Guess who saw Pirates of the Caribbean 4 ON OPENING NIGHT? This girl right here! It was amazing, I almost cried at the end.. Because it was over (and I was tired...). But yeah, amazing! I am eagerly awaiting the fifth.

Chapter Seven

Madeline took a deep breath, letting the salty sea air invade her lungs, before letting out a content sigh. The horizon was so close and yet so far, nothing obstructed it, she could go anywhere she wanted. Tortuga was behind her, all but forgotten. Her worked, calloused hands slid over the smooth wood of the helm.

The helm. It seems so ordinary. A simple wheel on a ship. An unimportant chunk of wood. But it was so much more than that. It was her ticket to freedom. Where ever she wanted to go, this seemingly unneeded piece of driftwood would guide her there. The helm was her life.

And now, the helm would be guiding her to a place that she never thought she would go to without struggle. Port Royal.

Why? Why would she go to a place of anti-pirate laws and guards that were to have guns trained on her? Because someone was meeting her there. The only person that she trusted, the only person that meant anything to her.

With her mermaid figurehead facing the horizon where Port Royal's beaches were soon to appear, Madeline looked around at the still waters. A smile on her face.

Her hair was up in a neat bun, her bangs coming out a little bit to frame her heart shaped face. Her usual solid colored dress with a loose belt of gold coins and other treasures on her waist had been left on the ship, she now donned a dress that was worthy of a member of the king's court. The peach-colored material cinched beautifully (with the help of a corset) at her waist, and billowed down to the floor. She walked gracefully up the stairs and into the building where four 'professional' men were discussing 'business'.

She stopped before the room where two sat on the couch while two stood straight with their hands behind their backs, speaking the most, probably the leaders. Her ears didn't need to strain to hear the booming voices. "We need an informant." said one of the men on the couch.

"An inside man. One who can come back daily and tell us of what they hear and see." chimed in the man sitting beside him.

"A fine idea, James, but do we know of a man that would be willing to do such a task?" said one of the two standing men.

"A man is not what we are in search of. We want someone that they would never be suspicious of."

"A woman."

"Precisely."

"But where shall we find a woman to do this? Surely we won't send in our wives or daughters."

Another man, standing tall with broad shoulders that were brushed by the tips of his long auburn hair, cleared his throat. "I am one step ahead of you all." He chuckled, "As usual." He moved swiftly towards the cracked door and pulled it open and peaked out. He spotted Madeline and smiled warmly. "Hello Addy." and just like that Madeline was home.

She smiled back, "Lucas." She bowed her head slightly.

He put a hand on the small of her back and led her into the sitting room where the men smiled hugely at the beauty before them. She felt herself blush, this kind of greeting was much more flattering than the whoops and whistles that she would get in Tortuga. What mystified her was that these men were pirates as well. Pirates, the lot of them. But were able to put on good clothes and compose themselves as respectable men.

"Men." Lucas snapped to get their attention back on him, at once he calmed down, "This is Madeline."

The other standing man stood before her. She expected a nice introduction but he just looked over to Lucas. "Are you sure she is fit for such a task?"

He laughed loudly and responded, "Aaron, don't let this cute face blind you." He swung a fist towards Madeline's face with full force and without a blink, she grabbed his hand and twisted his arm, causing him to flip and fall to the ground with a thud.

The men in the room watched, their eyes wide and their jaws to the floor. Aaron stood nodding before turning back to Madeline. He reached his hand to her, and she took it in her firm grasp, he winced as she squeezed it. "You're hired."

Madeline stopped and turned to Lucas. "Hired for what, exactly?"

Lucas rolled his eyes, "Aaron you certainly went about that in the wrong order." He cleared his throat, as he did very often, "Are you familiar with the Covington family?"

A nod. "Richest family in Port Royal, I believe."

"That's correct. But little know of their rather dark past."

"Piracy." Chimed in one of the sitting men, James as she had heard before. "Not just any pirates neither! No, they was some of the best."

"And being as such, they have many-"

"Treasures! That's how they got so rich-like. Made a mighty fine profit from all of their treasures!"

Lucas glared at the interruption. "One treasure in particular would be very helpful in the finding of," he waited for the man to interrupt but he kept his mouth shut, "A map to the long abandoned ship of-"

"Captain John Coldbane!" James exclaimed excitedly. Lucas sighed but the man went on, "Legend has it, there's enough gold in there to make rich men of many a poor boy."

"How are we sure that the Covington's have not already reached said ship and taken all of the gold?" Asked Madeline.

Lucas walked to the window and pulled the curtain back slightly, his eyes rested on the horizon on the water. There was a pang of pity for him in her heart. He missed the sea. This man was a pirate, stuck on land until he can get this map. Without the map, he doesn't have a heading. And without a heading, it's mighty easy to get lost. Since his mother got lost at sea, he had always been cautious. "It is a long and dangerous voyage to the ship of Coldbane. I hardly think they could've made the journey without at least one casualty. And yet, they all sit at home. Eating their bonbons and drinking their tea."

"And what is my part in all of this?"

"We have been trying, unsuccessfully, to figure out where they have hidden this map from the outside. But if we had someone on the inside, someone trusted that is able to snoop around and listen in on conversations, it shouldn't be too hard to find it."

Madeline nodded, then smiled. "I'll do it."

"Bloody hell." Muttered Jack as he ran from Madeline's cabin to the deck, where her worried father stood. "She is gone."

Gibbs muttered something under his breath.

"I wouldn't be worried if I was you, Mr. Gibbs." He said, taking out his sword and inspecting it. "Maddie is an intelligent, rather resourceful lass."

"I know, but-"

"And it's not as if this were the first time young Maddie has been on her own." Gibbs winced, Jack could tell that he had said the exact wrong thing. He looked up from his sword, "She's fine, I know the girl. She can get herself out of some of the worst predicaments."

There was silence from his right hand man.

Jack sighed, and reached into his pocket before putting something into Mr. Gibbs' hands.

He looked down. The compass. The special compass. He opened it.

"Do we have a heading?" Asked Jack.

Gibbs' eyes brightened up as he realized what Jack was implying. "Let 'er run straight, Cap'n." He said excitedly.

Jack stood at the helm of the Black Pearl. "Now let's get this bloody infuriating girl." he said with a smirk.

I'M TAKING A VOTE!

Who would you rather see together at the end of this story?

Jack/Madeline

Lucas/Madeline

Give me your vote in a Review. Don't forget to give me your opinion on the story as well!