Always have, Always Will

Chapter 13: Pleasant Acquaintances

Jack didn’t stay around much longer with Abby after that. Gibbs had called and said he was needed on deck. So once again… Abby was left in the cabin, alone. She laid on the bed for hours on end, staring up at the plain ceiling. Every second seemed to last an eternity. Her body had too much energy to let her fall into a peaceful sleep. She let out one final sigh before giving up on rest and stood up from the bed. The only light in the cabin came from the single candle that was lit on Jack’s desk. She carefully made her way over to the cabin door, making sure not to run into any of the things that were strewn about the cabin floor. She hesitated a couple seconds before slowly turning the handle. It would have been pitch black out if not for the small moon. No stars were out on this night. Clouds covered the sky completely. Only the moon was able to shine through.

Abby stepped out of the doorway and onto the deck of the Black Pearl. So many times in her life she had dreamed about being on a ship and now that she was on one she hadn’t been able to appreciate it yet. She looked around the deck and didn’t see anyone. Everything was eerily quiet. The only sound she could hear was the lapping of waves against the side of the black ship. She walked over to the railing, her eyes never leaving the calm ocean. Despite the fact that it was dark out, the water was still memorizing. She took in a deep breath of fresh air and leaned on the railing. In Port Royal she always felt as though everything was shoved into a small corner somewhere, but here on this ship… everything felt so free.

She gave a start when she heard the railing creaked as Jack leaned on it beside her.

“Finally get brave enough to come out here, eh?” Jack said jokingly. Abby just shook her head and smiled, her eyes still locked on the ocean.

“I didn’t think it could hurt to leave the cabin for awhile.” Abby said. Jack nodded in agreement and joined her gaze at the ocean.

“You never been on a ship?” Jack asked, although it sounded more like he was stating it.

“No, but I always dreamed on sailing on the Dark Angel. Have you seen that ship?” She asked as she turned to face him. Jack turned to her before replying.

“Aye, tis a beautiful ship.” Jack said with a faraway look in his eyes.

“It would stop at Port Royal on occasion. I always found myself getting into trouble around that time, my mind seemed to always wander off more.” Abby said with a smile on her face.

“Why’d you like it so much?” Jack asked. Abby shrugged and turned back to the ocean.

“I can’t explain it. It just… whenever I would look at it, it would remind me of what I didn’t have.” She tried to explain. “I know that sounds stupid. But…but… I don’t know, I can’t explain it more than that.” Jack just smirked at her attempt at an explanation before speaking.

“You will eventually.” Jack said and turned away from the railing, leaning back onto it. (does that make sense?)

“Oh I’m sure you know.” Abby said rolling her eyes.

“I do luv, I have been sailing on a ship for quite some time now, clears things up.” Jack said as if he was explaining something to a five year old.

“I’m sure… but didn’t you say you have friends too?” Abby asked worriedly.

“Aye…well when I’m drunk at least.” Jack slurred.

“Are you drunk now?” Abby asked, eyeing him curiously.

“Course not Ab. Bout time to go and get some rum though don’t ya think?” Jack said and pushed off the railing and headed for his cabin. Abby rolled her eyes and looked back out to sea.

Do you think he is going to keep your secret?

“I can only hope.” Abby replied quietly.

If anyone else finds out they will not let you stay here.

“No one else will find out then.” Abby said sternly, just trying to find out if she could stop the voice from speaking.

How can you be sure.

“I won’t be telling anyone, and I doubt Jack will either.” She whispered. When she didn’t hear a reply she let her head drop. What would happen? Would they just drop her off at the closest port? Jack showed by not acting strange around her, that his opinion about her hadn’t changed. But was it a bad opinion in the first place? She could only wonder.

“Here luv I brought ya one.” Jack said when he got back. She turned around and smiled but shook her head.

“I don’t drink Captain, but thank you.” She said. Jack’s face changed to one of pure confusion.

“Don’t drink?” He repeated. “How can you not drink?”

“It’s disgusting.” Abby said, her voice betraying her humor.

“Rum, luv, is not disgusting. It’s absolutely delicious” Jack said and spread his arms out wide as if showing how delicious it was. Abby couldn’t hold in her laughter now so she let it out. For the second time in one day she truly laughed. Jack’s own smile came to his face at the sound of her.

“You can not be serious!” She said in between laughing fits.

“Serious about what?” Jack asked with his brows furrowed in confusion.

“You remind me of a two year old Captain.” Abby replied. Jack’s face immediately changed into a pout as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I am not a two year old!” Jack said defiantly.

“No, but you act like one.” Abby said and smirked at him before looking back at the ocean. Jack decided not to comment further on this subject knowing it would only lead to an argument. He took the cork of one of the bottles between his teeth and pulled it out, spitting it out into the ocean. It burned down his throat as he took a long drink. Nothing could compare to how good this tasted. And the bloody woman next to him didn’t like the stuff. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the thought. Got two bloody women on my ship who don’t like rum. He thought to himself and took another swig.

“Jack you up here?” Someone yelled as they climbed the stairs from below.

“Aye, what do ya want?” Jack yelled back, his eyes piercing over the ship to find the voices owner.

