For long minutes, all Ash did was stare at Jack, her lips pressed together tightly with fury and her eyes wide and unblinking, like a cat that was watching it's prey and would pounce to rip it to shreds at any second. She was absolutely still, and the men sitting across from her wondered if she was even breathing.

"My son needs your help," Teague said into the silence that followed, "The kind only you can provide."

"And he's not enough of a man to come and beg for it himself? He had to bring his daddy?" Ash replied cuttingly.

"He's stubborn, like someone else I know," Teague answered mildly, "He would not ask it of you unless I made him, given what has transpired between you two."

Ash's eyes narrowed. He still harbored ill feelings toward her? She folded her arms and sat back in her seat.

"You'd better tell me what's so dire then," she said with a sarcastic bite in her tone.

She listened in silence, without any interruption or reaction what so ever as Teague told her. Apparently Jack had arrived in Shipwreck Island the night she left, had told his father the exact circumstances of his parting with Ash, and then proceeded to get absolutely shit faced and play a game of cards with another pirate. That pirate, Roger by name, knew Jack had uncanny luck, and he cheated by hiring a witch doctor to ensure his victory, hoping to get Jack to gamble away his position as Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. But despite the magickal assistance, Jack won the game anyway. In his rage, Roger shot the witch doctor, who in turn cursed Roger before he died to forever walk the world as one of the undead. Unfortunately, that gained him powerful Hoodoo that included the ability to raise the dead. As Teague's story came to an end, Ash continued her silence for a few more minutes, toying with her drink, occasionally sipping from it.

"And you want me... to do what?" she drawled at last.

There was a second of silence.

"Save me."

Jack's voice was hoarse, strained, as if forcing the plea out of a rapidly closing throat.

Ash's eyes focused on him, so intensely it was as if he and she were the only two people in the world. Staring into those bright aqua eyes, Jack saw how deep her hurt and anger went, and felt himself wilt inside his own skin. Leaning forward, eyes burning, she whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because you owe me for saving you from the EITC," Teague said.

Ash's eyes shifted to him, hard as stone.

"What?"

"We agreed you would owe me a favor in return for safe passage to Shipwreck Island. I'm calling my favor due. Save Jackie from Roger."

"You bastard," Ash seethed.

Now she saw why Teague accompanied Jack. It wasn't because Jack didn't have the guts to ask for her help himself, it was because he couldn't make her help him. But his father could. Teague shrugged. He'd been called far worse by those dearer to him than her.

"Yes," he said simply, "Perhaps I am. But the fact remains, you owe me."

"Fine."

"We leave a few hours past sunrise," Jack announced.

"And my work here is done," said Teague, "I'm going home. Don't disappoint me, Ash."

Ash thought she could just not do what he asked, since he wouldn't be around to see that she stuck to it. But then, perhaps it would be better to just do it and be done with the both of them, forever. Yes, that sounded like a much better plan. As soon as Roger was taken care of, Ash would never have to see Jack Sparrow or his father ever again. Still, though he had gotten what he wanted, Jack didn't look pleased in the slightest. In fact, he looked rather miserable. But Ash couldn't stand to look at him a second longer, so she got up and left him sitting there alone.

If she was going to be on a ship for the next who knew how long, she had to get a good long bath in before hand. She had Rose arrange it for her, and before long she was soaking in a tub of hot water, which had magnesium sulfate added to it. Ash relaxed in the water for a while, letting her muscles relax. Once she was sufficiently calmed, she washed her hair with seaweed, her body with a moisturizing vanilla scented soap, then exfoliated her soft pale skin with sea salt. Ash wasn't finished with her ritual for over an hour. When she finally climbed out of the tub, she dried herself off and wrapped her hair with the towel, then patted her skin with camellia oil. That oil went into her hair as well, once the towel had absorbed a lot of the water. After all that was done, she dressed and went down stairs to settle her tab with Rose.

Jahir was home when Ash stepped into their small room, to her surprise. So she told him about Sparrow. As predicted, he wasn't pleased. He had been skinning a fish when she entered. Now, her story over, he pointed the flaying knife at her, his near invisible eyebrows raised.

"I an' I tell you now captain my captain, this be some very bad juju right here," he said seriously.

Ash only stared at him for a moment or two. He thought she didn't know that already?

"Yes," she said dryly, "But we'll just have to hope what I have is a match for it."

