Warning: Graphic scene, also potentially some triggers, a lot of guilt and a cuss word or two


23: An Increasing Camaraderie

Panting from the exertion of swimming whilst my hands were bound, I waded up the bright white sand of the beach. I heard Jack pause a few paces behind me. Angrily I twisted to face him but was met with his broad back. He was too busy forlornly staring at his beloved Pearl, shaking the ropes from his wrist on one hand whilst the other maintained a white knuckled grip on his effects.

"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." He murmured. Narrowing my eyes, I splashed over before throwing my full weight behind a shove directed his way. To my chagrin he barely even stumbled.

"It'll be the last time you set foot on a ship if you ever do that to me again, you idiot!" I seethed. Turning on my heel I waded back to the shore, clenching my fingers into fists.

"Oi!" Jack shouted. He trudged through the sand, water splashing around his ankles as he raced to catch up with me. Twisting around at his indignant shout, I narrowed my eyes at him. As soon as he caught sight of my expression he stopped dead in his tracks, the surf skimming the surface of his boots.

"You didn't even know if I could swim and yet you still felt it prudent to push me of a bloody boat?" I asked dangerously.

"Ship," he corrected, taking a small step forwards.

"Would you like to say that again?" My blood was boiling. I didn't enjoy swimming at the best of times but at least I could have been prepared for it unlike this. He had no regard for my safety and that hurt.

"Err, no." Jack raised his finger as if to point out a fact but seemed to think better of it. I gave a grim smile of satisfaction.

"Good. That's what I thought." I growled back.

Stumbling over the sand I made my way over to where Elizabeth stood observing us. Ignoring her, I tried to rub my wrists to alleviate some of the itchiness that was beginning. Wordlessly she took my wrists and tried to pull on the rope but to no avail. She only succeeded in making it tighter. The friction combined with the sea water was grating on my bare skin. If I didn't get them off soon, my wrists would be red raw and I didn't need another wound added to all the splinters in my hands. Besides, my knuckles were still throbbing from the punch I'd delivered earlier.

Jack swaggered across, looking at us both warily before zeroing in on my wrists and Elizabeth's useless tugging.

"Will you come and help already?" I called out, wanting to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation.

"No such thing as please?" He replied cheekily. Grumbling under my breath I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. Please." I spat out.

Without another word, Jack brandished his sword and carefully used it to cut at the ropes, slicing through them cleanly one by one until at last I was free.

"Thank you," I murmured, already going to work on trying to suck the splinters out of my hands. Jack nodded in recognition but started making his way over to the palm trees further inland.

"Jack, you were marooned on this Island before, weren't you?" Elizabeth called, running after him. Sedately I followed the pair, wanting to be out of the harsh sun but too focused on removing every last splinter in case they became infected.

"So we can escape in the same way you did then?" She asked hopefully only to stumble back when Jack suddenly rounded on her.

"To what point and purpose, young missy? The Black Pearl is gone and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice…" he paused as he gazed down at her shift, prompting her to scowl and cross her arms defensively at his lewd behaviour.

"Unlikely," he continued. "Young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him."

Jack twisted back around and continued knocking on the trunks of various palm trees trying to find the right one.

"Just say it how you see it," I muttered darkly.

"I'm an honest man, love." He replied quickly.

I snorted in response, not even deigning to give him my thoughts on that. Elizabeth silently watched our exchange with her narrowed eyes before continuing her plea.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow! You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot." Jack, ignoring Elizabeth, found the right tree and took four exaggerated steps away from it before jumping up and down on the spot.

"Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?"

"Last time? I was here a grand total of three days, all right? Last time," he paused again as he reached down and opened a hidden cellar door before climbing down the steps. Wandering over, I caught sight of a rickety staircase as he dropped from view. Elizabeth glanced over at me, exasperation and pleading warring for control over her expression.

"The rumrunners used this island as a cache." His voice drifted up to us, distorted slightly by the echo of the cellar. "They came by, and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've been long out of business. Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that."

He climbed out of the cellar, juggling three bottles of rum in his hands. Before he had chance to drop one, I snatched a bottle and pulled the cork out with my teeth. Shuffling away from the pair for a little bit of privacy I wasted some of the rum to clean my hands. It wasn't the best for disinfecting but hopefully the alcohol content would be high enough that it would work like it did on my back.

