Author's note; This story takes place after COTBP. One shot, but it might be more if you react well to it... R&R, flames welcome with open and embracing arms! Chiz, x.

Chapter One

To The So-Called 'Got a Job For You's

Her eyes were brown.

The black eyeshadow that had once covered her eyelids and winged out into elaborate yet graceful Cleopatra sweeps was now smudged around her eyes, giving her a sickly, haggard look.

Under her eyes were big purple marks, gained from lack of sleep. Or too much of it, she couldn't remember.

Last night, her ludicrously long black hair had been piled into a large beehive style on top of her head. Now, it hung around her face, knotted and messy.

And lastly, her black and gold corsetted dress was on the floor of her flat...and she was sitting beside it, in nothing but her black slip, with nothing but a pillow and a bottle of rum for comfort.

Comfort for what?

For everything, simply. For her pathetic excuse for a life.

Tallulah Elliott smiled broadly for it, closed her eyes and let the half empty bottle of rum find her lips.

"Oh, yes," she said to herself, "Lula, this is the sweet nectar of back-breaking despair. The sad woman's way out." She coughed hard, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her right forearm had five tattoos on it; one little dragon, one five-cornered star, a rose crossed with a knife, a Chinese woman behind a fan and a single spider on her shoulder. Her left shoulder had a tattoo on it, as well; a little bluebird in a gilded cage. To remind her where her place was. She smiled and let her eyes close again. She thought she was going to nod off for a while, when a loud knock came at her door.

"Oh, fuck. GO AWAY!" she yelled at the door.

"Guess who, Lula?"

"Oh, you've got to be fucking joking me," Tallulah said, slurring her words and screamed at the door, "PISS OFF!"

"You know you don't want me to."

Tallulah got up from the floor with her bottle and shuffled towards her door. She yanked it open.

"Oh, great joy of shit. A drunk at my door," she said, her eyes scanning over him.

"Takes one to know one. Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" James Norrington said, pushing past her into the house and grabbing the rum from her hand, "Don't mind if I do."

Tallulah slammed the door. James was still in his 'commodore' attire, only now covered in dirt and grime. She was less than pleased to see him.

"What are you doing here, you little Navy shit?"

"Not a very nice way to treat a guest," James said, finishing off her rum, "Got a job for you."

"Got a wha'?" Tallulah said, rubbing her head.

"You said last night," James said, "that you were a pirate."

"And you said you was a commodore," Tallulah replied, "So I wasn't the only one talking shit?"

"Still got a job for you," James smiled, pressing on, "Do you want money?"

"Figure it out, Jimmy," Tallulah said, "I'm living in a run down, flat that's falling apart. What I do for a living is unknown, even to me. I spent my days drunk and lolling around my shitsplat home, occasionally finding money in my couch. And I spend it on getting pretty pictures printed on my skin. Figure it out."

"I figure that you do," he replied, smiling drunkenly, "And another question. Why'd you leave Port Royal?"

"I don't bloody remember," Tallulah said, going over to her cupboards and rummaging through them, trying to find more alcohol, "That was about a century ago, how the fuck am I supposed to know?"

"Funny," James said, sitting down on her couch, "A pretty girl like yourself going nowhere. Wasting her life."

"Get to your bloody point."

"Why should I rush?"

"Sooner you do you can get the fuck out of my house."

"Language," James said, "So. You said that you were a pirate. Now I want you to go and find me a pirate."

"It's not that cock with the hair, is it?" Tallulah asked, squinting, "That...bird fella."

"Spot on. Will you go find him for me?"

"I will bloody not."

"Why?"

"I'll only end up shaggin' him, you know me. And plus, where in the fuck did you get the idea that I was a pirate?"

"You told me last night," James said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, that was drunk talk! I was probably horny as fuck too!"

"True...but it seemed that you knew your way around...a...pirate."

"Shut the fuck up, Jimmy."

"But all the better if you seduce him...shouldn't be to hard, I hear he's easy...and that way-"

"I am not, do you hear, not going to go shag some random pirate just so you can get sommat out of 'im," Tallulah said, nearly nose to nose with James by now. She was angry at the cheek of his proposal. Even though he didn't know about that particular incident. But then he looked right into her eyes and smiled wisely.

"Ah, you know him," he said, nodding.

Tallulah drew her head back from his at an alarming speed.

"Do not," she said, "Who do you mean?"

"You know who I mean," James said, "Jack Sparrow."

In spite of herself, she was that close to spiting out the words, "Captain Jack Sparrow."

She turned her back, closed her eyes and said, "I do not. And even if I did-"

"Here's what you're going to do for me, Tallulah," James said, coming up behind her, "You are going to hunt him down, and fall in love with Captain Jack Sparrow... all over again."

Oh, a very short chappy, I know, I know, but it does get better... Let me know if you do like it, or if you don't, as I said flames are welcome!