Chapter 5 – Marked

(This is where Davy Jones and the Kraken come into play like in the Dead Man's Chest movie though I switched things up just a little)

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful reviews and for still watching my story even though it's taken me a while to update, I apologize for the looooong wait, I am back now.

PREVIOUSLY:

Before anyone else could say another word, a voice rang out, "Jack!"

Jack whipped his head around and found himself standing, unsure of what to do as Elizabeth Swan came rushing towards him from the entrance to the bar, swinging her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her. "Oh Jack I knew you were alive!"

He awkwardly hugged her back and the scent, her scent of perfume invaded his nostrils and he couldn't help but inhale it more. "Aye Lizzie, I'm alive."

Hermione watched the interaction between the two and instantly felt something she'd never felt before, not even when she'd been angry at Ron for going after Lavender, jealously.

This older, beautiful, model like woman in pirates clothing was pressed up against him in a more than friendly hug and all she could do was watch as they continued hugging. She snuck a glance over at Will, assuming he was her boyfriend or something along those lines and saw the look in his eyes, a look similar to her own as he watched the two embracing.

Finally they released each other and Jack sat back down in a daze, wondering if he was perhaps hallucinating this whole thing on account of drinking way too much rum.

Jack wandered into the bottom of his ship in search of rum, having run out earlier. He was in need of many a drink this night as the woman he had come to the realization he was in love with and the woman who was engaged to the eunuch who he also still held some feelings for and had fallen for at one point were both aboard his ship with said eunuch and the rest of his crew, asleep for the night after the long evening of explaining just who Hermione was and were she came from and realizing he had no choice but to take Will and Elizabeth along for the ride seeing as how Elizabeth refused to go back to port royal anytime soon much to the eunuch's obvious disappointment and so it seemed everyone was to accompany him on a visit to see Tia Dalma about fixing Hermione's time turner.

His racing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice he'd not heard in a very long time, "Jack."

"Bootstrap?" He turned his candle towards the darkness and nearly fell over himself as the face of one Bootstrap Bill came into view.

"Aye Jack."

He stumbled backwards, almost falling into the cargo of rum he'd come down for in the first place, "What brings you here, didn't think you made it." It was then he noticed in the light, the coral which clung to his face, was part of his face and how wet his hair looked.

"Davy Jones."

He could feel his color draining, "Jones?"

"Aye, he's coming for you, you're time as captain is over, time for ye to join his crew as you bargained all those years ago in exchange for captaining this ship for 10 years."

"Surely it hasn't been ten years yet mate?" He asked as he grabbed onto a new bottle of rum.

Suddenly Bootstrap was in his face, "It has, sorry Jack." And with that, he grasped the younger man's hand, squeezing tightly before letting go, vanishing into the darkness.

Jack looked down at his hand and nearly dropped the rum bottle, there on his hand formed the black mark.

Davy was coming and this meant he'd sent the kraken.

Hermione paced back and forth inside her small cabin room. Her thoughts were taking over. Would she ever get back home? How were Harry and Ron? And Ginny? This had to be her most impulsive, most rash decision she'd ever made coming here after Jack. It seemed alas she was not the only one with eyes for him, she knew that despite Elizabeth having a fiancée she was most obviously in love with Jack and when she compared the woman to herself as she couldn't help but to do, she felt Elizabeth would have him in the end. Her stomach just knotted up more at the thought of it and she found herself feeling sorry for Will who seemed to have no clue whatsoever.

She continued to be lost in her thoughts before a voice tore her out of them, "Miss would you care to join us outside, tis a beautiful day."

It was Gibbs, standing just inside her room with a smile and bottle of rum in hand, she smiled back at him and he held the bottle out.

She laughed and shook her head as she walked past him outside to the main deck as Gibbs walked off towards his captain who stood further away near the front of the ship.

Jack seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, watching the ocean with Gibbs talking animatedly by his side and Hermione couldn't help but stare in his direction until Elizabeth's voice tore her out of her daze, "So I see you must have become a big part of Jack's life while he was in your …. World."

