Author's 2 cents: This part of the story takes place before the first movie just after Jack is rescued after being mutinied on the island. This along with most of the story does contain some spoilers for movie 2. Pirates ye be warned!

Disclaimer: I'm a bit prettier than ol' Jerry Bruckheimer and the folks at Walt Disney Corp. so I don't own Jack or any of the characters from the movies but the made up ones in this story are all mine.

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Jack reluctantly put his hands up as did all of the rumrunners. Jack had to admit, if there was one cause he was willing to die for this was it. Who was he kidding? He didn't want to die to begin with! First being stranded on a microscopic little isle in the middle of nowhere by his two-timing, lowdown, no good traitorous, ex-first mate. And now to be arrested then timely executed along with his rescuers. It was good to know however, he could die nobly.

He turned to the young Italian man with blond hair and green eyes knelt next him as they were being cuffed. "I want you to know mate, I think what you do is a dignified service to humanity and it's an honor to die with you."

The young man sneered at him and spat in his direction. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't BE dying! You stupid fool, drinking all of our product and watering it down, it's no damn wonder our clients turned us in!" He cursed at him in Italian.

Jack's brow furrowed and he made a comic pout as he stared at the man, offended. "Lovely language Italian," he went back to staring off into space.

"Well, well now isn't this a surprise." Jack heard the familiar voice coming from his right. He looked up and saw a familiar if unwelcome face.

"It seems we have a celebrity in our midst, gentlemen." Came a cool and viscous voice.

Jack grinned back. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Beckett."

Beckett knelt down before him with his navy jacket arm perched on his knee. "Nor you," his smile turned into a sneer as he stared at him. "I'll see to it that you and your loathsome kind are cleansed from the earth."

"Oh bloody hell" mumbled Jack. "I had really hoped you'd gotten over this 'pirates are the scum of the earth and they all must die' thing." He said slightly worrisome.

"Unfortunately for you Sparrow, no" Beckett hissed.

"You shouldn't hold onto grudges that way, mate not healthy." Jack rolled his eyes to look at him.

Beckett stood up and looked at his armed guards. "You know normally one would wait until we had reached shore to interrogate a prisoner," he shouted to them. "But being such an extraordinary case as young Mister Sparrow is--"

"Captain!" Jack interrupted.

Beckett leered at him, and some of the prisoners chuckled. Beckett however once again smiled. "oh I'm terribly sorry, Captain Sparrow, who might I add seems to be missing his ship," the crew of the East India Trading Company's vessel laughed at this one, and seemed to be in on a particularly cruel joke. Beckett again knelt down close to Jack and whispered low and venomously. "I think we can arrange something sooner." He stood up and signaled to two guards to take him to his interrogation.

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Jack sat tied to a chair in the hull of the ship. His tattooed arms were tied to the arms of the chair by the wrists and elbows with his forearms exposed. Dreadlocks swayed this way and that smacking the guards in the face as they struggled to tie him down. They wrapped the rope around his kicking boots to the legs of the chair, and wrapped rope three times around his chest that was minus one Captain's jacket as was his head missing his beloved Captain's hat. Once they were done Jack looked down to see the damage. He felt like a mummy though he didn't looked that bad, they weren't taking any chances with the infamous Sparrow however. Jack's gold teeth glinted in the corners of his mouth as he mused on the idea, The Infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. It wasn't so bad anyway he could still move his neck, true that was pretty much all he could move at this point, oh! and his fingers he could move those. He glanced past one of the guards to look at his jacket, pistol, sword, belt, and his beloved hat hanging in the corner.

With one final grunt from both the guard and Jack the guard pulled the knot tight on the rope around his chest. (So to recap) Jack had a rope wrapped three times around his chest to the back of the chair, a (thick) rope wrapped once around each boot to the legs of the chair, and his arms strapped by the elbows and wrists to the arms of the chair. Jack hopped up and down and rocked violently from side to side his hair smacking everything around him, the chair was nailed to the floor. Jack abruptly stopped and looked up at the guard to his right. "A little excessive wouldn't you say?"

The Guard was still doing nothing but staring straight ahead.

Jack made a face and took the moment to survey his surroundings. The room was opulent, no surprise there, but it was a pot burning in the corner along with several glistening objects Jack couldn't really see only he could tell they weren't jewels and gold that really caught his interest. Jack heard the door opening next to him as Beckett walked into the room.

Beckett looked down at Jack with the coldest, fiercest look Jack had ever received. Beckett's eyes turned to the guards. "Leave us." he commanded. The Guards nodded and left the room.

Beckett's eyes again fell on Jack.

Jack felt a cold chill go up and down his spine as he realized that he was slightly more comforted by the guards being in the room.

Beckett didn't say a word he just stared, then the corners of his mouth rose in a thin smile. He slowly turned and walked towards the pot in the corner.

Jack squirmed slightly in his binds. "I may not have mentioned this to you specifically, but I'm not into this sort of thing, and even if I was." He gave Beckett a snotty look as he walked towards him. "I still have my pride."

Beckett laughed bitterly as he held something behind his back. "Pirate's pride no doubt, worthless." He became silent as he looked at Jack whose whole body was tensed. "How did you find him, How did you find Davy Jones?" He hissed.

Jack seemed to relax with this news he was even getting some of his swagger back. "So that's why you sent the kids to bed." he gave a slight flick of his head in the direction the guards left.

"How did you find him?" Beckett said viscously again.

Jack looked at him with a faint but smug smile. "Any pirate can find him," he said lightheartedly his eyes looking up at the ceiling. "but only a pirate can find him, so unless you're planning on switching to a new line of work--"

Beckett withdrew a branding iron with a 'P' at the end.

Jack became still, his dark lined eyes locked on the end of the branding iron as Beckett stalked around his chair.

"I'll do the next best thing then," Beckett said moving the iron within a few inches of Jacks right eye. "I'll make a pirate tell me where he is," He began to twirl the iron around as he spoke. "by any means necessary."

Jack drew in a breath. "Why do you want to know?"

Beckett looked at him a moment then slowly lowered the iron thankfully away from Jack's person. "I already told you, Jack." He leaned back on a table behind him holding the iron like a cane across his legs. "I will not rest until every pirate is wiped off the map."

Jack made a face that could have been mistaken for plain drunkenness given any other situation. "You'll develop insomnia, mate."

Beckett stepped forward with the branding iron aimed at Jack's face. Jack in a flurry of words managed to name a latitude and longitude number. Once again Beckett withdrew the iron. "There now," Beckett said with an evil smirk. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Beckett called one of the guards back into the room telling him the same numbers he'd just been given.

Jack stared at the floor a shade paler. He'd bought himself some time at least.

The guard turned and walked back out yelling commands to the men steering the ship. Beckett again gave his full attention to Jack. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack made a face as he looked up at him. "You're welcome."

"You know," Beckett scratched under his chin musingly. "I really do hope that was the right location because if it isn't, well I doubt there would be anyone who'd shed tears for the loss of Jack, excuse me Captain Jack Sparrow."

"All of this because I sacked Nassau Port." He looked back up him. "You really do hold a grudge."

Beckett moved forward and slammed the end of the branding iron into Jack's forearm. Jack let out a yell that could be heard halfway across the ocean. Even the crew of the East India Trading Company's ship pitied him.

Jack grit his teeth, his arm shook with pain at the branding iron still being so viciously shoved into it. He let out another pained groan as Beckett leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Don't simplify it so, brother."