I'm going to skip over the cannibal island, namely because I found it to be tedious in the film and I've no interest in recreating it. Besides, you folks would enjoy reading other things much more I believe. I'm actually including this bit as a request for more Turner time—here ya go! Don't worry we'll get back to the sordid and oft times ridiculously annoying romance of our man Norrington soon enough. Much of the dialogue here is taken directly from the movie.

Ashlynne wrung out the last of the water and threw her hair back over her shoulder. She wouldn't be able to plait it just yet, it was entirely too cruddy with salt and sand to do much more than fluff about her face like a lion's mane. She was just happy to be out of the bone cages, back on the ship, and underway again.

Gibbs rushed towards the pilot's wheel, "Let's put some distance between us and this island, and head out to open sea."

"Yes to the first," Jack stumbled towards the railing, his left hand wrapped in a kerchief, his whole body sopping wet from a similar swim of desperation to Ashlynne's own, "yes to the second," she eyed the tenseness of his shoulders and felt her own begin to tense in response, "but only insofar as we keep to the shallows as much as possible."

Ashlynne snorted even as Gibbs shook his head in confusion, "That seems a bit contradictory, Captain."

"I'm sure he has every faith in your navigational skills, Mister Gibbs." Ashlynne patted his shoulder and gave him a slight nudge as she moved past him to stand next to Jack.

"Where is that monkey?" Jack's question had them both looking at him as if he'd gone mad. He blinked back at them innocently, "I want to shoot something."

Jack the monkey must've sensed Jack the pirate's intent as he let out a scream and crawled over onto Ragetti. Ragetti's glass eye popped out as the monkey used him as a sounding board to jump higher, away from Jack's assault. Ashlynne watched with barely veiled amusement as Ragetti crawled across the deck after his rolling eye while Jack trailed after the hastily retreating monkey. Before Jack could shoot, however, his name was called out in an all too familiar voice and together they turned to see Will Turner at the opposite end of the deck.

Ashlynne rushed to his side and gave him a quick hug; she hadn't seen him since a bit before her escape from Port Royal. As far as she'd known he was supposed to be off marrying Elizabeth and making lots of babies with her. To find him onboard the Pearl so suddenly had her guts rolling in concern. Had James brought his wrath upon Will and Elizabeth? For as much as he'd once fancied himself in love with Elizabeth, it seemed unlikely. And yet, from the firm set of Will's shoulders, Ashlynne knew instinctively that something drastic had happened to bring him so far from Elizabeth.

By way of answering her unvoiced question Will pulled back from her embrace and squeezed her hand, "Elizabeth is in danger."

Jack tried to lean casually against the railing but he tripped on Ragetti's eye and nearly fell. After glaring at the sheepish pirate he turned his attention back to Will and Ashlynne. "Have you considered keeping a more watchful eye on 'er? Maybe just lock her up somewhere."

Ashlynne increased her hold on Will's forearm when she felt him tense as if to attack Jack. "She IS locked up, in a prison, bound to hang for helping you!"

Ashlynne cringed. Of all the horrible things to happen! Most definitely James had not had a hand in that. He'd never condemn Elizabeth; she'd never been a pirate—though piratey of course in her efforts to save Jack previously. Something, or someone, else had caused this change. She glanced over at Jack and had to fight her own desire to kick him between the legs when he had the gall to look superior towards Will as he replied.

"There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes." He began to tug at his wrist cuffs and Ashlynne felt her ire bleed away; Jack was nervous and the uncaring expression here was a façade.

Will, of course, did not know that. Before Ashlynne could stop him he pulled the sword from her waistband and held it threateningly out towards Jack. "I need that compass of yours, Jack. I must trade it for her freedom."

Jack glared at Ashlynne, as if blaming her for Will's current stance, before he swatted aside the end of the blade. Will's eyes widened in surprise as a result and Ashlynne took advantage of his momentary lack of control to retrieve her blade from him, slapping his wrist in the process. He didn't look the least bit apologetic; instead he shrugged like a young school boy would when caught looking up a girl's petticoats.

