The glare of sunlight woke Alicia. Her head throbbed, her chest hurt, and the room felt as if it were moving. No wonder she had such a horrid dream... She was sick.

She reached across the bed for her glasses —— which should have been lying on the nightstand. She nearly fell off the bed, however. Her nightstand was missing.

"I must be losing it..." With a groan, she struggled to get back onto the bed fully. The entire room was one big, brown blur. "I need my glasses..." She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. 'Bah!'

Her body was still throbbing. She let her eyes drift closed. Maybe she'd feel better if she had some more sleep...

(-Bang-) The door to her room slammed against the wall behind it. A blurry figure stood in the entryway, panting heavily. "Aye, Cap'n, she's still 'ere." The decidedly male voice called out hoarsely. Alicia could here the sound of gunfire from behind the man in the doorway.

Her scientific mind couldn't grasp what her senses were telling her. If only she had her glasses... She'd be able to clear up all the questions she had about the situation. "Excuse me." Her tone was soft, nervous. She cleared her throat, getting into her Dark Denizen mindset. "Do you mind telling me who you are? And perhaps where we are...? Or at least help me find my glasses. I seem to have lost them." She put her tough—girl air on. The Dark Denizen was going to handle things for now...

"The name's Gibbs. 'M th' Quartermaster o' this here ship... As t' where we are... I'm no' right sure. We're on the open seas somewhere. The' Cap'n's not told us our destination, yet." Familiarity hit Alicia. Gibbs?... 'And let me guess, the Captain's name is'

"Captain Jack Sparrow." The voice of many a fan—girl's dream came from somewhere near Gibbs. "Glad to see you've rejoined the ranks of the livin'. We were beginning to think you'd sleep to death..." Alicia nearly melted at the sound of that drunken speech. If only she could see him. "When Anamaria rescued you, something fell from your person. Now, I'm usually a very dishonest man... But I couldn't figure out what it was, or of what importance it was, so..."

The sound of her glasses landing on the bedding by her leg caught her off—guard. This was turning out to be the strangest dream in her recollection. At least she could see her beloved Jack, now. After a few moments of feeling around for her spectacles, they were finally once more perched at the end of her pert nose. "By the Gods..." With her sight returned, she could properly see her surroundings. Jack leaned against the wall closest to the door. Gibbs stood all but blocking the aforementioned door, superstitious fear etched in his sea—worn features. A DD smirk slipped as the old pirate crossed his chest. As if she was evil...

"Luv, you'll 'ave to excuse me mate here. He's a sailor. A superstitious lot, all of 'em. He's no exception." The sparsely decorated room matched the description she wrote in her summary. Though, the decorous design of the chairs was a bit more ornate than she had thought... Then a thought struck her. 'Be careful what you wish for...' glancing down at her clothing, she noticed that she was still in her own (damp) clothing. At least they didn't change her in her sleep like Mary—Sue.

A few other discrepancies floated to her pounding head. Like her OFC was rescued by Norrington, not Jack... Not that she was complaining. Actually, the difference was for the better.

Well, except for the minor details, like unsanitary conditions and lack of clean water. Alicia Abraham was definitely not the scouting type. The only time she'd ever been camping, she stayed in a log cabin. And even that was a stretch... A whole week without her beloved Anime or Sci-Fi... It was Hellacious. She spent nearly every waking moment reading or searching for demonic entities. At least the camping trip had books and working amenities. She could almost see the Sim—like green fumes drifting off her body. Gods what she wouldn't do for a nice hot shower and her laptop...

A tremendous wave shook the ship, returning her to the present... Past...? Whatever. "'Scuse me a moment." Jack left —— presumably to return to manning the helm. Gibbs hurriedly followed, the door swinging shut behind him. He was probably afraid to be alone with her... After all, she just all but shouted that she was a Witch to him. The sound of a cannon being fired echoed in the room.

Curiosity over who the crew of The Black Pearl was fighting got the better of her, so she got to her feet, eager to explore her surroundings. The movement of the ship was a challenge to keep balance on —— in fact she nearly fell a number of times —— but she eventually reached the door. Clinging to the wall as her life—line, she opened the door a crack. Smoke fogged the scene —— which was one of immense violence. All over, guns flashed, as opposing sides continued fighting. People lay everywhere... Some were only wounded, clutching their injuries with their dirty hands. Many more lay there dead, blood pooling beneath their still forms. A blue—coated soldier tumbled down the stairs toward her, a knife embedded in his chest. Before Alicia had a chance to even react, the soldier fell into the door, swinging it open.

