Firstly: Dear reviewers: I'd like to thank you all for your reviews! I'm always more than happy to read them:)

Secondly: I can't believe I actually uploaded a chapter!!! I was trying for 5 days, and it didn't work, and now it does!

Disclaimer: I do not own POTC, but I think I own the man with a knife. What a consolation...!

Chapter 6

"Who are ye?", asked Jack disgustedly, and perhaps a little too bluntly.

The man came closer, and looked at them with perplexity. He wore white clothes, and did not look like a soldier, or a sailor, although he was holding a long, and dangerously looking knife in his right hand, which demanded treating him with at least some respect.

"And who are you?", he asked wrinkling his forehead. "And where is the Governor?"

"I don't know whether ye're entitled to ask such questions", said Jack narrowing his eyes.

The man looked at Elizabeth, and then at Jack, and said firmly:

"And I don't know whether you are entitled to be here."

"He's annoying", said Jack quietly, so that only Elizabeth could hear him.

"He's got a knife", observed Elizabeth rather accurately.

"Didn't ye hear, when I politely asked everybody to go ashore?", asked Jack, trying not to sound irritated.

"No", said the man indifferently. "And who are you anyway?"

"Currently", explained Jack patiently, "I'm the captain of this ship. And ye're...?"

The man looked at them with a blank expression on his face.

"And I'm a cook", he finally admitted, staring at them with a growing suspicion.

Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. It was well-nigh perfect, the situation. They escaped, they found a ship, and they were all alone in the middle of the ocean. Only him and her. Like back then on the island, where they were marooned together. But this time, having her told him that she loved him, it was much more better. It was the opportune moment. And here we go. A cook.

"Why?", asked Jack helplessly.

"Because I was trained to be a cook", answered the man, arching his eyebrows.

Jack waived his hand impatiently at the misapprehension of his question.

"Well", started Elizabeth, trying to settle the situation in a conciliatory manner. "Governor Swann elected to... stay on the island for... some time, and he entrusted us with taking care of the ship."

"You know the Governor?", asked the man, slightly calmed down.

"Yes!", exclaimed Elizabeth with a reassuring smile."I'm his daughter."

"Oh! Then", he looked at Jack suspiciously, but shrugged his shoulders, and said "I'll go back below deck to finish cooking." He turned around, and went away. "I'll let you know when it's ready!", he shouted from the stairs.

The cook did not seem to be bothered by the change that took place on the ship. He did not seem to care at all, as long as he could carry out his professional duties without interference.

"I say", suggested Jack as soon as the man was out of sight, "we throw him overboard."

"Jack!", exclaimed Elizabeth indignantly.

"Why not?", asked Jack, putting on a hurt look.

Elizabeth laughed.

"It seems that somebody thwarted somebody's plans a little", she said, brushing a strand of hair off Jack's forehead."

"Ruined, darling. Ruined viciously and mercilessly", said Jack, putting his arms around Elizabeth's waist.

"What do you want to drink?", asked the man, suddenly appearing again, just beside them.

Jack let go of Elizabeth, and looked at the cook with a clear hostility, of which, however, the latter seemed to take no notice.

"Rum", said Elizabeth, considering it the only thing that could make Jack feel better at the moment.

"There is no rum", said the cook, unconsciously apparently lowering his chances for survival.

Jack has had enough, but for Elizabeth's sake, he decided to try solving the situation in a friendly manner. In very vivid words, he explained that they were heading for a very, very, very dangerous destination, that any sensible person would gladly try to avoid at all costs. Therefore, Jack strongly advises him to get into a cozy longboat and sail back to Tortuga, which is not too far away yet. And he can take with him all the cutlery and food he wants.

The cook did not seem to be particularly impressed by the story. And as if being destined to be annoying, he asked Jack where exactly they are going.

"Isla de Dolor", confessed Jack impatiently. "It's a very scary place, savvy?"

"Yeah", said the cook, waiving his hand knowingly."I know. I've been there."

Elizabeth and Jack stared at him, struck dumb with astonishment.

"What do you want to drink?", he repeated his question. "Because I think I'm going to stay", he added, as if he was doing them a favor.

