Cal… as always, you make my heart light with your reviews. They always make me grin ear to ear. It's impossible for me to do otherwise… As for my computer… Yes, it was among the first things I unpacked. I couldn't help it… Jack and Ana were calling… as well as Cordy and Angel. I couldn't hold 'em off any longer. I really hope you enjoyed your vacation and I really hope you enjoy this next part. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful reviewer!! I don't think I tell people that enough… ;)

Ms. Dexter… Better late than never!! I'm glad you thought the last part refreshing… It took a lot of brain power to push that one out after all the stressful moving. As I told Cal, my computer was among the first things unpacked cuz I couldn't stay away… But truth be told, it was that I needed to write something or nothing at all would come later. I think you know which option I'd rather take – and the one my readers would demand!! ;) And thanks for the gorilla glue… I'll hold onto it until I need it. The pieces seem to fit so far, but that's subject to change in my crazy crazy mind…

Reese Sparrow… you never fail to disappoint in the review corner. You have no idea how much I appreciate the loyalty of my readers. You guys are just way too sweet! And I like James Norrington too. I'm glad you like him. He's going to play a major part in this story of betrayal, deviousness and hijinks (I just need to find him a good girl to love and care for him :P)… Here's the next part…

Ana opened her eyes slowly as something cool slipped across her forehead. Her vision blurred in the absence of the sun that she knew had been there before. Blinking twice, she looked around. She was no longer outside… this was a military man's dwellings. She'd been taken prisoner! The panic welled in her chest and she struggled to sit up in the bed, only to have two hands grasp her shoulders and push her back down onto the bed.

"Quiet, luv… ye need your rest…" a soft voice told her. Ana's eyes darted to her left to the person that she'd just now realized was sitting next to her. It was a man, by the timbre of his voice… but the light shining in from the doorway and the windows shadowed the face that looked down on her.

"Who are you?" her voice scratched out as she slowly sat up as to not alarm her companion. There was a slight chuckle.

"More's to the question of who are you?" the voice answered. The man shifted enough so that Ana could make out the sharp features of his face. He was a handsome man, beneath the long, trinket-laden dark hair and beard. His dark eyes searched her face for any sign of recognition. But none came… and Ana felt a wave of shame wash over her that she couldn't place this man that seemed to wish her to know him with those same eyes.

"I don't know," she said. The names Marie and Anamaria warred with each other inside her head. But neither one sparked a knowing. "You never answered my question… who are you?" There was a sigh – almost of disappointment – and a moment of silence before he answered.

"Me name is Jack," he said simply. Ana watched him for a second.

"You seem like… them. They act like they know me… or of me, at least. Did you… know me?" she asked hesitantly. The man sat back in the chair, crossed his legs – ankle to a knee – and folded his hands over his chest. There was another silence, almost of hesitation, before he spoke again.

"No one really knew you, Ana. You wouldn't let 'em. But, aye, I knew you better'n most," he said. Ana frowned in thought.

"You call me 'Ana'," she murmured before she looked at him. "Is that what I liked to be called?" She said the name a few more times in her head, trying to mold it to herself. Jack let out a chuckle as he sat forward.

"I don't think you liked bein' called anything save 'Captain'," he said lightly. The corner of her mouth twitched up slightly.

"I am a captain," she said simply. There was a look that passed over her companion's eyes. It was a mixture of sadness and happiness. It was strange how those opposing emotions could mingle together.

"Aye, ye are," he was all he said for a moment. "But what are you really a captain of?" Ana frowned.

"My ship," she snipped out. Jack nodded.

"That ye are. But that's all, isn't it?" he asked. Ana frowned again as she tried to contemplate his meaning. This dark man seemed to talk in riddle almost. It was as if he had a language all his own; one that she didn't understand. The man sighed at her obvious befuddlement.

"Your life, luv…" he started to explain. "You say you're captain of your ship… but what of your life? Do you know where it's headed? Where it came from?" Ana didn't know how to answer those questions. Part of her didn't want to. It would make all of her problems all the more real. She was content to live in the moment… for now. It was all she had. Rather than try to dig deeper into her mind, Ana decided to change the subject.

"How did I know you?" she asked after a moment. Jack looked to contemplate this for a second or two before he gave her a jesting grin.

"I sincerely hope you don't consider it a demotion, but you be me first mate," he said. Ana's eyes went wide.

"I was your first mate? You're a captain?" she asked. Jack grinned again.

