Hey, all!  Updates have been less frequent lately… but I still update a lot more often than quite a few people I know (hint, hint) so no being evil and mad at me.  Was anybody confused about what I meant, the last sentence of the last chapter, about them never getting the chance?  It was because the mutiny happened that night… did anybody not understand that?  Well, anyways… I included the mutiny in the prologue, so I don't think I'll put it as a memory… what do you guys think?  What do you guys want?  I'm writing this for my reviewers, so what you say, goes.   And on more thing… for those of you that were wondering; I would say that Will is about 19… is there anybody that wouldn't agree with this?  So, if he's nineteen, Raine is about sixteen years older than him, making her 35 and Jack 36.  (That means that in the current memories, they were about twenty five and twenty six, since Jack lost his ship ten years ago.) Not that old, but in those days, when people would get married at sixteen, and didn't live very long.  Pirates especially never lived very long. Now, without any further delay, I present to you… The update…

Chapter Nine

           

            "Why must every conversation revolve around Raine?" Jack asked Will, not really expecting to get an answer.  "I've lived with her for most of my life, and I don't understand what the big deal is.  What is there to know?  Stop asking me about her.  We're here for your bonny lass, remember?" 

            For a moment, Will didn't say anything.  "Why don't you want to talk about her?" He finally asked. 

            Jack sighed in exasperation.  "It's not that I don't want to talk about her. I don't really care if we talk about her or not, mate; it's just that I don't think she would like it much if I spilled everything about her to you.  Why do you care so much?" He shook his head.  "And we're still talking about her." 

            Will shrugged.  "I don't know, it's just that ever since she heard my name, she's been a little weird." 

            Jack gave him a look, which made Will laugh.  "Okay, even before she knew my name she was a little weird, but… she keeps talking about my father, how much like him I am." 

            Jack frowned and leaned toward Will.  "She said you remind her of your father?" 

            "Yes."

            Jack leaned back and continued rowing, saying nothing.  But Will got the feeling that he didn't like this new piece of information. 

            "Jack?  Was there something… between my father and Raine?" 

            Jack looked at him sharply.  "I thought we agreed we were going to stop talking about her, mate." 

            And Jack refused to say any more on the subject, so Will just gave up. 

            Raine wasn't a very fast rower at all.  In fact, this new turn of events reminded her why she never really had liked rowing at all.  Her idea to turn up and be the hero or something for Jack really wasn't working out too well… at the moment she was drifting because her oars had fallen in the water, and she was about seventy feet from where she needed to be. 

            Cursing, she looked around the boat trying to think of something she could use to maybe steer.  Finding nothing, she turned her gaze to the dark water, and made up her mind. 

            "Wonderful night for a swim…" she muttered to herself, trying to convince herself that the water would be warm and pleasant.  Of course, she knew that it wouldn't be, so that really wasn't working.  She continued to stare at the water until she was afraid that if she lingered any longer she would begin drifting out to sea. 

            Before she could back out of it, she dived rather clumsily off the side of the boat, realizing too late that someone may have heard her splash.  She surfaced quickly, and once she was sure there was nobody around, she began to swim. 

            But the water was cold and she was a bit frightened because who knows what sort of things there were in that water?  It gave her the shivers to just think about.  And she was beginning to sink; her effects were heavy. 

            They were weighing her down.  Without any hesitation, she pulled off her jacket… her bandanna had fallen off long ago.  She clung to her hat dearly… she would never, ever lose that hat if she could help it… but she was still being weighed down.  She thought for a moment about taking off her belt… but of course, she couldn't do that.  She would be left weaponless without her belt, on which she carried a small dagger and pistol. So she just took off her sword, watching with dismay as the thing sunk down to the depths.  Even if she couldn't use it… She was so used to having her sword, so used to being able to just whip it out and intimidate people with it.  There was nothing that would make her drop her pistol.  She would drown first. 

            With that weight gone, she began to swim as fast as she could toward the caves, so that she could be out of the water as quickly as possible. 

            The cave was dark and the water was about twenty degrees colder inside it, so that she really was shivering when she swam inside.  But there was nothing she could do.  She had gotten herself into this mess, and the last thing she could do was sit there and cry about it.  She continued to swim in the darkness until the water got shallower, and she was practically jumping with joy when her feet touched solid ground. 

            She tried her best to wring out her clothes without actually taking them off, and then set off through the damp and gloomy caves to see if she could find Will and Jack. 

