Alright, so I 'ave seemingly disappeared, aye? S'alright, s'alright, don't fret, me friends. There has been a long ordeal with me computer that only now is solved an' only with a spankin' new replacement, might I add. I 'ave moved up in the world of computers, which is a very complex and precarious one. But, I am back an' writin' this chapter fer the second time which SHOULD mean that it's twice as good but give me a break an' don't hold me t'that, aye? I know ye missed me e'er so dearly so 'ere ye go...

Jack was at quite the loss as to what to do with himself. The position he found himself in was a completely foreign one and an entirely welcome one at that.

The Black Pearl was silent.

As in the silent meaning the absence of any miniscule noise known or unknown to the human ear. Silent. The silence was due to the crew's exhaustion after the long day of searching and investigating, all too tired to keep up their default level of racquet. Violet was seemingly so disheartened at their lack of success on the first day that she had retired to her cabin early, too apathetic to plan tomorrow. More notably than these, the three paranoid females that had been pestering Jack incessantly were presumably off in conquest of evidence to back their flimsy case against Violet.

And so, the Black Pearl was silent.

Like a child debating over what section of the candy store to plunder first, Jack stood in the middle of his cabin, still unsure as to how to best take advantage of the blessed and undetermined amount of time. Finally, he settled on picking up the lone piece of driftwood that sat innocently on the corner of his desk and the knife laying beside it. Sighing peacefully, he flopped down onto his chair. He sent a pointed glare at the door, challenging someone to walk through it and disturb his precious solitude. Satisfied when no one appeared, he brought the knife in a soft stroke over the wood, relishing the crisp, sharp sound it made as it grazed with the grain and the slightly harsher, coarser sound as it made a motion against it. Slowly, as the piece of wood changed form, Jack's thoughts crept back to the three women's ploy.

Jack found the whole thing, unadmittedly of course, amusing. Save for the part of his all encompassing genius being, once again, looked over. He shook his head, smirking. The women had worked themselves into a senseless frenzy, assuming he was too daft to notice what they had. Truth be told, he unfairly had the upper hand, being a pirate. He had known before any of them that Violet was up to no good. He had known as soon as she had uttered the name of 'her' island and confirmed 'her' identity. And this he had known because he had met her many years before. Not this Violet, though.

The real Captain Violet Copper.

Unfortunately for the original Violet, she had not been as incredibly fortunate in the department of appearance as the woman posing as her today. Violet Copper had been born with a nose sinfully too large for her face and a mouth too small for it. The space between her eyes could not have been wider or the plain brown orbs would have been on the sides of her head, trying to peer through the wiry mess that was her hair. She walked with a strange gait, each step seeming to only be an attempt to keep herself from falling forward to the ground face first. Flat chested, hunch backed and pigeon toed, Violet Copper was definately not easy on the eyes.

Nice lass, though.

Rest her soul, Jack had learned of her passing but a few months before meeting this new Violet. Something about being bitten by a disease ridden mule. Jack's lip curled at the thought. What an unfortunate way to pass. But now, Jack was a step or three in front of everyone else and enjoying it immensely to say the very least. He cocked his head in inspection of the smiling mouth that had appeared on the piece of drift wood and blew softly to clear the dust. Pleased, he kept carving as he mused silently.

His plan had been a rather unformed one to say the least. He had felt rather numb as he had offered to help Violet find her ship as he knew quite well that it would be a fool's errand. As the days went on, Jack had to rule out the possibility that Violet was just a lunatic convinced that she was the Captain of the Fire Song with a mutinous crew. She was perfectly sain, much to his lament. After long hours of trying to decide whether or not to confront her, whether or not to let her think he was ignorant to her deceiving, he had finally come up with an unbelieveably genius plan.

Do nothing.

He had already realised that Violet was not the head of this plot to catch him. It was obviously her task to retrieve him. She had no intent to try to harm him, at least for now, his thoughts added with a grimace. And since he had not an idea who she was supposed to retrieve him to, it would be entirely pointless to try and come up with an elaborate escape plan that may work with one enemy but may backfire with another. His best card was their not knowing that he knew.

