Alright, friends-- I'm sorry this has been so long in the making. Class has been abso-bloody-lutely hellish, but I don't suppose that makes up for the tardiness of this update. Ah well, you have my apologies. Thanks to those of you who are still invested enough in the story to be reading still, and I wish I could promise that I'll be better about updating quicker... but it wouldn't do to make promises I can't be sure of keeping. Can't control the professors darlings, I'm sorry, but I can tell you that I have no intention of abandoning this story, so don't worry about that. Enough with my gilding of the lily, read on! Review if you would like. CHEERS!

...TanzFieber

Jack Sparrow stood frozen on that balcony, a warning shout lodged in his throat, his eyes glued unblinkingly to the scene unfolding below.

She was going to be caught… captured… branded… or worse—! He thought frantically, watching the pride of the King's Navy move ever-closer to his unsuspecting offspring. I've got t'bloody do somethin'...

Just then, the company behind the teenaged lady pirate broke into the clearing and two men seized her from behind.

"Wha—! NO! GERROFFOME—!" Kelsea started yelling angrily, but the soldiers pressed tighter— now that they were no longer in danger of being cut down by her blade—hemming her in on all sides and grabbing her flailing limbs. Captain Greenley of the East India Trading Company shouted in triumph, urging his now emboldened men forward.

"That's it, men! Subdue the wretch! Knock her unconscious if you have to!"

"ARE YE SO AFRAID T'ENGAGE A GIRL FAIR 'N SQUARE? LEGGO AN' FIGHT YE LILY-LIVERED CHEATING SC—!" Kelsea began a strip of curses that promised to turn the air royal blue, but a rifle butt caught her a glancing blow across the cheek and she went down hard.

"Oi!" The one syllable word had sprung past Jack's lips before he had even fully contemplated the effect it might have… The only thing his angry conscious could grasp was that his defenseless daughter had just been bludgeoned viciously. However, the time for cautious planning had evaporated, for already half of the crowd below had turned to look.

Bugger it all… the pirate captain thought grimly, realizing that there was no turning back, and so he shouted again. He had to distract them from her… "Gents in th'red jackets—Aye, m'talkin' t'you! You in th'fancy hat!"

Hearing the raucous voice above the din, Captain Greenly glanced over his shoulder to see what the commotion was about. Realizing that he had captured the attention of the marketplace, Jack Sparrow took a deep breath and slipped into his trademark flamboyant showmanship.

"Gentlemen, good ladies all!" he paused for dramatic effect, flashing that golden grin in the late morning sunshine. "Yer all in fer a treat t'day… for t'was this very morn that wotsisface in th'hat—ye got a name, mate?"

Realizing that he was the only one wearing a fancy plumed hat, Greenley felt a hot blush creep into his cheeks at the gall of this dread-locked stranger, and he stood up straighter, determined not to be made a fool of again. "Captain Bartholomew Greenley. And you are?" he sniffed with all of the disdain he could muster.

Jack's crocodile smile widened if possible and he shook his head in mock despair of the young commander's ignorance. "Son… M'Captain Jack Sparrow." A murmur of recognition at the name rippled through the crowd and the pirate's ego swelled just a little bit more as he iced the cake with… "Savvy?"

Down below in the center of the crowd, one person gasped louder than the rest as she heard the voice, and then the name. Until that moment, Kelsea Sparrow had remained with her back to whomever was shouting from a balcony—the soldiers attacking and fighting to bear her to the ground had been enough to hold her attention. But now, as everyman in the place froze and became captivated by the gesticulations of the rogue pirate, the girl's eyes widened and her gaze traveled up to meet that of her father. What th'bloody Hell was HE doin' there—?

Frankly, Jack wasn't too sure of that himself. Despite that small detail, he bowed deep and went back to his act—playing Captain Jack Sparrow to the hilt. "So ye have heard of me, then? Right, well… 'Tis an interestin' tale, this—I myself was strollin' through this lovely village not 'alf hour ago, mindin' me own business, when the bonny Cap'n Barty Greenwotsit apprehended me unawares by th'coat!"

