A/N:

Cal...I must admit that I was amazed to find out that you felt sorry for Giselle ;o) The poor lass. I know it's easy enough for us to see her mistake in thinking the rogue pirate would have feelings for her, but I know if I was in her situation I would hope he felt something for me...ok, or maybe I would just enjoy the time that I had with him ;o) I'm going to keep you waiting on your Jack/Ana action once again, but I promise the wait will be worth it in the future.

Indy Croft...Sorry to hear you're going to be out of pocket for a bit, but I hope you have a good trip. Here's one last chappy for you before you go. I'm planning on updating The Horizon later on tonight as well ;o) Enjoy!

Chapter Five

Jack followed Gibbs as he led him back to the docks. "Where are we goin' Gibbs?" he asked.

"Jus' hold on a moment Jack, you'll find out soon enough," Gibbs responded.

As they reached the docks, Gibbs headed for one of the larger pirate ships that Jack had noticed when he sailed into Tortuga several days ago.

"Wait 'ere, give me a minute, alright?" Gibbs instructed.

"Aye," Jack said, disliking the fact that he was being left behind.

Gibbs boarded the ship, speaking to several of the crewmembers that were on deck. Although Jack strained to overhear what was being said, the noise from the docks was much too loud and prevented him from hearing anything. Gibbs had been gone for quite a while and Jack was beginning to grow tired of waiting when finally he reappeared with another man by his side.

"Captain Sparrow, please join us," the man shouted to Jack.

Jack boarded the ship and crossed the deck to where the man stood beside Gibbs.

"Welcome aboard the Duchess, Captain Jack Sparrow. I'm Captain Nathaniel Kendrick," the man greeted him, offering his hand.

"Thank you," Jack said, pausing and then deciding to shake the man's hand only because it would be considered rude if he refused.

"We shouldn't talk up here," Captain Kendrick said. Lowering his voice, he added, "Never know who may be listenin' in."

Jack and Gibbs followed Captain Kendrick below the deck to his quarters. Jack studied the man carefully as they walked. He had heard Gibbs mention Kendrick before as well as hearing some tales of this captain on his many voyages. The man was a good bit taller than Jack and had long blond hair, which he wore in a single braided ponytail down his back. He had sharp blue eyes and a strong accent that Jack couldn't quite put his finger on. Remembering the different locations he had been in when he heard stories of this captain, Jack finally decided that it must have been the result of a mixture of accents.

Captain Kendrick was well respected among his fellow pirates, but he was not as fearsome as most of them. He still pillaged and plundered villages and ports, just as any good pirate did, but rumors held however, that he left more survivors than most, a quality that Jack definitely found respectable, although he would never be caught admitting to it.

Upon entering the Captain's quarters, Captain Kendrick locked the door so as to prevent any interruption during their conversation. He gestured towards the table in the middle of the room and Jack and Gibbs took a seat.

"So you're Captain Jack Sparrow?" Captain Kendrick said, sitting down across from the two men.

"That's me," Jack said, flashing him a smile and pointing both index fingers at his chest, "The one and only."

"I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally put a name with a face," Captain Kendrick said, intentionally neglecting to indicate whether he had heard good things or bad ones about Jack.

"I've 'eard quite a few stories about you and the Duchess meself," Jack said.

Captain Kendrick smiled, "Gibbs here, tells me that you are in need of some information about someone I might happen to know," he said, looking to Gibbs and then Jack.

"Aye, I am," Jack said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on the table. "Do you know a girl by the name of Anamaria? A pirate?" Jack paused. "She's been 'ere in Tortuga a little over a day now I believe, 'as a little boat by the name of the Jolly Mon tied up 'ere at the docks."

"Why are you interested in this girl, Captain Sparrow?" Kendrick asked.

Jack had known this question would come, but he was still unsure as to how exactly he wanted to answer it. "I'm trying to put together a crew mate," Jack fabricated. "She seems as if she might make a good addition, but I've never 'eard of 'er before, don't know anything about 'er. I was 'oping Gibbs 'ere could give me some information, but 'e wasn't much 'elp. I guess that's why 'e brought me 'ere to meet you."

Captain Kendrick remained quiet, deliberating over the situation.

"I'm prepared to pay you well for whatever you share with me, Captain," Jack said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bag containing a rather large amount of shillings. He shook it, letting the money clank together and tossed it onto the table.

"Put it away, Captain Sparrow. I'm not interested in your money," Captain Kendrick said. "I've heard the stories from when you were Captain of the Black Pearl and I do know this girl you speak of. Anamaria was a member of my crew here on the Duchess for a fairly long time." He paused, curious to see if Jack would break his silence. When nothing was said, he continued, "I am going to give you the information that you have requested only because I feel the two of you may have a common goal that you can help one another accomplish."