"Aye. Captain of the fastest ship in all the Caribbean, luv. The Black Pearl," he said with apparent pride. We believe that he'd taken your part from a ship that be called the Black Pearl… There's no sayin' what was done to ye aboard that ship… If it had been possible, Ana's eyes would have gone wider. The Pearl… this man was captain of the Pearl… The ship with the black sails… Their cruelties are numerous and fair to unspeakable due their viciousness… A hand went to her stomach as if to feel blood running there from her now healed wound. Noting the change in her demeanor, Jack reached out to lay a concerned hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away. The sudden fear she felt was almost tangible as she scrambled to the back edge of the bed.

"Don't…" she said quickly as he stepped forward again. "Please, don't touch me…" Memories came unbidden, but they didn't help her. She remembered being tied up in the dimly lit bilge of a ship. Her arms had been trussed to the ceiling and she'd been beaten repeatedly with fists, feet and numerous other objects. There were no faces in her memories – none to condemn this man to such actions. But the unknown was enough to censure him from her trust. All Jack could do was watch her. He made no move towards her or to the door.

"Are ye alright, luv?" he asked. Her eyes snapped up to his. The fear was gone now, but there was no sign of the rapport they'd only begun to rebuild. One step forward, two steps back. As frustrating as it was, Jack still held out hope. He knew that she'd been through a lot. The loss of her memory proved as much. His Ana was still in there, though, and the fact that she had yet to find a way to relieve him of his life told him that there was still something that held her from trying.

"Could you… just leave?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around her huddled legs. "I want to be alone…" Jack hesitated a second, wanting to say more… to do more… but instead, he nodded and left the quarters. As he emerged, there was an anxious Elizabeth all but pacing in front of the door.

"How is she?" the young woman inquired. Jack held up his hands to ward of other demands.

"As well as to be expected, is me guess," the pirate answered. Norrington stepped up to both of them.

"The ship's surgeon gave her a quick look, bandaged up her wounds from battle – nothing serious. For all it's worth, she's healthy. What has me concerned is that she has no memory of anything. There are sailors who've knocked themselves silly during storms… but their heads were only temporarily affected. She knows physical things like walking, talking… captaining a blasted ship… but no recollection," the naval man said, confusion and concern written over his features. Will cleared his throat as if to draw attention to himself.

"We also have no idea what horrors she's lived through. She's been gone for more than just a few weeks… we don't know what they did to her, how she escaped, who found her… we know as much as she does. Nothing, really…" he concluded. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself as she felt a sudden chill. Will pulled her close and she leaned into him gratefully.

"Could her memory come back?" she asked softly. Norrington looked across the deck of the Intrepid to see where the Renegade was anchored next to it. Then, he turned to look at where the Black Pearl floated. With a shake of his head he looked to the wood beneath his feet.

"It may not even be a head injury we're dealing with," he commented. Elizabeth, Will and Jack all turned to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, a frown puckering his forehead. The commodore looked up to meet the blacksmith's eyes.

"I've read that a body could go through such extreme pains, such excruciating torture that the mind can more or less shut down to escape it," he said. The tormented look that had been in Jack's eyes up until they found Ana was back. A slight sound came from deep in the pirate's throat, causing Elizabeth and Will to look at him. But Jack said nothing. Instead, he turned and went to cross back over to the Pearl. Elizabeth made to follow him, but her fiancé held her back. When she looked up at him, Will shook his head.

"You know the answer to your question, darling," he said. Elizabeth looked back to where Jack disappeared into his cabin.

"I was just going to go ask if he was alri… oh…" Elizabeth stopped her rebuttal when she realized what Will had said. "Well, I suppose you're right…" She then turned to Norrington.

"What are we going to do?" she asked him. The commodore shook his bewigged head.

"I'm not certain. We must return to Port Royale, of course. And once we arrive there, we can have the best doctors look at her. But beyond that, Elizabeth, I cannot ascertain…" he told the young woman.

The Zephyr…

There was an angry crash from within the Captain's quarters that sent the few men listening at the door scurrying.

"What do you mean 'she's with the Pearl'?" Damien bellowed. His first mate stuttered a bit before gaining control of his tongue.

"We called her back as we started to sail away, but she was being attacked. We would've gone back for her but she be taken away already," the man said. Damien growled as he stepped threateningly closer to the other man.

"I gave an order to every member of this crew that she was to be unharmed and kept safe…" he said in a menacing voice. The unfortunate object of the captain's rage cleared his throat.

"If it's any assurance, Captain, the girl was being taken care of. She didn't look to be in any danger from them," the first mate said. Damien couldn't speak for a second, the anger muting all the words he wanted to say. Finally, he grabbed a handful of the man's coat.

"Unharmed and kept safe means not being attacked and not being held prisoner, you brainless twit!" the captain said. Then, with a large sigh to gain control over his anger, he stepped back from his first mate.

"It appears, Dobbs, that you've let a vital piece in our settling of scores slip through your hands. Do you know where we'll find such a valuable pawn as a replacement?" he asked. Dobbs shook his head.

