And here is chapter three! :) I want to give a thanks to Destinyswindow for her constructive criticism and to Sarah Leet for reviewing.
I realize in the last chapter Jack was rather cruel and malicious, so I hope this chapter clears things up a bit. Enjoy! :)
Chapter Three: Part of the Crew
"Captain," Nate started. "You can't just leave the girl in the brig. She's going to get sick…she'll die."
Captain Jack Sparrow surveyed the pirate standing before him. He removed his feet from where they were propped up on the desk and sighed, crossing his arms. "Take a seat." He said after a moment, prepared to listen to what the man wanted to say.
"Me and Brandon discussed this, she was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time." He explained. "You can't really think Adger or Webber sent her to spy, do ya?"
Sparrow shook his head slowly after a moment. "No, I believe she's bein' honest." Nate waited for him to continue. Jack leaned forward over his desk, "I was livid. Really mad, ya know." He waved his hand in the air. "Everything was going according to plan, and then she showed up and…well, ya know…" He trailed off for a moment. "Harlow's plans were specific, and no one was supposed to be seen. It had to look like Clarke." He shook his head again. "She ruined everything. I couldn't help but see that amount of gold disappear…" He trailed off again, immersed in thought.
"Well maybe you should go talk to her again?" Nate suggested. "She has to be feeling rather miserable. Brandon brought her some food this morning, but Bigs said that we weren't supposed to feed prisoners anything but bread and water, Captain's orders."
Jack nodded. "I did say that…" He looked abruptly up at Nate. "What am I supposed to do with 'er?" He asked.
Nate stared blankly back at him. He opened his mouth to speak but the door to the cabin opened and both men turned to see who had entered. Gibbs, Captain Jack Sparrow's first mate, stepped inside the cabin. "I wanted to talk about the prisoner, the girl." He explained, joining the other two men at Jack's desk. "Have you decided what to do with her?" He inquired.
Nate shook his head and Jack spoke, "She's a woman that has never sailed a day in 'er life. She won't even be able to protect 'erself if we're attacked, or we attack. Not to mention the crew." Sparrow drew his hand over her face. "Tucker already tried to rape her last night."
"Brandon told me about that…" Nate spoke.
"Not ta mention, havin' women aboard's bad luck." Gibbs added his input. The look that the other two gave him silenced him.
Silence hung between the three pirates for a couple of minutes.
"You can't just drop her off at some port." Gibbs said. "There's the chance she'll go tell the Navy what she's seen, and we can all say goodbye to the gold."
Nate furrowed his brows. "Well… if we can't just ditch her at some port the first chance we get, we're not going to kill her. There's only one option left. We have to keep her." The other two pirates stared at him. "On the Black Pearl." He clarified.
"She could help cook," Jack thought, "and perhaps clean my cabin." He looked around the room they sat in. There were charts and books flung around, random garments of clothing were strung across bookcases and the bed, and a thick layer of dust coated most of the contents in the room.
"That would be a start. And except for the few crewmembers, I think Katherine would be safe." Nate contributed.
"I could hold a meeting with the crew concerning her safety, and the consequences that would follow." Gibbs added.
When Jack did not respond, seemingly lost in his own thought, Nate and Gibbs dismissed themselves from the main cabin.
x.x.x.x.x..x.x.x
Kate shivered. Her clothes were still damp from her attempted escape the night before, she hadn't touched the stale bread that the kind red-headed pirate had brought down for her, and she hardly slept during the night. She was too afraid that another pirate would come down and try to harm her. The rocking of the ship had also made her sick. She had never been on a ship of this size before, and her body was still trying to adjust. Without food in her stomach, there was not much to vomit up, leaving her feeling even more weak and tired than she had been before. She shivered again. She had been unbearably cold all night and desperately wished she could have a change of clothes. It didn't help either that the floor of the brig was covered in cold water as well. Kate leaned her head back and closed her eyes, wishing this nightmare would just end.
"I, er, wanted to talk to you."
Kate's eyes flashed open in anger at the voice she heard. Standing before her was the Captain, standing awkwardly with his arms swinging at his sides. "Oh?" She said, cocking her head.
"More, uh, civilly, that is." He continued.
Kate stayed silent, waiting for him to continue, still bitter over the night before when he accused her of telling lies.
"I believe what ye said last night. That ya worked at the bar and all…" He paused. "Obviously the conditions down here aren't exactly, er…" He tried to find a word that would fit the brig, "nice." He finally decided
Kate didn't understand why he was stating the obvious.
"I apologize for how I treated ya last night; it wasn't completely fair. I was angry that my plan went wrong and you were the reason." He explained.
