Jack ran with the new crew along the beach, holding the leaking bottle in his hands, away from his body. I was right beside him, trying not to trip in the sand or my dress while watching the bottle that he held in his shaky hands. I had no idea what to expect, but I didn't want to miss it.

"Get ready!" He shouted as everyone was running. "It's coming!" We ran over some rocks and Jack kept shouting excitedly, "it's coming! It's coming, it's coming!" He dropped the bottle onto one of the rocks, and the glass shattered. Jack stood back, "stand aside! Stand aside!"

The ship grew rapidly, and suddenly stopped, leaving everyone gravely disappointed. I dropped the skirt of my dress, trying to catch my breath that was being squeezed out of me from the corset. Jack walked up to the tiny ship, and picked it up with two hands, looking downtrodden.

"It's shrunken," Jack said, "why doesn't it unshrink? Maybe it's cold, Huh?"

Barbossa swaggered up to Jack and took the ship from him, exasperated. "She needs the sea," he said and tossed it over the ledge and into the water. It landed in the ocean, and sank.

Jack only waited a few seconds before his face fell and he sighed heavily, "she was a fine ship."

I frowned at Barbossa, curious if he knew what he was doing.

The water began to bubble, and Jack stuck his arm in front of me and walked backward a few steps, taking me with him. We watched as the magnificent ship rose out of the water and grew tremendously, back to her former glory and size. Water sloshed on deck before pouring out over the railing.

The pirates began laughing in victory, once again seeing the Pearl. I was both amazed, and shocked. I honestly didn't think I'd ever see him like this again.

Jack's joy was cut short as Barbossa cocked a pistol and held it to Jack's head.

"There be room for only one Captain," he said. He glared at me, recalling the fighting that occurred between the three of us last time we had board the Pearl, "that goes for you too, missy."

"Indeed, you are right," I said, glaring back at him. I still didn't have a weapon that I could use to fight back. I planned to snatch Captain status away from Barbossa anyway.

"Lads, try not to think of having a woman Captain as degrading. Think of it as having a smart and experienced captain who just happens to be a woman," Scrum said, taking my side.

"I'd prefer for them to think of it as degrading," I stated flatly.

"She will not be captain," Barbossa hissed.

"I am Pirate Lord of the South China Sea," I said back.

"We aren't in the South China Sea," Barbossa spat, "I'm the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. Makes no difference."

"Technically, I'm Pirate Lord of the Caribbean so it is only fitting that I am captain since we are, in fact, in the Caribbean," Jack spoke up.

I smiled smugly and said, "I'm Pirate King."

"She's got a point," Henry added, blocking Carina slightly as Barbossa's gun was still pointed at me and Jack.

Jack the monkey climbed up onto Barbossa's shoulder and Jack yelled. He shook his head at the monkey and said, "filthy beast."

"We don't have time for this. Time to race the dead," Barbossa said and everyone boarded the ship. He was just mad that I had a point.

When we boarded the Pearl, I was immediately tied up with Jack to a mast at the bow with rope, while Henry and Carina were tied up to another mast on the other side of the Pearl near Barbossa on the quarterdeck as he studied his map.

I looked to one of Barbossa's men who was making the knot in our bounds and said, "Barbossa and I go way back. Why don't you... untie me."

He shook his head, "Captains orders."

"Well, I am King and you will do as I say."

"Unless Barbossa gives the orders, I listen to no one," he said and walked off, and I cursed at him in French under my breath. I was not pleased with this arrangement.

"Good try, love," Jack said to me.

Other men continued to tighten the rope around us and Jack said, "the only safe place is the land. Why are we going away from the land? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone!"

Thunder rumbled in the distance, blocking our view of the stars in the night sky. My legs were getting tired from standing so I tried to struggle under the ropes, but they were too tight.

No one answered him, so he shouted again, "anyone?!"

"It's no use, Jack," I said with a huff, "we aren't getting out of here."

I had a sideways view to the deck and the helm, and I saw Barbossa stride to the taffrail and look out to the water. I squinted my eyes to see what he was looking at, and it was a ship with white sails in the distance. He called out for Henry and Carina to be released, and let her steer as Henry took out with his favorite little spyglass.

"What's happening?" Jack asked, thrashing his head around to try to see.

"It's not for us, he let Carina and Henry go."

"Bugger," Jack cursed, "rum would be very bracing right now."

We were silent for a few moments, and I rested my head against the mast we were tied to in defeat. The rope was so tight, it rubbed against my skin through my clothes. Jack was silent too, a little too silent. I asked, "are you still alive?"

I could feel Jack rolling his eyes. "Was not funny then. Is not funny now."

I always thought it was funny to joke with Jack about his age, especially when we were in a crisis. It definitely lifted my spirits, not so sure it did the same for him though.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Are you?"

