AN: And here is the chapter I'm sure many have been anticipating, because now our beloved captain is in the picture. I now have a newfound respect for anyone who attempts to write Jack in character, for it is nearly impossible, and I'm not sure if I've managed to give him justice. Oh well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy!

For a week, Elizabeth and I waited with anticipation for any news concerning the Commodore and his ship, the Hildegard. Nothing came.

"It could take months to find Barbossa," soothed Elizabeth. "The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean."

"I know. I just wish there was some way I could go and help," I murmured in frustration. "And I keep wondering about that key."

"So do I," said Elizabeth. "To think such a small item could cause such an uproar."

We walked back to the house in silence. There really wasn't much to say.

It was midnight. A man approached a large house with a light in one of the upper rooms. He was worn out, and really only wanted somewhere to go to sleep. But it had to be safe. Sauntering up to the door, he tried the handle. It was locked, as was expected. He considered ringing the bell, but looked back up to the lighted room. Why not give the mistress of the house a late night surprise? After testing the ivy that clung to the walls, he slowly began his ascent to the room.

I sat at the desk in my room staring at the book in front of me that I was attempting to read. I couldn't go to sleep, I wasn't tired. My mind was too busy thinking of what was happening to Ella right now. Was she still alive? My gut told me she was. A frustrated sigh escaped my lips and I snuffed out the candle that sat at my desk. Slowly, I crawled into the soft sheets of my bed, sleep still evading my itching eyes.

Then I heard it. I dull thump had landed on my balcony, and quick breathing could be heard. Someone was in my room. I sat up slightly, just enough to see past the posts of my bed. It was a man, a tall one, but that was all I could tell from the darkness. I swiftly reach for a candle stick.

The man noticed the movement and swayed over to my bed. It looked like he was drunk.

"Hello there, luv. I thought you might still be awake, so I decided to stop by for a quick greetin'."

"Get out of my room," I threatened. Okay, so maybe it sounded more like a plea, but it was the best I could manage.

"Eh? Who are you?"

In response, I threw the candle stick has hard as I could in his direction.

I missed.

"Whoa there, luv!" The man lunged himself toward me, grabbing both wrists and pinning them above my head. I struggled and managed to wiggle my way off the bed and onto the ground, with him on top of me. "HELP!!!" I shrieked.

"Shush, don't yell, please? I must be in the wrong house." I opened my mouth to shout again, but he firmly placed a grimy hand over it, stopping me. I took my free hand and threw it toward his face, punching him hard in the jaw. "AH!" he yelped, then attempted to snatch the hand back. I kneed him in the stomach, making him roll over.

I sat up and tried to crawl away, but he recovered and pinned me back down on the floor. "Now if you will just hold still and listen, I can explain everything--"

A light flooded the room, causing me to squint.

"Jack!"

It was Elizabeth, her eyes wide and shocked. I looked at the man who was now on top of me. He was tanned and rugged, sporting a red bandanna and tri-corner hat. His long hair was in dreadlocks, and his goatee was braided in two strands. So this must be the infamous Jack Sparrow. I grimaced at the sight, and smell of him. At the moment, his lip was bleeding, probably where I had punched him. He smiled winningly, flashing a few golden teeth.

I just glared back. "Get off me."

"And who is this delightful young lady?" asked Jack. We were standing up now, me completely embarrassed and peeved.

"Winifred Delaney," I mumbled, still glaring. "You mind explaining why exactly you decided to attack me?"

Jack held his hands up, mocking offense. "Accusing me of such an action. You wound me." I just rolled me eyes and turned away.

"Why are you here?" asked Elizabeth.

"I believe that conversation would be better heard in the morning, seeing as it is late at night. I don't suppose you have a spare room, hm? If not, I'm willing to share." He flashed another grin at me, causing me to blush.

"I think you should put him in the stables. The stench would suit him better."

Elizabeth widened her eyes. "Goodness, Winnie…"

"You, luv, have one sharp tongue. Why not give ol' Jack a fighting chance?"

"My name is Miss Delaney, not luv," I growled. All he did was stare at me a moment longer before turning to Elizabeth. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, tucking away my anger. My temper rarely flared out, but when it did, it was usually deadly for whom ever I unleashed it upon. Generally, I could keep myself under control, but tonight, with the mix of this pirate and the lack of sleep, I had to put more effort into it.

"We have a spare bedroom next to this one, Jack. I suppose you can sleep there"

"I don't suppose I could have a guard by my door? You know, just in case she has an urge to kill me during the night." He waved his hand toward me. I glared daggers toward him, yet blushing at the same time. "You are looking quite murderous," he added playfully before winking.

"Just leave my room," I insisted tiredly. Laughing, he sauntered out, giving one last smirk at me before disappearing. "I don't like him very much," I declared once I was sure he was gone.

Elizabeth just stared at me. "I have never seen you act so harsh."

