Hello! Sorry this chapter took a while, but here you go! I promised that it would be happier and happier I made it. Thank you to the people who reviewed! :) There are a bit of spoilers in this chapter for those who haven't read the Price of Freedom, if you haven't it's a very good read about our favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. I loved it when I read it and I really hope you read it, too. So, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

P.S. I didn't want to bring back old, bad memories from DMC, but I did and I'm sincerely sorry :/. And also, when the spoilers of PoF come in this chapter, it's all out of order and I was naming each off the top of my head, so I failed to put them in chronological order... just letting you know in case you get confused.


Chapter Twenty-eight: Waking up in a Dream

Nicolette noticed his discomfort and asked him, "Well, are they coming?"

Christopher looked up at her nervously and nodded. He lied to her as Elizabeth was making her way reluctantly down, "Yes, they both are."

Nic nodded to him as Elizabeth sat down across from Will. Her face fallen when she realized that Jack was taking his time coming down. They didn't have time to take their time. They had to go. Why was he taking so long? She looked up at the ship's ladder, waiting for Jack, but to her dismay, he didn't seem like he was coming.

Will asked what was on everyone's mind, except Christopher's since he already knew. "Where's Jack?" He looked away still in discomfort and trying to understand what he had just seen. It didn't make sense at all. Everyone seemed to have their eyes on Elizabeth's guilty face, except Chris. Nicolette looked at her with her eyebrow arched.

She replied, looking only at Will, "He elected to stay behind to give us a chance." Nicolette's face fell even further and she looked around at everyone on the longboat having their shocked expressions plastered on their face.

Nicolette shook her head no, this was not happening. "What?" She might have not heard that correctly. Though, Elizabeth's voice was very clear in her eyes, she still thought that her hearing might have been a little bit unclear. But Elizabeth only looked at her compassionately and mouthed, 'I'm so sorry.' Christopher grimaced and tried not to blow up, he begged to differ from that judging the cold words said that he had heard her say before.

She shook her head, "No, he can't." She muttered under her breath and looked to the ship's ladder with tears starting to fall out of her eyes. She promised, she promised to stay with him. Something was wrong, she felt it. "Jack!" She shouted up the deck, she didn't hear a word back. Nicolette went to the ladder and started to climb her way up. "Jack!" She shouted even louder. Still no answer.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Nic felt a strong pair of arms restraining her from going any further and she struggled in the man's hold to go back to where she was going. "Jack!" Her voice cracked when she felt her head go into someone's chest. She shook her head no. This couldn't be happening, could it?

She called again and tried to break out of the hold that had her, "Let go of me! Jack!" Elizabeth looked at her apologetically. What had she done? She looked around at the crew's shocked expression. They weren't doing anything at all. They weren't moving, nor were they planning to stay with Jack.

Nicolette noticed as well, and she looked at Gibbs, "Gibbs?" Gibbs looked at her with shock crossing his face. Nicolette gulped and yelled hysterically, "Gibbs, do something!" She looked around at the crew of the BlackPearl,they weren't doing anything. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do something! All of you, God damn it! That's your..." she didn't finish, she realized something.

Did he take what she told him to mind? Captain goes down with his ship. No, he couldn't... He was so... heavy footed. She finished, looking back at Gibbs, "Gibbs, that's your Captain up there! That's Jack, your friend!"

Still no movement. She looked at him annoyed and actually tried once more to go up there as the tears fell down one by one. She didn't want to shout any more feeling her voice becoming hoarse, but when she tried again, she felt Will bring her down. "Nic, leave him."

"We have no time!" Elizabeth shouted at all of them before looking down guilty again. "Go!" She ordered and Gibbs along with everyone else snapped out of their state.

Nicolette looked at them all in disbelief, "No!" They couldn't leave! She had stay with him. She had to. Christopher looked at his sister and sighed heavily as she looked at them with a hateful glare and pout. His heart breaking even more. "We can't just leave him." However, the movement from the boat told her otherwise. She couldn't do this. But instead of shouting up at him, or trying to be with him, she gave up. She forcibly gave it all up. Will tightly encircled his arms around her as she fell back.

