Ch. 11

Everyone was woken up early the next morning by Jack. He wouldn't tell them why he was so anxious to leave, but urged them to hurry. "It's just a bad feeling," he told Blackbird as they quickly made their way back to their camp. "Chief Maloni seems like a good man, but I don't trust him."

"Maybe he doesn't trust you."

"Well, most people don't," he pointed out. "And it may be nothing. I just want to get back to the Pearl. These storm clouds aren't helping any, either." Most of the men had already made their way back to the ship with the supplies, and it had been left to him, Blackbird, and Will to make sure nothing was left behind. As soon as they were sure that there was no evidence of their camp remaining, they headed toward the beach. They hadn't gone far before they found their path again blocked by a group of angry natives. "Ah…didn't we already do this?" Jack asked, looking around nervously.

Chief Maloni stepped out from behind the warriors. "We did. It is regretful that we should have to do it again. You and your men left without our permission. Why?"

"No reason," Jack said. "I miss my ship, mostly. Such a beauty-"

"Silence!" the old man said sharply. "You were not intended to leave at all. I suspect that you left because you guessed our intentions."

"I might've," Jack said evasively. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have a crew waiting for me, so if you'll excuse us…" He attempted to move past them, only to be stopped by the old chief.

"You are a good man, Jack Sparrow," Chief Maloni said. "And perhaps at another time we might have been allies. But regardless, my people are starving, and my duty to them comes first. You and your men are our prisoners and still at our mercy; I will not deny my people this chance." The warriors raised their spears, their intentions becoming all too clear. Jack slowly backed up, turning around to find Blackbird and Will in the middle of what resembled a discussion.

"Well, this is a bit of a situation," Will muttered.

"I'd say," Blackbird replied quietly. "Any ideas?"

"We could always-"

"No, that won't work. What about-"

"Potentially, but…not enough time. How about-"

"That could work," Blackbird said. "Are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine, Blackbird. It's now or never."

"I know. Let's go then."

Jack looked from one to the other and frowned in confusion. "I'm sure I just missed a brilliant debate, but might you enlighten me as to what we just decided?"

"No time," Blackbird said shortly, drawing her sword. "Run!" They took off running with the natives close at their heels. "Just like old times, aye?" Blackbird called to Will as they dodged several arrows.

"Less talking, more running!" Jack interjected. "Do you even know where we're going?"

"More or less," she replied, making a sudden turn. "I did a little exploring of my own that first night. Couldn't sleep." As they fled through the dense jungle, rain began to fall heavily overhead. Will felt himself getting lightheaded, and his ears were filled with the sound of his heart pounding, but did his best to ignore it. Finally, they broke through the trees and came to the beach, where the men were just loading up the last of the supplies onto a boat.

"Leave the supplies!" Jack shouted, gesticulating wildly. "Get back to the Pearl!" Confused but willing to obey, the crew waited for them to get in one of the boats and began rowing back to the ship as quickly as humanly possible.

As they climbed up onto the deck, Jack spotted the chief and his warriors standing on the beach. They showed no signs of pursuit, but also no signs of retreating. A fork of lightning split the sky, followed by an ominous clap of thunder. "We've no choice but to set sail!" he shouted to the crew. "Unfurl all sails, and prepare to clear port!"

"These are no conditions to be settin' sail in, Cap'n!" one of the younger men protested. "A ship as old as this will never make it out of the bay!"

Jack met the man with a fierce glare. "Let's get one thing straight: I'm the Captain, you're not. I've been with this ship longer than you've been alive, lad, so I suggest you deal with it." As the rest of the crew scurried to obey, Jack took his stand at the helm. The Black Pearl's sails bent to the winds, straining against that masts that held them back. Slowly, the old ship began to ease her way out of the bay. No sooner had they gotten out than a strange current began pulling them back in. The Pearl creaked in protest as the winds and the current fought each other. Jack struggled to steer her, but the wheel refused to budge. Swearing under his breath, he pushed even harder against it. Come on, love, he thought, stroking the ship's wheel comfortingly. You and I both know you've got some fight left in ye. Let 'em see what you can do. As if response to his reassurance, the ship gave an enormous lurch and broke free of the current. That's my girl…

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Will's side felt as though it were on fire as he helped to clear the deck of wreckage the next day. The lightheaded feeling hadn't gone away, and was now accompanied by a pounding headache. As he climbed up with Blackbird to untangle a sail, his foot slipped on the rope and he almost fell.

