Just so you know I don't own Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Turner, or any other character in this fic except Annette, and I'm not getting paid for this. I'm tryin to keep them IC as much as i can, but if I'm not doing good then please tell me and I'll try to fix it. Constructive criticism only, thanks, It doesn't help if you just say I suck at writing, so don't say that! I would really appreciate R&R, so again thanks. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Appearance
The wind whipped through the sails of the Black Pearl, and Jack Sparrow was forced to let go of the tiller with one hand to save his hat. The storm blew fiercely, buffeted the Pearl, and once nearly snapping the mast with a gigantic wave. The first mate ran up to him, stumbling as the gale tried to blow him off course.
"Jack! The sails won't take much more! If we don't take them in now, we never will!"
"'Ave a lil faith in 'er, Will. She'll manage," the captain replied, with a rebuking grin on his face.
William Turner nodded, and returned to helping the crew hold the lines. Jack shook his head. The boy--man, he silently corrected himself--had come a long way from the blacksmith that, six years ago, had braved pirates, death, curses, and the Royal Navy to save Elizabeth Swann, now Elizabeth Turner, from the late Captain Barbossa, but he still could use some more faith in the Pearl.
With one hand still on his hat, Jack nearly lost his precarious grip on the tiller as the currents once more battered the rudder. He released the hat, after mashing it onto his head as far as it could go, then seized the tiller, and pulled it back on course. They were bound for Port Royal because Elizabeth was there, and Will wanted to see her again. Th' foolish girl'll prob'ly want teh join th' crew, teh stay near 'er husband, Jack thought, shaking his head again. The act nearly lost him his hat, and he once again let go of the tiller to grasp it.
The Pearl took refuge in a natural harbor not to far from Port Royal, and Jack and Will disembarked, heading for the city. Will had pleaded with Jack not to go, because the proud pirate never wore a disguise, but the captain would not listen to the arguments of his first mate, and Will eventually conceded.
Thankfully, most of the soldiers were gone, out searching for the Black Pearl somewhere out near the coast of Cuba, and what little were left they either avoided or knocked out.
They never used the front door into the governor's mansion these days, it was to dangerous for Will, let alone Jack. They had a ladder that Elizabeth hid in the cellar, and after retrieving it, the two climbed into her room. She wasn't there, so they sat down to wait.
Elizabeth came not to long after that, and dropped her parasol when she saw them.
"Will," she whispered, awed almost beyond words.
"Elizabeth," he returned as he came to meet her.
They embraced for a moment, but before it could go any further, Jack came over.
"Now, as happy as I am teh see ye two together again, I'm afraid tha' we 'ave a matter teh discuss."
"What's that?" Will gave Jack an irritated glance, not only because he was intruding where he wasn't wanted, but because he knew nothing of this 'matter' and he was hurt that Jack hadn't told him.
"It's come teh me attention tha' Elizabeth'd like teh join th' crew o' th' Black Pearl..." He instantly knew he was right, because the pair both looked at him as if to say 'do you have a problem with this?' and that wasn't encouraging. He closed his eyes for a moment, then forced himself to continue. "But th' life o' a pirate might not suit m'lady--"
"What are you talking about, Jack?" Elizabeth interjected angrily. "Did I not prove myself worthy six years ago? I listened to Will, and stayed here, but that was because of Norrington, and now that he's off somewhere else, then it's much safer."
"Piracy's never safe, Elizabeth," Jack put in gently, but neither of them would have any of it.
Jack sighed as he took up the tiller an hour later. Those two had yelled at him for ten minutes, then related tales of Elizabeth's deeds as she helped him regain the Pearl, including saving his life from Commodore Norrington.
"How can you not repay the favor Jack?" Will had pleaded, and that was when the arguments had ended. Elizabeth was now happily unfurling the sail by her husband's side, and Jack watched her a moment before sighing again.
They started to leave the harbor, but a lone figure exited the forest at the edge of the clearing, and Jack called a halt, and told some of his men to seize him.
Several pirates left the ship, savage yells echoing off over the water. When they were just a few feet from the figure they stopped, and appeared to be having a conversation, then they grabbed him and hauled him back to the Pearl.
As the party came up onto the ship, Jack noticed that the figure that was calmly coming aboard surrounded by pirates that were doing their best to make it a rough trip, was a woman, not a man. This took him aback for a moment, and he appraised her with new found respect.
He didn't let that show, however, as the woman came to a stop in front of him, and he fixed her with a stern eye. "Who might ye be, lass? An' wha' business have ye wiff me an' me ship?"
She turned her gaze to face the crew, slowly running it over every man, and the two women, on board until her eyes came to rest on Will. Confusion covered his face, for he vaguely recognized her, but he couldn't place from where. A smile came to her lips, sad and slightly nostalgic, and her hand rose to point at him. "He is why I have come. I came to find...my brother." Comprehension dawned on Will's features, and he slowly started forward, an odd look on his face. Elizabeth saw what was behind his eyes and followed him, not sure whether to protect him or offer support.
