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: Wow, it only took me four days to post a new chapter! I think that's a personal record…

Chapter 7: Fight! Fight! Fight?

True to his word, Jack did discuss my "training" with Will and the details were ironed out that evening. That's how, to my chagrin, I found myself standing in the center of the Black Pearl's main deck shortly after dawn the next morning. Elizabeth had somehow found me a loose fitting white shirt and a pair of pants that were several sizes too big. They were currently being held around my waist with a small piece of rope. Everyone had agreed that proper etiquette and attire could be forgotten for the time being, especially given our current situation.

"Alright Katherine, are you ready?" Will asked, his sword gripped loosely in his hand.

"Uh, sure," I replied. "You do remember that I'm horrible at this, right?"

Will smiled mischievously. "Oh, I remember." Then he added a little more seriously, "But you'll get better at it as we go along. Alright, we're gonna focus on some defensive maneuvers first."

I gripped the sword Will had given me tightly and raised it in what I hoped was a half decent defensive posture.

Loud laughter erupted from the direction of the helm. "Good luck with that one, Will! Yer gonna need it!" Jack called out.

"Just ignore him. You're doing fine," Will said reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I already am…" I muttered and then nodded my okay to begin.

Will ran straight at me and swung his sword hard into mine. Metal scraped metal and the force of the blow reverberated through my entire arm. The force was too strong and I quickly lost my balance and ended up sprawled on my back, my sword sliding out of reach.

"Hey! What was that for? I thought you were gonna go easy on me!" I shouted, upset at Will for being so forceful and at myself for being so incompetent when it came to sword skills.

"I just wanted you to remember that this isn't a game we're playing in my backyard. You're going to be facing experienced fighters. And they're not going to go easy on you simply because you're a woman." Will then reached a hand down to me.

After a moment, I accepted his help and stood up. "Ok, point taken. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Will laughed. "Of course I am. But we're going to have to be a little creative. You obviously can't block an attack head on. You need to learn how to use your size to your advantage."

A few hours later, I was starting to understand his statement. Instead of teaching me to block attacks directly, Will showed me how to deflect a blow enough to knock my opponent off balance. This left me standing very close to my enemy and left room for me to follow up with a blow to the stomach. So far, we had been practicing using the handle of a knife. If the need arose, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use the bladed side.

I was distracted from my thoughts by Will's next attack. I reflexively brought my sword up at the appropriate angle, causing his attack to slide off to the side. Then I followed up by slamming the hilt of the knife into his side.

Will let out an 'oomph' sound and then fell to the floor.

"Oh God! Will, are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" I quickly knelt on the deck beside him, trying to see if I had done any permanent damage.

He looked over at me in amazement while trying to suck in enough air so he could respond. "Ow! That really hurt!"

"I said I was sorry!" Then I added in a softer tone, "It's not serious, is it?" "Elizabeth is so going to kill me!"

Will shook his head. "I'll be alright. Just give me a minute."

Several minutes later, I helped him to his feet. Will reached over and patted me on the shoulder. "I think that's enough for one day." Then he reached down and gingerly touched his sore side. "From the feel of that last blow, you'll be more than a force to be reckoned with by the end of the week."

I winced in sympathy and then smiled at the offhanded compliment. Somehow, though, I had a feeling I was going to regret asking for this training…

"Land ho!"

It was a surprise to hear the call from the crow's nest. Will and I immediately stopped our daily practice and scrambled to the rail to get a look. Up ahead we could just barely make out the thick line on the horizon that marked the island of Nassau.

"We're finally there?" I whispered, not really expecting an answer.

"Yup. We should reach it by nightfall." I turned and realized that Anamaria had approached the rail and was standing next to me. "Then the fun begins."

I swallowed nervously and looked back over the calm blue waters of the Caribbean at the rapidly increasing speck in the distance. "Oh Jacob… please be okay…"

As the island came into view, we veered sharply to the left and away from the main port. At my inquiry, Anamaria explained that the Pearl was too recognizable to openly dock in port. We would have to throw anchor in one of the coves on the western side of the island and then sneak into town under the cover of darkness.

Just as the sun was disappearing from view, the ship slid into a small waterway that led to a hidden pool behind a large outcropping of rocks. It would be impossible for anyone to spot us unless they entered the small opening between the rocks.

Jack began issuing orders to prepare the Pearl to drop anchor for the night. Then, to my surprise, he began to organize a shore party. I quickly hurried over to him.

"I never said anything about you coming with me. Our arrangement was only for you to drop me off."

"I have my own reasons for going with you. First of all, I have to make sure you don't get killed along the way or we'll never get our reward. Second, I now have to make sure nothing happens to the Turners or Norrington and the entire Royal Navy will be chasing me to the ends of the earth. And," he paused, "despite what you may think, I'm not so completely heartless that I'd let a young woman run off to face a group of bloodthirsty pirates without some help." Jack then immediately began to shout orders again and ran over to instruct some crew members on how to lower the main sail without harming his ship.

