Title: First Impressions
Author: SlayersGrl
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: I haven't given up on this story! I'm so sorry for the long wait! The real world caught up with me. And I was sorta putting off writing my little encounter between Katherine and Jack. Hopefully I'll get some more chapters written very soon! As always, reviews are welcome and encouraged!

Chapter 6: A Little Thing Called Trust

Thunk!

I awoke to the unpleasant sensation of falling and then impacting with a hard surface. I sat up and rubbed my sore head, waiting for comprehension to sink in.

Apparently, I had forgotten where I was and, thinking I was at home in my large bed, I had rolled over to find a more comfortable position. This had resulted in me rolling right off the cot and landing on the unforgiving wooden floor beneath it.

Groaning in embarrassment, I scanned the room to determine if anyone had witnessed this spectacle. Luckily, Will and Elizabeth had already left so I was completely alone.

I quickly cleaned myself up as much as I could in the small wash basin. My stomach growled in appreciation to whoever had left the small plate of food on the table. After consuming the small breakfast, I made my way to the main deck.

I was instantly assaulted by the bright sun flooding the deck. I blinked my eyes rapidly to adjust to the light change. Then I made my way over to where Elizabeth lounged against the railing.

She chuckled at my barely stifled yawn. "We were wondering how long you were going to sleep. I think Will and Jack were about to start taking bets."

Glancing up at the position of the sun, I was shocked to see it was almost noon. "I didn't realize I was so tired…" was my mumbled response.

"Well, you've had a busy few days."

'That's right, it's only been two days…' I thought. Two days since Captain Zamora kidnapped my brother and started the long chain of events that led to me standing on the deck of the Black Pearl. Would we reach them in time? If something happened to Jacob, I don't think I could ever forgive myself…

Elizabeth must have noticed my darkening mood because she placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Don't worry. Everything'll be alright. You'll see."

I nodded my head in agreement even though some feelings of doubt remained in the back of my mind. Any further discussion was interrupted by loud laughter behind me.

"Well, look who's decided to grace us with her presence!" Jack said as he patted me on the head. Before I could comment on this condescending display, he continued. "You'd better get to work then. This deck ain't gonna swab itself."

I glared at his back as he walked off towards the helm of his ship. But he suddenly called out over his shoulder, "Same goes for you, Mrs. Turner! Back to work!"

Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes and muttered "Slave driver!" under her breath. Then we shared a knowing look and laughed.

"Oh, where's Will?" I asked, just realizing that I had yet to see the young blacksmith that morning.

Her only reply was to point upwards and to cringe.

I looked up and finally spotted him. Will was dangling from the rigging directly above us, blissfully unaware of how close he appeared to death. "Doesn't that make you nervous?" I asked.

She laughed. "You have no idea! But I guess that's why Jack assigned me to the kitchen today." Elizabeth took one last look at her husband and sighed. Then she turned her gaze to me. "If you get done early, you're always welcome to come keep me company."

I smiled in appreciation of her offer and then waved as she disappeared below deck. My smile quickly vanished though once I spotted the familiar bucket and mop. Muttering various colorful threats directed towards the man steering the ship, I slowly approached the objects. Upon reaching them, I kicked the bucket for good measure and then had to scramble to keep it from spilling its contents all over the deck.

Now half-drenched for my efforts, I sighed in resignation and got to work. I quickly settled into a rhythm and found my mind wandering as my body continued with its monotonous task.

My thoughts turned once again to Jacob. I had no idea if he was alright. My only hope was that since he was to be a bargaining tool, he would not be hurt in any way. However, my heart broke to think of how scared he must be. I longed to hold him in my arms again and reassure him that everything would be alright.

I had to shake my head to clear the image from my mind before I broke down and started crying. I would have plenty of time to cry, after we rescued Jacob.

I turned my musing to my father. Looking back on the conversation we had in his study, I came to a horrible conclusion. He must have known Zamora was up to something! That was why he left. He was hoping to protect us by being as far away as possible. Only Zamora had used the opportunity to kidnap Jacob. I wondered if my father even knew yet. Probably not, since there would be no way to contact him until he reached Nassau.

