"If you were waiting for the opportune moment... that was it." -Captain Jack Sparrow
a big thanks to: Amelia V. Sparrow, Lightwolfheart, and Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Drwg for reviewing. You guys are wonderful!
Chapter Seven: Rum, rum, rum
"How many more days will we last?" Jack asked worriedly.
"Well, we can probably make it a few more days, but we'll have to ration it out." Gibbs replied, scratching his beard.
"The crew's not gonna be happy." Jack murmured. "Bugger."
"I warned ya..." Gibbs trailed off.
"I know ya did, just not soon enough." Jack snapped back.
"How many days 'til we make port?" Gibbs asked.
"Two." Jack replied. He pulled out his compass and watched as the needle pointed at what was directly before him.
"We can make it then." Gibbs said encouragingly.
"I knew I shoulda got a dog." Jack mumbled.
Gibbs chuckled. "A dog won't do no good without any rum."
"Aye, nothing is any good without any rum." Jack replied.
The two men stood together, looking into the store room at the short supply of rum that was left.
"Next time, I want ter be informed when we have half our supply left. This won't happen again." Jack said, raising his finger in the air.
"What are you two doing down here?" Kate appeared, holding a pot full of unopened ingredients, on her way back to the counter she was working at in the galley. She paused to see what the two pirates were looking at. "Is there something wrong?"
Jack stared at her. "Is there somethin' wrong?" He repeated.
She looked blankly back at him.
"We're almost out of rum!" He threw his hands in the air.
Kate still looked at him blankly.
"I'm gonna go check on the…water. In the sea…" Gibbs said, making a lame excuse and hurrying from the galley. Kate gave him an odd look as she watched him leave.
"He alright?" She asked, pointing her thumb at him.
"Bloody girl. What is wrong with you?" He muttered. Despite the depleting supply of rum, Jack grabbed a bottle and pulled the cork out. "You worked at a tavern. You have to appreciate rum!" Jack exclaimed.
Kate walked away to set down the pot she had been carrying. "Yes, I do like rum. But I don't need it to survive." She replied as she pulled the ingredients out of the pot.
Jack shook his head at her. "Well then you haven't tried my rum." He emphasized. He held out the bottle for her to take a drink. Kate glanced up at the bottle of rum that Jack had held out to her, but she didn't take it.
"I don't think it'd be wise to be drinking and handling sharp objects at the same time." She finally said as she pulled out a knife from a drawer. She began to chop a block of cheese.
Jack stepped to her side and took the knife from her. He cut a cube off from the block of cheese and stuck it on the end of his knife. "Cheese and rum go perfectly together." He grinned, popping the cube into his mouth, chewing, and then taking a swig of the rum.
Kate looked baffled at him. "I thought it was cheese and wine. Cheese and wine, not rum." Kate laughed and took the knife back from Jack, continuing cutting the cheese.
"Maybe so, but rum is just as good. No, I take that back, better." Jack grinned, taking another drink.
"I guess that's personal preference." She said calmly.
"What's personal preference?" Jack and Kate looked up to see Brandon and Nate entered the galley. Kate smiled upon their arrival.
"Oh, Jack thinks rum is the best drink." Kate remarked, focusing on cutting the cheese.
Nate and Brandon looked at each other and then at Jack and Kate. "Well, duh." Brandon replied.
Kate paused, her knife poised over the cheese. She looked up at the two. "You agree with him?" She pointed the knife at Jack.
"Oi! Watch where yer wavin' that thing!" Jack pushed her hand away from him.
Kate grinned. "What? I thought you were afraid of me with sharp weapons?" She giggled.
"When you have a sword! Not a knife and I'm unarmed!" Jack defended.
Kate rolled her eyes, watching as the other two pirates sat down at one of the tables.
"So, if rum isn't yer drink of choice, Kate, what is?" Nate asked.
"Hot chocolate." Kate beamed at the three, though her face fell at their confused looks. "What?"
"That stuff is bitter!"
"Too hot!"
"There's no alcohol in it!"
All three replied at the same time and Kate couldn't help but laugh. "Really? None of you like it?"
All three shook their heads.
