Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, except a Jack Sparrow poster, but that's pretty much it. Only original creations (characters, places, etc) are mine.

AN: Sorry about the late update, but here's another chapter. I hope that everyone enjoys themselves, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 5: Aboard Ship:

While trying to sleep my first night onboard the Pearl, I realized something very quickly: sailing did not agree with me.

It wasn't that I got seasick (though I was somewhat uncomfortable at sea) –it was the fact that I knew nothing about ships, and had no idea how I was going to earn my keep aboard the Pearl.

Unfortunately, Captain Sparrow wasn't much help in this. When I approached him the day after my "kidnapping" from Port Thomas, I mentioned the idea of getting some kind of work to do, and possibly having someone teach me about ships. To my disappointment and frustration, he merely waved aside my concerns and told me not to think about it.

"You're earning your keep by finding marriage partners for those that want them," he said, leaning back in his chair. "No need to add to the already difficult task that will be."

But that wasn't good enough for me. The last thing I wanted was to cause trouble with the crew, who probably wouldn't take kindly to my not lifting a finger during my stay aboard. After I explained this to him, Sparrow finally gave in.

"Alright," he said, throwing his hands up as he sat straight in his seat. "If it means that much to you, I'll find a few crewmen to teach you how things are done, and maybe find you some work."

"My thanks, Captain," I said.

"It's Jack, luv," he said, waving a ringed finger at me. "Remember, you're to call me Jack."

I smiled. "My thanks…Jack," I said before turning to leave the cabin.

My first full day aboard the Pearl was an easy one, because I had nothing to do while Jack searched for my tutors among the crew. I didn't think many would be open to teaching a woman the ways of sailing, and since I didn't want to make things uncomfortable, I stayed in my cabin to reorganize and decorate the space a bit.

Never had I been so thankful for my frugalness. My cottage had boasted two levels, but the top had been my attic-bedroom, and the entire place had been sparse, with minimal amounts of furniture, dishes, and decorations. I'd had only the bed, a wardrobe chest, and a small bedside table upstairs. Downstairs had been the kitchen, steps leading upstairs, and an eating area merging to the parlor, all of which had the minimal amount of furniture, but all of which had been comfortable and good quality.

In my cabin aboard the Pearl were my bedsheets (doubtless the bed was too big to carry), the chest, and the bedside table, along with my writing desk and its accompanying chair. I'd possessed several small side tables at home, with lace coverings and pretty little knickknacks for decoration. Sadly, there was no room here for the tables (which had been left behind), though the expensive decorations had been carefully packed and brought aboard. Everything that was small, portable, valuable, or all of the above were here in my cabin; the larger items had been left in my cottage, and could be replaced once my task here was complete and I found a new place to settle.

By noon, my things had been arranged to my liking, and I was ready for lunch. That was when Jack appeared with an offer to join him in his cabin for the noon meal, an offer I tentatively accepted.

The center table had been set for two, and scattered about were covered platters of food. To my surprise, Jack held my chair for me, and made sure I was comfortable before taking his own seat. He then proceeded to remove the dish covers and pass the platters of seaming food to me.

"Well, Evie," he said while handing me a plate of soft rolls, "I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I've found a few teachers for you among the crew. You'll be introduced to them tomorrow morning."

I sighed in relief. "Thank goodness," I said, buttering a roll.

"Ah, don't thank your lucky stars yet, luv," Jack chided me. "Remember, these are sailors and pirates, so they're rather rough around the edges. Try not to be too offended if they say something crude, or that you don't understand while teaching you, savvy?"

Nodding, I dove into my meal, wondering who would be helping me, and if I would get along with them.

As it turned out, my teachers were, according to Jack, some of the best and brightest crewmembers he had.

First was Mr. Gibbs, a portly fellow with grey-white hair and very impressive sideburns. Jack warned me that Gibbs was the superstitious type, and did not approve of Jack having one woman on the Pearl, much less two.

"However, given that Anna-Maria works as hard as a man, and you are going to set up some of the crew with spouses, Gibbs has decided to keep quiet about his beliefs," Jack said as he introduced us.

The handshake Gibbs provided was firm, but gentle, and I found his awkward smile rather amusing instead of annoying.

Next was Anna-Maria, Jack's second mate. Given that she was the only female crewmember aboard the Pearl, I had expected a fierce, mean-tempered woman who scowled and snapped at anyone who crossed her. Instead, I found the dark-skinned woman to be warmer than I'd expected, though I could see that she had a temper hidden underneath –any woman who served aboard a pirate ship was not to be underestimated just because she was female. Still, she shook my hand with a firm, but tender grasp, her fingers and palm as rough as Gibbs' had been, and welcomed me with a nod and a very small smile.

Last was an old man with, of all things, a parrot on his shoulder. Jack introduced him as Mr. Cotton, the ship's cook, and explained that the old man was mute. I had no idea what Jack meant when he said "the parrot talks for him," until the bird actually said something to me.

"Rawk, bonnie lass!" it squawked at me, followed by a brief whistle.

I laughed. "Why, thank you," I graciously replied, smiling at the brightly plumaged creature. Looking over at Jack, I asked, "Does the bird have a name?"

