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 for the late update –I've been taking a short vacation this week, so I'm a bit behind. Thanks so much for reading, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 6: A Place Aboard Ship:

It was hard for a woman such as me to find my "place" aboard a pirate ship, particularly one like the Black Pearl. As I had been brought up "proper and female," I was therefore considered useless by most of the crew. And since I was not used to the difficult work load they bore, as shown by the softness of my hands, I was kept away from the more difficult jobs.

Luckily, I had the sympathy of my three tutors. All of them, including Mr. Gibbs, recognized that I'd be useless in cleaning and polishing the weaponry, especially since I had no idea how to handle swords, pistols and such. I was not suited to the harsh scrubbing of the decks and railings. I was also not allowed to haul anything remotely heavy from below, or even across the deck.

At first, I didn't mind the lack of work –I was busy enough with all three of my teachers showing me about life on the Pearl.

Anna-Maria was teaching me how to handle a knife in a fight, and for other practical purposes, like woodcarving and cutting rope. She was a hard teacher, but we both knew the effort was well worth it.

Mr. Cotton, the darling man he was, let me help him in the kitchen, where I proceeded to assist in making three meals each day for the crew. Since Mr. Gibbs wasn't very "functional" in the morning, thanks to his nightly intake of rum, I was easily free to help with breakfast before my time with him. Meanwhile, my lessons with Anna were moved to the afternoons, which left me free to help with lunch, and afterwards, I was free to help with dinner.

Ironically enough, it was Mr. Gibbs who discovered that I had enough on my plate as it was. While I sat beside him on a coil of wound rope, learning about pirates and the Code they lived by, I mentioned how useless I currently felt, and was surprised when he chuckled at me.

"Lass, did you ever think about how hard it is to make food for an entire crew, three times a day?" he drawled out. "Cotton barely manages as it is, but with your help, it's not only possible for him to make enough for us all, but it also tastes better than it has in ages." He smirked. "Which isn't surprising, since Cotton can't taste a damned thing –uh, begging your pardon, Miss."

I waved aside his apology. "I've heard worse, Mr. Gibbs, so think nothing of it. And call me Evie; Cotton, Anna-Maria, and Jack do."

That was true enough, though the crew still called me Miss Evie. Since I was going to be onboard for a very lengthy amount of time, I'd hoped that the crew might count me as one of them. Well, at least someday.

Gibbs nodded. "Alright, Evie," he said. "Have I convinced ye that you're more than occupied enough in your present duties?"

"For now," I replied. "But what happens after I've learned my fill about pirates and ships? Then what will I do?"

"No worries," a familiar voice chimed in. "I'm sure we'll find you something useful to do."

I rolled my eyes as Anna-Maria leaned against the railing beside me. "Yes, I'm sure it will be something terrible, too, if you have anything to say about it."

"Nah, Evie, would I do such a thing?" she laughed and motioned for me to get up. "Come on, it's time for you to start helping Cotton with lunch. The men have pulled up some fine crab and lobster today, so you need to help with the shelling."

Groaning, I got up and stretched, relishing the freedom that a pair of breeches and a shirt gave me. "Alright, I suppose I'll see you later this afternoon, Anna," I said as one of my hands came to rest on the belt buckle at my waist, a subtle signal that I was ready for our fighting lesson.

She nodded and waved as I disappeared below, heading straight for the galley.

"Sweet lass," Gibbs commented, pulling out his flask to take a drink. "Smart, too, and very helpful. Cotton and his bloody bird love her already."

Anna-Maria sighed and shook her head. "Aye, and too sweet for this ship," she said. "Evie's smart, though, I'll give you that, and more than willing to pull her weight. Pity the Captain won't let us give her more work to do –she's capable of doing more than cooking in the galley and listening to you lecture on about piracy and our Code."

Gibbs swallowed his mouthful of rum and chuckled. "Aye, Captain's afraid that she might start whining if we give her too much to do. He figures that she's also too much of a lady to do any real work, and is best left to her own devices."

The Pearl's second mate glared at him. "Well, I can't teach her knife defenses forever! She's going to have to learn at least the sword and pistol, especially since we'll likely be pillaging while she's aboard. We can't risk her getting hurt while we're doing what pirates do best."

He looked thoughtful. "True enough, though I don't think Jack will let the poor thing out of her cabin while we're in the middle of a raid. Still, couldn't hurt to teach her to fight."

Anna smacked him playfully in the shoulder. "Ah, I knew it! You've grown fond of her, you softhearted lout!"

"I have not," Gibbs muttered rubbing his shoulder while sipping from his flask. "I just think the poor thing is too ladylike for riding around on a ship like the Pearl."

"Well, it's too late now," Anna declared, pulling out a dagger to clean her nails. "Evie's agreed to find wives for the crewmen that want them, and she doesn't seem the sort to back out on her word. The problem is that I doubt she'll get very far, considering the men are avoiding her like the plague. You and I will have to do something about that."

