AUTHOR'S NOTES:

You know those awkward chapters that don't make a lot of sense but are there because they're kind of used to get from plot point to plot point? This is one of those chapters. I personally think it's choppy, but it had to be done. It was essential to get the story rolling.

Hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the positive reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy. PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING.

Chapter 3

Bringing up the rear, Mr. Gibbs watched as Jack and Kate laughed boisterously ahead of him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, even though they were talking loudly and he was only thirty feet away. Jack slumped an arm around Kate's neck and Gibbs rolled his eyes. Willing his feet to move faster, Gibbs huffed along to catch up to the pair, confident that if he didn't Jack would forget all about him.

Jack had, indeed, momentarily forgotten about his first mate. Somewhere along the way, he'd found a bottle of rum, and it's contents were sloshing loudly with every step. Neither of them noticed this, as they were chattering so energetically over any and everything that came to mind. Finally, Kate decided it was time for business.

"So, tell me, Jack, if I am to be your galley mistress, what are some of your favorite foods?" she asked, leading Jack down the road to her flat.

"When you're on a pirate ship, love, there's not much selection. You see, sometimes we're on the seas for months and it'd be foolish to bring food that will easily and quickly spoil. And...where are we going?"

"My flat. I must gather my things if I am to be traveling. You still didn't answer my question."

"Ahh. Well, I can't eat raspberries. Allergic. Besides that, I give you free reign. Oh, every time we dock we'll get supplies for a rum cake." Jack smacked his lips and took a swig from his bottle. "You don't need your petty belongings, Katie. What would you do with...combs and looking glasses on a ship?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh, Captain, don't be silly. Clothes, for one thing, are very necessary. And pocket money, of course. You haven't had many women on your ship have you, Jack?"

Jack smiled and looked off dreamily, chuckling to himself. Kate watched him with a raised eyebrow. "Well?"

"What? Oh." He wiped the impish smirk from his face. "No. No, I haven't."

Kate continued. "That's women for you. We feel grimy if we don't change our clothes regularly. We can't go for days in the same shirt and trousers the way you do. I don't see why you men, particularly pirates, think that personal hygiene is a sin. Cleanliness is close to godliness, my father always said."

Jack sulked a bit. "Are you saying I smell?"

"No. But a bath wouldn't hurt you, I'll tell you that. Have you seen your face lately? It's covered in dirt."

Jack took another drink and pouted his lips. "Well," he raised the arm that was across her shoulder and pulled the pins out of her hair, tussling it about, "your hair is messy."

Kate scoffed, then laughed. "I suppose I deserved that. Here we are."

She pointed out the old building as they approached. Jack scrunched his face, making his dissatisfaction obvious. Kate pulled herself away from him before retrieving her key from her pocket. Inserting the key in the hole, the door creaked open and Kate stood aside, a gesture to invite Jack inside.

Jack's look of disgust quickly turned into a forced smile. "I'll wait, here, love. You scurry along, but be quick about it. We've got to make sail."

Kate hurried up the flight of stairs to her room. She grabbed a weathered leather satchel and tossed everything that would fit in it. Her dresses, undergarments, coins--even the pillow from her cot. She searched several times for things she might have missed, and when she was convinced she had absolutely everything, she took out a piece of paper and a quill. Roxanne at least deserved an explanation and an advance on her rent.

Meanwhile, Jack had grown bored outside. He yawned widely, and before he knew it he was climbing the steps to the door. Once he was in, he saw a tarnished metal box on a shelf across the room. Looking around to make sure no one was there, Jack hastily opened the box and saw a beautiful amethyst necklace within. Looking around once more, Jack stuffed the necklace in his pocket. He heard Kate's footsteps on the stair and he hurriedly replaced the box on the shelf.

Kate smiled at Jack as she reached the landing. "Sorry it took so long. I had to write my friend a note explaining my departure." Jack nodded and took several steps away from the box as Kate placed the note on the table, weighing it down with her rent money. She sighed and turned to Jack, who was fretfully stroking the necklace in his pocket. "I'm ready now. Here." She tossed him her satchel. "Be a gentleman."

Jack caught it with his free arm and draped the strap over his shoulder. "You're welcome."

The two exited the domicile and Kate promptly locked up. The moon overhead shone down brightly, radiantly illuminating the path back to the main road. Kate looked out over the docks and nudged Jack. "Which one's yours?"

"That one," Jack puffed his chest out proudly and pointed, "That one, just there. The one with black sails. My Pearl."

Kate searched the horizon until she saw it, and there it was; the most elegant ship she'd ever seen in her life. The Black Pearl floated gracefully on the silky waters, the lights from her lamps casting glittery reflections on the sea. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking sight Kate had ever seen.

She was instantly in love.

"Oh...Jack! She's exquisite!" Kate exclaimed. "A vision!"

Jack nodded. "Indeed, she is, Katie. I trust it's obvious why I love her so..." He stared off in the same direction. The two were silent for several minutes, each of them slowing down to look at the Pearl longer while they walked. Kate barely noticed she was walking at all, and Jack had to tug her arm a few times to keep her from stopping all together.

