All The Stars (Jack Sparrow)

09

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" Will's soft question to Mr. Gibbs filled the silence the crew had been enduring. They sailed through the stream into the jungle of a new island Catherine had no information about.

It wasn't that Jack was hiding anything from her, she knew that. He told her that they were going to be visiting an old friend of his, a woman named Tia Dalma, for help. But as to their current surroundings, Jack seemed to have forgotten to mention the eerie jungle with silent people standing within the plant life.

Catherine shivered, wishing she was sitting beside her husband in his long boat instead with Mr. Gibbs and Will. She knew Will had no idea what was going on, and she did, but a small part of her was curious as to what details Jack may have forgotten to mention to her.

"Well," Mr. Gibbs started, capturing her attention, "if you believe such things, there's a beast that does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with tentacles that'll suction your face clean off, and drag and an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken." His curled his fingers towards Pintel and Ragetti who flinched back. Catherine scooted and inch closer to Will, who gave her a comforting flash of a smile.

Mr. Gibbs continued, "They say the stench of its breath is like...," the pirate shuddered, "imagine, the last thing you known on God's green earth is the roar of the kraken, and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses." He looked around the crew on the long boat, giving a meek smile. "If you believe in such things."

Catherine's eyes were widen, tearing away from the quartermaster. If she wasn't scared before, she was terrified now. Her mind kept swirling about Jack against Davy Jones and this beast. She swallowed back a sob, her fingers beginning to shake a little.

Will glanced over to her, eyes trailing down to her trembling hands. Instantly, his hands covered hers, the warmth of his palm coating her icy fingers.

She looked up at him with those wide, and grave hazel eyes. There was a silent conversation that flew between them just then:

I'm scared for Jack.

I know. We'll save him and Elizabeth.

The need to be beside her husband and scream apologies for every time she said she wanted to kill him was insane at the moment. And she has told him that more times than she could count. It made her look past the pirates sitting ahead of her, looking out to find the back of Jack's head.

Will's voice snapped her from her thoughts, and looking back to him, "And the key will spare him that?"

"Well, that's the very question Jack wants answered," Mr. Gibbs said softly. "Bad enough even to go visit...her."

Will and Catherine shared a look. "Her?" Will questioned.

She gave a short nod. "Yes, Jack did tell me about her," She said, looking to Mr. Gibbs who looked around nervously.

Shaking her head, she squeezed Will's hand in both of her palms, giving him a sad sigh. It caused her best friend to frown at her. Catherine leaned her head on his shoulder, internally grateful that she wasn't dealing with this alone. His lips pressed to the crown of her head, laying his head on top of hers.

~

Nighttime fell upon the island, drawing out fireflies that floated around the longboats and the crew sailed towards a little wooden house upon the water. Candles lit around causing a warm glow to come from ahead of them.

The long boats reached the small dock awaiting the mysterious house. Jack stood, gripping the wooden latter that lead up to the porch. "No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable, we are." He began to frown. "Were. Have been. Before."