-1Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates, and for that I am ashamed.

A:N: Hey Everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I was on vacation for the past week. Just getting' my bronze on in South Carolina. Being by the ocean has definitely given me some inspiration. So here's the next chapter for you!

--------------------

"Oh My GOD! My head is freakin' killing me!" I said, while holding my head and trying to drown out the beating sun and yells that were coming from the dock. I looked over at Maria, who only smirked. "I hope you know, that I would never smirk at you if you were in pain from a hangover." I said to Maria.

"But, I will never have a hangover." She stated, louder than was necessary. I winced and she smiled wider. I rolled my eyes and then proceeded to glare at the sun through squinted eyes.

"Oh, yes, I forgot. You're going to abstain from all bad things." It was now Maria's turn to roll her eyes at me, but I decided to continue. "But then again, if you abstain from all bad things, where's the fun in that?" She shook her head at me, but I didn't notice when she walked off so I kept speaking. "Absolutely no fun at all, that's where. Could you see it now, the headlines would be going off around the world. Crazy Italian: Fun sucker of the nation. People would go for miles through all the elements to read the papers." I stopped and looked around, noticing that a few of the people on the docks were looking at me funny. I gave them my best withering stare, and then winced when I opened my eyes to widely and was assaulted by the sun.

Mumbling to myself, I walked past all of the un-bathed people who were staring at me funny. I don't know about what though. They are clearly the weirder of the group. I mean really, who doesn't take showers? At least jump in the water every once-in-awhile. When I successfully made it to where the others were standing, I stood back a little from Jack, who had been giving me strange looks all morning. I decided it was probably from the drunken kiss I had given him last night. I could feel my face heating up in embarrassment, but I wasn't going to acknowledge it unless he brought it up first.

I looked up when I heard someone to the side of me snort, and I saw Gibbs looking at me, holding my head and squinting. "Next time, lass, I would say that you should try water instead of the rum." I held up my hands, exasperated. "They said there wasn't any!" I mumbled.

I think everyone is against me today.

-----

"Feast your eyes, Captain." I heard Gibbs say. I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "Here we go again." Maria turned around to laugh quietly, while Gibbs looked at me and glared somewhat. I managed my best smile, and nodded for him to continue, which he did without further encouragement.

I looked up and down the members of the supposed crew, and had to smile. Most of the grungy looking men (and the one woman at the end,) looked a tad worse for the wear. Excluding Cotton though, who as we all know has no tongue, they weren't missing any limbs. That had to count for something.

Jack started to walk up and down the row, brushing into me and sending me a sideways glance. He looked each person up and down, hesitating when he saw Marty, and just as Gibbs was finishing about how everyman was worth his salt, he stopped in front of Mr. Cotton and the parrot.

"You, sailor!" He barked gruffly. I think I might have swooned a little when I heard his voice, or maybe I was just getting a little sick from last night. Anyways, Mr. Cotton glanced at Mr. Gibbs, who said, "Cotton, sir." and Jack nodded. "Mr. Cotton." He said, "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" He said this all really fast and then waited for cotton to reply. Mr. Cotton looked helpless as Jack shouted. "Mr. Cotton! Answer Man." Mr. Cotton looked over at Mr. Gibbs who was happy to oblige help.

"He's a mute. Poor devil had his tongue cut out." Mr. Cotton opened his mouth and showed his chopped out tongue. I gagged and Maria mumbled something along the lines of, "Was that really necessary." But it was all ignored as Gibbs went on. "So he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how." Jack made a confused face and went to move on, then stopped and turned back to them.

"Mr. Cotton's parrot." He said in a strained voice. "Same question." I stifled a laugh by turning it into a cough at Jack's expression as he questioned the parrot.

"Wind in the sails. Wind in the sails." The parrot said. Jack looked at Mr. Gibbs, who had to explain once again. "Mostly we figured that means yes." Gibbs said confidently.

"Course it does." Jack yelled. I winced as his voice was quite close to my head. I was never drinking again if this is what I was going to have to put up with in the morning. Then he turned back to Will, who looked very, very, skeptical. "Satisfied?" He asked with a smile.

"Well, you've proved their all mad." Will said, shaking his head. Maria was behind him and I saw her sigh at his words. Or maybe it was because she was checking out his backside. I cleared my throat and she stepped back and her face reddened.

"And what's the benefit for us?" Someone shouted from the end of the row of people. Jack's eyes widened and we followed him as he walked down the row of crew members, coming to a stop in front of one with a wide, floppy hat on. Lifting up the hat and letting the woman's hair fall down, he smiled.

"Anna Maria." He said. I laughed as she pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. He winced and Will bent down to be eye level with him.

Smirking, he said, "I suppose you didn't deserve that either." Behind Jack, Anna Maria nodded her head and looked like she in a completely pissed off state. But, you know what they say about a woman scorned.

