The Map

A/N: Usual disclaimer. I just wish I did, but I don’t and never will.

Thanks to AniSparrow for a remarkable turnaround on this one. I swear she’s so fast she’s edited and sent it back before I’ve even wrote it!
Big thanks to Hils and AniSparrow, for sharing an obsession and emails.

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“Jack, were those candles lit before?” she asked watching as the flames flickered, although there was no breeze. He squeezed her shoulder tightly and Nell realised that they hadn’t been lit before.

“Do you think it’s the monks?” she asked quietly. She stepped backwards, expecting to feel him behind her, but she didn’t touch him. Nell turned her head slightly to look at his hand on her shoulder. Pale slender fingers curled into the fabric of her coat, a ring sitting on one of the fingers. Her breath hitched and stopped, along with her heart when she looked at the pale, clean fingernails, neatly cut short. It was definitely a masculine hand, but it wasn’t Jack’s.

Chapter 28

Pearls


Nell’s heart started to beat triple time; it thundered in her chest so hard it was physically painful. But it wasn’t the pain in her chest that was holding her attention but the slim hand on her shoulder. She followed the length of his hand up over his wrist and into the brown fabric of the robe he wore. Nell’s breath audibly hitched as she stared at the coarse fabric. She wanted to step forward, wanted to move away as quickly as she could, but her body wouldn’t respond.

“What...?” her voice was little more than a squeak. “What do you want?” A lump formed in her throat making swallowing impossible.

“You will know,” came a hoarse whisper.

Nell’s breathing stopped as his words sank in, but they also galvanised her into action. She wrenched forwards away from his hand and turned sharply on her heels. He was standing with the hood down, revealing his head and face. He advanced slowly towards her; and she tried to back away from him but her legs refused to obey her brain. She started to shake, opening her mouth to cry for Jack, for anyone to help her, but no sound came out. The monk stopped in front of her and lifted his hand again; Nell sank to her knees, her legs no longer able to keep her up. Fear and terror like none she’d ever experienced before filled her as she watched him approach her with his hand outstretched.

He placed his palm on her head and looked straight into her eyes. Nell felt the blood rush to her head, her stomach dropped away and she actually felt her eyes roll into her head as blackness overtook her as she keeled over backwards in a dead faint.

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Jack stopped; a ripple of unease went down his spine. He turned expecting to see Nell behind him but the corridor was empty, frowning he started back the way he had come, his hand moving to the sword strapped at his waist. He felt a strange sensation as he reached the door but it soon fled when he saw Nell lying in an awkward position with her knees bent and her body laying backwards, arms outstretched.

“Nell?” He searched the room quickly but nothing was out of place. He skidded forwards and dropped to his knees beside her; he reached out and touched her forehead gently. “Nell?”

He saw her eyes flutter and then open wide as she saw him leaning over her. “Jack?” She blinked up at him; the fog surrounding her brain snapped away leaving her mind crystal clear.

“What’re you doing down there, lass?” he asked her softly, his eyes narrowing as he watched her blink again and then her gaze slid away from him.

“I don’t know…” she frowned struggling to sit up. Jack gripped her shoulders and helped her into a sitting position.

“What happened, Nell?” his voice was firm with only the slightest hint of his usual slur present.

“I don’t know,” she replied and got up slowly. Her head spun slightly and she blinked as the wave of dizziness made her feel sick. Jack jumped to his feet and caught her arm to steady her.

“Can’t say I’ve had quite this affect on a woman before,” he slurred.

“You didn’t,” she replied. “Well, at least I don’t think you did.”

“Then what did?” he prompted and began to usher her from the room.

Nell bit her lip, her head was still swimming, but the reason wasn’t lost on her. She knew exactly what had happened, could still feel the fear that rippled through her, but she also knew that she couldn’t tell Jack.

“I’ve never fainted before,” she said quietly. “It’s a bit embarrassing; I’m really hungry and very tired still, Jack, can that make someone faint?”

Jack steered her from the main area out in the daylight. “Yes, it can. You’ve also been through a lot, Nell, darling’, I think you’re handling it very well. Fainting is nothing to be ashamed of.” He motioned for Dwent as he spoke. “Give the lass something to eat and drink please, Mister Dwent.” He turned back to Nell. “I’m sorry we can’t rest any more lass, we need to be moving on. When we’re on the Pearl, you can sleep for as long as you want and no one will disturb you.” His eyes dropped to the string of pearls she was still wearing round her neck, he frowned slightly and reached out with a fingertip to touch the centre pearl. It crumbled the moment he touched it, the string it had been threaded through disintegrated and the entire necklace fell from her neck, the pearls crumbling to dust before they even hit the ground.

