A/N: A huge thank you to meowbooks and Starling Rising for their steady support. Every time I get a review from either of you, I feel incredibly lucky and I am so grateful for the time you've given my work!

Thank you to jedipati for taking the time to beta this!

Disclaimer: POTC belongs to Disney

The Isla de Muerta was knobby, ink-black rock completely devoid of green and washed by gray waves. It stretched left, right, and upwards. Slowly, Elizabeth's heart began to speed and her head cleared, leaving her raw and utterly terrified.

The doors clanked. A blast of cold, wet air made her turn.

Pintel and Ragetti stood there again, but others stood behind them. Their faces were grim; Pintel held a coil of rope. "Time to go, poppet," he said.

They made her climb up to the quarterdeck. Her knees almost gave out. A lean pirate whom the others called Twigg took the rope and, almost gently, bound Elizabeth's hands with a baffling combination of knots, so it was an unfathomable mess about her wrists.

The entire crew had gathered below. The men stood perfectly silent, gazing up at her with a mixture of reverence, hatred, and longing. She took one look at them, then kept her eyes fixed inches from her feet, taking deep breaths. Embarrassment burned her cheeks when she remembered the gaping bodice of her dress.

Her tension was bizarrely broken by Ragetti, who bounced on the right, carving excitedly at his wood eye and chanting, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Heavy footsteps approached her from behind and somewhere, his monkey chittered. Her neck prickled. What was he going to do to her?

She glimpsed his hands as they came over her shoulders, and then he was ever so softly drawing her loose hair back over her shoulders. She didn't know whether to fume or sob. Then, down came the medallion, lowered slowly to rest on her nightgown. She stiffened when Barbossa fastened the clasp and his fingers brushed her neck.

Without any orders, everyone moved to make a path to the rail. Barbossa led the way, and Elizabeth followed. At the rail, Barbossa stood aside and gestured her forward; she saw six longboats were floating in readiness below. Twigg climbed down first, then Elizabeth was lowered in a makeshift sling. Twigg guided her to the front of the longboat, and sat her down. Eight other pirates climbed into the longboat and to her relief, they crowded on the other seats, leaving her alone at the head of the boat.

As the rest of the crew climbed down to their respective longboats, Elizabeth stared at the looming black monstrosity that faded in an out of sight and wondered how they were going to kill her. On a huge rock table on the peak of the island, a truly icy death in clinging white oblivion? Perhaps there was a temple of sorts, like she'd read about in a book on the Mayans…a temple complete with endless stairs.

Barbossa climbed down last, into the foremost boat. And then, with a groaning of wood and slapping of oars, the cursed pirates of the Black Pearl surged toward the Isla de Muerta, ashen sacrifice trapped, cowed, in their midst.

The Interceptor had proved herself.

She emerged basically unscathed from the storm into a foggy morning; having been hurled miles in the right direction thanks to the gale and her captain, who was the only one who knew what the right direction was. The storm had been a blessing: if it hadn't rushed the Interceptor along her way, she'd still be toiling in open water instead of uneasily creeping through a graveyard of ships.

"Dead men tell no tales!" Cotton's parrot squawked in its Cockney accent, its voice ringing flatly in the mists. Minor repairs completed, most of the crew lined the rails, leaving Jack to take them through the treacherous stretch of water, all waiting tensely to hear some submerged wreck slam into the Interceptor's hull.

Will had never seen anything like this. He pictured Elizabeth staring out at the dreams that had been forced into nightmares, and tensed with the need to act. Gibbs had told them they were very close to the aptly Island of Death, but he had yet to see it.

Gibbs stood beside him. "Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage."

'Chill' didn't describe what Will was feeling, but he opted for silence, watching a rotted keel tangled with a mainmast slip by.

Everyone started when something thudded against the hull. A submerged wreck. Lips tightened and jaws clenched as there was a groan, then a dull snap.

Then silence fell again. Everyone looked to Jack, who looked completely unworried. Everyone breathed again.

Will frowned over the side; sleek sharks had been stirred up just beneath the water's surface. They swam lazily in a patient manner that was very uncomfortable to behold, turning their hammer-like heads this way and that. Will was glad to follow Gibbs away from the rail.

He turned to watch Jack.

Jack had a new friend. Mr. Cotton had taken to standing two feet behind and to the right of Jack; close enough to watch Jack and his compass. Jack didn't tell him to leave but he didn't seem to enjoy the company either, if his awkwardness as he checked and stowed his compass was any indication. He focused resolutely ahead.

Will turned to Gibbs. "How's it that Jack came by that compass?"