"He attacked me. You didn't honestly expect me to welcome him with open arms."

She just shook her head, smiling. "No, but you won't be seeing the last of him. He's very…memorable."

"Winnie! A strange man is down stairs!"

It was Isabella. I groaned and sat up. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No. He asked if you were awake."

"Tell him no."

"Too late." It was Jack, standing there at my door way, grinning.

"What in the world are you doing here? This is my room." I rubbed my eyes, trying to be able to see clearly.

"As I found out so memorably last night." He stroked his lip, which was looking slightly better. "I was wondering whether you were awake yet. I wanted to try and start off on a better foot this morning, seeing as our first meeting was not particularly pleasant."

"You can start by leaving and letting me sleep," I answered. "Goodbye."

"Now, now, luv. Don't be grumpy."

"It's Miss Delaney to you. And are you trying to annoy me, or is that just your personality?"

"Or you are easily peeved, darling."

I scowled at him for a while longer, deciding it would more tactful to be quiet and calm than try and retort. It seemed this man had something to say for everything I said. "So, I assume you are the Jack Sparrow that Elizabeth has mentioned?"

"Captain, luv. Don't forget that part."

"My name is Miss Delaney, Captain. I'm going to only ask you one more time to call me that."

"Very well, Miss Delaney." A giggle was heard from Isabella, whom I turned my sleepy eyes toward. "And who is this charming young lass?" inquired Jack, strutting up to the bed.

"Isabella," she answered shyly.

"Not your daughter by any chance?"

I rolled my eyes as I flipped the covers off me. The maids were in the doorway, wide eyed and gasping at the sight of Jack in my room. "I'm her governess. Now please leave. I need to change, and I can't very well do it with you standing there staring."

Jack exited, tipping his hat to the maids as he passed them and chuckled. "It's nice to see you more pleasant. I'll be seeing you at breakfast then," he called back. I massaged my temples grumpily, wishing this man would just disappear. Mornings were not the forte of my existence, and was in no mood to be butting heads with Sparrow. Groaning, I walked over to the maids to let them dress me.

I had been hiding my thoughts and emotions for years. It wasn't like this man could suddenly cause me to unleash them.

"So, Jack, I would very much an explanation as to why you came parading into Winnie's room last night," said Elizabeth. It was breakfast time, and the three of us were at a small table in the parlor. The two girls were already finished eating and were now playing in the garden.

"Ah, yes," he sighed. "First of all, I would like to point out, I thought it was your room, Lizzie. Was planning to give you a midnight surprise. However, it obviously didn't go as planned." I snorted into my porridge at this remark.

"What I truly want to know is, why are you here at Port Royal? You are still a wanted man."

"Take a guess, Mrs. Turner."

"Your ship," I answered, realization dawning on me. "The Black Pearl was your ship, but Barbossa has it right now. Remember, Elizabeth? That's the ship Richard said attacked Savanna. And kidnapped Ella."

"Sharp lass," grinned Jack.

"I have to be. I'm a governess," I retorted, blushing hard.

"Oh my, your absolutely right," gasped Elizabeth. "He did take your ship. How did this happen?"

Jack's eyes grew slightly dark. "Not long after this little Davy Jones incident we had. I've been following him almost every since."

"Almost?"

Sparrow smiled mysteriously, not quite looking at us. "Have either of you heard of the Fountain of Youth?"

We nodded our heads. I was about ready to exclaim 'It doesn't exist', but after the story of Elizabeth, and my own experiences, I figured that something like the Fountain of Youth could, in fact, be quite real. "I found a map that was suppose to lead me to that Fountain. Turned out it only led me to the real map," at this Jack grimaced, "which happen to not be where it was suppose to be."

"How did you know?" I asked. Okay, so maybe that was a stupid question, but I was a little confused.

"There was a pedestal there, with three holes. Two of them looked like they were suppose to hold keys, which were gone as well. Between them was a hole, about the size of a large pocket-watch. I can only assume that this was what held the map. Anyways, I decided that I would worry about tracking those items down when I had my ship back, so now I'm chasing Barbossa to rescue my Pearl."

It took a moment before I could remember how to breath. Two keys. A pocket-watch. Things were falling into place…almost. I had a pocket-watch and a key. Two things that four years ago, nine men were willing to threaten me for. I knew that they had been important, for whatever reason. I wasn't sure how those men knew why they were important, but at the moment, that didn't matter. I would have bet my right arm that Ella had the other key, which meant two things: one, this Barbossa figure was looking for the Fountain, and two, he probably knew about the pocket-watch (now map, though I couldn't see how) and the key. Which meant I was in danger of being kidnapped like Ella had.

On the bright side of things, if I were to be kidnapped, chances were that I would be with Ella again.

"Winnie, are you okay?"

I raised my head to look at Elizabeth. "Yes, of course. Why?"

"No reason. Jack," she began again, "that still doesn't explain why you're here in Port Royal."

