Alice walked along the deck slowly, her fingers skimming along the portside railing of the Black Pearl. She was home again, but it wasn't the same without Barbossa. Even Pintel and Ragetti were gone. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath of the sea air, trying to hold back the tears. She opened them with a sigh and looked around. The crew was diligently at work as they followed Jack's new heading; they glanced at her often, but no one had yet spoken to her. Jack stood at the helm, pleased to have the ship back in his command, and hummed as he watched the open sea before them. Alice knew the Royal Navy would be after them in short order, and she was actually surprised they hadn't seen them already. She watched as a tall man with a protruding belly approached Jack and began speaking with him; the glances they repeatedly threw her way left no doubt as to the subject being discussed. She wondered what would happen to her now, a soft snort of amusement escaping as she remembered wondering that same thing with Barbossa.

Her thoughts drifted to the device in her satchel as she turned to watch the sea. The light had not yet returned, and she mostly gave up thinking about it. Mark had told her the time it would take to recharge would vary, and had even taken as long as three months before, but she didn't put any hope into that. She shook her head in amazement. It hadn't even been three months yet since she arrived in Port Royal, and already she had been through a whole new life. She was no stranger to how fast life could change, but this seemed unreal. She heard footsteps nearing her, but she simply stared at the water below; if they were going to push her overboard, she didn't want to know it was coming.

"Miss Alice," a gruff yet soft voice addressed her and she took a deep breath before turning slightly to face its owner. The man who had been talking to Jack stood there, his face kind, but unsure. "Welcome to the crew," he smiled. "Joshamee Gibbs," he held out his hand and Alice shook it lightly, smiling weakly.

"'S just 'Alice'," she corrected and he nodded.

"Alice," he smiled, repeating her name. "I be the first mate, bo'sun, quartermaster, and bard, all in one," he laughed lightly, clearly trying to get Alice out of her funk. "Small crew," he shrugged and she chuckled softly.

"And what's my position?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Er, uh…" he looked over at Jack and then back to her. "Crew…?" he drew out and then chuckled. "With so few of us, we haven't got much for titles, I suppose." He turned to face the others as they methodically went at their tasks, and Alice turned around as well. They were diligent in their work, she noticed, but they weren't as frantic about it as Barbossa's crew had been. "That's Cotton over there," he pointed to an older man with a brightly coloured parrot on his shoulder. "He's a mute, save for that bird, and a fine helmsman. That there's Marty," he pointed to a man of shorter stature than even she, "He's small, true, but his fightin' spirit be several times larger."

"I'm Anamaria," a tall slender woman with dark skin stopped in front of Alice and shook her hand. Gibbs made a face and Anamaria rolled her eyes. "Superstitious git thinks we're bad luck, being women and all," she laughed, her eyes squinted at him. He strained an apologetic face at Alice, but it just looked pained. Alice found herself chuckling, understanding now why the man looked so nervous when talking to Jack.

He cleared his throat and continued to rattle off names, pointing out the various crew, but Alice was having a hard time recalling them all, even though there were so few.

"Thank you, Mr. Gibbs," she said when he finished, and he nodded with a smile.

"If you be findin' yerself with any questions, feel free to ask," he said. "In the meanwhile, yeh might be wantin' to go belowdecks and pick out a nest, 'fore this crew gets any bigger," he finished before wandering off. Alice had completely forgotten that she would no longer be living in the captain's quarters, and she grimaced as a small shock of pain danced across her chest. She quickly turned toward the stairs, rapidly blinking the quick tears from her eyes.

She headed below to the smattering of hammocks that comprised a living space. She found an unclaimed bottom bunk on the starboard side and gingerly sat down on the hammock as it swayed. She lay back for a moment looking up – she wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with two others above her, but she preferred to not have to climb over anyone else. Alice sighed sadly, still fighting off the sobs that threatened to come. So it had come to this. Could she carry on without Barbossa at her side? Barbossa… She rolled onto her side and gazed at the empty hammocks swinging from the ceiling in the center of the space. She was now a member of the crew sailing under the command of the very man who had killed the captain she loved. She sat up slowly, wondering whether she would ever catch a break. Removing the satchel from her side, she opened it to pull out the wooden box. It creaked open, and she tenderly ran her finger over the burned bulb in the center. With a sigh she snapped it shut and tossed it back inside the bag, which she hung from a square nail along the wall.

Footsteps thumped down the stairs and she carefully stood up to see Gibbs appear. He smiled at her and stopped before continuing down the next flight.

"Fancy a drink?" he asked and waved her over when she nodded. Alice followed him down the stairs, and he swung open the door to the ship's stores. She carefully stepped around various crates and barrels, following Gibbs to the wall of bottles neatly stuffed into cubbyholes. He pulled one out and handed it to her before grabbing another for himself. They wandered back to the hammocks, but Gibbs sat on the floor. Alice shot him a questioning look.

"I'm not one for seasickness, but drinking while swaying about in those tends to end badly," he said, rubbing his stomach. She giggled and sat down on the floor across from him. They uncorked the bottles. "There may be no treasure, and only a little food, but we've got rum, so life is good!" Gibbs toasted, and they clinked their bottles before heartily swigging from them. "Aaahhhh," Gibbs exhaled pleasurably, and Alice smiled sadly, looking around once more.

"It's strange," she said, running her fingers over the grimy floorboards. "The ship is exactly the same, yet it's completely different."

"Aye, that she is," Gibbs nodded. "You see, it's not just bits of carefully crafted materials that make a ship. No, the captain imbues his very nature into every part of her. He must love her and care for her, as one would a fine woman. Any man can sail a ship, but to command one takes a very special relationship." He stopped to take a swig and Alice mulled over his words while doing the same. "Jack loves the Pearl more than I have ever seen him love any woman – he's devoted to her."

