Er...it's been a while, eh? I'm very sorry for the late update; I've been super busy (in a play, finals, personal issues). I hope you forgive my shortcomings as a fanfiction author and review, though. I'd like to know if I've got the characterizations right. This chapterkind of cinches the Alternate Universe thing, since it doesn't correspond with the third movie.

Chapter Six

Jack squinted his dark eyes as he stared off into the distance, gazing at the glittering sea and burning sun. The morning light was, as usual, incredibly intense, but Gibbs had enough sense to raise one hand to his forehead to prevent it from reaching his face. This action hindered his steering of the wheel a great amount, but the captain was too deeply absorbed in his own thoughts to take notice of his crewmember's lack of commitment to his assigned task.

With every motion that Jack made, be it a sniff or sigh, Gibbs expected him to turn about and scold him. His disinterest in the duty at hand would provide the pirate with ample opportunity to boss him around and otherwise show off his power as the ship's commander. However, whatever was on his mind clearly inhibited his ability to take advantage of such a chance. Had the respite from his captain's usual barking not been so wonderful, he would have been more worried.

As it stood, however, the man's actions that morning had been quite abnormal. He had remained alone the previous evening, after giving no reason whatsoever for his current laconic state. Gibbs assumed he had proceeded to inebriate himself after taking off, which, he realized after giving it some thought, was not truly peculiar. But his pensiveness certainly was.

He could only assume it had something to do with the young girl who had appeared the day before. Before that moment, he had been perfectly fine. After that, though, the female and the man were similarly quiet, surrounded by the same sullen air. Gibbs believed that this petulance on Jack's part stemmed from the child's company. He was not able to speak for her.

As he pondered his captain's terse condition, the subject of his thoughts leaned his upper body against the railing he faced. This action was accompanied by a more pronounced frown, marring Jack's features with uncertainty. Gibbs had never seen the man in any position even slightly resembling the one he was currently in. To put it simply, the pirate was always confidant, self-important, and certain that doing whatever he did was the correct path to take. But he was on no account mystified by anything, ever.

This bewilderment affected everyone on board. It spread like a plague over the crew, clouding their tasks with hesitation. Gibbs was encircled by it as well. It was this puzzlement that filled him with the courage to attempt to break through the fog. The only method he could think of to do this, however, was by breaking through the silence between the two males.

"Jack?" he inquired, shifting the hand shielding his face a bit.

In response, Gibbs received far more than he expected: an irritated grunt from the captain, which he blindly interpreted as an invitation to interrogate him further.

"I was simply wondering: we set course this morning, but...where exactly are we going?"

Jack did not reply to this question for a moment, instead taking the time to scrunch his nose in contemplation. Finally, he turned to look toward Gibbs.

"How willing d'yeh believe a young married couple would be teh become parents?" he asked, resting his hand against the railing and tapping his fingers, heavily bedizened with rings, against the wood thoughtfully.

The first mate had to resist the urge to roll his eyes in aggravation. "I'm afraid I'm not certain," he told Jack, trying as best as he could not to let the mordacity creep into his voice. "But I would like to know-"

"Port Royal," the captain answered, before he returned to his previous stance, observing the gentle waves once more. After a split second, though, he looked back at Gibbs, a glimmer of his usual personality darting across his tanned face. "An' keep both yer hands on the bloody wheel."

-xXx-

It was, in all aspects of temperature, a lovely night. It was somewhat warm, but every now and then a cool breeze would cut through the heat like a sharpened blade. The shock of the contrast was powerful, but extremely refreshing. In spite of this pleasant characteristic, there was a considerable amount of repulsiveness that came from the sky. Thick, heavy clouds the shade of a half-healed bruise veiled the moon and stars. As a result, there was absolutely no light in the area.

This did not prevent Jack from stumbling across the cobblestones of Port Royal at that time. He'd been there enough times to gain at the very least a basic knowledge of the streets. Years of practice of wandering around places in the dark made the journey physically easy for him. There wasn't even any rum in his body to hinder his progress.

He could not say as much for his partner, who could only manage a single dragging step for every four he made. Consequently, he was forced to grab his cohort by the bony wrist and drag them along. This action may have embarrassed anybody else, but the one being towed along made no protest at all. If they had, Jack would not have listened.

