Disclaimer: Don't own the original PotC plot, characters and/or profit. I only own this story plot, my characters, ships, and my insanity. Many thanks.

Deceptions of Heritage- Act One- Chapter Two- A Captain's Vigil

Ana held her breath as the ship in the distance drifted closer to the Pearl's starboard side, the female pirate's heart beating wildly. Grabbing the dog by the collar, she drug him from the railing and desperately tried shushing his barks as she told the night watchman to alert the others. Scooping the dog into her arms, Ana quickly made her way back to the cabin, where she unceremoniously dumped the animal onto the bed, the movement rousing Jack as sat up.

"What's the meanin' of this!" he irritably asked, one eye narrowing at the woman.

Ana ignored his question as she crossed to the window. "A ship on the horizon," she stated simply, her dark eyes staring out at the dark. She heard the rustling behind of Jack untangling himself from the sheets as he came to stand beside her, his drowsy face staring out at the horizon.

Jack squinted in the dark, his eyes adjusting to the dimly lit room as he spotted the barely visible shape of a ship in the distance. He muttered a curse under his breath and soon was shuffling across the room, pulling a pair of trousers on, a shirt clutched in his fist as he stumbled out onto the deck. Gibbs suddenly appeared in his vision and he skidded to a stop just before crashing into the burly man, a frown set deep on his face.

"Jack-"

The pirate captain nodded, "I know Gibbs. Tell the crew to keep quiet and make sure no lamps are lit. We don't want them catching wind of us knowing about their presence."

The older sailor nodded his agreement before heading off as bidded. Jack stood near the helm, his brow creased in anticipation as he silently watched the distant ship slowly drift closer, the sound of the fluttering sails reaching his ears. Now what...?

Ana quietly poked her head around the heavy door, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she peered across the small room at the tiny figure nestled in the bed. Reassuring herself with the sight, she hurriedly slipped back outside, closing the door behind her as she made her way to the top deck.

Shielding her face from a harsh wind, she slowly trekked across to Jack, her narrowed eyes never leaving the shadowy figure on the horizon. "Any clue as to who she is?"

The pirate captain shook his head, "None. Definitely a Bristish vessel though. I've not seen any commotion indicating that they are trailing us, much less any movement on her decks at all."

Anamaria tilted her head in thought. "That is odd," she supplied, a finger lingering on her chin. "What are we going to do?"

Jack stood quietly as he pondered the woman's question, his brow creasing more. "I guess we wait," he offered after several moments. "We don't want to jump to conclusions and start a fight that could have been avoided- especially if they are not following us."

The dark-skinned woman beside him nodded her agreement, her lips pursed at the answer. A noise from behind drew both their attentions and Ana saw Gibbs approach, a determined expression on his face. "Winds not full force, Jack- might take a bit for our sails to catch it."

"Run out the sweeps then, but tell the crew to wait my order; we don't know what that other ship is going to do," Jack informed him as the old sailor headed off once more.

Ana gripped Jack's arm gently. "Do you think they mean to attack us?" she asked after a while, her voice laden with worry.

The pirate captain shifted uncomfortably before answering, "If they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't."

Despite the current situation, Ana found herself smiling. "What if they catch up to us? Without any wind to power our sails, the sweeps will be useless. We won't be able to outrun them."

Jack took notice of the fear tinging the woman's voice, and tenderly squeezed her hand as his eyes met hers momentarily before turning from her, a smirk gracing his tanned face as he commented, "Don't forget love, we've got the Black Pearl- the fastest ship in the Caribbean- on our side." He paused before adding almost as an afterthought, "Not to mention, she's being captained by Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Sunlight slowly crept over the horizon, the bright rays coloring everything a pale hue of orange as the water glistened under the intense haze.

Jack swiped at his kohl lined eyes, the exhaustion showing in the lines of his tanned face. For several hours he stood at the helm, his gaze often going to the ship that quietly trailed behind them. The wind had finally picked just before the sun rose, the black sails filling and fluttering above the deck as many of the crew hurried about.

The tired pirate captain glanced over his shoulder, his brown eyes staring at the distant ship behind. Since it's discovery, he had noticed that there had been little to no movement aboard at all during the night, and the appearance of it certaintly had him stumped. Makes no sense...

A noise from below drew his attention from the ship and he turned his head, his weary eyes landing on Anamaria, exhaustion showing equally as much in her face as she watched him, a small body held tightly in her grasp. At the child's protest of being held, Ana set the small girl on her feet and ascended the small flight of stairs to Jack's side, her dark eyes returning to her daughter's still form at the deck below.

A small frown formed on the girl's features at the thought of being left behind, the anger turning her tiny face red as she huffed at her mother, her blue eyes narrowing as she raised her arms to her parents. Jack raised an eyebrow at the girl's antics before sliding his gaze to Ana, slight amusement covering her face. He turned his eyes back to his daughter and stifled his laughter at the sight.

