Chapter 6

A young girl of about ten years sat watching her father pack his things. "But why must you go?" she pleaded.

Her father set down his pack and looked over at her. "Raven, how's this any different from all the other times I've gone?"

"You'll die if you go! Please…" she begged.

The man raised a questioning eyebrow. "An' what makes you say that, love?"

"I don't know," the girl said despondently. "It's just…something."

"Is it Mr. Barbossa?"

She nodded reluctantly. "I don't like him," she whispered. "He scares me."

"Well, sometimes we don't want to do something, but that's no excuse not to. What would happen if I quit, Raven? Jack needs me, and you need me. Sailing may not be the safest job, but it puts bread on the table," he said, shouldering his pack.

Raven watched sullenly as he made his way to the door. He was almost out when she ran after him. "Don't go, Daddy," she said, clinging to him. "I love you."

"Raven," the man muttered, stroking his daughter's braids. "I'll only be gone a few weeks. Joe promises he'll come check on you every day." He knelt and placed his weathered tricorn hat in her hands. "There," he said. "That will be my promise to you. The sea won't claim Bootstrap Bill Turner."

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Blackbird woke with a start. "Take it easy," Will said. "I only thought I'd inform you that the watch is starting."

She looked down and realized that she had her knife in her hand. "Sorry, mate," she said, sliding it back in its sheath. "I guess I was more tired than I thought." She forced herself to get out of the hammock.

"Is something the matter?" Will asked.

"No, nothing," she said wearily. "Just a dream."

---

Blackbird studied the sky. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and the eastern sky was red. Not a good sign, she thought to herself.

"What would drive birds this far from land?" Will asked suddenly.

Blackbird looked where he was pointing and, sure enough, a small flock of red birds was flying from the west. "Blood birds. Most likely storm-driven," she replied. "Nothing to be worried about. I doubt it's more than a squall line."

"I agree with Blackbird," Jack said, returning from the helm. "The Pearl can take it. She's ridden out far worse."

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Within an hour the wind was gusting and dark clouds could be seen on the western horizon. Not just flat grey rain clouds, but billowing, black, thunderheads. Even from the distance an occasional flash of lightning could be seen in the upper layers. "Jack," Blackbird said worriedly, "I'm revising my opinion about those clouds. I think we should try to find a safe harbor before the storm hits. Even the Black Pearl has her limits."

Jack just shook his head. "Well I say that we use these winds while we can and then ride out the storm to the best of our abilities. She can take it; we sail through."

"You know when I said that Jack knew what he was talking about?" Blackbird said as they worked to secure one of the sails. Will nodded. "Well," she continued, "this isn't one such case. I don't know what's in his head that makes him think that we can pull this off."

"He seems pretty confident that she can make it," Will replied.

Blackbird looked up from her work. "I don't doubt the resilience of this ship, only that of the crew. We're only mortals; there's only so much we can do…However, he is my captain and I would follow him to death."

"What ever happened to 'Any man that falls behind is left behind'?" he asked.

"That hardly applies to friendship," Blackbird said. "Jack's my best friend, even considering how often we argue. I've had my share of stupid decisions that he's backed anyway; it holds fair that I do the same now."

Will laughed quietly. "I never thought I'd receive a lecture on friendship from a pirate."

Blackbird gave him a wry look. "I never thought a blacksmith from Port Royal could become one of the best pirates I ever met in a matter of four days. People can surprise you like that."

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As soon as the watch was over, Blackbird went to look for Jack. She finally found him sequestered in his cabin with maps strewn about. He looked up from the map he was studying. "What?" he asked.

"Jack," she said uncomfortably, "I'm..."

"I forgive you," Jack replied with a grin. "I know how much you hate to admit you're wrong."

"Oh, I still think you're an idiot for attempting this," Blackbird corrected hastily. "But you are the captain and it wasn't my place to argue. For that, I am sorry."

Jack just shook his head. She was still in many ways the stubborn thirteen-year-old he'd hesitantly let on his crew ten years ago. When she didn't leave, he asked, "Is something else on your mind?"

Blackbird hesitated. "Well...it's just..."

"It's Will, isn't it?" he finished for her.

"Yes," she said gratefully. "How do you always know?"

"The same way you recognize my walk. It's one of those little things you pick up over the years…What about Will?"

"Nothing," she said, searching for the words. "I'm just thinking that if he's not ready to hear it now, he'll never be. He already suspects he's not being told something. You know as well as I do that he's been asking around. It's only a matter of time before someone else tells him, which I'd like to avoid. This is something he needs to hear from me."

"Probably so," Jack agreed. "If you don't tell Will something, he has a tendency to go find out for himself."

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In the crowded room adjacent to the galley, Will grabbed a rum, which he had taught himself to at least tolerate, and sat across from Gibbs at a small table.

"Something I can help ya with, Will?" Gibbs asked. "Or did you just sit down there because it was the only open seat?"

"I need information about someone. Preferably more complete than your 'information' about Jack," Will said.

"Well, that would depend on the individual, now wouldn't it?" Gibbs replied.

