Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. If I did, we'd living in a mansion together in the Caribbean.

AN: Okay, lots of people aren't going to like the story from here to almost the end because it kind of goes all sad and depressing. However, conflict is needed to make the story interesting, and I hope that people will stick with me until the very last chapter. Thanks ahead of time, and enjoy!

Chapter 7: Right Actions Can Turn Wrong:

Two Weeks Later: Ellie's POV:

"Land ho!" cried a voice from the deck. Cheers greeted the words and the crew began running back and forth like eager children.

I chuckled a little and leaned back on the bed. It was pleasantly cool in the Captain's Cabin, and I didn't have to leave it if I wasn't needed or didn't have to. The lists of plunder and their worth had been handed out to the crew, Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Cotton had the supply list I had managed to draw up last night, and we weren't due to loot another ship for a few days, so I was now able to relax and enjoy the cool and calm air of the cabin by myself.

As I lay on the bed, closing my eyes for a brief moment, I heard Jack yelling orders in a chipper voice that had become more frequent. It really was astounding how a man can change in six weeks. I never would have thought of Jack having a softer side, but it evidently existed. He tried everything to make my permanent stay here comfortable and to keep me sheltered from the violence and killing a pirate does, and I couldn't help but feel thankful towards him, despite my being dragged here by force.

Even Mr. Gibbs and the crew noticed the change in their captain, and I heard them whisper that it was like the Captain had gone back to 'the way he was before'…whatever that meant. It was touching to see everyone onboard become more like a close family instead of harboring the distant relationships they'd once had. Jack had said it had everything to do with me and with my presence onboard the Pearl, but I simply laughed it off and gave him a playful nudge in the shoulder before walking off.

"Ellie?" called a voice before knocking on the door.

'Speak of the devil,' I thought, smiling at the sound of Jack's voice. Out loud, I said, "You can come in, Jack, it's alright."

The door opened and Jack quickly slipped inside, a wide grin plastered all over his face. "We'll be arriving in Port Daniels soon," he said, looking down at my prone position on the bed. "Will you be joining us ashore, or stay here all by your lonesome?"

I frowned a little in thought. I really didn't like the pirate ports we'd been to, and had only gone into one town during my time here on the Pearl. Although Jack's crew was decent to me, I wasn't stupid or naïve enough to believe that all pirates would be the same way, so I decided to avoid the towns all together. When I'd first told Jack about my intentions to avoid all pirate hideouts, he'd simply looked amused (and, amazingly, understanding) before promising that, should I ever change my mind, he'd be happy to escort me.

"You know I how I feel about towns like this, Jack," I said, smiling up at him. "I'd rather stay here, if it's all the same to you."

Jack sighed before sitting at the edge of the bed. "You can't avoid pirate places like this forever, luv," he softly replied. "This is a pirate ship, and its towns like these that take up most of our visits, you know that."

I let out a sigh of my own. "I just don't think I'm ready, Jack. I don't know when I'll be ready, but when I am, I'll let you know." I smiled up at him. "I promise."

He smiled back at me. "Alright, luv, you stay here and I'll bring you back a little gift, how does that sound?"

I nodded and he gave me a brief kiss on the forehead before heading off.

Port Daniels, Author's POV:

Word spread quickly that the Black Pearl had brought its crew and its treasures to the small town of Port Daniels, and the people couldn't be more excited. The merchants and traders brought out their best wares and the whores quickly got out their best dresses and makeup, all hoping to impress the crewmen from the Pearl. The only ones who didn't need to break out their best were the tavern and inn owners, who always had their best drinks out in case of such visitors.

As Jack led his crew (minus two men who had to stay behind to guard the ship and Ellie) down the gangplank, he let his legs adjust to the steadiness of land for a moment before happily heading towards town. After walking about twenty feet inland, the crew immediately broke up to sell their swag, find someplace to drink themselves stupid, or to find company for the night. Jack, of course, headed for the nearest pub and, therefore, rum.

Now, Jack knew that drinking rum away from Eleanor was a bad thing, but he only drank three mugs while away from the Pearl so that it wouldn't smell on him and make her suspicious. Surprisingly, those three mugs got him drunker than the amount he'd had before Ellie had come aboard the Pearl. His lack of alcohol was beginning to take its toll on him whenever he did drink, but Jack paid no attention to it; he simply sat back and enjoyed these few moments of bliss before returning to the ship.

Jack was just approaching the dock harboring the Pearl when he saw Mr. Gibbs approaching with a rather roughed-up young woman with black hair and green eyes. "Gibbs, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred from the rum he'd had.

"Found her beaten up in an alley, Cap'n," Gibbs panted, out of breath from dragging the girl to the Pearl. "Thought we could give her a lift to a better town, after cleaning her up a bit."

Jack frowned, but thought it might be a good idea. Eleanor could use another female to talk to, so why not? He simply nodded to Gibbs before heading towards his own quarters, not realizing that a pair of jade-green eyes was following his every move.

