Hello, i'm still alive, wow. I was going to wait until this was finished before uploading but i was getting impatient, ive only got five chapters finished at this point so updates will be a little slow, but they will come eventually.

ive been trying to write a new PotC story ever since i gave up on I'm Elizabeth and i finally got one going, so here it is! please try to enjoy, haha.

**important note**

this story is set in a sort of AU version of OST, the first 10 minutes of the movie remain roughly the same, minus Barbossa and his awful wig and Jack really was searching for a crew. These events dont appear, but take place directly before my story, from then on the plot is only inspired by the movie here and there, it is almost entirely of my own creation. Thanks.

A young woman sat in a carriage, watching the world go by. Admittedly she loved carriage rides, the destinations she arrived at never seemed to compare to the journey, she enjoyed seeing the land and the people bustling about their own lives while she lived hers. It fascinated her, watching other people, listening to other conversations just to have glimpse into another person's world. She was known as a quiet girl, much to her grandmother's displeasure, yes it was proper for a girl to be quite, but not to be silent. The girl sighed and tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear as she watched London wiz past her window, her gloved hands curled in the lap of her pale yellow dress; it was one of her finer outfits, one she only got to wear on special occasions. Her grandmother thought this day was one of such occasions as they had both just visited a duke living on the further edge of London, he was nice, older than the young woman had hoped, but he was enough to keep her happy.

"Alice?" A voice asked from the other side of the carriage, the young woman turned to meet the speaker's eyes.

"Yes grandmother?" She asked, her voice soft and gentle.

"Why do you seem so solemn? Did you not enjoy Charles' company?"

Alice smiled gently, "I did grandmother, very much. He is a kind man and I am happy to be marrying him."

This was not a lie, Alice was happy, Charles Montgomery was a pleasant gentleman who cared very much for Alice and of all the men her grandmother had introduced, he was by far the loveliest. He was one of the few people who could bring Alice to speak confidently and he even praised her love for observation of the world, as he enjoyed making maps, it was a hobby he partook in and loved to show his works to Alice he was pleasantly surprised when he found how much they intrigued her.

The elderly woman smiled and took Alice's hand, "I want nothing more than to see you happy, my dear. Just as your parents wanted."

Alice nodded sadly, "do you ever miss them?" she asked.

Her grandmother smiled, but her eyes were sad, "every day, my love."

Alice's parents, Margaret and William Primm, had both died before Alice was even two. Her mother died during childbirth and her father was lost at sea, Alice had never known her parents and so didn't take it to heart as much as her grandmother. She was an elegant woman, her greying hair pulled tight against her scalp and she donned a pale blue dress with a matching hat almost identical to Alice's in all but colour, now she was the one to gaze out the window with a sad look in her eyes. Alice opened lips to ask a question, but was cut off when a strange man swung through the window and landed on her grandmother's lap.
Mrs Primm couldn't hold in her scream, while Alice sat watching with her mouth gaping open when the man's mouth latched onto her grandmother's ear. He had thick black dreadlocks, reaching the small of his back and the outfit he was wearing seemed more than grimy, it took a few seconds before Alice could even say a word.

"What in God's name are you doing to my grandmother?!" She cried, the man made a non-committal noise and spun his head to face her instead. He scrunched up his nose and spat one of Mrs Primm's earrings onto the floor of the carriage.

"'ello, love!" He said with a grin, revealing several golden teeth, Alice was horrified. His skin was lightly tanned and his black eyes were rimmed with thick layers of kohl, a large red bandanna prevented his dreadlocks from falling into his face and his facial hair (despite the plaits in his bead) seemed rather unkempt.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, her voice beginning to waver. Mrs Primm had begun to fan herself and seemed on the brink of unconsciousness, "what are you doing in my carriage?"

"carriage inspector!" He replied, not even missing a beat, "just checking everything is in working order, my lady."

Alice was haven't any of it, "you are not a carriage inspector, sir. Would you please leave us be."

The man opened his mouth, as if to say another lie before closing it again. Opting instead to pull a dagger out from his boot, "Sorry, darling. I didn't want to do this, but I need somewhere to hide and you're going to give me one, savvy?"

The young woman was shaking but still replied with a firm, "no."

"Oh, but yes." The man said, "I just need to hide in this here carriage until you reach your destination, then I'll be out of your hair, yes?"

Alice noted that he talked with his hands, occasionally the one holding the dagger would get uncomfortably close to her face, but it seemed the man never planned for it to do so. He was quite the eccentric, and despite the dagger, he didn't seem to mean harm.

"Alright, but we will be at the gates of my home soon and I am sure grandmother's guards will see you."

The man shrugged before getting down onto the floor and sliding himself under Alice's dress, she screamed, "Please get out of there!"

