A little message to me readers:

Cass of the east thank ye fer readin' I be glad ye like it.

they call me KEERAN There is a reason Will is that way--though it be a long time 'fore anyone figures that one out. And what ye said 'bout your character that turned into Jack Sparrow (Captain), I find the same to be true often. It seems I can ne'er make Jack act like Jack, but I certainly can make Wesley act like Jack. :) Anyhoo, I be glad ye like it.

Now, fer the chapter...


Just after I ran out one entrance to below deck, Jack and Mother came in the other. "I'm sorry I have to leave you here for a while," Jack said. "I have an important meeting I have to attend. But ye kin talk to Wesley…" Then, they arrived at our cell, and I was not there. "Who's not here," he sighed. "Bloody…rum muffins." He had almost begun shouting, or cussing, one or the other, but then he remembered he was in the presence of a lady and changed his mind.

They kissed quickly. "It'll only be a little while, I promise," Jack assured as he locked her back in our cell. Immediately afterwards, he rushed off to the meeting. I saw him hurry into his cabin, but he didn't see me. Not too far behind him was Will's Father. When I got to the room, however, two pirates stood in front of me.

"Whaz the password?" The one on the left asked me in a very strong British accent.

I took a step back, shocked by his grammar, and then guessed, "Let me in there."

"Nope."

"Please?" He shook his head. "Password."

"Let me think," he delayed sarcastically, "no!"

"The Pearl…it's cursed…no curse. Tell me what it is!" I demanded, anxious to get in.

"Quiet Pinters!" The other pirate said with more of an Australian accent. "I's tryin' ta listen." He put his ear back against the door.

"Ragetti," Pinters—really Pintel—slapped him. "Yur not s'posse'ta be spyin; on the Capt'n." (I hope I spelled that write, but that is kind of what it sounded like. I didn't think it was possible for me to speak that bad.)

Then Pintel and Ragetti got in an argument, and I just watched. It was amusing, but I really wanted in the room. They didn't appear to be stopping any time soon, and my mind quickly drifted off to my sister. How is she doing? I wondered. Here is how she was doing: Father had been pretty mad that I'd left, but there were other things to worry about—like the fog. He was liking that Norrington again because he was proving himself to be a good Lieutenant in dealing absolutely wonderfully with the fog. Why was it that the good leaders were never the good people?

Then the whole thing with Will. He actually did make it to their ship, and Elizabeth found him. Of all the people to be in charge of his care, it was her, an eleven year old with no medical knowledge at all. And what did she do about it? Steal the only thing he has to remember his father by when she should be worrying about Mother and my ship that just got blown up like everyone else was. Father, of course, was perfectly worried about it—or perhaps more "considerably concerned." After all, Mother had been on that ship. I was too, but that didn't bother him. He was kind of praying that I had died.

Finally, the two pirates were finished arguing and I could guess some more. None of it was working. How was I supposed to guess the password anyways? They hadn't given me any clues.

I eventually just gave up and said, "Parley."

"No, thas not it either," Pintel replied.

"I didn't mean that as a password. You are automatically required to take me to the captain when I say that."

"We do?" Ragetti asked. "Wow, I jus' bloo'y learned somethin'."

"I ain't gotta do notin' but die," Pintel answered stubbornly, "an' I can't even do that."

"Well I can't figure out what your password it. That's impossible."

"What password?" Ragetti asked. "There's no password."

"There's no password!" I was shocked and angry.

"Nope" Pintel answered like it didn't matter at all. "But it was nice to get to know ye." At that, he stepped out of the way, and I stormed into the room.

As I did, everyone in the meeting looked up. Jack was sitting in his chair the same way as last time, and he had been snacking on grapes. The other eight were scattered about the room. Included in them were Will's father and Barbossa. I just stood there, staring at them, and them at me. Then Barbossa rolled his eyes. Will's father hung and shook his head in disapproval.

"Well," Jack prompted, putting his grapes down in a bowl, "are you going to say something or just stand there interrupting our discussion?"

"Jack," I started, taking a step forward.

"Captain Jack," he corrected.

"Captain Jack, I need to speak to you about something." I tried to remain composed.

"Can't it wait?...This is very important."

"No it can't. In fact, your discussion…group might be interested in such an important topic." I glared at Captain Jack.

He stood up, "No Wesley. Will did something wrong. He deserved to be punished."

"But you threw him off in the middle of the cold ocean."

Jack glanced at Will's father curiously, then replied, "I said he deserved it."

"He didn't let me out," I practically lied.

