3rd Person's POV

Jack lays with his arms under his head. Catalina lays on his shoulder with a hand on his chest. He looks down and covers her chest with the blanket then stands up and pulls up his pants. After finding his shirt he pulls it on.

He takes out his compass from his pocket and opens it. He doesn't like what he sees. Well he does but it's not what he needs at the moment. He closes the lid, shakes it and sneaks the lid open. Still not to his liking. He reaches for a bottle of rum nearby-- it's empty.

"Why is the rum always gone?" He mumbles to himself.

He stands up-- and staggers a bit, "Right. That's why."

He makes his way carefully to the door. Miles of empty ocean all around, neither ship nor shore in sight. Jack makes his way toward a hatch.

Hammocks are strung up, sailors sleeping. Cotton's foot is jammed into Marty's face. Chickens cluck loudly-- Jack pulls his pistol. The chickens go suddenly silent.

"That's what I thought."

Jack checks the racks-- nearly empty. He finds a bottle, tugs it out-- difficult, because it is oddly crusted with barnacles.

The bottle feels wrong. Jack uncorks it, peers inside, turns it over and sand spills out, onto the deck.

"Time's run out, Jack."

Jack turns slowly. A figure in the shadows. The man is pale, with bleached out skin; starfish and barnacles seem to be part of his face and neck.

"Bootstrap? Bill Turner?"

"Jack Sparrow. You look good."

Bootstrap steps out of the shadows.

"Is this a dream?" Jack asks as he squints staring at Bill.

Bootstrap frowns, "No."

"I thought not. If it were, there'd be rum."

Bootstrap grins raising an arm, offering Jack the bottle of rum. Jack smiles. It costs a bit of effort to pull it loose, since Bootstrap's hand is also encrusted with barnacles. Jack sniff it, then shrugs and wipes the mouth of the bottle.

"You got the Pearl back, I see."

"I had some help retrieving the Pearl. Your son."

Bootstrap is taken aback, "William?"

Jack nods.

Bootstrap's frown grows, "He ended up a pirate, after all."

"Given a liberal definition of the word 'pirate.' He's got an unhealthy streak of honest to him."

"That's something, then. Though no credit to me."

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your carbuncle?"

"Davy Jones. He sent me as an emissary."

Jack nods. He's been expecting this.

"Ah, it's you, then. He shanghaied you into service, then."

"I chose it. I'm sorry for the part I played in mutiny'ng against you, Jack."

Jack waves it off.

"Everything went wrong after that. I ended up cursed, doomed to the depths of the ocean, the weight of the water crushing down on me. Unable
to move... unable to die. All I could do was think. And mostly I thought, even the tiniest hope of escaping this fate ... I would take it. Trade anything for it. Davy Jones came. Made the offer. I could spend one hundred years before the mast, with the hope that after, I would go on to a peaceful rest."

"Funny what a man'll do to forestall his final judgment."

"You made a deal with him, too, Jack. He raised the Pearl from the depths for you, and thirteen years you've been her Captain."

Jack holds a hand up, "Technically-"

"You won't be able to talk your way out of this. The terms what applied to me apply to you, as well. One soul, bound to crew a lifetime upon his ship."

"The Flying Dutchman already has a captain, so there's no need for me."

Bootstrap sighs, nods. The answer he expected.

"Then it's the Locker for you. Jones' leviathan will find you and drag the Pearl back to the depths, and you along with it."

Jack frowns as he thinks about going to the locker and leaving Catalina. It would crush her.

"Any idea on when Jones will release said terrible beastie?"

"I told you, Jack: your time is up."

"Jack?"

Both Bootstrap and Jack turn to see Cat standing nearby in one of his shirts frowning.

Bootstrap looks over at Jack with a slight smile, "This be the girl you used to talk about aye?"

Jack says nothing as he pulls Catalina behind him.

"Look I just need-"

Bootstrap raises an arm, indicates Jack's hand. Jack backs away but on his hand, a black spot appears. Jack stares at it as he hears Cat gasp from behind him. She grips onto his arm as she stares at his hand.

"It's not a matter of how long 'til it comes after you it's a matter of how long 'til you're found."

Jack looks up from the spot-- Bootstrap is gone, only the bottle of rum, lying on its side. Jack yelps, and runs leaving Cat staring at the bottle in confusion.

"On deck! All hands! Lift the skin up, make fast the bundt gasket! Keep your loof! Have care of the lee hatch! Scurry! Movement, I want movement!"

The crew scrambles to obey as Jack appears on deck. He wraps a rag around his hand, covering the Black Spot. Cat hurries into Jack's quarters then back out fully dressed. She finds Jack and follows him as he panics and paces around. She tries to talk to him, but every time she opens her mouth he starts to yell at the crew.

"Jack."

"Haul those sheets! Haul 'em!"

"Jack!"

"Run mates, run, as if the devil himself and itself is on us!"

Jack quickly disappears making Cat order to the crew in anger. Gibbs searches, finds Jack hiding behind the mast.

"Do we have a heading?"

"Land!"

Gibbs frowns, "What port?"

"I didn't say port, I said land! Any land!"

The skeletal monkey chooses that moment to drop onto Jack's shoulder and scream. The Monkey does a spinning leg kick aimed at Jack's hat-- and the hat flies off, tumbles overboard.

The Monkey leaps into the rigging, laughs. Revenge is sweet.

"Jack's hat! Bring the ship about!" Gibbs orders as half the crew move to the railing.

"No! Leave it."

Gibb's head turns slowly. He can't believe what he's heard. Neither can the Monkey. The rest of the Crew can't believe it, either.

"Mind your stations, the lot of you!" Cat yells as she stomps down the stairs.

The Crew gets back to work. Gibbs sidles up to Jack, who has moved to look out over the water.

"Jack--"

"Shh!"

"For the love of mother and child, Jack, what's coming after us?"

Jack is clearly terrified; what's coming after them is the worst thing he can imagine.

"Nothing." Cat says as she pops up beside Gibbs.

She gives Gibbs a little "shoo, back to work" gesture. Gibbs stares at Jack as Jack stares out at the water. Cat pulls Jack's arm to his quarters then closes the door.

Jack sits on the bed staring at his hand, "I didn't know it would be so soon."

"It's okay. We-we'll figure it out. I'm not losing you again."

Cat sits beside him and looks at the black spot frowning. She sighs and walks to the desk opening the draw pulling out wrap. Taking her spot back beside Jack, she wraps Jack's hand perfectly so it's not suspicious looking.

"It'll be fine Jackie."

Jack looks up and stares into Cat's eyes.

"Why are you braver than I right now? I thought you would be the one more freaked out."

"One of us needs to be sane Jackie."

Jack chuckles then kisses Cat's forehead. The two sit in silence looking down at each other's hands as they grip on to one another.

"At least we're headed to land Jack... what could go wrong?"