Nicolette laid her head against Will's chest, feeling it heave up and down. She didn't dare look as the longboat pushed away from the Pearl. She felt soft circles on her back as she cried there. She murmured against Will, "Jack..." She brought her hand on Will's chest into a fist. Her sobs were getting softer and softer as she continued to hide herself from everyone inside the longboat and from the Pearl. She didn't want to look... she didn't want to look. He couldn't leave her... no, he couldn't stay on that ship where he was going to die! After all they have done to prevent this from happening... she just couldn't believe that he stayed there.

"Remember when in Port Royal," Will said to her in a comforting tone, his voice in a whisper so only she could hear him talk. Nicolette looked up at him curiously as her sobs temporarily stopped. "Your father just took me in with you and we hated each other those few months. One day, you decide to take a walk to the beach and you were walking in the water... and the sea pulled you into it?" Nicolette nodded against him, unsure where he was going with this. "I followed you there and have seen what happened and the sea brought you out far enough for you to drown..."

He trailed off, waiting for her to acknowledge what he was telling her. "I-I remember that..."

"When I saved you out from the water," Will stated again, telling her in her ear. "I vowed to myself that I would never let anything like that happen to you, and when we became friends, I told you that I'll always be with you and protect you from harm and hurt. That still is what I'll say even now, Nic." Nicolette couldn't help but smile sadly up at her friend, who was looking down at her as well with a sad smile. She'd always be with him, too. They still had their friendship... but that wasn't the point now. Nicolette's smile fell as she buried her face in Will's chest again, the movement of the longboat was making her nauseous.

But she noticed that the rowing was slowing down. It wasn't that was what caused her to look up though. There was a roar that rumbled the water to where the longboat was. Nicolette slowly turned her head to see the tentacles of the Kraken inching up the black. Her breathing stopped and she almost felt her throat closing up on her. She shook her head no in denial. No, no, no, no, this couldn't... this shouldn't be happening.

She almost felt like she wanted to—.

A loud scream erupted from Nicky's body as she thrashed in her bed. She shook her head against the pillow she was on. The scream made Jack's eyes widen and he leaned away from the wall to see Nicky sprawled in the bed, clutching the pillow in her hands tightly as she was crying against it. Jack couldn't say that he wasn't scared when he heard that from her, she had her nightmares before that he experienced first-hand. But they were rare, extremely rare that Jack didn't know what to do. He stood up from his seat and quickly skimmed his hand on Nicky's cheek.

Nicolette shuddered under the warmth and she stopped shaking. "Jack..." Jack's eyes went wide before he settled himself next to her, sitting on the edge of the bed. Jack contained his excitement when he heard her voice, he began to press on her cheek and rubbed it smoothly. Nicolette's hand slowly inched its way to lay itself on top of where his thumb was. Jack slipped his thumb out from under her hand and laid his on top of hers. Nicolette moaned as she calmed down, "Stay with me."

"I will always," Jack murmured to her. Nicky's eyes slowly opened as Jack moved his hand from her cheek, along her neck to where her gauze were. He stopped there, noticing Nicolette turning to look up at him. Her hazel eyes greeted him with confusion and with a sense of security. Her sleepy haze didn't disappear yet, but she saw a blurry version of Jack hovering over her. She had thought that this was a dream, but his voice sounded too real.

When her vision started to clear her face was beginning to fall as she really had seen that it was Jack, with now a cheeky grin on his face as he looked down on her. Jack? Was... was she dead? "Is this... is this a dream?" Nicolette asked him with her brow furrowed at him. Jack didn't say anything, he only shook his head no at her. Nicolette then asked him, "Am I dead?"

