Disclaimer: I do not own POTC. **sigh**. I wish I do though.
This is an AU story. Dead Man's Chest and At World's End never happened.
Chapter 2- Welcome to The Black Pearl
A silence hung above the room. Jack looked at the confused girl in amusement. She was biting her lip and holding her head in her hands, trying to remember her name. In his opinion, the girl must had have hit her head on something while she was in the ocean and now had amnesia. He observed her even more closely; her hair (which he removed from its braid the day before) cascaded down her back in waves and ended just below her shoulder blade; her eyes were a soft, chocolate-brown; her lips were pink and looked (to his delight) soft; and her skin was tanned just right. In short, she was very attractive.
At least Annamaria's clothes fit her. His only female crewmember took it upon herself to change the girl's clothes while she was unconscious and in a way, Jack was thankful. He wouldn't be able to control himself if it was him. A knock on the door tore his attention away from her. Cotton entered with a tray of food and placed it on the side table.
"Thanks mate. I'll take the tray back to the kitchen meself," Jack said.
Cotton nodded, smiled at the unknown girl and left. Jack turned back to the girl, who was eyeing the food, hungrily. He smirked and picked up a slice of apple and handed it to her. She took it and finished it in three bites. Soon enough, the apple slices were gone and she started on the bread. After that, the cheese.
While she ate, Jack simply watched her, half-amused, half-worried. Amused because the girl didn't pay to attention to proper etiquette, just indulged herself because of hunger. Worried because the girl couldn't remember who she was so they couldn't take her home.
_ _ _
"You're not serious are ye Jack?" Gibbs looked at him, fearfully. "She's a woman! She can't stay here! One is enough! We can't have any more bad luck around here!"
There came a growl from Annamaria.
"And what do you propose we do Mr. Gibbs, hmm?" Jack questioned his first-mate. "Toss her overboard or maroon her on an island?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Didn't think so." Jack turned to the rest of his crew. The girl was asleep in her room below deck and he thought this was the perfect time to tell his crew about the girl's stay on the Pearl. "Now, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. Our guest is not a wench and thus, should not be touched, groped, or given suggestive comments to. Treat her as you treat Anna, only a little more gently. Anyone here who does so or protests her stay will find himself marooned on an unnamed island. Savvy?"
The men hesitated. No one was sure how to react. Suddenly, the parrot squawked, "Aye!"
Mr. Cotton nodded in confirmation. Jack nodded in thanks at his direction.
"Aye!" Annamaria yelled. "We could use another woman on this ship." She glared at Gibbs as she said this.
One by one, the crew nodded their heads. At this, Gibbs sighed and gave his consent. He was all alone in this battle.
Jack grinned. "Good! Now, make as little noise as possible. Our guest is resting."
_ _ _
She woke up, feeling refreshed from sleep. She was feeling much, much better. She laid on her cot for a few more minutes, thinking. Who was she? Where did she come from? Who were her family? What happened to her?
When no answer came, she sighed heavily. She remembered nothing! Absolutely nothing! What was to become of her now? Even though Captain Sparrow was very kind to her, she couldn't be a burden to him and his crew! They found her, floating on a piece of wood at sea. And, they were pirates. Whoever knew pirates could be so kind?
She placed a hand to her chest and frowned. There was something hard against her hand. She reached inside her shirt and pulled out a circular pendant, a locket. She opened it and inside were portraits of a man and woman. Her parents? She examined the rest of it. No name nor initials.
Sighing, she tucked the necklace back inside her shirt and got out of bed, slowly. Her muscles ached but it felt good to move them. She began to walk around the room for a bit. Her legs were a little wobbly at first but she gained control of them quickly. As she looked around the cabin, she spied a brown bag, hanging from a chair. Is that hers? She walked over to it and opened it. Nothing much inside, except for a spare shirt, a spare pair of breeches, a brush, and, to her surprise, a dagger. None gave her a clue as to who she was. She slung the bag across her body and left the room. She climbed up to the upper deck and was greeted by a bright day.
The crew was already up. They nodded their heads in greeting at her before turning back to their morning duties. As she observed the black hull and sails, impressed by the ship's magnificence, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the man who had tended to her when she first awoke. He smiled and gestured for her to follow him. He led her down into another cabin: the galley. She sat on a bench on the long table as the man left through an adjoining door. Later, he returned and placed a plate of bread and cheese and glass of milk in front of her. He waved his hand, urging her to eat.
"Thank you," she said, before digging in.
