Araelya's heart skipped a beat. She reached for Lee as he fell. The world moved in slow motion. She was pretty sure she screamed, but she couldn't hear it in her own ears. She pressed on Lee's wound and ripped up cloth from her sleeve to cover the wound. The bullet had gone into his shoulder and stopped. She didn't have time to dig out the bullet, and Lee was loosing blood fast.

"Stay with me," she mumble to him over and over again.

His eyes were wide open, starring up passed Araelya. She clung to him tightly and cried out hysterically, though no tears dropped from her eyes.

Jon smiled victoriously and was now at Araelya's side. He held the gun to her head and pulled at her arm, getting her to stand up.

She fought against him and held onto Lee. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to him, along with other nonsense. She was hysterical and didn't really know what she was saying or what she was apologizing for. Actually, she did know. She was apologizing for being the reason he was bleeding on the floor and the reason Xander turned against him in the first place. She had been the reason for the death of many men, but this man was significantly different. He died because he was saving her. No one had ever tried to do that before. No one believed in her like Lee did. And now she had let the only man who cared for her... slip though her fingers.

Araelya was drug up the stairs. The last she saw of Lee, he was choking on his own blood.

Captain Xander was taken aback at the sight of Araelya. She was drenched in blood and her eyes were wild. She looked like an animal who had just fed on it's prey.

"What the devil happened?" Xander demanded of Jon.

Jon was still pressing his gun into the side of Araelya. "Her and Lee put up a fight, sir. We couldn't keep them under control."

"Where is Lee and Kay?"

Araelya's eyes saddened at the sound of Lee's name. It was all her fault.

"Captain, Kay was stabbed in the eye by her. Lee was too much trouble. I had no choice but to shoot him."

Xander looked furious, but he wasn't too upset because Araelya was still alive. All he needed was to turn her over to Teague.

"Roge," Xander turned to one of his crew members. "Clean up the brig and take care of Kay's eye." He then turned back to Araelya. "Get her cleaned up."

Araelya let herself be pushed away into a room. She changed her clothes, not knowing who was watching her. Most of the blood was scrubbed off of her by one of the crew members. She starred blankly at the floor, feeling numb and emotionless. She didn't see Kay anymore, but she could hear his screams as someone pulled the key out of his eye.

She didn't know what they were going to do with Lee's body. She wanted to see him again, but if she did see him in a lifeless form, she might loose her mind more than she already had.

Araelya decided that she did deserve to be tortured by Captain Teague. She would let him do to her whatever he wanted. She had cause too much hurt for everyone in the entire world. No one loved her. No one wanted her alive. Every pirate and civilian alive had hunted her before. It was time her evil reign came to an end. It's a shame that her end came so soon, but it's what everyone wants.

She only wished she could apologize to the few living people that she had cause heartache to. Not that her silly words could make anything better, but she still wanted a chance to try it out.

A chance that would never come.

The island where Edward Teague was hiding out was a dark and rocky place. The air dropped a few degrees and a thick fog settled over the island. The Cassiopeia was to it's final destination.

The entire crew was loaded into row boats. Everyone was to go ashore to deliver Araelya. In normal circumstances Araelya would've been honored that all the men came because they were so afraid she would escape. These men thought high of her skills. She had made her reputation known to them all. A reputation that she now regretted.

They all marched into a dark cave that was lit only by a few torches hung along the walls. Araelya shuddered at the stench of death and the human bones that littered the walkway. She was entering her literal nightmare.

Her stomach dropped when they entered the opening room in the cave, reviewing all the horrors she was to face for the rest of her short life. Stalagmites and stalactites poked around the cave. Sitting on a thrown with human heads hanging above him on ropes was Captain Edward Teague of Madagascar. He controlled the waters around this area. And he controlled whatever was about to happen.

He had a giant hat with feathers on it. His eyes were squinted, hidden under his wrinkled face. His beard was in two braids as brown and grey as his long hair. His fingers were bedazzled with rings and his neck was decorated with treasures. His crew stood at attention all around him, all sneering an eyeing Araelya.

