A Rising Sun of Pursuits

[~Charlotte~]

Surprisingly, Will felt a sharp pain...then he blinked his eyes open. How did he end up on the floor...and in someone's lap? Oh...Evelyn's lap. It was rather comforting at first. Then, seeing her annoyed face only made the sick feeling in his stomach intensify. Against all his own morals, he looked into her bright green...and rather beautiful eyes.

"Please..."

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

OOC: Will do sweetie! I'll probably call you tomorrow, nighty night hunnz! xxx ))

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

OOC: I have to transfer my chat logs from my laptop, then I'll update this to what we have so far.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Jaysus...we really need to update this!

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

I'm currently working on the update, some of it's on my laptop and I'm having a mega-busy couple of weeks. But it will be done! Lolsy.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Evelyn practically shoved him off, "I thought you'd died on me then..." she got up and dusted herself, "Pathetic..." she muttered in a disgusted manner. She looked down at him, "No more talk of curses, savvy?" she asked, though the question needn't be answered, it was an instruction rather than a request.

~~

The hard wooden floor was an unpleasant contrast to what Will had been previously lying on. He groaned..."I refuse to lie to you...not for my safety....but for your crew's safety and for your's...I know you are a strong woman, a captain, but that does not stop you from being like the rest of us...you are putting your own life at risk, and your friends....and you will regret this."

His last words were a promise, he spoke with deep intensity. His eyes glimmered darkly, trying to urge her to see the truth.

~~

Evelyn stood still for a while "Curses aren't real..." she said, her voice breaking slightly. She caught her breath and her eyes glimmered for a moment before she unlocked the cell door, got out and locked it again behind her. She didn't look back at him, and retreated to her cabin. Enough was enough.

~~

Will felt like calling after her, but he didn't. He had heard her voice break. He had spooked her a bit...maybe. He wasn't sure. But he had a feeling she'd be back. He lay down on his back and fell deep into thought. What else could he do to make her see the truth...and win back her favour? Lying on her for those brief moments had instilled feelings in him long forgotten...

~~

There was a thudding noise that aroused the deeply hungover Jack Sparrow. "What the...?" he began, lifting his head only to drop it back down with a groan. After a few moments of deep breathing, Jack pushed himself up, clutching onto the side of his bed to help him up, only to see a sight that brought him back down to the floor with a thud.

~~

Victoria sat up and gave a little breathy scream..."Oh my, I forgot you were there!" she cried, pulling the thin sheet up to cover her low cut undershift. "I'm so sorry Captain Sparrow...! Are you quite alright?" She peered over the side of the bed to see him lying on the floor.

~~

Jack gave out a slurry, low chuckle, "Well...usually in such..." he stopped midway to give out a silent belch, "...situations, I wake up on the bed by the lady...with er..." he pointed a finger at her up and down, "...less...garments..."

~~

Victoria blinked down at him. "How nice for you," she said with a hint of sharp wit, "but I find this rather embarrassing. It is my fault. I was ever so tired and well...hammocks aren't the comfiest of places to lie, so considering you weren't using the bed..." She smiled warmly, "if you close your eyes I'll get dressed and leave."

~~

"Oh no need to leave..!" he exclaimed with a scoff, "Or get dressed for that matter..." he said with a grin. He pushed himself up onto the bed, his head swaying slightly, suffering from the effects of the excessive amounts of rum within his body.

~~

Victoria shifted over, allowing the sheet to fall a little. Hastily she snatched it up. She looked slightly awkward with this rather dashing and amusing man next to her, but of course, it could have been worse. At least he wasn't brandishing a hook. She smiled pleasantly at him.

"Are you feeling better since last night Captain?" she asked, reaching towards the end of the bed for her grubby gown.

~~

Jack's eyes were fixed below her neck, where the sheets were curved upwards, he stared for a moment before shaking off the gaze and meeting her eyes, "A little...sore...but quite..." he searched for the right word, "Pleased..." he looked down, "Y'know..my lady..." he looked back at her, "Being a Captain of the seas such as I am...'tis a...lonely living..." he began.

~~

"I can imagine." she said quietly, "One can get lonely out at sea...alone...", she leaned forward, "with all manner of dangerous things...just on the horizon....in the sea..." she looked away, then back into his eyes, the sheet forgotten. "Don't you think?" she leant forward further, pouting as she waited for his answer.

~~

Jack's mouth simply dropped open, no words would form, his eyes glanced down, widening slightly at the sight of her lustrous white skin, and then back into her eyes. "I...do...I do...think..." he managed, his gaze now upon her lips, he pouted, "I do..."

~~

"I do too." She smiled at him, eyes softening, "Which is why..." she snatched the sheet back up, "...we must make haste!" She had the dress in her hands. Waving it slightly, "...Now if you don't mind?"

~~

Jack fell forward slightly, staring into thin air before turning his head to look at her with a blank face. "Oh.." he frowned a little, "Yes...right, haste..." he didn't turn around, and merely waited for her to go about her business.

~~

Victoria stood up, still holding the sheet, before tucking it under her armpits. She picked at the clips in her hair, trying to make order of the wild curls her once neat ringlets had become. She glanced around for a mirror in the room, finding none. Tutting, she turned and smiled at Jack, a quick, yet beautiful smile. There was a knock at the cabin door. Victoria jumped.

~~

Jack turned to look at the door, "Who is it?!" he barked out.

~~

"Gibbs Cap'n" came the gruff voice. "You're needed on deck!"

~~

Victoria glanced around again, her dark hair flailing wildly..."I'll see you in a moment...you don't have any dresses I suppose?" She giggled deliciously, "No...secret hobbies I hope?"

~~

Jack gave out a sigh then got off of the bed, swaying to the left, "No!" he cried out defensively in a high voice, "Oh..." he held his head then staggered to the door, opening it and going through, bashing his shoulder on the side of the door frame, "What is it?"

~~

Gibbs blinked at the woman in the Captain's cabin, offering her a rough smile and a wave. She waved back. He coughed..."Ahem, Captain..." he lowered his voice, "two ships have been spotted on the horizon..."

~~

Frowning, Jack got out his scope and made his way on deck, "Who are they?" he asked as he swayed a little from side to side as he walked.

~~

"Well Cap'n, one has naval colours, which makes sense if she's a Lady, but the other...." he paused and glanced away furtively, "...no colours."

~~

"Pirates?" he asked, bringing the lens to his eye and looking out to the ship without colours.

~~

Gibbs coughed again nervously, "Not questioning ya Cap'n but...who is she and where did ya find her?"

~~

Jack sideglanced at the man, raising an eyebrow, "Why...? Is there a problem...?" he asked, bobbing his head a little.

~~

"Well I'm jus' tryin' to work out who that might be..." Gibbs murmered, gesturing towards the horizon...

~~

Jack drummed his fingers on his telescope, he sighed and thought for a moment, "She's a Lady...and why would she have any involvement with pirates?"

~~

Gibbs sighed, "It's who the Lady is that interests pirates....ya know Jack...ransoms and the such like...? If we know who she is then I may know who has who....or...whom...or...." he trailed off...staring intently, "I'm thinkin' of our own safety here Jack...not just her's."

~~

Sliding the telescope shut, Jack turned to face him, "Well she's our ransom ain't she? We are after all..." he opened his arms, "Pirates." He made his way to the wheel, shouting back, "Find out who it is, if they're trouble, we may have to change our route slightly."

~~

His comrade nodded. "And how much is she worth?" he asked with a grin, taking the telescope off Jack, "I mean, c'mon Jack, that looks like the British Royal Navy over there....just tell me, who is she?"

~~

~*~Flashback!~*~

"But why does Victoria have to come?" whined the youth, glaring at his younger sibling. He stuck his tongue out, only to receive a sharp slap from his sister.

"Because I am just as important as you...do shut up Frederick..." the arguement was halted as the children's father coughed and gazed down upon them both with a severe eye.

The trip to the shipyard turned out to be an exciting one for the young Bourbon children. Victoria at thirteen gazed quietly at the huge timber blocks, whilst 15-year-old Frederick persistantly asked the sailors questions. Thomas de Bourbon engaged in conversation with the captain, quite unaware of the first mate listening in intently...

"In several years time, I desire you and your crew to take Victoria to Naples, where her marriage will be negotiated.", Thomas said gravely. The Captain laughed. "She's but a child mi'lord....why arrange this now?"

Thomas sighed, glancing at his children. "They are....she is in line to the throne. She must remain safe. This must be planned to perfection. It's a matter of diplomacy. I need your utmost discretion."

The Captain nodded. The man that would become James Hook glanced at the dark haired child. She might be queen. She would be his.


~*Present Day*~

Captain Hook sat at his desk, gazing absently over the map on his desk. He remembered the day he first saw...her. His eyes narrowed. His resoloution hardened. A couple of murders in England and her in his grasp and he could be King. It was too much to take in. He would not have this young woman snatched from his grasp.

Summoning a member of his crew, he ordered the sails to be put at full mast. "I want to be at that ship's stern by tonight...."

~~

~*Meanwhile*~

Captain Charles Laurence gazed through the telescope with his one good eye. "Two ships, no colours. Which one...which one...?" he muttered to himself. He shouted to a fellow sailor, "What is our heading Sir?"

"Due East Mi'Lord...! Towards...Isle de Muerta...!" came the reply. "Bloody pirates and their treasure..." Charles chuckled.

~~

Back on The Pearl, Gibbs waited Jack's answer....

Jack swung back, his hair flicking to the side, a hand up beside him as he walked staggeredly back, "Lady Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk..." he said quietly, "Now keep your tongue where your tongue is, because you see this Lady needed to get off a ship and by helping her I'm helping us by helping her father and so the navy and thus by helping her help us we have been helped, savvy?"

~~

Gibbs looked slighlty confused, and nodded bemusedly at the Captain. "Victoria..." he mouthed, then gasped. "De BonBon.....no....Bourbon!?"

~~

Jack's eyes glinted and he gave a half-smile, "de Bourbon..."

~~

Gibbs nodded again and walked away...

~~

With that, Jack made his way to the wheel, brushing Cotton off to one side as his parrot cawed out, "Cap'n Jack, Cap'n Jack!"

~~

Victoria came quickly out of the cabin, dressed in her old clothes, smiled quickly at Gibbs and lingeringly at Jack before heading to the side of the ship to watch the waves pass by...

~~

Evelyn was back at the wheel, against the advice of her crew, although she changed their heading to Gonaives as their first destination which she had permitted to her crew, though with hesitation.

~~

Will had felt the movement of the ship, and wondered if she had heeded his warning.

~~

With a frown, Evelyn got out her telescope, "Daniel, take the wheel will yer?" she went over to the starboard side further down and looked out.

~~

"Somethin' wrong Cap'n?" asked Daniel as he obeyed his command.

~~

"We have two ships on our tail..." she said, "Oh that's just grand!"

~~

"Cap'n?" asked Daniel, concerned but keeping his eye on the horizon before him.

~~

"Three...three ships behind us, two are pirates, ah...the Black Pearl, of course...and the British Navy." she spoke quite calmly, "This'll require a little more action than expected" she said with a smile, "I was yearning for a good battle..."

~~

"Shall we prepare Cap'n?" came the dutiful question.

~~

"No no, not quite yet...we have some time, no need to rush such things now, eh?" replied Evelyn, putting the telescope away.

~~

Will still sat patiently in the brig...hearing the movement up above, he suspected some activity.

~~

Evelyn made her way down below to the supplies and stores, checking what they had, would need, and began discussing strategies with her crew. They had the main deck ready, as well as the gun deck, there was a plentiful of gunpowder and the swing guns were intact.

Evelyn may be youthful, but she was no fool when it came to battle. The captains and crews of many a ship down at Davy Jones' Locker were well aware of that fact.

~~

Will heard someone come down below....he leaned forward and called out quietly..."Hello...?"

~~

Evelyn, having made her checks and said what was needed to be said, was making her way back to her cabin when she heard someone call out. At first she decided to carry on, but then turned back and approached the cells.

"What is it, boy?" she said as she entered.

~~

He couldn't help but let a disappointed "Oh." out. He had hoped it was the man they called George or something..."

...Nevermind..." he muttered...."Preparing for something?" he asked curiously.

~~

Evelyn narrowed her eyes slightly, "Just the usual activities of a ship...was there something you were after, Mr. Turner? Or just the usual twaddle?"

~~

"Oh....just twaddle." He smiled and looked away. "Are we going somewhere else now...? I felt the erm...the ship move?"

~~

"Oh we're still going to Isle de Muerta." Evelyn replied bluntly with a nodding head, "Just making a stop beforehand is all. Any more questions Mr. Turner? Or am I free to go?" she asked coldly with a sarcastic manner.