She turned to the older woman, "He became a big part of mine when he fell literally into it, and he's definitely something else."

Elizabeth smirked as she adjusted her hat, "That he is." Both women now stared off at the Captain who remained focused on the ocean, flipping open his prized compass every so often while his first mate continued filling him in on the happenings within his crew.

And it was this moment that Hermione couldn't help but to notice the bandages covering his left hand that hadn't been there earlier. Her curiosity peaked and she made a mental note to ask him about it later on.

Strong hands wrapped around Elizabeth and she gasped as Will drew her into him, "Feeling better today love?"

She nodded as he kissed her neck and smiled in Hermione's direction, "I'm sure you know that Jack is a bit off by now Miss Granger?"

Hermione smiled, "Yes I know."

The day came and went and Hermione found herself once more lost in thought as she wandered around the ship.

"Careful Miss Granger." The friendly voice of Will Turner snapped her once more from her thoughts and she looked up, stopping just in time before she ran into him.

"Sorry Mr. Turner." She half mumbled as she attempted to walk by but he remained at her side, walking with her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah just missing home, missing my friends, everything."

He smiled a small smile, "Well I'm sure we'll be able to figure out something to help get you back to your home."

She nodded and he walked off towards his and Elizabeth's room on the ship. She continued walking only to stumble upon Elizabeth and Jack standing at the railing, in deep conversation.

Hermione made to move quietly back to her cabin when Jack turned and saw her "Hermione." He smiled his charming yet toothy smile at her though for some reason it seemed a bit lacking and she couldn't help but wonder if the bandage on his hand had something to do with it.

"Well goodnight Jack." Elizabeth ended their conversation, throwing a quick smile in Hermione's direction before brushing by and heading off to her room.

"I feel I must let ye know I can tell something is bothering you, why don't you tell ol' Jack?"

She smiled at him, wanting badly to tell him how she felt, the real reason she came after him but found she just couldn't, "It's nothing Jack, just needed a bit of fresh air is all."

Jack could tell she wasn't being entirely honest but decided to drop it as neither was he. He glanced briefly at his bandaged hand and an idea struck him. The young witch had never used a sword before, and he needed a good distraction right about now.

"Take this lass." He unsheathed his own sword that he never allowed anyone to touch and thrust it at her, enjoying her look of surprise as she grabbed it.

He took an extra sword that lay near his own cabin most likely from one of the crew members and raised it at her, "If yer going to be aboard me pearl and one of me crew then ye got to learn how to fight like a pirate."

"But I don't know the first thing about sword fighting." Hermione protested.

"Aye but you'll learn, trust ol' Jack and no magic!"

She shook her head and he suddenly came at her, sword raised. She screeched and raised her own, clashing loudly with his. Suddenly they were locked in a duel and he stopped every so often to show her what she was doing wrong.

She soon found herself gaining the upper hand until he flashed a smile at her just long enough to cause her to falter, his sword coming round as he maneuvered behind the young witch, sword near her throat, her back pressed into him. "Never get distracted lass, could be the last thing you do." He breathed in her ear and she could feel his heart beating fast, or was it her own heart she could feel as she turned to face him, swords dropping to their sides.

"Jack."

"Yes?" His face was closer to hers than ever before.

"Captain! What be our headin' ? Seems we goin the wrong way to Tia Dalmas? Winds have blown us off course." Pintel came running up, breaking the tension between the two as they moved away from each other.

Jack clenched his fist nearly wanting to run Pintel through simply for his poor timing, "Aye I do feel it, we need to be headin west mate."

Pintel saluted him and ran off to the other crew members to adjust their heading.

Hermione blushed and smiled at Jack, "Well that was interesting, thank you for attempting to teach me how to sword fight, I think I am ready for bed now, goodnight Jack." And with that she headed back to her room, cursing Pintel and his horrible timing.

Jack smirked and hollered at her, "Goodnight luv, we will be practicing more on the way to Tia Dalma's, still have a few days before we arrive."