Araelya stepped into the moonlight that shone from a hole in the cave roof. Teague groaned with approval and tapped his long nails on the side of his throne.

"We held up our end of the bargain. Where is the money?" Xander tried to act tough and unafraid when he spoke, but Araelya saw through him, as did Teague.

"What took you so long?" Teague barely opened his mouth when he spoke, but he was heard very clearly.

"We ran into many problems along the way. She is a handful."

"You think I don't know her ways? You should've delivered her sooner."

Xander glanced at Araelya with hatred. He was starting to realize that she was right about what she had said before. She claimed that Teague wouldn't pay them for their lousy job and that he had chosen them only because of how dispensable they were.

"If the task should've been so easy," Xander said, "then why didn't you go get her yourself?"

Teague stood up, clearly getting angry; he was known for his short temper. "You know that I would've drawn too much attention to myself."

"I-"

Teague interrupted him. "I have had enough of this. Kill them all. Bring me the girl."

Teague's crew moved faster than any crew Araelya had ever seen. Half of Xander's men were dead before he even drew his sword. Xander did well defending himself, but he was hopelessly out numbered.

Araelya stood motionless as the events unraveled around her. Teague stood up and she noticed the chains in his hands. She hadn't realized it, but she was slowly moving towards him. It was almost as if he had put her in a trance that was making her walk. She looked away from his eyes and stopped moving.

One of Teague's men was about to grab Araelya when Xander drove a sword through his chest, causing blood to splatter onto Araelya. Xander grabbed onto Araelya and held the sword to her throat. Everyone stopped moving and stood deathly still.

"I'll kill her," Xander said flatly. "You won't get your chance to torture your own granddaughter."

Teague thought it was a joke. "Granddaughter? What lousy attempt is this? Trying to salvage the deal still, are we?

"She claims to be the child of Jack Sparrow."

Teague's hate for Araelya grew even more. He physically shook with anger. "No heir of mine will make a fool of me like she has done."

Araelya grinned a small bit then flinched when Xander pressed the sword harder on her throat.

"Well you won't get a chance to punish her for it, unless you pay me."

"You are a fool."

Xander shrugged. "Maybe."

He was slowly backing out of the cave. No one could follow him or he would slit Araelya's throat. They looked on helplessly, letting him take her away.

Xander turned to run for the rowboats and take her back to his ship, except his ship was no longer able to sail. While he had been in the cave, Teague had his men set the Cassiopeia a blaze. It was being consumed in flames and Xander had no way of escaping the hell that he had sailed to.

Teague planned to hunt him down on the island later. He let him go so easily because he knew he could not hide from him for forever, especially in his own home.

"Bloody hell," Xander mumbled to himself. The flames illuminated his eyes and Araelya could see the sadness and horror behind them.

Normally she would've convinced him to let her go, but she didn't care what happened to her right now, so she would go with the flow, and let him drag her around the inescapable island.

"We have to hide somewhere," Xander said to her. "Keep up." He drug her through the forest at a fast pace.

She stumbled and ran with her arms still tied behind her back. She knew this could only end in Xander's death and her being taken to Teague. This was only delaying their fate.

Araelya ran into Xander when he stopped suddenly. He was listening for something. Araelya thought he had become paranoid but then she heard something too. Someone was with them. The leaves were rustling and voices could be heard. This was it. Teague's men had to be surrounding them. Any minute now they would come out and surprise them.

A man flew from the bushes and with a swift stroke he killed Xander. Araelya watched his body crumple to the floor in a heap of blood. Araelya look up in the face of Xander's killer. Much to her surprise she did not find one of Teague's men, but she saw that it was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow.

Araelya gasped and her eyes widened. "What are y-"

"I know. Don't think about it too much. I too am questioning why I'm here." Jack acted like it was fate that had brought him out of captivity and to this island, but he had come for Araelya and her alone. It had to be the first time in a long time that he did something that would not benefit himself, but someone he cared for. Araelya was his family and just like his own father, Edward Teague, had been there for him when he truly needed him the most, he would stop by in Araelya's life from time to time as well. And Jack Sparrow couldn't be more proud of this female pirate to call his own.