She had to slap the poor man on the back as he choked on his rum. "Do something about what?" Gibbs sputtered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "You want me to introduce the lass like some wig-wearing halfwit at a grand party? Don't think the men'll take kindly to that!"

"Oh, you know that's not what I meant," she snapped, tucking her dagger away. "I meant that if she's going to do her job properly, Evie will have to get to know the blokes who want to get married, and she can't do that if they're tiptoeing around and avoiding her at every turn! She's not a bloody witch, she's the answer to their prayers, and if we don't do something, she's going to be with us until they're all old, grey, and still single."

"Alright, you have a point," Gibbs conceded, finally tucking his flask away. "So how do we go about doing it?"

She grinned, a sight that sent a shiver of dread down his spine.

'I cannot believe she talked me into this,' Gibbs thought to himself as he waited for Evie to emerge from the galley.

It was presently his job to casually introduce Evie to others on the ship. Anna-Maria had stated that, as the ship's first mate, it was up to him to set the example and "bring the men around" when it came to making Evie part of their group.

Not that he had anything against the lass. She seemed to enjoy spending time with him, and with Cotton and Anna-Maria, though why she liked spending more than a few minutes in Anna's company was beyond him. Perhaps it was a female thing.

Seeing the young woman make her way up to the top deck, Gibbs motioned for her to join him by the main mast, where two large coils of rope sat. Evie's eyes sparked with interest, and she quickly came over as he took a seat on one of the coils and motioned for her to take the other, which she happily did.

"Today, we're going to continue on the Code," he said, making himself comfortable.

A few of the men around him paused in their work, interested in spite of themselves. It wasn't often that an outsider learned about the secret Code that all pirates (well, the decent ones, anyway) lived by; even rarer was that it was a gentlewoman doing the learning. Their interest was what Gibbs was hoping for, but right now he pretended that he didn't notice them.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, looking over at his student.

"The Pirate King and his election," Evie replied, stretching her legs out and crossing them at the knee to make herself more comfortable.

Gibbs nodded and continued on that topic, explaining that each Pirate Lord always voted for themselves, and the King only won by popular vote.

"But if each Lord votes for him- or herself, how were the past Kings elected?" Evie asked, clearly stumped.

"There's only been one King, and that was because it was an emergency," someone put in.

Gibbs knew who had spoken, but both he and Evie turned to look in the speaker's direction. It was Marty, the smallest crewman, and though he might have been a dwarf, he was tough as nails and just as sharp. Normally, he wore a glaring look that could peel paint, but now, the expression on his face hinted of the knowledge he had to offer.

Evie, ever curious, asked, "What was the emergency?"

Marty shook his head. "It's not something we talk about, considering that most of us don't even know. It was centuries ago; nothing to do with us now."

Seeing her disappointment, Marty looked at her in suspicion. "Why's a lady like you wanting to know about pirates, anyway?"

She gave him a stubborn glare, one that rivaled the one he was leveling at her. "The things I knew before about pirates couldn't fill a thimble, but if you want me to find brides for you, I need to know more about you. I have to know what kind of men you are, and since none of you want to speak to me, learning about piracy from Mr. Gibbs and Anna-Maria is the next best thing."

Some of the men looked surprised, others puzzled, and a few actually looked ashamed. Apparently they hadn't given thought to how the matchmaking process worked, and had thought it would be a simple matter of Evie using a magic wand to find them mates.

This was obvious to her, too, because she shook her head in frustration and headed off to her cabin, muttering curses under her breath.

Chuckling, Gibbs pulled his flask from his belt and took a drink, letting the situation absorb into the crew's thick skulls. Hopefully, things would improve. If not, Anna-Maria would make another plan, of that he had no doubt.

The change in the men's attitudes was surprising, and rather puzzling. First they couldn't bear to talk to me, and now they wanted to be courteous and introduce themselves. Some had even tried to apologize for their behavior over the past seven days, which was an even bigger surprise.

Well, I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I accepted the apologies with grace and a kind smile, which seemed to reassure them a little and made it easier for them to speak to me.

I, of course, had expected a group of ill-mannered men with a severe lack of hygiene –even Jack and Mr. Gibbs has a small aversion to using soap on a regular basis. However, the men were only slightly cleanlier than I'd previously thought, and some of them actually took the time to shave every other day or so. My nose was very thankful for that.

And they weren't all ill-mannered, though most were rough around the edges. However, when a man spends much of his life at sea, fighting for treasure and life, it was really no wonder they lacked a certain bit of etiquette. Luckily, I was somewhat prepared for this, and dealt with it accordingly.

The first to fully accept me, besides Gibbs, Mr. Cotton and Anna-Maria, was Marty the dwarf. Following in Gibbs's and Anna-Maria's example, Marty had apparently decided that I was worth knowing, and approached me in the galley.

