I may be late in updating, but I'm true to my word.

I promise I'll never take that much time to update again. Cross my heart and hope to never see Jack Sparrow again ):


Chapter seven

It was raining. Not hard, no, not hard at all, but hard enough to severely dampen the mood of the crew, no pun intended. It was also dark. If that helped the situation any. Adelaine sat on the steps of the Black Pearl, chin in hands, moping. Her most usual past time. They had been sailing for a while now, not really sure what exactly they were looking for, but just knowing it was out there somewhere. The others were stationed somewhere across the deck, soaking wet and not really caring, at least it wasn't windy and there was no lightning. Jack was at the helm as usual, one arm flung through the spokes, the other clutching the jar of dirt. Him and his new-best-friend, Jar of Dirt, had drug many kicks and giggles out of Adelaine, regardless of her sour mood towards almost everyone. They had left Tia Dalma's in a state of a blank bewilderment and had all climbed aboard the Pearl, very slowly, and had sort of walked around in a slight daze for the past few hours, just sailing out to no where in particular trying to find the Dutchman.

Exciting, right?

Yeah, thought so.

So now here they all were at present, not doing much, just mildly tending to their duties while the mood darkening drizzle poured down on them from above.

Adelaine yawned and rubbed her eyes, kicking a rock across the deck and into the main mast. She leaned back on her elbows, watching Ragetti and Pintel argue over who gets to man the last sailing station. Soon, she tired of watching them bicker, and tilted her head backwards to see Jack staring fixedly ahead, not paying any mind to anything happening on deck. Adelaine sighed and pulled her lazy butt off the wooden step and turned around to walk up them to Jack. He didn't see her approaching him, or if he did, he made no note of it. She sighed and put her hands in her pockets, idly rocking back and forth on her heels. Jack turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help ye luv?"

Adelaine folded her arms over her chest and shook her head. "Just wanted to be near you s'all." Jack chuckled and turned back to the deck. Adelaine took a few steps closer to him. "What'd you do, since the last time I saw you?" Jack turned back to her and grinned slyly.

"Took a swig o' me rum and came up here. Why you ask?" Adelaine chuckled and shook her head. "I mean since a year ago, you know, back in Port Royal." Jack shrugged.

"Sailed around a bit, loitered around Tortuga, drank a lot o' rum I can tell ye that honestly." He winked at Adelaine and grinned, his gold capped teeth flashing.

"Captain!" Gibbs called, interrupting their delightful conversation. "There's somethin' over 'ere ye might want to see!"

Jack swiftly let go of the wheel, handed Adelaine Jar of Dirt, and strutted down to Gibbs' side. Adelaine looked around for a place to put dear old Jar of Dirt, and resolved with setting it by the base of the helm and dashing off after Jack. She turned her head to look out to sea, where they all were looking, and the dark outline of a broken ship, snapped cleanly in the middle, was just visible.

"That's the Flying Dutchman?" Will asked, once more his stupidity getting on Adelaine's nerves. No, you ding-bat it's a candy store. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you," Jack retorted at Will, elbowing Gibbs. "Don't underestimate it." Adelaine snickered.

"Must've run afoul on the reef," Gibbs observed. Jack turned to Will and eyed him warily.

"What's your plan?"

"I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key."

"And if there are crewmen?"

"I cut down anyone in my path."

Jack considered this, and then nodded, giving his approval. "I like it. Simple, easy to remember." Ragetti waved his arms about as Will descended into the long boat. "Your chariot awaits you."

"Oi!" Jack yelled, running over to the edge as Will got in. "If you do have to get captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt. Might save your life." Will nodded and picked up his oars. Adelaine bit her lip before running beside Jack and leaning over.

"Be careful, Will. Elizabeth threatened me with my own insides if you get yourself hurt." Will looked up and smiled slightly, then started rowing towards the ship.

"Snuff the candles," came the order, and the Pearlwas plunged into darkness. Adelaine felt an arm wrap around her waist, and she yelped, turning to smack whoever it was, when Jack shushed her.

"It's just me, luv. Now please, put your shiv down." Adelaine blushed in the darkness and slid her shiv back into her vest. Jack tightened his grip on her waist, and she leaned into him, closing her eyes for a few seconds. All was quiet, and then a whoosh was heard, another ship popped up beside the sunken one, and there was a great blast of fire, then everything was still. Adelaine stared wide-eyed, cursing herself for being so mean to Will. She snapped her head to Jack.

"Do you think he's all right?"

Jack grimaced, but flashed an award winning smile and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm sure the whelp is fine; now please don't hold my hand so tightly, I think I'm losing circulation." Adelaine looked down to see both hands clutching tightly at Jack's ringed one, and she dropped it.

"I-I'm sorry."

