I just want to say a quick thank you to all my reviewers! I'm sorry the updates are slow but I will do my best to keep them coming J Please keep commenting and reviewing, it means the world to me.

Rather than fear, I felt a sudden excitement at his touch. His arm was snaked around my waist and I could feel his breath on my ear. "Hello, Mr. Sparrow", I countered, my pleasure at having found him evident in my voice. That seemed to throw him for a moment. He let me go and turned me to face him, squinting at my face. "That's Captain Sparrow, darlin'. Happy to see me?" he asked, confusion crinkling his dirty brow. "Something along those lines. We should go quickly, you're not safe here, Captain". I turned to lead him out the back door, but he caught my arm. "First things first, you've got me at a disadvantage. Can't trust a woman who doesn't tell me her name nor what she's up to, savvy?" "Fine. You can call me Vanessa and I'm offering you a place to hide until we can leave Port Royal undetected. Satisfied?" He still held my arm, unconvinced. "And how do I know you're not just leading me back to the gallows? You looked about as ready to shoot me when I threatened Elizabeth as anyone else." He brought his face close to mine, trying to intimidate me no doubt. "And what do you mean, we? When I escape, I most certainly will not be needing a female". He let me go and stepped back, smiling cheekily. "Too much baggage, y'know". Winking, he stepped around me and started to walk to the back of the shop. "Thank you, but I've no need of assistance. You be a good lass and run along home". He turned to grin at me again but I had already moved. He stopped and looked around, unable to find me. Shrugging, he started forward again and stopped in surprise as he found me blocking his path. "I am not letting you leave this Port unless you take me with you. So, either come with me, or I'll 'run along home' and tell everyone where you are. It's not like you'll get far in those cuffs". I crossed my arms and waited. He opened his mouth to say something, but the front door started to open.

He quickly grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down behind a table. Dust swirled up from the straw floor, making me desperately want to sneeze. Sparrow saw and covered my entire face with his hand to quiet me. From our position under the table, all we could see were the legs of the person who had entered. From what I could tell, it was Will, but I wanted to be sure. I hadn't gone to all this trouble just to be discovered by one of the Commodore's soldiers. The legs came closer and Sparrow roughly hauled me to my feet, his sword once again at my throat. "Will!" I cried happily. "Vanessa?" Will's expression changed from surprise to anger. "How dare you threaten her?" Sparrow chuckled. "Only threatening her a little, mate." Sparrow paused. "You look familiar, have I threatened you before?" "I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates", Will answered, his eyes meeting mine then glancing at the swords nearby. I nodded at him almost imperceptibly. Without a doubt, Will would out-maneuver the pirate with his swordsmanship, but only if I was out of the way. "Ah. Well then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So if you'll excuse me, I'll just be going then". Hand still around my waist, Sparrow started backing towards the door. I quickly shoved my elbow into his stomach, twirling out of his grasp and grabbing a sword.

Will and I stood side-by-side, swords drawn as the pirate stood bent over trying to recover. He looked up to see both of us staring him down. "Oh come now, put those down before you hurt yourselves. The two of you can't possibly beat me! I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" Quickly glancing over at Will, I decided to inform him of my plans. "Listen, Will. I need to leave Port Royal. This pirate is my one chance of escape without my father stopping me. I need to hide him until things settle down. Can you help me in this?" Will hesitated before answering. "Vanessa, this pirate just threatened your sister. Are you really sure that's the best course of action?"