My pillow smelled like gunpowder, fancy Spanish spices, and salt from the sea. It was intoxicating and I buried myself further into it. It shifted and I groaned,

"Please don't go." I wrapped my arm around it.

"I reckon young Willian will not take to seeing me leave your room." Sparrow's voice was groggy from sleep. I moaned at the sound of it, so deep and wonderful.

"Can you leave the pillow." He chuckled and I rubbed my thighs together.

"That would be me, love, savvy?" I let go of Sparrow quickly shooting up in the bed.

"I'm so sorry Captain!" I blushed. He looked so handsome. He still had his eyes close, a smirk on his lips. His shirt was pulled open, possibly by me, I resisted the urge to touch the different scars peppering his chest and a tattoo that read 'Lily-Rose'. I quickly hopped over him and out of the room, headed back for the ship. Will was on the dock, along with Gibbs and a lot of strange looking people.

"Eh! Lassie, Where be Jack?" Gibbs called, Will looked up.

"I haven't seen him." I lied easily. Will came to my side.

"Bella I'm so sor-"

"Line up! Captain approaching." Everyone shuffled into the line as Jack passed Will and I. I squeezed Will's hand and followed after Jack to the front of the line. The ship was docked off the shoals because the tide had lowered. "Feast yer eyes, Captain!" Gibbs announced, "All of 'em faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt." There was a shorter man as Gibbs got to that line and I held back a slight chuckle. He looked angry and couldn't be over three foot tall, I was thinking there must be a lot of salt in his tiny body. "And crazy to boot."

"So this is your able bodied crew?" Will asked in disbelief.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." I whispered to him, pinching his side, "You look like a stick in the mud." Jack approached an older man with a colorful parrot, I stole Jack's banana from his hand, breaking off a small piece for it.

Squaah 'Pretty bird! Pretty bird!' Squaah. I smiled widely at it. Smoothing it's feathers on its head as it ate.

"He's beautiful," The old man blushed. I used to see ones like him but smaller in Port Royal before more people began crossing over. They've run them all off.

"You sailor!" Jack commanded, pulling his attention from me. The parrot kept eating small bites of the banana.

"Cotton, sir!" Gibbs was a very devoted crew man, I was guessing Jack would have him as his first mate.

"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" it was quiet, I think I heard a drunkard fall off of his stool at The Bride. Mr. Cotton looked at me then at Gibbs, "Mr. Cotton! Answer, man." Jack said gravely, Mr. Gibbs moved me to the side.

"He's a mute sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him." Mr. Cotton opened his mouth to show his absent tongue. I winced, Jack stuck his own tongue out, and Will just looked in disbelief. He was probably thinking we were never going to get to Elizabeth. Jack started to walk off before stopping.

"Mr. Cotton's...parrot. Same question."

Quaah "Wind in your sails! Wind in your sail!"

"Mostly we figured that means yes." Gibbs imputed.

"Course it does. Satisfied?" Jack asked Will.

"You've proven they're mad." Will huffed.

"What's the benefit for us!" A female voice called. Jack narrowed his eyes slowly walking down the line until he reached a short figure with a floppy hat covering their face. He winced before removing their hat. It was a beautiful woman.

"Annamaria!" SLAP! I jumped at how loud it was.

"Oh!" I backed up behind Will hoping that would prevent him getting smacked around because of me again.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one, either?" Will taunted him.

"No that one I deserved." Annamaria was shaking her head vigorously. Jack turned back to face her.

"You stole my boat!"

"Actually-" SLAP! Jack all of a sudden reached behind Will pulling me in front of him like a shield, his arm wrapped around my waist keeping me in place. "Borrowed. Borrowed without permission, but with every intent of bringing it back to you."

"But you didn't!"

"Was that the one sunk-"

"Shut it. Love." Jack squeezed me

"Sunk?!"

"You'll get another one." Jack's voice pitched, he smiled at her. She raised her hand pointing at him over my shoulder.

"I will."

"A better one." Will piped in.

"What are you doing?" I whispered over Jack's shoulder as Jack said,

"A better one!"

"That one." Will pointed to the ship from Port Royal.

"What one?" Jack asked, turning to face Will and letting me go. I slipped away from them and stood next to Annamaria. Will nodded to our ship, "That one?!" Jack barked, before turning back to Annamaria who was looking at the ship in thought, "Aye! That one, what's say you?"

"Aye!" She barked back. The crew cheered for some reason and everyone got to work loading the long boats with supplies, Jack pulled me out of the chaos and back to his side.

"No no no. It's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard sir." I looked at Gibbs like he had three heads.

"It'll be far worse not to have her." Jack answered Gibbs' brow furrowed. Jack was looking off at something, the sun was still coming up although we had ample light, the clouds were tinted red. Gibbs pulled Will off to work after getting no answer.

"Red night sailor's delight, red morning heed, this be your only warning." Jack looked down at me.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked, I shrugged, "Stay below deck on the ship, love."

"Aye Captain." I smiled at him, he smirked back down at me and led me toward one of the long boats.

I did my best to help Annamaria with the lines. Every time a wave hit it knocked us over, that or someone else would accidentally come crashing into us.

