We Cannot Live Like This

Disclaimer: Same as chapter one.

ONE MORE CHANCE

As the days and weeks passed Jack kept his distance from Elizabeth. He did, however, have the young boys deliver the copper and hot water. Will was always the first one up and he was enjoying the life of a pirate. Jack made Will and the rest of the crew work hard but nobody complained, nobody.

Elizabeth refused to get up and bathe. She would just snuggle up to her pillow. Jack tried to give her some chores but she refused to do them. She was not going to be bossed around by the pirate captain. She told Will she would be his wife and live with him. She was not going to be Jack's slave and work for him.

Jack kept on trying to make a pirate out of her but she would not budge. Finally, she got so annoyed that when the boys came to deliver her bath she would take the water and go dump it on Jack. Jack and Elizabeth had several rounds of yelling and she would eventually end up slapping him. He would draw back and reach for his sword and gun but he never laid a hand on her. He would never hurt her.

Jack eventually got the message that Elizabeth was not going to be part of the crew. He decided to just leave her alone. He told Will she could live how she wanted but he would have to do her work. There were no free rides on a pirate ship. Will agreed to this, unbeknownst to Elizabeth.

Life on the Black Pearl was now spoiling her. Jack didn't ask anything of her and she asked nothing of him. She had all morning to get ready for lunch, and all afternoon to get ready for dinner. She would spend hours reading her favorite books and sewing clothes. She would mend the crew's clothes and the sails, but only when William asked her. She would do other jobs on the ship but this too was only because Will asked.

One afternoon the sun was beating down strong and everyone was lying around on the deck. The seas were calm and there was nothing to do. Elizabeth was surprised that Jack was not on the deck barking out orders. It seemed he was always complaining about something and yelling at the crew. Nothing was ever good enough for the captain.

Elizabeth smiled at Will. "Let's have a contest, let's have some fun. Why don't we split up into teams and compete against each other. We can see who can achieve the best time in setting a sail, in taking one down and in climbing the rigging and descending. We can also have a running race around the deck and maybe a swimming race."

Will smiled at Elizabeth. "My dear, you may want to run this past the captain. I am sure he would not want us neglecting our work in order to have fun."

"Will, look at them," Elizabeth pointed around at all the men. "They are all just lying around. There is no work to be done."

She stood up and looked at the men. "Gentlemen, how would you all like to partake in some amusement rather than lying around and getting sun burnt?"

She told the men of her idea and they all loved it but nobody was going to broach the subject to the captain. She then looked at Will. "William, Jack is your captain and your friend. You seem to spend more time with him than you do with me. Will you please ask him?"

Will closed his eyes and shook his head side to side. "Elizabeth you ask him, I'm not going to get the captain mad at me."

She stared at Will and placed her hands on her hips. "What is this, are all of you afraid of your Captain? Do you all just run errands for him and let him drink his rum? For heaven's sake, where is he? I'll go ask him."

She turned around and fell right into Jack's arms. He gave her a wide smile and stopped her from falling. "'Ello Elizabeth, I knew I heard your charming voice. So what is it you wish to ask of this overbearing captain?"

Elizabeth pulled away, straightened her dress and looked at the crew. Several of them gave her a smile and Will shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead Elizabeth ask him."

"Jack, it has come to my attention…"

"Captain," Jack interrupted.

"What?" Elizabeth looked at him and realized her mistake.

"Captain Jack…or Captain Sparrow if you prefer, it has come to my attention," Jack winked at Will.

Elizabeth shook her head and tossed her hands in the air. "FINE! CAPTAIN, it has come to my attention that the men need something else to do besides their grinding routine and waiting on you hand and foot. I am sure these long sea voyages can get monotonous and I thought perhaps we could have contests on the ship to show off ones skill."

Jack looked down at her and laughed. "No. Now all of you get up and get back to work!"

All the men jumped up to leave and Elizabeth yelled. "Wait!" She grabbed Jack, "What are you afraid of, that your crew could beat you?"

