An: My internet is being shotty, so I decided that while my phone wants to work, I might as well post this chapter. So far, this is one of my favorites (at least for the end part) so I hope you enjoy. :)

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"Explain to me, Captain Teach; if you permit me addressing you as such," Joseph Knight started the second he stepped through the doors of the Spanish captain's cabin. "Why have we cast anchor in the middle of the bloody sea when we could very well speed forward to Mexico while having this little gathering of ours?"

"Because, Captain Knight, if you took notice to the tides you would be aware that the current is terribly strong through this pass. Being the insightful captain I know you are, you would realize that both of our ships lack the speed of those of our peers, though make up for such a loss with heavy artillery and superb weaponry. Therefore, the seas at this time are impassable by our vessels, and if we dare continue to sail through the night we would ultimately risk sailing backwards as well as losing our direction. And yes, you may address me with my father's name. Now...does anyone else feel my decision to be, well, stupid?"

"No Captain," Captain Williams assured, his voluptuous blond curls bouncing as he bowed his head in respect. "We wondered solely of your reasons."

"Well, you have them," Angelica muttered as her delicate feet led her around a large table covered by an equally large map depicting the surrounding land and sea. "Now, shall we assess our position, or retire to our beds unaware and uncaring of our progress towards the Seven Cities?"

Jack smirked from his position at the far end of her cabin, his eyes once attracted to a shiny necklace of hers before he found the fear gathering in the eyes of two of the three captains much more interesting. "Relax Angelica," he soothed, the words indeed allowing some tension to slip from her neck and shoulders. "They will do as you say. Joey just likes to take a more aggressive approach when in search of information."

"What did I tell you about calling me that Sparrow?" Knight spat, veins of anger pressing themselves against his taut, tan skin.

"Dear apologies friend," Jack purred, waving his hand through the air. "Simply trying to lighten the mood."

"Worry not, for the mood is light chers amis," Captain Dupont stated in his thick French accent. "We shall drink from the glasses of our commodore and let no burden darken our times together. Now, I kept a very conscious eye on the speed of my vessel and the length of time we have been sailing, and it is my belief that we are right around here," he finished before trailing his finger along a northwestern line from Haiti to a patch of sea between Cuba's northern border and Florida's southern tip. "We still have a while to go before we reach Mexican shores, but we are making good time."

"Can his readings and conclusions be trusted Jack?" Angelica asked, using the tip of her finger to push a small wooden ship to the place where Dupont's nail rested.

"Spot on," Jack assured. "Adolphe is genius in mathematics. Studied it at a big, fancy university in France before taking leave for the seven seas."

"Interesting," she accepted, the small smirk on her lips proving she was impressed by the Frenchman's scholarly achievements. "So, we are in the cape. Captain Dupont, you are aware of the current, are you not?"

"I am indeed," Dupont nodded. "It is strong tonight, but it shall grow weary when the sun rises."

"Yes, but it will still have power. Do you imagine we will be able to muscle our way past by tomorrow's sunset?"

"It's a stretch," the Frenchman muttered, allowing a beautifully manicured finger to slide from the western point of the cape to the eastern. "This is one of the main water flows leading out from the gulf. Being squished between two large bodies of land causes the waves to be more unforgiving. Like you said, the Most Holy Trinity and Satan's Saber lack the speed the rest of our vessels have, but if we start early in the morning right as the currents start to slow, I believe we can make our way out of the cape and into the gulf by nightfall tomorrow."

"Wonderful," Angelica mused, looking up to Captains Knight and Williams, who bothy nodded their heads in acceptance of their plans. "Hazard me a guess Adolphe. How long until we reach Mexico?"

"As long as no complications present themselves, I would guess three days at the earliest."

"Alright, thank you captains. We will sail at dawn tomorrow, and meet within my cabin to discuss our progress tomorrow night at the same time," she nodded, the tip of her finger settling on the top of the little ship's tallest mast. To any other outside source, it would have seemed that Angelica was simply contemplating a lost thought while she dismissed the others, but Jack was aware that something deeper was haunting her mind. Her shoulders were tight and her back straight. Lines of worry deepened within her Spanish skin, and her dark chocolate eyes glimmered dimly as they focused solely on the wooden ship before her. A sigh escaped her lips, and with a flick of her finger the little ship toppled over and skidded into the lands of Florida; resting there while Angelica stared at it helplessly. He was poised by her door, hidden in the shadows and contemplating his course of action before the Spaniard turned from her chart table and moved to stand behind her desk. "I know you're there Sparrow. No use trying to hide yourself."

"What tipped you off?"

