8. The Phantom

Captain Rowan Scarlett was bored. A few lazy days off in Tortuga had been nice after the adventure in Port Royal but now she felt it was time for a change. Unfortunately she couldn't set sail to anywhere because Santiago wanted to find out more about that chalice and had buried himself in his books, but apparently he hadn't found a hint yet. Since he was not available for conversation, Will had started to plague her every day about when they would be sailing to Shanghai. She didn't have the nerve to tell him the tale of a mysterious chalice, an evil magician and an odd-behaving Norrington, and that they would have to thwart their plans first before they could even think about finding the boy's father. So she passed the buck to Jack Sparrow and told Will that they're only waiting for him to return.

"If he ever returns and I doubt that. Just remember the way Santiago had chucked him out." Will said gloomily.

Actually she doubted it too but that was no reason to confirm his worries. "Well he'd promised it to you and it's not up to me to judge if you can trust his promises, so you have to make up your own mind about it. Guess you know him better than I do."

Will paused to puzzle out the meaning behind her words and she used the opportunity to hurry off.

Scarlett had almost reached the harbour when she picked up the talk of two fisherman about a wreck that had been washed ashore at the north-western coast of the island near Cap Binauette. Well, that sounds interesting, she thought and tried to find out more information since an abandoned wreck was always an easy prey. Apparently no one had entered it yet due to the tide, but if that got around it would be overrun by pirates or any other adventures soon. So she had to think of something better than getting there by boat like all the others would try to, and she even knew how. She ran all the way back to Santiago's house and borrowed one of his horses. Unlike other sailors- or pirates- she'd always liked horseback-riding.

She reached Cap Binauette about an hour later and immediately saw the wreck; it had gotten stuck between the rocky cliffs. Approaching it she was startled because she knew this ship- it was the Gavina. Her head was spinning with all possible explanations for this accident but soon she realized that there was something wrong. The Gavina couldn't possibly have been the victim of an unlucky accident since the hull didn't look badly damaged nor did the masts or rigging. Yet there was an aura of death surrounding the wreck. A flock of seagulls soared up into the sky when she came closer and then she could even smell the decay.

They were all dead, the whole crew. Men that had laughed and drunk with her own crew once were lying blood-stained and scattered on the deck now, mutilated beyond recognition by time, weather and animals.

Scarlett didn't know why she entered the ship although the first look had been shocking enough to last for a lifetime. Maybe it was the absurd idea of finding a survivor or a strange kind of sentimentality that made her to go to the Captain's cabin. Or maybe she just had to see it with her own eyes that Capitano Escobar was dead as well.

For a moment she thought everything was all right because he sat at his table with all his nautical charts and instruments spread in front of him. Ignoring the tattered logbook she called his name. Of course there was no reaction. She stepped closer and touched his shoulder to see… what? That he was only wounded and miraculously lived long enough to be saved by her? Yet the splattered blood had dried already and you can't save someone from a cut throat. He was definitely dead. She felt miserable, sad and angry at the same time because of this senseless killing.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the companions way so she quickly hid behind the door, giving it a hard kick to welcome the intruder at the right moment. But it didn't slam shut and hit the face of someone. There was the sound of metal meeting wood and getting stuck. She heard a low curse followed by rattling and whirled round the corner to threaten the person with her sword, pointing the blade at the throat of- Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Hello luv." He had stopped tugging at his sword since it wasn't wise to make rash moves with a blade pointed at his throat. He looked rather stunned. Then a broad, gold-glittering smile flashed across his face.

"Oh no. It's you again."

"I've missed ye too." Although her blade was still aimed at his throat he spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture of welcome. "Come on luv, no need to tickle me with yer sword. I'm sure ye can show me yer affection in a better way."

"Affection?" She frowned and shook her head but at the same time she lowered her weapon. "What are ye doing here?"

"Ah, that's a good question. By the way, I could ask ye the same and add: how did ye get here? I didn't see a boat."

"That might be 'cause I came here on horse-back."

"Horse?"

"Aye, it's an animal with four legs, a mane, and a tail."

"I bloody know what a horse is luv, but why- ah, now I know! Alf's education. He was always keen on teachin' things ye'll never need when ye're to become an infamous pirate…"

"Did you prefer to learn things like that?" She cut him short and pointed with her head to the dead Spanish captain. "Does it come up better to yer black pirate's heart to kill innocent people?"

"Thought ye know me better."

He sounded offended and Scarlett knew immediately that perhaps she'd gone too far- but on the other hand, what did she really know about him? Could she offend him at all or did she just wound his pride a little? If only he wasn't be such a damned poser, exaggerated in his whole way… yet he managed to surprise her now and again.

"Now listen, luv. I saw seen this wreck and noticed it was the Gavina, so I actually came here to see if there's anythin' I can do like givin' the dead an appropriate burial at sea. I know that ye liked Captain Escobar 'n I'm sorry that he's dead but it's neither me to blame nor any other pirate, savvy. Have a look. What d'ye see? The logbook's tattered but ev'rythin' else's untouched. Yet any pirate would've looted the cabin pinchin' at least the charts 'n the nautical instruments, so this wasn't any pirate's doin'."

He was right and she'd been too blind to notice. He was also right that the dead deserved an appropriate burial at sea; this thought had come to her as well yet she hadn't known how to do it on her own. Maybe she should be glad that he was here and would give her a helping hand.

