Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, except a Jack Sparrow poster, but that's pretty much it. Only original creations (characters, places, etc) are mine.

AN: Here's another chapter. Thanks so much for reading, and please review!

Chapter 11: Confrontations:

When Jack made his announcement to the crew, I couldn't believe what I was hearing –we were heading out of the Caribbean and off to distant lands, all in the name of piracy and profit.

Foreign waters. It's not as though my job was hard enough where we already were –now I had to go places where they didn't speak English, and I didn't speak their languages! How wonderful.

However, Jack's word was law aboard the Pearl, and since he wanted to loot ships elsewhere, we were headed away from the Caribbean and off to the great Atlantic.

But before we headed out into those unfamiliar waters, Jack decided to make one last stop.

As usual, I wasn't allowed anywhere without a guard, and the same could almost be said for the other girls. The difference between me and my female friends, on the other hand, was the fact that they had men courting them, and these men were able to take them anywhere in town without trouble. That was why, as Rannoch and Marty escorted their ladies into town for supper (though Gibbs had to coax Rosa into doing the same), I was left alone with only Anna-Maria and Mr. Cotton for company.

But the arrangement didn't bother me, since as soon as Jack was safely out of our way, the three of us would head into town so that I could try and locate a few women to bring aboard.

Our chance came when Jack and his group of followers headed off for the taverns. I never tired of watching him sashay his way down the gangplank to the dock, the men trailing behind him, all of them uneasy on their feet and clearly in need of getting their 'land-legs' back. It was a rather amusing sight, and I had to stifle my giggles as they walked off into town.

"Well, it looks like it'll be the three of us," Anna said, arms crossed as she watched the men head off.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," I told her. "As long as those couples start bonding, I'm perfectly content. After all, it's what I was brought onboard for, isn't it?"

"Wind in your sails!" quipped Cotton's bird, fluttering its blue wings as it nodded its agreement.

Chuckling, I reached out and scratched its crest. "Thank you. Now, what do you say to a quick trip into town? This will probably be our last stop here in the Caribbean, and I want to relish it before we head into what I consider unfamiliar territory."

I strapped my knives into place, and once we were ready, we waved goodbye to Samuel, a giant black man who was keeping watch on the Pearl tonight. He was the thoughtful, silent type, and when he saw us leaving, he raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering what we were up to.

"Just heading out for a bit of quiet time," Anna told him. "No worries, Sam; Cotton and I'll keep Evie safe."

Samuel merely nodded and headed off towards the back of the ship, leaving us to it. I sighed in relief and turned towards my friends. "Alright, let's go."

Grumbling under his breath, Jack headed straight for the Pearl, his mind's eye filled with the image of his personal rum cache, hidden smartly in his quarters. He could hardly wait to indulge in the blissful drunken haze that would result only minutes after he got back.

His trip to the taverns had been a shock and a disappointment. The swill that they called 'rum' was so weak it wouldn't get a rat drunk. Jack liked his rum good and strong, the liquor burning lightly as it went down his throat and into his belly, warming him from the inside. It was a wonderful feeling, and any decent rum would get him completely off-his-chair drunk within half an hour.

"The sorry stuff they served might as well have been water," Jack growled, his good mood gone. "How can that place stay in business with weak offerings like that?"

Of course, whenever Captain Jack Sparrow was robbed of a night drinking with his men in a tavern, his mood always turned bad. He, however, was the only one who decided to return to the Pearl for rum; the others chose to scatter to the other bars and taverns in search of stronger drinks. Even Gibbs wasn't around to join him in their usual drunken indulgences.

Jack smirked. 'Ah, well, more for me then.'

He was met on deck by Samuel, the tall black man who (besides Rannoch) was one of the strongest crewmembers. But unlike the talkative Irishman, Samuel tended to be silent and listen to everything that went on around him. It wasn't that he was mute or an idiot –he just preferred to spend his time observing, listening, and learning.

"Samuel," Jack said, nodding his head in greeting. "Any trouble so far?"

Samuel shook his head, though he did look a bit puzzled. "Back early, sir?" he asked, his voice deep but comforting.

Jack couldn't help but smile. When he chose to speak, Samuel tended not to waste words –directness was his policy, and Jack appreciated it.

"Aye, it seems the taverns here don't know the meaning of decent rum," he explained. "I decided to enjoy myself here, since I won't have to fall very far to get to my bed."

Samuel actually smiled a bit, and nodded. "Have a good night, sir."

"You as well, Sam," Jack replied, turning towards his cabin.

He was three steps away when he realized that something was missing. Stopping in his tracks, he turned and looked at Samuel.

