A/N: Second chapter up! Slightly shorter than the first, and I'm less happy with it, but I don't feel like fixing it right now…. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN OR ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS!

It's all for me grog,

Me jolly jolly grog,

It's all for me beer and tobacco,

For I spent all me tin,

On the ladies drinking gin,

So over the wide ocean I must wander.

"For I spent all me tin, on the laddies playin' gin, Colleen. Laddies playin' gin!" Bea corrected Colleen's singing gesturing with the knife she was using to core and peel an apple.

"I don't know Bea…" said Enid taking a bite out of one of the apples. "I've always heard it as 'ladies drinkin' gin.'"

"I know Enid," Bea replied a little annoyed, "But I'm trying to teach you the proper Killigrew way of singin' 'It's all for me Grog.'"

"Oh!" Enid exclaimed, "Well in that case Colleen, you better do what Bea says! We don't want to have you singin' it the wrong way for Cousin—I mean Cap'n Lizzie to overhear!"

"I'll keep that in mind Enid." Replied Colleen, not even looking up from her apple.

"Now then, what song are we goin' to sing next?" asked Enid, impatiently.

"Why don't you just go over there and talk a while with Auntie Maud, and Captain I Sao?" said Bea.

"But I don't want to!" whined Enid, "I want to sing some more!"

"Well it's Hannah's turn to help us peel any way! Where is that girl?" barked Bea.

"Last I saw she was chasin' the cat around the store room." Answered Colleen.

"Then go an' get her Enid!" then Bea added slyly, "Eydie?"

"Eydie!" Enid exclaimed.

"Naceydie." Bea shook her head.

"N-naceydie." Enid looked crest-fallen.

"Eydie." Bea smiled.

"Eydie!" Enid jumped up joyfully and ran off to (hopefully) find Hannah.

"You're mean…" commented Colleen, finally looking up from her paring knife.

"I know!" smiled Bea in a cat-like grin only she could manage. Then she walked off to find Meg, who was also due for a peeling session.

The six ships had been sailing for about two months. The Pendennis led the way, with the Fortune and the Adventure Galleon close behind, and the Queen Anne's Revenge and Black Dragon taking up the rear. As they crossed the Pacific they had stopped at several small islands to restock, so far without a hitch, but it was said that several islands were inhabited by cannibals. And it was only a matter of luck that the crews should or should not stumble upon it. For four months they had crossed from island to island, battling winter storms in want of speed. They weren't running out of food yet, which was good, alcohol was getting a little low, only 

twenty-six barrels left out of sixty on the Pendennis. Maud was being rationed to one tankard a day, which she didn't like, opposed to her usual four tankards.

One morning with an island insight, the captains decided to drop anchor and restock their ship's supplies of water, and food. Captains Bonney, Rackham, Killigrew, and Kidd went on the expedition with several of their crew members. Read, Blackbeard, and the Chengs stayed behind to guard the ships.

Captain Kidd came out from his cabin, adjusting one of the buttons on his stolen naval-officer's coat. He wasn't an exceptionally tall man but he had a commanding presence that had earned him the title of Captain. He was only about the age of Captain Killigrew, and had brown hair hidden under a stylish powdered wig. His blue eyes had charmed many women, without the help of his wit and gentlemanly airs. When he looked up he noticed one of the youngest members of his crew looking at the other ships through a spy-glass.

"Oi! Gabriel!" Captain Kidd barked out, the boy didn't answer. "…Boy!"
Gabriel spun around like a child caught doing something they weren't supposed to, hiding the spy-glass behind his back in the process. Gabriel was a boy of about seventeen, with long curly sandy-brown hair. He had the scraggly start to his first beard, but his face was still that of a boy. He was as tall as the captain, but you could tell he wasn't yet made for a life of privateering, let alone the navy life he had signed up for. He looked through grey eyes that were filled with guilt and a certain haunted look.

"What's wrong with you, boy? You look like you've seen a ghost." The Captain said with concern.