"So that's it then?" Elizabeth responded incredulously when she finally found her voice. "That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days lying on a beach, drinking rum?!"

I finished up cleaning my hands and proceeded to swig some rum straight from the bottle, turning just in time to witness Jack thrusting the spare into Elizabeth's arms.

"Welcome to the Caribbean, love."

He uncorked his own bottle and swaggered down to the beach, drinking as he did so. Elizabeth's disbelieving eyes met mine. I shrugged by way of response, not wanting to risk saying the wrong thing and being on the receiving end of her ire again. Sighing I took another large gulp, wincing slightly at the burn it left as it trickled down my throat. I motioned to Elizabeth that she should do the same.

"If you can't beat them, join them, right?" I smiled tentatively before trotting after Jack, lingering in the shade of the palm trees. My anger with him abated with every sip of alcohol I took.


"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" We all sang in chorus as we danced around the roaring fire in a drunken haze.

"I love this song! Really bad eggs! Oh –" Jack cried as he fell heavily into the sand, empty glass bottles surrounded us as Elizabeth and I sat on either side of him, shoulder to shoulder.

"When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!" He yelled, stretching his arms out to the sea.

"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main," Elizabeth boasted whilst I laughed uncontrollably, trying to stop the world from spinning. Jack bumped my shoulder in offence knocking me off kilter. My face met the sand and all three of us dissolved into giggles.

"Up you get, love," Jack said gravelly, gently grasping my arm and hoisting me up. The fire burned bright beside us, casting flickering shadows over his watchful face. Once I was upright, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, grounding me from swaying and prompting another round of uncontrollable laughter to bubble forth.

"Not just the Spanish Main, you know." Jack eventually replied to Elizabeth who had taken to sipping in a refined manner from her bottle whilst Jack helped me out. I watched entranced. It was amazing that she could still look so regal and like a proper lady whilst drinking rum straight from the bottle.

"The entire ocean. The entire world! Wherever we want to go, we'll go." Jack squeezed my shoulder tightly as he spoke. "That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs. But what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom."

Jack's somewhat sombre words dampened down my giggles a little as I thought on his true meaning. It was clear that was all he'd ever wanted; freedom, freedom to roam, freedom to be whoever he wanted to be, freedom from a life of boundaries and rules. I respected that. It was one thing to want it, but another thing entirely to put yourself out there and actually chase after it. To do so took great determination and courage. Something which I felt I was entirely lacking in.

"Jack, it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island," Elizabeth wondered thoughtfully.

"Oh yes," he replied whilst stretching his free arm over her shoulder until we were both pulled into his chest. I rested my head on his shoulder, eyes beginning to droop from the sheer volume of alcohol I'd ingested.

"But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think. The scenery has definitely improved."

"Mr Sparrow!" Elizabeth cried in shock, pulling herself away from his grasp. "I'm not entirely sure that I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk."

"I'll drink to that," I muttered, half-heartedly raising my nearly empty bottle.

"I know exactly what you mean, love." Jack murmured, sitting up fully and dropping his arm from my shoulder in favour of curling his moustache. Goose bumps immediately sprang up from the suddenly lack of warmth.

Elizabeth thrust her bottle into the air, proposing a toast. "To freedom!"

"To the Black Pearl!" Jack countered.

"To getting home!" I added, clinking my bottle against theirs but making no move to drink anymore.

Jack steadily drained the rest of his rum before keeling over backwards and descending into light snores. Rolling my eyes at his theatrics I stumbled to my feet and walked unsteadily before dropping down awkwardly next Lizzy who was looking at Jack with an amusing mixture of awe and disgust.

"I hope you're not still mad at me," I finally mumbled after we sat there for a while in silence, watching the flames dance into the clear night.

"I don't know what I feel in all honesty. I was so angry before." She replied hesitantly. I risked a glance at her before turning back to the sea.

"And what about now?" I questioned eventually when she didn't add anything else.

"After all that's just happened to us, I don't think I had it in me to be angry with you – not anymore. But surely you must understand the ramifications of what you've done, Ara. You abandoned Estrella at the port without even checking if she was alive. You risked your life to join a pirate on a crazy quest to help rescue me. Why couldn't you have stayed in Port Royal? You would have been safe there."

"If I or Estrella had been in your position, would you have done the same?"