"Well, I'm sorry Jack. Apparently I'm a bit…" She broke off when she saw him approaching the dead Spanish Capitano like a tiger on the hunt, stalking closer without ever leaving his eyes off Escobar's hand that still rested on the table. There was a slight glitter of gold from one of his rings so she thought Jack was on the hunt for treasures. Annoyed she barked him back. "Bloody hell, ye're not going to plunder him before ye send him to Davy Jones' locker!"

Again she was wrong about his intentions. He paused and looked at her in bewilderment.

"Is there a problem between us, Captain Scarlett? Do you really think I'll plunder a good man who has helped to safe our lives?" Jack straightened his back and gave her an odd gaze. "There's a piece of paper crumbled in his hand. I don't know what you think but I'd like to find out what it's all about. Maybe it's a hint of what really happened here."

"Sorry Jack." she said for the second time within minutes.

"Aye, ye should be." He took the piece of paper from the dead man's hand and studied it.

"What's he writin'?"

"Don't know."

She was tempted to ask whether reading was one of those things he also never bothered to learn when he started to read aloud.

"Querida Capitano, el tiempo urge. El barco gris sobre que hablamos… Is that Spanish?"

"That's for me!" Excitedly she tore the letter out of his hands and had a quick look at it. Of course it was written in Spanish since it had been Capitano Escobar who wrote the letter.

"So what's he writing?"

"… the grey ship we've been talking about really exists. It's called Phantom. Appearing from out of nowhere it follows us and is swiftly closing the gap. Soon they'll catch up... I can't read what's next because the ink's smeared but it's quite obvious what happened, aye?" She looked at Jack with narrowed eyes and tried to control her rising anger. "This grey ship, the Phantom, what d'ye know 'bout it? And- more important- what did bloody Norrington want from you? He even tortured you to find out what? What is of such importance for him that he forgets all his good manners and begins to kill innocents? Tell me!"

"I wonder why nobody asks me politely 'cause actually I'm not such a bad guy. I'll definitely respond to polite questions." he stressed yet that wasn't the answer to her question and she didn't want to beg. At least not at the moment as there was a line in the letter that caught her attention.

It was about Santiago. She remembered that she'd asked Escobar once if he knew anything about him or his origin since Santiago himself never revealed anything concerning his past. "I know you will read this one day, so I have to tell you that I've discovered something interesting about a certain Miguel Alfonso de Santiago in a book. I forgot to show it to you last time..."

"Ye'd made inquiries 'bout Alf's past?" Jack sounded astonished. "Never thought of that."

"Mm, didn't find out much either. You know how reserved he can be, aye?"

"Aye." He smirked at her invitingly. "Well, Escobar said somethin' 'bout a book and luckily he hasn't as many as Santiago. So, are we gonna look for it, luv?"

"We're most definitely gonna look for it!"

There was this fallen angel's smile on her face again and suddenly he knew what he had been longing for these last days though he didn't know it then. That also meant Gibbs had been right on the point that he really wasn't cursed, 'cause if he was cursed he wouldn't feel anything but actually he felt quite good today. Nevertheless he didn't understand it at all.

Scarlett had already turned to the bookshelf taking out one book after the other and flipping through them. Soon she lost patience. It would take days to search them all for a hint. She wished Escobar had been less vague and specified in which book he'd read about Santiago. Of course this was too much too ask for since he'd been facing death while writing the letter and that reminded her of the fact that the atmosphere in this cabin was spooky. They were on a ghost ship and its captain was watching them with dead eyes. A shiver ran down her spine; all of a sudden finding out more about Santiago's past wasn't that interesting anymore but at the same time Jack gasped. "Now that's really interesting!"

He had been more efficient with his search, had ignored books about nautical things or those that looked untouched for a long time when he saw one which jutted out a little. A bookmark lay in it and immediately showed him the right page, a page with a picture of Miguel Alfonso de Santiago true to life. That alone wasn't really spectacular but the date was. 1492.

Rowan had the feeling someone was cutting the ground out from under her feet. Her knees became weak and the blood was roaring so loudly in her head that she scarcely was aware of her surroundings any more. She only saw this picture. She knew it was Santiago himself and not one of his ancestors who incidentally had the same name but this couldn't be. He couldn't be that old. No man has ever lived that long- provided that he was a man at all…

A bottle was held to her mouth and from a far distance she heard Jack saying. "Have a sip o' rum luv ye'll feel better then."

The golden liquid floated down her throat and lit a warming fire in her stomach. Slowly her senses were returning, bringing her back to reality. She remembered that Santiago had looked old the day they'd met but of course she'd been a child then and every grown-up had looked extremely old to her. Since that day it had always seemed to her that only she was getting older… like trying to catch up with him. But maybe her memory wasn't serving her right because she'd seen Santiago nearly every day during these last twenty years so maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her. She glanced at Jack suddenly realizing that he was still standing next to her with a bottle of rum in his hand and apparently in the same need for a drink like she was.

"Ye haven't seen Santiago for a long time so d'ye think he's changed- his appearance I mean?"

"No. He looks exactly the way I remember him yet he certainly doesn't look like he's over 200. I'd say he's well-preserved for that age."

"Ha, ye're joking. None can live that long." She ran her fingers through her hair thinking about it. Only recently she had started to believe in magic yet she had always known that there were things beyond reason. Apparently her whole world just collapsed about her and the person she had trusted most had cheated her all the time.

