Disclaimer:  I think, that along with the bunny rabbits and the Apocalypse, giant sea turtles would inherit the wide open seas.  If I owned PoTC, that is.

AN:   Yay!  I have received so many reviews for this story!  I am so happy.  Anyway, I'm sorry if it takes me so long to update my fics, but I have school every morning (except Friday's!) and then work everyday except two days of the week, normally Mondays and Thursdays.  But, I do write them every morning before school when I should be studying or reading a story for my English class.  I am such a bad student. 

AN2: Plus, my computer was being a big boob and not letting me write or read anything!  But, finally, we have everything downloaded again, and I can once again write my chapters and post them!  Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

"When the sun sets, and darkness curls stealthily into your lonely room . . . you should turn on a light.  You'll ruin your eyes."

Joss Whedon

Sui Generis

Chapter 7: Of Maps and Lost Lives

            A stunned silence hovered in the room, making the air thick with it.  Jack stared up at Lor as she leaned against the wall.  His eyes narrowed slightly.  "The marking on yer back," he said, more of a statement than a question.

            Lor shifted her gaze to stare at Jack.  "Aye."

            He nodded.  "Wondered what that was."

            "'Tis the map, branded on me when I was but a babe."

            Elizabeth held up her hand, stopping them from saying anything else.  "Wait.  I'm confused.  You are the map?"

            "Aye.  An' so was my mum before me," at the confused looks she received, Lor continued.  "In every generation of my family, a girl is born.  She becomes the Guardian of the map.  She protects it with her life and never gives away the location of the treasure."

            "What happens to the previous Guardian?" Elizabeth asked.

            "They die," Lor stated bluntly.  "Usually during child birth."

            "Why can't someone just look at your back?" Will asked.

            Lor sighed.  "The map is," she waved her hands in the air, searching for the right words to explain what she was trying to say.  "Jumbled, I guess you could call it.  It shows a false location of the island.  The only way someone is able to see the true location is if the Guardian wills a person to see it.  It's a type of fail safe."

            "An' why can't you tell 'em where it is?" Jack asked.

            "I've never seen the map.  I don't even know what it looks like," she said, leaning back against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.  "Perhaps it is just another way of the protecting the treasure.  But, now I 'ave told you all I know, although this story is far from over.  Skinner will be back.  He will find out that I am not on that rock and he will find out where I am."

            "And we will handle it," Will said, grabbing hold of Elizabeth's hand.  "We've battled cursed pirates; I think we can handle a crew of normal pirates."

            Lor laughed softly.  "In some ways, Skinner an' 'is crew are worse than cursed pirates."

            "Nuthin' we can't 'andle, love," Jack said calmly.

            "I'm sure nothing frightens the great Captain Jack Sparrow," Lor said sarcastically.  "Not even death.  You're forgetting something Jack.  You can die this time.  There are no curses.  No bloody coins to ward off his cold fingers, it's just your life in fate's hands.  Think about that, Captain Sparrow."

            Jack was silent, his brown eyes gazing up into hers.  When at last he spoke, it was in a low, even tone.  "I have, lass.  An' you're right.  There is nothin' standin' between me an' death.  But yer forgettin' one thing: Skinner killed yer father an' tried to kill you.  To me, that calls for some retribution."

            "Aye, Jack, it does.  But per'aps I should do it on my own."

            "With what ship?  Surely you don't mean the Pearl, or perhaps you mean to commandeer one from this lovely port.  An' it seems ta me that yer more afraid of death than I am," he said softly, pausing slightly before continuing.  "But yer forgettin' somethin' else as well.  I've died once already.  That curse didn't save me, lass, it just postponed the inevitable."

            Lor's eyes narrowed.  "Skinner is the dealer of death, Jack, hence his name.  Nothing will save you this time, either, except perhaps your skill with a sword and pistol."

            Jack nodded.  "Then I guess I'm lucky to have skill in both.  After all, someone does gain considerable skill while they carry a pistol with one shot for ten years."

            Lor's eyes narrowed slightly again, and then after nodding her head, she started to walk past him.  She was half-way to the door when Will spoke.  "Well, Jack, look on the bright side.  At least she didn't slap you."  Jack snorted.

            Lor stopped and then turned around.  "That reminds me," she said and walked quickly up to Jack, slapping him across the cheek.

            "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

            Lor bent down, staring him in the eyes.  She pointed a finger at him.  "That was for pretending that you were going to leave me on the rocks."

            With that, she turned around and walked out of the room, the sound of laughter echoing behind her.

            Lor walked along the edge of the beach, the salt water rushing up over her bare feet.  She had taken off her boots long ago, wishing to feel the sand between her toes again.  "That bloody well hurt you know," a voice said behind her.

            She stopped walking and stared down at her drowning feet, a smile tugging at her lips.  "Aye, I know.  It was supposed to."

            "I 'preciate that, love, really I do.  Maybe next time, you could hit a lit'le harder."

            Lor turned around, her arm raised.  "If you so wish. . ." she replied, her voice trailing off.

            Jack flinched slightly.  "Tha's okay, I think I'll pass."  His dark gaze drank in her figure.  She had chosen to leave her short, red hair down, so it hung in tangles around her face, the strands being attacked by the merciless wind.  She wore only her black vest; her white shirt being left inside her room.  The vest had been buttoned all the way up to just above her chest.  Her black pants hung loosely on her hips, trailing down to her calves.

