A/n: light swearing further on in the chapter. I apologise already for the state of this one, I wrote it in the car on my way back from my holiday.


I didn't dare move. Still slumped in the same position, back against the railings, I was enjoying breeze on my face. Even though I was so tired, I couldn't sleep. Sea sickness was rearing its ugly head again and if I so much as twitched then I wouldn't even get chance to goodbye to the food that I'd eaten on my walk to Port Royal. Unsurprisingly the nausea got worse when I closed my eyes. So I was forced to look for entertainment to keep me occupied.

Said entertainment came in the form of watching Captain Sparrow scurry about around the lower deck. He looked as though he were checking to make sure everything was in working order and up to his standard. Since I had nothing better to do, I seized to opportunity to just look at him. I may not get another uninterrupted chance. Plus it kept my mind away from throwing up, so that was a bonus.

Captain Sparrow moved with a swagger. There was no other word for how he walked and I'd never seen anything like it. It was like he was drunk but I knew full well he was perfectly sober. I wondered if it was just a persona he put on or if he genuinely did always act like this. Every so often he subtly glanced at Will, eyeing him sharpening a sword he'd found, as though he didn't quite trust him. Either that or he was waiting for the younger man to say something.

The Captain certainly knew his way around a ship, not that I'd expected anything else from a renowned pirate. He looked peaceful here, even though it wasn't his beloved Pearl that we were sailing. An idiot could see that he loved being on the ocean. It made me wonder though just how much of it was actually sailing or if his freedom came into it at all. After all, being a fugitive from the law did come with some perks like not having to pay for bills and such. He was free to do whatever he wanted out here without anybody telling him no. Even I could see the benefits of living that way, if I ignored all of the downsides such as never having a permanent home, always being on the run, getting shot and so on.

In complete contrast with the Captain was Will. He didn't seem to give either of us a thought as he continued slowly gliding a stone down the length of the blade. It was obvious that his thoughts were elsewhere. If I were a betting woman, I would have placed all of my money on Elizabeth being the star of said thoughts. Over and over he drew the stone down, emitting a screeching noise that was making me cringe a little bit. Not once did he look anywhere other than at his sword, even when the Captain wandered close to him to secure some rope.

Averting my eyes so that I wouldn't be caught staring, I tried to twist around to look back on the way we'd come. Captain Sparrow was climbing up the short staircase and was removing the rope from the wheel that he'd been using to keep it secure.

Moving was a big mistake. I could feel a light sheen of sweat start to form on the back of my neck and forehead. Leaning my head against the railing I took deep breaths and counted to ten willing the nausea to go away. When it had finally settled down to a semi-manageable level, I roamed my eyes over the horizon. If I squinted I could just about see Port Royal as a smudge in the distance. I hadn't realised that we'd travelled so far already. Had it really been that long since we'd made our great escape?

Something was missing in the picture that I was seeing though. With furrowed eyebrows I tried to shift through my hazy mind to figure just what it was. Sleep deprivation was really beginning to do a number on me. What should have take less than a few seconds to figure out actually took me a good few minutes. Eventually it clicked. There weren't any ships behind us. In fact, as I glanced around, being careful only to move my head and nothing else, we were the only ship that I could see. Unmarried ocean surrounded us for miles. I thought for sure that the Commodore would chase after us. His whole career was at stake, there's no way he would have just let us go on our merry way.

"Why aren't they following us?" I questioned the Captain without turning to look at him.

"Disabled the rudder chain with the crate and rope that young William provided for us. Hold the wheel steady, luv." He spoke in a rush. I barely had any time to react before I heard his boots clunking back down the steps to the lower deck. He hadn't even waited to see if I would do ask he'd asked, just assumed that I'd follow his orders.

"Aye aye, Captain." I muttered sarcastically. With a sigh, I unsteadily heaved myself up to my feet and stumbled over to the wheel. It was touch and go for a moment as to whether the contents of my stomach would come up. I really was feeling wretched. Placing more of my weight onto the wheel than I would have liked, at this point it was the only thing keeping me stood upright, I watched what was happening on the deck below me. Trying to ignore all of my aches.

Will was still sat in the same spot sharpening his sword whilst Captain Sparrow pottered around the deck once again securing ropes from the huge sails. Clearly a sailors work was never done. If I had to constantly do what the Captain was doing, I'd be exhausted after only an hour and this was in good weather. There weren't any doubts in my mind that if we were sailing in the middle of a storm, the work would be even more strenuous.

Captain Sparrow's pottering brought him right next to Will where a rope was flapping absentmindedly in the wind. As he was busy trying to secure it, Will finally spoke, still gazing at the sword.

"When I was a lad, living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died I came out here, looking for my father." He said somewhat forlornly. I bristled slightly becoming aware of the fact that I was about to be in the middle of an uncomfortable situation. Will was a smart man, he would have figured out that Captain Sparrow knew his dad. Unbeknownst the either of them that I did too, but that was a moot point. My grip tightened on the spokes of the large wooden wheel making my knuckles turn white.

