He'd done it.

Victory curled Captain Jack's lips into a smile as he crossed into the cove of a particular little island hideaway, one he and Esmeralda were meant to reunite at after their race was completed. The Pearl had done exceptionally well- better than even he had expected. The record for sailing the Triangle had been beaten by two full days! He dared say he would have done it before if he had not made that little stop on another island his first time around, back when his ship was known as the Wicked Wench, but that mattered not now. The Black Pearl was every bit as fast of a ship as he had dreamed of, and better. Davy Jones had certainly kept up his end of the bargain.

Jack's grip tightened on the helm as he eased the ship as far into the cove as the water allowed. Jones had better made good on his deal. It had only cost Jack his very soul to get the Pearl to where it was today.

Forcing the dark thoughts out of his mind, the captain shouted orders for his crew. He would get his ship to where it needed to be, and then they could celebrate with shore leave. Not all at once, of course, and not right away. Someone had to stay behind to spot Esmeralda and the Venganza as soon as her sails came into view on the horizon.

She's going to lose that glorious red hat of hers. Jack smirked to himself.

Not to be outdone, the Venganza appeared in the distance before sunset. Once the ship was settled, the captains rowed over to the shore for a parlay, and for a bit of time to catch up.

"You had me, Jack." Esmeralda's dark eyes glowed in the firelight. She and Captain Sparrow were alone on the beach, with their ships left in the care of their respective crews. The lady captain was nothing less than the pirate queen Jack knew her to be, as fearless as she was cunning, as dangerous as she was beautiful, and as smart as she was savvy. He admired the way the firelight danced across her face, and the exposed skin where her sleeves fell past her shoulders. Light kissed her complexion, and he found himself longing to do the same. "Your ship is beyond anything I could have imagined. Such speed! For a ship of that size, it is unbelievable. She is painted a bit better than she was the last time I saw her, no?" Esmeralda's eyes sparkled mischievously as she recalled Jack's periwinkle and rose cabin, making Jack chuckled a bit at the memory.

"Aye," he shook his head, "But I do miss the place, I must admit. Reminded me of the afterglow of a Caribbean sunset. This black hides the burn marks, though." His voice trailed off sadly, as his eyes wandered to his precious ship. Esmeralda was no stranger to the story of the fate that had befallen both himself and his vessel after his last encounter with Cutler Beckett. That monster of a man had made sure to scar Jack each and every way he could, and was willing to destroy his own ship to do so. Of course, Jack thought wryly, if the brute knew he had survived his own death, he'd be bloody likely to do it all again, and worse. All for freeing a few hundred slaves. I'd free them all if I could, Jack said to himself, not for the first time. Every last one. And then, make Beckett work for them. That'd spite the blighter.

"Jack." Esmeralda's voice brought him back to the present. "Mi corazon, what is troubling you tonight? You have a victory to celebrate, and a well-earned one at that!"

Two new gold teeth flashed as he grinned "Indeed. And I believe I have earned a certain red hat as well."

"It's aboard my ship, in my cabin." Esmeralda tucked a raven curl back into place.

"What? You did not bring me my spoils?" Jack teased her, feigning offense.

"I thought you might have to work a little harder for it."

Later, much later, Jack relaxed in Esmeralda's bed as she curled up against him, the cool night air slipping in through her opened windows. His fingers played with her gorgeous tresses, and she sighed contentedly. "You know, tomorrow you'll have to give me a tour of this resurrected ship of yours. We left Shipwreck Cove so quickly that I never got a chance to see what changed."

"Davy Jones added a figurehead." Jack pointed out. "Don't know why, but he did."

"An angel." Esmeralda nodded. "I noticed."

"My ship is armed better than I ever could have dreamed."

She was silent for a moment before she dared ask. "Was it worth it, Jack?" It was a question she never would had asked in the daylight. It was something serious enough that even the dearest lover dared not whisper except in the dead of night.

Jack was silent for half the time she had been before shrugging. "I was bound to lose my immortal soul somehow, love. Might as well get something out of it."

Esmeralda chose silence as her response. Her own ship, Venganza, had been her grandfather's, before he had been murdered by the viper Christophe de Rapièr, whose ship bore the same description he did. La Vipre had been taken by the pirate lords themselves just after Jack had returned to Shipwreck Cove and cleared his name. None of them would be mentioned again, and Esmeralda couldn't have been happier about that. She loved her vessel, but despite the legends it carried, she wasn't sure she would be willing to sell her soul for it.

"Are you all right, love?" Jack whispered, his breath against her ear.

"Si," she murmured, snuggling into him, "Ay, dios mio. It has been so long, Jack. I have missed you."

"And I, you." His lips found her mouth as his arms encircled her once again.

Dawn found the pirates sound asleep in eachother's arms. They were safe there, in the island cove, and had no fear of being found by the law. Jack couldn't recall a time he had slept better in years, if ever. The captains rose not long after the sun. After donning clothes and enjoying a breakfast cooked up by Esmeralda's incredibly talented chef, they made their way to the top deck.

Jack let out a low whistle as he took in the sight of his beautiful vessel in the morning glow. "She's a beauty."

"She is, Jack, without a doubt." Esmeralda agreed. The wind tossed her wild hair back, and Jack's as well. "I like the kohl around your eyes."

"Thank you, love." Jack grinned. "It really cuts down on the glare."

"Capitan!" Esmeralda's first mate called to her, and Jack watched her walk over to him. He began filling her in on all the provisions they had finished gathering, from the island's stock of fresh fruit and pure water, good for drinking. She nodded, signaling that it was indeed time to go.

