Disclaimer: POTC should sail right on down to Singapore so's I can own it all by me onesies, savvy?

A/N: Well, I'm glad some people like the story enough to coment. Thankye kindly, my most loyal fans.
Also, all the stuff about dream symbolism is correct. Correct as they are as far as surperstitions go, I guess.

Ana wipes the sweat from Squirrel's forehead. The girl mumbles and tosses lightly in her fever. Ana frowns in concern.

Jack and Gibbs sit nearby. "How bad do you think it is, Ana?" Jack says, barely daring to hope.

Ana shrugs. "It was only a slight cut, but it did get into the bloodstream." She sighs. "I don't really know that much about poisons, Jack, so I can't make any guarantees." She lowers her voice. "She'll have to fight it on her own for now." The Negro woman rises to her feet. "I'll do my best, for her sake."

Jack nods his thanks. Gibbs shakes his head.

"What kind of coward hurts a girl to get revenge on a man?"

"She's not a girl, you know." Ana says in a matter-of-fact way. "She only looks really young." She looks jealously at Squirrel's restless sleeping form. "Lucky little so-and-so."

"Really?" Jack raises an eyebrow. "And did she say how old she was?"

With a smirk, Ana tells him. Gibb's jaw drops.

"She's HOW old?" Jack's eyes seem as large as dinner plates. "But… she's… older than Elizabeth?"

Ana smirks. Squirrel shouts in her sleep and begins kicking and moaning. Ana tries to hold her down.

"She's talking about her dream." Ana says, concern etched on her face. "Squirrel talked to you about her dream while we were sailing to the Isla De Muerta, didn't she, Gibbs?"

Gibbs nods. "Aye. A lot of strange things in that girl's… Squirrel's mind."

"Care to share it?" Jack says, not taking his eyes off Squirrel's pained face.

Gibbs nods. "She said she saw a lot of snakes. That means she has a lot of enemies. Since they were scattered about the Pearl, that means they are the enemies of the Pearl too. They seemed to be dead, but it turns out they weren't…" Gibbs clears his throat. "Miss Grey's dream is a little complicated, and I don't want you to interrupt. That fair, Captain, Ana?" Jack and Anamaria both nod.

"Right," Gibbs continues. "Squirrel says she saw Ana juggling eggs, which cracked and covered her in blood. Blood, black people and eggs are generally portents for bad luck. Then she said there was muddy water, also a sign of bad luck. She also said there was Will and Elizabeth waist-deep in the sea, and the dolphins wouldn't go near them. Waist-deep in the ocean means good luck, and dolphins mean you will lose your lady love. But if they wouldn't go near Will, that means he and Elizabeth will never part." Gibbs pauses in his explanation as Anamaria calms a feverish Squirrel. Jack bites his lip, watching anxiously.

"One of the dolphins also apparently said something, but she wouldn't tell me what. But by then, Squirrel was swimming. Drowning, actually. And the dolphins wouldn't help her." Gibbs strokes his chin. "That could mean whoever fancies her won't ever leave her either." Ana looks down at Squirrel's face. Jack allows himself a slight smile. "Also," Gibbs says, "She said she saw an anchor, a sign of hope, while she was drowning. Then she says she watched herself drown… a white child, wearing a green cloak in deep blue water… All of which are signs of good luck, green being the colour of money. Drowning is said to be a sign of good fortune, though it scared her witless." Gibbs sighs. "Even as she told me about it, she seemed fearful and confused. She said she's been having this dream since she had lived on Tortuga, and it was only after she came on the Pearl that she recognised everyone's faces."

Jack looks at Squirrel and sighs. "Ana, do you think you could find out what kind of poison Smith's lackey used on Squirrel?"

"I could try." Ana says, wiping Squirrel's damp forehead once more.

"And Gibbs? Thanks for the explanation." Jack pulls at his plaited beard.

"Not a problem." Gibbs says, rising to his feet. "I could make some broth for the girl… woman… if you want. She'll need sustenance. Captain?"

Jack nods, distracted. "You do that."

As the two crewmembers leave the cabin, Ana places her hand gently on Jack's shoulder. "Don't worry, Captain. She may not be physically strong, but she's not going to go down without a fight. You know she hates to be useless."

Jack nods, dark eyes glinting. "If I ever see Smith again, it will be too soon. And I'll kill him."

"And I'll help." Ana says with a hard smile. "We all will. On the Pearl, we're all family. Aye?" She holds out the washcloth to Jack. He takes it from her, then nods.

"Aye."

Squirrel tosses, whimpering. Jack sits by her side, dabbing her brow, speaking softly to her, trying to calm her. Ana watches for a moment, then takes the poisoned dagger to another room below deck.