A/N: Ahoy there mateys! I know I said once a week, but things have been pretty busy lately. I'm working two jobs and that means 16 hour days on most days and that doesn't leave a lot of time for writing. There's still some editing that I think this chapter needed, but I live in Florida and there's a good chance that after tonight I won't have power for a while. No computer :o( These damn hurricanes are really beginning to get annoying. Anyway, I don't want to keep any of you waiting any longer than absolutely necessary...so I'm gonna go ahead and post it anyway... here is chapter 18...ENJOY!!!

C'lyn...Thanks for the review. You know how it goes...I'm always harder on my stuff than anyone else is.

Cal...Glad to see you're not too mad at me (or Jack) for keeping you waiting ;o) Time to dust off the punching bag again...

Kenn...It's a lesson that I'd rather not learn, but aren't they all? Glad you like the dreams.

Miss Anya...Thanks for the review. Sorry about another cliffhanger, but I have to keep y'all coming back somehow, don't I?

Taurus Sparrow...A new reader! Does "new reader dance" Thanks for the review...I hope you enjoy...

Kungfuchick...Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

Fearlessfreak...Don't you love the suspense?! Don't worry, answers are coming soon, I promise.

Wamy...It's always good to have new readers :o) Thanks for the review and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

Chapter Eighteen

Sweat poured down Jack's face as he fought to contain his terror. He attempted to calm himself by telling himself that it wasn't real, that he didn't know the girl whose body had been suspended from the cliff. But he did.

It was then he noticed that Anamaria was awake and sitting up beside him. Apparently he had awoken her in his fit. She had her hand on his back and was viewing him through concerned eyes.

"It's alright Jack," she said softly, moving her hand across his back. "It's just a dream."

But it hadn't been just a dream. The terror had actually happened and Jack fought desperately to clear his mind.

"Talk to me," she said, "please."

Jack shook his head hard, attempting to dislodge the memory. He then rubbed his eyes with roughened hands, groaning loudly.

Anamaria stayed quiet, hoping that Jack would begin talking to her when he was ready.

Once the pirate thought his head was clear enough to allow him to stand, he crossed the room to gather a bottle of rum. Returning to the bed, he took long, slow drinks as Anamaria stared on, remaining in silence. Nearly half the bottle was gone before Jack began to feel the fuzzy shading around the corners of his memory that he had been trying to achieve. He took several more sips just to make sure the fuzzy feeling would stick and then he set the bottle beside the bed and leaned heavily against the headboard, closing his eyes.

Anamaria whispered softly, "Jack..."

Jack's eyes flashed open, "Bloody 'ell woman, don't you ever stop?" He slouched into the covers, resting his head on the pillow.

The last thing Anamaria wanted to do right now was attempt to go back to sleep, but several minutes later she lay back down beside Jack. She wanted to put her arms around him, to hold him and let him know that she was there for him, but she knew that wasn't what he wanted right now. He wanted to be alone and as she laid on the opposite side of the bed she felt a distance between them, a gap that had not existed prior to tonight. She wondered if it was his inability to share his past with her or if it was the fact that for the first time they had actually made plans about getting her a ship of her own. She was afraid it was the latter, but that in some terrible way one might have inspired the other.

Jack did not attempt to break the silence that had grown between them and when he grew still, she found that she was able to drift easily back to sleep. The captain was not able to rest so soundly, however, and as soon as he was positive that Anamaria had fallen back asleep he got out of bed and quietly dressed. If he couldn't rest, then he would go ahead and begin his day.

It was still pitch black outside as he made his way out on deck. He had always found it odd that the sky seemed so much darker in the early morning hours than it did when he retired in the late evening. There were no clouds in sight and although the moon only reflected a tiny sliver, the stars glittered brightly.

Anamaria woke to find herself alone almost an hour later. The sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of the horizon, sending a warm pink glow through the captain's cabin. She stretched lazily, wondering if Jack would mind if she stayed in his bed for a few more hours. She was still very tired from the previous day's work. Deciding that he probably wouldn't, she rolled onto her side and fell back to sleep almost immediately.

She was awoken by the sound of cannon fire several hours later. She briefly wondered what kind of trouble her captain could have gotten himself into at this early hour of the morning. She should have known better than to allow him to sail without the assistance of his first mate. What would he do when he was finally on his own again? Hurriedly, she pulled her clothing back on. She loosely braided her hair into several sloppy strands and then made her way out on deck.

The Pearl had been firing warning shots at a rather large merchant vessel and she joined Jack to find out what was happening.

