"Nothing compared to have done to others, Jack," she said, her voice a mere whisper as she continued. "He knows...more than he tells me. He needs me and I need him, it is a fair share of the deal" she confessed.

Jack felt the need to argue but he understood that her mind would not be changed, not anytime soon. Instead, he decided to focus on something else that might help him find a way for both of them to be free of him.

"What about the Fountain, lassie? If he drinks from it, you will not be free anytime soon"

She felt the need to scoff but held herself just as the ship swayed in one direction, making Jack turn it into an elegant spin and save both of them from the fall.

"He will never manage to finish the ritual" she confessed, making him look at her with curiosity. "I know the one-legged man will come for him...I have seen it, but I haven't told him"

It was a month ago when she had that vision, more like a dream. She had fallen asleep to the music from the shell necklace and she revisited the same vision she had, only that it was broken in fragments.

She didn't see much but she saw a blade passing through Blackbeard's back, stopping him from continuing the ritual. Unfortunately, that was all she could remember from it and she truly hoped it was a vision and not some inner need to see him dead that manifested in her dreams.

Jack kept looking at her, trying to make the most out of it. He was not used to hearing her talk of visions and the supernatural, because both were always ones to use logic and human power in whatever they did.

Although in her case, perhaps she was not fully on her own. Across the years he had come to think of what they went through together and the last three days especially, had put him into deep thought.

Listening to what Blackbeard said, he had come to notice things from their past adventures. Moments from when there was just a tad of something mystical behind her actions and now he could see it clearer.

However, he could not help but wonder for how long had she known. Did she know from the start and simply hid it from him and everyone else? He was itching to know but he knew their time was almost up and he had one more question unanswered.

"And the ritual? What do you know about it?" he asked and was surprised when she smirked.

A sudden sway of the ship made them lose their balance but Artemis was faster. She timed their fall and by turning her body slightly, she ended up straddling Jack. She looked down at him, his back pressed against the wooden floor as her hands lay next to his head.

She kept smirking, lowering her head to be closer to his as her fiery red hair fell to the side of her face and neck; leaving the other side expose and tempting him to place his lips against her skin once again.

With one hand, she gently caressed his cheek. "I knew you hadn't reached the fountain. If you had, you would know the ritual" she said, her breath almost reaching his lips. "But to keep your cover and ensure you stay alive, I will tell you," she said as she lowered herself more and brought her lips next to his ear. "Waters from the Fountain of Youth, both in each silver cup of Cartagena. One has the shimmering tear of a Mermaid, destined to be the cup that takes the year of another, who drinks from the other cup"

She pulled her face slowly away from his ear and looked back at him, seeing the gears in his head working as he took all the information she had just given him. However, once he had done that, he focused on something far more important.

The feeling of her body against his, caused it to burn despite the layers of clothing separating them. Oh, how he wished he could take them off her and enjoy the sight of her body and skin, as his fingers and lips trailed marks against it.

He looked deep into her beautiful eyes, finding her as beautiful as the first day he had laid his eyes upon her. Now, on top of him, he could see that there was this wild side within her; kept silent but never broken.

His eyes fell upon her lips that hovered just an inch away from his, tempting him to close the gap and remind himself of their taste after 20 years of being away. He glanced at her one more time, seeing her with her head tilted just faintly as she watched him, clearly under the same temptation.

Questions about why she left him dammed, he would ask them later. For now, he decided not to wait any longer and take the risk.

In one swift move, he had brought his head up and pressed his lips against hers. He remained gentle but the need was there, the hunger he had suppressed for so long threatening to take control.

She returned his kiss right away, eyes closed as she felt the electrifying sensation she had whenever she was around him. One hand of his moved to her waist and in seconds, without breaking the kiss; he had flipped them.

Now it was her, laying on her back with both hands trapped next to her head as he kept claiming his lips for hers. She felt in heaven at that moment, the kiss being as equally sweet and desirable as it was the very first time they let their guard down with one another.

The world melted around them, forgetting where they were or who could see them anytime now. It was just them, throwing fuel into the ravaging flames burning their hearts and threatening to burn them whole; showing no mercy.

In the heat of the kiss, Artemis could not help but wonder how she let all of this...this amazing man, this feeling and this happiness for something that was eventually taken from her a few years later.

She did not care and in that moment, she wanted nothing more but to remain like that and even move it forward.

However, the sound of a string breaking ruined their moment and brought them back to the present. Slowly they broke the kiss apart, their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath, having chosen to ignore it all this time in fear of stopping this much-needed kiss.

They both turned their head to look at Scrum, who looked at them sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologized, feeling bad for breaking such a sweet moment.

They both turned to look at one another, the weight of the world they carried on their shoulders suddenly feeling very small; since they had one another.

Artemis freed her one hand and gently caressed his cheek, enjoying how he leaned at the warmth of her hand. "There is still time, Jack. I want to show you something but we need to be quick" she said, making him look at her again.

He was curious as to what she was talking about, especially due to her serious look but he gave a nod. He would never stop trusting her and he had the feeling that she would never stop trusting him...or at least he hoped for it.


Artemis led him towards the Captain's Cabin, motioning for him to be as silent as possible. She went to open the door but Jack grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Blackbeard?" he asked, worried that they will get caught.

She placed her hand on top of his to reassure him. "He's forward, in the chart-room. We'll have to be quick." She said and then pulled the handle, proving that it was unlocked. "He never locks his room, believes no one will ever dare to steal from him" she explained as she entered, him following suit.

