CHAPTER 11

You open your eyes slowly but regret doing so as a searing pain hits you, forcing you to shut them tight once more.

"Miss… miss?" a voice asks, male by the sound of it. You attempt to open your eyes again, and find it slightly easier this time, although a strong light seems to be burning right into your vision. You bring your hand up to your face, shading your eyes from the strong light. The person next to you seems to take the light away, and you take your hand away also, your vision starting to come back into focus. "Miss?" the person asks you once more.

"Hmm…?" you manage to mutter, your throat feels sore, and words seem to be hard to form. You sit up quickly, coughing hard. The person next to you pats you hard on the back, and as you stop coughing you thank them quietly.

"Where am I?" you manage to ask, your surroundings not clear visually, nor in your mind. You remember being with Jack on the Pearl, and then someone grabbed you, after that it was all too hazy.

"You're on The Intrepid, a royal navy ship, I am Lieutenant Granger, or Graham, Miss."

"Enough with the Miss…" you reply, stating your name, you hadn't been called Miss so much in an absolute age, everyone on the Pearl new you on first name terms, they were indeed your friends. You think about what else you had been called, the way Jack had always called you 'luv', you smile at the recollection. Your surroundings are now clear, and you can indeed see that you are in a cabin of sorts sitting on a bed. As you peer past Graham you see another bed, and a person seems to be lying on it. "Gibbs!" you exclaim, recognising the figure lying almost motionless. "Is he ok?" you ask biting your lip worriedly.

"He's not in the best of conditions, but he should be ok, the doctor has seen to him and patched up his wound…" a searing pain rips through your head once more, knocking the breath out of you, forcing you to shut your eyes tightly. Suddenly you recall being on the Pearl, your hands bound, someone standing behind you. You remember seeing Jack through a haze, badly beaten and bloody. Someone had picked you up and he had cried out, but any more than that you couldn't recall. Graham is calling your name worriedly, and you open your eyes quickly, staring at him. What was Gibbs doing here, what were you doing here for that matter?

"What happened?" you implore, Graham looks at you questioningly.

"Don't you remember?" he asks.

"No."

"Well we were hoping you could tell us to be honest. We found the gentleman there swimming, clasping onto you barely alive, and we pulled you onto the ship where the said gentleman, Gibbs did you say, became unconscious. We figured your ship was attacked by pirates and you were the survivors, is that true?" You look at him for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer. The ship had it seemed been attacked by pirates, but these men obviously thought your ship was a merchant vessel, if they thought Gibbs was a pirate they probably would have left him to die…

"Yes, I believe that's true… they knocked me out… with some liquid I think, after that, I don"t know what happened."

"Yes, chloroform I believe." You nod in agreement, not really knowing what else to say. Gibbs lets out a small groan and you clamber off of the bed quickly and over to him. "Gibbs?" you appeal, hoping that he can hear you. His eyes flutter open slowly, they look cold and grey, no longer filled with the happiness they always used to radiate from them, now they looked blank. Tears well up in his eyes as he sees you, and he tentatively picks his hand up, although he strains with the effort, and places it against your cheek.

"You're ok." He says quietly, a faint smile working onto his lips. You place your hand on his, and nuzzle into the warmth of his touch. You feel tears in your eyes as his breathing is so raspy, he sounds as though he is dying.

"I'm ok, I'm ok." You whisper, trying to reassure him. "We need to get you better!" you add, a tear slowly rolling down your cheek towards Gibbs' hand. He wipes it away, smiling at you weakly.

"I'll be fine pet, absolutely fine…" he trails off, and takes a long rasping breath, the smile fading and his eyes shutting. You stare at him in fright as he does not breathe out, he can't be dead? You breathe the biggest sigh of relief as he lets the breath out slowly, and you grip his hand tightly. He opens his eyes and smiles again.

"Didn't think I was goin' to leave ye yet did ye?" You manage to let out a little chuckle, although a small sob seems to come with it, making it sound rather strange. Gibbs' hand falls from your face and rests next to him. He closes his eyes and falls asleep. You lay across him, holding onto him, you feel as though you don't want to ever let him go, he has been so kind to you, he's saved your life twice for Christ's sake! Your body shudders with small sobs which seem to be caught in your throat, you don't know what they are for, Gibbs is just sleeping now which you are relieved about, but now you start thinking about Jack. Graham places his hand on your shoulder, patting you affectionately.

"It's ok, he's just sleeping now, probably very tired, I don't know how long he was swimming for, when we found you both there were no ships in sight, not even debris. Maybe you should get some sleep yourself, you look a bit weary too." Graham says, you have to admit he seems quite nice, you always thought that the navy guys were all pompous pigs, but he seemed different.

You sit up, reluctantly pulling away from Gibbs and nod. Walking over to the bed where you had been before you lay down. Graham tucks a blanket up around your shoulders and blows the candle that had offended your eyes earlier out. The cabin is filled with darkness, and you have to say you feel quite scared.

"Graham?" you inquire, just about making out the mans figure as he heads towards the door. Just the moonlight shows where he is.

"Yes?"

"Will he be ok? What if something happens in the night and I'm asleep?"

"Don't worry, I'll be in to check on you both every few minutes, and we have a doctor nearby, ready and waiting in case something should happen." You nod gratefully and close your eyes, thinking about what has happened. You hear the door shut quietly, and you let loose the tears that had been welling up in your eyes. You can't stop thinking of Jack. Where is he now? Is he ok? Is he even alive? What happened? All the questions mount up in your mind, but receiving no answers you eventually fall asleep.

* * * *

Aboard the Pearl Jack slumps over, sitting on a chair. He is still conscious but barely. His wrists are bound behind him, and a rope is around his waist, securing him to the said chair. His dark dreads and braids hang loosely over his face, strands of hair sticking to his face by the congealed blood of his open wounds; a large gash at the top left of his forehead, his right eye puffy, swollen and bruised, a split lip, a broken nose, and a wide gash under his chin. These are just the wounds on his face. His knuckles are red raw and several cut open where he hit out but missed, hitting the timber of the ships railings. His stomach feels vulnerable and sore from the harsh kick that had been dealt to it, the pain made him feel like gagging. The worst feeling of all spreads over his mind as he thinks of you, surely you would be dead by now, lost to him, and he felt that it was all his fault.

"Jack, how ye feelin' mate?" a harsh deep voice asks sarcastically. Jack doesn't respond, but looks up at the man standing in front of him through his good eye. The man leers at him with a small grin, revealing some yellow teeth. A dark greying beard sprouts from his chin, small cold eyes watch Jack from beneath thick bushy eyebrows, and a large black hat sits atop of the mans ugly head.

"Jack, now that ain't nice to be ignorin' a person when they ask ye a question." Jack just gives the man an irritable look, to which he receives a sharp stinging slap across his left cheek. "Now really Jack, ye don't wanna be getting' on the wrong side of me, I haven't killed ye… yet." Jack closes his eyes and lets his head loll downwards once more.

"Ye might as well have done." He manages to mutter through gritted teeth.

"Aw does it hurt that much?" the man opposite him says laughing. "Or maybe it isn't your physical state you feel has died, maybe your emotional state eh? Yes, I do believe the latter, never thought it would happen though, never thought you'd get so upset over a wench, pretty little thing all though she was…"

"Don't talk about her!" Jack yells, snapping his eyes open and staring at the man.

"Oh, hit a soft spot have we, I knew ye always had a weakness for the women mate, but really, didn't think it went that far…"

"I mean it!"

"What do ye mean Jack? Do you mean to say you're going to do me some sort of damage if I don't stop?" the man smirks pointedly at Jacks current situation. "No, I didn't think so. No mate, really I think it's quite a nice little topic of conversation we got goin' 'ere." He sniggers.

"Ye don't know her, and ye killed her, ye have no right to talk about her." Jack whispers bitterly.

"Oh Jack, do ye think I give a damn about my rights? If ye do then ye a bigger fool than I thought. So…" the man runs his hands down his face and perches on the edge of the table, the same one you had sat at writing your diary. "That little lady back there, you're girlfriend was she, or just a casual whore you picked up and have been screwing…?" Jack winces at the thought of you, and the man who has been paying close attention to Jack's expression chuckles. "Really have hit a nerve haven't we! Yes, should have known Jack you'd be keeping a young bit of entertainment on board, someone to screw around with when life on board gets a bit tedious…"

"Shut up!" Jack yells at him.

"What is this I detect? Oh don't say it Jack, please don't, you'll have me in fits on the floor! Tell me ye've slept with the lass, I mean come on now, handsome man such as yerself, shouldn't find it too difficult to get her in the sack."

"I thought I told you to shut up." Jack hisses, thinking back to the night in the cabin, how he had come so close to sleeping with you… making love to you. "Well, well, well, never thought I would see the day when Captain Jack Sparrow got thrown back!"

"She didn't throw me back!"

"Oh? Then why is it ye've not been cavorting about in the bedroom with her, waiting for the right time eh, like someone in… oh Jack, now that is hilarious, you love her!" Jack brings his gaze down to his boots, staring at them intensely. Finally he speaks, and he says something that even he finds strange coming from his lips.

"Yes, I loved her, I would have died for her, but you had to go ruin that for me didn't you, you had to go ruin the first true piece of happiness I found in my life!" he spits venomously. The man steps back startled by Jack's admission. "You killed her you bastard, you killed her." Jack finishes quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek. He wishes he could wipe it away, he feels weak enough already without showing it by crying, but his hands are bound behind him and there is nothing he can do.

The man steps up to him placing his hand against Jack's cheek, slowly wiping the tear away. Jack flinches at the gesture, and spits in the mans face disgusted. The man just brings his own hand up and wipes it away, looking at Jack coldly.

"Now you know how it feels to lose a loved one then." He says bitterly. He gets up and walks across the room to the door of the cabin, about to step out of it. "You don't even know who I am do you?" he asks dryly. Jack scowls and shakes his head. "Kane Simmons, I'm sure you remember that name well." Jack nods, vaguely remembering someone by that name, although why he isn't sure.

"Well, my name is Silas, his brother." And with that he leaves, shutting the door behind him. Jack just sits there, wondering whom exactly Kane Simmons was, he recognised the name that was for sure, but from when, from where? Then all of a sudden it dawned on him.

* * * *

Back on The Intrepid you open your eyes. Light is pouring in through a small porthole nearby, and you sit up looking through it. Outside the clouds are a thunderous black, and the green ocean is rolling violently, waves crashing fiercely against the side of the ship. You look across to Gibbs who is fast asleep snoring. He seems slightly more comfortable, and colour has returned a bit to his face. You smile as you see his skin is cleaner than usual, probably from all the swimming. You knew that Gibbs wasn't the kind of man to bathe regularly, and he seemed to enjoy that predicament. You hear a loud groan of thunder rolling across the sky, and a quick flash of lightning makes the cabin seem extremely bright. You think about how Jack had predicted a storm, and you feel a fresh batch of tears sting your eyes. You remember being confused by his statement; the skies had seemed so blue and inviting. You remember standing at the bow looking out across the ocean, then Jack had come along and you had shared that momentous kiss. It was then that you had decided upon your feelings about him, it was then that you had known you truly, deeply loved him.

A small knock at the door startles you, but you fix a smile upon your face and wipe away the tears as Lieutenant Granger, or Graham as he had asked you to call him, entered. "I see you're up and awake then, I didn't want to disturb you." He says, looking at you compassionately. You can't help a smile at his apparent benevolence.

"Are you ok?" he asks, coming and sitting down next to you, placing his hand lightly on your shoulder. You nod weakly, and rest your head on his hand, wanting to feel near someone. He seems startled by your gesture but keeps his hand there. "What are you thinking about?" he whispers.

"Ja…" you cut yourself off, knowing that if you mentioned Captain Jack Sparrow your guise would fall apart, and you and Gibbs would be chucked in the brig, no matter how ill you were. "Just thinking about someone that was left on the ship." You say wearily, hoping that your falter wasn't noticed.

"A loved one?" he inquires. You smile to yourself, picturing Jack in your mind, his rugged good looks, his silly little mannerisms, his touch… his kiss.

"Yes, you could say that." Graham just nods and doesn't press further, obviously knowing that the particular subject lays too deeply inside for you to start talking about it with someone you barely know.