The Next Day, Author's POV:

Moira had never seen such a ship in her life! It was huge, and everything was made out of the blackest wood she had ever seen. She was truly thankful that Mr. Gibbs had saved her and treated her wounds after he'd brought her aboard the ship. The old man was kind, but it wasn't him that her attentions were drawn to.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Moira sighed, looking at the ceiling of the cabin she'd been given.

She'd been told that there were only a handful of open cabins, and she was grateful she didn't have to sleep with the crew. Shuddering at the thought of having to sleep with a room full of pirates, Moira knew what said men were capable of. After all, she'd grown up a woman of the streets, and had been forced to bed several men in her life in order to eat and live.

'Of course, I wouldn't mind being forced to bed Captain Sparrow,' she thought, green eyes sparkling.

She'd had a small flame for the infamous pirate ever since she'd been a little girl. Her father, rest his soul, had been a sailor, and had told his little Moira of all the things the pirate captain had done, each of them as amazing as the last. When she was a teen, she'd sworn that if she ever met up with the man, she would do anything to have him.

'He's as good-hearted as they say his is,' Moira thought to herself, chewing her lower lip. 'He even said hello to me this morning and asked about my wounds!' She sighed dreamily. 'I could have kissed him right then and there, if that other woman hadn't been standing right next to him, watching us!'

Green eyes narrowed to slits. Eleanor was the name of the other woman, the one Captain Sparrow had his arm around as they walked around the ship, talking about some sort of list with numbers on it. What would a pirate have to do with such a boring topic like lists of numbers? It boggled Moira's mind, but what angered and confused her most was the brown-haired, blue-eyed woman who could make Captain Sparrow smile so easily with only a few words!

'What does she have that I don't? She's not that pretty; in fact, she's rather plain!' Moira gritted her teeth. 'I won't let some plain-faced wench get in my way. I've wanted to meet Jack Sparrow for over ten years, and I won't let this girl stop me! I'll get Captain Sparrow if it's the last thing I do!'

And she knew exactly how to do it.

Two Days Later: Eleanor's POV:

I looked up from my list of numbers and smiled as Moira entered the cabin, a shy smile on her face. "What can I do for you, Moira?" I asked, happy that the girl was recovering from her wounds.

"Well, I was just curious as to what the famous Jack Sparrow's cabin looked like," she shyly replied, glancing around the room. "Why are you in here? Do you share the cabin with the captain?"

"Yes, I do," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just don't seem the type who would share a cabin," Moira said, still looking around. "What's in there?" She pointed to a cabinet.

"Well, not much, just empty alcohol bottles," I replied, smiling at her questions.

"Empty? But I thought Captain Sparrow loved his rum!" she gasped, looking at me in shock.

"He did, but I've gotten him to stop drinking so much," I said, sighing. "It really wasn't good for him, and I just wanted him to live a longer life than he would have had if he'd kept drinking."

Moira simply nodded. "Well, I can see you're busy, so I'll leave you to your work." She gave a quick nod before darting out the door.

I shrugged and returned to the list of numbers in front of me.

Five Days Later: Jack's POV:

The Pearl had just had another successful raid, and the crew was having a party, one that Jack was trying hard not to participate in. Ellie was down below in a cabin she'd asked for as an office of her own, and Jack was doing his best not to partake in the rum that was so freely flowing. Eleanor trusted him not to drink too much, and he wasn't going to break that trust. Well, maybe bend it, but not break it! After all, it was just a little rum…

"Care for a bottle, Captain?" asked a female voice.

Jack looked up and spotted Moira standing beside him with a large bottle of rum in her hands. Smiling, Jack decided to bend the rule just this once.

Two Hours Later, Eleanor's POV:

Yawning, I left the cabin that Jack had given me to work and sleep in if I chose. He'd only given it to me yesterday, but I was happy to have a small place on the ship to call my own. Fortunately, the cabin Jack had given me had its own privy, so I wouldn't have to worry about the crew walking in at the wrong time. Especially during parties like the one going on tonight! Sighing at the thought of having to deal with hung-over pirates, I made my way to Jack's cabin to see how he was holding up to his promise of not drinking too much during parties.

I walked up to his cabin door and raised my hand to knock, but could hear odd noises coming from inside. Cracking the door open a bit, I saw something that stabbed me in the heart like hot iron.

Jack…and Moira…together…Jack looking up at her with glazed, drunken eyes…

That was all I needed to see. I turned and ran to the galley, snatching up as much food and water as I could get my hands on before locking myself in my cabin. The food and water would last several days, which was good. We would reach Tortuga, another pirate port, tomorrow, but the food would be for my survival afterwards. This time, I'd be getting off this ship…for good.

The Next Day, Jack's POV:

About twenty crewmen with severe hangovers are never much fun to deal with, which was why they all stayed in their cabins to recover from the night before. It had been weeks since Jack had been one of them, and now he remembered one of the good things about never being drunk: no hangovers.

Groaning, Jack opened his eyes and saw black hair sprawled across his chest. 'Black? Ellie has brown hair, though,' he thought, looking down through confused and hung-over eyes. Wait, there was one person onboard who had long black hair, and that was…

"Moira!" Jack yelled, startling the girl out of her sleep.

"Yes?" she asked innocently, gazing at him with green eyes. "Did you want a repeat of last night, Captain?" she purred, trying to cozy up to him.