"No Capt'n… well yes, Capt'n, in a way." The boy replied in a Scottish accent, then he asked, "Whose ship is that? The one over there, with an all women crew?" He pointed as he spoke.

Captain Kidd took the spy-glass from Gabriel and looked at the Pendennis.

"Why that's the Killigrew Clan's ship… The ship's the Pendennis, fine little thing she is. She's crewed by all women as you say, their captain is Elizabeth Killigrew. You might know them as the Valkyries of the Sea. They're very well known around England and Ireland. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know the name of the dark-haired one?" Gabriel asked.

The Captain trained the spy-glass on Colleen, who was hanging from some of the rigging, gazing at the island. She then climbed down and trotted over to her captain and appeared to be saying something.

"That girl I think is one of their youngest on the crew… I heard Elizabeth call her Colleen on our last expedition on land I think. She was shouting at the lot of them so I can't really be sure…"

"But you're sure you heard the name Colleen?"

"Yes, she said it clear as day. 'Colleen go get Mum out of that hole, or we'll leave YOU behind!'" Kidd chuckled.

Gabriel looked unsettled.

"You alright lad?" The Captain asked, "You don't look so good, maybe some time on dry land would do you good. You sure you don't want to come?"



"No Capt'n," Gabriel answered, "I'll be alright. The faster we fulfill our obligation to the East India Trading Company the better…"

"Alright lad, but if you do come on shore just to feel some solid ground under your feet, make sure you say none of that to the other crews… or else we'll be prisoners before you can blink."

The Captain left, and Gabriel turned back to the spy-glass and watching Colleen from afar.

"Jesus Colleen," he whispered, "Why'd you have to be on the ship now?"

When the small exploration party reached shore they were welcomed by a quiet beach. Each captain had only taken two or three crew members to help hunt for food, water, etc.

Colleen had been dragged along with Meg and Gert, after being volunteered by Enid. She wasn't too fretful to get off the ship; after all she wouldn't have to put up with Enid's mindless chatter, Maud's mindless raving, and Hannah's mindless whining. She would also get to speak with her new friend Thomas Diggles whom she'd met on their last endeavor on land, and whom was currently "powder monkey" on board the Fortune, even though he was almost taller than Colleen, and still growing. But he was fast and agile so he was the most ideal member of the crew for the job.

Thomas was very tan, and had the darkest brown eyes Colleen had ever seen, almost black. He also had the slightest hint of a mustache growing in. He usually wore purple striped pants, and a green shirt with a brown vest. Thus earning him the nicknames Purple-pants, and Giggles. He also had a macaw parrot, which he named Wiggles. Colleen adored the parrot, and even more adored poking fun at Thomas' last name.

Once on the island the crews met up and the Captain's handed out orders.

"Alright scum!" barked out Captain Bonney. "Go around in pairs and scout the island for a source of water, then come back here and wait for everyone else to return so we can go and get it. Also if you find any wild boar, or anything edible whatsoever, take your pistol and pull the trigger."

At this time the hand of one of the Fortune's crew members went up.

"Yes, Harwood, what is it?" groaned Bonney.

"Is you sayin' you wants us to kill ourselves, Capt'n?" he asked face contorted in obvious confusion.

The silence that ensued was interrupted only by the chirping of a native insect.

"What?" questioned Harwood looking around innocently.

"Do you really think I want you to kill yourselves if you see food?" asked Bonney.

"Eh?...No?"

"Right!" she exclaimed as if speaking to a child.

Harwood was not the brightest tool in the shed, nor did he look it. He was rather big and blundering, but short. He had a long scruffy beard that looked like a continuation of the hair on his head, brown and frizzy.

The entire Fortune crew was in stark contrast to the beauty of their two female captains.

Anne was tall and had flowing blonde hair. With piercing blue eyes, that matched her fiery temper. She was vicious and dangerous, and has never worn a woman's clothing ever. She 

wore a light blue vest on top of a light-fabriced shirt, and a pair of tan sailor's pants. She also had a tri-cornered hat that she sometimes used to disguise herself as a man when she really needed to.