"Elizabeth, you are forgetting, I am Captain Jack Sparrow. I'm not afraid of my crew and I am certainly not afraid of you. Besides, who said I would partake?"

Will now stood up beside Elizabeth. "Well, if you were to let us do this and you were to join in the events I'd warn you to avoid the swimming, because I know I would win."

"I know I can out run the captain," a young buccaneer spoke up.

"I can certainly climb faster and higher," another pirate yelled out.

Elizabeth was now beaming. "That's the spirit I'm sure you all can beat the captain in everything except drinking."

"Mrs. Turner," Jack looked at her sternly. "For some reason you have taken a dislike to me, for reasons I can't understand. But remember, I said NO! Since everyone knows they will win it is no disgrace in my declining in this adventure. Now everybody get back to work!" Jack turned to leave.

"I don't think it is a disgrace but it certainly shows a lack of honor and integrity," Elizabeth spoke up. "No one wants to be beaten and you are acting like you already have been. You know you just may be able to beat them. You could have a little bit of self-esteem and faith. If you want your crew to have confidence in you, you should have some in yourself."

Will now placed his arm around Jack. "If you will permit this, I will set up the events and I will pass them by you for approval."

"I won't have you neglecting your duties." Jack said severely.

"We would naturally do our chores first. I'll see to it." Will said.

"Yes, I will also see to it." Gibbs now stepped up beside Will and the rest of the crew all nodded their heads.

Jack rolled his eyes. "If this is what you want." He looked at Will and the crew. "I will give you all a week to practice and to get into shape and then we will have the contests, but I better not see any of you neglecting your work. Savvy?"

"Aye aye, sir," everyone yelled in unison.

XXXXXX

The day of the games dawned bright and clear. The usual turbulence of the Atlantic had died down and the bright sun quickly absorbed the cool of the morning, insuring that it would be a hot day.

Will was up before dawn, testing his muscles. He was flexing and limbering up to run around the deck. He was also going to climb the rigging, swim and fence.

The busiest person was Elizabeth. It was her task to keep the lists of contestants, determine the order of the events, oversee them, and make sure that all preparations were completed.

Jack moved among the men, saying a few words to each and wishing them all good luck. His encouragements were warmly received. He then walked up to Elizabeth who was talking to Gibbs.

"I am so excited. I'm afraid I won't remember somebody's name or I won't know who won what. I have to make sure I watch the finish line. I hope I don't get too involved in cheering instead of watching."

"So who are you cheering for?" Jack asked as he came up behind her. "I'm going to be mighty upset if you're pulling against me."

Elizabeth gave Jack an odd smile. "You?"

Jack frowned and before he could say anything Elizabeth looked at her list and back at him. "I didn't say I was cheering for anyone. I just said I might be cheering. I can't be a judge if I have favorites." Elizabeth turned back toward Gibbs.

Will ran up to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth, everybody is anxious to win - I mean - to get started. How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," she confided in him. "Did you know Jack will be joining in some of the events?" She turned to look at Jack but he had already left.

"No, but he is the captain, I guess he can do as he wishes. Now the first event is easy. It's just a foot race. There's only room for two or three runners at a time. You know the rules; they will start when you shoot the pistol. Then they will run around the deck four times, you keep track of the time."

Elizabeth shot the pistol and the race was on. Elizabeth watched with great care and wrote down all the times. She hadn't noticed Jack come up behind her. She was yelling at the top of her lungs. "Go Will go…go…"

"Now Elizabeth it appears you're showing favorites. You can't give me less than what you give my crew."

Elizabeth glanced back. "I wish I didn't have to give you anything. I am here for Will," she said in a low hiss.

"Lass, captains always receive special treatment and I intend to win the race."

"Don't be so sure. You haven't won yet. You will have to beat Will and I won't allow any cheating."

