Hey all. I am a bad person and forgot to say that I was going on a weeks vacation. But look on the bright side! I spent all of today adding a bit to my story! Which means you get a lot more to read!

Thanks for the great reviews. Enjoy the story!

Jessica pulled as the hot sun beat down on her. The men in her group were obviously becoming weary of their task. For too many days they had pulled a ship through sand. No one knew where the sea was, and a few men had already left the group. She understood their frustration, as it was growing in her as well. False hope was worse than no hope at all.

"What about the bloody compass?" Anamaria snapped at Jack Sparrow as they pulled.

"It doesn't work anymore!" he growled back.

"That can't be possible! Let me see it!"

"No!"

"Give it!" she yelled, letting go of her rope and jumping at the Captain.

Jack quickly dove away from her, but she caught his foot. Jessica threw down her rope and went over to pull the two apart. Anamaria accidentally punched Jessica in the face, causing her nose to bleed. Jessica retaliated by kicking the woman off of her.

"What the hell is this about?" Jessica quietly asked as she glared at the two.

"He… Jack has a compass that points to the one thing you want most. I want to see the sea, so obviously I could use the compass."

"Your compass really works like that?" Jessica turned to Jack, eyes narrowed as though she were calculating his actions.

"Aye. At least, that's how it did work."

"Let me see it."

"No!"

"What have you got to lose, and where can I run?"

Jack's eyes darted between the two women before settling on the bleeding one. Groaning, he pulled out the compass and gave it to her.

Jessica held the compass carefully before opening it. At first it spun around like it had for Jack. But suddenly it stopped a little to the right of their original path.

"What is it that ye want most?" Jack huskily mumbled into her ear.

"Freedom," she turned and grinned, wiping the blood from her face.

"Ye need to stop the bleeding," he commented as Anamaria began to instruct the men on where to turn.

She shrugged and looked at her clothes. Just as she grabbed the end of her shirt, Jack grabbed her hand and moved it away from her clothing. He grabbed the end of his white and faded red sash, ripping the end of it. Jessica took the offered cloth with a grin and a shake of the head, placing an end in each nostril. Jack watched as she joined the group in moving forward again, a troubled look on his face.

"Sea!" a man cried out after a few more days of traveling.

The sailors pulled the ship up to the edge of the sea before running into it themselves. As they laughed and pushed each other in, Jessica stood knee-deep and grinned, her hair flying freely in the wind. Jack had a satisfied look on his face as he inhaled the salty air and opened up his arms as though to embrace the sea. Anamaria was shoving others into the water just like the men were, laughing and shouting out phrases of joy.

"Oy! Oy!" Jack yelled.

The crew stopped and paid attention to their Captain. They hadn't really looked to him as such until now.

"I believe ye all have earned the day to have for yerselves. Tomorrow we put the Pearl in and get her ready to sail. Savvy?"

"Aye!" they cheered, continuing to swim and enjoy the water.

Jessica silently walked away from the group. She carefully walked through the surf, grabbing some sticks along the way. Once she was a good distance away from the group, she sat in the sand and drew simple patterns with the stick, a hint of a smile on her lips. It had been far too long since she had seen the sea.

"I expected ye to run into the sea and start swimming as soon as we reached it. Guess I was wrong."

Jessica looked over her shoulder to watch Jack sway slowly as he walked until he reached her. She looked back out to the sea and bit her lip. "I thought so as well," she finally responded. "It is a mighty fine sight for more than sore eyes," she chuckled.

"Then why do ye look so sad?"

"What I want most in life is freedom. The compass pointed towards the sea for that. But another thing I want just as bad is to see the night sky."

"Soon enough, love. Soon enough."

"I have never felt the hopelessness of my goal until now."

"But we are halfway there!"

"Jack, look in the distance."

Jack carefully scanned the horizon until he saw it. A flash of lightning. "So we avoid the storm."

"We are in Hell, Jack. Not completely dead, nor alive. If we go around the storm, we will simply condemn ourselves to sail until our hundred years are up. The compass pointed straight to the storm. We are in for the worst storm of our lives. No one is to return once they reach this place."

"The Pearl has made the journey before."

"Aye. With an undead crew. Who is to say we won't die again? Who is to say that we won't be tossed around for a hundred years if we fall off?"

"Are you giving up?"

She frowned and looked at him carefully. "How bad do you want us to get back?"

"I will get there or die trying."

Jessica nodded and stood. "I am going to search the shoreline for any problems. Don't want the Pearl getting caught in a reef two minutes into the journey."

But the Captain's eyes didn't follow the young woman into the water. Instead he watched the storm. It was a never ending storm. A storm they would be sailing in for days, weeks, or even years.