AN: News Bulletin: Guess what? It's not the last chapter! *giggles* Thank you my lovely reviewers, it is always so appreciated.

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Chapter 18: Charles' Story and Finding Ana

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Evans was doubled over and gasping and had dropped the sack he was carrying with an audible clunk. Jack felt a rush of rage towards the man when he saw it, rivaling that which he had felt for Barbosa. The contents of this bag were what he had sold Ana out for.

"Oh, aye," Jack continued, fist smashing into with the side of Evans' jaw; the man spun away and fell to his knees. "Sorry that I cannot do to ye black-hearted bastard exactly what I want to do," he finished, eyes holding the serious expression that those in his presence had become accustomed to seeing during the past week.

Evans leapt up with growl and drew his sword, advancing on the pirate captain. Jack could see clearly in the moonlight his bleeding cheek and felt a wave of satisfaction. He drew his sword as well, blocking the man's clumsy blows easily. Evans stepped heavily to the right as Jack's slash caught him off guard. Jack grinned, gold teeth glinting, and stepped closer, blade swishing forward dangerously.

Evans flicked up his sword and swung hard at Jack, who jumped backwards easily. Or, he would have jumped back had he not tripped over a loose cobblestone and staggered back, falling to one knee. The hunter advanced on him, planting his feet onto the ground and swinging the sword like a bat lethally towards Jack's torso. Jack looked up, eyes wide as he saw the blade coming towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut and-

--felt nothing. He looked saw James standing over him, holding his sword diagonally only inches from his nose, blocking the Evans' stroke. James kicked the man in the gut and he rolled backwards several feet. The officer offered his hand to the pirate, who accepted it gratefully and clamored to his feet.

Jack motioned for James to stay back while he approached the man, currently climbing to his feet and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Evans held out his sword, mouth set in a hard line. In the moonlight, the line of blood creeping down his face gave the man a savage and hellish appearance.

The pirate blocked two blows, impatience growing. Ana obviously wasn't with this man, and he had already collected his reward, which meant that Adler now had her back, for what reason, Jack's dark imagination could only see the worse. Jack attacked; it was blocked. Then to catch him off-guard, he attacked low, slashing the man across the thigh. Evans grimaced and Jack took advantage of his hesitation, knocking the sword out of his hand and shoving him headfirst into a large crate, where he lay moaning.

Norrington came forward somewhat reluctantly, drawing a pair of irons and a length of rope from his belt. He clapped the irons on the crumpled hunter's arms while Matthew looked on in fascination. He then bound the man's feet awkwardly, as the man was still struggling.

"Where's Anamaria?" Jack demanded in a low growl. Evans glared up at him and made no response. "Where is my first mate?" Jack pressured; his patience was waning further, and his boot found its way to rest purposefully beside Evans' nose. Jack gave his cheek a light encouraging kick.

Evans squawked in surprise and opened his mouth to say hoarsely, "Oh, I daresay Adler's havin' a bit o' fun with her now. A feisty one, ain't she?" Jack's murderous look possessed him to continue, "She'll be quite useful to him in retribution too, 'afore he kills her o'course."

Evans let out a grunt muffled by the cobblestones as Jack's boot-tip connected painfully with his head. Staring down disdainfully at him, Jack motioned to Matthew. "Watch him," he told the boy, handing him his boot dagger, "Don't let him try anythin' funny."

Jack strode over to the doorway that Evans had just come out of, a confused James following him in bewilderment. "You--you can't just give a knife to a child, Jack-" he sputtered indignantly.

"I can," Jack told him calmly with no backward glance to ensure that the commodore was following, "An' I just did."

"Jack Sparrow!"

Jack paused in the entrance of the building and poked his head out as a new piqued female voice drifted through the night air. He grimaced as he saw the company making its way down the street. James' normally solemn face on the contrary, took on a relieved and happy expression.

"Miss Swann," Jack acknowledged reluctantly, knowing he was in for a slap.

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Ana felt Charles' hand slip around her shoulders and then begin its descent downwards. Ana shoved him off of her, using the little body strength she still possessed.

