MY HERO.

"KEEP AN EYE ON DEAR WILLIAM, WOULD YOU?"

Malaysha pulled a face as they moved through the dank and dirty streets of Tortuga. "Where's the fun in that? I was thinking of entering him in a dog fight."

"I can hear you," Will said, rolling his eyes as he looked around at the unseemly people all around them. There was gunfire, squealing ladies, and the overwhelming scent of alcohol at every turn.

"Well, he's never been here," Jack said. "And more importantly, it is indeed a sad lot that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"

Will looked around, spotting a pirate downing two tankards of rum, a donkey in the streets, and a gaggle of painted ladies displaying their wares.

"It'll linger," he said flatly, sticking close to Mal. He didn't think any lady belonged in a place like this.

"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack insisted. Only for a red haired woman to stride up to him. "Scarlett!"

Rather than reply, she slapped him hard and stalked off, making Malaysha smirk.

"Not sure I deserved that," he muttered, turning back just as a smiling blonde planted herself in front of him. "Giselle!"

"Who was she?" Giselle asked, pointing after Scarlett.

Jack looked after her then back just in time to receive another smack before the blonde stormed off. Mal's smile only grew.

"I may have deserved that," Jack muttered, holding his cheek. Then he looked between Will and Malaysha. "We should escape this wretched pit as quickly as possible."

"With a crew," Will added doubtfully, not so sure that they could get one.

"Ah, yes. Well it just so happens that you know the man who knows the man who knows the finest sailors in all Tortuga."

✵︎

Malaysha had begged and begged to be the one to wake Gibbs up, who was out cold outside in a pin with three pigs, covered in mud and grime. But some of it was washed off when Mal threw a bucket of water in his face.

He sputtered and roared angrily. "Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!"

"And good evening to you too, Uncle Gibbs," Mal said, tossing the bucket to the side.

Gibbs blinked up at her and Jack in disbelief. "Mother's love, Jack! Mal! You know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck!"

"Ah, fortunately, I know how to counter it. The father of the woman who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it, while listening to a proposition from the father of the daughter who did the waking."

Really just wanting an excuse to drink, Gibbs nodded. "Aye, that'll about do it."

Jack and Mal helped haul him to his feet, only for more water to be thrown at him, Will standing with the empty bucket in hand.

"Blast it, I'm already awake!" Gibbs shouted.

"That was for the smell," Will said, making Malaysha giggle.

Gibbs began to retort angrily only to reconsider and shrug, knowing it was fair.

The four moved inside of the bar, The Faithful Bride. And Jack pulled Mal away from Will, wanting to keep her in the loop. "Keep a sharp eye," Jack told Will.

Then he moved off with Mal, sitting next to Gibbs in the shadows. Several tankards were set down, and Mal was just as quick as her father to pick up hers and down it. She never drank while sailing, as it was dangerous, so she made sure to indulge when she was on land.

Will was standing away from them, hand on his sword and keeping a lookout. Mal thought he looked terribly adorable and awkward as he did so, just looking for a fight to pick.

"Now, what's the nature of this venture of yor'un?" Gibbs finally asked.

Jack leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I'm going after the Black Pearl." Gibbs choked on his rum, almost as if he'd been hit. Mal knew he thought it was a fool's errand. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it."

"Jack, it's a fool's errand. You know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl," he warned.

"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."

"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one," Gibbs said, glancing nervously at Malaysha, who'd found the table very interesting as she kept a death grip on her tankard.

"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Jack asked, a smirk on his face.

"Prove me wrong. What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" Gibbs asked.

"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" he said, jerking his head toward Will, who was still vigilant. He seemed to be out of earshot, but evidently, he'd been eavesdropping.

"The kid?" Gibbs asked, getting confused.

Malaysha frowned. "What do you need Will for? He's just getting Elizabeth."

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child. Savvy?"

Gibbs eyes went wide, but the words meant nothing to the youngest amongst them who hadn't paid attention last time she was on the Pearl.

"Is he now?" Gibbs mused, now on board with the plan. "Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."

"One can only hope," Jack said, lifting his tankard for a toast. "Take what you can."

"Give nothing back!" Gibbs and Mal recited, clinking their cups before drinking.

But a frown made its way onto Malaysha's face, who wasn't so sure she wanted to help use Will as leverage — even if she didn't know how he'd be used anyway.