Mary Reade was a short and petite woman with the soul of a Fury. She had rust colored hair down to her shoulders, and green eyes. She wore a similar outfit to Anne, and they both had matching tattoos with their separate initials adorning the other woman's arm. Like one many sailors got of their girlfriends, except this relationship was much surer in lasting a life-time. The two women were hardly ever seen far apart, and when they were it was never for long.

Finally the hunt was started and the pairs of pirates disappeared into the woods. Bea and Gert had gone together which placed Colleen with Diggles. Neither of them seemed to mind.

Colleen and Thomas trekked through the thick undergrowth, with only a minimum of protection, Colleen's rapier, and Thomas' dagger and pistol. The entire way they joked with each other, poking fun at other crew members, the captains, and themselves. At last they happened upon a pond. It was nestled in with many exotic plants and trees, and a waterfall kept the pond fresh as a little stream carried water down to the shore. Thomas and Colleen had found themselves almost tumbling headlong into the pond on the cliff near the waterfall. How the pair had missed the sound of the rushing water neither really knew, nor really cared, they'd found water and could report back to their captains successfully, that was all that mattered at the moment. Before heading back the pair decided to wet their head-scarves to keep them cool, but soon the topic of a swim came up and Thomas began to strip of his outer garments.

"Are you insane?" Colleen cried. As Diggles' boots came off and were thrown in a heap next to him.

"No, just hot." He replied curtly. "Come on Colleen, it'll be fun! Besides no one else will be looking for us for a while, we can spend a few minutes. And I won't try anything."

Colleen looked embarrassed. "It's not that." She whispered.

"Then what is it?" He said standing, his vest and scarf had come off leaving his trousers and loose fitted shirt.

"I-I-I don't know how to swim…" Colleen stammered as Thomas dragged his shirt off. Colleen blushed at this, having only sailed with women before seeing a man without a shirt was a bit daunting, and although she was a pirate she was still a fairly innocent teenage girl. Her only knowledge of men coming from what she overheard Bea and Meg drag out of Gert in late night girl-talks. Usually with Enid blushing a nearly as crimson color next to her.

"So let me get this straight." He said, "You're a pirate, a sea-faring pirate… And you can't swim? What would happen to you if your ship ever sank?!"

"Isn't that what the long boats are for?" She said pointedly.

Thomas sighed. "Come on Colleen, I'm teaching you t' swim." He held his arms out at her as if to guide a small child down a flight of stairs.

"But what if I start to drown!? You don't know how deep that water is!" Colleen shouted backing away from him.

"Then I'll save you!" He said, "Come on we haven't got all day, if it'll make you feel any better I'll go in first and test how deep it is then you can come in. Alright?"

Colleen shrugged and looked away.



She turned surprised when she heard a splash from far below her. She peered down over the cliff's edge just to make sure Thomas hadn't killed himself. He surfaced a moment later and wiped his face of the excess water then beckoned to Colleen:

"Come on! Take off your boots at least and get down here! The water's amazing!"

"Alright, alright!" Colleen said beginning to undress.

The only layers that came off were her bandana, vest, boots, and pants. Her far-too-big-for-her shirt covering her well enough for decency's sake.

Colleen then backed up a few stepped said a silent prayer, and started running at the cliff with a shriek.

"You don't have to go that way!" Colleen heard Thomas shout from below her as she fell through space.

Colleen continued to scream all the way down until it was muffled by a loud splash. Colleen felt the water close over her head and the panic fill her as her lungs began to scream for air. Suddenly she felt a hand close over her wrist and pull her up to the surface.

Colleen gasped as her head broke into the air. Her heart pounded in her ears louder than she panted for breath.

"Jesus Colleen," she barely heard Thomas say, "You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!"

Colleen started to giggle beside herself. Thomas looked a little stricken that she was laughing after a near-near-death experience.

"You lied you know!" she shouted at him, "This water's freezing!"

