Dark descends and I stealthily emerge from my cabin. Like a thief in the night I creep down the passageway, down steps and into the bowels of the ship to the brig.

A man guards the entrance to it and stops me up short.

"What ye be wantin' in the brig, little missy?" he asks in slurred speech. He's either drunk or asleep on his feet. All the better for me.

"I'm here to bring the prisoner his food," I say confidently. "Captain's orders." The drunk/asleep sailor in front of me opens the door unquestioningly, and I raise an eyebrow at my good luck. I was expecting at least to have to knock him out with something.

As soon as the door closes behind me I throw aside the tray I brought with me and hurry to the cell where I can see Cutler, sitting despondently in a corner, knees drawn up to his chest.

"Cutler! It's me!" I whisper through the bars of his cell. His head jerks up and his body follows, feeling with his hands for the bars as he slowly walks towards my voice. I grasp his hand tight through the bars.

"Where are the keys, Cutler? We've gotta get you out of here."

"I don't know. I think the guard took them with him when he left."

"Damn," I swear under my breath. "Wait here, I'll go get them." As I disentangle my hand from his, Cutler tries to tell me to stop, but I pick up the rum bottle from the discarded tray and knock on the door for the guard to let me out. It looks as if I'm going to get to knock him out after all.

I bring the bottle down hard on his head and it shatters satisfyingly. I barely manage to catch his body and lower him quietly to the ground. A quick search of his person reveals the keys on a ring at his belt, and I am off with them, unlocking Cutler's cell with hurried hands.

When I open the door, he practically falls into me. Before I know it, I have wrapped myself in his arms and his head is on my shoulder. I hold him close, marveling at how right this feels. He places a finger on my lips, and uses it as a guide as he leans in to kiss me.

He smiles a tremulous smile as we break apart and says quietly,

"I think you should know we're not alone," glancing over at the cell next to his. I don't know how I didn't notice it before, but in the corner huddles the form of a thin, beautiful woman, clad in a sailor's jacket and trousers. "We have to bring the mermaid with us,"

"That ain't a mermaid," I say, perplexed. "She ain't got a tail."

"Apparently, they transform once on land. Don't ask me how or why. We'll be needing her to give us her tear fresh when we reach the Fountain, as tears don't keep."

Cutler didn't add that they would also need a sacrifice. He had been worrying over the matter for as long as he had been contemplating the Fountain, but at last, he found a suitable subject in the mermaid. Once he had her tear, she would drink from the chalice and bestow her life for his.

I unlock the cell unquestioningly. Her hands are bound in chains, but I remember the hellish night before and make no move to undo them.

As we hightail it out of there Cutler's stick catches my eye, propped against a corner with a mop and bucket. I snatch it up and press it into his hands with his thanks. My plan to get Cutler out of the brig is completed, and now to execute phase two: hijack a rowboat and row to the island.

The deck is clear of sentries, but nevertheless we keep low as I lead Cutler and the mermaid to a boat. I usher them in and am about to climb in myself when Cutler grabs hold of my arm.

"We need the compass, Winnifred," he tells me. Chagrin washes over me. How could I have forgotten about the compass?

"Aye. Lower the boat; I'll be naught but a minute."

"Remember, he keeps it on his person at all times!" he calls after me in a stage whisper. I am already gone, blending into the shadows of the ship. The door to the captain's cabin is, to my surprise, open. I can see through the gap to the desk, where a figure is slumped over unconscious. As I tiptoe over, I can see clearly the dreadlocks of Jack Sparrow. The compass hangs innocently at his belt, and I tug it off in one yank.

It's been almost… too easy. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I draw my knife. On impulse, I whirl around and hold it to Jack Sparrow's unconscious form. I see a flicker of movement in the shadows across the room, as if a man had been about to step into the light, but thought better of it. However, if there was someone there, and he had seen me, our escape plan was foiled.

I have to make a choice. I can stay and depend on my hostage to get us off the ship safely, but then have to deal with pursuit as soon as we were clear. On the other hand, I could confront the shadow, but still be discovered and pursued.

A sneaky little voice in my head whispers run and I listen. I dart for the door and hightail it as fast as my legs would carry me. As I fly out the door a shout follows me, in Barbossa's voice:

"Prisoner's escaping! All hands! Prisoner escape!" I will Cutler and the mermaid to be safely away and in the boat as I make a last-ditch attempt to avoid pursuit: I lean over the side of the other two boats and bundle the oars into my arms. I had intended on throwing them overboard, but they would be to easily retrieved. I run to our boat to stow them, but Cutler has already lowered it into the water.

"Cutler! Watch out below!" I cry as I let them fall down to the planking. Cutler duly covers his head, and then yells back up,

"What's going on? Have we been found out?"

"Aye! I'm coming down!" I yell, and I climb onto the rail and dive off just as the first of the pirates are rushing onto the deck.

I hit water with a thudding impact and swim for the boat.

"Cutler! Help me in!" I cry as I approach the side of the boat, and he puts out a hand to pull me in.

"Why did you throw down oars?" he asks, shoving one as he spoke out of the way. I pick up two and row for my life. Any minute now, the pirates would discover their absence, and I could not help but smile.

"To throw off pursuit, of course," I respond. "I don't suppose you had time to gather any provisions before you lowered the boat?"

"No, but luckily there were some already in the boat. It seems someone was also planning an escape."

"But who would want to leave the boat? There wasn't anyone else in the brig besides the mermaid, and no way she could have…" I trail off, looking at her now for the first time. Her skin is pale and her body is skinny. She looks like a fish, even when she's human. I wonder if she can talk.

The shore approaches rapidly and I drag the boat up on the sand, helping Cutler and then the mermaid out. Dawn is approaching. By the faint light of the lanters I can see the flurry of activity aboard the ship. I am sure they will improvise some sort of oar-like implement soon, so I say crisply to Cutler,

"Let's get moving. Grab the food and follow me." As I set off down the beach towards the dark, dense jungle, I look behind me and see only the mermaid following. Cutler is wandering off in the wrong direction.

"Cutler!" I cry, and he turns around, only now realizing he is going the wrong way. I run to catch up to him.

"Here," I say, bringing some rope out of the boat, "We'll tie ourselves together. Use your walking stick to feel around where you're walking so you don't trip over anything. I think we'll have the mermaid walk in front of me." So saying I pass the end of the rope around my waist and through her handcuffs.

"Sorry, lass, but we can't have you running off," I say apologetically.

"I would not run. I would fight," the mermaid says unexpectedly. Her words hit me like a slap in the face.

"So ya can talk, after all? Good. Might make this whole thing easier." I ignore her implied threat and set off towards the jungle, prodding the mermaid along ahead of me. "We'll walk until daylight and keep on once the sun has risen. We're gonna try and put as much distance as we can between us and the Pearl."

A/N: This update is short, probably because it wasn't really mean to be a chapter. They were supposed to start chalice-hunting in this one, but I found I required a little filler to get Cutler out of the brig. Oh, and BTW, I didn't get much feedback on the previous chapter, and I was just DYING to know how you guys liked the kiss/ identity-reveal scene. So review it? Please?

P.S. It was NOT just a coincidence that the boat was ready-stocked with provisions. I may write a separate fanfic about it, actually. Depends on how much time I have on my hands once I'm done with this.