~~

Will blinked up at her frowning. "No need to be rude. I was just asking." He looked away towards the wall again. "I mean...trying to be polite....sorry...nautical....business...pirates...", he trailed off.

~~

Evelyn crossed her arms, and silently stood looking at him, raising an eyebrow enquiringly as she did so.

~~

Will realised she was still there. He looked over to her, and tilted his head..."What?"

~~

"Nothing." she replied and turned away, "Just makin' things harder for yerself laddy..."

~~

Will looked bemused..."By doing what? Asking you a question?"

~~

Without turning back she continued on her way, her loud footsteps drifting away up the stairs.

~~

"Evelyn....?" he cried. He realised he'd made a mistake. He'd been referring to her as Evelyn in his head as he thought about her. He was finding it hard not to think about her. He knew he should have called her Captain...

~~

Hook was on deck. His crew of idiots had actually done something smart for once. They had caught up with the mystery ship which had stolen his treasure....and they were about to fire. He himself raised the lit fool to the fuse....

~~

The Pearl jerked as a harsh blow hit just below the stern on the starboard side, Jack bellowed out orders, "Who the bl**ding hell's attackin' my ship?!"

He took control of the situation quickly, "Stern chasers! Now!" he shouted, and the cannons were fired from behind towards the Jolly Roger.

~~

Victoria had fallen onto her backside rather ungracefully. She pulled herself upwards and glanced over the sides, spotting a familair ship so close....closer than before. She gasped and turned around, glancing about wildly, her head spinning...this was all her fault....

~~

Charles Laurence heard the cannon fire and span round, telescope to his eye. "Why is that ship firing upon that other one?" he asked aloud....before answering his own question..."That one..." he pointed to the Black Pearl..."has the Lady de Bourbon on board....it is not the Jolly Roger..." he put the scope down...."FIRE ON THE JOLLY ROGER!"

~~

Will's head span as he heard cannonfire in the distance..."What the...?" he asked out loud, half expecting an answer. He stood and rushed to the bars of the cell..."Hey...hey what's happening?!"

~~

Evelyn was at the back of the helm, "Quick to attack..." she said with a smile. Making her way to the wheel, she shouted out, "Places everyone! The show's begun!". She spun the ship around so that the they were side on, "Gun deck and main deck at the ready!" she shouted out as the crew assembled themselves.

~~

Jack was turning the Pearl, the stern chasers wouldn't be enough, he dodged as many of the cannons as he could, but there was still damage. "Gun deck, get those cannons ready!"

~~

Victoria ran to the helm, spotting Jack quickly amongst the other, well, normal looking members of the crew...."Captain...his cabin is made of glass...it supports much of the upper deck, you should aim for that!"

~~

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, "Thanks for the tip, love!" he winked at her and shouted the orders for a perfect aim, "FIRE!!!" as the cannons took flight, Jack was hit on the loboard side, "HEY!!" He shouted out with annoyance, "Do I look like a bullseye target here?!"

~~

Evelyn gave a smirk as more cannons were loaded.

~~

Will was going beserk. The cannons were getting louder, and the adrenalin he felt only pumped harder. He shook the bars with all his might.

Surprisingly, he found the bars seemed to be shifting. Cocking an eyebrow, he wondered if these were the same sort he'd helped make back at Port Royal. He suddenly felt alarmingly dim for not realising this before.

Looking around, he spied a loose floorboard, and having ripped it off the wall, he used it as leverage. With a mightly heave of his strength, he shifted a section of the bars. He caught them deftly before they fell. Leaning them quielty against the wall, he headed off to find a weapon...

~~

Hook heard the shatter of glass and cursed as he realised his beautiful cabin was probably ruined, let alone the fact that his ship was well and truly damaged. "Turn this bloody ship around so we don't lose the bottom half!"

~~

Jack gave a beaming smile, which quickly faded as he was hit once again by The Emerald Liberty, "That bl**dy woman will be the end of me!" he turned the ship slightly to miss one of the blows, "Aim at the Liberty!" he ordered, "FIRE!!"

~~

Evelyn expected the oncoming attack and so had already made a swift turn to miss the blows. "Aim at the gun deck!" she called out, "FIRE!!"

~~

Victoria glanced over the other side..."The Liberty....what on earth?!" She ran up next to Jack to ask him what was happening when the cannonball hit the deck and knocked her into him.

~~

Jack fell back, and opened his eyes to see the fair Victoria upon him, "I'd love to darling, but a little later? Battle and all that..." he said, smiling charmingly.

~~

Victoria looked away blushing, "I'm sorry...I'm pathetic...If you need me I'll be cowering in your cabin." And with that she picked herself up and hurried away.

~~

"I didn-" he began as there was an attack once more, "B*gger!" he turned the ship around to get a clear distance.

~~

On Deck and with sword in hand, Will reached the deck, and tried to look inconspicuous. He spotted several ships on the horizon...and if he wasn't mistaken...one was the Black Pearl...the other a naval ship and the other...well, that one was firing on the Pearl.

Unable to contain himself, he ran to a cannon, pushing aside the man trying to fire it, spinning it round to face the Jolly Roger.

He grabbed the lit torch from the man and lit the fuse quickly. The cannon shot forwards, firing upon the mystery ship. From what Will could see, it apparently hit some glass.

~~

Hook heard more shattering from his cabin and roared with anger. He span and gazed at the ship on the horizon. It'd been firing on the Pearl, he'd presumed it just wanted to salvage what he wouldn't be needing...."FIRE ON THAT SHIP!" he shouted furiously.

~~

Evelyn glanced towards where the cannon had been fired from, "WHO was THAT?!" she shouted at the top of her voice and stamped towards the attacker.

~~

"Uh oh...." Will tried to scurry on to the next cannon, his back to the fearsome Captain, hoping she wouldn't recognise him.

As the cannonball from the Jolly Roger hit though, he was thrown backwards, practically at her feet.

~~

Katrina followed Evelyn, "Captain perhaps w-"

~~

Evelyn was furious, "In the name of ALL that is-" there was another hit just by them, causing Katrina to fall overboard.

~~

"MAN OVERBOARD!" a crew member shouted.

~~

Cursing, Evelyn jumped up onto the ledge and dived in after her.

~~

"CAPTAIN!" Alex called out, leaning over to see what was happening.

~~

Will stood quickly and ran to the side of the ship where Evelyn had daringly just dived over board..."What the hell does she think she's doing?" he cried.

Reaching down, he grabbed a handy pile of rope, and threw it over the side of the ship. Calling out to the stunned other members of the crew, he threw them the rest of the rope..."We have to help her get aboard!!"

The men gathered about Will, helping him and the two in the water.

~~

Evelyn came up to the surface, gasping for air with Katrina in her arms, the waves had taken her slightly so she swam towards her ship, keeping Katrina's head above water as she did so.

~~

Will glanced over, then shouted "HEAVE!"

The crew followed his orders....cannonballs still roaring.

~~

Evelyn had grabbed hold of the rope, but pulling the unconscious Katrina up with her made the task more difficult.

~~

Will leaned over as far as he could, his hand reaching out for her and her companion, "Grab on to me!" he turned back to call to the others..."Tie the rope around me!"

The men complied, and heaved the weight of the former prisoner, their Captain and their compadre.

~~

Cannonballs ripped through both sides of the Black Pearl as the Jolly Roger and the Liberty battled eachother. Jack's expression was rather blank with disbelief, "Oh...well...DON'T MIND ME!!!" He shouted before returning to the wheel, "Get the ship out of the way!!!" he said as the Pearl literally leapt forward, missing the oncoming attacks.

~~

Evelyn pushed Katrina up above her, "Get Katrina up!" she shouted up at him.

~~

Will grabbed her and lifted her over with greater ease than Evelyn. He lay he down and checked her pulse. Lifting her head back, he quickly performed mouth to mouth.

~~

Evelyn, having been freed from the weight of her crew member, climbed up the rope quite easily and got aboard the ship, she frowned at first, seeing William perform mouth to mouth. She put aside that feeling quickly and asked coolly, "Is she alright?"

~~

Will span around as the girl beneath him coughed and sputtered back to life. He turned to her timidly..."She's fine...and I think we need to get out of this place."

~~

The attacks died down a little, much to the delight of Jack Sparrow who had been caught in between in a no man's sea. The ships distanced themselves from one another.

~~

Evelyn nodded, "Mmmm..." she looked back at him, "That was..." she swallowed down her pride, "That was good work..Mr. Turner, let's have a little more of that, eh?"

~~

Will smiled quickly..."Of course...if you'll let me offer it Captain!" he stood up and headed over to aid another injured sailor.

~~

Evelyn smiled a little, but didn't let him see that, her back to him, she returned to the wheel.

~~

Jack made his way to his cabins to check on Victoria, with Gibbs following behind, "That was..." he began as he entered his...what once was his...cosy cabin, which now was filled with breeze due to two very large holes on both sides of the ship. "...bl**dy awful..." he then searched desperately in his cabin, "Victoria! Victoria?!"

~~

She poked a head out from under his desk and in a quiet sniffly voice answered "...here..."

~~

Jack tilted his head and bent down slightly, "Victoria...?" he said, seeing her, and then with a relieved sigh he helped her out.

~~

Victoria smiled slightly, a silent tear trickling down her cheek. She squeezed Jack's hand tightly. "That was rather...more frightening than anything else I've seen."

~~

Jack looked down at his hand, and wiped away her tears, thinking to himself, 'This is more frightening than anything I've felt...' patting her shoulder lightly he said, "Don't worry about it love! Everything's alright, I needed a redecoration in here anyways!"

~~

Victoria laughed lightly, "It was rather dull...but the bed is still in tact!" She gestured with her hand towards it..."We'd better go and clear up on deck...is there much damage?"

~~

"I've had a ship on both sides of the Pearl attacking each other, unfortunately we were in the way..." he showed her his thumb and index finger with a small gap in between, "Little bit of damage, but we can fix it!" he smiled and led her to the deck.

~~

Victoria smiled brightly..."I have no doubt you can..." she looked away towards the horizon at the retreating ship. "I'll go help below..." quietly, leaning in, she added, "Thank you Captain Sparrow...you've saved me once again from....from..." she kissed his cheek lightly, brushing her lips near his... before heading quickly down below.

~~

Jack turned his head slightly towards her as she left, leaving only air. He smiled to himself and whispered, "You're welcome, my Lady..."

~~

Will continued to try and repair the damage to his floating prison. He picked up shards of wood and aided those who needed it. He glanced over at Evelyn ever so often, to make sure he still had her approval.

(OOC: Gah, that's all I'll do for now, I'll transfer the rest later...)

[~Charlotte~]

Evelyn was generally doing her own business and did not realise that she was being watched, but now and again she caught Will's glances and looked away to carry on. That stop at Gonaives would definitely be needed at this rate. The three ships were left a little behind now, as she checked with her telescope. What did intrigue Evelyn, was that there seemed to be another ship on the horizon.

~~

Will decided he had to break the tension between the Captain and himself. He headed over to her as bravely as he could..."Ahem...I erm...I wanted to...erm..."

All the things he'd planned to say seemed to have fallen out of his head. He mutely held out a dirty hand for her to shake.

~~

Evelyn looked up at him from where she was crouched down, attending to some of the swing guns. She blinked, looking at his hand, and then back up at him, "You wanted to...?" she probed on. Was he really this timid? 'Out with it already' she thought to herself. The boy could be annoyingly shy, which was most of the time.

~~

"I erm...I thought maybe we could...come...maybe to...agreement...and...I..." he felt himself going red in her presence. It all came out at once. "I thought we should maybe be at peace with one another cause I know you'll need my help if you do get to the Isle de Muerta although I don't advise it, it's terribly dangerous and......and...cursed...and dangerous."

~~

Giving out an exasperated sigh, Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "Cursed...yes...you have mentioned quite a few times..." she said dully. She stood up and was about to go down to the supplies to see what had been used and what was needed.

~~

Will watched her go disappointed. His hand dropped to his side. "I just want to....to...keep us all safe. Even you Captain O'Malley. And despite the circumstances, I thought we might be able to aid each other..." He looked away and headed off to carry on clearing up.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, having cleaned Jack's cabin as best she could. Still reeling from the events of the day, she once again tried to detangle her now unruly hair.

The moonlight shone in through the small, cannonball shaped holes in the walls, illuminating her pale skin more than the candlelight ever could.

~~

Jack almost stumbled into his cabin, tired moreso from cleaning up the mess young Evelyn and the vengeful Hook had caused than the actual battle. Seeing Victoria, he managed a smile, "'ello love...you alright there?" he grabbed a bottle of rum and sat by his splintered desk.

