My father's eyes gleamed with rage as he slowly let the weapon fall slack in his hand. The other men still remained poised to attack, but stayed frozen in waiting for their captain's next command.

My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was audible to everyone on deck, and my face burned with shame. I knew that my time aboard the Gull was at its end, I just never anticipated that it would be my father to come retrieve me, and never did I anticipate what he looked like. This man looked nothing like me. This man looked nothing like a man. His physical deterioration was far more drastic than I ever anticipated.

Jack spoke first, squinting his eyes and laying a hand on the side of his head. "Maybe it's just the drink," he slurred, motioning to my frozen and brooding father, "But I get the feeling I've seen this all before. What year am I in?" He then looked around to his crew for corroboration, "You're all seeing fishiness here, aye? I'm not that mad yet?"

"What's the matter, Sparrow?" my father said aloud, the first words I could remember hearing. I was startled by how deep his voice was. "Didn't recognize me?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, clearly recalling the voice. He looked between me and him, then gave a quick clap of his hands then motioned towards my father with a grin. "Ahh so that's it! James, it's been too long!"

Father rolled his bloodshot eyes. "Not hardly long enough," said he, bitingly.

Jack looked around at his crew, and with a grin, announced, "Gents, it appears we have accidentally landed ourselves in my family reunion. You've met my niece," he said, "Now meet me brother-in-law. As you can see, he's quite a catch…or…catch of the day, as it were." He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "So Turner did get all tentacly, eh? …that's interesting." He took a step closer towards him and eyed him up and down. "That's very interesting."

"Thanks ever so much for stating the obvious," Father sneered. He then stepped closer, his glare intense as he growled, "Anna. Where is she?"

From my spot at the mast, I cleared my throat. "Hrm. Um…here?" All eyes turned on me, but the only pair that mattered was that of my father's. I felt my entire body tense up as I said, "Only girl aboard. Only girl…presently tied to the mast." I broke into an uneasy half-laugh, but my father remained stoic, brow furrowed. My expression changed upon seeing him so demure as I quietly said, "Hello, Father."

His mouth opened and closed several times, as though he was uncertain as to what to say. He only managed to choke out, "But…you're…" What? I thought. What was I?

He never finished the thought, only turning to Jack with an eyebrow raised. "Clearly you are 'Uncle of the Year,' tying your dripping wet and bloodied niece to the mast of your…" He gave a skeptical glance to the dilapidated deck of the Gull as he struggled to say, "…ship?" He then tried to sidestep Jack, clearly trying to get to me. "Now if you don't mind—"

Jack cut him off with a slight wave of the hand. "Ah ah ah," he scolded. "Turner's not one for shirking his duties. What ultimately befell you lot?"

"As though it concerns you," Father replied through gritted teeth.

Jack shrugged. "You don't concern me a bit. What does concern me, is the fate of me sister." I had never seen Jack this earnest as his eyes bore into my father's. "What's become of her?" he asked, jaw tight.

"She's safe and unharmed," he reported. "To her is where I am to take Anna."

Jack shook his head. "Ah, but we've beat you to it! We're taking Anna back to Shipwreck, where I can consult with Rose in person. Would have done so years ago had I but known she was there." I then saw his eyes travel down my father's form to his left hand and give him a questioning glance. "And not with you, her husband, interestingly enough. Where's your ring, Norrie?"

My heart plummeted. The ring was in my jacket with the locket, though no one knew that.

Father ignored the dig and instead drew close to Jack. "Don't go to Shipwreck. A plague has broken out, everyone is ill. That's the reason I'm here and Rose isn't; She's the only chance they've got." I gasped. The storeroom customers with the coughs who arrived right before I left…this must have marked the start of the disease, though none of us knew it at the time. My mother, being immortal, would be immune from illness, but what about the fellow islanders? What about Elizabeth?

Jack squinted his eyes. "Then where are you taking Anna then? Clearly, wherever you've been living won't do. She's safer here than she is with you and Turner."

He had no idea how true his words were, and I wondered if Father would admit what had become of the Dutchman in that moment. He hesitated, but sidestepped the topic altogether by saying, "Rose wants me to bring her back as soon as the illness subsides."

Jack shrugged. "Then stay here. 'Happy family' and all that rot, we'll sail to Shipwreck icky though it might be, as long as I get to speak to me sister."

"Pardon the interruption," Cremble timidly piped up, "But, plague sounds rather serious. Might we…go elsewhere for a time?"

"Aye, and furthermore," Bollard interjected. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but there is…a supernatural being aboard our ship, is there not?" His voice was elevated in alarm. "And everyone is just alright with this?! We're just going to welcome him aboard?"

"Aye, Gibbs, the Cap'n and I have dealt with this lot before," Marty replied. "But when they appear like this," he said, prodding my father in the leg with his rifle, "They're not to be trusted."

Father shifted away from Marty uncomfortably, and spoke levelly to the crew. "I'm taking Anna back to Shipwreck."

