Well, here's the next chapter, mates. Sorry I took a while. I just moved into the college dorms. And then classes started so everything has been busy. Please review! I like to know how I did.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates. The Mouse does.

Chapter 6

Calise was escorted to Norrington's cabin and locked in. Great, here we go again, she thought as she sat down while waiting for the commodore. Hearing the door start to open, she turned her head slightly to see Norrington walk in. She continued to stare at him as he went to his desk. "So, why did you not tell me that little detail of your life?" he asked.

Calise looked at him and said, "Because I thought that it was none of your business."

"Your father is a pirate," Norrington said, his voice becoming sterner.

"And so that makes me a pirate too? Is that what you think? Well, my dear Commodore, you are gravely mistaken. I have never done anything in my life that would make me be branded as a pirate. Okay, so I was born to one, raised by one, trained by several; but that doesn't convict me of anything but an unfortunate childhood. Does that crime alone make me worthy of the hangman's noose?" she asked, her voice becoming more steely, more cold, more defiant. Norrington was caught by surprised; he had never heard that tone of voice from anyone before. But now, standing before him, was a beautiful young woman who was on the brink of tears but firmly standing her ground before her accuser. I cannot imagine what she has been through, he thought. As he looked back at her, he noticed that she was on the brink of collapse. He caught her before she fell to the floor and held her as she cried – crying the tears that should have been released a long time ago. After what seemed like an hour, Norrington realized that her breathing had changed. Looking down, he saw that Calise had cried herself to sleep. Gently lifting her up, he laid her on his bed and quietly left the room.

After a few hours, Calise slowly began to wake up. Looking around, she wondered how she got here. Then she remembered – she snapped at Norrington, who then took her into his arms and held her until she fell asleep. Getting out of bed, she looked around and found some clean sailor's clothes left out for her. After changing into them, she was about to open the door when it suddenly jerked open. She watched as Groves come in, close the door, and look at her. "Ah good, you're awake. The Commodore was getting worried so he sent me to check on you," he said. He then lowered his head. "Sorry if I got you into any trouble."

Calise gently lifted his chin up and looked him in the eyes. "It's not your fault. I should have told him before. I just hope that you weren't severely punished," she said.

Groves smiled. "No, not really. I was reprimanded but not stripped of anything. The Commodore just told me to report these things the next time," he said. He then straightened his posture and said, "Commodore Norrington has asked if you would like to join him up deck. We are nearing Isla de Muerta."

"I would like that," said Calise as she followed the lieutenant out. While walking up behind Norrington, she saw the island coming into view. "The Island of the Dead. True to its name, don't you think?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," he replied. He turned to them. "Thank you Lieutenant. You're dismissed," he said to Groves. The lieutenant saluted and walked off. Calise joined Norrington in looking over the water. "How are you feeling?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Better, thank you," she answered. She looked down. "You didn't have to do what you did," she said.

Norrington looked at Calise. "No, I did not have to, but I did. Frankly, to tell the truth, I didn't know what to do," he admitted. Calise laughed softly and the commodore smiled. "So, what's the plan?" she asked.

"I have no idea. All I do know is that you and Sparrow are coming with me," he replied. Calise gave him a blank stare. "I'm WHAT?!"

A while later, Norrington, Calise, and Jack were in a boat with other soldiers. "I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the caves could turn to an ambush," said Norrington.

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing. Calise and I go in, we convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats. You and your mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, eh?" suggested Jack, putting an arm on Norrington's shoulder. "What do you have to lose?" he added.

Norrington shrugged. "Nothing I'd lament being rid of," he answered. Calise giggled.

"Now, to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk for those aboard the Dauntless which includes the future Mrs. Commodore," added Jack with a heavily hinting voice. Norrington got the hint. While he sent a signal to the Dauntless, Jack and Calise got into another boat and rowed into the caves. "Are you about this?" she asked.

"Do I ever know?" he asked back. Calise replied grimly, "Why did I ask?"

A few minutes later, the duo reached the cave where the pirates were performing the blood ceremony. "Let's see how badly we can surprise your father," Jack whispered. Calise followed him through the crowd of pirates until she heard Will say, "Jack! Calise!"

"S'not possible," said Barbossa in shock.

"Not probable," Jack and Calise corrected.

"How did you get here?" asked Will.

