Authors Note: Second chapter is here! Questions and comments from me are at the end. Read on me maties, arr!

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TWO

"As I said, persuade me."

Catpain Jack Sparrow

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A knock came at my door, piercing my sound sleep. I rolled over in the knit blankets I was given the previous night, my first night on a pirate ship. I had a splitting headache from getting my skull bashed into planks of wood all night and the person knocking did not make it better. I got up, legs wobbly and walked over to the door and yanked it open.

“What do you want?” I said sarcastically before taking a look at the man in my doorway. He stood at about 5'10" in black trousers and a loose white shirt that was slightly buttoned past his chest but didn’t reveal much skin. His sleeves were rolled and cuffed at his wrists and he had neat blonde-brown hair that had been bleached by the sun but was hid under a pirate’s hat similar to the Captain’s. He had crisp blue eyes like the waves we were sailing on. He had a baby face in general, it made him look so much younger, a face that you wanted to kiss forever and ever.

“Is this a bad time?” he asked me, lips pursed.

“N-no, not at all.”

“My name is Vincent Holloway, first mate to this ship. It was my duty to wake you up and invite you for breakfast.” he said with a sharp tongue. My face softened and I leaned on the door frame.

“Oh thank you very much Mr. Holloway, would you mind escorting me?” I asked politely, a slight smile on my face. He rolled his eyes and held out his arm for me to take. I took his arm and stepped out of the dark room and into the bright sunlight, blinding me.

I walked with the first mate for a little while along the deck, taking notice of the many crew members washing the deck and hoisting the sails. Vincent did not speak as we walked.

“The view is amazing,” I said quietly but Vincent paid no attention. A few minutes passed as we walked slowly and he finally replied.

“It is,” he replied and we walked down a few stairs. We came to a door and he opened it to show a very loud crew feasting in the dinning hall.

“This is it, the mess hall milady,” Vincent said giving me a light push into the room and shutting the door. The room became silent as I stood in the dim mess hall in a champagne colored gown and white slippers.

“Hey it’s Freddie!” someone yelled and began cheering. A small smile sprouted on my face as I played with my deep brown curls.

“Morning boys, what’s for breakfast?” I asked and a few men stood up. I saw Tanner squeeze himself out from between two men and he trotted over to where I was standing.

“Morning to you too Freddie, I’ll get you something to eat,” he said and pushed me out the door into the sunlight again. Putting my hand over my face to shield the sunlight away, I was finally able to see things without being blinded. Tanner came out with two plates filled with eggs and bacon along with fresh juice.

“Where did you get all that food?” I asked him becoming astounded.

“Pit stop in the Philippines. Captain insisted we pick up a lifetime supply of real food,” he said with a smirk.

“Where are we going to sit?” I asked him and he pointed towards the sky.

“The sky?”

“No Freddie, up there on the main topmast, we’re sitting in the look out chamber,” he said and pointed to the little place where men would sit to look for land. He ushered me to start climbing and so I did, making sure to keep my dress tucked so that no curious crew members decided they wanted a peek under my skirt.

“Freddie-hold-this.” I took the plate of eggs and bacon as Tanner hoisted himself up and over the edge of the wooden chamber and sat down next to me. He handed me the plate and I dug in ravenously, eating every last scrap on the plate.

“Finished,” I said with a belch and Tanner looked at me wide eyed. He smiled a bit and then looked over the edge at the bustling crew under us.

“Tanner.”

“Hm?”

“What’s the matter with Vincent?”

“Vincent Holloway, trusty mate and close friend of your dear Elliot?”

“Yes, and no Elliot isn’t mine.”

“But do you want him to be?” Whoa, going to far. I looked at him without expression for a few seconds and he laughed and turned his head the other direction, away from the sun.

“I’m not sure what my father would think of me fancying a bloody pirate,” I seethed at him. Tanner laughed and looked back at me.

“Your father isn’t here right now is he? He was the one who dumped you here on this ship, so what would it matter if you did end up falling in love with Captain Harlow,” he said. He had an incredible point. I watched Elliot stagger down the steps and talk to Vincent with a bottle in his hand.

“I would not want to ever fall in love with a drunk.”

“He isn’t a drunk, he more uses his rum to take away pain,” he replied.

“What pain?”

“Growing up without a mother, losing his sister, and watching his old girlfriend get skinned by the Indian government,” he said. I looked down at Harlow again with sympathy for him as he laughed with Vincent. It was the first time I had seen both men smile, and somehow I didn’t want it to be the last.

“All involved with women,” I said to myself and Tanner nodded.

“Yeah, he’s so young too.”

“How old?”

“Twenty-four,” Tanner said.

“Oh, and what about Vincent? And you?”

“Vincent is twenty-two and I’m nineteen,” he said with a smile. The wind blew his hair slightly and it shoved away the hair in his eyes, revealing tan skin. “And how old are you?”