~~

She smiled back weakly, "I'm fine Sir..." she spoke quietly, eyeing the rum cautiously. "How are things looking? It seems there isn't as much damage as I thought..."

~~

Jack waved a hand, "Oh it'll be all fixed and shining in a jiffy. No worries! And what's all this 'Sir' business? Call me Cap-...Jack, call me Jack.." he put his feet up onto the desk, crossing them and then took a large gulp of his rum.

~~

"Jack..." she smiled, "I'm so used to be polite...trying not to..aggravate anyone." She looked him over once. Up and down. "You're not like the others...are you?" She tilted her head, pouting slightly again as she waited for his response.

~~

Blinking, Jack paused, not knowing how to answer, "How do you mean...?" he asked with a confused expression on his face.

~~

She sighed. "You're not just....keeping me here for your own uses? I mean....you seem...different. From the rest. Those who I've dealt with before..." She leaned forward towards him, taking his hand gently. "You're....just...?"

~~

Jack gulped...this wasn't too good of a situation to be in, "Helpful! Just...helpful..." he took a quick swig of his rum and avoided her gaze a little.

~~

Victoria smiled widely..."I thought so...a good soul in these big bad oceans....it's hard to find..." She raised a hand eloquently allowing a glint of a diamond to be seen..."especially with someone like myself..." She raised her head regally, still smiling, "Someone, I presume you know...?"

~~

"Someone like yourself...whatever d'you mean Victoria...?" Jack replied with as much innocence in his voice as he could muster, his eyes suddenly fixed on the glimmering rock on her finger.

~~

Victoria tilted her head again and shifted herself closer to Jack, leaning close to his ear to whisper in his ear..."Surely you must know...who I am...and who I might be..." she spoke with an edge of fear in her voice. Fear of what he might do, and what might happen...

~~

Jack turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow, why was this difficult? Nothing had changed..."Surely I must...?" he tilted his head, "Come now Victoria, what are you hiding from dear ol' Jack?"

~~

She felt herself breathe in sharply. Her heart race increasing, and not only from fear....quickly, her lips tickling his lobes she breathed quickly, "My family name is Bourbon...they all want me....if my cousin decides....I...I....because I might be Queen..."

She pulled away quickly...looking deeply into his eyes to gauge his reaction. She had seen greed's glimmer in a man's retina before. She could always spot it again..

~~

Jack paused for a moment, not saying a word, then turned to look at her with a friendly smile, baring his golden teeth and patted her thigh, "Congratulations! That's wonderful for you Victoria...!" he said with a joyous yet somewhat blasé manner. He then went back to drinking his rum.

~~

Victoria smiled quickly and looked away..."It's quite a thought...isn't it?" She looked back at him sincerely, almost longingly...."I...I wouldn't..." she yawned mid sentence, "oh..oh gosh how rude of me Cap-...Jack.....I'm so sleepy..."

~~

Jack looked back at her, "You wouldn't.....?" he probed quickly.

~~

"I wouldn't lead that life," Victoria said quickly, "I didn't want it...nor do I want it now." She looked at him sincerely.

~~

"Oh...I see, well..." he nodded slowly, thinking to himself, then shrugged, "So be it, England's loss, eh?" he said with another smile.

~~

"Indeed." Victoria spoke firmly, "I won't be another Lady Jane." She realised she still had hold of his hand. "Oh..."

~~

Jack didn't take his hand away from hers, he simply looked at it and smiled very slightly, he didn't want to say anything and just looked up at her with his smouldering brown eyes.

~~

She smiled back pleasantly "Still, you can and always will be my knight in shining armour...having saved me and all that..." She gave his hand a little squeeze.

~~

His smile faltering slightly, Jack looked away and nodded silently, "Well...you should get some rest, eh love?"

~~

Victoria glanced away flushing, fixing her gaze on their glasped hands. Very slowly, she released her grip and placed her hands on her lap, trying her very best not to meet those enchanting mahogony eyes that she would fall into if she dared take a peek.

~~

Jack looked away for a moment, feeling the awkward discomfort between them. He glanced down at his feet, then scratched his neck. This was stupid, why was this so difficult?

~~

"I, erm...better go and help on deck...as much as I can and all..." she muttered, standing and turning for the door. She looked back at him briefly, opening her mouth in a little "oh" shape, as if to say something, before pursing her lips and hurrying out the door.

~~

Jack opened his mouth to call after her, alas, no words would come out. Sighing, he turned back to his table, papers and scrolls in a disorderly mess. Taking a sip of rum, he sighed again, "Talk about unable to woo..." he muttered to himself.

~~

Will sat on a barrel, wrapping rope around his arm, tidying the ravaged deck.

~~

Evelyn's loose-fitting shirt billowed in the wind as she clambered up the rigging, keeping her balance in order to mend the damage that was done.

~~

Will looked up in admiration and concern, for the wind was rather gusty. Laying down his rope, he called up to her "Need a hand there Captain?" He smiled his dashing smile in a genuine grin, for to see such a creature in the rigging made his heart leap in a way it had not done for a while...

~~

Evelyn tilted her head back, taking her dagger out of her mouth, she shouted out, "No need, just coming down." She then made her way back down and jumping the last few feet.

Taking the dagger from her mouth again, she tucked it into her belt. She glanced about a bit before nodding, "Nearly done, should be in Gonaives soon too..."

~~

Will nodded curtly, smiling still at the spectacle in front of him. "Not too much damage then eh?" he nodded again, "We should pick up more supplies in.." he paused, frowning slightly bringing a handsome furrow to his face "Geeno...veeves?"

~~

Evelyn smiled slightly, "Gonaive island, it's a good base for us 'gentleman o' fortune'." She took out her telescope and examined the horizon, the ships were in a fair distance. They'd be fine, a little more wind and they'd be out of sight.

~~

He stood next to her, gazing distantly at the dots he spied on the peripheral. "We didn't do too much damage to Jack did we....and who was the other ship?"

~~

Putting the telescope away, Evelyn shrugged casually, "I think our little Jack got the worst of it..." she fiddled with the emerald ring on her finger, "Dunno who the other one was. A Pirate, but not an acquaintance of mine."

Michael passed her some papers, muttering something in her ear. Evelyn took them from him and flicked through them, raising an eyebrow now and again.

~~

Will had turned to face her as she played with her jewels, a dreamy look glazing over his eyes as he took in the pale-faced flaming haired woman who'd captured him. Almost without thinking the words left his mouth with a breathy quality "I do love your accent...where in Ireland are you from...?"

~~

Evelyn blinked, silent for a moment, her gaze went from the papers to him, and she replied, "Murrisk, in the south-west of County Mayo..." seeing the look on his face, she added, "In the province of Connacht."

~~

Will had also blnked several times. "I'm sorry...I've no idea why....or where they are..." he looked sheepish and had flushed a shade of pink that glowed in his cheeks with furiosity.

~~

Evelyn looked at him again, then at the papers. 'Just give the dog a bone...' she thought to herself, and without looking at him, nonchalantly asked, "Where are you from?"

~~

"Oh...I come from Glasgow, but we moved to the London docklands when I was a child..." he paused, then glanced at her again, "My father was a pirate...he left us when I was very young." He sighed...then asked..."And your family?"

~~

Evelyn turned another page, reading through the documents, she nodded a little, to show that she was listening, then turned another page, "Don' have a family." she replied blandly, even though there was a tang of anger at the thought of it.

~~

Will nodded then realised what she had said "You mean they're dead?"

~~

Evelyn paused for a moment, then scribbled something down, "Pretty much." she answered a little vaguely. She called for Michael, explaining a few things she wanted changed and returned the documents.

~~

He didn't dare ask more questions. "I see..." he coughed..."Well, at least you can do what you want without any..." and putting on a whiny voice said "That's not suitable for a young laaaaaydee!" and he smiled at his own jest.

~~

Evelyn let out a little chuckle, "Aye, I suppose that's true..." she shook her head a little, smiling, amused by his silly joke.

~~

Seeing her smile, Will decided to carry on with the joke. Using the same high squeaky voice he continued..."oooh Evelyn!" he fanned his face with his hands "Piratical things are certainly not right for a laaaaaydeeee, no no indeed, no no no!" and he lightly slapped her arm as if chastising her. "No no no! You should be sewing!"

~~

Evelyn's chuckle grew into a cackle, she hit him lightly on the arm, "Oh shut up y'eejit!" she managed to utter between her laughter.

~~

Will laughed as well, for the spell of confinement was broken. He smacked her back on the arm "OH! A laydee should not smack so! 'tis uncouth!"

~~

Evelyn hit him back playfully, "Then why are yooou hitting me?" she laughed out loud, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

~~

Outraged, Will turned to her, "I'm not a girl! How very dare you!" he laughed again, then sighed and rubbed his arm, "Actually, you hit quite hard..."

~~

Evelyn grinned mischievously, "You don't hit hard enough..."

~~

He smiled with a mischief in his eyes, and turned to look at her again, raising his arm to strike her in mock violence, but he stopped, his mouth open as he saw the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face. He lowered his hand and merely brushed it against hers..."I never ever hit a lady....even one of the sea..."

~~

Evelyn prodded him lightly on the chest, "Really? But you'd hit a man, aye?" she asked, tilting her head at him, "You'd hurt a man...probably have done in the past, have you not?"

~~

Will looked down, suddenly aware of everything again..."Yes..."

~~

Evelyn nodded, smiling, "Well I'll keep that in mind if we're ever in battle Mr. Turner..." she said, raising her eyebrow, "I'll feel a little cheated, too easy to kill a man who doesn't fight back, but there y'go..."

~~

Will nodded at her words, looking back at her..."Indeed." he coughed..."I'll go...finish off...with the erm..." he smiled again, and then bravely put a hand on her shoulder...without saying anything he just gently squeezed and then walked away to finish his chores.

~~

Evelyn let a smile escape her lips, "'ey! Mr. Turner!" she called out after him.

~~

He turned back too quickly, allowing anyone to gauge that she was still in his thoughts...her touch...her eyes..."Yes?"

~~

"Make sure y' watch yer back, eh? Never know, a woman o' the sea might be right behind yer..." she half smiled, and turned back, walking to the helm to take her place at the wheel.

~~

Will's eyes bulged at the suggestion and he span on his heels and marched off before she could see the glow of beetroot radiating from his cheeks.

Although he couldn't help but feel slightly guitly for that twinge of desire and curiosity that knotted his stomach, the same way that memories of the silk of her shirt and twinkle of her eyes made his head feel dizzy.

~~

Evelyn placed her hands on the wheel, they'd arrive at the Port of Isle de Gonaves soon. Although she kept her guard up, there was something strange about the situation. She didn't...no, ridiculous. But there was something about the young man that made her feel different. Something forgotten. No, not forgotten. She fiddled with her ring again and looked out to the outstretched azure horizon.

~~

Will was back to wrapping rope again, trying desperately not to look at her...or think about her...the ring...the hair...her emerald sparkling eyes...

~~

Some time later, arriving at Ile de la Gonaves, Evelyn smoothly docked and her crew separated into groups to replenish stocks. They would meet at the Old Bol Tavern by the late evening to depart again. Evelyn didn't want to waste too much time.

~~

Will stood around bemused, having never visited the place before..."Evelyn erm...where should I go?" he felt stupid having to ask her.

~~

Evelyn thought for a moment, her crewing having dispersed already, she frowned a little. She'd completely forgotten about him. "Err...alright, not a problem...you er, you can come with me then."

~~

He tried to surpress that little bit of joy that leaped up into his throat. He failed in stopping the smile forming onto his lips. Nodding, he jogged to catch up to where she was standing, and resisted the urge to grab her little pale hand in his.

~~

Evelyn made her way down, the harbour was quite busy at this time of the day. There was a general business and clamour. She gave a quick nod to a tall man by the pier, who nodded back at her. The path was cluttered with workers and locals, travellers and traders. She swiftly made her way through, and knocked on the door of a house on the corner of the street.

~~

Will struggled to keep up with her as she practically glided through the crowds. He spied the lusty looks from men on the street as they watched Evelyn pass. As she reached a door, he feared that a sudden surge of sailors would seperate them. He reached out and grasped her hand to pull himself through the crowd.

~~

Evelyn looked at her hand, then up at Will, "Y'alright there?" she asked him with an enquisitive look, one that just about held back a smile.

~~

"I'm s-sorry..." he stuttered, "I thought I'd lose you...I mean...erm...get lost..." he smiled with an embarrassed flush, "I'm hopeless aren't I?"

~~

She didn't reply, but gave a little smile, and the slightest squeeze before taking her hand away. The door opened before them, and a young woman stood before them.

