AN: I really, really hope I'll be able to update soon...but...

It's SCHOOLIES WEEK!!! I'm going away, and won't probably be back till the 2nd of December - then I've got to go to work - but I'm so sorry about leaving the story, and I will update if I get a chance. But there's no computer at the beach! Yay!

It strikes me that other countries might not do schoolies week. Um, how to describe it? A blur of alcohol and the beach? It's an Aussie tradition that the week after exams finish, Yr 12 students round the country go away to the beach and piss off people who they'll never see again. Doing blockies etc. When I come back, I'll probably have a hangover (I've got one now actually; I started partying early :) )

bDodge-This/b You're so right! I've corrected it to Isla de Muerta.

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The cabin was silent after Jack's outburst. The unnaturally solemn atmosphere created by Daniel recounting his story was first broken by Gibbs' guffaws. His chortling was so infectious that Jack and Annamaria had to join in. It was pretty funny, when you looked at the way Jack's day had panned out. Then Gibbs pushed himself up off the bed and stood by the door.

"I'd better be off then," he said between chuckles. "I'd love to stay and hear the rest of the story, but some of us still 'ave wages to be earnin', Reverend...It's good to see you smile, Daniel. Was beginning to wonder whether yeh could!"

He twisted the doorknob and pulled the door towards him, revealing Oldbourn with one hand about to rap on the door.

"Oh!" Gibbs said, "Didn't see yeh there, sir!"

Oldbourn looked down his nose. "I'm sure you didn't. And don't you have duties you should be attending to, Mr Gibbs?"

"Right on me way, sir. I was just catchin' up with Reverend 'ere, as...as..." Gibbs paused, clearly racking his brain as to his cover story. "'E baptised me daughter back in the day."

"Really? I have also heard that he performed your daughter's marriage service."

"Ah, yes, that's right sir, he's 'elped our family out considerable."

"Well, the time for catching up has ended, Mr Gibbs. You're wanted on deck."

Oldbourn swept his eyes over the other occupants of the cabin as if he hadn't realised they were there. His eyes lingered longest on Daniel, sitting with his back against the wall with Annamaria next to him. Annamaria could have sworn she saw a faint glimmer of shock in Oldbourn's eyes that was answered by the stiffening of the lad next to her. She tensed in turn as his gaze turned to her, and to her hand still resting on Daniel's shoulder. It felt as though Oldbourn had come to a decision as he inclined his head in a kind of mocking nod.

"Sorry to disturb you...Reverend." With that, Oldbourn closed the door with a bang.

Annamaria opened her mouth to speak but Jack waved at her with a frown. He sprang up from the chair he had been sitting in and tiptoed over to the door, almost catlike. Suddenly he dropped to his knees and looked through the keyhole. Then he strolled back over to the desk, and scraped his chair with a bang as he sat down.

"He's not there," Jack said, looking over at the other two. "Still, I don't know how long he was there previously, or how much of our discussion he managed to overhear."

"I don't like that lock on the door," Annamaria said, then: "Oldbourn doesn't like us very much, does he?"

"To be fair, luv, you were going to claw his eyes out this morning," Jack said, "and I'm not saying he didn't deserve it. But I agree with you. There's something...I'd wager he knows that I'm not a priest, for one."

"That's not hard," Annamaria scoffed, but at the same instant Daniel came out of his reverie and spoke for the first time since Oldbourn had raked the cabin with his eyes.

"You didn't tell me that man was on board," he said urgently.

Jack looked at him quickly. "You didn't ask."

"Oldbourn is the name he's going by these days, is it?" Daniel's voice was grim. "I recognised him, and he saw that I recognised him. That man is the man who murdered my parents."

"I thought he knew you," Annamaria said gently. "It was his eyes..."

"Forgive the personal question that I have to ask," Jack said. "How did you escape, if he knew that you see him do it?"

"When they came to our village it was night-time, and I wasn't at home." Daniel said, his eyes averted as if watching the scene again. "My parents had sent me up the mountain to deliver food to a hermit who lived on the mountain. He's the priest who gave me that parchment which you have. My parents trusted him; I probably delivered it to him that night."

Jack made as if to speak but Daniel held up a hand. "Coming down the cliff path, I saw...I saw a flash out to sea, but I didn't think - how could I? - that there was a ship out there. I saw a huge glow and smoke rising from down the valley, from the village, and ran. I ran and ran but I was up among the rocks and it took too long...I got there too late. Too late to save my parents, but in time to see my burning house and the walls folding in on them, and the man standing in front and laughing. Back then, he called himself Sawyer, but it's the same man. Oldbourn."

"Are you sure?" Annamaria said.

Daniel said simply, "His face is seared in my memory, along with the screams of my village. Of course I'm sure. The whole village was slaughtered that night, and I was powerless to do anything. Anyway, he recognised me."

