Aqua Amore (A Jackrine Fan Fiction)

Chapter Three

Pulitzer was a very strong man, Jack had seen him hold firm in the most stressful situations. Jack had seen him give orders to the whole crew while making new barriers for a knew route, which wasn't an easy thing to do. Never once had Jack seen Pulitzer look stressed, but as the raging storm continued to batter the ship, Pulitzer looked ready to break.

Jack did his best to keep the ship sailing straight but the wheel continued to crack under the pressure and he knew they were spinning off course, it also didn't help that the pressure from the storm had screwed up the compass casing it to spin around and around in a senseless pattern. The ship rocked furiously from side to side as the black sea threatened to swallow it whole.

"Kelly!" Pulitzer shouted from the deck, but Jack could hardly hear him. What was he trying to tell him?

Jack decided he was trying to tell him to keep the ship straight so he yanked up on the wheel causing every man on deck to stumble sideways violently. Maybe that's not what he had said...

"What?!" Jack yelled back. "I can't hear you!" The rush of the wind and rain was just to much by now, the ship shuttered violently and Jack felt the wheel crack some more  under his hands. Jack gritted his teeth and wiped some more blood off his cut chin where part of the the wheel had broken off and stabbed him.

"You idiot! Are you trying to get us all killed?!" Pulitzer yelled as he climbed up the stairs toward Jack.

"I didn't hear-"

"I said let go of the wheel or we'll tip!" Pulitzer snapped through the rain. "Let go boy!"

It made Jack angry that he referred to Jack as boy, but he listened nontheless and gave way to the wheel. As soon as the pressure was released the entire ship turned to the right sharply sending everyone tumbling to the ground, the wheel shuttered some more as it spun furiously.

Pulitzer griped the back of Jacks collar like he was a dog and yanked him to his feet angrily.

"Get everyone below decks!" Pulitzer barked to Jack pulling some of his hair out menacingly.

"But you said we weren't allowed below decks during a storm! You said-"

"I don't give a damn about what I said Kelly! I care more about the safety of my crew! You hear me?!" Pulitzer snapped as Jack struggled free from his grasp.

Jack nodded and Pulitzer all but tossed him down the steps with surprising strength for a man his age. Jack fixed the collar of his black coat angrily and rushed to David's side.

"Dave! Cap says to get everyone below deck!" Jack yelled as he gripped his arm.

"B-but he said to tie up the mast!" David countered looking terrified. "This is all my fault Jack! I said it was only a category 2! It looked like a-"

"It's not your fault! Now help me get everyone below deck before someone dies!" Jack shouted.

David nodded and ran off, Jack searched frantically for Crutchie as he instructed everyone to get below deck, he was beginning to hyperventilate as the crip was no where to be seen. Jack pulled up his collar against the wind and squinted in the rain for his little brother. Why oh why had he told that stupid legend before the storm? Why did Jack insist on being a jerk daily?

He shook his head and helped Henry and Buttons down below deck as Race carried a bleeding Mush on his back. He helped them down and looked around for anyone else on deck, it looked empty except for Pulitzer who was standing up by the wheel with his hands behind his back and his head held high. He looked like an iron wall against the storm and Jack didn't know how he did it.

Jack closed the hatch above the boys and raced to the steps where Pulitzer was, but before he could grab the wooden railing there was a bright flash of light behind him and he felt his entire body alive with molecules. The flash of lightening was gone before Jack could see it but as he turned around, he could see the tallest mast had been hit and was now threatening to fall down. There was another flash of lightening and the mast broke completely crashing to the deck in a devastating heap, Jack ducked his head as shards of wood pelted him in the back as he ran up to Pulitzers side.

"All men below deck sir!" Jack yelled trying to keep the fear from his voice, but they'd just lost the most important part of their ship.

"Good, now get yourself below too." Pulitzer ordered still standing tall against the rain unlike Jack who was curled up in a sissy ball.

"But what about you sir-"

"I'll be down when I feel the time is right, do not question my authority for a fourth time today, Kelly." Pulitzer said sternly.

Jack gave him a withering glare but was concerned for his safety nonetheless, someday he would be Captain, and someday everybody would have to listen to him.

Jack turned on his heel and raced back down the wet steps and skidded to a stop above the hatch, he quickly lowered himself down and shut the hatch with a loud click. Everyone started at him with wide eyes as he face them, they all seemed to be trembling from fear or cold. Proabaly both.

"Where's Captain? W-we heard a crash..." Buttons said huddling in a corner next to a sack of potatoes.

"Where's Crutchie?" Was Jacks only response.

"Here!" The boy yelled from the back waving his crutch weakly.

"Good." Jack said relieved. "Everyone position yourselves under something that will protect you from falling objects, this is gonna be a very bumpy-"

Jack was cut off as the ship jerked to the right violently, there was another bright flash of light above followed by a loud crack of thunder. The boys collectively whimpered at the sound and it took everything in Jacks willpower to not tell them they were being stupid. It was just a little thunder and lightening. Instead, Jack decided to help them out a bit.

"Cheer up boys, have you learned nothing from Pulitzer these past years we've been together? He always says, when life gives you a storm you learn to either dance in the rain, or get you ass in gear and fight against it. So, are you boys gonna choose to cower in fear as a little storm passes? Or will you hold you heads high and smile at life's challenges?"

The boys mumbled in agreement some smiles playing in their features, the power and authority in Jacks voice encouraged them and it made Jack happy to know he'd boosted there morale.

"So, what will it be boys?"

"Yea!" They cheered back.

"Good choice." Jack smirked laughing slightly.

He made his way trough the boys to an empty spot as the boys began chatting with one another again, the stress level dropping a bit even as the boat rocked violently.

"You never told us where Captain was." David whispered to him as Jack sat down.

"He's above deck." Jacks aid simply.

"Yes but why? He could get killed!"

Jack shrugged. "My orders were to come down here and leave him up there, he said he would be down when he felt the time was right."

The 'stop asking me questions' tone in Jacks voice made David shut up and turn away. Despite not really liking the man, Jack did not want him dead, or hurt for that matter. But orders were orders.

And this was gonna be one long night.