"Well I shall bring some breakfast to you, I wouldn't advise you to leave the cabin, a storm is currently building up quite fiercely." You nod in appreciation and lift your chin away from where it had rested upon Grahams hand. Graham stands up and smiles turning to you. You notice the man was quite attractive in a clean-cut, proper sort of way. If he wasn't dressed up to the nines in his navy uniform, and didn't have that stupid wig on, then you may have said he was rather handsome. His jaw was strong, and his eyes large and blue, quite captivating, but in a very different way to Jacks. You had always thought that Jacks eyes were gorgeous, that fact was undeniable, but he always had a sparkling glint of mischief to them, a sense of the unexpected, you never knew what was going to happen, or what was going on. Grahams eyes look cool and sincere; they looked safe and calm, like you knew exactly where you were going and exactly what you were doing. You feel comforted by this thought, knowing that you are in the care of a man with such kind eyes. Eyes told you a lot about a person, eyes were the windows to a person's soul.

You watch as Graham heads out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. You revert to your position of looking out the window, the waves colliding against the sides of the ship, the white foam contrasting against the dark turquoise-greens of the ocean itself.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 12

It is a day before the mutiny led by Barbossa, and Jack is standing alone in his cabin, looking out the window. Rain is pounding down outside, and lightening streaks across the sky. He runs a hand down his face, worrying how the weather will affect the ships voyage. He hears a voice outside, and looks out through the window to see where it was coming from.

"Captain…?" the voice calls, its male and young, and it takes a moment for its owner to come into view. Jack looks through the window intently, trying to figure it out. Finally he spots the boy coming towards his quarters and he smiles his famous grin.

"Kane!" he calls out opening the door, and the boy heads towards him. Kane is no more than nineteen years of age, and is tall and lanky. His dirty blonde hair hangs around his head, and his green eyes are bright, accentuating the grin on his lips, which in turn reveals yellowing teeth. Kane had been under Jacks wing as it were for just under a year now, and had come to be quite a valued member of his crew, as well as a loyal and trustworthy friend. Jack held high hopes for the boy, he reminded him very much of himself when he was a lad, and he knew that Kane was headed for great things. For now though, all that was on the pairs minds was to get to Isle de Muerta and retrieve the treasure.

"So, did you speak to Smith?" Jack asks as they both stand in the cabin, shutting the door behind them. Kane nods eagerly.

"Aye Captain, its all well and sorted. He said that he will have the rum ready and brought to ye this evenin', said 'e would get 'is men t' bring it straight onboard the Pearl."

"Good good! Could ne'er take a journey without me rum!" Jack replied chuckling.

"Aye, that would be a very sorry journey indeed!" Jack tousled the boy's hair affectionately, the lad amused him that was for sure, and he liked the way the boy seemed to look up to him so. With a quick curt nod from Jack, Kane left. Jack sat down at the small table in the room, supposedly reserved for writing, although it was currently used as a shelf for his rum, and pulled his large worn tri-corner hat over his eyes. It's about time he had a little rest, he hadn't been able to sleep for the past couple of nights, thinking about the journey to Isle de Muerta. He had also become a bit worried about his first mate Barbossa, there was something about him that seemed out of place, but Jack couldn't figure out what. Ever since he had given him the co-ordinates for the treasure he had acted strangely, but Jack dismissed it, knowing that no trouble could really affect him, he was Captain Jack Sparrow after all!

As time passed Jack mulled over the thoughts in his head, trying to see some sort of explanation for Barbossa's weird behaviour. The man had never been the friendliest of guys, but lately there was more to it. Whenever Jack looked at him he noticed something behind his eyes, something that he couldn't decipher. Perplexed he ended up falling asleep, the more persistent rocking of the ship as the winds picked up unnoticed. He had come across worse; this storm wasn't going to be that bad to deal with.

Time passed and the hours went by, the time of departure gradually getting closer. As if on cue Jack awoke, stretching and arching his back like some kind of feline. Sleeping in the chair definitely wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but lately sleeping in the bed just hadn't happened, it just plainly hadn't worked. Looking around the room he noticed that the light is dim, signalling the approaching nightfall. Dusk could be a very beautiful time on the ship, standing at the helm or the bow, just looking out at the ocean as the sun sets. With the winds being as ferocious as they currently were, and the lightening being the only visible light source as the sun was covered up by black thunderous clouds long ago, Jack didn't think that now would be the greatest time to admire the view. They were moored anyway, so there wouldn't have been much to see even if he had looked. Picking up one of the bottles of rum he shakes it gently, listening for the sloshing sounds of the contents. No sound comes though, and as Jack frantically searches through all the empty bottles which adorn his cabin, he realises that none are there. He goes to storm out the door and demand why exactly he has been left without his beloved drink, when he notices figures moving about, and large crates and barrels being carried.

"Rum!" he cries joyously, remembering his earlier conversation with Kane. Smith had finally arrived with the rum. Stepping out onto the deck he follows one of the workers down to the hold where the barrels are to be stored. "Oi mate, those bottles can be taken straight to the Captain's quarters." He called to a young boy who was piling up some crates of his favourite brand of rum. The young boy looked at him with worried eyes, obviously a bit scared of the Captain who could when he wanted to look quite fierce. The boy couldn't have been in Tortuga long, otherwise he would have been used to it by now. The boy quickly picked up a crate and scurried past Jack, heading towards his quarters with the fine liquor. Jack smiled, revealing a few gold-capped teeth, which were compared to many other pirates quite white. He was not a man who held cleanliness as his highest priority, but it wasn't that low down on his list either. After all, he knew that not many of the women in the Ports would take so kindly to him if he didn't wash once in a while. He had seen the effects of living like a pig by just looking in many of the taverns and inns in Tortuga; if you lived like a pig, you turned into one. Jack stood watching the men at work, slowly filling the hold with many barrels and crates of his most precious substance. Most of those would be gone he knew by the time they reached Isle de Muerta, so there would be no problem in getting all of the treasure onboard.

Satisfied that all was going well, Jack started to head back to his quarters, ready to have a fine tasting session of the rum which the boy had taken there. In other words, he was quite prepared to get absolutely slaughtered, then again he was Jack Sparrow, so being overly drunk wasn't a capability of his, his body over the years had become quite resistant to the effects of alcohol. Making his way out onto the deck, past the scurrying bustle of everyone making the ship ready he spotted two figures leaning up against the railing, apparently involved in a very hushed conversation. Being the Captain of the ship, Jack did not like it when his crew were talking about something behind his back, especially when they were being so secretive, so he strode over to them, as quietly as he could, in the off chance that he might be able to catch part of the conversation. Jack being Jack though, he was not a quiet man, and the two figures fell silent as soon as he got within hearing range.

"Cap'n." Barbossa said, nodding his head curtly towards Jack.

"Barbossa." Jack replied, somewhat disappointed he hadn't been able to hear what they were discussing. "Ah, Kane!" he added, noticing the young boy who had played the accomplice to the conversation.

"Cap'n, I trust everything is fine with the rum?" Kane asked nervously.

"Ah, tis all fine and good. Shall be having meself a nice little tasting session. I trust everything is ready for setting sail?"

"Aye Cap'n. The Pearl is ready to begin her voyage."

"Good. Call me when everyone has left the ship and we are all ready to make way."

"Aye, I shall do Cap'n."

"An' may I ask what it were you were talkin' so quietly about?"

"It were nothing Cap'n. Just discussing what we were going to do with the treasure once we got our hands on it." Barbossa cut in quickly, taking Jack by surprise, however he just nodded, his suspicions growing about the man. Kane however he knew was trustworthy, so he knew he would keep an eye on Barbossa and report any funny business.

With that Jack headed back to his cabin, eagerly anticipating the moment when the fine golden liquid would reach his lips, setting his senses on fire. As he entered his cabin he saw that several crates had been placed against the wall, so taking a large metal implement, somewhat like a crowbar, he hoisted the crates open, taking out one of the beautiful bottles. Eagerly ripping the cork out with his teeth Jack placed the bottle to his lips, taking the strong liquid into his mouth, causing him to grin enormously. The rum was definitely the finest to be had, Smith was no fool, he knew that Jack knew the difference between good and bad rum, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to fob any of the cheap stuff to him. Gulping down more of the strong liquid, Jack smacked his lips, pleased with the warm glow that was currently resounding around his body, down his throat, pulsing its way through his veins. This feeling was one he knew would last for days. Lying down on the bed after removing several more bottles from the crate he continued to drink, until a sharp rap came at the door, signalling that the ship was ready to leave the docks.

Sighing, Jack placed his now third bottle of rum on the table, and giving it one last wistful look, he headed out to the helm, shouting orders to the crewmembers who scurried to obey. The only feeling that ever compared to that of the first sip of rum, was the one felt as he stood behind the wheel of the Pearl, his ship, the one that he had cared for and looked after for many years. She had stood by him and made her way with his guidance through the toughest of storms, and tonight was to be no exception. He stood there, the wind whipping his dreads and braids in every direction, rain hitting him hard in the face, but as the Pearl sailed quickly away from Tortuga, Jack felt contented. Rum and the anticipation of finding the treasure coursing through his veins, making him feel more alive than ever before. Nothing could go wrong now, nothing. He had no idea of what lay ahead of him; he had no idea of the treachery and betrayal that would unfold.

The night was long as the storm unleashed every effort it could to knock them off course, to sink the Pearl. Jack would not let this happen though, and he stood fast at the wheel, guiding her through the tumbling waves that crashed onto the deck, making her ride them so that she wouldn't be pulled under into the deathly depths of Davy Jones Locker. As the battle between Jack and the tempest waged onwards, the night started to fade and the morning light could be seen as the storm subsided and clouds dispersed, patches of blue sky gradually growing larger and larger as the time passed. Having won the battle and gotten the Pearl through the rough seas Jack retired to his cabin, knowing full well that the sleep that had evaded him for so many nights would be readily welcomed.

Motioning to Barbossa to take the wheel, he languidly walked across the slippery deck, and was relieved to see the warm inviting bed that rest in his cabin. As he shut the door he sighed heavily, his eyes feeling weary and sore, and his whole body aching from standing all night, whilst the sea tried to force him to fall. Stripping his damp clothes he changed into a new pair of trousers, but did not bother with a shirt or anything else. Lying down on the bed he closed his eyes, and let all thoughts drift away, welcoming the empty, peaceful silence that was sleep.

Jack awoke a few hours later after a sleep that unfortunately did not satisfy. He was restless, and dreams had filled him with suspicion and concern. Trouble was brewing, but he did not know how soon that would come into play. Looking around the room he saw that the ships cook had brought in some food, and it lay steaming on the table still hot. A meaty broth with boiled potatoes awaited, and feeling the temperature of it he found that it had not been there long, ten minutes at most. Jack sat at his desk and ate, the thoughts that he had pushed away, now once again filling his mind. However, he could not put a finger on what it was exactly that he was worried about. Admittedly, Barbossa was the main figure in Jack's concerns, but there was no more depth to it than that. He had suspicions that Barbossa was unhappy, angry even, but he did not know why or what he might do about it.

As he sat and thought, he found the bowl becoming rather empty, and his throat rather parched. He stood and pulled on a dry shirt, his waistcoat, effects, and boots. A triumphant growl escaped his lips as he spotted the bottle of rum that he had had to lay to rest the previous evening, and uncorking it once more he welcomed the sweet sensation of the alcohol running down his throat, warming his body and mind intensely. Sitting down and lolling back in his chair he drank through the rum, still pondering his earlier doubts and concerns, but this time with a much more light-hearted attitude. His own egocentric arrogance caused this nonchalance, and the thought that nothing bad could happen to him, for he was Captain Jack Sparrow after all, pushed his worries to the back of his mind. Now, the only thing that he needed to think about was treasure, and rum, and women… and rum… and treasure. A sharp rap at the door awoke Jack from his reverie, and he called for the person to come in. Upon this motion Barbossa stepped through the door, followed by Kane, and several other members of the crew. Jack stood at this point, his earlier suspicions now reawakened as he saw the menacing looks on their faces.

"Captain." Barbossa drawled, tipping his hat to Jack who had pulled himself to his full height, trying to emphasise his status on the ship.

"Barbossa… Kane…" Jack replied, scanning the room and noticing that it was starting to fill with more crewmembers. "Why may I ask have ye all come here, isn't there something ye should be doing? Like guiding the ship to Isle de Muerta for instance?" he continued, trying to sound authoritative, although he was quite taken aback by this sudden meeting.

"Aye, but there were somethin' we thought we'd better deal with first…" Barbossa continued, his voice dripping with venom. Jack continued scanning the crew, and found that they all had their hands on the hilts of their cutlasses, ready to draw. Instinctively he placed his own hand on his cutlass, and glared out at them all. He knew what this was, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen without a fight first. Blood was going to be spilled, and he was determined that it wasn't going to be his.

"Now Jack, ye don't really think that you're going to fight us all do ye?" Barbossa said chuckling as he noticed Jack's defensive stance. "It would be best if ye could go without a fight, so much easier ye know. That way no blood is lost, and we'll let you get on your merry way, found a nice little place for ye to stay too."

