Chapter Six: Secrets Revealed

Will was downstairs heating up a piece of metal when the door banged open. He whipped around, holding the metal with the heated tip in front of him, but he dropped it immediately along with his jaw.

"The last time ye did that to me, we had a stupendous sword fight."

"Jack?" asked Will in amazement.

"The one an' only," he said with a grin.

"What brings you back here?"

"Urgent business, mate. Have you seen a girl abou'," he put a hand up to his shoulder, "this height, long, wavy brown hair, an' blue green eyes named Juliet Blackstone?"

Will laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Jack. This was not a laughing matter.

"What's all the noise? Will? I heard the door bang open, I thought people were invading the place—"

"And you were right, love," said Will through the laughter once Juliet appeared at the foot of the stairs.

She then saw Jack and gasped.

"JACK!" she yelled, running over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"'Ello Jules!" he said. Then, he suddenly remembered the reason why he was here. He took his arms off Juliet and turned to Will.

"This shop is closed for the day, mate," he said.

"Why?" asked Will.

"I can't say now, but I will say this," he locked and bolted the door. "It's a matter of great urgency."

He moved upstairs, and Will and Juliet exchanged a glance as they followed, Juliet having a slight idea what this was about…

"Ye two are in a relationship, then, aye?" asked Jack as he shut all the curtains and the windows in Will's loft.

"Yes," said Juliet.

"Uh huh," said Jack.

"This is gonna take a while to explain, so ye may wanna have a seat."

"What about you?" asked Will.

"I can't… too nervous," said Jack.

Will and Juliet sat on the sofa as Jack paced the room.

"Well, I have ta start somewhere, and here's how I'll do it." He took a deep breath. "Barbossa has come back from the dead. But one o' the three of us knows from first hand experience, don't ye, Juliet?" he turned to her, as did Will.

A shiver ran down her spine at the memory, and pain seared through her arm. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Will, stunned.

"Because… because I didn't want to worry you. And partly because I was afraid to tell you."

"Would ye mind tellin' us now?" asked Jack as Will nodded.

"Okay," she began. "Well, I was working at the tavern in Tortuga, and my shift was over, so I began to walk back to the place I was staying. It was late at night, so most of the town was already in their houses, or the tavern. The next thing I knew, there was a gun pointed at my back, and someone had grabbed my arms, and covered my mouth. A torch was held up, and a man looked at my eyes extremely close, while someone else pushed up my right sleeve. They brought me to their ship, and tied me to a chair.

"Then, a man I immediately recognized as Barbossa asked me what my name was. I told him a false one, but he didn't believe me, and he took out his sword and cut my arm. For some reason, he looked familiar. He left me tied to that chair for a day, and the next morning, he came back.

"He asked for my name again, and if I didn't tell him the truth, he'd kill me. So, I told him. The next thing I knew, my arm had been sliced open again. I was there for a few more hours, then a member of the crew came and untied me. My arm started to bleed again, and I was brought to the edge of the ship. The pirate said Barbossa wanted me killed, but, he threw a plank of wood off.

"'There's a town that way,' he pointed. 'Go drift to it. Barbossa wants ye killed. Get off this ship an' get into hidin'.' He then threw me off the ship and I swam to the plank of wood. When I was about 75 yards away, I heard yelling and a splash. Then a gunshot. Barbossa was on the deck, and he'd just threw the man off the ship and killed him. I couldn't see the shore of the town, and maybe that was a good thing. But he started firing his gun at me, and I pretended to be dead. He seemed convinced, but I fell unconscious."

"That's when I found you," said Will. "Your arm was bleeding…"

"It's a good thing you did, mate. If not, then she'd probably be dead by now," said Jack. "And another thing, Jules, did that man have grey hair with big ol' sideburns?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"I know 'im. His name is Joshamee Gibbs, an' he's alive. Not a bullet hole in 'im either. 'E's a member of me crew. But tell me another thing… how did ye think Barbossa was familiar?"

"I remember when I was little, about eight. On my birthday, a man came to our house in the middle of the night. My mother answered the door, and I was in the parlor, playing with the dog. The man shot her, and she fell dead to the ground."

Tears were forming in Juliet's eyes. Will put his arm around her.

"I… I then remember the dog running toward him, but he shot the dog, too. He turned to me next. He just laughed, then took out his sword and sliced my right arm. I started to scream, but before he could kill me, a neighbor heard my screams and he fled."

"And that, my dear, is the reason why Barbossa is the most wanted pirate on the seven seas. The murder of Melody Blackstone," said Jack.

"It's okay," said Will comfortingly. "You're safe." He hugged her tightly as the tears flowed freely. "Isn't she?" asked Will.

Jack shook his head. "He's after her, and he wants her dead."

"Why?" asked Juliet. "Why does he want me dead?"

Jack looked around, and spotted the mirror. "Have you ever looked at your eyes, Jules?" he asked.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

"Everything," replied Jack. He pulled Juliet up, and took her to the mirror. "Look at them."

She did. "I still don't understand."

Will came up behind her and gasped. "I do…" he said slowly.

"Juliet," said Jack. "Ye have his eyes, and his blood."

Juliet gasped and Will put his arms around her.

Jack nodded. "Yer his daughter."

OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!! Bet ya weren't expecting that! Review! Also, I'm starting the swim team tonight… (UGH! I HATED IT LAST YEAR!!!) so PLZ review and make me feel better!