Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.

AN: Here's chapter six! I know it's been a while, but here it is, and I hope that it was worth the wait. Please review and let me know what you thought. Thanks!

Chapter 6: Gaining Experiences:

I couldn't believe we were going to India! Well, Jack said we were going to India "or there abouts," which confused me to no end. If Jack wanted to go there so badly, shouldn't the compass point towards there? And shouldn't a Captain know the coordinates of the place he wanted to go?

'But the compass points to what the holder wants the most,' I reminded myself as I helped with the sails, wiping my brow in the heat of the afternoon sun. 'Maybe he wants something specific in that area of the world and the compass is trying to direct him there.'

That would explain why we tended to change direction once every few days. I got the sudden feeling that whatever it was that Jack was looking for, it was moving around a lot, and might even have been loaded onto a ship that was sailing around the Indian or Atlantic Oceans. Still, the erratic changes in direction soon became the norm, and if the rest of the crew didn't mind it, neither did I. However, after seeing nothing except water all around the Pearl did get on my nerves quite a bit…

Thankfully, my fighting lessons continued with Mr. Gibbs, and it was a welcome distraction from the monotonous tone that the days seemed to take on. Since Jack refused to budge from his spot at the helm for very long, I was now in the sole guidance of the older first mate, who seemed just as glad to have something else to focus on except his duties. By now, my lessons had advanced, going from sword-handling to hand-to-hand combat, which also included knives. I felt odd fighting this way, but Gibbs told me that he would feel better knowing I could defend myself if the Pearl were to engage another ship. So I shrugged and tried to absorb everything that he taught.

Once and a while, when he wanted to stretch his legs and get some exercise, Jack would come down the steps and join in a mock battle against me, calling out the things I was doing wrong or praising the things I did right. Sometimes Jack would disarm me of my sword and I would then be forced to try and fight him with either my knives or my bare hands. For some reason, Jack took great pleasure in fighting me hand-to-hand, though I believe that was because one of us would end up sprawled on our back with one lying on top of the other; if there was one thing that made those fights worthwhile, it was that.

When our mock-battle was over, Jack would go back upstairs to the main deck and Gibbs would go back to teaching me whatever I had been learning before we were interrupted. So far, I felt I had come along quite well, and if we did run into another ship, I could probably defend myself just long enough for help to arrive. Mr. Gibbs was pleased with my progress, and if Jack's smile was any indication, he was happy with me as well. However, both men were determined not to let me fight unless there was no other choice in the matter.

And so the days went on, quiet as a spring morning, until I managed to discover one little thing…

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About two months or so into our voyage, I realized that our food supply was running low. I know that we had stocked up quite well at the last port, which caused me to realize that the men had been sneaking food for snacks between meals or when they were just bored. It was frustrating, and I knew I had to tell Jack before the food was gone completely. He might blame me, but since I had caught it in time, I sincerely hoped that he wouldn't punish me too harshly. So, gathering my courage, I left the galley and headed up towards the helm, my palms sweating as I walked.

Walking along the deck, I saw the men lying around in the sun. The chores were obviously done for some of them, and for others, it could wait until the coolness of night. I waved or nodded to a few of the crew as I walked by, though most of them seemed to be napping, their hats or a handkerchief draped over their eyes to block out the light. I tried not to laugh as I approached the helm, keeping my eye on Jack to see what sort of mood he was in, hoping that he was in a good one for when I broke the news about the food supply.

Thankfully, he was humming a pirate song and had a smile on his face. Silently praying to whoever was listening Up There, I approached his side. Jack turned his brown gaze towards me and stopped humming, the smile he was wearing quickly becoming a full-blown grin. Removing a hand from the wheel, he beckoned me over to his side. I couldn't hold back a chuckle as I approached, though I stayed a respectful distance away from his grasp. Jack pouted at my refusal to give in to his charms, but it quickly disappeared in favor of another smile.

"Rose, darling," he said, eyeing me up and down. "What brings you to my humble presence on this fine day?"

I sighed. "Nothing good, I'm afraid," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Now that's something I find hard to believe." Jack's remark was soon followed by another one of his charming grins.

This time, I couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Well, I'm afraid it's true, sir," I said, shaking my head. "I was down in the galley and discovered that our food supply is rather low…lower than it should be, given that I work in there and know exactly how much I use in meals for everyone."

I watched as Jack's smirk and good humor disappeared, his gaze turning serious. "Which means that the men have been sneaking food," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "They know they aren't supposed to nick food from the galley or the galley's stores, and I'm sure Gibbs had the other storage room filled with eats for the crew to help themselves to!" He looked at me. "You did check the other storage room, didn't you, luv?"