"All pirates kill." Kate stated, trying to understand why she ruined the plan. "Why didn't you kill me?" She pressed.
"Aye, well we were p—Oi, you're not privy to that information!" Jack exclaimed. "What I'm tryin' ta say is," Jack changed the topic of conversation, "I want you to work on The Black Pearl. You will eat with the crew and won't be forced to stay locked in the brig anymore. We might be able to find you a cabin to yourself, as well…" He muttered to himself for a moment, and then said, "What say you?"
Kate was rather taken aback at the captain's offer. "Well, I, that would be…" She trailed off after another thought entered her mind. She quickly stood to her feet and pointed her finger through her cell at the pirate. "If you're suggesting that I whore around as my work, you can forget it and shove your foot up your arse!"
The captain chuckled. "No, that's not what I was suggesting at all!"
Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, in that case, what did you have in mind?"
Jack grinned and took the iron key out of his pocket to unlock the cell door. "Let me introduce you to Nate and Brandon, Miss Katherine."
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"Call me Kate." Katherine smiled as she paused from eating her bowl of soup. The three pirates and the woman were sitting in the dining hall, Kate eating her first meal in over a day.
"Alright!" Jack gave a clap of his hands. "It looks like you three are goin' to get along great! I'll be goin' back to me charts now." Jack sauntered off towards the main deck.
Nate and Brandon both smirked at their captain. "So it looks like you'll be staying aboard The Pearl for a while now, right?" Nate asked.
Kate bit her lip. "Well, I suppose so, unless you all decide to ditch me on some deserted island, that is." She took one last bite of the soup, realizing she couldn't eat anymore if she tried, and pushed the empty bowl away from her.
Brandon laughed. "I don't think the cap'n plans on it."
"He has a couple things in mind for you to assimilate into the crew." Nate remarked, standing and picking up Kate's empty bowl.
"And everyone knows that the fastest way to a man's heart is through food." Brandon added, standing up as well.
Kate couldn't help but laugh. "But you're pirates! Wouldn't it be through treasure then?"
Nate and Brandon looked at each other. "She has a point." Nate said.
Brandon grinned. "It could also be through beautiful women." He wiggled his eyebrows.
Kate shook her head and Nate guffawed. "And everyone knows none of them will come around ya!" Brandon punched Nate in the arm. "Neither you!"
Kate just rolled her eyes at the two, pushing her chair in. "I believe we were talking about how I was going to assimilate into the crew?" Kate waved her hand in between the two.
"Oh, right. Come this way," Brandon led Kate and Nate out of the dining hall and towards the galley.
"Oi! Bigs!" Nate called out as they rounded a corner that led into a medium-sized room. A large man with a scraggly beard and short black hair poked his head out of a storage room off to the side. "We've brought you a helper!"
Bigs stared at Kate for a moment, obviously perplexed. "I thought she was the prisoner?"
Brandon looked over at Nate. "Well, she was the prisoner. Consider her prisoner with freedoms?"
Bigs stared at him for a moment longer, as if that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. "Aye, she's not the prisoner." He finally decided. He turned his attention to Kate. "You cook, miss?"
"Yes, perhaps not well though." She tugged at the sleeve of her dress. "I worked at a tavern, so I did cook some meals."
Bigs grinned. "Aye, that'll do. We're not but humble pirates." He winked.
Kate gave a small smile, thinking that she was starting to like the cook.
"S'alright, Kate—can I call you that?—Bigs can't cook either." Nate jested.
"Oi! You two get! I need ta train my helper!" The two laughing pirates waved goodbye, joking to each other as they went.
"Let me show you around, Kate—I gathered that was yer name, yeah?"
Kate nodded. "It's Katherine actually, but I usually go by Kate." She followed the overweight man across the galley into a side room.
"This is the main store room. All the ingredients you will need will be in here…. Though, you might want'a check it before you use it…I've found a couple moldy things in there…" He added as a side comment. "But anyways…" He led Kate out of the storeroom and into a small room on the other side. Kate knew what was inside before Bigs even opened the door.
"Chickens!" She exclaimed as the clucking grew louder.
"Aye." He took one of the chickens out of its pen by its feet, grabbing the egg that lay beneath it.
"How many do you have?" Kate asked curiously, looking around.
"Fifteen." Bigs answered promptly. "Took me a while to get that many too. Cap'n didn't like the idea of animals on board." He put the chicken back down, handing the egg to Kate, and started to gather the rest. "Twenty men on the crew, so most can have some eggs for breakfast." He grinned proudly over his animals. Kate followed Bigs back to the working area of the galley, where Bigs already had a stew brewing in one of the largest pots she had ever seen.
