New Beginnings: Chapter 8

Nassau was bustling port. People were everywhere. All kinds of people. Poor and wealthy. Merchants and miscreants. All were together, existing.

It was Jack's sort of place. The crew all went to shore, except for the Thommas, the cabin boy and Bootstrap. Everyone had their story…they were privateers. They had just come off a very long run and wished for some relaxation. The whole crew wanted to see Nassau up close.

Danielle had been shocked to hear that no one on the ship had been to Nassau before. She had been there, along with a few other places, before finding Jack and the Black Pearl on Tortuga. But she really liked Nassau.

They tied the boats at the dock and paid for them. Jack missed the free ports of the past.

Jack whispered in Dani's ear as they walked, "this might be the perfect place for some…pilfering."

"I was thinking the same thing, but after I get something to eat."

Bootstrap had regained his "normal" stomach and had eaten through the entire food supply for the ship. Dani hadn't eaten in two days, to Jack's dismay, because she gave her rations to Thommas. Bootstrap ate through two months supply of food in less than a week and didn't realize it. They were going to have to restock the galley somehow, and that plan would be up to Jack. They were pirates; after all, they could just take it.

There were signs posted: all pirates were going to be driven out or executed. Jack silently told his crew to be careful with a nod and his eyes as they passed.

The crew, about thirty total, went off in their own directions, with orders to return shortly after dawn. There were many pubs to get drunk in, and they didn't have a long time to have to experience them all.

Jack and Dani went on their own. They had to formulate a plan and they needed to be away from the crew's ears. They found a small, relatively quiet tavern and made their way to table in the back. They sat down across from one another.

Jack stayed at the table while Dani went to get two tankards of rum. She turned back to the table and found someone had moved into her seat. Dani was beyond angry. It was a woman. Suddenly, Nassau was an awful idea.

She marched straight up to he table and slammed down the mugs, rum spilling over the sides of each. Jack started at the puddles longingly, thinking to himself, 'now that was alcohol abuse.' Then he looked back at Dani.

"Who are you?" Dani demanded to know.

The woman stood, chest out, with her nose almost touching Dani's even though Dani had a couple inches on her. "None of your business, wench. He and I were just getting acquainted."

Dani pushed her and the woman was up against the wall. Dani's knife, from the holster on her thigh, was at the woman's throat.

"I'm only going to ask once more," Dani hissed.

"Anne Bonny. And now you're going to let me go."

"Why should I?"

"Because you'll be dead otherwise," a man in a patchwork coat announced.

"Bugger," Dani said as a gun barrel was placed to her temple and cocked.

Jack took a swig of his rum and stood.

"Put the gun down, savvy?" His sword was out.

"Says who?" The man in the colorful coat said.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, mate."

"Well, Calico Jack Rackham says your girl's brains are gonna be on the wall, if she doesn't release mine."

Four deadly pirates, three deadly weapons. One false move and everyone would be dead. All eyes darted back and forth. Dani thought this was going to be easy. She was just going to scare the girl off and sit and enjoy her drink. Not so much.

"What happened?" Calico Jack asked.

"Miss Bonny here was moving in on my territory, Mr. Rackham."

"Anne…" he scolded her and smiled back at Dani with a devilish smile. "I think we might owe you a drink."

Everyone lowered their weapons and Rackham snapped his fingers. Seconds later, four new tankards of rum appeared at the table. The entire tavern went back to its normal self and they sat back and relaxed.

"I've heard of you, Jack Sparrow. But what I heard last was that you were dead."

"I think I was…once. At least at some point."

"What brings you to Nassau?"

"Nothing I'd care to get into right now, with you. Your exploits haven't gone unnoticed. It's hard for any pirate to get around now because of you and your bonny lasses."

Rackham smiled. He made it Hell for anyone to travel the high seas. And his "friends" Mary Read and Anne Bonny helped a lot. "I don't think you introduced yourself, Miss…"

"Danielle Reese."

"You're Danielle Reese?" Anne replied, shocked.

"That's what I just said, wasn't it?"

"Did you really kill your husband when you were fifteen?"

"If you follow the story…"

This shocked Jack. How did he not know the story? How did it get around and he had never heard it?

They finished their rum and listened to Calico Jack and Anne tell their stories. More rum was ordered, and everyone but Dani drank it…Jack finished hers as well so as not to waste it. It had already been poured.

He passed out drunk, his head in Dani's lap. After a lot of threats and persuasion, she got him to stand and to walk out of the bar, into the room they had taken earlier.

The next morning came too soon in Jack's opinion. Dani began to rouse him before the sun had fully risen.

"Jack…" she whispered, only centimeters from his lips that were twitching in his sleep.

"I am not going to open my eyes until the sun is fully risen. But you will kiss me and we will continue on from there." "And she did. But that put getting ready further back in Jack's mind. He was not getting out of bed…and Dani was going to stay there, too. He began to undress her and began a wrestling match. She won, but only because he was so tired and for once, hung-over.

She stood back up and fixed her clothes. "Get up, Jack. We're going to be late."

"They can't leave without their captain."

"Isn't it the Rum that has a red Jolly Roger flag?"

"Yes, indeed, love. We've been sailing under it for weeks."

"Well, someone else is sailing under it now. It's leaving port," she said while looking out the window.

Jack sat bold upright and panicked.

"Bugger!" He yelled as he looked out the window. "Not good!"

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A/N: So what did you think? Please read and review!