"I shall, Princess, I shall," he chucked her under the chin and walked away. When it was Jack's turn to run he ran with two of the tallest crew members. Jack was surprisingly fast and he took the lead leaving them behind. When he had finished he asked Elizabeth for his and Will's time.

"I'm sorry Captain; I can't give out that information. All the winners will be announced at the end of the day."

The morning wore on and the contests continued. Men competed in climbing by scaling the rigging and descending. There was a tug of war contest of brute strength in which contestants struggled to haul up the ships' anchor and there were many contests involving various weapons, some of which Elizabeth had never seen.

The judging for the weapons was based on skill in handling the weapon, not mere strength. Men were paired off and at the end Will and Jack were facing each other with swords.

Elizabeth stood between the both of them. "Now remember, this is a test of skill and there will be no cheating." Elizabeth looked directly into Jack's kohl rimmed eyes. "If there is, you will be disqualified."

She then looked at Will and the rest of the crew who were all waiting with baited breath. "If one of you inflicts an injury, you lose points or you are disqualified. That would show a lack of control, both in the handling of your weapon and of your temper." She looked directly at Jack again.

Jack lowered his weapon. "Elizabeth, why is it you are directing these rules at me? I am the captain and I will lay down the rules. One of the privileges of being a captain is being able to change the rules." He smiled at Will and then back at Elizabeth. "But you can't do it very often, it would weaken morale. Savvy?"

"Jack, the rules have not changed since the last time. Do I sense you are nervous because you are paired with someone who actually knows how to use his weapon? If you can't bide by the rules, Will is the winner. Obviously, Will is too much of an opposition and you are too spoiled and conceited to fight fair."

Elizabeth started to turn away, but Jack grasped her wrist and forced her to look at him in the eye. "Is that right, Princess?" he said, giving her a galvanizing stare. "I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen well. I have agreed to these games to alleviate the boredom of me crew and to see what skills they have. We are not here to entertain you. Everything the crew does is because I tell them to do it. You seem to be protecting Will from me. I have all the confidence in his skill, it appears you don't. You yourself said a judge cannot have favorites. The captain's word is the law of any ship." Jack released Elizabeth's wrist and turned to Will. "William, the first one to actually draw blood will be the winner. Savvy?"

Will nodded his head. "Does that mean we can cheat?"

Jack's eyes grew wide as he looked at his opponent and they both cracked a smile.

"The captain, the captain, the captain!" Elizabeth repeated with loathing in her voice. "I've heard that word until I'm sick of it." She looked at Will and then the rest of the crew. "Do you all quiver and quake each time he opens his mouth?"

"Elizabeth," Will eyed her wondering why the outburst. "I don't think you understand the nature of the relationship between a ship's crew and its captain."

Jack gave Elizabeth a wide golden grin as he nodded his head in agreement with Will.

"Will, I understand that not one of you has a backbone to stand up to that grinning bully. You all just say 'Yes, Captain' and 'Of course, Captain' and then run off to do his bidding like good little boys."

Will put his sword into its sheath and grabbed Elizabeth about the shoulders. "As I said, you don't understand how a captain and his crew work. I could try to explain the complex relationship but I doubt you would understand."

"Oh I understand," she pulled away from Will. "I understand all too well."

Jack pulled Will's sword out of its sheath and handed it to him. "Great, now that the PRINCESS understands, let the games continue." Jack smiled at Elizabeth. "And what does the Princess have to say about that?"

"I say you have your crew licking your hands like whipped dogs. I assure you Captain, I don't share there feelings and my name is Elizabeth not Princess."

Jack smiled, "I'm glad me crew does not feel like you or I would not be able to turn me back. These men have been on me ship forever and they obey me because I know more than they do." Jack noted that Elizabeth's eyes nearly jumped out of her head.

"They understand loyalty, as well as how to exercise a little common sense. That does give them the advantage over you, doesn't it, Princess?" Jack leaned in and smiled at her, knowing he was irresistible.

