A/N: A new chapter is here at last! I am so sorry it took so long to appear, but I did warn you. :) On top of all my work I became ill, typical, isn't it? Anyway, my work load has let up slightly and I am back to full fitness so here it is.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who has been patiently waiting for me to update! I hope this chapter is worth it.


Chapter 25: Opening eyes

Port Royal was often misty in the early morning, a fine white mist that disappeared with the sun's first rays. Jack was the only member of the Turner household to be awake to see it. He had woken stiffly and was now paying the price for his less than conventional sleeping position. It had been worth it though, he couldn't have left Sylvia, not after all he had put her through. He sighed and the wind outside seemed to echo him. Jack propped his elbows on the windowsill and looked out at the world. For a while no thoughts came to the front of his mind and he existed in blissful peace but this did not last long. Nathan was out there looking for his wife, that was for certain. Jack knew the Pearl itself did not leave a trail but there were always ways of being found. He knew that Sylvia would be safer if he dumped the ship but that was out of the question. The Black Pearl wasn't just a ship to him; she was a symbol of all he had worked for, all he had fought for. He hadn't risked his life against a cursed Barbossa just to abandon the Pearl now. He sighed again and so did the wind, only this time it didn't sound like it had come from outside. Jack turned so sharply one elbow slipped and he ended up lurching towards the bed rather ungracefully but he didn't care. If the sound had not come from outside the room then it had to have come from inside, and the only other person in the room with him was Sylvia.

Her eyes were still closed but her face was beginning to take on the look of one who is on the edge of waking rather than one who is deep in sleep. She gave another sleepy moan. Jack took hold of her hand.

"Sylvia luv, can you hear me?" It seemed at first as if Jack's words had not been heard at all and he was about to let his shoulders slump in despondency when the eyelids that had hidden Sylvia's beautiful eyes away for so long suddenly rose upwards. Sylvia looked into Jack's face for a few seconds. Thoughts were not properly connecting yet. She knew she loved the man in front of her with all her heart but his name evaded her sluggish mind. Jack seemed to be lost for words but the way his hands had tightened around Sylvia's spoke volumes.

"Nathan!" Sylvia's voice rang out through the silent room. She tried to sit up but a jolt of pain made her eyes widen and her muscles relaxed involuntarily sending her back down to the mattress with a soft bump. Jack was looking bemused and a little hurt.

"I'm not yer bloody bastard of a husband," he said stoutly. Sylvia looked at him with eyes still wide with rediscovered pain.

"Where is he Jack? Where's Nathan? Is he coming for us?" Sylvia's questions streamed out of her mouth breathlessly. Her eyes darted restlessly around the room as if checking the shadows.

"We're far away from him now luv," said Jack, "Ye never need t' worry yerself about him again."

"But what if he finds us Jack? He tried to….he tried to…" The last bit of the sentence stuck in her throat. She still could not truly believe that the husband she had lived with for years had actually tried to kill her.

"If he finds us I'll take care of him," said Jack firmly, "No one gets the better of Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Sylvia did not smile.

"He got the better of me though, didn't he?" She drew in breath sharply as pain shot through her side. She let it out again slowly. "Where are we?" She had just realised that they weren't on the Pearl; they weren't on any kind of ship at all. The high ceiling and large windows reminded her of her home in England but they couldn't be there, could they?

"We're taking advantage of some friend's hospitality," said Jack. Sylvia's brow furrowed.

"Jack…?"

"I'm telling the truth, luv. Will and Elizabeth Turner are friends of mine, unlikely as it may seem." Jack cast his eyes around the room too and suppressed a look of distaste; it was all far too fancy for his liking. Sylvia's eyes were drooping again but she fought off the tiredness, she had been asleep for too long already.

"Are you sure they don't mind me being here, Jack?"

"No, they don't mind. Ye don't need t' be worryin' yourself about that." Sylvia felt her head settling back onto the pillow and she knew in a few seconds her mind would black out again.

"I love you Jack." And she slipped effortlessly back into the land of the unconscious.