"No, love," Jack answered. Nicolette looked him up and down dreamily, in disbelief. It took her a moment before it all set in... what had happened earlier. She thought... she definitely thought that she was dead. She was shot... by a bullet and though she stayed up through that immense pain of getting it out, she was sure as hell that she was dead. Nicolette's face fell and she gathered all her strength to jolt up and encircle her arms around Jack, she felt the pain in her chest as she did this, but she ignored it as she laid her head on Jack's shoulder. She felt herself actually crying into it.

He was real... he wasn't supposed to be here... she didn't expect to see him wherever she would wake up... he was supposed to be on the Dutchman. But that didn't matter for now. She didn't care. "Jack..." she murmured his name. It took Jack a while to actually react to her sudden embrace, but he soon wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her to him.

"Great to see you alive and well, Nicky," Jack said to her, his cheeky grin turning into a smirk as Nicolette moved slowly away from him, her eyes scanning him up and down. A smile then made it to her lips as her eyes locked with Jack's brown ones, his dark brown eyes that looked almost black to her.

"I didn't..." she started, unsure of what to say to him. She really didn't expect to wake up to him out of everyone, he was the last person she expected to wake up to. "What are you..." her question trailed off as she searched his face. Jack's brow was furrowed toward her with his smirk threatening to fall, but he didn't let it. Nicolette shook her head and giggled happily to herself, even though she was confused. "How—?"

"Love, why don't we save this for the morning?" Jack inquired to her. Now was not the time to explain the story of why he wasn't on the Dutchman right now. It was not the time to tell her about what had happened on the Dutchman, with dear William. Jack took a few strands of her hair that had fallen in her face, sweeping them behind her ear. Nicolette's face fell when he said that.

Nicolette's mind immediately went to conclusions. She asked him, "What happened? We won, didn't we? Beckett is dead, right?"

Jack chuckled at her and nodded his head, "Long gone," he stated to her.

"What about Jones? Did someone take... did anyone take his place?"

Jack hesitated before anything. He shouldn't ignore that question and tell her that rest was what she needed, nor did he want to tell her what had happened on that ship. His choices weren't as good as any other. He would regret either one... unless... yes, he could tell her that old Squidface died, but would tell her tomorrow who took his place! Yes! Better idea than any other. "Yes, Jones is dead as well, he won't be botherin' us any time soon, Nicky."

That was good then. "But who took his place?"

"That we'll get into in the morning, deary," Jack said to her. Nicolette's eyes narrowed at him confused. Why not now? "It is a long story that does not need to be dove into just yet, eh? You just woke up from a bad dream, love, it is late to be talking of such like it, so I think you should lay back down before I tell ya so you have a more, er, healthy rest. Savvy?" Nicolette stared at him blankly and looked down at her pillow before looking back at Jack even more confused. "Trust me, love, you'll be needing a clear mind for what I be tellin' ya."

Nicolette sat there for a moment before hesitating from what Jack had just told her. She inquired to him curiously, "Is this... is this something that I'll want to hear or is this something that I'd rather live without knowing?"

Jack thought for a moment, that was a good question... would she want to hear it? He guessed so, they were good friends, she should know... but did she want to hear it. Most likely not. But she couldn't exactly live without knowing. He would be killed... for sure if he hid it from her. He answered her reluctantly, "It might be both of those. Just trust me on the fact that it would be best to have that clear mind to wake with before I decide to tell ya."

She sat there before she slowly laid back down. Jack went to stand up, but Nic grabbed his hand before he could leave her to go into his chair. "I asked you to stay with me before, had I not?"

"You had." Jack replied to her. "But I thought that you were sleeping when you had said that."

Nicolette admitted to him, "Half asleep. But that doesn't mean that I didn't mean it."

Jack gave her a crooked grin before he pulled the covers just enough for him to slip under them as Nicky shifted from her spot. "Then it would be my duty to do nothing but oblige to you, milady." Jack eyed her carefully as Nicolette laid her head on top of his chest, his arms encircled around her protectively. Nicky closed her eyes as she felt Jack's warmth against her, but sleeping would never come to her really.

