Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean... mainly because it'd irritate the hell out of my own pirate love. My DVD and CD are not with me, but I do own those. I also own Zora Leighland.

A/N: I'm playing with Jack's dialect; I hope it's still understandable enough.

And now, into the true beginning of the story...

Read, Enjoy, Review!

Chapter Two

Back to Port Royal

The dawn came about bright as always, especially upon such a magnificent vessel like the Black Pearl; she had been awake for hours already, however. She had the duty of checking on the ship's progress toward port that morning, and so had risen hours before the sunrise to correct the route if needed. It had gotten her away from Jack's awful snoring, at least.

At the thought of the captain of the ship, her pink lips curved into a smile. She could only relate Jack Sparrow to a mere god among men. He was a caring and incredible lover, yet a pirate through and through, with a heart of… well, not gold, being he WAS a pirate… he had a good heart, good enough to let her enter it. She'd seen him at his best and his worst, when he'd crossed blades with unsavory men and when he'd been too drunk to remember who he was, when he'd been briefly imprisoned on Cuba before he managed a daring escape, when he'd been standing at the bow of the Pearl in complete contentment; she had been there to see all his ups and downs, and would never trade in those memories and the feeling of love they invoked for anything. As she sat against the edge of the nets, her left arm and both legs entangled in them to keep her from falling into the rushing air over the sea, Zora Leighland prided herself in finding such a man among the true evil bastards of the world.

Her smile fell. Off in the distance, land was visible. Home. Or what had been home since she was an infant. Port Royal, Jamaica. It held only bad memories for her, but they needed supplies badly, and Jack had recently insisted they stop and check on a friend of his, one that had saved his neck a few times during his last visit. Only for Jack would Zora return to that miserable island.

The captain of the Black Pearl wandered from his quarters groggy and altogether in an irritated mood. The sun was always too bright in the morning, and even aboard the 'uncatchable' ship, the heat was almost overwhelming. Not to mention he hated the fact they had to stop so soon for supplies, especially in Port Royal, being he was still wanted for all his crimes. He didn't mean to escape all those times, but he was fond of living at the moment. Besides, he didn't want to be hanged if they could never get his title right.

Fixing the hat upon his head of dark, dreadlocked hair and his custom red bandana, Jack swayed his way down to check the ship over and begin the day. Some of the crew were already out and about, starting on their chores, while others were only just now staggering from their beds. One body caught his eye, and after checking with the helmsman, he ventured toward her. There was something about the way she wore his coat like she was this morning that caused him to swell with pride and adoration. He wasn't above admitting he cared for that woman, even if he still wasn't quite sure what that meant for them, though he did strive to not say such mushy things; it would utterly ruin his reputation. She was satisfied, and so he was, too.

"Tha's a dangerous seat, love," he stated, only saying so because he feared her hurting herself somehow… even though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

Zora looked down at him, smiled, and shifted the arm she had tangled in the nets. "Why do you think I make sure I have a grip on the nets, Captain?" she returned in her sweet voice, the tone carrying a tease with it.

Jack crookedly smiled back, exposing a few gold teeth. If he could live on just seeing the woman smile, he would. She was always a beautiful sight, whether she was clean or filthy with grime like she was now, even with the thin scar across her cheek from a missed attempt at blocking a sword. Not waking to her beside him some mornings, like that one, was the first thing to put him in a mood. Easily corrected when he caught his first glimpse of her working on his Pearl. "Come down," he requested. "If nothing else, to suit me ego in knowing ye'll listen to me."

She narrowed her brown eyes good-naturedly. "I only listen to you because I know you will throw me to the sea if I do not, then mock me when I return aboard your ship soaking wet," was her retort.

Chuckling, he countered with, "Yes, but then ye expertly manage to best me in taunts, smooth out all the problems, and get a full day in bed with me on top of it all." It had happened at least twice now since she'd come aboard the Pearl.

Zora raised an eyebrow. "Not much incentive for me to come down if I do not get a full day in bed with you, is it, pirate," she said, "but because I know you worry about never getting any sex again should I fall and drown…" She untangled herself, and carefully walked along the edge until she could hop down onto the deck, lightly landing on her bare feet with one hand still clasped on the net.

Jack sighed, an actual look of relief passing over his tanned face. "Thank ye." He leaned down to gently kiss her lips, then smirked wickedly before adding, "And I could easily get all the sex I wanted should ye have fallen and drowned. I am Captain Jack Sparrow, after all."

"'Tis what you think," she replied before turning to face the sea again. "After having me, you will be hard pressed to find anyone nearly so satisfying." Port Royal was coming closer, and with it, her memories. Here, she fell silent.

"Ye're so sure ye're that good," he remarked, wrapping his arms around her small waist and pulling her back against his chest. "Quite full of yerself, don't ye think?" She didn't return a comeback, but rather than revel in a victory, he only became concerned. Something was the matter, and it had to be something big for her to lose her humor. "Zora…?"

His tone brought her from her thoughts. There was a question in how he said her name. "Port Royal is a mere few hours, love," she answered softly, reaching back with her right hand to take the braids of his beard in her fingers, beginning to stroke them gently; the action had become commonplace when she worried about or feared something.

Jack rested his head on the side of her's, letting her continue with her habit; he wasn't very fond of people tugging or even touching any hair of his, but this seemed to soothe her, so he never stopped her from doing it. "They can't catch me, Zora, if tha's all this is about," he stated.

"No, 'tis not that."