Elizabeth was still dressed in her nightclothes when Jack burst into the bedroom, a grin illuminating his face.

"Jack!" Elizabeth hurried to grab something to make herself decent. "What are you doing in here?" Jack ignored this question completely.

"She woke up," he said happily, "That doctor of yours can work wonders."

"Yes, well," said Elizabeth as she tied a dressing gown around herself, "That's as maybe but…oh Jack, will you put that down!" Jack had picked up the gas lamp that was on the bedside table and was now examining it carefully. Elizabeth snatched it out of his hands and put it back where it belonged. Jack expected to see annoyance or anger on her face but was surprised to see she was smiling.

"It's nice to have the real Jack Sparrow back," she said by way of explanation, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed." She pushed Jack backwards out of the room and closed the door in his face.

After checking Sylvia was still asleep Jack headed downstairs in the hope of finding Will but instead he came across someone a lot smaller. Tom was in the living room staring out of the large window miserably. Jack had completely forgotten their last meeting until that moment and the feelings it brought back now were not pleasant ones. He thought about slipping away so that he could think about what to say to the boy but his escaping was crossed off the possibility list when Tom, perhaps alerted by the halting of footsteps, turned around. No smile lit the young child's face, there was no happy greeting or running hug, instead Jack was met only with a sad silence. Not one to be comfortable with silence, sad or otherwise, Jack broke it at once.

"You know where yer dad is, Tom?"

"He's already left for work," Tom replied in a polite voice he usually reserved for people he didn't know very well, not for beloved friends of the family. He didn't add that he had wanted to catch his father and ask him a few things himself but had arrived just in time to hear the door shut.

"Oh," said Jack who inwardly kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. He hovered awkwardly in the doorway then decided he might as well step into the room. Tom turned away and fixed his gaze once more on the world outside. It was another clear day. It was hard to believe that a few hours earlier there had been mist as far as the eye could see. Jack tried to think of a way to casually address the situation between them but Tom got there first.

"Don't you like me any more Uncle Jack?" Tom did not turn away from the window; he didn't want Jack to see him cry.

"Of course I like you, ye don't think that just because I…" Jack trailed off. It was quite clear exactly what Tom thought. Jack sat down heavily. How had he managed to hurt Tom as well? He seemed to have some sort of gift for spreading unhappiness. That was not a nice thought so he squashed it. Tom was still looking out of the window with determination. What Jack really needed was something to get him to look over in his direction. Tom was sure he was going to keep looking out of the window until Jack left, but that was before he could hear the strange clinking noise. He had to force himself not to look over at his godfather. The clinking continued, it sounded exactly like treasure being knocked together. Tom's jaw clenched. He wouldn't look. He wouldn't. His head began to turn; he just could not stop it. Jack was holding something that looked awfully like gold.

"Yer going t' have to come closer if you want me to show it to you," said Jack who was all too aware that now he had captured Tom's attention completely. Tom hesitated for a fraction of a second before he jumped down off the window seat and hurried over to where Jack was sitting.

"Hold yer hands out," Jack instructed. Tom did as he was told and Jack lowered the gold item into them. The metal was cold against Tom's warm skin but he did not flinch, he was far too fascinated by the colour, and the fact that he was holding real treasure, the kind that existed in his books upstairs. Tom remembered his mother explaining what a medallion was when they had come across the word in a story, and the description she had given him fitted the object that was now in his hand perfectly.

"Now, if I didn't like you would I really be giving you this?" Jack asked. Tom looked up at him.

"Is it a present?"

"Aye," said Jack. Tom looked back at the gold coin on a chain in his hand. He could not find words to describe how wonderful a gift it was so he didn't try. Instead he threw his arms around Jack's neck.

"Thanks Uncle Jack!" Jack, who considered himself forgiven, grinned.

"You want to know where that came from?" he asked his eyes glittering as they always did when he was about to tell a story. Tom nodded furiously, his fingers now wrapped tightly around his little treasure, so tightly it seemed like he might never let it go. He listened to Jack's story in thrilled silence and despite the fact Jack made up the whole thing, the little boy believed every word.

