Authors note: Thanks to Lady Edoras and MookieMooDoo for the kind reviews. Keep reading and I'll keep writing.

Chapter Four

(Jackie's View)

I was so involved in my own thoughts, that when Will cleared his throat, I jumped nearly a mile off my bunk. Will chuckled richly and it made me feel as if I was encased by warm fuzzy feeling. I shook my head to steady myself. I looked up at Will.

"Well?" I waited anxiously to find out what had happed after I left them.

"We are headed to Tortuga."

"Well I figured that," at Will's confused expression I explained, "it is the best place to find a crew."

"So…You've been there?"

"I have been lots of places."

Will's face scrunched up in thought, "Sometimes I wonder if I know you at all."

I stood up and walked towards Will. I put my arms around him and softly replied, "You know me better than anyone."

Will sighed and relaxed in my arms. I held him for a moment later and released him and walked back over to the bed sitting down once again.

"Did you find out anything else?"

"Yeah, he told me that he knew my dad and that my dad was a pirate by the name of Bootstrap Bill."

This time I was the one sighing, I would have given anything to let him continue to believe that his dad was an upstanding citizen. It had meant so much to him.

"You do not seem surprised."

My eyes widened slightly with this, "Well to be honest, I'm not. I had heard stories but had no way to validate them. I was going to tell you something that may or may not have been true."

"YOU knew?"

"No, no I didn't know but I suspected." I paused for a second. "I'm really sorry Will, I know that you must be hurt by this."

Will stilled again. "Actually surprised yes, hurt no. He was still my dad and he was a good man. He loved me and I loved him, that is all that really mattered, I guess."

Our eyes met again and the look on his face caused me to hold my breath.

"So when are you going to let him know, who you are?"

My heart started beating against my chest. "I don't know if I am. I'm not sure that he is the good man, I remember."

Will grinned at me evilly, "there is only one way to find out."

"Will, no. I'm not going to reveal myself to him until I know for sure what happened."

"You won't have to. I have a plan, but first how long until we reach Tortuga?"

"We will probably be there by late afternoon tomorrow, why?"

"Well that gives us plenty of time to get to know our Captain Jack, doesn't it."

Will quickly explained the plan, which much to my dismay, I could not find any glitches in.

"Alright love, pull your hair up under that hat of yours and let's go talk to the Captain."

I did as he suggested and followed him up above deck. Will sat on the deck near Jack and I got as close enough that I could hear them and stood at the railing overlooking the sea.

"So Jack, since we still have a while getting there, I thought maybe we could get to know each other. Since you are the only other person that I have met who knew my father."

Jack looked like he was thinking of a response and finally shook his head surrendering, "Aye, watcha wanna know?"

'Geez, this is going to be like pulling teeth.'

"Well, did all pirates have a family to go home to or was my dad an exception."

"All walks of life are da same, some do some don't."

"What about you ?"

Jack's face softened. "Aye. I did."

Will nodded his head for Jack to continue but he stayed silent, looking over the top of the wheel.

"You said you did. What happened to them?"

Jack stayed quiet for a moment and I thought he was going to refuse to answer, but when I had almost given up hope he started again, in a voice that I had to strain to hear.

"I had a wife and a daughter at one point, but both of them are gone."

In a voice almost to match Jack's Will prodded further.

"I been out t' sea bout six months, when I gotta letter from me wife sayin she was ill. I was Capt'n of the Pearl then and we'd been after Aztec gold. I insisted that we turn back, so I could go to her. The crew was outraged they did not wanna leave their treasure. That was when the crew mutinied and left me on a deserted island. By the time that I was able to get back..."

Jack's voice became ragged with emotion, and I wanted to scream for him to stop that he did not have to dig up all of his demons. I knew though I might never get this chance again, so I bit my tongue and waited for him to continue.

"Me wife was dead and me wee lass was gone."

"Did you ever look for her?"

"Of course, I looked for her." Jack stared hard at Jack with malice on his face.

"I found out that the ship she 'ad taken to find me, had been attacked and was sank. I had lost both of them 'fore I could tell 'em what they meant to me. That's when I vowed to get Barbosa no matter what!"

Will waited a moment before continuing. "What if I was tell you that your daughter did not die on that ship."

Jack lunged at Will, "That is NOT funny, what is your game! Ev'one on that ship died."

Will did not move out of his grip but lifted his chin and looked him in the eye.

"I was on that ship and I did not die. There was a little girl with me as well the same age as me that went by the name of Jackie."

Jack suddenly let go of Will and fell to the deck of the ship in a sitting position. He refused to look up but continued with his voice full of grief.

"Does she still live, what did she do, do you still know her?"

"Yes, stayed with me, and yes," Will looked up at me and I nodded, "and so do you."

Jack looked up at Will again, "Have you gone daft boy?"

Will shook his head and then moved his head to look at me. Jack followed his line of sight and looked up at me. I didn't turn around but I could feel their eyes on me.

They never took their eyes off of me but Jack continued, "What are you trying to tell me."

Will remained quiet and I knew that he meant for me to answer. I let the silence linger for just a moment longer. I hung my head and took a deep breath.

"My mother, god rest her, called me Jackie Ray, but you called me your heart." I turned around and let them see the tears that were streaming down my face. I took off my hat and let down my hair and then very slowly raised my face to gaze into my father's eyes.

"Da' I have looked for you since I was twelve, taken jobs on different ships. I have missed you so much."

Jack's voice was racked with emotion, "Den why'd you wait to tell me?"

"I wasn't sure why you didn't come back for me, I thought you might not have wanted a little girl tagging after you. After repeating this over and over to myself for years, I came to believe it. When I saw you again…I had to know how you felt before I put myself out there again. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you."

All of sudden I felt someone in front of me and looked up and Jack looked me in the eye and then put his arms around me and hugged me tightly. We held each other and when we finally broke the embrace, I saw that I wasn't the only one crying.

"Do not ever be sorry girl, I have missed you so much. It doesna matter how this came 'bout we have each other again!"