She took the lead, heading quietly and quickly to a tall cabinet circled with heavy chains. Artemis grabbed a small key from her pocket, having 'burrowed' it from Angelica once and then paying someone to make a copy of it.

Once unlocked, she pulled open both doors and exposed what was inside.

Rows upon rows of shelves bearing dozens upon dozens of glass bottles were displayed on their sides. However, they were not mere glass bottles because if one would look a little closer, one would notice that each bottle contained a ship.

Each ship 'sailed' on a shrunken, churning ocean, their sails filled with captured winds/

"He keeps each vanquished ship as a prize. Not one ship did it ever escape his wrath" she explained as she took one of the glass bottles and handed it to Jack.

Moving his face forward, he was shocked to notice that inside it was the Black Pearl but tiny. He could even see a very tiny parrot circling and even Jack the monkey, holding from the ropes for dear life, as a large thundercloud loomed above the ship.

"There is no crew left by the time he does this to the ships" Artemis continued, making him look from the glass bottle at her, connecting the dots. "I made a deal with him, Jack. The crew was left on a civilised island unharmed"

Slowly, Jack lowered the glass bottle and looked properly at her; now realizing what she was talking about. Finally, the random pieces in his mind made sense but he was not that happy anymore.

He wished for answers but now that he got them, a part of his wished he hadn't. Barbossa was supposed to be a captain but he left it behind to save his rotten self, leaving her behind to strike the deal that took away her freedom; for the sake of the people she considered family and sailed with.

She gently took the glass bottle from him and placed it back on the self, before closing the doors and locking it; making it look as if they were never there. Jack did not say anything as she worked but the moment she turned her body, she found him right in front of her.

She lifted her head to look at him, their bodies touching and he was ever so gently pressing her against the same cabinet. He had that dark look in his eyes, his mind switching between dominant emotions because of what he discovered.

He placed his hand by the side of her neck, keeping her cornered and pressed against the cabinet. A part of him wanted to scold her for doing something so reckless, throwing away her life and freedom to work under a monster such as Blackbeard.

Another part of her wanted to kiss her forehead, proud of knowing that despite the years sailing under Barbossa; she never changed. She was still that kind-hearted and hot-headed woman he had fallen in love with.

The very same woman he had let escape his arms 20 years ago but he was not going to repeat the same mistake.

Without a warning, he pressed his lips against her once again. The hand by her neck held her there, pressing her even more against him as her arms moved subconsciously to be around his neck, asking for his embrace and his touch.

He was the one to break the kiss first, pulling just a tad away but keeping her trapped with his body. He wanted to groan, wanting so much more from her now but he needed to wait; just a little bit longer.

He leaned his head forward, connecting his forehead with hers as they slowly opened their eyes. "I will find a way out for both of us, lassie. I promise you that" he whispered, his words sounding so certain and confident that she hang from them until the very end.

She did not comment back on it, a part of her truly believing them. She always trusted Jack, deep down even from the very first day they had met. There was something about him that kept pulling her towards him.

There was this unique, dangerous and tempting aura; a combination that only he possessed. His words had a charm like no other and his eyes a depth that could rival the deepest of seas. She loved every part of him, from his cunning mind to his charming smile.

She felt drawn to him and she was tired of refusing it, tired of fighting it. She trusted him countless times and she chose to do it again if it meant that by the end both of them could be together again; once and for all.

"I love you, Jack" she whispered, her mind clouded by emotions so strong and yet so pure.

Her words shocked him to the core, making him look at her in a way he had never before. No other woman had ever said those things to him, not the way she did. Hers felt so true, so sweet that he wanted to hear them again and again.

He smiled and took her dominant hand into his, bringing it closer to his lips. To her surprise, he kissed the familiar ring with the red ruby that he had gotten her back then. "I know," he said, proving that he had noticed it on her hand all those days.

She smiled but once again, they were interrupted. This time, it was the sound of the ship's bell echoing.

Soon, the voice of the Quartermaster reached them. "Whitecap Bay!"

Artemis looked alarmed. "We are here," she said as Jack took a step back, allowing her some space.

She went to leave but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, getting from her one last kiss. She smiled but pulled back a few seconds later. "We have to go now, Jack"

"What is here, lassie?" he asked, the name of the place sounding familiar in his mind but he could not pinpoint exactly why.

She freed her hand gently, a sad smile on her face. This part of the mission would hurt her the most, being something she dreaded ever since she found the steps of the ritual and the plan.

"Mermaid Cove...it is time to catch a mermaid," she said with a hint of sadness as she marched towards the door. "Come, before anyone notices us" she whispered.

Jack had noticed the look on her face and he knew exactly why. She had confessed to him, during one-night drinking of the creatures she used to hear about in her trips with her father.

She had heard countless stories and fairytales that varied from the mighty Kraken to giant sharks, spirits of the lost and of course; mermaids. The magnificent and powerful female creatures with their soothing voice that dragged men into the depths of the sea, were always her favourite ones as she was growing up.

Now, she would have to help Blackbeard capture one and then somehow extract the tears from her. Jack could only imagine what ways he would use to succeed that and he honestly, tried hard not to focus on such dark thoughts and sickening images.

As he followed her suit, he noticed a familiar wooden chest. Wasting no time, he made a beeline towards it. With the speed and stealth of a burglar, he opened it and quickly noticed the familiar shell necklace that belonged to his lover.

He took it and placed it around his neck, hiding it beneath his clothes before he closed the chest and rushed outside the cabin; trying to avoid being seen by anyone else.