A year passed.

Trynity had found her way to the island of Tortuga. She had made friends with a couple of the local innkeepers and tavern owners which she'd do chores for to pay for something to eat and somewhere to sleep if she needed it. But mostly she just stayed in the alleyways and near the docks where she could watch the ships coming and going.

The hard part wasn't watching for Jack. The hard part was not being watched herself. So rather than dress like a 12 year old girl, she'd stolen a pair of breeches and a shirt and vest from a young boy about her size which she donned and wore, tying her hair back in a braid and looking no more than a cabin boy herself. It worked. No one paid her more than a second glance and them that did were usually so drunk they were only messing with her to be obnoxious.

But she had a mission. And tucked safely under the shirt, still hanging from the chain around her neck was the one thing that kept her going every day.

Another month passed and as she sat on the steps in front of the Drunken Parrot, she heard a loud squeal from one of the wenches and a laugh coming from…

"And don't be forgettin' that from now on when Captain Jack comes to port ya'll be mine for the night!"

Trynity blinked and jumped to her feet looking around the square and finally seeing him. Wait. THAT was the infamous Captain Sparrow? Uhm. He wasn't much over 5'8" and a bit thin and wiry. In fact, when Tryn looked down at herself, she could swear she looked like him in more than a few ways. Brown eyes back up to follow Jack along as he headed towards her, an arm around a brunette wench named Sophie and three other women tagging along behind. A grin at the captain as he stepped past her,

"Excuse me, Captain!?" she called out over the women's clucking, but Jack didn't hear her and headed on into the tavern. Trynity grumbled and turned to follow him in, but suddenly there was a loud bang and a thud from inside and as she was about to walk in through the swinging doors, a body flew out. She shrieked and jumped out of the way as the poor sap fell face first into the mud at the bottom of the steps and a snort at him. Then she was heading back into the pub and she looked around.

There! And she grinned as she began to weave her way through the drunken hordes of pirates and wenches, all the while keeping her eye on the prize. "Captain!" she tried to holler over the crowd again. "Captain Spar—" but suddenly she was hauled off of her feet by a rather large brute of a man with not as many teeth as he should have had and far more muscles than needed.

"Listen, little boy! I told ye what I'd be doin' t'ye if'n I caught ye in me place again!" the man-mountain growled in her face as he lifted her to get nose to nose.

Trynity knew better than to fight it and as she hung there in front of him, she made a lame attempt, "B-but I need t'talk t' Captain Sparrow!"

The tender grumbled and as if not even hearing her, he walked to the door and literally tossed her out the door.

Trynity landed hard on her bottom on the wooden walkway and with a whimper, she got to her feet and rubbed said injured derriere. A glare back at the tavern and a sigh. Fine. And she went to sit on the bottom step to wait for Jack once more.

Two hours later, the captain did indeed leave the Parrot and headed over to the inn next door. Trynity bounced to her feet once more and was after him like a tick on a dog this time. "Captain Sparrow!" she called out.

Jack normally would at least acknowledge anyone that would acknowledge his captaincy, even to the tune of a young man. And even though he now had his arms full of ….uh….wenches…he wasn't beyond inviting the 'boy' along. "Hallo, mate! And what be yer name? C'mon along! Always welcome to join the frolic and frivolity, son!"

Trynity looked at the women and a snort. "Not likely" she mumbled to herself. But as he headed for the Faithful Wench she growled and jumped up onto the step from the side so she was in front of him and blocking his way. "Captain! I need to talk to you. Please…just a few minutes?"

Jack blinked at the sudden appearance of the 'lad' and that slightly wavering smile down at the 'boy'. "Mate….there are two things Captain Jack loves to do. Talking is indeed one….but the other…." And he looked at first Sophie and then the other woman he'd picked up in the Parrot. "And the smart lad would be wantin' to get Outta me way and tomorrow I'll be able to chat it up with ya as much as ya want, aye?" And he eased the women around the blockade and a smile at said blockade as he went on inside the Inn.

Trynity blinked and snorted as he went around her and even though she turned and pushed past the two guys at the door, by the time she was able to wiggle past, he wasn't there.

"What the hell….." she mumbled and a sigh as she looked over at the stairs heading up to a row of rooms. Most likely he……she shook her head and walked out again, heading this time to a stack of barrels of rum that were sitting against the building off by the corner. Jumping up onto one of the barrels, she drew her legs up to sit cross-legged and huddled close to the building for security. He'd have to come out eventually. And when he did this time he wouldn't get away as easily.

"JACK SPARROW, ye be a dog in the mud!" came a woman's shrill screech across the almost quiet courtyard as the Caribbean sun was already heating things up even at this ungodly hour.

Jack and his first mate, Joshamee Gibbs, laughed and chuckled as they plodded across the muddy square and headed off towards the docks and back to the Pearl. Trynity heard the shriek and the laughter and awoke with a jerk, nearly falling off of the barrel where she'd fallen asleep the night before waiting for him.

"Dammit!" she mumbled and trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, she ran after them.

Jack and Gibbs walked along the road and once down at the docks, Jack began giving Gibbs some things to get the men onto before they left Tortuga and as they were halfway down the dock, she finally caught up to them. "Jack!" she called out.

The men stopped and looked over their shoulders at her and a smirk at Jack from Gibbs. "Didn't think you were that way. Somethin' new, cap'n?" Gibbs teased. Jack snorted and turned to look at the 'boy'. "You were the lad that wanted to talk last night. Glad t'see that you were able to keep yerself from harm, boy."

"Captain Sparrow….we need to talk about something important."

Jack looked at Gibbs who had started to say something and cut off the first mate. "Didn't I give you a list of things to do, Master Gibbs?"

The older man was still grinning and a nod as he started to turn with a "Yes, Captain."

Jack grinned and a slap to the older man's shoulder, but then….

"Captain!" And she had stopped and was now standing a few feet away holding up something. Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the object trying to make it out. "What in blazes…" he started to say, but a quick hand gesture from Jack to 'cut' stopped him.

Gibbs blinked at the captain and a quiet, "What's that, Jack?"

Jack didn't take his eyes off of the trinket that the 'boy' was hanging from the chain around 'his' neck. Slowly, the captain began to prowl towards the lad. Trynity held her ground, not taking her eyes off of him, and the smallest of smiles as she knew he recognized the ring. When Jack got up to her, she let the ring rest in his cupped hand but didn't take off the chain. Jack studied the ring for a long time. Gingerly picking it up in his fingers and turning it around and around, studying it. Obviously it had been taken well care of. It was as if he'd seen it just –

Wait.

And his gaze looked up at the 'boy'. "Where did you get that?"

Trynity sighed softly and dug the letter out of her pocket and handed it to him. "As I said, Captain, we have a lot to talk about. This should help most of it."

Jack blinked at the letter shoved into his hand and then back to the …..and his eyes narrowed. . It was a girl. Her face…long, soft, blonde hair…long dark lashes…that perfect little upturn to her nose….that silhouetted splash of freckles across the bridge….the smooth skin….the way when she spoke, it sounded like chimes on the breeze…..everything was familiar to Jack. Too familiar. "What's your name, lass?"

"Trynity,." she said, that smile never fading. "Trynity….Jaqueline…..Sparrow."

Jack blinked again and opened the letter, letting her have back the ring. Immediately he recognized Chelsea's writing. Another look up at the girl. He suddenly felt faint. And Gibbs knew this wasn't going to be pretty as he helped Jack back onto the Pearl, only to be followed along by the girl. There was going to be a looooooot of explaining to do.