Disclaimer: Nope. I own a copy of the film, a poster and lots of pictures, but unfortunately Pirates of the Caribbean is the property of Disney. No matter how much I wish for Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom.

A Sparrow & A Barbossa

Chapter Four

I don't remember falling asleep. But I must have, as I woke up with the sun trickling through a gap in the curtain and loud snores from above my head. I rolled over. And I found myself face to face with Jack. I had fallen asleep on his chest. Empty rum bottles were strewn across the floor. And I had a headache.

I climbed off Jack carefully, as not to wake him. But it proved useless. "Kat, what yer doin'?" Jack mumbled sleepily.

"Time to get up, yer lazy son of a bitch," I say, as I fling the curtains wide open allowing the room to be filled with the early morning Caribbean sun.

Jack moaned for a while before finally getting out of bed. I went next door to get Will. He yawned as he opened the door to me.

He looks me over before he asks, "How can you be awake? You and Jack were talking and laughing for hours after I left. It kept me awake."

I smile at him. I grab his arm and drag him downstairs, where Jack is waiting for us. I get to the bottom of the stairs before answering. "Well, someone's snoring woke me up this morning," I tell Will as I stare at Jack.

"I don't snore, luv," Jack declares. I snort. And we make our way out the doors and down to the dock.

Gibbs was waiting for us on the dock, with a line of sailors.

"Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt," Gibbs tells us as we walk down the line. "And crazy to boot."

Will looks at them in disbelief. "So this is your able-bodied crew?"

We stop in front of an old man with a parrot on his shoulder. "You, sailor!" Jack says.

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs says.

"Mr. Cotton … do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack asks. There is a silence. "Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!"

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how," Gibbs says. I look confused at this, but shrugged it off as Jack turned the parrot.

"Mr. Cotton 's... parrot," Jack says. "Same question."

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" The parrot squawks. "Mostly, we figure, that means 'yes'." Gibbs tells us. "O'course it does."

He turns to Will and me. "Satisfied?" Jack asks Will. "Well, you've proved they're mad," Will answers him.

"And what's the benefit for us?" A voice shouts from further up the line. It sounded feminine, and familiar.

Jack walks cautiously up to the sailor. He pulls the hat off and reveals a dark skinned woman with black hair. "Anamaria," Jack says. I smiled. The dark skinned Jamaican beauty in front of us was an old friend from my days on the Muchacha Del Mar. She slaps him.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either," Will asks amused. "No, that one I deserved," Jack admits. Anamaria nods behind him.

"You stole my boat!" Anamaria shouts. "Actually -" Jack starts. He is cut off by Anamaria slapping him, again.

"Borrowed. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you," Jack tells her. She looks at him sceptically. "But you didn't!"

"You'll get another one," Jack promises her. She points a forefinger at Jack, "I will."

"A better one," I add. "A better one!" Jack repeats. Will sees what I'm doing. "That one," Will indicates the Interceptor.

"What one? That one!" Jack says. Will and I nod. He turns back to Anamaria, "Aye, that one. What say you?"

"Aye!" She shouts. The crew echo's it. Cotton's parrot squawks, "Anchors aweigh." Anamaria grabs her hat from Jack and pulls it firmly on her head. She flashes me a smile before heading over to the ship.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. But two is even worse," Gibbs says eyeing me.

Jack gazes into the distance. "It'd be far worse not to have 'em." He walks off. Gibbs and Will look in the direction Jack was just.

"Yer know there's nothin' there, right?" I reveal. They nod. I look at them doubtfully. I shake my head at them before running down the dock to the Interceptor.

We had been at sea for a few hours. I had taken refuge from everyone by sitting in the crow's nest. I had yet to see any other ships or any land. However on the horizon I could see black storm clouds.

"Jack!" I shout down. "Captain!" He replies. "Ye aren't stuck again are ye?" He asks slightly amused.

With that I swing my legs over the side of the crow's nest and swing down on the rope secured to the mast. I let go about six feet before the bottom and land skilfully on my feet. "That answer ye question?" I say while smirking at him.

He turns and stomps off. "Oh, Captain," I say mockingly. "Storm's comin'." He nods, without turning round, and continues back to the ships wheel. I walk off to find Will trying to knot some ropes.

He sees me and looks hopeful. "Can you help me?" He asks. I pretend to be thinking. "Please?" He practically begs. I laugh at how desperate he is, but nod my head and begin to teach him the correct technique for tying knots.

