Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plotlines of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction; I'd be off making money. Which I am not doing with this work. I do, however, lay claim to the characters of Genesis Wolfe and Rosalyn O'Brien, and would be pleased as punch if you did not use them without my permission. Thank you, darlings.

Author's Note:And they're off! Finally, some real pirating, eh? And now we have Genesis' stage debut! In a lovely, saucy wench's outfit, no less. And for those interested, the song that she sings is called "Special" and is from the Broadway musical Avenue Q. I highly recommend finding it and giving it a listen; it's a very fun, naughty, cheeky song. Heck, the whole show is rather fun, naughty, and cheeky.

Chapter 9: In Which Gen is Nominated For a Tony

"Step left. Parry. Thrust. No, thrust."

Genesis' sword was knocked out of her hand by Will's more expert hand, and she growled in frustration. They had been sparring for nearly a half an hour, Will giving Gen a mini-lesson in fencing, should the need arise. He and Jack were surprised by her lack of skill in the department, given her supposed lineage and knowledge of piracy. She shrugged, claiming she preferred guns. Which was a lie. She was a lousy shot too.

Will made a swing at Gen, which she ducked. Her sword was too far across the deck; she'd never get it. So instead, she made like the pseudo-pirate she was and used what she had.

As she rose, she kicked her leg out, her foot smacking loudly against Will's elbow. He cried out, dropping his sword as if burned and clutching his elbow.

"Funny bone," she said with a grin, picking up his sword and pointing it at his throat. He continued to rub his tingling arm, and couldn't help but smile.

"You cheated," he said.

"Pirate," she replied, flipping his sword around and handing it to him. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "How about a ten minute break? I'm dying."

Will nodded and moved over to sit near Jack, who hadn't left the helm. Jack looked at Genesis approvingly as she plopped down on his other side, opening a canteen they had found below and taking a long swig.

"I knew those legs had to be good for more than being wrapped around me," he said. She choked on the water, coughing and sputtering and saying incoherent, unfriendly things about his family line. Will shook his head as he began sharpening his sword; he was beginning to grow used to his two companions' constant, crude banter. He glanced at Jack.

"When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself," he said. "After she died, I came out here, looking for my father."

"Did I miss the 'Will's backstory' cue?" Gen asked, attempting another swig of water.

"Is that so?" Jack said, uninterested.

"My father, William Turner," Will continued, eyeing Jack. "At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack."

A choked laugh issued from the other side of the helm.

"You knew my father," he finished, throwing a glare at Gen before looking back to Jack.

"I knew him," Jack said, not taking his eyes off the water before them. "Probably one of the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."

"Bootstrap?" Will said, bewildered.

"Good man. Good pirate," Jack said, nodding. He glanced at Will, his face mockingly sincere. "I swear you look just like him."

"It's not true," Will said, standing suddenly. "He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law."

"So he was boring?" Gen quipped.

"He was a bloody pirate," Jack said, sounding annoyed. "A scallywag."

"My father was not a pirate," Will hissed, unsheathing his sword and holding it out in front of him. Gen yawned and stood up, walking over to grab her sword and sheathing it.

"Put it away, son," Jack said wearily. "It's not worth you getting beat again."

"You didn't beat me," Will said. "You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you."

"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" Jack replied. Without warning, he wrenched the helm to one side, sending a sail careening towards Will and Gen. Gen bent at the waist casually, the yard sailing over her head, but Will didn't fare so well. The yard hit him smack in the diaphragm, sending him out over the water as his sword clanged onto the deck. The poor blacksmith struggled to maintain his hold on the yard, glaring at Jack.

"Now," Jack said, "as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these; what a man can do, and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man, or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown, but our lovely lady friend here and I can't bring this ship into port all by our onesies, savvy? So." He yanked the helm back, sending Will tumbling ungracefully back onto the ship. Jack held Will's sword out to him.

"Can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?"

Will took the sword tentatively. "Tortuga?"

Jack looked up at Gen and grinned. "Tortuga."

Jack was in the middle of explaining his illustrious history on the isle of Tortuga as they made their way across the docks to the dark, bustling port.

"More importantly," he was saying to his companions, "it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"

"It'll linger," Will said, wrinkling his nose.

"Nothing a good garment-burning won't fix," Gen said, looking around at the many pirates and wenches around them.

"I'll tell you, mate," Jack said conspiratorially to Will as if Gen couldn't hear him. "If every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted."

"Or get rid of the itch," Gen said, watching a redhead in an only-slightly-redder dress approach them.

"Scarlett!" Jack said joyfully, reaching his arms out for her. She gave him a nasty smirk and slapped him across the face, sending his head near spinning.