"That's not the point though," she sighed.

Her use of my nickname sent a fare of hope sparking through my drunkenness that perhaps our friendship hadn't been completely ruined. When she'd accosted me on the Interceptor after her rescue, I'd come clean about my involvement in helping Jack escape to find her. And while she'd been grateful for my help in the rescue and so happy to see a friendly face she had a lot of difficulty getting over the fact that I hadn't even thought to check on Estrella before I'd raced into action. Until she'd pointed it out, I'd completely forgotten. Since then the guilt had been gnawing away at me. So had the fact that Elizabeth had blatantly been ignoring me unless absolutely necessary. Although, her wordless help with the ropes earlier combined with her assistance on the Interceptor whilst we were under attack had sprung a hope that she wasn't as angry. I hadn't dared to address it until I had some Dutch courage warming my insides.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry," I finally replied.

"I know. This whole situation is just ridiculous. Undead pirates, cursed treasure, it's like things from a book, not real life."

"Trust me, I get it," I shot back with a little laugh of understanding. A yawn broke through my laughter as my eyelids grew heavy once again.

"Get some sleep Ara, heaven knows you look like you need it. I'm going to take a walk so I don't disturb you." Elizabeth stood up gracefully and began to meander down the beach leaving me alone with the snores of a certain pirate. Satisfied that she wasn't as angry as I'd previously thought, I cushioned my head on my satchel and closed my eyes, embracing the sweet release of sleep.


"Hello chum," a faceless voice whispered.

A muffled bang. A dull thud. A smothered scream.

My heart raced. My breath raced. Why can't I see?

"Hello chum," a faceless voice murmured.

A softened bang. A subdued thud. A stifled scream.

Someone needed help. They needed my help. I had to help. Why can't I see?

Throwing my hands out in front of me I tentatively walked forward hoping that I wouldn't trip over anything.

"Hello chum," a faceless voice said.

A bang. A thud. A scream.

I picked up the pace, running forwards into nothingness, following the sounds of the voice. I needed to help. Why can't I see?

"Hello chum," a cheery faceless voice spoke.

A gun shot. A thud. A scream.

I screamed.

My feet fixed to the floor and I dropped heavily to my knees.

Why can't I see? Why was I screaming?

"Hello chum, hello chum, hello chum," the cheery faceless voice spoke, running around me in circles.

A gun shot. A dull thud. A deafening scream.

My deafening scream.

I was too late.

Mr Ainsworth's pale face stared straight at me through the darkness. His eyes: cold, lifeless and accusing. A pool of red framed his disembodied head forming a macabre halo. His mouth unhinged into a grotesque silent scream.

"You knew this was going to happen." His voice reverberated through my head, tearing away at my already crumbling emotional control. And yet his mouth did not move from his silent scream.

"You knew this was going to happen, Arabella." I shook my head violently, tears began to fall.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered. It wasn't enough. It'll never be enough.

"Why didn't you try to prevent it?"

My head kept shaking, sobs forming thick and fast in my throat. All I could do was murmur continuous apologies. It'll never be enough.

"You let me die." His voice pierced through me like a dagger, stabbing through the vestiges of my defences.

I let him die.

Mr Ainsworth's eyes snapped closed. His halo pulsed and grew, blood red seeping outwards slithering its way towards me.

Forcing myself to my feet, I turned my back on the blood; I turned my back on Mr Ainsworth. There was nothing I could do but run.

The bright red glow faded into darkness once more. Faint echoes of "hello chum", were soon engulfed by the nothingness. And yet, I kept running.

Running away, running for an escape, running for home.

I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face, and yet I didn't stop.

Until I suddenly do.

Motionless, I stand and stare at a light in the distance. It grows steadily larger as it inches closer. Sobs dampen slightly as I stare, curiosity burning, apprehension growing.

Please don't be Mr Ainsworth.

Closer and closer it came, an irritating buzzing growing with it.

A sword collided with another, the sudden distinct clash making me stumble. When I regained my balance I looked up only for my breath to catch in my throat. I was on the Interceptor. Alone. Whirling around I tried to find the source of the swords and the buzz that was rapidly becoming overwhelming.

Nothing, nobody; it was just me.

Another sword clanged metal against unyielding metal. A muted bang. A subtle scratching.

