Upon A Painted Ocean

I deleted this story before because I was a bit disappointed with the lack of response for it. It was very childish of me. So after a good lecture from one of the readers, I've decided to repost it. But first let me apologize for my immaturity. Shall we start again? ^^ BTW, it's finished and I am currently in the process of writing a sequel.

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Title: Upon A Painted Ocean
Author: Daisy Sparrow
Pairing: Jack/Will, Will/Elizabeth
Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean is not mine, I am making no money off of this...blahblahblah....

Summary: A mysterious plague hits Port Royal, Will and Elizabeth go with Captain Jack Sparrow to find a cure. But when Will is captured by the man who unleashed the plague and infected with a strange new disease that feeds on love, things start to get complicated.

Warning: English is not my first language. Original Characters alerts! Massive OOC and sappiness in later chapters, and I like to insert random dream sequences.

A/N: Credit for the title goes to Coleridge's poem and P.S.Speare who wrote the most wonderful Weiss Kreuz fic. Also special thanks to Darkdancer for the betaing and the summary.

" " speech

// // thought

*** *** memory/flashback

Prologue
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Zeke had just realized that you should never grope Will Turner, especially not in front of one Captain Jack Sparrow. He took a step away as the dumbass's face hit where his left foot had been a moment ago. A rather notable bump on the back of the idiot's head. Captain Sparrow had excellent aim, he noted dryly, even in pitch black and drunk out of his mind.

Will blinked, "Is he dead?"

"Naayyy...", Jack yawned.

Zeke had to agree, scumbags like that were surprising resilient, like cockroaches.

Jack swaggered towards them, his arms swing wildly. Zeke narrowly missed being hit in the face by the bottle of rum still clutched in the Captain's hand. Will stepped up quickly to steady Jack.

Working one hand loose, Jack grabbed Zeke's collar and pulled the boy close. He leaned back a little, he was still a bit weary of the captain's "get up-close and personal tactics" when he's trying to get his point across. That, and his breath reeked of rum; Zeke never understood the human fascination with consuming poison. As if their lives aren't short enough, he sneered. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Will wrinkle his nose and sighed softly. Will seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Noooow...Mr.-Black", the captain sounded sober, "didn't I ass...igned ya wit' th im...important mmmiision...of guaarding the lad'ss vertuue?"

Nope. Drunk, Zeke nodded slowly. He probably won't be sober for days, if he ever is.

"I--I don't need guarding!" Will yelled, his face flushed.

"Momentary slip, Sir," he put on his most innocent face. It didn't work.

The Captain ignored Will and pulled him closer.

//It's like he's sniffing me//, Zeke thought, //how... disturbing.//

Jack's eyebrows drew together as if he was thinking very hard.

"It's late," Will pulled Jack out of Zeke's face, "Let's just get back to the Pearl."

Jack turned his head and gave Will a slight lift of his lips. Zeke relaxed.

Will flashed him an apologetic smile before pulling the staggering captain back towards their ship. He stood still for a moment, head cocked a little to the side.

Jack Sparrow smirks at everyone, but only smiles at Will Turner.

Will Turner makes Jack Sparrow happy, Zeke chewed his lips thoughtfully. //This could make my job hard.// He looked down at the unconscious man lying on the dock. He gave him a sharp kick on the side. The poor sucker rolled into the water with a dull splash.

//I hope he drowns//, Zeke thought as he slowly walked back to the Black Pearl.

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Chapter 1
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"Thi' is where we are going." A small dagger was thrown toward the map.

Elizabeth raised an elegant eyebrow, "why?"

"According to me sources, thi' is where the shipment is going", Jack smirked.

"In the middle of nowhere?"

"Just casu' ye can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there."

"Now we ar' gonna make stops at here and here, pick up mor supplies. Anamarie?" Anamarie nodded once. "Gibbs and the whelp...", Will puffed his cheeks indignantly at that, "..wil find us mor swords an' cannons."

Elizabeth still didn't look convinced.

"No use prissing about it, lass. The sooner we got the things we need, the sooner we make 't to that shipment. Then ye an' the whelp can go back to yer little house and live happily ever after, savvy?"

She nodded slowly. "We will make it in time", Will said, interwinded their fingers together.

The door cracked up a little. "Your breakfast are ready, sirs, ma'ams." Zeke came in, balancing two large silver trays.

Jack pulled out the dagger and rolled up the map. Zeke put down the two trays, there were tea, fruits, cheese, and some fresh out of oven bread rolls. Zeke untied the jag of rum at his belt and put it in front of the captain. Jack gave him a toothy grin. The lad was a fastrnerrner. Then Jack pursed his lip together thoughtfully for a moment, but there WAS something ... odd .... about the him. The boy looked young, only there's something in his eyes, something .... almost .... timeless. Like good .... or evil.

But, who the hell cared. The lad was good with a knife and a fantastic cook. Jack happily bit down into a bread roll, and with a little wave he dismissed the lad. Zeke left as silently as he came in.

Jack's attention swayed, as always, back to Will and Elizabeth. Will had matured a great deal since the last time he'd seen him, and Elizabeth was as stunningly beautiful as she was strong willed.

Jack took another mouthful of rum, and peaked at Will through the top of the glass rim. Long, graceful fingers, callous due to years of hard labor, was carefully pealing the skin off a pear. A flick of wrist, one cut, clean. Brown eyes stared adoringly at equally dark ones, as he pushed half a pear onto her plate. Black lashes, cured up at the end and spread out like fans, framing smiling eyes, she murmured a thanks.

//They better not be feeding each other, is too early in th' morn'g for this.// Jack could feel a headache coming. //me head hurrrtttt, must drink mor rum.//

~~*~~

Gibbs and Anamarie finished up first, then excused themselves. Elizabeth followed shortly, said something about fresh air.

//It's just you and me now, whelp.//

"Soooo, ye finally caught yer bonnie lass, ay?"

"Wha?!" Will jumped a little and then shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "We...we're just engaged."

Jack raised an eyebrow, and did a pretty good intimidation of Elizabeth. Will smiled shyly, "We were planning the wedding and almost set a date....but then this whole mess started. Half the town's .... and....then the governor ..... the navy couldn't do a thing. We have to help everyone first." His voice rose steadily towards the end.

//Stil' as noble as ever, poor kid's not the kind to live long.//

"yeahhh, we'll help ye as long as ye kept yer words about the payment."

The payment was important, and not to mention, Jack really liked Port Royal, two of his favorite persons lived there. Vann would pay for messing with his town.

Will reached over the table and grabbed his hands, "We will. And thank you so much ..... without you....I....I wouldn't know what to do".

Will's head dipped, a few strings of silky hair fell from their restraint and softly caressing his forehead. Jack gently squeezed Will's hands, and tried to suppress the shiver when those hands squeezed back.

