The Secret of Hell Water

(A/N- Well, I'm back from vacation! Yay! I have the rest of the fic roughly drafted too. So now I know EXACTLY what is going to happen. ^^;; So now that I know, I have no excuse for not finishing, right? LoL- I have a few comments to make prior to starting this chapter:

1) I did a little bit of research and discovered that the shark I am thinking of with the really really big jaws is actually prehistoric. (lol- I remember seeing a large picture with eight men sitting in this huge gaping jawbone a long time ago in middle school or something.. so much for that idea!!) So I've changed the size of its jaws in the story to be somewhat unrealistically large, but not REALLY unrealistically large. ^^;;

2) Some of you are asking if I will have lemony content later in this fic. ^^; It certainly seems to be going in that direction, doesn't it? LOL! All I can say is we'll see… I will leave that entirely up to my muse. So far I've gone about as far as I can push PG-13… According to my outline, I have a section towards the very end where I could easily insert some lemon. Do you all WANT lemon? Lol- you know I can't deny you- the readers! So tell me what you want.

3) Alisa Blackwell: You asked about how I know all the nautical terms? ::innocent expression, toys with her hair:: Isn't it amazing what you can learn on the internet? LOL! ^_~ Just did a little research, it helps that my dad was a sailor too, he knows all that nautical mumbo-jumbo, so I'll ask him if I have any questions.  I live on the ocean too, I've been around sail boats my whole life, though I've never really been into sailing them. )

Chapter 12- Shark Bait

The night was uncomfortably hot and stifling on board The Black Pearl. Which was fitting to the mood of the crew.  There was a general feeling of tension that steadily escaladed as they tirelessly rowed forward through the narrow rocky passages to the light of the nearly full moon.  It cast an eerie glow over the dark water.  Jack had smoothly ordered Will, Elizabeth and Emma below to clean the unsightly mess that the last storm had wreaked upon the galley. 

" Why do we have to clean this? Especially you, Emma… they should be celebrating how you saved Will… not making you do chores!" Elizabeth muttered angrily.

" Would you rather be rowing?" asked Will. " We can't exactly sail through these kinds of passages.  The wind is far to erratic and unpredictable."

Elizabeth furrowed her brows, but continued scrubbing.  " That's true… but the rowers have stopped.   There's something going on above."

" Gibbs' is probably just giving the crew a break." Said Will.

" That's true…" Elizabeth agreed with hesitation.  " But I know they're up to something!  Jack's been unusually cheerful today ever since we passed by The Fangs.  He's got something up his sleeve. I wish I knew what it was!"

She watched Emma's frown deepen as the girl paused momentarily to dip the brush in a bucket of soapy water.  " Emma, do you know what he's up to?"

Emma glanced up at her.  A fleeting look of fear passed over her face.  " What?"

" Jack Sparrow! You know what he's up to, don't you?!"

            Her question was more an accusation, and Emma straightened up, meeting Elizabeth's eyes with pale conviction.

            " I have no idea what he's planning." She confessed.

            Elizabeth's gaze darkened and she stood up quickly, walking towards the door without hesitation. Emma jumped to her feet and ran to intercept her.

            " Where are you going?"

            " To find out what he's up to!" Elizabeth said angrily.

            " You think he'll tell you?" Emma asked her exasperated. Elizabeth pursed her lips.

            " I was going to eavesdrop."

            Emma looked from Elizabeth to Will and back again. They had identical looks of cool anger etched on their faces.  She threw up her hands in exasperation.

            " Wasn't it you two just a few days ago that told me to trust him?  Can't you two take your own advice? I know he's up to no good. I'm sure it has to do with me.  But whatever it is… you told me that he wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone.  I'm not afraid for whatever is in store. But if you two are so ready to believe the worst, then where does that leave me?  Was I wrong to put my trust in him?"

            They gawked at her sudden outburst, and Elizabeth reluctantly backed a few steps and then sat down on a low stool, looking suddenly very tired.

            " I'm sorry…" She said softly after a moment.  " You're right."

