Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters I refer to in this story. If I did, I would be making money off them, not writing fan fiction. Sarah, however, is mine as well as anyone else whom you don't recognize.

Author's Note- My sincerest apologies for taking so long to update. My schoolwork has been brutal and time has been scarce. If anyone is still reading, I would appreciate a review so I know if I'm still doing all right.

TeenTitanTerraLover- Thank you for your first review. Yeah, non-action scenes really aren't my thing. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I agree, I will never sleep with my nose in the pillow ever again.

TeenTitanTerraLover- Thank you for the second review. Once again, you have caught my mistakes. Haha, I liked your reactions to possible being naked in front of Will. Personally, being an Orlando fanatic, I'd greatly enjoy it. I'm glad you think she's not a Mary Sue, I'll probably ask that several times in the fic to make sure she's ok. Yes, I did kill Elizabeth's murderer off.

CrimsonCrome- Thank you for leaving a review. I wouldn't say perfection, but I'm glad you liked the chapter and the plot. I am also relieved that you don't think Sarah is a Mary Sue.

Cici Linne- Thank you for dropping a note. I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far and am, as I have been with the previous reviews, happy that Sarah hasn't been labeled a Mary Sue. Here's your new chapter.

The Story Continues,

Captain Sparrow swaggered over to the dead pirate and raised his eyebrows, peering into the man's face. He knew the man. Hell, he was Captain Jack Sparrow, he knew everyone. Still, it was fascinating how much a person could change in a couple decades.

Without a word, Jack bent down and began to rummage through the pirate's pockets.

Will raised an eyebrow and Sarah stared blankly.

"Jack?" the blacksmith inquired.

Sparrow held up his index finger, signaling his friend to wait. He slid his hand into one of the ruffian's inside pockets and withdrew a small assortment of documents.

"Who is he?" Will tried again. He couldn't help but feel that the person at his feet was somehow connected with the raid on Port Royal and the death of his fiancée.

"All in good time, Will. All in good time," the captain replied, standing up and shoving the documents into his pocket.

"That man is somehow related to the death of…the death of her. I need to know what's going on." The young man could hardly keep the anger and, much to his chagrin, desperation out of his voice.

Jack was silent, seemingly turning the situation over in his mind. His rogue lined eyes rested on Mr. Turner and he nodded once.

"Alright, Will. Accompany me to my cabin and I'll tell you what I know." He forced a grin and clapped his friend on the back. "It's been ages since I've been able to tell a good story, anyway."

Will's face was expressionless. There was too much going on and he needed to get to the bottom of it.

Captain Sparrow spun on his heel and began to stride up the hold's stairs. However, as if on a second thought, he turned around and headed over to the wall that held the bottles of rum. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly making a difficult decision. Then, the pirate reached out and grabbed the nearest bottle.

"Helps move the story along," he explained, acknowledging Sarah for the first time and giving her a crooked grin.

Sarah stepped back, conscious, once again, of how little she was wearing.

xxxxx

"Captain, what are we to do about this, er, mess?" Gibbs asked, indicating towards the deck. Blood, bodies, and gunpowder residue covered the dark wooden planking.

The captain frowned and stepped back, admiring the wreck. He handed his alcohol bottle to will and put his hands up, forming a square in front of his eyes. It seemed as if he was trying to thoroughly assess the situation.

"Right, clean this up and, uh, congratulate yourselves on a victory with extra rations of rum." He grinned, obviously pleased with his decree.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow but chose not to say anything. Once he was gone, Will turned to Sparrow.

"Congratulate yourselves with extra rations of rum?" Will asked incredulously.

"Mate, in my many years of experience, the one thing I've learned time and time again is to never deny any good pirate his rum. In fact, I myself could use some." Jack reached out and snatched his bottle from Mr. Turner.

Sarah would have brought the question of whether a good pirate actually existed into play, but was still too nervous of her surroundings and the people she was with to say anything. No, at the current moment, all she really wanted to accomplish was keeping Will between her and the rest of the ship's crew.

The blacksmith frowned at the young woman who was trying desperately to hide behind him. He could understand why she wouldn't want to prominently display herself to the rest of the men, but he really didn't want to be clung to. He had his own problems.

The trio finally reached the captain's quarters and stepped inside.

