Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Characters and all related subjects belong to their rightful copyright holder(s).

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Chronicles of Jack Sparrow

Chapter One: "The Hidden Past"

Upon nearing their home, Jack's father let him down and smiled as he watched his son run excitedly towards their house.

"Mama! Mama! Guess what? Guess what?" Jack said excitedly as he stormed into his house. Finding his mother in the kitchen, he repeated the question.

Kneeling down, she gave him a kiss to the forehead, and asked, "What is it, mi hijo?"

"You won't believe who I met at the docks!" he replied, intentionally not implying his father.

"And who might that be?" Jack simply beamed and looked at the front door. Following suit, she looked at the front door as well. Her expression immediately changed from curiosity to tearful joy as she saw the figure of her husband standing in the doorway.

"Rosalinda," the man greeted. Rosalinda immediately stood up and hugged him, throwing him off balance.

"James! You're back! You've been gone for so long! We thought you'd never return!"

"So did I," James said, running his hand through his wife's long, black hair, "Captain Perez insisted that we stayed longer out. The rum-runners seemed to have stepped out of our agreement."

"You can tell us all about it during dinner. I hope you still have an appetite for my cooking." she said, walking to the kitchen to prepare the table.

"Of course. I've just been telling Jack here that nothing beats your cooking. Isn't that right, Jack?" James said, patting his son's head.

"Yes, Papa." Jack replied as his mother filled his plate with food.

Inhaling deeply, James said, "Smells delicious! What is it?"

"It's a new recipe I've been perfecting. Young Jack here has had the misfortune of being my tester." Rosalinda explained.

"Misfortune? Nonsense. I'd trade sailing for that position any day."

"Why I'm very flattered to hear that." She said, and she looked flattered as well. James opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Jack said something indistinct. Spluttered, more like.

"Jack, you should know better than to speak with your mouth full." His mother said while James simply laughed.

Swallowing his food he said, "Tell us all about your journey, Papa! Did you meet any pirates?"

They spent the rest of the evening listening as James skillfully told the story of his recent voyage through the seas, reaching the Spanish coast and beyond, and all his encounters throughout the journey. Jack listened in fascination as his father recounted his travels to him

Tired from all the excitement, he fell asleep soon afterwards. As James tucked him in to sleep he noticed a pile of papers askew on the floor. Upon closer examination he noticed them to be maps. Though they were lacking details such as topographic indicators, they were impressive nonetheless. He soon realized the handwriting to be that of his own son.

"Did Jack draw all these?" he asked Rosalinda.

"Draw what?" she asked. Seeing what he was holding, she added, "Oh, those. Yes, Jack drew those."

"Did he really?" James returned, sounding thoroughly impressed. Examining the maps more thoroughly, James felt his amazement grow. The growing detail in the maps as he shuffled through the papers indicated improving skills and extraordinary talent.

"How is it that Jack came to draw these maps?" James asked, not taking his eyes off the maps.

"I seem to remember him basing his drawings on older maps, and one particularly interesting map he claimed was drawn from descriptions from a man of some island. I don't seem to remember what island though. Tortorella, Tormento, Tor-"

"Tortuga…" James said.

"That's the one! How did you-?"

"Rosalinda, come here!" he said, placing the map on the table. "And bring a candle!" he added. His voice sounded slightly urgent, but Rosalinda recognized that he was excited about something.

Placing the candle on the table, she asked, "What is it?"

"Look here." James said, taking from his pocket his own map. "This here is a map of Isla la Tortuga. Turtle island. I got this map from one of my shipmates during the old days." He then placed the map on the table, next to Jack's map. "Look at that." He said, a gleam of pride shining on his face.

"Incredible…" Rosalinda said, utterly amazed. "Did Jack really-?"

"I'm as impressed as you are." James said. Returning to the maps, he pointed out. "Now look here. Jack's map lacks certain details, but the position and relative shape of this mountain, this river, and this cliff are incredibly accurate." He explained, pointing out these points on both maps.

"Oh, my…" Rosalinda managed, "…and to think that he drew this all from a… a mere description…"

"Rosalinda, I think our son has a talent for cartography."

Jack woke up the next morning to the sound of his father's voice. Well, that, and some vigorous shaking.

