Nicolette was sat in the cabin she shared with Barbossa the next night, eyes piercing the charts spread out on the dark oak desk in front of her. They were all committed to memory by now, therefor it was no wonder that she was the ships greatest navigator. Each illustration, each previously planned heading, every charted island and rocky shore stored in her head almost as clearly as if she had designed them herself.

In her hand, she balanced a bottle of red wine, half empty. The sharp flavour was lost on her, the depth of the scent and warmth of the liquid failing to reach her gut. But with each sip she took, her lips twitched in irritation at the emptiness she felt. With her feet propped up on the desk, she was an image of relaxed frustration awaiting her husband to return from the helm.

As the burnt orange evening sun was beginning to set on the west horizon, the ship was ever so subtly sent into darkness. It wasn't unusual for her to remain in their cabin until morning, avoiding the moonlight completely and taking over her duties when the birds were still silent but dawn was breaking. But ever since that girl had been brought aboard she had been restless. Nicolette was unsure and, dare she say, curious as to what the little wild flower was planning. Something was just not quite right about her, her eyes spoke more than she did.

But upon getting too involved with her thoughts, she would shake her head rid of them and concentrate on the most important facts. They had the medallion, now nestled safely in one of Jack's hiding places, and the girl, held uncomfortably in the brig. Everything they needed to lift the curse and they were on course for the Isle De Muerta.

Nicolette should have been feeling good. She should have been feeling elated and beyond belief. But instead the excitement fluttered into nervousness and the lust for life dwindled into confusion regarding a large matter of things. No longer would she be tied to this ship, no longer would she be forced to live by these men in pain and anger, no longer would Hector have the power over her that he had held for ten years.

She could leave...she could go...

"Mrs Barbossa!" She jumped out of her thoughts violently, feet slamming against the ground as she stood and her eyes darting towards the door in an attempt to identify the interrupter through the small misted pane of glass.

"Aye!" As she called out an approval to enter, Nicolette placed the bottle of wine on the desk and walked around so she could lean back against the wood. However, her relaxed attitude stiffened when the door to the cabin opened and the two biggest idiots in the Caribbean escorted their prisoner into her home.

For a long moment, all present remained silent, the three pairs of eyes watching those of the Captains Wife which were clouded with anger. The men, who were nervous around her at the best of times, shifter their gaze to the floor when she quirked a brow and narrowed her jaw.

"May I help you gentlemen?" Her tone was deep and dark, should be on of dripped from her lip it would not have been much of a surprise.

"The Captain wished for Miss Turned to dine with you both tonight." Pintel was the one nominated to speak.

In an instant, her chest grew tight with irritation. Of course he had. He had been planning this from the beginning no doubt, as soon as they had set a course to return to the Isle De Muerta. They had both avoided each other since the previous day, staying silent at the helm and one of them going below as the other attended to a duty. Neither actually new why but Nicolette put it down to her sudden mood changes. She had always been a naturally leading spirit with a strong head and a part of her already knew he was worried, no curse meant to leash.

"Did he now?" Her brow quirked as she disregarded her suspicions. "I wasn't aware such a formal occasion was taking place." Nicolette's eyes scanned the new dress the girl wore, rich in colour much similar to the wine she had been drinking. It didn't suit her at all, just like it hadn't suited his whore...The woman's name was a distant memory by now…but she remembered it someone suiting the choice of dress. It brought back hideous memories, ones of teasing and lust, where he would purposefully seek out those women in her presence before coming to her. Though sometimes he would not even come to her, sometimes those women were all he needed. Already those memories became so real behind her eyes by seeing the item on the young girl. Maybe that's why her dear Hector had picked it? For something which brought back such an unpleasant feeling, with it came the emotions. The ones she had been forced to swallow.

Noticing the girls questioning stare, Nicolette fixed her outward appearance and smirked.

"Please, take a seat Miss Turner." Extending a hand out to gesture towards the large dining table in the cabin, Nicolette's smirk only widened as the girl stepped away from the two men and wearily took a seat. "Should the Captain be joining us soon?" She asked once her attention on the girl swapped to Pintel and Ragetti.

"Aye Mrs Barbossa."