There was a warm feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, like when he swallowed a particular strong rum. Only it didn't burn, but slowly, almost like sneaky finger tips, caressing him from the inside. He couldn't speak.

//I am ill.//

He felt warm. He always felt warm when Will was around.

Warm and intoxicated.

~~~*~~~

It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Jack Sparrow, pirate extraordinate, supposedly a man so evil that hell itself spat him out. Zeke could only wish that was the case. //He's....a good man ... more or less//, was Zeke's observation since the six months he'd been on the Black Pearl.

Jack had all of the traits of a good pirate. Ruthless, yes. Cruel, sometimes. A really bad womanizer, definitely. He has been raiding ships, burning towns, stealing treasures, all with style too...in a grizzled hack kind of way.

But there was also an almost child-like innocent about Jack Sparrow, it was as if the world around him was like a glass ball, beautiful and elusive It was something pretty to look at, to touch, to play with, but always handle with a certain amount of care, and always so very *very* careful not to drop it.

"I don't like pain very much", Jack had once told him. Zeke shivered, remembering the dark pools of obsidian stared at him, hard and soft at the same time.

//It really did seem like a good idea.//

Jack Sparrow, despite all of his wrong doings and extremely smelly habits, hadn't earned himself a spot on Satan's little checklist. How did he manage THAT was beyond Zeke. It was not as if any of Zeke's relatives hadn't tried to tempt him. But still neither heaven nor hell has a claim on Jack Sparrow....not yet that was.

Zeke aimed to change that.

The idea was simple. Drive Jack Sparrow crazy.

It was Zeke's firm belief that anything could be broken, all you had to do was apply the right amount of pressure at the right place. Life on the high sea could be stressful. With the proper intervention, soon or later Jack was bounded to snap, then he was either going to put a pistol to his head or throw himself overboard. Suicide was a mortal sin after all. If Zeke was lucky, he might even be able to slip in a contract.

But the problem was, Jack Sparrow was crazy to begin with. And no matter how he's been pressed down, he just bounced right back.

It was really very annoying.

//My predecessors' bad karma's been catching up//, Zeke absent-mindedly played with the rope in his hand. He was suppose to be securing the small boat to the side of Pearl. He tried not to look down, grew up around mountains of fire hadn't brought up the necessity of learning to swim. As a safe precaution, he usually avoided large body of water.

Demons liked pain, just not their own.

"Ya ain't slacking off, are ya lad?" A rather meaty hand slapped him heavily on the back of his head. Zeke grabbed the nearest fence, knuckles' white.

"No sir, Mr. Gibbs, just checking how strong the ropes are." //Oh, lame.// Zeke had been told, on more than enough occasions, that he made a terrible demon.

"You try too hard", his cousin Ursella would often say to him. Then she would tell him to change his hair, or his face, or some other part(s) of his body in a, let's admit it, rather futile attempt to make him look more sinister. He even tried on those twisty little horns once while she laughed her ass off. "They look like croissants", flashing those oh-so-sharp teeth, she'd petted him on the head, "face it, love, you can't rush those thing, you've gotta to give it a couple more millennia." Zeke growled, which only made her laugh harder.

"Are you all right? You look a little dizzy." A soft yet strong voice flowed on the top of his head.

He snapped back to reality, "Yes, ma'am. Just the sun, ma'am. Still getting used to it." //Nice shirt, I can see the crack between her breasts from here.//

Elizabeth giggled, "oh, yes, you ought to be careful with it. Wouldn't want to turn into another Jack Sparrow."

He gave her a slight bow of his head as she walked away to join Mr. Gibbs. "How long is it to the next port?" she inquired.

Mr. Gibbs laughed good naturally, "We've just left one, are you getting sea sick already?"

"I am just concerned.... this.... informant Jack mentioned, doesn't sound very reliable."

"He's a pirate, of course he ain't reliable. But the captain knows what he's doing." Mr. Gibbs looked like he was trying very hard to believe that.

Zeke mentally rolled his eyes, but he didn't mind. Trouble usually meant fighting, which inevitably led to bloodshed and pain. Only thing was, the pirates on this ship were surprising hard to kill.

"Doesn't he always." Will laughed, walked up to them with a jacket in his arm.

"Whyyy, mate, tha sounds almost like a insult" the captain followed closely behind.

"Noooo, of course not, we all know to bow down to the great wisdom of captain Jack Sparrow", Will said humbly and grinned.

"Aye, ye should", the captain took off his hat, and made a theatrical swipe with it, "Thank you, thank you". Elizabeth started giggling again.

Will pulled Elizabeth gently towards him, and put the jacket onto her shoulder like a cap, "it's still a bit chilling this morning." He pecked lightly on her nose. The couple then proceed to make lovy-dovy eyes at each other.

//How revolting//, Zeke rubbed the already forming bump at the back of his head, //that bloody hurts, note to self, feed Mr.Gibbs to the sharks at the first possible opportunity.... discretely.//

The captain made a couple of dry laughs as if he'd swallowed sandpaper, then swaggered away looking like someone just stuffed a whole bunch of sour grapes down his throat.

//Curious, how very curious indeed//, Zeke turned his face away. After six months of fruitless pursuits, he really was about to give up, until Will Turner came aboard.

~~~*~~~

Will stood alone on the tail end of the ship. He was in a relatively high spirit this morning.

They've finally decided on the destinations of their voyage. Commodore Norrington hasn't shown his ugly face in over a week, maybe the man had finally got a clue that Elizabeth didn't WANT to be rescued from the evil clutch of the pirates. Things were finally beginning to look up.

//We are going to make it in time//, Will thought, //please just hold on, everyone.//

Elizabeth had gone down to the cabin earlier. She wanted to help Anamarie put up the list of all the things they would need. //She really just wanted something to do to take her mind off thing,// Will thought, //couldn't blame her though, if it were Elizabeth....//

Will reached inside his shirt and pulled out a silver chain, at the end dangled a ring. It was a simple silver band with a small round ruby in the middle, some strange scribbling surrounded the ruby in a circular fashion. It was a gift from Elizabeth.

"It has been in my family for generations", he remembered the feeling of her hands, on his eyebrows, sliding over his eyes and cheeks and finally rested on the corner of his mouth, "silvers are suppose to repel evil". He had breached the small distance and kissed her. Such soft rose petal lips, they tasted like the honeyed chrysanthemum tea she loved. "What about the ruby?" he has asked, arms cycled around her waist, nose nuzzled in her curly hair. "I've heard....it used to be part of a bigger piece. It....Will, stop that *giggles*.....it contains incredible magic powers."

It was a promise. And as a promise in return, he had given her a ring also. Gold, but with sparkly blue sapphires surrounded it. He had made the ring himself, using the souvenirs he had taken along after their last adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow.

//It is in my blood after all//, he chuckled.