Jack shrugged. "Well think 'bout it luv. Both of us always knew that he's a little peculiar, aye? He likes to talk in riddles and does things beyond reason and I also guess he's somehow involved in let's say 'magical affairs' but after all he's a good man who cares a lot 'bout ye."

"But he's lied to me." she snapped defiantly.

"Nah, I wouldn't say that luv. Maybe he's only failed to mention it to ye."

"Failed to mention that he's more than 200 years old? Jack, he's a… damned I don't even know what he is!" In a complete turmoil she stared at the picture again as if it could answer all her questions. Santiago looked so familiar on it and yet somehow different. Suddenly she got it- it was the uniform he was wearing, the uniform of a highly decorated soldier. Once again she was taken aback and even more after she'd glanced through the article that was printed on the opposite page. "Apparently he's also failed to mention that he had fought for His Most Catholic Majesty of Spain at that time, that he'd helped to 'purify' Granada from the Moors by killing them and that this bestowed him the 'glorious title Slayer of Granada. So what d'ye think now?"

"Is slayer a glorious title?" Jack asked puzzled and shook his head. "Well, these Spaniards are really peculiar guys indeed."

"They're all stubborn, ignorant and religiously fanatical machos." Rowan put a scornful emphasis on the last word but she didn't bother to give him another lesson in Spanish history since she'd already told him about her own past and how her parents had been hunted by inquisition. A cold shiver ran down her spine realizing that Santiago had been part of this terror crew as well and had even played a special role in their evil game once. She knew that she'd never forgive him nor trust him ever again. For a moment, she felt utterly frustrated and somehow abandoned- until she realized she wasn't that alone; Jack had put an arm around her shoulders.

"What's this about?" she asked but her words lacked the usual sharpness and she simply accepted his support without pushing him back.

"I'm only trying to- what's this word?- ah, to comfort ye 'cause ye look so troubled." Jack replied as honestly as was able to and even managed to give an absolutely innocent impression.

Would he do anything without any ulterior motives? she wondered and then she decided not to wonder about his motives any longer. Actually she even enjoyed his presence now since she would have felt even more miserable without him, if she had to go through this all on her own. But was it so wise to look into his eyes longer than necessary to let him know she really appreciated his comfort? His dark brown eyes were dangerous as they tended to soften her too much and she already knew how this could end because it had happened once before, and she definitely didn't need this mess right now; her life was messy enough without him. However, he was close enough to play around with an unruly strand of hair that always liked to dangle into her face, his fingers touched her cheek, and she knew that he was gonna kiss her. Now wouldn't it be annoying to Santiago if she messed around with Jack although he had just warned her off it? Oh I most surely wanna antagonize him, she thought, and maybe I even wanna kiss Jack. Or should I resist?

"Stop it." she said all of a sudden.

He looked at her perplexedly as he hadn't done anything reprehensible yet… only thought about it. "What's up?"

"Well, it might be the opportune moment but it's definitely not the opportune location- we should leave the wreck. There're too many corpses around."

"Oh!" He raised his eyebrows and gave her an ambiguous glance. "Ye're lucky that the Pearl's anchored in a small cove not far away from here by chance. Fancy to come aboard with me?"

"Aye, and I'd love to see Santiago's face when he finds out."

Jack's smile froze. "D'ye mean ye're only comin' with me 'cause ye wanna annoy Alf? Why not hit him over the head with his past 'n ask him to explain this to you? I'm sure he's got reasons…"

"'cause I just can't stand seeing him. Besides, he's lost any right to tell me what's right or wrong, to judge me or- ah, I simply won't take anything from him anymore!"

He could understand her quite well. But no matter how you looked on it he still had problems with her accompanying him only to annoy Alf. That was on his mind more than it should be since he'd never wondered why women went with him (of course he didn't include the ones he'd paid for company). However, he was quite sure that no woman had ever done it for defiance. Somehow he felt that this wasn't right, that wasn't enough. He wanted more. "So ye're sure it's the only reason?"

Rowan just shrugged and looked at him like asking what else did you expect?

"Well… how 'bout love?" He couldn't believe it- had he really said that? The words had escaped his mouth before he even realized that they had been in his mind a long time. Now this was strange.

"Come on Captain Sparrow ye're surely not asking me to come aboard yer ship 'cause ye've fallen in love with me." she replied in a mocking tone obviously not believing either what she'd just heard.

"No. I mean yes. Am I not?" He was bewildered and didn't know which one was the right answer. Was he in love with her? In any case he wanted to kiss her but he'd wanted to kiss many women before so this might not be the best clue. However, this could be a promising start and maybe he'd find out more later on. She was just too close to him to wonder about such things and her lips looked much too tempting to resist… His lips were only about an inch away from hers when he suddenly heard the disturbing sound of footsteps on deck. Whoever the intruders were- this was definitely not the opportune moment to intrude.

Scarlett backed away from him and quickly drew her sword. "Yer men?" she inquired in a low voice.

He shook his head. His men wouldn't have dared to disobey his orders. "Don't do anything stupid luv. I'm gonna have a look and be back soon. Don't run away."

-

Scarlett watched Jack Sparrow walking up the companions way, shaking her head. Bloody scallywag, she thought yet she couldn't prevent a smile from curling up her lips. He irritated her most of the time, was charming sometimes but nevertheless a pain in the neck as he was much too full of himself usually. Today he'd been a bit different though. She had appreciated his comfort and it had felt quite good being close to him and maybe it wasn't only for defiance that she'd wanted to kiss him.

