Reviewer responses for previous five chapters:

Jeshika-chan: Thank you SO much for reading this story and I am glad you find it holding your interest. This chapter is hopefully to your liking, being the beginning of the treasure adventure!!

Helluin-trip: I hope you like this bit...I am trying hard to get Jack to sound like Jack...Sorry it took so long to post this...I HOPE you post too!!!

Sunnyhunny: Ack...sorry for the long wait...if you consider this wait long! Some people think I post awfully fast! Anyway, glad you like...

AND AN OVERALL THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU AGAIN! I ENJOY THIS STORY AND I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. I AM TRYING TO WRITE AND POST REGULARLY...BUT I ALSO HAVE TWO OTHER STORIES I AM WORKING ON AT THE SAME TIME!

Chapter Six: What's this about treasure?

As the shore parties beached their rowboats, Will and Elizabeth trailed after Gwen and the two captains.

"Jack? You mentioned curses and boobytraps," Elizabeth called out, stumbling on jutting tree roots at the edge of the forest. "Just what sort of curses and traps are there here? And how do you know about them?"

Jack continued his swaying prance through the trees, looking as though he had no intention of answering her. Then his voice piped up happily. "Well, Miss Elizabeth, that is rather a long story actually."

Gwen, who had the same questions running through her mind, reached forward and grabbed Sparrow's shirt tails, effectively stopping him in his traps. "You best level with us Jack."

His eyes were wide with awe. Not many people just grabbed Jack Sparrow. But this was Gwen...the little girl he had allowed to sail on his ship, the one who always used to climb the mast and bring laughter to the men. He just couldn't refuse her.

"All right, I will tell you," he spun back around, heading into the forest again. "Just lay off the clothes missy. I take pride in my appearance."

He grimaced with Will and Elizabeth both snorted at that statement. But Jack chose not to retaliate. Instead, he told them where he had learned of the treasure.

FLASHBACK

"Captain! There's a man in the water, Sir! Looks like he's been adrift awhile, Cap!" Gibbs was hanging over the side of the Pearl, pointing at something bobbing up and down in the water like a cork.

Sparrow, hurrying down from the helm, leaned over beside him and his eyes narrowed. "Looks like a pirate, Mr. Gibbs." Hesitating only a moment, he made his decision. "Haul'im aboard then." Calling to some sailors, as he returned to the helm, he ordered the ship to a full stop to pick up the drifter.

It wasn't long before the sopping wet pirate was lying on a bed in sickbay aboard the Black Pearl. Gibbs and Sparrow hovered over him while the Doc examined the man. "Will he be all right, you think?" Gibbs asked, fingering the holes in the man's tunic where he had been slashed and stabbed a few times.

Doc raised his eyes to meet Sparrow's. "I don't rightly know, Mr. Gibbs. He's been through hell, that's for sure. Stabbed, slashed and knocked around a bit. But these look like they are at least a week old. This sailor's been at sea for that whole time."

Sparrow was silent. "Do you think he's a marooned sailor?"

Doc shook his head. "Not likely. These are not self-inflicted, they are most definitely attacks."

Jack nodded and moved closer to the man, seeing something bulging in his shirt pocket. Reaching his hand in, the pirate captain removed a cloth bundle. Unwrapping the cloth, the three pirates were met with gold.

"Well I'll be!" Gibbs cried, his eyes wide with shock. "That's got to be the biggest hunk of solid gold I've ever laid eyes on, Cap!"

Jack stared at the gold, a thousand questions running through his mind. "I sure hope this man wakes, there's a lot of things I'd like to ask him..." the man muttered.

As if he had heard the captain's words, the man on the cot stirred. His eyes were puffy and red, his face extremely bloated, but the eyes cracked open and the man muttered, "Where am I?"

Leaning forward, Jack hid the gold chunk behind his back. "You're aboard the Black Pearl, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow; this here is Mr. Gibbs and the Doc. What happened to you sailor?"

The man swallowed hard, trying to wet his pallet. The Doc helped him to sip some water. "We found a treasure, Captain Sparrow. Mighty Viking treasure it was. Lots of solid gold, lot's of jewels. But it's cursed I tell you. Cursed!" he broke into a fit of coughing and it was a few moments before he could stop.

Jack was sincerely interested now. "Just where be this treasure, mate?"

The man's eyes widened in horror. "No you can't go there. Can't take me back there, I won't go! Never!" he began to thrash and the Doc held him down.

"No one is going anywhere!" he said loudly. "Answer the Captain so we know where NOT to go."

