In answer to WittyKitty4's question, good point. I forgot about that part. But, this website is based on fiction, the fiction we make up, so...I'm not gonna worry about Norrington and the hurricane for this story. I feel his presence makes it more interesting.

Kate and Jack emerged from the fort. They were greeted by Will and Elizabeth. Jack was taken aback at their sudden presence and slightly stumbled. "Hello, Jack." Elizabeth threw him a smile. "Nice of you to pay us a return visit, considering you're a WANTED man in these parts."

"It's good to be wanted." Jack remarked nonchalantly.

"Yes, but not that wanted!" Kate interjected. Elizabeth smirked and Will tried to cough over a laugh.

"You've been really missin' out, dear." Jack teased Kate.

"I will decide if it's a loss, thank you." Kate retorted.

"By the way, a special thanks to you for that little favor thingy you done for me." Jack said to Will and Elizabeth. "And I shan't trouble ye any further. I must get back to my ship and my crew."

"Jack, that can wait." Elizabeth sighed. "I, personally shall see to it that you have all the food you need."

"If you'd asked us for a favor in the first place, you wouldn't be in this mess right now." Will said.

"Exactly!" Kate held up her index finger. Jack puffed out his lips and threw them a pouty face.

"And where would be the fun in that?" He asked. "A man and his reputation, you know." Kate rolled her eyes. Did this guy enjoy getting into trouble, or had he made such a habit of it that the two combined had become like old friends?

"Perhaps you could belay your so urgent exit for not an hour at the most?" Elizabeth suggested.

"And why would I be obligated to such a practically unpractical request?" Jack narrowed his eyes.

"You don't expect us to sail with you unprepared, do you?" Will asked. Jack grimaced.

"I would not be expecting ye to up and sail with me at all." He replied dryly. "Bad enough to have one pushy lass on board," He felt Kate glare at him, "but the two of you makes a rather in-digestive combination that I am not prepared to be bemoan myself over till the discomfort goes out one way or another!"

Elizabeth pursed her puffy lips. "That is a fine attitude, considering Will saved your life." She muttered. Will nodded silently.

"Are you always this cordial to your friends?" Kate asked Jack sarcastically.

"That's why ye all love me so." Jack threw back his head smugly. Kate crinkled up her nose. Will merely raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"My father has business matters in England. I shall accompany you on his errand and settle the task for him." Elizabeth explained.

"He does?" Will looked at her incredulously. Elizabeth threw him a pointed look.

"He does now." She hissed through her teeth.

"Governor matters, lad." Jack said. "Very well, love. I wish you a pleasant voyage. Hope you find a ship that meets up to your expectations." He grinned and started to walk away.

"Oh, I am taking only the fastest and finest in the Caribbean." Elizabeth smirked. "The Black Pearl." Jack sighed. When Will and or Elizabeth made up their minds, there was no changing them.

"I strongly doubt yur father the governor will share your opinion." He said.

"I shall speak with him." Elizabeth smiled. Jack looked at her, exasperated.

"Fine." He huffed. "Izzie, you are most welcome to sail with me. Katie, darlin..."

"No, it's Kate." Kate corrected him in surprise.

"Unfortunately, for you, Mr. Turner, I'm afraid we be all out of convenient sleeping quarters on the Pearl. And anyone caught sneaking aboard I will throw to the sharks. Savvy? Unless you care to bunk down with the feathered friends being fatted for the kitchen, I'm afraid ye got no place on the Pearl. Our loss. Sad, isn't it?" Jack shrugged smugly.

"Then, Will won't be coming with us to England?" Kate asked, a bit disappointed.

"He's only afraid that Will might shame him in front of his crew, with how well he beats him at the hand of a sword." Elizabeth smirked widely as she saw the very displeased look on Jack's face. Will proudly held his head high. Jack blinked.

"I'll have you know that Captain Jack Sparrow is not afraid of anything." He said, puffing out his chest.

"Then Will goes." Elizabeth said.

"Done." Will smiled.

"Undone!" Jack frowned.

"Done." Elizabeth said.

"Undone!" Jack argued.

"Enough already." Kate shook her head.

"Don't ye have smithy matters you are required to tend to, lad?" Jack asked Will.

"I'm the proprietor of the blacksmith shop now, Jack. I can leave if I want to." Will announced proudly.

"Sorry, no room for any more rash whelps running about my deck." Jack waved him off. "Come, me ladies. Must sail out of here before nightfall."

"Uh...I must pack." Kate interjected. Jack gaped.

"Pack?" He sputtered.

"Just because you travel light doesn't mean we all do at the spur of the moment." Elizabeth teased. She and Kate left to gather what belongings and clothes they would need for the trip to the British colonies. Will walked off down the street.

"Should've chosen a different port to steal from." Jack muttered to himself. "Those two youngins have a notorious habit of delaying me plans. And now I have three on me hands to look out for!" He pulled out and stared at his compass. It pointed in the direction of the three young people. Jack snapped it shut.

Kate's POV

At first I did not understand why Miss Elizabeth felt such an urge to go to England with me. I was only a maid in her house, not the other way around. Not that I minded, I was glad to have the company, especially considering I'd be sailing under the authority of Captain Jack Sparrow, a man I apparently did not know too well.

