Jack sighed as Port Royal soon came into view.  He had been steering for about two hours or so and was intending on steering until he got the Pearl in the cove that he always used when going to Port Royal.  Blasted island. He thought.  Too bad the Commodore was so adamant about killing pirates.  Otherwise the place would be quite enjoyable.

        Speak of the devil… Jack thought as he looked out into the horizon.  There was a ship coming impeccably closer to them.  He took out his eye glass and read the side of the ship, The Dauntless. Blasted Norrington! 

        "Will!" He yelled.  A minute later Will and Elizabeth come out from their cabin and Jack pointed towards the ship coming towards them on the starboard side.

        "Is that The Dauntless?" Elizabeth asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

        "Blasted Norrington, figures he would be lookin' for you.  Well gather up yer stuff and I'll send you out on our dinghy."

        "Jack, don't you want to wait 'til he comes here?"

        Jack looked at Elizabeth as if she were crazy. 

        "You're right, what was I thinking?" she rolled her eyes and she and Will went into their cabin.  Next, Jack stepped down from the wheel and called a crew member to man it.  He went straight to Gwyneth's cabin, knocked and then entered.

        "Jack, what's wrong?" She asked, not getting up from her spot on her bed.

        "It seems as though you'll be leaving a little early…The commodore is a few leagues away…and since I'm not willing to have a chat with him about my profession…I will have to insist that you, Will and Liz leave on my dinghy."

        "Will we all fit?  Us and our luggage?"

        "Well Liz didn't have any bags or trunks…so it's only you and Will."

        She nodded.  "When do you want us ready?"

        "As soon as possible."

        She nodded, got up, and put the book away in her trunk, shut the trunk and locked it.  "Ready."

        "You don't want to change?" He asked, looking at her baggy clothes.  She looked down, "Yea…That might be a good idea.  Can you get Elizabeth?  I'll let her borrow a dress."

        He nodded and left the cabin and knocked of Will's door, "Liz, Gwen wants to give you one of her dresses."

        "Oh! Great." She said, quickly leaving the cabin.

        Will took this opportunity to ask, "So, why the haste leave?"

        "Well I dunno, maybe it's the Commodore?"

        "Right- but this must be hard for you…"

        Jack turned his head and looked at Will and said, "Come out and say it lad."

        "You gunna miss Gwen?"

        Jack paused, "Yea!  Of course I am…"

        Will raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  He left it at that.  In other circumstances he would've pushed the matter, but now he figured that Jack was having a hard enough time.

        Jack left the cabin and told Ana Maria to get the dinghy ready for departure.

        "That's our only dinghy!"

        "Yer point?" He snapped back.

        Her face lowered, "Nothing Captain."

        "Good."

        Jack went to the helm once again, humming a song.  "And really bad eggs. Drink up, me 'arties yo ho."  He heard a door shut and looked.  There was Liz and Gwen.  Both in elegant dresses, they looked horribly out of place.  Jack noticed that they had managed to get their hair up into a bun.  Gwyneth looked fine with her hair up and all dressed up. 

        Will came out of his cabin carrying his trunk and then went in to get Gwyneth's.  Jack sighed.  This is so sudden. He thought, and it was, but it was partly for his own wishes.  He walked down the stairs and to the three people.

        "Well you're ride is ready…we can start loadin' up."

        Will nodded and took it as a sign to leave.  He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and went to load the two trunks.  Jack faced Gwyneth, he noticed she was biting her lip, something he had seen her do many times in the past two weeks.

        "Now…you can keep reading without me, but I doubt you will.  Tell Brenda that I'll miss her.  Too bad she's napping…but didn't you say once that if she doesn't get a decent nap then she'll be cranky?  I hope she'll grow out of that…"

        Good lord, she's babbling.  Well there's one way to stop that. He bent down and kissed her square on the lips.  When she resisted, he figured it was because they were in front of everyone but soon she lightened up and even kissed back.  But when she drew apart from him, he was the one who blushed.

        He saw tears brimming on her eyes and he said, "Take care of yer self.  I don't want t'hear that you got yer self stabbed again."

        She smiled, "I'll make sure not to do that…"

        He nodded and stuck out his hand, "It was nice havin' you on board…"

        She looked at the hand and then at Jack.  Before he knew it, she threw her arms up around his neck and was hugging him.  He rested his arms around her waist and closed his eyes.  This was getting too complicated.  She needed to leave.  Now.  Before he made more of a spectacle of himself in front of the crew.