            " We don't have much of a choice right now." Emma said heatedly.  " I can take care of myself, whatever plans unfold I'll do my best to help Jack in whatever hair-brained scheme he's planning."

            " He must have a reason to not let us in on it." Said Will, agreeing with Emma's reasoning.  " He'll let us know when it's to his advantage."

            " That's our Jack Sparrow… all right…" muttered Elizabeth, then shook her head and laughed half-heartedly.  " I wonder if I'll ever understand how that pirate's mind works."

            The night passed without further incident.  The pirates took turns at the oars, steering the ship precariously through the sharp jutting rocks and the maze of tall granite cliffs and winding passages. Sleep was to be had in short intervals as the watches were rotated, and when the morning sun cast it's first rays of light down upon the ship and Emma climbed up onto the deck, the first thing she noticed was a noticeably lighter mood about the crew.  They hailed her with "good mornin' Miss Emma!" and " It be a mighty fine day, don't it Miss Emma?"

             She wondered at the sudden change in attitude.  It was as if they'd completely forgotten the terror that Hell Water had instilled just the day before.

            She had a tray of food for Jack and made her way towards his cabin at the far stern, nodding her head in response to all the pirates, who regarded her with looks of wonder and appraisal.

            " What in the world did he tell them last night?" She thought nervously as she knocked lightly at his door.  At a word from inside, she opened it and stepped in, closing it behind her skillfully with one foot while keeping balance as the ship swayed back and forth.

            " Good Morning, love!" Jack said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye. He leaned back precariously on his chair with both feet resting on top of his desk.

            " I've been hearing that more often than usual, this morning." Emma said as she set the tray of food beside his left foot, then folded her arms and did her best to glare at him. " What did you tell them last night?"

            " Tell them?" Jack looked at her with one eyebrow raised in mock confusion.  " I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about."

            " Somehow I figured that would be the case." She muttered, letting her arms fall to the sides and shook her head.

            Jack shot her an appraising look, then grabbed a piece of the stale bread and tore a chunk off of it with his teeth.  " Sit down, darling… I'd like to have a word."

            Emma, seeing no chair in the room other than the one he occupied, contented herself by perching on the windowsill.  Jack studied her closely for a moment, and then picked up a crisp red apple and tossed it to her, she caught it by reflex alone.

            " Eat." Jack said, taking another bite of his bread. 

            Emma glanced down at the offered fruit, in truth, she was far too nervous to have any appetite at all. Her mind was far too occupied with the apprehension of what the conversation in the next few minutes would entail, and she wondered if she should refuse.  But in the end she forced herself to take a bite.

            The apple was overly ripe and bitter in her mouth, but she was hardly the sort of lady to spit it out, and so forced herself to swallow it.  Before she could take another bite, Jack began to talk.

            " If the weather holds, we should reach the treasure site very soon." He said offhandedly.  " At the moment, there's no immediate danger, however as soon as we come abreast of the whirlpool, several things will need to happen, and quickly."

            " What things?" Emma asked, wondering what he was getting at.

            Jack ignored her question smoothly.  " This is the point now, Miss Emma, where I'll need you to tell me everything you know about how to get that treasure.  If 'Black Jack' Sparrow could get to it, then I know I can, but I don't know the secret. How do you get a treasure that's apparently at the bottom of the ocean?"

            Emma pursed her lips.  " Is this the 'performance' thing you were talking about earlier?"

            Jack gave her a questioning glance, and after a short pause, cracked a roguish smile that made her frown darken.  " Perhaps…"

            He was evasive as usual, and as smooth and slippery as an eel.  Emma sat silently for a time, thinking.  This secret was her trump card.  She had held it over his head for the entire voyage.  From day one, the secret of Hell Water had been her only defense against his constant attempts to oust her from her rightful place on his ship.  She glanced up at him and saw him returning her gaze with intensity. On one hand, she had decided to trust him, and yet on the other… she was giving up her only known advantage over the sly pirate captain.  Her mind was at war with whether or not to tell him what she knew. 

" Are you going to tell me, or aren't you?" Jack asked her conversationally.  Emma realized she'd been staring and quickly tore her eyes away, feeling her face heat up. 