He had enclosed her small hands in his and slide the ring onto her middle finger. Elizabeth probably knew, Will wouldn't put it past her. She had shaken her head slightly then, but didn't appear to be upset.

Will stared dreamily into the water. He loved Elizabeth's hands, soft, warm, gentle, small wrist..... so fragile, yet held such strength....as they wrapped around his own..... roughened from years of swords handling....and.....

//Wait a minute//, he eyes widened, //Elizabeth doesn't.... ...Oh, Oh,// he swallowed, //well, Jack's hands were nice, too.//

He turned and rested his elbows on the wooden bars, and watched the captain quietly. Jack was currently explaining how to catch fish with ropes and a basket, with exaggerating hand gestures to a rather ashen faced Ezekiel Black. The upper half of his body was dangling just outside of the fence. He was swinging back and forth as the ship broke through another wave, with only the rope twisted in his right fist. Jack was shouting happily at the cook and urging the young man to do the same.

"I've gotta to show ye how to do it, see!!!"

Zeke looked like he was going to throw up. Personally, Will didn't think the cook could swim.

Will smiled softly as Mr. Gibbs finally came to Zeke's rescue, and pulled him aside to do something or another. Jack look disappointed as his audience were taken away. Then he spotted Will, and glided his way toward him, hips swung left and right.

"Enjoy the trip so far?"

"Mmm...." the wind felt nice on his face.

"If th' weather kept up, we may make it ahead of schedule." Jack rested one hand on his elbow, and they looked out at the sea in silence.

Despite all the chaos that had occurred and would no doubt increase tenfold in the near future, Will felt relaxed..... and strangely enough....safe. //It's so good to be out on the sea again//, he took a deep breath of salty air. The Black Pearl swings gently with the ocean tides, as if they were lovers, locked in the embrace of an endless waltz.

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Chapter 2
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Hands and knees deep in the mud, he kept on digging. And in the background, the little white house kept on burning.

//I must find them. I MUST.//

One scoop. Then another. And another. His small hands trembled, nails broken and split. He clawed through the rocks, the sand and the dirt as fast as he could. Still they escaped from between his fingers. There were mud on his face. Tears slid down slowly, leaving two arcs behind. Clear, reflecting the light cast from the flame. The light painted them red, as if he was crying blood.

He remembered her smile, terrified yet determined. Long black hair swirled with the wind, sweep past her shoulders like raven wings.

*** YOU have to take care of them now. I am counting on you.***

A fleeing touch on his forehead. Was it a kiss? He reached out towards her back, his hand passed through smoke.

//You failed.//

A small voice startled him, he raised tear-streaked face. Ruby eyes started back at him, eyes glowed softly with split pupils. Straight hair, red and unmoving even in the wind, framed delicate face like a waterfall of blood. He shuddered. The boy smiled.

//You FAILED. She BELIEVED IN you, and you failed HER.//

"I...I....." he stuttered.

"You....you...." The boy mimicked, laughing softly. A clawed hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck, nails dug into the base of his throat.

"You ought to pay for your failures ..... don't you think?" The boy tilted his head slight to the side.

His eyes were misted. There were hands reaching out of the ground, grabbing him, pulling closer, pressing harder.

No....no..... He tried to struggle. It hurts, it hurts so much.

The hand around his throat tightened. "Tell me what you want......do you want..... wish me to take the pain away?"

"I....I.....want...."

Then there was warmth, lifting him, cuddling him in strong arms, enclosing him as if in a mother's womb.

He opened his eyes and stared into worried chocolate orbs.

~~~*~~~

Zeke narrowed his eyes and sat up. This really WAS annoying. He flipped and landed soundless on the floor. Jess, the cabin boy, continued to snore in the bottom bunk. He pushed open the door and walked outside.

//I need to kill something//, he sulked.

~~~*~~~~

Jack had offered to put him and Elizabeth in the same cabin. Elizabeth had blushed. Will had blushed, too and stuttered out a few less than coherent sentences about engagement and honor. Jack had looked at him skeptically then shrugged. So here he lied, in the cabin between Jack's and Elizabeth's. The ship rocked slightly with each incoming wave, the candle burning at his bedside cast dancing shadows on the ceiling.

He was humming a lullaby slowly to himself. The walls on the Black Pearl were thin, he could hear Jack turning in the other room. He tried hard not to imagine what Jack looked like in his night shirt...or did he wear a night shirt.....or maybe nothing at..... No. No. NO. He pounded his head into the pillow.

Ever since this morning....or more specifically, ever since that weird thought about Jack's hands, he had been having....difficulties keeping his mind off the pirate. He found himself musing about the strangest thing, like how the kohl around Jack's eyes only emphasize the depth in those dark orbs, and how the gold caught the sunshine when he smirks. In a panic, he had taken great effort to avoid the pirate all day. He even tried to hide in the kitchen. Zeke had stared at him the whole time. It was creepy, but the way the cook was peeling potatoes without looking or cutting his own fingers off was rather impressive.

//Maybe I am coming down with something.//

His eyes felt heavy, but sleep eluded him. He was just start counting the first sheep when a sound startled him. It came from Jack's room. He blinked, pulled over the cover and wrinkled his nose when his toes touched the cold floor. He half kneeled and pressed his left ear to the wall.

There it was again, a dull sound, like a fist hitting the wood. Then there was a loud yelp and he can just make out the next word.

"....hurts....."

He bolted, out of the room and threw opened Jack's door.

Moon light spilling through the open window. Jack was turning and twisting on the bed, the cover rolling down just above his hips. Will crossed the distance between the door and the bed in large strides. He froze as his hand hovered just above Jack's face.

//What am I doing?//

Jack moaned and his heart clenched. He sat down on the edge of the bed, ed ted the sleeping man gently toward him, and began lightly trailing cycles on his back. Jack immediately snuggled up to him and nuzzled his chest unconsciously, but his body was still tensed and trembling. Jack, he wanted to call, but there was a thousand tons weighting down on his tongue.

Then Jack opened his eyes. They stared at each other, transfixed.

The silence was broken as Jack worked his upper body half way out of Will's embrace, bent down a little and pulled out a bottle of rum from under the bed. Jack took a large swig and squeezed his eyes shut. Only to opened them and stared at Will for a few moments before he took another mouthful. Jack lowered his head and shook it a couple of times, then peaked at Will wine ene eye, and poked Will's cheek with an index finger. Will blinked, Jack opened both eyes and poked him again.

This time, the pressure stayed. One finger soon became two, then three, then a palm. Will cocked his head and leaned into the touch.

//Soft.....soft and warm.//

Close, they were getting closer. Will sniffed his nose a little. Jack was all around him, smelled of
rum and sweat and the sea. He closed his eyes.