All of a sudden she had an uneasy feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. She couldn't see what was happening on deck but she heard muffled voices and people scurrying around. Too many people since Jack was on his own. And nearly unarmed, she added mentally when she caught sight of his sword still stuck in the door. Grabbing it she followed him cautiously.

Startled she saw that he was encircled by a group of five persons in uniform who threatened him with their swords, and he could only defend himself only with his mad wit and some big gestures. It was strange- these people were neither English, Spanish nor French soldiers. They wore grey uniforms without any insignia and of a kind she had never seen in the Caribbean before. Nevertheless they seemed to have a reason to threaten Jack. Immediately her pirate soul yelled out that she had to interfere and help him.

She called his name and from then on all seemed to happen at the same time. Jack managed to grab the sword she had thrown to him but he didn't seem too happy to see her at deck. He gesticulated dramatically with one hand as if he wanted her to go back downstairs while parrying an attack of the soldiers. Of course she had no intention to stay away from a good fight at all when he was slightly overtaxed with five opponents at the same time. She would have loved to take over one or two of them. Unfortunately she didn't get that far as someone foiled her plans by grabbing her from behind and pointing a cold piece of metal to her head.

"Lower your weapon, Sparrow!" a cold voice shouted- Norrington's voice.

Immediately the sound of colliding swords died away.

"It's still CAPTAIN Sparrow, Commodore." Jack replied stubborn but he had already lowered his weapon. Unobtrusive he cast his eyes over the deck. Where's Gibbs?

Norrington ignored this comment looking thoroughly at his hostage. "So, whom do we have here? Well, if that isn't the lovely Spanish widow formerly known as Senora Rioja. Mylady, I must admit that you've changed disadvantageously since I last had the pleasure of your company."

"Well, and I can't claim yer company was ever a pleasure." Scarlett hissed infuriated most at all with herself that she'd been stupid enough to run into a damned trap. So Jack hadn't wanted to send her under deck but to warn her. Couldn't he have expressed himself more clearly than madly waggling his hand through the air?

"I see. Obviously you rather prefer the company of scum and that corresponds to my plans perfectly." Norrington pressed the barrel of his pistol tighter to her head and addressed Jack. "Your slut is under my control. If you don't want me to shoot her I'll recommend you'd better give me your compass right now!"

Jack sighed. "Commodore, we've had it all before. Why d'ye think I've changed me mind?"

"Because I am gonna shoot your whore if you don't change your mind."

"Yeah, ye just mentioned it. But why d'ye think I care about her? If she's a whore like ye said I can easily find another one in Tortuga."

Norrington got impatient but Scarlett knew that he was only bluffing anyway. Though he appeared to be ruthless it was still against his education and good manners to harm a woman. That fool hadn't even released the catch of his pistol yet! But did Jack knew it too? She was glad that up till now he had remained uncompromising especially since she now knew what Norrington wanted from him. His compass. Well, of course not just any compass but probably the compass that doesn't point north. The compass which leads to the Isla de Muerta. She didn't want to imagine what a led-astray commodore and a mad magician hoped to find in these caves- certainly not only silver and gold. So she had to do something to surprise Norrington before things could get worse. Assuming that he wouldn't expect a woman becoming violet she rammed her elbow into his stomach with full force, making him gasp. She used his moment of shock to whirl around on one leg kicking the pistol from his hands with the other. Free again she tried to get far away from Norrington and closer to Jack when the sound of many cocked guns caused her to freeze in motion. Slowly she turned around looking to the afterdeck where at least twenty of these strange-uniformed soldiers aimed their guns at her. Apparently she hadn't achieved anything except impressing Jack. Fantastic.

"Don't worry luv, 't was worth tryin'."

Unfortunately, Norrington didn't see it this way as he was really pissed now. He seemed to have forgotten all propriety and how to treat a woman because he gave vent to his anger and punched her so fiercely that she nearly knocked out.

A wild pain exploded in Jack's heart but since he was used to keep his thoughts to himself his face didn't show any feeling. It had never been so hard to keep composure though. No matter how he twisted and turned it, it all came down to the same problem. She was his problem. He was infatuated with her, was in love with her- loved her? Well, in any case he just would have liked to grab Norrington by the throat and smash his arrogant face, but that wasn't very wise since bloody Norrington needn't to know how much he cared about her. Besides, there were too many of his grey-dressed vassals around who surely would be against this idea. Maybe it was best to negotiate.

"Commodore you've already spoiled me day so I recommend ye let her go free and we'll forget about it, savvy?"

Norrington flashed a glance at him that could kill or at least scare any man but Captain Jack Sparrow. Nevertheless, even he felt a shiver running down his spine when he saw these eyes. They were supposed to be blue but now they'd turned black.

"Sparrow, you daft fool, didn't I make myself clear? I am the one who sets the terms and since I am also the one who has a leverage I recommend that you do what I tell you. So hand over your compass, now."

"Ts, never thought the Royal Navy 'd ever be in such need of compasses that they're even trying to rob pirates to get some." Jack shrugged and started to search his pockets.

"I warn you! Don't try to make a fool of me! You know exactly which compass I want."