Hermione turned and laughed, "As you wish Captain," And did a little playful bow before disappearing into her room for the night.

So the next few nights consisted of Jack and Hermione sword fighting until they were both worn out, each day Hermione a little bit better. She was definitely nowhere near as good as Jack but she at least knew the basics now. And even Will would come and join in, fighting against her or Jack and she and Elizabeth would watch, rooting them on. She found herself enjoying life aboard the ship even with the tension she felt from the other woman. Both women had questioned Jack about his hand on separate occasions only to have him brush them off saying it was merely an injury. Hermione knew better though, she could read him and she knew it was more than that but didn't prod any further for now.

Day four came around and they finally found themselves close to Tia Dalma's hut and everyone made their way into the long boat.

Hermione climbed into the fragile looking hut and her eyes widened in surprise at how big it looked from the inside, cluttered, but much bigger. She batted away the skulls that hung from the ceiling as she came to stand near Jack. He seemed unusually nervous and she could sense something was bothering him. She made to ask him what was really going on when a woman came out from the back, her hair was in dreads similar to Jacks but she gave off a vibe that wasn't quite human and her eyes were rimmed in blackness. She smirked and moved towards them, "Ye brought with ye back the witch Jack." She crooned.

"I did …. Well she did, what I mean to say is she was supposed to stay back but then used that timer thing of 'ers and she went forward, in her case backwards, and is now presently or is that pastly? With me here instead of in her own time cause of said time thing of hers."

As he rambled everyone in the room stared at him with raised brows.

"Ye are the witchy woman." She grabbed onto one of Hermione's curls, tugging it almost testing if she were really there or not.

"You must be Tia Dalma."

"Aye that be me. And what is it you be wantin?"

"To get back to my own time, I came here using…."

Tia cracked a smile and finished her sentence, "A time turner…"

Hermione nodded. "Both mine and Jack's disintegrated."

"So you be wanting to get back to yer future and leave back yer Jack?"

Hermione felt her face heating up, "He isn't mine." She could feel Elizabeth's eyes boring into her as she spoke.

"Hmmm." Was her response to this as she moved away from her, "And what will ye be givin to me in return?"

"What is it you want?"

Tia smirked and sauntered up to Jack, "Hmmm I will be callin upon ye fer a favor," Hermione didn't like the sound of that but continued listening as the witch continued speaking, "As for now, tis Jack's honesty I be wanting, for I can taste him mark on ye, "And with a sound of fabric tearing, the older witch tore the bandages which covered his hand, revealing an ugly blackish spot formed in the center of his palm.

Gibbs, Pintel, and Raggetti all gasped, sputtering and spitting as they turned in circles, muttering about curses.

Everyone else remained silent in confusion.

"Can no one 'ere tell us what this is since ol' Jack seem to have lost 'im voice?"

"Aye." Gibbs spoke and everyone turned to him, "It's the black spot….was thought to be a legend. It's a curse on the hand of any sailor for whoever is found with it is said to be cursed from Davy Jones himself."

"And a big kraken will come to devour ye." Pintel put his two cents in earning a glare from Gibbs.

"Yes, Davy Jones is said to have himself one hell of an octopus for a pet also called and known at sea as the Kraken." Gibbs finished.

"Him was in love once." Tia spoke quietly and everyone shifted their focus to her, "To a beautiful woman and then him threw it all away, so she cursed him as she was also the Goddess of them seas. He would be forever bound to him ship, him heart locked in a chest, doomed to sail 'im beloved sea for eternity with him crew."

Hermione listened in complete fascination and horror, fascination at the tale which she'd learned some of herself whilst in her muggle studies class when they were studying the people and creatures muggles believed to be myths. She was feeling horror from seeing the spot on Jacks hand, now piecing together his odd behavior, question now was WHY he ended up with the mark in the first place.

"Davy be comin for ye Jack, I can feel it in them winds, the air speaks to me and yer fate is sure."

Hermione finally spoke up, everyone else too shocked at this new revelation to speak, "There's nothing we can do then?"

