I woke up from the sunrise that shined brightly in my eyes. I yawned and sat up, careful as I rubbed my eyes to avoid getting sand in them. Elizabeth was waking up too, but Jack was still dead asleep. His deep breathing was masked by the continuous sounds of the waves, and his face was facing the sky. I have to admit, he was quite handsome when he wasn't being a blaggard.

We took the opportunity to eat as much as we could before adding the rest of our provisions and dry plants to our pile and began to burn it. The fire jumped to the nearby palm trees, burning them up and the thick smoke travelled up and around us while the wind was softly blowing it toward Jack. Everything was on fire as we tried to make a proper smoke signal. We were being creative.

"What if it burned before anyone sees it?" I asked, tossing the last of the rum into the ball of fire, causing a slight explosion.

"Hopefully it doesn't," Elizabeth said.

I turned my attention towards the beach when I saw Jack suddenly stand up in a disoriented fashion. I called out to Elizabeth and pointed at him as she tossed a piece of wood into the flame.

"No!" Jack shouted, running up to us. "Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you two doing?! You've burned all the food, the shade, the rum."

"Yes, the rum is gone," Elizabeth said pragmatically.

"Why is the rum gone?" Jack asked, most upset about that aspect of what we were burning.

Elizabeth angrily turned around to face him. "One, because it's a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me. Do you think there is the slightest chance that they won't see it?"

Jack yelled back, "but why is the rum gone?!"

Elizabeth sat down at his feet and faced the sea, "just wait, Captain Sparrow. Give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open, and you will see white sails on that horizon."

"That isn't going to work!" Jack yelled down at her.

"Not with this attitude," I said.

Pure frustration and horror casted through Jack's eyes as he pulled out his pistol to use on her. A moment of clarity caused him to put it back, and he ran off past me to march up a sand dune.

I went after him, and heard him talk to himself in Elizabeth's voice, "'must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack.' Well, it bloody is now!"

When he turned around to yell at us, he noticed that I was following. He narrowed his eyes at me and said, "I understand that you don't appreciate rum, love, but that don't mean you can go burning it! Was that your bloody idea?!"

"Do you think people will go to come visit this island for holiday?" I asked angrily, stomping after him. I realized that my English grammar was much poorer when I was angry, or talking too quickly. I really needed to practice more. "No! No one is coming, and if we do nothing, we will die."

"You put me in a rather vulnerable and unfavorable position last night, lass," he hissed.

"I did not do anything to you! You did that to yourself," I spat back.

"I won't make that mistake again because the bloody rum... is gone," he huffed, "how are we supposed to survive?!"

"Maybe we can work this out," I suggested, trying to calm my voice down, "after all... we are stuck with each other."

"Annie, you've had your chance," he said humorously, but I assume that it was unintentional.

"On my honor, if we survive, I will buy you the best bottle of rum I can find, or the best bottle of wine in France," I promised.

Jack swayed like he was on the ship, not yet finding his land-legs and said, "rum."

"But only if we return to land."

As we were talking, Jack looked past me and gazed at the sea. I turned around and saw a ship with big white sails anchored in the shallows with a longboat already rowing toward us. My heart fluttered with hope. We were saved!

Jack sighed and said, "there'll be no living with you two after this."

I smirked and looked to him with my eyebrow raised smugly. Jack snapped, "you think you're so clever," and marched back down the sand bank.

Yes, yes I do.

We went back for Elizabeth and I gathered my possessions before we were transported directly to the ship. After a brief greeting with her father, Elizabeth went on about Will while Jack and I were shoulder to shoulder with two of the Royal Navy guards on either side of us.

Governor Swann was an older man with a large curly wig that made his wrinkly face look small. He wore some of the fanciest clothes I've ever seen, and he looked disgusted at being in the presence of me and Jack. Commodore Norrington was much younger, and quite handsome. However, he had the same look on his face. He seemed to already dislike Jack and due to association, he seemed to dislike me too.

Jack interrupted the father daughter duo, leaving me alone with the guards. He walked up to the governor and said, "if I may be so bold as to interject my professional opinion."

I noticed the curly haired governor and the Commodore exchanging glances, which told me that they are already fully aware of Jack and his antics.

"The Pearl was listing after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up, eh?" Jack said to them.

Commodore Norrington said, "by remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself," before walking off.

Elizabeth followed, "Commodore, I beg you, please do this. For me. As a wedding gift."

I walked up behind Jack and asked in a low voice, "I thought she loved Will."

"Annie, I will push you off this ship right now if you say anything," he whispered back firmly. I looked up at the Commodore and Elizabeth, realizing that this was the fiancé that Will was complaining about.

