Disclaimer: I do not own POTC! I only own my OCs (Annaliese and Nikko)!

Enjoy chapter 6!

A few minutes later, Annaliese heard footsteps approaching the cabin. She watched as both the doors opened and Jack and another man walked in. The stranger was older and well built with a ruddy complexion, dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and grey mutton chops. His clothing was typical of warrant officers of the Royal Navy, though it was worn out and tattered in places, namely his coat, which had its sleeves torn off. He had a rather nervous look on his face and was carrying a tray of food in his arms. At the sight of it, Annaliese realized for the first time how hungry she was. Nikko immediately approached the man and stared up at the tray with eager eyes.

"Annaliese," Jack addressed her, "This is me first mate, Mr. Joshamee Gibbs." Mr. Gibbs nodded at Annaliese politely.

"I'm pleased to know yer all right, lass," he said as he set the tray down on the dining table. Nikko followed him and continued to watch the tray hungrily. "Ye 'ad quite a night last night…"

"Yes," Annaliese agreed with him in a quiet voice. He nodded again before laying a plate of hay on the floor. Nikko ecstatically chewed away as Gibbs turned back to Jack.

"Will that be all, cap'n?"

"On the contrary," answered Jack, "would you fetch some clothes for 'er outa me dresser before ye be on yer way?"

"'Course," Mr. Gibbs crossed the room to the dresser and retrieved a few articles of clothing from its drawers. He placed them on the desk next to her old outfit and then left the room, closing the doors behind him.

Jack then ambled over with a new roll of gauze in one hand and his bottle clutched in the other. Annaliese pursed her lips frustratingly and looked away as he seated himself in his chair once again.

"Oh, come now, luv," Jack coaxed her as he began to wrap the gauze around the stitched wound. "Don't be angry with ol' Jack…" Annaliese ignored him and was determined not to soften her expression.

"Sooner or later," he continued, "you'll forgive me and accept that I 'ad no choice but to…remove that appealing outfit of yers...in order to achieve necessary cleansing."

"So it may seem," Annaliese finally replied. She still refused to look at him, but realized that she was being rather unreasonable, seeing as he really hadn't had any other option but to undress her. Even so, she laid in silence and was practically forcing herself to keep her eyes ahead.

Jack finished wrapping the gauze around her arm and tied it off, but did so a little too tightly, making Annaliese gasp in pain and finally look over at him.

"Sorry," Jack quickly apologized upon feeling her tense.

"It's fine…" replied Annaliese with a sigh of relief as the pain faded out. In turn, her stomach then ached in hunger and she shot a quick glance at the tray of food on the table.

"Hungry?" Jack asked her, following her gaze.

"Yes, very," she answered faintly. "Would you mind stepping out for a few moments while I dress? I'd love to eat, but I'd prefer not to do so naked." Annaliese noticed a fleeting expression pass over his face at her words before responding.

"D'ya need any assistance gettin' up?" he asked her as he stood and dragged his chair back to the desk.

"I think I'll manage," Annaliese replied coolly, rolling her eyes. She intended to prove it and pressed a hand to her chest in order to keep the sheet covering her as she sat up straight. She slid her legs off the bed and stood up weakly. As soon as she took a step forward, her head began to spin, causing her legs suddenly give out, and she fell forward. Quick as a flash, Jack lunged forward and caught her, his arms around her waist.

Annaliese helplessly clung to the sheet with one hand and gripped his shoulder with the other. She allowed her head to clear before looking up into his concerned face. She couldn't help but stare into his stunning black eyes that were outlined with dark kohl. They seemed to bestow a trance upon her. Everything else faded away…his eyes…so dark and overwhelming… She had never seen eyes as fascinating as his and was unable to withdraw from them…

"Are you all right?" Jack asked softly, instinctively snapping Annaliese back into reality. "Can you stand?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied feebly as he helped her regain her balance. Once she was stable, Jack cautiously let her go and observed her in silence for a moment.

"Thank you," Annaliese said in an appreciative whisper.

"'Course," replied Jack, "Now, please…" he started to walk backwards toward the doors. "…be careful." A smile tugged at the corners of Annaliese's lips at his witty warning.

"I'll only be a minute," she told him as he left the cabin. The moment he closed the door, she let the sheet fall to the floor and examined the articles of clothing Gibbs had gotten for her. There was a pair of brown breeches, a white linen shirt, and a pair of brown leather boots. Annaliese put on the shirt and breeches, but left the boots untouched, as she preferred to be barefoot. The shirt was a little too big, so she knotted it around her waist.

Meanwhile, Nikko finished his plate of hay and approached Annaliese, who knelt down at once and tenderly scratched him behind the ears. He bleated quietly in response.

"Oh, Nikko…" Annaliese sighed, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Jack closed the door behind him and smacked himself in the head with his hand exasperatingly.

Bugger, bugger, bugger! There I go again! How is it I keep finding myself in the position of rescuing these damsels in distress? It's almost as if time is repeating itself. It was only a year ago when Elizabeth fell into the ocean and I had to rescue her. Now I'm stuck with this one, along with a diminutive devil beast! It isn't going to be quite so easy to get rid of this wench, especially after the trauma of last night and the severe injury that resulted from it.