He chucked, dusting off his suit jacket, "Still the fiery one, I see?" Ana growled at him in disgust and opened her mouth to scream. He cut her off with his hand over her mouth and glared down at her, "Now, Maria, I wouldn't want you upsetting anyone just yet," He removed his hand and Ana opened her mouth again. He slapped her across the face and at her shocked expression removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it securely around her face, acting as a gag. "My dear, I think you underestimate me," he said patiently, stepping across the room to open a carefully concealed door.

Ana's eyes widened as she saw through it another room containing three large, dark-skinned men staring back at her with hard eyes. Her eyes went from one to the other, each one being heavily armed and dangerous. Her eyes shifted back to Charles, who was staring on smugly, and he shut the door gently. "Yes," he mused, inspecting her carefully. "As much fun as it will be to have you back in my bed, I must admit I haven't been completely honest with my intentions."

Ana frowned and watched him draw a pair of shackles from the desk drawer and glared at him with rage-filled eyes as he came towards her with them. Ana stumbled to the other side of the room in an attempt to escape what she knew was coming. She backed into the corner of the bed, and tripped, her ankle twisting painfully. As she fell, her head grazed the paneling. She gritted her teeth as the throbbing pain she had been experiencing intensified in sharp pangs and her ankle began to burn uncomfortably.

Charles knelt before her and snapped the shackles around her ankles, ignoring her struggles. He lifted her easily and tossed her onto the bed where she lay, wild-eyed and bound.

"Let me see, what was I saying? Ah, yes," he went on, answering his own question, one hand currently drawing wide circles around her knee, ignoring her attempts to roll herself out of range of his touch. "When I realized you were alive, Maria, I remembered all the good times we'd had together--"

Ana would have laughed aloud if she hadn't currently been tasting that blasted gag. She managed to make a snort of disbelief. Charles stared down at her, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"A few months ago," he continued his expression going quite sour as began to explain, "One of my business associates came to me with curious news. It seems that one of the tribes in Dutch Angola on the western African coast, the Himba to be precise, finally discovered the fate of the son of their chief who disappeared nearly forty years ago; he was taken as a slave to a Caribbean Island. Truth be known, he unfortunately died eleven years ago, but his daughter is alive. The Dutch explorers in Angola is searching and offering an incredible sum of money for this woman's return in that her presence as the chief's granddaughter would give them great power over the people."

Ana stared up at him; his words were starting to sink in. Her father had died due to disease eleven years ago. Surely they did not mean that- Charles' other hand not on her knee he put on her shoulder, stroking downward with his finger to a place that had Ana struggling with renewed vigor.

"You, my dear, are they key. You have the ultimate key, which will prove your heritage. A ring, I believe, engraved with an initial 'A,' for his tribal name 'Ade' symbolizing royalty. My Maria, you shall make me wealthy beyond my dreams," he crooned in her ear.

Ana continued to struggle against him; her mind was working furiously. Her father was the son of a chief? The Dutch wanted her status to exercise their power over the Himba, her people? While Charles was preoccupied with creeping along her leg, Ana finally managed to force the gag up over her teeth so she was temporarily able to make noise.

She took a deep breath and screamed.

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The pirate captain could take it no more once he heard her scream. He ignored the warning look that James gave him and shrugged off both his and Will's arms that had been keeping him from breaking down the door the entire time that Adler had been talking. Jack shot the lock off the door with accustomed precision and rammed himself into the door, ignoring all the wounds that screamed at him in the process.

James and Will exchanged a look, knowing the pirate was acting rash, and with their weapons drawn, raced after him.

Jack managed to force the door open and rushed in. The first thing he noticed was Ana bound lying on a bed, her face and body grimy and beaten. His joy at finding her at last was countered by the fact that she was harmed and that Adler was nowhere in sight. "Anamaria," he breathed, striding over to her side and dropping to his knees beside her.

Ana's gag had slipped back into her mouth and she looked at him, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and relief. She saw behind him Commodore Norrington and Will Turner, swords drawn. He put his pistol beside her on the bed and used his sword to efficiently cut through the gag. She spat it out and licked dry her lips and swallowed so she would be able to speak. He brushed her tangled hair back from her face, concern clear in his eyes.

"Jack," she managed hoarsely after what seemed like an eternity to her, "Ye addle-brained fool, get out! There's guards back they're ready to kill ye! Go!"

