Pirates of the Caribbean: Extinction of A Legacy

Author's Note: Thank You for all your reviews! And I apologize for the wait, I had writer's block!!! T-T thank goodness its over! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and special thanks to Capt. Maggie Falcon who helped me get over my lack-of-update depression.

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Chapter XVI: The First Key

Jack stood by the helm, watching the horizon as the sun began to rise. It hurt him deeply to lose a fine crew member, but it was better one person than the whole crew. As he watched the sky change from a dark blue to a light pink, he fiddled with the ring he found on the woman he had fought in Will's smithy. The answer would not come to his mind. He had dozens of theories, but none seemed to fit the situation.

'Could she be my sister?' he wondered. Although the theory wasn't far-fetched, Jack could not grasp his father having another child who looked to be about his own age. His father could not have had the time to find another strumpet while Jack was onboard. 'I watched him closely... there could not have been a time he had slipped from my sight...'

Frustrated and tired, Jack decided to retire to his cabin. He waved at Will, who looked more than content steering the Pearl on his own.

Jack chuckled to himself. 'Truly Bootstrap's son, that one...' he thought, and entered the cabin.

Looking at the woman, who now occupied his bed, Jack wondered whether or not to sleep somewhere else. Against his better judgment, Jack took off his boots and climbed on the bed. For once, he wasn't doing anything with the woman he was sleeping with.

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Marion groaned, turning in her sleep. She felt a slight pang of pain on her head as she turned. Opening her eyes, she saw a messy desk laden with bottles, and beyond that, she saw a wonderful view of the sky. She lay perfectly still, willing herself to wake up. The sound of waves were making it incredibly hard for her to shake the sleep from her system.

'Waves?' she thought, her mind suddenly starting to function. 'I distinctly remember docking at Port Royal...'

The previous night's activities then flashed through her mind. She sat upright, and forced herself to ignore the pain. She looked around and found herself in a strange cabin. From the looks of it, the cabin belonged to a messy, alcoholic captain. Looking down at herself, she found that she was still in her 'gypsy' clothing.

"Where in the world am I?" she said aloud.

Then, a moan came from the bundle beside her. She turned to her right side, and found the arm of a man protruding from underneath the covers.

Marion got off the bed, and threw the covers off of the person, and found the face of a man she thought she would never see again.

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"You!"

"Whosy-wha?"

Jack sat upright, a bit wobbly from lack of sleep, as well as a few bottles of rum. He squinted, trying to clear his vision. Looking around, he smirked, finding the woman awake.

"Ah! I see you've awakened," he slurred. "Welcome t' th' Pearl, luv"

The woman's eyes widened, and she looked around in both awe and fright. Judging from her actions,

Jack had a funny feeling that she had been in the ship before. Either that or she had seen it before.

'No doubt when that bloody Barbossa was out wrecking the paint!' he thought angrily. He failed to notice that the woman was now backing away from him.

She noticed that her sword, as well as her other weaponry were missing from her bodice. Looking around the room, she could not figure out where the strange man could have hidden her belongings.

She had no doubt that the man before her was none other than man whom she had helped in borrowing Ana Maria's boat. But what was he doing on the Pearl? The ship that her captain had told her so many stories about since she was a young girl? Could it be possible that this man was also the captain's son?

So many questions ran through her mind, and she was not sure whether she should trust the man.

"What am I doing here?" she asked, finally, breaking Jack's train of thought.

He smiled, and tried to close the gap between them, only to have her back away towards the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, crossing his arms. "You may be good with a sword, but how good would you be without one, surrounded by a dozen men with pistols?"

Marion sighed stubbornly, and tried not to make eye contact with the man before her. Her stomach began to growl, making her blush at her situation.

Jack smirked once more, and signaled for her to wait in the room. "Stay here, I'll get you breakfast, and we'll have a nice talk, savvy?"

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Joseph could not believe where he was at the moment. The situation in itself was unreal. It would never happen, if his sister was not in need of his help. A British Commodore, one sworn to uphold the law, was now engaging in piracy.

He cracked the stiff joints in his shoulder, and tried to relax. It had been more than two decades since he wore casual attire. He had always been in uniform. He had to admit that it was more comfortable than the stuffy blue suit he wore, although he would never say it aloud.

"How goes it, Joseph?" a friendly voice asked from behind him.

Capt. Briggs had introduced Norrington as Joseph Isaac, to lessen Norrington's connection with the navy.

The crew had been informed of a new addition to their 'family', and they had taken to him faster than Norrington would have imagined. There was one especially attached to him. An elderly man, one would say he was in his late forties. His blond hair was already turning milky white, and his face had visible laugh lines. There were a few scars along the side of his face, but they were already blending with his tanned face.

Joseph thought the man looked somewhat familiar, but then again, he thought every pirate looked alike.

"I'm a bit nervous, really," he confessed. Although he hoped that the journey would not take more than a few days, Joseph knew that he would not be able to go back to his 'normal' life for quite a while. "I hadn't really thought about being... you know."

