I gasped loudly as Mary poured, yet another jug of icy cold water over my head. I pulled my knees closer to my body as I shivered fiercely in the tin bath.

"Is this really necessary?" whined at my sister.

"Of course it is! You're disgusting, I could scrape the dirt off you with my fingernails, and don't even get me started on the smell" She picked up a scrubbing brush and a ball of scented soap, and set to work scrubbing at my head and skin "Now hold still"

Mary didn't hesitate on dragging me straight to her cabin, stripping me of my clothes and throwing me into the bath she had made for herself earlier, only by now the water was freezing. However her hastiness didn't stop her from nearly yelling the sky down at my tattoos, especially the one across my back. She described them as "sinful inking's" and that I had "tainted my body". I didn't argue for I had no excuse and I didn't dare mention that I actually liked them.

It was the first bath I had taken in years and I wasn't best pleased. There were suds in my eyes and ears and it stung terribly. I winced when she hit my bad arm.

"What's this?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Mmm..gunshot" I mumbled back.

"Did that Sparrow man do it?"

I shook my head, "No, someone else"

"Don't mumble so Marion! It's very rude" she scolded "I remember you used to be very articulate as a child, you were even asked to do a reading at church."

"Well-I-am-very-sorry-but-having-spent-the-past-eight-years-with-nothing-but-pirates-for-company-tends-to-have-an-effect-on-the-old-pronouncation!" I replied, enunciating every word.

"Don't be cheeky!" Mary clipped me on the back of the head with the brush.

"Ow!" I squealed in protest. Silence followed as she rinsed my hair with more freezing water before wrapping me in a blanket to dry off. The water was as black as tar by the time I stepped out of the tub.

Leaving me to it, she sat down at the small desk that took up most of the room in her cabin and motioned for me to sit in the char opposite. I did so, wrapping the blanket tightly around myself seeing as there was no clothing on offer as of yet.

"Now" she started, "I have so many questions; I don't know where to begin"

"As do I" I said.

She looked at me pointedly, "Well, I think I'll be going first…"

"Why?" I frowned, "I'm the youngest, I should go first"

"But you're also the one that's been missing for almost nine years! I should go first"

I put my hand up to stop her, "I'll make you a deal. For every question you ask, I ask one in return, agreed?"

She nodded, "Fine, as long as you answer honestly. Good grief, Marion, you even sound like one of them."

"One of what?"

"You know, a pirate."

I sighed and didn't react, "Right, what's your first question?"

Mary shut her eyes to think for a moment and opened them again, "They say you killed Gregory and some harlot, is that true?"

I paused and she reminded me, "Answering truthfully was part of the agreement."

"Yes" I gave in.

"Why?"

"Ah!" I raised my eyebrows, "It's my turn now. What is the whole set up?" I gestured around me, "Here, I mean"

She exhaled loudly, "You remember Baron Richard don't you?"

I shook my head.

"Well, he's the one that used to fund the parish, but recently the funds stopped and the only way he would agree to continue is if myself, the newest member of the clergy, Luke Pickering and his wife Hannah agreed to sail to the Caribbean to help convert the heathens that worked on his brother's sugar plantation as they were losing him a lot of money. However, we received word last week that the Baron had died of a fever to the brain. So we are slowly running out of money for something that, even if we are successful in, will get us nowhere in relevance to our home parish." She let out a puff of air after talking so much.

I nodded my understanding, "I see."

"Now, I've heard of this Jack Sparrow before, who is he?"

"He's a pirate"

"Obviously"

"And it's mainly his fault I've ended up in this mess. I meant to shoot him instead of Gregory, you see. I ran off with him-"

"You ran off with him!" Mary looked horrified.

I screwed up my face at her, "Not like that! Anyway, I went off with him on his ship and I've been travelling around ever since. Right, why were you in Singapore?"

For the first time, she looked uneasy, "As I said we're short on money…."

I was able to answer my own question from that, "…..so you decided to make a tidy profit from a pirate port."

"It was the Captain's idea, he said no harm would come from it" she protested.

I shrugged, "Doesn't bother me why you were there."

Looking irritated she asked her next question, "I noticed the pirate brand on your arm."

I flinched, knowing what was coming next.

"You must have been found guilty of piracy and therefore knowingly and willingly committed the crime. You cannot blame Jack Sparrow for everything."

"That's not a question, that's an opinion!" I protested.

"That's a fact. And you can't lead me to believe that he's stuck by your side for eight years, the man's a filthy nomad if ever I saw one."

"Not a proper question! And now you've lost your turn, so it's mine now." I took a breath, "How's father? Is he well?"

Mary shut her eyes, "Marion, he's been dead for five years"

I swallowed hard, "What from?"

"When he heard of your disappearance, he wouldn't sleep or eat properly." She started.

"No."

Mary ignored me, "He got so frail he fell down in the night and broke his leg-"

"Be quiet!"

"…..he struggled with it for two years before blood poisoning took him"

I stood, "You will not blame me for this!"

