Ana pushed open her shop door and remembered to bolt it behind her. She trudged up the stairs, her heart pounding loudly with every step. She continued to replay the name, 'Captain Jack Sparrow,' over and over in her head. She lit a candlestick before plopping down on the edge of her bed and started to unbraid her dark brown mane. It had certainly gotten longer and darker since her arrival in Port Royal. On the sea she had kept it short, nearly chin length and the sun had kept it so a lighter auburn color, but since she had been confined to the island, it had grown waist length, she had only cut it two times since she had opened her shop, and she had no time to bask in the sun anymore. As she sat running her fingers through her hair, the memory of her mother making this same motion overwhelmed her and she bent her head low and let the tears come. Opening her eyes, she saw an awkward point sticking out of her underskirt. She stood up and undid her belts letting her black overskirt fall to the floor and catching her sheathed sword before it hit the bare wood.

Fingering the hilt she withdrew it and watched the blade glimmer in the candlelight. She put it back in its stiff covering and made to put it back in her trunk. She wasn't really sure why she had taken it out with her today, it would have been more logical just to have taken her pistol. But she had always been drawn to sword-fighting ever since her father had taught her and her brother how to handle a sword correctly. That memory, too, cause a painful throbbing in her heart and she laid her weapon down on her bed. Picking up her overskirt, Ana folded the rough material neatly so that it would not crease and set it upon the old armchair she had in the corner of her living quarters. She would end up wearing it again tomorrow with a different underskirt and a different bodice. Without removing the other clothing she was wearing, Ana climbed onto her bed, moved her sword aside and fell into a fitful sleep full of images from the past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few hours later~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ana awoke with a start. She could have sworn she had heard cannon fire. 'It must have been my dream again,' she thought drowsily. But then a slight tremor and an even louder BOOM told her it was much more than a dream, Port Royal was being attacked! She threw herself out of bed, grabbed her sword and overskirt and hurriedly put them on. She grabbed her pistol from the top drawer of her dresser and rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She hadn't taken her shoes off before falling asleep so her stockings and boot buttons did not hinder her flight from her room.

Wrenching open her door, Ana saw the chaos that had engulfed the city. There were gunshots and smoke surrounding her on each side. Pistol in hand, she darted out into the middle of the street after pulling her door closed. She knew she was no match for these sudden hostilities, it was her main goal to get to the fort. Along the way she had to dodge flying debris and frantic citizens searching for separated family members. At one point, a scaffolding was falling, about to crush a screaming child, and Ana snatched the young body out of harm's way. The child was still screaming as she carried it in her arms in the direction of the fort. Passing the glass shop, she noticed a short man throwing small explosives in the window. Realizing he was a pirate, she broke into a sprint, hearing his maniacal laughter behind her, even over the child's shrieks. She had her pistol but she knew it would be no match for these invaders. These were not ordinary pirates. As one of the entrances to the fort came into view, a dumpy sort of woman came waddling hastily towards her, snatched the now sniffling child out of Ana's arms and scurried away without so much as a word of gratefulness. "You're welcome," Ana muttered before pushing past the crowd of anxious and frightened residents of the settlement that were discussing the fates of their dwellings and businesses. She didn't have much hope for the safety of her shop. She knew what these men were capable of. It was likely she would have nothing to return to.

"They took the governor's daughter! They took Miss Swann!" shouted one of the younger British soldiers. There was an outburst of distress at this announcement among the people surrounding Ana. While she didn't think warmly of the governor's daughter, she did not think ill of her either. It did not quite distress her though, if truth be told, it made her curious. 'They don't take captives. I would know,' she thought bitterly. 'What do they want with her?'

Quite some time had passed since the news of Elizabeth's kidnapping had been announced and the officers finally deemed it safe for the civilians to return to their homes. The sun was just breaking on the horizon. The wind from the other day had dissipated and a layer of fog filled the city streets. Small fires burned in every direction and no one could take a step without hearing the sound of crunching glass. With a heavy heart, Ana turned the corner and saw her doorway come into view. The sign above the door was hanging by one hinge and several of the shudders were in the same condition. The door had been forced open and splinters of weathered wood covered the floor. As she stepped into her shop, she surveyed it with her brown eyes narrowed in the dim dawn light. It looked as if it had been struck by a tornado. The shelves that held the bolts of cloth had been ripped down. Bread loaves and baking instruments were strewn all over the tables. There wasn't anything missing that she could tell at first, but then she realized, her bushel of apples that she used for baking was gone. Slowly she made her way to a particular floorboard, the one that had a knothole in the shape of a heart. She lifted it up gently, and let out a gasp of surprise. There, at the bottom of the compartment a foot deep, was the moneybox with all of her earnings from the store. Not trusting to hope, she opened it and joyfully saw not a coin had been touched.