"No, that one I deserved." Jack said and he turned back around. "You stole my boat!" Anna-Maria yelled, all but stomping her feet on the ground. When Jack began to defend himself, she slapped him again, and I smiled at the echoing slap. All of the crew was watching with rapt attention to how the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow would get himself out of this new predicament. Jack took another deep breath and then turned around to face the woman before him.

"Borrowed." He said with a smile. "Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back." At this Anna-Maria looked furious.

"But you didn't!" She screeched and I held my hands to my ears. This was really getting annoying, and I would rather them not yell at each other when they were standing that close to each other. Jack looked a little pained, but continued for the sake of his pretty, little face.

"You'll get another one." He said gleefully, but backed off some when Anna Maria pointed her index finger in his face.

"I will." She said menacingly.

"A better one!" Will said from behind Jack.

"A better one!" Jack agreed. From Will's side, Maria and I pointed towards the Interceptor and Will got a very pirate look on his face.

"That one." He said, reaching around Jack and pointing towards the ship. Anna Maria smile and Jack looked just a tad bit angry.

"That one?" He said angrily, but Will only smirked. Turning back to where the crew were turned and looking at the ship and then back to him again, Jack said, "Aye, that one. What say you?" He yelled again.

I clutched at my head, and let out a small whimper. I was really not liking the yelling.

"Aye!" Anna Maria and the rest of the crew shouted. Then they walked towards the supplies and began to walk towards the end of the dock where the row boats were. Mr. Gibbs ran up as soon as the others had left.

"Oh no. It's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard." Maria and I huffed in disapproval but no one seemed to notice or care. Jack looked into the distance, off towards the sky.

"It be far worse not to have her." He said. He walked away and Gibbs and Will gave a look to where he had been gazing, but found nothing. Maria and I sighed, and grabbed each others arms, skipping down to where the row boats where. We found Anna Maria and I grabbed her arm as well. She gave us a look, but I disarmed her with a smile.

"Me and you are going to be good friends." I said, and she managed a smile. We climbed into the row boats with most of the supplies and began to row away.

"Why's that?" She asked when we were almost to the ship. She was gazing up at the ship in appreciation, and I looked up at it, but found that I liked the look of the open ocean better.

"Because," I said, climbing out of the boat and up onto the ladder. "We both like to annoy Sparrow."

--------

"This is fantastic!" I yelled as the storm that had descended out of nowhere continued to rock the boat with sickening motions. There was water splashing everywhere and more than one member of the crew was looking a tad bit green. I smiled down at Maria from my position, hanging on the ropes that hung down from the crows nest. Earlier, Anna Maria had showed me how to manage them without falling, and I had taken every chance I could to show off my new skill.

"I hope you fall off and drown!" Maria shouted up to me. I cackled like a mad woman at her. She had decided that she was going to show everyone that she wasn't just a girl, but that she could do work to. It hadn't been going to well. First, she dropped a barrel onto her foot and complained about that until Will helped her bandaged her "injury." Then, when the storm hit, she tried to tie the ropes to the mast with the rest of the crew, somehow managing to fling a rope up and hit Mr. Gibbs in the face. It was quite hilarious and we got to listen to how we were bad luck for the next 10 minutes.

"No can do. I am an acrobat." I yelled down to her and then, because I'm the world's biggest klutz, I lost my hold on the rope and ended up falling off and into the ocean. I let the water settle around me for a moment, closing my mouth and eyes shut tight, before swimming back up to the surface. Squinting against the onslaught of rain and waves, I looked up at the Interceptor and saw most of the crew looking off the edge of the boat, along with a worried looking Maria. Serves her right, too.

Somewhat swimming to the edge of the boat, I called up to the people aboard. "Will somebody throw me down a rope?" Everyone looked around for a rope for a minute before turning back to where I was still bobbing around in the water, spluttering and spitting out the salty water that had gotten into my mouth. "Hurry! I don't think I can make it out here for much longer." They still just stared at me. I rolled my eyes and swam closer to the ship's edge. I was about to call again, when I saw Sparrow come over to the side and lean over the edge some.

"Sorry lass, bu' me crew aint pickin' up extra passengers." He said with a smirk. I looked at him open mouthed, not caring about all the water that was accumulating in my mouth, and tried to comprehend the fact that the were LEAVING me! Spitting out the salt water and still swimming as well as I could to the edge, I looked around the vast amount of ocean.

"Sparrow! You throw me over a rope right this minute! I will not be stranded out here in the middle of a storm." I shouted, trying and failing to grab onto the ship somehow. "I am not an extra passenger either!" I added as an after thought.

Laughing, Sparrow threw me over a rope and I grabbed hold of it. I struggled to get my grip on it and then cautiously made my way up the rope. About halfway up, Will poked his head over the edge of the ship to look at me. "Jack said to hurry up, unless you want to be thrown back in for the sharks." Will said and then smiled sympathetically and walked away. Gulping, I looked back down to where I had been, and sure enough I saw 3 fins sticking up from the surface of the water. I hastened my pace up the ship and when I reached the top, Maria grabbed my arms and heaved me over the side of the ship.

