Chapter one: Begining

Year One

September–October

Else slowly stumbled into the small flat that they were currently occupying. She shut the door behind her, setting her bag down, and pulling off her cloak.

"Stupid piece of"– She mumbled, fiddling with the frog clasp, trying to be quiet, knowing Jack would be asleep. But when she looked over to what would be his sleeping form, it wasn't there.

"Jack?" Instantly one of the kerosene lamps went up, and Jack was sitting in one of the chairs, an eyebrow raised at Else.

"I didn't know you could curse like that, love." He smirked, then grabbed her wrist pulling her down. Else gave the token resistence, then allowed herself to be enfolded in his embrace.

"Someone's sentimental." She muttered, closing her eyes and leaning back. They sat there in silence a moment, bathed in the soft light of the lamp.

"What was it this time?" Jack asked. Else sat up, and ran fingers through her long blonde hair, undoing the pins, and allowing it to fall to her back.

"Whores." She muttered, getting off of her mate's lap, and turning to face him.

"Whores?"

"I am the only mid-wife on this damn place that knows how to...how to terminate unwanted pregnancies." Instantly, Jack was on his feet.

"Else! No, don't look away!" He grabbed the small chin and jerked her head around to look at him. Her gray eyes clouded over. Would she never stop yearning for a child?

"I can't help it! Why those whores are always getting themselves"–

"Else, you said it. They are whores. And if you have to go modeling yourself after one, well..you can go and"– Else shushed him, knowing full well he had nothing to say.

"Oh well. Why are you up?" She demanded, suddenly changing tones, it made Jack's head spin. She looked him up and down, then frowned suddenly, seeing him completely dressed.

"Im going." He looked away from her searching gaze, and pulled on his coat.

"For how long, exactly?" Her eyes narrowed. "If you are going after," But he silenced her with a kiss.

"Love," Jack broke away, and put his pistol in his belt. Else noted with dismay that it was the same one he had been given not too long ago. "In order to go after them," He ticked off fingers on his left hand. "One, I would need to find them. Two, I would need to find out if they are cursed, without dying meself. Three, if they are cursed, I have to wait until the are uncursed, if they ever are," Jack smiled down at her, and pulled her to his side. "You Else, are my forth problem." She smiled at that, remembering the day they had, before their world came crashing down in the same night.

Apparently his thoughts wandered to that too, for he scowled and all but pushed her away from him. Else suddenly threw her cloak back on.

"Im going with you."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." And so it went for five minutes, before she changed tactics once again. "Where are you going, pray tell?"

"England."Jack walked over to the door and opened it. "Please love, just...don't. I don't want you to be hurt because of my blood lust ways. Please, just...stay here." He gave her one last kiss, as if wanting to take all of her sweet and strong ways with him, then he was out the door. Else stood in the doorframe, frowning slightly.

She didn't know, but this was to be the first of many dashing off to places to she was not allowed to go. With a resigned sigh, Else shut the door quietly, and crawled into bed, exhausted physically and mentally.

The small room they rented out in the better of some of the boarding houses in Tortuga was not exactly what Else had in mind, when Jack said they would be setting up house. What she did expect was at least three rooms. One for them, a living or common room...and a nursery. Her hopes were dashed as only one room was available for them. She did the best she could with limited space and money. Result wasn't too bad, and Else was rather proud...even though hardly anyone saw her hard work. The wall paper was still grimy, and you could hardly see the striped pattern. She did fix up the furniture(I measly bed, two arm chairs, a table, two dining chairs, and a love seat) and the floors shone with elbow grease.

Jack had joked that she loved working herself to the bone. She did it on the ship, and she did it now. Secretly, he thought it was her nurturing side that demanded to care for something, and all she had was a pirate and a room. And so he didn't taunt her too much about it, though when they would row, he could get malicious.

Beings as they had no visitors, it was a surprise to Else when there was a knock at the door. She set down her mending–feeling like an old spinster–and looked through the peephole.

Without another moments hesitation, she threw open the door, gasping.

"Bill!" Indeed, there stood the tall figure of Bootstrap Bill, the only crew member saver herself, who didn't mutiny.

"How did you"–He made a motion with his hands, and looked around, clearly agitated.

"We need to talk. Where is Jack?" Else bade the man in, and after shutting the door, gave him a look of dismay.

"He left for England last week. I have no clue when he is due back." Bill paced the worn floor and Else was concerned. He was pale and drawn, and looked haggard, as if his teeth were set on edge for the last six months.

"Damn!" He suddenly exclaimed, throwing a punch at the wall closest to him. Without scolding the man as she would have normally done, she picked up her medicine bag and put a tentative hand on his large shoulder. He sat down, and allowed her to look at his fist.

"What the hell?" Else exclaimed, shock clearly written on her face. In a moments time, what would have been three or four broken knuckles was perfectly healed.

"That's what I needed to talk to Jack about," Bill said wearily. He pulled a pistol out of his belt, and put it up to his head. Else was about to try and stop him, but he pulled the trigger, and she let out a small scream.

However, she needn't have worried. Within minutes, he was fine.

"...The curse?" She whispered, falling back on her haunches. Bill nodded gravely, and put the pistol back in its holster.

"But..."

"After Barbossa mutinied, we went straight to the island. Everyone took gold, and Im ashamed to say that I did too." He looked eastward, as if all his answers lay there. "But I couldn't tolerate what they did to Captain–I mean Jack–, and sent a piece of the treasure to my son, Will. Its miserable,"

"So there really is a curse? You really are immortal?" Bill let out a mirthless laughter, so cold, so...different from the man she knew on the ship such a short while ago.

"At a price, yes, I could say that. Can't eat, drink, mate, or die. Alls well and good, I s'pose. Its not right when even your animal instincts are killed. Its not normal." He stood up again, and looked out the lone window by the bed.

"How did you get off the crew?" Else finally found her voice, and stood up also, wiping her hands on her skirt front absentmindedly.

"Truth? They tied a cannon to my boots. Sent me down to the sea when I was protesting about Jack. Of course, I was cursed. I managed my way out, and soon enough, I was picked up by a naval ship." Else was stunned.

"Well...now what?" Bill turned suddenly to face her, making her take a step back. The sun, dipping low in the sky, made his features look hollow and distorted in red sunlight.

"What now? I suppose I wait. Wait and wait and wait." Without another word as to his friend's well being, Bill strode to the door, yanked it open, and walked out, shutting it loudly.

Else sat down quickly before she felt like she was to faint, and didn't quite realize that her mouth was hanging open.