A loud splash and the ship shook violently.

~~~*~~~

The first cannon fire missed, but it created a sizable shock wave and managed to wake up most of the crew.

Will almost collided with Elizabeth as he and Jack ran out of the room. He steadied her with one hand and took the sword she handed him with the other. Together the three climbed up to the top deck.

The first thing they saw was fire. The Pearl's black sails were on fire. The crews were running, screaming, shooting their pistols at the distant enemy. Gun fire and explosions surrounded them.

Anamarie shouted at them, "We are under attack!!!!"

Jack immediately began barking orders. Another explosion. Will pulled Elizabeth behind a stack of crates for cover, she took out her pistol and held it firmly. A few meters away, Jack cursed loudly: "STOP blow holes in me ship!!!! You worthless cowards!!!!"

~~~*~~~

The other ship had moved within boarding distance. Figures, clad all in black began to throw hooked ropes and swung toward the Black Pearl.

Zeke balanced the small dagger between his fingers calmly, as the others pulled out their cutlasses. The Pearl rocked as another cannon ball burst straight through the lower deck. The captain was at the helm, trying to steer the ship to a more advantageous position. Jack has one hand on the wheel, the other making rude gestures at the other ship.

"Ye're hurt'ng me love, oh, me precious. STOP IT!!! Ye FUCKING BASTARDS!!!!!"

Zeke gave him a quick look and sidestepped just in time to avoid a sword thrust. He shifted his body 90 degrees to the left, putting himself behind his attacker. He brought his left hand up from an angle, held the man's jaw firmly from behind and slashed his throat with the dagger. He smiled, feeling better already.

~~~*~~~

Will and Elizabeth looked at each other hard, nodded and jumped out from the crates at the same time. Elizabeth shot the nearest enemy in the shoulder, causing the man to lose his grip in mid swing and fall down, straight onto Will's sword.

After a few sharp jerks, the Black Pearl finally began firing back. Jack laughed maniacally somewhere to his left, he tried futilely to keep Elizabeth in his sight. Stab, sweep, parry and stab again. The smoke was getting ticker, he was losing her. "Elizabeth!!!" he yelled and jabbed his elbow into the stomach of the man who had tried to sneak up behind him.

He spotted her as she was being backed into a corner. He jumped the last couple of steps and grabbed her attacker's right arm and twisted. It broke right off through the shoulder joint. Will's eyes widened, there was no blood. The severed arm thrust upward, and covered his face with its palm and pushed, smashing Will's head hard against the post behind him.

Pain exploded and blackness swallowed him.

~~~*~~~

"Will!!!" came Elizabeth's desperate cry.

Two pairs of eyes snapped towards her as she was knocked down. Her attacker flipped Will onto his shoulder and jumped overboard.

Sulfur. Zeke snarled. He smelled sulfur.

//Well, well, what do you know.//

Then he felt the pull around his waist, someone had threw a rope around him while he was distracted. Another sharp tag made him lose his balance and fell down the short stair he was standing on.

//Oops.// He couldn't even brace himself against the impact before a large hand grabbed the back of his shirt, and tossed him over the fence.

//Oh, no. Not the water, anything but the water.//

Zeke flailed his arms gracelessly before he smashed head first into the sea.

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Chapter 3
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"Casualties?"

"None. Light to moderate injuries to most of the crew, couple of seriously wounded, we still couldn't stop Jess' bleeding." Gibbs scratched his beard softly, "Young Mr. Turner and the cook are missing."

".....Any live ones?"

"Not the ones on board, but we did find this." He held out a small medallion made of some reddish metal, "the same thing was also tattooed on some of them attackers."

"....I see." Jack hissed out, his fist tightening around the medallion.

Gibbs swallowed and took an unconscious step back. He waited a few more minutes for an order, saw none coming, sighed and went back to hwithwith the repairing. Jack stroke the wheel slowly to calm himself. His heart had sunk when he heard Elizabeth's desperate cry last night. He had frozen when he saw Will; his lungs contracting painfully.

Will's limp body being flipped onto one shoulder, Will's closed eyes and the small stream of blood dripping from his hair onto the deck.

//You FAILED.//

A sting on his shoulder shocked him out of the trance. He brought up his hand and traced the bandages on his right shoulder lightly. They were already soaked with blood again. It was a deep cut, but he hadn't felt anything at the time. All he could see was Will's ashen white face and that small singsong voice in the back of his mind kept on repeating.

//You failed. You failed. You failed again.//

He had dashed to the sail on the other side. There was nothing when he looked down, only the white foams where Will and his captor made impact. He felt his blood freeze over, the voice increased to a constant drumming. There was red, red everywhere, fire and blood.

By the time the last attacker was killed, the enemy ship was long gone. The other ship had left its own men behind as a diver whi while it fled. He had calmed down and pushed Will's kidnapping to the back of his mind. There were more pressing matters to deal with at that time.

~~~*~~~~

Elizabeth pressed the bloodied cloth harder against the wound. "Hold on, you'll be fine." She stroke his forehead softly. Jess' mouth opened and closed a few times, his eyes stared ahead, unseeing. His hand reached out blindly, she immediately took hold of it, squeezing it tightly. His lips trembled, "...col.....cold.....I.....m.....s..soo.....col...." Each syllabus grew quieter until there were no more sound. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the sting behind them and bit down hard on her bottom lip.

~~~*~~~

//Maybe tripping that watchman into the sea hadn't been such a bright idea.// Zeke crossed his legs and rested his back against the wall of the cell, //but I needed to vent my frustration on something.// Still, this was no ordinary ship. He hadn't seen it coming until it was too late and Zeke had VERY good night vision.

The door on the other side opened and two men walked in. They were both wearing black, with last night's blood and sweat still on them. Zeke grimaced at the smell and the flashes of bad teeth, but paid them no more mind.

"So th's tha trophy Gile brought in."
"Pretty thin'g, ain't he."

When he'd hit the water last night, he had panicked.....for the first time in hell knows how long. Human bodies were so fragile after all. That really was NOT how he wanted to return home. He would be the laughing stock of all nine rings. So he had flailed arms and legs in all directions, trying to keep afloat. His left hand had hit something solid and he had latched onto it with all his might. The something turned out to be another man's booted leg, one of the attackers, who was in the process of climbing back to his own ship via the net on the side. The enemy ship was already pulling away from the Pearl, and no way was Zeke going to brave the distance between the two. He had given the man a weak little grin and allowed himself to be pulled up.

"Wha di da cap'tn say about him."
"I heard he's go'na *reward* the pretty to tha crew later."

//This is NOT my day. Come to think of it, it hasn't been my week or month. My luck's been in steady decline ever since I took this hell forsaken assignment.//

"Yo, pretty, we're go'na eat ya alive."
"Yeaa, eat ya alive."

//No wonder Ursella was smirking at me when I left. Everyone else made it look so easy, why does EVERY evil little trick I do ALWAYS backfire.//

"We'll put tha pretty lit'le mouth of yars to good use."
"Ya'll scream so hard tha whole sea will hear ya."