" It comes down to this love…" He said, leaning forward in the chair and setting his feet firmly on the wooden floor.  "You can tell me what you know about the treasure, and justify your reason for being here… or you can keep your mouth shut…" And then Jack gave an obvious shrug.  " –But I'm afraid doing the latter would result in turning the ship around.  This scenario would leave me with the small problem of a pack of disgruntled empty-handed crewmembers threatening to mutiny, and would undoubtedly put your own private mission in jeopardy, not to mention lack of compensation for myself and my ship and the money I spent to outfit her for this voyage...savvy?" 

There was no malice in his look and it gave her heart, reinforcing her desire to trust him. He seemed genuinely interested in her, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to please him.  Jack's argument made perfect sense and she couldn't find the words to dispute it.

" The secret is in the Whirlpool." She said softly.  " Not inside it, but just to the left of the rock that is shaped like a fist, there is a current that it generates which, if you allow it to take you without resistance, will bring you down towards the far northern facing cliff about forty feet below the surface of the water and safely on the opposite side of the whirlpool.  There will be a low overhanging shelf of rock right in your line of site.    Swim under the overhang and then upwards.  You'll discover it leads into an underwater cave.  The air bubbles that over time have been drawn down by the whirlpool and caught in the current have all escaped up and become trapped in this cave, creating a rather large pocket of air.  It's like submerging an empty bottle in the water upside down and holding it in place."

Jack had been listening to her silently.  His hands rested on the tabletop with fingertips lightly touching, every once and a while an eyebrow would flicker up, or his eyes would widen.  At her last comment, he nodded his head sagely.

" And…the treasure?" He asked her after a moment's pause.

Emma shot him a tiny smile and shrugged.  "Why… it's in the cave, of course.  You'll need ropes and help from the ship in order to haul it up.  There's no way a human could normally swim up against that current, especially laden with gold."

Jack cracked a wide, mischievous grin.

" What is it?" she said, trying not to sound nervous, but the look he directed at her suddenly made her feel acutely conscious of the low cut shirt she was wearing.

" I was just thinking… how you'd make a fine pirate someday."

Emma stiffened, " Does that mean, you're going to take me as crew on your ship?"

Jack grinned and stood up.  " Did I say that, darling?"

" No…But you implied it!"  She stood up to face him, daring to keep her hopes up.  It occurred to her that it didn't matter so much whether or not she was crew in terms of her initial reason, but she genuinely liked the pirates on board the ship, and Jack especially.  She'd been secretly entertaining the thought of trying to stay on board with him after Hell Water was done and she had recovered her treasure.  She would need to find a new life above the water, and the life of a pirate was a hell of a lot better in her mind, than dodging the groping hands of smelly drunken sailors in a bar all night long.  Those were her only two options, as far as she could tell.  She had no money and had no desire to marry, and the thought of adventure on the high seas filled her with excitement. She would be content with that lifestyle, but only if Jack Sparrow was nearby.

" Implied and said are two very different things, love… you should have learned that by now.  Are you going to finish that apple?"

Emma's momentary hope faded quickly at his evasive maneuvering, and was replaced with sudden rage. She suppressed a growl of frustration and hurled the apple at him with all her strength. Jack caught it deftly with one hand.  Looking very cool and unruffled, he took a large bite, ignoring her glare completely.

" You know, love… you should try to curb that temper of yours." He said through a mouthful.  " It's hardly becoming of a lady."

" Well, I guess I'm not exactly your definition of a lady then… am I?" She spat the words at him acidly and stalked past the desk and towards the door, feeling extremely jaded. Jack rolled his eyes and arched one eyebrow with an obviously look of hopeless abandon. 

Emma stiffened at the look, misinterpreting it for indifference.  " Well, excuse me now while I remove my UN-ladylike presence from the room… and not bother you further, Captain Sparrow!"