To his surprise Elizabeth slapped his face. The sound was loud and it snapped Jack's head to one side. He opened his mouth and put his hand to his stinging cheek. "Now Princess, I didn't deserve that!"

"You certainly did. You are despicable, you are loathsome and cruel."

"Don't waste it all," Jack said in an infuriating whisper and a glint in his eye. "You can save the rest for when I'm tossing you off me ship."

Jack now looked at Will. "We'd best get started or we will be late for the swimming event."

XXXXXX

As evening fell and events finished, Gibbs started handing out the awards. Elizabeth was going to but she was so mad at Jack that she could not see straight and she was somewhat peeved with Will also.

Will had indeed won the running and the climbing races. Jack won the swimming but only by a hair. Gibbs called the fencing contest a tie. Will had nicked Jack's shoulder first but it took awhile for the wound to bleed. When Jack struck Will's arm, his red blood ran immediately but oddly enough Jack's wound started to bleed at the same time. Jack's rule was that whoever drew blood first had won and in Gibb's judgment they were in a draw.

Will wanted to go another round but Gibbs called a halt to it. He could see how upset Elizabeth was.

Jack, Will and the rest of the crew were enjoying the evening and talking over the days accomplishments. Elizabeth's temper had gotten the best of her so she kept to herself.

"I swear, Jack Sparrow is so self absorbed. Nobody on this ship has a backbone. They are all mad," she muttered into the breeze that blew her words out to the secretive sea. "I know Will wants to live on this ship but I can't stay another day here with Jack Sparrow."

"Did you say something?" Will came up behind her and placed his arms around her waist.

"I was talking to myself. I guess I got into that habit from being alone so much."

"I'm sorry Elizabeth; I know living on this ship is not easy for you. Did you know that most sailors talk to themselves? They too get very lonely at sea, especially if they're a captain."

"Will, I don't want to talk about Captain Sparrow."

"Elizabeth I know you are here for me and I love you for it, but please, can't you get along with Jack?"

"Will he treats you all like slaves, ordering you about, shouting at you all to get the jobs done exactly as he likes the first time. I don't understand how you all can do it. There was no need for you and Jack to fight like that today. There was no cause to draw blood."

Will searched for the right words. He knew it was important that Elizabeth understand the captain, not in his role on the ship, but as an ordinary person.

"Elizabeth if you could see Jack when we're in a hard fight, or when the ships in danger, you might understand what the men feel and why they gladly accept his abuse as you call it. The captain's the first one on the deck when there's any sign of trouble. He never holds back or spares himself because of his position. He's in there with the rest of us as long as there's any danger to the ship and the crew."

Elizabeth lowered her eyes. "William, I am sure everything you say is true about Captain Jack Sparrow but I can no longer go on like this. This is no way to live."

Will placed his arms around Elizabeth's neck and pulled her face close to his. "Your right, I have been selfish and I have not thought of your needs. Tomorrow, I will inform Jack that we will no longer be sailing with him and I will request he return us to Port Royal."

"Why wait until tomorrow? Here he comes now." Elizabeth said with urgency in her voice.

As Elizabeth and Will were having their private moment Jack came up and placed his hand on Will's back.

"William, it appears we have company on the starboard bow. Elizabeth, I'd recommend you to go below."

Will turned to look at the approaching ship. Elizabeth turned to Jack. "Captain Sparrow, I can take care of myself thank you."

"Have it your way Luv, you always do. Come William, that is another pirate ship and they have raised their flag. They intend on attacking The Pearl. They know we are loaded down with treasures. However, when they find out there is a woman on board that is all they are going to want."

Will looked at Elizabeth and handed her his pistol. "Elizabeth, please go lock yourself in our room. Jack and I will make sure you remain safe."

Elizabeth looked out at the looming pirate ship; she took the gun, kissed Will and went to lock herself away.

A/N Thank you for all the great reviews. I am so glad you all liked chapter one and I hope you all like chapter two. As you can see I am a person of my word. I received more than 5 reviews and I updated. You all are terrific!

Lizzy