AN: My Muse is back! I picked up the Visual Guide and the junior novelization to Dead Man's Chest. Definitely worth a read for all you diehards out there. Three more weeks!

I'm in the process of revamping this a bit. I'm only changing a few minor details, ie. How Jack and Evelyn get the Pearl, etc. to fit in better with Dead Man's Chest. I've also done some editing.

This story contains SPOILERS! If you don't want to be spoiled, then wait until you've seen the movie, and then read it, okay? Okay!

Every Rose Has It's Thorns

Chapter Two: The Stowaway

Eight years later:

Evelyn slowly crept out of her tiny bed in her dormitory. She kneeled unto the floor and carefully pulled out a bag of clothing and her most precious belongings from underneath her bed. She had packed it earlier in that day. She hated this place.

She had lied to her "papa" in all of her letters telling him that she was having a wonderful time. In reality she had been tormented by the girls constantly since the day she had arrived. She just hadn't had it in her heart to tell Porthos, the man who had taken her in and given her everything she had ever needed and more.

After years of being this institution's mockery and their resident "Sea Rat" she had had enough. She was going home to her papa. She quietly tiptoed over to the window, lowered her bag onto the ground outside and carefully climbed out. She walked along the streets of Paris until she came to the docks.

In his last letter, Porthos had said that on tonight, he'd be setting off to sail with Athos and Aramis, and a new Musketeer she had not met yet. After three days of careful consideration, she decided to simply stowaway on Porthos' ship and not alert anyone to her presence until they were too far away from Paris for him to attempt to take her back.

Upon reaching Porthos' ship, Evelyn climbed down into the hold and hid near the powder magazine. She new that her papa always stocked ammunition and such weeks before he set to sail, so figured that no one would check to look there until they were far from Paris.

Three days later:

Evelyn awoke to the sound of a voice of a man complaining to himself. She crept farther back into the shadows where she was hiding. She tried very hard to be as silent as she possibly could but she tripped over a rope and fell to the floor. This of course alerted the stranger to her presence.

"What the..." The young man said as he glanced to where the sound had come from. "Who the heck are you?" He asked Evelyn as he spotted her in the shadows. He was a young man, in his late teens or his early twenties. He was handsome with light hair and blue eyes. He had appeared somewhat angelic to Evelyn, until he spoke to her, that is.

"Hello," Evelyn said meekly, "please don't tell Porthos I'm here."

"PORTHOS!" The man yelled. Evelyn cringed.

"What is it now, Dartagnon?" Porthos yelled as he came down into the hold.

"Why is there a little girl down here?" Dartagnon asked the pirate.

"What are you talking-" Porthos started as Evelyn slowly walked out of the shadows. "Why aren't you in School!" Porthos fumed.

"I'm sorry, papa. I just couldn't take it anymore! Those girls were so horrible to me! Please don't make me go back." Evelyn began to pout. She had never seen her papa so mad at her in her entire life.

Porthos covered his face with his hands and sighed. "Why didn't you say anything in your letters?"

"I didn't want to upset you," Evelyn replied.

"Evy," Porthos said, "we have to take you back."

"NO!" Evelyn shouted, "I want to be a pirate. I want to sail the Spanish Main. I want to see the world, papa. Paris is so boring. I hate it there. I have no freedom."

Porthos frowned. He grabbed Evelyn by the hand and drug her up to top deck. Dartagnon followed him.

"We have a problem," Porthos stated as he and Dartagnon stalked over towards his cabin where Athos and Aramis were standing. He pointed to the main mast where he had left Evelyn standing.

"How did she get here!" Athos yelled.

"I decided to corrupt my daughter and turn her into a pirate," Porthos said sarcastically. "She stowed-away!"

"Wait, you have a daughter?" Dartagnon asked, confused.

"Sort of," Porthos said, "She's adopted."

"That explains it," Dartagnon said, "It still comes as a shock..."

"You're telling me," Aramis said calmly.

"So what are you going to do?" Athos asked Porthos.

"Well, I'm not going to take her back to Paris," Porthos said. "She hates it there. She'll cause a fuss even if I try to take her back."

"I told you not to spoil her," Athos said blankly. Porthos glared at him coldly.

"So what are her demands then?" Aramis asked.

"She says she wants to be a pirate," Porthos answered.

"You're not actually thinking of letting her are you?" Athos asked astounded.

"Of course I'm not!" Porthos replied, "Not permanently anyway."

"What do you mean?" Aramis asked.

"I'll send her off on a ship with a friend of mine, and within a few weeks I guarantee she'll be begging me to let her come home." Porthos answered.

Athos sighed. "So, you're going to let her have her way and hope that that solves the problem?"

"Basically, yes." Porthos said.

"Fine. Just don't come crying to us when this whole thing backfires on you," Athos said.

"What friend did you have in mind, if you don't mind my asking?" Aramis said.

"Bootstrap Bill." Porthos said with a grin.

AN: Please tell me what you think whether you're a first time reader, or just rereading for the changes!