"Don't do it, Jack!" Rowan cried out. "He's…"

Another hard slap interrupted her words before she could tell more.

"Women are only allowed to speak when they're asked to." Norrington informed her and closed his hand on her hair, yanking her head upward. She spat at him but a tug on her hair reminded her once again that she was scarcely in the position to quarrel with him. To clarify this he drew a dagger and caressed her cheek with it before he addressed Jack. "It's your choice, Sparrow. Doesn't she have a pretty face? Now, wouldn't it be a pity if I'd cut it to pieces beyond recognition just because you are stubborn and disobedient?"

Jack had to swallow hard not to lose his serenity, not to lay his heart open for all to see. He would have done anything Norrington asked of him if only that bastard wouldn't harm her. Yet none could ever guess his inner turmoil since his face had become an inscrutable mask and his voice sounded like usual, bold with an undertone of mockery. "Juss why d'ye make such a fuss 'bout a compass that doesn't point north as ye laughed 'bout it when ye saw it first."

"However, I want that compass now."

"Unfortunately I haven't got it 'ere with me. Must have left it aboard the Pearl. So release Rowan and we'll bring ye a compass that doesn't point north, aye?"

"Jack, oh Jack you're really amusing me. Just what makes you think I could agree on that?" Norrington said nearly cheerfully before his face froze again and he looked at Jack with cold, black eyes. "I tell you something and I will only tell you once; so better mark my words. I give you three days to meet me at the same island of the Caicos where I've lain in wait for you before. You hand over the compass and in return I release your whore. Did I make myself clear?"

"He's gonna trick ye, don't ye see?" Rowan yelled in spite of the fact that Norrington would hit her again for speaking when not asked to; he had already lifted his hand.

"Nah, I wouldn't do it if I were you." It was the calmness in Jack's voice which made Norrington hesitate and to stare at the pirate in disbelieve.

"I thought I'd made myself clear."

"Almost, Commodore. Am I right that you're in desperate need of a compass that doesn't point north?" Jack scarcely noticed Norrington's nodding since he tried to catch Rowan's gaze. Please look at me and don't do anything stupid. Trust me. When he continued speaking it sounded more soberly and not so slurred like usually. "Well, if you really do want something from me you better take care that you don't harm your leverage. So return her inviolate or our accord will fall through. I certainly have no interest in a disfigured whore."

"Three days." That was all Commodore James Norrington replied before he barked orders to his gray-clad men. There was something strange about the way they moved; Jack had noticed it before when they'd threatened him with swords in their hands. All of them acted the same, like puppets on a string and just as emotionless. At first glance they looked like normal people but somehow he sensed that they weren't, and that sent an ice-cold shiver down his spine. He just couldn't stand the thought of Rowan being in their custody but there was nothing he could do about it. And it even got worse. Norrington flicked his fingers and a ship materialized next to the wreck, covered in patches of fog that had hidden it. It was a bulky, grey galleon with lots of canons. The Phantom.

"Release the old man. We don't need him anymore." Norrington told his men and grinned to Jack when someone tossed Gibbs from the afterdeck; it was an evil grin. "We have a better leverage."

"Sorry Captain… couldn't warn ye…" Gibbs gasped for breath looking remorseful although there wasn't any reason for it. Sure, he was supposed to keep watch but Jack just couldn't blame him for not noticing a ghost ship that appeared out of nowhere and was shrouded by magic. A ship that couldn't be found until Norrington wished so; in three days. Yet three days were too long- much too long for him to stand knowing Rowan in the custody of odd marionette-soldiers and an occasionally black-eyed commodore. He wouldn't let her down.

-

"Once, we had an appointment for dinner but apparently you weren't too keen to keep it Mylady." Though Norrington spat out the last word with disgust he pointed invitingly to the table; it was set for two with finest china and crystal glasses shining in the light of two big chandeliers. There were also plates with plenty of delicious smelling food and a carafe of cooled wine. "We really should make this up today, don't you think so? Please, take a seat."

Scarlett looked at him in bewilderment. She would have been inclined to reject his offer if she were in a better position but with her hands tied and guarded by two of his humble gray servants, who looked like they'd love to shove her into a chair, she'd rather give way.

"Unfortunately you've proven too hot-tempered lately therefore you shall have to remain tied. I'm sure you will understand that." Norrington sat down and started eating, carefully dabbing his lips with a linen napkin whenever he drank a sip of wine. After a while he looked at Scarlett again. "I swear the roast-beef is delicious. Are you hungry, Mylady? Well, maybe you like to tell me a bit about Sparrow's escape from jail. Who planned it? Where did he hide? What role did you play in this little game? Did you spy for your lover? If your answers please me you mayhap get something to eat and a glass of wine."

