A/N: Still can't reply to reviews, which I'm really not happy about. I'm sorry! Hopefully a VERY early update makes up for it…as well as who it contains.

Sunrise found Theo back in her room, getting ready. The door had to be propped shut with a chair, and there was a massive dark stain in the hardwood flooring where the blood had seeped in - as well as a few splatters on the wall from when she'd sustained her own injuries - but the body was gone, which was a small mercy.

"You should be abed, Miss Theo, not up and dressed," Hattie chided softly as she helped her into a simple day dress of deep forest green "Nobody would raise an eyebrow at you taking today to rest after…"

Theo had tried to stop her from helping altogether, but she wouldn't hear it.

"If I do nothing, I'll go mad," she replied simply "I don't really want to be in this room much today, anyway."

"The Commodore would hardly grudge you taking his bed to rest in for the day."

"I doubt that would be proper," she snorted.

"There's not much proper about this last day," Hattie sighed in response.

Once she was dressed, she sat down and studied her reflection silently as Hattie began to wrestle her hair into some sort of loose updo - the barest bones of what would be proper, while avoiding much fuss or artfulness. The upside of her fiery hair, she supposed, was that any blood that remained stuck in it would be difficult to see. The same could not be said for her face. Oh, it had been cleaned and patched up as best as possible, but the skin around her left eyebrow was an angry, swollen red - it would likely turn blue and purple come nightfall. Her lip hadn't fared much better, leaving her trying to move her lips as little as possible when she spoke to avoid that sort of itchy, stinging tightness that shot through it whenever it was aggravated. It was a good thing she had no appetite, for she doubted eating would be much fun.

Hattie was finished with her hair in no time, taking a step back as she regarded her with a look of worry.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss, I wish to go into town now. I have a few friends among other households and I wish to…"

To see if they were alive or dead.

"Go," Theo waved a hand "Check in on them. I'll be fine."

"Very well - thank you. Lieutenant Groves is still downstairs should you need anything, so you shan't be alone."

Ah. She'd still need to sneak past him, then - for she doubted he'd sanction a jolly little jaunt down to the prison. It was still a relief, though, that she wouldn't need to dodge Hattie, too. There was no way she'd be able to gather her supplies and tie up all of her loose ends if the maid was intent on shadowing her, too. Remaining in her room until she heard Hattie descend the stairs and offer a farewell to the Lieutenant, she then slowly rose and moved quietly towards James' study. Everything about today, every slight action or choice, felt significant somehow. Last night had been a turning point. Proof to her mind that there was no going back now. The door was shut and barred behind her, with no way to go but forward. That, however, didn't mean she didn't want to do things right.

Slipping through the door, she closed it softly behind her and approached the desk. There were a few sheets of paper atop the desk, as well as a quill sitting in an inkwell. Good - she wasn't sure she'd be able to sharpen a fresh one herself. With a heavy sigh, she took up the quill and began to write. Her message was short - barely a sentence - and it was a good thing, too, for using a quill was nothing like using a pen and her handwriting was abysmal at the best of times. But it was something, and it was legible, even though she didn't dare hope that it would help her case if and when she found herself face to face with James again. She'd been in such a state the night before that she hadn't fully registered that the brief farewell was the final time she would see him while still being sure she could call him friend. Maybe that was another small mercy, though - perhaps if she'd been aware, it would've been more difficult. In fact, she knew it would have been.

Once she was done, she draped his coat across the back of the chair, and quietly left. From there, she did not allow herself to stop. A brief detour back to her room had her collecting her things into a small brown satchel, including a bible that she'd found in the house. While not overly religious, certainly not by today's standards, she still had a feeling it would come in handy.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she'd hoped she might be able to make a run for it, but Groves was already hovering in the hallway, levelling her with a look of concern when she appeared. She couldn't blame him - they'd barely uttered a word to each other for the whole of the previous night. Whenever her eyes threatened to flutter closed he would ply her with questions - of her home, of her family, anything that would require an explanation or an answer to keep her conscious. It would have been a lie if she'd pretended that she'd particularly liked him for it at the time. At some point or another he'd disappeared to escort the soldiers James sent, true to his word, and when he returned the concern on his face was all the more stark. Probably having seen the culprit behind the state of her face.

But things had been more quiet than awkward, and she hadn't been present enough to begrudge his presence. He was only following orders, after all.