"Jack?" Her eyes opened as her hand found Jack's. Jack answered her with an 'Aye' before she would continue. "Do we have to sleep right now?"

Jack thought about that for a moment. What else were they to do? Mischief flickered in his eyes for a moment, then he realized that she was wounded. Though the idea he thought about caused a smirk to show on his face, didn't mean that he thought it was a good idea. "Nicky, I don't know if the other act that you're thinking of would actually be a good—."

"Jack, not that." Nicky said to him firmly but tried not to laugh at him. Jack's smirk fell to a frown for a moment before Nicolette pressed against him. She said to him, "Enlighten me with a story."

"A story, eh?" Nicolette nodded against as Jack pursed his lips when he felt it. "Interesting and what sort of story would I be telling you, Nicky?" She played with his hand that found its way on her bare stomach, she didn't pay mind to the gauze bound to her chest. Nor did she want to. She would rather stick needles in her eyes than look at more injury her body went through. She would save that for another time when she couldn't ignore it.

She said to him, a smile starting to come on her face as her eyes were transfixed on a ring on his hand that she saw her reflection in, "An adventure."

"Hmm, an adventure? I have many of those, love." Jack watched how Nicolette was holding his hand, turning it in her own. Her skin on top of his gave him these strange tingles. These tingles he never really felt with her before. Jack didn't know whether he would mark them as good tingles or horrid ones. But how Nicky was holding his hand was indeed comforting. Maybe he felt them because he found out that she was alive moments ago? That she wasn't going to die? Jack hardly knew if that was the case, he certainly hoped that it was though... it would make sense of things.

"Your greatest one. The one adventure you are most proud of, but never really told anyone about." As Nicolette replied, she felt Jack's chest heave up and down. He knew exactly what she is talking about. Nicolette remained silent, waiting for her answer, the seconds ticked by until Jack spoke again.

"You are extremely lucky that you are a wounded woman and I can, hardly can, say no to your request." Nicky smiled up at him, but Jack wasn't smiling, not grinning, nor smirking. There were many parts of that story that he would like to censor out, but it would be hard to not tell her those details. Those details were in the past, he didn't think that Nicolette would get mad if she heard about Esmeralda or... er, he mentally shivered, Ayisha, the slave/princess that he was fond of on that journey. She wouldn't care.

Nicolette said to him, "I'm assuming that's a yes then?"

Jack chuckled and nodded, "Aye. Now, where to start?" He thought for a moment, there were so many places to start... But where? Well, he could start when he was twenty, in Shipwreck Cove. That wasn't a bad place to start, was it? He asked her curiously, though he doubted that she would have heard of them, "Love, have you heard of rogue pirates?"

"Aren't all pirates rogue?"

Jack shook his head. Certainly not. Then that was a no, not many of them were around anyway and if they were Teague had made sure that they would see the end of it in the prison in Shipwreck or with a bullet in their head. The last he'd known were Borya, the previous pirate lord of the Caspian Sea (it seemed to him those pirate lords had a long history with acts of betrayal) and Christophe-Julien de Rapièr, a bloody, prissy, French rogue pirate captain who tended to press-gang men into his God damn crew. Jack could've gritted his teeth at the name, he wished he could have stabbed him ten times more after he did it only once.

His thoughts did consume his thoughts, long enough for him to not answer her. Nicolette was beginning to wonder what rogue pirates were exactly and if he was thinking of the same adventure that she was thinking of. She asked him quickly before he could answer her, "What does rogue pirates have to do with this story?"

"Every story needs a background story, does it not?" Jack told her, a smirk threatening to show after he said that. "And to answer your question from before, no, in fact rogue pirates are illegal in pirate waters. No quarter, they'll give when the ship they want surrenders. They would press-gang the survivors onto their crew and be done with them."

"That's horrible!"

"Isn't it?" Jack asked her, his eyebrows perking. "That's why it be wrong still by the code. We pirates aren't even that ruthless. They were givin' us a bad name."

Nicolette chuckled, her chuckle amused him. "Us pirates were already given a bad name before that."

