SaveroftheMoon: Yeah, you probably guessed right.

nineteennintytwo: I let you decide that for yourself!

Nelle07: Here's another one for you!

keiraliz: Have a great time in Europe! Where about are you going? Sleep (or a lack of it) does do odd things to us!

klutzygal: I know... sooo annoying!

Fairy Skull: Thanks! But I don't think they've really realized what's in the air yet!

Valor: Aww, that's ok, mine breaks all the time too! Good l-l-l-l-l-l-luck with your st-t-t-t-t-tut-t-t-tt-er-r-r-r-r-!!! Le crap! It's contt-t-t-t-t-t-agious!

We said nothing to anyone of what had been discussed the night before. They must have noticed that we were back on speaking terms again, but nobody said anything. I got the feeling Jack was worried I would say something. He was constantly hovering around when I was talking to other people. He seemed really agitated and tense as the day wore on. I didn't know where we were going; all I knew was that we were heading 'up river'.

The Pearl slowed to a stop outside the mouth to a river and the crew set about lowering longboats into the waves. Jack was paler than normal and a lot more jumpy. I followed Will down into one of them and Gibbs squished up to let us in. We started rowing up the moth of the river. Will didn't know what we were doing here either, but I don't think he really cared. As long as we were doing something to help Elizabeth he didn't mind what it was. He had, however, noticed Jacks skittish behaviour.

"Why is Jack so afraid of open water?" he asked. I listened intently, but kept my mouth clamped firmly shut.

"Well," Gibbs looked around. "If you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A monstrous creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken." Gibbs shuddered and a shiver ran up my spine. "Imagine… the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odour of a thousand rotting corpses…" Gibbs trailed off and adopted a casual air, "If you believe such things."

Even though Gibbs looked away it was obvious from his eyes that he did. I swallowed. "That's not going to happen," I stated.

"And the key will spare him that?" asked Will.

"Well, that's exactly the question Jack wants answered, bad enough to go visit her," said Gibbs.

"Her?" Will repeated.

"Aye," Gibbs nodded solemnly. "Her."

We didn't speak for the rest of the journey. I wondered idly who 'her' was. By the sound of things it didn't seem like Gibbs or Jack were thrilled about paying her a visit. The river turned into a swamp and we stopped outside a wooden shack. Gibbs's features filled with dread. Jack climbed out of the boat and turned to face everyone.

"No worries, mates," he assured us. "Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are… were… have been… before…"

He trailed off looking worried. "I'll watch your back," Gibbs offered.

"It's me front I'm worried about." Jack replied and turned to face the door.

"Mind the boat," Gibbs told Will.

"Mind the boat," Will told Ragetti.

"Mind the boat," Ragetti told Pintel.

"Mind the boat," Pintel told Marty, but Marty took one look around the swamp and decided he didn't fancy staying out here on his own.

"Mind the boat," he said to Cotton and ran into the shack.

"Mind the boat!" Cotton's parrot squawked as he flapped off. Cotton looked at me hopefully.

"No chance!" I shook my head and entered the shack.

When I walked in I almost whacked my head off one of the many things hanging from the ceiling. When I looked at it more closely I was disgusted to see it was a jar of eyes. Everyone was looking at a Caribbean woman in a ragged, torn dress and black dreadlocks.

"You know I demand payment!" she said.

"I brought payment," said Jack holding up a cage containing Jack the monkey. He then pulled out a gun and shot him. The monkey screeched, but that was about the only reaction it got. "An undead monkey," Jack announced placing it on the table. "Top that!

Tia set the monkey free, which Gibbs was not too pleased about. He protested about how long it had taken to catch were ignored.

"The payment is fair," Tia nodded.

"We're looking for this," Will handed her the drawing of the key. "And what it leads to."

Tia looked up sharply at Jack. "The compass you bartered from me cannot lead you to this?" she asked. Everyone looked to Jack.

Jack looked shifty, "Maybe, why?"

Tia's amber eyes fell on me for a second and she smiled. "Ah Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants. Or do you know, but are loathed to claim it for your own?" Jack didn't reply and Tia looked back to the key. "Your key go to a chest and it's what lay inside the chest you seek, don't it?"

"What is inside?" asked Gibbs with a growing interest.

"Gold? Jewels? Unclaimed properties of a valuable nature?" Pintel asked with excitement.

"Nothing bad, I hope," Pintel glanced worriedly at the jar of eyeballs I had nearly injured my self with.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes? A man of the sea, a great sailor. `Till he ran afoul of that which vexes all men," said Tia mysteriously.