~~

Will smiled and looked down as a woman answered the door. It took him all of his strength not to take her hand and kiss it. She was his captor officially. But he felt that giddy stupidity for he realised she had captured his heart for being a woman so true to herself, one without fear, and with beauty that made his eyes wonder at the very sight of her.

~~

"Evelyn!" Yvonne cried out, "Fancy you bein' here!" she grinned and widened the door, "Well come in then..." she eyed William and smiled, "You have a friend, I see?" she asked.

~~

Will looked up and gave a little wave.

~~

"Hmm...he's coming along for the ride..." she trailed off, "So where's yer dad? I need to ask for a little favour." they made there way into a small, modest living room. Evelyn sat down, crossing her legs.

~~

"Ah...actually he's in the back. He won't mind if you go in though, d'you want anything to drink? And your friend?" she asked, looking and William.

~~

Will followed in, glancing round quietly, then looked up at the question, "Heh erm...water please, thank you." He spotted a little chair in the corner, which he dutifully sat on, only to find it rather too small for him, so that it appeared he was sat on a child's chair. His knees were almost at eye level, and he smiled as he shifted to make himself look and feel like an idiot. His face was ablaze.

~~

Evelyn got up and nodded, "'Right then, I'll have the usual..." she said before getting up and making her way to the back, her footsteps fading away into silence.

~~

Will watched her go, then in a flash shot up to steal her chair. He looked around the little room with abject curiosity, and sighed quietly at such a reminder of a homely little place, such as his own shop in Port Royal.

~~

Yvonne returned to the room with a tray, she placed it on a small table and gave a mug of water to William, "There you go, sure you don't want anything else?" she asked, whilst getting out a bottle of whiskey for Evelyn.

~~

He smiled gratefully and shook his head. "Oh no thank you, you're very kind Miss..." and supped on the water thirstily, until after a few seconds it was gone. "Although...more water may be needed shortly..." he smiled slightly with a naughty glint as he placed the mug on the table.

~~

Yvonne laughed lightly, "'Course." she left again and came back with a jug of water, refilled his mug and placed the jug beside it. There was a loud thud from the back, "Everythin' alright?" she shouted towards the corridor.

~~

Will peered behind her and whispered..."What is she doing?"

~~

After a few moments, Evelyn came into view, looking a little flustered, she grabbed the bottle of whiskey, filling a glass and downing it in one go. "Thanks Yvonne, regards to yer mam." she lifted the glass at her, set it down then nodded at William, "C'mon" she made her way back to the door.

~~

He stood quickly, and nodded to Yvonne with yet another smile..."Thank you for the water...it was...err, clean." And smiling once more he followed Evelyn to the door.

~~

Letting William out before her, she closed the door behind her and made her way to the tavern. She checked something in her pocket and patted it lightly. The winds died down slightly, but it was quite cool.

~~

Will noticed the little pat of her pocket but decided not to say anything, seeing as it wasn't his business..."Well mi'lady...where to now?" he grinned at her an once again smacked her arm "Not drinking I hooope! That's not suitable!"

~~

Evelyn smiled and mock gasped, "Me? Drink? Of course not!" she took a turn left and made her way to the tavern, the skies began to darken above them and candles were slowly being lit.

~~

He laughed at her again, and tripped at the same time as a cat scuttled underneath his feet. Once again he found himself grasping her shirt as he stopped himself falling. "Sorry!" he muttered, "It's like I've already started drinking!"

~~

Laughing at him, Evelyn helped him keep his balance, "I wasn't gone that long was I? What've you been up to eh Mr. Turner?" she grinned, her shirt tugged down slightly from his grasp.

~~

Will's eyes fell on her bare pale skin, fixed there unmoving. After a few seconds, he snapped out of his thoughts and without smiling, gently lifted the material to cover her. He smoothed it down and smiled at his work, hardly realising the intimacy of the gesture. He looked at her and frowned as he came to his senses. "Err...I...Sorry. Sorry."

~~

Evelyn smiled, with a glint in her eyes, "'S'alright. Guess I'm not used to that gesture..." she grinned slightly. She knew the implication would make him blush, he blushed so often, it actually kind of amused her.

~~

Will's face flushed once more, practically scarlet. "I'm...I'm not used to...to having someone to...to be with...I suppose I just want to..help you..." his gaze met her's...and he smiled shyly "Even if I am meant to be your prisoner...and you hit me..." his face began to fall..."and...starved me...and..."

~~

Evelyn rolled her eyes, "What d'you expect from me? Really? As my prisoner, were you really hopin' for flowers and fluffy little bunnies?" she sighed a little, "Can't imagine you havin' pirate's blood within those veins."

~~

"No...no me neither...but I do..." he sighed, "Still, you kind of..." he paused, then smiled naughtily again, "...You kind of expect a lady such as yourself to have some manners and be nice...you musn't have been taught that as a wee girl eh?"

~~

Evelyn blinked, and looked away for a moment, "No...no I guess I wasn't taught exactly that..." they had arrived at the tavern, it was obvious from the faint music and muffled shouts and cries from inside.

~~

Will looked up and grinned, "Nor do you expect ladies to go into places like this..." he glanced at her to see her looking away, "Although,...you're not the average lady are you Captain O'Malley?"

~~

Evelyn swung open the door, and the noises that were softer from outside filled her ears, "Neither average nor a lady, sweetpea." she said with a grin, she walked to the bar and ordered a whiskey.

~~

Will followed her in, still smiling, and despite the situation, happier than he'd been for a rather long time.

~~

Taking her glass, Evelyn shifted through the violent, drunk crowd to the most spacious table available. She sat down, placing her glass on the table and grabbed a chair, swinging it round and propping her feet on top of it, one on top of the other.

~~

Will sat politely opposite her, remembering the taverns in Tortuga on his adventures with Jack...he still smiled vaguely, although despite being exceedingly content, he couldn't help but miss his little shop and his friend...

~~

Taking a gulp of whiskey, Evelyn nodded at him, "What's on yer mind Turner?" she asked, moreso for conversation rather than concern. A jade green bottle smashed against the wall beside her. She paid no notice.

~~

He raised his head to her and spoke honestly, "I do miss home, and I care for Jack and worry about him, although...he did survive some...experience with you so I'm guessing he can manage a little cannon-fire." He smirked at her, ducking deftly as another bottle flew over his head, narrowly missing him by an inch..."I can't help but wonder about that other ship...it's unusual. It felt strange."

~~

"I'm sure ol' Jack's just fine, he wasn't a prisoner of mine..." she trailed off with a sly grin, "Anyway...other ship has nothin' to do wit' me, might just be attemptin' the get away from that Naval ship, or maybe somethin' t'do wit' Jack..." she shrugged and sipped at her whiskey.

~~

Will nodded, "Jack must be in serious trouble if the British Navy are involved..." he trailed off thinking, "as are we, if Jack is following us...which is most likely because you...have me." He smirked again, then continued, "We should get the supplies we need here and...well...really turn home, but if it's the Isle De Muerta you want to satisfy your morbid curiousity then so be it."

~~

Evelyn put the glass down and tilted her head, "Our headin' is Isle de Muerta, that's where we're goin', and that's that. Once our business is finished, we'll take y' back to yer little shop and it's all done. Savvy?" She leaned back in her chair, and grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the hands of a drunken, angry man who was about to smash it against other's head. She emptied out the contents into a glass and took a few sips.

~~

Will nodded. He'd agree with her for now, but he still vaguely hoped that he'd be able to change her mind...or at least someone else would...if Jack ever managed to catch up with them.

~~

A hand reached over from behind Evelyn and snuffed out a cigarette in her glass of whiskey.

~~

Will cocked an eyebrow.

~~

Evelyn shouted angrily, "What the bl**din' hell d'you yer doin' there y'eejit?" and grabbed the hand, looking up to see a familiar face.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Rory smirked a little, an amused grin on his face, "'Ello there Evie...how's my little sweetness doin'? Gonaves I see? Saw yer ship back at the port...didn't see mine though..." he raised an eyebrow at her.

~~

Will blinked stupidly several times as he watched the man speak so familiarly to Evelyn. It made that knot in his stomach tighten...and burn.

~~

Evelyn smiled slightly, "Surely bein' a gentleman as yerself, y'wouldn't mind a friend borrowin' yer ship for such circumstances..." her eyes glinted as she spoke.

~~

William stared bemused as he watched the verbal tennis match fly between the two, obviously familiar Captains.

~~

Rory grabbed a chair, swinging it round so that it was back to front and sat down, his arms leaning on the back of the chair. "No I wouldn't, 'course not...but y'see y'didn't borrow, did y'now Evie? Borrowin' implies a discussion, a permission, perhaps even lettin' me know...?" he raised an eyebrow at her, "I've been lookin' for you, and I'll tell ya, without a ship, it's been quite a journey..."

~~

Evelyn nodded slowly, "I guess so...but really? I'm sure we can forgive and forget, aye?" she stroked her collarbone as she spoke to him, and her boot softly touched his leg.

~~

Rory laughed a little, and took out another cigarette, "Mmmm.." he mumbled put it in his mouth and lit it. "Maybe payment will help out with that 'forget and forget', eh?" he raised an eyebrow again, his dark eyes glinting with desire for her.

~~

Will's head snapped around and his hand quickly, unconciously flew to his sword; the movement jarring the table a little. He glared darkly at the Irish man, quite incensed at his familiarity with Evelyn.

~~

Evelyn didn't notice William's actions, she leaned forward and whispered in Rory's ear with a sly smile, "I'm sure we can arrange somethin'..." her lips brushed against his ear as she sat back and drank whiskey out of a bottle she had taken earlier.

~~

Will looked away, suddenly awkwardly aware of how he was sort of interrupting something. It also prevented her seeing the jealousy that seethed and shone to the core of his pupils.

~~

Rory almost shivered. It'd been some time, and his desire for her had only grown. His eyes darkened with yearning and he licked his lips, a light grey smoke floated out of his mouth, which curled into a smile.

~~

"Who are you?" Will couldn't help the words escaping his lips, as his gaze fell once again upon the mysterious stranger.

~~

Taking a sip from Evelyn's bottle, Rory's glance turned to the young man, he tilted his head and asked Evelyn, "Friend of your's?"

~~

Evelyn took the bottle back from him, "No. A prisoner from Port Royal." she replied quite blandly. She took a good few gulps of whiskey and reached into Rory's pocket, taking out a cigarette. "I'm out." she said as she put it in her mouth.

~~

Will stared at the pair...still waiting for his question to be answered. He also felt mildly insulted by Evelyn's dismissal of him. He stood quickly and turned to leave, planning to make some futile attempt at escape. He turned back to Evelyn..."I'll be on the ship..." then he added nastily..."in my cell..." before heading off towards the door through the throngs of whores and drunkards.

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, and standing, walked over to grasp him firmly by the arm, "D'you think I'm an eejit? Y'll stay here until someone can take you back." she tilted her head slightly, "Sit. Down."

~~

Will turned to stare angrily at her. "No. Don't you trust me? Honestly Evelyn...where do I have to go? I think you'd be better off with your..." he paused "friend there. Trust me...I'm going to the ship. You can follow me there if you like, but I won't sit with someone who..." he trailed off, unable to share his true emotions of jealousy and passion with her.

~~

"Someone who...?" she probed, crossing her arms. What was his problem? And did he really think that she would allow a prisoner to walk away freely?

~~

"Someone who seems very rude." He felt his face flush as he realised how snobbish he sounded, considering he'd only a moment ago been praising her for being so un-lady like.

~~

Evelyn blinked, "Are y'bein' serious Turner?" she paused for a moment, "Come now...surely y'd have a better plan than this to attempt an escape?" He wasn't exactly malicious or calculative, but she didn't think he'd be this terrible.

~~

"It's not an escape attempt. I'm escaping from this atmosphere...I can't deal with it. Never liked it. Not got that pirate blood aye?" and he still moved towards the door.

~~

Evelyn grabbed his arm, this time tightly, "Look. Don't be stupid. Sit down and don't cause a problem."

~~

Rory nodded his head toward them, "The boy causing trouble for ya?" he asked, his eyes scrutinizing William.

~~

"Get rid of him then..." and he nodded in the direction of Rory, purposely making himself heard so that the Irish man would hear him.

~~

Rory stood up and walked to them, halting so that he was only inches away from William's face, "Are we gonna have a problem?" his eyebrows were furrowed, his expression threatening.

~~

Evelyn stood between them, "It's not a problem Rory...he's just not feeling so good from the battle earlier. I'll sort it out." she smiled at him and waited until he backed away a little.

~~

William didn't move at all. In fact, all his emotions seemed to want to lash out and hit this man very hard in his chiselled face. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times. "There is no problem..." he repeated the mantra out loud.

