Chapter 6

Will and Elizabeth stared at Jack in absolute shock for moments on end as the Black Pearl drifted, slowly but surely, further away from Port Royal. The sun shone down brightly upon them from the now cloudless sky, but the weather certainly did not reflect the current moods of the people onboard the ship.

Finally, Will managed to overcome his stupor and spoke angrily. "Turn this ship around right now, Jack!"

Jack simply shrugged. "'Fraid I can't do that, mate."

"Why not?" Elizabeth interjected.

"Because your presence is a necessity at the moment."

Will heaved a deep sigh. He never thought that he would be back on the Black Pearl, and definitely not under circumstances such as these. "Jack, we can't take part in any more of your misadventures. Elizabeth and I have a son now."

"So I've noticed," said Jack as he casually went about his duties of making sure his ship was operating perfectly.

"We're serious," Elizabeth took over. "We swore when Michael was born that we would stop going on all these adventures with you."

The boy in question wasn't paying attention to the conversation; on the contrary, he was currently occupied with inspecting every inch of the ship with rapt fascination.

Jack watched Michael thoughtfully. "I don't see why you would do that. Young Mr. Turner seems deeply intrigued with his surroundings."

It was Elizabeth's turn to give a deep sigh. "Lately, Michael has become obsessed with pirates and the very notion of piracy. We rather hoped we would be able to avoid this situation."

Jack grinned slyly. "Well, pirate is in his blood, after all. I mean, just look at who his parents are."

"Stop it, Jack," said Will. "We were merely protecting our son from what we believed would be dangerous to him."

"But in times like these, with piracy itself truly starting to be threatened, I think it would only have been a matter of time before ol'...what's-his-name started entertaining the notion of a pirate's life. After all, who wouldn't?"

"We did," Will began gravely, "but stopped the instant that it all began to threaten that which we truly loved." Will and Elizabeth gave each other a meaningful look.

"Sometimes you have to fight for the things that you love; even if it means taking part in...activities you don't want to do. You can't tell me that you two don't have that sense of adventure dwelling deep down inside? What happened to the two pirates who used to be right by my side?"

"They had a child, someone they couldn't put at risk because they loved him too much," Elizabeth intoned seriously.

"But what'll happen when the East India Trading Company puts him at risk. They're currently in the process of hunting down every single pirate who's seen as opposition and everyone affiliated with them. And that includes you two."

Will and Elizabeth didn't say anything, so Jack continued on.

"The East India Company will most surely arrest the both of you eventually and not care if you have a son to take care of. They will simply send him away to an orphanage as his parents are brutally executed for acts of piracy. The only way to prevent all that from happening is to help me find something that will assure us pirates victory in this little war."

Elizabeth became teary-eyed at the thought of being separated from her son, and buried her face in Will's shoulder.

"What are you after this time, Jack?" Will finally asked.

"The underwater civilization of Atlantis."

"Why?"

"There is a certain mystical artifact of great power and wealth resting with the rubble. An amulet."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I am under the impression that the East India Trading Company is searching for it. If thy possess the amulet, then they will be able to use its power to destroy every pirate on the face of the earth."

"So, if we find this amulet, we find a way to defeat the East India Trading Company?"

"Yes. All we have to do is discover a way to get into the city after having found the key into uncovering the entrance that will allow us safe passage and obtain the amulet before anyone else does."

"Then, you want us to help you find this...'key'?"

"No," Jack smiled. "You want to help me find this key. Because the finding of this key finds you incapacitorially discovering and or locating the detecting of a way to stop all our enemies and therefore save your good little tyke...what's-his-face. Savvy?"

"The amulet is going to save Elizabeth and Michael?"

Jack paused for a moment. "Yeah. It's gonna save Elizabeth and Michael."

Later that night, Will and Elizabeth made their way down to the room that they shared with Michael. They had finally decided to tell him about their past dealings with the infamous Jack Sparrow. And as they entered the room, Will and Elizabeth could only imagine what Michael's response would be.