At the end of the road, they met up again with Mr. Gibbs, who had decided to just stop and rest until they got back. With a rather large hill obstructing the view of the ship, Jack and Kate went back to their lively chatter, and Gibbs his attempts to keep up. The rest of the Pearl's crew was visible, although barely, lifting crates of supplies and carrying them off to the ship.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called, "Run along and ready the crew!" He turned to Kate, but still shouting to Gibbs, "I'd do it meself, but Katie here has enthralled me with this tale of how she got a certain scar on her back..."

Gibbs muttered an exasperated "Aye" and wheezed off ahead of them. Kate turned to Jack. "I don't know why you made that poor man do that. I finished my story two minutes before you gave the order."

Jack clicked his tongue. "Now, dove, if you were me and you were, well...you, would you want some old man interrupting your discussion with your new...er, galley ... captain ... mistress ... with incessant breathlessness...LOUDLY?"

Kate laughed. "Alright. Let's just board. It's late."

A few minutes later they had reached the pier. The Pearl's crew had looked up from loading their cargo to pleasantly greet their captain, and only half of them managed a word before noticing Kate. Everyone, besides Jack and Gibbs, stared blankly at Kate. She waved politely to them, an uneasy smile spreading across her face. Jack offered her his arm and, feeling it might help her feel less insecure, she took it. He escorted her up the gangplank and the others quickly followed suit. As the rest of the crew bustled about (taking every opportune moment to gaze emotionlessly at Kate), Jack sat her down on a barrel by the helm.

"Don't worry 'bout them, darling. They really like you." He flashed his most charming of smiles before schlepping over to the wheel. Kate looked over and watched as he whipped out his compass. He looked down, looked out at the ocean, and looked down again. Jack muttered something inaudible and cocked his head. "Mr. Gibbs! You're needed!"

Gibbs bounded the steps to the helm and to Jack's side. "Heading, captain?"

Jack cleared his throat and incoherently conferred their heading to Gibbs. He showed Gibbs the reading on the compass and pointed somewhere. Gibbs nodded and took the wheel. Jack leaned in and whispered something in his ear, very pointedly by the looks of it to Kate. Just as Jack gave his first mate a friendly slap on the back, Kate looked away as to pretend she was minding her own business. Jack walked over and tapped her shoulder. "Katie? C'mere, and meet my crew."

Before she could answer, Jack had her by the arm and was leading her onto the deck. "EVERYONE!" Jack called out, "This is Katie Porter! Just 'Kate' to all you...or Miss Porter. Or Hey You..." He cleared his throat and whirled her out in front of him, making Kate feel like she were being fed to a pack of lions. "Katie, this is everyone. Formalities will come later."

Kate waved again and gave a swift curtsy before hurrying back to Jack's side. He seemed indifferent, because he continued on. "Miss Porter will be running our galley from today onward. To make this easier to understand for some of you, this means she is in complete control of the galley and everything in it. So this means do not bother her for any reason, savvy?"

The crew was motionless.

"Good. Now, I'd like all of you to endeavor to make Katie here feel welcome. She's a bit shy, as you can tell," he looked back and smiled at her reassuringly, "but she's great company and an extraordinary contortionist--I think--so be on your best behavior, children, or God as my witness, whatever she poisons your food with will be volumes better than what I would do to you, you filthy ungrateful vermin. To your posts!"

The crew seemed unmoved by Jack's soapbox, for they uttered very monotonous "Aye" before preparing to shove off. Kate crossed her arms and stared at her feet uncomfortably. Jack veered around to face her and smiled. "See, love? They adore you."

Kate looked up. "Uh huh..."

Jack wound an arm around her back. "I'll be showing you the galley now. No use being unfamiliar with it." He held her waist tightly and led her below deck. It was rather dark, and Kate could see a few hammocks hanging freely from the rafters. Jack led her down another set of stairs into an area packed with crates and sacks of potatoes. There was a tiny stove-like contraption along the wall. It looked very unsafe to Kate, as a stove on a ship was probably a very bad idea.

Jack smiled and flourished his hand like a showman. "You like it?" He let go of her to light a few of the lamps hanging above them so she could get a better look.

Kate grinned lopsidedly. "Sure. I suppose it will have to do, won't it?"

Jack was unaware of her discomfort. "Just look at it, Katie! You've control over everything down here! You've got potatoes, flour, various fruits...anything you want!" He stepped over to the stove and patted it. "This little thing will be your best friend, dearest. Only you want to use it for short periods of time, as it has no chimney and it could burn the ship up..."

Kate nodded and ran her hand along one of the crates to move a layer of dust. To her surprise, a furry something grazed her hand and scampered along to safety. Kate shrieked and jumped nearly two feet in the air. Jack laughed.

"Rat, was it?" He chuckled a bit more. "Don't worry about them. Harmless."

Kate glared at Jack for several seconds. "Any other rodents I need to know about?" she snapped.

Jack shook his head, snickering. "Nope. Unless you count poor Marty..."