Returning to Jack with a smile, she asked, "So, another race, Jack? Or shall we capture a few prizes, and begin ruling the seas together? The Pearl and the Venganza are unstoppable, are they not? No one could catch us."

The very suggestion sent a tingle down Jack's spine. "First to the finish, then?" he grinned.

"Of course."

Each gave the other a flirtatious glance before heading towards their respective duties. After a few paces, Esmeralda turned around. "Jack."

"Mm?"

"Where exactly is the finish?"

Jack only chuckled.

That evening, with the ships heave-to, Jack rowed over to enjoy dinner aboard the Venganza. Esmeralda's cabin was softly lit with candles, and the scent of the food her chef was preparing already made Jack's stomach grumble.

Esmeralda took a sip of red wine, before lowering her glass with a smirk. "Remember when you had to come over in secret, or risk being recognized, and turned in to Teague?" she reminisced. "Now, you can come over in broad daylight. Life as a pirate is better, wouldn't you say?"

"I'd never beg to differ." Jack was glad his short-lived career as an EITC agent was behind him, though he too remembered very fondly that first night aboard Esmeralda's ship. "Nothing delights me more than being here with you."

"Did you ever find that… oh, what was it…" she searched her memory for long forgotten details. "The tribe, the previously unknown one, that the EITC wished to trade with? Did you ever get that delightful Ayisha back to her people?"

Jack swallowed, then reached for his own wineglass, trying to buy himself a bit of time. He had never told Esmeralda the whole truth about Ayisha and the Zezurians, lest she unleash her fury on him for bargaining with Christophe to find treasure.

It wasn't like I wanted him around, Jack protested. I wanted nothing more than to kill the sorry bugger. I did, actually. But if she knew about any of that, she's bloody likely to kill me…

Still, it was time. Nearly a year had passed since that voyage. Esmeralda was still hunting Christophe, and sooner or later she was bound to figure out the trail had gone cold. His crew had had the good sense not to show their faces in Shipwreck Cove, given the last time they had been there, they had been about to be hanged. It seemed word hadn't spread to all of the pirates yet. Jack drew a deep breath, just as one of Esmeralda's men came in with their dinner.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

As they ate, he let the whole truth spill from his lips. It felt strange, to be so open and honest with another person. He told her of Beckett's obsession with Zezura, his own interest in the mythical island, Ayisha's true lineage as Princess Amenidiris, of what had transpired once he knew what he had to do. Amenidiris and her brother Shabako had two of the three bracelets needed to get into the Heart of Kerma, Jack explained. The third had belonged to him, but had actually been taken by Christophe after he had press-ganged Jack into his crew of bloodthirsty rogues. Hence, why Jack needed to make an alliance with him in the first place.

Esmeralda listened quietly as Jack regaled his tale, hardly eating. Fire simmered in her eyes, but outwardly, she remained calm. Jack kept babbling about his adventure, half afraid she was going to demand his exit at any moment.

"And then, once we got there, it was all I could do not to kill the bloody bastard right then and there…" Jack continued. He told her, in detail, of the labyrinth, and the illusions, and how close he had come to death. He would have, if Amenidiris hadn't been with him. He told her how he tricked the gutless beast, and then how Christophe had realized it.

"As for the rest, well… come with me, love."

Jack dared to take her hand as they rose from the table. She remained silent as they rowed back over to his ship, and entered his cabin. Silent as well, he pried open his sea chest, revealing the sword of the viper himself.

"This is for you." He said solemnly. "I was waiting for the right time… I wanted to give it to you if your ship beat mine." Esmeralda didn't reach for Christophe's sword. Her eyes locked onto it, and Jack could see all sorts of emotions boiling beneath her skin. "I killed him when he came aboard my ship that night. He's dead, love. I know… I know you wanted it to be you, but he left me no choice."

As Esmeralda looked at the sword of her grandfather's murderer, something in her broke. A steady stream of scalding curses poured from her mouth, all in Spanish. She took a moment then to collect herself, to steady herself.

"Esmeralda?" Jack was quite concerned, and almost worried she was about to run him through with that same sword.

"If you had just told me…" she said, her voice tiny. "If you had only let me in on this… Jack, we could have killed him together. I'd let you take the credit, to clear your name, but I needed to run him through with my blade. Shooting Don Rafael in the back… taking the only family I had left…"

Remorse flooded through Jack. "I'm so sorry, love. Had I any choice in the matter-"

She raised a hand, stopping him right there. "I know. I know pirates, how they think, how they act, and especially how ruthless Christophe was. I'd rather have him dead than you." Drawing a deep breath, she reached for the sword. "Thank you. I appreciate what you did." Calmed, she managed a half smile.

"Would you like to go back to your ship, and finish your dinner?" he asked. "Or I can have my cook whip us up something."

"No," she shook her head. "That's all right. I feel… better than I expected. Like a black spot on my soul has been cleared."

"I know exactly what you mean, love." Jack murmured, stepping forward. He eased the sword out of her hands to lean it against the wall. "What say you to some good run and relaxation?"

"I'd prefer if we plotted a course, Captain, and started after some treasure in the morning. Taking prizes is nice, but your tales of adventure have me itching for another one of my own." That mischievous light in her eyes was back again. "Shall we?"

"Bring me that horizon." Jack's own dark chocolate eyes gleamed at the thought of treasure. "I know just the one to set our sights on, too."

"Oh? And where is that?" Esmeralda asked, coming closer, her face inches from Jack's.

"Singapore." He closed the distance between them and kissed the word into her, wrapping her up in his arms once again.