In spite of everything that had just happened, my goodbye with my father was still far more awkward than the one with my mother had been. Even after all of this, I was still closer to her and, although he was better than he had been, my father was still highly unused to showing affection. As a member of the King's Navy, it was difficult for him to break through that military, British boundary that had been set for him for so many years. Propriety creates difficult chains to break free from. As I gave him one last hug and watched the form of my father fade to nothing I hoped that wherever he and my mother were now, they were happy.

I stood alone in my now empty childhood home and took another look around. I didn't like how still it was, how quiet. Homes should always have some degree of noise in them. Especially big ones. I turned around to walk through the door, thinking that I would end up back on The Pearl, but I didn't. Instead I opened the door on Jack and Nyssa sitting together in the room with the Fountain of Youth. Jack was cradling Baby James in his arms and rocking him gently back and forth. James was asleep, but Jack carried on rocking him absent-mindedly. I smiled at them both. Jack looked down at his son and smiled. "He looks so much like her," he said, sounding happy. Tired, but happy. "They have the same eyes, don't you think?"

Nyssa nodded and smiled in the way that people do when they don't care what parents are saying about their children, but at the same time they don't want to be impolite by being blatantly disinterested. "Yes, he does," Nyssa agreed politely and Jack's smile widened, completely oblivious to Nyssa's boredom. I got the feeling that this wasn't the first time that Jack had tried to have this conversation with her and probably many others before her. "I wanted to call him Rum, y'know," he carried on. I rolled my eyes. That had caught Nyssa's attention and drawn a genuinely amused smile from her lips. Jack let out a soft laugh. "Belle wasn't keen on it, though, can't see why."

"Because it's a bloody ridiculous name, that's why," I muttered. Jack froze and Baby James stirred in his arms. Nyssa looked in my general direction.

"Belle?" Jack breathed.

"Jack…?" I answered cautiously, scarcely daring to hope that he could hear me. At the sound of my voice he shot to his feet, his eyes glancing wildly around the room. "Can… can you hear me?" I stepped forwards. So did he.

He nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes I can," he said, happily. "Where are you?"

"I'm here," I said.

There was a short silence, Jack continued looking around. "That's not very helpful, love," he grinned. "I can't see you, remember…" He looked to Nyssa. "Or can I? Can we go to that waterfall? Can I see her?"

Nyssa shook her head. "I don't think so. Isabelle's spirit is getting stronger in this world each time she comes, but I doubt she'll be strong enough for us to both see and hear her quite yet." She turned to address me. "How many people have you met so far?"

"Only two," I replied. Nyssa nodded. I noticed a flicker of worry flash in her eyes, but I didn't ask her about it because Jack hadn't seen it. I didn't want to worry him or put anymore strain on him than need be. "My mother and father."

Jack looked surprised. "Is that so?" he asked tentatively.

He opened his mouth to say more, but Nyssa cut in, "I'm going to wake Issacio. He knows more about this than I do."

"Alright," Jack and I said in unison. We watched her leave and Jack sat down again. I sat down beside him. He looked concerned.

"That must have been difficult, love. Seeing your parents again. Are you alright, darling?"

"Yes," I smiled, moving to be closer to him and feeling more myself than I had in a long time. There are some people you meet that make you immediately relaxed and bring out the real you. These are the ones worth sticking with. These are the people like Jack. "It was quite nice actually… in a strange kind of way… to see them again."

Jack nodded. "As long as you're alright, love," he said. "I don't like the thought of you doing this alone."

"I'm not alone." I assured him. "James is with me."

"James? Jack's eyes widened in panic. "As in… your brother James?" He sat up straight, glancing around the room. It brought a wide smile to my lips that he couldn't see.

"Yes, my brother James," I clarified.

I saw one of his hands move to brush some dirt from his knee in an effort to appear less scruffy. It made my heart melt just a little to see how much he cared. "Is he…?" I could tell by the raised pitch of his voice that he was nervous. "With you… er… right now?"

"No," I tried my best not to laugh and settled down to sit beside him. Jack visibly relaxed. "He's been here before, though." I told him, secretly enjoying the way that he was immediately tense again.

"Oh really?" he said, trying to mask his nerves, but his pitch had risen again. "And… uh… what… what did he… what did you both see?"

I wished that he could see me smile, so that he could see exactly how happy he had made me. "You," I said quietly and Jack grew tense again. "Naming Baby James." He relaxed a little, but not completely. He looked down at our son, who was now fully awake and looking at his surroundings with the kind of happiness and wonder that only a baby can display. "He loved it. I loved it. You were right; it is exactly what I wanted." Jack looked so relieved and so happy that I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. But, of course, I couldn't. "It's much better than 'Rum' would have been."

"Debatable," Jack laughed, but I could tell that he knew I was right. His laugh caused a quick flash of beautiful happiness in his eyes and on his face. And then they were gone. His happiness faltered and then died out completely. His voice dropped to a whisper, "Our girl, Belle, our little girl…"

He trailed off, but I knew exactly what he meant. "She's fine," I said quickly, desperate to shield him from any more unnecessary sadness. He'd already faced too much. "She's with me. She's fine… more than fine, she's beautiful. She's happy," I smiled at the thought of our daughter. "Her name's Rebecca. I can't wait 'til you meet her, Jack. Honestly she's gorgeous."

