"What do you think?" Jack didn't look up from his compass, adjusting the wheel slightly.
"About what? The boy?" He nodded. Sasha looked down at Will who was talking with Gibbs. "He's got a lot to learn but I think he'll be a pirate yet. I look forward to meeting this lass who's enchanted him into a lifestyle he clearly despises."
"Aye, men are fickle creatures who do strange things for the women in their lives."
"And here I thought you only rescued me to use me to kill Barbossa." Sasha smirked. She watched the wreckage as they sailed past, deeper into the bay. Jack had sailed them true, through storms and calm, and they finally caught up with the Pearl. "If the boy does something stupid, the whole plan could be ruined." Jack turned to her with a cocky grin.
"I'm counting on it." He motioned for her to follow and they descended and waited for Gibb's to finish his story, one Sasha would like to hear the truth later from Jack.
"And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft." Sasha smiled, remembering when Gibbs would tell her wild tales. Will raised an eyebrow at the older man.
"He roped a couple of sea turtles?"
"Aye, sea turtles." Gibbs nodded.
"What did he use for rope?" Will wondered but before Gibbs could open his mouth, Jack answered.
"Human hair, from my back." Both Sasha and Will made disgusted faces. "Let go of the anchor!" He shouted, the crew echoing his order. The brunette leaned over so Jack could hear her over the crews talking and working.
"I'll get the rowboat ready." She squeezed his shoulder and did as she had said. She tossed some supplies into the boat and pulled herself in as well, waiting for the other two going ashore.
"Sasha, young Turner, and I will be going ashore." Jack explained to his first mate.
"And if the worst should happen?" Gibbs questioned. Will joined her in the rowboat and she helped him in.
"Keep to the code."
"Aye, the code." Gibbs nodded, clapping on the back before letting him go so he could set out on their mission. They were lowered into the water and began their journey into the cave. Jack used the oars to move them deeper down the waterway, trusting Sasha to watch their front in case anything should happen before successfully sneaking in. She could tell Will was uneasy, especially when his lantern light illuminated a corpse on the waters edge.
"What Code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?" He turned around to Sasha.
"Pirate's code. If any man falls behind, they're left behind." She explained.
"No honor amongst thieves, eh?"
"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one." Jack chimed in. "Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga, and you're completely obsessed with treasure." The three looked overboard at the piles of sunken gold glittering at the bottom of the river. Will whipped his head around, defensively.
"That's not true! I am not obsessed with treasure." He reminded Sasha of a little boy who got caught with his hand in his mothers sweets before they were ready. They landed the boat and pulled it onto the rocks, quietly as they could. Jack glanced back at the both of them.
"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." His dark eyes lingered on Sasha but she was too focused on the spot ahead that they could watch the gathering from.
They flanked her as Barbossa began his speech. Sasha caught sight of a pretty young woman amongst the filthy men, wearing a purple velvet dress. Before she could even ask, Will had whispered her name. She had to admit, he had made a wise choice in women. As Barbossa spoke, impressive even to the woman who despised him, he kicked open the chest of cursed gold and her hand shot to her pouch out of reflex. Will grew impatient, attempting to scramble over the pile they hid behind.
"Jack!" He whispered angrily as the two pirates held him in place.
"Not yet." Jack warned, looking back at the assembled. "We wait for the opportune moment." He got down and headed off, Sasha and Will at his heels.
"When's that? When it's of greatest profit to you?" That stopped Jack in his tracks. He turned around and looked the boy in the eye.
"May I ask you something? Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" He was in his face now. "Do us a favor, I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here and try not to do anything stupid." Jack nodded at Sasha and went on ahead. She could tell Will was seething.
"Now young William, I know what it's like to do what you think is right by the one you love, but he is trying to help you." She didn't stop him when he picked up an oar lying on the ground, Jack did say he was counting on him to mess up.
"He's only using us to get his ship back, can't you see?"
"Aye, but he is also risking his beloved ship to keep your lass alive. Think of him what you will but when he makes a promise, he keeps it."
"I can't risk it." He held the oar at her threateningly. She held her hands up.
"Go do what you must to save her. Tell the crew to go on without us but know that we'll be close behind with an angry undead pirate." He nodded and headed after Jack. Sasha rolled her eyes and slowly followed behind. "Men are going to be the real death of me when I become mortal again."
She found Jack knocked out cold, the oar in question beside him. She knelt beside him and pulled his head into her lap to inspect how bad Will had hit him. Relieved there would be nothing but a bruise there in a few hours, she patted his cheek to wake him. When that didn't work, she delivered a sharp slap across his cheek.
"Bloody hell!" He groaned, sitting up and holding his cheek then his forehead.
"I hope that was factored into your plan." She helped him to his feet and they both stopped when they heard Barbossa's men coming closer. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, hoping to hide from them but instead they were met with the shocked faces of Jack's former crew. The fatter crewman, whom she recalled as one of Barbossa's two original men from Tortuga, pointed at him, confused.
"You're 'sposed to be dead!" Jack dropped her hand and pushed her behind him, looking himself over in fake confusion.
"Am I not?" He patted his chest and turned to Sasha. "Am I dead?"
"Unfortunately not this time." She grimaced, turning around to find a pistol in her face. Jack started muttering gibberish, seeming to try and remember a word.
"-parlili? parsnip, pasley, par - partner, partner?"
"Parley?" The thinner man offered, the other man Sasha remembered with Barbossa. Jack clapped happily.
"Parley! That's the one." He glanced back at his partner and smiled. "Parley!" Sasha rolled her eyes.
"Down to the depths whatever man that thought up parley!" The thicker pirate shouted angrily, looking past Jack and looking her over.
"Je ne parle pas français." She shrugged, recalling what Allard had taught her in his native tongue. This irritated the man more.
They were seized and dragged into the open cave where she had suffered the curse so many moons ago. Barbossa pushed through the crowd of his men and stopped before them. Jack seemed at ease, leaning the oar Will had beat him with and smirking at his old first mate. One of his crew reached out to snatch her coin bag on her hip and she swiftly grabbed their wrist and began twisting it.
"You value that hand, you best keep it away from me." She threw his arm away. Barbossa seemed shocked they were both standing there, knowing them both to be dead. Well, one by his own hand and the other heard from rumors.
"How the blazes did you get off that island?" He asked genuinely curious. Jack's face hardened for a moment.
"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate." Everyone leaned in to know how he had survived. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Again, Sasha rolled her eyes. Barbossa stepped closer, also not pleased with his answer.
"Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again." He turned back to the crew. "Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow. Kill him." While his men turned on Jack, Barbossa placed a hand on Sasha's lower back and began to guide her away.
"Been awhile, Hector." She pretended to play nice with him.
"Aye it has. Last I heard you were at the bottom of the Atlantic."
"You know how unreliable pirates are, always telling a good story whether it's true or not." She looked back over her shoulder at the man she loved, begging him with her eyes to step in.
"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Barbossa turned and glared at Jack.
"Hold your fire!" He waved his men to stand down. "You know whose blood we need?" Jack pulled Sasha back into his protection.
"I know whose blood ye need."