            She spotted the two of them peering through a hold in the cave wall and into a much larger cavern filled with familiar faces.  For a moment, Raine just watched them standing there, almost afraid to go forward and face people that she never wanted to see again.  She took a few steps forward until suddenly Will moved forward, and Jack pulled him back.  Raine was startled at the sudden movement, and she slipped carefully back into the shadows. 

            "Not yet, lad.  We wait for the opportune moment."

            "When's that?  When it's of greatest profit to you?" 

            Jack stepped forward so that he was very close to Will.  "May I ask you something?  Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?  Do us a favor- I know it's difficult for you, but please, stay here, and try not to do anything… stupid." 

            Jack started off in another direction in the caves, and Will grudgingly seemed to follow him. Once she was sure they were both out of her sight, she crawled forward and climbed up so she could see what was happening in the ceremony taking place.  She watched for only a moment before she heard a thumping sound, and she turned to see where it had come from. 

            When she realized that Will had gone to be the stupid hero by hitting Jack with an oar, she crawled down from where she was and went to see if Jack was unconscious, accidentally running into Will on the way. 

            His expression twisted when he saw her.  "What are you doing here?"  He muttered softly, but she shook her head and pushed past him, kneeling by Jack.  If Jack wasn't alright, then most likely none of them would live through this little adventure.  She turned him over so he was facing up, and took no notice when Will crept away.  Thinking for a moment, she left Jack and went back to the cave opening, cupping some water with her hands.  Returning to Jack's location, she realized that almost all the water was drained from between her hands.

            Cursing, she looked down at her hands and came up with another idea.  She slapped him square in the face, a little tactic that she had never tried before, since the only people Jack received slaps from were whores… and there was no way she wanted to sink to that level.

            However, the slap was necessary.  And it did its job. 

            "What the bloody hell was that for?"  Jack sputtered as he opened his eyes.  When he saw Raine leaning over him, his eyes grew wide and he handed her his jacket.  She seemed to realize that for the second time that day she was wearing a wet white shirt.  She put it on, blushing furiously, and once it was on, Jack seemed to come to his senses. 

            "Okay, what's happening?  How long have I been out, and… RAINE, WHY IN BLOODY HELL ARE YOU HERE?" 

            "Well excuse me, Mr. Ungrateful!"  Raine said sourly, standing up and looking around.  "Where did Will go… oh, no." 

            "What, what's happening?"  Jack said, sitting up and rubbing his face where she had hit him.

 "Oh, so now you want my help?" Raine said, turning on him.  He held up his hands and leaned back. 

"Okay, I get it.  I'm sorry lass, just that I thought I told you to stay on the ship." 

"You did."  Raine said promptly, turning back around and watching the ceremony's happenings for a moment longer, before turning back to Jack and cutting him off.

"Look, I'm sure there are a million things you want to lecture me about right now, like following your captains orders and all that, but first you had better come up with a plan real fast because Barbossa and his crew of miscreants and now blindly searching for Elizabeth, since she has taken the medallion with her when Will rescued her." 

"You found out all that?" Jack marveled, following her through the pathways in the cave. 

"It would seem that way, now wouldn't it?" Raine said with a touch of irritation.  "Just imagine, Jack… if only you paid attention, you could be a little smarter." 

"I do hope that wasn't sarcasm."  Jack said. 

"Yes, well, you can hope that all you want, darling." Raine said, continuing down a passageway.  But Jack's reply was cut off because the two of them were soon cut off by a group of Barbossa's men. 

"You're supposed to be dead!"  One of them said. 

"Am I not?" Jack said, and turned around quickly. But seeing that they were surrounded on all sides, he turned back around and smiled. 

"Why, Pintel, is that you?  You look… the same as ever… old and decrepit.  Really is a pity."  Raine said to the man who had spoken to them.  After she said it, she was painfully aware of all the guns pointing at them. 

"And you, Raine… You look the same too… still an annoying hag."  Raine threw him a withering smile and ran her fingers through her hair.  Leaning forward, she said, "Well, I do try."

Meanwhile, Jack was stumbling over words.  Everyone was now staring at him as he racked his brain for words starting with 'P'. 

Finally, Raine smacked him on the shoulder.  "Parley."  She said, more to him than the group of pirates. 

"Yes!  That's the one!  Parley!" 

Pintel's expression twisted and he said, "Damn to the depths whatever…"

"I really think we should be going."  Raine said, holding out her hands.  "Take us to Barbossa." She waited for a moment, and when nobody moved, she smiled at the pirates in front of her.  "Please?"