Due to the rain-ridden clouds, it was impossible to see his face. If there had been enough illumination, though, it would have been easy to distinguish both nervous anticipation and, although the emotion really had no place being present then, minor amusement.

Usually at that time in Port Royal, there were people on the street. Most of them were drunks or others of a dubious occupation, but Jack did not mind them whatsoever. But the dark clouds in the atmosphere clearly meant rainfall would appear soon, which had undoubtedly provoked the nighttime inhabitants to search for shelter. Indeed, their absence was much more unnerving than their presence. A pirate never knew what bad weather could bring, after all.

Scrunching his nose worriedly as he lifted his head up towards the heavens, he pulled on his companion's arm once more and proceeded at a quicker pace than before. The other person objected to this hastening with a "Hurmph," which forced him to slow down somewhat. If they fell, it would only hamper them on their journey. Jack wished for nothing to interrupt what he was about to do.

He had visited his destination twice since regaining The Black Pearl. Both instances, it had been extremely late. This alone would have annoyed the occupants, but he had also chosen to enter the building through the window on the ground floor. This way in had provided his with his fair share of bruises, as he had fallen through the pane and onto the wooden floor. Actually, it had not been this clumsy arrival that had really injured him, but the beatings the resident had inflicted upon him as soon as he was discovered.

When he initially called on the house's dwellers, he had been drinking considerably. The second occasion, though, was just for his amusement. Although he was not sure if he could call the people inside friends, he did enjoy their company. Maddening them – especially the woman – was vastly entertaining, although it could be painful.

But the previous times he had been in his element – at least a little drunk, but more importantly, alone. Seeing as he now brought someone along, he knew that the situation was too serious. Jack was unable to think of any good reason to push both of them through the window. The gravity instead forced him to face the door of the house, and, in as courteous a manner as possible, rap his knuckles against the wood.

Jack stood still for several moments afterwards, wondering whether anyone had heard him knocking. It wouldn't be a tremendous problem if they hadn't; he'd just have to find another entrance, and he knew of many different ways to get into locked areas. But still, he had hoped for some propriety, for the sake of his companion.

Right before he was about to give up on decorum, however, his wish was granted. He heard an angry muttering coming from the opposite side of the wall. Clearly, one of the occupants did not enjoy being woken up at such a late hour, and Jack had a good idea of who it was. His suspicions were confirmed as the door finally swung open, revealing a young woman hurriedly attempting to pull her robe over her nightgown with one arm. The other limb supported a lit candle, illuminating her lovely yet irritated features.

She had not lifted her face to see who was at her door thus far, but Jack could still see her mouth moving. He could not tell what she was saying initially, for her words were intermingled with a large yawn. As he strained to hear, he could distinguish this complaint:

"This had better be good," she was muttering, as she finally managed to cover herself properly and raised her source of light. When she realized who was in front of her, however, she gave a shocked groan.

"Oh, dear lord, Jack..."

"Elizabeth...darling...it's been far too long, hasn't it? How positively wonderful-"

"Just get inside," she ordered exhaustedly, receding into the darkness of the house.

Jack permitted himself to smile, before looking about for his escort, who had hidden behind his legs. Shrugging, he stepped aside to allow her entry.

"After yeh," he said to her, gesturing at the interior of the abode.

-xXx-

The room now filled completely with light, Elizabeth Turner was free to reflect on how odd the sight in front of her was: Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the most notorious pirates on the seas, was sitting uncomfortably in one of her living room chairs, a little girl with a twisted leg standing beside him. The young woman, upon inquiring as to why the child was with him, received no answer. She had not noticed the new female straightaway, having been immediately distracted by the intruder's use of her candelabra (after removing the only stump of wax on it, he had utilized it to scratch his back).

But now that her husband, Will Turner, had joined them, and her only possession in danger at the moment was the piece of furniture Jack currently sat upon, she finally took note of the girl. She had not spoken since arriving at the Turners' house, but instead stared at its belongings and inhabitants. Her eyes, although striking, were a ghostly blue. They reminded Elizabeth of a sea touched by moonlight.

