Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Pirates of the Caribbean, or the song Hoist The Colours

Sequel to: Curse of the Black Pearl.

A/N: Before anyone asks The New Circle will get updated, hopefully soon. Until then you have this six-chaptered story to prove I am not dead.

Blades clashed as two figures battled each other in the darkness, neither backing down in the duel taking place between them. A shirt ripped slightly as the blade sliced through, showing a glimpse of unblemished skin as the duelists continued to wage war in the secluded paradise chosen for its isolation. The challenge had been issued and accepted, and neither wished for someone to stumble upon them. Their moves were fluid and rapid, their feet shuffling and their blades clashing like dancers to their own tune.

A magnificent swordplay move had the smaller of the duelists tripping, landing on the ground, sword flung far away, yet as the much more talented swordsman closed in for the kill the fallen fighter reached for a handful of sand and threw it up at the attacker, blinding him and giving time to escape and retrieve the sword, pressing it to his back.

"What are your last words?" The less talented yet more cunning one wanted to know, pressing the blade a little harder into his back.

There was a moment of silence before he turned to face the victor, face dirty and expression half annoyed, half amused. "You cheated."

Unable to stop, Chloe grinned brightly, probably far more impressed with herself and her less than honorable way of fighting than she should be as she pointed to herself. "Pirate."

Shaking his head at her, lips twitching in amusement, Will Turner came towards her. "I am the one with the pirate in me, not you, Miss Swann."

"I'm far more pirate than you are, Mr Turner." She sheathed the magnificent sword Will had made for her and grinned when he did so with his own weapon, closing the distance between them as she traced her fingers over his chest, sweat causing the thin material of his open-necked shirt to stick to his skin in a distracting way.

"Sadly, I know you do not mean that as a compliment." Will chuckled as his hands rested most inappropriately on her hips and his dark gaze devoured her face.

Chloe gazed up at him, unable to believe how close they'd grown during the last couple of months, unable to believe how it'd taken her so long to see the incredible man who was so utterly devoted to her in every way imaginable. Sometimes, despite all the terrible things she'd had to go through during the experience, Chloe couldn't help but think that being kidnapped by Barbossa and his crew was one of the best things that had happened to her. Of course she'd been scared, and captured, and confused, and had died a couple of times...but somehow, right now as she stared deep into Will's beloved dark eyes, Chloe knew that it was worth it.

It all was.

It surprised her how quickly and easy it was to fall completely in love with Will after having loved James most of her life, but then again Will made it easy, even if he still sometimes annoyed her with his issues with 'appropriateness'.

Will's hand trailed up to cup the back of her head as he brought her in closer for a kiss, his lips claiming and melting her, causing her to hold on tightly, afraid that should she let go her knees would give out on her and she'd tumble ungracefully to the ground.

The sound of children laughing in the distance drew them apart, Will gazing up at the sky before sighing and turning to her. "I need to return to the Smithy. The work won't get done on its own."

"You need to teach me how to do what you do," Chloe informed him. "That way I can help you."

He just looked at her before shaking his head and leaning in, pressing his lips against hers. "I love you."

"You just don't think I'd be a good apprentice." Chloe accused, pout evident.

"You'd be the worse apprentice!" Will admitted with a loud chuckle. "You're a distraction."

"I can be...not distractive." Chloe assured him.

"Not to me," he assured her, drawing away a little more.

"Fine." She sighed, shaking her head, taking a couple of steps back as well. "Will I see you later?"

"Tomorrow. I'll call upon you and Miss Lana at a respectable hour." He promised before disappearing into the shadows of the darkening sky.

"Respectable." Chloe mumbled as she turned and began trudging back to her house. Since she was dressed as a boy, with her hair up and hidden by her hat, once she arrived home she'd let herself in through the servant's entrance. "You're a pirate you know. You don't have to be respectable."

Of course she couldn't say that to Will, so she mumbled it to the shadows as she blended in with Port Royal, slipping a coin into the hands of the old woman who always begged at the corner. As the half blind beggar thanked her and assured her that God would look down on a 'lad' so kindhearted, Chloe just smiled at her and realized with some amusement that she'd taken Lucy's position as the cross-dresser of the family. Then again, it was easier to train dressed as a boy, the dresses and such made it hard to walk, hard to breathe...

Hand resting on the hilt of her sword, Chloe sighed as she thought of who she'd been months ago and who she was now.

The person she was today was so different.

