A/N: Yeah, I know I know, I probably have no more readers and the ones that remain want to kill me with hot pokers. I'm sorry! And, to make matters worse, this chapter isn't that long. But I couldn't make it any longer! This is just the only length that works. I'm sorry! T-T Now, I WILL try to update more, I swear! School's almost over, and I'll have my laptop at my grandma's where I'll have nada to do but write after camp. Hopefully, you guys'll get some nice PotC fanfic from me, along with some Constantine fic.

P.S.: I'm sorry! T-T If I have any reviewers left, R&R so I know I'm not completely horrible!

Leah: About time.
Me: Hush!
Jack: I was beginning to think Leah would be gaping till the end of time.
Leah: If she ends it here, I will be.
Jack: Doesn't sound like a very good time, really.
Me: Oh hush. -.-"


The Cove of Secrets

"The Cove of Secrets," it was a fairy tale, a myth that parents told their children to keep them from becoming greedy. It wasn't even a very realistic legend. But this was how it went:

Many, many years ago, there was a beautiful, kindly sea nymph. One day, this sea nymph was captured by a devious, vicious pirate who forced her to reveal all the treasures of the sea that were and would be. Bitterly, with no other choice, she gave him this knowledge in the form of a mirror. This was where the trouble started, for as the pirate captain went after the treasures, he was plagued by bad luck.

On his first voyage, the ship shipwrecked. On the second, his crew mutinied, and so on and so forth. Not only that, but all of the treasures were cursed, the first both blinding him but in turn giving him sight of only visions and nightmares so horrible not even Satan himself could have endured them long. Sunlight seemed to sear his flesh after he touched this cursed wealth, yet still the greedy fool went after the second. No longer could he communicate with his fellow Man after this, and one would have thought this to be enough.

But no. Still, still, he went after a third. His avarice was that strong, so strong, that he could not stop. He needed more.

And on this last journey, his last quest for treasure… On this last journey, his ship was hit by a terrible storm, one that seemed to outdo even Shakespeare's tempest in its ferocity. He was shipwrecked, his vessel utterly destroyed (his crew was long gone), and left stranded on the island of the last treasure. For once, he didn't go after the gold, but instead went mad, raging at the storm that he could not see, in words that no one could understand. For days, with no food or water, he did this, yowling and screaming like a rabid, wounded animal, hiding when the sun came out, shrieking in pain when its warm rays burned his skin. On the fourth day, in pity, the sea nymph came to him, but he was furious, unstable, his mind completely lost to the furious hurricane of his desperation, visions of fire and brimstone and demons flashing across his eyes. In a rage, he tried to kill her, but easily, she escaped.

Now, if the sea nymph had been anyone else, had been any less of a gentle, compassionate soul, she would have just left him to die then. Just left him to scream and rage until his body gave out. It was, after all, entirely his fault.

But she would not, could not, do that. It was not in her to be so cruel.

So she returned one day, and took the man too weak to even move to a nearby port, where the inhabitants helped him. Years later, he sought her again, and he found her. He begged her to help him, pleaded with the only being that could actually understand him. He implored her to free him of his curses and remove this greedy knowledge from him. He shoved the mirror at her, sobbed at her feet. In disgust and mercy, she took the mirror from him but was unable to destroy it. Therefore, she placed it in a chest, deep within a labyrinth of caves and ocean water, a cove. The key to the chest, she also placed within the labyrinth, so that no one could conceivably find the key and then go chasing after this treasure of all treasures, a treasure that would only lead to misfortune. Hopefully, now no one would ever be able to find and use it.

When she returned to the pirate, she told him that all of his ailments could very easily be removed if he just put back all the treasures he stole, every last piece of plunder… Except his power of speech; that would never, ever be returned to him. That curse would last forever, until the day that he passed away from the mortal coil and went down to spend the rest of eternity in hell.

After years of suffering and against almost-impossible odds, he finally gathered all of the treasure, and he brought each and every last piece to its original resting place. Steadily, the curses lifted, and he was able to see, able to go out into the sun, able to go one day without being plagued by daytime nightmares.

Yet he still wasn't satisfied.

He wanted to be able to communicate again, not with scribbles and hand motions and grunts but with language, with words. He was tired of being stared at, of being shunned and ridiculed and laughed at. So, once more, he sought the nymph and the cove at which she had hidden the mirror.

He found it, but the nymph could not help him. She would have, had she been able to.

But she wasn't.

What was a man in his situation to do?

For years, he wandered the caves, the nymph bringing him food and water, unable to simply leave him to his dark, dank, salty grave, even as he cursed her all the while. And in those years, he created a map of the maze, drawn in intricate detail. He found the chest, he found the key, he explored every nook and crevice and side-tunnel and dead-end of the deep, stony dark. Then, stealing the key away, he took his old, rotting boat back to shore.

He died upon reaching land, and the map and key were lost to the ages, presumably sunk into the ocean or stolen by some fool who didn't know the importance of what he had found.

And the treasure, the cursed mirror of the Cove of Secrets, was gone, lost forever. It would never be found.

This was the tale of the Cove of Secrets; it was a children's tale, nothing more. It was a story.

Yet here was Eric, telling her it was true. Here was Eric, nothing but a maniac, telling her that she was in the Cove of Secrets.

Leah was in more trouble than she had realized. If he really and truly believed that he had found the mythological Cove, home to the cursed mirror, he was completely out of touch with reality. He was completely insane. And if that were the case… what would happen to her, now that Swanson was no longer there to keep him at bay? What would he do to her?

And, more importantly, what would he do to her children? What would become of John and Claire?


TriGem: Yeah, Eric is unstable, to say the very least. He's just a bit… mad… in every conceivable way and meaning of the word. O.o His intent wasn't exactly to send a message to Jack. It was more taking out his rage at Jack on Leah. Plus, he's bloody UNSTABLE, so there we go. Swanson sorta keeps him rooted to reality and keeps him from completely losing it. As for what Eric and Swanon want… Jack REALLY should have told Leah in the first place. A lot of this is his fault, but not the whole thing. Eric and Swanson don't have to do any of this. They're just… evil… though Jack isn't exactly making matters any better. As for what Jack's gonna do, what they're after, and alla that… you'll see (if you're still reading this, that is O.o) :P

And don't worry about ranting. I love ranting reviews. Long reviews make me happy. XD

Xaris: Er, well no, they're not gay. They're bi… but either way I don't really think that's an ew situation. O.o I'm bi meself… (Blinks)

Neytari: I wasn't sadistic! Just… not a very good girl. I'm sorry! Hopefully this chapter makes up for it somewhat.

Jinxd: LOL Sure, if Leah dies, you can have Jack, though that's a very mean way to look at it! ;) Glad you likethed me writing style, though. I'm afraid, however, things aren't going to improve very much very soon.

M-Sparrow: Yeek, I'm sorry for the delay! T-T I'm so very horrible at updating it's ridiculous. And I'm just lucky that my school doesn't give out homework that I can't do at midnight. :P Glad yousa likethed the character development, as I don't want my characters to be all one-dimensional. I like them believable. As for them being reunited, they will be, dontcha worry. They will see each other again.

Kizume: Yeah, those two need to be shot… or something… I like the oil idea. Oh yeek, midyears? O.o I'm about to take finals… I really HAVEN'T updated in forever. And so long no see, I haven't been able to use your betaing pen for this chappie! T-T It makes me very sad.

Vagrant: "ROFLOLLAHBHATWBICSH" means "Rolls on floor laughing out loud like a hyena bashing head at the wall but I can't stop help!" :P I learned it from my friend, might have added some more I knew in there.