"Aye," I affirmed. I had checked it, since it was near the galley. "I'm afraid that it's empty. They must have emptied it first before moving on to the galley's stores."

"Damn." Jack bit his lower lip as he tried to think through the situation. "It looks like we're going to have to raid a ship for food, then."

I paled. "Raid a ship?"

His deep brown eyes turned towards me. "We can't afford to go into a port and restock, Rosie. It would let people know that we're here, and the last thing I need is a bunch of authorities recognizing us and getting on our tail," he said apologetically. "There are dozens of pirate ships in these waters, so if we change our flag and sails beforehand, we probably won't be recognized." By now, I could see that Jack was doing his best to reassure me. "We won't take much, luv. We're pretty close to our destination, so we'll just take enough to refill the galley to last for a week or so. How does that sound?"

"I suppose that sounds alright," I said, uneasy. I nodded to him before going to fix supper.

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Somehow, Jack managed to find a large merchant ship that was "low in the water," as he called it. Gibbs told me that if a ship was low in the water, then it had a lot of goods on it because they were weighing it down. It made sense to me, and since we were only after food (supposedly), it shouldn't be that bad. Still, I was nervous as we raised the flag of the Jolly Roger. Today, if it came to it, I would take part in my first real sea battle.

Swallowing nervously, I watched as we swiftly approached the vessel just off the port bow. A sword hung at my left side, a knife tucked into the right of my belt, and a pistol in a holster over the knife; I had layered the pistol over the knife so that no one would notice it until I pulled it out and used it. Gibbs thought it was clever and had done the same thing, and as Gibbs began spreading word of it, the other men were copying my idea. However, what they didn't know was that I had two other knifes on my person, one in each of my boots, should I need them.

"Easy, lass," Gibbs said, coming up beside me, a hand clamping on my left shoulder. "See the white flag they're running up? It means that they won't fight us, even though they're only slightly smaller than we are. They must have a good captain or commander who doesn't want anyone to be hurt in a battle." He grinned. "That won't keep us from keeping the cannons loaded and our pistols ready, though!"

I smiled. "I just want to make it through this alive," I replied in a soft voice.

Gibbs gave me an understanding look. "Aye, I remember what it felt like going into my own first battle," he said, jerking his chin towards the sea. "Wanted to either pass out or heave my guts, and that was before the first shot was even fired!" He smiled as I gave a weak chuckle. "No worries, Rosie; we won't let anything bad happen to ye, and if you do get hurt, Jack'll fix you up right quick!"

"What do you mean Jack will fix me up?" I asked, puzzled.

"Simple, Rose," Gibbs said with a broad grin. "Jack's not only the captain; he's also the ship's doctor!"

I couldn't help but gape as Gibbs turned and walked away, heading to check one of the cannons. Jack was the ship's doctor? Oh, Lord, I had better not get hurt, then; the last thing I need is for him to try and get a look at me while he's treating me for something! I silently thanked my lucky stars that, thus far, I had never gotten an injury or illness serious enough to attract Jack's attention.

'And hopefully I never will!' I thought to myself as the Pearl pulled ever closer to its prey.

Upon closer inspection, I couldn't help but note the fine paint and wood that made up the merchant vessel. As a merchant's daughter, I had seen many such ships in my life, and this was one of the best. I could tell that there were many cannons onboard, and that the men were likely to be well-armed. Why they would surrender to the Pearl was beyond me, but I thought it might be a good idea to warn Jack, just in case.

Nodding to myself, I turned and headed towards the helm.

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As the Pearl approached the merchant ship, Jack found his conscience arguing with him. It told him that Rose wasn't ready to fight in a battle such as this, that she would be much safer down below than out here on deck. After all, she was a merchant's daughter, and as a lady of society, she was unused to this sort of bloodshed and violence. Besides, she wasn't even experienced in any sort of fighting!

'But that's why she needs to take part in this raid,' Jack told himself, trying to drown out the other, annoying voice in his head. 'She needs experience, and this is a good way to get it! The other ship has run up the white flag, so there's no harm to be had, is there?'

"Captain!" a female voice called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Turning his head slightly, Jack spotted Rose approaching, a concerned look on her face. "Aye, luv, what is it? I'm a bit busy right now, as you can see, so make it quick."

"Jack, that ship is easily as well armed at the Black Pearl," she said, looking both panicked and confused. "Why would it surrender to one single pirate ship when it could easily take you on and win, even as slow and heavy as it is?"

He merely stared at her for a moment. "How do you know that?" he asked, suddenly very curious as to how she had found that out.