I narrowed my eyes and instantly felt enraged. Why did everyone else get to decide my fate but me? "Don't I have a say—"

"You," Father interrupted me, his biting voice paralyzing me where I stood, "Lied to your mother, and Elizabeth, and, presumably, him," he spat, shooting a glance over to Jack, who simply shrugged and nodded his head. "You've said quite enough already," Father continued. "You don't get to say a word further." His eyes shot daggers straight into my soul. "I'll deal with you later."

…and for obvious reasons, I hadn't the courage to try to protest any further.

He looked back to the crew. "We'll wait out the disease and return when it's safe. You'd be wise to stay away until then as well." He looked at Jack earnestly. "You'd be wise to stay off the seas altogether. You have no idea what dangers persist."

Jack snorted. "The last time I listened to a fish person who told me to stay off the seas, I ended up dead anyways. I'd rather take the fall then live in fear."

"I'd rather live in fear," Cremble squeaked. Most of the rest of the crew mumbled in agreement. Jack only pursed his lips and glared at his men.

"Enough of this," Father mumbled angrily, pushing Jack aside as he passed, coming right for me. Our eyes met as he approached, and lingered there for a moment. I had no idea what to say to him. All the words simply left my head. He was the one to break his gaze first, sweeping behind the mast to my bound wrists. I flinched when I felt the rope go slack as the blade of his sword cut through them, setting me free. I rubbed my now raw wrists and quickly brushed the drying, crusted blood from my temple, then began to wring my hands nervously, uncertain of quite how to act. I had always imagined my first meeting with my father going much differently. This wasn't a warm reunion at all; he might as well be a wild beast I was so uptight and on edge. I finally dared look up at him, only to see his gaze quickly avert from me. To him, I probably was as strange as some foreign animal as well.

"Hate to interrupt the brooding silence going on here," Jack blessedly interrupted, "But if you won't be joining us, can I offer you lot a row back to shore, then?"

My father looked around in confusion. "In what?"

Jack motioned to the dangling longboat, on the starboard quarter deck, which looked about as old as all of our combined ages and creaked precariously with every movement of the ship.

Father raised his eyebrows. "I repeat, 'in what?'"

Just then, the entire ship began to rattle. All of us braced ourselves, and I was taken aback when I saw my Father's arm dart out protectively in front of me. The quaking soon ceased.

"What was that?" Father asked, voice elevated in panic.

Jack only pursed his lips, deferring to Gibbs. When he only shrugged, he turned one by one to the others, who all followed suit. Jack finally returned Father's gaze, shrugged unhelpfully.

"I had better start hearing words," Father replied, "Otherwise I'm building a raft made of all of you."

"She's an old boat, mate," Jack replied. "We've had some trouble with her. No thanks to your darling progeny, I'll report." I felt my face grow red as Jack and my father both turned their judging gaze on me.

Before Father had a chance to question Jack's meaning, the rear of the ship lurched, sending us all skittering across the deck. Father pressed himself and me against the mast to keep us steady. "SPARROW!" he cried.

Scrum rushed to look over the back of the quarter deck. "It's the rudder, sir! She's falling off!"

"Is this you?" Jack asked me.

"I put a hole in a board, not dismantled an entire rudder!" I protested.

"Bloody hell," Jack groaned. "Alright! Back to shore, all hands! Abandon ship if need be. Get her back to the dock!"

Father marched after him, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around. "Sparrow, I cannot touch the water!"

Jack squinched up his face. "Huh? What is it with your family? Aquaphobiacs, the lot of you!" Suddenly, he grinned, nodding. "Ohhhh that's riiiiiight…you can't swim! Ooh. Tough gig you found yourself in, eh?"

Through gritted teeth, my father spat, "I WAS EIGHT. YOU KNOCKED ME IN."

Gibbs was corralling the men, hastily ordering them into various positions to get the now free-floating ship back to shore. Father placed a hand on my shoulder and walked to the longboat. "I don't like it one bit," he said, "But it's the only chance we've got. Get in. We're rowing back."

"Oi!" Jack called out. "Scrum! Go with them!"

"What?" Father said, turning back to him. But Scrum was already on his way over. "Honor to sail ya in, sir!" he said with a wide grin, eagerly shaking his hand.

Father looked ill at ease. "No, that's quite alright, I can manage," he protested.

"Cap'n's orders!" Scrum replied with a shrug, hoisting himself into the boat and sitting next to me, grabbing the oars.

Exasperated, Father called out, "Jack I—oh, god, never mind." He hoisted himself up and sat at my side. Together, we lowered ourselves down from the wildly shifting and erratic sailing pattern made by the dilapidated Dying Gull, whose name here described her perfectly.

Still uncertain of how to behave around this version of my father, I kept my eyes on the ship, watching as they waved the sails back and forth with vigor, trying to push the ship closer to the shore.

Father was nervously eyeing the bottom of the boat. He nudged me, ordering, "Keep your legs up and tight to your chest, we can't risk making contact with the sea." But why? I thought. The threat is over. The reason I couldn't touch the sea was so that Mother couldn't find me. Why was he so worried? I obeyed silently, however, hugging my knees into my chest as he kept his gaze fixated on the wooden boards.

