That Man

Disclaimer: Even if I could own Pirates of the Caribbean, I wouldn't because I would somehow end up screwing up the whole masterpiece and then I would be chased by some killer mob. So, no.

Summery: Captain Jack Sparrow's legendary tale of sacking Nassau port without firing a shot through the eyes of a (rather spoiled,) Navy officer's daughter. I'm not even going to bother saying I suck at exciting summaries, cause that would be a rather large understatement.

AN: Mushi, mushi! I'm trying a new tactic, so please no one be offended by the beginning. I'm delving into my OC character's history. It'll make sense eventually. And since I left such a long author's note last time, this one will be short, sweet, and to the point...Enjoy! Amphitrite

Chapter 2: Adventures in Eating

18 Years Earlier

The air was stuffy and filled with the smell of sweat, smoke, and the sweet, spiced aroma of rum. Plates and cups and tankards clanging, accompanied by the sounds of jeering, shouts, drunken laughter, and the occasional gunshot filled the area. A young girl, no older then 16, looked around the tavern with disinterest. She was holding a tray full of overflowing tankards and wearing a red satin dress with a rather revealing square neckline. Her long black hair was up in a haphazard up-sweep with a big red rose, and hair already falling out, though the night was young.

Her bright red lips were accented by red tinged cheeks and her big brown eyes were open wide and scanning the room. Locking on a table, she smiled and gracefully began to walk towards it, holding the tray high above her head.

She set it down on the table and said with her Spanish accent, "May I tempt you, gentlemen?"

She only said that to get on her customers good sides. Most of them were the furthest things from gentlemen. Four sets of eyes swivelled to her. These were Spaniards. That much she knew. Vaguely, she wondered why they hadn't been driven out of town yet. The Spanish weren't much well-liked by the public, even in Tortuga. The only reason she was still here was because of her looks.

"Yes, you may." One tall one said suggestively, his eyes dipping lower.

She felt repulsed. But, she had to earn some money tonight, no matter what. So she set a tankard in front of him, reaching slowly. Then she grinned. She often played this game to take her mind off what she was doing at all. See which man would break first.

The men looked at each other, and she slowly delivered all the drinks and waited for the payment. Four coins appeared on the table as each man accepted his drink. She smiled, deliberately adjusted her neckline, and walked off.

A shout of, "Wait!" came from behind, just as she knew it would.

She grinned slyly and turned back around.

"Yes?" she asked.

A man with a black goatee stepped up and put his arm around her waist.

"How about it's just you and me tonight, si?"

She raised an eyebrow and held out her hand. A bag of coins dropped into it. She slipped it into her dress and gestured towards the door.

"Fernando de la Lopez Botella. Retired privateer." The man said in an almost cocky voice.

"Ramona Juanita Carrion." she answered gracefully.

With that, the waitress of the tavern walked out of the establishment, and in the process, making more earnings then she normally would in a month.

Back to 1719

"And, if it's not too bold, may I ask what interrogation technique it is you speak of?"

Leeanne asked almost hesitantly.

Her father laughed, a little more sure of himself now, and the waiter's brought out the first course.

"Why, invite him to dine."

With that order, two guards walked through the large oak doors escorting a man into the dining chamber. Leeanne almost gasped at the sight, for the man was a man like no other that Leeanne had ever seen. He was, in retrospect, a little shorter and slimmer then most men you'd see, and he was brown as a nut.

His skin dark and weathered from obviously being in the sun. He wore faded trousers, with big sea boots and a white shirt unbuttoned at the chest. Leeanne knew it was most indecent, but she could not stop staring at the man.

His brown, almost black hair was braided and knotted into dread locks and woven with an assortment of beads and trinkets. Finally, around his head was the faded red bandana that she had seen earlier.

But what was probably most interesting about this character, was his eyes. Dark brown and mysterious, and outlined with kohl.

He smiled cheekily at her unabashed staring, revealing a golden smile. Literally. He had several golden teeth!

" Don't ya know it's rather rude to stare, love?" he asked.

The guards shoved him forward so he stumbled, and regained footing by grabbing onto the back of the chair. Leeanne noticed his hands were in irons and they seemed to be rubbing into the skin.

" Ow, watch it mate! One would think I'd be some sort of criminal the way ye be treating me."

This was said with such mock indignation that Leeanne felt her lips start to curve up a bit. Stop! He's a pirate! A scoundrel! He wouldn't hesitate in killing you!

She found solace in this and maintained her dignified frown. Her father hosted another look entirely. One of disgust.