"Oh gods! Jack Sparrow is a foul man." Maria said as she pulled me off of the ground where I had landed. I looked up to the man in question, who was standing at the helm and looking around assessing the damage now that the storm was over.

"That he is." I said. I stood up and tried to ring out my hair and my clothes. I took off my boots and emptied out the water in them, before putting them back on and looking around for my hat. "Hey Maria? Do you know where my hat is?" I asked her. She looked around me and the ship, then over into the quickly calming sea.

"Nope. I don't think you had it on, did you?" She stated as she walked towards the galley, where she mentioned something about eating food. I rolled my eyes, thinking that she was always hungry. Walking back over to the mast, I thought about where I had had the hat last. I could definitely remember having it on before I fell overboard. I knew I had it on while the storm was going on too.

"Lose something'?" Jack asked, walking around the other side of the mast to stand behind me. I decided not to answer him and continued to walk around deck looking for my hat. When I thought he wasn't behind me anymore, I slumped against the railing of the ship and closed my eyes. The next thing I know, I was hanging over the edge, with someone holding onto my hips.

"What the hell!" I screamed grabbing onto whoever was holding me up by the arms. I heard his deep laughter and tried to catch my breath and steady myself at the same time. "Sparrow, let go of me." I said calmly.

"Alrigh' then, love." He said and loosened his hold on me. Instinctively, I grabbed his arms as I started to fall back over again. Pulling myself up, I turned my head up to face him.

I hadn't noticed our close proximity before since I was trying to stay on the ship, but now that I was up I noticed that we were indeed quite close. His hands were resting on my hips and my fists were clutching his coat tightly. I was pushed up against the side of the railing and my face was tilted up towards his, which was leaning down. I could feel his breath caressing my face softly, and I closed my eyes and lost myself for a moment.

Breathing in deeply, I instinctively tilted my head farther to the side. I could smell him, a mix of saltwater and the sweet smell of rum. There was also a hint of cinnamon. I wanted to ask where it came from, but I didn't think that I could open my mouth to form the words. Licking my lips, which were suddenly dry, I pushed him back some so I had more room. He made a small sound, but didn't let go of me. "Jack." I said, and I hated the way my voice shook, even though I had barely spoken louder than a whisper.

I felt Jack's heartbeat from where my hands were on his chest, and I felt him sigh. He moved his head down towards mine, just where I could feel his breath on my neck. I felt tingles up and down my spine and I leaned into him more. He seemed to have some kind of energy that made me want to draw closer. His body was emitting heat and his lips brushed against where my neck and jaw connect when he spoke. "Yes, Taylor?" He asked me, while gently pushing my body back to the rail, while coming closer to me.

I tried to keep my thoughts in order and not lose control, but then he slid his hands slowly up to my waist. My breath hissed out of me and I parted my lips, moving them but no sound came out. "I, uh, I…just,…" I stuttered and he moved one hand behind my head, angling my head. I looked into his eyes, completely black with no more trace of the original chocolate brown, and felt as if he could see into my soul.

"You just what?" He asked, bringing his other hand up to brush my cheek. I felt my face lean in to his touch and I felt millions of tingles burst into my stomach. Slowly, he brought his head down to mine. "Say what you need to." He said, his lips softly brushing mine while he talked. I took a breath, bringing my mouth closer to his.

"Jack Sparrow, get your hands off of her. Right Now." I looked up from Jack, pushing him off of me. Maria was standing in front of the door that led to the deck below and looking furious. She must have thought he was forcing me into something, because she looked at Jack and sent him a death glare. If looks could kill, he would have been in Davy Jones' locker right now.

Jack sighed, but pushed away from me. I immediately felt cold from the lack of heat and I took a staggering breath, trying to rid myself of the feelings he had brought out in me. I didn't want to admit it, but I wanted him to kiss me. Despite not wanting to be played, I still wanted him to kiss me.

"As you wish." Jack said, throwing me one last look and then turning around and walking down the stairs. Maria waited until he was gone, before coming over to sit next to me on the stairs that I had sat down on.

"Mind explaining?" She asked, giving me a smile, no doubt having realized her mistake. I sighed and tried to manage a smile at her, but inside I was battling with these new found feelings for Captain Sparrow. I took a breath before replying.

"Hey, I cant help it if I fall for the bad guys."

---------------------------

Thanks for reading guys! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, cus it was pretty fun for me to write. I know, I know, I will have more of Maria and Will in the next chapter, but I wanted this one to focus mainly on Jack and Taylor.

Well you know how the rest of this goes. Review, people! The next part will be up soon. I hope. Lol

Yours Truly,

Baby Blue Eyes 10