny." He pouted.

"From my angle it was hilarious." She tried to stifle the laughter but failed miserably.

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, I aim to please, luv." He gave her a knowing smile and kissed her cheek.

She shook her head and walked away. He started after her and thought better of it. Instead he put a finger in the air, turned on his toes and strode into his cabin. He had a bottle of rum with his name on it.

Jack was sitting at the table, a map splayed out in front of him. He took a great swig of the rum bottle in his hand and let out a sigh. Now where was I? He furrowed his brow and inhaled. Ah, yes. Tripoli. Been awhile since I've been there, hasn't it? He grinned.

He tilted his chair back on the rear legs, carefully balancing himself, moving with each sway of the ship. Suddenly, the door swung open and nearly flew off its hinges. Evelyn stood in the doorway.

Loosing his balance, Jack, as well as the chair, tumbled backwards.

Evelyn strode over to him and held out her hand. "Ye'd better get up top, luv," she shouted, frantic. She was soaked from the sea and the storm that was raging outside, tempting the fate of the Pearlyet again.

"Jus' lemme finish this bottle, ay?" Jack slurred, rising from the floor. "Now that I won't be able to sit for a week…" He muttered.

"Now, Jack," she commanded.

"What's wrong, luv?" Jack asked. "It isn't mutiny again, is it? Ye know how I hate those…"

"The navy's on our tail." She glared at him.

"Oh, bugger." Jack said simply.

"No doubt that fancy-pants-Commodore I ran into in Paris," Evelyn fumed as she and Jack walked out of the cabin. "I knew I should have-"

"Norrington? Ye ran into Norrington and ye didn't even say anything?" Jack asked.

"I didn't think it was that important." She frowned. "Besides, ye'd have gone looking for trouble if I'd have given ye the chance."

"Oh, no he's not important." Jack stated calmly as they emerged on deck. "He's only been chasing me half way around the world for months." He rolled his eyes. "I rooted for him, too, the bloody bastard." He removed his spyglass from inside his jacket and attempted to get a better look at the ship looming behind the Pearl

"Can't see a bloody thing," Jack said, shaking the spyglass.

"It's raining, Jack. Not to mention the fact that it's night." Evelyn stared at him.

"Right ye are, luv." He turned and headed up to the helm. Evelyn followed him every step of the way.

"This doesn't look good, Capt'n," Anamaria said from her place at the wheel.

"Could be worse." With that a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the storm around them. Jack could see the clouds cycling in the sky.

"Had to say it didn't ye?" Evelyn glared at him, smirking.

"Oh." Jack said, simply.

"How do you plan on getting out of this one?" Anamaria asked.

"Full sail! Run it out!" He shouted to the crew behind him.

Porthos came running up the stairs as fast as he could. "Tell me I'm not the only one that saw the hurricane on our tail?"

"Oh, that?" Jack asked. "That's not a hurricane. That's the HMS Dauntless." The wind began to pick up around them. "That's a hurricane," he said, pointing to the sky.

"We're trying to outrun it?" Porthos asked.

"Would ye rather we surrendered?" Jack grinned. "The navy might be forgiving, but the hurricane won't be."

"Either way, we die," Evelyn put an arm around Jack. "This is the Black Pearl, papa. She can outrun it," she said, grinning at her father.

Jack took the helm, grinning like a madman. He felt as if he had nothing to fear. He didn't worry about the storm around him. He knew that it would take more than that to take out Captain Jack Sparrow.

AN: Feedback wanted! But please be kind. I've already received constructive criticism on the lack of action. I'll admit that I suck at action sequences. Being the persnickety perfectionist I am, once I finish this thing, I'll probably do another edit for detail.

Last I checked, I had seventy something hits on chapter 17. I got two reviews... That's sad! Please tell me what you think!