Will, however, had not been surprised by Jack's maltreatment of his wife's ornament. This left him with the acuity to realize how peculiar the girl's presence was. He did not express his wonder vocally, but simply allowed himself to raise his eyebrows questioningly. Elizabeth knew that he preferred to think about things in advance, even if he only had seconds to do so.

When presented with Jack Sparrow and a strange child at such a late hour – actually, it could probably be considered an early hour – Will somehow remained calm. Even his wife could not tell whether or not he was disturbed by the pair's arrival. Rather than involve himself in an argument concerning a candelabra like she did, he had motioned for both her and the pirate to sit down, while he and the girl remained standing.

The poor thing looked absolutely fatigued, and not a little nervous. Elizabeth felt a pang of sympathy for her, for she knew quite well how awful it was to be dragged along in one of Jack's capers. At least he seemed sober, compared to his last visit. No one had been able to remove the wine stain he had managed to leave behind.

But as much compassion as she had for the child, she could not recover from the shock she received from the spectacle of the dirty, rum-sodden man in her home. It was obvious that he felt less than comfortable there, judging by how awkwardly he placed his crossed legs. At least everyone in the room was distressed to some degree, although Elizabeth was unsure whether that gladdened her or not. The only time she'd ever seen Jack in any negative sort of temperament – by his standards - was when she had used his alcohol supplies to build a fire.

Indeed, the vindictive pleasure she experienced at the other man's expense was nothing contrasted to her unsettled nerves. Annoying and selfish as Jack usually was, she preferred it to this sudden loss of self-assurance. Anyone who did not know him well would not have seen its absence, but Elizabeth was quite familiar with him.

"Jack?" she finally asked, having cooled down after the quarrel involving the candelabra. "May I ask...what are you doing here? You don't appear to be drunk."

"Ah...tha's because I'm not."

Elizabeth resisted the urge to retaliate verbally to this sardonic retort by turning to face Will, who stood to her right. Before she could open her mouth and commence another fight, he gave her a quick nod and faced the opposite pair.

"What's your name?" he kindly inquired of the girl, who took a quick gasp of breath, ostensibly surprised by this abrupt attempt at communication. Finally, though, she was able to splutter out a response.

"Eleanor. Ellie."

"Jack, why are you here? Why is this child – Ellie, why is she here?" Elizabeth asked again, gesturing towards the girl, who clung a bit more closely to the back of Jack's chair. "It's almost dawn; she should be asleep – why is she traveling with you?"

"Business transaction," he replied, drawing in the air with his fingers. "Let me see...there was a man...an' rum, lots of rum. So he gave us the rum, an' we took the girl aboard as he wished. Well, actually, there was a bit of a mix-up – it appears as though I tried teh leave her on land...mistakes happen – but no matter, she got on the ship, an' tha's what really counts, eh?"

This explanation was met with blank stares, before Will finally stammered, "You offered to take care of a girl in exchange for rum?"

"As I said, it was a business transaction for the good of my ship. The rum keeps the crew happy and drunk enough not teh talk back or mutiny or anything of the like."

"You can't keep a child on a pirate ship," Elizabeth told Jack, her voice elevating in volume slightly. Will placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, undoubtedly trying to convey to her that she should remain composed.

"I'm well aware of tha', darling. Terrible conditions for a child, really. The crew's always drunk."

"Jack-"

"Will-"

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth sharply questioned once more, cradling her head in her hand momentarily. The pirate jumped slightly.

"Oh., righ'. Well, it relates teh what we were jus' discussin'. A ship, however bloody magnificent it may be, is no place fer a child of her age." Jack gestured to Ellie, who cocked her head to the side and stared vacantly at the young couple. "At tha' age, they need – let me see." He held out his calloused hand and began tallying with his fingers. "They need teh be cherished, treasured, nurtured-"

"Clothed. Fed. Educated. Sheltered," Elizabeth joined in, her expression rapidly growing horrified. "Jack, dear god. You can't possibly expect-"

"You look hungry," Will interrupted, directing this comment at Ellie. The girl looked up at the man, her blank stare disappearing and leaving the hope of promised nourishment in its wake. "I think I might be able to scrounge up a few fresh biscuits from the kitchen. Care to join me?"