"Jack. Jack… wake up…" James said in a singsong way. "Come on. Hurry up and get dressed. We're going for a walk after breakfast."

Crawling back under the sheets, Jack complained, "Can't breakfast wait until noon?"

"No, 'cause that way it's lunch. Now get up." James said, smiling at the lump in the blanket that was his son.

"Fine." Jack said, getting up as his father went outside. He got dressed and ate his breakfast, and emerged from the house a few minutes later, still munching his meal.

"I'm ready, Papa." Jack said, spluttering food everywhere.

"Good. Now we go to the beach. I want to talk to you about something."

The walk to the beach was silent and uneventful, not that it provided the opportunity, for it was only a short walk away. Jack assumed that they were headed for the docks, but found out he was mistaken when his father passed the docks, and went on to the far side of the beach. Jack knew this path to lead to another cove on the other side. Knowing better than to question his father, Jack decided to remain silent until they reached their destination.

James didn't utter a single word throughout the walk, except for calling Jack when he fell behind. Finally stopping at the middle of the cove, James waited for Jack to catch up. Sitting down, he motioned Jack to sit down as well.

"What are we doing here, Papa?" Jack asked.

James pulled a piece of paper that Jack recognized as his own drawing of Tortuga Island from his pocket.

"This is quite an impressive map, Jack."

"R-really, Papa?" Jack stuttered. He had drawn the map based on descriptions given to him by a man he met a few months ago, aided by a couple of maps he found. Though he himself was proud of the map, he didn't know how his father would react.

Detecting the nervousness in his son's voice, James decided to take another course. "You know, even before I met your mother, I was already journeying the seas." He started. Getting no response, he continued. "I was always fascinated by it, even as a child. I would sit many hours on the beach just staring at the ocean and wondering what it would be like to sail out to sea, go on adventures."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Jack asked, "What did you do then, Papa?"

"Well, I pursued my dream. I worked hard, and finally I was appointed as a member of a crew."

"For a trading ship?"

"Well, you could say so. I was navigator for the Black Rogue, under Captain Roger Buck. Have you ever heard of him, Jack?" he asked. Jack shook his head in the negative. "Well I didn't suppose so. Captain Buck was also known as 'Captain Quill'. I see him you've heard of." He added in response to Jack's gasp.

"You mean you were a-?"

"Pirate. Yes."

"Wow." Jack said in a mixture of amazement and awe.

"Well I expected you to be upset, but apparently I was wrong." James said earnestly.

"Did you go on many adventures? Was it exciting? How was it like? Never mind that, why did you stop?" Jack said breathlessly.

"Well it's simple, Jack. I met your mother. I fell in love with her, and decided to leave the pirate way. It may sound cheap, but it's true."

"How did the crew take it?" Jack asked, more interested in the pirates.

"Well, they didn't take it very well at first, see. Said I was 'wasting my talents'. But then Quill showed up and said that it's my talents, so it was my decision when and where to waste it. But apparently, they weren't wasted."

"You mean being recruited for the Pearl?"

"No. I mean those talents, it seems, have been passed on to you." James said with a glint of pride in his eyes as he handed over Jack's map.

"I-I always have been fascinated by the sea." Jack said nervously. "Especially by pirates." He added with a laugh. He paused a moment to think, then said, "Papa, do you-… Would you agree if I became a pirate?"

James was slightly taken aback by this, though it was expected. "Jack, it's not in my hands what you grow up to be. That decision is entirely yours to make."

Thrilled by this remark, Jack started talking excitedly about his dream future, "I'll build my own ship. The largest the world has ever seen! I'll make it all; mast, deck, keel, hull, everything! And I'll be the most notorious pirate ever!" he said, leaping to his feet.

Laughing at this, James said, "That you'll be, son. But you have to understand one very important thing."

"What's that, Papa?" Jack said, sitting down.

"A ship is more than just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is… what it means… is freedom. To go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go." James said somewhat passionately. "Remember that, Jack. Now come, it's already noon. We should get home."

A/N: Short chapter, I know.. but it'll get longer along the way.. About Jack's mom,I always imagined Jack to be of Spanish descent somehow.. You all might have noticed thatI quoted the last part from the first movie.
I'd also like to thank the ppl who reviewed the intro chapter. i can't remember your names, but you know who you are.