"Not really."

Jack groaned in defeat. Neither of us really knew what to do next. No one on the ship was willing to help us, and we did not have the proper materials to cut ourselves out.

I rolled my head toward Jack and I said, "this is your chance to improvise."

Jack looked back at me with soft eyes. He didn't say anything for a few moments, leaving me to try to figure out what he was thinking. He finally asked, "back on the Dying Gull—or, before we got arrested... were you really going to leave me?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He sounded downhearted, which is rare. I decided to tell him the truth. "Yes, I was. I didn't want to be reminded of the man I loved, because the man I loved had left me a long time ago. I did not want to spend the rest of my life chasing something that wasn't there."

I swallowed the lump in my throat as Jack processed my words. I hoped he listened to me, because I did not want to see him turn back into that low-life drunk again. He was too good of a man for that.

He asked, "and—if we get out of this alive—what will you do?"

I sighed, "I'm still figuring that out."

I felt something brush my fingers, so I looked down and saw Jack reaching his hand out from the ropes and holding my hand in his. The cold metal of his rings pushed into my skin gently, and we both looked up at each other at the same time. My heart fluttered as he said in a low voice, "a life of pirating with you is all that I desire. Your happiness is most important to me, and I will be the man that you deserve."

My fingers hugged his back. His touch provided a sense of comfort for me. I said, "I hope so, Jack."

I turned my head to look out at the deck. My attention was caught to Barbossa. He looked shaken after a brief conversation with Carina at the helm, and he walked down the stairs with the aid of his cane. He made his way to us at the bow, breathing heavily. He took out a familiar compass, and I sighed in relief, knowing that Jack could repossess it once again. I saw Barbossa look down at the needle, follow it's point, and look up at Carina.

"Oh, gross," I gagged and flexed my fingers away from Jack's hand.

"What?" Jack asked.

"He's got your compass," I said, wishing I could wash the visual of Barbossa wanting Carina out of my head.

"He's got my compass?!" Jack asked, struggling under the rope.

"Be quiet!" I said under my breath.

Jack cleared his throat. He paused before loudly saying, "Smyth. Smyth is quite an unusual name," he got Barbossa's attention. Barbossa closed the compass and started hobbling up toward us.

"Did we not once... know someone called Smyth?" Jack asked as Barbossa approached. I strained my neck to see.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shut your trap," Barbossa said to Jack harshly.

"What was her name?" Jack asked, "it's right on the tip of my tongue." He stuck his tongue out, "Oh!" He exclaimed as Barbossa took out his sword and pointed the blade by Jack's face as Jack retracted his tongue.

"Do you wanna lose that tongue?" He threatened.

"Margaret Smyth," Jack chuckled, "aye. Should we make an accord then? Or shall I tell you-know-who what we both know to be true?"

"We both take this secret to our graves," Barbossa snarled.

Jack looked shocked, "you mean it is true? I was bluffing."

I was playing catch-up in this conversation. I had little idea of what they were talking about, and it seemed like they were discussing events that occurred back when Barbossa was Jack's first-mate for the Black Pearl... That was forever ago.

"I'm not."

"You kill me, you got nothing to bargain the dead with," Jack said, "so you need me."

"What about her?" Barbossa snarled, and he pointed the sword at me.

"I am not part of this," I said.

"She's not part of this," Jack stated.

Barbossa put the sword down, frustrated that he was bested by Jack yet again.

"I'll have to be frank, Hector. You are very, very ugly."

Barbossa turned to him, annoyance overpowering his frustration as I could not help but laugh. I pressed my mouth into my shoulder so I would not be loud.

"So how could you produce a fetching creature such as that?" Jack finished.

"Margaret died," Barbossa spat, "I summoned as much honor as a worthless bloggers ever could. I placed the infant in an orphanage... never to see her again. I thought the ruby might afford her some ease in life... but I never imagined she'd take those scribbling... and make a life of her own. A life that's led her back to me."

I could hear Jack the monkey chirping and climbing up on Barbossa's shoulder as Jack the human said, "I'd say this puts me in a rather favorable position, daddy."

"Tell me what you want," Barbossa approached him.

"I want me compass," Jack began his list, "216 barrels of rum, and the monkey."

"You want Jack?" Barbossa asked as the monkey screeched.

"Dinner. I want to eat him, I want to eat that monke..." his voice was stopped when Jack the monkey shoved a cloth into his mouth.

"No deal, Jack. A clever young woman such as that would never believe... that a swine like me could ever be her blood."

I heard Jack try to talk back, only to have him be incoherently muffled by the cloth in his mouth.

"And the Trident will be mine," Barbossa finished, walking past me to get down the steps.

"We could give her the compass and make her really really want her father," I suggested to Jack, "boom. It points to Barbossa, problem solved."