"Miss Theodora?" He asked doubtfully, eyeing her bag.

"I'm going on a walk - you don't have to come with me."

It was worth a shot, but he wasn't going to let her off that easily. Taking a few swift steps between her and the door, he made a face.

"I'm…not sure that's the best course of action," he said apologetically "I'm sure Commodore Norrington would prefer you stay here. Or at least that you don't go out unaccompanied, if you're so desperate for fresh air."

"He told you to make sure I didn't fall asleep - I'm not going to doze off while I pace up and down the street."

"And you need a bag to go that far, do you?"

Damn him.

"I can't remain idle," she protested.

Time was running out. She didn't know how quickly, but it was. The movies hadn't been good enough to provide a clock in the corner of every scene of the movies, but she doubted Will would awaken and enjoy a long brunch before deciding to set about saving Elizabeth. Groves' frown was sympathetic, but he remained no less firm.

"You will have to - at some point or another. You can't rely on staying distracted forever."

Bless him. It was sweet - painfully sweet, and he had a point. If she didn't have somewhere that she desperately had to be, it would be sound advice. But she did, so it wasn't. Allowing her genuine gratitude to show on her face, she faltered, and then made a show of sighing.

"All right. You make a fair point."

He bowed his head, visibly relieved. Apparently facing her fiery Irish temper wasn't high up on his bucket-list following the previous night's unrest.

"Do…do you think you might make us some tea? I'd do it myself, but I don't feel too steady on my feet."

At first he looked like he didn't quite trust her, which was admittedly smart, but after a long and thoroughly scrutinising look, he must've decided from the state of her that it wasn't too difficult to believe that she was feeling tired.

"Of course," he gave a small smile "Come, sit down."

It spoke of how much he trusted her that he bought it - she could see his better reasoning warring behind his eyes, urging him not to. It made her feel guilty for betraying that trust. As he helped her to the sofa, she clung to his arm a little harder than she had to, still making a show of feeling off-kilter. Once she was sitting, he assured her that he wouldn't be a moment…and the moment his footsteps faded as he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, she was up, moving as quickly as she could without making a racket.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she broke into a sprint the moment she'd cleared the garden path and reached the road intended for carriages. It was difficult - with her dress and her panic - but it felt good to finally be channelling everything she felt into something physical, even if she was still not entirely sure that Groves wasn't just a few yards away from catching up with her. One thing was certain, if he caught up to her, she would have a lot of explaining to do. Especially if they found the note without her managing to disappear. She did not stop, nor did she slow, until she reached town, by which time she was a mess. That wasn't a problem, though, for the town was too.

There was barely a window in sight that wasn't smashed, wares that hadn't been overturned, people that didn't bear at least a scrape. Windswept and bruised, she fit right in, and for once did not draw in any stares. They were all much too concerned with recovering from last night's terror. Her nerves didn't wane as she approached Fort Charles. If James was anywhere, it would be here, and if he was the one to find her here, it would not end well. But she shoved down any unease, clinging to a rule that had always served her well - if you look like you're supposed to be somewhere, people will generally assume that to be true. And so, rather than ducking her head (it would hardly make her less easy to spot, given her hair), she walked as casually as she could, until she reached the entrance to the prison.

…Which was where she found two guards. Biting back a curse, she continued to walk, half hoping that they would simply allow her to carry on through the entrance. It must've worked for Will, after all. But Will wasn't a woman, and the double-standard of the time was eager to bite her on the arse.

"Miss Byrne?" The one to the left of the doorway addressed her.

She'd be lying if she said she recognised him - she was sure she'd never met him. But she was a lot more recognisable, she supposed, thanks to her story and her circumstances.

"I wish to read the bible to the prisoner," she took up the book, showing it to them as proof.

The one on the right remained silent, save for a derisive snort of laughter which she refused to react to, but the one who'd stopped her gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm not sure those that you would find here will have much interest in hearing the word of the Lord, Miss."

"All the more reason for me to try, for they're the ones who need to hear it the most," she entreated "Had more people tried with these pirates before they became what they did, maybe we could have avoided an incident like last night altogether. All I wish to do is show him the right path before he hangs."

"There's a woman's view if I ever heard one," the one to the right muttered.

His counterpart shot him an unamused look, but she suspected it was more to do with Theo's ties to his superior rather than the specific view expressed.

"Please," she said "I need to try. Ten minutes, that's all."