He shrugged. "Damned if I know. We basically refer to the both of them as Mr. Cotton; it's a lot easier that way, and less confusing."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Cotton," I said. The old man smiled back.

With the introductions done, Mr. Gibbs decided that he would provide the first lesson of the day. "Anna will take you on next, and then hand you off to Cotton a few hours later," he said, leading me to a quiet, out-of-the-way place on deck. "Since we've a lot to do, we can only spare a couple hours with ye, but that should be enough to get you started."

The first thing was a lesson in sailing. Mr. Gibbs showed me the different ropes that helped with the sails, the anchors, and which tethered the ship to shore whenever they were in port. He also showed me the many different kinds of knots that were used, and how to undo them without resorting to using a knife.

"Rope's a bad thing to waste on a ship," he explained to me as he demonstrated a knot. "We not only use it for sailing, but to keep ourselves from sweeping overboard during a storm. That's why we like keeping our rope whole and in good strong shape, not in useless pieces."

However, I was told that I was not expected to actually handle the ropes myself. According to Gibbs, the Captain had decided that I was extremely unprepared when it came to true hard work, and that I was to be given tasks according to whatever skills I already had.

"So what am I allowed to do?" I retorted. "For heaven's sake, why are you bothering to teach me about ropes when it's clear that no one will allow me to touch one?"

Nearby, Anna-Maria chuckled. "She's got you there, Gibbs. You're trying to teach the girl as though you were training a cabin boy. She isn't actually one of the crew, remember?"

Gibbs huffed and rolled his eyes. "Because you never know what'll happen," he said. "What if we need her help during a hurricane or storm? She might be forced to help, and if she doesn't know what she's doing, then we'll be in even bigger trouble."

He looked over at me. "The Captain may not want you to become overly involved in sailor duties, but some of this might save your life or the life of another crewman –or woman," he hastily added, for Anna's sake. "Now, ropes are important, especially during storms, so that's what I'm going to teach you. After that, we'll see what we can do, aye?"

Pleased that he was actually going to teach me something useful, I learned the intricacies of three knots before I was handed over to Anna-Maria's tutorage. She, too, wanted to find me something useful to learn, but with Jack's orders, she could only teach me so much –well, openly at least. But what she chose to teach me in private surprised even me.

"I'm going to teach you to fight," she declared.

I stared at her. We were below decks, tucked into her private cabin aboard the Pearl, a space that was only a tad bit bigger than my own. However, Anna (as she asked me to call her) had no desk to write on, just a small table with a portable writing desk on top, so perhaps in only seemed larger.

"Fight?" I squeaked nervously. I'd never touched anything sharper than a cutting knife; how on earth was I supposed to handle anything more deadly than that?

She sighed. "You may be under the Captain's protection, but you still need to know how to protect yourself. The men of the Pearl are a good group, but whenever we stop at a port, you'll need to look out for yourself, especially when we're in a bind."

Well, I suppose I could see that. Besides, what if something happened to those who were supposed to be protecting me? Jack had said I'd always have someone accompanying me, but things did happen, especially in the world of piracy.

And ironically enough, the weapon she decided to start me with was a knife. "It's from the ship's weapon stores, so no one will really miss it," Anna explained, pressing the blade's hilt into my palm.

It wasn't a very large blade, but it was sharp and could do some very real damage. Best of all, it could be hidden in a bodice or in a boot, or even a loose sleeve. I received quick instructions on how to swipe at an attacker to make them back away, and how to injure, but not kill.

"You're too sweet a person to know how to kill," Anna explained as she helped me tuck the knife into one of my skirt pockets. "Now, hide that in your room, and tomorrow, you find yourself some breeches and men's clothes. If those skirts get soaked, they'll weigh you down, and you need to be able to move quickly on deck."

The idea of wearing men's gear made me wince, but I knew it would be best. I couldn't flutter around the deck in a dress and have the material catch on something –it could cause an accident, and not even Jack would forgive me if a crewmember got hurt because of my outfit choice. Breeches it would have to be.

"I'll see what we've got that'll fit you," Anna said with a smile. "For now, though, you ought to get to Mr. Cotton. He's in the galley."

By now I knew that the galley was the kitchen, and that puzzled me. "Why do you have a mute man in the kitchen?" I asked as she led me there. "I mean, he has no tongue, so why…"

She shrugged. "I've no idea. Somehow, the man found his way into the galley and we can't get him out of there for anything. Well, the Captain can order him out, but Cotton seems comfortable where he is, and he turns out fairly decent food, so there's no complaining."

A grin pulled at her mouth. "And who knows, maybe you can make the food taste better, since you've got the ability to test the stuff you cook."

Shaking my head, I smiled and playfully slapped her arm as we stepped into the galley.

By the end of the day, I'd decided that, of all my "teachers," Cotton and Anna-Maria were my favorites (although Mr. Gibbs had his good qualities, too).