Thomas had to laugh this time. He then began to move her into the shallow water so she would learn to swim where she could touch bottom if she wanted to. Their lesson went on for about an hour, the entire time Thomas was naked save for his trousers, and Colleen's linen shirt was not really doing a good job covering her in the constant flow of water. He was still holding on to her as well, and Colleen, having grown up with almost no exposure to the opposite sex, was growing uncomfortable being so close to a man.

Finally Thomas dragged her into the deeper water to make her actually swim. Colleen being 1, a fast learner, and 2, pressed for time, was picking up how to stay afloat fairly well.

Thomas had a hold of Colleen's hands and both were giggling for no apparent reason, then they were giggling because they were giggling. Both swimmers were obviously enchanted by the simple magic of the moment, before a sudden crash through the trees sent the two of them leaping away from each other in a splash of water.

"Oi! Thomas! Y' found water!" shouted Harwood as he ungracefully clambered through the tropical plants. Then he caught sight of Colleen blushing slightly while floating near Thomas. "Oh, I didn't mean t' be interrupting nothin'." He said chuckling lewdly.

Thomas and Colleen looked at each other puzzledly then shouted in disgust and threw themselves farther away from the other.

Harwood's companion in the expedition swaggered up slowly, his arms folded in front of his chest as he chuckled. His name was Joseph Corner, and he thought himself to be more than he actually was, simply because he was in favor with Rackham. He was bald, but by choice carefully shaving his head every morning while keeping his goatee perfectly trimmed. He had brown eyes and was very tall, and mostly wore a red bandana around his head to keep it from 

burning under the searing heat of the ocean sun, he also usually wore grey pants and a long white night-shirt and a dark blue long jacket that had its sleeves cut off.

"So Thomas never thought I'd see the day you found yerself a girl." He said laughing still.

Colleen hissed and glared at the two men.

"Come on yous twos," Corner said beckoning them out from the water. "It's time to report to the captains."

Thomas and Colleen then followed orders and exited the pond and put on their outer garments again before the four set off in the direction of the beach. However when they arrived, all but the long boats were gone. The camp fires that had been set up by the captains while waiting had been left unattended still simmering in their own ashes. Bottles of liquor and water had been left willy-nilly, something that any pirate wouldn't do unless under the most dire of circumstances… or upon being captured.

The group searched the campsite from top to bottom, what they found were the bodies of several indigenous looking bodies, signs of a scuffle, and a fresh trail of tracks through the jungle. The decision about whether or not to follow the tracks led to an argument between the four. Corner and Harwood said that they should row back to the ships and get help from the other crews; Colleen loudly protested that they should follow the tracks now before the captains were killed. Thomas provided an answer to the situation.

"Alright, I have an idea," he began, "Harwood, Corner why don't you two row back to the ship and get reinforcements and then come back here and follow the tracks."

"Thomas, if they do that the captains could be dead! I don't know about you but I'm going after them!" Colleen said before turning to stalk off into the jungle.

"I wasn't finished Colleen!" Thomas said, stopping her dead in her tracks. "I was going to suggest that you and I follow the tracks and try to scout the situation before the others get there and then try to come up with a plan when they arrive. Deal?"

Colleen turned giving Thomas a sour look, then she reached forward and shook his out-stretched hand, but not without crossing her fingers behind her back.

With that Colleen dashed into the jungle to follow the trail with Thomas trying in vain to keep up, while Corner and Harwood began to row out to the other ships.

Thomas and Colleen followed the tracks to a small village in the interior of the island; Thomas thought to leave a trail for the others to be able to follow more clearly than the tracks. He left scraps of cloth from his bandana tied to the tree branches then pieces of Colleen's bandana when his was gone, then bits of his shirt and pants. Finally the two reached the village at which time Thomas looked like he had been marooned on the island for about twenty years. Colleen couldn't help but giggle at his appearance, his pants were now up past his knees but that wasn't the funny part, his shirt looked like it had been in a fight with a wild animal and lost, holes were ripped in the middle, the sleeves were gone, and the bottom of the shirt now exposed most of his torso.