Jack chuckled. "Well, if you're so worried about 'im why don't we take a look shall we?" he pulled his arm from around Adelaine's waist and raised his glass to his eye. As he was doing so, figures materialized in front of the crew, figures that have fishy characteristics and inhuman abilities. Adelaine looked around warily and tightened her grip on Jack's arm. He gasped and dropped his glass to stare into the face of none other than Davy Jones himself. Adelaine's eyes widened at this monstrosity and carefully stepped backwards to get away from him, and slimy, fishy green arms wrapped around her waist and pinned her to the chest of some God forsaken mutant.

"Well then, ain't you a purdy lil' thang," the monster hissed into her ear, to which she responded with a stomp on his foot and an elbow in the nose. The thing (that had characteristics closely resembling a puffer fish) hissed again and pinned her arms down to her side.

"Let go of me you deranged imbecile!" Adelaine screeched, struggling to break free of its grasp. It proceeded to tie a gag around her mouth and strongly pin her flailing limbs down at her side.

"You 'ave a debt to pay," Jones' voice cracked and popped over the heads of the alarmed crew, all jumbling together to eschew the fish crew of Davy Jones that had swarmed onto the deck of the poor Pearl, cackling with glee over their anxious faces. "You've been Captain o' the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement."

Jack smiled weakly at the large, fishy face in front of him, not sure whether to stare at the tentacles making up his beard, or look into his cold gaze. "Technically, I was only Captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon."

Jones growled and stepped forward, Jack stepping back. "Then you were a poor Captain, but a Captain nonetheless. Have you not introduced yourself all these years as 'Captain Jack Sparrow'?" Adelaine cringed at the piercing tone he used, and at the way his crew laughed maliciously. Poor Jack.

"Yeah, I gave you payment," Jack stated, pointing past the slimy captain in front of him. "One soul to serve on your ship is already over there."

"One soul is not equal to another."

At this Jack grinned, his deep brown eyes sparkling. "Aha! So we've establish my proposal in sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price."

"Price?"

"Just how many souls, do you think, my soul is worth?"

"One hundred souls. Three days." Adelaine kicked at her captor and screamed through her gag, glaring at Jones over the bandanna in her mouth. Jack glanced fleetingly over at her and shook his head slightly, motioning for her to be quiet, but Jones saw this movement and his head snapped around to face Adelaine, and he cackled gleefully. "Well, well Jack Sparra. I didn't know you was takin' on women." Jack jumped forward, standing between Jones and Adelaine, preventing him from getting a good look at her. "Actually, I'm not. As it so happens, this lass bartered to hop a ride to the next port and that was where we were settin' off to just before you and your…" he paused to look around and take in the features of his crew, before shuddering and continuing. "…carbuncles just so happened to jump along and therefore postpone the getting rid of the femininity aboard this vessel. Enough of that, send me back the boy, I'll get started right off on collecting those souls of yours. Savvy?" Jones sneered and pushed him aside.

"I keep the boy. One good, faith payment. That leaves you only ninety-nine to go. Unless…" he reached up with his clawed hand and brushed it through Adelaine's golden brown locks. "The girl comes as well. Then you'll only have ninety-eight!" he threw his head back and laughed at his little quip, and Jack was just amused that he had even a little sense of humor to even attempt to crack some kind of joke.

"The girl ain't for sale. Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, a terrific soprano. Worth at least four, maybe three and a half. And did I happen to mention... he's in love. With a girl. Due to be married. Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony. Aye?"
Jones finished guffawing and wiped a tear from his fishy eye, then his mouth twisted into its familiar scowl and he narrowed his eyes at Jack. "I keep the boy. Ninty-nine souls-ah. But I wonder, Sparrow... can you live with this? Can you condemn an innocent man - a friend - to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?" Jack was silent for a few moments, his face blank and his eyes with that gleam that one gets when procuring up a plan. "Yep I'm good with it. Shall we seal it in blood; I mean, uh, ink? " Adelaine writhed in her captor's grip, unable to say anything with the gag tied tightly around her mouth, so she glared, and hoped Jack would get the message. Jones' slimy tentacle hand reached out from under his thick black robes and wrapped around Jack's right hand, leaving a shiny, sticky mess. "Three days. Back to the Dutchman, and bring the girl!"

The arms around Adelaine's waist grew tighter, and all of her thrashing and kicking was all in vain, as a blade was pushed up against her side and a voice hissed "Stop yer kickin' or this goes in yer side." Jack lunged forward, reaching for her arms and cursing Davy Jones at the top of his lungs, but a hammer-head shark man pushed him roughly back, away from Adelaine, who was fading into thin air along with the rest of the Dutchman crew. She screamed through the handkerchief that was muffling her words, but her eyes never left Jack's, even when he was nothing but a faint outline in the mist, then was gone.


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