thank you Libby

I walk carefully through the dark streets, keeping to the shadows (which is rather difficult when one is pregnant and has a bulging stomach). It had been six months since Jack had died, and I felt extremely guilty leaving him to face the locker alone. It wasn't a nice place, but it had taken a while for our boat - if you could even call it that - to get to port. I watch as a woman wanders through the street in front of me. A man looks at her before clearing his throat to speak.

"Thief and beggar, never shall we die. A dangerous song to be singing for anyone ignorant of its meaning, particularly a woman. Particularly a woman alone," a person growls.

"What makes you think she's alone?" Barbossa snaps from just ahead of me and steps out. I follow, coming beside him.

"I told you to stay behind!" he hisses.

"Since when do I listen to you?"

"You protect her?" he sneers.

"What makes you think I need protecting?" she snaps, pulling a knife to his neck.

"Let him go and stop doing stupid things!" I hiss. During our time at sea we had many arguments, which usually ended with me being pulled off her, but now Elizabeth and I had some sort of civil friendship.

She lets the man go, and I push past Barbossa. The group stares at me, and I glare. We flatten ourselves to the walls as the EITC go past above us, and, once they're gone, we carry on.

"Your master's expecting us. An unexpected death would be a slight pall on our meeting," Barbossa drawls to the man Elizabeth threatened.

"Have you heard anything from Will?" Elizabeth asks.

"I trust young Turner to acquire the charts, and you both to remember your place in the presence of Captain Sao Feng," Barbossa drawls.

"Is he that terrifying?" Elizabeth sounds nervous.

"He's much like myself, expect absent of me merciful nature and sense of fair play," Barbossa says.I snort.

"Merciful? You call yourself merciful? What has the world come to? And as for sense of fair play, don't even get me started. You have no sense of fair play," I splutter.

We make our way through into a room and come to a door. The man gives a password to another, and we're allowed in. Another door lies at the end and a tray lies beside us. Obviously for our weapons. I hesitantly begin removing my weapons: a sword from my side, pistol from my hip.

"You think because they are woman we would not suspect them of treachery," he says.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Barbossa sighs, irritated.

"Remove, please," he growls.

I begin to remove the daggers from my arms, the daggers from my boots, the pistol from my coat pocket and two half-sword half-daggers that Will created from my back – which, due to Tia's herbs, had healed perfectly and I only had the scars as a reminder. I go to step past the man now that my weapons are gone.

"Remove, please." He smiles slyly as Elizabeth removes her last weapon.

Elizabeth is shocked before she moves behind a screen and strips to show them. They chuckle and, from what I can tell, wait a few minutes before handing her a shirt to put on. She walks back around, glaring furiously and in an extremely short shirt.

"Remove," the man snaps.

"You can't seriously be asking a pregnant woman to remove her clothes? I'm not removing my clothes so you can all laugh at how huge I am. I already hate how fat I am. You can't make me feel even fatter. I… I won't be doing it. I can't believe you just asked me to! After all, you probably mistook my pregnancy for a load of weapons and you thought that my child was…was a weapon!" I fake cry.

"Shush, Jaz, it's okay," Barbossa says softly, acting along with me and opening his arms. I glare discreetly toward him before hesitantly launching myself into his arms.

Sneaky bastard! Just wanting to make contact with me, when he knows I can't refuse or my trick won't work. He wraps his arms around me, and I tense as his hands make contact with my back and he runs a hand down one scar.

"I'm sure the man will let you in. After all, I suppose you have no other place to hide a weapon," he admits. I look toward the man, and he quickly nods and turns away to go through the door. I launch myself back out of Barbossa's arms and shudder in disgust. How dare he do that? Elizabeth glares as I go through the door first.

"You disgusting sneaky bastard. How dare you touch me? How dare you even do that?" I hiss at Barbossa.

"Well, when you refused to remove your clothes, I knew you wouldn't be getting in without help. Sao Feng is behind that door, and I know he would love to see you like that, so I thought you might need a little help." He smirks.

"I will never need help from you. Never touch my back again!" I order.

I stop as we are greeted by Captain Sao Feng, who stands in the middle of the room while two servants stand behind him.

"Captain Barbossa, welcome to Singapore," he directs at Barbossa. "More steam!" he snaps to a servant, before looking at us all. "Captain Pearl," he says softly, coming down to me and running a hand over the scar on his head before stroking my cheek. "Come to take me up on my offer?" he whispers, attempting to be seductive

"Never," I say. He pulls his hand away and spins around, stalking back up to where he stood before.

