I return with another chapter. I hope if you read this, you're enjoying it. It's not terribly good, but it's there for now. I have a Geoffrey Rush fettish, so any character he plays in a film is usually portrayed as best as can be… sort of. Yeeeeah.

Oh! And thank you so much to my two lovely reviewers! It made me smile to read your words, and I will truly try to keep writing and, as hard as it is, get Barbossa back into character. Heh… wait till later on.

Disclaimer: Owning nothing but my own characters.

Another morning had dawned, a noon sun had drifted and all too soon, Maev found herself immersed into the darkness of a night at sea. Her legs were cramped and her arms were sore, but the woman had barely moved. She lay in the middle of the floor, under the table, curled and silent.

The tears continued for a few hours the first night, but one can only cry so much. Maev entered the chilled numb as she bleakly welcomed her fourth day on the water. Outside the little room, she had listened to the crew, she assumed, going about their business. Their voices were many, gruff and sharp, deep and bellowing. Occasionally, the sound of Captain Jack Sparrow echoed through the door and her skin crawled. Or Hector's words would be close by; a chill would engulf her.

She waited, staring at the door blindly. No one had entered; the door was only opened a crack once, to set a plate of food down. It remained by the entrance untouched and cold. Her stomach growled and begged for food, but she couldn't move.

Strange… she barely thought during the day, but when she did, it was always to Jack's words…

"Give me the map."

And while at first she was certain she had no idea what he meant, Maev suddenly realized that she had never looked at the paper her father had thrust into her hand hurriedly.

As the sky turned to a chilled onyx, Maev finally uncurled her listless fingers and reached into her dress to pull out the parchment.

Hands shaking, she unfolded it and felt her heart drop. A breath escaped her mouth as she stared in awe at the detailed map.

Any words were foreign, written in a language that she did not recognize. But the pictures were incredibly easy to understand. Some island, or piece of land, sketched defiantly in blacks, golds, reds and blues. Her finger traced along the mountains and the followed the rivers. There was a patch that looked like trees, or perhaps something else.

And in the very center, deep within what looked like a chasm of rocks, a blood red X had been slashed into the old paper.

Maev stared at it, pursing her lips together in thought. So she did have a map for the Captain after all. Her father's face came into mind and confusion knit her brow slowly. Why would he have this, her thoughts unfurling. Why would anyone except a pirate have a treasure map? She refolded it carefully and squeezed it tightly in her hand. Her father's light gray eyes stared at her in her thoughts and she could almost feel them burning her skin.

Eyes so light they were almost white…

What had that man called him earlier?

Maev quickly shook her head, trying not to think on the subject any further. There was a more pressing manner to attend to now: her passage home.

And slowly, she grasped an idea. If he wants this so badly, the woman thought, looking at the map in her hand, would he be willing to bargain for it? A minute excitement erupted in her stomach. Maybe he'll agree to take me back if I agree to give this to him… after all, I'm really of no use afterwards, right?

The excitement grew and suddenly Maev smiled. It astounded her before she sat up and nearly fell back from hunger. Her eyes fell upon the plate and she crawled across the floor and whisked it away. Though cold, the meal of fish and bread never tasted so good. She devoured it ravenously and picked ever bone clean, downing the jug of water in one gulp. Her air of mood increased now that she was not plagued down with hunger. After all, pirates are good with bargains, are they not?

Maev slowly rose, steadying herself with the table. Her legs stiffened and she crushed the map in her hand as she regained balance. Now, she thought, all I have to do is…

She was interrupted when the door suddenly flew open.

Hector Barbossa walked in, eyeing her with his dark stare warily. "Nice to see you're almost got your sea legs, miss," he spoke serenely.

Maev watched him cautiously, her overcast eyes hard. "I need to speak to the Captain," she spoke in a surprisingly strong voice as she held up her fist, the parchment poking out between her thumb. Hector's eyes widened. "So you did have it all along…"

"I need to speak to the Captain," Maev repeated. "…please."

