1Oh darlings! Why hello! It's been a long, long time since I updated my beloved story, and I shall enlighten you now with what happens next. Lovepadfoot5867: I'm glad you like my story! I'm seriously counting down the days until this movie comes out! Almathea727: I know I know, the child is coming I promise! Haha. I'm thinking there may be a twist though, so hold your horses..; ). Moonshine07: thank you for understanding that I couldn't get this chapter up quickly lol. And I love you too! And I also love your reviews! Alonefreehearted: thank you! I'm sorry I posted this chapter later than sooner! But hey, think of it this way, you still got what you wanted! Smile! Emiliosloofah: I can't wait for the wedding later in the evening when the sun starts to set. It will be so beautiful. I'm wearing the long white dress of my dreams, with no shoes. And Johnny's wearing a white suit with no shoes. Ah! It's perfect. We'll both see you out there tonight. Many kisses from me and my Johnny! And thank you for your review. It was a wonderful pre-wedding gift!

Now on with the show- - -

"I wasn't going to take it." He said softly, calmly trying to get the foreign man to release him and stop smacking him.

"Then why was it in your possession, Captain?" he said condescendingly, narrowing his eyes at Jack and tilting his head to the side. Jack sighed and furrowed his brow.

"I was just lookin' at it!" Jack shouted furiously, his eyes blazing with leashed anger and his hands balled into fists, his wrists choking against the tight cuffs. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. Well, by using his cocky tone, he got slapped again, and this time it didn't go over to well with Jack. "What the bloody hell is the matter with you! You bleedin' moron!" he shouted madly as his hands came up in a exhausted thrust. "It was pretty! I like pretty! I picked it up and looked at it!" he shouted in the man's face, watching as the once so proud man shrunk right in front of him. "Plus," Jack started, looking back down to the pearls he had given Diana eight years ago on the ground. "Those are mine," he said dully, rolling his eyes.

Isabelle could hear her husband screaming from a mile away. She knew it was coming. As soon as the sharp slap came ringing across the hallway, she knew either Jack had slapped someone, or someone had slapped Jack. And Jack didn't slap, he punched, hard. So, she knew it was him and then there were lovely words exchanged. She growled and gathered her dress in her hands and ran through the remainder of the hallway to see what her oh- so- gentle when angry husband was yelling about. She stopped as she saw Jack's hands clapped in irons and a man in uniform standing before him with two other men at his back. Close, but not close enough so they would get hurt when Jack lashed out. There was a string of pearls, very old and dull pearls, on the ground near Jack's feet that had obviously come from the red cushion that was now empty behind him. He looked up from the desperate men and smiled on seeing Isabelle walk casually into the room and to his side.

"Hello, darling," she cooed and kissed him on the cheek, standing high on her tip toes. "Gentlemen," she said, inclining her head slightly.

"Madame," they said in unison, a little surprised.

"What have you done, Jack?" she asked calmly, bending down to pluck the old beads from the cold floor and restoring them to what seemed to be their previous perch on the red satin pillow. She examined the beads for a moment and realized they were the same quality, or once were the same quality, of Jack's prized pearls. She knew, she never took hers off. "These are yours, dear," she said nonchalantly. Jack sighed and nodded. "Then what's the fuss?" she asked, now annoyed, and turned her still gaze on the guards.

"He picked it up like he was making to steal it..."

"No, no, no. These are his pearls, you don't understand. This is Captain Jack Sparrow. He gave these to the Queen as a gift and obviously he recognized them for what they were." She carefully looked over the stupefied faces of the guards and sighed deeply, straightening out the string of pearls mindlessly. "Take these wretched things off his hands and get out of here," she said and they hopped to, unlocking his mini prison and bowing curtly before hurrying away. Jack held his wrist in his hand and looked back to the pearls on the cushion.

"I'm sorry, love. I know how this must look," he said gently, reaching out a hand to her. She smiled knowingly and took it without hesitation.

"No, no. I understand," she said and threw a glance at the pearls. "Is there a daring story behind those little beads too, Jack?" she asked, smiling up at him. He chuckled and led her away from the pearls and back down the hallway.

"O'course, darling. There's always a story." She laughed and looked up to him expectantly. "Oh, and you want to hear it?" he asked, knowing full well that, yes, she would want to hear it. "Alright, alright. Here goes, darling," he said softly and she nodded, looking ahead as they walked leisurely. Will and Elizabeth had long since gone to bed and the Queen was out and about. The crew, well, they were a bit difficult to predict these days, and Gibbs was relaxing on a hammock outside on the patio where the doors opened up to the ocean. Jack led Isabelle along the dimly lit hallways as he laid his scene.

"I took on Diana when her sister tried to kill her..."

"And you fell in love," Isabelle teased. Jack furrowed his brow, thinking about it for a minute. He didn't want to lie to her so he thought about his feelings for the mysterious queen.

"No," he said carelessly. "No, I never fell in love with the lass," he said gently, looking down to the only love of his life. She looked up at him with a confused expression. "I didn't love her like that. I loved her, still do. But not like I love you, never like that, love," he said and flashed her a genuine Sparrow smile. She laughed softly and nodded.

