He sighed heavily.

It had been a long time since he had felt freedom.

He shifted the dirty pack over his shoulder, filled with the dirty meager supplies he had left from the long journey north.

He felt there was no place for him now.

His blue eyes scanned the scenery, the lush underbrush filling the floor under a canvas of leaves and vines overhead. Greenery was everywhere, green was everywhere.

He licked his lips; they were dry and cracked.

Slowly, he marched on, in search of the gypsy Tia Dalma who his fellows had told him could help him. Find her up the river, they had said. Find her up the river, north up the stream…

Splush.

He looked down, and saw that his foot was immersed in mud. He grimly smiled. Finally it seems I've made progress, he thought as he carried on.

Someone looking overhead would have been baffled by the man's appearance. The body was covered, similar to a mosaic, in scallops and coral pieces one would find deep beneath the sea, particularly a large chunk on his left shoulder; his hands resembled claws similar to the legs of a lobster; small crab legs sprouted from behind his arms and back; atop everything was attached to his head a hammerhead-shark's top, as if the man were wearing a long, blue hat with eyes on the ends. The man did not seem to belong among the shrubbery, deep within the forest, but rather deep below the sea, among Davy Jones' crew… and it was so. The man was Maccus, Davy's head henchman. Yet now the man traveled along, as he had done for the past week, a weary travel, a long travel, a journey that seemed would never end.

He looked ahead, and he saw dim lights within a misty fog that cleared above the shallow stream. Maccus gave a slight smile and took a few more steps, knee-deep in the water. He could tell the lights came from a high cabin, which rested above in the trees, and which needed a ladder to get to from the stream.

Nearly there…Almost…

Maccus felt he would soon collapse, and would have done so if he had not seen people surrounding the building, holding dim candles in their hands as they cried. What they were sorrowing, Maccus did not know. And who the owners of the small boat tied to the ladder were, he did not know either. Sure that he did not want to find out, nor be noticed by the people and again made a fool of, Maccus staggered to a bush on his right, near a thin, gangly tree. He rested against it, and again licked his lips; they were still dry. Peering around the tree, he noticed a couple persons descending the ladder, stocking the raft. Obviously going somehere, but to where?... He breathed in deeply, torn between his curiosity and prediction of the persons' future reaction should he venture out of the foliage. Suddenly a voice cried out. Maccus turned his head.

Whap!

The last thing he saw was a frightened woman with a shovel in her hand before he tumbled into darkness and collapsed into the stream.

--

Will Turner stood outside Dalma's cabin, and on the high-raised wooden ground he was on sat a small monkey, staring out into the depths of the forest along with him. Will peered down at this monkey, and smiled faintly when it looked to him. The animal tugged on Will's pant leg, and then got onto its all-fours and crept away. Suddenly that feeling of loneliness Will had been feeling the past week, used in preparation to retrieve Captain Jack Sparrow back from the dead, again pained him. Will grasped at his chest; A symbolic movement, he realized shortly afterward, as his father's dagger laid directly above his aching heart. At the moment Will felt the need to follow Davy Jones' heart-gutting action and tear out his own. When he had seen Elizabeth kissing Sparrow…I don't know what to think anymore, he thought. She…and I are to be wed…and she's kissing another man…

"Ya look lost, lad," interrupted Gibb's raspy voice. Will turned around to face him, leaning back with his elbows on the railing. The man he saw seemed cheerier than as of late.

"I'm fine—you bring news?" Will asked, regarding their departure.

Gibb gave a firm nod and added with a grin, "We're apt to leave soon, lad, hold yer slacks up."

Will nodded and looked away, disappointed and silent.

"I'm," Gibb began, "getting' the feelin' you 're upset."

"I don't exactly want to talk about it."

Gibb shrugged. "Don't worry, I know—"

"—What?" Will looked up to Gibb and studied him; Had he known, or seen them at it too?

