The Sirens Call

"Prepare for battle!" Nettie called out, sending the crew members that had just stumbled out of bed due to the alarm running to their places. "Jack! Jack, get your bloody arse out here!"

"What's going on?" asked Jack as he came marching up the stairs, not looking drunk at all. "Who be attacking us?"

"Hold on," Nettie said, bringing the spyglass back up to her eye. She looked to the side of the ship, searching for its name and spotting it after a moment. "Its called the Siren's Call. They haven't brought out the cannons yet." She frowned as she lowered the telescope. "I don't understand, why are they attacking us?" She frowned. "You didn't do anything to their captain or their captain's girl when we were in Tortuga, did you?" Nettie asked with a glare towards Jack.

"No, love, I didn't," Jack reassured her with a flash of a smile before looking out to the ocean with a frown. "But I've heard of the Siren's Call, my Nettie. Their captain, a man named Shaw, is well known for not leaving any survivors when he attacks - if yeh get lucky, he might let ya join his crew in return for yer life."

"He sounds like a charmer," said Nettie dryly. "Has he ever attacked other pirates ships?"

"Not that I know of," said Jack with a shake of his head. "Mostly Navy ships or supply ships."

"So why is he trying to attack us then?" groaned Nettie. "Damn our luck. What's your orders, Captain Sparrow?" she asked, becoming serious enough that she didn't use his first name.

"Its might not be an attack," Jack finally said after a few moments of silence. "But then again, it could be. We have no way of tell till they make the first move. Tell the crew to be on guard, and not to attack, till I've given the order."

"Aye, aye," said Nettie with a nod before leaning over the railing and addressing the crew below, repeating what Jack had said. Then she made sure to check her weapons - a knife in her boot, a sword attached to one side of her belt, and finally, a pistol on the other. She hated having one, they weren't as good as a blade, but as she learned very quickly while be aboard a pirate ship, you needed all the protection you could get, especially if you were a woman.

"I don't got a good feeling about this," muttered Anamaria as Nettie joined her on deck, both of their gazes turned towards the quickly approaching ship. "Something feels... off."

Silently agreeing with her, Nettie rested a hand on her sword, her grip on it so tight that the handle dug into her skin.

The Siren's Call arrived a few minutes later, almost side by side with the Black Pearl so that either party could swing onto the other side when the order was given. Each crew was lined up at the railing, glaring at the other as they waited for an attack, though neither of them knew the reason why.

"Jack Sparrow?" called out one of the men, far enough way that all Nettie could tell about him was that he had dark hair.

"There should be a captain somewhere in there," Jack called back, earning an soft snort from his first-mate. "What is it ya want, Shaw? I've never heard of yeh attacking other pirate ships before." He paused. "Your also a bit younger then I expected."

"Its seems you are the acceptation," said Shaw darkly as he ignored that jab. "You have something I want, and I am prepared to get it back." He turned to his crew. "Men, prepare to board! You know what to do?"

"Aye, aye!" cheered the men of the Siren's Call, all drawing out a weapon and some grabbing onto ropes.

"Couldn't ask nicely, could he?" dryly said Jack.

"I knew you did something to him," groaned Nettie as she pulled out her sword, the members of the crew doing the same.

"Swear it on my mother, love, I've never meet him," Jack promised before turning to his men. "Ready for battle, men!"

"Aye, aye!" called out the crew of the Black Pearl just as they were attacked, men invading their ships on ropes or crossing over on planks they had set down. Soon enough, the sound of metal meeting metal filed the air, along with yells of triumph and screams of pain.

Blocking an attack from a much larger man, Nettie kicked him in the knee and watched as he go down with an cry of agony before turning to her crew. The men of both sides fought bravely, but it seemed to her as if none were being killed. Most were knocked out, or doubled over from pain. What was going on? Didn't Jack say they took no survivors?

