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CHAPTER FOUR: THE SPANIARD

"Jack put me down now!" Annabelle squirmed and kicked against Jack's constricting arms that held onto her as he practically skipped over to the railing.

"Uh-uh-uh Annabelle, you rejected my offer. I have no choice now. I can't have people saying I don't stick to my word." Jack lifted Annabelle over the rail of the ship and dangled her loosely from his arms. "That is, unless you revoke your rejection to my offer." He grinned, flashing her golden and yellow teeth that adorned his mouth.

Annabelle cried out and struggled to grip onto Jack tightly, "What would you have me do Jack? What do you want from me?"

"Everything, and nothing from the good sort." He chuckled while he let one of his hands drop from his hold on her. Annabelle slid off his body and over the rail of the ship with one of his hands holding tight around her wrist. Her other hand grasped desperately at the rail but it was his hold that kept her from falling to the cold waters below.

The spray of the sea sent shivers down her spine, knowing that the dark waters, cold and fearsome waited to welcome her into their crushing embrace.

"Damn it, fine! I accept your bloody offer! I accept!" Annabelle screamed up at him.

The light from the moon adorned his face with shadows making his features appear more sinister. "I thought you might say that," he laughed and reached down with his other arm and pulled her up. He was unprepared for the total weight of Annabelle and she fell on top of him. Smiling smugly he said, "And now my love, begins the rest of your life in servitude to me."

"I'll never forget this! Don't you dare think I'll forgive you for this!" she snarled down at him and pushed away from his body.

Jack stood up and aligned his shirt that had strayed too far left from the tumble, "That's the idea, Annabelle." He snatched her arm and dragged her back towards the cells below the ship, "And whenever the sudden urge hits me that I no longer want to see your lying face upon my ship, it'll be off to Davey Jones' locker for you."

Annabelle tried to pull her arm out of Jack's grasp but he held on too tight for her to break it. "What do you want me for? I do- I don't understand! What's the whole point of this? To make me hate you? I already do." She spat at him.

Jack whirled her around and shoved her into the door that led down below the deck. The door smashed open and Annabelle went tumbling down the stairs, landing hard on her elbow. Her other arm tingled in pain from Jack's earlier abuse but somehow it managed to avoid hitting the ground. Ignoring Jack's laughs, Annabelle used the wall to help her up. She was done dealing with Jack and she didn't want him touching her any longer. Annabelle turned away from Jack and marched back to the cells.

There was no escaping the man. She should have known better than to openly betray Jack like that. Even Will and Elizabeth, her once considered friends, had been shocked by her actions. They had all thought of themselves as a close knit posse of outcasts bound together by their friendship of one and another. The truth of the matter was that each and every single one of them was only out for themselves. Annabelle had already experienced this from someone she thought of as a father and it gave her the large scar across her back. She really should have known better than to trust anyone. Trust was a fool's hope. Annabelle had confessed everything to Jack. She had given herself to him when she had been with no other man before. Jack had whispered promises into her ears that tasted like honey and like a bear she ate them up and believed his every word.

Annabelle shoved past the sleeping hammocks, purposely rocking each and arousing the sleeping occupants. After she had fled from Jack's arrest, Annabelle had left Port Royal and fled to Tortuga to try and find her luck. Through means she didn't want to remember she had gotten a ship and enough gold to buy a crew that proved to not be trustworthy. News had gotten back to her several months ago that upon Jack's arrest he was going to be executed. Annabelle had been outraged by that, she hated Jack but not enough to want him dead. Commodore Norrington had promised her that Jack wouldn't be hanged but imprisoned. At first, Annabelle considered heading back to Port Royal and rescuing Jack but as soon as she was about to make up her mind, word got out to her that he had already been saved and by a certain blacksmith. The news made Annabelle conflicted about how she should feel. At one point she found herself glad that he had managed to escape his death but the lingering thought that he might seek her left her paranoid.

Weeks passed and Annabelle had forgotten all about Jack, her mind only focused on a target that had arrived in port days ago. The target was a small ship that was headed for Spain. Though the ship was small Annabelle had under good confirmation that it harbored expensive wine and jewels. Everything had been going smoothly when she boarded the ship with her crew and took the crew as hostages. That was until their familiar faces met her eyes and she recognized them to be Jack's crew. Heart had been beating furiously in her chest when she had grabbed Gibbs and demanded to know if he was on the ship. It wasn't beating in anticipation to see the man she used to love; it was beating because she was absolutely scared. Annabelle knew Jack was no forgiving man and she had committed the worst act against him as a lover and fellow pirate.