Commodore paused and Governor Swann rushed to Elizabeth's side. "Elizabeth? Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?"

"I am," she said. She did not look happy.

"A wedding! I love weddings. Drinks all around!" Jack said enthusiastically. I saw Commodore look down at him in disgust, and Jack's energy dwindled. "I know. 'Clap him in irons', right?" He brought his wrists together in front of him.

The Commodore walked back down to the deck and said, "Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave'. Do I make myself clear?"

Jack nodded, "inescapably clear." Then, two of the guards grabbed him by the arms and hauled him to the helm.

"As for you," Commodore looked at me and frowned, "I don't know who are you but by the looks of things... pirate... you shall accompany Mr. Sparrow up on the helm. You must be of some use to him."

I frowned at his ignorance towards me, and before I could say anything to defend myself, I was pushed up to the helm with Jack.

We didn't reach the cave until nightfall. I stood at the back of the ship with Jack after overhearing Norrington's shaky plan to venture into the cave. They seemed to know nothing about how these pirates were immortal.

I asked him, "you haven't told Norrington about the curse?"

Jack had his hands behind his back and he said, "I noticed neither have you. Neither has Elizabeth... same reason, I imagine."

I shrugged and looked out towards the dark mouth of the cave. "I don't know him well enough. I don't care for what happens to him."

Jack cleared his throat and said sarcastically, "that's comforting."

"Is there a way to get to truly know someone you just met?" I asked sincerely.

"Could have gotten him drunk," Jack half-heartedly suggested with a grin.

"That's one way..." I shrugged and began to slip my boots back on, since we were approaching the cave. "I prefer the old way."

"Which is?"

I took a deep breath and looked down at the dark rocks that were protruding out of the water that we were navigating through. I said, "shared experiences. This is how you make friends, through good and bad memories together, deeply layered experiences empathetically. You trust one another."

"Don't get me wrong, love, I admire a person whose willing to do whatever is necessary."

"To..?" I allowed him to finish this thought.

"To create such bond. Humans need companionship, do they not?"

"Does that go for you as well?" I asked. I gently scraped my teeth along my burnt, chapped lips to ease their itching.

He said, "I do admire myself a great deal."

I exhaled softly and said, "I know."

"Have you ever seen me not do whatever is necessary to do what I want to do the moment I want to do it?"

Barely able to comprehend what he said at the speed he said it, I decided to respond, "honestly, I don't know you all that well yet."

"I guess the question now is, do you want to know me? I am a captain, after all. I can single-handedly decide who stays as part of me crew."

Was Jack offering to let me stay on his ship, when he would once again become captain? Of course, it's a big if... who knows how the next few hours are going to play out.

"You're a smart man, Jack, but I don't trust you completely yet," I said, side-eyeing him.

He took a few steps toward me and said, "peas in a pod, darling," while gesturing between us. It was dark, but I was looking into his eyes. My lips twitched up into a smile, and he returned the expression.

"No one ever believes me when I tell the truth. I guess it's the curse of being a woman of devastating beauty." I waited a beat before I said, "it is a joke."

Jack stayed close as he said, "but of complete candor. In addition to your prowess and tenacity. We are sailing through dangerous waters here, darling. Your confidence is admirable, I concede."

"Would you prefer I cower?" I asked with my eyebrow twitching up. "Because, I assure you, Jack Sparrow, I am no coward."

"I am well aware of your valor. I just cannot help but enjoy a lass who seizes control. You know, there is nothing more erotic than when you are embellishing your true self."

"And what is that?" I asked. I could feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach while my cheeks grew warm.

Jack kept his eyes locked to mine, but he didn't answer. He took a step back and nearly bumped into Norrington who came up right behind him. Elizabeth was at his heels and he tossed Jack's compass to him. Jack caught it against his chest and Norrington said, "with me, Sparrow." Jack looked toward me tenderly as he walked off.

"I want to come," Elizabeth said.

Norrington turned to her and said, "no, it's too dangerous for a woman."

"You must have someone else to come who knows the..." she stopped herself and said, "the situation with the pirates."

Norrington turned toward me and said, "we will bring her."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows.

"She is a woman," Elizabeth protested.

"You are aware of the pirates?" He asked me, looking me up and down.

"I am a pirate," I sneered back.

"Good. Then you will have no trouble accompanying Mr. Sparrow and myself to Isla de Muerta."

I opened my mouth to speak, but eventually closed it and trailed off down the deck. There was no arguing with him.

AN: what would you have done to get off the island?
Honestly I think I would have just waited it out and pray that someone came by so I could flag them down 😂 I don't think I would have been brave enough to burn everything to create a smoke signal, and I definitely would not have laid on the beach drinking rum for three days