"If you say so," Hector stepped aside and offered the door to her. Maev nodded and took a step. At that moment, the ship pitched with another wave and the woman went crashing to the ground.

She was startled to hear Hector's booming laughter above her. The pirate leaned down to help her up, chuckling still. "Don't worry, it takes a while to learn to walk on a ship," he spoke cheerily, keeping his hand on her arm. "I'll take you to the Captain's quarters."

"Thank you," Maev muttered, looking down as they left the room.

Her eyes shot open in an instant.

The young woman had never been on a ship before and now she found herself on the main deck of the Black Pearl. The moon's rays shone across the ebony black woods, smoothed and crafted in the faded light. A harsh wind tore through the tattered sails, the soft whistling beckoning to wanderer's ear. Open waves crashed against the sides, sending the magnificent ship gliding almost gracefully through the waters. Everywhere, the faint voice of the sea echoed through the masts and wood, and the hymn of the shimmering stars etched itself in the fluttering sails.

Maev's heart thudded in her ears. "It's beautiful…" she breathed out aloud.

"Hm?" Hector glanced down at her, before sighing. "S'what everyone seems to say when they first see the Pearl. Freedom, that's what the Captain calls her. I believe it."

The young woman was silent.

"Well, are you going to the Captain or not, missy?" Hector stirred her from her momentary quiet. Maev shook her head quickly and let him lead her to the far cabin at the helm.

Her eyes scanned the decks and she suddenly realized the absence of a crew. She swallowed and continued.

Yo Ho.

The sound thump on the door roused Jack from his groggy sleep.

"PARLEY!" He roared, tumbling out of his chair. A heavy weight seemed to slam in his head as he slowly pulled himself up. The Captain made a grab for his bottle, only to have it crash to the floor beside him, empty.

"Damn…" he muttered.

The knocking on the door persisted. "Captain?"

"Blast, Hector, what the devil do you want! I'm… busy…" Jack stumbled up, shaking his thick, tangled hair.

"Oh, it's not what I want, sir… you have a visitor." With that, Hector opened the door and allowed Maev to step in.

It took all but a moment for Jack to glance her up and down before remembering the young woman. A frustrated grin painted his face. "Dear Miss Maev… I was just thinking about having a chat with--"

Maev stepped forward and held out the map.

Jack's face paled over, his coal-brown eyes suddenly shimmering. His drunkenness dissipated as he stared at the ancient parchment in her fist. A cold silence filled the room as the two watched the other; Maev's eyes on his face, Jack's stare on her hand.

And then, the frustration evaporated and an icy smile replaced Jack's ashen face. "I knew he still had it…"

The man stepped towards her, reaching for the map. Maev swiftly retracted her arm and held the map to her chest. "So you do want it, then?"

Hector arched an eyebrow. Jack's face dimmed and the dawning hit him. "…tell me, Maev, have you ever dealt with pirates before?"

"No."

"Then I must warn you, love, we do not like to be trifled with… especially with THAT map at stake," his voice dulled to a growl. Maev bit her cheek in attempts to force the strong composition on her face. Jack ran a hand through his hair. "So, why don't you be a good little girl and hand the pretty paper to ol' Captain Jack. Savvy?"

Maev swallowed and spoke as coldly as she could, keeping the choke in her throat in check. "How badly do you want this map, Captain?"

Jack clenched his fists. "You have clearly NEVER dealt with pirates before…" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Just come out and say what you want in return for the map, pigeon, it's getting late, and I have a lot of navigating to figure out now."

The young woman stared at him hard before speaking: "I want to go home." Her voice cracked, hard as she tried to control it. "You take me home, and you can have the bloody map."

Jack stroked his beard and eyed her. He cast a glance at Hector. The first mate blinked passively, if not for the sudden flame in his ambered eyes. The Captain let the smile creep back as he offered his hand to Maev. "Deal."

She stared at him warily. "No tricks? If I give you the map, I can go home?"