When Gibbs and Jack slammed their tankards down, Will whirled around at the sound, his sword out and searching for an opponent. All he heard though, was Malaysha laughing at him as she got up and got another drink. The tips of his ears turned red with embarrassment as he sheathed his sword, watching her carefully as she passed.

"The kid's a bit of stick, isn't he?" Gibbs asked.

Jack rolled his eyes, not liking how Will was following his daughter's every move. "You have no idea."

✵︎

Two hours later, all of them but Will were properly drunk. Malaysha had disappeared for a bit and returned looking cleaner and in a flowing blue dress. Now, she was standing on the bar top, singing along to the drinking song that several pirates were chanting.

Will had never seen something so rowdy. He stayed seated at the bar, keeping a careful eye on Mal, as Jack and Gibbs were off recruiting for their crew.

"What shall we do with the drunken sailor? What shall we do with the drunken sailor? What shall we do with the—"

As Malaysha danced around on the bar, her dress got tangled with her feet, which sent her toppling over. She squealed and closed her eyes, expecting to meet the hard ground, only for strong arms to catch her. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that it was Will who saved her.

Since she wasn't harmed, Mal giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "My hero."

"You didn't mention things like this when you told me about Tortuga," he said, a semi-smile on his lips.

"Well, I come to Tortuga to dance and to drink," she informed him, reaching for a bottle that was on the bar.

But Will walked them backward so that she couldn't reach it. "I think you've done plenty of drinking."

"Ah, but no dancing," she said, wiggling in his hold until he set her on her feet. "Care to help me out on that front?"

Will raised an eyebrow and went to protest, but she was already pulling him closer to the corner where the band was playing and others were dancing. After a moment of him watching her dance around with her arms above her head, she grabbed his hands and began helping him move to the rhythm.

He was a bit tense at first — Will wasn't sure if he'd ever danced in his life.

But he found himself smiling nonetheless as he twirled Mal under his arm and pulled her close. She turned and put his hands on her hips, showing him how to properly dance. She missed how his cheeks flushed from the close contact.

By the time the song was over, Will was breathless, his hands feeling hot from touching her and his senses overwhelmed with the scent of rose water. How someone could smell so sweet in a place like this blew his mind.

He cleared his throat and stepped back, taking in the wide smile on Malaysha's face. Her cheeks were warm from the dancing and the alcohol. And she seemed to stumble as she walked.

"Maybe we should get you back to the ship," Will said, not wanting anyone taking advantage of her in this state.

"You're no fun," she whined.

But Mal let him lead her out of the tavern nonetheless. He had a smile on his face as she sang softly to him the whole walk back, thinking he'd heard no voice lovelier than hers.

Rather than go to her quarters, Mal asked to stay out on the deck a little longer. So they found themselves on their backs, looking up at the stars in the sky, shoulders not quite brushing.

In her drunken state, Mal was a bit loose lipped, and so she found herself asking something she'd promised herself she wouldn't.

"Do you remember me?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off the twinkling sky.

After a moment of silence, Will spoke up, speaking just as quietly. "I was drowning. You came and you kissed me — you saved me. And you stayed with me until the Navy found me. You watched over me."

Malaysha smiled softly, not knowing why she was so happy that he remembered something so simple from so long ago.

"I had always wondered if you turned out okay," she told him. "You're the only person I've ever bothered to save."

"I still dream about you sometimes," he admitted as if he was the drunk one. "Dream about my glittering mermaid. My savior."

He was hoping Mal wouldn't remember come morning.

She would.

"Well, your mermaid is really happy to have her Sailor Boy," she said softly. Then she sighed dreamily. "The stars are so beautiful."

"Yes," Will said, his head turning to the side as he gazed at her. "Beautiful."

Unaware of his double meaning, Mal turned her head to the side as well, meeting his eyes. She thought he had beautiful eyes, and so she told him.

"You have beautiful eyes," she blurted out.

The corners of Will's lips turned up. He knew he shouldn't have been smiling and yet he was. "So do you," he whispered, feeling her inch closer, seeking out his warmth in the cold night air. So, he wrapped an arm around her to keep her from getting even colder.

Mal shut her eyes and rested her head on his broad chest, feeling more content than she ever did when floating in the ocean. It was a dangerous way to feel about a boy whose heart longed for another.