Jack's eyes widened and he felt some annoyance mixed with amusement that her first words to him were to call him a fool. He shook his head, and he started to saw through the ropes binding her hands, feeling her jerk in pain with every time he had to pull. "Not without ye, Ana," he told her, eyes searching hers intensely, "Serves me right, leavin' ye alone and I'm not gonna do it again."

James and Will had crossed the room to the other door, and Will quickly snapped the chain-lock into place, hindering them from entering back into the room for a small amount of time at least.

Jack finally succeeded in freeing her hands, and froze, dismayed, when he saw her bleeding, raw wrists revealed. Ana winced as the cool air made contact with them but gave Jack a little shove to push him out of his thoughts. "Hurry, get these off me feet," she hissed.

The door thumped. All eyes in the room shot to it. "Jack," Will said tersely, "Get Anamaria out."

Jack looked around frantically for the key to the shackles binding her ankles. James spotted it on the desk and flung it at the captain, who caught it easily. There was the duel sound of stomping up the stairs and a pounding at the locked door. Jack unlocked the shackles with his unsteady hands, noting with a falling heart that one of her ankles appeared somewhat swollen.

The four were frozen, not knowing what to do as the sounds intensified. The door to the adjoining room burst open, stopped only by a thin chain. Gibbs threw himself into the room, holding out his pistol in readiness and froze, taking in the whole scene.

"Jack," James repeated Will's prior words sharply, "Get Anamaria out now!"

Jack stood, his pistol clutched in his left hand while in his right he wrapped around the woman's waist, pulling her to her feet. He would have carried her, knowing that it was most probable the either he would not be physically able or that she would protest too much. She winced as her injured ankle hit the ground and put little weight on it.

Jack began to step forward, pulling her along with him. Ana grit her teeth and continued to move, a burning pain beginning to throb along her side. She felt wetness along her ribcage but did not let herself make a sound. The two hobbled out of the room and around a corner and were faced with a daunting challenge: the staircase. They heard the loud bang of a door hitting the wall in the room they had just vacated and Anamaria stared up at him with wide, afraid eyes.

Jack did not reply and tightened his arm around her waist. His finger slipped upward along the place that Ana knew was soaked red, and Jack became aware of the damp fabric, looking downward at his visible fingers. In the dim light, he could see they were stained with red.

"Ana," he murmured, "When did this happen?"

*Flashback*

"Bitch!" Charles hissed in her ear, his elbow connecting painfully with her stomach to cut off her scream. He seized the fallen dagger that lay beside him on the bed and reached out to slash her stomach. She rolled over, anticipating the move and tried to block with her upper arm. However, her reactions were slow and it caught her just below her bicep along the side of her ribcage, making a painful arc against her skin. It stuck there before falling to the bed, stained red. Ana's mouth fell open in pain.

A pistol shot rang out. Charles scrambled to his feet and fled into the other room, door slamming behind him as the door to the stairwell burst open, revealing a disheveled and murderous-looking Jack Sparrow

*End Flashback*

"It's no matter, I'm fine," she told him softly. She carefully lowered herself down one step, already beginning to pant with the exertion.

Jack watched her disbelievingly but lowered his hand so it was not in contact with the wound and helped her down the stairs, the sound of the events upstairs following them. They reached the first stairwell after what seemed like forever; Ana was breathing heavily and Jack could tell that she was favoring her ankle and that she could not take much more of this and was already fading.

Ana paused, her vision swimming most irritatingly before her eyes, and the pain in her side nearly overwhelming the pain in her ankle. "Jack," she said, her voice sounding tinny and far away. She could barely see now, Jack's figure barely discernible to her fading eyes. "Jack, I can't-"

Her body slumped suddenly against his and was motionless.

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Historical Authors Note: The Himba settled in southern Angola and were a pastoral tribes there, with Dutch forts stationed along the coasts towards the end of the 1600s. And Ade is an actual African name meaning "royal one".

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Other AN: *****2/4/04**** Ive changed this chapter somewhat because due to research, I've realized that the Herero and Portugeuse (which had originally been Ana's tribe) didn't work out with the time frame, so I've changed it to the Himba (a branch of the Herero) and the Dutch. ______________________