Chapter 30:

A/N: Sorry it's been a while; I've been real busy with the snow and all outside my door. It's at least a foot now, which I'm very proud of. But I'm also sad too; you see my rabbit passed away last night from cancer so yeah. But I'm fine, I mean he was seven years old too so it could have been anytime now. I'm just glad he past in his sleep and I was very surprised I could sleep last night it must've been that sandman tea I drank. That stuff really puts you to sleep; come to think of it I had a really interesting dream. Well enough of my incoherent blabber and on with the story!

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Salina awoke the next morning to find Jack's warm body pressed against hers. She pushed a few stray pieces of his brown hair from his face and listened as the beads in his hair jingled. His eyes twitched and slowly opened to face Salina's glowing face in the morning light.

"Good morning," she whispered to him in an enchanting voice.

"I'm sor-." Salina placed her finger to his lips.

"Now I thought the Infamous Jack Sparrow never apologized to anyone?" A smile crossed her face, "I would hate for you to break that record now." She leaned in placing her flesh colored hands onto his cheek and pulling him in to a passionate kiss.

He wrapped his arms fervently around her waist keeping her as close as possible until he made a shocking discovery. He felt the sheets beneath their bodies they were soaked with Salina's thick warm blood. Jack raised his hand back to her waist where he found the same thing.

Jack laid her back on the bed and looked her over; was she passed out or was she dead? She wasn't moving and her eyes were closed; Jack began pacing around the bed anxiously awaiting his own decision. He stopped at the head of the bed and dropped to the floor letting all of his emotions out in one huge shout.

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Salina woke abruptly to Jack's terrible shouts; he was sitting up in the bed, beads of sweat making there way down his face and back. "Jack! Jack look at me!" She pulled his face to face hers, "Look I'm right here, it's okay. It's okay." Salina slowly grabbed him around the back bringing him into a hug.

She could feel his body shaking slightly; whatever he had dreamed about had really frightened him. Salina was becoming scared herself for she had never seen Jack so worked up like this before. She caressed his back trying her best to get him to calm down. "It's okay Jack, you're fine. You're home."

Salina brushed her fingers through his tangled brown hair and listened as Jack spoke softly to her. "I don't know, you were alive and well and then there was blood everywhere. You were bleeding so badly and I couldn't make it stop and then you weren't breathing. You just laid there not moving, you were so still I didn't know what to do."

"Shh, Jack it's okay I'm right here. I'm here," tears began to appear in her eyes. She had no idea how much he had cared for her, he really would do anything for her. Salina held him tighter and let her feelings just go, her tears dripped down her cheeks and onto his tanned back. "I love you Jack," she whispered faintly for she was afraid of his reaction.

Jack pulled away from the hold slowly and held Salina's tender face with his hand. He was still shaken but his face was returning to its natural tan as he leaned in and kissed her with as much passion as he could.

Salina found herself fixed with the same emotions and feelings she had 14 years earlier. Her head was perched on his shoulder enjoying the warmth of his body and his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner.

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"Do you suppose their okay in there?" Cat was leaning up against the door listening in trying to find an answer to Elizabeth's question. "Well do you?"

"Give us a second here, they're whispering so I can't exactly hear everything going on." Cat pressed her ear harder against the door.

"What in God's name are you two doing?" Will peered at them questionably as they both whirled around to face him.

Cat was the first to speak, "Nothing! Nothing at all," she gave a small fake smile and then nudged Elizabeth who rolled her eyes.

"We wanted to know if everything was alright. Earlier we heard shouts and wanted to make sure they were both still alive." Elizabeth spouted out all at once.

Gibbs walked by with a bucket of water and stopped to project his professional opinion, "Knowing them, they're either beating each other up or-."

"Or what?" Beth chimed in, gazing up at Gibbs with slight confusion.

"Well we best be leaving that to their private business." Gibbs left continuing his stroll to the end of the deck where he began mopping.

