ProChapter Author's Notes: Okay, so I had this chapter almost all written out and it was SO GOOD! The best chapter so far! HAPPY! When I went to SAVE it, however, it... didn't. It vanished. POOF! Gone. All frustrated, I decided to rewrite it the next day. Soooo I must redo it now, and I'm sure it isn't as good as the original. My apologies. Okay, in this chapter, Jack finds out what happens to him, Will tries to be helpful, and then Jack winds up drunk (duh). There IS, however, a wee bit of Jack/Will-yness. Zazz! Enjoy the rewrite. *Sob*

~Chapter Three~
*"You're Pretty."*

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth were pulled on deck via rope before whatever had happened to Jack could register in anyone's mind. The crew gathered in a circle around the captain as Will and Elizabeth rose to their feet behind him, the pirate kneeling on the deck with his face out of view.
Standing slowly and wordlessly, Jack looked down on himself. He was a great deal shorter and smaller, his normally solid body replaced by a slender and curvy one. His beard was gone without a trace and the clothes that had once fit him now hung loosely against his wet body. Eyes wide and mouth open slightly, Jack held his hands before his face in awe at the small size and thin fingers. Looking down upon himself, the first thing he noticed was the obviously female cleavage protruding from his half-open shirt.
He had become a woman.
Jack's mouth opened and closed a few times as if trying to speak but unable to find any words. "Hell no..." Jack finally said to herself, eyes wide and in a whisper quiet voice.
"Jack...?" Gibbs was the first of the crew to venture a word. "Is that you?"
Jack was silent.
"What happened?" Annamaria asked in a half-yell, eyes bulged.
Jack was still silent.
The crew became uncomfortable with their captain's lack of speech and fell silent themselves, only a few whispering among themselves. Finally, Jack swore something unpleasant under her breath and stiffly took long, angry strides to her cabin, where she entered, slammed the door shut, and disappeared. The crew looked at the door in astonishment for a moment, before turning to Will and Elizabeth.
"What in the name of hell happened in that cave, boy?" one man asked of Will.
Will's eyes lingered on the door for a moment, his thoughts on Jack. When he realized he was being spoken to, however, he explained all that had happened to the crew. Once he had told them, to the best of his ability, what had gone on, everyone was quiet once more for a moment.
"So Jack's been turned into a woman...?" Annamaria asked the obvious.
"It would appear that way." Elizabeth replied softly. Jack's men suddenly began to converse among themselves, some grinning and laughing and others seemed worried or astonished. Will broke away from the group and headed toward the captain's cabin. He stopped just outside the door and gave a small knock on it.
"Jack?" he asked softly. When he received no answer, he slowly opened the door and let himself in, shutting it behind him. "Jack? Are you alright?"
Jack was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head resting on one hand and eyes staring straight forward. Not turning to face Will, she replied in a bitterly sarcastic tone "Why shouldn't I be? Hell, I just lost my manhood and been humiliated in front of me crew." He sighed and his voice lowered a bit. "I'm just peachy." Jack fell back on the bed, arms spread out and eyes looking hopelessly up at the ceiling.
Will sat down next to the smaller figure. He looked over Jack's form. Her rather large, round breasts were almost completely visible through her half-open shirt and her luscious curves were easy to see through the wet cloth. Where there were once strong muscles was now tight, soft skin and her body was lean and thin, curved in all the right places. She had become any man's dream woman. The kohl still lined her eyes and her hair was still the long black locks it had been before. Her eyes were still the deep brown that Will had often lost himself in, albeit they were shaped more delicately and shaped by long, feminine lashes.
Will tried to think of something to say to comfort his friend. "Well... at least... you're pretty." he offered. He mentally kicked himself for the stupid remark. That was NOT something Jack would want to hear.
Jack immediately sat up and looked up into Will's eyes. "Oh, thass great." she replied. "That makes it all better then, mate." She sighed. Putting her elbows in her lap and balling her hands into side-by-side palm- up fists, she hid her face in her hands.
Will put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jack." he said softly. "We won't let you stay like this."
Jack dropped her arms into her lap and glanced at Will's hand on her shoulder. "S'bad enough I hafta look like a woman, lad. Don't you start treatin' me like one." he replied.
"What happened to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow?" Will asked, trying to find a way to dig into Jack's pride and lift her spirits a bit. "You've been in trouble before and you've always found a way out. Scott said there was a cure. We just have to find it, and we WILL find it."
"He said nobody's ever found it." Jack grimly reminded the blacksmith. "It's not going to be easy as all that."
"You pried your ship out of the hands of undead pirates, how bad can it be?" Will asked, giving Jack a reassuring grin. Jack smiled back a bit, but it was a hollow and hopeless smile. The two lingered on each other's eyes for a moment.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and Elizabeth and Annamaria walked cautiously in. "What is it you want us to do, captain?" Annamaria asked Jack.
