Disclaimer: Still don't own the Pirate hunk from the movie, damn it.

AN: Okay, since I got more positive response for my Jack stories than from this one, I've decided to turn this into a Jack/OC story. I hope that people who liked this as a Will/OC story will forgive me for changing it, but that's my decision. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2: The Black Pearl:

From his semi-hidden spot at a corner table, Jack watched the barmaid, Elena, serve food and drinks to patrons from behind the safety of the bar. He didn't blame her; as a pirate, he knew what sort of things some of his fellow raiders could do to a girl. Of course, the Ragged Dog was different. The owner, Tommy, had been a sailor once, and he hadn't liked the way folks kept bothering the barmaids; when he opened his own tavern in Tortuga, he made it known that anyone who messed with the servers wouldn't be welcomed back. If someone really wanted some female attention, they could play with the prostitutes that Tommy kept for those purposes.

Jack took another sip from his mug of rum. He was trying to keep an eye on the lass that would be cooking on his ship, primarily because he didn't want anyone else to steal the girl, and her cooking talents, from right under his nose. He snorted in amusement as he took another drink of rum; if someone did try and steal from Jack Sparrow, they'd be killed three different ways before they hit the ground! Barbossa was proof of that.

As Jack took another sip of rum, one of Tommy's prostitutes came up to him and took a seat across the table from him. She was a pretty thing, with blond hair and hazel eyes, but there was something in her eyes that looked familiar; it was a look that said that she would give him what he wanted if she got something in return; Jack quirked an eyebrow.

"Can I help ye?" he asked, leaning back in his chair, sipping his rum.

The blond smiled. "I hope so," she said, leaning forward, showing off her cleavage.

Jack took a small peek (he was only human, after all), but otherwise resisted. He raised his eyes up to meet hers, putting on a look of boredom. "Those are very nice, luv, but let's cut the small-talk," he said, sipping his rum. "What is it ye want?"

Her body somewhat twitched in surprise before she put on a flirtatious smile. "I was hoping we could cut a deal," she said, leaning in closer. "I'll give ye all the pleasures that ye want, if ye get me off of this island." She gave him a seductive glance, obviously hoping to win him over.

Jack simply smiled. "Sorry, darling, but two women on my ship is all my men can take," he said, taking another sip of rum. He watched the girl jolt back in anger, inwardly smirking at her response to his words. "I don't mean to hurt ye, luv, but it's the truth. I already got a female crewmember and a new female cook, so having another isn't an option."

Her hazel eyes sparked with desperation. "But I'll do anything to get out of here," she pleaded, reaching out for him, attempting to use innocence to appeal to him.

Jack looked at her hand. He definatelyknew better than that, though. He'd seen it before, when other prostitutes had asked for the same thing. He had experienced this before, and had lived to regret it. "Sorry, but that's out of the question," he said, watching her reaction. "I can't afford to do it."

The girl gritted her teeth before standing up and stalking away. Jack chuckled under his breath before turning back to the red-haired woman behind the bar. Finally, after watching her for another hour, Jack finished off his rum and got up to leave, the blond glaring hate at him from across the room. Jack simply tipped his hat and left. He made a mental note to not come back until it was time to retrieve his cook.

After five days of waiting, Elena was more than ready to hang up her cleaning rag in the Ragged Dog and trade it for a chef's apron on the Black Pearl. She couldn't be more excited! Tommy had given her that week's wages, plus a little extra in thanks for bringing in more customers with her cooking; the extra money was also for quickly training a replacement in the kitchen. Personally, Elena was happy to provide a new cook for Tommy, since he wasn't really that bad of an employer and had been willing to let her go so easily; most employers wouldn't even consider such a thing, should it happen to their girls.

Sighing, Elena finished packing up the few belongings that she had managed to acquire in Tortuga. The last few days had been both a blessing and a nightmare. The thrill of escaping the life of Tortuga was wonderful, as was the thrill of finally being able to get back to her aunt. The nightmare part was Sally shadowing everywhere she went. The blond prostitute always followed Elena's step with a sneer on her face, obviously still angry at the fact that the new girl was able to get a ship out of Tortuga before she could.

