Disclaimer: All characters belong to Disney. I just borrow them now and then. I would love to borrow Jack Sparrow and Will Turner permanently.

Author's note: As I did in my other long fic, I want to let readers know that my version of Jack Sparrow and his friends try to show many sides to them. In my fics, they might be a little "nicer" than some prefer. I, for one, got very tired of the three main characters hating each other in many fan fics since "Dead Man's Chest". In my fics, almost all post AWE, I like to think that our trio have gotten past all of that, like adults. They are very much friends and allies in my Pirates world. I like to write about the ways that one can be a good man, even if, in Jack's case, one doesn't want to be, but can't help it. Ye be warned:) Pirate Cat

Dedication: I dedicate this fiction to PirateofSherwood! Thanks for encouraging me to pursue this idea, mate! I finally decided to take the plunge and try another full blown fic, and get away from one shots for a few days! Pirate Cat raises her mug of rum \to PirateofSherwood, and winks!

The world was a different place for Captain Jack Sparrow. He looked out over the vast expanse of ocean all around him and his little wooden dinghy, his homemade pirate flag dancing in the breeze above his head. He was sailing toward the Spanish territories, his chart spread out upon his knee, his compass in hand, and a bottle of rum nestled in the crook of his thin elbow.

If any seagull were to look down upon the sight, it might have had to circle several times in order to take in the sight, fully. This strange man, slender as a reed, floating along in the middle of nowhere, talking to himself and seemingly to an entire crowd of people that he seemed to think were sailing along with him in the tiny boat. He was slightly built, almost scrawny, with dark skin and darker brown eyes, his waist long brown dreadlocks jingling with trinkets and beads. His long red bandana floated in the breezes as if they were also sails, and his battered leather tricorn hat rested proudly (and crookedly) upon his head. Now and then he would look up at the sky, and ponder how he had come this far in his life... throughout his life he had striven to maintain a positive outlook, in spite of a horrifying childhood and a deadly life as an adult. He had barely survived many battles, and had the physical scars to prove it... the last adventure had left him with irreparable mental scars. Others had looked upon him through the years as mad, although it was partly true, and partly an act to disguise the pirate captain's true intentions. Unfortunately, his mental state had deteriorated to a state of extreme and permanent addling of the brain... Captain Jack Sparrow could not always tell what was real, and what was not, since death had taken him to The Other Side... and his friends had brought him back.

His madness was not always to his detriment. He was a highly intelligent and clever man, and those who loved him did so without bias against what his mind had come to, these days. Not that it mattered... he was all alone, in a small dinghy in the middle of the sea. His ship, the mighty Black Pearl... his love, his life, his home... was gone, "commandeered" by his former first mate, Hector Barbossa. Jack and Barbossa had an acrimonious relationship... Hector had led a mutiny against Jack many years back, and Jack had patiently taken 10 years to track the Pearl all around the world. He had been able to regain his ship with the help of young William Turner and his lass, Elizabeth Swann, only to lose her again... along with his life, to the dreaded sea monster, the Kraken... the pet of the now very late ruler of the seas, the legendary sea ghost, Davy Jones.

Jack floated along, thinking of all of this, and became a bit meloncholy. He and his friends, William and Elizabeth, had gone through true hell, and they had each gained so much... but they had all lost so much, also. William nearly had lost his life at the hands of Davy Jones, who was under the control of Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company... the very man who had tortured Jack Sparrow for resisting orders to transport slaves, and who had branded him a pirate, literally... Jack would forever bear the scars on his back and left arm from the whip, the firebombing of his ship, the Wicked Wench, and the white-hot branding iron that was pushed forcefully into the flesh of his right arm. He had nearly died that night, and Cutler Beckett was also directly responsible for nearly killing Jack's best friend, William Turner the Second, at World's End... it was because of Jack's heroism that William's dying hand was responsible for stabbing the beating heart of Davy Jones, saving William's life, but cursing him to become the next captain of Davy Jones' soul reaping ship. Now Jones was dead, the Kraken was dead, and through the heroism of Captain Jack Sparrow and William Turner, Lord Cutler Beckett's ship was sent to the depths in flames, and Beckett also met his end.

Jack still marveled at the memory of seeing the rebirth of the mighty Flying Dutchman ... Jones' evil was feared among all sailors, but upon his death, the Dutchman was resurrected in its true form - a stunningly beautiful ship with pristine and pure white sails, bright with the promise of a renewed spirit and the purpose of helping those who had lost their lives at sea by ferrying their souls to their final destination. It was a noble vessel, with a noble purpose, entrusted with these souls by the sea goddess, Calypso.