" I never said I wanted a lady…" He said very softly as soon as her tirade had ended. Emma paused with her hand at the door latch.  She turned abruptly and glanced back at him. He was regarding her with his usual cool demeanor.  His mouth was turned up in a tiny smile, and the ever-present glint of mischief was in his eyes, plus something new… a strange sort of fervor was in his gaze as he looked at her.  It sent a tiny shiver down Emma's spine, and she fought against his magnetic glance that wanted to draw her closer to him.

She realized that as she was watching him, she'd forgotten to breath.  She inhaled sharply.  The tension in the room had ebbed somewhat.  She narrowed her eyes and continued to glare.

" But you implied it."

" Faith!" Jack leaned back again, regarding her coolly down the bridge of his nose.  " Why must I be cursed to go in nothing but circles with you? I already told ye… implied and said are two very different things."  He said the last part with a shake of his head, which sent the jewelry that framed his face swinging wildly.

Emma's glare turned to annoyance, and she took a step away from the door, turning to face him fully.  "Well then, say what you want and spare me your implications!"

Jack's grin widened, displaying his glittering gold canines.  " Fair enough! I want a saucy wench… to ravage and have my way with until I'm satisfied… savvy?"  The look he gave her as he said this left no doubt in Emma's mind to whom he was referring.

Both of Emma's eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped open.  Whatever rebuke she had had prepared died in her throat at this sudden declaration.  She stared at him speechless. Not only had he said enough to prove his undeniably naughty intentions towards her, but also for once rendered her completely and totally floored with astonishment. No man had ever dared be so forward with her before, even drunk! 

Had she been a well-brought up woman of quality, she would have undoubtedly told him without hesitation that he would do nothing of the sort if she had any say in the matter, and then find authorities to press charges.  However, she was not a woman of quality, nor was she in a position to press charges, and probably most shocking of all, was that she didn't mind in the least his implications.  But… had he just called her a 'saucy wench?'

…Saucy wench???

"Are you trying to infuriate me?" She demanded after a long pause.

" Naturally."

" Why?" and she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

Jack stood up and started walking towards her.  " Because I know you like it."

" I do not!"

" Yes you do."

He stopped inches from her face, looking down at her laughingly.  Emma clenched her teeth and aimed a sharp slap at him.  Jack caught it before it could hit home and held her wrist easily.  Emma did not try to wrench it free, because she was too busy staring up into Jack's dark sparkling eyes to notice.  And suddenly, as the tension in the room mounted to nearly unbearable heights, and just as Emma was seriously considering launching herself at him wantonly, a terrible gut wrenching crack split the silence as the ship lurched precariously to one side.  It was the result of an obvious collision, and the impact sent Emma straight into Jack, he tripped on her skirts in an attempt to catch himself, and they both fell heavily in a tangle of legs and arms.  He let out a colorful oath, then pushed her aside and sprang to his feet.  He grabbed his hat and clamped it on his head by sheer habit, and was out of the door all in the space of a heartbeat. 

Emma lay sprawled on the floor, still wondering what in the world had just happened. Then she noticed the creaking of the ships boards and rose unsteadily to follow him to the deck, her heart was beating so hard that it felt like it would leap out of her chest.   She had to admit, even with this sudden danger now presenting itself; it wasn't beating solely out of concern for Jack's ship.

            ~*~*~*~*~*~*

" Captain!" Mr. Gibbs' tone of voice was tinged with panic as Jack made his way on deck and walked over hurriedly to the pirates assembled at the starboard side.  " It came upon us so fast, there was naught to do but run 'er up against the rocks.  The tail wind is far too strong 'ere, she would ha' gone straight to Davey Jones otherwise!"

Jack could see what he meant immediately.  They had reached the giant whirlpool and the treasure site.  The rocks Gibbs mentioned were a loose cascade of debris from the westward cliff wall they'd been passing by.  The ship was now snuggly trapped with the rocks preventing further movement forward, and the cliff immediately to the port side, keeping The Black Pearl safe from continuing on into the main channel and to the doom apparently waiting for it in the form of a giant funnel frothing and swirling down to the depths of the large bay. The north and westerly sides of the bay were protected by high sheer cliff walls of solid granite, which formed a rough crescent shape border on one side of the large turbulent bay. The south (from whence they came) was wide open, as was the east and both apparent openings were framed by cliffs that defined specific passages.  Jack wondered where the eastward passage would take them, as that would most likely be their smoothest course of escape without having to take the trouble of turning the ship about in such dangerous conditions.  He would have to consult the map later.