            Jack smiled slightly as he glanced at the bare, tanned skin that was revealed above her vest, skin that almost seemed to beckon to him.  He shook his head, taking his eyes off of her, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind.  She's like a sister to ya, fer cryin' out loud, he thought to himself.

            He kept his eyes closed, and turned his face slightly to catch the cool breeze on his hot skin, completely unaware of what was about to happen.  A pair of hands pushed against his chest, sending him falling into the warm ocean with a yelp of surprise.  Jack looked up to see a grinning Lor staring down at him.

            Elizabeth glanced out of the kitchen window when she heard a splash and a yell.  A smile tugged at her lips at the sight that she took in.  Jack was sitting in the water, his arms that were buried in the sea propping him up, staring up at a laughing Lor.  She watched as several words were exchanged, words that she was glad she couldn't hear, and then a laugh exploded from her throat as Jack kicked Lor's feet out from under her, causing her to land in the water with a loud splash.

            Lor lay flat on her back, her arms spread out wide, the water rushing over her body.  Jack laughed and splashed water at her.  "Didn't expect that, did ya, lass?"

            She sat up slowly, water dripping off her skin.  "I'm just glad the sand broke my fall," she answered, rubbing her side gently.  "Wish it wasn't so hard though."

            Jack sobered up instantly.  "You okay?  Didn't pull the stitches, did it?"

            Lor shook her head.  "No, Jack.  I'm fine," she paused, and before he could speak again, she said.  "I miss this, Jack.  I miss being a kid again and being able to throw my cares into the wind.  Why can't we go back to that?"

            Jack grinned.  "Are you tellin' me ya miss bein' thrown in the water?"

            Lor laughed.  "Aye.  I even miss being thrown overboard by you 'n' Bill.  An' my father just stood there an' laughed."

            "He told us to watch ya, lass.  Two men watchin' a five year old girl was not fun."

            "And then you left to find your own life.  My father was proud of you, you know.  When he heard you were captain of yer own ship, he would talk about nothin' else fer days."

            Jack laughed again, pushing some wet strands of his dark hair off of his cheek.  "Sorry I didn't keep in touch, love.  'At 'appens when you get marooned on an island."

            "S'okay Jack, I'll forgive you.  I just. . . I don't know.  I miss being a kid and running around me da's ship," she paused.  "You 'n' Bill runnin' after me."

            Jack watched as a smirk played across her lips.  "His son's a lot like 'im, you know."

            Lor looked over at him.  "His son?"

            Will wiped sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and took a deep breath.  He raised his hammer again and brought it down on the red hot steel that lay on the anvil in front of him.  Sparks flew as metal hit metal.  He put the hammer down, and then placed the hot steel in a bucket of cold water.

            He lifted the blade up to eye level and looked at the metal, trying to determine if it had heated right.  With a sigh, he placed the blade back in the fire and wiped his hands on the apron that he wore.

            "So you're ol' Bootstrap Bill's son?"

            Will turned around quickly at the voice, his hand instinctively reaching for a weapon, but relaxed when he saw Lor leaning against the door frame.  "I should've known," she continued.  "Yer a spittin' image of 'im."

            "So I've been told," he replied.

            Lor nodded and reached into a pocket on her vest, where she withdrew a long necklace with a small wooden medallion hanging off of it.  "Then I guess this belongs to you," she said, throwing the necklace to him.

            Will caught the necklace easily and glanced down at what was clearly a pirate's medallion.  A dragon had been carved into the top of the circular piece of wood, surrounded by carvings of ships on stormy seas.  He flipped the piece over and on the back was carved the words "William 'Bootstrap Bill' Turner."

            Will looked up at Lor, his face a mixture of confusion and joy.  "Where did you get this?"

            Lor jerked her chin up.  "He gave that to me when he and Jack left to find their own ship.  It's a medallion that my father gave to all of his crew.  It meant that they were like family."

            "You knew my father?"

            "Aye, when I was five.  He was on me da's ship fer two years.  I'm sorry for your loss."

            "I didn't really know him.  All I ever had of his was the cursed gold.  My mother had always told me he was a merchant sailor, but then Jack told me he was a pirate."

            "He used to torment me as a child.  He an' Jack threw me overboard several times.  Course I was five or six at the time, so I guess I deserved it," she paused.  "He was a good man, Will, and 'e would have been proud of you.  Jack's right, you are a lot like 'im.  Take pride in that William Turner."

            Will smiled weakly.  "Thank you, I will.  Now, you should probably go before someone comes in and finds you.  Pirates are hung here, you know."

            Lor laughed softly and then turned and exited through the smithy door, leaving Will to stare down at the dark, wooden medallion.

            The Sui Generis had dropped anchor only an hour before Skinner received the bad news.  "What do ya mean she's not there?  'Ow could she be gone?"

            "I don' know Cap'n.  The ropes've been cut.  Someone came by an' saved 'er apparently."

            Skinner's eyes narrowed to slits.  "Where's the next port?"

            "Port Royal.  About a week an' a half away."

            "Port Royal, eh?" he said, a smirk forming on his face.  "Hoist the anchor, mate, we're goin' to 'ave some fun."

AN: Next: Chapter 8: Everything.  I'll take you on a little trip to visit how Jack and Lor knew each other when they were younger. 

AN2: if the quotes that I keep putting at the top of my stories starts to bother you please let me know, and I will stop.  I just find so many quotes that I like and I wanted to share them with all of you.

Plz r/r!