I sat against the mast with my hat over my eyes the same way I did every day of watch. I didn't really understand why the Captain put me on this job since there's guards at the dock anyway. No one ever managed to actually get on the ship. But no, he just told me, "This is the Interceptor, the fastest ship in the Caribbean and pride of the Royal Navy. Guard it with your life."

It was quite a hot day – uncomfortably hot. A slight wind was blowing in from the sea, and I could just barely hear a drum roll coming from the fort. Oh, yeah. Captain's promotion to commodore, how could I forget? The bastard doesn't deserve to be promoted. I can't wait for the day I get to call him Mr. Norrington. The last eight years of my life have been devoted to irritating him and destroying his career. Apparently the latter is thus unsuccessful. But I have a feeling things are going to change.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by footsteps sounding on the ship. I jumped up and straightened my hat saying, "Hey! Who's…oh, it's you."

"Oh, hello. What are you doing here?"

"Might I ask the same question?"

"Hey! You! Get away from there!" The guards both had their guns out, bayonets pointed straight at the man standing at the wheel of the Interceptor.

"You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate!"

"No, indeed," I answered.

"I'm sorry, it's just, it's such a pretty boat – ship," he corrected.

"What's your name?" One of the guards asked.

"Smith, or Smithy, if you like."

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?"

"Yeah, and no lies!" the other guard ordered.

"All right, then. I confess. It is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer my weaselly black guts out."

"I said no lies!"

"I think he was telling the truth."

"First time in years, I'll bet."

"If he was telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us."

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you." There he was, the man that had changed my life, confusing two of the most utterly stupid royal guards I had ever met.

"Oh, shut up. I know you're telling the truth."

"Of course you do. You know, I honestly think those clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress for women like you."

"You know him?" One of the guards asked me.

"At one time I may have, yes."

"What's his name?"

"Smith."

"Never thought you had it in you, love."

"I said shut up."

"Honestly, you look so much better in a dress."

"Sir, you are standing somewhere you're neither permitted nor accepted. I would suggest you step away."

"Sir, may I ask where you came from?" a guard asked.

"Well," he began, "I was on an island at an Indian village. When I arrived they thought I was some sort of god. I showed them how to attach sails to their little boats, so they started worshipping me. And then they made me their chief."

Suddenly there was a splash between the rocks, and then a shout, "Elizabeth!"

"Will you be saving her, then?"

"I can't swim!" the guard said.

He looked at the other guard, but he shook his head.

"Pride of the king's navy you are. Do not lose these." He handed his effects to the guards and dived into the water to save the girl. Suddenly, there was a ripple in the water and the wind changed directions. Clouds started slowly moving in and mist was forming around the fort.

"What was that?" a guard asked.

"C'mon," I said to them, "this way." We ran down the dock and helped him get her out of the water.

"Not breathing!" one man said as he pushed her hair out of her face.

"Move!" he pushed the guard away and tore off her corset. She coughed and gasped for a moment as the water came out of her lungs.

"Never would have thought that," the guard said.

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore." He picked up a medallion that hung around her neck. My mouth fell open at what I saw. "Where did you get that?"

Before she could answer, the Commodore walked up and drew his sword, pointing it at him. "On your feet."

The governor spoke now, "Elizabeth! Elizabeth, are you all right?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine," she answered.

Governor Swann looked at the guard now holding Elizabeth's corset, who dropped it and pointed at the man who now had all swords, bayonets, and muskets pointed at him. "Shoot him."

"Father, Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

"She has a point," I remarked. Norrington nodded and his men put down their weapons.

"I believe thanks are in order," the commodore held out his hand to be shaken. The man hesitated, and looked as though he wasn't sure what hand to shake with, but he reluctantly gave in. Commodore grabbed his hand, turned it over, and pushed up his sleeve enough to see a pirate brand. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, pirate?"

"Hang him," Swann sang.

"Keep your guns on him, and Gillette, fetch some irons." He pushed up the sleeve more to see the tattoo with a symbol revealing his name. "Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir. And don't you roll your eyes at me!"

I answered, "I told you once, I'll tell you again; keep calling yourself 'captain' and he'll get you sooner rather than later."

