Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or its characters, they belong to Disney. I own Emily and Fiona.

(A/N: Special thanks to LadyKylie16 for the review and to the three authors who added me to their favorite authors list. I'm so glad you're liking the story so far. :-)

I had lost track of the time. I had shut my phone off earlier to conserve battery life; I figured if a band of walking-dead pirates could cross over from the 17-hundred-something into 2011, then a cell phone signal may go through one day. Of course what was I say? Hi my name is Emily, I was kidnapped by a band of pirates who are not alive, yet not dead, and I'm calling from the 18th century by the way. When, and if I got home, I would have men in white coats waiting on my doorstep. I leaned my head against the wall and knew the main solution to this dilemma: Find Captain Jack Sparrow!

My stomach flipped once again and I groaned, "Not again…." I turned towards the bucket that Bo'Sun had left in the hallway for me. After I had been shoved into my cabin I learned the hard way that I had sea sickness and each time the ship bobbed, swayed, or leaned my stomach would churn. I sat over the wooden bucket for a long minute and sighed in relief, my stomach had nothing left to throw up. I had recovered for a few minutes when my cabin door swung open, Pintel and Raggetti stood in the doorway.

"The Cap'n wants to see ye, poppet." Pintel leered at me.

Keep your eyes to yourself, Horny-Toad. I thought to myself as Raggetti muttered, "…poppet." I glanced at him and noticed that he imitated Pintel a lot; he reminded me of a little boy with a severe case of hero-worship.

I crossed my arms, "Why?" They had yet to bring me 'new and proper' clothing.

"For yer clothes….Or if ye'd prefer we can bring ye to him naked." Pintel's smile grew and snarled in disgust.

"Well, let's go then. Lordy Lou knows, we can't keep the almighty and powerful Hector Barbossa waiting." I walked towards them and focused on every single hero I had ever read about ranging from Hercules to the modern day soldier. Although I appeared courageous on the outside (I hoped), on in the inside I was trembling. Pintel rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm and dragged me out into the hallway. Raggetti followed behind us and I heard him muttering how his "blasted eye" wouldn't fit into the socket. Halfway down the dark hallway Pintel decided I was walking too slow and walked faster and tugged me as if he were dragging a sack of potatoes.

"Slow down, I can't walk that fa-"

The pirate spun and snarled, his eyes flashed and I fell silent. The clumsy pirate suddenly terrified me. "Let's get one thing straight, Poppet," he growled, "I don't like a woman with a big mouth. So ye keep it shut or I'm cuttin' out yer tongue."

I swallowed; I knew he'd carry out his threat if I gave him a reason too. I fell silent and wished this nightmare would end. I wanted to wake up in my peaceful bed, surrounded by my television, cell phone, iPod, class work, computer, and even that ugly Picasso painting my parents insisted I have. The rest of the trip to the Captain's cabin was quiet, only once Raggetti paused and once asked me very quietly if I was alright; which surprised me to no end.

Pintel knocked on the door, "Ye keep yer mouth shut and ye address the cap'n as Cap'n Barbossa. None o' this 'Hector Barbossa' speak, only frien's of the Cap'n get to address him like that."

"Whaddaya want?" Barbossa's voice shouted from within the cabin.

"We brought the woman," Pintel called through the door.

"Get in here then."

Pintel dragged me into the room and I jumped when that blasted monkey jumped down from its perch and landed on my shoulder. It scampered down my side and onto the floor. I was almost certain that I had wet myself. Amazing, I can play brave in front of two blood thirsty pirates and it only takes a little monkey to knock down my Great Wall of Courage.

"How are ye enjoyin' yer stay aboard the pearl, Miss Bouchard?"

"MacDuff," I grumbled. Pintel slammed his elbow into my side and I grimaced in pain.

"'Tis Miss Bouchard now," Barbossa smirked, "Much more fittin' than MacDuff." He circled me like a vulture circling in on its prey. "I've searched me entire ship and I finally found somethin' that will fit ye." He motioned his head to the left and I looked over towards the window, sitting on the window seat was a velvet emerald green dress, boots, gloves, a corset, and pantaloons. "Those are yours, Miss Bouchard." He walked beside me and glared at the two other pirates until they backed away, his gaze focused on me. Barbossa pushed a strand of my hair behind my shoulder and smiled, "Ye see, lass. I was thinkin' after our curse has ended….I was goin' to give ye to me crew….But there's somethin' about ye I like, so I'm keepin' ye for meself. I hear stories that ample women are better in bed."

"You disgusting pig," I snarled and my courage momentarily returned to me with a flash of anger. Before I could lunge for the Captain's throat, which I wanted to rip out, Pintel sent his elbow into my back. I gritted my teeth and slumped backwards. I blinked back tears; the ugly pirate with the thinning hair had done some damage this time.