~~

Evelyn turned around to face William, and as she opened her mouth, some of her crew made their way in. "Ah." she said, "Alright, there, y'see? A little patience." she beckoned Jorge over.

~~

Jorge approached her, "Aye Capitan?" he waited for his orders obediently.

~~

Evelyn nodded at William, "Take the prisoner back to the ship, will yer? I know yer not a man for this place anyway, y'wouldn't mind?"

~~

"Si, of course Capitan, it is not a problem at all." he nodded to her and held William by the arm to escort him back to the Emerald Liberty.

~~

Will slowly took his arm away from Jorge..."I don't need an escort..." and he looked witheringly back at Evelyn, before shaking his head slowly at her..."Perhaps you aren't the woman I thought you were." With that, he looked pointedly at Jorge, smiling slightly...."Lead on..."

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at his last comment, what did he mean by that? She returned to her seat where Rory caressed her cheek and put an arm around her waist, looking up at her and half smiling.

~~

James Hook sat in his plush chair in his destroyed cabin, dangling a large ruby necklace from his glistening hook...he turned and threw it at a portrait upon his wall. It hit it with a loud bang, before tinkling to the ground in a few pieces. Bits of flecked ruby lay embedded in the portrait. Victoria's face seemed splattered with blood. It was an omen that made him laugh maliciously out loud.

Indeed, she would have to die before she left his clutches...

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Jack span the wheel around wildly and squinted his eyes, "B*gger!" he shouted in a frustrated manner. He turned and clenched his fists, then leant back onto the wheel, sighing as if the air he breathed out was letting out all of his problems.

~~

Victoria stood by the side of deck, sighing often and holding a telescope to her eye as she gazed onto the horizon. She then span it around so she was looking at it the wrong way...after a pause and an exasperated squeal she flung the scope onto the deck..."Well I don't understand it....I can't see them at all..."

~~

Jack looked at his feet with an exhausted and morose look on his face, "That's because we've lost them..." he said quietly.

~~

"No...we haven't lost them...they're still on the globe aren't they!? They are here somewhere..." she looked over at him with a smile, "We just don't know where Jack...that's all!" and she gathered up her rather ragged and dirty gown and headed over to him.

~~

Jack slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, "I'm tired. I'm running out of rum. And I've lost them."

~~

Mr. Cotton stepped over him and took the wheel.

~~

Victoria smiled at Cotton kindly, and sat neatly beside Jack..."Well my only dress is ruined and...and now you're upset. And I don't like to see you upset Jack..." she placed a hand on his cheek gently...and quietly added "Please cheer up...I promise you we'll find them...as I said..." she smiled at him, "...you will find Will! He's out there...and we'll find him..." "We know where they are going don't we?" she added, pointing at the compass on his belt, "Use that to help you..."

~~

Jack nodded slowly, then blinked a few times..."My compass..." he took it out and flipped the lid up, the pointer swung around a few times before stopping at a clear indication.

~~

Victoria leaned over him to see the reading, and smiled..."So that's North...." then she frowned prettily, her forehead creasing, her mouth pouting..."No it's not...I know North...it's....your compass is broken Jack."

~~

The pointer did show an indication. It wasn’t North. It was pointing at Victoria. Frowning, he quickly shut it, "My compass is just...having a bad day." he shoved it back in its place.

~~

Victoria shook her head, ruined ringlets flying wildly..."It looked bloody broken to me...throw it away." She looked at him suddenly..."Oh I'm so sorry about my language. I...I suppose I've been in such bad company it's rubbing off on me..." and she grinned wickedly at him.

~~

Jack smiled and touched her lips with his thumb, rubbing them very lightly. Realising what he was doing, and who to, he quickly took his hand away and frowned a little, "You...had something...." he pointed at the corner of his mouth.

~~

Victoria gawped at him for a while, and put a dainty finger to the spot he touched..."oh"....she licked her finger deftly...and then quickly lunged at his face and rubbed wildly at a spot on his right cheek..."So have you Jack...and there...and there..." and thus she began a rigourous session of spit cleaning his face.

~~

Jack laughed a little and grabbed her hands, "Get off me!" he looked at his hands and let go. There was a silence and Jack looked away for a moment. He couldn't stand it...perhaps it was just her beauty. But...there was something about the way she spoke, the way her ringlets fell in front of her face...

~~

She laughed loudly, "You're ever so grubby though...Jack?" Victoria leant over him, kneeling up to move her face in front of his..."Oh come on...it was just a jest! Don't be cross with me...whoops!" The ship gave a jerk as it hit a wave and she fell into his lap.

~~

Jack's eyes widened slightly, and he coughed, "I errr...fl.." he could barely manage keeping his mouth closed.

~~

Victoria flew up very quickly, "Oh my! I'm sorry...the sea and I don't seem to agree with each other...always making me fall or get kidnapped or...well...erm..." she was rather flustered herself, having felt for the first time the warmth of his body on hers. she had to look away before he saw the pink glow that had risen in her cheeks.

~~

Kiss her. Take her into your arms. What am I thinking? She's a...princess, he couldn't afford to...no, this wasn't right. Why did he feel so...so weak around her?

~~

She rose very quickly and scrambled off without a word, face burning, gown trailing, hair flailing, and heart utterly in her throat as she fled from another man she feared. Not for his threats against her...but for the feelings she was beginning to feel towards him which were, surely, forbidden.

~~

Jack stood up and turned around a few times. What to do? If he went after her...no. Things might get out of hand. He moved Cotton out of the way and taking the wheel. He needed to be busy, he needed to keep his mind off of her. He needed more rum.

~~

Victoria stumbled into Jack's cabin, kicking something as she stormed in. She looked down and noticed a half full bottle of rum. "He's blind!" she cried, picking it up. She was just about to take it off to him, but she didn't think she could quite manage it. Instead she glanced back at the bottle in hand. Uncorking it, she took a swig...coughed horribly at the acrid taste.

However, very shortly, an extremely pleasant warm feeling invaded her stomach, and she felt quite at ease. Plonking herself on his chair, Victoria gazed over the papers that made no sense to her, swigging occasionally the rum. After half an hour, the bottle was quite empty, and as for Lady de Bourbon. Quite drunk, for the very first time.

~~

Jack stood quietly muttering to himself at the wheel, "This is...I mean why is this happening? This is all Will's fault. If he's not dead already..." he turned the wheel angrily, making his way straight to Isle de Muerta, as that was Evelyn's heading.

Jack beckoned to Mr. Cotton and asked him to take the wheel. The thirst for rum had returned once more and so he made his way down to his cabin, swinging the door open with a groan.

~~

Victoria, sat with her head dozing on her arms sat up with a start. Blinking, and with a rather slurry voice, she held up and empty rum bottle..."I ffound the rrrum!" she tipped the bottle upside-down, as a tiny drop trickled to the floor...she gasped..."But it's all gone!" She blinked and looked at him again. With all seriousness, she asked..."Why is the rum gone?"

~~

Jack blinked a few times. What this real? He sighed slowly, "I've asked myself that very question so many times..." he sat down and rested his head on his desk with a quiet thud. "Rum..." cried out a quiet, muffled voice.

~~

She handed him the empty rum bottle with a smile..."There we are Jackobim!" and she hummed contently.

~~

He lifted his head slowly, and blinked several times, then frowned. "Jack...obim...?" he asked, taking the rum and shaking it a few times. Nothing. Not one single drop was left, he pouted with disappointment.

~~

"Awww!" Victoria cooed at Jack's pouty face..."IF....if I am ever Queen you can be the King...the King of Rum! And you shall have your own rum island...of rum."

~~

Jack considered this for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, "Can I get that in writing...?" he asked, spinning the empty bottle on the desk.

~~

Again, with all seriousness, she asked "Well do you have a quill?"

~~

Jack nodded, "I do..." he took a quill, dipped it in black ink and passed it to her, "No tricks..." he spoke seriously also, and passed her some parchment. He leaned forward a little to watch what she was writing.

~~

Victoria daintily took the quill, and with a flourish, began to scrawl quickly on the paper. Her writing was neat, elegant and rapid as she laid out a mock decree to raise Jack to the peerage...Lord of Rumland had a ring to it.

After a few moments, she handed the paper back to him. Upon it, in neat if not a little squint writing, was a declaration that Jack Sparrow was hereby King of all the Rum. And Lord of Rumland, a small district of Orleans in France. With a smirk she smiled, "I AM a Duchess you know... and French! You can be the Lord of Rumland...I'll give you land and you can grow rum." She nodded at the seemingly practical situation, more to herself than anyone else, despite the fact it was in fact...lunacy.

~~

Jack grinned happily, "Right then..." he took the declaration from her and placed in one of his drawers, "That's that done, I thank ye kindly." he put his hands together and nodded.

~~

“Sir you shall kneel and I shall knight you...with..." she looked around and snatched the rum bottle again, grinning wildly. She stood up, and promptly fell over onto her bottom, petticoats flying. She giggled..."with this sword...of swords...this bottle of....rum! Sir Rummigan!"

~~

Jack had kneeled and bowed his head sincerely, "Well...I'd be lying if I said this had crossed my mind before..." he stood up, and sniffed a little, "A touching ceremony...must say..." he took the bottle of rum, "I'll put this somewhere safe, it's sacred now!" he stroked it and placed it carefully inside a trunk.

~~

She stood up shakily, balancing using a chair. With a quick smile, a genine yet drunken smile, she held out a white hand and bade him to rise. "You will always be a Prince of Pirates...a King of Sea Thieves and you are, no matter who tries to change you...or what they tell you...Captain Jack Sparrow...and you will...find...will..." she trailed off...

With a whisper, her eyelids drooping, she added..."you will find what you are looking for." And with that she fell back onto the floor, fast asleep, snoring in a most unlady-like fashion.

~~

Jack smiled with amusement. He wasn't quite drunk, and he bent over, looking at her for a moment in silence before picking her up swiftly and carefully and placing her lightly on his bed. "Goodnight...princess..." he leaned in to kiss her, but backed away with a slight frown. He pulled the blanket over her and left the room silently.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Will sat below deck, in his room, or rather, his cell. He'd fixed the place he'd broken out of, and was now sat outside the bars, on an upturned barrel, supping on a half empty bottle of rum he'd found in a corner. He thought about the evening...her betrayal...her beauty...just her. And he burned in his corner.

~~

It was late into the night, and the crew were returning to the ship in quite a merry fashion. Evelyn stood on deck, her head was rather light after all the whiskey she had consumed. She laughed and there was quite a racket as they all went down to their cabins or lingered on deck for a while.

~~

He heard the racket upstairs, and decided to ignore it. He was after all, her prisoner and she could bloody well come and see him. He stood up, placed the rum bottle down, and set about making a bed out of a few sacks of flour and rags that he spotted around dingy belly of the ship.

~~

Rory was at the helm and pulled Evelyn towards him, "So about that payment...?" he grinned at her, his hands feeling the warmth of her back. She looked hauntingly pale under the moonlight, and her hair looked as if would set her skin ablaze.

~~

Evelyn smiled and tilted her head back. She put her arms around his neck, and gazed into his dark eyes for a moment. She stroked his cheek, and felt the roughness of his beard. "Are you hungry, Rory...?" she asked with a glint in her eye.

~~

Rory tilted his head so his warm breath could touch her, "I'm starvin'...I want a strawberry..." he grinned at her and stroked her back, pulling her shirt up slightly as he did so.

~~

Will stood, and decided to head on deck to ask someone what they were planning to do...he grabbed the rum bottle again and headed up the stairs.

~~

Evelyn shifted slightly, her body pressed against his, they were alone at the helm now. She whispered in his ear, "Come to think of it...I've got some cravin's for chocolate..." she bit his ear ever so lightly.

~~

As he reached the deck, he looked over the helm and saw.....well....everything. He felt dizzy and hot, his stomach tightened...he felt angry, then afraid for her...he dropped the rum bottle with a smash.

~~

Rory let out a quick breath, his heart racing. "Chocolate, eh...?" his hands caressed her back and moved lower to grope her softly, "Chocolate covered strawberries always sounded delicious to me..." he turned his head as he heard a noise.

~~

Will reached for his pistol, but it was gone...his face was fury. His gaze was fixed on Rory. If looks could kill, he'd be dead twice. He looked to the deck, the floorboards suddenly becoming fascinating.

~~

Evelyn followed his gaze but saw nothing. She held him by the chin and turned his gaze back to her, "It's nothing..." she smiled, "Probably came from downstairs..." she licked his lips.

~~

Will turned and headed towards the other side of the deck, towards the crew's quarters. The noise of his boots clomping on the floorboards echoed in the night, and pounded in his head. He felt like diving overboard. He didn't, but merely headed below to gather his thoughts.