She stood too, "I'm not blaming you, I'm simply-"

"I'm tired now. I wish to sleep." I sat down on her bed, not caring whether I was depriving her of a place to sleep.

"Here, I'll get you a nightdress" she took a starched white nightdress from her trunk and pulled it over my head. I pushed her away and dressed myself.

She went to leave, but she stopped at my old clothes that were lying in a heap on the floor.

"Don't touch them" I pointed at her as I climbed into the bed, "They better be there when I wake up"

She frowned at me, "Goodnight Marion. I pray your temper will have improved by the morning"

"Goodnight Mary" I huffed, rolling over and burying my face in the clean sheets.

"Gracious, you've gotten so thin!" Mary criticised, "And you've got muscles like a young man. I fear my dress may not fit you!"

"Well let me put my old things on again!" I said, exasperated at the thought of having to wear a dress in the boiling hot weather.

She tugged on the ribbons of my corset, making me stand poker straight, "Don't be preposterous! It's improper and dirty. Here, you better wear the long sleeves to hide those things on your arms"

"Gah!" I cried in protest but she didn't listen. Before long I was strapped into the most uncomfortable peasant's dress that could be imagined. It was itchy, lumpy, and incredibly warm and my bust was pushed up so high I could have rested a tea set on it. My ratty hair was washed for a second time, brushed and put in rags in an attempt to make it curl and failing miserably. It was then piled onto the top of my head and secured with a pinner.

I was then set out on deck to become acquainted with the Pickering's. I was told severely by Mary that I was not to utter a word of what I had confessed and pretend that I was Jack's captive, suffering of bouts of amnesia.

Pastor Luke Pickering was a once-handsome, solemn and serious man who rarely smiled or spoke except to quote a part of the bible. Hannah on the other hand could only be described as a silly girl, giggling and gushing away about pirates and ships. This was obviously her first time leaving England and probably her last as she appeared to be an embarrassing milestone that hung around her husband's neck.

"You must tell me absolutely everything!" she demanded, holding my arm to prevent my escape.

I looked at Mary pleadingly, "Well…I…"

"She was hardly going to document the whole thing." Mary gave a forced laugh, "It is all behind her now, she wants to forget that hell and turn over and new leaf. Don't you Marion?"

"….Yes" I grinned slightly and Hannah let out a small "Oh!" at the state of my teeth. I put my hand over my mouth self-consciously, forgetting the gold and silver teeth that resided there along with a fair amount of gaps.

"Sorry, eight years at sea, tends to show on one dental hygiene" I joked.

"Cleanliness of one's body is the first step towards cleanliness of the soul" Pickering told me, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.

I flushed with embarrassment, growing ever more conscious that I was sweating like a pig. I could feel it dripping down my face and neck, sticking to my back. Hair was coming free in the breeze and adhering to my face. I tried to wipe my face with the back of my arm but Mary stopped me with an embarrassed laugh.

"She's becoming tired" she told the two, "I'll taker to my cabin to refresh herself and rest"

"But I'm not tired" I said loudly as Mary pulled me away.

In her cabin, she told me to sit while she tidied away her clothes that I had been trying on that morning, she looked as though she would like to tidy me away too. She stopped and picked up my old shirt.

"Please, let me dispose of this" she asked pleadingly, "It isn't as though you shall be needing it again"

"What?" I said foolishly.

She rolled her eyes, "What do you think you'll be needing them for? Once you have assisted me with our work in the Caribbean, we will return to England and arrange a baptism"

"Baptism?"

"You can't believe that you would have been able to go through all that without being baptised to cleanse you soul and ready yourself for the work of God" she said seriously.

I hadn't thought of that at all. I wasn't ahead of things the way I thought I was. I wasn't in control of anything. I would be taken back to Kent, baptised, dressed in black to mourn Gregory and die an old maid under the manipulation of my elder sister. It didn't appeal to me at all.

I kept my voice calm and asked, "What is to become of Jack Sparrow?"

"Why should you care?" Mary frowned, "If you must know, he will be handed over to the appropriate authorities."

"Which will result in a hanging"

"Possibly" she looked at me strangely, "He chose the path of piracy. God will decide his fate from thereon"

I nodded, "I see"

"I am going to join the others for midday prayer" Mary picked up one of her many bibles and went to leave, before looking back at me, "I think it best you remain here"

"If I must" I said, secretly relieved that I would not have to spend an hour with those atrocities in the captain's cabin.

The second she shut the door, my mind began to race. If I stayed silent and played along, Jack would die and I would spend the rest of my life praying to a god I didn't believe in. Or I could hope that by the time we got the Caribbean, Jack would put his brilliant mind to the task and free us both. No, free himself, not me. I would have to rely on myself to escape. He may be successful, but I wouldn't be. However, if I made an agreement with him that if I freed him she second we arrived, he would get me out of my own situation and trust that he would uphold his end of the bargain. Trustworthy wasn't the first word that popped to mind when I thought of Jack Sparrow. I needed insurance, but what?

