Everybodys Fool.

I've never wrote Pirates Of The Caribbean before, so… here's me having a go! This first chapter takes place before COTBP, Jack's recently just gotten off the island he was marooned on and naturally on the hunt for a ship to search for the Pearl. T for now, might go up. Reviews would be super! I'd love to know if people like my first attempt, for they're always the hardest. Thank you! And hopefully, enjoy! If enough people are interested in reading more, I'll add another chapter! ^-^ x

At first I think the rhythmic booming of sorts from my dream were cannons, shooting into my bedroom. Blasting me to smithereens or something. My imagination was wild, untamed territory, always coming up with the most wild and craziest scenarios. Then the air went quiet, still, and a moment later, I felt myself rousing from my warm bed to kneel next to it, clasping my hands together as I muttered into them. "If you could be so very kind, my lord, could you keep the disturbances down to a minimal tonight, for my father sails tomorrow. He needs a good nights sleep. Thank you. Amen."

My hands parted and a light sigh escaped my parted lips- one could hope, wish and dream. But only a few prayers were heard and answered. I could only hope mine was one of the rare few.

But then the booming started up again and I next to dived under my covers, eyes widening as the front door smashed open. This I knew for sure, as it was directly below me and the glass of water next to my bed was shuddering.. A shiver of fear shot through me as voices sounded from the hallway. Coarse ones that made me cower under the covers ever more, hand feeling around for my little doll, squeaking as I came into contact with her freezing arm.

It went quiet, I could hear voices below, but too quiet to make out the words. The air was almost ominous, and I sneaked a look over the top of my thick covers to stare into the darkness at the door. At least, the sliver of it I could see.

A sudden bang as the door was pushed open made me let out a cry of shock, scrambling into a sitting position with the covers around me. The intruder was my father, and from the candle in his hand, the orange flickering across his face, I could see he was sporting a gash on his forehead.

"Father…" I just muttered as he took hold of my wrist and yanked me out of bed, down the sweeping stairs, ignoring my cries of. "You're hurting me-!" This wasn't like him. I was his only daughter whom he doted on. A nightmare. This had to be one. A vivid, violent one at that.

It was like he couldn't say anything to me as I was pushed into the kitchen, the thick oak door shut behind me as my father retreated out the room.

The cock of a pistol was unmistakable, and I didn't need to turn around to know there was someone else in the room as I muttered, voice so quiet it was a whisper. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Turn'round."

I stayed silent as I obeyed, turning on the spot, biting my bottom lip so hard I was afraid of breaking the skin, so I stopped. It was a man, had to be from the state and size of the boots, but he stayed in the shadows purposefully in my fathers usual seat at the dinner table. The tip of the pistol was aimed in my direction, directly between my eyes. One pull on the trigger and I'd be blown to kingdom come.

"Are ye the lady of the house?"

A pause and I nodded the tiniest of fractions, swallowing back tears, trying to look anywhere but at him. Tears meant showing fear… yes, I was terrified, but I couldn't, wouldn't show it.

"Where's ya mother?"

"Six feet under."

A pause later and I took a step back as the man got up, asking me another question of "How old are ya lass?"

"Seventeen." The whisper barely left my lips, and my answer obviously wasn't what was on his mind, for he finally left the shadows and I spied furrowed brows under a wide leather hat. Confusement was prominent in his dark eyes.

It only took one overlook on his attire to know what he was- something I'd enjoyed reading as a much younger child. Pirate adventures. He was a pirate.

"Name, missy?" he asked now, and I took the opportunity to say, eyeing up the weapon, murmuring . "Lower that thing first."

"Nay. Manners first love."

"Please." I muttered, not daring to contest this pirate. It wasn't in my nature to be bold. To my surprise, he actually lowered that infernal device and stared at me. It took me a moment to realize that he was waiting for my answer. "April."

"No guessing what month you was born in, eh?" He smirked and lay the gun on the scratched surface of the table where I did the bread kneading. Lovely, there would be gunpowder staining it now. That would taste foul. I never replied to his goad, just merely standing there in my cream nightgown with hands clasped together, feeling more awkward than that day where father had tried to pair me up with a young man from our town. Quiet the arrogant man that wanted a trophy wife, not a plain woman like myself.

"Can I go back to bed now?" I muttered, looking down, not wanting to meet his eyes, scared incase they were hostile or worse. Pirates weren't feared just for their murderous and pillaging tendencies. And I was a young woman in her nightwear, stood before… I didn't know his name.

"No, I am beyond starving. Be a doll and make me something."

I didn't question him, didn't have the guts to. So I just got up and walked over to the pantry, snagging the candle from its holder in the kitchen to light the way and slipped inside, only just noticing my shaking hands as I picked up a loaf of bread and walked into the now well lit kitchen where father was back, sat opposite the pirate who had a hand on his pistol as warning it seemed like. His forehead had stopped bleeding.

The intruder. He couldn't have been more than nineteen, maybe twenty I realized now as I saw his face. He hadn't been a pirate for long for sure. There was an air about him, one that came with… inexperience-?

I made vegetable soup in silence as he and father spoke. Father knew him from his tone, and not in a good way from the looks he was giving the pirate. Dark, collective ones where he shot glances at the pistol in the fiends grip.

My curiosity was growing more and more as the night wore on, and by the time I was serving up the steaming bowls with sliced bread, I plucked up just enough courage to ask during the silence but for the clinking of cutlery. "Will that be all?"