"I'm not going anywhere, and the sooner ye realise that the better. Ye want me off, you're gonna have to fight me, every last one of ye." Jack knew that his words were probably foolish, every member of his crew was here, set against him, everyone except Bill – Bootstrap. He couldn't help a small smile from turning the corners of his mouth up, he had respected Bill, and Bill had seemed to respect him. He also knew that Bill wasn't foolish, mores the pity that he himself was not, but Bill knew that if he were to try to fight the crew, especially Barbossa, he would lose, painfully. The smile was quickly wiped from Jack's face as Kane stepped forwards, drawing his cutlass from its sheath. A faint glimmer of hope ran through him, thinking that maybe Kane had decided to stand by his Captain, the fact that he had always seemed to look up to him, how Jack had confided in him, maybe that would make the boy realise what he was doing, but Jack saw from the glint obvious in Kane's eyes that this was not the case. It had seemed that Kane wanted Jack out more than everyone else, for he was the first in line to fight.

"Jack… I am so sorry mate, but really, ye're just… ye're just not Cap'n material." Kane said laughing, taking a step closer. "Ye really are too honest fer yer own good." He drawled, causing shivers to course right down Jack's spine.

Realising that there was going to be no way out of this situation, without killing the boy who stood before him, the boy Jack had once called a friend, the one that he had thought he could trust the most, Jack drew his cutlass. Kane smiled at this, obviously eager to begin. Barbossa stood watching, a slight evil grin plastered upon his lips. The crew were muttering amongst themselves, but none took their eyes away from the pair of pirates, staring each other out, daring each other to make the first move.

Apparently bored with waiting, Kane lunged forwards, aiming to slice Jack across the stomach. Jack easily dodged the blow, and brought his sword to meet Kane's. Their blades slid against each other, grating metal against metal, a noise that ripped through to the very soul. The pair began to fight, parrying one another's blows, blocking each swipe that the other made. A few minutes passed but neither lost their vigour, Kane would constantly keep jibing at Jack, riling him up, making him fight. The constant taunts were used to try and stop him from thinking about the fight and become careless. Jack would not rise to it though, and continued to fight, lunging at the boy. He had had much more experience in these situations, although a mutiny was a new one on him, fighting was not. Kane it seemed had had his fair share of practice though, trying many methods to get Jack to lose concentration. The taunts continued, and as did the fight, but after a while boredom seemed to slip over Kane, he had wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Jack took this chance to strike out, and the blade of his sword met Kane's flesh, ripping and slicing into his stomach. Kane gasped, eyes wide in shock. As Jack withdrew his sword, Kane fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. Blood seeped from it, quickly staining his clothes, and seeping onto the floor. A small groan escaped his lips, and as he closed his eyes and drew his last breath, Jack could not help the overwhelming feeling of pity. Kane was barely a man, and now, he was dead. Dead before he could barely experience life.

The feeling quickly subsided as Barbossa himself leapt at Jack, his cutlass drawn. As other crewmembers joined Jack found himself being swamped, and could not defend himself for much longer. The fight raged out onto the deck, and as Jack parried with many of the crew, he was finally left facing Barbossa. The tip of Barbossa's sword was gently poking into Jack's throat, and his own sword was in his hand at his side. There was no more that he could do. He had put up a fight as he had promised, and blood had indeed been spilt. Now though, he was going to die.

Barbossa glared evilly, letting out a small chuckle as he spoke. "Ye see Jack; ye've just gone and made this so much more difficult for yerself. Now, I have no pity for ye, now, I shall let you die."

"Just do it." Jack hissed, now feeling that death would be welcome. He was tired from the fighting, and now he just wanted it all to end.

"Ye want to die, ye want to get it over with do ye?" Barbossa replied laughing. "Well if that be the case, I think we should set about obeying the Captain's orders. The only problem is though Jack; ye're not the Captain any longer. No, I think we shall stick to our original plan, and chuck ye off ship. Maybe ye can swim to that little island o'er there, then again… maybe not." He said, eyeing Jacks wounds and weary expression. "An' ye know I really didn't like that ye killed the boy, he was to be my first mate ye see, so I think we shall chuck him in with ye, let him sink, his blood seeping into the water, a very tasty meal the pair of ye shall make for the sharks that preside. Very tasty."

Jack eyed the man as he talked, seeing the pure hatred and resentment in his eyes. He did not know why it was that his crew had turned, but more likely than not, there was probably no reason other than Barbossa was a conniving, evil bastard. He continued watching motionless as Barbossa grabbed Jacks pistols, he could not have done anything to stop it with the sword pointing into his throat anyway. With this motion it seemed that it had forced Barbossa's sword wielding hand forwards slightly, so that tip was dug harder into his throat, causing a tiny cut that stung like hell. Jack hissed at this that made Barbossa look up at him. He smiled slightly and sniggered but did not speak. He proceeded to empty the pistols of all but one shot, and then gave them back. "Now Jack, I think it be time that we shall say our farewells don't ye!" he said after a few moments of silence where the pair just stood staring at each other. "Pintel! Get Kane's body and chuck him overboard." He added.

"Aye." The pirate named Pintel said and hastened to acquiesce, quickly going to Jack's cabin and returning with Kane's body in his arms. He quickly chucked the limp corpse over the railings, where it hit the water, instantly making the cerulean waters tinged with pink, which gradually grew darker and more prominent.

"Off ye go." Barbossa said, motioning for Jack to jump. At this Jack glared at him, but knew there was nothing he could do but comply. He climbed onto the railing, Barbossa's sword now pointing into his back, and dived into the water. He knew that sharks would have sensed the blood in the water by now, and he wasn't going to stick around to come face to face with them. With Barbossa's evil laugh ringing in his ears he swam fast, not stopping until his feet touched the bottom where he waded his way through the waters, up onto the sandy beaches of the island. Collapsing onto the sand he watched as the Pearl started to sail away. Barbossa had obviously wanted to get to the treasure quickly.

"Damn pirates." Jack muttered under his breath, before resting back and lying down. He shut his eyes and let the warmth of the now bright sun envelop his body, and now that his fears had come to pass, and he did not need to worry about that particular fear anymore, he slept. Jack now sits in his cabin, his hands bound, ropes around his waist, congealed blood sticking to his face. Thoughts of Kane entering his mind, thoughts of the mutiny. He had barely thought of the boy over the years, not like he had Barbossa. Kane had died, died by Jack's hand, which in his terms, made them even. He had gotten his revenge. The only reason Barbossa had stayed in his mind for so long was because he had not received his comeuppance, and the day when Jack had shot him, had been the day the those thoughts could leave. Jack had liked Kane, he had been an inquisitive boy, always wanting to try new things, be the best, and Jack had admired that about him. He had always seemed to look up to Jack, and Jack had always felt like a role model to him, something that at the time had massaged his ego greatly.

Now looking back though, all that Jack felt was bitterness. He stared out across the room, wondering how it was that he had come to this situation. He had promised himself he would never let his guard down again, never lose sight of his enemies, and never trust anyone. Then you had come along. You had changed him, you had made him see that people can be friendly, that people are worth his trust, and most of all, you had showed him love. Affection that he had never received without it being completely sexual, you gave him intimacy, and for that you had been held very deeply in his heart. Now with thoughts of you in his mind, Jack felt the weariness that he had felt at the mutiny once more. He wanted it all to be over, he wanted to die, and most of all, he just wanted to be with you. Being with you was what had gotten him into this situation though. All of that day he had been sitting in his cabin, thinking about nothing but you, and the only time he had come out, he had gone to you. Licking his lips he remembers the kiss you had shared, the way you had taken control of the situation, as it seemed you had known the fear that lay inside of him; the fear that he was falling in love with you.

Love was an emotion pirates were supposed to release as soon as they became one, for love was an emotion which would blind your vision, your senses, and mostly lead to your own downfall. He didn't regret it though. He did not regret a single moment he spent with you, for a start it was not in him to, but the overall reason was that you made him feel happy. You massaged his ego, just like Kane had, but not in the same obvious way. He had known that he as a man was a catch, that had been proven many a time, every time he sailed into port there would be women waiting for him, calling to him, begging him. You had been subtler, but he had still been able to tell that you held a desire for him. That night not long ago in his cabin where he had been so angry, and then you had shared that kiss, the passion, the lust that seemed to have seeped out, and he had known that it wasn't just from him. He had felt the eager way in which you had reacted to his advances, the way you had received them, your body begging for more, and although it had been you who had broken the moment, he could see that it was reluctantly. Hours of silence seem to pass as Jack dwells upon his thoughts, and he slowly feels himself drifting off to sleep. As if on cue though, as if it was just to annoy him, Silas enters. He looks at Jack; sees the tired eyes and beaten expression, and laughs. The sound was not a pleasant one, like fabric ripping apart at the seams, it grated on every fibre of Jack's being and made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

"Just thought I'd come and check on me guest." Silas leered, stepping towards Jack and stopping as he reached him. As he drew closer Jack noticed that he was holding something, a book of some sorts, a book that seemed faintly recognisable. "Also thought I'd let ye know that we're going to be leaving you soon, here, on the Pearl."

Confused by this statement Jack eyed him questioningly, and seeing this expression Silas continued. "Aye, don't think you're going to be safe and sound though mate. No, we're leaving you, not yer crew, and we're sinkin' the ship. You, bein' the glorious Captain you make yerself out to be can go down with it." Silas finished with an evil snicker.

Jack continued glaring at him, not knowing what to say. He was spent for witty comebacks, and too weary to argue. The fact that the Pearl would be destroyed was a heavy blow to bear, and Jack felt a sudden rip through his soul. "Found a lil present for ye, kind of a farewell gift. Thought I would read a lovely little extract, a sort of goodbye sermon."

"You what?" Jack asked, now thoroughly bewildered. Silas chuckled, and opened the book he had held in his hands. He then started to read.

'Dearest Emily, I am back on the Pearl again! I may have only been away for a night, but I missed it in that short amount of time! I am so glad to be back here, I feel welcomed and wanted, and I finally feel like I have a home here. As I have told you before, Jack expects the journey to England to take a week or so, hoping that the weather shall hold out. He seems to sense a storm of some sorts on the horizon, but when I look out there is nothing but blue sky, and a bright sun, high in the sky…

Now Jack this is the best part so make sure ye're listening." Silas said before continuing.

"Oh Emily, I cannot stop thinking about our Captain, he plays upon my thoughts all the time, and I really wish I could escape them; they are so confusing and so unnecessary. I do not wish to love this man, I am to leave him when we get to England, and it is unlikely that I shall ever see him again, but I can't help daydreaming of what it would be like to kiss him, to lie in his arms…"

Jack watched Silas as he read out the last part. He had recognised what he was reading straight away, he had remembered reading that first entry in the diary, how you had begun with Emily. Now he felt so saddened by these words, as though his heart had been ripped right out of his chest, as though Silas stood there holding it, squeezing it, until Jack was sure he was going to die. You had said how you had thought you were falling in love with him, and although you had said you didn't want to, that feeling was still there, you had still felt it. The words fill him with such regret for letting you be in this situation. He almost wished he had never met you, at least that way you wouldn't be dead. Admittedly he didn't want to think of a life where he had never known you, never loved you, but he could already feel the pain and torment ripping through him at the thought of your death. You had loved him, and he had let you die.

"Sweet don't ye think?" Silas said as he finished reading. "Nice little lass, got some very interesting entries in here ye know, 'bout how ye almost kissed her, lovely little romance ye had going… sorry about that." Silas' words meant nothing to Jack. When he said sorry he knew it wasn't meant. "Now ye know though. Now ye know the pain that comes with losing someone you care about. I cared about Kane, and you slew 'im. 'E lays dead before 'e barely 'ad a chance to live, and 'e does so by your 'and." He spat. Jack involuntarily winced, which seemed to please Silas.

"He attacked me, it was me or him, and he lost." Jack stated simply, matter-of-factly.

"Aye, the better man lost. He told me of ye. "E told me that you 'ad 'elped 'im, 'ow ye'd looked after 'im, and then I 'eard that ye killed 'im. Then I lost my own respect for the man I thought was lookin' out fer my brother, then I vowed that 'e would not get away with it, and now I am fulfilling that promise. Ye're goin' t' die Jack Sparrow, and ye're gonna do it on the same ship, in the same room as 'im." Jack could easily detect the resentment that Silas held towards him, for it was the same resentment that he had held for Barbossa. He hadn't known that Kane had had a brother, and he certainly hadn't known that that brother would hold as much vehemence as Silas did.

