A/N I know I'm taking a lot of liberties with the story, but then again, I think the majority of us fanfiction writers are. I just hope that my characters don't keep arguing with me like they did with the last chapter. I do know where I want to go with this story, and if it means that I have to keep dropping in bits of backstory to explain my characters' actions…. I guess that's what I have to do. It was not my intention to put that whole scene in last chapter, but they wanted it that way, so they got it that way.

Tia Dalma's the worst one to write about. She's just so mysterious and I'm not all that up on voodoo and what can or cannot be done with it. I will just add that we can speculate that she isn't solely a voodoo priestess or some such and accept that she's got powers and abilities no one can explain. As for her accent, you are just going to have to imagine it. By the time I make the attempt to write out her dialect, everything she says would have to be decoded, so forget it.

Chapter 12: The Gift

Jack wandered out of the galley crunching down into a red apple, mentally thanking their hostesses for having them available. The thought of green apples had lost all appeal to him considering their connection to his past. It dribbled juicily down his beard and he slurped his fingers, appreciating the flavor. It was nice to fill his belly, even though he had to resort to a vegetarian diet. He had heard of people who chose to eat only fruits and grains, but only in places in the Far East. He wondered how anyone could exist without a little meat or fat in their food. He guessed he would find out soon enough.

He reached the port side of the ship, and stood next to Elizabeth as she leaned on the gunwale staring at the island. They had only just recently finished stocking up the barrels of water and Jack had added a bit of rum and lime to a couple to make grog in case they were away from land too long. Elizabeth had wrinkled up her nose at the onerous necessity, but had kept her tongue still. Some battles were just not worth fighting, especially when there was no point. With life came death, and with death came rot and decay. Foul water would make for a high level of unpleasantness should they suddenly find they could become sick again.

They both watched the trees sway with the light zephyrs skipping along the branches and fluttering the leaves. He wondered when those breezes would start the ship plowing forward again, although he could not help but think that there were a couple of things left undone. He frowned and let out a sigh. As he turned to Elizabeth, however, she spoke up first.

"I need one more trip to the island," she announced.

"Luv, I thought we had said our farewells. It's not as if they were bosom friends," he reminded her. "Though they did have nice b…"

"Jack!" she admonished harshly, her eyes flashing in warning.

"Well, you can't fault a man for noticing," he mumbled, as he turned to ready the longboat for another launch. "After all, it isn't as if there is anything else to ogle on board…" No sooner had the words left his mouth when he felt a hard smack on the back of his head, knocking his hat to the deck. Her turned to look at her, eyes wide, jaw dropped, and saw her standing, braced, waiting for his reaction with her chin up, eyes boring back into his.

"You could not wait for me to turn so you could deliver that blow to my cheek?" he asked her incredulously. His appearance must have been a bit alarming, because despite the defiance on her face, she took a step back. He advanced on her slowly, so she took another. "Would you not say that was a bit cowardly, darlin'?" he growled.

"I knew where your thoughts were heading, so I took measures in advance," she slung at him. She continued her retreat, and suddenly had to stop as the rail hit her on the back. He continued forward.

"Of course they were heading there, sweetie," he sneered. "Not only am I a pirate, but also a man, as you may have noticed, especially when your lips were so firmly planted on mine just moments before you took measures to murder me."

"Oh, we're back to that, are we?" she began, just before he suddenly scooped up her thin frame in his wiry arms. He felt her hands scrabble to clutch onto his shirt as he bent forward to dangle her off the side of the ship. "You wouldn't dare!" she shrieked in disbelief, just as he dropped her, doing so quickly enough before she got purchase on his clothing so he would not be dragged over with her. He anxiously watched her inelegant descent into the water, catching his breath until she broke the surface, still alert. He plastered a cocky grin onto his face, as he continued to watch her splutter in impotent fury at her mistreatment.

"Well, off you go, then," he called down to her, gesturing, urging her towards the island. "You said you had to go back. I was just helping you on your way. Toodle-loo. Let me know when you return." He waved cheerily, then made as if to turn away.

"Jack, you bastard!" he heard her screech through the sounds of her splashing. He turned back in a show of mock surprise.

"What a lovely vocabulary you have acquired, me luv! Gets me tingly all over just hearing such endearments." He stood back from the rail and watched her in bemusement, while she was continued to tread water, splashing viciously, and spewing invectives.

"The least you could do is to let me have a boat," she snarled at him. He grinned, walked over to where the longboat had been hauled on board, and released it to settle into the water next to her.

"Your chariot awaits, milady. Just bring it back in one piece, eh?" he shouted to her as he watched her scramble aboard. She was still muttering and cursing, as he turned from the side of the ship and made his way to his cabin.

Night fell, shrouding the sky in its curtain of darkness, and Jack wandered out of his cabin after a long day of sleep. He had played with the idea of moving the ship further out to give her a bit of a scare, but he felt that he had done enough to get her back. After all, all she had done was to knock his hat off.

He rubbed at his beard, fingering his braids. He realized he needed to redo them, although it was a bit disconcerting to realize that they hadn't grown much since the last time. He had read somewhere that hair and fingernails still grew after one died, but it seemed that in his case he had to truly be dead for that to happen. Or maybe it couldn't happen, because he had been devoured by a sea beast. Regardless, he doubted the tale to be true, because in his experience he knew that while skin and even bone rotted, hair did not. He knew this because his own had been dirty and unkempt for longer than he could remember, and it was still not rotten. Thus, if someone's hair did not rot in his or her grave while the rest of him or her did, it would seem as if the hair grew. That was his theory.

He scowled and peered out at the island. He saw little in the way of lights, which did not surprise him, considering the population numbered at two with a visitor. He wondered when, or even if, that visitor was going to return to him and the Pearl. Glancing up at the sky, he ascertained that he still could not see stars by which to navigate, though a passing thought nudged him into wondering if he could see the stars whether or not they would be in patterns familiar to him.

Suddenly, he realized that he heard a faint splashing. He rushed over to the rail just in time to see a shadowy figure of a longboat heave into view.

"You know, you could have lit a lantern for me to see where the ship was," she snapped. Guiltily he scampered back to the cabin and brought one out, lighting it on his way. He held it up as she held the rope leading to the boat and climbed on board. Together they dragged the boat to the hoists to haul it aboard.

"Did you enjoy your trip?" he said, disguising the minor worry he had felt just prior to her arrival. "Lots of hugs and weeping and heartfelt promises to write and all that tripe?" He snickered at her as she rolled her eyes at his flat humor and they both continued to pull at the lines.

As the boat reached the top of the hoists, he realized all of a sudden, he was hearing a rustling movement. He threw back the tarp that had covered the boat, and to his amazement he found some tied up rabbits, both alive and slaughtered, and a few hens that resembled turkeys.

"Meat!" he yelped in delight. He grabbed Elizabeth around the waist and hauled in close. He had not realized how sorely he was going to miss having meat. He did not know how she did it, but he knew she had not done it for herself.

"Oh, how I love you Lizzie," he breathed into her hair as he held her close.