The weathered first mate stopped to tug at some rigging. "Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow 'fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta." He moved to the mainmast. "That was before I'd met him. Back when he was captain of the Black Pearl." He lifted his canteen to his lips.

Will whirled. "What?"

Gibbs' eyes went wide, and he lowered his canteen, barely warding off a choking fit.

Will looked to Jack with new eyes. "He failed to mention that."

"He plays things closer to the vest now," said Gibbs quickly, "and a hard-learned lesson it was. See, three days out in the adventure, the first mate comes to him and says, 'Everything's an equal share; that should mean to location of the treasure, too.' So, Jack gives up the bearings.

"That night, there was a mutiny."

Will's brow wrinkled.

"They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die, but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."

"Ah." Will glanced around. "So that's the reason for all of the . . ." He bugged his eyes, leaned unsteadily back, and loosely gestured.

"Reason's got nothin' t' do with it," said Gibbs grimly. He sat down, and Will did as well. They faced each other intensely.

"Now, Will, when a pirate's marooned, he's given a pistol with a single shot. One shot. Well that won't do much good huntin' or t' be rescued. But after three weeks of starvin' belly and thirst, that pistol starts to look real friendly." Gibbs lifted two fingers like a pistol between their faces.

"But Jack," Gibbs continued, "he escaped the island, an'he still has that single shot. Oh, he won't use it though, save on one man: his mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa," Will breathed.

"Aye."

"How did Jack get off the island?"

"Well, I'll tell ye," Gibbs said eagerly. "He waded out into the shallows and waited there three days an'three nights, till all manner of sea creatures 'came acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple a' sea turtles, lashed em together, and made a raft."

Will frowned at Gibbs' exhilarated expression. "He roped himself a couple of sea turtles."

"Aye, sea turtles."

Silence fell.

"What did he use for rope?"

Gibbs' mouth opened, but nothing came out. He puckered.

Thud. Both men turned quickly as boots stopped before them. Jack Sparrow stood above them like a god, head tilted back as he gazed at Will.

"Human hair," he said softly. "From my back."

Gibbs grinned at Will, who remained dubious. Jack looked up. "Let go the anchor!" he ordered.

"Aye, Captain, aye!"

Will stood and looked around. A black stone barrier had appeared before the bowsprit, and the shipwrecks had disappeared.

"Young Mr. Turner and I are to go to shore." Jack walked off.

Gibbs followed. "Captain, what if the worst should happen?"

Jack stopped. "Keep to the Code."

"Aye," Gibbs said, terribly pleased. "The Code." He marched off after Jack.

Will stepped to where they had just paused, and leaned against the railing, watching their receding forms with narrowed eyes.

Again, Jack and Will faced each other across the length of the lifeboat. This time, Jack had the oars and Will the lantern, and Will didn't know if he liked the arrangement: he had no control. Except if he decided to douse the light, or toss the entire lantern somewhere, of course. But these options were not empowering at all. He decided to face forward and see where the pirate was taking him.

Jack put his back to Will and pulled at the oars. The anchored Interceptor receded into the mists. For some long moments, both passengers eyed the rough stone of the island, Will with impatience and Jack for guidance.

"To your left, Mr. Turner," Jack said softly.

Will turned and saw the outline of three black masts. The Black Pearl. He twisted toward Jack's rippling back. "Are you just going to pass it by? Miss Swann might still be on board!"

Jack winced to himself. "Now you're bein' a loudmouthed ignoramus. Keep yer noise down. Aye, we're going t'pass it by. An' no, I'm not giving my reasons." He turned to smile widely. "You're going t'have to trust me."

Will's expression spoke his emotions very plainly. "Just tell me why you didn't bring anyone else, Jack."

Jack turned away. "Wot, you want more company? Ah, the deaf, loudmouthed, mistrusting ignoramus is now a deaf, loudmouthed, distrusting, lonely ignoramus."

Will crossed his arms and angrily stared ahead.

Soon, rock appeared on both the right and left, and then soared up to form the gaping mouth of a giant cavern. A sharper cold enveloped them as they entered. Dripping echoed all around; the ceiling had to be a hundred feet up. The circle of orange lantern light soon revealed a channel that narrowed into blackness, Jack, glancing frequently back, guided them in. The walls came so close, the boat barely fit and trickles of water were everywhere, snaking down the stone, slowly increasing the size of the occasional stalactite. This was true dankness, Will thought to himself.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked, as a new passageway was revealed on the right.

Jack propelled them past the opening. "I got us here, didn't I?"

Any thoughts you have are very welcome. :)