"Blackbird. What can you tell me about her past?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Even less is know 'bout Blackbird than is known 'bout Jack."

"Well, then you wouldn't know who her father was, would you? She's spoken of him several times."

The pirate hesitated. "I don't know that I should be tellin' ye that, Will. Blackbird's sensitive 'bout that subject, an' Jack would 'ave my head if I said anythin' I shouldn't. All I can say is that she lost 'im far too early. He goes off on a routine journey and gets killed for doing the right thing. Left 'is ten-year-old daughter orphaned and penniless. Bootstrap was a good man; 'e didn't deserve to die." Seeing the look on Will's face, Gibbs realized about thirty seconds too late what he had said. "Bloody 'ell, Will! You know not to get me talkin' when I'm drunk! I start talkin' an' before ya know it, I've gone an' said too much. Blackbird'll have my head when she hears 'bout this..."

"While it's tempting, I think I'll pass," Blackbird said. "I doubt Jack would appreciate the mess. Will, Jack and I need to have a word with you."

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Blackbird led Will to Jack's cabin and closed the doors behind them. "Did you tell him?" Jack asked.

"Tell me what?" Will said, growing frustrated. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Will, you remember when I said that you were Bootstrap Bill's only child?" Jack started slowly.

"Yes…"

"Well...I lied," he said awkwardly.

"I see," Will replied dubiously. "Jack, this isn't funny."

Jack shrugged. "Who's laughing? I'm dead serious, mate."

Will just stared at him. "Alright, for the sake of conversation, who is the other?" Blackbird cleared her throat. "Her?" he asked in disbelief.

"My name is Raven 'Blackbird' Marie Turner. My father was William Turner," she said quietly.

Will looked to Jack, hoping that this was some joke. In his heart, though, he knew it wasn't. It explained the sense of familiarity he had so often been struck with. Now he knew where he had seen that look of determination. It had been on the face of his mother every day. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Jack," he said finally, "why didn't you tell me? You had every opportunity."

"I didn't think it was the right time," Jack replied.

"And what, pray tell, was the right time?" Will asked, becoming increasingly angry.

Jack hesitated. "...Now?" he offered. Will glared piercingly at him. "Alright, alright," he said. "I didn't say anything because I needed your blood. I'm a terribly selfish man incapable of seeing beyond my own problems."

Blackbird held up a finger to interrupt. "Mind if I say something since, you know, this is kind of about me?" Jack nodded gratefully. "Will, I asked him not to say anything. Not before your ordeal with Barbossa, but when Jack told me that he had encountered you, I asked him to stay silent. When you showed up in Tortuga and joined the crew, I made certain that nobody would say anything. To be quite honest, I was afraid that if you found out before you got to know me to some degree, you would hit the ground running and never look back. I tend to have that effect on people; I know I normally don't come across as the sanest individual." She glanced out of the window at the darkening sky. "I think I'd better rest up before that storm hits," she muttered. "Don't want to be tired."

---

When Blackbird had left, Jack looked around the room uncomfortably. "Well..." he finally said, "You're probably slightly irked at me right now, eh mate?"

"To put it mildly," Will replied. "How could it never cross your mind the entire time we were pursuing Barbossa that I might want to know?"

Jack shrugged. "It did on many occasions, but I thought that the information about your father would be plenty for the time being. The easiest way for me to explain would be to start at the beginning. When I was a young man, not much older than you are now, I served on a small pirate ship in the Indian Ocean. On one particular journey, the captain brought along a new recruit, something he hadn't done in years. Apparently he saw something special in that inexperienced, awkward, sixteen-year-old named Bill Turner. Years later, I agree with him. Despite the age difference, he and I became fast friends. For the next five years, he was content to serve on our ship. Then he met your mother. I knew your father since we were young men- he was probably around sixteen, and I was maybe twenty. We both served on the same pirate ship and became fast friends despite the age difference, and for about five years Bill was content to serve on the ship. Then he met your mother. He fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Marie and soon proposed to her. He knew that a pirate's life would not provide for her, so he gave up the one thing he loved doing for the one thing he loved more. 'round that same time, I started losing interest in the pirate life myself and started as a career as a cartographer in London. They settled in a small cottage in a village a few hours away, but he and I stayed in touch. Soon Marie was pregnant and gave birth to twins- a boy and a girl. Bill was the proudest I'd ever seen him. Then, almost two years later, something came between them and they separated. Bill still loved Marie and hated to leave her with two children to care for, but couldn't afford to support both. Finally, they agreed that he would raise their daughter and their son would stay in London with Marie. He moved into a small house in Tortuga and took odd jobs to provide for himself and his daughter. When Blackbird was about six, however, the call of the sea was too great. He spoke to me about a temporary contract on the Black Pearl, and I agreed. That 'temporary' contract ended up lasting about four years. Then, I received word of the legendary treasure of Isla de Muerta and got the bright idea to go after it. As you know, there was a mutiny. I never blamed Bill for not standing up against twenty-something armed, angry men. Several months later, I found out that he had been killed in an argument with Barbossa."

Will turned abruptly and left the room without speaking. Sighing, Jack went back to his maps. He'll come around.