"He's in love with the Wench, would you have me drag him back to the Pearl kicking and screaming." Said Jack angrily, "I owe Bootstrap a Wizard Debt and it's sealed with his blood, do you really think Bootstrap and myself hadn't researched that bloody curse.  We were not some foolish Muggle pirates chasing gold.  We had been curse breaking partners for six years at that stage.  My mind, Bootstraps raw magic we were the best Gringotts had."

"Then why wasn't Bootstrap your first mate if you were so chummy and why did ye sail with a crew of Muggle pirates, when Tortuga is always hip deep in Wizard born." AnaMaria screamed.

"Bootstrap being but one of the crew was his idea, he being the Auror and paranoid as they come. His thought was that as one of the crew he'd get some warning of treachery.  What we didn't know was that Barbossa had a core of his old crew hidden throughout and his plans were made before we even set sale.  Bootstrap was as much in the dark about the mutiny as myself. When they did what they did, I could see him readying himself to attack.  I used our secret signals to stop him, one of us had to get to Cortez cursed treasure because if it was real it was too dangerous to let fall into the wrong hand and if it was real Bootstrap had another duty to perform as I had fallen behind."

"That still doesn't explain the Muggle crew Jack."

"Girl, use your brain, ten years ago there was a Dark Lord on the rampage and we weren't the only ones on the trail of Cortez's cursed gold.  How happy did you think that Black hearted fiend Lestrange would have been at a rumoured cure for his favourite terror curse, we didn't dare ship with  wizard born for fear of a traitor in the dark lords employ.  I thought Barbossa was the less of two evils as I had shipped with him before when I wasn't teamed with Bootstrap, before the man turned Pirate Barbossa had been a fair Captain."  Jack shrugged.

"I still think Bootstrap acted strangely, my god Jack, the man was a fully active and trained Auror Wizard.  The Muggles may not have known the curse was in force until too late, but a Auror Curse breaker had to have known from the moment he removed a coin from the chest, yet he not only let them take the coins but scattered them to the four winds." She said horrified. "Then he sent one to young William so it couldn't be broken."

"Aye, bloody Slytherin to the end old Bootstrap." Said Jack affectionately "I tell ya never get a Snake so bent on revenge that they forget all caution or their own survival they'll do things not even a bloody Gryffindor would dare to achieve their ends.  Those cursed have a gift Bootstrap made good use of before Barbossa and his men caught up with him."

"What did he do?" she asked with trepidation.

"What we both planned from the start, he killed the Dark Lord girl, the curse made Bootstrap not only unkillable by Muggle means but immune to all the dark lords blackest magic.  He walked into that fiend's lair and gutted him like a pig and sent his head to the Ministry.  The purge that followed was a bloodbath, meanwhile Barbossa caught up with him."

"Bloody Hell, Jack! The Ministry will be marrying young Turner off now that he's found they won't waste a bloodline that killed a Dark Lord on a Muggle wench.  You should have tied him to your bed and be done with it, that blacksmith will need all the protection he can get once the Ministry gets hold of him."

"The Ministry can't touch him do you think Bootstrap hadn't thought of that.  Bootstrap himself was already wed and had an heir, but his son was another matter.  We knew what would happen if we succeeded in taking out Lestrange.  The Pirate custom of Matelotage gave Bootstrap the idea; he worked out a way to keep the Ministry from both his young son's back and mine.  He bonded his then five-year-old son in a fully contracted Wizard pair bond with a secondary bond permitted in the fine print.  It was an iron-clad contract as to be expected from a pureblood Slytherin Auror of a noble house."

AnaMaria's eyes widened in shock.

"The Ministry could do nothing, for young William was already contracted to a husband of his Father's choice.  By Wizarding Law that marriage contract is in force until the contract matures on the day Bootstrap's Child reaches his majority on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his birth."  Snapped Jack amused.

"Bloody Hell!  Young Turner will be committing adultery if he marries Miss Elizabeth." Cried Gibbs shocked.

Jack looked straight into Joshamee's shocked eyes and Smirked then continued in his instructor tone.  " When that day eventuates all relationships of both Husbands whatever their legality are deemed secondary relationships and they become void without censor.  Custody of children of such secondary marriages by either Husband reverts to the prime pair bond unless otherwise arranged.  Secondary marriages can remain with the agreement of both pair bonded, where upon the pair bond will have the option of becoming a triad or cluster as the case may be."

"Jack, this is insane, you're just going to let that Muggle girl Elizabeth Swann marry your husband without a fight.  And five years from now your going to traipse in claim William as your husband void his marriage to the girl and claim any children as your own.  You honestly think that firebrand will let you take her husband and children, or actually accept a triad or cluster marriage."

"I won't have him bound to me while his heart is elsewhere." Snapped Jack not meeting her eyes.

"Bound to you, he is bound to you, you bloody idiot." She snapped. "Blood and bond he belongs to you and you ta him."

"Well yes, but he's been in love with the petty Elizabeth since he was twelve.  Shame but I'd be a poor husband if after all the trouble he went to for that rum burning spitfire, he didn't get to claim his treasure."

"Your bloody insane, Jack."

"So I've been told." Said Jack dryly.

AnaMaria snorted, "Jack, just knock the boy up and be done with it."

"That might take some persuading, he's been amongst the Muggles too long to think that natural." Jack sniggered.

"Natural be Damned, who ever said magic was natural all it takes is a Potion, a true desire for a child and a bloody tumble, Wizards have been doing it for centuries." Snapped AnaMaria.

