Chancing Fate - Jack Sparrow x OC

Part 1 - Chapter 7

The night had been long after the storm. Caroline watched as she moved across the deck, spotting each crew as they finished tightening a rope or picking up whatever happened to be knocked over. The exhaustion was evident even through the darkness. Clouds still loomed overhead, blocking out most of the moonlight that would have been out. Through all the moving bodies, Caroline did what she could to help out. With each passing task, she would find one of the few crewmates she knew who would give her a task and move on from there.

By the time things had settled, Caroline had no concept of time. All she knew was that it was far later than she was used to staying up. Even during the past several days, there had been plenty of late nights, but nothing felt like this. One by one, the crew slowly trickled below the ship, calling it a night. Before she knew it, only a handful remained above deck. Giving up on moving anytime soon, she had placed herself on the damp ground, back pressed to the outer wall of the captain's quarters. She was half tempted to stay there until morning. Logically she knew that would be a poor choice in the end, but she was saved from having to force herself to move.

A hand stretched down to her caused her to lift her head, following the arm up until she met eyes with Will. While there weren't too many people she expected to see in front of her, it was surprising to see him. She felt all they did since coming out here was argue. Then again, on a ship full of strangers, who else was there to turn to? Trust didn't stretch too far out here.

As she took in his appearance, she couldn't help but think back to the moments she saw him struggling during the storm. On multiple occasions she had seen him knocked over or into someone else. He had worked hard keeping the ship afloat. Now that it was over, he simply looked windswept and worn out. "If you're going to call it a night, might I suggest not sleeping on the floor?" Will asked earnestly.

Taking his hand, Caroline let him pull her up. "It was a thought," she admitted as she brushed off what water she could from her clothes. She honestly wasn't sure if she would be able to tell what dry felt like at this point. Everything was just damp. "Thank you, though. I might have actually stayed there."

"Let's go. I'm sure most of the crew is sound asleep by this point." Will walked towards the lower decks, Caroline following sluggishly behind. "I have a feeling that tomorrow might be even longer."

She nodded, knowing what he meant. "I hope that is true. It's been days now. I can't imagine what she's had to deal with this whole time. I doubt those pirates have been so agreeable."

"That may be true but it won't matter much longer. She'll be safe and this will all be done."

"Until tomorrow then." Caroline bid him a goodnight after that, going off to her little section she had claimed as her own. She might not be able to get too much sleep, but she would take what she could get. As Will had said, things could change quickly tomorrow.

When the sun rose the next day, Caroline would have never made it back into the waking world if it weren't for Anamaria nearly forcing her onto her feet. For fear of what might happen if she didn't listen to the other woman, she begrudgingly followed her directions and started moving. That didn't stop her from feeling like death as she walked around.

Thankfully it was an easy day. There were few very few moments when action was needed. And that left her with time to mill about the deck, passing the time with her select choices for company. If she weren't so tired, she would have considered being productive.

Sunrise had passed several hours ago, but Caroline knew they had hours before they would reach their destination. With that in mind, she chose a secluded corner to retreat to, perched on a lone barrel as she listened to the ocean. Suddenly surrounded by people nonstop, she found it difficult to find a moment to herself. It was something she greatly missed from Port Royal. It was why she loved retreating to the docks back home. There weren't many people there and those who worked in the area knew she wasn't there for company.