Afraid to imagine what the upstairs room would look like, she grabbed a piece of ripped material off the floor and tied her loose hair back. She picked up her pistol and her precious moneybox and headed up the stairs. The instant she had ascended the final step, the pungent smell of burnt wood met her nose. The table that once stood beside her bed now lay in a pile of ashes. There were dark streaks of smoke on the stone wall behind it. 'It's a miracle it didn't catch the bed on fire, too,' she thought numbly. Turning around in a small circle, Ana surveyed the damage done to her room. Her dresser drawers and their contents had been scattered across the room and her mattress had been ripped and moved off the bed frame. Feathers and clothing littered the floor. 'What a mess,' she thought as she made to pick up her belongings. Moving a pile of stockings, she realized that she hadn't seen her trunk. 'Oh no!' she thought frantically, 'Mama's dresses!' She searched every corner of her room then charged down the stairs. After searching every possible area for her trunk she admitted to herself it was gone. Feeling more miserable than she had in months, she trudged back up the stairs to finish her repairs to her room.

After putting her last chemise into a drawer and replaced it into the dresser, she tackled the task of cleaning up the mess of her mattress. Finally, with a giant pile of feathers in the middle of her room, Ana made to sit in her chair, only to jump right back up. It had been broken and there was no hope to make it suitable again. She sighed heavily and sat on the floor, wiping her brow. Only then did she have time to think.

'Why were they here. There is no way they'd have come for Jack. They must have been looking for it. What if that Will Turner really does . . . No, no. Well, maybe he . . .' She didn't finish her thought but stood up. She knew she had to do something, she wasn't sure what, but she would know it when it came to her. She marched purposefully to her reorganized dresser and pulled out a whole new days clothes. After she had changed and re-braided her hair into a single plait that hung down her back, she picked up her sword and pistol and hid them away in her skirts.

Leaving her dwelling, she set off to find out what other damage had been done to Port Royal. As she neared the fort once again, she saw the prison cells. A great chunk of wall had been blown away but there was a good remainder left in tact. With a sardonic smile, she crossed the road over to the solid wall. Peering in threw the gaping hole, she saw the body outline of a man working diligently on a part of the cell door. Shaking her head she thought, 'Yep, that's you, Ol' Jack. I'd recognize that silhouette any day. My, but you do have the strangest luck.'

Turning away, she strode over to the open atrium of the fort and leaned her back against the outer wall of the entrance, listening to the conversations taking place inside. Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington were trying to guess the villainous pirates' whereabouts. Ana saw Will Turner running towards her from the opposite end of the street. Without a glance in her direction, he barged into the older men's meeting.

"They've taken her. They've taken Elizabeth!"
"Mr. Murtogg, remove this man," Commodore Norrington replied dryly.
'How foolish can you be, Master Turner? They have known about Miss Swann's kidnapping for sometime now. Everyone has,' thought Ana shrewdly.
"And where do you suppose we start?" asked Governor Swann. "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please, share it."
Ana heard a hesitant voice respond, "That Jack Sparrow, he talked about the Black Pearl." Ana's eyes widened and she scooted closer to the open doorway, still keeping out of sight.
"Mentioned it, is more what he did," responded another voice. 'Why would he be talking about it at all?' she wondered.
"Ask him where it is. Make a deal with him, he could lead us to it," Will pressed on.
"No, the pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell. Ergo, they are not his allies. Governor we will establish their most likely course . . ." Commodore Norrington was cut off by Will.
Ana heard a THWACK as Will shouted, "That's not good enough!" In a challenging tone, the Commodore vocalized his thoughts, "Mr. Turner, you are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You are a blacksmith and this is not the moment for rash actions." There was a slight scuffle inside that sounded as if it were nearing the entryway. Ana pressed herself harder against the wall and heard Commodore Norrington continue in a quieter but more threatening voice, "Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth."

As Will walked out onto the street, Ana stepped away from the wall. "A bit frustrating when no one will take notice of you, isn't it?" She asked quietly. Will surveyed her with a questioning gaze. "Follow me," she said softly as she moved towards the jail.

Author's note: I am so super sorry that this is so long. I really didn't mean for it to be, but once I get going it's hard to stop! I hope it's not too horrible! P.S. I am a poor CA girl whose only thing to do with anything Disney is to watch the movies and go to the park. I don't own any of their copyrights. -Pandagrrl