Within half an hour we had passed into the storm. Will was scampering around helping where he could. He found Gibbs and me trying to secure the riggings. He looks to Jack. As do I.

"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Will asks.

"Aye, the compass doesn't point north but we're not trying to find north, are we?" Gibbs replies. Both he and I struggle to reach Jack.

"We should drop canvas, sir," Gibbs says. "She can hold a bit longer," Jack tells him.

"This is madness Jack!" I shout, but my outburst falls on deaf ears.

"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?" Gibbs asks.

"We're catching up," Jack replies.

We had passed out of the storm about an hour ago. We had then silently watched as Jack manoeuvred us through the water, avoiding the wreckages and jagged rocks. "Dead men tell no tales," cries Cotton's parrot, breaking the silence.

We stare down at the wrecks under the water. Next to me Gibbs speaks quietly, "Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage."

I turn to Will who is watching Jack with the compass. I watch as Jack snaps the compass shut when he notices Cotton staring too much. "How is it Jack came by that compass?" Will asks Gibbs.

I feel neglected as he looks directly passed me at Gibbs. He should have asked me, I knew when he got. How he got it was still a mystery to me.

"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta," Gibbs says. "That was before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl."

Will looks from me to Gibbs. "What? He failed to mention that," Will comments.

Gibbs nods, "Well, he plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure, too, so Jack gives up the bearings. That night there was a mutiny," he Gibbs pauses and looks to me. I stare sadly at the deck, avoiding his eyes. "They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."

"Ah. So that's the reason for all the…" Will says as he starts staggering around as Jack does.

"Reason's got nothing to do with it," Gibbs says. "Well he was always a bit crazy," I mumble.

"Now Will, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot – one shot. Well it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starvin' belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look real friendly. But Jack – he escaped the island, and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it, though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate," says Gibbs.

"Barbossa," Will exclaims. "Aye," I tell him. "Right bastard he is."

"How did Jack get off the island?" Will asks. This gathers my attention. I had heard many different versions of how Jack had escaped the island, each more ridiculous than the last. I had heard that he had captured a flock of seagulls and flown off the island. He may have also swum, with the aid of fish, to the main land. And the most realistic was that a passing ship had picked him up. I didn't know the real way he got off, but I sure as hell wanted to know.

"Well, I'll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature 'came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft," Gibbs tells us. I start laughing, that was more ludicrous than the birds.

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?" Will questions. He like myself obviously didn't believe the story, but still found it amusing. "Aye, sea turtles," Gibbs confirms.

"What did he use for rope?" Will asks, understanding that the story didn't follow suit. Gibbs opens his mouth to answer, and realises he doesn't know.

Before Will or I can tell him the story is obviously phony, a shadow falls across us. "Human hair…from my back," Jack enlightens us. I look at him dubiously. I know for a fact that he has no hair on his back; after all I had seen him without a shirt on. But before I can say anything Jack shouts, "Let go of the anchor!"

He turns to Will. "Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore."

"What! I want to go to! I have unfinished business to… Finish!" I yell at him, he shakes his head. I grab Jack by the arm and pull him to face me. "Jack that bastard is me father, and I have right to be there," I hiss. "No, Kat," he says finally. I'm about to argue with him again when he utters firmly, "If need be I can have ye locked in the brig." I look at him angrily; I ball my fists up ready to hit him. But it dawns on me hitting him isn't going to get me anywhere, except thrown in the brig. I turn and climb up the mast and settle down the crows' nest.

"Kat! Get yer scrawny arse down here!" Jack shouts. "No!" I bellow back. "And my arse isn't scrawny!"

"If you don't get down here right now I'll… I'll…" Jack ends, lost for words. "Yer'll what?" I dare him. "Drag me down kicking and screaming and then give me a good seeing to," I mock. He ignores me. He speaks to Gibbs, before following Will into the lifeboat. He glances up at me and when are eyes meet I look away. He looked hurt, angry. Was it something I said?

I sit back and think about the words the sailors on the Black Pearl used to say to me. Am I really besotted with Jack? Were they right? I had to know.

Hey, I'm back! My holiday was great, but no tan because I don't tan I burn. But I'm not burnt either, so that's good.

I promised to update as soon as I got back but my mom made me spend yesterday sorting out my suitcase and washing all my clothes (though, I felt better knowing my brother was at school!). So I'm posting two chapters at once!

Thanks to my reviewers!