Thank you so much for your reviews, I always want more! Keep 'em coming! OK, so here it is Chapter Four. Oh and my reader is sadly ill today so I had to make do without one, this is why the punctuation and grammar is so awful in this chapter.

Chapter Four

Both Jack and Lydia turned to Elizabeth with an affronted expression on their faces when she interrupted their conversation. She noticed with amusement how alike they were, "So how did you two meet?" She asked with a slightly forced brightness.

Lydia laughed nonchalantly, "You'd be surprised how any times I've been asked that question!"

"How many times have you answered?"
"Not nearly as much. But now we have time on our hands, so the length of it doesn't really matter, yes I think I can respond!"

Jack smiled, "Make yourself comfortable Lizzy-Beth, miss Winter can tell a yarn with the best of 'em!"…

Flashback/Lydia's story

She sat there, twisting a piece of dirty hair around her finger again and again. The single shaft of light protruding from the tiny window fell upon her face giving the impression that she was bearing a halo. The effect had pleased her at first, she had enjoyed seeing the startled faces of the guards as they passed her cell. But soon they grew used to her slim figure sitting there in the light, and even sooner she tired of the game. So it was that on that musty July evening she sat there for no reason but a lack of a need to move. Everyday dust danced through her prison and collected on her, rising like a swarm of insects when she reached to take the stale food handed into her. But not once did her broken gaze flicker for a moment from the wall opposite her.

Sound was not a regular visitor to the dungeons, so the explosive gun shots, swearing and yells of pain flared through the cramped jail like lightning. The woman flung herself against the bars with interest causing a small cloud of dust to erupt around her. Fluctuating shadows appeared on the grimy stair case, soon to be followed by people. Two red, heavily breathing guards, one sporting a black aye the other a cut lip were dragging a young man down the steps. He was quite handsome with floppy black hair, a hint of stubble and a perfectly straight nose which jutted out in a decisive fashion. He however seemed anything but sure of himself. He was speaking quickly, waving his hands around in agitation, "It wasn't stealing it was commandeering, and anyway you've got no proof that it was me!" The guards carried on regardless. They had learnt the hard way not to pay any attention, this however didn't seem to faze the man at all; "Technically I was only taking what was mined, the Navy stole my ship, savvy? They owe me! Look I swear I'm innocent!" But the guards just laughed as they chucked him unceremoniously into the cell next to the woman's.

"Perhaps" grinned his perspiring captor, "you'll be able to conjure up yet another miraculous escape, but we've had these bars reinforced especially for you! So I doubt it!" The two men swaggered away patting each other on the back and looking pleased with themselves.

The man watched them go, then with a serene calmness he heaved one of the stone slabs that made up the floor out of its setting, revealing the opening of a passage. Grinning he turned to the woman, "They never learn do they, I've been doing this trick for ten years now and it works every time! The name's Captain Jack Sparrow by the way!"

"Lydia Winters." She said incredulously.

"Good to meet you!" And with that he was gone.

Lydia sat, and cursed herself, why hadn't she said anything? Asked him to help her? If she had she wouldn't still be stuck here with nothing to do but reflect on what could have been. A tear broke the dirt covering her face, then she began to cry for real, letting out all of the fear and the sadness that had filled her in the past few years of imprisonment, waiting to be hung.

She was woken in the middle of the night by someone calling her name; "Lydia, Lydia" She looked up through bleary eyes, "Mr Sparrow?"

"Captain luv, captain!"

"You came back!"

He winked at her "Well I couldn't leave you here could I?" Grabbing the keys from the peg he opened his previous cell door and walking in, he shifted the stone slab back over the hole; "Conceals my actual route of escape!" he said with a grin. Leaving the door wide open he unlocked Lydia's cell and pulled her out. She gasped as her feet crossed the partition! She was free, finally she was free! She wobbled a little unsteadily, it had been a long time since she'd last walked any distance; "Faint later, run now!" Jack smirked at her.

Lydia yawned, "I could have spun that out longer, but there's not much more to tell. We ran for it, commandeered a ship. Picked up a crew in Tortuga and sailed the seven seas to our hearts desire!"

Elizabeth frowned; "But why were you in prison in the first place?" Lydia laughed, and pulling up her sleeve revealed a pirate brand. "Courtesy of a certain James Norrington!" she said viciously. Elizabeth fought of her ex-fiancée and wandered what had become of him, then another thought struck her, "But how were you and Jack separated?"

"That's a story for another evening!" Jack interjected. "It's past two in the morning. Lydia, you'll stay on the Pearl for what remains of the night won't you? You can have Annemarie's old cabin." She nodded and rose out of her seat then slipped through the door. Elizabeth could see she knew the ship well.

"So what do you think?" Jack asked her.

"She reminds me of you!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good, definitely! 'Night Captain Sparrow."

"Good night Lizzy-Beth."

Dawn was breaking but Lydia was thirsty. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten to drink her rum. Slowly she crept down below deck to the galley. Ahh, glorious alcohol! She wrenched the bottle from its compartment then turned to go. Then a noise made her stop in her tracks; "Time's up Missy!"

OOOHHH. Something about that voice sounded familiar! Who was it? I've got such a good plot; this is going to be a long series! More of your fantibliabulous review please; they inspire me to write more! Oh and don't worry, they'll be plenty more JE fluff in the next chapter to make up for the lack of it in this one!