“Eighteen,” I breathed, still watching Harlow make his way down the deck, greeting his crew and sending them back to grueling work.

“Oh so you’re legal?”

“Excuse me?” I asked him, extremely alarmed.

“Nothing, nothing. I was just fooling around,” Tanner laughed. I lightly shoved him and then remembered that he had avoided my question.

“You never answered my question.”

“What was it?”

“Why is Vincent the way he is?”Tanner starred at me and then finally exhaled the air he was keeping inside him.

“Freddie listen to me. Vincent is not someone you want to cuddle or get closer to. Vincent will rip off your pretty little head. So my advice is to just ignore him completely and be on your merry way of falling in love with Elliot,” he said. My cheeks grew warm underneath the heat of the sun.

“I am NOT in love with Elliot, Tanner. Please understand that. And for your information Vincent escorted me to the dinning hall this morning,” I said to him folding my arms.

“Oh did he now? News to me. Did he say anything to you on the way?”

“No.”

“Bingo. Vincent never talks to anyone but the Captain, and if he does talk to anyone its for an order. And orders aren’t fun, so we try and keep him as silent as possible,” Tanner said.

“Well you shouldn’t. A man can’t go in silence his whole life.”

“And what do you plan to do? Allure Vincent with your good looks, husky English accented voice and bosoms? Hmm?” Tanner asked with a sly smile on his face.

“Everything but that,” I said and helped myself over the wooden walls and onto the rope ladder that extended from the mast all the way to the deck below us.

“Good luck with that,” Tanner called down to me as I slid down the rope and my feet hit the deck with a loud thump. I brushed myself off, flattened my curled hair, and just as I was about to turn on my heel I ran right into the Captain.

“Morning Miss Freddie, how did you sleep?” Elliot asked me removing his hat.

“Fine thanks.”

“Vince, come here!” Elliot called to Vincent. Vincent looked over his shoulder and walked over slowly rolling his eyes at the sight of me.

“Freddie have you met Vince yet?” Harlow said pushing Vince towards me.

“Yes Elliot we have,” I said coldly noticing Vincent’s icy stare.

“Great! Then you wouldn’t mind spending the rest of the day with Vince would you Fred?” Elliot asked. I stared coldly back at Vince who didn’t tear his gaze away from mine. There was something about him that I hated, part of me that wanted to punch a baby or take a steak knife and stab it in his neck. But the other part of me wanted to jump the man and tear off his clothes in his bunk room. So confusing.

“Love to,” I said.

“Honored,” Vincent said and took my arm like he had this morning.

“Fantastic. Fred I think I have some clothes for you in my cabin room since the dress you are wearing is unsuitable for this ship,” Elliot said.

“Oh really?” I questioned Harlow.

“Really, either you take my offer or the crew gets the blessing of seeing you swab the decks nude,” he said with a sly smile. I looked at him with anger in my eyes but smiled sweetly.

“As you wish Captain,” I said and strolled off with Vincent at my side. Vincent didn’t even breathe as he laced his arm in mine. Elliot watched closely as I walked extremely close to Vincent down the stairs and past the dinning hall.

“Why are you so quiet?” I asked him.

“Beg your pardon?”

“Don’t be all nice and proper around me. I know that you talk like a pirate with the swearing and slang. Don’t try and act all perfect and British around me, you never speak. If we’re going to be forced to be with each other for God only knows how long. So stop the shitty British act and be normal,” I said to him. Vincent looked at me, eyes wide. He stopped and looked at me and opened the door to Elliot’s room. He shut the door behind me and waited outside. I found a white shirt with a long tan vest and some brown breeches. I slipped both on and grabbed a hat from his rack where he kept all of his hats. I starred at myself in the mirror. Already I had started to get tan and the white top accentuated the fact that I was a grown woman and the vest hugged the curves of my hips and shaped my chest. I tipped the pirate hat so it covered some of my eye and I left my dress on his chair. I opened the door to find Vincent leaning against the door frame his back facing me.

“Vince?” I asked and he turned his head towards me. I caught his gaze out of the corner of my eye. He had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows to reveal the veins in his skin coming to the surface, noting the fact that he was indeed muscular. His shirt was unbuttoned revealing his smooth, muscular, chest. He had tousled his hair so that some was in his face and the rest was sticking up behind his head. I caught my breath and my hand came to my chest in an instant.

“Yeah?” he asked me and his sea-blue eyes locked into mine.

“I-I-I-I’m finished,” I said and shut the door behind me.

“Good,” he said and walked out into the sun.

“Vince?” I called out to him again.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

“Fine, Captain wants us to go and wash the decks,” Vince said. I nodded my head and walked back into the sun. It was hard to see but the hat I was wearing shielded the sun from my face. Vincent handed me a mop and a bucket of soapy water.

“Here, swab the decks,” he said and grabbed a bucket and a mop and thrust it into my hands. I looked at him skeptically, eyeing the mop like I had never seen one before.

