Disclaimer: I own Swab, her mutt Atticus, and her pirate people, but that's it. The rest to PotC. I hope you guys like this ditty. Please read and review—and as always—ENJOY!

Three

Atticus began to bark loudly.

"Shut that blasted mutt up!"

"No! Don't hurt him, please!"

"I said to shut him up!"

There was a loud gunshot and then a shriek.

"Swab!" Jack sat up in a sweat, balancing himself on the hammock.

Three days and Jack was prepared to lynch himself. The girl was a nuisance—Jack even considered that the thought of being completely alone on the island was better than being with Swab.

Jack started to feel a little sorry for her and when he noticed a few more things of his missing. First his gun and now one of his prized rings. Sea must have taken that, too. Blast it all.

A misty morning Jack woke to—covered with salty dew and the heavy day told of bad weather to come. Swab was already outside, her dog barking as she probably stood at the make-shift look-out.

Jack rolled out of his hammock made from old sail and stumbled out of the cave. "Storm's comin' from the north!" Swab shouted down to him and pointed north to show him.

The skies were nearly black to the north. Jack gave a nod and looked back up to Swab. "Come down from there, lass, if there be a storm we'd better prepare."

Swab ducked and appeared from the crow's nest. She climbed down the mast halfway and then jumped down onto the beach, running to Jack's side. "I already did."

Jack raised his brow then looked up to see the palm trees closest bare, stripped of their fruit, and some of their leaves. "Good work then, mate." Jack patted the youngster's shoulder and turned, going back toward the cave.

Pausing, Jack turned back. "Ya didn't scream earlier did you?"

Swab gave Jack an odd look. "What?"

"Nevermind." Jack waved it away and then turned back to the cave. "Come on then, lass."

Atticus went running ahead, Swab following right after him, right past Jack, nearly tossing him off to the side. Jack grumbled and went on.

The sail was drawn taught over the cave entrance to keep the wind and rain out that was now just beginning. There was plenty of fish and muscles swimming in the nook of the cave, a stockpile of coconuts, and steamed crabs hanging up so Atticus couldn't reach them.

Jack sat thinking of rum and singing some chanteys he knew while Swab wrestled with Atticus. "Stop that now," Jack scolded, "if I get bitten you'll not be able to stand fer a week—the both of ya."

Atticus barked loudly when Swab let him up. The girl heaved a sigh as she lay on the sand. Jack noticed the bags under her eyes. "You look like someone took an anchor to yer eyes, lass," Jack remarked, "you should sleep."

The girl just gave a sigh and yawned. "I'm not tired."

Atticus nuzzled his master. Jack just laughed and shook his head. "All right, but not a long nap." Swab warned Atticus as she made her way toward her small hammock that she fit snugly inside.

Instantly Atticus leapt on top of the girl and she gave a grunt of pain, but then chuckled as the huge dog settled beside her, their hammock dragging on the ground. Swab turned, buried her face into the dog's fur and in no time she and the mutt were both snorting.

Finally, Jack thought, a moment of bloody peace.

Resting his head against the cave, Jack felt something jagged rubbing against his scalp. Sitting up, Jack turned and saw the name sketched into the rock. Marguerite.

Jack pressed his finger to the engraving, feeling his way along the letters.

"Rita!"

Jumping back, Jack blinked. Begad, this cave was creepy.

Getting to his feet, Jack started for his hammock, then heard a dripping noise echoing from the cave. "What in Davy Jones' locket…"

Jack started off into the darkness, his boots crunching against the sand. Without warning Jack hit face-first into a wall. Well, what that blasted girl so worried about?

Groaning, Jack rubbed his swelling nose, and then glanced to his left. Jack's eyes went wide. A stream of moonlight came through from a crack in the cave and there, dazzling at the back of the corridor of the cave was glittering gold, gems, and jewels. A pirate's dream.

No wonder the little snot didn't want him back here—she had a hoard of treasure! Probably the little guardian or something until that pirate she talked about came back.

As careful as Jack was, he didn't account on the sand beneath him giving out. Jack tried to grab the ledge he had slipped off of, but he went down with the rest of the sand.

"Captain!"

Coughing, Jack came to, the back of his head aching.

Swab's voice was desperate. "Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"I'm all right, luv!" Jack called up to the caterwauler as he managed to sit up and could see only by what moonlight filtered in from above. He saw that Swab was not far above him. "Have ye got anything ta get me outta here!"

"Hang on!" Swab called. "I'll get some rope!"

"That's a good lass!" Jack called, rubbing the back of his head. "Oy, Jack, you've got yourself in a tight—"

Jack eyed a small chest, it was the only one down here and it was on a ledge, so it mustn't have been just randomly dropped, but it had been put down here for a reason. Jack went to the chest, it was chained heavily with a large lock, and there was a name on it engraved in a golden plaque with fancy writing; Marguerite.

"Ahh, the lady's treasure. Corsets and lace, then?" Jack smirked, producing a lovely dagger. "We'll just see, eh?"

"I'm coming!"

"Take your time, luv!" Jack shouted. "It's not so bad down 'ere!"

Jack rammed his dagger into the lock and split it apart, the chains fell free and the chest opened slightly.

Gagging, Jack began to cough from the stench that came from the damned chest. Waving his hand in front of his nose, Jack went back to work and gently opened the chest—a rat squealed and Jack screamed in horror, leaping back as the rodent shrieked and ran off. "Get out of there!" Jack snapped. "Treasure's mine!"

Shaking the scare off, Jack went back to the chest.

"I've got you, Captain!" Swab shouted, then gasped as if someone had just run her through the mizzen. "Jack…no…"

Atticus let out a low, sorrowful howl and her eyes rolling back, Swab fell to the ground.

Jack could not believe what he was seeing. There, in the chest lay the dried up bones of two individuals—one a large dog, and the other a pirate. "Have mercy…" Jack whispered.

The faded long strands of hair still hung to the old corpse, and fancy jewelry lined her neck and her arms. No older than thirteen—the beginning of womanhood. Jack could hear labored breathing above him and the whimpering of a dog.

Turning, Jack ran back to where he had fallen in and began to climb back up. "Marguerite!" Jack shouted. "Swab!"

Finally Jack was able to get back up into the cave and made his way to Marguerite, who lay on the sand unmoving. "Lass, begad," Jack took the girl's face in his hands—she was dead cold and her eyes were glossing over, "who did this to ya?"

Atticus whined in pain.

"Let me show you…" Marguerite gazed up at Jack and then slowly lifted her hand, touching his wrist.