Stepping to the side to avoid being sliced up by a sword, Nettie pushed that thought away for now as she tried to defend herself. It didn't matter - as long as none of the men (and women) of the Black Pearl died, she shouldn't care. She just need to figure out what they wanted, what was so important that they'd attack another pirate ship, which while wasn't exactly against the pirate code, was strange none the less.

A familiar screech unexpectedly caught Nettie's attention a few moments later, causing her head to snap towards the sound. Jack the monkey was screaming his little lungs off, trying to get someone's attention as he pointed towards the captain's quarters. It was then that the female pirate noticed a figure slipping into the room, as if there was a large fighting going on just feet away.

"Shit," Nettie cursed, out of anger that they seemed to have been tricked and slight pain when her attacker finally managed to nick her in the shoulder, blood staining her white shirt and trickling down her arm. "Out of my way," she barked, hitting the man squarely in the chest with the handle of her sword so that he was bent over in pain and loss of air before sweeping her leg out and bringing him down to the ground with a 'thud'. He should be glad that she'd had better control (more or less) of herself when seeing blood now, other wise it could have been a lot worse.

Weaving through the crowd of men and avoiding any more blows, Nettie spotted Jack fighting off a man, doing well enough without her help, and wondered for a brief moment if she should call for his help. But after a quick moment, she pushed on without doing that. It was just one man - she'd fought off more then that and survived. Some had even been undead at the time.

Scooping up a still screeching undead monkey and quieting him with a gentle touch, Nettie entered the captain's room, which she had been napping in not even an hour ago, and brought forward her sword, ready to attack whoever had entered the room without permission.

But it was empty.

Frowning, Nettie lowered her sword, glancing around. "I could have sworn," she mumbled under her breathe, Little Jack chattering softly in her ear as he balanced himself on her unwounded shoulder. Maybe she had just imagined it? No, she was going crazy, at least not yet -

A hand with a piece of cloth was suddenly slapped over her mouth, and before Nettie could even think about punching her attacker in the gut and struggle free, she felt another hand grab her hair and give it a sharp tug, giving her no choice but to gasp in pain and breathe in a strangely sweet smell.

'I know that smell...' The last time she had breathed in this scent was when she was taken away from her brother. Faintly she head Little Jack screech as he jumped off her shoulder.

"Sorry about this," muttered a female voice, as Nettie felt her eyes flutter shut, and the feeling she'd lost all control of her body as her sword slipped out of her hand, landing with a loud clatter. "But we'll get you away from here safe and sound, promise."

"What?" mumbled Nettie before she felt herself being let go, and with nothing to hold her up, she too made her way to the ground, blacking out before she hit the wood floor.

Staring down at the now unconscious woman, Hermione swallowed hard. She wasn't comfortable doing this, but it was captain's orders, not to mention this was something her brother had asked her to do. But kidnapping seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth.

So pushing away any unsavory feelings she about this, Hermione kicked away the fallen sword, tossed away the gun at her belt, and looked for any other weapons she missed. Satisfied that she had disarmed the girl, Hermione leaned out the door of the captain's quarters and gave a sharp whistle, catching the attention of a nearby pirate. "Come on," she mouthed, and with a nod, the burly man jogged over to her, pushing away anyone that got in his way.

"Pick her up and lets take her to the captain," ordered Hermione, pointing towards the soundly sleeping girl. She couldn't help but noticed she was just a few years younger then her, maybe twenty to her twenty-four.

"This is what Captain Shaw wants?" asked the large man, raising a heavy eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Aye, Eli, she is what the captain wants," snapped Hermione. Even if she didn't completely understand it herself, they still had to do as they were told. "Come on, we don't have that much time before someone realizes she missing or she wakes up."

Nodding hesitantly, Eli picked up the girl easily, as she weighed no more a bag of feathers, and cradling her carefully in his arms, he rushed out the room, Hermione close behind him as they went to the nearest ramp, which the captain had laid out especially for her so she could sneak into the captain's quarters without going through the fight.