The elated feeling of the pirates from that morning had vanished, and they looked at the swirling whirlpool with dread.  None had imagined such a huge monstrous thing as that.  It was easily fifty feet wide and no one could guess how deep it dove down.

Jack looked up at the black and white pirate flag, which was fluttering wildly with a strong tail wind as Gibbs had deftly observed.  He looked behind him, towards the stern at the long narrow passage they'd sailed.  Like a wind tunnel, it channeled all the wind in their direction with a steady, strong blast.

" It must never change… this tailwind…" He thought.  " It would take any ship straight into that mess." Then something he'd seen on the map finally clicked in his mind.  Of course!  That was the specific wind direction his father's map had specified.  The ship needed to run aground on a sandbar, and the thing to do would be simply to keep the wind directly at their tail.  He could not see the narrow strip of sand that would save them from getting caught in the deadly current, but he was positive it was there. 

Feeling very pleased with himself, now that he knew what must be done, he turned his mind to the other small problem that he'd had to carefully consider…the giant man-eating shark in the water. His eyes scanned the water's turbulent surface, and on queue with his thoughts, he caught a glimpse of a long, sharp dorsal fin as it dipped and disappeared beneath the waves not too far away from the northernmost wall.  It was right near the treasure site.

Jack did not betray the faintest hint of worry at the sighting, and with his usual perpetual smile he looked up to scan the cliffs that hovered just above them off the port side of the ship.

" Yes, this spot will do nicely…" He thought, looking up at the short cliff rising about twenty feet above them, There was a rocky outcrop at the top that looked roughly like a finger thrusting vertically up towards the cloudless sky. The top seemed to level out, and there was a small overhang that would serve as the perfect platform to look directly down over the water.  The spot where the ship was currently occupied with unaffected by the current, and the water looked as calm as could be expected with the wind blowing sharply northward.  He turned to regard the crew, swaying on his feet with a droll grin on his face.  They watched him in apprehension.

" Mr. Matellot, and Quartetto. Take yourselves below mates, and bring up the shark bait, and bring one of the remaining grapples and a strong chain, while yer at it."

The two pirates that he had addressed broke into identical gape-toothed grins and sauntered down to the hold.  The rest of the pirates seemed to shed some of their nervousness as they watched their Captain standing so relaxed and sure of himself.  Jack had one hand resting lightly on his hip and he looked out again over the turbulent whirlpool, but did not see another sign of the shark.

It was not long before there was a small crate sitting on deck beside Jack and a large casket.  Emma recognized them, as the meat stores from the animals they'd killed on the island, and inside the crate were the bottles of blood Jack had instructed the men to gather.

" Matellot and Quartetto will climb to the top of that cliff there," He pointed it out to the crew, who all turned to gaze up at it with unreadable expressions. " It'll be the site for the shark baiting."

She knew exactly what Jack was planning to do, and she found herself beaming at him with pride.  Not only was he a daring man, he was exceptionally smart.  She couldn't help but grin at him.

" Jack, I see what you're planning on doing." It was Will's voice that made them all turn, " But how are you going to lure it?"

" Why, with the proper bait, Mr. Turner." Jack said with a swagger.

Will gestured to the casket of meat and shrugged.  " Yes, it will be good… but we'll need to lure it to this location, won't we? How do we do that?"

" As I said before… with the proper bait."

Jack and the rest of the crew all turned to look at Emma in unison in a very matter of fact way. Will and Elizabeth's mouths both fell open in complete amazement as they grasped the full implications of Jack's plan.

For Emma, the feeling of elation she had instantly evaporated, and her grin fell off of her face. A cold grip of fear descended upon her as the pirates all gazed at her reverently, like they might look at a martyr who was giving herself valiantly up for sacrifice.

