Chapter One

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Black Pearl's stout wooden deck moved softly under his feet as he stood at the wheel. On the horizon, storm clouds boiled, hanging dark and menacing over the water. The sun lay behind them, its rays slanting long and low across the water. They had no choice but to sail through it. The black sails snapped in the uneasy wind. Jack's braids blew about his face. He brushed them away with an impatient hand.

His dark lined eyes were unusually shadowed, and his face was paler than usual. A fine tremor ran through his hands as the gripped the wheel. He hadn't slept well the night before, nor the night before that. He kept dreaming of his other life, as he thought of it. He'd tried chasing the dreams from his mind with a nightcap or ten of rum, but they stayed with him, haunting him as he tried to rest. His eyes felt gritty from lack of proper rest, and he knew himself to be irritable.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he considered the horizon. There was no way they'd make port by nightfall, and he didn't fancy his chances at outrunning the storm. That left him with only one choice.

"Mr Gibbs!" Jack called sharply. For the first time in many minutes, he tore his dark eyes from the equally dark horizon. The pensive look on his face slipped away as Gibbs approached.

The older man hurried to his side. He turned his weathered face to look at the approaching storm. "Rough seas ahead, capt'n,"

Jack frowned a little, tilting his head away from Gibbs "There always it, so it seems." His voice was heavy with things unsaid.

He shivered a little. It was getting cold. Goosebumps rose along his bare arms. The air felt damp, heavy with the weight of the coming storm. He hid a shudder in the chilly air. The wheel under his hand moved slightly, and he automatically corrected it, bringing the ship back onto the true heading. He smoothed his thumb over the worn wood of the wheel. The grain in the wood felt slightly rough under his hand.

"Aye," Gibbs said, "We sailing through it?" The very thought filled his guts with ice. He hated sailing through storms almost as much as he hated facing undead, cursed sailors.

"That we are. See, our destination is on the other side of said storm," he made a sweeping gesture with his hand "and I don't see any ports around here..."

"What is our destination, capt'n?" Gibbs asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice. He loved Jack like a son, but sometimes wondered if the younger pirate wasn't a few cannon balls short of a battle. Their ideas of good destinations didn't always match.

Jack smiled wickedly. "Ah, our destination..." he paused as thunder boomed overhead. Rain sheeted down, but still the grin stayed on Jack's face. "Our destination, Mr Gibbs, is Port Royal."

Gibbs looked confused "Ah, capt'n?" He had a feeling that the captain wasn't telling him the full story.

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically "We're taking on passengers. Dear Elizabeth and William will be sailing with us on this fair adventure."

Lighting tore the sky apart, and the rain began to fall in earnest. Jack's shirt clung to his slender frame. Thunder rumbled, and the ship shuddered under its assault. The sea turned dark, inky black, perfectly reflecting the colour of the sky above. The rain turned to hail, the tiny pieces of ice pelting the deck like miniature cannon fire from the heavens. Wind tore at the sails, throwing the ship forward through the storm. The wind screamed, an unearthly sound, as it wove around the masts.

"Take cover!" Jack yelled. Below him, the crew scurried about, racing to finish their jobs so they could get out of the stinging hail. Gibbs hurried off. He came back quickly, Jack's coat and hat with him.

"Thanks," Jack said, settling the hat on his head before slipping the coat on. Gibbs nodded, pausing next to Jack as he waited for a command.

"Get yourself inside," Jack said roughly "The Pearl and I'll ride this one out together."

"Aye," Gibbs said, pausing for a few more seconds before his disappeared into the gathering gloom.

In a few moments, Jack was left alone on the deck of his ship, facing the coming storm.