A/N: Well mates, I'm finally back with another chapter. Glad to see we have new readers on board and thanks as always to Miss Anya and Cal for your reviews and for sticking with me through this bit of a dry spell I've been having. This chapter is a bit short, but I'm feeling revived and I promise to start posting more regularly again. Jack and Ana had been feeling rather "distant" to me over the last week or two, but I feel back "in touch" with them now :o) and ready to continue on our little adventure.

Drink up me 'earties. Yo ho!

Chapter Twelve

Jack tried to keep himself busy on deck, but he was unable to stop his mind from wandering to Anamaria. Although he had been glad to see some fire still left in her, he could tell it had been forced. Her eyes had given her away. He knew that she had been holding back the tears the whole time he had been with her, not wanting him to see her in a moment of weakness. He knew she was strong, but an injury like the one she had sustained would bring almost any pirate to tears. It wouldn't have made him think any less of her to see her cry, but he understood that it was a matter of personal pride. Personally, he would rather die than let her see tears ever come to his eyes and in many ways, although he knew that neither of them would admit to it, the two of them were very similar.

So he helped clean the deck and store the cannons and bided his time until he knew her bandages would need changing. Then he decided to go back to his cabin and check on her. Gibbs was keeping track of the crew's reactions and so far no one had responded out of the ordinary. He met Jack in front of his cabin door and asked him how Anamaria was doing.

"I'm on my way to redress her wounds right now," the captain answered.

"Aye Captain. I know the crew appreciates you explaining things to them."

Jack nodded, still slightly annoyed at the fact that he had been expected to give and explanation.

Mr. Gibbs read the look of aggravation on Jack's face. As he went to turn the handle to his cabin door, the older man stopped him by placing his hand on the pirate's. Jack's eyes fell to his hand and then rose to meet his own.

"A simple explanation can be worth a lot these days, Jack. It involves much less work later on."

Jack's expression softened somewhat.

"Now go take care of Miss Anamaria," Gibbs said, taking his hand away.

Jack nodded, patting his friend on the back, "What would I do without you Gibbs?"

Mr. Gibbs shook his head, "Be in heaps more trouble then I could ever get you out of."

Jack smiled and let himself into his cabin. The sound of the door closing behind him awoke Anamaria and she slowly focused on Jack as he crossed the room.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Not really," she answered honestly, trying to give him a small smile.

"Let me see," Jack reached for her arm and gently began to unwind the bandages.

"Is it time to change them already?" she asked, glad to see that he was attempting to be gentle while marveling at the same time at the irony.

Jack nodded, focusing his concentration on keeping her pain to a minimum. As he got to the last of the bandages, she inhaled sharply as the fabric stuck to her wound. Jack knew it was painful, but reluctantly pulled it away from her skin. He was trying hard not to let anything show on his face, but Anamaria could tell that he was slightly disgusted by the degree of her injury.

She wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but she felt that she had to look and see what she was dealing with. Jack could see that she was struggling with a decision as he reached for the vial of ointment Decker had given him.

"It's not a good idea," he said quietly.

"I know, but I have to," she replied.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Anamaria took one small glance down at her arm and decided that maybe Jack was right. She didn't really need to see what she was dealing with after all. Her eyes quickly flashed up to meet his.

"I told you," he chided, in a joking manner.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I can't have someone do everything for me until I'm completely healed. The sooner I can deal with it myself, the better."

"I agree," Jack said, slightly surprising her, "but for the moment, you don't have a whole lot of other options."

He was still rubbing the paste into her wounds and it stung more than she could have ever imagined. The tears that she had held back earlier filled her eyes once again and she blinked hard, trying to stare up at the ceiling to keep them at bay. Jack pretended not to notice, but saw one slip down her cheek. Her eyes quickly moved to his to see if he was watching, but he was not.

"Jack?" she asked.

"Hmmm?" he answered, taking great care to follow Decker's instructions precisely.

She reached with her right hand and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a large scar that she had noticed covered the inside of his forearm. "What happened to your arm?"

Jack pulled away and tugged the sleeve back down. "An accident," he briefly answered before continuing to apply the ointment.

"What kind of accident?" she innocently asked. She knew that if she could carry on a conversation with him, it would at least get her mind off of some of the intense pain she was feeling.

"A burn," he said. "Happened a year or so before I met you."

He was almost finished applying the medicine, but he wished that she would change the subject if she was going to talk to him.

"Jack, why did you become a pirate?"

He paused for a moment to look into her eyes and saw that she genuinely was interested. Lowering his eyes to study her arm again, he began to rewrap it with the gauze that Decker had provided.

"You know where I came from, why I decided to become a pirate. I know that Captain Kendrick told you more about me than I've ever told you myself."

Jack was surprised to hear that she knew about his conversation with the man who had practically raised her aboard his ship. He interrupted her in hopes that he might change the subject, "Yes. And now that Barbossa is dead and your brother's death avenged, why is it that you remain a pirate?"

He paused in his care of her wounds to study her expression for an answer.

"What else could I ever be Jack?" she asked seriously. "I don't know any other way of life."

Jack began wrapping her arm again. He had no more questions for her and hoped that she had come to an end in her own.

"So what was it Jack? Why did you decide to become a pirate? It can't be how you were raised." She had always been curious about his past, but had never been brave enough to ask. Now, she wasn't sure whether it was because her mind wasn't quite in its normal frame or because she felt comfortable asking him, but she had asked.

"Doesn't matter. I've always been a pirate and I'll always be a pirate." He put the finishing touches on rewrapping her arm and then laid it gently back by her side. "There, good as new," he said and then, taking a second glance added, "for the moment at least."

Anamaria attempted a small smile, but failed. She wasn't going to get her answer from him tonight.

"Try and get some rest," Jack said. "You need all that you can get. I'll be back to change them again before bed tonight."

He stood slowly, hoping that he had avoided her question to her satisfaction.

"Thank you," she said, softly, "for taking care of me. Captain."

He smiled at her proper gesture and almost bent to kiss her, but decided against it. "Get some sleep," were his last words as he left the cabin.