Disclaimer: I do not own PotC - but you knew that.

Summary: Ana's been caught, so how long does she have left of her life? Will Jack come and rescue her? Or will she die with a secret?

Set Pre-PotC DMC, little bitty fluffy.

First Time

The darkness of the cell was leaving the empty feeling in her heart. She stood very little chance of survival and even less chance of escape, meaning no survival. She was so good at it as well, surviving. It had been what she made her life about, all thirty-four of her years. It was said that everything came down to survival of the fittest, well whoever said that was wrong. It was survival of the quickest, the strongest, the ones who could roll with the punches and still get back up, dust themselves off and run back at whatever knocked them down. That's what she was good at, getting back up. After the raid, she got up and moved on. After the death of her father, she got up and moved on. After her failure in honest work, she got up and moved on. It was what she did. But then he came. He messed her about so bad she didn't know up from down, right from left, honest from dishonest. And it all started innocently enough. That caused her to laugh. She could never really picture him as innocent, maybe as a child, but in all likelihood he was a hellion of a child. A real looker, getting what he wanted with a smile or a pout, with a wild side that would get him in trouble. Yes, that was what she pictured him like, what she pictured his children would be like. That brought another laugh from her. Would he ever have children? Or would his name just fade, become a memory, a myth, a legend. It was possible; he would never love anyone like he loved her. She was his everything; he moved hell and high water for her, to get her, to have her back. Would anyone ever compare to her?

"Ana?" She turned at the sound of the blacksmith. Standing outside her cell was William Turner and Elizabeth Swann-Turner, his friends, her friends, the only hope she thought she had, although she never really asked for their help. "I don't know if we can pull this one off Ana." Then again maybe hope was just for the optimistic.

"It's alright lad, I can't say I really thought I stood much o' a chance anyway." Ana replied, speaking the truth to a certain extent. After being taken from Tortuga, recognised as a pirate from the Black Pearl, a pirate under his command, her hope and expectations had quickly dwindled. He didn't know where she was, so he wouldn't be coming to the rescue. Her only chance lay with the Turner's, and they didn't stand much chance with their being no ties to her life, she wasn't pregnant and she knew this, there was no way to lie about that. She wasn't a known part in the rescue of Miss Elizabeth last year; there were no good deeds large enough to her name to save her from the noose. Ana had resided herself to her fate. She only hoped that he would at least mourn for her.

"We're not going to stop trying. I've already had word sent to Tortuga, if the Pearl is still there then I'm sure she'll come." Ana smiled at Elizabeth, grateful for the thought.

"Lass, he doesn't know what happened. I don't think anyone does. He's not coming and I have to face up to this. I face the gallows at dawn, so if ye don't mind, I'd like to watch my last sunset." Elizabeth and William nodded slowly; realising that indeed there was little they could do.

"We are not giving up AnaMaria. Come on Elizabeth, let's go and see James again." They left the patter of their shoes telling Ana when she was alone once more. This was it then? Her final resting-place was at the end of a rope? It wasn't how she had envisioned her death. As a little girl she imagined death as being a walk through a grassy meadow, upon reaching the end she would be taken to Heaven where she would see her father once more and play catch with him. Ana smiled, remembering just how innocent she had been. Once she got older it all seemed like nothing, death being a black veil pulled over your eyes and then…nothing. But after a while it felt like death was a long way away. The Black Pearl was the strongest ship in the waters and with him as the Captain few people really threw in much of a fight. Ana had learned that the drunken idiot he pretended to be could be useful at times. Few people really thought he had any marbles, so beating him in a battle would be easy. It didn't turn out that way.

Night fell and Ana shed one tear for the last sunset she would see, the birds sitting the ledge of her cell chirping at her. She looked sorrowfully at them. Placing her head between the bars she softly whispered to the small creatures. "You should leave here. With the sun. Chase it and not stop. That's what I would do. Forever follow the sunset and not think about the things and people I leave behind. Not think about the faces I'll miss. The smirks, the staggers, the quirky hand motions. None of that would matter." They appeared to listen to her and she figured that leaving something behind wouldn't hurt. "Being free is all that matters." She removed the small threaded bracelet she wore on her left wrist and tied it to the leg of one of the birds before stroking its feathers tenderly. They were rather tame; probably knowing she could and would do them no harm. "So go and be free." The one with her bracelet seemed to nod and flew off, the rest following. Ana stepped back from the bars, not averting her gaze, a tear escaping her eyes once more.

"You know luv, if you keep doing that when you get caught there might be naught left for ye to give away." Ana spun around, facing the door to her cell. He was there; he was standing right there. The light from the moon that had newly risen basking him in a glory all of his own. "What? No hug for your daring rescuer?" He honestly looked hurt at her lack of joy.

"Just get me outta this place and I might stop slapping ye for a while." He smiled at that and Ana knew he knew she was glad to see him. "How did ye find me?"

"Well luv, even when you're drunk the only motivation ye need to talk is a sharp blade to the neck." Ana pondered on what he meant but figured that she would ask him later. He picked the lock on her cell and she exited. Just as she was about to ask what way they were leaving he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along after him. After running down several corridors and descending so many stairs she was sure they would tunnel to the centre of the earth, Ana finally saw a white mist at the end of a tunnel. It seemed like a dream; once more the thought of Heaven entered her mind. This was probably a dream, that he had come to take her there, when really she had no right to be there. After all, she was a pirate.