"Sit, Sparrow."

Leeanne looked sharply at her father.

Surely not. It couldn't be...

" Captain Sparrow, if you please." he replied.

..it was.

Her father raised an eyebrow.

" A captain without a ship?"

Sparrow nodded and said, " 'm still captain of the Pearl even if she's not with me. Me crew will keep 'er safe for now."

He said this with so much assurance and confidence that Leeanne was surprised. Pirate crews were notorious for being exceedingly disloyal. A captain had to keep the respect and discipline, or there was sure to be a mutiny. But Sparrow didn't seem to be worried about this.

Silence fell on the table.

Sparrow clapped his hands together as well as one can wearing iron bars around their wrists, and said cheerfully, "Well, since we'll be dining together, I say introductions are in order..what be your name lass?"

Leeanne almost jumped at being spoken to directly in such kind tones by a renowned criminal. Out of habit, she started to answer, "Lee-"

" That is none of your business, Sparrow." Her father said sharply, giving her a small glare.

She winced inwardly. Oops.

Sparrow raised an eyebrow.

"No? Because, Captain I was under the impression that when people dine together, they are properly introduced. Manners and all that."

Leeanne noticed he slurred his words together slightly, as though he was drunk almost. Then she noticed that her father had taken no other security measures except the two guards, and that the far window was wide open to let in an inviting breeze.

Her father sat up straighter.

"You will not be dining with us." he said stiffly.

Sparrow looked rather surprised.

"Oh. Well, then my apologies Captain, milady. When one such as meself is placed at a dining table with food set b'fore him, he usually assumes that he is to eat."

Leeanne thought she saw a vein pulse in her father's temple. It would have all been very amusing if it weren't for the fact that Captain Jack Sparrow, most feared pirate threat in the Caribbean, was the one who Leeanne found amusing. It was such, to where she couldn't take it, and let out a very unladylike snort, which she was able to half turn into a believable cough.

"Sorry." she said meekly in explanation to the cough/snort.

Sparrow looked at her and seemed to know that she had been trying not to laugh outright.

"Don't apologize for laughing, love." he said lightly. She frowned when he winked at her.

"That-is-enough." Her father stood up.

"Sparrow, will you cooperate, or will I have to resort to drastic measures?"

The pirate in question, who had been casually examining his hands looked up, faintly interested.

"Whichever is less trouble on ya, mate. Me, I don't really mind either way."

Her father nodded tensely and sat down, still appearing furious.

"Very well. What was your purpose of coming to New Providence?"

Leeanne thought her father was stupid for asking the question like that. No criminal in their right mind would ever appease it.

Sparrow had some strange glint in his eyes when he answered, " And why, my dear Captain, would you assume that me intentions in the charming Nassau port were anything less then honorable?"

Captain James looked rather surprised at the retort. "Well, because I-well,you-because you're a pirate!"

Sparrow, who had had his boots perched on the table idly, pointed at her father.

"Exactly! Nail on the head, mate!" He waved his arms around for emphases. "And, as a pirate, who is by definition, a dishonest, sea-roving scoundrel bent on taking ships and cargo by force if necessary, then you can always trust a pirate to be dishonest." He grinned expectantly.

Captain James just seemed confused. Sparrow sighed.

"I came to Nassau port to find an old friend 'o mine. Although, I admit I didn't reckon on getting meself captured. Savvy?"

There was silence.

"That's it? To find an old friend?" Leeanne said incredulously.Sparrow put his hands behind his head, comfortably.

"Aye. 'at's it," he said in a final tone.

Then, right when Captain James had opened his mouth, Sparrow jumped up fast and pulled a small dagger out of his boot, throwing it at the ceiling. Before her father could issue orders, the chandelier fell with a crash, snapping Sparrow's handcuffs in half. Leeanne fell backwards off her chair with a scream, as the guards rushed by towards Sparrow who was heading for the open window. He ducked the first couple blows that were thrown at him, but then one made contact with the side of his head and he fell to the floor.

Her father jumped forward and tried to grab him, but in a desperate attempt, Sparrow kicked out with his legs and also making contact with her father's knees. Captain James fell to the ground. Leeanne got on her feet when she saw her father fall while Sparrow was still struggling with the guards, trying to get past them. She reached for the nearest object she could find, an ornate silver candle holder. She lifted her arm up and was just about to let it fly when the larger of the guards hit the resisting Sparrow with the blunt end of his rifle. The pirate swayed then crumpled to the ground.