        They drew apart when Elizabeth called to her.  Jack turned and kissed Elizabeth lightly on the cheek, as he had seen many men do, and then shook hands roughly with Will, promising to come down whenever him and Elizabeth were going to add to the family.  Will promised to write. 

        The last look Jack forced himself to make was when he saw the dinghy rowing closer to the Dauntless while the Pearl was going farther away.  In the distance, he saw Gwyneth turn her head and look back, but then quickly looked ahead again.  After that, Jack left the deck and went down to the galley for a drink.

*****

        When Jack had told Brenda of the three's departure, she was less than happy.  She cried, she yelled, she threw a fit.  Jack quickly remedied that by telling her she'd be cut off from dinner if she wasn't quiet.  She obeyed, but crawled onto her father's lap complaining of missing for them.  He told her that they'd be visiting Will and Elizabeth sooner or later, and not to worry.

        "What about Gweny?" she had asked.

        His face clouded over, thinking that as long as she lived with her parents, he would never be able to see her again.

        Visions of Gwyneth finding a suitor suddenly came to Jack's mind that night while lying awake in bed. It almost tore him in half from the thought of that happening to her.  Sure, she'd be happy…

        What?  She's supposed to wait for a man who will never marry her?

        I never said I was going to marry her…or even come back for her.  We didn't make any commitments…

        Well then stopping gettin' nauseated by just thinkin' about it!  It's going to happen.  Most likely. 

        Most Likely?  Yea, that's true.  Her fiancé was murdered by pirates…that must not boost her…attractiveness…well at least in her society.

        But why couldn't she be a pirate?  Then she could live with me…we could maybe get married and she could be the mother of my child.  How Brenda would love that.

        You know, this has never happened…falling for someone who wasn't trained on the sea.  Who wasn't a woman pirate.  Who didn't know how to use a sword very well…never happened!  But now it does.  Why now?  And there's nothing I can do about it, that's what kills me. 

        Eh…Like I said, It's a fool who looks for logic in the human heart…

*****

        As Will and Elizabeth walked down the street, going to her father's house after they had dropped everything of and washed up and changed, they heard whispers following them.  Elizabeth was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable and tightened her grip on Will's arm.

        "She got kidnapped by pirates again."

        "Must be a magnet they put on her."

        "Oh, her father got killed by pirates."

        "That foolish boy went after her again, except not with the Commodore or the British fleet…"

        "I wonder if the pirate who was supposed to be hung two years ago has anything to do with it?"

        "Captain Jack Sparrow you mean?  Most likely."

        "They're talking about us…" Elizabeth whispered to Will.

        He looked around at all their critical eyes and seeing all the women talk to their friends or husbands in hushed tones.  "Don't worry about it honey."

        "I hate it when people talk about me…" She said, holding her head up and desperately trying to not turn around and yell at them.  But she felt like doing a lot more than yelling at this moment.

        "I know you do, but we're almost to you're fathers.  We'll get a carriage home."

        She nodded, thinking that was the best idea.

        When they finally arrived, everything was covered with linens, and was a bit dusty.  The maids and the butlers, cooks, servants- all moved out.  The house seemed to echo with each step they took.  "Oh Will…what are we going to do?"

        "Sell it?"

        "We can't sell my father's house!  His grandfather built his house!  A Swann has always lived in it…"

        "Well then when do you want to start moving?"

        Elizabeth looked at him, "Are you serious?"

        "Why not?  You said a Swann always lived in this house…and it's certainly more roomier than our house right now.  And everything goes to you anyhow…since you're brother…"

        Elizabeth's face seemed to darken with the reminder but she said anyhow, "I guess you're right…And I would insist on hiring all the servants back…"

        Will looked at her with a panic look, could he afford to pay for all their wages?"

        "Okay…well most of them.  I can learn to cook…with the help of some of them…and we'll only have four or five Will- I promise."

        He nodded, seemingly content with their compromise.  They went on looking around the house.  Will went back to the entry way and looked at the umbrella and cane holder that was underneath that candle holder that he broke off a piece ever so long ago.  He sighed and dug his hand into the holder, then pulled the broken piece out.  He smirked.  He'd have to fix that sooner or later.  He set it on the table and went on looking around the house.