"Well, you haven't had my hot chocolate!" She grinned. "I don't think we have any chocolate in the store room, but I can always add it to the list of things that Bigs needs to buy at the next port." She offered. "I'll make some for you all."
None of the other pirates looked exactly thrilled at the proposition, but none of them objected.
"You'll like it, I promise."
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"Weigh anchor!" Jack shouted from his position at the helm.
Kate could hear his call and the excited shouts from the other men below deck. She had been trying to catch some time to herself after her incident with Jack in his cabin. She quickly stood and made her way to the main deck. She spotted Jack the helm, talking with Brandon, and she made her way to them.
Brandon smiled at Kate.
"Is that Tortuga?" She asked quietly.
"The pirate haven itself!" He replied with a grin.
"We'll show you the best taverns around." Nate offered, joining the other three.
"And the best rum, too." Jack added with a smirk. "Much better than hot chocolate." He added, just to spite Kate.
Kate shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll just stick with Bigs and get the supplies for the ship with him. We're running low on a lot of things." She remarked.
"Oh, Bigs doesn't take long to do all that." Brandon said.
"With a little bit of a tip, they'll bring the supplies to the ship themselves." Jack said.
"So you can still join us." Brandon smiled.
"Besides, I plan on makin' port here fer a couple o' days." Jack said.
"Y'know, I've actually not been feeling very well." Kate tried another excuse, putting her hand on her stomach. "Maybe I'm not used to the sea still." She added for good measure.
"But it's been two weeks," Nate said, confused.
Kate ignored his comment.
"Nothin' a little bit o' rum can't fix." Jack said optimistically.
Kate inwardly sighed, knowing that the three pirates weren't going to let her stay behind on the ship.
"Oh, ya might want to change out o' that dress." Jack said, looking over Kate's appearance.
Kate glanced down, not noticing anything wrong with what she was wearing. "Why?"
"Don't want some men getting' the wrong idea." Jack said slowly, looking straight ahead.
Kate caught the gist of what he was trying to say. "I think I left them in your cabin." She replied. She took her time getting to Jack's cabin, and when she entered, it was three times as messy before. "Oh goodness," Kate murmured, wondering how she was going to be able to find her clothes.
She remembered dropping the clothes by Jack's desk so Kate started searching there. She threw a large atlas to the side and a pair of boots. She moved a couple of shirts over as well and finally found her own pair of britches and shirt, folded nicely right where she left them. Kate shimmied out of her dress and pulled the pants on first. They were a little bit large around the waist, so Kate grabbed a sash of Jack's that was hanging across a chair to make them tighter. She pulled the shirt over her head and found the shirt fit rather comfortably. She made a few adjustments and then walked out of Jack's cabin.
As Kate rejoined Nate and Jack at the helm, Nate looked her over and gave a bark of a laugh. "Almost didn't recognize ya Kate! Ya look like a pirate!"
Kate laughed and shook her head. "Well, I'm not one quite yet. I need a good pair of boots for that!" Kate wiggled her foot, showing off her flats. "Oh, and I took one of your sashes Jack," Kate added, fingering the material around her waist. "I didn't think you would mind…" She trailed off, hoping he didn't.
Jack glanced down at her waist and grinned. "Looks as good on you as it does on me." He said chivalrously.
Kate smiled in return.
The Black Pearl steered into the port with the help and expertise of Jack. He assigned a few pirates to stay aboard for the day shift and assigned others for a night shift. After that, the crew quickly dispersed into the pirate town.
Kate found Bigs and joined him as he walked across the gangplank and into the town. "I made sure that I had everything we needed on the list. Thankfully, with your help, all this shopping won't take too long." He commented jovially.
"Yeah…" Kate murmured, her mood falling a little bit as she realized again what town she was in. Despite her distaste of the town, Kate couldn't help but take in all the sights and sounds surrounding her. It was much different from the last time she had been to the port. While there were still crowds of drunken pirates staggering down the streets, it seemed a little more like organized chaos instead of just…chaos.
Kate and Bigs had to walk a little ways to get to the market section of town. Kate took in all the deep and rich smells that reached her nose as bakers put out breads and pastries, hoping to tempt bystanders and other vendors set out their goods.
