Hey everyone, this is just a filler, really, to let you all know I'm still alive and set up some plot. Thanks.

Chapter 6: Charlotte and the Sphere

Bill sat very still at the back of the pub. How could it be, that just a few years ago, this would have been impossible? He laughed lightly and played with his tankard, staring at a pretty redhead near the bar. She was talking to the barman and looked up every so often at him. Bill didn't pretend he wasn't watching her and even winked a couple of times.

After a few minutes, the woman pushed away from the bar and began to wend her way through the crowd, telling off people who got in her way. Finally she reached the table, the candlelight playing off the sweat on the top of her breasts which were bulging tantalizingly over the top of her dress.

Taking a big swig of rum, Bill leaned on the table. Now that she was close to him, he could see her red hair was actually strawberry blond and hung in lanky tendrils around her shoulders. Her wide eyes were deep blue and caught the dancing firelight perfectly.

"You wanna go upstairs, sir?" She asked her voice deep and husky. As he let his eyes travel over her, he found a deep scar on her neck. "Or do ya wanna jus' do it here?"

"Upstairs maybe." Bill said. He gestured for her to sit down in the chair across from him. "But first, give me company while I finish my drink." The woman nodded obligating and took her seat.

"What brings ye to Port Royal then?" She asked, leaning on the table and running a long finger over her chest. Bill watched the finger's progress over the top of his tankard.

"Supplies…" Bill muttered. The prostitute nodded and grabbed his tankard, taking a drink from it. Bill liked the kind of woman who would take the initiative. She drained the last bit and then got up, slamming it on the table. Grabbing his hand, she pulled his roughly across the room to the stairs.

"Now we have some fun." She giggled, whipping around and grabbing his face, kissing him deeply. They moved up the stairs awkwardly, their mouths still locked together, his hands grouping on the front of her dress.

The stairs they mastered, the hall was a little harder. They bumped into tables and had to skirt other people in their attempts to find an empty room. After many failed tries they managed to procure one at the end of the hall.

Bill threw her on the bed and slammed the door behind him. Falling on top of her he listened the her giggle as she tried to pull his shirt over his head. Just when it looked like this would be a good party, the door of the room opened and a timid voice said, "Captain?"

Bill whipped around and saw Daniel poking his head in. When he caught sight of them his face turned beat red and he pulled his head back, his voice shaky with embarrassment but very clear. "Sir, there is a woman onboard the Sphere; she's asking questions about a Jack Sparrow. She says it's urgent."

"I'm busy, Morraine." Bill snapped. Daniel made a weird nose.

"I know, but she's….scary." Bill rolled his eyes and looked down at the girl who was pouting. By the time he got back she would have already found a new charge. Sighing, Bill pulled himself off her and grabbed his shirt.

"Sorry." He said simply. The woman sat up on her elbows and nodded. "I have child problems…my crew in other words." Outside the door he could almost see Morraine's face blanch.

With a last look of longing at the woman lying on his bed, he followed Daniel out of the room. Once they were down the stairs and into the cool night air beyond, he grabbed Daniel's upper arm and steered him into the shadows of a bakery, rather roughly. "What the hell is your problem, Morraine?" He growled, his face inches from the youth's. The boy blanched considerably and took a deep, hesitant gulp of air.

"Well, sir, there's a woman named…" Bill growled and his grip tightened on the boy's arm.

"I know." He snapped impatiently. "Why couldn't anyone else deal with her?" Daniel shifted uncomfortably again and Bill saw his eyes darting around the street over his shoulder, as though trying to find an escape route. Deciding he was being to harsh, he let go of the boy and straightened Daniel's clothing. "Let's go. She's just a woman for heaven's sake."

The young woman turned out to be more then just scary, she was incredibly scary! Bill leaned back in his chair, his feet up on the polished desk in the middle of his captain's cabin. The young woman was leaning on the wood, her dark hair falling off her shoulder and swinging as she gestured forcefully with her slender hands.

"Okay, Charlotte…can I call you that?" The girl nodded. "You want me to take you with me when you have nothing to offer and…what, a fixation with this Jack Sparrow? What am I supposed to think of that? How do I know you won't try and kill him?"

Charlotte sighed dramatically and stood up, folding her arms over her chest. "I am highly qualified. I can help down in the galley, with the cooking. I am an ample dress maker and can tailor any of the clothing your men destroy." She gave Daniel's ripped shirt and once over and the young man blushed under her gaze.

"You look familiar." Bill said suddenly, his mind kicking into high gear. The young woman before him held the definite looks of the Sparrow family, but he knew Jack's wife and child were dead. Charlotte smiled slightly.

"Maybe some conquest you met in Tortuga was my mother?" She asked. She was appealing to him, trying to drive his lust to the edge to gain passage. The pride in her eyes at the mention of her mother was no prostitute's daughter.

"I have many conquests." Bill answered simply and the girl blushed slightly, pink rising in her high cheekbones. Her beauty would be a distraction to the crew, but on the other hand she was built right and looked strong, for a woman. Maybe she could work on board…women were bad luck, however.

"I'm more of a man then a woman." Charlotte answered swiftly, as though reading his mind. "I just want to meet Jack Sparrow."

"Uha." Bill gurgled. Sitting straight and pulling his feet from the table, he leaned on the desk. "Tell me. Are you merely a fan of his, or something more?" Charlotte stiffened noticeably. "You're not pregnant with his child, are you?"

"No!" Charlotte snapped. She sounded like she was disgusted. "I'm his…greatest fan. He knows my father."

Bill smiled. "Then welcome aboard, Charlotte Reed." Charlotte smiled and allowed Daniel to lead her from the cabin. Leaning back again, Bill lit a pipe and sucked on it unconsciously. How much trouble had he just gotten himself into?

TBC

Hey everyone, told you this was just a filler. I just wanted to set up Charlotte's new life and how she'll get to Jack. It will get more exciting, I promise. Thanks everyone for the reviews, they were awesome.