"What do you mean?"
"Your orders, sir."
The fact that Annamaria still gave her respect comforted Jack just a bit. "It's dark now. Send the crew to their quarters for the night." the captain began. "I heard word of the cursed trinket in Tortuga, thass how I knew it was in Isle de Muerta. We'll set course for Tortuga first thing in the mornin'."
"Aye, captain." Annamaria gave Jack a small smile and left for the deck.
"Jack..." Elizabeth walked next to the pirate. "We'll fix this. Everything will be fine, we won't leave you. I promise you that."
Jack gave Elizabeth a false smile so as not to worry her. "Thanks, luv." The captain stood slowly, causing Will's hand to fall from his shoulder. "You'd best get to yer quarters and rest up the night. I've a bit of business to attend to before I retire to my bed." That said, Jack left his cabin.
Elizabeth looked to Will as he stood, looking after Jack. "Is he alright?" she inquired.
Will sighed. "I don't know. I hope we can set things right soon."
"We will." Elizabeth assured him. She started out of the cabin and to her quarters. She turned back and looked to Will. "Are you going to sleep yet?"
Will shook his head. "I'm going to stay up a bit." Elizabeth gave a small nod and disappeared below deck.
For a while, Will stood alone on the deck, leaning his elbows against the side of the ship and looking up into the starry night sky. It was quiet except for the roll of the waves and the creaks of the ship. His thoughts turned to Jack, and the frightened look that was in her eyes. He wished things would be back to normal, and Jack could be Jack again. For a long while, he quietly thought about his friend. Just as he had decided to go find the captain, he heard boots clunking on the deck.
Jack was clumsily moving about. She tripped over her now oversized boots and fell to the floor. Kicking them off and letting them slide away, she stood and took a large swig of the rum bottle in her hands. Even Will had never seen the pirate so drunk. The blacksmith hurried up to his friend. "Jack!" he said as he stood just before her.
"'Ello, handsome." Jack slurred drunkenly with a little giggle and a hiccup.
"What are you doing?" Will continued, ignoring the comment.
"I'm drinkin' me some *hiccup* rum, silly! Whass it look like?" she paused a moment. "I AM wearing pants, right?" She glanced down at herself, her pants that had become too big for her held high and fastened tightly around her. "Oh goody, I am!" She giggled again and made a move to bring the bottle to her lips.
"And I think you've had enough." Will snatched the bottle from her and held it above Jack's reach.
"S'mine!" Jack jumped at the bottle, but, unable to reach now that she had shrunk considerably, stumbled forward. Will quickly dropped the bottle onto the deck and caught the pirate, wrapping his arms tightly around her back, her face in his chest and body held tightly against his. Her hands were placed just below his shoulders, and he was surprised when she did not move to free herself.
Will realized that Jack had just received the full blow of what had happened to him when she had been overpowered by the blacksmith, a man she normally referred to endearingly as 'lad'. Now, with his arms holding her in place and her body no longer strong enough to push him back, she simply gave up into him. Will looked down at her, her body quivering a bit.
"Jack..." he loosened his hold on her just enough to look into her face. It was emotionless, save for eyes that showed sadness and defeat. "I'm sorry." He hadn't realized before that he had taken advantage of Jack's new weakness and had treated him in a way he normally would not have.
"S'ok, Will." Jack said softly and emotionlessly. She gently and slowly, as if asking permission, pulled back from Will's hold. The blacksmith hesitantly let his arms fall off of Jack's body.
They were quiet for a moment and Will was saddened by the fact that Jack would not meet his gaze. His body ached inside at the hurt that was showing in Jack's features. "I meant what I said." he started, trying to sound sure of himself. "We WILL find that cure and you'll be yourself again. You're STILL Captain Jack Sparrow, and don't you forget it."
Jack shook her head and finally brought her eyes on Will's. "S'not ME forgettin' the man I am that worries me... it's OTHERS forgettin' that I'm afraid of, savvy?" They were silent again.
Trying to break the tension Will changed the subject. "Why don't we get to sleep? We'll deal with everything in the morning. I think we could both use a rest." he suggested.
Jack nodded. "Ye can sleep in my cabin again, if you want. Elizabeth is sharing Annamaria's quarters." she replied. Will gave a small nod. He put his hand on Jack's shoulder and looked hard into her eyes, before turning and the two headed to the cabin.
Neither slept much that night. Will couldn't get his mind off Jack.
........ Jack couldn't get her mind off her chest.

PostChapter Author's Notes: Shit. Not HALF as good as the original. Oh well. *GASP!* Jack is a WOMAN! Can you BELIEVE IT?! Muahahahahahaha! I'm so bad. Next chapter, they sail to Tortuga and... stuff happens. Check for updates! *Note:* I will be calling Jack 'she' and 'her' both because HE has become a SHE and to aviod confusion. Oh, and to clear something up with all the nice Ranma 1/2 fans out there, this curse is not like Ranma's. Just though I should mention that.