"Will, are you alright?" Blackbird asked in concern, reaching out to steady him. "You look flushed."

He waved her away dismissively. "I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I just lost my footing, that's all. It happens."

"Will…" she said in a warning tone.

"Blackbird…" he shot back. "I'm fine."

Blackbird started to say something, but changed her mind and turned her attention back to freeing the heavy canvas. As soon as everything was in order again, they began to climb back down. Will shook his head in an attempt to clear his blurred vision. He couldn't remember ever feeling as bad as he did then, but he was too stubborn to admit it. As he swung down from the rigging, he felt his legs collapse from under him. The last thing he remembered was hitting the deck.

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Blackbird rested a hand on her brother's sweat-beaded forehead. "He's burning up…" she murmured, opening his shirt to examine the wound. "He wouldn't let me treat this the night before last…now an infection's set in."

"Is there anything you can do for it?" Jack asked quietly.

Blackbird didn't look up. "Marie, you can come in," she said wearily, ignoring the question.

Marie stepped inside hesitantly. "Is my father going to be alright?" she asked after a moment.

Blackbird didn't answer immediately. Her usually intense eyes were clouded with worry, and she looked older than Marie remembered her aunt ever looking. "Marie, I'm going to treat you like the young woman you are and give you an adult answer," she finally said, drawing a deep breath. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Just what I said," Blackbird muttered dryly. "Two days ago, I could have cleaned this up and bandaged it, and all he'd have been left with was a nice scar to tell the boys stories about. Now…I'm not so sure. Were we in a slightly more populated area where I could get my hands on some medicine, I might give him a better chance." Marie sank wearily into an empty chair in the corner.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jack quietly said, "It's not your fault, luv. Blakey had it out for Will from the day they met. If anyone's at fault, I am, as the captain. The penalty for fighting is forty lashes, but I generally turned a blind eye to their conflicts, figuring they'd sort things out eventually."

"I'd say they did," Blackbird said under her breath.

Jack frowned in concern. "Blackbird, are you saying there's nothing you can do?"

"I'm saying I'm not a bloody doctor, Jack!" she exclaimed. "What little medicine I did learn, I learned on Kelumar."

"Then we're going to Kelumar," Jack said in determination. "How long do you think he has?"

Blackbird shrugged and ran a weary hand through her hair. "I don't know, Jack…Can I speak with you privately?" Jack nodded and followed her out into the hallway. "My guess is only a few days," she said quietly, closing the door so that Marie couldn't hear them. "I don't know how the infection will spread, or how quickly…"

"If you had to guess?"

"Three to five days," she said hesitantly. "In all honesty, I don't think we can make it in time, Jack."

"Nonsense," Jack replied gruffly. "We've got the fastest ship in the Caribbean at our disposal. That's got to count for something. Tell the men to set course for Kelumar."

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Marie sat on a low stool by the bunk that Will had been laid on. Holding his hand, she listened to his shallow breathing. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered, silent tears rolling down her face. "This is all my fault; I don't care what Uncle Jack says…If I hadn't insisted on going out on my own, you wouldn't be hurt right now…I said some really stupid things the other day that I didn't mean…I'll always be your little girl, Daddy, and right now your little girl still needs you…so please hold on." Please hold on…

A/N: Okay, just like I promised Dancin', a longer chapter. And just for those who are wondering: no I'm not completely ending the romance between Marie and Juan. It's just taking back seat to more important happenings at the moment. This next week is mostly half-days at school, so I may be pretty quick about this next chapter, but no promises. Please review! -awaits the angry mob of Orlando fangirls-