"Yeah, lad, I'm embarrassed t' admit it…"—Will listened intently—"but I'm sad too, I wish we could all just fly there, like the birds, and get back Jack right now, have 'im 'ere wit' us. –Am I right?"

Will paused, unsure of whether he was glad or bothered by Gibb's own reconciliation. He shrugged. "…Sure."

"Now lemme see yur smile, now," Gibb said, smiling as he lightly slapped Will's shoulder. After a few moments, he added seriously, "Now, lad, smile, we'll see Jack soon…"

"That's what I'm worried about," Will mumbled to himself. When he realized he had said this aloud, and that Gibb seemed to have heard him, Will added hurriedly, "—That I'm worried we won't leave soon enough."

"Ahh," Gibb smiled and pat Will's shoulder; Will gave a fake smile back, trying his best not to say anything more than he thought he should. Gibb added, "That's the smile I was 'ere talkin' about…" He paused, and then rested his hands on his belt. "Well, now…I'm 'bout t' 'ead back inside, an' see if there's anymore I can do t' speed this 'ere trip up…" With a wave, Gibb turned and disappeared through the beaded curtains and vines hanging down from the tree above.

Will's eyes turned upwards, and he gazed up into the night sky above, again alone with his troubled thoughts…

"—Will?" Elizabeth's soft, sweet voice asked hesitantly, and smiled wearily when he looked to her. She remained by the doorway, a hand holding a few strands of beads and vine. "…Are you all right? Ever since Jack's been gone, it seems—"

"I'm fine," Will said, looking away, "perfectly, absolutely fine."

There was a paused between them, and Will looked back to Elizabeth, who had tears in her eyes. He felt first a twitch of glory, but then was immersed in a sudden guilt, that he shouldn't be upset over her preference, that whatever she wanted to make her happy and that it made her happy was most important… her eyes changed everything, her face, her smile… Will was about to say her name when her brows furrowed slightly.

"Will…please, I…there's something you need to know—"

She was cut off by a woman's shriek and a subsequent loud sound. Elizabeth and Will stared perplexed at one another, and immediately ran into Tia Dalma's front guest room. From there, they saw everyone huddled outside near the ladder and by the door, so they both went there too. They gently pushed through the crowd of fellow pirates to the front, where the people still stood silently in the shallow stream with dim candles in their hands. A woman with a shovel came wadding forward excitedly, shrieking in a language they themselves did not understand. All of the pirates looked to Dalma, who stood at the ledge over the people below. She turned back around to the rest of the pirates by her door.

"The woman says there was a frightful man, who has looks shark-like, and carryin' a knapsack—"

"Maybe it's someone from Davy Jones' crew, come to get us!" wailed Ragetti. He bent over and wrapped his arms around Pintel in fear, until Pintel gave him a funny look; Ragetti release Pintel and gave something of a smile.

Will paused, reeling back in time… "Did she say if he had barnacles, all over his body, and a shark's head as one with his own?" he asked Dalma. She translated to the hysterical woman in the water, who pointed behind her.

"Yes!" The hysterical woman nodded excitedly. "—'E is back there, I 'it 'im wit' this shovel, that is 'im!" she shrieked in accented English.

Will nodded, and said, "I've seen this man before, he was apart of Davy's crew—"

"—Then what's he doin' here?" asked Pintel. Ragetti nodded ardently, eager for an answer that would ease him.

Will shook his head. "I…I'm not sure why—but I've seen him"—he looked to Dalma—"I'm sure of it."

"You 'aven't seen 'im yet," she said, smiling. "Let's all go 'ave a look see…"

Hurriedly everyone descended the ladder as the people in the water began to follow the woman with the shovel. Will, impatient, jumped down from the ledge into the water and wadded on, again lost in his thoughts concerning his father and his possible eternal fate…

"Will? Will!" his fiancé called. He didn't say anything, or look back. Elizabeth stared on at him quizzically, wondering why he hadn't waited for her, or at least helped her down—

"I'll help ya, puppet," said Pintel readily, grinning in unison with Ragetti. Elizabeth looked at them, bewildered, and she shook her head as she slid down the ladder and landed with a small splash. She hurried on, desperately trying to catch up with Will; there was something on his mind, she could obviously tell that. Pintel and Ragetti had been watching her, and Pintel turned to his friend with a questioning look.