" Ms. Emma, being a mermaid and the only able body among us that is naught in danger of drowning… shall render us that service…" Jack said with a flourish.  The crew punctuated this declaration with many applauding comments.  Emma felt her knees go weak; she must have swayed in that moment, because there was a pair of strong hands against her back, keeping her steady.

" Jack Sparrow…" It was Elizabeth who spoke with a voice cold as ice.  " Do you expect her to just jump in that water and let a 30 foot shark with jaws fit to eat three men whole chase her all over Hell Water?"

Jack returned her glare with mild amusement.  " Why, of course not, love! Not chase her all over Hell Water!"

Emma thought her heart might have skipped a beat, and relief washed over her in that instant.

" Just to this little spot here…"

Her brief moment or relief vanished once again.

" That's despicable! I can't believe she would volunteer for such a thing!" Elizabeth walked around to regard Emma.  "You wouldn't, would you?"
            Emma pursed her lips, and gazed around at all the crew, they looked at her with such a fervor of hope.  She knew know what Jack had told them last night.  He'd implanted in their minds that she and she alone would be able to keep them safe from the terror of Hell Water.  If she tried to back out- there would be such hell to pay on her own part by the crew.  They believed the gold was as good as theirs right at that moment and completely at her expense.  Ohh—Jack was good all right. How in the world could she refuse when put in such a corner?

Emma's face must have gone a shade paler, and her lack of a quick response was all Elizabeth needed.  She whirled on Jack in an outrage.

" You filthy scurvy belly-crawling seadog of a PIRATE!" She berated.  " Find some other way or I'll—"

But she trailed off as Emma put a quick, sturdy hand on her shoulder and drew her back.  Elizabeth glanced at her in amazement.

" No, he's right." She said, " I'm the only one who could do it." She took a deep breath, trying desperately to control her shaky voice.  " I'm not afraid."

" Very good then!" Jack's grin was contagious as the rest of the crew set about their tasks of preparing this part of Jack's grand scheme.  The grapple that had been brought up was secured after a few tries to the top of the cliff. Matellot and Quartetto scaled the cliff with more than a little difficulty. Rock climbing was not something pirates were typically accustomed to doing. However they found it not too different than scaling a ship during a raid, so they got their bearings quickly.  It wasn't before long that the meat and the blood (with the exception of one of the largest bottles, which Emma clutched tightly in trembling hands) was all hauled up and safe out of the reach of the 30-foot terror lurking below. At Jack's behest, they set one of the shore boats down on the small rocky outcrop that leaned against the cliff for the use of any survivors, should the worst occur and the ship sink.

" Hands to the oars, get us off these rocks." Jack ordered. " Ready to unfurl the sails."

" Captain, are ye mad?!" Cried Mr. Gibbs. "That wind'll take us straight into that mess!"

" Aye, that's exactly what I want, Mr. Gibbs."

Mr. Gibbs caught the familiar glint in Jack's eye, and he knew that the Captain had something else up his sleeve.  He turned without another word and began to direct the crew.

They left the two pirates in readiness at the location of the shark trap.   Emma did not look at Elizabeth, but kept her eyes firmly affixed to Jack's face.  The sails unfurled and were tied off in a matter of moments, and the wind caught the ship and sailed it straight towards the awaiting whirlpool.  The crew directed panicky glances at Jack as they sailed ever closer and faster, opening the sails completely to the tail wind.  Jack kept the helm steady, acutely aware of any changes in wind direction.  He had just veered the ship about forty-five degrees starboard when it ran aground on the hidden sandbar.  The sudden impact sent everyone staggering.

At this new impact, the crew let out exclamations of dismay. But Jack had a huge smile on his face and he gave the helm up to Anamaria and swaggered down to meet them. The ship was stuck tight, kept aground by the sheer force of the wind as it drove into the sails and no more than 10 feet away from the deadly current that would have driven it under.

Mr. Gibbs caught Jack's plan in that instant and his grimace turned to a huge smile. " Aye, that's Jack for ya! Daft as they come and n'er a better scallywag to sail the Spanish Main!"