His usual morning greeting was replaced by, "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Anamaria had not anticipated the question, "Aye, she is."

"It was going to be a surprise, but since you're up now, I guess you can 'elp us take 'er," he said proudly. "What do you think?"

"She's for me?" she asked.

Jack nodded, still smiling, "If you want 'er, she's all yours."

"Jack, I don't know what to say," she attempted to disguise the surprise in her voice. "It's a lot bigger than what I had in mind. I thought we had decided on a schooner as the best option."

Jack's face fell before he could catch himself. "I know, but look at 'er. She's a beauty."

Anamaria couldn't deny that. The Spanish style galleon was one of the most beautiful ships she had seen in her life. In fact, the only ship that she could think of that was more beautiful was The Pearl. Jack did have excellent taste. Still, she had to wonder if he had really just happened across the nice ship and happened to like her or if he had picked her out just in an attempt to get Anamaria off of his ship as quickly as possible. She had been pretty nosy last night, asking questions that she knew he didn't want her to have the answers to.

But she wouldn't focus on that now. The ship was a three mast, its large white sails billowing out to allow it to catch the maximum amount of wind on this quiet day. She was painted a dark shade of navy with gold accents. Brightly glittering across her stern, her name stood out in gilded letters, identifying her to all passing ships.

"La Estrella Magnifica...The Bright Star," Anamaria whispered. Obviously, she would have to change the ship's name to prevent the Navy from tracking the stolen ship too easily, but she thought the name fit. She actually liked the name a lot.

"Well?" Jack prodded. "Do you want 'er or not?"

Anamaria had to make a decision about the fate of the ship quickly. "I'll take her," she answered, wondering briefly if she would regret her answer later on.

Jack smiled widely, proud of her decision. He took his place at the helm and began shouting orders to the crew. One of the last things Anamaria heard him yell was, "Leave 'er whole men. We're taking this one on as our own."

The battle started quickly and Anamaria found herself scuffling about hurriedly to get prepared. As large as the ship was, it was only running a skeleton crew and The Pearl' easily overtook the galleon with very little damage done to the actual ship.

It all happened so fast that Anamaria had not even had the chance to think through everything that would change as soon as she became a captain again. Both ships had dropped anchor and it was a good part of the Caribbean to make transitions like this in. The area was not frequently traveled and as a result, they could potentially sit dead in the water all day without having to worry about a Navy ship crossing near them.

The crewmen who had not been killed in the small battle that had occurred were taken captive. As Anamaria's first decision as captain of the newly taken ship, Jack was going to let her decide their fate. Most of them had already made it known that they would turn pirate and join the new crew if allowed.

The two pirate captains discussed the situation privately for a moment. Jack's advice was that the men should remain in prison. His reasoning was clear: the men could not be trusted as they would always have the goal of regaining control of what had once been their ship. She was a new captain and would be operating with an untried crew. Jack felt that the combination of these factors suggested more than potential trouble for his former first mate; it was practically asking for a mutiny.

Anamaria felt differently, however. She thought that the men would make a good foundation for a new crew. After all, who knew the ship better than the men who had already been sailing her? She felt confidant with her decision and reminded Jack that only she was truly capable of making the best choice for her new crew.

Jack agreed that the decision must be hers alone and his last question to her was about her intentions for the men who were not willing to turn pirate. Anamaria only provided him with a small smile before beginning her speech to the men bound to the mast as well as to The Pearl's crew.

"Sailors! Your attention please!" she shouted. The pirates grew quiet at once, completely focusing on her. "Captain Sparrow has been so kind as to repay the debt owed to me by providing me with my own ship once again."

Some of the crewmembers looked on in complete confusion, while others seemed to know exactly what their former first mate was speaking of.

"Mr. Joshamee Gibbs will become your new first mate here on The Pearl and I will become captain of The Sea Witch," she gestured towards the ship the men were familiar with as La Estrella Magnifica. "I have agreed to continue sailing with Captain Sparrow, for the time being, until I see fit to set out on my own. As you all know, that makes him a commodore and each of you will be best served to remember that title with the respect that it deserves."

She stole a glance at Jack as she paused and had to catch herself from smiling at the large grin that was plastered on his face. When he caught her watching him, he tried to break the smile, but the corners of his lips remained upturned.

"And what will 'appen to us?" one of the captives asked.

Anamaria looked over the men that had been bound to the mast. She stared at them just long enough to let them become truly concerned about their fate.

