Hey...ummm...Ok I'm new on this site, not to writing, just to the FF thing...anyway, I hope people enjoy the first part of this story and I am veeery sorry if formats or whatever are wrong on this. Still figuring it out etc. If they are any mistakes message me or something please, so I know haha. The only way I'm going to learn haha.

I loved writing this, so I hope you's love it to :D This part doesn't so much include Jack...its more setting the scene, trust me in later chapters he, and other characters from PotC, will be included A LOT more :3 Oh! And I'm thinking that this story is going to fit around the movies...eventually when the timeline gets there xD may change my mind. Anywhooo I only own my OC's (Maria and her family in this one) nothing else! Haha anyway enjoy :D


Prologue

Maria Killigrew was born and grew up in Shipwreck Cove with her small family consisting of her mother, father and her. Her father was not a family man and definitely not one to strike up idle chit chat. He was first mate on the ship he and her mother had met, and they worked together on it before her mother fell pregnant. Her mother was a fiery woman who loved passionately and hated even more fiercely but grew ill after giving birth to Maria. It was almost as if someone was slowly starving a flame of oxygen. She knew that her father and his fellow crew members blame her for her mother's illness but her mother always told her otherwise. As for her life, it was pretty much like every other pirates on Shipwreck cove. She got by, got lost many times and had countless encounters with peculiar or creepy pirates, flung into fights unwillingly and was almost killed in most of them but she had a knack of escaping. She was still quite young to be doing such things but you had to grow up fast in that sort of environment.

On the day she left Shipwreck Cove with her father she had gone to see Edward Teague about the code. Although she didn't yet know that they would be leaving. It wasn't hard to find his...'abode' and after a bit of persuading he agreed to talk with her. While she was listening to him explain different codes and laws it occurred to her that his voice was a lot softer then she had expected but it was a nice quality in someone, and a rare one. Time seemed to slow and she was caught in the moments, soaking in as much as she possibly could. However, after 2 hours or so a boy...well more like a man, was thrown through the door, crashing into a drunken heap of splinters on the floor. The bottle of rum he had been clutching in his hand smashed on the hard flooring and his pistol slid away from him. A couple of almost toothless, scummy pirates promptly followed. Most pirates did look very similar to this yes but these two were particularly scummy. Perhaps not completely in looks but they gave Maria the creeps. As Teague rose to his feet, his hand on his cutlass hilted at his hip, he chimed out to the man on the floor.

"In trouble again, Jackie?"

The intruding pirates look at Teague, one noticing little Maria sitting on the floor, her legs still crossed as she hadn't had time to fully register what was happening. He smirked, revealing his filthy, rotting and half fallen out teeth. His hot breath travelled far and was vilely thick, heavy and so foul Maria could almost feel it wilting what little life was in the room. Remains of what quite probably was last night's dinner or worse, last week's dinner, protruded from between the few teeth he had left.

"'ere Rys looks like we got a pretty one 'ere." His voice echoed through Maria's head, making her shudder and grit her teeth.

By this time the man, Jack, had managed to figure out where he was at least a little and stumbled up. He managed to grab a piece of the broken door as he clambered up and smacked it into the two pirates before scurrying away to get more balance. Maria got to her feet, glancing at Teague then Jack and slipped past in the confusion, stealing Jack's gun off of the floor as she passed. She started to run down the walkways, heading home, but stopped when she heard yelling start up from the fight she'd just come from. There was no way she wasn't kidding herself, she knew they'd be fine, they were pirates but she wanted to thank this Jackie guy for stopping them, even if it was not intentional or to help her in any way. She spun on her heals and took in a deep breath before pushing off with one leg. She ran back and when she thought she was close enough to hit one but still far enough to run away she pointed the gun, closed her eyes tight and pulled the trigger. The force knocked her back and she fell over. Her head spun and she struggled to shakily get back up but when she heard on of them call out in pain she found a confidence rise from deep inside her and pushed herself to her feet. The grimy pirate that she had shot fell onto the floor, clutching his leg and calling out in agony.

Rys turned, his hazy eyes searching frantically for the shooter then he set them on Maria. She felt a chill run through her, inside screaming to run but her legs wouldn't move. His brows knotted, pointed towards her and screeched.

"It's that wench!"