"I hope you like Tortuga, Will Turner," she said sleepily.

Will looked down at her, his thumb brushing back and forth innocently along her arm. He knew she was falling asleep in his arms. "It certainly has its charms."

✵︎

A weather beaten group of swabs stood in a ragged line-up. Malaysha looked on, unimpressed. But, she knew it was as best as they could get at a place like Tortuga.

"Feast your eyes, Cap'n. All of 'em  faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt and crazy, to boot," Gibbs introduced.

Jack moved down the line, Mal following after him as they appraised everyone. Jack seemed pleased enough, but Will wasn't impressed either.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" he asked doubtfully.

Will hadn't spoken to Mal all morning. She'd fallen asleep in his arms and he'd carried her to bed before retiring to his own bedroll. Nothing had happened between the two and yet something had in some ways. Something had stirred in both their hearts.

In response to the question, Jack just nodded and continued down the line. He stopped in front of an old sailor with a colorful parrot on his shoulder.

"You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs offered.

"Mr. Cotton. Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack asked, looking at Cotton expectantly, who remained silent. "Mr. Cotton! Answer me!"

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out," Gibbs explained.

Cotton opened his mouth to show it off, and Malaysha looked away, wriggling from disgust a bit. As she stuck out her tongue, Will caught her eye, and both had to hold back their laughs.

"So he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how," Gibbs explained.

Jack nodded and tried again. "Mr. Cotton—'s Parrot. Same question."

"Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!" it squawked.

Jack frowned and looked to Gibbs for interpretation. "Mostly, we figure that means 'yes.'"

"Of course, it does," Malaysha said, smiling at the bird.

Then Jack looked smugly at Will. "Satisfied?"

"Well, you've proved they're mad," he muttered.

"Then so are you," Mal teased.

Then another sailor spoke up. "And what's the benefit for us?"

Jack and Malaysha both perked up at the voice, though Jack was a bit more horrified. They walked toward the hunched person, whose face was shaded by a giant hat. Jack leaned it to the side, peering beneath it and seeing AnaMaria's angry face.

He forced a smile. "AnaMaria."

Clearly, she was really angry as she smacked him twice as hard as either of the girls from last night had.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one, either?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that one I deserved," he admitted.

"You stole my boat!" she accused.

"Actually—"

AnaMaria smacked him even harder, making Mal snicker. She'd always liked the woman, and now she remembered why.

"Borrowed. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back," Jack insisted.

"But you didn't!"

"You'll get another one."

"I will," she said in a threatening tone.

"A better one," Will said, actually a bit fearful of her.

"A better one!" Jack agreed brightly.

Will then pointed to the Interceptor. "That one."

Jack whirled around, shooting a wide-eyed look at Will. "What one?" Will have him a hard look in return, telling him to get with the program. "That one?" Then he considered it and gave in. After all, he'd have the Pearl. "Aye, that one! What say you?"

AnaMaria, Cotton, and all the others responded loudly and eagerly with, "Aye!"

"Anchors Aweigh!" Cotton's parrot echoed.

"No, no, no, no," Gibbs complained. "A mermaid is bad enough. It's frightful bad luck to bring another woman aboard, sir."

Jack glanced up to the sky in exasperation before back to Gibbs. "It'll be far worse not to have her."

✵︎

The Interceptor had made great progress, but that progress led to a horrible storm. The rain was beating down so hard that Malaysha was sitting on the deck of the ship, her tail slapping against the wood in annoyance. It was easier to stay on the ship than to swim in the harsh waters. She didn't want to get lost.

Lightning was flashing and thunder was crackling — thankfully, the wind was in their favor. Though the crew didn't look like much, they were all excellent, practiced sailors. However, it still was taking everything they had to keep the ship afloat.

Jack was at the helm, looking wholly unbothered by the weather. He just kept glancing down at his compass, which confused Will.

"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" he asked loudly over the storm.

"Aye, the compass doesn't point north. But we're not trying to find north, are we?" Gibbs asked vaguely before moving away. He went over to Jack, who was fighting the wheel. "We should drop canvas, sir!"

"She can hold a bit longer," he insisted as the wind picked up even more. Jack just smiled.

"What's got you so happy?" Malaysha shouted, not in nearly as good a mood.

"We're catching up!"