Disclaimer: Don't own Pirates. If I did, I'd own CSI, and I'd put Grissom and Sidle together, kill off the people in Miami, move the New York people to Vegas, and put my sequel on the big screen. (Breathes in) Okay. Done ranting now.

Chapter 2: It Begins...

Will closed his eyes, and smelled the air again. Elizabeth was still downstairs, fuming over Will's answer. He puzzled over what he'd said. He opened his eyes to check his course. They were on the way, though he felt a mite dizzy. He closed his eyes, and shook his head to clear it.

But when he opened his eyes, the watery paradise seemed to swim before his eyes. Blinking, he became worried when it didn't go away. He called for AnaMaria. To him, his voice sounded faint, distant.

"What d'you need, Will?" A strange, foreign look crossed her hardened face-concern.

"Help me below." His voice was barely a whisper.

She looped her arm under him, allowing him to place a goodly bit of his weight on her.

"Didn't figure you the type to get seasick, Will."

"I'm not."

"Then what's all this?"

He didn't have a good answer. He felt totally exhausted just from the trip down to the main deck. By the time he was below, he was almost totally worn out.

"AnaMaria? What's wrong, lass?" He could barely hear Gibbs's voice, and couldn't even see the grizzled pirate.

He wasn't able to hear AnaMaria's response.

Nor anything else for quite a long time.

"How is he?" Elizabeth stood by Will's bed.

"Not good. I've never seen anything like this." It was AnaMaria's turn to watch him for any signs of improvement.

As if there would be any.

"You haven't?"

"No. And something strong enough to take Will down is something to worry about. Thank God none of us have caught it."

"Yet," Gibbs finished pessimistically as he entered.

"Jack still asleep?"

"What der you think, AnaMaria, eh? He's out cold. Probably still drunk, too."

"You mean he still hasn't gotten up since we left port?"

"Aye," Gibbs confirmed, blissfully unaware of the menace in Elizabeth's eyes.

"Excuse me." She stalked off.

A confused Gibbs turned to AnaMaria. "What the bloody hell's all that about?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, you're a woman-"

"Damn right."

"-so you of all people should understand this."

"Hey, I'm not in love. She is. That brings in all kinds of..." She stopped, mouth slightly agape.

Interested, Gibbs turned around, and saw why her mouth was open. His was, too.

There, in front of Jack's cabin was Elizabeth, armed with one of the cannon. Then she wheeled it in, and they followed, interested. She wheeled it over to the open window, right next to Jack's bed, then loaded a round, and then, glaring at the mercifully asleep Jack, lit the fuse.

"...all kinds of crazy," Ana finished her sentence.

AnaMaria and Gibbs of the Black Pearl were the first people to see the world's very first effective alarm clock in action.

The sheer sonic boom threw Jack clear out of bed, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"WOOOOOOAAAAAAH!"

He then was up waving his sword around, still half-asleep, shouting, "GIBBS! LOAD THE CANNON. SET TOPSAILS AND...oh, mornin' luv." For the first time, he'd noticed Elizabeth. "Now, what's all this about, blowin' me bloody cabin to Hell and back?"

"Have you been asleep the entire time we've been at sea, Sparrow?"

Not noting her tone, nor the sheer irritation in her voice, nor her use of 'Sparrow' to refer to him, he turned to Gibbs. "How long 'ave I been out?"

"Six days, sir."

"And we've been at sea...?"

"Six days, sir."

"Thank you, Gibbs. So, to answer yer question, luv..." He never did finish that sentence, nor any for the next wee while.

"ARE YOU BLOODY MAD?"

"Well..."

"WE'VE BEEN AT SEA SIX DAYS, AND YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AWAKE FOR ONE?"

"Well, no, but..."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON AROUND YOUR DRUNKEN HEAD?"

"Um..."

"GET UP!"

In danger of never getting a complete thought out again, he did as she told him. Then, a little calmer, she said, "Will's sick."

"Oh? Didn't figure 'im for the seasick type, this is what, his seventh time out with us?"

"He's not seasick," AnaMaria stepped in before Elizabeth exploded again.

"What, then?"

"Dunno. He didn't either. He's been out cold since yesterday."

"Alright, let me though, lemme 'ave a look at him." Still mildly drunk (A/N: he always was, wasn't he?), he steeped into Will's room.

He took a moment, looking him over. Then, he returned sober (A/N: for once). "I know it. Not very good."

"Well, that's not news to us," Elizabeth said irritably. "What is it?"

"Don't know the name, bt it's been the thing of legend. I used to think this little thing a myth afore Bootstrap came down with it."

"And what is it?"

"Nasty little thing from a place north of England. But if that's it…" He stood and walked to the helm, the other three at his feet. "Gibbs?"

"Aye, sir."

Get the crew up. Full sails. We've got a long trip ahead of us." He moved for the wheel as Gibbs woke the crew.

At the wheel, Elizabeth asked, "Where are we going?"

"Little place that we call Ireland."

"And once there?"

"Pack yer trunk with coats, luv," Jack said as he turned to face the open sea, "we're headed for the Arctic."