Very big thank you to my beta Anamaria Sparrow, who always has an encouraging word and a joke ready :)

Chapter 2

Jack couldn't sleep. He was lying in the corner nearest to the door on the wooden ground with only one rough sheet on his bare chest. He had not lied when he told Anamaria that he had slept on worse places that this, but the only thing he seemed to be able to do this night was changing positions on the ground. And staring at his own bed with the girl in it. He didn't even know her name yet! He should ask that to the old crew tomorrow, probably some of them would know a bit more about this mysterious young female.

Jack shook his head. The girl looked as if she hadn't had a proper meal for months, and remembering the captain Jack wasn't really surprised if that would be true. He was going to make certain that she would get enough, even if that meant that he should go on a small diet for that.

Suddenly the girl on his bed attracted his attention. He heard a soft moan coming out of the bed and suddenly the girl is sitting widely awake, with two big eyes of fear. Maybe she had a nightmare? Jack almost immediately felt sorry for the girl, who looked utterly confused around her, obviously having no idea were she was. Carefully not to scare the girl Jack got on his feet and sat down on a corner of his bed, grinning at her.

"Don't worry, luv. Yer safe. Yer on me Black Pearl," he said softly. For the first time the girl actually looked at him. He didn't remember that she had done so back on deck. To think of it, he couldn't remember her looking at anyone except Cotton's blasted bird.

"Hello, luv. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, remember?" for a short moment Jack was painfully reminded of the nights when he was younger and his little sisters had been scared. At that time he had been a big brother, who -according to his little sisters- wasn't afraid of anything at all and was a safe harbor in a wild ocean. A lot had changed since then, but Jack still could easily recognize a terrified female when he saw one.

"Do ye want te hear a story, luv?" That had always helped with his younger sisters. The girl's eyes travel over Jack's face and then watched with great interest the trinkets in his hair. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had taken them off; they belonged to him just as much as his fingers did. "A story?" The girl's eyes meet Jack's and suddenly Jack found himself with his hands filled with trembling young girl, who has crawled on his lap and made herself comfortable with her head under his chin, one ear pressed to his chest so that she can hear to comfortable sound of his heart. "I'll take tha' as a yes then, luv," Jack said with a small smile while he made himself a little bit more comfortable, resting his back against the wall.

"Once upon a time there was a wizard whose name was Dementotrix. Dementotrix was always in a very bad mood, especially because 'e was always wearing shoes tha' were too small. Dementotrix had forgotten the spell te make 'is shoes any bigger and therefore 'e was always cursing everyone who stood in 'is way. Once 'e had even turned the princess of the country he was living into a toad! The prince who had in mind te marry the princess didn' like tha' much, since 'e didn't felt like kissing a toad. So the fool decided to challenge the dark wizard. Dementotrix only got annoyed by this young fellow and turned 'im into a toad as well. This wa' a mistake cause so the two toads could still live happily ever after and Dementotrix couldn't stan' happiness around him. He exploded with anger and then a pirate came and took over the country and become very rich and happy…" Jack stopped, suddenly very much doubting that the story actually went like this. Then he shrugged, he did like it a lot more this way!

According to the soft breathing of the girl in his arms she has fallen asleep during his little story and Jack smiled. His stories always seemed to have that same effect and he still wasn't entirely sure if he should be happy about that or not. But he didn't have long to think about that, because soon he started to get sleepy as well and maybe 5 minutes after his story was finished Jack also fell fast asleep.

Therefore Jack was also completely unaware that after a while Anamaria softly peeked inside from behind the door and how her face darkened when she saw Jack with the girl in his arms, both fast asleep. No, she didn't like this young female at all!

---

"G'd morning, Ana!" said Jack cheerfully the next morning. He had slept wonderfully and when he had awoken he had carefully lain the girl down on his bed, covering her with some sheets and then got fully dressed. The thoughts of the big success of yesterday and the new ship that was sailing behind his Pearl had only improved his already good mood. However, Anamaria was making a point of ruining the good atmosphere, since she only muttered a reply.

"Are ye alright, luv? Ye sound a bit grumpy?" A wiser man should have told Jack that he'd better left Ana alone right now, but Jack had always had a blind spot for this certain female pirate.

"No," she muttered, not wanting to explain herself any further. Jack shrugged. He had some other problems in mind rather than to bother about his grumpy first-mate.

"Aye, mate!" he called to one of his new crewmembers. "Come 'ere."

After a nervous glance to his mates the new crewmember approached Jack, obviously nervous about what the pirate was about to do. Jack grinned at him.