Ellie nodded, before limping over to the man. No matter how shy or introverted she was, she was hungrier. Her need for food outweighed her anxiety. It was because of this that she took Will's outstretched hand and permitted herself to be led deeper inside the house.

But as happy as the girl was at the moment, Elizabeth was more livid. She had just figured out why Jack had arrived at their house with a young girl in his custody, and it angered her.

"Jack. What were you thinking? You can't possibly expect us to – Jack – oh, god..." she faltered, her speech hindered by her displeasure. In an attempt to restore some semblance of tranquility, she took several deep breaths, her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she shrieked: Jack had managed to slip over to her chair soundlessly and now stood before her, his face bent close to hers.

"Hello," he said to her, grinning widely. Elizabeth nearly brought her hand up to slap him at that second, but was just able to restrain herself.

"Jack...please..."

"Righ', righ'. But I believe yeh would enjoy having a daughter. Yeh can dress 'er up in pretty clothes, an'-"

"Jack," Elizabeth began, in an irate whisper, "Will and I cannot take care of her. We're...we haven't been married long. We weren't thinking about children, and now-"

"Really? Yeh've always struck me as the motherin' type...yeh're continually yellin' at me, anyway."

"Jack, where are her parents? Who was taking care of her before you picked her up?"

"Grandfather. She was livin' with him briefly, I believe. As fer her mother...dead."

Elizabeth frowned, trying to think. "And her father?"

The man, looking uneasy, pulled back from her and crouched down on the floor, so that the woman's face was above his. Then, sighing, he muttered: "Er...strange coincidence, really. The girl's grandfather happened teh be the father of a previous...acquaintance of mine."

"And this acquaintance was her father?"

"Oh...not exactly. Said acquaintance was female."

It only took a moment for Elizabeth to grasp what he was trying to tell her.

"Jack, you...you have a...a daughter?" she asked, hardly believing the words now spilling out of her mouth could actually be true. Jack propped his chin on his fist, also looking quite troubled.

"Well, by no fault of my own, yes..."

-xXx-

As Ellie wolfed down the biscuits on the plate before her, she registered the young man's gaze upon her face. Although she was incredibly hungry, having only eaten a couple of apples and pieces of bread in the past two days, she was not at all used to the attention she was now getting from Will. His level gaze was kind, something she normally would have been grateful for, but she disliked how intensely he was scrutinizing her features.

He hadn't spoken much since they had entered the kitchen, of which she was appreciative. If he had kept interrogating her, she would not have been able to train her efforts on engorging the food on her plate. Besides, she did not want to be forced to speak beyond introducing herself. To Will's credit, he did not endeavor to get her to converse. In fact, he seemed perfectly content to watch the little girl fill herself without saying a word.

The silence between the pair was a pleasure, for it allowed Ellie to take in both the nourishment and the sight of the quiet finery. For the first time in days, she could rest her feet without worrying about being tossed onto the floor of a rocking ship. After a while at sea, she realized how much she truly enjoyed land. From the time when she arrived, she had not felt the urge to vomit, and it was easier to manage her twisted leg when she wasn't oscillating. Will himself had been quite patient with her physical hindrance. Rather than picking her up and carrying her about like her father did, he had waited for her to catch up as they walked.

Ellie was exhausted, for Jack had woken her up in the middle of the night and compelled her to walk about Port Royal with him. It hadn't been a pleasant experience, for she would have much preferred to sleep than go gallivanting around a strange, pitch-black town. However, getting a good meal was worth it. She could almost feel her belly stretching to accommodate the food now within her. As objectionable as the night had begun, it had taken quite a good turn, in her opinion. Even though Will was studying her facial attributes intently, he appeared to be nice enough, and getting fed was a benefit.

The welcome silence, however, was shattered a second later, as a shout came from the living room. Astonished, Ellie dropped the biscuit in her small hand onto the plate, choking on a particularly large mouthful. A few deep coughs removed the obstruction, but she still took a moment to regain her breath, her head swiveling to look toward the area that the disturbance had originated from.

Will, too, had been surprised, and jumped to his feet. Upon hearing the girl's respiratory difficulty, he had turned to face her. As soon as he recognized that she was fine, he had told her "Stay here," before running off in the direction of the commotion.

