Disclaimer - Don't own anything but the story.

As an aside, TidotaEru3249 wrote a story titled'The Curse of The WereTurtle'. I had used 'wereturtle in the title of this chapter before knowing about TidotaEru's story, so in no way have I tried to 'borrow' her 'wereturtle' without permission. It's purely coincidental that we both came up with the same word.She's fine with it, btw.

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Chapter 15 - I DON'T WANNA BE A WERETURTLE!

It took a moment for their surprise to ebb and then one of the turtles answered the pirate's question.

"Davy Jones, the singer?" Michelangelo chuckled, "No, never met him, but we're not into his kind of music. I think he's retired." Mike nudged his brother in red, "Isn't that right, Raph?"

"Yeah, whateveh." "Wh…what time is it?"

Noticing that Raph had his focus on someone else, namely the girl, Mikey asked, "Hey, what's going on, bro, you attracted to her or something?" He snickered a bit, half-expecting Raph to bop him one, but when none came, he asked again, "Come on, bro, what's going on?"

The only reply Raphael gave Mike was a low, rumbled growl, a sure sign to the turtle in orange that something was indeed not right. As he was about to ask Raph again about what was wrong, Sparrow interrupted him.

"Singer? What're ya goin' on about, beastie? I'm talkin' about th'ruler of th'briny deep, where sailors go when they die at sea."

Mike's brow pinched together in confusion, his chuckle becoming more worried sounding than amused, "What? Really? B-b-briny deep, as in, as in…?"

"The bottom of the ocean, mate!" Jack shook his head, truly amazed that this creature wouldn't know what he was talking about.

"Ah, yes, Davy Jones and his Locker." Don smiled, quite amused, and getting an approving smile and a nod from the pirate. Donatello then turned to address Michelangelo, "He's a mythological representation of the devil, Mike; usually applied to sailors and seamen to explain where they go should they die at sea. Purely imaginative and superstitious in its origins, of course, but..." Don relaxed a bit, oblivious to Sparrow's swiftly changing approval, and dipped into his 'database' of knowledge. Planting one end of his bo in front of him on the cave floor for support and with both hands cupping the top end, Donatello leaned into his staff as he began a short dissertation about the legendary wraith.

"It was Daniel Defoe who mentioned Davy Jones in his 1726 book, The Four Years Voyage of Capt. George Roberts, with the earliest known references to Jones' nafarious connotation found in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle by Tobias Smollett. If I'm not mistaken, Mikey, the quote goes something like this - 'Davy Jones, according to sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is often seen in various shapes, perched among the rigging on the eve of hurricanes, ship-wrecks, and other disasters to which sea-faring life is exposed, warning the devoted wretch of death and woe.'"

Donnie smiled wider, now, rather taken with his own account, quickly tagging his mini seminar with a brief description, "Mr. Smollett describes Davy Jones as having saucer-like eyes, three rows of razor-sharp teeth, horns, a long barbed tail, with blue smoke coming from his nose."

Satisfied with himself, Don pleasantly sighed, but then suddenly realized the effect his description had on his baby brother. While Leo and Raph sighed impatiently, Mike's eyes widened with foreboding.

Don then hastily added in order to calm his youngest brother, "It's fiction, Mike and nothing more."

Not at all impressed with the turtle's assessment of his most feared adversary, "IF ye say so," Jack grumbled, "I knows differently, but how does ye know about this book when we haven't even cel'brated the eighteenth cent'ry, yet? We still have half a score t'go b'fore that!" Jack eyed Purple warily. "Are ye a soothsayer…a demon, or maybe ye are in league with Davy 'imself!" The pirate nervously clenched his left hand and glanced at it, concerned. When all he saw was his grubby palm, though, he smiled. Still, he couldn't help but look around a bit, as if half-expecting 'something' to come waltzing into view.

"Ah, well, you see, it's like this…" Leonardo began, but then something the pirate said made him hesitate, "Um… Wait…did you just say that it's not even the eighteenth century yet?" Now it was Leo's eyes going wide, with Don and Mike following his example.

Raphael, however, was still quite intent on keeping his mind on the girl, and so he had missed Jack's brief comment entirely.

Realizing she was under his observation, Elizabeth stared back, defiant to the turtle's challenge, albeit it was a weak attempt on her part. With her hand still grasping her gun, she held it close to her side, hoping that none of the other creatures had seen it. She also hoped that if she had to shoot, she wouldn't find herself at the worrisome end of the beasty's strange weapon, too.