"Then what?" Jack was unsure what to do now in terms of comforting her, especially since he had no idea what distressed her. He thought a kiss might help, but maybe that wouldn't be enough… ravaging her on deck held its grand excitement, but perhaps that wasn't the best course of action, either, being out of place in the way these things worked. He wished she'd tell him how to fix this already!

Zora still let her fingers stroke the braids of his beard, lightly brushing against his stubble-covered chin as she slipped back into thought. Maybe she was making too big a deal over this. After all, Port Royal was a big enough port city, and she might not run into her parents, not if she stayed with Jack and his friend. "Bad memories is all, Jack," she finally said, then tilted her head to the side and back so she could look up into his handsome face, her hand falling from his beard to rest on his hands settled around her waist. "I am more than excited to meet your friend, though."

He wasn't about to let her get off that easy, but she smiled so beautifully at him that he lost all train of thought. Damn women and their magical ways! Just as good as rum, and just as bad for him at the same time. "Aye, it should be interesting to see how ole Will and his wife are doing," he returned, a slight smirk coming over his lips. He remembered their adventure, the one that gained him possession of the Black Pearl again. That had been one of the most exciting times he'd had, and when everything evened out in the end, it made the experience completely worth it.

He stroked her soft, dirt-smudged cheek with a rough and dirty finger now, admiring the way she looked pressed against his body and wrapped in his arms. He had no idea what happened to him, or when he even became this soft-hearted fool. He had been one of the worst pirates in all the Caribbean, and dare he say the seven seas, but now, he felt that mattered less for him than it used to. All he knew now was that Zora and her well-being managed to occupy his thoughts more often than before. "I think it time for ye to dress properly, darling. Me coat would be much appreciated, as well."

Zora pouted up at Jack as she stepped from his arms. "Send a lady to her deathbed from the cold, will you," she muttered, slowly stripping the coat from her body, then roughly throwing it at his chest. He barely managed to catch it before it would fall to the deck boards. "You are truly an evil pirate."

Jack laughed lowly, and retorted, "Ah, but only a notorious pirate, m'dear. If I were truly evil, I would insist ye strip nude and give me a riveting belly dance, savvy?"

"Perhaps later," was her reply, followed by a wink as she headed toward their quarters. Jack smiled wickedly as he looked out over the sea to watch Port Royal come slowly closer.

It wasn't long before the Black Pearl dropped anchor and dropped her sails; being as famous as she was, the ship couldn't simply dock in the harbor, not without alerting the Navy, after all. The crew would have to use row boats in order to enter the port city, stock up, have their fun, and whatever else may happen. Robbery would be a possibility, being pirates and all.

Jack was lost in thought as the crew began to board the boats and lower themselves to the sea; there was a nearby cove they would row to that had an underground cave system which led right to the other side of the city, bypassing the Navy altogether. The captain was busy trying to decide the fastest route to the blacksmith's shop. There, he might be able to locate Will Turner's residence.

"For as long as you have been standing there silent, one might actually begin to think the captain has a brain in his head," Zora's taunting voice reached his ears.

"Sad when such an intelligent woman realizes that fact months after acquiring a taste for the captain's other head." Jack turned with a smirk to see his lady love dressed as a young lady should; gone were her borrowed breeches and billowing shirt, all replaced by the red crushed velvet maiden's dress of the high-society culture she was born and bred into, the very dress Jack had met her in. Only she looked so much lovelier than she had those months ago because she appeared to have matured greatly since then; her golden brown hair tumbled down her back, adorned with beads and special trinkets, and accenting her face, especially her chocolate brown eyes. A dream woman, to be sure. Or maybe more a dream phantom. Jack wasn't quite sure which title fit her best.

Zora simply smiled, watching him stare at her like he had just found some grand treasure. Jack often went into these 'trances', but she never minded; it gave her a chance to make her own appraisals of him without him realizing it. No matter how much she tried, there was never a time she could find a fault in his appearance. Everyone else in the world may have only seen a dirty, scrubby pirate, but she saw the man she fell in love with, and that made all the difference.

She stepped toward him, taking his coat from his hand, and managed to start slipping it on his arms before Jack snapped out of his daze. "Now Jack, I must insist upon one thing while we are in Port Royal," Zora stated as she rounded him, gently tugging his coat around him, brushing off any dirt, then looked up into his heavenly brown eyes, the dark kohl smudges underneath highlighting them ever so much.

Jack grinned. "And what might that request be, love?"

"Absolutely no rum." Jack's grin swiftly fell. He vaguely remembered a promise about no more rum, but he was drunk then and thinking more about pleasuring the woman before him than what he had been saying at the time. Zora giggled, and as Jack tried to sputter out some sort of protest, she took his hand and directed him toward one of the boats. The crew lowered it to the water, and they started toward the cove, Jack still trying to get his voice to work.

It wasn't until they reached the other side of Port Royal that Jack managed to speak again. "B-b-b-but no rum at ALL!" he said in a pleading tone. "Zora… tha's a might harsh, isn't it?"

She smiled easily, and returned, "My good sir, the last time you had more than a good amount in your system, you could not say my name the next morning. Not the best impression to make on your newest crew member, especially after bedding her, hm?"

"It's not my fault ye have such a bloody unusual name," Jack pouted out. Zora ran her thumb across his sensual lips, then placed her arm through his. She did it again. Managed to make him forget everything he was thinking. He shook his head, unable to understand how she kept doing that, and ventured toward the inner part of the port city, Zora at his side. He didn't think he could ever feel as honored as he did right then, with her on his arm. That alone had him crookedly smiling as he swayed toward their destination.

A/N: Opinion time! What do you think so far? Like it, hate it? Please review and let me know.