"Elizabeth," replied Calise.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"She's safe, just like I promised back at Port Royal. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. And Calise get's to trick everyone she meets, which is not a promise but a natural part of her life. So we're all men of our word really except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman. And Calise, who never made a promise," answered Jack.

"Shut up! You're next," Barbossa said, leaning in to cut Will's throat. Calise quickly pulls out a pistol and points it at the knife.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," said Jack.

"No, I really think I do," retorted her father.

"Your funeral," muttered Jack. Barbossa, getting very irritated, asked, "Why don't I want to be doing that?"

Still pointing her pistol at the knife, Calise answered, "Well, because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore. Waiting for you." Calise watched as her father's eyes shot wide open and listened as the pirates murmured among themselves.

"Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best," Jack said as the crew laughed viciously. "Robert 's your Uncle, Fannie 's your Aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as...Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?" Jack added.

"I s'pose in exchange, you want me not to kill the whelp," said Barbossa.

"No, no, not at all by all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance...," Jack trailed off, picking up a few medallions, and, as he started to throw them back a piece at a time, continued, "After you've killed Norrington's men...every... last... one." Calise and Will watched as Jack pockets one of the coins. "You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name," he said accusingly.

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"It's Jack. Trust me, I know," said Calise.

"I want fifty percent of your plunder," Barbossa said.

"Fifteen."

"Forty."

"Twenty-five. And I'll buy you the hat. A really big one…Commodore," Jack said.

Barbossa thought for a moment. "We have an accord," he said, shaking Jack's hand.

"All hand's to the boats!" Jack said, acting on instinct. Then he looked at Barbossa. "Apologies. You give the orders," he said.

"Gents…take a walk," he said. The pirates smiled and walked away.

"Not to the boats?" asked Jack.

"I don't think they need them," Calise said, remembering something. The pirates were cursed – they can walk underwater.

A while after the crew left to attack the Dauntless, Barbossa said to Jack, who was picking out a few pieces of the treasure, "I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict." Jack looked at Barbossa and walked towards him. "Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid," he said, unsheathing one of the guards' swords and tossing it to Will. Jack quickly turns to Barbossa and starts fighting him. "You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters," said Barbossa.

Calise, in the meanwhile, clubs a pirate in the head and takes his sword. "Thanks, mate," she said, running off to help Will. As a team, they begin to fight off the pirates. Taking a moment to look up, Calise saw Jack with a sword plunged into his chest. And that he was cursed. She shook her head and continued fighting. She heard one of the pirates' say, "I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain." Hearing a noise, she turned around and saw Elizabeth. "Do you like pain?" she asked, hitting the pirate with a heavy staff. "Try wearing a corset," she finished. Helping Will up, she looked up and noticed that Jack was a skeleton. "Whose side is Jack on?" she asked, looking at Calise, who gave her a smile and a nod.

"At the moment?" Will said ruefully. Together, the three of them, using the staff and some fancy footwork, strung the three pirates together, sticks a grenade in the middle one, and pushes them away from the moonlight. "No fair," said the one in the middle. Then they explode everywhere.

Jack, in the meanwhile, backs him and Barbossa towards the chest while Will is running up to it. Cutting his hand in order to bleed on the medallion, he tosses it to Will. Barbossa then pulls out his pistol and aims it at Elizabeth. But he never got the shot out. Jack instead shots Barbossa.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot," he said.

"He didn't waste it," said Will as he dropped both medallions into the chest. Calise watched as she saw blood spreading from the wound. Running to her father, she looks at him as he said, "I feel…cold." He looks up at his daughter and touches her check. Calise holds his hand as he dies, the apple rolling from his hand. Calise sits there for a moment when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she sees Jack looking at her. She gets up and hugs Jack, crying in the process. "I'm sorry, luv," he said, holding the girl close to him. Calise said nothing as she continued to cry into Jack's shoulder. Recovering herself, she then said, "It was meant to happen. It wasn't your fault." Looking at Jack again, she walks off, Elizabeth immediately walking beside her as the foursome went to the boat.

Catching up to Elizabeth, Will said, "Your fiancé will be wanting to know you're safe." Elizabeth stared at him and quickly walked ahead of the group. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment...that was it. Now, if you'll be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you'd drop me off my ship," said Jack. As they rowed out of the caves, they notice that the Pearl was gone. "I'm sorry, Jack," said Elizabeth, quickly explaining how she freed Jack's crew.

"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that," said Jack as they steered toward the Dauntless.