Lana and Lois both had been able to somehow immerse themselves once more into their previous lives, with Lana being sought after by all the eligible bachelors of Port Royal and beyond now that her period of 'mourning' over the end of her engagement to James was over, and Lois was once more their father's right hand. The eldest Swann had easily returned to her role as woman of the household, tending to their business, hosting any parties held by father, and being his companion whenever he was on official business...as she was now. Lois and father were in England, and she wrote them to let her sisters know how things were doing, and to know if they'd heard any news from Lucy.

Lucy was the only Swann other than herself who'd changed drastically. Then again, Lucy had always been somewhat of a pirate, so the fact that she'd left them to find herself wasn't that surprising. True to her word though, Lucy wrote to her sisters, letting them know how she was doing.

Instead of becoming a full-fledged member of the Black Pearl, now under the leadership of Captain Jack Sparrow, Lucy had surprised her sisters by taking over the Captain's Bride, an establishment on Tortuga, and while she did sometimes go on adventures with Jack she stayed mostly on the pirate island. Apparently, thanks to being constantly in the presence of a multitude of utterly drunk pirates left her with the best information and such, and she enjoyed the many different personalities she met, having declared that she'd met the famous pirates the likes of Sumbhajee Angria and Mistress Ching.

Sometimes Chloe envied her.

And what exactly did that say about her?

She'd been kidnapped by pirates! Been held captive! And died! Multiple times in fact! And yet...and yet...sometimes she missed the Black Pearl somewhat fiercely.

Sighing, Chloe let herself in through the servants' entrance and paused in the sunroom, seeing Lana asleep by the window.

The blonde stopped and gazed at her beautiful younger sister, feeling a pang of guilt knowing that Lana still harbored feelings for Will. If Chloe were a better sister she would end things with the young blacksmith, but now that she'd had a taste of what it meant to be loved by Will Turner she was ashamed to say that she couldn't bring herself to leave him. Not even for Lana. And that made her a terrible, terrible sister.

Continuing her way to her room, only stopping to ask Imogen to have a bath drawn for her, Chloe ascended the stairs, walking down the hallway to her room and slipping inside, behind the room divider as the maids arrived with buckets of hot water with which to fill her bathtub with.

"Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."

She sang softly to herself as she slipped the male garments off of her sweaty body one by one, this song having been one the of shanties she'd felt a connection with, and it'd been a favorite of Barbossa's crew, so she'd heard it quite frequently. Each word was engraved in her subconscious and would escape passed her lips quite frequently now that she was back.

"Miss," Estrella whispered as she reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a letter, which she held out to Chloe on the other side of the divider. "Another letter has arrived for you… from the Commodore."

"Thank you, Estrella." Taking the letter, Chloe smiled at the maids as they scurried away, leaving her to her privacy. The blonde stared at the letter in her hands and sighed as she put it down to slip out of her undergarments. Only then did she test the waters of the tub and grab the envelope as she slipped into the hot and relaxing water. She saw her name on the front, written in James' intricate cursive.

Miss Chloe Swann

Governor's Residence

Port Royal

Flipping the envelope over she saw James' seal. She took in a deep breath, and like every time she received a letter from him, hesitated a moment before opening. She'd feared that after his disastrous engagement with Lana things between them would never be the same, and yet James had proven himself a much better man than she'd given him credit. He truly deserved so much happiness in his life. That being said, she'd been surprised when the letters had first started arriving. James had gone off chasing Jack and had been gone ever since. The letters had started arriving a fortnight after his departure, and they continued to find their way to her. She had a stack of them. Will knew. She'd expected some sort of reaction from him but he hadn't seemed to care, had encouraged her to continue her friendship with James. While she appreciated that he respected her friendship with James, it'd hurt to see how certain Will was that James didn't care about her. He'd encourage her to correspond with a man he knew she'd loved since childhood, a man she'd been so sure she'd one day marry.

Unfolding the letter within, Chloe settled deeper into the tub as she read the letter addressed to her.

My Dearest Miss Chloe

I have the most uplifting of news. I should in fact be corresponding with my superiors to let them know, but I find myself instead bringing the quill to paper and writing to you. This really should not come as a surprise to me. Now that I truly think back to our many years of friendship, you have always been there for me, during both the good times and bad. I realize just how much I took this for granted in the past, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I have wronged you and I will forever question myself as to the choices I have made in my life.

What choices was he talking about? A part of her wanted to believe that he regretted choosing Lana when Chloe had always been so obviously in love with him, but she found it impossible to think that he would suddenly see her as a woman, and not as a young sister.

There are stories of black sails in Tripoli. We are being cautioned as there is word of foul weather, but to catch the spawn of Captain Teague I would weather any storm. You will soon hear news of our capture of the Black Pearl and of Jack Sparrow and his men.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Chloe corrected automatically.