Well, the witty but outspoken pirate was right about one thing: Governor Swann was not thrilled about his daughter deciding on the spur of the moment to just off and sail to another continent! But she managed to persuade him that she would handle his accounts of service to the royals sufficiently and return to Port Royal with positive feedback. The only thing that convinced him to give in was that Will, her fiance would be with her and he knew he could trust Will! I mean honestly, who could not? Well, save for one person I know of-Jack Sparrow!

Governor Swann was pleased that I would be traveling with Elizabeth as her lady in waiting, which is basically what I was, so that helped him calm down a bit, seeing as that would not be a conspicuous or nontraditional factor we'd be doing.

Elizabeth told me years later that whenever Jack Sparrow arrived, she would feel this sudden, powerful urge to travel and seek adventure, instead of merely dreaming of it. And she had to act on it or she felt she would go insane. She'd always been bound for what lay outside of the fancy society she was obligated to hold up, and when Jack Sparrow was on the scene, it fueled her hunger for freedom so hard that she scarfed it down without reservation.

Elizabeth and I returned to town from the governor's mansion after a couple hours. I kept the release probation papers hidden safely inside my petticoats. I was not about to lose them! And my most prized possession, my diary, also was hidden in my special pocket I'd sewn just for it. My diary went wherever I did. I also carried around a small but sharp dagger-personally crafted by Will himself-, holstered to my leg underneath my bloomers. After the attack on Port Royal a year ago from Jack Sparrow's rival pirates, Miss Elizabeth had taken it upon herself to provide each of us maidens in the house with a weapon of some sort to defend ourselves with, not knowing what sort of unsavory thugs we might come up against in the future.

When we returned, Jack was lazily lounging on a few apple barrels with his arms crossed and Will was standing next to him. The two looked as if they were disputing about something. "I just don't see why you have to come along." Jack whined at Will. "Haven't I enough trouble with your fair damsel and her argumentative servant girl without you around to scrape me nerves?"

"Come, Will. No need to listen to what he says." Elizabeth spoke as we showed up.

"Beggin' yur pardon, luv, but seeing as I am captain of the ship you will be sailing on under my begrudging judgement and preference, it would be wise to heed my suggestions or things can get ugly fast." Jack said with a gleam in his eye. I wasn't sure exactly what that look meant, but it frightened me a little. Will and Elizabeth had said that Jack was a good friend, but from what I could see, he wasn't a very friendly sort and actually made me feel slightly intimidated when he spoke that way. Elizabeth, however, just stared at him stubbornly.

"Hadn't we best be going?" Will asked.

"Aye!" Jack declared, obviously eager to get back to the sea. Will packed our belongings on his small cart and drove us to the water's edge where we'd take a long boat to the Black Pearl. Jack pulled me aside as Will lugged our things into the small boat and Elizabeth said goodbye to her father.

"You sure about this, Miss?" Jack asked. "Ye know, things can get very frightening out at sea. Sea monsters..."

"Sea monsters?" I gulped, but tried to keep my composure. "I hardly believe in those anymore."

"Scalawags."

"Being that as it may, Mr. Sparrow..."

"Captain. It's Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack puffed.

"As much as I appreciate your concern, I am still going." Maybe he was trying to just frighten me out of going. "I have to know the truth. It's been left buried for too long. It's time it was dug up! Besides, Will taught me how to defend myself." I smiled.

"Suit yourself, lassie." Jack said. "But be forewarned, the open ocean isn't like the governor's fine house."

"So I've been told, Captain." I sighed. We all got into the boat and Will rowed us to the Black Pearl. When we reached the large, darkened, aged vessel, Jack spoke to me in hushed tones again.

"Oh, one more thing before we set foot aboard." Jack held up his index finger. "If you can't handle this, then I am more than happy to decline this whole mess."

"Just tell me." I sighed.

"You don't tell anyone your real name, who you really are." Jack said firmly.

"Why not?" I sputtered. "It's not as if I'm ashamed of my heritage. Is there some reason I should be?"

"Cut out the chit-chat and just try to focus here, will you?" Jack groaned at me, doing that silly waving thing with his hands. "You want to know what really happened to your father, right?"

"You know I do." I pursed my lips.

"Uh-huh. Well, my tremendous intuitive sense of future happenings predicts that unsavory types will be a-wanting us to not find out the truth. I'm warning you only once, it could get dangerous, dear. Now, you still want to go through with this, or shall I..."

"If someone is trying so hard to hide the truth, then that means there must be a reason, something they don't want the rest of the world to know about! That smells fishy to me, Captain Sparrow. And when men will resort to those kinds of tactics, it usually means this 'thing' they're trying to hide needs to be found. Then it must be up to us to do that. I'm...I'm game if you are, Sir." I held my head high.

"It can get rough, love."

"I know. But it will be worth it if in the end I can know what really happened. I'm not saying that I'm not afraid of the unknown. Don't mistake that."

"Second thoughts?"

"Of course. Doesn't everyone have them? But my mind is made up, Sir. I'm tired of being left in the dark about what happened."

"Can't say I didn't warn ye. I only tell you this for yur own protection, love. To reveal your true identity would only put you and your friends in danger."

I blinked at him in confusion, a bit of fright, but also curiosity. "All right. I will do as you say, Sir. But what is that supposed to mean? About putting us in danger?"

"All aboard!" Jack yelled, startling me and ignoring my question. Unfortunately, we were about to find out what he was referring to about danger, once we reached the British soil.

Cliffhanger much?