Kate helped Bigs find all the ingredients on the list, even giving him advice at what other foods would accompany the others nicely to create new dishes and meals. Kate happily was also able to find a store that sold chocolate for a reasonable price.
Bigs eyed Kate's purchase as she walked out of the chocolate store. He looked up at the store sign and then back at the large bag she was carrying, obviously full of a different variety of chocolates. "What's that fer?"
"Hot chocolate." Kate explained. "Jack, Nate and Brandon all said they've never liked the drink, so I thought I'd introduce them to my hot chocolate."
A reminiscent look crossed Bigs's face. "I haven't had hot chocolate since I was a little kid." He said, "I remember liking it a lot, though." He added.
"Well, I hope you'll like this," Kate said. "I usually have a recipe with me that I use when I make it though. I might have to make a few batches before I can get it just right."
"I'll look forward to it." Bigs said sincerely, taking his list back out of his pocket. Kate and Bigs made the last few purchases for the Pearl and Bigs made sure to place a larger order of rum than usual.
In addition to the chocolate and food for the galley, Kate was also able to find a store that sold boots. Bigs helped her pick out ones that would be sturdy and durable and that fit her well. Kate happily wore her new boots out of the shop, and her old flats she stuck into one of her bags she was holding.
"Well, that does it." Bigs crossed the last item off of the list and crumpled it up, sticking it in his pocket. "I'm off fer the taverns." Bigs said to Kate. "All the crew goes to this one in particular. It's called The Mermaid's Fin, or The Fin's Mermaid. Or, something like that." He said. "Care to join me? I wouldn't want you walkin' back to the Pearl all by yerself."
Kate hesitated. She would rather go back to the ship, but she knew there was nothing to entertain her there, and she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to venture back to the ship by herself either. "Sure," she said finally. Kate stayed close to Bigs as they made their way through drunken pirates, prostitutes, and brawls that had broke out. They finally stopped at a busy tavern and Bigs held the door open for her. Kate stepped inside, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting.
"Aye, I see the crew over there." Bigs pointed to the group of pirates near the back of the tavern.
"Oi! There's Bigs and the lady herself!" Nate shouted, holding his drink in the air and already completely drunk. Nate scooted over and pulled a chair over, making room for Kate to have a seat.
Jack sat across from the two and raised his hand in the air. "Another rum for the lass!" He shouted at the barmaid as she passed by. It was weird for Kate to be in reverse roles, to be the customer and not the server. The barmaid quickly returned with a bottle of rum which she plopped down in front of Jack, who in turn pushed the bottle towards Kate. "Some of the finest." He said with a grin, taking a swig of his own. Kate could barely hear the handsome captain's words over the pandemonium that filled the rest of the tavern. Jack and Nate lifted their bottles and waited for Kate to do the same. She grabbed her bottle, raised it, and clinked it with theirs.
"Cheers!" Nate called out and all three took a large drink, Kate taking the largest. She relished in the flavor of the rum as it burned down her throat. She banged the bottle back on the table and Jack was giving her an amused look.
"Thought you didn't like rum?" He questioned.
Kate grinned in embarrassment, taking another sip before answering. "I never said I didn't like it just that it wasn't my favorite." She explained. "Though this rum is much better than the stuff we serve." She said as an afterthought.
Nate whistled at one of the bar maids as she passed by. She promptly gave him a whack over the head in return. "Oh, I didn't think that was called for," he said, rubbing his head where she whacked him.
Kate giggled. "Well that's not the best or nicest way to tell a girl that you think she's pretty." Kate said, taking another drink. She was staring to feel the first effects of the strong drink. Not only did this rum taste better, but it was much stronger than she was used to.
"Another round of rum!" Jack called, out again, downing the last of his bottle. A new bottle was set in front of Kate.
"Well, how'd'ya go 'bout doin' it?" Nate asked, stumbling over his words.
Kate smirked. "I wouldn't. I prefer men." She teased, taking a gulp from the new bottle of rum.
Nate rolled his eyes. "I would hope so, but you know what I mean." He suddenly turned rather serious.
Kate was taken by surprise at his mood change, and she looked across the table to see Jack curiously interested in what she had to say. "Well," she started, taking another drink. "Cat calls and whistles are something you would do at a prostitute, not a lady. So, women find them rude."