In that moment, Araelya was so overwhelmed that all the emotions she had been trying to kill, exploded out of her in a rush.

She remembered all the cold cells she was forced into, and the Royal Navy running after her constantly. She thought of how she had disrespected Captain Teague's men and how malicious and terrifying he had looked under the pale moonlight. She recalled all the lonely nights she had spent with not a family, but with a hunger so great it ate her from the inside out. The images of Lee went through her head at full speed; Lee smiling and teasing her, Lee sleeping next to her on Cannibal Island, Lee holding her to him and kissing her... That was all gone now. Lee was gone.

Araelya took rushed steps toward Jack, making him think she was going to attack him. He stepped back cautiously, but Araelya collided into him hard, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Finally, hot tears ran down her face and onto Jacks shirt. Most of her life she had no one to comfort her. She was so alone in the world all the time. Lee was the only person who had started helping her and being kind to her, but he was gone. Knowing that she had a friend like Jack, she couldn't help but feel so overjoyed. She needed him, even if she didn't act like it sometimes, and she was glad he wanted her in his life.

Jack was shocked by her hug at first, and he stood with his arms out and away from her, almost like she was a diseased stranger hugging him and not his own daughter. But after a while he wrapped his arms around her as well and gave her the comfort she needed. He smiled softly and pulled her hair out of her face.

"Araelya, we have to go before Teague catches up," he said slowly, trying his best not to upset her anymore than she already was.

When Araelya pulled away from Jack. She looked as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were not red or puffy from crying, she looked normal. But letting the tears and sadness out of her was creating a fresh start for herself. She put Lee out of her mind and got back into the mindset of a pirate, once and for all. Nothing could hold her back; she had to let go of her regrets and burdens at some point. They would do no good to be remembered, the past was in the past, and there was no changing that.

Jack cleared his throat and pointed towards the shore. "Go to the Pearl. Mr. Gibbs has a boat ready to take you to it. Don't worry about Barbossa, the old hag has gone off to more plundering." Jack didn't mention all the offers he made Barbossa and all he had paid him to get him to leave the Pearl, but it wasn't important.

"What if Teague gets to me first?"

Jack smiled reassuringly. "Leave it to me."

Araelya nodded and turned to leave. She glanced back at Jack as she was leaving and he tipped his hat at her in a silent goodbye.

"Well," Teague muttered from his chair. "If it isn't my beloved Jackie."

Jack Sparrow had come into Teague's hideout. He knew all the in's and out's of this cave, he did grow up here, after all. "Good to see you, Dad."

Teague grimaced, which was the closest thing to a smile that he ever got. "Come to visit me, have you?"

"I think you know why I'm here," Jack tried his best to keep a joyful tone, but the dark look Teague gave him made his confidence falter.

"Is it true," Teague said. "Is that girl my granddaughter?"

There was a long pause. Only the sound of Teague's men shifting uncomfortably could be heard.

"I honestly don't know. But I am proud if she truly is my child. She has to be the greatest pirate in the Caribbean." It was hard for Jack to admit that, but he did say it with shame. He was a proud pirate.

Teague scoffed. "There was a time when that was you, you know. There was a time when that was me."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Have to out grow the job sometime, aye?"

"I suppose so." He sighed heavily. "I can see that you care about her."

"How can I not? You cared about me, right? Wanted me to follow in your footsteps? I merely want the same."

"Well, Jackie, I expect you to be there when she needs. I still want you to follow in my footsteps, so I expect you to with this child."

Jack smiled and rolled a gold coin on his knuckles. "Have I ever disappointed you?"

The two smiled knowingly and nodded at one another. They both knew she was capable of handling herself, but Araelya did need a helping hand sometimes. She needed someone to tell her that things were going to be alright. She may be the best pirate in the Caribbean, but she was still human. And still crazy, just like Jack.

And right now she needed Jack to tell her to get off her ass and find a ship and crew as good as his own.