"Those of you who volunteered to join the new crew and become pirates will be given that opportunity. You can sign a copy of The Articles tonight," she finally answered.

"Some of us would rather die," a tall clean-cut sailor claimed, spitting on the ground to show his distaste for the pirates and their way of life.

"You will be given that opportunity as well," Anamaria stated, her gaze growing cold.

Jack looked over at her, a questioning look worrying his features. Anamaria did not look his way and he found himself wondering what she intended to do to the men who had not agreed to turn pirate. It was only then that he realized she had never answered the question previously.

"I'll ask again now. Who would like to turn pirate?" she asked.

Of the twenty-two captives, thirteen agreed.

"Heladio, Nuri, cut these men free," she ordered.

The two crewmembers of The Pearl hurried forward to comply. The men's bonds were cut and they moved to form a line in front of their new captain.

Anamaria looked the men over carefully. They appeared to be a strong lot and she hoped that she had made the right choice by letting them live.

"For your first duty," she paused, "and to make sure that you are truly fit for the pirate life, I'm going to ask that you remove some unwanted prisoners for me."

The men looked at her, slightly confused and not quite sure of what she was asking them to do. Jack had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he unfortunately knew exactly what she was going to request of them. When she began to speak again, he found out that he was right.

"I want these men shot," she ordered, gesturing to the men who were still bound to the mast.

A quiet gasp went through the crewmembers of The Pearl as well as the new crew of The Sea Witch. None of them had ever seen Anamaria act so cruelly and it was a small surprise for Jack as well. It would not have been an unusual task on most pirate ships, but Jack and Anamaria had not been running a typical pirate ship. The few times that violence had occurred up to this point, it had been necessary.

To everyone's surprise, none of the men backed down. Anamaria gave them a few minutes to come to grips with their task. The men had been crewmembers together and therefore, had no doubt formed some sort of camaraderie between them.

Several minutes later, Anamaria began to pick men randomly. Eleven were selected in all to shoot their eleven former crewmates. The two remaining were ordered to toss their bodies into the ocean as well as scrub the decks to remove the bloodstains.

The first five men shot their fellow crewmembers effortlessly. The sixth man, however, hesitated, his gun beginning to shake as he raised it to his comrade's head.

"Don't think about it," Anamaria ordered loudly, "shoot him."

The man lowered the gun and then raised it again.

"Please don't shoot," his crewmember pleaded. A small tear slipped down his cheek as he mumbled, "My wife."

The man wavered again.

"Shoot him," Anamaria demanded.

"Please." The man begged again for his life.

Anamaria wasted no time raising her own pistol and shooting the man squarely in the chest. He fell dead to the deck of the ship. The man who had claimed he wanted to turn pirate stared on in shock as Anamaria turned her gun on him.

"Don't waste my time," she said before putting a clean shot through the man's forehead.

Jack's mouth dropped open. He had never seen this side of his first mate and he wondered what had caused the sudden streak of cruelty. He had, however, told her that she was in charge of what went on with her crew and he would not say anything to her at the moment. He made a mental note to ask her about the situation later on.

Once the crew got over the initial shock, the next seven men managed to complete their task relatively easily. No one else hesitated or wavered and in less than an hour, Jack and Anamaria were seated, alone, at the large table in his cabin while the crew swabbed the deck.

"Surprised by my little charade I pulled up there?" she asked him.

"Slightly," Jack answered. "I thought we had agreed to not take part in unnecessary violence."

"It wasn't unnecessary. Those men needed to prove themselves and they did. If they hadn't wanted to be pirates, they wouldn't have agreed to killing those men. They were their friends," she said. "But now, we've put them in their place. They know who is in charge and we know that they're serious about being on our side."

Jack had to agree that her logic made sense, even if he did think that so much death had been uncalled for.

"So what now, Commodore?" Anamaria asked, humoring him.

Jack smiled his golden grin and for a moment, she was captivated with him once again.

"We need to get you on your new ship," he said. "We 'aven't really been over 'er that closely. We need to get a feel for what's there, see who wants to volunteer from our crew to run with you for the moment. Then it's on to Tortuga to see if we can pick up a good crew. I think you should pick your first mate from the crew onboard The Pearl though. You need someone you can trust beyond a shadow of a doubt for that job."

Anamaria nodded, "Probably Nuri. He's a good man and someone I've always felt that I could trust."

"He's a good choice," Jack confirmed. "Excellent sailor, I'll be sorry to see him go."

They were silent for a minute, both thinking about all the preparation that needed to be done for the new ship.

