Disclaimer: I own some really funky things (go-go boots, an accordian, dr. seuss hat, cat slippers) but nothing that even resembles owning Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. That just would be weird. Which I'm not, really.

A/N: I am proud to say that this story is more than half way there. Congratulations to you for sticking with it this long. All I can say is that it gets better. Much better.

Chapter 18

In the Captain's quarters of the Cicatriz, Morgan sat looking at the map she had taken from her stepbrother. It had been days now since they had left Allenport. From what Morgan could tell from the map, they would be coming upon the Isle in the coming day or the next. She wasn't sure if even they were on the right course anymore. Even if they didn't find the island, she was ready to go ashore. Morgan had decided a few days before that Jonathan would not come with her and although she wasn't quite sure if that was the best decision, he would be guarded by her own men. The few men that were Jonathan's own pirates were only a small number who couldn't take over the Cicatriz and Morgan had already told her crew that if there was to be an uprising, his men would be the first to be cut down. In any case, things were in her favor and she wanted it to stay that way.

Now, she looked from her father's skull to the map. "So?" she asked it. "What was your purpose of this map? You killed the men of that crew and walked away from it. Your madness is beyond my comprehension," she growled at it. She wasn't surprised when it didn't respond to her question. She never received a response from her father even when he was alive.

What she did not expect was the knock upon her door. "Captain?" a voice asked.

Morgan sat upright in her chair. It was Philip. "Come in," she replied.

"Captain. Morgan, lass," Philip said softly as he entered her quarters. He realized that the façade on her face that she usually wore had disappeared.

"Philip, was my father a good man?" Morgan asked him as she stared down at her father's skull.

Philip Moore was a bit taken back by her question. "What kind of a question is that to ask about yer own father, lass?"

"I am beginning to feel that he was more of a scoundrel than I had thought. All these years he tried to be a gentleman even when he had become a pirate. Then I find out he abandoned his own crew. What kind of a man would do that?" Morgan replied feeling deceived by the only relative she had ever known in her young life. She looked up at Philip a moment later. "I am only inquiring to you of what kind of a man he was."

"You should know, Morgan, as his daughter," Philip replied softly as he approached her.

"Ah, his daughter," she replied bitterly. "I wasn't his daughter. He felt of me more as a son than a daughter."

Philip wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He had only a small experience with comforting others and knew how to heal a wound to the hand or head but softening a blow that had been taken to the heart and soul, Philip had no idea how to consol. Instead, he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Jack Sparrow wishes to see you. Should I admit him?"

Morgan sat there for a moment in the darkness. To Philip, he felt as if she had not heard him. "Captain White?" he asked worriedly.

"See him in but do not go far for you will be the one who shall put him back again," Morgan spoke finally.

"Aye, Capt'n," Philip replied before he left her alone again.

The door was opened a few minutes later by Jack, who was healing quickly from the wound he had received days before from Jonathan. Luckily, his wrist had garnished no infection although that was not what he had come to discuss.

"I see you took my word about Jonathan," Jack said to her. They had not spoken since the night when Jonathan had cut into Jack's wrist.

"T'was his own doing. Tardiness was his crime, not mutiny," Morgan replied as she watched him from her desk.

"Ah," Jack said his mind on a different matter entirely. "Rumor is that ye'll be going into those caves alone."

"Aye, that's true."

"I know ye'll find no point in me askin' but why is it ye find it a solution to enter those caves without an idea of knowing what direction and what precisely ye'll be looking for?" Jack asked her flat out.

Morgan tensioned. "Mr. Sparrow, Henry White was my father and the map is now in my custody. From that I'll get me directions of which path I'll be taking," she lied.

"That map shows no direction that ye'll take," Jack responded. "Only a map of the island. Yer missing a piece, Ms. White.

"And I suppose that you would know what I'm missing?" Morgan asked him curiously.

"Aye," Jack replied coyly. "'Course ye'll have to take me along to find out."

"So that's it, Jack? I suppose ye don't believe that I'd kill ye for a shred of information, now do you?" she growled back at him.

He smiled. "Now, Morgan, little Morgan White, ye knew me well enough once to know that you'd never succeed in a plan such as that. What makes ye think it'd work now?" Morgan was silent as Jack continued. "I knew ye once. A long time ago. What happened to ye since you were a child, lass? Once ye trusted me. Yer father was a king to you. Couldn't trust either of us, now could you? Henry White had a reason for what he did. He left the pieces behind for you, lass. Now it's yer fate," he paused to study her face. "Ye don't believe in fate, now do ye, luv? It's why you're here now. No other explanation. Your father believed in fate, didn't he?"

Morgan was silent. Damn Sparrow for knowing too much for his own good. Even if she wanted to forget, it wasn't possible. "He said you couldn't outrun yer past. I suppose he meant you as well. When we anchor, I expect you ready," Morgan replied with some regret.

Jack nodded his head with a bit of a bow. "Capt'n," he said gratefully before exiting the room quietly as he had entered.

"Pity, you're not here now, father," Morgan said after he left. "Things are just getting exciting," she gave the skull a toss in her hand, before bringing it up to her eye level. She stared into the empty eyesockets silently with mixed feeling of hatred and regret knawing at her soul. "Pity." Morgan would never admit it to anyone but she still felt it was her fault that he was dead.


A/N 2: WOW! That was quick. Those two came fast. As I promised, here's your chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Same rule as before for this time. Two reviews and I'll put up the next one. Until then!