Chapter 3: Plot Twists

A/N: SeaRose, Breeze2, and Captein Amelia: Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

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"Sir, don't you understand? It's horrible bad luck to bring a woman aboard a ship, much less three women!" Mr. Gibbs protested as we the Interceptor got ready to make way.

"One of them's nearly a man, anyway," Jack shrugged, glancing in my direction. I held a bottle of rum over the edge of the ship, glaring threateningly. "Only joking! Just put it down, love, put it down. Easy does it. There we go. . ."

I set the rum on the deck of the ship and turned away, but not before hearing Jack say to Gibbs, "See what I mean?"

Very soon we were in the middle of quite a squall. With Jack busy guiding our ship through the perilous waves and the rest of the crew busy doing crew-like things, Carrie and I found a nice bottle of rum, and two cups, and soon started singing "A Pirate's Life for Me" while swaying in time to the music. It was great fun until a particularly large wave sent us rolling across the deck. Jack then had us locked up in the captain's quarters.

I expected us to arrive at Isla de Muerta within a matter of hours, but something unexpected blocked our way. . .

When the storm passed, Carrie and I went back out on deck. We climbed up the crow's nest to have a look about.

"Hey Liz, what do you think that is?" Carrie asked, pointing to a black dot on the horizon.

"Not sure. Probably a trading ship or something," I shrugged. I found a telescope on the floor of the nest and tried to find out more.

As we came closer, I could see that it was indeed a ship, but not one of the British fleet. The flags this ship flew were black and adorned with the skull and crossbones. The sails, too, were black, and full of holes.

"Jack!" I shouted. He didn't hear me. I took off one of my boots and threw it at him, hitting him right in the head.

"Bloody hell, what was that for?" Jack shouted.

"Jack, it's the Pearl, straight ahead!" I yelled. "She's got her guns out!"

"The Pearl? What the blazes would she be doin' out here?" Jack shouted.

"She must've known we were coming! We have to load the cannons!" I cried.

"This is not how the movie went," Carrie said.

"Well, duh, but it is just a movie. Hollywood always messes up the story," I replied.

"Get down here, girls! You must hide!" Will yelled. Carrie and I climbed down, but we were not about to hide like sissies.

"We're going to fight!" I declared.

"But Liz, we don't know how to fight!" Carrie pointed out.

"Here." Jack handed each of us a pistol and a sword. "Do you know how to shoot a gun?"

I cocked the trigger and fired a shot into the air. "Aye." Note to self- stop watching POTC so much, I thought.

Carrie also figured out how to use the gun. But neither of us knew what to do with a sword. We had precious few minutes before the battle would begin, and in that time Will showed us a few very simple defense moves. Neither of us was ready to take on Barbossa, but hopefully we could handle a few drunk pirates.

"But wait a second!" Carrie cried. "They're immortal! What are a few guns and swords going to do?"

Jack, Carrie, and I looked at each other at a loss. "Our only hope is to sink the Pearl before they board," I said.

"Sink the Pearl? Are you mad, girl?" Jack argued. "Besides, they know how to swim. All we can do is try to put up our best fight."

Once the battle started, the cursed pirates were on board within ten minutes. About five minutes after that, we had no choice but to surrender. We were brought on board the Pearl and the Interceptor was blown up.

"But this isn't supposed to happen until later!" Carrie and I protested.

"Sorry for interrupting your schedule, ladies," said a scarily familiar voice.

We turned slowly around. Barbossa was standing on the upper deck, looking over us. Next to him was none other than Carrie's 12-year-old sister, Darla.

"Darla! What are you doing here?" Carrie demanded, moving towards her. A large black pirate stepped in front of her and growled. Carrie argued, "No, you don't understand, that's my sister!"

The pirate slapped her. Darla giggled.

"Darla get down here right now!" Carrie screamed as two pirates tried to drag her away.

"Hi Carrie! Why are you in my dream?" Darla asked.

"This isn't a dream you idiot!" I screamed. "Pinch yourself if you want proof!"

Darla frowned and pinched her arm. She jumped, surprised at the slight sting.

"Lock them in the brig. And take the child with you," Barbossa ordered, pushing Darla down into the hands of the pirates.

Once locked in the cells, and now joined by Elizabeth, Carrie grabbed Darla by the shoulders and shook her, hard. "What were you thinking, you stupid little girl? In leagues with Barbossa! I swear if I had a gun I'd kill you right here and now!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I thought it was a dream," Darla sobbed.

"How did you get here, anyway? And you, Carrie?" I asked.

"Why does it matter?" Carrie asked through gritted teeth, still glaring at Darla.

"Well, it's not like we don't have the time," I muttered.

"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" Elizabeth asked Carrie and I.

"I'm Liz, that's Carrie. We're from the future," I answered absentmindedly. "Come on, Carrie, I'm dying to know how you ended up hanging out with those prostitutes in Tortuga."