The two traversed the perimeter of the village cautiously until they got sight of several cages in which all of the crew members on the island and the captains were being held. There was also a large un-lit bonfire in the middle of the "village green" where a cauldron of water stood. People, most of them covered in body paint danced around the fire to the beating of a drum letting out a loud whooping. Some others were carrying large bundles of sticks and arranging them around the bonfire making it larger. Anne Bonney, Captain Kidd, and Rackham 

stood tied together in the center of the pot. Anne was shouting every curse word she knew, which added a bit of vocabulary to both of the young-pirates minds, Captain Kidd was trying in vain to get the ropes undone from around his wrists, and Rackham was cowering a bit looking vaguely like he'd peed himself.

"Um, Colleen?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, Thomas?" she replied.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Depends, were you thinking, 'great bloody scot they're going to try and eat the captains!' Then yes, I am thinking what you're thinking."

"Let me try again. Um, Colleen?"

"Yes, Thomas?"

"I think I have a plan."

A half an hour later all the preparations had been set up. Thomas and Colleen had back-tracked back to the campsite only to discover that their reinforcements hadn't even arrived yet, but that there were extra weapons and yards of rope to set up at least a small trap. So they'd taken what they could hold and gone back to that village.

After about a quarter of an hour they were ready, which was well because the bonfire that had been set up under the captains was almost done. Thomas and Colleen stood hidden in the jungle. Thomas sent Wiggles off to warn the others in the cages to be ready to go.

The parrot flew down to the village and circled the cages croaking, "Hoist the main-sail! Hoist the main-sail, ye scurvy dogs before I skin the lot o' ya!"

Colleen glanced with an incredulous look at Thomas who shrugged and whispered, "The Captains yell that all the time… Wiggles jus' repeats what he hears!"

Colleen rolled her eyes before turning them back to the village, setting her sights on a target, one of the men in body-paint dancing around the bonfire. She cocked her rifle and aimed carefully.

Among the extra-weapons retrieved were about seven rifles, and four pistols, each with about enough gun powder and bullets to get off one round before being rendered useless. Thomas was the best marksman on his ship and frequently spent ship raids in the rigging picking off enemies from a distance. Colleen wasn't as good as him, but was good enough to hit a target. The remaining five rifles had been set up in hidden areas in the trees so that Thomas could cover, and provide enough of a distraction for Colleen to slip into the village, free everyone and then they would all make a run for the ships. It was a simple plan but it was all they had time for.

Colleen waited for Thomas' signal to fire. Watching ever so carefully as the villagers danced around the bonfire where several Captains were almost hopelessly trapped. Suddenly Colleen heard Thomas say, "Now!" and her finger moved before she had time to register what she was doing. The gun went off in her hands and one of the villagers went down, shot in the leg. Not the one she had been aiming for, but it worked just the same.

"Colleen go!" Thomas shouted, bringing her out of her day-dreaming. And in a flurry of leaves and twigs Colleen was off, barreling through the trees around the village to try and free her friends.

Thomas on the other hand was running in the opposite direction, for their gun fire had sent the villagers running after the invisible attackers after they had gotten their wits back. 

Thomas ran to and climbed up the tree where the next rifle was stored. Hopefully he would remain well hidden enough to not be caught, but still be able to see so that Colleen could do her part.

Colleen made her way around the village and to the cages with relatively no difficulty. There were still two men guarding the cages when the village had gone after the shots, not leaving their prized possessions for the taking. Colleen took steady aim with one of her pistols, something she was better at firing. So when she pulled the trigger one of the men went down, then other soon followed, with little more than a small shout of alarm before they hit the ground dead.

Moving cautiously up to the cages she decided against using the remaining two bullets to open the iron-locks. Instead she gripped the pistol by the barrel and knocked the pommel against the lock breaking the mechanism inside then undoing it from the door. She received many words of thanks and encouragement from the prisoners escaping before they went to the pile of weapons not far from them to retrieve their effects. Then she moved on to the second cage which held her family.

"How'd you avoid being captured Colleen?" asked Captain Killigrew.

"I took a detour." Was all Colleen would reply, as she broke that lock too.