Tia's eyes lit up, apparently that was the question she'd been waiting for, "You can do something to help yer Jack n save him life."

"What can I do?"

Elizabeth spoke up at the same time, earning a chorus of agreements, "Yes what can we do to save him?"

"Ye will know when the time comes round and then ye colors will be shown. Ol' Jack is only safe on land and for that I will give em a bottle of me sand."

Jack blinked, coming back down to reality after being rather stunned at the brazen witch who'd just exposed the mark he'd tried so hard to conceal, "Sand?"

"Aye."

"This will keep me safe then?"

"Do you not want it?" She raised a brow.

"Of course I want it."

Walking off into the back of her hut, voices begin to rise as everyone started on him at once.

"Jack how could you not tell us?" Elizabeth was the first to yell out.

Will nodded, "That was so incredibly stupid of you to just act as though nothing had happened and not tell anyone."

"Aye Jack, how could you remain quiet, what if that thing had come and devoured the ship, then what?" Gibbs agreed.

Hermione sighed, "Look none of this is helping," She raised her voice, "We must keep a level head and work together or we won't be getting out alive."

Will looked to her, "You have magic, can't you do something?"

She shook her head, "My magic only does so much, I can't undo a curse, especially not one I am not familiar with." She turned to Jack. "How did you get the mark?"

Jack gulped, his eyes landing on Will, "Yer father mate, he's not so dead after all."

Will blinked, "What do you mean he's not so dead after all?"

"Yer father is alive, he's one of Jones' damned to eternity aboard his ship, he warned me of the kraken an' gave me this mark on orders of his captain."

Will's eyes lit up in anger, "And you said nothing? My father is aboard that ship with this monster? How do we free him, how do I free him?"

Tia chose that moment to come back into the room, moving between Hermione and Jack, thrusting a jar of sand into his hands before moving away, "Take that jar with ye Jack wherever ye go." She turned to the smaller witch, " 'Ermione' as for ye, I be workin on something to get ye back to yer own time and I will call upon ye when it tis ready. One bit of missin info for all of ye ta think on tonight," She turned to face the crew, "Davy carries wit him a chest and within dey chest lie him beating heart in which if it is stabbed the one whom stabs it shall take him place, thus freeing ol' Jack from 'im curse and savin young Turner's father."

Everyone grew silent once more at this new revelation and Hermione found herself speaking again, "So whoever gets the chest and pierces the heart takes Davy Jones place, becoming immortal but doomed to sail the seas for eternity?" Tia nodded, "And this is the chest that this monster keeps close to him?"

"Aye it tis." And with that Tia Dalma slunk back into the shadows of her hut, signaling that this visit was now over.

Shaken and completely overwhelmed by the load of information they had all just learned, everyone quietly made their way out of the hut and back aboard the Pearl.

The night turned to day as the crew headed for the nearest dock and with it Hermione felt like she'd hardly slept a wink. She was so tired and beginning to wonder if she'd ever go back home and how she could have been so stupid as to follow Jack here on impulse without thinking.

Oh Ron, Harry, where are you two when I need you both the most?

Hermione felt like she was going to go crazy, for once in her life she didn't have an answer. The time turner to go back to her time was broken and Merlin only knew how long it would take that Tia woman to fix it. Now she learned that the man she was in love with was cursed by some monster named Davy Jones who was after his soul, not only that but the woman he had once had feelings for obviously still felt for him and that made her feel horrible, she felt she was nothing compared to the tall blonde sun kissed beauty who whilst in the arms of her husband still stared at Jack like a lover would do.

So consumed by her thoughts she failed to notice Jack moving beside her, staring at her with a raised brow until she turned to go back to her cabin.

"Jack."

"Hermione." He flashed a toothy grin at her, "Thought we knew each other's names by now?" He couldn't help but to tease her as he could see she was bothered.

A small smile spread across her lips, "Very funny." She turned back to the railing, staring out at the sea, "What do we do?"

"By that I presume ye mean about me mark?"

"Yes."

