Thank you, MeraSparrow, for your review(and for your correction)! Rum to you! Onto the next chappie!

Disclaimer: Beth and I don't own any of the PotC Characters, those belong to the Mouse. ...I do own Meg, and her coat and cloak though. Beth owns...well...Beth.

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"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done with the rest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…" Mr. Gibbs sang as he walked across the deck, past the long boats, with rum bottle in hand. A body attempting to sleep in one of the boats groaned and rolled over, pulling both her cloak and coat over her, trying to block out Gibbs's singing.

"If I'm not getting any of that rum, then, please, do stop that racket," Meg murmured, not entirely sure that Gibbs would be able to hear her. They and the rest of the crew were waiting in the mists for the captain. A small thunk was heard as something hit the side of the Pearl. Gibbs set the rum bottle down and looked over the railing. Jack had returned! He had rowed all the way from the Turkish prison in a coffin. Meg sat up, fully awake now. Gibbs held out his hand to Jack, only to receive a leg bone instead.

"Not quite according to plan," he stated to Jack.

"Complications arose, ensued…were overcome." Jack stated simply. Cotton approached and placed Jack's coat around his shoulders. Meg attempted to get out of the longboat she had been in, only to trip over her cloak that had somehow wrapped around her leg. She fell at Jack's feet.

Jack looked down at her and smiled warmly. After all that he had been through, Meg was a sight for his sore eyes. "'Ello, love. Sleep well?" Jack greeted her, patting her on the head a couple of times.

"I guess…" Meg replied, gazing up at Jack, smiling sleepily.

"Good, good." Jack said, walking away to talk to Gibbs. Meg followed, anxious just to be with Jack again.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, still following.

"Mm-hmm." He pulled a rolled up bit of cloth from his sleeve. He turned and faced the rest of the crew, who looked as if they had a bone to pick with Jack.

"Captain, I think the crew - meaning me, as well - were expecting something a bit more...shiny. What with the Isla de Muerta going all pear-shaped, reclaimed by the sea and the treasure with it—" Gibbs started.

"And the Royal Navy chasing us all around the Atlantic—" Leech added.

"And the hurricane!" Marty voiced. Everyone seemed to agree. Meg looked sympathetically up at Jack.

"All in all," Gibbs continued. "it seems some time since we did a speck of honest pirating."

'Well, that's an oxymoron…' Meg thought rolling her eyes. Jack paused for a moment.

"Shiny…?"

"Aye, shiny." Gibbs replied.

"Is that how you're all feeling, then? Perhaps dear ol' Jack is not serving your best interests as Captain?"

"Awk, WALK THE PLANK!" Mr. Cotton's parrot screeched. Cotton put a hand over its beak before it had a chance to continue. Jack drew his pistol.

"What did the bird say!"

Meg went over to where Jack was now standing and pulled the pistol down.

"We think you're doing a fine job!" she said, trying to raise Jack's spirit.

"WALK THE PLANK!" the parrot cried once more.

"At least there's one honest…man amongst you," Jack said, still looking at the parrot.

"Do not blame the bird," Leech said. "Show us, what is on that piece of cloth there." Everyone's attention drew back to the roll of cloth in Jack's hand before Barbossa's undead monkey, 'Jack', dropped down in front of Jack, scaring him half to death, and broke the moment. Jack tried shooting at it, only to realize that he did not have any shot. He stole another pirate's gun and shot at then undead thing. 'Jack' let go of the cloth and it fluttered down onto the deck.

"You know that don't do no good," Gibbs said to Jack.

"Does me," he replied, snaking an arm around Meg's shoulders.

Marty went over and picked up the cloth. "It's a key," he said.

"No, much more better!" Jack replied, taking it back and holding it up, showing the crew. "It is a drawing of a key."

'Here we go…' Meg thought as she rolled her eyes once again, folding her arms across her chest. The crew stared in silence for a moment before Jack continued.

"Gentlemen and lady, what do keys do?"

"Keys... unlock things?" Leech said.

"And whatever this key unlocks, inside there's something valuable. So, we're setting out to find whatever this key unlocks!" Gibbs said, triumphantly. Jack's expression seemed to show that Gibbs was on the right track, however, it turned sarcastic and—

"No." Gibbs looked back confused. Jack approached a little closer. "If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it is we don't have that it unlocks. So, what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don't have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?"

Meg, who was now leaning on the mast, shook her head, looking up to the heavens. Why must Jack make things sound so difficult?

"So, we're going after this key!"

Jack squinted. "You're not making any sense at all. Any more questions?"

"So, do we have a heading?"

"Ah! A heading!" Jack opened his Compass and looked down at it. It spun a few random directions, lingering on Meg's direction a few times, but still not pointing in a single direction for too long. "Set sail in a general…" he waved his finger about trying to figure out where the compass was trying to lead him. "…that way direction," he finally said, waving his hand in a random direction.

"Captain?"

"Come on. Snap to and make sail, you know how this works." He started walking to his cabin. Meg followed.

"Jack?" No reply. "Jack." No reply. "Jaaack…"

Distracted, he turned around. "What, love?"

"Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Mm-hmm, just fine…" He turned again, took off his coat and hung it up.

"What was that out there?"

"What was what?"

"Jack…you were confused about a heading. And, I know you, you always have a heading."

"Do I?" Jack smirked. "And do you really know me?" He slowly approached her. Meg shook her head.

"Jack…no games…Jack…Jack!" She squealed as he came after her for a moment. Once Meg was securely in his arms, he grinned and gave her a kiss.

"Right, now, run along while I plot our course," he continued grinning as he watched Meg go through the cabin doors to the deck. "Now…" he set the compass down on his desk. "Where to?"

Meg walked out onto the deck, catching then end of a conversation.

"Setting sail without knowing his own heading, something's got Jack vexed. You mark my words, what bodes ill for Jack Sparrow, bodes ill for us all." Gibbs said and left the railing.

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DUN DUN DUN! Yea, okay, R&R, my fellow pirates!