Disclaimer: (Looks around) Shh! I'm hunting for Jack Sparrow! This means he's not mine…yet.

AN: Attention: ABC will be showing a 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' trailer during "Dancing with the Stars," Monday March 19th! Be sure to mark your calendars!

Meanwhile, it's time to start heading back to the Caribbean. I'm sad to leave India behind, but that's life. I hope that everybody enjoys the chapter and will review! Thank you kindly!

Chapter 14: Off to the Caribbean:

Jack and I spent another leisurely two weeks in India, though mostly we spent it alone together. The crew was respectful of that and kept their distance, and always took care to avoid breaking into one of our conversations and not making any comments at our expense. Instead, the men behaved civilly and tried to keep both me and their Captain happy.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth and Padma weren't so accommodating, though Nidhi tried her best to help keep them at bay. I understood that they wanted to see me and talk with me before we returned to the Caribbean, but I truly wanted to spend time alone with Jack. During meals, I would talk with both Lizzie and Padma, but when they constantly tried to pull me away from Jack, I could see him become frustrated with their intrusions. I felt as though I were in the middle of a tug-of-war game!

To my amazement, it was Gibbs who came up with an idea to keep Padma and Lizzie out of our hair, though he didn't tell us about it until after it was in motion.

As Jack had suspected, our crewmen had thrown several parties in honor of their Captain's wedding, but hadn't included the Turners' crew in the celebrating. When he saw how annoyed Jack was getting with my female friends, Gibbs convinced the crew to throw another party or two, this time inviting the Turners and their crew. Without Lizzie's help, Padma was left alone so that Nidhi could take her in hand and keep her occupied, if only until the day after the party was over.

When we weren't being chased by Lizzie and Padma, Jack and I spent a great deal of time walking together. We would stroll down the stone paths in Jan's gardens or walk along the quiet beach, Jack holding me by the hand or waist the entire time. Sometimes we would find an isolated place to trade kisses, or whenever Jack wanted to make me laugh, he would pull me behind a bush to tell me a joke. I never thought I could be this happy, and when we went to sleep at night, I felt Jack pull me close and wrap his arms around me. Then I thanked the higher powers for what I had.

During our final week in India, Padma managed to drag me away from Jack so that we could talk alone together. Jack, of course, was unhappy about being deprived of my constant presence, but reluctantly agreed to let them have me. It was after breakfast, and Padma had all but sunk her fingernails into my arm in order to get me to follow her. When Jack tried to interfere, she glared at him hard enough to make him flinch.

"You have had her for over two weeks, Jack Sparrow," Padma scolded him. "You will also have a lifetime with her, so let me borrow her for the little time she has left here!"

I watched in amusement as Jack pouted, his eyes turning towards me in an attempt for me to side with him. "I'm sorry, Jack," I said, smiling as Padma began tugging on my arm. "But since her father is sheltering us, the least I can do is see her for a while today."

Jack sighed. "Alright," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I need to see that the Pearl is well-stocked for the return journey anyway." He gave Padma a glare while she beamed happily at him. "Just be sure to bring her back before dinner, savvy?"

Padma merely flapped a hand at him before dragging me off to a secluded place to talk. I blew Jack a farewell kiss while my pink sari fluttered around me. Even though I detested pink, it was currently one of the few Indian outfits that hadn't been loaded onto the Pearl yet. For some reason, Jack believed that it would take me forever to pack, so he'd had Jan's servants pack up most of the saris and take them over to the Pearl. This left me with very little to wear, thus why I was wearing a pink sari with silver embroidery scattered across it.

After we were away from Jack, Padma practically hauled me into a white marble pavilion hidden in a corner of the gardens. Nidhi and Elizabeth were already there, and when they saw us, they both rose from their seats with wide smiles on their faces. Nidhi slowly approached me, but Elizabeth wasn't nearly as patient; the young woman fairly leaped through the air in an attempt to hug me.

"Lizzie, I can't breathe," I gasped through the grip she had on my ribs.

"Sorry, but it seems like forever since I've seen you!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she released me.

"Oh, for goodness sakes, we're in the same house!" I huffed while shaking my head in amusement. "We see each other at meals and we have plenty of time to talk then!"

Padma snorted. "You mean we barely have a chance to finish a conversation topic before Jack sweeps you away from us," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now, Padma, that is unkind," Nidhi chided her daughter. "After all, you and your husband acted much the same way when you were married."

I smirked while my friend shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "That's different," Padma said with a pout. "I had worked for years to get him to propose, and I had to savor the moment before he had to run off on business!"

Nidhi shook her head. "With Rose, her situation was just as difficult to overcome, if not harder," she lectured. "After all, it was Captain Jack Sparrow that she had to win! Since Jack has long been seen as a man who would never settle down, it was all the harder for poor Rose than it was for you! You merely had to overcome an age difference; Rose had to practically break Jack of his beliefs to get him to admit that he loved her!"

