Woot finally finished one of my other fics! Now I'll have more time to update this one! I'm thinking about changing the titled to The Mermaid's Calling, but still not sure. For now it'll stay the same.
Disclaimer: Nothing from Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to me. Not Jack, not Will, not Elizabeth, not even the sand Jack stomps on in Rum Island, nor the splinter of wood on the railing of the Pearl. Absolutly nothing. But I will. Someday. I will own Jack Sparrow and the whole lot of them! And you all will be jealous!
Ch 2 A Bad Dream
"Tia!" Jack roared, carrying a limp Victoria in his arms. She tossed and turned, cold sweat forming all over her body and she shivered uncontrollably. He bumped into Gibbs, who had scurried over to see what the commotion was all about.
"Get Tia Dalma!" Jack screamed. "And rum!"
In a frenzy the entire crew came on deck, pushing and shoving each other in a hast to hear the captain's orders.
"Jack! Is everything okay?' Will jostled his way through to Jack, holding Elizabeth by the arm. "What's the matter with Victoria?"
"How should I bloody know?" he growled. "Tia!"
He pushed his way to her, holding the unmoving girl close to his chest. The sea witch motioned for him to follow her into his quarters, where she immediately began examining Victoria.
"Jack what 'appened?" Tia asked, patting Victoria's face with a nearby rag. "She 'ave a fever!"
"She can't have a fever! She was sleeping when I found her and she must have been having a bad dream or something 'cause she was kicking around in the middle of the night." He set her down on the bed, and she shook violently and mumbled to herself.
"No sunset- No tail-"
"Victoria?" Jack shook her softly. "The sun's been set. It's morning."
"No- Don't take me-"
Suddenly she shot upright, breathing heavily and kicking at nothing. "Jack!"
He put his hand on her arm and managed to make her stop thrashing. Before he could speak she started screaming again.
"She wants to take me away Jack! Nanami's going to get me- Lemon- Get me a lemon!"
She fell back down onto the blankets and went still. Jack looked at Tia with a questioning expression.
"Lemons? What good will that do her? And who is she talking about?"
Tia placed the back of her hand on Victoria's forehead. "I don know, but she burnin up. Get a bucket o' water in 'ere."
Jack ran out of the cabin, and in his rush, collided with Gibbs.
"Aye captain I got ye rum-"
"Too late," he replied, shoving the filthy man out of his way. "Get me a bucket of water!"
"Is everything okay?"
"It will be once I have mi water! Now go get it!" he demanded, kicking empty crates at his feet. His eyes darted across the deck in search for something, anything, to put water in.
"Jack," Elizabeth interrupted, taping him on the shoulder. "What do you need water for? Gibbs just told me you-"
"Don't ask just do it!" he bellowed. She nodded and ran down to the hull. One her way down she nearly tripped over someone's foot on the stairs.
"Will! Jack needs a bucket of water!"
"For what?" he asked, following behind her. "There's plenty of water in the cellars-"
She stopped dead in her tracks. "Cellars?"
"Yeah." He grabbed her arm and pulled her down a flight of steps. He took a lantern off the hook on the wall, lit it and led her inside the dank cellar. "Over there. In front of the rum."
Elizabeth looked around frantically for where his finger pointed to. "Here?" she asked, picking up a jug.
"Aye. Now let's go."
The warm water sloshed as they ran back up the steps to the deck, where they immediately began looking for Jack. "Check his cabin first," Elizabeth suggested, dragging Will in that direction and slamming her fists on the door. "Jack! We have your water!"
The door flew open. "What the bloody hell do you want?" Jack asked exasperatedly. Elizabeth held up the jug of water.
"We found water-"
"I don't need it anymore." He proceeded to slam the door in her face, but Will caught it and pushed it open.
"I think we have a right to know what's going on."
"Not really no." He tried to shove Will back out of the room, but gave up when Elizabeth slipped past and approached Victoria.
"Is she alright?' she asked in dismay. "She's breathing quite heavily-"
"I have eyes I can bloody see," Jack replied bitterly. "Now if you don't mind I'd appreciate you leaving mi cabin."
"Tia what's wrong with her?' Elizabeth questioned, completely ignoring Jack's request. Will joined her with a look of concern.
"I thinkin' she be ill," Tia replied. "She 'ave a fever."
"And she's delirious," Jack concluded impatiently. "Now go."
"All of a sudden?" Elizabeth asked.
"Aye," Tia replied. She reached over to the bowl of water, which Gibbs had brought to them, and dipped a rag in it. Will watched as she placed it carefully over Victoria's eyes.
"Maybe she has an infection," Elizabeth proposed, looking at Victoria's helpless body.
"I didn't see anyt'ing," Tia said. "No cuts on her arms o' legs o' 'ands-"
"Did you check under her clothes?' Will chimed in, causing everyone to stop and look at him. "What? Well did you? It's only common sense!"
'Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed in disbelief. Tia looked at him expectantly.
"The girl may be right," she said, moving closer to Victoria. "She migh' 'ave a scratch on her thigh..." Tia started to lift up Victoria's shirt, and Jack grabbed her wrist. "What?'
He paused. "You really plan on undressing her at this moment?'
"Unless you 'ave a better way of seein' her skin through her clothes, den yes."
He looked over at Will. "I'd feel more comfortable if I did it meself," he said sheepishly.
"But Jack you don't know what to look for!" Elizabeth argued. "It would be to Victoria's best advantage if Tia-"
"I'm pretty sure I know what blood looks like," he said sarcastically. He waited for the three to leave his cabin, but none moved. "Well? Go on, get out."
"Come on Elizabeth," Will said. He led her out of the room. Tia rolled her eyes and followed them outside.
//This chapter too has been updated. Basically just the title and some spelling/grammar corrections. Before the title made absolutly no sense, so now hopefully y'all can read more comfortably. Review please ;)//