Jack leant forward. "If that be the case, why did he let you live?"

"I ran at him, and he threw me off as if I were a toddler. I tried but I couldn't fight him, he was too strong. He stunned me with a blow to the head and threw me into one of the burning buildings. I nearly died that night - I expect he thought I did - but the heat and noise woke me. I crawled through the smoke and ash and climbed out a back window. Father Larouche - he's the hermit I told you about - he came down off the mountain the next morning and found me halfway up the cliff path, unconscious. He nursed me back to health."

Jack pulled the leather book out of his cassock. "When did he tell you about this?"

"Only about a week or two ago. I'd heard fragments, of course, over the years. I knew about my heritage of course, one of the last of the original Aztecs...but my parents didn't ever tell me about the treasure. Till I was in a bar frequented by pirates and one pirate, a tall skinny man with a wooden eye, tried to pay for his grog with a golden coin with a skull on it. That's where I heard about some of the treasure, but that's not the main place where the Aztecs hid their treasure. I went back to Father Larouche and he told me as much as he knew and gave me the book."

"Ragetti..." Jack exhaled slowly, clasping his hands on his head. "I may have heard about this treasure too. Was he with a squat man with no neck and a face like a gorilla's arse?"

Annamaria snorted. "Jack! Nobody's that ugly!"

Daniel smiled at her. "It's a fair call. Yes, he was with that man. I heard him call No-Neck something that sounded like Lintel? Wintel?"

"Pintel. And if Pintel and Ragetti were there, Barbossa wouldn't have been far away. Where was this bar?" Jack demanded.

"Have you heard of Port Maria? It's about a week's voyage from Port Royale. I would have been there about nine days ago."

"And this ship is carrying us further and further away from Port Royale," Jack said bitterly. "This treasure has brought tragedy to many people, Daniel. Have you heard of the Isla de Muerta?"

"I have heard murmurings but only in the last couple of days...it's said, isn't it, that it cannot be found unless you have been there before?"

"There is another way it can be found, however," Jack said. Annamaria had known of the island, but dismissed it as an old wives tale. Now her eyes widened as the two men in front of her discussed it as though it was real.

"There is an old compass which I used to own that confused the hell out of Gibbs when I showed it to him," Jack said. " An old drunk in a tavern gave it to me. It doesn't point north, but guides you towards the Isla de Muerta, through the safest passage. We - the Black Pearl - were going to go to this island, get the treasure. Well, the Black Pearl ended up getting there, but minus its dashing Captain Jack Sparrow, who had unfortunately been trusting enough to let his first mate into the secret of the compass. Barbossa got the crew on his side, robbed me of the compass and left me on some island with this pistol and one bullet...I've heard that island is now their hideaway, where they take back all the gold, but I can't get there without the compass or a guide."

He paused for effect. "I want us to catch the Black Pearl now, while it's out of the harbour. Barbossa must be getting in supplies from near Port Maria. We need to commandeer this ship."

Annamaria looked incredulous. "Jack, I'm all for stealing big things, but how do you expect the three of us to sail this ship and capture your Black Pearl?"

"Four," Jack said. "You're forgetting Gibbs."

"I'll help you, Jack, but I don't know anything about sailing."

"I'll teach you," he said with a grin. "And you, Daniel?"

Daniel stood and walked over to Jack. "I will help you get your ship back, but not to plunder the treasure of my people. I will guard that with my life, like my parents did."

"We both have a score to settle with Barbossa and his crew, then. And we've got to turn this ship around within the next couple of days, or it will be too late."

"Go and start making friends with the crew," Annamaria said with a grin to Daniel. "It'd be nice if we could get some more hands on our side."

"Will do." Daniel walked to the door.

"Good man - tell Gibbs to sound a few of the men out about the captain. And for the love of God, avoid Oldbourn, Daniel. Don't go picking any fights with him until the opportune moment."

Daniel's face momentarily darkened at the mention of Oldbourn's name, then he nodded and opened the door. "The opportune moment."

"Well, we're going to take a turn about deck," Annamaria said. "We'll see you later."

As Daniel left Jack turned to Annamaria. "We're going to walk around on deck, are we? Sounds fun, but I can think of better ways to pass the time, luv."

Annamaria glared at Jack. It was a look that invited no gainsaying. "I have been locked up in a cramped little room for the greater part of the last twenty-four hours, Jack Sparrow, and the other time was spent in accumulating injuries all over my body. I want fresh air..." she spelled it out with his favourite word. "...Savvy?"

"Yes, the sea you shall have!" Jack held his arm out to her and she took it reluctantly. He put his other hand up to his head. "My wig's on all right, isn't it luv? Right! Let's go and look at the ocean."

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