The role of the pious do-gooder didn't suit her - or at least, she felt like it didn't. It definitely wasn't familiar.

"Commodore Norrington wouldn't like it," the guard replied reluctantly.

"I wouldn't be here if he hadn't granted me his permission," she insisted.

The guard's shoulders dropped, and Theo thanked the heavens for the weight that James' name carried in Port Royal.

"Ten minutes," the guard said, earning a disapproving look from the other "Stay well back from the bars, and for the love of God don't comply with any requests he makes of you. Understood?"

"Yes," she replied immediately "Thank you - bless you."

She feared that the addition of the last part might've been a bit too heavy-handed, but the guard gave a snort and stepped aside with a shake of his head. As she bypassed him, she heard the other berate him in a mutter, which only had her speeding up before they could change their minds. Sweeping down the stone steps into the prison, she took an immediate right and found herself looking at the man she'd been thinking of ever since arriving here.

Was it ridiculous that she felt star-struck? Suddenly impossibly shy and lost for words? Probably. There was a part of her brain that failed to register that it wasn't Johnny Depp himself that she was meeting - not really. But that small fact made the man before her no less intimidating. At least the actor would be more predictable; more apt to play nice. She knew she could place no such assumptions on the pirate lying on the floor before her, pretending to be in a doze.

Forcing one foot in front of the other until she stood directly before the bars of his cell, utterly ignoring the instructions of the guard, she was painfully aware of how aware he was of her. Still, his eyes remained closed and he offered no acknowledgement of her presence. She only spoke when she was sure her voice would not waver, nor betray her nerves, instead drawing herself up to her full height and playing the part she'd been mentally practising for some time now.

"Captain Sparrow?" She asked softly.

His dark eyes opened, and his head lifted. Evidently, a female voice was not what he had been expecting.

"And what did I do to deserve a respectful greeting like that from such a pretty face, eh?"

"My name is Theodora Byrne," she replied evenly "It's good to meet you."

"Is it?" He countered, eyes trailing down to regard the bible in her hands "I've never had much luck with the big man upstairs - nor the Irish, come to think of it. But if you ask nicely, I might be inclined to give both a second chance."

Theo snorted - she couldn't help it. And then she tossed the bible aside. It landed heavily with a thud a few feet away. Now that caught his attention, and he leaned up on his elbows to regard her with open curiosity now.

"I'm not Barbossa," she said in response to his comment.

His expression shifted at that, and she was reminded of a well known quote from a movie back home. You had my curiosity, now you have my attention.

"And how do you know that name? A distant cousin of yours, perhaps?"

While his tone was light - teasing, almost - Theo kept her eyes on his, refusing to falter out of principle alone, and was almost taken aback by the sheer cleverness gleaming within his dark gaze. It struck her then that it would be a foolish man indeed who bought into Jack Sparrow's eccentric bravado and failed to see the depth of the intelligence that it masked.

"We're not all related," she said, offering the barest hints of a smile.

"Mm. I imagine that would make courtship somewhat awkward back home, eh? But that doesn't answer my question, love."

Chancing a glance back to the stairs, once she was satisfied nobody was about to come bounding down them to denounce her as a liar for what she'd said to get past the guards, she took a step closer to the bars still, and slowly sank to her knees.

"I'm a seer," she said quietly "And I believe I can help you."

Jack laughed, teeth glinting gold in the morning sunlight that streamed through the bars.

"You're going to help me get out of here, is that it? I've gotten out of worse binds than this, and those were strictly for pleasure."

Theo laughed. A real laugh, which surprised her even more than it surprised the good captain. Maybe it was the relief at being around somebody who wasn't quite so buttoned up - who made the sort of jokes she might've heard back home. Or maybe it was just nice to hear something funny after the night she'd had. The laugh doubled the intrigue in his gaze, having apparently expected something more scandalised or akin to disgust.

"I bet you have. But no," she agreed with him finally "You don't need my help to get out of here. That'll happen soon enough - before the morning is through, really."

"And you came all the way down here just to assure me of that, then? Or is it Barbossa that you wish to discuss?"

Evidently, he knew that she had a point. And he wanted her to get to it.

"You don't need my help dealing with him either," she gave a slight shrug.