"It's been years since that happened though, why now?" Jack asked, also wanting to voice the question "why her", still thinking of you, but he knew there would be no point.

"Ye're a tricky man t' get 'old of I'll give ye tha'. Also wary, a little too cautious for my good, but I took the advantage when you let yer guard slip with tha' little hussy ye 'ad." Silas replied languorously. Jack bit his lip as Silas mentioned you, especially hard as he had referred to you as a 'hussy', but that wasn't what he wanted to find out right now. At the moment he wanted to find out how it was that Silas and his crew had managed to come close enough to the Pearl to board, without a single member of his crew noticing. Admittedly he was the only one on deck at the time, other than Gibbs and you, but surely one of you, definitely Gibbs should have noticed an approaching ship. Then again, he knew that both you and he had been rather caught up with other things at the time, but Gibbs, what of him?

"How?" Jack asked simply, and received a triumphant grin from Silas, he was obviously proud of himself.

"Ah well, that was what I 'ad thought would be the really tricky part, but I 'ave to say it went pretty damn smooth. My ship, The Unleashed Tempest is very quiet ye see, much quieter than most, an' we had been watching ye for a long time. We 'eard the merriment on board, the singin' and what not, and we waited. Next day, we continued watchin' ye, now I know ye would think that ye would 'ave seen us, but ye see we sailed the ship away once the night ended. She is fast, faster than the Pearl even, an' she can get away and come back quicker than ye could ever imagine. Anyway, we waited until the evenin' when everyone was t' go below deck, and we saw the three of yer out on deck. 'Eard that beautiful singing voice too… pretty song. We managed to creep up on ye, and it seemed that that fellow at the 'elm, well 'e were more interested in what ye an' yer hussy were up to, so we came aboard and knocked 'im out. Then you two were easy as pie, so enwrapped in yer lil moment not to notice. Gotta say though Jack, ye put up a fight, well done, but ye aint gonna get away now."

Jack listened as Silas spoke, amazed at his own disregard for the waters around him. He had had other thoughts in his mind though. He was amazed that The Unleashed Tempest could go faster than The Black Pearl, everyone knew that it was faster than any ship made, but now it seemed that Silas' ship had claimed that title.

"Now Jack, I'm afraid to say I'm going to be leavin ye for a while. Shall be back a little bit later to say one last goodbye. I'll leave this lil bit of reading material for ye. You might wanna see what yer little singing bird wrote… yer little singing sparrow, how amusing!" Silas chuckled, apparently amused by his own wit.

Jack glared at him, and Silas could see that Jack was feeling the pain that Silas had so badly wanted to inflict. He had been glad that Jack had passed out before that stupid idiot had saved you, and he knew that Jack thought you were dead. He knew better though himself. He knew that you might not be, but that was something he wasn't going to tell Jack, not yet anyway. As he gets up and leaves the room he felt triumphant. Let him sit and suffer, let him think that you're dead, let him feel the pain that he, Silas had felt.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 13

You sit in the same spot as you have done for the past hour, staring blankly out the window at the turbulent seas. The waves are not dying down, and if anything seem larger than before. This thought makes you ponder even more the whereabouts of the Pearl, and especially where Jack is, what he is doing, is he safe? From the brief view you got of him before you were chucked overboard, his safety seems rather questionable, but then again, as he has told you many a time, he is Captain Jack Sparrow, and with the title seems to come power and fearlessness. Maybe those qualities are what have led Jack to the predicament he is in, who knows. Gibbs has been asleep all the time, his gentle snoring even and deep is comforting, and helps to alleviate some of the panic that is going through your mind. Graham has stopped by briefly but not for long. Apparently they need all the crew out on deck to help The Intrepid to get through the storm, and apparently at the moment the battle is rather difficult. You sit there musing for a while, and are only interrupted as Graham pops his head round the door after announcing his arrival with quick knock on the oak cabin door.

"So, how are you feeling?" he asks as he enters, closing the door behind him. He looks rather tired, and his wig is slightly lopsided. His clothes look soaked through, probably caused by his battle with the elements up on deck.

"I'm well thank you." You reply, and study his figure more. You can see a few wisps of dark blonde hair poking out where his wig has been pushed away, and you wonder at what he would look like without his outfit. "Gibbs seems ok too." You add. Graham seems to have almost forgotten Gibbs as a blank expression makes a fleeting appearance across his face, but he smiles as he remembers.

"Ah yes, your friend. He seems a bit steadier than he was before, much healthier." You smile in agreement and look over to where Gibbs lays. His belly rising and falling with every breath, and you can see that the hair of his moustache and beard flutter slightly as he breathes out. You can't suppress a small giggle at the image of him, he looks so kind and friendly, which indeed he is, but he is a pirate all the same. "What's so funny?" Graham asks, apparently confused by your light chuckle. You look at him, not really knowing what to say, after all it wasn't that funny an image, and Graham was not to know about Gibbs being a pirate.

"Oh, its nothing." You say, and are glad when Graham just nods his head. He doesn't want to push you for information, and he is glad to see you happy after this time. When he had checked in on you in the night he had sat on the edge of the bed watching your sleeping form. He had seen a frown upon your face, and saw your lips forming the words 'no' and 'stop'. He wondered at what you had been dreaming, and felt captivated by the mystery which surrounded you and your life. He had no idea of how you came to be in the water, being dragged along by that fellow Gibbs. Graham had wanted to ask you so many questions so badly, but he didn't want to upset you and dig into the past, what had happened. He liked your smile, he liked the way you looked and acted. You seemed so comfortable around him, even though you had barely known him, but he felt as though there was something there, some kind of attraction maybe? Graham himself had been thinking about that last night as he had tried to take a couple of hours rest. He had been at sea for a while, and he hadn't had any company for a while. It was understandable that he was starting to find an attraction forming for you; you were a woman, and a pretty one at that. He shook the thoughts off, not wanting to think about it too much. He didn't know anything about you, and you knew nothing of him. He had no reason to believe that the feelings were mutual, and he didn't even know how far his own feelings went.

You smile at him; he seems to have fallen into thought. He quickly smiles back though and starts to speak.

"We shall be sailing back to a nearby port, Port Jacob. The ship was originally set for England but we have encountered some significant damage through the storm, and been knocked back off our course. Port Jacob is the closest so we shall be going back there to make repairs."

You are surprised by the destination that you will now be headed in, but are glad of it. You look forward to seeing Rosa again, all though the news of why you are back, and without Jack as well may be difficult to explain.

"I just came in to let you know of our course, will you be okay with going there?" Graham continued, now looking into your eyes as he spoke. He seemed to hold genuine concern for your safety and that was something you were very grateful for.

"That will be fine. I have some err… friends in Port Jacob who myself and Mr Gibbs will be able to stay with I am sure." You reply, thinking once more of Rosa. Even without Jack you knew you would receive a warm welcome, and you actually found yourself greatly anticipating some of her stew. The same stew she had tried to force down your throat was now making your mouth water. You hadn't eaten anything since you had boarded The Intrepid and your stomach was revolting against it, growling in warning as though it were telling you it was going to leave if you didn't feed it soon. You chuckle once again at the thought of it and know that you're going to need to reply to Grahams inquisitive glance this time, otherwise he'll probably think you crazy, laughing over apparently nothing. "My stomach… growling." You say through a smile, and you see Grahams shocked expression.

"Oh God! I forgot about that. I've already eaten but when I came in to bring you breakfast you were still asleep and I didn't want to disturb you, oh I am so sorry, I'll get you something now!" Graham gushed, frantically making his way across the cabin.

"I wouldn't say no to a bit of sustenance." Gibbs said, apparently now awake. You look over to him and see that he still has his eyes closed, but there is a small grin plastered across his lips.

"Oh! Certainly!" Graham said quickly glancing in Gibbs direction. You sit on the bed and watch Grahams flustered expression. You had decided that you quite liked him. You had never been too fond of officials, even when you had been living a "decent" life with your parents they had bugged you, and this had become even more apparent as you had joined the Pearl and seemed to take upon all the other pirates dislike for them. When you had been living with your parents they had wanted ever so much for you to marry a respectable navy officer, a man who looked after and fought for his country. They said that that was the characteristics every woman should look for in a husband, and before and for a short while after you met Jonathan they had tried to set you up. They hadn't been particularly fond of Jonathan, but he hadn't been what they would have called the worst choice you could have made. The worst choice would have been someone like a pirate, someone like Jack. They had brought many officers and lieutenants to your house, held dinner parties to try and make you climb the social ladder and make you the most eligible young lady in the land. You had enjoyed this in the beginning, the attention you got was fun and exciting, but once you had met Jonathan the dinner parties were just annoying. It was just your parents way of trying to lure you away from him, and you were very happy the day they had told you they had given up, and if you wanted to marry someone like Jonathan then they didn't have the strength left in them to stop you. Jonathan wasn't that bad a man after all, and they had even begun to like him before he had become ill. They had never liked him that much though, which was probably the reason why they had kept you away from him once he had become ill. You still felt bitter for that fact, they had had no right to keep you away from the man you loved, and you now feel the same bitterness for the people, whoever they were, who had ripped you away from Jack's arms and embrace.

"I'll go get something now, do you have any preferences… although we don't exactly have much to offer…" Graham asked as he made to step out the door.

"No, just food, any food." You say smiling, not wanting him to feel guilty in any way, its not like he had done anything majorly bad! You watch as he nods and walks out the door, closing it behind him. You turn back to face Gibbs who is now sitting up looking at you, a half smile on his lips. He looks slightly strained and is pressing his hand firmly into his left thigh. As he removes it you see the torn fabric and skin, the flesh looks so bruised and sore, and you know it probably stings like hell.

"So, yer all right luv?" he asks smiling at you.

"Yes, I'm all right. How about you? You look a bit better than you did last night." You reply with a hopefully reassuring smile.

"Aye, aye. I feel much better also. Poundin' in me head 'as dulled down an' all, legs a bit sore but other than that I'm fine and dandy!" You grin at him and get up off the bed and go sit by him. "Worryin' about Jack eh?" he asks as you rest your head on his shoulder. You nod slightly, and feel tears prickling at your eyes. You blink them away and quietly whisper your confession.

"Ye know I'm sure he's fine. He's got a good head on him, been in worse scrapes than this in his life and come through them right as rain." You nod as Gibbs tries to reassure you with these thoughts, but you still feel concerned for Jack's safety. He was too cocky for his own good, and that could very well lead to his downfall.

"Ye know I bet he's on the Pearl righ' now sailin' around looking for us, and I bet he'll find us too. He loves you pet, I saw that when you two were out there at the bow before that stupid son of a bitch came along. No woman has hit him as hard as you, and because of that I know that he will do everything he can do get to you, even if it takes him the rest of his life."

"I don't want it to take the rest of his life, I want him here now!" you sob, now letting the tears fall.

"I know, I know, but we're just going to have to be patient. He'll come and find us, you'll see. He's Captain Jack Sparrow, and above all he's my friend. I know I can trust him, and I trust that he'll be out there looking for us, no matter what it takes."

"What of the person, the pirate, who took over the Pearl, who was he?"

"That I'm afraid I can't answer. Knocked me out they did, and I didn't get to see his face nor hear his name. I'm afraid I don't know luv, I really don't." You try to quell your sobs but find that it is no use and continue crying into Gibbs' shoulder. He sits with you and places an arm around your shoulders. "He'll be fine luv, you'll see." He says quietly, feeling the sobs, which pulse through your body. "He'll be just fine."

* * * *

Back onboard the Pearl Jack sits in the chair, your diary on the table in front of him. How Silas expected him to actually read whilst his hands were bound behind his back he didn't know. He sat there thinking about those words you had written, playing them over in his mind. I can't help daydreaming of what it would be like to kiss him, to lie in his arms… How Jack wished that you had had the chance to do that. He wanted you in his bed so badly that it was turning into a very physical ache of longing. It surprised him how the thoughts were making him feel; he needed you, your body badly. Knowing he was going to be close to death was making him feel the sexual desire even more so, and the thought that he was going to die without being with you properly was agonising. He wanted you; your love, your touch, your kiss, your everything, and he knew that there wasn't much chance for him to get it now. He hadn't thought of any kind of plan of escape. He had heard people talking through the night outside the cabin, saying that the crew were currently being held in the brig. They wouldn't be able to help Jack, and there was no way in hell that any of Silas' crew were going to give him a hand either. As he sits there thinking, voices can be heard from outside the cabin, and the key is turned in the lock. Jack looks to the door, and blinks at the sight before him.

There stands a woman, her figure framed in the doorway with the outside light casting highlights and shadows over her features perfectly. She smiles as she looks at him, and flicks her head so that her long blonde hair falls back behind her shoulders. She steps into the cabin and closes the door behind her. No one speaks as she heads across the room, and Jack makes out the sound of the door being locked behind her.

