Disclaimer: You know the routine by now, see chapter 1. Read & Review Folks, It's only fair. :)

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Eying him carefully, Netanya stood up and walked over to the table. Sitting in the chair at the side of the table, she surveyed the food before her as Jack moved to take his place at the head of the table. The meal was a simple one; what looked like vegetable stew, with chicken, rolls, a large pitcher of water and a flask which she assumed held brandy or rum or wine, whichever her host fancied most.

As she tasted the stew, hunger overrode propriety as well caution. She was pleasantly surprised at the good flavor the cook had managed. A small smile crossed Jack's lips as he watched the girl dig into her meal. It was obvious that she hadn't had a proper meal in a while. He began to silently eat his own serving, pausing occasionally to inspect the woman before him. He tried to figure out exactly who, or what, she was. Questions could always wait, he decided as he took in her famished indulgence in the meal.

After the girl had finished eating, Jack settled back into his see and looked the lass square in the eyes.

"What be yer name lass?" he inquired, reaching for the flask of rum as he spoke.

Netanya straightened herself in the chair. She knew that she would have to answer questions sooner or later, might as well get it over with as soon as possible. Looking at Jack quickly, she replied, "Netanya Wilkes, but I've always been called Tanya."

"Well then Miss Wilkes," Jack began before correcting himself when he saw the irked expression on her face, "Tanya, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Jack Sparrow, and this," Jack gestured broadly to the ship around them, "Is the Black Pearl." Jack paused again, his gaze seeming to invite Tanya to continue speaking.

Tanya thought back, recalling his words that morning, had it been that morning? She wasn't positive. Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind of those ruminations, she addressed Jack again.

"I would like to apologize Captain, for having become an unauthorized passenger aboard your ship."

"What's done is done luv," Jack replied, "I'm sure you had your reasons."

Netanya's eyes flashed briefly and she nodded slightly, breaking her gaze away from Jack's. Leaning forward slightly to grasp Tanya's glass, Jack pressed further, "This would be when you go about naming those reasons lass." He spoke as he poured a few fingers of rum into her glass.

*****

Tanya could feel a muscle along her jaw twitch as she processed the Captain's words. What could she tell him that wouldn't lead to more questions? Questions that she couldn't handle right now. Questions that brought her mind back to places and events that she wanted more than anything to leave far behind her and never return to again. Trying to reign in her racing thoughts, she glanced up at Jack.

"Rum, lass?" His fingers barely pushed her now full glass closer to her side of the table.

"I'd rather not Captain," she said, shrinking back into her chair a bit, as if to place herself as far as was politely possible from the offending substance. Taking a deep breath, Tanya began to relay her story to the Captain.

"Two weeks ago, I was on board the "Silver Wing", a merchant ship sailing from England to Santo Domingo. We were attacked by a pirate ship and sunk. Only a handful of the "Silver Wing's" passengers and crew survived the attack..." Here Tanya's face grimaced ever so slightly and her voice threatened to crack with a pained emotion that Jack could sense was hovering just beneath her surface. "We were taken as prisoners aboard their ship. When we arrived in Tortuga nearly two weeks later, I took an opportunity to escape and flee as far away as possible." Inwardly, Tanya held her breath as she hoped the Captain would accept her story for what it was, vague. Relaxing a bit as she saw him nod slightly to himself, Tanya settled back into her chair fully, closing her eyes briefly as she offered up a silent prayer of thanks to who ever had been listening.

Jack eyed the girl before him; Tanya, he reminded himself, her name was Tanya. He liked it better than Netanya, less stuffy, but still quite different from the names he came across on a regular basis. Shaking himself mentally, he shifted positions slightly, fixing his gaze on the girl's face. He didn't fail to notice the relief that washed through her body, her eyes closing in what, prayer? Lord, he knew she must be from a somewhat upper class family, nothing about her screamed working class, but there was something she was purposefully leaving out, he could sense it. Mentally, Jack kicked himself for what he had to say next. There was, he reasoned, no way around it. Putting it off certainly wasn't going to beneficial to either of them.

"Tanya, Lass..." he paused again as she startled and both hands flew to the sides of the chair. Both of her eyes were open now, staring straight into his, holding on to every word he said as if each were a lifeline. "I'm more than happy to help you; but that story has more holes in it than yer ship has." He watched as the latter words seemed to pass right through her, unprocessed. Fighting to keep from reaching out to touch her hand, he purposefully softened his tone as he leaned forward slightly, catching her eye once again.

"I saw the marks luv."

Jack watched as her eyes widened, then snapped shut. He swore she had stopped breathing the moment the words had left his lips. Her face paled several shades and her fingers now clenched the arms of her chair even tighter than they had his chair earlier that day. For an instant, Jack feared that she may do an encore presentation and keel over in the chair; but he was proven wrong as her lips began to move, her speech stronger and steadier than he would have anticipated.

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