((You read the header on chapter one, I hope? Yes? That's good.))

Jack exited his cabin a few minutes after sunrise to see his crew already hard at work. Jack tenderly squeezed at his forearms to be greeted with a spear of pain shooting up both arms, making him flinch violently. He hadn't been able to sleep at all last night. After having found those feathers sticking out of his arms and having that talk to Ether, Jack's mind was much too active to get a wink of sleep, plus, having your arms torn apart by something you can't stop is a little unnerving too.

Jack took a breath, letting his arms hang by his sides, ignoring the insistent pain that had morphed from stinging to pinching "NEW PLAN, LADS!" Jack crowed loudly to his crew, who immediately turned to him, seeing their captain, looking as normal as he has ever been, but maybe looking a bit pale, "WE BE GOIN' TO PORT ROYAL TO PICK UP A'FEW FRIENDS, AYE? HARD-A-PORT!"

Anamaria, who was standing behind the wheel, blinked at him, before quickly swinging the wheel to the right, making the wheel a blurred circle of brown, the crew swaying slightly to stay footed as The Pearl turned, obeying her captain.

"Cap'n?" Gibbs hurried to Jack's elbow as said captain shimmied up the steps to the bridge, waving a somewhat stiff hand to Anamaria, motioning her to leave the steering to him.

Jack placed his hands on The Pearl's wheel as Anamaria scuttled up the mast to the crows-nest, Jack curling his fingers around the warm, soft wood, and he felt a sudden twinge in his forearms. Jack's lips thinned.

The feathers were spreading.

"Cap'n?" Gibbs repeated.

Jack faced Gibbs with an overly-flamboyant turn, one hand on the wheel, the other on his hip. "What can I do ya for, Gibbs!" Jack chirped happily, making Gibbs second-guess what he thought was a somber expression on his captain's face a second ago.

"Why we be goin' to Port Royal, Cap'n?" Gibbs grunted, ignoring Cotton's parrot, who was squawking 'Pirate's life for me! Pirate's life for me!' from upon one of the sails.

"To pick up our Dear Mr William Turner and his bonny lass Elizabeth!" Jack squealed, his multicoloured teeth glinting in the blinding sun.

Gibbs blinked. "Why?"

Jack paused, his face screwed up in an over-compensated try for thought.

"Do we really need a reason to visit our little luvies?" Jack finally said, a grin plastering itself on the captain's face.

Gibbs thought about it. "No, I suppose not, Cap'n."

"Then get to work, Gibbs! The faster we get there, the faster we can make Dear ol' Lizzie scream herself hoarse!" Jack beamed, waving a hand at Gibbs to get on with his duties. "Ah, if only." Jack sighed with a wistful look upon his face. "If only she went mute like Cotton... No more screaming!"

Gibbs sighed and shook his head at his captain, before turning and shuffling back down the stairs, as soon as his back was turned, his captain's face morphed into one of pure agony, Jack's his knuckles turning white around the wheel, his face going even more pale, his legs threatening to buckle.

"Damn you, Ether." Jack grunted through his teeth, resting his sweating forehead against the edge of the wheel.

"You're welcome, Jack." returned the airy voice, a cold gust of air assaulting Jack's back and ruffling his hair.

"You want something in return. I'll give you something. Just stop the curse!" Jack hissed, his arms seeming to feel like they were burning in white-hot ashes, Jack pressing his forehead harder against the wheel, trying to drown the pain out, but with no avail.

"I want your life in return, Jack. Will you give it to me?" Ether's airy voice whispered into his ear.

Jack's eyes snapped open. "You want my life?"

"I gave you your life back when I saved you from that prison, Jack. It's only fair that I get it for my own."

Jack felt his heartbeat quicken substantially.

((TBC. again, please review. i like reviews. reviews are my friend. i hope you like it so far))