"Mmmn, yes love. Straight upstairs with ye, if anyone of an official lookin' nature makes an appearance, a bullet will grace ye fathers heart." The pirate told me carelessly though a mouthful, not bothering to look up at me, and as father stayed silent, I took that as my cue to leave, so leave I did.

Upstairs, I didn't yell for help or try to escape. What good would that do? A dead father, nothing else. Instead, I pressed my ear to the wooden floor of my room and listened to my father speaking.

"Leave my daughter out of this."

"Oh I intend to. She's not the type to run screamin' into town, is she now?"

"Far from that."

"Good. Now, to business- I require a ship. Preferably one with a crew and set path already."

"…no."

"Sorry, me ears didn't quite catch that."

There was silent in which I heard father growl quietly. "You dare name yourself Captain, minus a ship?"

"Well, me ship was actually rudely and ruthlessly taken from me quite recently. On me way to sort this whole shebang out."

"The worst captain in history."

"But a captain nonetheless." The pirate said, rather smugly it sounded to my ears. Another silence, then father spoke, voice… surprised-? "You. I recognize you. Almost four years ago now, the Wicked Wench."

"Was. Now the Black Pearl."

"She sunk. I watched with my own eyes as she went down with her captain. Who is somehow sat before me. You should be dead."

"Aye. Should be. But not."

My brows were furrowing now- just who was this pirate? An ex captain that my father had sailed with by the sound of it. It was bizarre, like a man back from the dead.

"So, Sparrow."

"Captain."

"You want my ship and crew."

A silence, so I guessed this Sparrow nodded instead of a verbal reply. Fathers reply was. "I'd rather die than have a pirate take control of my ship."

Once more, another silence.

"Oh Captain Evans, now let's not be like that."

"You're not having my ship. Or my crew."

"I'll give ye an ultimatum; yer ship or ya daughter?"

My heart started to pound faster now, eyes widening in horror. I knew the pause would be long, so I dashed back down the stairs as quiet as possible where I peered through the crack in the door at the pirate as he leaned forwards in his seat and repeated with a smug look upon his face as he gazed at my father. "Yer ship or ya daughter? Which will yous be keeping? Choose. C'mon, I'm in a fair bit of a rush."

Father hadn't moved, and I was genuinely scared now, for I knew just how much he loved that ship of his. The standing he had in the East India Trading Company. And his reply was the one I never thought he would say. Ever.

"Neither. How dare you barge in here at such an undesirable time and threaten me and my daughter! Just what would a pirate like you want with her anyway? Begone with you!" then he yelled. "April! Get out of here!"

I stumbled back with shock, making the door rattle as I turned around to flee when I heard a loud whack and crash that indicated that father had been knocked out by the butt of a certain pistol.

The door was yanked open and I felt a hand grab me by the back of my nightgown and push me against the wall where I screamed, a hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me. A few rings were cold and painful against my skin with the tightness of his grip.

His eyes weren't as hostile as I was imagining them to be as I met them, deep, dark and brown. They were more surprised at his own actions than murderous. Maybe it was the tears sparkling, burning in my eyes that made his grip that was holding me against the wall by my stomach lessen, muttering. "Are ye going to be quiet?"

I didn't move, staying silent as my answer and as he removed his hand I muttered. "You're not a very good pirate."

"Hush, I'm new." He told me with the tiniest hint of a playful smirk, resting his now free hand on my hip which made me flinch. He noticed, for he let go. He really was new. Any normal pirate would have taken that as weakness and have held me tighter just to scare me.

I don't think he knew what to do, for he just stood there before me, halfheartedly holding me against the cold of the hallway wall. A stalemate. Neither wanting to make the first move. I spied a sword at his hip, knowing that if I tried to go for it, he'd beat me to grabbing it before me. Then I would be stuffed.

"What's your name?" I managed to ask now, rather timidly, breaking the silence. "Captain Jack Sparrow. Pleasure to make ye acquaintance love, even in this… undesirable of situations." He told me in reply, voice somewhat stronger than before. Confident.

But before I could speak, the sound of people approaching met my ears. The arguing had obviously been heard by our neighbors and authorities alerted to our predicament. Jack just growled into my ear. "Bugger-!" In a flash, he let me go and dashed back into the kitchen, grabbing something from the table and was back in a second as he told me, cocking his head a fraction. "Looks like no ship for meself."

I understood in a heartbeat what that meant- that it was me now. The ship or me, and it had boiled down to just me being left.

Oh god.

With the danger for himself fast approaching, he pushed me against the wall once more by my shoulders, saying with noses next to touching. "I'll be back. Give me a few years. No. Give me ten- ye won't be calling meself a rubbish pirate then, Miss. April."

And then he was gone. Gunshots outside meant he'd managed to escape.

Then there was me, trying to register the evening's events as I wandered back to the now dimly lit kitchen to find my father knocked out with his forehead against the wood of the table. He'd be fine.

A few redcoats rushed in now, the one with the red cheeks asking me hurriedly. "Is everyone okay?"

I nodded and glanced to father. "No need to worry. He'll be as right as rain. If not, I shall fetch the doctor."

He nodded and the pair of them left to pursue their quarry, announcing they'd be back later for our accounts on what had happened.

As I crossed over to the table to collect up the pots, the shock was wearing off as I dumped them with the rest of dishes to be washed, my bare foot trod on something hard and cold. A hiss of pain and stoop later, it was resting in the palm of my hand.

A dark golden ring. Chunky with a red stone embedded into it that had to be a ruby. A pirates ring. I pocketed it without thinking, mind utterly blank.

Time would tell if a pirates words would come to pass or not.

-Reviews would be so lovely! Thank you and maybe drop one?-