After he had vanished from sight, Ellie grabbed the half-finished biscuit and a whole one, shoving them into the pocket of her dress. Then, reasoning that if she were quiet, the adults would not notice her presence at the doorframe, she shuffled off to the vicinity of the turmoil.

In the room where she had left her father and Will's wife, the woman had stood up from her chair. Jack was right in front of her, his face screwed up in a mixture of jocularity and worry. Elizabeth was screaming at him, her cheeks an angry pink, gesturing angrily. She was speaking far too quickly for Ellie to decipher anything, but the other two men seemed to understand perfectly.

Will had grabbed his wife's arm, in an attempt to calm her down. It did not work, though, for she simply pulled away from him and continued gesticulating violently.

"Jack, you have to take respons-"

"I am! See, tha's why I'm here."

"You have to leave. You have to – oh, Jack-"

Jack's face, as he watched the woman begin to break down, was suddenly absent of the earlier hilarity. It looked as if he had finally realized how much he had disturbed her, and although he did not seem remorseful, he clearly planned on taking action. As Ellie become aware of the man's emotions and thoughts, he turned to face her.

"There yeh are," he muttered, beckoning for her to come forward. "We're leavin'." As she joined him, he clasped her wrist and led her over to the entrance. "Don' worry, I'll show meself out," he announced to the couple, as Will tried to console to his fuming wife. With that, he shoved Ellie outside before shutting the door.

Inside, Elizabeth was breathing a bit harder than normal. "The nerve, Will. I mean, he expects us to clean up his messes. That girl is his-"

"-daughter," Will finished for her. She frowned.

"How did you know?" she asked, in a tone quieter than before.

"Her eyes, I suppose. I saw them, and...wait, what did he want?"

-xXx-

The entire rest of the night, neither Will nor Elizabeth could sleep. Rather than discussing in great detail the events that had just transpired, they had simply lain in bed together, staring up at the ceiling without a word. Jack had ventured to place an enormous burden on them only a few hours before, and even though they had not been the ones to take responsibility, it still had left them agitated.

It had begun to rain a few minutes before they had finally given up on any hope of sleep and rose. The weather made it a bit chilly, anyway, and both of them preferred to move about in an effort to warm up. Will remained upstairs, getting dressed for work, while Elizabeth had head downstairs for breakfast, still in her nightgown. She disliked wearing the painful fashions of the day, and so stayed in her more comfortable clothing as long as possible. After all, the only people around at that time of the day were her husband and their housemaid, whom she felt quite at ease with.

As Will dressed himself, he heard Elizabeth call from the first floor: "Will, did you leave this plate of biscuits out on the kitchen table?"

He moaned. In the excitement of the earlier hours, he had completely forgotten about the exposed food. "Yes. Sorry about that." At any rate the poor girl had eaten her share of it. Will could only imagine what it would be like to know one was related to Jack. She definitely deserved a good meal, at the very least.

With that final thought, he tied his dark brown hair back into its customary ponytail, as he started to head towards the stairs. His shoes provided a heavy tramping, but because Elizabeth was awake at the same time, he did not try to silence the noise as he usually did. As he set his foot down on the final step, however, a loud shriek accompanied the sound of the stomp. Flinching, he looked up to see his wife rush by him, her face alarmed. She was hurrying towards the front door, her bare feet sticking slightly to the wooden floor.

"Elizabeth?" Will inquired, following her over.

Elizabeth fumbled with the knob. "I saw her from the window. Jack-"

She at last was able to open the door, and Will gasped at the sight before them.

"Ellie?" he asked, pushing past his wife to see.

The girl stood in front of them, her peculiar eyes as vacuous as ever. In her hand was a biscuit from the night before, edged with teeth marks and slightly damp from the rain. Her hair was wet as well, plastered to her head in straggly locks. Her dress was soaked as well, but none of this appeared to matter to her.

"How long have you been there?" Will questioned, anxious. There was no time for the child to respond, for Elizabeth now interjected.

"Where's Jack?" she asked, her voice similar to the tone she had used the previous night. Her face was darkened with fear and ire.

Ellie did not answer, but instead cocked her head to the side, her biscuit clasped close to her chest.