“Oh, Jack!” Nell lifted her hand to the necklace but nothing remained. “Why did you do that?”

Jack looked up at the distress in her face. “You’ll have another,” he replied, his eyes narrowed. He lifted his hand again and touched her cheek gently. Dwent came up holding some food and a flask of fresh water.

“’Ere ye go, Missy,” he laughed and held it out to her. Nell looked at him blankly and then coloured up as she remembered the last time he’d seen her. But her embarrassment quickly faded as reality set in.

“Thank you,” she whispered and took the food from him. She turned away from Jack and went to sit on her own to eat her food silently, her eyes watchful of the building in front of her.

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Jack stared at the chests in the clearing outside the monastery. He was stood with his booted feet apart, one hand resting on the handle of his pistol at his waist, the other pulling at the braids on his chin.

“What do you want done about the boxes inside the room? Do you want them brought outside, Capt’n?” Hock came to stand beside him, rubbing one hand over his now clean-shaved jaw. He looked back at where Norrington and Hock were in the process of shaving their faces as they talked quietly to Will.

“No, I’m thinking that tempting fate is not what we want to be doing just now,” Jack said quietly his eyes not leaving the chests in front of him. “I have a bad feeling about those boxes and I have a bad feeling about that building behind us. Let’s pack up and move on as quickly as possible.”

Hock nodded and went to move away when a wave from Jack stopped him. “Capt’n?”

“I want Nell watched, something’s not right and I can’t put my finger on it…” Jack frowned as he cast a sideways glance at where Nell was sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She was staring at the building, chewing slowly on the last of the food.

“Capt’n?” Hock frowned at where Nell was oblivious to anything around her, her eyes fixed on the upper storey of the monastery.

“She fainted in there…” Jack stopped and looked at Hock. “Just keep an eye on her, mate, something is just not right and until I figure out what, I don’t want her going or doing anything unless we know about it.”

Hock nodded and rubbed at his jaw again, glad to be clean shaven again. “She ain’t… y’know.”

Jack looked up at him and smirked. “Chance would be a fine thing, mate, chance would indeed be a fine thing. I think she’s overtired and a little off balance.” He looked across at where Elizabeth and Will were sitting. “Can you organise a party to leave for the boats, I’ll head it just after I’ve spoken….” He faded off as he swayed over to where they were sitting, his hand stuck out at an odd angle. Hock didn’t even blink at the odd behaviour of his captain; it was fair too common an occurrence for him to even notice it anymore.

Jack looked down at Elizabeth and Will, his hand still resting on the handle of his pistol. “I’m not wanting to be making things more difficult for either of you,” he slurred slightly and almost overbalanced as he crouched down beside them. “But I really need to know exactly how much more you two know that you didn’t say last night.” Jack watched as Elizabeth’s smile faded, her eyes flickered to Will’s as she gripped his good hand tighter.

“What do you want to know, Jack?” Will fixed brown eyes on Jack. The pallor had left his cheeks and he was looking far more like his normal self, but the injury to his shoulder would take far longer to heal, but at least the fever had left him. Whatever Benjamin had concocted, it had worked on both him and De Mornay.

“Anything that you can tell me, mate, anything at all.”

“We only saw up to when the Primus left taking five of the monks with it,” Elizabeth said quietly. She didn’t like thinking about what they’d been shown, least of all talk about it.

“Nothing after that at all?” Jack inquired quietly. “Nothing about Beaumont or De Mornay, or indeed anyone who has had the unlucky fortune of landing on this island?”

Will shook his head. “Jack, I know what’s marked on the map, but I think we should try and find this crescent shaped bay.”

“Crescent shaped?” Jack frowned. “The one they came in on and left from, you mean?”

“There was no sign of any trouble navigating to or from the Primus. There were no reefs, or currents or anything like that and certainly no quicksand.” He held Jack’s gaze as he spoke. “I think it’s the only way we should go.”

“I agree with Will,” Elizabeth said firmly.