"Jack Sparrow." She states, walking towards him. He continues gazing at her, and sees her fine figure, her clothes wrapped around her form perfectly, accentuating every curve that a man could desire to see. Her cheekbones were high and prominent and her eyes large shaped like almonds, blue and piercing. Her lips were thinner than what Jack usually liked, but she was undeniably beautiful. Because of this view of her that stood before him he didn't even think to correct her on his title.

"My name is Marianne LisPourpre." She continues, eyeing the man who sat bedraggled and forlorn in front of her. She smiled at him and moved to the dresser, ripping some fabric and soaking it in some tepid water that had been left in a bowl.

Jack recognised the name as soon as she said it, and although he had never met her before, he knew her well. Marianne LisPourpre had been a high-class prostitute in Tortuga, one who he had never had the company of. The stories went that she had escaped her life, although she apparently enjoyed it, and become the lover of a pirate. Who that pirate was was not known, but Jack had found that many of the girls he had been with wished to follow in her lead and make any pirate they met into their full time lover. Apparently this pirate had treated her to all the money and jewels she had ever desired, and every morning after Jack had spent the night with some whore or another they would ask if he would take them away and do the same. They liked the idea of being out to sea, looked after by a man who owned the fastest ship in the ocean. He had found it to become quite troublesome and tiring after a while, having to bat away the most eager women who would beg and plead, telling him they would make a very good wife. He would just laugh and be on his merry way. He had come to dislike the woman who had put these thoughts of escape into the girl's minds, but he also felt a slight happiness for the girl who had managed to do well for herself, after all the tough times she had been through.

Marianne sat down gently on Jack's lap, keeping her gaze fixated upon his face. She knew of Jack Sparrow very well, and had always wanted to meet the man behind the stories. She had heard of his good looks, his skills as a pirate, and above all his skills as a lover. Silas had taken her away from Tortuga before she could become acquainted with this amazing man. She had reluctantly gone with Silas, for he was not an attractive man, and did not know how to please a woman in bed at all. However he did know how to please a woman in material items. He had bestowed jewellery and gifts upon her, and promised that he would do so every day for the rest of her life if she agreed to stay with him. He told her of his ship and she had marvelled at its brilliance when she had seen it. She was most definitely out for herself, and she knew a good deal when she got one. That was why she had come to be with Silas, and this was how she had come to be here. She had come to see Jack without Silas' knowledge, and she was quite eager to find out if all the stories were true.

"I have heard of you Mr Sparrow." She said lightly as she began dabbing at the cuts on Jacks forehead, wiping the blood away to reveal his smooth tanned skin. He winced as she pressed slightly too hard, but he was comforted by the feel of a woman sitting on his lap, even if it wasn't the one he wanted. "I have heard many stories." Marianne continued, and drew the cloth across Jacks lips ever so gently, causing him to smile.

"And what stories would those be Miss LisPourpre?" he asked. Her name was most definitely French but she did not have even the slightest hint of an accent. Maybe she had lived in Tortuga from a very early age.

"It's Marianne, just as I hope that I may call you Jack, you may also call me by my first name." Jack nodded in agreement, and blinked at the sensation when she shifted her position slightly in his lap, causing a small pleasurable shiver to run through him. This was definitely a very bad position to be in, but what could he do when he was bound to the chair? As he looked at Marianne smiling at him he found it hard to think of your face, and although this worried him slightly he didn't feel that way for long, and found himself looking the woman over, down from her face to her throat, downwards to her breasts, down to her waist and then back up to her breasts. He licked his lips at this sight, and Marianne knew very well the effect she was having on him. Not many a man could resist her, many of the other girls had called her the Siren, luring men to their deaths, although not with her voice, but with her body.

"I have heard stories of your many… talents." She whispered, now drawing closer to Jack's face. He could smell her scent, a mixture of vanilla and some other sweet aroma, some kind of flower. A low growl escaped his throat as she moved once more in his lap, and she dabbed again at his face with the cloth. "I was wondering, if maybe you could show me… give me a demonstration…?" she asks, looking deep into his eyes, her face now but centimetres from his. She squirmed once again and she got the desired effect as his eyes went back in his head and another growl escaped his lips.

"And what kind of talents would you be suggesting?" he asks quietly, although he knows exactly what she is talking about.

"I think you know Jack, I think you know exactly what talents I am talking of…" she whispers, and presses her lips against his own. It is just a short kiss, no more than their lips pressing together, barely moving, but it is enough for Jack's desire to ignite.

"I can't do anything whilst in this chair." He whispers as she pulls away. All thoughts of you have disappeared now, and are replaced by the thought of the woman before him, sprawled out on his bed as he… Marianne quickly hops off of Jack's lap and proceeds to take a dagger that lay on top of the desk nearby. She slowly walks around behind Jack, she can feel her heart fluttering as she cuts the cords that bind Jack's wrists, and she returns to stand before him, cutting the ropes around his waist. He stands up gingerly, and she steps back, letting him get used to standing after having been sat down for so many hours. After a few moments her desire gets the better of her and she steps into him, placing her lips upon his once again. He kisses her hungrily, letting his tongue roam her mouth as she opens hers, accepting and inviting him, using her own tongue forming an erotic tango in each other's mouths.

He falters slightly as he realises what he is doing, a quick image of you coming to mind. The restraints of the chair had made him feel desperate, but now that he was standing free, that desperation wasn't so prominent. Talking of prominence Marianne placed her hand on Jack's crotch, rubbing it firmly over his pants. Taking her hand away she was pleased to hear a slight moan of distaste escape Jacks lips, and she proceeded to pull at his shirt, untucking it. She let her hand wander over his firm abdominal muscles before going further down, sliding her hand down his pants and grasping him firmly. She was not disappointed in what she found.

The pairs breathing, especially Jack's, was coming shorter and quicker, and Marianne knew she had him exactly where she wanted him. Jack's mind was confusing him, thoughts of you telling him to stop, but the overwhelming sensation of how good, how pleasurable this was feeling were battling them, and they were winning. You were dead after all, surely this couldn't be counted as anything wrong, you hadn't even been in an actual relationship, and even though he loved you, he was overwhelmed by the sexual desire he was feeling. He pulled Marianne into him and she continued her administrations, causing him to groan in delight. He grasped at her dress, pulling it down with all his might, not bothering with any clasps or laces, and let his hands roam her body. They carried on kissing passionately and made their way over to the bed as Jack slipped off Marianne's underwear. She withdrew her hand from him and pulled at his pants, wanting to feel all of this for herself, and although Jack's hands were skilled in the way he was touching her, they weren't enough. She wanted to feel him, all of him. Just as Jacks pants came off a shout came from the door, causing the pair to look up in fright. Both gasping for breath Jack turned to the voice, but was not able to get any kind of view as hands were placed firmly on his shoulders, pulling him away from Marianne's clutches.

"Silas!" Marianne screamed, but only received a sharp, stinging slap across the face.

"You dirty fucking whore! How dare you!" Silas shouted, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her up from the bed to stand before him. She cowered but he did not care and slapped her across the face again. Two men were holding onto Jack who was too surprised to struggle against them. Silas slapped Marianne once more and let go of her wrist, pushing her onto the bed. Turning to Jack there was fiery anger in his eyes, and he stepped up to him, paying no heed to the fact that Jack was standing there with his pants around his ankles.

"You!" he said vehemently, looking Jack in the eyes. "I didn't think you could do much more to ruin my life, but well done, you've proved me wrong." He spat.

Jack did not know what to reply, a sudden feeling of guilt rushing over him. The feeling couldn't last long though as Silas punched him hard in the stomach. Jack felt as though Silas' fist could have gone right through him, and with the fact that his stomach was already sore from the blows he had been given was not helping. The men who were holding him let go, but do not step away. Silas watches as Jack slumps to his knees, and he bites his lip instead of crying out in pain. He can hear Marianne's sobs but she is doing nothing to stop Silas. Silas continues to kick out at jack, making him fall on his side, clutching his knees to his chest as Silas deals him blow after blow. Jack shuts his eyes tight and tries to make his mind leave this world, forget about the pain, but as Silas keeps kicking at him he starts coughing, the taste of blood in his mouth. He is sure that at least one of his bodily organs must have lacerated from the harsh beatings. Silas stops after what seems like hours, cursing and swearing. Jack stays curled up on the floor, trying to breathe. Every slight intake hurts, and his breaths are ragged and short.

Marianne looks over to Jack and sees Silas standing next to him. She doesn't want to be dealt the same fate, and although Silas had slapped her a few times she did not want it to get any worse. She made her way off of the bed and over to Silas, placing her hand gently on his arm. He flinched at her touch and brought his hand up to smack her once more. She flinched at this and Silas felt his cold heart warm for a moment as he looked at her large eyes, pleading with him. She was so beautiful, he could never resist her, and maybe that was the problem.

"How could you?" he whispered looking at her, ignoring Jacks shaking body on the floor. He was still conscious, and listening for what Marianne was going to say.

"I… he… he persuaded me." She started, trying to form some kind of story to get out of Silas' bad books. Silas watched the woman that stood before him, and he was blind to her lies. All he could see was the damp tears forming in her eyes, tears he deducted as meaning that she really cared about him, although these were really just tears of fear.

"He seduced me…" she continued, not knowing what else she could tell Silas to make him believe her. She could see in his eyes that he was coming round, and that she only needed to say one more thing to make him fall for it all.

"He forced me." She whispered and ignored Jacks moans of disagreement from the floor. "He tried… against my will…" she added for emphasis.

Silas' eyes widened in horror at the thought of Jack trying to take something that Marianne had not willingly given. He turned to Jack once more and issued one heartfelt blow. Jack could not stifle a loud groan this time, and he let the tears that were in his eyes fall. Silas pulled Marianne away and left the room with his two crewmembers in tow. Slamming and locking the cabin door he turned to his men.

"The Pearl is to be sunk in one hour, got it. One hour." He hissed, and pulled Marianne away across the plank that had been fixed across the two ships.

Jack managed to pick himself up from the floor but only just. Pulling up his trousers he went to the bed and lay down. He despised Marianne now, and felt oh so guilty of what he had done. She had actually tried to imply that he had tried to rape her, and that was just disgusting. The thoughts of you filled his head and he actually found himself crying out, sobs heaving through his body. He felt disgusted by himself, by what he had done. He had let his desire escape him, and now the image of your face wouldn't leave him alone. What would you say, what would you think if you knew what he had done? Strangled cries escaped his lips, and for the first time in his life he felt like he would commit suicide. The only thing that stopped him from taking the dagger that lay on the table across the room and slitting it across his throat was the fury and anguish he felt for Silas and Marianne. He was going to stop them, kill them, and although he didn't know how, there was something he was going to do, something he would do to avenge your death, and maybe alleviate some of his grief. He lay there, the sobs lessening and growing quieter. It was three quarters of an hour before anything new happened.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 14

It has been two days since Graham brought you the news of your return to Port Jacob and you have finally arrived there. Over the time on The Intrepid you have become quite firm friends with Graham and he has come in to the cabin and talked to you when he hasn't been needed out on deck. Although Gibbs was pretty healthy he still slept all the time, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Your thoughts are constantly of the same thing though, over and over again, Jack. You can't help but wonder at what has happened, wonder where he is, how he is doing, whether he is even alive. You really like Graham and you have a feeling that he likes you a lot, possibly more than you would desire at the current time because of your feelings for Jack, but he also seems to serve as a reminder of the fact that you are alone. You don't know where your family are, you feel as though they do not miss you for if they did they would have come looking for you long ago, and although you did feel bitter towards them, you also just wanted to know that they cared, that someone in the whole world cared. You knew that Jack cared for you, or at least you had thought so as you had stood at the bow of the Pearl, but he wasn't here, he wasn't with you, and that above everything is what you so badly needed. You needed to be with him, just plain and simple. You didn't have to do anything, say anything; you just wanted to know that he is nearby and that he cares. These thoughts constantly fill your mind and create that familiar lump in your throat, although you have not cried in the two days. Tears don't seem to come anymore, and that is worrying in itself. You know that you cant be forgetting Jack, there is no chance that in your whole lifetime you would ever forget him, but you also know that the picture of his face is taking longer to form in your mind. You desperately want to see him again, you find yourself trembling under the covers in bed, even though you are warm, just because of the thought that you might not see him. You want to talk to someone about all your thoughts, your feelings and concerns, but although Graham is nice and you feel as though you can trust him now, and although Gibbs is wonderful, you don't think that they are the kind of people you want to tell your innermost thoughts and feelings to. You dearly wish that you had the diary Gibbs had given you, how you would love to tell Emily of all the happenings, and you just wish you could vent out some of the pent up emotion which has started to make you very snappy and quick-tempered.