"What vexes all men?" Will asked the question on the mind of everyone present.

"What indeed?" Tia smiled.

"Well," Gibbs tried to hazard a guess, "the sea."

Tia shook her head.

"Sums," said Pintel. I wasn't sure how someone could run afoul of sums.

Tia shook her head.

"The dichotomy of good and evil," the guess earned Ragetti many puzzled looks.

"A woman," stated Jack looking at us like we were all idiots.

Tia gave him an amused smile as we all looked at him. She nodded. "A woman, he fell in love."

"No, no, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with," Gibbs contradicted her. I was surprised he survived the glare she gave him.

"Same story different versions, but all are true," she said. I wasn't quite sure how that was possible, but I didn't want to interrupt. "It was a woman, as changing and harsh and untameable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her, but the pain it cause him was too much for him to live with, but not enough to cause him to die."

"What exactly did he put in the chest?" Will asked.

"Him heart," she replied. There was a shocked silence.

"Literally or figuratively?" Ragetti asked.

"He couldn't literally put his hear in a chest!" Pintel rolled his eyes. "Could he?"

"It wasn't worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings so him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest and hide the chest from the world. The key he keeps with him at all times."

"Aww," I said quietly, but not quietly enough. Everyone looked at me. I hadn't meant to 'aww' out loud. "Well, it's sort of sweet in a disgusting way."

Tia gave me a small smile. Jack shook his head at me, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"You knew this!" said Will, standing up; the amusement vanished from Jack's eyes.

"I did not. I didn't know where the key was, but now we do. So all that's left is for you to climb aboard the Flying Dutchman grab the key and you can go back to Port Royale and save your bonny, eh."

He tried to leave, but Tia wasn't going to let him go that easily. "Let me see your hand!" she said sharply.

I sprang to his defence, "He doesn't have to show you anything he doesn't want to!" I stood in front of him. Tia narrowed he eyes, but I didn't stand down.

"It's okay, love," aid Jack softly, placing his bandaged hand on my shoulder and holding his other one out for Tia to see. She wasn't fooled and he reluctantly held out his other hand. She unwrapped the bandage and the black spot was revealed to the rest of the room.

I looked away. It wasn't something I wanted to see again.

"The black spot!" Gibbs cried turning in a full circle and spitting in the ground. Pintel and Ragetti did the same, although I don't think they knew why. Everyone in the room shrank away from Jack as if it was contagious. I frowned at them all.

"My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know," said Jack, wrapping up his hand again. Tia had disappeared, muttering to herself. She emerged from another room carrying a large jar of dirt which she presented to Jack.

"Davy Jones cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe Jack Sparrow, so you will carry land with you."

"Dirt," Jack took it. "This is a jar of dirt."

"Yes."

"Is the jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don't want it, give it back," she said.

"No!" Jack clutched the jar to him protectively.

"Then it helps."

"It seems we have a need to find the Flying Duchman," Will stated, bringing us away from the madness of the jar of dirt.

Tia took a handful of crab claws. "A touch of destiny!" she said throwing them down on the table. I didn't quite see the point, but Jack did. He looked at them, memorised the pattern and then announced that it was time to leave.

***

Back on the Pearl Jack shot off to his cabin. I went to see if he was alright. He shouted for me to come in and I found him looking intently at a map on his table.

"Come and look at this, love," he said. I peered over his shoulder. He pointed to a cluster of islands. "Does that look like the same pattern that the cab claws were in?"

"Yes," I looked at them, surprised. "It looks exactly the same."

He sighed, "I thought you might say that."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

He nodded slowly, "It's just… there's a lot of open water between here and there."

"We'll make it," I said. I took his hand in mine without really realizing I was doing it. He looked at me. I blinked back. He seemed just as surprised as I was. What was I doing?

"I have to go," I announced, turning away. I felt a hand grab my arm and he pulled me back.

"No you don't," he said softly. He brushed a strand of hair from my face.

I really didn't know what was going on with me. My heart was racing; my hands clammy and I could feel a blush creeping up the side of my neck. My stomach felt like it had tied itself in knots.

"I do! I have to speak to Geor- no! James, Eliza-…. No WILL!" I gabbled, searching for the name of someone who was actually on board. I tore myself away, flustered by the whole thing and the door slammed behind me. My hands were shaking. What was wrong with me? And what had happened in there?