The next time Sylvia woke Jack was not beside her but she sensed there was someone else in the room.

"Hello Sylvia. My name's Elizabeth Turner. This is…"

"Your house," finished Sylvia quietly, "I'm so sorry about all of this. I…" Elizabeth waved a hand.

"Nonsense," she said briskly, "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't let Jack do whatever he liked in our house?" She said this with a sparkle in her eye and a slight smile on her lips. "Is there anything I can get you?" This was said more seriously.

"No," said Sylvia. She wished she could stop feeling so tired. It would have been nice to sit up too. Meeting someone for the first time while you're lying down is a terribly odd experience and one that Sylvia was in no hurry to repeat.

"I expect you have a million questions you want to ask," said Elizabeth as she sat down on a chair across the room. Sylvia supposed this was true, there were a good many things she wanted to know but she did not have the energy to form questions right now. There was one thing she wanted to know though, one thing that she just could not figure out no matter how hard she tried.

"How did you become friends with Jack?" Elizabeth gave a short laugh.

"I have no idea," she said, "Jack has a way of making people love him when they should rightly hate him." Sylvia found herself laughing.

"Is that what happened with you?" Elizabeth asked shrewdly.

"Yes, I suppose so," said Sylvia thinking back to the first time they had met. Elizabeth was studying her closely. Sylvia's voice was not the voice of a pirate, her choice of words, the way she pronounced things; they were the ways of a lady born into high society. The mystery deepened. She was going to ask a more direct question when the door opened and Jack stepped in. He looked mildly surprised to see Elizabeth in the room. Sylvia, however, looked nothing short of delighted. She stretched out one hand towards him which he took. Elizabeth excused herself, she had seen enough to be satisfied that Jack didn't just care for this Sylvia, he might even love her.

"He had to fight off twenty five vicious, blood thirsty pirates to get this," Tom said excitedly, "And he said they were all armed with pistols and great, long swords which could cut a man in…"

"Really Tom, that's enough," said Elizabeth. The pregnancy was making her feel weak in the stomach anyway and she did not need further encouragement in that area. "Did Uncle Jack tell you all those things?" Tom gave a small nod. He got the impression that he might be getting Jack into trouble but he was too honest to lie to anyone, especially not his mother. Elizabeth's lips thinned in disapproval but she said nothing. In truth, she was just glad that Tom had forgiven Jack so easily. She should have remembered that children may be more easily upset than adults but they are a million times more forgiving.

Norrington had only just arrived at his post when Gillette appeared. Resisting the temptation to roll his eyes, Norrington waited to hear what the other man had to say.

"We've been getting scattered reports of sightings of members of Sparrow's crew, sir." Norrington's eyebrows raised.

"Has the Pearl been seen?"

"No, sir," said Gillette a little dryly, "Sparrow himself has not been seen either. Should I issue the order to have any member of his crew arrested?"

"No," said Norrington at once. There was really no need for that at this stage. Gillette looked disappointed but said nothing.

"But if Sparrow is seen…"

"Of course, sir." Gillette paused and then added. "What about the Turner mansion, sir?"

"What about it?" Norrington asked guardedly.

"Well, they are friends of the pirate, it is possible…"

"That's enough. No one will bother Mr and Mrs Turner, and there will be no search of their property unless directly ordered by me, do I make myself clear?" Gillette gave one curt nod before heading off. Norrington thought he heard him murmuring under his breath but that didn't bother him. Gillette had brought up a good point, if Jack Sparrow was in Port Royal then he was most likely with the Turners but Norrington was a man of his word, and he had promised Elizabeth Turner that he would not allow the marines to enter her home again. Perhaps he should not have made such a guarantee but Elizabeth still held sway over him in a way no other woman had ever done and he really could not have resisted her. Besides, an armed search of her property was likely to cause her more stress than was healthy in her condition. Norrington satisfied himself with this, and tried to ignore the small part of him that was saying that it wasn't just Elizabeth he was protecting. As long as Jack stayed with the Turners he would be safe, Norrington could not help that now and he wasn't sure he minded too much.