"Pieces of eight!" erupted Cottons parrot.

The dread that had moments earlier been apparent fell away from the faces of the crew.  Jack directed the preparations as they set to work feverishly preparing the ropes and pulleys that would be needed to haul the treasure up from the depths of Hell Water.

Emma stood rooted to the ground, watching the preparation half-heartedly. She was full of such mixed emotion, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  She knew their success depended solely upon her performance.  She was going to be the one to face the terror of Hell Water, lure it away from the treasure it seemed to be guarding and bring it all the way to the south entrance and whatever trap lay in store.

" Performance…" she muttered under her breath. " Proper leverage… bah!  He had this planned the moment he found me out… that wretched sea-snake."

Her frown deepened.  She desperately tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing.  It was true; no one else could lure the shark but her and hope to survive. She was a strong swimmer, perhaps stronger than Jack could fathom… for he had never seen her race through the water at full speed.  Where the shark was powerful and fast, she was light and quick, and had better maneuverability than the ponderous predator. She'd faced them before and had managed to out swim them… but only for short bursts of speed and she had never in her life faced something so large.   She wasn't positive that she could handle it, but she fervently hoped that the creature's size would be it's biggest disadvantage, for it could make it slower, or perhaps easier to detect in the water. 

She stood pondering this with such intensity that she did not even notice Jack when he approached her.  His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

" Are you planning on swimming in all those clothes, darling?" He asked her casually.  " Perhaps you should go get yerself prepared, eh?"

Emma nodded mutely, then mechanically turned on her heel and walked stiff legged to the hatch that leads to the hold and the crew quarters.  Elizabeth saw her and followed after.

" Emma." She called once she cleared the wooden steps.  Emma was still in the hallway and turned quickly to regard her.

" You don't have to do this, you know." Elizabeth said quickly.  " You can refuse! He can't make you do anything… Jack wouldn't do such a thing as to force you against your will."

" I know." She said softly.

Elizabeth grimaced. " Damn that Jack Sparrow, he's just too manipulative for his own good, he knows exactly how to get what he wants… You shouldn't let him talk you into anything- he—"

" He did not talk me into anything." Emma replied, interrupting her with a raised voice.  Elizabeth bit her lip, wanting to finish her sentence, but Emma continued without pause.  " You and Will were quite right, he gave me the choice when it was in my best interest to accept… when it was too his advantage." She gave a genuine smile.  " But, I don't think he expects me to fail."

" How do you know?" Elizabeth asked.  " If he cared at all for you, he wouldn't wish to put you in such danger!"

" He's not Will…" Emma said, and Elizabeth felt herself blush scarlet.  " He's Captain Jack Sparrow.  I've told him enough times that I can take care of myself, maybe it's my own fault that I'm in this situation but he expects me to succeed. I can tell by the look in his face when he looks at me, that he doesn't have any fear.  He genuinely believes that I can do it, and so I'm going to help his plan as best as I can. I started this trip with my map, I put everyone into danger with my secrets and my selfish intentions… so it's only fair that I should carry the weight of the danger."

Elizabeth was at a loss for words, Emma was firm in her resolve and as she spoke, the nervous tension in her voice had died away and was replaced with grim determination.  She was certainly an unusual woman, quite unlike all the ladies that Elizabeth had ever known.

Emma gave her a reassuring smile and then turned and went into the crew's quarters to change.  She lay one article of clothing in her tiny trunk after another and then slipped her dirty white slip over her head that she'd used on her last escapade through the waters of the Caribbean in pursuit of The Black Pearl that had left her for dead. As she changed, she thought about Jack, and remembered something she'd overheard him say when he spoke to Quartetto earlier after the ship had run aground on the rockslide.

" I'll feed ye to the bloodthirsty bugger as soon as tip me 'at if she gets so much as a scratch, mate… so keep a sharp eye, savvy?"

And with that, he thrust a makeshift harpoon at the man and said with a wink and a grin, " For emergencies."