"Aye," Gibbs replied to Leonardo's question, "e'tis. What year did ya think it was?"

"Well, honestly?" Leo began but when Don gave him a subtle negative shake of his head, he asked his brother. "What is it, Donnie?"

Don carefully eased up alongside his sibling, "Ex'nay on the date-nay, Leo," he whispered, "Look - how - they're - dressed. Timeline pollution."

"Ohhhh, um, well," Leo cleared his throat and glanced at the pirate again, casually studying how the man and his comrades' were clothed. Although he was rather shocked with what Don implied, taking note of the style of clothes and the way the pirate dressed his hair, it all began to make sense. And, worse still, there was something oddly familiar about the man, too.

Nevertheless, there was plenty of time to discuss the matter. Right now Leonardo had a problem to fix. "I think…my brother was just joking around; he likes be silly - um - like that, on occasion…right…Don?" Leo smiled uncertainly at his brother.

Don grumbled, "Not usually, but I guess we can say I made an exception - this time." He whispered again to his brother in blue, "Could have said something else, ya know."

"Could have said you were as loony as Mikey." Leo countered softly, smiling smugly.

"Hey, I heard that!" Mike protested.

Don shrugged, ignoring his baby brother, "Yeah, guess you could of, Leo. Thanks for the vote of confidence," to which Mike grumbled some more harrumphed indignantly.

Yet, realizing exactly where and when they were, now, Don addressed the pirate once more, "So, um, I take it you arrived here on a…Spanish galleon?"

"She's a fully-rigged, English-made ship, mate," Sparrow almost spat, "and - somewhat unique," he smiled thinly, then, "It's fast at any rate, a 'friend' gave her t'me, but why are ye interested in me ship?"

"Well, if we can come to an understanding here, we would like a lift." Leonardo smiled warmly, assuringly.

The pirate glanced at the turtle in blue and chuckled, "A lift?" He eyed the reptile warily and then walked a quarter ways around the beast, visually inspecting the creature's size and shell. Although the turtle was a good head shorter than he was, Jack could already tell that the beast's overall physique was quite substantial. Standing to one side of Leonardo, "an' why would ye want me to pick ya up?"

"My brother means, we would like to sail with you, for a time, until we find what we're looking for." Don brought out one of the gold coins from his pouch and flipped it over to show the backside. Exposing the hieroglyphic and stepping towards the pirate to hand him the coin, "See this drawing?"

Jack never moved from his position, as he was still wary of the beast. However, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, he took the coin in his other, to see what Don was talking about. Of course, he recognized the coin itself, but he played along, for now anyway. "Okay, yes, it seems t'have a lot of squiggly lines." He smiled and looked at the creature again, before glancing at the other three. Clutching the coin tightly, Jack guessed that the beasties were completely unaware of the 'whys and hows' of their resuscitation and, for now, he would keep quiet about it.

"I believe it's a map of sorts," Don explained,"and it might lead us to where we need to go in order to get back with…our kind. You see, we're…rather lost."

"So," Gibbs interrupted, waving his hand around to indicate the cavern and the area in general, "yer not native to - Isla de Muerta?"

" Island of the Dead, is that what you call this place?"

Gibbs only nodded to Don's query, with the turtle continuing, "No, we've never been here before," He smiled then, "In fact, we're from the New Amsterdam area, but I think you now call it New York?" At the mention of their home state, Don saw Raphael now turn his attention to the conversation, ignoring the girl for the moment, as he focused on the two men.

Just the same, Donatello paused, realizing he couldn't very well tell the human how he and his brothers arrived on the island. Finally, he took a deep breath and then said, "A witch sent us here with one of her spells. It seemed she didn't like turtles, especially talking ones." He smiled softly, as his brothers turned and stared, mouths gaping incredulously at him.

When he finally recovered from his surprise, though, "A witch…that's the best ya can do, Don?" Raphael was somewhat amusement.

"Given the circumstances right now, Raph, yes, it is."

"Right, guess it would be hard to explain interdimentional portals. Shell, even I don't I understand it." Raphael then addressed the pirate, "So, can ya give us a lift, a ride, to New York City?"