Waiting nearby as he watched the fight, Shaw turned towards them as they jumped down onto the deck. Almost instantly, his blue eyes seemed to light up, but he patiently waited until Hermione and Eli reached his side. "I see you found her," he said calmly even as he looked over the girl, taking in every part of her as if memorizing each inch of a precious and rare map.

"Are you sure this is her, Captain?" asked Hermione carefully. "I barely recognized her from the description you gave me."

"We'll find out, won't we," answered Shaw. "Eli, take her to my room and put her in my bed and keep watch over her until she wakes up. No one is allowed to see her save for me and Hermione and Percy. I'll be there shortly to check up on her."

Doing as he was told, Eli went off, and Hermione waited till he was out of hearing range till she turned to her captain, another frown on her face. "I still don't understand why we had to search a bloody long year for this girl. She doesn't seem like anything special."

Not answering right away, Shaw smiled slowly and ran what was suppose to be a soothing hand down her hair, ignoring the angry look he got in return. "Don't worry so much, Hermione - once I'm sure its her, I'll tell you everything, I promise."

"You better," muttered Hermione, crossed her arms and glaring at the room the girl now was resting in. She didn't care who this girl was to Shaw, she wasn't about to let some stranger take away the person she loved the most.

"Men, return to the ship!"

Panting slightly after fighting constantly for at least fifteen minutes, Jack watched as his attackers turned on their heels and raced back to their ship like dogs with tail between their legs, earning cheers from his men. While he was glad to see them go, the captain couldn't help but wonder what was the point of their attack. Far as he could tell, they hadn't taken anything valuable, not given a chance to get into the lower parts of the deck were they kept their megar treasures. So what was the point of it all?

The captain of the Siren's Call, Shaw, who hadn't left his ship at all to join the fight, seemed to watch him with a smirk, his eyes glinting while he seemed to be giving orders to... a women? Huh, and Jack thought he was the only one to have females a part of his crew.

"Sorry you didn't find what you were looking for," taunted Jack, flashing a cocky smile at Shaw as his men drew back the planks that let them cross over so easily over before.

Shaw seemed to chuckle. "Oh, but I did, Sparrow," he said as his ship started to pull away. "I did."

With a frown at the strange captain - though not as strange as him, he was proud to say - Jack turned to his own men. "Alright, now that its over, anyone hurt?" he called out.

There was a few voices that spoke up, but after giving them quick look overs, Jack could see that they weren't life threatening wounds, stuff that Nettie or Anamaria could take care of easily, them being the ones most skilled in bandaging men up.

But what could have Shaw taken that was so important that he would attack another ship, only to retreat some time alter?

"Nettie, could you go check and see if anything was stolen from below?" Jack called out, searching for his first-mate and love. After a long moment of silence though, Jack started to frown again. "Nettie?"

"Jack!" Anamaria ran over to him, fear in her dark eyes. "I was checking to make sure Nettie wasn't hurt, or you know..." She trailed off suggestively before shaking her head. "But I don't see her anywhere!"

"What?" said Jack, stunned. His Nettie, missing? She could be hurt, or worse. "Check downstairs," he ordered while marching towards his rooms to see if she was hiding in there, as sometimes her blood lust took over after a battle. "Gibbs, check up at the helm."

"Aye, captain!" they both chimed out.

Opening the door to his room with a slam, Jack glanced around with wide eyes. The room where he was sure was he would find his Nettie, either drinking or curled into a ball waiting for him to comfort her, was empty of life. The only thing he could see unusual was a fallen sword, a discarded pistol, and a small swatch of white cloth.

Picking up the cloth, Jack gave it a tentative sniff, and recoiled with horror at the slightly sweet smell that still lingered on it. It was the new medicine that they were using as anesthetic. It also could knock people out with just a deep sniff.