"No tricks, Maev. Do we have an accord?"

The woman took a deep breath and shook his hand. "We have an accord." She held out her fist and unclenched her fingers.

Jack's face lit up as he snatched it from her hand. He whirled towards the desk and sat down, unfolding it instantly. "Sell my soul to Davy Jones… it's all here…" Slowly, he pulled out his compass and protractor and instantly began to devour the map and what it read.

All the while, Maev watched him and a dark light began to engulf her overcast eyes. She felt Hector step forward behind her. "Captain?"

"Hm, what! I'm busy now!"

"Should I take her back?"

"Sure, go. And while you're at it, tell the crew there's a change of direction. We have to head east now, towards Tortuga before--"

"EAST?" Maev suddenly shrieked. Both men jumped at her shrilled voice. "We just made a bargain, before you do anything, you have to take me HOME!"

Jack smiled in a feigned compassion as he quickly strode over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and sighed. " Kid... The problem with you is not that you don't follow orders; you actually follow them quite well. And it's not that you have spirit; I simply love it when a girl has an outburst like that.

The problem with you is that you do not understand anything aside from your home."

"I understand everything perfectly, we made a deal, you said you would let me go!" Maev hissed into his face.

"I said we would take you home. However… you did not specify WHEN you wanted to go home. For all I know, you wish to stay here for a long time."

A pit dropped in Maev's stomach as she stared at him in horror. "But… now, I want to go now…"

"Too late, pigeon," Jack grinned. "And thank you for the map. I appreciate it." He squeezed her shoulder tightly before pushing her out the door. She stumbled and fell hard on her knee. "Hector, don't help her up, she can do it herself," Jack purred at the assailant first mate. Hector glanced at her and closed his eyes. Maev stood up and glared weakly at Jack.

"Sleep tight, deary. And thanks again, I knew you'd warm up to me eventually," Jack winked before slamming the door.

For a time, the only sound was the waves against the ship.

"…your plan backfired, didn't it?" Hector broke the silence, glancing at her.

"You're all MAD!" Maev screamed. "I gave him what he wanted, he promised to get me home, it's… it's…"

"Not fair?" Hector asked.

"What is WRONG with you all?" She shrilled, anger piercing her eyes. "I am NOTHING to you, NOTHING! Just let me go HOME! You're filth, all of you, especially YOU!" Maev pointed at Hector before stumbling back.

"And why is that?" He spoke calmly, a light passing through his eyes as he walked towards her.

"Because you started EVERYTHING. You came to our town, and you found us. And you RUINED everything!" She spat out. "And how ANYONE could ever be so stupid as to trust you—any of you!—I pity them. But I pity YOU even more, because you don't even realize how damned you really are--"

Hector whirled his arm around and smacked her in the jaw.

Maev staggered back against the side of the ship, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her mouth. A salty taste gathered in the back and she felt something small and hard come loose against her tongue.

Hector grabbed her arm angrily and practically flew across the deck, dragging her limp body with him. He tore the door open and threw her into the room, not even bothering to step in.

Maev looked up at him weakly, spitting the back tooth out onto the wood. A warm trickle of blood travelled through her mouth.

"You know nothing about living a damned life, and to have no one ever trust you…" The man growled, his eyes ablaze before he slammed the door.

Maev slowly curled into a ball, holding her knees tightly, staring at the door, wishing she could still hear the violin.

"Oh god, just let me go home," she whispered breathlessly.

Yo Ho.

Jack hunched over his desk, eyes drinking in the faded map before him. The soft flicker of the candle blew out breathlessly as his finger lingered over the giant X in the center.

A smile crossed his face. "The gold does exist after all..."

He whipped out a fresh bottle of rum and took a swig before clicking open his compass.

well, let's just see where it goes from here. I have ideas, but we'll have to wait and see… Once again, thank you to the reviews, they'ved helped and I'm going to try to keep improvincthe story. :)

Love from Annebelle.