" New York City is far from here," Elizabeth interrupted. Throughout listening to the discourse, she had gained confidence with the creatures' surprising intellect. "It would take several weeks to get there," she explained and then added, almost apologetically, "As it is, it's in the opposite direction of where we're going."

Suddenly, a less than pleased expression bloomed on the red-wearing turtle's face, startling the girl. She took a cautionary step back and, with her pistol still in hand, Elizabeth prepared for the worst.

However, in that moment, Don quickly noticed the girl's renewed insecurity and his brother's burgeoning distress, so he stepped in-between the two, saying, "Raph, I don't think New York is where we need to go, at least not yet."

"What'd'ya mean, Don, 'course it is, that's our home." Raph began feeling a bit of panic, now, as it worked it's way up the back of his shell. He had had enough of islands and adventures and…and humans wearing strangely outdated clothing. In fact, he had just noticed that all of the humans were wearing similar costumes like what they had found in the cave back home. It was a little odd and strangely disconcerting. Yet, all that Raph cared about in that moment was getting back to the familiar sights and smells of his sewer home.

"Yes, I know that Raph, but not NOW, not at this TIME!" Don insisted softly.

"Whaddya talkin' about, brainiac? As far as I'm concerned, now IS the time to go home; Splinter's probably worried sick about us!"

Leonardo finally intervened, stepping alongside his brother and looking him straight in the eye, "Didn't you hear what year it is - right NOW?"

"No, Leo, I didn't, and I really don't care, 'cause…" Raph glared at his brother, indicating an accusing finger at the girl, "I was busy keeping my eyes on the guns, especially that girl's. Or didn't you notice that she has the hammer cocked on her pistol. I think she reloaded!" He sneered at Elizabeth, now, causing her to pull her weapon further behind her and out of sight. "Yeah, toots, I'd think twice about shooting me again. You won't get a second chance, believe me."

"Raph, just . quit . it."

"Fine, I will, Leo, but don't blame me if she shoots you." He looked at the girl and grinned, "Shoot him first, 'kay? He's stubborn enough to deserve it." Raph addressed his brother again, "But please explain t'me, Leo, why we can't go home now?"

Leo leaned in and mumbled something into his sibling's ear and as he did, Raphael's eyes went saucer wide, and wider still as the reality of what Leonardo was telling him finally settled in.

When Leonardo finished, Raph looked at the pirates and then back to Leo again, "Ya have t'be kiddin' me…serious?" He stared at his brother in blue, who simply stood there and nodded. Raphael then saw both Don and Mikey's affirming gestures as well, which meant that Leo wasn't kidding at all. The turtle then stared incredulously at the humans, assessing their apparel a second time, before rolling his eyes, "Great, just great, an' how d'ya expect us to get home, now?"

"We have to find more caves like the one we arrived in, Raph," Don explained and then turned to the pirate, "We found a cave high up in the mountains on this island and it had 'pictures' carved into the floor and along the walls that match the ones on the coin. Have you seen any other cave during your travels that have similar etchings?"

Jack shrugged, waving a delicate hand, "No, we haven't, but we don't have time t'search for such thingies. As it is, we're on a quest and it has t'do with th'gold ya gave me."

"What about the gold?" Don asked, curious.

The pirate showed the coin to the turtle, "We have t'return every gold piece to th'chest, 'cause we have t'take all of it back to its 'riginal owners."

A sudden discontented whine interrupted the conversation as Mike asked, "But, can't we take a couple of the coins, I mean," he looked back at the stone chest, "there's a lot there, I'm sure one or two won't hurt."

"Sorry, mate…um…ye know, it'd prob'ly help if we knew the rest of yer names," Jack smiled cordially.

"Oh, sure, no problemo, bro. I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mike or Mikey!" He grinned in his usual disarming way, hands on hips, as he took a pose.

Then, Leo bowed, "I'm Leonardo, but you know that already."

"Donatello, but Don will do." Purple smiled and bowed as well.

"An' ya already know mine, but Raph works," he then looked over at his brother in blue, "And ya can call him Leo, since his head seems t'be up his…"

Leonardo huffed as he shot a warning look at his brother, "Raph, knock it off, okay, just cool it?"

"Hey, just tryin' t'make things easier, bro. Sometimes ya get too stuffy fer yer own good."

It was Gibbs this time who spoke next, "So, yer all Italian turtles or somethin?"