Mr. Cotton was a dear and so was his parrot. He taught me what he knew about the kitchen through demonstration, with me verbally repeating back what I'd seen, and him nodding or shaking his head whenever I was right or wrong. If I was wrong, then I would watch him again until I could accurately repeat and mirror what he'd done without mistakes. The parrot offered the occasional word or two, but I couldn't understand most of its garbled speech, so I did my best to ignore it.

At first, I thought Cotton's cooking tutorage was a bit redundant. I already knew how to cook, of course, since I lived alone, but cooking for one person and cooking for a crew of dozens was quite different. Mr. Cotton managed to show me how it was done while simultaneously having me help him chop, stir, boil, and mix all the ingredients together to make a very nice fish stew.

Well, actually, the stew had been relatively tolerable, considering that Mr. Cotton couldn't taste his work to see if it was actually edible, but it seemed that he worked according to smell, and if it smelled good, the food must be good –at least in theory.

With me there, however, I was able to taste the stew and see if anything was needed. My mother, rest her soul, had been a good cook, and had taught me all that she knew before she died. Using the skills I'd learned, I was able to add a few spices to the bubbling concoction and make it more satisfactory, at least to my sense of taste.

Unfortunately, I had no idea of gauging what the crew thought of it; Anna-Maria had come down just as the stew was almost done cooking, and said that I was to eat all of my meals either in my own cabin, or in Jack's.

"The Captain wants to be sure you aren't exposed to the crew's eating manners," she said, winking. "Or lack of them, is more accurate. Believe me, if you saw them eat, you'd lose your appetite right quick!"

I grinned. "Then how do you put up with it?" I challenged her teasingly.

"Simple," Anna replied, "I don't eat with them."

Laughing, I followed her up to the top decks and back to my cabin, which is where she showed me, of all things, a small stack of men's clothing, along with a pair of brown boots. The shirts and breeches weren't new, but they were clean and smelled of lavender. I had a strong suspicion that my new wardrobe had come from her own stores (since I doubted any of the men used lavender for anything), but I said nothing about it, since she didn't.

Then, to my surprise, Anna made me try them on for size. The breeches were a bit long, since Anna was a few inches taller than I, but they could be tucked into the boots with no trouble. The shirts fit well enough, and were easy to move around in.

I was a bit sad to see that everything was in rather drab shades of brown and grey, but that meant they could be soaking wet and not show anything indecent. Not that it would have mattered, since Anna had included a few undershirts that could be worn beneath my clothes.

"Well, now, don't you look like a respectable pirate?" Anna said, smiling with hands on her hips. "You'll need a belt, though, and perhaps a vest or two. I'm thinking a knife in both boots, and in time, a sword on the hip, or at least a long knife in case of a fight."

She waved aside my protests. "You'll need to have at least one knife handy when you're on a ship. There are ropes everywhere, and in extreme circumstances, it's better to cut them than untie them."

I swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Anything else? A hat, perhaps?"

Anna studied me closely, and nodded. "A hat might help. You'll need one until your skin is used to being out in the sun for hours at a time."

There was a knock on the door, which I opened to the sight of a rather uncomfortable Mr. Gibbs. His eyes almost fell out of his head at the sight of me in brown breeches and matching shirt, but he merely cleared his throat and looked at the floor.

"Captain wants you to join him for dinner in his cabin, Miss Watkins," he said.

"You can call me Evie, Mr. Gibbs," I said. "You, too, Anna."

"No problems there," she muttered, pushing her way through the door.

I followed the first mate to Jack's cabin, where I was greeted by the scoundrel himself. Jack grinned at the sight of me in breeches, but said nothing as he led me to the table set up for two. I sat and accepted a bowl of stew from him, as well as a roll and some cheese.

"So, how was your first full day aboard, luv?" he asked, digging into his food. "Not too difficult, I hope."

"Well, Mr. Gibbs seems determined to be patient and helpful," I said, dipping my bread into the broth. "Anna-Maria was kind enough to find me some men's clothing, and suggested a few other things I might need the next time we stop into port."

Jack swallowed a mouthful and nodded. "Aye, we'll make sure you have all the necessities of a pirate when next we stop. You'll need a weapon for sure, just in case."

He eyed me closely. "The men who fetched your belongings said that you only had a shabby brush and comb on your bedside table. I thought all women loved having fancy things."

"All women love pretty things, but not all of them can afford it," I snorted and took a bite of my broth-soaked roll. Swallowing, I sighed and stirred at the meat and vegetables with my spoon. "I've always been careful with money. Mama and Papa taught me to save up in case of an emergency, and I want enough put away so that, one day, I won't have to work anymore and be happy living an easy life."

Jack looked at me with those deep brown eyes of his, all seriousness. "An easy life can be overrated," he drawled, producing a bottle of rum from somewhere. "What would you do with the freed hours? Sew? Cook? Clean? Would that be much of a difference to what you did back home?"

He took a swig from the bottle. "Sitting around a house doing nothing is the definition of boredom. Wouldn't you rather have a life outside of four walls?"

"All I want is to be happy," I said, scooping up some stew. "I don't know what kind of life I want yet, but when I find it, I'll keep it."

Jack seemed satisfied with that, and continued eating his stew. The rest of the meal was finished in somewhat silence.

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