Settling down the man nodded, falling for the ploy. "Island called Paradisio, not on any maps, only a few leagues from here, due south. But I tell you, that island is cursed and all that go there die! Booby traps and cursed demons! Don't go there! Don't go!"

He began to convulse now and to their astonishment, blood spurted up from his mouth, spraying into the air as the man jerked and writhed on the cot. The Doc began to work over the man, trying to stabilize him.

But one particularly sharp jerk snapped the man's back and he fell back to the cot, silent and unmoving. Sparrow reached forward, touching the sailor's neck.

"I'll be..." he muttered. "The man's dead."

END FLASHBACK

"There," Jack said, spinning to face those following him. "I told you all I know. I don't even know where on this island that treasure is. So, if you please, don't ask any more questions."

Gwen was frowning. "If you don't know where it is, why are we hurrying through the forest, knowing there are traps and cursed demons?"

Jack looked at her with a smirk. "You have a better idea, mate?"

Shaking her head in disdain, Gwen didn't answer. Will backed her up though. "Gwen has a point, Jack. We could be walking into a trap. Shouldn't we have a game plan or...something?"

Jack let out a long sigh of frustration. "Must everything be planned out these days?" he muttered. "Fine, here is the plan. I am going to waltz around this island until I see signs of cursed demons or traps. Then I will make a real plan."

To the surprise of them all, Davies spoke up. "Good plan, let's move."

"What?" Gwen shrieked. "A good plan? What kind of good plan is that?"

Davies and Jack exchanged glances. "We're bloody pirates, Gwen. We don't pretend to be the brightest." Jack answered. Gwen glared daggers at the man, then laughed.

"Bloody pirates indeed. All right, let's go."

"Jack...this is getting ridiculous! We are going in circles!" Elizabeth said, ripping her dress from a thorn bush. "We passed by this stupid rock cliff at least four times already!"

Sparrow stopped in his tracks and shot the cliff, then Elizabeth, a succinctly dirty look. His eyes narrowed. "Well, yes, I do believe you're right, Miss Swann! What do you suggest we do then? I know there is a treasure on this island and I'm not leaving til I find it!"

As Jack and Elizabeth sparred verbally, Gwen sauntered off toward the cliff face, fully intending to find a suitable tree to climb and see if she could perceive anything from the air. Will watched her warily, thinking about those booby traps.

The girl reached the cliff face and found the perfect pine to climb, but before she had a chance to reach for the lowest branch, the ground beneath her began to tremble. Without thinking, she jumped, grabbing hold of her intended branch.

The ground disappeared from below her, revealing a narrow but well-defined tunnel. Swinging herself forward and jumping to the land just to the side of the tunnel, Gwen looked at the others who were now staring at her in shocked silence.

"Well, we might try down there..." she muttered.

Will hurried over to her, peering down the tunnel into the inky blackness. "Are you all right there, Gwen?"

She smiled lightly. "Yes, soon as my heart stops tryin' to break outta my chest."

Jack hurried over, stooping down. He took a flint from his pocket and a piece of old parchment from the folds of his jacket. What he was doing with parchment, none of them could figure, but it was handy right now.

Lighting the parchment on fire, Jack flung it down the hole, revealing a set of carved steps, covered in the dirt that had fallen from above. He looked warily at the hole and frowned. "Well, it does look like it's meant to be traveled. But I wonder if it is meant as a trap or not."

"There's only one way to find out," Davies muttered, moving forward. "Go down there."

"Are you crazy!?" Elizabeth shouted, pushing the pirates away from the hole and grabbing Will's arm. "You can't go down there! What if the whole thing caves in on you and kills you all?"

Will didn't argue with her, but inwardly he doubted that was going to happen. Something about this just seemed right. "Don't you think if this was a trap it would have been uncovered and inviting to trespassers? I mean, why would they hide it so well if they wanted people to go down there and be killed?"

Sparrow clapped him on the back and grinned. "Good thinking whelp. Why don't you go right on ahead and try it first then?"

Elizabeth fervently shook her head. "I think not!"

Gwen frowned. "I uncovered the blasted thing, I'll do it." She pushed Jack out of her way and stepped down the stairs into the tunnel, muttering about cowardly pirates as she went.

Jack and Davies exchanged glances, shrugged and followed after her.

Will and Elizabeth looked at each other in disgust and sighed.

"Here we go again!"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this post. I hope I am setting the scene for how our heroes and heroines (or should I say pirates and uh...piratesses?) are going to interact with each other. I'm big into making them sound...well...funny. Am I doing a good job! Please R/R! I just love to hear from you guys! THANKS

-Gwenneth