"It's awfully quiet," Jack observed. "I know that most of the lasses are gone with their beaus, but where are Anna-Maria and Evie? I can usually hear them cackling together at this time of night. Where are they?"

Samuel stared at him. "Anna said they were heading off for quiet time in town. They'll be back soon." Shrugging, he headed for the mast, where he proceeded to sit down and pull out a pipe.

Jack, meanwhile, was trying not to strangle something. He'd given Evie strict orders when it came to her safety, and she'd ignored them.

'And it wouldn't surprise me if Anna-Maria is somehow behind this little disobedience.'

But that's what he got for being so soft towards others. Next time he'd have to chain the girl to the railing, though he doubted that would do any good –she might just charm or pity a crewman into freeing her.

For now, though, he'd indulge in a bit of rum and wait for Evie to return. After that, the two of them were going to have a very long talk.

Although I hadn't found another potential bride to bring aboard the Pearl, the night wasn't a complete loss.

Genius that she was, Anna decided to take Cotton and myself to a fairly decent tavern for supper. While we were there, we managed to stuff ourselves on roast goose, a rare treat. Cotton's parrot seemed displeased with our meal choice, but after its own supper of nuts and hardtack, it calmed down considerably.

After we'd eaten, we headed back to the ship, content with ourselves and eager for bed –at least until I saw Jack waiting for us on deck. I wasn't even able to get a word out before he hustled me off to his cabin, leaving Anna and Cotton staring after me in worry.

The moment the door closed behind us, I knew I was in trouble. The cool, hard look in Jack's eyes turned them from brown to black, and the air around him almost shimmered with tension –he was that angry.

"Sit," he snapped, pointing at a chair.

Swallowing hard, I did as he bid. The air seemed very cold as Jack slowly circled around me, like a hawk eying its prey. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I focused on my folded hands resting in my lap.

"What do you think you were doing?" he growled. I could feel Jack's eyes burning into my head as he glared at me. "What possessed you to leave the safety of this ship at night? Have you no sense?"

Well, that was uncalled for. Anger overcame my fear, and I lifted my head to glare at him.

"Of course I have sense!" I snapped, feeling every bit as furious as he was. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have gone against your rules –which, I might add, were completely nonsensical."

Jack stared at me as though I were the most foolish person in the world. "Were they?" he drawled. "Did it not occur to you that those rules were in place to keep you safe and away from harm?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, yes, heading into town without armed guards is so much worse than being onboard while you and your crew pillage ships," I retorted sarcastically. "With bullets, cannon-fire, and possible counterattacks from your targets, it was far safer to stay hidden aboard the Pearl."

By now, Jack looked ready to strangle me. "At least you were tucked away from danger when we pillaged," he said through clenched teeth.

"And what if we'd been boarded?" I countered. "When all of you were busy fighting, the other girls and I might have been hurt, or at worst, killed. Oh, we would have fought the best we could, but what if we'd been overrun? Then what would have happened?"

"Stop arguing with me, woman!" Jack yelled. "I gave those orders to keep you safe, and this is how you thank me? Most would be grateful to have someone so concerned for their wellbeing!"

"I did what I had to in order to find women for your crew!" I shouted back. "And you were being as unhelpful as can be! If we did things your way, I would never find any women to bring aboard, and your men would die old, grey and alone!"

Shoving my forefinger in his face, I fended off any reply he tried to make. "What I did, I did not only for them, but for you. You decided to take a wife, you came to me for help, and you brought me aboard this ship without consulting me beforehand.

"And in case you forgot," I sarcastically said, "I am the matchmaker, I know what to look for in potential wives for your men, and I am the only one who can find them and bring them aboard for the men who want them."

Jack reached up and pushed my hand away. "Don't flatter yourself, luv," he mockingly told me. "You haven't found more than one woman in your entire stay on the Pearl –you've mostly just been bringing women in unfortunate circumstances aboard and leaving it to luck."

I smirked. "That shows what you know about my line of work, Captain," I snidely told him. "Merely finding the right kind of person is half the task itself. And with your men being so reluctant to meet with my acquaintance, it was difficult to find out what they were looking for. Believe me, if I had left Selene or Rosa back in those ports to fend for themselves, they wouldn't have met Rannoch or Gibbs, both of whom certainly had no idea they were even looking for brides!"

My smirk grew wider. "Besides, with so many men aboard, all of the girls were bound to find one out of the lot of them."

For a little while, we were both silent. Jack seemed to still be angry with me, and rather than see my point in these matters, he merely couldn't get past the fact that I had disobeyed him.

"I honestly don't see what you're so upset about," I said, trying to keep my tone civil, "Whether day or night, I always had at least two or three of your crew with me as guards, and we made sure to avoid the worst parts of the town. I was in no danger."