She nodded once in reply, but then when they failed to move she quirked her brow and snarled. "Well...Get out."it was like watching a couple of fish caught in a net as they scrambled, pushing each other to be the first one out the door. However, thankfully, soon enough the door slammed behind them and all that remained was Nicolette and Miss Turner.

Both seemed increasingly eager to avoid the other, Elizabeth choosing to study the table whereas Nicolette stared at her but made no sounds. That was until she became to threatened by her silence and scoffed. "I assume you are finding your stay quite pleasant?" Her smirk destroyed any feeling of sincerity as Elizabeth looked up. Of course the pirate didn't really care, nor did she think Miss Turned would have been happy with her arrangements during their stay. She had been taunted, pulled and dragged across decks and into cells and it all resulted in anger which was clearly portrayed through her face in that moment. "Be grateful Miss Turner, it could be a lot worse for a girl like yourself."

"I could be in your position?" She had slipped just for a second, letting her mouth run away without her. But surprisingly, Nicolette found her self amused which was a great contradiction to the white hot anger she thought she would possess.

"I knew you would have a bite to you." As she smirked and while retrieving one of the wooden cups from the desk, Nicolette swayed with the rhythm of the ship as she poured out some wine. Placing the bottle down on the table at which the girl sat, she then took a swig and watched as the thoughts spun around behind her eyes. Knowing that look, Nicolette prepared herself for the questions.

"You are the Captains Wife."

The statement, as it was presented, made her stomach twist like she had swallowed something horrid. "First Mate foremost." She hadn't meant for it to sound like a bark, but she had to make it clear she was not simply a wife. First and foremost she was the First Mate of the Black Pearl. She gave the orders, she swung the sword and she gave the headings. Back on her pretty little land a wife may have been a wife, but about this vessel she was so much more. "But yes."

Elizabeth stuttered then, but after a second her courage had been regathered. "I see it that, since you know my name and we shall be dining, it would be decent that I know yours."

Nicolette took another long drink of wine as she processed the words. Decency, there was no sense of decency in this situation so why should they start introducing such traits now? The girl should just settle with Mrs Barbossa...but then again she always hated that name as well as such formalities.

"Nicolette." The word rolled off her tongue with an accent Elizabeth couldn't place instantly. It sounded exotic, like a song which was confusing when being sang by a woman of such harshness. "Nee Barker, should you be curious." The last part came out as a mumble but she immediately saw the familiarity spark behind the girl's eyes and they widened considerably.

"The Devils Temptress." The whisper escaped Elizabeth's lips.

The Italian. The Italian maid who ruled the Caribbean by her husbands side. She had read all the stories, the ones which accompanied those of other great Captains and notable pirates. She wasn't famous for her plundering, or her violence or her riches. But more plainly because of her intelligence. Nicolette Barker had already seen most of the discovered world by the age of 9 before settling in the Caribbean. Not a lot more was known accept she had found herself on a ship with black sails, married to a man so evil that hell wouldn't accept him and commanding a crew possessed by the devil and ghosts of the sea. There was not a lot to the stories, only brief mentions here and there but she was one of only a few notable female pirates in the World. For a moment during her reading, Elizabeth had actually envied the fictional woman for that's all she had been at the time. She craved the same freedom, but now looking at the bold Italian with a marked face and fraying corset she felt...confused.

"So you have heard of me." Nicolette grinned. It was such a silly name. A silly name to go with a silly story and a one which was most certainly not true. "All rumours I would imagine, no real truth behind them, apart from the good ones." The good ones, those that involved the power and the fear in her personal opinion. Such as the battle of Polocnas. The rising of the Defeated Ash...those were the good stories.

A sharp knock on the cabin door broke what could have ended in being quite a charming story time, alerting both woman and causing Nicolette to call out. "Come in!"

Following her commend, in flowed a constant supply of food which succeeding in taunting Nicolette if bought else. The roast pork looked fit for a kings table, the boiled vegetables soft and begging to be consumed. The duck was crispy, succulent and dripping in its own fat. Fresh bread to accompany the wine and cheese and fruit boards. What she would give to be able to dine on it all, even if it be for just one last time.