Almost hauntingly, Jack had stridden out of the captain's quarters with a smirk on his face and a gun pointed at Annabelle. That was the only moment her crew had actually been on her side, each one had pointed their gun at Jack and looked to her for the next move. It had been anything but a sweet meeting and some of her crew had to subdue Jack and drag him to the prisoner's cell with the rest of his crew trailing awkwardly behind them. The small ship was ransacked and small amounts of rum were the only things that were within the ship. It was all a ploy and like a fool Annabelle had fallen for it. Once Jack and the rest of his crew were secured below deck she had escaped to her quarter's trying to figure out what she would do with them, with him.

Then the great big commotion had forced her out of the safety of her quarters and that was when her entire crew had turned against her, including her first mate, Charles. He was someone that Annabelle had begun to grow close and fond to in the short months the two had known each other. But of course, like everyone else Annabelle had ever known, he betrayed her.

"Let us out!" the stout balding man yelled at Annabelle as she stormed into the brig. Both the other man and the stout man had their hands on the bars and matching bloody noses. Annabelle would have laughed at the pathetic men if she wasn't in such a sour mood.

"Shut up, I'm letting you worthless sacks of shite out. Don't even think of trying anything or I'll make sure you never walk again, understand me?" Annabelle threatened as she pulled out the cell keys and fingered for the black one in the dimly lit room.

"Oh, you'll get what's coming to you girly." the stout one chuckled at her and the tall one joined him. Their smiles disappeared off their faces once Jack entered the room, "Ah! Captain! Lucky you came back in time the girly here, she tricked us, you see."

"Tricked us she did." The tall one repeated, nodding his head.

Jack glanced wearily at Annabelle and she rolled her eyes, "These two pricks," she kicked at the bars, "thought they could get a nice lay. The idiots fought and I managed to escape. You really need a better crew Jack."

Jack smirked, "Aye, probably, but who's crew was it that betrayed them for an ounce of gold?"

Annabelle glared at Jack clenching her jaw, "Well, I suppose it's fitting that you surround yourself with dogs seeing as you are one." She turned her back at Jack not caring for his reaction and turned the key in the lock.

She pulled the door open and the two men came staggering out, practically snarling at her. Once they were out of her way she slammed the cell door behind her as she entered it and locked herself in it, throwing the keys at Jack. The keys landed right at his feet and he bent over to pick them up. Annabelle kept her back to Jack and she stepped as far into the cell, not wanting to talk to him or look at him anymore for the night.

"We're heading back to Tortuga to get my ship, and then we're heading to a certain island to get a certain thing for a certain something." Jack stated, his voice getting closer until Annabelle heard the clang of metal against metal. His rings had hit the bars and gave off a familiar memory to her of their short time in the cells at Port Royal.

"Are you purposely being so vague?" Annabelle snapped at Jack. Her eyes glared at the wooden planks of the ship and she almost hoped that they would break open and swallow her away from him. "I'm uncaring in anything you do Jack. So you best be off and get back to MY captain quarter's before dawn awakens."

Jack laughed and ran his hands against the bars, each hit making a soft thudding noise. "There's something I'm after Anna, something that'll change everything." He was always good at snagging her curiosity, something that she knew was doing intentionally now.

Slowly she turned around to face him, "What exactly is the something that's gonna change everything?"

With a smirk Jack raised up his arms as if he was about to embrace her. "You'll just have to see now won't you?"

Annabelle sneered, "I've had enough of you, Good night Sparrow."

With a slight bow and a wave of his hand Jack sauntered out of the brig leaving behind a furious Annabelle. Sleeping in the brig would be a long and insufferable one that night.

"Tortuga!" loud shouts echoed down to where Annabelle had her head perched against the side wall. She had been in and out of sleep for the past five hours waking up from the uncomfortable positions she attempted to sleep in and the cold of the damp brig.

Groaning she stretched her stiff legs and arms. If they were already at Tortuga than it wouldn't be too long before she was shoved out of her own ship and tossed onto the Black Pearl. The advice that Gibbs had given to her about sneaking off was unlikely at this point and would only amuse Jack even more after last night's foiled attempt.

Like clockwork the vibrations of someone's footsteps sounded. To her bitter disappointment it wasn't Gibbs who had come and collected her but Jack.