Again Elena sighed; it wasn't her fault that this had happened to her, or that she had talents in better areas than prostitution! Pirates would only stay with a prostitute for so long before they got tired of them and abandoned them, but every ship needed a cook. Tommy had worked on a ship once, he told her, and everyone knew not to mess with the ship's cook, otherwise they would be eating something that could sicken or kill them later. This information certainly made Elena feel better; she certainly didn't want to have to fight off unwanted advances or anything else on a pirate ship! She really wanted to live to see her aunt's house again.

After making sure that she had everything, Elena gathered her small pack and moneybag, glancing around her room once more before heading downstairs, where Tommy stood in the middle of the tavern floor, a large grin on his face. Elena didn't know whether to be afraid or not; Tommy never grinned like that unless something fantastic had happened. Elena raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what had happened.

"Don't worry, lass, I won't be trying anything on ye," her employer said. He nodded towards the front of the tavern. Elena looked and saw Captain Sparrow in the corner, his arms crossed as he stood leaning against the wall. He nodded to her, but moved no closer. Tommy leaned forward. "Alright, I'm going to give ye a bit of advice before ye leave, so that life on the Pearl won't be so bad," he whispered. "When ye address him, always put 'captain' in front of it, unless asked otherwise; he gets angry if ye don't. Next, if he asks ye to stay in his cabin for a while, always try and keep an eye on him, he tends to keep his rum bottles closer to him than his sword. Third," Tommy hesitated. "Ye should know that he tends to go through girls like sailors go through drinks, so don't ye start falling for him. He may be charming, but he's not one to settle down, got it?" Elena nodded. "Good," he said. Tommy looked her up and down, giving her a gentle smile he reserved for those he thought deserved it. "I'm sorry to see such a good lass leave, but ye deserve better than this, Red. Good luck to ye. If ye ever need work again, come right back here, ye understand?"

Elena smiled at him before giving him a quick hug, catching him off guard. Tommy patted her on the back before releasing her. Both of them looked up to see Sally glaring at the two of them before stalking upstairs. Finally, Elena turned towards Jack and saw him frowning at her before he quickly hid it behind a smile. The pirate captain swaggered over to her and bowed, taking off his hat as he did so. As he rose, his eyes met hers, and she felt her heart stop. A second later, he winked at her and smiled.

"Shall we leave, milady?" he asked, smiling as he waved his hands dramatically towards the door. She nodded, and the two of them headed out of the tavern, though not before Elena looked back and saw Sally glaring down at her from the top of the stairs. Elena mentally shook her head and headed out the door, not looking back.

The two of them were soon headed down the docks toward the Black Pearl. When they reached the end of the gangplank, Elena stood and stared at the beauty of the tall ship. Every part of it was made of some sort of black wood, giving it an elegant, yet somewhat frightening, appearance. When she had been a young girl, Elena had heard terrible stories about it from her father, who had been to some of the settlements attacked by the Black Pearl all those years ago. He said that the towns had been leveled down to nothing, as though the pirates onboard had been looking for something in particular, only stopping the attack after they had found what they had been looking for. After Elena had experienced several nightmares about the Pearl, her father had taken to telling her all sorts of amazing tales about the famous pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. It was only after she had come to Tortuga that Elena had learned that he was the captain of the dreaded Black Pearl. For some reason, now that she was actually going onboard the ship, she couldn't imagine why she had been having nightmares about it before.

A hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Jack standing next to her, an eyebrow quirked in amusement. She smiled up at him in excitement, and Jack responded with a charming smile, offering his arm as well. She accepted, and he escorted her onboard. Once on deck, Jack let out an ear piercing whistle, immediately catching the crew's attention.

"Alright, you dogs," Jack yelled, causing Elena to wince. "Get everyone out here on deck; we've got a new crewmember!"