"She can hold a bit longer!" I heard Jack's voice over the storm.

"Get below deck before you get washed out to sea!" Annamaria shouted at me. I yanked harshly on the line trying to keep the sails from tangling, Annamaria huffed doing the same and the rope came crashing down around her, "Blast this damn storm to Hell! The riggings come loose!" I looked up into the sails as the lightning lit up the sky. I could see where the corner of the sail was no longer secure and was flapping in the wind. I handed her my line.

"Tie this off!" I yelled over the wind, taking the frayed end of her line and tying it to my waist. She had the line tied off, "Secure?" I asked her, another wave came crashing through and we held on tight. She nodded to me and I started to climb my line quickly.

"What are you doing?! You daft girl!" She screeched, trying to grab my boot, "Captain! Master Gibbs!" I made it up and quickly pulled myself onto the bottom yard, wrapping my legs around it. Thankfully my line went to the top, so I still had something to hold onto as the ship lurched. I scooted along to where the other end of the frayed rope was.

"Bella!" I heard Will bellow, "Come down!"

"Tell Jack to keep the ship steady!" I yelled back.

"What?! No! Get down here now!"

"I have to let go of my line! Tell the captain to keep the ship as steady as he can!"

"Arabella! Don't you dare!" I let go of my line and quickly began untying the line around my waist. I tied the ends of frayed ropes together and tried to secure the sail back to the bottom yard. With that well enough in place I grabbed a hold of the line and started to climb back down. As soon as Will could reach me he yanked me off the line. "What were you thinking?!" I pushed my wet hair off of my face, wishing I had something to tie it back with.

"It needed fixing so I fixed it!" The roaring wind had settled, the sea a bit calmer, but the rain was still pelting down around us. I pushed his hair off of his face too.

"What if you had fallen, It's not funny!" Will chastised me, "You could have been seriously hurt or washed out to sea!" I jumped up on my tip-toes to wrap my arms around him, "You're in a skirt where's your modesty." Will wrapping his arms around me.

"Did you see anything you're not supposed to?"

"Well no. I could barely even see you up there in this weather."

"Exactly, no one else did either."

xxx

'Dead men tell no tales' Cotton's parrot crooned. A thick fog had drifted in and we were surrounded by shipwrecks. I gulped looking around at the destruction.

"Put's a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage." Gibbs sighed.

"Jack's a good captain right?" I started to doubt him, "He can get us through this?" Gibbs shrugged, "Well that's very helpful!" I remarked sarcastically. Gibbs walked away and Will followed after.

"How is it that Jack came by that compass?" Will asked.

"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of Island De Murta. That was before I met him, when he was Captain of the Black Pearl." I winced and Will muttered,

"What?!" He looked up sternly where Jack was at the helm, "He failed to mention that."

"Well he plays things closer to the vest now. A hard learned lesson it was." I waited for Gibbs to elaborate, "See three days out the venture first mate comes to him and he says, 'Everything's an equal share that should mean the location of the treasure too.' So Jack gives up the bearings, that night there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die."

"So that's the reason for all the…" Will did an impression of Jack, I laughed loudly sitting down on the deck, I leaned back against the crate behind me. The men followed suit settling down onto cargo, without ever looking from each other.

"Reason's got nothing to do with it. Now Will when a pirates marooned he's given a pistol with a single shot, one shot. That won't do much good for hunting nor to be rescued, but after three weeks of a starving belly and thirst, that pistol'll start looking real friendly." Gibbs put a hand shaped like a gun to his temple and I shuddered, poor Jack, "But Jack, he escaped that island and he still has that single shot. Oh he won't use it though, save for one man."

"His first mate." I finished, seeing where the story was headed.

"Barbosa." Gibbs filled in.

"How?" I whispered completely engrossed, "How did he escape the island."

"Well," Gibbs started, getting giddy, "I'll tell ye, lassie." He looked over nodding to me briefly, "He waded out into the shallows, and he waited there three days and three nights till all manor of sea creatures came acclimated to his presence. On the fourth morning he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed them together, and made a raft." I burst into laughter, "It's true lassie!"

"No it isn't!" I squawked through my fits of laughter, "Where did he get rope?"

"Human hair." The crate I was leaning on spoke, I looked up to find Jack smirking down at me, "From me back."

"Eww." I crooned.

"Let go of the anchor!"

"Let go of the anchor line!" The crew chanted back.

"Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore." I jumped up, quickly following after him.

"I'm going with you-" Jack turned to me about to object, "If you don't let me go I'll just swim after you like before and there's sharks in that water. Either way I'm going it's you who decides if it'll be with all my limbs." I put my hands on my hips smiling at him, "I will have my adventure." Jack took off his hat mock bowing at me.

"As the lady commands."

"Thank you!" I followed him down into the long boat.

"Easy there, Love." He had his hands on my waist, "Don't over turn us." I settled into the back of the boat, sadly by Jack's stinky boots. There were only two small benches.

"There better be bigger dinghies on the Pearl." I whispered to him quickly, Jack laughed. Will scrambled down.

"Arabella-" I rolled my eyes at Will.

"I'm going. Row." I commanded.