“Uh Vince?” I asked him. He rolled his eyes and turned around.

“What Miss Jett?”

“I don’t know how to mop the decks.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Shut up and come help me,” I said and he trudged over reluctantly. He stood behind me, his arms hanging over my shoulders. I could hear his breathing pick up slightly as his chest touched my back.

“You take the mop and sway it back and forth,” he said placing my hands on the handle and swaying my arms back and forth.

“Like this?” I asked him as he let go. His face was immensely close to mine, I could feel his breath on my cheek.

“Perfect,” he said as he neared in closer. His eyes began to shut as he leaned in closer. I let my face relax and shut my eyes halfway. Just as his lips were about to graze mine I leaned over too far and tripped over the bucket, sending the soapy water all over the deck. Vincent caught me with his arm and held my shaking body in place.

“Oh crap, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to I really didn’t!” I began as anger swept over his face.

“It’s fine.”

“No, Vincent it’s not.”

“Shut up and just go start on my section,” he said and pointed to his mop and bucket. I walked over to it, head hung low and began to mop as best as I could. The sun beat down on my neck as I mopped away and as Vince did the same on the other end of the ship. We mopped in silence for a while until I decided to break the silence and the heat.

“Vincent?”

“What?”

“It’s almost dinner time, do you want me to grab you anything?” He looked taken back after firing back at me with a harsh one word answer.

“No I’m fine thank you,” he said. I set the mop down in the pail and walked down to the dinning hall. The crew was already sitting on the benches, shoveling chicken and potatoes on to their plates. As I shut the door they all looked at me and stopped what they were doing.

“Evenin’ boys!” I declared to them.

“Evenin’ Miss Freddie!” they called back to me. A smile spread over my face knowing that they were comfortable with me on the ship and that they could trust me and vise versa. I walked over to where one man was sitting with a chicken leg on his plate.

“Hey there Miss Freddie, what can I get for you tonight?” he asked me. I propped one hand on my hip and cocked my head.

“I’m not that hungry so just 2 legs, a scoop of potatoes, some cornbread and a glass of rum will do it,” I said. His eyes widened as he dumped the food on to my plate and handed me an unopened bottle of rum.

“Gee Mis Freddie, is this all for you”?

“No, I’m eating dinner with the First Mate tonight,” I said with a wink. A chorus of whistling and “Oohs!” erupted from the men. I winked at them as I pushed open the door and walked out of the dinning hall. Vincent was leaning over the ship wall, wind blowing his hair around.

“Here,” I said and popped open the bottle of rum and handed him a chicken leg.

“What’s this for?” He asked me, turning the chicken leg around and inspecting it.

“You honestly thought I would go in there for food and come out with a feast and not get you anything? And you call yourself the First Mate?” I asked him taking a bite into the cornbread. A smirk came over his tanned face.

“You’re learning well pirate,” he said nudging my elbow as I took a sip of rum. Rum spilled down my face and I caught it before it got on to my shirt.

“Bastard,” I said under my breath and he smiled at me.

“You’re such a bitch,” he said and finished the remaining potatoes and chicken on the plate. The sky had turned to a dark blue now from a pinkish red. The stars shone brightly as the ship sailed calmly over the placid ocean.

“It’s beautiful,” I cooed towards the sky. Vincent leaned on the railing next to me.

“Get used to it love, you’re going to be memorizing the constellations at this rate,” he said pointing out numerous ones with his index finger. As the ship sailed along silently I stood in silence next to Vincent.

“Vince?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Everything,” I said resting my head on his shoulder.

“Everything?” he asked me.

“Mhm, for being with me today other than just leaving me alone and talking to me. I was beginning to think that everyone hated me.”

“Miss Freddie, you honestly think that every man on this ship hates you? Every man is head over heels for you, you’re a celebrity on this here ship. Even the captain loves you,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Oh really?” I asked with my eyebrow arched.

“Mhm.”

“Even you?” I asked him. His expression was blank for a moment and then he looked down at me again.

“Don’t push your luck love,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because,” he replied.

“Then I’ll just push harder,” I said picking my head up off of his shoulder and facing him. He looked down at me, blonde hair being moved once again by the slight breeze. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Vincent stared at me for a while and then touched the spot where my lips had rested on his cheek.

“Night Vince,” I said walking off towards my cabin. I opened the door and waited for his response. He hesitated a moment and then replied.

“Good-night pirate,” he said as I shut my door. I leaned against the door after I shut it, trying to push out the butterflies that had been floating around the whole day.

1. Isn't this A LOT like Pirates of the Caribbean?
Yes, but in a way no. I used that as my inspiration, so don't be all frantic if you see some similarities between Elliot & Jack Sparrow.

2. Vincent seems like an ass, will he let up?
Yes, but soon. Slowly he is falling under Freddie's charm, but being the hard-ass he is he won't show it.

3. How long will this story be exactly?
I dunno, we'll see how long I can be creative for. :)