"Rise and shine, oh, you're already awake. Splendid." Jack strolled over to the bars and fumbled with the keys before sliding the black key into the broken lock. It clicked and the door swung open, "Let's go, we're just about to dock and since we can't stay here too long, we have to make a quick heading."

"What foul act did you do now, Sparrow?" Annabelle sighed sweeping her dark locks out of her eyes. They had been tied together by a leather strap but it had snagged on a loose nail and by tugging to hard it had snapped.

His eyes watched the movement of her hair and paused on her tan neck before they meet her eyes again. Frowning he replied, "What makes you think I did anything of the sort?"

Annabelle rolled her eyes as she walked past him, "You're Jack Sparrow."

"Captain, Jack Sparrow." He corrected her.

They reached the deck and the morning dawn blinded Annabelle momentarily. It was chaos on the deck as men ran back and forth trying to secure lines and steady the sails. Off towards the front of the ship was Annabelle's former backstabbing first mate, Charles.

"That conniving piece of…" Jack, not wanting a conflict so early in the morning snatched her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction of the ship. In retribution Annabelle yanked her arm out of his reach and elbowed him in the jaw. He fell back and she took that opportunity to snatch his sword from his tan leather sheathe. The slimy bastard wasn't going to get away with it, not after all she had done for him.

A few men around the two noticed the incident and attempted to subdue her but she shoved them out of her way seeking strength she never had before from her adrenaline burst. Charles head snapped in her direction at her sudden approach and he fumbled for his sword, managing to pull it out before she could slide her own through his neck. The swords clang loudly over the dull roar of the ship.

"Annabelle, I can explain! I can explain!" Charles repeated desperately trying to keep her blade from closing the few inches to his neck.

Annabelle became evermore furious with him. She swung her blade back and jerked it at his legs before moving it back up in an attempt to thwart him. He saw right through her move and deflected it more smoothly.

"If you would just let me say what I need to say to you!" he growled in frustration as he deflected another of her reckless blows.

She had never been an expert swordswoman. At an early age she had established herself more along the lines of reading maps and navigating, considering herself more of an explorer than duelist. The man she faced now was among those she considered more than capable of handling a sword expertly which only frustrated her more at his lack of aggression.

"Fight back!" she snarled venomously, lashing out at him with her blade.

The cocking of a pistol from somewhere behind Annabelle caused her to freeze and squeeze her grip on the stolen blade even tighter, turning them white.

"As much as I love theatrics I don't necessarily see ruining a good morning like this with all this shouting. Why don't you give me back my sword?" Annabelle turned to face Jack and the pistol pointed at her face.

This entire act on her part had been reckless and stupid, she could admit to that at the least. Grinding her teeth she approached Jack and slowly raised the blade in an offering. Jack didn't take the sword from her immediately, he looked at her with a calculating or puzzled face, Annabelle couldn't read his expression. Pleased with whatever he had deduced he took the sword out of her hands and returned it to his belt. A nod of his head aimed at Gibbs standing behind him brought the man forward and he quickly bound Annabelle's hands behind her back.

"Annabelle, I needed to do this, for your own good." Charles pleaded. Most of the men on deck had gathered around them and Annabelle felt uncomfortable at the eyes watching her. Charles walked around so that he was facing her and she darted her head away so their eyes didn't meet. He attempted to catch her eyes but gave up at the fruitless effort.

"Always looking out for me…do tell, was gold offered in this transaction?" Annabelle darted her eyes to seer into his, looking for confirmation at what she already guessed.

"That's beside the point." Charles grumbled, glancing away from her guiltily.

"Shove off." Annabelle spat at him, attempting to lurch herself at him but Gibbs hold on her bound hands prevented her.

"That's enough from the lot of you two." Jack snapped, "Seeing as how we're docking right now, Charles, once all my men with the additional woman are all off deck this ship is yours…as goes our deal of course. I'm never one to back out of an arrangement." He grinned as he took Gibbs place, dragging the kicking and shouting woman off the boat.

"So that's it captain, the whole reason we came out this way was for Annabelle." Gibbs mused mostly to himself.

"Quiet." Jack demanded Annabelle as she continued to struggle and kick against him.

"My bloody ship you bastard! You offered my ship to get to me! Are you barking mad?!" she screeched, wiggling against his hold.

"Barking? No. Mad? Yes."

Gibbs sighed heavily as he followed the two bickering fools through the port. They had docked the Black Pearl with Jack's faithful crew when they had gone after Annabelle.

"Quickly Gibbs, we must make the upmost haste. Tell the others to hurry." Jack ordered.

