Morning came and the young woman stirred. Aside from a dull aching in her head, she was strangely comfortable. She could feel that she was in a bed, yet she couldn't remember getting home, well, to a bed anyway. She opened her eyes and didn't recognize her surroundings – she also didn't recognize the man that was staring down at her.
"Yer awake!" he said happily.
"Um…yes," she said, her voice shaking.
"Ye feel all righ'?"
"I'd feel better if I knew where I was, or better yet, who you are."
Jack smiled. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow and yer on The Black Pearl."
The woman seemed almost pleased with that answer. "You are? I am? But how?"
"Well," Jack said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I was on me way back here last night when I…I tripped over ye, ye see. Ye were face down in the mud and I din' wan' t' just leave ye there, so I brought ye aboard and me only female member o' the crew cleaned ye up…but she wouldn' take ye t' 'er cabin, she's a bit bratty tha' way, but I owe 'er a ship, so I really can' complain an'…"
"Could you slow down a bit please?"
"Oh…sorry, love. Anyway, I din' know wha' else t' do with ye, so I put ye in here by the fire 'till ye warmed up, then put ye in me bed. I slept on the floor, not quite sure why I did tha' now tha' I think about it, an', well, now yer awake."
"You didn't, um, you weren't, piratey with me?"
"Piratey?" Jack laughed.
"You didn't have your way with me?"
"Ye weren't awake, love, wha' fun would tha' o' been?" The woman looked a tad frightened, causing Jack to add, "Not tha' I woulda done tha' anyway. I can assure ye, tha' even though I'm a pirate, I've ne'er taken a wench, er, woman, by force." He smiled. "They've all been more than willin' t' come t' me bed."
"Well, that makes me feel better," the woman said sarcastically.
"So, ye know who I am, can I know who ye are?"
The woman looked down at the covers, twisting them in her hands. "I suppose I owe you that much. My name is Cordelia."
"Cordelia…what?"
The woman looked a bit sad. "Just Cordelia, Captain. No last name that I'm aware of."
"No parents then?"
"No. My mother died in childbirth, my father was…" She sighed heavily. "My father was a pi…sailor."
"A pie sailor?" Jack asked.
The woman could see no reason to lie; after all, she was in a pirate town, on a pirate ship. "He was a pirate."
"Which is it, love, a sailor or a pirate?"
"Pirate. He left long before I was born and I've no idea who he was…I don't think I care anymore either."
Jack scratched his head. "Ye speak rather proper for bein' in Tortuga."
"I'm not from here. I'm from Port Royal."
"Tha's why ye sound so much like Elizabeth and the eunuch then," Jack smiled. Cordelia looked puzzled, but decided not to ask who he was talking about. "So, why are ye here, lass? An' how did ye end up in the mud?"
Cordelia looked ashamed. "I was here to find out about where I'm from, who I am. That led me into a bar, which led me to a man…I wouldn't go to his bed. Had he known I was alive when he left me, he'd have killed me. You probably saved my life."
"Someone…someone hit ye then?" She nodded. "D'ye know who?"
"Sure, some large dirty pirate. Does that help?"
Jack smiled at her. "Well, bathin's not the biggest priority here. Did ye find anythin'?"
"No, but it doesn't matter anyway. I'm probably better off not knowing." She looked around nervously for a moment, then met up with Jack's gaze once again. "Thank you, Captain Sparrow. Not many pirates would be so kind."
"I'm not just any pirate, love. I think I'll be takin' ye back t' Port Royal."
"You really don't have to do that…"
"I'm goin' there anyway, love – checkin' up on some mates o' mine. I'll feel better knowin' ye didn' go back into town."
Cordelia smiled. "You're a bit odd, Captain Sparrow."
"Odd? Well, tha's not very nice."
"I didn't say that it was bad."