As everyone gathered on deck, they couldn't help noticing the red-haired young woman. Some crewmen smirked at her, giving her suggestive glances before a frown from Jack put them off. After everyone had been gathered, Jack jerked his head towards Elena.

"Mates, this is Elena, our new cook," Jack said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Anyone that gives her trouble will be hanging from the hull of the ship before he can blink, savvy?" He gave the crew a pointed look. A chorus of "ayes" answered, and the crew scattered. Suddenly an elderly man approached the two, motioning for Jack to follow him, which he did. The distance didn't matter, though; Elena could still hear their conversation, considering that the two were only a few feet away.

"It's bad luck having one woman onboard, cap'n, much less two, " the elderly man stated.

Jack frowned. "Gibbs, we need the girl if we're going to be eating decent food for the next year or so," Jack said, glaring at the crewmember.

"I still think it's a bad idea, cap'n," the man called Gibbs said.

"Well, too bad, Gibbs, the woman stays." With those final words, the two parted, Gibbs for the crow's-nest and Jack reclaiming his spot by her side, his arms once again around her shoulders. Suddenly, Jack motioned to someone with his free hand, keeping his other one preoccupied with holding Elena's shoulders, unknowingly making her uncomfortable.

A dark-skinned woman came over, giving Elena a quick scan with her eyes.

"Aye, Cap'n, what do ye want?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Annamaria, this here is Elena Marks, our new cook and your new roommate," Jack said, waving his free hand at her. "Take her below and show her around, would ye? I've got work to do."

Annamaria nodded before beckoning to the red-head. Elena looked up questioningly at Jack; at his nod, she immediately followed the pirate woman down below, not realizing that Jack's eyes followed her until she vanished below.

After a quick tour of the ship, Elena couldn't help but frown. The galley had nothing that she could use to make an edible meal. The pots and pans were rusty, as were the cooking utensils. There were little or no herbs to cook with, and Elena felt that this job would be more difficult than she thought. Finally, she went upstairs to talk with the Captain. After she had reached the top deck, she saw him at the helm, overlooking the crew. She immediately walked up to him.

"Captain, may I have a word with you?" she asked.

Jack turned to her, a smile on his face. "Luv, I thought I told ye to call me Jack," he said, smiling. "Only the rest of the crew should call me Captain." He gave her a wink, which she ignored, or at least tried to.

"Jack, I need to talk to you about the cooking utensils," she said, crossing her arms.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What about them?" he asked, cocking his head.

"You need new ones," she said bluntly. "They're all rusty and shouldn't even be in use. Do we have time to buy some more before we leave port?"

Jack considered the matter. "Aye, we've got some time before the rest of the supplies get here," he said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Ye can take Annamaria and get the stuff ye need, as long as the two of ye are back in three hours."

Elena smiled before biting her lip in unease. "I'll need some money before I can buy the things we need," she said, hoping that he would take the hint.

He frowned deeply before he nodded. "Right," he said, reaching towards his money-pouch. After counting out several coins, he frowned before adding a few more. "Here ye go, luv," he said, smiling at her. "Be sure to get some nice things, the crew has to eat well, ye know." Elena nodded before motioning for Annamaria to follow her.

"Ye must have some effect on the Cap'n, lass," Annamaria said, as they left the ship.

Elena looked at her. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"The Cap'n never gives out money so generously," the pirate woman said, smiling. "He must really like ye to give ye so much money at one time. He doesn't even pay his whores as much as he's given ye." Annamaria walked on, leaving behind a gaping Elena.

Elena stared at her before walking to town, wondering if Jack really had feelings for her, or if it was merely the ramblings of a female pirate. Either way, she was set on taking Tommy's advice, mainly the one on not falling for the pirate captain, seriously, and to try to keep herself well away from Jack Sparrow during her year on the Black Pearl.


AN: There's chapter two! And it will be a Jack/OC, since people like those better. Chapter three will be much later, since I have too much college homework to update quickly. Anyway, please review! Thanks! I love you all!