He regained his composure and fumbled with one of the beading arrangements hanging from his hair. "Would it make you feel better if I offered you a drink? Why don't you join me in my cabin for a couple of bottles of rum? What say you, pet?"

Kate sighed. "Why not?"

Jack grinned, his golden teeth glittering in the lamplight. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, Katie," he remarked.

The duo was soon in the Captain's Cabin, Kate seated in his chair on a lush velvet pillow. Jack opened a sleek wooden cabinet and extracted two bottles of rum. He pulled the corks out of them and offered one to Kate. "Milady."

Kate accepted it and drank. "Thank you, Jack. I must confess, I've drank more tonight with you than I have ever in my life."

Jack pulled up a stool next to her. "Funny, that's not the first time I've heard that..." He trailed off and knocked back a swig. "So, Katie, you're a barmaid in Tortuga. Your father was a cold-blooded old git. What else is there about you?"

She clicked her tongue and carefully thought out what to say. If word ever got to him that she were a murderess, that she was wanted by the authorities...her life as she knew it would cease to exist. "I..." she started, "was once engaged to be married. But he died. After that, my life spiraled out of control. I'd heard of Tortuga and thought it might be a good place to start over."

Jack nodded sympathetically. "I see...I'm truly sorry for your loss."

Kate shook her head. "It's alright. I've gotten over it for the most part. I miss him sometimes, though. I miss...his laughter, and his smile. I miss those late-night intrigues where we'd meet an old stone bridge just to kiss each other good night. I miss the companionship."

"Well..." Jack tweaked his moustache, "I hope, that in time, you won't feel as lonely here. After a while, the crew will be like your family. Not quite the same, but damn close."

He took a long drink and hiccoughed. Kate furrowed her eyebrows and leaded forward interestedly. "What about you, Jack? What of your family? Did you ever have a long lost love or anything like that?"

Jack connected eye contact with Kate. His face showed nothing, not anger, nor defensiveness, nor pain. His eyes bore into her soul, and Kate felt that she'd been suspended in midair. She wished he'd do something, because the weightlessness her body was feeling was making her feel faint. There was a long stillness between them for a minute before Jack finally opened his mouth to answer.

"Same as you, love. Almost exactly parallel. My father was distant from our family, in more ways than one. For years I took care of my Mum while he philandered around with other, younger women while away on pirating business." He stood and faced opposite her. "He was always trying to find a way to be the pirate hero, my old man. He'd only seek the worthiest of treasures, particularly artifacts that would prolong his life. My father wanted to be a legend. He was gone so much, it was almost like we didn't exist."

"Unable to provide for Mum, I turned pirate meself. Whatever I pilfered, it went to her. This went on for about a year when ol' dad came back and said he'd been given a post. This post was of the utmost secrecy, and that he'd be taking Mum to live with him. He left me there, with no means to survive and not so much as a goodbye. I haven't seen in him a while." Jack's face was etched with anguish and hurt.

Kate's heart sank. "Oh Jack...is that all true?"

He gulped. "No." He turned to face her, plastering a wide grin on his face. "Of course not. My dad loved me. He was a great man..."

"Oh," Kate exhaled, "Good."

Jack nodded and whirled around, hiding his sorrow from Kate's prying eyes. "I hope you don't mind, Katie, but I've had enough of old war stories. I'm rather tired."

Kate nodded. "Of course. Where will I be bunking?"

His chest tightened. "Well..." he took of his hat and coat, "normally, you'd have to sleep in the galley, but as you're new to the crew and you've had an awfully trying day..." He sidled over to her slyly. "...I'd be most willing to let you stay with me tonight. You know, for an emotional stronghold..."

Kate was, at first, taken aback by his boldness, but before she could speak on it she noticed the helplessness in his eyes, the helplessness his was trying so hard to cover up. She sensed that he was, himself, very much in need of company tonight, and found herself unable to refuse him. "Sounds great, Jack."

Jack grinned, almost thankfully. "I'm glad I could help, darling."

Jack had, in a secluded corner of the cabin, a medium sized cot with and overstuffed mattress thrown on top. Kate waited until he plopped down on it and was preoccupied with removing his boots before unbuckling the clasps on her dress and letting it fall to her feet. As she loosened the stays on her corset, Jack came over with a large shirt. "Here...so you won't feel exposed."

Kate grinned and threw it on over her skivvies. "That's very gallant of you, Jack. Thanks."

"I know. I surprise myself sometimes. Ladies first."

After draping her dress along the captain's chair, she climbed in between the blankets. Jack followed not far behind and doused the lamp on the table nearby. "Pleasant dreams, Katie."

Before she could reply, slumber overtook her body. Jack laughed lightly and flecked a strand of hair out of her face. He watched her for quite a few minutes before tentatively encircling her in his arms, snuggling up to her like a life-sized doll that offered him comfort. It wasn't her fault for bringing up the agony of his past, she had no idea. But since it couldn't have been avoided, Jack was glad he wasn't alone tonight. The warmth of Kate's body eventually soothed him into sleep, and he fell into it with a broad smile on his face.