"Of course she is," Jack's beautiful smile was back on his face and he glanced at where he could hear my voice coming from. "She's your daughter."

"Jack…" I sighed lovingly, feeling myself blush even in death. His words had made me squirm with embarrassment and I wanted to tell him off for it.

"Don't give me that look, love," he grinned and I stared at him in amazement. "I don't have to be able to see you to know what your face looks like right now… I will compliment my wife if I want to and not even you, Isabelle Sparrow, with all of your stubbornness, can stop me."

I grinned in spite of myself and in spite of his ridiculousness. "Isabelle Sparrow," I repeated, feeling my smile widen. "I don't think I'll ever not love hearing that."

"Me neither," Jack agreed. There was a moment's pause. He became suddenly serious. "I really do love you, you know that don't you?"

"Oh Jack…" I said again, feeling as if my heart was either about to break or fly straight out of my chest. It couldn't seem to make up its mind. "Hold out your hand," I told him. He did so, looking a little confused, being sure that Baby James stayed comfortable and supported on his lap. I placed my hand over his in the same way I had when we had been able to see each other. "Of course I know that," I told him. "I love you too, darling, so much." I paused, not wanting to ruin the moment, but also scared of upsetting him. "But if Rebecca and I don't make it back…"

"Don't say that," Jack said immediately, looking away from me.

"Jack," I said as gently as I could. "Listen to me, darling. Please." I saw him fighting the urge to argue with me and let him pause for a moment before I continued. "If we don't make it back, I need you to know that you'll be alright."

He looked a bit angry. "Of course I won't be bloody alright, Belle!" he snapped and his face flushed a little.

"You will be," I assured him. "You can do this without me."

"What? What do you mean I 'can do this' without you? Do you mean live? `Cause I certainly can't do that, Belle, I can't… I can't." His anger was dissolving in to pain.

"You can," I said, fiercely. "You have to." He was shaking his head. "Look at your son Jack. Look at our son. Look at him." Jack had been resisting me, but eventually he managed. "You're all he's got. He is what is important now. He needs you. He needs you alive." I knew that I was being hard on Jack, but all I could think about every time I saw him was the state he had been in when I had witnessed him on the verge of shooting himself. I needed to do everything I could to keep that pistol out of his hands. For James's sake as well as Jack's. Jack kissed his son on the head and closed his eyes for a second.

"I know," he whispered very, very quietly and then his eyes opened again. "I love him too, Izzy… it's just… If… if you don't… If you can't… If we never…" He was on the brink of something. I hoped that it was acceptance of the possibility that I would not make it back to him. He needed to at least give the idea a chance to be a reality if he was to have any hope of dealing with it. He blinked and it was gone. He stood up. "We're not talking about this anymore."

I sighed. "Jack…"

"Isabelle," Isaacio's voice was full of urgency as he opened the door. He glanced at Jack. "Is she still here?"

"Yes," I said, quickly. Isaacio looked relieved. "Yes I'm here."

Isaacio stepped further into the room. Nyssa followed. "Good," he breathed a sigh of relief. "Nyssa tells me that you're about to move on to the third person that you're supposed to meet? Is that right?"

I nodded and then remembered that he couldn't see me. "Yes," I said, glad that he also could not see me blushing at my own stupidity. He nodded.

"Good, that's really good," he said encouragingly. "Your presence in this world is really strong, all things considered. You're moving fast. How are you travelling in the Spiritual World?"

"I'm on the Pearl," I said. Jack's eyes widened immediately.

"What…?" he breathed. Isaacio frowned, looking at Jack's reaction.

"What's the Pearl?" he asked us.

"The Black Pearl," I said, just to clarify. "She's Jack's ship-"

"Our ship," Jack corrected me. I smiled.

"Alright then…" I said, looking at my husband in amazement. "Our ship," I corrected myself. "We used her to get here, but we had to leave her along the way. We were being followed… Blackbeard… George. I think… I think she must have been sunk. Because she's here with me."

A frown appeared on Jack's face. My heart sank at yet another blow for him, but Isaacio did not appear to be sharing in our dismay. "That's great," he said in an even more encouraging way than the last time. "That's really great. Most people making that journey have much slower transport. The fact that you have a ship… That's really good news."

Jack was smiling again and I relaxed. "She'll be safe on the Pearl," Jack said, confidently. "And she'll be fast. She's the fastest ship in the Caribbean," he said it proudly and I grinned. This had lifted his spirits. I was glad that Isaacio was being so positive about the situation. But then Isaacio became serious again.

"Now," he said, taking a step forward. "You moving so quickly is a good thing, but it does mean that the lines between worlds will become much more blurred much more quickly. Anyone who means you harm will pray on that. Never lose your grasp on reality or you'll be lost forever."