"Is that so?" The Captain replied uninterestedly.

"My father, Bill Turner," Will paused as he let the name sink in. The Captain quickly moved away and up the stairs to the deck I was slumped against the wheel. Will followed, not wanting to let the conversation drop now that he'd started it.

"At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted I didn't press the matter."

Captain Sparrow knelt down to secure yet another loose rope. Will took advantage and stood over him in what I could guess was an unconscious intimidation tactic. All I could see now was Will's back, his shirt and pony tail fluttering in the breeze.

"I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." My eyes widened in shock at Will's words. He'd used the Captain's first name. I was surprised that he hadn't addressed him in the same manner that he'd persisted in addressing me. Although, maybe he thought that what with Captain Sparrow being a pirate and all, he wasn't technically a member of civilised society so he thought there was no need to stand on ceremony.

The Captain audibly sighed as he stood up, his tricorn hat visible above Will's head.

"I knew 'im. Probably one of the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."

I closed my eyes in resignation. I'd really hoped that he wouldn't tell Will this way. Yes, he deserved to know, but perhaps a more gentler approach would have been better. Either way, I couldn't undo what had now been done...or in this case, said.

"Bootstrap?" Will questioned more to himself than the pirate. All the while, said pirate, moved over to where I was leaning on the wheel and gently moved me aside with a firm hand on my waist. It was like he knew that I couldn't support my own weight very well and was trying, without making it too obvious, to help me. That couldn't be right though. Why would he want to help me? A more likely explanation was that he was just being nice. Regardless of his motives, the warmth from his arm and hand was seeping through my clothes, aiding my comfort even more.

"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like 'im." Wincing slightly at the Captain's less than tactful response, I extricated myself from his pleasant grip and slowly perched myself on a barrel just to the side of the deck, leaning my back gingerly against the railings. I didn't want to stray too far away from them just in case.

At this point all there was left to do was damage control and help Will to accept the fact that his father was, and still is, a pirate.

Clearly in denial, Will refuted Captain Sparrow's claims.

"It's not true." He sounded like somebody had just told him the farm where his dog had gone to for 'retirement' didn't exist.

"He was a merchant sailor. A good respectable man who obeyed the law."

The Captain's shoulders tensed up the more that Will tried to deny what he was being told. I reached out and squeezed his arm in warning, trying to tell him non-verbally to take it easy on Will. If I tried to intervene, I just knew that I'd be questioned on either why I was so quick to side with a pirate or how I knew who Bootstrap was. Not particularly feeling like dancing around trying to find believable answers, I kept my mouth shut and hoped that Captain Sparrow would heed my warning.

He didn't. He either didn't understand or just ignored me entirely. Whirling around, he faced Will. He'd moved so quickly that my hand didn't have time to drop, it landed on his opposite arm instead.

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag," he spat out. I raised my eyebrows a little at his anger. Seems like Captain Sparrow had a hidden temper like me. He whirled around to the wheel again, signalling the end of the conversation. A quick glance at Will showed that he too was seething. He wasn't about to let this go.

"My father was not a pirate!" Will spat back, drawing his newly sharpened sword. With wide eyes, I watched apprehensively. Will wouldn't hurt Captain Sparrow. I didn't remember that happening. Then again, it had been a long time since I'd seen the film, who's to say that I hadn't forgotten some of the smaller details?

The Captain pursed his lips as if to say 'I'm so done with this crap' and spoke in a tired and resigned tone, still keeping his back towards Will.

"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again."

Will, with his hair ruffling wildly, was quick to fight his corner.

"You didn't beat me, you ignored the rules of engagement."

Almost unbelievably Captain Sparrow rolled his eyes and silently mimicked what Will said. The childishness he was displaying shocked me since we were right in the middle of what was shaping up too be a serious situation. A situation which wasn't do anything to help my queasiness, in fact, it was making it worse. With my elevated heart rate - most likely from fear - it felt that any second now I was going to have to dive for the railings and give both men a front row seat to my seasickness.

"In a fair fight, I'd kill you."

Captain Sparrow whirled around again, before uttering with a smirk, "then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair then, is it?"

Will's sword couldn't have been an inch away from the Captain's face yet he looked like it didn't even phase him at all. Without any word of warning, the Captain immediately snaked a hand around the back of my shoulders and shoved me forwards, pulling me off the barrel and onto the floor. With his other hand, he spun the wheel around, making one of the sails glide across the deck, sweeping Will straight off his feet.

The fall had jarred my ribs and winded me, slightly. When I was able to breathe again, I stared aghast at the sight of Will dangling by his arms over the ocean.