~~

Rory caught her lips as she did so and kissed her passionately. He held her tightly, tasting her sweetness, feeling his yearning for her and letting it surge out. He slid his hands to her waist, undoing the buttons of her shirt...

~~

As he went below, Will spotted an abandoned pistol...he picked it up gently. Checking it, he discovered it wasn't loaded. Still...he turned on his heels and headed back on deck, pistol tucked inside his waistband. The sight on deck nearly made him reel backwards, back down the stairs he'd just ascended.

~~

He pointed the gun directly at Evelyn. He didn't know if she'd notice, but he didn't know if he cared. He decided, rashly, to try and take control of a situation that he felt lost in. He felt his head swimming even as he held the weapon with his blacksmith's steady hand.

~~

Evelyn pushed forward slightly so that Rory leant back on one of the masts, she brought her leg up, which Rory held tightly by the thigh. She closed her eyes, held his cheeks and kissed him passionately. As Rory moved slightly, she brought her cold hands to his lower back and slid them upwards, holding him close to her body.

~~

Will rolled his eyes, and threw the pistol overboard with a loud splosh. Now vexed with himself for throwing away the rum, he sighed and glanced sadly, desperately at Evelyn. Was she so dynamic...so selfish and lustful...that she negated all other human emotion for her current whim? He felt hurt and used, despite the tightening knot of jealousy he felt seeing her passionately embrace Rory.

With a sigh, he headed back to his make-shift bed, but before he did, he turned back to the couple and said, in a normal voice, unsure if he could be heard..."Why?", as he headed below, he repeated it quietly..."Why?"

~~

Too engrossed in his activities, Rory let out a low, husky groan. He threw his shirt on the floor and pressed himself against Evelyn's body. He pushed back her hair and kissed her neck with his hands tightly grasping her hips.

~~

Evelyn cried out a little and Rory thrust himself against her again. She pushed her lips roughly onto his, her hands rubbing against his broad shoulders. The only other sound was the aquatic hushing of the sea.

~~

William lay on his makeshift bed of sacks, tossing and turning, sleep evading him.

~~

The candle light from Evelyn's cabin died down, yet muffled voices could still be heard from behind the door. The crew were mostly asleep, tired from the day's ventures. The two firey Irish lovers however had long hours yet to spend in eachother's company, and certainly not sleeping.

~~

Eventually, Will lulled into an uncomfortable, restless sleep, constantly waking at the odd bump from above or creak of the ship. The seas lapped dully against the bulk of the vessel, and Will heard every wave break upon the wood match the beating of his aching heart.

~~

Within time, the warmth of the sun began to spill onto the deck, the skies lightening to a pale blue and the crew began to stir. They're heading was straight for Isle de Muerta, as shown of William's map. No other ships were on the horizon. Not anymore. Not yet.

~~

Will sat on deck, washing his face in cold salty sea water he'd scooped from the depths with a bucket. It left a bitter taste in his mouth with every splash that brought him splashing back to reality. He was still on this bloody ship, heading into danger in more ways than one.

~~

Evelyn stirred slightly, and let out a little sigh in her sleep. Her hair was in a scruffy mess, covering half of her face, and she pulled the sheets slightly higher as her naked body felt a chill.

~~

Rory had awoken a few moments before, and smiled as he saw her stirring. He stroked the hair away from her face and caressed her cheek before sliding his hand across the contours of her pale body. She looked exquisite. It seemed that his hunger would never be satisfied.

~~

Will gazed out onto the horizon, scanning for any other signs of life. Seeing none, he turned and emptied the bucket over the side of the ship before smoothing back his hair into a ponytail. He felt his chin, and frowned in disapproval at the among of stubble he felt. He probably looked a mess...at least he felt like one.

~~

Rory gazed at his companion for a while before kissing the tip of her nose and gently moving the sheets away and getting out of the bed. He stretched out before going to wash his face. He ran his hands through his dark hair before returning and getting dressed. Quietly, he left the room and walked up to the deck to get some fresh air.

~~

Will didn't dare turn as he heard someone leave Evelyn's cabin. He continued to stare pensively out to sea, thinking of a way to escape as soon as they hit land. He wondered about Jack...about the naval ship they had seen...about the other ship. The navy would not come after him...nor Evelyn. He couldn't help but feel out of his depth, and that the impending danger was far more serious...

He'd thought it was merely just returning to Isle de Muerta...but now...he felt an ominous chill on the wind despite the sun in the sky....and a figure nearby he didn't dare turn to see.

~~

Rory stretched again and nodded to Jorge who was at the wheel, "Mornin'" he took a walk to the other side and leaned over, gazing down at the shimmering marine blue of the sea.

~~

Will's shoulders relaxed a little...it was just Rory...not her. He decided to ignore him as best he could, and continued to gaze out onto the ocean.

~~

As time progressed, more of the crew arose from their sleep and began their day's work. It was still pretty quiet, but there was conversation between friends.

~~

Rory looked out to sea, smoke pouring from his mouth as he breathed out the cigarette smoke. Occasionally he had a short conversation with members of the crew that he was more acquainted with.

~~

Will moved slightly away as Rory began to smoke, for he thought it a dirty habit, even amongst the nobility. He cast the Irish man an aggravated look before heading on to sit on a barrel and think to himself.

~~

Rory didn't even take notice of the younger man, he was obviously thinking to himself. He didn't turn to look at him or even realise that he had moved.

~~

A little while later, Evelyn came out of her cabins. Although she was dressed, her hair was still quite untamed. The crew greeted her in good mornings, and she returned the greeting, speaking to a few them before making her way to Rory.

~~

Rory smiled and put an arm around her, "Mornin' me sweet strawberry..." he kissed her and lingered for a moment. "Sleep well...?"

~~

This time, Will turned to glance at her...and saw Evelyn with Rory, before his head span around quickly, back to face the sea.

~~

Evelyn smiled back, biting her bottom lip, "Mmm...slept like a wee baby..." she tugged at his shirt lightly and laughed a little.

~~

Hearing their laughter, Will decidedly looked in the opposite direction, and began picking at spare bits of rope dotted nearby, tying them together in pretence of doing something useful.

~~

Rory squinted his eyes against the sun and puts his hands on Evelyn's waist, "So tell me...what made you leave in such a hurry?" he tilted his head, he seemed slightly annoyed about it but wasn't letting it show too much.

~~

Evelyn pouted slightly, "Rory don't even bother goin' there..." seeing the look on his face she tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrows, "Treasure...loot, gold, shiny things. Ring a bell?"

~~

Hearing every word, Will instinctively got up and went to examine his own crude map. As he plucked it from where it lay, a sudden wind blew by, and the little piece of parchment soared out of his hand, over the side of the ship and into the sea. He blinked...then made a comical grimace.

~~

Evelyn didn't see what had just happened, and simply held Rory by the chin and pulled him into a kiss, "Come now...don't be so possessive darlin'" she winked and walked over to the wheel, talking to Jorge before sending him to her cabin for paper work.

~~

Will span on his heel nervously, and practically flew to the side of the ship. He watched the sodden paper drift off into the vast expanse of water. He blinked again and went to sit back on his barrel, wringing his hands and cursing his clumsiness.

~~

Evelyn took the wheel, looking out to the horizon and making slight turns every so often, she was in a better mood, much to the delight of her crew. They dearly missed their Captain's crazy ways, but recently she'd been quite distant.

~~

Will was trying not to look so suspicious as he glanced to and fro for a quill and parchment, so he might draw another map before anyone noticed he'd lost the other one.

~~

Evelyn noticed somebody darted to and fro, and looking, saw that it was William, she frowned slightly, "Mr. Turner, may I enquire as t'what yer doin'?" she called out to him.

~~

He glanced at her briefly, still moving his neck...."Er....exercising..."

~~

Rory looked over from where he was, helping Frank, and frowned slightly. Mr. Turner...hmm, he didn't like him. At all.

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "Exercisin'?" she repeated.

~~

"Yes...stiff neck...rough night..." he coughed nervously....still desperately half looking for the necessary stationery to save his skin.

~~

Tilting her head, she paused, then shook her head before beckoning him over.

~~

Will stood slowly, stretched in an exaggerated fashion and headed over to her with some trepidation.

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Evelyn kept a hand on the wheel, and the other she lifted inquisitively, "What on earth are you up to?" she asked bluntly, something was surely going on. He wouldn't seem this nervous. Having said that, well...he generally seemed to be a little anxious.

~~

Will smiled slightly..."Oh...nothing! I erm...I was checking the map. And now...I'm checking on you!! Eheh...so!" he trailed off.

~~

Blinking slowly, she nodded, "Right...well you can keep yer map, I don't really need it anymore." And with that she turned her focus back on the horizon, dismissing his presence.

~~

He nearly fainted with relief as he watched her go. Breathing out slowly, he took the helm from her and kept a strong eye on the horizon. The sooner we're there...and then gone...the sooner I can go home. He still had a longing for his little bed in Port Royal, yet his heart was torn, as her company made his heart swell. Sometimes the thought of leaving her ship was nigh impossible.

~~

Rory watched Evelyn walk away from the helm, he just had the urge to ravage her, he always wanted to taste her. His gaze fell upon the young prisoner. He narrowed his eyes, he didn't like him. At all.

~~

Will felt someone watching him...his spine was tingling. His shoulders tightened. He glanced to his right, seeing Rory slanting at him. He merely looked, and then looked away, trying to ignore him. He didn't like him. At all.

~~

James Hook sat gazing at the letters in his hand. His cabin was still a state. Rubies still remained embedded in the portrait and the wall. The letters spoke of a love lost long ago when a young girl grew up. His heart burned with hatred, twisted from a once consuming passion. He gently folded the letters and placed them in his desk drawer. Picking up his pistol he fired three shots at Victoria's portrait before turning and gazing out onto the horizon. Then he began to laugh insanely...

~~

Jack let out an exasperated sigh, then changed course abruptly. The ship gained speed, and the winds were in their favour. He took something from his belt, a small item. A compass.

~~

Victoria had abandoned all hope of taming her hair, and her poor gown was in tatters. She leaned across the side of the ship, feeling the wind and watching the ripples on the water. She smiled as she saw little fish race the Pearl, and gazed out thoughtfully scanning the horizon.

~~

Jack let out a groan, the compass wasn't pointing north, nor the direction he wished for. He shook it violently and cursed under his breath. It was pointing towards the side of the ship, directly at a young English princess.

~~

Victoria squealed with delight as the fish had started jumping...she turned and smiled at Jack and beckoned him over.

~~

Sighing and putting the compass back, he quite reluctantly walked over to her, "What's exciting you so much...?" he blurted out as confidently as he could, even though he truly felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.

~~

"I've never been this far out to see...look!" she pointed, "The fish...oh I'm making such a fool of myself..." she smiled at him again, "It's just all quite exciting...pirates and things..."

~~

"Mmm...pirates...and things...yes..." Jack swallowed and paused for a moment, why couldn't he speak? Jack, not able to speak? This was stupid...surely he could strike up some sort of conversation..."So...the er...the weather today is...lovely." He blinked. Weather? Jesus.

~~

Victoria gave an amusing sort of frown and nodded before looking back out to sea. Turning back to him she looked at him in the eye and giggled, a little pink flush rising to her cheeks. "It is lovely weather..." Stop. She couldn't stop the amusement in her voice...or the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

~~

Jack nodded a little, "Mmm...mmm..." he glanced at her again, he couldn't avoid it, and he saw her cheeks turning pink against her white skin. It made him feel warm in his own cheeks, and yet made his body feel cold. Why did he feel this way? It's not like...alright, it was slightly different...but surely there couldn't be anything between them?

~~

Wrapping her arms around herself, Victoria sighed peacefully..."It's rather chilly now isn't it?" she asked absently, "I think I'll...I'll head inside and warm up." She turned and smiled at him again, her full lashes down. She couldn't meet his eye, for surely he would see into her soul and see that though she was cold on the outside, her beating heart made her feel hot and dizzy.

~~

Jack nodded quickly, "Alright...I..yes, go ahead..." his eyes were fixated on her, until she walked of sight and he slid down the side of the ship so that he was sitting. Leaning his head back, he simply couldn't understand why this was so difficult. He brought out his compass again. Shook it lightly...nope. The arrow simply followed her. Damned thing.

~~

Jack saw Gibbs walking up from below deck, leaping up, he ran over to him, "Gibbs! So happy to see you...out here...on...deck." he smiled to him and patted his shoulder. Something had to work, who knows where the Irish nymph was now, the only choice was to get to Isle de Muerta. And fast.