"Mister Gibbs." Jack growled out and waited until Gibbs reappeared over the railing. "We have a need to travel upriver."

Gibbs gulped and his eyes darted around nervously, "By need do you mean a trifling need or, uh, a fleeting, as in say a passing fancy?"

"No," Jack motioned for Will to follow him as he moved towards the doors that led to his cabin, "a resolute and unyielding need."

Will shut the door in front of Jack just as he began to open it, "What we need to do is make sail for Port Royal with all haste."

Ashlynne shuddered at the thought of ever returning there. She was well done with that place, though her heart had yet to let go of James. Jack's condescending voice prevented Ashlynne from falling into the familiar pit of despair over thoughts of James.

"William, I shall trade you the compass if," he used his hips to nudge Will out of the way before he opened the door and moved inside, Will and Ashlynne following, "you will help me find this." He turned quickly and pulled out the drawing of the key that he'd shown the crew some days before.

Will studied it for a moment before he leaned back and scratched his head, "You want me to find this?"

"No," Jack rolled his eyes just as he rolled up the drawing and put it back in his pocket, "you want you to find this. Because the finding of this makes you incapacitorially finding and/or locating your discovering the detecting of a way to save your doting belle ol' what's-her-face. Savvy?"

Ashlynne smothered her giggle at the face Will pulled in response to Jack's circular speech. She was well versed in "Jack-speech", after so many years she had to be, and so took it upon herself to translate. "This is going to save Elizabeth?"

Jack gave her a knowing smile before he turned his attention back to Will, "How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

Ashlynne felt the hair on the back of her neck stand at the mentioning of his name. She'd made her own trip into his locker, though thankfully her curse kept her from his clutches. She wondered now, if Jack would reveal the identity and location of Will's father own father in relation to Jones. She hoped he would but at the same time that she hoped this she wasn't about to out step the sly fox and reveal it herself. Too many things were hinged upon Jack's unhingedness to guarantee the results of such a revelation.

"Not much." Will frowned and shook his head in reply.

Jack gave Ashlynne another sly look before he offered Will a reassuring smile, "Yeah, it's going to save Elizabeth."

Ashlynne couldn't help the foreboding that sunk into her marrow at Jack's declaration. It didn't stop after their visit to Tia Dalma; in fact, it only increased once it was revealed that none other than Davy Jones' heart was inside the chest to which the key opened. The fleeting reprieve of Jack receiving the dirt to ward off the Kraken was lessoned once the plan for Will was revealed when they were back onboard the Pearl. Her gut was near inside her throat when they spotted the Flying Dutchman some hours later.

Will leaned against the railing, staring through the storm towards the ship laying dashed upon some rocks. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you." Jack lowered the looking glass and handed it to Ashlynne who greedily took it up to study the ship as well. "Do NOT underestimate her." He rubbed his hands together, as he often did when excited or nervous. "So what's your plan then?"

"I row over; search the ship until I find your bloody key. If there are crewmen I cut them down." Ashlynne saw his hand drift down to his sword out of the corner of her eye.

She lowered the looking glass and smiled at him, "I like it. Simple, easy to remember." She patted his shoulder reassuringly, trying to convey silently her desire to see him succeed without getting overly gushy. He gave her a grateful nod in response.

Will began to descend towards his "chariot" as Ragetti called the dingy, while Jack called over the side, "Hey! If you do happen to get captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt! Might save your life!"

As Ashlynne watched Will struggle through the surf and waves towards the wreck, she had the sinking suspicion that the exact opposite would be rendered if Will dared to mention Jack's name. This suspicion was confirmed not an hour later when Davy Jones himself appeared onboard, looking half oceanic and half man. He eyed the crew and the ship with a connoisseurs' eye, his gaze hungry like that of a predator, before it fell upon Jack. Ashlynne inched away from his side when Jones limped towards him, his gaze drawing ever darker in a menacing scowl.