He fingered the shackles on his wrists, wondering how much heat it would take to melt the metal.

"Yo, prick. Are ya even listening to us??"
"Stup'd pris, fuck'ng kids now days. I fuck'ng wish...."

"Oh, yeah." Zeke's face lighted up, "what do you WISH for?"

~~~*~~~

Elizabeth shut the door quietly behind her and slide down onto the floor.

//I will not cry. I will NOT cry.//

She had seen death before, both under violent and peaceful circumstances. She had even caused a few herself, either directly or indirectly. Every time, the ache in her heart grew strong. It ripped a small part of her away, a part of her humanity. Her shoulders shook

//Will.....I wish you were here......//

She buried her face between her knees. //.....first Port Royal.....then father....now you, I can't lose you, too. Will.//

Not lost, she reminded herself. She hadn't lost her father nor Port Royal, but it was close and it's getting closer with each passing day. Elizabeth thought back to the events that lead to this.

It started out inconspicuous enough. The local baker fell ill, the doctor had deemed it minor and prescribed an herb and two. Then the baker's wife attacked some poor innocent bystander in the market. The couple were locked away. A few days later, their condition worsen. Their eyes turned bloody and their behaviors more and more eradicate and violent. The towns people began talking about demon possessions.

The gossips grew wider and louder until Elizabeth's father, governor Swan, invited his old friend to Port Royal to perform an exorcism ceremony. Father Cane was well known in the empire, especially for his efforts in hunting down and terminating supernatural creatures of darkness. Elizabeth thought it was all overly dramatic, but had kept her silent since the baker and his wife did get better.

Things quieted down for a few days. Elizabeth and Will had begun planning for their wedding. They had thought to decide a date soon, since the whole town was in such cheery spirit. The governor had extended an invitation to Father Cane and even entertained the idea of him performing the wedding instead of the local priest. He had became something of a celebrity.

It was a stormy night when Elizabeth heard the first scream. At first she thought it was another pirate attack. Her father had locked up the mansion and forbidden her to leave. She had tied together the bed sheets and made a rope, so that she could climb out through the window. The town was in an uproar, there were fire, smoke, screaming everywhere. People were hurting each other and themselves. Elizabeth was terrified. The first place she went was Mr. Brown's. She found Will in a headlock and Mr. Brown about to bring down an ax on him. She hit him on the head with a rum bottle.

It seemed to be a strange illness, an infection that had snatched almost half the town people. Most ships, included the navy vessels were out of port at the time, and were warned off in order to contain the spreading of this madness. Around the upper hills where the riches lived, the soldiers who were stationed at Port Royal had set up barricade for those who were still well.
Father Cane and the governor held meeting well into midnight. Father Cane told them that he had ordered a large amount of rare herbs and medicines from the far east, which were due to arrive in a day or two. Those medicine, he told them, were essential in order to drive off the evil spirits and cure the towns people.

How very convenient, Elizabeth had thought. She was still skeptical, but it seemed the priest was their best chance. Small groups of soldiers were sent out to retrieve it, none of them came back. Then governor Swan had fell ill as well. They had to tie him to his bed post to stop him from clawing out his own eyes.

Elizabeth had volunteered then. She and Will sneaked down to the town only to find a pirate ship docked at the bay. The pirates soon made off with their medicine. They had stolen a small ship, a boat really, and followed closely in pursuit. The last time Elizabeth saw Port Royal was through the thick morning fog as the town grew smaller and smaller into the horizon.

They lost their target shortly afterward. A few days later, they found the Black Pearl. Or perhaps it was the Black Pearl that found them, Elizabeth thought back. Either way, she was still extremely grateful for their fortune.

~~~*~~~~

Will woke up to singing. He tried to move his head to search for the soft voice, but his vision was swirling and he couldn't lift his hands.

//Where am I?//

The coppery taste in his mouth reminded him of the previous night. He felt pressed down, like when he got the flu as a child, his mother had put several thick blankets on top of him. They were heavy and always made him felt like being trapped in a cocoon.

//Jack......the Pearl.....Elizabeth!! We were attacked.//

He tried to move his hands again, this time they budged. He reached one hand behind his head, it came away sticky. Footsteps came closer, he would have jumped back if he could when a rather ugly face pressed itself against the bars.

The door burst open. The guard turned around and stood up, took a few steps towards the door, then froze. A few seconds of silence, the guard fell down, a smaller dagger stood out between his eyes. Will did a double take, his voice felt staging and unused.

"Well, fancy .... meeting you here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Chapter 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't speak as a professional, but you will probably live." Zeke said as he cleaned the wound on Will's head with a piece of cloth ripped from his shirt.

//I want to sleep.//

Will felt weightless, like he was submerged under water. Everything around him looked blurry and disoriented. There was an invisible net around him, restraining him, choking him. His eyes are getting heavier. He winced at a particular hard nip.

"Under the circumstances, I don't think falling asleep would be a good idea, Mr. Turner."

"Will, just call me Will," It was always comforting to know someone else was stuck in the same hellhole situation as you. "Or would you rather I call you Mr. Black."

"Zeke is fine....Will." Zeke resumed the task at hand.

Will tried to stand up and stumbled. Zeke placed a hand under his shoulder blade and lowered him back down. "I wouldn't advise standing up too quickly neither."

The cook was acting really strange, Will mused, //rather talkative for one.....//

"Stay here." Zeke pressed a small dagger in his hand and popped him against the wall. "I am going to go look around, test the water a little."

He gave the cook a nod in acknowledgment. Not soon after Zeke slipped through the door, his eyes closed again. His last thought was of captain Jack Sparrow. Jack's face when he woke from that nightmare, like he had seen something wonderful but couldn't really trust himself not to still be dreaming.

