A/N: Don't ask why I'm updating this early.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Black Pearl.

Chapter 6

Sparra

Izzy walked back up the stairs and onto the dock and surveyed the deck. Men were everywhere. Some were on their hands and knees scrubbing the deck, others were pulling and tying ropes to the deck. Another was at the wheel with a compass in his hand.

Izzy looked around to try to find Gibbs. She spotted him on the upper deck talking to a man with an eye patch with a parrot on his shoulder.

"Gibbs!" she yelled.

"Aye, come on up," he shouted back.

Izzy climbed the steps of the Immortal to the upper deck and stood next to Gibbs while waiting for him to finish his conversation. When the man with the eye patch walked away, Gibbs turned to her.

"C'mon laddy," he said. "You have much to learn before we get to Tortuga tomorrow morning."

"Now, pull on this rope here, and tie it to this post. This rope is attacked to that sail there." He pointed to a sail as Izzy pulled on the rope.

"Tarnished treasure no! Not that way!" Gibbs grabbed the rope from her. "Don't flap your arms that way. You look like a chicken tryin' to take flight. Watch me."

Gibbs pulled on the rope, crossing one hand over the other and tied the rope to the post.

"You tie the knot like this. Around, over, around, under, around and through. It's called a Death Knot, all pirates learn how to tie one of those. It's the most important. You try, laddy."

Izzy undid the rope and tried her hand at the Death Knot.

Gibbs whistled. "Laddy, are you sure no one in your family was a pirate before. You handled the Death Knot like an old pirate."

"I'm sure, Gibbs, my family owned a bakery. I've always wanted to learn how to sail."

"Well, laddy, you have much more to learn. Come, let's move on."

"Land Ho!" the man from the crow's nest shouted.

"Ah, we're at Tortuga already," Gibbs said. "I wonder who the Captain will be takin' across."

"What d'you mean?" Izzy asked.

"Well, see, Captain Barbosa works hand in hand with another captain. So he'll be bringin' some of the new lads to work on the other captain's ship. Also he'll be getting' rid of some of the lads that still haven't a clue about sailing. I'll go and see who he'll be bringin' across."

"Gibbs, which ship do you work on?" Izzy asked.

"I work on either one. But mostly I work on the other captain's ship with a few of the men on here too. You stay here and I'll be back."

A few hours later, the anchor was lowered and Gibbs came back up from the Captain's quarters with Captain Barbosa following close behind him. The crew gathered around the Captain to wait for orders.

"Now, you all be wonderin' what who I'm goin' to be gettin' rid of or sendin' over to the other ship. Gibbs and the few men that came from the other ship to sail on the Immortal just for the trip to Port Cunningham shall be goin' back to the other ship. I have a list here of who be stayin' on me ship and who be goin' to the other. I'll be postin' it right here," Barbosa said. He pulled out a knife from a sheath at his waist and used it to post the list into a post.

All of the men filed up in a line excitedly to see where they would be sailing with. Izzy stood at the back of the line and waited nervously. This is it, she thought. I'm useless so they are going to drop me off in Tortuga and I'll have to go back to Port Cunningham. Please, please, keep me somewhere. I love sailing. When she got to the list, her eyes automatically dropped to the part that said Stayin' in Tortuga. But her name wasn't on there. Her eyes started to scan the other lists when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Your name won't be on there, Izzy Perry," Barbosa stated.

"Why is that?" Izzy questioned.

"Because you'll be comin' with me into Tortuga. There is someone you shall be needin' to meet."

"Who?"

"Oh, save your questions, Mr. Perry. They'll be answered soon enough."

With a raspy laugh, he walked away.

Izzy soon found herself on a small boat that the pirates called a dingy, with Gibbs, the man with the eye patch and the parrot and Captain Barbosa. She opened her mouth to ask Gibbs what was going on but he brought a grungy finger to his lips silently telling her not to say anything.

When they docked, Izzy helped Gibbs and the parrot man to secure the dingy. They then followed Barbosa down the dock and into the tavern. As the door closed behind her, Izzy looked at the crowd before her. If she thought the men and women at Port Cunningham's tavern were drunk she didn't think there were words to describe how drunk these people were.

Barbosa had walked to the bar tender and had whispered something in his ear. They followed the bar tender through a door behind the bar and into a narrow hallway.

"You'll be findin' him on the last door on the left," the bar tender said.

Barbosa nodded and started down the hallway. Izzy felt her nerves rise again, but these nerves were different from when she met Captain Barbosa. Instead of sense of authority she got from meeting her first captain, these nerves were like having the butterflies in her stomach in the Death Knot.

Izzy nudged Gibbs. "Who are we going to see?"

"Ah, Mr. Perry," Barbosa said. "This be the man I told ye you'll be needin' to meet."

With a sly wink, Barbosa knocked on the door and entered.

When Izzy saw the man sitting at the table, her breath caught and her heart pounded. She had never seen one so…what was the word…interesting? Good-looking? No, the word was different. Yes, definitely different, she thought.

Her eyes looked the man over from top to bottom. He wore a tattered white shirt; she thought it was white, with a ripped red vest over it. He had dark skin and dark eyes. His hair looked like he'd never brushed it and was almost in dreadlocks, which were held back by a red bandana. He had a beaded charm hanging from the top of his bandana. The man wore many necklaces and rings which he seemed to be fond of because he was looking at one ring now which looked vaguely familiar to Izzy.

"Captain Jack Sparra," Barbosa said. The man lifted his head and looked at Barbosa.

"Oh, hello, Barbosa. D'you want some rum?" the man named Jack asked holding up a half-full bottle. "Gibbs, come take a seat, mate."

"Jack," Barbosa started again. "There is someone you should be needin' to meet."

"Really?" a semi drunken Jack asked. "And who would that be? I know all of you."

"Actually, Jack, you be not knowin' one of our group." Barbosa took Izzy by the shoulders and pulled her in front of him.

"Jack, meet Izzy Perry. He will be aboard your ship on our journey."

"Hello, Mr. Perry," Jack said holding out his hand. "Welcome aboard my ship, the Black Pearl."

Izzy, still staring at Jack, took a step forward and shook Jack's hand. When her skin touched his, she felt a shiver start at their joined hand and go down her spine. Looking into Jack's eyes, she saw that he felt the same thing. He was now giving Izzy a strange look and had just opened his mouth to say…

"So, Jack, what d'you think of the newest member of your crew?" Barbosa asked.

Jack's voice was steady, but he still looked at Izzy curiously. "I'm not sure yet," he said.

"Well, you better be makin' up your mind soon, Jack. We leave within the hour."

"I'll need to see how Mr. Perry works on ship before I make my decision."

"Jack," Gibbs said. Jack turned his attention to Gibbs.

"Jack, I've taught young Mr. Perry here how to work the ropes of the ship. He's done a fine job so far. I'll keep him under my wind until he gets the whole swing of things, sir."

Jack returned his attention back to Izzy. "All right, I think I can give him a try."

"This trip will be just what you'd been wantin', Jack," Barbosa said with a teasing smile. "A distraction."

"Oh, I'll have plenty of distraction thanks to you, Barbosa," Jack said stiffly, still staring at Izzy.

"Come, Izzy," Gibbs said. "We'll take your things to the Black Pearl."

As Izzy turned to leave, she could still feel Jack's eyes follow her out the door.

Coming up…

Will Izzy understand the tingly feeling she got from Jack's hand?

Will understand Izzy?