Barbossa grabbed my chin and titled my face upwards, "Too long I have been without food…Without feelin' the warmth of a woman's flesh….Too long, lass. Be glad I claimed ye, it could be much worse. I could have given ye to Bo'Sun. Put on the dress….And I'm movin' ye to a larger cabin ye'll be sharin' with another woman."

My stomach twisted, "There's another person aboard this ship?"

"There will be in a matter of minutes," He smiled. "As we speak we are goin' to get the last coin needed to free us from this curse. But don't worry, lass, no matter how pretty this other female is, she'll never be the captain's wench!"

Pintel shoved me into the larger cabin that was right under the Captain's cabin. Raggetti placed my new clothing on one of the beds and paused in the doorway, his gaze lingered on the coin around my neck. I wished I had some witty comment to say that would make him stop leering at me like I was a piece of meat hanging in a butcher shop window. I watched as the two men slowly exited the room and slammed the door shut behind them. I darted forward in hopes to open it a little before they locked it but by the time my fingers brushed the doorknob I heard the loud click of the turning lock.

"Great, just peachy!" I stomped my foot on the ground and my Great Wall of Courage came crashing down. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold and very, very alone. My heart ached and I began to cry. What was going to happen to me? Would I ever see my friends and family again? The thought of losing them….The thought of never going home only helped to smash the remnants of my hope of returning home. I don't know how long I allowed myself to fall into the stereotypical role of the scared helpless female for; but by the time I felt the ship jerk and heard a loud cannon's boom I picked myself up and made a decision.

Yes, it was human to be afraid….Especially when one was in an entirely different century with undead pirates. However, because I was afraid and I was caught between a rock and a hard place didn't mean there wasn't another option out there for me. There was another option, one named Jack Sparrow, and another called escape. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand and sniffled.

"Alright Emily, woman up." I ordered myself. "You've been in shitty situations before, but that's never stopped you from being hard headed. This is a challenge and like all challenges it's meant to be overcome. I need to stop focusing on the big picture and start focusing on the smaller aspects that make the big picture." I glanced at the dress, "First of all…Survival. If I have to play the part of the captain's wench for a while then so be it."

I quickly redressed into the clothing that Barbossa had given me (the corset wasn't very tight since I had to tie it myself…and I didn't want it overly tight. I remembered learning in history class that women passed out from air restriction because of these contraptions). I noticed a mirror hanging between two windows and looked at myself and almost had a heart attack. I almost didn't recognize myself; the emerald green fabric caused my dark brown eyes to stand out, my hair to look shinier, and my face appeared softer. Wow. Apparently Barbossa has a sense of style….

I finger combed my hair and used the green ribbon Pintel had shoved at me earlier to tie my hair back into a braid. There, now my hair was out of my face. Step two; find out where Jack Sparrow is. According to the legend wherever the Black Pearl was spotted he was never too far behind. Just as I finished that thought the door opened once again and Pintel shoved another woman, who appeared to either be younger or around my age, into the cabin. The woman had light and dark tones of brown in her hair, she was thin and wearing only a nightgown. Her eyes were wide with fright and her jaw was set in what appeared to be anger. Welcome to the club.

I darted forward and forgot I had changed clothing, my boot caught the long seem of the skirt and I tripped. I stumbled forward and finally fell onto my side. The other woman stared down at me.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm okay….Just….Sea sick."

The woman frowned, "Let me help you up."

"Oh no, it's fine, I'm alright." I pushed myself up and winced; my face probably looked like a Christmas light. Once I was standing up and the woman was in the candle light I saw she was a little younger than me. People in this time era really matured faster...This girl is only a few years younger than me and she acts like she's older than me!

"I was wondering what the pirates meant when their captain said, 'Put her with the other one.' This is going to sound cruel, but I'm glad I'm not the only one here."

Ditto, "Being aboard this ship really scares the…" I paused and realized women in this era probably didn't curse much (unless they were Mary Read and Anne Bonny) or 21st century curses. I swallowed, "….Life out of me."

The woman nodded, "I'm frightened as well. I tried to negotiate with them to stop the hostilities against Port Royale. The only thing they were interested in was my pen…dant…." Her eyes set on my pirate coin. "You have one too. They did not take it from you?"

"No. They took yours?"

"Yes….But I threatened to drop it into the ocean."

"That….Probably influenced their decision." I smiled, the stranger won my respect. Obviously 18th century women did have backbones after all! "I'm Emily MacDuff."

"Elizabeth Tur….I mean, Swann. I am Elizabeth Swann, the Governor's daughter. I gave the pirates the wrong name….I thought they were going to hold me ransom to get money from my father. I did not think….I don't understand what they want," she sighed and sat down on the bed. Like me she was brave but scared and exhausted.

"It's going to sound crazy," I warned, "But from what they told me these coins and something about pirate's blood will lift a curse that was set upon them."

Elizabeth shot me a look that was equivalent to the question, 'are you nuts?'