//I hope you are all right, Jack.//

~~~*~~~

The corridor was empty. In fact, the entire deck was empty. Zeke crouched inside the shadow, both palms pressed down on the floor. He could feel the vibration of the wood as if the ship itself was breathing. He shut his eyes and tried to pull in as many sound as possible. There, most of the crews were busy working on the top deck.

//They are certainly in a hurry to go somewhere.//

There weren't a lot of people on board, especially for a ship this size. Then again, Zeke had noticed the considerable number of dark figures still on the Black Pearl when they were pulling away.

He felt uneasy. He didn't have much experience with any kind of escaping, because he rarely got caught. Normally he would burn a path and take as many damned soulsposspossible back home and be done with it. Unfortunately, the body he was currently residing in had limits, not to mention there was still Will to consider.

//I don't think the boy can move very far. I suppose that I can just kill him and take over the ship.// Zeke contemplated to himself. //It shouldn't present too great of a challenge, not if those two other idiots were any indication. And if what I thought early was true......//

He had no doubt that Will's death would devastate captain Jack Sparrow. He had heard the occasional slurred out tales about the two's last adventure, usually when large amount of rum was involved and the crew's inhabitation at their lowest. He recalled some of the horror stories his shipmates had oh-so-delightfully passed around, about how much more unstable and vicious Jack Sparrow had became. They certainly fueled the whole "so-evil-hell-itself-spat-him-out" image of the pirate captain. Zeke had liked that Jack much better, even if he did spend a great deal of time immersed himself in rum and whores.

//But now.....what a waof pof potential.//

Once Anamarie had commented on how the captain smiled much more ever since young Mr. Turner came aboard. Zeke didn't see any difference at the time. He had thought that Jack Sparrow always smiled, in a queer fakery kind of way. Still, he couldn't stop the impending feeling that his mission was about to be doomed.

//I should kill him. I really should kill him.//

But for some reason, which he did not want to think too hard on, he didn't want Will Turner's blood on his hands.

//I am not one of those low ranking dimwits who use a big-bang to solve everything. I am a manipulator,// he argued with himself. //I don't want to kill the brat because I want him to suffer. Yeah, that's right. Make him suffer for messing with my plan......just....not right now.//

As for Jack Sparrow, Zeke had already invested too much time and energy on him to just give up. //His soul will be mine.// Zeke decided. //I'll wait, things have a tendency to get worse when they are concerned with Sparrow.//

He walked down the corridor slowly and stopped at a door at the end of a Y intersection. It was jammed, he gave it a solid jostle. The door creaked open without a sound. He peeped inside carefully. It would have to do. They needed some place to hide and plan their next move before someone discovered the bodies. He turned and began going back to fetch Will

//Keep your target close, and your target's weakness closer.//

~~~*~~~

Once again Will woke to singing. He looked around, Zeke hadn't returned yet. He pushed himself up slowly, his head was still spinning a little.

//What is that? .....it has to be.....singing...//.

He dragged his feet up one inch at a time, one step, then another. There was another room connected to his, half of it was enclosed in metal bars identical to the one he was kept in. The room smelled like burned flesh and on the floor, there were two heaps of ashes.

//What happened?//

Carefully stepped around, he tried to hold on to whatever was still in his stomach and pushed open the other door. The singing came from the room across the hall. The room was unlocked. Cautiously, he peeped inside. It appeared to be a storage room, there were stacks of boxes and baskets scattered around.

//There it is again.....// Will stilled and looked around carefully. He followed the soft sound. In the shadow, there was a barrel.

The barrel was shut tight, but there are small holes on top of the lid. He bent down his head slightly and tried to peek through the holes. A shadow flashed and he jumped back. The singing stopped and there were something like fingers reach out from under the holes.

They were fingers. Then a small voice called out, "....help me...."

Will gawked at it and slowly pulled out his knife. The lid wasn't nailed, instead there were a series of small hooks that locked the lid onto the side of the barrel. He carefully pried those open and pushed the lid off.

The barrel was filled with water and a small face hesitantly looked up at him.

A girl, around 14 or maybe younger, with the most strange shade of hair. Green, he stared at it incredibly, then he noticed the eyes. Large, gold, split pupiled eyes were slowly filling with gratitude and adoration. His jaw dropped before he gasped and began slowly edging away.

"NO....no....don't go....please." One small hand reached toward him.

//Are those fins on her arm?//

"Wh, who? What?"

"Don't go....please...I don't want to go back to the dark....please." the small voice pleaded softly.

She continued to rise, until her upper body was completely out of water. Light green scales covered her from waist down. Will stumbled back and blushed, then immediately turned his face away. She may looked young, but she was well developed.

He pinched himself hard ..... twice. It was a mermaid. He was busy swallowing down the hysteria, //I just found a mermaid in a freaking barrel.// He took a few deep breaths. Well, it really shouldn't surprise him that much. After all he did fight off a swarm of skeleton pirates just over a year ago. If the undead were real, then all the other weird things he's heard as a child couldn't be that far off stretch.

"Wha...." His mouth felt dry, he tried again more politely. "Who are you?"

"Tisha! My name is Tisha."

There were so much joy in that voice, he couldn't help but smile at her. "I am Will......what are you doing here?"

"They caught me. I was just at this beach....there were a lot of pretty rocks....then those bad men, they had this big, nasty net....", she waved her hands a little and frowned. Will was reminded of Jack, whose bottom lip would also stick out a little just like that when he didn't get his way.

//Concentrate. William Turner. Concentrate.//

"....then they put me in this barrel....I don't know how long it's been." The girl....mermaid was still talking. "Are you here to rescue me?" She grabbed his hand suddenly and stared at him dreamily.

"Wh-what?"

"There is this old tale among my people....about this mermaid princess and her prince."

"Wh, What? No, I...."

But she had started talking again, "...She rescued him from this sinking ship...." Her body language just screamed Jack, she was even swaggering.

//How did she do that without legs?//

"....well, she did die in the end, but still, it was so beautiful and so romantic and so...."

"What's this?" Zeke said beside him.

He jumped, "D-Don't DO that!!!"

The mermaid had stopped in mid-sentence, her mouth opened and closed a couple of time. She was gaping at Zeke with a terrified expression. Will looked at her quizzically. She shrieked and ducked under so quickly that the water splashed out and narrowly missed wetting the front of Will's trouser.

~~~*~~~

After much explanation and convincing, Tisha finally agreed to let Zeke carried her in some old blanket they've found. Zeke had a long-suffered expression on his face, while she held herself perfectly still in his arm, and gave him occasional glances filled with both awareness and horror.

As stealthily as possible, they made to the other room.

The room was circular in shape, about 6 to 7 meters in diameter. Curved book shelves lined the walls, there were a couple of big leather armchairs scattered around. A wooden table stood in the center, books laid open on it. Underneath the small round window in the room was an old fireplace. A few pathetic rays of light broke through the glasses, and covered whatever it touched with an grayish white

"A pirate ship with a library. Well, will wonders ever cease." Will said dryly.

He swept his index finger across the table, leaving a short clear line. "I don't think anyone come in a lot, we should be safe here, for a while."

Tisha was tense, but still was looking around with curiosity. The blanket wrapped around her was getting wetter. Zeke closed his arms around her a little more, even with a layer of fabric in between, her scales were still very slippery.

"Now, let's make you comfortable. Where are we going to place you?" mur murmured.

"Over there will be fine," Zeke motioned with his head towards the corner, "it's out of the sun, so the meat won't spoil."

Will stopped, then looked at him carefully ".....Zeke, why ... did you take her with us?"

"I didn't mug any food." Zeke said evenly.

"....."

"Half of her is fish."

"....."

"Will? Why is your eye twitching like that?"

~~~*~~~~

"What do you mean we are NOT going after them??!!!"

Jack covered his ears and tried to put some more distance between himself and Elizabeth. "We ca't afford to make any side trips, Missie"

"What!"

