Disclaimer: Don't own anything…unfortunately

Thanks to my first 2 reviewers. :D Anonymous reviews are now being accepted. I didn't realize that they were disabled. Oops.

Ava's walk to her house with Jack was an awkward one. First off, she was very confused. Why would a "famous" pirate such as him, walk with a "lowly" girl such as her? Secondly, she was walking to her house with a complete stranger in the middle of the night. Things could get even worse, as far as she knew.

To her relief, they finally reached Ava's door. She stopped, making sure not to let Sparrow it. Who knows what could happen? He was drunk and clearly not focused. He couldn't even walk straight!

"Um…thank you, Jack-I mean Captain Sparrow."

Jack grinned. "You can drop the 'Captain', love."

Ava smiled. "Well, thank you. I don't know what I could have done without you."

"Your welcome. Are you sure you want to be goin' back in there?"

Ava's hand was turning the doorknob. She whipped around and looked unsure. Her eyes wandered, trying to find an answer. She didn't want to go back home. She'd much rather go elsewhere. However, where could she go? She had no family in the Caribbean. Even if she wanted to go back to England, she had no means of getting there. Not even enough money to get onto a ship. Of course, she could be a stowaway, but what if she was caught? What if the crew were like that man who had harassed her? No, it was too risky for her to be a stowaway. After that incident, she knew to not take risks.

"Uh..I don't know."

"Well, love, if I may be so bold as to interject my opinion, I'd say you're not so well off here. Who knows what other danger may lurk 'ere, eh? Come with me, love, and we can sail 'cross the seven seas, raiding, pillaging, plundering and otherwise pilfering our weasly black guts out. What say you to that?"

This made Ava chuckle. "Thank you, Sparrow, but..my place is here. I'm perfectly used to those kinds of men lurking about. It's this stupid dress that gets me into trouble. It's-."

"Hmm, I see. This isn't wha' you said to me before, love."

Ava leaned against her door, frustrated. She wanted to go to sleep, not discuss her future plans here with a pirate. She had a long day and all she want to do is lay in her bed and rest.

"Look-Ok, yes, I did say that. I can't stand living here but where am I supposed to go, Sparrow? Does it look like I can go anywhere? If I did, I would've done it long ago! If my stupid father kept his finances together, I'd still be in England and right about now, I'd be having some tea and biscuits with my family in my manor! Yes, that's right! I was rich. But now, I was forced to come to this place and rot for the rest of my life! So, yes, I don't want to be here. Life here is too horrible for me to bear. I want to leave this place. Nothing is waiting for me here. I serve no purpose in this god-forsaken piece of land they call a city except serving men in bars and being toyed around with."

Ava's rant took all the breath away from her. She was gasping for breath. Jack was taken aback when she let all her bottled up feelings spill out.

"So, what's your point, love?"

Ava's hands curled up into fists, ready to hurt someone. Jack realized this and held up his own hands, as if to shield himself.

"Before you 'urt me, love, hear me out. You say you've got nothin' here for you. So, why are you still 'ere? If you long for freedom, I can give it to you because I have it. I can give you a life that one can only dream about. I can give you nearly all the splendors of life. But it won't happen if you stay here in said god-forsaken piece of land."

Ava looked around, nervously, considering his words. He hadn't done any harm to her, yet. He did save her. She hated this city. To her, at the moment, the only logical thing to do would be to leave and who better to go with than the Captain Jack Sparrow. He was possibly the most famous pirate of the time and probably the most adventurous.

"I don't know if I can trust you. You're a pirate. But, you do make a valid point."

Jack smiled, obviously pleased for changing her mind, slightly.

"I always do, love."

"I'll consider it. Thank you."

Jack nodded. "Aye. Me ship leaves tomorrow at noon."

Ava nodded as she watched Jack walk off, surprised that he never stumbled or fell onto the floor. Anyone who can walk the way he did and not fall must have an amazing sense of balance which didn't make any sense because Jack must've had several rounds of rum.

Ava opened the door to her house, walked in and locked it. She walked around her house, absent mindedly. She thought about Jack's offer. She knew that she should do it, but she was skeptical. She wasn't completely sure about Jack. He was strange and different. One of the most obvious differences was the fact that he was far more handsome than the rest of the men here but that was beside the point.

So many things were running through her mind that it made it very hard for Ava to concentrate. She was already planning her life as a pirate. At the same time, she was scolding herself for even thinking about leaving. Her mind was going 40 ways at the same time.

"Ok, ok, Ava. Calm down. Let's think rationally," muttered Ava to herself.

She felt like a fool, talking to herself, but she had no one else to talk to and it seemed like the only way to clear her mind.

"Ok, do I want to go or do I not? Well, I have nothing here for me. So, that's one point to leaving. On the other hand, where am I supposed to go or stay? So, there's two to staying. On the other hand, I'd be exploring the world, which was something I've always wanted to do. Two points, so far, for leaving. I won't see any psychotic drunks there…hopefully. So, I guess, there's half a point to staying and leaving. Two and a half points each for-."

Ava stopped pacing around. She snapped her head up and let out a short breath.

"Oh, what am I doing? I've never liked this place. It's covered in grime and it's a horrible place for a young girl like me. And anyways, what am I going to do here all my life? Work in that bar? To hell I won't!"

It seemed as if a bright door had been opened for Ava. She started to smile, a genuine smile that meant the whole world to her.

Ava started to run for her room and pulled out an old satchel that she had brought from England. She started to rummage through her wardrobe, picking out random outfits. She was in too much excitement to even think about what to bring.

"To hell I won't work in that bar! I'm not going to grow old and remain a waitress! I want to see the world!"

Ava picked up her already full bag and ran to her vanity. She took some jewelry, just in case she had to bargain with anyone for something useful.

Ava took her last look as the girl working in a pub. She looked into her own eyes and said goodbye to the girl she has known for the past 11 years. She grinned and bit her lip, just to keep her from laughing manically. She closed her eyes and took a deep, relieving breath and headed for the door.

Just as Ava touched her doorknob, she felt a pang of sadness. This was the last time she'd ever be here. She had spent a good 11 years in that house. The house was a part of her. Ava shook her head and reminded herself that she'd be having a new life; a life worth living.

She opened the door and left her past behind her and ran towards her future.