A lone crab scuttled its way across the deck, pausing in front of me and blinked.

What was it doing here?

Onwards it sidestepped. Standing motionless, I watched transfixed as it moved slowly but surely until it stopped once again.

The buzzing grew louder.

The crab turned around and impatiently clicked one of its pincers at me. In a disorientating flash my vision faded until I saw nothing but the crab and a small circle of the deck on which it stood. It scuttled away a few more paces, legs clicking against the wood, bright orange shell gleaming in the spotlight that shone upon it.

Intermittent bangs sounded, growing in intensity, fighting for dominance with the buzzing.

The crab stopped again, turned to me, blinked and brusquely clicked its pincers. Did it want me to follow? With a deep sigh I shuffled towards it, trying desperately to think of anything other than the horror I had just witnessed.

Satisfied that I was following, the crab continued scurrying forwards. The more I followed, the faster the crab scampered. It wasn't long before I was running again, trying to keep up. I didn't know why but I knew that I couldn't let the crab out of my sight. My feet pounded on the wood, boots banging. The buzzing was almost deafening.

Abruptly someone screeched. Whirling around, I tried to find the source through the darkness as it echoed around me.

Where had it come from?

Heart pounding against my rib cage, I turned back to find that the crab had disappeared. Uneasiness unfurled in my gut. I couldn't have lost it. I had tried so hard not to.

The scream cut off. I took a small step forwards, apprehension for my current predicament rapidly forming. Turning to look back, I tried in vain to find the crab. It wasn't there. How could I have hoped to see in the pitch black?

Swords clanged in crescendo, indistinct buzzing became yells and shouts; a battle was being waged. Clapping my hands over my ears, I tried to drown out the sounds that had become so familiar to me.

Swivelling back round, I crashed into some railings. The Earl King appeared before me, pirates slaughtering a naval crew.

"No, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening, this isn't happening," I prayed, eyes darting from one part of the fighting to the next.

Death was everywhere. I was surrounded. I knew what happened next. With my hands still firmly pressed to my ears, my head shook manically as tears flowed again. I couldn't bear witness to the merciless killing that I knew was coming.

Stumbling backwards, I tried to get away from the massacre only to trip over, landing heavily on my back. Pain flared, shooting down my spine and through my hands that had tried to stop my fall.

I lay there attempting to catch my breath, relief flowing through my tense limbs as the sounds of the battle drained away. Holding my hands up to my face, I tried to inspect the damage. Splinters stuck out at odd angles, small rivulets of blood seeped sluggishly from tiny scratches.

Almost imperceptibly the deck started rocking. It was a slow soothing motion helping me to focus on one thing at a time. I needed to get the splinters out and the scratches cleaned in case they became infected.

As I set about removing the splinters the rocking became a little less smooth and a little more erratic. And yet it didn't distract from the silence that had seemingly swallowed me whole. To go from being in the midst of a deafening battle to sudden nothingness had been more than disconcerting.

More and more erratic the rocking of the ship became. Before long I was forced to abandon my splinter removal as a need to hold onto something, anything suddenly became my new priority. The ship rose and fell with giant swells, tossing me about with it.

Desperately I tried to grab onto the railings that had halted me before. Just as I reached out the ship climbed a sharp wave, the deck sloping steeply, forcing me to tumble down. I rolled uncontrollably until a barrel hit me in the stomach, stopping my progression and knocking the breath out of me.

And still there was only silence. I couldn't even hear my own groans of pain, the thunderous sea or the storm that had raged moments ago.

I lay there on my side trying to catch my breath whilst figuring out what was happening.

Why can't I hear anything?

A flicker of movement caught my eye. Turning my head slightly, I tried to see what it was. Smoke obscured my vision. A dull throbbing began pulsing in my temples.

My lack of hearing was throwing me off-kilter. Wincing, I sat up whilst doing my best to ignore the pain that seemed to be radiating through my body and the niggling tell-tale signs of oncoming nausea.

Dark shadows loomed in the smoke, dancing around my vision capriciously. Squinting I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. As soon as I thought I'd latched onto something concrete, it slipped away tauntingly.

Some of the smoke abated slightly enabling an intense beam of light to shoot through the dense clouds.

A glistening caught my eye. I tilted my head, looking down. It was my dagger.

The metallic knife sparkled tantalisingly.