A few minutes into her breakfast, the Captain entered the galley. When he saw her, he looked pleased. He sat on the bench in front of her. "Good mornin' luv, lovely day eh?"
She swallowed before answering, "Good morning, Captain."
"Remember anything yet?"
She smiled, sadly. "I'm afraid not, sir. My belongings give me no clue either."
Jack nodded. "That's certainly a bother."
When her smile faded, Jack immediately retracted. "I didn't mean you are the bother. I mean you not remembering anything must be a bother to you."
She smiled again and looked away from him. "Captain Sparrow, I want to thank you for saving me. But, you don't have to trouble yourself with my presence. You may drop me off at the next inhabited island you visit."
He mocked looking hurt. "Why, luv, don't you want to stay with us? The crew is willing to make room for ye and besides, where will you go? You don't know yourself and I doubt anyone would lend a helping hand to a stranger who couldn't remember who she was."
She hesitated. "I hate to be a burden."
"It's no trouble at all, luv. And I already talked to the crew. They promised not to touch you or do anything inappropriate. If they do, then I swear to you right here that I'll toss them overboard meself."
She giggled and he smiled. "Thank you. You've already done so much for me. Let me repay you by working on the ship."
He nodded, grinning. She blushed. It suited him, the grin.
"I plan exactly on that, luv. But, not yet. You're still a little weak. Maybe in a few days or so."
She frowned then shook her head. "I can assure you Captain that I'm feeling much better. I would like to work, now, as beginning of my payment."
He looked taken aback. He pondered on it, considering. Finally, he nodded. "If that's what you want, luv, then alright. But first, we need to give you a name. Now, what would you like to be called?"
She shook her head. "You found me, Captain. You give me a name."
"Luv, you ain't a dog."
"I'm aware of that. I just deem it appropriate that since I owe you my life as well as my current housing accommodations, you should name me."
He just looked at her then sighed. "Alright, I'll give you a name."
_ _ _
She was a noble, Jack could tell from her manner of speech. She may not remember anything but her birth was definitely noble.
As he continued to think of a proper name for her, she just watched him as she finished her breakfast. A name… She wanted him to name her. Well… He had come up with a couple of already. But none seem appropriate…
"Bertha… No," he whispered to himself. When she giggled, he smirked. He loved making women giggle! "Hannah, ick, no. Helena, too Greek. Hmm… Tia, no. Tania…"
He paused and looked at her. She tilted her head to the side and he inwardly chuckled. She looked really cute, child-like, but cute. And Tania…
"Tania," he decided. "That's your name from now on. Tania. Well?"
She nodded, smiling widely. "Tania is just fine, sir."
"All righty then." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Tania."
_ _ _
The crew was murmuring as their Captain walked to the middle of the deck, the girl they found walking behind him. Her eyes darted to every man and the sole woman on board, observing them with the curiosity of a child. When Jack raised his hand, they silenced.
"Men…"
"Ahem."
Jack rolled his eyes. "And woman, this lovely young lady here is Tania." Jack smirked when he saw pink tints form on her cheeks. He must admit, she was really cute. "She is a new member of our crew and I expect that you treat her as such. Her work is mainly assisting Annamaria with mending the sails and such as well as helping Cotton in the kitchen. Now, she still doesn't remember anything about herself so no one ask her anything. Also, patience mates. She needs to be informed as well as taught of her responsibilities. We are all family here and she shall be treated as family. Savvy?"
He looked specifically at Gibbs.
"Aye, captain," the crew chorused.
Jack turned to Tania. "Now, Tania. Do you have anything you want to say to the crew?"
She nodded, meekly. "Um, I would like to thank all of you for taking me in. I promise that I shall work as hard as I can so you wouldn't regret it."
When she smiled, brightly and sweetly at them, Jack noticed a change in his men's demeanor. When before they looked merely bored and out of it, the girl's smile produced a few smiles from them as well. Not mocking or lust-filled smiles. Genuine, "your welcome" smiles.
Well, that was something, Jack thought, as Gibbs ordered the crew to get back to work. The pirate captain turned to his new crewmember. "Well Tania, to start the day off, Annamaria will teach you how to mend sails. Anna?"
"Aye." The black woman came forward with a kind smile at the girl. "Alright lass, follow me and I'll teach you everything you need to know. Come on."
She walked away and Tania followed but not before turning her head to flash a grateful smile at Jack. The pirate captain felt something in his chest but he pushed it aside. Time to steer the Pearl to land!
To be continued…