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Jack Sparrow was sitting on the tiny spit of beach, staring out into the east. With a sigh he stood, wandered rather aimlessly to the ship's bell hanging in a wooden framework. He studied it for a moment, but his eyes lost focus, almost as if he could see the rest of a ship surrounding it. Long, delicate fingers ran idly over the knotted rope, and after a moment wrapped tightly around it, the only outward sign of his tension.

Looking back out to sea, the bell clanged when he suddenly gave the rope an involuntary yank. The Esperance was easing into view. He squinted his eyes shut, shook his head hard, and opened them again. She was still there, dropping anchor now, a small boat lowering from her side even as Jack ran out into the warm shallows to look for a ship following her, farther to the south.

Sparrow was still staring when the dinghy was only a few yards away and tied off, the man who brought it in walking toward him though the water. He stopped a few feet away and held up a bottle of rum, offering it along with a broad smile in greeting.

"Good to see you on your feet, Jack."

The pirate turned to stare wide-eyed at William Turner.

"Where's the Pearl gone?"

"It looks like the other side of the island has some better wood –"

"The Pearl."

"- and I'm thinking that –"

"But where's the Pearl gone?" Jack had splashed through the water to confront his old friend, grab the lapels of his shirt. William offered the bottle again, but Jack knocked it away. It splashed and sank gently to the sandy bottom. Bootstrap looked down at it for a moment with some surprise, then put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"She's still afloat, Captain."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "But?"

"We ran into some trouble." Jack stood motionless, waiting. "Joshamee's taken her around the western side, where the trees look –"

Jack stopped hearing. He glanced quickly out to sea with futile hope and turned toward the shore. He had splashed a few steps when he stopped with a graceful spin, ran back and reached underwater to grab the sunken bottle of rum. Then he turned again and ran, slipping, until he reached the trees and the path that eventually led across the island.

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.

"Bring her about, lad." Will nodded and called instructions to the crew. Gibbs was at the helm, and the blacksmith was backing him up as they nursed the Pearl carefully toward shore. While she was normally a dream to maneuver, the loss of her foremast had left her seriously unbalanced. "She's sluggish as 'ell." Gibbs shook his head sadly. "I hope yer father's right about there being wood here."

"Looks like plenty."

"Aye, but the kind of wood is what we're wonderin' about. Can't have just anything for the Black Pearl."

Will glanced away from his study of the shoreline and found himself smiling at the old pirate. This ship had a way of winning the hearts of men, and if Elizabeth was any indication, women as well. He must have looked toward their cabin.

"How's Miss Elizabeth?"

The younger man grinned, looking down at the deck. "She's still asleep. The woman has no concept of pacing herself."

"Aye, and I don't think a man of the crew was working harder than she yesterday. A good hand to have aboard." Joshamee watched as Will's eyes softened their expression, looking toward the cabins once more. "If ye want to be checkin' on her, lad-"

Will startled, blinked. "No, no. Better she get her rest undisturbed."

Gibbs nodded and pointed toward the beach. "Let's get a sounding. See how close we can bring her up."

"Aye." Will walked toward the bow to relay the instruction, not seeing the smile on Gibbs face as he shook his head. Cotton walked over to join him as he stared after the boy.

"Ah, young love. Now there's a time I remember."

Cotton gave him a blank stare, and Gibbs bristled.

"What, are ye thinkin' I've never –"

Cotton shrugged, and the parrot squawked. "Dead men tell no tales."

Gibbs eyes narrowed. "Get back to work, ye sorry excuse for a pirate." Cotton retreated quickly as Gibbs yelled out toward the bow. "Are we settled?"

"Aye, Mr. Gibbs. We're about as close as we're going to get."

"Drop anchor and put the boats over. We may be here awhile."

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Smoke drifted across the deck as Elizabeth looked down at the young boy lying there. With a frown she leaned over to look at him more closely. He looked like Will, but not quite, something younger, something different… as she looked over the rail; she saw the Black Pearl sailing off, proudly fitted and whole.

Elizabeth gasped as she woke from the dream; it was familiar but strangely different. Sitting up and clutching the covers to her, she looked over to Will's side of the bed. It was empty except for a small piece of drawing paper, torn from his notebook. Picking it up, she read the handwriting she knew as well as her own.

'darling, you looked too beautiful to wake, so I took your shift. I'll be down for lunch or when we drop anchor, whichever comes first. –your Will'

Elizabeth smiled then, and her shoulders dropped. Shaking her head, she got up to dress, still thinking about the dream that had wakened her so abruptly. She was just tying her hair when the cabin door opened and Will walked in.

"Ah, you're awake. Good morning, darling."

They kissed sweetly. "Good morning. You didn't have to let me sleep, I was fine."

"Of course you were. That's why you were essentially unconscious until now."

"Will…" She would have gone on but he kissed her again, and she had to wait until she was willing for him to stop. "Really. I'm fine."