Reaching down, I stroked a finger along the flat side of the blade marvelling at its deadly beauty. The pure white handle begged to be held, golden filigree burning with desire. Grasping it firmly in my palm, I tested its weight. It fit comfortably, almost fused to my skin.

It was an extension of my arm; a pure, beautiful, deadly extension.

A sudden lunging motion had my head shooting up, annoyance coursing through my veins at the distraction. What had dared to draw my attention away from the bewitching beauty?

Another battle raged around me, ferocious pirates colliding head first with equally as ferocious pirates, guns and canons firing fiercely.

Lizzy was locked in an intense sword fight. Pirate and lady evenly matched in skill.

And yet she couldn't see anything except that which was happening directly in front of her. She couldn't see the pirate sneaking up behind her. She couldn't see the pirate about to raise his dagger to cut her down. His dagger that matched mine, beauty ready to strike.

Bounding to my feet I raced over, shouting incomprehensibly, and trying to draw the pirate's attention away from Lizzy.

My temples throbbed dangerously.

He couldn't hurt her. She had to live. What would happen to the timeline if she died?

I reached the pirate just as he lunged. Pushing Lizzy out of the way, I didn't think. I plunged forwards, dagger in hand.

Flesh met metal.

Warmth spilled, chasing the cold blade away.

Stumbling backwards my empty hands flew to my abdomen. Pressure howled behind my eyes, begging for a release.

I watched frozen as the pirate turned and ran. Dropping to my knees, I shakily moved my hands away from my stomach. They were painted, sparkling rubies in the bright Caribbean sun as the smoky haze lifted.

Pure white stained, protruding unnaturally, no longer an extension but an intrusion.

"-ella." A faint desperate whisper sliced through the silence. It was of no consequence. What did a whisper matter in the grand scheme of things?

My head ached, pounding with pain, yet my stomach did not. Pulling at the dagger, I dropped it onto the deck.

Beauty malformed before my eyes; it lay there malignant, dripping with sin.

"Bella," another whisper sounded, louder than before. My shoulder was shaken.

Gazing numbly down at the oozing wound, I watched detached as it widened.

"Bella, come on," the same voice as before, no longer a whisper.

Broader the wound grew. A hard, bloody claw stretched out, searching for something to steady itself on. A scream finally tore through my lips, scratching at my throat. What was happening? I was powerless to do anything but scream and watch in abject horror.

"Bella!" The familiar voice spoke firmly. Another shake to my shoulder, harder.

The bloody claw kept stretching the wound. After it a solid shell, another leg. And another and another and another, until suddenly it fell to the deck below leaving me gasping for air.

The bright orange crab blinked up at me. The crab from before. The crab that I shouldn't have lost.

"Bella, wake up!"

Gasping out a choked scream, I bolted upright.

What was happening? Where was I? Where was the crab?

Taking another deep breath, I prepared to scream. A hand covered my mouth, muffling the sound.

Fighting with all my strength I tried to pry the hand away, thrashing my arms and legs, hitting anything that I possibly could. I had to get away. I needed to be safe.

"Bella, calm down," a gravelly voice spoke firmly next to my ear.

My captor drew me in, securing a heavy arm around my waist, hand firmly pressed against my lips. Heart racing, whipping against my ribcage with alarming speed, I felt myself growing dizzy from the lack of air.

Tears flowed thickly down my face, drenching the hand that held me. Sobs threatened to wrench through my lips. I kept struggling, trying to escape from my captors hold but he held strong, legs pressing in on me on either side, my back pressed against his chest.

"Shh, it's ok. You're ok, love" he whispered soothingly. "It was just a dream." My struggles dampened as I slowly began to recognise the voice.

Jack. He was helping me.

Eventually my struggling died out; giving way to heart-wrenching sobs that twisted my insides. Desperately I clenched onto the hand that covered my mouth, seeking comfort, seeking anything that would help me to feel better.

"I'm going to let go now, love," Jack warned me gently. "Don't scream, you'll wake up Elizabeth."

Elizabeth. I knew that name. She'd gone for a walk.

I prayed that she hadn't witnessed any of my nightmares like Jack. One person was bad enough. Slowly he removed his hand from my face down to my stomach. I grasped both arms as I cried. Relief and grief flowed down my face, tearing my heart in two. Tenderly he rocked us side to side, waiting for me to calm down.