"Aye, that is true, and our name only got worse as the years passed on."

"Indeed, now please continue with your so-called, 'background story' to your actual story."

"Aye, right, love, you make me lose track. Where was I?" Jack asked himself, thinking back. He remembered it vividly, from where the moment he escaped Shipwreck Cove and entered in to the East India Trading Company, as first mate then Captain of the Wicked Wench.

What he did remember most, was the island of Kerma, going there finally after all his years, wondering about the sacred eye of Zerzura and what it exactly did.

He also remembered the ugly slave woman that he had to seduce, she turned out to be beautiful once she took off... it was a scarf, wasn't it?

He remembered Chamba, his eager cabin boy. He remembered Robby Greene, the faithful first mate from him being press-ganged onto the rogue crew.

He remembered silky, black hair that belonged to Esmeralda.

And, of course, how could he forget when Ayisha surprised him by going to bed with him before they went through that horrendous fog. (Christophe's face after it was priceless, nevertheless, he wondered how many agonizing screams was it for his eyes to strain red and go wide?)

He also remembered Ayisha's brother, the king of Zerzura finding out about the two of them, for a moment back then he really thought that he wouldn't live the moment he stepped onto land, the bloody king could call his guards to chop his head!

Beckett's menacing, conniving words of encouragement to him to do this sort of job. Beckett's plan to enslave those who resided in Zerzura. Beckett's silent anger. Beckett's insistence of him taking a bath and changing into new clothes. Jack still believed that those clothes were fine enough!

He remembered seeing how Davy Jones was called to help figure if Borya was a rogue, and him using it to save his ship from the flames that Beckett put it under.

Oh, Barbossa's story about his pet parrot, he could hardly forget and it was so long ago. Was it a parrot? Aye, it was a parrot named Polly! Polly the parrot, who actually wore clothes like she was a woman! Jack actually thought when he was stringing this story of how his ship had sunk, that dear Hector was more upset over the loss of his parrot than the loss of his ship. Another reason why Jack would never let him Captain a ship of his... like the Black Pearl, as an example.

Nicolette, when told this, laughed and made it a point to mention dear Polly to Barbossa in the day. She remained silent otherwise, while Jack told her this tale. She didn't know whether to believe if it was made up, but as Jack told it, she could tell that it wasn't. She saw a lot of unbelievable things, to believe in it to be true. By the time Jack had finished explaining the background of his story to the actual story, Nicolette found herself feeling the sunrise from the other room. Jack actually found it easy to tell her what had happened next once he was on the Fair Wind, working for the company, when he realized that if he was interrupted by any one in his crew he would definitely lose his place.

Jack paused and he kissed the top of Nic's forehead, "Love, I'll be back, I have to be sure that there'll be a lack of interruptions for right now."

"All right," Nicky said. Jack soon left her side and stood up, brushing down his clothes until he noticed his mum's head attached to his belt. He cringed, why on earth did Teague give that to him? But, Jack had to admit, it was great having mum close to him, but did she have to be this close? Jack ignored his mum's shrunken head for right now, and soon made his way away to the main cabin. He peeked out of his quarters, the sun immediately blinding him. He suspected that they would be in Shipwreck Cove very soon. With his naked eye, he could spot Devil's Throat not to far from the Pearl's bow.

That was when he saw two familiar lads on his ship. Way too familiar, but he hardly paid mind to that. He called them over, "Oi! You two!"

Murtogg and Mullroy paused in holding buckets of water and rags in their hands. Their backs were to Jack as they were frozen where they stood. They only started being pirates, did they already screw up? Slowly, and very slowly, the two turned around reluctantly to see that it was indeed Jack Sparrow at the doors of his cabin, he opened them just enough so they could only see him, not what was behind him.

Murtogg turned to Mullroy, his forehead creased toward him worriedly, "What do you reckon he wants from us?"

"I don't know, but it can't be good, could it?" Mullroy said to him, his Adam's apple bobbing once he had swallowed nervously.