You sit now on the bed in the cabin which has been your home for the past couple of days, waiting with your hands firmly clasped in your lap for Graham to come and tell you it is time to leave for shore. He has already been in to tell you that The Intrepid is being moored, which served as an instruction for you and Gibbs to get ready. You obviously hadn't had any belongings but you felt it necessary to at least tidy yourself up. You had tried to smooth out the creases in your dress and had run a comb through your hair which Graham had provided you with. You had managed to wash quickly whilst Gibbs was sleeping, something which he had barely stopped doing, and were now ready to go to the tavern to see Rosa. Gibbs had managed to straighten out his clothes a bit and had also had a quick wash, although he did moan and groan a hell of a lot whilst doing so. He was pretty healthy and the cut in his thigh had healed over quite nicely, although the wound was still very obvious. He also sat on the bed opposite you, waiting for the call. You both sit in silence for the next few minutes until Graham announces his arrival by tapping on the door and stepping through.

"The Intrepid is now moored in the docks." He says with a small smile towards you and Gibbs. You look up at him and force a small smile to your own lips. You were quite apprehensive of seeing Rosa, you didn't know how she would react to your return and the news of Jack's misfortunes, but you also knew that she would still be welcoming. This didn't completely quell the trepidation though, and the small piece of tissue you had been holding in your hands earlier was now ripped and tattered to shreds from your worrying.

"If you would like to follow me then I shall lead you out onto dry land, I am sure you will be glad to be there." Graham continues, trying to make light-hearted banter. He was worried too. He could see the nervous look on your face, the way your skin looked so pale today was a sure sign that there was something on your mind, for your skin had always been full of colour beforehand.

He had tried to talk to you as much as possible, every now and again pushing slightly for information, but he hadn't managed to learn that much. All he knew was that you had been on a ship where a man you loved had also been, and that ship had been taken over by pirates. He knew that Gibbs was like a father to you, and he knew that you had been working in a tavern in Port Royale singing before Gibbs had rescued you from a crazed customer who had wanted more than was being offered. Other than that, he knew nothing. He felt as though you were hiding so much from him, and he even cursed the fact that he was what he was. A naval officer of the royal fleet, bound to do his duty and obey the law. This meant that people with secrets, people with things about them that would not be favoured by the law, were usually suspicious and wary, and that was an attitude he recognised in you.

He had found himself wanting to be with you more and more, your life was so intriguing, the mystery surrounding your past making him want to get to know you better, know everything there is to know. You had always held back though, if he had asked a question that you had felt was too prying you had just hung your head and looked at your hands. He could see small droplets of tears forming in your eyes and he knew that he could push no further for he didn't want to hurt you. He himself knew what it was like to have a past that he didn't want the world to know of. He had not been born to a respectable family like so many other officials had, and had in fact come from a family whose reputation fell the wrong side of the law. His father had been known commonly as quite an idiot, with no manner of education whatsoever. He had been known to be drunk throughout the day and night and many could hear the screams of Graham's mother as his father beat her, eventually to death. Graham had left as soon as he could, he had no siblings and once his mother was dead he had no need to stay and look after her as he had done for the past years of his life. At the age of sixteen he had joined the Navy, and now he was proud to be a part of it. He hadn't seen his father since the day he had left, and he had heard but a year later that he had been found dead, a bottle of rum still clasped tightly in his hands. Apparently no one had been able to pry it from him, and he had been buried still clutching the brown bottle. Graham hated his father, for his drunkenness, his stubbornness about always getting his own way and never letting Grahams mother talk sense into him, and above all, Graham hated him for the fact that he had killed his mother. One big hole in his heart was left the day she had died. He had found her after coming out of his room for she had always begged him to stay away whilst his father vented the anger. She hadn't wanted him to see the turmoil she was going through, and although he begged and pleaded with her to let him try to help, she would just start crying and beg him herself not to. To see his mother in tears as she rested on the floor, bloody and broken, was enough for him to do as she said. He wanted to hit out at his father but his father was strong, and could easily beat him down. He knew that he would be no good to his mother if he were hurt too, which is why he would stay away.

The day he had knelt next to her still form he had cursed the man whose blood ran through his veins, and proclaimed that he would rid the world of people like him. That is how he came to be a lieutenant, and although the title did have some drawbacks - your not fully trusting him to keep secrets – he was still proud of the fact that he was doing something right, and because of him some people would be able to escape the fate that his mother had been dealt. He feared his father in himself, he never wanted to be like the man that had sired him, and he still looked in the mirror every day with distaste. His father hadn't been an ugly man, in fact he had been thought of as quite a catch, and Graham had taken some of those looks into himself. He had the same dirty blonde hair, the same square chin, and the same shaped nose, but his eyes. His eyes were always like his mothers. Light and blue like a calm cerulean Caribbean ocean.

As Graham looks at you sitting on the bed he feels a small pang in his heart, knowing that you are leaving. He has grown to be very attracted to you, and he likes your company. However the thought that this is just a natural lust for a pretty face still haunts him, and he knows that he cant act upon his feelings until he knows for sure whether this is true or not. He knows where his first stop in Port Jacob is going to be once he has escorted you to dry land, and having the natural male inclinations that he does, he is looking forward to getting there.

You look at the man in front of you and also feel a small pang. He is handsome and has become a great friend, but nothing like Jack. He has spoken to you for as long as possible, and you have noticed when he has come to look in on you in the night sometimes. He looks forlorn and weary though, but you believe this to be the effects of being out at sea, battling the elements and the tempest that had been raging. You nod in acknowledgement and get up from the bed, sighing slightly.

"I guess it is time for us to say goodbye then." You say quietly, glancing at Gibbs who also gets up and nods.

"Aye, we're very grateful of yer hospitality, much appreciated." Gibbs adds, although he suddenly feels slightly shy of the situation. It is hard to keep up the pretence of being a normal, law-abiding citizen when you are really a fun loving, treasure finding scallywag.

"I shall be accompanying you to where you shall be staying, the Golden Rose wasn't it?" Graham says, still standing in the doorway of the cabin.

You nod in agreement, hearing the name of the tavern where Rosa and Arthur would be. "Good, well if you would like to both follow me then we shall be heading onto land." Graham finishes, stretching his arm out for you to take as you step forward in a gentlemanly fashion. Gibbs follows you, trudging along behind, limping slightly. Graham grits his teeth as you your wrap your bare arm around his, ignoring the overwhelming desire to do something rash. You walk steadily up the steps which lead from your cabin to the deck and blink a couple of times in the sunlight which is now shining in a clear blue sky, the storm having subsided. You look out at Port Jacob, the green fauna that decorates the edges of the white sandy beaches, the small lightly coloured buildings and cottages which assemble along the hillside which leads up to a large abundant forest. You sigh slightly, your trepidation getting the better of you, but continue to walk with Graham down the gangway and onto the port. Gibbs isn't far behind and almost comes crashing into you as you halt quickly, turning back towards the Intrepid. You hadn't yet seen the ship other than the cabin, and you felt that it at least deserved a glance, being that it and its crew had saved you from your probable death.

What you saw and what you expected were different things though. You thought you would be seeing a large majestic naval ship, large white, billowing sails, dark timber frame, a tall mast… what was moored in the docks was bedraggled and broken, and in general a bit of a mess. You cannot stifle a small gasp as you look at the ship, one that you had pictured as being like so many other naval ships you had seen. The mast seemed to be slightly broken near the top, the sails were ripped, and there were small holes in the sides of the ship. Graham noted your gasp and grimaces slightly, recognising your distaste. The only one to physically voice it though is Gibbs.

"Bloody hell that ships seen better days!" he announces loudly, following your gaze towards the ship. Graham nods half heartedly before replying.

"Yes, she has suffered a bit through the storm but we think that she shall be able to make way to England in a day or two, after the most major repairs have been carried out."

"Aye, she's not sunk yet, but she aint far from it…" Gibbs says whilst nodding. You bite your lip worriedly as you turn once again to see the main road of Port Jacob, one which will lead you to the tavern. "Aye suppose we had better be going luv, go an' see ol' Rosa and some of her stew! And Arthur of course!" Gibbs says merrily although you can see a slight hint of worry in his eyes too.

"Well then, I shall be escorting you both, make sure that you are safe and cared for." Graham says and starts slowly heading up the street with your arm still wrapped around his and Gibbs following behind again. You walk in silence up the slight hill and stop outside the tavern, unlinking your arm from Grahams. He shivers slightly, feeling as though he is missing out on your touch, but retains a stiff upper lip as you face him with a smile. Hat he does not know is that the smile that is fixated upon your lips is rather forced, and all you really want to do is run back down the road and board the Intrepid once more. Facing Rosa and telling her what has happened will make everything seem so much more real, and you're not sure if you can cope with that.

"Well farewell, I hope you will be ok, I mean I am sure you will be but… uh… well farewell." Graham stutters, not knowing what to say to the woman who he has become quite attached to over the past couple of days.

"Thank you Graham, thank you so much for looking after us." You gush nervously, your eyes flicking from the door of the tavern and back to Graham.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" he asks, noticing your angst.

"No, no, it's alright, its all ok… I just… I don't know… it's just strange being back here so soon I guess…"

"Aye, I wasn't expecting to be seeing Rosa and Arthur again for a while, can't say that I'm not glad though!" Gibbs adds. You nod in agreement and place your arms around Grahams neck, hugging him tightly as a gesture of farewell and thanks. You squeeze him tightly once more before letting him go and can't help but let out a small chuckle at his bemused expression, his cheeks slightly flushed. He quickly looks away and busies himself with rearranging the wig atop of his head although it was in perfect place as usual. He had wanted to hug you back but he suddenly felt very awkward, and the closeness of your bodies was making him very aware of how in need of company he was at this precise moment. The tightly starched uniform had suddenly felt ever so heavy and warm, and the thoughts of stripping it off were not helping the situation. However he regains his composure and looks at you, a genuine smile pulling at his lips.

"I wish you both the best of luck. I shall be back to inform you of any news about any ships that have been wrecked and things like that, and also to see how you are both doing of course." Graham says quickly. You nod in thanks and look to Gibbs who also nods in agreement.

"I think we shall be making our way inside then." You say, stretching your arm out for Gibbs to take. It was a gesture you were clinging to as a way of reassurance, if Gibbs was close by then you would be ok; he had always saved you in the past… Gibbs notices the motion and wraps his arm around yours, stepping with you slightly towards the door where you can already hear Rosa's loud voice talking to someone or another. You smile at Graham once more and attempt to say goodbye although it comes out in a soft whisper, and then turn and walk through the door that Gibbs has opened. Looking ahead of you you see that all eyes are turned to you both and you sidle up to Gibbs a bit closer, hoping to find comfort and reassurance in his company. The next thing you know Rosa is bustling over to you, a large grin spread widely across her lips, her cheeks rosy and her arms outstretched. She doesn't give you and Gibbs the chance to separate from one another but takes you both in her arms and squeezes tightly.

"You're back so soon!" she exclaims as she hugs you, not giving you a chance to reply seeing as you can barely breathe in her grasp, and she also continues talking. "What brings ye back to ol' Rosa, missed me stew I take it!" she says laughing heartily. "An' where's that Captain of yours, haven't thrown 'im overboard have ye?" she continues still chuckling, although she now finally relents her embrace and steps back from the both of you.

You find now that the nerves that had worried you earlier are replaced with an overwhelming panic as she mentions Jack and being thrown overboard and you can't do anything to stop the sobs that suddenly rack your body. Tears fall steadily from your eyes and you gasp in air, trying but failing to quell the sobs. Rosa's large grin drops straight away as she looks upon your small figure, your tear stained cheeks and heaving shoulders as sob after sobs runs through, bursting out with the utmost violence.

Gibbs arm around you pulls you closer towards him and you bury your face in his chest as he wraps his arms around you. You feel like a small child, not knowing where you are, as though you are lost and alone in the whole town, and now you are relieved because you have found your parents, but you were so worried and scared before. Your worry and fear makes you tremble, and you find it hard to speak anything of sense. You hear Rosa call to Arthur and you start moving towards a nearby table where Gibbs helps you to sit down on the bench.

"Aw pet, come on now, ye know I cant deal with females cryin'" he mutters as he strokes your hair. You bite your lip in an attempt to stop the cries, and eventually you feel your body calm down slightly. You look to Rosa who is staring at you, eyes wide with concern.