My sobs gradually lessened until only a few tears were left to fall. Mortified, I wiped them away on my shirt.

"You can let me go now, I'm not going to hurt you," I said, voice cracking slightly before trying to extract myself from Jack's tight hold. His arms held onto my abdomen securely, his inner thighs pinned against my outer. If I wasn't feeling so emotional I probably would have taken some satisfaction out of the intimate position I was being held in.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He questioned instead, throwing me for a loop.

I was so sure he'd been blackout drunk earlier and yet here he was trying to take care of me and sounding more sober than I was. There was nothing like a nightmare to case drunkenness away.

"No, not really," I mumbled.

I'd do anything to avoid reliving that particular nightmare. I'd had them almost every time I'd tried to sleep since the raid but that had been a particularly harrowing one. There wasn't a single ounce of desire to speak it out loud. I already knew the deaths were on me. It was something that I was going to have to learn to live with.

"How can you stand all of the violence?" I eventually asked, trying not to think about how I was leaning back against his solid chest. Hope flared that this would be enough to placate him and avoid deeper questions into just what had been plaguing me.

"I'm used to it."

Twisting my head, I looked up at him. He was staring longingly out at the ocean, eyes illuminated by the dying embers of the once roaring fire.

"Life has been very unkind to you, Jack Sparrow," I murmured sadly before facing back to the ocean.

"Aye, love. But it's given me more good than bad. It granted me freedom. What can be better than that?"

"What indeed?" I murmured, silently disagreeing. Freedom was all well and good for someone like Jack. Yes I longed to be free, but I also longed for home, for family, for safety. The price of freedom was too great a cost.

Awkwardly pulling my satchel round to my front, I dug one hand inside, grimacing at the wet clothes that resided in there. Somehow they'd managed to stay with me throughout this hellish journey. Clutching onto my pyjama's I allowed my thoughts to turn to home, to Amy. I missed them terribly and this was the only connection I had left to them, the only way I could feel like I actually had a chance of returning. They were my lifeline.

My knuckles knocked into the cold leather sheath of my dagger. Shivers racked my spine as I suddenly recalled pure white stained red and protruding disgustingly. Jack withdrew his arms from around my middle and started stroking up and down my arms somehow sensing that I still wasn't ok, that I still craved comfort.

"When I was a lad I lived in a place called Shipwreck Cove. I was born into this life you see. Me father's a pirate, me whole family are. It's in our blood." Jack unexpectedly spoke, breaking me out of my reverie. His hands left tingles along my arms where they trailed.

"Sounds like an awful place," I murmured jokingly, recalling what the cove had looked like from the film. Jack chuckled at my bluntness.

"Imagine Tortuga, but more pirates, more rum, more shipwrecks," he continued.

I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't found Tortuga all that bad and really, from what I could remember, I don't think if I ever had the chance to go I'd find Shipwreck Cove all that terrible either.

"You learn all the tricks there, to appreciate your treasure and to be light fingered, if not it could mean disaster." Jack removed his hands from my arms and reached around me, flashing his hand in front of my face to remove one of his rings.

I took it gently, turning it over to examine it. The sharp emerald sparkled every time it caught an ember from the fire, set into a wrought silver band. Two intricate skulls adorned either side of the gem, holding it captive. Jack rested his hands on his thighs, waiting for me to look over the ring.

"I'm guessing there's a story behind this?" I finally said, slipping the ring onto my thumb. It was comically large and dangled down. Starting to spin it around, I tried to focus on anything except the feeling of his thighs pressed against mine, the heat from his chest searing through my back.

He rested his chin on my shoulder, idly watching the silver and green blur together as the ring span around. His beard scratched against my bare neck almost enticingly.

"I didn't learn quick enough. Saw this sitting on a shelf in ol' Rusty Knickers' shack and I knew I had to- what are you laughing at?" He chuckled as I tried to stifle my amusement.

"Rusty Knickers? Do I even want to know how he got a name like that?" I choked out, trying to keep my laughter to a minimum.

"Probably be for the best if you didn't, love. I wouldn't want to offend your delicate sensibilities," he replied snickering to himself.

"Shove off," I muttered, not liking the reminder that at that exact moment I was delicate. I never thought I would be but I suppose circumstances have definitely changed my outlook on life.