It made her feel a little better to think that Jack cared enough about her to wish her no harm.  At least he seemed genuinely concerned that she should make it through this ordeal alive.  She wondered if she had not tried so many times to demonstrate heroics that he would not have thought to make her do this.  It was true, she had done many amazing things since she set out on this voyage and he seemed to regard her as something of an anomaly. Why should a bloodthirsty 30-foot monster of a man-eating shark be any more difficult than what she'd already faced?

She shuddered at the idea.

~*~*~*~

Elizabeth and Will had volunteered to help Jack dive down under the water and help with the recovery of the treasure. Jack relayed to them the details of the downwards current and the small overhanging shelf of rock, which was the entrance to the cave.  Elizabeth had offered with the private intention to find Emma's knife amongst the treasure and keep it to return to the girl.  She did not trust Jack to give up a treasure as precious as that. Her greatest concern was that Jack would find it before her. Will could not dissuade her from her decision, and so volunteered as the third treasure seeker in order to make sure she was safe. He knew Elizabeth was not the strongest swimmer on the ship, and the thought of staying safely above while she put her life in danger was unthinkable to him. 

Elizabeth had just finished securing her lifeline when Jack walked out of his cabin with a sturdy wooden map case secured by a leather strap that wrapped over one shoulder and around his chest.

" What's the map case for?" Will asked him.

Jack grinned and threw his head back, gazing down the bridge of his nose at the young pirate.  " Light."

Will wasn't sure what he'd meant, but didn't press the issue. He'd find out soon enough.  Elizabeth stood beside him, looking exceedingly cross.  She had stopped haranguing Jack after hearing Emma's resolve, but it didn't keep her from glaring dagger eyes at the foppish pirate Captain.

Jack let her gaze roll off of him with little to no concern.  Instead, he turned to regard Emma, who stood near the plank at the port side of the ship.  The girl tried hard to look brave, but he could see her knees were shaking.  The wind billowed her hair out around her shoulders, sending the honey colored strands flying wildly about her face and picked at the loose fabric of her dress.  The red bottle that she held tightly to her body made a stunning contrast with her pale skin and the old and dirty white shift she wore.  It had been shortened to just above her knees to help her freedom of movement once she entered the water.  She'd had to swallow her womanly modesty for the sake of propriety, but had aimed a good kick at Jack nevertheless when her initial refusal to shorten the dress was denied by the suave pirate captain.  Without any warning, he skillfully ripped the bottom of the dress off in front of the entire crew while she wore it with the help of a flip knife. If it had been any other time, Emma probably would have died of embarrassment, but her mind was too preoccupied with the task she was about to perform, and her anger with Jack abated quickly. She grudgingly admitted, even if it had been in front of the entire crew, that she was privately flattered by his concern.

" Are ye ready, love?" Jack asked her after a moments pause.  The pirates all gathered around.  Looks of concern mingled with excitement as Emma glanced back at the anxious crew.

" I'm ready." She said in an unsteady voice.

            She couldn't read Jack's face, but for a moment she thought she saw a genuine look of concern and a smile played across his mouth. " Good luck to you, love." He said these final words and they filled her heart with strength. 

            " God be with ye…" Mr. Gibbs' intoned, and the pirates echoed similar best wishes.

            "At least they haven't removed their hats… or I may as well just go to my grave…" She thought sarcastically. And this bit of humor, even if it was just to herself, helped to lighten her mood considerably. She took a deep breath and turned to face the awaiting plank, thinking reassuringly of her treasure that she would be awarded at the end of the ordeal.  She would give Jack a performance he would never forget!  She screwed up her courage, and stepped boldly out to the edge of the plank, and without a second glance, dove down into the turbulent water below.

(A/N- I'm making a web page for my fanfic.  While I was on vacation, I did a LOT of drawing and decided that I'll have to make a page to post them on.  I have a ton of (sexy) pictures of Jack Sparrow and I even rendered an image of Emma, and one of Elizabeth with her new look.  I'm more an artist than a writer, so I'm pretty proud of my work. I'd love it if you would check it out! You can find the link at my bio page. =D- It's under construction, but the pictures are there!)