AN: Three reviews. Whoot!!! That's excellent:). I love you all! And this story has been put on several favorites and alerts:). Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read and review this one too, please:). Enjoy!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack closed the door and left, finding Gibbs up at the helm. Right as he opened his mouth to speak, he became aware of the crew, Will and Elizabeth included, staring at them. "You nosey dogs!" They didn't turn, they just stood as if their feet were nailed to the wood of the deck. "Fine. The lass is fine; her name is Andrea, but she prefers to be called Andie. She's of Italian decent, raised on a pirate ship when she was found as a child floating in the middle of the ocean."

"What ship, Jack?" Jack allowed his brown gaze to settle on Will, who was speaking. "What ship was she marooned by?"

"The… The… The Flying Dutchman." He held up his hands right as panic seemed to break through the crew. "Don't panic. She seems safe enough. Apparently she's been on there most of her life, and she appears to be twenty something so she can be of use on here. She says that Jones didn't torture her physically. He marooned her for reasons that don't apply to you."

As the crew scattered to their resting places and other various locations aboard the ship, Gibbs turned to Jack as he steered. "Cap'n, you said physically. Which means…"

Jack finished his sentence. "She's been cursed, I can tell you that. Whenever a soul that's been aboard his ship for any number of years, they'll have nightmares and such when they're departed from the Dutchman. Only when Jones is dead can the curse be broken."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and nodded. Jack had been through all types of things, which explained his knowledge. "Then shouldn't you go down to the cabin, Jack?"

"Oh… Right!" Jack turned on his heal and fled down to the cabin just in time to see the beauty on his bed tossing and turning, about to fall off.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was awaken when I was caught in a pair of strong arms. My heart racing along with my breathing, I opened my eyes to see Jack's brown ones gazing at me somewhat kindly. "What the bloody hell happened?"

Jack grunted slightly as he positioned me back on the bed correctly. Apparently I'd nearly fallen off during what I'd expected would happen. It was the curse that apparently he'd known about. "You nearly fell, Andie. You're welcome for saving you from hitting your pretty little head on the floor…"

"Shut it…" I sat up, running my fingers through my hair as he released me from his hold. "I need rum."

"You and I both, love." He went over to his desk, where he withdrew two bottles of the amber liquid, and handed me one. He sat near my knees, drinking his rum all the while.

I uncorked my own bottle, bringing it to my lips and taking a large swig. I noticed Jack watching me in amusement as I downed the bottle within moments. "What?"

"I've never known a woman to drink rum that fast, love."

"I'm not every other woman, now am I?"

Jack just shook his head, jumping off the bed as I got up to get another bottle. I found the open drawer and took a couple of bottles before returning to my previous position. As I uncorked the second bottle, Jack came back to the bed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Drinking your rum." I grinned as I took a swig, the liquid burning it's way down my throat. "Honestly, I think I deserve it." The bottle was once again lifted to my mouth and I drank as he spoke.

"Darling, you've been marooned. Hardly anything horrible about it, considering I've been marooned several times myself. And there's a limited supply of rum…"

"The sooner it's gone, the sooner we'll get on land, eh? I've only been on land twice to my memory since every ten years…"

"I know the rules." I took a swig as he did the same with his first bottle.

I finished where I'd been cut off. "…And I'd like to have land-legs. I've never been on a beach before, you know." Jack's face was priceless.

"You've only seen a tavern twice?"

"Once, actually. I only went to the taverns with the crew the last time we made port, roughly eight or so years ago."

"Lord, Andie. I wonder how you live."

"I'm not a male who goes to those places to see women make complete idiots of themselves by flirting and rubbing against pirates who are, no offense, just as idiotic." I chugged my rum as Jack chuckled.

He grinned as I just shook my head in wonder at him, my fingers running through my hair. I pulled it over my left shoulder and cocked my head at him. "No, darling, but one has to wonder how you got addicted to the drink."

"I stocked up. The men got kegs of it, and I'd drink that as well. If we were to run out, oh well."

Jack's face scrunched up in shock. "Years without rum… Years without rum…"

I laughed. "Honestly, Jack. You're face looks like Jones', not including the moving tentacles of course, when Beckett told him to kill the Kraken. He told Jones that he could always stab the heart…" I was once again rudely cut off.

"Beckett? Beckett has the bloody heart? Figuratively speaking, of course."

"Didn't I mention that earlier?" I knew that the second bottle was getting to me, and that even though I'd promised to tell Jack about who had the heart earlier, but I didn't care. I was a pirate after all.

"No, darling you didn't."

I uncorked the third bottle and drank like a fish. When I finally came up for air, I laughed. "Why aren't you drinking? I've heard that you're usually the one to have a rum or two at a time…"

"Because frankly, I'm concerned. Something tells me that normally you wouldn't drink near this much at one time."

"Well…"

"There's something you're not tellingme, isn't there? You know more about the heart than you're telling. Where's the heart, Andie?"

I stuttered on my words, and I doubted the liquor had anything to do with it, although it was a possibility. "I-I don't know. With Beckett…"

"And where's Beckett…"

"I suppose he's out to sea somewhere, being the wig-headed pain in the…" Jack went over to his desk, pulled out some charts, and sat down, motioning me over.

"Come here, Andrea." Drinking my rum as I went, I stood next to Jack and looked at his charts. Obviously he knew what he was doing. "Where were you when Beckett ordered Jones to kill the terrible beastie?"

I laughed. I knew I was drunk, probably why I laughed at the word 'beastie'. "Right about… Here." I pointed to a clutter of islands with one hand while the other held the rum bottle to my lips. The Caribbean was full of islands, but I remembered the distinctive closeness of the islands. I'd stood at the bow, staring at them longingly while Beckett and Jones had talked.

"Ah… And how long ago was it?"

I calculated the days in my head, taking a moment due to the alcohol. "About three or so weeks ago…"

"Ah, then they should be right around here, savvy?"

"Savvy."

Jack snorted as he stood and grabbed his bottle from the desk. I held my own firmly in my hand as I went to get the two other bottles lying on the bed. "I was thinking," he started, "and I think I know a way to prevent you from falling." He grinned in a devilish fashion and I gave him a questioning look. "I share my bed with you, that way I can grab you and wake you."

"Fine." I sat the empty bottles down on his desk then got back in the bed, finishing off my current bottle and sitting it in the floor.

Jack came over, picked it up and put it with the rest before discarding his effects on a nearby table. When he was through five or so moments later, he got into the other side of the bed, to my right. I laid my head on the pillow, knowing my fate the next morning. As Jack moved around, I heard him chuckle. "You know, darling, it's been quite a while since I've had a lass, a pirate non the less, as beautiful as you in the same room as me. Let alone a lass that needs to be protected…"

I cut him off as I closed my eyes. "I do not!"

He continued. "…By the famous Captain Jack Sparrow. You know, you have taste…"

"Goodnight, Jack…"

"…And…."

"Goodnight!" I yelled, knowing it would shut him up. Thankfully, it did.