"You have a debt to pay. You've been captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement." In another lifetime perhaps, Ashlynne could spy glimpses of a handsome face that would've been attached to the hypnotic accent of the man Jones. But now, pain and rage rolled off him in waves similar to that of the sea itself.

Jack held up his hands, "Technically, I was only captain for two years, and then I was viciously mutinied upon."

"Then you were a poor captain," Jones leaned back onto his peg leg, "but a captain nonetheless. Have you not introduced yourself all these years as 'Captain' Jack Sparrow?"

Ashlynne winced. Jones had Jack there; she could only hope that Jack had approached this situation with the usual plan b in mind—she hadn't the energy to die and resurrect again, especially onboard a cursed ship under the captaincy of Davy Jones.

"You have my payment." Ashlynne whipped her head to the side to glare at Jack in fearful surprise. "One soul to serve on your ship is already over there."

Ashlynne didn't care what he had up his sleeve now. She didn't care that Davy Jones himself was standing onboard. She gave into her rage over Jack's outright betrayal of a former ally, and her own friend, and lashed out against him. She caught him hard in the shin with her foot and when he began hopping on one leg she kicked with her other foot and knocked his one good leg out from under him before she crunched down on his groin.

Davy Jones watched her movements with bored amusement and only waited until Jack had stopped moaning before he spoke again. "One hundred souls, three days."

Ashlynne stood to her tallest and faced the creature-man, "Send us back the boy and we will get started."

"I keep the boy." He leaned close enough to where his octopus like tentacles slapped against her neck and chin, cold and wriggly. "A good-faith payment." He sniffed at her for a moment before he shrugged and leaned back to stare down at the still writhing Jack. "That leaves you only ninety-nine more to go." He let out what would have once been considered a laugh then but to Ashlynne it only sounded like rasping breath.

"Have you met Will Turner?" Jack near whispered as he started to pull himself back to a standing position. "He's noble, heroic, terrific soprano," Jack's own voice hitched a bit and he glared at Ashlynne before he cleared his throat and continued in his regular pitch, "worth at least four, maybe three and a half. Oh did I mention that he's in love?" Jack moved closer to Jones and Ashlynne watch as Jones' tentacles twitched at the last word. "With a girl. Due to be married. Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony." He spared a glance at Ashlynne before looking back to Jones. "Aye?"

Jones glared at Jack, his tentacles twitching, before he pushed past him to get to the railing, He sat upon it, near in it actually, and spoke to Jack in his rough-hewn voice. "I keep the boy. Ninety-nine souls." He began to sink towards the ocean. "But I wonder, Sparrow, can you live with this? Can you condemn an innocent man, a friend, to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?"

Ashlynne glared over at Jack who only paused for a second before he gave a nervous smile and nod, "Yep. I'm good with it. Should we seal the deal in blood? I mean…er…ink?"

One of Jones' tentacles lashed out and wrapped itself around Jack's left hand with a squishy, sloppy sound. When it retracted and Jones fully disappeared into the ocean, the black spot on his hand was gone and the crew was left with a relieved apprehension.

"Three days." Ragetti chanted by Ashlynne's side. "Three days."

Jack stared at his hand for a moment before he called out, "Oh, Mr. Gibbs."

"Aye." Gibbs pushed up beside Ashlynne and gave her a subtle pat on the shoulder—as if he understood her frustration with Jack over his cold betrayal but had little else to offer.

Jack shook his hand, slime sliding off in every direction, "I feel sullied and unusual."

"How do you intend to harvest these ninety-nine souls in three days?" Ashlynne growled out, stepping forward.

At her advance Jack held out a hand and backed up into the railing, "Fortunately, he was mum as the condition in which these souls need be."

"Ah," Gibbs let out a low whistle and smiled, "Tortuga."

Jack nodded, "Tortuga."