*****

        Gwyneth sighed once she was in her own bedroom.  Her mother, father and brother all ushered her in and practically checked every pot on her body to make sure she was okay.  There was a lot of commotion about her stomach wound but she assured them that Jack and Will had taken her immediately to a hospital.

        "Jack Sparrow?"  Her brother had questioned.

        "Don't worry about me Eddie, I'm fine,"

        "But the Captain Jack Sparrow?"  He turned to his parents, "You let you're daughter go out on a ship with Captain Jack Sparrow?"

        "Edward please!  We didn't know he was on the ship.  We knew Will was, and that's all that matters."

        He sighed, "Well I'm glad you're okay, Gwen." He said, kissing her forehead.

        "Where's you're wife and my nephew?  I have missed them!" 

        "Oh…uh…In the other room.  Shall we join them?"  She nodded and he lead the way to his family.

        Once in the room a little boy jumped down from his mother's lap and ran to Gwyneth, only to latch on to her knees.  "Gweny!" He yelled.  Oh…Brenda… She thought. 

        "Hello Trevor!"  She said, combing through his short blond hair with her fingers.  He looked up at her with his blue eyes and said, "Up!"

        She shook her head, "Sorry buddy…I can't…I have an injury."

        He pouted and was about to say something but his mother interrupted him. "Gwyneth Marie!  What have you gotten yourself into now?!"  She got up and even though the sentence sounded scolding, she had a beautiful smile on her face.

        "Hello Faith…" she said as her sister-in-law enveloped her in a hug.  It felt good to be hugged and she swore that Faith gave the best hugs.

        "What happened to you?"

        "She was attacked by pirates…on a pirate ship!" answered her husband.  But she kept her blue eyes on Gwyneth.

        She smiled sheepishly, "It was an accident?"

        Faith laughed, "Well of course it was!  But which pirate ship dear?"

        "The uhm…Black Pearl.  Heard of it?"

        "The Black Pearl?  As in the one Captained by Jack Sparrow…The man that the Commodore has been chasing ever since Will got him out of that noose two years ago?"

        Gwyneth nodded.

        Faith's eyes took on a sly look, "That's interesting…"

        Gwyneth knew what she was thinking but didn't want to necessarily admit to anything right now.  "Well if you excuse me, I'm rather tired and my wound seems to keep me off my feet more than I'd like to say…so if you excuse me?"

        "Of course darling- you need your rest." Her mother encouraged.  Gwyneth nodded and made a slow trip up the stairs to her room.  She shooed her servants out, telling them that she was fine and when finally she was behind a closed and locked door, she relaxed.

        This has been a long filled with murdered fiancé's, kidnapped Elizabeth's, emotional stress and emotional highs…stabbing, bleeding, and too much more to even consider.  I just want to go to bed!  Sleep in my own room and dream of things not having to do with pirates… She sighed and started to undress.  She noticed that her trunk had been fully unpacked.  She stopped when she saw a wrapped present next to her trunk. 

        She walked over to it and looked on top of the box.  There was a card in familiar writing, addressed to her.  She picked it up and opened it, to find two things.

Dear Gwyneth,

          Happy marriage!  I'm so glad to be your husband and I can't wait until we start a family.  You'll probably find this after the honeymoon, and that's what I wanted to do.  But inside this letter is also something else that I'd like to explain.  There's another copy in you're jewelry box, that's the original.  The one you're holding now is a copy.  I will explain everything, I promise I'll tell you everything.

          Love, Nathan

She looked at the piece of paper she was holding in her other hand.  It was a map.  The map that Jack had burned, the map that lives had been lost over…because she had it.  He sacrificed himself for me… She thought, tears coming to her eyes.  She had in good mind just to rip up the map right now.  But she decided against it. 

She would go to Will and Elizabeth's and tell them about it, after she got a bath and changed.  They would know what to do or advice her on what to do.  Either way she had a friend in them and right now that's what she needed.

When Elizabeth walked in her front door she saw Gwyneth standing in her entry way.  "What are you doing here?  Is something wrong?  How did you get in?"

"I need to talk to you, yes, and Edward has a key…he let me borrow it."

"What's wrong?"

"Elizabeth, when I got home and up to my room I found Nathan's wedding gift to me…but on top was a card.  In the card was a letter…and this."  She put out the folded map from her handbag and gave it to Elizabeth.

"Before I look at this, do I need to get Will?"

"Yes, that might be a good idea."  Gwyneth answered.  Elizabeth nodded and they got into her carriage and the two women went to Will's shop.