"Brought you some apples," he gruffly said, offering me a sack of them. "Think you can use them for something?"

I thought about it. I wasn't much for desserts or baking, but I could add a bit of cinnamon and sugar to make the insides of an apple pie. I couldn't bake actual pies without burning them, but the fillings always turned out well. I asked Marty if that would be alright, and was surprised at excitement he showed.

"We haven't had anything like that in ages," he said, rubbing his small hands together. "Much obliged, Miss Evie."

I hadn't expected that, particularly since Marty was one of the few who didn't want a wife, and had no reason to try and be on my "good side." Still, it was a step forward, and a very good sign.

After nine days at sea, we finally pulled into port. Though it was a tiny town not even on a map, the men were more than excited. I myself was thrilled at the prospect of being on solid land again, and was also eager to put myself to work at what I did best: matchmaking.

Jack pulled the ship up to the dock, and once the anchor was let go, he addressed his men in a very pirate-like formal fashion. However, since I was in my cabin making a list of things to buy while we were here, I missed it the entire thing. I'm sure it was very inspirational.

"Done scribbling yet?" asked a voice from my doorway.

I looked up to see Jack standing there. Smiling, I turned back towards my list. "Just a moment. You know us females and our need for certain things we must have."

He sighed, and though I couldn't see it, I knew he was rolling his eyes. "Aye, but we've three or four days in this port. Come and join us for a drink."

Blowing on the ink to dry it, I folded the list and tucked it into one of my pockets. "No, thank you. I don't drink."

Jack rolled his eyes (again), and came over to stand before me. "Evie, if you don't have any fun, you'll turn into one of those boring Navy types. And if that happens, I shall never forgive myself, savvy? So just come have a mug of something with us, be it rum or water, and forget your troubles for a bit."

I sighed. "Oh, alright, just this once. But only if you promise that we get to go to the market first thing tomorrow!"

He raised his right hand. "I swear that I shall take you to the best market stalls and shops tomorrow morning. Now, shall we?"

Since he took my hand and pulled me from my room, I had little choice but to obey.

I decided two things very quickly. The first thing was that "land legs" were hard to get back after so long at sea. Secondly, I did not like the hideouts that Jack and his crew frequented. They smelled, were filthy (or at least fairly dirty), and the food and drink looked more than questionable. And yet, somehow, Jack managed to get a clean mug of water for me, and the serving girl brought me a clean platter of rolls and cold meat to go along with it.

All around the long table that the Pearl's crew occupied, men drank, ate, talked, and laughed heartily, slapping each other on the back and elbowing their neighbors to share jokes. Jack sat at the head of the table, of course, with me to his left and Gibbs to his right. Anna-Maria, who was to play my bodyguard, sat to my left, carefully eying our surroundings as she drank and ate food off of my plate.

"So, Gibbs," Jack said, leaning back in his chair. "How's Miss Evie doing with her lessons?"

His first mate swallowed his rum and smiled. "She's a hard worker, Captain," Gibbs stated, accepting a slab of meat off the platter I offered him. "Though I should mention that she's getting rather bored and would like to have a few more things to do."

Jack looked thoughtful. "Well, what skills do you have that could be of use to us? It's clear you can cook-"

"Aye, and with a will," Marty put in, nodding at me. He'd been my supporter since I'd made the apple pie filling.

"-but what else have you to offer?" Jack finished, ignoring the outburst.

"I can sew, dust, do laundry for one person, and cook," I replied. "And of course, my personal skill: matchmaking."

"She can mend sails," Marty suggested.

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Evie, you get your wish. We've got more ripped and moth-eaten canvas than we know what to do with, so you've got the heavy job of inspecting and fixing it."

He held up a forefinger to hold off any interruptions. "However, that will only be while we're at sea. Whenever we're in port, you'll do your original task of finding brides for the lads who want them, savvy?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Captain," I said, taking a drink of my water. "I'll get started right away. Who knows, we might find a bride for someone before we leave."

Jack nodded and took a swig of his rum as Gibbs pulled him into conversation. Meanwhile, Anna-Maria nudged me in the side to get my attention.

"Do you really think you could find a wife for someone in this town?" she whispered.

I shrugged. "I like to be optimistic. Though I have to admit, a ship full of married men and their wives might prove to be a bit much for the Pearl to handle."

"Oh, most of the wives will stay elsewhere," Anna said with a wave of her hand. "They wouldn't be able to handle our lifestyle. Only a few select women might stay aboard, and only if the Captain approves."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," I said, stuffing some meat into my mouth.

My eyes and mind, however, were busy studying my surroundings. I could see several women giving the men of the Pearl a good look, but most of them were "night flowers," and not marriageable material.

The serving girl at the bar, however, looked quite promising…

AN: Review?