That said, she finished drinking the bottle she had and went to sleep, uninterested in the food Jahir was attempting to prepare. The next morning, however, she could not escape his insisting that she needed nourishment to face that day. Grudgingly, she ate as she dressed in knee high dark gray boots with a couple inches or so of a square, blocky heel, with blinding white leggings and a shirt of the same color. Over all this, she wore a dark blue tunic, split from the hem all the way up to her hips on both sides of her body. Her long golden hair she wore down, and she even outlined her aqua eyes in black kohl, and put some sort of balm on her lips that accentuated the pink in them. The final items to be added was her wide brimmed hat, and her weapons.

The over all effect, Jahir decided, was both feminine and practical. She would be kicking ass and looking rather fine doing it, and this, he realized, was exactly the point. She was looking to make a point to Sparrow and the entire crew. Ash was done hiding. They would have to come to terms with the fact that she was a woman as well as a pirate. Jahir was glad of this. He was silently cheering on his captain, seeing no reason why she couldn't be both feminine and a warrior. Why did it have to be one or the other? His heart nearly burst with pride when she walked onto the Black Pearl like she owned it, and the crew's jaws dropped as they stared at her, heads turning to keep her in sight for as long as possible.

"Ash," a stunned voice said.

Both she and Jahir turned to see Jack standing there looking like he'd been hit in the face with a frying pan.

"You look different," he said.

"Yes," Ash responded, tossing her long golden locks over one shoulder carelessly, "So I do."

She walked away from him and down below to the galley, Jack trailing behind her. As much as he wanted to follow, Jahir knew she had this in hand and wouldn't appreciate him hovering over her, so he went to reclaim his sleeping spot in the crew's quarters.

"You're going to resume cooking duties?" Jack asked, bewildered, "It isn't – I mean, you don't have to."

"I know. But I'll be damned if I let anyone else do it. That crap I was fed during the time I was in the brig was horrendous. Clearly whoever stepped up to do the cooking in my absence had no idea what he was doing."

When she got nothing but silence, she glanced over at him. He had his hands clenched so hard she was surprised they didn't creak with the strain, and his face was contorted in an expression of pain.

"About that – " he began, then stopped himself suddenly.

Ash waited patiently for a few moments. But when nothing was forthcoming, she prompted, "Yes?"

For a minute or so, his mouth opened and closed like a fish's. Then, at last, he spoke in a gruff tone.

"Poison me and I'll shoot you."

He left swiftly, leaving Ash to get on with her duties. She almost smiled. Almost. But the memory the phrase brought was quickly followed by a stab of agony, so she pushed it out of her mind immediately. She took some time to get the galley in order for the noon meal to be dealt with later, then emerged up on deck to watch the crew cast off. As they drew away from Tortuga, Ash took the position that felt natural to her after doing it so often on this ship before. Arms folded, she leaned her forearms on top of the rail and arched her back slightly as she leaned over the smooth wood, gazing into the water below. Her eyes closed, feeling the spray on her face, and she inhaled deeply through her nose. This was so familiar. All her anxieties and anger melted away in this moment. For a few blessed instants, she felt at peace. This felt like home. Then she remembered the circumstances under which she was here again, and the slight smile that she didn't realize had begun to curl her lips vanished. Jack hated her. She wasn't welcome here, not really. It was just out of necessity. Her own feelings for him, after seeing him again, were... tangled. It was all such a jumbled mess in her heart she couldn't properly decide what she was feeling. With a sigh, she gave up trying and went below decks to the tiny room she had slept in before.

It was as untouched as the day she'd left. All her things were where she'd left them, though she had brought the same supplies with her again. Her hammock and the single tiny table were in place. There was even a thin coating of dust over everything. Puzzled, Ash dropped her new bag next to the old one made of netting. Why didn't Jack clear this room out? It could have been used for storage. It was impossible to know for certain without asking him, since she wasn't able to read minds, and she'd be blasted if she'd do that. So instead, she got a few damp cloths and wiped the dust off of everything. Satisfied that her old place was now fit to be inhabited again, she went to prepare lunch.

Nostalgia hit once again as she did this, and once again, the memories were bittersweet. She needed to drink. A lot. Anything to help her forget. But on a ship, getting drunk was reserved for specific times and places. A ship was too dangerous of a place to have wits dimmed by alcohol. Her brows furrowed as she chopped ingredients savagely, her blade a silver blur in the air. She got lost in her thoughts and her task until, abruptly, there was nothing left to do. Everything was ready. Wiping her hands on a rag, Ash glanced around as footsteps came closer from outside. The crew filed in, eagerly taking their plates and getting their food from her. Every one of them greeted her cheerfully. Mr. Gibbs was the last in line, though by rights of his position he could have been first.

"Thank the lord ye're back," he said in a low voice to Ash as she spooned food into his bowl.

