Okay guys, here's a nice long chapter for ya. It might take me a little longer to update, but oh well. Anyway, the best part of the story is about to start. ;-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. Dang.

Chapter 7

Surprises and Problems

Commodore Norrington stepped into the room as Brigand gave a salute.

"What is it that you asked me here to discuss, Captain Brigand? I don't appreciate being summoned by my inferior."

Brigand smiled at Norrington indulgently. He waited until the Commodore seated himself in a comfortable armchair, the same one that Genevieve had sat in only days before.

"What is the reason for meeting here? Why could you not discuss matters in my office onshore?" Norrington looked at him, suspicion latent in his dark eyes.

Brigand studied his superior for a moment as the sinking sun shone in at his back through the wide plated glass windows. "Jack Sparrow."

Norrington laughed, a reflex before he caught the serious expression of Brigand.

"What do you mean, Jack Sparrow?"

"Well Commodore, Sparrow has been at large for years, much to the consternation of many of the active members of the Navy," he said with a pointed look at Norrington.

"Sparrow is an entity unto himself, Henry," Norrington said indulgently. "If he doesn't want you to catch him, there's a very small chance that you will."

Brigand's eyes darkened dangerously. "Sir," he said, "we have caught ninety percent of the pirates that have been wreaking havoc in this part of our territory over the past five years. What makes Sparrow so special?"

"He's a rather unique individual, captain, you must admit," Norrington said. "While he remains at large, he is of very little threat to us."

"That is a rather complicated situation, wouldn't you agree sir?" Brigand stood, planting his hands on either side of the desk, "after all, Sparrow has escaped no less than a half-dozen times from underneath the watchful and trained eyes of our guard, yet he still walks. If I must say, that is a shameful."

"If it is shameful, Henry, then blame lies within all of us. As I recall, didn't you capture Sparrow a few years ago?"

Brigand frowned and continued. "What I'm saying Commodore, is that we need to get rid of him. He's too much of an annoyance to the Navy to ignore any longer."

Norrington had heard enough. He stood and smiled at Brigand amicably. "Very well then Henry, I'm putting you in charge of it. You may have anyone at your disposal to get the job done."

"Thank you sir," Brigand said, "I greatly appreciate your cooperation."

On the Black Pearl...

Gen glanced around the cabin disdainfully. It was decorated in a minimalistic way, she supposed. Despite the flickering candlelight emanating from a single candle, she felt safe. It wasn't necessarily a good thing, however, because she was surrounded by a band of pirates that would probably rather kill her than look at her, however, she oddly felt the need to go to sleep. So, curling up in a fetal position on the bed she closed her eyes and within moments, she was dreaming.

The sun was setting. It seemed to take up the entire sky in one giant red ball of light. She was alone on the beach, the light bouncing off the waves as they washed up on the pure white sand.

It was a memory from long ago, one that she couldn't quite remember. She stared up the beach to see the palm trees blowing in the breeze.

Suddenly she was inside the small cabin she had grown up in. Her mother was seated across from her. She was older than Gen remembered, but smiled and took the woman's hand.

"Mother," she said, "what is it?"

"Gen, you are in danger."

Genevieve laughed in spite of herself. "How could I be in danger? I'm in no danger." The aging woman shook her head, the crows feet around her eyes crinkling as she smiled softly. "You must take into account what I told you all those years ago."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "What do you mean."

"You'll see," was all she said, smiling again before she disappeared into a swirling mist that surrounded them both. She felt like she was swimming in a whirlpool, only she was drawing nearer and nearer the surface. She could almost remember what it was her mother had told her...

The room was dark. Sometime during the night the candle had guttered out leaving her in black.

She rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling as she could feel the ship rocking slowly, and sat up straight when the thunder crashed.

She stood up slowly, her balance sure and her head throbbing. There was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on, something she couldn't remember.

She had been a little girl living in the slums of England when she met him. He had been tall and broad, a fine image for an upstanding young man. He wore clean clothes and had a bright smile. She had liked him at once.

She could almost put a name on the young man she had met nearly fifteen years before, but the door opened. Sparrow poked his head inside with a small smile.

"I just wanted to check and make sure you're alright."

She met his amused smile with a cold glare. "Mr. Sparrow, I have weathered storms you couldn't possibly dream of. You think a small bit of rain is going to frighten me?"

Jack smirked at the bold girl for a moment before closing the door again quietly muttering something about the trouble with women as Gen rolled her eyes at him.

Xander stood outside the door, waiting for Jack near his cabin. Despite the storm, they had decided to drop anchor and wait it out rather than being blown off course. When Jack stalked up, apparently getting more annoyed by the minute, Xander smiled. "She's an interestin' little thing, 'eh captain?"

"Blasted woman," was all Jack would say, his face dark by the dancing light being thrown on his face from the lightning.

"You have to admit, she isn't the most mild mannered woman, is she?" he chuckled as Jack threw open the door to his own cabin. He stalked inside, annoyance evident in his stride as he tossed his overcoat down on the wide bed and tossed his head, causing water to fly from his dark locks.

"What do you know about her, Xander?"

He rubbed a hand through his own short hair and smiled. "Not that much, captain. She grew up somewhere in England, lived with her mother, her father died when she was very young which left them destitute. Then she enlisted in the army under the name of Gen Starr. That's it." He smiled at Jack's confused expression.

"That doesn't tell me much, Xander."

He shrugged and strolled to the table situated in the right hand corner of the cabin. "There's more, I'm just not exactly sure how helpful it'll be."

Jack turned to look at him as he removed his sword and pistol and sat his hat on the bed.

"If you think it's relevant, I'd appreciate knowing."

Xander pulled out one of the heavy chairs and tossed his legs up on the table. "Have you ever heard of Thomas Jenkins?"

"The name sounds a bit familiar," Jack said, "what does he have to do with it?"

"Hang on," Xander said, motioning to Jack, "I'm getting there." He waited until Jack pulled up a chair across from him before continuing. "Thomas Jenkins was Genevieve Starr's father. He was killed while serving in the Royal Navy. The oddity is that while he died while serving, they were not engaged in battle. No one is certain of how he died."

"Well he couldn't have just disappeared," Jack said, "when did he die?"

"When Genevieve was 5 years old."

"So, when he died, that left Gen and her mom all alone and with no way to support themselves."

"That is basically what happened."

"But you know more."

"I do."

Gen glared at the thick wooden door separating her from the raging storm just outside. The creaking of the ship was a bit spooky despite what she had spat at Sparrow.

She sat down on the bed after she had paced for a few moments, her thoughts racing. There was something she couldn't quite remember, but she didn't know what it was. With a headache brewing, she cuddled under the covers and finally drifted off to sleep once again.

Dun dun dun...well, that's all I have for chapter 7.

Stay tuned for Chapter 8: Memories Forgotten