A thousand million quadrillion apologies for taking FoReVeR to update!!! I swear this computer has a mind of its own...and it has made a firm decision to NOT let me on the bloody Internet for the past couple of days. Humph. Well, it finally decided to play nice, so here I am just for you!

Wow, the reviews! I feel like I have received an Oscar or something when I get reviews! Thanks, guys. They mean a lot...

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Chapter...Oh what number is this now? 15? Yes, 15. Chapter 15.

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When their small boat finally reached the Black Pearl, Will, Jack, Jonathan, and a still-unconscious Kate were hoisted onto the ship by the rest of the crew. They landed on deck, and Jack immediately returned his attention to his niece.

"Love, wake up, please." His hands moved around Kate's face, looking for some kind of reaction. Jack's crew gathered around him, watching their desperate captain.

Jack grabbed hold of Kate's limp hand, the ring touching her skin as he did so. Suddenly, she gasped for breath and coughed. Her eyes watered as they opened. She took a deep breath and looked up to see her uncle and she smiled weakly.

"Yer alive! Kate!" Jack clung to Kate's head tightly, oddly feeling tears sting his eyes. He never cried. But, something was different this time; something touched him. He had almost lost Kate, his only family. Relief overwhelmed him. He pulled away and waved his arms as he yelled.

"Don't bloody scare me like that!"

Elizabeth, who had raced to Will's side the moment he set foot on deck, clung to his hand tightly, her head resting on his shoulder. Will kissed the top of his wife's head and smiled down at Jack and Kate.

Jack got up from the ground and helped Kate up. Her head spun and she was still coughing, but she was alive. Once again, she was suddenly overcome by happy shouts and slaps on the back from Jack's crew. Anamaria was reluctant, but she showed her gladness too, though not as loudly as the men. Kate turned around to be smiled at by Will and Elizabeth. When Kate saw another familiar face, she gasped and covered her mouth.

"Jonathan!" she cried, "What are you doing here?" She ran to him and held his hands in hers.

"Hello, Kate. You've got one hell of an uncle, there." Said Jonathan and Kate smiled. She turned around to Jack, whom she had yet to properly thank, and threw her arms around him.

"You saved my life..." Kate said. "Thanks, Uncle Jack."

"Love, I don't do hugs." He pulled away, but he was smiling and secretly his heart was touched that she had called him uncle. Kate looked a bit hurt, but she smiled at him all the same. Jack said his new title again.

"Uncle Jack. It has a lovely ring to it, don't ye think?"

Kate laughed and took his arm. "It sounds great."

"Course. Well while yer on me ship, you'll have to refer to me as Captain Uncle Jack Sparrow."

"May take some getting used to..."

Jack suddenly stopped laughing when he turned around to see a new pair of black sails sailing their way. His suspicions had been correct: Marona wouldn't go down without a proper fight.

"Gibbs!" yelled Jack as he ran to the helm where Gibbs was.

"Aye, Cap'n?" Gibbs said, before noticing the ship also. He began yelling orders to the crew in a panicked tone.

The crew responded almost immediately, and Kate stood with Will, Elizabeth, and Jonathan at the front of the ship while Jack took Gibbs's place at the helm.

"Isla de Meurta!" Jack's voice sounded through the ears of all of the pirates onboard.

And the Black Pearl was off. The Abyss was having enormous difficulty keeping up with the fastest ship in the Caribbean. Kate met Jack at the helm again with more questions.

"Jack, what's at Isla de Meurta?" Kate wondered aloud to her uncle.

"Marona didn't tell ye?" Jack whirled around to face her. When Kate shook her head, he continued,

"The ring needs to be reunited with the cursed treasure of Cortez before it can be destroyed."

Kate frowned, confused, "Marona told me it was destroyed if it came in contact with fire."

"Not just any fire, love." Said Jack mysteriously. "It must be the fire of the burning treasure. Regular fire only strengthens it."

Kate was confused. Marona didn't like liars, yet he himself didn't pass up the opportunity to lie to Kate. She cursed Marona silently.

"He lied to me? But, he hates liars."

"That's Marona fer ye. Ne'er trust a pirate."

"You're a pirate." She raised an eyebrow.

"I know. Don't trust me." He grinned his gold-toothed smile and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Why do you want to destroy the ring, Jack? I thought it made you immortal. Don't pirates like being immortal?" Kate smirked.

"Having unending existence is never a bad thing, love, don't get me wrong." Jack began. He nodded towards her ring. "But, that thing is evil."

"How so?" Kate inquired as she furrowed her brow. A pirate's life was confusing. Jack continued talking.

"The more times that god-forsaken piece of jewelry saves yer life, the more it drains away yer soul. If one depends on that ring too often, he'll parish."

Kate paused, thinking over what Jack had just told her. "Does Marona know it?"

Jack shrugged, "He doesn't seem to care much, eh?"

Kate shook her head and sighed. She was letting her mind wander again. She thought of her father, as she usually did, and she tried picturing Jack growing up with her mother. True, she had only known Jack a few days, but she already felt closer to him than any other father figure she had ever known; besides her real father, of course.

But a sudden chill traveling through Kate's body snapped her back into reality. She shivered and looked at Jack, whose eyes were growing wide with fear when he stared ahead.

It was a ship; right in front of them.

"Now, how in the name of all that is good and holy did they find us?" muttered Jack as he squinted ahead.

"Who is it, Jack?" Kate did not recognize these white sails, though it was apparent that Jack did.

"It's queen Elizabeth's bloody friend, Norrington."

"Cap'n? Something wrong?" Gibbs had come up from below decks. He noticed the white sails and chuckled to himself.

"Ye've done it this time, Jack."

"I haven't done a damn thing. Get that wench up here."

"Who?"

"Mrs. Swann!" Jack said nastily. He turned back to Kate. "This is going to cost us."

"But what can Marona do without the ring?"

"Nothing, but he'll be prepared and waiting for us at Isla de Meurta. Now, thanks to the bloody navy, they'll beat us there."

Elizabeth came up behind Jack.

"You rang, Captain?" she asked mockingly. She stared straight ahead and, upon noticing the white sails, cursed slightly.

"Any ideas, lass?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth, who stood beside the wheel with a hand over her mouth.

"How did they -- find me? What do they care if I'm not there?" She threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Fetch yer husband, Mrs. Turner." Jack ordered, as Elizabeth moved swiftly away. Jack added under his breath,

"If she gets me hung, she's bloody goin' down with me!"

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Sorry guys, MAJOR writer's block...I'll try to move faster from now on.

Love Always

Anna

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