By now, Padma looked fully ashamed of herself, but she still refused to be beaten. "Still, that's no reason to keep her from us!" she said triumphantly. "Now that we have her, we can talk about many things." She pretended to think. "How is that cat that Mother gave you, Rose?"

"You have a cat?" Elizabeth said, leaning forwards. "What sort is it?"

"It is an Egyptian breed," I replied with a smile. "She's silvery-white with spots, and her name is Ivory. Jack and the crew nearly had a heart attack when I brought her onboard, but after persuading them that Ivory could take care of any rodents that were hiding on the Pearl, they let me keep her." I turned towards Nidhi. "Ivory sleeps in the Captain's Cabin, and she hasn't left the ship once since we docked. I think she's protecting her territory and keeping rats from boarding while we're here."

Nidhi smiled and nodded. "At least I know you are taking good care of her," she said while reaching out to pat my hand. "I'm glad that Jack approves of it, too."

We all giggled at the thought of Jack having to put up with a cat he didn't want, if only to please me. After that, our conversation turned towards what my three friends had been up to while I was preoccupied with Jack. Padma said that her husband had returned, but that he'd been called away again by his brother, who was having difficulty with his business. She expected him back not long after the Pearl left for the Caribbean.

"I would like you to meet him, but I suppose that will have to wait until another time," she said sadly.

I couldn't help but feel guilty about that. I truly wanted to meet the man that had captured my friend's heart, but it was my honeymoon, after all, so I would have to wait another few years before coming back to meet him. I had no doubts that Jack would bring me back the moment I asked him to; for some reason, he was just so eager to make me happy.

"So what has happened with you, Elizabeth?" I asked, turning my eyes towards her.

For a while, Elizabeth merely chatted about how both she and William were going to sail to England, since that was where her father currently was. Apparently the Governor of Port Royal had decided to take a small rest period in his home country, and Elizabeth wanted to see him before he began his voyage back to the Caribbean.

"Besides, it would be better for Will and I to take him home," she said. "It's been so long since I've seen Father, and I would like to spend some time with him."

The rest of the morning and the early part of the afternoon were spent chatting about anything and everything that came to mind. We had our lunch outside underneath the green foliage of the garden trees, and servants brought a never-ending stream of drinks and food for us to consume as we talked. I had a wonderful time, but that came to an end when Jack found us out. I could see that he was in no mood to leave without me, so I quickly bid my friends goodbye before letting him wrap his arm around my waist and lead me back to the house.

"You're in a black mood this afternoon," I said, giving him a smile. "Is everything alright back at the Pearl? You didn't find anything wrong, did you?"

Jack merely grunted. "The ship's fine," he said. "It's my wife that I've been missing all bloody day!"

Chuckling, I leaned into his shoulder as we walked into the main hallway. "Well, would it cheer you up if I spent the rest of the day with you?" I asked.

A smile pulled at Jack's lips. "That sounds about right," he said, pulling me closer. "I'm thinking a walk on the beach with my bonny wife will cheer me up remarkably."

I laughed and followed him outside and down the pathway to the water.

Eventually, our stay in India drew to a close. I did my best to spend equal amounts of time between Jack and my friends, but in the end, Jack won. He was my husband, after all, and even though I knew that I would be spending the rest of my life with him, it just didn't seem like enough. But when Padma began demanding more time with me since the Pearl would be leaving soon, I was obliged to divide my days in half, spending the mornings with Lizzie, Padma and Nidhi, and the afternoons and evenings with Jack. Of course, neither side was happy with the amount of time they received, but they both made do with what they had.

By the time our departure day arrived, though, Padma was still upset with me for avoiding her. But since she, too, was a married woman, she understood my need to be alone with Jack. While Jack was watching over the final loading of supplies, Padma and I stood before the gangplank for our final goodbyes. She quickly embraced me and made me promise to return within the next few years.

"I want you to come and see my children," she said while pulling back from a hug.

I quirked an eyebrow as I looked her over. "Are you expecting?" I asked, suddenly feeling unsure about leaving. If she were having a baby, I didn't want to leave her without a friend to talk to!

Padma merely laughed and shook her head. "No, not yet, but I just want to be sure that you will come and see the ones I will have by that time," she replied, taking my hands in hers. "And I want to hear from you the minute you find out you are having a little Sparrow!"

Now it was my turn to laugh as I hugged her. "I think I can arrange that."

Next, Nidhi came up and gave me a warm hug. "Take good care of Jack," she softly whispered into my ear. "That man can find trouble without even trying!"