It has been many a dreary month aboard the Dauntless, but your correspondence has made it, and my time away from Port Royal, bearable. I understand that it is near impossible for you to correspond with me, as I am at sea and not at port, and yet when we dock and I find a letter from you it does cheer my soul. Please, do take care, and hopefully by the time this letter has reached you, I will have caught that foul pirate and be back on my way to Port Royal. Please do save a space for me in your dance card.

Sincerely yours

James

With a sigh, Chloe reached out and placed the envelope on the table next to her candles. This situation with James really confused her. On the one hand she wanted him to be able to redeem himself in the eyes of his superiors, and yet on the other she didn't want Jack or his crew caught.

Chloe closed her eyes and tried to push aside the warring feelings deep inside as she instead allowed the warm water to lull her into relaxation.

Ever since her kidnapping she'd felt safest within the water, which was incredibly ironic given that some of her worst memories could be associated with water.

"The king and his men stole the queen from her bed and bound her in her Bones. The seas be ours and by the powers where we will we'll roam."

"Ye'll never be forgivin' me fer that, will ya lass?" A familiar voice asked.

Chloe's eyes opened to find herself back within that cave on Isla De Muerta, submerged to her chin in the waters she'd last died in. "I hadn't realized I fell asleep. Must be more tired than I thought."

"Or more eager to see me." He gave her a cheeky, yellow-toothed grin from where he was sitting next to his dead body.

"I doubt it." Chloe replied, rising from the water to stand amongst the treasures, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow, hands on her hips. "Don't you have better things to do now that you're dead other than to haunt me? Really Hector, you need to find something else to do with your afterlife."

"I'm trapped 'ere, not like there's a choice really." Hector Barbossa declared, or at least his ghost did...or her dream of his ghost. It was all terribly confusing. "I died and was left on the Island of the Dead, not on land, buried, or in the sea to be claimed by Davy Jones. Just trapped amongst this bloody treasure."

"You'd think that eternity amidst gold and jewels would be paradise for a pirate," Chloe declared as she sat down next to him and hugged her knees to her chest.

"When ye can't enjoy the wealth it's the worst sort o' punishment." Barbossa instructed her. "Did our curse not teach ye anything?"

"Yeah, not to trust pirates." She replied cheekily.

He raised an eyebrow. "Ye say that, yet I remember yer liking a pirate quite a bit."

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip and looked away, picking up a ring that was way too large for her finger. "I beat him today, for the first time."

"Did ye now?" He cocked his head slightly. "And how exactly did ye accomplish said feat? Memory serves that young Mister Turner has a talent with a blade which is nigh inhuman."

She smiled at the compliment. "I threw sand in his face."

Barbossa barked laughter. "Of all the low handed tricks!"

"Hey, you told me to do that!" Chloe defended. "Though why I actually listened is beyond me."

"Ye listened," Barbossa chuckled, wiping at a tear, "because ye be more pirate than that blacksmith of yers."

Chloe couldn't help a smile at that, wondering when exactly during her many dreams of Hector Barbossa since her return to Port Royal, had she developed this ease with him. He'd been her kidnapper, her prison guard, and should by all means be her worst, despised enemy. Yet here she was, sitting quite at ease by his side and telling him of her little victory.

She wondered if he was real or if he was merely a figment of her imagination...and if the second were true...why in the world would she conjure an imaginary Captain Hector Barbossa?

"You should go on account," he declared.

"One pirate Swann is enough for our family, don't you agree?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Never too many pirates. And if she's daft enough to fly under Jack's colors then ye need ta join if only to save honor in our world," Barbossa assured her.

Chloe smirked. "Your world."

"Ours, lass. You're a pirate," Barbossa replied, and then smirked at her pout. "Don't hang the jib. Twas a compliment."

"Course it was." She smirked.

"Now, which tale of ol' Barbossa do ye wan' ta 'ear today?" He asked, more than eager to remember his days of glory.

"How about a story when Jack was captain and you first mate, before the mutiny?"

Barbossa made a face before sighing. "Well...once upon one of Jack's many fool-headed notions..."

Waking up with a cry, Lana gazed around her at the lit living room, the images that'd floated through her mind still haunting her. She knew it'd only been a dream, but she grabbed the skirt of her dress and hiked the material above her ankles, not even thinking of the indecency should anyone glance upon her. No, her haste was too great as she raced up the stairs and hurried to Chloe's room, pushing the door open. Her heart gave a horrified little leap when she found the bedroom empty, but there was steam rising from the room divider, and so she hurried towards it, pulling it aside to find her golden-haired sister sleeping in the tub, lips tilted in a wry smile.