Jack still had the cloth in his mouth, but he muffled in agreement.

"Readcoats! Redcoats!" Those on deck started screaming. Jack looked toward me and I looked forward to see a ship with white sails quickly approaching.

"She comes starboard! We shall fight to the last," Barbossa called out. He started to swagger back up the stairs to the helm. "The Pearl will not be taken from me again."

Thunder rumbled, and rain started to drizzle. I said, "Jack, look!" I nodded toward the white sails. From the light of the lightening, I could see the silhouette of Salazar's ship rising behind the British Empire's ship. The ship rose, revealing its skeletal underbelly moments before the Silent Mary crunched down and devoured the Navy ship. It exploded before collapsing into the ocean.

Jack started screaming, which was muffled from the gag. I called out for help, but no one was looking toward us. I lost my breath quickly by the tightness of my corset. Jack started to hop up and down which made the rope rub against my bare neck and collarbone.

The Silent Mary slid right up along side the Pearl, men were screaming as it crashed into the side, jolting everyone. The dead crew boarded the Pearl, and my blood ran cold when I heard Salazar say in a menacing sing-songy voice, "Jack Sparrow! Jack Sparrow!"

I heard a grunt and a muffled scream. I looked over to see Henry standing beside Jack, using a dagger to furiously saw at the ropes. I don't think I've ever been happier to see him than in that moment.

"Hurry up, man," Jack said after getting his gag out. Henry continued to saw feverishly at the ropes, "what did you sharpen it with? Butter?"

Swords clanged from the deck, and I could see Salazar approaching the stairs. Jack grabbed me and yanked me out of the rope. He grabbed a line that hung from the top of the mast, and he shoved it in my hands. He grabbed the rope from above, and ran and jumped so we swung out toward the Silent Mary. I was going to jump off onto the deck, but our swing was not strong enough. We started swinging back to the Pearl, and Jack yelped in my ear.

Jack was yelling and kicked his legs up just in time for me to avoid a cannon that was sticking out of the ship, giving him a punch to the gut instead. Jack looked up past me and gasped.

"There's nowhere to hide," Salavar's voice shouted from behind me. He swung his sword and it landed in the wood of his ship as I ducked, and Jack jumped out of the way just in time onto a cannon from the Pearl. I jumped in front of Jack while lifting up the skirt of my dress so I didn't trip on it as he jumped to another cannon, and another with Salazar following close behind. The ships were so close, Jack and I were running along the cannons, dueling against Salazar.

I felt hands on my waist and I instinctively screamed. My head shot down and I grabbed at the wrists. I saw Jack's rings contrasted against my red dress, and he took the opportunity from the little amount of time we had to launch me up onto the deck of the Pearl. I gripped hold of the railing, kicking my feet to aid in hoisting myself up to the deck since I could not bend at my waist. I felt force on my foot and realized that I kicked Salazar in the face. I looked back and saw him jerk his sword toward me in vengeance, but I was pulled onto the deck at the last moment for him to miss and launch his sword into the ships wood. He yanked it out and went back to chasing after Jack.

I looked up and saw that Henry had pulled me onto the deck, saving me from certain death. I thanked him as I scrambled to my feet, and he handed me a sword. He turned just in time to shield off the blade from a ghost-pirate, and I ran up to the helm with Carina to protect her from any of the ghost-pirates as she steered the ship.

"Annette! You're all right!" She exclaimed. "I thought you fell off the ship!"

I gripped the sword tightly in my hand and smiled at her in response. Our interaction was brief as a ghost-pirate began to duel against me. He tripped and fell over the railing of the ship. I turned to Carina and said, "concentrate on steering. I'll cover you."

"Have you found what you're looking for yet, Miss?!" One of the pirates from Barbossa's crew asked as he was fighting off a ghost-pirate.

"I'm trying!" Carina shouted back, flipping through the pages of her book.

I looked up at the sky and the stars and said, "the stars will be gone soon."

I kept fighting off the ghost-pirates. Their bodies were solid, which I found to be helpful in fighting them. Not much time had passed when an island finally appeared in the distance.

"Carina!" Henry shouted from deck after fighting one of a ghost-pirates.

"Henry, look!" Carina shouted, "the island is there!"

Henry looked out to the island and back up at her, "you found it!" He shouted with a smile

"Get to the Mary!" One of the ghost-pirates shouted. As the pirates began running off the Pearl and onto their own ship, and Jack came crashing back onto the deck of the Pearl.

Salazar busted onto the helm and grabbed Carina and the wheel and she screamed. I tightened my grip around my sword and thrusted the blade into Salazar's shoulder. He looked to me with crazy-eyes, and took my sword out of his shoulder with ease. He ripped it from my hands without breaking intense eye contact. I gulped,