"I'm the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Captain," she said, rolling her eyes as though he should have known better than to ask her that. "I've seen hundreds of ships come in carrying my father's goods, and quite a few of them looked exactly like that ship out there!" Rose then held up a hand to stop his questions. "When I was ten-years-old, my father took me down to the docks and left me alone by the carriage with a male servant for protection. As we waited for them to unload the ships, the servant, who had once been a sailor for my father, began to tell me the layout for the ships we were looking at and how well-armed they were. That ship," she pointed, "could easily give a Navy ship a good fight; why would they surrender to a single pirate ship?"

She had him there. "Good point," Jack muttered…right as the first cannonball came flying towards the Pearl.

"Take cover!" Gibbs roared, shoving men aside. "Cap'n! What're your orders?"

"We get out of here!" Jack replied, twirling the wheel so fast that the Pearl tilted dramatically.

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I flew off my feet and almost crashed into Jack as he steered the Pearl away from the merchant ship, which was now volleying cannonballs at us with a vengeance. I quickly grabbed hold of the first solid thing I could and hung on, watching our intended target fade into the distance. Once the other ship was out of sight, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, allowing myself to relax and catch my bearings.

"You can let go now, luv," a soft, husky voice whispered into my ear. Opening my eyes, I saw that what I had grabbed onto was…Jack!

Or, rather, Jack's arm, which I promptly let go of. Presently, the pirate captain was smirking at me so broadly that it teetered on being a full grin. Both hands still had hold of the wheel, but as I looked at him, he quickly freed an arm and slipped it around my waist, pulling me closer as the Pearl sailed further out to sea.

"There, now, all comfy?" he asked, extremely happy with the situation.

'The rascal!' I thought as my face turned red with embarrassment. "Um…"

"Because I know that I'm quite happy with the way things are," Jack said before I could argue. The hand that he had around me drifted down to rest on my hip. "It's quite cozy, actually…"

"Yes, I can only imagine how satisfied you are with things right now, Captain Sparrow," I said, trying to pull away before one of us did something we'd regret later. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go see how far I can stretch the food in the galley."

I managed to get away from Jack's grabbing hands and raced down the steps of the helm, nearly running into Marty the Midget as I went. The tiny man gave me the overly-friendly smile he always gave whenever I was nearby, but by now I had gotten the habit of ignoring it as I gave him a friendly nod or wave as I passed. When I reached the steps leading down to the lower decks, I risked a quick glance back up at the helm.

There stood Jack, his eyes solely focused on the sea, but it seemed as if there were something else going through his mind as he navigated. Shrugging, I turned and headed down below.

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Jack watched Rose leave with a sudden pang of emotion in his chest. He didn't want to admit it, but it had felt unusually good to have his arm around her as he steered the Pearl.

'For some reason, it seemed…natural,' he thought as he watched Marty smile at her and Rose nod her greeting.

Suddenly, he saw Rose pause before going down the steps and into the hold of the ship. He caught her head tilting slightly, as though she were watching him. Quick as a flash, Jack turned his eyes towards the sea, trying to make it appear that his sole focus was on the vastness before him. A few moments later, when he glanced back, Rose was gone. He heaved a sigh of relief.

'I'll be thankful when we get to India,' he thought, adjusting the wheel for the correct bearings. 'It's been a while since I've done business there and seen old Jan.'

Old Jan…the man had a traditional Indian name, but damn if Jack couldn't pronounce it! Instead, Jack called him 'Jan,' which was short for the man's long full first name. Jan was as old as Gibbs, and was incredibly wealthy. He was also a good friend of Jack's, and whenever Jack was in that part of the world, he and his crew always stayed in Jan's huge palace-like house near the sea.

'The men deserve to be treated like kings for a while,' he thought to himself. 'A few weeks of eating good Indian food and getting some good exotic stuff at the markets will be good for them.'

Of course, the visit would be a grand surprise. He'd told a few men that they were merely going to India to raid a few merchant ships, but the truth was that he just wanted the men to be relaxed for a while before going back out to see. The goods that he could trade a few pieces of treasure for were more than worth going all this way for this special treat. Best of all, the servant girls in Jan's hometown were always welcoming to the Pearl's crew, and were always willing to please. Of course, Jan might have to find a nice servant man to help amuse Rose for her stay there…

Narrowing his eyes, Jack pushed that thought away and tried to focus on the exotic costumes that the women in India wore, especially the revealing ones. However, for some reason, he kept imagining Rose in one of those outfits, her eyes looking at him from beneath eyelids covered with red and gold as she smiled up at him.

'Damn it!' Gritting his teeth, Jack turned his attention to cool, calming thoughts about the sea.

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AN: Oh, Jack's having naughty thoughts about Rose! Shame on him! Oh, and sorry about the lack of breaks in between POV's; the site won't let me put them in for some reason. Review!