"We will cross that bridge when we do darling, no sense in thinkin it out now."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at how calm he could be when a blood thirsty creature was coming for him.

She opened her mouth to say more when the boat suddenly rocked rather violently, sending her ramming into the railing, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped and Jack grasped her arm, pulling her into him as another lurch gave way and she could hear the crew yelling as the ship began rocking.

"Course it seems now the bridge has come sooner than expected love." Jack yelled as a massive tentacle sent him flying onto the other side of the ship.

"JACK!" Hermione screamed and fumbled for her wand only to watch it slip out of her grasp and roll onto the other side of the ship. "Bloody hell!"

Before she could move another tentacle flew towards her knocking her down, screams could be heard as crew members were being dragged to the depths and she scrambled back to standing, taking off on a run.

Jack stood up groggily and pulled his sword out just as another tentacle came at him, slicing the beasts arm in half before taking off on a run to defend his ship.

The ship lurched violently again and a tentacle wrapped itself around her leg and before she could do anything she was slammed to the ground, digging her nails into anything she could as she screamed and attempted to find anything to grab onto to keep from being taken to water below.

"Hermione!" Will threw himself at her, pulling her towards him as he drew his sword with his free hand, slashing the beasts tentacle clean off, freeing her foot.

Together they both scrambled to their feet, Will maneuvering her to the boat they had thrown on the side of the sinking ship.

"Will wait what about Jack?" Hermione cried out as he all but threw her into the boat alongside Elizabeth.

He got in after her, "Jack will be here shortly."

"Aye, Jack's been in tougher situations before missy." Gibbs agreed.

Hermione's stomach turned in knots as she gazed up at the ship.

Elizabeth broke her thoughts, "I will go make sure he gets back over here."

Without listening to anyone, she climbed up the ladder and back into the half destroyed ship.

"I'm going after her." Will sighed and made to stand when Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, "I will go, I left my wand aboard the ship."

He made to protest but Hermione ignored him and Gibbs as she climbed the ladder and what she saw as she came into view of the deck made her heart almost stop. There stood Jack with Elizabeth in his arms, engaged in a heated kiss as she backed him into the mast. Her face heated up in both anger and hurt. Anger that Elizabeth could do that when she had her caring fiancé innocently waiting on the boat for her and hurt that she really had no place to be feeling jealously or hurt in the first place since she held no real claim on the pirate, he was not hers. But the feelings were still there and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she climbed up the last step.

The hurt replaced with complete and total surprise as she came into full view of the scene in front of her, Elizabeth locked a rusty old handcuff to Jack and she could hear her words clear as day, "It's after you not the ship." And his echoing word, "Pirate."

She grabbed her wand on that lay near the railing and took this time to make her presence known, advancing on the older woman, "How could you?" The ship rocked violently back and forth as the tentacles began climbing up the sides of the ship once more.

Elizabeth looked wide eyed at the younger woman, surprise mixed with regret, "It…it's not what it looks like…..he…"

"He what? He deserves to go down with the ship?" She cried out, throwing her fist into the blonde woman's face, the sound of her nose breaking very much like the sound she'd heard when she delivered that satisfying punch to Malfoy's face in her third year.

Elizabeth yelled out in pain, grabbing her now bleeding nose and Jack watched in complete shock as he attempted to free his trapped hand.

"How could you do that to him? To your fiancé who's waiting in the boat for you?"

The boat rocked again and the blonde woman turned and fled to the boat, still holding her bloody nose, "Coward!" Hermione yelled at her before turning to Jack, ignoring her feelings for the moment as she focused on the matters at hand concerning their lives.

As dire of a predicament they both now seemed to be in Jack couldn't help but observe what had just happened and seeing the look of rage and hurt on the brunettes face momentarily before she had a chance to disregard her own feelings to try and free him, he realized he wasn't the only one who had feelings. To say he felt like one hell of a bloody idiot was an understatement and this was entirely new to him as he was never at fault, well in his own mind anyway and now all he felt was guilt. Finally he found his voice as she continued fumbling with the handcuff.