"No, ye're not!", exclaimed Jack, but he was silenced by Elizabeth, who lightly poked him in the side.

"Maybe", she began turning to the cook with a smile, and giving Jack a meaningful look. "We could eat together and you could tell us something interesting about your stay on Isla de Dolor?"

"That's fine with me", the man acquiesced rather easily, and directed his steps down the stairs.

Elizabeth waited until he disappeared below deck, and turned to Jack.

"Jack! Perhaps he can tell us something important!", she said peevishly. "Don't you think?"

"Aye. About local fruits and vegetables, I imagine", he stated ironically.

"But we can at least listen to what he has to say."

Jack looked at her as if in hope of something.

"And then we can throw him overboard?", he asked timidly.

Elizabeth sighed, but something like a smile flickered across her face. Yet, she stared at him with a curious expression. Jack looked at her, suddenly enthralled by the thought that she was here with him. It was just something that he could not yet learn to take for granted. And what was more, while she was still that hot-tempered and independent girl he remembered, recently, he also noticed that at times she was almost shy with him, and there was something like fear in her eyes. He knew it was not fear, but he could not find a better name for it. But whatever it was, somehow it was making him feel responsible for her, and although he has never felt responsible for anybody (apart from the Black Pearl, of course) before, now he was almost sure that he wanted to take responsibility for Elizabeth, to take care of her.

Elizabeth looked at him, wondering what he might be thinking of right now. He seemed to have lost himself in thought.

"Jack, do we have a heading?", she asked, stroking his face with her fingertips.

"What?", he asked, ignorant to the question, but not to the gesture. Yes, he certainly did want to take care of her.

"Our heading, Jack", she repeated softly, guessing that he must have been thinking about the Pearl.

Before he had a chance to answer, she went away. She did not want to be keeping him from planning the salvage, so she went to see about the ship.

Jack did the same, but could not really concentrate, although he tried to focus his attention exclusively on the ship and the salvage of the Pearl. But as if out of spite, his thoughts kept revolving around Elizabeth – only. He could not entirely figure it out yet. Every time he thought he knew what he feels towards her, the feeling changed. It kept changing and becoming more complex and complicated, so he could hardly follow his own emotions. Now, for instance, she barely walked away a few steps, and he already missed her. He was already worrying about her being safe. She might stumble over something, he thought. No. It was really bad. It was pathetic. A pirate worrying that a girl may stumble over. Or she might even fall over...?... Oh, bugger.

He stood at the helm for some time, to make sure that they will not go off course. The sails were hoisted, and they travelled under full sail. The sea was turquoise and rather quiet.

A table was set on the upper deck. The meal served was surprisingly tasty, so yet another reason for throwing the man overboard was out.

However, he did not have too much to tell as far as the topic of Isla de Dolor was concerned. He has been to it twice, while he worked on a ship called the Sweet Violet ("Oh, bugger." / "Jack!..."). Then, he made an hour-long digression on his childhood, and finally he mentioned stories he was told on the island, about an evil captain living there, in a deserted part of Isla de Dolor, on the Fear Coast. The stories about a captain who, supposedly kidnaps people from the passing ships, in order to exchange them later for these ships. However, after the ships are given up to him, the missing people are never to be found or seen again anyway, so according to the cook the whole story made little sense, and was more like a legend, highly unlikely, extremely improbable.

"Just like the one about Davy Jones", the cook added contemptuously.

"Oh, that one is truly ridiculous. Only an idiot could believe it", remarked Jack with some annoyance.

"Exactly", nodded the cook.

Suddenly, the meal was interrupted.

"It's raining", observed Elizabeth, surprised a little.

The sky was perfectly blue and cloudless, and the sea calm. Yet, the rain, more like a shower at first, was now turning into a heavy and driving one unnaturally fast, so they rushed below the deck to wait for the end of it.

"Do stay below, Lizzie", said Jack firmly. "I take the helm", said Jack after a minute of hesitation, suddenly remembering awkward words that Philip Fairwood said on their leave taking: watch out for the rain.

The sky began to cloud over quickly.