"No heroes amongst thieves but there is plenty of lust and rum. Those are things I will never understand," Will turned to walk away.

"And why, may I ask, is that so hard for you to comprehend?" Salina took a step out of the room adjusting her belt around her waist. "I mean after all we are only human."

"Salina! You should be in bed!" Elizabeth yelled at her.

"Or what? You'll punish me? Please, there's no one here capable of taming me." She announced proudly.

"But salina you've lost so much blood. You're too weak to work even I know that. You're going to get yourself really hurt. Please just take it easy."

"Listen Beth, this is my life. I don't like to be caged. I appreciate your concern, really I do, but I can't stay in that room forever. I need to smell the salty sea air, feel the cool breeze whipping through my hair and hear the ocean waves crashing up against the ship rocking it back and forth to know that I am free."

Elizabeth couldn't argue with her anymore because she knew that she would never win, Salina was just too stubborn. "Fine, but if your stitches come undone don't come crying to me."

"Okay, I swear on me honor as a pirate that I won't come crying to you, instead I'll go bug Gibbs." Salina smiled and walked up to the helm with a slight limp on her left side where the wound was inflicted. "Samuel I'll take over for now, thanks."

"Yes ma'am." The lad walked down the steps and over to Gibbs where they became engulfed in a thrilling conversation.

Cat leaned against the small wall to Jack's cabin and watched the sky turn grey. "There's a storm coming, and by the looks of things, a very significant one too."

"So it appears, hey Cat what do you know about Salina before she had a ship of her own?" Elizabeth joined Cat in leaning against the wall.

"Well, not much really. I never really had to know because she had always looked after me and that's all I really cared about. She was like a big sister to me, always keeping a protective eye on me. But I suppose she had to because with how careless I was sometimes."

"Oh, it's just I barely know her. I mean it's not like I need to know about her past fully but I am curious."

"Just don't forget," Elizabeth turned her face towards Cat, "curiosity killed the cat."

"Yeah, but I'd still like to know especially since I was such an active part in her past. Not only that, but our current circumstances involve Jack and Salina's past as well as everyone else's."

"Well I'll tell you two things, don't know if they'll help much but it's worth a try. First off Salina's ship, The Midnight Star, was her parents ship. Not the Governor's ship but her real parents ship."

"You mean her parents were pirates?"

"I'm not saying that, all that I'm saying is that I know that was her parents ship and she loved it very much. Now secondly if you have any questions about Jack or Salina's past Gibbs knows everything."

"How does he know everything?"

"He was part of the Pearl's original crew before Barbossa committed muitany."

"Cat if you don't mind me asking, how do you know all of this?"

"When you're on a ship with the same Captain for ten years you learn quite a bit. Now that's all that I have to say because I have to help with the sails before Salina yells at me, Ta!" Cat ran over to the mast as the rain started to fall.

Elizabeth stood there for a moment watching the sky grow darker and the rain thumping onto the deck before she walked over to Gibbs to help with the running rigging.

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"Salina! Shouldn't we drop canvas?" Gibbs shouted up to her.

"No. Not yet, this hip is strong she can hold a bit longer!" She pulled hard on the wheel watching the compass the whole time.

"May I ask what has influenced your decision?"

"If we stop now Barbossa and his crew will catch up with us by dawn. But if we should keep the sails up for a bit longer we'll reach Bridgetown by dawn!" Salina smiled idiotically and continued with her reckless steering.

"Salina, please! I think we should drop canvas. The sails are being battered profusely!" Gibbs protested.

"What would Jack do?" Was the only reply she gave, which appeared to be more than enough for Gibbs to agree with.

"Aye, milady, he would keep em' up." Gibbs retreated back down onto the deck. There was water flying everywhere pulling on the sails and ropes.

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At dawn, just over the horizon, Salina spotted their anchorage. She pulled her still damp hair up into a ponytail and shouted orders, "arouse the Captain! Prepare to go on land! And Gibbs fetch me something to drink!"

