Author's Note: I'm sorry for keeping everyone in suspense; I'm a terrible person. I've just been really busy with school, and I get easily distracted. In addition, for the longest time I had no idea how the story was going to get to the end I wanted, but rest assured, my twisted little mind has decided the way I'm going to go about getting to that end. The semester is drawing to a close, so once the summer is here, I should have more time for writing, hopefully. I want to get this story finished, but I have a habit of not finishing anything. Thank you so very much for all the reviews, even though I haven't updated. You've guilt-tripped me into making time to write. And now the long-awaited new chapter!
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Jack rushed on deck, a telescope in hand. From the deck, he could only see the top of the other ship's main mast.
"Cooper!" He yelled, "What kind o' colors is she flyin'?"
"Spanish, Cap'n!" The boy yelled down from the crow's nest.
"Blast!" Jack paced back and forth across the deck, absorbed in thought.
Adriana took this opportunity to venture out on deck, to see what the commotion was. He didn't really expect her to sit around in that sweltering cabin while all the excitement happened without her, did he? As she made her way across the deck, all eyes watched her every move. Only Jack and Mr. Gibbs were unaware of her presence.
"We've got e'ry last yard o' cloth hanging from her masts, Cap'n. And she's still gaining on…"
"I thought you said this ship was the 'fastest in the Caribbean,'" Adriana interrupted Mr. Gibbs, turning to face Jack.
Jack grabbed her roughly by the arm and hissed in her ear. "The Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. And ye best stay below decks, if ye knows what's good for ye. Prancing around in your skivvies in front of me crew and the crew of that Spanish junk's not a wise idea, Miss. 'O knows 'ow long it's been since they've seen a woman, 'specially one so fine as yourself."
Despite the heat, Adriana shivered. Jack shoved her into the cabin, and slammed the door behind her. She rubbed her arm where Jack's red fingers still held her. She hardly considered her outfit worthy of being called 'skivvies.' Granted, her breasts were prominently on display, but everything else was well concealed. She went into Jack's cabin and lit up a cigarette. She opened the nearest armoire in search of something the Captain would find more suitable. She pulled out several shirts, in varying degrees of cleanliness and repair. She found a couple of pairs of what she presumed to be pants. It would take some trial and error before she could figure out how to put them on properly. All she needed was some proper footwear. There was no way her hooker boots could pass for pirate boots. She rummaged through a couple of trunks, but only found various scraps of cloth which she thought she could fashion into a pirate bandanna. She threw her cigarette out one of the ship's windows just as Jack came through the door.
"Jus' what d'ye think you're doin'?"
"Uh… I was trying to find some clothes you'd approve of, so that I wouldn't have to sit around in your cabin while everything happens without me."
"If ye keep this up, you'll be sitting around in the brig while everything happens without ye." Jack slammed down the lid of the trunk Adriana had been pilfering.
"Do you have any boots that might fit me?"
"What's wrong with the ones you're wearin'?" Jack gave her a quizzical look.
"They're not pirate-y enough. Please, I promise I won't get in the way. I don't want to cause any trouble; I'm just so bored in here alone." Adriana tried looking cute and pathetic, to appeal to the sensitive side she hoped Jack had.
Jack frowned, and then dragged another trunk out, and opened its lid. He pulled out a pair of boots and grunted, "Hope they fit."
Adriana watched Jack walk out of the cabin without saying another word. He was mad at her, again. She shrugged and sat down on the bed to change into her new pirate regalia. After some debate, she decided to leave the corset on, since when she bent over in her new pirate shirt, the whole world could see down her chest. Her new pants were a bit tight in the hips, but nothing she couldn't bear. She kept her socks on, since the boots Jack gave her looked questionable. As a finishing touch, she wrapped her hair up in a bandanna and plunked a fancy feathered hat on her head. She appraised her new form in the small mirror that hung on one wall. She made quite a stunning pirate. She grinned, and mused that all she needed was a gold tooth to complete the charade.
Adriana sauntered out on deck with her new-found confidence. Captain Jack wouldn't have an excuse to toss her below for not being fully clothed. Her emergence from below decks didn't draw half as many stares as it had minutes earlier. She tread across the deck to where Jack was examining the distant ship with his spyglass.
"So?" she solicited a response from Jack, either about her new pirate garb or the ship on the horizon.
"She's Spanish." Jack lowered the spyglass and turned to face Adriana. His eyes drifted over and appraised her pristine pirate attire. The corner of his mouth cocked a smile. "You're too clean t' make a believable pirate."
"And you're too filthy to be anything but." She smirked. "Tell me more about this ship."
"She's Spanish, and from the looks o' things she's funded by Don Rodrigo Hernandez."
"Care to explain further?"
"Some years ago, his father, Don Julio Hernandez was killed when the ship he was traveling on was sacked by pirates. Don Rodrigo has reason to believe tha' yours truly was involved in the sacking and killing. Therefore, 'e has used 'is substantial inheritance to fund an assemblage whose sole intent is the capture and execution of Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"
"I see."
"No, ye don't see. His coward of a father shot himself rather than face the 'umiliation of being captured and ransomed by pirates. Now, 'is ne'er-do-well son has taken it upon himself to avenge the death of 'is father. Thinks it's the 'noble' thing to do. So now 'e's poured a bunch o' gold into this new ship that 'e thinks can catch The Pearl. 'e may have a slight edge, since The Pearl's not been careened in weeks, but we'll lose 'im by nightfall for sure." Jack sighed and took his position at the helm.
The chase continued all afternoon. The Spanish ship slowly crept up on The Pearl, but no significant gains were made. Jack strut around deck, barking orders and making minor adjustments in The Pearl's course. Adriana got bored, and went below to study more of Jack's maps. Based on her observations, she placed The Pearl on a path towards two islands. Jack was probably going to cut between the islands, double-back, and lose the Spaniard in the darkness. Darkness, now, was The Black Pearl's greatest advantage.
The sun was sinking behind the outlines of the two islands, which were little more than rocky outcrops, when Adriana materialized on deck again. She wanted to see how accurate her prediction of Jack Sparrow really was. They would reach the narrow strait just as the sun's last rays arched over the horizon. By the time the Spaniard reached the islands, The Pearl would have faded into the inky darkness.
Adriana screamed and nearly jumped out of her skin as a cannon blast rang out from the Spanish ship.
"Fools, we're not within range," Gibbs muttered as he took a drink from his flask.
"It's an ambush." Jack stated as calm as could be, his eyes tracing the glowing flare that the other ship had shot straight into the air.
Adriana turned, eyes wide in horror, searching for this ambush Jack predicted. Backlit by the flames of the setting sun, a new ship came into view.
"Bloody Norrington," Jack hissed as he came up behind Adriana. "Get below."
