Whew-eee! A whole two months since I last updated. Not enough hours in the day. Thanks again to those of you who have stuck by me and encouraged me, and a special thank you and welcome to my new readers. :) So... onward!

Arabella stared out blankly at the horizon. She was still seated at the front of the ship on the deck with her knees pulled up to her chest. Bending her head down, she rubbed her tired eyes and blinked before looking back up towards where the sun had sunk below the dark waters ahead of her. A heavy chill rushed over her entire body.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"Sweet Lord," Gibbs added. His until-now silent presence had spooked Arabella and she scrambled to her feet staring at him. "Beggin' yer pardon, Miss Turner," he added as he gave a curt nod towards her.

"That wasn't... I've heard stories, but I thought they were merely superstitious sea-tales."

"No. That be a green flash, and it's no sea-tale. I can promise ye that." Gibbs crossed in front of her on the small raised deck. His eyes darted between hers and the area where he had just seen the brilliant flash. "I can attest that it indeed means a soul has returned from beyond."

"If that were true, I'd like to offer to send one back in its place," Arabella said quietly. Her body instantly tensed up. She closed her eyes as a strong sudden wind whipped her long dark hair around her face. She was going to say something more to Gibbs, but she took the change in wind as a sign to change her mind. Arabella was still too focused on her anger towards Jack, and more so her anger towards herself for the people she'd placed in danger.

"Miss Turner, I know it might not be my place, but the cap'n has his reasons." Gibbs' hands began to twitch. He scratched absent-mindedly at one of themas he searched his brain for the right words to say. He realized that he should have stayed silent when Arabella responded.

"Let me guess. You're going to tell me that a crew only respects their captain if he strikes fear into their hearts. Believe me, Mister Gibbs, I know that is no way to earn the respect of your crew." Arabella spoke as though it were painful to say the words. She lifted her right hand and tightly entangled her fingers in the rigging above her. "It only causes greed and betrayal."

Gibbs caught movement in the shadows from the corner of his eye and looked back to see his captain quietly standing well-hidden from the pale glow that the rising moon was casting over the deck. Jack waved an index finger across his lips and quickly jerked his head back, looking towards the rear of the ship. As much as Gibbs disagreed with leaving the two of them alone, he obeyed the silent order. Gibbs looked to Arabella, whose back was to him, and exhaled a small sigh of concern before retreating to the stern of the small vessel. Jack watched him go out of sight before spinning back towards Arabella. The captain's brow furrowed in contemplation as his eyes scanned her form. Her fingers were still pulling down on the ropes over her head. Her dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders as the winds died down. Jack couldn't see her face, but gathered from her short breaths that she might have been crying.

"Selfish choices always have a way of coming back to haunt you," Arabella said.

"As do one's sacrifices," Jack added without thinking.

If Arabella's hand had pulled any tighter on the rigging than it was at that moment, she might have pulled it apart completely. Looking over her shoulder, she cast a glare so cold at Jack that he shivered in response. He looked over his left shoulder, over his right, and then to her icy blue eyes, which caused his eyebrows to peek from underneath his bandanna as he stretched his jaw to find something to say.

"You know, deary, eventually you're going to have to get used to it," Jack said to her.

"To what?" Arabella asked calmly.

"To your choices having consequences." Jack shifted his weight to his left leg as he crossed his other one behind it to balance himself. "Good or bad, no matter your intentions. Now is not a good time to develop a conscience."

"If I didn't need you in order to get to Will, you'd have given your last dance at a rope's end a long time ago. My conscience is completely clear on that." Seeing Jack's amusement as she mentioned her need of him only angered her further. She let go of the ropes and turned towards him, squeezing her fists so hard that her knuckled cracked.

"Now now now. Easy there, love," he said to her. Jack raised his hands defensively and took a step back from her. "I did what I had to do. You said it yourself. A crew is no use to a captain if they are not willing to follow orders. What I can't understand is what happened to make you think otherwise." Sparrow leaned back against the barrel behind him and began to examine the knuckles on his left hand as he curled it toward him. He looked back up to her, simply adding, "Hmm?" as his brows darted upward.