When Will stood only a few feet from his sister he stopped, his wife right behind him and looking over his shoulder at this curious woman. She stood tall and proud, a look of triumph and happiness on her tanned, tough face. Her hair was long, reaching the middle of her back, and black, with slight curls in its length. She was shorter than her brother, but not by too much, maybe 3 in, and had the same kind of quiet strength about her, as if she had worked hard all her life and wanted only peace in return. She wore simple clothes, but what took everyone aback was that they were men's clothes, a coat and breeches, not a woman's skirts. Her clear gray eyes looked him full in the face, taking in the sight of her long lost and long loved brother.
The rest of the crew, Jack included, simply watched this family reunion, not sure what to do about this strange woman and her connection to their friend. Finally, Will broke the tapestry, bringing everyone back to life as he embraced his sister. They both had tears in their eyes when they parted, and Elizabeth came forward now, no longer suspicious. "Hello, there. I am Elizabeth, Will's wife. May I inquire as to your name?"
"Of course you may ask my name. How rude of me not to have provided it. I am Annette, daughter of William and Annette Turner, named for my mother."
Here Will interjected. "I thought she was lost, that's why I never spoke to anyone of a sister. It pained me to talk of it. You remember the wreck that led me to meet you, Elizabeth?" When she nodded he continued. "Everyone thought that I was the only survivor, me included, and she was on that ship with me. We got separated during the attack, and I haven't seen her since. What happened to you?" This last remark was aimed at Annette, curiosity lighting his features. Throughout his life after the wreck he had always felt a sense of having failed his sister in some way, even though there was not much that the 12 yr. old Will could have done.
Annette's eyes gained a far-away look, and they all knew she was staring at the images of the past. After a moment, she began to speak, a little slowly, as if the words were hard for her to say. "I was terrified. The only anchor I had was the hand of my older brother, who seemed so calm that it provided comfort to me. We raced along the ship, trying to find our way to the life-boats, but an explosion rocked the deck, and I lost my footing and Will's hand all in the same dread moment. Sliding along the slick deck I grew disoriented, and hit my head on something. I woke up not long after that, surrounded by fire and smoke. Desperately, I crawled around, searching for a way out of the blazing cage that would soon transform into the terrifying cold oblivion of Davvy Jones' Locker. I grew panicked, not knowing which way to turn, when I discovered the last remaining life-boat. I didn't know why it was still there, nor did I care, all I felt was relief as I crawled into it and severed the cords that would drag it to the bottom of the sea along with the ship.
"I floated a long time on the ocean. So long that I wondered if my efforts aboard the ship had all been in vain, and I would die anyway. Eventually I came to a shore, and found people there. A woman took pity on me, and adopted me as her daughter. My hard life began, for the woman had me become her apprentice in the skill of felting cloth, and that's hard work that took a long time to become accustomed to. At 15 I ran away, determined to find out if my brother was still alive. It had tormented me for 7 long years, and once I was old enough I set out to find you. Six years later, I came to Port Royal and heard about you, m'lady. A woman that shared my family name. So I asked around, wondering how you, Governor Swann's daughter, came to bear my name. They told me of the 'disgraceful' marriage between a noble woman and a pirate. A pirate by the name of William Turner, who had become part of the crew of the dread Black Pearl.
"Ever since I have watched you closely Elizabeth, waiting for Will to return to you. I knew he would. He was always faithful to me, and he would be equally faithful to whoever he loved." She turned to the captain, who had taken on a proud bearing at the mention of 'the dread Black Pearl,' and smiled. "That's how I noticed your ship, Captain Sparrow. Not by any error on your part, this is a wonderful place to hide a pirate ship. Only a handful of people in Port Royal even know it exists, and some of them don't even think a ship can anchor here."
Jack came forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled in turn. "Thank ye fer th' compliments, lass. An' any friend o' Will's is a friend o' ours, so ye're welcome aboard should ye want it." Will beamed at that, and Annette nodded her wish to stay. He recovered his arm and clapped once. "Good then! Now tha' that's settled..." He glared around at the crew, who were all still standing and watching the four. "What're ye mangy dogs lookin' at? Get ready teh set sail!" The crew scrambled to obey their captain's orders, but Jack stopped Will and Annette. "It's all righ' if I lose me first mate fer a while, Will. Go an' spend time wiff yer sisteh." He nodded to Elizabeth. "Ye, too, lass. She's yer sisteh as well, now. I've plenty o' men teh do these plain jobs. Mebbe I'll come down lateh an' join ye." All three nodded, and gave small salutes, slightly mocking smiles on their faces, before departing at Jack's fake anger.