A card that the three women had on numerous occasions threatened to snatch right out of his fingers and flash in front of Violet. He rolled his eyes thinking of their recent oblivious blunders that had threatened his upperhand. He could only hope that they were not jepodising him and ultimately themselves now.

As a round shaped head and long, winding tail began to form in his working hands, Jack sighed and decided to take what came as it did.

He had it sorted.

XxXxX

For a few dreadful, short moments, it was only clear to Christina the reason for her sudden taking to the cobble stones that she was now face to face with on the ground. She could feel the eyes of Elizabeth and the man, who was responsible for her suddenly lower position, on her back as Ana Maria abruptly dropped to the ground as well, pretending to make sure she was alright. Both women stared at the road, careful to keep their faces turned from the man that Elizabeth now shot very nearly tangible daggers at.

"You stupid brute! You should be careful and watch where you're going," she spat venomously. When the man only stared at her in suprise, she flung up her arms in frustration, "Well? Help her up!"

Sighing in raw obligation, the man reached out a hand toward Christina whose face was obscured to his sight, "Ye 'right, lass?"

Christina cringed at the sound of his rough voice directed at her and nodded. "Fine. I'm fine. Don't worry," she insisted to the ground before her.

"Nay, let me 'elp ye up," he slurred, shaking his hand at her impatiently.

"Didn' ye hear her say she was fine?" Ana Maria snapped fiercely, not looking up. Taken aback by the harsh response his efforts to help had aroused, the man shrugged at Elizabeth, who clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and staggered away.

"Stupid brute," Elizabeth hissed after him.

Christina had made rather a nice acquaintance of the particularly small and odd shaped stone in front of her nose by the time she was completely sure that it was safe and she jumped to her feet and brushed the front of her now soiled dress, "Do you think he recognized us?"

Ana Maria rose to her feet and thought for a moment before shaking her head, "Nay, he was too drunk to know 'twas us. But him bein' here in the first place is what I'm worried about."

"Oh God, you're right. We have to tell Jack," Christina fretted, rubbing her brow.

"Aye, I'm sure it'll do the world of good," Ana Maria muttered sarcastically.

"You must admit that believing Violet to be capable of plotting to kill him requires a little more than a slight stretch of the imagination," Christina offered in Jack's defense and pointed in the direction of the man who had been standing right before their eyes a few moments ago, "But now that we know he's in town, maybe Jack'll trust us."

Elizabeth stared at the other two blankly until they noticed.

"That," Christina pointed in the direction that the man had disappeared to, "was Samuel."

XxXxX

"JACK!" all three women, Christina, Ana Maria and Elizabeth, cried as they burst through the door.

Jack just about jumped out of his skin and in the process, sent an ugly slash across the perfectly formed body of the wooden monkey in his hands. He let out a yelp at his work ruined and then turned to glower at his intruders.

"What d'ye want?" he snapped.

"Sam's here. He's in town," Christina hissed, turning and poking her head out the door to be sure there was no Violet near by and then quietly closing it. Jack's glare instantly faded as he lifted his brows in suprise. So that was the missing piece in the mystery. It was Samuel who wanted him dead. His relief at the puzzle solved grew as his thoughts travelled to the Sapphire that floated just behind the Pearl in the harbor. Aha. Now he truly was on top of the problem. He resisted the urge to rub his hands together in glee as his eyes lifted to the women who regarded him in confusion. For the sake of their sanity, he feigned cluelessness.

"What?" he frowned.

"Ye remember, Jack. Sam, the one ye stole the Sapphire from," Ana Maria reminded him impatiently.

"Commandeered," Jack corrected listlessly, "Could even be seen as borrowin'... without the asking or returning..." The women rolled their eyes at him and he smirked, "How d'ye know that the man is here?"