She may be extraordinarily attractive, but this girl is evidently a magnet to trouble, and that is certainly not something I need!

What I do need is rum… Bugger it all, I left it in my cabin! With her.

Annaliese and Nikko both looked up sharply at the sound of a light knock on the other side of the door.

"Ya decent yet, luv?" asked Jack's voice.

"As decent as I'll ever be, I suppose," Annaliese replied as she got to her feet. He opened the door, strode into the cabin, and made an immediate beeline to his nearly empty bottle, which was sitting on the desk. After retrieving it, he went to the dining table and picked up a cup of water from the tray.

"You'll hafta sip this slowly," Jack explained as he turned around and handed it to her. "If ya drink it all down at once, it'll come right back up and I'd prefer that didn't happen in me cabin." She nodded obediently before seating herself at the table.

"Now then," Jack sat across from her with his own beverage, "how 'bout you tell me how ya got yerself into such a predicament last night in Tortuga?" Annaliese took another slow sip of water. So that was the name of the dreadful island. She sighed and then immediately proceeded in telling him everything. The strange men, her captivation, the attack at sea, and her near death experience on the island so called Tortuga. All the while, Jack listened intently, making a face every so often as she described the events.

"And the next thing I know, I'm lying on a featherbed with stitches in my arm," Annaliese finally concluded. She swallowed her last sip of water while Jack contemplating her story.

"Yer captors…" he said after a moment of silence, "what were they like?"

"They were definitely from a foreign nation and spoke a strange language I'd never heard before. The captain knew only a little bit of English. The ship they travelled on was a huge, grey junk." Jack nodded as Annaliese listed the details she could recall.

"And you say Tortuga was in view when the ship was attacked?" he questioned inquisitively.

"Yes," she answered. There was another brief silence during which Jack took a swig from his bottle.

"Would that be where ye also obtained such a ravishing outfit?" he asked curiously, nodding to the bundle of damp, blue satin on the desk.

"Yes, the captain gave it to me. He had me dance for him with Nikko in his private cabin."

"Dance?" Jack's brow furrowed and he looked at her suspiciously.

"Um, well, I'm a Gypsy dancer and the captain apparently enjoyed my performance so much in the streets that he wanted me for his own entertainer. That's the only reasonable explanation I could put together."

"Gypsy dancer, you say?" replied Jack, seemingly intrigued.

"Yes," A sudden thought came to mind and a chill went down her spine in terror.

"Oh no!" Annaliese gasped, immediately jumping to her feet and darting to the desk.

"What's wrong, luv?" Jack asked confusedly as he watched her frantically search for something from his seat.

"My tambourine," replied Annaliese, clearly devastated. "I must have lost it last night when I was attacked…" Nevertheless, she continued her search, hoping it had just been misplaced somewhere in the cabin.

"I don't remember seein' it, luv," Jack notified her apologetically, "'M sorry." Annaliese sighed deeply and took her seat once again, feeling very discouraged inside. That tambourine had been the only thing she had left of her parents…and she had lost it forever.

Jack frowned as he watched her from across the table. There was a crestfallen look displayed on her face and he wished he knew what was wrong, but he had more important things to do.

"Well," He shattered the uncomfortable silence, "since you 'ave courteously managed not to vomit water all over my cabin, you may eat now, but remember — slowly," he reminded her as he got to his feet. "An' it might be wise to get a little rest: I'd imagine you're quite exhausted after yer ordeal." Jack turned on his heel and started for the doors.

"Jack!" Annaliese called, hastily standing.

"Yes, luv?" He faced her at the sound of his name and their eyes automatically locked. She began to drown in his all consuming gaze, but quickly composed herself.

"Thank you for everything," Annaliese said in a quiet voice. "Without you…well, I wouldn't even be here."

"Of course, luv," Jack replied with a nod. "I'll be back to check on ya later." And with that, he left the cabin.

In a matter of minutes, Jack was at the helm. He was thinking deeply and this was the best place for it. He always felt at peace as he guided his beloved Pearl through the sea, but he felt very disgruntled at the moment.

Bloody, buggering hell… It's no coincidence that she was aboard that ship when I met up and blasted those damn Tarunijans into oblivion. There couldn't be any other reason why they would just snatch a simple, dancing wench off the streets, unless they were ordered to do so for bigger reasons…

If so, someone would have had to have hired them in the knowledge of the foretelling… Perhaps he knows…and sent them to intervene?

Oh, bugger! What have I done? They're at the bottom of the sea, many thanks to myself, and will never return to him at this point: He'll know someone has interceded and come to investigate and see to it himself, which is certainly not something we need…

If she really is the one it speaks of, she, along with myself, are no longer in a safe position. She must not be rediscovered, or it could mean the end…

Sorry if the ending doesn't make any sense…but I assure you it will later on in the story!

I forgot to mention that this story takes place after the first POTC movie, "Curse of the Black Pearl". "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" never occurred/occur.

TO ALL OF THOSE WHO REVIEW: I will send you a preview for the upcoming chapter (once it's available) to show you how much I appreciate it!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!