Sparrow smiled roguishly. "Am I not allowed to visit old friends for old time's sake?" Elizabeth simply raised an eyebrow. I just studied the tablecloth. This conversation was no longer very interesting, and I was getting bored. "Listen, luv, I needed a safe place to get myself together. Traveling can wear you down quite a bit, and navy has been tailing me constantly now. You of all people should be able to understand that, hm?"

"How long are you going to stay?"

"Maybe a week or two," considered Sparrow. "I didn't really think about it."

Elizabeth sighed wearily. "Very well, I can't throw you out without feeling some type of guilt. But you need to stay out of sight, and not leave the mansion. I have too much gossip flying around me without your help."

"I can only assume you mean dear William. How is he?"

Elizabeth stared at Sparrow, the sadness shining from her eyes. She swallowed and smoothed out her dress before turning to me. "I think I'm going to take a walk in the garden, see how the girls are. I'll be seeing you later." She got up and walked out of the room.

I whipped my head around, ready to bite of his head. "Did I say something wrong?" asked Sparrow innocently.

"Do you not know when to keep your pie-trap shut?" I snarled. I swallowed, composing myself again, and started in a calmer voice, "It's been less than a year since she's last seen him, and you had the gal to bring him up like we were talking about the weather! How could you possibly--"

He held up a hand to silence me, and I stopped, confused. He opened his mouth, paused, then asked, "What's a pie-trap?"

I bit hard on my lip to keep from screaming at him. Instead, I rose and walked out of the room. That man was despicable.

Around mid afternoon I was able to get Elizabeth alone. I had been dying to talk to her, but it had to be in private, and either the girls or Sparrow were nearby.

"What is it, Winnie?" We were in the hallway outside the parlor. I peeked inside, and seeing no one, dragged her in behind me. The curtains were drawn, and the only light that shone was a candle in the far corner. I shut the door softly and ushered her over to the couch.

"I need to talk to you about something Sparrow said."

"Was it about Ella? Do you think she has one of the keys?" guessed Elizabeth.

"Partly. But…I never really told you how I came here." Elizabeth shook her head after thinking a moment, puzzlement written all over her face. "Before my…arrival, I came into possession of a pocket-watch and a key. The lady I received it from told me that a man had given it to her, and that he was trying to keep it from someone. He never said who. Anyways, it was through this pocket-watch that I came here. I've never been able to make it work otherwise, but I always wondered why it was so important."

"And you think it's this map Jack was talking about?"

"Almost positive. It would make sense why so many people are after it."

"Does anyone but you know that you have it?"

"Ella of course, but…" I paused remembering Richard's words. "And Lieutenant Tremaine. And the Commodore." We looked at each other, my head spinning. "The Commodore gave Ella that key. Do you suppose he--"

"--knows what it is?" finished Elizabeth. "I'm not sure. He obviously knew it was important."

"Another thing. Why is the Commodore of Port Royal going after Ella, who is in Savanna? Why isn't another fort sending aid instead?"

I stared at my fidgeting hands. They had become soft and pale after living in England where ladies were expected to remain inside. I couldn't remember doing any real form of work for a long time now.

"He knows," whispered Elizabeth. "He has to. That's the only plausible explanation. But he doesn't strike me as a treasure hunter…"

"Maybe he's in league with the man that came to where I was. The lady said he was dressed strangely."

"Then the question stands, who are they trying to keep it from?"

Elizabeth may have been wondering that, but another completely different idea was swimming in my head. If that man had come to my time from here, that meant it was possible to back and forth. This pocket-watch wasn't only a map, it was a time-traveling device too. Now the real question was, how to activate it. After four years, I couldn't quite remember what our conversation had been about before the men had attacked us…I remembered college posters, but that was it.

"What are we going to do about it?" asked Elizabeth softly.

"Nothing," I whispered back. "Only Ella, the Commodore, and Richard know about me having the map and key. Ella won't talk to Barbossa, that I'm sure of. She might not even make a connection, I'm not sure. Richard won't tell anyone, and neither will the Commodore. They both have enough sense to keep their mouth shut about something like this. For now, I'm safe, and hopefully, it will stay that way."

"It won't," said Elizabeth, a smile playing at her mouth. I frowned, not entirely believing her. "Two reasons. Barbossa. And Jack Sparrow. They are both looking for this Fountain, and neither of them give up that easily. You'll be tracked down sooner or later. Anyway, Jack always brings trouble to wherever he is. It's just part of his character."

"That I believe," I mumbled. "Let's go to supper before the girls start worrying."

Elizabeth went out the door, and I followed, but before I shut the door, I thought I heard a noise, breathing maybe. Squinting into the shadows, I tried to see if someone was there. Instead, a dog, Robert's pet, came over to me from behind the couch. "Oh, it's just you," I chuckled. "Not like you're going to tell on us, right?"