"No, sir," he said. Damien gave the man a humorless smile.

"That's quite right. It will be difficult to find a suitable substitution…" the captain said as he laid his hand on his desk. Then, quickly grabbing an object off the same desk, he stepped forward and jabbed it into his now-former first mate's stomach. With cold eyes Damien watched as Dobbs fell to the floor, his mouth gaping for breath as he held a hand over the fatal wound.

"… but it won't be that difficult to find a suitable first mate…" was all the captain said as he wiped the blade of the silver letter opener on his pants leg and carefully placed it back on his desk. Then, without a care, he turned to sit at his desk, pulling a chart in front of him. As a man lay dying at his back, Captain Damien Deverill predicted what would have to be done next…

The Intrepid…

The sun had set hours before and everyone had left her alone, thankfully. Ana wasn't sure how she would have dealt with everyone parading through the good Commodore's room staring at her like she was an anomaly. When things quieted over the deck for the night, Ana ventured to the door. She wanted to be on her ship out on the open seas – not as a prisoner of sorts on this royal ship. But Ana also knew that she needed to get to the bottom of her situation. And if these people were part of the life she couldn't remember, then she'd have to stay and figure them out. Shaking herself out of her musings, Ana opened the door a crack to peek out. The immediate area was vacated so she slunk out into the moonlight. To her left sat the Renegade waiting for Ana to reclaim her and sail off. To her right sat the daunting Black Pearl… thinking of the ship brought its captain to mind. He seemed to care for her, his former first mate, more than Ana would have ever guessed. The stories the Zephyr's crew regaled her with had nothing pleasant to say about Captain Jack Sparrow. The stories of the captain were all cruel and remorseless… but that didn't fit with the way the man had first appeared to her. The supposedly vicious Jack Sparrow had been wiping her brow and making sure she was okay. It brought a lot of uncertainties to mind. It was those uncertainties that drew her to the Pearl. Carefully, she crossed the plank that connected the two ships and lightly stepped onto the deck. She was about to make her way to the helm when two sturdy arms grabbed her from behind and forcefully turned her around. Ana found herself staring up into the blue-gray eyes of Joshamee Gibbs. Only, she didn't know that.

"Now, where ye be goin' young miss?" Gibbs' voice asked, only to trail off when he got a good look at her. With a swift kick to the shin and a hearty shove, Ana freed herself from the man's grip. It seemed as if the large bear of a man didn't feel a thing. He just stood there, watching her, his jaw hanging open. Ana straightened her clothes and gave him a glare.

"Stop looking like a landed trout, lest we know from where you descended," Ana told Gibbs sharply, who was staring at her like she had appeared out of thin air. Gibbs snapped his jaw shut at her order and stood straighter.

"Anamaria… by the Gods, it really be you!" he cried, stepping closer to her to get a better look. Slightly unnerved by him, Ana took a small step back. "Jack didn't say why we were sticking along with the Intrepid… but I have me answer now…"

"Who are you?" she asked, a suspicious look in her eye. Gibbs frowned.

"Gibbs, me girl… Jack's quartermaster… second in command since ye disappeared. Don't ye remember ol' Gibbs?" he asked. Ana crossed her arms.

"You're second in command and you don't know why you dropped anchor?" she asked disbelievingly. Gibbs shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"Well… Jack hasn't been… ah… divulging much as of late," he admitted, scratching his salt and pepper sideburns. Ana nodded once, but continued to eye the man in front of her.

"Were we friends?" she asked with surprising softness. Gibbs let out a breath.

"Bein' in the business we are, lass, none of us have many friends… but aye, I'd like to think we were…" he said. A small smile placed itself on Ana's lips. For some reason, she knew she could trust this man.

"It's good to hear that," she said as she turned away from Gibbs and headed towards the other ship.

"Where ye be goin' now? Don't ye want to see Jack?" the quartermaster asked. Ana looked to think for a second as she paused on the plank.

"I'll talk to him come morning. You've been a help, Mr. Gibbs. I don't feel so… alone… anymore," she said as her eyes roamed over the ship that had apparently once been her home. A frown came over her face as she thought of something. "And I don't want to wake the captain… it's frightful bad luck…" A larger smile than before graced her face as she turned on her heel and made her way back to the Intrepid, humming a pirate ditty all the way.

A/N… okay, so that's the next part. It's fairly short – shorter than I wanted, but it was all that came for the moment. What did you think? Terrible? Was it okay? I'm not completely happy with it, but if you asked me what was wrong with it, I wouldn't be able to tell you. So, I'm going to post it, see what you all think, and then go from there. Who knows, maybe it'll grow on me the more I don't stare at it… Let me know what you think!!