“How do we find this bay? And when we find said bay, what do we use for boats?” Jack lifted his shoulders and looked at Elizabeth. “It’s a fine notion to be sure, but we’re running out of time. If we spend any longer looking for this bay, we may not live to find it.” He shrugged again. “Not meaning to alarm you Elizabeth, luv, but it’s a fact we have to face.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes, sighing heavily, before she opened them again. “You’d better bring those boats around then, Jack.”

“Aye, that I’ll do.” He stood up and then stopped to look down at them. “You sure you didn’t see anything about Beaumont?”

“Nothing, Jack, and that’s, or rather they, won’t be something I’ll forgot in a hurry,” Will said darkly, his eyes went to where the two men were kneeling, tied and bound still. “I hope they live long enough for me to see them hanged!”

Jack looked across at Beaumont and then back down at Will. “They have a lot to answer for, mate - a lot. Rest while you can.” He turned sharply on his heel and headed towards where Nell was sitting by one of the chests that held the Tresorta’s treasure. He dropped to his knees beside her and opened the lid. “Let’s see what we can find to replace that last one,” he slurred.

“I don’t want anything,” Nell said, but her eyes were caught by the glistening gems within. She couldn’t resist herself and reached out with one hand to touch some of the jewels.

“Was all this bound for the King?” she asked, her voice showing her awe clearly.

“It pains me to say, but yes, all this was destined for one man.” He shook his head sadly. “And they call us pirates; at least we divide and spread the wealth about. He would have locked it away and it would never have seen the light of day again, or the skin of a beautiful woman.” He lifted an emerald necklace from a wooden case and let it glide through his fingers. It was a circlet of emeralds cut into pear shapes with a larger one as the centre stone. He found the clasp and opened it, before sliding it around her neck. He brought his head close to hers as his fingers slid over her neck to do the clasp up; his fingers gliding over her skin and down around where the necklace lay, its centre stone slipping and disappearing under the fabric of her shirt. He heard her suck in her breath as his finger dipped beneath her shirt to press the stone gently into the valley between her breasts.

“Beautiful indeed,” he said as he winked at her and sat back, breaking contact with her.

“I can’t wear this, what if I lose it?” she said quickly, her hands going to the clasp behind her head. He reached out and caught her wrists, pulling her hands away before letting her go again.

“Leave it on, one necklace is hardly going to be missed amongst that little lot,” he laughed. “And you won’t lose it.”

Nell brought her fingers back up to touch the necklace. “I hope this doesn’t disintegrate like the pearls did.”

“So do I,” he agreed vaguely. “This actually brings me to what I wanted to discuss with you.” He watched as her eyes sharpened slightly before she looked back down at the chest.

“Oh?” She moved forwards slightly and began to rummage through the necklaces, rings, bracelets, plates and other items; but Jack knew she was no longer held by it.

“Why do you think they did that?” He asked watching as she slid a ruby ring onto a finger of her right hand. She looked at it, watching as the light refracted from it.
“They were probably old,” she said softly, and slid another ring onto her fingers, this time an emerald.

“Pearls don’t do that, not even if they were a hundred years old. Do you know what a pearl is? How it’s made?”

She shook her head. “It’s stone isn’t it?”

“There’s a type of shell called an oyster that lives under the sea. It opens up much like this,” he held his hands together and then opened his fingers to represent an oyster shell. She watched his hands and then looked up at him, and when he saw she was really listening to him, he carried on. “Sometimes, a hard piece of coral or rock or something else gets inside and it irritates the oyster, so to protect itself it covers the piece with a coating. It gives it lots of layers until a tiny ball shape is formed - a pearl. Now that’s fascinating in itself, but the thing about a pearl that always gets me, is this; when they aren’t being worn regularly, they lose their lustre. But no matter how long it’s been since they were last worn, or how lacklustre they are, once they are worn again they soon get their true beauty back. But what they don’t do, is crumble to dust if they are touched.” His dark eyes held hers as she listened to him.

“Perhaps they weren’t real pearls,” she reasoned but her voice was shaky.

“Perhaps not,” he said quietly. “But it was as if the life had been sucked out of them.” He looked down into the chest and picked up another string of pearls.

“But…. that’s, that’s ridiculous,” she faltered. “How on earth could that happen?”

Jack looked back up at her, his eyes holding hers, but he didn’t say anything. Nell blinked, unable to hold his gaze, dropping her eyes to the pearls in his hand.