"Alright, Jack." She nodded her head again and he continued with his story.

"So, she was part of me crew. She was a real, swashbuckler, buccaneer, scallywag, tyrant of a woman. She sailed with the best of them. Me crew taught her how to hold a sword and how to protect herself with one. She learned easiest with a bow and arrow. She took to it rather quickly actually. Scary almost how she loved it. But months went by and she found a sting of brilliant, shimmering pearls in the hold of me ship while she was pokin' around down there one night. I couldn't find her anywhere, and a woman aboard a ship will still unease me and when I couldn't find her I began to instantly think the worst." Jack paused and sighed, looking down at Isabelle's face. "Let be backtrack for you, love," he said quietly, squeezing her hand a little and she nodded slowly. "My ship, my boring, plain, mahogany ship was nameless. I was callin' it... well, it. So then Diana came along. Then I start my story back where we left it. I found her down in the hold, with the pearls I had plundered a few months back. I must've scared her because she turned around fast and dropped the pearls to the deck. They came off the string and rolled into every nook and cranny of my ship's darkest corner. She got down on her knees and picked them up one by one, and she found one that had apparently rolled into something black. She smiled as she looked at it and then she handed it to me." Isabelle smiled, now knowing how he named his beloved ship.

"The Black Pearl," she said in a sing song voice, teasing Jack.

"Aw, don't say it like that, love. Ye make it sound like a sissy ship." Isabelle laughed out loud and Jack chuckled at her obvious joy. "But, I held the pearl with me and she re strung the beads back onto a string and I let her keep the necklace for herself, keeping the black pearl for me. Finally, after a few weeks, I took me ship to be serviced. We painted her back, gave her black sails, which I paid a bloody fortune for, and we had her name permanently imprinted on her newly painted wood. The Black Pearl was forever the power in the waters after that. Don't matter about the bloody Interceptor or the Dauntless. The Pearl rolled her eyes at them. I guess you could say Diana had a hand in helpin' me pick out the right name for her." Jack stopped talking and seemed rather lost in his memories. Isabelle was content in walking with him hand in hand down the winding hallways, thinking she would never want to be anywhere else ever.

Later that night, Will came bursting into their quiet room, his eyes burning with excitement and pleasure, Elizabeth attached to his back and Litler not far behind. Young William shouted Jack's name loud enough to wake the population of the castle up and Jack whipped his body up so fast from it's relaxed position he thought he had given himself permanent whiplash. Isabelle was startled from her sleep and quickly dragged out of bed by the excited Elizabeth and Will, Jack not far behind, fighting with his shirt as he pulled it savagely over his head and shoulders. "Elizabeth, what's going on?" Isabelle whispered as they sprinted down the hallway. Elizabeth griped her hand and ran parallel with her as they made a mad dash for the giant double doors. On their way out, guards in uniform quickly and expertly handed the pirates torches, blazing wildly with untamed fire, just like the fire in the Turner's eyes.

"We've found it." Isabelle's heart beat faster and faster and her lips turned upward into a pleasant smile. She felt whole, she felt overjoyed. Jack had found what he always wanted. Elizabeth's sweaty hand remained tightly clamped over hers and she was glad the woman hadn't let go, for she would surely stumble and fall in her wild daze. Jack looked over his shoulder periodically to check on her and make sure she was alright and safely behind him. She always was.

The Turner's dragged them through the deepest, darkest, ugliest part of the jungle, soaking their feet as they dashed blindly through shallow ponds and creeks, scratching their arms as they heatedly pushed back bothersome branches, and whipping their cheeks with the leaves and the debris from their uncontrollable tear through the dark rainforest. Elizabeth led Isabelle sharply over rocks, out of the way of trees, and through branches smothered with ripe green leaves. Jack's heart pounded with excitement, his mind ran a thousand miles faster than his body, which was trembling with adrenaline. This was his night. He was in his element, with his wife and his best friends surrounding him. He had found the ultimate treasure, this was it. This was what his whole pirate career was leading up to, this was everything that night to him.

The foursome skidded to a halt just before they fell head first into an enormous hole in the ground, obviously dug by Jack's immensely dirty crew standing near by with shovels serving as a crutch at the moment. They saluted their captain as he quickly approached as they leaned heavily on their shovels, imprinting the ground with the tip of the sharp plate. Jack nodded in their direction and looked down the hole hesitantly. There were so many things that were running through his mind, so many different feelings, and thoughts. He had been searching for this particular treasure for 26 years. He remembered the day he had discovered the legend behind it. Sure, Diana was handed a fifth of the treasure on a silver platter by her mother and father because she was the queen. But the other part, was his. The other part, he searched for, he pined over, he tore himself apart looking for day after day. The story behind the treasure was one he would share with his dear friends another time, in another place, now, this was his time, this was his place and nothing would stop him.