Lana let out a little breath of relief, scolding herself for being so upset by a dream.

Her hazels glanced around the room, finding the sword and male attire Chloe snuck out in to practice swordplay with Will, and it made her miss Lucy so much more…and also…

Lana cleared her throat as she bent and gingerly picked up Will's handiwork.

The sword was a masterpiece.

He'd obviously put his all into making this blade.

It still stung, still wrenched her heart, to know that he didn't love her, but Lana loved her sister dearly and wanted her happy…even if it made Lana miserable to see Chloe and Will's love for each other growing with each passing day. She wanted to be selfish, wanted to beg Chloe to leave Will be, but she couldn't do that, no matter how much she wished she could.

Wiping at a couple of rebellious tears, Lana lowered the sword again and sent her blonde sister a last look to make sure that she truly was fine.

Shaking her head, Lana exhaled as she slipped out from the room, closing the door behind her.

The lone figure surfaced the water, staring at the busy harbor of Port Royal. There were drunkards bustling about while sailors tended to their ships, and guards patrolled the walls.

The moonlight bathed everything in a soft glow, and curiosity was tempting, yet the figure remained in the water.

Instead of moving towards land, a dark head of hair tilted as that connection was searched, and then found, quite close to the water.

It was established.

Lips parted as a soft song, a calling, issued forth.

By the time dinner was set on the table Chloe had awoken and joined Lana downstairs, and the conversation was wild. Lana enjoyed hearing Chloe's excitement as the blonde jumped up from the table to show her (with the knife) a blow by blow of her latest swordplay training with Will. The blonde was not as good as Lucy, and definitely wasn't in Will's league, but she was definitely getting better and better. Lana laughed, clapping her hands as Chloe gave a twirl and nearly slashed Mary by accident when the maid turned the corner and entered the room unexpectedly.

"Sorry!" Chloe dropped the knife immediately.

Mary just shook her head at Chloe, tutting as she picked up the knife and went to retrieve the empty plates.

"I am truly sorry!" Chloe called after the retreating maid, going to sit down on her seat. "Father's going to hear about that when he and Lois return."

"Unladylike or not, I think that thanks to our past misadventures father is much more open to us being able to protect ourselves," Lana replied with a giggle. "Especially you as you were the one who was kidnapped."

"I could teach you if you like," Chloe offered.

"No thank you, that little adventure of ours was the last of mine." Lana shook her head, lips a tilt as she patted her napkin to them daintily. "My next greatest adventure will be marriage and motherhood. That is as much excitement as I could bare."

There was an awkward silence between the two sisters as the thoughts of marriage and children irrevocably brought both of their thoughts to Will Turner.

Lana cleared her throat, not having meant to make things awkward between them. "But I do say that I'll take my time choosing my next fiancé and father will be pleased." She smiled brightly at Chloe. "Ever since our rumblings on the seven seas and Lucy's departure he's been very protective hasn't he?"

"I am still surprised that he did not force me to go to England with him," Chloe muttered, leaning hard on her seat with a pout. "Get kidnapped once by a cursed pirate crew and you're never forgiven for it."

"You know it has nothing to do with forgiveness." Lana laughed, far too amused with Chloe's sulk. "He lost his wife and his true daughter. He loves us as if he were our father, to everyone he is our biological father, and he would not want to lose us again."

Chloe sighed as her greens turned to Lana. "Lois says she's forgetting the time before we were with father, of that other place where the rocks fell from the heavens."

"I never remembered anything of it. Neither did Lucy." Lana tried to imagine the stories Lois would tell them as little girls of how they'd met their father. "It sounds like a truly horrid place, with rocks falling out of the heavens and crushing those beneath!" She shivered. "I feel many times that we were torn from the clutches of hell and brought to a safe haven."

Chloe smiled softly at that. "It does sound that way, doesn't it?"

Lana eyed her curiously. "Do you remember anything of our life and that place?"

"No." The blonde shook her head before pausing. "I lie." She sighed. "I sometimes have nightmares I'm young and in the dark and there are explosions of green and dirt around me. It must be related to the event leading to our meeting father, but other than that vagueness I remember nothing."

Lana had to admit, what she'd been told by her two older sisters sounded truly horrible, and she was relieved that she didn't remember anything about who she'd been before or what her life had been like in that hellish sounding place that'd been their land of origin.

"And sometimes…" Suddenly Chloe cried out, reaching down to press her hand to her hip, her eyes widening.

