AUTHOR'S NOTE: The first chapter was more or less an introduction and didn't really describe much or have a lot of dialogue. And I'm deeply sorry about that. I'm a stickler for detail and description and you'll be seeing A LOT of that in this story since it's in the first-person POV. I really want you to feel how Johanna feels and to understand her a little better. …Because she's kind of a weirdo. Also, I apologize for the crapload of similarities between the first chapter of my story and the beginning of the movie (when Epps and the others meet Ferriman for the first time). I have big plans for this story and it will be very different from the film. So… yeah, anywho, read and review.

…Ahh, it feels so good to be back in the Ghost Ship fandom. :)

Chapter 2

As we rounded the Alaska Peninsula and made our way into the Bering Sea I woke up from my nap. I remained lying on my cot for a moment as I looked around the boat. Stalter and Jones were sitting in a booth near the kitchen of our ship. They had a deck of cards in front of them and they were arguing, cigarettes hanging loosely out of their mouth.

"You're a fucking cheater, Stalter! You always have been! Can't stand to loose to me? Can ya?"

"I won, Jones! Deal with it!"

Koorey was probably upstairs guiding our little tug along. I heard his voice over a walkie talkie that Jones had.

"I hear you two all the way up here! Shut up! You're distracting and it's pouring like a bitch out here."

Riley was, I'm sure, in the engine room, joint in hand, smoking it up and listening to Bob Marley or Sublime. I'd rather join him than listen to the fuckin' odd couple on the other side of the room.

And finally, in the kitchen (yes, I call it the kitchen, not the galley), stood my Uncle Robby and Jack Ferriman. My uncle was making some coffee and he and Ferriman were looking closely over a map.

Jack glanced up for a moment from the paper he was hovering over and his eyes went about the room until they met mine. He stopped and smiled at me. I smiled back.

Since we had gotten on board The Esmeralda I hadn't talked to Jack. I didn't really have much of an opportunity to. As soon as we got on board my uncle had nearly grappled with everyone else for Jack's attention and wouldn't let him go for even a moment.

Before I fell asleep, though, I stared at Jack a lot. I'll admit it. And every now and then, when I wasn't looking, I'd glance up and his blue eyes would be on me. And every time he would blush a little and look away. It was so cute! Yes, I know… I'm a girly girl.

I sat up on my cot and stretched for a moment. A fierce chill ran down my spine and I grabbed my brown, flannel button-up from the end of the bed and slipped it on over my black tank.

"You're an asshole, Jones."

"And you're a cheating hag."

"Fuck you!"

"No! Fuck you!"

And that's when Stalter grabbed her glass of beer that was sitting beside the unorganized deck of cards. She paused for a moment before splashing the liquid all over Jones. She stood up and dumped the rest in his lap.

"Go clean yourself up." She growled at him before heading upstairs, probably to hang out with Koorey. He seemed to calm her down when she was drunk or violently angry.

Jones stood up, his 6'1" physique looked menacing as he roared. "You evil bitch!" He stormed off to the bathroom.

"Cut it out you two." my uncle said in a monotonous tone without looking up. He was a couple minutes too late. He never really tried with those two, I noticed. He talked to them like he was a neglectful parent of two spoiled, misbehaving children.

I sighed as I stood up. Beer was all over the booth and the cards and if I didn't clean it up then I knew no one would. I slipped into the kitchen, behind my uncle and Ferriman, to grab some paper towels. I ran one under the faucet for a moment and turned around. I almost bumped into Jack.

"Here, let me help you." he said as he went to grab some more paper towels.

"O-oh no, really. I-I got it. You and the captain are busy." I always had a habit of stuttering around attractive men. It made me kind of geeky.

"Don't worry about it. We're pretty much done here. We were just talking about directions and longitudes and latitudes… but he's going upstairs to talk to Koorey, I think."

I looked to my side and saw that my uncle was gathering up the papers that he had been investigating. He looked up at me and smiled. Without saying a word to me he walked away, past the wet and sticky booth, and went upstairs to be with Koorey and Stalter.

I sighed and I realized then that Jack and I were completely alone.

I headed towards the booth with Jack following close behind. I started to wipe down the cards as Jack began wiping the table.

We were silent for a moment. In fact, we stayed that way the entire time we cleaned off the table. I didn't know what to say to him and I got the distinct feeling he didn't know what to say to me, either.

I sat down and decided that I wanted to play cards, now that they were clean, and Jones and Stalter were no where to be found.

He stared at me for a moment. "Um, you can join me." I said gesturing towards the long seat across from me. "I'm just going to play a couple games of solitaire. Don't know how much fun it'll be but it's a lot better than hanging out upstairs with Stalter when she's on the rampage."

Jack smiled and sat down. "I'd love to stay here with you."

I dealt the cards for a hand of solitaire and he watched me intently. "So, umm, Jo," he said my name awkwardly, like it was a newfound word to him, "you and the captain have the same last name, I noticed. You two related or something?"

My eyes remained on the cards in front of me. "Yep. He's my uncle, my dad's brother."

"Oh, I see. If you don't mind my asking, how did you end up on this boat? You seem kinda… young to be a salvager."

