Many, many thanks to those who have reviewed my story! My thanks to Anonymous, Indigent Tenshi, Rusalka, anya509 for their kind words and encouragement. I also would like to thank Softbrush and say that my reaction was much the same as yours when I found out that Barbossa's first name was Hector. It seemed rather lame to me at the time, but it begins to grow on you after a while.

I wish I could say that I owned a piece of Pirates of the Caribbean or the 300 million that it has pulled in, yet I am still a poor college girl up to her eyeballs in debt. Now, onto the story!

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Chapter 2 - Fortunes and Fate

Hector Barbossa sat alone in The Faithful Bride of Tortuga, waiting for a change in his fortunes. His mood matched the dark and dangerous ambiance of the tavern. Nothing had been going right of late and a large drink seemed to be the only way to assuage the situation. He, however, unlike his many fellow buccaneers throughout the Bride preferred wine to grog as it was more refined and didn't completely rob him of his faculties. The table on which his cup set was a bit wobbly, as if it had been pieced back together several times after the melees that occurred nightly in the volatile town. The wood was mottled with marks from bullets and daggers, and it had been stained with rum, blood, and other substances that were better left unthought of.

As usual The Bride, one of the many taverns that lined the streets of Tortuga, was full of drunken brawlers and painted harlots. The atmosphere was thick with the smoke from innumerable candles that cast a dim light, although shadows pervaded the maze of tables and nooks of the tavern. The fumes from the quantity of booze, which seemed to permeate everything and everyone in the establishment, alone were enough to make one a bit light-headed. Those with more furtive business occupied the tables farthest from the bar, and thus were more removed from prying eyes and snooping ears. It was apparent that Barbossa was ranked as perilous even among the class of patrons that frequented the tavern and his table was given considerable latitude. Most of the Bride's customers had enough sense to find other partners for their respective activities. Most, but not all.

"Barbossa!" a voice slurred drunkenly. "Tis a shame 'bout the Sovereign, matey." The pirate looked up to see a tall, gangly man with little hair, and apparently less intelligence, settle into the seat across from him. "Tain't e'ery day ya loose an 'ole ship," he commented with a moronic grin on his face.

Barbossa gave the man an indulgent, yet cold smile before replying, "That be unusually dense, Mister Bishop, even for a lubber like yerself."

"Way I 'eard it, ya got into a tangle with two man 'o wars off Jamaicar and 'ad ta turn tail ta get 'way." Bishop blundered on, seeming to take unusual satisfaction with the story and completely oblivious to his impending doom. "Cap'n dead, ship bad damaged. Look like the great Barbossa tain't so great after all. Face it, ol' man, yer time is ov...ahhh!"

The fool didn't even have time to catch himself when Barbossa hooked his chair with the toe of his boot, sending his uninvited guest sprawling backward onto the fifthly floor. Bishop blinked up stupidly at the dull gleam of a cutlass blade that cut dangerously into his neck. Several punches were halted in midair as all movement in the tavern stopped in an instant. All eyes were fixed on Barbossa and the pirate who had been reckless enough to incur his anger.

"Unless yeh wish this to be yer last night on earth, Mister Bishop, I suggest yeh keep a civil tongue in yer head," Barbossa said smoothly, though there was an edge to his tone that made the hair on one's head stand on end. Bishop swallowed hard and turned several interesting shades of green before beginning to apologize so rapidly that he was practically unintelligible. His eyes darted about wildly, desperately seeking some way to escape. The older pirate shot him a look of disgust before giving the oaf a kick that sent him sprawling again. "Get out of here and don't let me catch yeh in the Bride again. Next time I won't be so gentle when I teach yeh manners."

Bishop fell over his own limbs several times before he managed to pick himself up and stumble to the door, but found himself on the floor once more when he ran into a very large black man with a strange pattern of marks on his skin and a fierce expression on his face. The unlucky fellow emitted a strangled cry as he was tossed unceremoniously out into the street. The tavern goers quickly went back to their business as the black pirate sent a menacing glance around the interior.

Seeing Barbossa, he quickly went to his table and righted the fallen chair before sitting in it himself. He looked at the old pirate unflinchingly and asked, "So what is de word, Sir?"

Barbossa smiled grimly as he said, "The ship's a loss, Bo'sun. The seams be cracked and the damage to the keel unrepairable."

"Dammit!" Barbossa was about the only person in the tavern that didn't flinch as his companion slammed his first down on the table, causing it to wobble precariously. "Dat fool Hume has stranded us witout a ship!"

The older pirate shook his head and said, "I should have taken command of the Sovereign 'fore Captain Hume could lead us into that trap. At least he won't be makin' that mistake again." He sat back and let out a sigh of frustration. "We'll be needin' a new ship. How many of the crew be left?"

Bo'sun looked grim. "Twenty-two and several are bad hurt. Quartermaster Marn be dead and Ragetti will lose his eye."

Barbossa nodded and took a long pull of his wine before he instructed, "Make inquiries about what ships are here in Tortuga and who be needin' hands."

"Aye sir," Bo'sun replied and he quickly left the table, leaving Barbossa alone to brood again. At least for a moment.

"So ya lost your ship, mate?" a voice said from behind him. "That's an unfortunate turn of events indeed."

Barbossa stifled a groan at the words and could not help but wonder why he was being plagued by every fool in Tortuga this night. He turned slightly in his chair to see whomever it was who was speaking. To his surprise, it was a young dark eyed fellow with a wench on one arm and a tankard in his free hand. He seemed hardly more than a boy, yet he had an easy sort of confidence that caught Barbossa's interest.

"I thank 'e for yer sympathy, lad," he said with wary vigilance, "but I'm not of a mind to commiserate."

"Good, neither am I," the young pirate replied, sitting down opposite him and settling the giggling girl onto his lap, her arms wrapping around him. "I've heard that you sailed with Morgan (1) in your younger days and that you're a master when it comes to taking ships."

"Takin' ships is just like any other trade, lad," Barbossa acknowledged with some pride, "and I be no amateur."

The dark eyed man nodded and continued, "Then I have a proposition that may be of interest to ya. An opportunity, as it were, for both of us to get something we need. You have a crew that needs a ship and I have a ship that is only lacking a crew."

"Yeh have a ship?" Barbossa asked incredulously.

"I do indeed, mate." The young pirate answered, looking very pleased with himself. "And it won't be long before her name, and that of her captain, will be legend throughout the Caribbean."

Barbossa, though not one to be impressed by idle boasting, gave the youth a searching look before saying, "Yeh seem to know a lot about me and my business, yet I don't recall setting eyes on yeh before."

His associate smiled broadly at the unstated, yet clear question, and replied, "I am Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl."

"Ne'er heard of yeh," Barbossa declared, thoroughly unimpressed.

"You will," Sparrow retorted, his smile never faltering. "Come aboard the Pearl tomorrow and you'll see that there is not a ship on the ocean that can touch her." Although Barbossa gave him no reply, Sparrow seemed confident that the business was concluded and he drained his rum with a gulp.

Barbossa watched the young captain stumble away with his lady into the darker recesses of the tavern. In spite of his disdain for braggarts, he could not help but wonder if there really was something to the young pirate and his ship. After a few more moments, he too rose from the table to look after his own comfort for the night. "Tomorrow it is then, Sparrow," he said softly as he left The Faithful Bride.

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Author's Notes

Just one note this time. If anything else in the chapter needs to be explained, just ask in a review.

1) In the script for the movie, Barbossa said that he had sailed with Morgan. Although I have some problems with this statement because of the time line of the movie and because many things were changed from the script, I decided to use it because it is very telling about Barbossa's character and his history.