We were about a day out from Tortuga, sailing under the hot Caribbean sun. Captain Jack had put most of his new crew, including Norrington, to work swabbing the decks. Jack, Gibbs and Elizabeth were having a meeting on deck. Elizabeth had let her hair down and it was blowing in the faint breeze; it was actually quite a nice look for her. I leaned back against the port side railing beside my assignment, keeping an eye on Norrington with a slight frown on my face.

Elizabeth had just told Sparrow and Gibbs about the Letters of Marque and the deal Will had made with Cutler Beckett, as well as the East India Trading Company to get Jack's compass in return for his and Elizabeth's freedom. Just the mention of that name was enough to raise the heckles on the pirates; apparently they weren't too fond of the aforementioned man.

"Beckett?" Gibbs asked, his voice almost a low, feral growl.

"Yes, they're signed," Elizabeth explained, regarding the Letters of Marque, which were now in Jack's hands. "By Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company." I saw Norrington also look up at the name. I glared at him briefly, though it wasn't like he could actually see me, then looked back at Jack. It was difficult to like to Norrington because of what he was soon to do… but at the same time, it was hard not to pity him, as far as he'd fallen in this world.

Jack made a face like he had just tasted something awful. "Blahhh." He was skim reading the letter a moment later, his brow furrowed and his lips just barely moving, as he followed the words.

"Will was working for Beckett and never said a word," Gibbs reflected, sounding disturbed.

Jack groaned again. It may have just been the name 'Beckett' that he didn't like, and that was understandable considering the history the two men had. I noticed Jack put a hand to where his 'P' brand was on his right arm; the mark that Beckett had left on him all those years ago. I suspected Jack also wasn't too happy thinking of Will working for Beckett. That could make life even more tricky for Jack than it already was.

"Beckett wants the compass. Only one reason for that," Gibbs said, his voice betraying a sudden realization.

Jack was on the same page. "Of course." He looked at Elizabeth and Gibbs. "He wants the chest."

"And therefore control over all the oceans," I added.

"Yes, he did say something about a chest," Elizabeth remembered, nodding her head in agreement.

"If the company controls the chest they controls the sea," Gibbs summed up for Elizabeth's behalf. He didn't sound happy at all. I couldn't blame him.

My eyes gave a little roll. "That's what I just said."

"A truly discomforting notion, love," Jack told Elizabeth.

"And bad," Gibbs asserted. "Bad for every mother's son what calls himself pirate."

I gritted my teeth. I knew that the golden age of piracy had to end eventually, but at the same time I had more than a little invested interest in these people. Though the war would eventually be lost, I decided then and there to help them fight against it for as long as I could.

Gibbs looked up to the Pearl's trademark black sails. "I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails," he growled, and headed off to see to it that that extra speed was produced. "Brace the foreyard!" he shouted to a random crew member, who made haste in following the order.

Jack ignored him. He seemed to only have eyes for Elizabeth now - the girl he didn't want to want. I wasn't sure he really did want her or not. The compass was noting nothing to help our confusion with this issue. I sighed quietly to myself as I watched Jack and Elizabeth together. This was going to be interesting.

Jack held up the Letters of Marque between him and Elizabeth. "Might I enquire as to how you came by these?"

Even though Jack was pressing into Elizabeth's personal space, she fought to hold her ground and gave Jack a hard look. "Persuasion."

"Friendly?"

"Decidedly not."

I had a soft snort of laughter. A pistol to the head was definitely not considered 'friendly.' There was also a hint of warning in Elizabeth's voice; she was obviously a lot tougher now than she was before, and she wanted Jack to know it.

"Will strikes the deal for these and upholds it with honour, yet you are the one standing here with the prize," Jack said. He began to read from the letter in an mockingly pompous tone of voice. "Full pardon. 'Commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company.'"

I saw Norrington's eyes snap up as he listened to Jack. Already a plan was forming in his head to get a hold of that letter. Well, I had to admit he had a very good reason to want it - anything that would help him to get his old life back was bound to be of interest to the former Commodore, after all.

Jack scoffed and turned away, placing the letters into an inside breast pocket of his coat. "Like I could be bought for such a low price."

I smiled, thinking about how Will was right about Jack not wanting to go back to working for the company. All he really wanted was freedom; it wasn't a farce, or a strong front he put up for the sake of appearing the part of a proper pirate… he really did want freedom, and wasn't willing to risk that for anything. I gave Jack a wink, which he either ignored, or just didn't see.

"Jack, the letters - give them back," Elizabeth demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"No," Jack stoutly told her over his shoulder. Then he paused to think about just how close she was standing to him, and he reconsidered. He decided to play a game, just to see how far he could push her. "Persuade me," he challenged, a grin spreading across his lips. He stood still and waited and, not to my surprise, Elizabeth rose to the challenge with a threat. She took a step forward so her chin was almost resting on Jack's shoulder.

"You do know that Will taught me to handle a sword?"

I smirked. "It's the only way they've been able to make their relationship physical so far, probably," I muttered under my breath.

Seeming to fight the urge to chuckle at my words, Jack smiled and turned around. He wasn't impressed - yet. He looked into Elizabeth's eyes and lowered his voice. "As I said, persuade me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Physical persuasion. Nice."

Elizabeth suddenly became visibly uncomfortable, as if she were fighting an internal battle; she suddenly found she couldn't meet Jack's dark eyes anymore and she retreated to the starboard side of the deck. Jack watched her go with a slight lustful gleam in his eye. Then he made a choking sound in his throat, as if to tell himself to snap out of it.

I slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Better luck next time, eh?" I said with a grin, though I had very little humour behind it.

Jack looked at me and smiled tightly. Then he started towards the helm. I followed him, casting a glance over to Elizabeth. Norrington had joined her, leaning against the rail, and the two of them were conversing lightly with one another. I couldn't hear them clearly, but I knew what they were saying; Norrington was spouting his opinion that Elizabeth had a crush on Jack, though she denied it, claiming that she trusted him and that was all. Norrington only scoffed and asked her how her "latest fiancé ended up on the Flying Dutchman in the first place," thus sowing the seeds of doubt in Elizabeth's mind.

While Jack scanned the horizon with a telescope, I continued to watch as Elizabeth took out the compass he had given her and opened it up. I had no hope of seeing the needle, but from the look on Elizabeth's face I knew that it had pointed right to Jack. She seemed more than a little disturbed by this.

All of a sudden, I received a sudden mental flash that almost knocked me off my feet. I put my hand to my head and blinked my eyes, but soon I had to close them. What I saw gave me terrible chills. I could see Will on a trading ship. He was perched high up on top of a sail mast, the only place where he was safe from the giant tentacles that were attacking the ship. The Kraken. My mind was being witness to Davy Jones' revenge attack on Will. I fought against the images, but doing so gave me a strong headache.

The crew of the trading ship was bravely, and vainly, trying to fight back. It was the kind of chaos that only can be found with complete and utter panic. One tentacle broke the mast that supported the sail Will was on, causing him to fall with only his father's knife slitting down another sail to slow his descent. Will caught himself on some ropes, once again almost falling to his death. A tentacle wound its way up the other mast and Will slashed at its tip with a sword. Suddenly, two huge, thick arms of the Kraken rose up over the deck; when these arms fell, they crushed the ship into two parts, with the mouth of the beast ready to snatch up and swallow anyone and everyone who fell through into its gaping, toothy maw.

My expression of shock and horror match the one I 'saw' on Will's face. He only survived by falling into the sea, forgotten by the Kraken as it enjoyed its meal. I also knew that any other survivors were going to be caught and killed by Jones' crew…

I swiftly snapped back to the here and now, as I knew it to be. It took me a moment, but eventually I realised I had fallen and was now sitting on the deck, near the helm. There was a thin sheet of sweat on my brow, my mouth was agape and my eyes were wide with panic. I realised Jack was looking at me with a concerned expression… well, maybe concern; it might have been apprehension. The only other person around was Cotton, who was steering the ship.

Jack looked at Cotton. "Take a break," he told him. The parrot on the old man's shoulder squawked and he left. Now that we were more or less alone, Jack moved behind the helm to disguise his hand resting on my shoulder.

"Calypso, what happened?" he asked, muttering, so only I could hear.

"I… I just received a vision," I said, trying to steady my voice. "Of the Kraken attacking a ship." I swallowed hard.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." I forced myself to my feet, using Jack's hand to help me up. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It was just unexpected and really… really bad." It was an understatement, I know, but I still got the point across.

"I can imagine," Jack said. "Something one would prefer to avoid, I wager."

I nodded. "Yes. Definitely." I took a few more deep breaths to clear my head and looked out across the sea to distract myself. "How much longer till we get to Isla Cruces, do you think?"

"That where Jones buried the chest?" Jack asked.

"Yes, that's the name of the island," I told him. "We need to get there before the Dutchman does."

"Davy Jones is on his way there?"

"Yeah, and he's figured out that that's where you're going."

"Mmm. Well, to tell you the semi-honest truth, I don't know how long it will take to get us there," Jack confessed. "But it can't be more than a day or two. Can I trust that you'll have some influence to make sure that we do get there before 'ol fish face?" he asked hopefully.

I smiled, and found that was already feeling a bit better. "Sure. I'll do what I can."

I sighed to myself and enjoyed the feeling of the wind. "Isla Cruces is barren of people now. Wiped out by a plague, I think," I mused. Jack's mouth twitched. I looked at him. "Don't worry. There's no plague there now. Just a lot of sand, a lot of coconut trees, and the ruins of an old church and graveyard."

"And the chest."

My smile grew slightly. "Yes, and the chest," I confirmed.

"That's all I want," Jack said with a sigh. "Get the chest, or at least the heart, and I get me a bit of leverage."

I chuckled slightly. "Leverage. Most important thing in the world to you, is it?"

"That and the Pearl."

I nodded, knowing what the Black Pearl represented to Jack. "Freedom."

"And rum," Jack added.

I laughed out loud for real this time. "Aye, that too." Jack and I shared a smile. "One of these days I'll have to try some."

"Aye!" Jack agreed, sounding somewhat enthusiastic about it; his eyes seemed to light up right in front of me, and I almost laughed. "Before you leave me again I want to see your lips around a bottle!"

"Ha. You know the rules, Jack. You leave my lips out of the picture."

Jack just grinned, his gold teeth catching the sunlight. "Doesn't mean I can't still think it."

I shook my head and let him think what he wanted. So long as he didn't try to act any of these thoughts out on me, I didn't mind so much. I knew he also had thoughts about Elizabeth, and that Elizabeth had thoughts about him, though neither really knew if they were actual sentiments that needed to be acted upon. It was when they decided to do something about those thoughts and temptations that things were going to get very… interesting between them.