"Chloe?" Lana eyed her sister in worry. "What is it?"

But Chloe didn't seem to hear her, eyes going blank as she stood, hand pressed hard against her hip. "I am weary and will retire now." With that she walked out of the room.

Lana frowned, worry growing at this unexpected change. She stood and pushed her chair back in place at the table before making her way calmly out of the room and up the stairs. Considering Chloe's swordplay training the story of being tired would make sense, but there was something at the edge of Lana's senses telling her to make sure. She made it to the top of the stairs and turned to go to her sister's room when Sarah's voice stopped her.

"Miss Lana?"

Turning around, Lana placed her hands on the railing and peered below. "Yes Sarah?"

"A letter arrived by that young lad again." Sarah waved the letter.

Lana's eyes widened, hurrying back down. "Thank you Sarah."

"You're welcome, Miss Lana." Sarah bobbed in a curtsey as she handed her the letter, smiling as she went away.

Holding the letter to her heart, Lana turned it around to see the seal in the back. It was the same seal that marked all of Lucy's letters, the ones the cabin boy made sure to deliver to the Governor's house faithfully.

Lana was about to open the letter when she remembered Chloe and decided to head to her sister's room so they could read it together.

The brunette grabbed at the skirt of her gown and hurried up the stairs, racing towards Chloe's room and flinging the doors open. "Chloe! Lucy has-!"

The room was dimmed, yet there was enough light to show Chloe's room empty and her sword gone.

Narrowing her eyes, Lana hurried to the divider and pulled it aside, finding nothing there.

Where-?

Noise outside had the brunette turning around and hurrying to the window, hands on the frames as she watched her sister slip out through the back garden.

"What is going on?" Hurrying out of the room, Lana raced down the stairs and grabbed her cloak, flinging it on as she hurried out of the house.

It was very unlike her sister to do something like this, even when she slipped out to rendezvous with Will she always let someone know where she'd be so they wouldn't worry. Something wasn't right, and it wasn't Lana being paranoid. The dream, coupled with that odd reaction Chloe had demonstrated earlier...

Lana hurriedly made her way in time to see her sister disappear around the back of their garden towards the cliffs overlooking the sea.

Lana quickened her pace, her heart racing in her throat, and when she finally broke through the overground night bloomers and citruses she stopped dead in her tracks in horror. "Chloe?"

The girl stood at the cliff's edge. The wind picked angrily at the skirt of her dress, her sword sheathed to her side, green eyes staring down at the black sea so far beneath.

It was only then that Lana heard an ethereal voice on the wind.

"Chloe." Lana tried, taking a step towards her sister in worry. "Step away from the edge."

Chloe turned towards her, the moonlight bathing her face, showing those blank, almost unseeing eyes. "She's calling me."

"Who is calling you?" Lana whispered, taking slow yet sure steps towards her sister.

The blonde smiled at her before lifting her hands and falling backwards into the darkness.

"CHLOE!" Lana screamed in terror, racing towards the edge and staring down in horror as her sister's body sailed down the night to meet the ocean below, but before her body could hit, a beast, a creature of legend, jumped out and caught her, cradling her body and taking the brunt of the fall against the sea as both Chloe and this being of myth disappeared under the surface of the sea.

Lana collapsed to her knees, staring down in terror and confusion. "CHLOE!"

Behind her she could hear the maids calling for her, having heard her screams.

Lana didn't answer their calls, her tear-filled eyes searching the surface of the sea frantically. "Please." She didn't know who she was begging, but she did, tears trickling down her pale cheeks. "Please!"

Suddenly two heads surfaced, one blonde, the other dark.

"CHLOE!" Lana screamed, relief filling her to see her sister alive.

Chloe looked around her, sputtering, seeming out of the trance she'd been in before when she'd jumped. Her movements were shaky and confused and she looked up at the sound of her name, eyes wide and confused before turning to look at the creature in the water with her.

The mermaid, for that was the only thing this fish-tailed humanoid could be, reached over and kissed the blonde's lips, before yanking Chloe under the water with her.

"Chloe?" Lana whispered in terror, searching the surface desperately. "Chloe!"

Neither Chloe nor the mermaid resurfaced.

"Miss Lana?" Estrella, Chloe's personal maid, broke into the clearing. "Miss Lana! Are you alright?"

Lana stayed on her knees, staring down into the water, tears falling freely from her wide eyes.

"Miss Lana?" Mary joined Estrella. "What's wrong?"

"Get Will." Lana whispered, still unable to look away from the water. "Bring him here now."

TBC