Leaning back, I tilted my head to rest on his shoulder, marvelling at how comfortable and safe I felt. Millions of constellations shone above, reflecting on the ocean. They looked just the same as those back home, I thought, although a seed of doubt settled in my mind. When had I really had the time to just stop and appreciate the beauty of nature?

"Are you ever going to tell me what you keep in that bag?"

Running my fingers over my pyjamas with one hand, I gave a melancholic smile. I'd never be able to tell him. I'd never be able to tell anyone here.

"Are you ever going to finish your story?" I countered, deflecting his question.

"Hmm. I'll let you keep your secrets for now," he chuckled. I could hear the promise in his statement. He would try everything that he possibly could to figure out my secret but not tonight. Tonight I was granted a reprieve. I didn't have any doubt that he'd already been trying, I hadn't exactly been as careful as I should have been and he'd latched on to the tail end. All that was left for him to do was unravel. I sighed as my moment of peace shattered and lay scattered around me within a billion grains of crystal sand.

"I broke into his shack and took it for meself."

"What?" I muttered, falling out of my self- reflection.

"The ring," he clarified. "I wanted it so I took it. Only problem was, I wasn't as quick thinking back then. Rusty Knickers," Jack paused as I snorted in amusement at the stupid name once more, "caught me red handed. I made a run for it and I nearly got away too until I took a wrong turning. I ran down a passageway that was crumbling from rot. My foot went straight through a floorboard and I was stuck. Now, Ol' Rusty wasn't exactly what you'd call the forgivin' type. When he caught up to me and saw me stuck he drew his sword, wanting retribution. Me being a lad of about ten, I only had a dagger-"

"Oh, is that all?" I cut in sarcastically eliciting a huff of annoyance from the pirate.

"Yes, that's all. Not much good it would've done against a long sword. He would have cut off me hand if it weren't for me father. By chance we'd run past him and he'd followed. When he caught up, he knocked Rusty out with the hilt of his blade to the back of his skull in one blow." Jack finished with a flourish.

"You clearly have Lady Luck with you, Jack." I responded, still incredulous at his close escape. Evidently not much has changed as he's grown older. Jack got up gracefully and wandered away with a little "hmm" whilst he searched the beach for something. Ignoring the goose bumps that erupted when he left, I went back to spinning the ring around my thumb.

He gave out a little yelp in delight before scooping something out of the sand and swaggering back over. None to gently he sat down next to me, shoulder to shoulder, before uncorking another bottle of rum with his teeth. Raising an eyebrow I watched in disbelief as he swallowed at least a quarter of the contents. How was he still alive with drinking habits like that?

Sensing my disapproval, he grinned over at me cheekily before muttering, "pirate". Rolling my eyes, we fell back into a comfortable silence. Every so often he'd take another drink. All too soon the memories began creeping up on me.

"What about your other jewellery? Any stories behind those?" I questioned, voice thick.

"No," he replied quickly. Too quickly.

"But you do have another story," I guessed. I knew.

"Aye, I maybe have one."

"You have to tell me now," I bartered back twisting around to face him, pouting slightly.

Jack's eyes darted down to my lips and then suddenly took another swig of rum. A very long swig. I settled in, waiting in anticipation.

"Alright, love. I'll tell yer one me father used to tell me as a lad."

Nodding, I silently encouraged him to begin.

"Once, back before humans lived on the Earth, Gods and Goddesses ruled the land and sea. Everything you see was crafted by them, the trees, the food, the animals. They were happy, they enjoyed their time creating. But then, humans arrived and suddenly there was no more peace. So the Gods retreated to the stars in search of new lands to mould into their ideas of perfection, all except for one. She was unwilling to part with her beloved creation. For hundreds of years the Gods above watched down on their sister – the loneliness slowly beginning to drive her mad, until one day a sailor stumbled across her pacing on an island in her human form."

My breath caught in my throat whilst Jack stole the opportunity to drink more. His movements were becoming more slow as the alcohol crept up on him.

"He was kind to her, offered her help and friendship. Soon that friendship turned into love but as the sailor grew older the Goddess did not change. She began to grow bitter at her circumstances. She pleaded with the sailor to always stay with her. He agreed, his love for her was endless he proclaimed. For his devotion, the Goddess rewarded him with a sacred task."