“Peter’s and Nate got into a fight, Will wanted me to tell ya.” The man said as he ran over to his captain.

“Thanks mate.” Jack said as he ran below, not even glancing over to Abby. She looked at the man nervously. She had only talked to three people on the Black Pearl so far and made sure to stay away from everyone else.

“What’s your name lassy?” The man asked. Abby looked to his face hesitantly. Her body relaxed some what when her eyes met his soft gaze. He was actually quite handsome with dirty blond hair that grew just below his ears, and soft green eyes.

“A-abby, and you are?” She asked quietly.

“I’m Luke, hmm… what you doin’ on the Pearl?” He asked. She knew he was just trying to make small talk with her but she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous around him.

“Jack brought me on board.” She replied and looked to the floor. That was the first time she took into account what she was wearing. She had one of Jack’s large shirts on, and his loose fitting pants. With wide eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest, hiding whatever view Luke had before. She looked back into his face and took instant notice of his smile.

“I don’t mean ya no harm lass.” He said and tried to stifle a chuckle but it ended up escaping his lips.

“I’m sure.” She mumbled under her breath. She looked back up at the man, trying to decide if he would do her any harm.

“You wana come down to the galley? Everyone’s down there righ’ now.” He said and turned away from her, walking slowly towards the stairs.

“I-I think I will stay here.” She replied quietly. The man stopped walking and turned around a little to look at her.

“Nonsense, come on, ya gotta meet em sometime.” He said and beckoned for her to follow. She took a hesitant step forward and practically jumped out of her own skin when men started to run up the stairs.

“Oi! Knock it off! HEY!” She could hear Jack shouting from a ways behind the front of the group. Abby backed up until she hit the railing of the ship, watching the men fight. Luke dodged out of the way and ran up beside her, obviously not wanting anything to do with the fight.

“Why are they doing this?” Abby shouted over the yells of the other men.

“Peter’s and Nate were playin cards and Peter’s called him a liar, well cheater, except not in as nice of words such as that.” Luke explained. Abby nodded and looked back over to the group of men. Because she had been locked up in the mansion taking care of Isabelle all her life she had never before witnessed anyone fight, and she couldn’t help but find it some what amusing. Jack however obviously disagreed with her opinion and broke up the fight as quick as he could.

“What’s the meanin’ of this?” Jack yelled when he finally got the two men separated.

“He cheated!” Peter’s yelled.

“He’s a pirate, what do you expect eh?” Jack asked in a surprisingly dark tone. Abby looked into his face. There was no expression there; apparently the men had overstepped their boundaries.

“Sorry Cap’n won’t happen again, it won’t.” Nate said in what seemed like a pleading voice.

“That’s what ya said last time aint it… and look at what yer doin!” Jack shouted back. Both of the men visibly winced and backed away from their angry captain. Abby decided now was the perfect time to sneak away before she seen anything bad happen as punishment. She slowly walked to Jack’s cabin, making sure not to draw any attention to herself. When she got inside she shut the door quietly behind her and let out a breath of relief. She wouldn’t have been able to stand seeing those men get hurt, punishment or not.

She walked over to Jack’s bed and laid down, trying her hardest to block out the shouts coming from outside. She didn’t have to try long before sleep overcame her tired mind.

888

The rain was pouring down onto her. She didn’t know where she was, all she could see was the sheet of water falling from the sky. She stood up from the muddy path and started walking. She didn’t know where she was going, just had a feeling that she needed to keep moving. She walked only about ten meters when she heard a pistol shoot off from somewhere behind her. She immediately quickened her pace into a full out sprint. She could hear men shouting at her. They weren’t yelling her name, but her mind told her they were yelling at her.

She turned off the path and ran into the nearby forest. The trees helped slow the rain but it was still pouring around her. She turned and looked behind her. She could barely make out the forms of men chasing her. She looked back ahead of her taking instant notice of the log crossing the path. Her mind shouted at her to stop running, or pick up her feet to jump it, but her body wouldn’t do anything different except run. She ran straight for the log, her feet skimming the top of it, the ground coming closer and closer to her head, but then it was all gone. Everything changed back to black. But she heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked.

Abby’s body flew up into a sitting position when she heard the shot go off, her eyes were wide from fright. Her body was shuddering terribly. She looked around the cabin for Jack but he hadn’t returned yet. Abby slowly stood from the bed and padded over to the window. It was still dark out but she could tell the sun was about to appear over the horizon. She turned away from the window and walked to the cabin door, opening it and walking out onto the deck of the Pearl. Most of the crewmembers were already doing their chores for that day. She turned and looked up at the helm but instead of seeing Jack, Luke was in his place. Taking one more glance about the deck she walked up the stairs and slowly made her way over to the helm. Luke nodded and smiled at her when he noticed she was there.

“Hows it goin’ lass?” He asked as politely as a pirate could.

“Everything is fine, but where is Jack?” Abby asked.

“Sleepin’ in the crews quarters I bet. He didn’ wana go into his cabin for some reason last night.” Luke replied.

“Did he say why?” Abby asked casually, trying to sound as though she wasn’t that interested.