An involuntary scream slipped from her as the soldier landed at her feet. She thought she was used to blood... She was obsessed with Alucard (to the point of attempting Vampyrism with her goth friend in junior high), how much more used to blood could you get? But the sight of the dieing man in front of her made her queasy. "Guess I'm not gonna get to become the next Scully after all..."

With effort, the man pushed himself to a kneeling position. Instinctively, Alicia helped him to the bed. Something about him seemed familiar —— she recognized him from the movie, though she couldn't recall exactly who he was —— but she put trying to figure out who he was aside until she knew whether he was going to live or die.

She had a rudimentary knowledge of medicine (after all, she wanted to be a forensic pathologist when she finished school), most likely better than a majority of the people above—deck. Upon a closer inspection, the knife wound wasn't as bad as she thought. The blade was embedded to the hilt, but it missed anything vital. She tore off the edge of her black cotton tee—shirt, wadding it up before quickly removing the weapon. As soon as the knife was clear of the flesh, she pressed the fabric firmly against the open wound. "I could use some help about now..." She whispered under her breath.

With one hand holding the cloth against his wound, she used the knife she pulled from his body to cut the cloth away from the injured area. That way his skin wouldn't heal over his shirt and jacket, and she'd also have more cloth to wrap the wound with... Somehow, she doubted Jack would give her supplies to tend to an enemy soldier...

From the door behind her, she heard a gasp, followed by another familiar voice. "Gillette..." The sound of footsteps told her that the man was approaching. "Miss..." His voice was now right behind her.

"With your knife, cut this cloth into two inch strips." She didn't even bother turning, she just tossed the cut up shirt and jacket behind her. "He was lucky. The knife only pierced his right shoulder... It may take a while 'til he can use that arm —— if he ever regains the use at all —— but at least he'll live." She reached her left hand behind her, right one still keeping pressure on the wound. 'Alicia vanished somewhere between the door and the bed, Dark Denizen was the one giving the orders...' Alicia told herself.

A few strips were handed to her, and she went to work making sure the strips of cloth would give enough pressure to the wound. She spent most of the time in silence, almost forgetting the battle outside or the man behind her... But when the injury was all tended to, she had no choice to slip back into reality, or whatever semblance of reality she was in at the moment.

-----+\\\\\+-----

-.--. . -. -.. --- ..-. -.-. ... .- .--. - . .-. ..-. --- ..- .-. -.--.-

What do you know? It actually is a PotC fic... And you were getting worried that it wasn't... This A/N will, per usual (for this fic at least), be short. Alicia is NOT schitzo — Multiple-Personality-Disorder — Psychotic... She actually just uses the Dark Denizen persona as an excuse to act as she normally wouldn't. MPD is a defence mechanism, yes, but the person suffering from MPD isn't aware of what their other personalities do, or (sometimes) even that they have alternate personalities. Each personality has different memories, experiences, name, posture, mentality, walk, (sometimes) sexual preference, and occasionally even gender... Alicia is quite aware of what she does as DD, and is still herself. DD is just a mask of sorts... Like being an actor and getting into character. You're still you, but now you act a different way, walk and talk differently... Dark Denizen is just a character.

Telomeric: (-Yawning lazily-) I thought you said you were going to keep it short...

Me: Can it. I let you in here, so behave or you're out of here...

-(Cue Hellsing Theme)-

Mulder: You forgot to put that in the last chapter...

Me: (-Sarcastically-) Oh, no... The world gonna end...

Fire—Claw: You know I'm usually the last one to say this, but lighten up... What's wrong with you?...

Ed: (-In reference to Fire—Claw-) Ooo... Pretty kitty... (-Goes to pet my vicious Black Panther spirit guide-)

Telomeric: I wouldn't touch her if you value your fingers... (-Stretches, obviously looking to steal the attention away from his ornery mate-) But I'm friendly...

Mulder: Wow... A pair of talking big cats. Fascinating. How do they talk?