Jack was frowning again. "Who would try and hurt Belle?" he asked, I saw his jaw clench in anger.

Isaacio shrugged. "I don't know. Only Isabelle can find that out…" he paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "This Blackbeard and George that you mentioned… the ones that were following you... Are either of them dead?"

"Both of them," Jack answered, his frown deepening.

"And would either of them have reason to harm you, Isabelle?"

"Yes," I said quietly, fearing the very thought of having to see either of them again. "George is the one who brought all the Redcoats here, the one that Jack killed after he tried to kill our son."

Isaacio nodded to show that he understood. "Well that sounds as if his resentment is built more towards Jack than you, but you should be very, very wary of him should you meet him."

"Don't worry, I'll be more than just wary," I said through gritted teeth.

"And what of Blackbeard?" Isaacio asked.

"He's the one who shot me," I replied and Isaacio's eyes widened.

"Ah, yes," he said. "Of course. In that case you will definitely meet him on your journey… that much I am sure of."

I gulped and there was a silence.

"You can fight them, Izzy," Jack assured me. "I know you can."

"Yeah," I agreed, trying my best not to let my nerves show. "George has never been great at handling a sword. But that's just the King's Navy for you."

Jack smiled, appreciating my joke. Isaacio, of course, did not understand and carried on in his serious way. "Isabelle, I doubt that the way you will have to fight them will be the way in which you are used to."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I doubt there will be any combat," he said. "It is more likely to be a battle of enchantment and entrapment, which you will have to fight your way out of or you will die here and be trapped there forever."

Jack sighed, looking extremely frustrated. "Why can't she just run the buggers through with a sword like they deserve?"

"Because Jack," Isaccio said patiently. "You can't kill someone that's already dead." When he put it that way, it made complete sense. "You need to find your own way out of their traps. Remember what is real and hold onto it. That's the best advice I can give you."

"Thank you," I said and I began to feel the initial stages of being pulled back to the Land of the Dead. I fought it as much as I could, even though I knew that my efforts were futile.

"Your situation is a rare one," Isaacio said, moving back towards the door. "We only know of one person who has been through it before. If you'd like to follow me…" He beckoned us over. Jack started to walk towards him.

"I don't think I can," I said apologetically, as the pull grew stronger. Jack's footsteps stopped. "I think I have to go now."

"No!" Jack said loudly.

Isaacio looked more understanding. He nodded. "Of course," he said. "Next time then. We'll be looking out for you. Be very wary, Isabelle. Be careful."

"I will," I promised. "Thank you."

"Belle…" Jack said helplessly, trailing off.

"I love you," I said and he didn't look quite so helpless anymore. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," he smiled my choice of words and I was glad that I hadn't said 'goodbye'. "See you soon, love."

And then I was gone.

I could feel the ship rocking beneath me and I could hear the sounds of the sea. I could smell the salt in the air. A gentle breeze touched my face. "James!" I called, thinking that I was back on the Pearl. I stepped forwards, feeling the ship pitch beneath me. That was when it struck me. The last time that I had been on the Pearl she had been sailing on dead waters. Still ones. She shouldn't be rocking or pitching at all. I looked up. The sails above my head were full of a wind that would never have been seen on the Dead Sea which the Pearl had been sailing on, but that wasn't all that was wrong with them. These sails were white.

This was not the Pearl.

Where was I?

"James!" I called again, tentatively.

"James!" I heard another voice call out sharply and I turned to see my father glaring down at my brother, who couldn't have been much older than ten. "I have told you before about running on my ship."

Young James hung his head. "I'm sorry, father," he said. "I thought I saw a pirate ship."

"You are here to learn," our father said sternly. "Not to interfere."

"Sorry father," James said again. There was a moment of silence. "What's the name of the pirate we're after, father?"

"Teague," my father replied, looking out to the horizon. Young James copied him. "Captain Edward Teague."

I gasped. "What's happening?" I said aloud.

"I do believe," I turned to find the current James Norrington standing behind me. "That it is my turn to tell you a tale."

Thanks for reading :) Review if you can

Review Replies:

PirateNinjaCJS- Haha yes, Uni makes it difficult. That's why updates are so slow. That and also I have three stories to update :/ I'm sure Jack would welcome your cuddles very much. Let's send him some

AdaYuki- Thank you! So glad you loved it And sorry it takes me so long to get new ones up! Thanks for the review.

GoTeamSkipper- I've always felt for James. He's such a misunderstood villain in the PotC series. I have a lot of love for James (in case you hadn't noticed). Thanks for reviewing!

Eponine Sparrow- EVERYONE SHOULD HUG JAMES. So much James-love floating around. Thanks for reviewing!

Sorceress of the Trees- Aww :') so do I. Thank you for this review and also the ones I noticed you left on the others in the series. Took some dedication to read through them all :P

Twins-aspecialconnection- Aww, yes they did suffer a terrible loss :( Jack does need her. They need each other, really. Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

ThEcrEAtor23- Wow, all of them in a week?! That takes some commitment. But thank you so, so much for doing so. And for reviewing, it means a lot :)