"He ran into Chris," Elizabeth replied, "We all saw him."

Jack nodded slowly, lifting his hand to his beard in thought, "Did he see you?"

Christina shook her head, a little hesitantly, "I don't think so."

"Good," Jack decided. He lowered his brows at the women watching him, waiting for some sort of action, appreciation, acknowledgment. He lifted his lips into a lopsided grin and swept his arms, "Well, I'm glad that's sorted out."

Three pairs of eyes narrowed at him in puzzlement and he shrugged, "Thanks fer lettin' me know but I must be off now." And he pushed past them and left without explanation.

"Gibbs!" Jack barked when he was out on deck. The man came scuttling at his name, clasping his token flask.

"Aye, Cap'n?"

"Come 'ave a drink," Jack grinned, flinging his arm around the man's shoulders and leading him off the Pearl in search of a suitable tavern for some serious celebration.

XxXxX

Jack was drunk. Mr Gibbs was drunk. And celebrating. Mission accomplished.

"I still 'aven't caught wha' we're actually celebratin', Jack," Mr Gibbs frowned.

"When 'as that e'er mattered to ye, ye drunkard?" Jack laughed. Mr Gibbs shrugged in acceptance and chuckled. His stormy blue eyes peeked under his bushy eyebrows to spot the young lass whom he had noticed to be leering at his Captain the whole night through.

"Jack, I think yer company is bein' sort after," he whispered, motioning with a subtle cock of his head in the direction of the pretty young woman. Jack stole a glance over his shoulder and turned back with a proud smirk.

"What can I say, Joshamee? I ain't the type t'disappoint," he apologized before standing unsteadily from his chair and sauntering towards the bar where the woman sat, blushing when she realised he was headed in her direction. Jack grinned knowingly at the lass, leaning on the bar more for support in his intoxicated state than appeal, "'Ello, lass."

XxXxX

Jack's lips crushed against the beautiful stranger's mouth again as the door closed behind them. His hands found their way to her chest and back and she moaned encouragingly to response. Jack smirked and moved his mouth to her neck as she unbuttoned his shirt hastily. The haze in his head seemed to appreciate the rush as he unlaced her dress clumsily and as his fingers fumbled futilely, she smirked and helped him out.

The haze also stopped him from making the realization that she was in fact retying the ribbon he had undone.

It was now that one of her hands moved to her side and Jack caught a glimpse of a silver glimmer within it. He pulled back and saw the knife she clasped, aimed at his throat all of a sudden.

"Eh, luv, what're ye doin'?" he gulped slurringly.

"What, Jack Sparrow doesn't appreciate adventure in the bedroom?" she inquired innocently.

"If by 'adventure in the bedroom' ye mean romps with sharp objects close at hand then no, I don't, I'm afraid," he grimaced, eyeing her weapon apprehensively.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" she asked with the smile that Jack had found so attractive ten minutes ago, starting to seem menacing.

"'Course I do, luv. Yer the lass 'o can 'ave anythin' I own as long as she puts 'er little knife away,"Jack replied charmingly, lifting his hands above his head in surrender.

"As temptin' as your offer is, Sparrow, I'm afraid my little knife is happy where it is," the woman told him.

"So 'o are ye then, lass?" Jack ventured, eyeing the door and wishing fervently he hadn't closed it.

"I'm Samuel's daughter, you fool," she laughed.

Jack's eyes widened in shock but he instantly smiled with friendly recognition at the name.

"Ah, ol' Sam, aye? Tell the git I say 'ello."

"He's dead."

Jack feigned lament although recognizing the lie, "What a sad, sad shame that is, lass. Sorry fer ye loss but I think I can 'ear me crew callin'..."

"He died coming after you. Terrible storm. We found him washed up on the shore of Tortuga, barely breathing. There was nothing we could do but with his last breaths, he requested that I find and kill you. That was his last wish," she told him solemnly.

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Ye takin' the piss."

