Rachelle's back in this chapter! Thanks to Leyshla Gisel and esinger for their reviews last chapter and to everyone else who followed/favorited this story so far! It means a lot that you all are sticking with me. As always, feedback is much appreciated and reviews totally brighten my day.

Chapter 11

My eyes fluttered open, taking in the image of my blacksmith friend in a dimly lit space. "Will? What's going on? How'd I end up in here again?" I asked groggily, looking around to see that we were locked in our own cell in the brig.

I sat upright slowly, feeling the bandage wrapped around my waist and noticing my dress had been replaced by a deep green midriff top and tan leather breeches. Will ignored my questions and instead asked one of his own. "How are you feeling, Rachelle?"

"Like I found myself at the wrong end of a blade." I smirked wryly, clutching my pierced abdomen. "What happened?"

"When you fell to the deck, Jack and I took you into Barbossa's cabin where we cleaned your wound and Jack…" Will trailed off, looking embarrassed. "He, um, pulled off your dress. Elizabeth found those clothes and, um, put you in them." he finished, gesturing awkwardly to my new attire.

I nodded and, noticing a distinct lack of concerned fluttering and drunken flirting, I asked, "Where's… Where're Jack and Elizabeth?"

"Well, Jack was with you at first, but Barbossa wouldn't let him stay after he saw that Jack had taken off your clothes." Will explained, avoiding mention of my sister.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course," I sighed. "He never liked us to even speak together."

"Wait, I'm a little confused. What did that woman mean, 'you are like a child to Barbossa'? And how'd you know Jack before he threatened you a couple of days ago?"

"First, what happened to Elizabeth? Where is she?" I demanded to know.

Will sighed, looking morose. "Barbossa made her and Jack walk the plank. He marooned them on that island."

My eyes widened and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "No…"

"I'm sorry, Rachelle. I tried to stop Barbossa, but there was nothing I could do."

I nodded slowly, biting my tongue to keep a stream of angry curses from passing my lips.

"Some clarification on that woman would be nice, too, you know." a pirate from Jack's hired crew piped up.

Taking a deep breath, I launched into a weary explanation. With everyone—even Pintel and Ragetti, who were scrubbing the deck—hanging on my every word, I went into detail of my life story—although only slightly more than I had provided Elizabeth. From Tortuga, to the Pearl, to Port Royal, they heard my tale.

I told them how I was raised on the sea amid fearsome pirates, how Jack and I fell in love at the start, and, regrettably, how Barbossa killed Bootstrap. With Pintel and Ragetti in the room, I often paused while they added details that I had forgotten or chosen to leave out.

By the time I finished, Will stared at me apprehensively, as though he had a million more questions to ask. But only one left his lips. "You knew my father?" he murmured quietly.

With a nod, I answered, "He was a good man, Will. He was my closest friend aboard the Pearl. As I said, when I fell overboard nine and a half years ago, he saved my life instead of saving himself and letting me drown. From the day we met, I could tell were you just like your father. Noble, kind, caring, intelligent, wise…"

I broke off, swallowing the tears that threatened to fall, and looked my friend in the eye. "Will, I may love Jack as you love Elizabeth, but I value you and your father, and the friendship you both have given me, more than anyone or anything in the whole wide world. I know that if I ever need anything, that I can ask you for help. I know that I can depend on you and you will try your hardest to help me out."

Silence filled the brig as Will and I held a silent stare-off. I knew his thoughts were whirling as he digested, once and for all, that his father was a pirate. "I never knew… I never would have guessed that, for as dead set I was against them, I would count pirates as my family."

"And now?"

"Now, I must accept what I thought were lies from Jack Sparrow. I want to believe that my father was an honorable merchant, but… it seems now that the evidence is against my will."

I watched him carefully as he stood in the opposite corner of our cell, looking as though he were deep in contemplation. Suddenly, Barbossa came barreling halfway down the stairs and threw Ragetti the keys to our cell. "Bring him, leave her." he commanded sharply.

Pintel pulled my friend away roughly, leaving me alone next to Jack's crew. I slumped back against the wall, watching the group leave without so much as a glance. The air felt tense and I wished suddenly that I had not confessed my past to such an honorable man. Yet, my friend deserved to know the truth. Truly, if he was a friend, he would accept me with my past and realize that I do not live for the past anymore. That I wished a return to normalcy.

"So… you're Rachelle Jones, you say?" I heard someone ask, jolting me from my thoughts.

"Aye, I am." I affirmed, looking over at the other cell's occupants. "It's been many years since I've been addressed as Jones, though. As you heard, Governor Swann of Port Royal adopted me when I washed upon his shores."

"And… you were really a crew member of the Black Pearl?" a different pirate, the short one, questioned.

"Aye, many years ago, when Jack was captain—before that bastard Barbossa mutinied against him and left me to be claimed by the depths of Davy Jones' Locker."

"Jack mentioned you on a number of occasions." Gibbs, the first to have spoken, commented. "Said you were a fine young lass who would remain loyal to those who were loyal to you. Nearly drunk himself to death when news came 'round that you'd been lost to the sea."

My eyes grew wide and I sat up straight. "He did?"

"Aye, it's obvious he cares for ye, Rachelle. I had to stop 'im and tell him that killing himself would do him no better. Told him someone who looked like you had been spotted in Nassau after it'd happened. He didn't believe it, but it stopped him from drinking himself to the death."

"Half-barrel hinges." I murmured, my gaze having come to rest on the item in question.

I stood up abruptly and dragged the bench over to the cell door. Knowing many of Will's blacksmith tricks, I swiftly broke open the door with a loud bang. "I have to help Will!"

Leaving Jack's more than likely confused crew behind, I snuck above deck and past our two guards, who were staring longingly at a hearty plate of food. Silently, I lowered the one of the remaining dinghies and sailed into the mouth of the cavern, following the path we'd taken previously. Movement among the piles of gold caught my eye as I saw a man making his way towards the crowd of cursed pirates.

Recognizing him, I stealthily approached from behind and whispered into his ear. "Hello, Jack."

The pirate captain jumped and looked back at me strangely. "Rachelle, don't do that again, love."

I shrugged off his weird look and queried, "How'd you get off that island? Is Elizabeth alright?"

"That story is for another day and yes, that vile, rum-burning woman is safely aboard the Dauntless."

He moved to walk into the crowd of pirates when I put a hand and his shoulder and pulled him back. "Jack… Thank you," I reached up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for thinking on your feet and probably saving my life. I—"

The pirate captain swiftly interrupted my short-lived profession of gratitude by crashing his lips onto mine. Instantly, a passion that vanished a decade prior rekindled in my heart, leaping joyously as I closed my eyes and melted into the kiss. My back hit the wall and we stood in lip-locked bliss before I gently pushed him away and murmured, "We've got to help, Will."

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips at the parting. "The eunuch?" At my stern glare, he shrugged and added, "I suppose he has grown on me. Natural pirate, that one. What was your plan, Little Pirate Lass?"

I chuckled. "Didn't have one."

"Ah, always the best game plan for a pirate such as yourself or myself. My favorite, mind you. Well, if I know Barbossa, then I know if I walk in there, he'll stop whatever he's doing and—"

"Well, go then! We haven't much time to spare!" I instructed, ushering him into the main cavern.