Leo shook his head, "No, our father named us after Renaissance artists, when he found a book in the - um - library where he lived." Now, even Leo found it hard not to grin and he noticed that his brothers were having as hard a time, too. Still, it was the best way to explain things, for how could he tell a seventeenth-century man about living in a sewer in New York City, especially his version of the Big Apple? When he saw the approving look from Donatello, it seemed to confirm his decision, too.

The three humans nodded in understanding and then Jack asked, "So, how did ye get to be - so big? And how can ya talk an' fight an' all. Seems…unnat'ral."

Donatello provided the answer this time, "Once again, we fell under a spell by some - sorcerer. We were young at the time, babies actually, and so this present form is all we've known. Along the way, a man took us in and taught us how to live and how to protect ourselves. He was - from Japan. He us how to be an honorable…people. We function in the same way as any of you do." He bowed then, hoping that referring to himself and his family as 'people' would convince the humans to be more accepting.

"Ah, I see," Jack nodded, "So, yer turtles that act like humans, then?" He sighed, "Guess that will do, but what's this honor thing, does it mean ye fight anyone who - doesn't seem to be trustworthy?" Jack raised one brow and waited, wondering how these turtles would feel about pirates.

"Well," Leo straightened his posture, now, a bit of pride edging his words, "we protect the weak and fight for justice, if that's what you mean. We won't kill anyone unless it's our last resort, but if push comes to shove, we'll do what we have to in order to stay alive or protect someone." He shrugged, "Which is why my brother, Raphael, killed your two men over there." He shook his head, "I'm sorry about that, since I know they were more afraid than anything."

"S'kay," Jack nodded, "come with th'territ'ry of what we do fer a livin' an'all. I'm sure they'll be - all right in a bit." Of course, he received four very puzzled expressions from the reptiles, for the men were quite dead, but the pirate chose not to elaborate on it.

Nevertheless, that was when Raphael changed the topic, as he addressed the pirate, "Now, we've told you our names and explained who we are…"

"Oh, right, of course," Jack cleared his throat as he stood a little taller and then smirked as he said, "M'name's Jack Sparrow, Cap'n Jack Sparrow, in fact, of the Black Purl, finest and fastest ship in th'Caribbean and ne're impossible t'catch, when set upon."

"Gibbs, here," the first mate added and straightened his posture, too, "and - an associate of Cap'n Sparrow."

The turtles bowed acceptance and then looked to the girl.

While they were talking to Jack and Mr. Gibbs, it wasn't so bad. Elizabeth had forced herself to adjust to the four over-grown turtles with how human they behaved. Yet, the moment the bipedal reptiles turned their attention to her, the girl's once haughty attitude virtually evaporated. Between watching Raphael easily dispatch Sparrow's men and then to see him revive after she shot him dead, the girl was too tired to argue anymore. Although she had seen her fair share of strange events, her encounter and subsequent adventure with Barbossa had been the most startling. Yet, even that experience couldn't prepare her to find herself under the scrutiny of rather perceptive and formidable beasts, if not highly intelligent. Liz knew the 'strange' factor had just multiplied a hundred times.

Yet, before she could introduce herself, a sudden cough broke through the momentary lull in conversation. It was then when the girl realized she had been so distracted with these incredible creatures that she had completely forgot about her fiancé. As she now raced to his side, she shouted his name, "Will! Oh Will, you're alive…" and if it weren't for her need to be strong, Elizabeth would have cried with relief.

"Oh, my head, somebody please shoot me," Will moaned, sitting up, and resting his forehead in the palm of his hands. When he saw Elizabeth's gun however, his eyes grew wide, "I was only kidding."

As Elizabeth crouched next to him, though, she noticed blood staining the back of his head. So, she ripped the sleeve from her shirt and brought the tattered material to his wound, gently mopping around the injury.

"Hey, be careful," Will snapped irritably, but then he softened, "Sorry, Elizabeth, but it hurts something awful."

"That's all right, Will, just rest, everything will be fine." Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, her fear unfounded with losing her fiancé. Then, a more shocking horror took hold of her and she wondered if it was because of the curse that had resuscitated her beloved? She looked over at the pirate pensively, and then to where the men that Raphael had killed. They seemed as dead as they should be, with not one of them twitching, unlike the three turtles had done.

"Well, at least you're not cursed, my love," she whispered to Will.

