Helloo :) If you follow all of my current stories then I'm sorry that you're going to have to put up with the same author's note three times. Anyway, I'm moving into University accommodation on Saturday, so I might not have as much time to write as I would perhaps like to, especially seeing as I need to get settled in to my new place, meet my flatmates and get packed/unpacked (wish me luck I'm so nervous, I hate meeting new people :S) So this is just to let you know that there will be a longer gap between updates than might be normal. Please don't be cross with me; I'll be back on it as soon as I can be.

As always, thanks for reading.
LV xx

The Pearl glided along smoothly. It was as if the waves did not affect her. At first this confused me, but soon I reasoned that if she was not technically a real ship with no real, physical form to speak of, then perhaps she was some kind of ghost ship and real things did not affect her. She was travelling of her own accord and so we had very little to do. When Will had first shown me the Pearl I had been worried about running a ship as big as she is with only two of us… well; three if you included Rebecca, but she couldn't exactly help out much. She'd learn to help when she was older. She'd work with us- me, her brother, and her father. Her brilliant father. I clung onto the image of us all on the Pearl. I had to make it more than just an image.

I couldn't get used to being on the Pearl without the crew. Without her Captain. I felt almost as comfortable on board her as I usually did, but I couldn't shake visions of the crew from my mind. I could almost see them. Many times I thought I did see them out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned to look there was never anything there. I could always feel their presence. I wasn't sure whether it was because I was hyper-aware of the fact that they should be there, but weren't, or if there was some other force at work. I could feel their energy in the air around me, I'm not sure how else to describe it. It was as if they were ghosts and not us. It was a comforting feeling to sense them at first, but without them physically there it was also a little eerie.

I saw James watching me with a smile on his face as I tightened the mainsheet to coax some more speed from the Pearl and I stopped what I was doing to frown at him. I didn't like how amused he seemed to be. "What?" I said.

"I just cannot believe how things have changed. You really do know your way around a ship now, don't you?" he said. I thought I detected a hint of something very unusual in his voice and I stopped what I was doing to study him.

"James Norrington," I said, grinning at him like I used to when we were children. "Do I sense that you are perhaps proud of the fact that your sister can run a ship better than you can?"

"I wouldn't say better," he frowned slightly, but I knew he wasn't angry.

"Well I would," I said cheekily. "Considering that this ship is far better than any of the ones that you've ever been in charge of and so far, I have done most of the work."

I got an eye roll for that one. "Well you know how this ship runs better than I do," he grumbled, but I could see that he was secretly enjoying being able to have this kind of sibling rivalry again. So was I, these fights had grown scarcer the older we had become.

"I suppose so," I agreed reluctantly. "But that's only because this ship is my home."

He shook his head. "I still can't believe that you ended up pirate." He saw my warning glance and struggled to redeem himself. "It's just so far from… how we began. And I…"

"I know," I rested a reassuring hand on his arm as he trailed off. His smile was small, but it was thankful. I didn't think that he would ever be able to get his head around me being pirate, but I felt relieved that he was at least beginning to accept it. I looked at him, "Where do you think we'd be if none of this had happened?"

It was a question that I had not fully considered myself. What if our lives had never crossed paths with cursed pirates? If our lives had continued on the paths that they were on before the crew of the Pearl had come searching for a cursed medallion, where would we be now? James would probably still be alive and so would I, come to think of it. He'd probably have married Elizabeth, but he'd have travelled just as much as he had before. And me? Well… I'd be married to George right now; James would have got his way. Perhaps George and I would even have had children. Maybe James and Elizabeth would have too. Will would still be at the blacksmiths. I wonder if he ever would have moved on from losing Elizabeth to James. Jack would have been hung when he'd been captured in the blacksmiths and I would never have known him. I would have lost him without knowing what I was losing.

"Alive," James said after some considerable thought. "But unhappy." He paused again and I could tell that he was still thinking it over. I nodded my agreement. He took a deep breath, "You were never happy, were you?"

"Well… I wasn't sad," I said, wanting to spare his feelings. It was he, after all, who had raised me. "I just wasn't... content."

"And you're happy now?" he asked. "With Sparrow?"

I didn't like the way that he said 'Sparrow'. "Yes," I assured him. "Yes, I very much am." He nodded, but still looked doubtful. I sighed, feeling my frustration build. "You still don't like him."

