Chapter 7: Star light, star bright

Captain Jack Sparrow stood on the deck of the Black Pearl, gazing up at the stars overhead. From north to south, the sky was light up with a glittering blanket of light, brighter than the sliver of the moon that also graced the heavens. He was thinking about nothing in particular, just gazing upwards; letting his mind wander from one idea to the next. Even though the night was cool, his overcoat was slung over the railing behind him.

Eventually, his mind drifted onto the topic of that day's events. He had arrived at Tortuga, hoping to re-supply and find out any information on Jack Harkness' companions. He had been skulking around the more deserted areas of the pirate island when he had stumbled across a large blue box behind a run-down shed. Realizing that this was the same box that had appeared when Jack showed up, Sparrow decided to wait and see if it's occupants came back. Eventually, one did.

After convincing her that he could help, Captain Jack had led Rose back to his ship and lent her his cabin. After protesting that she was fine, the blonde had finally agreed and went to sleep there. Sparrow had then sent out several of his crew to search the bars on the island, with explicit instructions not to harm the man they were looking for. After about an hour's wait, a man had rushed onto the ship, demanding to see Rose. Jack had shown him in, and the stranger hadn't been seen since.

He crew had followed shortly afterwards, looking worn out. The captain had sent them off to bed, but had remained awake, waiting to see if anything happened with the ships' newest additions. Hearing the boat creak, he grinned in the darkness. Like his ship, Sparrow wanted to be back on the open water, looking for his missing friend.

Closing his eyes, he starting humming a pirate song, oblivious to the raised voices drifting from the cabin. Dawn was coming shortly, but the orange tinge on the eastern horizon only added to the beauty of the night. Oh, it was good to be a pirate!

- - -

Rose opened her eyes slowly and stretched, welcoming the fact that she was warm and in a relatively safe place. Sitting up, she smiled as she saw that the Doctor was leaning against the wall. Bright blue eyes scanned the cabin, taking in all the odds and ends that Captain Sparrow had left lying around. Her mother would probably have a fit if she knew Rose had slept in another man's bed…

Returning her gaze to the Doctor, her smile faltered as she saw the expression on his face. He was angry at her…Shifting uneasily, she decided to try and make peace with him; or at least find out why her companion was upset.

"Doctor…" Rose said, but was met with silence. The Time Lord was looking at the door, and his arms were crossed. Not a good sign.

"Um…Doctor…what's wrong?" The question was answered with a snort and he switched from looking at the door to glaring at the wall opposite him. The Doctor was also frowning.

After another minute of silence, the man finally spoke. "What part of 'don't wander off' didn't you get?" His voice was calm, but the Doctor's face told Rose that he was really upset.

"I didn't! I went straight back to the TARDIS like you told me."

"Then how did you get from there to here?"

"When I went back to the TARDIS, there was a man hanging around outside it. I was going to get you, but he then said he knew where Jack was. I…I figured it couldn't hurt to go with him and find out what he knew. Besides, he said he was going to get you…" Rose explained, trailing off as the realization of what might have happened hit her.

"Did you ever consider that he was lying? That he might to kidnap you?" the Doctor snapped, turned to face Rose and giving her an angry look. Raising his voice, the man continued. "He's a pirate, Rose! You don't trust pirates!"

"Yeah, well…you seemed perfectly fine to wander off unarmed and go look for Jack! What was I supposed to do? Sit in the TARDIS and wait? What if you never came back?"

That seemed to quiet the Doctor, but only for a moment. After a bit of reflection, he replied furiously, "I know what I'm doing. You would have been safe in the TARDIS; and she would have known to take you home if anything happened to me. You, on the other hand, probably would have gotten yourself killed and it would have been my fault for not protecting you!"

After gaping at him for a minute, the teen realized that what the Doctor was saying was true. She had been in many dangerous situations in the past, but the Doctor had always been there to get her out of them. Lowering her head, she muttered, "I'm sorry Doctor…I never thought of it that way…"

"Of course you didn't! You stupid apes never thing about the consequences until after the fact!" Steel-blue eyes glared angrily at Rose for moment, then the Doctor sighed and looked at the wall again.

"Besides…Jack's gone, and it's all my fault-"

"Don't say that! You didn't know that the TARDIS was going to malfunction!" Rose cried out, staring at him.

Raising a hand, he silenced her and continued. "Besides, if anything ever happened to you…I…I'd never forgive myself." Turning towards the door, the Time Lord shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and murmured, "Go back to sleep, Rose. We'll talk again later." That said, he headed out the door, leaving Rose alone. If he had looked back, he would have seen the look of shock and sadness on her face.

- - -

The Doctor stormed out onto the deck, still upset over the row he had just finished with Rose. Not that he appeared to be upset. Far from it, in fact. For all outward appearances, he seemed to be in a fair mood, except for the slight frown on his face. Glancing around, he found his bearings and strode over to the side of the ship that faced the ocean. Leaning against the polished wood of the railing, the Time Lord sighed and wondered once again why humans could be so stupid yet amazing at the same time.

He had walked right past the captain of the ship for the second time that night; this time not even bothering to say hello. He didn't trust the rugged pirate; even after his men had brought him to the ship. Hearing the men step up behind him, the Doctor sighed, rolled his eyes, and turned around to stare impatiently at the man.

Apparently not expecting the Doctor to react so fast, the pirate raised a dark eyebrow at muttered, "A bit jumpy, mate?"

"I'm the Doctor. You are…?" the man said roughly, ignoring the comment. He didn't feel like arguing with another human in the span of five minutes.

"Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, Doctor." the pirate replied with a smile, tipping his hat slightly.

"Right. What do you want?"

"Oh nothin' much…I figured since I'm going to let you travel on my ship, I might as well find out who my new crew members are."

'Really? Well now you know who we are. Go away." the Doctor snapped, turned back to face the ocean. He had been scared when several pirates had barged into the bar and had ordered him to accompany them back to their ship. The thought that Rose had gotten hurt flashed through his mind as he scurried after the two pirates, desperate to find out if she was alright.

The fear had turned to anger once he saw the Rose was fine and snoozing in the cabin of a pirate ship. The Doctor had been in a bad mood ever since. Ignoring the repeated attempts of the captain to start a conversation, he sighed with relief as the man finally wandered off. Switching is attention from the ocean to the twinkling stars overhead, the Doctor smiled and felt his mood lift slightly. He had visited many of the planets up there; and could name off most of their inhabitants. Once this was all over, he would take Rose and Jack to one of them. They would all need a long vacation after this little adventure.