Disclaimer: don't own POTC

Will waited on the frozen beach while Jack was off gathering the crew. En route to his current spot, they had had the presence of mind to steal a small three-wheeled cart and the donkey the grocer used to make his rounds. They now had transport for Elizabeth and any extra supplies they would need. They just had to make sure the donkey made it to where they were going.

The island on which Jack thought Alderman had based his operation was believed to exist only in legend. But, despite Will's protests that their quest would come to naught, Jack assured him they would succeed. "Trust me," he had said, leaning drunkenly forward, exhaling the words in breath smelling of stale rum. "I've been there b'fore, an' I've even pilfered from it. The Scorpion Bowl exists." With that and a not-so-gentle friendly pat on the back, Jack tottered away, calling over his shoulder, "Wait 'ere, and try not t'do anything...stupid!"

After staring off in the direction Jack had taken for a minute or so, Will sighed and rubbed his hands together in an attempt to get some of the feeling back into his fingers. Shivering, he headed back to the cart and donkey half-hidden in the ice-encrusted foliage that lined the barren shore. He clambered into the back and, after wrapping himself in several blankets, settled down next to Elizabeth, who in turn was swaddled in thick wooly layers.

Will looked down at her and could just make out the almost imperceptible rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It wasn't much, not enough to make a misty cloud in the cold air as his own breath did, but it was enough to confirm she lived. He brushed the hair away from her face, and pulled the blankets more securely around her. The rest of the cart was already half-filled with the donkey's food: hay and, in case the animal needed persuasion, liberal quantities of carrots. The hay was soft to sit on and warm in case one of the crewmen needed to rest during the journey. The remainder of the space would be filled, as soon as Jack got back, with food and water, and the one necessity Jack couldn't be without - rum.

Will sighed as his thoughts turned to their destination. The Scorpion Bowl... It was said to be a strange place, where the beaches were not beaches but high rocky cliffs. These cliffs sloped downwards as you got closer to the center of the island. The Scorpion Bowl, according to myth and folklore, was a leftover from the start of the world, filled with all sorts of primeval beasts and monsters. There was supposedly an entrance to hell itself hidden somewhere on the island, and because of this, any animals on the island were corrupted. They only let the truly evil pass in safety. Will, Jack and crew had no such guarantee. If they were to penetrate the heart of the island, where Jack said Alderman would be, it would be even more dangerous than their most recent escapade with Barbossa. They would be under constant threat of attack, and not all the island's traps and tricks could be seen with the naked eye...

Jack's slurring voice could be faintly heard in the distance, and Will shook himself. Stop it, he told himself firmly. Thinking about it will only make it worse. He climbed out of the cart and led the donkey out of the trees to meet Jack.

The supplies were loaded and they headed east. Towards the Scorpion Bowl.

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"Let me out of here!" shouted Norrington, rattling the bars of his cell. "I'm innocent!"

One of the guards snorted rudely and turned around from his vigil by the stairs. "Not likely, mate; from what I heard, you attacked the blacksmith with no reason or provocation! You're guilty as charged!"

"But I was set up! And - and - " James searched frantically for another reason to prove his innocence. "And the blacksmith's in league with Sparrow!"

The guard turned around again, uninterested. "Yeah, we've all heard that one before. They're considering demoting you back to a Private because of this, y'know." The guard seemed to find this immensely funny, probably because the Commodore hadn't exactly been very respectful towards him.

James felt as though he had been slapped in the face. The only person with the power to do that was the Governor...he HAD been set up! And to lose that rank, the one that had made him eligible for Elizabeth's hand...

Elizabeth! James suddenly remembered the reason for his crazy assault on the blacksmith. "Wait!" he cried. "The blacksmith's killed Miss Swann! That's why I attacked him!"

"HA!" shouted the guard, pointing an accusing finger at him. "So you admit to your crimes! You ARE guil - wait, what did you say?" The guard finally registered what James had said.

"The blacksmith's killed the Governor's daughter! Miss Swann is dead!"

The guard leapt as though he had been stung. "Impossible! Her ladyship, dead! Her father must be informed and - and you must be released!" He charged out of the room to no doubt inform one of his superiors of this new development, leaving James clutching the bars for support, wondering what his fate would be.

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A/N: read and review! matias, this means you! (hey that rhymed!) (and dont ask who matias is.)

as fer the rest o' y'all, please be like good little matias and leave a review!

(no offense matias. u know we luv ya.)

(but not like THAT. like a brother)