Her night was restless. Rose was worried about Jack, hurt by Ben's words, and had had yet another nightmare. This time in the dream, Jack was in great danger. He was alone on an island, while a black ocean seemed to swallow him up. After the nightmare, Rose had completely abandoned the notion of sleep altogether, and spent the night blind in the dark, waiting until there was enough sunlight that her vision was restored. When this happened, she grabbed her shoes and her dress and began her stealthy escape back to the docks. Sadly, her progress was thwarted just before she reached the hallway when she ran straight into the bosom of Mrs. McHenry.

"Oh no!" she shouted. "Yer not goin' on your special mornin' jaunt today!"

Rose's heart fell. This would be the first time in three years that Rose would miss her dawn patrol for the Pearl. Even in sickness Rose somehow managed to make her way to the bluff to look for her brother.

"Rise n' shine, ladies!" Mrs. McHenry shouted into their room. "That brawl last night completely destroyed the tavern. We're going to need all hands on deck today to get it proper by the time we open! Up up up!" And to Rose, she said, "Fix yer hair!" before marching off.

Rose was devastated. Her twice daily search for Jack wasn't so much a legitimate hunt as it was a good luck charm. She felt that routinely going to the bluff kept the hope alive inside her. What if the one time this routine was broken would prevent him from ever coming back?

Marie peered around the door frame behind Rose. "Of all days to rise us early!" she whispered.

"I know," said Rose sadly.

"No, you don't understand!" Marie said is a hushed voice. "Veronica left in the middle of the night and hasn't yet returned! Mrs. McHenry will have her hide if she knows she's gone!"

Rose's eyes widened. "What do we do?"

"We have to go out there," she replied. "We'll just have to say she's sick or something!"

Rose was uncertain of this plan's ability to actually work against Mrs. McHenry, but neither girl had any choice but to comply. They both dressed and made their way to the tavern, both gasping at the atrocity of the scene before them.

The brawl must have broken out after service hours, for neither Marie nor Rose were around to see the resulting destruction. There was shattered glass all over the floor. The walls were coated in rum and wine, and broken pieces of wood from various chairs and tables littered the room. Exchanging a glance, the girls sighed deeply and began the clean-up process. To their great fortune, Mrs. McHenry was off purchasing more furniture the entire morning, and did not return to find only two of her three barmaids working on the room until mid-afternoon.

"Where's Veronica?" she gruffly asked them.

Marie shot Rose a glance, and then lied, "Sick, ma'am. She's bedridden."

"Like hell she is!" Mrs. McHenry yelled, stomping down towards the hallway.

As fate would have it, just when the woman was out of earshot, Veronica herself rushed into the tavern. "So sorry I'm late—"

Rose and Marie silenced her quickly, much to her confusion.

"You're sick!" Marie whispered.

"What? No I'm not!"

"YES YOU ARE!" said Rose and Marie in unison.

"Oh!" Veronica replied in understanding.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. McHenry shouted from down the hallway, having discovered that Veronica was not sick in bed, as the girls had just reported to her.

Marie and Rose rushed back to their original positions while Veronica quickly picked up a broom and began to work. When Mrs. McHenry charged into the room, Veronica put on a winning smile. "Feeling much better, ma'am! Just decided to take a quick walk! I'm all better now!"

Mrs. McHenry just glared at her. "You owe these girls a service for pulling yer weight for the whole mornin'!"

"I know, Mrs. McHenry! I have thanked them profusely!"

The old woman only sneered as she slammed the door behind her, leaving the girls alone once more.

"For the record, you have not thanked us profusely..." Marie grumbled.

Veronica put a hand on her heart and said genuinely, "I am so sorry! Thank you both so much!"

"Where were you?" Rose scolded.

Veronica grinned sleepily, moving her broom in a seductive circular pattern across the littered floor. "With a man," she cooed.

Marie and Rose let out a groan, as this was no uncommon occurrence. "Which one?" Marie said sardonically. "You've surely racked up hundreds by now!"

"Untrue!" Veronica said over their laughter. "Besides, I was with the only one who really counts."

"Because he has the most doubloons," snickered Rose to Marie.

"Stop it, both of you! He's a captain!"

"Really?" Marie said. "Or did he just tell you that to get yer lovin'?"

Veronica grew very proud. "I saw his ship myself! It was grand, and had a large crew, and had black sails!"

Rose dropped a stray bottle that she had picked up, sending it shattering to the ground. She gasped, "What was his name?"

"Jack Sparrow..." replied Veronica warily.

Rose's mouth fell agape and she whooped in joy! At last her brother had come for her!

Marie looked at Veronica. "What's all that about?"

Suddenly, Veronica realized why Rose was celebrating. "Oh! I forgot! He's the one who brought her here!" Then her face fell as she realized what that revelation meant. She quickly rushed to Rose to calm her. "Oh no, Rose! You weren't supposed to know! He was going to surprise you here tonight! I completely forgot—"

"No!" Rose cried in celebration. "This is perfect!" She pecked Veronica on the cheek and embraced Marie. "Thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

Mrs. McHenry had re-entered upon hearing the commotion. "What's all this?" she growled.

Rose ran right up to the woman fearlessly, tossing her apron at the wench. "I quit, Mrs. McHenry! I quit!"