"It isn't permanent," she responded softly, "As soon as I do what I came here for, I'll be leaving again."

"Still, Jack hasn't been the same since ye left," Gibbs said.

Ash's eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to him.

"What do you mean?"

Gibbs looked around furtively, then back at her.

"We'll talk later, tonight," he promised, and walked away to take his seat with the others.

As she ate, Ash wondered if she should bring Jack a tray of food, like she had done before. At first, she was against the idea. She wasn't his cabin boy, and his legs worked perfectly well. He could come down here to eat if he wanted to. On the other hand, if she refused, he might get the wrong idea and think she was afraid of him or something. In the end, she decided to take the tray up to him. Once she had finished eating, she put the tray together and brought it up to the captain's quarters. As always, the doors were closed, and she knocked. When his rough voice called for her to enter, her fingers tightened on the tray. She had both missed that voice and hated to hear it again.

Ash smoothed her expression so that it was blank and carefully entered the room. It looked much as it always had, except perhaps a bit messier than she remembered. Jack didn't look at her as she approached. The only sound in the room was her boots on the floor as she walked over to him and set the tray on his desk. This wasn't fair, she thought. This was like a dream, like what he had done to her never happened. If it wasn't for the tension between the two of them, and the fact that she wasn't hiding her gender anymore, she could almost believe it never had happened. Ash turned to leave after a few seconds of awkward silence, but his voice froze her in her tracks.

"Not poisoned, I trust?"

"I have never sought to harm you," she whispered without turning, "Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Could have fooled me. No, did fool me. Masterful performance."

Eyes blazing, hands clenched into fists, she spun on her heel to face him.

"You just assume it was to hurt you, or embarrass you in some way!" she half shouted, "You didn't even give me the chance to explain!"

"Alright then," he challenged, "What possible reason could you have for disguising yourself as a man and making me kiss you if not to laugh at me?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be a woman in this world?" Ash seethed, "No, of course not. No one wants me, Jack. My parents didn't, I didn't belong in Japan, even when I left, your own father refused me a place on his crew. No one ever truly accepted me. How was I supposed to know you would be any different? And I never made you kiss me. You did that all on your own."

Jack stood then, bracing his hands on the desk as he leaned forward, glaring at her.

"You could have asked!" he shouted back, "You could have been honest with me from the start!"

"And risk being refused again? No."

"Ah, yes. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission," he said sarcastically.

"Luckily I now know getting forgiveness from you is as likely as hell is to freeze over," she spat.

"Because you still lie!"

He came around the desk, looming over her.

"You expect me to believe you never set out to seduce me?"

"I – what?"

Ash stared at him, utterly confused. What was this really about? It seemed he wasn't as angry about her pretending to be male as he was about his reaction to her. But that would mean...

"Don't be ridiculous, I haven't seduced you," she huffed.

"Oh no? Then why do I see your big bright eyes whenever I close mine? Why do I smell your scent even after you've left the room? Why do I long to feel your soft skin on mine? Why?"

He seized her upper arms and looked into her eyes, a little wild around the edges. Ash could only stare back in stunned amazement, her lips parted slightly in her shock.

"Are – are you saying you... desire me?"

"Is it not clear? You can't not know, you're too smart, too observant. I've never seen – "

He stopped suddenly, and his dark brown eyes narrowed. Ash could see suspicion forming on his face, but she couldn't read his mind to get insight, so she remained silent.

"The magic you do," he said slowly, "Is there something for this as well? Have you cast a spell on me?"

"What?"

Ash jerked herself out of his hold and stepped back, distantly realizing she was shaking.

"You're mad."

"Am I? Am I indeed? Perhaps that's what you want me to think. I see I've got you frightened, you're trembling. Didn't think I would figure it out did you?"

"I am frightened of no one and nothing Jack Sparrow, certainly not you!" Ash shouted at him.

"And that's another thing. When did you stop calling me 'captain'?"

"When you beat the living daylights out of me and tossed me off your ship like I was trash."

"What was I supposed to do? You betrayed me!"

"I did not betray you, you ass! I saved your life, more than once! Stop acting as if I stabbed you in the back! And why, on God's green earth, would I want to go through the time and effort of casting a love spell on you? It isn't as if you're a rich lord with a land and title. Not that I would want that anyway. My point is you've got no material thing that I want."

Jack blinked.

"You wouldn't want all that?"

"No. Why would I? I'd be bored out of my mind and trapped, unable to go where I want or do as I wish. And before you get any ideas, if I wanted to, I could get my own ship and have that freedom on my own. I don't need you."