"Every Saturday is stew Saturday!" He grinned proudly. "Unless we forget what day it is… we have stew then too."
Kate gave a little giggle. "Well, what I help with?"
"I don't have a lot left to do, but you can start with the bread." He directed her towards a mixing bowl with a few ingredients thrown haphazardly together. "You know how to make bread, right?" He checked.
Kate nodded. "Yes, I used to make homemade bread all the time with my mom when I was but a child." She reminisced. She looked in the bowl and then headed to the store room. She filled her arms with other spices and ingredients, bringing them back to her station. She kneaded the ingredients, slowly working her fingers and hands. Then, she stuck the bread in a bread pan and placed it in the brick oven.
"There's not much else I need help with." Bigs admitted, looking over at Kate as she wiped her hands off on a cloth. "Maybe you could go find those two ruffians that brought ya here."
"Alright. It was nice meeting you Bigs." She smiled at the man. He nodded back, giving the slightest hint at a smile. As she was heading out of the galley, Bigs called after her, "Don't forget to come back in the morning! Breakfast is always the most hectic!"
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Kate managed to find the two amiable pirates sparring with each other on the top deck. She sat on a crate and watched as they threw insults at each other, their swords clashing. Nate jumped as Brandon swung low at Nate's feet. One Nate regained his balance, he brought his sword forward, aiming for Brandon's shoulder. Brandon blocked his blow quickly. Nate swung his leg out, sweeping Brandon's feet out beneath him. He fell on his back, dropping his sword. Nate arrogantly placed his foot on top of Brandon's chest, flipping his sword in the air and easily catching it.
"That was cheating!" Brandon protested. "You did not win that!"
Nate grinned, leaning down towards Brandon and sticking out his hand to help him up. "Pirate," he stated smugly.
Brandon took Nate's hand and pulled him down next to him on the deck. "And a bloody awful one at that!"
Kate giggled at the two pirates. A couple other crewmen that were doing their chores walked by with disinterest, as if this was a daily happening.
The two looked up at Kate from the floor. "Kate's back!" Nate grinned, sitting up, brushing himself off.
Brandon followed suit. "Your turn," he stated, walking towards her with the hilt of his sword extended out to her.
"Oh, no," she waved her hands in front of her. "I've never even held a sword before!" She exclaimed.
"There's a first for everything. Come one, we'll teach you." Brandon pulled her to her feet and shoved the sword in her hand. It was heavier than she expected and her arm fell slightly.
Nate stood in the middle of the deck, beckoning her forward. "Now, grip the sword tightly. Just block whatever I throw yer way." He made it sound so easy. Brandon pushed Kate forward, urging her on.
Kate's eyes widened in fear, unsure of her ability to block his dangerous moves. Unaware to the other three, Jack had come out of his cabin, wondering what the commotion was about on deck.
Nate brought his sword up and back down in one motion, albeit slower than he would have normally, and his sword connected with Kate's flesh.
"Ah!" Kate dropped her sword, examining the fresh cut on her arm. Brandon shook his head, drawing his hand over his face in embarrassment on Nate's behalf.
"Are you alright?" Nate sheathed his sword and quickly stepped to Kate's side to look at her wound. "You were supposed to block it!"
"You moved too fast!" Kate countered.
"Step back, Nate." Sparrow spoke, finally deciding to intervene. "Go get Bigs and tell him to fetch his medical equipment."
Kate looked up at the captain in surprise, not knowing that he had been watching the entire time. Jack took Kate's arm and looked at the cut. "It could be worse." He said optimistically. "Now pick up your sword and let's try this again."
"But I'm hurt!" She protested.
Jack unsheathed his own sword and glanced at her arm again. "It's not that bad. Besides, if you're in a battle, you'll need ta protect yourself. No time for bandages." He ushered her back to the middle of the deck. "Now, pay attention."
Kate tried to ignore the pain in her arm, not wanting another wound. Jack raised his sword, and Kate mimicked, raising hers.
"Predict where mine will go. As soon as my sword starts to head in one direction, you should move that way to parry it." Jack moved his sword quickly from side to side, each time Kate moving it a fraction of a second after.
"I won't hurt you, but you'll need to be fast." Jack informed. He rapidly swung his sword toward her side. Kate swung her sword to block it, but was too late, and Jack's sword tapped her side.
"Relax. You're too tense." Sparrow stepped back, assessing her.
"Sorry. I'm not exactly used to playing with lethal weapons." Kate muttered.