'Cap'n Barty Greenwotsit' wasn't any happier about this new title than he had been about the 'Cap'n Ninny Wotsisface' that the girl had called him earlier. Not only that, but he suddenly caught on to the story that was being told and his face reddened even more. Jack barreled on with his story.

"But, as fortune would 'ave it… Th'magnanimous Captain decided t'let me go free as a bird!" The pirate captain grinned indulgently as a murmur ran through the crowd, and especially amongst the soldiers.

Greenley had caught Jack Sparrow, scourge of the seas, and let him go--? Any Navy man would KILL for that opportunity and never pass it up!

"Aye, now t'was just a matter of curiosity, really… But I was wonderin', Cap'n Wotsit, if there was a specific reason fer yer kindness?"

Greenley's face was, at this point, a shade of scarlet that caused his coat to pale in comparison—Now his entire company, not to mention the villagers, would know of his blunder! Clearing his throat loudly to hush the murmurs, the young Navy captain did his best to look down at his nose while having to look up. Needless to say, he looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Yes, my kindness, quite. Well, Jack Sparrow, was it—?

"Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow, if ye please."

The young man in the fancy hat decided to ignore this comment, but everyone else around chuckled. Stiffening up even more, if possible, he continued as if he hadn't heard. "You are correct in considering the release an act of extreme charity, and also the sign of a very lucky day for you. Simply consider it very good fortune that another knave decided to come along, in the form of this young wretch, and she's taking your place upon the gallows tomorrow." He nodded curtly towards Kelsea, who decided at that moment to open her incorrigible mouth.

"Takin' me place on the gallows, was it? Really, Barty? How nice've ye t'invite me when we don' hardly know each other yet… but I think m'otherwise engaged. Sorry, mate." She tried wriggling out of the hold of the men who had her arms, to no avail. The seventeen-year-old squinted one eye and glanced over her shoulder at the stony-faced redcoats. "Y'know lads, ye seem t'have an iron grip on me arms… Would ye mind terribly if I asked ye t'loosen up jus' a bit? There's a good bunch o' Navy dunderheads—OOF!"

Somehow, the rifle-butt that caught her in the stomach seemed a clear indicator that the soldiers had had quite enough of her cheek, and Kelsea Sparrow found herself doubled over as Captain Greenley moved closer.

"Pity we won't be getting the chance to become better acquainted, but the prison guard and hangman are more anxiously inclined to meet you than I," he stated coldly before nodding to his men. "Clap this urchin in irons and take her away."

And the men started to do just that, when a familiar voice rang out again.

"So t'was charity, eh?" Jack Sparrow called loudly, waving his hands all around to call attention back to himself. He just had to keep them occupied… Kelsea's life was at stake… Thankfully, every face turned to him again, although this time a bit reluctantly. Taking a deep breath, the pirate rambled into one of his long-winded diatribes—anything to keep their minds off of arresting his daughter.

"Well then, Cap'n Greenley… Seems yer a lovely man—a man t'be trusted, even. Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest," he drawled, his nimble mind groping for a plan—how about that clothes-line? "Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid." And with that, one Captain Jack Sparrow leapt to the balcony railing and dove into space.

"What's the fool doing—!" Yelped Greenley, and everyone else was thinking exactly the same thing. Meanwhile, Jack had managed to catch hold of said clothes-line, which promptly snapped as his weight landed upon it—sending the pirate captain swinging towards the ground. Oh yes, another of Captain Sparrow's botched and bumbling, yet fantastically graceful escapes.

"MMPH—!" The air rushed from his lungs a bit as his boots hit the cobbled streets, but he turned back to the soldiers who were staring in shock. "What's th'matter, mates? Never seen a famous an' devilishly 'andsome pirate afore? Well take a good look, for this is th'day ye'll always remember as th'day ye caught Captain Jack Sparrow—an' then let 'im go again!"

For a moment, nobody moved or said a thing. Jack was baiting the Naval officer, and he held his breath while waiting for the response. Meanwhile, Captain Greenley was debating what he should do—chase the pirate or hold onto the girl..? This was a chance to redeem himself… a chance to make a name by catching one of the most notorious pirates of the day… The girl was only a street-urchin, of no real importance after all… Finally, the sting of Sparrow's words won out, and the young officer swung his sword aloft.