"Jack…" you begin, but find it impossible to carry on as you hiccup breathes into your lungs, stopping the simple task of speech from coming to you. Rosa can see your plain distress and gets up from her position where she had been kneeling beside you and takes your hand in hers.

"It's ok pet." She says and pulls you forward slightly, motioning for you to stand up. You do so tentatively and stand before her, your body still trembling slightly and still hiccupping. She glances towards Gibbs, raising an eyebrow quizzically, but places a cubby arm around your shoulders and leads you away to the back of the tavern, taking you up the stairs to where the rooms are.

"I…I…I'm really sorry…" you choke out as you walk up to the rooms.

"I don't know what's gone on yet pet but I am sure you've got nothing to be sorry for. Now, now, don't start sobbing again." She says as you feel another sob heave through your body. You nod slightly and bite your bottom lip as she leads you into a bedroom. The same one in fact that you had stayed in just a few nights ago. You sit down on the bed and Rosa stands before you, her hand placed gently upon your shoulder. "Its ok, whatever it is, I am sure it will all be fine." She says looking at you through soft kind eyes. You nod but relent to silence as words are no longer forming.

"You stay here, I'm going to go back downstairs an' talk to Gibbs, I'll be up later ok, ye have a bit of a rest pet, ye look like ye could use it." You nod and catch a glimpse of your reflection in the mirror near the bed. You can see that your face looks terribly forlorn, and your eyes are all red and puffy, not an attractive look at all. Then again, why would you care about looking attractive when you didn't even know if the man you loved was still alive. You lay down on the bed and sob into the pillow, images of Jack's face filling your mind. Rosa looks at you for a moment before departing.

* * * *

Graham goes back to the Intrepid, his heart heavy with thoughts of saying goodbye. As he reaches the cabin he shares with the rest of the crew he looks at his reflection in a mirror on the wall. The sight before him he feels like spitting at, and he proceeds to wrench the powdered white wig from his head, letting his dirty blonde hair fall down, so that it dangles before his eyes slightly. He hurriedly takes off his uniform and puts on civilian clothes. The place that he is going wouldn't accept him too readily if they saw him in his uniform, and what he had to do he wanted to get over with as soon as possible. Finally dressed he leaves the Intrepid once more and heads back into Port Jacob. He hadn't been there many times before but knew exactly where the place he was looking for was situated, for the town was not very big.

Situated on the outskirts was the large majestic building, or at least it would have been if it hadn't fallen into a state of untidy disrepair. However it still stood strong and provided a shelter for its occupants and the clients who entered it. The only whorehouse in the whole of Port Jacob and that was exactly where Graham was going to go. Once the deed had been done he would know whether the desire he felt for you was purely lust, lust which could be satisfied by any woman, or something which ran far deeper. With a deep sigh he heads up the barely visible path, and knocks on the door. A young girl opens it, her rouge painted lips forming a smile as she recognised the business opportunity.

"Come in." she says brightly. "Make yourself at home. Someone will come to see you in just a moment." Graham follows the young girl into a brightly lit entrance hall and seats himself on one of the couches that adorn it. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Tonight he will find out, tonight he will know.

* * * *

You awake after sobbing yourself to sleep, and find that many hours have passed. Your room is dark but you can see the lights of the downstairs tavern and the candles in the hallway infiltrating the gloom through the space under the doorway. You steadily make your way over to it and blink as the candlelight hits you, causing you to squint against it slightly. You can hear music and laughter drifting up from downstairs and you find that your spirits have lifted slightly, your earlier trepidation now having been vented. You head down the stairs and out into the brightly lit tavern where men and women alike sit, drink and dance merrily. Chatting amongst themselves they pay no heed to the skinny young girl who has become present amongst them, and you thank the gods for that. You don't want people looking at you, you just want to be quiet and peaceful, alone with your thoughts, and you feel that maybe you should have stayed in the room. However it is too late to turn back now as Rosa spots you and walks over smiling, though her usual bright grin seems somewhat faded and downcast.

"Glad to see you're out and about pet. She says as she reaches you and gently places a hand on your arm, guiding you towards a table at the back of the tavern where Arthur and Gibbs sit chatting to one another. They stop as you reach them and sit down and both give you a half smile. You find yourself being nudged along the bench as Rosa makes to sit next to you, and you manage to let out a small chuckle as you are pushed into Gibbs who gives a slight grunt of distaste. "Right, now. Gibbs has told us all of what 'appened an' I have t' tell ye pet there's nothin' to fear. That boy has got a strong head on his shoulders and if anyone knows how to get out of a sticky situation, well it were 'im that taught them."

"I know, but you know… I cant help worrying, he is only human after all…" you say wearily. You want to talk about it all but even after having been asleep for so many hours you feel exhausted.

"Yes, he's human, but he's also Captain Jack Sparrow… luv." Arthur joins in the conversation, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of levity. You give him a small smile of gratitude; you know that it must be awkward for them too. Jack had obviously been their friend and they barely knew you, so the way in which they had been so hospitable was much appreciated.

"Aye, and weren't we reminded of that a hell of a lot!" Gibbs chuckles but his smile falters as he realises the way in which his words could be taken. "An' I'm sure he shall be remindin' us of it in the near future too!" he hastily adds. He realises how it could sound as though he were talking about Jack as if he were gone, and he certainly didn't want to distress you yet again. He definitely was not skilled in calming sobbing women, and to be honest the whole scenario panicked him. However, you do not catch on to what Gibbs had said and smile in agreement.

"I bet you're hungry pet, all the dinner has been done but I made sure to save ye some of the stew and all it needs is a bit of heatin' up on the stove if you want it." Rosa says looking to you eagerly. You shake your head although you smile too. You don't want to offend her and her stew was quite inviting, but you don't feel that you will be able to keep anything down, your whole mind and body feels so shaken.

"To be honest I think it would be best if I went to sleep, may I stay with you? Just for tonight?" you ask, realising you hadn't actually found out if you were welcome to stay. Your question is quickly answered with a hearty nod and a chuckle as Rosa gets up from the bench.

"Of course ye can pet! Ye don't think we would be chuckin' ye out on the streets now would ye?!" she exclaims. You shake your head and smile at her, she was certainly a very pleasant and welcoming character, and one couldn't feel completely depressed for long with her around.

"I do have somethin' for ye though that Gibbs mentioned earlier. He said about how everything you had was left on the Pearl and how that included your diary that he said you had become quite attached to. Well I just so happen to have an old journal myself that I ne'er wrote in so I am gladly passing it on to you, its just gathering dust on my shelves anyway." Rosa adds as you look at her with wide eyes. "Thought it would be good for ye to talk to someone, ye know."

Yes, you know exactly what she means and you are ever so grateful at her understanding for your situation. You hadn't been able to write to Emily since the night when you had sang aboard the Black Pearl, and with all the events that had happened since then which has tired your emotional self out so much, you felt like it had been years of silence. Rosa watches your reaction and is pleased to see your eyes light up slightly at the mentioning of the diary, and hastily gets up to fetch the book. She quickly returns and places the book in front of you on the table, and you finger the cover and the leafs of the pages gently. It is not dissimilar to your old diary with the familiar worn leather cover and the slightly yellow tinged pages.

"Oh Rosa, thank you so much." You exclaim in delight, looking intently at the book resting on the table before you. Rosa smiles and pats you on the shoulder.

"Tis all right pet, I'm sure ye'll find a better use for it than me. I suppose ye'll be wanting to get writin' in it so I shall let ye get back to your room. There should be plenty of candles in there, I brought em in whilst ye were sleepin' but I didn't light them coz I didn't want to wake ye. I shall bring up some ink and a quill in a mo, you just go up and get settled."

You nod and get up from the bench with a goodnight to Gibbs and Arthur. Rosa bustles off somewhere to get the ink and you make your way across the tavern and up the stairs to your room. No sooner have to settled down and seated yourself on the bed is there a knock on the door, and you call for the person to come in, suspecting it to be Rosa with the ink. However the nervous man who steps through is one who you barely recognise, and in the dim candlelight of the room you wonder at why he is here. You start to panic as you think that maybe he is one of the patrons of the tavern, drunk and disorderly, but he seems too clean and well shaven although his clothes are slightly dishevelled to be so. His dirty blonde hair hangs slightly over his eyes and he brushes it away quickly. It is then that you see those cool blue eyes that had calmed you before and made you feel safe, and you smile as you recognise it as Graham.

"You clean up well!" you exclaim smiling. The man that stands before you is without a doubt handsome, and you find yourself feeling slightly schoolgirl-ish in his presence, embarrassed.

"I brought the ink." He says feebly, and you do indeed notice that he is holding a small bottle and a quill in his hand. "The woman downstairs told me to come up, I told her who I was and Gibbs backed me up." You nod and motion for him to come in and he does so.

"So what brings you here?" you ask, over your initial shock at his appearance you are now intrigued by his sudden unexpected arrival. Graham looks at you and mentally battles against himself as to what to tell you first. He had been to the whorehouse and a lust had been sated, but the attraction that he had for you was still there. He knew now that it wasn't just physical, and he wanted to see what you would say to his advances. However he had also heard news of a particular ship whist he had waited at the said whorehouse, and that particular ships demise. He knew that he needed to get the more business like stuff out of the way first, and the ship that had been spoken of surely wouldn't be the one that you had been on.

"I have heard some news, about a ship, commandeered by pirates." He begins and you instantly sit bolt upright, looking at him intently waiting for him to continue. "The ship, the Black Pearl…" you force back a gasp as Graham looks for your reaction, but because of your forced calmness he gets nothing and decides to proceed. "Well I have heard that she has been destroyed, sunk, and her Captain, the illusive Jack Sparrow, has gone down with her."

He looks to you and for a moment sees nothing but a cold blankness in your eyes. That is exactly what you are feeling. The Pearl has been sunk? No, that cant be, Jack would never let that happen, he would find a way… wouldn't he? You gasp in a deep breath and stare at Graham, pleading with your eyes for him to say something like he's only joking, that it's another ship. When silence continues you feel a heavy sickness in your stomach and you feel like gagging. You blink slowly, looking at Graham, still mentally begging him to say something else. He however remains silent and continues looking at you, trying to judge your reaction and waiting for the opportune moment to tell you of his newly realised feelings. He does not get the chance to though as you start violently sobbing and he practically leaps towards you, taking you in his arms and shushing you, trying to calm you down. You dig your nails into his shoulders and he holds you close and you feel like screaming all your frustration and anger. Graham is oblivious to your nails though and sits with you, rocking you backwards and forwards, trying to make sense of the hysterical woman before him.

"I loved him!" you howl into Grahams shoulder and you screw up your eyes and look away as he draws away from you.

"You loved who?" he asks slowly, not understanding your outburst.

"Jack! Jack Sparrow! I loved him, and now… and now… and now he's…" you cant finish your sentence as sob after sob leave you incapable of speaking and you wrench away from Graham, getting up and running your fingers through your hair, clawing at your own scalp in tormented anguish.

"Jack Sparrow? He's the man you loved?"

"No! He is the man I love! The man I will always love!" you scream before another sob escapes.

"I…I…" Graham stutters. He did not expect this, he didn't know you had even heard of Jack Sparrow and here you were proclaiming your undying love for the man? This was way too confusing and he found it hard to add it all together. "You're saying that it was the Black Pearl you were on, it was she, a ship captained by a pirate, which was then taken over by other pirates, and it is that said captain who you are in love with?" Graham asks, trying to fathom the situation.

"Yes." You whimper miserably, falling to your knees on the floor. Graham gets up and looks at your crumpled body and the small pang in his heart he had felt earlier turns to a bolt of lightning.

"I… I don't know what to say…" he mutters, his gaze never leaving you.

"The don't say anything, just leave me alone." You whisper through gritted teeth. You knew it wasn't Graham's fault but right now you needed to be alone. You were hurting deeply and there was nothing neither he, nor anyone could do about it.

"I'm sorry." Graham whispers as he heads out the door with one last glance towards you. "I truly am." With that he leaves and you remain on the floor sobbing loudly until they finally quell. You wipe away the tears from your face angrily and look at the diary that was resting upon the bed. You see that Graham has placed the ink and quill on the floor and you pick them up, sitting down on the bed and begin to write your first entry in a while.