"I'm just tellin' you what they told me, hon." I cursed to myself, women in this time didn't call one another 'sweetie or hon' as people in my time did. I was a southern woman and I was raised in the southern culture….Which was also called the 'Culture of Honor.'

"Where are you from, Miss MacDuff? You're accent is not Scottish, you're demeanor is…very relaxed, and that accent…."

"I'm from a very foreign place; far, far from here." I explained how the pirates had abducted me (but I changed the story around so it was more 18th century-ish). Elizabeth then told me her story and when she mentioned Captain Jack Sparrow I stood up.

"Jack's here?"

Elizabeth jumped, her eyes wide. "Um in the jail, yes. Why? Are you friends with him?"

"No," I shook my head, "I've just heard the legends about him that state wherever this ship is he's not too far behind. I was thinking that if I could help him get aboard this ship and commandeer it again….That maybe in turn he'd let me go?"

"That's a brilliant idea. But there's only one problem: He's in jail and we're stuck aboard this ship. My father, Commodore Norrington, and Will shall rescue us," Elizabeth took my hands, "I believe the Commodore will take quite a shine to you!"

I paused, "Um….That will be….Great," I gave a fake smile. I had read about Commodore Norrington, he was said to be a real stick in the mud. It was as I was thinking about this that something else hit me: Elizabeth Swann. Will…that had to be William Turner! I was meeting the people that I had read about in my book!

I was about to ask Elizabeth what Jack looked like when the cabin door swung open.

"The Cap'n wants to see ye," Pintel's eyes gazed towards and Elizabeth and stood. He sneered, "Not you….He wants to see his wench," he gave a cruel smile. I curled my fingers into fists and Elizabeth stared at me wide eyed.

As I stood I whispered, "We need to escape….They want more from us than just a little bit of blood and a coin. Trust me." I glared at Pintel, "What does the captain want?"

"Oy," Raggetti groaned, "Aren't ye tired of askin' that?"

"Not in the least little bit."

"Well I'm tired of ye askin'," Pintel sneered and grabbed my wrist. As he pulled me out of the cabin Raggetti slammed the door shut and locked it. The pirate dragged me back to Barbossa, this time he was standing on the bow on the ship with his hands behind his back, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ye enoyin' yer company, Miss Bouchard?"

"Why is it every time I start to get comfortable you want to see me?"

Barbossa laughed, "I'm startin' to annoy ye, am I?"

I glared at him but didn't reply. I didn't feel like having another elbow in my back or side.

"Unlike that other girl down there," Barbossa turned towards me, "Ye got somethin' special about ye. A glint."

I raised my eyebrow, "A glint?" What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I've seen that glint before, Miss Bouchard. It's the glint that whispers of a spirit that yearns for freedom, adventure, and maybe even love. The last person to have that look was Captain Sparrow….and ye know who he is, don'cha lass?"

"Who doesn't?" I crossed my arms, wondering what the point of his strange rant was.

"I like a free spirit in a woman, lass. But only to a certain point," he grabbed my wrist, "Yer mine now, Miss Bouchard, and ye'll be wise to remember that."

"Why are you telling me this?" What had gotten this guy so worked up?

He ignored my question, "Like this ship, you belong to me." He shoved me back to Pintel and Raggetti, "Take her back to her cabin." He turned away from me and I glanced over my shoulder as the two pirates hauled me off. It wasn't until we were down in the hallway that the two finally took pity on me.

"The Cap'n was in love with Jack Sparrow's girlfriend, a woman named Fiona." Pintel sneered, "Ye look and act just like her. She told our Cap'n she'd rather die than be a member of this crew….And that's exactly what she got. Bo'Sun tied an old anchor to her foot and dropped her into the bottom of the ocean before we found that cursed treasure….In fact, yer wearin' her dress."

I stared at Pintel wide eyed, my throat constricted and my eyes widened. That poor woman! "She didn't have a chance!" I glanced down at my dress and I wished I had my pajamas back.

"And neither will you," Pintel sneered, "If ye don't behave. If you ever meet Jack Sparrow," he turned and spat on a wall, "Ye'll do best to remember: Stay away, don't look at him, don't speak to him, and don't acknowledge him. Barbossa's killed many women in his time, he'll have no problem spillin' all yer blood. Yer nothin' special." He unlocked the cabin door and shoved me in. I landed on the floor, shocked and numb.

"Emily?" I barely noticed Elizabeth kneeling at my side, "Good Lord! You're so pale….What happened?"

"I…." My mouth went dry. Why was this affecting me? I shut my eyes and suddenly saw the bottom of a ship bobbing in the waves and I felt myself descending into blackness. My stomach curled. That was the nightmare I had since I was a child….Of falling into the ocean with something heavy pulling me down….I was left….Abandoned….Like some piece of trash. I believed in past lives and my mother's best friend, a psychic named Tia Dalma, always told me in my past life I was in love with a pirate….And when the time came to renounce my love for him, I couldn't….And I paid with my life. I had never believed that mumbo-jumbo until now.