"I could hear you breathing," she smirked, looking down to the papers strewn across her desk's dark mahogany top. "And I knew that if it were anyone aboard this fleet to recognize my distress, it would be you...unfortunately."

"We've barely left port and you look as though someone has shot a gaping hole through the hulls of your ship," Jack stated, moving to her chart table and picking up the little ship cast on its side. "You're worried about something, but you don't want the other captains to know."

"Jack, my fears were clear," she muttered, rubbing her neck before her fingers pulled away the pins holding up the tendrils of her dark brown hair. "My ship is slow, at least compared to the Pearl and the others. The currents in this area are rough and treacherous; threatening anyone brave enough to sail upon her with death and destruction. Hurricanes lurk around every corner on these open seas, at least at this time of year, and I fear my ship doesn't have the ability to push through this current and make it into the gulf before the sun sets once more. Her iron sides weigh her down, and the sea is thirsty for blood."

"Angelica," he whispered, his hand rising to cradle her neck in the way he knew soothed her. He could hear her breathing escalate, and saw her eyes close; the comfort of her age old secret surrounding her like a perfectly heated blanket. "There are ways around this cape. We will get to Mexico-"

"It's not getting there I'm worried about," she interrupted, her voice soft and seemingly deprived of its usual Latin fire. "It is time that ails me. As long as storms don't rise on the horizon, I have no doubt our vessels will rest off the coast of Mexico, but by the time we get there the one-legged will be long gone, as well as my ship. Anchoring through the night is maiming our efforts considerably, and I fear we will simply be too late."

"Now love, don't talk like that. Where is your spirit? Your ambition? Your fire? There is always a way around any sort of predicament. Trust me, I know," he stated, his hand sliding down her arm until he took up her hand and placed the ship figurine within her palm. "You just have to be creative."

"Not this time Jack," she resigned, closing her hand around the small ship before she stepped around her desk and placed the figurine in its former place within the drawing of the water. "There is no outwitting the Devil, nor is there a way to bend his intentions to your will. We will try our hardest to sail with haste, but only the tide will tell."

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon I suppose," Jack chuckled, sharing a soft smile with her before he risked letting the backs of his knuckles caress her heated cheek. "Don't fret so much. You'll lose your concentration, and this isn't an appropriate time for you to do so. Now, get some rest. We set sail at dawn, remember?"

"Trying to give orders to your commodore Sparrow?" she asked teasingly, turning to him with a hand on her popped hip and eyes warmed by his affections. "Such acts can be seen as mutinous."

"Me? Commit mutiny? Now love, surely you know me better than that," he insisted, charm emanating from him along with the usual smell of rum.

"I do know you Jack," she smirked. "That's the problem, but I suppose there is one thing you are right about, I need to rest, but...do you mind helping me with one thing first?"

"It depends..."

"Loosen my corset for me," she asked, turning her back to him and brushing her long locks of hair over one shoulder. "Please?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely, it will be my pleasure," Jack whispered, his devilish smile bringing a gentle chuckle to her lips even though it was out of her range of sight. "You wouldn't need help removing anything else would you? You know I love to help."

Relief touch her in the form of full inhalation and use of the lungs within her once constricted chest. Though she already had a desirable figure, the corset provided the touch of femininity needed aboard a ship inhabited by men, and such a garment always proved uncomfortable, no matter how thin its wearer. "So kind of you to ask," she muttered eventually, her voice soft and seductive as the boat rocked back and forth like a large cradle. "But I believe I can handle it from here."

"Suit yourself sweetness," he smirked, his hands holding her hips as he gently stepped forward to mold his chest with the curve of her back. "You and I both know I could have you undressed in a matter of seconds."

"ยกBuen Dios por encima de! Leave, Jack," Angelica growled, looking over her shoulder before removing his hands from her and turning to look at him with an amused quirk in her eyebrow. His smile though, was glorious and smug. Two fingers rose in a soft salute as he made his way through the majestic doors leading to the deck; the feeling of her eyes on his back making his smile even greater as he heard her chuckle one last time before retiring to the sanctity of her bed. A soft sadness nipped at his insides as he remembered her stress, and the fatal hopelessness that the ocean was to be anything but helpful in retrieving her long lost treasure.

'There is no outwitting the Devil.'

The words stuck with him uncomfortably as he reached for the rope fastened to the railing of her ship. He held tight to the woven fabric and settled his boots against the elevated wood. The wind buffed his clothes, and his swaying body almost dared to swing to his beloved Black Pearl, but that was before her words sparked a thought deep within his mind.

'There is no outwitting the Devil.'

"Oh dear Angelica, yes there is."