Once the door was safely closed, Sparrow popped the cork on his bottle and took a long swig, savoring the taste.

"Jack," Will prompted, sitting down on the bed. He leaned forward, eager to hear what the captain had to say.

"Right." The captain looked at Sarah for a moment. "You may want to sit down, love."

Sarah sat down next to Will, relieved that she hadn't been asked to leave. She didn't particularly relish the idea of being alone amongst a group of pirates.

"That man, this'll really be shocking Will so listen carefully, was a pirate." Sparrow grinned.

Turner gave the man a bored stare. He'd figured that one out already.

"He was a particularly brutal pirate to be sure. I had the…pleasure of working with and against him on several occasions. Needless to say, I enjoyed being neither side. He was captain of his own ship, the one we just successfully plundered."

"What's the man's name?"

"Steel Eyes."

"Steel Eyes," Will repeated, hardly believing it. It seemed to be a ridiculous name for a ruffian, especially one as nasty as the man in question had been.

"Well, you wouldn't call him that unless you had a death wish, and I can assure you some did." He stopped for a moment to take another drink of rum. "We all just called him Hawk. Well, the man's last name wasn't really Hawk, but he hated his real last name so he changed it."

"What was his real last name?"

Something shadowed over in Jack's eyes, as if he were about to say something particularly unpleasant. He looked at his bottle, took another gulp, and then continued staring at the half-empty container.

"Swann."

Will's breath caught in his throat. He could hardly breathe and could feel his heart thudding against his chest. The world seemed to spin for a fleeting moment.

"What?" He finally rasped out.

"His last name was Swann." Jack closed his eyes and bent his head. He knew his friend was probably being torn apart inside.

There was a tense silence in the room as the information sunk in. Of course, it meant nothing to Sarah, but to Will, it was everything.

"His last known whereabouts, aside from the Black Pearl's hold, were Port Royal."

The blacksmith felt his eyes widen. His assumptions had been correct; the renegade had been at Port Royal the day his beloved had been killed.

Jack stood up and placed the bottle on his desk.

"Sorry, mate," he said, opening the door and stepping out of the room. As much as he wanted to stay and comfort his friend, his ship and crew needed to be checked on.

Will stood up and absently walked over to the captain's desk. He picked up the bottle and gently shook it.

It still contained some alcohol.

Had he been his normal self, the young man would have thought it strange that Sparrow hadn't finished consuming his precious rum. However, at the current moment, he didn't really care.

Sarah just sat there, staring at her folded hands. She felt a bit awkward, but could relate to the situation. She had sensed before that Will had lost someone very important in his life and now knew that they must have had the last name of Swann or had been related to someone with the name.

"Will," she said, her heart beginning to pick up speed. She knew she probably shouldn't say anything, but she was curious.

The blacksmith said nothing, but turned to face her.

The British woman hesitated for a moment.

He looks like a puppy that's been kicked too many times. She thought sadly.

"What happened?"

Will turned away and, for a moment, she was afraid she'd offended him. That hadn't been her intention.

She was about to tell him to forget it, when he began to speak.

"I lost someone very important to me. Someone who, in the past, meant the world to me and gave me a purpose for being alive. I used to think I would die if something happened to her. And now, my beloved and intended wife, Elizabeth Swann..." He choked on the name. "Is dead."

Sarah couldn't say anything. It was a terrible story and she suddenly felt selfish at mourning over her friends, when it seemed that he'd lost something greater. If she'd had known the young man better, she would've comforted him. If this Elizabeth Swann person had been his future wife, he probably thought about her all the time, and she knew from experience that thinking of the person only made the pain worse.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

However, Will didn't seem to have heard her and continued to stare at the wall. He could feel tears filling his eyes, tears that brought his inner pain with them. He inwardly cursed the young woman. In his heart, he knew she was just trying to help, but at that moment, remembering the person he'd loved so dearly only made things worse.

Sarah could sense water coming to her own eyes. The young man's inner turmoil seemed to radiate through the room, affecting everything.

I'm such an idiot.

Author's Note- Eh, not my best chapter to date. I apologize for Jack's being out of character. He didn't want to cooperate with me. As always, I really want to know your thoughts, so feel free to click the review button and leave me a note (positive or negative). Thank you for reading.