"Not sure I deserved that," he muttered, turning just in time to see a blonde in green stalk up.

"Giselle!"

"Who's she?" Giselle asked, gesturing toward the retreating form of Scarlett.

"What?"

Another slap.

"Feeling wanted yet?" Gen asked with a snicker.

"I may have deserved that," Jack admitted.

Without warning, Genesis spun in front of him, arm raised for another slap. He ducked back, throwing his hands up spastically to defend himself.

"What are you doing, woman!" he cried. She laughed, lowering her hand.

"You're so cute when you're defenseless," she said, grabbing him by his bearded chin and shaking his head back and forth. She winked and gave him a big kiss on the lips before taking off after the woman in green.

"Giselle, darling, can I ask you a favor? I need…"

The two men stared after her in shock.

"Should we go after her?" Will asked.

"Who?"

"Genesis."

"Oh," Jack said, snapping out of it. "No. Maybe Giselle can teach her to be a lady.

"Take what you can?"

"Give nothing back."

"Aw, you boys are bonding and leaving poor little Willy out of it."

Jack and Gibbs looked up from their negotiations to see quite the sight before them. Will turned at the sudden lack of speech.

"Miss Morgan?" he asked, gaping.

After convincing Giselle that she had nothing to do with Jack romantically, Genesis found herself a new best friend. And a new selection of wardrobe options. She wore a long red dress with short, off-shouldered sleeves underneath a black corset, laced up with gold thread. The long, red skirt was pulled up and draped through her belt in front, showing everything up to the mid-thigh, including a new black velvet and white lace garter. Her knee-high black boots and a black velvet choker completed the ensemble, and her hair, now even curlier than before thanks to Giselle and her miracle hands, was piled onto the top of her head, tendrils falling down around her face and the nape of her neck.

"You know this wench?" Gibbs said, staring at her.

"Aye," Jack said, eyeing her appreciatively. "Fortunately."

"Unfortunately, at times," Will added.

"Love you too, Willy," Gen said with a wink.

"So what's with the get-up, love?" Jack asked, leaning back to get a better look at her.

"Trying to blend in, that's all," she said, sitting on the table they were occupying, crossing one long leg over the other and leaning back casually.

"You're doing anything but, miss," Gibbs said, swallowing heavily and leaning away from her, attempting to be decent.

"Aww," she said with a grin. "At least Willy likes it."

"My name's not Willy!" Will said, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. Unfortunately, one of his hands made contact with the face of a rather burly looking one-eyed pirate walking by.

"You want a fight, sonny?" the man bellowed, grabbing Will by his vest.

It didn't take long for the entire tavern to erupt in a mess of yells and punches. Jack and Gibbs leapt from their seats, while Gen remained perched on the table.

"We're never going to get out of here," Jack said, reaching for his sword as he ducked to avoid getting clocked by a mug. Gen laid a hand over his, keeping him from drawing the blade.

"I've got an idea."

Jack and Gibbs watched in confusion as Genesis leapt from the table and ran over to the pianist on the other side of the bar, who looked about to wet his pants. After she eased him back onto his bench (okay, so she pushed him, but seductively), she whispered something in his ear, and leapt onto a table nearby.

Jack raised an eyebrow as the pianist began to play.

"Do you wanna feel special?

I can see that you do…"

The tavern grew quiet as the fighting men turned to look at the singing woman standing on the table. She took a deep breath and grinned.

"I can make you feel special

For an hour or two…"

Gen smirked and stepped down onto a chair, making her way to a table closer to Jack and Gibbs'.

"Your life's a routine that repeats each day,

No one cares who you are, or what you say.

And sometimes you feel like you're nobody

But you can feel like somebody with me."

The last line, along with the little shimmy she did, grew leering cheers from the men, who were crowding around this new wench. She smiled coquettishly and began walking across tables until she made it to Jack. She leapt down from the table, coming to rest perched in Jack's lap.

"Let's say you two get our dear Willy out of here, eh?" she whispered in his ear (or rather, the hair covering the area she guessed his ear was in). She ran a finger down his bare chest, keeping up the façade of simply seducing another bar inhabitant. She winked, leaping from his lap and jumping back to the center table.

"When we're together the earth will shake

And the stars will fall into the sea.

So come on, baby, let down your guard.

When your date's in the bathroom, I'll slip you my card

I can tell just by looking that you've got it hard for me."

A round of applause and whistles rang through the tavern as Jack and Gibbs pulled Will to his feet and slipped quietly out the door. Jack threw a glance at Gen, who winked and disappeared into the throng. A dozen or so gropes and slaps on the read later, she joined them on their way back to the Interceptor.