"Why? How do you think I made it out here?" Arabella asked, scratching at her sleeve. "Will left when we were so young. After I lost my mother, I followed his lead and went from ship to ship and port to port trying to find him. I've crossed paths with captains good and bad. If you drive fear into your crew, then you may as well be Davy Jones himself."

Those words struck such a chord with Jack that he didn't know how to respond. Arabella watched Jack's facial features fall as he looked down. Even though he wouldn't say the words, Arabella could see that Jack finally understood. With everything weighing on her mind, she had nothing more to say to him and walked past him towards the other end of the vessel.

"Miss Turner..." Jack called, still looking down. He heard a pause in her footsteps and sighed. As much as it pained him to vocalize his current thought, Jack closed his eyes and quietly admitted, "I am sorry." Those words left a taste in his mouth so bitter that his entire body shuddered as the apology left his lips.

"I know," was all she replied before walking away, leaving Jack still sitting against the lonely barrel with his thoughts.

--

The Flying Dutchman gleamed in the brilliant light coming from a small source of light across the sea. Will leaned his arms over the wheel at the helm and took in a deep breath. He stared out towards the horizon. A sunrise. He took in everything, the colors, the sounds, the life. Will never realized how much of life he had taken for granted until it was taken away from him.

"Aye, son. It is beautiful once you realize it's worth. We're back. Where to now?" his father wondered.

"Jones will be after the Chest. Elizabeth needs to be warned, he'll go after her first and then there's no telling what he's capable of now." Will pressed his hand to his shirt and massaged the jagged scar underneath with his fingers. He looked down to his hand, biting at his lower lip as his eyes scanned over the simple gold band around his ring finger. "I thought this was over. Now it's just beginning."

Bootstrap could not find any words to comfort his son for now. He wouldn't let Will know, but deep down he was worried. Bill knew that Elizabeth was his life, and that his love for Elizabeth might just be the very thing that destroys him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his son a second time. He left his captain alone at the helm and set off to relay orders to the crew that they were headed for Port Royal with no time to lose.

"One or both of us might not make it through this," Will called over his shoulder. His thoughts lingered on Elizabeth once more. Thinking back to the pain of watching Governor Swann cross over on their journey to Davy Jones' Locker, Will was unsure if he would be able to keep to his duties if faced with the horrific situation of having to send the soul his father or his bride into the next world. "If you would rather..."

"I'm not leaving, William," his father said sternly. I left you once, and it was a grave mistake. If I am to die at sea, I'd want it no other way than fighting at your side. Proudly."

Bootstrap said nothing more to his son as he left him to his thoughts. Will kept running everything though his mind. Everything Calypso had spoken to him, everything over the years he had learned from Jack, everything he had learned from his father. None of the information seemed to be offering any glimmer of a plan of action. There was no telling what Jones was up to, and the possibilities pulled at Will's soul from all directions.

"Captain Turner! There's something off the starboard!" a crewman called out. The man leaned out over the starboard railing as far as he could and tried to make out what was in the water. Other crewmen grew curious and followed his lead, looking out over the right side of the ship.

"William! There's someone out there!" Bootstrap yelled, grabbing a roll of strong rope.

--

The Lotus floated into a small cove on the outskirts of Singapore. Elizabeth stood silent, leaning her back against the main mast and looking up to the brilliant red sail as it swelled in the wind. A million thoughts bounced around in her mind. There was no way fathomable to convince the entire Brethren Court to fall to Jones without a fight, and a losing fight at that. As much as she wanted to be with Will, she feared that she would see him sooner than expected. A shallow sigh broke through her lips. The only thought that kept Elizabeth from losing her senses was the fact that the Chest was still secure and well-hidden enough that no one would be able to unearth it and destroy its contents. The familiar and haunting thump... pound... thump... pound rang in her ears as loud as a cannon blast. Her eyes darted behind her to the helm. Two crew members stood at the wheel. Davy Jones was headed towards her with an almost ghost-like pace that caused a shiver to claw down her spine. Elizabeth faced forward again and turned her body away from him. Jones' body was wrapped in a long dark cloak. The garment reached all the to the deck and floated behind him as he walked. He reached his claw to his neck and clamped down on a bulky hood, which he pulled taut over his head. A few stray tentacles fought their way into the moonlight as he adjusted the hood. Without a word, he motioned to two men, one of them being Tai Huang. They took to either side of Elizabeth and held her arms. She immediately flung her arms free in defiant disgust and walked ahead of them beside the cursed captain. Jones looked down to her and couldn't help but notice the traits that he had found so intriguing in Calypso: her defiance, her fortitude, her intransigence. And then his jaw locked as he was reminded of the very same qualities he had come to despise in the goddess. Everything he had once loved her for were now his reasons for hatred, his driving force for his vengeance. It was a longer journey to the center of the city than Elizabeth had remembered. Keeping Jones from public sight turned out to be more difficult than planned. Her men knew of many different passageways and waterways which Sao Feng had used to escape the East India Trade and other enemies. She remained silent as she tried desperately to think of a way out of the horrifying position she was soon to face.