"Aye aye Captain." Jack mocked me.

"Captain!" Gibbs yelled down, "What if the worst should happen!?"

"Keep to the code!" Jack called back.

xxx

We were in dark caves, every now and again there was a twinkle of gold and silver. I flinched as Will's lantern shined on a skeleton close to my face.

"What code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?"

"Pirates Code. Any man who falls behind is left behind."

"No heroes among thieves then, eh?"

"You know for having such a bleak outlook on pirates your well on your way to becoming one; sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga," We docked on the shore and Sparrow helped me from the boat, "And you're completely obsessed with treasure." He headed past us and climbed some rocks before helping me up.

"That's not true." Will got defensive again, "I am not obsessed with treasure!"

"Captain." I whispered, his arm was still around my waist and I couldn't move. He let me go, turning back to Will.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold mate." Lizzie was standing on a raised bit of land, surrounded by pirates, with a strange looking man next to her behind a chest.

"-our salvation is nigh." She looked so scared.

"Oh Lizzie." I said, I caught Sparrow's hand in mine on accident and didn't realize I had until he whispered in my ear.

"Our torment is near an end!"

"Yeah!"

"We'll get her, love." He squeezed my hand before letting it go.

"Elizabeth." Will gasped.

"For ten years we've been tested and tried! Each man here has proved his mettle a hundred times over! And a hundred times again!"

"Suffered I have!" A man yelled.

"Karma!" I whispered.

"Punished we were-"

"Good!" I muttered, thinking about Jack stuck on that island. Jack looked over to me smirking, I shook my head at him trying to hide my blush.

"-disproportionate to our crimes. Here it is!" he kicked the heavy looking stone lid off the chest, "The cursed treasure of Cortez himself. Every last piece that went astray we have returned." He pointed at the medallion around Elizabeth's neck, "Save for this." The medallion, the one she took from-

"Will." I whispered. I pinched Sparrow's side sharply and he winced, turning to me. I glared at him shaking my head, 'You promised!' I mouthed, 'Was it a lie?!' He shook his head at me no.

'Trust me.' He mouthed back.

"Jack!" I heard Will say and Jack was yanking him back causing coins to clatter.

"Not yet!" Jack told him ducking down, "We wait for the opportune moment." Jack scrambled off and Will followed him, I slowly rose back up surveying the area. They were going to chop Lizzie up, they were talking about a blood sacrifice. Where was Jack? He had to help her, he promised, and Will too. I trusted him, his word had to be true. He's a good man and a pirate, I know it. Barbosa slapped Elizabeth, she rolled down almost to the water. They were all arguing.

"I say we cut her throat! And spill all her blood!" Oh god! Where are you Jack?! I leaned too far forward and the rock was wet.I yelped as I slipped down into the water. Grubby hands yanked me out and drug me forward.

"Where in the blazes did you come from!"

"I stowed away on your ship, to try and help my friend." They were undead, so they wouldn't need food. "No one hardly came down to the storage." But Elizabeth would, "I hid there and when your men did enter I just moved from spot to spot until they left."

"A stowaway," Captain Barbosa said, "Who might you be?"

"Margret Smith." He flinched at the name. I stored that for later. The monkey was screeching and Barbosa looked to where Elizabeth should be laying, she was gone.

"The medallion! She's taken it!" He yelled. "Get after her your freckles pack of ingrates!" They shoved me up to him and I fell over the chest. "You can stay with me."

"Aye Captain." I muttered looking up at him with fear, "Parley?" I whispered. He chuckled.

I was sitting at Barbosa's feet when they yelled for him, he drug me almost to the front of the crowd, leaving me back with the man he called Twig. I kept my head down.

"Lookie here, Miss Brown." Oh shit. I kept my head down. "Don't think I've forgotten your little rock stunt. Thought I was going to have to go all the way back to Port Royal for ye."

"How the blazes did you get off that island?" Jack?

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land. You forgot one very important thing mate, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack! I picked my head up running to him, almost making it when Barbosa snatched me back by my hair. I kicked and swung and tried to get loose. "Let her go mate." Jack said in that dark voice.

"Hmm? Have I caught Sparrow's little strumpet? You lied to me lass." He said yanking me to face him by my hair, "I'm hurt." I changed up my act very quickly.

"Let me go so I can rip that bastard's face off!" I growled, Barbosa slowly let go of my hair, chuckling, and I ducted into Sparrow's arms, "Did you really fall for that." Barbosa shook his head.

"That wasn't fair lass."

"Pity." I spit back at him.

"I won't be forgetting that this time, gents you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Aye" "aye" "Yea."

"And I'm sure ye all enjoyed setting your sights on Margret." Jack looked down at me funny, one of my arms wrapped around his, "Though I do wish I could save her for after the curse." They chuckled around him. I glared at the balding man pointing his gun at Jack.

"Kill 'em both!" The pirates chuckled, raising their guns, I hid my face in Sparrow's chest.

"Girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack asked.

"Hold your bloody fire!" Barbosa yelled, I picked my head back up. He turned back toward us, "You know whose blood we need."

"I know whose blood you need." Sparrow smirked.