Amidst the banquet being carried in, Hector joined them. His presence became known to Nicolette immediately as the feeling in the cabin changed instantly. The men carried the food quicker and ceased their tempted glances at the girl. As he walked past her, his hand skimmed her hip ever so lightly, and his breath caught on her neck with his closeness.

"A little warning next time would be appreciated." She muttered under her breath, ignoring Miss Turner's gaze their way.

"I thought it was a nice surprise." That was all Barbossa replied before taking his seat as the tables candles were lit around them and one by one the other members of crew left. "Miss Turner, please, eat."

Nicolette wasn't even sat, but after a strong glare from her husband she thought it sensible to take her seat next to him and facing the girl. Her back faced his desk and just above it, Jack swung on his perch.

By the time she had poured herself another glass of wine, Elizabeth had started to eat; using her knife and fork to daintily cut and pick at everything the crew had prepared.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony, nor call to impress anyone. You must be hungry. Try the wine." Barbossa handed her a fresh glass of wine he had just poured, watching her with what was almost lust as she ate. But Nicolette knew that it wasn't the girl he lusted but the taste, she knew because she watched the girl with the same feeling. As she drank eagerly, she took her ow sip and tried to imagine the taste and the warming burn it would leave in her throat. But no matter how hard she tried, or how desperately she wanted it. There was nothing. "And the apples? One of those next." She snatched it from his hand and took an eager bite, but with a snap she stopped, still dent over the table like a savage and her eyes moved from Nicolette to Barbossa.

"It's poisoned." The apple dropped from her hand and her face took on a look of distraught. However it twisted when the woman opposite her allowed a deep chuckle to escape.

"There would be no sense to be killing you, Miss Turner." She spoke as if her voice was made of silk, never flinching as Jack jumped onto her shoulder mid sentence.

"Then release me." She answered sharply. "You have your trinket; I'm of no further value to you."

From, as if by nowhere, Barbossa took the medallion out from his coat and allowed it to dangle between them. The gold, shining in the moonlight sung a song to Nicolette; a beautiful song. It rang in the still air, calling to her so subtly. "You don't know what this is, do ye?"

"It's a pirate medallion." Elizabeth shrugged.

"This is Aztec gold…" Barbossa's began to explain with a rough voice. "One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortés himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortés was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold…a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity."

The story, the exact same one she had been told all those years ago. The details never changed, just her feelings towards it did. She had gone from lusting after the adventure to shivering at the mere mention of the island and from begging to hear the tale to cursing whichever man dared tell it. She could still remember the first time, when she had been draped in silk sheets, her hair shining from her recent swim in a fresh water pool, and drunk off dark rum and sunshine. It had been so elating and exciting especially since she had only been aboard for a few weeks.

It had been nothing more than one of his fairytales.

"I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Captain Barbossa."

"Aye. That's exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale." Nicolette' eyes glazed over as she recalled the words committed to memory. Hector was already scowling at her, scolding her for appearing so weak. But she had already noticed this herself, which caused her to turn her stare onto the young girl. "Buried on an Island of Dead what cannot be found except for those who know where it is." A strong grin painted across her face at the thought, she knew where it was fine and well by now.

"Find it, we did." Barbossa's carried on, causing Elizabeth's concentration to shift. "There be the chest. Inside be the gold. And we took 'em all. We spent 'em and traded 'em and frittered 'em away on drink and food and pleasurable company." The latter meant to hurt her, burn her from the inside out, but in the end it didn't even satisfy him. "The more we gave 'em away, the more we came to realize…the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed, we were, but now we are consumed by it." Nicolette was silent now, trying not to listen to her husband. The words were simply too much. She could hide from the moonlight and pour the wine straight out of the bottle and into the sea but she couldn't run from the truth. She couldn't rid herself of the agony or the guilt or the desperation; not even throwing herself overboard and sinking into the peaceful depth would make it go away.

She stood from her chair suddenly, alerting the girl as Jack held on tight to her hair to keep his balance. She had almost tried once, almost jumped from the stern of the ship to be dragged under, just to see if she could escape it. But in the end she knew it would have been useless so she'd crawled back into bed beside her beloved...the man she loved, simply because it made it easier.