"But the keys." He frowned.

"No, not the keys; the key. One key!" I took it out of my pocket bowed my head, "I stole it from him, on the other ship. It was to save my sister…I'm sorry. I let myself out." It was hard for me to lie like that.

Jack waited for a while before he answered, "Nonetheless, Will had done four or five other things to incur this upon himself." The eight others mumbled about the 'four or five.'

"Four!" I shouted, "My Father has to make it to seven before he can do anything serious and he is considered compulsively abusive!"

"Wesley, we have our own set of rules here. Rules I can't defy as the captain. You of all people should know—the code."

"The code? I thought that was a guideline."

"Well, you certainly don't treat it like one. Three offenses is considered biased; five could cause a mutiny. I have to think of the good of the crew." I didn't say anything back to that. He had made me think.

Then turning to everyone else, he sighed, "This meeting is over. I no longer remember what I wanted to talk about." I could tell he was lying. As the group began to leave, he ordered, "Bootstrap, stay after."

Will's father obeyed. I tried not to laugh. He was named after a piece of footwear.

"What is it Jack?" Bootstrap asked after the seven had left.

"Why doesn't he have to call you captain?" I demanded immediately.

"You know what kid, I like you, but you're starting to get on my nerves," Jack responded, getting up close in my face. "He doesn't have to call me captain because he's my friend, and we're the same age." Then, he turned to Bootstrap. "'Not now,' I said, 'Not now.' That means next time we get to port, when we get into the Caribbean. NOT NOW!" He put his head in his hands and slumped back into his chair.

"I was going to just tell Will what you said, but I found him playing ball with this boy," Bootstrap explained. "I thought Will had let him out again, that it made things more urgent. At least now I know he's on a ship, and he's going to stay in Port Royal, Jamaica."

"We were going to attack that ship next!" Jack closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. Just next time, tell me before my prisoner does. It was hard defending you."

"You're right Jack."

"I always am. Now get outta here."

When he left, I frowned at Jack. "Are you going to keep his side?"

"You're forgettin' somethin' kid. You're not a pirate yet, an' you're seven—"

"Almost eight!" I corrected.

"Making you angry is a whole lot less threatening than makin' the rest o' this bloody crew angry…Of course we do need someone to replace him."

"No! How could you even ask something like that?"

"Go home then. Scurry off back to ye dirty li'l cell an' send ye mother up here." I just glared at Jack. I was angry, and he knew it. After a while, he repeated, "Go!"

I obeyed, muttering, "Yes, Sir," as I left. I stopped in front of our cell for a while. I really didn't want to go in, but I did anyhow. Mother had been crying; I could tell. In fact, she was still crying, curled up in the back of the cell.

"What's wrong?" I asked sitting down next to her.

All she ever needed to do was talk, even if no one could understand her, so I let her blabber on about something, while I unlocked her. She suddenly looked up and inquired, "Why'd you do that?" She sniffled.

"Jack wants to see you."

"What?" She stood up quickly. "Like this?" Her dress was filthy, her hair a mess, and her make-up was smeared.

I smiled, "I think he does."

She wiped her eyes, much happier now, and left. At least he was making someone happy. I just sat down, wishing I had a book.

"Jack, you wanted to see me?" Mother asked, knocking on his open door.

"Aye," he replied, finally looking up from the bottle of rum he had been drinking. Holding it out to her, he continued, "Would ye like some rum?"

"No thank you."

"All right then." Jack took a big swig. "Your loss. There's something important I need to tell you."

"About Wesley?"

"No." He thought for a second longer and then stood up. "About us…I know we haven't been knowin' each other for very long, only a day. Well two days if ye count eight years ago. Or then we could say, eight years." He was delaying it. "An' I know you're married, and I'm a pirate, and—well—you're not…but…" he took another swig. "Come with me."

He grabbed the bottle in one hand and her hand in the other, and he ran onto the deck. She willingly followed, laughing, because she knew what he was going to say. Then, he stopped and faced her.

"An' I know we're very different, I mean, ye don't even like rum, but—"

"Give me that!" Mother demanded, ripping the rum from Jack's hand. She was willing to change in any way necessary to make Jack happy. She filled her mouth with rum and, disgusted by the flavor, just held it there trying not to spit it out. Jack laughed, which made her laugh. It was all she could do to swallow the mouthful.

"Myra…I like you…a lot," he said after a second.

"I know," she responded. "I like you too."

Jack got down on one knee. "Myra, I love you, and I want you to…" he pulled a huge ring from his pocket.