The elderly man laughed heartily. "A pirate?" he asked, not caring whether or not he was heard. "Don't worry about it, lad. Just enjoy it while ye can."

Joseph nodded. "I will," he said softly. "Thank you, Bill."

The man returned the nod, and went on his way. "Don't think much of it, lad."

Ana Maria watched the scene from the helm. Her gaze was fixed on the anxious young man on deck, watching as the rest of the crew prepared to set sail. She frowned, knowing Norrington probably was not used to doing much work.

Clearing her throat, she yelled out his name. "Joseph! What do you think you're doing lad?!" she revelled in the shocked look on his face. "Don't just stand there! Hoist the mains'l, do your part o' the work!"

Needless to say, Joseph was surprised that he actually had to do work. Then, he realized that in order for the rest of the crew to believe he was a pirate, he had to act like a pirate. Sighing, he began to do just as he was commanded.

From the crow's nest, Briggs smirked at Ana Maria and Joseph. 'If only ye can see this, Taina... your husband would be proud....'

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Is everything prepared, lad?

Corales' emerald eyes gleamed with anticipation, and worry. As the days passed, he became more and more anxious about receiving the ring that would finally win him the heart of the woman of his dreams.

"Aye, sir," he said, "Sparrow believed my story, and is sailing to find the pendant now."

There was a gap of silence between the man and the entity that seemed to deafen the ship that Corales was now in. There was something wrong about the whole situation, and Corales didn't enjoy feeling left out of the loop.

The voice in his head, which Corales was now sure was an ancient Aztec god, had convinced him to find a way to set him free. In return, Corales would receive a ring which could forever bind a person to him, spiritually and physically. There would be no escape. But there was the matter of Sparrow... why would there be a need for Sparrow, when the god had given Corales a ship with virtually indestructable crewmembers?

Shaking the thought from his mind, Corales began to think of better things... of the future that was to come.

'Soon Raven... you and I will be together again... and nothing can ever separate us!'

"Raven, join me. We can sail the seas together, and you won't need to leave me."

"Michael, it's only for a few months...I promise I will return"

'But you never did, Raven... you were deceived...'. Anger flashed through his hardened emerald eyes. ' I swear to you, once you and I are together, you will never be deceieved again...'

'I made sure your father would never come between us...' he thought maliciously. ' There's only one obstacle now'

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Jack returned to his cabin, finding the woman sitting quietly in his bed. He found himself glad that she hadn't tried to escape, or wrecked his room. Though, now that he looked at it, the place seemed to be much cleaner than when he left it.

He placed the tray of food down, and was surprised to find the woman wasn't quietly sitting... she was silently crying.

"What's wrong, luv?" he asked, not knowing what to do. It was the first time he had encountered a woman crying for no reason. Alright, perhaps there was a reason, but most women seemed to be ecstatic to find that they were in the presence of Jack Sparrow.

"It's none of your concern," she said bitterly, still staring at the floor.

Jack sighed, wondering if the woman was still a child. Staring at her physique, he concluded that she wasn't. 'So why is she acting like one?' he asked himself.

"What's your name, luv?" he said, trying to make conversation.

"Look, don't bother with the polite act, I know your kind. I've been living with them for the past three years" she spat. "If you must know, I've lost something very dear to me... and as for my name, I believe I've already disclosed that bit of information.

Jack smiled, "Actually, you haven't," he said. " And as for that 'something' you lost..." He took out the signet ring, and watched as her expression turned dark.

"You thief!"

"I am a pirate," he reminded, then, before she could reach for the ring, he placed it back into his pouch. "Ah, ah! Before I give it back... I must inquire as to how you came about this ring...ms...

The woman frowned, then replied, "Raven. If you must call me something, call me Raven."

"Right,"Jack replied, angering her more. "So, where was it?"

Raven turned silent once more. She eyed the tray, and placed her hand on her stomach. She hadn't the slightest clue what time it was, and she didn't have the chance to eat since the ship had docked in Port Royal.

Jack, seeing the turmoil in her eyes, as well as her gaze on the food, began to think up a plan to make her talk. Smirking devilishly, he took the tray in his hands, and began to eat the food in front of her.

"Let's try this, shall we?" he started. "I ask you a question, you answer... and depending on your answer, I'll give you a piece of food."

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'The nerve of this...augh!'

Marion couldn't resist. Her hunger began to eat away at her. Even if she travelled with pirates for three years, her appetite was still unaccustomed to the mealtimes. She still had meals three times a day, it didn't matter if they were stuck in Tortuga, or pillaging a town.

'Blast it all!'

"What's the question?"

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Author's Note: Gah! So much confusion! Sorry about switching from 'the woman' to Marion, and Raven to Marion. It's just that its confusing how to write it when the reader knows her, but the person she's speaking to doesn't...

If you didn't skim through the chapter, then you'd have noticed something while Norrington was being mentioned... and as I said in the earlier chapters. One person who was said to be dead wasn't really dead. ^^ And you'll be seeing more of him later on. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

TBC Next Week!