In the final cage was a group of women Colleen didn't know. They were all dressed in beautiful dresses and seemed a bit more fragile and scared than any of the pirates.

"Shall I free them too, Captain?" Colleen asked walking up to it and peering in at the six or so ladies who peered back at her, one however had a decidedly un-friendly glare that made her look vaguely like a bulldog.

"Yes, Colleen." Replied Elizabeth, "They'll do us no harm. In fact we've made a deal with them. We'll be lettin' 'em off at Shipwreck Cove, then they'll barter their way onto a boat bound for Boston… They're missionaries Colleen, be nice…"

Colleen made a skeptical face looking back at the huddling, whimpering group, but beat the lock away at her Captain's bidding.

The first one to exit spoke to Colleen directly. She was a small girl, shorter than Colleen but she had more spirit than could ever be assumed. The woman had light brown hair that was tied in a tight braid down her back and she had sparkling green eyes. Like the other women she wore a simple dress, navy blue with a tiny bit of lace at the high-neckline and wrists. Colleen had no idea how she or any of the others were able to remain conscious in that dress with the heat, they were no doubt laced into corsets as well making breathing that much more hard.

"Thank you!" she said almost as if she were out of breath. "We've been here for almost a week and the natives on this island seemed more pleased to eat us than to listen to our teachings… They've already eaten two of our company! My dear uncle Reverend Tasker, and the youngest of us, Susannah Potter... poor poor Susannah… such a horrible death…"

The woman's face seemed very distraught and the other women who had gathered like a flock of geese behind her were nodding and muttering with sadness.

"My name is Lucy Tasker!" the girl then said happily, offering Colleen her hand.

Colleen took it with another still skeptical stare before saying, "Colleen, Colleen Killigrew, quartermaster of the good ship Pendennis."

"Why I am pleased to meet you Colleen, and I'm sure that we will make splendid friends!" she replied.



"Well I don't think so!" piped up one of the other ladies who was a bit more dirty, and grubby, and worn than the others. She had shoulder-length messy and tangled brown hair, a dirty face, and big brown eyes. Everything about her gave off an air of the marooned. "Poor little Ally knows all about pirates, she does, and they's just nasty dirty-wirty scoundrally-scoundrals is all they are. Not a decent-folk bone in any of 'em!"

"Ally please!" said Lucy in an almost motherly tone, "That's not polite! Please forgive her she's a little crazy…"

"I know it ain't but it's not like any one o' them's gonna hear me now is it? Isn't that right island? Isn't that—oh!" Ally then caught sight of Colleen and had her hands up to her mouth and screamed so loud and shrilly that you'd sworn she'd been stabbed.

Directly after the ear-splitting scream from Ally, several angry shouts from the villagers could be heard moving back in the direction of the village.

The prisoners started to dash into the trees at the edge of the village and make their way back to the beach, but Colleen instead made her way to the center of the village right into the view of the villagers as soon as they returned to try and free the three remaining captains.

She tore to them as fast as she could and they were all yelling to her to help them. Knowing that time was running out, Colleen pushed the bonfire over toppling the cauldron of water and dumping the captains on the ground. Kidd and Anne were able to get to their feet and started the run for the trees while Rackham was still attached to the poles on their backs. Since he had been the one they'd landed on, he'd had the harder time getting up and still was. Colleen chased after them drawing her knife and detaching Rackham from the others. He promptly fell to the ground somehow managing to take Colleen with him.

Still in the middle of the village Colleen and Captain Rackham found themselves trapped by the time they'd untangled themselves and managed to stand up. They stood back-to-back unable to move anywhere due to the fact that there were two dozen or so villagers pointing spears, a variety of knives, drawn bows, and poisoned darts at them. Colleen was lightly armed with two pistols each with one shot, her knife, and sword. Rackham on the other hand had nothing; his weapons had been taken from him when he was captured.

Suddenly there was a gunshot and the man closest to Colleen keeled over dead. All eyes turned to the trees and a grin formed on Colleen's face, Thomas would be a definite help.