Ragetti grinned. "It's all confusin', they're jus' gettin' use' to bein' wit' each other too much—"

"—Already?" Pintel asked, skeptical that the "honeymoon-phase" was over so soon; he wasn't aware of when it had actually started.

Ragetti nodded reassuringly. "Already."

Will noticed that the front of the moving bunch of people had stopped moving; There already, he thought, and he hurried to get to the former crewman, hopeful to get some news about Bootstrap Bill, his father Turner. He went to the woman near the brush, who was pointing to the base of the tree and scowling at it, though a fear shined in her eyes. Will's own eyes followed hers, and he saw someone unmistakably from Davy Jones' crew, now with an unmistakably painful bruise from an acquaintance with the woman's shovel.

Will drew his sword, and pointed the edge at the man's neck. "Tell me," he commanded coolly, "who you are, and what your business is here." Elizabeth had caught up, and she joined his side; she took Will's other hand in her own as she stared down too.

The man gave no response.

"Tell me or else!" Will yelled at him angrily, his sword's side nearing the man's neck threateningly. He felt a squeeze on his other hand. Will's eyes shot to it, trailed up an arm and saw Elizabeth's face, a woman who was obviously frightened by the man's appearance, yet strong enough to conceal most of her fear.

"Will, maybe he's just…"

"He's not dead."

"I wasn't going to say that, I meant…temporarily passed out. He'll come to sooner or later, and you'll have your answers then."

Will frowned, and was about to respond when the man at the base of the tree awoke with a start, and was about to move forward before he felt the cool of the blade against his neck. The man remained where he was, however uncomfortable the position was. Very uncomfortable. He carried no weapon on him, and now regretted this deeply. He looked up to the owner of the sword, whose face seemed so familiar, yet he could not place it…

"Ah! The boy who challenged Davy himself!" the man recalled. His sudden words made everyone jump, except Will, who kept his blade steady with his gaze.

"I see you remember me."

"And you me?" the man asked.

Will shook his head. "I never got around to meeting every man in the crew, yet I did see you occasionally. –Tell me, how is my father?"

"…I wouldn't know. I've been traveling for the last week—"

"For which of Davy's errands? To take back the key or to steal more souls?" Will asked accusingly.

The man shook his head. "No. Nothing as such."

"Then what?" Will asked, narrowing his gaze. "—And tell me, tell all of us, who you are, and what your business is, or—"

The man lurched to the side and vomited, as the rest of his body gave and erupted in tremors. He grasped his throat, and wheezed. "Water," he gasped as he reached out, "let me—"

"No!" Will kept his sword steady, keeping the man's head away from the stream. He watched the man, who was in obvious pain as he continued wheezing and vomiting. Will's hand felt a light squeeze again.

"Will—" she started, trying to push his sword away.

"No—"

"Will—"

"—Don't tell me what to do, I wasn't the one mouth-to-mouth with Sparrow!" he yelled. He paused, and looked to Elizabeth, who broke into tears and ran away. Will grunted and ran after her, knowing he had said too much.

The man, realizing the sword had left him, immediately immersed his head into the cool stream and guzzled as the rest of his body soon followed suit into the stream. He realized he had been stupid to travel by land, when all he needed was this, just this…and her… He felt someone tap his foot, and reluctantly his head rose up out of the water—

Again to meet the shovel.

Again darkness.

--END PART ONE--

Me: Heylow, everybody! Mmkay, so I'll tell you what's up: I wrote this right after I saw the second movie because I fell in love with all of the characters, yayses, but anyway I want you to know that, though I'm not sure why...maybe because that's the kind of person I am, installing chapters and such after extended periods of time, uh-oh... :) Anywho, can't wait till MAY 25TH!!!!!!!!!