"Cursed?" Turner looked up at her, his voice low, but then a movement caught his attention. The moment he saw the four bi-pedal turtles and all four alive and well, especially the one wearing red, he startled, "Don't tell me, but - are THEY cursed?"

Elizabeth sighed and then confirmed Will's suspicions, "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Even - him?" Will pointed to Raphael, not having any trouble whatsoever remembering how effectively the turtle had dispatched him. When Elizabeth nodded, thereby confirming his worst fear, Will Turner groaned. With his voice slightly louder than before, "Great, just great. They get the curse, which means …?"

"Cursed? What do you mean, cursed?" Leonardo interrupted, as his three brothers stepped closer around him.

Although quite aware of Will's concerns, Jack licked is lips and cryptically remarked, "I don't think the conditions are quite right for us, lad, but - " he then turned to Donatello, "You don't happen t'have a couple more of those coins, now would ye?"

Don pulled two gold pieces from his pouch, handing the items to the pirate, "Here, there's more where these came from, but why do you need them and what's with this curse?"

"Well, ya see, it's like this," Jack began casually, as he made his way over to one of his dead shipmates. He placed one coin in the man's limp hand and then walked over to the second corpse and did the same with him. When he turned to face the four turtles, the dead men began to go through the same motions of revival as the creatures had done moments earlier. Jack glanced back to watch and then, when he was satisfied, he continued, "The gold is cursed, mates, the coin ya gave me - um - Donatello, is it? Well, it's Aztec gold, and it's cursed."

Four pairs of wondering eyes now stared incredulously at the two men, dead moments ago, but now very much alive. As the sailors staggered to an unsteady stand, they looked around. Yet, the moment they saw Raphael, they scrambled on uncertain legs to the far side of the cave, huddling. From there, they watched the turtles with great trepidation and fear.

"And this means what for us?" Leonardo asked the pirate, a deep-seated unease gripping him.

"It means that, basically, because ya touched the gold, the three of ya are undead."

"Oh. My. GAAWWD!" Mike couldn't rip his pouch open fast enough and flung his proffered 'loot' as far as he could throw it.

"NO, we can't lose a one…" In panic, Jack scampered passed the group of turtles and after the coins, quickly snatching up the gold before they rolled into the channel of seawater. He hugged the items close to his chest, now, explaining as he turned back around to face the creatures, again, "The curse can only be broken if and when each coin is returned to the chest and a bit of blood shed from all who participated in taking it. If not - then…" he paused as he looked at the four now-worried brothers.

"Then…what?" Leo asked, taking a determined step towards the pirate.

"Then, yer lust fer gold an' such will not be satisfied. You'll be driven mad by the desire t'ave more, but never quite 'ave yer thirst quenched. No amount of food or drink or pleasure will be enough, and, worst of all, at night, when the moon rises…"

"I DON'T WANNA BE A WERETURTLE!" cried Mikey as he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself, as he begged and cried, "PLEASE, PLEASE tell me I won't be one of those things that howl at the moon and terrorize innocent villagers, and rips out the throat of beautiful young virgins." He looked up at the pirate, eyes filling with tears, and asked, "Um, or do I ravish them?" A slight smile slowly creased his muzzle, but a 'rap' against his head from Raphael sobered Mikey's hopeful expression.

"Knock it off, lamebrain!"

"Hey, it could happen an' I'd be helpless to stop it, too." Mike's smile grew wider still.

"What…is a wereturtle?" Will interrupted, as he and Elizabeth walked over to join Jack, Mr. Gibbs, and the creatures. The rest of the men did likewise, albeit quite warily. They kept a good distance between them and the turtles, though, their memory of Raph's weapon still quite fresh.

"Oh, it's nothing, just Mikey's imag'nation going off half-cocked, s'all." Raph rapped his brother on his head a second time, "Knock it off, Mike, you're scaring the natives."

As Michelangelo quieted his sniveling, Leo asked, "So, what exactly will happen?"

"Well, to the point, Leonardo," Jack shrugged, "At night, in the light of the moon, when the curse is active, you'll be nothing but bones, skeletons actually, basically undead, but still very much alive."

The following scream had everyone covering their ears. As he stared at his youngest brother, Leonardo was certain that if it wasn't for their present location in time, Splinter would have probably heard Michelangelo's shriek of terror all the way back in New York City.

A/N - A score equals 20 years. Half a score would be 10.