Barbossa and Elizabeth bow and he signals for me to do it as well, but I ignore him and stay standing straight. I am not bowing to that man.

"I understand you have a request to make of me?" Sao questions.

"More of a proposal to put to you. I have a venture underway -" Barbossa begins.

"We have a venture underway," I interrupt.

"And we happen to find ourselves in need of ship and a crew, Feng," Barbossa finishes.

"This is an odd coincidence," Sao says.

"Because you have a ship and a crew you're getting rid of or don't need?" I say with a hint of sarcasm.

"No. Because earlier this day, not far from here, a thief broke into my most reverend temple and tried to make off with these," he says, holding up the charts.

"How unfortunate for you," I sneer. He glares at me and I smile in response.

"The navigational charts for the route to the farthest gate. Wouldn't it be amazing if this venture of yours took you to the world beyond this one?" he finishes.

"It would strain credulity at that," Barbossa says.

Sao Feng motions to his men and they pull Will up out of a tub of hot water. I hold back a gasp.

"This is the thief. Is his face familiar to you?" he asks. We all shake our heads.

"Then I guess he has no further need for it," he snarls and grabs Will, putting a knife to his throat. Barbossa steps forward slightly, and Elizabeth gasps and steps forward. I don't do anything, but I hope my face doesn't show one of worry.

"So you come into my city and betray my hospitality?" Sao snarls.

"Sao Feng, I assure you I had no idea…" Barbossa starts. "That he would get caught?"

"No, we didn't. Well, we had doubts," I whisper. Barbossa hears and glares at me. "Oh, stop glaring, Hector!" I tell him off. If possible, his glare increases.

"You intend to attempt a voyage to Davy Jones locker, and I cannot help but wonder WHY?" he yells at the end.

Barbossa tosses a piece of eight to Sao Feng, who catches it.

"The song has been sung. The time is upon us. We must convene the brethren court as one of the ten pirate lords. You must honour the call," Barbossa and I chant.

"More steam," he growls. Nothing happens. "More steam!" he yells, and steam erupts.

"There's a price on all our heads, it is true. Yours especially, Jasmine Pearl," he says.

"Oh, I wasn't aware of this. How much?" I ask, extremely interested.

"15 shillings," he tells me.

"Is that all? I'm worth more than that!" I cry.

"Quiet!" Barbossa snaps.

"Since it seems that the only way a pirate can turn profit anymore is by betraying other pirates," Sao finishes.

"The first brethren court gave us rule over the seas. That rule has been challenged by Lord Cutler Beckett!" Barbossa says.

"He's a Lord? When did that happen? How did that happen?" I mutter.

"Against the East India Trading Company, what is the value of the Brethren court? What can any of us do?" he says.

"Well, we could fight," I say.

Elizabeth steps forward. Someone grabs her to hold her back.

"Get off me! You are Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore!" Elizabeth cries. "Would you have that era come to an end on your watch? The most notorious pirates from around the world are uniting together to fight our enemy, and yet you sit here cowering in your bath water!"

"Elizabeth Swann, there's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? And the eye does not go wanting. But I cannot help but notice you have failed to answer my question: what is it in Davy Jones' locker that you seek?" he says.

"Jack Sparrow. He's one of the nine pirate lords," Will chimes in.

I smirk slightly and wonder if he's over it. The two girls behind him share a look, giggling, and then look toward me. Barbossa catches it and looks toward me in confusion.

"The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returning from the land of the dead is so I can send him back myself!" he screams, kicking a chair.

"Oh, still a touchy subject, is it? Ego still sore from being rejected by a married woman?" I say innocently.

He turns to look at me and strides closer.

"Do not test me, you are merely a pregnant woman taking on a master swordsman," he snarls at me.

I take a few steps back as he advances and feel my back hit the wall. His hands launch out, trapping me in, his body in front of mine his arms, blocking a side escape. Shit! No escape from his anger now. I glance over his shoulder and see Barbossa, looking worried and angry.

"Not quite the master, judging by the scar. Still remember the story behind it?" I say softly. I shouldn't taunt him, but it was too good a moment.

His face turns furious and he runs his hand down it.

"So you do remember it. You're not the best swordsman you thought you were."