Scarlett didn't bother answering but remained silent, unwilling to communicate. She wouldn't correct him about underestimating her, and he did obviously underestimate her. These things happen so she let him keep his illusions. Anyway, he wouldn't have believed the truth even if she told him because there were no heroines in his noble world, only heroes. Though he kept on babbling she wasn't listening to him anymore, instead she cast her eyes around the cabin. The room was furnished luxuriously and very British- at first look. Yet when you looked at it again one could see that it was as dirty and neglected as the rest of the ship except the canons; they were polished to gleam dangerously. The furniture was covered with a thin layer of dust, cobwebs were hanging from the corners of the ceiling and the crumbs of whatever on the floor were likely to attract rats… or cockroaches. She saw some of them crawling over the table and, at once, lost appetite though she'd been hungry before. Norrington didn't seem to notice- or didn't mind- because he kept on eating like an almost starved man. Of course he wasn't. He just wanted to prove that he could eat and drink as much as he wanted, and that she would get neither food nor drink until she was willing to cooperate. She knew that he would have loved to beat the truth outta her with his cat-o'-nine-tails he had so neatly placed on the table next to his plate like an unspoken warning. She also knew he wouldn't dare to use it on her, thanks to Jack's warning; that, they both knew. But, there were still other forms of violence; more subtle ones that got by without strokes or bruises. He had already proved it when they had come aboard. 'Search her for weapons', he had ordered, and his gray-clad crew had done so; they had searched her thoroughly, shameless, but definitely not interested in female flesh. However, Norrington had watched this procedure ambiguously smiling. Well, she couldn't have cared less since she surely won't be intimidated by a guy who eats cockroaches! Fascinated she stared at his fork while he bolted down some beans plus the cockroach, chewing.

"Abacas de comer una cucaracha." she informed him politely. It was hard not to burst out into hysterical laughter because he seemed to be quite content with her answer.

"Ha, it's Spanish, isn't it? So I was right to assume that the Spanish captain was your companion and helped you to free Sparrow. Therefore I was also right to kill him and his crew of miscreants." he boasted proudly.

He ought not have said it since she had already suspected that hewas the one to blame for the massacre aboard the Gavina. Yet hearing it straight out of his mouth was quite a shock. Escobar had been such a kind man. If only she would have known then what she knew now, she never would have asked him for help. The price he'd paid was just too much, too senseless.

"You're gonna pay for this, one day." she told Norrington, and her voice sounded calmer than she felt inwardly. He just laughed.

"Oh, now that really scares me. A little whore is threatening the Commodore- the future Admiral- of the Royal Navy!" All of a sudden his eyes darkened dangerously. He jumped to his feet and dragged her off the chair, one hand reaching for her throat while the other one grabbed her hair. Unceremoniously he tugged her head backwards and forced her to look into his eyes. "Don't go too far, slut. Don't forget that you're still under my control, and don't trust that Jack's warning impressed me at all." He tightened his grip on her throat but she just looked at him without a flicker, knowing that he wouldn't kill her right now. Eventually he let go of her throat and touched her breast; with a mean smile on his face he pinched her nipple. It was meant to be a warning. "Well, actually I don't even need to beat you; there are still other ways to break your defiant pride- in that you're very similar to Sparrow. Don't get me wrong, personally I am not at all interested in a pirate's whore but my crew might be."

Scarlett thought about it and doubted it, yet she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut. At least as long as she was in Norrington's cabin. Later though, after she was fortunate enough to be dismissed from his company, she gave it a try on the two vassals as they escorted her to the brig.

"Hey guys, if ye wouldn't shove me 'round like that I could be much nicer to you… if you know what I mean?"

"Mhmpf." one of them mumbled.

She made eyes at them and staked everything on one card. "Ye're two handsome guys, both of you pretty and strong… don't you feel like having a bit o' fun with me, forgetting yer duties for a while?"

"We obey and serve our master." answered the other tonelessly without showing any emotions- simply because he didn't have any. He untied her hands, thrust her into the brig and locked the door, walking away like a puppet-on-strings.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Though she would have been able to match them if they'd tried to take advantage of the situation she was glad that she didn't have to. Gosh, she was so tired. Any other day it would have been a triumph to see that she'd guessed right, that Norringtons servants really were scarcely human but just some marionettes subjected to his will. Yet today, today too much had happened; she had faced death, betrayal and humiliation. Escobar had only died due to her folly and Santiago… well, Santiago wasn't to be trust anymore. He had cheated her all these years by failing to mention that he was more than two-hundred years old and the Slayer of Granada. She would never be able to forgive him but, at the moment, this should be the least of her problems. At the moment, she had to face the facts; she was aboard a ship that was shrouded by magic and therefore couldn't be found until bloody Norrington wished so. There was nothing she could do about it. If only she wouldn't have gone to the wreck. If only she had told somebody where she was going. If, if, if. Now, none of her friends knew where she was, that she was held prisoner in the brig of a dirty, rotten ghost-ship. It was a dark and damp place; water dropped in from an unnoticed leak, wetting the straw that covered the floor. And there were rats. She could hear them scurrying in the straw, the sound of tiny claws scratching over wooden planks when they're hustling and bustling around.

Scarlett crouched onto a small bench, arms wrapped around her knees. She felt frustrated and mentally exhausted. None knew where she was- none but the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. He of all people had been the only one who'd offered at least a little comfort today, and she had accepted it willingly. She had even wanted to kiss him before things went dreadfully wrong. Thinking about it she wasn't that sure anymore if defiance had really been the only reason, but then again she didn't allow herself to let her thoughts roam into that direction. There's no need for it. She wasn't a dreamy girl waiting for a hero to come and save her, and besides, Jack definitely wasn't the typical hero. Yet, he was a hard man to predict and she still hadn't figured him out; there was more behind his madness than meets the eye. What would he do? Probably he would do something unexpected since he was always good for a surprise. But would he be stupid enough to hand over the compass to Norrington for her sake? After all is said and done he would, that's what she feared. And then things would become worse. It was too much for today. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears she couldn't hold back anymore and then she finally gave in, weeping silently.