Another drink. I was barely daring to breathe. Was this really, truly happening? I sat in front of him, enraptured with his tale, trying to look past his minutely slurring words that betrayed his inebriated state.

"She gifted him with a ship but on one condition." Jack pointed his index finger before unexpectedly grasping my shoulder and swivelling me round to gaze out at the ocean.

"He could only step foot on land once every ten years. Out of love, the sailor agreed. For ten years he toiled out there completing his sacred task, never aging. For ten years the world changed around him. His devotion to the Goddess grew stronger every day until he could once again step on dry land and be with his beloved in her human form. The day eventually arrived and as soon as the sun rose he waited on their island. All day he stayed, the sun bearing down on him mockingly. He stayed there until eventually the sun set on the horizon, hardening his heart. She did not show. She was as unpredictable, as untameable as the sea."

Jack moved my hair out of my face and over my shoulder as he gestured eccentrically to the horizon. We both sat there in silence, listening to the gentle lapping of the tide on the soft sand. Turning my head, I gazed at his profile as he continued drinking.

I had to be sure. I needed him to finish his story.

"What happened to him?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"His heart grew cold. He knew he'd never love again. So to protect himself from more hurt, he cut out his heart and locked it in a chest and hid it somewhere he was sure it would never be found. For days he sailed aimlessly, neglecting his duty. His sadness turned to anger the longer he waited for his Goddess to come to him. Soon he wanted revenge. He wanted to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him. The thought consumed him. He set sail with a renewed vigour and summoned the First Brethren Court," Jack slurred, well and truly in a drunken stupor, as his fingers played with the coin that dangled atop his bandanna. He took another drink only to frown comically when he found the bottle empty. I watched warily as he swayed whilst he threw it a few yards away.

"The sailor," he continued around a hiccup, "consumed with grief and revenge convinced the pirate lords to rip away her rule of the sea. They would be the masters who tamed its unpredictability, no longer at the mercy of a fickle Goddess. The First Brethren Court agreed. With their nine pieces of eight, the sailor bound the Goddess to forever live in her human form. He took from her the thing she treasured above all else; her freedom."

Jack finished his story with a loud yawn before once again keeling over backwards, pillowing his head with one of his hands whilst the other rested on his chest.

"Legend has it that only one other pirate except the sailor knows how to free the Goddess from her prison," he spoke slowly. I looked out at the dark horizon waiting with bated breath. This was it, finally the moment I'd been waiting for and I'd barely done anything to coerce it from him. Moments past as I anxiously twisted the ring around my thumb until a slight snore caught my attention.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," I moaned in frustration. "Come on Jack! Wake up! Who was the other pirate? Was it you?"

I shook his shoulder but to no avail. He would be blackout drunk until morning for certain this time round. I'd seen it happen before, hell, I'd even been in that position before. Jack had drunk himself into a coma.

Sighing in irritation, I stood up fixing my satchel as I did so. Removing the ring, I lifted the hand on his chest and placed it back on his finger in a naïve hope that he would wake. Of course I wasn't that lucky.

"Stupid bloody pirate," I muttered before walking away knowing that I didn't really mean a word of it. He'd been wonderful and that scared me. I spared him one last glance before hightailing it to where I could just make out Lizzy's silhouette laid further down the beach. It was time to get this fire started.


A/n: Sorry for the long wait. Uni really piled on top of me over Christmas. Hope this super long chapter makes up for it. There's a lot going on here and a lot of it is important. I'm unsure when the next update will be - hopefully it won't be as long as this time but I'm not in any position to make any promises.

Can't believe I've been writing this for over a year! I missed the birthday! Thank you so much to everybody that has supported this story and me. Your lovely comments actually make my day!

Review replies:

drmsqnc: yeah, the ginger thing probably isn't going to be let go. It was a big deal back then and for as long as she stays there it's most likely going to stay a fairly big deal haha!

Angugu: Thank you so much, I'm honestly really happy that you're loving Arabella's storyline! Hopefully this next chapter hasn't disappointed. Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave such a lovely review - it's really appreciated.

screwtape' :I'm glad you're loving the story! Thank you for leaving a lovely comment. I keep falling behind on ones that I'm reading at the moment too - life unfortunately keeps getting in the way.

Need it really be said that this is unedited? Don't forget to let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Until next time x