He pulls his hand from the wall, and, before I can stop it, he presses it to my stomach. I feel the baby kick against it and hold my breath. It is well known Sao Feng's ancestors held the secret to magic. Whether the man himself did or not, no one knew.

"I felt that, a strong child with a strong mother, but a weak father. It needs someone much more worthy!" he snaps, pulling his hand away from my stomach.

I take the chance to dart past him and back toward where Barbossa stands.

"Get over yourself, Sao. You want me for the magic I do not possess. I am with Jack. I will always be with Jack, no matter if he's dead or alive. If he is dead, I will raise our child alone. I will never be with you," I declare. He moves away.

"Jack Sparrow holds one half of his and Jasmine's nine pieces of eight, and he failed to pass it on to a successor before he died, so we must go and get him back," Barbossa pleads.

"So you admit you have deceived me with weapons?" Sao asks.

"Sao Feng, I assure you our intentions are strictly honourable," Barbossa panics.

Six swords fly out of the floor, and Barbossa, Elizabeth and I all grab two. Elizabeth looks shocked, and Barbossa smiles nervously as I smirk before moving my feet to fighting stance, swinging my swords slightly.

"Drop your weapons, or I kill the man!" Sao declares, putting a knife to a man's neck.

"Kill the bastard!" I sneer as Barbossa talks.

"Kill him. He's not our man," Barbossa says.

"If he's not with you, and he's not with us, then who's he with?" Will asks.

"CHARGE!" an order is called.

The EITC burst through the wall and door and a fight begins. I kill the first man to approach me and, turning round, I hear a shot go off, and see Will push Elizabeth to the floor. I myself duck when a shot goes over my head and turn to the shooter. Mercer. He approaches me, and I back out into the street for extra room.

"Jasmine Pearl, I haven't seen you in a long time," he sneers.

"Still Cutler's pet dog, I see, Ian," I reply.

"I am not a pet dog, though if I do remember correctly you yourself were a pet to him at one point," he smirks.

"Sure you're not," I say sweetly before turning angry, "I was never a pet to him."

He raises a pistol and fires it. I duck, but nothing happens. He has no bullets, so instead he draws his sword and we begin to battle. I try to get to his flesh, and he does the same. He forces me backward and I hit someone else. Turning to glance at the person, I see it's Barbossa. I carry on fighting as he does the same. Mercer is getting the upper hand on our fight, managing to slash my shoulder and arm, whilst I had lost a sword. A firework tower explodes and we all turn to duck.

"When I say so, kill the man and run," I snap at Barbossa.

"What?" he says, turning to me.

"Now!" I scream, and push Mercer down the bridge slightly.

He turns, kills his man, and begins to run toward the docks, stopping to talk to the others. They quickly set off running. Jack the monkey climbs onto my shoulder, and I glare at him. He chatters in return, and I strike mercer in the arm, making him drop his sword as he comes back up the bridge. He pulls out a dagger, and I rip the necklace from my neck and hold it tight in my palm. This is risky. I have only a few seconds before the necklace lets off the warning fire and I had to be ahead, but I still need to take the necklace with me, and it has to hit the floor. Mercer throws the dagger, and I drop the necklace.

He watches it fall and smirks, before his face grows pale and he turns to run. I move to the side as the dagger flies past.

The necklace hits the ground, and I snatch it up, before turning to run. The warning fire sweeps ahead of me, and I yell in pain as the flames lick my clothes and legs, before quickening my pace. Jack holds on for dear life. I see the ship just pulling away from the dock, Barbossa at the helm. I feel the second flame gaining on me, and this one can't hit me. My feet hit the start of the dock and I run fast. When my foot hits the last of the dock, I jump. The flames fly over part of the dock but miss me, and I hit the water. A second later, a rope hits me. I grab it with shaky hands and breathless gasps before feeling myself move through the water. I am pulled aboard the ship and a mug is pushed into my hand. I take a long drink, not caring that it's the horrid herb Tia insists on giving me, before handing her the mug back and looking over to the helm. Barbossa stands there, smirking happily. I re-attach the necklace just as the buildings in Singapore begin to collapse and the green flames roll off the dock. I turn toward the Captain's cabin and put my hand in my pocket. I pull out the compass, something I had taken from Jack just before he died. It spins widely in circles, even though I know what I want. I want Jack. The compass will not point that way, which had been annoying me for the past six months.