"You know him?" Norrington asked.

"Maybe. An acquaintance, perhaps."

"May I ask why you would care how soon he comes?" Jack asked.

I slowly walked toward him saying, "You may not remember, but you not only owe him your soul, but your ship, too. And I'd hate to lose such a pretty boat."

"I love her more than you do."

I was now standing very close to him, "Of course you do. No one loves a ship more than her captain."

Norrington interrupted and I took one large step back, "Well, I don't see your ship, captain."

"I'm in the market, as it were," Jack answered.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one," one of the two ridiculously argumentative guards said.

"I told you he was telling the truth. Uh, these are his, sir," He held up Jack's effects to the Commodore.

"No additional shot or powder. A compass that doesn't point north," he pulled out the pistol and the compass each, then pulled out the sword, "And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me."

"You and your pride," I sneered.

"You rolled your eyes at me again."

I ignored the remark and said to the Commodore, "May I have that compass?"

"Whatever good it will do. It's broken."

He handed it to me and I opened it. The arrow shook for a moment, then pointed right at Jack. "It must be."

"That compass works just fine," Jack argued.

"I'll see about that."

"No, you…don't you break that."

"Would I really do that, Jack? Did you actually think I would be that stupid?"

"No, no of course not. I'd have to be stupid myself to think that of you, darling."

"That's Miss Meurig to you."

"I can call you whatever bloody hell I want, love, and you can't stop me."

"Maybe you really are that stupid." I walked away, down the dock, but not toward the Interceptor. I was going home to inspect the compass. Why it pointed toward Jack I wasn't sure why. There's nothing I want…I think. Haven't I been in almost misery for the past eight years? But that doesn't justify why it pointed at Jack. But maybe, it was pointing past Jack. I opened the compass again. It was pointed toward the dock still. But I might as well keep watching it. I came to a small bridge and the arrow started moving back and forth, and then I heard a shout, guns, and another shout. I turned around to see Jack, now in irons, was swinging around in circles from a rope attached to a big crane used for getting heavy cargo off a ship. After three turns he landed on another crane and slid down a rope that came down from it to the ground. He was running toward me, so I closed the compass, pocketed it, drew my sword, and chased after him as he ran past. As he ran into town I pretended to fall behind, but I still had my eye on him. I saw him hide behind a statue in a niche from around a corner, and once the guards ran past, he came out and went through a door into a blacksmith's shop. Probably to break the irons, I imagine. After a moment, I followed him in. A donkey was pulling some sort of contraption that I don't know the name to, since I'm not a blacksmith, but I couldn't see Jack. I knew he was hiding somewhere, or he wouldn't have left his hat on an anvil. I looked at it and smiled saying, "Hello, Jack, I know you're here. Come out and maybe we can make some sort of agreement, hmm? What do you say to that?"

His voice sounded behind me, "Going to kill me, are you?"

"No. Just arrest you. Then I can free you when nobody's looking. At least that way no one will know I did it."

"Oh, so you have the authority to arrest me, do you?"

"Actually, yes, I do. Did you think you already escaped?"

"Why are you so bitter? What happened to the Jane I once knew? The fourteen year old girl that had a skill for stealing food right under a shopkeeper's nose? The pirate? You must have quite the rank now. Norrington's pet I'd imagine."

"You have no idea how I've felt for the past eight years. And Mr. Pompous Hair? He cares so little about anyone else he might as well be a pirate, if he didn't hate them so much. Everyone here was hospitable when I first arrived but him. Some scum like me – a woman in men's clothes – sailing in on a wrecked sailboat. He thinks I look too much like a pirate. Not only that, he hates my heritage, too. Thinks the Welsh are barbarous king-haters. And he spells my name 'M-y-r-i-c-k' because 'M-e-u-r-i-g' looks too Welsh. I miss the Pearl, Jack, don't get me wrong."

"So how does that explain the bitterness?"

"I can't act soft toward a pirate in front of the commodore. I'd lose the job I've worked for these eight years if I attempted rescue in his face. I do crime under his nose, where he can't see, but in his face I get caught. Savvy?"

"Someone's coming!"

