Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. And I borrowed the name of Luca from Final Fantasy X-2.

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I didn't know it was such a well-liked story! Jaynie Grace, thank you for the constructive criticism, but the name Quartermaine is from Sean Connery's character in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Dorian is from The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I just really like the name Camille even though it is French. Peter Pan has nothing to do with Depp's movie and I know that it wasn't written that long ago, but I thought it would be a cute scene to put in.

SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT

Chapter 18: Port Luca

It had been ages since any of them had seen land. The crew was practically going mad without having a town in sight to pillage or take any pleasurable company. Camille was now as good a fighter as anyone onboard the Pearl, thanks to the sword fighting lessons that Ana Maria had been giving her. It kept the both of them sane in between washing dishes and scraping the barnacles off the hull of the ship.

Camille had even begun to make her very own clothes, since all the mending she had to do had given her tons of experience. She had several simple dresses, and had crafted a female version of the typical swashbuckling outfit.

"LAND HO!"

The cry was heard, and everyone onboard flew to the side of the ship, looking with or without spyglasses. Cheers of joy shook the air as the crew began making plans already.

Hours later, they were docking at Port Luca. They had never been that far, and everyone was anxious to set foot in the town. Camille was wearing her trousers that day, and had her hair braided and held back by a green bandana. She had a white blouse on, with a sort of corset-like black outside to avoid any embarrassing moments if she happened to get water on herself.

"Camille!"

She whirled around, facing Jack. Together, the two looked almost identical since she had used mainly his look for the inspiration of her own. Not to mention it was much more comfortable than even the lightest cotton dress. "Yes, Captain?"

"I think it's high time you learned the tricks of the trade. And you will learn from none other than yours truly how to be a thief. We are going into Port Luca in ten minutes," he explained.

She nodded. "Aye." Their relationship was still unsteady as ever. Ever since her last moonlit chat with the captain, he had seemed to finally accept her as absolutely no different from any other member. And sometimes it made her happy. But there were other times when she wished that he could be more of a confidant to her like Ana Maria and Mr. Cotton.

She followed Jack into town and took note of everything he did. Every move he made, every look on his face, every sack of money he pilfered. She was able to do it all perfectly, and was never noticed once. They spent the morning walking the streets, seeing (and stealing) the sights, and by the afternoon they were sitting in a tavern.

"I have to say darling, your filching skills are quite impressive. Are you sure you didn't spend most of your childhood pretending that you were a scallywag?" Jack asked her.

"I'm sorry Jack, I'm afraid I can't tell you my secret," she said playfully.

He chuckled, getting up. "Would you like anything? Brandy, perhaps?"

She shook her head and waited for him to come back. While she drummed her fingers on the table, she looked around. The town was beautiful, and reminded her of Port Celebros except it was much smaller. And it was a very crowded town, as well. The tavern was nice and clean though, which was something she was not used to from such a lifestyle.

She did notice a few important-looking people walk into the tavern. She was able to recognize one of them as a man she had very recently pickpocketed. And the other two looked like officials of some sort. She ducked beneath the table, pretending to tie her boots as she looked at them. The man looked around the tavern, missing her but seeing Jack. He pointed and whispered something to one of the officials, and Camille decided it was time to act fast.

She made her way over to Jack, who was just ordering. "Excuse me Jack," she interrupted.

He looked at her tiredly. "One rule, Camille. The one thing that I ask of you-"

"-is to never come between you and your rum, Jack I know. But what should we do if a man and two officers are coming towards us with less than friendly looks on their faces?" she asked, nodding towards the men.

Jack turned around, and smile at Camille. "Ah. Then we run, love," he said, taking her hand and leading her swiftly behind the bar and through a door. They headed down a small hallway, and out another door until they were outside.

Jack looked around. "Now then, which way did we come from? Was it that way?" he asked, pointing in a direction.

"No, I think it was that way," Camille said, pointing in the other direction.

"Very well, then. This way," he said, leading her in a third direction. The men were now outside the tavern looking around, and it wasn't hard to spot Jack's and Camille's colorful bandanas weaving through the crowd.

They ran until they reached a number of buildings, and Jack pushed her in front of him and into an alleyway. Camille pressed herself against the wall, trying not to grin. Her heart was beating fast from running, and the adrenaline was pumping through her. This was so exciting for her; one of her numerous adventures with Jack.

Jack was kneeling, peering around the corner. He straightened up. "They're headed this way. Quickly, love. On top of that," he whispered, nodding towards a high fence. He gave her a boost, and she was able to get over it easily enough. There was another alley on the other side, and she looked back over. "Jack!" she called.

No reply. She got on her hands and knees, listening for anyone on the other side. She was able to hear the three men talking with each other. Jack must've taken off. What now?

She stood up and brushed herself off. Where would he have gone? She continued down the alley, and finally came out at another point in the marketplace. She continued to walk through, looking as inconspicuous as possible. Somebody brushed against her, nearly knocking her over.

"Hey!" she said.

"I'm sorry," the man apologized. He didn't even look at her and continued on his way.

She kept walking a little bit, grumbling to herself. Now how would she possibly find Jack? She reached into her pocket. It was empty! She looked back as the man stopped at a fruit stand, counting out HER MONEY. She began backtracking, but as she got closer to the man she couldn't believe her eyes. It was someone she knew. It was Will.