Special thanks to my Beta Corrie (Cormak3032) for betaing for me!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. All original characters were created by me (Robert "One Eye" Sparrow, Thomas Martin, etc.). This story was written before the sequel to POTC, any likeness is strictly coincidental, especially since I have not ever read the rumors of what the sequel will be about.

Prologue Part 1

The waters of the Caribbean Sea looked like a black sheet of smooth ice aligned with sparkling diamonds caused by the light of the moon.

Sailing over its surface, causing ripples and small waves in the water, was a ship named the Black Pearl. It was big in size, yet had a rustic charm to it.

The wood of the ship appeared black in color, especially in the darkest hours of night. It had sailed for many years over the salty seawater, which was the reason for the dark coloring. The Black Pearl adorned many off white sails on its tall masts, including a Jolly Roger, whose skull and crossbones gave a toothy grin over the waters. The figurehead of a woman holding a bird in her hands ornamented the bow of the ship, protecting the vessel and guiding it on its journey. She looked worn from the weather that blemished the fine wood, but still beautiful.

Upon the deck of the ship stood a young man. He was no more than 15 years of age. His clothes consisted of a simple white blouse that was left untied at the front, a dusty pair of grey britches, the color faded from days under the hot sun, a red sash around his waist and a red bandana tied at the top of his head. Dark brown hair strayed from under the cloth, hanging loosely to his shoulders. His face was young, but tanned deeply, with slight evidence of stubble growing from his chin.

His name was Jack Sparrow and he was the son of the captain, a pirate!

Jack stared out over the water, his mind thinking of nothing. It was quiet, with the exception of faint sounds coming from the dining hall at the end of the main deck.

His father and a group of the pirates were holding a meeting, as his father liked to call it. Really, it was just a gathering at the end of each night where they eat and drink themselves to sleep. Sometimes, when they were docked, the local town mistresses would join them for the gathering.

Jack loved joining in on the drinking and eating, but tonight he simply didn't feel the desire to do so.

The following morning, Jack woke up to the glaring of the sun shining through his window. He shielded his eyes to the merciless light before raising to a seated position on the edge of his bed.

After a few moments of trying to wake himself up, Jack finally stood and got ready for his day.

The crew of the Black Pearl were busily running around the deck, hoisting sails here, lowering sails there, following every order from their captain, Robert "One Eye" Sparrow.

One Eye. It was a title given to the pirate captain after a fight with an enemy. The sharp point of a dagger struck the center of his left eye. The enemy died with a sword through the midsection before the dagger could go any further and cause more damage. To this day, a black patch covered the empty hole where the eye once was.

Jack's features resembled his fathers immensely. The captain had a strong profile. His skin was a dark brown shade from his long travels under the Caribbean sun. His hair was the same dark brown as Jack's, but feel in long locks to his mid-back, some was tangled in dreads from poor grooming. Around his only eye, he wore heavy black liner to help keep the sweat from entering the eye. He also had a long goatee that hung braided from his chin, about an inch or so long. Jack adapted a lot of his own style to that of his father's.

Jack walked onto the deck and looked at the sky. It was a clear day, not a cloud in sight. It was indeed a great day for sailing.

Jack walked up to his father who was at the main wheel, controlling the direction of the ship. When the young pirate approached, One eye looked down to him with a grin and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Mornin, Jack," the Captain greeted.

Jack smiled at his father and replied, "Mornin, father. Where are we headed to?"

The captain returned his attention to the water before them as he answered, "Tortuga. I 'ave some matters to take care of there."

"What sort of 'matters'?" Jack asked with a grin, insinuating that the matters might be related to a beautiful woman or two.

A roar of laughter came from the one eyed pirate as he caught the meaning behind his son's teasing tone, "Not those matters, boy. I 'ave an old friend to meet."

Jack nodded slightly, his mind questioning whom this old friend was, but he didn't ask. Robert noted his son's questioning demeanor and replied, "You will meet him soon enough."

Jack grinned at his father and walked away, attending to matters elsewhere on the deck.

