Davy nodded and turned to Evelyn.

"Wait here; I'll send one of the crew to fetch you" he said. Evelyn nodded and watched Davy disappear with the girl in silence. On the Dutchman, Davy stopped Bootstrap Bill and sent him to get Evelyn, then headed to his cabin with Michaela close at his heels. She had not uttered a single word since they'd come onto his ship, and he couldn't help but wonder if her silence was because of fear, or something else entirely. Once inside the cabin Davy ignored the girl and went straight to his treasured pipe organ in the back of the room. Michaela sat on the small unused bed off to the side, and watched Jones in silence.

She knew he was thinking about something and that it would be rude to interrupt him at a time like this, but her curiosity had been snared. Getting out of the bed as silently as she could she made her way to the back of the room and stood behind Jones as he stared at the organ.

"That's really pretty. Did someone give it to you?" she asked, looking up at his tentacled visage with sincere interest on her face.

"Yes, someone very special gave it to me, but she forgot me long ago" he replied quietly, not looking at her.

"Do you play it often?" Michaela asked.

"Always. Can you play any instruments?" Jones replied, turning the questions away from him and all the things that would bring back the old pain, the memories.

"I can play the piano, is that kind of like an organ?" Michaela replied, trying unsuccessfully to catch his eye. Davy nodded, suddenly uninterested in talking. He wanted to be alone now. Michaela sensed the change in him, an ability she had long ago perfected. She could sense things that other people failed to notice, like a sudden change of mood that could only be detected by a slight shift of the shoulders, or a look in someone's eyes in the briefest of seconds. She saw his shoulders stiffen, as if willing them to prove his strength, his ability to cope with his once buried loss.

She did not know of his pain, just that something had come to his mind that he wasn't too keen on remembering. That is what she felt; what she could see written in his posture like an open book. She did not question her ability, but always put utmost faith in it, so she knew what to do.

"Why does it make you sad?" she asked.

"You are too young to understand; sometimes I do not even understand it myself" Davy replied.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you… I'll leave if you want me to" Michaela said quietly, looking hard at the floor. Davy reached out his crab claw and touched her nose.

"It's alright. You didn't upset me, I was just thinking too hard about something that shouldn't trouble a little girl's mind. I don't want you to leave" he said, finally looking at her. She looked up at him with confusion and surprise written on her face, but said nothing.

"You can stay for as long as needed" Davy said, and Michaela knew he wasn't talking about staying in the cabin; what he was talking about was much bigger. Michaela merely nodded. Then the door to the cabin opened and Evelyn walked in, almost shattering the fragile and invisible bond that had tentatively grown between captain and child.

"How much longer until we reach Tortuga?" she asked.

"A few more days, depending on the weather" Jones replied.

"I'll only burden you until we get to Tortuga, then the girl and I will leave your company" Evelyn said.

"I'm only going into Tortuga to meet my papa, but if he doesn't want me then I'm coming back here" Michaela said suddenly.

"I really don't think that's a good idea" Evelyn said.

"I've thought it over, and I don't want to leave if my papa won't have me" Michaela insisted, determination in her voice. Evelyn frowned.

"Alright, tell me why staying has suddenly become so important to you, and I'll think about it" Evelyn said.

"Davy is hurting and I'm sure that it's the same kind of hurt I had once. I can help him, and he can help me" Michaela replied, utmost sincerity in her voice. Evelyn looked at her in surprise, then stared at the back of Davy's head.

"You really think that?" she asked. Michaela nodded, and Evelyn sighed.

"Fine, if it means that much to you; but I'm leaving for good, so if you change your mind you'd better do it before we're done talking to Jack" she said. Michaela smiled at her then grinned at Davy, who sighed as well. Shaking her head Evelyn left the cabin, leaving Davy and the oddly intelligent little girl alone again.

"Do you know anything about my papa?" Michaela asked him suddenly.

"Yes, I made a deal with your father; he's got eight more years until he has to pay his debt" Davy replied.

"What was the deal about, and what is his debt?" Michaela asked.

"Five years ago Jack Sparrow lost a ship to the ocean depths. I found him and agreed to bring it back from the depths for him, but after he'd captained the ship for thirteen years, he'd have to serve one hundred years before the mast on my ship. He agreed, so in eight years I'm going to find him and claim the soul he owes me; his soul. For one hundred years" Davy replied.

"He named his ship after mama, but I never thought he would care that much about a ship" Michaela said, frowning.

"Having second thoughts about going to find him?" Davy asked.

"No, I just don't know what to expect when I meet him. I'm excited about finally having the chance to meet him, but I'm also a little bit afraid" Michaela replied.

"What could you possibly be afraid of? You sure don't act like I scare you at all, so what could possibly scare you when I can't?" Davy said, laughter in his eyes. Michaela was shocked by this strange happiness in Jones, but she didn't show it. Somehow she knew that Davy was not the kind of person who laughed regularly, but she also knew that she couldn't tell people the things she instinctively sensed in the world around her. If she did many would likely accuse her of witchcraft, and though she was extremely young she knew the full extent of what that would mean, though nobody had ever told her what was done with witches.

Davy looked at her thoughtfully suddenly, then tapped the bench beside him with his claw. Michaela sat down next to him and, before she could lose her nerve, leaned against his side and wrapped her little arms around his large one. Davy looked at her in surprise, but quickly pushed the feeling away. After all, she was only just a child and couldn't be expected to act like anything other than that.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Davy asked quietly.

"I'm not afraid of death, that's all. It's a natural part of life and everyone dies anyway, so it's really only a question of when and where. It doesn't really matter to me; if I die I die, and that's that. And it's not like anyone is going to miss me since mama's dead, or as good as dead" Michaela replied.

"That may be so, but what does not being afraid of death have to do with not being afraid of me?" Davy asked.

"In all the stories people associate you with death, but now that I've seen you I know that's not entirely true" She replied.

"And what makes you say that?" Davy asked.

"Well, I can see your soul. I can see who you used to be if I concentrate enough and look the right way. I have to look with my soul, not my eyes, and I can see things that are hidden. I know you were a good man once; you might still be one. I know you won't break a promise if you make one, and I know that you're sincere in everything you do and say" Michaela replied, and this time she was met with a shocked silence that seemed to stretch on forever.