"Hey girly?" Rackham said behind her. "You have any bright ideas?"

"Me?!" she exclaimed, "You're the captain!"

"Yeah, but I don't have any weapons!"

Colleen groaned and tossed him her knife.

"This doesn't help matters I hope you realize." He said.

"Yeah well, it's all I've got."

Then Colleen fired one of the two pistols into the mull of villagers and took another one down. There was another gun shot from a slightly different direction showing that Thomas was moving from one hiding spot to the next as fast as possible to try and save his captain and friend. Colleen then fired the last pistol and then drew her sword.

"Any final words Rackham?" she asked hoping that Thomas could keep them confused for just another second or two.

"Only this," he replied, then shouted. "Nice to see you Anne!"



Colleen turned in the direction Rackham was facing and sure enough, Anne Bonney had gotten the crews to turn around and come back to save them. Both Colleen and Rackham gave an audible sigh of relief, and Thomas would have had he been in ear-shot of anyone.

Frankly upon seeing the pirates return armed and dangerous the villagers' first response was to turn and flee, leaving Colleen and Rackham to watch them go. However their second response was to turn right back around and go after their captives and try to re-capture them, leaving Colleen and Rackham and all the other pirates to turn right around and flee themselves.

Colleen had never run so fast in her life, she and Rackham had closed the distance between themselves and the others in ten seconds, and kept on going. Colleen was quickly at the head of the pack bounding through the thick jungle. She was vaguely aware of Thomas' yells from behind her as he met up with them.

Upon reaching the beach the pirates clambered into the four remaining long boats. Seven new ones were just reaching the shore with reinforcements for saving the pirate captives. These new ones were forced to take on several new passengers and row as fast as humanly possible back to the ships.

Colleen looked back to the island once on the long boat and watched as the natives jumped up and down in a fit of rage on the shore calling out to them.

"That's it!" Rackham said angrily, once aboard his ship. Colleen had gotten into the first long boat she'd seen and had ended up on the wrong ship. She was now serving duty on the Fortune as a deck-hand. "The next time we try to land on an island, we use charted ones!"

"Jack…" Anne groaned. "There are no charted islands in the pacific… at least none on our maps; do you really want to starve to death or die of thirst?"

"…it's better than being roasted alive!" he retorted.

"Really Jack, all we have to do is carry more weapons is all, and keep the men better prepared for the worst!" she said walking over to him and rubbing her hands down his chest.

Colleen was still getting used to the public displays of affection commonly put on display by two of the captains. They were still making her feel slightly queasy though.

"Had enough yet?" Thomas asked coming up to her, and handing her a pilfered apple.

"What are you talking about I can barely get enough…" she said in a sarcastic drawl.

"So your Captain doesn't do this?"

"There are no men on board to do this to, and none of us have much of a fancy for women…"

"Oi! You two, chatter brains! Enough flirting! Get back to work!" railed Captain Rackham.

"Aye, aye Captain!" replied Thomas snapping to attention, "I'll talk to you later Colleen."

Colleen went back to mopping the deck with the apple still gripped between her teeth, wishing desperately for a way back to her own ship, her own bunk, her own family, and her own job. But unfortunately islands in the Pacific were few and far between, and Colleen had to put up with this for another week before they stopped again for provisions. When she did Colleen was greeted ecstatically by everyone on the ship, partly because they missed her, and mainly because no one wanted to continue doing her job.

The ladies from the island had made their way onto this ship and were making themselves useful by cleaning up, patching clothes, and cooking. This was a rare commodity on 

a pirate ship and the ladies were finding themselves in high demand throughout the five crews. Eventually they were split up and shared amongst the ships.

The rest of the Pacific-leg of the journey passed without much event. But as they rounded the Strait of Magellan, and sailed up the coast of Argentina and Brazil, Captain Kidd's crew began to prepare for a fierce betrayal to come.

A/N: Third chapter will be up in a while… After I formulate what exactly will be taking place… good chance of a storm and a sea-battle! Hope you enjoyed.

Boshi