Putting my hands on my hips, I threw him a scolding look. "I think you might just be jealous that I found three suitable women and none of them showed interest in you, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. Well, I know you've likely had 'female company' each time we've been in port, so I have no idea what you're complaining about."

He stared at her for a minute before a sound, somewhere between a chuckle and a snort, escaped his mouth. "I hate to tell you this, luv, but I haven't had a woman since I brought you aboard. And you have no idea how it's been killing me."

I couldn't help it; I gaped at him. "You haven't? Why not? I thought that someone with your reputation would…you know…"

A heavily ringed hand waved my words aside. "Believe me, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. But the way I figure it is that I've got to start practicing being faithful to the woman I end up marrying –that is, if you manage to find me a woman first – so I decided to start early. I thought it would take a while to get used to the idea, and honestly, it's been no picnic!"

He scowled in thought. "Though I suppose I could have gone the other way entirely, trying to overly indulge myself before I settled down…"

I ignored that, as my mind still had to take a moment to wrap itself around what he'd previously said. "So what have you been doing in town?" I asked, curious in spite of myself.

He shrugged. "The usual: drinking, gambling, laughing and trading jokes and stories with the men, that sort of thing."

"Oh," I whispered.

Silence again filled the cabin, and after a few moments, Jack sighed. "Alright, Evie, I give in. Your way has been productive, so from now on, you're free to head off into town to find girls for my men. But!" he said, waving a forefinger at me, "I want your word that you'll take Anna-Maria with you, as well as two or three others on these little trips of yours, savvy? The ports of Europe are as rough as those in the Caribbean, if not rougher."

"You have my word," I solemnly told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some rest. It's been a long night, and arguing with someone can be rather exhausting."

Surprisingly, he didn't protest, and actually politely bowed me out of the door. I headed back to my cabin feeling rather triumphant. I had gotten my own way, and tomorrow, I would go ashore to find another girl to bring aboard. With any luck, I'd be successful. If not, it was a very long voyage to Europe.

Sitting alone in his cabin, Jack took a deep drink of rum and stared out the large windows at the back of his cabin.

He didn't want to admit it, but damn it, Evie was right –he was jealous. Three lovely young women had been brought aboard, and all of them had been snapped up by crewmen before they'd been here a week. Jack hadn't even a chance to really meet them or welcome them aboard, not really. His work was never-ending, and he'd left their acceptance and integration into daily life aboard the Pearl to Anna-Maria and Evie.

'Maybe I don't give the girl enough credit,' he grudgingly admitted.

After all, she'd taken it upon herself to do whatever she had to in order to help his men. Not many women would willingly walk into a seedy port-town with only a few protectors at their backs, just to get the job done.

'And she did manage to find girls with good hearts, not to mention that they don't seem to mind that their beaus are pirates.'

They even found ways to be useful, which was even more surprising -most women would simply take up space and laze about rather than work aboard a ship. Or worse, they thought they knew better than the men did, and tried to make things run their way (which was usually the wrong way).

In the end, he'd given Evie the credit she deserved, though it had killed him a bit to give in to her demands. The last thing Jack wanted was for someone to come back to the Pearl with the bad news that Evie had been hurt or killed on one of her "expeditions" into town.

He shuddered as the image of a bloodied body and gaping wounds filled his head. 'I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her.'

Still, she had to find wives for the men, and she'd have to leave the ship to do it. Thus, he'd let her go, but only with the best people protecting her.

Taking another gulp of rum, Jack pondered this idea of his. True, he'd hired Evie to find women for him and his crew, and to a certain degree, she'd been successful –there were, after all, three men who were happily courting three agreeable young ladies.

However, there was a very real possibility that Miss Evianna Watkins would not be able to find him, Captain Jack Sparrow, a wife. He had very high expectations when it came to the kind of woman he wanted, and he didn't doubt that it would take the rest of his life to find her.

'If that's so, then I'll just have to end my days as a bachelor,' he mused. 'There are worse fates than that.'

Feeling the rum haze his mind, Jack let his thoughts drift. They ended up back at the argument he'd had with Evie, and he shamelessly allowed himself a moment to admire the woman and her appearance.

He'd never actually thought about her before, not really. She was a pretty girl, Jack had to admit, but he hadn't actually seen her.

"She certainly looks charming when she's angry," he muttered, grinning.

Aye, that she did, and the fact that she was willing to do anything to achieve her goals spoke volumes about her character. Evie was a spitfire with a heart, and that heart had a touch of piracy in it. Such females were few and far between, and Jack was certainly fond of the rare and hard-to-find.

"She's also a challenge. And I do so love a challenge."

AN: Looks like things are going to get interesting, huh? Let the games begin! Review?