"Come on you mangy dogs, get a move on." Gibbs called to the rest of Jack's straggling crew. The two morons that had given Annabelle the chance to escape were lagging behind and muttering angrily at each other while the other two men that Annabelle did not know were flanking behind them. "Choose the worst of the worst to come with us Capt'n."

"Yes, well couldn't leave these sods in care of my ship now could I?"

"I suppose not."

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Sparrow? Why so intent on leaving Tortuga upon arrival?" Annabelle asked, glancing at the Black Pearl that sat a short while away. It was odd enough that Jack wanted to set out immediately when she knew how much he enjoyed this place.

"Nothing, we need to get underway, time's wasting away."

"So those Spaniards waiting for us up ahead are just looking for directions…" Annabelle jerked her head forward, pointing at the six well-dressed men with hats that outshone Jack's worn out one.

"Oh, bugger." Jack groaned, faltering for a moment as the Spaniards began to walk towards them. "Tell the men to ready themselves, Gibbs."

"Aye Capt'n." Gibbs muttered back, he turned his head around and Annabelle heard him whispering to the men but was unable to make out his words.

"What about me?" Annabelle murmured so low that she wasn't sure that Jack had even heard her.

"It's all under perfect control." He voiced back. Annabelle seriously doubted that.

"You've arrived much sooner than I would have thought, Jack Sparrow." The Spaniard who spoke had a thick accent and much of what he said sounded somewhat slurred.

"Ah yes, it's you…who are you again?"

Annabelle inwardly groaned, was he insane? From his initial reaction he knew exactly who these people were and from the looks of it were deadly. Pissing them off was something they should have been avoiding.

"Florencio de Emiliano Delgado and you have something of mine I want back." His smooth hair was tied back into a short pony tail and the fancy looking clothes he and his men adorned spoke that he was an aristocrat.

"Nope, don't know anyone by that name. I think you have the wrong Jack Sparrow."

Delgado stepped closer to them causing Annabelle to stiffen, one of his eyebrows raised as he noticed her bound hands. If a battle was to take place she would be completely useless and vulnerable with her hands bound. "Are you not, Captain Jack Sparrow and that," he pointed back at the Black Pearl, "be your ship with the black sails?"

"I'm afraid not but if I see this handsome devilish pirate, you will be the first to know." Jack moved to walk around Delgado but his arm reached out and held tightly to Jack's shoulder.

"You stole my ring." Delgado grounded out through his teeth at Jack, his other hand reached for the sword on his belt.

"What ring?"

"That ring." Delgado yanked his hand away from his sword and pointed it a large golden ring that had a silver encrusted serpent intertwined around the tip.

"That ring? Can't be, you see I nicked it off this old haggard woman that drank herself to piss."

Delgado ripped his sword out and pointed it at the side of Jack's neck till it was indenting into his skin almost to the point of making him bleed. "That is my ring." He fumed out.

"I remember now, you were that old haggard woman." Jack nodded agreeably. He shoved Annabelle into Delgado which knocked the Spaniard backwards effectively removing the tip of the blade from his neck. "To arms!" he yelled, pulling out his own sword and lunging at the fallen Spaniard.

Delgado pushed Annabelle off of him and met Jack head on while his men charged Gibbs and the four other men. Swords clashed and rang out over the otherwise empty port. Jack and Delgado fought furiously next to Annabelle and she struggled to avoid their dancing feet. Thinking to favor Jack, Annabelle rolled over to trip Delgado but he stepped over her and Jack was the one to fall.

"What the devil are you trying to do woman?" Jack croaked, jumping back to his feet and lunging at the Spanish aristocrat.

Annabelle ignored him and kept on rolling. By the way everyone was fighting around her she was bound to get injured in some way. Gibbs had been more successful as he had just pulled out his blade from another Spaniard's chest and joined in with the rest of the crew. The two morons were failing miserable and the tactic of their choice was dodging and running while Gibbs tried to spear the Spaniards on their chase. This battle though could benefit her and seeing the sword of the fallen Spaniard a few feet away confirmed it. Annabelle rolled over to it and grasped the sword with her hands and cut blindly, wincing when she nicked her own skin.