"Then why – "

"I didn't cast any spell on you," Ash interrupted, "I swear it. I didn't even know you were having those thoughts of me."

"Oh. So you... the whole reason you disguised yourself... You were just looking for a home. Somewhere to belong."

"Yes," Ash agreed wearily.

Now he was getting it. For a minute there, she thought she might have to literally smack some sense into him.

"And instead... I hurt you."

Ash looked over at him, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Yes," she said simply, all emotion stripped from her suddenly.

Jack nodded a few times, as if digesting the new information. Ash judged this as a good time to make her exit, so she left him to his thoughts and returned to the galley. She spent the next hour or so cleaning up the galley and washing the dishes the crew had used. After that, she was free to do as she wished for a while, until she had to prep for dinner. She used the time to get some sort of plan about what to do about Roger. According to Jack's story, Roger was already dead, so simply killing him wasn't an option.

If Roger was cursed into this, that made things complicated. Ash didn't know any spells like that, so how was she to fight something she didn't know anything about?

Frustrated, she gave up on worrying about Roger and went to prepare for dinner. The crew was served dinner, and once Ash had eaten, she took a tray up to Jack again. This time, he didn't look at her or speak at all, she was able to get in and get out easily and quickly. She was grateful for that. Things had gotten rather intense between them earlier, and her head was still spinning from the revelation that Jack all but admitted he wanted her. She wasn't sure how she felt about him, any more than before their little spat. Actually, her feelings were even more jumbled now.

Running his words through her head and cross referencing them with his previous actions, she realized he had wanted her even before he knew she was a woman. Those feelings drove him to do what he did. He'd acted out of passion, anger, betrayal, even shock. Still, she couldn't see that as an excuse. What he'd done to her cut deep, and not just her body. She wasn't over it, not by a long shot. As she cleaned up, she felt the weariness in her limbs. Why couldn't things be simple? When did her life turn into such a mess? Shaking her head, she snagged a bottle of rum from the supply room and went up on deck. The sun had set, and Mr. Gibbs was ensuring everything was stowed properly. When he saw her with the bottle and two cups, he smiled.

"Care for a bit of rum after a hard day?" she asked.

"Did you clear it with the cap'n?"

"No. He's not going to stop me from taking the edge off. Besides, work is over for the day. Come on."

"Lass, ye be playin' with fire," Gibbs warned.

"He's already burned me. What more can he do to me? Especially since he needs me to save him from Roger."

"Aye, fair point."

Gibbs sat down on a nearby crate, and Ash dragged a barrel over and sat on a crate across from him, using the barrel top as a makeshift table for their cups and the bottle.

"So," she said quietly, pouring him a cup first, "What happened after I left?"

"Jack's always been a bit strange," Gibbs started, "But after... that... he became unhinged."

Ash arched one brow as she poured herself some rum.

"Oh? How's that?"

"His drinking increased. Ye remember how drink is only for certain times? Well, he did away with that rule for himself. Got to be where he was hardly ever without a bottle in his hand."

Ash frowned.

"Why would he do that? He admitted he desired me, but he couldn't have wanted me so bad that being without me drove him to drink."

"I think it was more like guilt."

"Guilt? Have you ever known Jack to be sorry for anything? Didn't I often hear the two of you saying 'take what you can, give nothing back'?"

"Aye, but t'was a while after you were gone that I talked to him. He was drunk, as was usual for him now, but the way he spoke of ye... I knew he was sorry for what he did. I told him he should find ye and tell ye he regretted it. He refused. Said how could he? Words meant nothing, he'd never be able to make it up to ye."

"Wait, so he really regretted it?"

"Aye."

"And he didn't come to apologize because he knew I wouldn't forgive him?"

"Aye."

"And... then what? He went to his father?"

"We needed supplies anyway. Knowing ye were in Tortuga, he didn't want to dock there for them. I don't know exactly what happened between him and Cap'n Teague, I wasn't there."

"Teague said he and Jack talked about me, Jack told him what he did. Then he got drunk and played cards with Roger. His father must have found out what happened at the card table, and persuaded Jack to seek my help."

"Aye, makes sense. We've heard rumors, yer reputation has grown quite a bit. Ye're the most powerful wizardess in the Caribbean."

Ash made a face.

"I don't know about that. Besides, I'm not so focused on power. More on how effective I can be. And I've never faced anything like Roger before. I don't even know if I can save Jack. Still, I suppose I have to try. And besides, there's a first time for everything. Maybe I can manage it after all."

Author's Note: Things are getting interesting, yes? Please give a review with your thoughts, feedback is always appreciated. It really helps me make a better story for your enjoyment.