It wasn't a question, but he shifted uncomfortably under my scrutinizing gaze. He knew better than to lie to me. "It's not exactly a match that I'm happy with… no," he admitted.

"Why?" I pressed him on the issue, trying my best not to sound angry. If I could manage to keep the conversation rational and calm then maybe I could make him see sense in a calm and rational way. I had to admit, it wasn't my usual style. "Is it because he's a pirate…? Because I thought we were past all that."

"It's not that. Well… not exactly. It's just… is he good to you? Is he a good man, Isabelle?"

"Of course he is, James," I said. "Would I have married him otherwise?"

James studied me, clearly unsure as to whether I was asking him a genuine question or if this was a trap whereby I was testing out how stupid he thought I was. "Well…" he said eventually. "Sparrow can be rather… charming to say the least. I just don't want him hurting you." When I didn't explode at him with a torrent of abuse he felt safe enough to continue. "I don't trust him, that's never been a secret. But if you're sure…"

"I am," I said with as much conviction as I could muster.

"All right then," James muttered, but I could see that he remained unconvinced. It frustrated me that James didn't believe me, but I knew that he had only ever seen one side of Jack. He'd been so used to fighting him that accepting him might be bordering on impossible. The years of hate between James and Jack ran too deep for me to be able to eradicate it with words alone, so when I felt another familiar wave of drowsiness lapping at my consciousness I smiled. The best way to convince James of how good a man Jack is was to show him. I grabbed his arm and he looked at me in surprise. "Are you all right?" he asked, full of concern. I didn't have a chance to answer before I saw the same feelings that were coursing through me flow through my fingertips and pass into him. He frowned and looked a little bit worried. Rebecca stirred in his arms and then we were gone.

When I opened my eyes I knew that James would be there. I knew he would be. He, on the other hand, looked far more surprised by his new location than I was. The Fountain stood alone now, the room was empty of everyone- living or dead. "Where are we?" James asked as he looked at the Fountain of Youth in awe. I noticed how silent it was and realized that the battle must have ended. Where was Jack?

"This is where I died," I said, listening carefully to my surroundings. Where was everyone? It didn't take me long to pick up on the faint sound of a baby crying. I walked towards the sounds, beckoning for James, who was still holding Rebecca, to follow me. I led them down a corridor, carefully listening to the cries of my child getting louder. I stopped when I reached the room it was coming from. Nyssa came down the corridor behind us, holding some kind of liquid. She looked tired. Where was Jack? She opened the door that we were standing in front of and I saw him standing with our son, trying desperately to calm him down. I didn't know how long I'd been away for this time, but judging by the state of Jack it had been much longer than last time. There didn't seem to be any method in when I turned up here. I couldn't choose when I came and went. If I thought that Nyssa looked tired, Jack looked a thousand times worse. His skin was pale with exhaustion. There were dark circles under his eyes. I thought that I must have been away for a day or two. And it looked as if Jack hadn't had a moment's sleep for any of that time.

"You should rest, Jack," Nyssa said exactly what I was thinking. I felt a rush of gratitude towards her. At least there was someone looking after him… or trying to. Jack just shook his head at her and turned his attention back to his son. Nyssa held up the liquid she was carrying. "Here, give him this." The crying stopped as she fed him and Jack looked relieved. He sat down reluctantly as Nyssa took over.

"Do they know we're here?" James whispered. I shook my head.

"They don't have a clue," I replied, sounding as miserable as I felt.

Poor Nyssa tried her best to lift Jack out of his mood. "Have you thought of any names yet?" she asked in an attempt to lift his spirits.

"James," Jack replied, taking the baby in his arms again and rocking him gently. My brother jumped at the sound of his name. "After her brother…. It's what she would have wanted."

It was. It was exactly what I wanted and I hadn't even known it yet. Of course Jack had known it before I did. He was far better acquainted with me than I was. James's arm went around my shoulders, but he was staring at Jack in shock. "Oh Jack," I whispered to myself, wishing that he could hear how much I missed him. I felt myself well up and saw the same look reflected in my brother's eyes. His comforting grip on me tightened, but he couldn't seem to get over the shock of what he had just heard.

"James," he muttered his own name. "After me…I… I… don't… I can't…" He finally looked at me. I could see the amazement in his eyes and it made me smile. My husband truly was an amazing man.