Nathan's eyes were blood shot from lack of sleep and the effects of drinking his entire cabinet of glass bottles dry. There was stubble breaking through on his face which he had not bothered to shave. He had been wearing the same clothes for three days, perhaps more, he couldn't remember anymore. What did it matter anyway? He raised the bottle in his hand to his lips and cursed when he found it empty. It rolled on the floor unbroken when he dropped it. He sat up with a groan; the movement jarred his head and made it throb. He was just raising a hand to it when someone entered the room.

"We are approaching Port Royal, sir."

"So?" Nathan snapped, his voice raspy. The man in his doorway, a member of his crew for many years, pursed his lip in a disapproving way but answered in a perfectly civil manner.

"There have been reports that Captain Sparrow is there, sir."

"Captain?" Nathan repeated, "Captain! That man is captain of nothing."

"Of course not, sir. I apologise." Nathan had pulled himself to his feet. He found that he was sobering quickly.

"As soon as we reach port make contact with the man in charge, tell him the situation." Nathan turned, a truly evil glint in his eye. He would get his wife back, and he would make both her and the pirate suffer…and he would enjoy every moment of it.

Will's boots clicked on the cobbled streets. It was the only sound he could hear which was not surprising, he always left early to open up so he could catch the morning customers. He turned a corner expecting to see nothing but the closed shutters of houses and shops but instead he saw a small knot of marines. They were talking in low voices to each other and they took no notice of Will, they didn't appear to have noticed him at all. Will slowed his walking pace as he drew nearer to them, if he listened hard he could just about make out what they were saying to each other.

"The Commodore says that if we see him we are to arrest him on site."

"Easier said than done, I heard he…"

"Now's not the time for rumours and gossip. Let's stick to what we know."

"And what is that exactly?"

"We know that he kidnapped a certain Captain Spencer's wife, and by all accounts it seems that he killed her. This Captain Spencer is on his way here and he wants Sparrow arrested so he can get his revenge." Will's feet carried him away from the marines; he didn't want to hear any more. They had been talking about Jack and Sylvia, only they believed Sylvia to be dead. They believed she was dead and that Jack had killed her. It came as a surprise to Will when he reached the door to his blacksmith's shop. He hadn't realised he had been walking so fast. He unlocked the door and continued to mull over what he had heard determined to talk to Elizabeth about it at the first opportunity.

Sylvia still felt terribly weak but when she was propped up with cushions she could almost believe that she was well again. The doctor had told her she was almost certain to make a full recovery, a recovery which crept closer with every single minute. It was plain to see that Jack believed she was going to be just fine from the way he hadn't stopped grinning. Sylvia had met Will and Tom the day before, and she was beginning to feel more like an old friend than a wounded stranger. Jack had made it clear that he did not want her getting up out of bed until she was sure she was ready, but Sylvia was certain the time had come. The afternoon sun was shining and the sea breeze floating through the window was too much to resist. She had finally persuaded Jack that sitting in the garden would do her more good than being cooped up for any longer. He had carried her outside and now she was reclined on a bench in the sunshine with Tom playing nearby. Elizabeth had called Jack inside for something so for the moment Sylvia felt like she was completely alone. The sound of bees buzzing close by was louder than the noise Tom was making with his model pirate ship and medallion. The whole scene was perfect, but perfection is just an illusion and all too often something happens to shatter it into a million pieces.

Commodore Norrington greeted Captain Spencer the moment he stepped onto dry land. His first impression of the man was not a great one. Nathan's eyes were dark with tiredness and there was a lingering smell of drink about him. The abduction of his wife must have hit him hard. He certainly wasted no time getting straight to the heart of the matter.

"I have been told that there is a good chance Sparrow is here."

