A/N: I am so sorry for the updating issue. I was planning on updating much sooner but I logged on to FF.net one day and I noticed one of my stories was gone. THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW!!! I was almost tears when I found an email explaining that my account could be removed permanently and my story was taken off due to "explicit content' IT WAS NOT THAT BAD!!! Grrrr! Don't worry I have plans for figuring out how to post the conclusion, just give me time and stay alert. I wasn't able to update until tonight because of this whole thing I was blocked until today so here goes nothing! Enjoy! Review!

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Ashley drifted in and out of consciousness for several days. She would usually ask for something to drink, and occasionally something to eat. However, she mostly preferred to lie silently, suspiciously inspecting her surroundings, speaking as little as possible. One reason she remained quiet was because of her exhaustion, the other was her fear or accidentally revealing the dream. But since that night, she had no longer suffered from her usual nightmares.

After about four days of this, she learned that the Savage Fang had been found, and that the damages were too difficult to repair on it. Jack had guessed that some crew members from Betty's crew had sabotaged it while they were gone. So all items considered useful were taken aboard the new ship, the name was in fact the Glittering Jewel, and soon they were all sailing away from the wretched island.

Will had told her all this with much excitement and encouragement. After he was done Ashley opened her mouth, but then shut it rather quickly.

"What is it?" He asked with curiosity.

"I's jus' . . . do yeh miss 'er?"

"Who?"

"That gel."

"Oh . . . you mean, Elizabeth." At this, Will glanced away and began to idly trace patterns in the wooden desk beside him.

"Do yeh?"

He thought for a moment. With much reluctance he shrugged and replied, "Wouldn't matter now if I did, would it?"

"Why not?"

"Because we are a long way away from her . . . and I suspect our ships will never come within a hundred miles of Port Royale ever again."

Nodding slightly, she stopped playing with fraying fabric from the sheets, "Yeh didn't answer the question, though. Do yeh miss 'er?"

"I suppose."

"Do yeh love 'er?"

Squirming slightly at that question, he swallowed hard and didn't answer.

"You must be tired, try and sleep." He nodded and then walked out the door.

~~**~~

Jack was absentmindedly stroking the handle of his new ship, staring off into the night sky. Sighing he shook his head and let his head sag onto the helm. No matter how much he tried to pretend, this ship wasn't his Pearl. It could never be, no matter how fast it could go or how beautiful it was. Nothing would ever come close to his Pearl.

"Nanananana . . . really bad eggs . . ." He began to hum, and drift into his own world. So lost in thought, he did not hear a second person approach, until he saw something right beside him.

"Annamaria . . . what are yeh doin' up?"

"I didn't think yeh were so old that yeh had gone blind,"

~~**That's not Anna**~~ Jack whirled around to see Ashley smirking at him. He didn't let his facial expression falter, although he was mentally doing a double take. She was breathing a little heavily, it had obviously not been easy for her to walk as far as she did. Her body was also leaning heavily against the edge of the ship, and she was turned halfway to face him and halfway to face the sea.

"Yeh shouldn't be walking, it's stupid."

"I got tired of layin' around."

A comfortable silence filled the night, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Jack heard a tinkling sound, and turned lazily to watch Ashley stumble a little, making her way towards him. She had almost reached him when, suddenly, she groaned, and clutched her stomach, falling downward. Before she hit the ground, she felt herself stop. And looking up, she realized that she was in the arms of Jack, he was holding her up with his hands slightly above her waist, but not making a complete circle.

"Yeh really are stupid." He muttered.

For awhile she didn't move, she remained in the grip, staring up at him. After what felt like an eternity to them both, she curled her hands around his forearms, and hoisted herself up, yet she continued to lean heavily on him.

He was not a very tall man, yet she was even shorter than he was, his chin could have easily rested atop her head. Jack felt her shaking somewhat in his arms, probably from the strain of moving around so much. Her long brown hair was falling in tendrils around her face and spilling onto her back and his hands.

"I wanted to give yeh this." He snapped out of his reverie when her hand reached for his. Still holding her up, he outstretched his hand and watched something silver jingle into his.

At first he thought it was simply some treasure she had found in the cavern. But when the moonlight reflected the black skull, his eyes widened slightly.

"Yer anklet, key to the-"

"Treasure, I know. Take it I don't want it."

He nodded, neither saying anything, as if lost in their own separate worlds. The silence was broken by Ashley,

"Yeh can let go now."

Rather quickly, he removed his arms and allowed her to stand on her own. He cleared his throat and mumbled,

"Er, well, I'll be off to do . . .well, I'll jus' be off. Yeh shoul' probably stop wanderin' around so much, though."

She nodded at his receding figure. Jack disappeared into his cabin, and Ashley was left alone.

~~**Was it stupid to give him the anklet? Wait, why do I even care? It's not like I'm ever going back to that island again. Stop worrying about it and go to sleep**~~

But as she laid on the hard deck of the ship, because she had no desire to try and make it back to the bed, sleep would not overtake her.