"Are you crazy?" I shouted at Captain Sparrow. What the hell was he thinking? Will could fall to his death if his grip faltered. Staggering up to my feet, I tried to pull the Captain's arm away from the wheel so that I could bring Will back on board, adrenaline being the only thing that was keeping me standing.

No matter how hard I tugged on his arm, his grip never faltered, unlike Will who every so often kept readjusting his grip. Resorting to other measures, I tried to tug on the wheel. Either Captain Sparrow was super strong, or I was just incredibly weak - I suspected that it was a bit of both - but the wheel didn't move, not even an inch.

A small scream of frustration burst out before I could stop myself. Why wouldn't he let me bring Will back on board safely?

"Just let go! I've been through enough crap in the last day, I don't need to add another death to that list!" Why couldn't he see that I can't stand the thought of watching another person die? Did he notice my panic? Did he just not care?

Tears of frustration were welling and my legs were shaking, the adrenaline leaving my body as fast as it arrived. Captain Sparrow's arm, that was holding onto the wheel, shot out around my waist just before I fell to the floor. Although I was grateful for the help - and the opportunity to save Will - I was too busy fighting the panic and bile that was bubbling up my throat. How had this gone so wrong so quickly?

The Captain continued to ignore me. Feeling disgusted, I pushed myself away from him and staggered the small distance from the wheel to the railing. I made it just as my legs gave out, my torso leaning over the edge.

"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention...both of you." I could only just hear the pirate over the pounding of my heart. Dizziness was forcing me to keep my head hanging down over the open water with my vision blurring. It was only through the sheer force of my will that I hadn't started retching yet. The sound of a sword being picked up reached my ears but I was too far gone to care about what the Captain had planned. He could kill me now for all I cared, at least it would put an end to my misery.

He carried on speaking regardless of the fact that Will and I hadn't responded.

"The only rules that really matter are these: what a person can do and what a person can't do." Captain Sparrow paused at the sound of my dry heaving.

"For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that some day."

I was a mess. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, my throats was stinging from finally puking my guts into the sea below, the railings were the only things holding me upright, and I couldn't hear properly. Why did Tia Dalia think this was my destiny? She had to have been mistaken. There was absolutely no way that I was meant for this task. Captain Sparrow carried on talking to Will, who I guessed was still clinging on for his life, having disregarded me as a lost cause for the time being.

"Now me, for example, I can let you drown -"

"No!" I managed to croak out, interrupting him. I slid down the railings to rest on the floor, turning to face inwards. Captain Sparrow gave me what I think was an annoyed look - I still couldn't see properly through my tears eyes - before continuing.

"I can let you drown," he repeated. "But I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by my onesy. She isn't going to be much use, savvy?" I dry heaved again, as if to illustrate and emphasise his meaning. Yeah, there wasn't any point in denying that I was useless.

"So," he paused again as he suddenly spun the wheel again, ducking down just in time for the sail to come swinging back onto the deck. Luckily, with the way that I was slumped, the sail swung straight over my head, I wouldn't have been able to move out of the way fast enough otherwise.

Will landed with a loud thunk on his back, his boots near where my legs were sprawled. I breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally safe, and my panic ebbed slightly, leaving me completely drained. Although, I did feel marginally better now that I'd thrown up. Only a little bit though. It was barely noticeable.

Exhaustedly, I watched through heavy eyes as Captain Sparrow held the blade of the sword dangerously close to Will's neck. Why was it that as soon as I thought we were safe, something else had to happen to prove me wrong? Exasperatedly, I realised that he shown his hand though. The Captain needed us just as much as we needed him.

"Can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?" He directed at the both of us. I nodded, not trusting my voice and gagging slightly at the awful aftertaste of puke in my mouth. I really needed a drink to get rid of it. Captain Sparrow casually tossed the sword up into the air, catching it expertly by the sharpened blade, offering the handle out to Will. He took it with a furrowed brow as though he couldn't quite believe what was happening.

"Tortuga?" Will questioned, remembering Captain Sparrow's plan involved picking up a crew from the pirate port.

"Tortuga," the pirate parroted with a large mischievous grin.

I was about to drop off into sleep when Captain Sparrow's boots clunking over to the hatch that led below deck startled me awake. Being a small ship there weren't any fancy staircases with proper doors. Lifting it up, he secured the lid against the mast before walking back over to me.

"Hold her steady," he instructed Will, referring to steering the ship, as he reached me. Without asking, he snaked his hand around my back and under my arms before hoisting me up as though I barely weighed anything.

"Come on love, I know just the trick to sort that,"


A/n: I actually have most of the second part of this chapter written.I decided to split it into two because I just can't seem to end it how I want it to end. again I apologise for the mess of this chapter, I wrote it on my ipad in the car and I haven't actually read it back yet. I'll post part 2 of this chapter either tomorrow or tuesday and I'll have a read through of this one and update it too. just wanted to give you guys something to read, even if it's rubbish!

until next time x