Her body still refusing to move she could only observe as Rys headed towards her hissing and spitting that he was going to kill her. Maria's mind was already telling her that this was it, time up. There was no way she could escape him, he was to close now but as he drew close enough for her to get a good whiff of his stench he was wrenched backwards and dragged back into the shack. Letting out the breath she was unaware she was holding Maria watched Teague drag away Rys, his arm wrapped around the repulsive man's neck. Feeling her legs spring back to life, buzzing now, she turned and ran back to her home as fast as her legs would take her only to be scooped up by her father. Holding her in his arms she stared up at him. Her father wasn't a very big man, but he wasn't exactly scrawny either. His muscles were fairly defined from working on-board the ship and jet black locks of hair hung oddly on his head, not really knowing what to do with themselves.

"Where were yah?!"

"I..."

"Yah went to see that damned code keeper didn't you?"

"Only for a bit but then some men burs-..." Maria started but she was cut off by her father.

"We're leav'n Mari, so hope yah got all yah want."

"Where's ma?"

"She ain't comin' this time." Her father said bluntly his voice vacant, as he carried her towards the ship.

Marie looked up at him in confusion, why were they leaving her mother behind? She loved coming out with them, well actually it was more like she loved going out with Maria's father and Maria just tagged along because otherwise her mother would miss her to much and worry, and that wasn't good for her.

"What d-..."

She started then it dawned on her what her father was trying to get at. It was if her insides were swallowed by a black hole as she stared, searching her father's features for some form of emotion, some comfort, but there was none. His face was stony and he hadn't looked at her once. He blamed Maria. Her head dropped and she looked at her lap, not another word was said till they reached the ship. Her father put her down, almost dropping her, and said simply.

"Stay 'ere. Move an' you'll be stayin' 'ere alone." Then headed off. He stopped suddenly and turned back to look at Maria "forever." Before walking into the crowd.

That's exactly what Maria did, she stood there. The world around her seemed a blur, hardly audible. People pushed past her and probably complained about children but she didn't care, she just stood there staring into space. Her mother was dead, that's what he meant. She'd died and now there was no reason to stay here. She knew that her father would take her with him till he felt she was 'old enough' then leave her somewhere, if he kept her with him at all. She also got the feeling that the only reason he didn't just leave without Maria is because he knew how much her mother loved her. She was grateful for that at least.

Maria didn't know how long she had been standing there but she was rudely snapped out of her little bubble by the familiar voice of the pirate she had shot. The sound still chilled her bones and the sickening stench returned, perhaps just the memory but it was real enough to her. There before her, a few yards off, was the very same pirate alright. But this time he had some of his crew with him.

"There! Tha's the lil wench tha' shot me!"

Before she knew what was happening he was heading towards her. One thing she did have time to notice was that the one he called Rys was not present, she guessed he was dead or left behind. She reached for the gun she had put in the sash wrapped around her waist but when a new wave of people rushing by in front of her, disrupting the little standoff she took this chance to run, and boy did she run. She knew this place pretty well by now and knew a few good short cuts but every one she took one of those men seemed to be there. She slid under a pirates probably stolen jewellery stall and out the other side, to be greeted by the grim face of another member of the crew, making her yelp and fall back onto her butt. Quickly she glanced around to find a way to escape and noticed an almost broken sign above them. If only she could get them to step forward a couple of steps. She stumbled back and found a stone with her hand and grasped it tight.

"I-...please don't hurt me!" She forced, in her best scared, innocent voice, making the man chuckle.

"Ah a beggar are ye? Yeh shot ma cap'n missy." His breath foul and spit spraying on her as he talked.

"Is he-...goin'a kill me?" She whimpered looking for an opportune moment to throw.

When the pirate let out a deep, heavy cackle, closing his eyes as he did she found just the chance. She flicked her wrist, sending the rock flying through the air. It didn't hit its mark though and went too high, hitting a pot that probably once should have had flowers in but they were long dead. Instead of the pot breaking the stone just knocked it off the window ledge and sent it tumbling down, smashing onto the pirates head.

"Tha' worked I guess." She complained and scurried to her feet, running off again.

She had to get back to the ship, she knew she did but there were the pirates everywhere that way. If she could just get to where her father could see her, he'd help. She hoped. Keeping hidden and moving fast she snuck back towards the ship, unknown to her she was being followed by one of the pirates searching for her. They had seen her sneaking back and had decided to corner her when she made a wrong move. She could see the ship now and her father walking towards it carrying her bag. He hadn't noticed that she wasn't there yet, which was good. But she needed to get back there fast or he would leave without her, at least that what he had threatened. As she was about to duck under some boxes and escape through an alley a hand grabbed her shoulder and she span round to be confronted by the pirate that had been following her.