"True enough, but that persuading will still take some doing, I'm thinking I might end up carrying the kid myself if it ever eventuates." He smirked but his eyes were bleak for all the mirth.

"Not on your bloody life, just the thought of the insanity you could get up too when ruled by mood swings freezes the bones in contemplation."

"Well then be sure to mention that to William when the persuading time comes." Said Jack sweetly.

AnaMaria snorted.  "So are you going to get the boy or not?"

"Not," he said simply gazing out to sea in contemplation.  "The magic of the curse broke through him, instead of actually containing the curse for a time I'm thinking his magic will be slow to wake so we have time yet before we need to retrieve him from the Muggles.  My magic is only just starting to respond or the governor and commodore would not have been able to almost hang me.  My wand and I need to get reacquainted first I'm thinking." Unconsciously reaching up to finger it, AnaMaria choked in shock suddenly realising Jack had been using his wand as a hair decoration all these years.  "Me magic is screaming to be used and sixteen years is a long time for those muscles to be dormant.  The power is screaming so loud it's trying ta drown out the Pearl in me head and I fear I'm as like to overpower the simplest of spells until the magic settles."

She frowned not liking the sound of that. "Well first we have to get you a working wand."

"I have working wand girl, Ollivander himself carved it like this, it still works fine even if she isn't as pretty as she once was, I'm just not sure if she fits anymore." Grimaced Jack a little frightened at the power he can feel waiting within.  "I've being practicing in me cabin. I can make her work but me wands fighting every inch of the way."

"Then we shouldn't be headed back to Isla de Muerta, Tortuga has a wandmaker."

"I thought of that but the British have the bearings for the Isle we need to secure it from Muggle sight, I'll feel better when that damned Aztec chest is safe in a Gringotts vault under Goblin protection."

"God damn it Jack, are you truly mad we all saw what that curse can do, safer all round to sink the damn thing into the ocean depths beyond all reach." Screeched AnaMaria.

"Aye I saw, and it is truly a horrifying curse in truth, but the Hecatan Bind curse be much worst for a Wizard and Witch to endure, it cures it girl I'm the bloody proof, I've got me magic back.  Do I have the right to sink the only found cure beyond all mortal retrieval when so many can be cured from it."

"Captain that be taking a lot for granted, it may not be working on those more than just Wizard.  Forgive me for pointing out but the Dark Lord may have started out with attacking pure bloods but towards the end he was attacking everyone he could find, my own family while human had many friends that were not."

"I have taken that into consideration," Jack said with slow deliberation, "In Tortuga I specified the makeup of this crew for a reason, there are no Muggles amongst them only squibs, victims of Lestrange and his terror curse."

"You be wanting to test the limitations of the chest before deciding its destination." Said Gibbs in understanding.

"Indeed Mister Gibbs." Said Jack calmly. "If it doesn't work, I'll be giving it to the deep."

"Well I don't understand." Snapped AnaMaria in disgust.  "Jack don't you say another bloody word, let Joshamee explain I've a better chance of understanding him."

"As you wish." Muttered Jack with a smirk, as he started humming the song Elizabeth Swann taught him knowing it would annoy the hell out of his first mate.

"Jack," she screamed  "Bloody hell not that damn song again." Realising she couldn't stop him she pulled the quartermaster out of earshot of Jack and that song.

"You'll not stop him girl, haven't you learnt that lesson yet." Said Gibbs with a smile,  "Jack's a force of nature, all you can do is accept him."

"I know but he makes it so hard, at times he's chaos incarnate."

"Aye, that's his nature madness and genius be so close together it's sometimes hard to tell which side he's ruled by at any given moment, but never forget if he has affection for you he will storm Hell in your name."

"Aye that I know, but sometimes I don't know whether I love him or hate him." She muttered.

"Aye, but you're not alone in that girl, he wrings your emotions dry and one minute its hate the next it's love.  Captain Jack doesn't incite anything but the extremes in a man or lass, love or hate girl and often it's both at the same time.  Young Turner is in for a wild ride, yet I believe he might be the first to stand a chance of taming Captain Jack."

"I won't believe that until I see it happen." She snorted. "So explain what he meant with the crew." She ordered.

"Well it's like this, girl.  All of the crew are like us victims of the Bloody Dark lord and his thrice be damn curse." His voice reflected old pain, and AnaMaria grimaced, she had been a child when the curse struck her she had adapted with ease never having known her gift to it's full, it had to have been worse for a adult trained and use to their power.

"No need to grimace girl, we adapted, just not as easily as yourself and young William.  Bound from our magic more tightly than any natural born squib, we had no choice but to learn Muggle ways and trades to survive, we adapted those that didn't like young William's mother wasted away pining for their magic.  Make no mistake William's mother wasn't the only one that died slow from the yearning.  If the yearning didn't take us we fell foul of the Muggles we don't fit in girl no matter how we try, their morals aren't ours, their customs aren't ours, there be good reason most of us end up Pirates.  Bootstrap's bloody revenge the Dark Lord earned full measure."

AnaMaria shivered at the dark satisfaction in the gentle Gibbs voice.

"Well anyway, Jack realised he had to check that it was a cure for us all, not just the purebloods but the ones with non-human blood in their heritage, the crew be a fair mixture of human and halfling."

"And if it doesn't work?" she growled.

"Nothings guaranteed in life girl, but it's a chance at our birthright, the crew know the chances of it failing." Joshamee shrugged.  "In that case we'll still have our share of the non cursed treasure, which is an unexpected bonus we hadn't known of when we agreed to ship out with the Captain."