Mother gasped. Even though she expected it, it was still shocking, and the ring was gorgeous—to die for. It was at least better than the one she had then. She laughed at herself, at the thought of liking a pirate. Is this really what love is like? She asked herself. Love, the thought sounded wonderful. She didn't know what to say.

Jack knelt there, praying she'd say yes, embarrassed to death. He was relieved when she smiled, confused when she laughed, and then she looked scared. A wave of horror came over her face, and she just stared, wide eyed behind him.

"What is it?" Jack questioned, standing up.

She didn't reply, so he turned around. There was Barbossa—his first mate—standing behind Jack, looking very angry, and without giving Jack a moment to think, POW! Barbossa punched him hard across the face. Being drunk, Jack quickly lost his balance. Mother leapt forward, screaming, perhaps to catch him, perhaps because she couldn't think of anything else to do.

However, another pirate grabbed Mother from behind, covered her mouth, and whispered, "Don't say a werd." He was way too close for comfort.

Barbossa picked Jack up by the collar of his shirt, pointed his pistol at the Jack's jaw, and turned toward the edge of the ship. "Does that island look familiar to ye at all Jack? That god forsaken spit of land ye told us all was where the treasure of Cortes lay"

Jack just looked away, pretending to not have the slightest idea what Barbossa was talking about, so Mother, finally getting the pirate's hand off her mouth, stated, "I highly doubt it's God forsaken."

"Oh it's been forsaken all right, hasn't it Jack? Remember the last time we were there?"

"What? Are there man eating snakes, or something? Do you really think I would believe such things after the stories Wesley has told me?"

"No, there is absolutely nothing on that blasted island, an' we was there fer three days an' nights in that blastin' heat diggin' up holes, searchin' fer Jack's beloved Aztec gold. We ain't found nothin' there but sand an' a dozen trees."

"And rum," Jack mentioned, finally entering his own conversation. "There was plenty of rum to keep the whole crew happy while we were there. Plus, the gold was your idea. We wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been you who thought it be our last capt'n's last wish."

"Aye, but it was you who was certain your Jamaican wench knew where to find said gold."

"Tia Dalma knew exactly where the treasure was. The only complication came when you insisted it were only fair if you knew where it was as well. What kind of capt'n would I be if I trusted you with that information? You're a bloody pirate!"

"According to the code, everything's an equal share. That would include the location of the treasure, would it not Scarus?"

The pirate holding Mother got extra close, rubbing his cheek on hers, and muttered, "Aye, equal."

Jack looked back and forth between Barbossa and the two others. He broke free of Barbossa's grip but didn't try to run away. Apparently, he just wanted to have gesturing space for when he asked, "An' what sort of motivation does this give me? Is your mutinous threat supposed to prompt me to trust ye?"

"Consider it a warning of sorts, that ye're not serving our best interests as Capt'n by leading us around on yer wild adventures. They bring us nothing, Jack, an' the crew is hungry for redemption."

"Fine, then, if we're laying our cards on the table, we already have it."

"What?" Barbossa asked, seeming very confused.

"The gold. Yer lads Kohler an' Simbakka brought it on board some time ago. Some of the crew have already taken their fill of the 882 pieces. 'Tis your loss, ye never asked what was in the chest."

"And the curse?"

"No sign of it yet…unless," Jack pulled out his sword and touched it to Barbossa's throat, "losing me first mate to the sea will be the first sign of it."

"You wouldn't dare," Barbossa supposed.

"Mutiny is mutiny Barbossa. Just because ye don't succeed, doesn't mean ye shouldn't be punished."

"It's you or me Jack," Barbossa decided, pulling his sword as well. A fight quickly commenced.

"Ye shan't have me ship that easily!"

"I won't stop 'til I do."

Now, Jack was drunk. He and Barbossa had grown up together, and learned to fight at the same time, via the same man. Their skills were normally at the same level: expert. Imagine, expert fighting drunk expert. That was this battle, and it wasn't very long before Barbossa knocked Jack's sword away.

"I surrender!" Jack said immediately, throwing his hands in the air.

"Well, then." Barbossa gestured Scarus to come over. "I believe this is your pistol. Scarus so kindly loaded it for ye with one shot. Have fun on that god forsaken spit of land, Governor Sparrow."

Jack snatched the pistol from Scarus protectively. Then, he backed away from the situation. It didn't take him long to reach the edge of the ship and climb onto it. Before jumping off, though, he mentioned, "I promise you, this will not be the last you hear of Captain Jack Sparrow," and then he was gone.