The ruby! But he already had it down there with him. I had to get it back off him in some way. It was just a matter of how.

I stared up at the ceiling and shifted uncomfortably on my back. It was a week later and Mary had claimed back her bed after sleeping on the floor, it was my turn. I had a feeling that if I had behaved myself and didn't rift loudly during Holy Communion on Sunday, I would still be in the nice, soft bed, but no such luck.

I had been lying awake for hours, trying to get comfortable on the wooden floor with nought but a blanket and pillow for company. On top of it all, my starched nightdress wasn't helping the heat situation. I stood and opened the door a fraction. There was a blue hint to the sky so it must have been nearing dawn. I glanced over at Mary who was still sound asleep and went over to her trunk. Rummaging through it, I found, folded into a very neat pile my old shirt and breeches, squashed right at the bottom. I checked that she was still sleeping and pulled off my nightdress and dressed quickly in my old things. Cotton was very welcome as I instantly began to cool down. Taking one last look at Mary I crept out of the cabin.

I hadn't been below deck sine Mary discovered me, but nothing much had changed apart from the smell, which had become more pungent the longer we spent at sea. Tip-toeing down I the steps, I caught sight of the brig and stopped. Straining to hear, I picked up the soft snores of one Jack Sparrow and crept towards him. I stopped at a wooden beam where Jacks weapons hung, along with his coat and hat. Underneath them hung my belt and weapons. I grabbed one of the pistols and stood beside the cell door.

Jack lay on his back, very still. The only indication that he was still alive was his chest moving slowly up and down as he breathed. I watched him for a brief second and thought how peaceful he looked, before smacking my pistol of the bar closest to his head. It make a loud "thunk" and Jack sat up, startled.

"What?" he croaked. He looked around, blinking and bewildered before catching sight of me. He relaxed again and raised an eyebrow, "Ah. It's the Prodigal Sister. Back to point more fingers at old Jack, eh?"

"No" I whispered, knowing he would give me some bother, "I'm here to make a bargain with you"

He didn't look interested, "What sort of bargain? And what makes you think I'll want to make a deal with blackguard like you, hmm? "

"It's the sort of bargain that will save your life" I stated.

I could see a glint of intrigue appear in his face, "Meaning?"

"This is a missionary ship headed for the Caribbean. Mary wants to see the crook that corrupted her little sister hang."

"Oh"

"Exactly"

His expression changed again. He grinned and stood, resting against the bars of the cell and putting his face very close to mine, "And why do you care?"

I flinched as his breath hit me in the face. I didn't know how to answer.

"It doesn't have anything to do with your ungainly display of affection the other week, does it?" he had noticed that I tried to kiss him.

I decided to ignore him, " Look, I am a prisoner here as much as you are. They want to send me back to England."

"Oh dear" Jack had a face of mock concern.

"If I get you out of here the second we arrive, will you help me escape the sugar plantation?"

His face fell, "Sugar plantation?"

I looked at him strangely, "Yes….Mary is meant to be converting the people that work there. Is that a problem?"

"No, love. Not a problem. But I'd hardly call it work."

"What?"

"You'll see."

I shook my head, "Anyway, do we have an agreement?" I stuck my hand between the bars for him to shake.

"Of course I'll agree, you will be saving my neck. Doesn't mean I'll do the same for you though" he pouted, "I thought you knew me better than that."

I smiled, "Ah, yes. Well, I'd already thought of that and decided that I needed some insurance, so…" I pulled out my pistol, "The ruby if you will"

"You seem to have thought of everything" he said, pulling the ruby from around his neck and handing it too me without hesitation. I took it and hung it around my own neck, but I wasn't happy. He gave it up too willingly. I looked him in the eye, studying him. He didn't care, the ruby meant nothing to him. I needed something else. I looked him up and down before my eyes fell upon the compass that hung from his belt. I remember him studying it for hours at a time and I once asked to see it, but he snapped it shut abruptly and told me no.

"And the compass too" I said, waving the pistol at it.

His expression dropped, "What?"

"You heard me. C'mon."

"And if I don't?

"I'll shoot you" I said simply, waving the weapon in front of him.

He smirked, "No you won't"

"Oh, won't I?" I aimed the pistol at his face and cocked it. Seeing that he was still smirking at me, I tilted it to the side slightly and fired it so the bullet went whistling past his ear and into the wall behind him. I just hoped no –one had heard.

He stared at me open mouthed and tugged the compass of his belt, "Here."

I snatched it off him, "It will be returned to you when you come and get me" I stuck my hand through the bars again, "Agreed?"

He rolled his eyes and grasped my hand grudgingly, "Agreed"

"That wasn't so hard was it?" I grinned over my shoulder as I headed back to Mary's cabin, and get back to "bed" before she woke.

Work really hard on this chapter, so PLEASE review! I got a grand total one 1 review for the last one, let's try and push it to 2, eh? Hope you enjoy!