𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐄, 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 to make sure her father's playing card was still safe in her bra. thankfully, it hadn't fallen out during her swim.

"that's the second time i've had to watch that man sail away with my ship," jack said. bella just looked at him dejectedly.

elizabeth began to walk along the shoreline. bella sat down next to jack. she took off her shoes and stared out at the water in front of them.

"all right, love?" jack took out his pistol and began fidgeting with it.

"perfect," bella grimaced.

"sorry you're all tied up in this," he said.

"don't be. i chose it," bella shook her head.

they sat in silence until elizabeth returned a few minutes later.

"it's really not all that big, is it?" jack asked her.

elizabeth looked at him in disgust. "if you're going to shoot me, please do it without delay."

"is there a problem between us, miss swann?" jack raised his eyebrows.

"you were going to tell barbossa about will in exchange for a ship," elizabeth complained.

"yeah, we could use a ship! he wasn't going to tell barbossa anything," bella rolled her eyes.

jack looked annoyed as well. "luckily, one of you is smart enough to know that i wasn't planning on telling anyone about bloody will," he said angrily. "as long as barbossa didn't know about bloody will, i had something to bargain with, which now no one has, thanks to bloody stupid will!" jack stood up and stormed away.

bella sighed and followed him into the palm trees. elizabeth hurried after them.

"but you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? so we can escape in the same way you did then!" she exclaimed.

"to what point and purpose, young missy? the black pearl is gone, and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice..." he glanced down at her, "... unlikely... young mr. turner will be dead long before you can reach him."

jack turned, pacing off the ground. he looked like he was trying to find something. however, bella was visibly put out by his lack of caring, as was elizabeth.

"but you're captain jack sparrow!" elizabeth said exasperatedly. "you vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the east india company! you sacked nassau port without even firing a shot! are you the pirate i've read about or not?"

jack continued to look uninterested.

bella stepped up to him, looking at him square. "how did you escape last time?" she asked.

"last time..." he gently pushed her backward. "i was here a grand total of three days, all right? last time..."

jack found the trapdoor he had been looking for, and heaved it open. inside were barrels and bottles of rum, all covered with dust and cobwebs.

"...the rumrunners who used this island as a cache came by, and i was able to barter passage off."

he jumped into the pit and disappeared into the tunnel for a moment.

"from the looks of things, they've long been out of business," he grabbed some bottles and made his way out of the trapdoor. "probably have your bloody friend norrington to thank for that."

he walked past elizabeth and bella, heading for the beach. they followed after him in disbelief.

"so that's it, then? that's the secret grand adventure of the infamous jack sparrow?" elizabeth questioned angrily.

"you spent three days lying on the beach drinking rum?" bella said incredulously. this didn't sound like the jack sparrow she had gotten to know over the past few days at all.

jack turned around to her in a false smile. "welcome to the caribbean, love." he pushed a bottle into her hand and kept walking back to the beach.

elizabeth and bella exchanged a look and followed him again.

"we'll stay alive a month, maybe more. keep a weather eye open for passing ships, and our chances are fair," jack told them carelessly.

"and what about will? we have to do something!" elizabeth exclaimed. bella cringed at the fact that saving will was all she was concerned with.

"you're absolutely right," jack tossed her a bottle. "here's luck to you, will turner!"

elizabeth frowned down at her bottle. bella could tell an idea was forming in her head, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

* * *

"we're devils, we're black sheep, we're really bad eggs! drink up me hearties, yo ho! yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

"i love this song!" shouted jack. "really bad eggs!"

very, very drunk, he fell on the beach. bella collapsed next to him.

"when i get the pearl back, i'm going to teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!" jack announced exuberantly.

"and you will be positively the most fearsome pirates in the spanish main!" declared elizabeth, falling down on the other side of bella.

"not just the spanish main, love," he shook his head. "the entire ocean . . . the entire world!"

even though she herself was fairly drunk, bella could tell that jack was level-ten-hammered.

"wherever we want to go, we go. that's what a ship is, you know. it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. that's what a ship needs . . . but what a ship is — what the black pearl really is . . . is freedom."

despite the alcohol slightly blurring bella's thoughts, she found this speech quite moving. she sighed, laying her head down on jack's shoulder.

"it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island while that monster gets your pearl again," bella told jack.

"yes . . . but the company is infinitely better than last time, and the scenery has definitely improved . . ." jack's hand softly wrapped around bella's shoulder. suddenly, she was aware of the island's chilly night breeze compared to the warmth of his touch, the comforting scent of saltwater and rum—

"mr. sparrow. i'm not entirely sure we've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk," elizabeth cut in, slightly ruining bella's feeling.

"i know exactly what you mean," jack smiled, twisting his mustache then wrapping his arm back around bella. she nestled closer into his chest without thinking.

"to freedom!" elizabeth raised her bottle.

"to the black pearl!" jack raised his own bottle in agreement, then chugged heavily from it. he fell back onto the beach, passed out.

elizabeth set her bottle down in the sand.

"you're going to burn the rum, aren't you?" bella asked after a pause.

"it'll make a signal," elizabeth replied. now she paused. "you seem to have taken a liking to him," she glanced at jack.

bella gave her half a glare. "if you must know, i grew tired of life in port royal long ago," she answered. "i've always wanted an adventure."

"obviously."

"this was the perfect opportunity," bella told her. "and he knew my father. who was a pirate."

"a pirate? so you're trying to become a pirate yourself?" elizabeth looked completely taken aback.

bella smirked and gazed down at jack. "maybe," she said, smugly cheerful.

elizabeth scowled at her, but bella merely shrugged with a smile on her face. as a result, elizabeth huffed, got up, and walked back towards the food and rum supply.

bella rolled her eyes; elizabeth was clearly still full of teenage angst.

laying back down in the sand, she couldn't resist resting her head on jack's chest again. he stirred slightly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

finally, she found peace alone in his embrace and allowed herself to drift off.

but what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is.

* * *

bella was awoken by a loud explosion sounding from the middle of the island. she jerked up, then realized jack was still beside her. a bad hangover already apparent, she shook him awake.

he groaned confusedly, eyes and nose twitching in the smoke from elizabeth's fire. then he leapt to his feet and saw elizabeth throw another keg of rum into the flames.

he clearly couldn't believe his eyes, because he ran over screaming: "no! not good! stop! not good! what are you doing? you've burned all the food, the shade, the rum!" bella followed after him and tried not to laugh.

"yes, the rum is gone," elizabeth said simply, wiping her hands.

"why's the rum gone?" jack asked in shock.

"one, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. the entire royal navy is out looking for bella and i — do you really think that there's even the slightest chance that they won't see it?"

"they're probably just looking for you and hoping they don't find me," bella corrected. "i'm finally out of norrington's hideous white hair, i doubt he wants me back."

"but why's the rum gone?" jack repeated.

"just wait, captain sparrow. you give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open and you will see white sails on that horizon!" elizabeth answered, sitting on the beach to wait.

bella gave jack a look then turned around and began walking to the other end of the beach. quite soon, the dauntless was visible. bella initially smiled, but then realized she could very well be hung for everything she had done.

"there'll be no living with her after this," jack plopped down on the sand next to bella, interrupting her thoughts.

"at least we're not dead," bella reminded him.

"if norrington's on that ship, i'm as good as," jack responded.

"his only hobby is hating pirates," bella said. "i'm sorry he seems to take a particular interest in you."

"no, he's not alone," chuckled jack. "i suppose i leave an unusual impression on everyone i meet."

"sure," bella gave him a side glance. she could faintly remember the events of the previous night, and was sure he could too.

but they sat in silence, watching those white sails get closer and closer.