Chapter 4: High Seas

Jack opened his eyes and sat up, blinking in the bright morning sun that streamed in the cabin window. Remembering the events of the previous night, he smiled. Although he was still very sore, Sparrow had been relatively gentle compared to the natives. Slipping out of bed, Jack spied a pile of clothes thrown onto top of a empty barrel. Picking them up, he realized that Captain Jack must have left them out for him. How considerate.

Fully dressed, he pushed open the door and walked out onto the bustling deck. Several men were scrubbing various parts of the ship, while others mended sails, ropes, and other equipment. Others were just sitting around, dozing. Wondering where the captain was, Jack mounted the short flight of stairs and scanned the deck. Not finding him, he turned around and looked up.

Standing at the helm was the handsome pirate. One hand was resting on the wheel, the other holding the compass that Sparrow had used before to find the ship. The only change in his appearance was that he had donned a brown sea coat, which was hanging open.

Snapping the compass closed, the captain glanced down at Jack and smiled. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, lad." Gesturing towards the end of the boat, he added casually, "There is somethin' there you might want to see."

Curious, Jack strode towards the stern of the Black Pearl and glanced over the railing. At first, all he could see with the churning wake of the ship, but something else caught his eye. Jutting out of the water was a large white fin, which appeared to be following the ship. Brown eyes widening, he leaned father out and scanned the water beneath the fin. From this distance, all he could see was a very long and wide white shape.

"Damn…." the time traveller muttered, realizing instantly that the shark was still after him. So much for a relaxing voyage…Hearing boots on the wood behind him, Jack turned slightly and saw that Captain Sparrow had joined him. Turning back to the fin, Jack sighed and wondered what to do next. Obviously, the masked English man had sent Sha-Sha after him, hoping that the fish would feast on his body when caught. Unfortunately, Jack was aboard the fastest ship in the Caribbean, at the appeared all the shark could do was keep up.

"Do you know what that is?" Sparrow asked softly, leaning over Jack's shoulder. Catching the faint smell of run mixed with seawater, Jack breathed in deeply before answering. "Yeah, it's called Sha-Sha, and it's a huge white shark. That fish is after me."

"That could be a problem then." Captain Sparrow mused, bright brown eyes gazing at the fin. "Ya'see, with that after us, we can't land in any port. We have to deal with it."
"Ok then, let's get started on a plan." Turning around, Jack saw the surprised look on the older man's face and grinned. Ducking out from underneath Sparrow's arm, the time traveller started down the stairs, heading towards the cabin he had spent the night in. Jack Sparrow, after a moment of wondering what was up, followed the younger Jack into the small room.

Shutting the door behind him, Sparrow turned around to find Jack leaning against the wall, a calculating look in his eyes. Jack Harkness was deep in thought, trying to figure out the best way the beat the giant shark without killing himself or any of the crew. So far, he was drawing a blank.

Glancing up at the pirate, Jack asked, "Any ideas? Mine all end with someone other than the shark dying." Tugging at his beaded goatee, the captain stared thoughtfully at the floor for a minute, then shrugged. "Ya could try to harpoon the fish, but getting out to it without being eaten is the only problem…"

"Harpoon?" Brow furrowing in confusion, Jack racked his brains trying to figure out what a harpoon was. Being from the future, the man wasn't familiar with weaponry from this time period. If only the Doctor was here…Giving himself a metal kick, he told himself that he could get out of this without the Doctor's help. He had survived before he had met the Time Lord, and he would do so when they parted ways. Was he becoming soft?

Realizing that Sparrow was staring at him, Jack raised his gaze and smiled in a charming way. He was sick of having other people tell him things; he was going to stand on his own two feet from now on or die trying. "A harpoon…oh yes, that would work nicely." Jack lied with a smile, taking a step towards the pirate. "Do you have any aboard?"

Grunting. Jack Sparrow nodded and pulled open the cabin door. Sticking his head out, he roared, "All right, ya sea dogs, do somethin' useful and bring me the best harpoon we have!"

"Aye, Captain!"

- - -

"Uh…" Jack stood on the sunbathed deck, staring down at a harpoon. The thing was about three feet long, and was basically a big wooden stick with an arrow on a metal rod at the tip. On the other end was a length of rope. Well, not what he had expected, but it would have to do. Clearing his throat, Jack picked it up, testing it's weight. The harpoon was surprisingly light for it's size. Now, how to use this to kill Sha-Sha?

Smiling, the man turned around and faced Jack Sparrow and his crew. Hefting the harpoon, he said, "Alright, I think I can use this." Strolling casually past the group, he made his way to the stern of the ship and glanced over the rail. As expected the damn shark was still trailing the ship.

Placing the harpoon on the deck beside him, Jack leaned against the rail and though about how to kill it. The only solution he had come up with was that he face the shark himself, letting Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl escape. Sighing, he rubbed his temples, not happy with the idea. Sure, he didn't mind dying if it would mean that others would live, but to have not said goodbye to the Doctor and Rose…it didn't seem right.

The again, worrying about those thing wouldn't kill the shark, would they? Brown eyes opened and he glared at the white fin sticking out of the sea. Now as a good a time as any to try and slay the terror that was after him. Picking up the harpoon, he turned and went down to the helm where Jack Sparrow stood, one hand on the wheel.

"Captain, can you slow the Black Pearl down slightly? If I'm gonna kill that thing, I need to be able to hit it." The pirate was silent for a moment as he contemplated Jack's request. "Very well, lad, I'll do it. Need anything else?' Sparrow asked, walking away to check some rigging. Following him, Jack sighed and spoke again. "Yeah…if possible, I need to borrow a rowboat."

"Borrow, and bring it back? Or borrow and leave it for us to get?"

"Er…I was hoping you could get it…'cause I may not be able to bring it back…"

Trailing off, Jack shifted uneasily as touched on the point that he might be killed. Well, Sparrow was just going to have to accept that; the time traveller was going to do this alone, without endangering anyone else. Now he was starting to sound like the Doctor…

"Aye, take it then. And be careful!" Sparrow said, flashing Jack a warm smile. Adjusting his hat, the captain called out various orders, leaving Jack alone to perpare for his upcoming battle.