However much Rose may have wanted to sleep for three weeks, she quickly readjusted back to crew life. With Anamaria's guidance still at the front of her mind, Rose spent most days manning the wheel of the Pearl, even waving off men who tried to relieve her of duty for a few hours. She loved the feel of being in control of a vessel as large as the Black Pearl, and relished the feeling of her rudder turn and shift along with her, cutting through miles upon miles of open ocean.

This made the days short for Rose, which was a blessed relief from the seemingly endless nights she spent. She was constantly in limbo at night; If she slept, she was haunted by the Ben dream. If she stayed awake, she was faced with the endless darkness brought upon by her poor eyesight.

On one of these seemingly endless nights close to the end of their long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, Rose chose to forgo the nightmares and stand at the bow, breathing in the sea air and feeling the wind whip her hair straight back. Just then, she heard someone approach her from her right.

She turned her head. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Only me," Ben replied.

Rose's heart fluttered. They hadn't really spoken since their last fight, exchanging only necessary information regarding various ship operations as they worked during the day. He hadn't asked her for any more medicine since that day, but she assumed that he was back again for that very purpose.

Instead of leaping to the defensive immediately, Rose posited a non-controversial thought that she had been wondering about for quite some time now. "Are the stars out?" she asked.

"Aye."

She smiled up towards the sky, her eyes still searching despite the night blindness. "I've always wondered what they look like. They must be innumerable."

She felt Ben shift uncomfortably. "They're just…white dots."

"Yes but they are patterned, they shoot across the sky, they tell sailors where they are in the world…surely they must be more than that."

"Believe me," he said quietly. "There are far greater wonders of the world than stars."

She wished she could one day see them to say so herself, and she grew disheartened by Ben's lack of a response. Not looking towards him, she stated simply, "I don't have the herbs, if that's what you're looking for."

Ben guiltily replied, "No, I know."

"Have the pains subsided?" she asked hopefully.

"No," he replied. "I've merely learned to live with them."

They spent a time in silence until Rose grew restless. "What can I help you with then, Ben?"

"I am profoundly apologetic," he muttered.

"As were you the last time, and the time before that and the time before that," she interrupted. "And each time you just want something from me. So what is it this time?"

"Forgiveness," he replied. He then gently took her by the shoulders and moved her body to face him. "I don't know why I am the way that I am; If it's the pain, or the drink, or a curse… But you're the only person I have left in this world and I couldn't stand to lose you."

She took a deep breath before saying, "Nor I." Taking his hands in hers, she murmured, "I do not understand how each day you fail to see how much I have always loved you."

"I don't know why you would," he said sadly. "After all this and yet you still try to save me."

She smiled. "It's because we're fated to be together, you and I."

"So it would seem."

"No, I mean it. Tia Dalma told me a prophecy. She said that my fate would be joined with a dead man, and that I would mend his heart, and that he bring me great joy." She reached out her hand gingerly until her fingertips touched his cheek, then she laid her hand on the side of his face. "It's you, Ben. I assure you, I won't ever give up on you, but you must try to be gentle, and kind, and loving as once you were. If you're to be my fate I would like it to at least be a pleasant one."

He leaned in to kiss her again, but Rose pulled away. "Slowly," she said. "Rushing things has only caused more pain in the past."

He nodded. "May I take you somewhere tonight?"

Rose gave a small laugh in confusion. "Where could we possibly go in the middle of the night on the open ocean?"

He wrapped his arm around her and led her to the center of the deck. "We can go up."

Ben climbed up first to relieve the watch on the crow's nest of his duties for the night. Then, he climbed back down and guided Rose up carefully, step by step. Once they had reached the top, Rose was grateful that she couldn't see how far up they were. He took her hand and guided her to the wooden plank flooring of the crows nest. He had laid down his coat for them to sit upon and let her lay her head on his shoulder.

"And…this is alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered with a smile. She felt the warmth of his body next to hers and found his hand, clasping it firmly with both of hers.

Some time passed as they moved gently together with the rocking of the ship. "…what now?" he said uncertainly.

"Here we stay," she murmured. "Just…together. This is a first step."

He kissed the top of her head. "I will try to make life better for us, I promise," he whispered.

She then heard him exhale deeply, settling in to this space with her and Rose felt her eyelids grew heavy. A pit still persisted in her stomach, a never-ending tightness that refused to subside. This wasn't over, but relief enough existed that even though there would be a long, challenging road ahead for Rose to remedy their relationship, with quite a bit of compromise on Ben's end, this was at the very least the slightest bit of progress.


This peace didn't last long however.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK! SCURRY! SCURRY, I WANT MOVEMENT!"

Jack's voice flooded the deck, causing Rose and Ben to start and nearly fall straight out of the crow's nest. Rose could tell by the sudden burst of ambient sounds that the rest of the crew had responded in a similar fashion, and suddenly everyone had raced up on deck in a flash.

"Ben?" Rose asked, feeling around the space.

"I'm here," he said, already climbing out of the nest and back onto the rope ladder. "We have to go."

"What in the blazes is going on?"

"You know as much as I do," he replied. "Come." He led her down to the chaos of the main deck, but then quickly darted back towards Jack's cabin, where Rose would be safe from the rushing crew members darting to and fro, trying their best to keep up with Jack's rapid instructions as he screamed them at the top of his lungs. "RUN! RUN AS IF THE DEVIL HIMSELF AND ITSELF WERE UPON US!"

"MCHENRY! Secure that line!" someone to their right cried out.

"Go," Rose said to Ben. "I'm fine here."

She felt him obey, then used her ears to find Jack. She heard him cry out in surprise by the mast.

"JACK'S HAT!" Gibbs cried out. Rose could hear all the men scurry to the far end of the deck to retrieve it, but all noise stopped when Jack protested, "No no! Leave it! …run!"

Confused, the men began to murmur amongst themselves and occupy themselves with various odd tasks, now fully awake after being so suddenly jolted from their peaceful slumber.

Rose could hear that Jack was leaning against his chamber doors only a few paces from where she was.

Gibbs was nearby. "For the love of mother and child, Jack! What's coming after us?"

Jack hesitated. "Nothing." he finally mumbled. With that, he suddenly sprang into a sprint, rushing past Rose and slamming the door to his cabin shut without another word.

Rose sighed, reaching her hand to feel her way back inside. Once she had successfully done so, she waited for her eyes to readjust back to the light and then made her way to where her brother sat, cowering his chair.

"What in the name of all that is good and holy did you find in that cellar, Jack?"

Jack, eyes still wide looked at her and he only said, "Rather, 'who found me?'"