"Oh," Nate said, as if he was just realizing those things were demoralizing.
Kate continued. "I think I would just want a guy to tell me straight forward, that he thought I was pretty or that I had nice hair, or eyes." She said, then added quickly, "but only say things like pretty eyes or hair. Don't say they have a nice arse." She grinned, catching Jack's eyes across the table.
"What if they have a nice arse?" Nate asked with a smirk.
Kate whacked him on the head. "That's what happens!" She laughed. Kate took another large drink of rum.
"So cap'n," Nate turned his attention from Kate to Jack, "is this how you catch all the women?"
Jack smirked. "I don't reveal my secrets."
Kate rolled her eyes. "What women?" She said under her breath to Nate. Nate laughed, a little louder than normally.
Jack raised his eyebrows and leaned forward. "What'd'ya say?" He asked.
Kate innocently looked around the tavern. "Oh, nothing."
Nate suddenly became quiet as a young blonde girl walked by their table, picking up empty rum bottles as she went. Kate and Jack both smirked, catching on that Nate fancied the girl.
"Thank you," Nate said as she took his rum bottle. The girl stopped and looked up at him, surprised that he was thanking her. She gave a small smile and moved on. Nate eagerly leaned forward to Kate and Jack, his hands gripping the table. "Did you see that? She smiled at me!" He said with glee.
Kate giggled and nodded. "Yes, she did."
Nate turned his attention back to the girl as she made her rounds with more rum.
"I'm going to go talk to her." Nate said decisively, standing up suddenly. His chair tottered and fell behind him and he walked out of sight after the girl.
Kate smiled softly, staring at the bottle before her. She turned it with her hand, slowly starting to remember.
"Ya been here before?" Jack observed Kate, leaning closer to be able to hear her response more closely. By then, most of the crew had either gone off to the streets to find a girl or had tried to make their way back to the ship.
Kate looked up at Jack in surprise. "Once." She said simply, dropping her gaze. She finished off the last of her bottle and took the half-full one that Nate had left behind in his chase for his girl.
Jack studied her demeanor. "I take it that it wasn't a nice trip." He said slowly.
"No, it wasn't." Kate said after a moment, taking another long drink.
"Easy there," Jack chuckled.
Kate gave a small smile, setting the bottle down. She was beginning to feel a little woozy and her fingers felt funny. She assumed it was the rum.
"I didn't want ter come back." Kate said, a little loudly, her words starting to slur. Her mind was telling her no, to stop talking, but her mouth kept going.
Jack didn't say anything at all.
"My parents took me here, when I was seven. My younger sister was with us. Only five, she was." Kate continued. "I don't really remember clearly—I've tried to block it—but we were just stopping for our ship to gain supplies. We were heading to stay in an inn for the night—my mom was sick of the rocking of the ocean. And allofa sudden, my dad was in this brawl…someone had made a remark to my mother that he didn't like at all." She took another long draught of her rum, her eyes trained on a crack in the table. "My mother tried ter break it up." Kate paused, her mind finally catching up to what her mouth was saying.
Kate raised her eyes to meet Jack's. She had trouble focusing on the figure before her and she was starting to feel dizzy. She put her hand on the table to steady herself. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to continue.
"There was gunshots, noise, it was confusing. So many people." There were no traces of the easygoing and laid back woman now. But Jack didn't know what was more unnerving, that fact or the fact that she was retelling him all of this with a straight face, void of any emotion at all. "My mother was trying to break it up, pull my dad out of it, away. Saying she wasn't offended." Kate shook her head. "A pirate punched her, knocked her cold, right there, in front of me and my sister." Kate's eyes were closed now. Her fingers were gripping the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles white.
"They took my mom. I don't want to know what they did to her. Somehow, in all of the confusion, my sister had gone missing. Just a five year old girl… scared…" her voice cracked and she took her rum bottle and took another deep draught from it. Jack was tempted to advise her not to, but felt it was useless. It was too late now. "There was a report the next morning. A little girl found dead. Her panties gone and he dress ripped." Kate's eyes flashed open now, and the pain found in them was startling. "A five year old girl." She shut her eyes again, her face pale.