"Goin' somewhere missy?" He squeaked in a ridiculous high pitched voice.

She was about to reply when there was a loud, metallic twang and he stopped talking, stood there for a moment then crumpled to the ground. Standing behind him was Jack holding a pan. Maria had never been so relieved to recognize an odd pirate before but this one had saved her again. He smiled at her but Maria just blinked and stared back at him.

After a few moments in awkward silence she opened her mouth to speak but her efforts were cut off by her father calling out her name. Maria's eyes widened and she looked towards the ship, her father would be very annoyed now, and he was at the ship but actually looking for her. She felt a strange feeling in her stomach, a knotting of kind.

"Better hurry up if you want to catch that ship." She heard Jack say in is peculiar, slurred purr behind her.

She turned to look at him and nodded. For some reason she felt tears welling up in her eyes and the voice of this man felt warmer then any voice she had heard today letting it all come back. She was just a little girl and her mother had just died, she was being ripped away from her home and friends and her father probably hated her and was going to abandon her somewhere. Jack looked startled by her reaction and crouched down in front of her, searching around his clothing for something to give her to wipe her tears.

"Th-thank y-y-you..." She sobbed, crying into her hands.

Her shoulders shook and she felt like curling up on the floor and never moving. Her father was right, it was all her fault. After a few moments she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and it rub soothingly on her arm.

"Hey, crying won't get you anywhere with pirates, love. You've got to put your head up."

His gold clapped teeth glistened in the oddly dingy, dank light. She sniffed and looked up from her hands at him and wiped her eyes, tears still falling despite her best efforts to stop them.

"You're father's looking for you. Mari, I take it?" He asked in his thick purr of an accent but it was still kind, slurred but still warm.

Maria had tried a bit of rum once, and Jack's voice was probably how she would describe rum. She nodded at both this thought and the pirate's words, sniffing and wiping her tears still.

"Sorre-...J-Jackie?" She cautiously murmured between sniffs, only remembering what Teague had called him, making Jack laughed and shake his head.

"You can call me Jackie if you want, love. But most call me Jack." He said, untying from his dark hair a braided string, entangled with beads.

"Jackie what?" Maria sniffed, watching him curiously. She examined his clothes as he struggled with the braid. He looked like a pirate but more...layered was probably the best word she could come up with. She liked his boots though, they looked comfortable.

"Sparrow..." He pointed at her "...Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow." He added after he managed to free the braid with a flail of his hands and a wobble. "You were helpful back there Mari, and many thanks for shooting him."

"Oh..." Maria blinked, feeling her tears slowly stop. She looked down then at him again. "You hit them with tha' wood Jackie, if yah hadn't they coulda done anythin'. I was just payin' you back, pa' said debts are..." Maria trailed off and Jack laughed again.

"Here, love." He reached over to her and started tying the braid he had taken out of his hair into hers.

Maria blinked and touched it once he had done, examining as much of it as she could see. What she hadn't noticed was that while she was admiring it Jack had gently slipped his gun, which she'd stolen, from her sash and put it in his.

When he started talking again she looked back at him, jumping slightly as if just woken up from a daydream.

"It was a wonderful show to watch, you've got a talent for escaping. Ingenious of you to hit the pot although the sign could have worked. Something I'd do so...have that."

Maria couldn't help but smile at this, she let go of it and let it hang in her hair, proudly where Jack had put it.

"Thanks Jackie, I was...aiming for the sign." She laughed weakly and looked at her feet.

"It still worked though, Mari. If you find me when you're a bit older I'll show you some ticks, just make sure you've got that." He pointed to the braid he'd given her. "Savvy?"

"Mah first propa pirate…thing. I'll take yah up on that one day Jackie...But...I really mus' go now. My pa' will be angry. Or have gone." Maria said and turned, starting off back to the ship.

She looked back over her shoulder at him and flashed him a grin before running off. Jack stood and watched her go before looking at a man who approached him.

"Brought me more rum?"

"Who was tha' Jack?"

Jack looked back at the ship and saw Maria running to her father, who looked relieved when he saw her but then just walked onto the ship without hugging her or anything. Maria's shoulders sagged but she followed him anyway. Before she stepped onto the ship she looked back, scanning the faces to see if she could see Jack, although she couldn't as the crowd was still moving. She told herself he'd probably just walked off and smiled, not yet noticing the missing pistol.