Tortuga was a town visited often by pirates for its infamous women of the night. At night, there is usually a lot of mischief and mayhem on the streets. Old pirates chase young, freshly powdered women with tight corseted dresses that accented a man's most favorite features on a woman. Bullets fly through the air and ricochet off street signs and buildings from pirates fighting over their recent gain in loot, and sometimes, buildings are set ablaze as drunken pirates pillage through and try to steal whatever valuables might be left. It was like heaven to most pirates, and Jack always enjoyed going there.

It was still mid day when the Black Pearl approached the port of Tortuga so the town wasn't quite as busy. Jack grinned as he saw two women with feathered fans waiting for the new arrival to come into port. No doubt they were looking for some new clients, and possibly some old ones as well. One of the women waved her fan at Jack when she noticed him standing on the deck. He grinned and nodded a greeting to the lady. Jack might have been only 15 years old, but he was still considered a man.

Jack went to help the rest of the crew prepare the ship for port. He grabbed one of the ropes and waited until the ship coasted to a stop. He then threw the rope to the man that waited on the dock and watched as the man tied the rope to one of the pegs. Once the ship was secured, the walk plank was lowered to the deck, and all were able to leave the ship and travel into town.

Jack went to his quarters to grab a few things and then began to leave the ship. As he ran down the plank, he noticed his father talking to a man he had never met before on the dock. Jack took this opportunity to look the man over.

He was very tall and lean. His clothes were clean and neatly pressed, his hair was combed and pulled into a ponytail under his black tri-fold hat. This must be the old friend that his father was referring to the other day. Jack thought the man looked like a merchant seaman, but he couldn't help but wonder why he would be an old friend of his father's.

Just then, One Eye noticed Jack walking down the dock and called to him, "Come 'ere, Jack. I have someone I want you to meet."

Jack obliged and walked to his father and the stranger. Robert made the introductions, "Jack, this is William Turner, or Bootstrap Bill as his friends like to call him."

'Bootstrap Bill?' Jack thought to himself then offered his hand to the man and said, "Nice to meet you, mate."

Bootstrap grinned and shook the offered hand firmly.

One eye smiled at the exchange and then continued, "Come, let's go to the tavern. We have matters to discuss."

Jack watched as the two older men walked towards the local tavern before he began to follow. He still didn't know much about Bootstrap, but with a nickname like that, he must have been a pirate of some sorts.

The tavern was noisy as it usually was. There were drunken pirates singing bar tunes with the local harlots, who were adorned like ornaments on their laps, giggling and flirting all to gain a few coins. The air smelled of stale smoke and strong liquor. As Jack entered the tavern, he took in a deep breath of the air and smiled as he exhaled, to him it smelled like roses.

One Eye and Bootstrap choose a table in the far corner of the tavern where there was barely any light. Jack knew that what they were going to discuss must have been very important and private.

Each of the men chose their chair. Jack started to take a seat when his father stopped him, "Jack, why don't ye go to the bar an get us some rum," One Eye threw a few gold coins on the table in front of Jack.

Jack nodded and grabbed the coins and proceeded to go to the bar. He ordered the drinks from the tender and while waiting, turned to look at the two men. They were hunched over the table, talking in hushed tones. The clinging sound of metal decanters hitting wood distracted Jack and he turned to retrieve the 3 drinks, leaving the coins with a generous tip as payment.

Jack slowly approached the table, holding one mug in one hand, and two in the other. One Eye looked up to see Jack and smiled, "Here be the drinks!"

One eye took one of the decanters and Jack offered the other to Bootstrap, who willingly took it with a thankful nod.

The young pirate then took his seat and began to drink his rum.

Bootstrap looked to Jack with a raised eyebrow, then looked to One Eye, "Ye let yer boy drink already?"

"Aye! He's a man now, gotta start sometime," the captain replied with a laugh.

Bootstrap laughed and shook his head, "Do ye know what this stuff does to yer brain if ye drink too much?" he asked Jack.

Jack just gave him a blank look, he never thought about any negative aspects to drinking rum.