Jack jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes, furious with himself and his actions. He was lucky that Eleanor hadn't seen him, drunk and in bed with someone else, or else he'd…

"Get out!" he roared, tossing Moira her clothes. "You're getting off in Tortuga!"

Moira gasped. "But that's worse than Port Daniels! You can't leave me there!"

"I can and I will," Jack replied in a soft, but deadly voice. "If you aren't off this ship, I'll toss you to the sharks myself!"

The girl quickly dressed and raced out the door. Meanwhile, Jack searched for a bottle of water to wash away his hangover so he could get some sleep.

Three Hours Later, Ellie's POV:

The Pearl had just finished docking and the crew had literally flung themselves onto land to spend their earnings for the next few days the Pearl was here. I knew Jack was asleep in his cabin from the snores coming through the doors, and was grateful; it would give me plenty of time to get out of there unnoticed.

Sniffing, I finished the note I would leave with Mr. Gibbs when I left. The elderly man was the only one I'd told about my plan to leave, and he'd sworn to keep it a secret until it was too late for Jack to come after me. After he'd told me that, I'd hugged him, thanking him for being such a good friend to me during my stay here, and he'd returned the gesture, telling me that Jack was an idiot for letting a girl like me go. Presently, Mr. Gibbs was watching me finish my note, as my things were already packed and lying on my bed.

"Ye finished there, lass?" Mr. Gibbs asked, leaning over my shoulder.

I nodded, signing and sealing the note before handing it over. "You'll be sure he gets it when it's too late to follow me?"

"Well, considering I don't know where ye'll be going, ye can be sure it'll be hard for him to go after ye," he said, giving me a sad smile.

I returned his smile as I picked up my pack and money pouch. "Well, I'm off," I said, wiping nervous hands on my pants. "Um, are there any…respectable ships in Tortuga?"

Gibbs smiled. "Try the merchants' harbor," he said. "They usually go anywhere with little difficulty, and they welcome passengers who have the coin to pay."

Nodding, I hugged him again before leaving the cabin and, quickly and quietly, the ship.

Twenty Minutes Later, Ellie's POV:

I'd only been on land for a short period of time, and I was this close to being dead. A sword was presently at my throat, and three men were ready to take everything I owned, including my life. I knew I should have let Mr. Gibbs teach me the sword, but we'd never gotten around to it. I closed my eyes and waited for the end, but it never came. Instead, I heard five other weapons being drawn and three people being knocked out or killed at my feet!

Opening my eyes, I saw a dark-skinned, black-haired woman flanked by four other women, all of them with sympathetic looks on their faces. One picked up my pack from the ground in front of me and pressed it into my hands with a friendly smile. I returned the smile and clutched the bag to my chest.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"No need for thanks, just helping out a fellow female," quipped the dark-skinned woman. "My name's Annamaria, but you can call me Anna, and I'm Captain of the pirate ship called the Free Spirit. These are some of my crew." She jerked her head towards the other women with her.

"Oh, I'm Eleanor," I said, reaching out a hand to shake.

She took it. "So, what's a girl like you doing in Tortuga of all places, not to mention all alone with no help?" The female pirate had a look of disapproval on her face. "You should never travel around Tortuga all by yourself, you could get into trouble." She gestured towards the men currently lying dead or unconscious at our feet. "What were you doing before these fools ganged up on ye?"

"Looking for a way off this rock," I answered, sighing in frustration. "I was trying to find a merchant ship to take me as a passenger and get me out of here as soon as possible."

Anna's face suddenly broke out into a grin. "Well, we're off to sea right now. Care to join us?"

I was speechless at the kind gesture. How many people would offer a stranger they'd just helped a ride on their ship? "Well, if you'd drop me off somewhere, I'd be incredibly grateful," I said, hoping that the offer still stood and she hadn't suddenly changed her mind.

"Why not?" she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Becky, get the girl's things. Now, Eleanor, where do ye want to go?"

"Port Royal," I said. "I have family there."

"Port Royal it is!" Anna said, grinning. "Got some friend there myself, though I can't see them, they being all respectable and all. Now, let's get out of here before these idiots wake up and remember things they shouldn't!"

The six of us walked away and headed towards the docks. I was slightly nervous, as this was the same dock that the Black Pearl was harbored at, but the black ship was quiet, telling me that Jack was still sleeping and hadn't a clue that I was gone.

"That's the Black Pearl," my new friend said, jerking her chin at the dark ship. "I used to work on that ship, until the captain lost his bloody mind one day." Anna shook her head. "Couldn't stand the man after that, so I took my stuff and left. The fool probably didn't realize I was gone until it was too late, but then, Jack always was an idiot when it came to women."

I kept quiet, but nodded my head in agreement before following Annamaria and her crewmates up the gangplank and onto the Free Spirit. Soon I'd be with my family again, and I could put this whole thing behind me.

I just hoped that I'd made the right choice…but then, it was too late for that, now, wasn't it?

AN: I know that I usually write happy endings, but I'm going to go for a bittersweet ending this time, just for a twist. I hope you all enjoy it anyway, though. Please review!