The woman eyed him seriously for a moment longer before shaking her head, laughing, "Nay, I ain't his daughter. But what a convenient coincidence that would've been, aye?"

Jack cleared his throat nervously and bared his teeth in a polite smile, "Aye." His eyes darted towards the knife that was trained on his throat and stalled, "Guess that means th'man ain't dead either?"

She shook her head again, leaning in closer so that he could feel her soft breath on the side of his face. "Who would've thought the day I met the famous Captain Jack Sparrow, he would be shaking in his boots," she whispered in his ear, drawing a pin point of blood with her weapon. Jack winced at the sharp sting and she pulled back with a devilish grin, "Oops."

Jack searched his mind for something to say that would convince her not to bring the knife any further forward, "So... if ye ain't Sam's daughter an' it wasn't his death wish fer ye t'kill me, why are ye doin' this?"

"See, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you... Not that that would make a big difference anyhow so I 'spose I can tell you," she smiled childishly. She started to speak when the door suddenly opened and after a loud thud, she fell to the floor in a heap. In the dark, Jack made out the form of Mr Gibbs, holding a bottle of rum mid air.

"Are ye alright, Cap'n?"

Jack blinked in suprise and shook his head in confusion at his first mate's sixth sense once again making an appearance. He checked the bottle, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that it was in tact and full, "Let's go."

As the two men were walking down the street towards the harbor, there was a stir of shadows and a clicking of heels on the side of the road. Jack paused, peering into the dark as Mr Gibbs tried to pull him in the direction they were headed.

"Come on, Cap'n. We best be gettin' back before there's more trouble."

"Wait. Didn' ye hear that?"

"Hear what, Jack?"

Jack stood still for a moment, willing an answer to the question to make itself known.

"Help," came a feeble cry and Jack instantly slipped from Mr Gibbs grasp on his arm, making haste for where the cry had sounded from. There, behind a carriage in the alley, he found the heaped form of a beautiful lady in a soiled but obviously expensive rose colored gown. He rushed to her side, his instinct to rescue the damsel in distress kicking in a matter of split seconds.

"Ye alright, lass?" he asked, turning her head in his direction.

She smiled weakly and held out a hand for him to help her up by. As she stood up right, Jack checked her over for any gaping wounds or signs of abuse. He found none.

"Thank you, sir," she uttered breathlessly and Jack offered a charming lift of his hat in response.

"Yer very welcome, luv... Now what on earth occurred fer a fine dame such as yerself t'be lying in an alley?"

The lady placed a melodramatic hand to her delicately pale brow in apparent distress at a memory, "Oh, it all just happened so quickly..." Jack watched as she paced around before him, trying to recall just what had happened so quickly. She turned her back to him, holding her fingers to her mouth in an attempt to hold back a sob as the other hand fumbled with her skirts.

"Lass, me ship ain't far from 'ere," Jack started towards her comfortingly. He backed away in suprise when she spun around, aiming a gun at his chest.

"May I suggest ye stay where ye stand," the woman spat, her air of propriety dissipated in the same sentence.

"Oh, dear," Jack sighed, holding his hands up in surrender for the second time that night, "I 'ave a very bad feelin' about this."

The woman smirked as she started towards him, "My, how so?"

Jack shrugged, "Premonition. It's a gift."

"Cap'n!"

Jack winced at Mr Gibbs' call and the woman bristled, her eyes turning wide, "Who was that?" Jack had no chance to reply before Mr Gibbs came barreling past him, flying towards the woman and knocking her to the ground. An earsplitting crack echoed when the gun fired before it fell from the woman's hands. Mr Gibbs quickly got to his feet and turned back to Jack.

"Run," they agreed in unison.

On the way out on to the street, the men ran into a couple of painted ladies, looking particularly menacing. "Hello, Jack," they purred. Jack caught himself before he smiled dashingly and offered a charming compliment and instead kept running.

And they fled back towards the Pearl, Jack with arms flailing as he yelped, "Why are they all trying to kill me?"