The small girl stood there defiantly, her arms held out as her fingers flexed at her intentions of wanting to be picked up, her lips twisting into a frown. When she realized that neither parent was going to come pick her up, she stamped a tiny foot and grunted as only a miffed child could do as she began to throw a tantrum.

Jack stood up, a stern look on his face as he stared at her. "Now that is uncalled for," he gently reprimanded her from his spot at the helm, the tender yet firm words causing the girl to stop her fit as tiny tears began welling in her eyes. The pirate captain shook his head in defeat as he sighed, "Pirates do not cry."

When he got a louder scream from the girl as a reaction, he grimaced. She's certaintly got a set of lungs when she wants them... definitely her mother's daughter. The screaming got louder as the girl once more stomped her foot on the deck, her persistant tactics slowly growing on Jack's nerves as he stated firmly, "Knock it off."

Ana covered her mouth, her laughter being supressed at the sight as Jack stared down at his daughter, the girl staring back just as harshly, intent on getting her way as she yelled in frustration. The pirate captain gawked at her before shouting, "Do not make me come down there, young lady!"

The small girl stared openly at her father's stern voice, her tantrum fading with the warning as she crinkled her nose. After a moment, she puckered her lips, her chin quivering as she unsteadily climbed the steps to where her parents stood; Jack shook his head, a hand pinching the bridge of his nose as Ana chuckled, her dark eyes clouded with mirth at the situation. He reached down and picked the girl up when she finally made it to him, his nose wrinkling in annoyance at her previous display of attitude.

"Cap'n, land ahead!"

The call brought Jack's head up, the many trinkets in his hair slapping together as he spotted the shadow of land on the horizon. He cast a glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the ship still behind them, a frown present on his face as he handed the girl in his arms to Ana, his hands gripping the helm tightly as he prepared to dock in the quickly approaching port.

Author's Corner:

Ok, I just want to say, that is really getting annoying with their stupid quickedit! I'm terribly sorry, but this dumb program keeps deleting things in my chapter, like my chapter dividers- if you haven't noticed... I'm just now noticing myself, so please, forgive the messiness of this chapter until I can get things straightened out. ;; Hopefully they won't delete this too...

Ok, I'm sorry for such a long delay in the updates of this newly spun tale, but I hit a block, and I'm still not quite happy with this chapter, but it'll work! wink At least until I can come up with something better to replace it... heh, which will probably be never. I have some done ideas for this story, but it's taking longer to create the gap fillers- grr, stupid writer's block! Anyway... this should be the last installment of my Anamaria Saga- unless of course, I decide to continue adding on to this Epic Tale due to reviewer's requests. Who knows... but speaking of reviewers...

Review Thanks:

Rose Noire le Mort- Sorry, this wasn't updated in haste, but I hope it still attracts your attention nonetheless. Thanks for reviewing!

kungfuchick- Glad to see that you're still here! Hehe, you flatter me. (LOL) Yes there are a lot of stories out there, and some are really good. And some are just... well really don't belong here. Thanks for the review! Hope this story tickles your fancy as the rest did.

SpecialEddie- Well if it isn't my little buddy Molly... grins What have you been up to! Writing some, hopefully, as you do have a couple of good morsels of literature going on. Glad you liked this new installment of PotC fiction I've begun spinning, hopefully it'll hold a candle next to all my others in my reviewer's P.O.V. ) Hope to see more of your work soon, btw!

Cal- Ye know, with a couple of added spaces in your reviews, they could easily be chapters in themselves. I always LOVE reading your reviews; there is so much enthusiasm and inspiration in your words ) And I always look forward to reading your opinions on my stories, it does help and it brightens my day considerably to see that someone thrives on my work and enjoys reading them so much that they keep coming back for more. And boy do you love this! I love your responses... hope you stay around for a long time, friend! Thanks SO MUCH for your support!

williz- Hi! Thanks for your review, and I am glad you liked it. Hope it you like the rest of it!

ravenwynne- Well now, if it isn't my most trusted first mate! Where in Sam Hell have you been! And sheesh, its not like you can't call me or visit or something... nope instead, you rely on reviewing this crap to say hello... I feel the love. :-p And give you more? When are you gonna get off your duff and write your own! I'm still waiting! Anyway, thanks for the review! ) I'll see ya around, sometime, ok? And don't be a stranger!

Blue Wolf2- Hello again! I'm glad you liked the teasing/jesting pieces I tried throwing in there to lighten the mood, I guess they worked. Hope you like this piece just as much- if not, let me know, cause I know it needs some major work! (LOL) Thanks for the review, and I hope to see more of your stuff soon as well.

THANKS TO ALL!

J