“Nell, I’d like to think we’ve come along way since we first met, when I kept making accords with you and you kept breaking them…” he waited but she didn’t react and that made his heart sink. “Our accord stands until I find somewhere safe to set you ashore, you do know that don’t you? Do you trust me, Nell?”

Nell was confused, she couldn’t afford to look him in the eyes, she couldn’t afford for him to see anything she didn’t want him to. “You’re a pirate,” she whispered. “But I do trust you; you’ve not let me down yet.”

“Oh, but I have,” he replied and it wasn’t what she expected to hear at all. “I’ve let you down badly, Nell. I promised you Beaumont wouldn’t catch you and he did, twice. I promised you’d not be hurt on this island and you have.”

“I haven’t,” she shook her head. “I haven’t been hurt. He may have caught me, but it was beyond your control, we’ve discussed this before… I already told you it wasn’t your fault, there’s nothing you could do.”

“But I can now,” he replied. “If you let me.”

“What?” She couldn’t help herself; she looked up at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I can help you, but only if you let me.” He didn’t touch her, just reached forwards and let the pearls slip over her head to join the emerald necklace around her neck. His dark eyes caught hers and for one moment her breathing stopped as she believed him. She opened her mouth to tell him everything, confidant that he could help her, relieved that she could tell him, knowing that he could make it all right again, after all he was Captain Jack Sparrow.

“Jack, I….”

“Capt’n, the men are anxious to be moving on like.” Dwent’s rough voice broke the spell and Nell’s mouth snapped shut, eye contact was broken as she looked over Jack’s shoulder at the older pirate behind him. He grinned at her, half his teeth missing, but it was a movement over his shoulder which caught her attention. A shadowy form moved in the upper storey window of the monastery. Her eyes widened and she looked away quickly, a wave of nausea made her swallow hard. It wouldn’t be all right and Jack couldn’t find out, because if he did, it would mean all their deaths and she’d been stupid to forget that. But she wouldn’t forget again.

“I’m fine, Jack, there’s nothing to worry about.” She spoke carefully, her voice hollow.

Jack cursed under his breath, aware that his chance had been lost. He frowned as Nell turned her attention back to the chests, feverishly looking through the contents, knowing it was futile to try and drag anything from Nell now - the moment had gone, but he’d be damned it he didn’t try and salvage something from it. He leaned forwards and pressed his mouth against her ear.

“I know you, Nell, I know you really well. I know when you’re lying and I know when you’re frightened. Something happened in there and I will find out what. All I want you to do is trust me, completely.”

“But you’re a dishonest man, Jack, you said it yourself,” the words slipped from her mouth before she could even think about it. She cringed, waiting for his anger, but he merely kissed her ear.

“Only when the occasion calls for dishonesty and never with you, darlin’,” he whispered and backed away slightly.

“Never?” once again she bit her lip, wishing she could keep her mouth shut.

“Never. Although I have to admit between the two of us, your record for dishonesty far outreaches mine.” He leant back in and felt her shudder as his lips grazed against her ear again. “Just trust me.” He kissed her once more and backed away, getting to his feet gracefully before turning sharply on his heel and whacking Dwent with his outstretched arm almost accidently.

“Bad timing, Mister Dwent,” Jack placed his palms together in apology, a smile on his lips that didn’t reach his eyes. He swaggered over to where Hock waited with the rest of the men. “Bloody bad timing as always.”

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The boats were in worse repair than Jack remembered. The hulls on some of the boats were almost completely ripped off in places and it was a wonder now that they had even managed to make it ashore.

“Well, now we’re buggered, well and truly.” Bryant grimaced as he stared down at the boat. “We can’t fix that in an afternoon.”

“Neither can we take them around the coast,” Norrington spoke up. “Look!”

He pointed to where the tide was out, revealing the reefs that surrounded the bay, they were connected to the island and made a large wall like formation that would be impossible to take the boats over, either in low or high tide.

“So what do we do?” asked Dwent scratching at his head.

Jack was stood with his back to the sea, staring up at the mountain that rose from the thick foliage that surrounded its base. “How long has it been doing that?” he asked casually and pointed upwards. Everyone looked up at the plume of smoke that rose high into the air coming from the summit of the mountain.

“I wasn’t aware it was volcanic,” Bryant said fearfully. “I mean I know half the islands around here are volcanic, but I’ve never heard of this being one.”

