Hello again to all my wonderful and faithful readers! I promise that I have not forgotten you, or deserted you. I've had a hard time finding the time to write. Finally got the laptop in my room for good, and then senior year started. For those of you who know what senior year is like, college hunting-wise, you know how stressed and busy I've been. Especially with taking college courses at my high school and work on my fathers farm to deal with. Anyway, enough about me, I'll get to the story now ~jacquline

Chapter 15- where I finally meet Barbossa in person

I heard a shriek from above and swam over to Will.

"Elizabeth!" he yelled as I climbed onto his back so I could see.

"Get us out!" I yelled up to her.

"I can't move it!" she yelled down, just before she started screaming again. We watched helplessly as she was pulled away.

"Elizabeth!" when Will didn't get an answer, he began shaking the beams around us. I climbed off his back so it would be easier for him.

"Saoirse! Take a deep breath, and swim down." He said when the water level started coming too high for us to stay above. I obliged, and he pushed me far underwater. We swam down to the floor, just before the entire ship shook and exploded.

Now, for those of you who have never been in an exploding ship, let me tell ya: you're not missin' much. It wasn't fun. Wood pieces shooting through the water like underwater cannon balls, hunks of metal flyin' around; I thought I was gonna die.

Just when I thought I couldn't hold my breath any longer, my head found the surface. I gulped in some sweet, fresh, Caribbean air and looked around for Will. He had already surfaced, apparently unconcerned about me, since he was swimming toward the Black Pearl.

I sighed and followed him, figuring that I might as well follow. He is my only relative at the moment. I watched him making gestures while standing on the railing of the Pearl. He looked like he was gonna kill himself.

The idiot was gonna get himself killed if he wasn't careful.

As I finally pulled myself up the ropes along the side of the ship, I heard him say:

"On my word, do as I say. Or I'll pull the trigger and be lost to Davy Jones's locker."

"Why is it always the dramatics with you, Will?" I whined. He glanced down at me, then back at whomever was on deck.

I grasped the railing, and started to haul myself on board.

"Saoirse!" I heard a familiar voice yell in surprise. I looked up to see Jack coming toward me.

"Jack! You're alive!" I grinned as he hauled me on board. As soon as I was on my feet, I wrapped my arms around his waist in a big hug. "I missed you. I thought you were dead. What happened?"

"Later, love. I believe Will has some business to take care of and I'd like to hear what the idiot's saying." He patted my back, and turned to see what Will was saying. I stood by his side, listening as well.

"Name yer terms, Mr. Turner." A scruffy pirate with a big hat was asking Will. 'He must be Barbossa.' I thought to my self.

"Elizabeth goes free!" Will said the words so fast that I hardly caught them.

"Yes, we already know that one." Barbossa sighed. "Anythin' else?"

Jack began frantically motioning to himself, and when I jabbed him in the ribs, to me as well.

"And the crew. The crew are not to be harmed." Will added. Barbossa took a step toward him.

"Agreed."

Will jumped off the railing, and was immediately grabbed by pirates, who took him, the crew and Elizabeth below decks. I stayed next to Jack, and when a pirate with one eye, and a wooden ball for the other, tried to pull me away, I poked him in his good eye.

"Ow! Blimey! Me eye!" he wailed. "You poked me good eye!"

"Yes, yes I did." I calmly answered. I turned to grin at Jack, and noticed Barbossa looking at me.

"And who might you be?" He asked, walking over to me.

"My name's Saoirse." I replied boldly, ignoring Jack's motions to stay quiet.

"Saoirse. Nice name. But who are you?"

"No one. She's no one. Part of my crew. Cooks. Great cook, you should try her bread. Great when it's warm." Jack hurried to make up an alibi for me.

"Yes, I cook." I sighed. Barbossa just smiled down at me.

"Then you shall join the crew in the brig."

"No." I replied. "I want to stay with Jack."

"Oh, is she more than your cook, then, Jack?" Barbossa grinned horribly, looking me up and down. I wrapped my arms protectively around my self, feeling extremely self-conscious. My clothes were still wet, and probably not very modest.

"No." Jack replied, sternly. "She's just my cook."

"Then off to the brig, with ye, Saoirse."

The one eyed pirate grabbed my arms again, and pulled me below decks. I was thrown into the brig with Will, and the doors slammed shut.

There, that seems like a good place to stop for now. I promise I'll try to be quicker to update now that I have the laptop back. ttfn, ta ta for now

~jacquline