It's been a while. Call it summer camp, summer reading, and summer writer's block. Can't say I'll be perfect and on time for updating, but we'll see… school starts soon, again, but when I get an idea, I'll try hard!

Disclaimer: Still owning nothing except m characters.

Perhaps it was the pounding in her head. Or maybe it was the slow rocking of the room that willed Maev to open her eyes. Whatever the reason, the young woman began to stir and woke slowly.

It was nighttime. The little room bleared into focus with surprising ease. Moonlight poured in through the small window of the fine black maple wall. The light danced across the hard floor and several desks lining the walls. A small cot sat in the corner, the moth eaten wool blanket rumpled against the sheet. There was a smoking candle atop a round table in the very center. Abruptly, a fine jar of ink slid across the wood and smashed to the floor.

Maev was shaken by the crash and sat upright in an instant. She no longer stared around the room in a dazed confusion but now in stark panic. Her hear sped up as she began to shake.

She tried to stand but instantly toppled back into the wall. Her lip quivered and she wrapped her arms around her knees. A burning sensation erupted in the back of her head and her fingers tentatively reached back. Crusts of red scattered from her hair to her hand. Maev blinked rapidly, the evening suddenly coming back to her thoughts. Without thinking, she touched her chest, beneath her dress and could feel the parchment pressed against her skin. She continued to shake and stared around the room again.

"Awake, are we?"

She jumped at the voice and felt a fear travel down her spine. Her eyes turned to the corner and she was petrified to see a figure standing in the shadows.

Captain Jack Sparrow stepped forward, his boots making a satisfying click against the wood. His golden teeth glinted in the moonlight through his calm smile. The man reached up and stroked his braided beard for a moment, eyeing the girl up and down from her fetal position. A subtle warmth erupted through him. "Tell me," he purred, coming to a halt above her, his near black eyes burning into her face, "are you frightened?"

Maev felt herself nod without knowing.

"Then this will make things a little easier," Jack grinned as he swooped down to her height. She recoiled back against the wall, face paling. He chuckled. "Now, let's have none of that, love," his breath was warm against her face, a hint of rum mingled with salty air. "You have nothing to be afraid of, just as long as you do what Captain Jack tells you to do. Savvy?"

She nodded softly.

"I'd prefer to hear you say it."

"…Yes…" her voice came out in a cracked whisper.

"Excellent," Jack clapped his hands together before leaning in to face her even more. "Now, first thing's first… I am Captain Jack Sparrow, welcome to my humble abides. If you want to make it out of this predicament you've found yourself in with ease, you will do everything I say. You will speak when I say you will speak; you will walk when I say you will walk; you will give me what I want when I say you will give me what I want. Is that perfectly understandable? You may say so if it is."

"Yes…" Maev whispered again, biting back the tears welling in her slate gray eyes.

"Wonderful, you and I are going to get along just fine, sweetheart," Jack purred, raising his eyebrows in a dark manner. "Moving on… I never caught your name. What is it?"

"Maev," the young woman spoke smoothly, yet hoarsely.

"Ah, an Irish name for an Irish lass… delightful. Well, Maev, now that we have all of the fine details out of the way, would you kindly stand up and remove your dress?"

Maev froze against the wall, her arms a vice grip against her knees, her eyes wide with fear. Jack felt it coarse through her body and sighed. "Why are you women always so afraid to strip down for a man…" He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up sharply to her feet. She was shivering again. "I asked you to remove your dress, Maev. I thought you were clear on what I told you to do. Of course, we can always do this the hard way, too…" He pushed her against the wall again, his nose just grazing her own. The pirate's hands traveled down her shoulders and towards her waist. The woman stared at him in horror, her breathing rapid and swift.

"Please…" she whispered softly, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Oh, is that what you're afraid of!" Jack threw back his head and laughed. "No, no, love, you've got it all wrong… never the first night," he ended with a darker tone. "No, it is simply this… you've got something that I want. Rather badly in fact. And while I have patience and some aspects of a gentleman, I can only be pushed so far."

Her eyes flickered away from his face for an instant.