"AFTER HIM, MEN! SPARROW HAS AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE HANGMAN AT TOMORROW'S FIRST LIGHT!"

Jack Sparrow once again stood frozen—this time at the sight of a regiment of red charging at him. Well he had certainly caught their attention… NOW WHAT!

"Oh Bugger…" and with nothing else for it, he turned and ran.

CONFUSION ON THE PART OF A GIRL PIRATE…

The crowd broke into wild laughter and cheering as the notorious Captain Jack Sparrow fled from the marketplace, the Navy tripping over themselves in their hasty pursuit—clearly everyone had forgotten about the pirate lass who had started the whole messy business in the first place—that is, except for Captain Bartholomew Greenley who hadn't started chasing yet. In fact, he turned back to the startled Kelsea with a trite smile.

"Suppose it's your lucky day then, eh Miss? How fortunate for you that one foolish Jack Sparrow decided to make an appearance and save your neck from the noose—"

"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow," the girl spat viciously as a reaction, and Greenley raised an eyebrow at her.

"Indeed. Well, as I have said: today is your lucky day—and if you'll excuse me, I now have an accidentally heroic idiot to catch and hang—so I suggest you run along now, whelp."

Whelp—only Jack got to call her that—! The seventeen-year-old thought, grinding her teeth as her mind whirled and her tormenter left her standing alone in the crowd. Speaking of Captain Sparrow… Why had he done that—? He had… he had stepped in when she had gotten herself into trouble that she admittedly (albeit reluctantly) could not get herself out of… He had thrown himself into the path of an oncoming bullet… he had been her father again. WHAT THE BLEEDING HELL WAS GOING ON!

So with nothing else for it, Kelsea Sparrow could only take Bartholomew Greenley's advice—she turned and ran. She ran towards the only familiar sight within a thousand miles—the dark-wooded topsails of the Black Pearl that danced on the horizon.

MEANWHILE, THERE WAS A CHASE…

His breathing was ragged as he crouched there, heart-hammering and muscles protesting their awkward positions. Jack Sparrow felt like he had been running for hours, the uneven cobblestones wearing mercilessly on his feet that were so at home on storm-rolling decks.

Apparently, the pirate had to admit through mentally gritted teeth, Greenley wasn't quite so thick as he had originally thought—for the pestering Navy Captain had sent many battalions on different routes through the city, so that just as Jack thought himself free of one group, he would run almost headlong into another.

So now, there he was, ducked behind a crumbling well foundation down what was probably a dead-end alleyway. Damn to the depths this unfamiliar labyrinth of a town! The pirate captain cursed in his head, having to hold his breath as yet another troop of redcoats marched smartly by in their search. Receding boots pounded away and Jack breathed again.

Most unfortunately, the truth was that he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing. This city of Madras—well, it was certainly not Tortuga, and Jack Sparrow was painfully out of his element in the foreign streets. Lost and tired, an unfamiliar notion began to tickle at the edges of his consciousness— the realization that, for the first time in his havoc-wreaking life, he was going to be caught and there was nothing he could do about it. Pulse quickened and knuckles clenched as the sound of more boots approaching tightened his throat…

RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING…

Kelsea Sparrow had been running through oppressive heat until her muscles began to combust and her veins started pumping battery acid—or that was how she felt. Somehow, despite the fact that the spars of the Black Pearl looked to be hovering close around every building, they never ever seemed to get any closer. But, just as she began to fear that her legs were going to give out and that her face would consequently meet the rough roads of Madras, she rounded one last building and the docks swam into view.

Pausing for just a moment, the seventeen-year-old bent low and allowed sweet, life-giving oxygen to fill her lungs properly again. He didn't know his way around the city… there were so many soldiers… Greenley was out for his blood… These were the thoughts that were spinning through her mind like pinwheels, more dizzying even than the heat and exhaustion that threatened to bring the girl to her knees. Jack would be… he'd be caught. Caught and… But she couldn't bring herself to even contemplate that last part. No. Jack Sparrow was wily. Jack Sparrow was cunning. Jack Sparrow was invincible…

Shaking her head, Kelsea spat and stood straight again despite a brief argument with her shaky legs. Generally satisfied that carrying on wouldn't kill her, the dark-haired piratess forced her stubbornly immobile muscles into a jog that carried her down the wooden piers. Duncan. She would find Duncan, and he would know what to do… Duncan always knew what to do… He'd know what to do… Wouldn't he..?