I looked up at him and our eyes locked. I didn't want to tell him that my uncle was the only family I had left. I didn't want to tell him that my parents were dead… or that I felt responsible… or that I felt this uncontrollable guilt for it. It was a disturbing issue I had.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. His second question had become disturbingly personal… and I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. "Yeah, I guess 25 is a young age to be a salvager, but you seem kinda young to be a pilot." I retorted. The man looked to be about my age. I paused for a moment before actually answering his question. "My uncle adopted me when I was 17. I became one of the crew when I was 22. I had no where else to go, really. It's a forced lifestyle."

Just as I finished my sentence, Jones burst out of the bathroom. Huge patches of his green pants, crotch, and black tee shirt were soaked, both from the beer and his attempt to clean it up. He reeked. I would have laughed at him if not for the fear that he would crush me with his little finger.

"Where is she?" he said angerly, referring to Stalter.

I raised my eyebrows and pointed up.

He rushed off. "I'm gonna kill her this time. And I don't care who sees." I heard him mutter as he disappeared up the stairs.

Jack chuckled a little. "They don't like each other very much, do they?"

Jack had changed the subject and lightened the mood rather tactfully. I'm sure he sensed my awkwardness about the questions he asked me so he left my answers where they were and didn't pursue them any further.

I smiled. "They hate each other, actually. They're too much alike, that's why. Only difference is Stalter is a girl and Jones is a guy."

That was actually fairly true… They were both stubborn instigators. But I kept my mouth shut about the fact that a while ago Jones had once slept with one of Stalter's many girlfriends and that she tried to kill him. Literally. She broke a beer bottle over the edge of a table and tackled Jones to the ground.

"Yeah, to be honest with you, no one really gets along that well on this boat. We all just kind of… put up with each other." That probably wasn't the smartest thing to say to him, a guest on our boat who had no idea of the crew members' dark histories.

"Wow." Jack said with wide eyes.

I concentrated once again on my cards in front of me as I put the three of spades on top of the two. "Um, yeah. So, uh, tell me about yourself."

I looked back up at him and noticed that he had scrunched his eyebrows and was looking away, as if in thought. "Well, I'm a pilot and I've been a pilot for a while. I don't like it here in Alaska very much and I hope to be moving soon."

I smiled at him. "Where to?"

"Oh, someplace warmer."

"Yeah, I know what ya mean."

He smiled cheekily at me and we both suddenly looked up to the ceiling as we heard Jones and Stalter commence their inevitable argument upstairs.

Jack and I sat at that booth for quite some time. I stopped playing my lonely solitaire and we played poker and Go Fish. We laughed and talked and smiled at each other. You know, cutsie stuff that females love and that men use as a tactic to get women to sleep with them.

And suddenly it dawned on me. I wasn't sure if it was his handsome eyes… or his charming smile… or his cute, shy attitude…

But I was becoming very attracted to him. And I hoped beyond anything I'd ever hoped for in my life… that he felt the same way.

"I think that coffee's done." Jack said as we both looked to the kitchen and stared at the dinky little coffee machine and the full coffee pot.

I giggled a little. "Yeah, but I'm sure it's freezing by now."

I was actually feeling a little cold myself. My baggy khaki pants weren't doing anything to keep me warm. All I had on was a tank top and a button down shirt loosely over that. I used to have a heavier jacket but thanks to Jones it's now floating along somewhere in the Gulf of Alaska. After that little episode Stalter would always let me borrow one of hers since I didn't have any other really heavy jacket.

I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed my shoulders frantically.

Jack cocked his head slightly and stared at me. "Are you cold? Where's your jacket? Here…" He began to take off his jacket (aww) but I stood up.

"No, that's ok. Don't worry about it." I walked over to Stalter's cot, which was actually above mine, and I reached for her overstuffed big black coat.

I sat back down with Jack and stared at him. I'm sure he was curious. "My jacket is in the ocean right now."

"Um, why?"

"Ask Jones. He threw it into the Gulf a few weeks back."

"…He doesn't seem like a very nice person."

My voice suddenly gained a strange edge to it. "Yeah, he's not. At all. Ever. I hate him and I wish we had a different first mate. He's a womanizing, inconsiderate, evil piece of shit and I avoid him. I suggest you do the same."

I looked down; slightly embarrassed that I had blurted that out so angrily to a man that meant no harm.

"W-what has he ever… done to you?" Jack seemed almost afraid to ask that question. Well, maybe not because he was afraid of the question, but afraid of the answer.

I sighed. His big blue eyes were filled with sadness and sympathy. He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Well… Jones and I—"

"What?" Came a booming voice from the stairwell. Jones was walking down the stairs and stopped on the final step and stared at me. "Jones and I what?"

"Um, nothing. Jack was just asking me about you guys." Kinda true, kinda not. Whatever. I had a split second to think of an answer.

Jones squinted his eyes at me for a moment. He obviously didn't believe me. "Yeah, well, we think we found Ferriman's ship. Get Riley and get your asses back up here. It's the Antonia Graza."

I was startled. "Ohmygod." Jones sprinted back up the stairs and I was left sitting at the booth with Jack. And by the look on his face he had no idea what the hell the Antonia Graza was.

A/N: Hope this was a bit longer for ya.