Jack chuckled. "Tension interferes with speed. So relax." After Kate had taken a deep breath and looked a little more relaxed than before, Jack swung his sword over his head and aimed for her shoulder. It was the same exact move that Nate had performed earlier. This time Kate was prepared. She raised her sword to block it, but was not expecting the amount of force that came with the blow. She lost her balance as Jack's sword pushed the top half of her body back.
"Move your feet!" Kate quickly obeyed and managed to regain her balance. Jack slid his sword off of hers and nodded. "That was better. This time, you attack me." Jack held his sword limply at his side.
Kate looked at the sword at his side, unsure if it was okay to attack him when he was so unguarded. "Are you…" She motioned to his sword.
He looked down at his sword, confused. "What?"
Kate shook her head and raised her sword, trying to determine where she should attack. She focused her gaze on his left side, figuring it would be an awkward angle for him to parry. She swung her sword, and in a split second, Jack pivoted, easily blocking her attack before her sword was anywhere near his side.
"Your eyes gave it away." Jack said simply.
Kate frowned. She raised her sword again, this time looking at him straight in the face when she swung her sword towards his shoulder. He quickly parried it, without moving much of his body.
"You'll have to be faster than that." The captain instructed.
By now, Kate was growing angry. She didn't want to be on this ship, her arm was throbbing from her cut, and the smug captain was irritating her.
"Ugh!" Kate brought blow after blow on the captain, each time with more force than before, and each time Jack blocked it.
"You're hittin' like a girl!" Jack joked as Kate's attacks became faster and fiercer. Kate began to put her whole body into each blow. Jack was quick on his feet, and despite Kate being the one attacking, Jack still was able to push Kate back farther. Every time their swords clashed, Jack would push hers back, forcing her to take a few steps backwards each time. Jack finally was able to push Kate all the way back to the ship railing, and Kate felt the wood press against her back. She attempted one last blow, putting all of her remaining strength into it, and Jack pushed her sword back with equal amount of strength. Kate's sword flew out of her hand and over the railing. It could be heard dropping into the ocean, making a little splash! as it went. Jack's sword was pointed at Kate's throat. She looked down at it wearily.
"Lesson number one: pay attention to your surroundings." Jack stated with a grin, sheathing his sword and stepping back, allowing Kate some room.
By that time, Bigs had reached the main deck with his medical kit. Once he realized they were done, he stepped over.
"Oi! That was my sword that just flew into the ocean!" Brandon called out. Nate sniggered next to him.
Kate gave an apologetic shrug to Brandon as Bigs pulled her sleeve up to examine the cut.
"You're the medic too?" Kate inquired, watching the man put some salve on the wound.
"Aye, I do bloody everything around here." Bigs grumbled, good-naturedly. He wrapped the cut with a small bandage and then stepped back.
Kate felt exhausted after the sword fight and warily watched as Jack pulled a crate over by her and sat down on it.
"That wasn't too terrible for your first time handling a sword." He commented lightly to Kate; but Kate wasn't paying much attention at the moment. She was holding her head in her hands. The effect of exerting so much energy when she was already exhausted and the swaying of the ship as the waves crashed against the sides was almost too much to handle. She leaned over the railing and vomited.
Brandon and Nate looked at each other and then at their captain, not knowing what they should do. Jack snapped his fingers at a short crewmember that was standing nearby, watching the earlier fight with interest. "Oi! Simon, fetch a cup of water for 'er." Simon nodded at his captain and headed towards the stairs.
Kate replied hoarsely to the captain's earlier comment, "I suppose it wasn't." She pulled the sleeve of her dress back down over her bandage and wiped her mouth on it.
"Though, you've still a bit of work to do," Jack said. "But we'll not continue that today…in yer condition." He waved a hand at her.
"That's an understatement," Kate said dejectedly.
"Aye, we'll just continue lessons tomorrow." Jack said optimistically.
Simon had returned with the cup of water and Kate took it from him with a small "thanks." She rinsed her mouth out first to get the vile taste out, and then took a much needed drink, draining the cup of its contents in a matter of moments. She set the cup down on the crate next to her.
Kate examined the captain, finally taking in his odd trinkets that were woven in his hair and his pirate clothes. "I like your hat." She managed finally.
Jack's eyes rolled up towards his hat and he gave a small laugh, surprised at her random comment. "I like it quite a bit too." He acted as if he were fluffing it up, then hopped off the crate.
"I suppose we should find you your sleeping quarters now. You look a bit…er, you've seen better days." He finished awkwardly, not wanting to offend the woman. He hadn't figured out her personality quite yet, and he didn't want to push her buttons since she would be staying with them for a while now. He motioned for her to follow him as he sashayed to the hatch. He climbed down and waited for her to follow. The two surveyed the scene before them. Hammocks were hung from the boards above across the majority of the room. Jack pursed his lips and then shook his head. He turned and waved his hand, walking down a set of stairs behind them.