Carrie sighed. "Fine. While we were watching the movie, you went to get us some water to drink. About ten minutes passed and I was getting worried, so I went downstairs. The back door was open, so I stepped outside. I realized too late that there was some kind of swirling black void right outside the door. I got knocked out somehow and woke up in Tortuga. My pajamas were all dirty, so some nice women let me borrow this dress. It wasn't until later that I realized this is the normal dress for prostitutes."

"Ah, yes, the black void. I stepped in it, also. But I only went outside because there was this mirage. . . it looked like we were on the coast of this beautiful beach. So I went outside, and I don't remember much after that. I woke up in jail with Jack," I said.

"Wait a second. Aren't you the same girl that fell from the sky in Port Royal?" Elizabeth asked, looking closer at me.

"Yes, she is. Ye fell right from the sky, lass, and into the water with Miss Swann here. Those blokes guarding the Interceptor couldn't swim, so I went after ye both. As soon as you woke up and saw me gettin' clapped in them damned irons, ye went mad or somethin'. Started fightin' like a tomcat. The Commodore tried to hold ye back, and ye gave him a good blow to the face. The distraction allowed me to grab Miss Swann," Jack explained.

Will bit back a laugh. "You punched the Commodore?"

"Yes. . . I vaguely remember that. . ." I trailed off, then looked at Darla. "And what about you, missy? How the hell did you get here, and why were you in cohorts with Barbossa?"

Darla sniffled and looked ready to cry again.

"Oh no you don't!" Carrie warned. "Don't try that 'innocent little girl' crap. You tell me what you were doing on the Pearl or I'll have you thrown overboard as soon as we get control of this ship!"

"If you really are from the future, tell me: how do we escape from this?" Will asked.

Carrie and I exchanged a nervous look. Carrie quickly said to him, "I'll tell you in a minute. First, Darla: how did you get here?"

"Well, after you kicked me out of your room, I stayed at the door and listened in. When Liz went downstairs to get water, I stood in the doorway. I could just see the TV, so I watched a little bit of the movie. When you went after Liz, I followed you, and I saw you disappear, so I ran outside. I fell in that hole and fell a long, long way, into the ocean. Some pirates took me aboard this ship. I thought it was all a dream! I always liked Barbossa in the movie, so I tried to be his friend. I told him-" Darla cut herself off.

"And what exactly did you tell Mr. Barbossa?" Carrie growled.

Darla sniffled. "I told him. . . I told him that Elizabeth's real name is Swann, not Turner, and that Bootstrap's real child was on board the Interceptor with Jack Sparrow, and that they were going to meet us at Isla de Muerta. I didn't think he was going to take you all hostage!"

"Well what did you think he was gonna do? Invite us for tea?!" I screeched, thoroughly exasperated.

Darla began to cry again, but Carrie and I ignored her.

"Jack, are we close to Isla de Muerta?" Carrie asked.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, and yes, very close," Jack replied.

"Well, all the pirates, or at least most of them, will go into the caves, right?" Carrie said.

Jack nodded. "Aye, that would be my guess. What's in your head, girl?"

"They'll take Will, of course, but the rest of us will be left here, in the brig. Will, are these half-pin barrel hinges?" Carrie asked. Will looked closer at the bars of the cell we were in.

"Yes, they are, but we don't have anything to use for leverage," Will replied.

"But look at how many of us there are. If we all lever at once, or whatever, won't it spring free?" I asked.

Will narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. "Yes, I suppose it might work."

"But once we're out of the cell, what do we do, love? Barbossa's no idiot. He'll leave a few pirates to guard us," Jack pointed out.

Carrie and I looked at each other. "Remember when Elizabeth freed the crew and they knocked the two pirates into the water?" I asked. Carrie nodded.

"But to get to the deck and make a diversion, we'd have to go by the pirates, wouldn't we?" Carrie pointed out. "Elizabeth just climbed up the side, but we can't do that."

I frowned, looking around. There was a hole in the cell opposite us, made by the Interceptor's cannons. "What if someone climbs up the ship from there?"

"So then we gain control of the Pearl. . ." Jack looked excited. "It's perfect. . ."

"But where does that leave me?" Will asked.

"The Code," Gibbs muttered.

"Oh, the bloody Code! Since when do pirates follow rules?" Carrie demanded.

"They're more like guidelines, anyway," I added. "Once we have control of the Pearl, half of us can go to the caves. Will, you have to lift the curse. Take the medallion, cut your hand, and drop the coin. Then the pirates won't be immortal anymore."

"Won't they just kill me anyway?" Will asked.

"Here, take this." I pulled my pistol from where it was hidden inside my jacket. Carrie had her sword hidden beneath the fabric of her skirt, which she also gave to Will. "Kill Barbossa."

"No! Leave Barbossa to me," Jack growled, fingering the handle of his also-hidden pistol lovingly.

"But pirates need someone to lead them, right? If Will kills Barbossa and the first mate, that big, burly guy that slapped Carrie, they won't know what to do. And anyway, we can storm the other pirates once the curse is lifted," I suggested.

"You're all daft," Anamaria said.

"This is crazy," Elizabeth agreed.

"I say we do it," Gibbs said.

And so it began.

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A/N: You know the drill: R/R!

Thanks very much, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Stacy