"The basic repair already took us a full day." Gibbs joined in, "with most of the sails gone, it would take us almost twice the time to reach Tortuga."

Jack held his palms up and gave a there-you-go wave towards his first mate.

"There's also the code. Whoever falls behind, gets left behind." Anamarie reasoned.

"And whoever get captured, get left captured?" Elizabeth was shaking now. She forced through clenched teeth, "they're more like guidelines anyway...."

"Ha' about Port Royal then?" Jack pointed out to her evenly, "Are ye ready to abandon yer father an' the town?"

She paled. "I....I..... but, Will.... he......"

"Th' lad is Bootstrap Bill's son, he'll be fine." Jack gave her a open mouthed grin, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Th' greater good, eh?" There was a bitterness in his voice that Elizabeth wasn't ready to explore further. "The whelp's expendable."

*SLAP*

Elizabeth turned and stormed away.

"I don't think I deserved that." Jack grunted and nursed his redden cheek.

~~~*~~~

After Will finally managed to calm Tisha down, and reassured her that: No, they were not going to eat her, and no, not even when they were on the verge of starvation. She had restored back to ignoring them. Zeke was not pleased; his hair was still damp from when she repeatedly banged on his face with her tail.

//Stupid fish//, he thought darkly, //I'll deep fry you....alive.//

He gave another evil...or so he thought...glare at the mermaid. Her entire body was buried in the blanket with only the top of her skull visible, dark green hair spilling over wildly and spread out like seaweed. The bundle would twitch at uneven intervals, apparently she was still upset.

They had discussed what to do next, it would probably take a while for their captors to realizes the prisoners had escaped. However, they couldn't exactly move freely with this much excess baggage(Tisha) and Will was almost dead on his feet. Zeke had insisted they take a break when Will had slumped against the shelf for support. Will had grown pensive and figured there was little chance for a proper escaping. However, as soon as there was a breach in security, they could make a break for it to the upper deck and then free Tisha. She had promised to go straight for Jack, assuming the Black Pearl was still somewhere near where it was attacked last.

Zeke turned his attention back to Will, who had fallen asleep shortly afterward. That wound on his head needed to be looked at properly. Zeke didn't fancy Will dead, not yet anyway.

Legs curved up and held close, Will had burrowed his entire body into the armchair. One hand lay boneless at his side, his head positioned to the side and the other arm tugged underneath one cheek. Will's mouth was slightly open eyes moved restless behind their curtains in dream.

//I suppose he could be consider beautiful,// Zeke studied him closer, tried to understand what the youth's appeal was to a certain pirate captain, //too pale though ..... I remembered a time when the paler you were, the more likely you were to be sacked or sold off.//

"I know what you are."

He turned his face toward Tisha, annoyed that his thoughts were interrupted. She had poked her head out of the blanket, hair plastered to her skull and covered most of her face. Her golden eyes were flashing, the slits in them darken and expanded to long oval shapes.

He gave her a rueful little smirk. "I know what I am, too. So what."

She hissed. "I won't let you get him. I'll protect him."

He couldn't help but chuckled at that. "You are gonna have to get in line. Fish. The boy's already taken."

She hissed harder and bared her sharp little teeth at him. Will stirred, they both froze. With a disgruntled grunt, she dipped her head back down again. Zeke had the certain urge to stick his tongue out at her.

It was then, the strong sour smell of sulfur assaulted his nostril. His head snapped up, alarmed and was half way to wake up Will when the door was kicked down. Will leapt up off the chair, eyes wide. His gaze turned to the door.

Will gawked beside him, "YOU!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


chapter 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man at the door was dressed in the attire of a priest. The corner of his lips lifted up smugly as Will gasped, "Father Cane?!"

Men in black poured out from behind the priest and soon had the three surrounded. Zeke drew out his dagger from his sleeve, but found pistols and cutlasses in the radius of the room all pointed at their heads. He reluctantly dropped the dagger and raised his hands in a universal sign of surrender. Tisha squeaked and burrowed herself deeper into the armchair.

"What....are you....how.....why....." Will was still staring unbelievably at the priest.

"Mr. Turner, how very wonderful to see you again." The oily voice said in response. Zeke found himself instantly dislike the man. "I must admit I did not expect to find you among the prisoners."

"You are ... in league with THEM?!!"

"No, my dear boy. I merely require their services."

"But you were at....Port Royal.... and..... YOU attacked the Pearl. Jack.... and Elizabeth!!!" With a cry, Will lunged at Cane.

He stopped abruptly as the tip of a sword was pressed into his throat. "Tsk, tsk" Cane chided, "still as rash as ever, how did young Miss. Swann ever stand you? I believe I shall liberate her from your ever pestering presence."

"Mr. Algol. You remember Mr. Algol, don't you my boy." He gestured towards the man stepping out from behind him. "You may... indulge yourself."

Will recognized the man as the one who had attacked Elizabeth last night. The man was still sporting a missing arm. He sized Will up and with a scowl raised his left fist. Will instinctively brought up his hands to shield his face, seconds before a tremendous force rammed into his chest. He dubbed over in pain. In the distance, he could hear Zeke's angry yells and Tisha's terrified screams.

Algol laughed cruelly. "We are goin'g to have a lot of fun wit' ye, boy."

Algol strolled closer, grabbed the front of Will's shirt and ripped. Strings snapped and the fabric tore to reveal a smooth creamy chest. Will tried to shrink back, but a hand was twisting his shoulder painfully and a sharp kick at the knees made him lose his balance. Both of his kneecaps hit the floor, the pain shot from his legs straight to the his spine. He gasped for breath and glared up at the man defiantly.

A flash of red, the silver chain around his neck swung forth with the ring dangled at the end.

"STOP!" Cane's voice thundered.

Algol snarled at the order, but paused. None the less, he kept his feet on the back of Will's knees and grasped his hair to tilted his head up. Cane picked up the ring with the tip of his sword and examined it carefully.

"........ tell me, boy. How did you come about this ring?"

Silence answered him.

Cane smirked and backhanded Will across the face. Will coughed and blinked back the tears. His bottom lip was split, blood dripping down from the wound. Algol crouched down beside him and licked the small stream from Will's chin before whispered into his ear.

"You better answer th' boss, boy. Or the fish lady here," he leered at Tisha, "... will be tonight's main cours'e."

".....it's my engagement ring."

"Is that so." Cane was rubbing the ring attentively between his finger tips. "And how long have you had it?"

"Long enough."

"...you are an interesting young man indeed, Mr. Turner." Cane's shoulders shook with invisible laughter. "Ahh..... what a treasure I've found!"

He sheathed his sword and straightened his back. "Now, Mr. Algol, kindly escort our guests to my quarters, there are some... private ... matters that we need to discuss."

"And th' fish lady?"

"Put her back in the barrel."