"Witch?"

This seemed to jolt her and she blushed before grasping her wand and aiming it at him as he squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for pain.

"Alohamora!"

*clink*

The cuff fell to the floor and he flexed his hand as he opened his eyes, realizing he was free of the restraint.

He moved towards her, reaching out to say something, to pull her towards him when a vicious roar interrupted them and the huge thud of the tentacles flying through the ship sent them both tumbling towards the other side.

Hermione screamed and felt Jack's hand on hers, stopping her from falling into the sea where the railing had broken off just as the boat began to go under. Her screams became louder as the beast emerged from the sea, its mouth full of rows of razor sharp teeth coming towards them.

She scrambled to her felt and Jack pushed her behind him as he drew his sword, ready to fight the terrible beastie.

Grasping her wand, she aimed it for the monster, its saliva flying at them as its mouth came closer; "Crucio!"

The bright red light flew towards it and the beast let out a terrifying wail as its tentacles slammed down, gripping Hermione and dragging her up into the air along with Jack. Both of them screamed out and Jack used his sword, slicing the tentacle in half. He fell forward only to have another of its massive arms wrapping around his waist, ready to devour them both.

She struggled to free her arm that held her wand and as it drew them both towards its gaping jaws she aimed the wand one last time, "AVADA KEDVERA!" Moaning and wailing could be heard but she kept her eyes closed not wishing to see those massive teeth as they sliced into her and Jack.

Suddenly water rushed upwards and she sucked in her breath, one eye opening and then the other before something wrapped around her, dragging her upwards and surfacing. She let out a series of coughs and screamed still thinking the creature had her, kicking and struggling to stay afloat at the same time.

"Hermione! Bloody hell woman!"

At the sound of his voice, she stopped struggling and turned to see Jack staring at her. She let out a gasp and almost leapt out of the water and onto him, submerging them both momentarily before they came up sputtering. "I thought that was the creature, sorry."

"Ye killed it luv."

"I did?"

He smirked as they swam, "It's on its way to the bottom of the ocean, ye saved the crew, ye saved me."

She smiled, momentarily forgetting the scene she'd stumbled upon before saving him as she asked, "Where do we go?"

He nodded at the spick of land that lay barely in view of them, "There, tis where me crew will be then we can discuss what to do next, I suspect ol' fish face will be coming aft'er me next."

"What about your ship? I know it meant it a lot to you."

Jack sighed, it did sadden him to see his beloved ship go down below the depths however they had survived and he found himself grateful for it. "While I shall miss me ship, we escaped with our lives and our parts intact and therefore I am much more grateful for that, though I really wish me rum hadn't gone down with the pearl, it's always the rum."

Hermione chuckled at his way of speaking and the two swam in a comfortable yet not so quiet silence.

She felt her muscles straining as she wasn't quite as in shape as she thought herself to be, when it came to the water at least, she was not used to swimming such long distances though she doubted Jack was either. Her thoughts began to swirl as she saw the long boat coming into view, wondering how exactly she was supposed to act around the blonde bitch who'd tried to leave the captain for dead. She sighed and just continued pushing herself, swimming alongside the rum soaked pirate.

Jack found himself caught in his own thoughts as they neared land. He wasn't quite sure how to act when he came face to face with Lizzie, Elizabeth…..she had tried to kill him, now of course he knew she truly deep down was a pirate but this was just insane even for Jack to comprehend. She had almost got him killed and Hermione had stepped in and saved his life while she would have left him and she 'wasn't sorry' as she so bluntly told him before getting herself punched in the face by his witch….his witch….as much as he'd tried to deny it, he was beginning to accept it….to want it, especially after he thought of their 'almost' encounters. What was that thing Lizzie had told him a while back before he'd gotten into all this mess to begin with? Oh yeah, he would want to act on impulse, selfish impulse. He smirked to himself as he continued to swim alongside the beautiful woman he'd come to care for, he wanted to be selfish alright and it wasn't with Elizabeth anymore.