I stood in utter shock for a few minutes and then realized I could use all the help I could get. I would just have to spend more time with Jack Sparrow than I had originally anticipated.

Within the hour, our small party had gathered next to the rowboats and was about to disembark. But before we did, Anamaria approached with a handful of garments.

"Well, since yer wearin' men's clothes, I figure ya might as well play the part. Besides, we're gonna be heading to the taverns to try to gather some information. You'll be less noticeable as a man."

Nodding in agreement, I accepted the offered jacket and hat to complete my disguise. Then she offered the same to Elizabeth, who agreed a little more readily than I had expected. At my curious glance, she simply shrugged and whispered, "I'll take this over a corset any day!" I had to bite my lip to stifle my laughter as I climbed into the small boat.

A short time later, Jack, Anamaria, Will, Elizabeth, and myself, along with a handful of Jack's crew, were standing on a bluff overlooking the town. Through Jack's scope we were able to see the Rebellion floating in the harbor.

"You were right Jack. He did come to Nassau," Will whispered.

"Of course I was right lad. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" he replied in the same hushed tone.

I groaned inwardly. Even though I was extremely happy this gambol had paid off, I was worried about what sort of ego boost I had just given him.

"Ana, you take the crew and go investigate the docks. Everyone else is going to the taverns with me."

Apparently, the ego boost had sent him on some sort of power trip. He seemed to think he was in charge of my rescue operation. "Wait a minute!" I shouted, too angry to care if anyone overheard me. "Jacob is most likely on that ship right now. We need to go rescue him!" I couldn't understand why everyone was just standing around. We needed to be moving.

Before I knew it, Jack was standing about an inch from my face, his braided beard brushing against my face. "Now look here girl. As long as my crew and my ship are involved in this mess, I'm in charge. And we are involved whether you want us to be or not. I will not send my crew blindly off into a potential trap without getting a little information about the situation first. You have no experience sneaking around in the dark unnoticed so you'll only get in the way at the docks. Therefore, you have two options. Come with us to the taverns or turn around and go back to the ship. What'll it be?"

Grinding my teeth furiously, I mentally screamed at him for treating my like such a child. However, I knew I had no choice but to go along with him or I would lose what little control I had left of the situation. I wouldn't go quietly though.

"I will not be left behind," I stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Good. I wouldn't expect anything less."

Our groups quickly parted ways, agreeing to meet back at the ship before dawn. We had no luck at the first tavern we tried. No one knew anything about Captain Zamora, or they weren't willing to tell us what they knew. Our luck began to improve once we entered the second tavern.

Jack and I entered first and headed straight to the bar while Will and Elizabeth followed a few minutes later and found a small table near the back. I had agreed to let Jack do the talking, but I insisted on being there to listen.

Jack ordered us both a bottle of rum. As we waited for our drinks, a man approached the counter. From his stench, I could tell he was well on his way to being drunk if he wasn't already. He set his mug on the counter and sat next to Jack. Without looking over at us, he said, "So, I hear you're looking for Captain Zamora?"

If Jack was surprised, he didn't show it. He calmly paid for our drinks and waited for the barmaid to leave before replying. "Word sure travels fast in this town."

The stranger chuckled and sipped his drink. "Well, I make it a habit to be well-informed of what goes on around here." He paused for a moment to take a large gulp of alcohol and grimaced as it burned its way down his throat. "Anyway, I don't really like the man. He's the type that can only be up to no good. And that's saying a lot coming from a scallywag like me."

Jack nodded thoughtfully, understanding the man's implications. "So, any idea what he's doing in Nassau?"

"Well, I've only heard rumors… but they're saying Zamora's looking for immortality."

"By making a name for himself?"

"No, something more tangible than that…"

At Jack's questioning glance, the man simply shrugged. "I'm just telling ya what I heard. But, if ya want you can ask the man himself. He usually drinks over at the Prancing Pony."

Jack stood and I quickly followed. "Thanks mate," he said and then placed a handful of coins on the counter next to the stranger. "Have a few drinks on me." The man smiled in thanks and then we hurried off to find the rest of our party.

We found Will in a compromising position. He was in the process of trying to extricate one of the local wenches from his lap without touching anything that would earn him a slap from his barely restrained wife sitting next to him. He pleaded with Jack for help who quickly intervened by paying the woman to go find another man for the evening. Then he dragged the three of us out into the cool night air.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Elizabeth asked as we walked briskly down the street. "Did you find something?"

I nodded, a big grin on my face. "We found Zamora."

AN: The "Prancing Pony" is the name of one of the pubs at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. I thought it was amusing so I decided to use it…