“That’s because no one’s ever come close enough to find out,” Dwent said slowly. “Someone’s ‘aving a right good laugh at us.”

“It would certainly seem that we are having a very bad run of luck,” Norrington said quietly. “Although we can always hope it’s just a false alarm.”

“On this island?” Jack looked at him sardonically. “No, that bugger is going to blow - of course it will, that just sums things up really, but I’ll be buggered if I’m on here when she goes.”

“Then, just how on earth are we going to leave? Swim?” Bryant spat running a hand through his hair.

“We patch them up as best as we can, as quickly as we can,” Jack said looking back over his shoulder at the line of sticks they’d used to mark their paths back across the quicksand.

“Even if we could fix them in an afternoon, which we can’t, how are we going to take them round to the other bay?” Bryant’s dark eyes were fixed on the thick grey smoke belching from the mountain tip.

“We don’t,” Jack said suddenly. “We rowed in, we can row out again. We know the current worked for us, we just have to row against it. We’re lighter by several bodies this time, God rest their souls, we distribute weight evenly with the chests and we row back out again.” Jack’s arms waved about in moments mirroring his words as he spoke.

“Are you insane?” Bryant cried. “Yes, yes, clearly you are! Were you not paying attention on the way in? Did you not notice the damage done to these boats? We try and row out that way and the current will rip us to shreds, not to mention the bloody rocks waiting just past the current.”

“Not to mention that we’ve lost strength as well bodies,” Norrington added his voice far calmer than Bryant’s. “Will won’t be able to row and neither will the ladies. We’re six down on when we came, six strong pairs of arms. I don’t fancy our chances, Jack, not at all.”

“Well, I don’t fancy our chances at staying here another night,” Jack said quietly. “Of course, if you have a better plan than, please, do run it by us.” Jack arched an eyebrow at Bryant, who closed his eyes and sighed wearily.

“What about this crescent bay?” The Commodore said suddenly. “If we find it, make one of these boats sea-worthy; row out to the Pearl, and bring her round to anchor as close as we can get her. We could row, back and forth then.”

“We don’t know where the bay is,” Jack pointed out. “We could spend the rest of our lives looking for it and never finding it”

“Or we could spend the rest of out lives standing here and debating about it, while waiting for the ruddy top to blow!” Bryant ran his hand through his hair again, stopping suddenly he looked at Jack. “What about asking Will?”

“Asking Will what?” Norrington asked but Jack was one step ahead of Norrington and level with Bryant.

“It might work,” Jack allowed. “He might have the memories to be able to find the bay. They, the monks, must have spent quite a lot of time here, they must have figured out the lay of the land.” Jack gestured more and more as the idea grew in his mind. “Excellent!” he slapped Bryant on the back, hard, beaming at him in glee.

“This boat be the one, then, Capt’n.” Dwent pointed to the boat that was the least damaged.

“Then let’s be taking her back to camp. We’ll work on her there and get her ship-shape.” Dwent, Johns, Norrington, Bryant and Jack all took a hand hold on the boat, leaving Brown to watch their backs. Moving quickly up the marked path they began to make their way back to the others.

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“I’m not happy,” Elizabeth said to Will softly. “I don’t like it.”

“I know, but what can we do?” Will sighed, running his good hand down over his face. He felt better now Elizabeth had shaved his jaw for him. “It makes perfect sense, Elizabeth; the bay they came in on was perfectly all right. If we find that bay, we stand a good chance of leaving this place.”

“But not you!” Elizabeth said firmly. “You can’t walk four paces unaided Will, how on earth are you going to…”

“Elizabeth, I have to,” he interrupted her by placing his good hand on her cheek. “I have to; for you, I will do this.”

“Let me go,” she said quietly, bringing her hands to hold his wrists. “I saw as much as you, I can find it. Please let me go.” Tears filled her eyes as she looked into her husband’s soft gentle eyes. “I’ll take them, I’ll work it out, I promise.”

Will shook his head, the sudden movement brought wracking pain to his shoulder but he gritted his teeth refusing to give into the pain. “Elizabeth, I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you, I love you too much.”

“And I love you,” She replied softly bringing her lips against his, she kissed him gently, her touch filled with love for the man she had married.

