The conversation Jack and I had had the night before had reminded me of the times before I left Port Kingsmead with him, the times when we were definitely only friends and I had no other feelings getting in the way, so I made more of an effort to continue them with him.

With my time spent between chats with him, Bill, Hector, or any of the rest of the crew, work aboard the Pearl, and well-earned sleep I had far less time to dwell on my feelings (even if Jack and I had continued to both sleep in the bed if we were there at the same time), so I assumed it was working.

Alas, nothing lasts forever.

We took down another merchant ship, but it sank faster than expected, meaning that the bulk of the supplies were left floating on the water. Never one to miss an opportunity, Jack ordered that some of the crew jumped in to collect it.

"Why don't you join us, Captain?" Several of them teased good-naturedly, and Jack rolled his eyes, nodding.

"Take this, be careful with it," he said, thrusting his compass and several other things into my hands and diving into the water, six crew members following him.

I leant over the railing to watch him swim towards the supplies before I realised what I was holding, and a sudden insatiable curiosity struck me.

Carefully I opened the compass, watching as it spun one, two, three times before it stopped in Jack's direction.

I sighed, snapping it shut and closing my eyes momentarily, opening them again when I felt eyes on the back of my head. Turning to look over my shoulder I saw Bill and Hector both looking my way, though they both turned sharply to look at each other when I glanced at them.

"Mind giving me a hand?" I called, gesturing to the small pile of Jack's stuff in my arms.

Bill gave a good-natured smile, coming over, whilst Hector shook his head, sarcastic sneer firmly in place, although his eyes glimmered with slight amusement as he moved to help Jack pull things back up onto the ship instead.

"This is why you're my favourite," I said, passing Bill some of the items. "You're a gentleman."

"I'm flattered," he said, his eyes flicking down to the compass in my hands and back up to my face almost too quickly to see. "Jack's told ye about that compass?"

"What it points to, yes," I said, not intending my voice to come out quite as sharply as it did. "Why?"

He shrugged, feigning innocence. It didn't work. "No reason."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Right. Has Jack told you anymore about that map he was on about the other week, or has he told Hector?"

"Nothing at all, he's playing this one very close indeed, not even telling his first mate. It's either really stupid, really dangerous, or impossible."

"Or a mixture of all three."

"Knowing Jack, it probably is."

"Talkin' about me?" Jack asked, approaching us as he dropped water over the deck. He shook his head, flicking water from his dreadlocks at us and making us both duck down to avoid it.

"About your recklessness, yes," I said wryly, glancing pointedly up and down his soaking form.

He waved a hand, flicking yet more water at me and took the compass back from my hands, along with his other effects. He opened the compass, smirk dropping slightly, before he snapped it shut and shook it, seeming satisfied with the second result.

"Well, where are we headed next, Captain?"

Jack looked out over the water, squinting in the sun. "New Providence, by the looks of things."

-*-*-*

"Ye ever heard of New Providence, lass?" I heard Hector ask as he approached me.

"No, why?" I turned to face him, leaning back on the side of the ship. "What's it like?"

He thought for a moment. "They say that when a pirate dies he should want to go back to New Providence rather than heaven, if that answers yer question."

I nodded. "It's good for pirating then?"

He nodded. "Lotsa merchant ships go by, easy to plunder. Last time we visited there was plenty of gold to go around, but Jack did nearly lose his head. I can't figure out why he's so desperate to go back."

"Has he told you anything about that map he's piecing together?"

Hector raised an eyebrow. "Map? No, nothin' at all. Why, what's he up to?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, he hasn't told Bill or I either, but that's why he wanted to speak to Eddie, he had a piece of the map."

Hector was silent, and I glanced up at the helm in thought.

"He'll tell us soon, I'm sure."

"Aye."

-*-*-*

New Providence didn't look like much of a pirate's heaven when we pulled in to make port, but then again the mass of merchant ships visible on the water a way away said otherwise.

"Now," said Jack, pulling me to one side as the crew made their way off of the Pearl onto land and placing his hands on my shoulders. "There's much more chance of someone recognising you here than at Tortuga or Eddie's place, love, so stick close to me, Bill, or Hector like in Tortuga, aye?"

I nodded, and he grinned, squeezing my shoulders once before he walked past me, and when I turned around to follow him I spotted Bill and Hector stood together at the helm, heads together as they discussed something.

They had been doing this a lot recently, I had noticed, since the day I had looked at the compass, which I took to mean that they knew exactly what – or rather who – it pointed to. I only hoped that they wouldn't tell Jack about it.

"Come on, love!"

I rolled my eyes, hurrying down the ramp to catch up to him.

-*-*-*

I looked around the tavern we were sat in, eyes stopping on three men fighting a little way away.

"Thinking of joinin' in?" Jack asked, and I sniffed a laugh.

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea." I took a swig of my drink, wincing at the fiery burn and looking down at it. "What's in this?"

Jack shrugged, also looking down at his drink. "'S a surprise."

"We're here for another piece of that map, aren't we?"

He nodded.

"Do you know where we'll find it?"

"Nope, but I will." He held up his compass, shaking it. "I'll drop you back at the Pearl first, 's getting dark."

I didn't like that he was speaking to me as though I was a child, but understood that what he was saying probably was for the best what with it still being risky to go about on my own, so I didn't say anything.

"But until then, I think a few more drinks are in order, eh?"

"Naturally."

Jack may be captain of the Black Pearl, but Bill and Hector are the captains of the Jack/Stormi ship. And they've definitely started a fan club lol.