Scully: (-Exasperatedly-) Mulder, you should know by now not to try to find reason in GG's psychosis... Her insane mentality can make anything happen here...

Ed: (-pets both of my felinoid Spirit Guides-) Nice kitties... (- Telo purrs and twitches leg.-)

Netalak: (-Glares viciously at my spirit Guides-) How dare you take my Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV away from me!

Remaining characters: (-Anime Sweat Drop-)

Me: Netalak, three things... One— you do not (!), and I repeat –NOT– own Ed... Two— your obsessiveness is becoming bothersome...

Netalak: And three...?

Me: What? ... ... Oh! And Three— ... Got any Rum...?

Netalak: (-Anime Sweat Drop-) Riiiggghhhttt... (-Gives the other characters an "I think my Master's gone crazy" look.-) Whatever you say...

Me: (-Lost in my own little world, the State of Insanity.-) Welcome to the State of Insanity... I am the Empress, Gothic Guardian... Everyone is welcome here... As long as you follow a few simple rules...

Scully: I think Alice has once again fallen down the rabbit hole...

Me: (-Still in Insanity-) Rule one: No flames... Insanity is made of highly flammable material. One little spark and you'll be facing a huge blaze in seconds... Rule two:

Spike: (-Finally appearing from elsewhere-) Did I miss something? Or do I not want to know...?

Scully: I've been here the whole time, and I still have no clue...

Me: (-SiI (Still in Insanity)-) What happens in Insanity is admissible in the American Court System... So, don't try getting into trouble... But your range isn't as limited here... Remember that. Rule three: All secrets are to be kept in the Secret Vault. Its location is, of course, secret... But you can make deposits in our Word Bank. All withdrawals must be co—signed by the person it is about (and/or the one who made the deposit). Personal secret withdrawals must be approved by the Bank's manager Mr. M. Webster. Merriam will be sure to take care of your secrets with the utmost secrecy. Processing of Trade Secrets takes about five to eight unbusy days...

Ed: (-To Spike-) Can I go to Insanity? It sounds friendly...

Mulder: This girl's got too much time on her hands.

Alucard: (-Sexy Vampyre grin-) I can change that...

Netalak: NO! (-Shudders-) That's quite alright.

Me: (-SiI-) Rule four:

Alucard: (-With his sexy Vampyre control voice-) I think that's enough for now...

Me: (-SiI-) Any (-Noticing Alucard-) Oh, hi Alucard... (-Once more in Insanity-) Any littering is illegal. Unless you're littering into a trash receptacle. (-Realizing Alucard is standing beside me-) (-Swoony voice-) Hii Alucard...

Alucard: I think you need a break... (-Lifts me into his arms for some... Distraction-)

Netalak: I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disgusted... I mean it's Alucard.

Telomeric: Just relax, Netty. Think of it this way: If she does him, she's not a virgin and won't be turned into a Vampyre. So she there won't be any chance of her becoming one of those "Freaks."... (-Rolls over so Ed can scratch his belly-)

Spike: (- Confused-) Why is that Panther talking? And more importantly, Ed... Get away from it before it mauls you to death...

Ed: Telo and Fire are nice... Well, Telo is... They like being petted.

Mulder: (- To Spike-) Don't inquire... You'll never like the answer when GG's concerned...

Scully: I'm just glad she went on her little vacation to her Land of Psychosis and left us alone.

Fire Claw: It's State of Insanity. And it is a real place... At least in this universe.

Telomeric: And so I get the last word... This is the end. Please leave a review at the door when you collect your coats... Gothic Guardian appreciates all the input she can get from her fans...

Scully: Fans? She has fans!

Spike: I'd be surprised if she had friends. Fans? That's just too impossible.

Telomeric: (Angrily to Scully and Spike-) Yes, she has fans. (- Directing back to reader-) Thanks!

Scully: I'd bet she has a ton of fans... They keep her cool in the summer.

Telomeric: Okay this is it. The end. I'm finally having the last word...

Ed: Bye—bye.

(-Telo curls up into a ball and starts weeping-)

Telomeric: All I wanted was to have the last word...

Faye: You just did...

Telomeric: (-Perking up-) I did? (-Faye nods-) Yay! Now nobody else say anything!

THE END!

Telomeric: NOOOOOOOOO!