Making small talk as he rowed, Scrum said idly, "So…um…Norrington, is it?"

"Quite so," he replied, distracted.

Scrum have a slight chuckle, then motioned to his own face as though saying, "Remember me?" When my father provided no response, Scrum said cheerfully, "Scrum! Ya know from…from The Captain's Daughter?" Father only shook his head. "Oh come now, Thomas. I never forget a face. No matter how…slimy."

Father raised an eyebrow. "I think you're mistaken."

"Nooooo you're Thomas all right," Scrum announced proudly. "Uncanny. They all said that you'd died, but little did they expect you to come back, mm? Shame about the wife, lad. My condolences."

I looked at my father, not understanding any of this. He now looked completely engaged, leaning forward in interest. "Ah yes, Scrum," he said. "How could I forget? Remind me again, what became of me?"

"Ah, been so long and all you lost your memory, did ya?" said Scrum with a hearty guffaw. "Well, when Old Man Norrington passed on, you inherited the estate, right? Ya married that homely gal, Muriel. Well, you'd come down to the tavern to let off a bit of steam, found yerself Valentina. Remember Valentina? Ooh! Well the Missus found out, she ran off with yer stableboy and left, and you died of a broken heart in Valentina's bed." After a moment, Scrum clarified, "…you wasn't sad er nothin. You're heart litchrally broke. Like, KAPOW!" Father looked genuinely amused at this, raising his eyebrows and smirking. Clearly, Scrum was mistaking him for another Norrtington, but who? I had never heard of Father having family besides his abusive parents. "That was…enlightening. Thank you. It's all coming back to me now," he finally said.

It was quiet after that, and when Scrum got us close enough to the shore, my father stood, offering to hoist me out and onto dry land. "I can do it," I protested, pushing past him.

"Don't touch—"

"Yes, I know, I can manage," I said softly, leaping out and landing onto the sand. When I looked back at him, he nodded slightly, then leapt out himself. He then led me safely away from the tide where we stood in complete silence, watching as the seven of the crew struggled to get the ship back in to the dry dock.

"How long have you been here?" asked my father quietly, the first thing he had ever said to me on our own.

"A little over a month?" I guessed.

Keeping his eyes ahead, he asked, "So you know your way around, then?"

"Aye," I said, my voice quivering.

"Good. Is there an inn or something we can rent for the evening?"

"Well, I have an old stable I've been frequenting—"

"I asked for an inn," Father cut me off.

I looked at him, carefully forming the words, "Well…um…given your…appearance…I'm not sure—"

"I've spent the last fifteen years under the ocean," Father said firmly. "I'm going to be sleeping in a bed for once."

We were silent for a time, until I asked, "Is the plague real?"

He scoffed, "Yes, it's real, why else would I be here if it wasn't? The whole of Shipwreck is down with it, Elizabeth, everyone. As your mother cannot catch ill, she's trying to heal them all herself. She needed someone who could transport immediately and bring you back."

I took a deep breath, quietly prying further, "And? How did she free you?"

"She used her powers to move herself to the wreck site, used every force in her body to break the current keeping us concealed, grabbed me without a second thought and together we transported back to the island. She gave me the order and transported me to where she felt you were." He took a deep breath. "Turner's still down there. Alone. Of course she couldn't save him, and she shouldn't have saved me. However…desperate times called for desperate measures, I suppose."

I nodded, unsure of what else to say. I knew that anything I could contribute to the conversation would result in my father lecturing me about how foolish I was for going on this journey, and I wanted to prolong that for as long as I could.

"Henry wasn't one of those men aboard, was he?" he asked after a time.

"No," I replied.

"Where is he?" he asked stoically. "My orders are to return you both."

I felt a pang in my chest. My orders… There was no sentiment here. My father was here for a mission, nothing more.

Bitterly, I spat, "Not here."

This caused him to raise an eyebrow and give me a sidelong glance. "You'll tell me. Eventually," he said. "We'll make sure your idiot uncle gets back alright, then go into town, where you'll tell me all you know. Understood?"

Jaw tight, I shrugged. "I suppose."

It was sunset by the time the vessel docked. Exhausted, the crew one by one trudged up the beach, sides heaving. My father nodded, satisfied with having seen them safely dock, then began to walk towards town, ordering me to, "Come along."

I stayed firmly in place, incredulous. "No!" I protested. "I don't even get to say goodbye to them?"

"What, is that all, then?" asked Jack, noticing us about to make our leave.

"It's dark," Father called back over his shoulder. "For tonight, yes."

"We've got loads of space, mate," replied Jack. "And you're not exactly the sort to..fit in with this crowd."

Father walked back towards me, placing his cold hand on my shoulder once more. "I'll manage. I also don't trust this one not to run away. We'll reconvene in the daylight."

Jack looked skeptical, but finally nodded, winking at me with a smile as though telling me to stay strong and cheer up. I whispered a goodbye as my father, little more than a stranger to me, began to lead me back into St. Martin.