"It makes ye all crazy, it does," Bootstrap continued with a grin.

Jack shrugged off the information, "Crazy isn't so bad."

Bootstrap and One Eye gave a hearty laugh at Jack's comment.

After a few moments, One Eye grew serious again, "To continue what I was sayin before, Bill, I 'ave a map to me treasure that tells where it is buried."

Jack silently listened. He knew the story of his father's treasure and how he had to hide it from the pirate captain, Thomas Martin, who was threatening to take it. His curiosity was focused on how Bootstrap plays into the whole situation.

"Martin is still after me, and one day he will catch up with me ship. I need you to come aboard until we take care of him," One Eye's tone sounded more like a plea than a request.

Bootstrap contemplated the situation in his head and slowly shook his head, "I don't know, Robert. I 'ave a reputation to uphold. If I go gallivanting on a pirate ship, it may blow me cover!"

"Come on mate! I need you to be there! If somethin happens to me, who is going to look after me boy, teach him the ropes?" One Eye asked with hope in his eyes.

Bootstrap sighed and then finally nodded, "Fine. I will come with ye until Martin is dead. After that, I am back to Tortuga."

One Eye grinned broadly and raised his decanter, "Agreed, mate. Now, let's drink!"

Bootstrap knocked his decanter with One Eye's and both took a healthy chug, emptying their mugs.

Jack watched them, still a little confused as to what was going on. He didn't realize they were still in danger of an attack by Thomas Martin. He shrugged it off for now and would ask his father for more information at another time. Right now, he was ready to drink.

The following afternoon, Jack was busy swabbing the desk and cleaning off the wooden rails of the ship. He looked up from his task when he saw his father and Bootstrap finally come aboard the ship. Bootstrap was carrying a bag with him, no doubt it was filled with his belongings.

Jack nodded to Bootstrap when eye contact was made as Bootstrap was walking in the direction of the cabins, and then Jack looked to his father who was approaching him. One Eye stood beside his son and set his hands on the rails as looked out over the sea.

Jack stared at the rag in his hands, twisting it through his fingers while contemplating his thoughts. He still had a lot of unanswered questions about Bootstrap Bill. He wasn't able to really get to know the man in their night of drinking. Was he a pirate or not?

Finally, Jack asked, "Father?"

"Aye?" the captain replied.

"What is Bootstrap? Is he a pirate?" the young pirate continued.

"Aye, he is a pirate indeed."

"He doesn't look like one," Jack stated, his brows knit with confusion.

"Nay, he doesn't. But that is part of his disguise."

"His disguise?"

"Aye. He makes himself look like a merchant seaman to trick real merchants and pirate off their ships. He's one of the most cleaver pirates I know."

Jack nodded, a look of interest replacing the confused expressions of his face, "Aye, very cleaver indeed. So he will be helpin us in case Martin attacks?"

One Eye looked to Jack with a serious expression, "Aye, son. He is a skilled fighter. But don't ye worry about that pirate Martin, savy?"

"How do ye know Bootstrap?" Jack asked, putting the thoughts of being attacked to the back of his mind.

"We were crew mates on a ship when we were your age. He is me good friend."

Jack nodded at the information and looked down to his hands.

One Eye grinned at the boy and patted him on the shoulder, "Come now boy, it's time to set sail and head out."

"Aye, father," Jack responded before walking over to help the rest of the crew prepare to leave the port. Jack was anxious for the adventures to begin.

To be continued...

Note from Author: I hope you are enjoying this thus far. I know it is still very early into the story and I am still working on Part 2 of this prologue. Please bare with me as I not only work 40 hours a week, but attend school 3 nights a week as well.

I feel it is very necessary to address the history of my story in these prologues before jumping into the actual story itself.

Before commenting on the characterization of Jack Sparrow in this chapter, please remember that this is a young Jack and has not gotten to the "crazy" stage yet. There will be plenty of the Jack mannerisms we all know and love later on in the story.

As always, any reviews and comments are very welcome and appreciated!