~~~*~~~

He was dreaming again.

But this dream was strangely peaceful. No fire. No blood. No sorrowful black eyes. No sarcastic laughter. Instead, he was filled with a sense of purpose.

//There is something I must do.//

He recognized the street. It was Port Royal. His legs took him over the bridge, under the stone gate and passed the statue of the goddess. His hand paused at the door. The crystal sound of metal pounding on metal could be heard from the inside. He hesitated and turned around with his back to the door.

//I.... I can't do it.//

The pounding sound stopped. He could hear the door open. Arms cradled him from behind. He leaned his head back, breathing in the smell of fresh apples mingled with the salty taste of sweat. Lips brushed across the skin just below his ear, followed by something wet and hot, which encircled his earlobe. The pure velvet heat swept pass the sensitive skin, front, back, and gone again. Only to be replaced by gentle yet insistent nipping.

//Oh, God.//

He gulped down lungfuls of air through a suddenly dry mouth. He pictured himself screaming, but the moan that came out was almost a purr, laced with need and desperation. The teeth clamped down a little more, pulling softly. One hand tightened around his waist, the other pinched the point just below his naval. He yelped. A teasing voice chuckled beside his ear. Two fingers sneaked into his half opened shirt, found a nipple, rubbed it until he was gasping and writhing.

//I want more.//

A silky voice whispered, "Aren't you going to reward me? Twice I've come to your rescue."

"What... do you want?" He never sounded this weak.

You.

I want you.

Jack.

Can I keep you?

A prayer. A sinful hope.

He swirled around and slammed the other against the wall. Chestnut hair tousled, mahogany eyes half lidded. He tore at the other's clothes.

"Hurry, Jack....PLEASE" the satiny voice urged.

He was clawing and ripping at the clothes now. Then his hands went straight through the other's chest. Grey, everything was turning grey. The other's face blurred and smoke escaped between his fingers.

Gone.

Someone was pounding at the door.

"Jack, wake up. Jack!!" Elizabeth's voice rang, chased away the last mist from his sleepy eyes. He stared at the ceiling solemnly for a moment.

//What would old Bill say if he could see ye now? ....probably beat yer face in for having designs on his son.//

He shivered. There were no warm brown eyes watching over him. No strong arms anchoring his trembling body.

//That's right. Will isn't here.//

He drew his knees closer and wrapped the covers around himself.

~~~*~~~

Cane's room looked more like a torture chamber than a sleeping quarter. There were instruments of all shapes and sizes lying on the metal table in the center. Will shuddered to think what they were for. He and Zeke were currently being chained to the wall, bound by both wrists and ankles.

Zeke hadn't looked in his direction once and had flinched when Will tried to talk to him. The cook was paler than usual. His gray eyes had darkened to the color of coal. His normally wild red hair had lost it's shine and fell lifeless forward to shadow part of his face. The silence was eerie and Will had only his own thoughts for company.

//What is going on here? Father Cane..... it all made some twisted sort of sense..... but why......//

Algol and the other guards had taken Zeke's dagger but did not bother to search Will. He still had the small knife hidden inside his sleeve. He rested his head against the wall, the pressure in his shoulder was becoming bothersome. The cool presence of the knife was reassuring against the inside of his wrist. It was too big to use for a lock pick, but it comforted his raging mind.

A few minutes later, Cane entered the room. He looked disgustingly happy, but before he could open his mouth....

"You are the mastermind behind it all," Will spit out each word, his eyes piercing, "you are responsible for everything."

"Bravo, my boy! And how did you come by that conclusion?" Cane clapped mockingly a few times.

Will's fierce gaze followed Cane as he stalked toward him. "Other than the obvious, your timings were too.... convenient. How is it that a priest in your position just happen to be cruising around the Caribbean when the madness began? And the arrival of the medicines, even it's abduction. I suppose the pirates who stole it were working for you as well?"

"Captain Vann is an old ..... acquaintance."

"Is that why you attacked the Black Pearl? To detain us?"

"You were becoming an annoyance. It appears that I have underestimated you and Miss. Swann. I did not foresee that you would enlist the help of a pirate....especially not one such as Jack Sparrow."

Cane had leaned his elbows on either side of Will's head, he spoke softly into Will's face. "I am curious, how did a respectable citizen like Miss. Swann, and a lowly blacksmith such as yourself, befriend one of the most despicable criminals in the history of the empire?"

Will suppressed the urge to head butt the priest, and instead, channeled all his anger and hatred into his gaze. "Jack Sparrow is a good man. He may not hold the most legitimate profession, but he is a hundred times more honorable than those who lie and hide behind the mask of righteous."

"Is that so." Cane taunted, "This...Jack Sparrow. Were you two.... good friends?"

Will gritted his teeth and pawed his hands useless against the wall behind him. Cane was getting dangerously close now, his body almost touching Will's. He tried to change the topic in a haste.

"So those medicines, do they....they probably wouldn't work, would they. Then why did you let us chase after them??"

"Now, now, my boy. You don't really expect me to reveal ALL of the details of my plan, do you?"

"Did...did you start the madness as well?" Will found his thoughts lingering on the people left at Port Royal.

//What would happen to them now....and the governor. Elizabeth would be heartbroken.//

"I did not start anything. The seed of evil is in the heart of every man, I simply gave it a little... fertilizing."

"How can you say that! You are a priest, an advocator of God. Do you know what you've done?" Will yelled back .

"What do YOU think I have done?"

"You've made a pact with the devil." A voice to his left said, gray eyes stared at Cane thoughtfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


chapter 6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He could hear Elizabeth's demanding voice as he climbed the last few steps of the stair. "You know who attacked us, don't you? I saw you give Jack that medallion." Looked like the lass finally managed to corner Gibbs.

"Well?" She put her arms on her hips.

"err...I...really don't know wha' ye are talking about, Miss. Elizabeth." She was starting to roll up her sleeves now.

Jack decided to take pity on the man. "Gibbs, I still need tha' supply report." Gibbs looked relieved and quickly made his exit. Elizabeth turned around and glared at him.

"Elizabeth, darling. Don't ye have other things to do?"

She took a step towards him, gritted her teeth and in a honeyed tone, asked, "Jack, do you have something to tell me?"

He curled his finger around the braids in his goatee as if in deep thought. "Why, yes! Did ye know that sea water make yer breast shrink? Now if ye just le' me massage it with some sand an' oil...."

"JACK!" Her hands twitched. "I want...DEMAND to know who attacked us." Saw that he didn't budge, she tried a different tactic. She lowered both her shoulder and voice, "...please? I just want.... to know who has Will. And what are his chances..."

He sighed, leaned his back against the rail and motioned to the spot beside him. "They were subordinates of Edward Hensel Vann, the one who took yer medicine."

"...Vann, you mean he has more than one ship?" Her left hand twisted at the edge of her tunic.

"He is t