Jack stood back from them. He’d outlined Bryant’s idea to them and he’d seen the panic on Elizabeth’s eyes when Will had said he would help them find the bay. Jack was now in a tight spot, he knew Will didn’t have it in him to traverse around the island, which meant Elizabeth was his best hope, but it was how to tell them. “Elizabeth will be able to find the bay, Will.” Jack waited for Will’s fury and he didn’t have to wait long.

“Certainly not!” he cried; sweat breaking out on his forehead from the agony in his shoulder. “You will not, Elizabeth, I forbid it!”

Elizabeth’s chin came up and her eyes narrowed at him. “You forbid it? I’m your wife, not your possession, Will!”

“No, Elizabeth, not this time!” his voice rose slightly. “I let you have your way a lot more than most husbands would, but not this time. I will not allow you do something stupid.”

Elizabeth got to her feet in anger. Concern, worry and anger made her words harsh.
“I refuse to be owned, Will, I will do this, because it is my choice. I will do it for us, for all of us and you can’t stop me.”

Nell came to stand beside Jack, their loud voices had drawn everyone’s attention and she had come across to see what was happening. “What’s going on?” she asked Jack.

“Marital bliss,” he snorted. “Young William is exerting his right of headship, but Elizabeth, not being used to said headship is finding the adjustment a trifle stifling. Of course it doesn’t help matters in that I’m siding with Elizabeth on this one.” Jack leant forwards at the waist and placed his palms together as he looked down at Will. “Sorry, mate, I really am, but your wife is the best bet, so to speak.”

“To do what?” asked Nell mystified.

“To find the bay, the crescent shaped one the monks used,” Elizabeth told her sharply, her breathing was harsh and her temper still high.

Nell paled and shook her head. “No, no you can’t,” she said quickly. “You mustn’t do anything like that, it would be far to much risk to your...” she stopped abruptly. “You mustn’t fight about this,” she backtracked quickly. “I can find it, well, at least I think I could, I saw no more than you did.”

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; this was not what he wanted at all. “Nell, sweetheart, with your history on this island, we’ll loose you, or you’ll drown in a river somewhere. I’d much rather have you here, where you’ll be safe.”

“But you’d put Elizabeth at risk without a thought?” Nell arched an eyebrow at him.

“No, no, Nell, no, it’s not like that!” Jack waved his arms about in frustration. “I don’t want to risk either of you, but Elizabeth is more… well, she’s more used to this kind of thing and well, I know Elizabeth isn’t as affected by this island as you are.”

“I am not affected; I just want to leave rather badly.” Nell frowned at him, unsettled that he saw more in her than she wanted him to. “I’m more of a liability than a help then, is that what you’re saying? You can’t trust me to help you without mucking it up?”

Jack rolled his eyes, and circled his wrists. “No, well, not entirely, but then trust is a two way street, or so I’ve heard,” he cocked his head at her, his eyes dark and intense.

“You think your chances are higher if Elizabeth helps you than if I help you,” she stated quietly, unwilling to directly reply to his last statement. “Fine, I understand completely; but you can’t use Elizabeth and that’s all there is to it, so you’ll just have to put up with me and in return I’ll try not to drown myself somewhere, though I can’t promise that I won’t try to drown you if I happen upon the chance!” Nell glared at him before turning to stalk off, anger rolling off her.

“Nell, Nell, it’s not….” Jack stopped. “What did I say?” he lifted his hands and let them drop in defeat. “Bugger women, all of them!”

“That’s the first time she’s stood up to you shown since we landed on this cursed place,” Hock stated and sounded a little proud. “I take it I’ll be coming with you as well then?”

“Yes, more to protect me though I think.” Jack shrugged and glared at Nell’s turned back. “You just can’t win, can you?”

“Why can’t I go?” Elizabeth said quietly, but it wasn’t petulantly, it was more in puzzlement at Nell’s words. “Why was she so adamant that I can’t go?”

“I don’t know, I’m just relieved you aren’t going,” Will said from the floor. “I still think taking Nell is a bad idea; I could do it, Jack.”

“Of offence meant, mate, but you can’t do up your own britches at the moment without help,” Jack said vaguely, still glaring at Nell. “Let’s just bloody hope we don’t loose her or kill her, or anything remotely like that; I have the distinct feeling she’d make it her mission to haunt me to insanity if something happens to her.”

“Well, it’s what I intend to do should something happen to me on this island,” Hock said cheerfully.