Mr Gibbs thought the question was a little paranoid considering only two women had attempted the said. His doubts dwindled though, as a few women gave chase after them. He was asking the same question as his Captain when the few women grew to be a dozen.

The women were trying to kill Jack.

One could only hope Jack and Mr Gibbs would get to the Pearl in time.

So let's hope, aye?

Ha, this one dabbled in Mary Sue which was good fun. Hope ye all didn't mind too much, it was all in good fun. Again, sorry 'tis been a long while since I've been updatin'. It was out of me hands, I swear on pain of death.

TheSiriusSparrow: Well, if it ain't yeself, lass! Nice ta have ye back. I forgive ye fer not keepin' up but I shan't apologise fer havin' long chapters! Ha. Hmmm, as gift... ye can ave me 'lil china ginger cat tha' I've 'ad since I was a youngin'. 'Tis got a chipped ear an' is always sleepin'. Take good care od it, won't ye? Cheers fer reviewin' while I was away.

The Flying Breadstick: Aye, I already replied t'most of yer review I think... Ah, the idea. Well, seein' as the Violet isn't the Violet ye believed she was (ha, we all seem ta be confused over Violet's TRUE identity in this chapter, eh?) I don't think I can pull it off smoothly... but I have been meaning t'bring up the subject of Christina's other father fer quite some time... any other ideas? Ha, ye can have all the credit if it's as genius as that one!

Whims: Well, aren't you a clever lass? Glad yer on the ball! Hope ye liked it.

Pirate Obsesssed: Glad that ye have enjoyed me story so much, luv. Tis the point, after all. Sorry I've kept ye waitin' fer so long! I really 'ave no idea how I've kept this up either! I usually start stories... an' that's the end of 'em. I think I would just feel too guilty if I stopped! Ha. Hope ye like this one.

Novthoniel: Thankye fer readin'.

PirateLass1963 : Hope ye puttin' that saber spoon t'good use, luv. Tis meant fer good, not harm. Aye, Jack doesn't seem t'be in too many people's good books! Hope this one explained some of the reasons fer his behavior... Sorry fer not updatin' so soon...

blackmagic: Hope ye weren't late fer class! Ha. Thankye kindly.

Siriusly Sirius Lily Black: Well, 'ello there, lass. Yer very welcome fer the kitten. Hope he doesn't keep ye up at night. He's a bit... disturbed... An' the Cap'n hopes this chapter explains his behavior that so offended ye. He's very apologetic on the whole matter. Cheers fer the review.

AJ-Sparrow: Aye, a magnifying glass. Very handy. Ha, good t'know the story is suckin' ye in! Good fun fer me. Don't worry, there will be a moment of victory fer Christina somewhere. But Jack had t'have some credit in this chapter. I felt sorry fer him. Ye very welcome!

justanothernameforlonely: Thankye kindly! Glad yer enjoyin' it. Ha, aye, Violet was a lil suss throughout the whole thing, aye? Hope ye like this chapter.

2005-05-23

Natalie: I know, I know, I felt v v v evil. Aye, Elizabeth drunk is funny. I hope I don't get her drunk too much but it's jus' so amusin'. Ye can say ye don't like Violet, it's fine. She's well used ta it by now.

Karibbean: Thankye, thankye. Ye really are too kind. Sorry about the cliffhanger an' then not updatin' fer decades... I feel rather guilty about that... Ah well, ye'll live, eh? Ha.

DugaDugabowbow: (gasps) My kind lady, please do not 'bah' The Aviator. I know, was a bit drawn out an such but Leo was at his finest an' fer tha' reason, ye shall not scorn the film. An' I care 'bout yer opinion so long as it is not derogatory t'Leo. (smiles) now tha' tha' is settled. Afraid of cats, eh? My cat is rather insane. Stares at things that ain't there an' then attacks them, that' sort o' thing. An' ramblin' is fine. Amuses me. Glad ye like the story!