"Come on then, we've got the Pearl anchored near the shoals. If we want to leave before being moored then we'll have to move." He let go of her wrist and they ran down the tunnel, exiting the large exit to land on the beach. Ana looked behind her and then in front, noticing that he had ran on ahead, moving towards the shoals, she saw the Pearl and smiled again.

It took a few minutes to row out to the magnificent ship but once both their feet touched the deck the orders were fired left and right and the Pearl was leaving the bay of Port Royal without a single confrontation with the Navy. It was Gibbs who approached her first.

"Good to have to back Ana, was worried for a while there." She smiled and patted the older mans shoulder. "Took us a while but we did it. Well actually the Captain did it really." Ana cocked her head and raised an eyebrow; Gibbs knew this as a prompt to continue. "Ye see, we were reaching dead ends as to where you could be. The crew were wanting to head out and we couldn't much do that without a first mate." Ana and Gibbs sat on two barrels near to the railing. "So we went hunting for ye. But nothing came up. We asked around but there were too many people lying for money. That was until the Captain just grabbed one o' the blighters, rammed him against a wall and threatened the man with a horrible end at the tip of his blade if he didn't give us some useful information." Ana smiled and blushed at the same time. The method seemed like one he would use, and his forcefulness at getting what he wanted touched her to think that he wanted her back so badly. "So the daft sod tells us you were taken from the streets by some English uniforms and we all knew that you was probably here." Ana nodded and laughed a little.

"Ye maybe a bunch of cads but thank ye all. To be perfectly honest there are still a few things I need to take care o' here before I meet me maker." There were a few laughs from that before everyone headed back to work and she looked around the deck for him. She couldn't see him and figured he must be in his cabin. She took her leave of the deck and headed for his quarters, strangely nervous at talking with him. Knocking on the door she awaited his reply, when it didn't come she opened the door a little and wandered in. the cabin itself was dimly lit, a few scattered candles spluttering to keep lit, to grasp the life they had. The man himself was sitting at his desk, maps in front of him, a black chalk stick in his hand.

"Jack," Ana said, her voice shaking ever so slightly, "I need to thank ye for coming back for me. What with the code and all." Jack shook his hand, not looking up from the map in front of him. He marked in a few notes before addressing her.

"As Mrs Turner would say, they're more like guidelines anyway." Ana grinned remembering when Elizabeth had tried to get the Pearl's crew to help her the day the curse on the Black Pearl was finally broken. "You doing alright luv? Ye look a little under the weather." Ana was touched once more by his concern, wondering where the sentiment came from.

"I'm fine Jack, being told you're to be hung in the morning does leave something with a lass. I guess I'm just glad ye came back for me." Jack looked at his first mate, frowning slightly. He stood and walked over, standing right in front of her.

"Did you believe that I wouldn't move hell and high water to get you back?" Ana looked straight into his eyes. "There is no way I am letting you go without one hell of a fight. You're a better first mate than I could ask for and an amazing woman. There is no way your getting away from me this time Ana." The dark skinned pirate looked at her captain, wondering just what his words could mean, there were so many connotations on his words. He cupped her chin, his thumb stroking her cheek. "I made that mistake once before."

"Jack?" Her question was whispered, her voice a soft echo in the cabin. She was surprised at the sound, it wasn't like her. Time seemed to stop, everything in the cabin tingling with energy as what the female had dreamed of for months finally happened in her reality, in her waking world. Jack's lips descended slowly to Ana's and she melted on the spot as the warmth from his lips touched hers. It was soft, which was something that you would never expect from Jack. His lips were hesitant to her own; Ana however had been waiting too long for this and was not in the least bit tentative. Her arms went to his neck, pulling there bodies closer together, as her mouth opened for his tongue to explore. His hands moved from their place at her face to hold her hips and grasp their bodies close together. She moaned as he stroked her back, enticing pleasure to surge through her body in the most amazing ways. This was what she had wanted for so long. This was what she needed. This was hers.

-

As day break shone through, the dark walls of the cabin lit by the light that filtered through the windows where the drapes were torn. Her eyes opened and the daylight coaxed her to consciousness. The memory of her night came back to her. She had slept with Jack, they had slept together. Ana looked over at him, he lay on his back with his arms under his head. Ana smiled thinking back at their activities. They had melded so well together, it had been ecstasy when their moans sounded together, the scent of their sweat and love making. Ana moved closer to Jack, she inhaled him and sighed with contentment. She laid her head on his chest and snuggled into his warm skin. She smiled against him when and arm wrapped around her, holding her tightly to him.

"Comfy luv?" Ana laughed a little, feeling at ease that at least they weren't going to avoid what happened.

"Yes, I am. And I could really come to enjoy waking up with you." Jack chuckled, catching Ana to kiss her lips quickly.

"That's nice luv, cause I've just come to enjoy going to bed with you." The two pirates smiled at one another, both glad that the final steps in progressing their relationship had just come to an end. Now they just had the new found ecstasy of their relationship to explore.

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