Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean! The only thing that's mine is my OC, Ryleigh (Lady Luck)!

I tried uploading one with a disclaimer when I realized I had forgotten it, but apparently ff.net had other ideas…lol! I wonder if it'll work this time…

A young girl of around seven ran through the streets of Tortuga, a look of fear and panic on her face. She had never been so far from home and it frightened her. Only a week and a half ago she ahd run away from her home and family back in Nassau Port. Her family had been part of the upper crust and expected her to act like a proper young lady. When her father had yelled at her after finding her running through the streets wearing trousers, she had run away from home, only to be kidnapped by a filthy, foul smelling man near the docks. He had taken her to Tortuga with the intention of selling her as a slave, but she had escaped and was now running for her life through the streets. Hopefully she could make it to the docks and stow away on a ship. It didn't matter to her where the ship was headed, just as long as it was away from the man who was chasing her.

Suddenly she tripped on a stone and fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw a young man standing over her. He offered her his hand and helped her up, then, upon seeing a man seemingly looking for her, pulled her into an alleyway and shielded her from the man's sight.

When the man was gone, he asked, "are you okay?" The little girl nodded. "What's your name?" She still looked frightened and unsure, so the young man offered up his name first. "I'm Jack Sparrow," he said with a grin.

"Ryleigh Laurelyn Wickersham," she uttered with pride. It was obvious the girl had been nobility.

"Well, Ryleigh Laurelyn, how'd you end up on the streets of Tortuga?" he asked her.

"I, I ran away from home." Her proud façade was starting to waver.

"How old are you?" Jack asked curiously.

"Seven. How old are you?" She was starting to get some of her nerve back. Somehow she knew she was safe with Jack, so she was beginning to feel very brave.

"Eleven," he answered, smiling at how she was coming out of her shell. "Would you like to come with me?" He knew she wouldn't be safe if she stayed in Tortuga, especially if she stayed there alone, and if she came with him, at least he'd be able to protect her.

"Where?" she asked cautiously. Her trust in this young man diminished with that one simple question.

"See that big ship at the docks?" he asked. She nodded and he continued, "I'm a cabin boy on that ship, and I'm sure my Captain wouldn't mind having you along until we reach a safe port."

Ryleigh considered his proposition, and, given her options, agreed. "All right."

Jack took her back to the ship and 'until the next port' ended up being almost seven years, during which she and Jack became the best of friends.

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Several years later, Ryleigh was once again running for her life through the streets, only this time she wore a wide grin and the streets were in Port Royal. She had just stolen some money from a well-to-do man, who in turn had called the Royal Navy to catch her.

"Halt!" she heard one of the officers call. Oh yeah, that's gonna work, she thought. She turned down an alley hoping to lose the officers, but instead found that she had run straight into a trap.

"Well, well, well," the haughty man leading the chase said as the men behind her stopped, boxing her in. "What have we here?"

Ryleigh turned to face him and smiled self-assuredly. "I'm amazed you were able to pull this off, Captain," she laughed.

"We'll see how you laugh tomorrow when we hang you," he replied. Then he approached her, signalling the others to keep their guns on her, and grabbed her right arm. He pushed up the sleeve and saw a "P" branded into her skin. "You're of a dying breed, pirate."

Still Ryleigh smiled smugly, and allowed herself to be lead away to the jail by a group of half a dozen officers. She laughed inwardly at the fact that the Captain knew he needed at least half a dozen men to prevent her from escaping. Though she knew it was possible that she could take out the half dozen, she decided it would be better to wait for the opportune moment, as Jack had once told her. Everything would work out all right in the end, she just knew it.

As she was lead down to the jail cell, she ignored the hoots and hollers from the cell next to hers, and laid down on the ground, falling quickly asleep.