A LAST STAND..?

The jig was up—With a rough wall at his back and a sea of flashing bayonets at his throat, Captain Jack Sparrow found himself in a rather prickly situation. He swallowed hard and held up his hands placatingly with a nervous smile.

"Y'know, I'd rather hoped we were past all this…" he started hopefully, but the only reply was a cold clanking as silver blades and rifle muzzles squeezed in a bit closer. "Alrigh', alrigh'—! I c'n see that maybe we're not—" the pirate captain stood on his tiptoes as serpentine steel tickled his adams apple. "But I'm 'avin' another thought! 'Ow 'bout if you fine, upstanding gentlemen put those silly guns away an' we'll 'ave drinks all around, eh? What say ye t'that?"

"They say what I say, and I say you've had your last drink, Sparrow."

The ranks parted just a bit and Jack looked up to see Captain Bartholomew Greenley striding purposefully towards him, all composure and Naval procedure regained.

While on the inside his heart dropped down to somewhere around his stomach and insisted on flopping around like a fish on the water, on the outside Jack Sparrow was the picture of calm and collected—he even managed a mildly interested smile.

"Ah, Barty! Jus' th'man I've been wantin' t'see! Oh, an' it's Captain Sparrow, lad, since ye've obviously forgotten… But m'willin' t'forgive an' forget those things! No harm done, really—"

Instead of answering, the officer of the East India Trading Company merely glanced up and gave a short nod. Before Jack could register what that sort of a signal meant, something heavy caught him in the back of the head and brilliant fireworks exploded behind his lids that swam to a throbbing darkness.

Captain Greenley stepped forwards to where Jack Sparrow's unconscious form lay, and allowed himself a grim smile of satisfaction. "Good work, Jenkins. Men, clap this blackguard in irons and throw him in a cell."

Lieutenant Matthew Jenkins saluted his captain from where he was perched on top of the wall, his hands still dusty from the sack of flour he had dropped on the unwary pirate below.

SEARCHING FOR DUNCAN…

Kelsea Sparrow had reached the end of the pier and she glanced around wildly for some inspiration. She knew that she needed to find Duncan… but had absolutely no idea where to begin. In fact, the only reason she was on the docks at all was because they had seemed like a good beacon to run towards at the time she had begun running. Duncan had gone ashore with her shift of men… He could be anywhere in the city, and not due back for another twenty hours yet…

They young lady pirate could have cried at the helplessness she felt, but instead settled for cursing aloud at the harbor and seemingly empty docks.

"BLOODY HELL, DUNCAN, YE SLACK-JAWED WHORESON OF A SCOUNDREL—WHERE ARE YE WHEN I NEED YE!"

Of all the replies she was expecting to get from that tirade, a returning complaint was at the bottom of the list.

"Right here, ye dunderheaded whelp, ye! No need t'shout, m'not bloody deaf!" The pirate known as Duncan sat up blearily from where he had been napping against a pile of crates in the afternoon sun. He scowled at her, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.

"DUNCAN!" Kelsea yelped, all but bodily throwing herself upon the man in her relief and surprise at his sudden appearance. Her shipmate grunted at the sudden hug, and allowed her to squeeze him for a moment before pushing her back.

"Ye've gone bloody mad this time fer sure, 'aven't ye, lass?" He grumbled, still a bit annoyed at the fact that she had woken him so roughly. Ignoring that particular accusation, the raven-haired teen's face suddenly darkened again as she remembered why she had been so desperate to find him.

"Duncan… Th'redcoats… They—They've…" she stuttered, and suddenly the annoyance was gone from the other man's face. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked squarely into her face.

"What? What about the redcoats? Spit it out, lass!"

"Th-they got 'im." She paused here, wondering if what she had said was true, and then realized that it was—she felt his desperation somewhere inside of herself— "They got Captain Sparrow."