As Kate descended down the stairs, she emerged into a network of hallways. She remembered that turning right led her to the galley, but Jack did not head in that direction. He went straight instead and eventually stopped at a door to the left. He knocked, and upon hearing no answer, he opened the door. Kate could not see immediately what was inside as Jack stood in the way. Once he moved, Kate could see that there were three dusty trunks stacked on top of each other, shoved up against the wall. Other than that, the room was empty. There was a small porthole that was level with the surface of the ocean, and the sun cast glittering shards across the water, illuminating the room.
"I think we usually just use this as a storage room." Jack commented, walking over to the trunks and opening the one on top. Dust flew out, making Kate and Jack both cough. Once it had settled, the two could see that the trunk was filled with books. "Aye, I thought so." Jack slammed the trunk lid shut. "Maybe we could find you some clothes in these other two…" He trailed off, talking to himself more than Kate, as he lifted the trunk up and dropped it in another corner of the room.
"I don't mind wearing the dress I have." Kate said, seeing nothing wrong with the one she had on despite the few stains.
Jack looked over at her and grinned. "After a couple of days you will." He opened the second trunk only to find more books. He slammed that trunk lid shut, and with his foot, shoved it over, off of the bottom trunk.
"We'll just have ter plunder a ship o' Brits. We'll find some dresses fer ya then." He commented breezily.
Kate's eyes widened, "Oh, I don't think that's necessary." She said, a little alarmed that they would attack another ship for her to get a dress. She sat down on the first trunk, too exhausted to stand anymore.
"I'll go find Gibbs and see about finding a bunk." Jack said, scratching his head. Kate nodded silently, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes.
Jack managed to find Gibbs in the galley, rummaging through the supply of rum. Right when he found a bottle that he seemed to fancy, Jack tapped him on the shoulder.
"Oh, Jack." The shorter pirate eyed him warily.
"Come help me find a hammock or bunk for Kate." Jack took Gibb's rum bottle and took a swig of it. He turned on his heel, leaving the man licking his lips for some alcohol, yet he obediently followed after him. The two managed to find an old purple mattress that they had pillaged from a royal ship that was crossing to the Americas. Though, they had also found another supply of rum. By then, they had both consumed five bottles of rum and were start to feel the slight effects of it.
"What d'ya think the chances are of me tamin' a dog to get me rum?" Jack asked lazily, taking another swig out of his bottle, falling backwards on the mattress as he did so.
Gibbs cocked his head to one side. "Where'd you get a dog?" He asked curiously, taking the bottle from Jack and taking a long swig of it.
"I don't, but if I did, what'd be tha chances?" He persisted, stealing the rum back. "It's such a burden carrying it up from the store to me cabin. But if I had a dog to do it!"
"Hmm. We could get a pretty lass to come with the mutt too." Gibbs said dreamily.
"We have a lass." Jack said matter-of-factly. "Though there's always room fer more." He added on second thought.
"Aye." Gibbs said. He sat up abruptly. "Well, why'd we never do it before?"
Jack looked over at his first mate. He slowly managed himself into a sitting position as well. "Because as wonderful as woman be, they're trouble."
"Aye." Gibbs repeated.
Jack looked down at the mattress the two pirates were sitting on as if it had just appeared there. "Oh, a mattress!"
Gibbs looked down, too, at the purple mattress. He stood up, grabbing the rum bottle from Jack and downing the last bit.
Jack looked down at his empty hands and frowned. "Why's the rum always gone?" He muttered, lying back down on the mattress. "Pull, Mr. Gibbs!" Jack ordered.
Gibbs frowned, looking at the drunken captain who was almost passed out on the mattress. "Where to, cap'n?"
"Kate will be needing something nice to lay on tonight!" He pointed his finger at Gibbs, "and I don't mean me." He grinned, placing his hat over his eyes.
Gibbs was able to pull the mattress—and Jack—to Kate's quarters. After getting Jack off the mattress and willing to help him move it, the two men succeeded in getting the mattress into the tiny room. They eventually situated it in a corner, proud of what they had accomplished while intoxicated, and then realized they had no blankets to put over the mattress.
"Tomorrow." Jack mumbled, refusing to do anything else. Gibbs had already left the room, and Jack was left alone to wonder where Kate had gone. He turned around, not noticing her when they had entered, and found her fast asleep in the same position she was in when they had left.
This chapter was quite a bit longer than normal, so I hope you liked it. I'd love to hear your opinion in a review. Reviews make my day. :)
Always,
Becca xoxo