As she walked around Barbossa, she noticed his eyes following her and she wasn't the only one since Elizabeth took the opportunity to take one of the butter knifes, to hide under her skirts.

"There is one way we can end our curse." Jack jumped from Nicolette to Barbossa with a light screech. "All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid. Thanks to you, we have the final piece." Jack returned to her, this time with the medallion which she took from his with a pout and lowered into the space between her bust.

"And the blood to be repaid?" The girl looked sheepish now, eyes wide and pout abandoned as her gaze darted between the two pirates.

"That's why there's no sense to be killin' ye…yet." As the meaning behind his admission settled over Elizabeth, Barbossa's chest rumbled with laughter. "Apple? Arr."

She stood, knocking her plate and cup to the ground, her chair scraping across the charred wood. Nicolette was quick on her trail, almost in reach of the cheap blood red satin dress she wore until she dodged behind a corner. Before Nicolette could register the move, Elizabeth had picked up a candle stick and with a strong force, it was swung down to connect with Nicolette's temple. She was knocked to the floor, not unconscious but dazed, giving Elizabeth the chance to run as Hector caught up.

"Wench." Nicolette cursed under her breath and gathered herself off the floor as Jack screeched worryingly behind her. It was then that she noticed her husband, stood with a small blunt knife in his chest. Under different circumstances it would have been a clean hit, he would have been lying dead on the ground but instead he stood, rolling his eyes at the girls action.

"I'm curious..." The words were still hard to hear after her bump on the head, but she steadied her eyes for long enough to see him remove the knife from his heart; dripping with blood. "...after killin' me what was it you plannin' on doing next?" Just like that, the girl ran from the cabin with the dress sweeping behind her. Little did she know, further horrors layout outside, a full moon was due.

With eyes sweeping over to her husband, she saw him laughing smugly and walked over to him, placing a hand over the wound in his chest. Lowering his head, his lips almost grazed her ear and for a brief second she thought he was going to speak some words of comfort, until his chest rumbled with a growl. "Get after her!"

By the time she left the cabin, making sure to stay by the stairs and hidden from the abusive moonlight, Elizabeth was already well and truly tangled amongst the crew. But they seemed to be having a good time, frightening her, taunting her, they seemed to be enjoying playing with her. But like all good things, it ended once she was dropped back onto the deck and she made a beeline back the cabin.

"Look!" Arms clutching her upper arms, Nicolette caught the young girl and spun her around to face the nightmare. "The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the living, and so we cannot die, but neither are we dead." Elizabeth pushed the pirate away from her and stumbled back in fear. "For too long I've been parched with thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died." The desperation was painfully present in her voice. "I feel nothing; not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea, nor the warmth of another's flesh." As she reached out, the retreating steps of the girl caused Nicolette to be drawn out into the moonlight. Starting at the tip of her fingers, the flesh visibly melting away until all that was left was bone. Within seconds she was just one of the walking, talking skeletons stood on deck. Her bandana remained, only now it held back brittle and greying thin hairs, her shirt hung ragged of her shoulders and the burgundy coined skirt with was an always present feature around her waist, sagged down onto her hip bones.

"You best start believing in ghost stories Miss Turner. You're in one!" Finally, she uncorked the fresh bottle of red wine with her teeth and tipped her head back, drinking down the imported liquid. It fell right through her, spilling down through her rips and splashing her pelvis until in pooled on the deck by her feet.

It made her feel sick, so she could only imagine how Miss Turner felt watching. But it provided the desired effect as within a few seconds, the girl screamed and ran back, past Barbossa's who had watched the full thing and into the cabin. Losing the bottle, Nicolette wiped her mouth and threw the bottle against the door causing it to smash before she laughed strongly.

The crew started to laugh with her and she grinned, realising Hector was joining in. Their love was created with complications, their relationship was a miss match of power, jealousy and rage. But still, when he acted proud of her it made something within her swell.

As Nicolette smiled, he moved forward and allowed his rotting hand to caress her cheeks but then he noticed the crew had ceased their laughter. "What are ye looking at? Back to work!" Then just like that, the moment had ended and Hector climbed the stairs to the helm, leaving Nicolette alone and embarrassed in front of her crew.

"You heard the Captain. Back to work!"