Disclaimer: Again, I do not own POTC. I only own Clara.

Chapter Title: Aboard the Black Pearl

a/n: The words in italics are thoughts, hope you enjoy the new addition to Clara's adventure.

Clara awoke to the feeling of her body slowly rocking back and forth, back and forth. A putrid smell of mold and dampness filled the air. Back and forth, back and forth. Where am I? She opened her eyes to be met with only darkness. Feeling with her fingertips, she concluded her surroundings to be a room no larger than a closet; floor, walls, and ceiling all made of wood. Frantically she tried to remember how she had ended up here, but no answer came.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning she remembered being on the beach, the mysterious fog, and the ship with black sails. She remembered the pirates running past her into Port Royal while she hid in a fisherman's shack. Straining her memory, she searched for any indication of how she got here. Her face drained of all color when she finally remembered the last thing she saw, those eyes. The pair of dark brown eyes staring at her through the crack in the wall of the shack.

"Hello?!" she screamed, "Somebody help me!!" With her fists, she beat on the walls, which resulted in only dull thumps against the weathered wood. "HELP!" she yelled again, this time tears came to her eyes. Suddenly like clockwork, she heard the sound of keys jangling in the lock of the door. A rectangular shaped beam of light shot into the room as the door slowly opened. Half-relieved, half-terrified Clara sank into the floor. Her vision blurry due to the sudden emission of light into the room. She felt two pairs of hands pick her up by the shoulders and drag her forwards. The air became cleaner with a distinct smell of ocean. Her vision was still blurred but she knew she was outside and very close to the sea. The hands supporting her let go and she dropped to her knees. Heavy footsteps came closer and closer.

"This be her?" a rough voice questioned. "Aye, sir." an equally scratchy one responded. Strong hands cupped her face and turned it to where she was staring at the blurry outline of a man. The figure slowly came into focus and Clara was shocked by what she saw. She was kneeling on the deck a ship, the sails pitch black, the ship's crew gathered around her, and her head in the hands of the captain. Her heart rate increased and her eyes darted around for some means of escape. Noticing her change in composure the man said, "Calm down luv," and stroked her cheek with his thumb. His touch surprisingly gentle for a man of his stature.

"If ye don't know alr'dy me name's Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack Sparrow. I would like to be the first to welcome you aboard me ship, The Black Pearl." Terror panged through her heart, Captain Jack Sparrow and the dreaded Black Pearl? She had read about him many times and heard many stories but this man bore no similarity to the way people described him. He was tall, tan, extremely lean and muscular. He wore a bandana on his head which tied back a mane of jet black hair randomly twisted into braids here and there. He wore many layers of clothes, despite the temperature and displayed an assortment of rings on his calloused fingers. From his worn leather hat to his battle stained boots the one thing that caught Clara's attention most were his eyes. Eyes of evil, but of sympathy; eyes of intensity but eyes of pain. These eyes now gazed at her through charcoal outlines and a furrowed brow.

"Well, speak." he insisted. "My-my…" she gulped, "my name is Clara."

"Well Clara luv, I think you'll be seein' it in yer best interest to be stayin' here on me ship"
"Where other option do I have"
"Me point exactly."

With that he walked over to a pudgy man whom he called Gibbs, his first mate obviously and looked to be telling him something very important. Gibbs nodded and walked over to Clara. "Cap'n says ter get ya all clean now." He motioned for her to follow him as he went below the deck. She rose to her feet, muscles cramped and sore from being in that small room. They walked through a series of halls until stopping in front of a door. "In there, yer gunna find new clothes and sumtin' to wash yerself with"
"Mr. Gibbs?" She stuttered, "How long exactly will I be on this ship"
"Lass, yer gunna be 'ere till the capn' sees it fit to be letting ye go, which in yer case 'll prolly be a good stretch o' time"
"What makes you say that"
"Well, the capn'…I ain never seen the capn' look at a lass the way he looked at ye. And he's orderin me to take special care of ye"
"Oh, thank you Gibbs"
"When ye be done, come back up to the deck."

With that he walked away. Clara opened the door to the room to find pants, a shirt, and boots lying on a chair in the corner. These are men's clothes. She thought to herself. But then again, I am on a pirate ship. There was a wash basin, a cloth, and towel lying on a table opposite the chair. The water was warm as it went over her skin. When she was clean she put on the clothes. They were obviously large for her small frame and made her look extremely fragile.

As she walked out onto the deck the sun was beginning to set. An orange glow tinted the water and shot yellow and red streaks across the sky. She leaned against the rail, taking in the beauty of it all.

From behind the wheel Captain Jack looked down over his ship. He was surprised to see the girl leaning against the rails. He stood and admired her beauty from a distance. The clothes were obviously too big for her, making her look small and helpless. He laughed to himself at the way they hung on her body. He watched her chestnut hair shimmer against the setting sun. Her beauty was almost to much for him. What was about this girl that made him feel this way? As soon as he had looked at her face on the deck with the crew shivers had gone up and down his spine. For the first time in a long time his heart had fluttered.

Something about this girl captivated him and he was in no hurry to let her go.

Hey hope you like chapter two. Thanks to those who commented on Ch. 1, more reviews would be wonderful. Keep reading, I am going to try to post a new chapter everyday until I see fit to stop. : ) haixcore