"Nettie," Jack said with a whisper, and the roared as he realized who took her. "Shaw!" That bastard had someone take his Nettie during the fight! Turning on his heel, Jack stormed out of the rooms. "We're going after that ship!" he barked out, earning started looks from his crew. "Now!"

"Did you find Nettie?" asked Anamaria as she left the hold.

"Shaw had her kidnapped," growled Jack as he marched up the helm. "I don't know why," he said, answering Anamaria's question just as she opened her mouth. "But I'm bloody well going to find out."

"Captain!" called out Gibbs when he noticed Jack and Anamaria coming up to join him. "Someone's disabled the rudder - we can't steer!"

Holding back a curse, Jack grounded his teeth and turned to the dark-skinned woman. "Can it be fixed?"

Examining it with the critical eye of someone who'd fixed more ships in a year that he'd robbed in a lifetime, Anamaria nodded. "Aye. But even if I move fast, it'll still take about half a day. And I suspect they'd be long gone by then."

Slamming a curled hand into the railing, Jack glared at the ship that was still in his sights, yet so far away. He didn't care what it took - he was going to kill Shaw for stealing away his Nettie.

After what only felt like a few long and dark seconds, Nettie finally started waking up. She tried to shift on the bed she was laying on - it was unusually soft, especially for someone who was use to a floor with a few blankets or a hammock - and felt a hand place itself on her shoulders to still her, causing her eyes to snap open instantly.

"Don't move too much," stated the man above her, a large buff man with a surprisingly gentle tone. "You might have hit your head when you fell."

"What?" Nettie tried to ask him a question, but her mouth was felt as dry as a desert. Noticing that, the man helped her sit up slowly and handed her a tin cup of water, which she took gratefully. Glancing around, she was on edge the moment she noticed that she didn't recognize the room. It was way too fancy to be anything but the quarters of someone high class or a person with a lot of money. Still, she kept quiet and sipped at the water until she felt she could talk again and ask, "Where I am?"

"Yer aboard the Siren's Call," her caretaker - or better yet, guard - informed her as the name of the ship sunk in. "In the captain's cabin. We rescued ya from the Black Pearl by Captain Shaw's orders. Don't worry, yer safe now."

"Safe?" Nettie said warily as she scrambled back, letting her back hit the wall while her hands blindly searched for her sword and pistol, which suddenly seemed to be missing. "I don't think that's the word I'd used after I'd been kidnapped."

"Now, calm down, miss," said the man calmly, standing up so he was towering over her, reaching towards her. "I don't wanna have to hurt ya -"

Swiftly drawing her knife from her boot, which whoever had searched her for weapons had missed, Nettie quickly slashed out, feeling the blade slice into flesh and smelling blood, which dripped onto the blanket. She was answered with was a yell of pain as the large man drew his arm back, clutching the bleeding wound. Not wasting a second, Nettie scrambled off the bed and raced towards the door, frantically wondering how she was going to get off this ship in one piece -

The door swung open before she could even touch it, and Nettie found herself slamming into someone, who easily took the knife from her fingers before she could even blink. "What's going on in here?" asked a deep and familiar voice, causing Nettie to look up into the face of a man at least half a decade older then her, with long black hair pulled into ponytail and dark blue eyes that were almost black.

"Shaw," Nettie spat, backing away.

Blinking, Shaw looked to the man that must be part of his crew. "Eli, what's going on?"

"Sorry, cap'n," apologized Eli as he wrapped a hand around his cut, trying to prevent the blood from dripping to the floor. "She pulled a knife outta no where and got the jump on me."

"Mm. Go have Percy look that your wound," ordered Shaw. "I'd like to have a word with our... guest in private."

"Aye, sir," said Eli, slipping through the door while Nettie glared at the man, the man who had ordered her to be kidnapped from her ship, her crew, her friends, and her Jack. She wanted to wring his neck.

Flinching despite herself, Nettie took a couple of steps back and crossed her arms, holding her hands closely against her sides. "What do you want with me, Shaw?" she snapped as the man closed the door. "I wanna know why the hell you kidnap me off the Black Pearl."