Elizabeth approached the helm and gazed in awe at Salina, "You really can handle this ship well."

"Did you ever doubt me?" Beth shook her head. "I learned a long time ago how to handle this ship and from looks of it, I've still got that touch."

"Speaking of the past, what happened aboard the Black Pearl fourteen years ago?"

"A lot of things, there's just too much to explain now. Maybe some other time I'll tell you." Salina roped the wheel in place and walked passed Elizabeth down to the main deck.

"Did you kill a woman named Mina Briggs?" Elizabeth shouted from the helm.

Salina flew around the rage in her rising, "Who told you about Mina Briggs?"

Elizabeth made her way down the stairs, "It's true then, you killed her? Just like you killed that Jordan woman and Seth Briggs."

"Who told you about Mina Briggs?" Salina's eyes illuminated with pain and anger as her voice rose considerably.

"Answer me! Did you kill them?" Elizabeth shouted in her face.

Jack stepped out of his cabin and watched intently as Salina walked away her fists clenched tight. "Answer me!" Elizabeth flung her around and pushed her against the mast.

"Beth remove your hands from me!"

"Not until you answer the question! Did you kill them?"

"Why is this so important to you? It doesn't concern you at all!"

"Just answer!" The entire crew was now drawn into the argument.

"I am a pirate and as such I have to make decisions. Decisions that could cost people their lives but trust me none of them didn't get what they deserved!"

Elizabeth slapped her cousin and walked away furiously. Salina wiped the blood from her lip, "Did Barbossa tell you about them?"

Beth stopped in her tracks and faced Salina once more, "What does it matter if he did?"

"Did he tell you who they were and why I killed them?"

"He told me that you became furious with a woman named Jordan because she was all over Jack one night so you ran her through!"

"I guess he failed to mention the entire story! I came into the pub that night to apologize to Jack for- for-."

"For what?"

"For kissing my fiancé' in front of him! Yes now you know I was engaged at one time! Do you know who I was engaged to, take one guess?" Elizabeth just stood there watching her. "To Norrington's older brother, James! I was seventeen and very frightened I didn't know what to do so I went into the pub to apologize to Jack for hurting him. And yes I found Jordan all over him but I didn't say a thing to her, I talked to jack and then she insulted me. We got into a fight and both wounded each other. I didn't know until the next day that she had died."

"And what of Seth and Mina Briggs? What did they do to you?"

Salina was about to hit Elizabeth in the face but was stopped by jack holding her back. "Let me go! Please let go! Get off!"

"Salina you've got to stop, calm down! This is not the time to get all worked up over something like this!"

"Fine! You want to know who they were? You want to know who I was? Who I am? They were my parents I killed my father to save Jack's life and I killed my mother to save my own! You may think that is a little barbaric but you weren't at Sakura island when she gave me this," Salina lifted her shirt to show a scar right next to her belly button, "when she killed my baby!" Salina shoved passed Beth and ran off down into the lower decks.

Elizabeth stood petrified of what she had done. She had no idea that Salina had endured so much pain. She closed her eyes and felt will's warm arms holding her lovingly.

Jack walked up to her, "Mrs. Turner," he said her name as if she was just an acquaintance, "I said that I admired you once for being willing to do anything and everything to get what you needed but you went too far this time. You did not need to chew her out over the past, especially one that you were not familiar with."

"And what you're an expert on it?"

"I was there when it happened or did you forget that I was the captain at that time?"

"You were the father of the unborn child then?"

"Elizabeth!" Will interrupted, "stop this!"

"No, I need to know what happened because Barbossa has pinned it on me! When I was with him I found a few things, number one that he still had a piece of the gold," she revealed the medallion around her neck, "and that he still has feelings for my cousin! Now if that doesn't show enough reason for my needing to know about the past then I don't know what does!"

Jack walked away his back turned on the young couple as he made his way to his cabin.

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A/N: Oh arguments, this is getting good! Well until next time Ta!