The ropes came unbound in time just as a Spaniard that had finished with one of the crew came charging at her. He swung his sword at her head and she rolled under it, slashing at his ankles. The wounded man fell to his knees and Annabelle quickly slid the sword into his back. From the corner of her eye she could see Jack still fighting with Delgado and it appeared as if the two were equal fighters. Neither one was in the lead and neither one was faltering in their moves. Annabelle was at a dilemma. She could either escape, just as her brain was screaming at her to do, or she could stay and fight and find out what Jack was after now. Curiosity would either be her lucky star or the thing that killed her.

"Bloody hell…!" Annabelle groaned. Her mind made up as she ran over to Jack to assist him. Delgado dodged her blade as she swung it at his back and Jack's attempt was thwarted as the two blades met.

"Well, I see my dashing endeavors are too strong for you to resist, eh?" Jack laughed haughtily, pushing against his sword and propelling the Spaniard back towards Annabelle.

Delgado swung his blade at her and she blocked it just before it struck her stomach.

"I want a cut in whatever it is you're hell-bent on dragging me into." She gasped as Delgado drew his blade sharply against her face cutting down along her forehead and straight through her left eyebrow. The blood from the cut dripped into her eye and for a moment she was in capitated, bringing her hand to her face to wipe at the blood that blinded her.

Jack took that moment to get Delgado's attention back on him by swinging his blade and making it hit against Delgado's arm. The soft delicate fabric did little to protect the Spaniard and it left a long deep cut along his arm. Delgado sang curses at Jack and lunged at him, his sword swinging in the air as Jack retreated from him.

"Get back here!" Delgado shouted at Jack who was bolting away from him towards an empty dock on the port.

A bucket sat to on the side of the narrow dock and Jack kicked it over with his boot just as Delgado caught up behind him. He slid across the yellow liquid, grasping around in the air desperately for something to steady him. One of his feet fell out before him and the rest of him came spiraling down onto the ground. As Delgado rose and reach for his sword that had fallen out of his hold Jack stepped up to him and pointed the tip of his sword to Delgado's throat.

A smirk lined Jack's face, "Smells rather rancid now, almost like…piss. Now tell me, is a silly old ring worth your life?"

Delgado sneered up at Jack, contemplating for a moment. He glanced back at his men still fighting with the others and noticed the fallen bodies of two of his comrades. "The ring is yours, until we meet again." Delgado turned and yelled to the remaining of his men and the tossed down their blades, surrendering.

"Perhaps, my past always does seem to catch up with me, one way or another. Gibbs! Bound up these Spanish dogs."

After gathering up enough sparse rope left around the port, Gibbs, with the help of the fat and skinny man, bound the remaining three. Annabelle stood off to the side, quietly nursing her wound. The wound wasn't deep enough to cause any major injury but it would end up leaving a scar. She didn't want to sound so conceited about it so soon but she worried that it would mar her appearance. The other scars on her body remained hidden behind cloth; the one she had gained today would not be so easy to hide.

The Spaniards struggled in their binds after Jack gave a quick bow and headed for his ship, yanking Annabelle's arm with him and throwing the sword she held to the ground.

"Ouch! Let go you oaf! If I would have wanted to escape I could have used the opportunity presented to me before and taken it. I'm not running. I want to come with you. I want a cut in whatever it is you're after." She squirmed in his hold but his grip was too tight to break.

"That's a lot of 'wants' from a prisoner." Jack responded irritably.

"Whatever it is you're after you're going to need all the help you can get. You and I both know I'm the best navigator out there. That's why you came after me right before your adventure instead of after. You need me."

"No."

"No?!"

"No." Jack repeated.

"Then you have no navigator." Annabelle seethed, "I will not help you."

"Your cut will be the price of your own freedom. Once this trek is over and done, if I'm pleased with the way you've navigated and so forth, then I will send you on your merry little old way." Jack dragged her onto the ship and let her go once they had boarded.

Not overall pleased Annabelle reluctantly agreed, "So where is this map then so we can get this over and done with?"

"We have to get it first." Jack responded. He turned away from her to yell orders at his crew to take off quickly and they scrambled around untying ropes and welcoming Jack back on the ship.

"You mean you don't have it already?" She grumbled.

He turned back to face her and his eyes darted up, taking in her cut, "You'll have to get that cleaned, could cause an infection by the nasty look of it."

She ignored his comment, "You didn't answer my question."

Jack shrugged and walked away from her, and she followed behind him, "A friend of ours. Shouldn't be too much for us to handle, eh?"

Annabelle stopped and her eyes squinted in suspicion, "And who might that friend be?"

Jack continued to walk away from her not bothering to stop but she could still hear his voice over the shouts of his crew, "Will Turner."