Turning to her, Shaw gave Nettie a examining look. "I was hoping... You don't recognize me?"

"What? Why would even want to know you?" said Nettie with a snap even as she racked her memories. No, she'd never met this man before, or if she did, he didn't give her enough of an impression. Maybe she done something to her, and was going to get his revenge.

A look of sadness flickered across Shaw face before the look from earlier came back. "You're name is Annette Sparks, isn't it?"

Stiffening for a only a brief moment, Nettie marched up and grabbed Shaw by his shirt, yanking him down so hard that he had no choice but to bend forward and meet her burning glare. "How the hell do you know that name?" she hissed. The only people that knew that name were people that were associated with her past life - the one where she had been nothing but a toy for other people's games, or men of the Navy that wanted her and Jack dead.

Not answering, Shaw glanced over her for a long minute before closing his eyes and sighing. "Please let me go, Annette -"

"Its Nettie." Releasing him, Nettie stepped back, her glare still hot. "Just Nettie. No one calls me Annette anymore."

"Nettie then... You are now aboard the Siren's Call," Shaw said, telling her what she already knew, "which is under my command. Please stay in this room until I come get you. Anything you need will be brought to you, and I'll also send out ship's doctor to look at your shoulder."

"I don't care about that crap," said Nettie with a scoff. "I just want to get back to my ship - now would be nice."

"Unfortunately, I can't do that," said Shaw, shaking his head. "But please believe me when I say you're safe here. And if I were you, I would learn to control that temper around my crew. Even if they follow my orders, it'll be hard to stop them from defending themselves from your sharp words."

"Go to hell," Nettie growled as the pirate captain left her, glancing back at her before locking her in the rooms. They were much fancy then what she was use to, but they were still what she had been locked up in again and again, feeling like a trapped animal.

A cell.

Dropping into a nearby wooden chair, Nettie stared out the large set of windows nearby, giving her a surprisingly wonderful view of the ocean, the sun just starting to set. "Where are you, Jack?" she mumbled. Why hadn't he rescued her yet?

Some times passed before the door opened, forcing Nettie to look at the new visitor. "Ah, hello. You must be the one that gave Eli that nasty cut," said the man with a small smile as he set down his supplies. He was rather thin man, with dark brown hair that had silver streaks running through it, and grey eyes that were mostly hidden behind a pair of spectacles. "And the reason we've been traveling so long without an answer."

"An answer to what?" asked Nettie warily.

"To why we were suddenly going after Jack Sparrow," said the doctor with a nod. "Anyway, my name is Perseus, but the others insist on calling me Percy. I'm here to look at your shoulder - the captain said it was bleeding?"

Glancing at said shoulder, Nettie shrugged. "Its not that bad," she mumbled. Stung a little, but at least it stopped bleeding.

"I must insist that I at least look at it, miss," said Percy. "Infections can kill us out here. Now, if you could remove your shirt." At Nettie's glare, he chuckled. "I am not interested in you that way, I assure you. This is purely professional. If you would..."

Huffing, Nettie slipped off her shirt, glad that she still wore her bandages to hide her chest. She tried to ignore Percy as he carefully cleaned her wound before bandaging it up, holding back her winces when the pain spiked suddenly.

"This is a strange scar," mumbled Percy under his breathe as he stared at the mark she received the day she was sold as a slave. "May I ask where you got it from?"

"No, you can't," Nettie snapped, standing so she could step away from him and grabbed her shirt so she could yank it back on. She'd forgotten about her mark, and tried to hold back another flinch as he watched her with curious eyes. "I'm sorry. Its personal." So personal that she'd never let anyone except for Jack see it.

"Ah. I don't mean to pry," apologized Percy. "Its just... I thought I'd seen it before." He shrugged and started collecting his supplies. "I must be mistaken. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Actually, there is something I need," Nettie said before the doctor could slip out the door. "Would you mind finding out why the hell Shaw kidnapped me?"