"My dad was fine minus a few bruises, nothing that wouldn't heal. We went back home to Veridian." Kate stopped. There was nothing left to say now. It was all there, out in the open. She figured it was time enough to try and face what was before her. She opened her eyes and tried to read the look on Jack's face. She gave up after a few moments as his face became blurred and wavered in and out of her vision.
"I don't think I've ever drunk so much before." Kate mumbled as she stood, staggering and catching herself on her chair. The room around her seemed to spin and her stomach churned.
"Whoa," Jack appeared at Kate's side and steadied her, his hand on her arm. "I think ya liked the rum more than you thought." Jack mumbled, leading Kate through the crowded tavern and out into the fresh air. Kate took a deep breath, letting the cool night air envelop her body.
"I'm fine," she said, shooing away Jack's steadying hand. Jack slowly removed his hand, and almost immediately after he had, Kate began to lean dangerously to one side. Jack quickly caught her again.
"Alright, let's get you back to the ship." Jack said softly, but before he could start the trek back to the Black Pearl, Kate leaned over and vomited into a flower pot.
Kate's stomach kept churning and it took everything in her not to fall forward into her own vomit. She fell to her knees and tried to keep her hair out of her face as she gagged again. She felt warm, rugged hands hold her hair back against her neck and out of her face. Kate choked in another breath, throwing up once more, her whole body convulsing with each gag. Before she even realized it, Kate's eyes began to well up with tears. She tried to hold them back, but they quickly ran down her face, dropping to the ground.
Kate didn't even know why she was crying. Maybe it was the combination of being so overwhelmingly drunk that she was puking her brains out with the memories that flooded her mind about this town, or maybe it was just everything that had taken place in the last couple of weeks was finally catching up to her. Embarrassed, she quickly raised her hand to wipe her tears from her face, though she knew Jack had already seen them.
"C'mon, let's get you back." Jack repeated again, even softer this time. Jack carefully helped Kate to her feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to help steady her as she walked.
"I'm sorry," Kate mumbled, staggering to keep up with Jack's long strides.
Jack realized he was walking a little fast for her drunken state and slowed down. "Don't know for what." He replied.
Kate didn't say anything in return, but kept her gaze down at the ground, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other.
"Almost there," Jack said, seeing the Pearl come into view.
Kate raised her head, finding the ship floating on the dark waters. Even in her drunken state, Kate couldn't imagine a more intimidating and forbidding ship; yet at the same time, one consisting of a more friendly and caring crew. Though, she also couldn't even think of the names of any other pirate ship.
When they reached the gangplank, Jack took Kate's hand to lead her across the narrow strip of wood to the ship. Kate ungracefully stepped down from it, and she groaned as she envisioned the stairs and ladders that led to her quarters.
"I don't know if I can make it to…" Kate trailed off and quickly staggered to the edge of the ship, leaning over and vomiting once more. Kate heard quick footsteps behind her, and once again, felt her brown hair being pulled away from her face.
Kate turned and slid down the railing to the floor of the ship. She wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt and looked up at Jack as he squatted down in front of her.
"I can't make it to my quarters." Kate managed to say.
"I know," he said simply. Jack stood, slowly pulling Kate up with him, and led her to his cabin. He opened the door and made his way to his bed, kicking things out of the way as he went so Kate wouldn't trip. Kate sank into his bed gratefully and Jack took a seat next to her. He pulled one of her boots off, and then the next. Kate laid back and closed her eyes, holding her hand to her head.
She must have dozed off because when she opened her eyes again, Jack was reentering the cabin with a bucket and something else that she couldn't quite make out. Jack gingerly set the bucket next to her bed. "In case you need it," he said gently. Kate nodded her thanks and watched as Jack quickly strung up a hammock.
The captain easily laid down in the hammock and turned a couple of times to get comfortable.
The silence that ensued was pounding in Kate's ears. "Jack," she said quietly.
"Hmm?" He answered.
"Thank you."
Aww, so cute! I've always thought Jack was quite the gentlemen. :) Will this change Jack and Kate's relationship? Do either of them even have feelings that are more than just platonic for each other? Tell me your answers in a review - reviews make my day!
Always,
Becca xoxo