The merciful morning arrived. Jade woke from her single hour of sleep to find Jack sitting on the edge of the opposite side of the bed, staring at the diamond he had placed upon the quilt. He perched in a curious manner - with one leg half on, one boot touching the floor. His elbow rested upon his elevated knee and during his distant thoughts he nibbled his thumbnail.

"Jack?" she said, brushing her aching head. She glanced about at the room, remembering where she was. "Why don' I remember the journeh? How did yeh get meh 'ere anyways?"

"I think…the diamond brought us."

"Eh?"

Sparrow flicked out his compass, showing once more that the needle refused to waver from the jewel. "The secret place the Brethren are so wanton to hide seems to be inside it, or rather it is perhaps both key and lock in itself." He watched it, as though wary of its power. "I saw countless places in there. There was some sort of…pull… between it and the compass. I thought of Tortuga and 'ere we were."

"It jes' jumped us?"

Jack offered his compass to her and gestured to the gem with his other hand. "Try it."

At first, Jade shrank back.

"Wossa matter? Cam' on, anywhere you want to go, think of it an' look into its heart."

She looked at him dubiously. "What if it jes' goes off soon as I touch it? I c'd get stranded anywheres!"

The pirate's hand clamped onto her shoulder. She was not sure how much to be comforted. Taking a drawn out breath, Jade reached for the diamond and clutched both it and the compass tightly in hand. Her gaze drifted across the room, sweeping past the rural canvases in their frames.

"Anywhere but 'ere…"

As Jack looked on, excited tadpoles of silver darted around the young woman. He had not seen them when he had been lost in the jewel himself, but now he watched them cautiously, eyes restless. The spurts of light coiled up his fingers where he gripped her and rippled over him.

Somewhere in the snow-covered English countryside, two figures dropped out of the air, one crunching upon a pile of frosted grass, the other rolling across hard earth. Captain Sparrow groaned, thankful that his coat had absorbed most of the impact. He sat up and looked to Jade as she extricated herself from her own imprint in the snow. The pirate surveyed the open fields and simple farmhouses. He raised an eyebrow.

"This is what you 'ad in mind?"

Jade glared at him. "I d'know. I jes' looked at one'f the pictures in the room. Looks the same t' me." She pointed at the cottage in the distance. "There, y'see? We went wherever the paintin' is, jes' a bit different with all the snow everywhere."

Jack approached her, feigning interest in the scenery. He snatched the diamond out of her hand. Instinctively she made a grab for it, loath to lose such freedom, but it was pocketed barely a split-second after she reacted. She scowled and placed the compass into his waiting palm.

"So now wha-?" she uttered until Jack shushed her and suddenly dragged her into taking cover against the wall of a nearby barn. Giggling, feminine voices sounded nearby. Sparrow peered around the corner to see a line of young women, all wrapped up warm, carrying pails out of the barn and on toward the farmhouse. The lowing of cattle could be heard within.

When the women had passed, Jack crept across to the barn's entrance. Jade emerged and regarded the ladies with surprise. "'S a lot'f milkmaids…"

"'As to be," the pirate replied where he stood at the door. "Lot of cows." He wandered into the barn, Miss Starfall following closely behind. The beasts, at least a score of them, stood in rows around the edges of the structure, munching away at their feed. In the centre of the barn sat a gathering of eight milking stools and a few full pails waiting for collection. Jade rubbed her arms against the cold, finding the air became thicker and warmer when she neared the cows. Jack made straight for the buckets and crouched beside the first he came to.

"What're yeh doin'?"

"Sampling," he said, grinning. "Must be nearin' four years since I last tasted milk so fresh it's still warm." He dipped a hand into the pail and sucked the liquid from his fingers, the sight of which made Jade hurriedly turn her face. She was not sure why.

"Yeh know that stuff c'n make yeh sick."

Sparrow smirked and started toward her. He paused mid-step and pulled an uncertain face, his hand flattening against his stomach. His face paled and he stumbled. He gasped as though illness was overwhelming him and made a sudden dash behind a large haystack in the corner.

"It en't meant to happen that fast," Jade mumbled. She heard Jack yelp. "Jack? Stop playin' about, yeh're worryin' meh." She neared the haystack, her breath misting in the cold air, and listened. There was a momentary scrabbling, the haystack rustled and then all was still. "Cap'n?" Fearing what she might see, even if it was only going to be the pirate playing one stupid prank to scare her out of her wits, Jade closed her eyes and jumped to the back of the haystack. She opened them again and her jaw dropped. The faux pirate sank to her knees and crawled slowly to what lay before her. Sparrow's clothes were scattered about this small space: boots; coat; forlorn hat; effects and all. The haystack made a shuffling noise once more that drew her attention.

"Jack?" she whispered. "Izzat you?"

After a long pause, a voice from within the stack said "Aye." It was very quiet, but unmistakably the pirate's.

"Are yeh all righ'?"

"I think the milk did some'ing to me…" Still his voice sounded far away; almost meek.

Relieved he was at least not poisoned, Jade found the humour to sneer. "Come over all itchy an' blotchy, did yeh?" She squinted at the hay mound for telltale signs of movement. "Yeh comin' back out? I won' look."

"No," Jack said, firmly. "Fine here. Ta for asking."

"Yeh can' stay in there…"

"Oh yes I can."

Jade carefully slid a hand into the wall of hay. She hissed in pain and pulled back out swiftly as something sharp batted at her fingers. "Oww! What in th' heck wazzat?"

A distinctive, soft growl came from the stack. "Don't try to see me."

Rebelliously, the young woman licked a drop of blood from an injured finger and began to hurl armfuls of hay aside. It did not take Jack long to realise what she was up to.

"No-no! Stoppit! No-no! Jade, I order you to leave it!"

With a wild determination she ignored him and flung yet more of the dried grass to and fro. Only when the whimpering captain burst out with one final, desperate "Stop!" did she cease and peer into the ravaged stack.

Out of the complete stillness came the faintest trace of movement. Hay tumbled off a tiny, caramel-hued head of fur. Dark eyes glittered amidst circles of chocolate brown fuzz. The face tilted upward timidly, revealing drooping whiskers and two longer tufts of brown fur that feathered from the chin.

Jade gawped. The scruffy kitten cringed, flicking its tail.

"Fractious wench," it said.

She couldn't help it. The faux pirate burst out into abrasive shrieks of laughter.