We hid behind one of the many contraptions around the room just as the door was opening. A young man who I thought I recognized walked through the door. He patted the donkey that pulled the ropes and it stopped. He walked over to a sleeping, and apparently drunk man who must have been the master. "Right where I left you," he smiled and said. He walked over to his anvil where a hammer was lying, "Not where I left you." He made a quizzical face, then saw Jack's hat. He began to reach for it.

"My hat!" Jack whispered and he stood up, drew his sword, and slapped the boy's hand with the flat of it.

I shook my head and came out, my own sword still out, and poked him lightly in the back with it, holding him at sword point.

"You're the one they're hunting, the pirate," he said with a tone filled with hate.

"Yes, and he'll be going very soon, seeing as I've just arrested him," I answered.

"You did?" Jack asked.

"Yes, I did," I poked a slight bit harder with the sword for a second, then softened again.

Jack looked at the boy saying, "You look somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?"

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."

"Ah, well. Then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record, so if you'll excuse me."

"Jack?" I taunted.

"What?" he asked.

"Perhaps you forgot, but no one's on your side here. You've been caught twice in less than ten minutes. You might as well give up."

"Oh, that." He walked toward me again and when he got close enough I laid my sword across his chest. He got even closer yet, until he was only a couple inches from me. "I'm still running."

"You're surrounded, Jack."

"I'm really sorry about this, love, but there's nothing I can do." I didn't know what he was talking about, but before I could ask he brought his sword up over his head and hit me on the head with the handle…hard. Everything went black as I fell to the ground, though I thought I could faintly hear swords clashing. Though I didn't know it at the time, a fight had ensued between Jack and the boy who was quite determined to stop him from escape, then the drunken master woke up and smashed his empty glass rum bottle over Jack's head, knocking him out. Soldiers stormed into the room when I could no longer hear the swords I started hearing things clearer. I managed to hear four sentences from a voice that sounded like Norrington.

"Well, I trust that you will always remember that this is the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take him away," he walked toward my half-unconscious body and continued, "Not even Jane Meurig could catch him. Pity." The soldiers left and the boy came up and stood over me. I opened my eyes and squinted, the pain on the top of my head throbbing rapidly. I felt the outside light on my eyes and more pain. I realized that it hurt less to close them, so I kept my eyelids shut. I wasn't sure how many minutes I was lying there, but I felt a sprinkle of cold water on my face and woke up again, the pain having subsided quite a lot.

"How long have I been here?" I asked him.

"About twenty minutes since Commodore Norrington left. Are you all right?"

"Aye, I'll be fine. He couldn't have hit me that hard since I was only half-unconscious and it wasn't for long. I've been totally out for days at a time. So they got Jack, did they?"

"Yes. He's to be hanged tomorrow morning," the boy answered.

"Aye. So I would expect. Too bad, I was hoping to arrest him myself."

"It appeared so."

"I'll just be going now. I've got to get home and take a look at this," I held up the compass as I began to stand up.

"Did you hear about how he threatened Miss Swann?"

I sat back down again and answered, "No, I didn't. I left just before he escaped. Pity, really. Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for telling me. I have a list of people he's threatened in the last twenty-five years, including myself."

"You've known him for that long?"

"I'm the only one that's known him for that long, and he wasn't even famous until about twelve years ago. That's as far as he's goes back with most people, and none of them are his friends anymore, either. Hey, Jack didn't hurt you in any way did he?"

"No. But he cheated in a fight."

"He's a pirate, that's what he does. You can't expect much more than that. Well, I really have to get home. Thank you for not letting him escape. It was brave of you. Bye, now." I left and when I got home, I immediately got a cold, wet rag and put it to my head. After ten minutes I was feeling even better and went to a little side-room I used as an office. I sat down at the desk and opened up the compass. It wasn't moving at all, just sat pointing strait in the direction of the jail right next to the fort. I still couldn't understand why it pointed at Jack. Now I could be certain it wasn't that I wanted him to arrest him. He's already been arrested and it's still pointed at him. Do I want him that badly? I missed him but I didn't realize that was how I felt. Well, I'm not going to go with him anywhere until I'm fired and my house is destroyed…unlikely.