"No" the man said, his voice muffled, "I'm hiding. Don't tell them I am here."

Alice felt the cool blade of the dagger tickling her calves; she'd have to leave him under there. Her heart was beating fast and her breath was haggard, she was scared. Mrs Primm had passed out at some point during the ordeal but was clearly still breathing; Alice took a big heaving breath as the carriage stopped at the gates to Primm manor.

A guard leaned into the window with a kind smile on his face, "Afternoon, Miss Primm. How was your outing?"

The dagger pressed harder against Alice's leg and she forced a smile, "Just fine, thank you. It seems to have worn out my grandmother though."

The guard chuckled while looking at the sleeping form of Mrs Primm, completely oblivious to the man under Alice's skirts, "Make sure you both get some rest when you get inside, I can see you are weary as well."

"Thank you" Alice said, her cheeks beginning to redden and the blade still on her calf. Luckily the carriage started moving again and stopped just outside their front doors.

"You'll have to get out." Alice whispered, "I'm sure I cannot walk with you under there."

"I think you'll find you can." The gruff voice said from under her skirts, Alice took a deep breath in through her nose and opened the door to the carriage, she went down to the step and waited for the man to scurry down as well before stepping to the ground.

"Your dress is magnificent!" Alice's butler cried, "I don't remember your grandmother purchasing a frame, but I can't imagine how it would reach that size without one."

Alice chewed her lip nervously, "Yes, she found one in my size yesterday. Would you mind waking grandmother? She fell asleep on the ride home."

"Of course, Madame." The butler bowed and walked away, giving Alice just enough time to shuffle inside, she had one leg on either side of the man's body and had to wait for him to catch up after every step. The impropriety of the whole situation made Alice feel almost sick, doubly so when she remembered the knife was under her skirts as well.

Once inside, Alice walked very slowly to her bedroom, trying her hardest to keep from lifting her dress, which caused many almost trippings on the way up the stairs. When she finally reached her room, the young woman turned and slammed the door shut before lifting her skirts and sprinting to her bed. She grabbed a poker from her fireplace and pointed it at the man who was still on all fours.

"There." She said, her voice shaking, "I have hidden you and now we are at my home. Will you please leave?"

The man leapt from the ground and grinned, "Thank you muchly, my lady." He said, bowing so low that his hair brushed Alice's pristine cream carpet, "I'll be leaving now"

He began to head towards the window, but before he could, curiosity got the better of the brown haired girl, "Wait!"

The man stopped and turned towards her, he took a step closer and Alice held the fire poker further in front of herself.

"Don't come any closer!" She took a step back, "Please just tell me who you are."

"You're a very polite girl, aren't you? Don't think you've asked one thing of me without saying please."

"Just tell me!" Alice sighed, "…please."

The man shrugged, "As you wish. I am Captain Jack Sparrow, on the run from the navy, which I am sure was your next question."

"Jack Sparrow?" Alice asked, "You're the one they were supposed to be hanging!"

Jack grinned, "Firstly, its Captain Jack Sparrow. But yes, that's me, unimpressed?"

"Unimpressed!?" The young woman exclaimed, "I don't only have a wanted criminal in my home, but a pirate as well!"

Jack grabbed the end of Alice's poker and lowered it so he could take a closer step, Alice tried desperately to bring it back up, but Jack's grip was too firm, "What's your name, eh, lass?"

Alice blinked, finding that she wasn't even afraid anymore, "Alice Primm."

"Nice name, suits you."

Alice held her head high, looking straight into his dark eyes, "thank you. However I believe it is your time to leave. I don't know when my butler will call me for tea."

Jack nodded and almost turned to the window again, freezing on the spot and gazing at the neckline of Alice's yellow dress, "where did you find that?" He asked.

Alice gazed down to see what he was speaking of, noticing her necklace; it was a small teardrop shaped mother of pearl, strung on a sliver chain. It was given to her by her grandmother on her eighteenth birthday; she claimed the shell washed up on the beach one morning, already in its teardrop shape, not requiring any alterations. Alice thought it was just a story her grandmother told to make her feel all the more special, either way, she hadn't removed it since.

"It was a gift from my grandmother, why do you ask?" Jack lifted his hand, almost to grab the shell, but Alice pushed him away, "You still have to leave. I can't have you here, it was improper of me to assist you at all and I wouldn't have, had it not been for your dagger. Please, leave me."
Jack eyes were pleading, there was something he wanted but Alice didn't have time to question it, she could hear her butler walking up the stairs and pushed Jack to the window, "leave now!"

"I'll be back, Alice Primm." He said as he swung out the window and grabbed a nearby tree, Alice watched him shimmy his way down, "this is the day you will always remember as the day you met Captain Jack Sparrow!"