"Well, we haven't seen him, what could he know what we've done that ain't to the standards of him?"

"Does that matter? Why else would he be callin' us to him?"

"I don't kno—."

"Oi!" Jack called again. What were those idiots doing that involved them not coming right away to him? Murtogg and Mullroy looked his way again and reluctantly they placed their buckets of water and rags onto the deck before they both walked toward the door with their heads down, not looking into Jack's eyes. Jack narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

"Y-Yes, Cap'n!" Murtogg said, straightening his back as he stood in front of Jack. Mullroy quickly followed in suit, however the two of them didn't bare to look up at Jack's eyes. Jack looked at the both oddly and then turned his head into his room, they were familiar... but they looked different. Jack took in another glimpse at them, they were dressed in pirate garb and their hair was straggly and long, long enough to reach their shoulders. One was large, while the other on was skinny. But... Jack couldn't remember them quite yet.

He ignored who they were, he obviously didn't care. Jack knew that they were idiots just by looking at them, they were practically bantering each other about the reason he called them to him. That did struck him odd, but Jack did not question it, he wanted to get back inside fast. He told them firmly, "Stay here, anyone comes tell them that Miss Brown—."

At the sound of Miss Brown, Murtogg's head picked up, looking up at Jack. "Is... is Miss Brown all right?" Mullroy looked up at Murtogg slowly, a scowl forming on his face. He lightly shoved Murtogg as Jack looked at them both taken back by what was unfolding. You think that he would be used to this by now? "What?" Murtogg asked him innocently like he had done no wrong.

"What?" Mullroy retorted mockingly. "What do you mean 'What?' What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just askin' if Nic is all right is all. What's so wrong—?"

"What's so wrong about that? We got our skins still attached and you are tryin'—."

"Whoa, mates," Jack waved his hands in front of them in a huge gesture to gain their attention back. He did know them. These were the same blokes in Port Royal, and the same blokes who were guarding the chest on the Dutchman. How could he not know them? Like hell did Jack care though. Jack said to them, "Continue this after I am done. I am hardly in any shape to hear your disagreements, I'd rather not hear them now... nor ever would I like to. But Miss Brown is fine, she just rather not be disturbed by the following," Jack pulled out his hand and listed off his fingers, "knocking, barging in, arguing, and or shoving. Savvy?"

"Oh..." Murtogg mumbled. "So... so what do you suppose we do?"

"You two are to stay here and watch over this door. Whoever comes to this door, you tell them that Captain Sparrow said that Miss Brown is not to be disturbed and knocking, barging in, arguing, and or shoving are the things that she would not hear. Also, that she is okay. So... these cabin doors are..."

"Off limits?" Mullroy added on not sure.

"Aye! Now, you," he looked to Murtogg who suddenly stood in attention again. Jack eyed him carefully before he continued to Murtogg, "repeat what I just said."

"Uh, Miss Brown is fine," Murtogg started sounding uncertain about the words that were coming out of his mouth. "She... she doesn't want to be disturbed and would not like to be disturbed by the following, knocking, barging in, arguing, and or shoving... So, these cabin doors are off limits, says Captain Sparrow."

"Good!" Jack said brightly to him, before adding, "Very good, just say it more like you mean it." Jack looked between the two of them, "Now, you two are to stay put at these doors until I say otherwise. Savvy?" The two only looked at each other before looking at Jack, nodding their heads quickly. "Good then, off you go." With that, Jack shut the doors to his cabin, leaving both Murtogg and Mullroy alone. They turned around and leaned against the door, guarding it on either side.

"See? I told ya we weren't in trouble," Mullroy said to Murtogg.


The Parrot named Polly, is a true story! Lol, that was the funniest part reading it in the book, he said she was dressed up, I think, too. And then Mistress Ching was confused by what Barbossa was telling her and asked him if that was his whore that he brought on board. Hysterical. You could picture Teague at that part just shaking his head at what he was being told. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Review? (If you do, I'll send Polly over to you with a cracker... :))