The two men had rowed them undetected to the center of the city not long before sunrise. Jones exited the small boat as the men helped Elizabeth onto the dock. It was difficult for her to move, considering her wrists were still bonded in chains.

"Self-preservation, lass. They who decide not to evolve shortly crumble to the ashes and so become one with them," Jones said to her as they walked.

"They?" she muttered.

"Pirates. We are a dying breed, Mrs. Turner. Look around you, the lot of us are being exterminated like rodents. You can either choose to preserve our kind or fall to the same fate." There was a small trace of defeat in Jones' tone.

"Either way, we all come to the same fate. I see you offering nothing more than a choice of how to die," Elizabeth said quietly. She began to walk a bit faster to be ahead of him so as not to see his face. The captain grabbed her upper arm with his clawed hand and pulled her back.

"If it's revenge that's on your mind, it cannot bring him back. I abandoned my duties and I was punished to this," he hissed as the tentacles around his jaw quivered. "I told you that love was a dreadful bond. Maybe now you will understand. The same punishment waits for him if he were to leave. Nothing is worth that price."

"Then you know nothing of love. You abandoned your duties out of anger and hatred."

"Betrayal!" he said in a loud whisper. "I gave up a decade of my life for that wretched being and this is what I get in return. Great love comes with even greater sacrifice. Until you learn that, you have no place dictating to me about love. A pointless cause to struggle for."

"No cause is lost if there is but one fool to fight for it," she said to herself, her husband's voice echoing in her head and pulling at her heart.

The rest of the journey through the intricate city was silent aside from the constant rattle of the chains between the cuffs around Elizabeth's wrists. Nothing she could say to Jones would change his views, and nothing he could say in return would deter her from her own plans. Sao Feng's men would already be awaiting her arrival, but convincing them to listen to her would be most difficult now that Jones was with her. It had been difficult enough when enemies were uniting against them. So many people were lost, including many Elizabeth held close to her heart. She was petrified at the thought of even suggesting that the Brethren now unite with their enemies and how many more losses would be suffered.

--

"Captain! There's a ship out ahead of us to the west, sir!" a young sailor shouted from atop the crow's nest. He looked back out to sea and then down to Jack, who was in the midst of a conversation with Gibbs.

Jack craned his neck and squinted his eyes towards what the sailor had seen. The crew aboard had begun to grow impatient with their captain. No sign of a vessel for days, and Jack had grown more fixated on the small compass he kept with him, insisting that with each passing day that their goal had been coming within reach. With his left hand, the pirate pulled the small compass from inside his coat and flicked his wrist to flip the instrument open. With a look of intense concentration, he stared at the small red needle as it spun from side to side. Within seconds, it froze and caused Jack's breath to catch in his throat. He jerked his head up and looked back out in the direction of the needle. Sure enough, it was pointing to the ship ahead. His boots made heavy pounds as he dashed across the ship from stern to bow. Gibbs stood confused, looking around and then to his captain, and timidly followed behind him at a close pace. The sudden shuffle of noise made Arabella look down from her place on the ratlines near one of the main sails where she had been tightening a loose rope and repairing the torn sail. She instantly grabbed another rope and slid down to the deck, dusting herself off after landing. She followed after the two men who had raced to the front of the ship and stared at them. Jack stretched out a spyglass in his hands and quickly raised it to his right eye. His chest swelled and a brilliant smile stretched across his face.

"It's the Pearl," Jack breathed. There was not a trace of doubt in his words.