"I'll give the men of The Pearl a chance to choose to sail with you, but I don't think many of them will go. We 'ave a good crew 'ere. Most of them won't want to leave that."

"I know," Anamaria said softly. "I may have alliances here, but they would all much rather have you as their captain than me."

"We'll see," Jack said, "but for now, we need to get you on that ship, putting things the way you want them."

The two captains went back to the deck and Jack made announcements for the afternoon and evening. Fifty men from The Pearl volunteered to help get The Sea Witch to Tortuga, but only twenty of them were interested in remaining members of the crew once she was there. Jack had hoped for more for Anamaria's sake, but a part of him had to admit that he was glad they felt such loyalty to him.

Jack and Anamaria spent a large portion of the afternoon exploring the new ship. Jack was disappointed to find out that there was no gold on board, although it explained why the ship had been running with such a small crew. Anamaria reassured him, reminding him of all the gold they would be able to plunder now that they had two ships.

The captain's cabin was by far the most ornate room aboard the ship and as they stepped inside, Jack grew jealous almost instantly. It's previous owner had had excellent taste. Luxurious fabrics of dark green, purple, and gold embellished furniture around the room and offset dark paneled walls. Silver and gold accents had been added to enrich the color, making it almost seem fit for royalty.

Anamaria stared in awe, unmoving, as Jack traveled around the room, picking up small decorative objects and feeling textures of fabrics and furniture pieces. Making his way over to the bed, he flopped down on it to test the comfort level.

"Think you can make yourself at home 'ere?" he asked jokingly.

Anamaria had finally gotten over her shock and moved to join him. "I suppose," she said, sitting down beside him. She leaned over and briefly kissed him on the lips.

"When are we going to christen it?" Jack asked, smiling up at her.

"How about right now?" she said, straddling him as she pulled her shirt over her head.

The two pirates emerged from the cabin nearly twenty minutes later, both sweating heavily, but wearing smiles of satisfaction.

"We'll 'ave to start meeting at your place," Jack whispered as they made their way onto the deck. "I think it's more comfortable than mine."

Anamaria smiled back, but she found herself wondering just how often she and Jack would actually get to see each other now that she had her own ship. She had thought about it before, but she had thought she would have time to prepare. Instead, everything had happened so fast. In all likelihood they would probably only see each other intimately when they came to port from now on. It saddened her to think about, but she had other things to focus on at the moment, such as getting her stuff together to take to her new cabin onboard The Sea Witch.

When she and Jack boarded The Black Pearl again, Muriel, the ship's carpenter, came running up to her with a bucket of bright red paint. He had been assigned to painting over the old name on the stern of the ship and giving it the new name of The Sea Witch. Anamaria had chosen red and had asked that Muriel try and make the new letters look like smears of blood.

"Ms. Saldana, I mean Captain Saldana," Muriel began, quickly correcting himself.

Anamaria smiled to let him know that the mistake was expected. Her title had only changed hours ago.

"Captain, I painted the new name on your ship. Look!" he exclaimed.

She could see the bright red letters from her vantage point on The Pearl and they looked beautiful. He had done an excellent job making them appear bloody and Jack thought the sight was a tad disgusting himself. Muriel was a gifted painter, but he was also mentally retarded. Jack had never grasped a full understanding of how the man could accomplish the brilliant work that he did, but as long as he could continue to do such a good job, he had full intentions of keeping him aboard the ship.

Muriel was very proud of his work and Anamaria thanked him accordingly, "It's perfect, Muriel. You did an excellent job. It will invoke fear into the hearts of everyone I come across I'm sure."

Muriel smiled one of his goofy smiles broadly, "You like Ms. Anamaria? You like it a lot?"

"I do Muriel," she smiled at him, ignoring his forgetfulness to refer to her as captain. "Thank you very much."

Muriel smiled again, taking one last look at the freshly painted letters and then headed to put the paint can away.

Anamaria shook her head, still smiling.

"I will never understand that man," Jack said. "Things that come so difficult to me seem so easy to him and things that should come so easily he makes so difficult."

Anamaria nodded, "He's definitely one of the most talented carpenters I've had the chance to work with though."

Most of the work that had needed to be done had been accomplished and Jack made his way to the helm for what seemed like the billionth announcement that day.

"Thank you for your help today men. We've all worked swiftly and smoothly and in a short time, I believe we will be ready to begin making way towards Tortuga."

"To Tortuga!" the men shouted, echoing their captain.

"To Tortuga," Jack whispered softly to himself.