Will looked over to his captain, his eyes burned with the fire of a thousand suns and his hands trembled slightly at the thought of what could possibly be down there. His mouth hung open, almost in question, and his face was set as hard as stone. He flicked his wrist and Will scooted to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as Jack kept his eyes focused on the blackness within. "There are footholds and things to grab onto on the way down, Jack," Will said quietly and the great captain nodded. Isabelle watched Jack as his eyes darted back and froth from one corner of the darkness to the other, sizing it up, recognizing the danger it presented. "We have steady rope that's been tested," Will stated absently, looking at the serious face the captain shielded himself with. Jack suddenly looked up and the crew stood straight as their captain addressed them silently.

"How deep," he said quietly and one man stepped up, Ginny.

"About twenty feet, Cap," he said and stepped back to where he came from. Jack nodded and held out his hand. Isabelle looked from confused face to confused face and sighed as she went to pick up the rope laying next to Gibbs' feet. Jack felt the rope being dropped in his hands and soft, feminine hands pulling back as the rope came in his possession. He looked over his shoulder.

"I have to know, Elle. I have to know what's down there," he said softly.

"And I understand. Just come back when you're done, Jack, that's all I ask of you," she said back and kissed him gently before Will and Litler tied the rope securely around him and wound it around a thick tree. Jack looked back to the trail they had jut come from as footstep appeared and James and Ana came bounding through the jungle with Diana.

"What's this, Jack Sparrow! Can't even wake me up!" Ana yelled and came up to the edge of the hole. She whistled in awe. "That's dark," she said and Jack nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll be taking a torch with me, I presume?" Jack asked and someone stepped up next to him with a torch. "Alright," Jack said and Will held his hands as the pirate lowered himself into the damp ground.

"Be careful, Jack. Don't kill yourself. It's only gold. What really matters is up here," Will said so quietly that no one but Jack could make out his words. Jack smiled and nodded, his gold teeth glinting off the fire from the torch he was carefully handed. Litler and James got the rope in their hands and gave Will the signal. Will slowly let go of Jack's hand as the brave captain was lowered into the ground little by little. The crew came and gathered at the edge of the hole, looking down at the disappearing figure of their captain. There was no noise as Isabelle pushed her way through and as she appeared at the edge with ease, as all the pirates welcomed her to see. She watched with burning eyes and tight muscles as she could no longer see the right the torch bore anymore. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at James and Litler as they worked hard to keep the rope in line and then she quickly adverted her glance onto the hole and then to Isabelle's drawn face. Elizabeth positioned herself next to her and hugged her arms around her gently. Isabelle flinched, but welcomed the soothing touch as she watched the blackness, waiting.

It killed Jack's crew to stand in complete silence and wait. They were pirates, they liked immediate effects, standing around wasn't one of their strong suits. They were tense and wary of sending their beloved captain down the hole instead of a guard from the palace. But this was what he wanted. He wanted to know, and he would know soon. James and Litler soon felt the weight on the rope lessen and they knew Jack had made it to the ground. There was still a pull on the rope, but nothing they needed to hang onto. He was safe, well, he was on the ground anyway. "He's down," James announced, his sharp British accent cutting through the crowd of pirates and Isabelle jumped out of her skin in Elizabeth's tight embrace.

"Isabelle, you mustn't worry so. He's on the ground it's all uphill from here," Elizabeth said soothingly. Silence sliced through the sticky night, eyes darted from place to place, minds wandered into the most uncomfortable places, fingers twiddled in anxiety, hair stood on end, and teeth remained clenched in uncertainty. James and Litler carefully followed the captain mentally as the rope gave and gave. Their hands were raw with the pulling and holding and just as they were wishing he would come back and be safe, the rope stopped moving altogether. Litler and James looked at each other frantically, neither knowing quite what to do.

"Don't tell Isabelle," they both said in unison, nodding at each other's idea. They gave the rope a gentle tug, but found nothing tugging back on the other side. He had lost the rope. "What are we going to do. We can't just leave him there," Litler hissed, his voice climbing in worry.

"I don't know. But we mustn't panic. I know that," James said, looking around from face to face, all looking intently down the hole, waiting for some sign from the captain. Then he spotted Isabelle's distraught face, her chocolate eyes brimming with tears willing to spill and her fingers rolled tightly into her palms. He looked to Elizabeth, her brow furrowed tightly, creasing her forehead and shadowing her golden eyes which surveyed the hole hard, watching, waiting. Will was next, his hand on his hips, his lips drawn in a straight, tight line and his normally warm eyes, stone cold and glossy. The rest of the crew's faces were drawn and indescribable. "Damn you, Sparrow," James mumbled.

"Damn him to hell," Litler whispered, holding the limp rope lightly in his fingers, hoping for something, some minor miracle. Something that would bring Jack back to Isabelle, to his crew, to above the cold, damp, unforgiving ground.

- - - - - - - - - - -

OH SNAP a cliffhanger! Oh snap! Review and I'll save you from this torture sooner than later. Maybe even.. Holy crap...next week! Alright. Do what you gotta do chickas.i recently had a terribly break up so, this is how I feel.

There's a fine, fine line between a fairytale and a lie. There's a fine, fine line between "you're wonderful," and "goodbye". I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't a crime. But there's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of time.

-Dessie .. A.k.a Kate!