I laughed and pulled away. "I'll do my best, but this is Jack Sparrow you're talking about," I teased.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, actually," declared Jack's voice as he appeared beside me, one arm sliding around my waist. "And shame on you for talking about me behind my back!"

Sighing, I shook my head and looked helplessly at Padma and Nidhi. "Do you see what I have to put up with?" I said, giving them a discreet wink.

The two women giggled as Jack pretended to pout as he leaned in towards me. "I don't recall you disliking me last night, darling," he whispered into my ear.

Blushing, I reached out and slapped him playfully on the chest. "Oh, go get onboard the ship," I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

"Don't be too long with the farewells, luv," he said. "We've got a tide to catch, and the next one isn't until midnight." With a pat on my bum, Jack gave a chuckle and walked up the gangplank.

Padma gave me one last hug. "I wish you could stay longer," she said, her voice teary. "It's bad enough that you are leaving, but Elizabeth is going, too!"

I patted her arm in comfort. When Jack had announced that it was time for us to leave, Will and Elizabeth had declared that they would sail out with us. Our ships would sail close to one another for safety and protection, but would separate once we reached the Atlantic Ocean where Will and Elizabeth would then sail for England, and Jack and I would head for the Caribbean. Even though Elizabeth had begged for me to go to England with her, I had to refuse; Jack wanted to get back to familiar waters and to remind people of how to fear the Black Pearl.

While it would have been fun to spend more time with Elizabeth, I knew that if I went into any European port, there was the chance that I would be recognized. If I were captured, I would be torn away from Jack's side, then forced to return to my parents. I could not let that happen; I had worked too long and hard to win my freedom and to become Jack's wife, and there was no possible way I was going to give that up.

"Rose, it's time to go!" Jack hollered at me from the railing. "Hurry up before the tide turns!"

Sighing, I hugged Padma and Nidhi one last time. "I'll be back," I said. "I promise to be back and then we can catch up on all of the things we forgot to this time."

I quickly raced up the gangplank and joined Jack up at the helm, his arm sliding around my waist while the other steered the Pearl. I waved at my friends as the Pearl pulled away from the dock. Padma blew me kisses while Nidhi waved a bright orange handkerchief in farewell. Tears filled my eyes as I waved back, and a pair of gentle lips pressed a kiss to my temple.

"We'll be back, luv, don't worry," Jack whispered as he slowly changed course.

I stayed silent as I pressed a kiss to his tanned cheek before taking a look back over my shoulder. Behind us, I could see Will and Elizabeth's ship, the Horizon's Flame keeping a good distance from us to prevent collisions. In order to communicate, Jack and Will had bought a pair of mirrors in order to send coded messages to one another using the sun's reflection. It was quite brilliant, especially since the two of them had worked out a code of their own to use.

Sighing, I leaned my head atop my husband's shoulder and closed my eyes, feeling utterly content.

It had taken months of waiting, and now they were finally leaving the Indian Ocean and were within his sights. When he had first gotten word that the Pearl was leaving the Caribbean, and had been delighted with the prospect of overtaking it. Unfortunately, he had forgotten how fast the Pearl was, and by the time he and his crew had caught up with it, they had entered British territory near India. If there was one power that he dared not challenge, it was His Royal Majesty's Navy!

'Damn it to bloody hell,' was all he had thought as he watched the Pearl sail into forbidden waters.

Pirates, privateers, smugglers, and assassins he could deal with, since they were his type of people. The Royal Navy, however, was something he could never barter or bargain with; they were so set into the King's Laws that there was rarely a soldier or sailor that he could bribe into being a spy for him. Those he had managed to recruit had been caught and disgraced, leaving him with no information whatsoever.

This was why, when the Pearl had crossed into the Indian Ocean, the Storm Chaser had been forced to pull into a nearby port. This particular town was on the edge of the English territory, but not officially in it. However, it was close enough to get news of what ships were going where, and it was through this little network that Gerard Hastings got exactly what he needed: the present course of the Pearl. Due to its reputation, wherever the Black Pearl went, people tended to talk about it; they also tended to talk about the ship's captain, which is why the Chaser was now close on the Pearl's heels.

Clutching his spyglass in his fists, Gerry gritted his teeth at what he knew. Apparently Jack had gotten himself married to the charming woman that he had aboard his ship. Men at the tavern he had been frequenting claimed that it had been a glorious ceremony with Indian clothes, flowers, music, dancing, and a feast big enough to feed an army!

Snarling, Gerry slammed a fist against the railing. Not only had he been cheated of the debt Jack owed him, but also of the one thing he would have accepted in exchange for his mother's necklace!

'This will not stand,' he thought as he returned to watching the black speck on the horizon. 'I want my payment, Sparrow, and I will have it, one way or another!'

AN: Uh, oh, can you feel the drama building? Please leave a review about what you think! Thanks!