"We do have reason to believe…"

"Oh, spare me your pompous lecturing. Either Sparrow is here or he isn't, I don't want to waste my time." Commodore Norrington, not used to being addressed in such a manner by anyone, felt extremely insulted but he reminded himself that the man had lost his wife. These things were excusable under certain situations.

"We have seen members of his crew," Norrington explained, "But as of yet, no one has seen Captain Sparrow." Nathan viewed the man before him with great dislike. He was too fond of his rules, his position, what Nathan did not realise was that he was such a man himself, or he had been before Jack had interfered, and unlike Norrington he did not possess many redeeming qualities.

"Have you arrested any of these crew members?" he asked, "Interrogated any of them?" The look on the Commodore's face said it all. Nathan laughed, a harsh sound that made Norrington want to take a step backwards.

"You've just let murderous pirates wander freely around the place without making any moves to stop them?" he said in disbelief, "What kind of man are you?"

"The kind that does not make arrests without reasonable proof of crime," said Norrington tartly, "You seem to have evidence that Captain Sparrow kidnapped your wife, and if we see him he will be arrested at once but that has nothing to do with the rest of his crew."

"You think Sparrow did this all by himself, do you?" Nathan asked. Norrington could smell something strong on his breath and it made him long to turn away. In the event it was Nathan who turned away to count to ten. He needed to keep his temper or he would blow any chance of getting help. When he turned back to Norrington he had forced his face into a horrible smile.

"Would anyone know where Sparrow is hiding?" he asked. Norrington hesitated.

"The man took my wife," Nathan said and the tears of rage in his eyes served to make Norrington believe he was broken hearted over her fate, "He took my wife. She deserves justice for what he did to her." There was only one thing Norrington could do in his position, and it was the one thing Nathan wanted to hear.

"So that's why Jack has been so secretive about all of this. He knew the authorities were after them both." Elizabeth's eyes were gleaming with comprehension. Will, who had come home early to talk to his wife, looked worried.

"But they were talking as if Jack had kidnapped a woman against her will," he said, "I don't think Sylvia is doing anything against her will, do you?"

"Well, there's only one way to know for sure," said Elizabeth, "We're going to have to ask one of them." And before Will could do anything Elizabeth had marched off in search of someone to interrogate.

"Jack!" she called getting the pirate's attention even though he was in the garden, "Can I have a word?" Elizabeth did not waste any time. The moment Jack was inside she cornered him.

"Will heard something very interesting on his way to work this morning," she said, "Something about you kidnapping a certain Captain Spencer's wife." It was obvious from Jack's double take that she had hit on something important. Will expected his wife to look victorious but instead she said, "Why didn't you tell us Jack?"

"I didn't kidnap her," Jack said quickly. He had known that they would find out sooner or later, he just wished it had been later.

"Yes, yes, that much is obvious," said Elizabeth dismissively, "But why didn't you tell us that the whole navy has been put on alert to find you?"

"It might have put a spoilt the friendly mood, don't ye think?" said Jack lightly. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"You have a woman outside who is in as much, if not more danger, than you are and here you are acting as if it's nothing. If Commodore Norrington decides to raid this house, which he could do by law, then there's nothing we can do to protect you or her from…" Will had laid a soothing hand on Elizabeth's shoulder stopping her mid flow. This gave Jack time to speak.

"As soon as Sylvia is able t' walk a little better we'll disappear," Jack assured her, "She just needed somewhere she could recover. The Pearl wasn't the best place for that."

"No," said Elizabeth, "You were right to bring her here but Jack, I think you had better explain the whole situation to us, just so we know what we're dealing with." Will nodded in agreement.

"Alright," said Jack, "But yer not t'…" A scream had cut through the still air. Jack was out in the garden in an instant, his pistol in his hand. He looked towards the place he had left Sylvia but the bench was empty. Both Sylvia and Tom were gone.


A/N: A cliffhanger! You know you love them! I hope you all had a lovely Easter, I'm looking forward to hearing from you. :)

I'm not going to make any promises for the next chapter but I hope to make the wait shorter than it was for this one.