“Why are you so bloody jolly?” groused Jack shaking his head at Hock. “Just make sure she has a dagger or something, but no pistols…” Hock nodded and followed Nell.

“Are you going to let everyone else know about what we saw?” Norrington asked Jack, referring to the smoke rising from the top of the mountain.

“Dwent’ll pass the word,” Jack said, having already told his men what to say. “Most of the lads here are no strangers to volcanic activity; of course, I don’t think we’ve had quite so close contact, which brings me to when we’re on board the Pearl. It’ll be all hands to the sweeps; I don’t want to be anywhere near this place if she does blow.”

“In complete agreement,” said Norrington dryly.

“Well, let’s see how well Nell can remember what she saw,” Jack checked his pistol and sword and then swayed towards where Hock was talking with Nell.

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If Nell was surprised at how much she knew when she actively thought about, she was even more surprised by what she knew when she didn’t think about it.

“Are you certain about this?” asked Jack testily as they struggled to fight their way through the foliage that lined the river banks.

“This is the same river that the cross stands in,” Nell panted from behind him. She was struggling to keep up with him, the branches and plants that they were cutting their way through were thick and they could only manage to clear a path big enough to struggle through. The river ran fast and deep beside them, wider here than at any point they’d seen so far.

“And that tells me nothing,” came his hot reply followed by a string of expletives as Norrington let a branch flip backwards accidentally, catching Jack right across the cheek.

“The river splits in two places below, we need to take the left branch; it goes right through where the islanders had their village.” Nell closed her eyes at the guilt and fear that washed over her from the thought of the villagers. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but along with the memories of the monks, she’d also gained their feelings, and in particular one monk, the monk who had passed through her. She stumbled slightly and opened her eyes quickly. She couldn’t afford to let it take her over; she couldn’t afford to lose herself - not yet. “Jack, perhaps I should mention something,” she said, her voice catching as she tripped on a stone and almost pitched headfirst into him.

“What?” he called back, still fighting forwards with Bryant, Norrington and Dwent.

“We’ll be passing through their village, or where their village was!” she called out and tripped again. She felt Hock gripped her by the back of her shirt, stopping her from falling. “Thank you,” she panted as she found her feet and he let her go.

“And we should expect trouble?” Jack inquired looking back over his shoulder at her quickly. He didn’t see the branch Norrington let go of and it smacked back into him. “Would you kindly stop trying to decapitate me!” he shouted at the Commodore.

“Sorry!” Norrington grunted, not sounding in the least sorry as he fought to cut his way through. “The words ‘watch were you’re going’ spring to mind though!”

Jack pulled a face at him and concentrated on cutting the branches the others missed. “Nell? Are we going to expect trouble?” His voice was rough with effort and exasperation.

“I don’t know!” she snapped back as a vine he missed slapped around her arm and scratched her. “I do know that only the monks can move about during the daylight, or rather in the sunlight, none of the evil they created can affect us in the day.” She called out.

Jack stopped and turned to her. “What are you trying to say Nell?”

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “But when I think about the islanders and what they did, and how they did it, even before they turned on the monks.” She scratched her head and met his eyes. “When I think about the village it scares me, but I know it’s not me that’s scared. Does that make sense?” she winced at her own choice of words.

“None at all,” Jack replied. “Fortunately I’m a man that understands nonsense far better than the next man and I know exactly what you mean.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “What scares you the most?”

“What they did to us, I mean,” she stopped, rubbed her forehead and frowned darkly at him. “I mean to them, the monks.”

“Now you know why I wanted you to stay with the others,” Jack said quietly, aware of Hock’s wide eyed stare on Nell but not caring. “It did affect you more than the Elizabeth and Will, I don’t know why exactly, but I’ll be buggered before I let you go again.”

Nell stared at him, badly wanting to reply but knowing she couldn’t say any more. She bit her lip as she stared at him; unaware the others had stopped to wait for them, unaware that Hock was stood right behind her listening to everything that was being said. “Damn you, Jack,” she muttered. She leaned forwards and kissed him fast and hard on the lips. “Damn you for making me love you so much.”

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A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I have been getting cold feet with the direction this is headed in, but I hope it’s going alright for you all. Any reviews would be especially appreciated and a huge thank you for all the reviews you have left me. You certainly inspire me to continue.

Have a great day wherever you are.