This time Jack said nothing, openly scrutinising her with those eyes that didn't seem to miss a thing. It seemed he was done asking questions. Perhaps he knew that he didn't have to. Wrapping a hand around one of the black bars, Theo felt nerves flutter within her as his eyes did not waver. She knew what she was about to say would be make or break - would be received very well, or incredibly poorly. For the man before her was as dangerous as he was intelligent, and she was relying solely on the fact here that she'd never seen him attack a woman.

"How long do you have left before your debt is due?" She asked quietly "Before Davy Jones unleashes his terrible beastie, as you call it?"

Any hint of teasing, any hint of a smile, was gone from Jack's face now.

"Why don't you tell me, if you're the one with knowledge of the future?"

"It's not long, is it? Definitely not long enough for somebody who's barely even seen his end of the deal…yet."

"And you're going to tell me how to get out of that particular bind, are you? Because so far all you've done is tell me about the past - which, I hate to break it to you, isn't much of a power."

"Not yet - what leverage would I have if I just told you now?"

"Leverage, eh?" The smile was back, but not half as flirty as it was before "Are you sure you're not a pirate?"

"Not yet."

She only hoped the decision wouldn't wind up with her facing the noose alongside Jack. It was with a sinking feeling that she realised it was a distinct possibility. And that was what had her losing her enthusiasm for word games - she would never win them with this man, anyway.

"When you get out of here, take me with you. That's all I ask - a place on your crew. You don't have to give me a cut of anything, nor a wage. Just passage out of here. Do that, and my sight is at your disposal."

"And what has you so desperate to leave this good and proper town? The man who did that to your face, maybe?"

"The man who did this to my face died shortly after," she replied immediately - she would not have him think her weak, not if it would factor into his conclusions "By my own hand. I can handle myself in a fight, Captain Sparrow."

"Oh? Good for you," he mused "But you've still not told me much that anybody else couldn't have heard through the grapevine, darlin'."

She'd anticipated this.

"A test," she offered immediately "I know how you'll be getting out of here, even though nobody else does. Not yet. Put me from your mind, go on as you would, and when we next meet, I'll have proven my knowledge to you. If you find the proof satisfactory, we'll have a deal."

Jack considered her silently for a moment.

"You've made deals with worse," she pointed out drily.

"The terms of those were much clearer."

"I've no interest in getting in your way, nor in getting…too attached."

"Is that meant to persuade me?" He asked lowly, flirty grin making a reappearance.

Theo ignored the flirtation. She didn't have time for it, keenly aware that the guards could come to kick her out at any minute.

"I'll be more of a help than a hindrance to you. You have my word."

"If you already know where I'll be and when, I don't see how I can refuse you. Who's to say you won't just turn up anyway?"

"That premise suggests you believe in my sight, so then you'd have no reason not to want me around," she said, before pausing and deciding to humour the question anyway "You're resourceful, Captain Sparrow. Impressively so. You'd find a way to shake me off if you didn't want me around. I intend to prove I'm worth it before then."

He made a noise of unabashed agreement, and then he pushed himself to his feet. Theo mirrored the action, rising with as much grace as she could muster. Jack approached the bars, and she had little problem in holding his gaze now because - even after all the time she'd spent here - she still couldn't quite believe that he was real. Christ, but he was handsome. Not as tall as she'd imagined - not as tall as James - only a few centimetres taller than herself, really, but his sheer presence spoke for itself. Whatever he saw in her gaze must've satisfied him, though, for he offered a smirk before leaning in as though about to tell her a secret. Theo didn't let herself take a step back, even if it meant they were almost nose-to-nose.

"I'll consider it. But only if I'm happy with the proof."

"You will be."

"Your sight tell you that?" He offered a wry smirk.

Sticking a hand out through the bar, she offered it to him to shake…and took the slightest amount of satisfaction in how it caught him off guard for just a split second, before he huffed a laugh and shook it firmly. When she went to withdraw, he renewed his grip, holding her there for a moment, and gave a smug grin when her eyes widened in response before she could help it. She hadn't been lying when she'd called him resourceful - and manufacturing a hostage situation to get out of here would've been very resourceful. Hell, he'd done it to Elizabeth.

But then he let go, and her hand dropped back to her side.

"I'll see you soon, Captain," she said in the way of farewell.

"Oh, I hope so, love," was his response.

She left the bible on the floor as she exited…and gave a nod to Will Turner as she passed him on her way out, who offered a wide-eyed stare of surprise in return. Then she headed straight for the docks.