Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters

The never-ending stretch of blue swallowed the ship whole, engulfing the tattered sails and hole-ridden wood into the maw of rich indigo sky. The clouds were scarce and thin- no match for the dominance of the Caribbean afternoon sun. Sunlight triumphed over all the world, sending hot rays onto the hunched shoulders of Captain Jack Sparrow.

He felt the burn of the sun and the weightless heat that dried his clothes and hair at the pace of a speeding ship. His ship. The Black Pearl was gone, just as it had been those years ago.

"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail off with my ship," Jack said, half to himself, and half to the girl who was standing next to him. Elizabeth Swan was shielding the sun from her eyes as she watched the same scene as Jack- crashing waves, rolling azure waters, and the horizon that kissed both as sky and sea met.

"I'm sorry Jack," Elizabeth said, looking up at the taller pirate. Her brown eyes were watered with tears she did not allow to be unwept. The prospect of governing the forsaken spit of tropical land had the same affect on her as well as Jack. Utter depression and a twinge of fear crept into the silence that laid thick between them.

Jack shook his head, his beaded strands of hair rattling against each other. "Best start getting situated then," he said, not daring to look Elizabeth in the eye in case sorrow could be seen in his. "Might be here for bit, lass." He turned about and began walking from the lapping water to the hot and sandy beach. The white sand snuck into his shoes and with a sigh he kicked them off. He removed his vest and outer shirt, in hopes they would be dry in a few. His pants would have come off to, though he felt the sight would have brought Miss Swan to a rather unhelpful state. He held the grin from his face at the thought. Now, clad in a dirty white shirt that was torn from the collar to his lower chest, he began to walk to the lining palm trees. They swayed carelessly in the salty breeze and the wind ruffled his shirt and cooled his steaming body.

"What do you mean, staying her for awhile?" A frantic cry broke the silence and Jack almost jumped back in surprise as he remembered he was not alone this time. He turned a bit to fast and his hip jetted out, forcing him to switch weight from foot to foot, resulting in a turning swagger.

Elizabeth flew up to him, her own shoes having fallen back at a distance.

"And what do you mean by inquiring, love," he asked in slurred voice, his hands dramatically emphasizing his confusion.

"I mean, let's start finding a way off," she said with a whip, her eyes flashing with confusion at Jack's own confusion.

"And how to you propose we pull off such an endeavor," Jack asked, cocking his head to the side and leaning in closer.

"How you did it last time, of course," she cried, throwing her arms up in the air.

Jack gave her a speculative look, his gaze wandering from her right hand that was eye level to his own and down to her own eyes. He crinkled his nose in confusion.

"Let me say it plainly. How did you get off last time," she said, anger empowering her every word to hold a small punch.

"Oh yes, last time. Last time I thought it would be the last time. Though of course, lass, we're here talking about such last times as we are indeed her for another time. Sadly tragic that there had to be a this time."

"Jack!"

"Oh right," he said, hoping his stalling would have a longer result. "Well, I waited," he said, a defiant glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean- waited?" Her eyes turned from angry to scared in the blink of an eye.

"Follow me, lass," he said, and staggered off to where he remembered the hollow tree would be. To his dismay he did not hear footsteps behind him. He turned rather abruptly again only to find Elizabeth in the spot, with the same wide brown eyes, and the same bold stance. "Suit yourself, then, love. I'll be off to find us some treasure. Not sure I'll share though," he said, giving her a jovial wink and starting off again. After a few seconds he was pleased the hear the defeated steps of a person following, though he refused to turn around and acknowledge her. He swaggered through the trees and spotted his unusually large palm tree. Still hearing the footfalls behind him, he marked the tree with his eyes and walked off to the right. He wove through palm tree and palm tree, sometimes circling about the same tree once or twice. He kept his eyes intensely on the ground and had to mask his grin whenever he turned in a circle where she would see his face. He swung around the tree trunks, his long arms wrapping themselves around trunks and propelling him to another.

He kept the 'follow the captain' game up for at least ten minutes until the Elizabeth stopped behind him and let out a defeated sigh of anger.

Jack, taking his cue, turned around quickly and feigned surprise. "Sorry, love, I thought you had agreed to stay behind," he said, with a large toothy smile painting his face. If only he could have a portrait done of her at that moment. The anger, the boiling embarrassment, the utter hatred.

"You'd make a lovely, pirate, 'Beth," he said, twisting the knife of hatred a bit further.

"Jack," she huffed. "What in hell's fire are you doing?! This isn't a game!"

He staggered a few steps forward towards her, kicking sand up as he went. She cringed as he got closer and thrust her shoulder away on the moment his hand had gently rested upon it.

"You talk like one too, lass," he said lightly, bearing his gold teeth to her in a mocking manner. He gave her a wink before turning around and walking but a few paces to a thin looking patch of sand. She huffed and puffed behind him, finding her respect attacked by his careless manner in which he associated with her. Little did she know that was just Jack, and little did she know that Jack's own visage of carelessness was becoming hard to keep up.

My ship is gone. I'm on this island again. Though now I have company and it's enticing prospects seem out of place, he thought as he jumped up and down on the sand, feeling a brief moment of satisfaction as the ground bounced up slightly with him. He turned and looked at her, her face twisted with pride and wonder as she came to the realization that was not ground Jack was bouncing on.

"Me treasure, m'lady," he said, bowing extravagantly and opening the cache's door. "The rum runners used this island as a secret cache. By the looks of it, how'ver, seems your Commodore has put a stop to that." He examined the stock. Rum, rum, and more rum.

Someone loves me, he thought wryly as he took a few dusty bottles in his hands. He spotted some bags of grain in the far corner and a few rusty swords and unloaded guns. A few chests lay in the opposite corner, though he figured they were probably just filled with worthless silks or petticoats.

"I've got me treasure right here," he murmured to himself, the sudden relief a pair of bottles could issue filling him with a hopeful glee once again.

"How," she stumbled over her words, "how, how did you find this?"

He looked at her, pushing his lower lip out and widening his brown eyes as his grin turned to a frown. "You must forget, lass, that I'm Captain Jack-"

"Sparrow," she bit out before he could finish. "Yes, I know all about Jack Sparrow!"

As her cheeks flushed an angry red he felt it would not be the best to correct her error and add the "captain". He had been slapped enough for awhile.

"Yes, Jack Sparrow. The famed Jack Sparrow! Though, now being stranded on an island with him, I see nothing famous about him! Oh no, here he is calling rum his treasure and lending no help in finding a way out. What did you do last time Jack? Sit on the beach while drinking rum and just wait to be rescued?" Her angry outburst took Jack by surprise and he took a tentative step backward, protecting his bottles of rum from the angry woman in case she might fly at him.

"Well, you figured me out, lass," he said, a shaky smile flitting onto his face. He stroked his mustache uncertainly. "I only governed this isle for three days. I made a deal with the rum runners when they came to restock and bartered a passage out o' here. Savvy?"

Her jaw dropped and the color in her face changed from rubicund to a sand-like pale. "I was only joking about that," she whispered, disbelief in her voice.

"I didn't know you were a clairvoyant, either," he exclaimed, eyebrows raised, "good show, 'Beth."

"Don't call me that," she whispered, still looking at him shakily.

"Right, love, should I call you Eliza, then?"

"Call me Miss Swan," she whispered dangerously.

"Right, love, and you can just call me 'captain'," he gave her a suggesting raise of the eyebrows and handed her a bottle of rum. "Welcome to the Caribbean, Miss Swan. Courtesies of 'the captain'." He turned and sauntered back to the beach where they landed, a look of triumph coloring his face.