The first thing Kate noticed when she woke up the next morning was that she was moving. She panicked, wondering where she was, then she remembered.

She remembered that the second most overwhelming day of her life, apart from the day her father was killed, had not in fact, been a dream. Kate was moving because she was on her Uncle's ship. She was a pirate now, however she could not bring herself to say it out loud.

To Kate, being known as a "pirate" was a true privilege, although to most it was considered the lowest form of society. Her greatest role model, by far, was her father.

The next thing Kate noticed when she woke up on the Black Pearl was that she was not waking up in the same place she had gone to sleep. She sat up abruptly and looked around the cabin she was in. The walls were wooden with a rusted gold lining the panels.

Kate looked below her to see her uncle, Jack Sparrow, snoring on the wooden floor. He was tangled in a single sheet, an empty bottle of rum in his left hand. A smile pulled at Kate's lips. He wasn't so tough when he was asleep; in fact, he reminded her of a baby.

Kate was still wearing her maid garments, which consisted of a red dress and a white apron. She reached behind her, untied the apron, and removed it, leaving her in the red dress. The dress flowed down to her feet, and the neck came down in a V. Kate walked over to Jack's mirror by the door, and looked at herself. For someone traveling, she didn't look half bad. Her long, brownish-blonde, naturally wavy hair hung down in loose curls near her mid-back. Her brown eyes stared back at her. Her eyes drifted down to her fingers, and she moved her hand slightly so the ring reflected the light coming in from Jack's tiny window and shone brightly. Suddenly, she heard a loud sound coming from Jack's position on the floor. He sat up and swayed a bit, rubbing his head.

"Bloody hell, how'd I get down here?" he mumbled. His confused gaze fell upon Kate, and then he smiled a bit.

"Good morning." Kate smiled, still standing in front of the mirror.

"What time is it?" Jack yawned. He staggered past Kate and opened the door to the deck. He peered outside for a moment, then ducked his head back inside.

"About nine, by the position of the sun. Is anyone else up?" Jack's kohl-rimmed eyes looked into hers. Kate shrugged, and followed Jack outside.

It was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky. Gibbs was already at the helm, shouting orders to the many crewmembers that scurried around the deck. When Gibbs saw Jack, he smiled.

"Mornin, Cap'n. Ocean's flat calm today." Jack moved over to the where Gibbs was and took over the wheel.

Kate looked towards the front of the ship, where she saw Will and Elizabeth sharing a moment, staring at the sea. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She had never been IN love before; it was something she'd fantasized about her whole life.

"Good morning, Princess Pearl."

Kate whipped around to face Anamaria. She had her dark arms crossed and gave Kate a smug look.

"Oh, hello." Kate said innocently.

Anamaria stepped up to Kate and stuck her nose in her face.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doin', missy. I may be a pirate, but I'm not stupid."

"What are you talking about?" Kate took a step back.

"You may think that because you're Jack's little niecey, that gives ye the right to storm in here and steal his heart away. Let me tell ye somethin', Miss Kate. Before ye or Queen Elizabeth came along, I was the only woman on this ship...it was me. I was the Lady Anamaria, and ye know what? I liked it. So, don't be stealin' me thunder, Miss Kate." She turned on her heel and stomped away, leaving a speechless Kate staring after her.

"Wench," muttered Kate. She turned around and leaned against the side of the ship, letting the wind play with her hair. Jack came up from behind and leaned beside her, Gibbs had taken the wheel.

"Don't let Anamaria scare ye, love." He gave her what looked like an apologetic look.

"She doesn't scare me. I'm tougher than you think, Captain Sparrow." She grinned.

"Ye have me eyes, has anyone told ye that?" Jack said after a pause.

"No one had to tell me." Kate stared at the ocean again, then her gaze automatically traveled to her ring. Jack noticed it.

"Bloody hell." He whispered, "Where did ye get that?"

She frowned at his reaction, "My father gave it to me...it was my mother's."

Jack's eyes were glued to her ring. "Never lose it, Kate."

"Why's it so important? You're acting like my father."

"Never lose it."

He backed away and went to the helm, Kate's eyes followed him.

She knew it; it was bluntly obvious: There was a secret to her ring. Something Kate didn't know...something her father or her uncle didn't tell her. Maybe it held the secret to the murder of her father.

The only thing she did know is that it couldn't stay a secret forever...