Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. The title is a poem that's written by an unknown author.

Chapter 21: Fellowship

The next morning Camille woke up to a very loud, very obnoxious woman's voice. Gretchen had entered the cabin, demanding that Jack let her off the ship. Ana Maria had followed her in, yelling above her the entire time. Camille groaned and rolled over, observing the scene.

The two women were bickering and becoming very violent, while Jack merely sat at his desk with his treasure maps spread out. He simply looked at them, and raised his finger to his lips. But they paid him no attention.

"I demand to be taken back to Port Celebros! This is no way to treat me!" Gretchen complained.

"If you want off this ship, than you can swim to shore!" Ana Maria shouted, drowning out her protesting.

"Absolutely not, I can't swim!"

"Well than that's not my problem!"

"STOP SHOUTING!" Jack demanded, and the both of them shut up. Camille propped herself up on her elbows and looked through the open door. She could tell that Gretchen was about to go into one of her hysterical fits. She happened to know from personal experience that Jack was in a very good mood this morning, and he might just be able to tolerate this.

Ana Maria was quite the opposite, though. "Isn't there any way we could leave her behind? Perhaps tie an anchor on her and drop her to the bottom of the sea; or strand her on an island with dresses that aren't made of silk?"

Camille laughed out loud, slipping into her old green and yellow dress. She made her way out to the main part of Jack's cabin, where there two women were still immersed in an argument. Jack held out his arm to Camille and she took it, sitting comfortably on his desk with her legs showing.

"Apologies," he said. "There was nothing I could do about these two. We may have to tie ropes around their waists and drag them behind in the ocean the rest of the way."

"I don't see what the challenge is!" Gretchen continued. "All that you've got to do is row me back to the shore."

"And what exactly is preventing you?" Jack questioned, placing his calloused hand on Camille's thigh.

"I don't know the first thing about sailing, or rowing! How can I possibly be expected to be of any use on this…this ship full of monsters?" she said, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"Then we've simply got to make a sailor out of you," Camille said.

"And how are you going to do that?" Ana Maria asked exasperatedly.

"Well, first we'll need to rid you of that dress and everything underneath it."

"Absolutely not!" Gretchen argued, picking up her skirts. "Just because I am among a horde of miscreants does not mean I shall act any less like the respectable lady that I am!"

"Only one nice dress, eh? What happened to all of your other clothes?" Ana Maria asked mockingly. Gretchen's eyes began filling up with tears. She left the cabin without another word.

"Well, now that she's gone," Jack said, unrolling a map. "I've been meaning to talk to the two of you. Gabriel as well."

Camille and Ana leaned in to get a better look at the map. It was the same as the one in Camille's hand, except that there were markings all over which she couldn't comprehend. He pointed to the port which they were to land at, Port Barranquilla. "Once there, we are to head for the city. We should reach it in no less th-"

"We've found a stowaway, Captain!" a sailor cried, bursting in the door. All three of them started, scrambling to hide the map from sight. There were shouts of treachery and deceit as more men came into the cabin, carrying a struggling figure amongst them.

Ana's eyes widened. "Mr. Norrington?"
"James!" Camille cried.

"Hang him," Jack said without hesitation.

Camille punched him in the arm. "Jack," she scolded.

He sighed. "All right, maim him."

"Captain, please."

"Very well," Jack said, reluctantly getting up from his seat. "Release him. You are dismissed, gentlemen." He strode up to Norrington, very pleased with the reversal of power that had recently taken place. Now he would pay for all those times he had attempted to have Jack executed.

Camille knew that she was basically the key to keeping James alive in this situation, but decided to watch anyway and see what Jack was thinking.

"What are you doing on my ship?" Jack asked calmly.

"I dare say you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Jack said, the small beginnings of flames dancing in his eyes.

James retained his composure, not being threatened by Jack's blind hatred of him in the least bit. "Are you going to invite me to have a seat or must I be forced to give the entire account standing?" He was testing Jack's nerves.

"There will be plenty of time to sit when you're dead," Jack said in his unchanging tone.

"I see. Well, it was Mr. Turner who first contacted me."

Jack growled. "And I wonder who could've gotten him involved," he said sarcastically. Camille frowned.

"He explained to me the entire situation with the Devil's Dowry, and as he convinced me to do this I happened to remember this fascinating encounter that I had with Long John Silver some time ago."

Camille could see Jack tense up a bit at the mention of Silver's name. He looked at James dangerously, but James showed no fear. Most likely because he didn't have any. If only they could stand each other, Camille thought. They would make a wonderful team.

"Back when we had detained him after attacking Miss Quartermaine, we kept most of his belongings while he was imprisoned. Are you going to keep your hand on your pistol all day like some madman or are you just going to shoot me, Sparrow?" he finally demanded.

Before he could get a cold remark out of Jack, Camille realized what he was getting at. "It was his crutch, wasn't it?"

James nodded. "Indeed, Miss Quartermaine. You are very perceptive."

"Well, I just knew that something about it didn't look right. Was it something to with the Dowry?"