She left the three women completely speechless in the disgusting place, racing off as fast as her feet could carry her to the docks. She hadn't even rounded the corner and she could see black sails looming over the cliff. She squealed again and ran straight for the ship.

It was easy to get to, as the gang plank was lowered. She raced up onto the deck, scanning the men aboard for Jack. Instead, she caught the attention of a concerned looking sailor. "Miss?" he said, approaching her. "You aren't supposed to be here."

She grinned. "Oh but I am! This might sound crazy, but I am the sister of your captain!"

The man too broke into a grin. "You must be Rose! He's spoken of you!"

Rose felt as though a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Not only had Jack finally come, but his men were expecting her!

The man ushered Rose toward the back of the ship near two double doors. "Right this way, Miss Sparrow!" The fellow was so kind, she dared not correct his incorrect assumption about her last name.

They grew closer to the doors. Rose's heart raced when the man pounded on one of the doors, calling out "Captain! Someone here for you!"

At first, the only response was a lot of rustling around, followed by a yell and a loud thud. Then, the door opened, revealing a man with kohl-rimmed eyes and long dark hair tied back with a red bandana. He broke into a wide, gold-toothed grin when he saw her.

"'Allo, sister!" he cried.


"Well, I was going to surprise you here tonight, had my loud-mouthed lady friend not ruined my plans!"

Veronica stood nearby, serving another patron, and having heard this, huffily stomped away from them.

Jack noticed this, and then leaned over to Rose. "Was she standing behind me the whole time?"

Rose only laughed. How strange it was to be back in this tavern being served on as a pirate instead of serving other pirates! Jack had brought her and his crew to back to the tavern for one night of celebration before they departed in the morning. Brother and sister were united sitting at a small table of their own and catching up on lost time.

"Now you must tell me," Rose said, "What on Earth kept you so long?"

Jack looked down apologetically, "I truly am sorry, lass. It is a wonder that you kept your faith in me after all this time! I got the Pearl just as I suspected I would, but then had a bit of a snafu that sent me on a trip around all seven seas!"

"You were in all seven seas over the past three years?" Rose asked. "Why?"

"To get and keep this," he said, pointing to a small assortment of beads that ended with a silver coin hanging from the top of his bandana. "This makes me one of nine Pirate Lords."

Rose's mouth fell agape. "A Pirate Lord? You?"

"Aye! I'm the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean."

Rose only laughed, collapsing her head into her hands.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

Rose shook her head. "I'm just so happy to see you again, Jack! How lucky I am to have found you!"

Jack smiled. "If I hadn't defied the East India Trading Company that day, they never would have thrown me on that labor transport vessel. We never would have found one another!"

Rose reached around her neck, grabbing the cord that held her mother's pendant and holding it up. Jack reached around his belt and did the same with his mother's identical pendant, both of which were purchased by their father so many years ago.

Rose grinned, but she caught the eye of Ben, who was peering at the siblings from around a door frame. She smiled to him, beckoning him over to their table. Jack looked over his shoulder to try and see who his sister was motioning to.

"Jack," Rose said. "I know it's a lot of me to ask, but could you please meet with a friend of mine?"

Ben approached the table hesitantly and pulled up a chair as Jack replied that he would. Ben introduced himself, and got straight to the point in asking Jack straight off if he could join the Pearl's crew.

Jack exchanged a glance with Rose, but she just smiled encouragingly. He then turned his gaze to Ben, keeping the atmosphere tense between them. "Are you willing to risk life and limb for the sake of the crew?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Will you take orders from rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves without defiance?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Are you prone to seasickness?"

"Er...no, sir!"

Jack gave a wry grin, then extended his hand to Ben, who shook it merrily, "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Mr...?"

"McHenry, sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Aye," Jack said, "Now begone with ye! We leave at dawn and not a minute later!"

Ben happily rushed off, filling Rose with joy! At least part of her plan of sailing away with Ben would come true!

Jack stirred her from her thoughts. "McHenry, eh?"

Rose gulped. "Yes."

"Rose, I've been that boy. A young lad who wants nothing more than to defy his parents and sail on the seas. Teague followed after me. I'm not going to have an angry innkeeper trying to find his son on my tail, am I?"

Rose had asked Ben this very question when be first expressed interest in coming aboard with Rose. She recited what he had said to her: "His father is terrified of the open ocean."

Jack was still uncertain. "I'll give him a trial period and we'll see if a pirate's life is for him."

"Thank you, Jack!" Rose said. "Thank you for everything!"

When time came for them to leave the tavern once and for all, Rose said her final goodbyes to Mr. McHenry, Marie, and a spiteful Veronica, thanking them once again for the kindness they had shown her. She exchanged an excited glance with Ben, suppressing the urge to celebrate their escape lest they give away their plan. Mrs. McHenry was conveniently nowhere to be found as the siblings left, but Rose did not rue her absence.

Jack led the way out the door into the night, and Rose froze on the front steps, completely motionless.

"What's wrong?" called Jack upon realizing that his sister was not with him.

"I cannot see," she replied.

"Oh!" he said rushing to her side and taking her arm. "I forgot about the night blindness!"

He led her to the ship and into his quarters. "I can't wait until you can see how grandiose she is by day!" he exclaimed proudly. But that would have to wait for now. He made up a makeshift bed for using some crates and pillows, and though she couldn't see a thing, the warmth she felt of knowing that she was in her brother's care made the three years she had waited worth it.