Arabella looked to him. His eyes were firmly fixed on his beloved ship ahead of them. She took hold of nearby rigging and leaned out over the side of the ship to take a better look. Shielding her eyes from the rays of the high sun, Arabella squinted and tried to focus on the ship. The shape of it, the way the black patchwork sails swelled with the wind, there was a heavy familiarity. Her eyes grew wide as the realization hit her.

"Cap'n, sir. Orders?" Gibbs wondered. He stood behind Sparrow and looked ahead to the Black Pearl. "Ye know Barbossa won't give her up easy, Jack. We're a sitting duck compared to her. What do we do?" he whispered.

"Leverage, Mister Gibbs," Jack said, patting the charts rolled up in his coat pocket. He heard Arabella let out a huff of disapproval and looked over his right shoulder to her with a raised brow. "Pardon?"

"If you could easily blow another ship to bits, would you give up your ship and a full crew for a simple map?" she asked. She looked at Gibbs inquisitively as his face paled at her question.

"I don't suppose you have a plan of action up in that pretty little head of yours then, missy," he replied.

Arabella's eyes shifted towards the Black Pearl and back to meet with Sparrow's. A mischievous smile was all she offered to him as an answer as he exchanged a worry-ridden look with Gibbs.

--

Jacob's arms could not hold on to the oars any longer. He pulled them into the small rowboat and rested his head back against one of his sore arms. Jacob was losing hope that he would be able to reach a shore or a passing ship out in the vast waters. Despite the throbbing pain in his arms, Jacob pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around. His eyes bulged as he caught sight of something in the distance. Jacob dropped his hands into the cool water and splashed some of it up onto his face to alert himself. After rubbing at his eyes and slapping his palms across his cheeks, Jacob looked out again. Sure enough, he had not seen a mirage. A ship was coming directly towards him. As the ship sailed closer, Jacob shakily rose into a standing position and waved his arms wildly, screaming with what voice he had left in hopes of getting someone's attention. As the ship came close enough to him, Jacob saw a line of rope fly out from its starboard side and splash down near his small rowboat. Without a second thought, he dove into the water and paddled his way to the rope, grabbing onto it for dear life. Even though it seemed like hours, Jacob was pulled up onto the deck of the passing ship within minutes. He collapsed face-down on the deck and sprawled out to stretch his tired muscles.

"Oy, sailor! What were ye doin' out here all alone?" a man asked as he handed Jacob a small bottle of rum.

"Aye, lad. The fates must be smiling on you. Barely saw you out there, if the sun weren't rising we'd have passed you right on," another said.

Jacob sat up and looked up to the many faces that surrounded him. One man in particular caught his eye. That man held out a hand to him, which Jacob grasped as he tried to stand. Jacob stared at him. He was sure that he knew the man, or had at least crossed paths with him at one point or another.

"Thank ye for your kindness. I don't know how much longer I would have survived out there," Jacob said.

"You're most welcome. I've been out at sea alone myself before. What were you doing out there? Had my men not seen you..."

"I'm sorry," Jacob interrupted, "but ye seem so familiar to me. Might we have met somewhere? I'm Jacob." He held out his hand again.

"I don't think we have. I'm captain of this ship. Turner. Will Turner." Will noticed Jacob's grip tighten as they shook hands.

"Will Turner? Any relation to Arabella Turner?" Jacob wondered.

"Aye." Will shifted uneasily, as did his father at the mention of her name, not that Will noticed. "She was my cousin," he added somberly.

"Was? What do you mean?" Jacob blurted in confusion.

"She was killed in a terrible accident when we were young," Turner replied.

Jacob watched clench his fists and avoid eye contact with him as Will thought back to his cousin. Jacob was more confused now than he had ever remembered. Just what had Arabella been keeping from him?

--

Captain Barbossa faced the back end of the Black Pearl curiously. A smaller ship was closing in on her and was not flying any flag. His lips formed into a crooked smile.

"Gents! At the ready! We've got company!" he ordered.

"What is it, Cap'n?" Pintel asked. Ragetti stood at his side with a matching look of confusion.

"Jack," was all that Barbossa drawled out in response as he pushed between the two of them to head to the other end of the ship. The two pirates stood together and stared at one another with thankful glances towards the oncoming ship. They repeated Barbossa's answer to each other in a stifled excitement-filled whisper as they hurried behind the captain to ready themselves for what might happen.