"Now, missy… give me the map."

"…what?"

Both Jack and Maev jumped when the door opened suddenly. The room pitched again and Maev nearly fell to the floor if Jack had not still been holding her. Her stare went to the door and she gasped.

"Captain, there's a problem at the helm," Hector Barbossa spoke smoothly and simply. "Your presence is greatly requested."

Jack rolled his eyes and half growled. He tore his arms from Maev and stepped back. "We'll have another chat soon, Maev," he winked at her. "Remember… you have nothing to be afraid of." With that, he turned on his heel and sauntered out the door, nodding at his comrade.

Once the captain was assuredly gone, Hector closed the door and turned his eyes to the woman.

Maev slid down against the wall and curled up again, starting at him with terror. It sent an ache through the man.

Hector stepped forward. She flinched back. He stood over her and offered his hand to her. Maev bit her lip and grudgingly accepted and he slowly pulled her to her feet. A calm wash spilled over his face as he looked down into her face. "It is probably futile to ask," he started softly, "but are you alright?"

Maev only stared at him. He nodded in understanding. "Let me try again. How is your head?" She looked at him in puzzlement and touched the back of her head again. Hector stepped around her and took her head softly in his hand. She winced, not in pain. He pulled back and simply looked. "Well, the bleeding stopped. That's a good sign, aye?"

Maev glanced over her shoulder at him. "What the hell is going on?" She choked out, half in fear and half in resentment.

Hector sighed and ran his fingers down his light brown beard.

"There's no easy way to go about this, so I guess I'll just say it: You have something that the Captain wants. Rather, your father had it. But right now, you have it and we had no choice but to take you when you resisted with your brother. You were hit on the head and taken aboard the ship and now--"

"WHAT!" Maev whirled around and gaped at him. "Ship!"

"The… Black Pearl, to be exact. You're lucky Jack was in a rarely decent mood and didn't just check you the first day, but--"

Maev stumbled back and flew to the window. The tears overflowed as she stared at the onyx black waters, thundering against the ship. Another jolt sent her swaying to the side and she nearly toppled back to the floor. Hector was at her side in an instant as he caught her, but Maev jerked back, grabbing the table behind her for support. "How long have I been on this ship!"

Hector stared at her as blankly as possible. "…about three days."

Maev felt her hands slip along the table and her stomach began to churn. Her mind flitted back to her house, her family, to the parchment and to his golden brown eyes. "…where is my family?" She finally croaked out.

"To my knowledge, they will most likely be trying to rebuild the cottage now. Or knowing White Eye, they could possibly be trying to find a ship and--"

"White Eye! Ship! What are you talking about!" Maev groaned in defeated confusion. Her gray eyes paled over as she watched the pirate before her, trying to come up with an answer. The fear and anguish began to filter slowly into a subtle anger. Hector leapt back as Maev suddenly sprang at him.

"You BASTARD!" She screamed, pounding her fists into his chest. He held her tightly, starting quietly into her face. "You're all bastards! Why did you have to choose OUR family! Why did you have to do that!"

"Maev, please, let me explain--"

"I want to go HOME, let me explain THAT to you!" She broke in, continuing to strike him as hard as she could. "I don't have ANYTHING of yours! You took me away from what was MINE. You're a monster, you all are, you're filth, you're devils. I hate you, I HATE YOU!" The woman screamed louder than she had ever done in her life. She did not even realize the tears pouring down her pale cheeks. "I… I want my mum… I want to go hom…!" Slowly, the rage began to break. She continued beating against him weakly before slipping down to her knees. Hector followed, keeping a firm grip on her arms, his face blank and expressionless.

He stared at her, the tears pooling at her pointed chin, her eyes reddening against the overcast gray. He rose and left her curled into herself, crying.

"…I'm sorry," was all he could say as he strode to the door and walked out swiftly.

Maev toppled over, her arms around her knees again, the pain in her heart as she faintly heard the whispers of Finley's violin.

A/N: Well, there we go, I think we can establish that she's not very happy in her abides, eh? Let's see what else is to come soon…