“Well pry only cuz it was so late, and he was drunk.” Luke said with his shoulders shrugged.

“Oh I see.” Abby said quietly.

“How long you plannin’ on stayin on the Pearl for eh?” Luke asked after a moment of silence.

“Depends on how long you all let me stay. I have no where else to go now.” Abby replied. She looked into his face, trying to find some sort of hint as to why he cared so much.

“Oh none of us mind yer bein’ here. ‘Cept for Gibbs, but he thinks all women are bad luck.” Luke said.

“We aren’t bad luck.” Abby muttered under her breath. Luke heard her and let out a deep chuckle.

“Well he thinks ya are on board a ship.” He said.

“No more than you men.” Abby retorted. She tried to keep a straight face but she wasn’t able too. There was something about Luke that made her in a better mood, even if she had just met the man last night.

“I never understood why he wasn’t bothered about Ana being on board. Well, I guess he was at first but now he aint.” Luke mumbled loudly but stopped himself when he realized he was rambling.

“Well maybe he will get used to me.” Abby said, getting braver every time Luke smiled at her. “If I’m here long enough that is.” She looked at Luke’s face and noticed him eyeing her. It wasn’t an awkward look, just like he was sizing her up like she was doing to him.

“You’ll be here awhile. I have a feelin’.” He said reassuringly.

“I doubt it.” Abby said quietly. Luke opened his mouth to reply but was silenced when he spotted his captain swaggering up the stairs towards the helm.

“Abby darling, awake already.” Jack practically shouted then immediately covered his ears and stopped walking.

“You alright Jack?” Abby asked worriedly.

“Captain, Captain.” Jack slurred under his breath. Abby and Luke both rolled their eyes at the obviously hung over Captain.

“Well Captain, you look bloody awful what are you doing awake?” Abby said with a smile on her face. Jack looked up at her with a scornful expression.

“What are you bloody awake for?” He asked pitifully. Abby couldn’t hold in the snicker that left her mouth but immediately smacked her hand over it to prevent any more from escaping.

“Not funny luv.” Jack said then turned to Luke. “Alright you can go, I’ll take the helm.” Luke nodded and turned the helm over to the captain.

“Why didn’t you sleep in your cabin last night?” Abby asked after Luke left. Jack looked over at her before replying.

“Miss me dear?” Jack asked. Abby snorted and rolled her eyes. How can he be so stuck up? She thought.

“Of course not, I just feel bad about kicking you out of your own cabin, being Captain and all.” She replied then turned and looked out at the ocean.

“Well I ain’t plannin’ on sleepin’ with the crew again, I just… couldn’t make it to my cabin last night.” Jack said. Abby looked over her shoulder at him, confused as to why he wouldn’t be able to make it.

“What? Why?” She finally questioned when she couldn’t come up with any reasons.

“Everyone got into the rum after we got the fight all sorted out and I got too tired to walk all the way up to my cabin last night so I slept in the crew’s quarters.” Jack explained casually, as though it was an every day occurrence.

“Your ridiculous.” Abby said and turned back to the sea. The wind had picked up quiet a bit since last night. She looked up into the dark sky and for the first time taking notice of all the clouds. “Is a storm coming?” She asked.

“Aye, wont be to bad though.” Jack replied. Abby was about to turn away from the ocean when the sun finally made its way over the horizon. It was absolutely breathtaking. The once dark sky changed into a mixture of all different colors. She stood a few more moments, just staring at the beautiful sunrise.

“I could get used to this.” She said to herself. Jack heard her and let his own smile come to his face. This is one of the many reasons why he loves living on the Pearl so much. Right next to freedom is the beauty of it all. But being the pirate he was no one knew he thought of it that way.

“Well I think I am going to go and get some breakfast.” Abby said quietly then made her way down to the galley. Most of the crewmen were above deck, leaving the galley empty. She walked over to the cabinets and looked for something edible. After a while she settled on an apple. She sat down on a chair and sank her teeth into the fruit. They must have just bought new once, this one was fresh.

She almost choked on a bite when the galley door started to open, only to reveal the harmless Luke. He didn’t say anything to her, just walked over to a cabinet and got out his own apple and sat down on a nearby chair.

“What are you doing down here?” Abby asked, just trying to get rid of the awkward silence.

“Eatin’, I finished my chores for the day and now I’m hungry.” He replied. Abby rolled her eyes and took another bite of her apple. Luke watched her for a few moments before eating some of his own. “Cap’n says a bad storm is comin’. You should bunker down in his cabin for the day.” Luke said with his mouthful.

“Hmm… he told me it didn’t seem like it would be a bad one.” Abby said after she swallowed.

“Did he now?” Luke muttered, his eyebrows furrowed. “Wonder why, everyone can tell its goin’ to be bad.” Abby looked up at him. Maybe because I’m here. She thought to herself.

“I don’t know.” Abby said quietly. “Well I think I will go to his cabin, I’ll see you later.” She stood up from her chair and tossed the apple core into the trashcan and left the galley quickly. From what the sailors at Port Royal had mentioned, all storms at sea are bad.