Later, when she heard a key unlocking the door, her first thought was that it would be Norrington, that he would try again to break her pride. Relieved that her hair had fallen over her face like a veil so that none could have taken notice of her moment of weakness she wiped away the last tears and prepared for a fight. But it wasn't Norrington.

"Luv, are ye alright?"

"Jack!" She whirled up and hugged him, kissing him hard without thinking. Then she realized what she had just done and stepped back as far as he let her. "What're you doing here? You can't be here. You can't possibly have found this ship…"

"I didn't need to find the ship 'cause I was already aboard before it could sail away with you in Norrington's control. I just couldn't let ye down luv, savvy." Jack said cheerfully as he had really liked her welcome. It had been an unexpected yet not unwanted surprise therefore he didn't understand why she backed away from him now and why she shot him a furious gaze.

"Ye certainly mean ye didn't wanna leave yer whore to Norrington, isn't it so?"

"Ah, that. Well, let him believe yer my whore as long as he doesn't know who ye really are, Captain Rowan Scarlett. He may have heard yer name before." He reached out a hand to touch her face, stroking her gently. "Didn't mean to offend ye luv, just wanted to know ye're safe."

"I'm sorry, Jack." How many times had she already said it today? Suddenly she felt like a fool and started shaking all over.

"Luv, are ye alright?" He asked once again, taking her in his arms when she merely nodded, still trembling. There where so many things he would have liked to tell her if only there would be words for it. He remembered how startled he'd been when he came here first and the brig had been empty. Everything he could imagine Norrington doing to her had been worse than his worst nightmares, and it was just a relief to hold her tight now. Yet, she had been weeping; he could still see the signs of tears on her skin. "What's happened? Did he hurt ye?"

"No." She shook her head and shrugged. "It's just Escobar and Santiago… all that's happened, you know." Well, she actually didn't expect him to understand but she slowly realized that it wasn't really wise what they were doing here, and with that she didn't mean the danger of a kiss. That would be rather welcome but definitely not here, where Norrington's men could pop up every minute. "We should leave this place."

They didn't get far, just as far as the door, and then they froze to their tracks when someone laughed mockingly, clapping hands.

"Lovely, ah that's really lovely. The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow is so fond of his red-haired whore that he follows her everywhere, even to the brig of my ship." Norrington said still laughing, but it was a cold and sardonic laugh. He gave a wave and some of his men approached with guns in their hands.

"Commodore, why can ye never wait for the opportune moment? I swear, we were just on our way to give ye the compass, honestly." Jack smirked and reached for the pockets of his coat to pull out a compass. He opened it and stared at it for a while. "Well, it doesn't point north…"

Norrington grabbed the compass greedily, checked it, and put into his pockets with a content impression on his face; so content that it was almost alarming.

"Jack, you shouldn't have done so." Scarlett gasped utterly shocked but he ignored her protest and turned to Norrington once more.

"Now mate, you can thank me by givin' us one day's head start just like in good ol' times, aye? What d'ye say?"

"What are you prattling on about? I would never give you one day's head start nor have I ever. You Sparrow have an appointment with the noose and this time you're going to keep it. This time you're going to be accompanied by this little whore you're so fond of, therefore enjoy your last days. All I will grant you is that you're going to be undisturbed in this cell." With these words he locked the door and walked away.

"Fool! Goddamned daft, mad, stupid fool!" Scarlett yelled infuriated and gave him a hart push that nearly sent him to the floor. "Ah, you've made such a great job. Now we're both captured and bloody Norrington has the compass, and therefore we don't have anything to bargain with anymore. Great, really great. You know, I really like it here. I've always wanted to be in a bad smelling, dirty cell with rotten straw on the floor and rats floating on the surface of foul water that drops in from somewhere. Dead rats, by the way!" Disgusted she picked up one of them and flung it at Jack who had made himself comfortable on the small bench meanwhile. "Well, ye might not care 'bout it and maybe the Pearl's lower deck is as filthy as this one where even rats die in despair but I'm fed up with it. Bloody hell, why did ye come here anyway, if ye're only plan was to mess it all up? Why did ye give that damned compass to Norrington instead of…"

"Instead of what? Letting him shoot ye or cut yer face to pieces or torture ye? Nah luv that's too much to ask for, even for me. All I've ever wanted was to save yer life so please stop throwing dead rats at me."

"Ha! But we're still in this brig and this rotten ship is bound for Port Royal to take us to the gallows. Is that's what you call saving my life?"

He smirked. "Luv, you've forgotten one very important thing. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"How could I ever forget that! Gosh, I really hate ye when ye're so full of yerself, a selfish and arrogant wanker."

"Now you've hurt my feelings."

"Ha!" she sneered, taking it for granted that this was a jest. Only after a while she realized that maybe she'd really gone too far; maybe he really had feelings that could be hurt but she was not gonna say sorry again. "Okay, Captain Jack Sparrow, I assume ye've got a marvellous plan to get us outta here."

"Aye." He outstretched an arm, opened his hand and revealed a key. "Ye can take it 'n walk outta here on yer own or ye could try to trust me."

Scarlett was tempted to take the key and walk away, leaving him imprisoned. But that was just an ill-thought after an enervating day, nothing she would really do. Recently, they had gone through a lot together and there was no use denying that she had become quite fond of him- though it still wasn't reasonable to trust him blindly.