"Mate… I wondered if ye could help me out on something. That lass I found on yer deck yesterday… Who is she?"

The crewmember blinked, not expecting this question in the least. "D-didn't Morenda tell you?"

This time it was Jack who blinked. "Morenda?"

"The captain?"

"No, mate. Didn't really ask 'im about it either. Didn't like the fellow much, ye see…"

The crewmember moved a bit closer to Jack and carefully looked around him, as if he was about to let Jack in on a huge secret.

"Morenda told us… He told us she was a witch!" Again the crewmember looked around, as if he was afraid that the girl would bewitch him right there on the spot.

Jack raised his eyebrow. He had spent too long on sea already to be afraid of witches, especially when they were presented in the form of a fragile and scared girl.

"I see," he said, clearly not convinced. "And wha's the name of this… witch?"

The crewmember gaped at Jack. "I don't know," he said after a short while.

"You don't know," Jack seriously started to wonder what a bunch of idiots he had taken under his care now. If you didn't even know the name of a fellow passenger! "And what is yer name, matey?"

"I-I'm Michael Bardon, sir."

Jack suppressed the urge to look behind him to see if there stood a 'sir' and instead of that he only bent a bit closer to Michael.

"Aye, Michael… and is there any chance one of yer lovely friends know the name of this girl."

Quickly Michael shook his head. "No, sir. The old captain never told us."

Jack slowly nodded. "Ye can get back te work, Michael."

"Aye, sir!" Michael turned already to make a run back to his friends, when Jack grasped his shoulder.

"It's captain, mate. Not sir."

"Aye… captain!"

Jack stared in wonder at the running form of Michael. Was he really that scary? He turned to ask Anamaria's opinion on this matter, but one look on her face told him -for once- better. Her gaze was fixed on the door of his cabin and she didn't seem aware at all, what was going on in the world around her. Jack shrugged, he didn't think he would ever truly be able to understand women.

"Scuse me, luv," he said while he walked past her, entering his own cabin and closing the door carefully behind him. He listened for a couple of minutes behind his door if Ana might come nearer, but he didn't hear such sound.

The girl in his bed was still lying down, only no longer asleep. Totally unaware of the fact that Jack had entered the cabin, she was staring in front of her.

"Luv?" Jack tried to attract her attention, but when that didn't help he seated himself right in front of her, so that she had to look at him.

"'Ello puppet," he whispered gently. Maybe he should try a different language?

"Bonjour petite?" No reply.

After having tried German, Dutch, Spanish and Italian he gave up.

"Yer not really helping me out here, luv," he muttered. "Almost start te think those idiots on me ship are right after all. However, Captain Jack Sparrow doesn't believe that yer a witch. If ye were, yer not taking really good care of yerself."

A soft knock on the door and Ana's voice called. "Jack?"

"Captain, luv," he muttered softly, but than replied. "Aye?"

"Who are you talking too?"

Jack sighed in frustration. Sometimes Ana really could ask stupid questions. "I'm talking to the devil, luv, trying to figure out how much profit I will get if I sell him me soul!"

"Jack!" Ana called clearly annoyed.

"Who do ye think I'm talking with, Ana? The Devil and the Holy Spirit aren't the right answers… now guess again?"

"She… she doesn't talk. The men say… she's a witch."

"Aye, and of course ye believe their stories right? Well, maybe I wasn't so wrong then to say I was talking with te devil." With that Jack, who had slowly walked to the door of his cabin, threw open his door almost knocking Ana off of her feet.

"What fer the devil do ye think yer doing, luv? I thought ye were wiser than tha'."

Ana looked with great interest to the ground, after she had peeked behind Jack's back to see where the girl was.

"I wish… I-I'm only…" she whispered softly.

"What, luv?"

"Worried bout you."

"Well, luv, I appreciate the thought, but methinks I'm ol' enough te do stupid things all by me onesies. Don't really think I need yer help with tha'. Now if ye will excuse me…. I have a devil te handle!" With that he turned on his heels, leaving Ana stunned on deck. Jack had never talked to her this way before. Ever.

Maybe the girl had him already under her spell…

I am not sure how soon I will be able to update this again, since I will be on holiday to Greece from July 9 til 17.

Pigwidgeon - LOL! I'm going to need some good luck, since I have no idea were this story will going to lead just yet ;)

Kungfuchick - Well… about the girl being crazy or possessed… you have to find that out yourself. And about that 'thing'. There will be a 'thing' with some characters in this story, but I have not decided who I will hook up with each other :)