~~

"Aye cap'n...the winds be in our favour should the sky stay clear...now...are we headin in the right direction?" Gibbs blinked and grinned at Jack.

~~

"Well...about that..." Jack grinned, he took out his compass and shook it lightly, "Slight problem, which can be easily solved..." he brought Gibbs' hand up and placed the compass in it, then looked at him. "What do you want...Gibbs, right now?"

~~

Gibbs blinked at Jack in surprise. "Why...to find young William...?"

~~

Jack nodded slowly, "Aye...indeed...and to find young William you must find...?" he prompted slowly, waiting for the right answer.

~~

"To...look at the compass?"

~~

Jack nodded again, he was getting there, "And in order to get the compass pointing in the right director to find young William, you must want...?" he waved a hand as if to continue.

~~

Gibbs took the compass off Jack with a quick snatching action..."I must bloody hold the compass Jack...good grief...what on earth is the matter with ye?"

~~

Jack frowned a little, then showed his hands, "Nothing, nothing..." he replied, before murmuring, "Just as long as you get it pointing in the right bl**dy direction..." he closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for Gibbs' reaction.

~~

Blinking confusedly at the Captain, Gibbs looked down and nodded...."South West....excellent!" then handed the compass back to Jack...blinking further as the arrow span wildly around once back in it's owner's hand.

~~

Jack opened his eyes, then raised his eyebrows. He quickly put the compass away, "South-West...of course...I er...just needed to check." he nodded then span around and walked to the wheel, swinging it around and making way to south-west at ten knots.

~~

Gibbs stared after his friend with some bemusement...."He's acting odder every day..." he thought, before heading on over to the rigging to check it was secure. The wind ripped through the sails and Gibbs smiled to himself as he tasted the salty sea air...

~The Black Pearl soared through the sea as a bird does the sky, reaching the cursed Isle de Muerta by noon the following day...ahead of the Emerald Liberty by only a few hours....~

As Jack's crew set anchor, he started ordering everybody that they must be discreet. Feeling relief that they had arrived before the others, Jack made his way off of the ship, as the crew hustled about on deck for a few moments.

~~

Victoria looked worriedly over the side of the ship at the rocks and lapping water. Biting her lip slightly, she feared terribly that she would slip and make an utter fool of herself.

~~

Jack caught sight of Victoria, and got back on board, "Victoria, come on we need to go before anybody realises we're here..." he beckoned her over.

~~

"Errrrrm...well...I..." still nibbling her lip nervously, Victoria gingerly placed one grimy slipper on a nearby rock, before pulling it back..."I think I'll just...hide below."

~~

Jack looked at the rocks and smiled a little, "Oh..." he offered a hand to her, "Come on, I'll help, you'll be fine..."

~~

Victoria looked distastefully at the extended hand..."Can you erm...lift me down onto dry...clean and unslippy land please?"

~~

Shaking his head a little, Jack replied, "Afraid not, love..." he hoisted her up onto his shoulder, "But I'll try my best not to get your frock all dirty and wet..."

~~

Shrieking slightly before bursting into giggles and thumping Jack on the back playfully..."Pray Sir, you can put me down now!"

~~

Jack carefully made his way onto the sturdiest rock that was nearby, "Keep still will you?! You're not making this any easier!" he said, his foot slipping slightly as he quickly shifted to keep balance.

~~

Still thumping his back, Victoria gasped as she felt his footing fail..."oh Hell, don't fall Jack! This is the only dress I have!"

~~

Jack felt a piece of rock crumble underneath his foot, and trying to keep his feet still, he opened his mouth to speak before Victoria thumped him again, causing him to sway slightly. And with the crash of a wave, he lost his footing and they both fell into the water.

~~

Victoria shrieked in horror as she splashed into dirty salty water. Picking herself up as quickly as she could...she could only gasp, horrified at the state of her once beautiful gown. Glaring at Jack, she waded off, before slipping on a bit of weed and fall with a huge splash in another muddy pile.

~~

Jack sprayed out sea water from his mouth with a look of disgust. He got himself up and looked at Victoria, trying his very best not to burst into laughter, he picked her up, "Well you had just kept still like I asked you to..." he began.

~~

"Well...well...a lady shouldn't be expected to traipse around with bloody pirates in dirty caves!" spat a very sodden Victoria, climbing out of the rock pool and starting to wring out her hair. She smiled at him slightly as she wrang out her dress, before heading to find higher and less precarious ground.

~~

Jack laughed lightly, before his smile faded slightly. He scratched his neck and watched her go. He was holding her, her body, and now he watched her, drenched and grubby yet still...untainted beauty. It almost frightened him. In fact, he was terrified.

~~

Perching on a rock, Victoria flitted her eyes to and fro, watching the room and watching him as he organised his crew. Pulling herself away, she placed a finger to her mouth and chewed thoughtfully on the nail...a terrible habit, one that appeared when she was nervous. She was indeed startled, for when he had swept her off her feet, she thought she would die of the bliss.

~~

Jack and his crew did their best to keep the Pearl out of sight, and then rushed inside the cave, which was still a chaotic aftermath from their last visit. He'd seen a ship approaching the island, it would surely be them. There wasn't much time to spare.

~~

William gazed at the approaching mouth of the cave..."I can't believe I'm back here..." he muttered..."once again...a prisoner."

~~

Evelyn made her preparation, sweeping through the rough waves, then docked swiftly by the shore before the crew started to manage the ship. Looking ahead, Evelyn's eyes twinkled, they had finally arrived.

~~

Heading over to her, Will gave a small smile, then added, "We're here...what do you need me to do?"

~~

Evelyn made her way onto the shore, the salty sea water splashing against her body, "I don't need y'to do anythin'. Yer at liberty, Turner." she put simply before making her way to the cave with her companions.

~~

Blinking, Will stood dumbstruck. Then, shrugging his shoulders he decided to follow...mainly out of curiosity, but also because she was going into the cave...and...his heart told him to follow.

~~

Rory took Evelyn by the waist, "We in for a lot of booty then, Evie?" he asked with a grin.

~~

Evelyn laughed lightly, "Should be indeed..." she gave him a quick kiss and added, "Either way yer gettin' some booty..." she grinned and entered the cave.

~~

Will glared after the pair..."Bloody pirates..."

~~

Rory raised an eyebrow with a pleased smile, and with that he also entered, whilst brushing his hand across his definite prize.

~~

Victoria could hear voices outside...peeking out from behind a rock, she glanced around to see what was happening...

~~

Jack pulled her back quickly, and pressed his index finger onto her lips. They had to be quiet now, God knows what will ensue.

~~

Victoria nodded and pointed around the rock...

~~

Jack nodded back at her and kept her back. They had to keep still now. They just needed to wait a little while.

~~

Will, glancing around as he entered the cave, noted that not much had changed..."Well...here we are...and oh look...a big pile of CURSED treasure...did I mention that?"

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Evelyn didn't even turn to look at him, "I think you forgot about it entirely but thanks ever so much for the wonderfully useful input..." She went directly to the chest of Aztec gold, running her fingers along the shimmering coins, the brilliant gold reflecting in her eyes.

~~

Will merely rolled his eyes and plonked himself down on a nearby rock.

~~

Hearing the oh so familiar voice, Jack gulped and froze in his stance. He did have a plan, however, which should go accordingly as long as Will didn't do anything...stupid.

~~

Unfortunately for Jack....Victoria was the one who did something stupid. Crouched in one position, she found her legs had gone numb and tingly. Trying to shift her weight quietly, her stomach dropped as she felt herself fall forward with a mighty splash and a flurry of petticoats. She blinked a few times as she found herself sprawled in a small pool. In sight of everyone.

~~

William blinked as before his eyes a raven haired woman fell from behind a rock. Half to himself he spoke aloud..."Well...this didn't happen last time..."

~~

Evelyn turned her gaze away from the treasure and upon the young woman, she blinked several times. What on earth was going on?

~~

Victoria stood up with as much poise as she could. She raised an eyebrow haughtily as if wondering why these people were not bowing. She raised her eyes to heaven in thought and then through gritted teeth muttered "Well Jack Sparrow...what the bloody hell do I do now?"

~~

Jack was still in his crouched position, his mouth agape. His expression was of pure disbelief. This was not happening. He brought his hand to his face and was either going to laugh or weep.

~~

Will stood, glancing at Evelyn, to Rory, to the rest of the bemused crew. His mouth slightly open he spoke to the woman...."Can we help you Miss?" He then frowned, feeling very confused.

~~

Victoria blinked and replied in word perfect French. "Non Monsieur, merci. ..I'm juste ici pour mes vacances. C'est exactement que je n'ai pas prévu."

~~

Jack's voice could now be heard, but whether he chose to laugh or weep couldn't be distinguished. This was just brilliant.

~~

Will's frowned turned to amazement. "Jack!" he cried, "What in blue blazes is going on?"

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "Oh est cela vrai? Je pour l'un pense qu'il y a quelque chose aller tout à fait différent sur ici. Non, le Monsieur Sparrow?"

~~

Jack stopped his weeping laughter with an abrupt cough and poked his head around the pile of treasure, "Captain! Captain Sparrow." he called out with a nervous laugh. "Oh!....Well...hello there Ruby, fancy seeing you here! Of all places...small world, eh?" he smiled nervously.

~~

Victoria span her head around to face Jack..."You know her?" and she gestured with her hand at Evelyn, before looking up at the striking woman, whom she noted with a bit of worry was a few inches taller than her. She then looked at the man next to her, then at the man she guessed to be Will. "So this must be William Turner?"

~~

Rory scratched his neck, not knowing quite what was going on. He did however, throw a glare at Mr. Sparrow. And Ruby? Of course...Ruthless Ruby, it all made sense. He felt his blood boil.

~~

Will smiled at the dark woman and nodded before glancing around at the others..."Well...erm....you know each other...we all sort of know each other..."

~~

Meanwhile, outside the cave entrance, a dark ship glided between the rocks...

~~

Evelyn narrowed her eyes, "Quite..." she tilted a head at Jack, "And you were planning to do what exactly?"

~~

Jack hauled himself up to his feet and with a wild hand gesture replied, "Oh, just a pop in to say hello..." his eyes were fixed on her, but he could see the twinkle of the Aztec cold. This wasn't going to go according to plan. No not quite...

~~

Victoria piped up "We sort of came to rescue Will...and...erm...well this is all your fault Jack." And she turned to him again, eyes blazing wildly, hands on her hips.

~~

Jorge decided to step in, trying to be helpful in the awkward and rather confusing situation, "Well then, there is no problem, true? Will is no longer a prisoner, he is free to go."

~~

Will blinked, remembering suddenly he was allowed to leave Evelyn..."True enough. But she shouldn't touch that treasure."

~~

Evelyn had a handful, and let them drop between her fingers. They made a soft clinking noise as they dropped. She kept one of them in her hand and then said rather sarcastically, "Aye, I shouldn't be touchin' the treasure, y'see it's cursed and if I do blah blah blah..." she rolled her eyes and ordered her crew to start packing their anticipated payment and take it back to the ship.

~~

Jack took a step forward, "Don't think you should do that sweetheart, listen to the boy"

~~

Evelyn made a mock pout, "Awww...is Jack feeling sore now that I've hurt his pride and taken his prize?"

~~

"What have I been telling you all along?" Will added...

~~

Victoria backed away slightly...feeling the tension rising in the air...

~~

Jack frowned a little, "Hey hey, my pride is just fine...and as for the prize, I HAD it but you see it being cursed, I left it here. Long story..."

~~

Evelyn smiled a little, "Yes you did tell me...Barbossa and mutiny, gold and curses and young William...the blood, etc. etc."

~~

"She won't listen Jack! She's too foolhardy and stupid." Will cried, watching with worry as the conversation became more sinister.

~~

Rory's eyebrows furrowed into an aggresive frown, "Now you wait just a minute there laddy..."

~~

Will span and glared at him...."No...you listen you Irish fool! I know what I am talking about!"

~~

Evelyn took a few step down and tilted a head at Jack, "So what's the big plan old Jack? Gonna try and get on top again?" she grinned.

~~

Jack gasped at her, "Woooah I did get on-...and who are you calling old?!" he marched towards her, "You're taken this a bit too far now, just get down and let's get out of this place...."

~~

As stealthily as a panther...Captain Hook and his crew of men as black as shadows entered the cave...positioning themselves for an ambush...the Lady de Bourbon, her eyes fixed on the pirates and their bantering, did not take notice of the figure creeping up behind her...

~~

Will stepped forward, ready to help Jack fight off the flaming red head if she caused any trouble...

~~

Evelyn took out her rapier, which gleamed as she drew it. "Come now Jack..." she leaped forward and pointed the tip at Jack's neck, "...let's not fight, when we left everything so sweetly..."