I tried to picture what sort of man would do something so underhanded when I realized I didn't even know anything about Captain Zamora. All I had was a name. It was time to gather a little information, even it that meant I had to go talk to the last person I wanted to see at the moment.

My mind made up, I hurried to finish my chore. I then set out to find Jack Sparrow. It turns out I didn't have to look very hard since he was in the first place I looked for him: still standing at the helm

I took a deep breath to gather my resolve and then strode purposefully towards him. I stopped a few feet behind him, suddenly unsure how to initiate the conversation. After struggling for a few minutes to find the appropriate words, I was saved by a soft chuckle from the captain.

"What?" I asked, flustered.

"If ya have something to say luv, just say it."

"Well, I… I want you to tell me about Captain Zamora." I was surprised how steady my voice had sounded considering I was practically shaking in my boots.

The man before me slowly shifted his weight from one foot to the other before finally responding in a quiet tone. "Are you absolutely sure you want to know?"

I considered his question for a moment, but deep down inside I already knew the answer. "No, I don't think I want to know. But I need to know. I need to understand what kind of man we're going to be facing. I'm not some naïve little girl that needs to be coddled and protected. When the time comes, I'm going to be prepared to fight. And in order to do that I need to have all the information I can get. Please, you have to tell me what you know!" Hoping that my desperate plea would not fall on deaf ears, I took a deep breath and waited for a response.

Finally Jack Sparrow turned away from the horizon and looked at me. I quickly found myself staring into his dark eyes. It was completely different from the first time I had looked into their depths. There was no hint of laughter, only a look of cold calculation as he sized me up, as if trying to gauge how I would handle what he was going to say. Seemingly satisfied, he gave me an almost imperceptible nod of the head and motioned for me to sit on a crate near where he stood.

"I've never personally met the man. But I have heard enough stories about him. He started out as a pirate, raiding any and every ship he laid his sights on. But then about two years ago he got his hands on some papers and became a privateer for the Royal Crown. That's around the time that the rumors started to spread. Some former crewmates arrived in Tortuga and said that he had lost his mind. He was raving about some great, ancient power that was lost somewhere in the Caribbean. Any crewmember who questioned his decisions was immediately thrown off the ship, whether they were near port or not. He eventually took to recruiting the most evil, soulless men he could find, claiming that he knew of a great treasure with a reward worth dying for." Jack paused and smiled at this part. "Of course, that's what every insane, treasure-lusting pirate captain says."

"So, do you think he's really found something?"

"It doesn't matter if I believe he has or not. All that matters is that he thinks he has. And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. You have to understand, he's already killed to get this far. And despite his promises, your brother may already be dead."

I took at deep breath to try to quell the sudden nauseating, soul-wrenching feeling that instantly gripped my heart. "No, I would feel it if he were dead!" Then, out loud, I said, "I understand. But either way, I have to know. And Zamora must be held responsible for his actions."

Jack nodded at my response and then decided it was time to change the subject. "So, now that I've told you all I know, isn't there something you haven't mentioned?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like why Zamora would want to kidnap your brother."

Subconsciously, my hand reached for the chain around my neck. The movement didn't go unnoticed. I realized that if Jack was going to trust me, I needed to trust him. I lifted the chain and revealed the pendant that had been hidden beneath my clothes. The gold glittered in the mid-afternoon sun.

"Ah, so this is what he's after." He reached over and held the pendant in the palm of his hand. "A phoenix? Now that's interesting…You hold onto that luv. Whatever happens, Zamora must not get his hands on it."

I nodded in agreement then placed it back in its resting place. "Then I'm going to need to train."

"What?" Now it was Jack's turn to be confused.

"I need to learn how to fight. I want to be able to take care of myself when the time comes."

"Hmm… that may not be such a bad idea…" he muttered as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "We'll discuss the details after dinner. Speaking of which, perhaps you should go check on the young Mrs. Turner?"

"Oh, right." I said with a smile. Then I quickly stood and headed towards the main deck. But I paused long enough to call out "Thanks… for everything." Then I disappeared down the stairs before the captain could respond.