Barbossa barked orders around the Pearl and made sure that every available crew member had their places at every cannon, every cutlass and pistol was in hand, and that every possible situation was prepared for in case Sparrow tried to pull some stunt in hopes of taking the ship. Jack's own crew members aboard followed Barbossa's orders, but knew that they would never do Jack any harm if they had the choice. Crew members climbed the ratlines and pulled up some of the ship's topsails so that it would slow down. As the Pearl eased in speed, the other vessel slipped up to its port side. Barbossa folded his arms over his chest and stared quite triumphantly at the figure that appeared at the passing ship's starboard side.

"Oy, Hector!" Jack beamed. He leaned over the railing towards the Black Pearl, a triumphant grin stretching across his face as he stretched the fingers of his left hand in a sarcastic wave.

"Sparrow..." Barbossa grumbled. He gave a nasty glare around to the crew members behind him who were voicing their jubilation at Jack's return. "I believe ye be havin' something of mine, Jack."

"Yours?" Jack glanced to both sides and spun around in a complete circle. He patted down his pockets and shrugged at the other captain. "You must be mistaken. Of the two of us, the only one here who is in wrongful possession of the other's possessions is you. With MY ship. I'll be repossessing now if you please."

"HA!" Barbossa blurted out loud. From his shoulder, Jack the monkey jumped at the sudden outburst and fidgeted, turning his furry head sideways at his owner.

"Ahhh, yes. I think you might be talking about my map. That's what you be thinkin' to be yours then, is it not?" Jack could see Barbossa growing more impatient with each passing second. He searched his mind and did his best to stretch the time. "What say you give me back my ship," he asked, flattening his palms against the chest of his coat, "and then we can negotiate your getting that map back, eh?" Sparrow's dark eyes darted around and then back to the other captain, his brows raising as he nodded with confidence in his suggestion.

"You're a fool, Jack. That naive thinking lost ye the Pearl more than once, and much more. If ye think I'm going to just hand her over to the likes of you, then ye be more daft than I thought."

"If you don't hand her over, I'll just take her by force, mate. Makes no difference to me." Jack took notice that his confident tone in that statement rattled Barbossa 's own confidence.

"By force, ye say? We both know that you would never lay a finger on her," Barbossa said, patting the railing. "Not one, much less attack her." As best as he tried to hide it, he was unsure of what Sparrow was planning. Jack's mind was one that he was never able to understand.

"Times have changed," Jack replied. He called out to his crew, who readied the few cannons on board and aimed their rifles and pistols toward Barbossa.

"Look around, lad. I could turn your little boat into mere splinters. Don't be a fool. All hands, prepare to fire!" He stared at Jack and tilted his head sideways, awaiting Jack's response. "As always, ye can't beat me, boy. Just hand over the map and I might spare the lives of ye and your crew."

A moment later Barbossa was startled by a pair of arms appeared around his own. He immediately took notice of the shine coming from the dagger blade pressed over his heart against his coat and the end of a pistol barrel pressed to his temple. He called for his crew to belay his previous order. Jack the monkey screeched and scampered from his perch upon his owner's shoulder to run into the shadows. Barbossa looked over his shoulder to see Arabella behind him. No one aboard the Black Pearl had seen her come aboard and did not know what course of action to take. They stood silent in shock.

"I would advise you not to be the fool and I might spare your life," Arabella growled in Barbossa's ear.

"Well, Jack, I see ye still send others to get their hands dirty in your place. Though I wouldn't think you'd send a mere wench to do so," Barbossa called out. Arabella pressed the dagger hard enough that the point of the blade pierced through his coat. She pulled back the pistol's hammer and glared at him.

"Oh I'd be careful there, mate. Bit of a temper she has," Jack told him, loosely pointing towards Arabella. "I'm only looking out for your best interests here. Now I think it would be most beneficial for you to scurry yourself over here and hand the Pearl back to it's rightful owner, referring to myself of course," he added, outstretching his arms and folding his hands in towards himself.

Barbossa started to walk towards the middle of the Pearl, Arabella never removing her weapons aimed at him as she followed behind. Barbossa motioned to Pintel and Ragetti, who grabbed the gangplank and laid it between the two ships. Arabella marched with Barbossa across it back to Jack. The two captains glared at one another as they stood only a few inches apart.