Percy chucked again, as if everything she said amused him. "I'll see what I can do," he answered truthfully before letting himself out and leaving her alone again.

Groaning in frustration, Nettie flopped onto the bed and punched the mattress. Already, she couldn't stand being in this cabin much longer. She needed to get out of her and back to the Black Pearl, and soon.

Standing in the helm of the Siren's Call, Shaw nodded to Percy as he made his way up. "How is she?" he asked, turning the wheel slightly.

"Physically? Fine," answered Percy as he leaned against the nearby railing. "The cut on her arm was almost nothing, it will be fine in a few days. Mentally?" Percy sighed. "I can easily say she's angry, confused, and though I can't tell why, very vulnerable, which she tries to hide it behind her anger. She's someone who has been through a lot in her life and hasn't completely recovered from it. Something we are both familiar with, yes?"

Huffing, Shaw ran a hand through his dark hair. "I don't understand, Percy. Why doesn't she remember me?"

"As you said before, its been a long time since she last saw you," said Percy gently. "You both have changed, in more ways then one."

"...What happened to her?" wondered Shaw aloud. "What could have happened to make her so... violent?"

"Many things, my boy," said Percy softly. "Things I'm sure she will not be willing to explain at this moment. There were many scars on her, most from blades, it seemed, and one burned into her skin that I... recognized." When Shaw winced, he bowed his head in apology. "She's not had an easy life."

"Has anyone save for the rich?" growled Shaw. "Not even us pirates, who supposedly have all this freedom, can do anything we wish without being hunted."

"Do you regret becoming a pirate?" Percy questioned. "You did have an option, unlike most of the crew."

"I don't," said Shaw with a shake of his head. "Never have. It helped me become stronger, and look at me now. Captain of a ship, one with a well known reputation. I have family, friends, and connections. Without those, I never would have learned of her location aboard the Black Pearl. She's safe now, away from that bastard of a man, Sparrow."

Smiling, Percy waited a minute before asking, "Would you like my advice?" When Shaw gave a hesitant nod, he went on. "Give her a chance to calm down, then explain to her why you stole her off the Black Pearl. It is possible that she is not a victim -"

"Its obvious that Sparrow kidnapped her!" snapped Shaw, blue eyes burning and flecks of black appearing. "He's probably the one that hurt her so badly!"

"Or," Percy went on, as if Shaw hadn't interrupted him, "She is a victim of something he did, but instead of hating him, she has developed sympathetic, or even romantic feelings for him, explaining her anger at us for taking her away from him. I've heard of it happening a few times... In any case, she needs to be informed of what's happening. Its not fair to her that she is kept out of the loop."

Nodding in agreement, Shaw took a long moment before speaking again, this time much softer. "What if she doesn't remember me?"

Stepping forward, Percy patted Shaw arm. "All I can tell you is to have hope, son. Now, buck up, the crew can't see you like this. I'll go check up on Hermione - your sister is not pleased with our guest."

Laughing, Shaw gave his father half of a smile. "I believe she's jealous that Annette - I mean, Nettie, is currently the center of my attention."

"Nettie?" asked Percy with a raised eyebrow.

"Its what she insisted she's called," said Shaw, shrugging.

"Mm. That certainly is strange," muttered Percy. "Perhaps I will ask her about it when I check her wound tomorrow." He turned to go, but stopped when he reached the stairs and turned back to Shaw. "Oh, by the way - when I asked if she needed anything, all she asked was to learn why she was kidnapped. What should I tell her until you explain?"

"...Tell her the truth. That it was for her own safety," answered Shaw. "And tell her I will visit her in a few days, once she's ready not to attack me the moment I enter the room."

Authors Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've had so much going on in my life right now (theatre, job, moving, family just stupid stuff in general) I've had no time to write, update, and again, I'm sorry. I hope you will accept this meager offering as an apology.