But it had it's price. William was forced to forfeit his living heart, cut from his chest by his father and first mate, Bootstrap Bill Turner. He was to become a supernatural and immortal being, enabled with many powers, but enabled with great compassion and an even greater sense of determination to help those in need. He was also forced to be seperated from the love of his life and bride, Elizabeth Swann Turner. They'd had one passionate day and night together, before William had to leave Elizabeth on an island off of the coast of China. She would be well cared for by the villagers there, and would live comfortably, but they were not to see each other for 10 years. It was during these 10 years that William was to work to regain the Flying Dutchman's purpose of doing good work... if the Turners remained faithful to each other and their shared mission, the curse would be lifted after the decade had passed. But it was also said that if William could perform more than just the task at hand... selfless acts of pure love and caring friendship... perhaps Calypso might... just might... consider releasing William from his duties prior to the ten years that she had laid down as law. He would also have to nominate and gain approval of another to replace him as the captain of the Flying Dutchman... another that would keep the true spirit and mission of the grand ship alive for eternity. But that was simply what Jack had heard in the taverns of Tortuga, and he was never really sure if he really heard things, or if his impaired mind had made them up...

Jack Sparrow took another swig from his bottle of rum and thought about the entire situation. His meloncholy deepened... these moods overtook him at times, and he was apt to be lost in thought for hours. His ship was gone, he was off on yet another adventure, but he was also alone again. Always alone... it was during these moods that his demons overtook him... and he would always close his eyes tightly, and try to fight them all off. Had he condemned William and Elizabeth by saving William from death? Death was what Jack feared more than anything, yet did he help his best friend by saving him? Or did he cause more misery? The captain never set out to purposely cause misery to anyone, yet it seemed that he had been doing that ever since he was born upon his father's ship. His father... Jack closed his eyes and tried to shut out the memories of a father who had never wanted him... and who Jack had needed so badly, all along...

Captain William Turner was standing at the railing of his ship, watching the storm that was brewing in the distance. It would be wise to submerge the Dutchman soon, as the sea would quickly be churning wildly. It simply made for an easier voyage underwater, and it was an interesting experience going from the upper surface of the ocean to the lower surfaces. William had transitioned into his present state quite naturally... it was not unpleasant, but he was still not accustomed to the thought that he was no longer the man that he used to be. It was strange, he thought, that his body looked the same on the outside, other than the extensive scar across the breadth of his chest, yet he was completely different - a being that was indestructable, save for the beating heart that Elizabeth was guarding. He thought about her constantly... they were not allowed to lay eyes upon each other, but nothing had ever been said about not being able to communicate in other ways. He had been thinking about this a great deal, and wracked his brain to come up with a way to tell his love how much he missed her.

As the handsome young captain stared out before him, he wondered, absently, about his friend, Jack Sparrow. Quite frankly, he was worried about the captain. Jack had shown his true colors At World's End... he was a good man, a caring man, a hero, even if he was a flawed hero. He was a pirate, but having become a pirate, himself, prior to his present state, William found that he understood Jack Sparrow more and more completely. The man had gone against incredible odds merely to survive as long as he had in life, and William found that any doubts that he and Elizabeth had been holding against Jack were unfounded. The captain was not like anyone else... misunderstood... not always trusted by most, but to those that tried to understand and know him, Jack Sparrow was a very good friend to have... the best friend to have... and ever since they rescued him from death, he had sworn to the Turners to be their friend for life. Jack had meant it.

He wondered where his friend was... Captain William Turner wished that Captain Jack Sparrow was there with him, simply to talk to...

The seas had become heavy, and the rains pelted William's face as he concentrated on the feeling that had come over him... he knew that there was another being on the seas in the vicinity, but could not tell who or what it was. The wind was blowing wildly, and he should have issued orders to his crew to take the Dutchman below, but knowing that someone might need help made him delay. He could not leave anyone at the mercy of the sea and the raging storm, if they needed his aid.

"Quite a blow, son! Might I ask you why we are still surfaced?" William's tall father, Bootstrap Bill Turner, approached his captain, holding his cap on his head with one hand and hanging onto the railing with the other. William's brown eyes met with his father's sparkling clear blue ones, and he tossed his head out over the waves. "There is someone out there, Father. Someone is out here in the middle of nowhere... they might need help..."

Just then, Bo'sun pointed out past the Dutchman's starboard bow and shouted, "I sighted someone, Cap'n!!! Off starboard!!! A vessel with a single man in it!"

William and Bootstrap rushed to the railing on the starboard side, and William could not believe his eyes. The figure in the tossing little dinghy was lying in the bottom of the boat, and he was not moving. The little dinghy was spinning around and around, and William shouted orders to snag her and bring her alongside. Bootstrap Bill also sensed what his son had sensed...they both grabbed a grappling hook and started helping the crew to pull the small boat to the side of the rocking Dutchman. William shouted, "Get blankets and plenty of rum, men! This man saved my life! By God, it's Jack Sparrow!!!"

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