"Now, what you can do is stay here aboard this finely crafted vessel with your crew and you can follow us and share in the many riches that the map shall lead us to." Jack lazily draped an arm around Barbossa's shoulder as Arabella walked around to face her target with her pistol still aimed at Barbossa's temple. "Or I could let her turn your head into Swiss cheese, and put an ugly hole through your hat. Shame to ruin such a nice hat, really," he added as he admired the object atop the captain's head.

Barbossa glanced to Arabella and looked over to the pistol still pressed to his skin. He growled with discomfort as she pressed its barrel further into his skin. There was no way out of this situation other than to accept the terms which Sparrow had offered. He nodded in agreement and stood silent.

"So sorry, care to say that again?" Jack asked.

"Aye," was all that Barbossa said.

"Marvelous. Good man. Knew you'd come to your senses sooner or later. All ashore that's goin' ashore, er, aship, so to speak," Jack announced, staring down his nose as he pondered his own words. Some members of the Black Pearl decided to remain with Barbossa and scurried across the gangplank to the other ship. None of the crew members aside from Gibbs crossed over to the Black Pearl. Jack aimed his own pistol at Barbossa and motioned for Arabella to cross over to the other ship with Gibbs. "Well, I believe everything's settled then."

Barbossa gazed up as he caught the black sails from the corner of his eye. Crew members were already unfurling them as the wind picked up. Jack wobbled as the ship's sudden movement caused the gangplank to shift. Barbossa couldn't find any words to say to him. He considered pulling out his own pistol to shoot the other captain, but then took notice of the many pistols aimed in his own direction from the majority of the crew members aboard the Pearl.

"Hmm. Mutiny. Not such a fuzzy feeling now is it?" Jack asked in a sing-song tone. He backed slowly across the gangplank and landed safely aboard his ship. "Til we meet again!" he called out with his arm still holding a pistol out towards Barbossa. Jack the monkey scampered across the plank towards Barbossa just as Pintel and Ragetti began to pull the gangplank back.

"I'll see you in hell soon enough," Barbossa grumbled under his breath as the monkey climbed onto his shoulder.

He watched in anger and frustration as the Black Pearl pulled ahead and waited until Jack was no longer in view. He immediately began to bark orders for his crew to ready every cannon and quickly catch up to the other ship. The angered captain strode up towards the helm, but stopped mid-step at the sudden raised volume of the voices aboard.

"What be the commotion?" Barbossa roared. He then glanced up to the main topsail to see the sunlight beaming through gigantic shreds in the material and the ratlines leading up to the top of the mast had been sliced to ribbons. His brow creased with annoyance.

"Captain! The gun powder kegs have been drenched. They're useless to us!" his gunner cried from below deck. The men cringed in fear as they watched Barbossa stomp angrily up to the helm.

"What the blazes..." Barbossa wrapped an angry hand around a spoke of the wheel and jerked it towards him. It seemed to be jammed in place. With a sour huff, the captain tried with greater force to shift the wheel again with no response. After a third failed attempt with both hands gripping the wheel, Barbossa unleashed a fierce guttural growl and stormed down from the sterncastle. His dark eyes bulged as they fell upon the rudder chain connected to the helm. It had been completely dismantled. "Make fast the remaining sails and keep her at a close reach!" he barked. His face was growing deep red with anger. Any other setbacks and Sparrow would be out of his reach. A sudden rumpled thud made him spin around on the heel of his boot. Barbossa looked down to see an entire sail piled in front of a very confused young pirate. The young man had grabbed one of the halyards to open the main topsail, only to find it barely attached and causing the entire piece of cloth to fall to the deck. Barbossa narrowed his eyes at the fallen sail and then out to the Black Pearl shrinking over the horizon. As a heavy sigh escaped his lips and he thought that matters couldn't possible become any worse, the sound of splintering wood rushed through the air as the bowsprit, along with the forestay lines attaching it to its mast, broke off and crashed into the ocean with a loud splash. Jack the monkey chittered loudly in his ear as he watched the Black Pearl shrink further and further into the distance. Barbossa growled in his pet's face with much anger, sending the small simian scampering off spouting shrill shrieks.

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