Hi guys!

SaveroftheSun: Love the new name! What made you change it? Hope you weren't waiting long!

Nineteennintytwo: Yes, it would have been rather interesting if he had, wouldn't it?

Fairy Skull: Ta, I love the 'mind the boat' bit too, how could you miss that out?

klutzygall2: Don't think Izzy caught that, soz.

Nelle07: Yeah, she was!

Valor: My fr-r-r-r-iend thought that t-t-t-oo! "A torch of destiny..." LOL, a magical, glowing t-t-t-t-t-torch. Maybe it can cure st-t-t-t-tut-t-t-ters!

I hid in a cabin until I'd calmed down. I don't know what I was so worked up about. What was my problem? There was nothing I could think of that could have set me off like that. No matter how many times I played the conversation back in my head I couldn't see what had seemingly made my brain fall out.

After a while Will found me. "I've been looking for you," he said. "What are you doing in here?"

"Erm… just… you know… making tea," I said.

"Alright," he shrugged. Now what was I on about? Will turned back round. "Where's the tea?"

"Erm… well, I did make tea and then I left it in the galley…" I started to rambled about something, but luckily Will got bored with it quickly.

"Ok," he cut across me loudly. "Jack says we're here."

I nodded and decide that it was defiantly safer to keep my mouth shut at from now on. I followed him up onto the deck. It was chucking it down with a rain that soaked me to the skin within a matter of seconds. I shivered. Will stood with me at the rail. I could see a wrecked ship in the stormy grey waters. Why were we here? After a few moments we were joined by Jack and Gibbs.

"That's the Flying Duchman?" Will asked. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you," said Jack bluntly. "Don't underestimate her."

I tried not to, but it was hard to imagine the ship sailing let alone fighting the fearsome battles that had made it legendary. There was a whack and Gibbs grunted like something had hit him. "Must have run afoul of the reef," he said.

"So what's your plan then?" Jack asked.

"I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key," he said.

"And if there are crewmen?" Jack tested.

"I cut down anyone in my path," he said.

Jack nodded, "I like it; simple, easy to remember."

I was getting a bit nervous about seeing the fearsome Jones, but I was sure everything would be okay. A longboat was being lowered into the choppy waves.

"Your chariot awaits you, sire!" shouted Ragetti over the crash of the sea.

"Let's go," I said turning towards the boat. An arm pulled me back.

"You're not going." I had expected it to be Will, but it was Jack who was arguing with me.

"Pardon?" I stared at him.

"You're not going!" he said again.

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not," he said sternly.

"Why not?!?"

"Because I am the Captain and my word is final!"

"That is not a valid reason!"

He grabbed my roughly by the shoulders. I struggled against him. "You're not going! Will can do this alone and you need to stay here!"

"Why?!" I demanded. "Why do I need to stay here?"

"He's gone, sir," Gibbs interrupted our bickering. Jack looked relieved. I glowered at him.

"Douse the lamps," Jack ordered.

"Why? What's going on? Why couldn't I go with Will? Am I not as valuable as him?"

"Stop asking so many bloody questions Isabel!" Jack shouted; his face right up against mine. He pushed me away from him and stomped off. He shouted something over to Will about something that might save his life. I felt my eyes sting around the corners. I blinked. Gibbs was staring at me.

"I don't know what his problem is," I muttered. Candles everywhere on the Pearl were blown out and she became almost invisible in the darkness.

"If it helps, Miss, I don't think it's a case you being less valuable," said Gibbs kindly.

"What?"

He didn't even answer; he just gave me a smile and a pat on the back as he walked away. Sometimes I wondered why I liked pirates. Why was Jack forcing me to stay here? Why couldn't I help Will? Surely two would be better than one?

I sighed, blinked and suddenly the deck was full of people. Where had they come from? One of them grabbed my and I realized that they weren't ordinary pirates. They were all half human and half… well, I don't know what. Some had sea creatures stuck onto their skin and some of them were actually part sea animal. I wrinkled my nose. They smelt like fish.

"You have a debt to pay," a man with the head of a squid squared up to Jack. The fish men had made a circle around their Captain and ours. I guessed that he was Davy Jones. "You've been Captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years; that was our agreement."

Jack had gone slightly pale, "Technically I was only Captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon…"

"Then you were a poor Captain, but a Captain nonetheless!" sneered Jones.

"You've got my payment; one soul to serve on your ship. He's already over there," said Jack. Who was already over there? Surely he didn't mean Will? Did he?

"One soul is not equal to another," said Jones stubbornly. I saw a glimmer appear in Jack's eyes.

"Aha, so we've established my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price."

"Price?" Jones repeated. He'd fallen into one of Jack's traps.

"Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"

Jones thought for a minute, "One hundred souls, three days."

Jack brightened, but I don't know why. One hundred souls in three days sounded pretty impossible to me. "You're a diamond mate, send me back the boy and I'll get started right off."

"I keep the boy, a good faith payment. That leaves you only ninety-nine more to go," he laughed a cold, cruel laugh and his crew joined in.

Jack didn't seem disheartened, "Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, terrific soprano, worth at least four… maybe three and a half. And did I mention… he's in love?" Jack began to circle Jones and for a moment it looked like he was the one manipulating the conversation, "With a girl. Due to be married, betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony, eh?"

"I keep the boy," Jones snapped out of whatever state he had slipped into. "Ninety-nine more to go."

"I'll go." I said, sounding braver than I felt. Why was I talking? I hadn't told myself I could talk. But there I was, talking. Jones looked at me curiously. The rest of his crew turned too. Jack's eyes grew wide. He shook his head at me. Jones's eyes flickered from me to Jack.

"Give me the girl and I'll half your debt," he said advancing towards me. He pulled me sharply towards him.

"No!" Jack shouted. Jones grinned.

"It's alright Jack, I'll go," I assured him.

"No," he said firmly. "She stays with me."

"No?" Jones repeated. "I never thought a common wench could have such a strong hold on you, Sparrow."

Wench? Who the bloody hell was he calling a wench? I kicked him, but I think I did more damage to myself than to him. I'd kicked his wooden leg and my foot started to throb in pain. It made him angry though. His clawed hand grabbed my neck, cutting off my air supply. I chocked. His cold, grey eyes were full of anger. "Not… a … wench…" I choked out.

"Then I'll be doing you and Sparrow a favour if I kill you," he whispered, tightening his grip on my neck. I couldn't breathe. My eyes rolled back into my head. I couldn't hear what else he said. Jack was saying something, but my world was starting to turn black. I tried to breathe, but I couldn't even get a tiny bit of air in. I slipped from reality and everything was gone.