"As was Hec—" she cleared her throat, "Captain Barbossa," she corrected, and was surprised when Gibbs nodded.

"Aye, that he did."

"Were you on the crew… with Barbossa and Jack?" Gibbs shook his head.

"I knew Jack long before, and we sailed together on many a misadventure, but I did not accompany him on that one, nor during any of his earlier voyages with the man." Alice's eyes went wide – she had not known how long Jack had sailed with Barbossa, and she had always assumed it was just during that fateful journey to Isla de Muerta. Her bewilderment must have shown on her face, she realized, as Gibbs nodded at her. "They had a bit of a history, those two. I've heard stories, legends, rumours, tales and accounts of some of their journeys. Hell, Jack was with him when Barbossa became the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, even!"

"Pirate Lord?" she asked with a scrunched face.

"The short of it be that there are nine 'Pirate Lords' of the Brethren Court. They pass down amulets to various successors, and these are presented when the court gathers, to identify that they are who they say."

"Is Jack…?" she let the question trail off and Gibbs nodded as he drank.

"Pirate Lord o' the Caribbean," he grinned his answer. "But no," he continued the earlier train of conversation, "I never sailed with them both. I met Barbossa 'round the taverns in Tortuga, though, and learned a bit 'bout him."

"Like what?" Alice was genuinely curious.

"What do you know about Hector Barbossa?" he asked, looking her square in the eye.

"Only what I saw. We never got the chance to talk about more," she finished with a whisper. Gibbs looked down for a moment before taking a large draw from his bottle.

"I only know pieces meself, mind," he started, and Alice encouraged him to continue as she sipped her rum. "He used to be a Navy man, but found it more to his liking to turn pirate, much like myself. He commanded a small schooner and led a rowdy band of misfits, but they were sunk by another pirate ship. He was saved by the only two of his crewmates to also survive – the rest met their end in the waters 'round Bermuda. They found their way to Tortuga, where the old Caribbean Lord picked them up, and they headed to Shipwreck Cove. Home of the Brethren Court," he clarified when Alice looked confused. "Met Jack there, and they found the ship what sunk Barbossa's. The captain was an old friend of his, and Lord of the Caspian Sea. The story goes that he apologized to Barbossa and passed on his amulet before being hung by the Brethren for betraying the code."

"Wow," Alice breathed softly, and Gibbs took the pause as a chance to take another drink.

"Years passed before Jack showed up in Tortuga and assembled a crew, with Barbossa as 'is first mate. The legends say they went in search of a magical substance called 'Shadow Gold', being chased by the East India Trading Company and a dark guild known as the 'Army of Shadows'. They succeeded before disbanding once more, until Jack again found himself in Tortuga, gathering a crew to search for the gold of Cortés. I declined joining him on the venture, preferring to stay far away from curses, but Jack didn't believe in such things," he smirked and drank. Alice chuckled and gulped down more rum.

"What's your impression of Jack?" she asked after a moment.

"He's a good man, despite what others say. He comes across as a fool, given his predilection for wild adventures, not to mention his trusting nature. He's much less open now than he was before the mutiny, but I feel he'll once again return to a shadow of that, now that he's had his revenge. Ye can trust Jack, so long as he doesn't suspect you'll betray him, but he'll always cover his own arse first and foremost, even at the expense of some. But you can't blame the man – I'm sure any of us would do the same." Alice nodded with a wry smile.

"That's understandable."

"What about you? What's your story, Alice?" She eyed Gibbs for a moment. This man had a penchant for superstitions and lore, and was a fine storyteller. She was sure he had heard every tale there was to hear, and decided to tell him some of the truth, if for no other reason than to share with him a story he had probably never heard before. She took a swig from her rum and laughed at that thought.

"I'm from the future. A time-traveller, of sorts." She was getting sick of saying it, feeling like she was quoting a bad sci-fi movie, but she grinned in amusement as Gibbs shot her a look of abject disbelief. "Came here with the help of an object which broke in the process, leaving me stranded in the distant past."

"I've heard some far-fetched tales, but I think that one takes the cake," he said with a bit of good-natured sarcasm, and the pair laughed and drank.

"If only I was kidding," she said seriously with a slightly pained smile. "Secured my place in the governor's mansion in Port Royal through a fabricated background, and ended up aboard this very ship with the governor's daughter." Gibbs was looking at her sideways for a moment before he smiled and spoke.

"Ah, Miss Elizabeth. I was a sailor in the Royal Navy stationed aboard the Dauntless when she and her father came from England aboard our fine vessel." Alice's eyes widened.

"Small world, eh?" she chuckled and he nodded.

"Even smaller – we sailed under the command of Captain Norrington," he smirked and Alice almost choked on the rum she was drinking.

"You sailed under Norrington?!" she spluttered. "I bet he's bloody proud to know you turned pirate," she laughed and Gibbs rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't want to continue down that path. "I wonder how she's doing, Elizabeth."

"Probably bent over a bale of hay in the blacksmith's, if Turner be any kind of man at all," Jack interjected, startling the pair of them as he stomped down the stairs. Gibbs scrambled to his feet, but Alice stood up slowly, her heart racing from his sudden appearance.

"Was just explainin' a bit o' history to Alice here," Gibbs stated.

"So I see," he replied as he strode up to Gibbs and plucked the bottle from the man's hand. Gibbs gave him a sheepish grin and stepped around the captain, who was now drinking from the bottle.

"I'll just see…" he trailed off, pointing up the stairs before disappearing quickly, leaving Jack and Alice alone.