Disclaimer: POTC is my best friend. Next to The Singapore Twins Nerwen and Tinuviel, that is (They went back to America. It makes me sad…)

Squirrel watched the Spanish ship. She saw a lifeboat slowly pulling away from it, and smiled.

"Someone saw us coming, Miss Grey!" Anamaria called, as she struggled to control the eager ship. "Do we let him get away?"

"For now." Squirrel said softly. "He can't get very far in a lifeboat."

Anamaria cackled. The ship creaked and rushed forward. Squirrel readied her short sword.

"Inigo! Inigo!" Someone staggered drunkenly across the deck. "Capitan wans you beloow. Say he wannnsss to talk to yooo…" The drunken pirate threw up, but staggered on. "Inigo? Where is ye? Ini…"

The pirate fell to the deck, unconscious. Squirrel looked around, sword readied, looking for any others. No-one. Just the sounds of drunken revelry from below. She stepped off the pirate's back and clamped her sword between her teeth.

Ropes are hard to come by, especially for a pirate, when everything must be stolen. Squirrel clambered high into the rigging and started untying the ropes and sails of Paolo's ship. It was hard work, but Squirrel kept going. She gave a grunt of satisfaction as the first sail peeled away, and fluttered down to the deck. Before it landed, however, it was caught by a multitude of hands, neatly folded, and stacked on the deck… On the side closest to the Pearl.

Squirrel grinned, gave Ana a thumbs-up, and then scrambled to the next sail to repeat the activity. Sometimes it was sails that fluttered down, other times lengths of rope. The rope was coiled, the sails were folded and stacked. But by whom, Squirrel was not quite certain.

She took the sword from her teeth and slid down the mast. She looked up at her handiwork. The masts of Paolo's ships stood naked, like three leafless trees. Squirrel smiled, feeling accomplished, then, softly, carefully, she stepped over the unconscious pirate and headed below decks.

"What in the hel…"

"Run! Run for y…"

"STAY AWAY! PLEASE STAY AW…"

The scream was cut off short, and the body of the pirate tumbled down the stairs, landing near the cell. The crew of the Pearl drew back, afraid. Not afraid of the now-cataleptic pirate, but of what had been fighting him and the other two guards.

A shadow, cast by the lantern-light, crept along the wall. Whatever it was, it was coming down the stairs. Mister Cotton's parrot squawked nervously.

"Dead men tell no tales! Dead men…"

"You're alive!" Came a familiar voice. "Thank heavens, I was so worried!"

The crew of the Pearl stared through the bars at a familiar face. "Miss Grey?"

Squirrel knelt down and took the keys from the pirate's belt. "We don't have a lot of time." She said, brisk and businesslike. She tested the first key in the lock of the cell. "Paolo's sails and a swagload of ropes are up on the deck. Take them aboard the Pearl. That will leave those damn Spaniards stranded for all the world to see." She tested the next few keys as she spoke. "Then come back down here, and get all this," she motioned with her head towards the piles of cargo, "back onto the ship. And leave all the Spaniards alive, don't go looking for a fight. Just get everything we can onto the ship. Take what you can, give nothing back." She slid the fourth key into the slot and the metal door swung open.

The crew didn't move. They just stood there, staring at her.

Squirrel frowned. "Something wrong?"

"You were dead." Tearlach stared. Gibbs looked as pale as a sheet. Squirrel sighed, then drew her sword.

"I was acting. Again." She said, nicking the blade across her finger. Rosy red blood seeped out. "Look, I'm bleeding. What kind of ghost bleeds?" She looked around, suddenly noticing. "Where's Jack?"

"Paolo has him." Moises said, the first to recover. "After the treasure of Isla de Muerta."

"Not that again." Squirrel rolled her eyes, then slid her sword back in its scabbard. "Well, I'll deal with that. You just take everything you can get, and put it on the Pearl. Got it?"

The crew nodded, then hurried out on deck. Gibbs was the last to leave.

"Bless ye, lass." Gibbs said. He reached out and touched her arm, as though to assure himself that the woman in front of him was still alive.

"Here." Squirrel pulled a leather flagon from her belt. "I found this on one of them. You look like you need it."

"Bless ye, lass!" Gibbs cheered, taking a deep swig. He smiled, then tucked the flagon into his own belt. "Well, best be going to work!" He grinned, saluted, then hurried up the stairs. Squirrel followed him.

"What happened?" Ana whispered, staying out of sight of the other crewmen. "I don't see Jack up here."

"Their captain has him." Squirrel bit her lip.

Ana rolled her eyes. "Isla de Muerta again?"

Squirrel nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to get him out."

Ana passed Squirrel her cloak. "Let their fears get the best of them, then." Ana pressed a short length of knotted rope into Squirrel's hand. Squirrel looked at it, then grinned wickedly.

"Why n-not?"

A/N: Yes, I ran out of reasons why someone would want to kidnap Jack. But hey, there's a lotta treasure on the Island of Death, so … yeah, it's an excuse that works. Love to all reviewers :D (Ps: Squirrel jumped that drunken pirate. Literally. Like, Toad from Xmen. That's right. Ribbit.)