~~

Will darted forward speedily...ready to aid his friend....if Jack really was his friend after all this..

~~

Jack looked at her, "No...you left everything...and not so sweetly..." he drew his sword quickly and struck against her rapier.

~~

Rory attacked Will from behind with a roar, enough was enough. He turned him round by the shoulder and smacked him square on the jaw.

~~

Will felt the sharp pain as his head hit the rocks. Immediately, out of instinct, he struck back...

~~

Hook leapt forward and grabbed Victoria around the waist wihth his good arm before placing his Hook to her throat...she gave a little breathy scream and shivered with fear, bursting into terrified sobs.

~~

Katrina turned to see the oncoming attack and yelled, "Ambush!" before drawing her sword.

~~

The crew quickly followed suit, and so the battle began...

~~

Shots fired around everywhere, but Will did not notice. His thoughts were all on fighting off this hulk of a man who had got on his nerves for days...

~~

"So lovely to see you again mi'lady..." Hook whispered into her ear, "We parted on such bad terms last time...in fact you just left me! Again." And he began to drag her off towards hthe ship as she screamed and kicked wildly.

~~

Jack, hearing the sceams, span round and saw Victoria's anguish, he parried another blow from the sprite young red head and made a run for it.

~~

Will still wrestled with Rory, his shirt ripped almost from his body as he grappled and dodged the blows to his face and ego.

~~

Rory punched him in the stomach and then held him by the throat, brining him closer to his face, "Stay the hell away from Evelyn." he said in a deep, threatening voice he struck another blow to his face.

~~

Will flipped Rory over with all his strength and punched his nose with malice, "I'll never stay away whilst the likes of you chase her...."

~~

Evelyn was now in combat with a member of Hook's crew, she had already sent four to the depths below.

~~

Victoria was struggling against the iron grip around her tiny waist...the cold steel against her neck biting at the flesh with every movement she made. "LET GO...JAMES PLEASE!" she cried his name without even realising she had done so.

~~

Jack grabbed onto her arm, his sword pointed at Hook, "As the lady said..." he said sternly.

~~

Hook looked the man up and down before laughing at him. "And who are YOU to stop me..." he ducked slightly as a bullet rang out..."The lady and I are old friends..." and he kissed her cheek lightly.

~~

Jack cringed at him, "I see, so that's why she's screaming for her life...?" He struck against him whilst pulling Victoria away, he'd cut him deeply across his right arm.

~~

Victoria threw her arms around Jack...Hook cried out in pain before grabbing his sword from it's sheath and pointing it at the pair..."I don't plan on losing any more of my arm..." he spat.

~~

Will grabbed Rory by the scruff of his collar and threw him back against the rocky floor, deftly batting away a pirate that was trying to pull him off the Irish man.

~~

Rory locked him round the neck with a muscly arm and tightened his grip, whispering cruelly into his ear, "Y'think you have a chance with her? Take it from me, she likes men. Not wee little boys like you..."

~~

Wriggling free...Will stood and faced Rory..."You are no man...you're a lazy good for nothing sod....you are dirt."

~~

Gibbs battled hard against the pirates of the mystery ship...their numbers were falling...

~~

Rory smirked at him, "And still, who's in her bed every night...?"

~~

"As I said....dirty...and certainly no gentleman..." Will stepped forward, grimacing and ready to aim another punch.

~~

Laughing at him, Rory nodded, "'Cause guess what, boy, she ain't for gentleman, doesn't want a pansy little good gentleman like you, she's all for dirty..."

~~

Will launched a hefty punch at him, reeling from the effort, sweat dripping over his bare torso, hair flying loosely...

~~

Victoria turned a tearful face back to the man she knew..."Your'e a brute Hook..." reaching down to his crotch, she grabbed Jack's pistol and pointed it sqaurely at her enemy's face..."I'd leave now if I were you..."

~~

Hook sneered, but began to retreat, glancing over his shoulder at his diminished crew, "Victoria my love...you'll regret this. I swear I'll have you back...for you loved me once."

~~

She merely shook her head at him...eyes fixed upon him, a mixture of fear, anger and pity.

~~

Rory went to punch Will, but blacked out after being hit round the head with the back of an axe by a pirate behind him.

~~

Will darted forward and caught Rory before he fell...lowering him to the ground before scurrying off to help Evelyn...

~~

Hook's bark rang out in the cave..."BACK TO THE SHIP!"

~~

Evelyn backed up as another of Hook's crew members fell before her feet, having done so, she backed up into Will and spinning round there was a look of anger in her face.

~~

Will grabbed her hands and shook her..."We need to leave now! Minus the treasure...let's go!"

~~

Evelyn pushed him off, "Get away from me!" she smacked him harshly, "Don't tell me what to do!"

~~

Will looked shocked as she rebuked him...he glanced around sharply and pulled a pistol from a pirate's corpse nearby, pointing it straight at her..."Evelyn move! This is no place for you...and the treasure...forget it!"

~~

Looking at the pistol in his hand, she drew her own, pointing it at him with a steady hand, "Shoot me or I shoot you." she paused, narrowing her eyes, knowing he didn't have the guts for it. "Go on Turner, I dare you."

~~

Will's lips trembled, put aiming for her shoulder, he shut his eyes and pulled the trigger, hearing the boom and smelling the smoke...he knew he had done wrong...

~~

Evelyn paused for a moment. She blinked...and then looked down at her shoulder. She lifted her head to look at him, "You...shot me. You SHOT ME!"

~~

Will blinked in disbelief....the echoes of the cave had fallen to a dull humming noise..."I shot you..." he repeated blankly...

~~

She blinked again, putting her hand on the wound, "It's not..." she looked at him, "I don't..." she broke into a laugh, "You were right...the curse..." she blinked once again, "It's real..."

~~

Will rolled his eyes and gestured in the manner of Jack...."I am an unbelievably honest man Captain O'Malley! Now we'd better get that patched up before the curse wears off..."

~~

Evelyn nodded very slowly and sat down, slumped between some treasure. She crossed her legs and looked at her hands, one with pistol, one with blood.

~~

Will stepped forward to aid her, ripping some of his already torn shirt. Kneeling down beside her, he merely gazed at her rather melancholy face.

~~

The shock was beyond her, but what Will didn't know was that is wasn't really due to the shooting...oh it was something rather more disastrous. She looked at him silently. Her hair fell in front of her face.

~~

Will moved forward and gently brushed aside the hair...he was so desperate to take her in his arms and kiss her, but he just took her hand and squeezed it gently..."Come on Evelyn..." he said gently, smiling a little at her, "I'll patch you up, if you let me...Captain..." he added.

~~

Evelyn simply nodded, she bit her lip and faked a smile. "Mmm...let's...let's get this sorted out"

~~

"Well we need to sort you out first...so give me that coin I know you have and I'll help you back to the ship...Jack and his Lady friend can come too...and...we'll help Rory too yes?"

~~

Evelyn reached into her top and from between her bosoms, she brought out a coin. She paused at first, but then hesitantly gave it to him.

~~

He nodded, checked it had her blood on it, then tossed it into the chest with ease. Slipping an arm around her waist, he began to gently lift her up..."Come on then....homeward..." but he stopped in his tracks as a naval officer pointed a musket directly at him.

~~

Admiral Laurence stepped into the cave...his men had niftily surrounded the place, though there was a distinct lack of pirates seeing as Hook and his crew had fled the scene moments before..."Ah...it appears we are late."

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at him, "And who the hell ar-OW!" She scowled and looked down at her wound.

~~

"Officer...let that lady through!" shouted Larry with a quick wave of his hand.

~~

"Larry!" squealed Victoria, and she ran from Jack's arms to her father's old friend's, throwing herself around him..."Thank the lord you are here!"

~~

"Your Grace has caused a bit of stir since you left Versailles...are you allright mi'lady?" he asked, with a quick bow and kiss of her hand.

~~

Jack frowned, and pouted slightly, muttering to himself, "Oh well...you're welcome..." he crossed his arms and stood behind silently.

~~

"I've been fine...really...beastly pirates....but you must meet Captain Sparrow! He saved me from them!" Victoria turned, and her jubilation turned sour as she saw Jack's frown...

~~

Jack gave a little wave, before nodding to Will, "Y'alright there? Where's the-oh..." his eyes widened as he saw Evelyn bleeding, "That's not..." he stepped forward to help.

~~

Victoria chattered away to Larry about her little adventure, and he nodded, still glancing over at the man who had rescued the lady..."oh and Larry....please say you have a spare gown in your cabin for me?"

~~

"Why, your Grace! What hobbies are you implying I have?" and he chuckled as she smiled at him playfully.

~~

Jack grimaced a little at Evelyn's wound, "So what happened here...?"

~~

"Curse..shot...no curse...pain...simple as..." summarised Will...."Go and get that buffoon over there on the ship..." he gestured at Rory...."And Jack...who the blazes is that woman you have with you?"

~~

"Princess...Victoria...heir to throne...England...simple as..." he went over to get the said buffoon back to the ship.

~~

Will gaped then laughed with disbelief as Jack headed off in the opposite direction...he turned to the pale woman beside him "Did you hear that Evelyn? How the hell did he manage that?"

~~

Evelyn had a look of disgust on her face, "You've got to be jokin'..."

~~

He shook his head still laughing at the thought..."My god, what is the world coming to...we'll be Sir William and Lady Evelyn next aye?" and he smiled at her warmly, even though he felt her every twitch and grimace which made his heart ache for her.

~~

Evelyn raised her eyebrows, "The day that we are Sir William and Lady Evelyn, pigs'll fly and I'll be a monkey's uncle."

~~

Still leading her out of the cave and into the night, Will asked "How about the day they make me Sir William and you Lady Evelyn, you'll...kiss me and say thank you for all of this? And say sorry for not listening to me? How about that? Hmm?" he smirked...knowing the suggestion would make her laugh. He was also curious to know the answer to his first proposal...

~~

Evelyn did laugh at the suggestion and shaking her head she replied, "Agreed..." What a ridiculous thought!

~~

Will still smiling nodded and said "Agreed. Now that's a binding verbal contract." As they approached the many ships docked at the mouth of the cave, Victoria ran forward...

~~

"William god bless you for your aid...." she glanced at Evelyn and smiled politely..."Are you hurt Miss? We have a doctor on board the ship...?" she bit her lip worriedly as she waited for an answerfrom the fierce looking lady.

~~

Evelyn cringed and narrowing her eyes she said, "I think I'm goin' to be sick..."

~~

Victoria grimaced..."I'll fetch the Doctor now..." and she scurried away quickly...

~~

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "I didn't mean because of the wound..." she muttered.

[~Charlotte~]

William cocked an eyebrow and helped carry Evelyn aboard the naval ship.
"Now now mi'lady, don't be cruel..."

~~

Meanwhile, in his grand cabin, a still grubby Victoria stood with Admiral Laurence, hurriedly telling him what had happened to her over the past few months. She'd been checked over by the Doctor, and although a little shocked and a little too thin for the Admiral's liking, she was perfectly fine. He listened intently, nodding. She gestured towards the people clambering aboard the naval vessel, and aboard the Pearl and the Liberty...

"So...I suppose they all saved me really...they all fought him. Especially Captain Sparrow..." and she sighed quietly, trailing off as her thoughts led to him...

Larry nodded thoughtfully..."Well your Grace, we must get you home, for people have been missing you...and do not fret, for everyone shall be rewarded. I'll make sure his Majesty is aware of the debt owed to these people for your safe return." And with a quick bow he headed off to prepare the ship for it's long voyage to London...

Victoria decided she had to follow her heart, and with a quick glance at Larry's mirror, she ran out to find Jack...

~~

The Doctor stood on deck, glancing over wounds and instructing others how to treat them. Most were not serious at all, a few cuts and grazes...but as he squinted through his spectacles, he saw a woman, helped aboard by a man...
"By God! Another lady hurt? What happened my dear?"

~~

[~~*Buffy Bloom*~~]

Evelyn scrunched up her face slightly. She really didn't understand why she couldn't go on her own damn ship and be treated by one of her own. "I fell over...what d'ya think happened?" She sighed, this was not a situation she wanted to be in.

~~

The Liberty was buzzing, the crew was feeling anxious and worried about Evelyn. Rory was brought to a cabin to rest, he had taken a harsh blow to the head, and though the blood had clotted, he would need some sleep and treatment.

~~

Jack had decided to come aboard the Naval ship. Heaven knows why, what with him being a pirate...and on a naval ship?! This was ridiculous! Why did he even think of coming here? It was the dark haired...no. No this was stupid, he turned round to make his way back.