Dear Emily. I cannot say much right now, there are too many feelings running through my mind that not even I can comprehend them well enough to write. There is one thing that I can think of as I sit here, and that is a poem, or maybe a melody I have been working on for the past couple of days. It explains my feelings about you dear Emily, how you are my refuge, and it explains my torment, my pent up frustration that has been held inside of me so long. Tonight dearest Emily I shall write down that song, tonight in the darkest hour of my life I shall tell it to you:

You see Emily, tonight I feel as though my soul and heart have died, have been wrenched away from me, and I do not know if I can ever get them back. I feel as though I am a child, insecure and lonely, and I am so confused. I don't know what to do, all I really want at the moment is to die. If I die tonight, then so be it. I must go now Emily, I must go and sleep in the hopes that I shall not wake, for if I do I shall be living in a life of loneliness, without Jack, without love, alone, and that is not a life I want to live. I don't want to be without him Emily, I love him so, and I pray now that I shall die tonight and be with him. Goodbye Emily

* * * * *

CHAPTER 15

The night had been tedious and sleep had evaded you and with it that peaceful death that you so longed for had not come. Throughout the night you had cried, small quiet trembling sobs, racking your body as your tried to breathe, making you hiccup and splutter. Rosa had poked her head in throughout the night but hadn’t spoken to you as you had turned and pretended to be asleep, not wishing to talk to anyone, just willing yourself into deaths clutches. You did not know if Graham had told Rosa what he had told you, and if he hadn’t it meant that it would be you who had to tell them, something that you were not looking forward to. Several methods of suicide had run through your mind through the night, but even though you wanted to be with Jack so badly, you were too scared to take your own life. Scared of the pain, scared of what people would think, whether they would be upset, and above all, scared that what Graham had said was wrong. If you died and it turned out that Jack had somehow escaped then it would have all been pointless, and you were unsure if he would feel as hurt by it and as suicidal as you did, therefore whether he would kill himself and come to be with you in paradise was questionable. You loved him that was for definite, but you still didn’t know how strong his feelings went, whether it was something that would be forgotten about after a few days or even one night in the clutches of passion, or whether it was love which would last a lifetime.

The morning had come and with it was the sound of birds chirping merrily on the tree branches outside your window, the sound of people bustling and hurrying in the streets as they set up the market, people going about their everyday lives as though there was no change. There was a change, a huge change, and you felt like screaming that at them all. Screaming at them to take on the solace and mourning that you felt like taking on yourself. You felt like ringing the necks of the birds as they sang the same merry tune that they had done every morning of their lives, like running through the market pushing over the carts and stalls, ruining everyone else’s lives just as yours had been, but it wasn’t in you. You were angry, angry that something you loved so dearly could be taken away from you, and not for the first time in your life, but you were also tired. You were weary of living in worry and concern for Jack’s safety, and now that you knew that he was dead, you were weary of just living.

Swinging your legs out of the bed and getting dressed with all the enthusiasm of a man facing the gallows you do not even attempt a smile as you walk down the stairs to the tavern. You really don’t feel that you could even force it, even if you wanted to, your heart feeling so heavy and broken. Walking into the tavern you see the tables laid out for breakfast, just as they had been the last time you were there… except the last time Jack had been there too. Gulping back a sob you head over to an empty table near the back, it was even the same one you had sat down at breakfast with Jack, why was it that everything reminded you of him now, when all you wanted to do was to forget it all, just for the moment. You just wanted some peace, you just wanted to escape. Inevitability had its way though, and as you were about to turn around and go back to your room to sulk in morbid despair, Rosa decided to make an appearance right beside you.

"Mornin’ pet, ye feeling a bit better now that ye’ve had a good sleep?" she said cheerfully, although you could detect a sure sign of worry in her eyes. You attempted to mutter something in response but all sound that came out was incomprehensible. Rosa nods in apparent agreement although she had not a clue about what you had said, and guides you to sit down on the bench that you had only been standing by and staring at reproachfully. Rosa takes a seat next to you and looks intently at your face, trying to figure something out of your blank expression. You however stare down at your hands spread before you on the table.

"I know you’re upset, but I am sure everything is going to be okay, I’ve known Jack for many years now and I know that he’s going to be trying everything an’ anything to get out of this silly situation and make his way t’ ye." You gulp back another sob as you hear her words, knowing that Graham cant have told anyone but you about Jack’s death. You turn to her, your eyes brimming with tears. She jerks her head back slightly, bewildered by your new furthered unhappiness.

"Jack…" you begin quietly, wracking your brain for the right words to use, how the hell were you supposed to put something like this? You take a deep though shuddering breath, trying to alleviate some of your nerves and hopefully restore some kind of sanity to your confused mind. "The Pearl…" you start again. All the while Rosa looks at you, raising her eyebrows imploring you to continue. You sigh heavily before doing so. "The Pearl has been sunk, Jack was on board, he didn’t escape, he’s… dead." You manage to say before your voice cracked completely on the last word and you fixate your gaze firmly on the table before you and away from Rosa’s face.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asks slowly after a moment of deathly silence, even those annoying cheery birds seemed to have disappeared. You let out a light sarcastic chuckle, is there really any other way to put this simply, was this woman stupid or something? You shake your head, trying to remove these thoughts. You know full well that Rosa isn’t dumb, and she is just finding this kind of news hard to understand, just as you had when Graham had first told you.

"He’s gone, dead, deceased, departed, perished! He’s gone Rosa, he’s dead!" you cry out dramatically, all the rage and anguish apparent.

"I understood that plain and clear honey but what I don’t understand is how you know this." Rosa asks patiently although all the cheeriness that used to surround her had gone.

"I'm sorry, I don’t mean to have a go at you, its not your fault I know, but I just feel… I feel like I should be dead too…"

"I know sweetie, but how do you know this? Did you know this yesterday, when you came here with Gibbs, does Gibbs know?"

"No, no, I didn’t know then, and Gibbs doesn't know either yet. Graham, the man that came to see me last night, he's a lieutenant in the navy, he helped Gibbs and I, he told me." Rosa looks at you and furrows her brow slightly as she tries to understand all this newfound information.

"But... it's Jack... Jack can't be dead... he wouldn't let that happen... he wouldn't leave us... you... he would come back for you... he would fight... surely he would?" she mumbles, her question one that she knew could never be answered. You sit staring at your hands, you have no answers, you have too many questions yourself. "How can you be sure?" Rosa asks, staring at you intently. You shrug but when her gaze persists you realize she actually does expect an answer this time.

"I guess I can't, Graham didn't mention anything about any wreckage being found, if he did I didn't hear it, but I don't see why he would lie to me. He saw how upset I was, I know he cares about me, as a friend at least, and I know that he wouldn't put me through this turmoil as just some kind of sick joke. If he wasn't sure of the information he wouldn't have told me."

Or would he? you think as you finish what you had said. No, there is no point in putting up false hopes, Jack is dead and gone, and there is nothing else that you can do. Thinking that there could be a chance that he is alive would just end up killing you, you would be waiting every day for his return and every day that ended without it you would be heartbroken once more.

"Gibbs... Arthur, we 'ad better tell 'em." Rosa mutters, more to herself than you.

"Could you tell them, please? I don't think I could stand having to tell them..."

"Well what makes you think I can?!" Rosa suddenly snaps, her eyes flashing with anger. You jerk your head back as you see her temper flare, and look at her with astonished eyes. Why was she having a go at you, surely she didn’t think it was your fault? Rosa runs her hand down her face in exasperation and sighs. When you look at her eyes you see that the softness has returned, and the minor flare of her temper has vanished.

"Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry, this is difficult for me too you know, I just, I just don't know what to say... this is so... unexpected, I mean I really did believe that Jack would come back soon..." you nod at her in agreement. It is surprising after all, the news had been incredibly shocking to you, and you had certainly raged about it, not giving a damn about Graham who had been an unfortunate bystander. No, Rosa was entitled to vent some of the rage, and you knew she didn't mean to hurt you. She had after all known Jack for longer than you had, and whilst you did love him, so did she, he was like a son to her and after her own child died it was unsurprising that she would be angry.

"I'll stick around," you say, placing your hand on top of Rosa's. She shakes her head lightly and places her other hand on top of yours, squeezing it slightly in a comforting gesture.

"No, its okay, you've had enough of this, don't worry about it." she says and takes her hands away from yours as she goes to stand up. "I'll tell Gibbs and Arthur." You nod and watch as she silently leaves, her posture slightly more drooped than usual. Deciding that going back to your room will only make matters worse, sitting on the bed in silence just having your thoughts to dwell and nothing else, you decide to go for a walk. Being a warm day you have no need for an overcoat which was lucky being as all your clothes were left on the Pearl, and going back to Rosa and telling her how all her beautiful dresses had been destroyed would be difficult, just another piece of bad news though nowhere near as bad as the news of Jack.

Walking down the main street of Port Jacob you do not make eye contact with anyone. People call out to you, asking you whether you want to buy this, that or the other, but you brush them all off. You didn't care if you seemed rude or reclusive; it was exactly how you felt. You felt snubbed by the world, and why shouldn't you snub it right back. You make your way to the docks and you can see many of the ships moored, sailors busy scurrying about, attending to their chores. Just along the docks to the right you can even see the Intrepid, red coats swarming all over her, trying to make her seaworthy once more. You briefly ponder the thought of going to see Graham, he had after all become quite a good friend whilst you had been with him on the ship, and had taken care of you, however you still recall your temper towards him the previous night, and you knew that he probably wouldn't be holding you in very good stead at the moment. Turning away you head to your left down the docks, weaving your way down the grey cobbled streets, towards the outskirts of town. The abundance of ships moored dwindled and the only ones that remained were decrepid and falling apart, they probably belonged to some pirate scallywag, they definitely weren't respectable ships. Past these you find yourself at a clear patch of beach, soft white sand leading down to the cerulean Caribbean waters.

You carefully sit down on the edge of the street, it is raised above the beach and you dangle your legs over the edge. You carefully take your shoes off and jump down onto the sand, relishing in the gentle warmth. The wiggle your toes and the sand moves around them, a soothing caress to your feet. Slowly you walk down towards the waters edge, dipping your toes into the cool water. You look out across the ocean, across to the horizon, to the freedom that Jack always spoke of so fondly. You see what he meant, the sight of the horizon looming ahead of you really did make you feel as though you could go anywhere, do anything, be anyone, and escape all responsibilities, all worries and troubles left behind on the land. You know that wherever you go though you will still feel that same ache in your heart, the same dull pain that throbs inside your chest, telling you that there is something missing and a large gaping hole has been left where it was supposed to be. That something being Jack.

You plonk yourself down on the sand rather ungracefully and smile as your skirts billow out around you. The first smile that you can actually recall coming to your face in a while, and it was over something so stupid. Bringing your knees up to your chest you cross your arms over them and lean your chin down to rest upon them. You keep your gaze fixated on the ocean, somewhat uncertain of what you feel for it. This was freedom before you, but it was also death, and more importantly, it was Jack's death. If it weren't for the ocean he would be alive now, but then again if it weren't for the ocean he could not sail therefore he could not be a pirate and then would you have even met him? These confusing thoughts ran through your mind as you thought about what the world would be like without the ocean, everything just one large land mass. It was a very confusing thought indeed and after a while of thinking and you giving yourself a headache because of it you decide to give your musings a rest.

Deciding that your body would do well off the same favour you lie back in the sand. The sea gently laps at your toes and the sun beams down on you, making you feel completely relaxed and comforted. Your mind was still in turmoil and you still felt incredibly unhappy, but at least for the moment your body felt at rest, and you find yourself drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * * *

Graham however was feeling a lot less than peaceful. After returning from telling you about The Black Pearl's demise and hearing your confession to loving Jack Sparrow he had felt utterly dumbfounded. He could not even begin to understand what was going on. You were in love with a pirate? You had seemed like such a respectable girl, a girl who he had grown to love, but you were in love with this vagabond? It was to say the least quite distressing. Graham was jealous, that was for certain, but he was also angry with himself. He could see the pain and hurt in your eyes and he had never meant to make you feel that way. He wanted you so badly and to hear you confessing your love for Jack had stung him deeply.

As he had made his way from the tavern he had not even thought to tell Gibbs about it, although he was quite obviously involved as well. The thought of Gibbs being a pirate had crossed his mind but he was in such a hurry to leave and get away from the tavern that he hadn't felt up to questioning him about it. He didn't want to anyway. Gibbs was obviously a father figure to you, and one it looked like you were going to need quite badly to get you through the turmoil. Graham knew he could not take that away from you as well, and as much as he hated knowing that someone who was going to break the law for many years to come was free, he cared about you too much to cause you more grief. He never wanted to see another woman cry, not since he had encountered his mother doing so, and the sight of you in hysterical tears before him had brought all the memories flooding back.

Memories of his mother didn't come to him that often, and in the day they were usually good ones, memories about her smile, her laugh, everything that Graham loved about her. At night darker memories haunted him occasionally, her beaten corpse on the floor of his home, her screams and her tears, her pleading with him not to intervene. These nightmares rarely occurred but when they did he always awoke with a cold sweat all over his body, and waves