Her father got to his feet with the help of one of the maids and yelled furiously, "Danal, put this pirate scum in new irons and throw him in his cell. Limited food. I want to make his last days the most horrible he's endured before I get to send him to the gallows."

Leeanne was helped up by one of the maids and bustled out of the room. She took a good look at her father before she was scurried away. He looked furious. His eyes were wild and bulging, and his lips were straight and almost white. His very skin was an angry shad of red, and his fingers were twitching. It was frightening almost.

She was pulled out the door, and the maids began fussing over her.

"Oh, poor dear!"

"You weren't hurt were you?"

" Oh, you must be so frightened!"

"Terrible. Terribly really of Captain James to invite him to dine of all things!"

Leeanne pulled away impatiently and adjusted her red satin dress.

"Please stop. I'm fine. I'm 16 for goodness sakes! Now, let me past. I'm going to bed." She spoke with such command that even she was surprised herself.

The maids parted and let Leeanne through silently. When she got to her room, she stripped down to her night shift and sighed. On impulse, she reached for her sketchbook and sat at the window seat overlooking the moonlit harbor of Nassau port. And to think that when she woke up this morning, everything was so uncomplicated.

She looked at her closed sketchbook and opened it up to a random page. It was a rough charcoal sketch of her father's eyes. So warm, friendly, and full of fiery determination to find a better life somewhere. That seemed so long ago when she sketched these now unfamiliar eyes. Into them was spread coldness and indifference. And the desire to do whatever was necessary. No matter what costs.

She sighed again and turned to a blank page, beginning to sketch.

That Sparrow pirate, he was...different then what she'd read about. The stories made him out to be some rum-loving, impolite scoundrel who was incredibly dim-witted, with a swagger and slur that made him appear drunk at all hours of the day. The man she had met had seemed nowhere near dim-witted if a little impolite. He had conned her and her father into thinking he was harmless, only to have it slap back in their faces. He had put them off their guard and then made a clever, if not hasty escape attempt.

Leeanne looked at her drawing. It was a pair of eyes, dark and mysterious. They were a little unsure and glazed over on the outside, but deep down you could see tendrils of fire lace through the dark brown depths, alight with hope, determination, and...something else. She cocked her head. Beneath the sooty lashes, was a feeling that was unfamiliar to her. She looked up and across the room, in her mirror, she saw herself. Herself. Her eyes.

Leeanne backed away and sat on her bed. She would have laughed if she had been any other person. She had drawn her own eyes perfectly without even glancing at them. She just drew her feelings. And that's what scared her. Her muddled thoughts were a flurry of activity. What was right? What was duty? What was selfish impulse? She had never had a pick before. Nor had she been so conflicted. The correct path had always seemed so clear to her, but now...it was obstructed by a thick layer of snow also known as confusion.

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them, contemplating the stream of moonlight on the floor. One part of her said that what her father was doing was wrong. That Sparrow maybe deserved to be hung based on his crimes, but that didn't mean that he should. But another part, a bigger part, whispered that she was naive. For all she knew about the eluding Captain Sparrow, he could have slaughtered countless lives and still keep a polite and unassuming face about it.

He could just be pretending to trick you like he did at supper.

But, she argued with herself, he did more ducking and dodging then actually throwing blows.

Leeanne sighed dejectedly.

I'll reserve judgement until a later moment. That should suit fine. Yes, that's what I'll do, she thought, ignoring the fact that she was only avoiding the situation further.

She climbed into bed and blew out the lamp. Tomorrow, she would go see what she could find in the study about Jack Sparrow, (Even though it may stretch the truth.) And when she could somehow find a moment and a plan to get to the prison, she'd take Emmy to see him. Emmy was Leeanne's small calico cat who was stubborn, moody, and had a very keen sense of character. She warmed up only to those who Leeanne could trust. She'd make the right choice.

Leeanne yawned and rolled over, letting her eyelids close.

She'd make the right choice...

AN: Okay, I felt that was much better then the horribly written 1st chapter, but hey. That's just the author. So press the little grey button. Let me know what you think! You know you want to!

Oh, and I'd like to state that school for me starts up again tomorrow. Bleh. And I might not have as much time to write and type this stuff up. I'm concentrating more on finishing the story then typing it at the moment, so I'm real sorry. I'll try and get chappie 3 up as soon as I can. I'm foreseeing maybe...erm, 15 chapter? I dunno. I'm just flowing with it! Cheers, Amphitrite