"I told you so," I smiled through the tears in my eyes. Every time I saw Jack and Baby James I found it ridiculously difficult. I had a burning need to be close to them, but I knew how my time with them was limited. And every moment I spent with them in this form was another moment taken away from time I could be spending trying to get back to them permanently. But what if I didn't make it? I looked at Jack's tired face. He was exhausted, broken, there was hardly any of the old Jack left. He couldn't carry on in this state for long. If I didn't make it back I needed to know that he would be able to get better and carry on without me. I wanted him to live a life that was long and full, even if I couldn't be there to be a part of it.

Baby James soon fell asleep in his father's arms and Jack laid him down. Nyssa stopped Jack from pulling up a chair beside Baby James's crib. "Get some rest," she said. "I'll watch him."

Jack hesitated, looking reluctant to leave his son. "I'm fine," he insisted.

Nyssa wasn't fooled, obviously. "Jack, there are people here who can look after him, it's okay for you to take time off," she said firmly. He hesitated again. Nyssa smiled encouragingly, "You're no use to him when you're dead on your feet."

Wrong choice of words.

Nyssa's smile faltered, but Jack moved towards the door. "Yeah," he muttered despondently. "I'm no use."

"No, that's not what I meant!" Nyssa protested, but the door had already shut behind Jack. She sighed and sank into a chair. James saw the worry on my face.

"I can't help him," I whispered, trying my best not to cry. James was at a loss as to what to tell me.

"He'll be all right," he offered as a lame kind of comfort. "He's a good father, at least you know that."

I nodded, forcing a smile so that James wouldn't have to feel bad about not being able to cheer me up. I walked over to where my son was sleeping and looked down at him. He moved around a lot in his dreams, often looking as if he were reaching out for me. I bent down close to him. "I love you my darling," I told him and his sleep became less restless. I straightened up as the door opened. I thought it might be Jack and I could tell from Nyssa's expectant expression that she thought so too, but it wasn't. It was Isaacio. I took the opportunity to stand in the doorway while it was still open. It was difficult being so powerless here.

"Did you pass Jack?" Nyssa asked him. I stopped in the doorway to listen. James stood with me and with a lot of effort we managed to stop it from closing.

"Yes, he's on his way to bed," Isaacio replied. Nyssa shared my relief. I saw them both frown at the delay the door took in closing. Then we could hold it no longer and we had to duck out into the hallway. I stared at the shut door, not sure what to do now. Obviously I had to check on Jack, but how was I supposed to find him? I started walking down the hallway, pausing outside each door to listen for anything that might give me a clue as to whether or not he was behind them. A few of them were slightly open. I heard a group of people snoring so loudly that there was no way that it could have been any other group than the crew of the Pearl. I stopped in my tracks. I felt a sudden rush of love for them all. I never thought that I would miss their snores.

"Isabelle," James called. I turned. He was standing by a half-open door. Had he found Jack?

"What is it?" I asked as he beckoned me over.

"I think I've found you," he replied.

"I'm not looking for me," I reminded him. "I'm looking for Jack."

"I know, but we need to check the state of your physical body and that you still have one to get back to," he said, slipping into the room before me. It was freezing in there. The room was full of bodies that were lined up. I tried not to look at them too closely, but at the far end of the room, set slightly apart from the others, I saw my own. James walked towards it and I followed reluctantly. It wasn't something I particularly liked looking at. "It looks okay," James said as we drew nearer. I took Rebecca from him and focused on her while James examined my body.

After a moment I heard the door shut. Jack had walked in. He made his way over to us and sat down by my head. James drew back and came to stand beside me. "I wish he knew I was here," I muttered.

Jack stared at my still face. "I can't sleep without you, love," he said quietly. He kissed my forehead and then buried his face in my hair. I could hear him crying again and the sound ripped at my heart.

"God," James whispered. "He really does love you."

I nodded, unable to speak. I knew that we'd be back on the Pearl soon, I could feel it. I could feel myself being dragged away. I was almost okay about it. I thought that Jack might be all right for another little while. Surely, he'd sleep soon- there's only so long the human body can function for without sleep before it forces itself to rest. Baby James was well looked after. He was certainly loved. I relaxed as much as I could about the thought of leaving my boys behind. But then, just as James, Rebecca and I were slipping from the Physical World I saw something that made me shudder and forced me to fight with everything I had against the tidal wave that was slowly engulfing me. Just before I slipped away from him I saw something that made me sick with worry. Because I knew exactly what Jack was running through Jack's head.

He'd pulled out his pistol.

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