He brushed back her hair and his expression grew more concerned. "I know you are now, but I don't remember a night when you slept so badly." He tried to smile. "Is anything bothering you?"

Elizabeth took his hand from her hair and kissed it, staring into those gentle eyes. "Only worrying, I guess." She looked almost embarrassed. "I worry if he's alright, and then I worry that if he is, seeing the Pearl like this will kill him. The closer we get to Palomino Island, the more worried I am." Her husband laughed quietly.

"Sounds like you've been spending too much time with Mr. Gibbs."

"I know." Her eyes darkened. "Do you think he's alright? Really?"

Kissing her forehead, Will wrapped her in a hug. "We'll find out soon enough. That's what I'm here to ask you. Do you want to be in the shore party?"

"We're here?" She hurriedly snatched up her sash, and on second thought grabbed her sword as well before running through the hatch toward the gangway, leaving Will to trail after her, shaking his head.

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Jack skidded to a less than elegant stop at the turning toward the hut. He looked toward the western side of the island, shook his head, and ducked down the path at a run.

"Coqui?" Pushing aside the doorcloth he rushed in, panting. As he scanned the small room something seemed different, but he couldn't tell what it was. "Not here." He looked toward the door, frowned, and headed out to the grove of trees she'd been frequenting lately.

When he trotted into the clearing, she was standing among the tall trees with a calm smile on her face, her eyes closed as the breeze played with her hair. He stopped, watched her for a moment.

"They've come."

"Aye, love. But evidently there's something wrong with the Pearl." She opened her eyes and looked at him, his expression like a small boy that had lost his favorite toy. "Will you come?"

"I can't heal a ship, Zulee."

Jack's smile broke into gold. "I'm not sure about that. But come?" The woman looked at him for a long moment, and he gave her a worried frown. "Please?"

He grabbed her hand when she held it out, and started off again at a run, pulling her laughing along beside him.

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Will and Elizabeth reached the beach first, tying up their dinghy to one of the sprawling mangroves that edged the shore on the western coast. There was a long beach, but it was punctuated by stands of the wild-looking trees. Bootstrap had managed to pass Jack when he detoured to find Coqui, and was there next.

"Where's Jack?"

"He was ahead of me. I can't imagine that-"

Laughter followed a bellow from the wood behind him. Jack and Coqui burst out onto the sand, the pirate releasing her hand as he ran to the water's edge.

"He's alright!"

"Of course he is, darling. He's Captain Jack Sparrow."

Elizabeth looked at the woman of the island, and her expression became serious. She walked over to where Coqui stood, watching Jack splash out into the water to look at his ship.

"Madam?"

Coqui blinked and looked at the younger woman. "Yes, child."

"Is he really alright now?"

The woman looked over at Jack, who had stepped back to frown from shore.

"He's strong. But you know that."

"Thank you."

She nodded and gave Elizabeth a professional look, glanced at Will and back. "You and the boy are healthy." The woman's hand brushed gently over Elizabeth's forehead. "But respect your body with rest." Elizabeth's eyes widened for a moment but Jack yelled before she could frame a response. She turned to see him face to face with Captain Turner.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing we weren't expecting, Jack."

"But that mast! Where in bloody hell am I going to find white pine –" His eyes narrowed, and Bill shook his head.

"We're not stealing a mast, Jack."

"I didn't suggest any such thing."

"Your eyes did."

Jack waved his hands expressively. "Fine. Then what the hell –"

"Zulee." The pirate stopped abruptly, turned to look at her. With a cross between splash and stealth, he was at her side.

"Can you heal her?"

The woman laughed. "No, Zulee. I told you that." She looked over Jack's shoulder to Bill. "But I believe he can." Jack noticed with a surprised frown that she was carrying a piece of branch, and she held it out to Captain Turner. "Perhaps this will do?"

Bill took the stick with a polite nod, sniffed it, frowned, and broke it across the grain. He blinked at it a few times and then looked at the woman, who stood calmly. "Where did you get this?"

She smiled and pointed back the way they had come.

"That's right, there are some tall trees in the grove…" Jack hesitated as he looked at Coqui. "But they don't look exactly like white pine. Not that I'm an expert."

"This isn't white pine, Jack." Bill shook his head. "I think it's Douglas Fir."

"Never heard of it."

"No, you wouldn't. But you will." Bill motioned for her to lead the way and kept talking as they walked the path back toward the grove of trees. "I understand they grow on the other side of the continent, and down into Mexico." They walked for a while in silence, until the wood cleared abruptly into the grove of tall trees. Bill walked into the center of them and turned slowly, staring up at them.

"Will one of them do?"

Bill laughed. "I believe so, milady." He turned to Jack. "I've only seen pieces of this wood. It's perfect. Not too heavy, doesn't warp, hardly shrinks at all…" The carpenter walked around to examine the trees more closely as Jack moved closer to Coqui.

"Are you sure, love?"

She looked at him peacefully. "One of them will come down tonight." Stroking his cheek gently, she added, "I may be gone for a while."

He took her hand and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I know."