"So, put yer cards on the table, Jack. Why did ye give that compass to Norrington?"

"Stupid wench." he sighed slightly amused. "Do you really think I gave him the right compass?"

"But you gave him a compass that doesn't point north."

"Aye, I gave him a compass that doesn't point north but not the one that gives up the bearings of the Isla de Muerta, savvy."

She looked at him confused.

"Luv, it's quite simple to manipulate a compass not to point north."

"Oh, never thought of that." she admitted and felt like a fool once again; once again she had misjudged him thoroughly.

"Now, do me a favour and don't say ye're sorry 'cause it gets boring to hear. Instead, tell me why it bothers ye that Norrington could go to the Isla de Muerta. Don't ye think it's time to put your cards on the table, luv?"

Scarlett shuddered. So much about trust. Did she really have to talk about mad magicians and a weird chalice once again? Well, apparently she had to. She couldn't expect Jack to come out with something, gaining nothing but a shrewd smile in return. It was all up to her now. Suddenly she longed for the shelter of his embrace and cuddled next to him on the bench while telling her story, and he didn't hesitate to put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a stronghold against all kinds of insanity she revealed.

"Phew. Well, that's really interesting. I never imagined little Ratbone to be a mighty magician but I've already wondered why Norrington's so completely out of his wits, doing things he usually wouldn't do. Ye know, usually he's not like this. He's stiff- aye, that for sure- always concerned about the law and how to serve it best but he has never been a sadist. Probably he's possessed. He didn't even remember the day's head start he'd granted me once."

"Does it change yer plan, now, that ye know it?"

Jack shook his head, jingling beads in his hair. He reached out for her and touched her face. "This ship had never altered its course, didn't you notice? We're still heading for the Caicos. Dunno why but that's a fact."

"Probably it's a trap and they're after the Pearl. Wouldn't Norrington expect an escape attempt? He will suspect that the Pearl is never far away from where you are, sailing these waters and waiting for ye. Say, d'ye know where the powder magazine is?"

He understood at once what she had in mind though it was hard to believe that such a pretty face could make up such deadly plans. However, that was one reason he'd fallen in love with her. "So ye wanna blow up this damned ship, d'ye?"

"Aye." She shot him a wry smile. "As far as I know there are no human beings aboard thus we shouldn't have any scruples doing so, savvy?"

Jack smiled broadly and showed her the way.

The fuse was already burning when they reached the longboats and Norrington's humble servants discovered their escape. Scarlett grabbed Jack's sword, ready for a fight, while Jack tried to drag her to the rail, cursing. Worse than being cursed was only being in love with a mad woman who didn't even give a damn about his worries for her. Of course she didn't know because he couldn't tell her, because he didn't understand it himself. He was Captain Jack Sparrow and his only love up to now had had three masts and black sails. He had never longed for the woman of his dreams, the perfect companion; he had never begged to fall in love with her. Yet it had happened. And now she drove him out of his mind.

"Rowan, come here!" Jack yelled, dragging her once again to his side. At the same time he struggled to get the longboat over the rail and into the sea. It crashed down just before the first explosion shook the Phantom. He got hold of Scarlett's waist, lifted her up and jumped off board with her. Only when the waves closed over their heads he remembered that he had forgotten to ask her if she could swim at all.

They sank for a long time. Meanwhile, still sinking, Scarlett wrestled to get free from his tight grip and nearly knocked him out doing so. Immediately he let go of her, realizing firstly that they're probably both going to drown if he didn't, and secondly that she surely could swim. Alf's education, he thought and swam upward, following her. Their heads broke through the waves at the same time, both of them were spitting out water and panting for breath. Scarlett was the first to recover and she turned to him angrily.

"What the hell…"

Hell was the key-word because that broke loose before she could even finish her sentence. There was a loud, thundering bang followed by the sound of splintering wood. Then the night was on fire. Glowing ash fell from the sky and died away in the sizzling water; some bigger pieces of what once had been a ship rained down and just kept on burning like torches on dark waves. The sea was in seething unrest when the remains of the Phantom went down, creating a suction that almost gulped everything and everybody nearby. It was really a challenge to stay alive during the aftermath of an exploded ship.

After a hard struggle not to drown in heavy swells, Scarlett's fingers finally got hold of something solid… it was one of the longboats, floating upside-down on the water. She tried to climb onto it but it behaved like a wild, untamed horse and just threw her off, turning around again. Actually it looked much better this way, much more like a boat instead of a piece of wreck that the sea had spared by chance. But where was Jack? Relieved she saw him swimming towards the boat and helped him to get into it. Finally they were safe.

"Wow, this was fun!" she said breathless and gave him a kiss. "Apparently it never gets boring with ye."

Jack lay down beside her and couldn't help but laugh. "Ha! Usually I'm the one who's considered to be daft but ye're much better and surpass me by far."

"I daresay it's a compliment."

Aye, that was the way it was meant to be although he couldn't tell her straight from the heart. He fell silent. Sometime in the early hours of the next day the sun was rising like a glowing red ball on the eastern horizon, painting the world in colours again. It was only then when they saw an island. It was green, nearby, and the current carried their boat right to its beach. But in spite of it all there was no denying that they were still stranded on some unknown island.

Ellenar So things might get better for love sick Jack and there's nothing Santiago can do about it. And I want more reviewers next year!!!!