Author's Note: creepily enough readers, as I started writing this chapter, a storm was brewing outside my window and a bad one at that.

Chapter Five: The Big Storm

"Sticks and stones, love."

Meanwhile, Jack's crew was preparing for the same imminent storm. The skies had already darkened the sky into a sort of false night since it was only just after noon. Rain began to pour down, soaking the ship and her crew which was running around securing anything that wasn't tied down already. Lightning would occasionally light the deck, giving it an almost eerie feel.

Jack was standing at the wheel, steering. He barely felt the rain as it hit him. All that he was aware was the war of emotions going on inside him. Anger was winning at the moment, followed closely by heart-wrenching fear. He hoped against hope that they'd get to Tai Dalma's before he went nuts. Well, more nuts than he already was, anyway.

The ship rocked precariously as the waves hitting it grew and grew, which only added to Jack's anxiety.

Suddenly, Gibbs shouted at Jack, breaking him out of his reverie.

"Cap'n! we're goin' ta hit…" Gibbs didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the ship collided violently with something unseen. The entire crew was tossed around the deck, having lost their footing from the impact. Jack, however, was hanging onto the mast for dear life.

"Gibbs! Figure out what the bloody hell we hit!" Jack shouted over the wind.

"Aye!" he shouted back. He carefully looked over the side. "We've hit a huge rock, Cap'n!"

The next thing the crew became aware of was the fact that the ship was sinking, and fast.

"Get into the longboats!" Jack shouted. Everyone scrambled to do just that. It was extremely difficult since the rain made the ropes slippery and the wind kept rocking the ship and the boats while they tried to lower the longboats into the water.

Several agonizing minutes later, they were all in the boats, rowing away from the ship was fast as they could. As they did, Jack was able to finally see the pull impact the collision had on the ship. A huge, gaping hole lay in her side that was rapidly taking in water. It was only minutes later before she disappeared completely under the waves.

"That's the second ship that I've had that's met its demise." Jack muttered, annoyed.

This was also, he realized, going to make rescuing his wife a bit more difficult.

Barbossa's ship…

Elizabeth shivered in her small, cramped cabin. Her fingers were raw and numb from spending hours assisting the crew through the storm, which was still raging outside. Her body was also soaked from the rain, making her pants and shirt cling to her in a very uncomfortable way.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she poured rum onto her scrapes to clean them. Afterwards, she wrapped them up with bits of her shirt. Satisfied, she lied down on her bunk and let her thoughts drift to Jack.

However, that was short-lived when she was tossed onto the floor by an aggressive tossing of the ship. Immediately, her hand went to her stomach in fear for her baby.

"Ain't tha' a curious thing now."

Elizabeth jumped at the sound of a voice. She looked up to see Pintel smiling at her, exposing his rotten teeth.

"Only one reason a woman is wantin' ta do tha'" he said, gesturing at where her hand was, "She be with child."

Elizabeth felt her heart fill with dread. Pintel knew her most precious secret now and, considering his loyalties weren't exactly with her, he would for sure tell Barbossa.

Standing once again, she fixed him with a glare. "Yes, and?" she said, hoping she came off as care free about her condition.

"And," he answered, "I won' be tellin' the Captain abou' it." Pintel regarded Elizabeth with a soft expression she'd never seen before.

"But you're a member of his crew! You're loyal to him, aren't you?" She demanded, not understanding Pintel's reaction.

Pintel scrunched his face up as if he'd bitten into something sour. "Loyal," he spat the word, "I am my own pirate, poppet. I'm only on this ship 'till I get me own. Then me an' Ragetti are goin' ta go piratin' together."

The scruffy, unkempt pirate got a whimsical look on his face. "It's me dream, ya know, to have me own ship."

"I could commandeer you one." Elizabeth offered. "Would that do in exchange for you keeping your silence?"

Pintel smiled at her bargain. "You've learned from Jack I see. You're becomin' a pirate."

Elizabeth smiled back. "I already am." And with that, Pintel gave a smile of approval and left to keep helping the crew with the storm-battered ship.

After he departed, she sighed and looked down at her hands as her thoughts once again drifted to her husband.

Just what was she going to do to save him?

Elizabeth smiled in triumph as an idea formed in her head. She ran out onto the deck, not caring that she was assaulted by the wind, rain, and cold once again.

"Pintel!" she called out when she found him desperately trying to keep one of their sails from ripping off the mast. He turned and eyed her curiously.

"I've got another proposition for you."

Tia Dalma's hut, several hours later…

A very wet, cold, and irritated Jack and his crew walked into her small dwelling in the swamp.

"Jack Sparrow," Tia Dalma said upon sighting him, "you have come to seek my help…findin' and rescuin' your wife?"

"Yes, Tia." Jack answered, not spooked in the least by her ability to know just what he wanted even if he hadn't even told her.

Smiling, Tia Dalma went into one of her hut's rooms, returning with a small box.

"Dis, is what you will need." She held it out to Jack, who took it eagerly.

"Dere are three stones in dat box, Jack. One is black, one is white, and de other red. You must take dem and scatter them in the water, in the shape of a triangle. Once you do this, the spell 'ill be broken."

"Thank you, Tia." Jack said and then shivered a little. He was still bloody freezing.

Seeing this, Tia gave him and his crew some warm, spiced rum. They took it gratefully.

"Your ship met its demise in a da storm did it, Jack?" She asked, sipping her drink.

"Yes again." That was when Jack wondered what the point was in even speaking to her if she simply knew what you were going to say anyway.

Tia didn't speak for several minutes. Instead, she simply watched everyone enjoy their rum. Jack always found it a bit creepy when she did that. It usually meant she was thinking about or at that moment knew something he didn't.

Jack had always wondered if she'd known he was going to meet his end with the Kraken, be resurrected, or that he'd end up married and in real love for the first time in his life.

He figured she probably did, but chose not to share the information for whatever reasons.

"You can use my ship, The Mist, to rescue your precious wife." Tia Dalma said, breaking the silence in the room.

Jack looked up, shocked. Tia never ever leant her boat out to anyone for any price. After all, he had bartered countless times with her to let him take it and she'd never let him. So, why now?

"I have me own reasons, Jack." Tia Dalma answered as if he had voiced the question.

"And I assume that you won't tell me?"

"You assume correct, Jack Sparrow."

"Well, then. I'm not one to question getting a ship freely offered as I usually commandeer them, but…"

Jack and his crew departed her hut, not waiting for her to possibly change her mind.

Being as efficient as they were, they were back on the now calm waters of the ocean.

Jack stood, looking down over the side of the ship. Gibbs was standing near him, watching him as he often did. Jack looked at Gibbs, then pulled out the small box and opened it. He then took out each of the coloured stones.

"I'm going to kill him again, Gibbs." He dropped one of the stones in the water. "One," Jack dropped another, "last," then the last one, "time."

Each splash, they both noticed, formed a perfect triangle in the dark water.